Here is the latest in our continuing series of Everything is More Fun When Your Dressed Like a Stormtrooper!. This week we see Stormtroopers grocery shopping. Doesn’t this look like more fun than the last time you went to ShopCity, Food Warehouse, or Grocery Lion?

Last weeks Everything’s More Fun When Your Dressed Like a Stormtrooper!

I haven’t seen this cartoon on the web in a while so I thought I’d repost it. For you fans of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu, the Family Circus cartoon you always wanted to see.

I watched The Sarah Connor Chronicles all last year. I loved this show. I watched the new episode last night. In honor of its second season, I thought I would post a picture from the show which I found amusing. Check out the barrel of Sarah Connor’s shotgun. Oops! I’m surprised that the FOX props department remembered to take the red plastic cap off the barrel before they handed it to her. Must make it a little hard to fight off the terminators when you have to yell Bang every time you pull the trigger.

One of the books I finished over the weekend was, Comrades : Brothers, Fathers, Heroes, Sons, Pals, by one of my favorite non-fiction authors Stephen Ambrose. This book is different from Ambrose’s others. Ambrose usually writes historical accounts of events with a very personal view. Telling the stories of World War II and the American West from the point of view of the individuals who actually took part in these historic events and the relationships between them. Comrades tells the stories in an even more personal way. The entire focus of the book is not on historical events but on the relationships between the men involved. Comrades focus on the bonds of friendship between men started from shared experiences and shared interests that grow into bonds that can only be broken death. Some of the stories include subjects of Ambrose’s other books including General George Custer, President Eisenhower, and the men of Easy Company. Many of the stories feature Ambrose himself and the friendships he has shared over the years with his own close friends, his brothers, and even his father.

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For the past couple of years I have started to keep track of the books I have read. Its not because I’m anal retentive (I’m anything but). Its mostly because I read a lot and have a terrible memory. There is nothing I hate more than starting a book only to realize after 2 or 3 chapters that I’ve already read it. Also when I go to recommend a book to a friend, I inevitably can never remember the name or the author of the book I’m thinking of. I decided to share the list on My Dark Designs to make it easier for me and my friends to access it. I plan to continue to update it as I go.

I usually read a little bit of everything. I didn’t realize it until I put the list together to publish just how much of a fantasy kick I have been on during the last year. Apparently, I’ve needed a bit more escapism than usual. I’ve decided to switch gears a little and go back to some historical fiction which is one of my favorite genres.

Anyhow feel free to check out my book list and leave a comment.

Ok, maybe everything isn’t funnier when you’re dressed like a Stormtrooper. Looks like he just found out that several thousand of his brothers were on the Death Star.

Check out the original by Johnny Chaing.

Last weeks Everything is Funnier When Your Dressed Like a Stormtrooper!

Not long ago I finished reading the The Lady Penitent Series by Lisa Smedman. This series is set in the Dungeons & Dragons, Forgotten Realms setting. The Lady Penitent trilogy series picks up where the War of the Spider Queen series left off. It continues the struggles of the good Drow followers of goddess Eilistraee against the evil minions of the evil Drow goddess Lloth. I have been a die hard fan of the Drow since my earliest days of playing D&D but especially since reading R. A. Salvatore’s book Homeland. Homeland was the first novel which really exposed the evil underworld of the Drow. Since then I have read everything I could get my hands on regarding this evil, yet intriguing, race of elves. So it was only natural that The Lady Penitent would top my reading list. The three book in the series are:

• Sacrifice of the Widow
• Storm of the Dead
• Ascendancy of the Last

The story of the Lady Penitent continued one of the stories from the War of the Spider Queen which was another Forgotten Realms series about the Drow which is one of my favorites. I especially enjoyed the fact that Lisa Smedman gave us a look into other aspects of Drow society: the worship of other Drow deities, other Drow cities, and especially the struggle of the goodly Drow. Smedman does an excellent job of telling the story and developing the characters.

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Unless you’re this guy.

I just saw the trailer for the new short film 2081 and it looks really good. The movie is based on the 1961 short story Harrison Bergeron written by Kurt Vonnegut. If you haven’t read it, read it now. The story takes place in the dystopian society of 2081 (hence the name of the movie) where everyone is finally equal not just in the eyes of God or the law but in hard cold fact. This equality is ensured by the Handicapper General who job it is to ensure that no one is smarter, more attractive, stronger, faster, or anything better than anybody else. “The strong wear weights, the beautiful wear masks, and the intelligent wear earpieces that fire off loud noises to keep them from taking unfair advantage of their brains. It is a poetic tale of triumph and tragedy about a broken family, a brutal government, and an act of defiance that changes everything.”

I have always been a fan of stories about dystopian societies. Back in high school we read 1984 by George Orwell, Brave new World by Aldous Huxley, and the 1961 short story by Kurt Vonnegut called Harrison Bergeron. All of which I enjoyed although Orwell’s prose was a little hard to get through at times. I remember Vonnegut’s story in particular really made me think about the direction society was heading for the first time in my life. That’s why I was very excited to hear about 2081 which is based on Harrison Bergeron. The clips I saw showed the typical dark and dirty world common among much of the dystopian society fiction. It look very cool and very appropriate. In our world where political correctness and government intrusion threaten free speech and free thought and where technology has finally advanced to the point that could make these stories a reality they are more important than ever.

Seeing the trailer and rereading the story inspired my to create logo for the U.S. Handicapper General’s Office. I wear it to remind others to remain vigilant lest these fictional futures become our own.

I have been playing D&D since 1978. I started with 3 little brown books, went to the blue Basic D&D set then to 1st edition AD&D, 2nd edition, 3rd edition, and finally 3.5E. At each step along the way I have thought the game and the mechanics were improved. So it was with great anticipation that I awaited the arrival of 4E from Wizards of the Coast. I thought 3.5 was awesome but there were still a few problems which needed to get worked out such as the sorcerer class (which I loved). I was really looking forward to getting 4E because I hoped they would have tweaked the 3.5 rules to fix these problems.

I knew that most of it would either be written by the 10% of D&D players who will hate any changes to the game (these are usually the people who would still be playing with the little brown books if the could find them), or the 10% of the D&D community who love everything and anything Wizards of the Coast publish no matter what (WoTC could crap on a paper plate, slap it in a hard covered book and these people would run right out an buy it). I certainly didn’t want to fall into either of these categories or have my views influenced by them. In any case, I ignored all of the pre-release hype. Although I will say that I was fully prepared to become a lover.

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