When You Are Real

The day began at 3:30am with barely contained excitement. I started in on the mountain of weekend emails and was nearly finished by dawn.

I went back to sleep for about an hour and then helped get the kids ready for school.

The plan was to get all the admin type stuff out of the way so that we could get the carpet going. For those that follow the youtube channel, you know that the carpet at the new studio is super-ratted-out. I sold one of the 40K armies to fund some new carpet. I went to buy it today. Install is first thing tomorrow morning.

Anyways, we assumed that a dumpster near the building was the trash receptacle for the same, but found out that it belonged to a local printing company. However, we got the go ahead to dump the carpet there as long as we got it in by the time the trash got picked up... any minute! So, it was all hands on deck! We ripped up that old crustified brown stuff in no time at all. It took about three man-hours to get it all done. That saved us about $225. And as far as I can tell we got under the wire.

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After that I headed home for a quick rinse. I admire people that do that sort of work all day. I had a lunch of salsa and chips and orange juice, watched an episode of Outer Limits (fast forwarding through about a third of it) and headed back to the studio to finish.

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I had to stay late (about 7:35pm) in order to finish everything up because I heard that the internet was out at home. I usually do a short stint to wrap up before bed. But that was a false alarm.

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On arrival I found a mountain of fresh, steaming sweet corn and a potatoe with sliced tomatoes on top, done up just the way daddy likes it (with salt, pepper, butter, and sour cream). I played with the baby (who is feeling better-- thank you all well-wishers), and tucked the kids in bed.

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On a personal note: I've noticed myself whining and griping about things overly, so I'm starting to counter that with over-the-top optimism. If something goes wrong I say (out loud) "I'm choosing to view this in the most positive light possible. Everything is going to turn up Roses for Gately!" That and a little fist pump.

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Oooh, speaking of which, we are short commissions for late September, and have a completely open schedule for October. If you want to send something in we can get you started right away.

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Don't forget the various specials I have running.

The studio Tzeentch Daemons army is underway and the stuff coming for that is bizarre in the extreme. Every model is converted from scratch and is a work of art.

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Another side note: while at home with my delightful family this morning, a short came on TV; a reading of the Velveteen Rabbit. I had never heard this story and nearly bawled my eyes out.

PART 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5xKi0jd23k

PART 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_LO9Opn2y8

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I believe that the life beneath this one is real. I sometimes feel it in my dreams. I see that a rift blossoms open, and colors beyond belief start streaming out. And there is a distant music, and a sense of overwhelming joy. I wake up with tears streaming down my face. I call them "entering into paradise dreams". And I can recall them with perfect memory whenever I please.

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Slowly, my narrow and mean impulses are dissolving away. Day by day they grow weaker. Things that would have thrown me into a tailspin a year ago hardly bother me, and sometimes cause me to smile. Still a long ways to go, though.

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There is a living God who watches over each of us. I have begun to accept His good gifts which He gives generously, even to wretches who do not deserve them. But dig deeper: each of us is no wretch. We were born in the galactic core to celestial parents who cradled us in their arms. All preparations have been made.

Be careful what you wish for

Interesting local news story.

As a side note: the man behind the podium here is Congressman Jason Chaffetz of Utah, a REAL republican who beat out a 12-year incumbent in the primary by TWENTY points.

It's time for the republicans to clean house.

Picture of Misery

Another long and relaxing Sunday is past. I'm chomping at the bit to get started on Monday.

My wife spent most of the afternoon making home-made salsa, a monstrous batch of it from local produce. I hope she makes it Mild. That's about all I can handle.

I left my laundry in the washer all day yesterday and it smells mildewy. I had to wash it again.

My eldest daughter is the family neat-nick. She keeps her room orderly, cleaning it nearly every day without being asked. She lays her clothes out the night before and sets her alarm. Often, she is the first one up. I am ever so proud of her.

I got to the end of "The Myth of the Rational Market". It was a long, dull read, but had a surpise ending. I almost fell out of my chair. More on that later.

I was not feeling well today, a terrible stuffy nose and sinus headache. The Tylenol allergy medicine I took left me feeling like a zombie.

Willow has been down with a cold. The poor darling doesn't know what to do with herself. She's so good tempered and mild-mannered. She's trying to be happy, but just starts crying. She likes to suck her thumb, but can't because her nose is stuffed up. She starts to plurt it in but then stops, remembering "oh, I have to breathe", looks at the digit in dismay, and starts to wail. She doesn't understand what is happening to her. My heart goes out to the pitiable creature. She doesn't want daddy. She wants mommy. All the time.

We took her to the pediatrician. She just has a common virus. Apparently.

Consider the Lilies

Yesterday I picked up a box of "golden" Oreos. This is a bad thing. I like them so much that I won't stop eating them. Blergh!

I must preface this post by saying that it is a rough draft. It's a collage of various thoughts, unsorted. I recently came across these two passages of scripture which have given me pause. The second of the two I have often passed over as unrealistic, hyperbolic advice. Much like Homer Simpson, I had written them off as "That book that has advice that doesn't work out in real life." I present them here as fodder for the thoughts to follow.

The first is from 1 Timothy 5:
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

A few weeks back, while reading the scriptures with my darling family, I came upon this passage, that I must have read twenty times, and passed over, but I broke apart entirely into tears because it dissolved a black knot of worry that has been forming in my mind:

This next is from the beloved Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), which to my mind forms the core of Christian behavior.

Matthew 6
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

I don't think this is an admonition to run around in the forest wearing only a loincloth. It's recognized that I have need of these things. I just shouldn't worry so much about them. From my perspective it seems like I'm working my butt off and therefore I have the necessities of life. But if I pull back a little bit I can see how events unfold to help me. Kind friends and neighbors deliver sacks of clothing to our doorstep. I was sitting in my living room the other day and I realized that all the furniture was either given to us, or we bought it second-hand for less than 10% of regular price. I eat tomatoes from my back yard. They grow there spontaneously. The bishop showed up the other day to see if we wanted a quarter hog that some local folk had butchered up.

This process is reversed as well. My wife and I serve wherever called, and give of our resources wherever we are able. I don't like to talk much about this a la the left hand/right hand provision.

I have been thinking recently over my policy of divestment. This is to live contentedly within my means, and to not pursue the accumulation of wealth. The whole system seems set up to either prey on or protect the interests of those that have assets.

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The bums are on to something. Now, the trick is to live providently, with an abundance of resources to be used (by self, family, and to enrich the community), but without an accumulation of resources (and the attendant worries). By the time I'm fifty I'll be back to where I was when I was a teenger-- back at a zero net worth! (from negative net worth).

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How can this be done with a wife and four children?

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I grew up poor. I didn't realize it at the time because I was having such a good time. I was eating blackberry cobbler made from blackberries picked down by the railroad tracks. I was eating crabapples off a tree at the start point of my paper route. My point is that the abundance of a good life comes from simplicity.

It comes down to the nature of life. This life is important, but transitory. A hundred years from now, every human now living, all six billion, will be in the ground and their spirit selves formed into new societies in the spirit world. What will matter then?

We are here today and gone tomorrow. That is not a cause of sadness to me, but a cause of happiness. It helps me keep things in perspective. Material things are there to be used for the joy of man. A thing can give joy by keeping it, but often even more joy by giving it away.

PS- as usual I make my usual disclaimer. I always wince a little when quoting scripture because that's really obnoxious. I have the usual foibles of mankind. I don't advertise my struggles with those things here. Just don't be surprised if ever my faults come to light.

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PPS- Naturally, I have not fully developed these ideas. I don't plan on lazing about all day. I plan on working hard, but working with a different aim: for the joy of working, and to provide for my family, and to benefit others (and to have a few armies to play wargames! Again for the joy of life).

Dire Avenger Redux

The Eldar codex is quickly losing steam. With the advent of the "power four" codexes (SM, CSM, IG, and Orks) the Eldar truly are a dying race. But they are a proud race, and those that play them have adapted.

This is the general strength of the Eldar. They have a TON of army entries and a vast array of weaponry to deal neatly with precise threats; from the four-shot scatter laser (up from d6 shots) to the armor piercing Bright Lance.

Eldar are a specialist race. What they do, they do well. So, it's important to have each unit doing what they do best.

This leads us to the Dire Avenger. In previous editions, he was an Elite fighter, but now finds himself as a Troop Choice. This changed everything. Before, the guardian was on the front line. But Guardians had a major issue, once within their spindly 12" range for shooting they could also be charged. Oh, how for years I longed for 18" shuriken catapults. That dream came true with the Dire Avenger.

One model can be upgraded to an Exarch, the Eldar version of a sergeant. And he can be given various equipment. Puzzlingly, all except one of these is close combat oriented. This opens up the danger of splitting function as explained above.

I have not tried them with any of their Exarch powers besides Bladestorm. They should fill one role, and they are definitely not close combat specialists. Their best use is as mid-range shredders. They have no special weapons, unlike marines who can tote along a lascannon for emergency situations. Suckers. They have not learned the lesson of staying focused.

For the same reason, I give my Exarch an extra Avenger gun. it doesn't look as cool as a sword, but definitely gives some extra punch in the shooting department.

A full unit of ten Dire Avengers, equipped as described will have 27 shots for the regular guys, and four shots for the Exarch, and that at BS5. That is enough to give almost any unit that is vulnerable at all to their shots a run for their money.

Two units bladestorming will evaporate even Terminators. Let's do the math-hammer on that: 62 shots will give about 41 hits, which will be about 20 wounds. Even on a 2+ save that's 3-4 Termies down. And a solid 6-7 regular Marines.

Hmmmm... Maybe I was wrong. Since the Avenger gun is an Assault weapon, the Dire Avengers can really have the possibility of mopping up a vastly weakened unit.

That same run of 62 shots against a T3 unit, like Termagants, will blend them into a fine puree.

I have a dream of running sixty Dire Avengers on one end of the board and seeing how much carnage they can inflict. Just once I'd like to blow somthing up with nearly 200 shots. Well, that's noob-think for you.

Now enter the Wave Serpent. This cuts down on the number of troops to be fielded since the Wave Serpent nearly doubles the cost of the unit of Dire Avengers. However, they are the beans to the Dire Avenger's rice: it can be mounted with an anti-armor twin-linked Bright Lance which can shoot at a different target. This is an especially effective combo in the now transport-rich environment of 5th edition.

Come to think of it, maybe TL Scatter Lasers might do better against transports just from sheer number of shots.

The Wave Serpents, when deployed in a pair or trio, can form an effective shield for your Dire Avengers. They can deploy, bladestorm, then the next turn get back on board for their turn spent reloading. And since they are right next to the entry ramp, the Wave Serpent can still move.

Razordons Review

Razordons are a new arrival in the Rare section of the new Lizardmen army book. When considering this valuable property (two slots in a typical 2000-3000 pt game) you have to look at the competition. The first is an Ancient Stegadon, which is OK to go without since you can have Stegadons in both the Special and Hero slots, which are more open. The other choice is the rather comparatively anemic Salamander, which works on a similar premise, but has a much less reliable weapon.

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The Razordon is the best Rare choice in my estimation.

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And on top of that the Razordon model is incredibly cool.

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The Razordons shoot barbs, an artillery dice worth every turn. On a misfire, they will eat 1d3 attendants. That means that a full complement of them will be chowing down on an average of one skink a turn. I definitely recommend getting the extra skink handlers (you can upgrade from a squad of three to a squad of four per Razordon for 5 points). To make the misfire problem even less of a drawback, the unit does not need to test for panic for spiked skinks.

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There is no other downside to the event of a misfire, so your twelve skinks should last the entire game quite easily.

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On average, each Razordon will belt out a machine-gun pace of six shots per turn, eighteen for the entire pack. They are S4 with armor piercing. They still need to roll to hit, and with BS3 that would be a rather un-impressive one or two wounds a turn. However, they do not suffer from penalties to hit from moving, long range, multiple shots or stand-and-shoot charge reaction. This makes their accuracy considerably greater.

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They are more than a match for the typical skirmishing units, or fast cavalry that come up the flanks. They are astounding trouble-shooters as they can take out a wide variety of targets with both ranged attacks and in close combat.

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In close combat they can reliably lend a hand with a flank charge. The Razordons always form the front rank, and with Toughness 4 and a 5+ save they can take a bit of a punch. Did I mention that they have three Wounds? They are shred-tastic with two S5 attacks, making a pack of three the equivalent of a cavalry charge.

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Where's the downside?

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Their only limitation is a 12" range. But that's not a significant drawback. I'd take them even if they had a 6" range!

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If you use them right there isn't one. Their abilities just keep adding up. If a unit charges them, they must stand-and-shoot (OK, a minor downside: they can't flee). However, they get two dice worth of shots, on average double the number of shots. That is enough to keep most predators at bay. That would be an average of THIRTY-SIX shots at no penalty. That's an average of eighteen HITS at S4 armor piercing.

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I like to park a unit in a forest and create a zone of death in a foot radius. This makes a flank very dangerous, and flank protection is what the Lizardmen need most as many of their bulk-heavy-hitters are a bit slow. If things get dicey, they can charge out with an impressive 6" move and lend a hand or chomp on some stray unit.

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Personally, I'd like to give a go with two units. That would be razor-tastic!

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PS- I think I got my math wrong. It's five shots on average per turn per Razordon; fifteen for a group of three.

Dark Sand

Today we got cracking bright and early.

We painted the new studio. It's Vallejo Dark Sand color. It's a beautiful earthy, skin, beige tone; Inviting and warm, not too dark.

The paint was a more expensive type, and well worth the money. That's a lesson from miniatures painting: don't skimp on your paint! Better to spend more and get a better result.

We tore off the tape around the white moulding and found it to be a perfect contrast.

Everything is satisfactual. I shot some footage and hope to get that up soon.

Openings

Now booking projects for completion in late September.

Also setting up the next round of Pandora's Armies and Turbo Armies.

One set left for Space Hulk.

Remember the numerous specials running:

• Tank Factory (half off on painting vehicles in runs of 6+)
• Trade-in (roughly 25% retail as a credit for your second-hand figures)
• Level 2 (30% off on painting for more basic quality)
• Artistic License (10% off cost of painting if you let us do our thing, 35% if combined with L2)
• New Clients (30% off cost of materials on your first order)

Details of all these are in previous posts. Contact me at bluetablepainting@gmail.com for any matter. My Inbox is empty. I am caught up.

Cast Adrift

Now that the Redjaw Orks and Oceanic Eldar are gone, I am left without a 40K army. Oh my.

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I have the Tzeentch army in process. This will double as a Fantasy army. It's more of a whimsical force, and I think it will be fun to play, but not very solid.

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So, what else?

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The great thing is that no one at the studio is super-competitive, so anyone can still make it with a non-tournament-type force.

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Should it be Necrons? I've never owned a Necron army. They seem boring, though. Cool figs. Maybe if I used non-standard stuff it would be interesting.

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On the home front... I'm more in love with my wife than ever. The baby is teething (her little teeth are starting to come through which is uncomfortable) and she is the picture of unhappiness. She's trying to be cheerful, but her whole head is off-kilter. Poor darling.

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This afternoon we went to the Spanish Fork countryside, a vast and gentle valley of farmland under broad plateaus (on which the city is built). My son had a class party-- pool, summer food, and an open pit to roast hot dogs. From the land comes the food; sweet cucumber, softball-sized tomatoes, and sweet corn.

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I have decided that I'm not going to be forgetful anymore. I'm going to remember names and dates. I'm going to be mindful and thoughtful.

Soul Killer

This is not blue. It's very dark, almost black in person, with those brown striations.

Evidently this is better because it is woven into the backing and not glued on.

Swatches

This is me pretending to be a rich guy at the furniture/carpet store.

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Yesterday I did a lot of scouting for carpet (the major issue with the new studio is the carpet is completely worn out). I found one type I really liked, a marbly earth-tone thing. Another roll, upon laying eyes on it, I said "This is gross, it's killing my soul just to look at it". And we moved on, but at the end I promised that I would come back with someone who actually had some taste.

Enter Sarah. This morning we did some more scouring, and after some actually intelligent questions, it turns out that the soul-killing carpet was the best choice a la actually being a better quality and within our very limited budget.

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We went to the new digs, spackled in more than a few holes, and got started on taping off the moulding. The plan is to be moved in by next Wednesday.

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And on top of this, I'm keeping up on the regular stuff. Please by all means keep the emails/inquiries coming. That will help keep the business pumping.

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I'm currently setting up a new round of Pandora's armies. It's technically open any time, but I like to do them in groups where possible.

New Carnosaur for the studio lizardmen army. This guy is a stone cold killer. Each wound he inflicts multiplies into d3 wounds. Good for Challenges and killing big creatures.

Deathstrikes

Check this action out.

These are a fusion of a Chimera and a Tamaya kit. The top housing swivels like a turret.

New Place

Firstly, I debated whether to post this or not, but decided that it needs to happen, as you shall shortly see.



We're moving.


It's a short move, about five blocks. And I want to be clear: don't worry about sending things to the wrong address. Just send things to the 765 North Main address until further notice. Even after we move, we have friendly neighbors who will pick stuff up and stow it. We'll be by every day for pickup.



So, the new place is almost three times as much space and for a price that is absolutely out of this world. It's almost half (per square foot) of what we're paying now. In fact, several years ago I saw this place and desperately wanted to get into it, but it's always had a business in it. I'm jumping on it. I'll be setting up the lease in the next day or so.

I believe this is a good long-term move for the studio.

Long story short, I have to come up with the funds on very short notice. I'm drawing on the resource of the studio armies. Each one is 3000+ points and chock full of love and detail. I can provide more details on request as needed. If you follow the blog/youtube channels then you should already be familiar.

UPDATE: Both 40K armies are sold, and that's all that was needed. Thank you!

It pains me to even type this. I put a lot of personal effort into each one. I even have a line of credit to facilitate this. But as you all know, my view of banks (as fundamentally harmful to society) is pretty dim. I am dedicated to using cash up front.

As a side note: the "landlord" is a local business owner who I've known for five years. The building is paid for, no outstanding loan. So, the good and reasonable price is what happens when the banks are out of the picture. In my estimation, people are better off without outside interference, paying up front directly one to another.

Contact me at bluetablepainting@gmail.com if interested. As an added bonus, I will give you inside information on the move as it progresses. You'll get to be a part!

Hammer-time

I had an insanely busy day. Still not caught up. Tomorrow has to be the day to run up the hill.

Lizardmen Redux

Here are my various opinions on Lizardmen units.

First off, it's of prime importance to realize the battlefield role of each unit. If you think that massive waves of skinks with blowguns are going to evaporate enemy units with massed blowgun fire, you're sadly mistaken. That's not what skinks are for.

Skirmishing units of skinks are good at throwing away their lives to delay much stronger units. They might be able to cause a few wounds with blowdarts, but after moving, long range and multiple shots, they have BS ZERO. That means a unit of ten will maybe, just maybe cause a single wound on a single T3 target with no armor. So, what can they possibly be useful for?

Don't charge them in to help, their pitiful T2 will just give away combat resolution.

I've found them useful just as a speed bump to draw off a more powerful unit.

Maybe I shouldn't have started with the Skinks.

Saurus Warriors are the rock solid core of every Lizardmen army. I recommend blocks of twenty-five. They are solid across the board (except initiative). I don't give them spears. The extra armor save from hand weapon and shield is much more valuable. They need that armor to take a hit then hit back. Two attacks is their strength, they pack a punch.

Drop in a hero and you have a unit of stone cold killers. With cold-blooded and LD8, they have effective LD 9.2

Three-toed

Laziest... Sunday... Ever!

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Today marked the dedication of the Oquirrh Temple. So, church services were not generally held in the valley. My wife and daughter went, and I stayed home with the other kids (only 8 yrs plus can go).

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I was a complete sloth. I think the most vigorous thing I did was to make myself two soft-boiled eggs.

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And so I conclude this anemic post.

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No, wait, I'm getting my second wind...

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Nope, false alarm.

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Monday's going to be a big day!

In the Vault on Saturday Night

On Saturday I spent a sublime morning with the family; playing Talisman with the boys, going for a walk, and then off to watch "Shorts" with the kids.

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"Shorts", like cotton candy, was a whole lot of fun without any substance. But isn't that what you get cotton candy for. I found it appropriate for my kids ages 4-10. There were some parts that are mildly scary, like a monstrified booger that chases the kids through the house. But cartoonish animation, faces, and light-hearted music takes the edge off. My wife and I got a few kicks out of it. Definitely a lot of fun.

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At the studio in the afternoon I wrapped up a few loose ends. There is a mountain of bins awaiting their turn in digital photography. I plan on getting in bright and early on Saturday to get cracking on that.

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My good friend Mike D. came down for a game on Saturday evening: 3000 pts of Lizardmen vs. Orcs. It was a real nailbiter. We went to Taco Bell for dinner. I ate two small bags of candy corn. Yummers all around. I took enough footage for a summary type video. That is on my huge list of videos to edit.

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Burning alignment takes care of goblin fanatics in a jiffy.

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I got home just after midnight to find all the kids asleep (naturally) and my wife getting ready for bed. All around a perfect day.

New Orc Lord on Wyvern

I might just have to start and Orcs and Goblins army. I've got 90 goblins already done up, so that's a big part of the battle.

This model is much more dynamic and detailed than the last two that were published.

First Thing in the Morning

Hmmm... a blood-spattered helmet with a hole in it. What happened here?

Flash back to Thursday morning. I woke up with an almighty crick in my back. It felt like a mule had kicked me right between the shoulderblades. Throughout the day the ache swelled within my rib-cage until the whole of my torso was full of ill-being. I could barely get in the car for a date with my wife. We went out to sushi and a massage (my splurge for her birthday!). That last part really did the trick, shrinking that grapefruit-sized agony down to about a pea.

This morning I felt ever so much better.

I went straight to work, picking up Taco Bell for breakfast. Oh my.

Exciting things are in the works now at the studio:

• We're working on 5500 points of Tau, that just got out to assembly (this is for Pandora's armies). Some Forge World models are en route for that.
• There are about four armies waiting for pictures, among which is a Vampire Counts force.
• Materials for the next studio army arrived today: the Fate Weavers. This is meant to be a dual use army: 40K or Fantasy. Here are the assembly specs for that in case anyone is interested:

F a t e w e a v e r s
Tzeentch Daemons army for Fantasy and 40K

General Notes on Assembly
Models will be mounts on rounds. Each 40mm or 25mm needs a metal plate on the bottom, so you may need to use slotted bases, and then cover the slot.

You will use the parts from chaos spawn, principally, but also use green stuff. While they are chaotic beings, they should carry or have strapped to them scrolls, books, nailed- on pages, quills, phyclateries, candles, lecterns. All these elements should be copious, like insane library demons.

I will provide a bin full of parts and elements to use. Please do not use human-type or god-specific heads (other than Tzeentch) from the Spawn kit. These are daemons, not spawn (which are ultra-mutated humans).

The critical item is that they have some consistency.

Other elements and iconography of tzeentch are eyes, feathered wings, bird-heads and flames.

Basing
I would love some slate bases. Otherwise full texture.

Horrors of Tzeentch
.x40
Please make five prototypes then see me to discuss.
These are mounted on 25mm rounds. They each need a 15mm metal plate on the bottom. They will need to rank up for warhammer fantasy. See general notes above.

Horrors of Tzeentch Centerpieces
.x5
These should be mounted on 50mm squares. They are meant to bulk up the units for Warhammer Fantasy.



Flamers of Tzeentch
.x6
Please mount on 40mm bases. They are formidable close combat opponents and they shoot magical flames. Using that, have a good time. They normally go on 25mm bases, but I thought this would be a good opportunity to use the much larger spawn bases.

Blue Scribes
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Take a look in the book for this one. They are described as two blue horrors on a disc of tzeentch: one can only write and the other can only read. I am open to new interpretations: it could be a flying creature with two faces, one on each side like a hindu god. Please mount on 40mm base.

Changeling
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This is a special character who changes form. I’d like a tall, hooded figure. But I’m open to interpretation. Mount on 25mm round.

Skulltaker
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While this is a khorne character, I want you to make something that gives him a tzeentch spin. You can totally interpret this how you want. This hero is on a 25mm base. He has a “cloak of skulls” which would be an extensive trophy rack, like skulls on spikes. He decapitates his victims. Yes, that’s his special power.

Screamers of Tzeentch
.x6
Mount on 40mm rounds. This is a skirmishing unit, but will need to be ranked up if they charge. They are flyers universally, with decent close combat attacks. Their special power is to slash units as they fly over (in Fantasy) and bite holes in tanks (in 40K).

I have in the past represented them with spawn-like bodies but with feathered eagle wings. Not sure if we have any of these in stock.

I would like two of these to have riders, cloaked beings with staffs. These will double as Heralds of Tzeentch riding on discs.

Pathfinder Miniatures

Here's a really cool figure from a well-sculpted range. Pathfinder.

Goooo Longhorns!

Lazy River

Big news today is that the Anphelion Project terrain is up. I took some video, but I am really, really backlogged on processing videos. I have coming up:

• Morning Show
• Two army vids

Today I started bright and early, around 4:30am, then passed out again just before dawn. I spend most mornings taking my time with family. Lots of time with family. Came home early to play Talisman with the boys. They just love that game. I think they will like Space Hulk, too.

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We did some figures for the Anphelion set and those turned out fantabulous. I especially like the organic semi-phosphorescent thing going on with the Tyranids. I think that would be a great color scheme.

A Window

Sometimes things don't turn out the way you expected. But it will be good in a different way.

It's not getting what you want. It's wanting what you got.

Mystery Package

I got in a package with no name on it. Contents: attack bikes, rhino, death company, various marines. Is this yours? Please remind me what it was about.

Space Hulk Availability

I still have two slots open for the Space Hulk project. I've got the boxes pre-ordered and paid for. Don't be the one crying when they run out!

I wouldn't want to see that.

At the Blues-Soul-Swing Concert

Answering emails on my phone.

Willow loves mommy's hair!

"I'm so wasted! I'm SO WASTED! "

"No not really!"

"Can you believe daddy wore those socks with those shoes!? I'm so embarrassed!"

More Space Hulk

See two posts below this one for details on getting a fully painted Space Hulk set. Still two left as of this writing. First come, first served.

Maelstrom

The last four days have flown by like a technicolor tempest. The weeks are passing like the ticking of a cyclopean clock. Here are some pertinent news items:

• Baby is healthy and doing new tricks like standing up in her crib and making num-num noises.
• My wife's birthday is this month. We went out to a Blues concert. We also went out to lunch for some Thai food. I'm a big fan of pad thai. But easy on the spices.
• I ordered raw materials for the Fateweavers project. It's a dual use 40K/Fantasy tzeentch daemons army. I can't wait to try that out, it seems like a freaky and fun army to play. Lots of conversions coming for that.
• We've got a Luna Wolves Warhound Titan in the works; super deluxe.
• Kids start school again this week. Tough getting them used to going to bed early.
• Booking projects for September; large or small, any kind.

I love my life. It's so good.

Space Hulk is Here!

GW has this advertised as a limited run. They are sold out on the GW site!

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I have bought five of them to hold on to for clients. These are pre-orders and are due in early September. UPDATE: these are IN! I have them on hand and ready to go NOW.

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They will be for sale as a finished item-- all pieces assembled and painted as follows (total cost including game and shipping):

$775 at L4 (the pics include in this post are that Level)

$1050 at L5

$1475 at L6

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If you already own your set of Space Hulk, you can save $100 off this price (since the set is included in the cost for this deal). If you want to send us the models already assembled you can save another $100. Be sure to get those mould lines off!

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First come, first served. Deposit reserves the kit and the slot on the painting schedule.

Takes 2-3 weeks to turn around. If you want to call dibs on one, email me for clearance to make 0.5 down deposit. We can take requests for color scheme on Tyranids and some variation on the Terminators, but they are best standard blood angels-- they are loaded with iconography.

Pandora Tau Client Batrep

Garbage Disposal

Placeholder

Free Car Wash

Tonight there was a thundershower of epic proportions. The rain was the size of marbles and twenty rounds of thunder resounded against each other, back to back. It sounded like a bowling ball coming down a PVC pipe.

My wife and I rushed out in our jammies to shut the car windows and got soaked.

Ron Paul Fix- Health Care

Can't get enough of RP.

Pony Express

I love the United States Postal Service. I've tried other private services but they just don't stack up against the good ole USPS.

So, maybe the Federal Government can do something right.

But it's nice to know if the USPS did a lousy job I would have private options.

... Garbage Out

Great night’s sleep. I woke up refreshed and ready to go. My wife had some business at the school for the morning, so I was home watching the kids. After that I headed to the theater with K and J (ages ten and seven) to watch Ponyo.

Ponyo is rated G. It’s made by the same guy who did Spirited Away. It’s really for kids, there’s absolutely nothing scary about it. It made me open my mouth with awe and joy. The movie is delightful, colorful, and evocative. Totally worth the money. The more sensitive the soul, the more it will be enjoyed. Totally safe for kids of any age. You could probably put a two year old to sleep with it. I'd love to see it again in the theatre and we are going to own it for sure.

At the theatre I saw a sign prohibiting children under SIX from going into Rated R movies (even with parents) after 6pm. That there's a sign for it means that someone did it. Are you kidding me? Who the HECK is taking kids five and under to Rated R movies!?!?!

We were in a hurry to leave for the movie. So, we ate theatre food; hot dogs, popcorn and slushies. After that, their mom took them to the local Faire and they chowed down on carnival food. Longabout an hour or two after that, while relaxing at home, the puke-fest started. Four rooms and twenty towels were involved.

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Now that I've whetted your appetite...

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I'm booking projects for September. We stand at ready to serve for any project large or small (we do things besides whole armies).

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Don't forget to check out the Turbo Armies a few posts back. This is a way to get your army without a lot of thought, and get it at a good price.

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Client Response:

Hey Shawn, I saw your blog about the sign prohibiting children under six years old from going into R rated films and I wanted to share a sadly common comparison.

I work at a Gamestop. I applied with the thought of, "hey, I've always enjoyed video games so why not put that knowledge and experience to good use?" I was right, working sales at that store is a breeze because it is something I personally enjoy. However, working there has opened my eyes to some disturbing aspects of our society. The most common of these is the ignorance of some parents as they just allow their child to select anything from the store.
Just like with films, the heavy hitters of the video gaming industry are most often games that are intended for adults, these recieve the M rating which stands for Mature. You must be 17 or older to buy, or have a parent consent to the purchase if you are under age.

The store I work at sees the most traffic from children between the ages of eight and fifteen years old. Despite these young ages, M rated games like Gears of War and Call of Duty are the most popular purchases. These kids come in with their parents, pick out the latest and greatest M rated game, and the parent just shrugs when I tell them that the game is intended for 17 year olds because of blood, gore, language, sexual themes, etc...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not condemning M rated video games. Just like with film, these adult-oriented games are often the ones that dazzle and amaze with stunning visuals or a masterful plot. I'm not saying that people under the age of 17 should not be allowed to play these games but I am a believer of informed and active parenting. It should be the parent's decision whether or not their child is allowed to experience the content but that parent should be informed about said content and be active in deciding whether or not this specific child should exposed to that. I think that they should research the game and then think about how it will effect their child before making a decision.

As I mentioned before I am required to speak with a parent before selling a M rated game to a child. This is where both of our experiences are the same, the system and the people on the side that provides the product are perfectly fine but some parents are not active in deciding what is best for their child. This drives me absolutely mad. It seems that so many of the percieved "problems" with today's youngest generation are due to a lack of parenting. Parents ignoring their child's interests and behavior as long as it doesn't directly annoy or harm the parent.

So where do you think this "lazy" parenting came from? I believe that I am correct in my observations, why else would a sign be needed such as the one you saw at the theater? Why else would countless parents carelessly allow their children to purchase M rated games? Do you think there is a way to fix this or at least prevent it from happening again when my generation starts playing the parent role? I know my experiences in retail have affected me but not everyone knows or even cares about this phenomenon.

Sorry for the psuedo-vent session but I saw a comparison between your experience at the theater and my experiences everyday at work and I needed to jump on it.

Eldar Army For Sale

I stumbled across this on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEjrvDCYivE

This would be a good army to buy, and (maybe) have us refurb and paint it real nice.

Eldar Wave Serpent Tactica

This guy's got some good tactics.

Happy Cost of Government Day

Dear friend,
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Happy Cost of Government Day! Today, August 12, is Cost of Government Day (COGD), the day of the calendar year when the average American worker has earned enough gross income to pay off his or her share of the spending and regulatory burdens imposed by government on the federal, state, and local levels. COGD falls 26 days later than last year's date, and it's 23 days later than the previous all-time high of July 20, in 1982.
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There are numerous reasons for this explosive growth in government spending including TARP, the so-called Stimulus, and the big three auto "bailouts." If Congress and the President had not pushed for TARP, Americans would have celebrated COGD on July 25 rather than on August 12.
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As your Congressman and Senators hold their town hall meetings this recess, you should ask them why you needed to spend 224 days working to pay off your share of government. You should also ask them if you've already spent this much time working to pay off government, why would you possibly want to spend additional days working for a government takeover of healthcare?
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View the COGD report at www.CostofGovernmentDay.com and arm yourselves with the data to ask your representatives the necessary and hard questions about the astonishing growth in government. The report contains a state-by-state breakdown so you can find out how your state ranks by visiting www.CostOfGovernmentDay.com.
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Onward,Grover Norquist
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P.S. - Please consider making a donation to Americans for Tax Reform to help us spread the word about Cost of Government Day and the damage done to the American economy by excessive government spending on all levels. A donation of $100, $75, $50, or even just $10 will go along way towards helping us promote the research in this report and protect American jobs and small businesses from an over burdensome government.

Comment from Shawn: I think he should include also foreign wars, and overseas empire (eg 75,000 troops stationed in Germany), and "homeland security".

Pounding Surf

I still have about an hour of footage to edit and put up on Youtube.

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Today was insanely busy, both Sarah and I working with emergency room pitch, and still not caught up at the end of the day. Of course, that is an unusual lump. Tomorrow it will be unusually quiet.

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A client came by this morning. He is an officer at a state penitentiary. He enlightened us most generously about prison life, dispelling a number of myths that Sarah and I put forth.

We went out with most of the staff for ice cream, a belated "Sundae Monday" but with better attendance.

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I am very keen on doing Tzeentch Daemons for warhammer fantasy these days.

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I am very tie-red. See you tomorrow morning.

Overstimulated

My first order of business on Monday was to text Sarah and say that we had a big day ahead and to show up early. Sarah's first order of business on Monday was to text me with a reminder that she was out of town (as she had forewarned me the week before!).

It was an insanely busy day. I had an average of four things going on at the same time. However, by the end of the day I was caught up. And Sarah will be in Tuesday. Yay.

The joy of my life right now is my baby daughter. If I take her thumb out of her mouth, she just pops the other one in. That's Willow. She's a happy baby. She sleeps through the night. She doesn't cry except rarely. She smiles and laughs and brings joy to all who come near. She is so tender and mild. She loves to eat cheerios and jump in her bouncer. I can't get enough of her.

I am currently booking projects for September (best to start now!). I am still booking new Pandora's armies.

Green Tide

Saturday afternoon I headed down to the studio to tie up some loose ends, and check in some projects (Wood Elves and Blood Angels projects now done).

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And also to play a game of 40K against Renn. We only recorded a few minutes of the game, and then some post game-thoughts. It was 2000 pts: Bone Knights (space marines) vs. Redjaw Orks. One heck of a game.

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The key to success with the orks is to carefully survey the battlefield, figure out the shortest route to the enemy, then run at full speed in that direction. As I've said before, the new running rules have changed the game immensely. They allow an army to close the distance one turn than they would have before.

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Ork boyz roll a lot of dice. They have four attacks on the charge, multiplied by often 25 models that mak it across the board. And this is from a unit that costs about 200 pts. Not too bad. Even Termies can't win out against those odds.

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I'm percolating several new armies:

• Tzeentch daemons (I finally figured out the solution for the grinders = silver towers)
• Adeptus Mechanicus (using the IG list with like fourteen tanks, all converted up, and instead of guardsmen those little skitari hooded critters made out of skaven plague monks, and of course the usual cyber-creepy line-up of modified humans)
• Kroot as veteran guardsmen with looted imperial vehicles (basically another version of the imperial strike force with all veterans)
• Blue Dragons (this one is hard to imagine-- uses chaos space marines list with 1000 sons, looks like blue dragon-themed salamanders with electricity weapons and wierd science type contraptions eg. the laser weapon from the new bastion kit as a lascannon)
• Darkwing (uses Deathwing terminator list but with Chaos Terminators as the models-- an all Chaos Terminator army)
• Tomb Kings army using wargods of aegyptus models (mostly anubis)

PS- I shot some footage of both the terrain and the game. I didn't get to it on Saturday night, probably Monday.

Better all the time

How will the world change when every human can be in contact with every other human at any time?

I think the picture will become clearer.

New Terrain

I've been off the map the last few days. I kept it simple (not my usual thing) and just made a few sets with a friend who was in town, a fellow-hobbyist.

I made three different types of things. The two notable ones are "Acid World" terrain, about eight pieces; and "Mystic Lagoon" which is about fourteen pieces. The last thing was just some trees for the desert sandstone set we already have.

Anyhoo, it's the worst terrain I've ever made. Really bizarre and loaded with basic errors. But hey you might like it. I'll be doing a batrep later today using it.

Kudos for Kuornos- more praise for a Pandora's type army

Hey Shawn,

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I got the box of Wood Elves the day I got the email from you. I wanted to ask you to pass along my compliments to the painter, assembler, and packer. The figures look AWSOME. The paint scheme is very unique and eye catching! The packaging was similarly excellent. Not a single piece broken, damaged, or lopsided. I haven’t gotten all the way through the Krieg, but they’re packed just as well, and obviously just a cool looking! Keep that color scheme handy as I’ll need it again!

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Once again love the models,

L

Caught Up

I'm caught up with my work. I'm just waiting around. I am at your disposal if you'd like to set up a project.

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As a side note about these horses. These are for the "springtime elves". The artist interpreted the horses as part supernatural-- that their lustre was the same as the inside of a young spring sapling.

Rip the bandage off!

And now for something completely different; an argument for a progressive tax. I used to think the "death tax" applied to everyone. But it only applies to estates which have a significant amount of money. Does it prevent the consolidation of resources in a single family line? Or does it take from the family of the deserving and put the resources to dubious use in the hands of the political elite?

Trade-in Rates (old)

This is the old post.

Go here for current information

What are you waiting for?

OK, that's three unsolicited praise-tastic emails for the Pandora special. Don't you think it's time you booked yours?

1) determine your options (point level, painting level, and army choices/nixes)
2) pay half down
3) relax for about a month while we make your primo army

The only question left is: will "GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra" be a GREAT movie or the GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME?

Are you still reading this?

Pandorable Tau

http://www.bluetablepainting.com/view_gallery.php?galleryID=3025

Hey Shawn,

I never got the chance to thank you enough during our conversations over the length of this project, so I hope this can just about sum it up! I had always been a fan of your studio, but reluctant to treat myself to anything given the price; until Pandora came along! As I unwrapped all of your carefully packaged models, I realized what a truly amazing deal this really was. Especially for a high detail army like the tau, the amount of love that you guys put into these models really made them pop. Each sept marking was individually hand painted, making it easy to see which models belong to which squad, and also adding great narrative to the army itself.

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Not only was I excited to see your work, but your army list is simply incredible. As guard fanatic, I always lean toward a tanks first army. This elite heavy build is a loadout that I would have never thought of myself, but is incredibly enjoyable to play! Given the new build, it was no surprise that my regular opponents were completely taken by surprise too (that still doesn't account for the following three games that they lost to the greater good).

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To sum it all up, incredible experience. I know that I will enjoy this army for many years to come, and I can't wait to get my next order in! Best wishes to your and your staff; keep living the dream guys.

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Sincerely,

S

Pandora's Army special-- another ace

Shawn,

I just received my Imperial Guard Strike Force Pandora's army today. It literally made my day I opened up this large box and from what i saw was amazing, the paint scheme fits the narrative of the army very well and the details with the painting and conversions done to the models were great. I'm absolutely blown away by the Valkyries and the veteran squads each veteran model is different either being in a different pose or having some type of insignia on them to separate them from the other models. Shawn your studio has really out done themselves, amazing job.

Thank you for everything!
MS

Elaine and George

Yummy Warriors of Chaos.

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I got to the studio and started cracking at the bright and early hour of 9am (or so). I found Elaine... I mean Sarah down there already. We really started working through the stack and pretty much caught up by 1pm.

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I had a client come by the studio and we had quite a pleasant visit, he and his family. Hey Seth! Nice to meet you in person!

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I left early, after getting everything cleaned up, and went home to give my wife a hand with dinner. She's cooking for some of our neighbors, too.

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If you'd like to book a project, now is the time to do it.

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I'm also getting the September round of Pandora's Army specials ste up. I'm ready whenever you are.

Pandora Pandemic- Praise for Deathguard army

Hey Shawn,

The Pandora's army special Deathguard arrived today. I must say that I am impressed with the final product. The army arrived in near perfect condition ( just needed to spot glue an Obliterator arm and the Daemon Princes Torso). A hearty thank you to Blue Table on a job that went well above my expectations. I am eagerly awaiting my next order and will use you guys for all my future projects.

Thanx Again,
J

Clunk for Cashers

The realy enemy is the lack of understanding of basic (basic) economic principles. The most basic one is:

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Here's my take on this program, if you care. The cash for clunkers program is that someone shows up with a qualifying car (a clunker) at a dealer. They get a credit for the car and they buy a new one. The clunker is destroyed and the dealer gets a reimbursement from the federal government.

What is the net effect here?

1) new debt is created, assuming most people take out a loan for the new car. This benefits the banks.

2) since the old car (which still works) is destroyed, it reduces the supply of low-end cars, which I believe will make the cost of a used car go up. Who does this hurt? It hurts people who are in the market for a cheap used car. That's me by the way. I bought my car for less than $1000. That's all I could afford.

3) The vouchers have to be reimbursed by the government. Where do you suppose that money comes from? Ultimately, money is siphoned out of the private sector through one of three means: Taxation, Inflation (printing of money) or Public Debt. In the end it comes out of the pocket of the common man. That's you, yes you. You'll be buying your corn flakes and they'll be a little more expensive because A) the company that produces them will have an increased tax burden, B) the dollar is worth less than it was (because of money introduced into the system by the Cash for Clunkers program), or C) tax increases to pay back interest on money borrowed from foreign governments.

The $4500 vouchers someone happily got at the car lot (thinking it was a free lunch) will ultimately be spread around to the populace.

All this is part of the federal government's War ON Independence. People must not be allowed to live their lives peacably, humbly and debt-free.

I've noticed that food is not off limits. I predict you will see more and more "food crises" where the government must step in to be sure our food is safe. As people get crushed the feds will raid local farms and small producers in the name of food safety.

But this is really about control.

Imperial Guard Strike Force

This is one of the armies we did during the July run of the Pandora's army special. It's a 2000 pt Imperial Guard army. I am currently running this special until further notice. So bring it on.

Random Eye Candy

Human Tooth

My wife and I were watching a Swartzenegger flick on TV and we conked out on the couch. I shuffled my darling wife (wiped out from three days of camping with three kids-- tons of relatives around, though) off to bed. I woke at 1am and got to work. By the time I went back to sleep I was all caught up.

At one point I was listening to one of Regina Spektor's more fast-paced songs and I realized I was typing in double time to the beat as if the keyboard were a piano. I was really on a roll! I type 80wpm without errors, and can go faster.

I was pretty much caught up at work. Just twiddling my thumbs to set up projects. Come on people, let's go. Remember, you can get a Pandora's army that is awesome and happy for $850 (1500 pts). I don't think you can beat that. We provide everything; do all the footwork.

I got into trouble today by letting my boredom turn into a project: cleaning and organizing the assembly room. You can imagine how many bitz we have left over. We have enough extra parts to make a Space Marine army, for sure. We totally rearranged the place. Swept and filled about two large black trash cans with detritus. Everything ship shape.

I am reading the planetstrike book. I'm looking to get in a game this week.

I'm setting up the next round of Pandora's armies if anyone is interested.

It was Sundae Monday but I forgot to bring the camera, sorry to say. I will have vids of other sorts up tomorrow.

From a poisoned fount comes forth bitter water

A reader sent in this article:
http://rushkoff.com/2009/07/31/bank-bonuses-carpet-bag/

And here's another one about private health insurance:
http://www.doublex.com/section/news-politics/health-insurance-woes-my-22000-bill-having-baby

We pay about $424 a month for ours, but it has an astronomical deductible of $10,000 a year. We saved up and paid out of pocket for Willow. About $2600 at a birth home. She had complications that set us back another couple a thousand. We found the hospital very reasonable with a payment plan with very modest installments.

I think the solution is more supply. The free market is not being allowed to operate. Birth homes, Care Clinics. There you go. Let the man do his job.

Death Korps Spreadsheet Up

Now more inclusive. I was suprised to find about forty different kits produced for this range. This is easily the most extensive Imperial Guard set outside of Cadians.

http://www.bluetablepainting.com/view_files.php?download_categoryID=7

You've got to do a right-click then "save target as" thing.

If you want to play around with that.

Myth of the Rational Market: progress

I am about halfway through my new book. I thought it would be the opposite of books I've been reading (about free markets and sound money and economics 101) but it's really not. Just a different sort of thing. It's a history of Wall Street and the various money theories to come through. It's a hard read with a lot of names. It's like reading an index to an encyclopedia... something like that.

It's full of things like "binomial market operations" or whatever. I don't understand half of it, but I'm getting the general vibe of things.

If anything there is some convergence. More on this later.

Newthink

I've been thinking outside the box a lot recently. What if everything I've been taught is wrong?

For example:
When you want to start a small business the first stop is the bank because they'll provide the money. WRONG! A bank loan is a killer for a small business. Get private investors if you have to, or even better yet, just shoestring it for a few years until you can amass capital and customers.

Here's another one:
Invest money for retirement so you can live off the interest. WRONG? The banking/investing system is more likely to destroy the value of your investment; the government is devaluing the dollar at a faster rate than the interest you will earn. What about actually creating a cache of all the physical materials you will need, as well as items that will be of intrinsic value (to trade or cash-in later). This will proof your stash from government looting.

I'm thinking of writing a short book. Basically, how to disconnect from the system as much as possible without becoming a caveman or a hippie. A different way of living. And then keep track of it so you can see if I'm eating dog food in my old age.

Is it possible to live in the city limits, in a nice home and still have the self-sufficiency of a mountain man?