And here we go...

So it's been a little while since I've posted.  Funny.  I actually have been doing quite a bit of writing, just not here.

So I wanted to take a moment out and say "Hi".  Work is still busy.  VOC is still racing along...it has its own blog now, you should go check it out.  I'll wait.

Okay, what did you think, pretty cool, no?

Believe it or not...The Jester's Book has been in the blogosphere for almost 6 years, I just never published it.  It kind of hung out in virtual stasis.  Well earlier today, I was going to drop a note on there announcing some thoughts on writing more and somehow, like an old friend, an entire post got written.  I am really thrilled.  I looked back at the ending of Book 2 and realized that scarily...I had written in a gap of time.  I wasn't expecting the gap to be like 9 years...but there it is.  You can go read that now too.  I'm good.  Be here when you get back.

Awesome right?

There are quite a few other things that I plan on putting up here when the time is right.  I will probably fill pages...or drop off the face of the earth again and it will be years before I post again...but since this is my corner of the internet to vandalize...I will.

I can say the following:

I am older, wiser, more balanced then ever, more determined, more focused, and driven than I have been in 35 years.  I have a movie to make, a story to tell, a family to protect, and friends, good friends that I owe my life to.

That's all for now...talk soon?

Mike

All aspects of life are busy.  Literally everything is in 4^th gear right now.  Why am I not stressed about it?

To the history books…work has exploded.  We have more then we have resources available.  We have re-branded our logo and website and that’s about to drop.  We are implementing new standards and operating procedures and there’s a little bit of growing pains.  But in this economy all of this is a blessing.  On the hobby side, Victims of Circumstance is hard charging for a screen near you!  I have lists of lists of things that still need to get done.  It is so exciting.  I just want to see the thing now!  We are some close to sitting in a theater, eating popcorn, laughing about how we met oh so long ago. 

So those two things consume about 90% of my time right now.  I am becoming well versed in legal documents and feel I can just about read them like plain text now.  I don’t know if that is a good thing or not.  My gaming has fallen off due to an unfortunate set of circumstances, I’m hopeful we get back on track in October.  I am out renewing old friendships that I let wither these past 12 years and developing new ones as I go along.  I am finding that I have a much better handle on who I am and what I want to do with my life.  Funny that it would take a series of life altering events to work that out.

Some things that I did not know about myself that I thought I did.

1.)     This may strike some longtime friends of mine as funny, but clearly God has a plan.

2.)    To quote Ronin “When there is doubt, there is no doubt.”  Trust my gut.

3.)    Opportunities are made not granted.

4.)    Try everything in your 20’s.  Leverage what you learned in your 30’s.

5.)    People don’t change.  Don’t try to change them.

6.)    Hope for the best, expect the worst, and you’ll land somewhere in the middle.

7.)    Look at things as though a child.  Innocent and clear.

8.)    Talent is undeniable.

9.)  Learn to identify unbalanced people early and minimize their influence in your life.

So I am wrapping up my little Hallmark greeting card post, but seriously.  What if you weren’t here tomorrow?  What can they say you did?  Who would miss you?  How did you make this world a better place?  I find myself reflecting on these thoughts.  Then I make a plan to get some things done.  If I were to die tomorrow, I know that I will be missed, that I left the world in a better place, and that I am accomplished.  This allows me to sleep at night.

The Joy of 35...

On turning 35…

I thought I would be writing a very different post on turning 35.  It’s not the age mind you but the set of conditions that lead up to the day.

You see I should be dead by now.  But clearly I am not.  So I turn 35 this weekend.  My birthday routinely falls on or very near Labor Day weekend and this year it fell on Sunday, smack dab in the middle.  My weekend plans got totally rearranged on Friday.  So Saturday morning I set off from my apartment on what would become one of the most perfect 48+ hour periods of my life.  I saw old family, worked with new family, I saw old friends, I saw new friends, I talked to great friends, I heard from friends very far and very much missed.  I got fed, I got a little baked, a little burnt, a little pickled, and a little wet.  And no, I am not going to elaborate.  You’ll have to sort out which is which and in what order.  I have been blessed to have some many people reach out to me and their love and support is amazing.  So, a year ago I was very retrospective, this year I find myself focused squarely on the future. 

I am fortunate to have the people in my life that I have.  I am wiser now and can see the joy of removing the “crazy” from my life.  I am blessed to love the work that I do and be surrounded by innovative like-minded professionals.

So yesterday I turned 35.  I feel like I am 25 and have truly enjoyed this benchmark in life.  I cannot wait to post at 36.  Thank you everyone.  Words cannot convey the joy you’ve brought to my heart.

VOC

A TPK inspires me to do my homework.

Four different events have conspired to bring me to this blog post.

First of all, my usually gaming group (from whom I have been absent these many months) experienced an ATPK (Almost Total Party Kill). The DM graciously allowed the newest player’s character to escape unseen in the fog of battle.

Secondly, Heroes of the Shadowfell arrived on the bookshelves of my favorite hobby store and found its way into my hands.

Thirdly, I was listening to an old Podcast where we were discussing a training aid I used, my 4th Edition Class Matrix. To recap, I had to break down all of the classes into a matrix so I could visualize the roles and power sources of the party composition. In hindsight I guess I should have shared that our party was way too Striker heavy….oh wait, we knew that….probably the reason they are rolling up new characters. Oh well…

And fourthly, I (in my slightly anal retentive way) wanted to update the Class Matrix to add the new Shadow Power source material, which vexed me…because I was confused by several things. So I crack open Google Docs and open up my Class Matrix and start typing away. Then I jump over to the D&D Compendium just to check myself and the search result comes back with 60 class results. So I browse the list and immediately see that they count all of the Hybridizations as classes, so I discount those. Then I notice some name I did not recognize like, Mage, Scout, Hunter, Knight, Cavalier, Hexblade, Thief, and Warpriest. I started to discount them a sub builds or pre-generated solutions for the Essentials books. But then I checked them and started noticing that the sub builds of the Ranger, the Scout and Hunter did not fall into the Martial Striker box. The Scout leans in more of a Primal direction and the Hunter is not a Striker at all…it’s a Martial Controller. What the hell?

Brief aside here…I have actively campaigned for a Martial Controller and have built a few protypes….but for WotC to not only build one but then slip it in to a product I ignored is shocking!

So there you have it…the Matrix is full and pretty well balanced. There are some Role/Source intersections that are overpopulated but I suspect that is because they are iconic and the designers wanted everyone to have a taste of them. What have I learn from this? Well it reinforces my belief that 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons is a terminal edition for the brand. I believe that the Matrix of classes and power sources is an End of Life choice so that they can continue to add accessories without rebuilding the fundamental mechanics of the game. Also, when the Essentials Line was launched I was unclear about its intention and direction. I now believe that it is aptly named “Essentials” because it establishes iconic playable archtypes. Interestingly WotC was retconned the names of the base classes from PHB1. You can no longer play a "wizard", "rogue", "fighter", or "cleric". To see the new names, sign up for DDI and check it out!

The Green Bee…..

What the hell? Okay so anyone following the trials and tribulations of The Green Hornet will know that it is a miracle that this movie ever got made. That being said, there is a ton of conflicting blog vomit on the subject. Being a movie consumer myself here is where I come down on the Green Hornet.

Overall this would have been a good, if forgettable summer blockbuster. I probably would have done pretty well too. I don’t know if it would have made enough to justify a sequel, but maybe. It really falls down in one area twice.

It is Seth Rogan’s take on Brit Reid. Brit is written as an idiot. Seriously think remake of Billy Madison, well not far off at least. He is a little kid trapped in a man’s body. Now that would be okay is that was the beginning of Brit development arc. Unfortunately, it isn’t. It is the beginning, middle and almost until the end, more like a short line then an arc. I have to say that I had no investment in Brit the character and grew more disappointed in Rogan as the movie wore on.

On the other hand, the visual style of the film I liked quite a lot. Also, Kato is far more interesting then previously described. I really like Jay Chou’s take on the valet/mechanic/body guard. I even liked the over the top villain of Chodnofsky. Straight out of the pages maniacal. And of course the gadgets were really fun. And yes there are a couple of laugh out loud moments, but all in all not enough to make this a successful movie. I would hope that if by some amazing feat a sequel does get green-lit that Rogan and company take a deeper look at Brit Reid’s motivations for being the Green Hornet.

Rogan phoned it in, but the rest of the gang are worth seeing.

Part time Sorceress, Full time married?

I will admit that my online presence has been lacking of late. I have practically de-Facebooked myself. A long time has past since I checked in on myspace. I feel that I have de-linked myself in. And all in all have not been very successful in updating this little piece of happiness. So would it does not come as a surprise that a friend announced her recent engagement on Facebook and I missed it.

So last night I had a couple of prime minutes when I should have been headed to my bed and instead decided to check in on all of my Facebook friends. I am cruising through my news feed and I catch this comment that read something like “Holy Crap! Hell just froze over!”. No, not really it was more along the lines of “Congrats, you two make a wonderful couple!” And who is this fortunate soul? None other then the Infamous author Shelly Mazzanoble. Those of you who frequent Barnes & Noble shoppers have probably ripped off one of her books.

Now Shelly is one of those people that you instantly like once you have talked to her for more than 18 seconds. But if you read her book or follow her blog you would think she is a complete nut. I will encapsulate the literary Shelly for you: A frantic, Hasbro employed vegan who has serious issues with both her mother and her cat (a battle which I fear she is losing on 2 fronts). Should you ever have an opportunity to interview her or hang out with her on a convention floor she is none of those things. I personally believe she leaves those neuroses in Washington State. She is sweet, remembers pretty much everything, generous with her time, engaging and smart as a tack. So I was thrilled when I heard she had found someone who was willing to do battle with her cat (and I presume Mother, but I could be wrong on that second account.)

Which leads me back to the beginning of my post, about her getting engaged and hearing about it belatedly through Facebook. It makes me wonder…what did we do before we posted our entire lives online and subjected ourselves to comment and criticism?

Congrats Shelly!