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Thanks everyone for the kindness in this thread. I'll try to be a bit more upbeat.
I think one of the major functions of FaWtL is to support you when you can't be upbeat!
Vent away!
EDIT: Speaking of being vented...
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NH, have you ALWAYS lived in the CA? You seem, IDK... violently focused on the concerns of the state. Not that I blame anyone that lives in CA for being concerned.
In MN we get a lot of snow, occasional floods/tornadoes, and the mining up north is an environmental disaster waiting to happen. In your state the sky is ON FIRE.
Hugs for NH
My great-great-great granduncle was the first third president of U.C. Berkeley. My great-great-great grandfather traveled the Sierras extensively with John Muir.
Yeah, we've been in California for a little while.
So it's the usual "native syndrome": You're welcome to come to my state and live here, as long as you accept the limitations: Earthquakes and major droughts on a regular basis, limited housing, and strict environmental restrictions because everyone who grew up here remembers Los Angeles in the 1970s where you couldn't see 5 miles because of the dense smog.
So people move here, complain about how crowded it is, complain about the environmental restrictions, complain, complain, complain, and my whole attitude is, "Don't like it? Get out! We're already too crowded!"
EDIT: I think CY will confirm that it's a serious West Coast thing: Move to Washington or Oregon or California, then complain incessantly about how terrible it is and how sorry you are you moved there. Those of us who have lived here our entire lives (or longer) do get tired of hearing it on a daily basis.
EDIT 2: I may have it backwards. My direct ancestor may have been the U.C. Berkeley guy and my uncle may have been the John Muir guy. My family was never big into history -- they lost everything in the Great Depression, so anything before that time is kind of "before time" for them.
Speaking of Cranky Californians...
For native Californians, it's always extremely aggravating when an obvious non-native writes about our weather.
"Albany could be in for a pleasant winter this year," followed up by a prediction of warmer-than-usual temperatures all winter long and rainfall at as little as 60 percent of normal.
For a native Californian, that's a catastrophic event leading to more drought and worse wildfires next year; there's nothing whatsoever to celebrate in that forecast. It's horrifying!
Someone isn't from around here...
fascinating.
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Well. I killed the thread.
I can post! I can post! And it's not even about California!
If you've ever gotten a tetanus shot, you're probably familiar with the massive pain and soreness that ensues for the next day or two.
So, I got my first-ever pneumonia vaccine. I was under the impression that it was something newfangled, but it's been around in its current form since 2000, so it's older than Impus Major.
Anyhoo, the nurse practitioner warned me that there would be soreness, but it wouldn't be as bad as a tetanus shot.
She lied to me!
I barely got any sleep last night because my arm hurt so much, and putting any pressure on it at all was agonizing. It's reduced to a dull ache today, but holy cow! If your doctor recommends a pneumonia vaccine for you, be prepared!
I tell you what, ow!
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My mom just got her pneumonia vaccine. I will ask her how it went.
It was odd going into the office today. We are still under a WFH edict from bosses, but I needed office supplies so like a visigoth of old, I sailed in and stole reams of paper and correction tape. And saw...no one.
We have moved some people around within our building, so it was also odd to see my office furniture sort of jumble stacked into a new space. Computer not on desk...cannot even reach desk...so not sure what the long term plan is if we ever return.
I went in once to get my printer. A second time to pack up my stuff for the internal move. This was the third time. But I have not sat down at my desk or really been in office mode since I think March 9? We went to voluntary WFH early and then quickly transitioned to 'office is closed'
Brought all my stuff home for WFH today and set up in Scint's office because I need a direct line to the router rather than wi-fi. Worked for about an hour and a half before we ran out of stuff for the day. Other than the more relaxing environment the experience didn't feel all that different from normal work, but I imagine tomorrow will be different lacking needing to get up quite as early or the hour-long commute.
So I have a cracked tooth, one side of it is splintered off who knows how far down. Tomorrow the dentist numbs me up, then decides whether the tooth is root-canal-able or if it needs to be pulled.
Either way, ugh.
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So I have a cracked tooth, one side of it is splintered off who knows how far down. Tomorrow the dentist numbs me up, then decides whether the tooth is root-canal-able or if it needs to be pulled.
Either way, ugh.
pull it.
Root canal is just a way of making money off the eventual extraction at a later date.
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While I don't agree with FH's reasons - I've had several RCs that have worked out perfectly fine - I do have to agree with the suggestion to simply have it removed. A tooth that's been cracked, especially if it has damage below the gums, is just a recipe for later problems. And I've never been in near as much pain as the time I had such a damaged tooth and couldn't get it treated for a whole weekend.
Life Issues Involving Kids.Here's the secret: the storm is never...I can't disagree with what NH and LM said.
I'm reminded of The Whirlwind by Transatlantic. It's a single song that's an hour and 20 minutes long, so I don't expect anyone to really listen to it (maybe Limey). Also, the lyrics are very religious in nature (standard fare for Neal Morse). Ultimately, for me, it's about enduring and persevering. Speaks to both what NH and LM were talking about.
Challenge accepted!
Nice guitar sounds & playing; not sure about the synth brass pads. It's got that US prog sound down alright.
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Any song over 17 minutes long is just being obtuse.
Or it's on a Grateful Dead live show bootleg.
Oh god, that was painful! I kept expecting someone (anyone) to start singing, but they just kept playing THE SAME RHYTHM while the guitarist jammed out a solo.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to have nightmares of the keyboardist endlessly bobbing his head while going to town on the same keys for who knows how long (obviously I didn't make it all the way through, 5-10 minutes was as far as I could go).
Oh god, that was painful! I kept expecting someone (anyone) to start singing, but they just kept playing THE SAME RHYTHM while the guitarist jammed out a solo.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to have nightmares of the keyboardist endlessly bobbing his head while going to town on the same keys for who knows how long (obviously I didn't make it all the way through, 5-10 minutes was as far as I could go).
You did not endure and persevere.
I kid, of course. I knew that wasn't going to be good for you, Cap.
Life Issues Involving Kids.Here's the secret: the storm is never...I can't disagree with what NH and LM said.
I'm reminded of The Whirlwind by Transatlantic. It's a single song that's an hour and 20 minutes long, so I don't expect anyone to really listen to it (maybe Limey). Also, the lyrics are very religious in nature (standard fare for Neal Morse). Ultimately, for me, it's about enduring and persevering. Speaks to both what NH and LM were talking about.
Challenge accepted!
Nice guitar sounds & playing; not sure about the synth brass pads. It's got that US prog sound down alright.
Interesting that you said "US prog sound". When Portnoy put that band together, he saw it as a band that would be an homage to Yes, Gentle Giant, Genesis, and the other early 70's British prog groups.
Any song over 17 minutes long is just being obtuse.
Or it's on a Grateful Dead live show bootleg.
That particular concert that "clip" is pulled from...they played just shy of 3 hours and only performed 6 songs.
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Just applied for another job, this one a managerial position. I almost talked myself out of applying for it. But after my boss called me incompetent for daring to confide in my staff, I decided to go for it. Since when do I define myself by this guy's insults?
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Good for you FHDM!!!
Interesting that you said "US prog sound". When Portnoy put that band together, he saw it as a band that would be an homage to Yes, Gentle Giant, Genesis, and the other early 70's British prog groups.Life Issues Involving Kids.Here's the secret: the storm is never...I can't disagree with what NH and LM said.
I'm reminded of The Whirlwind by Transatlantic. It's a single song that's an hour and 20 minutes long, so I don't expect anyone to really listen to it (maybe Limey). Also, the lyrics are very religious in nature (standard fare for Neal Morse). Ultimately, for me, it's about enduring and persevering. Speaks to both what NH and LM were talking about.
Challenge accepted!
Nice guitar sounds & playing; not sure about the synth brass pads. It's got that US prog sound down alright.
I could hear Yes, certainly - US prog seemed to have become a thing after that band started to become a big stadium draw, and that sort of AOR-influenced more straight-ahead sound is very characteristic (not meant as a criticism). I didn't come across anything that reminded me of Gentle Giant, who were always a bit more peculiar (and had a strong Early Music influence)
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I can post! I can post! And it's not even about California!
If you've ever gotten a tetanus shot,
Yes.
you're probably familiar with the massive pain and soreness that ensues for the next day or two.
No? I keep my tetanus shot up to date because its important also I'm accident prone. But Ive never experienced this. A bit of a sore spot akin to a deep bruise, but only a small area.
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Just applied for another job, this one a managerial position. I almost talked myself out of applying for it. But after my boss called me incompetent for daring to confide in my staff, I decided to go for it. Since when do I define myself by this guy's insults?
You can do it freehold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am soy sorry that I like Chinese food so much.
I've gotten twenty some stitches in my face the last five years (I do not recommend getting stabbed in the face with a car door or catapulting yourself into a mini bobcat) so I'm definitely up to date on my tetanus shot.
You can do whatever you want, I'm not your supervisor.
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This week feels like it is dragging on forever. Every day has felt like a Tuesday.
On the plus side, tonight is the drive-through, socially distanced Boo at the Zoo, so the kids will get dressed up to sit in the back of the car and be handed bags of candy through the window by masked zoo staff.
This is f***ing weird.
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I can feel the weekend. There will be dwarven forge building. Biking. Cider. And grilling. There may or may not be further adult antics.
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I've been ill since Sunday. I'm not even completely sure what day of the week we're officially on right now.
Hot wash on the Yeti microphone.
It is a high quality microphone that is not designed for my intended purpose.
My purpose: act as a microphone as I DM on a table that is streamed through OBS/discord to my players. I move around as I reposition miniatures, reposition cameras for better angles and the like. I do sit down and do some exposition at a fixed location, but I may also give the proverbial box text while I am walking around the table.
When sitting right next to the microphone, I was described as very clear, but faint. Players adjusted their discord volume settings (which are configurable by participant and do not have to be done globally) to make me loud enough to hear.
However, when I start moving around, I quickly am out of range of the pickup of the microphone (or am treated as background noise or something) because at that point they cannot hear me at all.
The microphone built into my laptop has no problem capturing my voice and passing it through discord to the players.
Now maybe there is an omnidirectional setting that I am missing, or maybe there is some dial that allows me to adjust my gain to offset this, but sadly, for my purposes, the YETI is not a viable option.
Which is a shame because it was not cheap and several other people who are also streaming games love them. But I am guessing that they are more stationary. Perhaps players or some form of virtual table rather than having to move physical objects around a real table.
How this translates to NH question, I am not sure. But that is my first level review.
Given the price point, I will play with it some more to see if it can have an effective use. Maybe vorpal board will work with it better.
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This week feels like it is dragging on forever. Every day has felt like a Tuesday.
On the plus side, tonight is the drive-through, socially distanced Boo at the Zoo, so the kids will get dressed up to sit in the back of the car and be handed bags of candy through the window by masked zoo staff.
This is f***ing weird.
Oooooh, mysterious zoo candy
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Oooooh, mysterious zoo candy
In my experience "mysterious zoo candy" turns out to not be candy at all...not at all...
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I've been ill since Sunday. I'm not even completely sure what day of the week we're officially on right now.According to LM, it's Tuesday again.
She and I are going to have words. Who put her in charge of time?
Better than Gothbard though.
I can post! I can post! And it's not even about California!
If you've ever gotten a tetanus shot,
Yes.
you're probably familiar with the massive pain and soreness that ensues for the next day or two.No? I keep my tetanus shot up to date because its important also I'm accident prone. But Ive never experienced this. A bit of a sore spot akin to a deep bruise, but only a small area.
You're a bit younger than I am. When I was a teenager, tetanus shots were agonizing. The more recent boosters (in my 30s, 40s, and 50s) were far more like you describe.
The pneumonia shot? It's still sore 2 days later, though last night the soreness wasn't bad enough to keep me from sleeping.
Hot wash on the Yeti microphone.
It is a high quality microphone that is not designed for my intended purpose....How this translates to NH question, I am not sure. But that is my first level review.
That reinforces what I've experienced: "Other people" talk about how much they love it. Anyone who actually tries to use one says it just doesn't work for what they want it to do.
- Impus Minor declared it inadequate for streaming games- I determined that it was inadequate for recording software demonstrations
- You found it inadequate for GMing
Somehow, "other people" find it a great microphone, but I still steer people away from it, because people I know always seem to find it inadequate.
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I've been ill since Sunday. I'm not even completely sure what day of the week we're officially on right now.According to LM, it's Tuesday again.She and I are going to have words. Who put her in charge of time?
Better than Gothbard though.
What? GothBard would make every day Saturday...
Interesting that you said "US prog sound". When Portnoy put that band together, he saw it as a band that would be an homage to Yes, Gentle Giant, Genesis, and the other early 70's British prog groups.Life Issues Involving Kids.Here's the secret: the storm is never...I can't disagree with what NH and LM said.
I'm reminded of The Whirlwind by Transatlantic. It's a single song that's an hour and 20 minutes long, so I don't expect anyone to really listen to it (maybe Limey). Also, the lyrics are very religious in nature (standard fare for Neal Morse). Ultimately, for me, it's about enduring and persevering. Speaks to both what NH and LM were talking about.
Challenge accepted!
Nice guitar sounds & playing; not sure about the synth brass pads. It's got that US prog sound down alright.
I could hear Yes, certainly - US prog seemed to have become a thing after that band started to become a big stadium draw, and that sort of AOR-influenced more straight-ahead sound is very characteristic (not meant as a criticism). I didn't come across anything that reminded me of Gentle Giant, who were always a bit more peculiar (and had a strong Early Music influence)
Agreed - they don't really have much of the sound of Gentle Giant and that vein.
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So I have a buddy that runs a 5e game. In my opinion as a player in this game his skills are... questionable. He texted me yesterday about concerns I've raised to him about issues I have with the game.
Buried in the middle of the text storm was my buddy asking me "well, how long do YOUR campaigns last?" I'm running 3 games currently, but one of those is the longest I've run in a while, closing in on 4 years. Since I started running PF 1e though, they've averaged about a year and some change.
My buddy replied his generally run 15-20 sessions. ALL his campaigns run about 15-20 sessions. Bear in mind: he's said he's only run full "campaigns" in one edition of D&D or another.
I gotta admit, I felt pity for my friend. His games level up 1 level each session, they grind railroad-style toward a pre-determined final ending, and from what I can tell as both a player and a person in his life they don't focus a lot on character growth, development, or what he considers "extraneous" plot.
He literally said there's no such thing as a "sandbox" game.
He said in the texts his other players tell him he's "the best DM." I wanted to ask if those players were also in comas. Instead I replied politely and had a beer.
Some people like that kind of game. 5e leans heavily towards that kind of railroading from what I have heard.
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What? GothBard would make every day Saturday...I've been ill since Sunday. I'm not even completely sure what day of the week we're officially on right now.According to LM, it's Tuesday again.She and I are going to have words. Who put her in charge of time?
Better than Gothbard though.
Yeah, but I'd always be 15 minutes late to everything. I don't do well with that.
So, my immune system has taken one look at all the stuff that came in and decided that I must be sick. Mild cough, mild fever, headache, dizziness, etc.
And yes, the doctor did warn me that the pneumonia vaccine might do exactly this.
Stoopid body!
5E is whatever you want to make of it. Can it be used to railroad? Absolutely. Can it be used to create sandbox? Yes.
The new version of temple of elemental evil is a great example of a sandbox game in 5E.
But my 5E Black Company based game? Very linear. When I created the campaign, I told the players that it would be a railroad. They are members of the army and get sent on missions. They are okay with that because it fits the game world. While it is home-brew game, I don't have buckets of time to go down every rabbit hole. The players know that and it is accepted social contact for the game. I picked 5E because it was easier to explain the low magic under 5E than PF1/2.
We also play a fair amount of PF APs. And those can be pretty linear as well.
I can't think of a PF home-brew that has lasted very long for us.
I can post! I can post! And it's not even about California!
If you've ever gotten a tetanus shot,
Yes.
you're probably familiar with the massive pain and soreness that ensues for the next day or two.No? I keep my tetanus shot up to date because its important also I'm accident prone. But Ive never experienced this. A bit of a sore spot akin to a deep bruise, but only a small area.You're a bit younger than I am. When I was a teenager, tetanus shots were agonizing. The more recent boosters (in my 30s, 40s, and 50s) were far more like you describe.
The pneumonia shot? It's still sore 2 days later, though last night the soreness wasn't bad enough to keep me from sleeping.
You might have very strong immune response.
I never had any such issues with any shots myself, though I am not sure if I got actual tetanus shot or not. The last vaccine shots I recall were in mid to late elementary school.
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What? GothBard would make every day Saturday...I've been ill since Sunday. I'm not even completely sure what day of the week we're officially on right now.According to LM, it's Tuesday again.She and I are going to have words. Who put her in charge of time?
Better than Gothbard though.
It's not that I keep track of days anyway.
And I am often late anyway.
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This is a fun "look inside the factory" video about how jigsaw puzzles are made. No jigsaws were harmed during the making of this puzzle.