Category Archives: Lucky Creature

My Illogicon Schedule

Excited to be a guest again at Illogicon in Cary, NC. I’m on two panels there this weekend both on Sunday.
First I’m hosting a sketchcard workshop open to all skill levels on Sunday at 1100am. All participants will be given at least one sketch card and plastic case and have a chance to make a sketch card for themselves.
I’m also on The Sporting Geek panel where us Geeks will be talking about Sports at 1pm . LOL.
See everyone in Cary this weekend.

The Companions

imageI started my long journey with R. A. Salvatore’s Drizzt books over twenty years ago. I was 13 browsing in a Barnes & Noble waiting for ice hockey practice to start. Something about the cover for Homeland drew me in and before I knew it was asking for books instead of other entertainment. My readership changed over the years as I grew older and I missed many Drizzt stories during my college years. I returned to the series when I opened a little used book store in Easthampton, Ma.

Reading the books at an older age showed me all the layers of storytelling I most likely missed as a teenage boy. I reread everything and caught up with all the books I missed.

Im torn with the Companions as it feels like a comic book reboot. We are getting major characters back which I’m sure will lead to great adventures but as a reader who had 20 years invested in these stories it does lessen the impact I felt as a reader when we lost those characters the first time around. Not sure how I will reread Cattiebrie, Regis, and Bruenors death again and not feel a little cheated.

Im glad the Companions of the Hall are reunited and can’t wait to read their adventures, but not sure I will ever have the same emotional investment now that they , like comic book characters, can cheat death.

Enjoy the day

2014 has been a wild one. Welcoming our son Milo to the world is the highlight of course and brings an amazing perspective and experience to my life everyday. I kind of knew he would change my life and made plans early to prepare for that. I eliminated con-news before the end of last year knowing that I wouldn’t have time for it with the changes. It forced me to slow down. I miss it at times and my participation in fandom events has slowed as a result but not in a negative way. I do miss wandering the hotel hallways late at night going to just one more panel or bumping into a friend waiting for an event. I don’t miss the
lines and I don’t miss the constant booking of hotel rooms and getting my registration in on time.
I do feel like in certain areas my fandom has been renewed by taking time away. I get excited now at the toy aisle of stores. I was numb to them before as I saw the same products every week in a different dealers room. I also don’t hesitate to buy art I like right now as that has also been less accessible. I enjoy genre television just the same whether I saw the actor on a panel or not. But I think the biggest change has been taking it one day at a time. I don’t plan much too far out as I don’t know what Milo will be ready for and when. It actually takes so much stress off and is pretty nice to see where the day will take me. I hope to one day share some of the experiences I had with fandom with him but excited to see it more through his eyes than to get back what I enjoyed. Until then, I go to work, come home to my awesome family and enjoy the day.