tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60200996479406966142024-02-01T22:13:27.096-06:00Dragon on a MissionAl Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-48455278968809887322021-02-02T22:13:00.000-06:002021-02-02T22:13:12.770-06:00Grandmother Dragon Forever<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-v3gMXRdQa69DGK-2fOiTV-voFtz0cEIHJot1CsHveI9fUBi79CNJfNQ5Mand0jcnJh9AnDdRNAVWSVnfPjJkUuaoPWt3pv_4a-pKQJGMU1kYRsWo1Gzd0QclAvILvbNBzg6kMzERFwc/s1200/image0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-v3gMXRdQa69DGK-2fOiTV-voFtz0cEIHJot1CsHveI9fUBi79CNJfNQ5Mand0jcnJh9AnDdRNAVWSVnfPjJkUuaoPWt3pv_4a-pKQJGMU1kYRsWo1Gzd0QclAvILvbNBzg6kMzERFwc/w469-h245/image0.jpg" width="469" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It feels like centuries since the last time I wrote something for the Dragon Cave. Only something of great importance would drag me out of my retirement and this is it; the passing of a kind, loving, caring lady like Jo Wake from <a href="https://henderson-jo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jo on Food, Life and a Scent of Chocolate.</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It was me who first gave her the title of "Grandmother Dragon". I met her during an A to Z Challenge, back in 2013, when I was a frequent blogger. She became a frequent visitor of the Dragon Cave and quickly grew into my heart. On 2014, she accepted my invitation to join a Goal Partner Group, along with <a href="https://www.alexjcavanaugh.com/">Alex J. Cavanaugh</a>, <a href="https://www.davidpowersking.com/">David Powers King</a>, <a href="http://eseckman.blogspot.com/">Elizabeth Seckman</a>, <a href="https://www.lisabuiecollard.com/">Lisa Buie-Collard</a>, <a href="http://melissamaygrove.blogspot.com/">Melissa Maygrove</a>, <a href="http://www.carrieabutler.com/index.html">Carrie Buttler</a>, Mark Koopmans, Tina Downey, and <a href="https://lifepostbrainhemorrhage.wordpress.com/">Eva Solar</a>, who joined us after Tina passed away. I never imagined this group would grow to become a family who shared a lot more than personal and professional goals. We became the Fellowship of the Dragon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I remember I often argued with Captain Ninja about who of us was older (me, of course, for several centuries). Jo was the one who always remembered (and reminded us) of everybody's birthdays, special occasions, she encouraged us and put a smile on our faces with her comments. She was fun and loving but also firm and truthful. One day I asked her if I could adopt her as my grandmother, because she reminded me to my mother's mother. First time I told her she could be my grandmother she wasn't flattered. She said she wasn't THAT old, hahaha. I still laugh at the memory. I told her she wasn't as old as a dragon but she had the heart of one, and so she became my Grandmother Dragon. It didn't take too long for her to adopt everyone in the group under her "wing". We went through a lot of stuff together. Along the years we shared thoughts, hearts and a bit of our souls. I never met her in the flesh but I knew her and she really knew me. The day her voice went silent was the day our Fellowship lost also a huge part of its essence. I feel very lucky and grateful for all the things she did and said that enriched my life and the life of all those in our group. My dragon heart will always treasure her memory for as long as I live. She had a heart of gold.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDWNGN-5dMYrBU_W-Op0Xak80CqXSWB1PWCb_GhQWwK4Wq5zmt8siH2W1p5qWM5ACwHpB4JBORQ6q3WbdiJS7pD7dj-d5mRL9a-Sorq9KyfoyG1i4H7385jGL2ZVvM1EWMj3j5Si-pXc/s320/image0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="245" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDWNGN-5dMYrBU_W-Op0Xak80CqXSWB1PWCb_GhQWwK4Wq5zmt8siH2W1p5qWM5ACwHpB4JBORQ6q3WbdiJS7pD7dj-d5mRL9a-Sorq9KyfoyG1i4H7385jGL2ZVvM1EWMj3j5Si-pXc/w284-h371/image0.jpeg" width="284" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /> She loved good recipes and in her honor, we are sharing a recipe that brings us memories of love, family and friendship. My recipe is for Molletes, as we know them in Mexico. In Spain they have something similar they call Tapas. Jo loved Tapas and my real grandmother loved Molletes. They are very easy to do.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Ingredients</b></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUTeqRrm3hehFCyVMMohUUPDwHIi57rjOoLJd3lAdmA5sC47Yl_XDsMyIlnIR5Ep02SSHyhVKrSNmdHIkwl556ebjxs7MZ_lt7Q3oqrXoWZVlzlGU1e33G_CejtjjSjQoXwUMEc40DNg/s900/Chorizo-Mollete_900x570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="900" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUTeqRrm3hehFCyVMMohUUPDwHIi57rjOoLJd3lAdmA5sC47Yl_XDsMyIlnIR5Ep02SSHyhVKrSNmdHIkwl556ebjxs7MZ_lt7Q3oqrXoWZVlzlGU1e33G_CejtjjSjQoXwUMEc40DNg/w320-h203/Chorizo-Mollete_900x570.jpg" title="_VVsupremo" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.vvsupremo.com/recipe/molletes-de-chorizo/">Photo: Vvsupremo</a></td></tr></tbody></table>1 bolillo (it's like a baguette but smaller)</p><p>1 cup of fried beans</p><p>1 cup of white onion</p><p>4 large red tomatoes</p><p>1/2 cup fresh coriander</p><p>1 jalapeño or serrano pepper (if you like hot)</p><p>1/4 cup lime juice</p><p>3/4 teaspoon sea salt</p><p>Manchego cheese in slices</p><p><b>Instructions</b></p><p>First chop the tomatoes, onion, coriander and jalapeño finely. Add the salt and lime juice, to your taste. Mix everything and let it rest for 15 minutes. In Mexico this is known as salsa "Pico de Gallo".</p><p>Cut the bolillo in half horizontally. Spread two spoons of fried beans all over the surface. Put the slices of cheese over that and bake it until the cheese melts. Decorate with the Pico de Gallo at will. </p><p>You may also add chopped chorizo, ham, or meat on top. It's a very versatile dish.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-90908474600660274272016-09-15T10:12:00.000-05:002016-09-15T10:15:46.002-05:00And Father Dragon said "let there be a planet...."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVt2thW4oZYH6VrEDAX2lD4gNLe6BsFwxEPK4tnrKwc5zytb5hTpluO5TavgQ18jcEUNJ2O_vJm6KIxqRJVFgjz4uhqH0LcvajG3oAMaXGF2AXLFst2FPFbyaGZ4CokFwVqtYO2FIuSE/s1600/Strands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVt2thW4oZYH6VrEDAX2lD4gNLe6BsFwxEPK4tnrKwc5zytb5hTpluO5TavgQ18jcEUNJ2O_vJm6KIxqRJVFgjz4uhqH0LcvajG3oAMaXGF2AXLFst2FPFbyaGZ4CokFwVqtYO2FIuSE/s640/Strands.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Lo and behold, Dragon made a planet!!</b> Oh, I'm so very proud of myself so forgive me if I brag a little bit - way too much. I'm in the process of learning Photoshop and as an exercise to better learn the tools, I asked Sir <a href="http://strandsofpattern.blogspot.mx/" target="_blank">Jeffrey S. Hargett</a> if I could borrow the map he did for his book "Strands of Pattern". He kindly agreed to let his world be subject of experimentation, all for academic purposes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCZVT1_E130h24OHJGooa30zqyD_hAIJcIA1nRCmXkwk8UAhdV5c7_5xYG0zSG8ZQxqw2DXgiWmPnfaWdFjVvyOHGCU2E7Agmv8LIead1gzQN5z5bJl6M5xkmYNoSnMpc9pei5BuSE7c/s1600/Terra-NW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCZVT1_E130h24OHJGooa30zqyD_hAIJcIA1nRCmXkwk8UAhdV5c7_5xYG0zSG8ZQxqw2DXgiWmPnfaWdFjVvyOHGCU2E7Agmv8LIead1gzQN5z5bJl6M5xkmYNoSnMpc9pei5BuSE7c/s200/Terra-NW.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The dwarves brought me Sir Jeff's charts and I then started the task of finding the appropriate landscapes that would better suit the world where the story takes place, as envisioned by his author. Now where would I find suitable satellite pictures of places I could transform and put together in a brand new continent? There were many options but the best was, of course, <a href="http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/" target="_blank">NASA Visible Earth. </a> If you have a moment to be amazed by amazing shots of our planet, go there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtahKI74IxL1d78pchQPBhQubhfStgNBDTT7WQ3tgbOfzrezyNsHga5kk8Tbm_jo69xo8-RzrdEjjDn7RHiMG1gEUyxCLBNhJu4i7Mw85n_W8YxiZVf3rC_lql6bneDQ_8URtyGJo3tk/s1600/Spain_Portugal_Jan_2003+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtahKI74IxL1d78pchQPBhQubhfStgNBDTT7WQ3tgbOfzrezyNsHga5kk8Tbm_jo69xo8-RzrdEjjDn7RHiMG1gEUyxCLBNhJu4i7Mw85n_W8YxiZVf3rC_lql6bneDQ_8URtyGJo3tk/s200/Spain_Portugal_Jan_2003+small.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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It all started with the topography of Spain...That was the base canvas, a good start.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypPAm61_h8ltl0_gmlVrGAgGqy6S6XJ7FhXK0nyxNBcuM6itq7Mu7KaqCL-0DUvMlOjJdQ8d11rFqCqzC8XPYbHFmKt1tLM9PGkJhnvZc5cmRZMxn9DMCwRpNgRdB0k0FGgsSinxndWg/s1600/Terra-+4+stage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypPAm61_h8ltl0_gmlVrGAgGqy6S6XJ7FhXK0nyxNBcuM6itq7Mu7KaqCL-0DUvMlOjJdQ8d11rFqCqzC8XPYbHFmKt1tLM9PGkJhnvZc5cmRZMxn9DMCwRpNgRdB0k0FGgsSinxndWg/s320/Terra-+4+stage.jpg" width="320" /></a> It only needed a few changes, so I sent my dwarves out for the search. "Bring me mountains! Let's take the mountains off from right and get higher mountains in the north. The Alps with a bit of Himalayas. Tassin, bring some volcanos! The Stromboli, the Colima, this in Nepal looks good, Kasakstan? Where's that? Ah, a Canadian glacier! Mountain? Mmm... spin it like this and it looks like a sugar virgin snack. We'll use it! Holy Scales, we're missing the rivers! No river big enough, let's pain them. Two more. No. Three. This has a lake. What do you mean this is not a mountain? It's a forest, you sure? I don't remember forests look like that at dragon's flight. Ok, more forest. Hills. Not hilly enough. Ah, there it is!"</div>
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Wrapping the land in a 3D sphere was not easy. Dragon destroyed many spheres and got glue all over the dwarves but finally it was done. Few hundreds of hours, overly sweaty scales, trembling pulse and tons of dragon cursing later I had managed the space point of view- stratospheric look. (Alright, alright, it was more like minutes but all the rest is accurate.) Anyway, to be my very first try at this, the result is pretty amazing, isn't it? Yes, I can't help it. I'm really strutting around the cave today, feeling brilliant, divine and all stuff. After all, I've just made a planet! Look everyone, I've made a planet!!!</div>
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Dragon Hugs!</div>
Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-61449732871144511042016-09-07T15:38:00.002-05:002016-09-07T15:38:27.101-05:00Tales from the Cave<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's probably not your bedtime yet, but nevertheless here is Father Dragon to tell you a story. You know I have dwarves as minions but what you probably don't know is that they like to eat beans as much as they like gummy bears and beer. Personally, I rather have them eat gummy bears all day long instead of beans, because... well, as tasty as beans may be, they are infamous because they are difficult to digest for many people. My dwarves are not the exception and beans also give them gas. This is not only a matter of digestion difficulties, you see? It is not a problem of how smelly my dwarves can get around me. After all I smell to Sulphur No. 5 myself. However, can you imagine what happens if you put a fire dragon in a gas loaded environment? Anyone can see beans are banned from the dwarves' diet because of Cave's safety - anyone but a stubborn knight.<br />
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It was a sunny and clear day (such a good way to start a tale) when it occurred to me the splendid idea to hire a knight for a tech adviser/desk help. As a dragon who was born 805 years ago, I'm not good with technology and dwarves are not much better. As a wealthy magnificent dragon as I am, not cheap at all, I offered said knight a monthly paycheck for an amount with ten zeroes. He agreed and took the job without reading the contract. Probably that was due to the fact that I forgot to give him one but anyway, it was taken for granted the dragon was the boss and the knight should do as the dragon says. He found out the dwarves' weakness for beans and he took joy in feeding them with beans despite being told repeatedly not to, mostly after minor explosions and one or two unlucky beings standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.<br />
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I thought the knight in question had stopped his mischief, more so because he wasn't in his office much. One day I noticed I was missing some dwarves and they were nowhere to be found. I also noticed I hadn't seen the knight around in a long while. And then my brilliant mind discovered -by nice interrogation- that the knight kept feeding beans to the dwarves behind my back but the little devils covered him too. They avoided incriminatory explosions by holding the gas in, until it finally happened. They were lighter than air and they took off. I saw my gassy dwarves and the gassy-dwarves kidnapper in golden armor laughing as they flew across the sky. I am not sure how long it will take them to come back but I am sure this is not the first time this sort of flights take place.<br />
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If you happen to look up one day and see something strange; it is not a plane, it is not a bird and it is not Superman. It is my former tech adviser knight with my disobedient dwarves having a blast.<br />
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Dragon Hugs and <i>don't feed beans to the dwarves!</i>Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-67296661827224394162016-08-12T14:39:00.000-05:002016-08-12T14:39:06.377-05:00My gratitude to the angels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A brief but heartfelt note to thank all the wonderful people that answered my call for help and supported my project so gladly. You helped a good cause and the success of it was greatly thanks to you. My dragon heart is in debt with you and I'll be forever thankful.<br />
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Dragon Hugs!<br />
<br />Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-52607325748425279712016-07-06T22:01:00.000-05:002016-07-06T22:01:06.659-05:00Calling all angels!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqu50PqWNFq0L-_qwa7bZ4pfJGraKpkVptbQrNA-ru_UJlSEawPsfM-6-xJJKkE-iHMdAJ8bMhvbXbxVyz8mtqdniaZ5-1vfyvP7Naows34uyUHfwJ1pG8Zpz9gBI46UD_gTMDNPzG3lo/s1600/2016-07-06+21.14.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqu50PqWNFq0L-_qwa7bZ4pfJGraKpkVptbQrNA-ru_UJlSEawPsfM-6-xJJKkE-iHMdAJ8bMhvbXbxVyz8mtqdniaZ5-1vfyvP7Naows34uyUHfwJ1pG8Zpz9gBI46UD_gTMDNPzG3lo/s640/2016-07-06+21.14.54.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I finished one side of the Mother Dragon's card. It looks pretty well for something that, at some point, seemed completely messed up and ruined. It's amazing what can be accomplished with a bit of faith and a lot of work and patience. I've learned several things from it and not just about art and Zentangles. I just realized the greatest beauty of the Zentagles is not in the bigger shapes but in the fact that the bigger shapes are beautiful thanks to the hundreds of tiny parts that form them. That's certainly worth remembering.</div>
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May this thought serve for the real purpose of this post. Father Dragon is looking for good hearts who are willing to contribute to a noble cause. I won't request you to contribute to the dragon treasure, or to sponsor a dwarf or anything like that. All you need is good sight, a camera and a caring heart. The task is simple but believe me, it will contribute to a much higher and important purpose. If you wish to help me, please email me (fatherdragon1@gmail.com) and I will give you further details that, because of their personal nature, I can't disclose here. </div>
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My request comes right from my dragon heart, and my dragon heart thanks all those who answer this call and all of those who help me to share it. </div>
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Dragon Hugs!Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-9011883964519015182016-06-20T11:55:00.000-05:002016-06-20T11:55:23.698-05:00Don't throw it away. Just keep on going.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I practiced a few during the last couple of weeks but not enough to show you. The truth is I was out of town, visiting family and there was little time and energy to sit down and make a sound practice. I resumed the sketching during the weekend and I also tried to do Zentangles. This is my very first try. It does have mistakes but it looks pretty good despite those mistakes. Since Mother Dragon often mentions how I no longer draw anything for her, I decided to make a Birthday Card for her and this zentangle to be part of it. Must say that zentangles are far more time-consuming than I first thought. What you see on the left took me three days so far.<br />
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Once I heard an artist (not sure if it was <a href="http://www.proko.com/" target="_blank">Proko </a>or <a href="http://marshallart.com/" target="_blank">Marshall Vandruff</a>) say that at some point during the process of an artwork it looks like you screwed it up. He said there is always that moment when you look at it and you just hate it and feel like throwing it away and start anew. It sounded somehow familiar to me. I've been there. Actually I was about to throw this zentangle away because I thought it looked hideous. There is a mistake in the lotus in the middle, on the right side. The one that doesn't have yellow underneath. That was the first one I did and I thought it sucked. I was about to rip the whole thing apart, despite at the moment I had already invested two days in it. But I remembered that despite feeling the artwork was ruined, you just had to go on and finish it. Then more often than not, you'll see it works out well, somehow. Either you find a way to fix the mistake or it comes out that it wasn't a mistake after all, but a chance to be creative and come up with something different. Maybe it wasn't what you planned in the first place, but it is still good, or even better.<br />
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The combination of the other five lotuses (is that a word?) were a result of my efforts to fix the first one. It is not perfect but I am pleased I didn't rip it off and threw it away. I think Mother Dragon will like it too. It is still a work in progress but it's looking good. Besides practicing my pulse here, I'm also practicing patience, a lot of patience. Did I tell you patience is not my strong suit?<br />
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So I leave you this piece of century-distilled wisdom. When you feel like you screwed it up, don't throw it away. Be patient, keep on going and finish it. You might be surprised.<br />
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Dragon Hugs!<br />
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<br />Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-46607600751889397802016-06-06T19:35:00.000-05:002016-06-06T19:35:29.631-05:00Going through the wall /this week's progress<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXigGmrfgrpe4KsCiqyT5bxg0nt7yVI43uo9gdzlFmOCsc9mNebEegZbOl3OsRwpixMPm9kK6e1OoeRtlRYE6nRFVSsQierOg2QP4-YMjMDPidsuqtn4PYAixsjx6WRg9-mB4VIN2esU/s1600/2016-06-06+14.52.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXigGmrfgrpe4KsCiqyT5bxg0nt7yVI43uo9gdzlFmOCsc9mNebEegZbOl3OsRwpixMPm9kK6e1OoeRtlRYE6nRFVSsQierOg2QP4-YMjMDPidsuqtn4PYAixsjx6WRg9-mB4VIN2esU/s320/2016-06-06+14.52.57.jpg" width="239" /></a>I was expecting to do at least a hundred quick sketches this past week but I did 27 or so. I'll choose to see the glass half full. At least you can tell what the pose is in most of them, if not all. I asked Mother Dragon to tell me what was each model doing but she couldn't figure some of them. I think they would be better if I could just hold the pencil like I'm used to, but nope. I'm learning to draw using the shoulder instead of only the wrists, according <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClM2LuQ1q5WEc23462tQzBg" target="_blank">Proko's </a>drawing lessons. Right now the new grip makes my strokes sloppy. (Yeah, dragon, blame the grip).<br />
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It is worth to notice that drawing for me right now is like the best meditation exercise I can have. When I'm doing this I forget all stress and concerns and I feel at peace for as long as the practices last. In order to not make all the post only about my still mediocre practices, I'm going to tell you why I welcome this fleeting peace.<br />
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Some of you might remember I neglected this blog because I was out pursuing my dream. I had a plan full of smaller plans and I had momentum. I was sure I would make it because success is for those who work hard. Or isn't that what everyone say?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFF8UOZznP3iaAqfGawFiLwlxpmhjTUE2KcS9d1YoPWyiWdIU4wsHF69ux8uIEZ6x4LCxiaSFsa8ceiifvBWFDWRW-SNZ-YgcAgkv8NW-nAORwosMWoW0l0vS6xVac8lD4wgZf1tp0yss/s1600/2016-06-06+14.53.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFF8UOZznP3iaAqfGawFiLwlxpmhjTUE2KcS9d1YoPWyiWdIU4wsHF69ux8uIEZ6x4LCxiaSFsa8ceiifvBWFDWRW-SNZ-YgcAgkv8NW-nAORwosMWoW0l0vS6xVac8lD4wgZf1tp0yss/s320/2016-06-06+14.53.15.jpg" width="239" /></a>Well, I worked really really hard; harder than I've done in centuries.... and I didn't make it. One by one, my plans and goals collapsed and crashed before me. All of them. Effort of years became meaningless and strategies worthless. By the Sacred Fire, it hurt worst than a wind lance. I guess you've been there at one time in your life. Not shot by a wind lance but you know how it feels that despite your best efforts, everything goes to the gutter. <br />
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Probably it wouldn't have been so difficult to digest if all bad things wouldn't have happened within a short period of time. I was dealing with serious health issues when I got school issues, work issues, relationship issues, and the pressure of it all just kept building up until the explosion was heard all the way to the Dragon Dimension. And it left me in an extremely bad shape. I had to abandon school, put a hold on many other things and try to salvage priorities, like work and my life. Probably that should be the other way around, although at that moment I cared more about work than about my life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTU1I30U_tzZrUR3rY4-jCC-__N0FDg411iwxRWt79VgQY-5kxzssDdFK-MS3hyJU6YgZcffNgNKdf_1TUcRmVO0-WmVFW5IehW8rMpr9bLp3sod7FqpmiQUur3fWDg0Q0XXtc5QeDHCY/s1600/2016-06-06+14.53.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTU1I30U_tzZrUR3rY4-jCC-__N0FDg411iwxRWt79VgQY-5kxzssDdFK-MS3hyJU6YgZcffNgNKdf_1TUcRmVO0-WmVFW5IehW8rMpr9bLp3sod7FqpmiQUur3fWDg0Q0XXtc5QeDHCY/s320/2016-06-06+14.53.33.jpg" width="239" /></a> The good thing about dragons is how resilient they are. Otherwise we wouldn't live for centuries. And you know, the hardest part of us is not the scales that armor our bodies. It's the inner fire that armors our spirit. Dragons have a battling spirit. Dragons would rather be consumed by our own fire, becoming a walking inferno in a last attempt of conquering the enemy, than giving in to darkness and die in shame. The best of dragons have an honor that is unheard of in this modern world. And for that honor, we go beyond our limits.<br />
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I don't have new plans yet. I have not put myself together yet. But there are two things that are very clear to me. 1. I know what I want to get. 2. I am a dragon.<br />
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When all doors close, when all windows are blocked, a dragon will get through the wall. This is me pushing the debris aside. It doesn't look pretty right now, but one day it will, in all senses.<br />
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Dragon Hugs!<br />
Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-44204348026611976632016-05-30T17:59:00.001-05:002016-05-30T18:02:31.502-05:00Permission to suck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was twenty years old when I drew this for a close friend of mine. I had NEVER took any drawing classes before. I didn't know anything about anatomy or proportion or anything like that. I had the reference and the pencil and I just did it.<br />
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Twenty years later I worked for a group of nice Canadian engineers and I did this for one of my bosses. It was meant to convey his temper and business skills and he and his peers thought it suited him perfectly. Still, no drawing or art classes of any kind. It was just sheer innate talent. I mean, having no instruction at all and pulling something like that must have its merit.<br />
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It's worth to notice here that I copied from references I was given. However, whenever I tried to draw something from imagination, it was absolutely awful. I've improved through centuries but still one can tell the difference between those things I've done by copying references and things I've done out of my imagination (like my dwarves). There's a huge gap there. Well, may be they are not TOO bad, but they could be much better than this.<br />
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Anyway, it's been difficult to get some drawing theory from A to Z because when I started drawing, I dove in at Q or something like that, and it did look fairly good.<br />
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Now that I'm trying to start from A, it looks terrible and I have a problem with it. However, I've come to understand that I do need to start from A and go all the way through, in the order it is meant to be, so I can start doing cool things that are completely mine. Things that I didn't copy on the most part from some other picture. I know I am good a copying. Not that it matters but in my early years I even considered making a career out of forgery of classic masterpieces. Instead of the Thomas Crown affair, it would be the Father Dragon affair, hahahaha.<br />
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Anyway, I want to do things right but in order to do that, I am beginning to understand I have to give myself permission to royally suck, with capital letters, like this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPJKUV48QJsye2zQSGW0upgScxno5CpDfSHzIcGTOIT3O40COBfm_TV1vVTGStWWo_d1l9E4IcLJGI1MhFck2BSPGvP6OiamtOhTIStL80JQUVGDVn16Q4V_I5QrKwkb07XhqqkyjzNg/s1600/2016-05-30+15.14.15.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPJKUV48QJsye2zQSGW0upgScxno5CpDfSHzIcGTOIT3O40COBfm_TV1vVTGStWWo_d1l9E4IcLJGI1MhFck2BSPGvP6OiamtOhTIStL80JQUVGDVn16Q4V_I5QrKwkb07XhqqkyjzNg/s200/2016-05-30+15.14.15.jpg" width="149" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddGxy5WHZsOuvJSXaOLVtFdBI8SnjCNbm6xOuo88e4u4zbLlKWqvJ-P8n0M5YzmiukmATn9oizKzGtq2k_5kCM3qMSOUgIVoegunqgzN706yfzu1zs-0hyQ9SoMdKiWwG4Hb4MfW2cck/s1600/2016-05-30+15.13.59.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddGxy5WHZsOuvJSXaOLVtFdBI8SnjCNbm6xOuo88e4u4zbLlKWqvJ-P8n0M5YzmiukmATn9oizKzGtq2k_5kCM3qMSOUgIVoegunqgzN706yfzu1zs-0hyQ9SoMdKiWwG4Hb4MfW2cck/s200/2016-05-30+15.13.59.jpg" width="149" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAoMlUw0UI03KZNLyreRJvzg0vNzu9JfSgJPHsEn-mT4RmfxNchZnegTUGZg5HANm8_QGuDOl5H41YKTNECvuaMurTgapDFcoPS9QgkoBnctcqjxWYeBsn5BG0jt2GtSpJ-AO3AIBnuk/s1600/2016-05-30+15.13.43.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAoMlUw0UI03KZNLyreRJvzg0vNzu9JfSgJPHsEn-mT4RmfxNchZnegTUGZg5HANm8_QGuDOl5H41YKTNECvuaMurTgapDFcoPS9QgkoBnctcqjxWYeBsn5BG0jt2GtSpJ-AO3AIBnuk/s200/2016-05-30+15.13.43.jpg" width="149" /></a><br />
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Presumably, they are 30 second quick gesture drawings. If you don't know what Gesture is, you can take a look at this video by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j39NqwL7s4" target="_blank">Proko</a> (which by the way, is great!). Yet, I look at my attempts and all I can think is "I suck, I suck, I suck". Odd enough, for the first time there is another voice in my head that answers "so what? so what? so what?" Here I am looking at my messy lines and honestly not caring that much that they are uuugly. I've cared too much for centuries, and I think it was that excessive caring that scared me away of way too many starts in the past. I am not getting any younger and it is really sad and terrible to get to old age with regrets. It is a million times better to give oneself permission to suck, in order to try something, that going to the grave with the regrets of what you didn't try out of fear or shame or what people will say if...<br />
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I'm giving myself permission to suck and I'm gonna brag about how much I suck by posting my ugly drawings here, just for a change. Why not? It's my cave and I am a fire dragon. How many are willing to tell a fire dragon he can't post ugly drawings in his cave? Besides, for some mysterious reason, these ugly drawings make me feel very good about myself. That alone makes them GRREAT drawings, don't you think?<br />
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Dragon Hugs!Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-91048195079344082372016-03-14T07:45:00.002-06:002016-03-14T07:53:10.906-06:00The beautiful me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I did this some weeks ago and I showed it off everywhere, except in my blog. I think I have evolved into a really gorgeous dragon, don't you think?<br />
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Here's some of my best angles...<br />
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Dragon Hugs!Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-4050874461272596292016-01-18T02:00:00.000-06:002016-01-18T02:00:00.190-06:00Who are you *really*?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A thought has been circling my mind lately. It's a single thought made by several existentialist questions. First I must mention this Ted talk I watched recently, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ytn3v2DqIU" target="_blank">The Fiction of Memory</a>. It basically explains that even though the brain retains all memories of what happened in our life, we cannot retrieve them at will. Furthermore, the brain can actually produce false memories. Things we are sure we lived but they never actually happened, or not in the way we could swear on our life they happened.<br />
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In an EDx course, called <a href="https://www.edx.org/course/science-everyday-thinking-uqx-think101x-1" target="_blank">The Science of Everyday Thinking</a>, I learned that seeing, hearing and remembering are all influenced by the sum of our experiences. This means that we know square about reality. All we have is a mere personal interpretation of reality. Often you'll find that your interpretation is not the same as others. I also learned during a Social Sciences class that most of my attributes are not mine from birth. Not really. They are taught by, acquired from or implanted by the surroundings while I grew up. This meaning I wouldn't be the same dragon if instead of being born to Mother Dragon of Mexico, I would have been born to Mother Dragon of the Masai tribe, or to Mother Dragon related to Mohammad Qaddafi.<br />
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I remember an old friend complaining once, "I caught myself doing this thing my mother always do (and I hate and criticize in her). I was horrified." Yes, I've caught myself so many times in attitudes I hate in others, I kinda stopped being horrified and started being more watchful about me and less critic on others.<br />
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But the point here is this; if we are the byproduct of circumstances, but those circumstances are also according to my own interpretation of reality (that's not accurate reality) and furthermore, I can't tell between real memories and false memories, meaning many of the things that define me could have not happened at all.... who am I really? All those things of my past that make me suffer today, how real are they? At the sight of science, it is more than possible that I'm suffering over practical jokes of my own brain. Too much to grasp? Hell, yeah!<br />
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On the other hand, I now understand why the old sages insist so much about living in the present and leave the past (and future) alone. Is it even worthy to waste time trying to figure out how much of that past was real? Cannot answer this question for you. Instead, I'll share a tale.<br />
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*****</div>
A man was struck by an arrow. It went deep into his chest. A doctor came. He knew how to get the arrow out and save the man's life but he had to act fast. Time was of the essence. He was about to do it when the man held his hand still and asked.<br />
"Good sir, before you get the arrow out of my chest, please could you tell me if it is made of wood? And if it is, what kind of wood is it? Is it from a pine, from an oak, from a willow? Before you get the arrow out, could you go and find out who shot me? Was it a warrior? was it a thief? was it a noble? Also, could you tell me if the feathers of this arrow are from an eagle? or a hawk? Are they from a duck? Please, I beg you, I want to know all these things before you get out the arrow that is killing me."<br />
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If the doctor took the time to investigate all these things, the man was as good as dead. I've wasted so many centuries trying to find out answers to completely useless questions (as the why's and who's and how's) instead of just taking the arrow out of my chest and stop suffering overall. If reality is 90% my own interpretation, what are the chances of me changing my present reality?<br />
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This is, indeed, reality surpassing fiction...or melting with it. Your choice.<br />
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Dragon Hugs!<br />
<br />Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-54871952809740459012016-01-11T05:00:00.000-06:002016-01-11T09:34:02.745-06:00Where to find what was lost?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Everything that happens to Father Dragon has an effect on the dwarves. If Father Dragon is happy, the dwarves are in their best behavior. When Father Dragon is angry, the dwarves are angry. And when Father Dragon is absent, the dwarves are out of sorts. Too much energy and too much free time.<br />
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I threatened to fry some dwarves but they were still acting like gremlins high on Red Bulls. I mean more than usual. Tassin suggested a wiser approach. Yoga and meditation. My dwarf Taskmaster said dragon and dwarves needed to reconnect after all this time I've been neglecting them and the Dragon Cave. They -like me- felt they had lost something and were looking for it everywhere. Maybe it was the confidence or peace or direction. They didn't really know but they were anxious and restless.<br />
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We all sat together in the wine cellar (dwarves meditate better in there) and Sessin read a Zen story. I liked it so much, I thought I would post about it here.<br />
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*****</div>
There was a crone who was loved and respected by everyone in town. One day people saw her searching all along the street for something.<br />
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Many approached and asked her, "What did you lose?"<br />
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"A needle", she answered.<br />
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"A needle is very small. We'll help you!" They said and started looking everywhere on the street but they didn't find anything.<br />
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"It would be easier if you knew more or less where you could've lost it." Someone said.<br />
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"I know. I lost it inside the house." The old woman assured.<br />
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"If you lost it inside, why then are you searching outside?"<br />
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"Because there is no light in the house. It's all dark. There is more light outside."<br />
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"But you'll never find the needle here if you didn't lose it here!"<br />
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The crone smiled and nodded. "It's the same that you all do. Why do you keep searching outside for the things that you lost inside?"<br />
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****</div>
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The dwarves and I had to agree that putting it that way, it sounded very silly that we keep struggling to fill voids by chasing gold, gems, wine, dwarf women and fried virgin snacks. Our senses are so permeated with all the world's offers, all the world's noises, impulses and opinions, you know, "do this, you need this, buy this, look like this, talk like this, follow the trend, be more, be less, have this....and then you'll be happy." </div>
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<b>The world outside is full of pretty lights and inside us it is all dark and we can't see our way but we will never find outside what we are missing inside. </b></div>
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The wine cellar was in total silence. Dwarves are busy digesting the food for thought and I'm glad they stopped behaving like orcs. It was a good start. </div>
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Dragon Hugs!</div>
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<br />Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-39525878805391769042016-01-04T08:08:00.000-06:002016-01-04T08:08:29.585-06:00Changing skins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It feels like centuries since the last time I sat like this in the Cave. I have been absent and distant and the dwarves have been extremely lazy. There is dust everywhere. The gold and precious stones are opaque and the virgins have grown fat and ugly. Some have eloped with villagers. No doubt my hibernation took way too long. It was that trip to my inner self. It took longer than I expected and just a tad more difficult than I foresaw. It warped my thoughts and unglued my being, making it thin and disperse like plumes of smoke.<br />
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I didn't achieve the goals I had set for that journey but the fact that things didn't go according to expectations does not mean it was all for nothing. Often we make plans and we consider a failure if those plans do not work out. If we are too self-absorbed we might miss to see that, despite our disappointment, things worked for the better. Yes, blows and falls and tears in darkness might work better than our best wishes for ourselves. You know why? Because more often than not, we have absolutely no idea of what we really want, or worse, what we really need. Sometimes we are like kids wanting to eat candy all day and we lack the vision of the harm this can bring in the long run.<br />
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Being warped, unglued and lost in an inner journey leaves a mark. A BIG one. <br />
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One never comes back to what one used to be. I am not and will never be the same dragon. I changed skins many times and eventually, I ended up overall morphing. Since my Ninja Muse is essentially the creative part of me, she morphed big time as well. We even stopped our constant bickering. We understood I don't "have to be" the boss all the time, neither does she. We're just starting negotiations but we'll be writing here more for sure.<br />
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2016 couldn't have a better or more extraordinary start. I would dare to say a miracle happened at 12.01. I felt it. Light and rebirth and a far better knowledge of myself. Like that song says,<br />
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"It's a new dawn,<br />
it's a new day,<br />
it's a new life,<br />
For me."<br />
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Dragon Hugs!Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-89675607743714772302015-12-31T11:12:00.000-06:002015-12-31T11:13:53.453-06:00Happy New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Father Dragon and his dwarves are getting ready to welcome 2016. I'm receiving it different than all the past years. For the very first time in my life and due to different circumstances I'll be alone tonight. It sounds sad but it is really a blessing in disguise. I see it that way. God will be my guest and we will be able to hold some long due conversation. 2015 has been difficult, hard and with accidents. It broke and twisted my dragon heart in many ways and in all directions but I've learned from all that. I think that's the most important thing of all.<br />
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It doesn't matter if one gets lost in the way if in the end we find ourselves. Although we are not the same persons as before, if we are better somehow, it makes the experience worthy regardless how painful it was. I died this year and from my utter ruins I'm recreating myself. I am definitively not the same dragon but after deep thought I've come to the conclusion I have grown a better version of myself.<br />
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I thank the stones in my way, the abysses I fell into and climbed up, the darkness, the chaos and the night. I thank the obstacles, doubts and tears. All of those things have helped me grow. They provided the challenge to grow stronger, a bit wiser and less hard on myself. They provided the opportunity to know me and my foundations better and also realize that no matter how much of my world crumbles down, I'll keep true to my honor and it will raise me up again from under the debris.<br />
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Happy New Year, Father Dragon.<br />
Happy New Year, my beloved Ninja Muse and awesome dwarves.<br />
Happy New Year, world!<br />
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<br />Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-90339500014435751262015-11-24T07:00:00.000-06:002015-11-24T07:00:00.516-06:00Second Chances/ Revival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Father Dragon is in a business trip but he instructed me, Tassin, father of Sessin, to welcome Mark Koopmans to the Cave. The dwarves are thrilled to have Lord Baldernot, the Dashing... I mean, Mr. Koopmans as guest during the blog tour of Revival AND on the Cave's 3rd Bloganniversary!!!! What better way to celebrate. Father Dragon read the book to us and all 150 dwarves loved it. It's very well written and it has everything (fun moments, sad moments, exciting moments) and it is overall inspiring. My son Sessin has joined with other dwarves to practice their singing. They plan to form the Dwarf Tenors. They dream to sing Far Over the Mountains Cold to you one day. Anyway, Dragon and Dwarves highly recommend this book! Now I leave you with Mark. The beer, roasted pork and songs will come next.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Aloha, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
smile when I remember wanting to be a writer as a child.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Sadly,
it wasn’t encouraged (or discouraged) at home, and <i>I</i> didn’t drive myself to be a writer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
did, however, drive myself to learn how to operate a truck, but then I crashed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
didn’t smile that day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">After
I was fired, the 19-year-old me left Ireland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
got my first job outside of Amsterdam, stacking pats of butter in a Dutch
grocery store.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Sadly,
I have OCD.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It
became very annoying to watch little old ladies squeeze a pat of butter (it’s
not a tomato) and then pick one from the third row down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">(This
isn’t Jenga, people.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">My
smile froze in the refrigerated section.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
soon looked for another job, and worked as a non-Dutch speaking busboy—in a
very busy Dutch restaurant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
smiled a lot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Fifteen
years—and a million miles later—I was a restaurant manager, but the only thing
I cared about was my paycheck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">What
was a smile? I’d long forgotten.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
had to make a change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
tried a new business—banking—and was offered a branch manager’s job about 18
months later. It was a nice job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
smiled, and normally would have said yes, but said no.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I’d
seen an ad in a newspaper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">They
wanted a new staff reporter. Applicants needed a journalism degree and two
years experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
smiled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This
was the second chance. This was the opportunity I’d always wanted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
didn’t have the degree. I didn’t have the experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
did, however, have the balls to believe in myself—to believe I *was* the best
darn applicant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
got the job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
smiled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A
lot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">They
gave me a reporter’s notepad, a recorder and a desk that looked like it had
been hurriedly cleaned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">(Looking
back, I fought like a cornered animal to get that writing position because I
needed a second change. I needed to fight for the calling that was my God-given
talent.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
cleaned (out) the desk and sat down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Just
me, my perfectly OCD-arranged trusty tools of the trade (I had yet to master),
plus a phone missing an outside line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
smiled again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It
was May 8, 2005. I had a job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This
was my second chance. This was my calling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
was a writer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBROLAlKkseUnoDrzdYUPu2TtPhU49-ao0HwJjFsaSZDLqQ7drlanND7eDhxVoc4PYbz254UBSGZkacOR1Vkvy3r91pem4rF_oX-UnygxfG7NUMW2Ig_5GlB25aNFBGxCuSKK7MA_sJu4/s1600/REVIVAL+-+Koopmans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBROLAlKkseUnoDrzdYUPu2TtPhU49-ao0HwJjFsaSZDLqQ7drlanND7eDhxVoc4PYbz254UBSGZkacOR1Vkvy3r91pem4rF_oX-UnygxfG7NUMW2Ig_5GlB25aNFBGxCuSKK7MA_sJu4/s200/REVIVAL+-+Koopmans.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="line-height: 40px;">Mark Koopmans is originally from Ireland. After working in Holland, Spain, France and England, he won </span><span style="line-height: 40px;">his U.S. “Green Card” in 1994, and is an American by choice since 2003. Koopmans began his writing </span><span style="line-height: 40px;">career with a feature for a regional magazine in California. Since then, he’s worked as a staff writer for </span><span style="line-height: 40px;">newspapers in Florida and Texas. Koopmans is also a proficient blogger and is working on his next book, </span><span style="line-height: 40px;">a novel. Koopmans lives in Virginia and is a married, stay-at-home dad to three active boys under the </span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small; line-height: 40px;">age of nine. He writes at night.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://markkoopmans.blogspot.mx/p/tour.html" target="_blank">Tour Page</a> </span><a href="http://markkoopmans.blogspot.mx/" style="line-height: 200%;" target="_blank">Blog Page</a><span style="line-height: 40px;"> </span><a href="http://blogspot.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=20138b03d3d47ee4e4a36484f&id=6ec3248c35" style="line-height: 200%;" target="_blank">newsletter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/markjkoopmans" style="line-height: 200%;" target="_blank">twitter</a></span></div>
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<span id="goog_729630653"></span><span id="goog_729630654"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BOOK DESCRIPTION:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Five years removed from his 1990 Juilliard graduation, Donald Braswell is set to be “the next Pavarotti.” Braswell’s successful career ends, however, not with a standing ovation at Carnegie Hall, but alone, lying in a dirty ditch.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Following the hit-and-run accident that steals his voice and future, the “Texas Tenor” struggles with depression and despair—until the night his daughter, Aria, is born. Understanding this new and immediate life change, Braswell fights to relearn how to speak, sing—and share this gift of second chances with others.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Working as a plasterer, a car salesman, and many jobs in-between, it takes thirteen years—and a musical miracle—for Braswell to battle back and sing on a professional stage. His dreams and ambitions collide with a tired and angry crowd when he auditions for America’s Got Talent. For his family, his faith </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">and his entire future, can the Rocky Balboa of the operatic world find the courage and strength to win just one more fight?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.pen-l.com/Revival.html" target="_blank">Pen-L-Publishing</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Revival-Donald-Braswell/dp/1942428626/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1445810366&sr=8-1&keywords=REVIVAL+Donald+braswell" target="_blank">Amazon</a> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/revival-donald-braswell/1122837094?ean=9781942428626" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="background-color: black; font-size: small;">Giveaway</span></b></h2>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>● <span style="font-size: x-small;">GRAND PRIZE (2 winners): Donald Braswell to sing (Happy Birthday/Anniversary) via </span></b><b></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Skype or phone call. (A unique gift idea!)</span></b></div>
<b>
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">● 1ST PLACE PRIZE: Signed Donald Braswell CD/REVIVAL book combo</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">● 2nd, 3rd and 4th PLACE PRIZES: Signed copies of REVIVAL (by Donald and Mark)</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></b>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">● 5th, 6th and 7th PLACE PRIZES: Signed copies of Donald Braswell CDs</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
● 8th, 9th, and 10th PLACE PRIZES: Signed Donald Braswell 8x10 picture</div>
</span></b></div>
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<br />Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-57468969211623160532015-10-07T00:24:00.002-05:002015-10-07T00:30:59.701-05:00I'm a Half Dragon and I like things in half.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySviivfsvHrSVMCmzUS7HJDWsBeN5suGJ8utAFL6ipSepX8-JiWAvQvaeBMf5jjUafDrCf0qnOTDv7JmQVxvjeVOiCLRFcDWEY1TpjiYfUExsx3PpQeAU7znOVJaaBGE9em73TNzxgMA/s1600/InsecureWritersSupportGroup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySviivfsvHrSVMCmzUS7HJDWsBeN5suGJ8utAFL6ipSepX8-JiWAvQvaeBMf5jjUafDrCf0qnOTDv7JmQVxvjeVOiCLRFcDWEY1TpjiYfUExsx3PpQeAU7znOVJaaBGE9em73TNzxgMA/s320/InsecureWritersSupportGroup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-fyDs9IDJAK4OX3LD8pptSltTLLOgZbfORPI00yO_XoTBpx3uNPjks9uVUfp2zXfzBOqAOOdkEMa4ZWq3VZwujoHEk6yyinvIJ30plmUJRUMed1jbPBIoPnroz4pU4WXL3PdgfChaVk/s1600/descarga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-fyDs9IDJAK4OX3LD8pptSltTLLOgZbfORPI00yO_XoTBpx3uNPjks9uVUfp2zXfzBOqAOOdkEMa4ZWq3VZwujoHEk6yyinvIJ30plmUJRUMed1jbPBIoPnroz4pU4WXL3PdgfChaVk/s200/descarga.jpg" width="130" /></a><br />
During the vacation of my favorite nephew here at the Cave, I had to sit and watch with him a lot of his favorite shows. One of them is an old, very-low-budget-version of the Muppets show. And when I say low-budget I mean that. Anyway, they introduced the Half-man (a standard action doll that was cut in half.) What called my attention is that this Half man lived in a half constructed house, asked for only half steaks and half salads as meals, drove half a car and wanted to buy just half the pants, half shirt, one sock and one shoe. Whenever people complained about his requests or life style, his answer was "I am the Half Man, and I like things in half."<br />
<br />
I laughed and my 5 year old nephew laughed too, because I am his hero (second after his daddy) and he mimics me when we're together. He was clueless that my laughter wasn't about the "funny" sketch. It was my instinctive reaction to express I had just been hit by a brick of realization. A dragon size brick. I have whined a lot about all the things I've left unfinished. Various stories, paintings, sculptures, comic strips, drawings, dreams, efforts, goals, all abandoned halfway because... just because.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rSYNJz-2Wy0QYA5HwZhwTniW8eAQmG6js5pKZGWPKyG2sy-uKu0Pc38iAQEWG4u5afXMXteHNoI20hgcvfXOuI-YyGgHcCN8OfxpKkHm6n0i3fCSEV4kdUAbLVIRyH5Gg6yzRQ9_h8k/s1600/unfinshed-ebooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rSYNJz-2Wy0QYA5HwZhwTniW8eAQmG6js5pKZGWPKyG2sy-uKu0Pc38iAQEWG4u5afXMXteHNoI20hgcvfXOuI-YyGgHcCN8OfxpKkHm6n0i3fCSEV4kdUAbLVIRyH5Gg6yzRQ9_h8k/s320/unfinshed-ebooks.jpg" width="320" /></a>Why, in the name of Dragon Ancestors, do I do that? I really don't know. Truth is there is a number of things half made enough to fill... half a living room. Two posts ago, I said I started writing again. It was a short story and I said it was "pouring out of me". Guess what? That's right. It joined the ranks already. It wasn't that I didn't have anything else to write. I had multiple ideas. I just dug my heels in the ground and forced the stop overnight. I also said it was a journey to my inner self. Eventually, I told myself maybe there was no actual need of written records from such a journey. Maybe it wasn't about writing it. It was about <u>living </u>it. Maybe I'll finish it later. Yeah, later. Whenever that <i>later </i>is. Probably after the <i>later </i>that I'll use to finish all the bunch of other half projects awaiting for a time that will never come because, as the Dalai Lama said, there are two days in the year that you can't do anything. One is yesterday, the other is tomorrow. The time to work and live is NOW.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm76jzA4jxSqlTLaVYtrg7O6wp1jAxWl0-35rke5EVGaDoKeoyfnqi5FSUlaOlTmWGSeenPE_wBvMD8O62AD8L7Vu3KNzghzzzmB22zCpj7vbTsG4qNF3GLIRkoAzvE_o8zt4qu6AZwbk/s1600/half+dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm76jzA4jxSqlTLaVYtrg7O6wp1jAxWl0-35rke5EVGaDoKeoyfnqi5FSUlaOlTmWGSeenPE_wBvMD8O62AD8L7Vu3KNzghzzzmB22zCpj7vbTsG4qNF3GLIRkoAzvE_o8zt4qu6AZwbk/s200/half+dragon.jpg" width="200" /></a><i>Later </i>is brother of t<i>omorrow </i>on the road to <i>never. </i>Mostly if it doesn't have an exact date to turn into <i>now</i>. Yes, I have a perfect command of theory. Pity it is useless to me as long as I don't figure out why I subconsciously but actively resist to finish things. I would like to believe it is part of being a genius since Leonardo DaVinci did that a lot too, but I'm far from having DaVinci's accomplishments. My finished art (like in properly finished) is so rare that might become precious one day. People might say "Lo and behold! I do have an item Father Dragon actually completed."<br />
<br />
Anyway, as long as I don't solve the riddle of why, I'm the Half Dragon and I like things in half.<br />
<br />
But I do give my whole heart in Dragon Hugs!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
****</div>
This post was part of the <a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.htm" target="_blank">IWSG </a>group, created by <a href="http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Alex J. Cavanaugh</a>. For details and joining the group, click on the links.<br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Remember that</b> the <b>IWSG Anthology Contest</b> is open until <b>November 1</b>. For details – <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.<wbr></wbr>insecurewriterssupportgroup.<wbr></wbr>com/2015/09/iwsg-post-day-and-<wbr></wbr>special-anniversary.html</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">You <b>MUST</b> post for either October or September to be considered for the antholog</span><span style="font-size: 16px;">y. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity!</span></span></span></div>
<br />Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-46281294379950662072015-08-12T10:07:00.001-05:002015-08-12T10:17:25.656-05:00My 804th Birthday or The blessing of friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am writing this post because I want to keep a record of yesterday and I want to express my gratitude to all those wonderful friends who made their best to brighten my day. It was my birthday. I became 804 years old. It could have been a day I would remember for how crappy and lousy it had been. Instead, I'll remember it as the day the Higher Powers showed to me that despite some bitter events, I am still blessed with the friendship and love of the most wonderful people.<br />
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It started since the night of August 10th with lots and lots of fireworks, organized by the Knight of the Dragon Order, Sir <a href="http://strandsofpattern.blogspot.mx/" target="_blank">Jeffrey Hargett</a>. Must add he also made sure the day would end on the highest note. :D Thanks for that!<br />
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Then it came the very eclectic August 11. While an argument very early in the morning set very dark clouds on my horizon, on the other side I got a Tsunami of good vibes, smiles and nice gestures from my dear friends from the Fellowship of the Dragon, who threw the funniest on-line party for me. (Thank you <a href="http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.mx/" target="_blank">Alex</a>, <a href="http://markkoopmans.blogspot.mx/" target="_blank">Mark</a>, <a href="http://henderson-jo.blogspot.mx/" target="_blank">Jo</a>, <a href="http://lilicasplace.com/" target="_blank">Eva</a>, <a href="http://melissamaygrove.blogspot.mx/" target="_blank">Melissa </a>and <a href="http://eseckman.blogspot.mx/" target="_blank">Liz</a>).<br />
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The fellowship even organized a lot of dance with old wizard and many dragons included, of course!</div>
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And a piñata!!! Melissa had too much of Jezebel's punch and mistook me for the piñata. Yes, I remember that, Mel! (BTW, thanks <a href="http://untetheredrealms.blogspot.mx/" target="_blank">River Fairchild</a> for Jezebel and her punch. :))<br />
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Grandmother Dragon, Jo Wake, took care of the invitations...<br />
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And more cake arrived! (With 150 dwarves around, you don't expect one would do, do you?)<br />
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Someone brought decorations too!<br />
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And here it is a picture of good friends rocking the party. "One does not simply invite the Captain Ninja and expect him to come without Mini-Alex." Yes, Mini-Alex gave us a concert. The dwarves went crazy, not to mention the Ninja Muse. Captain Ninja had to use his "diversion clones" to keep her away from him. :D<br />
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Don't ask me where the ninja turtles come from. It's a looooooooong story that involves Melissa's birthday, Mark's nightmares, bleeding eyes and lots of laughter. Can't tell you. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.<br />
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During the whole day I got a lot of love too on FB!<br />
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And plenty of other very thoughtful notes that I would like to put here but I can't. Yet each of them touched my heart and meant a smile. That means I smiled about 34 times, just on the Facebook side. That alone outnumbers the frowns I had in the day.</div>
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By the time the clock said my birthday was over and it was time to go to bed, I took a moment to recount the joys vs. the bitter moments. While on one side things seemed to tell me dragon stinks, on the other side lots and lots told me how much I mean to them in every way they found possible. My conclusion was that my 804th birthday was the best birthday I've had so far.<br />
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THANK YOU, my friends, for making me feel happy to be alive and happy to have you in my life. You give meaning to it. The dragon heart is yours!<br />
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Dragon Hugs!Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-25332477523158264502015-08-05T13:27:00.002-05:002015-08-05T13:33:15.109-05:00Miracle of Miracles! I am writing.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello! For the first time in about three years, I think, I'm writing a story larger than a single page. It's fiction-not-so-much. It's based in a fictional land, but suffice to say I won't be able to use the disclaimer "Any similitude with persons alive or dead is mere coincidence." There is a dragon in the story and that dragon is NOT so me (cheek in tongue).<br />
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I had not written anything in years now (story wise) because I just lost the love for it. I think I could have stepped on my passion because it was damaged beyond repair. Nothing appealed me. The quail was broken and the ink got dry. Suddenly a friend came and offered an "innocent" (or maybe not so much) prompt. My dwarves say they think they saw a devilish grin on my friend's face when he suggested I could write during my vacation in the Caribbean. I don't know. The only thing I know is that his "innocent" prompt sparkled something in this dragon's head. The ninja muse stopped drooling over the Captain Ninja's poster, to pick up the gauntlet thrown. She thought the prompt was interesting enough, I guess. As I said, she had been interested in nothing but sitting on her tiny butt, bothering dwarves and eating popcorn.<br />
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I just wanted to humor my ninja muse and said friend. I didn't intent to actually sit down and write anything larger than a Word page. I'm shocked at how much I've written in such a short time (almost 11 pages). It's just pouring out of me to the point I wish I could forget about chores and school so I could just write until I get all "this" out of me. I do like what I am writing but it freaks me out. It has freaked me out since page one. It is not just a writing exercise. It's become a catharsis. I am finding things about myself I wasn't expecting. There is an 99.9% of chances this story never sees the light so I am not insecure about people not liking it. Dragons are not strippers and this thing is stripping my soul to my eyes.<br />
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But that's precisely where my insecurity comes from. Introspection, to have our inner being revealed to us is never a nice exercise, as useful as it may result. It's scary because I fear the possibility that revealing hidden sides of me would be like standing in front of Dorian Gray's picture. And that it might be as ugly as in Dorian Gray's case. Then again, if we are not brave enough to face such ugliness, we'll never know what is that we have to correct, repair, erase or accept. Therefore, it will never improve. It will stay ugly and distorted forever.<br />
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Even though I am convinced I should thank my friend for his "innocent" prompt, because I'm sure only positive things will come out of this exercise in the end (whenever that end comes); I am still blaming him for the freaking out time I take to finish this story!<br />
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Dragon Hugs!<br />
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<b>This post is part of the <a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html">Insecure Writers Support Group</a>, created by <a href="http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/">Alex J. Cavanaugh</a>. You can also find IWSG on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13/">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSGCC/">Critique Group</a>.</b><br />
<br />Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-74267612289659140162015-06-15T15:10:00.003-05:002015-06-15T15:17:56.744-05:00Motion Creates Emotion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I've been seeking for ways to get out of my negative heavy mood. I don't like to live depressed even though one would believe I do considering the time I've spent in that state of mind along the centuries. When I can't provoke the change in the brain tides to a more positive vibe, I turn to look for professional motivators out there. Somehow, I've always found something that kicks my butt and gets me back to my feet, despite my lack of enthusiasm to do so. I just know I can't wait for the joy to come back. I would die waiting. I am convinced joy is something I have to work on and produce and it is not subjected to the circumstantial events around me. It's a switch inside. At least, that's how this dragon works and knows to be true. </div>
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I've found some good insight in a T<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjMWcUQKtks" target="_blank">ony Robbins video</a>. I highly recommend it. He says motion creates emotion. He claims it is easier to start the day with more energy if you start it with exercise. Your emotion affects your physical posture and so, your physical posture may affect your emotions one way or another. I won't cover it here and now. I would rather have you listen to it and get your own conclusions. </div>
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Anyway, I followed his advice and I started dancing in the mornings. I dance very well, I must say, and I love dancing. I also heard the advice from different sources, repeatedly, to devote time to some activity that really makes me happy; an activity I enjoy so much, it makes me forget everything else. The choice was obvious. I got creative with pens and colors. I want to show you the results. I have spent several hours grinning as I've watched my creation dance at the tunes of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQbZ9gjRCTw" target="_blank">Disco Inferno</a>, Guardians of the Galaxy's version of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrI-UBIB8Jk&list=PLpRjkOHBe_TgmznCle__jWDhoV4aFgCjw" target="_blank">Hooked on a Feeling</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkr77jE5GFY&list=PLpRjkOHBe_TgmznCle__jWDhoV4aFgCjw&index=8" target="_blank">Come and Get Your Love</a> (and Father Dragon can dance better than Star Lord), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C_3eYj-pOM&list=PLpRjkOHBe_TgmznCle__jWDhoV4aFgCjw&index=12" target="_blank">Ain't No Mountain High Enough</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZMmMszi5BI" target="_blank">December 63.</a></div>
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No matter what's the song, the point is it still makes me grin. It's the first animation I've ever done from scratch and it truly gave me joy. I hope it does to you too, at least a bit.</div>
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Dragon Hugs!Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-31097965887973048862015-06-03T14:02:00.000-05:002015-06-03T14:02:44.258-05:00Too heavy for my own good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Is this eloquent enough? There are things to do. I know I have to do them and the little voice of my conscience (a.k.a Tassin, dragon assistant and Dwarf Taskmaster) says it's Duty Time. It's there, waiting. Someone has to do it and that someone is me. Why? Because I appointed myself. I know that. I know the reasons but still the why rings in my head. Whether the question is why do I have to do it or why I don't care much about anything right now, I'm not sure. I feel for my poor Cheering Squad. Dwarves are courageous, brave and stubborn. They're not giving up because that would fit bad in their pride and resumes. I know they are not going to move me an inch, though. Not unless I make a willing effort. Why? Maybe tomorrow....<br />
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Dragon Hugs!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>This post is part of the <a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html">Insecure Writers Support Group</a>, created by <a href="http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/">Alex J. Cavanaugh</a>. You can also find IWSG on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13/">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSGCC/">Critique Group</a>.</b><br />
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Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-861317347015020622015-05-06T08:06:00.000-05:002015-05-06T08:13:12.535-05:00Self-regulation for Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"The term self-regulation(sometimes also called executive function) refers to the capacity to control one’s impulses, both to stop doing something, if needed (even if one wants to continue doing it) and to start doing something, if needed (even if one doesn’t want to do it)." Source: <a href="http://www.toolsofthemind.org/philosophy/self-regulation/">Tools of the Mind</a>.</span></b><br />
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Although this is a skill taught as children, I think I missed that class in the school for dragons. It's very hard for me to delay gratification or suppress my impulses when it comes to achieving things that are important for me or that I feel strongly about. I want to do something. I want results <i><b>now</b></i>. I want them <i><b>perfect </b></i>and everybody <i><b>must </b></i>love them.<br />
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So as a good dragon, I dive into it head-on and with all the fire I've got inside. I'm very hot about it and I don't care to devote insane amounts of time and passion -and often disregard the rules of pace, method, and practice- because I want to get to my goal yesterday. I want to arrive before I even started. I want shining results but I lack self-regulation. As consequence, everything ends up in a mess most of the time...<br />
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...and people don't welcome it as I wanted. Nor do I. Frustration settles. I end up exhausted because I didn't pace myself either. I feel I'm not a good dragon and I have some talent but not enough to succeed because things don't come out as I see them in my mind. (Here the victimizing voice) "I'll never succeed at this. People don't like it -because there are not thousands cheering for me outside the cave-. Worst, in my frustration tantrum, I think I stepped on my cheer leader. Abandon all hope."<br />
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I've never heard of self-regulation as a term until recently, when I started High School. I knew I had a weakness for immediate reward and that works against me, but it just dawned on me that talent is not really the problem. Look at this beautiful, state-of-the-art, loved by all, creation. It has everything to be the fastest car. A winner.<br />
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But without control it can as easily end up in this.<br />
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Brains are more complex than cars but you get the idea. Self-regulation is not easy, for 803 years old, perfectionist, impulsive, stubborn, OCD fire dragons least than all. But listen to dragon wisdom. It's not that you can't do it. It's only that you don't know how to do it. Search, learn, adjust, change. That's the only way to get success.</div>
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I'll leave you with these words I caught from two different ads. You get your own conclusions. </div>
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"When things don't come up as you expect, it's easy to stop believing than to keep the faith in your dream." Spanish ad. (Sorry don't remember the name.)</div>
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"Defeat is that doubt in your head, the demon that feeds in your fear, it tells you you're not good enough, that you can't do it, that is not possible...succumbing to that demon, that thought, that's defeat... Before giving victory a shot, I have to defeat defeat." <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqiABPHh1sA">Defeat Defeat Video</a>.</div>
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Dragon Hugs!</div>
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<b>This post is part of the <a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html">Insecure Writers Support Group</a>, created by <a href="http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/">Alex J. Cavanaugh</a>. You can also find IWSG on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13/">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSGCC/">Critique Group</a>.</b></div>
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Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-27312854703878111972015-04-07T03:00:00.000-05:002015-04-07T03:00:07.822-05:00Dragon of the Stars<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<b><span lang="EN-US">We dragons must stick together and Father Dragon is very happy to take part in this SCAVENGER HUNT! Comment to win an autographed copy of Dragon of the
Stars, tons of bookmarks & postcards, and a $20.00 iTunes gift card–where
is Mini-Alex? </span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Visit <a href="http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/">Alex </a>for a list
of the participants.</span><span lang="EN-US"> (Open through April 11 – winner
announced April 13 at <a href="http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/">Alex’s blog</a>.)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Available today!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Dragon of the Stars<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">By Alex J. Cavanaugh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Science Fiction – Space
Opera/Adventure/Military<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Print ISBN </span><span lang="EN-US">9781939844064 EBook ISBN 9781939844057<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">What Are the Kargrandes? </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://whatarethekargrandes.com/">http://whatarethekargrandes.com/</a></span><span lang="EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">The ship of legends…<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The future is set for Lt.
Commander Aden Pendar, son of a Hyrathian Duke. Poised to secure his own
command and marriage to the queen’s daughter, he’ll stop at nothing to achieve
his goals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">But when the Alliance denies
Hyrath’s claim on the planet of Kavil and declares war on their world, Aden
finds his plans in disarray. Entrenched in battle and told he won’t make
captain, Aden’s world begins to collapse. How will he salvage his career and
future during Hyrath’s darkest hour?</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">One chance remains–the Dragon.
Lost many years prior, the legendary ship’s unique weapon is Hyrath’s only
hope. Can Aden find the Dragon, save his people, and prove he’s capable of commanding
his own ship?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Purchase:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Stars-Alex-J-Cavanaugh-ebook/dp/B00S0DPUYU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1420814971&sr=1-1&keywords=dragon+of+the+stars">Amazon</a>- </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dragon-of-the-stars-alex-j-cavanaugh/1121069418?ean=2940046510720">Barnesand Noble</a> - <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/dragon-of-the-stars">Kobo</a>- <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/dragon-of-the-stars/9781939844057-item.html">Chapters</a>- <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Stars-Alex-J-Cavanaugh-ebook/dp/B00S0DPUYU">AmazonUK</a> - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23521766-dragon-of-the-stars">Goodreads</a> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Alex
J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design,
graphics, and technical editing. A fan of all things science fiction, his
interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the
Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He’s the
author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/">http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/</a></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/">http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/</a></span><span lang="EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh">http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh</a></span><span lang="EN-US">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span> </div>
Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-58937737881874304392015-04-01T13:33:00.000-06:002015-04-01T13:38:44.405-06:00Might not be about writing but insecure anyway.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had a surgery on Saturday to remove the gall bladder because I had stones. Although there were more than five (the largest a bit longer than an inch) it turns out none of them were precious stones. Keep looking for those giant diamonds, dwarves!<br />
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Honestly, my main insecurity is that my stomach and food don't seem to be getting along as well as expected, despite having hospital type menu. I am not so bummed about the dwarf-size portions I can barely tolerate but about the discomfort that follows and last all day and night. (If it seems I'm pouting, yes. I am.)<br />
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Today starts <b>A to Z Challenge </b>and foreseeing the effort was too big for me, I teamed with <b><a href="http://www.davidpowersking.com/">David Powers King</a></b> to contribute to his theme. I might feel a bit insecure about my artistic contributions as well, but did I mention I had a surgery? This is the third time I lose a part of my body. Dragon is entitled to feel oversensitive. If you feel like cheering me up, please check up David's theme at the <a href="http://www.davidpowersking.com/">The Cosmic Lair</a> and leave a comment. If you like my artwork, you can leave me gummy bears -no sugar-. If you don't like it, say you love it anyway. Be mindful I'm recuperating here and Father Dragon can stomach little right now. If that is not enough, I have 150 loyal dwarves with axes. ;)<br />
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Seriously, David has an awesome theme based on his recently released book, Woven. You won't regret it. I leave you HUGE Dragon Hugs and I'll pay you visits as much as possible.<br />
<br />
This post is part of the <a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html">Insecure Writers Support Group</a>, created by <a href="http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/">Alex J. Cavanaugh</a>. You can also find IWSG on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13/">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSGCC/">Critique Group</a>.<br />
<br />Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-85266562320905303992015-03-16T11:45:00.000-06:002015-03-16T11:45:15.760-06:00The Meaningful Quest for Meaning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Father Dragon is reading... a lot. If there is anyone out there wondering where the overgrown lizard with the red scaly face has been lately, I've been studying.<br />
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At my 803 years, I decided it was time to go for the High School certificate I didn't get when I was the size of a Komodo dragon. They say it is never late to learn. Actually, we're always learning something new. Whether we realize this or not, is another story.<br />
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I do have a career. I have a degree on Raiding Villages, specialization on Charring, Destroying and Treasure Hogging. First on my class of Virgin Barbecue, International Cuisine. I've taken other courses and learned a lot more things on different areas. Back at the time I was learning all these things I thought they were interesting but I knew they were not part of my greatest dream. For some strange reason, all the diplomas and acknowledgements hanging on the cave wall are meaningless now to me. I look at them and I feel no excitement about knowing these things. I don't feel I or my life are more meaningful because of them.<br />
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Funny enough, I have never actively pursued my greatest dream, my heart's desire. Reasons of why I didn't pursue my dream, there are many, but I question their validity. One day I just found myself feeling my life would have no meaning if I leave this world without making *that* dream, The Dream, come true. Or maybe not come true, but at least start to walk the path that takes me closer to it. Not as hobby, but as my reason to live. To breathe it, to eat it, to bath in it until I ooze its scent. That's why at this late age I started High School. It's the first step towards turning The Dream into The Reality.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kc4kBze1tD3XbBxk3-yEAwR340eE2HO8BtFAazIMUZjXLGemIBlESfpmrBjeyZZPcv2x2DYN7S2qlO5gmotm42g8rGgGNXbgY-ba3QXio6q40RP3wEzxnX7Pa1FUB53LQE8PWNnUynw/s1600/Northstar_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kc4kBze1tD3XbBxk3-yEAwR340eE2HO8BtFAazIMUZjXLGemIBlESfpmrBjeyZZPcv2x2DYN7S2qlO5gmotm42g8rGgGNXbgY-ba3QXio6q40RP3wEzxnX7Pa1FUB53LQE8PWNnUynw/s1600/Northstar_1.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a>Will another diploma on the wall give meaning to who I am (before my eyes) or my life? Maybe. Maybe not. It's widely known that the important part of a quest is not the destination, but the journey in itself. I am not out in the search for a college degree exactly. I am out to prove to myself what's the meaning of my life through the fight for the One dream. Many around me have told me my life is meaningful, but I fail to feel it. I guess the meaning of "I" and of "my life" is better grasped when I figure it out by myself.<br />
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Through the centuries, dreams and goals have come and go. Some I've achieved, some I've discarded because they lost meaning. Just one dream has stayed the same and my desire for it never dimmed. Just one dream makes my heart cry with longing, frustration, and hope. It is the only dream I know, in my heart of hearts, everything I am -virtues and flaws, vision and madness- is the perfect combination that's needed to get it. That long neglected (many times qualified by others as "meaningless") Dream is where I'll find my meaning and the meaning of my life.<br />
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Few will understand this but I don't care. It won't be easy. It's proving not to be easy already. Sometimes I feel I'm walking alone, but I know I'm not. As long as my heart is true and my cause is right, help and support will always be given to me. Not always from where I expect or would like it come, but it will come (and is coming) nonetheless.<br />
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Now you know where Father Dragon has been lately. ;)<br />
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Dragon Hugs!Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-87595748506905251012015-02-09T03:00:00.000-06:002015-02-09T03:00:13.135-06:00FD & the Dwarf Cheering Squad got WOVEN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was lucky enough to get my talons on an ARC of Woven. Yes, they also come in dragon size, but you have to prove beyond doubts you're a real dragon to have one. That's why this size is not available for everyone. But don't worry, you'll do just fine with the standard size. The amount of magic is just about the same.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WfvOzF5VBJeJStM10LlYgYaF-no-p_rCpJMCY9RbU0z6dIuL1oDL_-bCIz_frT0o6PujQ5tGGi5-yj-MlMZy24VV5fGaDJ5rjvC_kvMqIw0mMyqYNEHv9gA0kZH6sL-dTZAH1YSOEzs/s1600/FD+reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WfvOzF5VBJeJStM10LlYgYaF-no-p_rCpJMCY9RbU0z6dIuL1oDL_-bCIz_frT0o6PujQ5tGGi5-yj-MlMZy24VV5fGaDJ5rjvC_kvMqIw0mMyqYNEHv9gA0kZH6sL-dTZAH1YSOEzs/s1600/FD+reading.jpg" height="640" width="505" /></a></div>
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I thought it would be a good idea to read it to the dwarves. A good story is just as effective as good food to keep them entertained and quiet. They actually make more noise when they eat than when they're listening to a riveting tale. And Woven was indeed one.<br />
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My dwarves have seen many treasures. It's part of the job when living with a dragon. However it was new to hear about The Great Tapestry and magic done with needles, threads and stitches. We all loved the concept. The descriptions were rich enough to put the Woven world in our heads but without overdoing it. If Father Dragon has the attention span of a five year old, the dwarves have half of that. They get bored easily too. But there is nothing of boring in Nels' and Tyra's adventures. I had planned to read only a couple hours daily, but the dwarves kept begging for "just one more page".<br />
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The pace is excellent. The book has the perfect balance of intrigue, action, adventure and romance. Actually, this type of romance is our favorite. Nels start with unrequited love. The princess doesn't want anything to do with him. Later, it gets better because there are times they don't like each other at all but they need each other, so they have to find ways to work things out.<br />
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Characters are really well fleshed out. We found Nels a very likable boy. I didn't like Tyra but until past half book, but I think that's how it is supposed to be. She started like a royal pain in my big dragon butt. Dwarves were cheering for her by the end. They wanted to marry her too. Good for Nels they don't live in Averand.<br />
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Since it was an ARC, I hadn't read the blurb. We were caught by surprise when Nels became a ghost, but I am pleased to say it wasn't the last time that David and Michael surprised us. They had the dwarves literally biting their nails in the last part of the book. I got a needle to "stitch" a charm of silence on the dwarf that would interrupt me but I ended up giving it to Pancholin. They say the best books are those that stay with you long after you finished reading them. Well... Sessin, Milin and Pancholin are still trying to figure out how to stitch their fates to a beautiful woman.<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Book
description from Goodreads:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">WOVEN by Michael Jensen and David Powers
King, published by <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/home/">Scholastic</a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Two unlikely allies must journey across a
kingdom in the hopes of thwarting death itself.<br />
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All his life, Nels has wanted to be a knight of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">kingdom</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Avërand</st1:placename></st1:place>.
Tall and strong, and with a knack for helping those in need, the people of his
sleepy little village have even taken to calling him the Knight of Cobblestown.<br />
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But that was before Nels died, murdered outside his home by a mysterious
figure.<br />
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Now the young hero has awoken as a ghost, invisible to all around him save one
person—his only hope for understanding what happened to him—the kingdom’s heir,
Princess Tyra. At first the spoiled royal wants nothing to do with Nels, but as
the mystery of his death unravels, the two find themselves linked by a secret,
and an enemy who could be hiding behind any face.<br />
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Nels and Tyra have no choice but to abscond from the castle, charting a hidden
world of tangled magic and forlorn phantoms. They must seek out an ancient
needle with the power to mend what has been torn, and they have to move fast.
Because soon Nels will disappear forever.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Available now wherever books are sold</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780545685726">IndieBound</a> - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Woven-Michael-Jensen/dp/0545685729/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1415315304&sr=8-5&keywords=woven">Amazon</a> - <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/woven-michael-jensen/1119863472?ean=9780545685726">Barnes&Noble</a> - <a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Woven/Michael-Jensen/9780545685726?id=6165020880538">Books
A Million</a>! - <a href="http://www.rakuten.com/prod/woven/268559552.html">Rakuten</a> - <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/woven/id903088394">iTunes</a> </div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">About
the Authors:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSEGNJ3kR4xcfauyjSCvxwmdMXAN09gTau4llpFqcr6XQ4TM1etfsIKn1ehgMIe7PzRV600AIqXuGDvqNxfQIeR3bbQi-F9hm4WFUD8eiE7Ka84hP3kHFbXsQwh9u1XiLp2OaAxpbM0Y/s1600/MichaelJensen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSEGNJ3kR4xcfauyjSCvxwmdMXAN09gTau4llpFqcr6XQ4TM1etfsIKn1ehgMIe7PzRV600AIqXuGDvqNxfQIeR3bbQi-F9hm4WFUD8eiE7Ka84hP3kHFbXsQwh9u1XiLp2OaAxpbM0Y/s1600/MichaelJensen.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><b><span lang="EN-US"></span></b><br />
<b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b>
<b><span lang="EN-US">Michael
Jensen</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> is a graduate of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Brigham</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Young</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>’s prestigious
music, dance, and theater program. Michael taught voice at BYU before
establishing his own vocal instruction studio. In addition to being an
imaginative storyteller, Michael is an accomplished composer and vocalist. He
lives in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Salt Lake City</st1:place></st1:city>
with his husband and their four dogs.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Photo credit: Michael Schoenfeld</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Links:</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MichaelJensenAuthor">Facebook</a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7218927.Michael_Jensen">Goodreads</a> <a href="http://www.wovenbook.com/">Woven
Website</a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/wovenbook?ref=br_tf">Woven Facebook Page</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehgLz9T8juSKq6I8E1dZGLjGJzy_-3IKaSehr8SNSIO5_V-vt2aZUhCz0QgHlKuITSQVeoaieRZP9JS16Npj1CZh2e_IvxRR2CGFDZRxFD-ic9WZDivZWfo9PbP4B3l2xS001qhTnJDs/s1600/DavidPowersKing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehgLz9T8juSKq6I8E1dZGLjGJzy_-3IKaSehr8SNSIO5_V-vt2aZUhCz0QgHlKuITSQVeoaieRZP9JS16Npj1CZh2e_IvxRR2CGFDZRxFD-ic9WZDivZWfo9PbP4B3l2xS001qhTnJDs/s1600/DavidPowersKing.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><b><span lang="EN-US"></span></b><br />
<b><span lang="EN-US"><b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></span></b>
<b><span lang="EN-US">David
Powers King</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> was born in beautiful downtown <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Burbank</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place>
where his love for film inspired him to become a writer. An avid fan of science
fiction and fantasy, David also has a soft spot for zombies and the paranormal.
He now lives in the mountain West with his wife and three children.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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Photo credit: Katie Pyne Rasmussen</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Links: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/david.p.king.98">Facebook</a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7102558.David_Powers_King">Goodreads</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidPowersKing">Twitter</a> <a href="http://www.davidpowersking.com/">Blog</a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Rafflecopper
Giveaway Link (One of 5 copies of Woven – signed by both authors):</span></b></div>
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="d7d6e5a51" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d7d6e5a51/" id="rcwidget_kwr3baq1" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
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Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020099647940696614.post-86467553675964301652015-02-04T03:00:00.000-06:002015-02-04T03:00:07.208-06:00The Power of Choice <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySviivfsvHrSVMCmzUS7HJDWsBeN5suGJ8utAFL6ipSepX8-JiWAvQvaeBMf5jjUafDrCf0qnOTDv7JmQVxvjeVOiCLRFcDWEY1TpjiYfUExsx3PpQeAU7znOVJaaBGE9em73TNzxgMA/s1600/InsecureWritersSupportGroup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySviivfsvHrSVMCmzUS7HJDWsBeN5suGJ8utAFL6ipSepX8-JiWAvQvaeBMf5jjUafDrCf0qnOTDv7JmQVxvjeVOiCLRFcDWEY1TpjiYfUExsx3PpQeAU7znOVJaaBGE9em73TNzxgMA/s1600/InsecureWritersSupportGroup.jpg" height="273" width="320" /></a></div>
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This will be an extremely brief post because 1) I'm ill, tired and busy but 2) I do really wish to share a not so brief (but extremely useful) video. Writers are people and all people have gone through some sort of crisis. Some crises are huge and daunting, some are not so much. Some are temporary and some... we just don't know. For those of you who are going through a crisis and are looking how to get through it, I leave you The Power of Choice. Very powerful indeed, Father Dragon's word.<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/nFQzXJw4bQM/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nFQzXJw4bQM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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I also have a question for you. Does anybody know of a good book on how to write screenplays? I would really appreciate some recommendations.<br />
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Dragon Hugs!<br />
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This post is part of the <a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html">Insecure Writers Support Group</a>, created by <a href="http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/">Alex J. Cavanaugh</a>. You can also find IWSG on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13/">Facebook</a> - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSGCC/">Critique Group</a>Al Diazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107619009321980764noreply@blogger.com16