Zatth

Questions have been answered. Awesomesauce! Topic closed.

Hello, friends! Now that I'm done with a 48-page research paper I handed in for one of my classes (the one on the Sagrada Familia and the Library of Congress), and my remaining assignments are either presentations, papers, and a childcare manual, I've gotten back into trying to write and read daily, to make it into a habit again! But as a way to stop myself from using the excuse that "I don't know what to write about today", I want YOU ALL to provide me prompts! They can be prompts for BIONICLE short stories! They can be prompts for Off-Topic short stories! They can be prompts for poetry or prose! Heck, it can be a combination! Anything you'd like to see me write, I'll do my best to tackle! Who knows, I might actually be proud of the end result and share it somewhere here? Thanks, y'all. Any and all prompts will force me to turn this into a habit, and get me to make more art

Aaaaaand, new chapter is up! A bit of a change of pace in terms of previous chapters, but hopefully it's a good one! Any comments are appreciated!

A Mystery Explored Chapter 8 It had been a struggle to get Orde back into the boat. He’d run, crumple down, laugh maniacally, jump, scream, then repeat. Sometimes he’d switch the order, forcing Ajura to try and calm him down, hit him, talk to him, or try something else entirely. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Orde seemed to have tired himself out, which allowed Ajura to carry his weakened body into the boat. Before setting off, she made sure she had extra medicinal supplies in the boat. She had to get him to a real medical facility, but she’d have to assess, and perhaps try, to remediate some of the damage. Otherwise, by the time they reached a facility Orde might be a raving madman or a lifeless corpse. As of now, Ajura knew so little she wasn’t sure which might come first, if at all. She started the motor, ensuring that Orde was strapped down to the boat. She wasn’t taking any more chances if he woke up. Ajura kept controlling the boat for an hour, often glancing back at her teammate. He didn’t seem alert, but he was breathing. Ajura was using bandages and soothing oils to keep his fever down, and so far he had stopped shivering. Hopefully his body was fighting whatever was going on, attempting to return to normal. Finally, Ajura decided the boat could keep going by itself. She allowed the motor to keep going, then went back into the small hut. She sat by Orde and felt his forehead. It was starting to warm up again. She peeled off the bandages, and washed them with more of the healing ointments. She carefully placed them on his forehead. He was, almost imperceptibly, shaking his head back and forth. Ajura almost felt like he was muttering something. She thought it best to examine the wound at this point, since he wasn’t actively struggling. Ajura peered down at Orde’s side. The metallic green substance was coating part of his hip, and seemed to be mixing with his flesh, almost like a living rust that was slowly overtaking him. Ajura had never seen anything like this. No Rahi that she’d studied, nor any information gleamed from any other island would explain what this was. As she placed a sheet of water over the wound to try and feel any impurities, Ajura shrieked as Orde’s hand shot to her arm and began grabbing with strength that she didn’t even know she had. She could feel the circulation stop flowing, as Orde kept clutching her wrist with more and more strength. With no time to do it more delicately, Ajura brought up her foot and kicked Orde. He instinctively recoiled, and let go. Silently, Ajura thanked Mata Nui and began flexing her wrist. It was slowly regaining its colour. Orde turned to look at her. Though, it seemed more like he was looking through her, or behind her. “Orde, can you hear me?” In between labored breaths, he mustered up “I’m… sorry” Ajura breathed a sigh of relief. “Orde, it wasn’t your fault. It’s this poison, I don’t know what it is, but-“ “Poison.” He spat out the word. “I am a poison. I am the scourge, and the poison, the doom and the rage.” Ajura thought the words to be delirious, but the way he said it… like he’d thought about this, or heard about it. He sounded completely lucid. “Orde, what are you talking about?” She quietly brought up a new bandage towards his forehead. When she replaced the old one, she felt his forehead burning. “I know what I am. I know what I did. And it’s a poison that lives within me.” Ajura decided to keep talking with him about anything; if nothing else, it proved he was alive and conscious… whatever that meant at this point. “What poison? Orde, what did you do?” He cackled. He cackled and sobbed. “Oh, you know well what I’ve done. I am the scourge of Mata Nui, the terrible secret, the horror incarnate…” Ajura looked down at the wound on his side. As he spoke, it seemed to pulse outward. Was she making it up? “Orde, what are you referring to?” “THEY KNOW!” timed with his scream, the green substance spread out a bit more. Ajura’s hypothesis seemed correct. Could this mean… “Orde, you have to explain what you mean. Start from the beginning.” Ajura was going to prepare to mentally map out the way the green substance moved. She’d also have to consider how and what Orde was talking about. But if both seemed to correlate, she might have an idea on how to cure Orde. “I… I was dispatched… my first assignment.” He began sobbing. “Mata Nui forgive me, my first assignment! I was asked to calm down the scourge, the mistake of the Great Spirit. AND. I. FAILED.” Each of these words was punctuated by Orde slamming his head backwards, angry with himself. The boat rocked back and forth, but Ajura kept focusing on the words, the intonation, and the green substance’s path. Though worried about Orde, she was glad for this last bout of rage; the green substance had almost expanded three times its size with every bang of the head. “It was a cruel joke, I know it to be true! To send the anger and the rage to calm down hatred and horror?! HATE IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH HATE! And they knew, and they felt me, and when I tried to bring calm, I but catalyzed their anger and hate, and the dreaded creatures spread out into every area of the universe…” Oh no. Ajura knew what he was talking about now. But why now? Why would he feel the need to confess about something none of them knew anything about. Anyone would have done as he did, no one understood or understands the Zyglak anyways, so- “And I brought death and destruction! Seven lives I took, one wanderer condemned by my actions.” At this point he was sobbing more and more, and appeared to be retracting himself, becoming smaller and smaller. Guilt. And then he looked at Ajura. Orde usually expressed anger, or sarcasm, or bravery, all with one glance of his eyes. But this stare was something very different, and something very troubling. Any trace of the mask Orde wore was gone. Stripped was his bravado, and anger, and jokes. Now, only a small child remained, anxious to be forgiven, understanding the consequences of unforgivable actions, and trying, nay, wishing, that they could be put right, that the universe could turn to before that fateful moment, but the universe couldn’t, and the child was destined to live forever knowing what he’d done. “Those Toa died because of what I did to the Zyglak. And I can’t ever put it right.” Orde slumped back, unresponsive. Ajura began to panic, but then felt his breathing. He was still alive. Looking down at the wound, it was slowly retreating once again. She was right. Somehow, the green substance had been affecting his brain. Any emotional stress seemed to worsen the physical effect, which just put further strain on him emotionally, creating a vicious cycle. It seemed to be feeding on his emotional and physical stress. Ajura gathered up more bandages, placing them now both on the wound and across Orde’s forehead. For this she was going to have to remove his mask entirely. Even though he was already weak, she was sure he’d be almost dead if she didn’t try something out now. This little experiment might have given her some proof, but had taken a toll on Orde. Summoning the purest water, she conjured up two large bubbles of water, interlaced with special oils from her cabinet. Slowly, she brought down the first to Orde’s side, and then the second over his head. Ajura closed her eyes, and focused. She felt the pull. Orde’s head seemed to be calling out to the green metallic substance, as if asking it to connect from one side of the body to the other. Ajura focused her energies on sending the water across this strange connection. Additionally, she allowed the soothing oils to cloud Orde’s mind, and serve as a sedative. This would hopefully weaken the mental connection a bit more. She could feel the pull getting weaker and weaker. Ajura tried to picture a wall coming up between Orde’s head and his side, and as she did this she felt the sickly substance fight back. Ajura pushed harder, driving the metallic substance away from the mental barrier she was now creating. Finally, she located an area in Orde’s side that would serve as the weak point. Ajura gave it her strongest mental push, turning the mental wall into a spike to jab into that specific area. Suddenly, her mental image was left blank. She opened her eyes, and noticed the metallic green substance on the floor of the boat, squirming around. Immediately, she scooped it up with another bubble of water, and bottled it up inside one of the empty oil containers. She turned to look back at Orde. His breathing didn’t seem to be returning to normal, but at least his forehead was cooling down. Ajura wasn’t certain if she’d done enough, but this would have to do until they reached a more secure facility. It was only when she was stepping out to steer the boat that she realized what Orde had just confessed, and the kind of demons he kept bottled up. Ajura wished there could be a cure for one’s failures and regrets as well, but not even Mata Nui could grant such a request. Review Topic

Exploration of a new dimension with a universe that changes constantly and seems to defy all known laws? Well, I'm enthralled! Kudos especially on describing a very odd setting; I got the general gist of this ever-changing new dimension from the way you wrote it. I'm excited to see what's next!

Okay, so technically what I built was the backside, the seat, and the blades on the front and the side, all of it able to attach and unlatch from my dorm chair

"you win or you die. There is no middle ground." - Aegon the Conqueror (at some point probably) (In case you're wondering, yes, I did procrastinate all of my classwork for three days and turned my dorm room into a studio where I made a fully modular Iron Throne that can be disassembled and rebuilt on any dorm chair, as well as making the Valyrian steel sword Ice. Because procrastinating for Game of Thrones is always worth it.)

[CAVE JOHNSON INTENSIFIES]

So this has been a crazy good week and a half. For those who didn't know, we had our National Forensics tournament in Portland this past weekend. We flew from DC on Tuesday, and arrived that night. Unfortunately, we spend our days leading up to the tournament in a hotel preparing, so I knew from the get-go I'd be stuck inside a hotel with no chance to visit or see anything. When I got a message from Micah (Kakaru) I sadly told him this, and let him know that I'd be stuck at the hotel. Micah, being the wonderful human being that he is, said he wouldn't mind driving down to meet up with me at the hotel. A few hours later that Wednesday night, and Micah and I were catching up at the lobby of the hotel. We spent an hour talking about BZPower, BIONICLE, LEGO, making art, and a lot more stuff. If nothing else, I got to improve the first impression I made at NYCC (I was so excited at the Bonkle booth that I stumbled into a fake potted plant and some BZPers and looked like a total buffoon). Micah also gave me a Hero Pack like it was no big deal, and I have to admit that the visit kept me elated the entirety of the prep days at the hotel. It reminded me the kind of wonderful people that BIONICLE fans are, and just how wonderful some people are. Micah totally rocks. However, this was also going to be a bit of a weird and important final tournament for me. Forensics is a unique activity, because it allows us to perform and speak about topics that we're passionate about. For me, this took the form of my Program Oral Interpretation on Jaime Garzon. For those who didn't know, I started off this year with a piece on a Colombian comedian and historical figure that was murdered in 1999 for not only speaking the truths others didn't want to hear or couldn't say, but also for working for peace and understanding between all Colombians. For me this was an important project, since Jaime's story is very intimately tied with mine. When I was four, my parents brought me to the front out our building, giving me a white handkerchief, to wave at the black car carrying his casket. Fifteen years later, that grown up boy was about to lay to rest this year-long project. Over the past year, I watched all of Jaime's material online. I did research on him at the Library of Congress. I called and interviewed Jaime's brother, a close family friend. I became an advocate for the peace process in Colombia, and did all this because I knew Forensics would allow me to teach others about this wonderful historical figure, and about my hurting country. For me, the Nationals tournament wasn't about wining awards or accolades. It was about the last time I'd bring Jaime to life, the last time I could present my art to others, the last time I could be an advocate for this cause I cared so deeply about. My friends and team knew how much this meant to me. I don't say this to brag, but I am happy to have advanced to Quarterfinals in POI at the National tournament, and being given the chance to perform my piece in an outbound. Though I dropped after Quarters, I had one audience member come up to me and ask me more about Jaime, telling me he'd look him up later on and watch his material. That to me was the best way to let my piece to rest; I knew I'd reached at least one final person, let someone else know Jaime had existed, and had become more of an advocate for Colombia. But the end of the tournament was also so important for our entire team. Last year, we barely made it as the 5th school in the nation. Under any other circumstance, this would be amazing no matter what, but last year there was a toxic and sour attitude within the team, and the post-tournament dinner was quiet and filled with tension. This year, 35 of our 66 slots broke to outrounds, breaking the university's record. We rose up from 5th to 3rd place, even after we lost a third of our team in December. This was a team that was united by self-realization and love for every team member. We were there for each other, as a true family that was passionate about its message and everyone in the team. By the time the tournament was over, every single team member was happy and glad with what we'd done. We'd turned around a failing program, and individually and collectively overcame these difficulties to show the nation that when we fell down, we got back up and rose higher than before. Finally, I got confirmation of another big event in my life. Right before the tournament, I applied to study for a semester at Oxford University. I got an e-mail the day before the tournament letting me know I'd been accepted. This mean I will, for the first time, spend a semester away from home. For someone with a rare illness, who has been coddled by his parents and relied on a heavy support system, this means that the next semester will force me to grow up and live, truly for the first time, independently. I am scared but excited, as I know that this semester will bring me great personal growth that I have been lacking and yearn for. All in all, this has been a crazy week and a half. A month and a half ago I was in a hospital, with my stomach burst open for an operation, not knowing what Forensics or life would herald for me. I am now feeling emotionally elated, having seen performances that changed my way of thinking, seeing friends from both the BIONICLE and Forensics world that reminded me that there is good in this world, and knowing that the future looks at least a bit brighter than usual. tl:dr: Happy Pablo is at peace

Whether or not this was an April Fools joke (and I sincerely hope it was), it looks like the questions have been answered. Hooray for helpful members! Topic closed.

Ah, thanks for catching that! I would blame it on autocorrect, but I'm sure it was my deeply-rooted obsession with tapestries

Two months later, there's a new update! Apologies for the lack of activity, but real life got in the way (it tends to do that, I've noticed ) Any comments are appreciated!

A Mystery Explored Chapter 7 Matoran, Vortixx, and other species scurried along, no doubt trying to get away from the noxious fumes. Ajura and Orde took one last look at the smoggy island, then started up the boat. After a few minutes, they finally felt confident that they could breathe normal air again. “Well, that’s an island I never want to visit again.” Ajura chuckled in agreeance. “Lucky for us, there’s a small island close from here where we can stop for a short while, restock on supplies, and breathe normal air while on land.” Orde took in a big gulp of air and then breathed out, as if highlighting this last point. “Saying that’s well-needed is an understatement at this point.” After half an hour, they finally began to see the contour of a small isle. Ajura and Orde began picking up their knapsacks, ready to stop for a short while before proceeding back to the Southern Continent. The island wasn’t too lush with wildlife, but rather seemed more of a dry terrain. A few huts here and there, but nothing too major or surprising. “They were settled by a small band of Matoran a few thousand years ago. They make their island available to any travellers who need their services.” “What, so this stop isn’t free?” Orde asked surprised. “No, of course not. They’re salespeople, looking to get their fair share of payment.” “You’d think they’d have shaken off some of their old habits,” Orde mused. He stretched a bit, hauled the knapsack over his shoulder, and stepped off the boat onto the dock. The island wasn’t too much to be amazed about; a few huts that differed by the kind of Matoran that inhabited them, what seemed like a bazaar judging by the fumes and noises coming from the other side of the island, and a few desert-based plants here and there. Bland and uninteresting, which was very much welcome to Orde at this point in the trip. He turned to see Ajura already discussing with one of the Matoran that worked at the dock to take care of the boat. Orde took in a big breath, thanked Mata Nui for the chance to breathe in normal air, and walked up to Ajura. “Anything interesting that you got out of that riveting conversation?” Orde teased. Ajura was packing up her remaining widgets after paying the Matoran. “Not much. They did mention a specialty dish we should try out while we’re here, but that was the only thing that stuck out.” “Well, it’s better that way. The faster we’re on our way to finishing this ordeal, the better.” Orde didn’t shy away from adventure; after all, he was a Toa. But he’d been left more weary and skeptical over the past few hours. Replaying much of their adventure in his head left him feeling uneasy, as if there was some greater force at play here. “Alright, then,” Ajura coaxed Orde as if he were a child. “We’ll pick up supplies, make sure the boat is good to go, and get off of this place. You’re starting to sound like the survivor of a Doom Viper attack-“ Ajura’s thought was interrupted by a shattering sound that disrupted both their senses. Instinctively, Orde pushed away the newly-formed debris around him, trying to get himself back in focus. He noticed a Matoran-like figure running towards the docks. In front of Ajura and Orde were five mechanical quadrupeds. Their sickly-metallic green exoskeleton gleamed under the sunlight, forcing Orde to shield his eyes from the reflection. He turned to see Ajura getting up and unsheathing her Water Sabre. She began to whir the blade, summoning any nearby water to her aid. Orde in turn began to power up his Focus Gauntlets, feeling his Psychometry powers building up, quite literally, at his fingertips. He pushed back with one arm, and then pushed forward, sending a powerful burst of telekinetic energy. One of the creatures did not expect the attack, and was promptly sent tumbling backwards. The other four regrouped, avoiding their now fallen comrade. Ajura wasted no time, jumping in the air and bringing down the Water Sabre, creating a long whip of water that attempted to swat away another of the creatures. This time they were more receptive, and they all leapt upwards, narrowly avoiding the blow. Orde raced towards one of them in an attempt to switch to melee combat. He tried to uppercut one of the creatures, only for it to crank its neck around and avoid the blow. Orde was taken aback by the elasticity of the creature. He didn’t notice the way the creature’s arm bent to strike Orde on the left of his abdomen. Orde cried out in pain as the creature’s hand became a needle that impaled itself across Orde’s side. Ajura heard the scream and ran towards Orde, bringing her Sabre down on the creature’s arm. Sparks and buzzing flew from the creature’s socket, as the arm was detached from the creature. It didn’t seem to notice, but rather signaled to the other three creatures. They got off their attack positions, and began to retreat to the docks. Ajura wasn’t determined to let them go that easy. Summoning any droplets near them, she channeled her energies to make tens of tiny streams of water to flow towards the creatures. When she was sure that they were surrounded by the little streams, she willed the water to coalesce into a water hand that took hold of the four creatures in the middle of their escape. Ajura concentrated, and brought the fist down with all her strength, shaking the nearby huts. When she was finally sure that the creatures were knocked out and weren’t going to come to any time soon, she raced back to Orde. The wound was still there, but the needle had disappeared. No, not disappeared. Melted, more like it. Though the wound was gone, traces of a green metal were deeply embedded across Orde’s side. “Orde, can you hear me?!” A grunt of pain, wincing. And then, finally, he spoke. “We didn’t get to try that main dish they have here, but I think I just got a taste of their side.” Ajura shoved Orde, quietly thanking Mata Nui. Joking and alive. She’d take it. She helped him up, making sure that he was strong enough to walk. He slowly seemed to be regaining his strength. “Seriously, though, let’s not do that ever again,” he said as he limped towards the knocked out creatures. Ajura tried to focus on his heartbeat. She frowned. It seemed arrhythmic, and that was troubling to her. But Orde’s demeanour, while weak, didn’t seem to suggest anything out of the ordinary. She’d need to find out what the green-metallic substance was; though not much was clear now, it was still there, and could still pose a danger. “Orde, wait!” She noticed Orde slip from her grasp, running towards the mechanical creatures. He dropped on all fours, looking too closely at the creatures. “Ajura, they’re dead! Or disconnected, or something.” She ran towards Orde, partially to make sure he was right, partially to make sure he was all right. In effect, the creatures seemed to have turned off. No signs of life, no mechanical movement of any type, nothing. Ajura turned one of the creatures over, and it did nothing. A coordinated attack? A way to distract them? What had this been all about? Too caught up in the creatures, she barely noticed Orde slipping away again. Now he was running to the docks, and it looked like he wanted to swim. Which was odd, because Orde hated swimming. “Orde?” Nothing. No response. “Orde!” Finally, Ajura ran up to him, whirring him around. “Orde, do you not hear me? What’s going on?” But now she could see him up close. His eyes… they were changing colour. Almost imperceptibly, but the change was there. A sickness of some sort, and it was acting very rapidly. Orde seemed oblivious to his surroundings. “Alright, friend. Let’s go and get off of this island.” And then, more to herself than to her seemingly-delirious friend, “the sooner we’re done with this all, the better.” Review Topic

[iNSERT PUN ABOUT BUILDING CHARACTERS BECAUSE BIONICLE FAN FORUM HERE]

Smile back at someone today Give someone a compliment Help someone out in some way Hug your loved ones, tell them how glad you are for them to be here Give yourself a few minutes of the day just to yourself Our time here is limited, so spread the love, y'all

I agree with the above comment; you're handling it much better and more maturely than I did when it happened to me. Here's a funny video that should get your mind off of things: look in YouTube for: "Simply Delicious Shower Thoughts with Cookie Monster". ​If nothing else remember it's ok to feel whatever it is you're feeling; don't try and ignore or deny those feelings. Let them come over you, allow yourself to feel however you want to feel, but after a sufficient time, move on. In this way you allow yourself to feel as you wish, but also understand that, as many a philosopher has said in ages past, "this too shall pass."

I don't think I mentioned it under your confirmation of BFVA, but I live 20 mins away from the Dulles Expo Center, so if at any point you need anything (a tour guide for the museums, a ride somewhere, even a late night recommendation for a place to eat dinner), feel more than free to send me a message or anything! Hopefully Sumiki and others can attest, at least, to my willingness to go on and on about the museums here and whatnot. Anywho, super glad you're joining us! (And don't worry about the social awkwardness thing, because not only are you much cooler than many of us, but you can do what we do to forget our social awkwardness, which mainly involves hats, Galidor, and overused jokes that we beat to the death. Mainly a combination of all three )

WAIT. Your name isn't already Pablo? How is that possible. No, no, the opposite must be true. It is destiny. Fun fact: the direct translation of "Cap'n Subnuki" into Spanish is Pablo! [CITATION NEEDED]

Looks like we've found the season 4.5 new cast member!

Season 3 sees the introduction of permanent Guest Star Pablo Neruda

Doctors recommend one dose of Zatth once per every 150 years for good functioning as a country.

I have returned! The trip was fun, and yes, there will be pictures below. We arrived on Friday at 11:45 pm, and spent the next two days in the Hilton Barcelona preparing for the tournament. Monday and Tuesday we competed, and we did well (we Sophomores crushed it, having five of our six class members winning 1st place in one of out events). (Pictured above: the Sophomores of GMU 4N6, and the people I love the most on the team) By Wednesday, though, we were finally free to travel and visit places! We walked for an hour and a half to the Sagrada Familia, and I was not prepared for it. Wednesday I focused just on the outside, but even that was astounding. We then returned back to our new apartments (conveniently located literally in front of Camp Neu), and prepared for Thursday. Thursday I had a group go with me to the Sagrada Familia Archives for my project; we also used the time to visit the cathedral itself. Two things I want to highlight; the first being the stained glass and how the light made the inside literally change colours the second being how amazing and gorgeous the inside looks (and how it does replicate a forest) Needless to say, I cried. (I also got sweaty palms, but that was when we went up one of the bell towers. Fun fact: I discovered then that I have a fear of heights!) We then spent the evening in the Gothic District, where I found the chance for a literary inside joke that only true (15)90s kids will understand: Spent the next day again in the Gothic District, which conveniently is right next to the beach (Look at these nerds) (CURSE YOU, SEA!) The last day we went to Els Quatre Gats (and I began writing a meta short story right there and then, which I might post here in the future) We then ended the day by going to the Picasso Museum and taking some vague, heroic photos (Pictured here: a fool who thinks he looks cool). In all seriousness, this was a wonderful trip. I got to see one of my fave buildings in the world, spent a week with my friends, and ate amazing. I can't stress enough how lucky I am to belong to such a great program, that dazzles me every day and lets me be thankful for what I have. PS: While there, we filmed the pilot for our new sitcom, Pablo & Pablo. Below are two promotional images:

That's what George Orwell described the Sagrada Familia as in his Homage to Catalonia. Well, on Thursday night we'll (me and the Forensics Team) be traveling to Barcelona and staying there for a week and a half for the International Forensics Association tournament. The tournament sounds cool and all, but the reason I'm really excited for the trip is because I'll get to see said "hideous building". Not that I think the thing is terrible; I'm a bit of a Sagrada Familia fan myself. So it only made sense that our head coach, who offers a class called COMM 307: Field Study in Communication, gives team members the option of, every year, writing a paper on an aspect of the country we travel to that year and compare it with something in the U.S. As an excuse to learn more about architecture and symbology, I proposed that my paper became about the Sagrada Familia and the Library of Congress (Sumiki might have something to say about that). Specifically, I'll be examining the juxtaposition of the symbology of both buildings, how the Sagrada Familia as a temple intertwined with Catalonian identity, and the Library of Congress as a temple intertwined with the nation's founders and early American identity. Yes, it's a mouthful. Lucky for me, my hospitalization gave me a week to curl up next to Gaudi's biography by Gijs van Hensbergen (highly recommend it), the Taschen book on Gaudí, as well as two books on the Library of Congress. It's weird to think that almost a month ago I was having my stomach cut open, and in two days I'll be hopping on a plane (I actually fought to be operated as soon as possible so I could make the trip). And over the past week I've been absorbing everything about Gaudí and the Sagrada Familia. There are so many factoids bustling in my head I feel like the unofficial tour guide of the group. I'll also get to interview members of the Sagrada Familia Archive, and maybe get a behind-the-scenes look at the Archives and other documents. For a myriad reasons I think the Sagrada Familia is one of the most gorgeous buildings on the planet, and these past two weeks have just made that conviction stronger. To conclude this convoluted mess, I found out while at the hospital that I might have much more to thank this building for; my mom mentioned that in college she'd taken an Art History class, and spent hours poring over pictures of the Sagrada Familia, and she too became obsessed. A few years later, my mom went on a first date with my dad, and as he pulled out his wallet to pay for something she noticed a little torn-up photo of the Sagrada Familia. She said she fell a bit more in love with him then. And just as she said, when my dad passed by the hospital that evening, he pulled out the same picture, so many years later but unmistakably the building that towers over Barcelona. I hope to bring many pictures from the trip, as well as a more fair (thought probably very biased) report to counter Mr. Orwell's.

"Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him well, Horatio."

Voriki Soh Cah Toa The element of surprise Air I would probably respond using "flowery" language Reveal 10 years later that it all happened inside a giant robot STOP SUMMONING THE SQUIRRELS. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF LECTURE, STOP IT Bonkleicious Bring Back Hero Factory Is NOT BIONICLE Club Disguise They have more articulation than 2001, so very advanced As long as they're clowning around, I'll leave them be GIVE ME RED NOSES OR GIVE ME DEATH Snape kills Trinity with Rosebud the sled I'm the star of the sequel to The LEGO Movie. Alternately, I'm the victim for the opening of a Doctor Who episode