crawling through sewers with a torch

Last night I explored a dungeon-like system of sewers with my friend (a punch-throwing monk whose fists would make Bruce Lee take pause), was attacked by wererats, traveled through the wilds to a town called Nistala, was reunited with an old friend, and barely lived through an encounter with a couple of terrifying creatures that made ogres look harmless.

 

It’s kind of like the old days of sitting up all night, playing D&D in the fort at Mike’s, drinking Mello Yello, and eating sunflower seeds.  I didn’t have any pop or seeds, and I was in this rented basement room instead of the loft above a garage, but it was a lot of fun to be playing D&D again.

It’s actually the fourth time I’ve done so recently.  We’ve been playing via an online platform, so that, even though none of us live in the same town, we can hear each other and see a shared map on our screens.  This doesn’t recreate everything that comes with in-person roleplaying—all the nonverbal communication and little things a person takes for granted in face-to-face interaction—but it is a lot of fun, regardless. 

Josh, the DM, has created a really cool, intricate plot that is only beginning to reveal itself as we meet more characters, explore areas, and learn more about the politics and current events of the region.  There is a good amount of uncertainty and intrigue that keeps one paying attention to details and wondering what’s next.  This is mixed with moments of hair-raising adventure and attention to character development.  All put together, this makes a wonderfully fun roleplaying experience!

i didn't even drink any labatts

What's this...a new post? Thought maybe I was lost in the desert, didja? Or at sea? Or, as it turns out, just not blogging...

Anyway, here I am, back in the psuedo-world of gleaming screens and perfect little type-writer letters. Typing away while cars buzz by outside and birds chatter in the elm trees on the boulevard.

So, I went to Canada for a couple of weeks. This was back in May. I got to see an old friend and a newer one, and spend some decent time with them instead of just a conversation during an evening or catch-up over coffee.

I went up there to visit a clinic that specializes in what appears to be wrong with my leg. I found out about the place after doing some research and checking out a book written by a doctor, now retired, associated with the clinic. It went really, really well. For once, I met with doctors who said they understood what was going on and had a pretty straightforward strategy for moving forward. This was refreshing. The therapy I got and the self-help skills I learned have been helping, and I hope I can keep moving towards getting better.

Getting into Canada was a story in itself. Apparently I am some sort of international criminal. Essentially, my name and passport had been flagged and after being stopped from exiting the baggage area and taken into some room at the airport, the immigration authorities said I could not enter Canada--I was criminally inadmissible--and that I'd have to get on a plane and go back home. After about three hours of questioning, searching, arguing, and simply repeating that I was coming for medical help, I was granted (well, for a couple of hundred bucks) a temporary resident permit and allowed to stay for the duration of my medical appointments. The authorities said very clearly that this would not work again and that I would definitely be turned away if I tried coming again, even for medical stuff.

They read my journal, too, which I imagine was remarkably uninteresting.

While in Canada I watched full games of hockey on television for the first time in my life (I used to watch some hockey games in person back in high school when a friend of mine played). It seemed that just about every other person I passed in the streets during the first afternoon and evening I was there was talking about the semi-finals. I was in Vancouver and the Canucks were playing a team from the U.S--the Nashville Predators, I think.

I also learned that there is a television reality show about traffic cops. Seriously.

And I had a lot of fun hanging out with my two friends. And their cats, too. Which brings me to the next topic, which I'll write about sometime in the very near future.