Liebstered!

Last week Randroid over at Drinkin' and Modellin' nominated me for a Liebster Award this year - thanks fellah!  Then to make me feel even more special, before I could respond Brendon the Kiwi from The Gamer's Table also nominated me.  Well shucks, its nice to feel the love! The rules go something like this:

Copy and paste the award on your blog linking the blogger who has given it to you.

Pass the award to up to 11 blogs by listing them on your own blog.

Answer the Questions

Sit back and bask in the warm fuzzy feeling that you have made someone's day.

There is no obligation to pass the award on to someone else but it is nice if you take the time to do so.

For the on forwarding of this Award I humbly nominate:

Dux Homuculorum: Alan's great blog, in which he sometime discusses the wargaming club he runs at his school.  A brave effort indeed my friend.

GW Pertinent: Tristan from Canada's laid back musings on Blood Bowl, gaming and other fun stuff.  

Merry Mayhem News: A collection of Blood Bowlers from across the world, sharing he love, and the odd boot to the face!

Sarcophagi; a fun little blog with Eldrich horrors, Star Wars and a nice guy

A Wargaming Odessey - David's impressive meanderings between projects, further by his being a gamer unafraid to write his own rules for seemingly any period at all!

Michael's 28mm Victorian Warfare - a very highly talented gamer who never fails to amaze

The Historical Miniaturist: Another very talented guy whose projects produce fantastic results.

And with Seven being a lucky number, I'm going to leave it there.

For Questions bit I get to wax lyrical :

1. Why did you start blogging? - Initially to share some of the nonsense I got up to, then to share some of nonsense my friends did, then nonsense that my Lad and I did together.  Now I find it just as useful as my own record of links and activities for me to reflect on.  I also find it inspiring when I set myself a goal to be finished something by Monday so I can post it on the blog, and then the feedback from that gets me more motivated for the next piece.  When you are on a roll, its a self sustaining positive cycle.  Arent too many of those in life!
2. If you could change one thing about the wargaming hobby, what would it be? I'd have more time to indulge myself in it.  The irony of young gamers having lots of time and no money to make the most of it with, and more mature gamers having money and no time to enjoy it, is rather frustrating!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            OK I'm going to cheat and add a second answer to this one: I'd make more of the Hobby like the Hobby "Blogosphere".  How is it that we have a great online community around the various blogs, but suffer flame trolls on various forums and TMP, and a higher proportion of overly competitive asshats at conventions? Not sure.  So all modesty aside, I'd make more gamers like bloggers: tolerant, interested and fun to communicate with.
   
3. What is best in life? Its a little cliche, but Crushing Your Enemies etc is rather fun... And when else do you get to use the word Lamentation?  Seriously though, the best thing in life in companionship, be it with a special someone, child, good friend or someone you find interesting - like the guy you just met across the gaming table who seems a good fellow and will make the next few hours fun.  Its people who make life fantastic.  Of course crushing a few along the way (on the gaming table) is fun too :-)
   
4. Do you want to live forever? Sounds good to me, but all the movies and books I've read say its bad.  I'm not convinced though...
5. Fame or fortune? - Like most things in life, a balance of everything in moderation is best.  Excepting beer obviously, particularly if you have made it yourself.
6. What miniature are you most proud of having painted? - That seems to shift as my interests wander.  Sometimes is a particular Viking, other times its a 15mm tank or Blood Bowl player.  Whats important to me is trying to improve.
7. How do you deal with burn out? - Start a new genre or period to be interested in.  If I'm really over gaming I focus on Scouting, work or something else for a bit until that familiar itch returns, often unexpectedly like in a cool movie when you say to yourself "WoW, I'd love to do a game of that"
8. Why is a raven like a writing desk? 42
9. Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Wars is the Action fans' SF, Star Trek the thinker's SF, so it depends what mood I'm in.  If I have to take just one it would be the Starship Enterprise NCC-1701 in all her glory.
   
10. If you could only buy from one miniature company from now on, which one would it be? Again this will change as my interests wander.  One week it will be Impact Miniatures with all their Blood Bowl figs, other months it will be Bacchus and their 6mm ranges or Plastic Solder Company's expanding WW2 ranges.  A fickle mind indeed!
11. What is your favorite take out? Thai Pad See Yew with chicken.  I just have to get one large enough to share with my darling wife, who also adores it!
    

There you have it! If you found yourself in my list of blogs to receive a Liebster please answer these same questions (or something similar that you want to answer) in a blog post of your own. Of course participation is voluntary but it would be interesting to see what you come up.