NOVELS: The Book Meme Catches Up To Me...

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Hi Everyone,

Awhile back, my friend Abba Gav, tagged me with the book meme and I'm finally catching up to it.

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1. Name one book that changed your life:

"This is My God: The Jewish Way of Life" by Herman Wouk.
- This is one of Herman Wouk’s best books in myopinion, a very concise overview of Judaism and its’ meaning for secular Jews and just folks interested in knowing more about their Jewish neighbors from a religious or cultural viewpoint. An older lady friend of mine (as well as a former patient) gave it to me and I still use it at times when I want to re-clarify some point of interest for myself. It's one of my most valued books.

2. One book you've read more than once:

“Space Trilogy” by C.S. Lewis.
1. “Out of the Silent Planet”
2. “Perelandra”
3. “That Hideous Strength”
- I’ve had hankering lately to reread C.S. Lewis’“Space Trilogy” series… books as meaningful as Tolkien’s work or even C.S. Lewis’ better known works such as his “Narnia” children’s books. At times, his Space Trilogy reminds me of Burrough’s Barsoomian tales, Well’s Eloi from “The Time Machine” or even… the Traveller (classic sci-fi RPG) group called the Darrians.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:

“Department of the Air Force, Search and Rescue Survival Manual, AFM 64-5”
- My father gave me a copy of either this manual or a related one as a boy and it was one of my favorite possessions. I still have it somewhere although it’s still packed away from my last move. It has instructions for everything from distilling water to finding food anywhere on the globe and more.

4. One book that made you laugh:

Anything by Dave Barry or Erma Bombeck:
- I can’t remember which one of these two authors I last read, but both Erma Bombeck and Dave Berry make my stomach hurt from laughing too much. Erma Bombeck, may she rest in peace, passed away a few years ago.

5. One book that made you cry:

“Genesis 1948: The First Arab-Israeli War” by Dan Kurzman.
- The struggle for Israel’s Independence in 1948 is a heart-wrenching true story of perserverance in the face of what must have seemed like insurmountable danger. There are so many stories of folks struggling bitterly just to survive, let alone prosper. What an amazing story.

6. One book you wish you'd written:

"Treason" by Orson Scott Card.
- Orson Scott Card made his break-through into the sci-fi industry with a short story named “Treason”that later turned into this book. It’s one of my favorites, a genius work that is fun to reread no matter how well you know the story. The story itslef is a classic sci-fi theme about evolution gone wild. I sometimes wonder if the classic fantasy RPG “Tekumel” and “Treason” are somehow related.

7. One book you wish had never been written:

“Orientalism” by Edward Said.
- This book, often considered a founding work in post-colonial theory, has been a huge contributor to the many misunderstandings and great difficulty that many academics, scholars and others have when trying to understand the differences between Western and Eastern cultures. The gist of the book is that Western authors can't critically judge Eastern culture because of their Western-slanted rose-coloured glasses. Meanwhile Said felt perfectly adequate to lay judgment down on Western literature. Moral equivalence and political correctness made great leaps forward when this book became disseminated.

8. One book you're currently reading:

“Mars” series by Kim Stanley Robinson.
- I’m currently on “Red Mars.” I never read the third book in this trilogy (it wasn’t written when I read the first two books in the series) and am looking forward to reading this series from beginning to end.
- I just finished reading David Brin's “Uplift” and“Uplift Storm” series.

9. One book you've been meaning to read:

“The Guide for the Perplexed” by Maimonides.
- I’ve always meant to read this book in its entirety rather than in excerpts sprinkled throughout other texts. The last book I had hankering to read in this manner was Plutarch’s “Lives,” which I enjoyed very much. It's sort of funny that Maimonides' "Guide For The Perplexed" is often mentioned in occult novels such as the Lovecraftian Cthulhu series and, interesting enough... in some of the Ghostbuster's movies.

10. Tag 5 people:

Andy Cowell
http://www.littleleadheroes.com/

Patrick Smyrl
http://pshobbyshed.blogspot.com/

Paul James “Tas” O’Grady
http://pauljamesog.blogspot.com/

PixelGeek (Zac Belado)
http://crusades.blogspot.com/

Yehuda Berlinger
http://jergames.blogspot.com/

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Have a great Friday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

MINI GAMING: Miniature Games - The Good, the Bad & the Ugly!

Hi Everyone,

Well, Scott DiBartelo has started a blog and it's coming along. Just the other day or so ago, he decided to discuss the hobby of miniature wargaming and came up with a few questions he wanted to pose to his friends and readers...

Read his entire discussion here:

http://nothingbutgames.blogspot.com/

http://nothingbutgames.blogspot.com/2006/04/miniature-games-good-bad-and-ugly.html#links

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The specific questions he posed were:

So there ya have it, my take on why I love (for the most part), miniature games. They aren't perfect - though some do come real close for me, they are open to rules lawyering - though often it's unavoidable due to the nature of the game, the look absolutely fantastic - no denying that! and they provide an appropriate outlet for my creative tendencies that is both satisfying and appealing.

How about you?

- An oddball uncle got me into the hobby in the 1980s and I haven't looked back since although I have taken several long hiatuses from the hobby several times for work and/or university studies. I started off with board games and RPGs, but quickly switched over to the entry-level miniatures games, where miniatures replace game chits / counters. I remember the early fantasy rules like Chainmail and the Star Trek mania that Starfleet Battles brought about.

- Your statement, "Show me some cool scenery or terrain and give me some nice looking figures to push around and I'm a happy camper," certainly applies to me. I also enjoy the hobby on many different levels: artisanry, craftsmanship, social interaction, intellectual challenge, historical interest, etc., etc.

Do you enjoy miniature games?

- Oh, yes. I've had a great time with the hobby over the years and one of my favorite aspects of the hobby is that it's a very calm and peaceful outlet. It's also relatively inexpensive compared to hobbies like extensive television watching (...need that big screen TV sooner or later), sports cars, boats or even bar hopping... traditional domains of the male stereotype.

- And one of the greatest benefits I've gained from the hobby is a group of great friends all over the world from...

- Dafrca down in Burbank, CA in the Greater Los Angeles area to...

- Peter "Primarch" Ramos in Puerto Rico to...

- Ronen Tamari in Karmiel, Israel to...

- Stephane in France, to...

- Ian "Cybershadow" Weir in the UK, to...

- Mark and Tas in New Zealand and Oz respectively, to...

- John VanVlak in Malta, to...

And the list goes on and on...

- John, the other day ago, posted about Easter on Malta:

http://www.epic40k.co.uk/epicomms/ikonboard.cgi?s=281f1214f9ce24f7d9f9e7ef66d4b2aa;act=ST;f=59;t=6704;st=0

- I'm interested in trying some of his Maltese recipes now:

http://www.maltagozo.com/recipes#figolli

- This one sounds particularly good: "FIGOLLI - TRADITIONAL MALTESE EASTER PASTRY"

Have you had the same kinds of experiences?

- Yes. I think I've gone the full gambit of gaming experiences, but, on the other hand, the nice thing about the hobby is that there is always something new coming down the pipe. You never know what the next popular trend or historical interest will be...

- I know that in my time, I've tried out a huge variety of games from an equally large number of historical periods and a few nonhistorical ones as well...

- Overall, my gaming experiences have been very very good. I've made some very positive friendships and had some great experiences.

Do they appeal to you for the same (or maybe different) reasons?

- Gaming for me is first and foremost a social outlet. I like the social banter, the camarderie and the feelings of warmth from interacting with nice folks.

- The collecting and craftsmanship angles are nice as well, but the social aspect is more attractive to me.

- And the historical aspect is up there for me as well. I love the interest in history that gaming often brings about. I've learned a lot about history that I might never have learned if it wasn't for gaming.

Have you played with a miniature rules lawyer?

- I think we all have at some point and they do put a crimp in the hobby, which is a bummer, but nothing is perfect.

- One of my favorite local gamers is KIMBO! And he specifically avoid miniatures games because of rules lawyers. He likes the dependability of games with less "rules lawyer'in." Bummer. Kimbo would be a fun fellow to share those sorts of games with.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/user/kimbo

- A trend that I've noticed is that groups often shrink and become insular to prevent entry of "rules lawyers" and other such undesireables. I can't blame such groups for the trend, but I have a sort of pet peeve to introduce gamers to each other and keep the player pool from stagnating too much. I think that that is one of the great saving graces of the Internet:

- On one hand, cyber-relationships are impersonal and keep some from interacting face-to-face, BUT, on the other hand, the Internet is great when used as a tool to gather like-minded folks. I've made a number of interest groups for the hobby and one of the most successful has over 1,500 members. I think of the Internet as a tool to help me meet quality folks and... it's pretty much worked out that way for me.

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Scott is known for being a generous great guy and has hosted at local Nothern California gaming conventions for years and year. One of his favorite games is Man O War, the classic GW game of fantasy naval combat from the 1990s. He started a Yahoo support E-group for Man O War called "The Sea Of Claws," which now has over 1,200 members!

Here are links to his favorite game and his venerated Yahoo E-group:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/2516

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/theseaofclaws/

Have a great Wednesday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

P.S.
I dont know exactly why I picked that comic for today's post, but I enjoyed it and why not?

QUIZES: Blogger Tagging...

Hi Guys,

The somewhat infamous Zac "Pixelgeek" Belado tagged my with one of those "travel the blog" questionnaires and I'm in a good mood so I'll play along. Normally, I'm not much for chain letters and their like, but Zac is an OK guy and wants to see this thing move on. I mostly watch gaming blogs, rarely anything else and at that, I don't check out other blogs very consistently (usually once a week). Well, here goes:

Four Jobs I’ve Had:
- Chef For a Nice Italian Restaurant
(It takes work to make pasta by hand!)
- ESL Teacher
(Have taught numerous immigrants how to speak English)
- Illustrator
(Illustrated for books and magazines some time ago)
- Military Interpreter / Translator
(Spanish while in Cuba)

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:
- Aliens
(A classic... love the heart-pounding end)
- Gladiator
(Makes me feel heroic while I do mundane tasks like laundry!)
- The Thirteenth Warrior
(Love the flow on this film, better than the book)
- Zulu
(The Welsh songs really make the film)

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch:
- Lost
(I watch it with my sister... very cool X-files style mystery / drama)
- Battlestar Galactica
(Not too fond of the new Starbuck, but love the series overall)
- Invasion
(Who doesn't like sneaky invaders from space?)
- Just about anything on the History Channel
(I can flip to this channel just about anytime I want and catch something interesting)

I don't actually own a TV that has antenna, satellite or cable recption. Mine is hooked up to a VCR and a DVD players and that's it. I've always felt that too many people watch too much television alone... if I do it, I generally watch it at other folk's homes as a social activity. I don't ever want to let the boob tube dictate my schedule.

Four Places I’ve Been on Vacation:
- Suzdal, Russia
(The history in Suzdal is amazing, you can almost feel yourself back in time)
- Massada, Israel
(Another haunting place where you can feel the history...)
- Kiev, The Ukraine
(Kiev is an acient city and full of interesting historical sites...)
- Mexico City, Mexico
(Mexico has its own charm despite the crowding and filth)

Four Favorite Dishes:
- Mom's home-made Enchiladas
(My mother makes the best enchiladas hands-down of any I've ever tried... the trick is in the sauce... browned flour really makes it happen)
- Mom's Spanish rice
(She's a genius at this... the perfect mix of rice, tomato sauce and seasoning... I've been taught the recipe, but can't quite match her expertise with it)
- My blueberry polenta tort
(I used to experiment with polenta torts years ago and came up with this recipe which is scrumptious)
- My Scrambled eggs with the good mixed in them
(...a little pico de gallo seasoning, fresh veggies, left-overs, etc.)

If you couldn't tell, I enjoy cooking and baking...

Four Websites I Visit Daily:
- http://www.yahoo.com/
(I get my E-mail here...)
- http://6mm-minis.blogspot.com/
(This is my blog, I try to update once or twice a week...)
- http://www.epic40k.co.uk/
(The Epicomms community has been my homes for years upon years...)
- http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/6mmScienceFictionWarGames/
(I run a number of Yahoo E-groups and this is one of my favorites)

Four Places I’d Rather Be:
- Karmiel, Israel
(Israel is beautiful in a way that words can't capture... you can palpably feel the warmth of the people of Karmiel)
- At my home
(...rather than work!)
- At my parent's home visiting
(I love my folks and enjoy visiting them when I get the chance)
- Visiting friends just about anywhere
(My friend Vince, sister, Dick, Daniel "Dafrca" C., Kimbo, etc., etc.)

I really think that people make the place and not the other way around.

Four Bloggers I’m Tagging:
- Jeffro's Gaming Blog: Car Wars, Star Fleet Battles, Ogre, Battletech, and More!
http://jeffro.mindsay.com/
- Ty Beard and his FFOT blog
http://fftows.blogspot.com/
- Yehuda Berlinger & The Jerusalem Strategy Gaming Club
http://jergames.blogspot.com/
- Zac Pixelgeek Belado at his blog Mini Crusade
http://crusades.blogspot.com/

I don't know if it's kosher to tag Zac back, but I do like to read what he writes.

Four of My Favourite Books:
- Any of the original Conan novels by Robert E. Howard
(Pulp adventure goodness at its best!)
- Duel for the Golan: The 100-Hour Battle That Saved Israel by Jerry Asher and Eric Hammel
(The story of the near miraculous defeat of the USSR through its proxy of Syria on the Golan Heights in 1973)
- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
( I love almost every one of Card's novel... he is a genius at characterization)
- Any of the Hammer's Slammers novels by David Drake
(Gritty goodness!)

I'm an avid reader so this was a tough list to write.

Four of My Favorite Games:
- Command & Colors: Ancients by GMT Games
(I'm really starting to groove with this game)
- Dirtside II by GZG Games
(The run-away classic of sci-fi miniatures gaming...)
- HOTT by Phil Barker
(A fun, quick and simple way to relive those favorite scenes from Tolkien and other fantasy favorites...)
- Settlers of Canaan by Cactus Games
(Settlers is now a classic game and I really like this Biblical variant of the Cataan theme...)

This is a gaming blog community so it seems only appropriate to list games.

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.