!!EDIT!!

I didn't want to bump this one off since it's the contest, but CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO!!! [link] Pay attention to the castle with the dragons. That's a CAKE!

!!EDIT!!

Wow, been a while since I've been here. That squirrel never did come back, I think I put the fear of God into it. Anyway, updates!

The Little Man is STANDING BY HIMSELF for a few seconds at a time. He will also walk while holding on with only one hand, rather than needing both. Considering we weren't even sure he'd be able to do this 4 months ago, I'd say physical therapy was a success. He still has a couple of followups to do, but he's very definitely come a long way since the diagnosis.

I start school online on the 25th. I had quite a few credits transfer from UofPhoenix so I'm happy about that, especially since my GI Bill is finite so I'll need to scramble to finish school before the money runs out. I'm going for my Bachelor's in Information Technology with a focus on Network Administration. Although it's not -exactly- what I want to do with my life, it's not like we're going to use LESS technology as time goes on, so I should be okay. After all, jobs are so you can afford your hobbies, right? I'll be taking two classes at a time for 10 week terms, so I don't think it'll be too horrible. Plus now I'm married to someone good at math, which was my downfall last time.

My work-at-home gig is getting to ramp up for graduation season, and I'm looking forward to working my little but off so...

we can move to Alabama. Night and I have made an agreement with each other to be out of here by summer. I'm shooting for June or July (haven't made up my mind yet) so we'll be giving notice April or May. Since I'll be getting my GI Bill for school and I won't be spending all of it on classes, this will give us a buffer just in case Night isn't able to get a job right off the bat (though I'm 99% sure he will be). We're going to rent a little apartment (or maybe not so little, we might have the kids this summer) and then look for a house on land. We've also been tossing around a co-op housing idea but that's a ways off. I'll give you a hint though, it'll be Hobbit-themed. Oh yes.

Now, I finally figured out how I wanted to do this contest, mainly because I finally got my hands on my original talons of freedom domain name that has had squatters dry-humping it for the past 3 years (and they wanted 400 bucks for it, yeah right!). Anyway, I had the urge out of the blue to go to my dreamhost and see if it was available, and what do you know, it was!

So here's the CONTEST -

I need a logo for the supergroup/kinship "The Talons of Freedom". The Talons of Freedom is a Virtue-based SG in City of Heroes as well as being a Landroval-based Kinship in Lord of the Rings Online. I would -prefer- a logo that would work for both games, i.e. something that can easily be dressed up techy or dressed down medieval and make sense for both, but if you'd rather do two separate logos, that's fine. It doesn't need to be elaborate, in fact I'd prefer it to be as simple as possible while still making sense for the name. I've often had in my head something to do with a bird of prey, but that's not set in stone. !!EDIT!! The logo should be black, white and true blue to match the uniforms. Black and white is also acceptable.[link] for uniform.

The deadline for this contest is AUGUST 12, which is my birthday. Yes, I know that's a hell of a long way off, but I want to make sure people put effort into this thing.

PRIZES will include: Faber-Castell pens and markers, blank books, comic layout paper, Rapidograph pens, DA subscriptions and MORE. The more people that enter, the better the prize packages will be. I'll have a more detailed writeup later, once I inventory exactly what I'm going to be putting in these packages. I'll be giving away a large portion of the loot I got back in December. While I appreciate that Rapidograph pens are awesomesauce, I'm not good enough of an artist to even consider using one, so I'll have 3 to give away. Remember, the more people that enter, the better the prizes.

Also, if anyone wants to donate prizes, let me know! We're still pretty broke from medical bills, and generosity is welcomed and appreciated!

Can't design logos? Don't worry, I'm tossing around ideas for a secondary, more art-related contest as well!

The Talons of Freedom mission statement covers both games -

We are a group of like-minded individuals who seek to put an end to tyranny and injustice wherever it may show its face and no matter what form evil takes.

The long version -

Unified in thinking, but not always in method, The Talons of Freedom strive to push back the never-ending onslaught of evil. We work together to the best of our abilities to punish those who would claim dominion over others with unjust power and tyrannical rule. No matter where evil may be, or what form evil may take, we will stand triumphant and glorious over our enemies and revel in the freedom that our blood, sweat and tears has won us.