In the dragon books of the Dragomeir Series, the main character, Tanis, is a man of multiple talents. He is a Thaumaturgist and a skilled warrior, a mentor to others like him, and an amazing dragon rider with not one, but two dragons to manage on a day to day basis. Then there is his relationship to the Queen Mother, The Ariella, which has its ups and downs, making life very exciting, to say the least. So it’s a good thing he was blessed with a sense of humor. How could anyone survive without being able to laugh in the face of chaos and danger? So here are a few thoughts from the absurd but astute mind of Tanis Nickolai Theatra of “The Emerald Dragon” and “Flight of the Aguiva” –

• “With my luck it’s probably radioactive and will cause my future children to be born bald, with an intense urge to play the banjo.”

• “That would’ve been a herculean level of work for nothing. Although if it had, then I would be going back to bed to get a decent amount of sleep. And we all know that’s not going to happen. Jeans, Tanis shoes, and a T-shirt that states, “Tanis is Da Man” was as far as I wanted to go at the moment. Today’s forecast calls for “widely scattered labor, followed tonight by dried perspiration. Stay tuned for Sports.”

• “If you say something with enough fervor and enough times . . . you begin to believe.”

•  “I must admit, I’ve never seen anything like that before. I told you I’d talk to the engineers, but after seeing that, do you really think I need to warn them about anything concerning the river, its speed or inhabitants? I think what you need to do is put a sign at the beginning of the corridor that states, CAUTION! Excessively dangerous river that runs so fast it probably kills the fish. Proceed at your own risk!”

• ” you know what they say . . . opinions are like navels, everyone has one.”

• “So, tell me . . . what’s the last thing to go through an insect’s mind when it hits the windscreen of a speeding car? Its butt – and I didn’t want to be an insect.”

Smile, it takes less muscles!

Solitaire