Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Adepticon 2017.....and my plans



Adepticon is this weekend in the Chicago area…..huge tournament scene in the Midwest.  I’ve been asked by a number of people of when I’m going to return to Adepticon and some of the other larger Midwest tournaments.  

I missed most of the tournaments in 2014 by choice as I was doing a lot of kart racing and just wanted a break from the tournament scene and I had pretty much stopped playing any miniature games on a semi-regular basis as I was just not having fun doing it.  I always planned to return in 2015.
 
But, then I was diagnosed with an Acoustic Neuroma on the left side at the end of 2014/early 2015, essentially a benign growing tumor in my head, pressing hard up against my brain stem.  That turned my world upside down.  I was given the option, to put off the surgery for as much as a year, but like I do most things, I said what is the next available date, I'll take that one, and meet it head on swinging.  At the time we did not know if it was benign or a malignant cancerous tumor, the expert thought it was benign but growing.  And, it led to one event of 11 hours of major surgery on my head.  The closest thing to brain surgery that you can probably have without it actually being brain surgery, involving 5 wonderful doctors and many nurse from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, along the way.  The surgery left me a lot of problems from recovery and relearning how to do many of the things that we take for granted day to day.  It also led to nerve issues, to left eye issues, depth perception problems, to 100% hearing loss on the left side, to headaches, to having 6 screws in my head, to having a loud continuous infernal hissing in my deaf ear that will never go away, to balance problems, etc.  I’ve had a lot of issues especially in loud and noisy environments that make it to the point that it’s like sensory overload for my right ear, where I just can’t hear anything.  That is getting better, I am adapting to all of that.  It is however likely that I will never be out of the woods escaping what is left of the tumor on my facial nerves next to my brain stem. 

All that happened and kept me away in 2015, then the last remaining gaming system that I frequently played, Warhammer Fantasy Battles completely changed to something that I’m not really into.  Somewhere in there the local hobby store closed, because the Owner died of a heart attack and caused the loss of our major congregation point in the city.  And then a new place took over the scene, but has a history in the area of being the place where you go for illegal drugs, I want and can’t have anything to do with that.  So, I was and as far as that goes still am kind of stuck without anything really ready to play, at least anything that is currently popular at the moment.  I still know I will have issues in those noisy convention halls and probably always will.  I don’t really have an answer for when I will return, if I return, and to what degree do I return.  2016 came and went and you did not see a lot of activity from on the blog as I was still having issues with the left eye, but it was improving, ever so slowly.

I do miss the tournament scene, hanging with my buddy Mike Butcher and others, playing games with friends and acquaintances from across the Midwest, competing in the paint competitions, etc.  I have some major things that I still want to do.  I believe that I have adapted to a point that I can at least function in those noisy environments.  

So, with that all said, there are some changes planned in 2017 as to where I’m going with things.  I’ve begun thinning out my Warhammer Fantasy collection and have many things that I will be selling including bits and partially converted items.  I’m going to concentrate on projects that I seriously want to do.  The historical’s aspect of the hobby is not changing for me, that is something that I enjoy doing still and will continue doing.  I’m also exploring the possibility of returning to the 40k world, which means I need to step my airbrush game, which is something that I do want to do as well.  I’ll still be racing karts just about every weekend from April to the end of September, that isn’t going to change, even though my lack of balance is hurting my performance on some tracks in particular, and my physical fitness is probably at an all time low. 

I may not travel to Adepticon 2017, Mike will be there, but I hope to triumphantly return in some manner in 2018.

As I move forward, I’m always reminded by something Teddy Roosevelt was credited with saying…its sort of been my creed of recovery...and I am still recovering albeit slowly, and in defiance of people who did not think I could some of the things that I'm doing... “....The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievements; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither defeat nor victory.”  
I don't quit being who I am....as always much more to follow....and thanks to those of you who read and follow my blog as well.

7 comments:

  1. Good to see you still painting and blogging - there are a great many people who would have given up.

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    1. Kart racing is my other big hobby and I was determined to return to doing both of my hobbies and other such things that I had interest in. I had initially thought the karting would be hardest of the two to return to, but it turned out that painting and sculpting was harder to do with the eye issues and nerve problems that slow it made that harder to do than the physical nature of kart racing. I still cannot ride a bicycle without tipping over and crashing, I might need to buy a tricycle. And the adjustment to the hearing loss has been harder than I even thought it would be in social settings, where it just makes you so very frustrated. That as well is one of the side effects of the surgery that I had as well as that its trauma that does change you. I have great empathy now more than ever for stroke victims and people who are deaf or just hard of hearing. I think I've coped with it alright, and my willingness to openly talk about it with people probably also is huge help to me.

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  2. Excellent inspirational post, thanks for sharing. Lovely to see you out the other side of your setbacks, and all power to you on the road to Adepticon 2018.

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    1. Appreciate that comment very much. I know that I will have a fight somewhere down the road coming, whether its this year or in 20 years. Hopefully technology can catch up. In the meantime I have a bunch of empty space where my inner ear use to be, maybe someday they will come up with a bionic replacement or some sort of Johnny Nuemonic data storage device that can be connected to my brain somehow......

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  4. 40k will suit for you well! Because with all those screws in head and TONS of determination you`re just like spacemarine now.
    I wish you succesful realisation of all plans! And more beautiful miniatures of course ;)

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