How To Center A Cylinder On A Potter's Wheel

Forming a cylinder while working with a potter's wheel is common. What many don't know is that it can be a test of sorts. When a potter can successfully through a cylinder, and find that it is perfectly centered and completely even in all proportions it is proof that the potter is ready to begin forming more difficult and special shapes. Also, throwing a simple cylinder is the first step to making many different types of pots and vases. To that end here are step by step instructions on how to correctly through a cylinder and check to see if it is even.

Things You’ll Need:
Potter's Wheel
Clay Ball
Stick Sponge
Sharp knife

Throwing The Cylinder
Step 1:
Slam a ball of clay hard down on the wet batt covering the head of the potter's wheel. This will add suction to the bottom of the clay and keep it attached to the batt.

Step 2:
Start the wheel slowly with your hands cupping the clay ball so that it is evenly rounded and shaped.

Step 3:
When the ball is centered, press downward with the thumbs to make a depression in the top.

Step 4:
Brace the left hand against the mound of clay and, resting the right hand on the left, press the fingers of the right hand down on the middle of the mound to enlarge the opening.

Step 5:
The opening should go down far enough to leave a 3/4 inch thickness at the bottom of the piece. If you can't tell, use a toothpick, press it all the way down in the center and measure how much of the toothpick comes up wet with clay on it. Don't worry about the hole, that will be covered as you continue to work the clay.

Step 6:
The clay is now shaped like a low squat bowl with a thick wall. Let the wall turn in your hands for a while with your left hand on the outside and the fingers of your right on the inside. They should be exerting almost not pressure at all.

Step 7:
For this next step, slow the wheel down slightly as we will be doing the Pull up technique. Put your right hand on the outside of the piece and your left hand on the inside, with the thumb of the left hand brace against the right wrist.

Step 8:
Press the clay between the index finger of the left hand and the first knuckle of your right. Bring your hands straight up. Your left thumb, braced against your right wrist, will help you keep your hands the same distance apart so that the wall of the cylinder will be even in thickness.

Step 9:
Repeat this process two or three times, each time making the wall thinner and higher.

Step 10:
keep the piece cylindrical. The top will have a tendency to become wider and turn the cylinder into a bowl, do not let this happen. Using both hands, pull the top together to keep it the same width as the base. Try to make the cylinder six inches tall, taller if possible, but six inches should be difficult enough.

Step 11:
The top edge of your cylinder will probably be uneven, so it will be necessary to trim off a narrow strip. Brace both hands in position and hold the left index finger against the inside of the rim while you press the point of the knife toward it from the outside.

Testing The Cylinder
Step 1:
With the finished cylinder before you and the wheel locked in place, put your knife on the top edge and cut straight down to the bottom. Then do the same thing to the other side.

Step 2:
Cut through the base and remove one half of the cylinder, so that you can look at the cross section. Is the wall even in thickness and only slightly heavier at the bottom? is it free from thin spots?

Step 3:
If not than you need more practice making cylinders before you can progress. If the cylinder is perfect, then congratulations are in order

Tips & Warnings
Remove the water that collects on the inside of the piece with a stick sponge. The fewer times you need to pull the piece upward, the lesser likelihood that the piece will collapse.

Use just enough water to keep the work lubricated, too much will cause the walls to weaken and slump. Remember you probably won't get this right the first time around, so don't be too hard on yourself.

How To Remove Pottery From The Batt

Pottery Batts or bats (either spelling is acceptable) are round covers that go over the head of a potter's wheel when throwing a pot or vase. It protects the wheelhead from getting gummed up with clay and can be removed, vase and all to allow the vase time to dry elsewhere should another project require the immediate use of the wheel. Originally these bats where made of wood or plaster and it can be very difficult to remove a dried vase or pot from one without damaging the unfired clay. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to safely remove a pot or vase from a bat.

Things You’ll Need:
Pottery Wheel

Bat

Vase or clay vessel, newly finished shaping

Thick gauge dental floss or thin wire

Plasti-bat (Optional)

Removing A Pot From A Plaster or Wooden Bat
Step 1:
Begin with the bat still firmly attached to the potter's wheel and the pot attached to the bat. The pot should still be slightly wet, it’s best to cut them from the bat immediately after you finish shaping them.

Step 2:
Get a good grip on the wire; wrap the ends around your hands if it helps. Stretch your wire as taught as possible across the far end of the bat. The pot should be between you and the wire.

Step 3:
Start the potter's wheel rotating very slowly.

Step 4:
Keeping the wire flush to the bat's surface and as taut as possible; bring the wire toward you in one slow, continuous motion.

Step 5:
Stop the wheel and carefully remove the bat from the wheel head. The pot is probably still too wet to touch, but it has been cut from the bat. The suction between the two has been broken and you need not worry of them reattaching. Place the bat with the pot somewhere to dry.

Step 6:
When the pot is hard as leather (Approximately one to three days) gently lift it from the bat and store it to dry sufficiently before it’s fired.

Tips & Warnings
New bats made from flexible silicone or rubbers exist now which can make this task much easier. Generically they're called Plasti-bats. With one of them you needn't cut the pot from the bat. Simply wait until the pot has dried a bit and peel the bat right off.
Wait too long to cut your pot free from the bat and it will likely crumble.

How To Pick Tools Needed For Pottery

When initially working with clay and learning the art of pottery, many amateur potters make the mistake of going out and buying all kinds of shaping tools. Such tools are only really needed by the time your finished works are of a smooth and professional look. Until then, you can make do with pens, pencils, and plastic forks, knifes, and spoons. For those who believe themselves ready to advance to the next level of this ageless art, here's a brief explanation of the most used potter's tools and what to look for when buying them.


Loop Tools
The loop tool is a simple metal loop set into a handle. Depending on the shape of the loop they can be used for cutting swaths from a finished clay pot for large designs or uniformly thinning the pot's walls. They are also available with thin, malleable wire but the stainless steel loops tend to last longer. Also people often have the option of choosing between double ended loop tools with stainless steel handles or single ended loop tools with finished wooden grips. Go for the wooden handles as they are easier to clean and their larger size grants a greater degree of control over the tool.

Ribbon Tools:
Ribbon tools are used by potters for medium-duty cutting, shaping and slicing. They use the same stainless steel ends as the loop tool, simply on a smaller scale. Also because of their smaller size, where the end of a loop tool may when being used to deal with the contours of the item being sculpted, a ribbon tool will stay rigid and cuts more deeply. It's less common to find a single ended ribbon tool, so don't try as it will simply lead to a great deal of frustration. Often they are sold in kits with many ribbon tools having different shaped heads for different tasks. They can all prove to be useful and are cheaper when in kits, so it's probably best to buy them as such. Stainless steel handles can be cleaned by scrubbing them in hot water more easily than wooden ones, having no grain to collect dirt and clay. But because of that inherent grain, wooden handles make the tool easier to hold and manipulate. The choice is up to you.

Potter's Rib:
A potter's rib, often simply called a rib, is a simply shaped tool, usually wood, that is used to manipulate or alter the shape of any vessel being thrown on a potter's wheel. They work in a manner similar to a woodworker's lathe, shaping or stripping the clay dependent on the angle of the tool and how much pressure is applied. Usually they are found in two shapes, kidney and rectangular. The kidney shape helps smooth edges, pushing round indentations into the vessel. The rectangular shape is used to scrape off excess clay or push sharply angled indentations into the vessel. Traditionalists still use wooden ribs, but they can be found made out of various metals, and plastics. Some have even been seen made from stone. In my opinion the easiest to hold rib is made from wood, but the rib that's easiest to clean and can round edges the smoothest is made from Teflon.


Needle Tool:
The needle tool is a long, thin heat-treated steel needle used to make a clean smooth cut with a minimum of drag when removing the uneven top edge of thrown items. The width of the needle is crucial, too thick and the needle pushes clay aside rather than cuts through it. Too thin and the needle fails to pull through the clay, potentially bending or breaking the needle or chipping pieces out of the top of your thrown item. One that is slightly smaller than the average nail you might use to hang a picture frame is acceptable for most situations. The needle itself should have a pointed sharp tip. If such a needle dulls over time (though this is unlikely) simply stroke it lightly across a whetsone, giving the handle a quarter turn after each stroke. Handles come in plastic, wood and stainless steel in different widths. Any of the materials works just as well as this tool need not be handled with the same skill as the others. What you would want to take into consideration is the width of the handle. They range from slightly thinner than a pencil to as thick as a piece of rebar. The larger a person's hands, the larger the handle would need to be to feel comfortable.

Modeling Tool:
The purpose of a modeling tool is less to cut or remove clay from the work or sculpture as to push it into place, create fine detail, and smooth over the rough edges. This tool is not used in pottery a great deal, but it's the clay sculptor's best friend. A smooth-edged butter knife will work just as well when you're starting out. A dull number two pencil will work as a stylus for finer detail. They are comparatively cheap and easy to find, coming in plastic, wood, and metal of lots of different shapes. The metal modeling tools have a tendency to cut into the clay rather than push it into place and I would not recommend them. Plastic tools are more resilient and can withstand more pressure that wooden ones without splintering. They're also heat resistant so they can be thrown into the dishwasher for cleaning, whereas a wooden modeling tool would likely split.

Tips & Warnings
Before you spend the money to purchase all these tools, look around the house for items that would work just as well. You'd be surprised how many normal household implements have unforeseen uses.

Using potter's ribs requires a still and the steady application of light pressure, misuse of this tool on a potter's wheel can result in flying clay in all directions and light injuries to the work hand.

How To Make A Paper Lantern

Paper lanterns are a Chinese tradition and are often seen as decoration during Chinese New Year in February. Their lights add a warm, buttery glow to a room and with the right decoration can make it very cozy. Such lamps traditionally use white or cream colored paper, but nowadays they come in just about any color imaginable. Following are instructions on how to make your own professional looking paper lantern.

Things You’ll Need:
6 flat strips of bamboo 1/4 inch wide and 4 feet long
Scissors
Rubber Cement
Masking Tape
Rice paper
Candle
Battery Powered light socket (Optional)
Drill with small bit (Optional)
Silk thread or string (Optional)

Making a Paper Lantern
Step 1:
Start by bending the six bamboo strips into circles. If they are stiff, rub your hands across their length to warm them, this will make them more pliable. Tape the ends of each bamboo circle together.

Step 2:
Take four of the bamboo circles and stand them upright. Tape their sides together so that the four circles form a square, each opening facing a different cardinal direction.

Step 3:
Slide the remaining two bamboo circles onto the top and bottom of the box, forming a cube. Tape them all firmly in place.

Step 4:
Wrap the rice paper around the sides of the square, using the rubber cement on the inside where the ends of the paper meet forming a vertical line.

Step 5:
Cut the rice paper along the top and bottom of the frame, leave several inches of excess. The rest can always be cut away later.

Step 6:
Fold over the top and bottom of the frame, leaving holes as the edges of the frame. Cut away the excess rice paper carefully to leave neat edges.

Step 7:
Place over lit candle as a centerpiece or decoration and enjoy!

Another Way To Display Your Paper Lantern
Step 1:
Do not use a candle, instead use the drill to bore small holes into the top edges of the frame.

Step 2:
Thread the string through the hole and tie them together to allow the lantern to hang.

Step 3:
Tie the light socket to the end of a piece of string, lower it into the top of the lantern.

Step 4:
Tie the opposite end of the string to the others and suspend wherever you wish!

Tips & Warnings
If you have trouble getting the paper to cling to the frame, mist it lightly with a water spray bottle.
Various designs can be found on rice paper or better yet, decorate the lanterns by painting or drawing on them.
Rice paper is very thin and sticky, unless you hands are clean and dry it will stick to them and rip.
Never leave a lit candle unattended, this is a fire hazard

How To Fasten A Tie

Many people have few occasions to wear a tie in their daily lives. In some instances where a tie should be worn, a person might have forgotten how to correctly knot one, or never known in the first place. Here is a step by step explanation of how to correctly tie a bowtie, as well as several common knots for regular neckties. The steps are the same, regardless of whether the tie goes with a costume or a business suit.

Things You’ll Need:
Bowtie or Necktie
Neck
Mirrior (Optional)

For Bowties
Step 1:
Hang the tie so it hangs down to the chest from both sides of the neck.

Step 2:
Pull one end in left hand down an inch further than the end in the right hand.

Step 3:
Cross the longer end over the shorter and pass it back up through the loop near the throat.

Step 4:
Form the front loop of the bow by doubling up the shorter end (Like tying a shoelace) and placing it flat horizontally across the points of the collar.

Step 5:
Hold the loop with thumb and forefinger of the left hand and drop the long end in the right hand down over the front. It should fall down to the upper stomach.

Step 6:
Grab the hanging part in the middle and pass it up behind the other loop and push it through the hole the two ends create.

Step 7:
Pull the folded ends of the bow to take up any slack and straighten the fabric near the knot to keep it from creasing. It should look great!

How To Tie A Windsor Knot
Step 1:
Start with the wide end of your tie hanging from the right side of the neck, and extending a full foot below the narrow end.

Step 2:
Cross the wide end over the narrow and pull it up through the loop against the throat.

Step 3:
Bring the wide end down, around, and behind the narrow end to come back up on the right side of the body near the shoulder. This should create a new loop at the junction in the center of the chest.

Step 4:
Pass the wide tip through the new loop and around the front of the tie. It should look very professional.

Step 5:
Pull the wide end up through the loop against the throat and complete the tie by slipping the end through the front of the knot.

Step 6:
Tighten the knot by pulling on the narrow end of the tie and snug it to the collar. It should look very professional!

How To Tie A Half Windsor Knot
Step 1:
Start with the wide end of your tie hanging from the right side of the neck, and extending a full foot below the narrow end.

Step 2:
Cross the wide end left over the narrow and back to the right from underneath.

Step 3:
Bring the wide end up and pass it down through the loop to be behind the narrow end.

Step 4:
Pass the wide end around to front from left to right.

Step 5:
Push the wide end through the loop again from underneath, the wide end should hang over the narrow.

Step 6:
Pass the wide end down through the front of the knot. Pull the narrow end to take in the slack and snug to the collar. It should look great!

How To Tie a Four-In-Hand Knot
Step 1:
Start with the wide end of your tie hanging from the right side of the neck, and extending a full foot below the narrow end.

Step 2:
Cross the wide end left over the narrow and back to the right from underneath.

Step 3:
Continue around, passing the wide end around the front from right to left.

Step 4:
Pass the wide end behind and up through the loop to lay over the narrow end.

Step 5:
Hold the front of the knot loose with the index finger and pass the wide end down through the front of the knot.

Step 6:
Remove your index finger and pull the knot tight carefully. Draw the knot tight to the collar by holding the narrow end and sliding the knot up snuggly. It should look very slick!

Tips & Warnings
While a mirror is not required for this, it often helps to watch yourself forming the knot.
Your necktie has been tied appropriately only if the tip of the fabric stops half an inch short of touching the belt buckle.
A Windsor knot is wide and triangular and used for widespread shirt collars.
A Half Windsor knot is average and triangular, used for normally collared shirts.
A Four-In-Hand knot is narrow and square shaped. Its used for small or normally collared shirts.
A person who is taller than average may require a tall man's necktie. They are typically five feet in length as opposed to the three and a half to four feet of a normal tie.
Pulling a necktie too tight can reduce circulation of blood to the head, be careful. The Four-In-Hand knot is particularly dangerous as the knot is easy to overtighten and difficult to loosen.

How To Do The Pull Up In Pottery

The Pull Up technique is an advanced method experienced ceramic artists use to form pots and cups on a potting wheel. It allows one to raise the walls of a clay vessel uniformly. It will also allow one to flare out or draw in the walls of your pot in most any shape within reason. This is a difficult technique to master, but will pay off nicely with sufficient practice. For the purpose of expedience it will be assumed you already know how to prepare clay to be worked.

Things You’ll Need:
Potter's Wheel

Clay

Cup of water

Patience

Pull Up Techique
Step 1:
After throwing and centering your clay on your potter's wheel, cup the clay with hands on the side and thumbs on top until the clay forms into a flat, discus shape. The size of the clay discus is entirely dependent on the intended size of the pot, vase, or cup.

Step 2:
While spinning, press thumbs lightly into the clay approximately one third of the distance from the center to the rim.

Step 3:
Gently drew the thumbs toward the rim of the clay, thinning the center of the clay disc and thickening the edges. Repeat as needed depending upon intended height of the pot. The taller the pot, the more clay pulled to the rims.

Step 4:
Lightly wet your hands in the cup of water. Place one hand on the inside of the pot, fingers resting against the interior of the rim. Press other hand against the first, trapping the rim of the pot between the fingers.

Step 5:
Press both hands inward with constant, equal pressure and pull them upward. The clay will be drawn upward with your hands, creating the walls of the pot.

Step 6:
Repeat this as many times as is required to bring the walls of the pot to the desired height and thickness. Always pull from the bottom upward.

Step 7:
To narrow the walls of the pot, apply more pressure with the exterior hand than the interior hand. To widen or flare the walls of the pot, apply more pressure with the interior hand than the exterior.

Tips & Warnings
If you're just starting out, its best to use clay that's a little on the dry side as it will provide more stability and mistakes prove less disastrous. Once you've become accustomed to this technique, add more moisture to the clay of your next pottery attempt. It will allow the walls of the pot to dip in or out to a much greater extent.

Gravity is the enemy when working on a pottery wheel. Move the walls of the pot in or out to sharply and they will collapse. Pull the walls too thinly and they will collapse.

How To Apply Slip In Pottery

Slip is a mix of clay, chemicals, and water to form a slurry which is painted over pottery before being fired. Typically slip can be used either for decorative purposes, or as an adhesive to hold two pieces of clay together to form one item. Here are instructions on how to prepare slip and apply it to your pottery.

Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:
2 pieces of unfired pottery
A mixing bowl
Wet Clay
Water
Deflocculant
Old paintbrushes
Ribbon Tool (Optional)
Needle Tool (Optional)

Preparing Slip
Step 1:
Combine water, clay, and deflocculant in an old large mixing bowl. The amount of water, and clay will depend on the specific deflocculant used and will be indicated on the label.

Step 2:
Mix by handle, being sure to crush globs of clay until the slurry is of an homogenous texture.

Step 3:
For use as a decoration the slip should be thin and slightly watery, like applesauce. For use as a glue the slip should be much thicker, like oatmeal.

Using Slip As A Decoration
Step 1:
The pottery you intend to decorate should be dry and hard like leather, which takes roughly one to three days after being shaped.

Step 2:
Use an old paintbrush of an appropriate size to thoroughly coat the unfired piece of pottery, and set it aside to dry for several hours.

Step 3:
When dry enough to handle, take the item and use a Ribbon or Needle tool to scrape or cut away areas of the slip in any design you like. The original color of the clay item should show through and give the piece an interesting two-tone look.

Step 4:
Once finished fire the item in a kiln as you would any other piece of pottery.

Using Slip As An Adhesive
Step 1:
For the purpose of this explanation we will take two pieces of clay, an unfired jug and an unfired shaped handle.

Step 2:
Use a fingernail or any available tool to score or lightly slash the two pieces along the points where they are to be glued.

Step 3:
Use a paintbrush to smear a thick dab of slick on one of the two pieces.

Step 4:
Gently press the two pieces together and hold them like that for roughly a minute or until they will stay together on their own.

Step 5:
Wipe away the excess slick around the joint and allow the pottery piece several hours to dry before firing as you would any other normal clay item.

Tips & Warnings
The deflocculant should be available at any craft store.
The color of the clay and deflocculant will dictate the color of the Slip.
Deflocculant is typically available in any craft store, it comes either in liquid or powder form. Premixed slips can also be found in most craft stores, though they are typically more expensive than the slip you can make yourself.
Be careful not to inhale or ingest deflocculant, they are typically poisonous.
Be careful not to rub eyes or nose after handling deflocculant, they can cause extreme irritation to mucous membranes.

How To Apply A Tornado Kick

The 540 degree tornado kick practiced in taekwondo is an advanced move that is really flashier than practical given the amount of time and space required to perform as well as the difficulty in accurately striking an opponent or target. Should such an attack connect however, the amount of momentum results in an incredible amount of kinetic energy transferred to the target. Translation: Someone gets hurt. Because of the difficulty and impressive look of this spinning kick, it is common in martial arts/action films and is practiced often by various martial artists, choreographers, and stuntmen. The following are instructions on how to correctly execute this kick. It should be said however that anyone attempting this move should probably already be well versed in martial arts or gymnastics of some kind.

Step 1:
Imagine a target at roughly head height. Stand sidelong to the target. In this case we will be having the left side of the body closer to the target as a right footed person would do.

Step 2:
Bend at the knees with elbows up and arms angled away from the body.

Step 3:
Rock your body to the right so all your weight is on your right foot

Step 4:
Kick off and forward with your right foot, push all your weight hard onto your left foot. You should begin to twist to the left, with your right leg swinging forward and your arms pulling along too.

Step 5:
Swing your body in a circle, bending at the knees, arms pulled out by your momentum. When your back is facing the target, plant your right foot hard and jump with all the strength in your right leg, continuing the spin.

Step 6:
As you leave the ground pull lay back and pull your legs up with the muscles in your stomach. You should be horizontal to the ground.

Step 7:
This is where you find whether or not the momentum you built up during your spin was sufficient. You should be able to spin once while completely horizontal and lash out with your right foot when it comes of the top of your body. The joint where your foot and shin connect should impact with the target.

Step 8:
Remember to follow through with your right foot. Point the toe of it downward, your spin should carry you so that you begin to face the ground. At this point angle your feet to the ground.

Step 9:
You should be able to land with your right foot, back facing the target. Do not attempt to plant your left foot yet as the momentum of your spin will throw you forward.

Step 10:
The spin should carry you around, pivoting on your right foot to face your target. At this point plant your left foot. Congratulations! You've successfully completed a very difficult maneuver!

Tips & Warnings
Remember to pull your body around with your shoulders as well as your leg. Your initially out flung leg and arms are the main source of your momentum. If you cannot complete the spin, raise your arms and leg out further next time. Do not expect to complete this kick successfully on your first try.

This is an extremely difficult kick to perform. The amount of momentum generated by this kick is such that failing to land correctly can result in bruises, pulled muscles, dislocated joints, and even broken bones. (Though broken bones are rare) Be sure to practice in an area with plenty of open space roughly nine steps in every direction is the bare minimum

The Nature of Role Play

Good role playing is any game; be it on paper, with cards, on console, pc, mac, or online where people have the opportunity to be who they want to be rather than who they are. Why are role players so often the source of society’s venom and hatred? In the beginning people said Dungeon’s & Dragons was Satanic. Later on Magic: The Gathering was set squarely in Moral America’s sights. For the last several decades role playing has risen from the underground. It’s grown so fast that our media and moral leaders have scarcely had the time to aim.

Role Playing is exactly that, playing the role of someone else. It attracts those who are cast aside by mainstream society. The people who don’t have the same likes and dislikes as the masses, who think different thoughts and talk about issues most would rather not hear about. By being other and different, role players become scapegoats. Everyone knows the stereotype of the overweight, acne ridden nerd who spends all his time in his basement with his other loser friends playing Dungeons & Dragons or Vampire: The Masquerade. This is simply another form of prejudice and discrimination we face.

If someone decides to shoot up a school somewhere, what does society do? Do they take a long hard look at themselves, the parents of the children, and the situation they might’ve felt they’ve been put in? Do the parents or teachers look in the mirror and realize that major aspects of society need to be rethought if they’re to stop these violent and fatal protests? No. It’s so much easier to point the finger. Blame the people who don’t fit in, blame the pass-times that only weird or immoral people could possibly enjoy. By pointing the finger a person is able to continue their guilt-free existence in blissful and deliberate ignorance. It’s the American way.

This is not what it means to be a role player, but its important to put things into perspective by showing what environment many role players find themselves in. By being the one’s that society as a whole points at, role players of all stripes are given a certain sense of unity. That unity in turns grants a certain comfortable atmosphere by which ideas may be voiced. From varying degrees of ostracism and latent hostility come creation, imagination, and ingenuity. It would explain why RPGs of all kinds have become more popular.

Unlike those violent individuals role players are mistaken for, role players do not lash out or externalize their feelings. By playing the role of another individual in another reality role players seek an escape from the world around them. Many would say that attempting to escape is unhealthy, and deviant.

But isn’t that the point of all entertainment, to escape? To just forget who you are for a few minutes and be drawn in by a story excited by the limitless possibilities before you? Role play is merely a purified form of that, where the story is yours to decide. These people who can do nothing but accept the world they must live in finally have the power to control all aspects of their lives in the confines of a role playing game. It is a comfort, a soothing panacea for those who live out lives of quiet desperation. Role playing is simply a way of coping with stresses in one’s life. Role Playing is acceptance. For good or worse, whenever people with imagination who feel repressed by society gather, role playing will continue to grow and evolve.

As a matter of fact there is yet hope for role-players. With the advent of MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) such as World of Warcraft and Lord of The Rings Online role-playing is now something viewed as “cool” by the mainstream. This is something neither we as individuals nor society as a whole has seen before. With an excess of one hundred million people (including moms, dads, children, and the elderly) logging on to play daily, who will we have to blame when the next ticking time bomb sitting at the far desk goes off?

The Music Plays Across The Open Sky

The music plays across the open sky, whistling through the old, gnarled trees of the forest, across the rocky crags of the mountain tops, and worming through the valleys below.

If I listen hard enough I can hear the long, low lament of time even from here, so far from its beginning, even further from its end.

On an endless summer day, two children run along the beach, full of life, immortal for the moment, they run with all the joy of life and youth neverending.

The salty surf sprays them as they pass byat breakneck speed, neither starting nor ending, rolling in and out.

I see them as clear as crystal, and feel them in my heart, mournfully happy on an endless summer’s day.

They know nothing but play. The boy, lagging behind, fair skinned and strong, laughing in the salty breeze.

The girl still ahead, bells tinkling around her every movement. Hair black as a raven’s wing and eyes as green as nature itself.

They hold all the fire of life, the innocence of youth, and the mischief of experience.

The moment has neither beginning nor end, but plays out with the slow, stalwart pace of the ages and the frantic pace of all living things.

They embrace and time stops in this perfect moment of love, there is nothing else.

I look up at the night sky and the constellations form her face everywhere I look, the stars light the fire in her eyes, and that dirty, mischievous little grin plays on forever.

I smell orange blossoms, the essence of purity itself and know that all people know this pair.

The primogeninators of humanity.

They look forward and know the road will be hard, yet they run for it all the faster, across a beach of pure, white, sand.

They celebrate the morrow and mourn the past, regretting not an instant in between.

Always running, for the sheer freedom of the act, the pleasure of existence, and the joy of life and life to come, forevermore.

Even now, on a quiet summer’s night, I can still hear their laughter in the air, and smell orange blossoms on the fresh breeze.