Made it back to the Big 'O' this morning around 10am. The Eldest and I went to Canon to see my sister off on her next stage of her adventure. She is moving to Seattle area and since everyone was going to be near by we did an early Thanksgiving. The trip out was fine, left nice and early, but the return we got off late and given the bad fog I was tired by Grand Island and we had to stop and get a hotel room.
It was good to see everyone, in fact I saw some old friends I hadn't seen in years. Matt was a great buddy in High School and he is in Denver and sees my folks once every few months or so. He is looking at a conversion to civil service, like I did, but for DoE. I think he would be happy with the time off benefits as he is still big into shooting and know is into Dragon Boat Racing! How cool is that? It was great to see him.
Plus I got to see Jeff who is a part owner/brewmaster at McCleallan's Grill & Bar. I couldn't have the beer, but I was told it was as good as always.
Only gaming I got in was one game of Race for the Galaxy as a learner, one Pandemic, and a few games of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cribbage.
Not sure what gaming is planned for the weekend, but I did get my Weird War II book for the Savage Worlds system... Looks pretty interesting and will be useful if I can pull together a Weird War II campaign.
jp
Are we there yet?
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Monday, November 23, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
On the road again...
I feel like a zombie now... Three time zones in three nights. My body is just phhhhtttt!
Finished up Seattle trip with a visit to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame and Museum and the Experience Music Project. It was one of the coolest museum trips I have taken. I could have spent another hour or so looking it was that neat. You got to see alot of the cool props used from the early days of Sci-fi TV up to the glory days of 70's campy shows (Buck Rodgers anyone?) and into some of the more modern shows/movies. They have Captain Kirk's original chair from the Enterprise, which in person, looks like it has seen better days. In fact almost all the Star Trek props were pretty low class, given that the TV resolution was so poor and with proper camera angles, it didn't really matter too much.
Later that day we went to the Geek Chic warehouse and I met Robert and his family that my buddy JC is a partner with. Didn't get to see any complete tables, but I did get a chance to spy The Alexandria Codex which is a nice piece of wood working. They, as a whole, are doing very well and are working feverishly to get caught up on back orders. Robert was a nice guy with a lot of contacts in the gaming world.
Friday night we had dinner at JC's families house then played a few games of Pandemic with his kids. Good games, but I was getting tired so we broke at about 930. Here are the highlights of Sunday to today...
0300 Pacific Time - Get Up
0400 Pacific Time - Drop off Rental
0600 Pacific Time - Get on Plane
1230 Central Time - Get home
0450 Central Time - Get up at home
0615 Central Time - Start the Filthy Fifty*
0625 Central Time - Regret starting the Filthy Fifty
0652 Central Time - Finish Filthy Fifty
0730 Central Time - Get to work and check 50+ emails
1200 Central Time - Head to Airport
1330 Central Time - Get on Plane
1900 Eastern Time - Get to Maryland
2000 Eastern Time - Eat a crab cake at G&M
2100 Eastern Time - Return to G&M to get jacket left behind GRR!
2130 Eastern Time - Arrive at Hotel and check in and watch Broncos loose... Stupid Broncos
0030 Eastern Time - Crash
0700 Eastern Time - Get up and do 5K on treadmill (36:36 is a good time for me!)
0830 Eastern Time - Update Blog!
I don't think I have any other business travel for a week or so.
*Last thing. The Filthy Fifty. My god. The cool aid drinking Crossfit guys are just insane. Our Monday work out was 50 of the following: Box Jumps, Jump Pull-Ups, Kettle Bell Swings, Push Press w/ bar, Knees to elbows, Wall Ball (throw 12# ball 10' on wall and catch in squat), burpees (don't ask!), double unders (jump rope with two passes for each jump.) I was beat. Still sore.
Well... I've got to hit the shower. More later!
jp
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
Finished up Seattle trip with a visit to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame and Museum and the Experience Music Project. It was one of the coolest museum trips I have taken. I could have spent another hour or so looking it was that neat. You got to see alot of the cool props used from the early days of Sci-fi TV up to the glory days of 70's campy shows (Buck Rodgers anyone?) and into some of the more modern shows/movies. They have Captain Kirk's original chair from the Enterprise, which in person, looks like it has seen better days. In fact almost all the Star Trek props were pretty low class, given that the TV resolution was so poor and with proper camera angles, it didn't really matter too much.
Later that day we went to the Geek Chic warehouse and I met Robert and his family that my buddy JC is a partner with. Didn't get to see any complete tables, but I did get a chance to spy The Alexandria Codex which is a nice piece of wood working. They, as a whole, are doing very well and are working feverishly to get caught up on back orders. Robert was a nice guy with a lot of contacts in the gaming world.
Friday night we had dinner at JC's families house then played a few games of Pandemic with his kids. Good games, but I was getting tired so we broke at about 930. Here are the highlights of Sunday to today...
0300 Pacific Time - Get Up
0400 Pacific Time - Drop off Rental
0600 Pacific Time - Get on Plane
1230 Central Time - Get home
0450 Central Time - Get up at home
0615 Central Time - Start the Filthy Fifty*
0625 Central Time - Regret starting the Filthy Fifty
0652 Central Time - Finish Filthy Fifty
0730 Central Time - Get to work and check 50+ emails
1200 Central Time - Head to Airport
1330 Central Time - Get on Plane
1900 Eastern Time - Get to Maryland
2000 Eastern Time - Eat a crab cake at G&M
2100 Eastern Time - Return to G&M to get jacket left behind GRR!
2130 Eastern Time - Arrive at Hotel and check in and watch Broncos loose... Stupid Broncos
0030 Eastern Time - Crash
0700 Eastern Time - Get up and do 5K on treadmill (36:36 is a good time for me!)
0830 Eastern Time - Update Blog!
I don't think I have any other business travel for a week or so.
*Last thing. The Filthy Fifty. My god. The cool aid drinking Crossfit guys are just insane. Our Monday work out was 50 of the following: Box Jumps, Jump Pull-Ups, Kettle Bell Swings, Push Press w/ bar, Knees to elbows, Wall Ball (throw 12# ball 10' on wall and catch in squat), burpees (don't ask!), double unders (jump rope with two passes for each jump.) I was beat. Still sore.
Well... I've got to hit the shower. More later!
jp
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Zombies on the road
Out in Seattle area since Thursday and spent Friday night and today with an old collage buddy. We went to Zombieland last night and had a great time. The movie was very funny and the graphic nature was so over the top as to make it comical. I only jumped once, when the clown came under the bathroom stall. Stupid clown.
I thought that Emma Stone did a good job as did the entire cast. Woody Harrelson, playing the lovable brute, his strength, was funny as well.
After the movie, Julian broke out some old stuff he has held since college and returned my old copy of Top Secret and Champions `1st edition. Wow... Talk about old school. We had a great Top Secret campaign going in college where I remember running gun battles in the African jungle. Good times. :)
This afternoon we are off to the Science Fiction and Music Experience museum. I'll post more about how that has gone later, but it should be pretty cool.
jp
Rule #4 - Double Tap
I thought that Emma Stone did a good job as did the entire cast. Woody Harrelson, playing the lovable brute, his strength, was funny as well.
After the movie, Julian broke out some old stuff he has held since college and returned my old copy of Top Secret and Champions `1st edition. Wow... Talk about old school. We had a great Top Secret campaign going in college where I remember running gun battles in the African jungle. Good times. :)
This afternoon we are off to the Science Fiction and Music Experience museum. I'll post more about how that has gone later, but it should be pretty cool.
jp
Rule #4 - Double Tap
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Boston Day II
The SANS course continues the fire hose approach. Today we discussed some delightful topics as attack vectors, Defense in Depth, and Access Control.... MMMmmm... Access Control... The good part it is Richard Northcutt that is teaching the class and the man is a very entertaining speaker.
Last night I went 1-3 with RftG vs. the robot. I'll update the stats later. I hate that robot.
For dinner I went down to China Town (Short walk) and had a very good spicy seafood soup. The fish, shrimp, scallops, tofu, and crab were all good. The squid was OK, but the octopus was a bit tough, especially for my pouch. I did sneak some kimchi, even though I shouldn't be having any leafy veggies at the moment, but it was good. We shall see what it does to my system.
To treat myself (not sure for what) I went to the biggest of corporate schmucks, Starbucks, and got a no nothing coffee for desert.
Looking forward to dinner tomorrow and getting home early.
jp
MMMmmm... Access Control...
Monday, August 3, 2009
Greetings from Bean Town
Hey,
Day one of the SANS course under my belt and talk about the fire hose. Each day has 125 page book that accompanies the lectures. Start at 9am, they bring in lunch, and we keep going until 5pm. The good news is that I don't have to test this weekend, in fact they won't let me, and I'll have to arrange the test for a later time within the next three months... Which is good. Trying to change the flights to get my butt home a tad earlier...
I walked down to Quincy Hall and got some food for dinner, some Indian food I've been craving lately. It wasn't bad, but not great. Looking forward to Wednesday when I go out with The Other Half's sister and brother in-law for dinner at a nice restaurant, The Union Oyster House. It looks like a great menu, even if it is a tad expensive, but hey, when your on the coast only occasionally, you go to try the seafood, besides, I'm on Per Diem. I know my eyes are going to be bigger then my stomach... I hope the family won't mind left overs! I'll post a review on my successful return.
That is about it for now. Not alot of gaming going. When I finish this up, I'll break out Race for the Galaxy, especially since I don't have to study for the exam right away.
jp
Not as panicked
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Trip In Progress Report
Greetings from the east coast. Spent the day yesterday in the DC area and had a good meeting. Meeting today was in Maryland as is the conference I am at the rest of the week so I transplanted hotels. I read most of the good parts of the Player's Handbook 2 on the plane on Sunday and thought I would give you my quick thoughts on the product.
Races: Much has been written in better blogs then mine on the new core races for D&D. For my part, I think they are pretty good and diverse adds to the mix. If I had to pick my favorite I would have to say the Half Orc was the one that I enjoyed the most and wouldn't mind playing. He would make an excellent rouge. On the other end of the scale is the Shifters. In fact Shifters are the only other race I just don't get. Maybe it is the art, but they look like Furries. Below is my rank listing, top to bottom, of the new additions.
What would have been a great add to the classes for me is the Monk. Not sure how, or if, WotC is going to add the Monk type. Will they make him a divine power or will we see a new power source a'la Primal. Can you say 'Ka' anyone? How that would unfold is beyond me.
The rest of my free time on his trip has been me getting my butt handed to me by the damn robot player in the solo version of Race for the Galaxy. Each game takes about 15-20 mins or so. I played a total of 13 games over two nights in the hotel room. The score so far is Robot 9 wins, JP 4 wins. Stupid Robot. What makes it worst if you total the VP's up (yes I am tracking that! Shesh!) it is 503 to 446... Advantage Robot. Like I said. Stupid Robot. The key seems that you have to create the end condition quickly, not allowing the Robot's culture counter to increase and that can be problematic if you just don't have the cards. I did have a cool combo by selling cards, I was getting 10 cards a sell of with all the bonuses, but the ability to sell off a card in the consume phase as well. I had to discard 12 cards to get back to 10 in one turn!
I had a bit of time and I swung by the GW store in a mall here in Maryland. I hadn't been in one in a long time. They were pushing hard for the War of the Ring, and even made the comment that the infantry trays were going like hotcakes and they were having a hard time keeping up.
Anyways, I'll post more on the Me vs. Robot battle for the Galaxy.
jp
Having Chic-fil-A for Dinner!
Races: Much has been written in better blogs then mine on the new core races for D&D. For my part, I think they are pretty good and diverse adds to the mix. If I had to pick my favorite I would have to say the Half Orc was the one that I enjoyed the most and wouldn't mind playing. He would make an excellent rouge. On the other end of the scale is the Shifters. In fact Shifters are the only other race I just don't get. Maybe it is the art, but they look like Furries. Below is my rank listing, top to bottom, of the new additions.
- Half-Orc -- A great return, and the turn on the fluff was well done too. +2 Dex was a surprise for most, but I see how it fits with this incarnation.
- Deva -- At first, I wasn't real excited about the 'undying' soul thing. Plus they are purple, but I can see the role playing potential as a DM. If I need to add a plot hook, how easy is it to have your Deva suddenly have a flashback to his/her/its past!
- Goliath --Big Bad Bruisers... How long until Mark wants to play a Goliath? :) The wanderlust fluff is very cool.
- Gnome -- What can you say. They are Gnomes. OK
- A
- N
- D
- Shifters -- Bring up the rear. I'm a werewolf, but I'm not. Fine.
- I'm not a fan of the Druid's "In form of..." power. Your armor/cloths/stuff/ merges into your body? Really? You still get bonuses too? Really? I think the Druid was the weakest of the lot because of that 'easy out' that WotC took. If you read my take on the Shifters, you must be thinking that I hate werewolfs and such, but nothing could be further from the truth, I guess I just hate poorly executed werewolf type things. Don't make a cool think suck is all I am asking... That and to win the lottery!
- Bard has always been a weird class for me. The 4e version continues to stretch the concept, but making it a leader I thought was the best thing. Also integrating magic and art together helped.
- Avengers are going to rock.
- Warden's could be cool to play
- Invoker is an interesting concept as well. The protector of the entire pantheon is a neat idea.
What would have been a great add to the classes for me is the Monk. Not sure how, or if, WotC is going to add the Monk type. Will they make him a divine power or will we see a new power source a'la Primal. Can you say 'Ka' anyone? How that would unfold is beyond me.
The rest of my free time on his trip has been me getting my butt handed to me by the damn robot player in the solo version of Race for the Galaxy. Each game takes about 15-20 mins or so. I played a total of 13 games over two nights in the hotel room. The score so far is Robot 9 wins, JP 4 wins. Stupid Robot. What makes it worst if you total the VP's up (yes I am tracking that! Shesh!) it is 503 to 446... Advantage Robot. Like I said. Stupid Robot. The key seems that you have to create the end condition quickly, not allowing the Robot's culture counter to increase and that can be problematic if you just don't have the cards. I did have a cool combo by selling cards, I was getting 10 cards a sell of with all the bonuses, but the ability to sell off a card in the consume phase as well. I had to discard 12 cards to get back to 10 in one turn!
I had a bit of time and I swung by the GW store in a mall here in Maryland. I hadn't been in one in a long time. They were pushing hard for the War of the Ring, and even made the comment that the infantry trays were going like hotcakes and they were having a hard time keeping up.
Anyways, I'll post more on the Me vs. Robot battle for the Galaxy.
jp
Having Chic-fil-A for Dinner!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Dorkness
On Saturday I escaped in the late afternoon after being the good partner to the Other Half. [I was too being a good partner!] Unfortunately, the gang was scattered to the distant winds with other activities! Rob and 1/2 the crew were at a Flames of War tournament, which I hear Heath won... again... The other gang and half the first gang went to Lincoln. Some to play in a WARMACHINE tournament and some to just shop. Seemed they all had a good time as well. No idea on the results.
With everyone else on the road or busy, Steve and I hooked up for a few hours of Race for the Galaxy! Two player can be tough. You either get cards early and a strategy starts to form, or you spend countless actions searching for a pattern in the cards. Steve and I played 6 games. I had one super strong win with the luck of the Aliens jumping at me left and right, then I had a few close wins that were all within 1-3 VP of each other. Steve had one strong win that he dismantled me pretty well too and a second solid win. End results is John 4, Steve 2. I can smell a re-match in the works!
I was hoping that they guys would swing by afterwards and we could expand to multiple players, but the cards didn't pan out. Instead they came back a bit late and wanted to watch 'The Gamers: Dorkness Rising". I had not seen it, but understood the concept. It was very funny. I enjoyed it as only a geek/nerd could enjoy a piece of low quality cinema. Don't get me wrong. They did a far better job of filming that then I ever would have been able to accomplish, but Iron Man this is not. The best part, in my mind, was the ninja/pirate thingy. At first I was like... What the heck is this thing... Then it donned on me what they were trying to accomplish and I started smiling and cracked up laughing when they jumped out of the game mode and back to the real world.
I won't be doing much gaming this week. Traveling for work is a pain. I did pack Race for the Galaxy to try the Robot Solo game again. I hadn't done that in a while. I also brought my Player's Handbook II with me to read, which I mostly did on the airplane as well as Metamorphosis to read the fluff. Saturday morning I'm meeting Mike, Jeff, and Doug at the Shoppe for a few rounds of Warmachine, then hopefully a game of War of the Ring with Heath in the late afternoon. The next Saturday my 'Monthly' D&D game goes into action. We are likely to enter the big climatic ending... That can only mean player death in a jp campaign! :) The next Saturday is the Schism at the Shoppe. A couple of busy Saturdays coming your way.
jp
Everything's better with pirates!
With everyone else on the road or busy, Steve and I hooked up for a few hours of Race for the Galaxy! Two player can be tough. You either get cards early and a strategy starts to form, or you spend countless actions searching for a pattern in the cards. Steve and I played 6 games. I had one super strong win with the luck of the Aliens jumping at me left and right, then I had a few close wins that were all within 1-3 VP of each other. Steve had one strong win that he dismantled me pretty well too and a second solid win. End results is John 4, Steve 2. I can smell a re-match in the works!
I was hoping that they guys would swing by afterwards and we could expand to multiple players, but the cards didn't pan out. Instead they came back a bit late and wanted to watch 'The Gamers: Dorkness Rising". I had not seen it, but understood the concept. It was very funny. I enjoyed it as only a geek/nerd could enjoy a piece of low quality cinema. Don't get me wrong. They did a far better job of filming that then I ever would have been able to accomplish, but Iron Man this is not. The best part, in my mind, was the ninja/pirate thingy. At first I was like... What the heck is this thing... Then it donned on me what they were trying to accomplish and I started smiling and cracked up laughing when they jumped out of the game mode and back to the real world.
I won't be doing much gaming this week. Traveling for work is a pain. I did pack Race for the Galaxy to try the Robot Solo game again. I hadn't done that in a while. I also brought my Player's Handbook II with me to read, which I mostly did on the airplane as well as Metamorphosis to read the fluff. Saturday morning I'm meeting Mike, Jeff, and Doug at the Shoppe for a few rounds of Warmachine, then hopefully a game of War of the Ring with Heath in the late afternoon. The next Saturday my 'Monthly' D&D game goes into action. We are likely to enter the big climatic ending... That can only mean player death in a jp campaign! :) The next Saturday is the Schism at the Shoppe. A couple of busy Saturdays coming your way.
jp
Everything's better with pirates!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Dayton in the reaview mirror...
Well, not exactly.
I'm sitting in the Airport in Dayton OH typing my blog on my new 'toy'. I'm not a big fan of business travel, namely because I am so big and I hate the tiny seats and crappy service from the air lines, this time provided by our friends at United. Oh the Joy!
The trip was a mixed bag. Nothing great for business outcomes, but I did develop a 13 plus encounter outline for the gang's next adventure series after we finish off the Thunder Spire. After all, you have to have priorities. :)
The Spire should take a few more sessions, plenty of things to explore and get in trouble. I estimate that the gang should be around the 6-7th level mark when we finish up, which, if I remember stats right will be about right for what I want to accomplish. I would tell you the gory details, but I think that the only people who actually read this blog are the ones that playing! After all loose lips sink ships :) Or is it a big deception to throw you off the scent? Only time will tell... Mahhahahahahhahaha!
Other then business travel, not much new to report. I didn't even turn the TV on at the hotel as I spent the time listening to Pandora on the Intertubes and playing, you guessed it, Spider Solitaire. Stupid game.
Crap! I gjustt got dive bombed by a black bird here in the Dayton Airport! Birth place to aviation my ass! What kind airport lets birds freely roam the inside of the airport. The eaves must be full of bird droppings... Ewwww... And I thought Omaha was backwards! :) I keed, I keed. :)
I am also proud to announce that I made it through an entire trip with out the evil fried potatoes. I even worked out once. If I hit the gym in the morning, then I'll be all even in the end. Soda. That's a different story.
Damn bird. I think it after by $1.50 sandwich that cost me $10 in Dayton Airport.
Here is to hoping that I can get out on Saturday. That is my plan. I think that a new Dragonborn Paladin should be entering the fray!
Holy Cow... They just did a giant 'Bing Bong the local time is 530.' I could here it better then the flight announcements. Shessh! This place is scary... I want to go home. No bird strikes, no bird strikes!
jp
Defeated by Birds and Dayton
I'm sitting in the Airport in Dayton OH typing my blog on my new 'toy'. I'm not a big fan of business travel, namely because I am so big and I hate the tiny seats and crappy service from the air lines, this time provided by our friends at United. Oh the Joy!
The trip was a mixed bag. Nothing great for business outcomes, but I did develop a 13 plus encounter outline for the gang's next adventure series after we finish off the Thunder Spire. After all, you have to have priorities. :)
The Spire should take a few more sessions, plenty of things to explore and get in trouble. I estimate that the gang should be around the 6-7th level mark when we finish up, which, if I remember stats right will be about right for what I want to accomplish. I would tell you the gory details, but I think that the only people who actually read this blog are the ones that playing! After all
Other then business travel, not much new to report. I didn't even turn the TV on at the hotel as I spent the time listening to Pandora on the Intertubes and playing, you guessed it, Spider Solitaire. Stupid game.
Crap! I gjustt got dive bombed by a black bird here in the Dayton Airport! Birth place to aviation my ass! What kind airport lets birds freely roam the inside of the airport. The eaves must be full of bird droppings... Ewwww... And I thought Omaha was backwards! :) I keed, I keed. :)
I am also proud to announce that I made it through an entire trip with out the evil fried potatoes. I even worked out once. If I hit the gym in the morning, then I'll be all even in the end. Soda. That's a different story.
Damn bird. I think it after by $1.50 sandwich that cost me $10 in Dayton Airport.
Here is to hoping that I can get out on Saturday. That is my plan. I think that a new Dragonborn Paladin should be entering the fray!
Holy Cow... They just did a giant 'Bing Bong the local time is 530.' I could here it better then the flight announcements. Shessh! This place is scary... I want to go home. No bird strikes, no bird strikes!
jp
Defeated by Birds and Dayton
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