Lev Lafayette's journal

Have had a fairly busy week in my favourite pastime. Every day this week I've been working on finishing Papers & Paychecks as well as RPG Review 35-36, now a double issue of Antipodean gaming material. To have both out by the end of the month would be ideal, and I think that is certainly going to happen at current rates of work. Much of RPG Review has been helped by reverancepavane whose epic writing for RPGaDay has been nothing less than extraordinary. In actual play on Wednesday finished the classic introductory Stormbringer scenario The Tower of Yrkath Florn which includes nothing less than a Melnibonéan wheel (my calculations put the value at around $3m AUD). As I've wryly remarked this may very well be our Stormbringer; a theme which I don't think the game does well is the idea of tragedy from power. It was also a heavy Eclipse Phase weekend, with a game on Friday night which curiously was chasing down a antagonist whom the players in my Sunday game are close to encountering for the first time. Whilst a good scenario, once again I could not help but chuckle at the author's rather light idea of what a seedy "sex and drugs and gangs" red-light district would consist of - especially in a transhumanist environment.

On Friday finally managed to write up my review of The Residents concert from March last year. On Saturday attended Software Freedom Day and the LUV AGM, where I have found myself on the committee for yet another year. Afterwards went to usekh's memorial birthday at the Back Bar. Kudos are due to damien_wise for doing most of the organising of the event. Today visited St Michael's to hear Rev. Ric Holland's impressive service on forgiveness, also taking the opportunity to introduce Shupu, to the location. I hadn't been for several months and was never a regular attendee, so I was quite surprised to discover a few people remembered me. The Rev. offered to catch up for coffee some time and I certainly intend to take up that invitation. Afterwards made my way to university, and stumbled upon the a protest against racism and fascism which I attended; the media of course, concentrated on a very minor disruption, ignoring the important message that the Rohingyan refugee speaking was presenting at the same time.

A substantial portion of this week has been getting stuck into my latest foray in studies, a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary and Adult Education back at my old alma mater, Murdoch University. Initial contributions include a Teaching Philosophy Statement, where I outline my support for neo-pragmatism and the social context of knowledge (Vygotsky) within the confines of cognitive development. Next task on the agenda is to engage in a critique of the weird combination of sociology and developmental psychology that Tanner and Arnett's theory of emerging adulthood. I really should see about how Murdoch is faring these days, and if anything remains of the genre fiction club I started in 1988.

Delightful dinner at the Sahara Bar on Wednesday night with the Interfaith Committee for St. Michael's Uniting Church. Main activities this year will be interfaith forums on social justice issues (e.g., asylum seekers, marriage equality, reproductive rights) and a study group on Karen Amstrong's Charter for Compassion. On a similar side of the road, have been informed that my address from last year Great Unitarian Political Leaders of Australia and New Zealand is a feature article in an upcoming Quest, the newsletter of ANZUUA. On Sunday facilitated the Philosophy Forum with PhD candidate (and former workmate) Pat Sunter speaking on philosophical issues in urban planning; touched upon some of the history (e.g., Garden Cities movement from the 1890s), as well as the ontological issue of being within a city environment, and the epistemology of knowledge dispersion within a city.

The weekend started with a decision to reorganise the study (well, more of a gaming room to be honest). The need to move furnishings around and purchase several more bookcases resulted in a trip to Ikea. There is no attempt to pretend that Ikea furnishings are good, merely functional - I believe it was Generation X that coined the phrase "semi-disposable Swedish furniture". That evening was Chiara's 38th birthday gathering (making it some 22 years since we first met). Spent a long and pleasant evening with her, family, and friends, and had a long chat with recumbenteer; caseopaya was planning on attending as well, but had been offered a free ticket to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, which apparently consisted of excellent sound, but a dodgy crowd. Later on Sunday ran the second session of the Pirates of the Vistula scenario for Twilight 2000.