The Adventurous GIT

     “Whoa,” was all that Jim Stefánson could articulate. He knew the resort lounge well enough, but something, some one , was new. He just knew saying the words in his head would jinx things. That the action would somehow guarantee that he would never be able speak to her, but he had to admit it to himself. That is probably the most beautiful woman I will ever see.      She was being chatted up by one of the trust-fund brats that frequented the resort. The kid was decked out in the latest cold-weather fashion, some kind of camouflage pattern based on feathers, which only managed to stand out garishly against his bright red hair. Jim tried to pay attention to the kid, but his eyes drifted back to the woman as she smiled faintly at some joke the kid rattled off, sipping her drink. Her outfit looked like it was hand-crafted from one of those fabrics that only the rich could afford to know the name of. It was a modest cut, but randomly sheer in places, givin...

Havamal 54: Middling-wise should each man be, never over-wise; for he lives the fairest life of folks who knows not over-much. Translation - Andrew Orchard - Penguin Classics Knowledge is power, and power corrupts. We usually take that corrupting nature of power to mean a corrosive effect on morality and decision-making ability. The idea that right and wrong and the differences between the two begin to blur when more and more power (and knowledge) are obtained is not a new one. The clearest two examples of this are in the same movie/comic book: The Watchmen. It's no mistake that we see Dr. Manhattan become more and more detached from his "humanity" the more powerful he becomes. Then there's the (spoiler alert for eight year old movie) villain of the piece, Ozymandias. His knowledge drove him to cross several lines of morality that others felt were too far. The question I'm pondering today, though, is that corruption the only kind of effect that ca...

     "They're all ugly, Will," Tom said in a muted voice as they pulled up to what was quickly becoming a multi-alarm fire. "But this one's got potential ."       "Zip it and move it. We've got the west side, find me a hydrant and run a line. Stephen, get a sitrep from the Chief on-scene," Will shouted over the noise of the gathering crowd and other engines.       As they all piled out of the cab, Stephen felt his stomach sink. Tom was right, this one was bad. A nine-story apartment complex had gone up, and it was threatening two other buildings nearby. Luckily it was a narrow building, no more than one or two apartments per floor. Even yards away, the heat wash was already turning his face red.       "What's the situation?" Stephen called over the roar of the flames as he approached a burly, gray-haired man barking orders.       "Chief Davidson," the fireman introduced himself. "We've evac'd the ot...