Thank You, Lady Gaga

First, a warning. I'm departing a lot from my usual gaming and related posts. Instead, today, I want to talk about something very personal. You know how the media's been all abuzz about Lady Gaga's recent weight gain? You know how she responded with a new section of her social media site that included photos of herself and the confession "Bulimia and Anorexia Since I Was 15"? Yeah, we're talking about body image issues and what that entails. You've been warned.

I went to LARP and I liked it...

I went to the South Carolina SOLAR event this past weekend. I had a ton of fun and I learned more than I expected. Not only did I learn about the game, rules, etc., but I also learned things about myself.

1. I learned that I have an easier time getting into character in a LARP situation than tabletop.

I am hoping that I can take that experience and re-apply it to the tabletop. Also, I had little trouble sleeping in-character...which was surprising for me. Is this typical for folks, or am I crazy? (Apparently, as I started drifting into sleep Sunday and Monday nights, I was simultaneously in and out of character, too...started talking in my sleep asking, as my character, if I did something wrong.)

2. I learned that stupid hurts.

I watched way too much conflict and near-deaths resulting from cases of the dumb.

Diary of a Nooblet Part1: Learning Curve

So, I've taken a vow to "lrn 2 play, n00b". My goal? Grandmasters in StarCraft II. I've got a plan to take me from nooblet to Platinum by the end of the year.

I've worked SC2 into my schedule. I'll be playing 2-4 matches/night on weeknights, 10+ matches during the weekend. Also, I will be playing first against AI and my Gold league husband, Durok. Why? Well, I figure that learning against an opponent that won't harass me for being a noob will be good for me, that competing against AI will be more forgiving at first (especially when it comes to an opening build order screw-up), and that, if I can regularly defeat the AI on its hardest setting (or that magical day when I can win against Durok), I should be able to at least have a chance against other human opponents. Though, I am going to play in some practice league games, too.

The Emergence of the PC as a Gaming Platform

In the late 1980s and early ‘90s, video gaming was becoming mainstream. If a kid didn’t have a console at home, chances are, he had a friend who did. But, at the same time, something new popped up. The Commodore 64 was the first gaming computer, but the era from 1986-1994 saw the emergence of the PC as a viable option for gaming, alongside the consoles.

Oops! (or, how I waited 'till last minute to finish up my entry for the local Iron Painter contest)

For those of you who don't know, one of the FLGSs (GameTheory, to be exact) and the Grand Gunbunny, PG_bjorkgnu himself, are running a local version of the Iron Painter contest. There are only 5 of us left (out of an original 9), and the theme due this Saturday is "Oops!"  Immediately, I knew what I was going to do.

I had been looking through the Reaper miniatures catalog just the week before. I recalled Brigitte, the Naughty French Maid (WARNING: Boobs!), and thought, for Oops!, I should do something involving a careless maid. I know it's been done, but I wanted a chance to expand (and show off) my conversion skills, to showcase my faux-finishing technique, and to display my Sculpey skills.

So, I cut out a hunk of the back of Brigitte's thighs, just under the end of her skirt (about where her stockings end), and did some additional cutting from under her apron flap in front. I then bent her at the hips (as would be required when wearing a corset), and, in doing so, accidentally broke her waist straight through. I glued her torso back to her legs, and proceeded to do the naughtiest bit of sculpting I've ever had to do: I gave her a new butt. Always looking for opinions (from non-judges, of course), I asked a couple of folks if it was an "anatomically correct hiney".

Additionally, I gave Brigitte a pedastal to knock over with said tush, complete with expensive-looking vase on top. It's almost ready to get pinned to the base, mid-topple. The base itself is a small square of blue insulation foam that's been painted and finished to look like polished marble (tutorial coming next week). I plan to add a satin ribbon around the edge to cover the raw blue foam, and I may make a pretty silver medallion to cover the seam in the ribbon.

I may get pics up tonight. But, I'm not certain. I do need to finish her up by Saturday night.

Round-Up: Where Have I been?

It's been a while, I know. But, I've been busy.

Since my last entry, I ran my first tourneys ever. With mixed results. I had zero player turnout for the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Made me a little sad, and somewhat annoyed, but it's okay. Greenmachine was a huge fail on my part. The most recent tourney I ran? A Steamroller that someone else was to have run. But, I stepped up to the plate and hit it out of the ballpark, if I can toot my own horn.

I also ran a rather successful event at Game Theory, Bring-a-Friend night. The long and the short of it is this: a player, we'll call him Bob, brings a friend, we'll call her Jane. Bob gets open play, Jane gets a 10-minute demo. Bob gets entered into a raffle amongst other "bringers" for a gift card, and Jane gets entered into an equivalent raffle for the friends. After the gift cards are given away, the remaining names are shuffled together and additional prizes are drawn. All told, I gave away about 8 prizes that night.

I've been working on a new homepage for the NC Gunbunnies (what's up now looks horrible), and it's almost ready to go up. I've also been at Endless Games (a new store in Raleigh) on most Mondays since the beginning of March to run open play and demos. Endless is a nice, cozy store with some gorgeous terrain. I've also continued doing demos and open play at Game Theory.

Wedding Report: Let's Talk About Themes.

So, I've been perusing Offbeat Bride (OBB) to the point where it's almost an obsession. That site and The Knot are my wedding crack cocaine, and it's not a bad thing. The Knot keeps me organized and OBB keeps me inspired.

I've started re-working the models for the cake topper. I need to chat with the awesome Auntie J about the cake, though, and to get back in touch in general.

I've also realized that I need to pick a theme/concept and stick with it. We're doing a kinda modern take on beachy with the colors, decor, and flowers. But it doesn't feel like "Whoa! Awesome!" I mean, I see what people do with things on a budget and I can't help but think "How can I have that impact?"

Problem: We definitely are geeks of the gaming variety, but how do we turn it into a theme without it getting kitschy?

Solution: Uh, let's make a list.