Odds and ends.

The new job is keeping me pretty busy, but it's going well.

Michael Totten is posting about his most recent trip to Lebanon. Here's his interview with Walid Jumblatt and his analysis of Lebanese politics after the Hariri assassination (which happened two years ago today). MJT's Israeli friend Michael Oren is going to be appearing at Powell's Books this Friday night at 7:30, and I'm going. Michael T. has invited me to hang out with him and the Israeli author after the event. I was hoping Michael W., who's a prof at Portland State and very interested in Israeli and Middle Eastern events, would be able to join us; but it probably would have been too many Michaels in one place anyway.

Promising myself I'm going to do some creative stuff before I go to bed tonight. TQC is still stuck at Chapter 29. One more chapter will round out Part III and give me a chance to set up the next part of the storyline. Chapter 30 will probably take a look at Gilkesh politics as seen through the eyes of Earth Intel. In the next section I want to develop Kathris and Amira's relationship some more, provide an inside look at the workings of Singularity, explore a planet (Darkhaven) which I've so far only alluded to, and introduce one more character ... who will play an important role in the story.

Oh, and I promise there will be some sex scenes soon.

Valentine's Day? Well, I could give you a lot of high-flown rhetoric about commercialism and the cheapening of human relationships ... but I'll just fess up and say I'm embittered. Grrrrr.

So there.

Happy Valentine's Day anyway.

The Middle East

( Middle East events roundup. )

Ty Ziegel

US Marine Tyler Ziegel was engaged to his sweetheart when something happened that would change their lives.

KDSK:

They were looking toward the future when Ty's unit was redeployed.

Then one day in December 2004, Ty was on a truck as part of a convoy patrolling in Iraq's Anbar province when they were targeted by a suicide bomber.

...Ty was hurt, badly. The blast engulfed him in flames and riddled his brain with shrapnel.

He was stabilized and transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Renee went there too and doctors told her Ty was clinging to life.

"If he makes it through today, it's a good day. If he makes it through tonight, it's a good night. We got told that every single day," said Renee.

Ty fought hard and did make it but he was disfigured beyond recognition. He lost sight in his right eye and doctors had to remove most of his left arm and some of his right hand.

But through 50 plus surgeries, 19 months of painful rehabilitation and disfiguring scars, Renee stood by him.

"I didn't marry him because he was a good looking guy, I married him because of who he was," said Renee.

...Ty and Renee Ziegel see love not with their eyes but with their heart.

"If you love somebody," said Renee, "you're going to do what you have to do, no matter what."

Happy Valentine's Day.

Yay!

Numero uno! Dil-e wat!*
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=space+lesbians&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

I finally beat out AndersonGold Films.



*"Number one" in Gilkesh.
http://asher813.typepad.com/gilkesh_language/