Beam me up!

My brother sent me a link this morning- Iowa town eyes future with Star Trek’s Kirk.

How sad is it that my first thought was, "Sweet! I wonder how far away from me that is?!" :)

My Mom thinks that it's too little too late, but I don't think so. I think she uderestimates the passion of Trek fans everywhere!

In any case, I hope they get it done and it is the boom for business that they want it to be.

Maybe they should work to host a Trek convention there every year!


Tags-Star Trek

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Calling all gamers!

Ziggurat Con needs your help!

When President Bush ordered troops to Iraq, he probably never imagined that he would be ultimately be responsible for what very well could be the very first D&D convention/game day ever held in a war zone. Ziggurat Con, being held June 9 from 1200 to 2100 hours at Camp Adder/Tallil Airbase, is open to all allied military personnel and civilian contractors in Iraq.

How cool is that?!?!

But, in order to make it a reality, they need your help! Camp Adder is literally in the middle of nowhere and these guys will be running games with whatever they brought with them, which isn't much.

The largest problem with running a Con in Iraq, of course, is that there are no local stores or game publishers, and few game books on the post. Even dice are in short supply, with many soldiers breaking the unwritten taboo held by many gamers and sharing dice. Thankfully, many game publishers have also lent their support, and have agreed to supply game products to help the Con along. aethereal FORGE, Sovereign Press, Final Redoubt Press, Goodman Games, Paizo Publishing and Steve Jackson Games are among those that have thrown in their support for the convention. But Amberson indicated that the soldiers could definitely use more.

"This convention is currently in drastic need of prizes and giveaways for the troops," he said. "Everything donated will go directly to the troops, or to MWR to use as loaner books for the soldiers." (Once again, of the big guys, it's SJG that steps up to the plate! ~k)

I'm going to be emailing the POC (that's Army for point of contact) and see if they can use some specific things I have with me, and then hit the games stores out here. If you want to help, here's the contact info from the original article (but go read more about what they're hoping to do too!)-

For more information, contact SPC David Amberson at the following address: david.amberson (at) iraq.centcom.mil

Donations can also be sent to SPC Amberson directly at the following address:

SPC David Amberson
A Co 86th Sig Bn
APO, AE 09331

Here's a chance for the gaming community to really show their support, let's flood them with books and prizes!

If you're not a gamer, or haven't got a clue about gaming, you probably know some one who does, so please pass this on!


Tags- Military, Gaming

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Global Warming at work ;)

I opened the garage to put Percy out and this is what I saw-



Percy was NOT happy about the return of the cold, wet, white stuff and had to be dragged out of the garage to go to the bathroom. When I came back (with the camera) just a moment later, he was already waiting for me at the door!



We were under a winter weather advisory, but the snow was SUPPOSED to go just north of us.

And yet, here we are. I hope my son brings a jacket with today (he's flying in from Phoenix)!

Tags-Global Warming

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All I'm gonna say about Don Imus

He must be the 'evil twin'!


Tags-Imus

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Sigh...

This is a personal rant, so feel free to skip on to the next blog on your reading list.

Sigh.

The news just announced that the Army may be extending deployments to 15 months during the surge. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not griping about the possibility of my husband being gone for an extra three months. That would suck, but we'd get through it.

What gets me is my Dad's reaction to the news. The sound bite was all about the surge going through the end of this year, and when I brought up the fact the about half the troops for the surge AREN'T EVEN THERE YET, I commented that it was hard to work the math about keeping the guys for 15 months when we only have 8 months left in this year.

His response? The Bush administration was lying. They know that we'll be there well into next year, so they're lying about the surge only lasting through the end of this year.

Why does he think this? Because this Administration has never told the truth about anything. (His words...paraphrased)

I'm living in BDS land and it's sooooo lonely here. I can't even talk about the fact that I agree that the Administration has done a piss poor job of articulating the need to win this war, and the needs of the military to complete their goals.

It's all about Bush Lied.

When I moved in with my folks, we left it open ended that if they thought it wasn't working, I had other options and would go to Phoenix. I might just have to do that for the sake of my own sanity.

That, or just stop watching/listening to the news...at all.

Hmmmmm......that's not a bad idea either. ;)

Thanks for listening to me rant again. Those of you with blogs, please know how much I depend on you all to keep my sanity here!

UPDATE- Villainous Company was just what I needed to read tongiht, go read it for yourself!

Tags-Personal

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We lost another one

I'm getting to be the age where the people who created things I loved as a kid (and in many cases STILL love!) are passing away. Joe Barbera died at the end of last year, and people whose names I didn't' even know, like Iwao Takamoto (the artist/character designer of Scooby Doo) are gone now too. There's been so many others over the last couple of years, and my brother usually emails me about them.

It reminds me of why I'm staying with my folk's while my husband is in Iraq. I want to really enjoy the time I have and 'savor the moment' with them, because who knows when I'll get this kind of chance again?

Anyway, on Saturday we lost BC Creator Johnny Hart.

Scott Kurtz of PVP had this to say about him-

Sad news. Johnny Hart, the creator the comic strip B.C. died yesterday. He was 76 and he died at his drawing table. That’s the way I want to go.

I grew up reading B.C. As a kid, I found a bunch of B.C. books at a garage sale and fell in love with his fluid line work. One of the first how to books about making your own comic strip featured a quote from Hart that I still carry with me. “Think funny.”

I know that in his later years Johnny was very controversial because he expressed his Christian faith unapologetically in his work. Whether I share that faith or not, I found it admirable.

B.C. was one of my father’s favorite strips of all time. We talk about it on occasion and I’m sad that now I won’t be hearing my dad call and say “Did you read today’s B.C.? It was a good one.”

Rest in peace, Johnny. Thanks for the inspiration.

And thanks for living your faith Johnny, I'm glad you truly got to spend this Easter with the Risen Lord.



Tags-Life

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Friday Frivolity- Hoppy Easter!

This week is all pictures for you-

An Easter Riddle!


Something a litle more old fashioned,


and something a little more...tacky!


When peeps strike back!



And lest we forget, the REASON for the season-


I hope you are having a blessed Holy Week, and a very Happy Easter to you all!

Tags-Friday Frivolity

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Hail to the Chief? Not! (but also not a hijab-wearing sympathizer...at least not this time)

Nancy Pelosi is getting a bit ahead of herself here these days. First she drives through legislation telling the President how he will use our troops to fight this war...if he wants to have them funded anyway. (I'm not even getting into all of the money she had to dole out for various earmarks to get enough votes. Hey, wasn't she going to clean up Congress and stop those kind of things from going on?)

(oh, there's definately more, go on and click it!)

Next, she runs off to Syria to promote HER OWN foreign policy, against the wishes of the President who has a Secretary of State doing that job.

If she's trying to do the job, shouldn't she first RUN FOR PRESIDENT?!?! Or at the very least start working on impeaching the Pres and VP so she can get the job that way? (I don't think they SHOULD be impeached, but it is the only other way for her to get the job) Those are really her only two options to LEGALLY be able to do the stuff she is trying to do. Good fricking grief.

So far, I'm on the same page with the conservative bloggers who have been talking about all of this-

Hang Right Politics
RedState
Hugh Hewitt
Wizbang

Now, having said that, I think 'my' side of blogoshpere is going a little overboard regarding Nancy wearing a scarf head covering while on her trip. Here's the post at LGF that many other blogs are linking to- Pelosi in a Hijab
The photo in question comes from a Yahoo photo slideshow. A cursory look at that slideshow shows that the ONLY time she had her head covered was while she was INSIDE the mosque where the tomb of John the Baptist is kept. In fact, out of the 94 picture slideshow only five of the pictures show her with her head covered, and ALL of them are from her visit to the mosque. In fact, a number of the other pictures show her with the scarf tied around her neck....NOT covering her head.

You can question whether it was appropriate for her to visit the mosque, certainly, but let's not blow this out of proportion. When visiting a mosque, synagogue, temple or church, you follow the customs of the religion. Period. Laura Bush covered her head at St. Peter's Basilica for the same reason. The EXACT same reason.

She may not be what I consider to be a 'good' Catholic (based on her voting record and public statements), but I can see why she would want to visit this particular mosque. Here she is making the sign of the cross- Praying at the Tomb

So, let's criticize her for the important things shall we and leave stuff like this alone. After all, this does NOTHING but give the Left a chance to avoid talking about the SUBSTANCE of the issues.

UPDATE- (I know, I JUST posted this, but, hey..I just found this!) I still don't think it's that big a deal, but RedState does make some interesting points. And I didn't even consider the implications of her making the Sign of the Cross in a mosque.


Tags- Politics, Pelosi

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