(I have deliberately skipped my account of the World Pipe Band Championships, so I can finish my recounting of the band's season on an appropriately high note.)
I hate Cowal.
I've been five times now, and never once had a good time. The day is far too long (left home at 6, got back at 11), it's invariably cold, windy and rainy, and there's almost nothing to do. But it's the pinnacle of the piping season, so of course, we have to go. Plus, there was a real sense we might actually win, and that would make it all worthwhile - wouldn't it?
And besides, as an added bonus, the Chieftain this year was Sylvester McCoy, the Seventh Doctor. That's got to be good value, no?
So, we went. The journey there was long and annoying, but not too terrible I suppose. The major amusement was when the guy at the dock wouldn't let our bus on the ferry because it didn't have enough clearance... only to discover that the bus was sitting in a hollow, so his measurement was wrong.
Just as we left the bus to go tune up, the rain started. Fortunately, it stopped a bit before we had to play, but it was still pretty miserable. And, as we marched over to the arena, my drones chose that particular point to decide to act up (having been fine to that point). That left me terrified that they'd be a problem on the field.
But they weren't. Fortunately, everything went okay, and we made it through qualification. But only just - this was not the polished performance of earlier in the season.
Anyway, it was 10:30 (ish), we have qualified, and we weren't playing again until 5.
Cue much tedious waiting.
Later, we gathered for the final. At this point, it was hot and sunny, such that when we left the bus, I actually debated whether I should bother taking my cape. I chose to do so.
This proved a good decision soon thereafter, as it started bucketing it down while we waited to go on. But the rain went off, we tuned up, and everything seemed fine.
But it wasn't fine. Once again, when marching to the arena, my drones decided to act up, having seemed fine right up until that point. Only this time, there was no escape on the park. Try as I might, I could not get them to sound correctly.
So much for that.
When we came off, it started raining again. Of course, we'd had to remove our capes to compete, and the person who was carrying them wasn't immediately available, and so we got soaked. (Couldn't even hide under an umbrella - it was that swirly rain that comes from all directions.)
One saving grace of the final being so late was that the march-past came immediately thereafter. So, on we went (now wearing capes), and shivered on the field.
Now, at all these events, the bands play the salute to the chieftain, which is usually "Highland Laddie". However, at Cowal, it's always "Glendaruel Highlanders" (I don't know why). Sadly, the guy who was ordering this mumbled at the key point, and then the drum major was calling the bands to order. The result was a predictable, and sad, shambles. Awful, awful.
(It wasn't even just that half the massed bands were playing one tune and half another; there were also at least three different speeds being played.)
And next would come the inspiring words of the chieftain. At least that should be entertaining - for the first time ever, there was a chieftain who I actually would like to hear from. Well, it wasn't a long speech. Indeed, it can't even be accurately described as "a few words". The chieftain said... nothing.
In the end, the band came tenth. We were seventh and tenth for piping, seventh for drumming and eighth for the ensemble. A poor result all around.
The weather being awful, we then retreated to the bus to head home, where we faced the same complaints as last year for not doing the parade (probably should have made the effort, although I don't think I could have faced it yesterday). Still, nothing close to the same fallout as last year, so that was am improvement at least.
And then home, and to bed. Thank goodness.
Before the day, I had been joking about the possibility of a Dalek invasion. It is a sad indictment of the day that that might actually have improved it.
#62: "Tomb of Horrors", by Ari Marmell and Scott Fitzgerald Gray
#63: "Pathfinder: Sound of a Thousand Screams", by Richard Pett
#64: "Souls for Smuggler's Shiv", by James Jacobs
#65: "Murder in LaMut", by Raymond E. Feist and Joel Rosenberg
Monday, August 23, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Bridge of Allan Highland Games
Another glorious day for a competition, and with this one being on a Sunday, Lady Chocolat was able to join our venture.
It was a good day. Due to the reduced number of bands present, some of the competitions were amalgamated, and due to the nature of the Championship rules, the Grade 4B competition was mixed with the Novice grade. (It's also worth noting that, this being the weekend before the World Championships, there was an unusual number of very good bands present, many over from the USA and Canada for the month.)
We came third. Perhaps also relevant, the two bands that were first and second were from the Novice grade, making us the best Grade 4B band present.
And so our tally for the year reached seven prizes, including three at Championship events.
#57: "Oliver Twist", by Charles Dickens (book eleven from The List)
#58: "Star Wars: Jedi Academy Training Manual", by Rodney Thompson, Eric Cagle, Patrick Stutzman and Robert Wieland
#59: "Unseen Academicals", by Terry Pratchett
#60: "Star Wars: Galaxy at War", by Rodney Thompson, Gary Astleford, Eric Cagle and Daniel Wallace (And so, my reading goal is complete!)
#61: "The White Rose", by Glen Cook (from the "Chronicles of the Black Company" anthology - I had already read the first two books of the trilogy)
It was a good day. Due to the reduced number of bands present, some of the competitions were amalgamated, and due to the nature of the Championship rules, the Grade 4B competition was mixed with the Novice grade. (It's also worth noting that, this being the weekend before the World Championships, there was an unusual number of very good bands present, many over from the USA and Canada for the month.)
We came third. Perhaps also relevant, the two bands that were first and second were from the Novice grade, making us the best Grade 4B band present.
And so our tally for the year reached seven prizes, including three at Championship events.
#57: "Oliver Twist", by Charles Dickens (book eleven from The List)
#58: "Star Wars: Jedi Academy Training Manual", by Rodney Thompson, Eric Cagle, Patrick Stutzman and Robert Wieland
#59: "Unseen Academicals", by Terry Pratchett
#60: "Star Wars: Galaxy at War", by Rodney Thompson, Gary Astleford, Eric Cagle and Daniel Wallace (And so, my reading goal is complete!)
#61: "The White Rose", by Glen Cook (from the "Chronicles of the Black Company" anthology - I had already read the first two books of the trilogy)
Monday, August 02, 2010
The European Championships
We came sixth in our grade, with the pipers narrowly beating the drummers for the first time this season. Given that the competition was in Ireland, against all the Irish bands (many of whom are very good, but don't compete enough to ever be moved out of our grade), and with Irish judges, this was a marvellous result.
Huzzah!
So, it was a good competition and a really good result. Sadly, it was not a very good weekend, but I have decided to repress most of my memories of it, and so have nothing more to say here!
#55: "Honoured Enemy", by Raymond E. Feist and William Forstchen
#56: "Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide", by Rodney Thompson, Sterling Hershey and Gary Astleford
Huzzah!
So, it was a good competition and a really good result. Sadly, it was not a very good weekend, but I have decided to repress most of my memories of it, and so have nothing more to say here!
#55: "Honoured Enemy", by Raymond E. Feist and William Forstchen
#56: "Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide", by Rodney Thompson, Sterling Hershey and Gary Astleford
Monday, July 26, 2010
The Riding of the Marches (Annan Highland Games)
The week after our truimph at the British Championships, the band returned to Annan for "The Riding of the Marches", which was part gala day, part Highland Games, and part something else entirely. Whatever it was supposed to be, it was a competition at which we had high hopes of doing well.
Once again, it was a bright and sunny day. We had seven pipers this time; those who had been dropped the previous week had been offered the chance to compete but had each had something else on, while two of those from the previous week were also busy. The drum corps was in full attendance once again. There were a total of seven bands in our grade.
We played well, I thought, although I did also think it seemed a bit 'thinner' than the week before. Still, I had no great complaints about the performance.
There then followed an afternoon of waiting, which featured watching Germany thrash Argentina at football - I wouldn't have expected such a one-sided game.
There was then a lot more waiting as the massed bands assembled to go play, with the added fun of horses being thrown into the mix (it being "The Riding of the Marches", after all). Unfortunately, horses do not like the bagpipes, by and large, which made things occasionally interesting.
Eventually, we did our parade, and got to the prize giving. Events there were controversial, to say the least. At length, we came fourth in our grade, and won the drumming prize (and also the "Best Bass Section" prize, which seems unique to this competition).
However, initially, we didn't win the best drum corps. The prize was awarded to some other band. It wasn't until our Pipe Major collected our prize that he realised the other had been given to the wrong band. There then proceeded to be a stewards' enquiry, culminating in the other band being forced to hand back the prize, which was then turned over to us.
And there was more fun to go. As we drifted back to the bus, I decided to dash to the toilet, rather than use the rather poor facilities on the bus. So, I duly told someone where I was going, and asked them not to leave without me. As I emerged from the toilets, I was then treated to the sight of the bus gradually receding into the distance!
Luckily, I was able to dash across the car park fast enough to catch them, bang on the side of the bus, and so attract attention. Still, could have been awkward, not least since my mobile phone was also on the bus, so I couldn't call them to let them know they're mistake. (I did at least have my wallet on me, so it wouldn't have been a total disaster.)
So, anyway, that was that. At this point, we've actually won more prizes than we did in the whole of last season, and with half of the season still to go. The band has not competed for some three weeks now, and at the moment the bulk of the band is actually in Spain at the moment (where I've heard things aren't going terribly well). Our next competition is in Ireland this weekend, for the European Championships. I just hope we do rather better than last year...
#52: "The Ghost King", by R. A. Salvatore
#53: "Star Wars: Rebellion Era Campaign Guide", by Rodney Thompson, Sterling Hershey, Owen K.C. Stephens and J.D. Wiker
#54: "Pathfinder: War of the River Kings", by Jason Nelson
Once again, it was a bright and sunny day. We had seven pipers this time; those who had been dropped the previous week had been offered the chance to compete but had each had something else on, while two of those from the previous week were also busy. The drum corps was in full attendance once again. There were a total of seven bands in our grade.
We played well, I thought, although I did also think it seemed a bit 'thinner' than the week before. Still, I had no great complaints about the performance.
There then followed an afternoon of waiting, which featured watching Germany thrash Argentina at football - I wouldn't have expected such a one-sided game.
There was then a lot more waiting as the massed bands assembled to go play, with the added fun of horses being thrown into the mix (it being "The Riding of the Marches", after all). Unfortunately, horses do not like the bagpipes, by and large, which made things occasionally interesting.
Eventually, we did our parade, and got to the prize giving. Events there were controversial, to say the least. At length, we came fourth in our grade, and won the drumming prize (and also the "Best Bass Section" prize, which seems unique to this competition).
However, initially, we didn't win the best drum corps. The prize was awarded to some other band. It wasn't until our Pipe Major collected our prize that he realised the other had been given to the wrong band. There then proceeded to be a stewards' enquiry, culminating in the other band being forced to hand back the prize, which was then turned over to us.
And there was more fun to go. As we drifted back to the bus, I decided to dash to the toilet, rather than use the rather poor facilities on the bus. So, I duly told someone where I was going, and asked them not to leave without me. As I emerged from the toilets, I was then treated to the sight of the bus gradually receding into the distance!
Luckily, I was able to dash across the car park fast enough to catch them, bang on the side of the bus, and so attract attention. Still, could have been awkward, not least since my mobile phone was also on the bus, so I couldn't call them to let them know they're mistake. (I did at least have my wallet on me, so it wouldn't have been a total disaster.)
So, anyway, that was that. At this point, we've actually won more prizes than we did in the whole of last season, and with half of the season still to go. The band has not competed for some three weeks now, and at the moment the bulk of the band is actually in Spain at the moment (where I've heard things aren't going terribly well). Our next competition is in Ireland this weekend, for the European Championships. I just hope we do rather better than last year...
#52: "The Ghost King", by R. A. Salvatore
#53: "Star Wars: Rebellion Era Campaign Guide", by Rodney Thompson, Sterling Hershey, Owen K.C. Stephens and J.D. Wiker
#54: "Pathfinder: War of the River Kings", by Jason Nelson
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Just When I Thought I Was Out...
Look at all these shiny books!
#45: "Races of Eberron", by Jesse Decker, Matthew Sernett, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, and Keith Baker
#46: "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide", by Sterling Hershey, Peter Schweighofer, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Rodney Thompson
#47: "Forest Mage", by Robin Hobb
#48: "Pathfinder: Blood for Blood", by Neil Spicer
#49: "Dragons of the Hourglass Mage", by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
#50: "Sharpe's Waterloo", by Bernard Cornwell
#51: "To Kill a Mockingbird", by Harper Lee (book ten from The List, and the new Book of the Year So Far!)
#45: "Races of Eberron", by Jesse Decker, Matthew Sernett, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, and Keith Baker
#46: "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide", by Sterling Hershey, Peter Schweighofer, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Rodney Thompson
#47: "Forest Mage", by Robin Hobb
#48: "Pathfinder: Blood for Blood", by Neil Spicer
#49: "Dragons of the Hourglass Mage", by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
#50: "Sharpe's Waterloo", by Bernard Cornwell
#51: "To Kill a Mockingbird", by Harper Lee (book ten from The List, and the new Book of the Year So Far!)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The British Pipe Band Championships
Last Thursday, our Pipe Major took the radical and dangerous step of dropping a number of people, deciding that for the British Championships the band would go on with our nine best pipers only. This was a gamble - if we did well then the decision would be vindicated, but if not then it might well be the end as the band tore itself apart.
Saturday was a gloriously sunny day, bright and hot. This, unfortunately, had something of an effect on the pipes. However, it wasn't too bad, and frankly it was better than the alternative.
We went on, we played, and we came off reasonably happy. However, we've felt that way before; it doesn't necessarily mean anything. And so, we waited.
In the end, we came third overall.
The drummers actually came first in the grade, with the pipers being judged fourth and fifth. For ensemble, we were scored fifth. All in all, a very solid performance, albeit one that still allowed room for improvement.
Yay!
#40: "Pathfinder: The Varnhold Vanishing", by Greg A. Vaughan (this was actually book 39; I forgot it last time I did an update!)
#41: "Bones of the Hills", by Conn Iggulden
#42: "And Another Thing...", by Eoin Colfer (part six of the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" trilogy)
#43: "Eberron: Sharn: City of Towers", by Keith Baker and James Wyatt
#44: "The Burning Land", by Bernard Cornwell
At this point, it's clear that I have no chance of reaching 100 books for the year. In fact, although I'm going to keep an ongoing log of books read for the rest of the year, I'm not going to work towards any sort of a goal.
Saturday was a gloriously sunny day, bright and hot. This, unfortunately, had something of an effect on the pipes. However, it wasn't too bad, and frankly it was better than the alternative.
We went on, we played, and we came off reasonably happy. However, we've felt that way before; it doesn't necessarily mean anything. And so, we waited.
In the end, we came third overall.
The drummers actually came first in the grade, with the pipers being judged fourth and fifth. For ensemble, we were scored fifth. All in all, a very solid performance, albeit one that still allowed room for improvement.
Yay!
#40: "Pathfinder: The Varnhold Vanishing", by Greg A. Vaughan (this was actually book 39; I forgot it last time I did an update!)
#41: "Bones of the Hills", by Conn Iggulden
#42: "And Another Thing...", by Eoin Colfer (part six of the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" trilogy)
#43: "Eberron: Sharn: City of Towers", by Keith Baker and James Wyatt
#44: "The Burning Land", by Bernard Cornwell
At this point, it's clear that I have no chance of reaching 100 books for the year. In fact, although I'm going to keep an ongoing log of books read for the rest of the year, I'm not going to work towards any sort of a goal.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Markinch Highland Games
Completing the trilogy of posts about band competitions, we have the biggest disappointment of the season thus far. Last Sunday we were at the Markinch Highland Games. It started reasonably dry, but started to rain as we tuned up and went on. Gary was back for this one.
The band played badly. Very, very badly.
We came seventh out of ten, which was better than we deserved.
Frankly, at this point I'm wondering if any of the effort we've put in over the winter was worth bothering with.
The band played badly. Very, very badly.
We came seventh out of ten, which was better than we deserved.
Frankly, at this point I'm wondering if any of the effort we've put in over the winter was worth bothering with.
Bathgate Highland Games
The week after the Scottish Championships, we found ourselves competing at Bathgate Highland Games. It was another nice day. Once again, Logan led the band out - Gary was there, but not recovered enough to play.
We went on, and again I felt we played well. Better than the previous week, in fact.
We came sixth out of thirteen, narrowly missing out on a prize. (We were seventh of nine last year.)
So, once again, a rather disappointing day.
We went on, and again I felt we played well. Better than the previous week, in fact.
We came sixth out of thirteen, narrowly missing out on a prize. (We were seventh of nine last year.)
So, once again, a rather disappointing day.
The Scottish Pipe Band Championships
About a week before the championships, our Pipe Major was taken into hospital. Under normal circumstances, the Pipe Sergeant (me) would step in and lead the band on. However, due to a series of events, I ended up not leading the band out, but instead ceded the position to a stand-in Pipe Major called Logan.
The Saturday of the competition was a nice, sunny day. The band went in good spirit, made ready, went on, and played. We played well, or so I thought. (Unlike in previous years, we didn't have to qualify for the 'real' competition.)
After we had played, the day was mostly fairly enjoyable. However, there was one fly in the ointment - Logan had dropped a couple of the younger members of the band for various reasons. Unfortunately, this was the second time they'd been dropped, and the second time they'd been dropped on the day. Both were less than ideal, and their respective parents were understandably angry.
In the event, the band came 10th, the same position we came last year. This was rather disappointing - I thought we'd played a lot better than last year. Oh well.
The Saturday of the competition was a nice, sunny day. The band went in good spirit, made ready, went on, and played. We played well, or so I thought. (Unlike in previous years, we didn't have to qualify for the 'real' competition.)
After we had played, the day was mostly fairly enjoyable. However, there was one fly in the ointment - Logan had dropped a couple of the younger members of the band for various reasons. Unfortunately, this was the second time they'd been dropped, and the second time they'd been dropped on the day. Both were less than ideal, and their respective parents were understandably angry.
In the event, the band came 10th, the same position we came last year. This was rather disappointing - I thought we'd played a lot better than last year. Oh well.
Yes, I will be supporting England!
For one match only, though, and only against the USA. After that, I'll be reverting to my normal policy of emphatically not caring.
It's not that I have anything against the Americans, you understand. The ones I have met have been really nice people, without exception. However, the truth is that the USA doesn't care about football (they don't even give it the right name!). Their interests lie with baseball, basketball, or American football. Which is fine... but I would prefer to see a nation that actually cares about the sport succeed. Which is certainly true of England.
Actually, in the build up to this World Cup, it does seem that the normal media insanity has been rather less extreme. It's possible that hopes are more realistic after the humiliation of failing to qualify for the Euros, it's possible that the commentators have finally gotten the message, or it's possible that they're saving it up for the actual tournament itself. (It's also possible that I just haven't seen it - I don't think I've watched any TV live for six weeks now. Or it's possible I'm getting old, and can't quite muster the same levels of annoyance. Take your pick.)
In the tournament itself, I think I will be nominally supporting Spain, for no other reason than that I seem to be forging a link with that country of late. I would consider France, for much the same reason, but for their cheating to get there.
Anyway, roll on the football!
#39: "Life of Pi", by Yann Martell (book nine from The List)
It's not that I have anything against the Americans, you understand. The ones I have met have been really nice people, without exception. However, the truth is that the USA doesn't care about football (they don't even give it the right name!). Their interests lie with baseball, basketball, or American football. Which is fine... but I would prefer to see a nation that actually cares about the sport succeed. Which is certainly true of England.
Actually, in the build up to this World Cup, it does seem that the normal media insanity has been rather less extreme. It's possible that hopes are more realistic after the humiliation of failing to qualify for the Euros, it's possible that the commentators have finally gotten the message, or it's possible that they're saving it up for the actual tournament itself. (It's also possible that I just haven't seen it - I don't think I've watched any TV live for six weeks now. Or it's possible I'm getting old, and can't quite muster the same levels of annoyance. Take your pick.)
In the tournament itself, I think I will be nominally supporting Spain, for no other reason than that I seem to be forging a link with that country of late. I would consider France, for much the same reason, but for their cheating to get there.
Anyway, roll on the football!
#39: "Life of Pi", by Yann Martell (book nine from The List)
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Getting Caught Up...
Oh dear, I seem to have slipped right behind on updating the blog. It's not that there haven't been things to talk about; I just haven't been able to find the time. I'll try to put that right over the next week.
#32: "The Amber Spyglass", by Philip Pullman (book seven from The List)
#33: "Eberron: Whispers of the Vampire's Blade", by David Noonan
#34: "Eberron: Eyes of the Lich Queen", by Stephen Schubert, Tim Hitchcock and Nicolas Logue
#35: "Krondor: Tear of the Gods", by Raymond E. Feist
#36: "Lords of the Bow", by Conn Iggulden
#37: "The Catcher in the Rye", by J.D. Salinger (book eight from The List)
#38: "Star Wars: The Unknown Regions", by Gary Astleford, Owen K.C. Stephens and Rodney Thompson
Those are all the books I read in May. I haven't as yet finished any books in June (currently reading "Life of Pi"). As can be seen, I'm well in hand on getting to my goal of 60 books, and on course to successfully read 20 from The List. If I were going for 100, I am about 3 books short of where I 'should' be, due to losing ground in April. That's not too terrible, provided I get at least nine books read in June... which doesn't look good. Although, frankly, that might be something of a relief, as then I could let up on the manic pace...
#32: "The Amber Spyglass", by Philip Pullman (book seven from The List)
#33: "Eberron: Whispers of the Vampire's Blade", by David Noonan
#34: "Eberron: Eyes of the Lich Queen", by Stephen Schubert, Tim Hitchcock and Nicolas Logue
#35: "Krondor: Tear of the Gods", by Raymond E. Feist
#36: "Lords of the Bow", by Conn Iggulden
#37: "The Catcher in the Rye", by J.D. Salinger (book eight from The List)
#38: "Star Wars: The Unknown Regions", by Gary Astleford, Owen K.C. Stephens and Rodney Thompson
Those are all the books I read in May. I haven't as yet finished any books in June (currently reading "Life of Pi"). As can be seen, I'm well in hand on getting to my goal of 60 books, and on course to successfully read 20 from The List. If I were going for 100, I am about 3 books short of where I 'should' be, due to losing ground in April. That's not too terrible, provided I get at least nine books read in June... which doesn't look good. Although, frankly, that might be something of a relief, as then I could let up on the manic pace...
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Dunbar Highland Games
I stayed up until 12:15 on Thursday to watch the election. This maybe wasn't the best move, as I had to be up early for work on Friday. And then I had to get up a 4:30 yesterday to get ready for the competition. It's not much fun getting up at that time, and tends to knock your entire day for six.
Anyway, the bus had three pick-ups to do: firstly, two streets over from my flat, then at a primary school across town, and then across in Linlithgow to pick up the drummers. Naturally, I got on at the first stop (and so got my pick of the seats). By the third pick-up, I was suffering from a very unpleasant bout of travel sickness. (This was something of a shock, as I haven't suffered from travel sickness for years, exclusing when playing first-person shooters on the PC.)
We got to the competition site, and started to get ready. It was absolutely freezing. And then we went on and played, being the second band to perform in the entire day.
We were rubbish.
All last year, there have been four areas where the band have been lacking: bad starts and stops, poor phrasing of the tune, and bad blowing. So, when we went on, we had a bad start, phrased the tune badly, made loads of mistakes, suffered bad blowing, and then had a particularly poor stop. When we came off, the Pipe Major was absolutely livid, and with good reason.
We then had to wait for hours while the competition went on. The whole day was very cold, even in the sunshine. And it wasn't helped by knowing that the performance hadn't been good. I read some 300 pages of my latest book, which was good, but less than I had hoped. And then it was time to find out the results.
Surprisingly, we came 5th (7th in piping, 6th in drumming). In fact, we came joint 4th, but missed out on a prize on a "piping preference". Further, we were the best 4B band there. All in all, a bit of a shock. And, frankly, undeserved. Still, we'll take it.
The journey home was quiet, and mercifully quick. I got in, watched Doctor Who (alas, the weakest episode of the season thus far), and went to bed.
Next up is the Scottish Championships at Dumbarton. Should be interesting.
#31: "Pathfinder: Rivers Run Red", by Rob McCreary
Anyway, the bus had three pick-ups to do: firstly, two streets over from my flat, then at a primary school across town, and then across in Linlithgow to pick up the drummers. Naturally, I got on at the first stop (and so got my pick of the seats). By the third pick-up, I was suffering from a very unpleasant bout of travel sickness. (This was something of a shock, as I haven't suffered from travel sickness for years, exclusing when playing first-person shooters on the PC.)
We got to the competition site, and started to get ready. It was absolutely freezing. And then we went on and played, being the second band to perform in the entire day.
We were rubbish.
All last year, there have been four areas where the band have been lacking: bad starts and stops, poor phrasing of the tune, and bad blowing. So, when we went on, we had a bad start, phrased the tune badly, made loads of mistakes, suffered bad blowing, and then had a particularly poor stop. When we came off, the Pipe Major was absolutely livid, and with good reason.
We then had to wait for hours while the competition went on. The whole day was very cold, even in the sunshine. And it wasn't helped by knowing that the performance hadn't been good. I read some 300 pages of my latest book, which was good, but less than I had hoped. And then it was time to find out the results.
Surprisingly, we came 5th (7th in piping, 6th in drumming). In fact, we came joint 4th, but missed out on a prize on a "piping preference". Further, we were the best 4B band there. All in all, a bit of a shock. And, frankly, undeserved. Still, we'll take it.
The journey home was quiet, and mercifully quick. I got in, watched Doctor Who (alas, the weakest episode of the season thus far), and went to bed.
Next up is the Scottish Championships at Dumbarton. Should be interesting.
#31: "Pathfinder: Rivers Run Red", by Rob McCreary
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
My prediction
Labour to win, with a majority of 2 seats. I just have a feeling.
And with that, I'm going to say no more about the election (in any forum) until after we know the results. I've bored... someone... rather too much with it.
#29: "Hunter: the Vigil", from White Wolf Publishing
#30: "Eberron Campaign Setting", by Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, and James Wyatt
And with that, I'm going to say no more about the election (in any forum) until after we know the results. I've bored... someone... rather too much with it.
#29: "Hunter: the Vigil", from White Wolf Publishing
#30: "Eberron Campaign Setting", by Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, and James Wyatt
Friday, April 09, 2010
A door that won't stay closed
Way back, in days of yore, when I bought my very first D&D rulebook (the legendary "Red Box"), the store owner threw in a couple of little metal men with the box. Little did we know that this small act of kindness would have far reaching consequences...
Back in those days, D&D didn't require any sort of figures to play. Strictly speaking, it still doesn't, but with the two most recent versions the publishers have done their level best to change that - playing the game without some sort of token or other marker to track movement loses a lot. I don't really consider this an improvement.
However, back then, it was not long before we converted to the use of miniatures, a practice that would actually only last a couple of years before being discontinued as being too much hassle.
But in that time, I was hooked. See, the thing is that the miniatures are supplied unpainted, and so require a certain amount of time, effort, and skill to prepare for 'real' use. And I always found the process of actually painting the miniatures very restful, and a good relief of stress. The concentration and attention to detail required necessarily took my mind off of whatever issues had been bugging me, at least for a while.
(I was never a fan of the 'other' parts of the process. See, the miniatures also had to be cleaned up before painting, they sometimes needed assembled, and they also needed undercoating (and varnish afterwards). Still, those were necessary evils.)
And so, I found myself buying hundreds of the little guys, especially from Games Workshop. I always liked their miniatures, although I never got into their games. I found them unnecessarily complex (basic attacks required four rolls to resolve, when it should have been only one, and there were too many exceptions littered around), and the design was also cynically done to favour the person willing to spend the most money (the best figures were always the most expensive).
Eventually, I found myself with more than a hundred unpainted figures, and with progressively less time to paint. And I do so hate having things left undone...
In 2003, found myself unemployed for the first time, and for a number of months. During that time, I dedicated myself to getting the remaining figures painted. I wanted it done, and put away. And so, just after the New Year in 2004, I put the final coat onto the last outstanding figure, and put away my brushes.
For a while.
It seems that the itch never quite goes away. When I moved to Yeovil, I was involved (briefly) with a gaming group there. And one of their specialities was Warhammer 40,000. Naturally, all my figures were for the fantasy game, so I needed a new army to get involved. I duly bought a number of new figures, got some significant way though assembling them...
Then decided to leave Yeovil, and put them away.
Two years later, I was again briefly inspired to do some painting. This time, I was inclined to purchase a small number of 'adventurer' models to represent a new party. I bought them, cleaned them up, undercoated them... and then never quite got around to putting any paint on them.
Now, as I've mentioned, I don't like leaving things undone. And so, with a part of an army of Warhammer 40,000 Space Orks to paint, and a quintet of adventurers to paint, and two weeks of holiday, I thought to myself that I would do some painting. Why not, indeed?
And so, I dug out the various gear, and set to work cleaning up and assembling some of those Orks. And, in doing so, I found that my existing superglue had dried up (and my plastic glue was long-gone). "No problem," thought I. "I'll just pop round to the shop and get some more."
Fortunately, before I went I thought to check on my various paints. Were they still in useable condition?
Well, no. Turns out that every single pot of paint I own (and have carted the length of the country, twice) has dried out and become useless.
Truthfully, this isn't (or shouldn't be) a surprise - I haven't used them since 2004, after all. But, somehow, it was.
Anyway, I decided that my inspired state wasn't enough to persuade me to spend large amounts of money replacing lots and lots of paint (and glue, and, probably, brushes, and other tools and kit). So, I packed everything up again, threw out the paints, and considered this a sign that the door should remain closed.
Until next time, that is. After all, Reaper miniatures are about to release a new dragon 'miniature' that looks really nice...
#27: "Star Wars: Threats of the Galaxy", by Rodney Thompson and Robert J. Schwalb
#28: "Rebecca", by Daphne de Maurier (book six from The List)
Back in those days, D&D didn't require any sort of figures to play. Strictly speaking, it still doesn't, but with the two most recent versions the publishers have done their level best to change that - playing the game without some sort of token or other marker to track movement loses a lot. I don't really consider this an improvement.
However, back then, it was not long before we converted to the use of miniatures, a practice that would actually only last a couple of years before being discontinued as being too much hassle.
But in that time, I was hooked. See, the thing is that the miniatures are supplied unpainted, and so require a certain amount of time, effort, and skill to prepare for 'real' use. And I always found the process of actually painting the miniatures very restful, and a good relief of stress. The concentration and attention to detail required necessarily took my mind off of whatever issues had been bugging me, at least for a while.
(I was never a fan of the 'other' parts of the process. See, the miniatures also had to be cleaned up before painting, they sometimes needed assembled, and they also needed undercoating (and varnish afterwards). Still, those were necessary evils.)
And so, I found myself buying hundreds of the little guys, especially from Games Workshop. I always liked their miniatures, although I never got into their games. I found them unnecessarily complex (basic attacks required four rolls to resolve, when it should have been only one, and there were too many exceptions littered around), and the design was also cynically done to favour the person willing to spend the most money (the best figures were always the most expensive).
Eventually, I found myself with more than a hundred unpainted figures, and with progressively less time to paint. And I do so hate having things left undone...
In 2003, found myself unemployed for the first time, and for a number of months. During that time, I dedicated myself to getting the remaining figures painted. I wanted it done, and put away. And so, just after the New Year in 2004, I put the final coat onto the last outstanding figure, and put away my brushes.
For a while.
It seems that the itch never quite goes away. When I moved to Yeovil, I was involved (briefly) with a gaming group there. And one of their specialities was Warhammer 40,000. Naturally, all my figures were for the fantasy game, so I needed a new army to get involved. I duly bought a number of new figures, got some significant way though assembling them...
Then decided to leave Yeovil, and put them away.
Two years later, I was again briefly inspired to do some painting. This time, I was inclined to purchase a small number of 'adventurer' models to represent a new party. I bought them, cleaned them up, undercoated them... and then never quite got around to putting any paint on them.
Now, as I've mentioned, I don't like leaving things undone. And so, with a part of an army of Warhammer 40,000 Space Orks to paint, and a quintet of adventurers to paint, and two weeks of holiday, I thought to myself that I would do some painting. Why not, indeed?
And so, I dug out the various gear, and set to work cleaning up and assembling some of those Orks. And, in doing so, I found that my existing superglue had dried up (and my plastic glue was long-gone). "No problem," thought I. "I'll just pop round to the shop and get some more."
Fortunately, before I went I thought to check on my various paints. Were they still in useable condition?
Well, no. Turns out that every single pot of paint I own (and have carted the length of the country, twice) has dried out and become useless.
Truthfully, this isn't (or shouldn't be) a surprise - I haven't used them since 2004, after all. But, somehow, it was.
Anyway, I decided that my inspired state wasn't enough to persuade me to spend large amounts of money replacing lots and lots of paint (and glue, and, probably, brushes, and other tools and kit). So, I packed everything up again, threw out the paints, and considered this a sign that the door should remain closed.
Until next time, that is. After all, Reaper miniatures are about to release a new dragon 'miniature' that looks really nice...
#27: "Star Wars: Threats of the Galaxy", by Rodney Thompson and Robert J. Schwalb
#28: "Rebecca", by Daphne de Maurier (book six from The List)
Monday, April 05, 2010
Vote #2!
As you have probably realised, I am rather cynical, especially when it comes to politics. I've reached the point where I just despair at our choices.
In next month's election, we realistically have a choice of two parties: the Labour party or the Conservative party. There are a whole bunch of others, but none of these will get a look in. (There is a third realistic alternative, actually - we could have a hung parliament, in which case we'll get several years of a government that is paralysed and unable to act. Yay!)
Of course, I now consider that the Labour party have been progressively ruining the country for years, and intend to essentially carry on with more of the same should they win. The Tories, on the other hand, seem to stand for winning the election. And then? Well, who knows. Their main selling point would appear to be that they're "not Labour", but what they most definately are is the spiritual successors to the Thatcher and Blair governments that were so toxic.
Frankly, it's a shame they can't both lose.
Anyway, given that choice, I'm left looking for the best political good that could come out of my use of my vote, and I think I've found it.
One of the other things we know is that large numbers of our politicians (of all stripes) are corrupt. Large numbers of our politicians (of all stripes) are incompetent. And there are surely a bunch more who are only neither corrupt nor incompetent only because they haven't yet had a chance.
It strikes me that we should perhaps just vote out as many of the incumbents as possible, and get as close to a clean sweep as we can. And so, I think my voting intention this time, and the advice that I would give anyone who asks, is this: find out which party came second in your constituency last time, and vote for that party this time, because that's where there's the best chance of changing the representative.
Unfortunately, for me this would mean voting SNP (when I am strongly anti-independence). Also, since I live in a Labour seat and any loss aids the Tories, this also means I'd be effectively voting for David Cameron, which I really don't want to do.
Why can't they just all lose?
In next month's election, we realistically have a choice of two parties: the Labour party or the Conservative party. There are a whole bunch of others, but none of these will get a look in. (There is a third realistic alternative, actually - we could have a hung parliament, in which case we'll get several years of a government that is paralysed and unable to act. Yay!)
Of course, I now consider that the Labour party have been progressively ruining the country for years, and intend to essentially carry on with more of the same should they win. The Tories, on the other hand, seem to stand for winning the election. And then? Well, who knows. Their main selling point would appear to be that they're "not Labour", but what they most definately are is the spiritual successors to the Thatcher and Blair governments that were so toxic.
Frankly, it's a shame they can't both lose.
Anyway, given that choice, I'm left looking for the best political good that could come out of my use of my vote, and I think I've found it.
One of the other things we know is that large numbers of our politicians (of all stripes) are corrupt. Large numbers of our politicians (of all stripes) are incompetent. And there are surely a bunch more who are only neither corrupt nor incompetent only because they haven't yet had a chance.
It strikes me that we should perhaps just vote out as many of the incumbents as possible, and get as close to a clean sweep as we can. And so, I think my voting intention this time, and the advice that I would give anyone who asks, is this: find out which party came second in your constituency last time, and vote for that party this time, because that's where there's the best chance of changing the representative.
Unfortunately, for me this would mean voting SNP (when I am strongly anti-independence). Also, since I live in a Labour seat and any loss aids the Tories, this also means I'd be effectively voting for David Cameron, which I really don't want to do.
Why can't they just all lose?
A New Series Needed
Hmm, I don't seem to have updated here very much at all this year. A large part of this is due to being absurdly busy, but another part is a lack of anything much to talk about. Although, there are a few things about to kick off...
Anyway, one of the things that really helped me last year was my "Experimental Cookery" series, which gave me something to write about every week, even if there was nothing pressing. Since that has come to its end, there has been almost nothing.
So, I guess I need a new series, something to give me a topic for those times when I have nothing to write about. Any ideas?
#24: "Pathfinder: Classic Horrors Revisited", by James Jacobs, Rob McCreary and F. Wesley Schneider
#25: "Yes Man", by Danny Wallace (Very funny, if rather long-winded. Also, very different from the film.)
#26: "Pathfinder: Stolen Land", by Tim Hitchcock
Anyway, one of the things that really helped me last year was my "Experimental Cookery" series, which gave me something to write about every week, even if there was nothing pressing. Since that has come to its end, there has been almost nothing.
So, I guess I need a new series, something to give me a topic for those times when I have nothing to write about. Any ideas?
#24: "Pathfinder: Classic Horrors Revisited", by James Jacobs, Rob McCreary and F. Wesley Schneider
#25: "Yes Man", by Danny Wallace (Very funny, if rather long-winded. Also, very different from the film.)
#26: "Pathfinder: Stolen Land", by Tim Hitchcock
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Update on books
At this point, mostly I just wanted to update the log of books read so far. Given the rate at which I'm reading, and especially given the rate at which I'm updating the blog at the moment, it is quite difficult to keep track.
At the start of the year, I set myself a goal of 60 books for the year. This is starting to look comically light. I don't want to revise the target at this time, as I'm wary of taking on too much, but in the back of my mind there is a whisper of a new, higher, number.
The book of the year so far remains "Animal Farm", which was really quite astonishing. However, I did feel a little bad for both the exceptional "Fragile Things" by Neil Gaiman and, especially, for "The Children of Hurin" by Tolkien, both of which held that position for a matter of days before being superseded. Other books of note are "The Kite Runner", which was excellent until the last thirty pages or so, but which I didn't feel ended well, and "Wolf of the Plains", which was a much lighter read, but was very enjoyable for all that.
At the start of the year, I also said that I wanted to read twenty books from "The List". Thus far, I have read five ("Northern Lights", "The Subtle Knife", "Animal Farm", "The Kite Runner", and "Elric").
One of these days I intend to put The List up here, but not today. However, it is made up of four different lists: two "100 most popular" lists, one from the UK and one from the US, the legendary "Appendix N" from the 1st Edition "Dungeon Master's Guide" (much of which is rubbish, but some of which is simply fascinating - more on that at some later date), and the corresponding "Inspirational Reading" list from the new Pathfinder roleplaying game.
There is quite a lot of overlap between the "100 most popular" lists, and between the "Appendix N" and Pathfinder lists. There is almost no overlap between the "100 most popular" lists and the two roleplaying lists, except for J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm not particularly surprised by this.
#19: "Eberron: Grasp of the Emerald Claw", by Bruce R. Cordell
#20: "Elric", by Michael Moorcock (book five from The List)
#21: "Pathfinder: The Twice-Damned Prince", by Brian Cortijo and James Jacobs
#22: "Eberron: Voyage of the Golden Dragon", by Nicolas Logue
#23: "Wolf of the Plains", by Conn Iggulden
At the start of the year, I set myself a goal of 60 books for the year. This is starting to look comically light. I don't want to revise the target at this time, as I'm wary of taking on too much, but in the back of my mind there is a whisper of a new, higher, number.
The book of the year so far remains "Animal Farm", which was really quite astonishing. However, I did feel a little bad for both the exceptional "Fragile Things" by Neil Gaiman and, especially, for "The Children of Hurin" by Tolkien, both of which held that position for a matter of days before being superseded. Other books of note are "The Kite Runner", which was excellent until the last thirty pages or so, but which I didn't feel ended well, and "Wolf of the Plains", which was a much lighter read, but was very enjoyable for all that.
At the start of the year, I also said that I wanted to read twenty books from "The List". Thus far, I have read five ("Northern Lights", "The Subtle Knife", "Animal Farm", "The Kite Runner", and "Elric").
One of these days I intend to put The List up here, but not today. However, it is made up of four different lists: two "100 most popular" lists, one from the UK and one from the US, the legendary "Appendix N" from the 1st Edition "Dungeon Master's Guide" (much of which is rubbish, but some of which is simply fascinating - more on that at some later date), and the corresponding "Inspirational Reading" list from the new Pathfinder roleplaying game.
There is quite a lot of overlap between the "100 most popular" lists, and between the "Appendix N" and Pathfinder lists. There is almost no overlap between the "100 most popular" lists and the two roleplaying lists, except for J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm not particularly surprised by this.
#19: "Eberron: Grasp of the Emerald Claw", by Bruce R. Cordell
#20: "Elric", by Michael Moorcock (book five from The List)
#21: "Pathfinder: The Twice-Damned Prince", by Brian Cortijo and James Jacobs
#22: "Eberron: Voyage of the Golden Dragon", by Nicolas Logue
#23: "Wolf of the Plains", by Conn Iggulden
Monday, March 08, 2010
Typical...
It is of course absolutely typical that I wrote a blog post explaining why I was too busy to update the blog, only to decide I wasn't happy with it, take it down, and then find I was too busy to ever get back to revise the post.
Anyway, in the meantime, that post has become almost entirely redundant, as the vast majority of what it says is now no longer true. The basic thrust was that, around the start of February, I took stock of all the various elements of my life, and decided that there wasn't even a single one that was quite right. Several of them were close, and some others easily fixed (which is not quite the same thing), but there was nothing that was quite there.
And so, I set out a bunch of resolutions to sort out the mess, which formed the content of the deleted post. (However, most of them dealt with work matters, hence my dissatisfaction with the post.)
Over the past several weeks, the various elements have now been sorted out, so that I am mostly happy with the way things have been going recently. Unfortunately, there has been a cost to all this: in order to get everything going again, I have had push things really hard. The consequence, quite apart from not being able to update the blog, is that I have been really tired all the time. Indeed, it has been so bad that for the past several weeks I have reached Friday and just stopped. There has been nothing left in the tank, so to speak. (Of course, by Monday I was invariably quite recovered, and ready for another punishing week of work.)
So, something has had to give. And so, gradually, the various resolutions have slipped away, one by one, until only a few remain intact. And those will basically be going soon. (Still, I'm not sure that matters - they served to solve a short-term problem, and perhaps that is enough?)
It has also become clear that I'm simply doing too much. The current rate is unsustainable, and something will have to be dropped. Fortunately, this is an easy choice: my Spanish course is coming to its natural end next Wednesday. Still, I find myself wondering if that is enough, especially as there are other things I would like to be doing, but have neither the time nor the energy.
So, anyway, that's what's been going on with that "Coming Soon" post for the last several weeks.
#16: "Hot Pursuit", by Corey Reid
#17: "Shadows of the Last War", by Keith Baker
#18: "The Kite Runner", by Khaled Hosseini (another book from The List)
Anyway, in the meantime, that post has become almost entirely redundant, as the vast majority of what it says is now no longer true. The basic thrust was that, around the start of February, I took stock of all the various elements of my life, and decided that there wasn't even a single one that was quite right. Several of them were close, and some others easily fixed (which is not quite the same thing), but there was nothing that was quite there.
And so, I set out a bunch of resolutions to sort out the mess, which formed the content of the deleted post. (However, most of them dealt with work matters, hence my dissatisfaction with the post.)
Over the past several weeks, the various elements have now been sorted out, so that I am mostly happy with the way things have been going recently. Unfortunately, there has been a cost to all this: in order to get everything going again, I have had push things really hard. The consequence, quite apart from not being able to update the blog, is that I have been really tired all the time. Indeed, it has been so bad that for the past several weeks I have reached Friday and just stopped. There has been nothing left in the tank, so to speak. (Of course, by Monday I was invariably quite recovered, and ready for another punishing week of work.)
So, something has had to give. And so, gradually, the various resolutions have slipped away, one by one, until only a few remain intact. And those will basically be going soon. (Still, I'm not sure that matters - they served to solve a short-term problem, and perhaps that is enough?)
It has also become clear that I'm simply doing too much. The current rate is unsustainable, and something will have to be dropped. Fortunately, this is an easy choice: my Spanish course is coming to its natural end next Wednesday. Still, I find myself wondering if that is enough, especially as there are other things I would like to be doing, but have neither the time nor the energy.
So, anyway, that's what's been going on with that "Coming Soon" post for the last several weeks.
#16: "Hot Pursuit", by Corey Reid
#17: "Shadows of the Last War", by Keith Baker
#18: "The Kite Runner", by Khaled Hosseini (another book from The List)
Friday, February 26, 2010
(Not) Coming soon...
I've taken down the first draft of this post for redrafting. I'm just not happy with it.
#9: "Pathfinder: Mother of Flies", by Greg A. Vaughan
#10: "Star Wars: Scum and Villainy", by Gary Astleford, Robert J. Schwalb, Owen K.C. Stephens, Rodney Thompson and JD Wiker
#11: "Children of Hurin", by JRR Tolkien (excellent novel, by the way, and yet it was only the "best of the year" for about a week.
#12: "Fragile Things", by Neil Gaiman
#13: "Animal Farm", by George Orwell, which is now the reigning "best of the year" (oh, yes, and it's the second book from my List)
#14: "Star Wars: Galaxy of Intrigue", by Rodney Thompson, Gary Astleford and Eric Cagle
#15: "The Subtle Knife", by Philip Pullman (book 3 from the List)
#9: "Pathfinder: Mother of Flies", by Greg A. Vaughan
#10: "Star Wars: Scum and Villainy", by Gary Astleford, Robert J. Schwalb, Owen K.C. Stephens, Rodney Thompson and JD Wiker
#11: "Children of Hurin", by JRR Tolkien (excellent novel, by the way, and yet it was only the "best of the year" for about a week.
#12: "Fragile Things", by Neil Gaiman
#13: "Animal Farm", by George Orwell, which is now the reigning "best of the year" (oh, yes, and it's the second book from my List)
#14: "Star Wars: Galaxy of Intrigue", by Rodney Thompson, Gary Astleford and Eric Cagle
#15: "The Subtle Knife", by Philip Pullman (book 3 from the List)
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
The Man Card at Risk
If you are of a newvous disposition look away now, for I have a tale to tell that will shrivel the soul of any Man who dares read it...
Dinner tonight was burgers. Specifically, home-made burgers. Yum yum. Of course, burgers, being decidely a Man Food, should always be accompanied with all the appropriate condiments. And so, there was the Red Sauce (none of this 'ketchup' nonsense), the Mustard, the Onion... and, critically, the gherkins. Now, I don't particularly care for gherkins. I can take them or leave them. But for the Man Food homemade burgers, they represent a crucial ingredient.
Plus, they come in a jar, which makes them inherently Manly.
I gathered the ingredients, I chopped the onion, made ready the red sauce and the mustard, and then I turned to the jar of gherkins...
And, to my horror I found that I could not open the jar! Twist, strain, press, and grimace as I might, that damn lid just would not shift. Even as my wrist started to ache with the strain, it didn't budge at all. Sheepishly, I put the jar back in the cupboard, unopened.
As can be imagined, this was a true horror come to life. After all, the key marker of a true Man is the ability to open jars. Where would we be without that crucial skill? If I were to be so bowed and beaten, would I have to start liking "Mamma Mia"? Would I have to start wearing matching socks? Where would the madness end?
No! This cannot be! There is a line that must be drawn, and that line must be drawn here. This far, no further!
Inspired by the words of Picard, I reached once more for the jar. This time, things would be different! And different they were, for just as I heard the sickening pop of my shoulder exploding, so too did the lid of the jar release! The Man Card was safe after all!
Huzzah!
#8: "Northern Lights", by Philip Pullman (the first book from my List)
Dinner tonight was burgers. Specifically, home-made burgers. Yum yum. Of course, burgers, being decidely a Man Food, should always be accompanied with all the appropriate condiments. And so, there was the Red Sauce (none of this 'ketchup' nonsense), the Mustard, the Onion... and, critically, the gherkins. Now, I don't particularly care for gherkins. I can take them or leave them. But for the Man Food homemade burgers, they represent a crucial ingredient.
Plus, they come in a jar, which makes them inherently Manly.
I gathered the ingredients, I chopped the onion, made ready the red sauce and the mustard, and then I turned to the jar of gherkins...
And, to my horror I found that I could not open the jar! Twist, strain, press, and grimace as I might, that damn lid just would not shift. Even as my wrist started to ache with the strain, it didn't budge at all. Sheepishly, I put the jar back in the cupboard, unopened.
As can be imagined, this was a true horror come to life. After all, the key marker of a true Man is the ability to open jars. Where would we be without that crucial skill? If I were to be so bowed and beaten, would I have to start liking "Mamma Mia"? Would I have to start wearing matching socks? Where would the madness end?
No! This cannot be! There is a line that must be drawn, and that line must be drawn here. This far, no further!
Inspired by the words of Picard, I reached once more for the jar. This time, things would be different! And different they were, for just as I heard the sickening pop of my shoulder exploding, so too did the lid of the jar release! The Man Card was safe after all!
Huzzah!
#8: "Northern Lights", by Philip Pullman (the first book from my List)
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