Almost Out of Here

The day is going by super slow and I can't wait to get out so I can go home, finish packing and make it official that we're going on vacation!

On the plus side, I have had time to do a lot: I've caught up on all of my paperwork, leaving it all crystal clear for my boss while I'm out, and I managed to record, edit and send out a new episode of my podcast, The Gamer Traveler, this one focusing on the German town of Rothenburg (in honor of the World Cup and all).

I'm still psyched about the Miami Heat's victory last night. NBA Champions, that sounds great. Too bad that we'll miss the parade on Friday, but I'll be wandering around Brussels, so it's quite allright.

Ok, time to finish the dreary paperwork and catch the second half of the Holland vs. Argentina match on right now. Go Holland!!!

And GO USA tomorrow!!!

[The Gamer Traveler] Episode 02 - Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Show Notes for Episode 02 of The Gamer Traveler (As featured on the Dragon's Landing Podcast, episode 48):

Rothenburg Markt Platz and Rathaus (City Hall)

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany

• Rothenburg - Official site (English/German). Info on the town, including directions, guesthouse listings, and even two live webcams of the Markt Platz.
• Wikipedia: Rothenburg ob der Tauber - The Wikipedia entry for Rothenburg, with info on the history and links to related information.
• Rick Steves: Rothenburg - Info on Rothenburg from my favorite travel writer.
• The Night Watchman - Official site of Rothenburg's Night Watchman. You can see pics of the watchman in action, and even order a DVD with a guided tour of the town!
• Rothenburg Picture Gallery - A great image gallery that you can complement by doing a Google Image Search.
• Map of Rothenburg - Historic map of Rothenburg published in 1572.
• Satellite view of Rothenburg - Perfect to get a plan of the town. Loads slowly.
• Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2006 - My favorite travel guide, with info on Rothenburg.
• Rick Steves' Europe DVD: Germany, Swiss Alps and Travel Skills - Featuring an episode on Rothenburg.

The Gamer Traveler is brought to you by
Destination: Earth Travel Planners.
Helping you take the trip of a lifetime, today!

--
Posted by Daniel M. Perez to The Gamer Traveler at 6/21/2006 03:17:00 PM

NBA WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!

15 Strong!!!
Congratulations to the Miami Heat on becoming the 2006 NBA Champions! GO HEAT!!!

[HMP PR] REALITY DEVIANT PUBLICATIONS AND HIGHMOON MEDIA PRODUCTIONS JOIN FORCES!

Publishers Unite To Bring You The Future.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 13, 2006--Dallas, TX and Miami Beach, FL: Reality Deviant Publications is proud to announce a joint venture with Higmoon Media Productions for the production of DaVinci Labs, a new series of OGL sci-fi products focusing on the ongoing development of a futuristic R&D company. DaVinci Labs is a leading manufacturer of cutting edge weapons systems, robotics, mecha and cybernetic technologies with a wide range of both civil and military applications.

Each release in the DaVinci Labs line will provide players and Gamemasters with a variety of new gear for sci-fi campaigns, including (but not limited to) new robot designs, new mecha and new cybernetic devices. In addition, each release will provide ongoing background information on the company, so as to make DaVinci Labs a dynamic organization in your campaign!

“I am very happy that Daniel Perez proposed a joint effort with my company to produce DaVinci Labs,” said David Jarvis, president of Reality Deviant Publications. “Highmoon Media Productions is a great company that produces top-notch gaming material, and Daniel’s ideas for the DaVinci Labs line of products are a perfect fit with my own views about science fiction gaming material. I’m very excited about this project and look forward to bringing DaVinci Labs to the public!”

“I couldn’t have hoped for a better partner,” said Daniel M. Perez, president of Highmoon Media Productions. “DaVinci Labs was a series I had been trying to get off the ground for a while but had not been able to for a variety of reasons. David Jarvis’ work on the OGL Mecha line convinced me Reality Deviant Publications would be the perfect partner to help me bring this line to reality, and after a couple of conversations, it was incredibly evident that we were both on the same page. Thanks to this partnership, DaVinci Labs will be better than I had originally envisioned.”

DaVinci Labs releases will be published by Reality Deviant Publications and distributed by RDP’s distribution partner, Ronin Arts. The first release on the new DaVinci Labs line is on schedule for early July, 2006, with regular releases afterwards.

*****

For more information please contact:

Highmoon Media Productions Media Contact
Daniel M. Perez
daniel@highmoonmedia.com
www.highmoonmedia.com

Reality Deviants Publications Media Contact
David Jarvis
mdavidjarvis@yahoo.com
www.realitydeviants.net

Still Go Team USA!

Ouch. That 3-0 loss vs. the Czech Republic hurts a lot. There's a reason the Czechs are ranked #2 in the world behind the Brazilians.

The team played Ok, but just Ok. They weren't driving the ball down to the box and were letting the very quick Czechs dictate the pace and direction of play.

Well, we just gotta shake this loss off and regroup for Saturday's match vs. Italy. We need to win against the Italians if we want our World Cup dreams to continue into the Round of 16.

Go team!

GO TEAM USA!!!

First game in less than 40 minutes!
Let's show our support and show the world the USA truly earned their place at the World Cup!!!

The Ignorant American's Guide to the World Cup

From CBS SportsLine.com: "The Ignorant American's Guide to the World Cup"

I don't know much about soccer. I realize that it is, by a wide margin, the world's most popular sport. I'm told that players can't use their hands, which renders it a particularly sweaty equivalent of bobbing for apples. I understand that the game harkens back to my high-school days, in that it involves lots of guys running around like lunatics and mostly not scoring.

While having an ignorant American write this guide may well defeat its underlying purpose, rest assured that I've done my homework, interviewing several people with funny accents. Since labeling non-midwestern accents "funny" is one of the bona fide calling cards of American ignorance, I knew I was on the right path from the get-go. Let's dive right into it.

Read it. Now. :-)

I'm loving the World Cup so far!!! Can't wait for the USA debut game tomorrow Monday.

If I Kill My Cat Today (6/6/06), Does It Make It A Satanic Act?

My neurotic, crazy, half-angel/half-demon cat was having one of his trademarked bursts of insanity this morning, and it seems he bit the power cord of my laptop. I just found out because suddenly I get the message that the battery is running low and when I plug the power cord, nothing happens. An inspection of the cord itself revealed two cat fang-shaped holes poking through the rubber cover and into the insides of the cable. I just ordered a replacement and I hope it arrives soon, because until it does I am cut off from all of my work. The only thing I was able to transfer to a flashtick was the file for the novel I am laying out right now, and I had just finished loading my podcasts to my iPod. Hopefully by Thursday or Friday I'll have access to the computer again.

In the meantime I am going to pass the time thinking of ways to string up my cat...

URL Woes

As you can see above (on the main page, in case you get this via RSS), I've been having problems with the URL redirect for www.highmoonmedia.com. If you have arrived here by following that URL, please accept my apologies and proceed to use the link above to get to your actual destination.

I think the move away from Stargate.com will come a lot sooner than I had anticipated...

Not So Crappy Day Anymore

There was nothing wrong with the car, thank G-d, it just needed a new battery. Still a financial hit, but nowhere near as hard as I feared.

I did get to stay home, too, which is always a plus, and did quite a bit on the layout for Lonnie Ezell's novel. Didn't gather my notes for the podcast, but managed also to get some stuff done for my Rabbi (who has drafted me as his and the synagogue's unofficial secretary). Also got two patches sewn to my travel pack (about time, too, since I've had most of those since our Europe trip in 2001!).

Like I said, in the end it turned out it wasn't such a crappy day after all.

Crappy Day

You know what they say about staying in bed some days?
My day began ok; went to morning prayers and came back to have some breakfast before heading to work. My car started giving me problems yesterday (actually, it began a week ago, but it had gone away), not starting when I turned the ignition. A quick jumpstart fixed it the last time it happened, and so it did yesterday, though it didn't have nearly enough running time to recharge the battery. I figured if anything I would jumpstart it this morning, go to work, then drop it at the mechanic later on. No such luck.

The car simply did not start up today, even with a jumpstart. I'm afraid the alternator may be busted; could be the starter, though, I think. I really have no idea; there's a reason I have a degree in English and not in auto mechanics. It's one of the two, I know that much, which means that, either way, I'm in for a big slap to my already hurting wallet. All this with our vacation just 2 1/2 weeks away. I'm now waiting for the tow truck to take the car to the shop (thankfully, just down the street from my house).

I knew I should have stayed in bed.

On the plus side, maybe I can actually get some other things done here today, like doing the layout for Lonnie Ezell's novel, and gather the notes for the first episode of the Gamer Traveler podcast.

Out for Shavuot

I'll be offline for the next two days in observance of the holy day of Shavuot.

Everyone take care, have a great weekend, and to the Jews out there, Chag Sameach!