Bill Bodden's Blog, page 10

American Gods: Wandering in the Desert for 30 Years

Like many people, I thoroughly enjoyed Neil Gaiman's American Gods. It was a fantastic journey through mythology and how the ideas humans worshipped grew and changed over centuries and millennia. When the television series of the book was announced, I was thrilled. I looked forward to meeting what the filmmakers and actors visualized for the characters I'd grown fascinated with.
The first season was very solid, and essentially met my expectations. They hit the major beats, they kept reasonably close to the story from the book, and they moved the story along - mostly. I thought their casting choices were more than just solid, and it was...

To view the rest of this blog post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/04/29/amer...

Valuing Your Own Work

I recently came across a post somewhere -- sadly, I've forgotten where it was and who wrote it -- about valuing one's own work. The context was self-published books, and while I don't have a vast amount of experience with this, I do have some, and I'd like to share my experiences with you.
The post in question suggested that people shouldn't charge less than $10 for their self-published books; while that's a great idea in theory, in practice it's unworkable. First of all, it's important to know what others are charging for similar works. Also important: ask yourself are you a "name?" By that I mean, are readers/consumers likely to have heard of you? This is the time for brutal honesty. For me, the answer is ...

To read more of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/04/22/valu...

Oh, For the Love of Zardoz!

We as a culture love bad movies. Seriously: look how many have been lionized far beyond their relative level of quality. The best example I can come up with is the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Let's be honest: it's a lousy movie. However, it has an enduring life as an audience participation film, plus hordes of horny teens (mentally, if not physically) flocking to see it thinking they're participating in a truly edgy sexual experience, and getting to say the word "virgin" over and over. Yeah.

Anyway, where Rocky Horror really took off was when the audience started to shout lines back at the screen in answer to lines of dialogue. People started dressing up as their favorite characters from the film (arguably also starting the Cosplay movement in the US) and act out scenes from the film in pantomime.

In the late 1980s/early 1990s, I was in Minneapolis staying with some friends when I was introduced to Mystery Science Theater 3000...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/04/15/oh-f...

New Book Out!

I've been working on getting more material together for the community content programs of various tabletop RPG publishers. While it rarely causes a vast sum to fall into my hands, it does involve a steady -- if modest -- stream of income to roll my way.

The newest project is an adventure for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition: It's titled "Consumed," and takes place in the Scarred Lands setting. Here's a look at the cover:

To obtain a copy of Consumed - or to just find more information about it, click on this link:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/271587/Consumed&affiliate_id=234579


The idea for this adventure was born out of necessity: I was asked to run an impromptu adventure for three people late on the last day of GameHole Con in Madison, Wisconsin in November of 2018, and...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/04/08/new-...

One Year Along

In mid-September, we adopted two kittens from the same litter. The adoption was through Angel's Wish http://angelswish.org/ in Verona, WI. They were nearly six months old at the time, curious and full of energy as most kittens are. When we first me them, they were very interested in T and pretty much ignored me, which seemed like a bad omen. As it turns out, they follow me around all the time these days, so those fears were thankfully put to rest.

I had my doubts. Our intent had been to adopt an adult cat, since kittens are much easier to re-home. But...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/04/01/one-...

Mr. Bodden Calls Tech Support

I had some trouble with my website last week - the kind of trouble that prevented me from accessing my dashboard. Luckily this happened AFTER I'd put up my blog post for the week, and the problem was on the admin end so it was mostly invisible to everyone but me, though many of you may have seen wacky error messages before being forwarded on to the correct page.

I am NOT very tech savvy. I know enough basic coding to be dangerous to myself, but when it comes to trouble shooting I'm...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/03/25/mr-b...

Toxic

Saw a Facebook post the other day from an acquaintance in the Steampunk community, about a backhanded compliment he'd received on his looks. I commented to the effect that I thought he was a very handsome man - possibly one of the handsomest men I know. I wasn't kidding.
After posting, I immediately started to wonder what people would think of my comment. That's how pervasive toxic masculinity is in our culture: a man can't even admire another man's looks without worry of having his own masculinity called into question...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/03/21/toxic/

Conventional Undertakings

I just got back from Geneva Steam http://genevasteam.com/ this week, and boy, conventions can take a lot out of you — especially when you have a stomach issue of some type that pops up on Friday and doesn’t leave until Saturday afternoon. Makes for kind of a short convention experience.

I really like Geneva Steam. It’s steampunk, as the name suggests, but it’s a smaller, laid-back convention with lots of music, a solid slate of programming, and a decent dealer’s room. I also have enjoyed the venue: the Lakelawn Resort https://www.lakelawnresort.com/ in Delavan Wisconsin, though the sprawling complex can be tough on people who are less mobile than I.

In the past, I’ve volunteered my time working on an author track of programming. I know a bunch of local steampunk authors, and it has always disappointed me that...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/03/14/conv...

Pushy Marketing

I recently ordered a few household goods online, and I'm already regretting that decision.

First of all, I needed some new compression stockings. The prescription type generally look like crap, so I was in the market for something a little nicer, even if the compression factor wasn't as strong. I have edema, so my feet and ankles swell up as the day goes on, but compression stockings plus a prescription for a daily diuretic help keep that in check. So I stumbled...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/03/04/push...

Giving Fatigue

Only two months into the new year, and I'm already tapped out on charitable contributions for a while.
Facebook has instituted an interesting new policy: they offer the opportunity for people to put up a post soliciting donations. This is a worthwhile endeavor to be sure, but the speed at which it's spreading through my friends list is somewhat alarming. At the high water mark (so far) I had 17 friends with charitable campaigns running on their pages in one week.
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/02/25/givi...