Water, Water, Everywhere,

Tuesday, my normal game night for Warmachine, was interrupted when I got a call from home only into turn two of my game with Erik. The Other Half called and asked if the front sprinkler should still be running. I responded, no, it should have turned off after the cycle was complete around 6am or so. Buttons didn't work... So, I pack it all in and drive the thirty minutes home to see what is a matter. First thing I notice is the long stream of water running down our street and into the storm drain... That's not good.

After a few minutes of tinkering with the buttons with no effect, in fact I could force the system to change zones, but the first zone kept running. I opt to turn the water off at the source to the outside and hopefully figure it out later. I'm sure the water bill is going to be stupid this month!

So... If anyone has any sprinkler experience or knows some one, drop me a note/comment and help a gamer out!

jp

all running down the street

Warmachine Weekend Update

The Original Hot Carl (TOHC) has been posting updates for the 2009 WARMACHINE WEEKEND activities on a new blog. This year it is going to be part of the G.A.M.E. (Game Arts Media Expo) which will be a chance to see more then just Privateer stuff... Not that there is anything wrong with a ton of Privateer stuff. TOHC is doing a unique achievement system to add a bit of fun to the event which should be cool.

So far I've gotten hard confirms from seven folks including myself. Most of us have done this trip for the past two years, but we have also gotten one or two newbies as well. Should be good time. In my mind one of the best things is that we will be across the street from the convention center vice a 15 minute car ride. That should save tons of time and make it easier to get done on your own and not need transport.

I've booked the hotels (two rooms at the moment) and filled out my pre-register and paid. So get to it you guys if your interested in the road trip!

jp

Pusher of Toys

Thron, Dwarf Invoker

I made it back late Friday night and had a good training session, but still glad to be back. Saturday was quite as The Other Half had to work in the morning. I did go see her for lunch and she cut me loose in the afternoon go play some D&D with the guys.

Rob was running his campaign that he re-booted, so since I am only a part timer in that adventure, I re-booted as well. They have another controller on their team, but like me his is a part-timer, and since he created the atypical wizard, I decided to try another route.

I like the Invoker class. It has quite a bit of power to it, even at lower level, but the trade off is self inflicted wounds. One power caused 5 points of damage when used, but my favorite caused damage, and pulls the enemies toward you, but then your dazed, limiting your ability to follow up. Kind of tricky to play and really requires teamwork, which is good.

In the morning The Other Half and I did the big lake at Zorinsky. We got caught in a light shower about half way around, but it cleared quickly. Luckily the heavy stuff waited until right now to come down so I won't be mowing today. :)

jp

Avoider of Lawn Work

Boston Day IV - No Chowda for you

So, here I am in Boston and I haven't had any 'Chowda'. What is the world coming too? Wednesday Night I had dinner with The Other Half's sister and her husband. We went to the historic Union Oyster House, the oldest running restaurant in the US. The company was great. Had a wonderful conversation with the sister-in-law and her husband about the kids, their get away house in New Hampshire, the upcoming trip for The Other Half to Europe with their parents. Good stuff. The food... Well... It was OK, but not a WOW factor by any means. It was loud and the wait staff while polite was very slow. I made major blunder and ate either too fast or something didn't sit well and I did get sick for the first time. After we left the restaurant we walked for 10 minutes while I was in serious pain, but then I found a deserted trash can and let it go and felt 100% better. It was freaky. The three of us walked out to the harbor and continued talking. Other then getting sick it was a good evening.

Class today was a discussion on Intellectual Property and Risk Management among other topics. I pointed the teacher to techdirt.com, which is a great site on IP, privacy issues, and other geeky news. If you follow the IP discussion, regardless of your view point, it is worth having in your daily scans.

Dinner tonight I took the instructors advice and hit a a place called Kaze Shabu Shabu. I had not heard of a Shabu Shabu before, but being a sucker for Japanese cooking in general (Still waiting for an invite to Gyoze night at the Rief house... Hint, Hint!), I thought I would give it a go. Wow. This one was good. It is basically a Japanese version of fondue, but for me, just the good parts... A few tasty veggies and meat. Each person gets a personal pot to cook their meat. I had chicken with some seafood, mainly scallops, salmon, fish cake, and some white fish. You throw it into the pot to let it cook usually veggies first to let them cook the longest, then a piece at a time of the thinly cut meats. Great sauce as well that you could make spicy to taste. In the end you make a broth that is tasty after all the stuff you've ate has cooked. If I was staying another night, I would most likely do this one again.

RftG update on solo play. Robot 7, Me 3. Stupid Robot.

I got cleared to play some D&D on Saturday since I'm getting back early and I've made a Dwarf Invoker for the game since Rob is running his campaign. Should be interesting. I'll post later this weekend on Thron and his exploits.

jp

Swish-Swish

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...

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

Solo Race

I've been playing a ton of Race for the Galaxy solo... Well, if a single game is 1/16th of a ton, then I guess it is a ton. Using the new home worlds, I've been trying to beat the game's 'robot' on easy. I think I am missing something or I'm a bad player. I'm only winning about 1 in every 4 games versus the automatic opponent.

The updated stats can be found on the spreadsheet. It isn't real pretty. Don't think I have hit every combo of homeworlds, but some are just easier then others to win against (or loose against). I like Galactic Developers. The extra card every development phase is a great starting benefit. If you can get the other Development boosts, you can become a <6> card laying down machine. If you have Investment Credits, the <6> with a -1 Development and have the new Crash Research that allows you to discard it for a -3, then you can get the new <6> for free on your turn, actual +1 with the Galactic Developers in your hand.

I'm taking a training course next week. Thank you Department of Air Force. I'm taking RftG in tow to fill in the non-study times.

I'm going to miss gaming tonight as it is my last night home for a bit and next week as I have to take the cert exam on Saturday in Boston. On the 15th the guys are running a doubles Flames of War event so no sweet, sweet D&D action for me then either. I've placed by quarter on the table for the 22nd and hopefully that will work out.

Last Tuesday was great for Warmachine at the Shoppe. We had eight players (nine really) and quite a bit of action. Good times. Thanks to Dan and Adam for showing up on their vacation day. I'm still trying to place appropriate leverage on Adam to put in his PP application. When the store expands we should have enough room for a Saturday or Sunday event to complement the Tuesday event. Plus then we can tag team the tournament.s So Adam... How's that application going? :)

I'll try to update from Boston.

jp

Developer of the Galactic