Zombie Apocalypse

So I have recently become addicted to The Walking Dead. I love zombie stories. I don't know why, I just do; don't judge me. So I was discussing zombie survival plans with some co-workers yesterday. Not that I think a zombie apocalypse-uprising will ever happen but if it does isn't it better to be safe than sorry? Hopefully the early signs of a worldwide disease-infection will cause my paranoia to kick in and I'll start getting things together. I'm assuming Kelsie will not yet be infected so the two of us will travel together. Stay in town no more than a week. Gather as many supplies as we can reasonably carry. Canned foods (corn, asparagus, beans, lentils, spam, etc. etc.) are a top priority. Likewise a can opener will be vital. You don't want to be the guy sitting on a throne of canned goods and the end of the world only to discover you failed to grab something to open them. My knapsack will be loaded down with the cans as well as a small, portable stove. I will also carry any bottles-canteens of water we will bring. Kelsie will carry the blankets, bars of soap, and an envelope of photographs to remember our life prior the the end of the world. We will also be packin' knives. I mean armed to the teeth in knives, machetes, daggers, probably a spear... My weapon of choice will be a Louisville Slugger. I will require Kelsie to carry a spear, I don't want her to get into too close of combat. I will also one handgun with two bullets in it, one for her and one for me, should we get bit. Easier than suffering. We will make our way up north, perhaps to the boundary waters and get a canoe. We will canoe to a island that is removed enough from land to not attract attention from the undead but not so far that we will have trouble getting back if the need ever arises. Ideally the zombie uprising will occur in the spring to provide enough time in the heat to get to our island and begin building a cabin. Now that I think about it my lack of carpentry skills may be a hindrance. I should take a class for that. Regardless. This is where we will make our home when the zombies rise up. We will not join forces with other survivors. You don't know who you can trust in those days. We will be like Adam and Eve, but instead of a paradise world in the Middle East, it will be a forest island on the border of Canada.

Mtn. Dew

Fall semester began on January 14 and so did the class I have been looking most forward to... Creative Writing: Fiction. I am going to be doing a lot of free writing in this class. Free writing is where I just put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and just write (or type). Whatever comes out, comes out, but the purpose is just to start doing it. Practice. So here is what I wrote on the first day.

Energizing. Rejuvenating. Refreshing. Sweet. Smooth, with a carbonated burn. Yellow, or some might say green. Titled Mountain Dew. If you drink it you will be cool. Like snowboarders. Do you know how to snowboard? You don't need to, Dew will show you the way. Ever wanted to be a world class financier? Banker? Broker? Well Mountain Dew is green like money so that might mean something. Or is it yellow, like my urine? Try not to think about it. Just think about the sweet, sugary taste on your buds, this nectar of the gods. Gulp all 20 ounces in one shot or sip it to preserve its integrity. There is no wrong way to Do the Dew. It goes nicely with a Chalupa or a Doritos Locos Taco from the Bell. The flavors contrast brilliantly. I just took a sip of Dew and my general happiness went up from 74% to 81%. 7 percentage points in one sip, not too shabby Mtn. Dew. If I were on a deserted island and could only bring one item with me it would be a never-emptying bottle of Mtn. Dew to quench my thirst. Don't bring a can, sand might get in it. Bottle is the way to go. Do the Dew, will you be mine? I do take Mtn. Dew as my lawfully wedded beverage.

Pablo Neruda

We have lost even this twilight.
No one saw us this evening hand in hand
while the blue night dropped on the world.

I have seen from my window
the fiesta of sunset in the distant mountain tops.

Sometimes a piece of sun
burned like a coin in my hand.

I remembered you with my soul clenched
in that sadness of mine that you know.

Where were you then?
Who else was there?
Saying what?
Why will the whole of love come on me suddenly
when I am sad and feel you are far away?

The book fell that always closed at twilight
and my blue sweater rolled like a hurt dog at my feet.

Always, always you recede through the evenings
toward the twilight, erasing statues.

My Standard of Beauty

We are going through a video series with our small group right now about marriage. Mark Driscoll is teaching and he said that our spouse should be our standard of beauty. That really hit me hard. I know I haven't treated Kelsie as such. Or thought of her that way. I've always thought I was into blonde girls. Most girls I was interested in prior to Kelsie were blonde. I always thought I was into older women. But I'm not into those things. I'm into brunette. I'm into a younger woman. I'm into Kelsie Lynn Becker. Everyone and everything I will ever encounter should be compared to her and they should always fail to compare. Kelsie is my standard.

Sweetheart, I am sorry it took me over two years of marriage to understand this concept. But I understand it now. Forgive me for sometimes looking at other women. Forgive me for my apathetic indifference. Forgive me for treating you as if you were ordinary. You're not. You're extraordinary. You're pure beauty. I should be in awe of you every time I see you. I want to have a heart attack of epic proportions every time we lock eyes (not literally). I want to desire and pursue you as I did when we were first dating. I will treat you the way that you are: extraordinary, beautiful, and my standard for all else.

Sonnet 1

Doubt consumes me despite your steadfast love,
I am darkened though faithful you may be,
This piercing sorrow when I look above,
Will magnify my present agony.

I long to be free of this chain binding,
To exist unbound and live amidst light,
‘Fore the thread of this man stops unwinding,
‘Fore this vessel capsizes in the night.

My hope, O Father, I place in your Word,
Set this captive free of his own cruel flesh,
In your faithfulness I can be assured,
This sin in my heart, O God, you will thresh.

Your faithfulness is my shield and rampart,
In which I should have trusted from the start.