Michael's Journal

9:09am: #17 way to know you are back in the game
I woke up early this morning with an idea for a new event swirling in my head. It's not my typical event, but I think someone needs to do it.

As you may know, I graduated from Framingham HS in 1998. That would be ten years ago. In theory, there should be a reunion this year, however, I am pretty sure that there is not one. No one seems to be planning it. I would be very interested in going back to see all the peeps from the old school.

I was thinking about setting up such an event and realized that it would be trivially simple compared to most of the other things I work on. It would require securing a facility, which could likely be provided by the school itself. I'd have to get a caterer of some kind and a DJ who could play late '90s music. Some volunteers to take tickets and hand out name tags would be good. A few goofy activities would also be fun.

This puts it on the complexity level of a Phoenix Games movie showing, or of organizing 15 people to go out to dinner. No sweat.

The best part is that what would normally be the hardest part practically does itself thanks to the Internet. The hard part would be tracking down 330 graduates, which the school likely does not have current contact info for. Fortunately, Facebook does that for me. I can find most of them through FB and even use FB to handle the invitations and communications. It's almost like this is what Facebook was made for.

I'm going to call the school shortly to make sure that there wasn't a reunion that I just didn't hear about and to see about using their space. Then, I think I might undertake this minor project.

11:32pm: LJ Quote of the Day
It would seem that cons are like politics and sausages; it's better not to know what goes in to making them.
-bobquasit

It's funny because it's true.

9:44pm: Non Sequitor
Half a second early and you are cheese, not leather.

3:55pm: The Quest, Part VI
The quest had been long and arduous. The Foolish Prince had become lost in the wilderness. He had lost track of his scouts and his messengers. He had lost contact with his kingdom as he continued his quest. In time, he had even lost the way home, but he did not need it. The kingdom was not his destination. He sought something else.

As he had traveled, he lost his horse. His armor was damaged. His sword was bent. He ran short of food, although he was able to find enough on the land to keep traveling.

One day, the Foolish Prince came across a Hunter. The Hunter asked him why he traveled through the wilderness so.

"I am on a quest to find wisdom, love, and myself," the Prince explained wearily.

"Where do you quest to?" the Hunter asked.

"I do not know, but I quest on," the Prince answered resolutely.

"Do you know your way home?"

"No, but if I must quest, then the way home is not important until I find my goal."

The Hunter thought on this. "My friend," the Hunter began, "you cannot find new knowledge by discarding the old. You can only truly move forward by knowing the point at which you started. Know the way home and you will know your destination."

As the Prince left the Hunter, he thought about what he had said. He looked around and knew that mountain range there. He knew this stream. Once he opened his eyes, he knew that he even knew the stars. He could have known where he was all this time, but he had been too focused on the destination to focus on the journey.

He headed back to the kingdom. Perhaps it would be a good place to start.

Then he wondered. He had left the kingdom long ago. Would they miss him? Would there be a new prince in his place? Would they welcome him back? He knew he would have his answer soon.

As he came close to the kingdom, he thought he glimpsed a scout in the woods, but she fled before he could approach.

Finally, he came out of the woods into the edge of the kingdom. The sunlight dazzled his eyes. He saw the familiar mountains and the streams and he knew he was home, a home he had not seen in a long time. Then he saw them.

Men and women came up the road toward him. One carried a new sword and presented it to him to replace the one that had been damaged. Another carried a gleaming new breastplate to replace the old tattered one. Yet another led a horse, his old horse who had returned to the Kingdom ahead of him.

He mounted his horse and looked out upon those who had gathered to welcome him. His advisors, his scouts and messengers, his people. Among them, he saw the Princess and the knight who had rescued her. They all saluted their allegiance to the Prince.

"You waited for me," he said.

"Sire, we would have waited for you until the mountains fell into the streams," the Captain of the Guard declared.

The Prince noted that some had left, but all those who mattered were here, because those who had come to welcome him were all that mattered.

As he gazed across those who had come to welcome him, those who had waited for him, those who had had faith in him, he knew that at the end of his wanderings he had returned to the place from where he began and found the truth he had been questing for. The love and wisdom that he sought could be found among his loyal friends. He had needed to travel far to discover this truth, and to be away long to appreciate it, but now he had found it, and he knew, looking into the eyes of his friends that he would never forget it.

11:11pm: This reminds me of someone.

11:06pm: Important Decisions...to confuse the masses
Dan and I were talking tonight and we have decided unequivocally not to become engaged.

Dan will also not be becoming a stripper.

9:02pm: What RPG is for You?
The Worlds Apart web site now has a nifty feature that you can tell it what features you desire in an RPG, and it will tell you what games you might like.

Check it out!

It took me all afternoon to set it up. Share it with your friends.

9:36am: Good Times.
I'm feeling pretty good today, except for the fact that I didn't sleep enough last night.

Yesterday, we had the July Council meeting for Worlds Apart and I was very pleased with how it went. It's a great group to work with. Everyone there is on the same team, and we have a great dynamic because people don't bring a great deal of ego to the table.

One thing that I am very pleased with about the Worlds Apart community is that it has an excellent trait that the Phoenix Community had. That is that when there are troublesome situations, everyone approaches them with the attitude of wanting to make things better by finding what they can do to make everyone feel better. We are not into casting blame. Rather we desire resolution which will make everyone involved happier and better off. It's a really good way to be.


On Sunday, Jen and I went out to Hampton Beach. We'd been to Salisbury Beach a week or two before, and she wanted to show me the other beach. Hampton is much more of a vacation spot, while Salisbury is more of a place you go for an afternoon. Both trips were fun. I really like going with Jen to fun places like that. She's a great travel companion. She was a whole lot of fun at TNE a couple weeks ago. She really shines in those kinds of fannish social gatherings. It's great to see her all happy and energetic in the glow of her admirers.

At some point in the next few weeks, we might be taking a trip somewhere. Not sure where or when yet, but trips are good for us, so we shall take more of them.

2:35pm: Thanks to iambliss
For those of you who find yourself needing perspective.

8:32pm: Joss is making a web show with Nathan Fillian! July 15th

8:15pm: LOL


From Moo Loves Me

4:52pm: July Newsletter
It's hot outside. Worlds Apart has A/C. Any questions?

D&D Tournament
The Release Tournament for 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons was an even bigger success than we had anticipated. Therefore, we will be running tournaments on the first Saturday of every month. Each month's tournament will have a slightly different format, to be announced on the web site and in the newsletter.

This Saturday, July 5th, the tournament will begin promptly at 5:00 PM. The format for this month will be “team battle,” where groups of 3 characters will face off. Characters must be level 11, with attributes selected using the point buy method detailed on page 16 of the new 4th Edition Player's Handbook. Each participant should choose eleven magic items, one each of levels 3 to 13, as well as any mundane items they choose.

Players are welcome to come early on Saturday to make their characters or to make them at home, before arriving.


Movie of the Week
Summer is often a time for great movies to hit the theaters, but the summer of 2008 is simply incredible. The Worlds Apart community will be going out to share in this cinematic bounty. We have made arrangements with Tower Theaters to see some of the great new films, Saturday nights, at their last show of the night (usually around 9:00 PM).

Tower Theaters is also the home of the “Come Again Players” Rocky Horror Picture Show cast which performs every Saturday night at midnight. We have been offered a great deal such that anyone who sees the movie of the week with us will get $1.50 off of the regular ticket price for the Rocky Horror Picture show, if they choose to see it after the Worlds Apart film.

Our first movie will be Hancock, this Saturday, the 5th at 9:30 PM. You can meet us at Tower, in South Hadley, or car pool with us from the store in Amherst. We'll be leaving Worlds Apart at 8:45 PM.


Gamer Rewards Program
Worlds Apart was founded around the idea of building community, and customers are an essential part of this process. To show our appreciation to our customers, we are offering the Frequent Gamer Rewards Program. The program is simple: the more you buy during one month, the bigger your discount will be for the following month. Visit http://www.worldsapartgames.org/fgrp.php for more details.


Open RPGs
4th Edition D&D has garnered a lot of excitement around here. So much excitement, in fact, that we have four D&D games starting up already! The Friday game has a couple of openings specifically reserved for people who are new to gaming in our store. The Tuesday game may have openings, as well. Just drop by any Tuesday or Friday evening to inquire.

Worlds Apart is located at
48 North Pleasant Street (in the basement)
Amherst, MA

http://www.worldsapartgames.org

11:56pm: Got back from TNE last night. I'm not going to post much now since it just took me two hours to catch up on everything online. It was a lot of fun, and it was especially awesome to see Jen in her happy, outgoing conmode. I need to take that girl to more cons. Cons fill her with non-stop awesome... and sexiness.

http://smwance.livejournal.com/108531.html

Anyone with cats might appreciate this. I met the artist through a SalmonBot.

11:32pm: If You Missed Voltaire at TNE
Coin Operated Goy

1:28pm: This seemed appropriate


From http://wherearethedogshumping.com/ which is a very amusing site.

1:14pm: LJ-Meme from octoberland
Post 3 things you've done in your lifetime that you don't think anybody else on your friends list has done.

See if anybody else responds with "I've done that."

Have your friends cut & paste this into their journal to see what unique things they've done in their life.

1. Opened 2 game stores

2. Had sex within 20 feet of a public school

3. Wrote a 70K work story in less than one month

12:48pm: Where's Michael?
I will be out of state this weekend, so, unless you are at TNE this weekend, you will not see me. This is not actually much different than most weeks when I vanish for work for three days at a time. The difference is that this weekend will actually be fun and will involve far more scantly clad women than my usual work week does.

I can, as always, be reached on my cell phone at 413-218-7946 if there is anything terribly important you need to talk to me about.

I will next be back in the Valley Monday night around 9 at Worlds Apart.

11:38pm: Internet Argument
ALT=It's easier to be an asshole to words than people.

12:44am: When We Are Never Truly Alone
My emotions, I have learned through experience, are not a true state but a condition like any other. Their meaning is not always what it seems. Tonight I feel lonely, but I know that it is not a result of being alone. It is due to being tired. My emotional state can be expressed as a layer of happiness over a layer of sadness, and the lower layer is more prone to poke through when I am tired.

I am alone in the Store for the first time in a long time. It's always so busy here, which is good, but being alone here gives me time to get a little perspective. At first, Worlds did not feel like home in the way Phoenix did. Now, as I watch BSG on the back computer, as I prepare to run a game, as I survey the half empty bottles and papers and plastic forks and knives, the marks of a community's home, I know that this place is home. It is home for me and for many others.

The spirit of Phoenix lives on here, and while that spirit lives, none of us in the community is every really alone. We have each other, and we have the knowledge that together we have built a community that we can all love.

10:06pm: 4th Ed Game Which I'm Running
I shall be running Keep on the Shadowfell, the module for 4th Ed on Friday nights at 6:00 at Worlds Apart. I am trying to specifically draw new players and players who are not playing in other Worlds Apart games in order to share the wealth, although I'm willing to take other people if I think I'll enjoy GMing for them.

9:13am: This Month's Budget
I have been making budgets for a couple years now. Every month, it has been a matter of figuring our what could be shuffled to the next month as I ran out of money before I ran out of month. This month is a new and exciting experience. The question is whether I will have $400 left over or $700 at the end of the month and what to do with it. These are much better questions. Likely this extra money will go to creating a reserve and paying off credit card bills. If I can maintain this level of income, I should be able to pay off the first of the cards by October.

11:22pm: Heheh
I just saw Jonathan Coulton randomly show up playing the guitar on the Daily Show.

10:57am: That's a Little Better
Things are improving somewhat for me lately.

The most apparent improvement is financial. I finally got it through my father's head that I needed to work and work a lot more than I was or I would have to work elsewhere. He actually got moving on finding me new clients and I'm now averaging about 20 lesson-hours per week which is more than enough to pay the bills and have some left over. If this keeps up, I'll be able to pay off my debts in about 18 months, or I could save and spend some money, which would be a new experience.

I am expecting a slight drop off in July, and I will use that new free time to work on promoting the business out here so I can actually have some clients I don't have to drive 2-3 hours to get to.

The release of 4th Ed was great for Worlds Apart. The game does not suck, which means that people will be buying it which is exactly what we need to get through the summer in good shape. We have three games of it running in the store now (or will soon).

2:40am: Luck Free Game Night


Friday, June 13th, 2008
6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
It's Friday the 13th. There enough luck floating around without having it in your games. Join us for a night of luck free board games including Octego, Blokus, GIPF, Torres, and more.

2:22am:
moar funny pictures