Been here a while

Because I wanted an image of a barbarian.
Probably my favorite shot from Conan the Barbarian.

So, another blogger I recently started following is celebrating her one-year anniversary this month. That got me to thinking about how long I have been blogging. This particular blog has been going on since October of 2008. But before that, I had a Xanga page for many years. That one was much more personal. In it I discussed all of the shit that was hitting the fan in my tumultuous love-life, my constant battles with my ex-wife, and the anguish I felt over not having my daughter around. Some of that stuff is still around, particularly the ex-wife (unfortunately…isn’t she due for a house to fall on her?), and my separation from my daughter. But, that’s my life. Prior to 2007, things were far from perfect. Now, things are much better.

Suffice it to say, I like this blog a lot better. Funny thing is, I went back and looked at my first posts. While my very first one here was a basic intro post, the very next one was all about gaming. And in it I mention my S&S RPG and my Orc RPG. Both of which I have continued to work on here and there for the better part of three years, and have recently ramped up my work on. Amazing how little some things change.

Speaking of my S&S game, Age of the Sword finally has the framework of a setting. I have a rough map, and at least some tertiary information about the various regions in the world, which, oddly enough, I refer to as The World. I’m enjoying coming up with societies and cultures. I find that I have my go-to tropes all represented. But a lot of the stuff is inspired by the imagery presented in Fire & Ice. I look at a mental snapshot and extrapolate how that came to be. It’s a cool exercise.

Other than that, not much to report. I’m toying with some ideas for the shared world my friends and I are building. I hit a wall with that, so I have set it aside for a bit. But the idea forming in my mind is still percolating. I also started working on a story for publication. The theme of the anthology is strong female S&S characters. I had an idea about a Greek Mythology-inspired story dealing with a daughter of Ares. My initial idea was built on the premise of “What if there was a female version of Hercules?” The idea has some merit, but after 1,100+ words, it kind of started meandering, and I lost interest quickly. Probably because the tale needs so much more than a short story can provide. So, I will most likely restart with something different, and just file that one away for future reference.

My wife is running in Crazy Legs tomorrow. I’m very proud and in awe of her. She amazes me with her dedication. And I thank her for motivating me to work out. Sometimes I absolutely DO NOT want to do it. But, she sets up the video, and we just do it. Afterwards, I’m beat, but I feel better for it later.

Anyways, what’s new with you guys?