2012: The Resolutions-

This is going to be short and to the point because my day didn't quite go as planned and I am running short of time to get a blog post up for January 1st.

Assuming the world doesn't end on December 21st this year because of those pesky Mayans* ran out of space on their stone I made some resolutions.

Since this is primarily an OSR gaming blog, I'll start with my gaming resolutions.

I am going to stop buying stuff on EBay that I am probably never going to play. That means 2011 was the year of my L5R collection, my Star Wars and Star Trek RPG collections and pretty much all of the rest of my non-D&D related gaming stuff. Except for Star Fleet Battles Commander's edition volume 2 boxed set, if I find that at a reasonable price and it's complete, I am going to take it just so I have them all, and I will play them; I just haven't yet.

I am going to paint miniatures one day per week. I have a ton of lead here that needs painting and I've just been putting it off because I decided I wasn't as good at it as my wife was. She isn't doing it though, and my closet is full of miniatures now, so I want to paint them. Sure I am way out of practice and I was never much better than OK at it to start with, but that's not the point now is it?

Mostly I am going to game more, with more actual people, not just with my computer like I did for years. I guess that means I'll be seeing more of Lance and Darryl and meeting some new people too, but it will be nice to expand my social circle some.

Next goals, less gaming related.

I will blog more regularly. I am going to try and post something worthwhile on one of my blogs everyday; it may not be long, but I am trying to force myself to write more.

Eat less, but more healthy. I am a pretty big guy but getting way too fat has become a problem for me. I have always tended towards being heavy, when I was a kid the other kids called me the fat kid. I know that's bull shit now, because I've seen the pictures of when I was young and, while I was a pretty big, solid kid, I wasn't really fat; for a while in my mid-teens I was downright lanky. Being bigger and having poorly fitting clothes didn't help I guess, and my parents couldn't afford better because my dad got hurt at work when I was nine and has been on disability ever since**. Anyway, I am starting to have some issues with my health as a result of being too fat now, so it's got to go. Now, I know it's hard to eat healthy in America without a lot of money, but I am working on building up my self sufficiency with regard to food production too, so it's on the list.

Exercise more. This kind of goes with the above, but I am in pretty bad shape now; again mostly because I have gotten too fat, but also because I live a pretty sedentary life. I have gotten into the habit of letting the younger and less achy members of my family do a lot of the manual labor here while I direct and supervise, that's got to stop. I also need to start doing some indoor exercises for the winter months are upon us. I tried some push ups and I can't do one standard push up anymore. I can do them at an incline though, so that's something. Sit ups are pretty much out, partly because I am too fat and partly because I am too weak. I am not sure how to fix that. I gave up walking when I hurt my knee, multiple times, over the last year, I need to get back in that habit too.

Clear the rest of the south side of my property, clear the small hill on the north side. Weather permitting, get a decent sized garden in this year and build a chicken coop. This at least will be aided by all the building experience we picked up from working on my father's enormous garage. With enough chickens we will reach self sufficiency in eggs and lower our need for outside sources of meat. Other farmers in the area, and my brother in New Hampshire, have given me a lot of advice on raising chickens and other fowl, plus I have read a lot on the subject; so, while this will be my first solo attempt at raising livestock, I think I am prepared.


SCA Fighting. I talk about this every year. I do a little bit every year. I am a warranted Marshal and a an authorized Heavy Weapons Fighter in the Kingdom of Aethelmearc. Once I was a pretty serious force to be reckoned with on the field, I am only 42 years old, I think I can do it again; I just need to commit to the same kind of rigorous training (and diet) that I did when I was in my 30s. This kind of falls in line with the eating healthy and exercising more, only with a focus. The downside of this is that I really can't afford to drive all over central NY state for the training like I used to be able to, I don't have a nearby fighting buddy to split the gas costs with anymore either. I'd also like this to be the year I take up fencing, despite it meaning that I need an entirely new and different kit.

Make some armor. I am not a handy guy, but I have enjoyed the minor armoring projects that I have done. They have consisted entirely of modifications to existing armor or repairing existing armor up until now, and fabricating a few shields. I think I'd like to tackle a real project this year.

Build a yurt. This has been on my to do list for a while. I helped work on a friend's yurt once, for one day, I don't think he ever finished it. I would live in one if my wife would make the move, but I am content to just have one for camping events, so a small yurt would be fine by me. I have detailed instructions on how to do it, and it is relatively inexpensive; although not as cheap as buying a cheap tent to camp in.


*Or, we get the start of the Shadowrun world, that's what I'm hoping for apocalypse-wise.


**In case anyone was wondering it wasn't one of those BS disability claims, he was a Longshoreman and got hurt unloading a ship. A line snapped on some cargo being lifted by a crane and he was knocked into the hold from the deck, he suffered various injuries, but the crippling one was three crushed disks in his lower back. He didn't walk for a year. That was November of 1978 he was working a holiday making double time and half because my parents had just built their house and we'd moved in in 1976 so my dad was trying to pay the mortgage ahead and get money for Christmas. My brother was born the following January.