Terror

Getting just what they wanted.

"CNN also has obtained an al Qaeda document that spells out the terrorist group's plan to separate Spain from the U.S.-led coalition on Iraq.
...
"The strategy spelled out in the document calls for using terrorist attacks to oust Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's Partido Popular from power and replace it with the Socialists.
...
"'We think the Spanish government will not stand more than two blows, or three at the most, before it will be forced to withdraw because of the public pressure on it,' the al Qaeda document says.
...
"the Socialists unseat[ed] the Popular Party three days after near-simultaneous bombings of four trains killed 200 and shocked the nation.
...
"Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Monday he wants the 1,300 Spanish troops in Iraq to return home by June 30 if the United Nations 'doesn't take control of Iraq.'

"'I think Spain's participation in the war has been a total error,' he said."

I feel sick.

Koogrr

In the spirit of haikujaguar's call to action, I thought I'd do another entry about a friend. Look, I've done two now! It's a series. ;)

koogrr is one of those friends-of-friends that I'd heard stories about for years before I ever spoke to him directly. John had been active in the early days of Sinai, but he left it before I came aboard. He wasn't forgotten, though. In fact, on my Sinai application, I had to pick an example of a log that I liked, and explain what I liked about it. As it turned out, I picked a log that genesis_w had run for one of John's characters.

Since I discovered that he had a LiveJournal, I've been enjoying his writings here. I like his particular writing style quite a lot. His essays have an understated, quiet power to them, more contemplative than inflammatory, and he has a knack for memorable phrases. ("Strong like peanut butter!")

When we were both participating in the early planning stages of Puzzlebox, I discovered that he and I shared similar tastes in roleplay. This became a significant factor in my decision to post this entry -- I was hoping John would accept the invitation. :)

He did, and I can now say that he is an unmitigated delight in Roleplay. He played with enthusiasm, style, and energy. He responded well to the situations that arose, took active measures to further the plot and involve himself in it, and accepted bad rolls and negative rulings alike without complaint. And his character had a nice mix of good and bad traits, too. I really like it when players build flaws into their characters, and aren't afraid to play them up.

All this, and he explained to me how my sump pump worked and kept me company (on the phone) while I did exciting homeowner things like "scrub the basement floor to kill mold". A good man, and a good friend. It's a pleasure knowing you, John. Hopefully, someday I'll even get to meet you in person. ;)