Good day.

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I did have to push it, but was ready easily in time.  A trip from morning to early afternoon, with a meal in there.  Love free meals, even if they cost coin.  At least once in a while.  A fine conversation.  Imagine, if you will, a Mormon burner.  A bit more stated, from an earlier generation perhaps.  But the notion is there.  There is much that seems common, and much that is different.  When asked about the most recent pope, I suggested that, while he has brass, I don't abide him.  He is a socialist and socialists can't be Christians.  *raised eyebrows*  Yep.

He did raise a solid... contention.  But, thankfully, one I have considered easily already.  But, won't heaven be socialist?  Aye?  Not a chance.  No one in heaven, or on the new earth, will need.  We will be self-sufficient, and able, and know our places.  If we go back to the living of the Garden of Eden, we won't even be required to sustain ourselves by the sweat of our brow.  A penalty for choosing to do what God said not to do.  As well, if women still bear children, there would be no pain.  So, ideally, perhaps the spirit of socialism will be there, if I can't see a reason for a theory in a place and time where there is not need.  Further, the kingdom of heaven is more like a literal kingdom.  It has a King.  I think, however, that too will pass.  In those future days, God will be Father and brother, the Holy Spirit will have a specific role then... most likely protecting the imperfect, by choice, souls from destruction through access to Grace.  The Holy Spirit will become the chasm, and fiery case, for hell.  Yeah, no.  I went through this long ago, when, as a youth, I was trying to figure out how to hold out for socialism.  It won't even exist.  A few minutes later I queried if he considered himself a socialist...  No, no, not really.  Bad timing on the question, mind you.  But my answer is the same, and would have been, in any case.

Of course, that was just one part of the conversation.  Much else was discussed.  He was a bit surprised to learn that I had read the New Testament by 10, 9 or 10.  No, Doom wasn't a normal little boy.  I wasn't qutie a freak, either, one way or the other.  I was comparing and contrasting.  I read Mein Kampf at 11 or 12, studied history from 12 to 14 which is why I turned from crony capitalist socialism... already having turned away from populist forms of socialism which are also known as forms of communism.  I was a busy lad.  I felt obliged to try to figure things out.  I then, for later, until I returned to God in my thirties, drifted.  I realized there wasn't a secular order, or means of ordering life.  Even as my life was falling apart, I was sparring for a heaven on earth, secular truth, or even a way to heaven that didn't require God.  In other words, I went down every blind alley, every dead end, every mistaken belief, until I realized there simply isn't a back way to heaven, and no man-made or earthly way.  Them's was a lot of hard miles, boys and girls.

I understand.  Some people have not had the freedom to truly explore so many venues, ideas, even to put some of them into actual play in their lives and explore with serious study, others who have chosen other paths.  Hitler, Lenin, communes here in America in the 60's and 70's, earlier in Israel and for the Jews in pre-WWII Germany.  None of them went as planned, succeeded, or were even good.  They became hellholes, the worst of which ended up in Jim Jones type communist cults and dead or ruined.  Hellbound.  There is no way to God save through the Son, with the blessing of the Holy Spirit.  Never, ever, think otherwise.  And don't mistake the fruits of this world for the fruits of the next, or think one equates to the other.  Even should a rich man become the camel that seeks and solves the eye of the needle, his blessings were spent, here, most likely.  Still...

After the trip and talk, plus the busy week, I was tired.  Oh, I tried not to be snarky.  I think this man is truly trying to understand, and fit it all together, like everyone else.  Just saying...  Anyway, I took a good, long, hard, nap.  I needed it too.  In it, many dreams.  I had a woman whispering sweet nothings in one ear, with promises I doubted if she could keep but didn't mind right at the moment, and God whispering in one ear about loyalty, duty, and responsibility, that comes with freedom.  The other whispers were so fine, I didn't take any umbrage with God laying on the Fatherly advice.  It was more like...  "Where do I SIGN"?  Heh.  Never mind.  There were a lot of nicely dressed woman today.  Pleasant, mostly, and prettied for a social affair.  I'm sure that had nothing, no thing, to do with it at all.  Gah!  I still think God cheats when it comes to some things.  Thankfully, he cheats for both sides, and against our willful, wanderlust, sinful, nature... somehow.  If we just let Him, He cheats against us by cheating for us, an somehow in all of our favor.  I REALLY want to learn that trick.  :)

Well... on to... something.  I am thawing a few more fish.  I have a better idea of how long it takes to cook that part, and will have it with quinoa this time.  From my experiments with the stuff, it takes about as long as brown rice to cook... so... thirty minutes, and more water than white rice (so I can't cook three cups... which are their cups, so not even actual cups (3/4 cups, I believe).  The fish takes about 15 minutes to steam.  So, half way through, via a timer, and give or take, while I am stirring the seed or grain anyway, I just add the fish then.  It's a wonderful little kit.  And all I have to clean is the bowl and the rice scoop, plus a fork.  Paper plates, baby!  And, more Dark Souls.

I am enjoying Dark Souls.  Frustrating, aye.  But interesting, so far.  I have played several characters, though will be erasing one and starting another.  It's not that I believe I messed up beyond recall, it's just that... I didn't quite get it right.  I took some bad advice and that cost me.  But no more than a blind run through would have, perhaps less.  I had a springboard of wrong, for my play style and such, from which to compare and contrast.  It is truly one of the more painful, unforgiving, frustrating games I have enjoyed in a very long time.  I'm tricky this way, in that I do figure it out... if only eventually.  However, some of it can't be figured out until... hmm... until enough practice, trial, and error.  Lots and lots of painful error... another name, in this game, for lots and lots of personal/character death and lots and lots of figuring out how to not do what seems impossible to not do, at first.  And all the great advice...  "While you are running back to your corpse, figure out why you died." ...  "While you are dying, think about what, exactly, killed you... again, again, again."  Heh...  *punch on the nose*  Think about not being cute!  Oh, I know.  And they are right.  It's just that "right" doesn't salve hurt feelings, anger, and such.  Yeah, a bit more of the game, after I get the quinoa (kwin-wa) going... if the fish are thawed.

Later.