Pretty quiet lately...

[Beowulf]

...You guys still here?

[LeSong]

Life is pretty busy, I am checking in regularly and have been working on a First Edition article series...preliminary stages.

yourself?

[Halaster Blackcloak]

From mid-April to mid-May I was pretty busy with real estate training and trying to arrange things so I could start getting the business off the ground. I was just about to start getting some serious BIP work started in late May since I had completed the classes and had more free time.

Then over the Memorial Day weekend I had a death in the family and the stress of it goddamn near killed me too. Literally. While chronologically only a weekend had passed, biologically I aged almost 10 years. My hypoadrenia (a severe adrenal fatigue condition)...which I was making huge progress on...crashed, and I literally thought I was going to die. For the first three days, I was convinced my adrenal glands were going to simply shut down (which leads to every organ just shutting down). I thought "Well Halaster, this is it!".

The only reason I'm alive to type this is because of my 20+ years of clinical nutrition and Ayurvedic medical training and the efforts of my best friend, who literally saved my life. In fact, it was sheer luck that I had the proper herbs and supplements in stock in high enough quantities to pull me through, because if I had run out and needed to order stuff, I'd have been dead (could not have gotten to me in time) regardless of any sort of intervention.

I could not function for quite a few days and even now I feel like death warmed over. I haven't been to the office but once in the past 4 weeks, and only then for a quick meeting. I decided to take yet another week off to heal up this week, then start back slowly at work next Monday.

I'm still not out of the woods, and it's gonna take me all summer to recuperate, but I'm at the point where after this week I simply have to force myself to start doing stuff.

So I'll be setting aside regular time to work on the BIP Project, but I need to find a way to make it fun and not stressful. Screw looking for artists at this point. I'll just write stuff and work on maps, and if and when an artist comes along I can grab him then. Anything I cannot do (cartography, art, etc) I'll simply find a pro and pay him to do it. I don't want to waste any more time fussing with shit like that.

Along those lines, if anyone can do the HTML for the main page, please LMK. I have all the images and backgrounds ready and a sample shot, I just don't know the HTML to mae it look nice.

[Beowulf]

Take care of yourself, Halaster- you have to live long enough to recreate the entire decade of the 70's in your house!

[Halaster Blackcloak]

Thanks Beowulf.

Yeah, I gotta re-create the 70's at least once!

Tomorrow the local comic shop is having a half-off sale on back issues, so I'm treating myself to a giant handful. Over the years I've made lots of progress on re-collecting the old comics and many of those great 70's movies and tv shows (though mainly on DVD, can't do much about that!). I'd like to complete my New Gods and Avengers runs and also fill some holes in the early Thor issues. With any luck, I'll manage a nice haul.

Got a few evenings planned out this week to sit down and start working on BIP material. I figure it'll take some effort to get into the swing of it, but it should kick in after a bit of effort.

[Beowulf]

When the comic book market (ie the prices) collapsed a while back I was a bit bummed, as my collection went from pretty valuable to nearly worthless...but upon reflection, I never collected with the hope of profit. I started just collecting the books I read. Now that prices are way down I should take the opportunity to bulk up on back issues myself.

Work has basically strangled my gaming life lately, but hopefully things will change dramatically pretty soon. I'm hopeful that a job I've applied for will take me back to my hometown, where the core of my gaming group lives. I'll still have to work a lot but at least I won't have to drive 100 miles to find people who play AD&D.

[McDeath]

Please take it easy Hal. I just got done reading some blogs about Stephen March and his wife. It was really quite depressing. The last thing we all need is to be reading another obituary. Heal up, detox, destress, and have some fun and relaxation.

[Halaster Blackcloak]

Thanks McDeath! Yeah, I don't want to end up reading my own obituary either! Too depressing!

Yeah, I had no choice this time other than to take the time off. I had no drive, no energy, no desire to do anything. Just unplugged like a toaster!

Starting to feel a tad bit better this week, so one step at a time.

I made off like a bandit at that half-off comic sale. Got a bunch of old Kirby issues of Thor from the 60's that I still needed. Fantastic!

Wish we could get things moving here. Seems like every online AD&D community is dead right now.

[Rhuvein]

Hello everyone.

For me the past 6-7 months have been crazy/weird/insane ~ but isn't that what life is all about.

January - was going to go to the LGGC winter CON. And my mother got sick and passed away in February.

March - had surgery on my finger, so was offline a lot and got out of my mini painting routines.

April - injuries due to chasing my cat. Heh, yeah, you don't want to know.

May - planted 4 trees and 7 shrubs out back and wheelbarrowed loads of dirt and mulch to created an island where my daughter's swingset used to be.

June - a last minute drunken lark. I booked a hotel room for the LGGC! Amazing. I actually went. Never been to a CON, Never met anyone online. Mindblowing.

July - September. Reading books and reading gaming material as it's too hot outside. My daughter got her driver's licence less than a month ago.
Already a ticket, caught shop lifting and had done drugs! Shit, did I just say all that online? Hehe, still I'm proud of her ~ cause I did all that when I was thirteen.

Oh well, I hope all of you are having a good year!!

Peace.

[Rhuvein]

Wow, I must have been too drunk last night, as I completely missed Hal's post.

Halaster, sorry to hear about your illness and close encounter. I do hope you are still getting better and back to "normal".

Hope to see you back here and posting more when you are ready.

Regards,

Rhu.

[McDeath]

It has been pretty quiet this summer. I have attended a county and a state fair and a concert so I've had fun. But the burning questions of developement still dance in my brain; will Undermountain have any prereleases?

[Halaster Blackcloak]

Good to see some spark of life here!

Oh man. I'm beginning to think that nothing can kill me and that I'm walking the planet as a sort of purgatory for past sins or something!

The last three months have been a literal day-to-day battle just to get through the day alive. I felt a tad better at the end of June, then crashed again. I'll tell ya, I'd rather battle cancer than hypoadrenia (adrenal fatigue). It's possibly the most complicated health issue to deal with, mainly because every single stress exacerbates it. And "stress" does not mean just "stress" as in having a hectic day at the office. Stress can be catching a cold, a change of weather, extreme weather, chemical or environmental contamination, bad food, injuries, etc. All those things stress the body (and thus the adrenals) and are cumulative and additive.

This last month I had to literally force myself to start training again (martial arts stuff), working out, stretching, etc. I think I overdid it a bit, because I felt worse for a few days. Also mangled the shit out of my knuckle while disarming swords during practice (it's just a wooden one, but it clipped my knuckle with the handle...ouch!). But overall, making some decent progress now. I'm just anxious to move to the new apartment, but I'm taking my time to find somewhere with a good landlord, since I am tired of having dickhead landlords that make life a PITA. My current landlord evicted me 5 months ago, but my lawyer is hell bent on making the man's life a living hell and is doing a fine job of it.

He may even end up owing me cash when I move out in October sometime.

McDeath, as for the Undermountain stuff, no pre-releases as yet. I really, really want to unveil Undermountain III: The Deadly Levels as a complete unit, a totally finished box set, because I sincerely believe it's going to blow away anything we've seen so far.

I have been jotting down ideas and notes over the last handful of months, but now I have to flesh everything out, write it up neat, and of course find an artist, a cartographer, etc. I swear to God, if you ever hear on the news about someone in Chicago holding an artist and a cartographer hostage, you'll know it's me, barricaded behind the door, screaming "not until you finish that last room drawing!".

Fall is always a very inspirational time for me, so I should make some serious progress on it.

[McDeath]

How's everyone doing? Halloween is coming nigh and I know I'm going to be doing some activities. Mostly traversing haunted corn mazes, haunted hay rides, haunted houses, maybe a party or two. I hope everyone is in good health.

How's all the projects going? I haven't seen much in the forums and since I don't have access to the projects themselves I can't tell how far you've all gotten.

Myself; well, I've been helping some guys on an online game called EUO. I've always been an ultima fanatic and just love watching this online game grow. It has been so close to being "zombied-out" due to the maker getting tired of it. But it seems to be getting new life into all the time. Now if only I'd apply some time to pen&paper work.

Ciao for now.

MCD

[Beowulf]

Just getting back online myself. I'm anxious to catch up on everything I've missed.

[Halaster Blackcloak]

Unfortunately, Halloween is just not happening for me this year. On top of all the other stress, I'm just now moving to a new apartment. Finally, out of the asylum and into a quiet neighborhood!

The search was pretty stressful, as it is very difficult to find affordable and yet decent housing anywhere in the Chicagoland area. If it's cheaper, it's in the ghetto or the barrio. If it's nice, it's in a ritzy, expensive area. We have two major airports and lots of trains to avoid. I had to pass on a dream apartment due to the fact that the Metra train passes the bedroom 48 times a day, sounding their sirens. So do the freight trains. I'd only end up being able to sleep from 1AM to 5AM, then I'd be woken up every 20 minutes. No way. But I did find an almost-as-wonderful one even closer to work, and without trains.

I pretty much buried my old landlord. He's been so stressed out over the war he started with me (and which I of course won with true and actual "shock and awe" tactics) that he cannot control his blood pressure (the meds are making it worse...his doctor is an idiot) and he's getting a detached retina and going blind over all this. I have absolutely no sympathy for him. His whole ill-chosen war with me has practially (and I mean it literally) bankrupted him with legal fees, city ordinance tickets, etc. His lawyer demanded $3,000 in back rent and that I be out by Oct. 1st. That was in court on Sept. 25th. My lawyer made a wonderful counter-offer: "Fuck you. He stays until Nov. 31st and he doesn't owe you a goddamned penny!".

My lawyer got his way, of course.

Court cost the landlord roughly (including not getting rent from me for 6 months) $8,000, plus he got another roughly $2,000 in tickets and fines from the city (with plenty more on the way, courtesty of Halaster). The city is making him replace the entire 2nd floor staircase. That's at least $3,000 at the lowest estimate. He had to spend $250 on smoke detectors and CO detectors. He had to spend $2,000 paying a plumber to fix problems in the two unrented apartments. He has to spend another $2,000 or more to add a booster to the hot water system. He is going to have to replace the stoves/ovens in 5 of the 6 apartments in the building (I have the only working oven/stove). He'll get them at the flea market, but figure another $500 for that. I have a structural engineer coming out to determine whether the balcony is up to code. You would not believe these things if you saw the building, it looks fine. He has to replace a broken camera of mine that he destroyed, at $250. He's getting court fines for assaulting me (only managed to break the camera, but he's still charged with battery). That's another $1,000 to $3,000 in fines, plus another $1,000 for his lawyer. That comes to...Anywhere from $17,750 to $18,750. There are more fines and city ordinance issues he needs to fix. When all is said and done, I suspect the final cost of his war with me will be roughly $25,000 to $35,000 out of his pocket. Plus the stress, the detached retina, the doctor bills, the medical bills (he's on tons of meds which aren't working). He's lost tenants because I've warned them away. Somebody came looking to rent an apartment last night and I told him about the building. He's looking elsewhere.

Oh, add another $3,000 - $5,000 plus fines if the city finds the balcony to be not up to code, which I can almost guarantee it is not.

Worse yet, he has court on the 14th of November, where he's getting slapped with probation and a criminal record, on top of his fines. He'll probably have his stroke or heart attack right there in court, and die hearing me laughing at him.

Aside from the uncontrollabe high blood pressure (which is really, really high), and the detached retina, he's depressed and now taking anti-depressants, he's self-medicating, and he's crying that I've killed him and he no longer wants to live.

And you guys thought I was vicious in the 3E wars! In real life, I am a terror from hell!

Oh the irony! While I was typing this post, guess who just rang my doorbell? Yup. The city inspector. More tickets, more fines.

Anyway, after I deduct my expenses for running this war from the money I saved not paying rent, I come out ahead by two full months of rent. Not bad considering I cost the landlord more money than his building has actually generated for him over the course of two whole years.

Oh Halaster, you evil bastard!

Anyway, the new place will have a nice, huge basement area that I can use for D&D games, and is in a nice quiet location only 10 minutes from the office (right now it's a 45 minute drive in good traffic, about an hour to an hour and a quarter in bad traffic).

I'm hoping to finally get some relaxation and to be able to get some work done on BIP in December.

[Beowulf]

Wow, I didn't realize you'd been so busy! My life has been mildy crazy, too. I quit my job to take a much higher paying one at a company I knew I wouldn't like as much...well, I hated it enough to quit after 3 months. And instead of taking another job in my field I decided to work pt and return to school. I should have a relaxing couple months til the next semester starts in Jan, but then I'll be a bit busier balancing working enough to keep a roof over my head an taking classes.

Glad to see you back at BIP, Halaster. It's depressing popping in every day and seeing no new posts.

[Halaster Blackcloak]

Thanks, Beowulf!

Yeah, when I'm really depressed and stressed out, there's nothing like some all-out combat and utter destruction of the enemy to really pump me up!

The next couple of weeks will be busy just moving and settling into the new apartment and getting ready for what will inevitably turn out to be a rough Thanksgiving.

Then I'm going to use the fresh energy to start writing for BIP again. Gotta crank out the Undermountain stuff. I can always worry about an artist later. Plus, there's another very special project I want to have the leisure to work on, but it's so fantastic that I really need to rejuvenate myself before even attempting it. It will blow away Greyhawk, the Forgotten Realms, and every other published world to date. Why? Because it's real. That's the only hint I'm giving.

[Beowulf]

Why the pessimism re Thanksgiving? At least you'll be in a new place! I'm looking forward to the it, probably cook a big ol' bird for my parents & siblings. I'll have a couple months to just work my 40 & work on some D&D stuff before I start having to juggle classes & work.

[Halaster Blackcloak]

Beowulf wrote:

Why the pessimism re Thanksgiving? At least you'll be in a new place!

Yes, in a new place, but the first year without certain loved ones. Unless I travel out of state to the one good relative I have left (and that's not an option this year), I'll have no family at all there for the holiday.

This year it's more a matter of enduring the holidays rather than celebrating them. Eh.

Of course, there'll probably be a few good friends swinging by, so I am planning a feast beyond what I usually do. All that homemade food should cheer me up some. It's so satisfying because everything is fresh, organically grown, and handmade from scratch.

The chocolate cake I make is so chocolatey that if you hate chocolate you'll spit it out, but if you're a chocolate lover you generally take a bite, fall to the floor, and enjoy an out-of-body experience. There's also the possibility of a spontaneous orgasm, it's that good!

But overall, for the first time in memory, I am simply trying to endure the holidays and look towards them with dread more than anticipation.

[Varl]

I'm still here. I've been working hard on creature conversions and my NWP system for the past few months. I've also got a website I'm working on which will hold all my creations eventually.

[Beowulf]

I'm probably going to work on Turkey Day; not a big deal, though- I'll be off by 5:00 pm. And it will get me off the hook, cooking wise. FYI- I've spent most of my working life as a chef, so it seems like my family thinks I'm the only one "qualified" to cook for the holidays. Nevermind that my mom did the cooking for the first 18 years of my life.

To tell the truth, though, I have a 20 pound turkey in my fridge right now. My plan is to cook it this Sunday. Call it my own mini-T-day. Nothing elaborate, just turkey, stuffing & roasted-garlic mashed potatoes. Mostly I just the turkey leftovers.

[Halaster Blackcloak]

Thanksgiving was ok. Didn't end up eating dinner until freaking 11PM though!

Lots of nonsense going on with the move to the new apartment, so it was hectic. Didn't really feel like Thanksgiving, but the food was good. Unfortunately I got sick of it on Day Two, which is unusual because I usually enjoy days of eating the leftovers. This year, all I wanted the day after was a pizza.