Oh that stupid groundhog was right! It’s a snowstorm! BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
I had a dream this morning that Kier-La came back to get married, and I was hanging around her house which was like a party house in some ways, and I thought it was my last chance to tell her that I used to have a crush on her, which doesn’t make any sense. And the Thickets jam space was in a garage that was behind her house.
That’s all for now.
I ran two games of Spaceship Zero at Weathertop.
First I ran “Bring Me the Head of Dr Quisling” in which Mike O’Donnell played his brand new mechanic “Rusty Jones,” Thomas Bigford played “Sparky” the robot, Nathan W played “Skippy Sykes” the pilot, Jason Baker played ?, Scott played Loola the slave girl.
Then I ran “Mystery Maze of Mars.” David played “Securibot,” Kathryn played “Nameless O’Shaughnessy” the mechanic, Nathan W played Skippy again, Lucas Smith played “Captain Stackhouse,” Darren played “Heironymous Herzog” the space pirate, and Bev played “Catman” the super-intelligent cat. Graham Darling was registered to play but he arrived too late and his seat was taken.
Top’s Cafe is on Main Street and 4th Ave. It has uneven, torn benches. It has a door that won’t close properly and a space heater on the counter is the only source of heat. They serve unremarkable Chinese food but you’ll get a fork instead of chopsticks. Lunch specials are $3.95. You’ll be the only person there. If you’re lucky, the cook/waitress will be watching vhs copies of Chinese soaps while you eat.
I like it.
I rode my bike to work this morning. As I came out of my apartment building I was greeted to a life-size triceratops on a flatbed truck driving by. I guess Storyeum is dismantling their exhibit or something. There was no tarp over it or anything – it was pretty cool and I wanted to chase the truck and jump up and ride the dinosaur.
Weathertop was pretty good. With excellent transit karma, it takes almost exactly an hour to get from my apartment to the King George skytrain station. The Days Inn hotel we used for the con was literally right next to the station. There was a good turnout and I played in the Golden Goblet D&D tournament. Our group came in second. I played a druid who was a wildshape specialist – I could turn into, among other things, a giant octopus, though I never got around to it. I also met a couple new gamers. I played a fellow’s game where he was using the GURPS Transhuman setting with Unknown Armies rules, and though I liked my character (whom I named Tsetse) well enough, most of the time I didn’t know what was going on, as there were a lot of highbrow scifi stuff that I was not versed in. I ran two (different) games of Spaceship Zero and that went over quite well. I even got rid of two of my books to happy fans. And Mike O’Donnell made up a mechanic character named “Rusty Jones” and who looks like Kramer. Fun times.
In one of my SSZ games, this one guy who has played previously was present again. He is weird. I’m sure he has something wrong with him because he doesn’t really say anything, and no matter how much I explain how the dice mechanic he needs help every time. Also he doesn’t really participate much. I think of the scene at the beginning of The Sixth Sense with that naked guy in Bruce Willis’ bathroom. I can’t get into this kid’s head and frankly, that’s okay.
I had this weird sensation right towards the end of the final D&D game I was playing at the con, a sensation I don’t usually have. It probably has something to do with the breakup and the fact that I’m not exactly where I want to be in my life right now. There I was, immersed in the scene of this fantasy roleplaying game and for a moment I realize that in a few minutes it’s going to end, and there’s this overwhelming weight…a cold bucket of water in the face….a realization that I’m going to have to deal with the real world in the morning. For one brief moment it was like D&D was more like a drug than the usual escape comparable to reading a book or watching TV. Maybe this is the beginning of the Basketball Diaries for me, but replace Basketball with Bloodbowl.
And then reality got a little better. This morning I signed a contract to do some design illos for a video game. Very exciting. Tonight I am playing racquetball and then Marlo is helping me interpret my notes from Mandarin class. Plus…triceratops on a flatbed.
I haven’t been doing much roleplaying in the past while. Not since my D&D group broke up. I’m not complaining – I don’t have much time for it anyway. But this weekend is yet another VGG convention – Weathertop. Ironically, though I am immersed in rpgness, only very rarely does convention play interest me. Something about the randomness of who I’ll be playing with and the uncertainty of whether the setting and rules and GM style will appeal to me makes home games much more satisfying. The last time I was actually excited to play a con game was to try out the new Warhammer system with Shawn Wowk GMing. That was a good experience, but I know that a home game would still have been at least twice as fulfilling. So, even though I’m kind of sick of D&D 3.5 rules I am looking forward to playing in an old fashioned D&D tournament, as well as playing in a fellow’s modified Unknown Armies game. Plus I’ll be running a couple games of Spaceship Zero. Maybe I’ll sell a book or two while I’m there. Then someone will start a campaign and I can play in it!
And I’ll be out in a social environment (albeit one not known for its social graces) which will be a nice change. So don’t expect much bloggening until Monday. Just reread the old posts and comment some more to make me feel validated.
Desmond Morris is all like people have been eating together since the stone age and its a very social event. Look at how people today eat alone in restaurants. They seem awkward, dont they? Well although I respect his work, nuts to him. I prefer to eat by myself, or only with very close friends. I dont want anyone talking to me during lunch. But then, I am an antisocial goon.
When I’m on the phone with clients and they ask me “how are you doing today,” I can’t tell them how I really feel.
This morning I had a dream that I went to meet with Marlo at some marijuana cafe downtown, and she was high and grumpy. Then we met up with some tall guy and started walking around town. That’s it.
On the bus this morning I had to hold the hand of a thicky construction worker who got kicked off his site during orientation because he didn’t have a liner for his hardhat. He was wearing a big puffy jacket with godawful giant stars on it in red and black and white. He got on at the same stop as I, and when he told me his plight I just smirked. Maybe he was expecting sympathy but he reminded me too much of that Canadian actor/comedian Andy Dubrochelabolweilslwhatever (help me out here, Taylor) from the Biff and Bart segment of Switchback or whatever it was I used to watch years ago. Not the Kokanee sasquatch guy, the other guy.
I don’t know if it’s the fact that my diet is so boring, but I’ve been drinking a lot more alcohol than usual. And by “a lot more” I mean “a tiny bit,” as you probably know that I don’t drink. I’ve been spiking my bedtime milk with sambuca. Probably because sambuca is sweet. Watch out, old man, theres a new rummy in town. I just learned there’s something called “witch elder bush” in sambuca. Witch elder bush.
Witch elder bush.
Come hell or high water, there will be Booberry and Frankenberry at this year’s Saturday Morning Cartoon Party. Additionally, if Tony is willing to help me out in exchange for the autographed Hanson Brothers CD I got him, maybe we’ll have some Choco-riffic Weetos, Ricicles or Chocolate Noughts & Crosses shipped from the UK.
If you’re planning on coming, join www.yahoogroups.com/group/saturdaymorningcartoonparty for updates, and feel free to complete the cartoon request poll here: http://www.misterpoll.com/773939162.html but if you’re not, please don’t.
The roomrooms here have a panel you can press to open the door. You know, for disabled people. Trouble is, most people who go to the roomroom use it, not just the disableds. I don’t know if they’re just lazy, or if they don’t want to touch the bathroom door handle (I can relate). But using the button means the door takes forever to open, and stays open for probably 20 seconds. So, if you’re just about to get to the door and suddenly it starts to open verrrrry slowwwly you’re in an awkward position. Or if you’re in the bathroom and your grooming yourself in the mirror and somebody uses the button, everyone who passes the bathroom in the next 20 seconds is going to see you and again you’re in an awkward position. Just like imminent death syndrome.
