Some pictures

 Part of my Plague Doctor outfit/costume (with out the mask or pack it is a out fit)

 Standing against the sign I assembled on the last day (the Chuck Taylors really give a sense of SteamPunkness don't they? Lol)

Me having my arse handed to me (I'm being out lynched by other people I play werewolf with,lol)

Origins 2011

Well I've been to Origins and volunteering there was one of the funnest things I've done in my life (aside from every time I'm with God,CloudLand Canyon trips,Miniature Donkey shows,or mission trips).I met so many people and made a lot of new friends.I plan (assuming God lets me but I think it is alright with Him) on going next year but this time I'll be actually there the whole time (Wednesday (or Tuesday) through Sunday NIGHT..Ugh,I missed quite a bit with leaving early and getting there late...Noot next time).They have moved the dates to the first week of June for the next couple of years but GRCC's semesters should be done by then (I pray and hope so).Anyhoo,I played a LOT of games.I tried SmallWorld,played WereWolf (by the one and only Loony Labs),and a bunch of other things.

  I went to get rid of hobbies (I was gonna get rid of BattleTech and still plan on it...VERY soon at that as well) but came back with several more.WereWolf,MechWarrior (which I have tried before and detested but they had a Age of Destruction starter for $6 (then two days later I found another vendor that had it for $4..Ugh,I guess the saying is true..There is someplace that always has it cheaper (Okay,I know it physically impossible for that to be true but always someplace minus 1)) so I bought it and tried my hand again at it and I REALLY like it.I bought 3 WolfStrike boosters,1 Falcons Prey,3 Age of Destruction,and 1 Death from Above..Yeah,I wish I hadn't bought the FP and DFA and had bought the Ares 3-pack (for only $9 at one place,no Poseidon though..They even had Solaris VII action packs for $9 a piece or sets of 2 for $14..UGH and lol).I also tried my hand at Amtgard but I don't like the Magic aspect of it so I'm probably going with Dagorhir instead.Plus there are Dagorhir players in Grand Rapids as well compared to none from Amtgard that I know of.I told my younger sister about it (she is in her teens) and she REALLY REALLY loves it and I also got my neighbor kid interested in it (13 I think) so it is gonna be a fun summer.Anyhoo,I'll be posting more tomorrow and later on.I actually have 23 more thank-you cards to write.--Nate--

Oh joyous Wednesday!

Hey guys,I know that I haven't been posting much lately and I apologize for that.I have just been pretty busy lately so yeah.Anyhoo this Wednesday I am going to be going to Origins Game Fair in Columbus Ohio and the only way I am able to go (other than by the grace of God) is that I am hitching a ride and then volunteering there as well.I shall be posted in "Paint'n'Take" and I shall be helping people who's painting skills are less than mine (which isn't much IMHO at times...I'm actually wondering if I bit off more than I can chew by requesting to be at PnT).Anyhoo,it the whole trip promises to be a lot of fun and since I am bring the spare camera and my dad is bringing the laptop I should be able to post pictures every night (IF the hotel has FREE WiFi,lol).--Nate--

Some updates and Steel

I realize that I haven't posted in a bit but I've been busy quite a bit,my mask is finished and so is my jacket/frock coat.I've been working on the rest of the outfit as well.I have planted a bunch of annuals in my garden as well that I got on sale (well I was buying a flat and my mum bought two hanging baskets and the sale was buy two-get one free so they were free actually).I also have discovered Doctor Steel (I love his music)and am already a Toy Soldier (I shall be wearing the pins I made now with some of my outfits) and I am already working on a Non-SteamPunk TS uniform (its completely synthetic material,Hahaha!).So here is a picture of the Plague Doctor Costume.

Masks

Well as some(or most in this case) of you may or may not (definitely the latter) know is that I love hats and masks(masquerade style and the like) and what I love even more is making them.I have made quite a few masks and hats (and mock helmets) and I decided to embark on the making of one for my SteamPunk Costume Contest Entry at Origins Game Fair this year and it so happens to be a Plague Doctor Mask.Ok,lets fill in some back story here(and history),I saw this mask for the first time in the 2009-2010 winter playing Assassin's Creed II (the doctors wear them) and I was recently reading up on the mask and found out that during the 13th century (Bubonic or Black) Plague Doctors were hired to treat people afflicted with said virus.The mask's "beak" or nose contained a very crude breathing filter that was thought to stop any air-borne viruses (unsurprisingly many doctors contracted the virus) but the mask has existed for the many centuries since then and now here we are.About the construction of the mask,I still need to coat it with paper-mache or a glue and flour mixture and then paint it.The main thing stopping that is that I need to find some red lenses to place in the eye-holes but I also need to mount them in some goggles that I can pop in from the back but I gotta get those lenses(the reason for red lenses is that was the traditional colour for Plague Doctor Masks way back in the day).Anyhoo,for my costume I plan on getting a black frock or over coat (maybe both if I can find/make them) that I'll wear over my "bloody" Sweeney Todd shirt,black vest,and black dress pants.Then I shall have a small chest of drawers rigged as a back-pack to hold all my herbs(I actually am learning about medicinal herbs and know quite a bit so it ain't all rubbish let me tell you),and will be carrying a leather hand bag that will hold all my apparatuses(Dullified hand operated circular saw blade for amputations and whatever crazy things I can come up with by then)oh,I also need to find/make a wide brimmed black hat.Anyhoo,it shall be quite interesting being a SteamPunk Field Medic/Herbalist.

Dehydrating Mushrooms and Summer Seasonal Jobs

Well the other day I once again found myself dehydrating clearance price mushrooms (this was the third batch this month)...I'm getting quite good at it if I may say so myself,I added some pre-sliced "white button mushrooms" to that jar and some "baby bella" to their jar as well.They are tasty

 Pre-sliced tasteless tasty goodness.

Baby Bellas

Anyhoo,I also remembered that some friends of our family recommended that me and my sister need to spend a summer one year to work as a seasonal at Mackinac Island so I went and applied to a bunch of places earlier today so I'm hoping to be hired(of course if I can't get the time off for Origins then I guess I'll work next year)...I'll upload some pictures of my more recent SteamPunk clothing mods in a bit here in another post,--Nate--

More figures and Game Con volunteering

Well today in the mail I got my figures from Elven Archer and pixel97504 from off the Snaggle Tooth Games forum.I have a cavetroll now and a bunch of other "crunchible minionsies"

 What I recieved

 Evil Collection(minus Hero duplicates)

Good Collection(minus Hero duplicates)

Also,I'm volunteering this year at Origins Game Fair in Columbus,Ohio and another joy or surprise is that its also going to be Victoriana and SteamPunk themed this year and they're even having a SP costume contest(I am really considering a field medic because I have a "bloody" dress shirt from an old Sweeney Todd costume and I'm also filing down a 6" round saw blade).Anyhoo,I shall post pics of what ever costume I decide to bring in addition to my normal SP clothes.Cheers --Nate--

Edit:Here is a link to the Con's site: http://www.originsgamefair.com/

Of conventions and bargains

Well I went to my first "official" Gaming convention yesterday and while I was there I found a "Deluxe Edition Lord of the Rings Tradeable Miniatures Game Starter set" for $20! I bought that and have greatly increased my supply of troops and also dressed steampunk(which I love btw) so here are some pics of me playing SBG as well:

 http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff504/BlackReaper93/Me%20in%20Steampunk/DSC07604.jpg

 http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff504/BlackReaper93/Me%20in%20Steampunk/DSC07603.jpg
Here I am playing "Alien Frontiers

 http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff504/BlackReaper93/LotR%20TMG%20stuff/DSC07627.jpg