The Best Bits of Life

Between a lame camera phone and absolutely no skill...

So Long, Gary!

Gary Gygax passed away Tuesday morning. For those of you who might not know, Gygax was the co-creator of a game called Dungeons and Dragons. His name graces all of the 1st edition core books, back when the game was Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.

There are a handful of events that strongly shaped who I am today. One of them is D&D. D&D introduced a science fiction geek to the world of fantasy (and through that to the works of Tolkien and Lewis, as well as Moorcock, Kurtz, Leiber, Aspirin, and many, many others). D&D also provided a social locus for my high school friends and I. We did a lot more together than just play a game, but the game provided a point of contact.

I never got around to going to a convention and meeting Gygax. I had always meant to, to thank him for making a phenomenal game, for giving me some of the best friends of my life, but, good intentions...

I've read articles by him and interviews with him. He was one of us. A sixty-nine year old geek. Still rolling dice and kicking kobold butt. And for me, the world is a little less fun knowing that he's gone. My prayers and sympathy go up for his family and friends.

So Long, Larry!

Every Christian I know has people who helped them grow when they were young in the faith. Some of those people you know personally, and you form very close bonds of love with them. Others you know through their books, others through their songs.

When I was a young whippersnapper, moving from a religiously varnished humanism to a deeper relationship with my Creator and Redeemer, one voice that spoke to me through the headphones on my Sony Walkman was Larry Norman. Larry was one of the early of the so-called "Contemporary Christian musicians." His music moved my feet, and his lyrics moved my heart. I spent, literally, hundreds of hours listening to Larry, stopping the music to pray or reflect on something, and then hitting "play" and going back to some strange blend of worship and entertainment.

Larry has been sick for a long time, including some serious heart problems (which is weird, because no one can say the guy didn't have a big heart). Anyway, Larry has gone on to sing for his Lord in a face-to-face kind of way, or, more prosaically, he died, last Monday. He's undoubtedly happy, jamming out with the heavenly band. But, as is typical of us fallen people on this side of the vale, we're faced with loss and more than a bit of sadness. I'm not a huge fan of "Christian" music, but Larry's music truly brought me into a state of mind where I realized I was a fallen human living by the grace of a wonderful God. God bless, Larry, I hope I'll see you in Heaven.

More Than You Want To Know

Someone bulletined me this on myspace. Since I rarely use MySpace, I'm posting my answers here (sorry...)

1. Do you eat a lot of fast food?
Yes, quickly

2. Can you execute an acceptable cartwheel?
No

3. Have you kissed anyone in 2008?
Sure, I've kissed some one every year I've been alive.

4. Were you happy when you woke up today?
Always happy to wake up

5. Have you ever streaked?
In real life?

6. Are you an understanding person?
No. Not at all.

7. What was the last movie you saw in theaters?
The Chipmunks

8. Did you pray before you went to bed last night?
Yes

9. What did you last get upset about?
Filling out Internet surveys

10. Do you eat candy on a daily basis?
No

11. Who were the last ten different people to comment you?
How should I know?

12. Does it make you happy to get letters in the mail?
Duh!

13. Who was the last person you hugged?
Kara

14. What are you looking forward to this summer?
Outdoor slacking

15. Who was the last person you ate with?
Me

16. Besides your mouth, where is your favorite spot to get kissed?
n/a

17. Do raisins belong in cookies?
No

19. Walking into a party, what's the first thing you notice?
Who's wearing yellow socks

20. Are you currently taking a science class in school?
No

21. You've just won a free vacation to either South America or North Korea.
South America

23. Would you rather have chicken or steak?
Steak

24. Why did you kiss the last person you kissed?
For money

25. What's one thing you've learned from a good friendship gone bad?
Trust no one

26. Who was the last person you took a picture of?
Myself

27. How often do you see your exes?
Every other weekend

28. Who was the last baby you held?
Couldn't tell you...

29. Would you ever donate blood?
Yes

30. How many snack machines are in your school?
Not enough

32. Are there deer heads covering any walls in your house?
Deer? No.

33. Do you believe in karma?
Sort of

34. Have you ever been asked out?
Yes

35. What did you do on the last day of school?
There's a last day for school?!?

36. Are you good at telling jokes?
No (can't you tell?)

37. Have you ever driven without a license?
No

38. The person you're in love with moves across the world, what do you do?
Blow up the world

39. How is your ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend doing?
Depends on which one we're talking about

40. Do you wish you had smaller feet?
No (but hairer and tougher, like a hobbit, that'd be cool)

41. Have you ever had a best friend who was of the opposite sex?
Sure

42. Do you wear your seatbelt?
Yes, just not to bed

43. When ordering sushi, what do you get?
Nothing, much like when ordering elf tongue

44. How many of your friends have seen you naked?
More than I'm comfortable with

45. Do you write in cursive or in print?
Both (I *did* graduate from grade school, you know!)

46. Would you rather have a boyfriend/girlfriend, or friends with benefits?
A non-world-conquering AI would be fine

47. Who was the last person you sat next to?
The spirit of a dead Viking (I don't speak Old Norse, so the conversation went nowhere)

48. What were you doing at 10 am?
Working

49. Are you different now than you were six months ago?
No, I never change. Ever.

50. What was the last beverage you spilled on yourself?
Water