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Tour Updates Currently In: Seattle, WA Next Stop: Milwaukee, WI Upcoming Appearances August 2 -5: Gen Con, Milwaukee, WI           last updated: July 15, 2001

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7.14.01—Seattle, WA

Judging by the email I've gotten, there are a few of you out there who want to know how the Tour ended (or perhaps more accurately, how Origins went). I've been quite lax in putting up what is likely to be the final instalment of the Tour Update Page (since the only other REAL stop will be Gen Con ... and if I report on that at all, it will certainly deserve a page of its own).

Well ... to put it in a nutshell, Origins was fantastic. It seemed as thought attendance was down slightly, but the convention center was still abuzz nearly all hours of the night and day. And among the hard-bitten gamers was a good number of newbies trying out hobby gaming for the very first time.

This was the first time I've been to a major convention as a "Guest of Honor," and I have to say that it was QUITE a different experience than going as a company representative. The biggest difference was the huge reduction in the amount of time I had to WORK at the con, and consequently, the amazing increase in the amount of time I had to see the show, visit with friends, and drop in on gaming events. And since MOST of my industry friends don't keep websites of their own, I thought I'd give them little plugs here!

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          Lester Smith                                    Tim Brown                                    Jeff Grubb                                 Rich Redman

For me, the product of the show came from a brand new company named Skeleton Key Games (oddly enough, based here in Seattle). They've come out with magnetic dungeon tiles scaled for use with miniatures. So you can build the floorplan of your dungeon on any metalic surface, and it will hold securely during all kinds of play. What's more, the coating on the tiles is such that you can write on them with both water-based and dry-erase markers! WOW! Look for these guys at Gen Con!

I'm not sure if I'm getting old and crotchety ... or if the nature of these conventions is changing, but the "booth babes"  seemed mostly out of place this Origins. For those of you who don't know what I mean, "booth babes" are good looking young women whom game companies use to staff their booths in an effort to add some sex appeal to an industry that is still dangerously male-dominated. Often these are women who work for the companies in clerical or managerial positions, sometimes they are wives or girlfriends of the male game designers, and sometimes they're just hired talent. The most interesting of the "booth babes" was a young woman at the Other Worlds Games booth ... her skin was painted blue (to match a race in the game they were pushing). The most exploitive was a pair of women at Mark Rein•Hagen's new company (whose name mercifully escapes me at the moment) ... the game he had was pretty cool (an anime-esque action figure/CCG that has STRONG possibilities for applealing to the mass market), but the "booth babes" were completely inappropriate (particularly given the younger target audience of the game).

This practice certainly isn't unique to the hobby gaming industry (anyone who's ever been to ANY large trade show can tell you that), but I do think that it is a habit we ought to break. I suppose I'd better not get too far into this debate or my little update will turn into a full-fledged rant.

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           New Players                                 Other Worlds                               Chris Pramas                                 John Kovalic

The Origins Awards (the most prestigious hobby games awards in North America) were a hoot. Over the past few years the Acadamy of Adventure Game Arts and Design (as led by Charles Ryan) has been working hard to improve awareness of the awards among the fans and professionals in the industry. He has been doing a MARVELOUS job, and this ceremony showed it. People showed up in tuxedos and gowns ... the speeches were sincere and the applause genuine. I really had a GREAT time at the awards, and I encourage everyone who plans to attend next year's Origins Game Expo to bring a shirt and tie and come see the best of the best in hobby gaming. Several of the winners were people and projects I hold near and dear to my heart including the new edition of Dungeons & Dragons, Death in Freeport - a D20 adventure by Chris Pramas, Matt & Gilly's First Date - a short story (in comic book format) by John Kovalic, and the first volume of The War of Souls trilogy - a Dragonlance novel by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman.

Oh yes ... and the convention WAS the final stop on my tour ... so I did a few signings and got to hang around with lots of people who know the world of Legend of the Five Rings MUCH better than I do. I ALSO had a chance to speak with some folks from the WotC Book Department about the possibility of writing another novel sometime in the coming months. Plus, I was SHOCKED by the number of people who asked me about the possibility of my doing some freelance writing (both fiction and game design) for their companies. Honestly, I didn't think I was well known enough to be "courted." It has opened my eyes to some interesting possibilities ... provided I stay on top of things back at my "day job." (How great is it when your "day job" is working on RPGs for Wizards of the Coast? Man ... sometimes I forget what a cool life I lead!)

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Frank & Stan!                              End of the Tour ...?

... but wait ... there's more! I recently found out that I WILL be attending the Gen Con Game Fair in Milwaukee, WI next month! When I left on the Stan! On The Run Tour it seemed as though I would be missing North America's largest game convention for the first time since 1994 ... but the wheelings and dealings of powers greater than myself (in other words, Wizards of the Coast Vice Presidents) has changed all that. I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing, or when I'll be where at the show ... but I WILL be there! So the tour rolls on!

Stop by the D&D area of the WotC castle and ask for me. If I'm not there, someone should be able to tell you where I can be found. I'll be happy to chat about The Crab, any of the work I've done over the years, or just gaming and "geek culture" in general ... I hope to see YOU at Gen Con!!

7.4.01—Columbus, OH

Well ... it HAS been a while since I wrote anything. Things have just come one after another the past few days and when I HAVE had a spare minute, I somehow found other things to do than turning on my computer. My appologies. You'd think I'd have a lot to report, but the truth is that very little of it all has been newsworthy. Still, I'll give you the highlights of the past six days.

6.29.01—Reunion  I went into NYC to have dinner with friends from my college days. This was impactful in two ways. First, because as I came out of Pennsylvania Station (right beneath Madison Square Garden) and walked full out into the crush of humanity that is Manhattan at the end of the work day, I was NOT overcome by the sense of nostalgia and belonging that I always have before. No matter where I've lived, when I walked out onto the streets of Manhattan I alwasy felt like I was coming home. Today, though, I felt like out of place ... no more sense of kinship to the people rushing around with concentrated scowls on their faces (an expression that every NYer puts on before going out in public ... one that is meant to give the message "if it's not important, leave me the f***k alone!" ... what I call my "street face," and something I STILL have to remind myself NOT to do in the more gentile cities I live and visit). In fact, I really felt OUT of touch ... and more lonely than anything else. Guess there's really no hope of me going back to live in NY again (not that anyone other than my grandmother really thought there was).

Anyway, I met Jung & her boyfriend Edmond, Louan & her husband Dan, and Jen (without her S.O. Len) for dinner at a very nice Korean restaurant on 32nd St (it's called Kum Gang San, and it's located between 5th and Broadway ... go check it out if you appreciate the finer points of Korean cuisine). We ate and talked and laughed and reminisced ... then went to Jung's apartment, sat on the balcony and did it all again. When the party finally broke up it was after midnight (quite late for the half of the party who had kids to go home to). It was SO good to see them ... and so strange to spend that much time with friends who are NOT involved in the hobby game or publishing industries (though Jen does work in promotions for a major NY bookstore, it's a completely different side of the industry than I am usually involved with). I miss being close enough to do this more often ... but as I said above, I am NOT going to be living in the greater NY area again soon if I have ANY say in the matter.

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                    NYC                                      Louan & Dan                              Jung & Edmond                              Old Friends

6.30.01—Homecoming  Today was the day of my signing at Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, NY. This was the mall closest to the house I grew up in (in Wantagh, NY) ... and while it's had a major facelift in the past decade, it still felt like "my mall." So doing a signing there was kind of special. And much to my joy, this was the BEST signing yet! The manager, Vicki, made me feel VERY welcome ... and the whole staff went out of their way to promote my appearance and just be as friendly as you could imagine. We New Yorkers often earn our widespread reputation for being surly ... but everyone at the Wizards of the Coast store went out of their way to put the lie to that image.

I got to talk to a lot of L5R fans, D&D fans, Dragonlance fans, and one or two people who just wanted to chat about the craft of writing. And I had a new experience ... someone walked up and said, "Hi! I just finished reading your book this morning!" This is the first time I've met ANYONE outside of my circle of personal friends who has read my book! And he even LIKED it (read the whole thing in less than 3 days)! I'm STILL beaming with pride over that one.

When the signing was through, one of the store employees (Gianni) even presented me with a gift—a VERY beautifully painted miniature. (He paints all the miniatures the store uses in their displays ... and their displays are GORGEOUS!) I was going to put a picture of it up with this entry, but for some reason every picture I take comes out blurry ... I'm still learning to use this camera (sorry, Gianni).

Anyway, toward the end of the signing my cousin Jay came by the store with his wife and two sons ... then my mom and dad joined us ... and we all went out for a very nice Italian meal INSIDE the mall. I can't remember the name of the restaurant ... but it was GREAT, and something completely unexpected inside Roosevelt Field.

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                                                                   Best Wishes ....                    Scott, Pam, Eric, and Jay

7.1.01—Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?  The answer is: every relative I still have in NY! Okay ... that's not soooo many these days, but my parents don't live in a huge apartment. It was great to see my Aunt Sue and her husband Gene ... but the real treat (and in some ways, real shock) was to see my grandmother (whom we call Nanny). She is in her 90s now, and every time I see her there is a dramatic change from the previous time. This time Nanny seemed so fragile (both physically and mentally) that I had a hard time accepting the change. But after a drink of water and a few minutes sitting in a comfy chair, she seemed to notice that a whole bunch of her family was around her, and she perked up for the rest of the day. It was kind of amazing to see the impact simply WANTING to have a good time had on her. I think that in her day-to-day routine she has a severe lack of motivation to do anything other than get through the day ... but whenever she sees the family she is inspired to have fun, and be fun for others to be around.

I realize this might sound like a knock on my family for not taking more time with her, but it's CERTAINLY NOT. Both my parents and my aunt spend lots of time with Nanny all the time ... and my brother and sister call her MUCH more frequently than I ... the point really is that those visits have become routine for her, and she perceived today as a special occasion. The power of positive thinking ... it truly is astounding.

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                                            Nanny                                               Dad                                              Mom

7.2.01—Driving, Chipping, and Driving In the morning I went out to the golf driving range with my father. He is a wildly avid (and quite skilled) golfer who instilled a love for the game in me at a very early age. In fact, one of the earliest photos I remember of me has little Stan! running around with a plastic golf club swinging (with reasonably good form) at dandilions. I'd hoped to get out to play 9 holes with Dad, but when I realized just how long the trip from NY to OH was going to be, I decided to leave a day early and split the drive in two. Still, we enjoyed our time out knocking the little practice range balls out. Dad gave me some pointers that should help in the upcoming Wizards of the Coast Corporate Golf Outing (though I have no idea with whom I'll be paired since my usual partner, Thomas M. Reid, left the company and moved to Texas while I've been on the road .... *sniff, sniff*).

Afterward, I had lunch with Mom & Dad and then hit the road. Traffic was much lighter than it was when I arrived last Thursday (perhaps a bit of real life symbolism that getting out of NY was easier and more pleasant that coming in), but it still took me only a little under 2 hours to cover the 70 miles from home to the NJ Turnpike. Then I drove and drove and drove. Eventually I stopped at a little truckstop of a town called Breezeway, PA (which is disturbingly close to the "Lost in PA" doodle on my tour map) ... and here is where I'll spend the night.

7.3.01—More Driving  Got up. Got washed. Got in the car. Drove. Drove some more. Drove even more. And eventually arrived in Columbus, OH.

The funny thing was that I've had such GORGEOUS weather for the past 2.5 weeks ... but as I approached the site of the Origins Game Expo (my first bit of "back to work"), the skies were gray and a steady rain fell. Almost like being in Seattle, eh? Well, this further bit of real-world symbolism wasn't lost on me. *sigh*

I had dinner with some friends from the Events department, whom I see far too infrequently. We ate at a very nice Italian restaurant (I think I've had more Italian food on this trip than I have in the 8 previous months) that is right across the street from the conventions center ... it is called Martini's, and I highly recommend it if you're in the Columbus area. Then we went up to one of their hotel rooms to watch the fireworks ... which were spectacular (for some reason the city of Columbus holds their annual "Red, White, and Boom!" festivities the night BEFORE Independence Day).

7.4.01—The Pre-Con Rush  Slept late today. I think that after 3 weeks on the road my body is finally starting to adjust to east coast time (just in time for me to go back out to the west coast in 5 days). There really wasn't any reason for me to have to get up, though ... I had no responsibilities at all. But I did wander over to the convention center (my first time there since I haven't been to Origins since it was held in Philadelphia in 1995) to get my badge. BOY! That's one swanky place for a gaming con! I can't wait to see it filled with gamers!

Along the way I ran into Frank, Terrie, and the other folks from Gameboard Distributors (see the 6.19.01 entry). I sat and chatted with them while they set up the booths they're running for Reaper Miniatures and Fast Forward Games. The convention hall was coming together nicely, and should be all set for tomorrow's big opening.

Then I took my rental car over to the airport and dropped it off. Goodbye, Ford Taurus with the Texas license plate ... fare ye well. I was reminded of exactly how much that car is going to cost me ... and reminded myself to next time look CAREFULLY into all travel options before making any decisions. Ah, it was worth it, though. I'd never have been able to do half of the traveling I did without a car at my disposal.

Finally, I met up with Frank and the crew again for dinner and a trip to one of the best independent bookstores I've been to in years. The Book Loft is a residential house turned into a bibliophile's paradise, and it boasts 32 ROOMS full of books! Well, we all spent nearly 2 hours in there just looking and reading and eventually buying. Go visit this place if you're passing through Columbus.

6.28.01—New York, NY

You know ... back in Seattle I often complain about the traffic. "It's not like back in NY," I usually say ... and BOY am I right!

Today I drove from my sister's place in Washington to my parents' home in suburban NY ... and I was in traffic (HEAVY traffic) nearly the whole way! In fact, just north of Baltimore there was an accident that caused the road to be congested and slow all the way to the New Jersey Turnpike! And once I got to New York I hit the height of rush hour (which I had been hoping to avoid entirely) ... it took me nearly 2.5 hours to get across one bridge and drive about 40 miles.

Gah!

I NEVER want to live here again! Never, never, NEVER!!

But I quickly sloughed all that off when I got to my parents' apartment. We had a pleasant dinner at a local pizzaria/bistro, and watched the Mets give away another game they should have won .... just like old times, really. So, I'll be bumming around the Big Apple the next few days catching up with friends and relatives, and making an appearance at the mall I used to shop at when I was in high school. Should be fun all around.

6.27.01—Washington, DC

No signings today. But I DID get to spend the morning with Jodi. True ... we were out running errands (though not successfully) ... but driving around in the car was the longest time we had to talk since I arrived. She and I didn't get along so well when we were younger (mainly because I teased her MERCILESSLY at every available opportunity ... ask her ... I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you some stories), but in adulthood we've gotten quite close. We talked about all sorts of things and, except for a little stress brought on by little Ben's dissatisfaction with his car seat, had a lovely morning. AND Jodi took me to a restaurant that made honest to upstate New York BUFFALO WINGS.

Those of you who know me have undoubtedly been subjected to my periodic rant about the difference between "hot wings" and "Buffalo wings." Well, today I actually had some Buffalo wings! Mmmmmmm!!!

Later in the afternoon I drove up to MD to visit Sandy and Emma Antunes, the geniuses who started (and recently regained control of) the website RPG.net. I met Sandy and Emma when we were all working in Japan ... they were founding members of J.I.G.G. (see my FAQ if you don't know what that is). I usually only get to see them at major conventions, and those are terrible places to socialize in the quiet "how has life been treating you?" sort of way ... so this was the first time in years that I'd had the chance to sit down and just hear about how life was treating them. As it turns out ... life has been good to the Antuneses, including blessing them with a wonderful little girl named Ivy.

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                                                                        Ivy                                           Sandy & Ivy

Anyway, I had a great dinner (Sandy sure is a good cook for an astrophysicist) and A LOT of fascinating gaming conversation with them ... and Ivy did a wonderful cat impression! All in all, a terrific evening ... I wish I could come visit more often!

6.26.01—Washington, DC

Man, am I tired!! I spent the afternoon walking around the National Mall. No, that's not a shopping center ... it's the central patch of Washington, DC where most of the big monuments and museums are located. It's about 30 blocks long, between 5 and 10 blocks wide at varying points, and contains such buildings as the U.S. Capital, the White House, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, and at least half a dozen Smithsonian museums ... and that's just for starters! I knew I only had one day to spend in the city, so I decided I'd just walk around and see as many of the exteriors as possible. (Since my sister lives so nearby, I figure I'll be back this way again relatively soon.)

Let me tell you, I nearly bit off more than I could chew. It was quite a hot day, and I had to stop at about every eighth street vendor (and there are A LOT of them) for water, soda, or some other liquid refreshment. I went from one end of the mall to the other ... and back ... in about 3 hours, but boy were my legs sore afterward (and they're going to be even MORE sore tomorrow)! I had a few interesting thoughts along the way ... but so far they haven't coallesced enough for me to turn them into an essay. I'll ponder on them some and see if I can't come up with something in the next few days.

Exhausted, I barely made it over to Pentagon City for my signing at the Wizards of the Coast store in the Fashion City mall. But when I DID make it I found some of the nicest people I've met on my trip. Bruce (the store manager) had set up a very nice signing area right in the store entrance, and he made me feel very welcome. As I came in there was a Pokémon League underway. The league was run by a woman named Lisa, who told me that her husband Paul had sent a message to the Crab Clan mailing list (I had no idea there even WAS such a thing) announcing my appearance ... so she figured there'd be a few of the local Crab players showing up.

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        Vietnam Memorial                   Have pen, will autograph!                          Bruce                                     Pokémon League

Well, as it turned out, none of them made it (perhaps Tuesday evening was not the best time for a signing) ... but I did get to talk to a few interesting people ... AND I got to meet some of the coolest Poké-maniacs I've ever known. If I'd known that was going on, I'd have made a deck and brought it with me. Oh well ... maybe next time. Anyway, if you're in the heart of DC and looking for somewhere to go game, or just talk to some very friendly and knowledgeable folks, drop by the Wizards store at Fashion City. EVERYONE I met at the store was super nice and very interested in games and just plain having fun!

6.25.01—Washington, DC

Let me start off with a couple of corrections (pointed out by my brother ... AND my sister): 1. It turns out that it had NOT been 18 months since I'd seen my neice Sarah ... it had only been 10 months (as we were both in attendance at my grandmother's 90th birthday celebration last August). Still it HAS been a significant percentage of her life since then ... so I stand by the sentiment of my earlier statement (even though I got the facts wrong ... what a TERRIBLE uncle I am!); 2. In the golf essay I meant to mention that my brother shot an 88 on his round. I got so excited talking about my performance, I forgot to mention that he out shot me at every turn. Kudos, Jeff ... and I appologize for my omission.

Okay, now that THAT's done with .... on to today's fun.

I spent the morning hanging around with my sister and nephew. It's amazing how fascinating infants are despite the fact that they do nothing other than eat, cry, and poop. I held Ben a lot and helped calm him when the "something is not right, so I'm going to scream my bloody head off" mood came upon him. She later told me that I was quite good with him ... especially for a lifelong bachelor. Guess I'll make a good daddy some day.

Then we went out to do some shopping, and I got to visit a MAGNIFICENT game store. If you're in the greater DC area, you owe it to yourself to check out a place called "The Game Parlor" in Chantilly, VA. It occupies 3 storefronts (the manager told me they would expand into 4 if they had the opportunity), is filled with a HUGE selection of games (family board, RPG, cards both collectible and non-, chess, minis, etc.) AND comics (though not as thoroughly), and they've got a good dozen or so tables available for tournaments or private use. They are open late and have some kind of activity going on every night of the week. Visit their website (www.gameparlor.com) for more info ... and then go down and tell 'em Stan! sent you!

Finally, I got in my rental car and drove up to Maryland to make an appearance at the Wizards of the Coast store in Owing Mills. Oddly enough, that turned out to be slow part of the day. It seems that wires got crossed somewhere along the line, and the store manager didn't find out I was coming until last week ... so he had NO time to do advertising. As a result, VERY few people showed up. I had fun ... and they got to have A LOT of face time with me ... but it was not what I'd call a stellarly successful tour stop.

Anyway, those of you in DC (and later on in NY) may want to take note. If the same situation arises tomorrow (and on Saturday), then whoever DOES show up may well get a private audience with yours truly. I'm not SURE that's a good thing ... but it certainly isn't something that happens every day!

6.24.01—Washington, DC

Okay, well, actually I'm in South Riding, VA ... but "Washington, DC" sounds SO much more impressive! I'm staying with my sister, Jodi, and her husband, Jonathan ... AND my 4 week old nephew, Ben! Isn't he cute?

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                                        Ben & Daddy                              Ben & Mommy                                Ben & Me

It's pretty lucky for me that when my siblings and their spouses moved out into the world, they did so in locations that are only about half-day drives from one another.

There's really not much to say about today. I drove ... I hung around with my family ... I'm writing an update while Ben is up for a midnight feeding ... pretty simple. And pretty nice.

Tomorrow, though, is the first real "appearance" of the tour. I'm excited ... and a little nervous, truth be told. Oh, I'm quite used to leading seminars and doing signings at conventions, or as part of a bigger event ... but this will be the first time when _I_ will be the ONLY draw. I sure hope SOMEONE shows up. I mean, how embarrassing to have to sit in a store for two hours and have no one to talk to but the employees. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

6.23.01—Durham, NC

Once again, it's been a few days since I wrote. For those of you who've been worrying ... I'm okay ... you can stop fretting now, Mom.

It's been an interesting few days. On Thursday I drove from Knoxville across the mountains (and halfway across the state of North Carolina) to my brother's home in Durham. As it turned out, I was also driving into typical early summer weather: hot, humid days that develop into thunderstormy evenings. I know a lot of people really despise the wet clingy atmosphere of summer here on the east coast ... but I sort of miss it. I've been enjoying the close air and the feeling of sweating even when I'm just sitting on the porch reading. (Yeah ... I know ... I'm a freak ... what can I say?)

This is the first time in nearly 18 months that I've seen my brother Jeff and his family. Now for him and his wife Trish that really isn't a terribly big deal (after all, this is about as often as they saw me when I was working in Japan) ... but for my niece Sarah, it is an ETERNITY! The last time I saw her she was less than three months old. Now she's running around talking and laughing and acting just like a little person! And she's such a CUTIE!

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             Cookie Puss                                 Sarah & Daddy                          Sarah & Mommy                              Sarah & Me

Other than getting the joy of hearing Sarah call me "Unca Shteee," it's been a quiet couple of days. Jeff and I went out to play golf yesterday (I've written a little golf report on another page so that my duffer friends can share the exploits of my first round of 2001 without inflicting them on those who consider the game "a good walk spoiled"). Tomorrow I leave for the DC area to see my sister and her family.

6.19.01—Knoxville, TN

It's amazing to me how close everything is here in this part of the country. I mean, Louisville was only 3 hours from Nashville ... and Knoxville was only 3.5 hours from Louisville (including a MAJOR traffic snarl around Lexington). I'm used to thinking that anything within 4 hours drive is relatively close, and worth visiting once or twice per year. But almost everyone I talked to on my trip has never wandered as far as I have just for the fun of it. I mean, none of the relatives at the wedding were certain how far Louisville was ... and Heather hadn't ever gone down to Nashville ... and the folks in Knoxville argued for 10 minutes about how long it would take me to from Louisville to here.

I'm sure if I lived down here I'd be driving back and forth between these cities all the time.

Anyway, I'm visiting my friends at Gameboard Distributors (Frank, Terrie, Joel, Stacy, Galen, and several Johns and Jims) for a couple of days. I come to Knoxville every autumn to attend their game convention, Tenn Con, but this is the first time I've been here JUST for a social call. So even though this is my sixth or seventh visit here, I have NO idea what there is to do in and around the city. I'm looking forward to finding out, but because they didn't know how long it would take me to drive here, when I arrived at 2:00 NONE of my friends done with business yet ... so here I sit, in the Gameboard offices ragging on them while they wrap things up for the day. (See what happens when you don't know the regional highway system? It leads to being mocked on the internet!)

6.18.01—Louisville, KY

You know, two days here in Louisville (a city whose name I've discovered can be pronounced 5 or 6 different ways) hardly seems like enough. It seems like I just got here and yet I'm leaving for Knoxville in the morning. Of course, my desire to stay probably has something to do with the company I've been keeping. You see, I added Louisville to the tour at the last minute so that I could spend some time with a relatively new, but very good friend - Heather. We've been exchanging email (and occasionally phone calls) for a few months and it seemed a crime for me to get so close and NOT take the time to jaunt up into Kentucky to say hi.

Well, to say that I had a terrific time would be a gross understatement. Heather took me to a very nice dinner downtown, and we went to see Shrek (a terrific movie that you should all go see if you haven't all ready). We talked and talked and laughed till our cheeks hurt. Why oh why is it my lot in life to meet such a wonderful woman who lives so very far from me? *sigh* C'est la vie, non? It is better than not ever knowing her at all, though. And who knows what the future might hold, right?

Sadly, I was so captivated by Heather's presence that I forgot to ever take out the camera and snap some pictures to commemorate the visit. Oh well ... perhaps the NEXT time I find myself toodling through Kentucky I'll have more presence of mind.

Anyway, here's an official Stannex thank you, Heather, for being such a charming and gracious host. I hope I can repay the favor soon.

6.17.01—Louisville, KY

Why didn't I write anything yesterday? Well, I was too busy celebrating the wedding of Kerry Forrestal (an old college friend) to Shannon Vaughn (one of the kindest, sweetest people I've ever met). It was quite an affair ... north meets south ... Ireland meets America ... boy meets girl ... old friends get together. Ahhhh ... I think there's an Alec Baldwin movie in there somewhere. Anyway, it was A LOT of fun, and I even learned a thing or two about my generation. Not only did I get to see Kerry take his vows (something I might have sworn would NEVER happen), I got to read a poem at the ceremony and spend the rest of the day with friends from my college days.

Steve and Eileen Gold have been together for nearly as long as I've known either of them. They were the first of our college group to get married ... and now they have two lovely daughters (Kirsten and Megan). Mike Kushner beat Kerry into (and out of) medical school and matrimony (though his wife Robin couldn't make the trip down this weekend). It's been at least 10 years since all of us have been in the same place at the same time. And this was a wonderful way to get reacquainted.

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       Kerry & Shannon                         Kiss on Trolley                        Steve & Eileen Gold                       Old Friends

The funny thing about the wedding is how many people were completely bowled over by the notion that I have a novel on the stands. Honestly, I was treated like a visiting dignitary. People kept coming up, shaking my hand, and saying things like "I never thought I'd meet someone like you." It was all very strange. You see, I live and work in an environment where EVERYONE gets work published regularly ... and a good number of them go on to have at least one novel published. Don't get me wrong, getting The Crab out is a major accomplishment ... one I'm VERY proud of ... but it seems like a good beginning, not a celebratory end. Oh well, I guess I can bare to bask in unabashed adulation for a day or two. *wink*

6.15.01—Nashville, TN

Hoo boy! Is it raining!! I was out driving around, but when a line of dark thunderclouds blew across the horizon, I decided to head back to the hotel for a bit (particularly because they're making "could be quite a storm" noises on the radio ... and from my days in Lake Geneva I know that means "threat of tornados"). It doesn't seem like the weather is getting THAT bad ... but I'd rather not take chances, especially here in a strange town.

I DID manage to get to one game store before I cancelled the afternoon activities. The Game Keep was a double-sized storefront in a strip mall that was filled with all sorts of interesting things. It is the kind of store my friend (and ex-WotC Business manager) Cindi Rice hates ... and just the kind I love! It was stocked with RPGs, board games, minis, and lots of other treasures from the last 15 years of hobby gaming all mixed together on moderately organized shelves. I had to get down on the floor and pour through it all because I never knew where I'd something amazing that I've been searching years for.

As it turns out, I found about 80% of the game products I ever worked on, and many that I hadn't seen since their initial release. I ALMOST bought a copy of "Cadillacs & Dinosaurs" and several old Ral Partha Ravenloft minis ... but the fact that I'm on the FIRST day of a month long trip made my interna fiscal coordinator kick into overdrive. I wound up just buying a d20 adventure for myself and copies of "Groo the Game" and its one supplement for a buddy of mine back in WA who has been looking for them desperately since I showed him the game in February. (Paul, if you're reading this, I'll bring them over when I get back in July.)

If you're in Nashville and looking for a gaming store to visit, The Game Keep is a good solid place to start.

The weather seems to be breaking, so I think I'll head down to the hotel veranda and do a little reading. Right now I'm reading "The Temple of Elemental Evil" novel by Thomas M. Reid. It brings back so many memories of my very first D&D characters tromping through "The Village of Homlett" .... *sigh* ... I highly recommend picking up a copy when next you're in a bookstore ... then drop Thomas an email and tell him that I'm the one who told you to do so. *heh heh heh*

6.14.01—Nashville, TN

Damn I hate getting up early! Today I had to be out of bed at 4:15am so that I could get cleaned up and out the door in order to make my 6:25 flight out of Seattle. To make matters worse, I was up late last night playing in Chris Perkins' D&D campaign (though I suppose any time you link the phrase "to make matters worse" to "playing D&D" things really aren't that bad).

I'll spare you the details of my flights ... they were acceptable. But they ended on a very pleasant note. As I stepped into the exit ramp in Nashville I found my entire body surrounded by a feeling I'd almost forgotten about while living in Seattle: hot, humid air! Oh, it was GLORIOUS! I grew up in an area that found most summer days being over 90 degrees and 90% humidity and I kinda miss it. Seattlites are lucky if they get 5 days over 90 degrees all year long (thought they don't seem to consider themselves lucky at all).

I got out of the airport and into my rental car without a hitch ... unless you count the PRICE of my auto transport. WOW! If I'd shopped around a little more I might have found it cheaper to FLY all over the east coast than to rent this car. Oh well. C'est la vie. It's a promotional expense.

I met with an old friend whose wedding I'm going to be attending on Saturday. He, his betrothed, and I had dinner at a very nice Japanese restaurant called Sapporo. I even took a few pics of the meal which I PLANNED to post here ... but that's where the first BIG down side of this stop comes in. The internet connection here at my hotel (the Opryland Holiday Inn Select) is TERRIBLE! I can barely keep a connection live for 5 minutes ... and even then it is s-l-o-w-!-!-! So all the photos are going to have to wait until I get somewhere with better wiring. That's a shame, too, because the rehearsal dinner and wedding both promise some bizarre glimpses into my gaming past.

Tomorrow I'm going to toodle around Nashville and see if I can't find a good game or book store to squander some time in.

6.11.01—Seattle, WA

I finally got confirmation on the dates and times for my appearances at three different Wizards of the Coast stores along my path. I'll visit the first two while I'm in the D.C. area staying with my sister (and getting to know my newborn nephew, Ben), but the real gem as far as I'm concerned is my appearance at the store in Roosevelt Field on Long Island. It's only about 20 minutes from where my parents live now, and it was the mall we used to go to when I was in high school ... so this will be a homecoming of sorts. Of course, there was no Wizards store there when I was growing up (heck, there wasn't even a Wizards game company) ... but it still feels like the same mall.

I don't think anyone from the General Douglas MacArthur H.S. class of '82 will be showing up at my signing ... but it's a little disturbing to think that some of their KIDS might! *shiver*

I bought the last of the supplies I need to pack (batteries and a couple of books), so I'm pretty much ready to go. Well ... once I get through the next two days of work.

6.9.01—Seattle, WA

Only 5 days till the tour starts ... and I'm spending the day doing laundry. And while I'm waiting for the spin cycle to wind down I'm working on updates for the Stannex. I want to be able to keep adding bits to the site even while I'm on the road, and that means getting things written ahead of time. But most of my updates will go on this page.

I'm STILL waiting to get final word on the dates and times for my appearances in D.C. and NY ... I'm assured that they're definitely on, and I'll post the details as soon as I get them. I ALMOST was able to add appearances in Nashville, TN and Louisville, KY ... a couple of stores in those cities gave little nibbles of interest, but when they heard that I'd be passing through so soon they balked. "Let us know about 6 weeks in advance, next time."

*sigh*

Oh well. Sorry to all you folks in TN and KY ... but I only gave the stores 4 weeks notice (they wasted the first 3 NOT calling me). Next time I'm even THINKING about coming to the area I'll contact them earlier and I'll be SURE to set something up.

I went shopping this week for the tour and bought shorts (the weather is so mild in Seattle that I only owned two pair), some shirts (including a beautifully tacky teal and orange Hawaiian shirt), and a digital camera! My plan is to answer some of the bizarre calls for more pictures of my by using the camera on the tour. So if you come out to one of my appearances, you might get your face on this very page! Right now, though, there's nothing interesting to snap a shot of ... unless you want to see how messily I live.

....................

Yup ... I do pretty much all my work on that little laptop sitting at that little card table. Pretty awe inspiring, eh? Some friends were over last week and told me that my apartment reminded them of a college professor's office. I'm not quite sure whether or not I think that's a bad thing.