The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

I'm going crazy!  The Pittsburgh Penguins are kicking some major dupa and I'm love'n it!  Last summer I was totally jacked when the Pens dumped a ton of players and their coach.  I loved those guys!  BUT...now I love the new Pens, GM Jimmy Rutherford, and Coach Mike Johnston.  All is well in da 'Burgh!

The new Pens are fast and exciting!!!  Watching them is pure joy!  It is sad when they play a team that has a former Pen on their squad. However all things must change...even the Pens.  So here's to the injury-riddled, mumps infected Pens and all the guys from Wilkes Barre Pens who have stepped up and done an awesome job...LET"S GO PENS!!!!

A quick shout out to Flying Dog Brewery.  Had their K-9 Winter Ale and it was quite good. I highly recommend it!!!!  I'm looking forward to trying more of their various brews in the future.


I finally finished my Chaos Cultists and the Crimson Slaughter Space Marines from the WH40K Dark Vengeance set.  They really turned out well and I am quite happy with them.  I want to get a Daemon Prince or two and I think that will complete my Chaos Army.

I also finished a set of Troopers from eM4 Miniatures.  They look pretty good overall.  Not sure what I'll do with them yet.

I need to finish painting a set of Steel Legion troops and a full set of Bauhaus soldiers from Prince August Miniatures.  I want to get them done so that I can start on a set of Gangers from eM4 and a set of Gangers from Gang War Miniatures.

This is probably my last blog for 2014.  I wish all of you Happy Holidays and a healthy, safe, and prosperous New Year!

The Good, The Not-So-Bad, and The Ugly

The Good

Ordered some Rangers and some Gangers by em-4 miniatures from Noble Knight Games.  Awesome purchase all the way around. NKG was super easy to deal with,  Will order from them again.  The minis are great and I can't wait to paint 'em.  Update on them to follow later.

The Not-So-Bad

Love P.F. Changs.  I have been there to eat dozens of times.  Was there on Sunday...not so great.  The ribs looked like they took them off of some small starving creature.  Not at all good!  The pseudo General Tso's looked like it was soup surrounded by 2 heads of broccoli.  NO TASTE WHAT-SO-EVER!  The Great Wall chocolate cake was fantastic!!!!  The service was super!  Not planning a return visit any time soon.

The Ugly

My cousin passed away this past week.  She was only 25.  A beautiful young lady who was totally about helping others.  The poor, the homeless...anyone who was less fortunate than she was. For whatever the reason, the one person that she was unable to help was herself.

We weren't really close.  In fact, I didn't even know her all that well.  I still felt the loss.  Why... why did this happen to someone so young and vibrant?  Not knowing that answer I think increases the pain.  Somehow, I just wish that people like my cousin could realize how big of a hole in the world their departure makes.  It just leaves those that loved them (no matter what the degree) in pain.

Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be

Every time I hear that song by AC/DC it makes me want to go nuts.  I still love it after all these years.  While on the topic of Hell, I just completed a couple of Games Workshop models that are straight from there.  I finished a Chaos Hellbrute from the Dark Vengeance set and a LOTR Balrog that I have had around for some time.  I am pretty happy with both.  I am really pleased with the fire painting I did on the Balrog. Only 152 to go! Check out the pics.

I had a "hell-of-a-good"  meal the other night @ Luigi's Ristorante in DuBois, PA.  The Veal Piccata was by far the very best I have ever eaten.  Everyone enjoyed their meals and we had a great time.  Ask to sit in the enclosed patio area in the back. In a word...FANTASTIC!!!!

If you like Italian subs (hoagie here in Da 'Burgh), you gotta try a "hell-of-a-good" one from Vocelli's Pizza.  YUM!!!! I loved everything about it!!!!!

If you want to go to a "hell-of-a-great" place to grab a beer then stop at one of the Rivertowne Pour Houses around Pittsburgh.  A nice variety of their own craft beers are available and the service is terrific.  Grab some friends and go!!!

Back to the Grind

DONE.  FINISHED.  After more than a week I have completed my Warhammer Soul Grinder.  I must say that I am more than pleased with it.  Inspired by a picture that I saw online of a customized Soul Grinder done by TalonWarlock I set out to mimic the model.  I made a few changes/additions myself and ended up with what I feel is a pretty cool model.

I have posted some pics.  I am throwing in a pic of my Daemonettes for poops and laughs.

So one down and 155 to go.  I did a count and have realized that I have that many models to paint/finish.  Fifty of those are miniatures from the Sedition Wars: Battle for Alabaster Game.  I have promised myself not to buy any more until these are completed.  It gets overwhelming knowing that there are that many to finish.  A hobby is supposed to be fun, enjoyable, and relaxing.  It shouldn't be an additional source of stress.

From here on out..one mini at a time.  Hopefully I'll share pics as I complete them.  Next up is a Chaos Hellbrute.   I plan to use the same color scheme as I did with the Soul Grinder.  Hopefully I will have the same amount of success with it.  Wish me luck!

Beach'n About It

Just got back from North Myrtle Beach, SC.  Survived Arthur!  Bad winds and rain!  Crazy high waves! Other than that all was great.  Fun in the sun with family.

We had been in North Myrtle about 11 years ago.  (Ironically a hurricane hit while we were there then as well.  We have had 3 hurricanes hit while we have been on vacation.  Ivan hit us in Florida in 2004.)  We swore the last time that we were there that we would never go back.  The town was a dumpy tourist trap.  But a great deal on a beachfront condo was too hard to pass up.

Much has changed in North Myrtle since we were last there.  It seems like the town cleaned up its act.  Nicer places to stay, eat, shop.   Enjoyed Broadway at the Beach and Barefoot Landing!  Great Pizza at Benito's!!!!!  The beach, sun, and weather were awesome (except for 1 day with Arthur!)

We went to the Boardwalk in Myrtle on the 4th.  Left in less than an hour.  If you like drunks, skanks, B.O., cigarette smoke, and crap that is WAY overpriced then you'll love this place.  Got back to the condo and watched fireworks being shot off on the beach from our balcony.  All's well that ends well.

Followed the Pen's trades, etc. online while away.  Holy crap the whole damn team is gone!  Next year should prove interesting....we shall see!

The vacation interrupted hobby time.  (The price you pay for quality time with family!!!)  Working on a WH40K Soulgrinder.  I am happy with my progress so far.  Still sitting on the sidelines are a LOTR Balrog and a bunch of Warzone Bauhaus soldiers that  I started.  I hope to get everything done by the end of summer.  Wishful thinking perhaps.

I bought some stuff from the Miniatures Market recently.  I got a great deal on the Axis Gorilla sets and the zombies.  I also got 2 Marauder sets by Mantic Games.  I'm sure that I will get to them at some point.

Watched a bunch of World Cup matches.  So much fun to see such great athletes play such a phenomenal sport. Too bad for the U.S.  Got to say that they gave it one heck of a go.

Back to real life tomorrow.  Better hit the hay.  I'll just have to dream of ocean breezes, sunny cloudless skies, and sand between my toes.

'scaping

I haven't played Heroscape in some time now.  Recently I got the urge to finish my collection of Heroscape figures.  I was able to track down some the Soulborgs and Elves from Wave Four (Zanafor's Discovery).  I also bought the Elf and Samurai Flagbearers.  I paid a pretty penny for them but was happy to finally get them.  On Ebay I found the Heroes for Wave Four.  A seller who goes by hchris278 had them all.  I don't normally buy on Ebay, but I would again if hchris278 is selling.  This seller was GREAT!  With in 3 days I had the items.  They were well wrapped and with the free shipping I couldn't have asked for more.  If you are looking for any Heroscape stuff, I highly recommend this seller on Ebay!!!!

I also picked up an extra set of Anubian Wolves.  I did a repaint on them.  I was inspired by a video clip I saw recently on an Arctic Wolf.  In the video the wolf is howling in response to howls from a human audience.  The wolf is amazing to watch!  With it in mind, I painted the Anubian Wolves white.  I used a light grayish wash on them which I tinted slightly sky blue.  I then went back and highlighted with the white.  I gave them sky blue eyes.  The overall look is pretty good.  I am happy with them.  Hoping to post some pics later. (As some of you may know -  I often fail to follow up on this.)

While not escaping to collect or paint Heroscape figures, I have been watching Stanley Cup Hockey.  The Rangers-Canadians series was awesome.  Having lived outside of L.A. in the past, I am pulling for the Kings in the western series.  Some fantastic hockey in both series!!!

I guess my beloved Pens are watching as well.  It breaks my heart that after such an amazing season that the Pens came up short again.  Something needs to change.  SOOOO much talent and nothing to show for it.  I really think that Sid needs to hand over the "C" to Geno.  The team is his and I feel that it has been for some time now.

Lots of Pens get the limelight and the press.  I just wanted to say thanks to some of the guys that don't:
Craig Adams.  Hustle, hustle hustle.  Love this guy!  The same goes for Joe Vitale!  Tanner Glass and Deryk Engelland.  Always stepping up to do the job!  Brian Gibbons.  ALL HEART!!!!!  Last but not least - Brandon Sutter.  Great great great job this year!!!!  (Side note:  Looking forward to the return of Pascal Dupuis!  He is the embodiment of all the right characteristics of a hockey player.  His leadership and skill was missed last season.)

I'll leave you laughing.  I heard a bunch of the Pens wanted to score with a hot chick they saw at a game during the playoffs.  None of them did.  Her name was Annette.  Get it...A NET!

How Quickly Life Can Change

Last Wednesday morning I sent my son off to school as I have so many times in the past.  "Have a nice day son." with a "You too Dad" is our morning ritual.  I watch him walk to the bus stop and then head off to work.  Typical day.

I was at work for about 20 minutes when a co-worker informed me that something tragic happened at my son's school.  I immediately texted him.  A few minutes later he responded that he  was alright but that a bunch of students had been stabbed. 

The attack took place at Franklin Regional High School.  My son was less than 10 feet away from where it occurred.  He is lucky to be alive.

Never take it for granted that it will be a typical day.  In today's world, you can never be sure.  Love you children every day!!!!  They can be gone in a second.

Please pray for the victims and their families.  Pray for Alex and his family too!  They are hurting as well!


There is no excuse for what Alex did.  Something went horribly wrong.  Each day I hear more and more from the community about how this young man was horribly bullied .  I am not surprised.  My own children have had to deal with it there.

This has been hell for our community.  We are trying to pick up the pieces and move forward.  We are emotional wrecks.  We are trying to make sense of it all.  It will take time.

This needs to stop.  Our children need to be able to go to school and learn while feeling safe.  Each story that I hear about bullying is worse than the last.  Kids are being tortured by their peers.  This must end.

How many more times do kids need to be killed or injured before this country takes this situation seriously?  It is our responsibility to protect the safety of our children.  Turning a blind eye is not the answer. 

I never thought that something like this could happen here.  It did.  It could happen anywhere.

Tune Me In

Over the past few years I  have come across a bunch of really cool songs as a result of watching TV commercials.  The song accompanying the commercial catches my ear and then I can't stop thinking about the dang thing.  Thanks to several Internet sites, I have often been able to track down the majority of them.  It is the exceptions that bother me.

John Lydon did a really great cover of Route 66 for Mountain Dew way back when.  Unfortunately it was never released.  More recently there have been a couple of songs that I have heard on commercials that have totally grabbed my attention.  Today is Pretty Great by Vintage Trouble is a song that I really love.  Honda is using it in their new Civic commercial.  I also love Stepping Out by Mutato Muzika (Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo) which is used in a Lexus commercial.  These songs too have never been made available for release.

There must be many others out there who feel the same way that I do about these songs and probably other songs too.  Just a thought...why not make them available for download for a donation....take the funds and the company along with the artist could pick a charity to direct the funds to.  This is a WIN all the way around.   The fans, get the songs we want, the company and the artists get the publicity that they want, and a charity gets the funds that it desperately needs.

Come on all you big time movers and shakers make this work!  If you did then just maybe....Today WOULD BE Really Great!!!

No Betrayal

Seldom do I find something that I consider to be exceptional. Really good, great, fantastic, but exceptional is a rare thing. When you do find something exceptional the appreciation felt for it touches the soul. Recently I have had those feelings. The feelings of awe and deep gratification have been brought about by nothing more than a book.

Looking at it one might wonder what is so exceptional about it. It is small simple paperback novel. The cover is interesting...most book covers are. It looks similar to the many millions of other paperbacks that are out there. So what makes it exceptional?

Two words....the story. The title of the book is Betrayer. Betrayer is one of the Horus Hersey novels from the Black Library. I can honestly say that all of the books in the series to date have been great. Betrayer by Aaron Dembski-Bowden is exceptional!

What makes Betrayer unique is Dembski-Bowden's ability to allow the reader to clearly see into the minds of the array of characters he presents. The reader can actually feel their anger, confusion, passion, etc. He makes it easy to understand their human qualities and frailties. Honor, friendship, kinship, duty, brotherhood, envy, hate, compassion...so many human emotions are written in a way that the reader can actually share them with the characters. You feel what they feel! Few things that I have ever read (and I read a great deal) have impacted me the way that this novel has. It truly is exceptional!

Kudos to Aaron Dembski-Bowden for his work! I cannot wait for his next effort. I would like to thank all of the writers in the series for creating perhaps the greatest epic sci fi series of all time. The Black Library and Games Workshop is putting out a top quality product. This reader, for one, greatly appreciates it. Call me a fanboy, but I know something exceptional when I read it!

New Stuff

Great day yesterday.   I went out to Animal Friends on Camp Horne Road just North of Pittsburgh with my family.  My youngest is interested in becoming a veterinarian.  He wanted to check out the place and see about doing some volunteer work there.  We are a pet friendly family, so we decided to all tag along.

The Animal Friends shelter is amazing!!!!  It is  a no kill facility.  If an animal is brought there and then not adopted then it has a place to live for the remainder of its life.  The dogs, cats, and rabbits are well cared for and  loved by the staff.  The animals really react when they see you.; each hoping that you will take them home.  After visiting there I think they will end up with more than one volunteer and that we will end up with another pet here at home.

Here is a link to their website:

http://www.thinkingoutsidethecage.org/site/c.elKWIeOUIhJ6H/b.8454429/k.BF0B/Home.htm

We met friends at the Willow Restaurant which is right next to Animal Friends afterwards.  It was our first time there but I can assure you that it will not be the last.  The food was fantastic, the portions were exceptional, the price was modest.  The place is beautiful and the service was extraordinary.  We had great meals, a great time, with great friends.

If you are out that way stop at the Willow for a meal and then go adopt a pet at Animal Friends.  I am sure that you will love both!

Side Note:  The Pitt Football Team won!  Congrats to all there!  The Cowboys tanked AGAIN!!!  Go figure.  Pitt Hoops looking awesome.  A tad ticked at the Pens.  They have really been doing some stupid stuff as of late (reference:  Neal's suspension)  You guys are a super talented hockey team; just go out and play hockey instead of doing some of this bush-league crap that some of you have been doing.  It is beneath you to do so.

One more thing:  I had some Festivus Ale from the Full Pint Brewing Company over the holidays.  A true treat.  Try to get a hold of some if you can find it.  It is well worth it!!!!