an exercise in percussive maintenance
The interwebs inform me that today is Hobbit Day, it being the birthdays of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. However, as I did not know this beforehand and as I’ve already done International Talk Like A Pirate Day this week, I’ll simply wish Messrs. Baggins and Baggins a very happy birthday and get on with my business for today…
…which is a bit of humour. My dad sent me this in an e-mail during the week and it’s simply too good not to share. Continue reading “On Romans, Railroads and rHobbits”
Running With The Demon by Terry Brooks is an urban fantasy/fantasy thriller and the first novel in his Word and Void trilogy. It is the ninth novel set in his Shannara universe, though chronologically it is the first, the events in it taking place more than two thousand years before The Sword of Shannara which was his first novel.
The novel, which takes place over the Fourth of July weekend, tells the story of Nest Freemark, a fourteen-year-old girl being raised by her grandparents in the fictional town of Hopewell, Illinois (there really is such a place as Hopewell, IL., but this Hopewell is actually based on the city of Sterling, IL., Brooks’s hometown). Nest has a secret: she has the gift of magic. Along with the sylvan, Pick, and her mysterious protector, Wraith, she has to help maintain the balance between good and evil in Sinnissippi Park, one of the places on Earth where magic still resides. Read the rest of the review here. No spoilers. I promise.
Ahoy there, matey’s. ‘Tis I, Cap’n Kokkie, back from a day’s plunderin’ and fightin’. I hope ye’ve had calm seas and enough black powder to see ye through this day. I’m layin’ at anchor an’ waitin’ fer me buxom wench to return from her day ‘o lootin’ the City o’ Gold, an’ thought I’d share with ye a few thoughts regardin’ pirate weaponry.
Ahoy there, me hearties. Today be International Talk Like A Pirate Day.
A full post on me piratical adventures be comin’ later today, but meanwhile be warned that all hailin’s on this ‘ere vessel must be in pirate speak today, savvy? Mutineers will be keelhauled without trial.
Here be a scribblin’ ye can put up on yer own ship’s blog fer the day.
Illustration by Ghergich & Co.
Smooth sailin’ to ye.
Cap’n Kokkie
As you may or may not know, last night I had a job interview in another part of the country. Because I was in a silly mood and wanted something to do while waiting for my flight to be called at the airport I decided to tweet the whole adventure. In case you missed it on Twitter and Facebook, here it is for your enjoyment, now with added commentary and pictures (for some reason my picture tweets didn’t want to go through – captions with pictures are as I remember the original tweets, but probably not the same at all) and including replies on Twitter and Facebook.
As there won’t be any blogging today I thought I’d live tweet my job interview adventure.
— Herman Kok (@KokkieH) September 16, 2013
Will probably be terribly boring. Not as if I can tweet during the actual interview. Will mostly be travel related.
— Herman Kok (@KokkieH) September 16, 2013
We’ll start with airport breakfast an a quiz: how does one beat jo’burg traffic?
— Herman Kok (@KokkieH) September 16, 2013
if all else fails...use a hammer 