Saturday June 21 2008 Saint George
Wonder where we’ve been?
Friday morning my wife and I dropped of the kids with a good family from the ward (friends of ours) and headed south to Saint George on Friday morning. We shared a car with Tamara’s sister and her two older kids. That was a fun family adventure, talking about childhood camping trips and what the world might be.
We whiled the day away on Friday. Tamie and Kathryn headed out to do some bargain-hunting (they pride themselves on that*) or was that Saturday? In the late afternoon we went to the St. George Temple. That’s an old building (see above), but kept in pristine condition. And I do mean pristine. Temples are kept in immaculate order down to the square millimeter. Being with family, everyone dressed neck to to wrist to toe in white, temple workers smiling (and meaning it), and a blissful quiet… it’s what I imagine the afterlife to be. Or at least part of it.
The human spirit is in every way as intricate and marvelous as the human body. And the spirit world every bit as diverse and wondrous as this Earth. I decided to stick around for a while longer. I’m really looking forward to raising my children.
We all went swimming in the hotel pool that night. The sandstone cliffs looming, palm trees hissing in the temperate night air, crickets droning in the nearby grass. That was a bit of magic.
I am usually a little embarrassed to take a trip or spend money. I guess I feel answerable to my clients, like you all are collectively my boss and might show up at the hotel room and ask me why I’m not at work! For the record, I did spend a half day on both Friday and Saturday clearing out the Inbox and taking care of the day to day operations.
In fact, that seven magical hours in the hotel room, enjoying the good smell and the air conditioning (we stayed at a newly built hotel), was the best part of the trip. Just being left alone, no stimulus. I also got to spend some time setting up my D&D campaign. To recap: air conditioning, silence, peace, food (a BLT and a shake) and new fourth edition D&D books equals paradise.
I’m an easy man to please.
*for you young men looking for a wife, near the top of your list should be how she uses, spends, earns, handles and thinks about money. There’s nothing worse than a woman who blows your hard-earned cash like it was nothing. My wife, fortunately for me, is quite frugal and actually has a mental block against spending too much money on any given item.
Thursday June 19 2008 Rabbit Stew
Picture: a blast from the past– my Tomb Kings army from 2001. This is a huge 10″ tall mammoth that I counted as a unit of Chariots. I think Tomb Kings are one of the best armies for beginners. I had a great time playing them. They’re tricksy.
See the other pics.
Today I was hard at “work” making characters with four staffers for our D&D game. Yeah, go ahead and roll your eyes, I know the Dark Heresy thing only made it six sessions. We’ll see if this gets any farther. But I’m excited beyond belief.
I love everything about Fourth Edition D&D. And best of all, they made it into a miniatures battles game, effectively. Sweet.
I have yet to figure out what use the new DMG is, though. The good and useful parts are gutted. Experienced DMs don’t really need it.
The following projects are up for attention this week, and should be completed in 5-10 days:
Bretonnians 01 BA
Witch Hunters 05 DM
High Elves 04 CA +plating
Winter Eldar 01 PP er
Emperor’s Children 08 EB
World Eaters 07 DM
Chaos Daemons 01 TT
Sa Cea Tau 01 PP
Vampire Counts 01 MS locked
Female Commissar JS
Karandras 01 SN +assembly
Vampire Boyar JB
Dark Angels 02 MC sol. Lok +assembly
Dark Angels 02 JM er
Black Templars 01 DG
Dwarfs 01 KF
Menoth 01 DM
The following projects are up for Assembly attention this week, and should be completed (and ready to paint) in 5-10 days:
Biel Tan 01 CH
Ghost Warriors 05 AS
Chaos Daemons 01 PR
Greenskin Spirits 01 JF +conv
Black Templars 01 DG er
Aliens and Ducks AK
Hell Talon 01 NG
Amazons 01 BC
Vampire Boyar 01 JB
Ultramarines 01 JW
Emperors Gauntlets 01 SM
Marauder 01 GF Repairs
Ulthwe Skyhost 01 JB
Emperors Children 08 EB
I have one golden slot open for mid July. Let’s get going soon and fill that one!
As usual, if you don’t see your project, just drop me a line and I can tell you what’s up.
I have a Vampire Counts army at the studio with no takers. I would do a deal for 50% off cost of materials for that one if you’d like to commission it. What’s in it? I think something like this:
Varghulf 1
Konrad Von Carstein 1
Vlad Von Carstein 1
Winged Vampire Lord 1
Wight King on Foot BSB 1
Vampire Lord- foot 1
Corpse Cart 2
Crypt Ghouls (box of 10 models) 2
Grave Guard (box of 10 models) 2
Dire Wolves (box of 10 models) 2
Black Knights 10
Blood Knights (box of 5 models) 2
Fell Bats (blister of 2 models) 2
Angela was in today. We were talking and I was eating this bowl of fruit chunks. Super-healthy stuff. When I was done, I slowly got out a huge-normous king-size Snickers and started chawing huge bites off. She fairly well cracked up.
Personal Stuff
When I got home today I found that one of the rabbits had got out and was savaged beyond description by a neighborhood dog (spine ripped out, face half eaten off). The kids found it first and I think the sight of it really messed with their little minds. “Daddy, we need to find Brownie’s head and put it back on her.” Soooo, I headed down to clean that up.
Back at 2pm on Thursday
I’ll be working late on Thursday and I will take care of all business. I will be out until 2pm Mountain time though.
Gods of War
Thought this little snippet might get your blood pumping this beautiful morning.
What a Joke
Warning: 100% pure political stuff forthcoming. Sorry, I couldn’t restrain myself. This eclipsed every other event today
Today I had the stomach churning task of calling the IRS (to request a copy of my incorporated status… thing). After waiting a half hour, I heard this little gem:
“Please be patient, our representatives are assisting other customers.”
Really? Because I thought customers were what you earned by competing on the open market. Not by using threats and force on your own citizens.
I almost swallowed my own tongue in disgust and amazement.
Case in point: about a month back I got a notice from The State saying, effectively, “You owe us $15,450 and if you don’t pay it in nine days we’re going to seize your possessions, bank accounts and maybe throw you in jail if we please.” Turns out it was more like $36. And probably even then a mistake on the part of the humongous bureaucracy that a notice was sent at all. When asked, the response was that they had simply assumed I was a giant toy manufacturer.
(PS- this little gem arrived on a Friday so I got to wring my hands about it over the weekend).
I wasn’t even worth a phone call, or even sixty seconds of consideration.
This is the contempt the tick has for the dog.
To all those that are within the sound of my voice I say this to you: You are being taken care of by your government. The same way cattle are cared for by the farmer. Make no mistake, you have been numbered and tagged and the stockades are in place.
I have been treated worse as a small businessman than (I imagine) a petty criminal. Case in point: the maximum fine for a Class A Felony is $15,000.
So, when I see them smile broadly or call me “friend” my heart swells with contempt. These are my fellow men who are complicit in a system that loots the common man.
When I watch “the news” I only see dancing jesters and men with white-tipped batons.
And what is almost worse is to think that for many, many years I was at home playing video games instead of getting informed. I’m still working on it. I don’t pretend to know everything, but the more pieces I get into place the more revolted I am at the picture.
We’ve got to do something, anything. Rebellion can’t manifest as non-involvement. Vote Independent. Vote Libertarian. Get a book, any book.
Don’t shrug your shoulders. Go do something!
I recommend this book. Ron Paul’s “Revolution: a Manifesto”. And by the by this is in reference to the American Revolution. I have read it straight through twice and the good parts three or more times.
Sneek Peeks for June
Dark Elf Cold Ones that *don’t* suck. What I presume is a Dark Elf Hydra, which I imagine is on a chariot base. That jump pack Ork special character. And some other stuff I can’t remember now. Brought to you by secret agent Raptor Talon.
Bitz Resources
http://www.apocabitznow.com/
http://www.thewarstore.com/battlewagonbits.html
http://www.bitkingdom.com/
Monday June 16 2008 Hunters of Blood
Picture: a giant Flesh Hound of Khorne. That’s a chariot base that thing is on. This was done with a marvelous substance called Apoxie Sculpt. You can get it on eBay pretty cheap.
See a video commentary on the Hounds of Khorne project.
It is now 4:30am. I had such a hard work day on Monday that I pretty much collapsed when I got home at 8pm last night. Here’s how it went.
I was ready and raring to go on Monday morning. I spent a few hours in the morning picking away at my Inbox. I took it from 87 emails on Friday, which I killed off by Friday evening, leaving only 4, hammered some on Saturday, but by Monday it was back up to 54. That’s what I call “substantive email count”. That means it doesn’t count emails that don’t require a reply. I only wrestled it down to 43 by Monday afternoon.
Isn’t that great? I’m living the dream man.
No, but seriously. I got to play a game with Renn around noon. I had a slice of pizza for lunch. As usual I lost hideously. I’m like the Washington Senators that way. Well, someday.
We played a homebrew scenario called “Let’s Just Play”. One player sets up beforehand and also gets the first turn. Then you play until one person cries Uncle. This can be all the way until one side is killed to a man. I managed to fight for three lousy rounds.
Oh, and it was my Tau vs. Renn’s Dark Angels. His army is shaped up. I think he has 2000 pts all painted up now. Very impressive.
We got in like eight packages this morning. Getting those set up was the bulk of my day. If one of those were yours, you should have got confirmation of receipt.
A bitz order went out today. This is usually what delays a project– acquisition of materials. Everything is underway now.
Everyone that came in saw the Boneyard Terrain set thought it was the best one yet. It is very evocative:
I plan on doing more terrain in the near future: expanding the mushroom forest (I had a great idea for stalks!), making another set of Moab (which sold already), expand the Swamp set to a full table, make a set of Necromancer doors (for the D&D terrain). And a client has requested some Tau terrain.
Which reminds me, I’m going to run a D&D game. Fourth edition of course. I love what I’m seeing. Of course, they’ve turned it into a sort of miniatures battles game now which is of special interest to me.
In the evening the kids got out of their baths, and they were wrapped in towels when my wife came down with a giant plate of cottage cheese and pear slices. We all ate from the same plate while watching an episode of Ben 10. That’s what it’s all about.
Well, if you’ll excuse me, I need to eat some cereal, pop a few pain pills and get back to sleep…
PS- I’m currently booking projects for July! Get it set up now for a smooth finish.
Father’s Day
Picture: My hand with my young son’s newborn hand clasping it.
Happy Father’s Day! I love today because I get to do whatever I want and my wife waits on me hand and foot. No. Wait. I got that backwards. Pregnancy trumps Father’s Day! But seriously, It’s fun to do things for my pregnant little pork pie.
The rules of the blog are: mostly game-related stuff and studio business for six days a week, with some personal stuff for flavor.
On Sunday all bets are off. If you don’t want politics and religion then keep back!
Ron Paul Fix
When I saw my daughter, my firstborn, for the first time, surrounded by doctors (her skin was purple) my heart grew three sizes. On the tape I say “she’s so beautiful, she’s so beautiful”. This was from the man who four years earlier had characterized children as “the scourge of the earth”.
Boy have my views changed. Now I’d be glad to have as many kids as I could afford!