Random thoughts from a disordered mind
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Chuck, The Pizza Snob" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
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04:52 pm
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Picnicon XI
So, I went to Picnicon XI, the annual Independent's Day get together of the the Boston Gamers listserve. It started on Friday, but I was at home playing bridge with my family that day, so I went in on Saturday. I wasn't sure if I was going to go, since it was the first Saturday in quite a while I wasn't needed anywhere.
Ended up playing:
Zombie Fluxx
Race for the Galaxy
It Came From the Late, Late, Late Show
and a bit of D&D (not 3rd of 4th ed, or even AD&D, but D&D. Although I'm not sure it was PURE old school, but I could be wrong.)
and listened to a session of Baron Munchaussen.
It was fun, and met some new people.
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11:41 pm
[Link] | And, because I haven't been on all day,...
Happy Birthday (almost but completely too late) to both ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) warriorbard63 and me brother edschweppe.
I hope they were good to great.
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04:45 pm
[Link] | Today, in my home town, was Old Home Day. The bosses at the small country store, who normally work the weekends, were out schmoozing the town, so I came in to work the morning-early afternoon shift. Not only was it Old Home Day, but it was the first nice day for a while, so we were SLAMMED. I mean, we had mad lots of customers.
And a strange thing happened. We always get a bunch of cyclists stopping by, because we make a very good turn around point for people coming out from the city. Anyway, two cyclists were talking about something, and I heard the name of one of them and said to myself, "Hmm, Ornath is not a common name." So I asked if I heard right and then if his last name was Liscomb. Which is was. Why is that interesting to anyone? Ornath Liscomb is the founder and editor of DargonZine. DargonZine is the e-mag of the Dargon Project, which is a collaborative writers project (all the stories set in a shared world) of which I was part of briefly, and in which my two published short stories appear. Although I eventually left it because I didn't feel I was able to spend as much time on it as it deserved, it was perhaps one of the best experiences I've had as a writer. They were *very* good at constructive criticism, at taking apart a story and saying how they felt it could be improved.
Also, Ornath worked with my brothers for a while. I can't remember if I got involved in the Dargon Project because they clued me into it, or if I got into it then learned about the connection. In any case, bros: he asked for you and says hi.
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11:36 am
[Link] | And may tenderpaw have a very happy birfday!
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12:53 pm
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A meme
If there is one person or more on your friends list who makes your world a better place just because they exist, and who you would not have met (in real life or not) without the internet, then post this same sentence in your journal.
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11:27 pm
[Link] | This weekend is my mother's 50th reunion from Wellesley. She invited me and my brothers to the dinner tonight, and we went. Partly it was to support her, but one of her classmates, who had spent some time in government serevice, spoke and answered some questions after dinner. The classmate was named Madeline Korbut when she was in college, but then married a guy named Albright. So she came and talked to the people about being in the state department.
She is, not surprisingly for someone who graduated from Wellesley, quite bright. She also, shockingly enough, has a poor opinion of the previous administration. Such as saying about trying to get peace in the Middle East, "President Bush created a road map, but never took it out of the glove compartment." Or, more directly, when a classmate asked her to compare the present foreign policy team vs. Bushes, even before the question was fully out, she said, "They [Obama's team] don't lie."
I heard her talk five years ago, when she came and talked to the last reunion. She was good then, too.
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11:40 pm
[Link] | I've mentioned the new show on ABC, The Unusuals, before, but I want to mention it again. For one thing, it is pretty funny, and really weird. Tonight's episode began with Schraeder and Walsh are waiting for some guy to come out of his place when they a naked guy runs past them. In the middle of the street. In the morning. Shraeder wonders if they should do something, but Walsh says, "I don't want to deal with it." And then the guy gets shot, and a murder investigation ensues. It has all those really odd twists. And yet at the same time, there is some depth to the characters, such as Schraeder trying to come to terms with her upbringing vs. what she does for a living. Go see it if you get the chance.
edit
Aaaaand... I just read that ABC's already canceled it. Shit.
Tags: reviews
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11:58 am
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I like book memes
From stormsdotter
List 15 books you've read that will always stick with you: list the first 15 you can recall in 15 minutes. Don't take too long to think about it.
1) Lord of the Rings
2) Starship Troopers, by Robert A. Heinlein
3) Memory and Dream, by Charles de Lint
4) Inventing the Middle Ages, by Norman F. Cantor
5) Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas
6) the Belgariad, by David Eddings
7) The Dying Earth, by Jack Vance
8) The Vlad Taltos series, by Stephen Brust
9) Greenmantle, by Charles de Lint
10) Time Enough for Love, by Robert A. Heinlein
11) The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
12) The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
13) The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco
14) A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters
15) The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading, by Carl Erdmann
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06:25 pm
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ToV
Back from a weekend at Tales of Valor. A might frustrating for me, partly because a couple of plots I was involved in got pooched, partly because I've been tired all weekend and didn't feel like I do as much stuff as I should have.
I DID get to play the Devourer of All! Or at least, wear its costume in a module. Not quite as terrifying as it was in Prophesy, but fun to do. Thanks, all de folks at Prophesy and especially thanks to saxikath for making them.
Also got to beat up players as crunchy a few times.
Now, tired...
Current Mood:  tired
Tags: tov
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02:53 pm
[Link] | Hippo birdy, lilithschilde! And many more!
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06:32 pm
[Link] | Ok, I have found one thing that was wrong about this past weekend.
I have poison ivy. :(
You'd think that since I know I'm allergic to it, I'd know what it looks like, wouldn't you?
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06:18 pm
[Link] | Back from another weekend at Prophecy. And this time, *I* was the guest director. And, from what I've heard so far, it seems to have been a success. This despite having only 11 cast. But that wasn't TOO bad, since we also had only 21 players. (I hope the game at least broke even.) So the players had plenty to do, as seen by the utter lack of anyone in the tavern mid afternoon on Saturday. (Usually, there are a few people hanging around, chatting about what's going on or just chillin'.) Due to the cast restraints, things didn't go exactly as planned, but the veteran cast were very good at improvising and combining and what-not. So, woot, to all involved!!
The queen is cured, the High Domani are on the way recovering their positions of power, and other good things happened. And the final chapter on these characters has been acted out. Next year, we start the third campaign, which will involved new characters and 100 years of time difference.
And now, to sleep and wait for the PELS.
Current Mood: tired
Tags: pii, piii
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09:01 pm
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We gots some real wits here
My library puts out one of those sign boards where you can move the letters around periodically to advertise stuff. Because we don't want it out all the time, it's small enough so that we can take it in when we want. And that means that other people can get at it, too.
Sometime over the night, someone came around and changed the letters. They've done this at least once before. The new message? On one side "Free titty massage". On the other, "Ask us about vaseline."
Oh, yeah, we got some wits around here.
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08:19 pm
[Link] | Just returned from another successful weekend at Tales of Valor. Learned a couple of things about casting:
* I need to get a good balance of RPing and being a crunchy. Both are tiring, for different reasons. On Friday night, I found I only picked up a weapon once, and was zonked from just RPing all the time. It's good to let off a bit of steam once in a while by whacking people with plumbing supplies.
* I don't mind doing weekend long plots that end in rituals... so long as I get more than a 1/2 warning! (Not blaming anyone but the universe. Darn that capricious tang!!) And if it does happen, ask to see the ENTIRE plotline so that I know exactly what's going on. But, especially for rituals, need several days to try to get it memorized.
I think there were more, but seriously tired now. Time to check other things online, then go to bed.
Tags: tov
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12:00 am
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Memories of Ice & House of Chains, by Steven Erikson
I recently finished up the third of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, Memories of Ice, and then went and read book 4, House of Chains. It's hard to tell much about the plot of these two books, since in many ways, the first 4 books are one, gigamantic book. Memories of Ice takes up the story soon after the events of Gardens of the Moon (book 1), and takes us into more of the background of the world and what in hell's name is going on, with a bittersweet ending. House of Chains, after what was really an extended prologue, goes back to the area known as the Seven Cities and deals with the Empire's response to the rebellion. Saying much more about the books plots would only serve to reveal much about the ending of the first two books.
Personally, I'm loving reading the Malazan soldiers' dialogue. They are an ornery, disrespectful bunch, one and all. In one battle, an enemy is ambushed and falls off his horse but escapes. After the Malazan sergeant chews them out for a moment, one of the soldiers says:
'Hey, Sergeant, maybe that horse killed the cook.'
Borduke spat. 'The gods smiling down on us this night, Hubb?'
'Well...'
'Right. The truth remains, then. We'll have to kill him ourselves. Before he kills us. But never mind that for now. Let's move...'
On the other side, let me quote a passage from Memories of Ice:
Sirs, you speak of compassion. I understand something, now, of compassion. Would you hear?
'Speak on, mortal.'
We humans do not understand compassion. In each moment of our lives, we betray it. Aye, we know of its worth, yet in knowing we then attach to it a value, we guard the giving of it, believing it must be earned. ... Compassion is priceless in the truest sense of the word. It must be given freely. In abundance.
People who can write like that deserve to be read.
Tags: books, reviews
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11:33 pm
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The Veil of Gold, by Kim Wilkins
In The Veil of Gold, Kim Wilkins tells the story of Daniel St. Clare and Rosa Kovalenka and a golden bear. Rosa, a Russian who grew up in Canada and is now living in St. Petersburg, is supervising the reconstruction of an old bath house when one of the workmen discover a golden bear hidden inside one of the walls. Unable to determine much about it, she calls on Daniel, a researcher and her former lover. This sets up an incredible journey, where Daniel stumbles into the world of Skazki, the land of stories, and Rosa has to come to grips with her own past to save him. The tale takes the two of them deep into Russian folktales.
It was a decent book. Daniel quite quickly stumbled into Skazki, and the adventures there are terrifying and interesting. However, it took Rosa much longer to pass through the veil by an act of will, and thus there was a long period where she had a "side quest" as she gained the skills and power necessary for the crossing, which slowed the pace of her story down. In the meantime, there are occasional stories by Papa Grigory, a resident of Skazki who has had many names (including once, "the mad monk") in which he tells the story of the golden bear that has caused so much trouble. It is an excellent primer for learning Russian folklore, and parts told by Grigory are very well done.
But it does seem to drag at times. Also, the characters of Daniel and Rosa are a bit too flawed for my tastes. Daniel is an utter milktoast; he almost has no personality of his own, and seemingly has no will power. Despite having a huge amount of knowledge, he has no decision-making abilities, and constantly needs to be rescued. I don't really like that in a female character, and it goes the same for a male one. As for Rosa, she is more confident and in general a more capable person, but I get tired of characters who keep on making decisions for others and then getting annoyed when the other doesn't appreciate the effort. Also, the ending seemed a bit forced.
Still, the prose is well written. It was not a waste of time reading this, but not a book I suspect I'll ever want to read again.
Tags: books, reviews
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08:26 pm
[Link] | Good weekend.
Went to Chez Behken to work out the plot of the next Pii.5 weekend, which I am thinking of entitling "The Return of Usvangor." Seeing as they live on the other side of the Hudson, about a 4 hour drive, they let me crash at their place for the night. And this morning, I thought about going straight home, but decided that since I didn't have to be anywhere today, I'd go driving. Ended up going up to Ticonderoga (which appeared to be closed), then cut across Vermont to 89 and back down. Left the Behnken's at around 9:30 or so, got home at about 7:30.
Tired.
(Oh, did I say that title out loud? Darn...)
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10:32 pm
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The Unusuals
ABC has this new show called The Unusuals. Some of the oddest stories. Two tonight: in one, a woman is trying to steal a wedding; in the other, two of the detectives are trying to find a zombie.
One line from tonight's line:
Shraeger: "I could never be a slut."
Walsh: "You never know until you try."
Shraeger: "I just have no desire to see that many penises."
This is a weird and fun show.
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07:56 pm
[Link] | Ok, I don't normally post Utube stuff here. But for this...
Well, a dumpy 47 year old woman goes onto "Britain's Got Talent" (where one of the judges is the infamous Simon Cowell), and is so nervous that can't even describe her town. And then she sings...
Just watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
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09:48 pm
[Link] | Gah.
Just got home from working at the little country store. What with the economy and the weather, it's been a pretty quiet year so far. But today was beautiful. Which means that we had pretty steady business today. But we are not used to it. So...
Well, we close at 8. At 9, I got out, but still hadn't finished quite everything.
Gah...
Current Mood: tired
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