Wildebeast

Playtest Report - Stormbringer 1e Combat System

2012-01-29T00:45:00.000-08:00

So we finished our first playtest of Stormbringer 1e rules tonight. Although there's plenty to say about the session, and the story was great fun, my main take away about the rules are that the magic system is great but the combat system blows chunks.

Combat in Stormbringer is a d100 dice throw where a seasoned warrior has about 50% chance or so of hitting. Then the target gets to roll d100 to see if they parry the blow. Then, if its still a hit, the attacker throws damage (which can be a mix of a couple of different dice, depending on the circumstances.) Finally, if the defender has armor there is a dice throw to see how much soak the damage does. Thus, a single attack can take four different dice throws, one with an obtuse addition of heterogeneous dice.

This takes entirely too long to work through and slows down combat significantly. It also turned out that many times the combat would go a few rounds where nobody was hurt and then, blam, somebody gets a crit and a combatant is killed. It definitely produced some of the tension and feel of old-time Swords and Sorcery novels; but, it just creeped along at a snails pace at the table.

An example:
Pangaarl Krin, corsair of Pan Tang, wields Odo, a Fire Elemental bound in the form of a battle ax. Pangaarl and his band of ne'er-do-wells have trapped a clan of Kronks (think orcs that look a bit like orangutans) in a room at the top of a staircase. Pangaarl takes his flaming ax and sets into the door, hacking it to smoldering pieces. He then bursts through the doorway, ax swinging at two Kronks trying to stop the onrush. The Kronks bear puglunks, iron shod staves that allow two attacks per round.

Pangaarl closes; but, the Kronks are ready for him. They attack first, twice each, followed by Pangaarl's battle ax attack on them. In addition, Pangaarl calls for Odo to belch forth a burst of flame at a Kronk. This one round of attack ends up requiring 14 separate rolls - far too many for a smooth and speedy combat round.

Kronk 1 rolls first attack (d100) and misses.
Kronk 1 rolls second attack (d100 at -20) and hits.
Pangaarl rolls first parry (d100) and succeeds, blocking Kronk 1's second attack.
Kronk 2 rolls first attack (d100) and hits.
Pangaarl rolls second parry (d100 at -20) and fails.
Kronk 2 rolls damage (1d8).
Pangaarl rolls armor soak (1d8-1) and ends up taking one point of damage
Kronk 2 rolls second second attack (d100 at -20) and misses.
Pangaarl rolls attack (d100) and hits Kronk 2.
Kronk 2 rolls parry (d100) and fails.
Pangaarl rolls damage (1d8 + 1d6 + 2).
Kronk 2 rolls soak (1d6-1) and ends up taking 11 points of damage.
11 points in one hit is a major wound, so Kronk 2 rolls a major wound (d100) throw and we find his jaw is broken.
Odo bursts into flames, catching Kronk 2's hair afire and rolls damage (2d10) for another 7 points of damage.

Fourteen dice rolls! Count 'em, fourteen. For one combat round with three contestants. It took a fair bit of time and description to get through that round. The rolls help make a tense series of steps and add color to the description; but, it took 14 rolls for Pangaarl to take 1 point of damage and deal 18 points of damage and a major wound to Kronk 2.

I tried doing things like rolling multiple dice at once; but, trying to keep 3d100 separated and straight when dealing with a Kronk's roll was just too much in the heat of a session.

The magic system rocked and clearly fit the ambiance of the Elric novels. I'll have to do a post on my impression of the magic system in a couple of days. Today, however, I can say that before the next time I play Stormbringer I'm going to give the combat system a complete overhaul.

Lonely Tower of Throng Keel Player Map

2012-01-28T15:32:00.000-08:00

1 hex = 1 km

3. Unnamed village at castle

4. Fan Ha Well

5. Ol' Crabbies

6. Wetlans Village

7. Nyor Ten Village

9. Sunken Ribs' Graveyard

10. The Castle of Tumbling Lotus

Yes, I know I skipped some numbers. On the referee's map the numbers go up past 10, too. Apart from the eponymous adventure site, I don't have anything pre-generated for each possible area of interest on the player's map. Just names.

The Castle of Tumbling Lotus is home base for the crew tonight. They decided to play a sorcerer and pirate captain duo from Pan Tang, dipping into the darker side of story telling.

Rock the Bass

2012-01-27T21:18:00.000-08:00

Tonight was probably the most fun I've ever had playing music.

My twin daughters are 3 years old and just starting to turn into little adults. Tonight they decided our make believe play was to be in the local cafe with open mic night. I played either bass or recorder and they sang and danced. After one night playing together, our repertoire includes:

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
ABCs
Cinderella and Her Prince Waltz - this is an improvisational dance number with accompanying bass

Then we switched bands. Hirono took iPad and played blues keyboard while I played bass. We played "Happy Birthday To You" by the Beatles while the girls danced.

Fun times!

The Lonely Tower of Throng Keel

2012-01-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

Here's the adventure description for Saturday night.

Among the craggy shores of The Serpent's Teeth hides the abandoned lair of a sorcerer from an elder race. The Melnibonean who dwelt there was rumored to study the secrets of Chaos Incarnate. He has not been seen nor heard from in nearly two decades. What has become of him and what treasures await in his inner sanctums?

As noted below, I lost my notebook and have to wing it on Saturday night. Characters are rolled and ready. Let's get this show on the road!

Winging It

2012-01-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

So today was another MacWorld presentation. This one was pretty tame. I guess we fixed the worst of the installer issues and folks are quiescent now. We've got a good cache of improvements coming out soon now, too.

Unfortunately, I left my shiny new bag in the taxi today. So my notes from the presentation, the questions the audience asked, are currently being hunted down. The notebook also contained my map and encounter tables for the upcoming campaign kickoff on Saturday night.

Looks like I'll have to wing Saturday night's game. This actually heightens my excitement. There's a few minor things I'll have to recreate, like the random encounter tables for the adventure site itself and the effects of the Chaos Vein; but, otherwise I'm good for just improv for the rest of the game.

Elegant Chaos

2012-01-25T22:09:00.000-08:00

Law versus Chaos. This is the nature of reality in the Young Kingdoms. Every idea, every deed, every nebulous entity in existence fights either on the side of Law or Chaos. There is nothing else. No Good or Evil. No Balance. Only the Eternal Struggle.

Magic is chaos, wild and untamed, the work of demons. Sorcerers bind demons to their will with horrific sacrifices and rare ointments so that they might control the very fabric of reality itself. Demons are creatures of Chaos, spawned from the Hells dominated by the roiling, seething stuff of Chaos.

Law is the root of civilization, the boon of humanity, the source of order and growth in Nature. All that the young race of humanity deems good.

Law and Chaos can never be reconciled.

This is the setup to the kickoff session in a new campaign. We're starting small, with just a couple folks from our normal group to see how the new game system goes.

Gaming Porn

2012-01-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

Here's some gaming porn for all you RPG junkees. Zak asks interesting questions.

1. If you had to pick a single invention in a game you were most proud of what would it be?Ah, my players haven't found it yet - though it lives on Sir Betlowe's estate. A lake-filled cave at Betlowe quarry, the only source of building stone for the county, has caused the death of two peasants in the past five years. One was found floating in the lake, the flesh ground from the front of his body in a most gruesome way. The other had a large, smoking hole in her chest as if she'd been pierced with a giant's spear.

2. When was the last time you GMed?End of Sept, 2011. It was a good solid campaign of two years and about 40 sessions. I'm taking a break.

3. When was the last time you played?A couple weeks ago in the Hill Cantons.

4. Give us a one-sentence pitch for an adventure you haven't run but would like to.I'm back in the saddle again starting Jan 28 for a Saturday night session. Here's the homebrew we're playing:

Amongst the craggy shores of the Serpent's Teeth hides the abandoned lair of a sorcerer from an elder race.

5. What do you do while you wait for players to do things?Try to remember what the heck I was just talking about.

6. What, if anything, do you eat while you play?Salads or nuts. That just sounds weird now that I write it down; but, its true.

7. Do you find GMing physically exhausting?Absolutely.

8. What was the last interesting (to you, anyway) thing you remember a PC you were running doing?Deciding to jump through a glowing gate following a lone fighter in our group, figuring he'd need my help. I was playing a peasant farmer, so the only real help I could provide was holding the torch for him or clandestinely removing silver daggers from the crazy loot.

9. Do your players take your serious setting and make it unserious? Vice versa? Neither?No. Our setting is light hearted; but, keeps a serious undertone to it all.

10. What do you do with goblins?They sell fruit.

11. What was the last non-RPG thing you saw that you converted into game material (background, setting, trap, etc.)?Office politics.

12. What's the funniest table moment you can remember right now?The dice indicating that, in the heat of battle against the Earl of Bayeux, the player character literally lost his mind and fled mad from the field. His own earl was at his side. To make matters worse, the same player character also went mad at the last major battle literally when he faced the enemy Saxon king. That poor character was a psychic wreck, which the player admirably portrayed.

13. What was the last game book you looked at--aside from things you referenced in a game--why were you looking at it?I just bought it.

14. Who's your idea of the perfect RPG illustrator?I like the no-name amateur stuff at Deviant Art. The vast majority just doesn't fit; but, there are some real gems. I use a lot of abstract art and more evocative work rather than illustrative. This wiki chronicles a number of pieces that inspired our last campaign - or at least the first third of it until I just didn't have the energy to keep the journal going.

15. Does your game ever make your players genuinely afraid?It has a few times. I've not done any horror sessions in the last 6 or 7 years, so its been a while - at least as far as I know. They've been freaked out lately, though.

16. What was the best time you ever had running an adventure you didn't write? (If ever)Any time I run B2: Keep on the Borderlands. Probably my favorite was with my nephews. I played it too adult, I think; but, you could tell they were startled and into the adventure story. Next time I'd lighten the rules. On a side topic, I've look at the kiddie RPGs and the boys are too mature for those.

17. What would be the ideal physical set up to run a game in?Lots of light. Big table. Giant white board and plenty of markers. Space to pace - I usually don't sit down when I referee.

18. If you had to think of the two most disparate games or game products that you like what would they be?I'm pretty two-dimensional when it comes to gaming. Hex and counter wargames on one hand, RPGs on the other. Variants on the wargames with little plastic pieces work well, too. So I'd have to go with Risk and Stormbringer.

19. If you had to think of the most disparate influences overall on your game, what would they be?Jack Vance. The designers at Avalon Hill.

20. As a GM, what kind of player do you want at your table?Ones who like to throw out their own ideas and go with the hooks.

21. What's a real life experience you've translated into game terms?Office politics. Lots of it.

22. Is there an RPG product that you wish existed but doesn't?Yeah, one I want to write. That's for another post someday.

23. Is there anyone you know who you talk about RPGs with who doesn't play? How do those conversations go?Not really. My wife a little bit. They're usually one sided and brief. The are also friends and family who read the title of my gaming posts and presumably stop reading.

The Serpent's Teeth

2012-01-15T23:57:00.000-08:00

Here's the player's map for our upcoming foray into Swords and Sorcery pulp fantasy. Its pretty unadorned (though the referee's map has lots more to it.) Unfortunately, the text of some areas is hard to read in this image; but, the bulk of the early adventuring occurs in hexes 21.44 and 22.44 - at the Castle of Tumbling Lotus and Throng's Keel respectively.

Swords and Dark Sorcery Encounter Tables

2012-01-13T22:49:00.000-08:00

So I'm getting ready for a new, short RPG campaign. Its probably only going to be 2-3 sessions, though if it turns out we want to keep going we might go for a dozen or more longer. Its a grim world of Chaos eternally struggling against Low, ala Michael Moorcock.

Anyway, I'm going for a high fantasy sandbox style of play. The setting is at the cusp of a craggy seashore, great desert and fetid swamp. Below are the random encounter tables I'm using, or at least the fetid swamp part of the random encounter tables. I used the methodology described over at the Welsh Piper as a framework. Tables exist for the rocky crags, water seas and desert as well.

Mist Marsh Encounter Tables (1d20)
1 on 1d4 per day or 5 km travel
1-4 Dinosaur
5-8 Pest
9-11 Humanoid
12-13 Undead
14-15 Chaos Creature
16-18 Hazard
19-20 Hazard + Reroll

Dinosaur Subtable (1d20)
1-2 Allosaurus (1d4)
3 Aukylosaurus
4-6 Giant Snail
7 Brontosaurus (1d8)
8-9 Giant Crab (1d3)
10-11 Diatrym (1d12)
12-13 Monoclonius (2d10)
14 Plesiosaur (2d4)
15-16 Pteronadon (1d2)
17 Stegosaurus
18 Triceratops
19 Tyrannosaurus Rex
20 Velociraptor

Pest
1 Howler Monkey (1d20)
2 Panther
3 Water Buffalo (2d4)
4 Crocodile (1d8)
5 Deer (2d4)
6 Dog, Feral (2d4)
7 Spider, poisonous
8 Insects, swarm of biting bugs
9 Spider, giant
10 Frog, giant (1d4)
11 Barracuda, school
12 Giant Pike (1d2)
13 Boar, wild
14 Snake, poisonous
15 Snake, giant
16 Catfish, giant (1d3)
17 Rat, swarm
18 Beetle, giant (1d2)
19 Praying Mantis, giant
20 Intelligent Mold

Chaos Creature (1d20)
1 Basalisk
2 Blob
3 Dryad
4 Elemental (dice for element)
5 Gargoyle (1d4)
6 Golem
7 Medusa
8 Griffon
9 Hippogriff
10 Demon (dice for type and power)
11 Manticore
12 Tree, carnivorous
13 Unicorn
14 Kronk (1d30)
15 Warg
16 Wyvern
17 Harpy
18 Minotaur
19 Naga
20 Will O'Wisp

Humanoid (1d8)
1 Giant (dice for element) (1d3)
2 Kronk (1d30)
3 Ogre
4 Troll (1d3)
5 Human (1d12)
6 Myrrhyn (1d12)
7 Lizardman (1d12)
8 Adventurers (1d6)

Undead (1d8)
1 Ghost
2-4 Zombie
5-6 Skeleton
7-8 Ghoul

Hazard (1d10)
1 River
2 Quicksand
3 Flaming Gas
4 Lake
5 Impenetrable Undergrowth
6 Ruin
7 Cliff, dropoff
8 Sink Hole
9 Thicker Fog
10 Cave/Tunnel

New Year Meme

2012-01-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

Tagged by Toast.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

Played a G+ Hangout RPG. It was a great experience and I’ll run a few in the coming month. RPGers around the world, you’re welcome to join (Toast, this means you!)

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Get back on NHE, and I kept it.

2012 is get back to the gym. I will keep it.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, our nanny. Also, one of my best local friends had their first child Monday, which is technically 2012.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No.

5. What places did you visit?

India, Holland, Japan, Germany. Layover in London, if that counts.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

High fantasy. I’ve been playing Pendragon, a low fantasy setting, pretty exclusively for about 20 months. Its time for some high fantasy. It will be through Google+ Hangouts as well, so can include a wide variety of time zone people (generally East Coast US to Hawaii, down to South America.)

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Sept 28, when Squire Arthur pulled Excalibur from the stone outside St. Paul’s Cathedral. Baron Hitchen (Chris’ player character) was the first nobleman on the scene and the first knight to bow to Arthur. It was a daunting moment for game mastering an RPG; but, my players were suitably impressed so I think it went pretty well.

8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?

Pulling off the sword from the stone scene. See above.

9. What was your biggest failure?

A strange malaise at work.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Minor colds.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Windows laptop. I’ve branched out into all kinds of side projects, learned four new computer languages and dabbled in online databases. Its led me to an interesting new mission in my spare time.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

The Occupy Wall Street movement.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

The GOP debate audiences.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Mortgage. Day care.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

My daughters getting out of diapers. Both of them. And there’re very few accidents now.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?

“Ballerina Girl”, by Lionel Ritchie. Its totally a Daddy thing.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) Happier or sadder?
Happier
b) thinner or fatter?
About the same.
c) richer or poorer?
Poorer. Its the long slide, man.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Sleeping. Scratch that, playing music. I started up on the bass again last week and the girls now play in front of my while I practice, sometimes picking up a guitar or recorder or sitting down at the piano.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Wasted daydreams.

20. How did you spend Christmas this year?

Embroiled in a chaotic maelstrom of paper, ribbons, cards and children.

21. Did you fall in love in 2011?

Every time I read a nighttime story.

22. How was work?

Interesting...

23. What was your favorite TV program?

What’s TV?

24. What did you do for your birthday in 2011?

Dinner at a new restaurant in town, Nachtmarkt. Its Austrian cuisine and the chef is a task master. The food was impeccable.

25. What was the best book you read?

The 1981 edition rules for Stormbringer.

I fell in love with its magic and character generation systems. It is definitely my next game system.

There is virtually no player choice in the character you’re allotted. Everything is determined by the dice. It can be a challenge when you get a loser. And the odds are better that you play an uneducated farmer than that you play a magic wielding character of any form. Still, every character seems to end up with an interesting personality and role in the story.

The magic system is all through intermediaries. Those who can cast magic do so by summoning and binding demons or elementals. This leaves for a very interesting dynamic for the sorcerer and a whole host of interesting plots. There’s also a tremendous amount of power inequality possible, with the same party containing weak Red Shirts and super powered mages. It takes a sophisticated group to play it; but, its fun as all get out.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Pandora. Its been a sad year musically.

27. What did you want and get?

iPad

28. What did you want and not get?

Sleep.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?

What’s a film?

30. Did you make some new friends this year?

Yes, though all online.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

The demise of the Fox News empire.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

Top of the pile.

33. What kept you sane?

Long walks.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

The Arab Spring.

35. What political issue stirred you the least?

Most anything domestic.

36. Best sports moment?

Forward flip off the double stroller into a fake snow bank on the street corner.

37. Who was the best new person you met?

ChrisK, of Hill Cantons. He’s the dude who got me into G+ RPG games.

38. Burn any bridges?

I hope not. I’ve been pretty rough edged at work lately.

39. Best new restaurant you went to?

NachtMarkt.

40. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

Unchain the colors before my eyes,
Yesterday's sorrows, tomorrow's white lies.
Scan the horizon, the clouds take me higher,
I shall return from out of the fire.
- from “Strange World” by Steve Harris, Paul Di’anno

No, Its Not Racist

2011-12-21T02:07:00.000-08:00

Claims of racism on the ban of muslim calls to worship are possibly ill founded. The loudspeakers for these calls carry through the very early morning air and wake up lots of folks who are trying to sleep. They're annoying, particularly because its for some damned religion that contributes nothing but misery to the world.

And I feel the same way about other religions. Shut the f' up!

Subterranean Homesick Blues

2011-12-15T09:31:00.000-08:00

Our gaming group hasn't met for about three months now. Its been a long series of late work nights, business travel and catching up at home. Now the holidays. Luckily, my sidetrack adventures in Flash and Javascript have given me enough gaming junk to keep away serious withdrawal systems (for those who don't know, I'm dabbling in RPG tools writing.)

Another big injection of gaming comes from surfing the internet. This site is a goldmine, particularly today's photos. If you're a gamer interested in dungeon delving, you simply must follow this tumblr site.

Is It Any Wonder

2011-11-22T00:01:00.001-08:00

I'm sad to say, the pepper spraying brutality in UC Davis this past weekend came as no surprise to me. I've witnessed too much police brutality first hand over the last year to be surprised by it anymore.

Quiz Question: Where was this picture taken? source: AJE

Its not hard to imagine this being Cleveland instead of Cairo.

Home Again

2011-11-13T21:28:00.001-08:00

I arrived back home yesterday. Jet lag is kicking my butt! After two weeks in Japan, two weeks in San Jose, two weeks in India, and now back in San Jose, my body can't tell if its day or night or inside out and upside down.

Tomorrow starts another early morning as I get up at 6:30 am and am off to the San Francisco to survey the damage of last week's layoff. At least I'll be home at a decent hour and can sleep on the train there and back.

Also, tomorrow starts the induction period for NHE yet again.

Revulsion With Authority

2011-11-10T03:07:00.000-08:00

Yet another time I witnessed police brutality. This time it was on the street corner in Noida.

I was in the cab riding to the office. There's a busy intersection right outside the office. Cars, bikes, rickshaws, cows, dogs, pedestrians, motorcycles, scooters, you name it. They all crowd through the intersection all times of day and night.

As we turn through the intersection I notice a young chap and a policeman talking alongside the road. It seemed rather innocuous and I gave it little attention at first. However, for seeming no apparent cause, just as the cab passed the duo the policeman reached out, grabbed the young fellow by the hair, pulled him forward and gave him a hard karate chop across the side of the neck.

The blow nearly knocked the victim over as he tried to pull away. There was absolutely no visible threat from the young man. Pure police brutality. Uncalled for.

For shame India. Shame on you!

RPG Things to Talk About

2011-11-07T18:18:00.001-08:00

Originally spotted at Jeff's Gameblog.

Noisms at Monsters and Manuals things we need to talk more about some stuff.

Book binding. (I can't be the only person who bemoans the way new rulebooks tend to fall apart like a sheaf of dry leaves after about 5 seconds of use).

I'm all digital these days.

"Doing a voice". How many people "do voices"? Should they? How do you get better at "doing a voice" if that's your thing?

I almost never do voices, though when the inspiration for the NPC is someone I've known I often break out into voices.

Breaks. How often do you have breaks within sessions?

We have marathon sessions of 6 hours or more - most often without breaks. Players come and go as their character enter or leave the action. There are frequent scenes where a character is out of the action for one reason or another (we don't generally do underground dungeons), so individuals can take breaks regularly.

Description. Exactly how florid are your descriptions?

There's so much gaming to cram into a session that my descriptions usually have one or two senses described (most often visual or auditory, with the occasional scent or general malaise.) Players' imagination of a scene is much better than I can describe improvisationally.

Where do you strike the balance between "doing what your character would do" and "acting like a dickhead"?

Oddly, the characters in our games tend to not be murderous cretins most of the time.

PC-on-PC violence. Do your players tend to avoid it, or do you ban it? Or does anything go?

Players generally act in concert at our gaming table; but, player-vs-player activity does happen every couple of sessions. Its very much in character when it happens. Perhaps the worst bout was when I was a player and, honor bound by an oath to my king, I challenged another player to single combat. Although wounded, my character triumphed and the other player had to roll up another character.

How do you explain what a role playing game is to a stranger who is also a non-player? (Real life example: my friends and I were playing in the local M:tG club space. A M:tG groupie teenage goth girl came over and asked, "What are you playing?" "[We answered.]" "Sounds kind of gay.")

Improvisational theater with dice.

Alchohol at the table?

Players are welcome to consume whatever vice they please so long as they don't disrupt the table. As referee, I can't really do my job well even after a single drink or drag. So I stay sober.

What's acceptable to do to a PC whose player is absent from the session? Is whatever happens their fault for not being there, or are there some limits?

We aim to start and end an adventure all in one sitting. Thus we have marathon sessions. Absent players' characters are also absent. This is true even when the adventure stretches multiple sessions, in which case we simply turn a blind eye to a character not being there for one session but present for another.

Automatic Alarm Clock

2011-11-04T16:46:00.000-07:00

Grrrr. 5:12am every morning, without fail, there's some religious fool singing very poorly into a PA system right outside my hotel window. I can't tell if its some Islamic call to prayer or a Hindu ritual; I suspect the former.

Either way, its terribly rude to wake up everyone at that time of day. I guess I should expect no better from religious idiots. Rude and insufferable to the core! Every last one of them.

Greetings from Bangalore

2011-11-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Bangalore about five hours ago (its 6:45am here). Although many months of my life have been spent in Noida/New Dehli, this is the first time I've gone south to Bangalore. I must say, the city is much cleaner and more appealing than the New Dehli area.

Traffic is still insane here, maybe even worse than Noida. On the 6 lane super-highway between here and the airport there were frequent breaks - as in the highway disappeared and we drove on dirt and rubble for a kilometer or two. There's also the incessant horns and crazy number of animals about. But there isn't the same amount of refuse or rampant homelessness that you find in New Dehli (at least not in the areas I rode through at night.)

The weather is also beautiful here. I'm currently eating breakfast on a veranda over a swimming pool. There's a gentle breeze sifting through palm fronds and fig trees. The ground is a bit muddy and the skies washed clean from last night's thunderstorms.

Unfortunately, the relaxing breakfast will end all too soon as the work is piled high over the next few weeks. I doubt I'll get to see the city much at all, even on the weekend.

Dark High Fantasy One-Shot

2011-10-31T01:12:00.000-07:00

So I’ve been stymied in gaming lately and we’ve not been able to get our group together for over a month. Now I’m off for two weeks to India and won’t be able to get my gaming fix. So to tide me over, I’ve come up with an idea for a one-shot adventure in the creepy high fantasy world of Elric of Melniboné. I’m not sure when we’ll be able to play it.

Below are ten possible characters for players to pick up. They are split into four groups:

A Dark Gothic Party of evil Chaos worshippers.
A Bright Chaos Party with a sorceress from Melniboné itself.
A Domain of Man Party trying to bring Balance and Law to a troubled world.
Random characters that would fit in any of the above three parties.

The characters are purposefully unbalanced, as I think our group can handle that type of situation very well and come up with a good story. Relative power levels (10 = bad ass, 1 = red shirt) are given for each character.

Dark Gothic Party

Play two truly evil characters and worshippers of chaos: a high priest of death and his cousin, a mercenary captain with a dubious past.

Prefect Thule Krin, Governor of Mist Marsh Colony
High Priest of Chardhros (The Reaper of Souls, Lord of Chaos)
Power Level 10
Thule rules over his dank demesne with brooding animosity. Upon dominating the Demon Grishom and invoking Lassa, Ruler of the Open Sky, Thule was acknowledged a master of his craft. The Theocrat, envious and threatened by those who reach such degenerate depths so aptly, could not retaliate boldly without angering Thule’s allies at the Temple of Chaos. So Thule was awarded a prefecture and governorship on a far flung southern colony.

Thule bides his time tithing the miserable swampfolk and watching over white capped waves of the Dragon Sea. He waits for an opportunity to rise in glory and power so that he might return triumphantly to his homeland in Pan Tang.

Pangaarl Krin, Corsair of Pan Tang
Power Level 6
Noble blood in the Theocracy can mean only one thing, fighting. A scion of the House of Krin, Pangaarl chose to escape deadly politics of Hwamgaarl by hiring a ship of cutthroats to ply the Dragon Sea. Pangaarl’s ship was shattered while chasing a merchant cog into the Serpents Teeth, a stretch of coastline noted for treacherous shoals and powerful currents. Bankrupt but alive, Pangaarl found his way south into the shifting sands of the Silent Lands. There he led his few remaining ne’er-do-wells into raids on the weak and impoverished swampfolk who lived in fetid swamps along the northern edge of the sandy dunes.

The Lords of Chaos smiled upon Pangaarl when his cousin, Thule, was appointed governor of Mist Marsh. Pangaarl now works as Prefect Thule’s mercenary captain at the Castle of Tumbling Lotus.

Bright Chaos Party

Play an exotic Melnibonéan enchantress and her bodyguard.

Eralda of Melniboné, Sorceress of the 3rd Circle
Power Level 9
Always hungry to read, Eralda devoured every treatise, book, tome and scrap of paper that could be found in the Mistral Tower. She soon grew bored of the vapid meanderings of her friends’ drug-addled thoughts and sought the deeper knowledge of her ancestors. Eralda cajoled, coerced or stole whatever secrets she could from the decadent Melniboné wizards. She slowly built an impressive grimoire of summonings, bindings and evocations to rival any of those in the Dreaming City. Eralda reckoned herself ready for any challenge.

When a human merchant offered Eralda’s father her uncle’s library, Eralda found the money to purchase the waterlogged books herself. She carefully sifted through them. Disappointed at not actually finding any jewels of sorcerous insight, Eralda nevertheless admired her uncle’s meticulous observations of the chaos tendrils over which he’d built his laboratory. Intrigued and eager for adventure, Eralda hired an Imrryrian pinnace to take her to her uncle’s last abode.

Bek, Eshmir Slave
Power Level 5
Slave and lover to Eralda, Bek is devoted to her mistress. In return, Eralda takes a keen interest in the lithe girl and cares for her as someone might a beloved pet. To please Bek, Eralda ensured Bek was instructed in the use of buckler and short sword. Bek has now twice saved Eralda from worse than death on nighttime escapades: once forcing the Conjurer Abdin-go-Rushi of Shazaar to release a grating nemesis bound to his personal protection; and, and once gutting two Vilmirian guards menacing Eralda in the twisted streets of Old Hrolmar.

Bek stands beside Eralda as the two gaze warily out to sea over the pinnace’s bow.

Domain of Man Party

The only non-chaotic party, this group sets out on a holy quest in service to the Ruler of Elemental Earth and Servitor of Balance.

Isabelle, Jeweler of Belrain
Power Level 8
Isabelle was born into the wealthy family of a jeweler to Duke Belrain. The priests of Grome, Ruler of Earth and Stone, recognized the latent sorcery in her veins. Pressed into worship in the caverns under the central highlands, Isabelle longed for her family and friends along the coastal towns of Belrain. Unable to devote herself fully to Grome, she slowly drifted away from the Deep Mystery. When she found herself pregnant, she left the cult’s warrens and returned home.

Isabelle was crushed when her child was stillborn. Seeking solace, she left again for Grome’s cavern temples. Isabelle found the droning incantations to stone and soil a way to soothingly forget her pain. Though she did not enter the priesthood, she eventually reached the First Depth. As a Shephard, Isabelle learned to care for the luxuriant plants and magical herbs that grew in verdant gardens above the temples.

Isabelle fears the holy quest all devotees must undergo at their reaching of the First Depth. With hesitant hope, she sends word to her lover of old in hopes that he will come to her aid.

Sir Antin Ul-Kurick of Girnoble
Power Level 5
A gallant knight from the land of Vilmir, Sir Antin has family scattered across the many realms of the Young Kingdoms. Before gaining his inheritance he sailed the wide world, eventually making a semi-permanent home in the opulent city of Belrain along the western coast of the Isle of Purple Towns. There he met and fell in love with a common lady of the bourgeoisie, who took herself at times away from the dark inland temples back to her homeland by the sea. Though he could not marry someone of low birth, he treated her well and the two kept a dalliance whenever she returned. Antin was called home when his father fell gravely ill.

Sir Antin put the household in order after his father's death. Then began the slow, drudging days of stewarding the family estate. When word came from his old beloved, Isabelle of Belrain, Antin leapt at her plea for help. He left his sister as steward of the estates, gathered his horse and squire, and hired a vessel out to sea.

Deacon Elga Gonwin
Power Level 5
Dour and efficient, Deacon Elga quickly found her calling in the inland temples. Raised in the soggy highlands of the Isle of Purple Towns, Deacon Elga was naturally drawn to the workshops of Grome. Never one for delicate metalwork or fancy gemstones, Elga preferred to beat out plowshares and horseshoes for her family and village. Her strength slowly grew to rival that of most men, though always others gawked at the bulky woman who toiled at the forge.

Lacking talent to coax the essence of Earth to her bidding, Elga nevertheless took heart in the tranquil silence of worshipping Grome. She grew more devoted to her god. A certain benevolent joy began to pervade her being. She learned to treat the minor pains and discomforts of those around her. In servitude to the Lord of Earth and Stone, Elga accepted the mantle of Deacon of the First Depth.

Elga now calmly faces the trials before her, confident her soul will find the peaceful repose of Earth whatever may happen to her body.

Characters for Any Party

Fan-Liet, Sailor
Power Level 1 (or 5, depending on how he’s played)
Fan-Liet’s own opinion of himself matched that of others around him, stupid and weak. Too small to work as a man in the rice fields, Fan-Liet was relegated to the backbreaking work of the planting women. Finding peace by taking his makeshift coracle out upon the rocky sea, he learned to navigate the deadly currents of the Serpents Teeth around his village home. Nobody seemed to miss him when he sailed off alone, so his jaunts began to grow longer and more daring. At times he would spend three or four days away from home, exploring jagged cliffs and deep firths cut into the coastal mountains.

One day Fan-Liet saw a graceful ship sailing briskly through the choppy sea. Thinking the captain foolhardy to use canvas in such wind, Fan-Liet lingered to see what might happen to the vessel. Perhaps when its hull was torn out from beneath it Fan-Liet could salvage some golden trinket and be rich!

Odonata, Myrrhyn Bowman
Power Level 6
The insect-like race of Myrrhyn make most humans’ blood run cold. Few find any compunction against killing Myrrhyn simply due to their alien countenance. Nevertheless Myrrhyn vary as much in demeanor and outlook as any human civilization, though often they feel closest to their goddess Straasha.

Odonata is a poet at heart, traveling the world to witness the colorful variety of life throughout the Young Kingdoms. Though somewhat small and fragile by human standards, Odonata finds many who are willing to pay good bronze for his ability to shoot accurately from on wing.

Dorkara-Bel-Mek, Dreg of Society
Power level 3
A lowly peasant from a decrepit land, Dorkara-Bel-Mek scrounges a living off the efforts of others. The Org were once a powerful race of sorcerers; but, the eons have thinned their blood and addled their brains. Now they are a disreputable lot of hirsute dwarfs cowering beneath the eaves of their tangled forest homes. Some ancient longing in Dorkara’s heart drew her to the excitement of human cities. There she found only the same misery of her homeland. Dorkara knew remorse and pitied herself.

Now Dorkara skulks human lands looking for whatever means she can to survive.

Hell Yeah

2011-10-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've not been a big fan of the Orange Satan, Dailykos, for a few years. The constant horse race chatter drives me away - that and the fact that I'm disgusted with weak-kneed Democrats and just can't bring myself to cheer them on. Nevertheless, here's a bloody fine post over at Kos that is well worth reading:

Occupy Wall Street is not difficult to understand

h/t Cogitamus.

Done With Step 1

2011-10-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

As of today we're comfortably done with the baby stuff. All the remaining diapers go to charity. The pacifiers are all thrown away. Now its time to collect all the little one toys and clean them up for Goodwill. Pretty soon we'll have a little extra room in the house, enough to store the presents from the upcoming Christmas.

Constitutional Convention

2011-10-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

If things were to really go in the right direction for a change, we'd see a call for a constitutional convention be taken up within the next year or two in response to this OWS stuff. I'm not yet sure the public is radicalized enough to make it happen, though.

Pendragon Villain: Ymōraj

2011-10-14T01:16:00.000-07:00

The steward of Postcombe was a youth when he accepted his responsibility to the landlord, Lord Marshal Rhodri. Shortly thereafter a curse blighted Postcombe. Crops failed to grow. The blight worsened. Hunting proved fruitless the next year. The desperate steward swore his soul to save the village. The demon Ymōraj, yearning for freedom, happily granted his request.

Thereafter miraculous bounties of river fish and crustaceans came. Moreover, thick brambles sprouted from ruined stumps. Some life came back to the naked trees, flittering through burning evening sunlight. The people were saved. By the following summer the fish were gone; but, brambles bore nuts or fruit each according to its kind. Again, Postcombe's peasants fed themselves well.

In time, Ymōraj completely dominated the steward's psyche. The demon mercilessly tormented his captive's tattered soul. Ymōraj longed to display his proud accomplishment and so called for the Lampton Worm, who came crawling on scaled feet to witness for their master. The summoning left satanic scrawl spiraling around Postcombe Chapel. In reward for good service, the Devil granted Ymōraj leave to corrupt the Lord Marshal.

When Ymōraj led a winter hunting expedition to Tarnish Combe each man brought home three stags. Ymōraj, occupying the steward's body, impressed them all by bagging a snowy white hart. He came to be known as the Hero of Postcombe. While the blight spread like a parasite to Lord Marshal Rhodri's other holdings, the peasants of Postcombe where fed by bartered grain and venison all year long.

Ymōraj attended his landlord at the next Good Friday's Horse Race. Ymōraj begged to be made squire to any vassal knight under the commander. Rhodri refused and sent him back to Postcombe. Each year Ymōraj returned and was sent back home disappointed. Yet all the while the demon planted evil seeds in Rhodri's soul. He cultivated a hatred against neighboring Duke Ulfius. Blood spilt between the two great lords.

One day Ulfius and Rhodri faced each other upon the field. Ymōraj made plain the depths of his treachery by fighting against his former lord. Ymōraj attacked from behind while Rhodri held against Duke Ulfius. The Lord Marshal's men overpowered Ulfius and Rhodri turned to Ymōraj. Afterward, the brains of Ymōraj's host were scattered on the grass underneath the old knight's feet. The Hero of Postcombe was no more. What happened to the demon remains unknown.

Ymōraj's stats beneath the fold.

Ymōraj is a demon from Hell. He exists to manipulate and condemn human souls. He can posses any human who agrees to sell his soul to Ymōraj, a bargain for which Ymōraj will do nearly anything. When possessing a human he slowly overcomes their psyche and will eventually dominate their will. Once dominated, the human soul is dead for all practical purposes; though Ymōraj continues to occupy the living body. There can be no salvation for the victim's soul, ever.

Ymōraj can also possess animals. Oddly, overcoming an animal's psyche takes as long as overcoming a humans (1 week to 3 years, depending on how you intend to use the demon.) Once in control of the animal, Ymōraj will cause much devilish mischief and harm wherever possible. He will do his best to find a vulnerable human and drive them to sell their soul.

He prefers to possess wounded creatures if possible, for he gains immediate dominance upon possessing anyone who has less than full hit points at the time of initial possession. When dominant, Ymōraj can will his host's body to perform as he desires - up to and including controlling normally involuntary movements.

Ymōraj exists to corrupt human souls. He can elicit any non-Christian vice in a nearby person. That person must make a roll against whatever sin Ymōraj elicits. If the roll succeeds, the person succumbs to Ymōraj's temptation and acts in a sinful way. If they fumble, they automatically follow a single command from Ymōraj. Good examples of succumbing to temptation is to plot against a loved one, lash out violently against an innocent, disobey orders of a liege lord, etc.

If Ymōraj possesses a female host, any offspring will be tainted and unholy. Most often Ymōraj will cause the mother to die as quickly as the child is somewhat self-sufficient (~5 years), then will possess the child. The child will nonetheless be completely subservient to the demon.

In our campaign, the battle between Ulfius and Rhodri was at New Year's Tournament in 510. Arthur drew the sword from the stone just as Ulfuis conceded defeat and Rhodri brained the demon's host. The demon possessed Duke Ulfius' wounded horse and fled the field. We'll see who runs across the demonic horse.

Glory Won: 200 for banishment, otherwise per host glory
All physical traits and statistics per host, though any weapon skills of the host are lost. If the possessed animal has an attack, Ymōraj can attack as that animal normally would - barring magical attacks.
The only way to permanently banish Ymōraj is to baptize a living human child to whom he gave birth. Finding out this information may be challenging though, and should be flavored per the campaign. The child must not have ever been possessed by Ymōraj and, if old enough to matter, be willingly baptized.

Better Late Than Never

2011-10-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

Steve Benen writes:

Those hoping the White House would have the good sense to follow through with an aggressive jobs message should be pleased. Indeed, Obama and his team clearly seem to believe they have a winning message here.

Yes. I wish this would have happened back in Feb'09. Its not like the problem or solution was hard to see then. I guess we had to wait for an election cycle to kick in before the politicians starting doing what the people want.

15-Minute Encounter: Libations!

2011-10-11T00:21:00.000-07:00

I set myself 15-minutes to do a quick encounter for any random occurrence during our next gaming night. Ever since the death of King Uther they've had a Fey or (un)Holy bent. Here's one for this coming Wednesday, if I can work it into the game session. Otherwise it goes on the shelf for later use.

Setting: Ghostly Roman celebrations at an abandoned shrine, alter, villa or settlement.

At nights, from the corners of your eyes and the edge of your hearing, the sound of joyous celebration can be heard coming from an elusive sacrificial offering. A goat is butchered, the blood collected in as many goblets as knights are present. Its clear the goblet on the table is for you and your companions.

Should you leave the ephemera alone you suffer nothing beyond the occasional weird glimpse.

If you taste the blood, any Faerie Longing passion you might possess immediately increases by one and you get a check in it. The ghostly vision becomes reality as your own body stands in a stupor. Gain an Indulgence check as well. This satisfies the Faerie Longing passion for the year.

If you consume the blood, revel in the libations of raw goat flesh, O, Incarnation of Pan! Gain a new Faerie Longing (3d6+2), or +1d6 to an existing passion. Ability to summon the craic once per year. The craic makes everything in the social setting (i.e. court) for one day kinda go your way. Its palpable even to those with whom you don't interact personally that day. +1d20 for any one courtly skill that day. Ad lib those critical successes! Each use: 1d6 (1-4) lose the craic.

If a holy character is present, play up on the association with the Holy Grail and how utterly disgusting and sinful all this pagan celebration appears. In addition to Indulgence, a holy character will get a Worldly check for sampling the libations. Fully quaffing the goblet yields in addition yields +1d6 Worldly and a Worldly check.

Updated: I just realized that the above meme probably came at me as a riff on what James Raggi posted here. - e

Home From Japan

2011-10-08T01:33:00.000-07:00

New umbrellas in the rain

Kichijōji

Exhausted; but, strangely wide awake at 1:30am. Jet leg was here to welcome us with open arms.

The pictures from the trip are up.

The Sorry Ass State of America

2011-10-06T07:20:00.000-07:00

Do you know who has the best coverage of Occupy Wall Street? Al Jazeera. Why am I not surprised?

In the immortal words of George Carlin, "This country is finished."

A Special Form of Torture

2011-10-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

I've decided that theme parks are a special form of torture designed to drive parents absolutely batty. In the last week we've been to three theme parks.

First was the Anpanman Museum in Yokohama. Other than the typically bad food and high prices, it was short and the girls were generally well behaved until lunch time. From that point forward it was nothing but whining and temper tantrums until we got on the train home an hour later. My rating: two aspirin.

Second was the Studio Ghibli Museum. This was one that I would have really enjoyed, except that the girls wanted only to play on the Nekobasu and nothing else would do. After making a beeline to the room with the Cat Bus (and dealing with Alisa having a nervous breakdown from fear of the giant stuffed cat), we spent the rest of the time in the cafe dealing with hungry kids who wanted nothing actually on the menu. At least they served beer. My rating: one aspirin.

Today was the penultimate in theme parks, Disneyland. I actually enjoyed myself by the fourth time through "Its a Small World". It was relaxing and we got to sit down - much better than the 80 minute wait to get our picture taken with Mickey Mouse. Still, there probably wasn't a single moment throughout the day when I didn't hear some screaming kid somewhere within earshot. Usually it was one of my kids doing the screaming. Altogether we probably had about three total breakdowns and six or seven good cries from the rides. There were an order of magnitude more laughs and smiles, though. At least it was good exercise having a child in my arms or on my shoulders for 14 hours in a single day. I shouldn't really complain; I'd do it again in a heartbeat and did have fun. My rating: six aspirin spread throughout the day at 6 hour intervals.

NHE Doesn't Work in Japan

2011-09-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

Beside the fact that I'm on vacation and will eat whatever I damn well please, I just couldn't follow a restricted carbohydrate diet in Japan. The noodles here bear little resemblance to that flaccid stuff you find in the States. You can buy bread as good as anything found in Paris (though, perhaps, you have to look a little harder to find it here.) And something in the water makes for terrific rice.

NHE in the US is easy.

Konnichiwa from the Land of MILFs and Ramen

2011-09-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

Its true. Japan is a land filled with so much beauty and great food. I'm happy to be back here again. The last time we came the girls were too small to do anything but stay inside and visit family. This time, we have a chance to get outside and see the town a bit.

The thing I like most about Japan is the ubiquitous tiny boutique. Everything has a store dedicated to it and every hundred feet has some little shop whose owner toils behind the counter doing all the tasks needed to run the place. Today was a day of shopping for myself while the girls were napping. So I splurged by going by my favorite T-Shirt designer's place and haberdashery, followed by a great little joint that makes splendid pork buns with salted turnips and mushrooms.

Tonight I'm hoping to sneak out with Hirono to the neighborhood shochu (local vodka) joint.

Uther to Arthur, a Playlist

2011-09-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

So, my friends know me as an avid gamer. I don't play those video doodads, though I do dabble in historic strategy games on the computer. My real passion is table-top fantasy role playing games (RPGs.) I've been playing since 1979 with a few short breaks. My usual role is as the Referee, Dungeon Master, Game Master, whatever the name might be. The campaigns tend to be intense, both from a combat and an emotional perspective.

The story is paramount and I daydream at length in preparation for the next session while exercising or walking home from work. Right now we're 30 sessions (a long time, about a year and half of folks getting around a table with dice regularly) into a campaign that retells the romantic fantasy of King Arthur.

We started with the players as vassal knights, the tanks of the battlefield in chainmail and shield. Uther Pendragon was king. The player knights were with Merlin when Excalibur came from the Lady in the Lake. The years passed and Uther was assassinated, Arthur hidden by Merlin. What followed is a period of destruction as chaos ruled the land and Saxons poured in from the continent. Last session a young Arthur pulled the sword from the stone at the climax of the session. From start to finish it was a roller coaster of courtly intrigue, warlords dominating the battlefield and unbridled passions. Quite a game!

Each year in the game thus far has a theme song that inspired the story for that year. Below is the song list I've used thus far in the campaign, a list of beloved (if not always great) music that conjures a brutal world of the Dark Ages emerging into chivalric knighthood. For those who know the game system, this is The Great Pendragon Campaign for the system King Arthur Pendragon (version 5.1.)

485 AD - Living in a brutal age
<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;485 AD&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

486 AD - Recover Excalibur from the Chiltern Witch

487 AD - Scouting the Franks

488 AD - Invasion of Bayeaux

489 AD - Angles Overrun Caer Colun

490 AD - Battle of Lindsey

491 AD - Duke Gorlois Rebels

492 AD - Abduction of Prince Arthur

493 AD - Death in Caer Colun

494 AD - Uther's Illness

495 AD - Death of Uther

496 AD - Anarchy

497 AD - Enemies On All Sides

498 AD - Expansion Into Rydychan

499 AD - On the Brink of Destruction

500 AD - Angles and Their Big Mofo Battle Axes

501 AD - Do or Die

502 AD - Wave After Wave of Saxons

503 AD - Faerie Forest

504 AD - Raven Queen

505 AD - Struggling for Survival
Shut It Tight - by T-Bone Perkins, worth the search on the internet

506 AD - Lost in Faerie

507 AD - Faerie Court

508 AD - All is Lost

509 AD - The Pettiness of Humanity

510 AD - The Sword From the Stone

What 9/11 Taught Us

2011-09-11T17:22:00.001-07:00

I and the public know

What all schoolchildren learn,

Those to whom evil is done

Do evil in return.

- excerpted from "September 1, 1939" by W.H. Auden

On the Phone

2011-09-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

I've had a phone plastered against my ear for 3.5 hours straight now. My neck is getting sore.This is going to continue for another hour before a 15 minute break and then back to meetings. At least the afternoon meetings are in person instead of on the phone.

GM Greatness

2011-08-25T08:56:00.001-07:00

If you're ever interested in my GMing style, here are my GM merit badges:

The story is paramount.
Watch your back! Other players can kill you just as easily as the monsters can.
Players have better ideas than GMs. Go with the flow.
I use published modules as the basis of many adventures.
Lots of improvisation. A published module will be different every time its run.
Disturbing or adult content.
If the dice say you're dead, you're dead.
Character death is likely.

Locomotion

2011-08-20T20:22:00.001-07:00

Finally! We found a vehicle that they can operate. After tricycles and scooters never really worked out for the girls, I was doubtful when they showed an interest in bicycles. Low and behold! The bike they can do. And they learned within a week of each other. Alisa mastered the art of pedaling first.

Now they want to ride their bikes down to the Farmer's Market tomorrow morning. That's probably too much. My worry is that Leia is a speed demon but hasn't learned to look where she's going yet.

Long Day

2011-08-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Just got home from work. Dinner is expired salami. Its only 2 weeks out of date, so I should be fine.

Let's See If This Thing Works

2011-08-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

Americans Elect is an attempt to change the primary process. It has the promise of changing the way we vote for our political leaders. Only thing is, thus far the user statistics are showing the American people are more left of center than most media states.

I do, however, fear that the organization putting this project together will screw it up. My sneaky suspicion is that Americans Elect users will vote for someone far left of center, such as the Socialist party or the like, and then the backers of americanselect.org will get cold feet and pull out of the election or change their policy. Either that or, perhaps, one of the existing political parties will flood the user base.

Let's just see what happens. Go register and at least give it a try.

My Life Is Complete

2011-07-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight when I asked the girls what they wanted me to read them as a bedtime story I heard the best answer ever.

Leia said, "Bilbo!"

Alisa responded, "Yeah! I want to hear about the hobbit!"

Little Photographer

2011-07-19T17:08:00.001-07:00

P1020759, a photo by ewilde1968 on Flickr.

Leia has taken to using the camera. She likes to snap pictures of people and is getting fairly good at it, when she has the patience to try....

Here's a snapshot she took Sunday at the Monterey Bay Acquarium. Not bad for someone who just turned three.

Am I the only one?

2011-07-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

I got a new personal laptop to play around with at home. Its a Dell XPS and it screams for writing Flash, though its not a fancy monitor or anything. It runs Windows 7. This is the first time I've used a Windows system in many years.

Anyway, Google or Bing searches are driving me crazy. Whenever I click on an item I'm taken to some random advertisement instead of the actual URL. In order to get at most URLs I have to load the Google cached page and then click back to the original from the cached page. Its truly annoying. Not every search hit gives me this problem, only about 90%.

Has anyone else experienced this phenomenon?

Policemen are Pigs

2011-07-06T00:11:00.001-07:00

What respect I had for policemen has been completely torn down tonight. Although I was only a bystander, I did witness a man being grabbed by the collar and hauled out of the train station. He sole offense:he looked at a policeman wrongly and mumbled something inarticulate at the same time. He didn't even seem drunk and was definitely not causing problems. The policeman accused the man of calling him an “asshole”, as if that was an excuse for manhandling him. Imagine if a civilian manhandled someone like that.

Between Meetings

2011-06-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a sad, but true, story.

I just got off the phone 2 minutes ago. It was a conference call with my colleagues in India. As soon as I hung up Hirono turned to me and said, "You have an Indian accent!"

Too many nighttime meetings.

3rd and Inches

2011-06-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a tremendous day for the little ones.

Leia's done with diapers - or darned close to it. She still wears them at night; but, during the day is in big kid underpants with few mishaps. Alisa is very close behind. I've promised them we'll go to Disneyland if they can stay in underpants without messing them up. Both of them made huge progress toward this goal yesterday.

Just as big of news, they slept in their own beds last night. Its 7am right now and they're still sound asleep in their own beds.

Oh, happy day!

Atheist Glee

2011-05-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, indeed!

Although normally sane people of every religion also mocked today's non-apocalypse, I love the way secular culture in general seems to turn today's event into a Celebration of Life.

Happy Life Day!

--e

Overheard at Uchi no Wilde

2011-04-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ah, humans have their insightful moments. Yes? This is what my buddy, Toast, points out so sublimely.

Today while at the dinner table I was trying to teach the girls their letters. I showed them a big pink colored H and E and explained how the letter started Hirono's and my names.

Me: "What letter is this? What does 'Eric' start with?"
Leia: "E"
Me: "Great! Eraii! What letter does 'Leia' start with?"
Leia: "Boat!"

Growing Up So Fast

2011-04-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

I ran across a toddler's toy store recently named "Gone With The Wind". It seems so appropriate. The girls have grown up so fast. Here's Leia receiving her yellow belt in karate with the grace and poise of an adult.

Achieving Yellow Belt

Annoying Religions

2011-03-27T09:05:00.001-07:00

Back in the US the Christians are the troublesome ones. Here in India, its the Hindi zealots that drive me batty.

As I type this blog entry, there is some fool outside with a PA system shouting Jainist entreaties to the general public. He's very loud in the middle of this very public space - at 9:30pm on a Sunday night. Like religious zealots everywhere, he has no sense of decency.

My run in with Islam this weekend was less troublesome. Apparently some big whig imam from Saudi Arabia was in town. A colleague and I went to a restaurant in Old Delhi which happened to be directly across the street from the mosque which the imam visited. So the streets were completely packed. At least the throngs didn't proselytize in the middle of the night over loud speakers.

Migraine

2011-03-23T23:55:00.000-07:00

It happens to me occasionally when I cross time zones. Migraines. Debilitating. I had to leave work early today and am in the hotel room taking a rest. Hopefully I'll be back up on my feet and back at the office late this afternoon.

Ugh.

Relief

2011-03-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

My children are often a relief from the insanity of the world around me.

Potty Time

2011-03-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

File this in the "Too Much Information" category.

The girls are regularly using the potty now. First thing in the morning both of them rush to their potties. Usually their diapers are dry or mostly dry in the morning. There is a light at the end of the diaper tunnel.

Royalty with Class

2011-02-25T20:52:00.000-08:00

I like how the man stuck to a single talking point. Stop the killing in Libya.

Bracers of Chaos

2011-02-19T19:19:00.001-08:00

Awesomeness incarnate. This guys work is excellent.

Free Your Mind

2011-02-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

And your ass will follow.

Power to the Egyptian people! I'm so pleased to see what looks like a fair treatment of the issue in the Associated Press and published in US popular media.

Danger!

2011-02-07T02:07:00.001-08:00

The girls are now taking karate. Should I start to fear their temper tantrums?

Trip to New Delhi

2011-02-02T00:51:00.000-08:00

Here we go again, scheduling a trip to India. The following video really does a great job showing the different environments of New Delhi. As a business traveller, this is exactly the India I see every single trip - good, bad and ugly.

Stuck with Cable

2011-02-01T08:52:00.001-08:00

For those of you who listen only to US-based or UK-based news, you're missing a lot of the context and backstory for the uprisings in the Middle East right now. Al Jazeera provides much more comprehensive and interesting coverage of the events.

I've been reading them off-and-on since I started traveling to India frequently. They don't focus on India; but, they do provide an interesting and more informative alternative to Associated Press or BBC. They've really shined in the last month.

He, he, he, he...

2011-01-28T23:40:00.001-08:00

This is Leia does when she's in front of the camera these days.

Artistes

2011-01-28T23:31:00.000-08:00

Both Leia and Alisa have their own visual art interest.

For Alisa, she likes to draw. Today her medium of choice was Etch-a-Sketch. Here's a picture of her first recognizable face drawing that I've seen.

For Leia, she's more interested in the camera. Here's a photo from her today of her favorite teddy bear, Scruffy.

Accurate Historical Humor

2011-01-16T22:13:00.000-08:00

Yet Again, PZ Is Spot On

2011-01-10T13:20:00.000-08:00

If you don't regularly read Professor Myers, you should. His rhetoric is sometimes overly colorful; but, it would be a drab world without color now, wouldn't it?

What we have here is an attempted assassination of a politician by an insane crank at a political event, in a state where the political discourse has been an unrelenting howl of eliminationist rhetoric and characterization of anyone to the left of Genghis Khan as a traitor and enemy of the state…and now, when six (including a nine year old girl) lie dead and another fourteen are wounded, now suddenly we're concerned that it is rude and politicizing a tragedy to point out that the right wing has produced a toxic atmosphere that pollutes our politics with hatred and the rhetoric of violence?

Screw that...

Rob's Still Right

2011-01-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

It's amazing that after all these years, Rob Fagain's still correct in his dietary prescriptions. Yet more people are coming out in favor of what NHE described so many years ago.

I was on NHE for many years (10 or so) until the girls were born. Taking care of twin infants and toddlers has kept me from eating correctly or exercising regularly. I'm finally back on NHE as my New Year's Resolution. It is day 3 of the induction period and going strong. It is far and above the most effective diet for fat loss and muscle gain I've ever seen. Heartily recommended; but, you really don't need special clubs or programs beyond understanding the science and putting in the effort yourself.

Cheers and Happy New Year to you all.

Tea That Tastes Like Tea

2010-11-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

One thing good about flying British Airways, their tea doesn't taste like coffee. The same is true with JAL. Most other carriers have horrible tea.

I'm in India again this week, jet lagged and dragging.

Our Galaxy Began as a Burst of Music

2010-11-01T16:29:00.001-07:00

Cacophony is probably more apt a term. Science is so inspiring.

Stories

2010-10-31T21:05:00.001-07:00

The girls like to be read stories, of course. They also enjoy me making stories up. Last night Alisa made up a story to tell me. This is it, pretty close to verbatim:

Once up a time there were three bunnies
They jumped around
And then they went to bed.
Night. Night.

Prosecute

2010-10-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

I get so disgusted with our weak, unprincipled leadership. Another Wikileaks bomb came out that confirms the extent to which Bush & Co. lied and manipulated their way through myriad war crimes. I'll not be satisfied until that immoral lot are behind bars. Obama refuses to prosecute and so should land in jail himself.

The American people are no better. People are willing to suffer such evil, or even support it in the case of conservatives.

This Rocks

2010-10-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

h/t Pharyngula

Here's a very inspirational video of a science project. I'm hoping the girls are interested in similar ideas. I'd love to engineer such science projects with them.

Headache

2010-10-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

I'm on my third day without coffee. Of course, every day has at least four temper tantrums in it. This morning's meltdown was a doozy.

Half-Chewed Food

2010-10-01T08:43:00.001-07:00

Why is it that almost every little kid likes to come up to you and show you their mouthful of half-chewed food? This morning was peanut butter sandwiches. Not nice.

I just wanted to say...

2010-09-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

...my wife is beautiful.

At Chris' 40th Birthday Party

Most Rational Political Analysis of US 2010 Election Yet

2010-09-12T20:12:00.001-07:00

Daily Kos isn't necessarily the most even tempered political blog. If you ignore the comments you'll more often than not get a pretty rational view of things. Here's a good excerpt from a post tonight by Chris Bowers.

If Democrats get booted in November, it will not be primarily because of poor tactical execution of their campaign messaging and resources. That is the Tactical Fallacy. Further, if Democrats get booted in November, it will not be primarily because people opposed the details of their public policy in the abstract, or that they were let down by not passing more. That is the Ubiquitous Political Junkie fallacy. Sure, tactics matter and appealing to activist wonks matter, but they are not usually the main cause of electoral victory or defeat. More often than not, if you lose, then you just didn’t enact public policy that helped enough people by the time of the election. This is especially the case in landslide election years, as 2010 shaping up to be.

This is pretty much spot on. Its actually the one saving grace of a democracy or republic. If the bums (Democrats) aren't doing a decent job, throw the bums out! Unfortunately, what it doesn't capture is the obscene fact of American politics that the bums currently out of power (Republicans) will do much worse if and when they get back into power.

Big Girls, Except When They Are Babies

2010-09-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

Part of the reason why the age of two is called "Terrible Twos" is because the kids are trying to work through conflicting feelings of wanting to grow up vs. wanting to remain dependent babies. It leads to lots of times when they'll make a decision and then immediately reverse it, or show boldness only to immediately cower in fear. From a parents point of view it can be demanding and confusing. It definitely requires a lot of time and patience.

Parts of the reversion back to baby behavior can be very nice for me, though. A couple of examples happened with Alisa this week:

- On Thursday evening we were rough housing on the futon playing horsey. Both girls were riding atop me when they decided to pitch forward. I obliged by lowering my head and shoulders. Alisa, in front, knocked her teeth against the back of my head. It cut open her lower lip and lots of blood flowed forth. Of course it was painful for her; but, she really became scared when she noticed the blood. Through a series of responses trying to comfort her we finally got to the point where she was laying on my lap, her head cradled in the crook of my left arm. My right hand applied pressure to her wound with a wet wash cloth. We were sitting in a darkened closet and I was singing the songs I sang to her when she was just a few months old. I had a repertoire of four or five songs that I sang to her whenever she cried at night as a little baby. She wanted me to sing through every one of the songs while laying on my lap. I found it both sweet and sad. By morning her lip was fully healed.

- For many months as a baby we had to separate the girls in order for them to sleep. I often slept in the nursery with Alisa while Hirono slept with Leia in our bedroom. We washed laundry today. When it was time for the girls to take their nap the sheets were still in the dryer. So I offered to take a nap with them in the nursery. The girls were both excited; but, Alisa snapped into a sort of glazed sleepiness. We settled down and tried to sleep. Leia at first was a bit rambunctious, never having napped in the nursery before. Alisa, however, seemed in her element and instantly settled down to sleep. I finally got Leia to stay down and the three of us took a long nap. After waking up, Alisa started pointing at familiar objects and grunting a question - just as she did when a baby. She seemed to be asking the names of all these familiar objects: Princess Bear, Miffy, blanket, pillow, etc. Finally she was satisfied and laid back down. By this time Leia wanted to go out and play; but, Alisa kept saying: "Leia go. Daddy stay night-night." Such a sweetheart! So I told them to run to the bedroom where Hirono was also taking a nap to tickle her. They both leapt up at the chance to tickle Mama.

Attack Poodles

2010-09-09T08:39:00.001-07:00

Why is it that Obama seems only able to fire up the rhetoric and speak passionately when campaigning? Jerk.

Finicky Dresser

2010-09-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

The girls now regularly choose their own clothes in the morning. Today Leia couldn't decide what to wear. She tried on a total of four different outfits before she was satisfied. And the Tinkerbell shoes were the only acceptable footwear.

"Ground Zero Mosque"

2010-08-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

PZ nails it once again;

Atheists recognize intelligence, curiosity, generosity, charity, kindness, etc., as human traits, and find nothing odd in the fact that people everywhere, no matter what their faith, can express them. Far too many believers, however, ascribe virtues to their particular faith rather than to any universally human properties, which means they rather too easily manage to mentally strip people of other faiths or no faith at all of those virtues.

Nowhere is this more evident than the silly arguments over mosques across the country. If I had my druthers there wouldn't be any mosques or churches or temples or anything of the like; but, I wouldn't make any laws about it - other than keeping the Catholic priests at least a quarter mile away from any school building or playground.

Too Much Information

2010-08-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Leia did a number two in the potty! We're getting closer to being diaper free.

Shave!

2010-08-19T16:43:00.000-07:00

That was my command this morning while kissing Alisa goodbye. Leia immediately echoed the sentiment. I guess there's no choice to it. I'm off to the bathroom to shave off this two-day-old stubble.

Finding Complete Contentment

2010-08-18T20:18:00.001-07:00

...drifting inside my frame.

I followed the dreamer through the purple, hazy clouds.

Or, at least, I wished.

Jochen and Mr. Brown

2010-08-18T00:53:00.001-07:00

Two fun stories for the day.

The past Saturday some friends came to visit. One of them is named Jochen and I can never quite pronounce his name correctly. Tonight, Leia started chattering on about Jochen. The sad thing was, she says it just like Jochen and his wife say it - much better than I. The cute part was she was speaking in Japanese at the time: "Jochen wa kakko ii." That translates literally to: "Jochen is cool!"

The second story is around the Dr. Seuss book, _Mr_Brown_Can_Moo,_can_you?_ The girls have always liked this book since it has vibrant onomatopoeia on every page and I read it animatedly. Tonight for the first time both Leia and Alisa tried to imitate the sounds of a bee, a train, thunder, etc. It was quite fun.

This Has to be a Joke

2010-08-13T12:02:00.001-07:00

A Christian Science Monitor opinion piece is up that is just silly. What if Congress wrote laws as simple and clear as scripture? Oh, what a great idea! Simple, easily misconstrued statements that have caused numerous factions dead set on killing each other throughout history should be held up as an example of fine lawmaking.

To think someone was paid to write that junk.

Short Update

2010-08-08T00:22:00.001-07:00

I arrived back from India on Thursday and have been spending time with family ever since. The girls have changed so much while I'm gone. Here's the highlights:

* Leia has used the potty successfully two days in a row. I've taken the tactic of asking them if they want to sit on the potty very first thing in the morning. It seems to be working. She's terribly proud of herself.

* Their pronunciation, particularly Alisa, has become much more easy to understand. Leia talks a blue streak now.

* They're getting big. 2Ts fit well now. They are nearly the tallest in their daycare class.

* They love to dance even more. When I asked this morning, "What music do you want to listen to?", they both answered, "Rock and roll!" I proceeded to put on Black Sabbath and mad hopping about ensued.

* Seeing their faces light up on Thursday afternoon when I picked them up at daycare was precious.

Delhi Belly

2010-08-01T21:27:00.001-07:00

I shouldn't have eaten the mutton at lunch yesterday.

Updated: Maybe it wasn't something I ate. Last night a fever came on and I was bedridden all night - missing a bunch of meetings. This morning I've finally been able to eat again (after having gone about 48 hours without a meal), though I'm still stuck in the hotel room all day.

What I'm Least Looking Forward To

2010-08-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

If the Rethugs return to power in Congress this November, what I'm least looking forward to is impeachment proceedings. What's with these fools?

A Parental Truism

2010-08-01T02:07:00.000-07:00

One never gets tired of looking at pictures of ones own children. Or, at least until they're teenagers so I'm told. I've spent the last seven hours doing nothing but looking at pictures of my family. I'm terribly homesick, even when looking at pictures of the girls getting in trouble and stealing the car keys.

Chipa Chipa

2010-07-31T18:28:00.000-07:00

Apparently this means "sticky" in Hindi slang. It perfectly describes the weather outside.

I took the afternoon and evening off yesterday to enjoy New Delhi with a friend and colleague.

My good friend, Toast, would absolutely hate being in New Delhi this time of year. Yesterday it was hot (~100F) and muggy. The rain came down in tiny droplets all day; not enough to really make you wet but enough to show that the humidity was up there around 100%. It made even strolling slowly through ancient Mughal mosques and tombs a sweaty, sticky enterprise. I'm usually quite tolerant of humid heat, having grown up in South Florida. Yesterday even made me uncomfortable.

There was a moment of respite at the Lotus Temple. We reached the terrace at the temple just after sundown and were greeted by a cool and comfortable breeze. It was needed after the sweltering day. Unfortunately the inside of the temple was still and hot. I wish they had opened all the glass doors around the temple to let nature and wind through. Still, the architecture was impressive. Outside and from afar the petals of the lotus give an expectant feel as though they might open at any moment. Inside the temple is purest white and marble all about. There is a golden sunburst at the peak of the temple with stone lines reaching all the way down to broad arches circling the congregation. The lines give a sense of radiant godhood shining down on the worshipper while at the same time uplifting the heart. While your spirit reaches up for the divine the heavy marble arches keep your body firmly grounded. Its very peaceful and uplifting. Even the podium is made of transparent polyurethane so as to not mar the overpowering sense of purity within the temple.

Too bad the teachings of Baha'i are a load of bunk.

Brave New Metro

2010-07-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

The Metro opened in Sector 18 Noida since the last time I was here. I love taking local transit whenever travelling. So when I go shopping tomorrow with a colleague I'm going to take the metro down to India Gate to meet her. For 19 rupees instead of probably closer to 1000 rupees for the hotel car to take me, I can mingle with the people and explore the central downtown area. This is going to be fun.

Updated: The New Delhi Metro was clean, well running and easily navigated. So different than the city streets. Now if only it was far more ubiquitous. The Metro continues to expand; but, even the tracks that are planned are not enough to dramatically improve the street traffic.

Chinese Food in India

2010-07-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

Don't eat it. Its not good.

Every food is altered to match the local palate. Indian food in the US tastes different than Indian food in India. Its milder and generally of lower quality because the clientele isn't used to such spiciness and doesn't have the discerning taste with the food style. Chinese food seems to be particularly vulnerable to this type of "localization" of the flavor. Chinese food is *dramatically* different in China vs. US vs. Europe vs. India. In India, the Chinese food tastes very much like Indian food with too much and too varied spices. If you happen to order a dish that just doesn't translate to the Indian palate, such as the classic Hong Kong dish Scallops with X.O. Sauce that I ordered last night, its just plain weak and uses very low quality ingredients.

The rice sucks, too. Indian rice (basmati) is good if cooked in the Indian style. Basmati rice does not go with Chinese food. Chinese rice cooked by Indian chefs does not work.

Save the Internet

2010-07-29T00:00:00.001-07:00

I agree with Al Franken, this really is the first amendment issue of our time. Go and make your voice heard. It is imperative that you do so.

I've seen the underbelly of corporate skullduggery first hand. Its more an issue to find ways to drive profits than actual malfeasance; but, you will indeed see abuse of internet access to certain sites if we don't stand up for Net Neutrality now. Do it.

And Now I Know Why

2010-07-28T21:06:00.001-07:00

Apropos to the most recent post here, after walking out of the hotel and getting blasted with 105 degree F heat at 9 AM I now know why everyone was saying the rain and wind were "good" weather.

Updated: 10:15 PM now and still over 90 degrees F outside.

Talking About the Weather

2010-07-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

An interesting phenomenon is that people in different cultures have a different idea of what is "good" weather.

It gets hot here in India - really hot. Yesterday the weather was overcast and windy with the normal sporadic heavy squalls of mansoon season. Everyone I crossed in the hall who made small talk mentioned how wonderful a day it was outside.

* Bursts of heavy rain
* Wind
* Low, overhanging black clouds

"Oh, what great weather we're having today."

Go figure.

Back in India

2010-07-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

I'm in Noida again, just got to the hotel room about an hour and half ago. The flight was both good and bad.

The good was that I upgraded to business class. So I got a lot better sleep without the soreness of sleeping in coach. Right now I feel totally rested and caught up on my sleep. This is rare thing when young children live at home and work hours take their toll. Unfortunately it also means I'll be up all night and have a heck of a time at the office tomorrow.

The bad news was that it took two days to get here. I had a small plane ride from San Jose to LA. In LA my connection was 2 hours delayed, so I arrived in Chicago too late to catch the flight to Dehli. The airlines put me up in a hotel about 45 minutes out of Chicago. There was nothing - literally - around the hotel. I couldn't even walk to a Starbucks! So I was stuck at the hotel until the next evening when I could catch a plane to New Dehli.

Not surprisingly, I miss my family something fierce.

Copy Cats

2010-07-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

As with all children, the girls often try to copy us exactly. They're in that awkward age when they try to do everything themselves but usually cannot actually accomplish whatever task they're trying to do. After practice and multiple failed attempts, they sometimes succeed. Yesterday there were two good examples of the girls succeeded after lots of tries:

We were going to go out for a walk but had to get ready first. Hirono and I were rushing around filling sippy cups, collecting snacks, getting the diaper bag ready, etc. Alisa became impatient. I asked her to wait a bit more. She said "OK" and walked off toward the front door. Two minutes later we hear "Mommy! Daddy! Mommy! Daddy!" She was standing beside the front door with her shoes on. She had put them on herself, correctly. Even the velcro straps were in the right place.

Leia is fascinated with the shower, though often afraid of it. We returned home from our walk very late last night (Leia threw a tantrum on the walk home which delayed us by about 45 minutes.) By the time we reached home is was time for the girls to go to bed; but, they still needed a bath. Leia decided she wanted a shower instead. She boldly got into the shower and stood ready to be washed. She even held the shower head most of the time so that I could wash her down. When it came time to wash her hair she readily tilted her head way back and let me rinse off the shampoo without getting any in her eyes. If she takes a shower regularly that will cut the bathing time down from about 30 minutes to about 5. Nice!

Good News Times Two

2010-07-15T18:15:00.001-07:00

Its not often you hear two items of good news in a single day.

I. Can't. Move.

2010-07-13T23:04:00.000-07:00

I went to the gym yesterday for the first serious weight lifting workout since the girls were born. I can't lift my arms higher than my shoulders or stretch over the desk to pick up the phone.

Family Portrait

2010-07-12T01:52:00.000-07:00

There's a bunch of new photos up at Flickr. We spent the last few days in Reno while Hirono's parents are visiting us for a couple of weeks. Its been really good for the girls' ability to think and communicate in Japanese. We also had a ton of fun exploring the Reno region with the girls. There's so much to see in this great big world of ours.

Dancing

2010-07-06T00:21:00.000-07:00

Leia loves to dance. She's been taking every opportunity to do so, regardless of the type of music. From head banging to Black Sabbath to kids' dances on the TV show おかあさんといっしょ to my own drumming or pipe playing she'll jump and bop around to the beat. Alisa often joins in; but, Leia is boundless energy.

New Game

2010-07-05T22:17:00.001-07:00

Alisa's new favorite game: get in the tricycle and have Daddy push it really fast while yelling out "Rock and Roll!" at the top of your lungs.

Fun and Games

2010-07-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

We spent July 4th at a friends house. They had a rather large party and a couple of young girls were present. Leia and Alisa had a grand time following these older girls (5 and 7) around the yard. I really enjoyed watching them play games like "Ring Around the Rosies" and rolling down the grass and jumping over each other in an impromptu steeple chase.

There were also three dogs at the party. Leia wanted to pet them but was scared of them. When she came home she would say each of the dogs' names and pretend to pet them. Her imagination is evidently very vivid because she seemed to really believe she was petting the dogs. She let her sister pet the dogs, too. Then when an adult came to pet the dogs she would cry out "No!" and not let us near her imaginary dog.

Satan Speaks in Tongues

2010-07-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

h/t PZ

Heart Attack Casserole

2010-06-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

Late last night I made homemade pot pies for the first time. The chicken livers at the market looked good yesterday. So I bought a bunch, with some fatty beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, sherry and salt. The crust was made of pate brisee, basically a ton of butter and flour rolled out into a pie shape.

We ate them for breakfast this morning. I'm quite proud of the results for the first time making pot pies. Its tasty and actually resembles a pot pie (a couple of them with little Anpanman faces on top to please the girls.) Now, however, I'm stuffed and want to just curl up and go back sleep.

Anpanman

Tantrum

2010-06-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

I just lived through 45 straight minutes of a little girl screaming in my ear. She wanted to go on the swing instead of taking a bath.