* = Thanks to Kedrin for the meme. The thing is I agree. I just wish I was far better at it. I’m good in a work setting where I’ve trained my mind to work in an extremely objective and analytical fashion, but outside the confines of the place that pays me I’m terrible. I wear my heart on my sleeve, I’m passionate, I’m opinionated, I FEEL so strongly about so many things. However, I’m trying. I’m trying to let those two sides mix a bit more effectively and be a bit better at showing the place that takes 40 hours a week from me my passion, while at the same time being far more practical and pragmatic at home.
Some weeks it is easier to blog than others. I think it is a matter of focus for me. I am generally all over the place mentally running from thinking about things that I can’t write about here or anywhere else, to all my myriad plans for the different D&D groups, to comic books ideas, to just bizarre flights of fancy. My mind is in perpetual motion. It is churning and burning at an alarming rate. Even when I lay my giant ginger melon down for sleep I’m always thinking, spinning mentally, or ranging across strange vistas of my imagination.
My brain never stops running. I’m not sure if that is a good thing or a bad one anymore. So rather than try force something out of nothing today here is some…
RANDOM CRAP!
- Great loss is never easy. Know that it’ll get better and that your friends are there for you.
- So I’m a cryptic bastard, so what? Something’s aren’t for everyone, but need to be acknowledged. Let me reiterate something that is a main theme in my blog and my existence; I love my friends. All of ‘em. I seriously do. I care about them greatly. So if we are pals (hell even if we just were 'pals') know I’m here for you, I care about you, I cheer for you when you aren’t watching, and I’ll do whatever I can for you. When a friend hurts all I want to do is help, even when I can’t.
- Enough of that for today.
- El Bobert-O loaned me the Tiny Yeti’s copies of the first two volumes of SAGA (Infinite *’s out of 5).
I don’t generally get blown away by comics anymore, but his knocked my socks off. I’ve always liked Brian K. Vaughan’s writing, but here he just shines and the art, WHEW, it is beautiful. Fiona Staples is outstanding. There is a dreamy feel to it, but it has enough of an edge to remind you that there are consequences and they are brutal. The story seems like a riff on Romeo & Juliet on the surface but it is SO much more. It is a political statement on a number of subjects, it has a lot of the same philosophical beats as ‘Y: The Last Man’ when it comes to personal sacrifice, the nature of family, and where your responsibilities lie. It is unlike any other book out there on the stands right now. I cannot recommend the first two trades enough, GO READ THIS!
- I’m reasonably certain I give amazing hugs. Reasonably sure…
- I had a series of seizures over the last like four days and it has officially whupped my Ginger ass. I am still sore, worn out, and feeling it in some of my joints. I know that stress brought this on, and I know I’m going to make some adjustments in my coping skills. I most likely will be adding some additional supplements to my regime, and when and if I get my head above fiscal water I’m going to take Fraser Fraser’s advice and see her chiropractor/pain management guy. I can’t do another run like that, my body can’t. Worse than that I can’t let Cassandra go through that, so it is time to go back into ‘the lab’ and fix the formula.
- Sometimes we have to disappoint others, it sucks. It sucks badly, but it is a necessary evil.
- The Baconacolypse is UPON US! Saturday we crown our 3rd Annual Drive Way Food War CHAMPION! Tonight Cassandra and I are doing the dry run for our entries. I’m going with jowl bacon that I’m going to render down slowly in the oven until it gets crisp, THEN I’m going to dip it into a maple syrup/balsamic/hot sauce reduction. I gave it a shot last night, and it was good. However, it needs some work. I need to change my cut; I’m going to go with larger cubes. I need to cut down on the seasoning. The meat is tasty enough and salty enough that it doesn’t need a lot of additional spice. I need to cook it a little less, like maybe twenty minutes. The sauce is amazing though. I might need to make more though. Overall I’m VERY excited and think I have another winner on my hands!
- Tuesday night we sat down and digested the first episode of Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. (**** ½ out of 5).
I was really skeptical going in. How would they handle the Coulson thing, how are they going to meet the budget restraints of television, and why should I as a comic book geek be interested in characters who don’t exist in the source material? Damn you Whedon, DAMN YOU! The show was just fun. It drew me in by being firmly rooted in the cinematic Marvel Universe they are building and it was simply a good time. There were enough twists and turns, enough build up towards what is going to happen, and the characters were just so damn Whedon-esque that I almost couldn’t help myself. My objectivity melted away almost immediately and I was just giddy. It was as if Whedon took his best Buffy vibe and transplanted it into a somewhat familiar environment of the Marvel Universe. And best of all it works, it really works. My only complaint was I really wanted the Mike character to be Luke Cage, like REALLY wanted that to happen. If that is the worst I have to say then you know it was pretty good. I’m VERY intrigued to see where they talk this show.
- When gas prices hit this price point it makes me wonder why we were paying almost $4 a gallon mere months ago…Greedy Bastards!
- Friday night SMACKDOWN was a blast last week. We didn’t have the full complement of our normal players as Mighty Mike and The C-Fish both had to back out.
We did have ‘Mean’ Gene join us though. He does a HI-larious Alberto Del Rio impersonation that really needs to be a gif. It was a crazy night that had a TON of good matches, but nothing came close to El Generico denying physics themselves with a DDT onto a chair on the floor. Then of course he followed it up with a top rope BRAINBUuuuuuuuSTA! I don’t even remember who he was wrestling, but it was incredible. In fact I think overall the matches that night were the BEST we’ve had yet. For some reason the competitive juices were flowing for everyone and the matches were solid. The tag matches especially where fantastic. Also for the record Sabu is an interfering bastard! I look forward to our next meeting in October almost as much as I’m looking forward to WWE 2K14’s release!
- My head isn’t as unbreakable as I once thought.
- The accumulation of Halloween décor has begun, and it is going to be amazing.
AND my mask finally came. As you can see I really think I’m going to look friggin’ amazing as Bane! I’m making it my personal mission in life to Break The Bat. I’m excited to see what everyone else has decided to come as. The idea of having a party with kids is a tad scary and daunting, BUT at the same time if we can pull it off we can make a memory. And there are fewer things in life cooler than an amazing memory. We have high hopes that this will be the best Halloween party we’ve had yet!
- By Saturday we should have a street! I know!
- The Podcast is on the way. A few bumps in the road have slowed its start, BUT when it does get going it is going to roar into the world! So I’m putting it out there now if anyone desperately wants to be the first guests on the new Podcast, which I’m still struggling to name (although I’m starting to lean towards ‘The Insecurity Blanket Podcast’, people seem to dig it), get ahold of me. I have the format done and ready and I’m very excited to get it rolling. I’m equally pumped to get the L.E.W.G.I. Podcast, Heel Turn Radio, going as I want to sit at a table with those guys talking wrestling. James and his beard, Dave, Gene, and a few others of the guys have helped me put together a format list that just seems to click. If you dig wrestling or grown men geeking out over it and being inappropriate then you’ll dig this. There might even be a third Podcast that wouldn’t be hosted by me, but rather I’d play the sidekick. James & his magical beard are contemplating a ‘MUDDcast’, I have NO idea what it would be about, but I’d dig being on it. The reality is anything the Fightin’ Wheeler Boyz are involved in I’m happy to be a part of.
- My mouth spews out a lot of complaints, but really I have it pretty good. Just sayin’.
- I think I’m taking D&D 3rd Group in a new direction once this current ‘module’ is over. There was ‘push back’ on the high action quotient of the current events. I’d like to get back to some intrigue, some more Role Playing, and continue to forward the God Void meta-plot. So I think I’m going to move things to a city in the Shadowfell, Ebonbones. I’ll be intrigued to see how the group reacts to King Kroant of the Blackened Court as well as “She Who Eats The Young’ mistress of the city’s most reputable bordello’s. I figure a city will offer them the opportunity to further their religious plans, perhaps explore some past events, deal with some cults, and continue to establish a power base. Oh of course do some killing.
- I’m fiending for meatloaf and I don’t know why.
- It was another week so Paizo and Wizkids hit us with another preview; however this time they gave us our first look at the Red Dragon Evolution product. I wasn’t a big fan of the White Dragon Evolution product that they released first. The sculpts just didn’t do a lot for me, I don’t have a lot of use for that particular monster, and the price point was a tad rich for my blood. So I went into looking at these with a similar feeling, let’s see if they changed my mind.
First up is the Medium Red Dragon which is a re-paint and re-base from an earlier set. I have to admit I really like this. First off the sculpt was already pretty good, although the head doesn’t seem to fit the body language but that might just be me being crazy nitpicky. The new paint job is fantastic, and I think much brighter and better than the original. The real big selling point for me is the new base. They took the Rise Of The Runelords Large and made it a Medium. Now the miniature looks FAR more imposing as it literally spills off the base. It just feels so much more natural and looks far more impressive. I generally don’t like re-paints but this one is a MUST BUY for me. 
Next up is Large Red Dragon. Here is where they lose me a bit. I already have a DDM Huge Red Dragon with almost the EXACT same static sculpt. Does it look majestic and intimidating, yes! Does it also look like a dog getting ready to take a dump on your lawn, YES! If I’m going to throw a bunch of money at you and your product I want the most bang for my buck, here I don’t feel like I’m getting it. I want motion, dread, and inspiration when I look at a big baddie like this, and this leaves me absolutely cold. The paint job is fantastic though and I have to admit I LOVE the Paizo design take on this iconic beast. However that pose just leaves me completely and utterly cold. For me this is a PASS. 
Last, but not least is the Huge Red Dragon! IF there is an overwhelming selling point in this box set it is this miniature. First off it looks great; the pose is the more action orientated version of the Large miniature’s pose. Maybe it is just the roaring maw, or the crouched for action legs, it doesn’t matter what it is, IT WORKS. Like I said before the Paizo design on this dragon is just a fantastic blend of the old with a new school feel. The paint job is also very good, and I especially love the black spines that ring the wings, they are a great touch. This is a MUST BUY. The thing is this product of three miniatures is like $30, granted one of them is a HUGE! It just seems a bit steep to me. Couple that with the release of the Undead Horde ‘Gravity Feed’ (small release) this week AND the next few months’ additional release, Legends Of Golarion, and you have a saturated market. The Pathfinder miniatures were already on the high end price wise, but now you are just bludgeoning us over the head with product, which isn’t a terrible thing but it is devastating to our wallets. I want to support Paizo & Wizkids and their awesome product, but I just don’t have the funds. I hope this is a hiccup in their master plan and not the norm, because if it is then I’m afraid I’ll be all but out.“Dig A Slow Hole To China
Blacker Than A Miner
No Turn Un-Stoned I Trample
Hold My Candle's Handle
Mama Always Said
"You Better Come Home"
Stuck In The MudDug A Slow Hole
My Blue Cow
Gotta Get Her Back Here Somehow
My Brown Bag
Never Gonna Guess What I Have
"You Better Come Home"
Stuck In The Mud
Dug A Slow Hole
If It's Too Shallow Then Dig It More Deep
If It's Too Narrow Then Dig It More Wide
If You See A Point Of Light
Shake Hands With The Other Side
If It's Too Shallow Then Dig It More Deep
If It's Too Narrow Then Dig It More Wide
If You See The Point Of Light
Shake Hands With The Other SideA Lighthouse In Kentucky
Oh I Should Be So Lucky
Sell Fill Dirt To The Groundlings
And Water To The Drowning
Mama Always Said
"You Better Come Home"
Stuck In The Mud
Dug A Slow Hole”
* = Cassandra? 
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