It's too...quiet.

Been a while since I posted something, so I thought I'd just spew forth some randomness for your entertainment.

This week is the last regular week of my current college term.  Right now I have a B+ in the class, and assuming I don't bomb the final (an essay), I assume that's where I will probably end up.  Admittedly, I haven't put as much effort into school this term as I probably should have.  And it kind of shows.  My two papers, while competent, are kind of lackluster.  My mid-term essay was pretty standard, and my posts are nothing inspired, though I have taken to posting after most of my classmates, just so I can take their posts and talk about them from a different angle.  All in all, a good class, but I need to try harder in the future.  And that future starts on June 4th, with a class on the Roman Republic and Empire.  Should be fun!

In other news, I hate my body.  Ok, so that was a very "girl" thing to say, but it's true.  I have a tire around my belly, my ass is dwindling away, and I basically look like a potato with pencils for limbs.  This is mainly due to inactivity.  And that, in turn, is mainly due to physical ailments, and just plain being tired.  However, I have a plan.  I've started blogging about it over at Fighting Man's Fitness, but the basic gist is that I am going to draw on my military and martial arts backgrounds to get my fat, lazy ass moving.  If you're interested, check out that blog.  If not, don't worry.  I probably won't mention it much here anymore.

Tomorrow I am taking a personal day due to my daycare provider not being available.  It's no big deal.  She goes out of her way to accomodate us, so I don't mind an interruption every now and again.  Besides, it's a nice, convenient excuse to get out of going to work.  My plan is to get some writing in, most likely during nap time, and also take a trip out to a game store a couple of towns over.  Other than that, just taking it easy, and hanging with my little clone.

The game store trip actually has a purpose.  We are having another session of our Old School Gaming group this Sunday, using AD&D 1E rules, and I want to find a cool figure for my character.  This store has a used section, so I'm hoping to find an old figure to use, and maybe some basic paints to slather on, just to complete the look of the AD&D games I played in during high school.

Fiction writing has been all over the place lately.  It seems like each day I get inspired to work on a different project.  The other day it was all about the sequel to Blackskull's Captive!, and today I'm working on some groundwork for Agesilaus.  I have no idea what I will be working on tomorrow.  Probably something in space.  With guns.  And big monster aliens.  Or maybe supernatural cowboys.  Or...

Eh, you get the point.

Oh, and before I forget, check out the right side of this page.  There's a link to a petition I started.  I would like to generate interest for Marvel Entertainment to do a direct-to-video animated movie about Hercules.  For those not in the Marvel Comics know, this version is quite different than most versions presented in other mediums.  He's not quite the film version, brought to life by such greats as Steve Reeves, Reg park and Lou Ferrigno.  But, he's not really like the Kevin Sorbo TV show either.  And though he does have some shared stories, he's not much like the myths that inspired those versions either.  Personally, I love Marvel's Hercules.  He's my second favorite Marvel character, after Captain America.

And he needs a movie.

Follow up

For the benefit of those not Facebok friends with me, here is a quick follow-up to my earlier post.

Basically, everything is ok.  Turns out the intial tests show that I don't carry the gene for hemochromatosis, and I will be seeing a specialist soon to confirm that.  My shoulder pain isn't bursitis.  She used the term "calcified tendonitis."  Meaning, there is some damage to the tendons in each shoulder, and there is some build up of some kind that shows up on X-rays (possibly scar tissue).  The prognosis is that I need physical therapy.  Normally, anti-inflammatory meds would help, but I am allergic to aspirin, ibuprofin, motrin, etc.  So, that's not an option.

I'm mostly relieved, and slightly irritated.  Relieved that, assuming all signs are correct, I'm back down to only being a Diabetic.  I can live with that.  But I'm oddly annoyed by it not being brusitis.  That had a relatively quick fix.  Instead I will have to endure physical therapy, and no doubt, a lot of pain.  But, then again, I'm getting used to te pain anyways.

Regardless of all that, we're still going to make an effort to improve eating and activity habits.  This will become easier as the weather starts to warm up.  I was a little disgruntled at my weight, but it wasn't unexpected (I LOVE good food).  Chances are, the fatigue that could have been too much iron in my blood is most likely just fatigue from burning the candle at both ends.

The last few months have been very stressful and hectic.  But things are slowing down, both deliberately and as a result of our efforts running their course.  My kids still stress me out, but all parents know what that's like (though I have to say, my son is more of a handful than either daughter were).  Overall, I am relieved and hopeful for the future.

Deep Thoughts (without Jack Handy)

In about 45 minutes, I will be leaving for a doctor's appointment. Last week I was tentatively diagnosed with Hemochromatosis (basically, my digestive track processes too much iron from what I eat, and it gets stored in bad places). It's not as bad for me as it is for some people, according to some reading my wife did. But it can be pretty debilitating (even fatal) if not treated. Basically, I have to consume less iron, eat foods that prohibit its absorption into the body, and get "phlebotomized" (bled out) about once a month.

Add to that, I was also tentatively diagnosed with Bursitis. Hopefully, the two aren't linked, and a simple shot in each shoulder will relieve me of the paralyzing pain I feel when I move my arms the wrong way.

So, yeah. Physically, I'm a mess. But, it's all pretty treatable and manageable. Still, when this all hits in succession (add being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes last year), it causes one to examine one's own mortality.

I will be celebrating my fourth anniversary in March. I have three kids, and the best wife a man could hope for. I am really just starting to enjoy life right now in a way I have never been able to. And I want to continue to do so for many, many years to come.

Am I scared? You bet. Who wouldn't be? I don't relish the idea of dying. And I'd be really pissed if it happened sooner, rather than much later. But, from all accounts, at this stage, all of the symptoms and damage from my various genetic ailments are manageable, and even reversible. So, I am kind of eager to get this going. Once my shoulders stop hurting, I will be able to work out again. Michele is already researching dietary options that will help with my problems, without having to restrict my diet, or make me eat cardboard (or worse, strictly vegetables!).

In other news, I am making some real headway in my first serious attempt a novel/novella-length story. It's Sword & Sorcery, and it involves my own "Clonan." But, the character isn't just another "barbarian in civilized lands." He has many of the same qualities as a Conan-type, but the origin of those qualities is unique, I think. I'm having fun writing him, and his cast of supporting characters. Already, they have altered some initial ideas I had for the story. And I finally feel like I know what I am doing. Now, to just devote more of my time to actually writing.

Damn Star Wars MMO!

Anyways, I may follow this post up later today with a rundown of what the doctor says. Until then...

150th post!

Is that really a benchmark these days? I dunno. I took a few years to get here, but that’s not surprising, since I have only started blogging with regularity in the last year or so.

Anyways, so what can I talk about on this momentous occasion? Well, I finished my first two classes for my Masters in History yesterday. Not sure how I did. I got a strong B in one class, but the other is questionable. 30% of my grade is based on a research paper that, admittedly, was kind of weak. I had my reasons, but suffice it to say, I was unable to put forth the effort I should have. Guess I’ll find out soon enough how it all turned out.

With the end of this term, I have a month before school starts again. At that point, I plan to only take one class at a time, instead of two. Fortunately, from here until near the end, it will be straight up History. No Historiography, no Historical Research Methods. Just reading and writing about History. That’s the part I like.

In the meantime, I will endeavor to finish up a couple of small writing projects, make some headway on a couple of larger ones, and most importantly, READ FOR PLEASURE! I just got a Kindle Fire not long ago, and although I still hit up the book store for TreeBooks, EBooks are amassing quite nicely. I’m fairly certain I have enough reading material to last me to retirement at this point. With several more titles waiting in the wings.

Had a doctor’s appointment this morning. Found out some things that shed some light on possible causes of my recent ailments. I’ll know more next week when the test results come in. Regardless of what they say, I definitely need to exercise more, and eat healthier. Winter is terrible for that, especially here in the Great White North. And some of my ailments have prevented me from even doing indoor stuff. Not to mention time. But, with the easing up of school, I should be able to make time for that soon enough.

Been playing a LOT of Star Wars: The Old Republic. My Vanguard Trooper is 24 and my Sith Marauder is 23. Michele started playing as well, and has a Jedi Consular that she is really enjoying. I’m going to let my Trooper languish until she gets to her early 20’s, so we can team up. I should take screen caps of my characters. They both look cool as hell. Especially my Sith. He is absolutely badass.  He punched out a Hutt the other day.  Yeah.  Badass.

The game has also provided some inspiration for an Orc story I have been mulling over. I may have to work on that one this month as well. Though my focus will have to be on the story for Scott Oden’s anthology.

Speaking of Scott, he has opened a business for himself. He is now going to offer professional critiques and editing help for aspiring writers. He has a website at The Editorial Goblin. Check him out. If you need an experienced set of talented eyes on your work, look him up. As the recipient of casual advice in the past, I can say for certain he has already helped me.

That’s about all I got for now. Stay safe out there. It’s dangerous!

Speak Out With Your Geek Out – Day 4

Unfortunately, there are still guys who
look like this at your local game store.

In trying to figure out what to write about today I started going down my list of geek topics. And I realized that, since starting this blog back in 2008, I have talked about everything I love that is considered geeky. Movies, comics books, games, TV shows; you name it, I have at least one blog about it, somewhere in here. And then there are topics that I could go on and on about, like RPGs or Star Wars or Robert E. Howard…but each one of those has about a bazillion articles on the ‘net at any given time. So, what could I possibly hope to contribute to that?

Then I got to thinking, what if I talked about life as a geek in general? I mean, my first post this week was kind of a general “What is a Geek?” post. But what are geeks like in real life? Do they all eat, sleep, live and breathe geek passions? Well, I’m fairly certain that, with a relative few exceptions, the answer to that would be no.

First, let’s look at what the “stereotypical” geek is like. There are certain traits that seem to be commonly associated with geekdom. Here are a few:

Bad hygiene: Ok, this one is hit or miss. And unfortunately, it is more common than some of us like to admit. The smell of sweaty body odor; yellow teeth with perpetual food in them; oily, uncombed hair. Yeah, we’ve all seen those people. When my gaming group used to meet at the game store on Tuesday nights for an RP session, we would invariably see many people like this. Guys and girls alike. Now, I will admit to not being the most fastidiously neat person, appearance-wise. But I shower every day, brush my teeth, keep my hair clean and somewhat styled (that last part is much easier now that I am sleeping with my hair stylist), and try to wear clean(ish) clothes at all times. It’s really not that hard, folks.

Horrendous fashion sense: I admit that I like to wear my geeky t-shirts. Most of mine are comic book related, and I have a ratty old Star Trek shirt I still wear around the house. But they are clean and more or less serviceable (no holes you can put more than a finger through). And I try not to wear the really bad ones in public. That being said, that is by far not my entire wardrobe. Generally, most geeks who suffer from bad fashion would be well-served with just buying some clothes that fit, including pants that cover the tops of their shoes. Speaking of shoes, dark-colored tennis/running shoes are a fashion faux-pas. If it were up to me, those would be banned from even being produced. Also, it’s 2011. Try buying something that is up-to-date. Dagger collars are only cool for runway models and rock stars.  And the bow tie?  Only Bill Nye can pull that off.  Sorry.

Mmmmmmmmmmm...

Couch (or Computer Chair) potato: Probably the biggest problem with the stereotypical geek is health and fitness. Now, I’m not saying you should be half-jock. But, maybe if you eat a salad every now and again, drink diet sodas and less sugary drinks, and walk faster than my grandfather. And nothing says you have to eat that entire pizza in one sitting. Bring a veggie tray to your game instead of bags of chips. Take the stairs whenever possible. I admit to being bad about this one too. But I try. I’m not as fit as I have been. And I can feel the difference. When I am in decent shape, everything just feels better. Interestingly, a lot of geeks who are in decent shape look to their geek passions for inspiration. I started weight training in high school because I wanted to be Conan. And I started practicing martial arts because I wanted to be Iron Fist (actually it was more like Bruce Lee).

The point is, it doesn’t really take that much effort to appear “normal.” Now, I know a lot of hardcore geeks will rail against the normal. I mean, after all, what is the point of being passionate about your geekdom if you bury it normalcy? Well, the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. And trust me, living on the fringes (or in the basements) of society isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Interacting with Muggles can be very rewarding. And you may even discover some who are actually geeks at heart.

My beautiful wife.

And the best part is, if you clean up and shape up, you are more likely to attract a member of the opposite sex. And let me tell you, no amount of Star Trek marathons can compare to the joys of that!