14 Blades Vs. Zatoichi

I’ve begun reading R.E.H.’s unfinished, now finished by a ton of other authors including Michael Moorcock & Brian Lumley, work Ghor Kin-Slayer. WOW! What a brutal beginning. Ghor is NO Conan, Kull, or Bran Mak Morn. Hell he isn’t even Solomon Kane. He’s completely ruthless. I’m interested to see if all these talented writers can continue to write in Howard’s style while still giving Ghor a distinct voice and direction.

Speaking of writing in groups, The Dark Dave Writing Circle has stalled and it’s F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-N-G-! I really liked where we going with the tale, how it was being told, and I wanted resolution. SO maybe the next time it’ll just have to be David and myself doing these things as others have proven unreliable. Whenever the tale is done I’m putting on the blog for the rest of you, all 4 of you, to read.

In addition to my continuing to bumble through A Rendezvous in Averoigne I’m also now listening to, yep I’m lazy, to Michael Moorcock’s Elric Of Melnibone. I’d never read any of Moorcock’s work, with the exception of his essay Epic Pooh, which is basically him bitching about Tolkien & C.S. Lewis. I must say I like the style, but the material is bleak at best. Elric and his world are very hard to stomach. It’s full of betrayal, nihilism, sadism, torture, and debauchery. It’s as if you’re seeing the world through a villains eyes, and yet Elric himself is the most likable character of the group. He has realistic motivations even in a completely amoral society. I really am not sure what I think or feel about it just yet, but I’m going to finish it.

My D&D legwork is done for the weekend, and I say this with the utmost humbleness, it’s B.A. I’ve worked really hard to take the reigns and build this thing from the ground up. I think my encounters, and traps are balanced, inventive, thematic, and will push the players and the narrative forward. I’m really eager since we’ll have, supposedly, three possible new players this Saturday. The group dynamic will be completely different, the vibe will be changed, and I’m curious to see how it works out. I’ve already started working on ‘Part 2’ of the Rikus adventure; it’ll be shorter, less linear, much more built for Random Encounters, and possibly a tad easier. I think I’m going to try and stretch my encounter building muscle differently OR I might just wait on that till the Rikus portion is done and the party, if they survive make their way to Puhnjarb, City Of Slaves.

I love cliffhangers.

Oh well how ‘bout some

RANDOM CRAP!

- I’m mastering the new version of ConvertX on the ‘puter, and the end result is kick ass menus, music, and screens for DVDs. I’m really happy with the results and excited to see just how far I can take it.
- I’ve grown to hate ‘Merican politics. H-A-T-E-!
- I’m eager to watch Spartacus: Blood & Sand. It looks sorta cheesy, but in a fun way.
- I had no idea Joe C. was opening up his own comic store up in the Land Of Dirty ‘Sconies. That is F’N BRILLIANT! Joe C. was my boss at Robin Goodfellow, and more than that he was/is my friend. He also was one of the best, most inventive, and customer friendly bosses a person could have. I wish him all the success in the world and I hope to purchase things from him through the mail, and I encourage the rest of you to do the same. Congrats my friend!
- So Hawkman & Hawkwoman are ALIVE post Blackest Night! I can’t tell you how happy that makes me!
- I don’t have anything to grill right now, but I really just want to grill. I want to have a crap ton of meat; spiced, brined, injected, marinated, or rubbed with various spices and concoctions. Then I want to set out on the stoop and grill under the beautiful sun, eat as it sets, and then fire up a fire bit and burn ‘mo stick’ while hanging out with my wife and friends until the moon is high in the sky. ‘Tis but a dream I have…
- 2 hours to go, most likely 3 hours before I’m stuffing my face at Fuddruckers.
- Anderson Silva is the first MMA fighter who I simultaneously am in awe of his physical skills and yet hate with the white-hot passion of a 1,000 exploding suns. His performance last weekend was an embarrassment. I am now more than ever hoping that they hook up the ‘Super Fight’ at a catch weight between him and GSP. And I hope GSP beats him senseless. Oh and did anyone even notice that Frankie Edgar SHOCKED B.J. Penn? Holy crap! I knew Edgar would give him trouble, but not even in my wildest dreams did I think Penn would drop the strap to him. I think if there is a rematch B.J. will look to punish and finish Frankie rather than trying to be methodical.
- Question; What is your favorite cartoon of all time?
- I’ve almost given up on Chris Sims’ Invincible Super Blog because of his recurrent & unnatural venom and vitriol towards Geoff Johns. I just get tired of someone calling something “hack” or “groan inducing” without stating why. Mr. Sims and I share many ‘likes’ in common, but this one might be the deal breaker, and that makes me sad.
- I really hope Kansas City is smart enough, and lucky enough to take Eric Berry, Safety University of Tennessee, with pick 5 a week from tomorrow. I’m eagerly awaiting the NFL Draft; in fact I’m dying for it.
- Dark Dave has come through and I will now be getting my Viking Metal on to Enslaved!
- Last night we had tacos made of meat we had grilled and then crock potted with a taco packet and it was sublime. Cassandra truly outdid herself. It was subtle yet flavorful, paired perfectly with the rice & cheese, and complimented the corn and black bean salsa we made beautifully. I have to say my wife has morphed into a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen. It used to be she could just bake, now she makes food that not only do I love to eat, but also food that I look forward to.
- It’s almost time to mow.
- If you haven’t seen it PBS’s This Emotional Life (***** out of 5), then you really need to set aside some time and give it a go. It’s a nice very user-friendly educational program on how we function emotionally, both in a healthy way and an unhealthy way.

Back at it!

“The Fan has learned, so the Fan MUST REPORT!”