Trip to Tennessee... the last few days

One of the last experiences we had on the last day in Nashville is kind of hard to explain. The weather cleared up nicely, and turned very hot. To beat the heat we decided to hit the Opry Mills Mall which is probably one of the largest malls I have ever been too. It is right next to the Grand Ole Opry so we stopped by there and then spent a bit of time exploring the mall. Much of the other things we were planning on doing were in some way or another just not interesting us, so the kids agreed to hang out at the camp, order in some pizza and watch a movie while my wife and I would try a haunted tavern tour in downtown Nashville. We have never been on one but had always wanted to try. It was cheap and it would get it downtown Nashville with little trouble and into some of the bars that we would not normally pick to visit. We got to the meeting bar and met the other three couples. One set from Arkansas, one from Kentucky, and one recently moved from Ohio. We went on the tour, which truth be told was pretty cheesy, but it did get us to socialize with people we had never met before. They were all great couples and lots of fun to be with, but by the time we were done with the tour, some of them were harder drinkers than others. There were a couple of hard core bible thumpers, one of which tried to convert our aetheist tour guide, one was a psychic (who actually had ghost photos on her camera... cool!) and the rest had very interesting stories and backgrounds. Again it is hard to describe that night but suffice it too say that the picture (from Coyote Ugly) provided explains alot and that it was a fun and interesting night. We even had to call a taxi and pour one couple into so that they could go back home.. I highly suggest that given the opportunity, take one of these tours... you will be surprised what you get!

Did you know that Jesus had a hot air balloon team? I found this RV and matching trailer parked very near our campsite at the KOA in Nashville. Again the quest to find God has be curiouser and curiouser.

On leaving Nashville, my wife spotted a winery that was just a few miles off cource to Memphis, so we decided to visit it. It is the Arrington Vinyards and by chance it is own by Kix Brooks, the Brooks of the country western singing group Brooks and Dunn. I must say they make some very good wine, especially their Muscat and their Cabernet. We ended up with a case of different wines and an autographed vinyard poster by Kix Brooks which will go to my sister in Texas. As we moved on to Memphis, or more accurately, Millington, we were camping at the Meeman-Shebly state park, and about a mile outside of the entrance was the Shelby Forest General Store. I will talk more about this establishment in a later blog posting, but suffice it to say that this spot, was probably the best place I visited the entire trip. A general store was your favorite spot you say? Yep! As soon as you walk in, you get the instant feeling of being home and being completely welcome. Alot had to do with the staff, but I think there is something about the building too. Either way, I will write more about it in a later posting but if you are anywhere near this place, you need to visit it!

We spent our last two nights at the state park and on one evening took a (LONG) drive to see the Mississippi at sunset. As you can see, it is quite a beautiful sight, especially when there are no barges, docks or cities in the fore or background. The other side of the river was Arkansas and the sun was just going behind the tree line. We did spend most of our time at the state park which is a huge and beautiful place. The skeeters are kind of bad, but the trails are nice, the place is very quiet, and it does have a nice Olympic sized pool for cooling off in. I highly recommend the Meeman-Shelby State Park if you are looking for a nice place to camp. while there I also went on a geocache hike to find another hidden geocache. It was a long, strenuous hike but we did find it. It is always fun and reward to find the geocaches in new places.



The one tourist thing we did was Graceland. Graceland, is well, Graceland. It is kind of what you expect. We are not huge Elvis fans, but when in Memphis, you might as well go see the place. It is interesting to be in the home of such an American icon. I only provided the photo of the Jungle Room, one of the most famous rooms in America, due to space restraint on the blog. Graceland properties has done a very nice and respectful job of showing off Elvis' life and career and I would recommend it to all who go to Memphis. Go early, as the lines are smaller, and go before August (the anniversary of his death).

Well this is the end of the vacation blog. We spent a good eleven days on the road in Tenneesse and enjoyed ourselves. By the end of the trip though, we were tired of sleeping in the camper, eating out of a cooler or in restraunts, and frankly kind of tired of being away from home. It was a good trip. I wish gas was less expensive or I was richer as it was the most expensive thing we paid for on this trip. Most of our money was spend on fuel. I hope to do a vacation each year, but with the rising cost of gas and everything else, the vacation may be much closer to home. I think every family should do a vacation together each year. It makes a family closer, it educates everyone and regardless, you will meet some wonderful people that you would never meet by staying at home. Get out and travel with your family. You won't regret it.

Trip to Tennessee... Day 9

Well, the morning was a real soaker as I mentioned in the last update. So to stay out of the rain and avoid having to make soggy pancakes we went to Shoney's for a breakfast. I have not been to Shoney's in years and things have not changed much, expect for the price. Good place for breakfast. The rain started to let up so we decided to drive by and see the Grand Ole Opry House, which is the first photo. No shows are scheduled until the day we leave, which is unfortunate as Jewel, one of my favorite female performers, is playing. After that we came back to camp, dried things out some more and then headed out for the Hermitage, home to President Andrew Jackson. He was quite a character and the tour, both guided and audio was very informative. The photos are of his home, in the condition it was in after he left the presidency, and of he and his wife's tomb. The really cool thing about the home is that is almost all original, even down to where he left his slippers and bed jacket on the night before he died. All the furnishings, wallpaper, and household items are the same things used and owned by Jackson. I highly recommend a visit to the Hermitage. After coming back to camp, we were rewarded with clearing skies, lowering humidity and a drying camp. The kids went swimming and rented some bannana peel bikes and then we all went out for a dinner at COCK OF THE WALK, a catfish restaurant that does catfish very well. It has a riverboat/dock atmosphere and makes a very fine meal. As I write this, the sky is clear, stars are out and the temp is below 80. Maybe a really good night of sleep might be in store! More later!

Trip to Tennessee... Day 8.. and part of 9

The day started out quite nicely, being able to tear down and pack up with everything dry and all, but that is one of the few high points of the day. We headed out for Nashville and made good time, found the KOA to be a nice one, with lots of stuff to do while in camp. The kids went swimming, the dog played in the dog park for a while, Cora and I were in watermelon seed spitting contest, and then the heat hit. Man, did it hit. High humidity, and no moving air. It was easily close to 95 degrees. So as we had nothing planned, we decided to spend the afternoon at Opry Mills, trying to beat the heat. This is a huge mall with hundreds of stores, but many that are similar to what we have back home. We did spend some time at the Bass Pro shop and had a nice meal at the Rainforest Cafe. We left the dog in the car with 20 minute visits to start it up, run the AC and keep him cool. Then the rain hit, and it poured down and did not stop. (As I write this, it is still raining the following morning) So we huddled in the hot sticky camper, read some books, played around on the computer, and finally watch a couple of episodes for Battlestar Galactica. (Which I must say is a very fine SciFi series) I don't know what we will plan today (day 9)with the rain and all. We are hoping to get to Downtown Nashville at some point, but no need to hurry as it is STILL RAINING! It has only not rained on us for two days so far... I hope this stops soon. A real cramp on our fun and plans! Oh well. More later.

Trip to Tennessee... Day 7

Today was a nice, slow, relaxing day. And it did not rain... thank goodness. We got to take out time getting breakfast and starting the morning. I found some cedar wood and immediately set to burning it to get the smell in the air. I think I breathed in about a quart of cedar smoke. I love that stuff. Anyway, the only thing on the agenda was the Southern Belle river boat lunch cruise. It was the cheapest thing we have done all vacation so far and quite a nice time. The wheelhouse was open so I spent alot of time there talking to the pilot and getting the best view of the cruise. The lunch was quite filling and tasty. All in all it was a 90 minute cruise. Afterwords we thought about doing the Aquarium but decided against it as it was too hot to leave Gunnar in the car while we went there. Instead we went back to the campsite and just relaxed, swam and read books. We even got the kids to do the cooking. Later that night we,played a game, had a fire, (at least when Julian would leave it alone), set up the computer to listen to XM online and had a bottle of wine and chocolate cookies. A nice evening. Tomorrow we leave for Nashville. And it looks like a dry night!!!

Trip to Tennessee... Day 6

SEE ROCK CITY!!! SEE SEVEN STATES AT LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN!! SEE RUBY FALLS! And all those other things that are iconic signs that cover most of Tennesse. We saw them all and had a very nice day. We started out with more rain the night before we packed up from Gatlinburg, and can I say that I am tired of rain right now. Tennessee is supposedly having a drought, but I think we fixed that problem for them. Turn off the spigot.. we have enough water thank you. Okay, we headed out from eastern TN to head toward Chatanooga for sightseeing at Ruby Falls, Lookout Mountain and Rock City. We had to stop and set up camp at the KOA campground in Cleveland, TN. and then we headed into Chatanooga for sightseeing. First stop was Ruby falls as they had a kennel to keep Gunnar in while we did the cavern. Ruby Falls is not the best cavern system we have seen but the falls at the end are really fabulous to see. I got a good shot of the falls during the light show. After that we headed out to Rock City and Lover's Leap. Rock City is absolutely fabulous. A nice 3/4 mile walk in a beautiful natural setting that has been enhanced by plants and structures. It really is a must see point if you come this way. The swinging bridge is very nice to look out over the mountain and of course you have to see the 7 states from Lovers Leap. It did rain again so we got ponchos and made it stop raining. It was alot of fun and very relaxing. Back at camp we tried to dry out more stuff and then hit the sack. Tomorrow is the river boat ride and the aquarium.

I found God while on Vacation

It is the eternal quest of many to find God in their lives, and I would say I am on the same quest too. But while in Tennessee I think I may have moved a step closer to finishing that quest. I have found God. Maybe not him personally, but I found his corporate office (Gods World) and his get away spot (Gods Corner) when he is not on duty. Oddly, both are in Gatlinburg, Tennesse. I took photos of both places to show you all. He was not in at the time, so I could not ask him the age old question of whether he is Lutheran or Catholic. Enjoy the photos.

Trip to Tennessee... Day 5

The first thing that we did was try to dry out from a total soaking overnight. The entire campsite was soaked and just about everything was wet and dirty. However, we just accepted it and got ready for our trip to Gatlinburg. We ate a quick breakfast and got on the road to Gatlinburg which goes directly through the Smokie Mtn National Forest. The trip is only 18 miles long but the fastest you can go is about 30 miles an hour and the 18 mile trip takes you on a winding trip that last 40 minutes or so. We did get to Gatlinburg about 10am and found that most of the town was empty. The first order of the day was finding the GeoCache hidden in a small park on the edge of town. More successful than the Ohip GeoCache we found this one very quickly and left a few trackable items for other geocachers. Then off we went to the town. Our first stop was Ober Gatlinburg which is a skyway that takes you to the top of the mountain overlooking Gatlinburg. As you can see in one of the photos, my wife is not really smiling at the effect it is having on her. It was a fun ride and at the top there is a small amusement park for the family to partake in. Julian and I did the alpine slide car ride which was alot of fun. Next we came back down and had lunch at the Smokie Mtn. Brewery and had a very satisfying lunch. We then picked up Gunnar and headed out to explore the town.
We did a Olde Tyme Photo where were all dressed up in western clothes and got our photo taken with Gunnar. It was great but took like an hour to get done. I will post it if I get a chance.
After the photo we did some walking, sightseeing and shopping. The weather threatened to rain all day and finally it made good on it's promise and came down with gusto. We were without umbrellas or ponchos so we did our best to find cover when we could. Gunnar made his way into as many stores as he could to stay dry. Eventually we were forced to buy ponchos and as it would happen, it stopped raining. Just our luck, but oh well. After that we walked a bit more, I met a dancing bear, and we went to the Cars of the Stars museum. It was cool! The Munsters car was there, the Batmobile, the Beverly Hillbillies truck and whole bunch more. That was pretty much the end of the day so we headed back and saw the reason why they call the Smokies the Smokies. You can see the effect of humidity in the last photo. It really looks like a fire is burning. When we got back we found a much more soaked camp and did the best we could to get it ready for pack up in the morning. Tomorrow we head for Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain. Check back again. oh, and while walking Gunnar through Gatlinburg, people would part ways to let us through, stop to ask to pet him or say all kinds of things... such as: Oh look, a bear!, Wow what a big dog. Oh what a beautiful puppy. Oh big dog! Look out kids, big dog coming through!, Does he bite?, and any number of other things. I should have charged a buck each time someone wanted to pet him.... I could have paid for a tank of gas. And officially, it is very expensive to travel anymore... I might have to get a second job to pay for this vacation gas...

Trip to Tennessee... Day 4

Today was a busy, physical day. The morning was nice and cool and allowed us to cook up some nice campfire coffee and make some scrambled eggs for breakfast. After cleaning up we headed out to Davy Crockett's Riding Stables for an hour or so of horseback riding. We got some very nice horses by the name of Nugget, Nevada, Diesel, and Pet(short for Purgatory). The trail was quite nice and cool under the shade. After finishing that we headed back to camp to get a bite to eat and to rent the tubes for tubing down the Little River which is right next to the campsite. We got to enjoy some very clean, very cool mountain water with the whole family. Gunnar enjoyed the water too, following along the entire way and even making a show of himself in the rapids. People we just amazed to see him paddling along with us. Like they had never seen a dog swim before. I guess they just never thought to bring their dog with on vacation. We did the tubing twice and wer pretty much pooped out by that time. Supper time was close and we were all starting to fall asleep so we made spagehtti and then sat back to watch a movie on the laptop. It was a nice day and very tiring. We were very much ready to sleep by 10pm. Unfortunately it rained at night and kept us up for a few hours and soaked alot of the stuff we had outside... oh well. That is camping. Tomorrow is Gatlinburg!

Trip to Tennessee... Day 3

More photos and more vacation updates... I must first explain the first photo. This is Dave and his family saying goodbye as we pull out away from their home. They were soooo sad at our leaving that they needed hankies to dry the tears from their eyes... you can see that Dave's daughter Zadee (Madeline) was less than thrilled to be doing this... ah, teenagers. Anyway, after leave Cincinnati, we drove 5 hours to Townsend TN to sign in at the KOA campground just outside of Gatlinburg. The kids and Gunnar rode very comfortably as you can see and hardly a fight between the three of them! Once we got to the campsite and got set up, it was explore time. We are literally 50 yards from the river and the first thing the kids did was get in and start playing. Gunnar was very happy about this as he loves water. My wife and I a walk about to get a lay of the land and see what there is to do. The campground is very nice with very different levels of camping accomodations. From simple tent sight to sights with poured concrete pads for those afraid of dirt, to full fledged log cabins with tubs and air conditioning. As you can see, we have a pretty simple sight. Ther was not much time left in this day so we set about getting supper and getting settled in. Hamburgers and fry-pies were the order of the evening. Fry pies are a must when we go camping. They are as much a part of family tradition as our homemade ice cream. We got an idea of what we would try to accomplish tomorrow so check back again later!

Trip to Tennessee... Day 1 and 2

The time has finally arrived and we are off on our annual family vacation. Despite the high price of gas and food, we are taking this trip. We are taking 12 days to travel around all of Tennessee. We did not get a vacation last year as we instead sent Julian to England, Wales and Ireland. So this year instead of heading to the west or to Florida or New England, we decided to stay a little closer to home. After jamming in just about everything you can do on the 4th of July, we packed up on the 5th and headed east to Cinncinnati Ohio to visit on of my best all time buddies, Dave H. (BFShaman for those on XBOX LIVE) I have know Dave for almost 20 plus years and he and I are very good friends. Dave and I drove out motorcycles to Boston many years ago, spent way too many days and nights hanging out, waiting for the night clubs to open and basically feeding off of one another's energy. Time and life have taken us to different parts of the country but we try to remain in touch and close. So seeing that it would be inexcusable to not visit we dropped in for a two night stay. We did not plan much as we wanted to visit mainly. What we did do, is get spoiled rotten by Dave's girlfriend Lauren who was the consumate hostess and cook. We could not have had better hospitality if we had stayed at a 5 star hotel!! It was a great visit! We did some gaming on the XBOX and with some board games, we went looking for a geocache (unsuccessfully)at a town park that looked every bit like a Forest Preserve, and watched a movie. It was a great time to relax and visit and catch up. Unfortunately we had to leave on Monday to head to Gatlinburg for our stay at the KOA campground in Townsend. We arrived there to find a complete wooded and shaded camp site about 50 yards from the river. More to follow tomorrow.

What kind of D&D character are you?

Ever trying to promote gamer geekiness throughout the world, here comes a personality/character quiz from the New Trier Dungeons and Dragons club at that school system... wait.. a D&D club at a school? What has the world come to?!?!? Anyway, take the quiz is you want. Let us all know what you tested out as.

As it happens, I tested out pretty much like the characters I enjoy playing the most in the game. A neutral good Elf Ranger.

http://www.newtrier.k12.il.us/activities/d&d/cquiz.html


Later!

Talking about Patriotism in todays America...

As we close in on the Fourth of July, the celebration of the Birth of America and all things American, the idea of patriotism is on display everywhere you look. But just how patriotic are we as a nation. I know that in my small central Illinois town, being patriotic is pretty much a given. We love out country right or wrong and it would take you a while to find someone who is an "unpatriotic" person. Now, granted, I have talked with alot of kids in our town and many of them are woefully under-educated on the history of the US but I would not say that any of them are unpatriotic. That might have something to do with their education, their parents, or simply living in the town or area of the country they live in. But you do not have to travel far, say 30-40 miles in any direction to a larger town with a much different educational system and culture and you will find some out and out America haters. Maybe that is too strong of a classification. But they are certainly not patriotic. They are more likely to celebrate our shortcoming rather than what is good about America. (That has always intrigued me... celebrating and speaking out about our short comings, but never celebrating that they can do so without getting a bullet in the brain or whisked off to a "relocation" camp of some sort.)

Anyway, I think that patriotism starts at the home and is reinforced in our communities and schools and columnist Thomas Sowell has written a very good article on the importance of patriotism and why it matters. You can find it at http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell070208.php3 but as always I will include the full article here for your reading enjoyment. Enjoy and as always, comment on what you think.

Later!

Does Patriotism Matter?

By Thomas Sowell

The Fourth of July is a patriotic holiday but patriotism has long been viewed with suspicion or disdain by many of the intelligentsia. As far back as 1793, prominent British writer William Godwin called patriotism "high-sounding nonsense."

Internationalism has long been a competitor with patriotism, especially among the intelligentsia. H.G. Wells advocated replacing the idea of duty to one's country with "the idea of cosmopolitan duty."

Perhaps nowhere was patriotism so downplayed or deplored than among intellectuals in the Western democracies in the two decades after the horrors of the First World War, fought under various nations' banners of patriotism.

In France, after the First World War, the teachers' unions launched a systematic purge of textbooks, in order to promote internationalism and pacifism.

Books that depicted the courage and self-sacrifice of soldiers who had defended France against the German invaders were called "bellicose" books to be banished from the schools.

Textbook publishers caved in to the power of the teachers' unions, rather than lose a large market for their books. History books were sharply revised to conform to internationalism and pacifism.

The once epic story of the French soldiers' heroic defense against the German invaders at Verdun, despite the massive casualties suffered by the French, was now transformed into a story of horrible suffering by all soldiers at Verdun— French and German alike.

In short, soldiers once depicted as national heroes were now depicted as victims— and just like victims in other nations' armies.

Children were bombarded with stories on the horrors of war. In some schools, children whose fathers had been killed during the war were asked to speak to the class and many of these children— as well as some of their classmates and teachers— broke down in tears.

In Britain, Winston Churchill warned that a country "cannot avoid war by dilating upon its horrors." In France, Marshal Philippe Petain, the victor at Verdun, warned in 1934 that teachers were trying to "raise our sons in ignorance of or in contempt of the fatherland."

But they were voices drowned out by the pacifist and internationalist rhetoric of the 1920s and 1930s.

Did it matter? Does patriotism matter?

France, where pacifism and internationalism were strongest, became a classic example of how much it can matter.

During the First World War, France fought on against the German invaders for four long years, despite having more of its soldiers killed than all the American soldiers killed in all the wars in the history of the United States, put together.

But during the Second World War, France collapsed after just six weeks of fighting and surrendered to Nazi Germany. At the bitter moment of defeat the head of the French teachers' union was told, "You are partially responsible for the defeat."

Charles de Gaulle, Francois Mauriac, and other Frenchmen blamed a lack of national will or general moral decay, for the sudden and humiliating collapse of France in 1940.

At the outset of the invasion, both German and French generals assessed French military forces as more likely to gain victory, and virtually no one expected France to collapse like a house of cards — except Adolf Hitler, who had studied French society instead of French military forces.

Did patriotism matter? It mattered more than superior French tanks and planes.

Most Americans today are unaware of how much our schools have followed in the footsteps of the French schools of the 1920s and 1930s, or how much our intellectuals have become citizens of the world instead of American patriots.

Our media are busy verbally transforming American combat troops from heroes into victims, just as the French intelligentsia did— with the added twist of calling this "supporting the troops."

Will that matter? Time will tell.

Photos of the Past... Continued

Finally! A good friend of mine has posted a bunch of photos from Jubilee Olde English Fair 2008. Please go to this link to see photos from this year and last year!

http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z270/Longbow_65/Jubilee/

We had a great year and had a ton of fun! There are too many to comment on, but I think you will get the idea from the photos.

Later!

A few photos from the past.

Here are a few photos from the Jubilee Olde English Faire that was held on the 21st and 22nd of June. They are of the archers shooting on the line during one of our demonstrations and the other one is of me describing what is going on while the archers are collecting their arrows. Normally I wear the same type of garb the archers do, but on Sunday I decided to change it up by wearing my green wool cotehardie with wool felt cap. I had not worn that set since my wife and I renewed our vows at Jubilee eight years ago. It thought it was time to try it on again and it still fits! The fair was a great time. The weather was fantastic and St. Sebastian had more people attending than we have had in a long time. It was a great time to be with everyone again. The faire itself was very festive and people were really enjoying themselves this year. More photos of the faire will be posted as I get them.

Later!

Cool Recommendation for music

A recommendation for some heart pounding, foot stomping, ear splitting, and nose bleeding music that we discovered at the Jubilee Olde English Faire in Brimfield Ill.


The group is called Albannach and I have been listening to their CD "Eye of the Storm" here at work.... softly, but only reluctantly. It needs to be played LOUD!!!

Albannach is a Scottish group from, of course, Scotland and they have been touring the US and visiting Renn faires and the such and making big waves and tons of new fans... myself included.

They played at the fair, just about at the end of the St. Sebastian Archery demonstration and were at least 100 yards or more away, and I could not yell loud enough to be heard over them. Anyway, I did not mind. It was great music. And they music they make is updated traditional stuff and original stuff and it makes no bones about their love of their country and what they think of the the English all all that hubabaloo. They have the pipes, the bodhrans, and the kettle drums. Yes.. huge scottish kettle (war)drums and they beat the hell out of them.

This is great stuff! Check it out at www.albannachonline.com

I highly recommend the track "The Gael" which is a remake of certain parts of the Last of the Mohican soundtrack. Great stuff.

And to my buddy Chuck in Minnesota... I think even you would have loved this music!

Later!

Face in the paper!

Here is a link to a newpaper article about the recent Jubilee Olde English Fair held in Brimfield Il, June 21-22, 2008

http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1816436224/Back-to-the-days-of-olde

on the left side of the margin are related photos. One is of me and a "volunteer" and the other is of my son and another boy in the group cleaning up after I cleaned a crane for the afternoon meal.

It was a great weekend for the fair and I will get more photos up soon!

Later

Off to the Past again!

The Jubilee Olde English Faire is this weekend and I will be spending my time and talents at it once again. I will be there all weekend long. Check back for photos and updates on the past.

Later!

Book recommendations....

I have had the bad luck to have recently read two books that I really really wanted to be good reads, but both were lack luster and somewhat hard to complete. The first is WinterBorn by Brain Ruckley. Set in a somewhat "scottish" winter fantasy setting, the book details the machinations of the "Bloods" (clans) who live in the area and compete for power, land and the such, all the while a sort of elvish type of people are thrown into the mix to add a bit of magic and fantasy to the story. The Kyrinin (elf types) are more akin to Native Americans, but yet are considered non-human. They are the most interesting characters in the book, but only barely so. I really wanted this book to be great, hopeing that just after the next page something really cool was gonna happen, but sad to say, it did not. It is about 630 pages long and believe it or not, I almost put the book down at page 619! There is a sequel, but I don't know if I will be picking it up. The last 10 pages or so did start to come together and started to make sense, but I don't know if it was enough to make me consider getting it when it comes out. One good thing about this book was while looking for reviews about this book, I came across an author who has a book called "First the Blade" and "Before they all hang" which I was able to read the first chapter of. The one chapter of the first book was better than the entirety of "Winterborn" so I will be on the lookout for "First the Blade."

The second book comes from author Anne Rice, of the Vampire books fame. It is "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt." Here I was expected Anne Rice style of writing, but instead I got something much simpler, and sad to say, more bland and boring. I was looking for some insight in the Jesus's younger years, but what I got was alot of talk about walking, sleeping, crying, questions asked and not answered, and who is related to whom. There are some really good spots in the book but each of them sputters out and is continued on with very lack luster story telling. I will be reading the second in this series, only because I recieved it from a giveaway. I hope it is better than the first.

Oh, and I should mention, I also finished "World without End" by Ken Follett, about life in the 14th Century and a continuation of his previous work, "Pillars of the Earth." All I can say about this book, is READ IT!!!! Fantastic read!

Later!

Gold, Glory, and HUGE T... tankards of Ale!

All right here at the Dragon Tavern! Dragon Tavern is a very simple online game that is somewhat of a role playing game and somewhat of a rock/paper/sissors game that allows you to create a character and take him or her out to adventure, kick some butt, take some gold and try to increase your skills and level. It is very very simple, but yet quite a bit of fun. You get to do things with Action Points, (AP) but only 50 a day. You can buy some more, but that to me is just the stupidest thing... pay money to buy action point or things like that for online game characters. I have heard of people selling stuff like this on ebay but it is not for me. Go to www.dragontavern.com and try it out. It is a good way to waste about 30 minutes on the computer. And you compete against noone except others in experience points and how far you can go before your character dies.

Well, it is official!!! I'm and expert!

It is in print so it must be true! I am doing a medieval presentation on the 3rd of July at the public library and I have officially be declared a medieval expert in weaponry and warfare. This link will take you to the site to see for yourself, but I will include the text here as they will most likely update their calendar and erase any evidence of my being an expert in anything.

http://www.champaign.org/events/events.html?yyyy=2008&mm=7&dd=3

July 3: Medieval Fair. Princes and princesses, knights and dragons are hereby invited to an afternoon of fun and frolic, games and crafts, and a presentation on weaponry and warfare by medieval expert Deane Geiken.

See? See!? I really do know what I am talking about!


Just call me Mr.Expert next time you see me....

Later!

News from the past

For those of you who are familiar with the Elite Diner in Urbana, Illinois, go Miri's Dad's blog at the link and find out what ever happened to the big silver tube that sat near Vine Street for all those years!!

http://mirisdad.blogspot.com/2008/06/whatever-happened-tothe-elite-diner.html

First the Guns, now the knives...

Looks like the gun ban in Britain has opened up a new wave of violence that any normal person could have told you was going to happen. Young people, primarily 18 and under, those same people who would not have been able to get a gun in the first place, are increasingly turing to cutlery to take their aggression out on others. Factoids from the AP story are that in 2006 17 teenagers were killed in London by people using knives, 27 in 2007, and 16 so far this year! "Many young people there are saying the pressure to carry and use knives is growing. It's increasing. It is stupid things like 'you have spoken to my girlfriend, I'll slash you up,' or 'If I see him out, he having it.'"

You all know I am totally against any kind of further gun restriction laws because the ones we already have don't work, and frankly if more law abiding people were allowed to carry their guns on any given day, fewer criminals would be willing to take a chance on hurting someone during a crime, or even attempt the crime. Go look it up for yourself. More guns in the right hands produce less crime. I am not gonna belabor this argument. You know how I stand. Either accept it or shove off.

Now it looks like places like London are going to start placing bans on knives. They have lowered the age limit to those who can be charged by carrying a knife to 16. With the charge, anyone 16 or over carrying a knife with a blade 3 inches or more will be prosecuted and could face up to 4 years in prison. The mayor has even proposed searching people for knives without having to justify their suspicions beforehand. Hey, my pocketknife, which I literally use everyday (without anyone, save myself, getting hurt or killed with) is over 3 inches!

I can see where eventually the head in the sand, namby-pamby take more of my rights away so I can be safe, gun control idiots in this country will pick up on this and start to regulate whether or not I can carry my pocketknife.

And then what next? My walking stick?!

Worth looking at....

Here is a great blog to read and to keep up with. It is about Daniel: A medical student and combat amputee taking a road trip around the U.S. to see the land he dedicated eleven and half years of his life to and meet his fellow Americans. It well written and funny and inspiring.

You can find it at http://danielsbigtrip.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Ain't this cool!?

Trap shooting taken to a new, cooler, geekier level! Enjoy!
Later!

The Final Frontier...

Just some news to pass along if you missed it... From the AP news story. Note that even he said "whoosh" to the opening credits, just like the rest of us!




"Star Trek" theme composer Alexander Courage dies
By ROBERT JABLON – 14 hours ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alexander "Sandy" Courage, an Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated arranger, orchestrator and composer who created the otherworldly theme for the classic "Star Trek" TV show, has died. He was 88.

Courage died May 15 at the Sunrise assisted-living facility in Pacific Palisades, his stepdaughter Renata Pompelli of Los Angeles, said Thursday. He had been in poor health for three years.

Over a decades-long career, Courage collaborated on dozens of movies and orchestrated some of the greatest musicals of the 1950s and 1960s, including "My Fair Lady," "Hello, Dolly!" "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," "Gigi," "Porgy and Bess" and "Fiddler on the Roof."

But his most famous work is undoubtedly the "Star Trek" theme, which he composed, arranged and conducted in a week in 1965.

"I have to confess to the world that I am not a science fiction fan," Courage said in an interview for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation's Archive of American Television in 2000. "Never have been. I think it's just marvelous malarkey. ... So you write some, you hope, marvelous malarkey music that goes with it."

Courage said the tune, with its ringing fanfare, eerie soprano part and swooping orchestration, was inspired by an arrangement of the song "Beyond the Blue Horizon" he heard as a youngster.

"Little did I know when I wrote that first A-flat for the flute that it was going to go down in history, somehow," Courage said. "It's a very strange feeling."

Courage said he also mouthed the "whooshing" sound heard as the starship Enterprise zooms through the opening credits of the TV show.

"Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry later wrote lyrics to the tune, which were never sung on the show but entitled him to half the royalties, Courage said.

Among the many other projects Courage worked on was the 1987 TV special "Julie Andrews: The Sound of Christmas," for which he won an Emmy for musical direction.

He and Lionel Newman shared Academy Award nominations for their adapted scores for 1964's "The Pleasure Seekers" and 1967's "Doctor Dolittle."

A friend and colleague of movie composers John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith, he also provided the orchestration for such movies as "The Poseidon Adventure," "Jurassic Park," "Basic Instinct" and "The Mummy" and supplied arrangements for the Boston Pops while Williams was conductor in the 1980s and early 1990s.

For "Star Trek" he composed music for only a few episodes, in addition to the theme and the music for the pilot. But that theme was reprised in the TV sequel "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and in the "Star Trek" movies.

Courage was born Dec. 10, 1919, in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey. After graduation from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., in 1941, Courage enlisted in the Army Air Corps.

After the war, he became a composer for CBS radio shows and then became an orchestrator and arranger at MGM.

Beginning in the 1960s he composed music for TV shows, including "The Waltons," "Lost in Space" and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," although the only themes he created were for "Star Trek" and "Judd For the Defense."

Finally I am over that fear....

Yesterday was an interesting day. I travelled with my son's 8th grade trip to Six Flags north of Chicago. Plans were to go and enjoy the day at Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor. Well, weather being what it is in Illinois, we were looking at a high of 57 degrees and a closed waterpark. And that was not good news for me. I really like water parks and was looking forward to spending most of my time there. Instead I was going to spend all of my say at Six Flags. Not especially good news. I am not a fan of ride attraction theme parks and I have never been a fan of roller coasters and the like as I have been known to get motion sick on rides like this. Mind, you I have never gotten sick on a roller coaster, but more like rides that have repetitive motions like the Tilt-A-Whirl and things like that. But I avoided roller coasters in the past and was thinking that I would be doing the same this day too. WRONG! I was traveling with a fellow parent and friend (Ed) and he enjoys rollercoasters, at least to an extent. I knew that eventually I would have to face the inevitable question of "What ride do you want to go on first?" Responding with "None of them." was not going to be an option. So while looking all of them over very carefully, I agreed to go on the Superman ride, which to my inexperienced eye, looked fairly tame. So, I found my self in line with fellow parent and a couple of other students and prepared myself for something I have not done since I was like 18 years old. I kept telling myself that this will only last about a minute and if I get sick, well, then I would deal with that later. Ed, kept giving me a bit of a rubbing about trying to get me to scream like a girl before the end of the day, so I said we could avoid all this waiting in line and stuff, cause I could scream like a girl right here on the ground. All I needed to know was how loud and how long. (that idea did not work) I must add, I am not afraid of heights, nor am afraid of getting trashed around on things. It is the fear of getting motion sick that bothers me, as when i get motion sick, it really sticks with me for a long time and can make a long day even longer. I was most concerned with getting motion sick and having to sit around the rest of the day, looking green, and feeling like crap. But there I was in the SuperMan ride line and after about 30 minutes of standing in line, I was next in line to get on the damned thing, and realized that I was not nervous anymore. So I sat down, strapped in, and got ready for a ride. 40 seconds later, I returned to my feet, still alive and not feeling sick. And you know what, it was not that bad, as a matter of fact it was actually quite fun for someone who doesn't do that sort of thing and I even managed to go on a few more that day without any ill effects. It was quite nice getting that fear over and done with. I don't have to worry about that anymore. I can join others on rides like this instead of standing around waiting. I still will not be able to do the spinning and twisting rides, nor can I ride in a car backseat for very long without getting sick, but at least I don't have to bypass roller coaster rides anymore. Now, if I can just convince my son that they won't kill him, maybe he can get over his fear too.

Later!

Not even a Ninja (wannabe) can stop a dog!

More proof of the superior quality of dogs! To quote Frederick the Great of Prussia: "The more I see of men, the better I like my dog."

http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/351106.html


Full Story:
Pit bull saves owner from Samurai-sword-wielding boyfriend

Updated: 05/20/08 8:45 AM

A domestic dispute that included the use of a Samurai sword and a pit bull led a Jamestown man to jump out a second-floor window Monday night, before he was apprehended hiding between some mattresses on a nearby porch, Jamestown police said.

The incident began at about 8:10 p.m., when a concerned neighbor called 911 to report a loud domestic dispute on West 10th Street. Police later learned that a 27-year-old man had punched his girlfriend in the head and put the sword to her throat, before her pit bull bit him several times, police said.

As officers were interviewing the 28-year-old woman, a neighbor told police that the man had jumped out the bedroom window. Wearing only jeans and socks, he was tracked down by the Jamestown police K-9 Unit and found lying between several mattresses stacked vertically on a West 10th Street back porch.

Officers charged Nicholas Clark of North Main Street with assault, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.

Another Video Game turned film... in this case... COOL!!

For most of you who do not have an XBOX 360 or have ever played this game, this will pretty much fall flat, but for those of you who do, it will make you pretty excited to hear this... BIOSHOCK the video game, is coming to the big screen. I have been playing this game for the last few months now and it is a very well done game, winning all kinds of awards and lots of praise from gamers everywhere. The game is hard to describe but basically you are a normal dude that by chance ends up in an art deco underwater environment that was supposed to be a free will sort of place but ended up going really bad... and to survive you are forced, for the most part, to decide whether or not you enhance yourself physically to make youself stronger and able to use special powers and you have a number of moral decisions, like helping or hurting little "sisters" in order to get further in the game. It is a very deep game and very nerve wracking and often, quite creepy. Anyway, it is a big seller and the guy who made "Pirates" is picking it up. I copied the story from Yahoo and posted it below. This could be a really cool movie, especially when fans are involved in the making.

Later!



Fri May 9, 2:51 PM ET



SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Take-Two Interactive Software Inc said on Friday that "Pirates of the Caribbean" director Gore Verbinski will make a movie version of "BioShock," its hit video game about an underwater utopia gone disastrously wrong.

The movie will be made by Universal Pictures, a unit of NBC Universal owned by General Electric Co, and John Logan, the screenwriter behind "Gladiator" and "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," was in talks to pen the script, Take-Two said.

"Gore is an avid video gamer and true fan of 'BioShock'. That was extremely important to us in deciding to move forward with this project," Christoph Hartmann, president of Take-Two's 2K Games label, said in a statement.

Take-Two did not disclose financial terms of the deal or other details, such as when the film would be released. The company is the target of a $2 billion takeover bid by rival game publisher Electronic Arts Inc.

Released last August for Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 game console, "BioShock" won praise for its complex story, haunting art deco atmosphere and creepy characters such as Big Daddies and Little Sisters.

"BioShock" has sold more than 2 million copies and Take-Two is working on a sequel.

The "BioShock" movie deal is the latest sign of the growing importance of video games in popular culture.

Earlier this week, Take-Two said its "Grand Theft Auto 4" criminal action game racked up more than $500 million in global sales in its first week.

That handily topped Hollywood's biggest film debut, Verbinski's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," which pulled in $406 million in global box office receipts in its first six days.

Microsoft made headlines when it signed "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson to produce a movie adaptation of its hit "Halo" video game, but the project was put on hold in 2006 when financial backers Universal and 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp pulled out of the deal.

Reuters/Nielsen

Things you learn as a cook and event planner

Greetings! I am sorry I have not updated my blog in a while. I have been neck deep in a huge fundraiser for my office and it has taken most of my time and the blog was the last thing I could think about. But today is a bit smoother and I decided to put down some observations about planning a large meal, cooking that meal and cleaning up that meal.


The meal was for the Mother/Daughter/Friend banquet at my church. Last year the men stepped up to cook a meal for the banquet as catering it was getting too pricey and most of the ladies didn't think we could do it. Well, we did and we did it well. This year it was kind of expected that we would do it again, and we agreed. My buddy Dave and I were pretty much in charge of last year's meal and we got the nod to go ahead and do it again this year. This year we decided to go with Tomato Basil and Lemon Pepper pork loins with italian seasoned asparagus, with wild rice and balsamic vingrete and honey grilled peaches. Desert was to be ice cream with little sugar snacky things flavored with strawberry. The menu was tried out on a small group and knew it was good, but that was with 10 people and not 100! Anyway, we did the meal on the 6th and it turned out well and everyone was happy. But in the course of doing this, I observed and learned a few things about preparing a meal for 100 plus people.

- Church kitchens are set up for serving guests, not cooking for them
- If you stir rice too much, you get wallpaper paste. (I know this, but was unable to stop it from happening)
- There really is such a thing as too many cooks in the kitchen.
- There is no substitute for a real fire grill when it comes to making grilled food. It just can't be done properly.
- There is no such thing as a fresh peach in the month of May. (at least on in Illinois!)
- NO cooking banquet event will be a success without a good working crew. (of that, we were in abundance of!!!)
- When clearing the food plates, and if you are the cook/planner, do not be the one that scrapes the plates... every plate you find with food on it you will take as a personal insult because they did not finish their food.
- No matter what you prepare, SOMEONE will ask for Ketchup!!
- Leaving them with a tasty dessert can fix main meal problems.
- And I know now why cooks/foody types drink after preparing meals... they need to!


All in all, the banquet was a great success and it was fun! It is however, a fairly involved activity and you alway want to please or at least satisfy them all. I think we did it last night at the banquet.. or maybe they were just being nice.

That is all for now! Take it for what it's worth!

Later!

Dogs are good... no matter what 3rd world country they are stuck in...

Another reason that third world countries should stay third world and more proof that dogs really are man's (and woman's) best friend... WOOF!!!! Dogs ROCK!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080422/od_nm/child_dc_1

PATNA, India (Reuters) - Hundreds of villagers have flocked to a remote Indian village to see a baby girl who was saved by stray dogs after she was abandoned in a mound of mud by her mother, officials said on Tuesday.

Villagers in the eastern state of Bihar saved the newborn on the weekend after they saw three dogs barking near a baby covered with mud.

"The dogs removed the soil around and began to bark and the baby started crying which drew attention of the local villagers," Ram Narayan Sahani, a senior government official, said on Tuesday from Bihar's Samastipur district.

"The girl is crying but is safe in the lap of a childless couple who have adopted her."

Police said they were looking for the girl's mother, who they think had left the girl to die.

Female foeticide, though illegal in India, is widespread as boys are traditionally preferred to girls as breadwinners, and families have to pay huge dowries to marry off their daughters.

The United Nations says an estimated 2,000 unborn girls are illegally aborted every day in India.

(Writing by Bappa Majumdar; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Guess that accent you all hear is your hearing problem!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The South
The Northeast
The West
Boston
North Central
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have">What American accent do you have? http://www.gotoquiz.com/">Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I have often been accused of having a bit of a drawl in my speech patterns... well according to this, I guess I's just a derned midwesterner. Sheet, I got nuthing agin anyone with a accent.

later!

I drank what!?!?!?

This came in an email from my good gamer buddy Stu in North Dakota! Take it for what it's worth!


To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine and those who don't.
As Ben Franklin said: In wine there is wisdom, in Beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.
In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia Coli (E. Coli) bacteria in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop.
However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine and beer (or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.
Remember; Water = Poop, Wine = Health. Therefore it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit.
There is no need to thank me for this valuable information: I am doing it as a public service.


Later!

Tastes good so far!

An update on my wine making efforts! So far we have a Liebfraumilch, a Merlot and a Carbernet in the bottle with a Port close to bottleing. Both my fellow vintner and I are sci-fi geeks, (first and foremost Star Trek) and so we decided to honor that love of Star Trek with a few labels giving a nod to the best Sci-Fi creation ever! Here are pics of the first two sets of labels we have come up with. More labels that will expose our geekiness will be forthcoming. I think that some of my labels may move into the fantasy genre shortly. Possibly with the Port.... Wish you could enjoy a bottle with me! By the way, we are not selling our wine..... only giving it away to those who wish to try it.

Later!

Turkey Run State Park

Over the recent spring break, the family and I headed out to Turkey Run State Park, Indiana. This has been a favorite place for me to go and enjoy the outdoors, get some great excersize and enjoy the scenery. If you have nver been before, you will be amazed that this place is in the mid-west and not someplace out west or near the mountains. The natural formations of erosion of the sandstone and shale is really awe inspiring. It is a very well cared for location and kudos to the Indiana DNR for taking such good care of it. I was not able to enjoy it as much as I normally do as I had an injury to my knee at the time and spent most of the time dragging my leg behind me, but we still did some of the hardest trails the park has to offer. The kids and Gunnar really enjoyed the chance to just climb and go off leash - so to speak. They have quite a nice campground near by and the Turkey Run Inn is really nice and about half of what you would expect for a place that nice. My wife and I will be taking advantage of the Inn sometime this year I think. (especially seeing how cheap it is over the "off" season.) I encourage everyone to check it out if they have the time. And make sure you do trail number 3! It is the best of them all! Later!

Those hood wearing thugs!

Check out this article from the Telegraphco.uk website! Maybe I should try to incorporate the "hood"lum aspect into the the re-enacting that I do. I know of a couple of teenagers that could pull it off!


'Hoodies' were the scourge of Medieval London By Laura Clout
Last Updated: 1:20am BST 08/04/2008
They are the symbol of today's disaffected youth but a historian has revealed that the hoodie-wearing yob is not just a modern problem.
Professor Robert Bartlett, who is an expert on the Middle Ages, said hooded tops were also the garment of choice for 12th-century juvenile delinquents.
The teenage apprentice boys of London were lawless, violent and the scourge of the capital."They were away from home for seven years with no parental control and they would riot regularly for political and religious reasons," he told the Radio Times.
Hooded tops were worn by most citizens during medieval winters, he said, and they also served to hide the identity of young miscreants.
Prof Bartlett, of the University of St Andrews, said the life of the period resonated with today in other ways.
The English, who are now among the worst binge-drinkers in Europe, were also renowned as drunks in the Middle Ages.
"A surviving 12th-century Latin manuscript refers disapprovingly to 'Potatrix Anglia' - 'England the drunken'," said Prof Bartlett, who is presenting the series Inside the Medieval Mind on BBC4, starting next Thursday.
He will reveal the opening of the North-South divide, with the first recorded case - in 1120 - of a southerner complaining that he is unable to understand the speech of a northerner.

More demo photos...

Here are the photos from the DAR talk in Sibley. All the kids present were winners for various topics or categories sponsored by the DAR. If you notice, Cora, my daughter is not smiling as there were dozens of people taking photos and it was kind of a late night the night before. She was tired and maybe just a bit embarassed by all the attention. She did a great job at the presentation though.

Rest in Peace... job well done!

Thank you and good-bye to Charlton Heston, best know to most gun owners not as the actor who supported 2nd Amendment rights, but as the best president the NRA has probably ever had. The image of him with a flintlock rifle raised above his head, commenting to Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore, saying "from my cold dead hands!" is iconic for most 2nd Amendment right supporters. He pretty much changed the landscape of politics when it came to gun issues and did it with class and style. Job well done. Maybe someday another similar personality like his will take the president's position and do a good of a job. Some people would say Ted Nugent might make for an interesting NRA president. "Interesting" would be an understatement!

Remember that the 2nd Amendment is the 2nd one on the list... right behind the freedom of speech, religion and press.... standing behind to insure that the First is protected!

Later!

Working in the Past Tense...

Just a bit of an update to the blog. This last weekend I think I spent more time in historical costume than I did my 21st century clothes. I did a 14th Century demo at the Monticello Middle School, talking about archery and general subjects to the 6th grade class. I really love going there cause the kids are really receptive and the librarian does a bang up job of making a whole week long affair on studying the middle ages. A parent with a decent camera sent me some photos of the archery talks and demonstration and some of the general discussion. As is apparent from the photos I have started wearing armor and such at more an more demos as I am slowly trying to get a decent man-at-arms gear together. I am just about there. All I really need is some better footwear or leg protection to make it all work. And if you notice, in both photos I am wearing weaponry at no time did any kid go crazy and try to take the blades or something stupid like this. I like the fact that most schools are starting to understand that this zero tolerance for weaponry on school property needs to be dialed back a bit so that some teaching and learning can be done. While you can talk about the middle ages and not mention warfare, you are leaving out alot of discussion of "policy making" that went on at that time. I am finding that many more schools are opening their doors to having demonstrators come in and bringing their tools of the trade, even if those tools are guns and knives sometimes.

I also did a talk for the DAR (Daughters of the Revolution) in Sibley, IL. This was a incredibly receptive audience and I was really in a groove talking with them. We could have gone on and on with a Q and A session but they had students to recognize with awards and they normally have fairly short meetings. But this was a really smart group of people and they got into the presentation, which very quickly turned into a discussion group, which I found refreshing! I will load up some photos from that soon if I get any from the photographers.

That is all for now. I promise to do better in the future!

later!

How much do you know about.... Civics?

My wife sent me a link to a short civics trivia test. The quiz is made up of 20 questions found on the actual citizenship test with a few curveballs in the mix. The last ten questions may be a bit harder, but a score of around 24 out of 30 is considered a passing grade. They score you on the number right and you can compare it to others in your state, and to others in your age range. It is pretty cool! I got a 26 on the test, which is 6 points higher than most people in my age range and state of residence.

Check it out at http://games.toast.net/independence/

Let me know what you get!

Later!

Sorry for the delay...

Sorry I have not been more attentive to the blog. A lot of stuff going on. I have a huge project at work that is taking up most of the brain cells in my head, things are busy around home, and I have been distracted by a injury (maybe) to my right knee. The doctor suspects I have a torn meniscus (cartilage) that will maybe require some outpatient surgery. We will see. However, to let you know what has been happening, I have a number of history demos coming up soon, (Love them, as they pay really well!) and I and working on the next two batches of DeeJay Cellars wine. They are a Port and a Cabernet. Both are about two weeks or more from bottling. And I am eagerly awaiting Easter, as I gave up Soda, all candy, and all potatoe products for Lent. (I am not a Catlikker, but a Lutheran, but I see a good lesson in the practice of giving up things for Lent.) I am not really missing anything, but I am looking forward to having a chance at eating those danged Kathryn Beich candy bars my son is selling for his Scout Troop! Dang those caramel bars are good. I hear them calling my name! Anyway, that is all for now.

Later!

The Dungeon Master is dead...

The world of role playing lost it's greatest treasure yesterday. E. Gary Gygax, the creator of the role playing game Dungeons and Dragons and arguably the biggest influence on all role playing out there today, died of an abdominal anuerism at the age of 69. The story can be found at http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9885383-1.html or just about any where on the net. Alot of people are writing about their feelings, and I find it very heartening that they are not being depressed and morose about it, but taking it rather well and giving him the kind of comments that I think he would have enjoyed. I am giving you a sample of those I have come across.

"Too bad he didn't get to re-roll his savings throw. The Lord is a harsh DM indeed. This is a sad day. Should've had an amulet of health or something.I mean, think about it, if Gary Gygax hadn't created D&D, how different my life would have been. I probably would've played sports, gone outside more, had sex before going to college, been more popular... Damnit Gary, YOU RUINED MY LIFE!!!"
"j/k My life has been infinitely more interesting thanks to the stuff I learned by gaming."

"No testament I've read yet even touches on how important this man's efforts have been in absolutely everything enjoyable in my life - EVEN if I didn't play DnD on a regular basis, the sheer idea of role-playing, creating adventures, looking forward to sharing awesome ideas in gaming environments with buds with pizza and pepsi and later beer and smokes and Magic the Gathering all traces back to the simple ideas this guy brought forth of randomizing storytelling in the fantasy worlds of swords, knights and dragons. World of Warcraft would not be without him. The Lord of the Rings movies, likewise. Supremely important this being was. He deserves a mountain throne, an elven palace or some elemental plane named after him."

"What loot did he drop?"

"What...no saving throw?
:-(
Well, I guess we all have to go meet the 'Dungeon Master' in the sky at some point...."

"Get the cleric."

reply- "That would permanently lower his constitution by one. I don't think Gary would want to live that way."

second reply- "Are you sure? Start with Speak with Dead and ask!
Unfortunately, I think his death qualifies as Death From Old Age and Raise Dead, Resurrection, and True Resurrection specifically exclude that."

"No one gets out of "HIS" adventures alive at the end of the game."

And finally, the one that made me laugh the most:

"I find it ironic that the man credited for preventing so much sex had six kids himself."


As for myself, I have been playing Gary's game or some version of it ever since I was about 12 years old or so. And now my son plays it too. I was hooked from the moment I opened the basic boxed set, oh, so many years ago and never let go of that desire to play. I was fortunate to meet him at Gen Con 2007 and got my photo taken with him and my son. I even got his signature on my D&D book. That's a Pretty Cool Thing in the the geek world.

Alot of the gaming I did was influential to my imagination, hobbies, and in some ways, view of life now a days. Thanks, Gary! It has been, and will continue to be fun.

Later!