Bill Bodden's Blog, page 7
December 9, 2019
A Shortage of Spoons
People with chronic illnesses have a clever saying: that they are "out of spoons" meaning they have no energy to do whatever is being discussed. Some tasks/activities require more spoons than others, and I've found myself not leaving the house much lately. Besides being sick quite a bit, I've also had a couple of major events that forced me to be social and "on", and that really takes it out of me these days. Some days, there just aren't enough spoons to do all the things I want to.
Sharp-eyed readers of this blog noticed that I didn't post last week. I've been sick for much of November - first a mild cold, then later a more serious one. The more recent version had me coughing hard enough to...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/12/09/a-sh...
Sharp-eyed readers of this blog noticed that I didn't post last week. I've been sick for much of November - first a mild cold, then later a more serious one. The more recent version had me coughing hard enough to...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/12/09/a-sh...
November 25, 2019
Hope and Heartbreak
November has proven to be a month of extremes for me this year. Incredible lows and a few very nice highs have competed for brain space, leaving me tired and cranky and out of sorts, and looking forward to the new month and a fresh start.
Followers of this blog may remember me writing about a fall I had earlier this month in my home. I slipped on our carpeted stairs, landed heavily on my butt, and had an epic bruise for weeks afterward. To this date, there is still a small spot inside the muscle that is intensely painful; not sure if it's just a deep bruise or if I chipped a bone but fortunately it only bothers me very rarely. I also weathered TWO different bouts of the common cold this month; the first immediately after GameHoleCon, and the second on the heels of TeslaCon. I've now spent more than half the month sick, and indications are that this latest batch will last into December. I've spent the last half of the month in something of a fog because of it. This after nearly two years of not getting sick at all; guess I was due.
However, there is good news to report as well. First, I had a short story published in the Darkened Streets ebook anthology - available on DriveThru RPG (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/294150/Darkened-Streets?term=Darkened+Streets) and had word that...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/11/25/hope...
Followers of this blog may remember me writing about a fall I had earlier this month in my home. I slipped on our carpeted stairs, landed heavily on my butt, and had an epic bruise for weeks afterward. To this date, there is still a small spot inside the muscle that is intensely painful; not sure if it's just a deep bruise or if I chipped a bone but fortunately it only bothers me very rarely. I also weathered TWO different bouts of the common cold this month; the first immediately after GameHoleCon, and the second on the heels of TeslaCon. I've now spent more than half the month sick, and indications are that this latest batch will last into December. I've spent the last half of the month in something of a fog because of it. This after nearly two years of not getting sick at all; guess I was due.
However, there is good news to report as well. First, I had a short story published in the Darkened Streets ebook anthology - available on DriveThru RPG (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/294150/Darkened-Streets?term=Darkened+Streets) and had word that...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/11/25/hope...
November 18, 2019
New Fiction Available!
Darkened Streets, edited by Joseph Nassise, is available now: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/294150/Darkened-Streets?term=Darkened+Streets
Some good news for a change: an anthology for which I've written a story has officially been published and is now available. Darkened Streets is a collection of stories from White Wolf Publishing's World of Darkness line of tabletop RPG settings. This anthology comprises stories about being on the road - in one way or another - and the adventures, trials and tribulations that follow.
My story is about a werewolf in the old west. Having grown up without a pack to rely on, Jake Johnson has decided to move west, find a place to settle down, and live his life in peace. Problem is, the world has other plans in store for him...
http://billbodden.com/2019/11/18/new-...
November 11, 2019
Convention Season Wrap-Up
Wrapped up GameHoleCon https://gameholecon.com/ last weekend. My games went well. I was a little rusty running Pugmire, but my players had fun. My Scarred Lands D&D games went very well too, and of 24 seats sold, 20 people showed up which, considering the nasty weather we had on Thursday, is a highly respectable turnout.
Then Monday afternoon I started to feel...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/11/11/conv...
November 4, 2019
Between a Rock and a Facebook
We've probably all heard by now about how Mark Zuckerberg, founder and head of Facebook, admitted to a US Congressional committee that Facebook will not fact-check political ads, opening the floodgates for smear campaigns that will stagger the imagination. It is a decision born of greed, and - dare I say it? - evil.
Couple this with the fact that Facebook's algorithms are designed to limit the number of your friends that you interact with, and Facebook is no longer something I can support in good conscience. It's a vicious circle: you see posts from people with whom you regularly like or comment on their posts. Facebook shows you more of those, even going so far as to...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/11/04/betw...
Couple this with the fact that Facebook's algorithms are designed to limit the number of your friends that you interact with, and Facebook is no longer something I can support in good conscience. It's a vicious circle: you see posts from people with whom you regularly like or comment on their posts. Facebook shows you more of those, even going so far as to...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/11/04/betw...
October 28, 2019
I Picked the Wrong Week to Be Optimistic
Last week was not a good week for me. On Tuesday, I slipped and fell down some stairs. Luckily, the stairs were carpeted. However, I wouldn't have slipped on them had they NOT been carpeted, so it's kind of a double-edged sword. I have an enormous, horrific-looking bruise now, and it covers nearly all of my left butt-cheek. It's still sore nearly a week later. I'm about to spend an entire weekend sitting on uncomfortable, convention center-type chairs; I see a lot of ibuprofen in my future.
Goodbye old friend
Then on Wednesday, I got an early morning...
http://billbodden.com/2019/10/28/i-pi...
Goodbye old friend
Then on Wednesday, I got an early morning...
http://billbodden.com/2019/10/28/i-pi...
October 21, 2019
Crossing the Streams
I've had occasion to look in on a few streaming presentations over the last few months, and it's really opened my eyes to streaming's potential. For those not in the know. streaming is where people hook up cameras to their computers and broadcast a variety of things using various streaming platforms like Twitch. Twitch is predominantly for gaming, but there are many other types of streams as well, including streaming college and enrichment courses for continuing education.
I've recently been caught up in watching gaming streams on Twitch. Part of it has been pure vanity, as several groups have been playing through D&D adventures that I've written. Part of it has been the enjoyment of watching people having fun playing games. Most of the groups I've been watching are playing D&D in the Scarred Lands setting. Since I've been doing a fair bit of writing for the Scarred Lands community content site https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/271587/Consumed lately, it provides...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/10/21/cros...
I've recently been caught up in watching gaming streams on Twitch. Part of it has been pure vanity, as several groups have been playing through D&D adventures that I've written. Part of it has been the enjoyment of watching people having fun playing games. Most of the groups I've been watching are playing D&D in the Scarred Lands setting. Since I've been doing a fair bit of writing for the Scarred Lands community content site https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/271587/Consumed lately, it provides...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/10/21/cros...
October 14, 2019
My Favorite Vampires
'Tis the season, and all that.
A great deal of my published writing has involved vampires in one way or another so it seems only fitting that I share a few of my favorite vampire films during this most festive of seasons.
I realize there are TONS of vampire films out there, and nearly as many "best of" lists pertaining to them, but hear me out, please: not all vampires are created equal, and some are downright ludicrous. This list will be, I hope, a few new films for you to check out, plus some favorites and a few classics. A couple of them I've recommended before, but all of them are quality films for your viewing pleasure. So without further ado...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/10/14/my-f...
A great deal of my published writing has involved vampires in one way or another so it seems only fitting that I share a few of my favorite vampire films during this most festive of seasons.
I realize there are TONS of vampire films out there, and nearly as many "best of" lists pertaining to them, but hear me out, please: not all vampires are created equal, and some are downright ludicrous. This list will be, I hope, a few new films for you to check out, plus some favorites and a few classics. A couple of them I've recommended before, but all of them are quality films for your viewing pleasure. So without further ado...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/10/14/my-f...
October 7, 2019
Health and Other Updates
Last week I wrote about problems stemming from a rash. There are a few things to update about that situation, plus a few other notes to point out about other things. Bear with me, please.
After more than a month of trial and error, my rash is improving. I'm currently part-way through a course of the drug Prednisone, which has helped ease the symptoms dramatically, especially the constant itching. Now the only itching going on is from healing as the places I scratched open scab over and begin to heal.
My vanity is grateful that the rash didn't spread to my...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/10/07/heal...
After more than a month of trial and error, my rash is improving. I'm currently part-way through a course of the drug Prednisone, which has helped ease the symptoms dramatically, especially the constant itching. Now the only itching going on is from healing as the places I scratched open scab over and begin to heal.
My vanity is grateful that the rash didn't spread to my...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/10/07/heal...
