Tuesday, August 29, 2006
who'll stop the rain?
The past few months have been rough for some family and friends. Two families in my acquaintance come to mind, one in Louisville, KY, and the other in Bloomington, IN.
I've mentioned the Louisville family before. Carrie died from complications following a C-section due to a heart condition related to Turner Syndrome, and her husband Lawrence is left with infant twins, Sydney and Matthew, to raise on his own... and a sea of paperwork to try to figure out. How he coped, and continues coping, with the grief and the joy is beyond me. He and the babies have a community of friends and family around them that has been incredibly supportive. Carrie touched the lives of many people, and they want to give back to her family. There's also a fund: Melvin L. Godbey in honor of Carrie Godbey, FBO Matthew or Sydney, c/o Commonwealth Bank & Trust Company, 12906 Shelbyville Road, P.O. Box 436209, Louisville, KY 40253-6209. (Lawrence also set up a fund in Carrie's memory to assist women who undergo IVF at the facility where Carrie did, but I do not have that address handy at this time.)
I've mentioned the Louisville family before. Carrie died from complications following a C-section due to a heart condition related to Turner Syndrome, and her husband Lawrence is left with infant twins, Sydney and Matthew, to raise on his own... and a sea of paperwork to try to figure out. How he coped, and continues coping, with the grief and the joy is beyond me. He and the babies have a community of friends and family around them that has been incredibly supportive. Carrie touched the lives of many people, and they want to give back to her family. There's also a fund: Melvin L. Godbey in honor of Carrie Godbey, FBO Matthew or Sydney, c/o Commonwealth Bank & Trust Company, 12906 Shelbyville Road, P.O. Box 436209, Louisville, KY 40253-6209. (Lawrence also set up a fund in Carrie's memory to assist women who undergo IVF at the facility where Carrie did, but I do not have that address handy at this time.)
While we were away at GenCon, my friend Lesley was hospitalized. The timeline went something like this: one day she was fine, the next she went to the hospital and by the end of that day she was on a ventilator. The diagnosis: Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). Basically, her immune system is attacking her nervous system, so that now she is paralyzed. Last week she could raise her eyebrows to communicate, but now even that much mobility is gone. She can move her mouth, and she tries to talk--but mostly we ask yes/no questions and use a signal to determine her response. The good news is that most people recover 100% from GBS without ever having a recurrence of the paralysis--yet complete recovery could take anywhere from months to three years.
Family and friends have rallied 'round Lesley and her family, with volunteers taking care of her 8-month-old son, taking shifts sitting with her and serving as her advocate at the hospital, doing chores around the house, ensuring that her husband gets rest and food while he's basically trying to be Superman--taking care of her, spending time with the baby, dealing with the insurance, employment and other bureaucracies that "care" about her condition, and running his own business. She's in the long-term care section of the hospital, and while it seems as though she may have hit the plateau with the paralysis, it's difficult to tell. She's developed some complications that stem, at least in part, from not being able to move when, unfortunately, what her body absolutely doesn't need is more infections to fight. There's a fund for her, too: Donation for Lesley Davis, c/o Philippa Beatty Foundation, PO Box 2182, Bloomington IN 47402.
And I would be remiss if I didn't note Paul Kemp's most recent blog post (8/28/2006 @ 6:54AM) about his friend who is fighting cancer while scrambling to raise funds to help pay for COBRA as he lost both his medical benefits and his job thanks to a corporate acquisition that couldn't have been more poorly timed for his circumstances. Paul is accepting donations to help his friend via PayPal under his e-mail account, paulsvantekemp@yahoo.com.
Here's to better times for our friends and family....
Family and friends have rallied 'round Lesley and her family, with volunteers taking care of her 8-month-old son, taking shifts sitting with her and serving as her advocate at the hospital, doing chores around the house, ensuring that her husband gets rest and food while he's basically trying to be Superman--taking care of her, spending time with the baby, dealing with the insurance, employment and other bureaucracies that "care" about her condition, and running his own business. She's in the long-term care section of the hospital, and while it seems as though she may have hit the plateau with the paralysis, it's difficult to tell. She's developed some complications that stem, at least in part, from not being able to move when, unfortunately, what her body absolutely doesn't need is more infections to fight. There's a fund for her, too: Donation for Lesley Davis, c/o Philippa Beatty Foundation, PO Box 2182, Bloomington IN 47402.
And I would be remiss if I didn't note Paul Kemp's most recent blog post (8/28/2006 @ 6:54AM) about his friend who is fighting cancer while scrambling to raise funds to help pay for COBRA as he lost both his medical benefits and his job thanks to a corporate acquisition that couldn't have been more poorly timed for his circumstances. Paul is accepting donations to help his friend via PayPal under his e-mail account, paulsvantekemp@yahoo.com.
Here's to better times for our friends and family....
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
GenCon Indy '06 -- snapshots
Favorite quote: "Mom, I'm in utter awe!" or (as the names of the Young Dragons were announced over the loudspeaker on Saturday, just as their second signing session was starting) "Yeah, yeah! Ed Gentry! That's my uncle! He's cool!"
Favorite game: Zombies!!!
Games played: Game of Thrones BGM (Fantasy Flight); Battlestar Galactica CCG (WizKids); Zombies!!! w/ Mall Walkers expansion; Qwitch; My Word!; Blink; Etherscope RPG module, "Special Delivery." (And Ed counts Tracy Hickman's Killer Breakfast as a game, although I disagree; it's entertainment, it's a show, and it involves RPGs, but it's not really an RPG, imo, even if GenCon lists it that way on the schedule.)
Games purchased: Battlestar Galactica CCG; Zombies!!! with The Corp(se) expansion; three quick card games from Out of the Box -- Qwitch, My Word!, and Blink.
Events that were fun: Mythbusters Q & A; Killer Breakfast; How You Play the Game; demo-ing BG CCG; observing the Young Dragons' book-signings and hearing about their impressions.
Non-GenCon fun: Watching my nephew and sister-in-law as they experienced their first GenCon... J's all about returning next year for two days instead of one, and his mom seemed to think that wouldn't be a bad idea. He also wants to get in on a D&D game or two next year.
Things that we did this year that are worth repeating next year: Killer Breakfast; parking; getting a room in Indy; Hickman's How You Play the Game; having snacks and beverages (water!!!) available in the room.
Things we can do to improve upon the experience: register for fewer events in advance; register only for those few things that will sell out; on the very first day, test games at the demo areas on the showroom floor and then buy named or generic tix to play those games we like; consider doing RPGs only if you know the GM or can "stack the deck" so that the other players are folks you know. Schedule nothing for Sunday, other than, perhaps, brunch. True Dungeon.
Favorite game: Zombies!!!
Games played: Game of Thrones BGM (Fantasy Flight); Battlestar Galactica CCG (WizKids); Zombies!!! w/ Mall Walkers expansion; Qwitch; My Word!; Blink; Etherscope RPG module, "Special Delivery." (And Ed counts Tracy Hickman's Killer Breakfast as a game, although I disagree; it's entertainment, it's a show, and it involves RPGs, but it's not really an RPG, imo, even if GenCon lists it that way on the schedule.)
Games purchased: Battlestar Galactica CCG; Zombies!!! with The Corp(se) expansion; three quick card games from Out of the Box -- Qwitch, My Word!, and Blink.
Events that were fun: Mythbusters Q & A; Killer Breakfast; How You Play the Game; demo-ing BG CCG; observing the Young Dragons' book-signings and hearing about their impressions.
Non-GenCon fun: Watching my nephew and sister-in-law as they experienced their first GenCon... J's all about returning next year for two days instead of one, and his mom seemed to think that wouldn't be a bad idea. He also wants to get in on a D&D game or two next year.
Things that we did this year that are worth repeating next year: Killer Breakfast; parking; getting a room in Indy; Hickman's How You Play the Game; having snacks and beverages (water!!!) available in the room.
Things we can do to improve upon the experience: register for fewer events in advance; register only for those few things that will sell out; on the very first day, test games at the demo areas on the showroom floor and then buy named or generic tix to play those games we like; consider doing RPGs only if you know the GM or can "stack the deck" so that the other players are folks you know. Schedule nothing for Sunday, other than, perhaps, brunch. True Dungeon.
GenCon Indy '06 -- snapshots
Favorite quote: "Mom, I'm in utter awe!" or (as the names of the Young Dragons were announced over the loudspeaker on Saturday, just as their second signing session was starting) "Yeah, yeah! Ed Gentry! That's my uncle! He's cool!"
Favorite game: Zombies!!!
Games played: Game of Thrones BGM (Fantasy Flight); Battlestar Galactica CCG (WizKids); Zombies!!! w/ Mall Walkers expansion; Qwitch; My Word!; Blink; Etherscope RPG module, "Special Delivery." (And Ed counts Tracy Hickman's Killer Breakfast as a game, although I disagree; it's entertainment, it's a show, and it involves RPGs, but it's not really an RPG even if GenCon lists it that way on the schedule.)
Games purchased: Battlestar Galactica CCG; Zombies!!! with The Corp(se) expansion; three quick card games from Out of the Box -- Qwitch, My Word!, and Blink.
Events that were fun: Mythbusters Q & A; Killer Breakfast; How You Play the Game; demo-ing BG CCG; observing the Young Dragons' book-signings and hearing about their impressions.
Non-GenCon fun: Watching my nephew and sister-in-law as they experienced their first GenCon... J's all about returning next year for two days instead of one, and his mom seemed to think that wouldn't be a bad idea. He also wants to get in on a D&D game or two next year.
Things that we did this year that are worth repeating next year: Killer Breakfast; parking; getting a room in Indy; Hickman's How You Play the Game; having snacks and beverages (water!!!) available in the room.
Things we can do to improve upon the experience: register for fewer events in advance; register only for those few things that will sell out; on the very first day, test games at the demo areas on the showroom floor and then buy named or generic tix to play those game; consider doing RPGs only if you know the GM or can "stack the deck" so that the other players are folks you know. Schedule nothing for Sunday, other than, perhaps, brunch.
Favorite game: Zombies!!!
Games played: Game of Thrones BGM (Fantasy Flight); Battlestar Galactica CCG (WizKids); Zombies!!! w/ Mall Walkers expansion; Qwitch; My Word!; Blink; Etherscope RPG module, "Special Delivery." (And Ed counts Tracy Hickman's Killer Breakfast as a game, although I disagree; it's entertainment, it's a show, and it involves RPGs, but it's not really an RPG even if GenCon lists it that way on the schedule.)
Games purchased: Battlestar Galactica CCG; Zombies!!! with The Corp(se) expansion; three quick card games from Out of the Box -- Qwitch, My Word!, and Blink.
Events that were fun: Mythbusters Q & A; Killer Breakfast; How You Play the Game; demo-ing BG CCG; observing the Young Dragons' book-signings and hearing about their impressions.
Non-GenCon fun: Watching my nephew and sister-in-law as they experienced their first GenCon... J's all about returning next year for two days instead of one, and his mom seemed to think that wouldn't be a bad idea. He also wants to get in on a D&D game or two next year.
Things that we did this year that are worth repeating next year: Killer Breakfast; parking; getting a room in Indy; Hickman's How You Play the Game; having snacks and beverages (water!!!) available in the room.
Things we can do to improve upon the experience: register for fewer events in advance; register only for those few things that will sell out; on the very first day, test games at the demo areas on the showroom floor and then buy named or generic tix to play those game; consider doing RPGs only if you know the GM or can "stack the deck" so that the other players are folks you know. Schedule nothing for Sunday, other than, perhaps, brunch.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Fruit flies, house flies, and, boy oh boy, time flies!
I've been really, really sick the last couple weeks, and even though I'm on the mend now, I continue to be amazed at how much energy I still don't have. Apparently a lot of people have been getting this same thing, only it's been turning into pneumonia, and I have to say that if pneumonia feels worse than I have been feeling for the last ten days or so, then I'm really, really, really happy to have avoided pneumonia.
Congratulations to
GenCon will be here sooner than you think -- next week! We're catching up with Jeff and Marisa on Wednesday evening, and we'll all be staying in Indianapolis for the duration of the con this year. I'm looking forward to that! It'll be great to catch up with the LaSalas again, and sooner or later we're bound to run into some of the "Young Dragons," as Elaine has dubbed them, at the first book signing schedule in Authors Avenue if not earlier. Catching up with folks we've met, placing faces with names of folks we've only known in ascii... what fun! And then there are games and other things to do, too! Whoa... They oughta make you buy tickets to this - oh, waitaminnit, they did, and we did. And - I can hardly believe it - I have tickets for Life-Size Kill Dr. Lucky and Tracy Hickman's Killer Breakfast (the two events I've wanted to try ever since we planned to go to our first GenCon).
The con gets more interesting. We bought my brother Kevin and his son J day passes for Saturday as birthday presents. With Kevin's class schedule in this grad program (see above), he won't be able to make GenCon because his last class meets that day, 9AM-5PM. Rather than disappoint J, they've managed to transfer Kevin's pass to his wife, Amy... and now that we've explained a little bit more to her about what to expect, I think she's actually looking forward to the con - and especially to sharing this experience with her son. I do so hope they'll have fun!
Congratulations to
- my husband for finishing the first draft of his book - just over the 90,000 word count and well under the deadline, I might add. I really like the story and the ideas that he presents, and I'm VERY curious to see how other readers respond.
- my brother Kevin for getting into the accelerated graduate program in education at Spalding University AND for landing the full-time high school English/theater teaching position.
- my brother Chris for getting his work into a show at The Parthenon in Nashville, TN, and for being invited to set up a one-man show at a gallery in Chicago.
- Jeff, Harley, Marcy, JP Davis and other Folks Who Don't Get Much Sleep for writing-related Good News. Modules, books, book contests, ENnies... oh my!
- friends Ginko and the Canadian for surviving the home renovation. I can't wait to see what you've done with the place.
GenCon will be here sooner than you think -- next week! We're catching up with Jeff and Marisa on Wednesday evening, and we'll all be staying in Indianapolis for the duration of the con this year. I'm looking forward to that! It'll be great to catch up with the LaSalas again, and sooner or later we're bound to run into some of the "Young Dragons," as Elaine has dubbed them, at the first book signing schedule in Authors Avenue if not earlier. Catching up with folks we've met, placing faces with names of folks we've only known in ascii... what fun! And then there are games and other things to do, too! Whoa... They oughta make you buy tickets to this - oh, waitaminnit, they did, and we did. And - I can hardly believe it - I have tickets for Life-Size Kill Dr. Lucky and Tracy Hickman's Killer Breakfast (the two events I've wanted to try ever since we planned to go to our first GenCon).
The con gets more interesting. We bought my brother Kevin and his son J day passes for Saturday as birthday presents. With Kevin's class schedule in this grad program (see above), he won't be able to make GenCon because his last class meets that day, 9AM-5PM. Rather than disappoint J, they've managed to transfer Kevin's pass to his wife, Amy... and now that we've explained a little bit more to her about what to expect, I think she's actually looking forward to the con - and especially to sharing this experience with her son. I do so hope they'll have fun!
