So many of you have found that I have not been around as of late. I’m sorry. I think you’ll get over it. So where have I been. Watching SC2. Yep not playing, I am not one of the luck few that get to play such an amazing looking game. But there are enough games that I can play vicarisly through them.

My frist impressions? Amazing. Beyond amazing. It has been worth the ten years of waiting. If you haven’t seen any games, what are you waiting for? Go now. Here is a link. Link to amazingness.

You will hear more about it as time goes on. If I get into the beta I will be posting even more about it.

For the two or three people out there on the internets that have been following my blog you know that I have been using a little literary freedom with the story of Moby Dick. This was an attempt to help you all come with me on a little journey or adventure as I discover genealogy. I have to say it has been a blast. In the few short weeks blogging about it I have found that at least four people out there are really reading my blog. I have also learned they are not that much of a fan of genealogy and they feel that my content would be better with out it. I have to agree. I was fun to write about but really didn’t fit what was going on. So later this week when I write about genealogy it will be the last Moby Dick post. Because you see Electronic Arts it seems has cornered the market on the name. So I am going to continue to try to be funny. I use the word try loosely here.

I love Moby Dick. It is a hard book to read but it was great to listen to. If you haven’t listened to it head out to librivox and grab a copy. I find that even though it is about killing whales and that is beyond politically correct now a days. I don’t care. It is really about a life adventure set at sea. The type of life you and me are going through. We have things that drive us and things that we fear. Face those fears and move on. Find out what drives you and don’t let anything stand in your way. Grab life by the horns and hold on. I hope that you all catch the vision of the book and what it is about.

As always in my acknowledgments, this is not my image. I have used it with out permission to Penny Arcade. If they have a problem with my usage, portral, my hair, or the way I walk, I will be happy to remove this image. I do not represent, look like, stand in for or want to be the owners of the copy write that was used in the making of this post. Feel free to contact me at jeremy at my grapesoda dot com and I will remove this. Again I make no profit off of this blog post or pretty much anything I do on the web. If you want to change that please contact me I’m happy to pimp out my services.

Author Brandon Sanderson
Pages 496 pp (first edition, hardback) 656 pp (first edition, paperback)
Genre(s) Fantasy novel

Elantris was beautiful, once. It was called the city of the gods: a place of power, radiance and magic. Visitors say that the very stones glowed with an inner light, and that the city contained wondrous arcane marvels. At night Elantris shone like a great silvery fire, visible even from a great distance.
Yet, as magnificent as Elantris was, its inhabitants were more so. Their hair a brilliant white, their skin an almost metallic silver, the Elantrians seemed to shine like the city itself. Legends claim that they were immortal, or at least nearly so. Their bodies healed quickly, and they were blessed with great strength, insight and speed. They could preform magics with a bare wave of the hand; men visited Elantris from all across Opelon to receive Elantrian healing, food, or wisdom. They were divinities. Any anyone could become one.

That is how this great book opens up. It give you a feeling of amazement and grandeur that never lets up. This is the debut novel by Brandon Sanderson. But you couldn’t tell from the joy that you will get from reading this book. To stand on the walls of Elantris with Raoden and Sarene brings you into there world.

The city of Elantris used to be a wonderful place. Anyone had a chance to become an Elantrian. One day you could be a serf, a noble or a farmer. The next you could be welding the great magic of the Elantrians. It was no respecter of station. But something happens and the city become fallen. It becomes a place of the dead and those that inhabit it become feared. This is where the story starts. With a noble Raoden becoming one of the walking dead an Elantrian. His wife to be is still on a boat on her way to his country. It follows a great political ride on the outside of Elantris. While those inside the walls try to figure out how to over come there dead state. Mix in a little bit of religious zealots and you have one bumpy ride.

The story that follows is a joyful love story filled with intrigue and twists. Just when you think you have it all figured out, Sanderson keeps you on your toes. This is an amazing treat. I hope to stand at the gates of Elantris with you. May you also find the love that extends to all in this wonderful book.

As I grow every day in photography and design I have to give credit to those that have come before. There isn’t much that I do that isn’t an attempt to be as great as someone else. So today I wanted to give you a few people and sites that inspire to me to be greater then I am.

Photography

Ash Imagery – This is one of my favorite photographers out there. He recently launched a new website and it really says who he is. If your looking for great unique inspiration for weddings, engagements and your general killer style this is it. His use of natural light keeps me coming back for more.

Blush Photography – broke is a wedding photographer extraordinaire. The way she can capture a wedding dress is beyond human. There is nothing boring about her work. She is crisp, clean and does a little vintage style that is to die for.

Jasmine Star Photography - She is quirky and unique. She says she has only been shooting for a few years. Which I am sure has to be the biggest lie she has ever told. I am sure she was born with a camera in her hand and when camera makers create new camera’s the have a mold of her hand to see how they will work. She was voted one of the greatest wedding photographers in the world for a reason.

Jessica Kettle Photography - Family friend that is like no other. She doesn’t even know I exist in this world but we have been following her from day one on her blog. She is one of the best in Utah. Check out her stuff for some great locations and how they ‘should’ be shot.

The Pioneer Woman – I found her for her amazing photography. But stayed for the charm. If you have read her blog your missing out of the of the dearest people god has blessed this earth with.

Thomas Hawk Digital Connection – This guy is a city scape shooter that will blow your mind. He does anything but look at the world like a normal human. We are all blessed because of his vision. If you want to know how to look at a location differently then the other million photographers have he is your destination of choice.

Design

Lost and Taken - This site is the single greatest location for texture on the web. One of my 100 things to do before I die is to get a texture pack on his site. I have worked on doing that in the past. But life got in the way. If you need a texture from grunge to silk this is the place.

Smash Mag – If you into design and have never visited this site, your not really into design. They are one of the greatest locations for inspiration. It is just about all you need.

For those of you just tuning in you might not know that I love books. But if any of you have read any of my genealogy posts you will know that I have read “Moby Dick” and would love you to come on an adventure that parallels that great American book. So if your new here jump on over and read the first two entries in the genealogy section. For those of you that have read them, your welcome. I hope you enjoyed them.

Over time I have read my fare share of books. Those books have been on a myriad of subjects. From religion to fantasy to self help books. If you have a good book and recommend it to me, chances are I will read it. I like to consume my books in any format possible. You know your standard paper back, your hard back, your ebook, your audio book, your book written on stone tablets tossed through my window because I have a problem with communication. I think that Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best when he said, “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers.”

I have been taught by Thoreau and Talmage. I have one of my greatest friends found in the words of Melville. I have learned to live life to its fullest on the shores of a small pond named Walden. I have visited the great glaciers of Alaska with my small companion Stickeen. I’ve slain dragons in the labyrinth thanks to my cherished friends Hickmen and Wiess.With the help of Locke and Demosthenes I have over thrown a government. I have stood at the gates of Mordor with my sword and shield in hand. I even have learned to read at the age of 98. Let me tell you how amazing the great canyons of mars are, I have been three times. I lived through the alien invasion of the 30′s. I have even stood in the chamber of secrets with my friend Mr. Potter.

All I have needed was a small white card and this amazing place filled with books has been opened to me. They ask no questions, and they don’t judge me. At most they ask for a few cents because my books have grabbed me and I didn’t want to give them back up to the greater collection. I read every day of my life. There is truly not many other adventures I need in my life. Give me a good book, a warm blanket and a quiet place and I’m in heaven.

Stick around and I will let you know some of the great books that I have read. As I finish them up I will for sure let you know which ones were amazing and which ones make better door stops. I haven’t meet to many. Right now some book about vampires is holding my doors open. But that is a story for another time.

One of my hero’s in life has always been and will always be Martin Luther King, Jr. From the first time I heard his stories and read his “I have a dream” speech he has been a man to be measured by in my mind. As I grew older I have learned that he was much more then one speech. It may have changed the world, but his work before and after were of the same caliber. To say he was the youngest person to ever receive a noble peace prize can only take away from  what he did to receive it.

Following it the foot step of the great Gandhi his ever pressing passion for non-violent civil disobedience and his words changed how mankind looked at one another. His example will forever change my views and I hope the views generations to come. I believe his example was a great reflection of the love of our savior. May all men be more like the great martin Luther King, Jr who reflects the light of Christ.

I hope that as I raise my children I will teach them the things that he stood for, and teach them to be the same kind of man that he was. He stood for the things he believed in and never backed down. He felt that if something was worth standing for, it was worth dieing for. He believed all men were created equal and that the government was required to put laws in place to protect those rights. I hope his dream continues.

Thank you Martin Luther King, Jr

This isn’t the first time. I have tried to do this many times. I bet you have too. But why didn’t it work before and why is it going to work this time? In the past I blogged because I wanted to prove something. To show an idea or experiment. This is I think my fifth real blog attempt. In the past I have had a lot of success. I had a blog that some posts where reprinted dozens and dozens of time. But I hated doing it. Every day it was hard. Because it wasn’t anything I loved.

But this, this will succeed. The reason being, that I don’t care what you think. I don’t care who reads this. This is for me, not for you. Is that selfish? I bet it is.

So grab a seat, hit the rss feed, and hold on. Your about to get a glimpse into the life of Cptn.J.