Farewell, Frank Frazetta! One of the coolest things I helped curate at the museum where I used to work was your Conan redrawn on the side of a B-52 (among many other excellent examples of post-World War II aircraft nose art). I loved your art when I was young.
I know everything I come up with has been done a thousand times. Maybe that’s one of the joys of having gamed for about 4 years, instead of all my life: every plot seems fresh TO ME.
That overly defensive caveat aside:
4th Edition D&D, Eberron setting. The whole point of the campaign is a race sponsored by House Orien (the Dragonmark house concerned with transportation), though their actual motives for running the race might be (gasp) different than their stated motives of publicity and entertainment. The participants can use any form of magical or nonmagical transportation, as … Continue Reading
As an aside, my favorite spam comment so far is: “This article is very recreative!”
As for gaming, I continue to enjoy Living Forgotten Realms a ton. It isn’t the most creative roleplaying I’ve ever done: the modules follow a pretty basic formula, and while that’s comfortable like a bowling league or a movie night is comfortable, I let myself sink into the basic structure of the games too much.
I play LFR in three separate settings:
1. In & around Baltimore with my LFR peeps. It’s a neat mix of folks, and I’ve been lucky enough to stumble into a group that … Continue Reading
This is why I couldn’t see Up. That clip right there. Bryant told me about it when he came home from seeing the movie alone, and I remember being so grateful that I hadn’t gone with him. I saw the clip today in a random blog, and watched, and now I can’t stop crying.
There are so many different kinds of tears. Hurt tears, angry tears, betrayal tears, frustration tears. I’m a weeper, and always have been. But grief tears never show up alone. They’re always accompanied by my pounding heart and throbbing headache and fears … Continue Reading
There’s a pun in that title. “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” as performed by Marianne Faithful and the Chieftains, is one of my favorite carols of all time. And, Mike Doughty’s “I Hear the Bells” is the song I played over and over while falling in love with Bryant. And while Doughty’s tune will always be associated with me driving an hour each way over a long summer’s library internship, Christmas-as-an-adult is all association. Attempting to resurrect childhood memories, attempting to create new traditions that have meaning even when the glossy child’s-eye view of the holiday is long-gone.
We … Continue Reading
My boyfriend’s company had its holiday party last night, and while I won’t go into specifics, of course, I will say that I haven’t been that dolled up since my wedding. Makeup, heels, new dress, the whole shebang. And it was quite the gathering – a gorgeous old hotel in DC, open bar, a sit-down dinner, the works. And I looked pretty!
And, I could barely BREATHE. I usually wear rather loose clothes. I’m fat, and I’m self-conscious about it, so I tend to go baggy rather than fashionable. This dress actually shows my figure (and how), so I was obsessed, … Continue Reading
This recipe for sausage bread pudding is faaaar better than the last one Bryant and I tried. It’s chicken sausage rather than chorizo, so the texture is far more restrained. And I substituted like crazy: spicy andouille chicken sausage instead of quasi-Mediterranean, spinach instead of arugula, leftover brussels sprouts instead of artichoke hearts. But the texture was right – crusty cheddar cheese over custardy vegetables and bread and meat, and we devoured the thing. Muuuch better than the viscerally disturbing chorizo-bomb we tried a while back.
Also, I have now made lasanga, and it did not suck. … Continue Reading
I have about five posts in draft form dealing with the constant process of moving forward after my husband’s suicide, and I never ever post them. Not sure why. This was supposed to be my blog of ideas and writing and Interesting Stuff, not a personal wangstfest, and I guess I thought if I kept everything separate, I’d be able to write more easily. Instead, it’s like I’ve tried to keep my left half of my body separate from the right: I can’t write at all, and it feels unnatural to try and be someone I’m not.
So: Christmas.
Thanksgiving was my … Continue Reading
This is my obligatory Dragon Age post.
Summary: I like it a lot. I’m playing it on “easy” mode, which I’m so glad even exists, because in RPGs, especially well-written ones like this one, I concentrate on story, not gameplay. And while gameplay here is fun, and fascinating, and I love the ability to take a tactical “time out” and queue actions for my whole party, the story is what keeps me hooked.
And, big spoilers ahead! Be aware!
Life in Ferelden just sucks. Up to thirty years ago, the country was subjugated under the rule of neighboring Orlais. Before that, there was … Continue Reading
Courtesy of Stephen Fry, from the premiere of “A Bit of Fry and Laurie,” an excellent bit of ego-boosting.