traceria

Segren, welcome! Based on the above, I think you'll fit in well here.

Has anyone ever played the game Tobago? There might be some non-fighting elements of that game that could be incorporated. It's a treasure hunt on a desert island, and you use logic clues to determine where different treasures are buried based on the clues played by each player. This might be a cool way to incorporate scouts under each Highprince's camp into the game play. With Tobago, there is also the chance that treasures can be located quickly back-to-back, which could definitely happen with spotting Chasmfiends.

Correct. Philly = Philadelphia and not Fillydelphia. You definitely got the idea, and it is totally a joke, if a tragic one.

I can relate to this both directly and in observing my husband (he and I are two of a kind in this regard), Delightful. *hugs * to you! Just the end of last week, I kind of dealt with it myself. I had an interview on Thursday, a doctor's appointment on Friday, had to deal with weirdos due to work, and then had to make all sorts of phone calls trying to get prescriptions and utterly failing to make that happen. As a result, I didn't have any social energy left to even put together a "hey, here's how my good interview went" email to my family. They still haven't heard anything because all weekend I just didn't want to talk to anyone let alone someone on the phone (I HATE phones and all they represent, enough that I probably have phone aversion if not worse). Anyhow, anxiety issues aside, when you are also very introverted, phone calls and dealing with people can zap more energy from you than you have in reserve, thus making it much more likely to duck your head back into your shell. (Edit to add: This is probably why I've been absent from 17th Shard, too.) Quiver, you get some *hugs* for all you're going through now, too.

Sounds to me like the pilot hurt the pilot, not Harriet.

He's 50. I think that's old enough. Patrick, you're just making me feel old.... (Seriously, no hard feelings.) He doesn't really look that old...or maybe I just haven't seen him in a movie in a good while.

Keanu Reeves? Really? Nothing against him, because I'm really not a hater, but he just doesn't seem old enough to play Prof. Or maybe I'm just in denial about my own age since I was the perfect age to be watching the spin-off Bill & Ted's animated Adventures when they aired.

Just finished the final Odd Thomas book (Saint Odd). If you've never read those, go do so NOW! Though, you might want a box of tissues ready. Anyway, don't let the popular author's name dissuade you if you're a hipster fantasy/sci-fi reader. That seriously is one of my all time favorites. I will greatly miss Odd Thomas. Speaking of Orson Scott Card, I just restarted the Pathfinder trilogy. I'd read the first one a few years ago when it first came out, but neglected reading books 2 and 3 promptly, so I'm re-reading to refresh my memory before moving to the 2nd and 3rd books. See, I REALLY liked the Belgariad and Mallorean. I've read all of WoT, too. What I liked about B & M, though, was just how FUNNY they were in the midst of all the peril. I wouldn't put one series (WoT or B&M) above the other because, though they're both fantasy, they meet different reading needs. If you're looking for something epic, go with WoT and stick it out a few books. (I agree that if by book 3 you're not hooked, don't bother continuing. If you're like me, though, you'll be so into the characters you won't be able to stop.) If you're looking for something exciting and amusing all at once, head for David Eddings two quintets. (Edit just to fix grammar/typing.)

So, we live near Philly and are thus Philly sports fans. To be a Philly fan, you have to eventually come to the terms with the fact that bad things will happen, yet you still must remain just as passionate about your teams as ever. Look at the Flyers this year: They have two of the NHL's top point leaders and, in the case of Voracek, the top goal scorer and yet the team is doing TERRIBLE. So, once we'd committed to being C9 fans (by the end of last season), what happens? Super rough start to this season. You have to be fatalistic to be a Philly sports fan, and apparently either me or my husband or both our powers combined at least affected C9 for the first couple weeks, if not this past weekend.

Quiver, you need to get some more Weird Al exposure for sure. Wander around youtube sometime and watch all the videos out there...and then you'll find yourself downloading whole albums. Some of my favorite songs, the ones that make me start snorting with laughter Every.Single.Time I hear them, are: eBay, A Complicated Song, and Foil. That is only the tip of the hilarious iceberg, though. I really had to struggle to limit that to three songs, because even listening to his polka tracks, which range from covering pop songs to classic rock to alternative, make me laugh. Anyhow, so sad that Spike gets so little love. We found a stuffed Spike and now he hangs out with Yoda on our sofa...sometimes I'll hold him or Yoda like when you lounge with a pillow. So, at least he's getting some love somewhere. AND he gets to hang with Yoda, because you know that if he and Yoda existed in the same universe, Spike would be a total fanboy. I enjoy your episode commentaries. I tend to focus on the lesson built into the episode, but you often take it to the next level. Thanks for sharing!

The ONLY possible reasoning I can come up with for why they might have an advantage (not necessarily an unfair one) is that maybe something in their background or life growing up has given them more opportunity to play, and thus, excel at said video games. I want to mention this because as a woman who studied mathematics in college, there is still a gap present in the number of women you see in scientific fields compared to the number of men. A lot of it comes down to the support or lack thereof that is given to young girls when they're their most malleable. I was very fortunate to have really awesome math and science teachers throughout school that not only reinforced my natural ability but really made me love it. Plus, my dad was a science guy and was always engaging my brother and I at the dinner table in math/science talks. Sadly, there are a lot of pressures that still exist that push girls away from these fields. I think the same tends to happen with video and computer games, though this is definitely changing now. All that said, if opportunity and extended exposure should be a criterion for making such a discrimination, then a large group of athletes would not be able to compete in other realms of physical sports either. Think of all the Olympic athletes that start at extremely young ages. Should they be told they can't compete because they have the unfair advantage of more training time? Nope. Rather, it is good for the sport to have people who are pushing the limits and setting new and exciting records, etc. Also, go C9! (Please try to win both your matches this weekend!) (Edit to add thing about my dad.)

Agreed. Vivenna is one of those characters I was so annoyed with in the beginning, but with the lessons she learned, I ended up loving her in the end.

After polling said ginger hubby, he would go for Vivenna out of all the female characters.

I'm not even an official Wafflesworn and that made me gasp! That's a waste of a good waffle!

Are any of the guys ginger? My hubby is... But if he didn't exist, I'd be torn between Elend, Lightsong, and Vasher. Elend is more the marrying type, but if I wanted an amusing time, Lightsong or Vasher would do. Though, the dates would be on complete opposite ends of the amusing spectrum. Also, if Shuden asked me out, I wouldn't say no.

I don't think the Wafflesworn would ever go for that, based on past records. Nice try, though.

I'll fix it. Man, we still have to see the third Hobbit movie. I honestly didn't expect more from those movies than the original LotR trilogy, but still I find myself feeling blah about them.

I saw this yummy looking recipe for egg nog donuts back in December. Alas, I ran out of egg nog and never bought more and so didn't actually get to try it.

Alas, they must be read in order. Hopefully there will come a day (late this year) when you see the reprinted versions from the beginning in this same bookstore!

At this point, I personally like the idea of staging meet-ups for Sharders in different areas, like for East Coasters, maybe do more than one - New England/Central/South or something like that. They could be more like a day trip in a metropolitan area and incorporate local sightseeing with a Cosmere/Sanderson flare to the schedule or planned activities (that might take some research). It's not that a ShardCon or SanderCon or whatever you want to call it wouldn't be cool, but I know that if it's on the other side of the country (I'm near Philly), I am never going to be able to come. I don't get enough vacation days at my job. Money wouldn't necessarily be the biggest issue for me, it's the travel time it would take in addition to the days of the Con. As a side note AndrewStirlingMacDonald: My husband is considering GenCon this year. We know a bunch of local friends plus some out of state ones that go. He's not a get out and do things kind of guy, but he does LOVE games.

TwiLyght, would it make you feel better to think that this has potential to be your Epic weakness? I know what you mean, though. There used to be something like that that really bugged me years ago, but I don't think I'm in an environment now where people tend to do it anymore, so have forgotten what it was. I do remember the feeling, though. You kind of turn into one of those caricatures from TV/movies/cartoons with the bulging vein and the hands wringing the empty air. Here, have some chocolate, which you do not have to smack to enjoy! *hands chocolate *

That would work for the signing, but it would only be a Plan B type solution. What scientists really need to work on is teleportation/transporters. Then cancelled flights would be a non-issue.

That's encouraging to hear! Maybe I will try to pick it up the next time I'm near a bookstore. Thanks for reporting back!

In agreement with Voidus here. We all have these funk days from time to time, and usually, at least for me and others I know (talking about such days with friends/family), it's a matter of bearing it as best as possible and letting it pass naturally on its own. Try not to be hard on yourself and just find something to do that's most appealing. Often times on days like that, not a lot stands out as something you'd like to do or feel capable of doing, so just pick the one or two things that are least burdensome or most appealing, however you'd like to phrase that. Also, an upvote can't hurt. Hang in there!

*sniffle * (and I wasn't even going...)