Free Form Friday Episode III: Revenge of the Bald

Earlier this week I gave people the chance to ask me anything you want – you get to pick my brain for whatever you want to know about me or any advice that I may have. Folks could ask me personal questions, ask me for detailed, personally-tailored advice – anything that your heart desires, and I will answer it as candidly and honestly as I can.

The whole idea behind Free Form Friday was to get conversations started with our readers, and allow them to get to know us a little better. Unfortunately, it has ended up somewhat like Formspring, so we have to tell you what we had for supper last night and if we like blonds better than redheads.

I actually had a lot of fun doing this. I loved a lot of the questions and I hope to do this again sometime in the future, so you readers who missed out on submitting a question will be able to ask me some questions of your own.

So, without further adieu, let’s get on to the questions:

You tweet a lot about your animals. How many do you have?

I have 4 housecats, 3 dogs, 1 llama, 1 donkey, 1 horse, 1 pony, about 11 barncats, 27 canaries, and 12 chickens.

You’re kind of the mean one at Geekcentricity, aren’t you?

Without a doubt. The internet is a harsh world, filled with bile and hatred towards things, and I often end up playing my part. It’s not because I am a generally mean person – far from it. It’s just that as someone with an interest in RPGs or wargaming, I am as opinionated as the next guy and I’m not afraid to voice that opinion.

I think we all have our “assigned roles” here. Darren is the respectable, even-tempered guy. Jason is the sensitive, creative soul. Jonathan is the badass-fighter guy, and Carmen is the sweet and funny one. We’re sort of like the A-Team in that respect. I fit the role of the guy that writes the stuff that sometimes makes certain people mad enough to cry. As a matter of fact, I bathe in their tears.

In “real life” though – I love kittens and babies and rainbows. I’m a paradox.

Can I send you samples of my writing or tell you about my ideas?

No and no.

I’m sorry. I’m unable to read others’ writing or offer advice on stories. I don’t have time and there are excellent legal reasons for me not to do this. Please do not send any of the above to me – you will not get a response.

How do you get out of a motivation slump?

I usually take a day off to clear my head if I’m not doing well. I also reevaluate my priorities – whether the work that I’m attempting actually matters or not. There’s nothing more damaging to my motivation than doing things that have no purpose or meaning to them. That’s why sometimes I write several posts here a week, and other times just one.

What’s up with the shaved head, anyway?

About 15 years ago, my mom was diagnosed with cancer for the second time – this time terminal. Because of her chemo treatments, she lost her hair and was very self-conscious about it. So I grabbed a razor, shaved my head, and got an enormous smile out of her. I’ve pretty much been doing it ever since – I guess as some sort of tribute to her memory. Besides, it makes me look like I come from the future.

Favorite blogs?

If you’re asking what they are – that’s easy. They are HeroPress and Stargazer’s World. Both are run by not only really nice guys, their content is top-notch and always fun to read. I’d go so far as to say that they are pretty much the only blogs out there worth a damn anymore as it relates to gaming.