Okay, first off: I don't have a good excuse for missing yesterday's post. I was sleepy and couldn't concentrate on the screen in the morning, and was watching severe weather in the afternoon and evening. But here we are, so we won't worry too much about it.
Anyway, this time I'm thankful for something a little more frivolous than previous posts. Y'see, with as many models as I build, you get to know which ones are good sculpts, and which ones are bad sculpts. A bad sculpt is painful to try and get together. The pieces don't fit quite right, they come from the manufacturer warped, or sometimes even with a pristine kit, the parts just don't do what they're designed to do.
Space Marine Land Speeder, I'm looking at you here.
However, the kit I built yesterday while watching that severe weather (don't judge me, I needed something to take my mind off it) was a joy to work with. The new Tau XV109 Riptide suit is an absolute dream. Each segment - lower legs, upper legs, upper and lower arms - was individual and poseable. All I had to do was snip a couple of small support studs - which the instructions themselves recommended to be cut if you wanted to pose it like I did - and I got this thing to look amazing.
Now, GW has been using a computer aided design or CAD tool for the past several years to help design their new models, and I think this kit exemplifies what can be done with them. It was just amazing, and I can't wait to take this giant model out onto the field.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Follow-up: Worry isn't worth it
So, yesterday I wrote a post about worry, and job interviews, and all that jazz. Well, first off, the Lord does work in His own ways and time, and I now have a new job! Was quite amazed and a little shocked at how fast it all happened, feels a little like a dream, but it really happened.
Which brings me to my point: all that worrying I did last week was for nothing. I was so worried that the other job would take me away from things I felt I needed to do, from things I wanted to do, and it turned out not to matter. I knew the other job would give me and Alicia more in the way of financial security, and it would have given me a little more downtime to recover, but the trade-off was just too great in my mind, which is what was making me fret over it.
But now, none of that is an issue. I truly believe the Lord was with me through it all. I was so much more confident during the interview itself, I actually didn't worry about it beforehand much. And I was hired literally less than an hour after the interview was over. I was just so blessed through the entire process that it had to be the Lord's hand involved.
So, the biggest point is: what did I learn? I learned that worry doesn't change anything, and when looks like my best option is horrible, there just may be a better one coming along the pipeline. Patience may be hard, but there's a reason why it's a virtue.
Which brings me to my point: all that worrying I did last week was for nothing. I was so worried that the other job would take me away from things I felt I needed to do, from things I wanted to do, and it turned out not to matter. I knew the other job would give me and Alicia more in the way of financial security, and it would have given me a little more downtime to recover, but the trade-off was just too great in my mind, which is what was making me fret over it.
But now, none of that is an issue. I truly believe the Lord was with me through it all. I was so much more confident during the interview itself, I actually didn't worry about it beforehand much. And I was hired literally less than an hour after the interview was over. I was just so blessed through the entire process that it had to be the Lord's hand involved.
So, the biggest point is: what did I learn? I learned that worry doesn't change anything, and when looks like my best option is horrible, there just may be a better one coming along the pipeline. Patience may be hard, but there's a reason why it's a virtue.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
I Worry Too Much...
Does anyone else hate interviews? I know I do. I've got another one today that I think is for an even better job than last week's was. Does it have it's own issues? Of course, but I think it would be better for me long term.
But to come to the point: I worry about it. I chalk it up to the fact that I think too much. Whenever something comes up, I always analyze it, try and figure out possible outcomes and how it could affect how I live my life, those around me, what have you. And, as is possibly inevitable, those scenarios are usually decently grim.
I try and be a positive person. I let the bad things roll off my shoulders whenever possible. But when I'm coming up to a big decision point - like a job interview - all I'm able to do is think and ponder and worry about it.
And that really, really bites.
Yesterday, I posted Proverbs 12:25 on my Facebook page: "Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up." Two days before, I posted a very similar passage from Luke 12. You'd think that, with all the Bible has to say about worry - in a word: don't - I'd be able to move past it. And I'm trying to, I really am.
But for now, all I can do is pray that what should be will be, and try and turn my mind off for a while. So glad that I have absolutely no downtime at my current job... wait a minute... ;)
Time to work on some more Tau lists...
But to come to the point: I worry about it. I chalk it up to the fact that I think too much. Whenever something comes up, I always analyze it, try and figure out possible outcomes and how it could affect how I live my life, those around me, what have you. And, as is possibly inevitable, those scenarios are usually decently grim.
I try and be a positive person. I let the bad things roll off my shoulders whenever possible. But when I'm coming up to a big decision point - like a job interview - all I'm able to do is think and ponder and worry about it.
And that really, really bites.
Yesterday, I posted Proverbs 12:25 on my Facebook page: "Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up." Two days before, I posted a very similar passage from Luke 12. You'd think that, with all the Bible has to say about worry - in a word: don't - I'd be able to move past it. And I'm trying to, I really am.
But for now, all I can do is pray that what should be will be, and try and turn my mind off for a while. So glad that I have absolutely no downtime at my current job... wait a minute... ;)
Time to work on some more Tau lists...
Monday, April 8, 2013
Putting Words in Your Mouth
So, I'm trying to get back to doing videos for my local gaming store, the Foundry. I did them for a long while this past fall (you can find them here) pertaining to gaming news across multiple gaming systems, such as Warhammer, Malifaux, and Flames of War, but due to work issues I stopped doing them.
When you work at 4 AM, staying up late to film a video doesn't really become high on your priority list.
But now that I'm mostly settled in, I'm trying to get back to it because I really enjoyed it. Rather than the biweekly pace I did before (when I was unemployed), I plan on doing bi-monthly videos instead so I can hopefully keep on track rather than slipping behind. However, I'm only going to do one news broadcast because, lets face it, unless I cover absolutely every company invovled in tabletop gaming, I'm not going to have enough info for a broadcast twice monthly. And since I'm doing this for a local scene, I'd rather cover what we care about rather than just adding info no one will care about.
So, to take up the slack, I'm going to start covering the finer points of tactics as taught by the masters. By masters, I don't mean top players, I'm going straight to the source: Sun-Tzu, Clauswitz, etc. While they talk about warfare on usually a much larger scale than these games are able to cover, the principles they teach are still incredibly useful.
It looks to be a lot of fun, and for this first one I'll be talking about flexibility and multi-role capability, both on the strategic and tactical scales. Got the script mostly written last night (just needs some tuning), and I hope to have it filmed and online by next Monday. Now, to figure out who to use to voice the video...
When you work at 4 AM, staying up late to film a video doesn't really become high on your priority list.
But now that I'm mostly settled in, I'm trying to get back to it because I really enjoyed it. Rather than the biweekly pace I did before (when I was unemployed), I plan on doing bi-monthly videos instead so I can hopefully keep on track rather than slipping behind. However, I'm only going to do one news broadcast because, lets face it, unless I cover absolutely every company invovled in tabletop gaming, I'm not going to have enough info for a broadcast twice monthly. And since I'm doing this for a local scene, I'd rather cover what we care about rather than just adding info no one will care about.
So, to take up the slack, I'm going to start covering the finer points of tactics as taught by the masters. By masters, I don't mean top players, I'm going straight to the source: Sun-Tzu, Clauswitz, etc. While they talk about warfare on usually a much larger scale than these games are able to cover, the principles they teach are still incredibly useful.
It looks to be a lot of fun, and for this first one I'll be talking about flexibility and multi-role capability, both on the strategic and tactical scales. Got the script mostly written last night (just needs some tuning), and I hope to have it filmed and online by next Monday. Now, to figure out who to use to voice the video...
Friday, April 5, 2013
343rd RRC: My Tau Army in Pictures
Better late than never, right? Sorry it's taken so long, but I finally got the pictures done and uploaded, and so here we are. I know I'm no master painter, and my army definitely isn't Golden Daemon worthy, but for what it's worth here we are: the 343rd Rapid Response Cadre, such as it currently stands.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 |
| Fire Warrior squad A with their Devilfish |
 |
| Shas'ui Yos'srin with his Dreadnought trophy |
 |
| Close up on the Devilfish for squad A |
 |
| Fire Warrior squad B with their own Devilfish |
 |
| Squad B's Devilfish |
 |
| Shas'ui Guid'vel with his Land Speeder trophy |
 |
| Fire Warrior squad C with Devilfish |
 |
| Squad C's Devilfish; slightly different camo colors |
 |
| Fire Warrior squad D with Devilfish |
 |
| Squad D's Devilfish is still in someone else's paint scheme :S |
 |
| Fire Warrior squad E; these last two do have Devilfish, but they're unpainted still |
 |
| ...and Fire Warrior squad F. Yes, there are 60 of the dudes. And I have 12 more I could still paint! |
 |
| Pathfinder Team 1; 10 man with 3 rail rifles |
 |
| Pathfinder Team 2; 8 man |
 |
| My XV15 stealth suits; have 3 more unpainted. |
 |
| XV25 stealth suits; prefer the 15's, so these are all I have of them |
 |
| Hammerhead 'Mjolnir' with two weapon options |
 |
| Hammerhead 'Amo-no-nuboko' with two weapon options |
 |
| and the Hammerhead 'Excalibur' with just the Rail Cannon, though I have another Ion Cannon I can still build |
 |
| My collection of painted XV8 Crisis suits; a few more lurk in my bits I could use |
 |
| Close up of my XV8 commander; the shield has the unit colors and the text reads '343 Recon', the old unit name |
 |
| My four XV88 Broadsides; one still in someone else's paint scheme |
 |
| Close up of my most heavily converted; still haven't finished the paintwork |
 |
| Shas'O R'myr from Forge World; using it as my Crisis Commander |
 |
| and last but not least, the Ethereal Aun'Shi |
Fiction Fridays: Tau
So here we come to another Fiction Friday! Again, we're on our Tau kick this week, so we'll keep with the theme and let's try and make some background for my Tau army, shall we?
---
The 343rd Rapid Response Cadre served along the forefront of the Third Sphere expansion of the Tau Empire. Hailing from the Sa'cea sept worlds and bringing the martial tradition of their world to the new colonies, the members of this Cadre have fought in numerous engagements across numerous worlds.
Several times the cadre engaged against the forces of the Imperium's Space Marines, from numerous chapters as they sought to stop the Tau's expansion. Several warriors distinguished themselves in these engagements, such as Shas'la Guid'vel who managed to intercept and destroy a Land Speeder which was making its attack run on another squad of Fire Warriors despite the rest of his squad having been scattered by an incoming hail of bolter fire. Another, Shas'la Yos'srin, had his unit charged by one of the Astartes battlesuits called Dreadnoughts. Maneuvering behind it in the heat of battle, he was able to place a precisely aimed pulse round in its reactor core and destroyed it. Both were promoted for their heroism.
Their Shas'el, Commander Darksight, distinguished himself against the Dark Eldar. Attempting to defend a resupply post being struck by a corsair raid, Darksight found himself and his bodyguard attacked by numerous eldar upon skyboards. One, later determined to be the enemy commander, came towards Darksight in the blink of an eye, and so he was forced to fight at short range. The honorless enemy was utilizing chemical enhancements to boost his already considerable combat prowess, and seeing an opportunity Darksight ripped the control mechanism from the enemy's body. Possibly by blind luck, the drugs began to cascade into the eldar's body, killing him instantly. Their leader dead, the remainder of the Eldar vanished back into the night from whence they came.
When the Tau took control of the Imperial-held world of Taros, the 343rd served proudly, rushing from engagement to engagement as needed. Their most notable battle was against the Elysian Drop Troops attempting to take control of the capitol's water supply, coming in at the forefront of that attack. Despite heavy casualties, it was the 343rd that finished off the ill-advised attack.
After a layover on Sa'cea itself for rebuilding and retraining, a new Shas'el took over command of the Cadre, known as Commander Longstride. Favoring manouvre and rapid strike tactics even moreso than most Fire Caste do, he removed some of the more static elements of the force and retasked others, relying on his Hammerhead Gunships and Razorshark Fighters for anti-armour fighting, while his few remaining Broadsides took over as anti-air. He was also assigned one of the new XV-104 Riptide suits, and assigned it to one of his most senior pilots.
So far the rebuilt 343rd remains untested. However, while the 3rd Sphere Expansion may have halted temporarily, rest assured that it will start up again soon, and the 343rd will be there at the forefront. Whether at a new world, or in the defense of old holdings, they will do their duty.
---
The 343rd Rapid Response Cadre served along the forefront of the Third Sphere expansion of the Tau Empire. Hailing from the Sa'cea sept worlds and bringing the martial tradition of their world to the new colonies, the members of this Cadre have fought in numerous engagements across numerous worlds.
Several times the cadre engaged against the forces of the Imperium's Space Marines, from numerous chapters as they sought to stop the Tau's expansion. Several warriors distinguished themselves in these engagements, such as Shas'la Guid'vel who managed to intercept and destroy a Land Speeder which was making its attack run on another squad of Fire Warriors despite the rest of his squad having been scattered by an incoming hail of bolter fire. Another, Shas'la Yos'srin, had his unit charged by one of the Astartes battlesuits called Dreadnoughts. Maneuvering behind it in the heat of battle, he was able to place a precisely aimed pulse round in its reactor core and destroyed it. Both were promoted for their heroism.
Their Shas'el, Commander Darksight, distinguished himself against the Dark Eldar. Attempting to defend a resupply post being struck by a corsair raid, Darksight found himself and his bodyguard attacked by numerous eldar upon skyboards. One, later determined to be the enemy commander, came towards Darksight in the blink of an eye, and so he was forced to fight at short range. The honorless enemy was utilizing chemical enhancements to boost his already considerable combat prowess, and seeing an opportunity Darksight ripped the control mechanism from the enemy's body. Possibly by blind luck, the drugs began to cascade into the eldar's body, killing him instantly. Their leader dead, the remainder of the Eldar vanished back into the night from whence they came.
When the Tau took control of the Imperial-held world of Taros, the 343rd served proudly, rushing from engagement to engagement as needed. Their most notable battle was against the Elysian Drop Troops attempting to take control of the capitol's water supply, coming in at the forefront of that attack. Despite heavy casualties, it was the 343rd that finished off the ill-advised attack.
After a layover on Sa'cea itself for rebuilding and retraining, a new Shas'el took over command of the Cadre, known as Commander Longstride. Favoring manouvre and rapid strike tactics even moreso than most Fire Caste do, he removed some of the more static elements of the force and retasked others, relying on his Hammerhead Gunships and Razorshark Fighters for anti-armour fighting, while his few remaining Broadsides took over as anti-air. He was also assigned one of the new XV-104 Riptide suits, and assigned it to one of his most senior pilots.
So far the rebuilt 343rd remains untested. However, while the 3rd Sphere Expansion may have halted temporarily, rest assured that it will start up again soon, and the 343rd will be there at the forefront. Whether at a new world, or in the defense of old holdings, they will do their duty.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Thankful Thursday: Opportunity Knockin'
First off, an editor's note: I had every intention of doing a post with army pictures yesterday, but was unable to do so due to other commitments and the need to actually be rested before a job interview today. So many apologies, but I shall get that post completed this afternoon if all goes well.
So, speaking of that job interview we come to my weekly Thankful Thursday, where today it's gotta be Opportunity. Y'see, I work in the television industry. You may think "Oh, wow, you're on TV? That must be so awesome and give you a great paycheck!"
You'd be wrong. Very wrong.
I work on the production side, doing the morning shift at a local tv station. So what I get instead are long hours, odd hours, stressful moments of sheer terror when things don't quite go as planned, and a dismal paycheck as a reward. But television is something I've always wanted to do, something that I enjoy. I find it rewarding to put a production together, and when it comes together successfully.
I've volunteered with the television ministry at local churches wherever I've been since I was in middle school, and that's where I picked up the bug. Being a part of something like that is an amazing thing, being able to send the service out across the air to wherever it may need to go, to whomever needs to hear it. And to be honest, media ministry is where my heart lies, but working in tv news is great training, discovering what it takes to make a truly exceptional broadcast day in and day out.
Now, because of that dismal paycheck, I wouldn't be able to do this if I was living on my own. But my wife is an amazing woman as I've already discussed, and we make do like we are now. I don't know how we do it, but she's keeping the books in order and making sure we don't starve. I know it's stressful on her, and I don't thank her enough for it, but she's letting me pursue my dreams, and so I really need to thank her again when I get home.
But now I've got an interview for another job here at the station, one that's full time, pays more, gives me benefits, the works. The hours still bite, and it's still not an amazing paycheck, but it's something. Hopefully it's a stepping stone onto something else, or maybe the Lord has something better in mind for later. But for now, I'm simply thankful for the opportunity to try, and for everything He's done to make it happen.
So, speaking of that job interview we come to my weekly Thankful Thursday, where today it's gotta be Opportunity. Y'see, I work in the television industry. You may think "Oh, wow, you're on TV? That must be so awesome and give you a great paycheck!"
You'd be wrong. Very wrong.
I work on the production side, doing the morning shift at a local tv station. So what I get instead are long hours, odd hours, stressful moments of sheer terror when things don't quite go as planned, and a dismal paycheck as a reward. But television is something I've always wanted to do, something that I enjoy. I find it rewarding to put a production together, and when it comes together successfully.
I've volunteered with the television ministry at local churches wherever I've been since I was in middle school, and that's where I picked up the bug. Being a part of something like that is an amazing thing, being able to send the service out across the air to wherever it may need to go, to whomever needs to hear it. And to be honest, media ministry is where my heart lies, but working in tv news is great training, discovering what it takes to make a truly exceptional broadcast day in and day out.
Now, because of that dismal paycheck, I wouldn't be able to do this if I was living on my own. But my wife is an amazing woman as I've already discussed, and we make do like we are now. I don't know how we do it, but she's keeping the books in order and making sure we don't starve. I know it's stressful on her, and I don't thank her enough for it, but she's letting me pursue my dreams, and so I really need to thank her again when I get home.
But now I've got an interview for another job here at the station, one that's full time, pays more, gives me benefits, the works. The hours still bite, and it's still not an amazing paycheck, but it's something. Hopefully it's a stepping stone onto something else, or maybe the Lord has something better in mind for later. But for now, I'm simply thankful for the opportunity to try, and for everything He's done to make it happen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)