Never get distracted!

I got distracted!

With the Beyond Blue Bash coming up I've been pondering what army to take. After having a chat with John Ross, I decided to finish off the Necron Monolith that's been sitting assembled and waiting for a paint job for the last 12 months.

So I take the model and get the spray paint. But then I decide hang on there are a few other vehicles waiting for a paint. Well actually there was only one, but once I'd undercoated them I thought, Hey I really should finish my Chaos army. So one day later five more vehicles have been added to the table waiting for the paint to fly.

So I'm multitasking now. I'm doing a Blood Bowl Dwarf Team, Colette's Crew, 40K Vehicles and War Rocket! No rest for the wicked!

John "the truely insane"!

Updating my Music Library

I have been slowly transfering my music collection to mass storage device. I'm using iTunes at present. I think I'm only about 1/3 of my way through cataloging the collection. So far 594 albums with 13.3 days of continuous listening. Compared to my audio collection of 417 items and 39 days of continuous listening. I have no idea when my cataloging will end, it just seems to go on and on.

My music interest really only bloomed when I met my wife and she broadened my taste. Originally I was a classical "snob" with a lot of my music taste being similar to my parents. Really old stuff like Bing Crosby, Perry Como and classics like Oklahoma and South Pacific. Sad but true. I do like my classic oldies although I do prefer the early 80's and late 70's. Countdown was a regular staple on my TV schedule. I wonder if I can get The Kenny Everett Videoshow. It was one of my favourites, along with Kremin of the Starcorp. Damn I'm feeling old.

Some of my favourite musians/bands are:

The Sisters of Mercy - I really enjoyed "Floodland".
ABC
Queen
Duran Duran
Electric Light Orchestra - Discovery
Kate Bush
Eurythmics
Bryan Ferry
David Bowie

and my daughter has exposed me to:

Pink
Lady Gaga

Now all I have to do is find out who the group was who were singing the pirate songs at Brendans?

No rest for the wicked, its bad to work.

Cheers

John

What price for longevity?

Well the title says it all. What is the price for longevity?

Those who know me will therefore know from the tone I've been to the doctors. I'm now looking at why I should spend money for an increased life span of say 5 years. To obtain this you need Private Health, Private Hospitals and Doctors who don't know the word "poor". Why should someone have to begger their family just to squeeze another few years of life out of a decaying body?

Why?

I hear the usual talk of "yes we can have a cure in that period of time". Yes indeed you could but it wouldn't be available to any but the rich. By the time the treatments came down to the level of the common man (and boy do I hate even trying to accept that label) my use by date is all over. Quite frankly I'm worth more dead to my family than I am alive. So why would I shell out thousands of dollars for a temporary cure (and that's not even guaranteed) when I can die content in the knowledge that my family will be financially better off.

As far as I'm concerned life sucks.

So everyone, just give me a few days to recover and I'll be back to "normal".

Cheers

John

2011: The Future

I am sitting here in the cool darkness of my lower Lair and I am thinking what will happen for 2011.

There are a lot of things out there that are getting my attention but I'm thinking I need to concentrate on one unique flavour for the year. I'm tossing up between WWI, Pulp Fiction or Colonials. I just don't know where I really want to devote my considerable energy and enthusiasm? I love all three genres. What I also need to be wary of is the fact that there will be so many more things coming out that will undoubtably distract me.

So place a comment here and give me your thoughts as to which of the three I should tackle.

I do still have Uncharted Seas, War Rocket, Malifaux and the yet to be seen Dystopian Wars. Yet where am I going to get the time to play all these? Fourteen hours a month is just not long enough to scratch all my itches.

I'm sure I'll work out something eventually.

Friday: Update

Wednesday I had my friend Andrew drop round for a game of Napoleonics. Andrew draws up the lists and I just attempt to use them with my usual lack of finesse. Out of principle I refuse to play the French, so I had a go at two 1000 point games. The first list was Anglo-Portugese the second Anglo-German. I "won" both games, which is a bit of a shocker for me. However in my defence I did have a couple of really good die throws that chewed Andrew's forces to pieces. I'm almost tempted to dig out my Prussians and start painting them again.

Rest of this week has been a bit lack. I have pottered here and there. Opening this box, reading that book, moving things from one side of my lair to the other. What I did do was clear my game table (which is the only reason that Andrew got a game on Wednesday). So as long as I don't get the hankering to create some more terrain or store things "temporarily" on it, I can have even more games.

Had one of my school chums ring me and have a chat. Michaels coming for a lightning raid... er visit. This means I have to clean up the house now! Damn it. Well it's not too bad, at least the house will get the clean I've been putting of for months.

My War Rocket fleet for the Valkeeri has been finished. I think I've got enough ships for the Valkeeri to last me for the moment. I now need to think about an opposing fleet for them. Zenithians are the current favourites. But who knows.

Sam's Gremlins are now all finished. Yaah! The look magnificant (by this humble entities opinion - I really don't have an ego).

Now looking at Colettes Crew.

So till next, remember games are meant to be fun.

Cheers

John "Mad Jack McD" "Crazy Old Man"

PAINTED FIGURES - War Rocket - Valkeeri

Here's the Valkeeri fleet to date. I still have six class I's and two class II's left to paint, but I'm thinking of another paint scheme. They may not come out too clearly but I have put "kill" markers on the side of the Class III's and Class IV's.

Painting Commissions Open

My work load has lightened and I am seeking paid painting commissions.

See the posts previous for my details.

http://auswarramblings.blogspot.com/2010/05/commissions-now-being-accepted.html

Tuesday: Update

The Thanaris Cup has been run and won. My work is done. OK I'll stop ryhming now.

I'm a ship lost at sea now. I put so much effort in the last few weeks to seeing that I had enough terrain and prizes I am now, having completed the task, not sure what to do? Well I know what I have to do. Paint miniatures...

It's just that with my life now returning to the hum drum of diminished life, I don't have that goal to be striving for. It is one of my weaknesses that unless I have something to work towards I lack any real motivation to do anything. So I wander from one project to the next. Not sure where to direct my hive of industry. It is frustrating.

I have been busy painting Sam's Gremlins and I'm happy with them. I finished the last of them today, and have just the basing to finish up to sign off on this job. I now have his Colette Crew figures for Malifaux on the table. I'm just deciding how to base them. I'm thinking of digging around in my library for pictures of what theatres looked like back in the late 1800's. I hope to find some inspiration there.

My friend James lent me "The Middleman" TV series which I have just finished watching over two days. I can't stop praising this oddball one off (yes its sad it got canned after one season). I'm going to have to watch it again just to try and get all the missed stuff in context, and believe me there is a lot of it. So if you can, grab it and have a watch, you won't be dissappointed. It reminded me a lot of "The Tick" TV series (not the animated series). Another good watch if you can get it.

My multi-tasking is working with painting as I've been working on my War Rocket figures. My Valkeeri and just about all done now. I'm just going to name the larger class ships, I'm thinking the Class III and IV's only. I'm torn between doing the Zenithians (Saucer men from the Seventh Dimension) and shock horror the Galacteers (Flash Gordon types). Don't know which way I'll go at the moment, I'm spoilt for choice. Mind you they are talking about two new fleets for 2011, wonder what they might be.

I'm off to find that proverbial stone to squeeze blood from.

Cheers

John

Some photos from the Thanaris Cup

The "Best Hat" Contestants from the Thanaris Cup

Here are the five people who participated in the spirit of the game and wore a hat. Thank you lads for your support.

The Bride

To commerate the 25th and my wife birthday month here are some pictures of my beautiful wife from that time. I deem myself a lucky man to still have her after all this time. We have been through good and bad times, but have always stuck it out. I am especially proud of her for ignoring all the attempts my mother made to break up our marriage. Sad but true.

The Bride and Groom

It was 25 years ago that Michelle Debra Green agreed to marry me. I had taken my wife to dinner and after a very short courtship of a few months I proposed to her. She said that she would think about it and let me know by the end of the week. I found out later that she was already going to say yes, but didn't want to appear to eager. When she told her mother, her mother was over the moon and chastised her over not giving the poor man an answer straight away. So Michelle's parents were ecstatic over the news, mine were not. My mother was mortified, my father indifferent. The only people who were genuinely happy were my Uncle and Grandfather. Notice to those who look at the picture I was a thin chap once and did have hair!

My real father

This is the photo of the man who was my father in all things but fact. He was known as my Uncle and was in life a police Superintendent. Edward John McDonnell was instrumental in shaping my life and with my grandfather giving to me the morals and ethics that I continue to hold to this day. He passed away in 2007 and I miss him dearly.

My second family

This is a photo of my second family. They are the parents and sister to my Best Man Anthony Richards. My wife and I fondly recall the many days that we would spend there, watching movies, eating out and playing cards. It was the playing cards that I really sucked at, and I think everyone was frustrated with my inability to play cards. I just enjoyed the company and really didn't care about winning. So there they are, Colleen, Andy and Debbie Richards.

My Wedding Party

Hard to believe that it's almost 25 years ago now. It's also a sad reflection that the close ties I had with all the bridal party are no longer there. I still have occassional contact with two of the grooms and my sister (the black haired bridesmaid), but no longer hear from any other the others. Sad.

What a lazy fellow...

What a lazy fellow!

Last Thursday saw my appointment with my specialist. Not the best appointment I've had. Friday saw me extremely distressed over my health. I forced myself to go to the Blind Pig on Saturday and did have a good time. While I dithered about whether or not to go, going won out in the end. What can I say. The people who go to the Blind Pig are the best people I've met in all the gaming experience I have had. It's a wonder how being part of a friendly environment can boost your mood when all seems dark and dire.

So for the week past I've been in lazy mode. I've pottered around with finishing off some of the Uncharted Seas terrain pieces. Moved "Things" from one part of the Lair to another part of the Lair, moved more "Things" when "Things" got in the way. Things just seem to be everywhere, damn "Things".

This lovely rainy weather has me in slow mode. I've been watching and listening to the patter of rain drops on my roof. Even with the sudden downpore and a small flooding of my library didn't freak me out as it has in the past. Everything is up off the floor, so any water doesn't have a major impact on my collections. (Touch wood).

Tomorrow I'm off to play boats with the lads.

For the coming week I have to start and complete Sam's Gremlins, which have suffered due to my downtime. Sorry Sam, I promise to do some really nice bases for your lads.

I got my latest issues of Wargames Illustrated and Miniature Wargames on Friday. This is always a dangerous time for me as I keep getting tempted with other wargaming periods, especially the historical periods. I've really tempted with periods bracketing 1700, the Seven Years Wars, Indian Mutiny as well as the Vietnam and Korean conflict. My problem is that while I get them, I'm like a magpie, easily tempted by something shiney. Damn shiney "Things".

This weather has been great, it's been ever greater for reading. It's been the first time I've picked up a book for months and actually read. Normally I'm a speed reader, with a novel of 400-500 pages being polished off in a day. This time I'm taking a more leisurely stroll. I'm a big fan of the Gotrek and Felix novels. Currently I'm reading Shamanslayer, and the attendent danger is I'm thinking of finishing off my Empire Army. Sad but true. I got the same urge to do a Night Lords "Space Marine" army after reading "damn I can't find or remember the title now". I have the audio CD Throne of Lies which I'm saving for when I start painting in earnest again.

Well I'm off for now. Got to find the scanned wedding photo's to place up by Tuesday.

Remember, have fun but not at the expense of honour.