Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Chronicles of the Dragon Cave from A to Z: "N" is for Ninja Muse

   In 800 years I've worked with many muses. Some I fired (literally) and some left me when they couldn't take the heat. My current muse was not a true Ninja when she came along, asking for a job.
   At the beginning, I called her SAM, (short for Stubborn-As-a-Mule). To her, "No" means "Yes", "Maybe" means "You rock!" and "Go to Hell" means "Drive me nuts with endless babbling."
   I never invited her to stay, yet stay she did. Our relationship is one of love-hate at this point; rough love, sweet hate. She learned Ninjutsu right after I sat on her, in a futile attempt to silence her annoying insistence for a plot (a terrific one by the way.)
    As ninja, now she can successfully approach me without getting mauled, charred or crushed. That doesn't mean she goes around unscratched. Our writing discussions are anything but peaceful. Although she is the most creative of all muses I've ever worked with, she is also bonkers. Should I let her, she would have me dancing Smooth Criminal in a Batman suit in the middle of the- Wait, I already did that.
   Anyway, she's convinced I should serve her but I believe muses are there to serve me. Servitude doesn't fit dragons. We're far too proud for that. There is friendship, there is honor, there are alliances, but just plane submission there is not. At least not with this dragon.
   So as long as you are in the Dragon Cave, heed this warning. If you see the Ninja Muse and Father Dragon in the same room, you walk the other way. Hell is about to break loose.
Talking about friendship, I want to thank you for visiting the dragon cave and for  all of your comments, shout outs and retweets of my posts. With all my heart, thank you! In spite of my best efforts, my visiting has dropped a 80% or more these last days. I'm in the middle of a personal Life Challenge and it is only getting tougher by the day. I don't intend to quit because I'm quite the SAM myself and I have to be half dead before I break my word. 

I just want to ask your understanding if I don't reply or correspond to your comments and kindnesses as often as I should for what is left of April. My sense of honor demands me to visit everyone, correspond every comment and every kindness. However, I am getting overpowered and the fact both challenges are distressing me deeply does not help my situation one bit. 

The dragon has never been one to ignore people but I am under heavy siege at the moment. I trust I'll be able to prove my loyalty to my blogger friends more consistently on May, when not everybody posts every day. Thanks for your support and for being the wonderful people you are!

32 comments:

  1. Great post Al. most enjoyable.

    Yvonne.

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  2. I'll remember to walk the other way.
    And no worries about keeping up. I think several of us are running into difficulties. We can't turn off life, nor do we want to ;)

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  3. It is a bit overwhelming to have so many people to visit, I think we're all facing that problem so we can all appreciate the difficulties.

    mood
    Moody Writing

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  4. We are ALL feeling the stress of the challenge! Even powerfully strong and witty dragons like yourself will feel the strain. It's tough!

    BUT... We all have found out early on that your heart is larger than life, so don't fret... Your sincerity is truly felt. We can only do the best we are capable of... Giving your all is good enough!

    Take care FD... And be patient eith your cute little Ninja muse.

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  5. What is it about Ninjas - they seem to be featuring a lot on blogs today. I enjoyed your story of your Ninja muse.

    If you can't make it, don't worry, we know you are overwhelmed too.

    JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE

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  6. Ninjas rock!
    Smooth Criminal in a Batman suit? Hope nobody had a camera.
    Do what you can Al and don't worry. The daily posting of everyone is difficult even for me. People will understand if you can't visit every day. Your real life challenge is far more important.

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  7. You're in my thoughts, Al. Hang in there.

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  8. I'm with Alex on this one, do what you can Al, and don't let it get you down. Come on back when you are out from under this personal challenge. I'm sure you'll have a lot more to write about when it's all over. :)

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  9. Go the hell away = Drive me nuts with endless babbling. I get that one completely.

    The A to Z is rough. They don't call it a Challenge for nothing. I finished last year but without an ounce of energy left. So, you just go on and finish up your alphabet soup, I'll keep reading. We can talk in May or June.

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  10. Al, just worry about taking care of yourself and real life. All this blogging stuff will still be here and we all know that Father Dragon doesn't take his followers lightly :) We're all being stretched a bit thin, this month.

    Loved the line about 'firing', literally...lol I don't think I'd want to be fired by a dragon, in any case.

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  11. What kind of blog friends would we all be if we didn't understand that Life gets in the way sometimes. Usually exactly when its most inconvenient. Your visits are great but I won't be upset in the slightest if you were taking care of yourself instead of reading my dumb blog.

    Take care.

    Heather

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  12. I so understand being under siege, and, as for the author-muse relationship, I have one of those, too! Take care. Life has a way of coming at you in large tsunami waves, and you must use all of your dragon power to make the crest.

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  13. Glad SAM is keeping you on your toes. And you take care of yourself and do the best you can...we all understand and know the most important thing is that you take care of yourself!

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  14. I'm so sorry you are going through such a difficult time, Al. You have nothing to apologize for at all. Take care!

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  15. Don't worry Al, we understand. The most important thing right now is that you take care of yourself. Do what you have to do and things will get back to normal in a few weeks. (:

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  16. A Bonkers Muse....we should all have one. Your Cave Dwellers and Dragon Friends will be here...you take care!

    My Letter 'N'...Needle Nests
    Sue CollectInTexasGal
    AtoZ LoneStar Quilting Bee

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  17. SAM sounds pretty awesome.

    I feel your pain. April is beginning to become overwhelming to many, me included. My pre-written posts are about to run out. When that happens, my commenting might become fairly limited as just getting a posting out will be all I can do. Hang in there!!!

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  18. SAM is magnificent! And don't worry. We really do understand. :)

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  19. SAM!!! Ahaha that's genius! And no worries I'm happy you're so challenging yourself! This means I'm not the only mad person who does that! Believe me, if you succeed it will be such a wonderful feeling of satisfaction! Good luck!

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  20. Great post, Father Dragon. You speak some wise words and I know how you feel with the visiting. i am going a bit crazy myself right now. I will keep you in my thoughts, sending you positive energy as you go through this challenge and come out the other side all the stronger.

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  21. No apology needed, I too am struggling to participate as much as I'd like, demands are made and priorities are set. I think SAM is a perfect match!

    Happy day!

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  22. You get that ninja-muse of yours to stand on the wall and brandish her sword at anything which tries to approach! Rest, father dragon, lest your fire wither and spurt when you need it most.
    Jezebel - my minion-muse from the underworld who poisons guests with her punch on Tuesdays - bids you rest or she'll deliver some of her "medicine." *shudder*

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  23. Hang in there, Al! Deal with your life stuff and I hope you get it sorted. Everyone understands.

    My muse turns up at the unlikeliest times. I've learned to get on with things without her!

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  24. Greetings my friend,

    And beyond the story is the other story. My good friend, life and its trails and tribulations, make us understand that there are priorities. You need to think about you. Commenting on other blogs is not the main concern. I know many an alleged popular blogger who doesn't feel like they need to acknowledge. You are real and for that I'm sincerely grateful.

    In kindness and goodwill,

    Gary

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  25. I distinctly recall you sitting on your muse. (Still cracks me up, by the way.)

    Please take care and don't overtax yourself! We want our favorite dragon happy and healthy!!!

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  26. Go Ninja, wait, Go Father Dragon! I don't know who to cheer for here . . . both of you?!

    On the visiting note. I love your visits and your comments, but if you can't, it's ok. I understand. Take your time. Take care of your life, and be well.

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  27. I love this post, as usual. :) I always look forward to reading these.

    #atozchallenge, Kristen's blog: kristenhead.blogspot.com

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  28. Appreciate your words above there, but it is totally understood... sometimes life just grabs you by the b---s and you've got to let something go by the way side for a while.

    Still so enjoying your posts - and this Muse you're writing about here, man, I don't know. Seems like something you'll need some deep counseling about before long. My prayers are with you in all of this. Blessings to you! Writer’s Mark

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  29. Fired (literally) - hehe, love this.

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  30. Go do whatever you need to do, Father Dragon. We'll still be here waiting when you get back. There's no way anyone would desert you and the dwarves!! :)

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