A Time To Give Thanks

At the time when the Religious Wars of Europe ended, people through all of Europe sought religious freedom for what they truly believed in.  A specific group from England that were known as the Pilgrims received permission from the King of England to go to the New World to escape the turmoil Europe was enduring at the time.  They set out sailing to the Americas, a land newly discovered and unsettled.  At the time they made landfall, it was the season of winter.  This was bad for farming. Thankfully, the Native Americans took the settlers in and provided for them and taught them to survive.  When harvest came, thanks to the Native Americans, the settlers had obtained such a plentiful income that they hosted an enormous feast that included their mentors.  We celebrate this harvest in modern times as Thanksgiving.

Children receive a break from school for a few days, and the entire family celebrates by preparing food in their own household and most commonly, "carving the turkey."  Though we are celebrating the Pilgrims' landfall in North America, we also celebrate the essence of, "being thankful," for all we have, all the blessings and our lives in general.  Things like our family, household, friends, modes of transportation, life, culture, background, etc. are what people usually are thankful for in addition to much, much more.  No matter how challenging our lives can get, there is always a light to whatever situation we can be in.  "Where there is a dove, there is a serpent, and vice versa."

Music De Cordiality

The richness of music composition just consumes me.  When I close my eyes, a piece of music can transport me to another time, place, setting, or even another universe.  "Earhart-Sounds of Courage," by Robert W. Smith is a piece of such stature.  Last weekend, on a Saturday, November 10, 2012 at the Kinkaid School in  Downtown Houston, I was invited to witness the performance of a chosen few for the, "Regional Band," in the whole area of Houston, Texas.  When I came in, there were children all running around, being ushered onto stage to get ready to perform.  The Middle School and High School region bands were ready to play, to show the world of an arrangement of such a height that would never come together in that form again to play such a piece.  Another piece that transported me to another dimension and time was the piece, "Heroes Triumphant," by William Owens.  Both pieces had an air of magnificence about them with a march style of music.  Never had I witnessed such a change in my heart until I heard those two pieces.  I was on the verge of tears like never before.  The students joined in congress, gathered from all the schools in the Houston area.  I heard that they had difficulty at first, but worked together very well to form the master band I heard upon walking into the Brown Theater on the Kinkaid Campus.  To think they only accomplished this in a span of less than 8 hours!  These kids had to have had really sophisticated training in music.   I hope that all musicians throughout the world would be inspired to try and achieve great heights and pieces like such.

Operation Viral Treats Episode IV: My Halloween Evening

I am traipsing through the woods wearing tan and green tiger-stripe camouflage with a tactical vest hanging from my chest.  Trying to remain silent, I mask the sound of my radio telling me where reinforcements are being shipped in and where tangos are hiding, waiting to pounce on their prey.  I make sure my AK-47 airsoft replica is working, and also confirm that my sidearm of a Ruger P345 airsoft replica is still intact with speed-loader handy and dead rag also reachable.  Also important, I check my hydration pack to make sure there have been no punctures and see if my green parachute cord necklace is still there to alert people if I have been infected with the zombie disease, or if I am part of the Fort Bend militia trying to contain the disease.  This is how I spent my Halloween evening, trying to help the military as Fort Bend militia to control the outbreak of zombie disease from an explosion near Katy, Texas that caused many unknown civilians to turn into zombies, with only the possibility of an airstrike to bring them back as humans, but only so many airstrikes are allowed in this military simulation.  The main objective was to contain the disease and try to survive the Operation Viral Treats:  Episode IV, without turning into a zombie.  There were also minor objectives, like trying to locate food drops to make sure civilians not affected by the zombie disease are taken care of.  The airsoft game simulates a possible real life scenario, that does not have to be with zombies, but rather hostile forces that, as civilians, we may one day be forced into going against in real life.  It helps you simulate CQB scenarios, in which a possible force may break into your home or office building and you will have to retaliate.  It also helps with field games, in which you have to pretend you are like the military, out in the woods, trying to retaliate on a big scale of land and win over your rival's objectives.  Perfect way to spend a Halloween evening right?