- Ocean Fun Day meant being outdoors for Erika, building a sailboat, and floating it in a kiddie pool. Then getting a behind-the-scene VIP tour that the rest of the public didn't see because she's special :)
- I ran a professional conference for marine educators.
- Erika's scar is healing slowly and she's feeling a lot better.
- Left for Shenandoah Valley, Virginia on Friday for a 5-day Memorial Day Weekend vacation.
- Erika's second experience with two more petting zoos-- this time she chose to feed all the animals, including goats, llamas, donkeys, sheep, camels, and more. She tried to feed the monkeys, black bears, and a white tiger too, but we had to dissuade her.
- The llama spat at Erika and I, spewing chewed up grass all over my arm, leading Erika to sternly say: "Llama, no spitting! .... EVER!"
- Before she fed any animal, she would politely bend down to their height, and say "you hungry? you wan' me feed you food?"
More from that parlor game:
Comment to this post and I will pick seven things I would like you to
talk about. They might make sense or be totally random. Then post that
list, with your commentary, to your journal. Other people can get lists
from you, and the meme merrily perpetuates itself.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.2){kind=small}
unique_name_123 gave me: computer, spirituality, laurel,
rules, games, travel, artichoke.
( Read more... )
My web-searching skills have not helped with this question, so I request the advice of my gamer friends: what is the most fun combination of expansions and rules for Arkham Horror?
I picked up Arkham Horror last summer, because I'm attracted to cooperative games and I was in a mood to splurge. Since then, we've played three or four times. Each time, the game has been decent, but I've had the feeling that it could be better.
Here are weaknesses I'd like to overcome:
Slow play
Our last game lasted from about 7:30pm until after 1am. That was long enough that I was getting bored by the end, though others were engaged enough to lose track of time. The best fix for this would be to get more experience, so that we can play without pondering the rules so much.
Lack of drama
We haven't yet had a game in which we felt much uncertainty about the outcome. Most of our games have been fairly straightforward wins, with one loss that was inevitable for a long time. This might mean that we're doing something wrong, or it might mean that we haven't played enough to get into close games. But we've gotten lots of very close games of Pandemic, and I'd like for Arkham Horror to have similar white-knuckle potential.
One part of the issue is that once you seal a few gates in key locations and get some good equipment, the game ratchets down in difficulty. Compare this to Pandemic, where the infection rate increases as the game progresses, so even as you become more able to handle diseases, the diseases get harder to handle.
Uneven distribution of drama
When you do not have plenty of weaponry, it makes sense to specialize: you give most of your weaponry to one investigator to make him able to reliably kill monsters, and send him out to do the monster-killing to let others move freely. While this is good strategy, it's kind of boring for the other investigators. In our last game, Mike was just using his trust fund to buy things which he would then give to other players to use—an effective and useful tactic, but boring for him personally.
In the same vein, it often seems that the game ends with one player setting off through the last gate to seal that gate, while the other players are mostly twiddling their thumbs and waiting to see if that expedition is successful.
Little identification with characters
I'm not sure whether this is really a bug or not, but I don't feel any connection to my character while I'm playing; I just think of the character as a collection of statistics, without any sense of story there.
So, my Arkham Horror-playing friends: how have you overcome those issues? What play combinations do you find most satisfying?
I picked up Arkham Horror last summer, because I'm attracted to cooperative games and I was in a mood to splurge. Since then, we've played three or four times. Each time, the game has been decent, but I've had the feeling that it could be better.
Here are weaknesses I'd like to overcome:
Slow play
Our last game lasted from about 7:30pm until after 1am. That was long enough that I was getting bored by the end, though others were engaged enough to lose track of time. The best fix for this would be to get more experience, so that we can play without pondering the rules so much.
Lack of drama
We haven't yet had a game in which we felt much uncertainty about the outcome. Most of our games have been fairly straightforward wins, with one loss that was inevitable for a long time. This might mean that we're doing something wrong, or it might mean that we haven't played enough to get into close games. But we've gotten lots of very close games of Pandemic, and I'd like for Arkham Horror to have similar white-knuckle potential.
One part of the issue is that once you seal a few gates in key locations and get some good equipment, the game ratchets down in difficulty. Compare this to Pandemic, where the infection rate increases as the game progresses, so even as you become more able to handle diseases, the diseases get harder to handle.
Uneven distribution of drama
When you do not have plenty of weaponry, it makes sense to specialize: you give most of your weaponry to one investigator to make him able to reliably kill monsters, and send him out to do the monster-killing to let others move freely. While this is good strategy, it's kind of boring for the other investigators. In our last game, Mike was just using his trust fund to buy things which he would then give to other players to use—an effective and useful tactic, but boring for him personally.
In the same vein, it often seems that the game ends with one player setting off through the last gate to seal that gate, while the other players are mostly twiddling their thumbs and waiting to see if that expedition is successful.
Little identification with characters
I'm not sure whether this is really a bug or not, but I don't feel any connection to my character while I'm playing; I just think of the character as a collection of statistics, without any sense of story there.
So, my Arkham Horror-playing friends: how have you overcome those issues? What play combinations do you find most satisfying?
Phew. That was a couple few weeks! Commencement/Reunion Weekend is now past, and I'm enjoying a very slight respite before the Conservatory Reunion & Celebration is upon us! It's amazing what a difference a day off makes. I'm still in my pjs at 1:30pm in the afternoon, and it feels great. (So much for my plans of a leisurely swim this morning...)
The past few weeks were an amazing time of long hours and hard work, but incredibly rewarding. I'm definitely in the right job, and enjoyed all it brought, even as I was soaking my poor, tired feet at 10pm, having just finished a 15+ hour day, and knowing the next day would be the same. The weekend went off fabulously, I have an incredible office full of wonderful people, and our alumni were happy. It was a bit hot (apparently, the hottest Memorial Day since 1991), but that didn't dampen our spirits.
The weekend brought much laughter, and I really feel helped our office bond, especially with myself and one other 'new' person. It also affirmed that this job is perfect for me. Now if I can just recover before our next event is upon us.
A few pictures (I also helped with coverage of the weekend on Oberlin College's Tumblr and Twitter feeds, using Instagram, which was quite a lot of fun!) from the weekend:
Oberlin Steel performs for the Champagne Luncheon on Sunday
The faculty in all their fine plummage assemble for the procession. Oberlin has this really cool tradition where the faculty lead the graduating students into Tappan Square, and then form a channel that the students walk down, between two lines of faculty. The faculty are essentially leading the students out of the college and into the real world. It's incredibly moving, as it gives students a chance to see the faculty, and receive hugs and well-wishes. It meant a lot to me as a graduating student and I think means a lot to the faculty.
Friends and their daughters (as well as some other daughters) prepare to watch the mommies on faculty march by. Oberlin has a plethora of little girls. Joke is that there is something in the water, and you have to go out of town to conceive a little boy!
I just caught Charles and Daune, my former voice teacher, as they marched by in the procession. Charles has new robes, a long-overdue PhD completion present! Doesn't he look spiffy?
My fellow event-planners in the office. Somehow, we're still standing on Monday morning. Tuesday morning brought a very different picture, as we dragged ourselves to the office. It is a pleasure and an honor to work with these two.
The past few weeks were an amazing time of long hours and hard work, but incredibly rewarding. I'm definitely in the right job, and enjoyed all it brought, even as I was soaking my poor, tired feet at 10pm, having just finished a 15+ hour day, and knowing the next day would be the same. The weekend went off fabulously, I have an incredible office full of wonderful people, and our alumni were happy. It was a bit hot (apparently, the hottest Memorial Day since 1991), but that didn't dampen our spirits.
The weekend brought much laughter, and I really feel helped our office bond, especially with myself and one other 'new' person. It also affirmed that this job is perfect for me. Now if I can just recover before our next event is upon us.
A few pictures (I also helped with coverage of the weekend on Oberlin College's Tumblr and Twitter feeds, using Instagram, which was quite a lot of fun!) from the weekend:
Oberlin Steel performs for the Champagne Luncheon on Sunday
The faculty in all their fine plummage assemble for the procession. Oberlin has this really cool tradition where the faculty lead the graduating students into Tappan Square, and then form a channel that the students walk down, between two lines of faculty. The faculty are essentially leading the students out of the college and into the real world. It's incredibly moving, as it gives students a chance to see the faculty, and receive hugs and well-wishes. It meant a lot to me as a graduating student and I think means a lot to the faculty.
Friends and their daughters (as well as some other daughters) prepare to watch the mommies on faculty march by. Oberlin has a plethora of little girls. Joke is that there is something in the water, and you have to go out of town to conceive a little boy!
I just caught Charles and Daune, my former voice teacher, as they marched by in the procession. Charles has new robes, a long-overdue PhD completion present! Doesn't he look spiffy?
My fellow event-planners in the office. Somehow, we're still standing on Monday morning. Tuesday morning brought a very different picture, as we dragged ourselves to the office. It is a pleasure and an honor to work with these two.
I've forgotten my facebook password (I reset it a couple of weeks ago and cleared my cache this past weekend). On the upside I'm getting a bit more work done, though not as much as I need to. I'm really behind schedule on Ch. 3 :/
A comp lit professor from Israel wrote me yesterday. Not only did he read the Milton article, which was a pleasant enough surprise on its own, he tracked me down and wrote me an email telling me how much he liked it, though he did refer to it as "dense/intense." That's only fair. Still, one real reader is more than I'd have hoped for at this juncture, so that was pretty cool (especially since the Chretien article was rejected again the day before).
A comp lit professor from Israel wrote me yesterday. Not only did he read the Milton article, which was a pleasant enough surprise on its own, he tracked me down and wrote me an email telling me how much he liked it, though he did refer to it as "dense/intense." That's only fair. Still, one real reader is more than I'd have hoped for at this juncture, so that was pretty cool (especially since the Chretien article was rejected again the day before).
Being an entirely apocryphal mind game played by Gail with herself on very little sleep ~ for which she apologizes. Based on Gail's convention encounters involving both aesthetic and personality. No insult is intended, merely amusement.
GAIL'S DAILY DOSE
Your Moment of Parasol . . .
Your Infusion of Cute . . .
Your Tisane of Smart . . .
A Scandalous Stunner ~ Annie Miller
Your Writerly Tinctures . . .
Break it Down: Trimming Words From a Too-Long Manuscript
PROJECT ROUND UP
Deportment & Deceit ~ The Finishing School Book the Second:
First draft with second Beta reader.
Etiquette & Espionage ~ Finishing School Book the First: Release date Feb 2013. Working promo plans.
Manga ~ Soulless Vol. 2: (AKA Changeless) First chapter reviewed, drops on YenPlus April 12th. Print release tentatively Dec. 2012.
Timeless ~ Parasol Protectorate Book the Last. Out now!
Prudence ~ The Parasol Protectorate Abroad Book the First:
Release date Fall 2013.
Book News:
Blameless
Quote of the Day:
"I've got deviants to see and a novel to finish! Scoot!"
~ Miss Perky, 10 Things I Hate About You
- Goth ~ York Peppermint Patty
- Gothic Lolita ~ Skittles
- Cyberpunk ~ M&Ms
- Steampunk ~ Reese's Pieces
- Filk ~ Almond Joy
- Rennie ~ Mounds
- Nerd ~ Nerds (duh)
- Furry ~ Necco Wafers
- Gamer ~ Red Vines
- SMOF ~ Snickers
- Authors ~ Hot Tamales!
GAIL'S DAILY DOSE
Your Moment of Parasol . . .
Your Infusion of Cute . . .
Your Tisane of Smart . . .
A Scandalous Stunner ~ Annie Miller
Your Writerly Tinctures . . .
Break it Down: Trimming Words From a Too-Long Manuscript
PROJECT ROUND UP
Deportment & Deceit ~ The Finishing School Book the Second:
Etiquette & Espionage ~ Finishing School Book the First: Release date Feb 2013. Working promo plans.
Manga ~ Soulless Vol. 2: (AKA Changeless) First chapter reviewed, drops on YenPlus April 12th. Print release tentatively Dec. 2012.
Timeless ~ Parasol Protectorate Book the Last. Out now!
Prudence ~ The Parasol Protectorate Abroad Book the First:
BIG FAT SPOILER ALERT on the Parasol Protectorate series! Really, DON'T READ THE BLURB ON AMAZON if you haven't read the other books first!
The Omnibus hardback editions are limited run through the SciFi Bookclub only.
The manga editions, Vol. available in print, Vol. 2 by subscription to YenPlus.
Most short stories available in ebook form world wide!
The Finishing School Book the First: Release date Feb 2013.
Book News:
Blameless
- Amuses on Talk Supe.
- And perhaps not so much for Coffee, Cookies, and Chili Peppers. (As for the Ladybird question please see my FAQ #11 and direct your objections accordingly.)
- Brazilian Bookworm.
Quote of the Day:
"I've got deviants to see and a novel to finish! Scoot!"
~ Miss Perky, 10 Things I Hate About You
- Location:desk
- Mood:
busy - Music:The Smartest Man in the World Podcast
The daf-yomi cycle has arrived at tractate Niddah, which is about what I
will refer to as "private woman stuff". I'll pull things from here where
I can, but you should expect some tangents over the next couple months
when that doesn't work out. Today's daf is Niddah 10; I'm drawing from
yesterday's.
Some laws apply only to women of certain ages. The talmud therefore needs to define these various age groups. Who is an "old woman"? The mishna says "any woman over whom three onahs have passed near the time of her old age". (An onah is approximately a month.) Well, that sounds kind of circular, doesn't it? The g'mara expounds: Rav Yehudah says "the time of her old age" is when her friends speak of her as an old woman, and R. Shimon says it is when people call her mother in her presence and she does not blush. R. Zera or R. Shmuel ben Yitzchak says it is when she is called mother and does not mind. What is the practical difference? One might blush but not mind. (9a-b)
Where other age-based rules are sometimes more fixed, it's interesting to see one that is so dependent on social context. You're old when your friends say you're old or when you don't mind being called mother. (Old women who are not mothers are not addressed by this blushing/minding standard.)
Hi.
Just got back from a 5-day vacation in Virginia, in the shadows of the Shenandoah National Park.
Here's a photo of us in the park, at a picnic bench, in the midday summer heat, enjoying ice tea and ham sandwiches.
Will post more soon.
In the meantime, a story to share, as it completely epitomizes my daughter's personality and character.
Erika is 2 years and 1 month old. A month ago, she could only recite the first 10 letters of the alphabet-- she would get to J, and then somehow loop back to "E-F-G..." and never move on. But last week she finally mastered the whole sequence of 26 letters. But this is how she does it.
She sings: "A-B-C-D-E-F-G... H-I-J-" *pause* "L-M-N-O-P! Q-R-S.. T-U-V... W.. X-Y.. and Z. Now I know ABC, next time-- sing along wit' me."
I start to cheer and clap, but she tilts her head, gives a dramatic shrug, and says: "Oops, I made 'take! I forgot K! Where does K go? Aft' J?"
And each time she leaves out a different letter. Because that's just how Erika rolls. Why be normal.
Some professions require a certain amount of ongoing education every year, usually in the form of several-hour seminars. At least for the legal field, it seems like the subjects do not have to be all that closely related to American law. I routinely see advertisements for these in the Jewish press covering topics in halacha or Jewish ethics. But even so, I was surprised to see that Law and the Multiverse was offering one on superheroes, comic books, and constitutional law. If I were a lawyer I would totally go to things like that. :-) (The blog is fun too.)
Language Log recently wrote about an unusual keep-off-the-grass sign: tiny grass is dreaming. That's a neat image.
shewhomust recently posted a picture of a neat woodland "sculpture".
Everybody's probably seen is Facebook making us lonely? from the Atlantic, but I wanted to stash a link somewhere anyway so I may as well share.
And finally, Mi Yodeya (formerly known as Jewish Life and Learning) recently launched as a full-blown Stack Exchange site after a year in beta. I've enjoyed participating there -- lots of good questions and answers and discussion, but in a useful format that isn't "just another forum where you have to wade through the junk to get to the good stuff". There's going to be an online launch party on Sunday. More info:
Language Log recently wrote about an unusual keep-off-the-grass sign: tiny grass is dreaming. That's a neat image.
shewhomust recently posted a picture of a neat woodland "sculpture".Everybody's probably seen is Facebook making us lonely? from the Atlantic, but I wanted to stash a link somewhere anyway so I may as well share.
And finally, Mi Yodeya (formerly known as Jewish Life and Learning) recently launched as a full-blown Stack Exchange site after a year in beta. I've enjoyed participating there -- lots of good questions and answers and discussion, but in a useful format that isn't "just another forum where you have to wade through the junk to get to the good stuff". There's going to be an online launch party on Sunday. More info:
My dear Gentle Reader, what follows is a relying of my adventures in far away Dearborn, Michigan. Steampunk shenanigans and the excursions of the Author Beast in far off climes will follow. You have been warned.
For some reason know only to the strange and fickle gods of flying (who have suspiciously similar capricious overtones to those of traffic and parking) it is remarkably difficult to get from California directly to the Northern Midwest. The last time I tried it, as my Twitter followers may recal it took me well over 24 hours. I ended up stranded in Cleveland with Unwoman and no suitcase. (Which, if I have a choice, I'll take Unwoman any day!) This time, during the Phoenix transition, we got all the way out onto the tarmac before having to deplane and wait for a new aircraft (a delay of a little over 2 hours). But I did make it safely to Dearborn eventually. I had the pleasure of sharing the crisis with Pop Haydn his lovely lady, and, we thought, The League of S.T.E.A.M. However we arrived at baggage claim without hint of the League. There was much confusion as to how so many, with so much luggage, had vanished with such thoroughness. Had the League disappeared in a puff of steam? Had they been victims of their own apparition dissolution apparatus? Or had they lost a great battle to The Lords Of Terribly Silly Adjournments (AKA the Lords of TSA)? It turned out they caught a different flight, never got stranded, and easily beat us to the hotel. Never underestimated the abilities of the League.
( Read more... )
Special Announcements
For those of you who found my blog via the con . . .
Now I really must dash, I still haven't unpacked!!!
GAIL'S DAILY DOSE
Your Moment of Parasol . . .
Your Infusion of Cute . . .
Your Tisane of Smart . . .
Packing to Avoid Fees
Your Writerly Tinctures . . .
Genres in Fiction Writing: Literary Fiction vs. Everything Else
PROJECT ROUND UP
Deportment & Deceit ~ The Finishing School Book the Second: First draft with second Beta reader.
Etiquette & Espionage ~ The Finishing School Book the First: Release date Feb 2013.
Manga ~ Soulless Vol. 2: (AKA Changeless) First chapter reviewed, drops on YenPlus April 12th. Print release tentatively Dec. 2012.
Timeless ~ Parasol Protectorate Book the Last. Out now!
Prudence ~ The Parasol Protectorate Abroad Book the First: Release date Fall 2013.
Book News:
Quote of the Day:
"Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes."
~ John LeCarre
For some reason know only to the strange and fickle gods of flying (who have suspiciously similar capricious overtones to those of traffic and parking) it is remarkably difficult to get from California directly to the Northern Midwest. The last time I tried it, as my Twitter followers may recal it took me well over 24 hours. I ended up stranded in Cleveland with Unwoman and no suitcase. (Which, if I have a choice, I'll take Unwoman any day!) This time, during the Phoenix transition, we got all the way out onto the tarmac before having to deplane and wait for a new aircraft (a delay of a little over 2 hours). But I did make it safely to Dearborn eventually. I had the pleasure of sharing the crisis with Pop Haydn his lovely lady, and, we thought, The League of S.T.E.A.M. However we arrived at baggage claim without hint of the League. There was much confusion as to how so many, with so much luggage, had vanished with such thoroughness. Had the League disappeared in a puff of steam? Had they been victims of their own apparition dissolution apparatus? Or had they lost a great battle to The Lords Of Terribly Silly Adjournments (AKA the Lords of TSA)? It turned out they caught a different flight, never got stranded, and easily beat us to the hotel. Never underestimated the abilities of the League.
( Read more... )
Special Announcements
For those of you who found my blog via the con . . .
- The corsets I wore were all by Dark Garden Unique Corsetry. I recommend their work without reservations. Yes they can be costly but I really suggest that you save up and invest in a good corset rather than buying a cheap one. A cheap corset is like cheap shoes ~ liable to leave you blistered, uncomfortable, and very grumpy.
- The corset busk covers were made for me by >Rubyblackbird Hand Made. Her etsy shop is currently under construction but you can contact her with your needs in mind and she'll be happy to accommodate you, I'm sure. She does make all her wars by hand specific to the corset so you should have an idea what you want or fabric you can send her to match. I suggest buying one more busk cover than you need, just to be on the safe side.
- The DIY for my utility cargo belt is located on my fashion blog, Retro Rack.
- I also have a few blogs about making some of the outfits you saw me wear at World Steam Expo including the iridescent skirts and tea died shirt.
- For those who wanted stuff on thrifting for Steampunk, here's the starter guide, and then the details for women and another one for men.
- My books are available wherever books are sold. You can get the first one from Amazon in paperback (Soulless)or graphic novel (Soulless: The Manga, Vol. 1) form. The hardback omnibuses are more difficult to acquire. If you don't want to try me in novel length, I also have two shorts available for $0.99 Marine Biology & My Sister's Song. Although neither of them is steampunk.
- And for the truly curious you can find my exhaustive FAQ page here.
Now I really must dash, I still haven't unpacked!!!
GAIL'S DAILY DOSE
Your Moment of Parasol . . .
Your Infusion of Cute . . .
Your Tisane of Smart . . .
Packing to Avoid Fees
Your Writerly Tinctures . . .
Genres in Fiction Writing: Literary Fiction vs. Everything Else
PROJECT ROUND UP
Deportment & Deceit ~ The Finishing School Book the Second:
Etiquette & Espionage ~ The Finishing School Book the First: Release date Feb 2013.
Manga ~ Soulless Vol. 2: (AKA Changeless) First chapter reviewed, drops on YenPlus April 12th. Print release tentatively Dec. 2012.
Timeless ~ Parasol Protectorate Book the Last. Out now!
Prudence ~ The Parasol Protectorate Abroad Book the First:
BIG FAT SPOILER ALERT on the Parasol Protectorate series! Really, DON'T READ THE BLURB ON AMAZON if you haven't read the other books first!
The Omnibus hardback editions are limited run through the SciFi Bookclub only.
The manga editions, Vol. available in print, Vol. 2 by subscription to YenPlus.
Most short stories available in ebook form world wide!
The first Finishing School book ~ Not yet Released
Book News:
- Jenn on Soulless.
- And Filemonia.
- "This book just made me cackle. Repeatedly. In a very unladylike fashion." Says Books J'adore.
- Merry Mahaffey is surprised.
Quote of the Day:
"Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes."
~ John LeCarre
- Location:desk
- Mood: busy
- Music:Geek Speak
Profile
- sebastianm
- SebastianM
Page Summary
- aliki : 20:2012 and 21:2012 [+0]
- cellio : "7 things" #2 [+6]
- ralphmelton : Advice Requested: Arkham Horror [+3]
- themcgs : A brief resurfacing [+0]
- k_navit : (no subject) [+2]
- gailcarriger : Subsets of Fandom & Their Snack Foods [+10]
- cellio : daf bit: Niddah 9 [+3]
- aliki : Virginia vacation [+3]
- cellio : random bits [+5]
- gailcarriger : Con Report ~ World Steam Expo [+9]
