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  • The Longest Thirty Miles…

    The Longest Thirty Miles…

    …in which I talk about our most recent family trip, with details that will probably embarrass Ansel some day in the future.

    So, it didn’t even occur to me that I had missed a week of blogging until yesterday when I realized that today would be blogging day, at which point, something felt a little off. In my defense, however, I was a little busy last Wednesday, packing up and driving to West Memphis for our bi-annual Simpson family Thanksgiving. It’s a bit of a drive, the visit seems short, and the accommodations are cramped, but all in all, it’s always a good trip.


  • Everything That’s Old is New Again…

    Everything That’s Old is New Again…

    …in which I talk about the current exhibition in the Art Building.

    So, the New Media program has another exhibition on display in the building this week, and I am once again assaulted by the overall concept that “it’s weird so it must be art.” To this idea, I do not agree. While art does not have to be “pretty” or “clean,” there are definitely some communicative conditions that must be met for something to function in an artistic way. I rarely see anything come out of our New Media program that would, in my mind, be considered art. And I like to think of myself as a pretty free thinking person.


  • The End of the Road…

    The End of the Road…

    …in which I talk about the end of an Adventure!

    So this past weekend, after several weeks of missed sessions due to chaotic schedules, health issues, and other unpredictable interruptions, we finally wrapped up the final storyline in my most recently run role playing game. The end of a game always feels kind of strange to me, with mixed feelings of accomplished satisfaction and confused disorientation. It doesn’t seem to matter whether I’m running the game or playing, whenever we get to the final climactic scene, it just always feels like I’m anticipating the next step.


  • Catching Up and Moving On…

    …in which I talk about how I’m just rutting along, these days.

    So, I missed my update last week. I was down to the wire on my Halloween costume and had one bit left to finish, so I opted to do that, rather than write up a post. I had intended to catch up last Thursday or Saturday, but that obviously didn’t happen. I don’t really have a topic for this week, aside from the fact that lately, I’ve felt just a bit like Bilbo Baggins… “like butter scraped over too much bread.”


  • Resurrection of a Skill Twenty Years Deceased…

    Resurrection of a Skill Twenty Years Deceased…

    …in which I talk about relearning to sew.

    It’s not that the concept of sewing had become foreign to me. I still had all practical knowledge of  hand-stitching, and even the operation of a sewing machine. It’s more that the finer points of sewing, what makes it a craft and not a utility, had been lost to time. Over this past week, however, I have relearned and retrained myself in the art of joining fabrics.


  • Impulse Overdrive…

    Impulse Overdrive…

    … in which I talk about picking up a new game, completely on a whim.

    As of late, with financial and time constraints, I haven’t been buying as many games as I used to. It’s not that I used to buy a ton, I’ve always been pretty conservative, but I’ve really learned to curb my impulse and unnecessary spending. I’ve also found, at least in recent years, that I am fairly immune to most conventional marketing. No matter how cool an ad makes something look, I find that I can pretty much ignore its call unless I have a genuine, vested interest in the product. To that effect, when I buy a new game, it’s usually with much research and a pre-order for a much anticipated release, or a late release buy after the price has started to slip. Yesterday, however, I saw the release of Forza Motorsport 4 on a passing Tweet and decided that I really needed a new driving game.


  • The Arts and Crafts of Beer…

    The Arts and Crafts of Beer…

    …in which I talk about the art of craft beer.

    This past weekend I went to the 2011 Denton Homebrew Showdown in which 14 beers were entered to see who made the best craft beer in Denton. Not only was it an opportunity to sample a wide range of beers, but more specifically it was nice to try out a lot of the creative ideas spawned right here in Denton. I had been invited to participate but seeing as how I still view my brewing as kind of “cheating,” I didn’t feel justified in entering the contest. Additionally, I would have had to provide 5+ gallons of beer and since I only brew 2 gallons at a time, I would have resulted in an oddly mixed batch of beer. I had a good time and enjoyed the selection, but I left with mixed feelings about my own processes.


  • Your Head Will Collapse But There’s Nothing In It…

    Your Head Will Collapse But There’s Nothing In It…

    …in which I talk about an unfounded fascination with Lovecraftian games.

    I’m going to plainly state up front that I’ve never read any Lovecraft, nor do I have more than even a passing understanding of the entire Cthulhu mythos (I had to Google the spelling of Cthulhu, even). This has not, however, stopped me from developing an almost insatiable appetite for Cthulhu based board/card/dice games. I’ve got four in my game closet now, and every time another one pops up on my radar, my ears definitely prick up. Of course, even in the light of this obsession, there’s still one Cthulhu game that I can’t foster an appreciation or excitement for: Arkham Horror.


  • The Importance of Insignificance…

    The Importance of Insignificance…

    …in which I talk about pointlessly trivial current affairs.

    By the mere fact that I’m going to write this entry, I myself become a hypocrite by jumping on the trolling hype of a topic that, in my mind, deserves not even the passing of conversation. However, in witnessing, and even being roped into all of the debate and debauchery surrounding this insubstantial first world issue, certain ideas and opinions have come to mind and I feel, as a result, that I must at least share these thoughts.


  • What Day Is It?

    What Day Is It?

    …in which I talk about having lost track of time and how it’s time to get back on track.

    So, yeah, I kind of slipped a little bit there. Lets just say things have been crazy lately and I’m hoping that the end is near. I’ve really missed my writing sessions and have regretted not keeping it up, but the last few weeks at work have been so maddening that I’ve had no insight or energy upon getting home to even bother typing a word. Things are calming down no, so I hope that by next week I will be resuming my regular update schedule.


February 2025
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