Oct. 21st, 2010

valarltd: (bike)
You have walked 365 miles.
You have passed Another camp in the Trollshaws.
It is 4 miles to the next landmark.
You have 93 miles to reach Rivendell.

The hills now began to shut them in. The Road behind held on its way to the River Bruinen, but both were now hidden from view. The travellers came into a long valley; narrow, deeply cloven, dark and silent. Trees with old and twisted roots hung over cliffs, and piled up behind into mounting slopes of pine-wood

You have walked 371 miles.
You have passed Another camp in the Trollshaws.
It is 3 miles to the next landmark.
You have 87 miles to reach Rivendell.

That night they camped on a stony shelf with a rock-wall behind them, in which there was a shallow cave, a mere scoop in the cliff. Frodo was restless. The cold and wet had made his wound more painful than ever, and the ache and sense of deadly chill took away all sleep. He lay tossing and turning and listening fearfully to the stealthy night-noises: wind in chinks of rock, water dripping, a crack, the sudden rattling fall of a loosened stone. He felt that black shapes were advancing to smother him; but when he sat up he saw nothing but the back of Strider sitting hunched up, smoking his pipe, and watching. He lay down again and passed into an uneasy dream, in which he walked on the grass in his garden in the Shire, but it seemed faint and dim, less clear than the tall black shadows that stood looking over the hedge.

http://www.barrowdowns.com/walktorivendell.php
valarltd: (writing porn)
Names:

Most common
Chris-4
David/Dave-6
John/Johnny-3
Mike/Michael/Michelino-4
Nick-3
Robin-3 (Two of these are Robin Hood, should it count as 2 or 3?)
Thomas/Tom-3
William/Will-4

Ordinary today:
Anthony
Benjamin
Billy
Chad
Charlie/Charles/Chuck-2
Dan
Gabriel
Glenn
Jace/Jason
James
Jeff
Josh
Ken
Matt
Paul-2
Rick
Sam
Sean-2
Shane
Steven
Taylor
Victor
Zach


Ordinary for their era
Adrien
Al
Amos
Apollo
Cliff
Edward
Frank
Henry
Iakobos
Jacob
Jake
Lou
Marion
Nathaniel
Nigel
Phillip
Ulysses

Unusual/Fantasy:
Adlai
Ariel
Arqam
Conlan
Corban
Damian
Etarin
Herm
Iain
Jared
Jarett
Meriwether
Mishael
Pelton
Rafael
Rakesh
Ren
Ruvane
Samir
Seven
Sterling
Val
Zephyros
valarltd: (halloween)
From "Looking Down the Road." Unpublished.


The traffic did its mechanical dance, a slow waltz of vehicles out here in the country which could turn into a brutally fast polka in city rush hours. Me, I drove. I drove and kept time for that dance.

The road ran clear ahead, and I sent my mind flying along the black ribbon. There. Up near mile marker thirty-five. I Saw the big green rig tangle up with the kid who'd fallen asleep at the wheel. Lurid emergency lights flashed over a bodybag. Not good. A death meant a driver might never work again, or want to. A lot lost their nerve if they killed someone. I checked the other timeline. The kid ditched it and got a concussion.

I ran the same lanes all the time and I recognized that rig, as well as its purple aura. There weren't too many voudunists on the road this far north. I flipped the CB to channel seven and sang out. “Yo, Phillippe! That you in the big green rig?”

“Hey, bébé!” Phillippe's New Orleans Creole poured out of the CB like fresh praline sauce. “You got a load today?”

“Yeah. Look, pull off at thirty-two. You got a sleepyhead gonna hitch a ride on your ICC bumper if you don't.”

“You sure? Look-ahead gals ain't always right, bébé.”

“Voodoo man, if you want to dig another pouch of graveyard dirt instead of looking at it being piled on a college kid's face, you'll get off at the rest area. Listen to the witch with the capital B.”

Phillippe laughed over the CB. “But if you make me late, you getting snakes in your truck, cheri.”

“I'll take that risk. Better'n you doing time for manslaughter.”

“Pulling off to the rest area now.” I saw his signal lights come on as he headed off the ramp.

“Good man. Your sleepyhead just passed that exit and is heading on.” I breathed a little easier. “Give him about ten minutes.”

“Merci, bébé. Next week, I'll bring you something nice from my auntie. Love potion, maybe?” He laughed and a couple other truckers in range laughed with him. Seers tended to stay unattached. Family life was hard enough by itself, but adding in the Sight made it worse. There was a reason my family had a five generation history of madwomen.

“Thanks, but no thanks, pal. Rootwork generally goes bad in my hands, especially that kind. I'm just a cranky old Celt and I'll stick to Seeing.”

“Take care, cheri,” Phillippe said.

I kicked my cruise up a few miles an hour and passed the kid, who was starting to weave, at mile marker thirty-four. I watched in the rear-view as he drifted off the shoulder and into the ditch. Another 911 call. I really hoped I wouldn't be making too many more. Two lives saved for this one.

“Phillippe, you can get back on the road, sugar. He's safe.”

No answer. Phillippe was in the restroom or reading the informative plaque about the Trail of Tears. Upward and Onward, or at least Northward.
valarltd: (succubus)
Work: Worky. Was reminded I'm not completely well and had to sit down for a few minutes. Also passed my recertification today. I just need to renew my license.

Kids: Oli was not just grumpy but surly today. Ah the joys of puberty.

Good scale day. Down a pound.

Did some tutoring myself. I hope I helped.

Media: Saw Silent Hill. Saw Scary Godmother. Reading LKH Incubus Dreams. Also Harlan County Horrors. Acquired UC Undercover, eps 1-11.

Scent of the Day: Tintagel, Spicy mulled wine flowing through the musky heat, warm leather and bright clash of armor, the damp branches of Cornish hawthorn, blackthorn, juniper, English elm and bayberry, and the magical tingle of dragon's blood resin.


Question of the day:
I have taken to having a nightcap, just a single mouthful of Captain Morgan Tattoo, before bed. I find it circumvents my body's automatic panic mode at the CPAP machine. I can sleep without it, but falling asleep takes me much longer. I worry about this habit becoming a dependency. Thoughts?

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