Maybe This Will Be The Year That Finally Kills Me.

A very rare, "I can't even" moment.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/06/real-american-sniper-hate-filled-killer-why-patriots-calling-hero-chris-kyle At first, I thought I'd go off on a ridiculously long rant responding to this article. Then, I attempted to think. Instead of analyzing her article, what if we analyze her in a similar fashion as a movie? We are going to take someone we know absolutely nothing about, and develop a treatise which will, hereafter eternally, be viewable the Internet over. Outwardly, she is obnoxious, unfit, self-serving, prejudiced, narrow-minded, and untalented. Her life's story is no different than millions; her life is of no more consequence than millions. She feels she deserves something for the relative nothing she has put into her life. She reviews the purpose of films as if she is a victim of something she will never experience. She thinks she has knowledge and wisdom of a world she has not lived. Her award(s) is unfounded and no more than a "Thank you for playing" in the journalist community. She demonstrates a North American, West Coast, hipster ignorance that has become popular for its supposed open-mindedness. Inwardly, however, I'd like to believe Ms. Lindy is as much a human as everyone else on the planet. Though her societal stature has demarcated an ability to assume the role of several humans, which gives her that many times more credence to critique the character of others, I will hold faith her heart is no nearer failure than anyone half of her own character. She means well in that she feels people should research those they would call a "hero" before bestowing the title; however, if the details of everyone's life were available to the public, Muhammed, Jesus, Buddha, etc., would be grey characters in every history book. We all need heroes. Sacrifice their bad for their good. Emulate their good side, but do not forget their humanity.

I have the same stein.

Quandary: Buy some new furniture or buy a new forge and anvil... Damn you, decisions!

Brutal Easter goodies. -z

I realized today my list of people I want to meet is almost empty. A lot of them are dead now, and that's pretty depressing. All I can hope is to meet Cary Elwes someday.

... Never thought I’d be the one to help shatter someone’s illusion... Did I really help save her? She’s so tired. She’s so numb. She’s so confused. She knew something was wrong. That’s why after four years, she reached out to me. She spent the last year being worn down, and she knew it couldn’t be right. She reached out to me partially to fill a void her soon-to-be ex-husband didn’t. I knew that wasn’t healthy. We talked about anything and everything. We aren’t afraid to talk to each other now, because we’ve both grown. She told me what he was. I told her what he really was, and a part of her knew. It took her a few days, and some googling to finally see what I saw right away. It’s hurt her so much. She didn’t want to believe what I knew was abuse (both physically and mentally) was what had been happening to her. Article after article told her the same things, and they described everything he’d been doing. She’s so tired and numb now. No one could want this for someone they love. In the end, it’s her choices, her willingness to heal, and time that will see her rebuild. I’ll be beside her wherever she is. But, as much as I’ve hurt her for destroying what she thought was her dream, her illusion. I couldn’t stand aside and walk away quietly like I’ve done for so long. If you see abuse, know someone who is being abused, or if you are the one being abused, whether it’s courage or a spurt of madness, reach out to someone. There are so many advice lines. So many counselors. Hospitals. Even law enforcement. Don’t be the one to see or know and do nothing. If you are the one in it, breathe deep, know you are worth more than how you’re being treated, and find someone to talk to. Anyone can get you started to saving your life, even yourself. It’s less unknown to stay in the situation you are in, but it’s not safer.

It's not often I find something this coincidental. Loved ancient and medieval history for as long as I can remember, and I've especially liked the stories demonstrating women played a role just as important as men (whether martial, statecraft, etc). So, seeing photo sets of women actively participating in historical (authentic or creative [creative to a point; fantasy LARP crosses the line in my opinion]) reenacting is something pretty awesome. May also not be a surprise Brave is one of my favorite Pixar movies. What made this particular set stand out to me among many others was it's the first one I've seen crediting Patrick Thaden, whom I had the pleasure of meeting many years ago shortly before he moved to a bigger shop. I've since lost track of my contacts in the smithing fields, so it's incredibly awesome to see he's still working.

OMG THE WHOLE SET HAS SET MY SOUL AFLAME

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jetrefilm/6401353617/in/photostream/

David Jetre

Shroud - Art Direction 

Custom armor for David Jetre’s debut film, the western thriller Shroud.

The armor, sword and shield (not shown) were handmade out of aluminum in order to afford Nicole a full range of movement. 

Actor: Nicole Leigh

Armor by Patrick Thaden & Ugo Serrano. Sword engraving by Holsapples Engravers, Inc. Courtesty Gayla Partridge Photography

I've determined I am incredibly unattractive. Body is one thing; that isn't bad and can be worked on. My face, though. It's not even the skin. Its very structure is horrid. Other people have well-defined features, and mine is just this weird oval that has an uneven jaw, nose, and eyes. For your safety, I can't provide a picture.

If the sentiment that sex workers of any kind cannot be raped because of their profession holds true, then is it also true infantrymen and cops cannot be shot, firefighters cannot burn, doctors cannot contract diseases, bankers cannot go bankrupt, racecar drivers cannot be run over, sea goers cannot drown, explosive ordnance disposal cannot blow up, aviators cannot crash, accountants cannot miscount, investigators cannot mishandle evidence, and judges cannot misjudge? Wish there was more I could do for Ms. Stoyadinovich than pose the above question. Though, I am glad she chose to come forward now, and I hope she has enough immediate support to help her through this.

People on my facebook keep posting things about goats. Not sure what started that whole thing, but it did remind me just how awesome and badass goats are. They do whatever the fuck they feel like doing. Mostly, that's just finding the tallest object around and fucking standing on it. Do they need a reason? No. They give no fucks. They're goats. They watch you from their high places and use their voodoo laser eyes to peer into your soul so they can decide whether or not they want to eat it because they'll eat anything. Why? No one knows. They're goats. They don't give a fuck about property because they believe in their ability to chew on anything, and tasty souls are their number one. Who knows how Satan became associated with a goat, but I bet it had something to do with a farmer pissed off at how his goat would stand on top of his shit all day, then eat it after getting bored. Satan's probably afraid of goats because they'd just stand on his head, then chew on it because they're no-fucks-giving goats. Satan associated goats with himself, then spread the idea around the mortal population to prove the point goats are not to be fucked with. If fucking Galactus showed up to Earth, we wouldn't need Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy, we'd need goddamn goats. He can't eat a planet if the goats eat him, first, and you bet your ass they would. They won't just stand on anything or eat anything, either. They've also developed an ability to head butt shit with enough force to cause small amounts of nuclear fusion. If they can't stand on something because it keeps moving, they'll deliver a head butt to the brief annoyance that reaches its resonant frequency and shatters it into oblivion. Then, the goat will either stand on the remains or devour them. Or both. A goat doesn't care. So, next time you happen across a farm or mountainside and feel you're being watched, remember that somewhere is a goat, not even a hungry goat, that's determining if your soul is tasty enough to be worth coming down from wherever it's standing. A goat won't care. It's a goat. If you don't have a soul, it's a perfect pet.