James Pyles's Blog, page 124
September 19, 2018
A Girl and Her Dog
Toby trotted casually through the water, understating the panic he felt last night during the storm. The reason for this was the golden retriever now had two sets of thoughts in his head; his own canine concerns, and the comforting presence of Marianne. “Good boy, Toby. You’re almost there. Just another block and then turn right.” […]
The Greeter
This had to be a dream because Jae didn’t remember how she got here, and who would decorate a room like this? At only five foot two, the slender Thai co-ed felt tiny in such enormous surroundings. “Hurry up.” The deep, masculine voice was coming from the shadows ahead. “This is my dream and I’ll […]
Quoting: Don’t Buy Approval
The Chafetz Chaim wrote that a major reason some people live beyond their means is to gain approval. They feel the need to spend large amounts of money on things that will gain them status, even though they are unable to afford them. This is the opposite of a Torah way of life. -Sources: Kuntros […]
September 18, 2018
Seeking Justice
Jeannie and Richard met outside the Chelsea Beach Bar in Atlantic City, their hometown. She had barely been able to hold in her tears, but became hysterical when he’d gotten out of his car and walked over to her. There was nothing left for the PI to do but hold his old girlfriend and let […]
Quoting: A Wise Person’s Goal
A wise man said, “Most people do not feel bad because they lack wisdom; they feel bad because people say they lack wisdom.” The honor-seeker does not study wisdom to become wiser. Rather, his goal is to show off how wise he is. This is an attribute of a fool (Proverbs 18:2). A truly wise […]
Before Social Justice and Comicsgate, there were Comic Books
I’ve written about the modern state of mainstream comic books before (DC, Marvel) including how at least some of them aren’t safe for children, and the whole comicsgate vs. social justice comic books drama. Some of this still pops up in my twitter stream, though I don’t respond because, why bother? Still, I do consider […]
September 17, 2018
The Next Soldiers
“Abracadabra,” enchanted fourteen-year-old Elazaro Motyka as he sat under an almond tree overlooking the Port of Haifa, but the sea breeze blowing into the park overlooking the old University was still too cold. Even the magic word his American neighbor taught him didn’t work against the last vestige of nuclear winter, but he hadn’t expected […]
Quoting: Mentally Preparing for Challenges
The more mentally prepared you are for challenges to your being in a serene state, the greater your ability to maintain this state. The goal to strive for is to be able to remain in a serene state even when other people say and do things that could potentially cause distress. Mentally practice remaining serene […]
September 16, 2018
The New Dragon Saga: Steve
Chapter 4: “We’re ready.” Steve was another member of the resistance, and like Landon, not only was his control collar inoperable, but he could use elemental magic. Steve looked human, a lot of the other soldiers didn’t, not quite, but the seventeen-year-old had never been aware of him back on Earth. Landon had been able […]
Quoting: Fear of Disapproval
Frequently people worry about the possibility that others might fail to show them respect and approval. While details differ for each person, the underlying factor is fear of disapproval — people might think you lack intelligence, or other virtues and abilities. Realize that the pain you suffer from worrying about this is much greater than […]
