Post GenCon report

What can I say about Gen Con 2010? FRAKKING AWSOME!!! Yeah. That pretty much sums it up for me. I had hyped myself up for it for about 4 months so anything less than AWESOME would have been a major let down. However, I was not disappointed and I had an AWESOME time at Gen Con 2010! Have I mentioned how AWESOME it was?

Like I said, I was really, really geeked to go to Gen Con 2010 this year. Why so much more than in years past? I don't really know. Some of it may have been that some of my best gamer buddies were gonna be there with me, and despite a shortened trip, my wife and kids would be there too. Added to that, the Gen Con Indy Facebook page kept beating me about the head and shoulders with AWESOME things that were going to be happening at the convention almost everyday with status updates on its FB page. Combined with the fact that I am a true gamer geek, I was primed and ready to go!

I had signed up for 6 games to play over the weekend, and that, my friend, is a paltry amount to sign up for, but I have reasons for limiting my game time, which I will explain later. I love all games, except for collectible card games, and word based games. What I love about Gen Con is that you can play your favorite games and try out some you have heard about, or simply take a shot in the dark and try something "completely different."
I played Poo the Card game, a game based on the unsavory habit of monkeys throwing poo around at each other; Are You A Werewolf?, a fun social game that invovles no board or dice, but simple persuasion and logical reasoning; Conflict of Heroes, a WWII strategy based game that is the game that everyone who has ever played Squad Leader in the past, wishes this game came out alot earlier. And the final three games were Battlestar Galactica, (one of the top three games I have ever played), Memoir '44 (right up there with Battlestar) and Dawn Patrol- Fight in the Skies, a WWI aerial combat simulation game. Of all of these games, I had the most fun playing Battlestar, learned the most from Dawn Patrol, and had the most excitement with Memoir '44. And what really rocked about all the games is that I did not lose a single game I played!!! (In some of these games, simply surviving to the end is being a winner.)

As an aside, I do not play D&D at Gen Con. I did it once, and that was enough to: 1. Say I played at Gen Con, and: 2. Playing styles are so different from group to group; you have no idea what you might get into. As one of my friends found out, playing D&D at Gen Con can be risky, so I don’t risk it. I would rather spend my time playing other games and broadening my gaming horizons…

So, you might ask, if you are having so much fun, then why not play more games? Because half of going to Gen Con, is exploring Indianapolis, or at least the center of the city. If you have not been to Indy in a while, then get yourself over there! It is a happening place! But what makes the time in the city so much fun, is that just about every business there, throws open their doors to 30,000 gamers and doesn't look back. These welcome the gamers, with all their weird, loveable quirks, their out of style (or out of the ordinary)fashions, and there random times of dining and drinking. (It has to fit around their gaming schedule, you know...) Many of the buisnesses change theri decor and menu to fit into the convention better. Take for instance the bar Scotty's or The Ram, where they have a menu completely reworked to appeal to a D&D or Magic the Gathering gamer. Ordering a plate of fried goblin ears is not out of the ordinary at a Gen Con friendly eating establisment! My friend, family and I, go out on the town, we eat at dfferently places and we visit new merchants. And we spend some good money. Our waiter at a wonderful bar called "Tastings",

If you have never been to the convention, it is kind of hard to explain what it is like. My family, friends and I, we do the convention to death! We play games, we shop, we eat, we play games, do some people watching, we eat, we shop, and occasionally try to get 5 hours of sleep in each night. (Weak, I know, but I have kids, and they need their rest) If possible, I would stay up around the clock playing games. My daughter is starting to become a big gamer, already stretching her abilities to play games that are out of the ordinary, or simply just wanting to try a new game to see what it is like. My son, he is comfortable with games that are tried and true for him. To get him to try something new is a bit more challenging, but once tried, he usually will come backt to the table to play it again. My wife, while not a hard core gamer, is one of those gamers that, if a game "clicks" with her, you better watch out, cause she will beat your ass in that game. I don't think she got to play as many games as she wanted but I am sure she enjoyed the convention all the same.

Courtesy of Wil Wheaton

This was suppose to be posted to the blog BEFORE I went to Gen Con, but apparently, Blogger was not cooperating... so I post it now...



From the introduction of his "gaming Chapbook" which will be on sale at GENCON this weekend. I hope to get one. (and I did)

It sums up alot about what is good about gaming and why I do it. Thank goodness there is someone like Wil, (whose character I really did not like on Star Trek the Next Generation, but I really like as a person in real life.) who is a advocate for gamers and can put into words, those things the rest of us gamers feel.

"Of all the things that make me a geek, nothing brings me more joy, or is more important to me, than gaming. I am the person I am today because of the games I played and the people I played them with as I came of age in the 80s.
This is a small collection of stories about gaming in its various forms, from cards to dice to computers to our beloved tabletop RPGs. Most of these stories were originally published in 2009, when my son Ryan was away at college, and my son Nolan was 17.


Keep playing games. Games are important. Games matter. When you play a game - any game - you’re using your imagination to bring a world to life, and that’s truly special, because while all destruction is essentially the same, when you create something, it’s different every single time. When you create something together, you’re building bonds with your fellow gamers that could last for your entire lives. The Venn Diagram of my best friends, my gaming group, and people from high school I still hang out with is one perfect circle. I suspect that for many gamers of my generation, that’s equally true ... and I know that my kids will be saying the same thing in 20 years about people they’ve never met face to face, but interact with almost every day in an online game that will make Call of Duty look then like Pong looks today."


Roll 20s,
Wil Wheaton
August 3, 2010


Later... Game on! Coming soon, pictures and review from GenCon!

Time to play... a game!

You all know I am a big gamer, but often it can be a struggle to get others interested in games and gaming in general. Here is a great idea to try and break open the barriers to getting more people into gaming.

Check it out HERE

I like guns...

Here are some videos that I was recently turned on to. This bloke is from Australia and it seems that he has some of the same desires (and problems) as many American gun owners. Check out his first video, "I like Guns."



His second video is actually even better. If it were not for the accent, this guy could be talking about America.



Enjoy the show!

Later!

Conan: The Musical

Yep. They made one. A short one, but here it is.

Gamer Gurl...

As many of you might know, my family and I are big gamers. We play games of all sorts and attend a few gaming conventions throughout the year, GenCon being the biggest and the best. I love it. I love having a family that games with me and yesterday was no exception, EXCEPT, that yesterday my daughter joined a D&D game that was a trip back to the past for me, and a new experience for the rest of the group. The adventure, or module as it was called in the 80's was White Plume Mountain, probably one of the best D&D adventures ever created. It was a killer adventure in the 80's when I played it, but it has been toned down a bit for the current version of the game, but it is still a very lethal bit of imaginative gaming. But this is not about the adventure, this is about my little girl, who will be 12 soon, playing in a game that I was so excited to host, and then to find out, that despite having never read the core rule books, and having only played one other time before, she nails this portion of the adventure with original ideas, useful and helpful comments and a real desire to be part of the group.
With her help, the first part of this adventure went a little more easily on the players than I remember it from the past, but it was still fun and I think that my players really had to think and act smartly in order to be successful. I was proud of her and how she comported herself during the game. I have both of my kids playing the game I grew up with and they certainly seem to like playing with me, or at least I hope so! But I was really proud of her. She says she had a lot of fun, and I hope she did. She still has alot to learn about the game, and so far, no one seems to mind helping her with some of the more intricate rules and methods of game play. And, in time, I hope she will be able to stand on her own in a game where she is kind of an outsider, but for right now, I like having her as part of my gaming group.
Say what you will about the game Dungeons & Dragons, but in my experience, this game has been nothing more than a positive experience for me, and I hope to be able to make it the same for my kids and the rest of my gaming group. I know what it did for me, and I am interested to see what it will do for my kids.

later!

1+1=7....

This...
















will get you this!!!










Astrid had her first litter of pups on the 4th of June at 11:45pm and the last one was born on the 5th of June at 2:15am. Everything went perfectly and the pups are thriving. We have only one left to find a home for. All the rest are reserved and will be going to good homes sometime in early August. This has been some of the most fun I have had in a long time. Hard work with lots of worry, but worth it all!


Enjoy the photos!

Later!

Had to share this!!!!

WWII on Facebook

You learn something new everyday....

Check out this article about how an archer's arrow might have had an effect in the outcome of history during the lifetime of King Henry V. The article is part of the ezine called "The Reenactor". The article I am placing here is very long but well worth the read. Enjoy!

ANOTHER ARROW WHICH CHANGED HISTORY?
By
Kevin Goodman M.Sc.
http://bowsbladesandbattles.tripod.com
King Henry V of England (c.1387–1422) The hero of Agincourt; the man who broke the French; the ideal knight - the epitome of piety and chivalry. He tends to be regarded as a medieval superman, applauded for his genius and dynamism, yet, his shortcomings overlooked. To Mortimer (2009):
“He was an extraordinary man, in that he demonstrated phenomenal organisational skills, focus, determination, resilience, leadership and – above all else – religious conviction; but…he was a deeply flawed individual. He lacked the simpler qualities of compassion, warmth, and the understanding of human frailty that one naturally looks for in all men – yeomen and paupers as well as kings.” (Seward 198, p1-2)

Such aspects of Henry’s personality have proved something of a conundrum for many historians and chroniclers of his life: his sudden transformation from a wild, brawling, drinking, womanising youth to a fervently pious King upon the death of his father Henry IV in 1413; his devout religious beliefs - a contrast to the atrocities he commited: the ordering of the slaughter of noble prisoners at Agincourt in 1415 which defied the chivalric law; his treatment of the inhabitants and defenders of towns he besieged and his persecution of the Lollard sect, (Barker 2005, 2009, Curry 2000, 2005, Dockray 2007, McGlynn, 2008, Mortimer 2009).
According to legend, and to Shakespeare in his play “Henry V”, (written in 1599), Henry, the wild prince who enjoyed taverns and carousing turned into a pious overnight. As a youth, the anonymous “Vita et Gesta Henrici Quinti” (Hearne 1727) describes him as:
“Passing the bounds of modesty he was the fervent soldier of venus as well as mars; youthlike he was fired by her torches, in the midst of his brave deeds as a soldier, he also found leisure for the excesses of untamed youth” (p.21, Dockray 2007).
However, upon ascending the throne as King Henry V on April 9th 1413 following the death of his father Henry IV:
“…[He] suddenly changed into a new man and henceforth devoted himself single-mindedly to live as virtuously as maintaining Holy Church, destroying heretics, keeping justice and defending his realm and subjects” (Anonymous English Chronicler in Dockray 2007, p. 96)
“[He] reformed and amended his life and manners…all his acts were suddenly changed into gravity and discretion” (Tito Livio in the Vita Henrici Quinti in Dockray 2007, p.96);
“…as soon as he was made King he was changed suddenly into another man, zealous for honesty, modesty and gravity, there being no sort of virtue that he was not anxious to display” (Thomas Walshingham, in Dockray 2007, p.23)
This was, and has been, interpreted as Henry having a religious conversion (Seward 1987).
A number of his personal characteristics and behaviours have been seen as admirable in the past and today: his piety; his passion for justice; his bravery and courage; his skills as an administrator and manager who recognised talent and rewarded loyalty; his honesty; his decisiveness in planning and effectiveness in delivering policy. As a military commander he has been admired for: his gift of command: planning and masterminding of strategies and sieges; diplomatic negotiations; maintaining firm control over deployment of manpower; enforcement of discipline and the redistribution of conquered territories, (Barker 2005, 2009; Curry 2000, 2005; Dockray 2007 ; Mortimer 2009; Seward 1987).
In contrast, he is also described as: severe; cold; humourless; aloof; domineering; ruthless; bad tempered vindictive and inhumane. He was intolerant of dissent and prepared to punish, even remove those whose loyalty he suspected. Men feared his anger and avoided questioning the wisdom of his judgements or the rightness of his decisions - when his honour was impugned he could suddenly become very angry (Dockray 2007; Mortimer 2009; Seward 1987):
“*Henry was+ much feared and dreaded by his princes, knights and captains and by people of every degree because all those who disobeyed his orders or infringed his edicts he would put to death without mercy.” (Waurin: Hardy 1868, p.429)
Many of his behaviours have been viewed as excessive. His religious behaviour was extreme, even for the time (Mortimer 2009). He constantly went on pilgrimage to the shrines of saints, heard several masses a day, (refusing to be interrupted while at prayer). The Gesta states:
“*Henry was+ devoted to the hearing of divine praises and to his own private prayers that, once he had begun them there was not anyone, even from amongst his nobles and magnates, who was able, by conversation however brief, at anytime to interrupt them. There cannot, therefore, be denied by the Prince of princes to a prince also, in the judgement of all men, is of such goodness and obedience, whatever he may justly ask of them.”
(p.155, Taylor and Roskell 1975)
He founded monasteries for the most zealous orders: Celestines, Bridgettines and Carthusians (Dockray 2007; Seward 1987; Taylor and Roskell 1975). He has been described as “Messianic”, (Dockray 2007; Mortimer 2009), believing he was divinely ordained as the servant of God, with full divine approval for his actions, (Dockray 2007). Thus, his every deed was moved by God: his will was God’s will and his war against the French was God’s war and the ensuing victories were God’s victory. So fervent was his belief that he had been blessed by God he fought in the front line at Agincourt because God protected him (Mortimer 2009) As he stated:
“I am the scourge of God sent to punish the people of God for their sins” (Dockray 2007, p.222).
This may also explains the atrocities he commited. His persecution of the Lollards, who followed the teachings of John Wycliffe (Hudson 1988; Lutton 2006; Rex 2002), resulted from his intolerance of religious dissent (Dockray 2007). His slaughter of the prisoners at Agincourt (1415) and the savage reprisals against the inhabitants and defenders of Caen (1417), Rouen, (1418), Pontoise (1419), Rougement (1421) and Meaux (1422) were punishments authorised by God. Henry cited the “Law of Deuteronomy”, as justification for his behaviour towards besieged towns in his own correspondence (Taylor and Roskell 1975):
“When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace.
If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labour and shall work for you.
If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city.
When the lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.
As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies.”
(Deuteronomy 20:10-14)
His acquired chasteness has also been linked to his religious fervour. His friends claimed he never took a mistress or slept with a woman after becoming King until he married Catherine of Valois in June 1420 and fathered only one child, Henry, (1421-1471), taking no mistresses or siring any illegitimate children, (Dockray 2007; Kingsford 1911; Mortimer 2009).
Mortimer (2009) attributes these contrasts and the enigmas of Henry’s character to his upbringing; however, they may result from the injury he suffered at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403.
THE BATTLE OF SHREWSBURY (1403) AND THE WOUNDING OF PRINCE HENRY
On Saturday 21 July 1403 the armies of King Henry IV and the rebel Henry Percy met in battle just north of the town of Shrewsbury. The royal forces were victorious, (Priestley 1979), but during the battle Prince Henry was wounded in the face by an arrow while leading a cavalry charge. Despite the severity of the wound, he continued to fight on refusing to leave, demanding, according to one of his chroniclers, Tito Livio: “Lead me, thus wounded, to the front line so that I may, as a prince should, kindle our fighting men with deeds not words” (Dockray 2007 p.85).
Henry IV’s surgeon, John Bradmore, treated the wound. He described it as:
“…smetyn in the face be syd the nose on the lefte syd with an arrow the wyche sayd arrow entryd overwharte and after the schafte was takyn owt and the hede ther of a bod styll in the hyndyr parte of a bone of the hede after the mesur of vj ynche” (p.129, Lang 2003)
Cole and Lang (2003) translate this as:
“…[the arrow] struck in the face with an arrow beside the nose on the left side, which arrow entered from the side , and the said arrow, after the arrow was extracted, remained in the back part of the bone of the head six inches deep.” (Cole and Lang 2003, p.95).
Strickland and Hardy (2005) as:
“…[the arrow] entered at an angle (ex traverso), and after the arrow shaft was extracted, the head of the aforesaid arrow remained in the furthermost part of the bone of the skull for the depth of six inches.(p.284)
To Cole and Lang (2003) the arrow was embedded in the interior bone of the skulls posterior.
Pollard and Oliver (2002) describe the arrow as being “lodged in a bone behind the nose” (p.45), although this differs from Bradmore’s description.
The arrowhead was left imbedded in the skull and Bradmore invented a set of tongs to remove the arrowhead, (recreated by Hector Cole: Cole and Lang 2003) (below)
(Photograph by Jo Homfray)
According to Cole and Lang (2003):
“…it is just possible for an arrow to enter beside the nose and lodge at the back of the head without causing immediate death or lasting disability, but the margin of error either way is extremely small, and the Prince was clearly very fortunate indeed to survive the wound.” (Cole and Lang 2003 p.96)
THE WOUND:
The injury Henry received would be classed today as a “penetrating head trauma caused by a missile”. This is a wound in which a projectile breaches the skull but does not exit it, (an injury in which the projectile passes entirely though the head, leaving both entrance and exit wounds, is described as “perforating”), (Vinas and Pilitsis 2006). Patients with penetrating wounds have a greater survival rate than those with perforating wounds, (Aarabi 1999).
In a missile wound, the amount of damage to the brain depends on numerous factors including:
The kinetic energy imparted
The trajectory of the missile and bone fragments through the brain
Intracranial pressure changes at the moment of impact
Secondary mechanisms of injury, (infection caused by the penetrating missile or shards of bone)
(Vinas and Pilitsis 2009)
injury is related to:
The direct crush injury produced by the missile
The cavitation produced by the centrifugal effects of the missile on organ tissue
The shock waves produced
(Vinas and Pilitsis 2009)
Due to Bradmore’s account we know that Henry was struck in the face some where beside the nose on the left side, the arrow entering from the side with the arrowhead remaining in the posterior interior of the skull at a depth of six inches (Cole and Lang 2003; Lang 2003; Strickland and Hardy 2005). Unfortunately, there are number of unknown variables:
The rate the arrow was travelling at when it struck Henry.
The trajectory of the arrow when it struck, (did it come from the left or right side?)
The exact location where the arrow penetrated Henry’s face.
The trajectory of the arrow through the skull.
The exact location where the arrowhead was imbedded in the skull’s interior.
The length of time before the arrowhead was removed, (Henry was transported to Kenilworth Castle after the battle, yet how long it was before the arrow was removed is unknown and Bradmore was not the first physician to attempt to remove the arrow, Lang 2003).
A variety of arrowheads were in use during this period, (Jessop 1996), but Bradmore refers to the arrow as a “bod” (p.129, Lang 2003) or bodkin. This was an arrow head used to penetrate armour and maille, (Strickland and Hardy 2005). The remains of bodkin arrowheads have been found at the site of the battle (Pollard and Oliver 2002).
The rate the arrow was travelling at when it struck Henry is unknown. Stretton (2006) found when shot from a yew war-bow with a draw weight of 144 pounds (65.3 kg), an arrow with a bodkin head weighing 86 grams (1,324 grains), travelling at 47.9 m (157 ft) per second has a kinetic energy of 99 joules. The draw weight is defined as the amount of force, expressed as a weight, which needs to be applied to the string in order to bend the strung bow to its full extent. The formula for calculating kinetic energy: 1/2mv2 = Mass (kg) x Velocity2
2
A fragment or missile striking a vital area with a kinetic energy of 80 joules or more is considered a fatal blow, (Health and Safety Executive 2002).
An arrowhead travelling at this rate is capable of penetrating armour 1.6mm thick to a depth of 7.62cm (3 in), (Stretton 2006). Should the target be moving towards the archer, as in the case of a mounted knight, then the bodkin can penetrate a further 2.54 -5.08 cm (1-2 in), (Stretton 2006). However, the caviation and shock wave damage would be far less than those caused by bullets, (Davies and Harbinson 2002). The injuries inflicted by medieval arrow wounds have been documented (Fiorato et al 2000; Karger et al 2001; Thordeman 2001).
It is not recorded whether Henry lost consciousness. It appears he did not as he was able to continue fighting, (Dockray 2007). This may indicate that the penetrating arrow had ricocheted and its speed and kinetic energy had substantially decreased. There is also no record of any impairment immediately or after treatment.
He was also fortunate in the medical care he received. The arrow head was left in place, patients in whom the penetrating object is left in place have a significantly lower mortality than those in whom the objects are inserted and then removed (26% versus 11% respectively), (Vinas and Pilitsis 2009). The wound was also treated with honey. Research has shown that honey has antibacterial properties and promotes tissue healing and blood vessel formation, (Dunford et al 2000ab; Dunford 2005; Simon et al 2009).
However, despite Cole and Lang’s (2003) assertion that Henry was fortunate to have escaped without lasting disability, Henry may not have escaped entirely unscathed, as his later behaviours are indicative of temporal lobe impairment.
PERSONALITY CHANGES AS RESULT OF LEFT TEMPORAL LOBE DAMAGE
The temporal lobes are areas of he cerebral cortex, located on both the left and right hemispheres of the brain, (below).
Impairment affecting temporal areas tends to leave intellectual functions intact while causing alterations in personality (Blumer and Benson 1975). Left temporal lobe damage produces a number of effects:
Altered sexual behaviour: Increase or decrease in libido (Blumer, 1975; Blumer and Walker, 1975; Geschwind ,1975, 1979; Kolb & Wishaw, 1990)
Extreme, heightened sense of religiosity with augmented sense of personal destiny (Bear and Fedio, 1977; Blumer, 1975; Geschwind 1975, 1979)
Extreme morality and ethical concerns: Bear and Fedio, 1977; Blumer, 1975; Geschwind 1975, 1979)
Paranoia and aggressive rages (Blumer and Benson 1975; Geschwind ,1975, 1979; Kolb & Wishaw, 1990)
Sudden Mood Changes (Bear and Fedio, 1977; Blumer, 1975; Geschwind 1975, 1979)
Deepened Emotional Response: (Bear and Fedio, 1977; Geschwind 1975, 1979)
Humourlessness (Bear and Fedio, 1977; Blumer, 1975)
All of these are prominent in Henry’s character and behaviour: the disinterest in sex; the extreme religious and messianic beliefs and behaviours; the deeply held moral and ethical beliefs; the cold, severe humourlessness; the feared aggressive and violent rages which would swiftly appear. It may explain his change from a “…fervent soldier of venus” (p.21, Dockray 2007) into“… another man, zealous for honesty, modesty and gravity” (Thomas Walshingham in Dockray 2007, p.23). However, it is unlikely such a transformation occurred as soon as he was crowned as believed by his chroniclers.
The observable impairments may have commenced several years earlier. In 1408, an Oxford academic, Richard Ullerston, noted Henry’s desire for spiritual study and knowledge of the scriptures, (Dockray 2007). By 1409, there were problems developing between Henry and his father, King Henry IV, as Prince Henry launched an attempted coup and in 1412 when Prince Henry had to be restrained from seizing his father’s throne by force, (Dockray 2007; Mortimer 2007; Seward, 1987).
While there appeared to be no immediate impairment after being wounded, it is possible that an abscess on the left temporal lobe may have caused such impairment.
Patients who survive penetrating head injuries are at risk of experiencing multiple complications, including infections and abscesses from bone or missile fragments imbedded in the brain, (Vinas and Pilitsis 2006). Brain abscess can occur after a long period of silent infection. Hida et al (1978) reported a case of delayed brain abscess following a penetrating gunshot injury 38 years after the injury; Pencek and Burchiel (1986), 15 years after an injury and Lee and Kim (2000) 47 years after. Thus it is feasible that Henry could also have experienced similar damage either from a fragment from the arrow or fragment of bone.
This also may indicate a possible trajectory through the skull: not coming in contact with the brain, but passing close to the left temporal lobe from the entry point in the left half of the face.
There are obvious problems in formulating a hypothesis concerning the personality and behaviour of a major historical figure. In this instance, not only is there a lack of archaeological evidence but there is also a deficit of contemporary accounts regarding Henry’s life.
The only contemporary accounts of Henry’s life which survive are the anonymous “Gesta Henrici Quinti” (c.1416) (Taylor and Roskell 1975), Thomas of Elham’s “Liber Meticus de Henrico Quinto” (“Memorials of Henry V”) (Cole 1858) and Thomas Walsingham’s "Ypodigma Neustriae”(Riley 1876). Later works copied them and modern historians place their own interpretations upon them. Further, such original works can be regarded as being propaganda as can later works, which created a medieval superman much removed from reality: “…the ideal Englishman: plucky and persevering, austere and audacious, cool-headed, stiff-lipped and effortlessly superior: simply the greatest man, ever to rule England” (Fernandez-Armesto 2009).
For example, stories of Henry’s wild, misspent youth and his dramatic conversion at his coronation into a sober and righteous King were written long after his reign was over and have become accepted as historical because of Shakespeare, (Barker 2005). Dockray (2007) concludes that there is no evidence of wild behaviour, or at least for a sudden change when he was crowned, although to Curry (2005) “The stories of a misspent youth have never been proven, but neither have they been disproved” (p.30).
The aim of this article has been an attempt to forward a possible explanation for the puzzles surrounding Henry’s character and behaviour, albeit based on the limited information possessed. However, while such information is limited and the conclusion controversial, is it merely coincidence that many of his behaviours match the characteristics that are symptomatic of injuries to the left temporal lobe?
References
-Aarabi B. (1999) History of the management of craniocerebral wounds. In: Aarabi B, Kaufman HH, Dagi TF, George ED, Levy ML, (eds.) Missile Wounds of the Head and Neck. Vol 1. Park Ridge, Ill: American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
-Barker, J. (2005) Agincourt: The King, the campaign, the battle. London: Little Brown.
--- (2009) Conquest: The English Kingdom of France 1417-1450. London: Little Brown.
- Bear, D. and Fedio, P. (1977) Quantitative analysis of interictal behaviour in temporal lobe epilepsy. Archives of Neurology, 34, 454-67
- Blumer, D. (1975) Temporal lobe epilepsy and its psychiatric significance. In: In D. Benson and D. Blumer, eds. Psychiatric Aspects of Neurologic Disease. New York: Grune & Stratton.
- Blumer, D., & Benson, D.( 1975) Personality changes with frontal and temporal lobe lesions. In D. Benson and D. Blumer, (eds.) Psychiatric Aspects of Neurologic Disease. New York: Grune & Stratton.
- Cole, C. A.(ed.) (1858) Thomas,of Elmham ,Memorials of Henry the Fifth, King of England. London : Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, and Roberts
- Cole H and Lang T. (2003) "The Treating of Prince Henry's Arrow Wound, 1403" in Journal of the Society of Archer Antiquaries, 46, 95-101.
- Curry A. (2000) Henry V: A life and reign. In A. Curry (ed.) Agincourt 1415. Tempus: Gloucestershire
- --. (2005) Agincourt – a new history. Tempus: Gloucestershire
de Viriville, V. (ed) (1858) Chronique de Charles VII, roi de France. Paris.
- Davies, J. and Harbinson, M. (2002) Military Surgery 1300-1600. Bristol: Stuart Press.
- Dockray, K. (2007) Warrior King: The life of Henry V. Gloucestershire: Tempus
- Dunford C (2005) The use of honey-derived dressings to promote effective wound management. Professional Nurse, 20(8): 35-8
- Dunford C, Cooper R, Molan P(2000a) Using honey as a dressing for infected skin lesions, Nursing Times. 96(14 Suppl):7-9.
- Dunford C, Cooper R, Molan P, White R., (2000b) The use of honey in wound management. Nursing Standard. 15(11) 63-8.
- Fernandez-Armesto,F. (2009) The Myth of Henry V (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/henry_v_01.shtml)
- Fiorato, V, Boylston, A., and Knusel, C. (2000) Blood Red Roses: The Archaeology of a Mass Grave from the Battle of Towton, AD 1461. London: Oxbow Books
- Geschwind, N. (1975) The clinical setting of aggression in temporal lobe epilepsy in Fields, W.S and Sweet W.H. (eds.) The Neurobiology of Violence. St. Louis, Warren H. Green
- -- (1979) Behavioural Changes in temporal lobe epilepsy. Psychological Medicine, 9, 217-19
-Hardy, W, (ed) (1868) Jehan de Waurin Recueil des croniques et anchiennes istories de la Grant Bretaigne, a present nomme Engleterre.1399 to 1422. London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer.
-Health and Safety Executive (2002) Controlling risks around explosives stores. London: HMSO
- Hearne, T. (ed.) (1727) Vita et Gesta Henrici Quinti . Kessinger Publishing
- Hida K, Tsuda E, and Sato H. (1978) Brain abscess discovered 38 years after head injury. No Shinkei Geka, 6(8), 811-3.
- Hudson, Anne. (1988) The Premature Reformation: Wycliffite Texts and Lollard History. Oxford: Clarendon Press,
- Jessop, O. (1996) A new artefact typology for the study of medieval arrowheads. Medieval Archaeology, 40, 192-205.
- June-Ho Lee, and Dong Gyu Kim (2000) Brain abscess related to metal fragments 47 years after head injury. Journal of Neurosurgery, 93(3), 477-479
- Karger B, Sudhues H, Brinkmann B,(2001) "Arrow Wounds: Major Stimulus in the History of Surgery" In World Journal of Surgery, 25, pp.1550-1555.
-Kingsford, C. L. (ed)( 1911) The first English life of King Henry the Fifth, written in 1513 by an anonymous author . Oxford : Clarendon Press.
-Lang, S.J. (1992) John Bradmore and His book Philomena, Social History of Medicine, 5(1), 121-30.
- Lutton, R. (2006) Lollardy and Orthodox Religion in Pre-Reformation England Woodbridge and Suffolk, U.K.: Boydell and Brewer.
- McFarlane, K.N.(1936) “England : The Lancastrian Kings 1399-1461: Cambridge Medieval History Vol.III. Cambridge.
- McGlynn, S. (2008) By Sword and Fire: Cruelty and Attrocity in Medieval Warfare. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
- Mortimer, I. (2007) The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-Made King. London: Cape.
-- (2009) 1415: Henry V’s year of Glory. London: Bodley Head.
- Pencek, T.L. and Burchiel, K.J. (1986) Delayed brain abscess related to a retained foreign body with culture of Clostridium bifermentans. Journal of Neurosurgery, 64(5), 813-815
- Pollard, T. and Oliver ,N. (2002) Two Men in a Trench. London: Michael Joseph
- Priestly, E.J. (1979) Battle of Shrewsbury, 1403. Shrewsbury: Shrewsbury Museums Service.
- Riley, H.T, (ed.) (1876), Ypodigma neustriae a Thoma Walsingham, quondam monacho monasterii S. Albani conscriptum. London : Longman
- Richard, R (2002) The Lollards: Social History in Perspective. New York: Palgrave
- Seward, D. (1987) Henry V as Warlord. London: Penguin
- Shakespeare, W. (2010) Henry V. London: Penguin Classics.
- Simon A, Traynor K, Santos K, Blaser G, Bode U, Molan P. (2009) Medical honey for wound care--still the 'latest resort'? Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 6(2):165-73
- Stretton, M. (2006) Experimental tests with different types of medieval arrowheads. In D.H.Soar (ed.) Secrets of the English Warbow. Yardley: Westholme.
- Strickland S and Hardy R, The Great Warbow, Sutton, 2005, pp 284-5.
- Taylor, F. and Roskell, J.S. (eds) (1975) Gesta Henrici Quinti : the deeds of Henry the Fifth Oxford : Clarendon Press,
- Thordeman, B. (2001) Armour from the Battle of Wisby. Chivalry Bookshelf
- Vinas, F.C. and Pilitsis,J. (2009) Penetrating Head Trauma. (http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/247664-overview)
(Biography: Re-enactor and academic by nature, Kevin Goodman appears regularly at venues across the country delivering presentations and demonstrations on Medieval Medicine and Surgery. His article on Historic aspects of medicine can be found in “Adventures in Archaeology: Past Horizons Magazine”: http://calameo.com/books/0000627296b9a5eb2153b)
………………………………………………...

WOW!!!

WHEN I go to Germany, I WILL go HERE!!!

What the Frak???!!!

While looking for bible verses to place on the wall of the High School Sunday School/Youth group my wife and I lead, I find this verse:

2 Kings 2:23 NIV

Elisha Is Jeered

23 From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. “Go on up, you baldhead!” they said. “Go on up, you baldhead!” 24 He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. 25 And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.


Sounds like the moral of this story is don't mess around with the messengers of God or you get what's coming to you. I must say, to me, it smacks of a random wandering Monster encounter from the Dungeons and Dragons game. But that must be the geek in me interpreting the verse. Oh well.

Later!

So Say We All... at least those of us that feel similarly.

From the Daily Herald newspaper of Chicago, published 5/11/10 in the Letters to the Editor.

"After hearing the news that consideration was being given to National Guard troops being dispatched to the city of Chicago to quell violence, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank Mayor Daley and Governor Quinn.

Mayor, Governor, congratulations. Your pathological efforts to disarm the honest law-abiding citizens of the state of Illinois have finally paid off in a most graphic way. By making Illinois one of only two states in the United States that denies its citizens the rights granted under the Second Amendment, you have succeeded in turning the city of Chicago into a war zone. Since the beginning of 2010, there have been more Americans killed in Chicago than in Afghanistan and Iraq combined. Congratulations, great job, I hope you're proud."

Frank Ladonne

Buffalo Grove

Ain't she cute?

Here's my little girl, Astrid. I call her my little defective dog... not that she is really defective, but she just acts so silly most of the time that she must have a screw loose. She is quite intelligent and very social. She is about 55 lbs right now in this photo and is almost a full year old!

Okay... this is really geeky....

As you all know, I am a big fan of the author, Robert E. Howard and especially his Conan character. As you also know, I am a big D&D gamer. Well, now, if I wanted to, the two different things can come together. Someone has done the work for me and mashed the two together and has come up with interpretations of how Conan would be as a D&D character at different points in his life, according to the stories written by R.E. Howard. If you are at all interested, the site is HERE

And if that were not enough, he went on to make character stats for other Characters from the Conan stories. With imagination and time, a enterprising DM could come up with an entire adventure campaign devoted to the world of R.E. Howard's Conan for D&D! Not gonna happen with me.... I got to much other stuff going on...

Anyway. Enjoy if you are geeky enough!

Later!

Things that make you go, hmmmmm....

I am not a regular, or even a sometime watcher of the Daily Show or The Colbert Report, but I was made aware of this via a Facebook friend. It is a quote by Stephen Colbert while appearing on the Daily Show. "Atheism: The religion devoted to the worship of one's own smug sense of superiority."

I don't know why it struck me so resoundlingly. I don't think about Atheism. It is not something I waste brainpower on. I know a number of atheists and they are perfectly fine people and it is not something we discuss. In my understanding, I would think that atheists would prefer that. If they do not acknowledge a "supreme being" then that is what I call their "religion" and I am not about to denigrate or question their belief system. I have mine, they have theirs, and we can agree to disagree.

But something about this statement just made me smile. I think it is because recently, those clerics of atheism have been much more vocal in their fight to change the "freedom of religion" to that of "freedom FROM religion" and that I cannot stomach. After all, isn't a lack of a faith in a supreme being a religion of sorts in itself, much like the quote alludes to? And many of those that are making the rounds on the media shows, do seem to have a smug sense of superiority about them. (I will admit, there are a number of "believers" (Christian, Jewish, Muslim or otherwise) out there who are just as smug...)

Well there I go... thinking too much on this subject. Any thoughts out there on this?

Getting set for the Con Season!!!

When packing for gaming conventions, make sure you pack soap.... especially THIS SOAP!!!

Don't Touch My DICE!!!!

Many gamers are said to not bathe, brush, or follow regular hygene routines.... but not anymore!!

DICE WIPES!!!

Gamers and Gunners

This is from one of my favorite gaming websites... if you are a gunner, or a FPS gamer, or both, you really need to read this. Even if you are not, it is an excellent piece on the discussion behing the theory of video games affecting how people act in the real world.

The article is HERE

Facebook Familiarity.

Two things happened to me recently that I think are of note enough to put on the blog. They both related to friends I have on Facebook. When I say "friends" I have to admit that these are people I have never met before, but are in my friends list due to various connections with other IRL friends. (I should also state that these people are the sort I would probably be friends with without Facebook) I would guess that I have "known" these people via their's and my FB status updates for about 2 yesrs now.

So anyway... One day at work, I get a phone call on my cell (and I have never given my cell number to this person specifically) from one of my FB friends whom I have never met, never spoken to other than on FB, and probably will not likely meet anytime soon. The reason for the phone call is completely irrelevant for this blog, but what was so interesting about it was that our conversation, (with real voices) was as if it was between two people who had known and spoken to each other for years. The was none of the uncomfortable chit chat to get the conversation up to speed, and no awkwardness that comes with the unfamiliarity of speaking to a stranger. It was as if I was talking to someone I work with on a regular basis. And it was totally normal! It was not until the conversation was over that it struck me, just how "un-normal" it was. Almost a little scary. I was really floored by how familiar we were with each other, us being total strangers and all.

The second case was with a young man who attends the same school as my son, but yet they have never truly gotten to know each other, and again, I have never met him personally myself. I have had small conversations with him on Facebook, usually discussion games and gaming in general, but nothing too deep. As time and events would have it, he eventually was set to come to my house for a gaming session, and we would meet for the first time. When he arrived at the door, I greeted him, (and so did Gunnar in his own particularly LOUD way) and said. "Hi D*****, I feel I know you, but in a Facebook sort of way." He agreed, and our period of "meeting and greeting" was over and we set to gaming and had a very enjoyable time. I didn't need to ask him questions about his gaming experience or school experience or where he lived or what he like or stuff like that, cause for the most part, I already knew it.

Facebook is pretty old hat anymore and I am becoming slightly bored with it, but I must say that in many many ways, this application has really changed the social scene in my circle of "friends." I feel far more connected with my close friends and closer with my distant friends and maybe they feel the same way too. Who knows what this form social interaction will eventually lead to in the bigger picture, but it really has made a big difference in my socializing in the outside world. I kind of like it. I will however, try to keep the big surprises I might have off of Facebook because nothing spoils telling a big story to someone and they already know about it from your status updates!

later!

Old Friends, meet the new friends.

It has been a while without much to say in this blog but I think the drought is over.

Recently I have been reading some memoirs of gamers, most notably "Gamer Geeks and Fantasy Freaks" and "The Elfish Gene: Dungeons and Dragons and growing up strange." In these books, the authors recall their experiences with D&D and gaming and how it affected their lives. Both authors seem to, if not regret their gaming experiences in their younger years, they certainly don't look back on them with great fondness. They seemed to have a love/hate relationship with gaming and what it did for them, or maybe too them as an adolesent or teenager.

That is not the case for me. My gaming days have served me well. They fed my need and hunger for a fantasy world that I could partake in, not just read about. It fired my interest in western mediaeval history which in turn led me to long love affair with re-enacting. And I think it made me a better and more voracious reader, and in many ways, a bit more outgoing when I finally got into college. All together, I am fond of, and proud of my gaming days as a kid. Hell, I am still a gamer, and have brought my whole family and many friends into the gaming world because of my love of gaming.

Recently I was upstairs in the attic of the house looking for something and just for kicks I decided to look in the big blue tub that has been sitting there for years and years. I knew it contained all my old D&D stuff from years gone by, but I never really bothered to open it up because I was now involved in a whole new version of the game and the "first edition" is now obsolete in the gaming world. But I opened it upanyway and there, neatly stacked away were my old friends, the D&D books, modules,(now called pre-made adventures)characters, miniatures and gaming suppliments. It was a wave of nostalgia that washed over me. All the time spent as a kid with my buds playing the game and all the hours spent designing adventures and characters and simply living inside my head within the fantasy world. It was a great time and nice to remember all those things.

What I was most excited to find were the old modules that have recently been updated to the current version that I am playing. I can now play those old modules that gave me such joy with my new set of D&D players, of which one is my own son. I think this is great. The good old killer mod - White Plume Mountian - will soon be on the table and doing its damnedest to kill off every character in the group. It will be good to share these old favorites of mine with everyone. I hope they will enjoy them as much as I did all those years ago. (which really don't seem that long ago)

later!

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

I found this while in a discussion about Concealed Carry in Illinois.

Right Vs. Left Divorce settlement:

Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists, and Obama supporters, et al:

We have stuck together since the late 1950’s, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let’s just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.

Here is a model separation agreement:

Our two groups can equitably divide up this country by landmass each taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.

We don’t like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we’ll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA, and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore, and Rosie O’Donnell (You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them).

We’ll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart, and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeboys, hippies, and illegal aliens. We’ll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO’s, and rednecks. We’ll keep the Bibles and give you NBC and Hollywood.

You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we’ll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we’ll help provide them security.

We’ll keep our Judeo-Christian values. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism, and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N., but we will no longer be paying the bill.

We’ll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks, and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Volkswagon you can find.

We’ll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the national anthem. I’m sure you’ll be happy to substitute Imagine, I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing, Kum Ba Ya, or We Are the World.

We’ll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we’ll keep our history, our name, and our flag.

Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like minded liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I’ll bet you which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.

P.S. Also, please take Barbara Streisand & Jane Fonda with you.

Don't know Jack Shit? You do now...

For some time many of us have wondered who is Jack Shit? We find ourselves at a loss when someone says, "You don't know Jack Shit!" Well, thanks to my efforts, you can now respond in an intellectual way. Jack Shit is the only sone of Awe shit who married No Shit. Inturn, Jack Shit married No shit. The couple had six children: holy shit, Giva Shit, Fulla Shit, Bull Shit, and the twins, Deep Shit and Dip Shit. Deep shit married Dumb Shit, a high school dropout. After 15 years, Jack and No Shit got divorced and she married Ted Sherlock, and became No Shit Sherlock.

Meanwhile, Dip Shit married Lotta Shit and had child with a rather nervous disposition named Chicken Shit. Fulla Shit and Giva Shit married the Happens brothers in a double wedding. Bull Shit traveled the world and returned home with an Italian bride; Pisa Shit.

So from now on, no one can tell YOU that you Don't Know Jack Shit!

Zoom Zoom

Take a look at these babies! I think they might actually have a real market if the price were dropped!

This is why you should be reading Joe Abercrombie...

Just a snippet from the Joe Abercrombie book: Best Served Cold. The entire book is just one good snappy paragraph after another and the action scenes are even better!



"How's watching your men fall off a wall going to help?" asked Shivers.

Cosca shrugged. "It will wear down the defenders, deny them rest, keep them guessing and distract them from any other efforts we might make."

"Lot of corpses for a distraction."

"Wouldn't be much of a distraction without them."

How do you get men to climb the ladders for that?"

"Sazine's old method."

"Eh?"

Monza remembered Sazine displaying the money to the new boys, all laid out in sparkling stacks. "If the wall falls, a thousand scales to the first man on the battlements, hundred each to the next ten who follow him."

"Provided they survive to collect the bounty." Cosca added. "If the task's impossible, they'll never collect, and if they do, well, you achieved the impossible for two thousand scales. It ensures a steady flow of willing bodies up the ladders, and has the added benefit of weeding the bravest men out of the company to boot."

Shivers looked even more baffled. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Bravery is the dead man's virtue," Monza muttered. "the wise commnder never trusts it."

"Verturio!" Cosca slapped one leg. " I do love an author who can make death funny! Brave men have their uses but they're damned unpredictable. Worrying to the herd. Dangerous to bystanders."

"Not to mention potential rivals for command."

"Altogether safest to cream them off." and Cosca mimed the action with a careless flick of two fingers. "The moderately cowardly make infinitely better soldiers."

Shivers shook his head in disgust. "You people got a pretty fucking way of making war."

Winter War Convention 37

This last weekend, I had the fortunate opportunity to spend time with friends and family at the gaming convention called Winter War. It has been going on for 37 years now, and it has come along way from the rough and tumble con that was held in the Foreign Languages Building on the U of I campus. Currently it is held in the Hawthorne Suites in Champaign, IL. and it is a terrifically run convention. Granted, it is not a huge convention, with only about 300 people attending, but it is one of the best. The goal of the convention organizers is to allow people to play games, and it succeeds in that exceedingly well. There is a smattering of dealers, enough to handle your desires, should you find yourself absolutely needing the game you just played. They have a incredible auction of used games that you can get just about anything at a terrific price, but what they do best, is offer a huge number of various games that you can sign up for and play all weekend long. It is a gamers game convention. Unlike the bigger ones, you will not find a library of games to play or test, but you will find those games that really hold a place in the hearts of the gamers that come every year. Unfortunately, that can make the con a bit harder to enjoy for the casual gamers, like my wife, but I think that things are changing and more and more people are bringing more "user-friendly" games to the con for people to play. (Not that she doesn't enjoy it!)
But what I really found this weekend, was that the con is not so much a time to play games or check out something that interests me, it is more of a chance to reconnect with those people I dont' see enough of, or face off against the people I only see at the con, across the field of battle called the gaming table. My kids are now part of this con. My son is familiar with many of the people at the con, and my daugther is eagerly embracing the whole gamer girl persona. (Hopefully without the bad hair, awkward social behavior, and poor clothing choices.) It is a time to socialize while competeing with other gamer friends, and make connections that, oddly, have helped me in my non-gaming world. What are games when you take the competition element out of them? They are a simply reason to get together and socialize. Some people claim that gamers are non-social creatures, but I disagree. They are very social. How else can a real gamer who is not social, ever manage to bring themself to interact with total strangers for an entire weekend? I hold, that those people that don't socialize well in groups, but yet are gamers and somehow have been held up as the model for gamers, are probably not social in general, gamer or not. But, I digress...
The weekend was great, I had a great time with my family, (although I would like it to have some of those games my wife enjoys more) and I made some new friends, reconnected with old ones, and strengthened the bond with current friends. Maybe that is why I like gaming so much. I am a very social creature and I love to play games.
Anyway, I ramble on. I have provided some photos from the con for you to enjoy.



This is the opening move (albeit blurry) of the game Circus Maximus, a chariot racing game. As you can see, it is quite crowded and the end result is abstract bloodshed!



Here I am, late at night with two of my favorite gaming partners! We were playing Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game.



The game Battlestar Galactica is one of the best games I have ever encountered. It looks complicated, and maybe at first it is, but it makes for one of the best unintentional role playing board games ever! Ask me later what that means.



Just one of the massive miniature games going on at the convention. This one represented the D-Day landings of June 1944. The game started at 9am and finished sometime after 8pm.



One of my new gaming buddies. During the Kobolds Ate My Baby game, he found the spoon of Cthulu! He was a happy man. What a silly game.



Just more of the silliness that is Kobolds Ate My baby. Chickens, Goats and Kobolds! Oh My!!

Hollywood history...

Maybe Hollyoood is not the place to learn your history, (leave that to us professional living historians) but it sure makes history alot more fun to watch.

Check out the link to Hollywood History!

Later!

If a liberal....

I was looking for something to post to blog and then my wife send me this....


If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn`t buy one.

If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn`t eat meat.

If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat
his enemy.

A liberal wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.

If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.

If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.

If a black man or Hispanic are conservative, they see themselves as independently successful.

Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.

A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.

Liberals demand that those they don't like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church.

A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced, (unless it's a foreign religion of course!)

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.

A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.

If a conservative slips and falls in a store, he gets up, laughs and is embarrassed.

If a liberal slips and falls, he grabs his neck, moans like he's in labor and then sues.

If a conservative reads this, he'll forward it, so his friends can have a good laugh.

A liberal will delete it because he is "offended."

End of the year vacation!

I just had one of the best end of the year vacations! I normally take the last two weeks of the year off on vacation and spend it at home with family. During the last two weeks of the year I celebrate my wedding anniversary, two Christmas parties, New Years Eve, and my wife's birthday. We do alot of partying the last two weeks of the year. But in addition to that, this year we had alot of fun just watching movies and playing games. At best count, we watched something like 11 movies, both currently on the theaters or on DVD. Talk about couch potatos! And in addition that I got to game like 8 different times over the break. RPG, video or board gaming. It was great!

If only I could have two more weeks like that!

Later!

The New Year!

Well now, the new year is upon us and that means resolutions! I like to make resolutions because I like to have some goals. I don't always stick with them, but I do think about them throughout the year. My resolutions for 2010 are:

- Sticking with the exercise routine I started in 2009. It is working out well for me and I am still enjoying it! While many people might not think I need an exercise program, I say wrong. Everyone needs one, especially if like me, you spend most of your time on your butt in front of a computer! I am currently using a program P90X which is a pretty high intesity workout and not for the faint of heart... literally.

- Learn to play at least two songs, completely and without mistakes, on my hammered dulcimer. I love my dulcimer but life gets in the way and the fact that I can't read music might have something to do with that. I really hope to accomplish this one.

- Play more paintball than I did last year... this should be easy. I didn't play ANY last year!

- Become really good with my two new pistols, a Taurus 9mm, and a Ruger .44 magnum. Shooting a rifle with skill, takes talent, but shooting a pistol with skill takes time and talent. I am really good with a rifle, I need to be great with a pistol.

That is all for resolutions. I will let you know how they go!

Later!

The bad and the good of 2009.

Here is why 2009 sucked. (in order of importance)

1. My father passed away in 2009 and suffered horribly for the first two months of this year.
2. Obama was sworn in as President of the United States of America.
3. An evil act was perpetrated upon a very good friend of mine for the simple reason of destroying him, financially, emotionally, and career-wise.
4. The marriages of some good people ended or otherwise turned upside-down.
5. Many of my friends lost their jobs this year.
6. A girl from my town died at far too young of an age.
7. The economy has almost literally broken me and many of my friends.
8. Did not play paintball once... grr.
9. Guns and Ammo prices went through the roof!
10. Obama is still president at the end of the year.
11. New was received of the end of the Jubilee Olde English Faire.


Here is how 2009 tried to redeem itself. (in order of importance)

1. My birthday, thanks to family and friends, ROCKED!
2. My family added a new puppy to the pack!
3. My wife got baptized this year!
4. My wife and I took over as leaders of the Youth Group at our church. (one of the best decisions I have ever made)
5. Attended the Youth Gathering in New Orleans with 32,000 other Lutheran youths for a week of amazing experiences!
6. My knowledge of wine and wine making has improved!
7. My daughter has embraced school rather than fight it!
8. I attended Gen Con again, and had a blast... and my gaming time with friends and family has increased!
9. I got new windows installed in my house!
10. My wife got a new car at no added cost per payment!
11. After way too many years, I finally had a successful deer hunting season with my son!
12. I have my concealed carry permits from both Pennsylvania and Florida!

The Buck stopped here.

After far too long of a time between deer kills, I finally managed to outwit, outplan and outsit one of God's most excellent game animals. The deer season started on the 20th of November and my son and I went south to Effingham to join up with a really nice guy I met last year. Both he and I are scout leaders and I think our desire to see boys take deer made for a common bond between us. He set us up in a deer stand that we had been in last year for one day and after some talking, we managed to arrange to get the stand moved to a new spot, lined up differently, and readied for the new season. The first day was a disappointment, a feeling that we have gotten to know far too well. Both my son and I sat in the "buddy" stand waiting and waiting. There was shooting all around us, but we saw no indication of deer anywhere near us. So after 10 hours of sitting, we hauled our exhausted butts back to where we were staying and crashed early. We decided that the next day, my son would go out on his own in hopes of seeing something in another part of the woods. (He did, but it was too far off to shoot at comfortably.)

That following day was warmer and I had moved into the buddy stand with out my buddy. The morning was quiet with little gunfire coming from around us and I thought to myself that it was going to be a repeat of the previous day. I was talking to my son on the 2-way radio telling him that our host saw a few doe moving in his direction, when not more than about a minute later I heard a sound unlike all the others I had tuned my ears for. Turning 180 degrees in my stand I see a deer, which I thought was a doe, heading up a hill, but it had slipped on the wet leaves and mud. Had it not been for that slip, I do not think I would have noticed it at all. I could not believe it. After all the years of getting skunked, a chance was now presented to me! I stood and turned, leveled the gun that I had not shot at a target in a number of years, (I still trust the sighting I put on it.) and, hesitated. Was my shot going to be clean, and merciful? I knew I would not miss, but I was worried I would make a wounding shot instead of a killing one. The distance was 80 yards out and below me. Would I need to compensate? All this went through my head in about a second when I knew I had to pull the trigger. Using a magnum load with a hollow point sabot, any hit was going to be devastating. The gun roared and echoed in the woods, and almost instantaneously, the deer falls and slides down the hill, front paws clawing at the air and dirt. I had hit it in the spine and lungs... a killing shot, but not a quick kill as I hoped. I radioed my son, something about a mercy shot, started down the ladder and jumped the last ten feet or so. I could still see the deer pawing and moving so I ran across the distance but stopped about 25 yards out as it was over on the other side of the stream. Wanting to wait no longer to end it's pain, I raised my gun up again and sent a slug through the right side of the deer's head. It was over.

I walked over to the deer and as has been my way ever since I began to thinking about the act of hunting, I said a prayer of thanks and respect to the creature that just gave me his life. It was then that I noticed it was a buck rather than a doe, so I felt better that a doe might carry on to this spring to bring another deer into the world. I would normally have attempted to drag the deer out from where he lay but it was more than I could have done by myself. I contacted my host about the kill and he said he would be around soon, but to sit tight as he spotted some deer in his area. I went back to my stand to keep an eye on things and when I got settled back in, I was surprised that I was suddenly overcome with emotion. Excitement, joy, adrenaline, and yes, saddness and sorrow all came up at the same time. I will have to admit, I am glad no one was around to see me.

Soon, when everyone was around to help haul the deer out, I gathered up my son and we headed back to dress out the deer. I insisted on having him be an active part of the cleaning of the deer and he went to it with very little hesitation. He even decided that instead of wasting portions of the deer, he would keep certain parts like the hide, the hooves and the tail to use for various purposes. I like that. I wanted him to go back out and sit in the event that he could get a deer, but he was just happy that we got one together, so instead we ate a bite of lunch, and headed home. Soon we will be eating our prize and reveling in the knowledge that we took this meat and it did not come from a grocery store.

At some point I will have to blog about why I hunt and why I think hunting is important, but not right now. Instead, my thanks for hanging in there and reading and sharing my story with me.

Later!

Noise... coming to a close...

In another full day, my experiment with being without a cellphone will be over. I have traveled without it, gone to work without it and simply done without it. It is kind of a relief in many ways. I don't worry about answering the phone immediately, I am not tempted to use it at all times, especially when becoming bored, and I have found that I can still communicate with others just fine, and immediate response is not really that big of a deal. The nicest thing was that I learned I don't have to respond to work email when I am not at work! (I was getting bad at that.) But what I find the most interesting is the expectation that others have of you. They EXPECT you to have a cell phone and have it on you. Much like I expect that when I call someone, I will call them on the cell phone I expect them to be carrying. They and I expect that the phone will be answered on the first few rings or if not, respond immediately to a text message.

The young lady who is doing this experiment with me says it sucks for her, but she is learning to plan ahead, make detailed arrangements in advance, and doing other things rather than disappearing into the cell phone. I will be excited to hear what other insight she has had.

I don't know if this had made my or her life easier but it was fun to try and I suggest that some of you try it yourself if you think you spend too much time with you phone attached to your ear or fingers attached to the key pad. You might be surprised at the experience.

Noise... day 2

I have been without my cell phone for two days now and so far the biggest hurdle I have had to face is trying to remember phone numbers that are stored on the phone. At one time, I used to pride myself that I could recall hundreds of different phone numbers for many different people, but now, I only seem to recall those that I don't have listed in my phone! (weird!) I still carry a paper sheet with all kinds of numbers listed on it, but it is so badly out of date that it is of little use anymore. I should update it. The other tricky thing is letting people know where you will be when they expect you to pick them up or meet them. However, it is not impossible to communicate with other if you don't have a cell phone, just a bit trickier.

Later!

Noise....

As a result of watching a video during my High School Sunday School class, I challenged the kids to go without their cell phone for one week. Only one student stepped up to the challenge. So far, it has not been a big deal, but it is a challenge. The young lady who is doing this challenge with me says that it sucks so far, but she has made the effort and is well into her 2nd day as of this writing. I will keep you informed as to hers, and my progress and feelings on this. One thing I can comment on right now, is that I have lived with out cell phones for longer than I have had one, but it is very hard to remember when I did not have one. It has become such a part of my everyday existence, almost like the pocketknife I carry everyday. It is funny how something that I did not have for so long, is now such a part of me.

Anyway, as the week goes along, I will give some thought to what it is like not having it.

Later!

A thoughtful barbarian

While surfing around, I found this passage from one of the best of the Conan stories written by Robert E. Howard.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I have known many gods. He who denies them is as blind as he who trusts them too deeply. I seek not beyond death. It may be the blackness averred by the Nemedian skeptics, or Crom's realm of ice and cloud, or the snowy plains and vaulted halls of the Nordheimer's Valhalla. I know not, nor do I care. Let me live deep while I live; let me know the rich juices of red meat and stinging wine on my palate, the hot embrace of white arms, the mad exultation of battle when the blue blades flame and crimson, and I am content. Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content."
Robert E. Howard - Queen of the Black Coast

This is why no fantasy character can compare to Conan.. If some other writer had written this, it would be considered high prose, but since it was only a pulp fiction writer who created bloody characters it was pretty much ignored. Thankfully, R.E. Howard is being rediscovered thanks to the fact that geeks are now ruling the entertainment industry. It is about time! Now get out there and read some Howard!

Unforeseen design problems?

The clover design is a very nice accent idea in most construction, but if you don't take into account the angle of the sun as it moves across the sky.... you get a very happy walk way!

Because you always wanted to know...

Timeline of Middle Ages Kings of England
Timeline of the Norman Kings of England in the Middle Ages: 1066 -1154

1066-1087 King William the Conqueror
1087-1100 King William Rufus (son of William)
1100-1135 King Henry I (William Rufus brother)
1135-1154 King Stephen (nephew of Henry I)

Timeline of the The Plantagenet Kings of England (Angevin Line) in the Middle Ages:1154 - 1377

1154-1189 King Henry II (grandson of Henry I)
1189-1199 King Richard I (third son of Henry II)
1199-1216 King John (fifth son of Henry II)
1216-1272 King Henry III (son of John)
1272-1307 King Edward I (son of Henry III)
1307-1327 King Edward II (son of Edward I)
1327-1377 King Edward III (son of Edward II)

Timeline of the Royal Houses of Lancaster and York - Kings of England in the Middle Ages: 1377 - 1485

1377-1399 King Richard II (grandson of Edward III, son of the Black Prince)
1399-1413 King Henry IV (grandson of Edward III, son of John of Gaunt)
1413-1422 King Henry V (son of Henry IV)
1422-1461 King Henry VI (son of Henry V)
1461-1483 King Edward IV ( youngest son of Edward III )
1483-1485 King Richard III (uncle of Edward V)


And the Ranks of English Nobility: From greatest to least
(titled)
King - Queen
Prince - Princess
Duke - Duchess
Marguess - Marchioness
Earl - Countess
Viscount - Viscountess
Baron - Baroness

(untitled)
Baronet
Knight

Shootin' with Queenie

At the Fishers Rennaisance Faire, the Queen herself came to our encampment and had a go at shooting at the running Frenchman on our target line. Here are a few shots of the event for your viewing pleasure. I guess it was a good thing I wore my good cotehardie!

One of the best ever!

On Thursday the 8th of October, I celebrated my 44th birthday and I must say it was one of the best ever. I have, hands down, the best wife and kids of all the people I know. And I have friends that rock to the nth degree. And to top it off, my 83 year old mom can still make desserts with the best of them. I love birthdays. They are God's gift to you. It is your day and it should be celebrated. You don't have to share it with anyone. It is your very own holiday that celebrates you: not Martin Luther, Columbus, or any number of presidents. It is all about you. So go out and celebrate it! I usually take the day off and if possible, like to have a small fire outside for cooking hot dogs and brats on but this year it was raining pretty much from 8am to 8pm. But still! It was one of the best birthdays ever.

To start off, my mom was making for me, as requested, a red velvet cake. If you have never had a homemade red velvet cake, then I feel sorry for you. It is one of the most delicious, rich, and filling cakes you have ever had. (For the love of God, there is a pound of butter in it) My mother even made it with homemade cream cheese icing.... O.M.G.



And to make things even better, my wife purchased a gift for me that truly had alot of thought behind it. For my 44th birthday, my wonderful wife bought me a .44 magnum revolver.... yeah, like Dirty Harry .44 magnum. A Ruger Red Hawk, .44 mag. with 7.5 inch brushed stainless steel barrel with rosewood handle. Just frakkin sweet... I love that girl. Apparently my kids and some friends pitched in to make it happen too. My kids and friends are just the best.


And finally, while having dessert of red velvet cake, one of my best buddies pulls out a 20 year aged bottle of Taylor Fladgate Tawny Port. Talk about a match made in heaven... red velvet and tawny port. Yeah buddy, can you say orgasm for your mouth?



Anyway, I highly doubt I will get a .45 caliber anything for my 45th birthday, and they don't make guns in 46-49 caliber but I can see 50 from here! Makes you wonder what kind of gun goes with 50?

This is a birthday I will always remember.

Thanks!

Later!

Doing more with less...

The CiderHaus at the Jubilee Colonial Faire. Simple idea, simple set up.


Fellow re-enactors enjoying time at the tavern and getting ready for a skit.


The CiderHaus in full swing.

About two years ago I came across a new 18th century event being held at one of my favoritest places, the Jubilee College State Park, site of the Jubilee Olde English Fazire. Now it has another event! The Jubilee Colonial Faire! When friend Jenn and my daughter Cora went to visit the event for it's inaugural year, we discovered an event that was trying very hard to be an education/demonstation focused event rather than an event where entertainment, ceremonies, and shopping was the focus. This was my kind of event. In addition to that, it was very light on scheduled activities. No up for colors, stand around for roll call of the dead, stand around for more ceremony, be on ready for battle, go eat in 20 minutes and come back for more ceremony.... nope. Pretty loose schedule at the Jubilee Colonial Faire.

Well, I decided I wanted to do this event and last year made plans to attend with my cider press to demo how to make apple cider. Long story short, life got in the way and I was unable to attend in 2008. This year, however, I made some arrangements and despite life trying to get back in my face, I persevered and attended the faire. It was really quite fun and I have always wanted to do something that had real involvement with the other reenactors. The tavern was a natural choice and it seemed to be a good one.

Now here is the point of my posting. Ever since I have attended this event, I have been amazed at how enjoyable it was to do this event and I have given alot of thought as to why.

First and foremost, I was not packing for an entire group of people, nor was I thinking for them, or handling issues for them that should have been handled weeks, if not months before the event.

Everything I took could have fit in the back of my truck, but I took a small trailer to spread things out.

Set up was even easier. Two tents, a table, my press and some fixings and everything was done in about an hour, and without alot of struggle or people standing around wondering what needs to be done.

I could have done this entire thing by myself, but what fun is that, so with my family and friend Jenn, we entertained and educated people and enjoyed ourselves for two whole days with very little stress. Rain not withstanding, it was a very nice weekend.

I have been involved in re-enacting for well over 20 years now and still enjoy it, but of late I have been thinking about what could I do with less stuff and having to depend on fewer people. Currently, (at least with my medieval living history group) I need to have at least 15 people (of which 85% need to be older than 14 years of age) to commit to a weekend event for which we will get paid. As people and children grow older, thing get busier and event get harder to committ to. I am a victim of that myself! Also, everything seems to be far more expensive and that makes comitting to an event a real financial throwdown. So when I decide to do an event for with the medieval group, it requires not just my commitment, but the commitment of a whole bunch of other people. And over the years we have developed a show/demo that is quite good, but it also requires a ton of equipment to haul and set up. And it usually befalls on me to maintain, care for and clean the equipment.

All of this was put into perspective this last weekend when I saw that I can still do living history events without all the baggage and still get as much out of it as I do with a 1.5 ton trailer hooked to my truck and a set up that takes 4 hours or more and 8 people to do it. This coming weekend is another medieval event and the group is working with fewer numbers but with more expectation from the faire organizers.

As the winter goes along I am going to consider ways to cut baggage and how to do more, or the same, with less. I don't expect to cut out huge chunks of my re-enacting life and demonstration, but it seems that I might need to lighten my load a bit as it is becoming more and more difficult to carry on as it is.

All I Needed to Know, I Learned From My Dog

If only more people acted like dogs, this might be a better world.


If you stare at someone long enough, eventually you'll get what you want.
If at first you don't succeed, beg.
Don't go out without I.D.
Be direct with people; let them know exactly how you feel by peeing on their shoes.
Be aware of when to hold your tongue, and when to use it.
Leave room in your schedule for a good nap.
Always give people a friendly greeting.
When you do something wrong, always take responsibility for it (as soon as you're dragged out from under the bed).
If it's not wet and sloppy, it's not a real kiss.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.
Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
Take naps and stretch before rising.
Run, romp and play daily.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout...run right back and make friends.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Nuns with Guns....

Forwarded to me by a good pal of mine...

(We can only hope!)

Ohh... I want one of these so badly!

An AK-47 styled .410 gauge shotgun! I want one so, so bad...

Go here to see it: The Firearm Blog

Irons in the fire....

Just a list of things coming up that excite me:

A BBQ 7 course meal reservation.... what could be better than 7 courses of BBQ?

An LYO trip to the reindeer ranch! Corn maze at night! I am sure to lose at least a few students!

A colonial trade faire where I will be setting up a "Tavern" to serve "cider" to the participants. Will be making homemade cider for this!

High School reunion photo shoot. While I don't like to do the job so much, it is really good money! Money, Money, Money... need some right now...

14th Century demo/ren faire in Fishers Ind. It is alot of work, but it is soooo much fun!

My BIRTHDAY! I love my birthday... even if I don't have a party or anything like that. This time I think I would like to have friends over and do some gaming. Never done that.... after a wiener roast of course...

The JagerFest at the Bayern Stube. Nominally to celebrate my birthday, but I don't need an excuse to go there to eat good German Food!

Camping with the family and dogs. We are going to a new place not far from home but one that looks like it could be hours away! Camping with my kids in the same trailer I camped in as a kid give me a special thrill for some reason. It is like sharing my childhood with them.

Being about 1/2 gallon away from having my house completely repainted... now of I could only get the time to do it!

Well, with this much stuff in the fire, I better get busy getting all the boring stuff out of the way!

Later!