Sunflower Soup

…I’m pretty sure it’s not real

Hey, let’s take a break from 365 posts and read some STUFF!

1: Happy Birthday to Robin D. Laws!

2: My dogs are clean, sweet smelling and huggable after baths last night. They will stay this way for about 3-4 days, then will get less sweet smelling and huggable, although we will still hug them.

3: Aside from the aches & pains that come with our ages, the four of us are in pretty good health.

4: We are eating large amounts of tomatoes from the garden, thanks to late season temps in the 80s & 90s. Of course, this has stopped my fall veggies from growing until it cools down, but hey ORGANIC HEIRLOOM TOMATOES!

5: If I can, via some sort of miracle, come up with the $$, I’ll be going to GenCon next summer. I will need at least 1 room mate and I’m hoping airfare drops or I’ll need to drive with at least one other person.

6: I’m reading “Pirate Latitudes”, the last novel by Michael Crichton. So far, it’s pretty darned good.

7: It has been nearly a year since my gaming group has been able to get together, so I have nothing to report on that front.

8: California state employees are finally going to get off the nearly 2 year long furlough Fridays that our dipshit governor forced on them. They will not get any of the pay back that they lost. I hope that asshole Schwarzenegger gets hit by a truck.

9: Once the weather cools off a bit, I’ll begin digging up plants I want to keep and killing off the rest as a prelude to The Great Garden Redesign of 2011. I intend to photo document this gardening madness on Facebook.

10: Remember my reference up above to needing $$ for GenCon? Well, as part of the plan to raise those $$, I’ll be making up a PDF of expanded and all new 365 People, Places & Things entries. I’m thinking about 42 entries, plus other fun stuff. More info on this around January.

And now I must do huosehusbandry and Dog daddery before heading off to work.

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The Heartstopping Adventures Of Doctor Tempest In The City Of The Vampires

…from the August, 1908 issue

Imaginary Gaming Convention News

So, one week from today is the start of the very real GenCon, which I will be missing because Grace and I cannot afford to miss a beat on our descent into poverty (although we will have a house to live in while we are impoverished).

Next Thursday will also be the start of the wholly not real, but no less fun because of that, CatCon2, which we will be attending with our dogs and our ace dogsitter, Sharon.

So, in the wee hours of Saturday morning, we shall climb into our brand new imaginary converted school bus, aka “The Magic Bus”, and head out for beautiful Wilted Springs, Texas and the con.

As I’ve said before, all of you who will miss GenCon are welcome to do your own CatCon2 reports. And those of you who are attending GenCon should visit this LJ for some choice quality faux con reportage and maybe a laugh or two.

Also, GenConners, if you already have my home phone number, give me a call on Saturday or Sunday from the con. After about 3 pm PST either day will probably be best.

Now, it be workin’ time for me.

In Case Of Insanity, Break Glass…LOTS Of Glass

…and kick in a few doors, too

Uncle Doc’s Fun Facts

1: Just in case your Very Naughty Basset Hound ever pulls a bag of semi-frozen chicken thighs off of a kitchen counter and eats at least 6 of them…INCLUDING THE BONES…try not to panic. Turns out, dogs can crunch up and digest raw chicken bones a whole lot easier and safer than most people think. Of course, that still doesn’t mean that your dog should not get a time out for being naughty and gluttonous.

2: Men, when a doctor (let’s say, a urologist) says he’s going to check your prostate gland with his finger, what he means by “finger” is “well greased baseball bat”. Try not to think of the fact that you are PAYING him to do it. Also, when you next see the women in your life, give them their props for putting up with getting their orifices invaded far more regularly and intrusively by doctors than you ever will.

3: It’s that time of year when reading my LJ Friends page gets alot faster due to many of y’all going to GenCon. Have fun, ya bastids! I’ll be getting hammered on Friday night as a show of solidarity with my game industry/hobby pals.

4: I got nothin’ for #4, so I’ll go pick up my antibiotic prescription (who knew a prostate gland could get infected?) and then go to the library to get the latest Harry Dresden novel.

The 75 Ways To Avoid Becoming A Zombie

…if, ya know, you don’t want to be one

The Big GenCon Wrap Up

So, GenCon was fun. Seeing my friends is what the whole going to GenCon thing is about for me and I certainly got to see them. Some more than others, true, but still there was the visiting and the going out to eat and the playing of games and the goofing off. It was all good.

But, as I mentioned earlier, there was a pretty pronounced feeling of disconnection from the actual con itself. It was kinda like I had broken my GenCon going stride…which I had. Let’s see how that happened…

2002: I go to the last GenCon in Milwaukee and, as in the previous decades worth of GenCons, I had a blast.
2003: No GenCon trip due to no money
2004: I go to GenCon, but due to a leg infection I miss 99% of the con. Also, Indianapolis, with it’s foul smelling air and swampy tasting water, fails to impress me.
2005: No GenCon trip because I’m still feeling crappy about the previous trip, Indy and the gaming scene in general. Also, we are flat broke.
2006: No GenCon trip, despite having the money, because I had sworn not to go until 2007

So, as you can see, I basically missed 5 years of GenCon. thus was my stride broken. But wait, there’s more. Part of the disconnect had to do with the con itself.

See, GenCon has gotten humongous. Enormously, giganticly, con that ate Indy humongous. It has filled the convention center (which is pretty friggin’ huge) and spilled out into about 6 hotels. Hell, it’s Indy’s third largest convention…and Indy hosts a bunch of conventions.

And there’s the deal. In 5 years, GenCon has morphed into a con I didn’t really recognize. True, alot of the con (card games, wargames, computer games, RPGA, LARPs) has never held much appeal to me, but now there’s more of everything and it’s all bigger then ever. Shit, it took 2 days for me to really see all of the Dealer’s Room.

Plus there is the fact that I’m scarcely a year out of nearly 5 years of gaming malaise and still not easily excited by most RPG products.

And going there without Grace…and not having my pal Spike there for the first time ever…and staying alone in a hotel for the first time at a con…all added to things.

Anyway, it all just sort of blindsided me this time around. In some ways, it was like losing my big con virginity all over again.

So, you ask after reading this whinefest, will it be better next year? Well, I doubt it, because barring a lottery win, I doubt I’ll be going next year. 2009 should be a go, but in 2008 I’ll most likely be reading your con reports about it.

And that was my GenCon 2007.

Next con: DunDraCon in February, where I’ll run my 19th annual TOON game.

On The Subject Of Golden Haired Faeries

…and their wild ways

GenCon 2007: Another One Bites The Dust

Went to a couple of writers seminars.

Bought the new version of Og, which rocks.

Bought some dice for My Sweet Little Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrel Of Cuteness.

Cruised most of the con area within the convention center (which is by no means all of the con area, since shit goes on in several hotels, too) and took some pix.

Said goodbye to several of my gaming buds…until next year or DunDraCon, whichever comes first.

Ran a game of Og tonight, to much acclaim and laughter. Not quite as frenetic as other Og games I’ve been part of, but a loopy fun game nonetheless.

Finally saw the end (and special features) of Call of Cthulu, due to my best pal avylou buying the DVD, which we watched on her laptop.

My flight out tomorrow is not until nearly noon. I’ll be back in Casa del Basset Hound by 5:00 pm. Possibly more bloggage then, but more likely on Tuesday morning.

The Fantastic Adventure Of Doctor Tempest Versus The Dragon Sorceror

…from the August, 1897 issue

Quick GenCon Stuff

Flight to Indy went ok, tho lack of sleep kicked my ass.

Checked into Sheraton hotel, rested, then visited with friends.

Went into Dealer’s Room today, came out $200.00 poorer, but bearing cool goodies.

Said Dealer’s Room is roughly the size of Ecuador. Feet and legs nearly worn out by closing time.

Saw many old gaming pals while in the above humongous Dealer’s Room.

Played in a Savage World’s game here in my friend’s room. Action packed and mucho fun.

Tomorrow: visit the zoo, take in more of the con (including seminars), run one of my patented cool freeform games, maybe drink beer, definitely eat a good meal.

I miss Grace and The Girls, but they are doing fine at home, so I’m not worrying.

More convention updatage possible tomorrow.

The Rare And Beautiful Farting Marmoset Of Potawango Island

…beautiful, but very flatulent

I got up at 5:30 this morning, in hopes that I’ll be so tired when my flight to GenCon leaves that I’ll be able to snooze during the trip. And that includes catnapping during my 2 hour layover in Texas.

Will my plan work? Stay tuned…oh, wait…I won’t be blogging from the con, since I’m leaving my trusty laptop at home. Well then, tune in next Monday night:)