Happy Festivus...

Enjoy George's father's favorite holiday!

I do, especially the "Airing of the grievances." Can't wait!

Anyway, just running around doing some last minute shopping, then off to my mother's place this evening for shrimp and vino (I need the latter to deal with the evening...).

Hope to get some gaming in soon, and really hope to be able to swing Grant's place this coming Saturday. Still no word as to whether someone will be available to watch Cheyenne. Beginning to piss me off, as "our dog" has turned almost exclusively into my responsibility. Yes, that will be aired! Not that I usually mind, for I dearly love the girl, but...

Anyway, hope everyone has a great next few days...

Snow Day!

Yeppers -- today I had off due to snow, cold, and wind (which was making for whiteout conditions). I heard the NYS Thruway was closed from Henrietta (SW of Rochester) all the way through Buffalo and to the Pennsylvania Line.

I'm just glad i got to go back to sleep...

On Saturday, I did go to Millennium and have fun. Played 7 games and only won 1, d'oh! But I had fun in all of them...

Played 2 games of 2 de Mayo with Bob Titran. Both games came right down to the wire, and Bob outfoxed me at the end, both times! It's a very "neat" little game, that will play differently each time due to the cards. We both liked it, and it plays quickly, so I imagine this one will come out a lot through the years.

We then had lunch at the Indian place next door (excellent buffet -- probably the best ethnic food buffet I've ever had), and returned for a game of Combat Commander: Med. We went with the Random Scenario Generator (RSG), and I got an Italian Line Company guarding a small housing complex located in a Libyan oasis, from an attack by an Elite British Detachment. In the end, my 2 MMGs were able to keep the Brits at bay, giving Mussolini a victory. The RSG games are always a lot of fun...

Rest of the day was spent playing euros -- 2 games of Chicago Express (CE) and 1 of Alhambra. They were both fun, and CE is something I have on order -- it is definitely a train game that is enjoyable (not all are to me).

Just finalizing Christmas stuff, paying bills (ugh!), and hoping to get more gaming in. Woo-hoo!

Cheyenne's Christmas Charleston...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Don't hit "Download" if that's the screen you're getting.

Scroll over the bottom of the image and controls will pop up -- hit play (the right pointing triangle).

Hannibal Tonight...

...over at Mike's. I'll be taking the Romans and attempting to keep Carthage at bay. Hannibal is a great game, I'm glad I'm getting more chances to play it.

Cheyenne's wound is healing nicely, but she still needs to be watched or she has to have her Victorian collar on, so she won't reopen it. Man, I can't wait until this is finally healed. On any dog a bad foot wound takes time to heal -- on a young, active dog that insists on running everywhere, it's even harder to get things to heal up. But we're getting close.

The Sabres continue to play mediocre hockey. I am not a Ryan Miller fan. He makes spectacular saves, then lets in 1 or 2 soft goals each game. I don't think they're ever going to win the big one with him between the pipes...

Oh well, life continues to go on.

Dirty Laundry...

I've always tried to make sure not to air too much dirty laundry here, especially because anyone can stumble upon this site (and friends and family members have told me they've found this blog via a web search). So, while there's a lot I need to vent on, I think I'll just do it privately, maybe in an e-mail to Santa Claus. I feel like the economy -- doing so well one day, then crappy the next. I need things to look up again, for I'm sinking...

Cheyenne got her stitches out last night, but the soap opera continues. The wound is still fairly "raw," so she's not supposed to lick it (can open it up again, theoretically, with too much licking). This means we're still in "Victorian Collar" mode, unless I can watch her. It's OK for her to lick it a little (I'm sure it itches), but she'll obsess over the wound if allowed to... So, she's at the vet's today, and will be Thursday and Friday, as well -- in a run, wearing her Victorian Collar.

What this means, is, well, I'm up in the air for Millennium on Saturday. If things haven't "crusted up" enough, she won't be able to be left alone, and PetSmart won't take her with the Victorian Collar. The vet would take her, but they're open for only limited hours on Saturday, which would make it not worth the effort. This would really suck. I've pretty much been taking care of Cheyenne by myself since this past summer -- I have to find folks who can watch her when I need to do things. I guess that I can board her at PetSmart in the future when I need some time to do stuff, but I can't yet, due to her still healing wound.

I'm hoping I'll be able to make Millennium, at least for a while on Saturday, but I'm unsure at this point. Oh well, the girl's my pride and joy, so if she needs me, she comes first.

Not Cheyenne

A few minutes here...

So I'll sneak a quick post in.

Cheyenne hated going to the Vet's for boarding this morning -- she was pulling madly on her leash. 2 more days of this, then the poor dog will be free of the Victorian collar and spending her days in a kennel. We will hope there won't be any more stitches in her future...

Got the Vassal module for Successors working, though it did one funky thing (killed a general, which I had to undo). I was able to grab the "Silver Shields" for Craterus, maybe it'll soon be time to attack! I continue to enjoy this game, and am very glad GMT cleaned it up and republished it.

This coming Saturday is gameday at Millennium. Something to shoot for. I guess I get through each week by looking forward to little goals. For instance, this week I have:

Monday -- Syracuse Basketball game
Tuesday -- Cheyenne gets stitches out
Wednesday -- Sabres Hockey and Syracuse Basketball
Thursday -- Nothing yet, hopefully gaming
Friday -- End of week
Saturday -- Millennium
Sunday -- Football

Man, that's pretty pathetic, LOL!

I have to work Monday and Tuesday of next week, then off until January 5th. Maybe I'll win MegaMillions by then so I can stop dragging...

Ramble On...

That's the tune "Slacker" Radio is now playing, "Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin. Haven't heard this one for a while...

I think I heard that a few post office locations around here will be open today. I hope so, as I need to get a birthday package out to my sister in San Francisco -- her birthday is December 26th. Still have some Christmas shopping to do for a few folks, but will probably finish that on line. Christmas has turned from something I used to love when my step-father was alive to something I loathe. I look forward to the break from school, but other than playing with Cheyenne (she'll have almost 2 weeks of pent-up energy to release!) and (I hope) getting some gaming in, not much in the way of excitement.

Today I need to finish up my 5-week progress reports. Most of my students are doing very well, but there are a handful who are having problems (and this is across all classes, not just mine). Anyone who thinks parents aren't THE most important facet of a child's education should check out the (lack of) parenting given to the kids doing poorly. It's really a shame -- you work with them during the day, and after school, then they go home and all is lost. Oh well...

On the gaming front, the 4-player pbem Successors game is underway and I believe I need to get my first move in today. It's a fun game, we'll see what happens. Mike and I finished up our Hannibal game last Wednesday, and Hannibal's forces pretty much raped Italy, so we called it after Turn 8 (of 9). Mike learned some things, and we're switching sides and will play again. On Thursday, Bill and I played Scenario 5 (Cold Front) of Combat Commander. We played it twice, switching sides. My Germans beat off the advancing Siberians in the first game (gotta love that German HMG!), while my Siberians overwhelmed the German positions in the 2nd game. Bill's whining was, well, classic. I really do need to tape it!

This week has brought me a load of games -- Fall of South Vietnam (ebay), 2 de Mayo and Texas Glory (Boards and Bits), and Unhappy King Charles (GMT P500). A real bounty, with more good stuff on the way. Merry Christmas to me...

Well, I didn't win Lotto, so I won't be retiring to the Caribbean. Yet...

7 more school days. I can do it, I can do it.

Yes, I know...

With school, getting sick, a hockey game, and watching Cheyenne, I haven't been here for several days.

My bad.

Have a lot of caching up to do, hopefully tomorrow (well Damn, it is Sunday, so hopefully later today...).

Gaming on the horizon...

OK, looks like this week may be shaping up better than I thought it would be.

Wednesday at Mike's to finish up our Hannibal game, then Bill is coming by on Thursday for some Combat Commander. I think I'll secretly tape Bill, and play 2 or 3 hours of whining for y'all one of these days...

I'll have to go on a rant one of these days about the wargaming magazine Against the Odds. So much promise, but mostly dreck produced. Development is horrible, graphics are a joke, and the games have all been (with, maybe, 2 or 3 exceptions) complete crap. Sad when stodgy ol' Strategy & Tactics is the best we have...

Cheyenne and I are hanging in there -- counting down to next Tuesday (12-16-08) when the stitches are removed and we can get back to our normal routine.

And has anyone done anything to help me win MegaMillions tonight? I'll keep my promise, I will!

Cold...

It's cold here, but we have only a dusting of snow. I hate that combo -- cold and no snow. I know, I know, I'll probably regret saying this when it's cold and we have tons of snow...

Don't know what's up on the gaming front this week. I am starting a pbem game of Successors, using Vassal. Man, but Vassal, as beautiful as it is, may be the most unintuitive program I've struggled with in a looooooong time.

Getting more grades done now, as mid-term progress reports are due by the beginning of next week. The grade program we use is also a stupid, clunky program, so I'll be fighting it for a while.

Right now I wish I were on Ocracoke. I need to win MegaMillions and move there. Yes, I did buy a ticket for Tuesday's $170,000,000 drawing. Wish me luck and I'll buy you a prezzie if I win! Oh yeah, gotta get some Christmas shopping done, too. Damn...

Poor Cheyenne

She's such an active dog, being kept from running around has been tough for her.

Here she is last night, in a more peaceful moment...

Crap, crap, and more crap...

So, Thursday morning at around 9:30 (in the middle of class), I get a call from PetSmart and they tell me there's been an accident. WTF?!?! I yell into the phone, "Is Cheyenne OK?" They reply she has a little injury, but will be fine, and wanted to know what I wanted them to do. Basically, she and this black German Shepard, Zack, have been "going at" each other through the kennel glass whenever Cheyenne walks past his kennel (Zack starts it, Cheyenne continues it). On Thursday, as they were getting Cheyenne to take to "Day Camp," she escaped the clutches of the handler and ran right over to Zack's kennel. There, she leaped toward him (and he toward her), and she caught the top of her paw on the sharp edge of the metal door frame, giving her a nasty puncture wound. They wanted to have the vet in the store stitch her up, but I wanted to take her to my vet, so I made an appointment for 2:30 and booked out of school to get her.

At my vet's, they thought there was a decent chance that they could use glue to meld it together, and this would heal quicker than stitches. I agreed. To make a long story short, the glue didn't work when she was checked today, so she got 7 stitches (3 internal, 4 external).

Now, what this costs me...

>$250 in vet bills, so far

I have to watch her constantly (unless she has a Victorian collar on), which means I probably won't be going to the Sabres/Maple Leafs game next Friday.

PetSmart will not take her if she's injured (feckers -- I need to find somewhere else to go...), so she'll be at a vet's (not mine) that has 7:30 drop-off.

I have 7:30 homeroom and a 7:55 class. Gotta have someone cover my homeroom for the next week and a half and it will be close getting to class on time.

She has to be walked in the yard on a leash (so as to not damage the stitches by running).

Oy...

After everything I went through with Gypsy a couple years ago, I was hoping to avoid this for a while. At least with Cheyenne, she will get better.

So, I didn't make it to UB for the Bacsim meet today, crap. I was really looking forward to it. The next 10 days are going to be complete pains in the ass.

Merry Christmas, ho-ho-ho...

What a Slacker!

Yeah, I've been a horrible slacker, lately...

Since my last update, before Thanksgiving, we've had the following:

Thanksgiving
Syracuse Basketball goes to 8-0
Played Hannibal x2
Played Combat Commander x2
Had 2 new dog training days
And a lot of other boring stuff...

Thanksgiving was fine, nothing exciting. I made oyster stuffing and a peppery giblet gravy. For dinner, I had a lot of dark meat, stuffing, gravy, and whole-berry cranberry sauce. Most excellent. Had some of Deanna's pumpkin pie later in the evening, and it was good (though I prefer my non-cook pumpkin chiffon pie!). Didn't really bother with the football games, as the match-ups all sucked. Played poker into the night, though my Visa will no longer deposit money into my Poker Stars account (I had recently taken back a good deal of winnings, so when I went to put more $$ in, I was rejected -- I need to do an e-check one of these evenings...).

Syracuse won a tourney in Kansas City, beating #17 Florida and #22 Kansas in the process. And they kept winning, beating Virginia, Colgate, and Cornell after that. They're an exciting team that has the bad habit of falling behind early, then coming on like gangbusters and winning the second half. Jim "2-3 Zone" Boeheim has a team that excels at man-to-man D, and whenever they get out of their zone, they play much better. AP has them ranked #16 now, and the top 25 has EIGHT Big East teams in it -- a third of the poll. What a monster conference, I'm betting 10 teams get into the NCAAs (they should).

I played a practice game of Hannibal with Mike last week, to help him learn the mechanics (we ended after 3 turns). Last evening we started a real game, and are through 6 turns. My Carthaginians have the upper hand, but Mike's Romans had a good last turn, with Scipio Africanus leading the way. Should be an interesting end...

Bob Titran came by last Saturday, and we played a couple games of Combat Commander. First game was from the paratrooper battle pack, a fight over glider resupply outside Bastogne on 12-27-44. My American paras were able to overcome the evil Germans and pick up the victory. After a nice Thai lunch, we decided to use the Random Scenario Generator for a new game. Bob rolled up the Italians in 1940, while I got Allied Minors, so the scenario worked out to a Greek company trying to take back a village held by an Italian Blackshirt detachment. A couple of weenie armies, which made the scenario a lot of fun -- it took me a while to get the Greeks going, but they were on the move. Then we thought we had misplayed a victory condition (which, in hindsight we hadn't, d'oh!), so we decided to call it for the Blackshirts, as Bob had to hit the road anyway. All in all, good fun, and I think this may be my favorite game right now -- so much happens!

On Saturday night, I was talked into playing a game with Deanna and 2 kids. The 4 of us ended up playing Santa Fe Rails, and it was actually pretty fun. Brad, the youngest, ended up winning with 163 points, I was 2nd with 159. I admit, I helped him out, and I didn't play as cutthroat as I could (should?) have, but it was pretty fun, nonetheless.

Cheyenne's new training regimen has begun, and she's not getting along with an English Mastiff in class. The Mastiff growls at other dogs, and this pisses Cheyenne off, so she barks back at him, and gets all the dogs going. She needs to learn that it might not be a good idea barking at t dog 3 times her size! She is a smart dog, but so damn stubborn. Maybe she has a little Sicilian blood in her, as I do.

And life goes on. I have gaming and Cheyenne to keep me busy, and I really need to get back into shape (this is proving elusive). I also need to focus on getting a game design going, I really do.

Oh yeah, I need to be more vigilant here, too.

So many resolutions, waiting for the New Year...