Treasure Hunter

She ducked and rolled, keeping her mouth shut and inhaling through her nose, trying not to inhale too much smoke. She slunk along behind the burning crates, staying close enough to the flames that her own body heat wouldn’t show up on radar, but far enough away that she wouldn’t be roasted. Her eyes were locked on the goal just 15 feet in front of her, only a short sprint away in normal circumstances. However between she and her goal was not only a blazing inferno, but a yawning pit, filled with spikes.
Who still uses pits filled with spikes? She thought, starting to panic. Then she mentally kicked herself. Get a GRIP, Rhea, you can DO this. Just focus on what’s right in front of you. Examine the situation calmly and without panicking. She glared at the deep pit, calculating it to be about 15 feet deep and 30 feet across, no way she could get across without some kind of tool. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a long piece of wood that was only mildly singed, but still serviceable and sturdy. She lifted up one end, grunting with effort, it was heavier than it had first appeared, which was all to the good as far as she was concerned, that meant it was more likely to hold her weight. Once Rhea got her board to the edge of the pit however, she realized she had a problem. The board fell short of the end by ten feet.
She groaned quietly. Why was nothing ever easy? Just once it would be nice if everything fell into place. She shrugged off her brief bout of self pity and got back to the situation at hand. Okay, so the board was too short, was there anything else around, and don’t just look at the ground but look…up. She craned her neck, and looked above her. There, in the rafters was a rope swinging, if she could only get to it. But once she got it, would it be able to support her weight? Were the rafters so weakened by the fire that she’d go tumbling to her death? It didn’t matter, she had to take the chance, there was no choice, and no other way out. Once she got past the pit and grabbed what she had come for, she’d be out that final door and on her way to freedom. Or if not freedom, at least on her way to getting paid, which was close enough.
She clambered onto a nearby crate and grabbed the rope as it swung past her. She tugged a little, making sure it was actually attached at the top, and not just hanging over a rafter. Having assured herself that she would not immediately plunge to her death, she took a firm hold of the rope, took a deep breath, and leapt from the crate. The hot air choked in her throat, and blurred her eyes, making it all that much harder. On the first swing, she saw that she wasn’t going to quite make it across, but if she made herself a human pendulum…maybe she could gain enough momentum and then jump for it. As she swung, the thought crossed her mind that she had watched Indiana Jones WAY too much as a child. One swing, two swings, three swings…at the top of the arc she jumped, launching herself away from the rope. For a brief second, she had the glorious feeling of flight, and then she landed, rolling in the ash on the other side of the pit. Coughing and retching, she stood up. Not even bothering to brush off all the ash that had accumulated on her hair and clothes, she took off running. The time was over for stealth, it was now time to grab the artifact and run like hell. Good thing she had lots of practice with that.
There, just in her reach, was the object she had come for. It was a peculiar looking thing, but she didn’t have the time to stop and look it over. She could do that once she was out of the burning warehouse, which even now was beginning to creak, the fire taking its toll on the already ancient building. She reached out and grabbed it from its alcove inside I small box. When her hand touched it, she felt a small jolt, like electricity. She tucked it in to her jacket, so there would be less likely to be damage to it. The less damaged it was, the more money she’d get.
Turning, she saw the open door and ran for it, once she got outside, she dropped and rolled, just in case any of the snipers had escaped the inferno. After looking around and seeing that no one was shooting at her, she ran for the pier, and jumped into one of the boats waiting tied to the dock. Feverishly, she untied it, and pulled the boat away from the dock. Then she headed out to the ocean, for the planned rendezvous with her employer. Right on time.

I went a little camera happy...

Dragon on the back of the car!!!!!

Boots wonders why I bother her the only time the dog is NOT bothering her.

Suki decided my suitcase was a good place to sleep.

Mariner just wants to be played with.

Little Bird didn't like me so close to his cage.

And Mittens of course, thinks I'm crazy.

My Trip to NY and Other things

I had a great time in NY, went to my friend's wedding, met Child Ish and Moshe, visited my aunt in the Upper West Side, and enjoyed myself overall. I stayed by my friend M.A., who was my roomie in sem, and stayed over at my house two years ago for a week. M.A. came with me over to Moshe's for Friday night dinner, and got a kick out of it, though I think she was a bit horrified over the fish. Good food, good company, good conversation, and didn't get home till about 1:30 in the morning. Actually, were it not for her insistence that her mother would be worried, we might have stayed even longer, but as it was, we were exhausted too, and walking back took WAY too long. Left NY early this morning, but for those bloggers upset that they missed me, don't worry, planning on coming back to NY in December, for a bit longer stay than just a long weekend.

And the other stuff? Pictures of Mariner of course! He graduated from puppy obedience training and they had a little graduation party. Including graduation caps...the owners were thrilled about this, the dogs less so.

Going to NY

Tomorrow I'm going to Brooklyn, NY for a friend from seminary's wedding. Staying there only till Sunday though, because I'm starting classes (again) on Monday. I just finished my semester today, and this is my "break", not very long, is it? On the other hand, only taking one class twice a week next semester, so it shouldn't be too bad.
Whenever I get into a discussion with a NYer about living in NY, I tell them I like visiting, but I wouldn't want to live there. For some reason, every NYer I have told this to, then decides to take it upon themselves to convince me how great NY is, and why I should live there instead of South Florida. I've heard it all, and I'm still not convinced. Then again, maybe I'm just biased. Both of my parents were born in NY and grew up there, and both of them hated it (which is why they moved down here obviously) so it's quite possible that I'm just brainwashed. But that doesn't mean I'm changing my mind, I love FL!

Good Joke

The sign reads:
WE WOULD RATHER DO BUSINESS
WITH 1000 ARAB TERRORISTS
THAN WITH A SINGLE JEW.

This sign was prominently displayed in the window of a businessin Philadelphia. Most would be outraged at the thought of such aninflammatory statement...
One would think that anti-hate groups from all across the countrywould be marching on this business and that the National Guardmight have to be called to keep the angry crowds back...
But, perhaps in these stressful times one might be tempted to letthe proprietors simply make their statement. We are a society whohold Freedom of Speech as perhaps our greatest liberty and afterall it is just a sign...
You may be asking what business would dare post such a sign?
.........Goldberg's Funeral Home!

This is interesting...

No Pain, No Gain

It's a common saying, for good reason. Anything worth getting, is worth working hard for. That which does not break us, makes us stronger. Pain builds character. While I may have my doubts about that last one (if only because I read it far too often in Calvin and Hobbes,) it's all true. However, we humans are creatures who enjoy our comfort, and pain is looked at with horror and fear. However, what in this life is not painful? And the pain DOES contribute to our growth, whether it be physical pain, emotional pain, or spiritual pain. We shudder, but we get through it, and hopefully come out better for what we have gone through.

Yet Another Odd Dream

Lately I hadn't been remembering my dreams as much, but this past shabbos, I had one that acutally stuck with me when I awoke. What exactly prompted this dream I have not the faintest idea, but it's a dream I kinda liked because it involved beating bad guys, and we all know how much I love to do that. Anyways, here's the dream.

I'm standing in the middle of an airforce base next to an airplane hangar, and a large guy stumbles out, holding onto something, he gives me this kind of bleary grin, like he's wondering what I'm doing there. I tell him that I'm an emotions wizard, and I get my power from people's emotions. (for some reason I feel the need to explain this to every person I stand near in my dream.) He shrugs, and asks me if I want some weed, I tell him no, he gets high and very happy and I get the power from his emotions. Apparently, I figure out after meeting a few people, it doesn't matter what KIND of emotions, I get power from any equally. Anyways, I transport myself to this little bazaar, with camels, and a guy who wants my power (of course). And apparently camels have emotions too, so I was able to get power from them. Suddenly there was a horde of zombies coming to attack, and I found out zombies have emotions too, which gave me the power I needed to destroy them.

I seriously wish I could interpret my dreams sometimes.

Mango Tree