That's it!.... I'm off the codine. Today I slept until 1 in the afternoon. I just couldn't wake up!

Heard some more about my friend in the hospital. Apparently, he's lost sensation on his right side because of the stroke. He lost his power of speech and he's stuck in a hospital bed for now. I guess he's really got a taste of his mortality and has swore off smoking. God I hope that is the case. I truly pity anyone who smokes. I lost my mother in 2000 to lung cancer.

I need to start making progress on my Iron Warriors army. It's been sitting on my shelf for about a week collecting cobwebs. My goal is to get what I have done by the time the rest of my army gets here so that I can start painting them without distraction. I've made alot of progress so far, but I can't let that make me complacent. I am looking forward to fielding these shiny guys at the con. Did I say that before?

I got a few of the items this week that I ordered from Ebay. I bought my wife a lovely chainmail necklace with inlayed stones. It'll go great wth her new medieval dress. I also received several items including the latest White Dwarf magazine, a Khorne Juggernaut, and some Dark Eldar stuff for my wifes army. BTW - she really needs to start painting as well.

I've really been feeling guilty lately. I've been watching my kids at softball practice and I can tell that they are so far behind the other kids. Where we live it seems everybody is getting their kids involved with local sports. So there is alot of competition to be good. Unfortunately, my kids have lived the past 8 years in Mordor where there is little or nothing to do. However, I know that if they continue to work as hard as they have they will get caught up and be that much better for it. I truly believe in the inner strength that each of my children have.

For the past few days we've been hanging out with Stout. He's got me talked into running a D & D game for everyone. It's been so long and the game has changed so much. But, I have to admit I like the changes in the new edition. We'll see how it turns out... this weekend we're supposed to roll up characters.

Well, I'm doing alot better this morning... Or rather this afternoon. The codine pills made me sleep like a baby with no pain at all. My abcest is still there but, it's not getting any bigger. Hopefully, the anibiotics will make it go away before it pops.

Last night I had a "drug induced" dream that was very wierd. I dreamt I was at my Dads house with my Mom. We were arguing about my sister and I got mad and punched her in the nose. She then grabbed me and said she was gonna punch me in the nose as well. Then she stopped and said I had pouty Texas lips and that I mourn too much. We then walked outside and my Mom pointed to the sky where a solar eclipse was taking place. She said if I look carefuly I can see a comet circling the sun. It was like the sky opened up and I could see all the stars in heaven. Then my friend who recently got married came up behind me and told me half my life is over... and that I should enjoy the time I have left.

Normally, I don't pay much attention to dreams but this one freaked me out. Especially since my Mom was in it. I wonder if she is trying to tell me something. My Mother was very spiritual and was descended from Native American Shamans. She always told me to pay attention to my dreams. The image of the sun in eclipse with a comet revolving it haunts me.

Ugh!!! I can't stand tooth pain. My simple toothache has now turned into an abscest. At least the pain has subsided some. Tommorrow I go to see the dentist to get something done. On the good side, I got to eat my first real meal tonight. My loving wifey brought me home some chicken. Yum!! But, I did suffer for it later. :-(

I spent all day sitting in front of the computer not wanting to do anything. I feel guilty because my children have been wanting some attention from me. I guess I'll make it up to them this weekend. I've decided not to go to the Civil War reenactment.

Heard from another friend of mine today named Stout who still lives in the local area. He saw my wife at work and got my phone number. Apparently, he has a whole mess of Dungeons and Dragons stuff and wants me to run a game. I had a reputation here, before we moved to Mordor in 1994, for running great D & D games. I guess I'll give it try. I'm kinda burnt out on running Vampire and Werewolf games (don't tell my wife, she loves playing vampire). Anyway, Stout knows how to get in contact with several people in the area that I haven't seen in a long time. I'll be good to make some more connections.

Finally, I heard tonight that an old friend from Mordor suffered a stroke. I used to reenact with him. He smoked like a chimney which caused some problems with his arteries. A few years ago he had angioplasy on his legs to restore circulation. I guess this stroke is part of that same condition. He tried to quit but, just like my Mom, he just couldn't break the addiction. I'll pray for him to recover. He's a good guy and another one of my heros.

After a bit of tinkering I managed to get my wife's blogger to post. Now she can start keeping a journal as well. If you wanna check it out it's at http://confedgal.blogspot.com/.

I had my first physical therapy appointment today. I like my therapist she's pretty straight forward and professional. She found a muscle in my back that is connected with the soreness in my shoulder. She's teaching me to use other muscles to compensate for the injured shoulder. I've got several more sessions before they determine if I need surgery. I hope it works because I don't want to get cut on.

I don't know what kind of pain medication my dentist gave me for my toothache but it sure has left me loopy. I have a hard time concentrating and I just want to sleep all the time. Man, when it comes to drugs I sure am a lightweight. I'll just be glad when the antibiotics kills the infection. I've got a load of tasty food in the fridge and I can't eat it. That must be what Hell is like.

Yuck! I hate having a toothache. I broke my back molar about 2 years ago. Once in a while it gets really infected and I'm in serious pain, can't even eat. So, I went to the dentist yesterday and he talked me into holding out for a root canal. I was ready to have the damn thing pulled, but he says I have strong teeth and should try to save it. So, I'm taking antibiotics and pain pills today.

I am really looking forward to going to Kublacon. I hope I can save some money. I've been trying to get confirmation form my gaming club but they are not committed to it yet. I guess they all go to conventions but they have never been to Kublacon. Seems odd to me because this con is one of the largest in the State. Oh well, like I said before I plan to win something this time, and I'm gonna stay for the whole damn thing!!!

We bought a couple new computer games over the weekend. Civ III and Pool of Radiance. Civ III is great so far, but I sure do waste aot of time playing it. Pool Rad is a continuation of the old game by SSI. I loved the old interface but, this new game is a disappointment. But, the good news is that my wife loves it(of course) and she's going to play it through. Least it ain't a waste of money. :-)

I heard from Games Workshop today... They said the army boxed set deal for 2K won't happen. They have a policy not to sell to retailers that only do Internet stuff. I guess it's because Internet sales are discounted so much and it cuts into local retailers profits. Oh well, I guess I have to go back to my original plan.

Another day on the farm... Yesterday we went grocery shopping. OMG!! We spent over $400 dollars on food and our fridge is packed! We've been eating beans and rice for so long it's nice to get some good stuff. I bought a hugh boneless lamb roast. It was only $2.50 an pound. I'm gonna marinade that sucker and invite all my friends for a BBQ soon. My mouth is watering already.

Of course, because we were out of town we didn't get back in time for my friends wedding. Oops, I hope he forgives me. From what I understand they had their "formal" wedding in Oakland at the As stadium. He's a major baseball fans. So, this ceremony was just for their local friends.

I got to order the rest of my Iron Warriors army from Games Workshop. Once it comes in later this month I have to paint all 33 models for Kublacon. I'm so looking forward to the convention. A member of the gaming club I belong to in Mordor sent me a set of guidelines for building an army for tournament play. I thinnk I'm right on the money with my Iron Warriors. He said that tournament armies tend to be underpowered and get their butts kicked by players who don't care about getting high scores on army composition. But, my list has 14 heavy weapons in it including lascannons, heavy bolters, missle launchers, and a Earthshaker cannon! That's the good thing about Iron Warriors is that they get 4 heavy weapons choices instead of the usual 3. I firmly believe that I can outgun any other army I face, even if I don't go first.

My wife and I have really been excited about getting the business going. My chat with Zouave gave me aot of great ideas. I think to start out we are going to draft a micro business plan for the internet stuff. That would require only about $3,000 bucks instead of $35,000. A small loan from the local redevelopment agency would be much easier to get.

Finally, lately I've been following the whole Palestine/Israeli war thing. Especially the fight in and around the Church of the Nativity in Bethleham. This whole thing has got me pretty upset. And I am hating the western media coverage of this event. I found a great website that lists news from around the world that has anything to do with Armenia(good or bad). I believe that Israel has a right to defend itself. But, I think all their problems to date stem from their brutal treatment of the Palestinians. I don't think any political solution can be reached, and this thing is gonna escalate. Without justice there can be no peace.