Sunday, July 6, 2008

First salvo


I've wanted to blog for some time, but never got to it. I suppose I feared I had nothing to say--but that doesn't seem to faze most bloggers, so why shouldn't I pitch in with my own nonsense?

I live in the Pacific Northwest, Lynnwood, WA, to be exact, in a townhome with three annoying cats: Grendel, a large, 21-pound DSH, imperious, aloof, and inexorable when it comes to seeking food; Rhiannon, my sweet pea, a bob-tailed brown tabby shorthair who is simultaneously the sweetest and feistiest cat in the house; and Maebh, a fluffy-bottomed stumpy Manx, who is seven pounds of pure crazy. I do my best to show them who the alpha cat is in the house and they do their best to disabuse me of that idea. I have been a humanoid cat-minder unit for less than two years and I already feel like a seasoned veteran with the scars, scratched furniture, and stained rugs to prove it. They are, nevertheless, a delight.

My longest-lived hobby is miniature wargaming. I started painting and playing wargames with lead minis when Gerald Ford was president. Despite a long haitus for college and grad school, I'm still at it. However, the question, "do you still play with little men?" from family and old friends certainly gives the impression that it's not everyone's idea of a worthwhile hobby. I love it because it gives me a way to interact tangibly with my interest in military history, provides an artistic outlet, social interaction with fellow enthusiasts through games and involvement in a regional gaming organization, NHMGS, and a great deal of excitement and adventure, albeit of the Walter Mitty variety.

I am a long-time shooter, squash player, and for the last year, a Nissan 350z enthusiast. I have voted Republican since 1980. As my father tells it, my great-grandmother believed that the two keys to happiness in life were owning a gun and voting Republican; I have tried to live up to that. However, I am fairly cyncial about politics. Many politicos are the worst sort of people, and the best you can hope for from most is that they will do the least damage. As I blog henceforth to whenever, I will no doubt make comments, mostly asinine, about all these things and more.

No comments:

Post a Comment