AWOL

So you might have been wondering where I've been the last - my god has it really been a month?  Or not.  Maybe both my readers were glad to not have to endure my bad jokes and warmed over gaming news (sprinkled with the odd review here and there, plus some hobby stuff).  I can see you going 'damn, he's at it again!' - but then if you really felt that way you wouldn't be reading this, would you.

I'd like to be able to tell you the exciting exploits I have had lately, the exotic places I've been, the exciting people I've met.  I'd like to thrill you with tales of adventure, interspersed with sneak peaks of new models that make you want to drool and throw money at the manufacturer.  I'd like to have any good reason for where I've been.  I really would.

Unfortunately I can't.  Not because of any REDACTED REDACTED or REDACTED, nor due to any NDA I may or may not have signed.  I can't because there aren't any.  No adventures, no travel, no excitement.  No sneak peaks, no new information, no anything.  Especially no ideas.

Nothing

Nada

Blank

I've been doing this for over four and a half years now.  I have written over 500 posts since I started (and backfilled over 150 more from other forums).  And, at least temporarily, the well of ideas ran dry.

I've tried to always have a few things on the back burner that I could use in a pinch.   Well those got used up as well.  I wish I could say I took a relaxing vacation from this to take a break and get my creative juices flowing again.  Recharge the batteries as it were.  But no, I did not go a day where I wasn't thinking about this, and that I had nothing to write about.  Each deadline slipped by, and suddenly I realized it had been a  month since I had posted anything.

I honestly wondered if this were it, if I were done.

Back when I was in school (not quite the days of stone tablets, but typewriters and mimeograph machines) for absolutely no reason at all, I started writing poetry.  Really crappy, teenage, angst filled poetry.  In the middle of Biology class no less.  I wrote poetry for seven years.  I took creative writing in college 4 times (3 times for no credit, as I got an 'A' the first time).  My poetry got better - I actually wrote some I am still fond of (and realized just how horribly bad the vast majority of it was).  I had some published (in the college literary magazine).  And by my senior year of college, I managed to barely turn in my assignments, and with the last assignment, I was done.  I had worked out whatever it was that drove me to attempt to be a poet and completely exorcised it.  I have not written any poetry since then.  Now that I think about it, I started that close to 40 years ago now (yes, I'm older than dirt!)

During this past month that thought, that maybe I was simply done with this, occurred to me as I was on my daily walk with the dogs (they aren't very good conversationalists, so it gives me lots of time (sometimes too much) to think).  But I also realized that even if I don't do poetry, I have done some type of writing in spurts since then.  I almost filled a journal (and boy is that scary to look back at!).  I had done various hobby blogs on forums (not moved here).  And I had written an annual Christmas letter that got praises every year from friends and family.

Then I got lucky.  I got a shipping notice - and yesterday (I'm writing this Sunday evening) my 2nd wave of the Hellboy kickstarter arrived - and I suddenly had at least one thing to write about.  (Ok, two actually, as I had added the Wild Hunt expansion as well).  So I took some pictures, cleaned them up (well at least cropped out a lot of the excess crap from them), and am getting ready to write about them.  And as I finishes this up, I get an email saying that my shipment from the latest kickstarter from THMiniatures is processing - so that should be here soon (and you know how I like terrain).

I'm hoping this will kick start my creativity again.  I have been doing a little hobby stuff (though nothing is finished).  And while I seem to be getting the least amount of information about the upcoming 3rd edition of Kings of War (compared at least to all the people I play with), that should be dropping in about three weeks, and I'll then have quite a bit to write about (along with every other player).

So no guarantees, but I'm back for at least a little while.

You have been warned.

Because it is all fun and games . . .