Fantasy Football 2011 Week 12

A big win over The Wife thanks to Victor Cruz on MNF, and I clinch the division (and the # 1 seed in the playoffs) while improving my record to 11-1. The team is firing on all cylinders now, and I got a double-digit performance from every player except Darren Sproles (7) and Jason Hanson (0). I made a big mistake in retrospect going with Hanson and dropping Janikowski because of his hamstring boo-boo, so I plan to rectify that for next week.

Ultimate Sun Runners (110 Points)
-----------------------------

QB Tim Tebow: 15
RB Arian Foster: 12
RB DeMarco Murray: 12
RB/WR Darren Sproles: 7
WR Deion Branch: 12
WR Victor Cruz: 27
TE Rob Gronkowski: 11
D/ST Texans: 14
K Jason Hanson: 0

I'm With Boomer (86 Points)
------------------------

QB Josh Freeman: 8
RB Matt Forte: 7
RB Pierre Thomas: 16
RB/WR Santonio Holmes: 10
WR Hakeem Nicks: 8
WR Vincent Jackson: 2
TE Jimmy Graham: 20
D/ST Bears: 6
K David Akers: 9

NFL 2012 Week 12 Round-Up

3/4 of the way through the regular season, and a good week of picks for everyone, but The Wife wins big going 13-3!

Packers @ Lions
-------------------
The Wife: Packers
Me: Lions
Steve: Packers
WINNER: Packers (I'm starting to believe . . .)

Dolphins @ Cowboys
-------------------
The Wife: Cowboys
Me: Cowboys
Steve: Cowboys
WINNER: Cowboys (flying under the radar a little this year . . .)

49ers @ Ravens
------------------
The Wife: Ravens
Me: Ravens
Steve: Ravens
WINNER: Ravens (I'm persuaded each of these teams has a great defense and a great running game, but not sure if either has a reliable clutch passing game)

Texans @ Jaguars
--------------------
The Wife: Texans
Me: Texans
Steve: Texans
WINNER: Texans (talk about a Pyrrhic victory! feel bad that this team finally had everything put together to make the playoffs and QB injuries make them a likely first-round out)

Bills @ Jets
-------------------
The Wife: Jets
Me: Jets
Steve: Jets
WINNER: Jets

Browns @ Bengals
------------------
The Wife: Bengals
Me: Bengals
Steve: Bengals
WINNER: Bengals (another the Browns *could've* won in a generally disappointing season)

Vikings @ Falcons
----------------------
The Wife: Falcons
Me: Falcons
Steve: Falcons
WINNER: Falcons

Cardinals @ Rams
--------------------
The Wife: Rams
Me: Cardinals
Steve: Cardinals
WINNER: Cardinals (I tried to get Beanie Wells on my fantasy team . . .)

Panthers @ Colts
-----------------
The Wife: Panthers
Me: Panthers
Steve: Colts
WINNER: Panthers (note to Steve: stop picking the Colts!)

Bucs @ Titans
------------------
The Wife: Bucs
Me: Bucs
Steve: Bucs
WINNER: Titans (might just catch up to the Texans . . .)

Bears @ Raiders
------------------
The Wife: Raiders
Me: Raiders
Steve: Bears
WINNER: Raiders

Redskins @ Seahawks
------------------------
The Wife: Seahawks
Me: Seahawks
Steve: Redskins
WINNER: Redskins

Broncos @ Chargers
----------------------
The Wife: Broncos
Me: Chargers
Steve: Chargers
WINNER: Broncos

Patriots @ Eagles
---------------------
The Wife: Patriots
Me: Patriots
Steve: Patriots
WINNER: Patriots

Steelers @ Chiefs
----------------
The Wife: Steelers
Me: Steelers
Steve: Steelers
WINNER: Steelers (almost a stupid loss)

Giants @ Saints
-------------------
The Wife: Saints
Me: Saints
Steve: Giants
WINNER: Saints (hoping for a Packers/Saints rematch in the playoffs!)

THIS WEEK

The Wife: 13-3
Me: 12-4
Steve: 11-5

CUMULATIVE

The Wife: 106-73
Me: 106-73
Steve: 112-67

The Halls of Stormweather [Books]

This was a consistently entertaining collection of short stories featuring members of the Uskevren family in the Forgotten Realms' country of Sembia. One gets a picture of Sembia as a country where wealthy merchant families compete for money, power, and prestige through intrigue and subterfuge. Viewing individual family members through a linked collection of short stories proved to be an interesting and effective way to show how different perspectives create different impressions on what people are "really" like. The Uskrevens are individually well-drawn, and it appears they receive more sustained attention in subsequent books in the Sembia line. As an RPG-inspired book, it also serves as a good model of how to run purely urban adventures.

Fantasy Football 2011 Week 11

An interesting week and an interesting game, as I found a couple of my key RBs (Darren Sproles and Arian Foster) on byes and had to sub in some dubious back-ups (Battle & Branch), neither of whom produced much. I had an interesting quandary at QB: Tebow vs. a stout Jets defense, a sinking Ryan Fitzpatrick against the Dolphins, or a mediocre (this season) Philip Rivers against the Bears? I squared the circle by dropping Fitzpatrick and claiming Carson Palmer off of waivers, and he did pretty good (though not significantly different than Tebow would have). What one me this game was (for once!) some quality production from my wide receivers and another great game from Gronkowski, the best free agent pick-up I've made this season by far.

The win puts me at 10-1, two games ahead of The Wife with two games left! And who do I play this Sunday? The Wife!

ULTIMATE SUN RUNNERS (90 Points)

QB C. Palmer: 16

RB D. Murray: 10

RB J. Battle: 3

RB/WR D. Branch: 1

WR D. Jackson: 8

WR V. Cruz: 18

TE R. Gronkowski: 21

D/ST Jets: 6

K J. Hanson: 7

SACKED AGAIN (79 Points)

QB A. Smith: 17

RB C. Johnson: 2

RB M. Morris: 2

RB/WR D. Bryant: 12

WR B. Marshall: 0

WR N. Washington: 23

TE V. Davis: 12

D/ST Ravens: 3

K N. Novak: 8

NFL Week 11 Round-Up

A belated round-up of Week 11, in which I had by far my best performance of the season, getting 11 of the fourteen games right.

Jets @ Broncos

------------------

The Wife: Jets

Me: Jets

Steve: Jets

WINNER: Broncos (that was a pretty damned exciting final drive by the Broncos . . .)

Bucs @ Packers

------------------

The Wife: Packers

Me: Packers

Steve: Packers

WINNER: Packers

Panthers @ Lions

------------------

The Wife: Panthers

Me: Lions

Steve: Lions

WINNER: Lions

Jags @ Browns

-----------------

The Wife: Browns

Me: Browns

Steve: Browns

WINNER: Browns (a win that shows just how far the Browns have to go in order to be competitive in the AFC North . . .)

Raiders @ Vikings

-------------------

The Wife: Raiders

Me: Raiders

Steve: Raiders

WINNER: Raiders

Bills @ Dolphins

------------------

The Wife: Bills

Me: Dolphins

Steve: Bills

WINNER: Dolphins

Cowboys @ Redskins

------------------

The Wife: Cowboys

Me: Cowboys

Steve: Cowboys

WINNER: Cowboys

Bengals @ Ravens

-------------------

The Wife: Ravens

Me: Ravens

Steve: Bengals

WINNER: Ravens

Cardinals @ 49ers

-----------------

The Wife: 49ers

Me: 49ers

Steve: 49ers

WINNER: 49ers

Seahawks @ Rams

-----------------

The Wife: Rams

Me: Seahawks

Steve: Seahawks

WINNER: Seahawks

Titans @ Falcons

--------------------

The Wife: Falcons

Me: Titans

Steve: Titans

WINNER: Falcons

Chargers @ Bears

------------------

The Wife: Bears

Me: Bears

Steve: Bears

WINNER: Bears

Eagles @ Giants

----------------

The Wife: Giants

Me: Giants

Steve: Giants

WINNER: Eagles (keeping faint hopes alive . . .)

Chiefs @ Patriots

---------------

The Wife: Patriots

Me: Patriots

Steve:Patriots

WINNER: Patriots

THIS WEEK

------------

The Wife: 9-5

Me: 11-3

Steve: 9-5

CUMULATIVE

----------------

The Wife: 93-70

Me: 94-69

Steve: 101-62

NFL Week 12 Predictions

Thanksgiving week special!

Packers @ Lions

-------------------

The Wife: Packers

Me: Lions

Steve: Packers ("Detroit will give them a run for their money but GB maintains a perfect record.")

Dolphins @ Cowboys

-------------------

The Wife: Cowboys

Me: Cowboys

Steve: Cowboys ("A couple wins in Miami doesn't make them good suddenly")

49ers @ Ravens

------------------

The Wife: Ravens

Me: Ravens (really looking forward to this one)

Steve: Ravens ("For a team I loved to follow and still have a soft spot for I don't have much faith despite a near perfect season to this point")

Texans @ Jaguars

--------------------

The Wife: Texans

Me: Texans (skeptical of Matt Leinart, but Jags shouldn't have enough)

Steve: Texans

Bills @ Jets

-------------------

The Wife: Jets

Me: Jets

Steve: Jets

Browns @ Bengals

------------------

The Wife: Bengals

Me: Bengals

Steve: Bengals ("Sorry Browns, got a feeling this is going to be a 18+ point Bengal victory")

Vikings @ Falcons

----------------------

The Wife: Falcons

Me: Falcons

Steve: Falcons

Cardinals @ Rams

--------------------

The Wife: Rams

Me: Cardinals (The "who cares?" game of the week . . .)

Steve: Cardinals

Panthers @ Colts

-----------------

The Wife: Panthers

Me: Panthers

Steve: Colts ("Finally?")

Bucs @ Titans

------------------

The Wife: Bucs

Me: Bucs

Steve: Bucs

Bears @ Raiders

------------------

The Wife: Raiders

Me: Raiders (started to type Bears, then remembered Cutler is out . . .)

Steve: Bears

Redskins @ Seahawks

------------------------

The Wife: Seahawks

Me: Seahawks

Steve: Redskins

Broncos @ Chargers

----------------------

The Wife: Broncos

Me: Chargers

Steve: Chargers

Patriots @ Eagles

---------------------

The Wife: Patriots

Me: Patriots

Steve: Patriots

Steelers @ Chiefs

----------------

The Wife: Steelers

Me: Steelers

Steve: Steelers

Giants @ Saints

-------------------

The Wife: Saints

Me: Saints

Steve: Giants ("Two teams that should be better than they are, but the Giants will play hungrier.")

The Buffy Comic Project: "Past Lives" (Part 2)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer # 29

Dark Horse (Vol. 1, 1998-2003)

Creators: Christopher Golden & Tom Sniegoski (writers), Christian Zanier & Cliff Richards (pencillers), Joe Pimentel (inker)

Setting: Season Four

T.V. Character Appearances: Buffy, Riley, Xander, Anya, Dawn, Willow, Giles, Wesley, Cordelia, Quentin Travers, Angel, Angelus (flashback only)

Major Original Characters: Sir Andrew Landry (vampire hunter; flashback only); Alexis Landry (evil former Watcher's Council operative)

Summary: On the campus of Sunnydale University, Buffy and Riley succeed in hunting down a shape-changing demon named Kludde the Goblin. The next day, Buffy and the Scoobies are having coffee at the Expresso Pump when Giles bursts in with news that Angel's office has been attacked and that Wesley and Coredlia have been hospitalized. Buffy decides to head to L.A., telling Riley that he should stay behind so she can have a clear head. Meanwhile, in an L.A. hospital room, Wesley explains to Cordelia that the woman who beat them both up was Alexis Landry, a former operative for the Watcher's Council. Later, on his way to the hospital, Angel is ambushed by demons and then Alexis Landry herself. Buffy and Giles arrive at Angel's office to discover Quentin Travers there, investigating as well, but all three of them are attacked by several demons. In a flashback to Victorian times, Angelus defeats a group of vampire hunters led by Sir Andrew Landry and leaves the man humbled.

Review: Golden seems to have a knack for the comics, as whenever he writes it feels like a lot happens (in a good way) and there's a lot of bang for the buck. He's not a witty scripter, but his stories hit all the right beats and have excellent characterization. Stepping into this four-part story after missing the first part makes it hard to tell whether everything coheres, but Alexis Landry seems like a solid villain, even if her demon accomplices are terribly generic. Good Buffy/Riley moment as she once again seems to choose Angel over him, and nice to see Quentin Travers get some comic book "screen" time.

Notes

* The Scoobies actually have a thought-provoking discussion over coffee: why are so many demons attracted to the Hellmouth given that Buffy slays every one of them she can get her stakes on?

* A good idea posed by a letter writer: how about a Young Giles comic to answer questions like "How did the angry young English man that he once was surrender his dreams and join the Council? What is it about the Council that engenders such loyalty among its members despite its corrupting power?"

*  This issue apparently had two variant covers released by Dynamic Forces:  a "Gold Foil Edition" and a "Red Foil Edition."  Each are variants of the standard photo cover for the issue.

Next Issue

Fantasy Football 2011 Week 10

A surprise blow-out victory against the best team in the league. Once again, my luck holds on "defense" as the opposing team scored only 65 points, but I also had my best week of the season offensively, putting up 121 points. I had five players in double-digits (led by Arian Foster's 30), and two players putting up big fat zeros. The win puts me at 9-1 with a two game lead in the division with three games left.

Next game could be tough, as Foster and Sproles are on byes, and I decided to start Ryan Fitzpatrick instead of Tim Tebow . . .

Ultimate Sun Runners (121 Points)

QB Tim Tebow: 16

RB Arian Foster: 30

RB Darren Sproles: 0

RB/WR DeMarco Murray: 22

WR DeSean Jackson: 0

WR Victor Cruz: 8

TE Rob Gronkowski: 23

D/ST Texans: 17

K Connor Barth: 5

Tantor Houser (65 Points)

QB Cam Newton: 11

RB Adrian Peterson: 11

RB Michael Turner: 10

RB/WR Frank Gore: 0

WR Dwayne Bowe: 1

WR Steve Smith: 3

TE Jason Witten: 3

D/ST Jaguars: 17

K Mason Crosby: 9

Azure Bonds [Books]

I first read Azure Bonds somewhere around fifteen years ago, and my recently renewed interested in the Forgotten Realms meant I couldn't pass it by when I saw a used copy on sale for a buck. It's a book with a fantastic opening premise: a warrior wakes up in an inn with strange, mystical tattoos on her arm and absolutely no recollection of how they got there. Who ensorcelled her, and why? The search for answers leads deep into a conspiracy involving evil magicks, exiled gods, assassin cults, and more. Alias, the main character, is memorable, as are the companions she makes on her quest: a saurial named Dragonbait, a halfling "bard" named Olive Ruskettle, and a merchant-turned-mage named Akabar. The book is set in Cormyr and the Dalelands, which is where the adventures of the Royal Karameikan Fist Adventuring Company have taken place, so it was fun to see how the novels depict places like Shadowdale, Suzail, etc. Intriguing mystery, interesting characters, fast-paced action scenes: it's all there.

NFL 2011 Week 11 Predictions

Some early picks, with more to come before Sunday . . .

Jets @ Broncos

------------------

The Wife: Jets

Me: Jets (an interesting match-up, with Broncos the real "ground and pound")

Steve: Jets

Bucs @ Packers

------------------

The Wife: Packers

Me: Packers

Steve:

Panthers @ Lions

------------------

The Wife: Panthers

Me: Lions

Steve:

Jags @ Browns

-----------------

The Wife: Browns

Me: Browns (last year, the Browns were a physical team that kept games close and weren't an easy out for anyone; this year, they just seem kinda there)

Steve:

Raiders @ Vikings

-------------------

The Wife: Raiders

Me: Raiders (must admit, Carson Palmer is playing better than I thought he would)

Steve:

Bills @ Dolphins

------------------

The Wife: Bills

Me: Dolphins (if Matt Moore wins a few more games, will Chad Henne be gone next season?)

Steve:

Cowboys @ Redskins

------------------

The Wife: Cowboys

Me: Cowboys

Steve:

Bengals @ Ravens

-------------------

The Wife: Ravens

Me: Ravens (which Ravens team will show up? My guess, the one that only takes AFC North games seriously . . .)

Steve:

Cardinals @ 49ers

-----------------

The Wife: 49ers

Me: 49ers

Steve:

Seahawks @ Rams

-----------------

The Wife: Rams

Me: Seahawks

Steve:

Titans @ Falcons

--------------------

The Wife: Falcons

Me: Titans (skirting on the edges of playoff relevance, especially if Matt Leinart sinks the Texans)

Steve:

Chargers @ Bears

------------------

The Wife: Bears

Me: Bears (I think the Chargers are a bit like the Eagles; they have a lot of talented pieces, but just can't cohere into a talented team)

Steve:

Eagles @ Giants

----------------

The Wife: Giants

Me: Giants (I am officially off the Eagles bandwagon)

Steve:

Chiefs @ Patriots

---------------

The Wife: Patriots

Me: Patriots (another prime-time blowout in the making. The MNF crew just haven't had a lot of luck this season . . .)

Steve:

NFL 2011 Week 10 Round-Up

The play-off picture is starting to become clear in the NFL, and as it does Steve's lead in the picks competition is slowly, ever so slowly, slipping away!

Raiders @ Chargers

------------------------

The Wife: Raiders*

Me: Chargers

Steve: Chargers

WINNER: Raiders

Cardinals @ Eagles

--------------------

The Wife: Eagles

Me: Eagles

Steve: Eagles

WINNER: Cardinals (I guessed an Eagles blow-out. Seriously, are they the most talented bad team ever?)

Titans @ Panthers

--------------------

The Wife: Panthers

Me: Panthers

Steve: Panthers

WINNER: Titans

Texans @ Buccaneers

-------------------

The Wife: Texans

Me: Texans

Steve: Texans

WINNER: Texans

Redskins @ Dolphins

------------------

The Wife: Redskins

Me: Dolphins

Steve: Redskins

WINNER: Dolphins (Reggie Bush is finally starting to look like the RB the Dolphins were hoping he'd be when they signed him . . .)

Jaguars @ Colts

-----------------

The Wife: Jaguars

Me: Colts

Steve: Colts

WINNER: Jaguars (a QB controversy in Indianapolis! Why bother?)

Broncos @ Chiefs

--------------------

The Wife: Broncos

Me: Chiefs

Steve: Broncos

WINNER: Broncos (I don't watch college football, so how did I get swept up in the Tebow saga? In this post, I'll make two main points. First, it's kinda fun and refreshing to see a team try an offense that distinguishes them from the other 31 teams in the league. I loved it when Miami had the Wildcat and further back when the Oilers rocked the Run N' Shoot. If the Broncos can't compete playing a "modern NFL passing offense", why not try something different? Second, win or lose, Tebow is fun to watch--you feel like he can make a big play from anywhere on the field. As a Browns fan subject to their perennial low-scoring, low-excitement games, a risky playmaker like Tebow would be a welcome change.

Bills @ Cowboys

-------------------

The Wife: Bills

Me: Cowboys

Steve: Cowboys

WINNER: Cowboys (Bills have only one or two chances left to turn things around if they want a wildcard . . .)

Saints @ Falcons

------------------

The Wife: Saints

Me: Saints

Steve: Saints

WINNER: Saints (Mike Smith's call will be talked about for a long time to come . . .)

Rams @ Browns

-----------------

The Wife: Rams

Me: Browns

Steve: Browns

WINNER: Rams (the end of that game was really a travesty. But if the Browns's offense were really any good this year, they wouldn't have needed a last minute field goal attempt to win the game anyway)

Steelers @ Bengals

--------------------

The Wife: Steelers

Me: Steelers

Steve: Steelers

WINNER: Steelers (interesting; wish I could've watched this one, still haven't seen the Bengals play . . .)

Ravens @ Seahawks

-------------------

The Wife: Ravens

Me: Ravens

Steve: Ravens

WINNER: Seahawks (inexplicable . . .)

Giants @ 49ers

-------------------

The Wife: Giants

Me: 49ers

Steve: Giants

WINNER: 49ers (a solid performance, even without Gore . . .)

Lions @ Bears

---------------

The Wife: Bears

Me: Bears

Steve: Lions

WINNER: Bears (this statement may seem nonsensical, but I feel the Bears are playing much better now than the end of last year when they made it to the NFC Championship game)

Patriots @ Jets

--------------

The Wife: Patriots

Me: Jets

Steve: Patriots

WINNER: Patriots (Jets probably stuck doing things the hard way again come playoff time)

Vikings @ Packers

----------------

The Wife: Packers

Me: Packers

Steve: Packers

WINNER: Packers

THIS WEEK

The Wife: 10-6

Me: 8-8

Steve: 7-9

CUMULATIVE

The Wife: 84-65

Me: 83-66

Steve: 92-57

* I originally had The Wife down for Chargers for this game, but she promptly explained that my listing was a mistake and she had chosen Raiders.

Clone Wars Campaign: Session # 49 Recap

This session, formally the beginning of the last story arc, is really something of an interlude as the PCs decided on what they wanted to do next. I set up a couple of major possibilities: go to Coruscant to reunite with Stefan Cassadine (and be in position for Order 66) or go to the steaming jungles of Haruun Kal to find a weapon to use against the Accelerated in the form of Thought Spores--a telepathy virus. To make a good director's life a little bit harder, the PCs couldn't agree and decided to split up. Since both plot threads were important and worth seeing "on screen", I had the players whose main characters weren't in the current thread use their alternate character so that everyone got a chance to play at the same time. With A'tel departing the game to become an NPC, his player was left with the pilot Jasper Falen and the need to create a new character, which we'll see in a session or two.

In retrospect, I wish I would have done more with Doxen's mentor, Senator Orelus, besides having him be kidnapped or placed in peril so often. Unfortunately, as I've mentioned in the past, it was quite hard coming up with adventure hooks for a group of PCs that was independently wealthy, non-heroic, non-ideological, and ultra-cautious. That meant that putting friends and family in danger was one of the few reliable means I had to get things moving sometimes.

When prepping this session, the key thing to me was the revelation of what the anomaly was, how the Forgotten Sith could be stopped, and the fact that the Accelerated were going to try to take control of the anomaly: all things that could drive the big finale of the campaign. I knew that Tarn's rescue could lead to a lot of romantic melodrama with Arresta (played by The Wife), so I warned her that we probably wouldn't dwell on that part too much because the other players probably wouldn't be interested in it. I could not have been more wrong. The other players ate it up with a spoon, and everyone had an opinion in-game and out-of-game as to whether Arresta should choose Tarn or Stefan, with Daal on Team Tarn, Doxen on Team Stefan, and Arresta in the middle. There was a lot of good role-playing and in-game asides on what Arresta should do, and Tarn's leaving for Haruun Kal rather than Coruscant to confront Stefan came down to a slightly higher Persuasion result by Doxen than Daal. All of the campaign mythos plot stuff of uber-importance to me landed with a dull thud!

This was the first and (I think) only time I managed to use the random hyperspace event table I created near the end of the campaign to liven up those long voyages. It turned out pretty well, and would definitely be something I'd do again in another Star Wars campaign. Speaking of hyperspace voyages, the random factor in how long trips took and the long base travel times in Saga made it quite hard to get the party back together once they split up without one subgroup or the other having long periods in-game of just waiting around. This became a particular problem near the end of the campaign, as Doxen's player had to use a red chip just to get him to the final battle on time!

Speaking of Doxen, it was always fun to see how the character was actually a real softie around children and babies, but only when no adults were watching (he had to retain his gruff reputation!). I liked how I handled his guardian force spirit, a Force Talent that allowed him to get guidance on what to do; I had Doxen receive visions that, in the form of Ewok parables, contained the advice.

SESSION # 49

A dangerous mission to rescue Jedi Tarn Tamarand has gone better than anyone could have hoped: not only was he freed without a shot being fired, but Arresta Cassadine and Daal Mordo were cured of terminal diseases. Yet, such success came with strange consequences: the man known as A’tel Por’ten is no more, and in his place is one of the emotionless Accelerated, and his motivations remain unclear.

On another freighter across the galaxy, another adventurer returns from a successful mission. Yet, he has discovered something inside himself that will change his life forever . . .

On board The Gentle Lover, Senator Orelus, exhausted and weakened from the ordeal of his kidnapping by Rodian pirates, gratefully thanks his old friend and rescuer Doxen for coming after him. He apologizes for not having been as good a friend to Doxen as the Ewok has been to him. Doxen assures him that he was happy to do it. After the Senator retires to the quarters that Jasper provides, a strange sound is heard and to the surprise of the others on board, a robed figure emerges: Master Creen has hidden himself on board The Gentle Lover and has only now revealed his presence. He announces that Doxen is “ready” and that they must travel to Rhinnal. Doxen though, is determined to return Senator Orelus to Coruscant, so he orders Jasper to set course for the nearest planet with access to charter ships and hyper-space lanes. The group will head to Cerea.

Meanwhile, on the ship The Flaming Halo, Lucef notices an unusual signal on his command console: the remaining escape pod is being launched despite the fact that the ship is in hyperspace, something that should be impossible! Lucef rushes to the escape pod, darting past a corridor where Princess Arresta Cassadine and Tarn Tamarand are in deep conversation. He sees the escape pod pulling away from the ship and then it is almost as if space bends around the pod and it disappears. Shocked, Lucef returns and tells Arresta and Tarn what he saw. Tarn is sceptical that such a thing is even possible, but when a quick check reveals that it was the Accelerated A’tel who has departed, it becomes somewhat more believable.

Seeking more privacy, Arresta and Tarn go to the ship’s lounge where Arresta becomes more and more agitated as Tarn starts talking about the new mission that they must go on. She confirms that his memories are spotty since he placed himself into a deep Force hibernation on Endregaad. Finally, Arresta works up her courage and tells him that she can’t go with him on any mission. Hesitantly, she breaks the news to the shocked Tarn that two weeks after he left her on Coruscant she found out she was pregnant with his child. Confused about the time lapse, Tarn asks how far along she is, forcing her to tell him that more than three years have passed (two of those thanks to the time flow in the City Under the Sand) and that they have an infant baby girl.

Tarn tries to apologize and tells her that when this mission is over, that they can be together with their daughter. Arresta closes her eyes and tells him that she and Allegra are already part of a family. She tries to explain that she felt lost, alone and abandoned on Coruscant, until someone from her past came into her life – and that person is now her husband. Further, she and Stefan plan to leave the Republic. They are all (including Tarn) wanted by the Republic for various offences. Arresta is evasive as she responds to Tarn’s questions, telling him only that her husband is “complicated” and a “businessman”, but he clearly senses that there is more she is not telling him. Overwhelmed at what he’s learned, Tarn storms out of the room, leaving Arresta to tearfully retreat to her quarters. In his quarters, Daal hears the former lovers retreat to their separate quarters and sighs, placing a damp towel over his face.

Across the galaxy, The Gentle Lover makes a brief stop on Cerea, where Doxen escorts the Senator to the local Republic guardpost. From there he will be able to secure passage back to Coruscant. Orelus warns Doxen that the Republic is changing and anti-alien sentiment is rising. He pledges to stand up for Doxen and others like him, but Doxen advises his friend to play it safe – he would rather have a live friend available to help him than a dead martyr. Doxen visits a local bar and attempts to determine his next move. He decides to head to Rhinnal, where he knows that Stefan and Arresta Cassadine have maintained a residence in the past, hoping that someone there will be able to give him a lead on the Princess.

While Doxen is away, Jasper speaks with Creen and, intimidated by the strange Jedi, agrees to provide him passage if the old man stays out of the cockpit. Creen agrees. Jasper’s aide Kako reminds his boss that Jedi can play tricks on your mind and promises to stun his friend if he sees him turning over money or valuables to Creen.

Creen seeks out Doxen again when the Ewok returns to the ship. He asks if Doxen “felt it”. Doxen is confused and Creen clarifies that Doxen has had the “spark of the Force” awakened within him and that one of his friends is now strangely altered. A’tel is alive, but no longer the same. Doxen tells Creen that in his experience, Jedi are not terribly useful. Creen though, tells him that he transformed Tarn Tamarand into a stronger warrior and that moreover, he is the former teacher of Jocasta. That impresses Doxen enough that he is willing to make a deal with the old man: If he can teach Doxen about the Force healing trance during the journey to Rhinnal, Doxen will consider having Creen train him.

On board The Flaming Halo, something strange is happening. Intruder alerts begin sounding, indicating that thirty very large individuals are on board the ship. Doors begin sliding open and closed of their own volition and the fire suppression system activates itself. Lucef and Daal investigate and try to validate the intruder alert. Arresta knocks on Tarn’s door and hands him the lightsaber that she had built for him. When she is summoned to the cockpit to help Daal with the computer system, she gives Tarn a holorecorder full of pictures of their daughter. Working together, Daal and Arresta are able to lock down the computer glitch which has caused the problems. There are no intruders and all they are left with is a mess to clean up.

Tarn goes to speak with Lucef and tries to gather more information about Arresta’s husband, but the pilot has little to share. All he knows is that her husband is some kind of wealthy businessman. Tarn tries to secure Lucef as a pilot to travel to Haruun Kal, though the mercenary is sceptical that Tarn could afford the fare. For his part, Tarn tries to bring out the heroic side of Lucef’s nature, arguing that this is the pilot’s chance to serve the greater good.

[A.G. 1056]

Arriving at Arkania, Lucef and Daal conduct repairs to the ship and secure hyper-space coordinates for Rhinnal. Arresta connects with her intelligence network and learns some useful information:

- The Separatists are being continually pushed back on the Outer Rim, but it could be a trap: General Grievous’ fleet hasn’t been spotted in weeks.

- Senator Orelus has been reported in the press as having been rescued and requested a break from his legislative duties to recuperate.

- The Mongui economy is booming due to a major construction project on the planet’s magnetic pole.

- Stefan Cassadine checked out of the medcentre on Rhinnal: he has rented the same villa as before.

[A.G. 1057]

After about half a day’s worth of repairs, the ship is ready to depart. Just in time, Daal catches a potentially fatal error in the navicomputer. They are on the way and anticipate an eight day journey to Rhinnal.

Meanwhile, The Gentle Lover has already arrived at Rhinnal and the Cerean adventurer Korriban-Adi says his good-byes to Doxen and Jasper with a promise to consider contacting them for future adventures. Doxen advises Jasper that he may spend several days on Rhinnal and that the pilot should remain ready for the next stage of the journey. Arriving at the Cassadine villa, Doxen finds Stefan’s Aqualish bodyguard and security chief Xam at home, with the infant Allegra in tow. Xam is pleased to see Doxen, noting that “Mr. C” thinks highly of the Ewok. He advises Doxen that “Mrs. C” has not yet returned from her journey “to visit her Uncle on Ansion” and that Stefan has travelled to Coruscant to make arrangements for the family to emigrate to the Hapes Consortium. However, he notes that the process has been much more difficult than expected and that Stefan is very displeased. Xam happily allows Doxen to wait for Arresta at the compound. Although he is reserved and shows little interest in front of the Aqualish, when left alone, “Uncle Doxen” fusses over the baby.

One of the nights at the villa, a sleeping Doxen dreams of an older Ewok with white-stripes on his fur and wearing a strange necklace of teeth and bone. The figure tells Doxen a parable about the dangers of falling in league with strange mentors whose trustworthiness is uncertain.

Having spent several days wrestling with all of the information dumped on him, Tarn finally goes to speak with Arresta. She is happy to hear that he wants to be part of his daughter’s life, but alarmed when he starts talking about custody arrangements. She tells him that they will have to be very careful, that her husband will not be happy if Tarn interferes in their lives. She is also upset to hear him talk about remaining part of the Jedi Order and convincing the Council that he intends to retain his attachment and be part of his daughter’s life. They begin to argue, as Arresta won’t come clean regarding Stefan’s criminal ties, making Tarn more and more concerned about the man who has taken his place in their lives, while Arresta is hurt and frightened that Tarn has another dangerous mission planned. She is also upset that he refuses to believe her that Master Creen has ill-intentions or that Creen really attempted to erase Arresta’s memories of Tarn for his own purposes.

Tarn tells her that the Accelerated taunted him with the true nature of the Anomaly. According to them, the massive, ageless vessel allows those inside to survive the eventual heat death of the universe and create the type of primordial singularity that leads to the “Big Bang” origin of another universe. There’s no telling how many universes the Anomaly has seen, or whether its creators still reside inside. The Accelerated, however, have grown bored with the current state of sentient life and plan to create a singularity in the near future, so as to witness the birth of a new universe. Unfortunately, this will create untold devastation in the present universe. Tarn intends to stop them by using “Thought Spores” stockpiled by the Plaguewomb on the planet Haruun Kal.

Even with this problem solved, another would remain. The Forgotten Sith became trapped aboard the Anomaly millennia ago, and for some reason that still remains unclear, Tarn’s removal of the strange lightsaber has allowed the Sith to begin to break free from their prison. Tarn believes that only by regaining the strange lightsaber from Jocasta and returning it to the Anomaly will any remaining Sith be stopped from escaping.

Arresta is confused and sending mixed signals: Tarn tells her he knows that she still loves him – which she does not deny – but she is upset that he once again plans to put his mission before her and their daughter, even though she also tells him that they have no future together. For his part, Tarn keeps talking to her about the importance of the mission and of “custody arrangements” – unable to convince her that everything he is doing is out of love for her and their child. Instead, he convinces her that nothing has changed and he is still putting everything else ahead of her.

Frustrated, Tarn goes to talk to Daal. His tells his Duro friend about his mission and secures his promise of help. He asks Daal to tell him more about Stefan Cassadine. Daal too is evasive: he says that Arresta seems to love her husband, though he admits that Stefan has criminal ties and is very dangerous. He advises Tarn to avoid a confrontation with Stefan and tells him that simply resolving a dispute using normal channels won’t be possible. Tarn becomes more and more agitated and tells Daal in no uncertain terms that he intends to be part of his daughter’s life, whatever Arresta’s husband has to say about it.

Concerned, Daal goes to see Arresta and they agree that a confrontation between Tarn and Stefan would end badly. Arresta goes to see Tarn and tries to convince him that confronting Stefan is a bad idea, as her husband loves her and the baby and would never hurt them. Tarn is worried about the influence that a criminal would have over his daughter. Arresta asks him to please wait until his mission is over before resolving this. She wants him to take the time to see that she and Allegra are better off where they are. Reluctantly Tarn agrees, though he resolves to convince the Princess that he has the means to help raise his child.

[A.G. 1065]

Arriving on Rhinnal, Arresta takes her leave of Lucef, although she gives him a 1000 credit retainer to “look after her interests” and be available for future jobs. She speaks with Xam, learns that her husband is off-planet and has the Aqualish send a car for her. She and Daal convince Tarn to change out of his Jedi robes and to conceal his identity from Stefan’s men.

Disembarking, they find Master Creen waiting for them. Arresta angrily storms past him and heads for her waiting limousine. Tarn speaks with his Master and informs Daal that after talking with Creen, he realizes that it would be too dangerous for the Duro to accompany him on this part of the mission. Though Tarn asks his friend to stay and keep an eye on Allegra for him, Daal is adamant that he go along – he intends to protect Tarn. Tarn agrees to speak to Creen. Before leaving the ship, Tarn also speaks with Lucef who reluctantly agrees to take on the job, quoting Tarn a bargain-basement price of just 2000 credits. Tarn says he will attempt to raise the funds.

Arriving at the villa, Tarn is shocked to see how casually Arresta and Daal react to the sight of a small, furry creature with a sniper rifle sitting on the roof. For their part, the two adventurers are happy to find Doxen waiting for them. Inside, Arresta is greeted by Xam but immediately turns her attention to her baby daughter. Fussing over the baby and getting updates on her care, she learns her husband is waiting for her on Coruscant and that he has left a holovid message.

Arresta conceals Tarn’s identity from Xam and sends the Aqualish off to arrange for refreshments. She tells Doxen the story of what happened to A’tel and then asks her friends to leave her alone with Tarn and their daughter. Daal is happy to agree, but Doxen requires some persuading. He reminds Arresta that Stefan will be very unhappy about this. Finally, little Allegra is alone with her parents. Arresta carefully shows Tarn how to hold the baby and tells Allegra “This is your Daddy.” Tarn and the baby lock eyes and something seems to pass between them. Awed, Tarn tells the Princess that he can feel the connection between the two of them and the baby. He tells Arresta that he thinks Allegra may have the “spark” within her. Horrified, Arresta snatches the baby from the puzzled Jedi and backs away. Though he cannot understand her fear of “Jedi baby snatchers”, Tarn does give his word that he would never try to take Allegra away from her or turn the baby over to the Jedi Order. Taking him at his word, Arresta hands the baby back and goes to speak to Xam, stopping on the way to make sure Doxen keeps an eye on Tarn.

Doxen has contacted the Bounty Hunters’ Guild and placed a price on information leading to the whereabouts of A’tel Porten. With that out of the way, he enters the sunroom and speaks to Tarn. The two get off on the wrong foot as Doxen berates Tarn for having abandoned Arresta. Tarn protests that he had no idea that the Princess had been pregnant when he left her. Doxen tells Tarn that it sounds like he cares little for the mother of his child, which Tarn denies. Doxen threatens Tarn with bodily harm if he ever causes hurt to the baby. Tarn is taken aback that this seemingly psychotic being is a close friend of Arresta’s.

Arresta speaks to Xam about Stefan. He reassures her that Stefan received a clean bill of health from the medcentre and that his headaches have disappeared. Arresta lets the Aqualish know that she isn’t happy that he helped Stefan keep his medical condition a secret. She then watches the holovid, which arrived the prior evening. In it, Stefan, who appears frustrated, informs Xam that gaining access to the Hapes Consortium is proving very challenging. He has hired tutors in customs and language, but the Consortium allows just a handful of immigrants every year. He tells Xam that he is anxious to have Arresta and Allegra join him on Coruscant as he misses his wife and daughter very much and that the process could take weeks.

Arresta asks Xam to begin making arrangements for transport. He sends a security team over to The Gentle Lover to conduct an advanced screening. They negotiate a price with Jasper and he agrees to baby-proof the ship. He is also warned not to flirt or in anyway make advances towards Mrs. Cassadine while she is onboard. Jasper begins to make plans for the trip.

Returning to the others, Arresta is dismayed to find that Tarn is already planning to leave. He suggests that she and the baby travel with him, but on learning that the planet is volcanic and full of dangerous toxic gases, she informs that it does not seem like a safe place to take a child. She also reminds him that she has a husband to return to. She is hurt that he finds it so easy to walk away from Allegra (and from her). As per Tarn’s request, she tries to convince Daal to stay behind, but the Duro won’t be swayed. He does ask Arresta to use both Stefan’s and her own contacts to help make sure his mother has been freed. She assures him that since Stefan is Jocasta’s business partner, that she will do everything she can to help him.

Tarn is shocked to hear that Stefan and Jocasta are connected and begins to waver in his resolve to accompany Creen on the first part of the mission to Haruun Kal, suggesting that perhaps his Master could travel alone. Tarn hesitantly suggests that he accompany Arresta to Coruscant so that he can meet Stefan for himself. Surprisingly, Arresta seems open to this plan, to the confusion of Daal and Doxen who believe that such a meeting would only lead to murder! Hearing their protests, Tarn becomes more and more convinced that Stefan is a negative influence.

Daal and Arresta take opposite sides and Tarn sides with the Princess. But, when Daal pulls her out of the room for a quick conference, Doxen takes the opportunity to change tactics. Suddenly using cold reason instead of intimidation, Doxen reminds Tarn that he has a very dangerous mission ahead of him, one that could likely lead to his death. He suggests that Tarn could be causing both Arresta and Allegra unnecessary distress. He pleads with the Jedi to wait until the mission is over to have any kind of confrontation with Arresta’s husband, and even offers to foot the bill for Tarn’s voyage to Haruun Kal. Tarn asks Doxen if Stefan is a good husband and father and the Ewok emphatically states he is.

Meanwhile, Daal demands an explanation from the Princess. He feels that by getting Tarn out of the way on this mission, he is buying Arresta time to leave the Republic with Stefan and the baby in tow, thereby avoiding a confrontation he is sure will end in death. Arresta tries to explain her reasoning: she loves Tarn and Stefan both, and she doesn’t want either of them to die. But she also wants her marriage to work and to do that, she feels that she must be honest with her husband. She believes that she can convince Stefan that if he hurts Tarn that he would lose her forever. Daal remains sceptical of this plan.

Arresta soon discovers that Tarn seems to have had a change of heart brought about by his chat with Doxen. He pleads with Arresta to give him one month (until A.G. 1095) to complete his mission to Haruun Kal and to return to find her and the baby on Coruscant. Then they will resolve this issue and determine what role Tarn will play in Allegra’s life. The Princess isn’t happy, as she doesn’t trust Creen and she fears for Tarn’s safety, but she agrees not to leave the Republic before a month has passed.

Tarn takes his leave from his newfound baby daughter. “Good-bye, little one. I’ll see you soon.” He cannot meet Arresta’s gaze and leaves without saying good-bye to her. She holds the baby and watches him from the window. After Tarn and Daal have left, Doxen talks to Arresta as she packs the baby’s things for the trip. His advice is simple: Make a choice! Which man does she want? Sadly, Arresta tries to explain that she feels that she doesn’t have a choice to make. She is in love with Tarn, but she is married to Stefan and leaving him would only lead to pain and bloodshed. Besides, she does love her husband. “This isn’t about which man I love more – I’ve made choices I can’t take back. Allegra and I are Cassadines – that isn’t going to change.”

Back at The Flaming Halo, Lucef welcomes his passengers on board, giving Creen the most spacious accommodations. The Jedi Master speaks to Daal and informs him that this mission is highly dangerous and that if the Duro falls behind, that he is expendable. Daal calmly maintains his intention to protect his friend. Lucef advises that the journey to Haruun Kal will take ten days (with arrival expected on A.G. 1074) and that they can depart in the morning. Tarn sadly notes that his parting from those he loves was more traumatic than he’d intended and he agrees with Daal’s suggestion that they remain on board until departure.

Hours later, Arresta, Allegra (with Nanny droid in tow), Doxen, Xam and the security entourage arrive at The Gentle Lover. Although surprised at the lurid artwork on the outside of the ship, Arresta notes that it appears clean and professional on the inside. Jasper, who was also warned by Doxen not to try his charms on Arresta, greets her politely and shows her to the quarters he has arranged for her and the baby. He also speaks with Xam, who offers a 1000 credit bonus for a quick and uneventful journey. Arresta and Doxen chat and she tells him that Jocasta is a shape-shifter and tells him that she and Daal have agreed to a password in case there is any question to anyone’s identity. The password is the name of Arresta’s late, estranged father: Alphonse D’avilos.

Expertly programming in the co-ordinates, Jasper informs Arresta that the journey to Coruscant will take just two days (with arrival expected on A.G. 1067) and that they can leave whenever she is ready. Arresta gives the word. Jasper takes The Gentle Lover into hyperspace, carrying the Princess away from Rhinnal and Tarn Tamarand--and towards Coruscant and Stefan Cassadine.

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Clone Wars Campaign: Jasper Falen, Romantic Pilot

Jasper Falen was a fun, somewhat lighthearted character created in the latter portion of the campaign by the player who ran A'tel. Conceived of as a dashing ladies' man in space, Jasper and his sidekick (an NPC Jawa named Kako) piloted a freighter named The Gentle Lover. Originally retained by Doxen to help rescue Senator Orelus of Melosia, Jasper and his ship later carried party members to Coruscant. There, Jasper has perhaps his best moment when the party came under attack and sought refuge in the Hapan Consulate: Jasper dodged a fusillade of blaster bolts and dramatically crashed The Gentle Lover into the front of the building so his allies could board and escape. Soon thereafter, when The Gentle Lover was shot down, Jasper became an employee of the Cassadines as pilot of The Knife's Edge.

Although it's hard for characters introduced late in the campaign to receive the attention and plotlines that the longstanding PCs do, Jasper proved to be an interesting addition to the group.

Jasper Falen

Male Human Scoundrel 7/Master Privateer 8

Age 31, Height 6'3, Weight 192 lbs.

Strength +1, Dexterity +4, Constitution +2, Intelligence +4, Wisdom +2, Charisma +3

Hit Points: 110, Damage Threshold: 26

Defenses (add 10 if not using house rules): Fortitude +17, Reflex +23, Will +19

Base Attack Bonus: +13

Languages: Basic, Huttese, Shyriiwook, High Galactic, Jawa Trade Language

Talents: Veteran Privateer (4), Disruptive, Walk the Line, Spacehound, Hyperdriven, Attract Privateer, Blaster & Blade III

Maneuvers: Afterburn, Engine Hit, I Have You Now

Feats: Point Blank Shot, WP Simple, WP Pistol, WP: Advanced Melee, Weapons Finesse, Vehicular Combat, Duel Weapons I, SF: Pilot, Starship Tactics

Skills: Acrobatics +16, Climb +8, Deception +15, Endurance +9, Gather Info +10, Initiative +16, Jump +8, Knowledge: Streetwise +16, Mechanics +11, Perception +14, Persuasion +15, Pilot +21, Ride +11, Stealth +11, Survival +9, Swim +8, Treat Injury +9, Use Computer +16

Equipment: Clone Armour, Blastech E-Web Repeating, Vibro Rapier, Blastech DH-23, Ascension Gun, Breath Mask, Fusion Lantern, Glow Rod, Datapad, All Temperature Cloak, Medkit, Pocket Scrambler, Medpac

Jasper's Epilogue

------------------------

"Following his adventures with Daal, Doxen, and Arresta, Jasper receives a message from a strange source: The Crimson Blade, his former ship, but they were dead and gone. But the weirdest thing is the message is from 2000 years in the past on the hull of a derelict from the Hyperspace Wars. The message is the emblem of The Crimson Blade spraypainted on the hull of a Mandalorian vessel. An Imperial archaeological team discovered it a wreck to fall out of Other Space. He had a mission, find his family. Purchasing a new vehicle christened The Loving Embrace and he starts his search. On his quest to find a path to Other Space he stayed in constant contact with Arresta true to his word to the strange Jedi. On his travels he liberates many masters of their slaves and women of their underthings with a wry smile and a wicked glance and a grumbling Jawa in tow."


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Fantasy Football 2011 Week 9 (a.k.a., You're on the List, DeSean Jackson!)

A heartbreaking upset delivered my first loss in 2011, and I know just who to blame: DeSean Jackson! Trailing by just one point going into Monday Night Football, I still had the Eagles best deep-threat left to play. One catch for 20+ yards is all I asked! Instead, Jackson ran once for 10 yards (+1 point), fumbled once on a kick return (-2 points), and then had two catches for 16 yards (+1 point), leaving him with a big fat zero for the game. The fact that he was targeted 8 times and dropped a pass on the final play of the game made for an agonizing MNF experience for me ;)

I would rescind my tithes to Tymora, but I really can't complain as I've been extremely lucky this season. Although it's ironic that the first time I lost was the same game I scored my highest point total so far this season, at least the extra points will help out in a tie-breaker--which may end up being necessary, as now The Wife's team is just one game back in the division and I play the dreaded Tantor Houser team this weekend.

Whipped Cream (118 Points)

QB A. Rodgers: 30

RB S. Jackson: 14

RB J. Starks: 6

RB/WR J. Nelson: 16

WR G. Jennings: 10

WR W. Welker: 14

TE S. Chandler: 2

D/ST Packers: 12

K N. Rackers: 14

Ultimate Sun Runners (117 Points)

QB T. Tebow: 23

RB A. Foster: 20

RB D. Sproles: 15

RB/WR D. Murray: 17

WR D. Jackson: 0

WR V. Cruz: 9

TE R. Gronkowski: 16

D/ST Texans: 14

K R. Lindell: 3

NFL 2011 Week 10 Predictions

Here we go!

Raiders @ Chargers

------------------------

The Wife: Chargers

Me: Chargers (Carson Palmer made some great throws last week, but some terrible ones as well. But so did Rivers, so who the hell knows?)

Steve: Chargers

Cardinals @ Eagles

--------------------

The Wife: Eagles

Me: Eagles (my guess: a blow-out)

Steve: Eagles

Titans @ Panthers

--------------------

The Wife: Panthers

Me: Panthers

Steve: Panthers

Texans @ Buccaneers

-------------------

The Wife: Texans

Me: Texans (they finally look like they're going to win the South)

Steve: Texans

Redskins @ Dolphins

------------------

The Wife: Redskins

Me: Dolphins (Redskins continue the downward spiral)

Steve: Redskins

Jaguars @ Colts

-----------------

The Wife: Jaguars

Me: Colts

Steve: Colts ("could this finally be the week???")

Broncos @ Chiefs

--------------------

The Wife: Broncos

Me: Chiefs (not sure here . . .)

Steve: Broncos ("KC is going the wrong direction . . . could we see a 7-9 or 8-8 Broncos win the division?")

Bills @ Cowboys

-------------------

The Wife: Bills

Me: Cowboys

Steve: Cowboys ("though I'm waffling on this choice even as I go to hit send")

Saints @ Falcons

------------------

The Wife: Saints

Me: Saints

Steve: Saints ("still not liking the Saints right now")

Rams @ Browns

-----------------

The Wife: Rams

Me: Browns (okay, okay, now everything comes together for the Browns!)

Steve: Browns ("I hope for your sake because they need to win once in a while, right?")

Steelers @ Bengals

--------------------

The Wife: Steelers

Me: Steelers (a real test of how good the Bengals really are this year)

Steve: Steelers ("I wanted to say Cincy but changed my mind")

Ravens @ Seahawks

-------------------

The Wife: Ravens

Me: Ravens

Steve: Ravens

Giants @ 49ers

-------------------

The Wife: Giants

Me: 49ers

Steve: Giants ("this game used to mean a lot . . . remember a time when both teams were looking forward to an undefeated Monday night matchup before they each lost the week before and thus were like 8-1 going in instead . . . and while I'd love to see the '9ers return to that glory I'm just not sold on their record being an indicator of where they are even though their only loss was in OT")

Lions @ Bears

---------------

The Wife: Bears

Me: Bears (Cutler and Forte are playing well . . .)

Steve: Lions ("why do I feel I'm making the 'Suh homer vote' here and should choose Chicago if I'm being honest")

Patriots @ Jets

--------------

The Wife: Patriots

Me: Jets (becoming a real rivalry in the AFC East)

Steve: Patriots

Vikings @ Packers

----------------

The Wife: Packers

Me: Packers

Steve: Packers ("lookout Miami of '72 . . . these Pack could threaten that only undefeated team beginning to end record of yours")

NFL 2011 Week 9 Round-Up

I've hunted-and-pecked this whole post with a snoozing baby in my arms! That's dedication!

Jets at Bills
-------------
The Wife: Jets
Me: Jets
Steve: Bills

WINNER: Jets

Browns at Texans
---------------
The Wife: Texans
Me: Texans
Steve: Texans
WINNER: Texans (sigh...)

Dolphins at Chiefs
-----------------
The Wife: Chiefs
Me: Chiefs
Steve: Chiefs
WINNER: Dolphins (Matt Moore's redemption!)

Seahawks at Cowboys
----------------
The Wife: Cowboys
Me: Cowboys
Steve: Cowboys
WINNER: Cowboys

49ers at Redskins
-----------------
The Wife: 49ers
Me: 49ers
Steve: 49ers
WINNER: 49ers (7-1! How?)

Bucs at Saints
----------------
The Wife: Saints
Me: Saints
Steve: Bucs
WINNER: Saints

Falcons at Colts
----------------
The Wife: Falcons
Me: Falcons
Steve: Falcons
WINNER: Falcons

Broncos at Raiders
--------------
The Wife: Raiders
Me: Broncos
Steve: Raiders
WINNER: Broncos (Tebow-mania lasts another week! Seriously, he's won more games than Orton this year, and an inaccurate playmaker still makes plays ...)

Bengals at Titans
----------------
The Wife: Titans
Me: Bengals
Steve: Bengals
WINNER: Bengals (moral of 2011 season: pundits know nothing)

Giants at Pats
----------------
The Wife: Patriots
Me: Patriots
Steve: Patriots
WINNER: Giants (time to start taking them seriously ...)

Packers at Chargers
----------------
The Wife: Packers
Me: Packers
Steve: Packers
WINNER: Packers

Rams at Cardinals
----------------
The Wife: Rams
Me: Rams
Steve: Rams
WINNER: Cardinals

Ravens at Steelers
----------------
The Wife: Steelers
Me: Steelers
Steve: Steelers
WINNER: Ravens (a classic game between rivals, with a twist ending ....)

Bears at Eagles
---------------
The Wife: Bears
Me: Eagles
Steve: Eagles

WINNER: Bears (re: 3-5 Eagles and 3-5 Browns; is it better to have wasted potential or have no potential?)

THIS WEEK

The Wife: 8-6

Me: 9-5

Steve: 6-8

CUMULATIVE

The Wife: 74-59

Me: 75-58

Steve: 85-48

La nuit des temps [Books]

I'm not sure how to literally translate the title of René Barjavel's book La nuit des temps--"The Night of Time" and variations thereof sounds really weird. The book has been published in English under the title "The Ice People", which makes it sound like a tale about the Inuit. In fact, this SF novel begins with a polar expedition discovering strange signals emanating thousands of feet below the surface of the Antarctic. A massive international force is assembled to unearth the cause of the signal, and after a period of digging a small structure is found. Inside, are two people frozen in suspended animation. The first one awoken, a woman named Eléa, tells of an ancient, highly-advanced civilization that existed almost 900,000 years. Eléa and another member were placed in suspended animation with the purpose of leading whatever remnants of the civilization survived after an impending war threatened to annihilate the planet. Part of the book takes place in flashback form to this civilization, with the rest concerning how the international expedition struggles to decide what to do with its discovery.

It's a bit of an odd book, and it takes a while to figure out where the story is going--though there's a nice twist at the very end. It certainly has an interesting premise, though only a couple of the characters are well-rounded and memorable from page to page. Wikipedia says Barjavel's work "often involved the fall of civilisation due to technocratic hubris and the madness of war", and that seems to fit La nuit des temps to a T.

NFL 2011 Week 9 Predictions

The official halfway point of the season! All I have to do is make up two games a week to have a slight lead going into the playoffs . . . Easy!

On a more serious note, this week has some good games--with the Sunday and Monday night games perhaps the best duo so far this season . . .

Jets at Bills

-------------

The Wife: Jets

Me: Jets (it takes me a while to trust a team that got good all of a sudden, like the Bills, so for now I go with the established winners . . .)

Steve: Bills

Browns at Texans

---------------

The Wife: Texans

Me: Texans (considering their lack of big-name players, the Browns defense is really doing exceptionally well, but an offense that averages just 15.3 points per game, tied for 28th in the league, is not going to produce many wins . . .)

Steve: Texans

Dolphins at Chiefs

-----------------

The Wife: Chiefs

Me: Chiefs (though Matt Moore is doing halfway decent. Apropos of nothing, I wonder why the Dolphins moved so far away from the wildcat offense that seemed to be really producing for them a couple of years back?)

Steve: Chiefs

Seahawks at Cowboys

----------------

The Wife: Cowboys

Me: Cowboys (as Jim Mora said on No Huddle the other night sometimes it becomes obvious why back-ups were back-ups, and with Tavaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst that seems to be the case)

Steve: Cowboys

49ers at Redskins

-----------------

The Wife: 49ers

Me: 49ers (so is Beck better than Grossman? Or are they both just bad?)

Steve: 49ers ("Ok, you can use this game to get one back on me. I think the '9ers are going to have a bad showing. Don't know why, just a feeling.")

Bucs at Saints

----------------

The Wife: Saints

Me: Saints (both teams have had some wild inconsistency this year, but the Saints have more core firepower . . .)

Steve: Bucs ("NO hasn't looked great this year despite that game 2 weeks ago in my opinion and lose again this week.")

Falcons at Colts

----------------

The Wife: Falcons

Me: Falcons (for what it's worth, at least Curtis Painter has shown he can be a decent back-up, something that was very much in doubt at the beginning of the season)

Steve: Falcons ("Is Indy going to win any this year? Was going to pick them again but just don't think this will be the game they win.")

Broncos at Raiders

--------------

The Wife: Raiders

Me: Broncos (my theory: Palmer is still going to be hurling picks left and right)

Steve: Raiders ("I typed Denver half a dozen times before finally settling on Oakland. This could go either way as I am not sold on Tebow and the entire Broncos, but I don't think Oakland is going to be a good team this week either.")

Bengals at Titans

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The Wife: Titans

Me: Bengals (I'd actually like to see the Bengals play this year . . . one of the downsides of a network broadcast schedule premised on what teams were good last year)

Steve: Bengals ("Screw Johnson. He needs benched.")

Giants at Pats

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The Wife: Patriots

Me: Patriots

Steve: Patriots

Packers at Chargers

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The Wife: Packers

Me: Packers (almost picked the Chargers just for the hell of it, but they've been really weird this season and I'm not that desperate yet)

Steve: Packers ("They have a chance to go 16-0 this year. Two games against Detroit still though and that might be their biggest tests. Only team to beat them this year ... Cleveland the first week of the preseason...")

Rams at Cardinals

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The Wife: Rams

Me: Rams (was going to pick Cardinals, but then heard Kolb wouldn't play . . . though, it could be improvement . . .)

Steve: Rams ("StL is going to ride last week into a hard fought win this week.")

Ravens at Steelers

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The Wife: Steelers

Me: Steelers (they got their mojo back)

Steve: Steelers

Bears at Eagles

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The Wife: Bears

Me: Eagles (a really interesting match-up . . .)

Steve: Eagles

Fantasy Football 2011 Week 8

I think it's fair to say there's never been a more undeserving 8-0 team in fantasy football history! Once again, I barely broke 80 points and won convincingly. I had a fairly well-balanced attack this week, with Arian Foster and new pick-up Victor Cruz contributing well. Tim Tebow fared worse than last week, but I knew he was a risk going in (and his two back-ups, Philip Rivers & Ryan Fitzpatrick, were equally bad). I was lucky that two of my opponent's players scored 0 points, and a third was actually on bye.

The Wife lost, giving me a 2 game lead in the division with 5 regular season games left. However, she lost to what is clearly the best team in the league (Tantor Houser), which is averaging 110 points per game. I play that team week after next, and I've got to come up with an answer quick!

Ultimate Sun Runners (82 Points)

QB Tim Tebow: 12

RB Arian Foster: 18

RB Darren Sproles: 7

RB/WR DeMarco Murray: 7

WR DeSean Jackson: 3

WR Victor Cruz: 15

TE Rob Gronkowski: 9

D/ST Texans: 9

K Josh Scobee: 2

Mizzou Tigers (69 Points)

QB Eli Manning: 21

RB Maurice Jones-Drew: 13

RB Joseph Addai: 0

RB/WR Jeremy Maclin: 11

WR Andre Johnson: 0

WR Anquan Boldin: 14

TE Kellen Winslow: Bye

D/ST Redskins: 5

K Stephen Gostkowski: 5

NFL 2011 Week 8 Round-Up

A big day by The Wife puts her in a tie for second place, but Steve puts even more distance between him and us!

Cardinals at Ravens

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The Wife: Ravens

Me: Cardinals

Steve: Ravens

WINNER: Ravens (man, I almost had an upset here!)

Vikings at Panthers

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The Wife: Panthers

Me: Panthers

Steve: Vikings

WINNER: Vikings (Orlindo Mare is in the doghouse . . .)

Jaguars at Texans

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The Wife: Texans

Me: Texans

Steve: Texans

WINNER: Texans

Dolphins at Giants

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The Wife: Giants

Me: Giants

Steve: Giants

WINNER: Giants (last week, some pundit said he thought the Browns were the worst 3-3 team he'd ever seen; well, I think the Giants are one of worst 5-2 teams I've ever seen . . .)

Saints at Rams

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The Wife: Saints

Me: Saints

Steve: Saints

WINNER: Rams (A.J. Feeley for the win!)

Colts at Titans

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The Wife: Titans

Me: Titans

Steve: Colts

WINNER: Titans

Lions at Broncos

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The Wife: Broncos

Me: Lions

Steve: Lions

WINNER: Lions (still think Tebow could be decent in a custom-tailored offense . . .)

Redskins at Bills

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The Wife: Bills

Me: Redskins

Steve: Bills

WINNER: Bills

Bengals at Seahawks

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The Wife: Bengals

Me: Bengals

Steve: Bengals

WINNER: Bengals

Browns at 49ers

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The Wife: 49ers

Me: Browns

Steve: 49ers

WINNER: 49ers (now Mangini's pathetic offense doesn't seem that bad in comparison . . .)

Patriots at Steelers

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The Wife: Steelers

Me: Patriots

Steve: Patriots

WINNER: Steelers

Cowboys at Eagles

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The Wife: Cowboys

Me: Eagles

Steve: Cowboys

WINNER: Eagles

Chargers at Chiefs

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The Wife: Chiefs

Me: Chargers

Steve: Chiefs

WINNER: Chiefs (I've never seen a miracle ending like that before . . .)

THIS WEEK:

The Wife: 9-4

Me: 6-7

Steve: 9-4

CUMULATIVE

The Wife: 66-53

Me: 66-53

Steve: 79-40