Spent the weekend working on the new house.  Its coming along nicely; we all-but finished our kitchen.  The table I got at Ikea my wife doesn’t like, so it will have to be exchanged for another one.  It’s going slower than I had hoped, but progress is being made steadily.

I got a manuscript from Chris Field for a new PDF that looks great.  I sent him some notes for an expansion we will work into either the next PDF in the series or the dead-tree compilation new material.

The new 40K edition just came out.  I haven’t picked up my copy yet but I want one soon.  I’ll be setting up a painting table in my new office.  I have two Warmachine factions (Menoth and Khador) and I want to do Space Marines and Orks for the new system as they were the first two armies I played waaay back when it was Rogue Trader. The new house is five minutes from one of the best game stores in the area, so I want to take advantage and get more gaming in.

In other good news my boss called me this morning and they are going to order me a new laptop this fiscal year instead of next.  So instead of waiting until November to get my new computer they placed the order today!  I should have a new screaming-fast laptop in a week or two. I haven’t installed the Adobe Creative Suite on my laptop cuz I knew I would be getting a new, faster one eventually. So once I get it I will have the full suite running on both my computers.  (Desktop at home and my work laptop.)  That will certainly help productivity!

I don’t generally read single issues of comic books any more.  I try to get the trade paperbacks when they come out.  The other day I found a local comic book shop near my new house and stopped in to check it out.  I liked it a lot, and picked up the new issue of the Ultimates, which is about the only one I read monthly any more.  I also got Secret Invasion #1 the Directors Cut; which included the script by Bendis in the back and some extra art and stuff.  I have to say, I love what Bendis has been doing with the Marvel Universe.  From Daredevil to the New Avengers he does know how to shake some s*$% up.  I loved Secret Invasion #1.  I am so tempted to go get all the issues that are out so far and read them, but then I put them away in the comic box and they never get looked at again.  That’s why I like the trades.  You can grab one off the shelf and read through it without worrying about it going from Near Mint to Good after you spill soda on it while your reading.  I picked up the trade for the very first TMNT comic the other day at the used book store.  I loved the TMNT when I was in high school, long before they were a silly cartoon or a hoaky movie franchise.  Old-School B&W TMNT laying the smackdown on the Foot.  Good times.

I dodged a bullet yesterday cuz I thought I had lost the key to my new motorcycle.  I have already been to three places trying to get copies made because I knew I only had one key, but no one had any Yamaha blanks.  So when I couldn’t find it I thought I would have to have a locksmith come out.  I called around and they wanted between $250 and $300 to do it.  Ouch!  I did find the key, and hit a Yamaha dealer near our new house after work yesterday and had three copies made.

I jotted down a couple of notes for some new RPG ideas, a setting idea as well as several PDF topics. I note with interest what Kenzer & Co. is doing; they are releasing 4E product without using the GSL.  Adamant has announced they will follow suit.  I may do the same if for no other reason than to thumb my nose at such a stupid license.

I am itching to get back to publishing.  I’ll get Wizards of Shadowfell out this weekend.  I should be able to work on it tonight when I get home.  I am excited to begin work on some dead-tree-print products as well.

BitzBox.com isn’t getting much love.  It is getting good hits, but not many people posting ads as of yet.  If you have stuff to buy/sell/trade or that you want, please head over and post a few ads.

My “To-Do” list has become endless.  Such is life.  Worked on the house more last night.  Got some small parts (replacement fairing bolts, the current ones are a mis-match of various fasteners) to put on the new motorcycle. I also need to reupholster the seat as it has a couple of small tears.

I have scored some really great deals via Craigslist the past week.  Sunday my wife and I hit Ikea for some lunch (Sweedish meatballs!) and some ideas.  I saw a small kitchen island/cart with a butcher block top that would look great in the new kitchen.  We were just looking, so we didn’t buy anything.  Well, yesterday I searched Craigslist and found one for like a third of the cost of the cart at Ikea.  My wife and I went into DC last night to look at it, and it is bigger than the one we saw at Ikea cuz it has two leafs that fold up to double the work space.  We scored that and a small TV for the kitchen for $35.00!  I am going to have to sand and re-finish the top, clean the base really well and I think we are going to paint the base white to match the kitchen.  Add that stuff to the to-do list.

I’ve been giving some thought to where we go for the next year.  I am planning out the Omens of Armageddon adventure arc which will be 12-18 modules for the D20 Modern rule set.  The Pandora Project is on deck as well as the compilation of the Adventurer Essentials line into a hard copy.  That obviously entails finishing several items that are currently absent.  (Ten foot pole anyone?)  I also have two or three projects that I want to do but its too early to start spilling details just yet. Plenty to keep me busy. Once we finish the main level we move upstairs where I can start putting the new office together.

Spent all weekend painting, interlaced with cleaning and sanding of course.  The kitchen, living room and dining room (really the same big room) are 95% painted.  My wife and her mom will be hanging some wallpaper on Friday to finish the main living area.  The rest of the house just needs a coat of white paint to spruce it up.

But who cares about that?  On the publishing front I have traded a few emails with Chris Field about putting a couple of the ISBN numbers  I purchased to good use.  Among other things we are planning a hard copy of the complete Adventurer Essentials line.  More details on that to follow.

I’ve been spending most of my free time prepping the new house for a coat or two of paint.  That’s our big plan for the 4th of July weekend; sanding, cleaning & painting!  I was hunting out some deals on Craigslist for stuff we need.  I picked up a brand new kitchen sink faucet for $40.00 that was selling online for over $100.  I also scored a shop vac really cheap and will be going to look at a halogen work light this afternoon.

I am very glad to see the light at them end of the tunnel as far as the house goes.  After this weekend we should be ready to move stuff in.  I’ll get the office set up and have a place from which to run my publishing empire! I suspect my wife will move into the new palce this weekend, while I will be at our old place for the rest of the month.  We’ll shuttle all our stuff to the new place in several trips.

Not to worry, I will get several releases out this month!  Wizards of Shadowfell are almost done, and I have a few other PDF’s on deck.

Now that I have a house to pay for I am putting my publishing and other ventures into high gear.

Well, we finally did it.  I got a call yesterday and the settlement was at 1:00pm.  An hour or so later we had the keys to our new house!

Went to Home Depot last night and got a bunch of stuff for painting the house like drop cloths,  rollers, caulk, caulk gun, mops, brushes, spackle, sanders etc.

Now comes the scary part: paying for the house!

Holy crap Thursday was an awesome day!

First, the Heller decision came down as a huge win for anyone with a third grade reading level of history and the Constitution.  (My only surprise was that the decision was 5-4 and not 9-0.)  I read through the decision and they tear the gun-control freaks a new one. Some highlights…

Did you know that the famous 1930’s Miller decision that is the last time the Supreme Court heard a case relating to the 2nd Amendment involved a bootlegger and mobster who was charged with violating the National Firearms Act; which imposed a tax on his shotgun?  Yes, it was a tax dispute!  And when the court heard the case neither Mr. Miller (the criminal bootlegger/mobster) nor his attorney (court appointed and not getting paid a dime, thus couldn’t make the trip to D.C.) were present.  So the last time the high court heard a gun case it was only argued by the government!  Would the Roe vs. Wade outcome have been different is Roe or her lawyers not been in attendance?  Well for years this has been overlooked, until the Heller decision.

I won’t bore you with more, but it does make for some very interesting reading.  The majority opinion is about 60 pages and this comment sums it up nicely:

Scalia’s opinion was classic. He spends 40 pages citing Webster’s in an effort to give the dissenters a vocab and grammar lesson, then he spends 10 pages calling Justice Stevens a douche bag (politely), and 10 pages doing the same to Justice Breyer.

60 pages total of what basically amounts to: “It’s plainly written, right there… can’t you read?”

In other great news on Thursday I got a new motorcycle!  I am the proud owner of a 1996 Yamaha YZF600R sport bike!  I saw an ad on Craigslist that morning and sent the guy an email as he lived the the same town I do.  I have been thinking its time to ‘upgrade’ the bike and have always wanted a sport bike.  HE called me back just before I was going to play some xBox, about 9:00pm so I arranged to meet him at the local mall parking lot for a test ride.  He had already gotten like ten calls on it and got two more while I was riding around the mall, so I decided to go for it. I had the money so we made the deal right there.

Friday I had to wait until I got home to take it for a real test drive and actually get it out of third gear.  Man does that thing fly!  I had a stupid grin plastered to my face the whole time.  It needs a little work and the paint job is thrashed, but for the money I am not complaining one bit.  Here is a pic of what the bike ’should’ look like new:

I also got a call about the new house.  They are nearing completion so we should close sometime this week.  Maybe Tuesday.

Still no word on the Heller case from the Supreme court.  From what I hear the decision is expected tomorrow.  This is the D.C. gun ban case, and will go down in history along with Roe vs. Wade and the Dredd Scott decisions. I am expecting a BIG win for 2nd Amendment supporters.

I found out what the hold-up is on the house.  Apparently the previous owner had an IRS lean on the house he never paid.  The title search company missed it, and only found it just before we were going to settlement.  Looks like they have to pay the lean.  (No idea how much it is for.)  But this could drag settlement out for several weeks since the IRS doesn’t do anything fast.  We may just make a deal to move in and do settlement when they get all that sorted out.

BitzBox.com is getting steadily more hits.  Our first banner ad over at DakkaDakka.com is live.  I have inquirys at a couple of other sties to do banner ads as well.  No one is really posting ads yet, though.  (Except me!) Well, its only been a couple of days; give it time.  I found some info on creating animated Gifs to make some cool banner ads.  (Thanks for the info Louis!)

I spoke with Louis Porter Jr. last night.  I called to ask him about making banner ads/animated gifs.  So naturally that turned into a discussion of all kinds of things from 4E to our future publishing plans.  Look for some exciting things from both our companies in the coming months.

Skortched Urf’ Studios has taken the next step in its publishing venture!  As of today, I now own a block of ISBN numbers.  I plan on putting them to good use with various “Dead Tree” products in the coming months.

Still no word on the house.  I am pretty frustrated about it.  I have over twenty grand just waiting to give to someone and they can’t get their act together so I can hand the check over.  Sheesh!

More later.

BitzBox.com is officially live.  I put a press release on ENWorld and have contacted several sites about doing banner ads to promote it.  Please take a moment to go and post some ads.  Thanks!

I had lunch with my Realtor today.  I signed a form related to the delayed closing.  No word on when it will be re-scheduled.  I hope to hear something tomorrow.

I picked up Grand Theft Auto today.  Blockbuster sent me a coupon for ten bucks off; so I got it for fifty instead if sixty bucks!  I haven’t played it yet, but I heard good things about free-roam mode with your friends.

I am also in the middle of transferring all the songs from my wifes old iPod to her new one.  Or, more accurately, transferring the data to our new home PC so we can do all the syncing there instead of my laptop.