Kenja No Sekkyoudan

Monday, April 27, 2009

Lance of Courage

After my Article on Hope; I realized I was missing one single most important part of the equation...

Of all the different types of Hope that lie within and without of ones self, It is 'Courage' that lies inside, that is able to face the fears that brings us to the depths of despair and cover us in insanity.

It Is Ones Courage and the Courage of all the others in or Life that make us able to face things by ourselves proving that even if we are physically alone and in the direst of circumstance and quite possibly on deaths doorstep; that if We are able to face such things, then we are truly not alone ever.

And in the great expanse of all things, I must give credit where credit is due.

Thank you to the Japanese People; for even amidst all their structured craziness, they still know how to stop and smell the roses.

R. William Holzkopf Jr.

Arigato Gozaimasu. also goes out to my Good Friend Ame~Chan who has been a positive force in my life, and to her I say, {Toivo, Rohkeus, Rakastaa}.

Monday, April 06, 2009

A Merry April Wonderland!

So the reports at least since Friday, had called for Ice/Rain possibly Snow for Sunday and Monday.

I decidedly wandered up from my basement dungeon around 11:15 pm CST to see if anything was stirring in Nature besides me. And even though it was an expected possibility I was still shocked to see snow layering the ground and flitting through the sky like it was mid January.

Well I am sure that the news reports by early morning rush hour will have accidents all ice and snow related, with maybe a power outage or two because the trees are just cracking under the shock of this cold snap and the heavy slushy snow.

I happened to be outside and hear a Cracking, a crackle, a few snaps, and then the sound you would hear in a forest as a tree is about to timber and whack! a large branch of a neighbors tree comes down into their yard and across the sidewalk. Thankfully it did not hit anything of value or hurt anyone. And whilst I was merrily snapping of pictures I heard a cracking above me and since my yard is full of all sorts of trees and overhead branches I figured I had fared the elements long enough and came back into my roaring fire.

R. William Holzkopf Jr.

These pictures below were taken between 11:30pm-12:15am CST April 06th, 2009:

Friday, March 20, 2009

Empress Casino Fire: Joliet, IL - 03.20.2009

So today I was out in Joliet, IL with a Friend and there is this black plume of smoke rising up into the early afternoon sky, apparently the fire started around 10am CST local according to reports. But I hadn't gotten to the area until just after 1pm.

By 2pm we had met up with my Sister and she let me know it was the Empress Casino burning to the ground. Initial reports said everyone had gotten to safety at the Hotel on the grounds and the fire was apparently started by a welding accident.

So we drove up as close as we could and got as close as Houbolt and Rt. 6 in Channahon, IL bordering Joliet and the Casino; we were stopped by the Police who had set up a blockade probably about 5-6 miles from the incident.

So we proceeded to take pictures and some video and I will share it here with you what I was able to get.

NBC has some good footage on there website which I was obviously not able to get, however it is not that I don't feel bad for the Workers who are now going to be out of a Job because of this and at the worst of times.

But without further adieu;