This emphasizes the fanatic in Star Wars fan. What won't they catalog?
Sorry I've been gone for awhile, I'm gearing up for
Phoenix Con Games II, and more specifically
Hogwarts Live Action: The Centaur of Hogsmeade. I'll probably not be around much this month. The other day,
Wayne finally admitted that I was right, that we were not ahead of schedule, but behind. Luckily, I think we can get everything done if I ignore a few things (like household chores and rpg prep) and a couple of online meetings I've scheduled in the next few weeks. Then we can glide through the last few weeks printing out props and the like.
Last Saturday,
Mike ran
Star Trek: Feng Shui again.
In this episode, we resume the action having crashed the shuttle into the roof of the moonbase due to the shockwaves from the cobalt bomb explosions. (Yes, that does conflict with
the previous episode. I assume that a lateral shift occurred.)
The damage done to the ship left Lt. Comdr. Keok to gather the security personnel with the best engineering skills to assist him and Dr. Sprint. While they regained shields, passive sensors, et cetera, Lt. Comdr. Fiona patched up the injured in the undamaged medical bay. We were able to figure out that the cobalt bombs were mined as space debris, and that cobalt mines are such ancient technology that none of the ship's sensors were designed to detect them. While Lt. Comdr. Priam complained that the historians and the scientists should have gotten together on such issues, we determined that the mines had detected the plasma emissions of the cloaked ship, locked on, and activated thrusters to go for the kill.
Fiona used her medical tricorder to determine that a particular unclassified energy reading we had detected at different times was emanated in different strengths from some of us, but not at all from others of the crew (our Chi stat). During this discovery we detected life activity within the complex. A perfect human was checking the life signs of the same cryosleep patients we had checked, and was checking the same computer stations we had hacked. As we monitored his progress, we noticed that he was heading toward the airlock, unmolested by the base's defenses. At the same time, a small U.F.O. was headed fast at the surface of the moon not too far from our current position. Visual sensors showed that it was Comdr. Law in a similar 20' radius personal shield as the one Lt. Comdr. Keok has used to save us. While one team was sent to bring Law in without being seen in her Federation suit by the entity leaving the airlock, another team intercepted him using chameleon circuits to appear in contemporary space suits.
Despite the huge amount of weaponry brought to bear on the away team by the entity--the same person who had the highest kill score inside the virtual program--Priam found a communication channel and was able to bluff the entity into believing that the team was sent to check on damage caused by the explosions above the base. He showed some relief when Priam indicated that they were aware of the cargo inside, as the entity was afraid that the away team didn't have the necessary clearance! He then shared with the away team that the virtual program had gone awry. The frozen soldiers had been promised a vacation paradise when they had been put to sleep, and that at some point the program changed. He had no idea until he had been awoke just then by the base's automatic defenses that the deaths in the game became real. However, he had killed to stay alive when the program went bad. We offered to fix the situation, so we gathered our best experts and reentered the moonbase.
It was relatively simple for Keok to program a vacation paradise, so the soldier went into a glowing portal (which he called an armoury), and returned looking like a normal cryopatient. We then helped him get plugged back in and monitored the new program for a few minutes, pleased that they now had an actual vacation paradise which the soldiers were eager to enjoy. Then, the away team decided it was time to enter the glowing portal and check out this armoury. As the last of the team entered the portal the words "To Be Continued..." appear on the screen. A two-parter episode!
Last Sunday, my grandfather wanted my mother and I to join him in attending his parish's tribute to Father Milt's 40th anniversary.
My grandparents's parish and
the parish between their parish and
my parish share the same pastoral staff, so the anniversary mass was held at Our Lady of the Valley while the reception was held in the hall at St. Raphael. It was actually a big celebration for both Fr Milt's anniversary and Fr Duane's 35th anniversary. Fr. Duane, like Fr. Milt, says mass at both of their parishes while maintaining his primary ministry during the week. He was sent back from Uganda a few years ago to run the Andre House of Hospitality, a place where volunteers from various valley parishes prepare and serve meals for those in need. The pastor of both parishes, Fr. Ed, admitted that last year when he was asked to be pastor, that he agreed contingent that his fellow Holy Cross brothers continued their weekend ministries.
So, Fr. Duane and Fr. Milt copresided over the mass, with the Knights of Columbus in full regalia as their honour guard. Fr. Duane was the primary presider, with Fr. Milt as the assisting presider and giving the homily. Fr. Ed and Fr. Tom, the Vicar of Priests, were also in attendance. It was a wonderful mass, and it was great how Fr. Milt crafted a homily blending the readings with both anniversaries. How much of an honour it was to be the one crawling across the boat in the storm to take parishioners' concerns to the Lord. What was great was how well crafted it was to the mass, to the joint anniversary celebration, and to the parishes celebrating. Completely different in tone and honest personal revelation from his anniversary mass homily at St. Paul's. Each was totally designed for the parish it was at. I have a totally new respect for what Fr. Milt does in serving so many different communities so well.
The reception was also very indicitive of how different my parish is from the other two parishes. They had gobs of food from the Women's Guilds of each parish. The walls of the hall were decorated with images and biographies of both priests. Photograph albums were available for perusal. Each priest was introduced by a parishioner before they themselves had a chance to speak for the assembled parishes. The hall was so full, that they had to pull out more tables and chairs and squeeze them near the desserts. Father Milt sang a bit from Fiddler on the Roof at Fr. Ed's request, and near the end of the afternoon he performed an encore of Rubber Ducky, Betty Boop style. He's an excellent performer, despite having "retired" from such over a decade ago. I guess this previously unknown talent was leaked by his sister when she was contacted for pictures, and even our own parish's Women's Guild has plans for his performance. Poor Fr. Duane didn't have any performances in him, so a lot of people present said he should have gone first. It's not all about performing, though, and hopefully Fr. Duane still felt very appreciated by both parishes.
They had so much extra food that afterward I brought some to my grandmother at her place. The food which was not eaten by the parishioners was packaged and taken down to Andre House. No waste!
My leg and my maternal grandmother's hand have been healing nicely this past week. I'll try riding my bicycle to mass tonight. My grandmother had the stitches taken out and is taking physical therapy following her carpal tunnel surgery.
Steve dropped by Saturday night, so our group hung out and chatted rather than played in Monte's Star Trek campaign. Steve is still trying to get me to look for a new job which pays more and will let me go to
GenCon this year.
I
like my job. I have a lot of benefits, I'm around product I like, I get along with my existing coworkers, and otherwise have few complaints. So I was declined a PTO request; that's not reason enough for me to leave.
I actually
won something today! I didn't expect that to happen. Ironically, I haven't had a game system since
Atari's 2600 (I think that was the model. I was, what, five?) Somehow I expect this game is a bit more complex than
Combat or
Pacman.
Sonic concussion bombs? How does Israel think it's OK to fight terrorism with terrorism? That's yet another example of how neither side ever seems willing to escape the vicious cycle. God calls for both sides to not murder, not covet each other's goods, and, yes, even to love their enemy. Will they ever listen to His message? We can only pray.
Slow and Steady |
 Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy.
They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder.
It'd really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment.
They expect you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then usually decide against it. |
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