Sometimes I'm Sad

Sometimes I'm sad
I dwell in things I can't remember why

A girl on a desert road walking an endless path
The dust engulfs her but leaves her alone all too soon
She finds she must focus on that dust to burn her lungs or it's gone
Gone
Gone
And then what is she left with?
Solitude?
Emptiness?
Happiness? No that can't be right
Why would there be happiness if all she feels is dust
Rather the longing for dust

It's all gone now and sometimes I'm sad
Over what I don't remember

She sits in a hospital bed
Please heal my wounds, my scars, my brokenness
Why?
There's nothing wrong with her
There's no one around anyway
Or so she thinks
She's suffering from blindness
And self loathing
Too much outside
Nothing inside
A lack of proper vision she's told

Sometimes I'm sad
But only sometimes, and I don't remember why

The Little Old Lady

My co-worker had me drive around all over today. Her PowerPoint I helped her with earlier in the week did not work at her presentation, so I had to print out copies for everyone in the meeting and bring them over to her at a local restaurant. Only thing was that the printer was slower than dirt, and I had to take one set to her and come back for the rest. Needless to say, I was hot, tired, and cranky when the ordeal was over. (Not a good combination) I decided then that I needed to go get some lunch (since I was already out), and drove through the parking lot of a building by the restaurant to get back on Preston.

As I was about to turn right, a little old lady holding a small pet carrier flagged me down. I rolled down my window and asked if there was anything I could help her with. She said "I need some money for a motel". It could be a scam I thought. I bet she comes out here every day to get money from suckers. I bet she's a serial killer (alright, that one's a stretch) So I said "I'm sorry, I don't have any money". . . . WHAT!?! "I don't have any money"? I had a five dollar bill in my wallet I was about to go get some lunch with. How could I say that? Easy, I already justified my actions in my head. So why didn't I tell her the truth? Oh, well, that would make me look like a "bad" person. Therefore, instead of looking like a bad person, I went ahead and lied to that little old lady and became a bad person.

I turned onto Preston and started to drive to lunch, and I remembered what I prayed to God this morning. "God, please let me have a good day, but not just a good day, please let me have a good day in You. I want to actively wait on Your will". Oh, man! How I failed Him! He gave me an opportunity to do His will, and I blew it. I wasn't actively waiting at all. I was falling asleep at the spiritual wheel. I mean, who am I to judge her so quickly. The money I had was not mine, it is God's to do as He wills. So I decided to ask Him what I should do. "God, if I should go back to that lady, please clear traffic so I can turn around" (which is silly because I knew what I should do) Right then, traffic cleared, and I turned around. God gave me a second chance and she was still there asking for money from the cars ahead of me. I pulled up and said "You know, I do have a 5 dollar bill, here you go". "God bless you" she said as I drove away.

I see now that God is trying to show me where my heart is, and it's not where I would like it to be. I'm so thankful for His mercy. He could have said, "Nope, Lyndsey, you messed up, too bad", but He didn't. He gave me a second chance to give Him control over my life.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' " -Matt. 25:34-40

To end the story, I got in the office and started to get back to work. My co-worker I helped out pulled me into her office. She shut the door behind me, pulled out a $20 and said "I don't want to hear you refusing this. You helped me out today and you better take this". Just goes to show, God will always beat you at the giving game.

-Out

Manga Artists

So I did a post about comic artists a while ago, and now I'm going to give some love to those that give us the wonderful world of manga. I find myself more fulfilled with a manga volume rather than a comic book. Maybe it's because I'm getting what Americans like to call a trade paperback instead of a one shot comic. In Japan, they like to put all their comics in magazines, so even if you get a one shot, you still can read the other comics (and get hooked on them) to satisfy an hour of enjoyment. On the flip side, most comics are jam-packed with dialogue, where as you could read four pages of a manga and get only 4 words out of it. I've noticed many mangas I read focus on subtle facial expressions and body language to tell a story. (And since I'm a visual learner, this appeals to me greatly)

Ok, on to my favorite manga artists / writers (yeah that's another diffrence, most of the manga artists also write)

My favorite and most consistent artist would have to be Yu Watase. I buy up everything I can from her. Her stories are full of fantasy, romance, and lovable characters. Her art is so beautiful, and very easy to follow. One of my favorite things she does is outlining her full bodied characters. (I've always been a fan of that technique . . . i.e. Adam Hughes) The first series I have from her (and #1 is the first Manga I've ever purchased) is Alice 19th. Since then, I've bought Imadoki, Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kiaden, and Absolute Boyfriend. I adore all of them. My husband bought me the complete Fushigi Yugi anime for Christmas one year, and we watched it together (almost every night). Her Ayashi No Ceres anime is worth the watch.

Aihara Miki is the manga artist I would give the "most improved" award to. Her Hot Gimmick manga is WAY better artistically than the other series I have from her called Tokyo Boys and Girls. I guess she took some art lessons since, but MAN is Hot Gimmick amazing. I find myself drooling over every image. She constantly amazes me page after page. Her female characters tend to get the beat down quite often, and are not to keen on sticking up for themselves, but they are still likable and I love to see them pull through.

Wann is the third artist I'll post here (not because she's my last favorie, but because I really should get to other things). She does the art and story for both "Can't Lose You" and "100% Perfect Girl". I first picked these manga titles up simply based upon the art. Ok, ok, so this isn't really a manga, it's technically called a manhwa (from Korea I believe), but whatever. . . it's good. If my mom were to read a manga....manhwa, I would recommend Wann's titles. They are chalk full of suspense and intrigue. You'll see the mob, hit men, and at least someone getting shot in her stories. Her female characters are always fashion forward. That has to be the best part for me.


Ok, got to do other things now.
-Out