Demotivational Poster: Memorial Day

For those who serve, for those who have served, and those who gave their lives for our country. This Memorial Day thank a veteran.

Demotivational Poster: Warriors

In honor of those who serve, and those who have fallen.

Memories of Virginia: A Tribute to Wink (A Forgotten Realms scenario)

The following was written by a friend of mine in honor of Virgina and the character she played.  Please feel free to use the following in your Forgotten Realms campaigns.  Please be aware that is written from the vantage point of the game and character.  If RPGs are not your thing this tribute may  not be for you.

From Queen C’Nedra the Queen of Light and Dark a decree has been ordered across the land of  Faerie Cannon Cove that a holy temple be built to honor the memory of our fallen pixie faerie hero Wink.  Wink did not fall in the throes of battle with our known enemies but was felled by an enemy that is not seen and very cruel.  Many healers across the land in a tireless effort tried to heal brave Wink but alas the evil enemy won the battle.  Lady C’Nedra approached the Faerie Elders and the Demi Gods of the land to ask to bestow this honor upon Wink to help her noble friends heal from the loss of their dear friend.  Each member of her party has  offered a piece of them to make this special memorial to their dear friend.  The task of creating this special memorial to their dear friend   was given to the Grand Mistress of Magic Nyissa Nimblefoot and the Grand Master Wizard Naxor.  Into a cauldron will go a Ruinite robe by Lord Jango to honor Wink’s beautiful spirit inside and out.  Sir Galahad is offering his +20 Holy Avenger to aid Wink’s spirit in detecting evil in the hearts of mortals and creatures.  Lord Neferis in a selfless act of courage offers up his Tigers Eye Amulet of Return so that all members of this party can return to this place for healing.  Grand Archer  Riddlethump offers up his Valenwood Bow as a symbol of Wink’s strong unfailing spirit.  Lady Rayne offers her Rod of Kenders as a symbol of Wink’s childlike carefree spirit.  Lady Taikara offers up her Faerie Dust Bow as a symbol of Wink’s gracefulness.  Lady Phadra offers up her Valenwood Armor as a symbol of Wink’s courage in the face of battle.  Grand Wizard Hawryn offers up his Scroll of Truth Spell to aid Wink’s spirit in offering her mercies to those who seek them.

Princess Aria offers up her Trident of Power as a symbol of Wink’s friendships on land as well as in the seas.  Grand Master Bard Alouicious offers up his Golden Harp as a symbol of the beautiful music that Wink would create on her flute.  The Noble Dragons of this party offer their gift of the Eldunari, also known as the Heart of Hearts, as a symbol of this Grand Faerie Master’s knowledge of lore, magic and healing powers.  Therefore the dragons’ spirits, knowledge, and magic will live forever.  Now the cauldron is filled with these very special selfless gifts and now Grand Master Bob offers his gift to Wink.  Bob offers his gift of the Super Nova to not only meld the gifts together but also as a symbol of Wink’s light spirit.  With the help of Mistress Nyissa and Master Naxor a statue of a faerie is formed with the Heart of Hearts and the Amulet of Return as part of her alter.  As a final gift Lord Nevets and the other priests in the Holy Choir offer up both a Lament of Sorrow and a powerful Anthem of Protection in honor of the love and friendship that Nevets shared with Wink for many years.

Wink’s spirit is now immortalized in a statue that will be placed inside the Temple of Tears, a building so regal and protected that no evil can destroy it.  The statue itself has healing properties beyond all this world.  The statue can only be activated by the specially chosen clerics and druids who are entrusted with the special chant to channel Wink’s spirit to the statue. These disciples of Tears are overseen by Navor who was specially chosen by Queen C’Nedra as overseer of the temple and protector of all who reside there.  Wink’s spirit statue can cure any disease known to man or creature be it natural, evil or other unknown curse.  Wink’s statue also has the ability to turn mortals and creatures from evil to good.

However, beware if Wink’s spirit detects evil intentions the victim will be doomed to walk the earth forever unless a good deed is done and Wink’s spirit chooses to show mercy on their poor soul.

The statue is set in a temple of marble accented with Ruinite.  The statue is set in the middle with a small moat of  clear water so that the creatures and merpeople of the water world can commune with Wink and receive her healing gifts.  Above the temple entrance there is an hourglass with sand in the top and as it flows to the bottom of the glass it changes to tears and this is also the holy symbol of this temple that is worn by the disciples of Tears and all who have helped to create this temple.  And now as her gift to the Grandest Faerie ever, Princess Gavriel offers her the gift of two Guardian Angels as keepers of the temple doors so that all those who shall pass will not forget who the Temple of Tears stands for.  This has been decreed  across the land and shall become known to all that Queen C’Nedra  is recognized as the author of this law.  May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back.May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, May the Lord hold you in the palm of His hand.  Farewell my friend.
**Wink : Oct. 25, 1963- May 12, 2010

Vulcan Stev Family Movie Review: Avatar

Starring:
Sam Worthington …  Jake Sully
Zoe Saldana …  Neytiri
Sigourney Weaver … Dr. Grace Augustine
Stephen Lang …  Colonel Miles Quaritch
Joel David Moore …  Norm Spellman
Giovanni Ribisi …  Parker Selfridge
Michelle Rodriguez …  Trudy Chacon
Laz Alonso …  Tsu’tey
Wes Studi …  Eytukan
CCH Pounder …  Moat
Dileep Rao …  Dr. Max Patel
Matt Gerald …  Corporal Lyle Wainfleet
Sean Anthony Moran …  Private Fike
Jason Whyte …  Cryo Vault Med Tech
Scott Lawrence …  Venture Star Crew Chief

Synopsis from IMDb: When his brother is killed in a robbery, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge’s intentions of driving off the native humanoid “Na’vi” in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers intel for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch, while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na’vi people with the use of an “avatar” identity. While Jake begins to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri, the restless Colonel moves forward with his ruthless extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand – and fight back in an epic battle for the fate of Pandora.

2009 – 20th Century Fox – PG-13 – 162 min 

VS 1.9 pointed ears
I did not get to see this in the theater.  We just finished watching the movie on video last night.  My soul complaints with this movie are the over-handed “Humans are money-grubbing @$$holes who care nothing for the enviroment” message and the fact that this film was OBVIOUSLY (even in the 2D format) made for 3D.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sore than Cameron took advantage of cutting technology to film this movie.  I’m sore that I DIDN’T get to see it in all it’s 3D splendor.

The film is beautifully crafted and truly deserves all the praise and accolades lavished upon it.  However, I am getting sick and tired of the “Humans are evil anti-nature @$$holes” plots that Hollywood seems to be shoveling out.  The whole notion is becoming trite and clichéd.  I’ve heard it said that there is no religion in Hollywood.  I believe that the “Green Movement” is as close as I’ve seen Hollywood come to fully embracing a religious fervor.

Once you get past Cameron’s religious fervor, this is a really nice film.

Pvt Black Spartan: 1.9 pointed ears
James Cameron delivers a very beautiful film.  I like the fact that flora and fauna of Pandora were truly alien.  This movie absolutely rocked in 3D (sorry Daddy I got to see it in 3D and you didn’t).  The planet-wide “computer” network was a cool idea as well.

PIT #2: 1.25 pointed ears
I don’t get what all the hype is about.  This was an OK movie.  James Cameron is not God and his movies do not shine with a heavenly glow (regardless of the hype).

To me this was high-budget commercial for Green Peace.  Humans have wrecked their enviroment and are now wrecking another *yawn*.  Someone wake me when there’s something else on.

PIT #3: 2 pointed ears
Blue people who are ten foot tall are awesome.  I want to be a Na’vi in our next D&D game.  The military battles are great.  I want one of those cool helicopters for “Top Secret”

7.05 pointed ears out of 8

This is not a good movie for younger viewers.  The intensity of the battle sequences and on-screen deaths of some children may be a little traumatic.

Only the youngest seemed to let the heavy-handed environmentalist sermon go by without a mention.

What’s going on with the Database?

You may or may not have noticed a new feature that ran this week.  The Destination Iowa article is going to be a regular summer feature (we haven’t decided if it’s going on past that or not as yet).  My boss and I decided back in April that he would foot the cost for transportation of my family and I to and from various Iowa tourist destinations.  I would then photograph the spot and write up an article for the paper (The Record: Serving Beaman, Conrad, Liscomb, Union, Whitten and Central Iowa).  The idea behind this was two-fold: One I would get paid to take my family around on mini-vacations and Two I would spend as much time as possible with my family while still providing for them.  This was desgined so that I could be with Virginia during what we knew to possibly be her last summer.

We were not expecting Virginia to pass before this assignment began.

Towards that end, with my boss’ permission and blessing I am sharing our adventures across Iowa this summer as written for The Record.  This is my way of fulfilling one of Virginia’s last requests.  She wanted these mini-vacations to be memories.  I’m sharing these memories with you.

For those of you wondering why I’m posting this article under the RPG: News, Reviews and Culture, simply put you have been more than generous and this is one way I have of sharing Virginia with you.  The second is that the next installment is one of Iowa’s two annual Renaissance Faires.

If you have already checked out the first installment, I urge you to check it again as I have now provided the links for the photo album of all the photos I shot in Pella.

Demotivational Poster: Gaseous Anomalies

Every starship is equipped to hunt them. It doesn’t mean you’ll want to anytime soon.

Just because your party has the means to hunt down chromatic dragons doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

Demotivational Poster: Keep Talking

A fast thinker with a mouth that stops and actually listens to the brain can salvage a crappy roll almost any day of the week.

However if you’ve PO’ed the boss or your GM, there ain’t nothing gonna save you. Roll initiative.

Destination Iowa: Pella

Courtesy of The Record

See all the photos shot for this feature by clicking here.

More than Just a Tulip Festival,
Pella Offers Year Round Sites to See

There’s a little touch of the Netherlands in Marion County.

Located on State Highway 163, Pella is about 43 miles south-southeast of Des Moines. This picturesque community was founded in 1847 by Dominie (Dutch for Reverend) Scholte and the group of 800 immigrants who came to America in search of religious freedom.

Pella honors its Dutch heritage the first full weekend of every May with its annual Tulip Festival. Parades, flower shows, antique car displays, and more Dutch food than you can sample in a day are perennial parts of this three-day event.

This year Pella celebrated its 75th Tulip Festival by setting a world record. 2,604 dancers put on their Klompen (wooden shoes) and danced. Completely surrounding Pella’s Central Park in the downtown area, those involved filled the streets three lines deep and spilled out past the park on both Main and Franklin streets. The Guiness Book of World Records was on hand to authenticate the record setting 5-minute dance.

However, you are not limited to the first weekend in May for experiencing a touch of Dutch hospitality. The Dutch storefronts are visible year-round and decorated for the holidays in the winter. Many of the museums are open ten months out of the year. Pella is also home to North America’s largest working grain windmill.

The Scholte House Museum was the home of Dominie Scholte and his family. It is open for self-guided tours Monday–Saturday, 1-4 p.m., March through December. You can find this museum at 728 Washington Street just north of the square.

Just past downtown on Franklin Street is the Vermeer Windmill, Pella Welcome Center and Historical Dutch Village. This block-sized complex is the home to a whole series of interconnected museums. The Vermeer Mill is an actual working grain mill built in Holland and shipped to America piece-by-piece. Wyatt Earp’s boyhood home is also part of the complex. Many other daily aspects of a typical Dutch village, including a Klompen (wooden shoe) maker are on display as well. The village is open to the public 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, March to December, weather permitting.
A replica canal and working Klokkenspiel have been built over the alleyways of the south side of Franklin Street. Pella’s historic Opera House has been restored to its former grandeur. The canal, Klokkenspiel, and Opera House are operational year-round.

The Pella Window Corporation has its worldwide headquarters in Pella. The Pella Corp. has restored the old Pella railroad depot and has turned it into a museum for the company. Pella is also the home of Vermeer Manufacturing and Central College.

Make plans now to schedule May 5, 6, and 7 of 2011 for the 76th annual Tulip Festival. But you’ll want to make note of these events as well.

• Kermis July 10, 10 a.m.-noon. Kermis is the traditional Dutch summer celebration of food and games. Kermis would be the Dutch equivalent of Conrad’s own Black Dirt Days.

• The Fall Festival September and Fall Flower & Quilt Show Sept. 24-25.

• The Sinterklaas (Santa Claus) Festival is Nov. 27. There will be a parade at 10 a.m. A party at Monarchs and the Opera House will follow with admission and reservation.

•The Village Christmas Walk runs from Nov. 13-Dec. 31. The Dutch Historical village is decorated for Christmas in traditional Dutch fashion.

Cancer Crisis: the Aftermath

Don't let cancer steal second base.

As I write this it’s been less than a week since Virginia’s funeral.  I’ve spent the week at work, mainly because I needed to get back and spending the time at home in an empty house does no one any good.  In that time frame I have worked on putting Virginia’s affairs in order; paying bills, getting the death certificate, and dealing with the estate.

I have been accused of being responsible for her death, that my lack of attention and “caustic enviroment” caused her to pass so quickly.  I have been accused of whining over her death “Too #%@&-ing much”.  I’ve also been accused of using her death for personal financial gain.

To the first, I respond that the move to Holland was not a popular one with my immediate family.  Virginia and I agreed at the time that it seemed like the right thing to do but were troubled over why we had to do it.  Virginia, the family and I shared frustration over the circumstances of our situation, however never once did she accuse me of “Lording it over” the family.  In her last week of life, Virginia came to the conclusion that one of God’s reasons for having us in Holland close to my family was for the support that I’d need after she passed.

To the second, when you’ve lost your spouse of 22 years then you can tell me if I’ve been whining too much.

To the third, I never asked for the Vulcan Stev solidarity fund.  That was started by the RPG community completely of their own volition.  The news paper added the line to her obituary about memorials can be directed to the family, that was not my doing.  Am I thankful for the funds that have poured in? Yes! Are times going to be tough for me and the boys?  Yes, we lost half of the family income.  But I have asked for only one specific thing for financial help and that was after the specific request of the individual over what immediate financial help was needed.  Aside from that I have NOT asked for money.

Money can not and will not replace what I’ve lost.  Most of my tears have been in private.  If there’s one recurring phrase I’ve been hearing from everyone else it is how much my wife and I truly loved each other…

The picture posted with this blog comes from one of my Facebook friends.  Virginia lost a breast to the cancer.  Did I stop loving her? no.  I married Virginia not her boobs.  Virginia lost her hair due to the radiation treatments.  Did I stop loving her when her crowning glory vanished? no.  I shaved my own head in solidarity.  I loved and still love the person, not the shell that housed her.

When we received the diagnosis that Virginia had in fact developed breast cancer we were shocked but yet relieved.  Breast cancer was “curable”.  We were going to beat this.  Looking back at the year and a half since that diagnosis it is more obvious to me now that the cancer was taking its toll on her body.  She was tiring out more frequently.  Things that had once been easy were no longer.

The thing is now that I know more about breast cancer, I realize now that my wife was at a higher risk.  Back in the 80s Virginia’s doctor put her on birth control to help regulate a hormonal imbalance.  She took those tablets right up until the time we started actively trying for a family.  From what I’m reading the cancer that killed Virginia had been estrogen fed.  Did those birth control pills contribute to Virginia’s cancer?

Virginia had always wanted to breast-feed her children.  We determined early on when Janae was a baby that her left breast had some sort of defect the precluded milk production.  Was this defect a cause of the cancer?  We don’t know.  It is my hope that whatever scientists and doctors are working on developing a cure for cancer will take these facts into consideration.  Do not let my wife’s death be in vain.

It is my firm hope and daily prayer, that I am the last husband to lose his wife.  My children the last to lose their mother.  Mom and Dad Young the last parents to lose a daughter.

Once the bills have been payed and the children provided for, we will be taking a portion of Virginia’s life insurance and starting a fund for cancer awareness.

Don’t let cancer steal second base….  or anything else for that matter.

Vulcan Stev Family Movie Review: Iron Man 2

Starring:
Robert Downey Jr. …  Tony Stark
Don Cheadle …  Lt. Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes / War Machine
Scarlett Johansson …  Natalie Rushman / Natasha Romanoff
Gwyneth Paltrow …  Pepper Potts
Sam Rockwell …  Justin Hammer
Mickey Rourke …  Ivan Vanko
Samuel L. Jackson …  Nick Fury
Clark Gregg …  Agent Coulson
John Slattery …  Howard Stark
Jon Favreau …  Happy Hogan
Paul Bettany …  Jarvis (voice)
Kate Mara …  U.S. Marshal
Leslie Bibb …  Christine Everhart
Garry Shandling …  Senator Stern

Plot synopsis from IMDb: With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts, and James “Rhodey” Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances – and confront powerful enemies.

2010 – Paramount Pictures/Marvel Studios – PG-13 – 124 min

VS: 1.8 pointed ears
This is one of the exceptions to the Hollywood rule that sequels suck and are usually nowhere near as good as the original.  I think that Marvel keeping the rights to the Avengers franchise is probably one of the smarter moves to come out of Hollywood in quite some time.  Keeping Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury was another good idea as well.

Why not a full two ears? I think the whole drunken Iron Man scene was a tad bit overdone.  I’m not a hard-core Iron Man fan and I’ve only been following the Marvel mainstream Avengers since Spidey joined.  So I cannot comment whether the writers followed cannon or not.  I’ve never seen Tony Stark as a drunken idiot.  Yes I know Stark has a drinking problem but endangering the lives of guests in his home?

The shot at the end of the movie has got me salivating for next year’s “Thor”

Pvt Black Spartan: 1.9 pointed ears 
This movie picked up right were the last one left off.  I didn’t rely too much on the previous movie either.  Props to the writers and director for not putting too much “flashback” into the script.  Samuel L. Jackson has the character of Nick Fury locked.

PIT #2: 2 pointed ears
This movie was awesome.  War Machine rocked even though the role of Rhodey was recast.  I found no faults with this movie at all.

PIT #3: 2 pointed ears
Taking Daddy to see this on his birthday was a treat.  I like how the movie looks inside Tony’s head.  I mean I like how Tony has problems and then he fights to m things better.  I also liked the fact that there was no kissing in this movie (editor’s note: we did have to take a bathroom break so we may have missed that scene if there was one).

The drones rocked.

7.7 pointed ears out of 8.  This is a worthy successor to the first.  Marvel’s plan of a MEGA-franchise seems to be playing out very well.  IM2 has set a relatively high bar for next year’s Thor and Captain America.  My only worry at this point is that each succeeding director will attempt to “Top” Iron Man and leave the bar wa-a-y to high for 2012′s Avengers movie.