- 3/31/2023: Fairy Tale by Stephen King [2022, 608 pages]
- 3/30/2023: Fairy Tale by Stephen King [2022, 608 pages]
- 3/29/2023: Fairy Tale by Stephen King [2022, 608 pages]
- 3/28/2023: Fairy Tale by Stephen King [2022, 608 pages]
- 3/27/2023: Fairy Tale by Stephen King [2022, 608 pages]
- "Fires" by Rick Bass on LeVar Burton Reads [from August 2018 - lots to go :]
- 3/26/2023: Fairy Tale by Stephen King [2022, 608 pages]
- American Terror: The Farm [episode 2] - Podcast
- 3/25/2023: Fairy Tale by Stephen King [2022, 608 pages]
- American Terror: Infiltrated [episode 1] - Podcast
- 3/24/2023: Fairy Tale by Stephen King [2022, 608 pages]
- The Problem With Jon Stewart - Making Cents of SVB's Collapse with Mark Cuban and Sheila Blair - Podcast
- 3/23/2023: Fairy Tale by Stephen King [2022, 608 pages]
- The Problem With Jon Stewart - London Edition: Satire in the Age of Murdoch and Trump - Podcast
- 3/22/2023: Fairy Tale by Stephen King [2022, 608 pages]
- The Problem With Jon Stewart - Group Therapy: Talking WWII, Lab Leaks, and Pedro Pascal - Podcast
- 3/21/2023: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendirix [2023, 432 pages]
- The Problem With Jon Stewart - The Call in Show With Jon: On Stocks, Fox, and More - Podcast
- 3/20/2023: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendirix [2023, 432 pages]
- The Problem With Jon Stewart - Liar, Liar, Network on Fire: The Legal Case Against Fox News - Podcast
- 3/19/2023: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendirix [2023, 432 pages]
- 3/18/2023: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendirix [2023, 432 pages]
- 3/17/2023: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendirix [2023, 432 pages]
- Episode 2.0: Let There Be Green. Old Gods of Appalachia podcast
- 3/16/2023: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendirix [2023, 432 pages]
- Episode 2.0: The Schoolhouse: Barlo, Kentucky 1917: Part Two. Old Gods of Appalachia podcast
- 3/15/2023: The Hacienda by Isabel Canas [2022, 352 pages]
- 3/14/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
- "The Last Cheng Beng Gift" by Jaymee Goh on LeVar Burton Reads
- 3/13/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
- "Sea Girls" by Nathaniel Wallace on LeVar Burton Reads
- 3/12/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
- "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience [tm]" by Rebecca Roanhorse on LeVar Burton Reads
- 3/11/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
- "The Fliers of Gy" by Ursula K. LeGuin on LeVar Burton Reads
- 3/10/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
- "Black Betty" by Nisi Shawl on LeVar Burton Reads
- 3/9/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
- "Money Tree" by Nalo Hopkinson on LeVar Burton Reads
- 3/8/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
- 3/7/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
- 3/6/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
- 3/5/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
- Episode 1.5: The Schoolhouse: Barlo, Kentucky 1917: Part Two. Old Gods of Appalachia podcast
- 3/4/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
- Episode 1: Old Number Seven: Barlo, Kentucky 1917: Part One. Old Gods of Appalachia podcast
- 3/3/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
- Episode 0.5: The Witch Queen. Old Gods of Appalachia podcast
- 3/2/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
- 3/1/2023: If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe: A John, Dave, and Amy Novel (John Dies at the End, 4) by Jason Pargin [2022, 432 pages]
A Nod to Nothing
Pretty much as it says, a lot of nothing about nothing
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Reading March 2023
Monday, March 13, 2023
2023 US Sumo National Championship



Full match
Sunday, March 12, 2023
Sarah at the Aster


This is a Python test...
I'd actually prefer to drop this into a browser add in, and maybe I will, but for the most part I'm testing whether I can hack some Python to grab an image [of mine] from Flickr and do what I usually do manually.
Well....that looks correct. But it's one image at a time - it'd be nice to throw in an array of images and have it pick them all up and generate the HTML in an output file instead of one the command line....but, one thing at a time. That DEFINITELY works better than what I was doing where I went to my photo, opened it in generic view, looked at all sizes, went to the appropriate size [usually 640x462], grabbed the url, grabbed the image src, and then cut and paste into a TEXT doc I keep on my desktop.
This has promise. If I get a better version to work, I'll detail what I did. Note that I STOLE this code from a public github user with the same need. Props to her/him for doing all the heavy lifting that involves using the API/Key to grab all the sizes and craft the HTML. I just wish it could pick the right orientation and size more easily. But....that's what reading code is for.

Eurydice
Wednesday, March 08, 2023
AHHHHH....Wingspan Part III
Ah, finally, a win. Glad it wasn't based on the points of birds only, because that was the one thing I was completely ignoring. Proof that winning all four end of round events won't necessarily win you the game. It was close despite that victory.
Tuesday, March 07, 2023
ARGHHH...Wingspan
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Reading February 2023
- 2/28/2023: The Greatest Evil is War by Chris Hedges [2022, 208 pages]
- 2/27/2023: The Greatest Evil is War by Chris Hedges [2022, 208 pages]
- 2/26/2023: The Greatest Evil is War by Chris Hedges [2022, 208 pages]
- 2/25/2023: "Non-Zero Probabilities" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- "Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints, in the City Beneath the Still Waters" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- 2/24/2023: "Henosis" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- "Too Many Yesterdays, Not Enough Tomorrows" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- "The You Train" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- 2/23/2023: As Good as New by Charlie Jane Anders - LeVar Burton Reads Podcast
- One of my favorites so far. Nice thread of humor.
- "The Narcomancer" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- 2/22/2023: "Stone Hunger" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- "On the Banks of the River Lex" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- 2/21/2023: "The Elevator Dancer" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- "Cuisine des Memories" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- 2/20/2023: "The Evaluators" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- "Walking Awake" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- 2/19/2023: "The Storyteller's Replacement" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- "The Brides of Heaven" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- 2/18/2023: "The Trojan Girl" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- "Valedictorian" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- 2/17/2023: "The Effluent Engine" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- "Cloud Dragon Skies" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- 2/16/2023: The Winds of Harmattan by Nnendi Okorafor - LeVar Burton Reads Podcast
- "L'Alchimista" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- 2/15/2023: "Red Dirt Witch" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- 2/14/2023: "The City Born Great" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- 2/13/2023: "The Ones Who Stay and Fight" - How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [2018, 416 pages]
- 2/12/2023: Childfinder by Octavia Butler - LeVar Burton Reads Podcast
- 2/11/2023: 5 classic literary utopias — or were they hell on Earth?
- 2/10/2023: Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks [2021, 304 pages]
- 2/9/2023: Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks [2021, 304 pages]
- 2/8/2023: Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks [2021, 304 pages]
- 2/7/2023: Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks [2021, 304 pages]
- 2/6/2023: Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks [2021, 304 pages]
- 2/5/2023: Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks [2021, 304 pages]
- 2/4/2023: Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks [2021, 304 pages]
- 2/3/2023: Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks [2021, 304 pages]
- 2/2/2023: Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks [2021, 304 pages]
- 2/1/2023: Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks [2021, 304 pages]
Thursday, February 23, 2023
Con of the North: Day 3 of 3





I finished out the day with one of the oldest post Milton Bradley big box games in my own collection, Puerto Rico. This one had been played so much the 'coins' had literally had their values rubbed off. I had fun, but it took the full two hours, which is a LONG game of Puerto Rico. A lot of decision paralysis going on. I sped it up significantly by focusing on the collect and ship roles to literally run the victory point pool out early. While I had a good time, it reminded me of why I don't play it anymore. If you know the buildings well, there are some fairly straight forward tactics/choices based on what you have access to when. You can "learn" the best strategy for PR, particularly if you know the buildings. If you approach it more randomly....a bad building choice makes it very difficult to recover. For me...I had a difficult time finding any cash throughout the game, although the harvest/trade strategy still garnered me a better end position than I probably should have had with no big point buildings.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Con of the North: Day 2 of 3
I played Final Strike which some folks are trying to get Kickstarted. With four of us we played teams. It's based on the idea that the last person to hit an RPG critter before it dies is the one who gets the experience. Reminded me of my D and D days with Bob and folks in Monti and Chicago. So you're timing your hits to make sure you get the glory for being the last strike....or, um....final strike I guess. The strategy is expanded because some baddies can only be hit by certain weapons or people unless it's peripheral [cleave] damage. You can upgrade your weapons using other cards that allow you to pick an adjacent card from the tableau. Might be left right/up down. Might be diagonal. Might be all directions. Depends on the smithing you do. Other cards trigger on play or reshuffle or let you discard and cycle faster. It was a lot of fun with teams, but not a game I'm going to back. It's similar to others I've played. Although I could definitely see hauling it along to Arbeiter or something.

I bought a game. Shores of Tripoli. I would have preferred Votes for Women by the same company, but both were on my list as historical-based games and it was on sale at the Con. My understanding is it's more of a learning event than a playing event in some respects. Even reading the rules I learned all sorts of things I didn't know about that historical event/s. Amusingly, I was reading the rules at the local bar between games and, when I left, the guy next to me who'd been giving me side eye for an hour asked if it was a book or a puzzle. I said it was a board game about the events and he got truly excited and knew something about the time period and what happened. I probably created a board gaming convert at the counter at Red Robin.



I used my new coins for the first time. They're from Viticulture. Obsession comes with 100 pound and 500 pound coins [worth 7000 and 35000 USD given inflation]. These give me 1, 2, and 5 so they're a nice match, and even have the pound sign on them.




While Aeryn was finishing up, I hit the hotel bar for a drink and some fries. A UPS Tech guy who traveled sat next to me and struck up a conversation with the waitress. They were a fun pair. I'd been explaining the convention to her [apparently no one else had] and him and talked local Minnesota beer. He wanted to try one and I noted Furious was on tap but he wouldn't like it. He had a pint and exclaimed, "This is what they drink in Minnesota?" I said I'd warned him - I find Furious isn't always for out of towners. One of my favorite interactions was when he told the waitress she reminded him of his daughter, and she said she was older. He nailed her age precisely and she sighed and said, "Yeah...old enough to start turning gray. Like my mom says. It's never your head first." Good humor to close out a good day of gaming.
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Con of the North: Day 1 of 3
I had a long weekend. I had Friday off as vacation and Monday off for Presidents' Day. In retrospect, even if I hadn't had Monday off, I should have taken it off. Aeryn and I spent three days gaming at Con of the North and I was exhausted by Monday. I think I'm still exhausted. That's simply a lot of sitting and mental activity to engage in for three full days.
We usually do Gameholecon in Madison, but we've never done a Minneapolis board gaming convention. So this was the first. And it was the first I've hosted a game/s at, although Aeryn hosted Carthage at Gameholecon before [with a rather problematic table of old dudes].
We had a great time and I'd drop it all here, but it's a little much for a single post - and rough on my typing implements - to string it all together.
The white board welcoming people to the convention A handy place to find some ad hoc games, although there were several rooms where people were kicking up non-scheduled games. A semi-official at the event told me this year they had 1300 people register. Fewer were there on Friday and Sunday, but Saturday was definitely packed.
