Random Blathering
Okay, pain: I'd like to say that I don't hurt as badly this week, but that would be a lie.
Also, it's not as simple as that.
So, yesterday I'm playing right field, facing west, after 3:00 in the afternoon. Every guy who comes to the plate wants to hit it to me, because if they can loft it high enough, I'll lose it in the sun (and I did on one occasion, too!) In the third inning, after everyone on the other team has gone through the order once, their slugger comes up. This guy mashed an 11-inch-circumference softball 250 feet on his last at-bat, so we're playing him deep. He hits a dying quail in my direction, the blasted thing falling, falling, falling in front of me as I run for it. Were I being paid $2M/year, I'd have 'sacrificed my body' and dove for it; as it was, I reached for it over my left leg, which straightened and literally pogoed on the ground - it didn't hyperextend, but the shock went straight back into my hip. And, of course, my weight was now out over my leg, so I tried to get them under me and not fall down. It didn't work. After about six steps, down I went in a heap. Graceful, oh yes...
Now, that wasn't the full injury. At least, I don't think so. The next inning, I come up to bat, connect rather solidly, and take off for first base. Halfway there, it feels like someone has broken a board over both of my thighs. Suddenly, the long muscles on top of my legs don't want to work. I figured this was the quintessential "charley horse"... just, you know, a pair of them... and that if I got enough water and stretch a bit, they'd loosen up. They didn't. I played the rest of the game in severe pain, plus the next one... but only when I tried to run. Problem was, we were right at bare minimum, and my sense of duty overcame my sense of self-preservation. Sensei figures he's not going to see me on the floor for a week or so, because I also had a small snap last week on one of my left hamstrings. Injured reserve, that's me! Hot baths, A-535, and rest - that's the ticket!
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Ottawa just wrapped up a stranglehold on Buffalo - a 1-0 victory becomes a 3-0 series, and the red-hot Sabres are suddenly on the brink of elimination! I've been an Ottawa fan since the current team debuted, and I'm so glad that they're doing so well this season - still, now they have to finish it! Finish this series, and then go see who's coming from out west. At least we've got a Canadian team to keep our attention... and even if Buffalo gets in through an almost-unheard-of miracle, at least the entire Niagara peninsula will be overjoyed!
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So, okay, Facebook. Yes, I have a Facebook account. No, I'm not going to go digging for old friends from high school right now. Yes, you can connect with me there as well. (Steve Boose) Enjoy and have fun.
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Okay, my youngest son acquired the game Fate from a friend a couple of weeks ago. Fate was runner-up for computer RPG of the Year in 2005 - it's a somewhat kiddified version of D&D, as you descend into a multi-leveled "dungeon" and face off against nastier and nastier enemies while you get more and more powerful by accumulating experience points, fame, and gold. You even get a sidekick - a dog or a cat that you can transform into various nasties by way of fish that you can either fish for yourselves or buy from a wandering fisherman (who looks suspiciously like a penguin in a poofy hat).
Now, I didn't play a lot of D&D when I was younger - I'm familiar with the system and some of the jargon, but I'm actually starting to grasp the way "bonuses" work. For instance, I am currently using a Battle Sword with a basic damage range of, say, 18-35 (I'm not totally sure, but bear with me). I've used a gem booster on it to add, say +5 vs undead opponents, plus an enchantment that adds +6 against the undead (a total of +11. I've amped my Strength and Dexterity, plus my sword skill, in a way that adds about +25 to a potential strike, plus a critical hit modifier that might just double the damage I deal with a strike (20% chance of that). So, a mummy comes after me. I charge at it and strike and can potentially deal over 140 points of damage with a single slash. Three or four good cuts, and down it goes.
One of the neat things is the death consequences. 1) Be completely healed and returned to the point where you died, but it costs you some experience and some fame; 2) Be completely healed and transported to a "nearby" level (which may actually be deeper into the dungeon and, thus, less attractive than you might think), which costs you some of your gold, or 3) Be transported three levels "up" (i.e.
shallower') but leave all of your gold behind until such time as you come back for it.
I'm trying to stay ahead of the boys at the current time, which isn't hard because they really aren't all that patient and keep sacrificing experience and fame because they can't admit that they're overmatched at certain points in the game. Still, it's loads of fun... when I have time and inclination to play it.