blackjohn

^ mustard, by a long sea mile! < has nice handwriting too, or so I've been told V black ink or blue? or purple?!?!?

The ego is a monkey catapulting through the jungle: Totally fascinated by the realm of the senses, it swings from one desire to the next, one conflict to the next, one self-centered idea to the next. If you threaten it, it actually fears for its life. Let this monkey go. Let the senses go. Let desires go. Let conflicts go. Let ideas go. Let the fiction of life and death go. Just remain in the center, watching. And then forget that you are there. Hey, wait! That's not piratey! Here's a snippet of something from Masefield instead... used this as a sig for quite awhile! We were schooner-rigged and rakish, with a long and lissome hull, And we flew the pretty colours of the crossbones and the skull; We'd a big black Jolly Roger flapping grimly at the fore, And we sailed the Spanish Water in the happy days of yore.

^ Trick question, right? The beach is even better when the moon is shining on the ocean! < President's Day! Wooooo! I'm going to stay home and veg. V do you have nice handwriting?

What movie? I know a guy on a non-pirate forum that I sometimes look in on who lost something like 20+ in two weeks with some diet. Me, I prefer to run my body into the ground so I can still eat some yummy things. Speaking of running my body into the ground... I may take a day or two off. My left arm is saying, "rest, I need rest."

Did the American's have uniforms for the revolution? Yes, quite a few, mostly based on blue coats with red or white or lt blue (c'mon Sterling, help me out here!) facings. It can get rather complex, actually. In fact, the regiment I was once in, its historical counterpart had captured a British supply ship full of uniforms, and there seems to be some indication that either the IMR or elements thereof was wearing British 10th (?) regiment of foot uniforms for awhile.

Whirring of the computer fan... a jet makes his approach into BWI...

You mean like a severe case of tunnel vision?? Maybe I missed the mark with that analogy. How about this instead... The master is what he is doing. He is also the bullet flying past his head while he is doing it. He is the ground under his feet. He is the center of the planet beneath the ground. He is the sky looking down on him. yadayadayada... Don't mind me. I really should watch what I read.

Back when I had time to paint, I had quite a collection of paints from different companies. Citadel paints I found to be pretty good. And for undead, you'll like their selection of colors. Hope this url works... http://store.us.games-workshop.com/storefr...&GameNav=300810

^ Collection of multi-ethnic good luck charms < My good luck right now is finding the "Costanza Space" whenever I pull into a parking lot V Feeling lucky?

What they hell am I using right now... hmm... oh! Right! The used clothes seller with multiple hats from Cryers and Hawkers. Dude rocks. Still not my favorite - that would probably be Calico Mather, or Rufus T. Firefly.

Very good book, I'll agree. The mid-1700s and beyond stuff is even interesting. What am I reading right now... dunno... I think the last book I read someting from was The Magus of Java.

^ I keep more than I should, but then I try to find a good use for all the stuff I keep. Also, these days I try not to accumulate things I don't need. < Left-handed V Lefty or righty?

1) One thing you ate today - Waffle with butter and honey 2) One thing you saw today (big or small) - Bluebird! 3) Name of a person you spoke to - Brent 4) Name of a person you thought of but didn't see. - She who started this very thread.

^ not so deep that I go off the deep end... but I do spend plenty of time staring into the abyss. < feeling like quoting Sgt Uniblab for some odd reason... "Blackjack, Blackjack, everybody wins, everybody wins. Spacely's a jerk." Not sure where that came from, but it popped into my head earlier today... OH! I know, the kids were watching Penelope Pitstop on Boomerang this morning... that made me think of old cartoons... V Just how many swords do you own?

I believe, to be a "true" master, you need to be able to do what it is you do under ANY circumstances... however severe. You know, like someone is shooting at you while you are doing it and you don't even recognize anything but the task at hand. I believe there is a level of difference between people who are highly skilled and people who are true masters. I agree with lady snow's "the more you know, the more you know you don't know."

no surprises... military fashions and civil often overlap. hell, I've got a pair of 20 year old camo fatigues I still wear... HA! I wonder what dude in the lower panel has that ribbon tied to? You know, that one right there. Hel-loooo sailor!

Oh yeah, he still posts in Twill. Good thing too. He's one schmart fella! You Sagittarians... you are all alike!

Where there? Piratesinfo? From a recent post of his on the PB forum I believe he still does post there. But I'm not certain, never posting there myself. Ed Foxe... did I tell my Ed Foxe story here? Ok, short version. I knew him from the net for years, and when I finally met him at the Pirate Feast (which was a complete surprise) he was everything I expected him to be. It was like meeting an old friend. Very cool!

No. Few people master anything. Most people spend their lives in fear, fighting this or that.

My current stats... 2657 posts ( 1.56% of total forum posts ) Most Active In Captain Twill 516 posts in this forum ( 25% of this member's active posts ) I doubt many here can claim as large a number of posts AND as large a number in Twill. Not that it means anything. There was a time, a year or three ago when I used to post on this forum more frequently, that my "most active in" was Beyond Pyracy, with something like 30%. Glad you've enjoyed my posts. Likewise, I enjoy reading yours. :)

I have a pretty good idea of who will nibble on these kinds of threads... damn, wish we were all together someplace discussing this over beer. I'm going to spin this around in my head while I rearrange the storage room...

Hi, my name is Blackjohn, and I teach people to observe, and to question the nature of things. :)

Blackjohn, having gone Terminator style through a drop down list of choices in that little computer in his mind's eye, decides the only correct answer is... A Buck-an-ear! Ok, thread hijack. Sorry guys. I will retire to my kitchen, where I shall make a cup of coffee in my French press...

Fascinating... on multiple levels. What happens, I wonder, when a group of Masters are gathered together in one place? Do some of them get bumped down to Athlete status? If so, has this suddenly become a litmus test for "who is a true Master"? And is anyone truly a master of anything? Have you mastered yourself? And where is that coffee? Or Phil? I could use a good philosophy discussion right about now... Yrs&c, Blackjohn, who knows he has mastered not a single thing, least of all himself.

My take on that scene was a little different, maybe I should view it again to make sure, but I don't think Kaylee was mocking him at all. She always has something nice to say, and is usually upbeat. I think she was trying to compliment Simon on his vast knowledge, but was left kind of speechless. The only thing she could come up to say (while dreamily looking at Simon) was "wow... thats so..... Historical". I'm not trying ton convince you she was mocking, just pointing out that's the way I saw it, while sitting there at that point in time in space. This whole notion of attraction, what makes someone attractive to one person, and not someone else, is very fascinating. It would be fun to revisit this thread in ten years to see if our opinions had changed. Suddenly, I'm reminded of the study about brain chemistry and love. As I recall there are studies that say love is just chemical reactions in the brain, which, over the course of two or three years the brain grows accustomed to these chemicals and builds up a tolerance to them (or maybe the brain just stops producing that set of chemicals). Beyond that point the brain kicks into some sort of comfort/protective mode. Kinda makes sense from the Og the Caveman point of view. Infatuation, sex, kid, must protect. I wonder who Og the Caveman would pick? Inara. Inara take berries. Makes lips red. Good zugzug. And can handle bow and arrows. (somebody had me a cup of coffee!!!)