Category Archives: Inspiration

Try New Things!

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I’ve been busy doing bunches of things, but I wanted to share this one. Sometimes you should reach outside your comfort zone and try to do a thing.

A friend of mine decided that she wanted charcuterie for her birthday party. Everyone was asked to bring something along. I (with the help of my lovely daughter) laid out a plan to create a balloon and flowers as a board.

So, after discussions and planning and at least one extra trip to a store… I set to work laying everything out. The kiddo jumped in and helped with the flowers as she had looked at the technique back when we first saw it done.

I think the result was really good for a first time ever charcuterie board!

What are some of the things you’ve stretched out and attempted before?

The New Year

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I’ve talked about my opinion of new year resolutions on here before. I made a resolution a long time ago to never make another one. Real change isn’t a gimmick tied to a date on the calendar. I’ve told the story about the old guys at the gym I overheard one time being grumpy and wishing the pretenders would just get over the fact they’re going to quit and get out of the way.

I related this to a guy at the gym the other day, and he had an interesting thought on the matter. Not something I give weight lifters a lot of credit for honestly.

He said, “Part of me absolutely agrees with those guys. There are going to be two or three weeks of being absolutely annoyed that I can’t get to a bench or a weight stack and wishing the quitters would do just that. The other part of me, the one who really loves this, wishes them all the best. I hope they actually stick with it and get healthy or buff or whatever it is they’re trying to do…”

It was so simple and positive. Yes, newbies are annoying and they get in the way and they don’t know the rules (or ignore them) and they’ll probably quit soon. But we shouldn’t want others to fail that way. Going to the gym to be healthy isn’t about winning some kind of competition. It’s not like they’re going to “use up” all the gym and leave none for others when they get there. People of all levels should be able to get in there and do what they do. It’s not like I’m some kind of record breaking work out monster. I’m there to do what I still can in an effort to stay as healthy as I can. I see people there who look like they’re 80 or older. I’ve seen at least two different folks with what are classified as disabilities who are there working hard at the parts they can work. Dude in the wheel chair benches more than I do by far (part of me wants to make a terrible joke about leg day, but I don’t know him well enough). I see a family that’s in there every morning trying to be healthy together.

So no matter how much I don’t care about the whole “new year resolution” thing, I’m not going to put anyone down for trying to get better. I hope you succeed. I hope you get what you need out of the change you’re trying to make.

I’m going to keep doing what I do, only (hopefully) with a little more regularity than I’ve had for a while.

Happy New Year. I hope your year is amazing and wonderful and all the great things you desire.

D23 – a challenge

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I was spending some of my free time roaming through news feeds I keep track of and websites I like to keep up on when I stumbled across this interesting challenge. Yes, it’s a “new years” thing that I said I *very specifically* DO NOT DO, but it does seem like it could be fun.

The challenge was in this article [here]. The short version is, every day you draw and describe a single room in your dungeon. Just one. Doesn’t take monumental effort, but what it does take is consistency. Being constantly at something I can do. Making small adjustments and keeping the path.

What I’m not going to do… is a dungeon. Yes, I know that’s the idea, but I’m going really dig into the details of a city in my game world called Lithia. The Free City of Lithia will need maps and buildings and markets and so very many things… that can be made a day at a time as I go.

The best part is that I’d already started. I’ve been developing my game world for a long time now and this is just an easy spot to land. I’ve got a sketchbook and a partial city map. I don’t really need to overthink anything (as the article says), I can just make stuff up.

Just one building a day

I’m excited to see how this all goes, and will post updates from time to time (perhaps more frequently – add a comment if you’re interested in seeing this more).

Flash Prompt – The Doorway

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artist: Douglas Murakami – https://www.artstation.com/dougmurakami

It was a warm day, but not a hot one. Carrying the bag of tools, the mapping equipment and the supplies was an effort, but not an extraordinary one. The quest had almost become routine. Almost.

Endless searching. They couldn’t say that anymore. They’d finally found it.

Now they could step through.

Flash Prompt – The Light

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artist: Sandara Tang - https://www.artstation.com/sandara
Artist: Sandara Tang – https://www.artstation.com/sandara

Was there danger? Of course there was danger. There was always danger, but the sins of my past made it worth the risk. I climbed. I reached. I was dizzy with the pheromones of death floating around me. I had tunnel vision. I could see the light. I moved toward the light. I reached for the light. The light so bright. The light so beautiful. Sinking forever into the dazzling light.

The scorching, raging pain of burning myself reaching for that beauty. I fell. I am scarred.

I will reach again.

Flash Prompt – Queen of Chains

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artist: Lorenzo Mastroianni – https://www.artstation.com/lorenzomastroianni

My children we must persist. Our road is long, our way winding and difficult. No matter the cost, we will pay.

The Circle may stand against us. The Weavers seek to undo our works. We will break his chains despite our opposition. The world will shake and sunder. We are the coming of the truth.

We shall not bend. We shall not yield. The cursed ground shall not hold us. Death will not stop us. We are bound to free him. We are bound to save him. His chains become our weight, and we shall bear it.

Carry the light of the secret moon with you. The Crimson Crescent shall win out. The Chained God shall be free, and with him, so shall we all.