Non Gaming post: Rememberance, Reflections, and other Randomness

Well, most of my posts are tangentially related to gaming, but this one isn't (or maybe it is, we'll see where it goes).  I finally am starting to get over the flu and am feeling better.  It is nice especially because the weather here in northern Italy is starting the drift towards Spring and there have been some truly glorious days.  I spent yesterday cleaning the grills and then preparing a huge feast of pork ribs, pork cutlets with Vezzena cheese and porchetta, scallops in melted butter, shrimp in garlic butter, sausage, baked radicchio with gorgonzola and marscapone cheese, beans, pollenta, and steamed broccoli.  I absolutely LOVE Spring and having folks over for some good food and conversation while the kids play outside.  It really makes me feel like a kid again. 

Speaking of which, one of my high school friends found a picture of us back in our high school days.  I'm the skater kid in the middle with the Sex Pistols patch on my jacket wearing a Vision Street Wear shirt.  Pretty funny stuff.  This was at the tail end of my High School gaming days and the start of my involvement with punk rock and doing zines and comix.  My friend Randy (the one seated who I'm making bunny ears over) said he thinks he has some of the old zines, comix and punk flyers I did.  If he can find any, I'll post them.  We were in a few bands together.  I was never very musically inclined so the bands never really did get anywhere and we never played a real show (just a few garage gigs).  I've always been more of a visual artist than musically inclined.  But it was a lot of fun anyway. 

(Ah, so this might take a gaming turn afterall) The Old School Renaissance really brings me back to those days as a kid.  For me, it combines the great gaming experiences as well as the raw youthful punk energy.  I am a lot older than I was in the picture (not to mention, there's a lot more of me), but the thrill is still there.  Is it nostalgia (I'm sure there is that to some extent), but I'm having a lot of fun getting my son involved.  I'm not reliving the past, I'm creating new and exciting memories that I hope Bear can look back on just as fondly and remember the wide eyed journeys into the unknown for bound for glory or oblivion. 

Comments

  1. Gothridge ManorFebruary 20, 2011 at 7:07 AM

    Awesome post Johnathan. I think many of us OSR guys have pictures like these around. And I am sure your son is having a blast, how could he not slaying monsters whipping spells around and hacking down baddies. That's just candy for a kid I think.

    And wow, what a feast! I read the menu to Ivy and she said "It's Sunday dinner in Italy." Sundays sound great there.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Happy WhiskFebruary 20, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    Tim told me about your post and I had to come by and check it out. Great picture, fun post, fantastic food.

    ReplyDelete
  3. XyanthonFebruary 20, 2011 at 10:35 PM

    Thanks guys. Italy is awesome and I've picked up quite a few tips for cooking. And it's hard to believe that picture was taken 22 years ago! Seems like yesterday ;).

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousFebruary 25, 2011 at 11:08 PM

    hope you find your old work & post it.
    cheers!

    ReplyDelete

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