Category Archives: Blog
The Steamy Motor City Affair
The author with Sarah Hans, author, editor, and all-around snazzy dresser I just returned from Motor City Steam Con in Livonia, Michigan, and man, are my gears tired. Motor City Steam is a first-year convention with a Steampunk theme. This was my first time taking my enthusiasm for Steampunk out of state, and I wasn’t […]
Read MoreA Mini Odyssey
I freely admit that I’m a baseball fan. Every spring I look over a few baseball schedules and pick out a couple of games I’d like to see, and drop a note to a few buddies of mine who share a passion for the game — or at least a passing interest and a passion […]
Read MoreMore Cowbell
The last few weeks have been illuminating for me, blog-wise. Two of my recent, marginally political blog posts — on controversy over GenCon’s Industry Insider Program and on the Carl Brandon Society — went viral, drawing in a vast number of viewers (far more than I’m used to, anyway) while several posts pertaining to my […]
Read MoreFor The Birds
I’ve been a birdwatcher since I was 10 or 12; what got me started was the year when Evening Grosbeaks — colorful seed-eaters mostly found north of the U.S.-Canada border — moved south in search of food and a few found their way to our next-door neighbor’s feeder. After that, I was hooked. My brother […]
Read MoreWho The Hell Is Carl Brandon?
Carl Brandon’s story is an interesting one, and needs a little explaining. Back in the 1950s, several white fanzine fans were looking around at science fiction conventions and realizing there were no Fans of Color that they knew of. Fanwriters (at that time) Peter Graham and the late Terry Carr suggested that perhaps one should […]
Read MoreSomething To Remember Them By
My parents passed away over the last few years — my dad in January of 2011, and my mom in late July of 2013. Both lived into their late 80s, so they both had a good, long run at life. The last house they owned was a large, unattractive brick structure that was among the […]
Read MoreSummer Game Recommendations
It’s nearly summertime, and that means summer vacations are a thing many people have to contend with. Fear not! I have a few recommendations for good, portable games to help the summer hours pass in entertaining fashion. These are games that kids will enjoy, but that will also keep adults amused for hours on end. […]
Read MoreControversy Over GenCon’s Industry Insider List
Gen Con recently announced the selections for it’s Industry Insider Program for 2016. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate the Industry Insider committee for a doing a great job of bringing greater diversity to the program. I was part of the program in 2015, and was grateful for having had the honor. I […]
Read MoreRiding Shotgun With The Law (Part 2 of 2)
After what seemed like hours of tense waiting, Officer Chris Marzullo comes out of the burgled house, waving me over. He explains that we’ll wait for me to go in until officers en route have a chance to go over the scene for evidence. Frankly, I’m surprised they would let me into a crime scene […]
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