Greetings to one and all! Welcome to my pad. I hope that you will enjoy your visit! So just come on in and make yourself at home. Oh, just make sure you wipe your feet before you enter! *Laugh* Thank you for stopping by. *S*
This homepage is a reflection of me: the stuff of my inner self; my personality and interests, my concerns and dreams, my attitudes and life stance. I find that this little corner of the Universe, this rock we call home...
By the way, if you happen to come across any links that do not work for whatever reason, please let me know by E-MAILING me. The addy is found at the bottom of this page. This will help me maintain my pages. !Muchos gracias!
When my life comes to an end, hopefully when I am old and grey, I want to say that I have lived the fullest life possible and hopefully I helped people along the way. I don't want to have any regrets. So take a word of advice people, a word that I am trying to live by: YOU ONLY HAVE ONE LIFE TO LIVE--DON'T WASTE IT!!!
This web page is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Carl Sagan, astronomer, philosopher, humanist, popularizer of science, and citizen of Planet Earth. The World is a lesser place without his presence.
The Carl Sagan Electronic Memorial is now defunct. How very sad and unfortunate that this link on the web has been allowed to fall to the wayside. I may perhaps find another suitable site or way to honor Carl.
I use three handles when I am in chat. They are: Ngoldwe, Eldantur, and Loketar. People have often asked me what is the meaning of that funny name they see that I use as my alter identity. It is easy enough to explain.
To begin with, I am an aficianado of the fantasy stories that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote and had become so famous for in the world of literature. He wrote The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. Middle-earth, the Elves that inhabited that imaginary continent, and the other races and history of that world just captured my imagination and fancy with a fervor! I am quite passionate about it. And since Tolkien was an English professor at Oxford University, England, as well as a scholar of some of the languages of Medieval Europe, the languages that he created for his races had captured my attention . I was particularly drawn to the language spoken by the Noldorin Elves: Quenya. So I drew from the archaic form of the language, before certain changes in the phonological system took place.
Ngoldwe: I used two word elements to form this handle. ngold is translated as "knowledge, wisdom, lore" and -we is a male name suffix. Placed together it means "Wise Man". I do not think I am conceited when I use this handle to describe a part of my nature: I do love books and I love to learn. I have often joked that you could take it as meaning that I am a very smart guy or a wisenheimer/smartass. *L* I guess it is a reflection of how I am...for I am a little of both. I read widely and I sometimes come up with a very good crack.
Eldantur: The original form of this handle is Eldandur. I misspelled it and overlooked it at the time that I created it and it has stuck. Which is ok, because I like to look at the mistake not so much as a mistake but as part of the natural evolution of speech and writing that all languages go through. elda means "elf", and -ndur is a word suffix that means "friend of, lover of, devoted to". And since I am a fan of Tolkien's race of Elves, I consider myself a "Lover of Elves" or an "Elf-friend".
Loketar: This one is another reflection of my love for fantasy. loke means "serpent, snake, drake", and tar means "high, lofty; noble"; put them together and you got "Lord of Dragons" or "Dragon-lord"; I am a great admirer of the fantasy beasts called dragons. They are noble and wise, generally speaking. Not all dragons are evil and nasty. But you got to respect them! Otherwise you will get a good swift claw-swipe for your impudence! You could say that this is somewhat a mirror of my character: a guy who is intelligent and wishes to be respected, with a "Don't Tread On Me" attitude.
Like most people, I enjoy a good story, and some of the most enjoyable stories "in my book" are the fantasy genre. But they are not the only ones. I enjoy a good science fiction novel or a murder mystery as well. They are really nice escapes.
Which brings me to a certain point I would like to make. Fantasy is all fine and dandy, it does make for a good temporary escape. But that is all it is: a temporary escape. Some people, I have noticed, tend to blur the distinctions between fantasy, mythos, and reality. And on that path therein lays a whole pack of troubles!
Just remember folks, enjoy your fantasy escapisms, but make sure your feet are on the ground while your head is in the clouds. = )
Let me introduce you to my friendsImagine if you will a better world. A world where everyone and everything is ok: peace, brotherhood, love. I can imagine that. : - ) If everyone could imagine that kind of world, and strive to build that world, then planet Earth could be such a Paradise! The following lyrics are profound. I have loved this song for many years, and I have adopted it as my personal anthem:
IMAGINE
by John LennonImagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do.
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one.Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.
SATURDAY, October 7, 2006: It has been two years since I last updated these pages. That is a long time indeed. So many things have changed, and yet some things have remained the same. I still have a job that I earn a steady income at. I have become more interested in the local politics of my area. And the war in Iraq continues on, and the powers that be seem to keep hurtling us towards a place that I feel we should never go. I am still curious about the world and everything in it. I have gone through two computers. There is always some crazy crap that bungles my computer and keeps me off for a long time. But I always manage to presevere and keep coming back.
My father died about three years ago. He was a good man. We did not always see eye to eye on everything, but I know he loved me and my siblings, (the three of us) and his wife, my mother. He loved all of his family, both nuclear and extended. Yeah, he was rough around the edges and aggravating every now and then, but he saw us through the good and bad times. He was there for us. I miss him, and still think of him from time to time.
I have had my ups and downs, my joys and tribulations. I met a woman and she toyed with me and broke my heart. The result was misplaced love, feelings of betrayal and trust that was abused, and a good long cry. I experienced the depths of ill will and hatred. Soon after I began to distrust women. I began to feel that a truly good woman is hard to find. Never again will I be so enamoured of someone as to be treated so shabbily.
Learning the depths of your inner being can be a shock and a wake up call. I am honest enough to admit that I am human. To know that one is capable of feeling such strong emotions is a humbling experience. That reptilian part of the human brain is ever present in the back of the human mind. Sometimes the hard part is never allowing yourself to succumb to that deep dark place of human nature. You live, you learn, and eventually the anger subsides. Oh, I was angry for a very long time! I felt that I would never forget and never forgive. The anger slowly subsides, but you still feel you will never forgive. Finally, you snap out of it and begin to believe that it is not your place to seek revenge, and start to think and realize that what goes around eventually does come around. You cannot allow yourself to make the same mistake that others have made, and payed a dear price for. It is better to let go and leave it be. It is much better to let go and not go to jail. The laws of probability may eventually create justice after all. You live, you learn, and you move on. Life is too short to be mired in self-pity and fantasy-based indulgences. You learn, you move on, and you live life to the fullest. Living a great life IS the best revenge!
My life is good now. There is sunshine, and there is fun, and much happiness again.
Looking around here, I see that my crib has fallen into much disrepair. There is an old musty smell here and some links need mending. There is much work to be done.
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I have reserved this spot for that big project I am working on. I have completed a third of it already. When it is finally done and I am ready to reveal it, look for it right here.
Glad that you stopped in for a while. Want to introduce yourself? Then what are you waiting for?!!
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