I finally pr-ordered, recieved and read (from start to finish) Confessor by Terry Goodkind earlier this month. It's the last book in the Chainfire Trilogy which finished off the series of 11 books known as The Sword of Truth, the series which has occupied the last 3 and a half years of my life.
I had finished the previous book just last year only to realize that I'd finally caught up with the series and I was quite disappointed as I awaited early 2008 - the projected date of the final release. Fortunately enough, I did not have to wait that long.
The closing of this book is also the closing of a personal era for myself and I'd like to leave my thoughts with you here.
I was gifted the first book of the series, Wizard's First Rule, by a friend for my 18th birthday. (We shared not only the same birthday but a love of fantasy.) I read it quickly and grew to love the characters who were strong but not infallible, wise but human, pivotal to the existance of all mankind yet quirky and flighty. Characters who had strong morals and were fiercely loyal.
I also grew to hate the enemy. These were vile people, if they could even be called that, who had no morals, who were only strong when putting others down. These people had no value of life so felt nothing at taking it away from others or squandering theirs away.
And the entire series is really hinged on this concept, the moral really that life is something to value and no one has the right to decide how you live your own life but yourself. The choice is yours to make even if you make a poor choice. Thus, anyone who would try to force a way of living upon another or take life from others becomes the enemy.
Besides free will, the series emphasizes using reason and taking responsibility for one's own actions rather than using weak philosophies or belief systems as a crutch. The right to make a choice comes with the responsibility to use said right and to use wisely to affect change.
The morals within the series are parallel to Goodkind's own beliefs as believe in Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand and is described by here as such:
My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.”
While I did a rather poor job of summing up the philosophy, Terry tells it well. And often. And he continues it in Confessor, perhaps even more so than the other books though, I believe, not without reason. It is because of his philosophy that Richard, the protagonist is able to survive and, to ultimately defeat those who would stand in his way, really the way of all those who value life.
Those simply looking for fantasy may have to look elsewhere because everywhere in the Sword of Truth, the reader will be assaulted with Goodkind's philosophy - also the philosophy of Richard. Still, the rants and asides from Richard concerning his philosophy are many and repetitive and could certainly be skimmed down.
The philosophy, alone, is something I can see being a deal breaker for many and, indeed, it is one of the bones non-fans have to pick with Goodkind. However, those who agree will want Richard to win the war against evil (played by Emporer Jagang and the Order) and see how this philosophy has extremely realistic implications and roots.
However, for those who have been a fan of the series (or simply the trilogy) thus far or those who cannot start a series without following it through, Confessor is definitely a must read!
As the book opens with Richard, a slave to the Order and in the midst of its army which is camped out just beyond the People's Palace of D'Hara, soon realizes that Kalahn, his wife and the Confessor who has been wiped from the memory of nearly the entire world and has no sense of her own identity because of magic, is also held captive by the evil Jagang and his men.
As a captive of the army, Richard is forced to play Ja La, the game of life in which winning is literally a matter of life or death. In doing so, Richard earns the respect of his teammates, captives and soldiers alike and has an opportunity to finally turn the tides of war, as well as escape for himself and his loved ones by showing the Imperial Order in its true light.
As one can imagine, a book which begins in the middle of a war and the middle of an army, no less, begins quickly. It took no time at all for Confessor to get off the ground because it started at such an elevated state and only rose to achieve more than my highest expectations by the end of the book.
As one would expect, Richard does eventually escape the camp of the Imperial Order and find his way back to the People's Palace. And even the loss of his magic cannot stop him with the little help of a friend. However, along the way it's not just the foes who go down and some characters who have been with Richard and his party for much of the series are lost.
As Richard continues to fight the war and foes known and unknown - Jagang and his Sisters of the dark; The evil sorceress Six and even the Underworld (and its Beast) - he sticks to his philosophy in an attempt to save mankind and the woman he loves. Unfortunately, due to the unknown and misunderstood nature of the spell which is tainting magic and has erased Kalahn from the memory of all but a few, figuring out just how to win this war is difficult, especially to someone who has such limited knowledge of his wizardry skills.
Of course, he does and happy endings abound. So happy, in fact, that I found myself brought to tears by Goodkind's writing. The book ends in such a way as to prove the value of Richard's - and Goodkind's - philosophy by showing the reader something which never could have happened had this philosophy not prevailed.
I really found Confessor to be an easy read despite the repetitive and almost preachy tone it sometimes took on and could have finished it in well under a day, had I the time, even though it weighs in at just under 600 pages (the perfect size of a fantasy novel, in my opinion).
The novel also tied up some wonderfully loose ends bringing back characters whose roles I didn't find to be quite finished. All in all, it closes the series smoothly and the happy ending is only the icing on the cake.
Now for the criticism, which is few and far between on my part. There wasn't a vast amount of traveling done in the novel as the Order was camped on the front porch of the People's Palace but much of the traveling which was done by the characters was done in a very rapid matter with the mode of transportation being invented or written in solely for that purpose which was a bit lackluster. Perhaps Goodkind would have done better to spend less time talking about Objectivism and have his characters use more traditional, if slower, forms of mobility. However, this may have put a damper on the fast pace of the novel.
Some also find fault with the similarity between The Sword of Truth and the Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan but, as I've only finished the first novel in that series, only time will tell how I feel on that subject.
I definitely recommend Confessor to Goodkind and SoT fans. If you've an interest in fantasy and especially if you agree with his philosophy, I urge you to pick up this series. If the 11 titles are a bit daunting, I feel that it would be sufficient to read only the Chainfire trilogy as Goodkind does an adequate job of bringing new readers up to date with the happenings in his world as well as refreshing the memories of current readers (which I did need!).
Cole @ 8:26 PM
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Not Enough Hours In the Day
I've spent somewhere around 10 hours, on and off, working on the site. Who knew there was so much to do?
You can also download the new song of the moment ("Zombie" by The Cranberries) or take your pick of festive Livejournalicons which I've just added in time for the Christmas season!
Take a quick look at the section about me to see what information has been updated if you're a stalker or just curious. I've finally gotten around to updating pictures of me and those I love to be sure to check those out. As always, you can download fonts and adoptables from the font section and check out the services I offer for you such as POP3 and free "Her Ream" e-mail as well as a visitor's choice site contest (nominate your favourite blogger)!
I've updated a whole slew of broken images and dead links but if you run across anything, please be sure to report the error.
If you're a first timer, be sure to bookmark as Her Realm can be found easily in your bookmarks folder with its snazzy new favourite icon! (See on the left of the address bar.)
If you appreciate the work I've been doing, you can vote for me by clicking on any of the links toward the right of my site or clicking here to see a whole list. Every blog post and page on this site is equipped for you to easily submit it to your favourite social bookmarking site as well.
Enjoy your stay. Please fly again with us soon.
Cole @ 12:47 AM
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I updated the quizzes, fixed some broken links and you can now direct link so you don't have to save the results to your own server to display them across the web!
I also put up the archived version of the guestbook and will be installing a new, current one sometime soon.
Let me know if you notice any bugs which aren't related to the CSS.
Cole @ 7:09 PM
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Happy Thanksgiving!
11/22/2007
I a thankful, this year, because I actually am thankful. Most years, I don't feel that during any 1 of the 365 days. One year, as a child, I even wrote a paper on how unthankful I was because of my situation. But this year is different.
I have friends and family I hold dear along with a husband I love. And.. that's enough. The rest will come into place I imagine. Or not. Either way, I'll manage.
Cole @ 10:55 AM
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11/21/2007
Everyone with a site wants comments (well, don't they?), though they seem to want only specific comments at specific times and sometimes only from certain people.
So if you had a site up for quite some time, would you mind if someone comments on a blog entry from a month ago? What about 6 months? What if someone added a comment from a year old entry? Or an entry posted prior to that?.
I wouldn't mind previous comments - although my comments systems leave me (temporarily, I hope) without a current comment archive so one can't see any discussion that was already posted - as long as they were relevant and added something significant.
Cole @ 7:31 PM
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Overhaul!
11/20/2007
New layout.
The CSS isn't quite right. I accidentally deleted the file! -gasp!- Bad Cole.
The site's functional but perhaps a bit quirky. I'll fix it in the next couple of days. In the mean time, I think you get the gist and hope you enjoy the change in scenery.
They say that yawning is a way to deliver more oxygen to the brain. But what is it about being tired that requires us to yawn? Doesn't our brain always need oxygen? Does a tired body become less effective at delivering and using oxygn? Or does a tired mind need to use more? Do elements of the respiratory system slow down down when we are exhausted? Do the lungs have to work harder? Is less of our oxygen intake able to be process?
does anyone else think about yawns? (I can probably answer that one!)
I'm a little shocked at celebrity news today and I know I'm not alone. I know drugs and sex (as in, sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll) have always been apart of the rich and famous lifestyle (Remember Joplin? Morrison? Monroe?) but it seems like celebrities are even more extreme about it now. Perhaps they are just worse at hiding it or don't even care enough to try.
What's more is that most celebrities seem to be interchangeable in this drama. It's a soap opera in which everyone willingly directs, writes and stars and few are wise enough to stay away even though it's going to bomb.
It seems as though the celebrity news sources (tv/radio/magazines/sites) could simply write a mad lib and pick random names periodically to fill in the blanks.
In fact, I think I will.
In other news, last night [Celebrity (A)] was seen flitting around [Place] with [Celeb B] and [Celeb C]. [He/She] seems to be enjoying spending time with [a/an][adjective], mysterious [man/woman/tranny] who was wearing the world's most [adjective] outfit.
[Celeb A] is most known as a [professional title] who also does [profession] on the side. Recently [he/she] has been involved with [his/her] ex-[noun] and their [#] children: [names of # of children.]
It is rumoured that [Mr/Mrs/Ms][Celebrity's last name] has been involved in [scandalous behaviour] with [Celeb B or C] , which has affected [his/her] professional career by costing [his/her][movie/concert/other event] contract for [date] at [place]
It's also been compromising [his/her] home life, too. One source tells us she witnessed [Celebrity][verb] in one of [his/her][behaviourial adjective] outburst toward [his/her] family. The children have become [emotional adjective] and friends and family worry that [Celebrity] is "out of control" and that this behaviour will result in [disasterous event] for [Celebrity].
What will it be, [Celebrity]? Will you make it to your next [event/milestone]? What will it take for you to stop gallivanting all over [place] while [adjective (unhealthy state of behaviour)] and [verb].
Some days I just wake up and feel like there is absolutely no way the day can be productive.This usually sets me up to be in a bad mood all day. I usually feel as though there's no point to being up and want to sleep until the next morning (or until I die) but this isn't a better alternative, either. So I beat myself out of bed and spend the rest of the day being miserable until I can crawl back into bed and go to sleep (sleep which I now no longer want).
Often, it's because I wake up late and much of the day is already gone. This is especially frustrating here when everything closes up at around 4:30 (many places close up at 2) and I need to leave hours earlier if I must take the bus to get someplace. Granted, many places are open at early as 7 or 7:30 in the morning but this is not a reasonable time for any normal human being to be awake, now is it?
Today was one of those days. Lots of being grumpy because there's no reason to be up but sleeping won't help either. Snapping at Rian because I'm in a fowl mood. Brooding and being lost in angsty thought. Generally unpleasant to be me or to be near me.
Of course, soon I'll need to go to sleep to go to a job I hate in the morning (though it's morning already) and I'm not tired. I'm too grumpy to go to sleep anyway.
Of course, you could say I bring this all on myself.
Cole @ 1:03 AM
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Themes Which Don't Suck
11/17/2007
I've begun a search for unique, creative and dark WP themes (as well as website layouts in general) for inspiration, practice at "theming" and for possible use. I've been gravely disappointed (pardon the pun) by the lack of good dark themes, unique themes and creative themes.
WordPress has really revolutionized the use of columns (sometimes known as sidebars) and while I recognize their usefulness, I hate them in the aesthetic sense. I can hear your confused response now
"But, Cole, you use columns in your current layout".
Yes, yes I do. And I hate them. You see, I understand that they're useful. Especially useful if you only have a blog to display archives, recent comments, blogrolls, minor updates, categories and other miscellaneous information.
While all this new, extra (and generally unnecessary) information finds a new home, it seems that navigation as an element has lost its place and becomes lost in all the bustle. Amidst countless blocks of other text in a sidebar, navigation doesn't stand out as I believe it should.
What used to be an art is now an afterthought which is one of the issues I have, myself, with designing layouts. Themes take hours to roll out, like some sort of modern day internet assembly line - change a few colours, a width here, a margin there and slap on a now header - voila! A new theme. (Not. It's exactly the same, really). Layouts used to take so much longer to make and implement because they were more complicated, unique and creative (and, also, in part because people weren't using includes but ignore that for now).
I miss that. I was almost completely disappointed by the selection of WP themes I found. Almost none of them worked without columns. Few of them had impressive graphics which were also aesthetically appealing and even less had layouts where graphics played a more important role than header images.
And creative navigation? Ha! Forget that.
However, I was impressed by 4 sites. That's right, only 4 sites on the internet with themes don't suck. (Hey, I like that. I smell a title coming on.) So, without further ado, here they are.
Neither of these are specifically for WP or free and maybe good layouts just don't come free these days. I've seriously considered making a purchase but I'm not quite sold by the idea of a layout not made personally for me. Still, worth a look.
Cole @ 10:19 PM
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Get over it!
11/16/2007
In response to the "Oh My God! Google sucks! Woe is me crowd!" Get over it.
So Google lowers your page rank if you do paid blog posts? Sucks to be you. Now you know how it feel for those of us who have to try to read through that mindless drivel, eh? Google deems your page is worth less because it's full of advertising? Wow! That's a stretch. Not.
Maybe you'll quit subjecting us to this shit, huh? No. I didn't figure it.
But first, the following 2 advertisements (random thoughts) from our sponsors (me.)
Our dress code policy at work is "casual professional" and, I admit I'd been a little on the casual side so I hit up some sale's at Kohls and bought two nicer pairs of pants which arrived not too long ago and I've since had "tailored" (read: shortened because I cannot be lengthened). Of course, this is right before I get the "we're getting uniforms" memo. Figures.
I got my first comment to moderate. Thanks Fruity. It seems like Blogger is doing okay with that set up.
I was just thinking about.. things. Like the chemicals we put on our bodies. I think that, as a female in general, I engage in more of this type of behaviour than someone of the opposite gender but I could be wrong.
I read an article not too long ago about a woman who stopped washing and using products for 6 weeks which, while it sounds disgusting, had an interesting result: she felt better. And, even though her baceteria levels were 5000 times what they had been previously, they were still within the safe range for humans.
She notes that her skin seemed to glow and an existing condition lessened.
For years, she has experienced Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which bizarrely seemed to improve the longer she went without washing. Although there is no medical explanation for this, Nicky is convinced it is to do with a sudden break from the chemicals seeping into her body.
She's back to using products and bathing frequently but she's definitely learned a lesson and has "recovered" from her dependency on health and beauty aids. (Of course, whether or not this could be considered an addiction is an entirely separate subject). She doesn't believe she needs all those products anymore, nor does she believe she needs to use them as much.
A topic of interest to me has always been how products (and those who benefit from sales of said products) will advise a person to use the product more than is necessary and sometimes more than is actually healthy. Shockingly enough, the people pushing us to use more than we need, can include our doctors.
But seek an unbiased, outside source which will have no monetary gain (or won't lie to you regardless) and you might see a completely different answer.
For a few years I've used a toner and moisturizer on my face to clear away dead skin and to keep my skin moisturized but not greasy, respectively. Both of the products instruct me to use them twice a day; however, outside sources say I need only use the toner twice a week and the moisturizer daily. Although the moisturizer isn't a large stretch, the directions for my toner tell me to use it 7 times more often than the outside source says is actually healthy for my skin! Crazy.
Needless to say, I don't use it twice a day. I don't actually use it twice a week because I usually forget but I remembered today and this subject popped into my mind. Of course, I understand that companies want to have money and if we buy their products and use them quickly, we have to buy more and more often which equates to more revenue (and possibly physical or mental addiction which leads to even more revenue). I can't really blame them.
I can, however, blame medical professional and doctors who would do the same because of their affiliation with drugs companies, pharmacy and what-have-you. You wouldn't want to believe it, but it's just as common. Find a doctor who isn't actually making money off you and his recommendations might vary drastically from someone who is. (Rian was wearing his contacts for 2 weeks per doctor's orders until another doctor told him they can be used for twice as long.) These people, who are supposed to have our well being and health in mind, are too busy thinking about a buck in the pocket and this is absolutely unacceptable (and also bordering on being another topic completely).
So next time you reach for something in your medicine cabinet (or shower or makeup bag), take a look at the directions. Then, take a look at an unbiased source (say a health or education website). Do we really need all these chemicals on our bodies? And, even if we want them, do we need as much?
Cole @ 9:45 PM
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I Think..
11/14/2007
...I hate my job. The pay and hours are shitty with little room for improvement. The time I do spend there is a waste as I am bored out of my mind which, is to say, my job offers little to no mental stimulation.
For being a customer service position and the entire business existing only for customers, there's a blatant lack of customer service oriented attitudes in most of my superiors. I literally feel guilty for working there sometimes because of this and other issues we cause customers.
The policies, or lack there-of, only protect the interest of my employer while screwing over customers and employees alike. There is a distinct lack of professionalism which is apparent in even the most minute task.
I personally find the work I have to do aggravating because it involves several un-connected and out of date systems and, when there is obviously a better way to do things, I don't know why it's not utilized.
There is, however, job security and room for advancement, in which I am not really interested. They're been generally good about giving me time off which I need as well. That's about it for the pros.
Cole @ 8:47 AM
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What is the solution?
11/13/2007
I have been so disappointed with the shape of my blog. Mostly due to Google's acquisition of and transition to Blogger beta. My archives shat out on me almost a year ago and it doesn't appear that I can do anything because the old archives tools have been removed. I cannot upgrade to the new formatting system ("Layouts") which Blogger offers because it's only offered to those hosted on BlogSpot.com or those who point their domains to blogspot.
It seems simple, Cole. Switch! Lots of people have done it! Why not move to Wordpress? Well, I do have it installed! Then why not use it? I don't know. I guess I just don't want to. What?!?
It's been sitting on my domain for over a year with most of my previous entries converted. do have new entries I'd need to move over and, every time I post here, the list becomes a little longer, unfortunately.
So what's holding me back?
Making a layout
WordPress is too advanced?
Pure laziness
I have a "new" layout sitting on the domain. I've customized most of it but I'm just not super happy with it. Yet, I don't want to throw it away, so to speak. It's just hard for me to find layout inspiration these days and I've grown much more comfortable with coding than with the graphical side of things. So maybe I just need someone to make me a layout.
It also wouldn't make a great WordPress layout, even if it works for a personal site - which brings me to my next point. Maybe WordPress is just too advanced for me. I don't have a blog site, I don't want a blog site. I have a personal site with a blog which isn't really the focus.
WordPress themes emphasize the blog. They're laid out to make rooms for archives and categories and blog rolls and RSS links, none of which are currently displayed on my site layout. Still, I'd like to utilize some of these features but I'm not sure how to have a full featured blog without overshadowing the rest of the site and, while this may sound trivial to most, it's a big deal to me.
Lastly, I'm lazy. I could just come up with a new layout. I'd have to make it up in PSP then code it all over again, to fit WP no less. I'd need to figure out a way to enrich my blog while the purpose of the site remains the same.
Really, it's sounding more and more appealing to separate my blog from my site. Of course, that's not a perfect solution either because it splits up visitors. Bleh.
Ideas? Salvation? Hard Liquor? All welcome!
[edit] For now, I manually fixed the archives. It looks much better, partly due to monthly rather than weekly archives and is complete (with some room for future entries).
Cole @ 6:04 PM
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Testing
11/12/2007
Nothing witty here. Just trying out Blogger comments since Enetation sucks ass.
Cole @ 10:17 PM
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Anonymity on the Internet
11/06/2007
It's easy to be anonymous online. Indeed, that's the sole reason some people use it. And I don't have anything against anonymity per se. I do, however, have something against those who would abuse this.
We've all asked an embarrassing question and were glad we weren't asking our closest confidantes face to face and the internet is full of helpful advice from strangers who might know our situation better than our friends and family think they do. A lot can be gleaned when someone's reply isn't depend end upon your identity and this is certainly all, well mostly, positive.
And that's not my issue. My issue arises when people use anonymity, not to save a little embarrassment or get an unbiased opinion but to hide who they really are, to be deceitful to others, to avoid a life they can't won't change.
When is it okay to use anonymity to one's advantage when it means the shirking of all responsibility?
When one can change his name every time one logs on, how can we put any faith in the internet? When one can fake a relationship, throw insults or wreak havoc on others without owning up to the damage caused or the real people involved, does anonymity serve any purpose? Is there a certain amount of it which is "good" versus an amount that is "bad?"
Who's the be the judge? Whose morals shall become the standard. I can just as easily sit here and say "You shouldn't do that" as someone else can say "It's only the internet; they can walk away from the computer if they cannot handle it." And, that's just that. How can we enforce guidelines or punishment (if we can even determine them) when all one has to do to avoid them is turn off or log out?
How do you feel about it? Have you even been glad to be anonymous? Have you ever used it against someone or to avoid placing your name to unscrupulous actions? Have you ever wished you could see behind someone's else's mask and make them face up and be responsible for their own words or actions? Overall, is anonymity positive or negative?
Cole @ 7:00 PM
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Levity
11/03/2007
One of the things which I hate most about the Internet is the lack of permanence. People and things never really seem to stay around indefinitely or, at the very least, in the same place. Certainly good does come from change and form the levity of the internet, but good also comes when things stay the same.
For instance, if you agreed, you couldn't comment on even sign my guestbook because Enetation is a piece of shit which doesn't work half the time (and, consequently, causes my site to load like ass) and my guestbook service just shut down! But, you never really think when you sign up for a site "When will this shut down? Will I lose all my information? Will the service become unavailable someday? Will I lose all the friends and contacts I've made here?"
And there you have it. Online, as well as in life, the only thing you can really depend on is yourself, eh?
A few years back, I was active in a certain community but I stopped because the owner was always shutting it down or starting it over for one reason or another. For a while, the community moved to an entirely different site then moved back recently so I see it's not stopped. I grew sick of losing my status and forum posts but, more importantly, I was sick of constantly having to re-sign up at the same site!
People do it, too. Of course, I know that not everyone can stick around the internet forever but it's almost scary to think I could be chatting away with and enjoying spending time with someone who could disappear the next day, never to return. Of course, it's happened to me numerous times.
And, though it's not disappearing entirely, I am just as aggravated when people move their sites around. Closing one only to open 3 more which will be closed. Though I have had more than one host, my site has almost always been the same and content has been carried over so anyone can see that I am here to stay and my site is extant.
Even worse is sites which still exists but the owners of which who have left the scene. Comments and e-mails sit unread and without response for days, weeks, even months as the site rots and becomes stagnant or, until the host finally shuts it down. Of course, some will never be shut down and will drift aimlessly in the sea of faces that is the endless network of information pouring into our computer ports and spilling out onto our screens.
All that aside, I'm sure we've all shared the frustration of trying to locate a resource only to be directed to a 404 error or to stumble around the internet trying to find its new location. To know someone once existed and may yet exist but cannot be located is absurdly angering.
But what can we do? Can we make someone stay despite real life which interferes with our internet personalities and lives? Can we force someone to keep a website, a resource or an object online? No. But neither can we save everything we'd like to see once again in the future. I guess some things will just become lost in the abyss and that is permanent.
Cole @ 11:55 AM
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Sorrowful Samhain
11/01/2007
My favorite holiday - Halloween - was not quite so fun. Rian wound up having off but we had no plans ebcause he'd expected to work. So we stayed home with the intent of watching Hellraiser and giving out candy to the trick or treaters; except, that didn't happen.
Though we heard and saw about 5 groups of kids who came up to our floor and knocked on our neighbour's doors, no one came to ours! I even had a little decoration up by the door but no one rang the bell. I have no idea why! We were both so disheartened that we didn't even watch the movie.
