I have returned and I am ready to give writing a go. So, I am practicing writing here just to give things a try. It has been a long time since I have written here, but I am going to resurrect this blog practice writing and to try to promote myself.
What am I going to be writing? I have a fantasy story rolling around my brain, a sci-fi short story written and being edited and a Shadowrun short story. A fair bit of writing is coming out.
On a more personal note, I am officially divorced for about a year. In the recent past I have bailed on engineering and tried to go to teacher's collage. Right now, I am not able to work due to my mental illnesses, so I am trying to find a way to bring in some extra money. I am still gaming, but I am fighting to go out. I have joined an ADHD community which is helping me a great deal. The community is giving me some much needed perspective.
Goonius out.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Saturday, August 31, 2013
The Alaska Highway
This week I am traveling up the Alaska Highway, near to where I spent some of my most formative years. Tungsten, NWT. I was very young at the time, before school age. I started school in a one room classroom with grades kindergarten to six being taught by a single harried teacher. Apparently, when I was in grade two in Toronto, they did an IQ test on the class. I aced it, except for one question that was regarding snow. I, having lived my memorable life in the north, had a distinctly different view of snow than the test creators. This has cemented my understanding that IQ tests are not trustworthy if administered by a real person capable of finding out why a question was "wrong".
But, the drive up here is gorgeous. I landed in Edmonton yesterday and got on the Alaska Highway today. There have been picturesque farmlands and gorgeous woodland. I believe that there are very few places in our country that are not pretty, but this area is gorgeous. Until you hit the towns. In general, Canadian's can build pretty cities, but when it comes to little mill, mine, oil or other natural resource towns, they are ugly. They occasionally have a giant thing to prettify the area. Wawa has a giant goose. A town we passed through had a giant beaver (no jokes please). And the construction has been somewhat weird. I am used to road construction in Ontario, which follows specific passes. But, in Alberta and BC they have very different methods and equipment. It has been an education.
Goonius out.
But, the drive up here is gorgeous. I landed in Edmonton yesterday and got on the Alaska Highway today. There have been picturesque farmlands and gorgeous woodland. I believe that there are very few places in our country that are not pretty, but this area is gorgeous. Until you hit the towns. In general, Canadian's can build pretty cities, but when it comes to little mill, mine, oil or other natural resource towns, they are ugly. They occasionally have a giant thing to prettify the area. Wawa has a giant goose. A town we passed through had a giant beaver (no jokes please). And the construction has been somewhat weird. I am used to road construction in Ontario, which follows specific passes. But, in Alberta and BC they have very different methods and equipment. It has been an education.
Goonius out.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Painting Models
I have recently gotten back into miniature gaming. What is miniature gaming? I'm glad you asked. It is where you play a game by moving little toy soldiers around on a table using a tape measure or ruler and fight using rules and dice/cards like in a board game. These games come in all genres, from sci-fi to fantasy to steam punk. But, one of the major problems with this kind of game is that the models are generally supplied unpainted and unassembled. So, in order to have a good looking force, the models should be painted (and assembled). So, find yourself some good glue, some small paint brushes and several shades of your favourite colours of paint and lets go.
Step 1: Cleaning the Model
This is where you cut the model out of any plastic sprues and get rid of any excess stuff left from the molding process. It is a good idea to wash your models to get rid of any excess stuff that may have aquired during the molding and shipping process. Resin models, in particular, are prone to having a "release" agent on them. This agent helps them slip out of the mold easily, but coats the model meaning that any paint applied may flake off.
Step 2: Assembling The Model
This is were you good glue comes in. Some form of super glue is a good idea, particularly when gluing from one type of material to another. Often, when gluing a model together, gaps will become apparent between pieces. These gaps should be filled with an epoxy resin and shaped to make the gaps disappear while integrating seamlessly with the model. This is a very difficult thing and something I do only in the direst of situations.
Step 3: Priming
Get some spray primer from your local hardware store and prime your models. The most common colours for priming are white, grey and black, but you can experiment with other colours and use these as your base coat. Make sure to coat the model completely, from all angles, but not to spray to much on. You don't want to lose the detail of the models to the primer.
Step 4: Painting
Paint your model. A quick google search will give you thousands of websites telling you how to paint your models. My preference is to let simple colour schemes with bold colours rule the model and let the browns and greys take up the detail work like belts and scabbards.
Step 5: Basing
Here is where you can use your wood glue. The simplest method I have found to base a model is to get some beach or aquarium sand and glue this to the base. Then, this area should be painted to look like what ever you want the model to be standing on. Another simple yet effective method is to take some scraps of cork and glue them to the base. This can then be painted to look like rubble.
Step 6: Sealing
This is the final step in getting your model ready to play. Spray a sealer on it. The exact nature of the finish you want will depend on your model. A shiny finish works well on your knights, but may not be so effective on rogues. This will keep the paint on your model from wearing off.
And now your model is ready to play with.
Goonius Maximus
Step 1: Cleaning the Model
This is where you cut the model out of any plastic sprues and get rid of any excess stuff left from the molding process. It is a good idea to wash your models to get rid of any excess stuff that may have aquired during the molding and shipping process. Resin models, in particular, are prone to having a "release" agent on them. This agent helps them slip out of the mold easily, but coats the model meaning that any paint applied may flake off.
Step 2: Assembling The Model
This is were you good glue comes in. Some form of super glue is a good idea, particularly when gluing from one type of material to another. Often, when gluing a model together, gaps will become apparent between pieces. These gaps should be filled with an epoxy resin and shaped to make the gaps disappear while integrating seamlessly with the model. This is a very difficult thing and something I do only in the direst of situations.
Step 3: Priming
Get some spray primer from your local hardware store and prime your models. The most common colours for priming are white, grey and black, but you can experiment with other colours and use these as your base coat. Make sure to coat the model completely, from all angles, but not to spray to much on. You don't want to lose the detail of the models to the primer.
Step 4: Painting
Paint your model. A quick google search will give you thousands of websites telling you how to paint your models. My preference is to let simple colour schemes with bold colours rule the model and let the browns and greys take up the detail work like belts and scabbards.
Step 5: Basing
Here is where you can use your wood glue. The simplest method I have found to base a model is to get some beach or aquarium sand and glue this to the base. Then, this area should be painted to look like what ever you want the model to be standing on. Another simple yet effective method is to take some scraps of cork and glue them to the base. This can then be painted to look like rubble.
Step 6: Sealing
This is the final step in getting your model ready to play. Spray a sealer on it. The exact nature of the finish you want will depend on your model. A shiny finish works well on your knights, but may not be so effective on rogues. This will keep the paint on your model from wearing off.
And now your model is ready to play with.
Goonius Maximus
Monday, August 26, 2013
Gaming with ADHD
I have decided to put up a few musings about my biggest hobby. Board games, role playing games and miniature games. Boy, that is a lot of games. I like most games and will play them with anyone, but not everyone understands why. And there is a reason. As I have stated previously, I have ADHD. This means that I focus on a great deal of little things easily, but I can have a difficult time focusing on one thing in particular. Most people would think that playing a game would cause me to become bored and lose focus, but in fact the exact opposite is true. In any of the games that I play, there is so much going on that I can focus everything and not be distracted. Plus, these games have people in the same room as me that I can interact with. If I am just having a conversation, I can get bored and lose interest. However, talking over a game of cards does not allow that to happen. It is a fascinating aspect to my otherwise frustrating condition.
Goonius Maximus
Goonius Maximus
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Long Wait Time
There has been a major wait time between posts on this blog. I am sorry for that, but if you have been reading what I have been writing, you will know that my life has been somewhat up in the air for quite some time. I am trying to get back on track and do a blog post a week or so and give you some idea of what I have been up to for the past while.
On a bittersweet note, I will be getting officially divorced by sometime in October. The court system here tends to run slowly in the summer. On the one hand, I loved my woman and feel that I deserved better than she gave me. On the other hand, things were spiralling out of control and something needed to change. I do not think that a divorce was necessary, but I will be damned if I will hang around somewhere I am not wanted. I can only hope that there is someone out there waiting to meet me that will offer me the love and attention I deserve.
On a more fun note, I went to GenCon last weekend. It was a blast. There were folk groups in costume, acres of boobs on display and all kinds of games. Board games, live action games, miniature games... It was unreal. To think that there were 40,000 people like me in one place for four days. The mind boggles at the concept.
On a bitchy note, there seems to be little work in my field right now and I may have to leave the support network I have created here in order to get gainful employment. That sucks, because I have been trying to create this network for quite some time. And I have put myself on the line in the attempt to find people who will help me be myself. It is not easy for me to be myself, as I feel that I am much to low to be wanted. And so I fake it. I create a fake self in order to interact with others in what I imagine is a reasonable fashion. Fortunately, I have found a group of people that I feel comfortable being myself around. It has been a great relief to know that I can interact with people without needing to fake myself, but I need to translate that good work that I have done for myself to the real world. Part of me thinks that I should get a nice, simple retail job. There would be a paycheque and something to do every day, but I know that I bore easily. I do not know if that is the right place for me.
So, my life is on an upswing now, even though I am living with my parents, living with a mental illness and struggling with my ADHD. I am attempting to rock.
Later,
Goonius Maximus
On a bittersweet note, I will be getting officially divorced by sometime in October. The court system here tends to run slowly in the summer. On the one hand, I loved my woman and feel that I deserved better than she gave me. On the other hand, things were spiralling out of control and something needed to change. I do not think that a divorce was necessary, but I will be damned if I will hang around somewhere I am not wanted. I can only hope that there is someone out there waiting to meet me that will offer me the love and attention I deserve.
On a more fun note, I went to GenCon last weekend. It was a blast. There were folk groups in costume, acres of boobs on display and all kinds of games. Board games, live action games, miniature games... It was unreal. To think that there were 40,000 people like me in one place for four days. The mind boggles at the concept.
On a bitchy note, there seems to be little work in my field right now and I may have to leave the support network I have created here in order to get gainful employment. That sucks, because I have been trying to create this network for quite some time. And I have put myself on the line in the attempt to find people who will help me be myself. It is not easy for me to be myself, as I feel that I am much to low to be wanted. And so I fake it. I create a fake self in order to interact with others in what I imagine is a reasonable fashion. Fortunately, I have found a group of people that I feel comfortable being myself around. It has been a great relief to know that I can interact with people without needing to fake myself, but I need to translate that good work that I have done for myself to the real world. Part of me thinks that I should get a nice, simple retail job. There would be a paycheque and something to do every day, but I know that I bore easily. I do not know if that is the right place for me.
So, my life is on an upswing now, even though I am living with my parents, living with a mental illness and struggling with my ADHD. I am attempting to rock.
Later,
Goonius Maximus
Monday, February 13, 2012
Seperation Anxiety
My lady has recently asked for a separation. Not a trial separation, either, but a full out we are getting divorced separation. She was right to ask for a separation, because we needed it, but I am unsure whether two people who still love each other as much as we do should be going for a full on separation to divorce.
It seems strange and unfair. I have stuck by her and all the difficulties she has gone through and made myself sick in the process. And she decides to end it without giving it a real try. I know life is not fair, but it should be fairer than this.
I miss her.
It seems strange and unfair. I have stuck by her and all the difficulties she has gone through and made myself sick in the process. And she decides to end it without giving it a real try. I know life is not fair, but it should be fairer than this.
I miss her.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Freedom Sucks
I have sprung myself from the clutches of a mental institution (I finished my program there) and the real world is way harder than living in the institution. People do not understand how easy the world is when you are inside an institution. I am not sure, but people coming out of jails, juvie, long hospital stays and work in mine/lumber camps often feel the same way. In the other place everything is organised; your meals are prepared, there are people to look after you and there is a predictable schedule.
And then there is the time-dirty reality outside the walls. Where life has no schedule except what you give it and no one is looking after you. It is a harsh switch to have to make. I am trying to keep myself to a timetable, but it is hard when there is no one but yourself to keep you on track. My life has now become an attempt to keep me occupied and doing the things that will keep me healthy.
Wish me luck,
Goonius
And then there is the time-dirty reality outside the walls. Where life has no schedule except what you give it and no one is looking after you. It is a harsh switch to have to make. I am trying to keep myself to a timetable, but it is hard when there is no one but yourself to keep you on track. My life has now become an attempt to keep me occupied and doing the things that will keep me healthy.
Wish me luck,
Goonius
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