In reply to johnkennedy (msg # 890):

Have to confess this made me tear up a little. Well done. To you and your daughter.

In reply to johnkennedy (msg # 890):

Wow.  Awesome kid.

In reply to 1492 (msg # 891):

Thank-you. Some 40 years ago, almost 30 years before being married and divorced, I was majoring in astro-physics. I took many side course in Child Psychology and did some baby sitting as a side hobby/job. Children are very important in my life. Even though my kids are all grown and moved away, I think I'm living like a grand parent. All the happiness but no more responsibility.

In reply to phoenix9lives (msg # 892):

That kid is all grown up now. While I live in Hawaii, she lives in Rhode Island. Currently visiting her friend in London, she is further away than she has ever been from me. I miss her considerably, but still have long talks with her by phone.

I can only hope mine are that awesome when they grow up....

All the 6s in the Community Chat post count!

In reply to Low Key (msg # 896):

Aaaaand you ruined it, made it 66.667 ...

In reply to ShadoPrism (msg # 897):

Nope, I took post 66,666 with my celebration post
It was someone else who decided their post was more important than all those matching 6s :p
This message was last edited by the user at 17:57, Tue 21 June 2022.

Oh, the layers of personal satisfaction...

Small Problem: someone misplaced the mounting hardware for one of the stage lights at work.  Discovered that the supposedly non-compatible hardware for a different model light by the same company actually fits, so I could hang the light...

Larger Problem: Changing over lighting from summer shows to Halloween.  It's normally a week-long process involving a lot of changes.  But we have a week less turnaround time this year.  Started taking down lights on Monday, finished putting up the last one today at noon.  Four and a half days...two of which were shorter than they were expecting, because I had shows to go be in and another job.  I was working on it solo for a day and a half, with no crew to help, and when the contractors showed up to help out, their crew consisted of two guys...and we STILL finished ahead of schedule...

Even Larger Problem:  My boss and the director apparently had some kind of mutual freak-out about the fact that I had a stack of conflicts during this turnaround period, and they were worried about whether or not stuff would get done.  Well, stuff is done, and we still have two weeks left.  And I didn't try to weasel out of any of my conflicts to try and make their lives more secure.  I realize the director's 'throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks' approach to putting shows together creates a lot of uncertainty...but it's not on me.  Lights are done, everywhere they can be done (the electricians are still running power to our temporary stage, so we can't do much there...but we've got next week for that.)

So much for my boss worrying that my conflicts would put the show turnaround behind schedule...

I thought about Rmailing the mods to say this my personally, but I don't want to do so when they expect moderation discussion. I just wanted to say thank you to jase and the mods, even those who are less active. I have had so many trials with RPoL, and while I'm on a break from the main attraction, I'm slowly finding a comfortable pace of being on here, and enjoying what has been going for two decades of my life (sans the two years I left the site in late 2004 to early 2007).

I've been keeping a gratitude journal, and I'm just so grateful to have this outlet. When people talk about toxic social media, I breathe a sigh that you all (speaking now to the mods and jase) make this place largely comfortable to navigate, while not censoring the ability to have those discussions in the private games. I hear complaints...I see complaints, but by large and far I know this rings through the community on here, that it's a haven, a hub and a home.

So thank you! I just feel so lucky to have had a chance to learn from my mistakes. I made many infractions, and had many Rmails of moderation, but everytime it's been helpful, for me and the community.

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. *waves*

I'm back from a much needed holiday and I feel good, looking forward to go back to work.
This is good stuff.

My soon-to-be FLGS finally has carpet! My injured foot is very appreciative of this, and it's starting to look like an actual retail space and less like the run-down warehouse we started with.

It’s been a thoughtful season this far and I want to wish everyone and their families a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

I have done the Scrooge turn around and changed some things in my games that have put some players off in the past.  After having an unpleasant visit in one of my games today I decided that it is time to put the past where it belongs!!  Welcome to everyone no matter what their sexual desires may be.

I have been around for almost 20 years here. I’m 69 yrs old.  Please stop judging me falsely my friends as you don’t know me. I have seen a lot of  things and had a lot of rules that certain ones find offensive but they were never meant to be offensive.  But you can’t make everyone happy all the time.  So I have made changes as I see fit so all players can be happy.  No longer living in the past but hoping for a better future to all players.

If you want to see the difference then read any of my rules in any game!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR
LS
 Xxx

And tonight is the first night of Hanukkah so let me all wish you a Happy Hanukkah as well!

Wishing All the Best for All the Holidays.

We need more holidays and less drama.  (Unless it is for entertainment purposes.)

Happy Hogswatch !

Happy Winter Solstice!

 1. I'm a horrible human being.
2. What colors? I don't see any colors.
3. I'm not the only blind player on RPOL, the others are smart, and mostly hidden.

I got a Christmas gift from one of my patients yesterday: a silver bracelet inscribed with “Do No Harm but Take No Shit.”

:D

Figured out why the new device I bought to help me do my job wasn't working.  Now, not only can I do what they're expecting me to do, but I can also do just that little bit extra that creates job security...that "I wouldn't even know where to start getting that done, thank goodness he did," margin.

Plus, there's the added satsifaction of learning some new tricks of the trade.  And I always enjoy that.

News sources are reporting that Pathfinder and Call of Cthulhu have recently sold up to 8 months' worth of books in just 2 weeks. A different RPG company's really been helping to encourage people to diversify their gaming and to look at all sorts of RPG systems out there. This cross-pollination may encourage better designs from other systems being incorporated in future RPGs.

Yay!  Finally got my first appointment date, 6 March, for my cataract surgery in both eyes!  Hopefully after the surgery Ii can see my computer, laptop, TV, nature! All better again.  No more holding my eye phone up to my nose to post!

EDIT:  surgery will be this summer sometime but not befor my trip to Glasford, Illinois to see the places I grew up.  Alls gonna be a blur but on the plus side I am going to see my family!  Scotland to Illinois here we come!
This message was last edited by the user at 15:24, Mon 13 Mar 2023.

Brendan Fraser won Best Actor at the Oscars last night.

This makes me feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy.

I love the fact that A24, which is pretty much a small indie studio (comparatively speaking), cleaned house at the Oscars.  Fraser's Best Actor for The Whale, Michelle Yeoh's Best Actress, Ke Huy Quan's Best Supporting Actor, and Jamie Lee Curtis' Best Supporting Actress for Everything Everywhere All At Once, Best Picture and three other Oscars for EEAO...

In an industry that seems obsessed with sequels, reboots, and retreads, it's not only refreshing to see someone focusing on really developing original work but also seeing that work get both commercial and critical recognition.  I don't think Sony's going to try and do anything similar to The Whale anytime soon...but they'll at least give it serious consideration, now.

Which is not a knock on superhero movies and action adventures...I really enjoy them.  But it's also nice to sit down in a dark theater every so often and have something actually challenge you to think, or question your position in reality, or contemplate the hardships of your fellow human beings.  A lot of times I go to movies to sit down and turn my brain off...but I like the option of having something really turn my brain on, too.

In reply to facemaker329 (msg # 914):

Agree on all of this. If you are looking for (video)essays on movies challenging you to think, I would recommend the YouTube channels "Like Stories of Old" and "Thomas Flight". They do good analysis on various movies and sometimes throw in a little philosophy here and there.