I Cast RESURRECTION!!!

So,  I know it's been awhile. I didn't realize it had been quite that long. I hope some of you are still around out there.

I know I've talked about some of my roadblocks to blogging before: depression and a new career have been the main cause. Well, they haven't gotten much better. My creativity just gets sucked away by the time I get home. 

So i'm going to try something a little different. Call it a new beginning. This dwarf is going to add some anachronistic material to the Stronghold i.e., going to branch out from just D&D-type stuff. Maybe some more real life stuff. Give me your feedback; tell me what you'd like to see. 

It's good to be back. Hopefully I can make it stick. 

Not Quite Dark

Yes, I have to admit, the blog has gone a bit dark of late. Not through any intentional act, but suffice it to say that depression, family problems, car problems, career problems, and money problems have all descended upon me all at once and have made it hard to really find any joy in anything right now.

Heck, I even tried to map my way out of it and the result came out looking like...well...it wasn't pretty.

One bright spot was being able to sit in the living room of Tracy and Laura Hickman on Sunday and have a nice 2+ hour chat. Catching up, gossip, that kind of thing. I was also able to pick up my Kickstarter-funder copy of their game, Sojourner Tales. I can't wait to get the families schedules all worked out so that we can sit down and play. The final product looks TERRIFIC. Tracy and Laura know what gamers want, know what board gamers want, and this product fits the bill. Just PHYSICALLY you know that when you pick up the box. This thing has heft.

I believe you could kill a kobold with it. Although that might scratch up the box a bit.

This past weekend was my birthday, too. I received a copy of the Hickmans' latest book, Unwept from some close friends. Couldn't wait and stayed up most of the night to read it.

I loved it.

I'd highly recommend it. Great dark gothic work. I told my wife I kept expecting someone to mention how much Rebecca was missed, or "Look, over there. There's Mandalay." (And I mean that as a compliment. I LOVE Rebecca.) I was truly sorry when I reached the end, because of course, there wasn't any more.

Work continues on the Inaugural issue of the Stronghold. Slowly, but surely. I hope to have some more news for you soon.

Miscellany

Well, It's been two weeks since I last checked in. The burnout from 31 straight days of blogging is fading. And what have I been doing? Let's see....

Well, I took great advantage of the GM Day Sale over at DriveThru RPG. Also took advantage of a referral over to Noble Knight Games...thanks Pat at Under Seige for THAT little referral. GRIN. My DM is prepping a new campaign for us and complained about not having enough gnolls...so that was another little purchase. Accordingly, I've updated my "Year to Date Purchases" page. What I haven't added to my Purchases page is all the Tarzan, Conan, and other OOP titles I've picked up in my used book store hauntings.

I'm gearing up for the A to Z April Challenge. I performed a similar random rigamarole as last year (I think--I couldn't find my spreadsheet from last year, so I had to start from scratch) and I actually have all my letters filled in with topics and names. Of course, as in years past, I reserve the right to change topics and names throughout the month to accommodate writer's block the creative spark.

As far as the real-life, personal stuff.... The nearly-eighteen-year-old is continuing to cause grief and drama. (This one is available to sale to the highest bidder.) The firm is still struggling. Ebeneezer ran it further into the ground that he disclosed, and every month new revelations continue to occur. Advertising would be key, but without money to even feed my family (my staff gets paid first, after all) it's difficult to look at advertising options. Of course, if any of my readers have any marketing or advertising experience, I'd love to chat and pick your brains. And yes, I say this in nearly the same breath as discussing recent purchases. I will confess freely that I've done some denial/depression buying to somehow ease the stress.

And that's about it for life at the Stronghold. I've got some various ideas percolating that I hope to share with you soon.

[A to Z April] Sign Up Day!

Whelp. I've done it. I've committed myself.

I just didn't realize that this would be year #4. Wow.

What am I talking about? Well, today just happens to be the first day to sign up for the A to Z April 2014 Blog Challenge. This is one of my favorite blog challenges and has forced me to produce some of my most favorite content. If you haven't ever participated and/or don't know what A to Z April is, keep reading. Otherwise, feel free to skip down a bit.

The A to Z April challenge was originally the brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out; I discovered it thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh. Essentially, the idea of the A to Z Challenge is to commit to posting on your blog every day in April except Sundays. Since that leaves 26 days, it matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. So, on April 1, blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C.” I'm pretty sure you get the idea from there. It doesn't matter what you write about, whether it's an overarching theme or simply random subjects, just so long as you match the alphabet for the day.

They also suggest that you keep the posts short, turn off Word Verification on comments, and to visit 5+ of the other blogs in the challenge, beginning with the one after yours on the list. This helps you write quicker and post more often, as well as provides exposure to a lot of different-themed blogs.

As I said before, this marks the fourth year that I've entered. After the first year, when I was inventing posts on the requisite day, I've started to map out/calendar my posts. There's nothing in the rules that says this can't be done and I find that it's really helped me focus and prepare better posts.

Now, I will say this: there are a lot of bloggers that detest this kind of thing, and this challenge in particular. I don't hold that against them--just don't hold my participation against me, OK? I won't say that this is the end-all, be-all of blogging existence. I simply recommend it for myself because it motivates me and forces me to produce. It can be painful, because I don't want to just post a one- or two-line nonsense garbage throw-away post. I also tend NOT to visit the other blogs too often because I don't want to accidentally absorb an idea or two and re-use it on my work, and thus be (at least personally-convicted) guilty of plagiarism.

So: Jump aboard. Join me on the list (I'm #139, in case you're interested) and join me in planning out April 2014 posts.

C'mon. It'll be fun.

300 Posts! Milestone Reached!!

I just now realized that today's post makes a round 300 posts! From what I understand about the blogging community, I believe this means that everybody needs to send me presents and gifts to celebrate the milestone. I'm pretty sure I read that on the Internet somewhere. In that case, I'd gladly take large-denomination American currency or gaming supplies. Honest, I'm not that picky.

Seriously, though. I can't believe it's been 300 posts.

From and including: Friday, April 9, 2010
To and including: Friday, November 22, 2013
Result: 1324 days

It is 1324 days from the start date to the end date, end date included

Or 3 years, 7 months, 14 days including the end date


Alternative time units
1324 days can be converted to one of these units:

114,393,600 seconds
1,906,560 minutes
31,776 hours
1324 days
189 weeks (rounded down)

http://www.timeanddate.com/date/duration.html#

September Blog Meme Challenge Day 1

So, I haven't posted in about a month.

Yeah. I'm still alive. Suffice it to say there's been a drastic upheaval in my professional life, and I now own the firm. I'm the boss, the head cheese, the Leader of the Stronghold in more ways than one. But that also means an entirely new, elevated level of stress. Wow, does it. Not the least of my problems is figuring out cheap but effective advertising and, oh yeah, how do I pay the minions next month?

But all that's taken its toll. I haven't been gaming much, or doing much reading or writing.

And then this happens. Right over there, on the right. What better way to get me back blogging than a meme/challenge? OK, it's a crutch, but a darn fine one, and it comes at a good time.

So: let's get started.

DAY ONE

How did you get started?

I'm going to cheat here and refer back to my second-ever post on this blog, because it says it pretty well.

I was introduced to Role Playing Games (RPGs) in the late 70s by a friend at school. At that time, the game-play between us essentially consisted of moving the lead figures about in mock battles with very little regard to the rules or to dice-rolling, although there was more of the latter than the first. Stats meant very little. These were, at the time, essentially small, hard action figures to us. We used up A LOT of Testor's enamel paints painting up these little guys, and painting them up BADLY. Of course, they were masterpieces to our eyes.

My first mini, if I remember correctly, was a dwarf. I'll dig him out and post him up sometime.

I was one of those poor saps that went around the family and around the neighborhood twice annually selling gift wrap and greeting cards. You remember the school programs: here's a catalog of all the cool stuff you can "buy" with your sales points. Of course, they don't tell you that you have to sell the equivalent of Oregon's annual paper output to get enough points to earn the really cool stuff.

And of course, just how many people need to buy THAT much gift wrap twice a year?

But then came one year: 1981.

There in the catalog was this: The Basic Set. Erol Otus' adventurers worked their magic on me, even through the long distance of the catalog page. I was hooked: I ran my tail off selling cards and paper that year. My parents at the time had no idea what it was--they thought it was just another board game. To be honest, I wasn't much better educated than they were about it, but I knew that I just had to have it.

I can still remember where I was when I first opened up the box: in the basement, sitting on the floor in front of the couch. Blue and green shag carpeting in front of the enormous Magnavox console television.

I peeled the cellophane off the box and proceeded to remove every last item in the box, almost reverentially.

First thing I did? I colored the dice with a white crayon.

Then I rolled up characters for the rest of the night.

I think that was where my parents first started to worry. The worry quickly turned into a near-Jack Chick-like obsession against gaming. I played on the sly, going through reams of graph paper creating dungeon after dungeon, world map after world map. Then I added Star Frontiers, Doctor Who, and Star Trek to my list of games. I still have a binder full of starship drawings I made in High School when I should have been listening in class. [I forgot to include Car Wars and Champions in the list the first time around.]

Yup. Hook, line, and sinker.

I admit that I put them aside for a while through undergrad and grad school. Got married, enjoyed my first six years of marriage...then broached the subject one day on a long road trip for a job interview.

And I found out I'd married a past gamer myself.

And shortly thereafter I got reacquainted with my inner dwarf.

Since then, I've been a player once again.

A to Z: Round Three

Yep, it's almost time again for a little self-imposed creative flagellation daily post writing.

I've got to spend some time today setting out and planning my post titles. It takes some effort and time to do that; unfortunately that seems to be the easiest part of the April A-Z blogging challenge.

As they say around my firm: "If it wasn't for procrastination, nothing in the law would ever get done."

What is the "A to Z Challenge" you ask? Well, if you don't already know:

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out, the A to Z Challenges to post the letter of the alphabet every day during the month of April, with Sundays off for good behavior. Since April 1 falls on a Sunday, that will be the day we start with A. Whether you go with a theme or freestyle, your post must match the letter of the alphabet for that day....This is a great opportunity to discipline yourself, grow as a blogger, and make new friends -- come join us!

It's four years old this year; I've played along three of the four. I'm truly looking forward to pushing myself again, even in spite of -- or perhaps because of -- the effort it takes. It's a great discipline and growth process. Jump aboard! It's blowing up! (I'm three weeks early and I'm #997!)

Sign up HERE.
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Obligatory Apology Filler Post

My head seems to be spinning around non-stop lately.

I just realized how long it's been since I've actually posted anything here. And, yes, I know that I post one of these apology posts every so often; but heck, we all do, don't we?

Just to let you know what's been going on, at least, as much as I can at this point:

Work: Everyone here at the firm is soundly convinced that we will be unemployed before Christmas. I've been working and struggling to find some other options that will help me keep my kids fed and my wife's gas tank filled.

Finances: See above. There's a grundle of cool gaming stuff that I really want to shell out for--from dice made from rare, exotic woods to limited edition reprints of books I already have. Unfortunately, the "other options" I'm investigating don't really leave a lot of discretionary income. There's still a bit out there, but not much.

Health: I've been undergoing some really weird health issues. I don't think they're anything too serious, but the chronic nature of them is getting me a bit worried. However, thanks to over-regulation of the insurance industry (as well as a few pre-existing conditions), we had to cancel our family health insurance plan a couple years ago. Even with insurance, we weren't the type to run to the doctor for every sniffle and ache; now it's gotta be really serious to go to that waiting room. And frankly, no...I don't want my government to give me health care and no...health care is NOT going to get any easier around here any time soon. But that's a post for a different blog.

Family: I've got a teenager failing classes; she's a Junior in high school and we're not sure what the problem might be. She's smart--insanely so. I'm proud of her, but feel like we're pulling our hair out to try to help her succeed. I've got a Boy Scout now as well as a Cub Scout; merit badges and pinewood derby cars take a lot of time. I have an aged mother who I'm trying to help finalize the purchase of a headstone for my late father; the problems and follow-up come because the purchase was made from a monument company that now, apparently, is suffering huge financial issues itself, which tends to make me worry that we'll never actually SEE the stone. Add to that a Christmas letter or two that has to be drafted, as well as stuff for our Church....

Church: I won't even go into the time that my position with the Church requires.

Gaming: The group hasn't gotten together for over a month, now. The campaign is in the last chapter, but seems to have stagnated. There's been some odd things happen--weird dynamics and all--with the group that we're still trying to smooth over and put behind us. Nothing serious, but it took its toll. Even the PBEM I've been running with a friend has been on hold since August.

There's more that I could share, but I'm fairly certain I've lost most of my readers at this point to the [NEXT BLOG] button up on the top of the page. Suffice it to say that in my spare time I'm still noodling things out. Maps are still being doodled. NPC backgrounds are still being thunk up. And just this week I've realized that there are still a few things left undone from the 2011 OSR September Challenge--a few NPCs that need stats and I'm working on a template to put together a PDF of the entire month's creations. Again: I just need to find the time to put the stuff on paper. I'll be here and there, posting as time and creativity permits. I'm really hoping that life settles down a bit after the New Year.

Of course, I believe that I think--and say--the same thing EVERY December.

Sigh.

Keep your dice dry, my friends.

NaNoWriMo: IT BEGINS!!!!

Or it SHOULD be beginning, anyway.
It ain't happenin' here this year. I'm a little bit bummed out about it but also a little bit relieved. I think I need to step away from the "forced imagination production" for a year to recharge my batteries. I also need to step away for a year because of personal issues that just won't quit. Between my ecclesiastical duties, responsibilities to my family, concerns over my mother's health, concerns over MY health, not to mention financial worries and the looming potential that this attorney may be out of work soon...between all these things, I just can't justify spending the time, sweat, blood, and tears to pound out 1,334 words per day over the next month.

Especially when I fear that most of those 1,334 words would simply end up on the editing room floor anyway, simply because I couldn't be trusted to focus and concentrate on my craft.

It's a little bittersweet; as hard as it can be sometimes, it is still fun to sit side by side with my wife and compete for daily word count, all while helping each other with our respective budding novels.

The creative output can be cathartic, but in this instance I fear it will be a distraction instead.

And now that I read this post, I realize that this is all a bit personal and it's likely that none of my readers really care that I'm not participating in NaNoWriMo this year. On the off chance that one of you out there actually did care...well, I guess this post is for you, to help allay your frustration. For the rest of you, I guess this frees up a bit more time this month for some gaming-related creativity, which The Stronghold typically lacks during the month of October. Expect a few more posts at least this month.

Now...back to the real world for a while.

Canadian Visitors

It's that time of year again, when I send a shout-out to my readers.

If you're reading this site, and you're from Canada, Poland, Australia, the UK, or anywhere else around the world, please drop me a note. I'd love to hear from you. I like to see that my meager scribblings are being enjoyed outside of the lower 48 states. It makes me feel like a blogging version of Phileas Fogg.

Now, don't let that make you think that I don't want to hear from the States. I love hearing from fellow statesiders as well.

Heck, I love hearing from ANYONE.

Look... the comment button is right down here.

[A to Z April] H is for Happy Birthday!

By a happy coincidence today marks the second anniversary of the Stronghold's construction!

It's been a fast two years. While I don't necessarily have a large number of blog posts to commemmorate that time period, I am proud of what I do have. I feel that I have made a lot of personal progress, both in my creativity for my game as well as my map-making skills (looking back at my first map is an excercise in cringing for me).

I've had a lot of personal struggles and growth this past two years as well. I've lost some of those who were closest to me. Our family dynamic has changed and grown. I think I'm more fortunate than many; I know that all of these struggles and trials are for my own personal growth and strengthening.

I've grown from nothing to having 35 followers, for all of whom I am grateful. (Although I must confess I would dearly like to know who you "anonymous" followers are. You know who you are; yeah, right there...you. I'm looking at you, buddy.) All of you readers who have not followed but who drop in on a regular basis, I am grateful for all of you, too. I'm especially grateful to you all for sticking close to me during my depression; I'm feeling a bit better, even though I still do have my down days.

[Intensely personal section]

More than anything else, I feel that I have been blessed by my Heavenly Father and my Savior: I have a wonderful family; I have a roof over their head; there's food on the table; we all have our relative good health. I know, I don't normally get this deep here, I suppose I was more aware and more reflective this Easter season than I have been in years past. I would be remiss if I did not express my gratitude for still being here and still being in a good place after these past two years. I know that my Redeemer lives and cares about me. It is by His grace and love that I am still here today. Everything I have today has come from my Heavenly Father.

[/Intensely personal section]

Hopefully I can maintain a more regular posting schedule; I'd like to try and post at least two to three times per week. We'll have to see--you may have to tolerate some more posting about my kids and the family games. I'd like to start painting minis again and share some of that work with you. I'd also like to do some more reviews. If you all have any suggestions of something you'd like to see, feel free to throw out the suggestion for consideration. Or you may just have to tolerate my random ramblings. It all depends.

Anyway, thanks to all of you for making this grumpy dwarf feel a little bit better these past two years--I know the rest of the Stronghold appreciates it too! And here's to 200 more!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last year's "H": H is for Hargrim, the Soulhammer
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blogger Level Advancement

I reached 25 28 followers today and celebrated because that meant a level advancement on this table!

Or so I thought.

Apparently I'd advanced a level a month or so ago when I hit 20 followers. In fact, it was one of my friends, Dylan Hartwell over at The Digital Orc, that put me over the top.

I am now, officially, a "commentator."

Last time, I paid some Joesky tax with an NPC. This time, I have no extra creative juices to do so...all of THAT is going toward my A to Z posting. But as an effort to appease Joesky, take a look at the Digital Orc's blog. In fact, go on out and pick up his adventure, The Blasphemous Brewery of Pilz. It's a great product and some good fun. (In the interest of full disclosure, I did a bit of editing work for him on the original version of the adventure.)

[A to Z April] A to Z April 2012

In an effort to both purge my lingering depression as well as to make myself actually write more game-related materials, I've decided to once again throw my pen in the ring for the blogosphere-wide April project entitled A to Z April Challenge. (Note: Last year it was a pencil, not a pen.)

The premise of the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge is that I must post something on my blog every day in April except for Sundays, except for the first Sunday, which would be today. (Yeah, it's a bit confusing.) In doing this I'll (somehow) wind up with 26 blog posts--one for each letter of the alphabet; each day the blog post subject will be determined by the letter of the alphabet. I anticipate that most, if not all, of these posts will be gaming related.

And so, it begins again.

Depression

I have a confession to make. And an apology to my readers.

I'm suffering from depression.

It's taken me a long time to finally admit it. Back in December I chalked it up to what a buddy of mine calls "Blogpression." I'm ready to admit that it's gone beyond that. I'm fighting it, at least enough to be marginally functional. Usually it's not too debilitating, at least to my regular life.

But gaming, no matter how fun it is, is only a game right now. It's not my life. And it has to take a backseat to my family, especially when I only have enough physical and emotional energy to deal with one or the other.

This is not to say I don't have blog-fodder. In fact, it's just the opposite: I have several reviews I need to type up, and a couple maps I need to scan and upload. I just don't have the ... oomph ... right now to get over the hump and actually do it.

This isn't an announcement that the blog is going into hiatus or disappearing or anything of the kind. It's more of an apology: I know I don't contribute a lot, but I try, and I like to think that what I DO contribute is enjoyed somewhere out there. And to that (likely) single person... I apologize and promise that more is coming soon.

A to Z: Round Two

How on earth is it almost that time again?

Yeah, we're two months away, but it's never to early to start planning. Especially for a professional procrastinator.

What is the "A to Z Challenge" you ask? Well,

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out, the A to Z Challenges to post the letter of the alphabet every day during the month of April, with Sundays off for good behavior. Since April 1 falls on a Sunday, that will be the day we start with A. Whether you go with a theme or freestyle, your post must match the letter of the alphabet for that day....This is a great opportunity to discipline yourself, grow as a blogger, and make new friends -- come join us!

I managed it last year...barely...and am looking forward to pushing myself again. I agree it's a great discipline and growth process, and would encourage any and all to join in the fun.

Of course, I have no ideas, no plans, and no direction. But I've signed up, so...I'm committed, right?

(Or maybe only about to be committed....)

[Blog maintenance] Inventory Tracking

I've decided to keep an even more detailed inventory of my gaming acquisitions and purchases for 2012. I've placed them (for the present) on the right-hand side of the blog, underneath the "generic" 2012 Totals accounting. I'm guessing it won't stay there very long; for length reasons it may need to move, perhaps to the very bottom of the front page of the blog. Any advice you all may want to give as to placement, etc. will be welcomed.

This probably won't be of interest to anyone but myself...and probably my loving, long-suffering wife. But there it is.

Blogpression

Whoa. It's been nearly two weeks since my last update.

A few years ago, a friend of mine coined a term on his blog: "Blogpression".

His idea was that there was something beyond writer's block and burnout. Something approaching depression, almost. Something which prevented the generation of even a slight "oomph" necessary to post a blog entry.

It's not writer's block and I don't believe it's post-NaNoWriMo burnout. It's not a lack of interest in the subject. I have plenty of ideas; at the least, I could talk aobut the various supplements and materials I've purchased online.

I have the most recent issue of Loviatar (which my wife finally relinquished following completion of a "honey-do" list last weekend). I have a stack of .pdfs to discuss, ranging from Knowledge Illuminates to Stonehell Dungeon. I have a pile of new miniatures to review, not to mention the Pathfinder Beginner's Box and X-Plorers. I even have a couple of new original maps.

But I just can't seem to sit down and write them out. I can't seem to find the time to process the maps, slap them through the GIMP, and put them out on this virtual tabletop of mine for review. I even owe a couple of you some hand-written correspondence and can't even find the time and energy for that.

Maybe it's the stress at the office. More and more is being piled on my shoulders lately, without the corresponding remuneration for my time and effort. Some personal issues have been increasing with their demands. Money worries and holiday stresses are certainly adding to it. The upcoming election (a year from now) has been taking its emotional toll; namely, I'm sick to death of it all.

Truth be told, looking at this list, it's nothing that hasn't happened before or that hasn't been experienced by most of you out there. It just seems to be piling up in extra-heavy proportions this year. All I ask is that you stick with me. I'll have some content to post up here pretty soon.

I promise.

Thanksgiving -- Enthusiast & NPC

I haven't seen very many people still refer to this table and/or system lately, but if I reviewed it today and realized I've actually passed a couple levels....

I am now an "Enthusiast."

I'll try not go let it go to my head.

Now, go about your day. Eat turkey and watch football. Have a happy one, and I'll see you on the other side.

That is all.

------------------------------------
Joesky Tax:

Idonyus
Human
Amanuensis 3 (Enthusiast)
HP: 7
Init: +0;
Speed: 30 ft.
AC: 12 , touch 10, flat footed 12 (Leather)
Base Attack: +2
Grapple: +1
Attack: Mace, Heavy (+2) 1d8-1 Crit (20) x2 or Rock (+2) 0
Alignment: Neutral
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +3
Abilities: Str 9, Dex 10, Con 8, Int 13, Wis 11, Chr 11
Skills: Appraise 10, Bluff 10, Gather Information 5, Handle Animal 4, Know Geography 4, Knowledge (History) 4, Know Local (3), Listen 0, Profession: Scribe 6, Ride 0, Sense Motive 6, Sleight of Hand 5, Spot 6
Languages: Common
Feats: Light Armor Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Skill Focus (Appraise): +3; Skill Focus (Bluff) +3;
Weapon Focus (Mace, Heavy)

CR 2

OTHER ITEMS

• Elixir of Vision
• Potion of Rage
• Universal Solvent

O, Canada!

This shout-out is going out to ALL of my readers, but specifically to two of my readers that live up in the Great White North.

I promise, that even though most of my knowledge of Canada comes from the McKenzie Brothers, I will refrain from any direct references thereto. Conscious references, that is.

Anyhow, I notice from my stats that I have a couple of frequent visitors from Canada. One from Vancouver, the other from Toronto. As repeat visitors I'd love to connect and know a little bit about you.

This actually goes out to ALL my readers. I like to know who's out there and who's looking at my stuff. Please, feel free to drop a comment or an e-mail and let me know who you are. It makes the blogosphere feel a bit more personal if I can attach a name to a reader. It makes me feel like I've got an extended circle of friends out there who share a love of a hobby/game.

You don't have to "Follow" me or boost my numbers in any way; that's not what I'm asking. Just drop me a line and introduce yourself. That's all.

Literary References -- OSR Challenge, Sept. 2011

Now that the dust from the September OSR Challenge has settled, I'm sure there are a few out there who have wondered about the source of some of my OSR Challenge post titles. As an English major, book-worshipping, pun-lover my inspirations are varied. Some of the posts' titles are obvious, but some may be a bit more obscure. I apologize in advance: I realize that this post is a bit of ego-stroking, a "Look at how clever I am" kind of post. However, a friend suggested that maybe I should share the origin of some of these titles, in part so that I can share that "Aha" moment with you, as well as to give you a bit of a laugh (not to mention a peek into my crazed psyche. She claimed that knowing the source added to the humor and depth of the individual posts. So, if I miss one that you want explained, let me know.... Otherwise, look below the fold.