Usually there's something for me to do in Nowhere Else (if there weren't, I'd have retired to become a teacher).  But when boredom does roll around, it always seems to set in very fast.  I have been moping around Soupir for the past few days, absently checking to see if anyone's bought anything from my shop or whether I've gotten any new letters.  Even my quest for finding Jhal-Abur has lagged.  Last time, my boat broke and I had to swim my way around a very trying set of Variables.  Not much fun at all.  

One interesting thing that did happen, however, was that my blog was selected as the most interesting during the month of September, and I won two Diamond Tokens as a Prize.  Perhaps I should say SURprise, as I hadn't even known that there was going to be a contest.  Anyways, I finally decided that the most sensible thing to do with my DTs was to buy myself a custom outfit!

 As I was walking to the Token Shop (and here's where I finally get to the point) I noticed the poor, bedraggled remains of a new adventurer.  In reverence, I bent down to utter a quick prayer-and, of course, to rifle through the adventurer's pockets.  When I stood up, I noticed a man wearing black coming towards me.  Now this was not good.  The man-I recognized him as Orace from the graveyard-stopped to take a good look at the body, and then he glanced over at me. 

 I can't remember exactly what I said, but I think I blubbered something about apologies, the Gods watching over everything, and my hard-earned relationship with the guard in Castle Soupir.  I also said something along the lines of "I'll do anything!!!"

Orace just shrugged.  "Great skills ya got there," he said, and pointed to the corpse.  Only then did I notice that while I was looting the body, I somehow managed to arrange its arm, leg and tailbone in a perfectly straight line.  

Before I knew it, I was marched to the graveyard and ordered to help "clean some bones".  It was a lot of hard work, but in the end, Orace ran out of Holy Water and told me to come back later, after he'd gotten the priest to bless some more for him.  As I continued on my way to the token shop, I decided that I would, later on, come back to clean some more bones.  It was a great way to kill time, plus I could do the community a service while I was at it.  Hopefully one day I'll feel the same way about Clan Snooker, too.

 EDIT: Another way to kill time is to go shopping.  After prepaying for my outfit, I spent about an hour trying on clothes till I found what I wanted.  Here's a link to what I bought:

   Click Here

When I woke up today, I found a note waiting for me at the Post office saying that my gazette story had been rejected -_- I'm guessing that perhaps the article contained a spoiler about a location (which technically is a public player island).  They didn't really give any specific information, so I guess I'll never know.

 I guess that I will try to write something about the main island; maybe my story will be accepted then.  In the meantime, I think I'll post the article here for friendly reader's sakes.

The history of Barrelville (I forgot what the story was called at first)

       Last Sunday was a horribly rainy day, so I decided to catch the ferry to Tangerine Isles and read some good books.  Some island libraries house grander, more extensive collections, but the Barrelville library is cozier and just the right place to go if you're searching for a more unusual fairy tale.  It is also run by the smartest wooden cask I've ever met-Mr. Barrelbob, who has helped to organize and oversee the books for more than 20 years.  
       "I'm really happy with the way the library's turning out," Mr. Barrelbob said, thumbing through one of his beloved history tomes.  "We've recently acquired enough books to begin work on another wing of the library.  Some of our residents have also pitched in to write a bit about themselves and Barrelville's history".
       During non-working hours, Barrelbob lives in a modest house at the far edge of town.  It is a 30-minute walk to the library each day, which is a long way for someone with no feet.  When asked about it, though, he just laughed.
       "Everyone that you see here in Barrelville only represent a fraction of all the barrels out there in the world.  I just remind myself that I'm lucky to be staying here."
       Barrelbob is referring to the History of Barrelville, which he read to me off one of the library shelves.  Living barrels first came about when a philosophical mage began to wonder if barrels had feelings.  He enchanted life into them...and after a long and bloody Barrel of Conflicts between barrels and humans, the barrels finally fled underground and established Barrelville as we know it today.
      If you're looking for a unique town to visit on the next weekend, Barrelville might be a good choice.  Mr. Barrelbob isn't the only intelligent cask around-plenty of barrels roam the streets and are all very willing to talk about themselves or other current events in NEaB.  Make sure you visit the library, and consider donating a few books, as they are always looking to expand their collection.
       And the next time you see a lone barrel, whether it be at Barrelville or at some unknown seaport, pat it on its head and ask it a few questions.  Who knows?  Maybe it'll even answer back.

I've spent half a week running around Kaxxo's island, and I thoroughly reccomend everyone to go do so.  It is the craziest mess of a place that I have ever seen.  It is also the most fun place that I've been to since I found out about Valeesh.  You will never get bored there, I assure you.

All this adventuring hasn't worn down my mind, though.  (My doctor once diagnosed me with Overactive Brain Syndrome, but that's not the point.)  I've been thinking a lot about the life I've led so far.  Here I am, having fun on islands which were founded or brought to attention by NEaBians who loved adventure and wanted to make things happen for others.  And for some reason, my mind keeps wandering back to my childhood home, Jhal-Abur.  It was boring in the town, admittedly...but at the same time the wilderness and bigger cities were great for exploring.  Now I'm beginning to miss it, and would like to go back.

Furthermore...and this is where I get really ashamed...I haven't contacted my parents for over two years, ever since I crashed my boat one day and woke up on the Main Island.  I've looked for it, but it's not on any of the charts.  Either it's really far away, or Jhal-Abur is so isolated that nobody knows that it exists.

Enough rambling.  My point is that...starting from today, I am going to go on a long expedition to search for Jhal-Abur.  I will track my steps.  I will plot my way through every square foot of sea, until the day I can say that I have met my Mommy again.

If my boat leaks or I run out of food, I'll have to recall back to Soupir, of course.  But the way I'm planning to do it, at least I'll be able to go back to where I left off and try again.

*Note*: Yes, this means that I am starting work on an island.  Like I said, it's been weighing on my mind for about a year now (but I got my Sandbox approval a few days ago).  Don't expect it to be finished any time soon, though...I have a bunch of ideas and too little time to implement them.