Charles

by on January 19, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

Charles was a people pleaser when I met him. He wanted to be friends with everybody. He always had a smile on his face. Each morning came with a new inspirational quote. Every breakfast was a feast. Every march an adventure. Every exercise session an opportunity for personal enrichment. He annoyed me… so much. There were times I wanted to throw him in the river and hold him under until he stopped talking. But the rivers in Texas didn’t have water in them most of the time. Life was so unfair. There was a method to his madness of course. He always had a method to anything he did. He was a planner. He looked to the future. And he truly was using this opportunity to expand his rolodex of people who could be useful to his plans. Because he had some serious plans.

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Charles

by on January 18, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

I recognized Charles Edward Hurst the first time I met him. Not that I actually knew who he was, you understand. Just what he was. I had seen his type before. The Capital F Family types. Old Money that could buy anything they wanted. They loved to vacation in Northern Minnesota and sample all the delights we offered. And sometimes ones that weren’t for sale. They always thought that money could buy forgetfulness or otherwise leverage matters to get them out of legal trouble. They were right more than I liked, but there were other types of trouble they could get into if they escaped the legal kind. I was good at helping facilitate that. He wasn’t the only one of his ilk sent to the little reserve fighter squadron down in Texas where I met them. I figured the fix was in. It was going to be a show squadron that didn’t do any real fighting. But Charles had other plans.

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Shang Chi

by on January 17, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

I watched Shang Chi over the weekend, and I enjoyed it. It had a good three acts, from introducing the new hero, giving him some complications, and going into the final confrontation. It is a general style that Marvel has perfected well, and it worked in this instance. The main character was someone I enjoyed cheering for, and his companions all had time to shine and contribute to the story. We even got to see some characters from other movies return and put their stamp on the movie. It is one of the joys of a shared universe that makes each movie feel like part of a larger whole. It helps them all. I give Shang Chi two rings up.

If you want to read more, check out http://pryderock.substack.com

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Jack

by on January 16, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

There are times I marvel at the fact that so many of us managed to make it through twenty years of total war with our souls still intact. Those of us with cybernetic partners owe that to them. They were always willing to talk us through our demons, our depressions, and all the times we wanted to give up. Those times came for all of us, and none of us who saw the end were the same people who started the war.

For more information on Captain Jack Hart, go to http://jackofharts.substack.com

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Jack

by on January 15, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

The United States military didn’t care much why I volunteered back in the day. They were desperate for recruits to fight off the alien Shang menace. But there was one person who did care. She chose the name Betty when she was born, and she made me promise her something. That I wouldn’t fight just for revenge. That I would fight for a life at the end. That we would go places when it was done. That we would live. She held me to that promise over the years that followed. And if I’m being honest, I held myself to it as well. I was too stubborn to give up on a promise to a pretty lady. Especially one that looked so much like Julie. That wasn’t an accident, by the way. There were times I thought it was, but I’m older and wiser now. And I know that she saved my life when she extracted that promise from me. And when she chose that form.

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