Day 175 of 362

Wow... that was a long night (and a very short nap)...

Got home last night (this morning) at 2:30AM. I promptly went to bed, only to wake up at 6:30AM as we have a bit of shopping to do before we open at 11:00AM. It takes a toll on me, but I don't really mind.

We had fun at Friday Night Magic last night, and then the Gophers weren't in the mood to stop, so we held an after-FNM event last night that ran kind of late. I'll be honest, the after events are usually more fun than the actual FNM events. Most of that is due to an air of greater casuality. We're not really playing for much (usually packs) and it seems to make things relax a bit. There's more table talk and more giving each other rafts of poopage than in the FNM events. The after-FNM seem more fun because we act more like good friends having a great time, and that's what our hobby, and our business model, is all about...

Games are meant to be played... with friends... laughing... joking... having a good time.

So get together with some friends and see what we mean... and if you're not having fun, then you're doing it wrong... =)

-- GopherDave

Day 174 of 362

Hey all... another Friday, and that means another Friday Night Magic. I don't want to say attendance has been down lately, but the summer has not helped this year. The bulk of the college students are gone, and only some of our high schoolers have returned. It's not a bad scene by any measure, just a touch smaller than we've gotten used to over the last few months.

Beyond that, not much is happening. Things are stabilizing with one side of the family, just in time for them to potentially explode on the other side. Depending on how I handle it, though, I might be the one setting off the detonation. I'm trying to tread carefully, but I have no problem launching the first salvo if things fall like I predict they might.

-- GopherDave

Day 173 of 362

Yay! Blogger uploads pictures correctly the first time!

In general, it looks to be a relatively easy day at the store. I've still got my family stuff happening, so I called off my Deathwatch game for the night. In its place, DDS will be running the Black Crusade giveaway from Free RPG day. (Preemptively, no, we did not participate. He got it from another store.) Thanks, sir. The break is appreciated given my "mental fuzziness" currently.

Beyond that, I'm going to look at finances tonight and see where we stand on the renovation fund. If all looks good, things will be ordered... =)

We may not end up with a bigger. badder Gopher like we initially thought, but we will end up with leaner, sleeker, and meaner one for the time being... =)

-- GopherDave

Day 172 of 362

This shot is kind off and different from usual, but you can see the ice cream bucket of dice that I don't use over my shoulder...

...and this is the more "Traditional" shot....

Okay... Busy day today as I actually got an early start and have the order received in the system, priced, put away, and the store ready for open. I rock! =P

One thing I want to accomplish today is heading out to the big, blue box and picking up the CD from In Flames, Sounds of a Playground Fading. I was disappointed with the last album (A Sense of Purpose), but I will give them another chance. If this one fall into the "meh" category though, I may stop buying their albums. Just sayin'...

Also on the music front, but from a more literary standpoint, one of my West Coast friends sent me a copy of We Are Devo! (Thanks, KP!) It's an unauthorized biography of the formation on one America's most influential (also most underappreciated) bands. I found it to be a dense and heady read, and even a Spud like me learned a little bit more behind how this "musical art collective" and the ideas they generated were formed. The book is denounced by the band, especially Gerald Casale, but that's understandable. This books makes him look like a lying, manipulative tool.

-- GopherDave

Day 171 of 362

Busy day today... Placing orders for the store, shopping for the store, an afternoon meeting with our bank about switching merchant services. on top of getting the store ready for the day. Good thing I got an early start... oh... wait... that didn't really happen... poop.

Okay, so my schedule is a tad tight. I'll have some help in the form of the boy (Skribl), so he'll get the store physically ready and help with the shopping. I just have to do everything else.

-- GopherDave

Day 170 of 362

Hey all... Another Monday, so I'll be going home early so Loquacious can kick butt with her Black Templar.

Beyond that, not much is happening. I have some stuff to take care of at the store, and then I'll be home with the kids. Pretty relaxing day at this rate...

-- GopherDave

Day 169 of 362

Getting a late start due to my gorgeous wife giving me a nice Father's Day gift. She let me sleep in and went to open the store. Thanks, Beautiful!

I have a game to play, a game to run, and other stuff to do at the store, so I'm outta here.

Happy Father's Day to my own father (I did try to call), as well as to all the other fathers out there in the world. Enjoy it, guys! It's the most rewarding thing you can do... be a dad.

-- GopherDave