Growing Younger / Seeming Older
This weekend: It was just a plain old shitload of fun with a bunch of geeks mostly near my own age (the average age was actually probably a year or three older than I am) - gaming is just such great fun and I am forced to constantly reconsider my feelings about it - I have to admit that there is a part of me that has this constant debate with my inner "cool person" trying to justify my substantial gaming habits - and convice myself that it is okay to get together for a bunch of 30-somethings to get together and pretend to be wizards and elves and super-heroes and auto-duelists and jedi knights - and of course it is okay - who is to say it isn't or that some form of entertainment or hobby or interest is more legitimate than any other - but still the dialogue goes on - but this weekend gave that rational part of my mind ammunitition to hold off the "cool" part - a big group of people in their late twenties to early forties who are all "normal" (if that means anything at all - which it really doesn't) - folks who are married and have kids and jobs and houses and all that stuff - people who have that geeky tinge that none of us can escape in mannerism or content of speech - but that are no where near the trenchcoated sweaty mouth-breathers or the inappropriately loud and obnoxious folks I often associate with gaming (and have sometimes gamed with).
But anyway, gaming is such fun - I played four games this weekend and ran one session of Car Wars - met some great folks (some of the second, third or fourth time and felt closer and more of an actual friend with) and kronosoam was there and mutant anthropomorphic dalmation with a battle axe in a game of Omegaworld (think d20 Gamma World for you geeks out there) run by mearls and played in the Car Wars event - which Mearls played in as well.
The weather was warm and rainy - kind of perfect for gaming - with some sun making an appearance on Sunday; that afternoon I FUNG WAHed! it back down to the City and stopped by and hung with Colleen for a little relaxation before heading home.
Oh yeah, that was another thing I wanted to mention about the weekend and this group of people - there was also a sense I got there that made me kind of feel old and lame - it was two things one - feeling like one of the few single people there folks with their husbands and wives and talking aboiut their kids or bring them over. . . I work hard to remind myself that while it sometimes seems that being single sucks - there are plenty of times when NOT being single really sucks - and also because generally in any significantly sized group of people there is always one person you can go up to and say "Psst. Wanna talk a walk around the block and smoke a joint?" or might sneak over and make you the same offer - and there did not seem to be one there (excluding people you could say that to except you really don't want to smoke a joint with them - of which there was one there) - not that I wanted to be all zooted during the games - especially with a bunch of folks I don't know all that well - but just more of a social idea - or as a way to greet the day or end the night.
Not that I had a joint with me to ask anyone even if I felt there had been - it is it just the idea of it - the changing social environment among people as I grow older.
Anyway - I have not played guitar in about four days or so - which is the longest I have gone without playing since. . . I guess my trip to GEN CON last year. . . I am fiending - and can't wait to get home and play some tonight - but of course I can't b/c I made plans to meet up with my old band's bassist, Mike Kaplan - who is in town from New Orleans - some other members of my old gaming crew from the early 90's including roybatty
But anyway, gaming is such fun - I played four games this weekend and ran one session of Car Wars - met some great folks (some of the second, third or fourth time and felt closer and more of an actual friend with) and kronosoam was there and mutant anthropomorphic dalmation with a battle axe in a game of Omegaworld (think d20 Gamma World for you geeks out there) run by mearls and played in the Car Wars event - which Mearls played in as well.
The weather was warm and rainy - kind of perfect for gaming - with some sun making an appearance on Sunday; that afternoon I FUNG WAHed! it back down to the City and stopped by and hung with Colleen for a little relaxation before heading home.
Oh yeah, that was another thing I wanted to mention about the weekend and this group of people - there was also a sense I got there that made me kind of feel old and lame - it was two things one - feeling like one of the few single people there folks with their husbands and wives and talking aboiut their kids or bring them over. . . I work hard to remind myself that while it sometimes seems that being single sucks - there are plenty of times when NOT being single really sucks - and also because generally in any significantly sized group of people there is always one person you can go up to and say "Psst. Wanna talk a walk around the block and smoke a joint?" or might sneak over and make you the same offer - and there did not seem to be one there (excluding people you could say that to except you really don't want to smoke a joint with them - of which there was one there) - not that I wanted to be all zooted during the games - especially with a bunch of folks I don't know all that well - but just more of a social idea - or as a way to greet the day or end the night.
Not that I had a joint with me to ask anyone even if I felt there had been - it is it just the idea of it - the changing social environment among people as I grow older.
Anyway - I have not played guitar in about four days or so - which is the longest I have gone without playing since. . . I guess my trip to GEN CON last year. . . I am fiending - and can't wait to get home and play some tonight - but of course I can't b/c I made plans to meet up with my old band's bassist, Mike Kaplan - who is in town from New Orleans - some other members of my old gaming crew from the early 90's including roybatty