"A Slice of Blackwoods" is entirely finished now, down to the last detail, except for a playtest and some tweaking that'll come out of that playtest. So I pulled out my "Dance of Pairs" notes and started piecing things together, then expanded a bit on what I had, and was surprised to see how close I am to being finished with that one as well. All I need to do is finish writing two player handouts, make the actual character sheets (I already have the character stats done) and go over everything to make sure all of the characters have enough "bangs" to keep events moving, and that one'll be ready for playtest as well.
Since I'm doing so much of my writing in bits and pieces away from home, and can't do the rest of "Dance of Pairs" anywhere but home, I started thinking ahead to what I wanted to do next. I decided to work on another In Nomine story (probably involving Eli, the missing archangel of creativity), and started looking through my books, but wasn't finding any inspiration. I gave up for the night, feeling a little discouraged.
I woke up uncharacteristically early the next day (Saturday), bursting with ideas that had nothing to do with Eli, and wrote everything down before I could forget it. Before I was done about an hour and a half later, I had notes for two different In Nomine scenarios, a quality short segment for TOON, and a much-improved version of an earlier long-form idea I'd had for TOON. So now I have more than enough to work with for a while.
I guess the archangel of creativity wasn't ready to have his story told yet, and decided that constructively distracting me was the best way to handle it. :-)
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Meditation
I've been meditating twice a day for the last couple of weeks, more or less steadily. I have to admit that something will get in the way every couple of days. I'm certainly more relaxed than I've ever been, and there were a few days when I found myself with this amazing charge of extra energy. I'd like to be able to duplicate that on a regular basis, but I don't know quite how I did it yet.
I'm looking forward to trying some of the more advanced techniques I've been reading about in my books, but I know I'm not ready for them yet. I don't have even the basics down. That said, early results are encouraging, and I'm anxious to see if I can continue to improve.
I'm looking forward to trying some of the more advanced techniques I've been reading about in my books, but I know I'm not ready for them yet. I don't have even the basics down. That said, early results are encouraging, and I'm anxious to see if I can continue to improve.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Saturday Night at the Movies
I still haven't gotten around to signing up for Netflix, because I keep thinking I don't have enough time to watch the movies. Then we end up going to my father-in-law's place and realize that renting movies is a better option than depending on what's on television, so we stop and pick up something on the way there. The choice gets to be complicated because our tastes are so divergent that we have one heck of a time figuring out what to rent that at least one of us will truly enjoy and the others can at least tolerate.
We've learned that a certain narrow field of martial arts films works for all of us. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a prime example of what works, and Hero worked well enough. We need something with enough action to keep my father-in-law happy, enough plot/character to keep me happy, and enough artistically pleasing shot composition to keep my wife happy.
One of last weekend's rentals, Jet Li's Fearless, was a moderate success. It was no Crouching Tiger, but not much is. It's a good martial arts film if you like that sort of thing, but I wouldn't recommend it to a more general audience.
We also rented the western comedy Bandidas with Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek. Honestly, I didn't expect much of it, but I knew there'd be a visual element that would appeal to my father-in-law and I, and I hoped that the comedy would be executed well enough to keep my wife happy. She was actually the one who pulled it off the shelf as a suggestion. At the end of the film, she exclaimed "Cute!", so I'd call that a success, and a reasonably accurate one word review. I'd recommend it only to fans of the two lovely ladies starring in it or people who really enjoy watching bits with remarkably intelligent horses, but it's an inoffensive enough PG-13 movie for anyone who has to sit through it for the benefit of someone else who really wants to see it. It's the "buddy film" version of Cat Ballou.
Our third choice was a reach that didn't pay off. Ghost of Mae Nak was a Thai ghost story, also picked by my wife. It felt longer than the 103 minute running time, and I laughed out loud at some of the "scary" parts. Mystery Science Theater would've had a blast with this one. This is a shining example of why I need Netflix, which is so I'm not paying an individual price when we try something off the beaten path and it turns out badly. Highly not recommended.
We've learned that a certain narrow field of martial arts films works for all of us. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a prime example of what works, and Hero worked well enough. We need something with enough action to keep my father-in-law happy, enough plot/character to keep me happy, and enough artistically pleasing shot composition to keep my wife happy.
One of last weekend's rentals, Jet Li's Fearless, was a moderate success. It was no Crouching Tiger, but not much is. It's a good martial arts film if you like that sort of thing, but I wouldn't recommend it to a more general audience.
We also rented the western comedy Bandidas with Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek. Honestly, I didn't expect much of it, but I knew there'd be a visual element that would appeal to my father-in-law and I, and I hoped that the comedy would be executed well enough to keep my wife happy. She was actually the one who pulled it off the shelf as a suggestion. At the end of the film, she exclaimed "Cute!", so I'd call that a success, and a reasonably accurate one word review. I'd recommend it only to fans of the two lovely ladies starring in it or people who really enjoy watching bits with remarkably intelligent horses, but it's an inoffensive enough PG-13 movie for anyone who has to sit through it for the benefit of someone else who really wants to see it. It's the "buddy film" version of Cat Ballou.
Our third choice was a reach that didn't pay off. Ghost of Mae Nak was a Thai ghost story, also picked by my wife. It felt longer than the 103 minute running time, and I laughed out loud at some of the "scary" parts. Mystery Science Theater would've had a blast with this one. This is a shining example of why I need Netflix, which is so I'm not paying an individual price when we try something off the beaten path and it turns out badly. Highly not recommended.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
RPG Activity
I've re-started the home GURPS Firefly campaign, and it's going well. I ran the first season last year, and it was essentially about the characters coming together as a crew and getting to know each other. There were some nice elements, but we lacked the dangerous edge that River Tam's situation brought to the source material.
The start of our second season remedied that. In what was originally planned to be the first season finale, we had a player character death (sacrificing himself to save another) and the player crew wreaking havoc on an Alliance military ship in an attempt to rescue two kids who ultimately weren't even on that ship. The two kids had psi potential and had been taken involuntarily by two of the Blue Hands. They were actually on another ship, but the players didn't know that at the time.
The second session of season two completed the rescue after the crew found where the kids had actually been taken. But now they've got a huge target painted on their backs after these two incidents and we now have the edge I'd hoped would develop. The next few sessions should be lively.
On the convention front, this is going to be the leanest year I've had in ages. I had to cancel going to the private convention this month due to personal issues, and was unable to get the time away from work to go to DexCon in its entirety (though I'll still go Saturday/Sunday). I'm only running three games at GenCon. I'm skipping MEPACon in the spring, and probably in the fall as well. PoliCon is going to be the usual single day for me. Maybe next year will be more promising.
I'll be running "A Slice of Blackwoods" for GURPS Banestorm, "Controlling Interest" for GURPS Cabal, and "Rumspringa" for In Nomine at DexCon. I'll be running "A Slice of Blackwoods" for GURPS Banestorm, my old favorite "Lilim Faire" for In Nomine, and "Well Being" for Sorcerer for GenCon. I plan to run "Rumspringa" for In Nomine for PoliCon.
On the positive side, I won't need as much material this year as in years past. "A Slice of Blackwoods" is essentially done, though I'm still finishing some details of the character sheets such as personal equipment. Creatively, I'm working on "A Dance of Pairs" for Sorcerer, which is largely done except for actually statting out the characters, but that's easy to do with Sorcerer and I won't need it this year anyway. I plan to keep writing, because it's what I do, and a little inventory is a Good Thing. After "A Dance of Pairs", I'll most likely write the next installment of the GURPS Cabal series and another In Nomine scenario, but I'm also itching to write more Paranoia and would like to try out Mortal Coil as well. There's just never enough time to write everything I want to do.
The start of our second season remedied that. In what was originally planned to be the first season finale, we had a player character death (sacrificing himself to save another) and the player crew wreaking havoc on an Alliance military ship in an attempt to rescue two kids who ultimately weren't even on that ship. The two kids had psi potential and had been taken involuntarily by two of the Blue Hands. They were actually on another ship, but the players didn't know that at the time.
The second session of season two completed the rescue after the crew found where the kids had actually been taken. But now they've got a huge target painted on their backs after these two incidents and we now have the edge I'd hoped would develop. The next few sessions should be lively.
On the convention front, this is going to be the leanest year I've had in ages. I had to cancel going to the private convention this month due to personal issues, and was unable to get the time away from work to go to DexCon in its entirety (though I'll still go Saturday/Sunday). I'm only running three games at GenCon. I'm skipping MEPACon in the spring, and probably in the fall as well. PoliCon is going to be the usual single day for me. Maybe next year will be more promising.
I'll be running "A Slice of Blackwoods" for GURPS Banestorm, "Controlling Interest" for GURPS Cabal, and "Rumspringa" for In Nomine at DexCon. I'll be running "A Slice of Blackwoods" for GURPS Banestorm, my old favorite "Lilim Faire" for In Nomine, and "Well Being" for Sorcerer for GenCon. I plan to run "Rumspringa" for In Nomine for PoliCon.
On the positive side, I won't need as much material this year as in years past. "A Slice of Blackwoods" is essentially done, though I'm still finishing some details of the character sheets such as personal equipment. Creatively, I'm working on "A Dance of Pairs" for Sorcerer, which is largely done except for actually statting out the characters, but that's easy to do with Sorcerer and I won't need it this year anyway. I plan to keep writing, because it's what I do, and a little inventory is a Good Thing. After "A Dance of Pairs", I'll most likely write the next installment of the GURPS Cabal series and another In Nomine scenario, but I'm also itching to write more Paranoia and would like to try out Mortal Coil as well. There's just never enough time to write everything I want to do.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
When to Pull the Car Keys
This is a problem that most people have to face in some form, sooner or later. Dad (or Mom) is getting older, and you're not so sure it's safe for them to drive anymore. On one hand, you don't want to take away their dignity and independence, and you're certainly not crazy about taking on the task of driving them around wherever they need to go. On the other hand, you wouldn't want them to get injured (or injure somebody else) in a car accident because you didn't want to face the uncomfortable discussion regarding the fact that they can't drive as well as they once could and it's time to give it up. There's just no easy solution here.
My father-in-law is reaching the stage where this is becoming a question. He insists he's okay to drive, and we're not as sure. He's allowed us to do some driving for him here and there, under specific conditions and for specific reasons, but he continues to talk about when he'll be driving again. It's not as though his driving skills have evaporated overnight; it's just the usual slow deterioration we all face in the long run.
In my work as a claims adjuster, I see a disproportionate number of elderly and teen drivers in accidents. It's a fact of life. In some cases, the accident is the wake-up call that some of these elderly needed to show them that it's time to stop driving. In others, the elderly driver will argue with me about how they haven't had an accident in fifty years of driving, so damn it, this accident can't be their fault. One particular case I had recently was an elderly man who insisted that the teenage driver of the other car hadn't had her headlights on, because if she had, he would've seen her car and not pulled out in front of her from the stop sign. There were two independent witnesses and a police officer at the scene all saying that she did have her headlights on, and his response to that was that all of them clearly knew the teen driver and it was all a conspiracy against him. I'm not making this up; he was really in that much of a state of denial. The fact is, he simply didn't see her and made a mistake. You don't have to be elderly to make that mistake, but when your vision and reflexes aren't what they used to be, it's a lot more likely to happen.
I'd like to see mandatory driver's tests for the elderly, past a certain age. It's one thing for a son or daughter to have to explain to Dad or Mom that it's time to put away the car keys, and another thing entirely when the law says it's time. Too often, it takes an accident to decide the issue, and somebody gets hurt or killed. I realize that politicians are unlikely to take this stand, because they'd lose a lot of elderly votes by doing it, but I wish someone would do the right thing. I know it's easy enough for me to say this, as I'm nowhere near that age, and I'm going to be as reluctant as anyone to give up those keys and a measure of independence when the time comes, but I'd prefer it to being responsible for injuring or killing someone (or myself).
My father-in-law is reaching the stage where this is becoming a question. He insists he's okay to drive, and we're not as sure. He's allowed us to do some driving for him here and there, under specific conditions and for specific reasons, but he continues to talk about when he'll be driving again. It's not as though his driving skills have evaporated overnight; it's just the usual slow deterioration we all face in the long run.
In my work as a claims adjuster, I see a disproportionate number of elderly and teen drivers in accidents. It's a fact of life. In some cases, the accident is the wake-up call that some of these elderly needed to show them that it's time to stop driving. In others, the elderly driver will argue with me about how they haven't had an accident in fifty years of driving, so damn it, this accident can't be their fault. One particular case I had recently was an elderly man who insisted that the teenage driver of the other car hadn't had her headlights on, because if she had, he would've seen her car and not pulled out in front of her from the stop sign. There were two independent witnesses and a police officer at the scene all saying that she did have her headlights on, and his response to that was that all of them clearly knew the teen driver and it was all a conspiracy against him. I'm not making this up; he was really in that much of a state of denial. The fact is, he simply didn't see her and made a mistake. You don't have to be elderly to make that mistake, but when your vision and reflexes aren't what they used to be, it's a lot more likely to happen.
I'd like to see mandatory driver's tests for the elderly, past a certain age. It's one thing for a son or daughter to have to explain to Dad or Mom that it's time to put away the car keys, and another thing entirely when the law says it's time. Too often, it takes an accident to decide the issue, and somebody gets hurt or killed. I realize that politicians are unlikely to take this stand, because they'd lose a lot of elderly votes by doing it, but I wish someone would do the right thing. I know it's easy enough for me to say this, as I'm nowhere near that age, and I'm going to be as reluctant as anyone to give up those keys and a measure of independence when the time comes, but I'd prefer it to being responsible for injuring or killing someone (or myself).
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
John, Trish, and the Boy go to Houston
Trish and I first met when I was running games at a single day game convention many years ago. As it turned out, she'd signed up for all three of the RPG events I was running that day without realizing they were all run by the same person. I said at the time that we'd either be close friends or bitter enemies by the end of the day because we'd be spending so much time together, and as it happens, we became friends, having very similar tastes in RPGs. Trish turned up in some of my conventions sessions after that. I met her husband John along the way, though we didn't know each other well at the time.
Years passed, and John and Trish moved close to where I lived. The Boy had joined their family by then. Trish couldn't play as often as she used to, but John and I spent a lot more time together and expanded the scope of the games we played together. I'm more of a roleplaying game guy, and John is more of a tactician (though he runs one hell of a game of Paranoia), but we each enjoyed what the other brought to the table. John joined Steve Jackson Games' Men In Black program (of which I was already a member), and we went to a lot of conventions together. We played many a vicious Magic: the Gathering duel.
We all went to MEPACon together a couple of times, Trish and the Boy included, which added flavor to the mix. I'm sure we'll stay in touch, and that I'll see John at game conventions in the future, but we probably won't get to do it quite that way again.
I enjoy going to the local minor league hockey team's games, but my wife doesn't. John isn't a sports fan, but Trish is, so she became my hockey buddy, and we went to several games together over the last couple of years.
It was taking a new job that brought John, Trish, and the Boy here, and it's John taking a new job in Houston that's moving them away. I like the symmetry, but I'll miss the time we used to spend together.
Years passed, and John and Trish moved close to where I lived. The Boy had joined their family by then. Trish couldn't play as often as she used to, but John and I spent a lot more time together and expanded the scope of the games we played together. I'm more of a roleplaying game guy, and John is more of a tactician (though he runs one hell of a game of Paranoia), but we each enjoyed what the other brought to the table. John joined Steve Jackson Games' Men In Black program (of which I was already a member), and we went to a lot of conventions together. We played many a vicious Magic: the Gathering duel.
We all went to MEPACon together a couple of times, Trish and the Boy included, which added flavor to the mix. I'm sure we'll stay in touch, and that I'll see John at game conventions in the future, but we probably won't get to do it quite that way again.
I enjoy going to the local minor league hockey team's games, but my wife doesn't. John isn't a sports fan, but Trish is, so she became my hockey buddy, and we went to several games together over the last couple of years.
It was taking a new job that brought John, Trish, and the Boy here, and it's John taking a new job in Houston that's moving them away. I like the symmetry, but I'll miss the time we used to spend together.
Friday, February 16, 2007
I Seek Refuge in the Dharma
My recent Buddhist reading has caused me to re-evaluate much of my life through a different lens. Even if Buddhism per se doesn't pan out for me, it's always good to re-examine what you're doing with your life to decide if it's working for you or if you need to make some changes. I wouldn't consider myself a full-fledged Buddhist at this point, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility that it could happen. My wife has said that's fine with her as long as I don't give up my job, sell our possessions , and start wearing saffron robes all of the time. I've run into some interesting conflicts between Buddhist thought as I understand it versus my life as I've been living it, which could make for some very interesting blog entries in the future.
I've taken up meditation most mornings before work. That's worked out well, as it puts me in a nice, relaxed frame of mind going into my generally stressful work day. I'd like to do it more regularly, but if I'm running behind in getting ready, something has to give. I haven't been doing it on weekends, even though I really should, because I don't feel the need as much when I'm already relaxed. It'd be better to maintain the practice, though, so I may try to change that. My wife has suggested that meditating after work might be more productive, clearing my head after the day, and she has a good point there. I'm considering doing both, for about 15-20 minutes a session to start.
One measure of how any practice is working for you is whether or not it's improved your life. I have to say that my anger management (sometimes a problem at work, if not much elsewhere) has greatly improved, my relationships with people have been better in general, and I'm flat out happier than I've been in some time. I still get upset about things, but I don't stay upset, and that's the main difference. It's hard to stay overly upset when you remember that everything is ultimately temporary, including yourself.
I'm really curious to see what sort of impact, if any, this is going to have on my creative work. Ethical issues have been a huge component of my writing from the very beginning, so that's not going to change, but I suspect the nature of the ethical dilemmas may subtly shift. Others may not even notice the difference, but I might. I'm looking forward to it.
I've taken up meditation most mornings before work. That's worked out well, as it puts me in a nice, relaxed frame of mind going into my generally stressful work day. I'd like to do it more regularly, but if I'm running behind in getting ready, something has to give. I haven't been doing it on weekends, even though I really should, because I don't feel the need as much when I'm already relaxed. It'd be better to maintain the practice, though, so I may try to change that. My wife has suggested that meditating after work might be more productive, clearing my head after the day, and she has a good point there. I'm considering doing both, for about 15-20 minutes a session to start.
One measure of how any practice is working for you is whether or not it's improved your life. I have to say that my anger management (sometimes a problem at work, if not much elsewhere) has greatly improved, my relationships with people have been better in general, and I'm flat out happier than I've been in some time. I still get upset about things, but I don't stay upset, and that's the main difference. It's hard to stay overly upset when you remember that everything is ultimately temporary, including yourself.
I'm really curious to see what sort of impact, if any, this is going to have on my creative work. Ethical issues have been a huge component of my writing from the very beginning, so that's not going to change, but I suspect the nature of the ethical dilemmas may subtly shift. Others may not even notice the difference, but I might. I'm looking forward to it.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Valentine's Day
Interesting day, and a good one. We were hit hard by snow, and started the day with the question of whether or not it was safe to attempt to go to work. The weather reports were saying that the precipitation would stop by around noon, and many businesses were operating on a two hour delay. We ultimately decided to wait until 10 AM and see how things looked at that time. We exchanged Valentine's Day gifts and occupied ourselves until then.
Things didn't look any better at that time. The weather reports still weren't changing, and yet the precipitation seemed to be getting markedly worse. I went outside to scout the situation, finding that the snow was especially wet and heavy, and difficult to shovel. I started shoveling us out, and could only make it to the driveway (never mind getting the driveway itself done), so that put an end to the idea of the idea of going to work today. The snow continued, and we found other things than work to do with our day, reading side by side, shoveling the rest of the way out, getting a few necessary things done around the house, and generally resting.
Nature gave us a Valentine's Day gift. It wasn't the day we'd planned, but we got to spend the day together instead of going to work. Not that the things we have to do at work aren't important, but they'll wait for a day. Sometimes life is good.
Things didn't look any better at that time. The weather reports still weren't changing, and yet the precipitation seemed to be getting markedly worse. I went outside to scout the situation, finding that the snow was especially wet and heavy, and difficult to shovel. I started shoveling us out, and could only make it to the driveway (never mind getting the driveway itself done), so that put an end to the idea of the idea of going to work today. The snow continued, and we found other things than work to do with our day, reading side by side, shoveling the rest of the way out, getting a few necessary things done around the house, and generally resting.
Nature gave us a Valentine's Day gift. It wasn't the day we'd planned, but we got to spend the day together instead of going to work. Not that the things we have to do at work aren't important, but they'll wait for a day. Sometimes life is good.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Diversity
I believe diversity is a Good Thing, but have to laugh at some of the things done in attempts to create diversity, especially in the workplace. The company I'm about to discuss shall remain nameless to protect the not-so-innocent, but the following is factual. For the record, the company involved is not my own employer.
The Company published a diversity-themed calendar this year, with each month featuring a different ethnicity. No problem there. The Company also has a monthly get-together for the employees, where volunteers bring food in, and people who don't usually have reason to interact in the workplace get to spend some time together. Again, there's nothing wrong with that, and it almost certainly helps to reduce territoriality in the workplace.
Here's where things get foolish: An Executive decides that the Company needs to take action to promote diversity in the workplace. Lacking creativity (and probably having a calendar right in front of him/her), that individual decides to make it mandatory that all offices use a diversity theme for the monthly get-togethers, said theme to be based on the ethnicity-of-the-month on the calendar. It has to be mandatory because you don't want someone in one office fussing because another office did "African American" month (just for an example, so feel free to plug in the ethnicity of your choice) and theirs didn't. The Executive also decides to make attendance at the monthly get-together mandatory, which was not previously the case. The reason for this is less clear to me, but I'll assume that there is some good reason. Maybe it was so that nobody felt snubbed because somebody else didn't attend their ethnicity's get-together. The Executive moves on with his/her day, believing the task accomplished.
The problem is that the Executive moved on without thinking this through. Let's say that there is only one person of the ethnicity-of-the-month in an office of approximately sixty people. The food is supposed to be themed to the ethnicity, and what if that one person is literally the only person in the office who knows how to make that food? Is that one person supposed to make enough food for sixty people alone? That doesn't seem right. I suppose that person could recruit help, and might be able to teach others how to make their particular ethnic specialty (assuming preparation doesn't require specialized skills), but you've still put them in charge of the undertaking, like it or not. What if that person has other projects (professional or personal) due this month and doesn't have time right now? Too bad, because you have to go by the calendar!
What if said person happens to be single, living far from family, and doesn't happen to enjoy cooking? I suppose you could order from an appropriately specialized restaurant, if there is one available, but what if there isn't?
What if your particular office just doesn't happen to have anyone of the ethnicity-of-the-month? Who is going to take charge and provide the food? The restaurant option may also apply here, but again, what if there isn't an appropriate one available in your area?
What if there are ethnicities in the office that are not represented on the calendar? As it happens, in the office I'm talking about, there is such a situation. Most ethnicities were covered in the calendar, but not this particular one. So someone is left out who may well have wanted to be involved.
There is a gay/lesbian month on the calendar. What food do you serve for gay/lesbian month? As far as I know, they eat the same food everybody else does.
Lest you think I'm just throwing bricks without suggesting a viable alternative, I do have one. Why not just do a diversity month (or a couple of months) and ask volunteers to bring food representing whatever their particular background happens to be? You should get true diversity out of that without becoming bogged down in a host of ludicrous possibilities.
A little thought could have made this a great idea instead of a bad joke, but obviously somebody couldn't be bothered to think that much.
The Company published a diversity-themed calendar this year, with each month featuring a different ethnicity. No problem there. The Company also has a monthly get-together for the employees, where volunteers bring food in, and people who don't usually have reason to interact in the workplace get to spend some time together. Again, there's nothing wrong with that, and it almost certainly helps to reduce territoriality in the workplace.
Here's where things get foolish: An Executive decides that the Company needs to take action to promote diversity in the workplace. Lacking creativity (and probably having a calendar right in front of him/her), that individual decides to make it mandatory that all offices use a diversity theme for the monthly get-togethers, said theme to be based on the ethnicity-of-the-month on the calendar. It has to be mandatory because you don't want someone in one office fussing because another office did "African American" month (just for an example, so feel free to plug in the ethnicity of your choice) and theirs didn't. The Executive also decides to make attendance at the monthly get-together mandatory, which was not previously the case. The reason for this is less clear to me, but I'll assume that there is some good reason. Maybe it was so that nobody felt snubbed because somebody else didn't attend their ethnicity's get-together. The Executive moves on with his/her day, believing the task accomplished.
The problem is that the Executive moved on without thinking this through. Let's say that there is only one person of the ethnicity-of-the-month in an office of approximately sixty people. The food is supposed to be themed to the ethnicity, and what if that one person is literally the only person in the office who knows how to make that food? Is that one person supposed to make enough food for sixty people alone? That doesn't seem right. I suppose that person could recruit help, and might be able to teach others how to make their particular ethnic specialty (assuming preparation doesn't require specialized skills), but you've still put them in charge of the undertaking, like it or not. What if that person has other projects (professional or personal) due this month and doesn't have time right now? Too bad, because you have to go by the calendar!
What if said person happens to be single, living far from family, and doesn't happen to enjoy cooking? I suppose you could order from an appropriately specialized restaurant, if there is one available, but what if there isn't?
What if your particular office just doesn't happen to have anyone of the ethnicity-of-the-month? Who is going to take charge and provide the food? The restaurant option may also apply here, but again, what if there isn't an appropriate one available in your area?
What if there are ethnicities in the office that are not represented on the calendar? As it happens, in the office I'm talking about, there is such a situation. Most ethnicities were covered in the calendar, but not this particular one. So someone is left out who may well have wanted to be involved.
There is a gay/lesbian month on the calendar. What food do you serve for gay/lesbian month? As far as I know, they eat the same food everybody else does.
Lest you think I'm just throwing bricks without suggesting a viable alternative, I do have one. Why not just do a diversity month (or a couple of months) and ask volunteers to bring food representing whatever their particular background happens to be? You should get true diversity out of that without becoming bogged down in a host of ludicrous possibilities.
A little thought could have made this a great idea instead of a bad joke, but obviously somebody couldn't be bothered to think that much.
GenCon Prep
You know you're enthusiastic about a vacation when you take a day off from work just to plan that vacation. Rooms are hard to come by when 25,000 or so other people want them, too, so I'm planning on getting mine reserved today.
I've long wanted to run something at the Super Bowl of gaming, so I'm going to run a couple of events, but mostly I want to soak in the whole experience, largely in the company of my good friend Dr. Aether. The largest convention I've ever attended was probably about 5,000 people, and the largest one where I've run anything was about 1,200, so this is more than a small step up.
Revising my earlier plan, I'm going to run sessions of Sorcerer ("Well Being"), In Nomine ("Lilim Faire"), and GURPS ("A Slice of Blackwoods"). I'd intended to keep it to two systems because I wanted to limit the number of books I take with me, but couldn't bring myself to choose to get rid of any of the three, for various reasons. I'm not doing much as a Man In Black for Steve Jackson Games, but it'll have to do.
I'm excited to the point where I've lost sleep over planning this. Hopefully that'll stop once I have my room and registration secured.
I've long wanted to run something at the Super Bowl of gaming, so I'm going to run a couple of events, but mostly I want to soak in the whole experience, largely in the company of my good friend Dr. Aether. The largest convention I've ever attended was probably about 5,000 people, and the largest one where I've run anything was about 1,200, so this is more than a small step up.
Revising my earlier plan, I'm going to run sessions of Sorcerer ("Well Being"), In Nomine ("Lilim Faire"), and GURPS ("A Slice of Blackwoods"). I'd intended to keep it to two systems because I wanted to limit the number of books I take with me, but couldn't bring myself to choose to get rid of any of the three, for various reasons. I'm not doing much as a Man In Black for Steve Jackson Games, but it'll have to do.
I'm excited to the point where I've lost sleep over planning this. Hopefully that'll stop once I have my room and registration secured.
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