The Woods.

I never did have much use for signs, wonders, and portents. Being a cynical person, I tend not to believe outlandish tales and when I see things that boggle the mind I tend to dismiss them entirely or find a moment to explain it all away. I also don't believe in doing things on impulse. The heart if a fickle thing, and more often than not when I follow mine I end up wasting my time or worse still, something goes horrendously wrong.

Jesus did say that it was a wicked generation that asks for signs and wonders. Sometimes I want to ask. Sometimes I do ask. Then I wonder why I made the notion to ask in the first place. Anything can be construed into a sign of one thing or the next. People take a random look at the stars, and by a set of arbitrary rules (if there are rules at all), they tell thousands of people their fortunes. No, I don't like the idea of signs and wonders.

There are, however, things that when I see them I am amazed. There are things that when I hear of them or experience them I am filled with hope for the future. I am bolstered in heart and mind. My resolve strengthens. I am reminded of what it was I was fighting for in the first place.

I couldn't say whether or not my purgatory will end soon. I couldn't say which job will turn up green and which ones won't. But I can say that everything will turn out right.

I love you. I know you love me too. It's not much. But it's enough.

Oh Man! I'm Still Geeking Out About It!

Many of you know by now that I have nerdy hobbies. Very nerdy hobbies. One such hobby is table-top roleplaying games--in particular Dungeons and Dragons.

Most of you that know of my DnD hobby also know that I have been eagerly waiting for Wizards of the Coast to release the newest installment of DnD. The 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons was released roughly a week ago. Since thing I have been reading the books, rolling the dice, and doing my best to comprehend enough of it to run a game.

Tonight I was Dungeon Master of my first 4th edition DnD game.

It was brilliant. People caught on quick. Running battles was smooth, intuitive, and allowed for a great deal of creativity and ingenuity. Battle was also dynamic. No one felt like they had nothing exciting to contribute and most of the rules we were fuzzy on could be reasoned out.

For example, the dragon we fought had an ability that stunned the players who were close to it. No one knew what being stunned was all about, but we managed to figure out on our own two of the three conditions that entailed being stunned.

Class abilities kept the characters fresh. At-Will powers ensured that each player got to screw over enemies each round besides deducting hit points. Encounter and Daily powers gave the feeling of high-risk high-reward each and every encounter. Nothing beat the thrill of possibly reducing an enemy's health by 1/2 of more in one attack (and that's at level 1!)


Creating adventures couldn't be easier. The mechanic is built in such a way that a person always has clear and present guidelines for giving out treasure, crafting monster battles, and creating high-energy non-combat encounters--running away from the huge boulder, convincing the avaricious baron to lend them some provisions, or even putting that caught spy under the spotlight and making him sweat with an interrogation. The odds are good that I will get to enjoy both sides of the DnD experience as a Dungeon Master and as a Player Character.

I might not sleep tonight. I'm still that excited.