Friends here's my end-of-year update, a version of which some of you may have gotten with your holiday cards. Janice and I hope that all your holidays were happy, and we wish you a healthy and prosperous New Year! I received several books and movies for Christmas, including an encylopedia of Victorian fantasy and Marx Brothers DVDs.

After a busy fortnight at work, I've had a chance to catch my breath this week. Since we saw my family in Virginia around Thanksgiving, Janice and I spent Christmas in Upstate New York with her folks. We played with our nieces and nephews, as well as with numerous pets, including six dogs, a cat, a chicken, and rats.

I also went with brothers in law Gary T.L. and Melvin W. to screen "King Kong." Peter Jackson's remake of the classic 1930s monster movie (also remade in the 1970s) started very slowly, but the action scenes later on made up for that. I liked the recent movie adaptations of "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" better (not to mention related kaiju "Godzilla: Final Wars," which I haven't yet seen).

I've spent much of this week catching up on filing, sleep, and reading, as well as running D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands: Seekers of Lore" sessions and playing in Paul J.'s game. Tomorrow (Friday, 30 December 2005), Janice and I may visit the new Ikea furniture store in Stoughton, Massachusetts, and on Saturday, I'll be meeting some of the local social/gaming groups for the "Star Wars" exhibit at the Boston Museum of Science.

In retrospect, it was great to see so many of my friends at the bachelor parties and weddings of Corbin A.Y. & Andria K.Y. in Virginia and of Steve M.R. & Aleece Z.R. (who are expecting their first child) in Cleveland this past spring! Janice and I took a weeklong cruise on a small ship around the New England islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket last summer. We also hosted visits by our families, Steve & Aleece for the Boston Marathon, Carolyn M.P. from Virginia, and college chums Dexter V.H. and Stuart C.G. from New York. I hope to get down to metropolitan New York and Washington D.C. again soon. With a little advance notice, you’re always welcome up here in the Boston area, but you might want to wait until after our long winter!

On a less happy note, Janice and I are still recovering from our basement floods of October, in which eight-plus inches of water destroyed scores of comic books and magazines, about 200 gaming books (a third of my total collection), and about 35 years’ worth of personal mementos. While I’ve replaced some of the books with help from friends such as Erik B.L., Tim M.B., Jim J.D’B., and Greg D.C., it’s still a pain for a pack rat like me. Our renters’ insurance company won’t cover any of our losses.

In the three years that we’ve been in the duplex in Needham Heights, Massachusetts, we never had a problem with moisture in our basement until recently, and while the new development up the hill has regraded its lots and our landlord has repainted our storage/gaming area, we won’t have peace of mind until a sump pump is put in.

Janice and I also had to give away our chinchillas, Josie and Ginger, which we had inherited from Mark A.S. & Ann W. when they moved their growing family to New Zealand. Janice had become sensitive to their dust baths, hay feed, and fur, and while we were sad to see “the girls” go, we managed to find a good home for them in Connecticut. Janice has also started volunteering at a different animal shelter (one closer to home) on Sunday mornings.

The local social/gaming group has been very active: Eight guys have been meeting for role-playing sessions every Tuesday night. The “Seekers of Lore,” the latest Player Character party in my D&D3.5 “Vanished Lands” heroic fantasy campaign setting, started out as a band of wandering minstrels but became Goblin-fighting mercenaries and have now set sail on the dangerous Sea of Nagendwa…

I’ve also run several successful one-shots, some involving past “Dungeons and Dragons” parties, such as “Faelonia,” “Tunnel.” and former “Dragonlayers” destroying the dreaded Flying Citadel, as well as the D20 “Mutants & Masterminds” 2nd Ed. “Drake’s Port” superheroes! I look forward to returning to them and trying out GURPS Fourth Edition in the coming year. In addition, I’ve been playing the “City of Heroes” multiplayer online computer game with Dexter V.H. and have run play by e-mail scenarios with Carolyn M.P./Jaguar Woman Ranger “Grace” and others… You’re welcome to join us!

What were your favorite movies of the past year? The long-awaited “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” was mostly satisfying, if dark, and “Serenity” was a very good capstone to “Buffy: the Vampire Slayer” creator Joss Whedon’s short-lived “Firefly” television space western. Of the latest wave of comic-book superhero flicks, “Batman Begins” was one of my favorites.

Stop-motion fable/horror spoof “Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit” held its own against numerous computer-animated competitors, and “Harry Potter [4] and the Goblet of Fire” and the adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” continued the resurgence of fantasy in the wake of Peter Jackson’s epic version of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings.” I haven’t yet seen “Zorro 2,” but I’m looking forward to “X-Men 3,” “Superman Returns,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest” in the coming months!

What television shows are you currently watching? I haven’t been following most broadcast programs, such as “Lost,” but I have made time for “Veronica Mars,” “Smallville,” “Stargate SG1,” and the outgoing “Teen Titans” and “Justice League Unlimited.” Janice and I have also enjoyed the BBC’s revived “Doctor Who” more than the SciFi Channel’s revisionist “Battlestar Galactica,” despite the latter’s quality and popularity.

Anyway, take care, and I hope to see you in the coming year, -Gene

Well, I survived the double workload at work and snowstorm (and shoveling) last week and am mostly recovered from the cough I caught after Thanksgiving. Just in time to get a flu shot today… I hope your holidays are healthier than mine have been so far.

Janice's parents' visit went well this past weekend. On Saturday, 10 December 2005, we belatedly celebrated her birthday and went to the Bay Colony Dog Show at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston. We'll be seeing them and the rest of Janice's immediate family for Christmas in Upstate New York in a few weeks, but I don't know when I'll get down to Virginia or metropolitan New York.

Yesterday, Janice and I went to the malls near where I work in Framingham, Massachusetts, and finished most of our holiday shopping, which we began online. I'm still behind in writing cards, so they may be late this year…

Our basement looks decent again, although I'm still waiting on the sump pump. Brian W., Byron V.O., Thomas K.Y., and Atilla C. have all helped with hosting duties for the D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands: Seekers of Lore" heroic fantasy game, and I'm almost done compiling various lists of damaged or destroyed gaming and comic books.

We're waiting until this coming Saturday (Dec. 17) to screen "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," hopefully with some of the local gaming/social group. Even though I own the extended DVDs of the "Lord of the Rings," I couldn't help rewatching the movies as they've been airing on TNT. We genre fans are lucky to be in a generation during which "Star Wars," "Lord of the Rings," and several other excellent films have been released. "Syriana" and "King Kong" also look promising, but Janice isn't particularly interested, and our time and money are limited.

If you like the outrageous humor of "South Park" or "The Dave Chapelle Show," you might enjoy "The Boondocks," an adaptation of the newspaper comic strip shown late Sunday nights on the Cartoon Networks' Adult Swim. I haven't been watching much regular broadcast television lately, but I'm looking forward to the return of long-running "Stargate SG1" and the revisionist "Battlestar Galactica" next month. In the meantime, I'm curious whether anybody besides Steve M.R. is reading this, so drop me a line and let me know… -Gene

Friends, I hope that all of you and your families had a Happy Thanksgiving. Janice and I left after work Wednesday, 23 November 2005, and drove as far as Pennsylvania. On the holiday itself, we drove past snow the rest of the way to my parents' home in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where we feasted with my family, including my brother Peter and his wife Kelly, her mother Maureen, and their young daughter Ava, whose intensity was our main entertainment.

On Friday, Janice and I laid low (I had just recovered from a stomach bug), and we caught up on reading and eating at my parents' place. On Saturday, we went to Northern Virginia, where we visited Chipotle, our favorite Mexican fast-food joint. That afternoon, Janice and I returned to our old haunts in Falls Church, where I stopped by "Hole in the Wall Books" and "the Compleat Strategist" to continue rebuilding the portion of my library destroyed in the previous month's basement floods.

We then met Steve M.R. & Aleece Z.R., David A.H. & Katy L., and Hans C.H. & Carolyn M.P. for an enjoyable pub dinner at "Ireland's Four Provinces." It was great to see them, however briefly. Corbin A.Y. & Andria K.Y. weren't able to join us, having just returned from their own travels. Unfortunately, we also missed Ron J.K.'s visit to his family in Massachusetts while we were down in the capital area.

Back at Peter & Kelly's, we played "Cranium," a fun board game that's a cross between Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit, and charades (Janice and I won). We also watched on their new big-screen TV "Kingdom of Heaven," which was an O.K. tale of the Crusades.

Janice and I made the long drive back to New England on that Sunday, and I spent most of this past week getting over a chest cold (aggravated by mold as I continued sorting damp papers in our basement), working longer hours after Michael P.'s departure, and dealing with numerous e-mails. We did, however, manage to screen "Harry Potter [4] and the Goblet of Fire," which was well-done, if somewhat more compressed than the excellent "Harry Potter [3] and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

I haven't watched much mainstream television lately, but I'm still enjoying "Veronica Mars," "The Daily Show," "The Boondocks," and the just-canceled "Teen Titans." Janice and I also caught up on our DVDs, watching Aardman Studio's first season of the stop-motion animated comedy "Creature Comforts," which takes amusing observations by British citizens and puts them in the mouths of animals. I've decided to wait for rental for "Zorro 2" and the live-action version of "Aeon Flux."

Many of us are also looking forward to the movie adaptation of C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," Peter Jackson's remake of "King Kong," and the stage production of "Spamalot," which is coming to Boston. "Superman Returns" and "X-Men 3" also look promising for next summer. In the meantime, however, I've got holiday shopping and cards to get to…

The latest face-to-face D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands: Seekers of Lore" heroic fantasy game at the home of Brian W. & Beth S. in Newton, Mass., went well, as some of the would-be adventurers explored the Saganim human port of Sileran and got into a steel cage wrestling match… This coming Tuesday night's session may have to be scuttled if the Boston area gets more than an inch or two of snow tomorrow.

The role-play by e-mail activity has also picked up, as Greg D.C./"Janus" joined Carolyn M.P./"Grace" and Byron V.O./"Ibrahim." I still hope that Dexter V.H./"Faelonia" and David A.H./"Vortanus" can join them and Stuart C.G./"Tunnel"… I'm also looking forward to getting back to the "City of Heroes" MMORPG with Dex and to the D20 "Mutants & Masterminds" superheroic game.

Today is Janice's birthday. I got her an XM satellite radio setup, as well as a chocolate cake to be eaten later. We plan to go to "Fuji," a relatively new Japanese steakhouse in Needham, Mass., for dinner. However, since half of our basement is finally getting painted today, we'll have to spend some time tonight shuffling our remaining stuff down there to the other half. Our landlord hasn't yet said when a sump pump will be put in.

In the meantime, Happy Birthday to Ron J.K. tomorrow, and I hope all's well with the rest of you as winter arrives, -Gene

Friends, I hope you had a good weekend. It's with a heavy heart that I must report that yesterday, Janice and I drove to Connecticut to drop off Josie and Ginger with a young woman who handles chinchilla adoptions. After getting "the girls" nearly three years ago from Mark A.S. & Ann W., who moved with their growing family to New Zealand, Janice had become sensitive to their fur, hay feed, and the volcanic dust they bathe in to the point where she was coughing from the moment she arrived home from work in the evening to the time she left for work in the morning.

We did spoil Ginger and Josie, though, providing a large cage with lots of toys, snacks and banana pieces (although they often preferred baseboards and electrical cords), and a ritual hour of exercise per night. We already miss them, but the chinchillas now have 12(!) playmates and, we hope, a good new home. Combined with last month's destructive basement flood, it's the end of an era for Janice and me in Needham Heights, Massachusetts.

Work continues to be very busy, as our preholiday workload and the ongoing systems migration were compounded by the news that Mike P., an extremely productive co-worker, will be leaving for a job at EMC Corp. While we wish him luck, the next few months look to be challenging…

Last weekend's visit by Dexter V.H. and Stuart C.G. from metropolitan New York and my D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands: the Flying Citadel" heroic fantasy one-shot at Byron V.O.'s home went very well, as did Janice's visit to her folks in Pennsylvania. Too many late nights, however, led to my stomach being off for most of the past week.

After the successful cameo by college chums and the preceding weekend's D20 "Mutants & Masterminds" 2nd Ed. "Drake's Port: Robot Hoversled" superhero game, it was only natural that the latest regular D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands: Seekers of Lore" meeting wasn't as exciting, since the current Player Character party has been traveling across the Plains of Sathendo to more interesting ports of call. I didn't expect some of the role-players to resume bickering about fictional treasure distribution, but I hope that means that our next face-to-face gathering will go smoothly.

The latest episodes of "Smallville" continue to advance the characters to the points familiar to fans of the comic books and movies, IMHO. The preview for "Superman Returns" (if not as long as the fan-cobbled ones) looked like a promising return to basics (like the recent "Spider-Man" or "Batman Begins" films) and a sequel of sorts to "Superman II," even using outtakes of the late Marlon Brando…

Janice and I are continuing to catch up on the BBC's revived "Doctor Who," which I'll be loaning out soon. Earlier today, Beruk A. and I attended the Super MegaFest  in Framingham, Mass. The convention featured actors from "Star Wars," "Three's Company," and other genre entertainment. I got autographs from Richard Kiel ("Jaws" in the James Bond movies) and Kevin Sorbo (from "Hercules," "Kull," and "Andromeda," and Beruk met Temuera Morrison ("Jango Fett") and other actors. Pictures from the past few weekend's social events are in the Genre 2005 section of my Yahoo photos page.

Janice and I are looking forward to seeing family and friends in Virginia around Thanksgiving, and we hope the long drive goes quickly. I hope that all of you have a happy and safe holiday!

Friends, I hope you had a good weekend. This past Friday, after a long workweek, Janice and I watched more episodes of the BBC's revived "Doctor Who." The latest episodes of "Smallville" and "Teen Titans" have also been pretty good, IMHO. I've recorded but haven't yet watched PBS's adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Kidnapped" and the Cartoon Network's satirical "Boondocks."

On Saturday, 5 November 2005, Janice and I drove to the Christmas Craft Festival at the World Trade Center in Boston. While we didn't buy any arts, housewares, or gift items, we did enjoy numerous samples of dips and hot chocolate mixes. We then went to Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass., where I bought several role-playing sourcebooks and comic books/graphic novels to begin rebuilding the portion of my library destroyed in the recent basement flood. Now, all I have to do is find a place to put everything, since the basement is still unusable and is filled with slowly drying binders… We had dinner at the Border Cafe, our favorite Tex-Mex restaurant in the area.

On Sunday, Janice went to the Mansfield Animal Shelter, where she volunteers every week, while I played the "City of Heroes" MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) with Dexter V.H., who may be visiting the Boston area from metropolitan New York with Stuart C.G. this coming weekend. I also chatted with David I.S.

Speaking of games, last week's D20 "Mutants & Masterminds" 2nd Ed. superheroic one-shot in "Drake's Port" went well, and I'm looking forward to resuming our regular D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands: Seekers of Lore" fantasy campaign this coming Tuesday night at Brian W.'s place in Newton, Mass.

Yesterday afternoon, we screened Disney's "Chicken Little," which was an amusing computer-animated comedy. I still hope to eventually catch swashbuckling sequel "Legend of Zorro," and I'm especially looking forward to "Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," the next "Harry Potter" movie, and Peter Jackson's remake of "King Kong." We later had dinner at Mandarin Cuisine in Needham, Mass.

I agree with Steve M.R.'s blog that despite the falling popularity of the current administration, the U.S. has still to wake up to the dangerous direction that conservatives and some Republicans have led us and the entire world. There are enough challenges in preserving the environment, righting the economy, and mitigating poverty and disease without getting into ill-advised conflicts and attempting the nation-building that liberals have so often been accused of doing. Even if U.S. intervention in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere had good intentions (rather than to protect certain oil interests, as many people suspect), we've instead created more resentment and breeding grounds for terrorism… Rant over!