Retreat..Retreat

I had to go to work today, but it was a special day.  Today we had a retreat.  This means that rather than going into the office, we got to go a lodge in the middle of the country.  This particular lodge is located at a camp that is quite famous in the X-Games (skateboarding, BMX, etc.) and has been a training grounds for several X-Games winners and Olympic gymnasts.

Anyhow, the first part of the day consisted of various team building and personal development exercises, but it all seemed nicer in the lodge.  In the afternoon, we got to do some fun activities including gas powered go-carts.  Overall it was a nice day.

Thanks to all who have commented here the past few days. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to visit many of your sites today.

Some Fairy Tale Links

I just thought I’d share a couple links I found the other day regarding Fairy Tales. The first is a very extensive article from Endicott Studio titled Fairies in Legend, Lore, and Literature which asks and answers the question “Where do fairies come from?”. There’s some really good stuff there.

Next, I found a link to the “proppian fairy tale generator” via the blog Scribblings of a Maniac Writer. The site is really cool. You select some options, click a button, and it generates a Fairy Tale. I generated the following “story”:

“Sugar and spice,” the old woman beckoned as she held out palms filled with cinnamon falling between her fingers like sand. As she sprinkled it across the floor my head swum up in a dizzy spell of hunger. I could no longer control my feet moving towards the cheap gimmicks of an old woman.

As I approached the top of the mountain a white spectacle blinded me for an instant. When I blinked again I saw a white dragon shifting over the mountain like a layer of foam riding ocean waves. I could tell by its movement that it was a territorial creature; I could tell that it would fight me before allowing me to press further.

When he placed his hand upon me he let out a great cry and then vanished into the earth.

Waves of comfort and relief washed over my tired limbs as my father and mother embraced and kissed me. The familiar sights of my home and scents of my family soothed me so much that I nearly forgot the heavy pack I had carried for hours on my back, a sack filled with treasures I had collected throughout my journey to bring back to my family.

It doesn’t really make any sense, but it’s still pretty cool. I guess you could just select one option and generate some story ideas there. Enjoy!