Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

I just went to see Episode III and WOW!

So it's got plot holes the size of the Death Star, and most of the dialogue just plain sucks, but I was entertained and impressed by the film. Frankly, my version would be about 1 hour shorter, after you cut out all the unecessary stuff (like the introduction of yet another villain), but it was good. The 13-year old in me is fulfilled, and will probably force me to buy the prequels on DVD so he can watch the whole saga at home.

New Computer!

WOOHOO!!! Our new computer arrived today! (Actually, it arrived yesterday, and I had to go pick it up today, but let's just leave that aside.)

It's a Dell Inspiron 6000 with an Ultrabright Widescreen monitor that has me dancing joyously.

Perhaps now I'll be able to catch up with some of my backed-up work for Highmoon!

Germ Of A Travel Idea

Our friend Larissa visited us in Miami this past weekend, during which all we did was vegetate in different areas of the apartment (though mostly in the living room). On Saturday night we started talking about Europe, about our trip, and then we busted out the Transfiguration Tour photo albums, going through our wonderful, life-changing trip 4 years ago. We were all there, we've seen the pictures hundreds of times, and we always tell the same stories, but we absolutely love it. It was, hands down, part of the Top 5 of the times of our lives.

Lari was planning a trip for next year to Aruba with a friend of hers, but, she confesed to us, she did not want to go to Aruba, much preferring to go back to Europe. I said, "So, let's go!" And to my glee, we all looked at each other and almost in a single thought said, "Yeah!" So we started talking about possible places and possible time off, and within an hour we had already a germ on an idea for a trip next year: the Low Countries of Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, perhaps for 1-2 weeks.

Of course, Larissa still needs to break it to her friend, and then we need to get down to planning, but even though we agreed not to get too excited about it until we hear from Lari, I am allowing myself to dream a little and get a little excited already. This has sent my heart afflutter, and I like that feeling. I think I'm gonna visit the bookstore when I leave work today.

We also spoke about my wife's lifelong dream to go to Australia, something that I wish I could give to her in a silver platter (though if I gave it to her in a paper plate I don't think she would mind at all). Aside from our wished-for trip in 2007 to Ireland to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary, this trip to Australia is probably the biggest entry on our travel wish list for the future.

We'll see where this ends up.

Einstein & Religion

So it seems that it's been 100 years since Einstein's "miracle year" of 1905 (see MSNBC.com's coverage), and among the issues being spoken about is that of Einstein's religion and his religious beliefs. It should be no surprise to anyone that Albert Einstein was Jewish, though it seems he was a non-observant Jew. One cannot escape, however, the cultural and ideological makeup that comes with being Jewish, let alone Jewish in Europe during the time of WWI and WWII.

MSNBC.com published an article called "The Culture of Einstein" (all further quotes are from this article) in which one of the themes tackled is that of religion. Biographers claim, based on Einstein's own words, that there is a great misconception that Einstein believed in G-d due to some actual quotes of his, probably the most famous being, "I cannot believe that God would choose to play dice with the universe," wherein he decries the "randomness inherent in quantum mechanics." apparently, it is claimed by both biographers and the man himself, to deduce from the above that Einstein believed in G-d was a stretch; Einstein, it seems, did not believe in G-d, writing in 1954 that such a misconception was "a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly." The article then states, again based on Einstein's own writings,

For Einstein, references to God were a convenient metaphor, easy-to-grasp shorthand, he wrote, for "the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal."

Nu? Okay, and? This is part of G-d anyway you slice it! People get too caught up in the general perception of G-d as the bearded guy of the Sistine Chapel (which is Zeus, by the way) and don't stop to think that G-d is far, far more than that (and not that at all, as well). G-d is everything, including us, including "the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it," as well as that which science has yet to reveal.

It is the greatest joke that scientists, who often are the biggest self-proclaimed atheists, and who sometimes work with the intention of disproving the existence of G-d, are actually at the forefront of revealing the wonders and miracles of G-d to humanity. Scientists have given us a day-by-day account of the miracle of the creation of life in the womb; they have given us an understanding of energy and its transformations due to fissions and fusions (and what about the fact that energy cannot be created or destroyed, meaning that we are dealing with the same energy there was in the beginning, an all-encompassing energy that has always been... need I spell it out here?); they have shown us the wonders of stars, planets and formations existing in space farther than our imaginations could ever conjure. These are just some meager examples.

I don't know if Einstein truly did not believe in G-d, and more importantly, what did that mean exactly, but as I said at the beginning, you cannot take away a cultural imprint handed down from generations of Jews, stretching all the way back to Mt. Sinai. Judaism understands G-d in many ways, one of them as "the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it." This doesn't mean G-d is limited, but rather that we are limited in our understanding, and need science to help us keep discovering the wondrous works of the Creator. When Einstein said he wanted to know the Mind of G-d, he was voicing a Jewish ideal, regardless of what the level of observance he kept was, regardless of what he believed or did not believe.

We need to stop seeing G-d as a limited entity, and recognize Him as everything, realize not a day goes by we don't witness miracles all around us (you woke up this morning, didn't you?). To all those atheist scientists I have only one thing to say: Thank You, from the bottom of my heart, for working so hard to reveal to me the wonders of G-d.

The Saddest Mitzvah

Today I performed possibly the saddest mitzvah (commandment) I have encountered yet, burying another Jew.

On Shabbat Hagaddol (The Great Shabbat), the Shabbat that comes right before Pesach (Passover), which was this past Saturday, April 23, a member of our community died under horrible circumstances. This man was up in West Palm Beach and driving down to Miami to meet with his family that night to celebrate Pesach, when the rear tire of his Izusu Rodeo came off, sending the car into a violent spin across the median and into the opposite lane, before stopping at the other side of the road. The man was ejected from the spinning vehicle--he was not wearing a seatbelt--and died a most violent death which I do not wish to repeat.

This man was only 33, just three years older than me, and had pretty much everything he wanted in life, and Hashem decreed that his time here was up.

Since he died on Shabbat, and Pesach was immediately after, his funeral and burial were today. I took the time off from work to go to both and offer whatever miniscule support I could by my presence there. It tore my heart and soul, to be utterly honest. I didn't really know the man; it's not like we were friends or anything, and though he was part of the community it was more becayse his sister and her family live in our community, and he came often. But everytime I saw him he had a smile and a greeting for you, and whenever his help was needed, it was given freely and gladly. Perhaps he was not the most observant Jew, but he strove to be, and though he failed, he always tried again. The greatest tragedy of his death is that it happened on Shabbat while he was driving, something he knew full well he should not have done.

I don't believe in Divine punishment, not like its generally understood, so I don't think his death was a direct punishment for him driving on Shabbat (we'd almost be out of Jews by now), but one cannot avoid the fact that there is a lesson in this tragedy, though it may be a different one for different people. To me, being a 30-year old, this is a very clear reminder that our time here is not guaranteed by our age (he was 33), nor our wealth (he was rich by anyone's meassures), nor our plans (he wanted to marry his 5-year girlfriend and have a family of his own). I think of where I am today, of the plans I have for the future, of the things I want to accomplish, of the milestones I have yet to reach, and I try to imagine all that being stopped, brought to a screeching halt. It is a frightful thought, to be honest, but it is a very empowering thought as well: I have only today to make a difference. We are here because G-d wants us to be here, and finding out why--our mission, if you will--and then fulfilling that divine will is all that matters. Everything else is mist.

Pouring the shovelfulls of earth onto the simple pine box that held the body of this man was really hard. It meant confronting my own mortality, and then putting it aside to fulfill a commandment for another Jew, to help his soul complete the trip to Heaven. My rabbi said it best, though: "Take an example from him, and do as he did--help others, give of your time, give charity--this will be an elevation for his soul and for ours."

May the soul of Abraham ben Yosef find an elevation, may he rest in the presence of Hashem, and may the final redemption come soon, so that we may all meet again.

More On The New Pope

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz published a very interesting article on its English website about the new Pope Benedict XVI. To the Israeli, and Jews in general, this new pope's history and track record are of interest, if only because we're all waiting to see how will things go now, especially after the pretty good interfaith relations established by John Paul II. Go read the article and then come back.

"New pope seen continuing relations with Israel, Jews" By Peter Hirschberg

For the most part, it seems like the speculations about having a transitory pope are turning out to be correct so far: choose an older, strong pontiff that can hold the church on the course left by John Paul while those in power have a chance to digest the previous pope's legacy and decide where they want to go next.

As a Jew, I sincerely hope that the good relations that were established by John Paul are continued, though with Benedict I still have this nagging feeling at the back of my mind that we should be always ready (that this election, and that this feeling of being on our toes, comes on the week just as we are to start celebrating Passover cannot be seen as coincidence; there is a message there for us that we must heed). In particular, there is one passage that exemplifies perfectly why is it that this former head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (which in effect makes him an heir to Torquemada, sensationalism aside) makes my spider sense tingle (emphasis mine):

In the document, Ratzinger seeks to tackle the Jews' refusal to accept Jesus as the messiah and Judaism's insistence that the messiah has not yet come.

"He argued that this position is also part of the divine plan," explains Rosen, who now heads the American Jewish Committee's Interreligious Affairs department, "and the fact Jews don't accept Jesus must not be seen as an act of rejecting God, but as part of God's plan to remind the world that peace and salvation for all humanity has not yet come. This is amazing. He took something that has been the source of major condemnation of Judaism and the Jewish people down the ages and twisted it into something of a positive theological nature."

Positive? Are we reading the same sentences? The above is so condescending that it's infurriating. Unfortunately it is a doctrine that is at the center of the new pope's ideology from his days as head of the Doctrine for the Faith.

I guess in the end, as long as he pays more attention to his own backyard, it's just fine and dandy. I will keep an eye on Rome, though.

[NOTE: Originally I had written a really long reply in which I was annoyed beyond belief at the tone of the quote from Ratzinger. When I hit the "Publish Post" button, however, I lost it, and I didn't have the energy to retype the whole thing. The above is greatly abbreviated, but it does keep the gyst of it all.]

The New Pope

At midday, EST, a new Catholic Pope was chosen. This was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, to be known as Pope Benedict XVI.

I'm not sure how to feel about it.

I'm not Catholic anymore, so in that sense who is the new pope is irrelevant to me, but as a Jew, who is the head of the 1-billion strong Catholic Church is of a certain interest. John Paul II was not perfect, but he made some good strides in bandaging the deep wounds that separated Catholics and Jews, starting with the whole issue of the death of Jesus, and going all the way to the inaction of the Vatican during the Holocaust. His apologies were not perfect nor complete, but they were a great step. Now we get as his successor a man who was the head of the Vatican's Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (you may know it by its more popular name, the Inquisition) and a man who, in his youth, was a member of the Hitler Youth, and who served in the German army during WWII.

Granted, Ratzinger was part of the Hitler Youth when it was compulsory for every German boy to be a part of it, and I will not condemn him for that. He also served in a German Anti-aircraft unti protecting a BMW factory, though he says he never fired a shot. He later managed to get out of the army upon ordination. One cannot help but contrast John Paul's history of anti-Nazi actions, taken at great personal peril. And it is true that John Paul named Ratzinger to his post as head of the Inquisition, but let's not forget it is Ratzinger who took to the job all to well, defending the orthodoxy like a pitbull (an internal issue, so irrelevant to me), and authoring/co-authoring/supporting official homilies and statements in which the Catholic Church is named as the only source of true redemption.

It remains to wait and see what happens now. I am all for giving Ratzinger, or Benedict, the benefit of the doubt and see what he does as pope. But I cannot help but keep all the above information in the back of my mind, and hope that the Catholic Church doesn't de-evolve some 500 years to the time of the Holy Inquisition.

May Hashem help us all.

Tired, Happy, Frustrated, and then Happy Again

It's been a hell of a two-week period; I feel so tired, though I have two days off at the start of April.

First, on St. Patrick's Day I finally finished and uploaded for sale a new product, Bardic Lore: Ogham. Based on the ancient written language of Ireland, it brings it to d20 gaming along with some nice new rules for item creation. I am incredibly happy with that product, mainly because it was done 100% on a whim to create something fitting for St. Patrick's Day (or as I refer to it, Ireland Day). The whole thing took 2 weeks to finish, though adding the hours it comes out to about 15, give or take. I was so determined to finish it on time for St. Patty's I ditched game night two weeks in a row (it's fine, it's only Star Wars now) and pressed my proofreader into rush service (my heartfelt thanks to Mark for that). So far sales have been very good, which makes me even happier.

On the down side, my boss (aka. my Father-in-law) has been a complete and utter pain in the behind for the last 2 weeks, which drives me insane. I don't wanna go too much into it, but let's just say it all stems from the fact that he's a money-driven person and I am so not. It's not that I don't like making money, but it is definitely not at the top of the list for me; I find there are other things more important in life, while he... well, if he thinks that way, then he's fooling everyone around him.

I just need to get through the next two weeks and then I'll have some days off. In some great news, my brother is currently in the US from Iraq. Though he has to leave again next Tuesday, it was great to talk to him and to know he's just 7 hours away to the North, as opposed to a world away in the sandbox. He has 4 more months, G-d willing, and then he'll be back in the US until the end of his tour of duty. May G-d bring him and all the other soldiers back home to their families soon.

Purim starts tomorrow night, which is freaking great! Gotta fast tomorrow during the day, though, but it's a small price to pay. Mmm... hamentaschen.

GREAT NEWS!!!

My sister's gonna have a boy!!!
She's 20 weeks and the baby's doing fine. I don't particularly like the name she's chosen--Kevin Anthony--but hey, what can I do.

Wow, another nephew (I already have a 6-year old nephew from the youngest of my two sisters). Hopefully G-d will help my wife and I to conceive a boy as well; otherwise I'm never gonna hear the end of it from my two sisters!

Yay!

Update

I am horrible with journals, and it seems with blogs, too.

First of all, happy new year to everyone. So far so good, though I can't believe it's almost February already.

Mostly I've been busy with Highmoon Media, setting up new projects for freelancers to work on, and finally finishing my own project, Liber Sodalitas: Scions of the Holy Triad. Drop by the website for more info.

Helping my wife now edit and rewrite her NaNoWriMo novel, Songbird. It's certainly an experience, nothing she or I have any idea how to do. But still, it should be fun, and the result will be worth it.

Gonna finish some stuff and head out. Feeling a bit under the weather today.

Chanukah!

First of all, HAPPY CHANUKAH!!!

I LOVE Chanukah; I think that from all the Jewish holidays, it is my favorite. And no, it has nothing to do with gifts because I do not get gifts in Chanukah (that's mostly for little children, Chanukah is not the "Jewish X-mas"), and it's not because of the food, though it does have an influence (latkas and donuts and buñuelos, oh my!). No, it's something else, something that in the four years or so I've been celebrating Chanukah I haven't been able to put my finger on, not totally.

One of the reasons, though, is very clear to me. Chanukah was the first Jewish holiday I celebrated, back some four (or five) years ago, when I was still celebrating X-mas. My mother-in-law had already begun her change towards Judaism, and she got us to light the menorah as well. In my apt., alone with a little siddur (prayer book) she gave me, I recited the prayers and lit the candles for 8 nights, staying home, sitting on my sofa, doing nothing for the hour or so it took the candles to burn down. There was no religious meaning to me back then, but there was something about the candles, about the way they burned, all in a row, that really soothed me (and at that moment in my life, I needed it badly).

Years later I would learn about the story of Chanukah, what the candles stand for, and what the illumination represents, but at that moment, none of that mattered; all that mattered to me were those candles and the sense of peace they gave me. Sure, after Chanukah was over (or even in the middle of it, if they concurred) I went right into celebrating X-mas without a second thought, but something was changing in me, though it would take another two to three years to fully realize it.

Judaism teaches that all human souls have a divine spark inside them, an innate connection to God. In the great majority of us, these sparks are dormant, subdued by the mundane world, the day-to-day routine, but sometimes, something happens that lights up that spark and turns it into a small flame and then into a roaring fire. To Jews, that that catalyst is the Torah (and my belief is that to all of humanity as well, perhaps not literally as the Torah, but the essence contained therein), and sometimes it can be manifested in as simple an act as lighting the menorah. My whole conversion, I am sure, can be traced back to that menorah I lit years ago, and the sense of peace that it gave me when I had no idea why.

Sure, there are other reasons that can be deduced for my love of Chanukah, like the fact that it commemorates the triumph of Judaism against the overwhelming tide of Hellenism, a tradition in which I was very much into being as I was a product of the Greek model of logic, but those are interpretations for another day. At the core, even today, I love Chanukah because I love lighting the menorah; I love seeing those flames dance all in a row, radiating an aura of peace around them, having memories to that first menorah I lit, and the incredible road it started me on.

As I said, Happy Chanukah.

Back From NYC And Yet More D&D In The News

We got back from our weekend getaway to New York late last night. We had a wonderful time in NYC, and once again I am reminded of how much I like that city and how much I'd like to move up there.

Quickly (I'll go into details later), our time was spent mostly relaxing. We arrived on Wednesday night after a 2-hour long delay at MIA, ate something and went to sleep. On Thursday my wife and I took a cab ride to the Ohel, resting place of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson of Chabad-Lubavitch, as well as of his wife and father-in-law, also a Chabad Rebbe. We returned later in the afternoon to Brooklyn, had our Thanksgiving dinner, and went to see "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" (we liked it, it was funny) in Times Square. Friday we overslept, so we barely had enough time to make it to Manhattan, to the Hotel 17, where later in the evening, after Shabbat had started, our friend Larissa joined us. After a meal of wraps and lots of side dishes, we took a walk around Union Square and enjoyed the cold air. Saturday my wife and I went to the Young Israel of 5th Avenue for prayers, returned for a quick lunch, joined Larissa and Yvonne for an afternoon walk around Union Square and its various stores, took a short nap, and went to see Wicked: The Musical (it was AMAZING!), closing the night at the hotel and me with a headache the size of the Empire State Building. Sunday we went shopping around Union Square and St. Mark's Place in the East Village, and ate at a great little food place called Chickpea, before going to the airport and flying back home to Miami. I'll expound later.

Also, continuing the trend, the Boston Herald has published an article on D&D's 30th Anniversary entitled, "Here there be Dragons: After 30 years, D&D Players Shape Pop Culture."

Thanksgiving in New York

In what appears to be on its way to becoming a holiday tradition, my wife and I will be flying tomorrow evening from Miami to New York to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with my sister-in-law. What's even cooler, our friend Larissa will join us from Orlando on Friday, and Saturday night we're all going to see Wicked: The Musical, starring Idina Menzel.

All in all, this weekend should be kickass! Which is awesome, because we really need to get out of Miami once in a while.

RPG Questionaire

Once in a while you find these questionaires in websites, emails and other blogs, but this is the first one I have seen RPG related. So here goes (taken from Gareth-Michael Skarka):

1. What is the first RPG you ever played?

Dungeons & Dragons. It was 1986, I was in the 7th grade, and a friend of mine told me about this game his cousin had brought from the States (I was living in Puerto Rico at the time) about fantasy and dragons. I've been hooked ever since.

2. What RPG do you currently play most often?

Though I write d20 material that's D&D compatible, the game I have most played in the last few years has been Vampire: The Masquerade, with an ongoing chronicle since 1999. Recently we started a World of Darkness chronicle with the new rules.

3. What is the best system you've played?

Personally, I've always been a fan of D&D, though I readily accept it has had many problems over the years. I like the new 3.5 edition of the game; I think it's the most solid it has ever been. For more atmospheric games, White Wolf's Storyteller system rocks; I've gone months without rolling dice, based on the story-driven basis of the system.

4. What is the best system you've run?

White Wolf's Storyteller system, I would say. I used to like the Shadowrun system a lot, but then it got too complicated. D&D 3rd and 3.5 edition are a close second.

5. Would you consider yourself an: Elitist/ Min-Maxer/ Rules Lawyer?

If by Elitist you mean middle-of-the-road or story-driven type of player, then that's me. I'm definitely not a Rules Lawyer or a Min-Maxer.

6. If you could recommend a new RPG which would you recommend? Why?

Probably the new World of Darkness by White Wolf. They took a streamlined system and streamlined it even more, taking the best concepts from 3rd edition D&D and applying it to the Storyteller system. The result is a good game that serves even better as a toolkit for modern occult genre games.

7. How often do you play?

Sadly, I haven't been in a regular game in a while. Our gaming schedule is erratic, at best.

8. What sort of characters do you play? Leader? Follower? Comic Relief? Roll-Player/ Role-Player?

Role-player/Leader. Though sometimes I like to play a combat-machine just for kicks.

9. What is your favorite Genre for RPGs?

Fantasy, hands down. I enjoy futuristic/cyberpunk too, but at the end of the day it's fantasy I come back to.

10. What Genres have you played in?

Pretty much every genre available in a game, except for espionage.

11. Do you prefer to play or GM? Do you do both?

I like to do both, though I end up GM-ing more than playing.

12. Do you like religion in your games?

Game-related? Sure. Real life? only if the people involved can be mature and respectful about it. Otherwise, no.

13. Do you have taboo subjects in your games or is everything "fair game"?

Depends on the game and the players. See previous answer.

14. Have you developed your own RPG before?

Whole roleplaying game from the ground up? No, I always adapted others, and now I write for the d20 System.

15. Have you ever been published in the Gaming Industry? If so...what?

Yes. Here's a list:

• "Bardic Lore: The Fachan" - Highmoon Media Productions (2004)
  Writer
• "Liber Sodalitas: Erzsak's Drake Riders" - Highmoon Media Productions (2004)
  Writer
• "Liber Sodalitas: The Blind Path" - Highmoon Media Productions (2004)
  Writer
• "The Player's Guide to Arcanis" - Paradigm Concepts, Inc. (2004)
  Additional Design
• "Nishanpur: City of Secrets" - Paradigm Concepts, Inc. (2004)
  Additional Design (my name was left off the credits)
• Campaign Magazine, Issue 8 - Fast Forward Entertainment, Inc. (2003)
  Author, "The Green Bough Glen" and "Four Magical Feats"
• "Alchemy & Herbalists" - Bastion Press, Inc. (2002)
  Additional Material
• "Codex Arcanis" - Paradigm Concepts, Inc. (2002)
  Additional Design
• "Hidden Greed" - RPGA Living Arcanis adventure, Paradigm Concepts, Inc. (2001)
  Writer
• "At the Edge of the Abyss" - RPGA Living Greyhawk adventure, Wizards of the Coast. (2001)
  Writer
• "Hawk's Pride" - RPGA Living City adventure, Wizards of the Coast. (2001)
  Writer
• Pyramid Magazine - Steve Jackson Games. (1998)
  Reviewer, "Clan Novel: Toreador" book review
  

Nov. 19: Sad And Happy Day

November 19 has various meanings to me, some happy and some sad. Let me get the sad one out first:

November 19, 1993 --11 years ago -- was the day my father passed away. I was living in Puerto Rico at the time, he in Miami, and he had gone in for some checkups a few days before. During the early morning hours of Nov. 19 he suffered a renal failure and died shortly thereafter (there is obviously more to it, but there's no reason to go into my Dad's medical history here). It was the worst news I had ever received, especially because a few days before, when my grandparents had flown to Miami to be with my dad at the hospital, I had had one of those gut premonitions that feel like punch to the stomach telling me to go with them; I didn't.

I had spent almost all of that summer with my Dad here in Miami and we'd have a great time. I flew back to P.R about a week before I was scheduled to originally because a girl, an ex-girlfriend, I hadn't seen in 3 years was in P.R. due to a death in the family (the irony kills me), and I had some unfinished business with her that I wanted to close once and for all (a story for another time). And so my Dad paid the extra fee so I could fly in earlier and see this girl; he was sad, and so was I, but hey, there was always Christmas! It wasn't to be. He had a funeral in Miami, and then his body was flown to Puerto Rico, where he's buried.

The really annoying thing about this whole deal is, as destroyed as I was by the death of my father, when I saw his body at the funeral, my sadness was alleviated by what I saw: my father had died with a smile on his face. An honest-to-God smile. During that summer, my Dad and I caught up with like 4 seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine on reruns, and he said to me one night that in Heaven, since we'd be free of the limitations of the body, we'd be able to visit all the corners of the Universe, just "beaming" from here to there without effort, all so we could see the wonders of God's creation. When I saw his smile, that conversation came to mind, and I understood. I got an image in my head of my father, dressed in a Federation uniform, just exploring the vastness of the Universe, and that made me smile in turn.

I didn't cry at this funeral, though I have cried for him many times after that (including as I type this). I can't say I understand why God decided that his time had come so soon; I needed him so much during the time of my wedding, and especially as I was contemplating my conversion to Judaism, though most of the time I simply needed him because I just needed my Dad. I just gotta trust that God did what was right, and that one day I will understand. Until then, Dad, beam on, cause one day I'll want the Grand Tour as well.

My Dad also taught me that happiness should always be held higher than sadness, and that when possible, a sad occasion should be followed by a joyous one, which is why it's no coincidence that Nov. 19 is also the day that my wife and I arrived in Ireland ready to begin our married life and enjoy our honeymoon.

Yvette & Danny at the Cliffs of Moher
Nov. 24, 2002

We had visited Europe the year before for a 35-day Grand Tour we named The Transfiguration Tour, but as much as we all wanted to go to Ireland, we just had to leave it off for another time. That "another time" was our honeymoon, and we enjoyed every single last second of it. Ireland is a country where myth and history are inseparable, truly one and the same. People may tell you that they pray to St. Brigit knowing full well she's a Christianization of the Celtic goddess Brigid, or that they don't believe in faeries, but don't piss them off because they are out there. The best thing about having gone to our honeymoon in Ireland is that now, Ireland will always be a part of our marriage; whenever we look back on those early days, Ireland is there for us, beckoning, waiting for us to go back to her.

You can check our online travel journal at Celtic Honeymoon, and follow our trip day by day, location by location. Trust me, you'll fall in love with Ireland as well.

So like I said, sad and happy day, this Nov. 19. But overall, it's a happy one. I know my Dad would want me to feel that way.

[Highmoon Media] Letter To Our Customers & Friends

I (as Highmoon Media Productions) sent out this letter to all our current customers and to a group of friends to say thanks for their suport so far, and to let them know what's going on with HMP. I thought I'd post it here as a newsletter type of message stating where we are, and where we're headed.

Hello from Highmoon Media Productions.
We just wanted to take a moment to say hi to all our gaming friends and customers, and take a moment to put you up-to-date on what's happening at HMP.

Our three releases up to date--Liber Sodalitas: The Blind Path, Liber Sodalitas: Erzsak's Drake Riders, and Bardic Lore: The Fachan--have been selling very well indeed, giving us all here at HMP great impetus to continue releasing cool new products.

HMP's Liber Sodalitas: The Blind Path was recently reviewed at EN World by Staff Reviwer Crothian, who rated the product 4 out of 5! You can read his review here.

At RPGNow.com, two of our customers have already left User Comments, which we treasure and value, both rating Liber Sodalitas: The Blind Path 5 out 5! You can check out the User Comments here (scroll down to the bottom).

If after buying, you enjoy your HMP purchase, we'd like to ask you to leave either a User Comment at RPGNow.com, on the page of the product of your choice (or all three), or if you'd like to write a longer review, you could post it to RPG.net, or at HMP's EN World Reviews Company Page under the appropiate product. Your comments help us improve and deliver quality products into your hands.

HMP is just getting started, too. Drop by our website at www.HighmoonMedia.com for the latest news and features, like the upcoming Designer's Notes section for each of our products where we'll take you behind the scenes of the creation process. We also hope to have our d20 Future line, Da Vinci Labs, ready to go before the end of the year, as well as our first release in the new Terra Mythica line. Closer on the horizon, we have a new Bardic Lore release, The Villa of Mysterious Delights, a drop-in location for your d20 Fantasy game, and a new Liber Sodalitas organization, the Scions of the Holy Triad, masters of the Triad Combat technique, and wielders of the wicked Triskele.

Like I said, lots coming from Highmoon Media Productions, we hope you'll stick around for the ride.

Highmoon Media Releases Bardic Lore: The Fachan

Highmoon Media Productions releases its third product, Bardic Lore: The Fachan, at RPGNow.com.

I turned around, intent on facing my enemy and instead I faced my nightmares. In front of me stood a creature fully a head taller than I, its single, bloodshot eye staring at me with all the hatred in the world. It had a broad and muscled body with a single arm jutting from the center of its chest, and a single, powerful leg, propelling it forth towards me. I can honestly say I hope to never run into a fachan ever again.
— From the journal of Amergin Ó Míl

Bardic Lore: The Fachan is a 8-page PDF (7 pages of content plus OGL) detailing a new creature for your d20 Fantasy game from the pages of Celtic myth, the fachan. Included are stats for this fearsome creature, info on the fachan as a character race, the fachan paragon class, a fully-stated NPC to threaten your players, and Lore/Knowledge check information. Written by Daniel M. Perez, artwork by Kelso Kaiser.

Bardic Lore chronicles the travels of the great bard Amergin Ó Míl as he wanders around the land, learning about the mundane, exotic and magical, recording it in his journal for posterity. Each Bardic Lore release is an entry from Amergin's journal, with accompanying d20 Fantasy stats and descriptions.

Look for further releases in the Bardic Lore and Liber Sodalitas lines from HMP.

Also available from Highmoon Media Productions:

More D&D In The News

I do not cease to be amazed at the amount of news pieces mentioning D&D this year; perhaps there are far more of us geeks than originally thought, and we do, in part, rule the world now (alongside our trusty sword +5).

The Boston Globe published on Nov. 15 an opinion piece on Dungeons & Dragon's 30th Anniversary entitled, "How 'Dungeons' changed the world."

And in similar news, Newsweek published a short op-ed in their November 22 issue, also on D&D's 30th Anniversary, entitled "Fantasy: The Thirty Years War."

GEEKS RULE!

2nd Wedding Anniversary

Today is our 2nd Wedding Anniversary. Two years ago, in a first-rainy-then-crips-and-cool-then-really-cold Sunday night, I married the woman who was my love and my life. It was a sweet ceremony, full of joy, and everyone who attended can testify to the overwhelming feeling of peace, happiness and hope that permeated even the air. Now, two years later, we're still married, still in love and still without having killed each other (I've always said that the secret to a long-lasting and loving relationship is that the husband and wife do not kill each other).

So, to my wife, Happy 2nd Anniversary. I love you now more than I did then, but I still love you with the passion I did that day. May we have many, many more.

You can see our wedding website at "Danny & Yvette: Our Wedding."

HMP's First Review!

I released Liber Sodalitas: The Blind Path on October 12, thus launching Highmoon Media Productions officially. All this time, while the product's been on sale (and selling quite decently, I think), I have been waiting for a product review. I got two good user reviews at RPGNow.com, which do mean a lot to me, since these are the people actually using the material, but an actual product review still eluded me. That changed today.

I did my usual morning round at ENWorld.org, and found on the front page that Liber Sodalitas: The Blind Path had been reviewed by Staff PDF Reviewer Crothian. My heart jumped to my throat, I swear to you. Before this moment, I had read various posts from other publishers talking about when they received their first review, the anxiety and exhilaration that it brought, and I thought they were exagerating. They weren't, not by a longshot.

The review, I'm happy to say, was very positive, earning the product a 4 out of 5 rating, as well as some good comments from Crothian (click to read the review). It's a weird ego thing, getting a review. In my case, I'm not sure it will have any impact on my sales (though it does put my product's name back on the front page at ENWorld.org), but the fact that someone who has reviewed hundreds of gaming products liked mine and thought well of it. It validates the work I have been doing up to now, and gives me impetus to keep going, to produce more (hopefully) good stuff.

I was feeling kinda crappy this morning, but this has bettered my mood a lot. Now to finish my stuff here at work and head home, cause Shabbat now starts at 5:15 PM and that leaves no time to waste.