Return of the Blooded

Firday, July 25th
I started a New Houses of the Blooded game. I've also decide to do ALL posts for my Houses games in BLOOD RED. MUHWAAAA. We started off by making Characters. More on the Characters to come. This Friday we will be meeting for the Blood Contract, Season Action and an Opera.

I created a character that will be a NPC unless someone else wishes to be the Narrator.

Lady Trisnoira Adrente
(Daughter of the Blade)

Three Things True about her.

• One of the finest Swordswomen of the Senate
• Carries her Mother's (Blood) Sword
• She is looking for Allies so she can take back the Lands her brother took from her after their Father entered Solace.

You will have to wait if you want learn more about her.

Carry a sword.
A quick apology stings less than a quick duel,
and leaves fewer scars.

Birthday Gift Spoiler

NBC announced that for my birthday next year they will be giving me, drum roll please, Jay Leno's retirement.

May 29th, a day early but I'm not complaining, will be Jay's last show. As a fan of the late night television, Jay as a sub for Johnny, he was alright at best. But as the full time replacement has always been an disappointment to me. His jokes, well jokes are suppose to be funny. Although I am a big fan of the self-deprecating humor, but his chin jokes have been played out. His other bits have either been done before or are like his jokes not funny. As an interviewer, he is bland and asks inane questions and when he has nowhere to go, directs conversation back to his enormously large chin. YES I GET IT JAY, YOUR CHIN IS BIG! Move on.

Although to be fair I haven't watched Jay in years, so it may have changed, but somehow I doubt it. Either way, I may start watching the Tonight show again.

I haven't decided if I'm going to watch the last episode. If I do, it will only be so I can always remember how sucky it was.

Thanks NBC, it was long time coming.

Project Targe: Step 1, Preparation

I found this set of instruction over at Tandy Leather Factory. Its FREE so get it and make one too! I will be making some modifications to it the instructions. I will notate the changes I make.

Currently I am in the process of getting the tools and materials I will need together. Here is the list of materials needed, as per the PDF.






Materials Needed: (Red indicates stuff I will need to get.)
• 1 ea. 6-7 oz. tooling leather, appr. 25" dia.
• 1 ea. 4-5 oz. tooling leather, appr. 25" dia. (Will go with Hair On Cowhide or Rabbit fur)
• 2 ea. 6-7 oz. leather strips, 2" x 15"
• 1 ea. 3/4" plywood, 24" in dia. (May go with 1/2 plywood)
• 4 ea. 1-1/2", 1/4 x 20 carriage bolts
• 4 ea. 1/4 x 20 nuts
• Upholstery Tacks #1403-10
• Swivel Knife and Blade
• Adjustable V-Gouge #8082
• 5/16" Round Punch #3777-12
• Craftool Stamps: B198, B936, A114,
A104, A104-2, S724 & F910
• Tanner’s Bond¨ Contact Cement #2530-01
• Tandy’s Antique Leather Stain #22071
• Tandy Satin Shene #22009

Since I'm kind of short on cash at the moment. I will be buying the stuff I need, when I need it. For the most part I can get started with the tooling of the design. That will be the next post.

Picture is taken from the Tandy Leather Factory's website. It only used to illustrate what the finished project should look like.

Project: Targe

If the Arizona Renaissance Festival just around the corner. While it's still 6 months away, but with the way this year has flown by it feels like its just around the corner. Anyway, it looks like the pirates will not be out there this year. This was do to the Jack Sparrow phenomena. Basically everyone and their grandmother are pirates. Mind you I like pirates just as much as the next person, assuming the next person isn't a ninja. But when your shtick is a pirate, errr, Honest Merchant Sailor, it makes you a bit superfluous. So instead a new troup will be out there in place of the Honest Merchant Sailors. The working title is "Plague of Scots". Over the past few years, there have been fewer and fewer Scotsmen. Except for Croft and the ocassional Scot here and there, (I'm not including Clan MacFrat, they don't count) there are no Scots. The troup was to be a Dance/Street Improv troup, but we don't have enough committied dancers/musicians to pull off the Dance part of the Troup. So we will be a Street Improv Troup with the occasional dance. Until we can get our numbers up.

So now that you know the backstory onto Project: Targe. For those may not know what a Targe is, it is a round shield, about 24" in diameter, made of wood, usually covered with leather. Also known as a Buckler or Hand Shield. I will be making one, hopefully in time for the 2009 year Arizona Renaissance Festival when the Plague of Scots make their debut. I will be documenting the process here.

Enjoy.

The Highwayman (Poem)

It was my senior year of high school, and there I sat in my World Literature Class. We were reading many different poems from many different author. Most were boring, bland or I just didn't get. Unless it was Edgar Allen Poe, I really didn't care. Except, this one. I don't know why, but for some reason, it spoke to me. It tugged at my heartstrings. Every now and then I like to, or sometimes need to reread it. To conjure that emotion I felt my senior year when I first read it. In class we talked about rhythm, phrases, and literature speak, all the the stuff that I still don't get. I'm sure there is some of that that lends itself to the work. But for me its on a subconscious level. For me the words painted a haunting yet beautiful picture. Images that tell a story.

In Loreen McKennitt album, The Book of Secrets she puts this poem to music and completely captures the mood of the poem.

So for those that haven't read it here it is.

The Highwayman
By Alfred Noyes

The wind was a torrent of darkness upon the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight looping the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding--
Riding--riding--
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn door.

He'd a French cocked hat on his forehead, and a bunch of lace at his chin;
He'd a coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of fine doe-skin.
They fitted with never a wrinkle; his boots were up to his thigh!
And he rode with a jeweled twinkle--
His rapier hilt a-twinkle--
His pistol butts a-twinkle, under the jeweled sky.

Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
He tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred,
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter--
Bess, the landlord's daughter--
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

Dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked
Where Tim, the ostler listened--his face was white and peaked--
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,
But he loved the landlord's daughter--
The landlord's black-eyed daughter;
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say:

"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart; I'm after a prize tonight,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light.
Yet if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."

He stood upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
But she loosened her hair in the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the sweet black waves of perfume came tumbling o'er his breast,
Then he kissed its waves in the moonlight
(O sweet black waves in the moonlight!),
And he tugged at his reins in the moonlight, and galloped away to the west.

He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon.
And out of the tawny sunset, before the rise of the moon,
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon over the purple moor,
The redcoat troops came marching--
Marching--marching--
King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door.

They said no word to the landlord; they drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed.
Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets by their side;
There was Death at every window,
And Hell at one dark window,
For Bess could see, through her casement, the road that he would ride.

They had bound her up at attention, with many a sniggering jest!
They had tied a rifle beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"Now keep good watch!" and they kissed her. She heard the dead man say,
"Look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though Hell should bar the way."

She twisted her hands behind her, but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years,
Till, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!

The tip of one finger touched it, she strove no more for the rest;
Up, she stood up at attention, with the barrel beneath her breast.
She would not risk their hearing, she would not strive again,
For the road lay bare in the moonlight,
Blank and bare in the moonlight,
And the blood in her veins, in the moonlight, throbbed to her love's refrain.

Tlot tlot, tlot tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hooves, ringing clear;
Tlot tlot, tlot tlot, in the distance! Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
The highwayman came riding--
Riding--riding--
The redcoats looked to their priming! She stood up straight and still.

Tlot tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment, she drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight--
Her musket shattered the moonlight--
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him--with her death.

He turned, he spurred to the West; he did not know who stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the casement, drenched in her own red blood!
Not till the dawn did he hear it, and his face grew grey to hear
How Bess, the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.

Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
Blood-red were his spurs in the golden noon, wine-red was his velvet coat
When they shot him down in the highway,
Down like a dog in the highway,
And he lay in his blood in the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat.

And still on a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
When the road is a gypsy's ribbon looping the purple moor,
The highwayman comes riding--
Riding--riding--
The highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.

Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard,
He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred,
He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter--
Bess, the landlord's daughter--
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

Remember, Remember...

http://gbarto.com/sept11.html

Remember, remember… (all three stanzas)
Remember, remember 11 September
Suicide demons’ dark plot
We see no reasons
Why suicide demons’
Evil should ever be forgot

Remember, remember 11 September
Murderous monsters in flight
Reject their dark game
And let Liberty’s flame
Burn prouder and ever more bright

Remember, remember 11 September
When madness and malice took wing
Face darkness and fear
With this memory clear
And everywhere let Freedom ring!

I like this, it reminds me of the old saying by Benjamin Franklin.

"Anyone who trades Liberty for Security,
deserves neither Liberty nor Security."

To Protect and Serve?

Just another example of how the government has ruined
someone's life.

Read the Story here.

You can also check out a webpage for Tracy.
Justice For Tracy

Shhhhh.... I have a dirty little secert ;)

I want to say about 6 months ago, after a Saturday night of drinking. I woke up Sunday afternoon all hung over and dehydrated. I rolled over and grabbed a can of Pepsi and a bottle of water from my mini-frig and picked up the TV remote and turned on the tely. To my surprise the Soap Opera channel was on, not the History or Comedy or One the 9 million movie Channels I normal would have had on when I watch TV last. I guess during the night I had rolled on the DirectTV remote and switch channels in my sleep. It's rare, but it's happened before, usually it switched to some channel that doesn't exist or one we don't subscribe to. But this time it was on SOAP. A cute perky yet manipulative Blonde was being all catty with another cute perky Blonde. "Ohhh, Cat fight! This ought to be good" I thought. Well, like most soaps it went nowhere, just veiled threats and the characters departed. "Ok where's the remote?" I looked around my bed, "it should be here somewhere? Oh there it is, on the floor beside my bed." Normally I'd get up and switch the channels, but today, I was really lazy, and besides there are cute blondes, so it's not all that bad. Well it turns out the show was General Hospital and was replaying a weeks worth of episodes. Now I've heard of General Hospital, just as I've heard of dozen other Soap Operas. Growing up, my mom watched All My Children, The Young and the Restless and maybe a couple others, I was usually too busy playing outside to care. In high School my sister would watch Y&R, and when she was life guarding, she would ask me to tell her what was going on. Her mistake, I would start to tell her what was going on, but I would never say who I was talking about. I would always say "That one Guy, You know the old one"

"You mean Victor?" She'd ask.

"Ya, I think. But anyways, he was talking to that one girl..." Before I could even get to the title screen, I had her all confused and she would get fed up and leave. It was good thing because after the title screen I was already bored to tears and had left the room.

So, I watched the rest of Mondays episode. I know it was Mondays show because in the bottom right corner of the screen was Monday written over a larger GH. The episode ended with some Mob enforcer taking to his boss about some guy they killed. WOW, the mobs in Soap Operas, and cute blondes. Oh and the Cute, Manipulative Blonde one, has an even cuter sister. And there's a character that a computer geek, that refers to himself as "The Jackal" and has nicknames for all the characters. I kind of like this character, a geek and an outcast.

So anyway I spend most of the day watching all five episodes getting something to eat and showering during one the shows, it doesn't matter the plot moves at a snails pace you could miss a month and after one episode be all caught up. I have to admit, I kind of like General Hospital.

Well the next week goes by, I have no desire to watch GH, or any other soap for that matter. It's not that I didn't want to watch GH. I just didn't have time, and didn't really care about it. I enjoyed my time with the people of Port Charles, but I was on to other things. Another week goes by still not watching GH. A couple months have passed, its around Christmas time now and there is nothing on TV. I'm killing time at my folks house. GH was on. Started watching, sure enough, after an episode I was all caught up. The people of Port Charles, are stricken with fear because of the TMK, or Text Message Killer. There some fancy shmancy ball that everyone who's anyone will be at. The ball goes on for 3 weeks, In GH time, one evening, but it took the writers 3 weeks to cover a 5-6 hour event.

So now I'm watching GH weekly. But I've noticed that I'm not watching like most people watch Soaps, or the reason I think most people that watch soaps. I could care less about the people and who they trying to screw over or screwing. I'm looking for what I've been calling Triangles. Sometime there Love Triangles but not always. Here's an example, Person A loves Person B. And Person B loves Person A. But Person A's best friend is Person C, but Person C HATES Person B. And Person C is secretly in love with Person A. Here all over the place, triangles and there are easy to spot if your looking for them. But I'm not just looking for Triangles, but looking at how those triangles effect everyone else and their triangles. Person, D, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, etc. Basically looking at the art of storytelling a Soap Opera. And seeing how I can incorporate that style in my games. (Insert evil Laugh)

Duhn-juh n Krawl

The other night we gathered for another Eberron game to finish the Dungeon Crawl we started about a month ago. Since I play a Noble who has been raised in the posh life-style. I decided to take a different approach to the adventure. Everything is new to him, he doesn't understand that something is waiting to eat or kill him around every corner, so he has a very carefree attitude towards exploring. In the session, Matt's character, Erik is walking down the tunnel, sword and shield in hand anticipating an attack at any moment. Lord Emrys casually walks with him, was a cup of tea in one hand and a bruschetta in the other hand as he shouts back to his servant Petrof. Basically making every mistake an explorer could make.

We finished the Dungeon Crawl. I only almost-died once. I had survived the first adventure, WHOO-HOO, but not because I wasn't trying. And we managed to get 425 gold and a couple of pearls. Not bad for a evening of monster killing.

Mead update

Last night we check the Mead. She's still fermenting. A bubble in the fermenter lock about every 25-30 seconds. We took a reading with the hydrometer. We got a reading of 1.032. So to figure the Alcohol, we subtract the O.G. (1.104) with the gravity, (1.032), and multiply that by 105.

1.104 - 1.032 = 0.072
0.072 x 105 = 7.56 percent alcohol.

According to The Complete Joy of Home Brewing Book by Charlie Papazian and the recipe we (mostly) used falls close to the 8.95%-11.25% range.

Orienteering

For those that don't know what Orienteering is, it's the skill and sport of Navigating the Land with a map and Compass.

Last weekend I decided not to stay at home and rest like I said I would but instead, decided to go and help out the Greater Phoenix Orienteering Club with their land navigation class. Twice a year, usually in the end of March/first of April and End of October, they have a Land Nav Class. So if you are ever lost in the wilderness, (which I have been) and you have a map and compass (which I didn't have when I was lost, so it really wouldn't have helped me out) you get find your way back to civilization. At any rate, if you love the outdoors and don't like sticking to trails like me, I highly recommend learning Map and compass skills.

Here are some pretty pictures I took while out Orienteering.

Desert Thistle
First is lovely picture of a Desert Thistle. I know thistles are weeds but it's still pretty plant.



Field of Wild flowers and cactus.



Tomatio (sp)
I'm not sure how you spell it, but this plant was shown to us by one of the students. She had tons of knowledge on plants said this plant's fruit is eatable. I did eat some of the berries and I'm still alive, yeah! The berries are the size of small jelly beans and if cut open have small seeds like tomatoes and has a taste very similar to tomatoes. Although I don't like tomatoes, and I could detect a hint of tomato flavoring, but it had more appealing taste.



Birds Nest in Cactus





Roblas Butte



Picketpost Mountain



And now for a little learning lesson on Orienteering.

Boxed Y
A Boxed Y is is term for a reentrant junctions. First a reentrant is the valleys of hills. Look at the picture below, and try to visualize where water would travel if it were raining hard enough to cause flash flooding.



Rivers and creeks are also examples of reentrant, but they are usually referred to as rivers and creeks. But if there was no water in the rivers and creeks then you have a reentrant. A reentrant junction is where two reentrants meet.

I've drawn where the reentrant junction are at.



On a Topographical Map all land features looks something like this. Land features are drawn in brown. Keep in mind this is not the same hill in the previous photos.



Can you see all the valleys? They are the represented by all the V's. The hills are more U shaped lines.



Now if you were to draw the reentrant junctions you have Y's like the the previous photo showed. The name Boxed Y comes from the way the contour lines box in the reentrant junctions.



Hope this helps a little and you found it entertaining.

ARF Recap

2008 marked the fifth year I worked the Arizona Renaissance Festival. This year was the 20th Anniversary of the Arizona Renaissance Festival. As always it was fun, and probably the best weather we had for an entire run. At least since I started working there. We had no rainy day, a couple overcast and cold days. No snowy days like last year. No days canceled like the last two years. A couple days were on the rather warm side but no hot days.

I was out there with the Lion Share, an improve troupe of Pirates Honest Merchant Sailors. We were up to our normal shenanigans like Robbing the taxes, Invading the Royal Pavilion, Blowing up bridges, Kidnapping the Lord Mayor and the Lady Lord Mayor. Swag Stacking, and getting patrons to walk the plank.

Swag staking is a game we play with a bunch of swag, or booty, (pause so you can giggle at the word booty).... Ok it's a bunch of junk; cups, candle sticks, plates, other various pieces of metal that we stack on top of one another in an effort to see how tall we can get it. The record was 24 pieces of swag. The record was set by 2 kids, 7-8ish, up in Flagstaff during Ren in the Pines. This year we set the record to 29 pieces of swag after 2 other kids set a new record of 27. We were determine to beat the record after the kids set to 27 with dumb luck using no reason to pieces they selected to place on top of the previous piece.

This year we were part of the open gate show. We started the show. It starts with us stumbling drunk towards the gate singing what do you do with a drunken sailor as loud as we can and then demand to be let in. Then we remember we have the keys to the village that we won from the Lord Mayor in a game cards the previous night. But none of the keys work. Then Dittle runs us off. We return with a bigger key. Two kegs of gunpowder. Then as boy is trying to lit the fuse Dittle comes back and calls for the Lord Mayor and we run off. We then dress boy up as a princess and sneak in with the Royal procession only to kicked out as opening canon goes off.

Toll Free Troll Bridge
Another bit we did, not a new idea mind you, but still it's fun. We sit on a bridge and wait for patron to cross the bridge, then you stop them and get them to pay a toll. The toll was One Pirate joke. If they don't know one help them with it. We start off by saying, "What's a Pirate's favorite..." Then wait for them or ask them to fill in the blank with a noun. After they say something, we say "We don't know, what is a Pirate's favorite (insert patrons noun)" Then they usually laugh because we just caught them not knowing the punchline. But it doesn't matter whatever they say, whether in makes sense or not We laugh like its the funniest thing we ever heard and tell them they may pass. If I had a dime for every time I heard the one about the pirate walking into the bar with a ships wheel hanging around pelvic area. Well I'd be a rich man. For those that don't know the punch line, it's driving me nuts.

With the recent success of movies like Pirates of the Caribbean there are too many pirates. Everyone wants to be a pirate, and well we kind of are redundant. So next year, the Lions Share Pirates maybe a dance troupe. Assuming we get enough musicians and dancers.

Why I'm a libertarian with a small-l

The core belief of libertarianism is Liberty and Freedom, the non-initiation of force. The belief that you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, with whomever you want, as long as you do not harm anyone. For the most part the Libertarian Party believes this as well. There is even a pledge you must take before you become an official party member. The Pledge is,

"I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT I DO NOT BELIEVE IN OR ADVOCATE THE INITIATION OF FORCE AS A MEANS OF ACHIEVING POLITICAL OR SOCIAL GOALS."

Sounds good so far, then why am I not a party member. Well first of all I don't like collectivist terms like; Democrat, Republican, Caucasian, Black or African-American, American, Islamic, Christian, etc. I don't like labels, and I don't what to be group in with them. I don't even like to call myself a small-l libertarian. But our culture is fixated with labels, collecting and classify people. To me this dehumanizes all of us. When I go to vote, I want to vote for a person not a party. So I read all I can on the people running and then I vote for the person I think is best suited to keep my freedoms free (which few we have left now). Granted I tend to vote for more Libertarians then not when they're running for a position, but I'm not voting for the party. I'd like to see the party system be done away with, or at least the R, D, L, I, next to peoples names be done away with. Even if all it does is make the Republicans and Democrat Party-line voters do at least some research as to who's in the party they support.

Second I see the Libertarian Party as somewhat of contradiction. Here you have a party that doesn't believe in the initiation of force, working within the government system. Government by it's very nature is initiation of force. If you don't believe me quit paying your taxes, it's your money isn't it? Quit registering your vehicle, you bought it, it's yours, right? Quit obeying laws that don't harm others, where's the crime, who was hurt? See how long it takes before the government sends men after you, men with guns I might add, to take away your freedom by throwing you in jail or prison. Government is force. If I might paraphrase Mao Zedong

Government extends from the barrel of the gun.

Lastly, but it sort of ties into the previous reason. Last week, Mike Gravel announced that he was joining the Libertarian party. So I went over to the Libertarian party website to see what they had to say about this and they seem to be in support of this. There is even a quote from the Libertarian Party Executive Director, Shane Cory.

"We're honored to have a former member of the United States Senate join our ranks,"

Now I agree with Mike on the War on Irag, War on Drugs, Same-sex Marriage, and some of his other issues. But Mike Gravel is not a Libertarian. IMO, he is a socialist. He believes in Taxes (a different form a taxation, but a tax is a tax), Universal Healthcare, Social Security, Government Education. If he was a Libertarian he would not believe in use of force to steal your money (taxes) so he could give it to a failing government Education, a socialist government run Healthcare System, a bankrupt government Social Security program. Let me keep my money, all of it and let me decide how to spend it on; Education, Healthcare and my own Retirement. And let me do it in a FREE Market, free of government control and regulation. Thats what a Libertarian would advocate. Since the Libertarian Party is endorsing him, this tells me, the Libertarian Party is no better then the Democratic or Republican Party. And their non-initiation of force pledge is meaningless.

Gaming recap

Last week I had 2 games, first the Eberron game, and then the second mini-session of my 7th Sea game.

Eberron
The Eberron game was fun, we talked about our place in the world, each given a reason to be on the same road together all traveling to King-Crossing. But other then that no reason to work together. The weather turns bad and we all took shelter in a near by ruin that just happen to be revealed by a resent lightning strike. Another lighting strike shakes the earth and causes a door to blast open. We were attacked by panicked rats. After the rats were gone we still had no reason to work together nor given an incentive to investigate the ruins. But knowing that our GM probably had nothing for us unless we investigate the ruins, Matt and I start to poke around. We enter a room and attacked by some lesser outside. After it was killed we discover a ring and continued to investigate the ruins. This is were we ended for the night.

The adventure was a module, so it is very generic, which is fine. I guess I was hoping for more intrigue then just a dungeon crawl. We will see what happens next.

7th Sea
The 2nd-session of my new 7th Sea game picked up with our characters on the run from the Musketeers. I felt the session went really good, and I'm just about ready to introduce the B-Story as they work through the A-Story. Basically How I want to run the game is like this,

A-Story Starts < - > A-Story Middle < - > A-Story Climax
. . . . . . . B-Story Starts < - > B-Story Middle < - > B-Story Climax
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-Story Starts < - > C-Story Middle < - > C-Story Climax

So at any time 3 separate story arcs are going on at the same time. With the touch of Soap-Opera drama thrown into the mix.

Eberron

Although I said I never would, I've decided to get back into playing D&D. It came about because sometimes gaming a game system you don't particularly like is better then no gaming at all. Although I am still looking for another game and working on getting my 7th Sea campaign up and running. Awhile ago I met with the GM. We talked about the Campaign, system and other stuff. Over the past few weeks I've been thinking about my character. I proudly introduce you to Lord Emrys ir Teutorigs, Esquire. He is a noble from Aundair. Raised with the all the luxuries that the Nobles enjoy. But he also has seen the corruption that the Nobles inflict upon the people that serve them. With the help of his best friend and personal valet, Carwyn, they set out to fix the system from within during the day and remove those that oppose the change they are fighting for at night. Emrys works as a Barrister for those that can't defend themselves and works to change the laws that he feels are unjust. Sort of a cross between Batman/Bruce Wayne and Robin Hood.

Because of Class system that D&D uses it's hard to create the character I wanted, but I think I manage to figure it out. My plan is to take the Rogue class until I can take the Master Inquisitive prestige class from the Eberron Campaign setting. After that I was thinking of taking the Duelist prestige class from the DMG. With the Rogue class I get tons of points to put towards skills. It also fits for the Batman/Vigillante part of his character.

Faber est suae quisque fortunae "Every man is the artisan of his own fortune"
This is the Motto of the Teutorigs Family. There Family chest is Red and Black Checkered field Shield, with a Standing Lion on the left of the shield and Dragonhawk on the Right of the Shield. Below the Shield is an Olive Branch and a Bunch of Grapes.

Tomorrow we will be gaming our first game. More to come...

Super Bowl XLII

With the World watch the 18-0 Patriots and the underdog Giants battle out who will be this World Champions, I tuned in as well. I didn't care which team won, but was rooting for the Giants mostly because they were the underdogs. I probably would have supported the Patriots if it wasn't for the video taping scandal that happened early in the year and how New England handled themselves after it. It would have been nice to for someone to finally shut up the 72 Dolphins. But we'd probably have to hear about it from the 07 Pat's for the 25+ years how they had the perfect seasons and had to play more games then the 72 Dolphins. Although it was hard to root for Eli "Crying" Manning. But I have to hand it to him. He played one hell of a game and it came down to the wire. The best play was the pass from Eli Manning to David Tyree with about a minute left in the game. Eli some how manages to escape getting sacked and just throws up a Hail Maryesk pass and Tyree manages to pull it in, in a miraculous catch.



Even though Eli was awarded the MVP trophy I think it was the Giants Defense that deserved the award. They Sacked Tom Brady, another QB I don't like, 5 times, hurried and/or knocked him down a dozen or more times and forced a fumble. They keep the #1 Ranked Offense scrambling. They never let the Pats get into a rhythm. That allowed the Giants to stay in the game and up set the favored Patriots 17-14.

But the main reason I watch the Super Bowl was the Commercials. The Super Bowl has well know history of airing some of the best commercials. The last few years I have been disappointed, and was hoping for some good commercials again. Most were alright, some just sucked, which is ashame because of how much money they spend on them. Se here are my top 3 Super Bowl XLII Commercials.

#3 Pepsi Max Nod Ad
Watch for Chris Kattan at the end of the commercial. If it wasn't for him I doubt it would of made it on the list. Although Night at the Roxbury is not one of SNL's best movies made from a 2 min sketch. It is one of my favorite movies because there are jokes in there that I feel the writers put in there just for me.


#2Cars.com Glondor
Both Cars.com commercials where good but this one I though was better.


#1 the T Mobile Charles Barkley Top 5
Be careful what you wish for.

New Art

Not sure who did the original B/W.

Here's the Color.

Mmmmm, Fermented Honey

Something I've wanted to do but never got around to do was make mead. (What kind of Skald would I be if I didn't know how to make Mead.) So last night I finally did it. Yesterday after work I went to a local homebrew place picked up the essential supplies. Then went and picked up the honey and other items we needed. Then went to a friends house and started brewing. After we sanitized the equipment, pasteurized the honey and mixed everything together a few hours had past. We needed the temp. of the must to be 80º. And being the impatient type that I am, it was cooling fast enough. So it was moved to a tub with cold water and late packed with ice. Finally around 4 AM it reach the desired temp. The yeast was added and went home to go to bed.

The following are notes I took.

Mead
Makes 5 Gallons
15 lbs. of Mrs. Crockett's Country Hill Honey
4 Gallons of water
2 tsp Irish Moss
1 tsp Gypsum
1 tsp Stale hops
1 capsule of servomyces

Heated 2 gallons of water as honey was mixed in. When temp. reached 170 remove pot from and mixed in Irish Moss, Gypsum, Stale Hops, and servomyces. After 5 mins rack must into carboy with 2 gallons of water and aerated. When the temp dropped to 80 added yeast. (Which was about 4 am) Getting the must to drop to 80 degrees was a long wait. We placed carboy into tub and filled the tub with cold water and pack ice around carboy. Later more ice was added and a towel soaked with cold water was place to help with the cooling process. Next time we will place 2 gallons of ice instead of water.

11/10/07 Pitched yeast. O.G. 1.1045

One Small step towards Liberty

I finally did it. Before today I have never donated anything to a political canidate. Mostly because I didn't have the time or money. I'm not in a different boat. I still don't the have the time or money, but this is the ONLY canidate that speaks the message that I believe in. FREEDOM from Big Govnerment. (Yes, I'm looking at you Republicans that speak of small government but have expanded the government more then LBJ) Freedom to pursue the things that makes me happy. So even though I don't have the money to spend, I gave all I could and will have do without a little happiness for a while. Because Ron Paul is America's last hope for Freedom and Liberty.

Game 1 NLDS DBacks vs Cubs

Post Season Baseball Begins
Thanks to my Uncle, we went to the DBacks game last night. It was good game with the DBacks winning 3-1. The score was 0-0 through the third inner until Stephen Drew #6 hit a home run in the fourth. Then in the 6th with bases loaded, 2 outs, when R. Theriot of Chicago hit a single to the 3rd basesman. The DBacks had a chance to end the inning but pitcher Brandon Webb #17 didn't cover 3rd base, where the 3rd out could have been made. All the runners advanced, allowing D. Lee to tie the score. The DBacks took the lead with a homer in the 7th inner by Mark Reynolds #27. Later in the 7th with Chris Snyder #19 on 3rd, Pinch hitter Conor Jackson #16 hit a sacrifice fly allowing Snyder to score. The DBacks went on to hold the lead and win. Although in the 9th with two outs, Relief Pitcher José Valverde #47 walked pinch hitter D. Ward of Chicago. Next up, A. Soriano of Chicago. Probably Chicago's best hitter. But managed to close the inning with Sorino hitting to the 2nd baseman, and him tagging 2nd base forcing the 3rd out.