At 51, with a kid in college and another in high school, I’m firmly in the Sandwich Generation (and have been for years). These are the folks who find themselves caring for kids and providing support for their older parents. In this episode, I talk about my experiences and offer advice for others in a … Read more
After a year away from backpacking, I hit the trail again with a two-day hike in Wharton State Forest in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Wharton’s become the go-to destination for introductory backpacking hikes in NeutronLad’s troop – it’s flat and well-screened by the ubiquitous pines. Throw in some cedar ponds, a meandering brook, … Read more
Dice.Camp is a Mastodon-based alternative to Twitter built around role-playing games. With Elon Musk’s chaotic neutral leadership style playing havoc with Twitter on a daily basis, many of my online friends have migrated to this and other Mastodon-based social media alternatives. You can find me there as @nukehavoc. I also post frequent updates for the … Read more
The Long, Dark, Winter is upon us, and in this episode, I talk about some strategies for dealing with it. I also talk about my family’s new Seeing Eye puppy, catch up on what’s been happening over the last year or so, and geek out about my new RPG campaigns.
I started bullet journaling in 2018. Periodically, while working on my journal in public, people will say “I always wanted to bullet journal, but I’m afraid of messing it up.” Or “I have the perfect notebook at home, but I’ll never use it because I don’t want to ruin it.” I tell them … it’s ok … Read more
As our kids get older, finding Christmas presents for them gets more challenging. At 19 and 16, there are fewer and few toys that they want, so it’s more a question of gift cards and clothes. That said, this year, we surprised them when a PlayStation 5 appeared under the Geek Tree. We talked about … Read more
Behold the firepower of this fully armed and operational Geek Tree! Continuing Nuketown’s new tradition of themed Geek Trees (because I have way too many geeky ornaments), this year, I went with a Star Wars theme. It features 48 ornaments ranging from Luke Skywalker (1997) to Obi-Wan Kenobi (2021). The geek tree itself is a 9-foot tall narrow artificial tree … Read more
My family started raising Seeing Eye puppies in 2014. We get the pups when they’re seven weeks old and then spend a year teaching them basic obedience and socialization. They go back to the Seeing Eye at around 14-16 months old, where they get a physical and (hopefully) complete their training to become guide dogs … Read more
I started publishing Nuketown in 1996. I started using Google Analytics with Nuketown in 2006. In those early days of the site, Nuketown would get hundreds of page views a day, sometimes hitting a thousand. Over time, traffic declined significantly, partly because I posted less (ok, a lot less), and partly because the rules of … Read more
After too many years away, I’m headed back to my regional gaming convention, MEPACon. Held in the Poconos for many years, the convention moved to the Lehigh Valley for Fall 2022. It’s now 15 minutes from my house instead of 50, which means I can easily commute back and forth. The convention runs November 11-13, 2022 … Read more