I’ve chosen the winner for the short story contest!

Here is the winning entry:

I was trapped by the fiend and I had to get moving again.

I tried pleading with him:
“Come on, just let me go. Please! I swear it’s in your best interest to let me go.”

He was unmoved.

I tried defiance:
“You can’t keep me here forever, you know. Someone is going to come looking for me. They’re going to notice I’m not at work. My friends will rescue me, you’ll see!”

He looked at me with that level gaze, imperturbable as ever.

I tried threatening:
“I’ll get out of this chair, I swear! And when I do, you’ll be sorry.”

He knew I lied. It wasn’t chains that held me immobile.

He yawned, showing white fangs of unnerving sharpness, but in the odor that emerged, revealed a weakness — bad breath.

I pounced. “Phew! Don’t you ever brush? What have you been eating? Nevermind, I can tell.”

When he remained unruffled by my jibes, I sagged against the chair. He was immune to insults as well, the bastard.

Somewhere in the distance, I could hear the phone ringing. Someone wanted to talk to me. What did they want? I’d never know. Would I ever be permitted to move again?

As the last ring faded into silence, my captor got bored and rose. He jumped off my lap and stretched luxuriously, first the front half, then the back.

Looking back at me slyly, he twitched his whiskers and moved on.

I was free to get the laundry, or that snack I’d wanted half an hour ago.

I was free!

For now.

He’d be back.

And now that I have checked the logs, the winner is ANNE! Congratulations Anne!

Anne has won a copy of The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner. If I can get moving, I’ll try to get it in the mail today, otherwise you’ll have to wait until Saturday.

I have to say that I really liked not knowing who wrote what, and that I was wrong in my guesses as to who wrote what story. If you all would like to out yourselves, let me know. :)

ADDENDUM the First:
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Between loads of laundry, we went for a walk at the Core Arboretum, to see any color changes in the leaves, and generally enjoy the gorgeous weather.

We walked all the way down to the river, which wasn’t as far as I remembered it being, but it was every bit as steep as I remembered.

There’s still quite a lot of green, but there were some beautiful reds and yellows.

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Here is some more flower pr0n from San Antonio. It was once again weird to be somewhere warm in October. When we left Morgantown (at 4 freaking AM) it was in the 40s. Temperatures in San Antonio were in the 80s and 90s.

To be honest, that’s way too warm for me, but it was nice to see so many flowers in bloom, and I did my best to take pictures of the ones I thought interesting–especially the ones that I never see in West Virginia.

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As is well known, many of those in the current Presidential campaign have kids in the military–kids who are or have or will serve in Iraq.

Although the details are slightly different, this is precisely the same situation as Britain had earlier, when Prince Harry was kept from serving with his unit in Iraq, and then was pulled out of Afghanistan after his presence there was leaked.

First and foremost, I respect everyone involved for their service, and for not attempting to use political influence to change where their soldiers are/were/will be stationed. I believe that a lack of military service is one thing that lead the current administration to make so many bad mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s one thing to make hard decisions that will cost the lives of Americans.But I believe those hard decisions are even more complex when you know the individuals who will doing the bleeding and dying.

However, being the son or daughter of someone who holds power–or represents power in the case of Prince Harry–makes the situation different.

There are, I believe, two important things to consider. First, knowing a child is in danger is a distraction to any parent. I may not have kids of my own, but I’ve felt a sense of dread and worry knowing that someone I loved could be in danger. This level of distraction cannot be a good thing for someone in power.

But this is actually the lesser concern I think. The greater concern is the one addressed with Prince Harry: simply by being who they are, these soldiers place themselves and their units at greater risk. The wars were are fighting now are against individuals who don’t follow the rules of war, and for whom taking a high value prisoner would be an incredible coup. I believe they would pay any cost to capture such a politically valuable prisoner.

Never mind the emotional toll the president and vice president would pay in such a situation. Do we want those in power to have to choose life or death for their loved ones–which is precisely how the terrorists would present the situation.

Yes, former presidents have had children who have served in wars. However, I believe the instantaneous transmission of information around the world changes the situation, never mind the very nature of the enemy we are fighting.

So as important as the military service of these individuals is, I don’t think it is a good idea for their presence to place both the lives of their comrades and the ability of their parents to govern at risk.

Ding!
Indistinct yelling.
Ding!
The elevator doors open.
“You motherfuck…”
I step out of the elevator.
The tipsy yelling guy gulps.
I duck my head so he can’t see I’m laughing at him.

As many of you are fans of science, I think you all may apprecaite this post on IO9: Eleven Ways “Eleventh Hour” Smears the Reputation of Real Science.

5. The main thing scientists bring to the table are poignant aphorisms.

Glad I have failed to watch this show. There’s enough going on in real life to make my head explode. I don’t need any encouragement from fiction.

OMG! It’s a giant furry slug!

Even his paws are large.

Where were you on Monday evening?!

A request has been made to extend the contest deadline through the weekend.

As I am taking a vacation day Monday, I’ll extend the deadline through 11:55 PM Sunday.

So that should make Slacker #1 happy.

I’m delighted to mention that according to my polls, not only do I have more than one dog among my viewers (see poll archives) I can also claim a sentient plant!

Don’t forget to enter my contest!

You’ve got through Saturday to come up with something good!

To make up for the crappy political quiz that no one agreed with, Jim found another political quiz.

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Here’s something to brighten your week.

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Monday is a good day to waste time!

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Not much to look out anymore–this series may be ending until spring–but I’d like to get some of the fall color change first.

Also, if anyone wants a gerbera daisy to try and keep through the winter, I’ve got an extra. I also have two poinsettias that survived the summer. I don’t have the

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