Non-Gaming Stories

Things always happen in threes… Celebrities always die in threes… A-B-C, 1-2-3… Peter, Paul, and Mary… The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost… Stop, Drop, and Roll… 3, 5, and 10 (see what I did there?) are psychologically satisfying numbers.   If something doesn’t come in one of those increments, it messes with our heads and while some may argue to include the Number 4 in that list, Chicken McNuggets and the Beatles are not enough to establish a precedent – at least not for me. I have a theory that this psychological need extends to the food we eat.   Take for example, the Cheeseburger.   Available from any number of fast food eateries, it has become ubiquitous with American culture.   They come with a variety of toppings, a wide assortment of breads, cheeses, and different blends of meat.   But let’s say, just for a moment, that you don’t want all of those toppings.   Let’s say that all you want on your burger is pickles.   You...

I should only rarely be left to my own devices if I have nothing to do. I get bored. And when I get bored, I get…creative.   Normally, this is fine because I carry my notebook with me and write down ideas for assorted things – mostly game-related but also for t-shirts, song parodies, and story ideas.   Today, I am going to tell you about Cheese Waffles . Yes, you read that right. Now, I came up with this idea a few days ago and have been fiddling with the waffle maker at the hotel whenever the opportunity has arisen to refine my concept into a working recipe.   Well…”recipe” might be a strong word since everyone has their own favored way to make waffle batter (or if they don’t they should and this note is not going to delve into that particular topic at this time but I will say, adding melted butter to the mix ahead of time helps prevent sticking and, in my opinion, improves the taste of the waffle). The first thing you are going to want to do is turn on ...

My wife is in the National Guard and this weekend was one of those "one weekend per month and two weeks per year" weekends. I never know what to do with myself when she is away. I am proud that she has decided to serve and, from my time in the military, I know all about "needs of the command" and understand that commitment to duty that accompanies the oath of service. Understanding does not make these weekends any easier and I miss her terribly when she is away. Friday morning, I dropped her off at her command and settled in to wait. I needed to find a way to kill some time so I decided to explore the area. Signs indicating the presence of a nearby park drew my attention and after following them, I found myself at Belle Prairie County Park just outside of Little Falls, MN. The road through the park, for the most part is single-lane asphalt and in good repair. There were exceedingly few potholes and almost no debris to impede travel. I followed the loo...