"Differential Diagnosis"

Several people have told me time and time again that men and women can not simply be friends without someone developing feelings for the other, and each time I inadvertently tested this theory it was proven correct.  It was never my intent to become involved with any of them in the beginning, but at some point the line was crossed and I didn’t even realize it until it was too late. Finding myself suddenly smitten by a friend always unsettled me. Do we really have such little control over those kinds of feelings?

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Since before I can remember, its been common knowledge that males were suppose to protect females from any danger and uphold their honor at all costs.  Its the classic tale of a damsel in distress.  Mario rescuing Princess Peach, a prince rescuing Snow White from an eternal slumber, and yet another prince relieving Cinderella from a  life of miserable servitude.  However, one hero & damsel in distress couple always stood miles above the others in my mind throughout my childhood and helped establish standards for my early years.

Tommy Oliver and Kimberly Hart were considered the de facto couple in my eyes since Tommy’s first introduction onto the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  Bearer of the Green Ranger/Dragon power coin, Tommy was originally brought in as an enemy bent on destroying the rangers.  As one of the most memorable multi-episode Power Ranger sagas came to a close, Tommy was freed from the “magic spell” controlling him and joined the team as the sixth ranger.  From that point forward, the chemistry between Tommy and Kimberly strengthened.

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A new college semester is about to begin, and with it new aspirations and ruminations have flooded my mind.? Concepts drawn from written words have bloomed and produced results unfathomable in years past.? A new goal has been set, and that alone gives me the strength of purpose. However, one can not go at it alone in this world!? A source of inspiration is an essential part of the creation process.? Before something can be physically created, written or drawn, the mind must first formulate the idea after being inspired by the muse of the Greeks. More »

Here are a few pictures from the “Go-Onger vs GekiRanger” movie premier in Japan on Wednesday, compliments of Manpei Takagi (Fukami Retsu/GekiBlue) & Hiroki Suzuki (Kando Jan/GekiRed). Two more pictures by following the read link!

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My sister came into my life one day and set events into motion which eventually lead to many great personal discoveries and some grief, but that isn’t the end…

Much like I enjoyed the pleasure of my mother reading me books in Spanish, my sister grew to enjoy it as well.  At one point, she received her own set of Little Mermaid story books which she just loved to flip through and pretend to read.  These girly books seemed to arrive monthly and each had a set of stickers accompanying them, girls love stickers!

Her fascination with The Little Mermaid grew, and soon I found myself having to cut back on my TV time to accommodate her Little Mermaid time.  No biggie, I was a "big kid" and I had my first real friend living a few houses down the street.

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"For his inspiring posts that motivate me to work harder to achieve what I want in life."
-Andhari

So apparently I’ve been given a "Smittening Blog Award" by a thoughtful rapper, model, and blogger (a triple threat!) from Indonesia, Andhari "Ndeesaster" Sidharta. I’m very grateful to have a dedicated reader & commenter like Andhari!  Her blog is a mixture of creative musings, a dab of personal drama, and the occasional video of her performances.

Smitten is one of those words who’s definition changes based upon the context it’s used in.  Dictionary.com defines Smite as :

1. to strike or hit hard, with or as with the hand, a stick, or other weapon

7. to impress favorably; charm; enamor: He was smitten by her charms.

I’m physically unable to smite Andhari with "a stick, or other weapon," due to the geographical challenge. Even if I were in close proximity to her, with a stick in hand, chances are I wouldn’t strike her with it! So, it must be that my writing has charmed her and favorably impressed her. Awesome!

KB Toys was never a permanent fixture in our small town mall, but the toy store seemed to magically appear mid November every year, just in time for the holiday rush.  My parents never liked going into the store since it was usually pretty crowded, but I have a sneaking suspicion it was easier to let me go in alone, browse, and have me come out empty handed if they didn’t follow me inside.

This particular visit to KB, I was tasked with watching my little sister as we browsed around inside.  My dad would be only a few paces outside the store entrance, on a small bench.  For some reason he didn’t seem too enthused to be at the mall that day, but as a youngster I didn’t think much of it.

I took my sister by her hand, and we walked inside.  Being the eldest, we made our way to the boys section of the store first.  It was only right!

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