Andrew R Gross

I started playing D&D about a year ago.  For those unaware, Dungeons and Dragons is a popular role-playing game in which players embark on medieval fantasy adventures.  More information can be found here .   This is not to be confused with S&M, which is Sado-Masochism: a different kind of role-playing in which participants consensualy give and receive abuse for sexual gratification.  I mention this because I learned after nearly a year of mentioning my hobby that my mother had been somewhat confused on this point.  It's a bit of an awkward misunderstanding, but it firmly demonstrates her level of tolerance to anyone who might ever challenge her. I play weekly with Julie and six other friends.  When done correctly, it provides a great ongoing story.  This will be the first of many occasional blog posts to share our most entertaining episodes. Our core party consisted of Alden, a jeweler and hedge-wizard on a midlife crisis; Maraduay...

Last week, I went through an odd illness.  What I initially assumed were pangs of hunger began on Tuesday night and then persisted for the rest of the week.  It wasn't a constant ache.  In fact, it didn't feel like a typical pain.  It was just a series of uncomfortable, acute pangs that waned and waxed through the day.   By the end of the week, I was more perplexed than uncomfortable.  Most stomach ailments I've felt cause some kind of digestive trouble, but my digestion was unaffected.  Was it a chemical intolerance to something I ate?  Some kind of stomach flu?  I don't really know, but it made me think about my stomach more than I normally do. My biggest wonder was this: why did I experience any given stomach pang specifically when I did?  Why not five minutes earlier, or later?  If you burn your hand, the pain is dull and continuous.  If you have a sore muscle, it barks when touched or used.  What made my stomac...

In my previous post, I shared a picture of a sign marking Frogtown, with an arrow pointing down.  Although this was located above a sewer entry tunnel, it was apparently just an indication of what neighborhood we were in. Furthermore, apparently it's the unwilling focus of new developers.   I didn't Google this, I just came across it by coincidence. L.A.'S HOTTEST NEW NEIGHBORHOOD, FROGTOWN, DOESN'T WANT THE TITLE Frogtown Fancification on a Roll With Second Big Mixed-User Also, while I'm making corrections, I want to clarify that the incident with the poop was not meant to represent the standard state of my home.  Discounting that incident, the pets of our house are fairly well behaved.

Here are some photos of January, guest starring out-of-town friend Dan.