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#1
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Ghost of nerdfests past.
Today we made our annual pilgrimage to the capital city of Australia,
Canberra. We were there to attend what we affectionately term "Nerdfest", or as it is more formally referred to, "CanCon", the Australia Day Weekend gaming convention. Back in its heyday, we used to stay down in Canberra with our roleplaying group, and have a full three intense days of roleplaying, feasting, quoting Monty Python, blowing a squill of dosh on merchandise, books, source material, pretty polyhedral dice, crappy fast food and boutique beer, and having an absolute ball with like minded fellow nerds. It is no longer a role playing convention sadly, but out of its ashes (it was pretty sad there for a while) it has risen again as a games expo. So, at least in previous years, there has at least been the merchandise, books, source material, pretty polyhedral dice and crappy fast food available, and there were still enough fellow nerds (if not fellow *roleplaying* nerds) to make a day trip enjoyable. This year, one of the major stall holders - and indeed the one we would blow most of our budget at - didn't show, and there laser tag folks weren't there, so it was rather missing something and we're debating whether it will be worth blowing a tank of petrol to make the pilgrimage next year when its really not for us JAGs (Jaded Old Gamers). Which is not to say we didn't enjoy the trip, so much as we didn't enjoy it as much as we had hoped. Both the highlight and the lowlight for me was the charity stall. Last year was The Salvos, and the year before was the Red Cross. Ever since the Canberra Bushfires in 2003, there's been a charity stall collecting money for a Good Cause. This year, it was the RSPCA. Perhaps I was feeling a little sensitive because of the situation with my friend and the abandoned cats there, but instead of just dropping the change from my coffee in the bucket and walking on, I stopped. And I looked at the two kittens in the cage - they weren't there for adoption as such but just as a heartbreaking example (y'know, nerds and cats.... nerds are more cat people than dog people). So I had to get down on the floor and have a good look and stick my finger in to play. And there was Shmogg. Well, not Shmogg, not really, but as well as a very adorable grey tuxedo, there was the spitting image of Shmogg as a kitten. The staff member asked me if I wanted a cuddle, and of course I said yes. So I was given "Shmogg" and out of nowhere, and over 5 years since Shmogg left for RB, I was suddenly blubbering. In the corridor between the two main halls, at the charity stall, some crazy middle aged woman in a sea of young and mostly male nerds was raining tears on a small (but not objecting) grey fuzzy kitten. I think I had forgotten - well not *forgotten* but *repressed* - just how damn much I miss that cat. The volunteer kindly took "Shmogg" away (maybe she didn't want him to drown?), told me firmly (although kindly) that "Richard" was not for adoption, and asked me what the name of the cat I was crying for was. I eventually stammered out the basics - Shmogg, died in 2007, loved him stupid, missed him horrible etc. She handed me a tissue and let me cry. People stared, I didn't care. Eventually, I had to get up, thank the RSPCA volunteer (who patted my shoulder) and go back to Cary & Joel who wondered why on earth it took me so long and why buying a skinny coffee had brought me to tears. I said "******* Cat Tricks", Joel gave me the "You're crazy" look, and Cary wanted to know why I didn't bring back anything for him. I didn't get to wallow in self pity for long. But when we went to church later this evening, The Yowlet asked if he could light a candle. Now usually that means "I'm bored, I wanna go play with something cool. Like fire", so I tried to put him off by saying "Look, you can't just go and light a candle, you need to light a candle *for* something. You need to have a *reason*". Not even missing a beat he said, and I quote, "I want to light a candle for Shmoggleberry and Fluffy". That kid can be *too* insightful sometimes. And for the second time today, Shmogg had reduced me to tears from beyond the grave. Shmogg - King of ******* Cat Tricks, still ruler of my heart. Yowie (Also posted on RPCA-FB) |
#2
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Ghost of nerdfests past.
On 1/27/2013 5:50 AM, Yowie wrote:
of just dropping the change from my coffee in the bucket and walking on, I stopped. And I looked at the two kittens in the cage - they weren't there for adoption as such but just as a heartbreaking example (y'know, nerds and cats.... nerds are more cat people than dog people). So I had to get down on the floor and have a good look and stick my finger in to play. And there was Shmogg. Well, not Shmogg, not really, but as well as a very adorable grey tuxedo, there was the spitting image of Shmogg as a kitten. The staff member asked me if I wanted a cuddle, and of course I said yes. So I was given "Shmogg" and out of nowhere, and over 5 years since Shmogg left for RB, I was suddenly blubbering. In the corridor between the two main halls, at the charity stall, some crazy middle aged woman in a sea of young and mostly male nerds was raining tears on a small (but not objecting) grey fuzzy kitten. I think I had forgotten - well not *forgotten* but *repressed* - just how damn much I miss that cat. The volunteer kindly took "Shmogg" away (maybe she didn't want him to drown?), told me firmly (although kindly) that "Richard" was not for adoption, and asked me what the name of the cat I was crying for was. I eventually stammered out the basics - Shmogg, died in 2007, loved him stupid, missed him horrible etc. She handed me a tissue and let me cry. People stared, I didn't care. Eventually, I had to get up, thank the RSPCA volunteer (who patted my shoulder) and go back to Cary & Joel who wondered why on earth it took me so long and why buying a skinny coffee had brought me to tears. I said "******* Cat Tricks", Joel gave me the "You're crazy" look, and Cary wanted to know why I didn't bring back anything for him. I didn't get to wallow in self pity for long. But when we went to church later this evening, The Yowlet asked if he could light a candle. Now usually that means "I'm bored, I wanna go play with something cool. Like fire", so I tried to put him off by saying "Look, you can't just go and light a candle, you need to light a candle *for* something. You need to have a *reason*". Not even missing a beat he said, and I quote, "I want to light a candle for Shmoggleberry and Fluffy". That kid can be *too* insightful sometimes. And for the second time today, Shmogg had reduced me to tears from beyond the grave. Shmogg - King of ******* Cat Tricks, still ruler of my heart. Yowie Awwww. Those moments do sneak up, don't they? (Patting Yowie gently on the back.) I'm glad the Yowlet is so intuitive. Jill |
#3
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Ghost of nerdfests past.
"Yowie" wrote in message
... Today we made our annual pilgrimage to the capital city of Australia, Canberra. We were there to attend what we affectionately term "Nerdfest", or as it is more formally referred to, "CanCon", the Australia Day Weekend gaming convention. Back in its heyday, we used to stay down in Canberra with our roleplaying group, and have a full three intense days of roleplaying, feasting, quoting Monty Python, blowing a squill of dosh on merchandise, books, source material, pretty polyhedral dice, crappy fast food and boutique beer, and having an absolute ball with like minded fellow nerds. It is no longer a role playing convention sadly, but out of its ashes (it was pretty sad there for a while) it has risen again as a games expo. So, at least in previous years, there has at least been the merchandise, books, source material, pretty polyhedral dice and crappy fast food available, and there were still enough fellow nerds (if not fellow *roleplaying* nerds) to make a day trip enjoyable. This year, one of the major stall holders - and indeed the one we would blow most of our budget at - didn't show, and there laser tag folks weren't there, so it was rather missing something and we're debating whether it will be worth blowing a tank of petrol to make the pilgrimage next year when its really not for us JAGs (Jaded Old Gamers). Which is not to say we didn't enjoy the trip, so much as we didn't enjoy it as much as we had hoped. Both the highlight and the lowlight for me was the charity stall. Last year was The Salvos, and the year before was the Red Cross. Ever since the Canberra Bushfires in 2003, there's been a charity stall collecting money for a Good Cause. This year, it was the RSPCA. Perhaps I was feeling a little sensitive because of the situation with my friend and the abandoned cats there, but instead of just dropping the change from my coffee in the bucket and walking on, I stopped. And I looked at the two kittens in the cage - they weren't there for adoption as such but just as a heartbreaking example (y'know, nerds and cats.... nerds are more cat people than dog people). So I had to get down on the floor and have a good look and stick my finger in to play. And there was Shmogg. Well, not Shmogg, not really, but as well as a very adorable grey tuxedo, there was the spitting image of Shmogg as a kitten. The staff member asked me if I wanted a cuddle, and of course I said yes. So I was given "Shmogg" and out of nowhere, and over 5 years since Shmogg left for RB, I was suddenly blubbering. In the corridor between the two main halls, at the charity stall, some crazy middle aged woman in a sea of young and mostly male nerds was raining tears on a small (but not objecting) grey fuzzy kitten. I think I had forgotten - well not *forgotten* but *repressed* - just how damn much I miss that cat. The volunteer kindly took "Shmogg" away (maybe she didn't want him to drown?), told me firmly (although kindly) that "Richard" was not for adoption, and asked me what the name of the cat I was crying for was. I eventually stammered out the basics - Shmogg, died in 2007, loved him stupid, missed him horrible etc. She handed me a tissue and let me cry. People stared, I didn't care. Eventually, I had to get up, thank the RSPCA volunteer (who patted my shoulder) and go back to Cary & Joel who wondered why on earth it took me so long and why buying a skinny coffee had brought me to tears. I said "******* Cat Tricks", Joel gave me the "You're crazy" look, and Cary wanted to know why I didn't bring back anything for him. I didn't get to wallow in self pity for long. But when we went to church later this evening, The Yowlet asked if he could light a candle. Now usually that means "I'm bored, I wanna go play with something cool. Like fire", so I tried to put him off by saying "Look, you can't just go and light a candle, you need to light a candle *for* something. You need to have a *reason*". Not even missing a beat he said, and I quote, "I want to light a candle for Shmoggleberry and Fluffy". That kid can be *too* insightful sometimes. And for the second time today, Shmogg had reduced me to tears from beyond the grave. Shmogg - King of ******* Cat Tricks, still ruler of my heart. Yowie (Also posted on RPCA-FB) (((((((Yowie))))))) That brought me to tears, too. Joy |
#4
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Ghost of nerdfests past.
On Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:28:32 -0800, Joy wrote:
"Yowie" wrote in message ... Today we made our annual pilgrimage to the capital city of Australia, Canberra. We were there to attend what we affectionately term "Nerdfest", or as it is more formally referred to, "CanCon", the Australia Day Weekend gaming convention. Back in its heyday, we used to stay down in Canberra with our roleplaying group, and have a full three intense days of roleplaying, feasting, quoting Monty Python, blowing a squill of dosh on merchandise, books, source material, pretty polyhedral dice, crappy fast food and boutique beer, and having an absolute ball with like minded fellow nerds. It is no longer a role playing convention sadly, but out of its ashes (it was pretty sad there for a while) it has risen again as a games expo. So, at least in previous years, there has at least been the merchandise, books, source material, pretty polyhedral dice and crappy fast food available, and there were still enough fellow nerds (if not fellow *roleplaying* nerds) to make a day trip enjoyable. This year, one of the major stall holders - and indeed the one we would blow most of our budget at - didn't show, and there laser tag folks weren't there, so it was rather missing something and we're debating whether it will be worth blowing a tank of petrol to make the pilgrimage next year when its really not for us JAGs (Jaded Old Gamers). Which is not to say we didn't enjoy the trip, so much as we didn't enjoy it as much as we had hoped. Both the highlight and the lowlight for me was the charity stall. Last year was The Salvos, and the year before was the Red Cross. Ever since the Canberra Bushfires in 2003, there's been a charity stall collecting money for a Good Cause. This year, it was the RSPCA. Perhaps I was feeling a little sensitive because of the situation with my friend and the abandoned cats there, but instead of just dropping the change from my coffee in the bucket and walking on, I stopped. And I looked at the two kittens in the cage - they weren't there for adoption as such but just as a heartbreaking example (y'know, nerds and cats.... nerds are more cat people than dog people). So I had to get down on the floor and have a good look and stick my finger in to play. And there was Shmogg. Well, not Shmogg, not really, but as well as a very adorable grey tuxedo, there was the spitting image of Shmogg as a kitten. The staff member asked me if I wanted a cuddle, and of course I said yes. So I was given "Shmogg" and out of nowhere, and over 5 years since Shmogg left for RB, I was suddenly blubbering. In the corridor between the two main halls, at the charity stall, some crazy middle aged woman in a sea of young and mostly male nerds was raining tears on a small (but not objecting) grey fuzzy kitten. I think I had forgotten - well not *forgotten* but *repressed* - just how damn much I miss that cat. The volunteer kindly took "Shmogg" away (maybe she didn't want him to drown?), told me firmly (although kindly) that "Richard" was not for adoption, and asked me what the name of the cat I was crying for was. I eventually stammered out the basics - Shmogg, died in 2007, loved him stupid, missed him horrible etc. She handed me a tissue and let me cry. People stared, I didn't care. Eventually, I had to get up, thank the RSPCA volunteer (who patted my shoulder) and go back to Cary & Joel who wondered why on earth it took me so long and why buying a skinny coffee had brought me to tears. I said "******* Cat Tricks", Joel gave me the "You're crazy" look, and Cary wanted to know why I didn't bring back anything for him. I didn't get to wallow in self pity for long. But when we went to church later this evening, The Yowlet asked if he could light a candle. Now usually that means "I'm bored, I wanna go play with something cool. Like fire", so I tried to put him off by saying "Look, you can't just go and light a candle, you need to light a candle *for* something. You need to have a *reason*". Not even missing a beat he said, and I quote, "I want to light a candle for Shmoggleberry and Fluffy". That kid can be *too* insightful sometimes. And for the second time today, Shmogg had reduced me to tears from beyond the grave. Shmogg - King of ******* Cat Tricks, still ruler of my heart. Yowie (Also posted on RPCA-FB) (((((((Yowie))))))) That brought me to tears, too. Joy Me too. NLB |
#5
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Ghost of nerdfests past.
On Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:50:10 +1100, Yowie
wrote: Today we made our annual pilgrimage to the capital city of Australia, Canberra. We were there to attend what we affectionately term "Nerdfest", or as it is more formally referred to, "CanCon", the Australia Day Weekend gaming convention. Back in its heyday, we used to ,... That kid can be *too* insightful sometimes. And for the second time today, Shmogg had reduced me to tears from beyond the grave. Shmogg - King of ******* Cat Tricks, still ruler of my heart. Yowie (Also posted on RPCA-FB) I used to go to comic conventions and SciFi ones. I never dressed up; I was much too dignified (and lazy, that takes effort). One day around 1982 when I was just beginning my first programming job, I was in the training room and heard someone say "take bird". I looked over, saw two of the more senior programmers, and walked over to see what they were up to. They were playing what I found out was the first real computer adventure type game, Colossal Cave. Yup, here it is: http://rickadams.org/adventure/. I once got the Fortran source code and we dumped it and spent quite some time figuring out how they had done the cross-references. Very entertaining and our scores went up considerably. I'm currently playing Borderlands 2. Great fun but it's killing my bad elbow since i use the right mouse button (to zoom) so much. That seems to really irritate tennis elbow. I mean, I have to put it in ice after a mere few hours of playing. Anyway, I can hardly bear to attend the local Cat show once a year. There is always an adoption area and I can never walk through it. I really can't take any more cats and I just feel awful seeing them and having to walk away. If one looked like Espy I would be unable to leave without taking him. But it wouldn't be Espy anyway. |
#6
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Ghost of nerdfests past.
"dgk" wrote in message ... On Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:50:10 +1100, Yowie wrote: Today we made our annual pilgrimage to the capital city of Australia, Canberra. We were there to attend what we affectionately term "Nerdfest", or as it is more formally referred to, "CanCon", the Australia Day Weekend gaming convention. Back in its heyday, we used to ,... That kid can be *too* insightful sometimes. And for the second time today, Shmogg had reduced me to tears from beyond the grave. Shmogg - King of ******* Cat Tricks, still ruler of my heart. Yowie (Also posted on RPCA-FB) I used to go to comic conventions and SciFi ones. I never dressed up; I was much too dignified (and lazy, that takes effort). One day around 1982 when I was just beginning my first programming job, I was in the training room and heard someone say "take bird". I looked over, saw two of the more senior programmers, and walked over to see what they were up to. They were playing what I found out was the first real computer adventure type game, Colossal Cave. Yup, here it is: http://rickadams.org/adventure/. I once got the Fortran source code and we dumped it and spent quite some time figuring out how they had done the cross-references. Very entertaining and our scores went up considerably. I'm currently playing Borderlands 2. Great fun but it's killing my bad elbow since i use the right mouse button (to zoom) so much. That seems to really irritate tennis elbow. I mean, I have to put it in ice after a mere few hours of playing. Anyway, I can hardly bear to attend the local Cat show once a year. There is always an adoption area and I can never walk through it. I really can't take any more cats and I just feel awful seeing them and having to walk away. If one looked like Espy I would be unable to leave without taking him. But it wouldn't be Espy anyway. I go to Circle-The-Cat for a while, once in a while... http://www.members.shaw.ca/gf3/circle-the-cat.html After I manage to trap her a couple of times, I leave... I let her sulk off the screen a few times though. Wouldn't do that to Pit2nya, she would hmmmf back at me. Sylvia M. |
#7
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Ghost of nerdfests past.
On Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:02:39 -0800, "Sylvia M"
wrote: "dgk" wrote in message .. . On Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:50:10 +1100, Yowie wrote: Today we made our annual pilgrimage to the capital city of Australia, Canberra. We were there to attend what we affectionately term "Nerdfest", or as it is more formally referred to, "CanCon", the Australia Day Weekend gaming convention. Back in its heyday, we used to ,... That kid can be *too* insightful sometimes. And for the second time today, Shmogg had reduced me to tears from beyond the grave. Shmogg - King of ******* Cat Tricks, still ruler of my heart. Yowie (Also posted on RPCA-FB) I used to go to comic conventions and SciFi ones. I never dressed up; I was much too dignified (and lazy, that takes effort). One day around 1982 when I was just beginning my first programming job, I was in the training room and heard someone say "take bird". I looked over, saw two of the more senior programmers, and walked over to see what they were up to. They were playing what I found out was the first real computer adventure type game, Colossal Cave. Yup, here it is: http://rickadams.org/adventure/. I once got the Fortran source code and we dumped it and spent quite some time figuring out how they had done the cross-references. Very entertaining and our scores went up considerably. I'm currently playing Borderlands 2. Great fun but it's killing my bad elbow since i use the right mouse button (to zoom) so much. That seems to really irritate tennis elbow. I mean, I have to put it in ice after a mere few hours of playing. Anyway, I can hardly bear to attend the local Cat show once a year. There is always an adoption area and I can never walk through it. I really can't take any more cats and I just feel awful seeing them and having to walk away. If one looked like Espy I would be unable to leave without taking him. But it wouldn't be Espy anyway. I go to Circle-The-Cat for a while, once in a while... http://www.members.shaw.ca/gf3/circle-the-cat.html After I manage to trap her a couple of times, I leave... I let her sulk off the screen a few times though. Wouldn't do that to Pit2nya, she would hmmmf back at me. Sylvia M. Oh thanks a lot for that. And my employer thanks you as well. |
#8
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Ghost of nerdfests past.
On 1/30/2013 10:18 AM, dgk wrote:
One day around 1982 when I was just beginning my first programming job, I was in the training room and heard someone say "take bird". I looked over, saw two of the more senior programmers, and walked over to see what they were up to. They were playing what I found out was the first real computer adventure type game, Colossal Cave. Yup, here it is:http://rickadams.org/adventure/. DOS-executable games were fun back in the day. It's all we had other than tic-tac-toe or solitaire Jill |
#9
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Ghost of nerdfests past.
jmcquown wrote:
DOS-executable games were fun back in the day. It's all we had other than tic-tac-toe or solitaire And hangman. Though that may have been a unix-ish game. I remember playing it on Sun workstations and Primos systems back in the day. Deborah |
#10
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Ghost of nerdfests past.
Phoenix wrote:
jmcquown wrote: DOS-executable games were fun back in the day. It's all we had other than tic-tac-toe or solitaire And hangman. Though that may have been a unix-ish game. I remember playing it on Sun workstations and Primos systems back in the day. Me, too! Somewhat compulsively, if I remember correctly... -- Joyce Whenever you feel anger, you should say, "May I be free of this anger!" This rarely works, but talking to yourself in public will encourage others to leave you alone. |
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