Blowing off the Dust

I thought I would try to breathe a little life into my long-dormant blog, but where to begin - there are so many things worthy of my attention.

I have finished the bulk of the text for what should soon be my first published work, an adventure module for my brother Jeremy and his wife Jenn's pen-and-paper role playing game Mana Punk. It will be entitled The Elementals of Vond and will be set in a Dwarven Mine that has been infiltrated by a group of radical Elven environmentalist-types.  I look forward to the play-testing phase - it should be fun!

Tea Adventures

I got some wonderful  new loose leaf tea from my brothers for  my birthday, specifically black dragon pearls, some Darjeeling, and jasmine dragon pearls.  The black dragon pearls have proven to provide a very nice strong brew that is at the same time very smooth with no hint of bitterness. The Darjeeling is  not quite as strong, but has a very nice rich flavor with lots of character. The one that has been the biggest revelation for me has been the jasmine dragon pearls. It's a type I have not tried before, and is exceedingly light, fragrant, and refreshing while also standing up well to multiple infusions without losing flavor. I usually drink European blend black teas (with the exception of Earl Grey) with milk and sweetener, but the two new black teas I have taken black with just a little sweetener to get the most out of the great flavor and complexity.

Music

I had the opportunity to see a wonderful presentation of the Christmas portion of Handel's Messiah at Christ Evangelical Presbyterian Church on I-10 Thursday evening.  This church has for the last 8 or 9 years been presenting the Messiah free of charge as a gift to the community, and they do a great job.  The soloists are well worth hearing, with my favorite being the bass (shock, I know) who has a lot of depth and character to his voice.  I did feel a bit sorry for the tenor who was the first soloist to sing, but due to the selection of numbers, we never heard from again after that.  The soprano and mezzo blended beautifully for "He shall feed his flock", and the choir and orchestra were outstanding and I sincerely hope these folks can keep this tradition alive. If you have never heard the Hallelujah Chorus performed live, it is an experience you will never forget.

On a completely different note, I am anticipating seeing Brian Setzer live in concert with his big band Saturday the 15th at the Arena Theater. I have always wanted to see him live, and have never had the opportunity. Stay tuned to this site for reviews of the show!

Gaming

I am still very much enjoying World of Warcraft's latest expansion "The Mists of Pandaria". I have gotten my tauren druid Kernos to level 90, and and now busy doing daily quests, raising reputation with various factions, and collecting some fascinating new mounts. I have made a pandaren monk, but don't have him very far along - maybe level 15. I have enjoyed the storytelling in this expansion, and the zones are gorgeous.  I am anxious to see where the lore is going because  they are setting things up for an interesting ending. I've always been Horde (Lok'tar Ogar!), and was sad to see Thrall resign as war-chief, the ascension of Garrosh to power, and the betrayal and death of Cairne Bloodhoof.  Garrosh has become much more of a bloodthirsty madman than I think most foresaw, what with the nuking of Theramore and other things. It looks like the tauren and trolls are very much against his new direction, but no one has had the courage to do anything about it just yet.

Well that is enough for one evening, but stay tuned to this channel for more frequent updates!