A Busy Weekend
Another Monday vanquished, and we have a significant update of the page today. Thanks to my HTML-savvy wife for her aid in the task. I'm lucky if I can remember the tags I need to use in order to make something bold.
In the news, writing-wise, my portfolio has been updated to reflect products that are coming soon. Among these products is Artifacts of the Ages: Rings, a book that I co-authored with JD Wiker. Please check out the product page, and stay tuned for more updates.
My links section has seen an update, too. I added a link to Michelle Lyons' web site. I "met" Michelle while we were both working on Fireborn, and she is quite an accomplished writer, game developer, and editor. In addition to Michelle's page, I've added a couple more "General Gaming" sites and a "Miscellaneous" site.
Lastly, the photo gallery has been updated with pictures from this last weekend's trip to the Midway, one of the longest-serving carriers in the U.S. Navy. It's been retired, and is now serving as a museum in San Diego. If you'd like to see a bit more about the Midway, as well as some nice pictures of San Diego, feel free to browse the new galleries.
It's hot today! It's been hot for the past couple of weeks, actually. There's not much that I can do about it, outside of blasting the air conditioner. You can tell it's hot, because the cats lay as flat as they can on the ground. Merlin (you remember: my writing buddy) has taken to laying on the bed, in the direct path of the air from the fan. He's no dummy.
GenCon Indy is about four weeks away. I'm looking forward to the time off. Once I know more about my schedule, I'll post the specifics here. I'll be running two Midnight games for FFG, but outside of that I'm more or less free. Leave it to me to wait until the last minute to make plans.
UPDATE, 7/22/04: Sean K. Reynolds has posted some of the art for the Hungry Little Monsters project, and you can check it out here.
Regards,
Gary on 07.19.04 @ 09:20 PM PST [link]
Heat Stroke 101
mood: Medium Rare
Call me stupid, but I nearly baked my brain yesterday.
I participate in this insane little hobby that is called Civil War Reenacting. At its core, it's about a bunch of history enthusiasts who dress up in period clothing and recreate the battles, tactics, and atmosphere of the American Civil War. Reenactments are a lot like Renaissance Fairs, only there's a lot less Monty Python involved.
It's no big surprise that it can get pretty hot in the summer time in Southern California. On top of that, it seems like a lot of these events take place on the hottest weekends of the year. We don't often get quite the same sort of humidity that the reenactors back east have to contend with. When you're wearing wool pants, a wool shell jacket, a wool cap, boots, a couple pounds worth of leather gear, a full canteen, a pistol, and a carbine, it doesn't have to be equatorial for you to suffer when you've been running around playing soldier.
My unit got a cannon. A mountain howitzer, to be exact. I'll see about posting a picture or two once some get sent my way. The thing weighs...alot. I'm not sure exactly how much, but it's damn heavy. It's mounted on a carriage, but it still takes a good bit of strength to get it moving in the right direction.
Yes, yes. I'm getting to the part about the heat stroke now.
After the last battle on Sundays, they hold a raffle for the participants. Being the genius that I am, I'd left my ticket back in camp. They needed some volunteers to help push the new cannon back, and since I was without a raffle ticket, I stepped forward. Heck, I figured I'd get back to an early lunch. Even if I'd had my ticket, I probably wouldn't have stayed.
I guess I exerted myself a little too much. I was already hot, coming off the field after a battle that must've lasted between thirty and forty-five minutes. Putting my back into the cannon, dressed in my full gear, was probably not the smartest thing I could've done under the circumstances. It wasted me, to the point that I had to sit around motionless while the folks in my unit dumped several liters of cold and lukewarm water over my head and back.
After I could stand up without toppling, I convinced everyone that I was safe to drive home. I made it back here and took a cold shower. Amy nursed me like a real pro (she can be a mother hen when she wants to, let me tell you), made me drink even more water, and had me lay down for a nap. I ended up sleeping most of the rest of the day. I felt so crummy this morning that I called in sick to work for the first time in ten or eleven months.
So that's my new-found experience with heat exhaustion. I think I'll pass on it next time, because it really bites. I never considered that it would be an issue for me. I've been reenacting since late 2001, and I've seen plenty of other people get beat by the heat. I didn't think it would happen to me. It was a terribly humbling moment.
Not much news on the game writing front right now. I mean, sure there's things happening, but I don't know what (if anything) I can report on right yet. I'll post another update once there's something that I know that I'm allowed to post about.
Bests,
Gary on 07.12.04 @ 09:51 PM PST [link]
Another Year Older
I turned thirty-one on Thursday. Normally, birthdays are a time for reflection, and this birthday wasn't much different. There's a genuine sense of accomplishment this year, mostly because I've continued to work towards my dream of writing and developing games in a professional capacity, and I've seen a measure of success.
There's always the obligatory birthday swag. Amy went way over her budget for me, but I love her, so I'll let her get away with it this once. Aside from some gaming books ("Complete Divine" and the new "Eberron" campaign setting) and a new bag for my laptop, she bought me a Tungsten E Palm. I've been using a Palm m130 for the past two and a half years, and it was starting to show its age. This new machine is sweet!
In the news...
The Game Mechanics have posted a product page for "Artifacts of the Ages: Legendary Weapons," and it lists the project's authors. My name is there, and I'm in very good company. The designers include Eric Cagle, Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, Andy Collins, Brian Cortijo, Darrin Drader, Sean K. Reynolds, Mat Smith, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Rodney Thompson. Check the product page out for author bios!
Not much writing being done lately. I'm mostly waiting for GenCon Indy. I sent an article in to Dragon Magazine last week, and my fingers are crossed. I should be getting another writing assignment from Fantasy Flight Games sometime next week. I'll post more information here when I'm able to.
Work. I've been doing receiving for a dental implant company since late August of last year. Recently (two weeks ago), I was moved into the stockroom under the guise of cross-training. Pulling parts is interesting, especially parts that I recognize as having been physically received by myself several weeks/months ago, but it's also a lot of standing around, bean-counting. Standing up for eight hours at a stretch sure makes me yearn for a job where I can sit on my fat butt all day and type.
It's Fourth of July weekend, so everyone be safe and have a good time for Independence Day!
Gary on 07.03.04 @ 10:46 AM PST [link]