Español
Calle 13
La Bala
El Aguante
Latinoamérica
Carlos Vives
Volví a Nacer
La Fantástica
Ella es mi fiesta
Руский
Баста
Раз и Навсегда
Личное Дело (feat. Гуф)
Сонца Не Видно
Гуф
Хлоп-Хлоп (feat. Slim)
Francais
Jacques Dutronc
Les Métamorphoses
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Senderos Fronterizos
Senderos Fronterizos (Jiménez) 26 words (and counting).
"Hay en los Estados Unidos demasiados niños que nunca han visto su vida narrada por escrito, y a quienes nadie les ha dicho que su historia es extraordinaria ni que ellos mismos son valientes. Le agredezco a Francisco Jiménez por honrar a todos los niños valerosos que crecen en los Estados Unidos americanos bajo condiciones de pobreza." -Sandra Cisneros
Title: Senderos Fronterizos
Author: Francisco Jiménez
Language: Spanish (Mexican)
Pages: 222
1st reading progress: 6/25
2nd reading progress: 1/25
3rd reading progress: 0/25
[Why 3 times?]
Monday, June 30, 2014
El Hobbit (español)
"Smaug parecía profundamente dormido cuando Bilbo espió una vez más desde la entrada. ¡Per fingía! ¡Estaba vigilando la entrada del túnel!... Sacado de su cómodo agujero-hobbit por Gandalf y una banda de enanos, Bilbo se encuentra de pronto en medio de una conspiración que pretende apoderarse del tesoro de Smaug el Magnífico, un enorme y muy peligroso dragón..."
Title: El Hobbit
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Language: Spanish (Iberian)
Pages: 310
1st reading progress: Completed!
2nd reading progress: ...Pending...
2nd reading progress: ...Pending...
3rd reading progress: ...Pending...
Sunday, June 29, 2014
The Method
My Method
The strategy I'm currently using for Vocabulary acquisition in Spanish is through reading a selected text with at least 3 or 4 passes.
Pass 1: Read through the text without writing down unknown words. I allow myself the use of the google-translate app when a word is just begging to be translated. Reading out-loud is encouraged.
Pass 2: Read through for the sake of writing down unknown words. Once the words are compiled, meanings are sought, studied, and hopefully memorized.
Pass 3: The text is read again with the new vocabulary (hopefully) fresh in the mind, and with the vocab list handy, in case anything is forgotten. Reading out-loud is encouraged.
Pass 4: The text is read a fourth time 3 or 4 weeks after having finished the third pass. The delay is for the sake of transferring words from short-term to long-term memory. Ideally, I won't have to refer to the Vocab list by this point.
Recommended Practice
Pass 1: Download, print, and study my provided vocab list(s). Study the the words one chapter at a time. Actually read the book chapter by chapter in between memorizing words. Start with "Cajas de Cartón" if you haven't read Spanish books before.
Pass 2: Read the text, again, with the vocab list handy.
Pass 3: Same as Pass 2, except you might not need the list.
Pass 2: Read the text, again, with the vocab list handy.
Pass 3: Same as Pass 2, except you might not need the list.
Enjoy your expanded library, and thanks for reading!
¡Buenas Suerte!
Vocab Extraction Method: Batch Processing
As you read books and articles in your target language, write down unknown words from the text. Later, type up the list of unknown words in Excel. You can copy/paste hundreds of entries from excel into google.translate, and back to the excel list, with only a few clicks. The only downside being google.translate doesn't know everything, and so you have to comb the translation list for typo's, translation errors, or ambiguous translations.
When google fails to give me a good translation, Spanishdict.com is a wonderful resource.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Cajas de Cartón
Cajas de Cartón (Jiménez) 600 words.
"Al igual que la obra clásica de John Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath, los relatos de Jiménez combinan un crudo realismo social con un estremecedor drama personal." -Hazel Rochman, Booklist
Title: Cajas de Cartón
Author: Francisco Jiménez
Language: Spanish (Mexican)
Pages: 125
1st reading progress: Completed!
2nd reading progress: Completed!
3rd reading progress: Completed!
[Why 3 times?]
Phrases of interest:
"¡Vuelve la burra al trigo!" ::Meaning::
Phrase of Mexican origin expressing frustration at having to revisit a conversational topic that had already been closed.
"Dar a luz."
Literally means "to give light", but is understood to mean giving birth.
Download 600 word vocab list
Read the sequel, "Senderos Fronterizos".
See also:
Metro 2033 (Glukhovksy)
Peter Pan y Wendy (Barrie, Ingpen)
Title: Cajas de Cartón
Author: Francisco Jiménez
Language: Spanish (Mexican)
Pages: 125
1st reading progress: Completed!
2nd reading progress: Completed!
3rd reading progress: Completed!
[Why 3 times?]
Phrases of interest:
"¡Vuelve la burra al trigo!" ::Meaning::
Phrase of Mexican origin expressing frustration at having to revisit a conversational topic that had already been closed.
"Dar a luz."
Literally means "to give light", but is understood to mean giving birth.
Read the sequel, "Senderos Fronterizos".
See also:
Metro 2033 (Glukhovksy)
Peter Pan y Wendy (Barrie, Ingpen)
Need to track the Foreign Language Vocabulary that you know you know? Want to know what you don't know? Don't know what you don't know?
Check out the Vocab Tracker.
Check out the Vocab Tracker.
Peter Pan y Wendy
Title: Peter Pan y Wendy
Author: Barrie, Ingpen
Language: Iberian Spanish Pages: 216
1st reading progress: Complete
2nd reading progress: N/A
3rd reading progress: N/A
[Why 3 times?]
Metro 2033 (Español)
"Año
2033. Tras una guerra nuclear devastadora, amplias zonas del mundo han
quedado sepultadas bajo escombros y cenizas debido a la radiación.
También Moscú se ha transformado en una ciudad fantasma. Los
supervivientes se han refugiado bajo tierra, en la red de metro. En cada
una de las estaciones, convertidas en pequeñas ciudades Estado, sus
habitantes se agrupan en torno a las más diversas ideologías, religiones
o movidos por único objetivo: impedir una invasión de las criaturas
mutantes del exterior."Title: Metro 2033
Author: Dmitry Glukhovsky
Language: Iberian Spanish (Get used to Vosotros)
Pages: 541
1st reading progress: Completed!
2nd reading progress: 6/20
3rd reading progress: N/A
[Why 3 times?]
Favorite words (so far):
Lanzallamas (flamethrower),
Lanzagranada (grenadelauncher),
Aniquilar (annihilate).
Mushrooms/fungus has 3 different words used for it in "Metro:"
Fongo, hongo, champiñones
Favorite dialogue:
Hermano Ioann: "¡Durante los mil años del reino de Jesús, los creyentes transformarán la Tierra en paraíso, y Dios resucitará a millones de muertos!"
[...]
Artyom: "¿Y qué les dice Jehová a los mutantes sin cabeza?"
See also:
Peter Pan y Wendy (Barrie, Ingpen)
"Cajas de Cartón (Jiménez)
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Spanish Reading Vocab
Excel vocabulary lists:
Metro 2033 (Glukhovksy) 800 words. (In progress)
Peter Pan y Wendy (Barrie, Ingpen) 649 words. (First pass Completed)
"Cajas de Cartón (Jiménez) 600 words. (Completed)
Recommended Practice:
Study the them prior to, and in conjunction with, reading the selected books. Vocabulary is separated by chapter, so relevant words can be reviewed within minutes of reading them in context.
As I developed this method, I've experimented with different word layouts within Excel to optimize printing, and also the copying of information. As my Excel experience is limited and largely self-taught, this is an ongoing work-in-progress. Recommendations for streamlining are appreciated.
"Cajas" and "Peter Pan" are divided into sheets by chapter.
For Metro, check the "Printable" sheet.
Excel vocabulary lists:
Metro 2033 (Glukhovksy) (In progress)
Peter Pan y Wendy (Barrie, Ingpen) (In progress)
"Cajas de Cartón (Jiménez) 600 words. (Completed)
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Vocabulary Tracker
"...as we know, there are known knowns; there are things that we know that we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know we don't know."
-Donald Rumsfeld
At 500 words, you're in the silent period, also known as pre-production.
At 1,000 words, you're in the language production phase.
With a vocabulary of 3,000 words, you are speech emergent.
At 6,000 words, you can construct more complicated sentences: Intermediate Fluency.
Advanced Fluency arises around 10,000 words.
[Wiki: Fluency levels]
Do you know what level your vocabulary is at?
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Captain Dracula
Seawater splashed over their faces as the rubber
inflatable boat skipped and bounced over the choppy black water. Ahead, the silhouette
of a fully rigged galleon stood illuminated in the moonlight. The seven man
team huddled tight to the boat and spoke not a word, the outboard motor droned
like a lawn mower beneath the waterline.
When the rubber raft came within 200 yards of the galleon, Petty Officer 2nd class Wasnick cut the outboard motor and pulled it aboard. Without a word, he and the rest of the SEAL team pulled out black, wooden oars and began paddling for the galleon. Six oars began cutting into the water in unison as Lieutenant Colding quietly called, "Stroke... Stroke... Stroke". Father Rodriguez, sitting amidships, uttered a near silent prayer in Latin as he held a rosary, the crucifix dangling from his fist.
"Stroke... Stroke... Standby..." The rowing stopped. The raft was now directly in the path of the galleon, its sails suddenly eclipsing the moon. Lt Colding handled a black rope with a grappling hook on it, "Stand back", he whispered hoarsely.
The black mountain of a ship came mere feet from smashing headlong into the raft as Colding spun the grappling hook in 3 quick circles around his wrist and tossed it high on the ship's port bow.
Success! The hook had caught the railing of the forecastle. The rope that the grappling hook was attached to was also fastened along the starboard side of the raft, and as the galleon continued on its course, the line pulled tight and the raft was pulled in close to the side of the ship.
Colding, rifle slung behind his back, began climbing the rope up the wooden wall that was the side of the ship, followed by Petty Officer First class Barnes, then Father Rodriguez. As the first three men hung from the rail off the side of the ship, the four remaining men from the SEAL boat crew climbed the rope.
Father Rodriguez was dressed in a white robe vestment, and the five SEALs were dressed in cargo pants, tactical helmets and ammo vests all of which black. The six of them watched Lt Colding as he peered over the deck. He saw the unwashed crew of the damned. Holding on with his right arm, Colding signaled with the fingers of his left hand 3... 2... 1... FIST!
The SEALs vaulted over the railing of the front of the ship, rifles in hand.
"GET DOWN! GIDOWN!!! DROP TO THE DECK!!! NOW!!!", Colding roared, Wasnick shouted Colding's orders in Romanian. Father Rodriguez clambered on deck behind the advancing SEALs. The pirates began to drop to the deck.
f'BOOM!!!
One of the pirates had taken aim and fired his flintlock pistol. The bullet raced harmlessly into the night.
BANG BANG! The muzzle flashes from Colding's rifle briefly illuminated the ship in orange and harsh shadows as he turned and shot the pirate in the chest. The pirate immediately fell into a heap of ash that swirled away in the wind.
The SEALs filed down each set of stairs from the forecastle to the main deck, zip-tying wrists and ankles together and policing weapons.
"You," Colding said while pointing to a pirate at the wheel above him in the aft-castle, "Come. Down. Here", Colding then pointed at the deck immediately before him. Colding and the helmsman stared at each other for a moment. The helmsman shifted his weight and his face tensed. The helmsman launched himself over the aftcastle’s railing, baring wolf-like fangs and hissing.
The entire SEAL team opened fire on the flying vampirate, throwing harsh shadows across the ship. As soon as the shooting began, it had stopped. Only moonlight illuminated the darkened ship. The cool kiss of ashes swept past each team member's face.
"Guess they weren't expecting silver bullets to work," Kyer muttered.
"Rodriguez, Wasnick; secure the captain's quarters and the lower decks. 4, 5 and 6, fluoresce the crew. Barnes, you're with me."
The door to the captain's quarters lay amid the two stairs leading up the aftcastle to the helm. The ladderwell to the lower decks was ten or so feet forward of the door, secured with a trap door style hatch. Father Rodriguez pulled out a wafer and lifted it to heaven, praying in Latin while Colding and Barnes climbed the short stairs to the aftcastle. Wasnick had his rifle trained on the hatch to the ladderwell.
Johnson, Kyer, and McGill policed the restrained crewmen, passing a fluorescent UV lamp over each, illuminating each in an eerie purple haze.
Father Rodriguez broke the wafer and crumbled it in a circle around the hatch in the deck, saying "In Nomine Patri, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, Amen", then made the sign of the cross over the crumbs. Father Rodriguez turned and walked toward the door to the captain's quarters, Wasnick followed the Father, sweeping his rifle up high and around the deck, searching for movement.
Johnson's voice crackled into everyone's ear-pieces, "topside crew accounted for," he said in a calm whisper, "all vampires. No humans. I repeat; no humans."
Father Rodriguez produced another communion wafer and touched it to the top of the captain's door, and said, "Hoc est corpus meum", and broke the wafer in two.
Kyer and McGill fell in behind Wasnick and the Father, Johnson double-timed up to meet Colding and Barnes above the captain's quarters at the aft-castle.
White crumbs lining the captain's door, the Father keyed his throat microphone and said, "Amen." "Execute! Execute!" Colding broke in.
Wasnick kicked down the door to the captain's quarters, Kyer and McGill rushed in and broke off left and right. Father Rodriguez followed as Wasnick charged straight into the room.
Captain Dracula arose from his desk.
"GET DOWN!!! GET DOWN ON THE DECK!!!", Wasnick screamed.
Kyer and McGill were a few feet to the left and right of Captain Dracula, their rifles trained at his center of mass. Captain Dracula wore a black jacket with a red sash across his chest. His face was stoic. Atop his balding head was a large, gold trimmed three-point hat with a flowing black feather.
"Avast! and good evening!" Captain Dracula said with astonishingly good English. It was a strange experience, seeing a pirate captain speak with such calm reserve in an Eastern European inflection.
"Perhaps you would seet down and ahvadrink?"
"Captain Dracula, you're coming with us."
"Oh? And where am I going?" Dracula asked in a subtle, mocking incredulity.
"Out that window," Wasnick said as he gestured with his rifle barrel to the floor-to-ceiling windows at the back of the room.
"I don't think so," Captain Dracula said, "You know wampyres cannot sweem."
The soft, thumping beat of an approaching helicopter broke in.
"Your ride's on its way, Captain. I suggest you not fight."
The rocking of this ship was much more noticeable inside Dracula's quarters. The dozen white stumps of candles illuminating the center of the cabin seemed not to move, but their flames all tilted and swayed unanimously to the left and right.
Wasnick still had his rifle trained on Dracula's face. Dracula's upper lip stiffened almost imperceptibly.
"I'll give you to the count of three,” Wasnick said, "Drop to your knees."
Captain Dracula remained impassive. The candle-flames swayed to port.
"One..."
The flames swayed back to starboard.
"Two..."
The candle flames were halfway back to port when -CRASH!!!
Large shards of glass and wood paneling flew through the cabin as Colding and Barnes swung like Tarzan through the windows on their ropes. Dracula wheeled about, hissing.
Colding was face to face with the Romanian pirate overlord. Those fangs must be two inches l-
Dracula slapped Colding's M4 rifle aside. Colding's rifle was slung to his body, so it didn't leave him, but the force of Dracula's slap had tossed him into Barnes, knocking both men to the floor of the cabin in a clatter of metal on wood.
Father Rodriguez leapt over the desk in the center of the room and from behind began to strangle Captain Dracula with his Rosary. Vampires don't breathe, but Dracula's hands clawed at the beads around his neck, deathly allergic to the holy icon. His feathered hat fell to the floor in the struggle.
Colding got to his feet and pulled what looked like an epinephrine pen out of his cargo pants and pulled the cap off, revealing a silver alloy needle. He stabbed the needle into Captain Dracula's chest. Dracula's pupils dilated wide, coloring his red eyes black, and his struggling went slack and loose. The thudding of the helicopter was distinctly closer now.
Barnes unstuffed a black, plastic body bag from the back of his tactical vest. Father Rodriguez released the Rosary from Dracula's neck and helped Colding and Barnes stuff the vampire into the body bag. Colding zipped the bag up, and Father Rodriguez secured the zipper with the Rosary.
"Let's see him try to get out of that!" Colding said, amused.
The helicopter was now directly over the aftcastle of the galleon, the thunder of its rotors could be heard over the sea swells through the shattered glass, as well as felt throughout the wooden ship.
Colding unclipped his repelling rope from his harness and secured it to Dracula's body bag. Meanwhile, topside, Johnson had untied Colding's rope from the railing of the fantail and secured it to a line that dangled from the helicopter.
Johnson's voice broke in on everyone's earpieces, "towline secure".
Colding brought his thumb and index finger to his throat mic and said, "roger that. Bag secure, bag secure. Vampire away!"
Colding spit on the body bag and shoved it out the broken glass window into the sea. The line swayed and the bag swung wide over the black sea. The helicopter pulled away, towing Dracula beneath.
When the rubber raft came within 200 yards of the galleon, Petty Officer 2nd class Wasnick cut the outboard motor and pulled it aboard. Without a word, he and the rest of the SEAL team pulled out black, wooden oars and began paddling for the galleon. Six oars began cutting into the water in unison as Lieutenant Colding quietly called, "Stroke... Stroke... Stroke". Father Rodriguez, sitting amidships, uttered a near silent prayer in Latin as he held a rosary, the crucifix dangling from his fist.
"Stroke... Stroke... Standby..." The rowing stopped. The raft was now directly in the path of the galleon, its sails suddenly eclipsing the moon. Lt Colding handled a black rope with a grappling hook on it, "Stand back", he whispered hoarsely.
The black mountain of a ship came mere feet from smashing headlong into the raft as Colding spun the grappling hook in 3 quick circles around his wrist and tossed it high on the ship's port bow.
Success! The hook had caught the railing of the forecastle. The rope that the grappling hook was attached to was also fastened along the starboard side of the raft, and as the galleon continued on its course, the line pulled tight and the raft was pulled in close to the side of the ship.
Colding, rifle slung behind his back, began climbing the rope up the wooden wall that was the side of the ship, followed by Petty Officer First class Barnes, then Father Rodriguez. As the first three men hung from the rail off the side of the ship, the four remaining men from the SEAL boat crew climbed the rope.
Father Rodriguez was dressed in a white robe vestment, and the five SEALs were dressed in cargo pants, tactical helmets and ammo vests all of which black. The six of them watched Lt Colding as he peered over the deck. He saw the unwashed crew of the damned. Holding on with his right arm, Colding signaled with the fingers of his left hand 3... 2... 1... FIST!
The SEALs vaulted over the railing of the front of the ship, rifles in hand.
"GET DOWN! GIDOWN!!! DROP TO THE DECK!!! NOW!!!", Colding roared, Wasnick shouted Colding's orders in Romanian. Father Rodriguez clambered on deck behind the advancing SEALs. The pirates began to drop to the deck.
f'BOOM!!!
One of the pirates had taken aim and fired his flintlock pistol. The bullet raced harmlessly into the night.
BANG BANG! The muzzle flashes from Colding's rifle briefly illuminated the ship in orange and harsh shadows as he turned and shot the pirate in the chest. The pirate immediately fell into a heap of ash that swirled away in the wind.
The SEALs filed down each set of stairs from the forecastle to the main deck, zip-tying wrists and ankles together and policing weapons.
"You," Colding said while pointing to a pirate at the wheel above him in the aft-castle, "Come. Down. Here", Colding then pointed at the deck immediately before him. Colding and the helmsman stared at each other for a moment. The helmsman shifted his weight and his face tensed. The helmsman launched himself over the aftcastle’s railing, baring wolf-like fangs and hissing.
The entire SEAL team opened fire on the flying vampirate, throwing harsh shadows across the ship. As soon as the shooting began, it had stopped. Only moonlight illuminated the darkened ship. The cool kiss of ashes swept past each team member's face.
"Guess they weren't expecting silver bullets to work," Kyer muttered.
"Rodriguez, Wasnick; secure the captain's quarters and the lower decks. 4, 5 and 6, fluoresce the crew. Barnes, you're with me."
The door to the captain's quarters lay amid the two stairs leading up the aftcastle to the helm. The ladderwell to the lower decks was ten or so feet forward of the door, secured with a trap door style hatch. Father Rodriguez pulled out a wafer and lifted it to heaven, praying in Latin while Colding and Barnes climbed the short stairs to the aftcastle. Wasnick had his rifle trained on the hatch to the ladderwell.
Johnson, Kyer, and McGill policed the restrained crewmen, passing a fluorescent UV lamp over each, illuminating each in an eerie purple haze.
Father Rodriguez broke the wafer and crumbled it in a circle around the hatch in the deck, saying "In Nomine Patri, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, Amen", then made the sign of the cross over the crumbs. Father Rodriguez turned and walked toward the door to the captain's quarters, Wasnick followed the Father, sweeping his rifle up high and around the deck, searching for movement.
Johnson's voice crackled into everyone's ear-pieces, "topside crew accounted for," he said in a calm whisper, "all vampires. No humans. I repeat; no humans."
Father Rodriguez produced another communion wafer and touched it to the top of the captain's door, and said, "Hoc est corpus meum", and broke the wafer in two.
Kyer and McGill fell in behind Wasnick and the Father, Johnson double-timed up to meet Colding and Barnes above the captain's quarters at the aft-castle.
White crumbs lining the captain's door, the Father keyed his throat microphone and said, "Amen." "Execute! Execute!" Colding broke in.
Wasnick kicked down the door to the captain's quarters, Kyer and McGill rushed in and broke off left and right. Father Rodriguez followed as Wasnick charged straight into the room.
Captain Dracula arose from his desk.
"GET DOWN!!! GET DOWN ON THE DECK!!!", Wasnick screamed.
Kyer and McGill were a few feet to the left and right of Captain Dracula, their rifles trained at his center of mass. Captain Dracula wore a black jacket with a red sash across his chest. His face was stoic. Atop his balding head was a large, gold trimmed three-point hat with a flowing black feather.
"Avast! and good evening!" Captain Dracula said with astonishingly good English. It was a strange experience, seeing a pirate captain speak with such calm reserve in an Eastern European inflection.
"Perhaps you would seet down and ahvadrink?"
"Captain Dracula, you're coming with us."
"Oh? And where am I going?" Dracula asked in a subtle, mocking incredulity.
"Out that window," Wasnick said as he gestured with his rifle barrel to the floor-to-ceiling windows at the back of the room.
"I don't think so," Captain Dracula said, "You know wampyres cannot sweem."
The soft, thumping beat of an approaching helicopter broke in.
"Your ride's on its way, Captain. I suggest you not fight."
The rocking of this ship was much more noticeable inside Dracula's quarters. The dozen white stumps of candles illuminating the center of the cabin seemed not to move, but their flames all tilted and swayed unanimously to the left and right.
Wasnick still had his rifle trained on Dracula's face. Dracula's upper lip stiffened almost imperceptibly.
"I'll give you to the count of three,” Wasnick said, "Drop to your knees."
Captain Dracula remained impassive. The candle-flames swayed to port.
"One..."
The flames swayed back to starboard.
"Two..."
The candle flames were halfway back to port when -CRASH!!!
Large shards of glass and wood paneling flew through the cabin as Colding and Barnes swung like Tarzan through the windows on their ropes. Dracula wheeled about, hissing.
Colding was face to face with the Romanian pirate overlord. Those fangs must be two inches l-
Dracula slapped Colding's M4 rifle aside. Colding's rifle was slung to his body, so it didn't leave him, but the force of Dracula's slap had tossed him into Barnes, knocking both men to the floor of the cabin in a clatter of metal on wood.
Father Rodriguez leapt over the desk in the center of the room and from behind began to strangle Captain Dracula with his Rosary. Vampires don't breathe, but Dracula's hands clawed at the beads around his neck, deathly allergic to the holy icon. His feathered hat fell to the floor in the struggle.
Colding got to his feet and pulled what looked like an epinephrine pen out of his cargo pants and pulled the cap off, revealing a silver alloy needle. He stabbed the needle into Captain Dracula's chest. Dracula's pupils dilated wide, coloring his red eyes black, and his struggling went slack and loose. The thudding of the helicopter was distinctly closer now.
Barnes unstuffed a black, plastic body bag from the back of his tactical vest. Father Rodriguez released the Rosary from Dracula's neck and helped Colding and Barnes stuff the vampire into the body bag. Colding zipped the bag up, and Father Rodriguez secured the zipper with the Rosary.
"Let's see him try to get out of that!" Colding said, amused.
The helicopter was now directly over the aftcastle of the galleon, the thunder of its rotors could be heard over the sea swells through the shattered glass, as well as felt throughout the wooden ship.
Colding unclipped his repelling rope from his harness and secured it to Dracula's body bag. Meanwhile, topside, Johnson had untied Colding's rope from the railing of the fantail and secured it to a line that dangled from the helicopter.
Johnson's voice broke in on everyone's earpieces, "towline secure".
Colding brought his thumb and index finger to his throat mic and said, "roger that. Bag secure, bag secure. Vampire away!"
Colding spit on the body bag and shoved it out the broken glass window into the sea. The line swayed and the bag swung wide over the black sea. The helicopter pulled away, towing Dracula beneath.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Chris Shendo
Lieutenant
Commander Shendo awoke slowly from his perfectly timed eight hour rest cycle.
He had dreamt that he was flying. His flying dreams were suddenly quite rare
since he took this mission on, and it always put him in a seemingly perennial
good mood when he had them. Or, at least it put him in a good mood until his
next sleep cycle.
He
unstrapped the Velcro-netting that kept him secured to the wall while he slept.
In zero gravity, he'd eventually drift towards the nearest air vent if he
wasn't strapped in. Not that it was likely to have any real ill effects if that
happened, but his and the Navy's meticulous nature prevented him from having
(or being) gear adrift in any compartment, on any ship. Ever.
This
particular ship was small; it was practically a super-powered, luxury-suite
life-pod. Someone higher-up on the chain of command must have thought that this
would be fine on account of LTCDR Shendo's frame being smaller than most
everyone else in the Navy, but the fact of the matter remained that he actually
needed a lot more space than just about everyone else he had served with.
Sometimes that fact could be ignored.
Chris
stared out the starboard side window out at the stars. For a brief moment, he
felt he wasn't confined to the ship anymore, but that the universe was his, and
the expanse of stars was just part of a big pond he floated carelessly on.
"Enough
daydreaming", Chris thought.
With a
nudge he gently pushed off the bulkhead and drifted toward the computer
terminal and strapped himself in. He tabbed the "on" button.
He
didn't care for computers much, they were a bit of a hassle to him and he felt
he pretty much had to "hunt-and-peck" on them. It was probably
assumed by his Japanese sounding last-name that he'd be great with technology.
To be fair, that was a safe assumption when taking into account that he did
graduate top in his class at the Naval Academy.
But
another fact had been overlooked; or, rather, the same fact as previously
alluded to had been overlooked. Lieutenant
Commander Chris Shendo isn't Japanese. He's a duck.
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