Reflections on a Wildfire

A grassfire blazes in northeast Oklahoma.  Ash falls to the earth like snow.  Smoke can be seen on the horizon.  What little bit of sunlight manages to pierce through the smoke obscures the area in an eerie orange haze.  The wind carries just a little extra heat and brings a faint smell of dry grass burning.  It's difficult to accurately gauge how close it is.  Or even which way the flames are moving.  People from nearby towns look out their windows and gaze toward the cloud of smoke.  There's an ominous knot in the stomachs of some of them as they feel the fire crawling their way.  Destruction in its most primal and ferocious state.  Fire is natures great destroyer.  For thousands of years, mankind has tried, with little success, to master its power.  But it refuses to be tamed.

Just how did this incarnation of the Great Destroyer come into being on this August afternoon?  Was it gross negligence, a bizarre accident, or worse, malicious arson?

Ramblings of an Insomniac

Well, it's been like 6 months since I posted anything.  A big part of that is I'm lacking confidence in my writing abilities.  I understand that practice makes perfect, but for some reason have been totally avoiding writing anything more than a few scribbles here and there.  I guess as practice I'll start doing reviews on what I've been reading this year.  Toward the end of last year, I made a decision to try to read 50 books this year.  I'm not even halfway there and it's already June.  Will I make it to 50?  Probably not, but I'll try it anyway.

First up on my list is War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.  I'll be honest, I have no idea where to start reviewing this colossal book.  Despite it's length and the multitude of characters, it's a pretty easy read.  Tolstoy spends some time at the end of the book with philosophical rantings and that's about as dense as the book gets.  The characters are all fleshed out and lively.  You can see them change during the course of the novel as war takes it toll on their lives.  They're the driving force behind the novel and part of what compels you to finish the book.  It's themes include the nature of war, patriotism, and the importance of family.  Overall, I'd highly recommend it.  It still stands as one of the greatest achievements in literature in the past 200 years.