Cuparius.com

Several months and several false starts later...

The Cuparium is back! Thank you for dropping in to see if the old edifice is still standing. It is. As far as my resolution to work on it more frequently is concerned, the year isn't over yet. So, let us belay further apologies and commence.

It's been a long time since I mentioned a book in the updates. This is partly because of time constraints and partly because most of the books I have been reading lately are technical in nature. One exception is a book I finished last month, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford. I was wary of the possibility that it might be little more than a revisionist hagiography, but further reading expunged my suspicions. The magnitude and number of contributions to civilization that can be attributed to the Mongols is staggering. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in history.

What would happen if the vanguard of an alien invasion landed on Earth, in England... in A.D. 1345? What would an insignificant community of peasants, yeomen archers, and knights do in the face of such an incomprehensible horror? Why, attack, of course! Written in the form of an account by a humble monk who was a witness of and participant in the events, The High Crusade by Poul Anderson is a quick and entertaining read for anyone interested in science fiction or medieval history. Originally published in 1960, it was recently reissued and can be ordered by your favorite local bookshop or online.

The Way of the Pirate (previously published as Who's Who in Davey Jones' Locker) by Robert Downie is a light, easy-going overview of the history of piracy during its golden era. Far from being scholarly or comprehensive, it is nonetheless a handy sloop from which one can move to bigger craft, such as Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates by David Cordingly.

Whilst I am on the subject of pirates, I might as well mention that I saw Captain Blood (1935) starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland for the first time. Is it corny? Aye, 'tis a bit in places, but the fencing scenes are still far better than most you see even in movies today (or especially, I should say). The more martial arts movies I see, the more I am bored by them, but movies with great swordplay continue to fascinate me. The Mark of Zorro (1940) starring Tyrone Power is one of my favorite classic fencing movies. I always felt Power made the best Zorro, and he was one of the greatest swordsmen in the film industry. Two other great swashbuckling movies are The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974) starring Michael York, Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, and Frank Finlay as the heroes of the novel by Alexandre Dumas. It was brilliantly directed by Richard Lester. Do yourself a favor and rent or buy the DVD set. The attention to historical detail and the performances from the extra to the top-billed actor are nothing short of spectacular. And to conclude this paragraph on the subject with which I began it, I plan to see Errol Flynn's other pirate movie, The Sea Hawk (1940) in a few weeks. (It is in my Netflix queue.)

Today I ought to be attending Origins, the gaming convention in Columbus, but it was not fated to be. It is particularly frustrating because Grey Ghost Press, Inc. announced belatedly that Steffan O'Sullivan, author of Fudge, the greatest role-playing game of all time, will be there, and he will be running some events! This year is the tenth anniversary of my favorite role-playing game, being celebrated in my own state with the release of the tenth anniversary edition of the game and the game's creator in attendance, and here I am, typing away at home. I wanted to pre-register for the convention in December and run some events of my own, but I knew even then that I couldn't predict what my occupational status would be in July, and sure enough, I am on the precipice of being "between jobs" as the fate of the bookshop where I now work is being determined. In a few days I shall learn whether the bookshop's move will mean a reopening at a new location, or permanent closure. In the interim, I am taking this opportunity to do some reading, writing, and gaming, and updating the Cuparium was my first priority. (Thanks for goading me, Bethanne!) I really owe my several readers a lengthier update to make up for the absence, so here are a few more items of Cuparian interest.

First, I am adding to my New Year's resolution the following resolution: I resolve that I shall pre-register before the end of December for Origins 2006, that I shall submit the events that I intend to run in time for the first deadline so they may be included in the pre-registration booklet, that I shall ensure that my brother and any friends who wish to attend are pre-registered before the deadline, that I shall start saving early for the various expenses that inevitably arise from attending a convention, and that I will be fully prepared to submit and playtest my events before the end of December.

Second, I will update the Cuparium more frequently than any previous year of its existence, even though the year is half over and I haven't had a very good start.

Third, (and I do not know why I am numbering these), I bought some books on CSS (cascading style sheets), and I plan to use the knowledge thus extracted to improve my other Web sites enough to make them worth linking here. Once that is done, I can start remodelling the Cuparium itself.

Fourth, it is long past time to start submitting my writing to publishers again. There has been a hiatus of more years than I care to admit, and it must end now. A state of half-living is not acceptable; artistic pursuits are essential to my survival.

Fifth, I must find more time to read. I already have a ridiculous number of books I haven't read yet, and list upon list of books I want to buy and read, so I must make the time to read them. Och, I swear I need a TARDIS for my reading.

And speaking of the TARDIS, the new Doctor Who fails to impress me. I hope the next incarnation is an improvement, but the only lasting improvement can come from a change of writers, directors, and producers. Currently, the series is all wrong on every level. At least the next Doctor is played by a Scotsman. Then again, if he's as bad as his predecessor, I'll be regretting that fact.

Movies I want to see very soon:

• Cinderella Man (for my sake)
• Batman Begins (for my parents' sake)
• The Fantastic Four (for all our sake)

Movies I have no intention of seeing:

• Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith (Just say no.)
• War of the Worlds (Don't even get me started on this travesty.)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Over my dead body. Willy Wonka will never be rivalled.)

Finally, here are two new links I've added to the links page, since it has been neglected for some time. Lists of Bests is, as its name implies, a compilation of the lists of the best of various things, namely winners of literary and film awards. BookSense.com is a Web site of the American Booksellers Association in support of independent booksellers across the United States. I also did some slight alterations of the format of the page. I broke down the "Literary & Informative" category into "Letters" and "Facts," and I changed the "Rights of Creators" category to "Creative Rights." I think that streamlines the page better.

Now, let's see if the resolutions hold!