Catholic World News : Only one Catholic Church in China, Vatican prelate says

Well, I'm too tired to recap any games.  Sunday was busy.  I had to rush to 8:00 mass so that I could be wisked over to the Shadowfist AZ Proving Ground inaugeral event at Game Depot.  After that I had to be wisked over to the last CopperCon XXIII meeting, where I was finally compensated for my programming expenses.  That was during my usual mass time, hense the early mass.  After that, I met Wayne at Spectrum Cinemas to see Finding Nemo.  Some low life stole my valve caps while I was in the theatre.  The shop where I bought them went out of business, so I don't know where I can find another set of black dice valve caps. 

After the movie we ran into Chris and we chatted before the two of us went to eat at the overpriced McDonald's in the Wal*Mart Supercenter.  $1.50 for a Big and Tasty!  At least we made our money back when we were able to buy orange-pineapple cream cookies for $.50!  After that we played Carcassonne: Hunters & Gatherers, Power Puff Girls: Villains at Large Game, The (2000), Elfenland, and Neopets before I headed home. 

Monday I listened to Winter for the Adept, a very good Doctor Who episode after a grueling day of grocery shopping, lawn work, and completing a backlog of phone calls.  Tuesday I dived into the mass of WesterCon LVII emails.  Wednesday I made a huge batch of potato salad for our Halloween festivities while listening to Dalek Empire 2:  The Apocalypse Element.  Tonight I'm catching up here, minus a few rpg stories. 

Feliz Dias de los Muertos!

The Lord of the Rings

I had a busy, busy weekend.  I didn't check E-mail on either Sunday or Monday, so I'll be brief here so that I can catch up there.

With Rusty in Ohio, we watched Stir of Echoes on Friday to prepare us for the Orpheus game.  Afterwards we played Shadowfist while watching The Seven Faces of Doctor Lao.  That was a fun film, but decidedly not one for the World of Darkness. 

Saturday night we played in a Feng Shui game run by Monte.  He set the game in contemporary Hong Kong at the Sacred Heart Hospital, a neutral ground established by the Dragons.  So long as no Secret War violence occurs in the hospital, all factions will have their wounded treated there with no questions asked.  So we were allowed to play any template from any era and any faction. 

Trav created a Purist Sorcerer who is undercover as a scrub.  He uses his sorcery shticks to appear as if he uses contemorary medicines, but uses suagr pills to cover his healing schtick, uses his transmutation shtick to have whatever drug he needs in the syringe at hand, et cetera. 

Kitty created an unaligned Transformed Monkey who is a journalist doing a documentary about the hospital.  She's completely unaware of the Secret War, which is good because the player is, too! 

Michael is playing an unaligned Techie who is a service mechanic for the hospital.  He has fallen for Ting Ting after she came into the hospital once with bullet wounds, and he now wishes to get a chance to actually meet her.  He also is unaware of the Secret War, but that's just role playing on Jackson's part as he ran a five year Feng Shui campaign that started as a playtest group before he started his current D&D campaign. 

I'm playing a Jammer Gorilla Fighter named Baboon Fett.  He was created by CDCA scientist Doctor Kamino Jengo as part of a clone baboon army.  Has a built-in body armour, a wrist flamethrower, a wrist cable launcher, and a jetpack for his hardware schticks and Both Guns Blazing as his gun schtick.  He was meeting some Dragon contacts to obtain more explosives for the Jammers when they were attacked by Pledged Ascended.  He was the only one to survive, and only by crawling into the sewers before passing out.  Now, his physical therapy is nearly complete.  They even let him eat in the cafeteria, so long as he doesn't speak outside the fourth floor where all of the Secret Warriors are hidden.  The excuse is that he is a lab baboon being treated by the hospital. 

I'll tell you about the actual events of the game and the rest of my weekend later.  Night!

I had recapped my entire backlog of role playing sessions, but this stupid new xTools interface lost my entire entry again and I'm too tired to retype it all tonight.  The non-game related content that I remember follows.  I hope it doesn't come across as too disjointed between my frustration and tiredness.  If I click submit I actually expect the entry to submit, not reopen the xTools interface with all of my hard work missing.    

Elf looks like a good addition to the Christmas movie stable.

I got to finally try out the iQue 3600 today.  Wow, PDAs are awesome tools.  If I had the money to waste it's be handier than carrying around the pocket calendar I use.

Rusty's sister passed away, so you might keep the family in your prayers.  Kristie continues to have faith and family issues, so you might keep their family in your prayers, too. 

Tip of the day:  Don't rub your eyes while eatting Da' Bomb. 

Tip of the month:  Don't trust xTools any further than you can throw them. 

For a new perspective of A New Hope, watch the mini-movie at the LEGO.com Star Wars Homepage.

Well, I have a new E-mail set up for Trollhalla now.  Just in time for the list traffic to die.  Figures.  At least its POP accessible. 

The PCFC met again.  They're calling me "the founder" although I just gave it that name because I couldn't think of anything else to call us.  It's amazing how quickly things snowball out of control.  Oh well.  We all had a good time again at Chuy's, but I'm thinking that it would be nice to have like a social board and/or card game night or movie night sometime soon.  At Chuy's its hard to converse across the full length of the tables.

Well, I was going to post more, but its later than I realised.  Night!

The Brick Testament is an interesting look at the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament by an athetist. 

I think I owe some RPG recaps, so I'll start with Jackson's FR 3.0 campaign on the first Friday of the month.  Everyone regathered in the evening, and the dragons returned.  The humanoids decided to remain at the inn for the night, but asked the dragons to return in the morning.  While Cyrus, Delome, and Zed explained that they had interupted a cat sacrifice being performed by the clergy of Umberlee, "Squiggy" came into the inn.  Cyrus went suddenly on guard, but Squigbarm warmly called him over to jon the group.  After some small talk over dinner, he revealed that he was there because a friend of his who worships Eldath had been killed by zombies.  That left his son with no one to look after him.  As Squiggy had heard a rumor that these zombies were released by Squigbarm, he had come to ask him if he would raise his friend from the dead.  Of course Squigbarm was totally willing to do so.  When asked about how he had learned about who released the undead, he just shrugged and confessed that he had kept his ear to the ground.  That's not too surprising, that's why we tracked him down in the first place way back when.  It's only fitting that he return the favour this time. 

So, because Squigbarm didn't have raise dead memorized that day, the two planned to strike out the next morning.  The rest of the team started making plans for the next day as well.  The rouges and bard planned to sell off all the good we've amassed thus far from foes over the winter, while Cyrus, Delome, and Skred planned to disrupt the lock system between Skullport and the ocean.  They planned to stop a supply shipment that was to be ferried out to the Rouge Dragon as it passed Waterdeep on its travels north to a shrine of Tempus. 

In the morning, Squigbarm and Squiggy flew up with the dragons to the Storm Keep.  Weirdly enough, Cyrus, Delome, and Ethan insisted on coming along as well.  That left Skred to be stuck hauling the loot around from store to store with the bard and rouges.  When the keep arrived above the hut's location, the dragons ferried us down to the area.  We found a couple of zombies there, which were quickly dispatched.  In the rubble of the burned down hut we found the remains of the human.  It appeared as if the man had purposefully burned down the hut with him and a couple of zombies still in it.  As Squigbarm perpared to cast speak with dead, the others detected some magic up in the trees a few dozen feet into the forest.  The decided to investigate.  They discovered another human male who was severely bleeding up in the tree who had a magic item on him.  Delome healed him, and the gentleman said over and over that "they" had kidnapped his friend's kid.  Meanwhile, Squigbarm asked the dead man if he truely worshipped Eldath, if he wished to be raised from the dead, and if he was raised if he would continue to promote good in the world.  When all answers were in the affirmative, Squigbarm raised the man just as the others returned. 

On the first Saturday of the month, Pitcher ran his FR 3.0 campaign over at Dustin and Kendal's place.  Apparently, Steve felt that it was either run the game there or lose Kendal to his girlfriend.  She has played Vampire:  The Masquerade, so she would watch the game that night and decide if she wanted to play.  Heidi was already looking at the books when we got there, and Jackson and I both found it funny that she was most attracted to playing a water genasai cleric of Istishia.  Dustin kept trying to talk her into a halfling rouge. 

Because the funerals for Master Hu Li and Caleb of Garl Glittergold were scheduled for the afternoon, we were encouraged to recruit new members to the team during the morning.  We managed to recruit a dwarven cleric of Haela Brightaxe (Dustin's new character, Grizwald Forgehand) and a halfling bard (Monte's new character, Twiggy Mossfoot).  After the funerals, we were told that it would be a while before they could translate the book we had found among the drow we had defeated.  Apparently not only was it in an ancient drow dialect, but worse it was encrypted!  So we were given a chance to relieve one of the patrols for the next day on a part of the town perimeter which we had not been to yet.  Grizwald and Twiggy accompanied the party.

In the morning, Ruben revealed that he and a group of riders were going to Myth Drannor to investigate some clues found in the book we had found.  He had apparently been inspired by Caleb's sacrifice, and multiclassed into paladin much to Mydorn's dismay.

The patrol group we relieved used a bait tactic.  They set themselves up to looklike easy prey, two people playing cards near the tent and one guy fishing downhill at the river.  The fisher had a sword one foot-flick away in the water at his feet and the cardplayers had bows hidden uphill so that they could surprise wouldbe ambushers.  When we told them they were relieved, all three began fishing. 

So we actually started patrolling, and we came upon the sound of battle.  As we rushed up we saw the men who had accompanied Ruben stabbing his prone body several times with their swords.  We quickly closed.  Cap called for them to surrender if they wished to survive, but Grizwald countermanded that and said they were all going to die regaurdless of whether they surrendered or not.  Most of them were quiet, but the last one standing said that Valor would avenge them before he fell.  When all but the one under the effect of Twiggy's sleep spell were dead, Grizwald coup de graced him as well.  This led to an arguement of Grizwald and Serran versus Capernicus.  Twiggy and Magnus seemed to agree that killing the sleep influenced villain seemed unneccessary, but they didn't seem concerned with the evilness of the act and definately wouldn't back up Capernicus in the arguement.  Grizwald said that if it was so important, we could take the bodies back to a powerful cleric and he could talk to the dead.  So we loaded the bodies of Ruben and his betrayers and headed back to town. 

After the game, Dustin started arguing with me about how I wasn't in character.  That if my friend was killed in front of my eyes I wouldn't show mercy either.  Considering how Grizwald had just met Ruben while Capernicus had traveled with him for weeks, the argument didn't make much sense.  He wouldn't listen to me when I tried explaining that Lurue's faithful prefer light banter, clever riddles, giving aid to the needy, and joyous exploration over battle.  He accused me of halving a video game mentality.  I don't even play video games!  He's the one who's always talking about theatest video games.  He's really trying my nerves.  It's one thing to have some cool role playing between characters whose goddesses both represent joy in different ways.  It's another to to tell people how they should role play their character.

Last night I went over to Wayne's place and helped him plan some various stuff for TFLAS.  On the way home I had a thought.  "'A Dangerous pastime.'  'I know.'"  It all comes about an accusation that all men fear commitment and this comment by Ben about how the world would often like us to move faster than that for which we are prepared.  I don't think that I fear commitment, but I do think that I fear the pain which can be associated with love.  I make many commitments every year, and I keep them.  The thought that suddenly sprung into my head was, "Do I have a fear of commitment to Christ?" 

I think the answer is yes.  I know that I am a contrary person.  Maybe not as bad as in The Beattle's Hello Goodbye, but I was raised to question authority and to root for the underdog.  So I can recognise the fact that when people have told me that I should be a priest I rebel against it.  But what if I also fear the commitment that would entail?  Because I think that I do.  Very much so.

So I've been thinking about that this past day.  Then, Bill calls me up and needed an ear tonight.  I guess he's had two bad pieces of news this week, so you might keep him in your prayers.  He'll be on the kitchen staff for the Newman Center retreat this weekend, so I'm hoping that something will happen up there to ease his burden. 

This weekend I need to remember to set up a new E-mail account for Trollhalla related E-mails.  The list traffic for the new T&T edition is murdering the account I've been using these past two years.  I also need to see about finding a new CD-ROM player, as Drive D has read its last disk.  I'm hoping to not have to waste more than $20. 

"One who conquers himself is greater than another who conquers a thousand times a thousand on the battlefield.” ~ Buddha

Cybernetics aren't the future anymore:  Monkeys’ brains move robotic arms

Stupid Xanga.  I clicked submit and it lost my entire entry.  Twice now!  Grrr...  I'm not sure I like this new interface. 

Merlevic teased me today by playing the intro to most of the songs on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack.  At least she let me listen to a few songs all the way through.  I has sort of wanted to see the movie before, as those friends whose movie tastes I trust most had recommended it.  Now I'm likely totally disappointed that I missed it.  She said that she had been thinking of buying the DVD, and if she did she'd invite me over to watch it.  She did insist, though, that I not watch it in black and white as the colours are particularly important to the film.  Apparently, like many women I know, she has a thing for Ewan. 

She was supposed to call before coming over today, and so when she didn't she caught me doing lawn work.  Thus, I didn't have a chance to freshen up before we left for a late lunch at Au Petit Four.  I did give her a quick tour of the house, and she felt comforted by the mess.  Apparently she was worried that her home was too disorganised.  She noted the near emptiness of my fridge, and I mentioned I hadn't yet gone shopping this weekend.  She mentioned that she had planned to go shopping tonight, too. 

We spent quite a few hours together chatting.  We haven't seen each other in three and a half years, but we managed to pick up our friendship where it left off.  I know she was worried that we wouldn't have anuything to talk about, but that wasn't a problem.  We spent quite a bit of time at Au Petit Four, which was a great place.  They have pastries, deserts, breakfasts, sandwiches, soups, pastas, salads, quiches, and even beverages of French origin.  I found it to be good food at resonable prices, something I didn't expect from a shop at the Camelback Esplanade.  I highly recommend it to people in the Biltmore neighborhood of Phoenix.  The French garcon and French chef were both friendly and gracious, which is always a plus.  I guess they cater, so if I ever need a Yule log or wedding cake I'll keep them in mind. 

Afterward she asked me if I minded going to Trader Joe's, not realising that I usually go to the Metrocenter location.  Boy, is that Town and Country location packed!  We managed to muddle through the crowd, having fun shopping by comparison shopping, reading lables on unfamiliar products, and discussing with what we have and haven't had luck.  At check out, the employee told me that I should be paying for her groceries.  That implies to me that he assumed that we were a couple.  Yet no one assumes Wayne and I or Monte and I are a couple when we shop together.  Is it so hard to believe that male/female duos can shop together without dating?  He couldn't even pronounce her name, though, so I guess I'll chock it up to the inexperience of youth (despite the fact that he looked our age).  It's not like her name's very far from the phonetic spelling:  mer' lev ik.  Go figure.

Merlevic said that in the past three years she has run into Katie (who's now married, but she couldn't remember her new last name), saw Melissa when she was last in town, and continues to play phone tag with Charles.  So she's interested in going to our tenth anniversary high school reunion next year, as she's curious about what's happened to everyone.  Ten years!  Can you believe it?  Yet, for some reason I don't feel as old as I'd expect from realising that.  I expect I'll see her before then as I lent her my VHS copy of the Star Wars Holiday Special.  She left with it in hand to go watch with her father down the street. 

Well, enough about Merle.  Yesterday Mom stopped by for mass followed by Paul's Cafe.  The Mexican Comida dinner comprised pollo con calabazitas y mais, refried beans, corn tortillas, assorted Mexican cookies, and donuts left over from the coffee and donuts of the morning masses.  Teen Time teen volunteers had a booth selling candy, soda, and bottled water to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.  Apparently that booth will be at all of the Paul's Cafes this year.  Dinner was good, and we met Dee, Merideth, and Dee's daughter Jackie.  Dee is retired from the family business, but she works as a volunteer for the Sunnyslope Business Aliance and Sunnyslope Historic Society.  She discussed that a lot with me when she found that I work for the place which provides the maps for the SBA. 

After mass I gave Mom her birthday card and gift.  Scented candles are always a hit, and the vanilla cream and harvest spice candles were even her favourite scents!  After that I talked her into playing Harry Potter Uno with me, the first chance I've had to play the game since she gave it to me for Christmas!  We had fun with the new Draw Three, Howler, and Invisibility Cloak cards. 

I knew about the donuts being leftovers because I had actually been at church earlier between the 9:30 and 11:00 hours masses.  The lector training session on Saturday was scheduled during my work hours, so the head of St Paul's Lectors made time for me then to show me the changes which have been mading to lectoring.  It was nothing big.  We're now using two lectors per mass instead of one, so that changes a few things.  Also, the ushers no longer select the family which brings the gifts up to the alter.  Instead, the first lector is responsible for obtaining a family and getting their names.  That makes sense.  If you can't read your own writing and if you forget to ask for name pronunciation then it's all your own fault.  We'll see how I manage next month.  I'm sure I'll be fine.

Saturday we played Pitcher's game again, but as I didn't recap the week before I'll wait to do that.  The same goes for Jackson's game on Friday. 

Wednesday Kitty was supposed to pick me up from work.  When she wasn't there I called.  When Jackson answered, I heard her exclaim in the background, "What time is it!"  She felt real bad, and when I offered to ride over she instead sent him to pick me up.  So I read more of Lalla Rookh while I waited.  In between reading I met a man who wanted to buy my bicycle from me for ten dollars.  This, despite the fact that he rode up on a bicycle of his own.  Ok, it was not of the same quality, but how did he really expect to leave with two bicycles? 

So, went I arrived we had mashed potatoes, beef roast, and corn on the cob.  Then, I had to take the test for the Orpheus Group.  Kitty wants us to not read anything about the game, as she will take our real life answers to the test to help us create a character for the game next Friday.  There will be a barbeque where everyone can socialise while she spends one on one time making our characters with us without letting us see the books.  She seemed surprised to discover that I was a banshee.  She and Lori are the only other banshees.  They had near identical answers, while apparently mine were very different from there answers.  I reminded her that it could be that they represent the female aspects of banshees while I represent the male aspect of banshees.  She seemed to accept that.  After that, she handed me some convention data that has needed crunching.  I'll be working on that in my oh-so-abundant free time.  It's desparately needed work, and no one will do it.  So of course I volunteered.  I never did before, but after being Program Director for CopperCon XXIII I saw how necessary it was that it be done.  So wish me luck! 

Of course, I'm also trying to catch up on my backlog of Weblog entries.  I've found a few links are already dead, but I'll survive. 

Anyway, last Monday Bill, Dai, Jay, Sam, and I met at the Chuy's on Cave Creek Road.  I had coupons which expire on the Ides of October which were only good there or the Bell Road location.  We all had a great time getting together again, discussing the Phoenix Chuy's Fan Club, Dungeons and Dragons, Tunnels and Trolls, our various lives, and the Red Sox/Athletics game on the television.  Afterwards Bill and Jay came by my place and we dicussed characters for Bill's next Star Wars RPG 3.5 campaign.  I might make a Zeltron Noble, Human Tech Specialist medical doctor or starship engineer, or Zabrak Scout.  It all depends on what the others play.  That didn't sit well with them, even after I explained my reasoning.  I'd like the chance to play any of those four ideas.  When gamers all make their characters separately from each other, they make a game which is a bunch of solo stories.  When gamers make characters with each other in mind, they make a team.  I'd rather we all make a great story together (gamemaster and players alike) than everyone compete for the chance to put their story in the spotlight. 

As already noted, Pitcher ran on the previous Saturday and Jackson ran on the previous Friday.  However, it is late and this entry is long.  And I'm hoping to not have to type any of it yet again.  Have a great night everyone!

Currently Reading
Bizhan and Manizha
Shahnama of Firdausi

OK, let's see.  Last weekend in gaming Jackson ran his FR 3.0 campaign.  Because we were traveling over Waterdeep, everyone decided to stop down there for a visit.  Delome and Cyrus has some sort of secret plan and left for Skullport before the rest of the team was ferried down by Verdigris and Snowfall.  Zed was careful enough to follow. 

Skred and Ryllis visited the Watchful Order and updated them on events.  The order chose to continue watching rather than help defeat the undead or the godstorm.  This disappointed them.  I guess they were hoping the order would go against its charter and start meddling in affairs outside Waterdeep. 

Squigbarm, Ethan, and Kalimba had a discussion about the Dales and their succubus mother.  They both operate under the impression that Delome's fervent desire to destroy her is Squigbarm's idea.  Once again, he had to explain that:

One:  He was the one who helped rescue the children from the dretches which were chasing their mother. 

Two:  He was the one who wanted to help her reject her evil ways and convinced her to try the ring of alignment changing.  When her spell resistance caused it to fail, he also offered her the chance to be bottled up. That way her children could visit her bottle in much the same way that mortals visit the graves of their loved ones. 

Three:  He was the one who took on Shadowstuff to rescue the older Dale.  Shadowstuff's nature is to magnify the evil of those he inhabits.  He does this without intent or malice.  As Dale is a quarter dragon and half fiend who weilds his family's copper cutlas from the Copper Assassins, it seemed imperative to prevent the child from becoming evil. 

Four:  Eldath's portfolio includes families.  Squigbarm prays for their family every day as part of his morning devotions.  He doesn't want to see the family suffer. 

Five:  Eldath is a good-aligned diety.  Allowing an evil to not be detained or slain basically allows it to return to doing evil.  Then, that evil is on the allowing party's hands.  As a cleric of good, it is his responsibility to insure that only good influences are kept within families. 

So, after trying to convert their mother away from evil and failing, and after she refused to be captured or destroyed, it is his duty to try to stop her if she again shows her face.  Otherwise, they are asking that Squig turn away from his goddess.  He reminded them that without his spells, the group would be in worse shape.  That would not best serve the greater family the group had become, nor the smaller family of the Dales, their nurse, and their mother. 

Apparently, their greatest fear was that she would do what succubuses do best and try to raise an army to destroy Delome and Squig because they had stood against her.  He told them that he did not think that  that was the case, because she and Squig had talked many times in Waterdeep while Delome and Squig tried rescuing her from her evil nature.  He was certain that the succubus knew that it was nothing personal, and that he wished that there were another way.  Ethan and Kalimba seemed somewhat more at ease after this reminder, and promised that she would see her children behind his back. 

So, now they feel more at ease and he feels less at ease.  Maybe he should have reminded them that he can't allow evil now even more than before, because now Shadowstuff would magnify that within him. 

Squigbarm also visited the family which maintains the shrine in Waterdeep.  The father pulled him aside and mentioned having troubling dreams which he could not remember.  Squig told him of his vision from Eldath and told him to not worry as they were gathering a force to stop the undead.  He did tell him to pray for their success and to trust in Eldath. 

I overheard something about Delome, Cyrus, and Zed rescuing a sacrifical cat from the clutches of a cleric of Umberlee and his/her wereshark flock.  They haven't returned from Skullport, so none of the characters know anything about that yet. 

Saturday we continued to make characters for Trav's modern day Exalted campaign.  Lori and I decided to be twins the week before, so we spent last Saturday working on creating our family.  We have each family member a name, occupation, and brief personality.  It should be fun, should we ever play. 

Sunday Father Greg announced that he was leaving to become pastor of Saint Maria Goretti parish in Scottsdale.  He sang an appropriate couple of verses from "The Circle of Life" at the end of his homily.  This was doubly appropriate because he opened his first homily as an associate pastor in our parish a few years ago with a different verse from "The Circle of Life."  Maria Goretti is very blessed to have him.  His influence in our parish was definately a godsend.  He is well loved and will be missed. 

After mass, there was a farewell reception in the hall, along with ballots for the Parish Council.  They'll probably end up with one of their highest turn outs for this election.  The cake and punch were delish, and it was great to be able to say goodbye one-on-one to Father.  We always had a sort of connection because I bicycle to church, while he has a Harley Davidson.  Neither are popular modes of transportation among the majority of the parishoners. 

Monday Wayne insisted on stopping by to play the new Neopets TCG.  I met him at Dragon Bowl before hand, and we then played a few hands at my place.  He ended up missing his bus, so he crashed on my couch.  Apparently, he suffered in silence during the night as he prefers to sleep with his airconditioner in the 70s.  Plus, my spare bed sheets were to itchy for him.  Oh well.  I tried. 

Tuesday while riding home on Dunlap Avenue I heard a noise to my right like cascading water.  It turned out to be some stoned guy relieving himself on a palm tree.  Then, a quarter of a mile later I heard a similar noise to my right.  But this time it was the swimming pools draining at Sunnyslope High School.  I love how so many public pools close October 1st here.  All of the city run pools do.  So does the pool here in our mobile home estates.  Most other states wouldn't drain their swimming pools when the highs are still in the triple digits.  Yet, its no longer hot when its in the low 100s to high 90s for us here.  I just love the irony of it all.  Hotels never drain their pools here because while residents are wearing jackets, visitors are going for a swim!