Bidi’s World

Have you ever felt like your life was missing something or even simply not playing out the way you wish it was? This is a problem I’ve been struggling with lately.

As a kid, say about 10 or so, I was really into pencil and paper based role playing games. That is to say, I was into them for a short while at least. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons from TSR had just been released and I had the pleasure of getting my hands on an original Basic Set. A couple of my friends from the neighborhood and I would sit around taking turns as Dungeon Master on the weekends and explore a whole new dynamic in gaming.

Our new gaming group was cut short when my family ended up moving out of the country only a year or so later. Finding gaming books at that time was difficult to begin with. Finding English books in a foreign country was even harder though.

I found comfort in computer role playing games, though the restrictions of a computer environment prevented the experience from even coming close to playing around a table with friends. After a few years I finally found some friends with similar interests and we started a new gaming group. Our gaming materials were still limited to imports or what we brought with us but we weren’t going to let that stop us.

Alas, all good things must come to an end. Once again I ended up moving and had to leave my new gaming group behind.

Lately I’ve been longing to game again. I’ve recruited the family into a pseudo gaming group but there are too many empty chairs to get the full experience. Most of my friends are into electronic gaming and have no interest in the unplugged variety.

To make matters worse many of the bloggers and podcasters I follow on the internet are gamers. Every other day I’m constantly hearing about games they held, pictures of gaming parties, or the latest games from the cons. Over on Dragon magazine, Shelly Mazzanoble has an excelent article called “How Shelly Got Her Game Back” about losing her favorite Dungeon Master and the thrill of getting a new one. It makes me long to have a Dungeon Master at all.

For now I have my online games. It isn’t the same thing at all but it’s something. I just hope that at some point in the future I’ll be able to have the life I picture myself living, full of polyhedral dice and adventures untold.

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This week my grandma passed away. It was a day we knew would come but somehow it always seems unexpected when it does happen. She was my last surviving grandparent.

I remember fondly sitting with my grandma when I was a kid at her kitchen table learning new card games. That seemed to be our big thing whenever I went to visit. It was always fun. Rummy was what we usually played but there were many other as well.

Episode 16 of JD’s Musical Alchemy will include a small tribute to her and is due out February 9th.

I’m going to miss you Grandma.

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It was quite the ordeal but we actually got Christmas shopping done and sent off early this year. This isn’t normally the case. Usually we spend more time trying to figure out what we are going to get everyone than actually doing the getting. The result is that we find ourselves holding off on the shipping until we get everything together.

Not only did we finish our shopping, I am quite pleased with some of the gifts. Every year I try very hard to get people things that are just a step up from simply grabbing something off a shelf. It is one thing to buy someone perfume but another to really put your heart and mind into choosing a perfume that really suits their personality. Or alternatively buying a book or game for someone can mean allot more if you take their mannerisms or style into account instead of simply buying based on their known interests.

Regardless, I am so happy were done. Now I’ve got to get geared up for the Christmas show over on JD’s Musical Alchemy.

• Unscheduled hiatus for JD’s Musical Alchemy (0)
• Synaptic System Failure (0)
• My Son’s First Living Arcanis Game (0)