I just spent all afternoon reading RPG rules and thinking about running a kids campaign instead of working. I'm looking at FUDGE and thinking it might work well because I don't want the game to be combat heavy (I got over my initial hesitation after reading more about it). I also impulse ordered some GURPs sourcebooks.

Have any of you seen/played the 4th edition? I'm going to want to start some gaming with my kids soon and I was wondering if this is a good place to start. We plan to hit multiple genres so I like the flexibility that GURPs provides but I don't really know what is new and cool (or geared toward children) that may have come out in the last 15 ( Read more... )

I was looking at an astronomy site and they suggested getting a green laser pointer to use to point out constellations/stars etc to children. In the "cool gadgets" department I don't know if it gets any better than lasers so of course I started looking around.

Aren't these cool? They can be mounted on to telescopes and I know someone who has ( Read more... )

Yesterday started poorly as when I woke up the turkey was still frozen and the dishwasher died. Then we lost internet while trying to fix the dishwasher (it's complicated). I managed to get the bird defrosted and in the oven and then there was a lot of dish washing by hand. All food was successfully prepared (no uncooked spots in the turkey), ( Read more... )

Anyone out there left-handed and want to offer an opinion?

I don't think I posted this before. This is a link to an article with photos featuring 'my' horse in Gotterdammerung. Not her best angle but hey - she's on stage!

Quick and to the point -- this is crap. The shoes either fit or they don't. There should be no 'breaking in' period which I think was invented by salesmen to sell you a pair. If the shoes are leather sometimes they can use their special shoe-tools to stretch it out until it fits right. You should not be using your feet to do the job. I do ( Read more... )

Click to view

There are at least 2 Anna's Hummingbirds hanging around the house. I saw one last week when I put up the sunflower seed feeder. She came to check it out and really looked it over for a while before flying off in a huff because it didn't have any sugar-water. (It really was a "huff" - I swear.) Since they were here anyway and I don't like to ( Read more... )

There's a mutant chickadee hanging around. It's clearly a black-capped chickadee but he/she has broad white patches on his back and wings where they shouldn't be.