Vacations are always fun, although the older I get the more I find that I need a rest and recuperation period to recover from the vacation! (The work that no doubt has piled up on my desk in my absence makes such periods of after vacation rest brief indeed.) My son has started in at SIU law school and he has received the usual law school admonition that they will teach him to think like a lawyer. (What a terrible threat!) He seems to be off to a good start.  GenCon was fun as always. The high point for me was when the family and I attended the 12:10 PM Assumption holy day mass at Saint John the Evangelist across from the convention center in Indianapolis. The mass began with the packed congregation belting out Hail Holy Queen, always one of my favorite hymns, and the congregation was so loud that I was able to sing at the top of my lungs, something I enjoy doing but that I rarely do since if I could be heard I fear it would quality as at least a misdemeanor if not a felony! I was then delighted to learn that the three priests concentrating the mass were all gamer priests from around the country there to attend GenCon and who were substituting for the pastor who was on vacation.
Books on arcane subjects, like the politics of the Chaco war peace conference in 1935-1939, were found by me as we browsed the bookstores of Carbondale and Indianapolis. My bride made a crocheted gnome at the craft portion of Gen Con. My daughter braved the live action dungeon at Gen Con. I joined the other gamer geezers at the game auction at Gen Con as we renewed acquaintances that in some cases stretch back almost three decades. A good time was truly had by all.
Vacations are always fun, but it is always better to get back home, and back to the blog.
GenCon.
Sounds like a military state of alert or readiness. 🙂
Precisely! At least if wars were fought by gaming nerds:
Welcome back, Mr. McClarey.
I find that the older I get, the more the work piles up when I return. For me, retirement is a little less than 16 years off, which sounds like a lot, but it’s a lot closer than when I was 25.
“For me, retirement is a little less than 16 years off”
Twelve and a half years for me, although I doubt if I will ever entirely retire.
That is one seriously ugly gnome, bur gnomes are supposed to be ugly. Welcome back.
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Da Vinci’s Madonna with Child and St. Anne is most beautiful.