ANIMA ÆTERNUS

Cooking Dinner

2012-01-19T14:50:00.000-08:00

I am cooking this tonight:

Coquilles St. Jacques a la Provencale

Ingredients
1 ½ pounds scallops (or shrimp) washed
1 ¼ C yellow onions minced (I used white, it was what I had)
6 buttered scallop shells or porcelain or pyrex shell (I skipped this part entirely)
5 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon shallot or green onions minced
1 clove garlic minced
salt and pepper
1 c flour sifted
2/3 c dry white wine (mine wasn't terribly dry, but it worked great)
1 ½ bay leaf
1/8 tsp. thyme
1 ¼ C swiss cheese grated ( Ihad to use Provolone.)

Instructions
Cook yellow onions slowly in 1 T butter in a small sauce pan for 5 minutes, until tender and translucent but not browned. Stir in the shallots or onions, and garlic, and cook slowly for 1 minute more. Set aside.

Dry the scallops (or shrimp) and cut into ¼ inch pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper just before cooking, then roll in flour, and shake off excess flour.
Saute the scallops (or shrimp) quickly in very hot butter and oil for 2 minutes to brown them slightly.

Pour the wine into the skillet with the scallops. Add the herbs and the cooked onion mixture. Cover the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes. Then uncover, and if necessary boil down the sauce rapidly for a minute until it is lightly thickened. Correct seasoning, and discard bay leaf.

Spoon the scallops and sauce into the shells. Sprinkle with cheese and dot with 2 T butter cut into pieces. Just before serving, run under a moderately hot broiler for 3 to 4 minutes to heat through, and brown the cheese slightly.

Oh Well

2011-12-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

Goldman Sachs called me this morning to inform me that I would be unable to "continue the interview process". I asked if they could tell what influenced their decision, to which they replied "we don't provide any feedback."

So...yeaaah....

The End is Nigh

2011-11-30T14:55:00.000-08:00

I am nearing completion of my bachelor's degree. This semester is essentially over, and I have only one class to take next semester. I interviewed yesterday at Goldman Sachs for a two-year, guaranteed 20-hour-a-week internship, perfect for some income and experience while working on a master's program.

*Fingers crossed*

I was the best dressed person there; far and away beyond the other applicants and awkwardly outdoing all four different interviewers. Rocking the solid gray suit, the big red power tie, and a crisp white cotton pocket square.

If only their hiring decisions could be based solely on style and poise...

You Know I'm Not Dead

2011-10-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

Now you know where I've been
As you sleep
Torn I am
Weighted down
Patiently
Born of love
You know I'm not dead
I'm just living in my head
Forever waiting
On the ways of your desire
You always find a way
And through it all
Into us all you move
Forgotten touch
Forbidden thought
We can never have enough
You know I'm not dead
Found below
The creatures scream
Stranglehold
A god machine
Begging to
Tear us out
Worn as hope
You know I'm not dead I'm just the tears inside your head
Forever waiting
On the ways of your desire
You always find a way
And through it all into us all you move
Forgotten touch
Forbidden thought
We can never have enough
You know I'm not dead

We all want to hold in the everlasting gaze
Enchanted in the rapture of his sentimental sway
But underneath the wheels lie the skulls of every c.o.g.
The fickle fascination of an everlasting god
You know I'm not dead

I'm just living in my head
Forever waiting
Forever waiting on cruel death
You know I'm not dead
I'm just living for myself
Forever waiting
You know I'm not dead

- "The Everlasting Gaze", by The Smashing Pumpkins, written by Billy Corgan.

Found: Attic Fashion Treasure!

2010-09-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

When I was fourteen, my paternal grandfather passed away. I can't say that I knew him particularly well; he wasn't the warmest person. However, I do have many fond memories of him suddenly opening up and sharing a moment of closeness with me, in a restaurant showing me the trick to getting especially viscous ketchup out of the bottle, or helping me straighten out my (clip-on) tie at my Aunt's wedding. Still, I was fairly shaken by his death, as he was the first of my elders to pass, and especially because my dad took it surprisingly hard. We returned from the funeral with a few items that had been handed down to me, most notably my grandfather's Marine Corps Dress Blue blouse and a few articles of clothing.

This morning, for whatever reason, I was compelled to dig in the attic through my old Tucson clothes box, which I hadn't been through since we moved to Salt Lake nearly ten years ago. Lo and behold, I found my inherited clothes! A couple dozen vintage ties, a tan sports coat, and the crown jewel: a navy waistcoat that fits like it was made for me! Huzzah! Waistcoats, or vests, have recently become acceptable again for those willing to take a little chance in their wardrobe, and it will fit perfectly with my old-school style. In fact, I recently purchased a new suit (which I pick up today! Delightful!), which is a very nice mid-gray solid. Wearing the navy waistcoat with this suit will contrast nicely, and add the extra "pop" at functions like a wedding, signaling that I have "dressed up" a little extra, given that I wear suits regularly.

Thanks for everything, Pop-Pop!

VICTORY!

2010-09-23T01:29:00.000-07:00

Good morning, world!

I am proud to announce that last night, I took first place in the college's talent show. There were something like 20 contestants, many of whom also sang and played guitar. How did I stand out? There were two things that really set me apart and, I think, helped push me over the top:

1) I played an original song that I wrote, "Melody Maker," which is coincidentally about writing songs! By portraying myself as a songwriter, and then delivering a solid performance of a decent original work, I demonstrated a depth of talent that went beyond those people simply performing another artist's song.

2) I played harmonica along with guitar, true to singer-songwriter form. This really sizzled.

There were many cheers throughout my performance, not just at the end - a first for me. Also, and I didn't realize this until I was done playing, but this was my largest audience yet, easily over 100 people. Now, maybe there have been times out at the People's Market where there have been more people than that within ear-shot, but these people were all there listening intently, and digging it! This is really a huge boost, one that I surely needed right now. Thanks, everyone!

I'm Tired, World

2010-09-21T04:14:00.000-07:00

So I literally just woke up from a nightmare about getting mauled by a pack of wolves. What's worse, I don't need to sit and think "whoa, what does that mean", or seek feedback from some tie-dye skirt clad guru. I know exactly why I had this dream; it was the first thought in my head when I woke up.

I've felt lately like the world is just out to get me.

Let's start with school: I feel totally alienated. Almost everyone at my school is young, so god damn young. Fresh out of high school. And they all seem to know each other, and though I am trying, they don't seem to want to get to know me. Now part of this is my fault. I show up in my suits while they're riding their skateboards around campus; I think the disconnect is fairly clear. They're sitting in a group, getting loud and excited about getting drunk at a party, a party that I desperately want to be invited to, when they get quiet upon suddenly noticing me looking sharp, assuming I'm part of the faculty and that they may have just incriminated themselves. Even the career resource center's business department adviser asks me "why are you all dressed up?" Okay, I get it. Like Conor Oberst said to Amy in the White Coat: "you should look more like us."

Now...Better Living has up and completely stopped talking to me; won't take or return my phone calls, hasn't answered my last few emails, and has even started deleting my comments on her blog. You would think that she had dumped me...oh, wait, she did, but that was last NOVEMBER. We managed, with some early turbulence, to maintain a decent (if distant for my tastes, but hey, that's just me, the dump-ee) friendship. I even recently sent her a note to express my thanks for her graciousness, and my gratitude and happiness that we were able to remain friends. Um...was this yet another fucking case of my being too nice? Was she suddenly weirded out because I wrote in the note that I loved her? Hello, as a friend. And also because, in my world, you don't just stop loving people. Okay, so maybe you do stop talking to them (for some reason), but the love is still there - I sure hope that isn't what started this.

Now, I'm not trying to be bitter. I'm actually trying very, very hard to be positive, hopeful, and optimistic. It just gets hard, especially when it feels like the whole world is after me. I hate to be this wounded animal begging for mercy, but please, call off the wolves.

Thursday Late Edition

2010-09-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

Well hello there world! After my pouting yesterday, I figured I would talk about some fun stuff that I did today that help to brighten my spirits a bit. I am officially part of the chicken co-op at school; I will be tending to the school's five chickens every Monday. This entitles me to a share of the eggs but, as I already have eleven chickens at home, I am letting the other co-op members have my share. So, I am essentially doing this out of the kindness of my heart. Good to know there is still some kindness in there...

I also went to an open house at a CPA firm. The highlight: the firm's national recruiter complimented my tie. Twice! It was a brand new tie that I got out at the state fare. A new company out of Ogden, "Neck Strings" was there selling their not-too-shabby ties for a jaw-dropping 2 for $15. While these ties aren't actually made locally (they design them here and have them made in China), the quality is up there with designer ties from Nordstrom or Dillards, which come from China anyways but cost $50-$70. Score!

Sometimes, it is the little things that make all the difference...

Happy Birthday to Me

2010-09-15T08:06:00.001-07:00

Well, I can't say this is exactly the happiest birthday I've ever had. I think I am officially over the hump in that I no longer look forward to this day each year.

"Oh, cheer up," you say, "this is your day!"

Well, I am claiming birthday immunity.

That is all.

Those Silly Chickens

2010-09-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

So we have eleven chickens, who give us around 7 lovely eggs a day. Yum. One in particular is "my" chicken. She's a turken, a particular breed of chicken that has no feathers on its neck, causing it to resemble a turkey. Fitting her look, and her status as one of the alpha chickens, she is named "Reverend Mother Helen Gaius Mohiam", after the Dune character of course.

Well, recently, she has been "brooding", which is a term for the silly chicken behavior of staying in the coop and nesting on top of the eggs all the time. Also it can include acting crazy and hostile when not nesting on the eggs, as another of our chickens demonstrated last year, but Helen has been pretty docile. She just stays inside, always on top of the eggs, to the point that we wonder how all of the eggs are even getting under her. Does she move to allow the other hens to lay? Or are they laying around the coop, and then she gathers the eggs to her nest? Hmmm...

Well, this morning I went outside and there was Helen, running and scratching around in the outdoor run, like a normal well-adjusted chicken! Let's hope she keeps it up, and that her brooding days are behind her. Also, maybe this is a sign that my own days of "brooding" and being "cooped up" might be coming to a close...

Ah, the simple life of a silly chicken!

Another Week

2010-09-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

Here we go, starting another week of school. This one promises to be full of more work than fun activities, but isn't that the point? Still, let's look back on the fun times I had last week to be reminded that there may be more fun times ahead:

1. Accounting Resume-Writing Workshop: A managing director of the local PriceWaterhouseCoopers office individually critiqued our resumes and then offered up many helpful hints about what to include and what not to, particularly when seeking a job in public accounting. My resume is pretty solid; it certainly doesn't hurt that a professional writer helped me put it together.

2. Campus Garden Open House: So my nifty little college started a nifty little organic garden a couple years ago, and this year they added chickens! I stopped by to meet the organizers and volunteer my help in caring for the chickens (since we have eleven of them at home).

3. Casino Night: I stayed late at school on Wednesday to participate in the student government's 'Casino Night'; I played in the Texas Hold 'Em tournament, staying in until about half the players had been eliminated. For quite a lot of the game, I was chip leader at my table. But, as usually happens when I play Hold 'Em, I got kind of bored and started making silly bets to spice things up. I feel good, though, because my stupidest and most costly bet furnished the lone tired professor participating with a ton of chips, getting him back in the game.

4. Meet the Firm Night: A panel of six professionals from different accounting firms, Goldman Sachs, and even the FBI came and spoke at the school. The main point I took away: I need to get a master's degree and my CPA license as soon as possible in order to really work in my chosen field in a capacity that will really suit me. Oh joy.

5. Theater Society Opening Social: Lately I've found I don't enjoy movies or television very much, but live theater continues to intrigue me. Now, I haven't acted since high school and I've only ever been to a hand-full of plays, but it is something that does intrigue me, and, the theater kids are all (as expected) very personable. I enjoyed myself very much getting to know some new people and playing charades.

So there you go...the fun fun times for him. Hopefully I can find some engaging social stuff to do this week in between the homework assignments!

Getting my Rushmore on

2010-09-10T06:45:00.000-07:00

Now that I am back in school, there is a lot more going on in my life to stimulate my mind and occupy my time. However, I am only taking three classes, and there is still a lot of empty space each week. I've decided to fill this with all manner of clubs and activities. I realized at the beginning of this semester that my last year or so at college is really my last chance to make a lot of hip young friends all at once. Now, this wouldn't be such an issue, as I prefer to maintain a small group of close friends whom I am truly devoted to...but, my small cadre of near-and-dears has managed to first implode and then evaporate right out of my life.

So, I am aspiring to get involved on campus, and to get to know others who are as well. This is a difficult task at my school. First of all, I transferred in as a junior, having already earned my associate's degree at the community college. This puts me at a social disadvantage, as my peers have already been going to school together for two or more years. Complicating matters further is the fact that I live off campus. The kids in the dorms even have a term for this, which I find has some derogatory connotations: "commuter". To make things even worse, I am attending a prestigious liberal arts college. The sort of students that go there are, by and large, eccentric weirdos and hipsters. While this is certainly more of my crowd than say, the lunatic sports fans who populate the public university, they aren't the easiest bunch to get to know.

I liken the majority of students at my school to New Yorkers - everyone walks around with their head down, in their own world. If you stop someone and engage with them they will perk up and be very friendly and helpful, but once this interaction is over and done with, they want nothing further to do with you and continue right back on their single-minded path. This is not to say that they are an anti-social bunch, but they are mired in what appears to me to be a rigid system of cliques and coteries, one that is particularly distrusting of outsiders.

I could go on and on (and often do) about how frustrating this is for me, a genuine, direct, no-nonsense person who honestly wants to get to know nice people for who they really are and build lasting friendships with them. Complaining, though, doesn't get anything done, so I have been (and will continue) taking action to get myself involved. I'll wrap up by saying: Look out kids, here I come!

Things I Like: Accounting

2010-09-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

I am in the second semester of my junior year as an accounting major, and I after some recent reflection, I'd like to reaffirm my happiness with my selection. Textbooks often refer to accounting as "the language of business", and I think that as a well-established scientific system, it also functions as the rules of business. Knowing the rules enables one to effectively play the game.

When my enlistment in the Marine Corps ended several years ago, I knew that I wanted to do something in business. I had come to this realization when it occurred to me that every job out there belongs to some kind of business. Further, almost everything in life functions like a business, at least on some level or in certain ways. I was pretty ignorant when I started college, and without a lot of direction; "business" is, like I've said, broad and far-reaching. So those first few classes definitely informed my choice, one of which happened to be Financial Accounting 1.

I'll admit, at first I didn't get it. I was perplexed by the double-entry system, wherein every transaction is recorded twice, effecting two different accounts. This is the system of debits and credits...am I losing you already? Further complicating the matter, transactions are recorded in a journal, a chronological list, and then later posted to a ledger, a collection of all the different accounts and their balances. Still not getting it, eh? Okay, so here is the thing - some accounts (usually assets, like cash or a house, and expenses, like your electricity bill) have a debit balance, while others (liabilities, like your mortgage loan; equity, your net worth as an individual or the book value of owners' stakes in a business; and revenues, like your paycheck or sales) have a credit balance. Wow...you sure look confused - I did too!

This is where it all fits together: the entire system is based on the accounting equation, which states that:

Assets = Liabilities + Equity

So...those double entries each effect, in some way, both sides of the equations. Therefore, the equation stays balanced. Okay, so I know that no one except people familiar with accounting have any idea what I'm talking about. But that's okay, I don't think anyone is reading this blog anyway (*wink*). Still, when all of this finally clicked in my head, I knew that I had found my education path and my place in the world of business. Why? Because the equation has to balance. Everything is assigned values, and though these change, the equation stays balanced. You can be relatively sure that everything is at least mostly right if your accounts all balance out.

This is all very basic stuff; I think I have just poorly explained the first two days of class. It gets so much better. These accounts and their balances are used to prepare financial statements, which tell you all sorts of things about how a business (or, say, your personal finances) are operating. You can then do all manner of analysis with the data, giving you even more valuable information. Management and the marketing department can talk all day about pricing strategies and their big new global initiative (and I don't mean to downplay those people and disciplines; they are extremely important), but the financial statements lay it out plainly to see for those who know how to read them. The "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" book series by Robert Kiyosaki, though mostly a giant fluff piece by a hustling snake oil salesman, did contain one great piece of advice: "Learn to think in financial statements". If more businesses stopped to think about exactly how that decision they're making is going to impact not just the bottom line, but the intermediary steps on the financial statements, and how that is going to impact all the various means of analyzing and comparing and projecting...well, I think we'd get far less stupid decisions.

So there you go, world. I like accounting. It works.

War Story Wednesday: Gentlemen VS Modern Discourtesy

2010-09-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

In these modern times, with facebook and twitter serving as the means of communication for many young people, I worry about common courtesy going by the wayside. The symptoms are everywhere to be seen: people don't RSVP to events in advance, because who knows what kind of tantalizing text message might invite them to something better at the eleventh hour? Grown men have feeble handshakes and avert their eyes when being introduced because most of their introductions happen electronically. People don't know how to conduct themselves at a fine restaurant or a dinner party, because most of their meals are wolfed down hastily whilst watching television or checking their favorite blog.

Now, I won't claim to be an expert on these matters, nor will I attempt to outline all of the myriad rules and customs of courtesy. But I can offer some tips, and generally admonish the public to be more courteous to one another. So here is some helpful advice, bits I've learned from my father, Better Living and her cultured friends, and the Marine Corps:

When meeting someone new or when you run into someone you haven't seen in a while, firmly shake their hand (but don't crush it; this does not demonstrate your manliness, it makes you an ass), and always look them in the eye. I cannot stress this enough; you should always look people in the eye. It not only displays your confidence, but shows your respect and that you are mentally present and engaging with the person.
When you are going to an event that has been planned in advance, for god's sake turn your phone off and participate with the others present for the duration of the event. If you have to have your phone around, for an emergency or some such, keep it on vibrate. If you receive other calls, ignore them, and if your important call comes through politely excuse yourself and take your call in private. I don't care that everyone else is texting at the dinner table or in the middle of conversation; this is incredibly rude.
Never point at people. It makes them uncomfortable, probably because it is a dead giveaway that you are talking about them to someone else. If you really need or desperately want to identify someone else from a ways off, gesture with your whole, open, flat hand. Get your hand ready to karate chop, then, with your palm facing up, sweep your arm in the direction of what you are trying to point out. I know this is a minute detail, but seriously, don't point.
When someone goes out of their way to do something nice for you, hand-write them a thank-you note. Mail it through the postal service if possible, or hand deliver it otherwise. They went out of their way to help you, so you should go out of your way and go beyond an email to say thank you. A good guide to when and what to write can be found here.

Doing these simple things will get you started being a more courteous and thoughtful person. People will notice.

Things I like: Cufflinks

2010-09-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I proposed to share my limited knowledge about fine mens clothing, and the single item that launched me into the wide world of tailored suits and custom shirts was french cuffs and cufflinks. I received my first french-cuffed shirt and cufflinks as a birthday present some years back from Better Living, and so began my 'fancification'.

Okay, let's start at the very beginning. French cuffs have a "double cuff" - twice the amount of fabric at the cuff that is folded back on itself. Also, french cuffs have no buttons, just button holes, and must be fastened in some manner. Enter the cufflinks. So why do I like french cuffs and links? Well, there are two main reasons, which are both actually very practical. The first is, a french cuff seems to me to more properly fill a suit sleeve. It just seems made to fit; it takes up the whole space and makes the sleeve conform nicely. A french cuff sitting rightly in the sleeve will provide a nice skeleton for the jacket sleeves, making the buttons and their little flap of fabric actually stand up. The second reason is that good cufflinks (mine are sterling silver and pretty chunky) weigh the shirt sleeve down so it doesn't ever get stuck up in the suit jacket; it hangs perfectly on your wrist at all times.

Now, there are some choices when it comes to what kind of links you want. The cheapest option, and I think it is pretty fashionable, is "silk knots". These are little fabric knots which take the place of proper cufflinks; I like them and would probably buy some if I ever saw them in a shop. They allow a dash of color to get added in, which does admittedly perplex me a tad, but I've seen them around and they look handsome enough. Then there are the double-stud style of metal cufflinks; these have a larger stud that goes on the outside of the cuff connected by a curved metal band to a smaller stud on the inside. Now, some people prefer these as you get "double the mileage" out of your links as there are flashy studs on the inside of your cuff as well as the outside. I prefer the final option, toggle cufflinks, over the double-stud style for a number of reasons. First, they are the most plainly obvious. There is no doubt that yes, those are in fact cufflinks, not elaborate buttons or snaps or some such. Second, the straight metal bar and the toggle really make the cuffs take a nice shape: a nice, crisp "kissing cuff" where the two sides of the cuff are snug and flat against one another. The curve in the metal link on the double-stud style (necessary because otherwise the link would be really short and difficult to get between those four buttonholes) tends to, in my opinion, leave the cuff rather loose and unshapely, letting the extra fabric puff out to each side. This makes them look, to me, sort of like unbuttoned barrel cuffs. This loss of definition defeats, for me, one of the major advantages of the french cuff I espoused above: the shape.

Alright, that's all for now. I'll try to get some fun pictures up in the future.

Getting my fancy on...

2010-08-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hello world! How long has it been since I last posted, over two months? Well, that simply won't do, especially considering that I would like to fancy myself as at least an amateurish writer. I'm back in school, so that should provide many fun topics to fill up posts, the first (and not least of which) being men's fashion.

I've always found the suit to be the quintessential male garment, and given my status as a moving-and-shaking student at a prestigious private liberal arts college, I feel well within the bounds of reason wearing one to class. No, not every single day, but certainly every day that offers up any sort of reason. For me, the first couple weeks of the semester are reason enough to show off my wardrobe, letting the kids see firsthand what style and class look like. Then I can dial it back and save the suits for special days, such as classroom presentations, job fairs, and social events.

Okay, honestly, my selection of fine clothing is both small and, well, not that fine. But it is pretty decent for me and my needs, and will surely expand over time. Now I won't continue pretending to be the master of male style, but I will try to update my blog regularly and include the nifty bits of fashion know-how I feel comfortable taking an authoritative stance on.

Blood Angel Blues

2010-06-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

I've been working on painting up my new jump-packers, but I am still not sure what exactly I want to do with my Blood Angels army. I definitely want to keep cranking out jump pack models, but I am not sure what exact tweaks to throw in. I am thinking that I want to keep my number of jump packers small, and really kit out some honor guard and vanguard veterans. The high points cost means that I won't have to get too many models...

Of course, the new codex presents some very interesting opportunities for the mechanized army. With Baal Predators being moved to the Fast Attack section of the force organization chart, the heavy support section is opened up to take more tanks. Maybe Vindicators? Or triple lascannon tank-hunting predators? I also only just realized that Blood Angels Land Raiders can deep-strike. Doesn't that just open up a can of worms? I'm not exactly sure what I would put into a land raider or two. Of course, assault terminators are the obvious choice, and I have been wanting to get my big boys back into my army. The clerk at my friendly local gaming store suggested death company; 15 of them and a chaplain could ride in a crusader. However, this death-nugget would cost around 650 points. What also really disturbs me about trying to deep-strike in a land raider is the fact that the model is huge, and could scatter up to 12". Putting over 500 points at risk by potentially having to roll on the mishap table is really scary. Depending on the terrain layout and enemy unit placement, there might not really be anywhere on the table that would serve as a feasible deep strike target.

I am really enticed by the Stormraven gunship, but alas, at present there is no model for it. I am definitely not up for scratch-building one, and I am not sure what would really work as a proxy. The best option would be a Thunderhawk gunship, but the $550 price tag HURTS; it would have to be, essentially, my only warhammer purchase for the whole year. Still, I have always wanted one as a centerpiece for my army, and I would have it around for Apocalypse games and whatnot once GW actually puts out a Stormraven model.

So, yeah, I really don't know what to do. I guess I need to get out there and start playing some games and testing some smaller lists, getting a feel for how the new codex plays before I go all-out and settle on a full scale 2500 point army and variations. Any advice from you gamers out there would be appreciated!

Fun Stuff

2010-06-01T22:49:00.001-07:00

I've been keeping busy lately. I'm working three days a week at my new job and keeping myself well entertained in my free time. I've gotten really into the game Red Dead Redemption, by Rockstar games. As many people have observed, the game plays largely like a western-themed Grand Theft Auto, featuring a large map where players are free to roam about and do as they please. One can steal horses or shoot whomever they fancy, becoming wanted in the process and fighting off lawmen and bounty hunters. You can cheat at cards, and if you lose, slaughter your opponents and loot their corpses for your lost cash. However, this is what I find least intriguing about the game. I was showing off the game to my parents and our friends (It really is beautiful - dusty trails wind off towards distant mesas, wildflowers sway in the wind beneath stunning photo-realistic sunsets), demonstrating the breadth of freedoms granted to the player, when I was asked if the game would let me kiss a passing woman.

"No," I told them, "but I can lasso and hog-tie her." There was laughter all around as I proceeded, but it occurred to me then that most of the freedom in Red Dead Redemption is violent in nature. You can shoot anyone and everyone, but kiss no one. In fact, you can't even talk to most of the game's vast population. I suppose that gamers like the high level of action; I don't really mind it, but I find myself wishing there were just a bit more in the way of pacifist activities. This is what I really like about the game; exploring scenic canyons, hunting down the wildlife and trading animal hides and meat in town, taking the time to play a round of horseshoes, and collecting the various medicinal plants scattered around the game world. I enjoy taking a slower pace, riding off the beaten path, and just exploring the rich digital desert.

Last night I was talking to Dustin, and I spent a sizable chunk of the conversation gushing on about Red Dead. Dustin had tried to buy it, but I guess the Walmart out in South Carolina was sold out. We're hoping to get in some online gaming together before he has to deploy again, this time to Afghanistan. He seemed to enjoy my scathing critique of the movie "Avatar", which I did enjoy, but which features many glaring holes I was only too happy to point out. Chiefly, after the "blue hippies" (as they were christened on 30 Rock) defeat the humans and force them off of the planet...everything is rosy? Um...wouldn't people back in the world be angry about all of the workers who were killed, and the sudden loss of their uber-profitable mine? I can't help but envision more redneck former Marines coming back to nuke the site from orbit. Also, where is the government throughout the whole movie? There are apparently jittery corporate shareholders back home, but no regulatory bodies or compliance inspectors? I tend to think that a crazy planet with lifeforms that can all connect to each other via a network of sentient trees would be extremely conspicuous, even in the future, drawing the attention of all sorts of red-tape slinging bureaucrats and a swath of non-bathing, hemp-wearing, sign-waving activists. Finally, why is the foolishly named "Unobtainium" (I had convince Dustin that I wasn't making it up) so important? They disclose that it is highly valued, but not one application is named. This kind of omission doesn't add to the mystique for me; it interferes with my suspension of disbelief. In the "Dune" novels, the pivotal Spice Melange is given myriad uses critical to the function of that fictional society; hence it's high value.

Which brings me to my last bit of rambling today - Dustin told me about a new Dune movie that is in the works. We'll have to wait and see what happens, but things aren't looking so good at the moment. Apparently, a first draft of the script has already been scrapped, along with the first director. Worse, Twlight's Robert Pattinson has supposedly been having talks with the director about playing Paul Atredies. Hey, no thank you. Also, the director's interest in doing the movie in 3D doesn't sit well with me (I smell lackluster CGI sandworms). Sigh. Let's all get a dose of 80's Dune by checking out these videos of conversations between David Lynch and Frank Herbert. Cool.

Death from Above

2010-05-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

So I've been out of the Warhammer scene for a while, but after mulling over the new Blood Angels Codex while in California, I've decided to jump back in. I am planning on taking a break from running my "II M.A.R.S." mechanized army and fielding a jump-pack airborne force. The new Sanguinary Guard models are just too cool, and are ultimately what swayed me. There has been a lot of chatter online about whether or not the Sanguinary Guard are effective for their cost, but models that cool demand to be played. I've always (to my disadvantage, sadly) favored style over substance in my armies anyway.

Today I purchased several different jump pack kits, and began assembling them. I'll try to post some pictures over the next few days as I make progress on painting them up. I've worked up the following 1200 point list; it isn't anything special, but it seems like it will be fun to play with:

*Dante 225

*Honor Guard 265
-Jump Packs
-Chapter Banner Bearer
-Power sword
-Melta Bombs
-Meltagun

*Assault Squad (x10) 250
-Power fist
-infernus pistol
-Meltaguns x2

*Sanguinary Guard 230
-Power Fist
-Infernus Pistol x2

*Vanguard Veterans 230
-Glaive Encarmine
-Power Swords x2
-Plasma Pistols x2
-Thunder Hammer

War Story Wednesday: Man VS Gold

2010-05-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

My father and I recently spent a week in northern California prospecting for gold. It was quite the fun time, although we didn't find any gold to speak of. We were actually plagued by a string of bad luck; impassible roads, overflowing creeks, and persistent snowstorms. Still, the beautiful mountain vistas, rich river valleys, and a day out at the coast made for a very fulfilling time.

My father is planning to return later in the summer when the prospecting conditions may be more favorable. I won't be able to join him on account of my new job, but hopefully he is able to locate some of the precious metal. He has grand hopes for finding a glory hole or maybe even making a mining claim (yes, people are still making claims in gold country), but I would be happy if he can back with just a few flakes or nuggets.

Here's wishing him the best of luck.

Working Man

2010-05-25T06:11:00.000-07:00

Alright. From now on I really am going to make the effort to stay on top of writing something every day (during the week at least).

So, yesterday I started work at my summer job. I am taking customer service calls and doing invoice processing for Comfort Systems USA, a nation-wide HVAC chain. Not quite the fabulous accounting job I had hoped for, but the billing work that I am doing between calls is part of their accounts receivable process, and as such I am working in the accounting department. I guess we've all got to start somewhere!

It is a seasonal assignment through Office Team & Accountemps (Robert Half International Inc.), and my hope is that if I do a good job on this all summer and can work out a manageable class schedule for fall, that they can get me into a more substantial accounting position. It will really help me hit the ground running when I graduate if I have been working in the industry part time all throughout my senior year.

Time to go get ready now. It sure feels good to be a working man!

GOLD!!

2010-04-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

That's right...GOLD!!

2010-03-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

Ahhh! I have felt especially overwhelmed lately. Nothing in particular; I am a bit behind on schoolwork and there are Peoples' Market activities I could be up to, but it isn't really that. I think there is just a lot of apprehension since I (still) don't have internet at home. Also, my apartment has been really cold lately, even with the warm weather.

I am trying to make a daily and weekly schedule and stick to that, I think that will help. Also, I've been trying to go on little walks around my new neighborhood. I would like to switch to either walking, biking, or using public transportation when the weather is nice. I think that will help eat up some of my idle time (the devil for me, always, is my own idle hands), and also help keep me in shape and things.

Okay...gotta put in a solid school day today. I hope you are all out there pulling for me (just a little), I could use the good energy to help push up and out of my little rut I've been in...

People's Market Site Makeover & General Awesomeness

2010-03-12T20:57:00.001-08:00

The Peoples' Market website has received a welcome and fabulous update:

We have our friends over at Third Sun to thank, as well as Patrick Commiskey, PR Guru, Tweeting Expert, and horn section in the market's house band. One of the coolest new features is an online vendor application.

In other Peoples' Market news, we have been officially recognized by the IRS as a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt public charity, and we were selected to receive a Pete Suazo Community Justice Award for Community Leadership and Advocacy.

Still no convenient internet at my apartment...regular posts will resume then.

Cut off at the Apartment

2010-02-28T17:29:00.000-08:00

So...whichever of my neighbors whom I was piggy-backing off of slapped a password on their network mid-week, hence the lack of posts since then. Soon I will get the internet I had set up at my parents' moved to the apartment. Then I won't have to rely on errant wifi signals.

So what have I been up to lately? The highlights included:

*Having my parents over for dinner; I made them the lovely mushroom-alfredo pasta that I perfected while at Better Living's.

*Wearing blazers/sports-coats with all sorts of outfits! Mixing up jeans, dress shirts, v-neck shirts, blue blazer, old pinstripe gray suit jacket, varied belts, a tie once, french cuffs a few times...

*Dropping off my Mr. Mac suit to get altered down to at least somewhat fit me, now that I am back to my Marine Corps lean-and-mean build. I also picked up some patterned, french-cuffed, no-wrinkle, and even spread-collared new shirts, as I have yet to encounter such nice shirts at Mr. Mac.

*Financing a television and getting the apartment moved along towards a a state of being fully and fashionably furnished.

Fever Blerg

2010-02-24T00:13:00.000-08:00

Ugh.

Came home early from class with a fever..one that I thought had gone away, but is now keeping me up.

I just want to sleep, but it is so hot...

A Job Well Done

2010-02-22T14:57:00.000-08:00

So, the DEX competition over the weekend proved to be very fruitful for my fellow Westminster College students and I. There were three of us competing, and in each of our events, we took 3rd place. Hi-ho! Sounds like an auspicious start to me! Now, we just need to go wave our awards in the Dean's face and try to drum up some publicity, and I think that the Westminster College chapter of Delta Epsilon Chi may actually become a reality.

I was also pleased to see a multitude of fellow DEXers sporting French cuffs and cuff-links. While my initial reaction was sadness (I no longer hold the monopoly on elegance within DEX), ultimately I was happy to see men taking pride in their appearance, and having the guts to wear French cuffs, ties in colors besides black and gray, and even one three piece suit!

I found myself more satisfied with the weekend than I had expected, and I decided to reward myself accordingly; I purchased two essential items that no household should be without:

A Bodum double-walled French press and a bright orange Le Creuset kettle!

Of course, my thanks must go out to Better Living, for introducing me to the vastly superior coffee that a French press produces. :)

Welcome to the 2010 Utah Delta Epsilon Chi State Career Developmemt Conference

2010-02-19T01:24:00.000-08:00

It's that magical time of year again...when Utah's wackiest business misfits, slickerthanshit future used car salesmen, and well-styled leaders of tomorrow (*ahem*) gather together under the auspice of education to:

*Suffer through an almost unbearably contrived "opening session", wherein the state officers (I am one, sadly) embarrass us all by poorly reading directly from a uniquely uninspired script. Then, after a bathroom and leg-stretching break, a grade-A, class act keynote speaker is brought up...and speaks for about 45 minutes too long.

*Compete in wildly varied business role-playing simulations and presentations (to win medals and glory for ourselves and our schools); there are over twenty events and everyone can choose two. I am doing Financial Service and Financial Statement Analysis.

*Meet exciting business wierdos from all over....Utah.

*Catch hell AGAIN from the Dixie and Weber students about how alcohol should not be consumed by students attending the conference, even after hours.

*And finally, in spite of all the sarcasm and bitterness stated above (which is certainly intentional, but also exaggerated for comedy), the best part is seeing old friends, making new ones, and looking damn good while doing it.

; )

Home Sweet Empty Home

2010-02-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

So, though I've had the lease signed since last week, I didn't move in to my new apartment in a functional way until the past couple of days. I have the bare necessities: PB&J, honey-nut cheerios, several gallons of gatorade, towels, an old futon mattress to sleep on in the meantime while the weather precludes transportation of my nice bed and chest of drawers.

Let me say, it sure is exciting to be out on my own; my head is spinning thinking of all the furniture I would love to have, and all of the finer things that I want to get so that I can have a nice quality life. There are moments when I worry that I will simply rush out and buy exactly all the fancy items that Better Living taught me to appreciate...but of course, it being my place and all, and my taste being so varied, I am sure it will (eventually) have a uniqueness to it that doesn't sacrifice style or function.

Here is the morning light coming in through the nifty bay windows...
...and, though drearily adorned with some pillows and a metal folding chair (which is VINTAGE and Bombproof and the only good find after many hours combing the D.I.), I still am just thrilled to death to be able to look out across my vast living room and know that I am king of all I survey. Now, let's get to filling some of the voids...

Wild Weekend Roundup

2010-02-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

So, my long-time friend Carlos headed home to Vegas yesterday. Our long weekend, while exhausting, featured quite the assortment of fun activities:

1. Skiing and Snowboarding: I skied whilst Carlos boarded, and though my skill level is well beyond his, we were both equally worn out and sore the entire weekend. We didn't get in as much time on the slopes as we had wanted, but we did make it up there and had a good time. Also, we managed to not get hurt!

2. Gaming: We got in several rounds of Halo on Xbox Live, with my dad playing as well. Long live team Atredies! Also, Carlos and I played the card game "Flux" for the first time. This wacky card game has become all the rage with my friends, and comes in several different flavors (we played Martian Flux).

3. SLC Nightlife: It is no wonder that, being single and having come from Las Vegas, Carlos was eager to go out on the prowl each night. I think I spent more time in bars and clubs this past weekend than I have in the entire preceding year. It was a total blast, though neither of us had much success with the ladies. I really enjoyed flirting, meeting new people, and tossing around big tips that made the bartenders smile.

4. Shooting: I took Carlos to the indoor range, where we fired CAR-15 and M-9 equivalents. Carlos had only done the tiniest bit of pistol shooting before, but with a few helpful tips from me (I was a rifle and pistol coach in the Marine Corps, after all), he got pretty damn good pretty damn quick. I even saved our targets, mainly because I was impressed with his accuracy.

5. Paintball: Carlos had also never played paintball, so after a quick Google search, we found a good indoor field with remarkably decent prices. We played a total of 6 matches with strangers, about 8 players to a team, and did fairly well. We were always on the same team, and our team won most of the time. Unfortunately, in the second-to-last match Carlos took a shot right in the goggles, leaving him essentially blind for the final match.

....and I think that covers most of it. It was a great time for me, and Carlos seemed to enjoy himself quite a bit as well. My thanks go out to him for coming to visit, and to my family and friends for the generous hospitality they extended to him. We've got a plan in the works now to meet up in Vegas with Dustin...let's hope that works out!

Sunday Special

2010-02-14T11:48:00.000-08:00

So the heavens opened and let their light shine down on a glorious ski day. Now we'll get to really enjoy ourselves.

Snowbird Mountain Stats
Average Annual Snowfall: 500”
Vertical Drop: 3,240’
Base Elevation: 7,760’
Top Elevation: 11,000’
Skiable Acres: 2,500’
Terrain: 27% Beginner, 38% Intermediate, 35% Advanced
Number of Runs: 85
Lifts: 1 tram, 4 quads, 6 doubles
Miles to Major Airport: 29

Friday Late Edition

2010-02-12T13:00:00.000-08:00

Lease= signed.
Apartment = empty

Lift tickets = bought.
Mountain = socked in with clouds :(

The Tremendous Trample of Thursday!

2010-02-10T17:42:00.000-08:00

Oh my what a day!

9:00 AM: Checking out the apartment that I am almost certainly going to move into. There is a totally excellent large living room. Now I have graduated to thinking about, stressing over, and delighting in FURNISHINGS!

12:00 PM: Managerial and Cost Accounting. Oh the fun fun accounting times for him...he was a willful little accountant...

2:30 PM: Carlos, my classmate and friend from grades 1-12, age 5-26 and counting, will arrive via promotional rate flight from Las Vegas.

In an interstellar burst...

2010-02-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

So I have had a very busy and productive day today, and I am feeling pretty good about myself. I have been trying to change how certain things in my life operate, and one of those things involves writing a post 7 days a week.

Now we'll see how long I make it...

Friday Game Stuff

2009-12-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

So I am hoping to get in some gaming this evening. I have made some minor tweaks to my 2500 pt Blood Angels/Witch Hunters list. I took out the storm troopers and their flamer chimera, and changed the assault squad riding with Corbulo into an Honor Guard with two meltaguns and an apothecary. I also had spare points to make the dominion's immolator a multi-melta variety, to help with tank busting, and I gave the battle sister squad some meltas also. So, I lose five bodies, one tank, two scoring troops choices, but, I convert one troop choice into a more lethal HQ choice(and Corbulo's boys usually get smoked anyway), and I strengthen my core ten-strong troop units with meltaguns and meltabombs. I lost all the flamer goodness that I had added, but the added anti-tank capability I think is more important. If I can get the enemy out of their tanks, I have enough bolters and close combat attacks to devour most opponents; I have gotten the timing of this down a lot better. I will hopefully have some pictures tomorrow after I play this evening. I am anxious to show off the honor guard I made for Corbulo; they are white with red plates, like a whole squad of apothecaries. I think that is fitting for Corbulo.

Also, I have been wanting for a long time to get a group of people together to play "Vampire: the Masquerade". I know how to run an effective enough game using the older rules (the rulebook that was green with the rose on the front, even though I don't have it, the rules are pretty simple once you memorize them like I have), it is just a matter of getting the players. I nearly had a group together, but it fell through. I will be feeling people out in the weeks to come. It seems like a nice holiday distraction. The first thing to do: buy ten-sided dice.

"From ancient grudge, break to new mutiny..."

2009-12-01T09:58:00.000-08:00

Is there anyone out there who even reads this thing? Oh well. So lately I find myself thinking mainly in Romeo and Juliet quotes, specifically:

"What, are thou not drawn amongst these heartless hinds?"

"He who hath the steerage of my course, direct my sail."

"For now these days is the mad blood stirring..."

"The love I bear thee can afford no better name than this: thou art a villain."

"...be satisfied."

"They have made wormsmeat out of me."

"Oh, I am fortune's fool!"

and if it could only be this easy:

"Thus with a kiss I die."

Also, I find myself strangely haunted by this single line from MacBeth:

"...all my pretty chickens."

Intense Indeed!

2009-11-24T18:13:00.000-08:00

So, the picture below, of me in Iraq, was called "intense".
Interestingly, this actually was one of my most intense days during my time deployed. Apparently, during the invasion of Iraq, the Iraqi national guard(ING) was never activated. After the invasion, allied forces kept the units intact as part of the new "legitimate" Iraqi army. But, after a few years (when I was there in 2005), the ING was proving to be very unreliable, full of insurgents, or full or people who felt their families were threatened, because the just like our national guard the members of each ING unit were all from the same region, likely the same town. So, it was decided to disband the ING and fold all the willing members into the Iraqi army proper.
Out in nowheresville, Iraq (Ar Rutba, Anbar Province, in far western Iraq), our battalion had complete martial law over the land. Therefore, we set up to collect all of the old, willing ING members, and get them processed and shipped to Iraqi Army boot camp. They were to hand over all of their old uniforms and any weapons they possessed; that's where that Iraqi rifle came from. We in motor transport go to sort of just sit around and provide overwatch for the infantry Marines who were doing the main processing of Iraqis. Of course, their uniforms and weapons were all getting tossed in our trucks, and we were armed and the trucks had machine guns in the turrets just in case the any of the ING tried to attack us. So, this was an all day affair, and later into the afternoon, I had actually moved from the truck shown above with all the collected gear in it, to a covered, shady truck. Several hundred former ING had shown up, and after many hours maybe the first 75-100 were processed.
Then, out of nowhere, mortars started to hit. Now, mortars hit our bases all the time, but always wildly inaccurately and to little effect. But these mortars were hitting close, right on the large dirt berm isolating our forward base from the city, wherein we were processing the INGs. I stared, fixed with a new kind of terror (this having been the worst shit I had been into up until that point), and the mortars threw up a lot of dust, and I felt the concussion of each one as it hit, and all the Marines were rushing to get under trucks or at least just on the ground, and the ING guys were just fleeing back into the city screaming. And then some more mortars hit and they WALKED IN CLOSER to our little cluster of vehicles, and then wisely I suddenly realized that I, too, should get down somehow. So I got down on the bed of the truck; since the truck had armored sides a mortar would have to hit it directly. Another mortar or two did hit, but then there was yelling, and the Battalion Gunner (my fellow Marines will know who this type of badass character is that floats around in every unit) had actually run UP ONTO THE BERM (albeit down twenty yards or so from where the mortars first started to hit), and was shouting back that he could see the mortars fire in the distance and to get the helicopters on the radio.
Luckily, this little ING intake mission had 2 cobra attack helicopters on station. I remember them flying over us; I am not sure if they took out the enemy positions or not, although I did hear someone shout "Holy shit, did you see those fucking cobras hit them!". All I know is that the mortars stopped firing, and then a platoon of LAVs (Light Armored Vehicles, the whole point of my unit 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion) went driving out to the mortar sites as we all crawled out from our hiding places.
Okay, and that is about all I can write right now. Thanks for reading, anyone.

Shooting Range

2009-11-19T23:21:00.000-08:00

So there have been a few critical little incidents recently of people inadvertently making me really fucking furious regarding the wars, my being a veteran, my service-connected disabilities, and the military and Marine Corps in general. The result:

Now, we all know that the gun they let you rent and fire has fucked sights, right? Still, notice my shot group there, from the first box of 5.56mm. Pretty good for standing, although I think it was only 36 yards. A shot group like that just needs to be adjusted onto the target. Of course, I didn't get too technical, I just fired a lot of rounds. Blasting Away!

So, overall, I fired:

*Some kind of off-brand M-16 with silly optics (shown above)

*Baretta M-9 knock-off

*Heckler & Koch UMP .45 with full auto (how is this possible? Shown below)

Tournament of Champions

2009-11-14T05:53:00.000-08:00

Okay so for the local 40k Tournament of Champions, I had 450 more points. I had no illusions about winning the tournament, so I wanted to try for a fun and effective 450 points worth of new units. So, naturally I selected Witch Hunter allies. It fits my army back-story and let me take exciting *NEW* units and especially, it allowed me to take Sisters of Battle. GIRLS in the army now; we'll have to take special care of them! So here is what I added:

*Sisters squad x10 w/ Superior, combi-flamer, book, flamers x2, in a rhino

*Inquisitorial Storm Stroopers x5 in a x2 heavy flamer Chimera

*Dominion squad (I painted these sisters' helmets yellow like a Blood Angels assault marine) x5 w/ Superior, in a T/L Heavy Flamer Immolator.

Anyway, the best discussion about my endeavors in that tournament is chronicled much better over at Yes The Truth Hurts, so I'll just direct any interested parties there. The short version is: I won two games, but in overall points, I was second-to-last. Hey-O! At least that's not last.

Halloween

2009-11-01T08:53:00.001-08:00

"This is Bowie to Bowie; can you here me, man? How far out there are you, man? Do you have one freaky sequin spacesuit or many ch-ch-changes?"

So yeah...that is me as David Bowie from Labyrinth, and Better Living as David Bowie from the Ziggy Stardust tour. Oh, the fun fun times!

Delta Epsilon Chi

2009-10-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

Okay...so no post yesterday, because frankly, the post describing my battles with Dustin is going to have some fluff in there and a lot of pictures and it is taking a long time.

So...here's the lowdown on the "business club" to which I belong and am going to a conference for all this weekend:

Delta Epsilon Chi (DEX) is the collegiate division of DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America - essentially little clubs all over for high school students interested in business). The organization centers on attend various conferences. The one I am going to today and for this weekend is the "Fall Leadership Conference". I am State Officer, so I won't participate in the activities, but the other students coming from schools all over Utah will be doing two case studies based on real-world business problems that have happened to local companies. Sweet! These events are a lot of fun, especially because students get put into random teams with people they don't know. Hopefully they all get along and learn from each other and maybe even make new friends. They present their case study solutions to judges, who are working business professionals (and I got three of my friends to come down and judge; see you on Saturday!), and get instant feedback.

There are larger national conferences as well, but we'll talk about those later. Don't have much time for a longer post. Keep on rocking in the free world.

Updates are coming (finally)...

2009-10-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

Okay everyone,

Sorry about my total lack of posts over the last two months (maybe there are a few out there who noticed). Transferring to a new college has been much more involved than I had thought, but things are starting to even out.

So I am going to honestly try to cover these topics throughout the week:

Wednesday: The results of my games with Dustin...remember when he came to visit? Those were the days...

Thursday: A bunch of background about the business club, Delta Epsilon Chi, that I am finally having success getting off the ground at my new school.

Friday: The final run-down on what I am adding to my army for the final 40k tournament. (Witch-hunter allies, baby!)

Saturday: A quick post about the wacky goings-on at the Fall Leadership Conference, the first DEX event of the school year.

...and after that, I think I will have my blogging feet back under me. Stay tuned for more...

Ahhh!

2009-09-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

So...school has been keeping me very busy! Hence, no posts in a long time. I will get settled in though, and get some good new posts up soon. I have the other battles from my campaign with Dustin and the tournament to describe, interesting things I am learning at school to rant about, and more.

So....check back soon.

- Valentine out.

Woot!

2009-08-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

While I was not the champion of the 40k tournament this weekend, I did get one victory and one draw out of my three games, with bonus points along the way. This was enough to qualify me for an invite to the final "tournament of champions", where I will no doubt be slaughtered without mercy. But still, I am mighty happy with my modest victories here and there, and I am figuring the game out.

Now, I just need to figure out what extra stuff to add to my army for the final tourney.

Friday Unrelated Information

2009-08-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

1. I start next week at Westminster College. Woot! I will be a junior accounting major.

2. Tomorrow is the Mind Games Yearly Classic 3 Warhammer 40k tournament. I have got to get busy this evening finishing my last tank and 3 Marines. Luckily, I have them all well along...otherwise I would be looking at about 10 hours of total modeling work...too much to do tonight!

3. We just finished watching the last of Season 3 of The Mighty Boosh. Seriously, it may be the funniest show ever. Totally random and off the wall. Don't worry, though, I'm a shaman: my mind is like a fortress.

So many activities...

2009-08-13T08:15:00.001-07:00

So today is Dustin's final day. *cries*

We got nowhere near completing the 40k campaign that I had set up for us, but that is okay. We did managed to get Dustin's entire army actually assembled. We built all six of those Eldar tanks in one marathon building session:
We also did some other exciting things, like canoe the Jordan River:

Like lords of the river we were! And of course, there was a lot of time in the car...driving about the place. So much driving. Like an endless highway:

But still, it was a grand time. Thank you Dustin for visiting me. It was a total blast!

Dustin's Fun Visit Update

2009-08-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

Well, our night out in uniform went very well. We had a good time while managing to avoid any fights or even awkward conversations with strangers. Here we are, looking good:
We still have yet to play our second game of 40k. I think Dustin got demoralized when I slew his Eldar to a man (or space-elf, in this case) in our first game. Also, it is just so much easier to get sucked in to playing Halo all day (where Dustin still reigns supreme...although I did smack him down in a game of Chess yesterday). We had some friends over and managed to get in some four player games. Fun times.

We have the rest of this week to go before his leave is up. Who knows where our adventures will take us? Hopefully to the gaming tables.

Friday Unrelated Information

2009-08-07T16:37:00.000-07:00

1. Today's info is actually all closely related.

2. Dustin has been soundly destroying my dad and I in Halo and in Call of Duty. Better leave the xbox alone and play the next game in our 40k campaign. Dustin also crushed me repeatedly at Magic: The Gathering. Skills: Dustin has them

3. Tonight is the in-uniform bar-crawl. Yes, I got a haircut. A mighty haircut. Should have some pictures soon

4. This weekend at the People's Market we are hosting a "book day" for local authors. It is going to be sweet. I even have a few minutes to read some bits and pieces that I have written (just some school papers and such).

The Siege of Deseret: Game 1

2009-08-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

Last night Dustin and I played the first game in our campaign, the one with the wacky "neutral" units and hidden daemonettes. We were both trying to take a single objective, and each had 750 pt. armies It was everything we hoped it would be, and more. Here is what I took:

*Captain w/ power weapon, plasma pistol, jump pack
*Chaplain w/ power weapon + plasma pistol, jump pack
*Death Company x2 w/ jump packs
*Tactical Squad x5 w/ meltagun, in a heavy bolter razorback
*Assault Squad x5, in a rhino with upgrades
*Baal Predator

Dustin took:

*Farseer with Doom, Fortune, spirit stones, and assorted Eldar goodies
*Fire Dragons x9
*Fire Dragons x8
*Dire Avengers x10 w/ Exarch, power weapon, and shimmer shield
*Dire Avengers x10 w/ Exarch, power weapon, and shimmer shield

Per the special rules, I had the first turn but skipped it with everything in reserve (and everything arriving on turn 2, sort of like dawn of war deployment). Dustin started with one squad of dire avengers on the board, with the rest moving on from his table edge on turn one. This is what his deployment looked like:

And here are the rest of his fire dragons and the neutral orks:
My tanks stormed onto the board on turn 2, coming in from the side edge on area that counted as a "road". Captain Valentine and the other jump-packers were able to assault that turn, immediately throwing Dustin's plans out the window.

The game from then on was a slaughter of Dustin's infantry by the Captain and Chaplain, although Dustin rolled to take control of the Orks for a turn, and their Deffkopters killed both Death Company guys.
A lucky tank-shock with the command rhino sent the second squad of dire avengers running off the board. The fire dragons moved up and promptly melted down the command tank, and then charged the assault squad that came spilling out. Better to assault Marines than be assaulted by them. There was a lot of wackiness with the random neutral units. The Tau all retreated, although the Orks and daemonettes (once revealed) laid waste to the Kroot. The Demons tried to come after my razorback that was parked near the single objective in the game, but were righteously gunned down. Below you can see Dustin removing the slain daemons:
It then came down to the final close-combat brawl:
Good times...with plenty more to follow

Today is the day

2009-08-04T06:01:00.000-07:00

Dustin arrives this morning shortly after 10 am.

We probably won't get to our first Warhammer game until this evening, as I think Dustin still needs to spray his Eldar tanks. Where better to do that than pool-side, relaxing with old friends?

The day has arrived...long live the king!

Saturday Late Edition

2009-08-01T09:17:00.001-07:00

So here is a shabby picture of the converted Daemonettes in-progress:
When I get a little closer to a finished paint job I will try to do some better pictures. For now, I just wanted to drop in a little progress report, since I said that I would yesterday but then was just too busy. Busy busy busy.

On an unrelated note, we are going to see the new Harry Potter today. Wizardry and Witchcraft, oh my!

Demon Conversions for the Campaign with Dustin

2009-07-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

If I have my 40k fluff right, then Slaanesh the chaos god was born at the moment known as "The Fall of the Eldar". It seems to me that it is fitting, then, to take some old Dark Eldar models (From the 3rd Ed. Box set?) and convert them into Daemonettes. Here are my six (six is the sacred number of Slaanesh) models assembled and ready for paint:

I will post some painted pictures tomorrow. I think the paint job will make them look more like daemonettes, and less like poorly-hacked-into Dark Eldar.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-07-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy! I am trying to get all of my Warhammer stuff in order for the campaign when Dustin arrives, so that means not only working on my last few Marines (I am so tired of red, seriously), but also Tau and Kroot, Orks, and probably a few Demons which I will head out and buy today.

I have also been trying to throw together enough decent-looking terrain for our games so we can play at home. Of course we will play a lot at the store, because of their large tables, great terrain, friendly atmosphere, and other players just hanging out.

Also, with Dustin's last-minute switch from Imperial Guard to Eldar, and the fact that he is not bringing his Tyranids, I am re-working the campaign from top to bottom. We will still play with plenty of wacky special rules, no doubt made up on-the-fly by us for comedy's sake.

All this to do...entirely too much fun, don't you think?

Friday Unrelated Information

2009-07-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

1. Dustin has chosen to go with Eldar as his new army, contrary to his earlier plans of Imperial Guard. He wanted the "Death Corps of Krieg" special Forge World Guard, and they were having shipping issues. He ordered his Eldar force today; something on the order of:

2 Farseer and 10 Warlock Seer Council mounted in a Wave Serpent grav tank
2 Dire Avenger squads(x12) mounted in Wave Serpents
3 Fire Dragon (x6) squads mounted in Falcon grav tanks

I am very excited to play, and I think that is a fairly solid "mechdar" (as mechanized Eldar are sometimes called) list. The weakness, which Dustin knows, is that there are only two scoring units.

2. We took the first ripe Tomato off the vine tonight. Soon we will eat it as part of a fancied-up grilled cheese sandwich.

3. Tomorrow is my 2nd Anniversary dating Better Living. I love you, honey! <3

War Story Thursday: Late Edition

2009-07-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

Behold:

The sweetest online database of medieval warriors, ever!

Courtesy of Better Living.

A little silliness is in order...

2009-07-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

Kittens + Zeppelin = Amazing

That is all. Valentine out.

A Brief Battle Report

2009-07-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I played a fun game against one of the store clerks, Matt (I think...maybe Mike?). He was playing Chaos Demons, a very close-combat oriented army. An interesting match-up, since my army is pretty close-combat oriented also. He won the roll for going first, but elected to let me do it (since this actually denies me a turn of shooting because demons all deep-strike). So here is what my deployment looked like:

Essentially, a big "turtle" formation surrounding my dreadnoughts and death company with tanks. This was my first big mistake. Having played most recently against Tau and Eldar, with all of their fancy guns, I deployed in a way to try to protect my most potent assault units from shooting. However, demons don't do a lot of shooting and have problems penetrating armor anyway. So rather than protecting my good units, I have boxed them in.

Here is a picture of the demons after they materialized on the battlefield:

Luckily, they couldn't do anything on the turn they arrived, except take a a few ineffective shots at me. In my second turn, I did manage to gun down the Lord of Change, that big blue-winged guy. Hooray! However, I also immobilized my command rhino trying to drive it through the woods. In the next turn, the demons were upon me:

The Bloodthirster, that big red-winged demon, knocked out one of my dreadnoughts, and the lesser demons all scuttled up and began bashing on my tanks. My dreadnought on the right side of the picture couldn't fit through the gaps in my units and his, to get out and start smashing the weaker demons, so I charged the bloodthirster...also a mistake, as the greater demon first immobilized and then destroyed it. My final dreadnought was heading over to crush those flamer demons (the blue guys on the left), but due to the special powers of a certain demon called "The Changeling", my opponent got to fire one of my tanks instead of me, and he used it to immobilize the final dreadnought. I also made the mistake of committing Dante and the death company too early, where some terrible dice rolling on my part led them to an early demise. As things were rapidly going bad for me, I threw common sense to the wind and started to dismount my infantry, trying to kill smaller units of demons while I had the chance:

Unfortunately, after taking down their targets, my infantry were wide open to getting swamped, which is exactly what happened to these guys and basically the entire army. Once the "blood-crushers", the demons riding "juggernauts of Khorne" made it into my lines, I was finished:

So another defeat for me. I need to remember that different enemy armies will play differently. There was really no reason for me to "turtle up" like I did; it only kept my dreadnoughts out of the fight. Also, with a few wiser choices during the game and some better dice-rolling, I really could have pulled out a draw, as most of the demons spent literally the entire game bashing on my tanks, not bringing them down until the final turn. I really shouldn't have gotten greedy and dismounted my infantry, but given the situation, it was the only chance I had to take a few more demon units with me. Actually, more individual demons were killed by the tanks they were bashing on exploding than by me shooting or assaulting them. That is pretty sad. But oh well, you live and you learn!

Friday Unrelated Information

2009-07-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

1. Better Living and I are having friends over tonight for drinks and a fancy dinner, possibly followed by more drinks! Hooray! Now I just have to get the patio set all cleaned up...

2. Dustin finally got his leave all worked out and should be arriving in town sometime during the first week of August. Hooray!

3. This Sunday at the Peoples' Market is "Jordan River Day". Celebrate this vital part of Salt Lake City by riding your bike or floating your boat to the market, as a combined bike ride/boat float will be heading up the river at 2:30pm. There will also be presentations and workshops on the importance of the river. Hooray!

4. Hooray!

Cast of characters in my 40k army, Part 3: the Dreadnoughts

2009-07-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

The thing that really makes my army "scary" to opponent is the three Venerable Furioso Death Company Dreadnoughts. These three models contain most of the killing potential in my army. As such, they are always a priority target for the enemy, and I try to shield them behind my tanks or terrain for as long as possible. Of course, they are all named and have a little back-story.

REDEMPTOR - Once a Chaplain, Brother Redepmtor led one of the largest Death Companies ever assembled in the Second Battle for Armageddon. This massive formation of blood-crazed Marines smashed into the Ork flank, disrupting their lines and delaying the Ork capture of Hades Hive. None of the Marines survived, except Redemptor...his broken body consumed by the Black Rage, he was entombed in a dreadnought sarcophagus so that he could continue to battle the enemies of humanity.

RESURGAM - One of the oldest Death Company Dreadnoughts, no elder or record identifies the true name of this battle-brother who has served his chapter for millennia. He is known only as Resurgam, meaning "I shall rise again". In countless battles, his dreadnought body has been all but annihilated, only to rise up once more, tearing his would-be slayers limb from limb.

ALLISON VALENTINE - Over 300 years ago, Allison Valentine was serving as a Sister of Battle to bring glory to the House of Valentine. But, in a combined action with the Blood Angels chapter, she was overcome with the Black Rage. The Blood Angels believed this to be a miracle, as no one outside their chapter and without their gene-seed had ever fallen to the visions of the Black Rage. They immediately encased the dying woman in a suit of dreadnought armor, so she might live on. The Ecclesiarchy and Allison's fellow Battle-sisters were dubious, suspecting the taint of Chaos rather than a miracle. It was this event that forced young Jonas Valentine into exile. Now, Borther and Sister fight alongside one another; she in the un-death of a dreadnought, he with the pronounced longevity of the Blood Angels. Continuing suspicion of Chaos taint is why Inquisition forces accompany the II MARS detachment, ever watchful of some sign that the Valentines are in fact agents of darkness.

War Story Wednesday: The complications of leave

2009-07-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

So a short post today, just to say: Dustin is still not sure about his leave. Let me tell you, taking leave in the military is a gigantic pain (in my experience). Sometimes, there are even weird conundrums like: you can't get your leave approved without a plane ticket, but there is a chance you will buy the plane ticket and still not have your leave approved and then be out the cost of the ticket. I don't think Dustin is any a silly situation like that, but there is still an elaborate process requiring the signatures of multiple people in the chain of command, a detailed travel plan, etc.

I just hope he can make it out here before school starts!

Thoughts on my 40k army

2009-07-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

So...I am kind of at an impasse with my 40k Blood Angels army. I currently have it set up for 2050 points for the third Mind Games tournament coming up in August. The list I have worked out is roughly:

Dante, Lord of Blood Angels
Death Company w/ jump packs x4

Venerable Death Company Dreadnoughts x3

Ten-man tactical squad mounted in a rhino x2
Five-man tactical squad mounted in a razorback
Five-man assault squad mounted in a rhino, accompanied by Brother Corbulo

Predator tank with autocannon and heavy bolters
Baal Predators x2

I have played a couple of games with this army, where it performed much better than my previous army lists. Still, the thoughts that other players have had is that Dante is just too expensive in points (200) for what he does (which is a lot). Also, once Dante is down and no longer giving his fantastic bonuses to everyone around him, the army kind of starts to fall apart. Also, Corbulo is the one preventing the death company guys and death company dreadnoughts from running all over the place with compulsory "rage" moves. Having him mounted in a tank (I can't give him a jump pack) tends to make the army unwieldy, and eventually some of the death company stuff gets outside his control range and has to make their compulsory moves. There have been suggestions that I take a regular Chaplain or the special character Lemartes (who comes with a jump pack) to control my death company stuff and drop Corbulo. Still, I think that having Corbulo mounted in the command tank makes him very survivable, whereas a jump-packing Chaplain tends to just get gunned down (which is what happened in my games in the previous two tournaments).

So I don't really know what to do...keep my list the way it is and refine my tactics to better shield Dante, and make better use of his and Corbulo's special bonuses? Or take those two characters out and use the points on something else? The only thing I can think to do would be to drop Dante and use those 200 points on some Witch Hunter allies; most likely just some extra troops choices. But then...no super-over-the-top Dante bonuses. Also, I have almost completely painted everything for the list in its current state. I would have to buy and model up those witch hunters...which is a giant pain.

So I am thinking...I will keep the list as-is, and try to get in a few more games where I will work to keep Dante better protected until he makes contact with the enemy, and also keep the army together. I generally split the army, with a main thrust containing all of my goodies, and one predator, the razorback, and maybe another unit or two sitting back to shoot. I think that I would fair better if everything was just together, in a single big armored column that advanced on the enemy. I would be very vulnerable at that point to big template weapons, but since everyone BUT Dante and the death company are mounted in tanks, generally a big template weapon is still only going to destroy a single tank.

Decisions, decisions....

Friday Unrelated Information

2009-07-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

1. The Peoples' Market is really booked up for music this weekend! We have Misty Rivers scheduled for a long set in the morning, Jose Banillo and everybody from Lutheran Community Services, and Didjeridan may even be there to play his didjeridoo. Of course the house band, Rick, Tiffin, Patrick, and myself will likely play throughout the day. We also have a neat workshop scheduled that day on electric vehicles, starting at 12:30.

2. This weekend, I am going to the Utah Delta Epsion Chi (ΔEX or "DEX") State Officer Retreat. We have a whole day of leadership classes, teambuilding exercises, and the good stuff: decision making. I also get to report on my progress towards starting a ΔEX chapter at Westminster College, where I start as a junior this fall. Woot!

3. I have been talking about the Tau from Warhammer 40k on here, and I think that there may be some unfamiliar readers out there. The Tau are an alien empire in the distant future of the fictional (obviously) Warhammer 40,000 Universe. They control a small but dense piece of space, far from Terra and at the fringe of the Imperium of Man. The Tau have absorbed other species from planets in their empire, all working for "The Greater Good", and have a technology level far beyond that of humans. Consequently, in the game they have many of the best weapons around, and many ways to apply special bonuses to their shooting. As my Blood Angels army is fairly focused on close assault, the Tau get to shoot me up as I try to advance on them, and are usually able to out-maneuver me and delay my assault for several turns if not the whole game. Below is a picture of Josh-from-the-game-store's Tau, from the most recent tournament:

...and here is a picture from the game, with one of the Tau "Piranhas" advancing on my tactical marines:

In the game, I eventually shot down both piranhas with that big gun one of my guys is toting, a "multi-melta". However, Josh's Kroot eventually came and took this position over, in what I think was the critical objective that caused me to lose instead of draw. What is a Kroot, you ask? Kroot are one of the main alien species that has joined the Tau empire. I don't have any pictures of Josh's excellently painted Kroot, but here is a picture of mine (they are the guys on the right):

Okay, folks...have a good weekend! Valentine out.

Uniforms

2009-07-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

So...no post yesterday. I was busy getting my Marine Corps Dress Blue uniform from the tailor. I had to have it altered so it could still fit me. You see, I had made Dustin an offer: If he so desired, when he returned from Iraq, I would get all of my lovely thick hair cut off and within regulation, and make sure my uniform was ready to go, and we would both go out on the town decked out in our military get-up. Maybe we will get free drinks? I am sure a lot of people will come up to us and say "thank you"; they always do...

Anyhow...the blues look great. I think next week I might actually put up some pictures.

Music

2009-07-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

Okay. So I really like music. I actually went to a couple semesters of music college. My problem lately is I can't find any NEW music to listen to. I guess I don't really put a ton of effort into it, and I am quite content to just listen to my favorites over and over. The most recent artist that I have "gotten in to" would be Neko Case, who totally rocks. I have been lucky enough to see her live this year AND last year. Also, Better Living just happens to have all of her records. Beyond that, I have to go back several years to when Dustin turned me on to The Arcade Fire, who totally rule the Earth. All bands must bow to them. Just look them up on You-Tube and be amazed. This is a particularly silly and awesome performance, and here they are playing one of their songs with David Bowie.

More recently, Patrick was nice enough to turn me on to the band Beirut, who have a similar vibe to The Arcade Fire, a little more by the way of Devotchka.

I have a busy day ahead of me - here's wishing it is full of good songs!

Busy Weekend

2009-07-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a holiday! First, great sunshine at the water-park, and continuing all day on Friday into my parents' big party.

Saturday was a blur...sleeping in, then prepping for the 4th of July celebration, where People's Market had a booth. We also ran a big sack-race that was a huge hit and had kids running in from all over the park to participate. I cut out before the big fireworks show...so I could make it home and head out with Better Living to a park up on Capitol Hill...where we watched fireworks going off all across the valley.

Sunday, the market was a blast, although I caught a lot of open hostility. Apparently, some people just don't have any manners (or class, or humility). It is okay, though...they are like a shadow to me now; an echo of a person. No sense letting one little shadow ruin a fantastic weekend!

And how about all of the SUNSHINE?

Friday Unrelated Information

2009-07-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

1. I petitioned Better Living to have a Tuesday or Thursday "Project Roundup". She said no. She said it could be the "Project Review, Project Update, or Project Progress Report", but not round-up. Apparently, "there is only room for one round-up on this ranch." It was cute.

2. The Marines have recently launched a big offensive in Afghanistan. I heard on N.P.R. that the Marines are planning on clearing a southern region of the country and then setting up temporary camps and staying for who knows how long, while they train the Afghanistan Army and police in the area.

3. Water Parks! We are going to an amusement park today, that features a small water park and several water rides. It is too bad that we aren't going the Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, Texas, because that is the greatest water park I have been to. Aaaahhhhh....nice times in the water.

Feeling Lazy...

2009-07-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have several errands to run today, and so I am feeling kind of lazy when it comes to blogging. So, I will just share a few nice 40k images with you all. Better stuff tomorrow.

The first is a picture from the last 40k tournament I played in, wherein Stelek's demons have laid waste to one flank of my army. Yikes! Luckily, I laid waste to the other flank of HIS army, then ran away for a nice fair-and square draw. Very nicely painted demons.

The second picture is of my small Tau force, looking cool in some ruins in a picture I sent to Dustin to keep him motivated (warhammer-style) while he was in Iraq:

That is all for today, folks. Valentine out.

War Story Wednesdy: Motor Transport

2009-07-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

When I say over there in the "about me" bit that I am a Veteran, I don't give a lot of details. More for War Story Wednesday? So here is today's topic: Motor Transport. My M.O.S. (That is Military Occupational Specialty for the uninitiated) was "3533": Logistics Vehicle Systems (LVS) Operator. So..a fancy acronym-tastic way to say that I drove trucks; the fanciest trucks. The LVS series of vehicles are all powered by the Mk48 front module, which has the cab and engine, and are then coupled with a rear module. There are several rear module variants. The Mk14, for example, is a simple flat bed that can be fitted with I.S.O. (International Standards Organization) locks to haul shipping containers and connex boxes, or cargo can just be placed on the bed and strapped down. The Mk17 has a smaller flatbed (with fold-up sides), and also has a hydraulic crane. Below is a photo of some of the most difficult LVS work I got into. In the photo, I have just returned to our camp after a vehicle recovery mission. I am driving the Mk48/16 rear module, which has a fifth-wheel to pull an M870 low-boy trailer:
I actually have the trailer detached, because its bit for the fifth-wheel is on a collapsible goose-neck. I am backed up to the back of the trailer (those are the rear ramps of the trailer sticking up behind my four main LVS axles). I have used a winch on the Mk16 to recover an Army 5-ton that was hit by an enemy IED. It wasn't a particularly large or effective IED, but it did flatten the tires and took out a big piece of the passenger side axles. In the picture, if I remember correctly, we are off-loading the Army 5-ton over at the Army's side of our camp.

As an LVS Operator, I also went through all of the regular Motor Transport Operator training (MOS 3531), and was fully licensed to drive (and boy did I drive) the normal Motor Transport vehicles: The 7-ton MTVR and the ubiquitous HMMWV (High Moblity Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle or 'humvee'). Below is a photo of a 7-ton towing a HMMWV:
There are two things I would like to point out in this photo: first, we are in the middle of nowhere, and second, that HMMWV is all kitted-out and up-armored. Regarding the first, there isn't much to say. We are out in the desert. It is vast and empty. I believe we are on a raid in the photo, or on our way back. That is an entire other post, however. On the second point: That is not one of our Motor-T platoon HMMWV's. It belonged to H&S (Headquarters and support) Company or one of the other companies in my battalion. We didn't get up-armored HMMWV's until a few weeks before we redeployed back to the U.S. Our convoys were thusly comprised entirely of 7-tons (generally) with a few LVS's thrown in to haul fuel, heavy equipment, etc. The 7-ton in this picture is a good representation of our average 7-ton: an armored turret for a gunner, bolt-on armored door, and ballistic windshield.

Alrighty...I think I am going to go swimming now. It is summer, after all!

Narrative Campaign

2009-06-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

So, when Dustin comes to visit a large chunk of our time is going to be devoted to 40k. Since we are both total fluff-heads (we love Necromunda because of its Role Playing Game qualities), I am working on a narrative campaign for us to play using pretty much every painted model we have. There will be five missions, based loosely around the idea that Tyranids have landed on planet Deseret (*wink*), and Imperial forces as well as locals (Orks and Tau) are responding to the Tyranid invasion.

Here is a rough outline of the five games:

GAME #1: 1 objective, + neutral Orks & Tau. This is a crazy, silly game to help Dustin and I both get up to speed on our 5th Edition rules...and also just be crazy and silly! Dustin will have a 750 point Tyranid swarm, and I will have a 750 pt. Blood Angels armored convoy. There are also Orks and Tau that start on the board, and after our turns, I roll to see what silly thing the Tau do and Dustin rolls to see what silly thing the Orks do. There is even a potential for Dustin to roll well and gain control of the Orks for the rest of the game. There is only one objective we are fighting over, using Stelek's modified objective rules. Below is my VASSAL diagram of the game 1 deployment:

GAME #2: All of Dustin's Tyranids VS my Marines, in the ruined outskirts of town. D3+2 objectives, long table edge deployment just like a standard game in the rulebook. No crazy special rules (although we may still use the modified objectives rules), EXCEPT: If any of my named characters or his Hive Tyrants are killed in this game, they cannot be used in the big final battle.

GAME #3: Dustin's Imperial Guard and my marines (played by Dustin) VS Tau and Orks, played by me. Dustin is rushing in his "R&R" time before he gets leave to paint up a small I.G. army, so in this game he can test it out. We also thought it would be fun to let him have a few of my Marines just so he can play around with them and boost the points of his I.G. force. We'll probably play a standard mission from the rulebook, with all those random dice rolls for game type and deployment. The weird allies (Orks and Tau? For the Greater Good?) is enough wackiness for this game.

GAME# 4: Dustin and I team up to form like a 3500 or 4000 point Marine/I.G. joint force to play some guys at the store, and it ties in to our campaign somehow. Hope we can find some willing opponents!

GAME #5: The nids are just too much....all of Dustin's Tyranids, plus many "infected" Tau and I.G. VS. a bunch of my Marines with a few Witch Hunters or I.G. heavy weapons teams...there is a breach in the city walls...only if it holds can the civilians be evacuated before the planet is virus bombed into oblivion! Of course, we will make up some fun siege rules.

So that is pretty much the plan. It is a work in progress. I hope Dustin enjoys it.

The Return of the King

2009-06-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

Well, my best friend Dustin got back from Iraq on Friday. He told me that they flew from Iraq to camp "Al Udaid" (or some-such; where is that, Qatar?), where they waited several days, then flew to Ireland, than Baltimore (where they stayed overnight), before finally making it back to Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

He is supposed to come up and visit on leave in about two weeks. How am I supposed to wait TWO WEEKS?? I am putting in overtime on my 40k painting and terrain building, and also writing a lengthy narrative campaign for us to play through. Should be fun.

Glad to have you back, Dustin.

Friday Unrelated Information

2009-06-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

1. Just saw Transformers 2 last night. All told, I was just as dissatisfied with it as the first live action Transformers movie. Too many human characters, doing too many stupid things, with too many stupid lines. I keep waiting for them to just REMAKE THE ANIMATED MOVIE, which was the apogee of animated action movies as far as I am concerned. I have read some hints online about introducing Unicron for the inevitable third Transformers movie. If only we are so lucky.

2. So what is this? Micheal Jackson is dead and everyone is *mourning* ?? Everywhere I look on the internet, it talks about people "mourning" his death. Is this really the right word? I don't mean to hate on the guy and his memory, or his music, but are we all supposed to wear black for a month and be sad because the "King of Pop" died? I don't know...it is always unsettling to me when a celebrity dies and the public and media talk about how it is a tragedy, but more so in this case.

3. Buy Local First Utah is starting their "Independents' Week" tomorrow to celebrate local businesses. They will be set up at the Downtown Farmers Market on Saturday, and more importantly, there will be a big hullabaloo Sunday at The Peoples' Market, involving silly games and contests with lots of prizes and giveaways.

Cast of characters in my 40k army, Part 2: the Veteran Sergeants

2009-06-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I missed a day in there (busy, busy, busy), but here is the afore-mentioned write up of the veteran Sergeants in my fluffy Warhammer 40,000 army.

SERGEANT CHAMPAGNE - The senior sergeant of the detachment. Champagne is known to carry his large axe with him everywhere, as a sign of his rank and authority. He commands a five man squad attached to a razorback transport.

SERGEANT TAEBERIUS - Horribly wounded after an aerial jump-pack insertion, Taeberius' life was saved only by fitting him with advanced bionics. He now commands II MARS' lead tactical squad, often the first to deploy from their transport into battle.

SERGEANT ARGENBRIGHT - Only recently promoted to veteran status, Argenbright has yet to paint his helmet gold in honor of his station. He has instead spent his time since promotion relentlessly drilling his squad, constantly inspecting their weapons, and consulting with the squad's transport operators.

SERGEANT COSTIGAN - Having served with Lt. Tadena in Brother Corbulo's Honor Guard, Costigan now leads his five man assault squad in repelling attacks made against the II MARS Command rhino. During his time as a member of a veteran assault squad, there were several battles that only Costigan survived, leading other Blood Angels to endow him with the epithet "Lone Wolf", a title he has embraced by carving a wolf onto his breastplate and wearing a Baal desert wolf pelt into battle.

Cast of characters in my 40k army, Part 1: the Command Staff

2009-06-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

My army is mainly based around some fluff I wrote when I bought some of the first all-plastic tactical marine squads and the newer rhinos and razorbacks. So, there are several named characters in the army, presented for posterity and fluffiness:

LORD CAPTAIN VALENTINE - The Captain himself. Born to a noble family on a feudal industrial world near Baal, but exiled at a young age to Baal Secundus, Jonas Valentine was inducted as an initiate into the Blood Angels chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. There, he quickly rose through the ranks due to his heroism in battle. He now commands II M.A.R.S. (Mobile Armored Strikeforce), a mechanized quick reaction force that is a joint effort between the Blood Angels and the Inquisition.

CHAPLAIN MANILLA - Manilla served with the Veteran Company for thirty six years before his induction into the Chaplain Corps, where he made a record seventy four consecutive combat teleports. As a Chaplain, he initially served detached from the Blood Angels chapter to aid the Inquisition in rooting out cultists spread throughout many neighboring star systems. Manillia is second in command of the II M.A.R.S. detachment.

LIEUTENANT TADENA - The Armor Officer of II M.A.R.S., Tadena directs the many armored vehicles of the detachment from the unit's command rhino. In an early act of heroism, he drove his Rhino forward directly into enemy autocannon fire, covering friendlies and allowing them to advance as he rammed the enemy position, disabling it. He served as a member of Brother Corbulo's Honor Guard before being requested by Captain Valentine for the second Mobile Armored Strikeforce.

FIRST SERGEANT VANOSTRUM - The company First Sergeant, serving as an aid to Captain Valentine as well as leader of the Captain's Honor Guard. Vanostrum's courage and ferocity are legendary, as are his preference for basic weapons and close assaults. He has served as company First Sergeant alongside Captain Valentine for five major campaigns.

...tomorrow: the Veteran Sergeants

Mondays

2009-06-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

Aren't they terrible? And I am not even working right now! Even still, I am finding it hard to get motivated and work on my models. That and I need more spray paint, both to prime several pewter models and some terrain I am trying to make.

Looks like Monday errands....

Friday Unrelated Information

2009-06-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

Taking (stealing) a cue from Better Living, I will reserve Friday posts for random bits of news, info, game talk, and stories that bear little or no relation to one another.

1. Warhammer 40,000 "Planetstrike". So GW came out with a new "expansion" for 40k, "Planetstrike", detailing invasions of planets from space. While that sounds awesome...I just don't know if it merits an entire new book. Also, and I might be wrong, I can't see there being a whole lot of new material in there. We already have drop pods, orbital bombardments, and deep-strike. Are there going to be rules for all sorts of *NEW* drop pods, orbital bombardments, and deep-striking? I guess I can see this sort of as the 40k version of Warhammer Fantasy castle sieges. Which are cool. But I'll bet there won't be, say, cauldrons of boiling oil for your Marines to pour down on the invading Tau. If they are going to put out this product, I would hope for it to have detailed rules/scenarios for sieges, boarding actions on enemy ships, amphibious assaults from the oceans, etc. We'll see.

2. Peoples' Market is in the lead! Apparently, someone nominated the Peoples' Market for a "Nickelodeon Parents' Pick Award" (I am assuming some parent). Now, anyone can vote online for best farmers market in salt lake city...and Peoples' Market has currently edged out the behemoth Downtown Farmers Market for the #1 spot! We're ahead 36% to 32%. So come on, you one or two people who read this, click the link and vote for Peoples' Market! You can vote multiple times; once per day.

3. North Temple / TRAX Community Planning. Last night I attended a "community planning workshop" addressing the TRAX line going in on the the west end of North Temple street going out to the airport. The Mayor and his crew have expressed their desire to turn this stretch of North Temple, home to the power plant, trailer parks, the famed Red Iguana, and some blight, into a "Grand Boulevard". So there we probably about 200 people in attendance, some of whom I knew (thank God), and we listened to different people talk about the TRAX project. It is expected to open late 2011 or early 2012 if I am remembering correctly. Then, we broke up into dozens of little "work groups", where we actually drew on nice big maps of the street what we would like to see. I was pushing for lots of greenspace, community gardens, a community supported agriculture urban farm, and of course several large, impressive 5-15 story office/residential buildings. Let us expand downtown to the West, across I-15, only instead of the empty lots and surface parking that plague the current downtown zone, we'll have green space and parks and gardens and farms. Sounds good to me anyway.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend. I won't get any gaming in, although I will probably have some painting time.

Valentine, signing off.

Command Rhino

2009-06-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

So, I wanted to show off my command rhino because it is nearing completion. I will post some better pictures when it is totally done and highlighted, clear-coated, and Corbulo and his squad are painted up as well. When I decided to add Corbulo to my Blood Angels Army, I knew that he would need a sweet ride. What better vehicle than the Damocles Command Rhino by Forge World? I even added some extra little targeter-thingies and small com dishes and things, and got the Forge World Blood Angels door set.

Below, I have taken the top off and you can see the dudes inside, manning the radios and satellite up-links, and directing the battle.

My army includes Dante, Lord of the Blood Angels, and Corbulo, High Sanguinary Priest. Dante is off charging in to battle with his jump pack, so I figured Corbulo would ride around in this tank and fluff-wise, be the one actually calling the shots. It also helps to have his apothecary ability and his special "Red Grail" powers extend not from his base, but from the hull of the rhino ;)

Below, I just want to show a side-by-side comparison between the front of the C-2 rhino and one of my line APCs. Obviously, the C-2 on the left has the Forge World front plate. The standard tank on the right has got the Blood Angels emblem decal on the right , and a V decal, for "Valentine", on the left (as do all my other tanks). The command tank has some etched brass bits...mainly because I ordered the command rhino as a complete kit from Forge World, and wouldn't you know it...NO DECALS!

Finally, I wanted to highlight some stuff I did that I think is pretty cool: The guy coming out of the turret on the command tank has a gold helmet. Of course Corbulo's rhino would be crewed only by veterans. Also, the veteran is holding an "Auspex" scanner; I just wanted to do something different and I think it adds to the whole "command and control" idea behind this vehicle. Lastly, when you have an army with seven tanks and you put all the extra storm-bolters all over them, you eventually run out, since each tank only comes with one, but my rhinos all have two. So, I rigged an unused dreadnought storm-bolter. Hope anyone out there checking this out likes it...I love modeling and converting and all that stuff.

Valentine Out.

War Story Wednesdy: Music Edition

2009-06-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

So, as I am prone to do...I decided suddenly last night that I needed to go play at an open mic night. I invited my band's horn and violin player via phone about 1/2 hour before the open mic was set to start, but they didn't get back to me until an hour in to it. Another hour later, I played my set, to a fairly positive reaction. Since everyone is half drunk and clapping for everything, it was probably a better response than the average applause I get when playing at The Peoples' Market. I'd say it was a much better reaction than when I used to play at the open mics around Camp Lejeune. Those were rough times...driving almost an hour off the base and in to town, playing a fairly late set, and then coming back...all in time for platoon PT in the morning at 5:45.

However, the "gig" last night got me all revitalized to work on some music stuff today, so I have broken out the old recording rig and will give it a go or two. Still, my Warhammer 40k projects are languishing unfinished, so I might have to work on that a bit too. Tomorrow I will post pictures of my Command Rhino, which is nearing completion.

Valentine out.

What a fine Tuesday!

2009-06-16T10:19:00.001-07:00

Look at that, Salt Lake City!

A big, bright, sun-shiny day! I think I might go play around in the garden! Of course Warhammer is always, always calling to me...I have to finish my Blood Angels for the tournament in August (and I am close to doing so), but then I have decided to re-boot my tiny 500pt Tau force also...and then, my best friend Dustin is coming to visit on leave upon his return from Iraq in a few weeks...so I am scrambling to make some terrain and write some scenarios so we can play at home as well as making some trips to the Friendly Local Gaming Store.

Still, with all that sun...my thoughts turn to gardens and vegetables and such. Speaking of which, I had a great time this weekend at The Peoples' Market, a local west-side farmers market that runs all summer on Sundays and the International Peace Gardens. Some of the issues with the band were a bit off, but I felt that my set went well. I hope everyone else had as good a time as I did!

Well, blogging world...I have a lot to do today...and hopefully some of it can be outside!

Inaugural Post

2009-06-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

So, this is my first post. My real name is Josh, but since the internet was invented FOR nerds BY nerds, my moniker around these parts shall be "Lord Captain Valentine". I guess some explaining is in order...this is my first blog and it is just for me and any of my friends who should stumble on to it. The title, "Anima Æternus" is a latin phrase meaning, roughly:

"Everlasting Breath of Life"

The chief focus of this site will be for me to ramble on about cool things. Stuff that I think is cool, and maybe you will to...if anyone reads this.
Some future posts might be about:
*Warhammer 40,000
*Video Games of some varieties
*Good Sci-Fi and Fantasy books
*Real-world military stuff (I was in the Marines for four years...maybe I'll have "War Story Wednesday?)
*Politics and Business (I do tend to think that the meaning of life is in the "Accounting Equation")
*Men's Fashion (and no, I don't mean your shell necklace and sweet board shorts, dude)
*Gardening, Urban Farming, sustainability, and all that green stuff
*MUSIC...oh god yes the music!
*Movies, etc, etc, etc.

So, without further introduction, here is something nerdy and awesome that I have just gotten the hang of: Using VASSAL to make Warhammer 40,000 battle reports. Apparently, the VASSAL engine can be used to re-create many classic board and tabletop games. I have done a very, very rough mock up of a battle a played a few days ago (coincidentally with another 40k gamer also named Josh...in fact, around the store I am known as "Other Josh"). My apologies to Josh if I have got the details of the battle mixed up. I don't honestly remember enough to even do a turn by turn, but the VASSAL engine reminded me so much of the quality battle reports that used to feature in White Dwarf, and I wanted to show it off to my few good gaming buddies. For some reason getting the pictures on here caused them to lose a lot of their resolution. Sorry...

Here was our deployment, as best I recall:
Josh is all of that Eldar stuff in the top left corner (He actually had nicely painted blue Eldar, but there weren't any blue Eldar in VASSAL). I am, of course, the red stuff in the bottom right. Long live the Blood Angels!

The first few turns...
The early game consisted of my baal predator and a rhino BOTH getting stuck in the trees along the bottom, while the razorback with them got blown up, forcing its five man squad to try to dash across open ground and into cover. I advanced my wall of armor, and offered Dante and his Death Company guys as bait, to try to get the seer council locked in combat so I could counter-charge them with my dreadnoughts. Instead, a falcon flew up, delivered its Dire Avengers, and they promptly gunned down Dante and his buddies (All those skulls on the hilltop). So far I was down, 3-0 in kill points, but at least one falcon also immobilized itself in terrain (far left).
The Seer Council strikes...and fails
So my tanks down at the bottom are still just sitting there, apparently unable to get the logs out of their axles. The Seer Council charged through the ruins in the center to engage my Baal pred and two dreadnoughts. Unfortunately for Josh, two warlocks died going through the terrain. Also, the council stuck last since they assaulted through cover, allowing me to squish two more. They did knock out the Baal predator that had entered the ruins. Still, the counter-attack I had hoped for worked out, and the assault squad I keep riding around with Corbulo jumped out just in case the dreads counldn't handle it. And so, the last warlock and the farseer went down. You can see in these pics (sorry; I lost some resolution somewhere and so it isn't looking good to enlarge them...also I was too lazy to go in and crop the battle layouts) the Eldar tanks just sitting back there, though. With a lucky pop of my standard predator's autocannon, suddenly none of of my long range weapons could even scratch Josh's tanks. To make things worse, all of my meltaguns were stuck on my slower-moving dreads and with my infantry, who were foot-slogging around due to their transports being destroyed, stuck in the woods, or having stalled engines. Josh shot up the five-man squad that had lost their razorback early on, giving him a firm 4-2 lead in kill points. I would have to pull something out...

The End Game
I was steadily advancing on the Eldar in their tanks, and without the Seer Council, they really had no credible close combat threat to me. Still, they could just keep backing away out of melta range, leaving me entirely unable to harm them. So some fun stuff happened in the last few turns. I rammed one wave serpent with my autocannon-less predator, stunning it so it couldn't move or fire. I lost one more tank to the constant flurry of long-range Eldar firepower, tipping to score even further towards Josh, who led 5-3.
Then, I finally got some lucky melta hits and popped two tanks. One spilled out six Fire Dragons and the other a bunch of Dire Avengers. If I could eliminate one squad, the game would be a tie...both, and I would seize victory at the very end. Ultimately, I failed...just barely. You can see at the top of this pic that my squad has assaulted the Dire Avengers, but they didn't wipe them out easily. Making it frustrating for me too was the fact that one of my dreadnoughts was only 1/2" outside of charge range. You can see he's lost both weapons, but a Death Company Furioso has plently of attacks, even without its arms. I gunned down all but one Fire Dragon, and also frustratingly, he was outside of assault range for my other two dreads.
Post-mortem
So, the game ended on turn 6, with Josh defeating me 5-4. Still, it was a great game, filled with fun moments and surprising turnarounds. I think that for a player of my general skill level (which is fairly low; been out of the game a while), I can claim a big moral victory for defeating the Seer Council. I HATE those bike seer councils. I know that my army is not alone in its lack of a WHOLE UNIT with INVULNERABLE SAVES...oh, and throw in Eldrad so that they can get fortune and re-roll those saves. Still, Josh's mistake of assaulting me through cover really cost him, although that council was going down on the counter-charge, even if he hadn't had been at a disadvantage (well, maybe). These were both our probable tournament lists for the Mind Games Yearly Classic 3 in August, so it was nice for me to not just get easily rolled over.

Well...that is about all I have to say about 40k tonight. If you are thinking, "hey, Lord Crap-tain, I found this blog I want to get learned-up on my tactics...you should get on over and talk to Stelek and the Crew and learn something.

More to follow later,
Lord Captain Valentine