04 JAN 2004

   Oh God, I'm glad that year is over.   Completely hellish... overworked... distraught... which explains why I haven't updated as often as I'd like.

    First of all... NEW CHAPTER IN DENOUMENT!   I've been working on this damned thing off and on for months and it's finally turned out how I want it.  I threw in another twist for anyone who is still keeping up.  Sorry to all those who really wanted me to get cracking on it (Matt, K, all my dawgs out there in the wide world) but I finally took some time and got it through.

    Second... I've arranged to be less busy less semester.  I am actually going to allocate time to write and draw and do the fun things I need to do to keep from zombifying.  Not fun, that.

    Also, more compyart in the aircraft, scenes, and mecha.

    I'm slowly but surely working on a replacement for the BattleTech section.  New and improved pictures and format.

09 JAN 2004

   Well, I've finally delivered on my promise... NEW BATTLETECH SECTION!  ALL NEW PICTURES!  ALL NEW DESIGN!  NEW IS BETTER!   YAAAAAAHHHHHH!

25 MAY 2004

   Okay, this is just sad.  It's May and this is my third update this year.  *sigh*  It's mostly due to how difficult things have been over the past semester... which was planned to be easier... yeah.  Sorry to anyone who was expecting something.  Over the summer I plan on looking over my novel a bit more and probably revising the link section (as I know I haven't looked over that for a good year or so).
    Still, it hasn't been a total loss.  There is quite a bit more computer generated art to show for it.

20 JUN 2004

   Yay, an update:  A new Battletech design (yeah, I know, it's been a while) based off the venerable Space: Above And Beyond "Hammerhead" aerospace fighter.

24 JUN 2004

   Maybe I'm actually getting back into the swing of things.  New chapter in Denoument done; I've got the next done but not up and I'll write the next tomorrow even if NS needs me.  So ha.  Also, I've got a new Gmail account that I'm going to use instead of my old MSN or current SLU accounts... so use it!

07 JUL 2004

   Yup, another chapter in Denoument.  Less of the whiny philosophical jive and more of the spacedy violence; I figure you people should enjoy something like that.  Man, when I started writing that, it was just supposed to be stupid spacedy fluff like the Honor Harrington series is... but, let me recommend something:  Rather than read Weber try to force flat-thinking His Majesty's Royal Navy tactics on the three-dimensional battlespace, just read Horatio Hornblower instead.  Trust me on this one.  It'll work better.
    Not to mention Hornblower's ride doesn't look like the good ol' double-glans of Harrington (if you don't get the reference, brush up on your basic anatomy).

11 JUL 2004

    Something different for a change... rewrite of an oldie, actually.  Going back through some of my old sci-fi writing, I discovered that "Remember the Maine" was just... well... embarrassing.  Well, now it's better with an OMFG SUPER SPECIAL 2004 DIRECTOR'S CUT EDITION!  Actually, I just rewrote it with all the skillz that five years of additional experience supplies... now that I'm 33% older now than I was when it was written, I'd say it's improved greatly.
    There would be another chapter to Denoument but my writing time was disrupted by the need to Live For Others At A Moment's Notice (TM) which, while it's starting to get really old, is really the only basis I have for any sort of estimation of success or moral vindication in my life so oh well.

16 JUL 2004

    It's been a productive week, novel-wise.  I've actually got up to a bit of Chapter 20 done, but you only get to see Chapter 17 for now (nyaah) so this can establish a sort of buffer.  I fiddled lightly with the "About Me" to fix up some information, and so now all is working out pretty well.
    Looking over my computer, I see that I went through TR:3025 and made all the vehicles on it in .bmp format.  I may save them as .gif, .zip 'em, and put 'em on the site for all you BTech heads out there.  I've also done that for all the basic aircraft in Crimson Skies (in glorious 2.5D!) and am pondering it for BattleSpace.  It would be a good, simple task to keep me productive.
    Another suggestion I've received is that I put in a guestbook.  I snatched some php code from someone kind enough to open-source it; I'll fiddle with it over the next week and see what I can do with it.
    Oh:  For all you worried, Stargate: Atlantis shows promise.  I know, I know, so did Enterprise, but this could turn out.  We'll see as it progresses through the season... HOLY CRAP I MOVE INTO MY APARTMENT ON A FRIDAY OMG NOES MUST BE DONE IN TIME FOR STARGATE RAWR.  Okay, that's out of the system.

07 SEP 2004

    Yay for college, neh?  Oh well.  I'm back, still battling Herr Doktor Manor, and generally having a good time.
    Yes, I have been holding out on all of you.  THREE more chapters to Denoument.  Must remember to write more next Tuesday.  Also, more compyart complete with something I've been sitting on for a while: the I Want To Believe collection.  Simple, perhaps even simplistic, but, hey, it's the closest I get to real art in images.
    Oh... and a big shout out to some friends out in http://www.air-power.us -- TAKE THE FIGHT TO HERR DOKTOR!
    And seeing how I have a booing section for some reason, I have to give them something to work with... so... here goes:

THE ORDER OF THE SERAPHIM ARE A BUNCH OF P-P-P-P-P...

THE ORDER OF THE SERAPHIM ARE A BUNCH OF PHUH... P-P-PFFUH...

THE ORDER OF THE SERAPHIM ARE A BUNCH OF (hang on with me here people) P-P-P-P-PBFUSSIES.

    That will just have to do.  Ch'rowl Sketch and Silent Barbara, ch'rowl them up their stupid pigu.  Hurrah for being petty... I can just see it now.  They'll get on their boards and complain about me even more... played like harps.  Fiddles, even.  Sweet sweet ho-down music while Rome burns.

17 SEP 2004

    So, has everyone been behaving?  I sure hope so.  Another chapter in Denoument up.  This one would be one o' dems "turning points" that you may or may not have been expecting, depending how closely you've been paying attention!  The evidence is there... all that remains is for you to put it together!

31 OCT 2004

ELECTION WEEK SPECIAL!

    Time for some classic political humor.

POLITICIANS:  AN APOLOGY

We would like to apologize for the way
in which politicians are represented in
this website.  It was never our intention
to imply that politicians are weak-kneed
political time-servers who are concerned
more with their personal vendettas and
private power struggles than the
problems of government, nor to suggest
at any point that they sacrifice their
credibility by denying free debate on
vital matters in the mistaken impression
that party unity comes before the well-
being of the people they supposedly
represent nor to imply at any stage that
they are squabbling little toadies without
an ounce of concern for the vital social
problems of today.  Nor indeed do we
intend that visitors should consider
them as crabby ulcerous little self-
seeking vermin with furry legs and an
excessive addiction to alcohol and
certain explicit sexual practices which
some people might find offensive.

We are sorry if this impression has come across.

    Verbatim, with very minor contextual changes, from Episode #32 of Monty Python's Flying Circus (The War on Pornography).  The more things change...

GOOFUS OR DOOFUS 2004
SUCKS TO BE US, NO MATTER WHAT

09 NOV 2004

    Well, seems like things are getting back to normal after the Quadannual Horse Race.  I've got some new CGI I need to get into the compyart section and a few more chapters in the 'ol novel done (but you only get one for now!  Ha!).
    Last Saturday (i.e. 6 NOV 04) I volunteered at the X-PRIZE awards in St. Louis and, among other things:

1. Passed out posters (whooptifrickindoo)

2. Met Mr. Ansari, the guy funding the prize (and absolutely has to be the richest guy I've ever met)

3. Ate lunch with Burt "Sideburns" Rutan (He Who Designed SpaceShip One) and Mike "Balls O' Brass" Melville (He Who Flew SpaceShip One to become the First Non-Government Astronaut) with casual discussions about lift coefficients and other things which shouldn't be advertised on the Internet

4. Forgot my camera.

    But don't go "Pics or shens!" yet--I've got SIGNATURES, baby, yeah.  You'll just have to take my honor-bound word on the rest of it--I swear by the graves of my ancestors ('cept Grandpa Parisi, the bastard) that it's true.

23 DEC 2004

    Okay--full months between updates are unforgivable.  I know.  I do have ideas though, far too many than I'll ever probably be able to implement effectively.  First of all, the site looks decidedly... unprofessional.  I'll of course avoid a major overhaul until the summer, but, besides that, I think I should finally put some of the Starship Combat Simulator stuff up now that I have a local addict group.  Might swap out the ever-so-long promised Mechwarrior section for ShadowRun--I've a few settings and whatnot that might be of interest to other GMs, as well as some falling rules (because my friends and I can't find 'em).  Also, looking at good ol' Battletech--Battlespace/Aerotech 2/3 in particular--the naval missiles need some house rules to actually make them useful and I was thinking about naval powerguns.
    As always, I've compyart I've yet to put up, but that can wait until after Christmas.  Oh, yeah, that reminds me:  Happy Midwinter Bloodfeast, everybody!