Saturday, February 21, 2015

Successful Parenting 101

A father can be proud of his sons actions.

Last night I got a phone call from my son Liam asking if I could take one of his very drunk and sick work mates home. 

No taxi was prepared to take the lad home, which is really a crime in itself.  The campaign of not drinking and driving is great but if taxis won't take home those who have had too much or are sick make me worry about the potential consequences of such actions.  Yes I can commiserate with drivers where their vehicles have vomit to be cleaned up, but surely some social responsibility should be made. 


I have to say I was initially not happy, and I was going to say something about this matter with Liam.  I was all prepared to give him one of my "fathers not happy with you" speeches.


HOWEVER

When I arrived he and another work colleague were with this poor chap. Liam helped him into our car, buckled him into his seat belt, ensured the sick bag was in place for emergencies and then sat in the back with his friend.  On our way to the friends home Liam checked on his welfare, ensured his airway was clear,  while at the same time giving me directions to his friends residence. Once there Liam got him inside the residence, he rang the parents (who were actually celebrating their wedding anniversary) and waited for them to return home. Liam told me that I could go home, that he'd stay with his friend and that he'd get a lift back to his work party later. The lads father was thankful to Liam for his actions.

This morning when I picked up Liam to take him to work I found out some other details.  His friend has a medical condition which with the effect of alcohol and being sick could possibly have been catastrophic had he been left alone.  From a family perspective I know what this is like.  My wife's mother was an alcoholic and she passed away from chocking on her own vomit while alone in her flat.  So my sons decision to stay with his friend rather than feel his obligation was over by getting the lad home was the correct one, even if it meant his missed most of his social outing.


As a parent I cannot be prouder of my sons actions. It was a work function/get together (not sure of exact details), yet Liam was the only one who stood up and showed he cared.


Thank you Liam you have made me feel so proud of being your father.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Blind Pig Games Club 21 February 2015 Meet

To say it was a little wet today was an understatement.  Overnight the rain had died down but at about 5:00 am it started to pick up tempo and rained consistently the whole day, only seeming to let up at about 4:30pm.

Still it was a good day with many things happening game wise.  Many players had some of their Kickstarter games which they wanted to try out.  One that caught the attention of the attendees was Arena Rex.  Game play seemed to progress quickly and smoothly.  The BPLaser is drafting an arena for this game which may even been available for viewing next club meet.  Sounds good.

Arena Rex Link

Also played a game Wrath of Kings which I liked.  Again simplicity with an ability to master the game in a very short period of time.  Rules and cards are available for free download.

Wrath of Kings Link

Played a practice game for the Dreadball League, a game of Conquest 40K LCG and Catan Junior.  I got done like a dinner by a 5 year old in Catan Junior.  OK we played the 2 player game, but it was a lot of fun and Inara was a lot of fun to play against.

Other games in play today were:

40K
30K
Armageddon (old GW board game)
Star Realms (2 player card game)
Dreadball
Deadzone
Planetfall (looks good, certainly the figures do)
Dystopian Wars

All up over 25 players enjoyed a day inside out of the rain.

Conor proudly showing off his copy of Armageddon.

Aaron and John enjoying a game of 30K.
Both have beautifully painted armies, World Eaters vs Death Guard.

Board game which I have forgotten the name of.

Peter F (Spartan Vanguard, seated and not blurred) playing Planetfall.

Deadzone game.

Tim showing how much he enjoyed Shadow over Brimstone!

Leslie thinking!