Moving?

We are moving. We should be out of our apartment by the end of the month. The landlords here are in the process of doing tear-outs and remodeling. Of course that means rent will be going up. Now, if I thought that the drafty windows, unlockable security doors, and the hot water that does not get hot were worth the higher rent I might consider staying, but the biggest reason we are moving is the fact that the neighborhood sucks. It is unsafe, and no place for a 7 year old to go play. Which means my daughter is cooped up inside all day. For those of you who don't know, someone was murdered right outside our back door about a month after we moved in.

Anyway, after a lot of thinking and discussing, we decided to move in with Ruth's brother for a little while. Probably for the next school year, after that we are not sure. In the mean time all your prayers are welcome and needed, and of course help with the move would be appreciated as well.

The Wiggles

I was watching the Wiggles the other day with my daughter and got to thinking. Try to imagine Captian Feathersword in the place of Captain Jack in the Pirates of the Caribbean.

For those of you who do not know who Captian Feathersword is, you are in for a treat. Watch this and see why I am still laughing today.

Ticket Tax?

Yep, our wonderful Governor is proposing a luxury tax on tickets. That would include, but not limited too, movies, sporting events, and concerts. Why? Well it is one of the few things this government has not taxed yet. They tax our work, now they want to tax our play. Who thought that this was a good idea? We have to save money to even be able to go out once a week, and that is without a tax. Thought games were expensive before, just wait. I can not say I am surprised. I fully expected this woman to pull some cockamamie bullshit out of her ass. but this... Not like DeVos would have been better, you did not know where that man stood.

Anyway, if you are as pissed as me try this website.

Happy Birthday

Independence Day, the birth of our great nation. When I think of this day I think back to all the sacrifices that were made, in history to present day, that has made this country great. We have the oldest government in the world, and possibly one of the greatest documents ever written, The Constitution. This, what we are, was no accident, and I am proud to be an American.

Happy Birthday America.

My Hero

Phase 1 complete. (Actually I have not been counting the phases, and 1 probably happened awhile ago, but since my concept of time is a little obscure, this is phase 1). My brother Aaron comes home Wednesday, from a three week crash coarse in Spanish. For those who don't know he went to Guatemala to learn the language. He lived with a family that speaks no English and took some Spanish classes during the day. For the next few weeks the Gross family will be spending time with family and preparing to head to Texas. August 3rd is the planned date with an arrival time on August 9th.

Keep us and them in your prayers and thoughts, for this is a very exciting time, but it is also hard to see them go.

Ever notice how a Stormtrooper goes down in one shot?

I should call this my video blog. Sorry for all the videos lately but this was too good to pass up.


Enjoy...


The Injured Stormtrooper

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To Game, or Not to Game?

I have been playing role-playing games ever since I can remember. My earliest memory is playing DnD, I was not any older than seven I believe. Gavin, Bob, and I would play on lunch break at school. At that age we really had no idea how to really play the game, but it was fun. Ever since then I have been playing on and off with the same group of guys. I have not seen Gavin in many years, (parted ways after elementary school), but Bob and I and a couple of friends we graduated with still play when we can. When you talk about Gaming, (slang for playing RPGs, which stands for role-playing games), to people who have never played, mixed feelings arise. Some still believe it is evil, thanks to some drug heads in the seventies who thought it would be fun to play "Live Action" in the sewers and kill each other, and some think that because there is magic, dragons, demons, and witches, that it is of satan, which makes it evil. I just think that most of these people just need to educate themselves before rushing to harsh conclusions. Of course you have the geek or nerd reputation that comes with this, but most gamers ignore the ignorance. (Though I can not deny that these games to attract those of that social status).

Personally I'm not all that crazy about calling it a game. I have no clue what else you would call it, but I still do not like it. My reasoning is as follows, this is one of a very few games where you do not compete with anyone. There is no winner or loser, and really no ending. Now some may say that the GM/DM, (game master/dungeon master), is who you are competing against, but I say no. I liken it to God. Yep you heard me right, God. Let me explain, God has a story, or a plan, we are the characters or players in this story. He does not make us do anything or live our lives a certain way, that is up to us. He is not out to kill us or make our lives difficult but he does lend a helping hand to those who have learned to help themselves. The same holds true to a GM/DM of a RPG, the said GM/DM is telling a story and the characters or players are the ones who is making it happen.

I have learned a lot from role-playing, to work as a team, strategy, vocabulary, how to write small, but most importantly, to use my imagination in new and creative ways. There are many different kinds of games, Dungeons and Dragons, Rifts, and a personal favorite White Wolf Games, just to name a few. The games are only as evil as the people playing them. Do I feel like I am compromising my faith when I play? No. But for others? Maybe. To each his own. Whether or not this is wrong in the eyes of God is really between you and him. As for me, I'll play in one form or another till the day I die.