[Groop] The Other Stuff

Tone Tone at moon-shine.net
Thu Nov 23 10:37:26 PST 2006


            As a kid I was into Dungeons & Dragons, and almost always
played a Thief character. Later on I even DMed an all thief game for a
few friends. From that D&D/thief interest a number of collections
developed. I collected about a dozen lead miniatures of "thief"
characters and snatched up a number of D&D books/modules related to
thieves. These days I still have all that stuff, but I do not play D&D
anymore. Although in the past recent years I added video/pc games
involving Thieves, specifically the "Thief" computer game trilogy. When
I get a chance to actually play them I get so involved and do them so
thoroughly that I have not even finished the second game in the trilogy.
 
            I am also into art, so from the AD&D interest stemmed a
major collection of Sci-Fi/Fantasy art, mostly in the form of collector
cards, but also a few artist portfolio-style books. I still have a few
art books from a couple of the artists I enjoyed more, but I pretty much
sold off my entire art card and book collection. In fact I still have
the images and detailed description from one of the eBay auctions on my
own server in case anyone is curious as to what artists I had:
http://www.moon-shine.net/ebay/artcards/artcards.html
 
            While on the topic of art, I actually went to school for
computer graphics animation. While in school I collected a few CG made
videos, but mostly I was interested in non-mainstream alternate
techniques of animation. Ultimately I eBayed much of the computer
generated videos from the early 1990s I had, but I still have well over
two dozen videos/DVDs of the other stuff. I have the "Wallace & Gromit"
stuff on DVD and video (in fact if anyone thinks they might be
interested in the original trilogy I have them on video and have wanted
to sell them at a reasonable price since I got them on DVD). Obviously
"Wallace & Gromit" are stop-motion claymation and kind-of mainstream,
but when I say alternate techniques of animation I mean stuff, which is
even more uncommon. live-action freeze frame, colored sand, moist-oil on
glass, pin-board shadow animation, paper/board cut-out,
edited-mixed-media, stop-motion of just about any object imaginable
(think toys, dolls, action figures, found-objects, even butchered
meat!), charcoal/chalk, standard claymation, and (my favorite)
strata-claymation.
 
            From my schooling I also developed an interest in mythology,
probably because some of it had fantasy elements in it. This eventually
evolved a personal enjoyment in things related to Pan/Satyrs. I not only
have a small collection of Pan flutes, but I also play them
occasionally. At one time I had about a dozen different types of Pan
flutes. Like the art cards, I eBayed a few of them. I think that was
because I could not play them all and I dislike possessing so many
material things, especially when someone else could be enjoying them.
Now I try to only keep about three or four flutes, but I still have two
or three left I would like to sell. Anyone think they might be
interested? :-)  Apart from the Pan flutes I also got into collecting
Pan/Satyr statuettes/figurines. Like the Pan flutes, I think I must have
gathered over a dozen of them, and like the Pan flutes I eBayed some of
them. I still have three or four, which I intend to keep, but like the
Pan flutes I also have about two Pan/Satyr figurines I have not had a
chance to sell off.
 
            Then there are snowflakes. For a while I got the idea of
collecting silver-snowflake Christmas ornaments in my head (for a very
specific amusing reason, which I will not bother you all with). My idea
involved eventually being able to decorate our Christmas trees with just
white strands of lights and silver snowflakes in a very simple and
elegant tasteful manner. It got to the point where my sister, mother,
girlfriends, and even girlfriends' mothers would buy me snowflakes!
Unfortunately some of them did not grasp the actual concept I had in
mind and would buy me glass, crystal, and/or non-flat snowflake
ornaments. Suspiciously (and conveniently) one of the glass ornaments
broke. hmm I am no longer with that girlfriend. ;)  After a while I had
enough silver snowflakes and was starting to get too many snowflakes in
forms I did not want, so I terminated the collecting of that collection.
I still have enough of the appropriate snowflakes to decorate a tree as
I want though. :-)
 
            Even though I have that degree in computer graphics,
currently I work as a bicycle messenger, and have become quite absorbed
in the courier community and cycling lifestyle. Through that absorption
I have understandably collected a number of cultural/social bike (mostly
messenger) related things like books, calendars, videos, artwork
(prints/photos), ANIMATION, shirts/jerseys/clothing-in-general,
spoke-cards, flyers/posters, and even a coloring book.
 
            Apart from all that for a number of years when I was younger
I studied/trained in martial arts. Maybe Groo rubbed off on me some how
on that interest. :-) At one point I even had a nice sword (I sold it
off to a co-worker), but I was more into practicing Arnis, which is a
Filipino knife & stick-fighting style. From training in Arnis I
gradually gathered a small collection of fighting sticks made in
different materials and styles. Again, like everything else I collected,
I phased out a lot of the sticks and other weapons I once had by selling
them to friends and stuff. Now I just have two pairs of sticks and a
couple of knives.
 
            Enough collected. and 'nuff said. :-)
_TONE_
 
 
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