So this past Saturday Kim and I went to Shreveport with our friends Wes, Abigail and Brad, to go to a gaming store to watch a Warhammer 40k tournament. Now I'm sure all of you reading this (Mark, since I think you're the only one aside from Kim) have no clue what Warhammer is, but that's ok. What the game boils down to is a strategic war game using miniatures.
Now I'm hooked. I was interested in the game before, and I've read the Warhammer books and played the videogames, but I've never really seen the actual game that started it all in action. Now I need more...but the darn things ain't cheep. These folks are as proud of their little minis as Lego is of their sets. But the miniatures are pretty damn detailed. But $35 for most sets is a bit steep in my book for plastic miniatures that you have to put together and paint yourself.
But I gotta get em.
So after coming back from Dallas...
I'll let that sink in for a moment.
Remember how I said we took a trip to Shreveport? Well we ended up going to Dallas that night to visit a Games Workshop store in Grapevine (Games Workshop is the company that makes the Warhammer game). No clothes to change into, no toothbrush, no fan...just us and a tank of gas.
I haven't been spontaneous in a while.
There I took the plunge and bought the starter set for the Warhammer Fantasy game. So now I have around 100 little miniatures of dwarves and goblins ready to paint and play. I am a little worried about my artistic skills though. I hope some of my dad's painting talent passed on to me.
So after coming back from Dallas, Ebay has become my new friend. I've never Ebayed (Ebaied?) before, so I don't know what I'm doing. Apparently, and luckily for me, Kim used to be a master Ebayer (Ebaier?), so she's been giving me tips. I think I'm catching on.
So finally I think I have something to Photoblog about. Progress from raw plastic mini on a spur, to full painted machine of war! Once we get a new camera that is since ours broke and died. I might can try some phone pics though. hmmm
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
I miss the '80's
*Before you read this, browse over to AOL Radio and turn on the 80's Channel for a full effect*
It's funny what triggers nostalgia. Tonight I was playing a demo for a Strategy game called World In Conflict. In it you take command of US forces defending US soil against a Soviet invasion and World War III. At the end of the demo the credits for the game plays and the first song, before going into original score territory, is Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".
See? Get it? The Soviets are attacking the USA...you know...to rule the world.
Anyway, it made me miss my childhood. It made me miss what, looking back in full nostalgia, was the greatest decade I've ever lived. And I've gone through three so far.
I guess it's the simplicity that I miss. It seems to me that things were simpler, a little better. Hopeful. I know a lot of people will say that as they think back on life. And even I can agree that the 40's and 50's seemed simple and happy. The 60's and 70's though...well I can't comment too much but there was a lot of strife and turmoil.
One could say that the 80's was the big party that the world (or Nation really) needed after the stress of the last two decades.
Reaganomics was in full steam.
Yuppies abounded.
The music was awesome. I don't think too many people can deny that.
The TV was simple, wholesome, and funny. Family Ties, Alice, Growing Pains, My Two Dads, Perfect Strangers, Webster...the list just goes on.
The movies were top notch. I mean really - this is the decade that brought us Airplane, Goonies, Ghostbusters, Star Trek II, III, and IV, Terminator and countless other classic, CLASSIC, movies that were just so entertaining, and yes...that includes Police Academy.
I was walking through Toys-R-Us the other day and I just wanted to weep for kids today. Mostly Boys. Not only were the shelves nearly empty, but what was there was just not barely worth it.
Hasbro brought back GI Joe: A Real American Hero for it's 25th anniversary, and I can't buy enough figures. But who are they meant for? I would say people my age. Same goes for Star Wars, and to some extent Transformers. Transformers are really the exception here. The Transformers on the shelves now are not the Transformers I grew up with.
Instead, the closest thing I see to our, and I dare say the worlds, Golden Years of Toys is this Ben 10 stuff. A toy line that is heavily supported by a cartoon. Or the other way around, it doesn't matter.
I was in the mall not too long ago and I took a walk though the Tilt Arcade to see what's what. It didn't take long.
I guess video games really did change more than we think. The PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox are the kids toys today. And it saddens me.
I almost wish I were a little older than I was through the decade. But I guess the best way for me to have experienced that great decade was as a child. Where the real world couldn't mar my memories of a better time, a simpler time.
I guess really anyone could say the same about their childhood. Those formative years between 5 or 6 to pre-teen. How things were better. How things were simpler.
But really...who could argue the music, movies, TV, cartoons and toys were better then than they are now?
It's funny what triggers nostalgia. Tonight I was playing a demo for a Strategy game called World In Conflict. In it you take command of US forces defending US soil against a Soviet invasion and World War III. At the end of the demo the credits for the game plays and the first song, before going into original score territory, is Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".
See? Get it? The Soviets are attacking the USA...you know...to rule the world.
Anyway, it made me miss my childhood. It made me miss what, looking back in full nostalgia, was the greatest decade I've ever lived. And I've gone through three so far.
I guess it's the simplicity that I miss. It seems to me that things were simpler, a little better. Hopeful. I know a lot of people will say that as they think back on life. And even I can agree that the 40's and 50's seemed simple and happy. The 60's and 70's though...well I can't comment too much but there was a lot of strife and turmoil.
One could say that the 80's was the big party that the world (or Nation really) needed after the stress of the last two decades.
Reaganomics was in full steam.
Yuppies abounded.
The music was awesome. I don't think too many people can deny that.
The TV was simple, wholesome, and funny. Family Ties, Alice, Growing Pains, My Two Dads, Perfect Strangers, Webster...the list just goes on.
The movies were top notch. I mean really - this is the decade that brought us Airplane, Goonies, Ghostbusters, Star Trek II, III, and IV, Terminator and countless other classic, CLASSIC, movies that were just so entertaining, and yes...that includes Police Academy.
I was walking through Toys-R-Us the other day and I just wanted to weep for kids today. Mostly Boys. Not only were the shelves nearly empty, but what was there was just not barely worth it.
Hasbro brought back GI Joe: A Real American Hero for it's 25th anniversary, and I can't buy enough figures. But who are they meant for? I would say people my age. Same goes for Star Wars, and to some extent Transformers. Transformers are really the exception here. The Transformers on the shelves now are not the Transformers I grew up with.
Instead, the closest thing I see to our, and I dare say the worlds, Golden Years of Toys is this Ben 10 stuff. A toy line that is heavily supported by a cartoon. Or the other way around, it doesn't matter.
I was in the mall not too long ago and I took a walk though the Tilt Arcade to see what's what. It didn't take long.
I guess video games really did change more than we think. The PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox are the kids toys today. And it saddens me.
I almost wish I were a little older than I was through the decade. But I guess the best way for me to have experienced that great decade was as a child. Where the real world couldn't mar my memories of a better time, a simpler time.
I guess really anyone could say the same about their childhood. Those formative years between 5 or 6 to pre-teen. How things were better. How things were simpler.
But really...who could argue the music, movies, TV, cartoons and toys were better then than they are now?
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
I'm A Rambling Man
It's hard to come up with something new to post on blogs now a days. At least it is for me. I don't know if it's just a sign that my life is not that full of big events or it is and I just don't see those events for what they are.
I think it's just the fact that nothing really exciting happens in my life and my creative juices just flow in an entirely (read really really geeky) different direction and I'm extremely embarrassed about it.
Also I'm just lazy. I mean, look at my last post here on Blogger. Dated what? July? Talking about me and Kim moving off to Montgomery? Which didn't happen until the end of August. Then two months of adventures in Montgomery. Followed by Kim and I moving back to Monroe. Followed by the "fun" that was the house on Harrison.
So I guess it's more of the fact that I am just lazy.
It's something I really want to break. There have been days when I would be bursting with something I thought would go great on a blog, only put it off for later. I really hate being lazy. I do. I hate procrastinating about things. But I don't quite know how to break myself from it. I can tell myself that if I did something as soon as it came up it would be done and I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. But apparently I like having things loom over me, causing me worry, only to shy away or try to ignore it, hoping it would go away, knowing that it wont until I do something about it or, more likely, time marches on and what started as a little thing has snowballed into something that is so huge I really don't want to deal with it.
It even goes so far as posting a comment on someones Facebook. I've friended a lot of people lately, folks I haven't seen in a while that have sent me comments or messages and I just don't get back to them, saying I will later. And I don't. And it makes me feel bad, that I don't. Like I'm being a heel. But I just click on the next link in my favorites list and move on, saying to myself "I'll just check these sites and come back to it."
So here's where I throw down the gauntlet. Perhaps by me putting it out there on the blogosphere will give me the strength to make changes.
I will not procrastinate and be lazy.
I will loose weight for my health and self-esteem. (Out of left field I know, but if it works for the lazy part then why not give it a shot with loosing weight? Besides, don't they go hand in hand?)
Ok so I have no clue how to end this, but I didn't want to end it on the above sentences either. Feels like I should follow up somehow and I just cant think of a darn thing. So I guess I'll just sign off for now.
Later folks. Maybe it won't be another seven months before I post again.
I think it's just the fact that nothing really exciting happens in my life and my creative juices just flow in an entirely (read really really geeky) different direction and I'm extremely embarrassed about it.
Also I'm just lazy. I mean, look at my last post here on Blogger. Dated what? July? Talking about me and Kim moving off to Montgomery? Which didn't happen until the end of August. Then two months of adventures in Montgomery. Followed by Kim and I moving back to Monroe. Followed by the "fun" that was the house on Harrison.
So I guess it's more of the fact that I am just lazy.
It's something I really want to break. There have been days when I would be bursting with something I thought would go great on a blog, only put it off for later. I really hate being lazy. I do. I hate procrastinating about things. But I don't quite know how to break myself from it. I can tell myself that if I did something as soon as it came up it would be done and I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. But apparently I like having things loom over me, causing me worry, only to shy away or try to ignore it, hoping it would go away, knowing that it wont until I do something about it or, more likely, time marches on and what started as a little thing has snowballed into something that is so huge I really don't want to deal with it.
It even goes so far as posting a comment on someones Facebook. I've friended a lot of people lately, folks I haven't seen in a while that have sent me comments or messages and I just don't get back to them, saying I will later. And I don't. And it makes me feel bad, that I don't. Like I'm being a heel. But I just click on the next link in my favorites list and move on, saying to myself "I'll just check these sites and come back to it."
So here's where I throw down the gauntlet. Perhaps by me putting it out there on the blogosphere will give me the strength to make changes.
I will not procrastinate and be lazy.
I will loose weight for my health and self-esteem. (Out of left field I know, but if it works for the lazy part then why not give it a shot with loosing weight? Besides, don't they go hand in hand?)
Ok so I have no clue how to end this, but I didn't want to end it on the above sentences either. Feels like I should follow up somehow and I just cant think of a darn thing. So I guess I'll just sign off for now.
Later folks. Maybe it won't be another seven months before I post again.
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