Shark Bone

Shortly after publishing my previous blog post, I had a major curve ball thrown at me: the company that employed me sold their book of business in the state I work in. I was given the opportunity to take a position at the company that was doing the buying, which I of course took. I didn't have any other options lined up and the job market is pretty rough, to be honest. So, I moved to the new company and it's been a mess. A fun mess, to be sure, but a mess. It is a brand new program and I'm helping to create its shape. No one else at the company can do what I do. For the moment. So, I have a lot of responsibility. A lot of responsibility means a lot of time. I've been dedicating more time and energy to work, which means I have less time and energy for other pursuits. But, I don't see this as a bad thing. For the first time in my life, I'm focusing on my career, really trying to build it into something more than I've ever had, something that could fulfill t...

 This is a Revival! A New Beginning™! A return to what I once was and did and wanted to become. Really, that's all hyperbole. It's been over a year since I've updated this blog and I've done a lot  of soul-searching in that time. My childhood was such that I didn't have an opportunity to figure out who I am and what I want from life until recently, and it's been a long, confusing struggle to understand myself. However, I feel like I've made significant strides, recently! I am more comfortable with myself than I have ever been. I am working on my shortcomings and I have chosen directions in my life that are taking me to places I want to be.  One thing that hasn't  changed is my love for the written word, and my love for stories. I am a forever-GM. I'm constantly running games for my game groups, and rarely get opportunities to play in tabletop roleplaying games. And, to tell the truth, that's the way I like it! I prefer to engage in this hobby by ...

Some months ago, I made a post about a little game called Orpheus, and my desire to run it. And, I pondered what system would be a good fit for it, as I didn't want to use the rules as presented in the actual game books. I ended up going with Fate, creating rules for the characters and their myriad powers and ran it for more than 9 months, and more than half of the adventure with those rules. Boy, was that the wrong call! I admit, we had fun with the game! Some great stories were told and we all enjoyed the time we spent at the table. But, it started to feel flat after that long. The system didn't support the length of play, or the growth we wanted. I eventually mentioned to the group that I wished we had gone with another system, and they enthusiastically suggested we just use the core rules. So, we did. I scrapped the session, last minute, and we sat down to create characters using the old World of Darkness rules, as they are presented in the core book. That, was the right  c...

It’s the morning of the first day of the year. The house is silent; my family is sleeping. I am up early to contemplate my life and what I want to do with this year that stretches out before me, like a field covered in untouched snow. It’s a curious question. I feel like this is a chance to reinvent myself, to be all the things that I’ve always wanted to be! And, yet, why must I wait for an opportunity like this, a new calendar year, to be who I want to be? I should strive for that each and every day. Life is short. Too short. You never know when it will come to an end. It doesn’t matter how healthy or ill you are; the end could come at any moment. Of course, we can’t let that rule the way we live. We still must plan and act as if we will be around for years to come. But, do we? We know we won’t be around forever. Carpe diem, the saying goes. How will I seize the day? How will I live my life this year to maximize the time I have? It’s not a question that has an easy answer, at least...

 Social media started out as a novelty and became something that a good many people can't imagine living without. I use Twitter a lot. I love it. My wife is on Facebook and Instagram constantly, keeping in contact with family and friends, and for her business. My son spends so much time on Instagram and TikTok, that it's a wonder he gets anything else done. Every platform has its issues. They are bad with privacy, or made some changes that suck, or are owned by The Devil™. Everyone has their preferred site, and trash talks the ones they don't like. Yes, I'm generalizing and exaggerating. It's fun. But, the fact remains that no site is perfect. I'm on Twitter. I have been for over a decade. I love that site, I love the people I've met and connected with there. And now, all signs point to its inevitable demise. In my circles, the question of 'Where to Go Next' is being thrown around left and right. People say Mastadon is the place to go. Or Hive. Or… t...

 I have been obsessed with the ocean for… a very long time. "Save The Whales" and "Dolphin Safe" campaigns likely started that love when I was in elementary school, and "Shark Week" fanned the flames, along with making me fall in love with the animals. When I was working the phones in a claims office and trying to decide what I wanted to study and do as a career, marine biology was a serious contender, for awhile. The ocean, its animals, its effects on the Earth, have fascinated me and been of great import to me. However, I'd never made it out to even see the ocean until four years ago. It wasn't until yesterday that I got into the ocean and swam in the surf. It was a lot of fun. Feeling the power of the waves, watching and listening to them come in and out, feeling the ebb and flow of it around me legs, it was wonderful. However… as I was driving back home and marveling at all the sights I'd seen, I realized that this experience has closed a...