David's Boring Blog

 What I know about working on cars I learned from watching and working with my Dad. What little bit I know about drawing I learned watching Dad and experimenting on my own over years and years of practice. I don't know all that much about drawing. What I know about writing I have learned by reading. Some of that reading over the past few years has been books on writing.  Today, because of an eBay purchase, I realized that I have not been applying what I know about learning to several of my pursuits. This one was very specific to eBay, but it got me to thinking about several other things the lesson applied to. It all got started on the last blog post I wrote about these dice videos I am making.  I wrote something about hoping I ran across my original collection of dice I carried in high school. My brain fist started processing where those likely ended up. I lost a few things along the way in life, as we all do. Those dice sets probably are in some landfill somewhere. I remember them

If you run across me on any social media you are going to quickly learn that I like taking pictures of the food I cook. For the last month or so I have also been posting regular videos about role playing game dice. Like most everything that I get into, there is something of a story behind it.  The story actually begins with a casual conversation between me and Garin a long time ago in a comic book shop that has since moved locations due to the destruction of East Towne Mall. We were engaged in frequent, intense discussions about comic books. We talked writers, artists, characters, art styles, story arcs, characters, teams, and all sorts of other deeply nerdy stuff. I made a comment that we should record those conversations and turn them into a podcast.  We did that. We did the hell out of that. The show evolved and changed. I learned quite a bit about myself. I learned that I am a bit of an audio video nerd. I like recording stuff. I invested continually in gear. I also learned that I

I have not traditionally been a fan of the American RPG genre of video games with a few very notable exceptions. Looking back to the '80s when I fell in love with Sega Master System and Nintendo Entertainment System games it is pretty understandable.  I had mad love for two genre of action RPGs: Legend of Zelda and Wizards and Warriors . On the turn based some of the street there was only one series for me: Final Fantasy .  In the next generation I fully embraced the Super Nintendo. This was the Golden Age of the JPRG. I could list out a line of Roman numerals running through the great entries of Final Fantasy games. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is one of the greatest video games of all time in any genre. I will die defending that hill. Chrono Trigger also ranks pretty high up there for me. Drop in things like Paladin's Quest and Secret of Mana and there is no denying that the JRPG genre had my full attention.  A notable break in the JRPG domination of my adoration

 I have a short list of video game releases that I am looking forward to in 2023. We are a little less than a month out from the first of them: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I am excited for 12 May. It is a bit odd that I am because I didn't find The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as captivating and awe-inspiring as others. It is a solid game with some very annoying game mechanics. It is redeemed by an immersive open world and a heavy dose of my Legend of Zelda nostalgia.  Honestly, I am quite a bit more excited for Diablo IV.   With the exception of that mobile entry that was pay-to-win and shall-not be-named, I have hacked and slashed by way through every entry in the Diablo series multiple times. There is some temptation on my part to make a run through II & III before the release of IV.  I have friends and family with Diablo II & Diablo III on the Nintendo Switch. I am fairly certain we could have a full party for both runs. It is extremely temptin

 16 April 2023 shall live in infamy as the day I murdered my party.  After four sessions spanning over two and a half months the party made their way into Quasqueton. I linked the printed material from B1 into the Forgotten Realms mostly because I know the pantheon and I had a few NPCs I wanted to use. I worked out a few introductory bad guy NPCs. I let the party chase threads that were satisfying to them. Honestly, I wondered if we would ever make our way into the printed source material.  There in lies the problem. I wasn't thinking through scaling the dungeon encounters. With four players I needed to dial things down a bit. I failed to do that. We got a wipe on the first real combat encounter with a group of barbarians.  For a moment I thought I could bail them out with an Obi-Wan like intervention. No one had created a rogue (a terrible sign going into a dungeon crawl) and I had answered this need by creating a pacifist, loot-loving halfling. She was a dungeon technician, and I

 I am such a sucker for a deal. If it is a deal on a bag or dice I am likely doomed. Many moons ago I purchased a Bag of Holding from Geek & Sundry. The big messenger got used and abused thoroughly until the strap finally broke. A few months of trying to find another great gaming bag yielded no results.  I purchased a Bag of Holding +1 not long before the Geek & Sundry online store disappeared. It had leather reinforced corners and accents. It has held up incredibly well over the last few years. I have used it to travel. I have transported books and comic books all over my house. I have even slung it across my body and ridden my motorcycle all over the place with it loaded down with my gear.  I am extremely happy with my bag, but I also know if it sports around all my dice, maps, books, and tablets to every D&D sessions something is going to give out. I will have a hard time replacing it. To my knowledge they are not being made anymore.  Look at the torture I put this thing

 I have been ruminating for hours about an encounter I had today. I noticed a couple of guys walking around in front of my house. That isn't unusual in most places. It was here. I live in the country miles away from any business or public places to park. We notice people on foot.  I found myself watching them. One guy was following around. The other was taking pictures of the road in front of mine and my neighbors house. This was curious, but I felt like it was pretty harmless until they starting milling in my front yard.  I would like to say I put on my biggest smile and walked out friendly. I didn't. I stormed out of the house. I stomped across the yard. I brought myself up to my full height (this for some people can be intimidating because I am 6'4", fat, and broad shouldered) out of my typical slouch that I have practiced for years to make myself look smaller. I probably had way too much base in my voice and a scowl on my face when I demanded," What are you do

 I spend a lot of time on mindfulness meditation and exercises. It helps me to lower stress and stay focused on the present. It is funny then that I walked face first into a landmine of nostalgia and rumination.  We all carry things around with us from the past. I put some work into metaphorically cauterizing all the open wounds on my psyche from unresolved emotional remnants about five years ago. Let me elaborate a bit on that. Tomorrow (3 April) my first wife and I would have been married twenty-four years. We were separated before we were married a year. We got through an ugly divorce before what would have been our fifth wedding anniversary.  Why do I think about our anniversary every year at this time? My brain remembers most everything even if it jumbles the order. I remember great details about things all the way back to being about four years old. I still remember my parents and grandparents home phone numbers from my childhood. What that means for me is that my brain can slip

 I have always struggled with keeping a tidy and clean home. Dishes pile up. Laundry seems a daunting and unending struggle. Cobwebs and dust make my place feel like Edgar Allen Poe might be tucked away in some dark corner sipping on absinthe and composing a fever dream poem.  I could make tons of excuses about this. It comes down to two realities. The first is that I don't enjoy cleaning. It is a trite but necessary function of life that brings me no joy until it is completed. The second is that I manage my time poorly.  I wake up in time to handle getting ready for the day during the week. Its a shower and the daily rituals after seeing the kid off to school. If I could commit to doing it regularly I would cook myself a good breakfast. All too often that is a bowl of Raisin Bran or worse a Pop Tart.  I spend a little time in the morning looking at my calendar and writing. I put a few daily to do items on the list. Typically, I won't get in more than three. I try to keep it si