TooMUSH--This is the country club, the hangout, the home of the
Almighty Hive Mind (TM). Many mighty figures of Internet dwell herein, so
beware.
TABLE TOP GAMING
Any game, any where. I am currently an avid participant in a
Mechwarrior campaign, run by Chad Mitchell. I am also
currently engaged in running a Birthright campaign,
wherein several people of the MUSH community have participated.
LIVE ROLE PLAY
I am an active participant in the
International Fantasy Gaming Society. Based on the
fictional organization seen in Dream Park, by Larry Niven and Steven
Barnes, the IFGS was founded more than a decade ago, and has been
expanding ever since. Participants play characters who sally forth to
battle the forces of evil during games that may last anywhere from an hour
to an entire three-day weekend. Combat is played live, with "boffer"
weapons made of light fiberglass materials and padded with foam. Check
out the IFGS
Homepage!
READING
As a writer, I am also an avid reader. My favorite works include, in no particular order:
- The Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels by writing goddess Laurel K. Hamilton. These books really suck you in--do yourself a favor and check them out. And do me a favor, and buy me the most recent releases as gifts.
- Every book to do with Miles Vorkosigan, by Lois McMaster Bujold.
- The Stainless Steel Rat books, by Harry Harrison. Great fun. Superquick plots.
- The Dirk Pitt novels by Clive Cussler. Also great fun, and not overly serious. You can practically see the movie playing in your head.
- Most of the Destroyer novels, by Sapir and Murphy. The characterization of Remo and Chiun is hilarious. Don't read these things for plot--read them for the entertainment value.
- The Belgariad, by David Eddings. Eddings gets slammed a lot, for the Mallorean and the Elenium and Tamulii. I haven't read the latter two. But if you never read anything else by Eddings except for the Belgariad, you'll think he's a pretty darned good storyteller.
- Sheepfarmer's Daughter (and the other two in the trilogy), by Elizabeth Moon.
- Soothsayer, Oracle, and Prophet, by Mike Resnick. Dark, but wow. Resnick at his best.
- Strangers, Watchers, Lightning, Whispers, Darkfall, and a few others by Dean Koontz. Only the stuff he was writing in the mid to late 80s. When he started republishing all his old pseudonym stuff, and only turning out new novels once every two or three years, his stuff went, in my humble opinion, way downhill.
- Salem's Lot and (especially) The Stand, by Stephen King. Try to read the latter and then not go around noticing every person around you who coughs or sneezes.
- Select scenes from The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien. Though I think old Jacob Ronald Raoul wouldn't be able to get his manuscripts through an agency, much less a publisher, today, because of how bloody long it takes him to go anywhere, there are moments of such clarity and beauty in his works that they'll bring tears to your eyes and haunt you for the rest of your life. Particularly beautiful, to me, is the charge of the Riders of Rohan down upon the besieging forces surrounding Gondor. JRR is The Man, and among fantasy authors, one of the Firstborn.
- The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan. He's on my list provisionally. If the man can actually draw to a close every plot he's opened up, successfully conclude every character and relationship he's shown and hinted at, and in general tell a satisfying end to a story that just seems to keep beginning and beginning, I'll stand in awe. If not, I guess I could always use his books for wintertime traction-ballast in the trunk of my car.
- The first several Xanth novels, and the Apprentice Adept series by Piers Anthony. He degrades over time, and sequels, but the early books are fine storytelling.
TELEVISION
I can't do one thing at a time any more. Hence, I'm usually watching TV while MUSHing while writing, or some other such rediculous combination. There actually is some worthwhile television out there. Check out:
- The X-Files: I know, I know, it's got this huge
cult following now. But I liked it before it was
cool. There's an X-Files
Homepage, of course. I think the series would be better served by being less compartmentalized: but some of the non-overall-story-arch episodes have been, in my opinion, the best work. Especially the one with all the roaches.
- Babylon 5: To my mind, the best overall
television series to be seen today. If you haven't watched it from the
beginning, I'm afraid you don't have a clue, or a prayer of getting one,
though others claim otherwise. Just hope the show keeps getting funded,
and then catch it when it spends years in syndication. It is more than
worth your time. Naturally, as with all such things, there is a Babylon 5 Homepage. The strength of the
overall story and the powerful character images presented consistantly in
every episode serve to question today's society, and to give both warning
and hope for the future of mankind. And that Susan Ivanova, man. Is she a
babe or what?
- The Simpsons: What is there to say? The Simpsons rule.
SPORTS, ETC
I try to keep my hand (or rather my feet) into
soccer. I play in an indoor league, once a week, though I might up that
to two or three nights a week, soon. I'm involved in Shotokan-style
Karate at USA-Stars in Norman, three nights each week. I also do a lot of
sword-fighting and archery, due to IFGS. Additionally, I spend huge
amounts of time with my son, J.J., sprinting around the yard, going on
walks, and toting him places on my back.
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