Monday, February 24, 2014

Stories from the Mission... bit 55

2/12/12
   One thing you learn around here is forgiveness. Jesus teaches us that even while he was on the Cross, he forgave those that did it to him, and I've learned to apply it through the guys around here. Cleveland and I had an argument 2 hours ago at breakfast, it was stupid stuff, I could see he was getting mad, but I was so right, lol. So here I am now, sitting on my deck (top of 3B(4t)) and writing and he walks by and tickles my foot. I show him some of my artwork that I post on my locker every day, the Cobalt, and he says that it looks like I am good for something other than aggravating him and then he laughs in his gravely voice.
   Hmmm, the Cobalt. It's a space ship I made in Bryce 3D whose basic shape was a mistake. It's a longish gold and blue, single seat space craft. I was working on a completely different project where I had 5 spheres in a crossing group. I went to elongate them and by accident had them in what they call world space instead of object space, so they distorted differently than I had planned. It looked neat, but it was not what I needed, so I was about to undo it and looked at it again. The shape had possibilities! So I saved it as a separate file for a later time. About a month later I dragged it out to fulfill it's mission. While it's basic shape is unorthodox, it is beautiful. I added many accepted style of details, guns, engines, a metal paneled surface and a cockpit, some of the others things I did just to tweak the viewer. The cockpit dome is too low to see out of, but it looked interesting, the blue color between the smooth panels has an odd bump map giving a nice contrast to the mirrored gold and the engines have no discernible glow or exhaust.
   I used to spend hours glued to a screen, hands moving in small movements, index finger clicking hard enough to smash ants. I would lock into an idea and ferret it out, no matter how long it took. My job stood in the way of it many times. The only break I got was how long it took to render an image. I used to laugh when I'd talk with guys about the latest and greatest processors (Heh, I distinctly remember tell someone the new 450 mhz possessors looked good. dang, not even a full Ghz), and know it alls would tell me how people don't need all that power. I'd tell them that when I'm rendering an image it can take over an hour running the processor at 100%, let alone when I want to do it at full size, it can take over a week at times. I look forward to the day they come out with a 100 Ghz chip.... naw, I'd still want more prolly, lol. (and I go on for a few more paragraphs on stuff most people won't want to read about, lol.)
   I went to New Eden church last night. They send out an old school bus that is painted green with little people holding hands as a trim near the top in white. The first seat on the left has been removed and fitted with a church type podium so a preacher can start  the evenings fun right away. He never stays at the podium, but walks up and down the isle, blasting out a sermon as we fly down the highway. I also like the hymns we sing on the bus, such as "Give me that old time religion". The church itself is an 60+ year old house located 634 W 59th on the south side of Chicago. The Black guys that know the area kept betting Jason $50 to take a walk a few blocks down saying he'd never make it back. This is a guy that once took a kick to the crotch for $20 and some chicken... he didn't take the walk. It's a good little church, everybody was really friendly to me there, just a wee bit more hard core than what I'm looking for.
   What is it with eyes and the mission? There are at least 5 guys here with just one and another 4 or 5 with eyes so crossed I'm not sure which one to look at when I'm talking with them. It's a hard road that leads here, not having all your senses can't make it easier.
2/16/12
   Note to future self (Sitting here an typing this just now, I realize, whoa, that's me!). At around Armitage and Bissell are a bunch of nice old houses with really nice paint and those half turrets with windows all a round them. I now make a note to myself to get back there and take pics.
   Wabash and Chicago has some of the most amazingly beautiful women in the city I have ever found! I saw 6 stunning darlings in the tiny Starbucks alone! It's a really wealthy area, so if you're looking to meet a girl, not a bad choice. Then again, maybe that is why there is such a huge amount of pretty women there... and they ain't looking for a homeless dude... much the opposite, lol. There is a Bentley dealership near here and I've seen a brand new Adventador parked along the tight streets there, then saw a Murcielago cruising down the street, bat wing engine intakes raised up, both of them in a bright super hero orange. This is not a normal Chicago weather at all.
2/17/12
   Robert G had disappeared from the program a few weeks ago, which was a big suprise to all of us. I mean, he was always so full of the spirtit, just glowing and up beat, a real good guy. Now he is back and the rumor mill is running at high speed. It's giving guys a chance to learn, I keep telling them, we weren't there, we don't know what actually occurred. Mississippi left out of the program around Christmas, got sloppy drunk and beat up, he hadn't known the good from the bad areas of the city. I thought how he always got by on his big smile and happy demeanor... and it was then I had an epiphany... I had always gotten by on just my mechanical skills and their ability to make me enough money to keep me off the street, but not to really grow as a worthy person. There are millionaires out there that are no better than a homeless dude in a box if they didn't have that cushion of inherited cash. What I had thought of as a gift, had kept me from really growing. I have dozens of ideas for inventions, things that could be worth millions, but if any of them had come to fruition before now, I'd be a stoned, charred husk, my brain pickled with booze. I might have gotten one or two inventions out, but not the rest, or would I have applied any of the profits in the right way. I see now the Lord placed me in the mission, not just to get myself right, but to get to know this neglected work force down here and to seek a way to help them some day. The only way to get this economy running again is with products people want to buy. I can do that... I just need some help.
  

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