Weekend gaming recap: Advanced Civilization.

We played our annual game of Advanced Civilization ("Civ") over the weekend. For those who don't know what that is, it's a big old board game about developing a civilization (picture lots of little cardboard chits on a map of the "cradle of civilization") that plays up to 9 players and takes about 2 days to play.

We try to get a game in once a year or so, and this year we actually finished the whole game for the first time in what seems like forever. There were only 6 of us this time, which may have speeded things up a bit -- though it still took half of Saturday and a couple hours on Sunday to finish.

For those interested in the final results (I lost; Lane didn't win) here's the Excel spreadsheet we used to track the game. (There are tabs that show the final scores, empire size over time, and other interesting details.) If you think tracking a boardgame by spreadsheet is geeky, you have to realize that it saves a lot of time moving cardboard chits and counting up stuff. This spreadsheet is one I found on the Web many years ago that we've used ever since -- this particular version actually has a number of modifications of my own that I made this past week in anticipation of next year's game.

Musical Monday: For You.

This is a special piece for a number of different reasons: (1) It marks the departure in my musical style from the traditional block chords of my early work to the broken chords and more involved accompaniment of my later pieces. (2) It was one of 2 pieces of mine to be recorded for the first-ever CD supplement of the annual high school literary arts magazine. (3) It is perhaps the only piece I can play and sing entirely with my eyes closed.

It was written to commemorate my high school girlfriend and I getting back together a few years after our initial break-up. When Sarah and I broke up and then got back together in college, she took the song as her own.

» For You

duration: 3:41
file size: 3.38 MB
written: 1996
recorded: 1997
instrument: piano
recording medium: CD
album art: Downs & Ups
lyrics:

I thought your heart no longer
Held a place for me
I figured you no longer cared
But you never stopped loving me
When I couldn't see

CHORUS:
This one's for you
With all my heart
Though the years go by
Nothing can tear us apart
We will stand
Oh, it's true
I will love you to the end
This one's for you

For so very long I'd wanted
Nothing more than just
To hold you in my arms again
I never thought that it would come to be
But now I believe

CHORUS

Just take a minute to look
Deep into my eyes
Sit back and tell me what you see
The past is gone
Only today remains
And tomorrow is ours to claim

CHORUS

With all my heart
Though the years go by
Nothing can tear us apart
We will stand
Oh, it's true
I will love you to the end
This one's for you
This one's for you
This one's for you
This one's for you
For you

Musical Monday Archive

I cannot believe it!

Who here remembers my experimental webcomic from a couple years back, called Roads Less Traveled? Yeah, I thought not.

Anyway, it was a little experiment of mine that ran for a couple of months back in 2005. I enjoyed it, but it was a lot of work, and as is often the case with my webcomics (witness last year's Buggy and "Bear With Me" from college) it quickly petered out -- though it is my second-longest-running comic, after Scamper's Quest.

Anywho, I had read over the old archive recently, and rediscovered how much fun the strip actually was. Shortly thereafter, I felt compelled to write a new strip, inspired by my pesky kitten, Bella.

So go read and (hopefully!) enjoy. Just don't expect regular updates to resume any time soon. Make that: at all. But I still might throw a new strip up every month or so. Y'know, as I get inspired.

Musical Monday: I Never Could Have Guessed.

I figured for sure I'd put this up here previously, but apparently not? This is another song that makes my short list of "classics". Not only does it have some of the most poetic lyrics of any of my songs (check out that last verse!) but it also has the indulgent overly-long title that I love so much. Add in the fact that the music is mostly the same 3 chords played over and over with the left hand stuck on A flat (though the chorus adds some variation) and perhaps it's surprising that this song is so good.

Like a lot of songs I've burned to CD to listen to in my car, I've developed a nifty harmony that I sing along with it. When I eventually re-record this, I'll have to include it. (I've also considered writing a new, unrelated song with the harmony as the main melody.)

One final note: since this recording, I've since altered the lyrics: the second-to-final line in the chorus now begins with "and" instead of "but". (The lyrics below are the correct ones.) It just makes more sense to me -- and flows better -- that way.

» I Never Could Have Guessed That I Would Miss You So Badly Now

duration: 3:06
file size: 2.85 MB
written: 1996
recorded: 1996
instrument: Casio keyboard
recording medium: cassette tape
album art: Brain Food
lyrics:

Trying to hold on to sanity
Images behind glass
Coming to grips with reality
Seems in insurmountable task

My heart doesn't know that it's over
But I've got to convince it somehow

CHORUS:
I never could've seen the way it ended
And I never could've known exactly how
And I never could've guessed
That I would miss you so badly now

Every day it's the same thing
My thoughts drifting to her
Looking, longing past the frame
The pictures in my head just a blur

I wanted to say it was her fault
But I know that's not possible now

CHORUS

Tears drown the fires of loneliness
Wash away the past 'til it's gone
Memories all but extinguished
Still a sole remaining flame burns on

Oh, how I want to tell you I love you
Oh, I wish that I could see you somehow

CHORUS

No, I never could've guessed
That I would miss you so badly now

Musical Monday Archive

Trying to be bad.

Lots of folks are joining the challenge to make bad comics, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm not too fond of these, but they're supposed to be bad, right? Three is definitely enough for now. Click on the images for the larger versions:





Hmm. It might be worth doing something of these with Scamper...

200 bad comics.

Happy Friday!

I've been reading something absolutely hilarious this week. One of my favorite sites right now is Nedroid's Picture Diary. He does hilarious comics and drawings (which can all be found archived here, including the "Beartato" strips I love so much.)

Anyway, because all of his stuff is so awesome, someone actually challenged him to draw 200 bad comics. As of this writing, he's up to #120, and failing miserably! (That's good news for us readers!) This stuff's hilarious. I recommend reading them in order (starting with #1) as he gets some running gags going.

Minor art gallery update.

Not a big news announcement or anything, but I figured since it's been so long since I last updated my Art Galley that I should mention that I threw some new stuff up there last night. Mostly just Transformers sketches, but hopefully I'll keep adding more this coming week.

Musical Monday: Prelude to Beginnings.

This song started out as a wedding song for my brother, but was soon shelved in favor of "Want to Be" which was then never used when said wedding failed to take place. I did eventually finish this song as an instrumental, and for a while it was untitled. When it came time to put together my instrumental album, Primary Key, I decided it needed a title, and settled on "Prelude to Beginnings", an apt name for a wedding song, and also for a song that started out as an unfinished introduction.

» Prelude to Beginnings

duration: 1:50
file size: 1.68 MB
written: 2000
recorded: 2003
instrument: piano
recording medium: computer
album art: Primary Key

Musical Monday Archive

Musical Monday (Index)

Since Blogger's labels are fairly useless, I've created my own index page for my "Musical Monday" entries. Now you can always find your favorite song directly at this link (or this one.)

SONG	WEEK OF
A Better Man I'd Be	6/25/2007
Being in Love With You	7/30/2007
Broken	6/11/2007
Can You?	8/13/2007
Daughter Mine	3/12/2007
Daydreaming	10/23/2006
Do You Think of Me?	11/6/2006
Don't Wake Me Up	2/5/2007
Drawing Ever Nearer	6/4/2007
Floating	12/4/2006
Head Over Heels	4/16/2007
Here's to Us	8/6/2007
How Can I Repay?	4/9/2007
I Never Could Have Guessed That I Would Miss You So Badly Now	7/16/2007
It Could've Been Better	12/18/2006
It's Enough	5/7/2007
Just What	10/22/2007
Kiss it Goodbye!	1/29/2007
Lost to the Wind	10/29/2007
Middlenight	1/22/2007
Moonlight Lullaby	11/20/2006
More Than Anything	11/13/2006
Now I See	8/20/2007
One More Kiss Goodbye	5/21/2007
Past the Frame	11/27/2006
Perfect Eternity	4/23/2007
Prelude to Beginnings	07/09/2007
Psonatina	12/25/2006
Remember Yesterday	5/28/2007
Reunion	9/10/2007
Reverie	8/27/2007
Say the Word	10/1/2007
Scamper's Quest Remix	2/19/2007
Scamper's Quest Theme	1/8/2007
Seem	3/26/2007
Softly	3/19/2007
Someday	12/11/2006
Someday You'll Know What I Mean	10/15/2007
Super Mario Polka	10/30/2006
The Happiest Days	1/1/2007
The Waiting	6/4/2007
Think of You	3/5/2007
This Moment	2/12/2007
Toast the Cat	2/26/2007
Twilight	6/18/2007
Used to Love You	9/24/2007
Wait For Me	5/14/2007
Want to Be	9/17/2007
When You're Around	1/15/2007
Yet Still	4/2/2007

A sad, sad song.

So, is Elizabeth going to end up a songwriter like her dad? I dunno, but she sure likes to make up songs.

Yesterday, in the car on the way back from lunch, she sang the saddest little song that she (apparently) made up. I say apparently, because I didn't recognize the tune from anything. And she sang it all happily, but when she sang it, Sarah and I both looked at each other and said, "That's the saddest song ever!" It went like this:

I want to watch baseball
Who cares about me?

I mention we had gone out for lunch, and that's because Elizabeth earned it by using the potty chair! She's over 3 years old, and we've been trying to potty train her for a while now, but this week some sort of breakthrough finally occurred. Early in the week, Sarah made Elizabeth a potty chart, and each time she uses her potty chair, she gets a sticker. After 5 stickers, she gets to pick a place to go eat. As of last night, she had 7 stickers! The first 5 got her Taco Bell for lunch yesterday, and she's announced that the next 5 are for Arby's, and the 5 after that (the chart only has 15 slots) are for McDonald's. She's gets pretty excited about the potty now -- sometimes, anyway. It's really cute.

In Alex news, the little guy fell down and hit his head three times yesterday. First he took a tumble down the stairs, then he jumped off the couch, and later he rolled off our bed. He must've been going for a record or something.