ATTN: @hulcricket.bsky.social

Preview for tomorrow:

Tonight my wife took me out for a giant burrito and The Princess Bride on retro movie night at the theater. She is a keeper.

When my then-fiancée moved in, she insisted on waiting 5 minutes to cut pizza after it comes out of the oven. It's silly, but I love her, so I acquiesced. Anyway, it's been several years since I last burnt the roof of my mouth.

I do not care about drafts. Let me schedule skeets so I don't have to remember *on* March 31st to post this.

Caught up on Dunk & Egg, then my wife asked me to refresh her on some setting details. That led to a winding explanation, eventually leading to Jenny of Oldstones and Jenny's Song. I don't know how it took me until now to realize how long the lyric "from winter to summer then winter again" implies.

Mystery Men

Just confirmed, my nephew is going to play D2 CFB. Southwest Baptist in Missouri.

My wife and I swapped some leftovers with friends this week, pot roast for chicken and noodles. That was a great idea. The pot roast made way too much for us, and this way we didn't have so much that we got tired of it, and we got great leftovers in return. 10/10, would recommend.

Anyone have a favorite store-bought salsa verde? I'm making carnitas for a dinner party Saturday.

Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42. Post the second sentence. cellophane Formerly a trademark, now a generic term.

Here's my latest completed model for D&D, an NPC for my Kingmaker campaign. Built from the Frostgrave Wizards and Wizards II kits, made by @northstarfigs.bsky.social. The mold line on the left arm bothers me a little in this closeup, but it's not nearly as noticeable IRL.

It is neither the river I grew up closest to (the Little Blue), nor the river nearest where I feel at home now (the Arkansas, pronounced "Arkansas," but the Kansas River is still my home river.

No leftovers in the fridge today, so what should I get for lunch?

I remember very little, because I only did character creation and 1 game session. I think it was 2E, because it was around 2001 but different than when I got into D&D again during 3.0. He was a human fighter, and I remember I got a nat 18 for strength and rolled for "exceptional strength."

No new pictures Where are you mentally?

"Yikes" doesn't begin to cover it.

Post a random phone number 776-5577

I'm supportive of college players being able to get paid. But contracts are the way you do that, and contracts are a two-way street.

I don't think I was technically ejected, but as my friends took me out of Faurot Field after I puked in the stands before the 2002 K-State/Mizzou game, a stadium worker did say, "Yeah, he needs to leave."

made soup

makin soup

My first finished models of the new year: a pair of D&D trolls, I think from @wizkids.bsky.social.

The main event of last night's D&D game was the players fighting a unique roc (a fucking enormous bird) on a mountaintop. The players went in with a pretty decent plan: trap the thing in a giant net. The roc only needed a 2 on its strength check to break out of the net, but it still took an action.

I am on pace to play Dungeons & Dragons more than 240 times this year. #onpaceguy

My wife is so excited about receiving hand-me-down Fiesta dishes (in cobalt blue) that we have scheduled carnitas night with friends. I am not complaining.

"Our Lips Are Sealed" and "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" are just plain fun. "Sabotage" feels like it was a ton of fun to make. "Take On Me" and "Here It Goes Again" took big commitments and paid off. And "Bitch Better Have My Money" is a story told very well.

I guess I can make some New Year's resolutions for 2026. I'll post them as I think of them today, starting with: I resolve to get in good enough shape, and to support my wife in the same, that we are not miserable while or after hiking up Yr Wyddfa in April, and to stay in shape afterward.

"Where the fuck was Gondor when the Westfold fell?!"

My wife is running a D&D one-shot for her nieces and nephew (ages 6-16), and the villain is a baker who stole a magical amulet so he can bake the best banana bread. His name is The Banana Man.

Held a cat.

"And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die ..."

Gifts are opened, and the nieces and nephew are building LEGO sets.

Bar pizza and a (truly delicious) old fashioned for Christmas Eve dinner. 5 stars.

We were driving in fog for at least 7 hours today.

Foggggggggg

In-laws are asking about maybe running a D&D game for the family at Christmas this year. Sounds fun, but I have basically very little time to plan before hitting the road tomorrow.

High-level D&D campaign idea: "101 Damnations"

Current conditions outside at 12:18 p.m. IT FUCKEN WIMDY

The light was just right when my wife got home from work today, so she took some glamour shots of Pumpkin on our porch. Pumpkin was surprisingly cooperative for the most part.

I had one heck of a weekend. Friday night: dinner with friends. Saturday: making beef jerky for Dad's Christmas present. Saturday night: D&D night. Sunday: helping Michelle with Christmas cookies. Sunday night: stay-at-home date night of a nice steak dinner and watching "Wake Up Dead Man."

Look at what we have lost.

It was my first car, a 1977 Pontiac Catalina, gold with a cream-colored top and only 60,000 miles on it despite being 22 years old when I got it shortly after getting my restricted license. I drove it my sophomore and junior years of high school. It still ran OK when I traded it in.

Update: We found Pumpkin! She had gotten herself into a fire-damaged, vacant house and couldn't get out on her own. We were able to get her out with help from the non-profit repairing the house.

Pumpkin has gone missing, and I'm worried about her. We haven't seen her since Saturday evening, and she hasn't touched her breakfast from yesterday. We went looking for her in the neighborhood several times yesterday, called the animal shelter, posted her on the lost-and-found pets page.

Between illness and niblings spending Thanksgiving with new S.O.s, we only had 8/13 for my family Thanksgiving today, but it was still very nice to host. The meal came together well and was good, everyone got along well, and we didn't trip any circuit breakers this time around.

"Darling." A sincere "Darling" really hits the spot sometimes.