Out of Reach

It’s amusing how, during a time when I had considered cutting down on my internet use, our phone line (and apparently, everyone else in our block) went dead.  This was not the cause of providence, oh no, but something more mundane — apparently some imbecile decided it was a good idea to steal the major phone cable to our area.  And so, almost two weeks on, the house has been literally cut off from all phone contact and, since the DSL lines apparently also use the same set of cabling, no internet as well.

While I’m enjoying some of the time freed up by our loss of connection (no more mucking around Animesuki ahaha), it is a bit worrying, as some of my Master’s degree classes revolve around internet communication.  Indeed, the only way to check what assignments one of my professors had foisted upon the class is to go to the Yahoo Group he set up…  Which I can’t do if I don’t have any Net access.

Meaning I’m forced to access the net the old fashioned way: via the nearby Internet Cafe.  Which is where I’m making this post, of course.

Speaking of the assignment, the paper I’m supposed to write is about A.E. Housman’s poem “To An Athlete Dying Young”. Lovely, need to add having a printout for it done added to my list of what I need to do while I’m here at the cafe.

Well, at least it’s something actually school-related to be done…  Though I haven’t forgotten my volunteer work for Gaku-Gaku Animal Land’s Touhou doujin releases.  Just ten more pages to go for the GP KIDs doujinshi Sweet and Gentle, then I can submit it to Voile for final proofreading.

Taking Account

Since I’ve more of less decided to give my Tactical and Devastator Space Marine squads a repaint (after a lengthy dip in Simple Green), I thought it would be fun if I showed off the rest of the models I’d finished while I waited (as it’s going to take a while to repaint all those Troop choices, and I already have a lot of models on the plate as it is).  It kind of struck me how many points worth of models I actually had finished, and most of them occupied the HQ and Elite slots on the Army Force Organization Chart, but oh well.

A keen observer will note that I have a habit of naming important models.  Some are pretty random in selection, but many of the other models follow a theme in their naming, of which I will expound later on.

First off are the main or set piece HQs of my Space Marine Army.

From Left to Right: Brother-Captain Damos, Chapter Master Burgos, Brother-Captain Voltar

High Blade Eugenio Burgos is the Chapter Master of the Azure Blades, with a fairly Codex setup (Artificer Armor, Bolt Pistol, Boltgun with Hellfire Rounds and Auxilliary Grenade Launcher combo, Iron Halo, Frag And Krak Grenades, and Relic Blade), but I use a more unique skill block and a different set of Chapter Tactics when my opponent allows it.  Accompanying him are Brother-Captain Damos of the First Company, who stands in for Darnath Lysander in my games, and Brother-Captain Voltar of 3rd Company, who in turn stands in for Kayvaan Shrike on the tabletop.

From Left to Right: Epistolary A'Gravel, Brother-Captain Kyrios of 4th Company, and Master of Sanctity Basil

Next are some generic HQ units I field in low-point games: A Captain in Terminator Armor with a Power Sword and Storm Bolter (Iron Halo not seen, as at the time I assembled him I didn’t have one on hand, plus it wasn’t an option for characters in TDA), an Epistolary in Terminator Armor with a Force Weapon and Storm Bolter, and a Master of Sanctity in Terminator Armor with a Storm Bolter, Crozius Arcanum and Rosarius.  The Epistolary is named after my friend Alain Gravel, a writer of Evangelion fanfiction.

Sternguard Veterans

Following them are the 1st Company Veterans who are part of the Sternguard formation.   Their names are references to writers of blogs I frequent: Aeson (Jason Miao, Anime On My Mind/Blog Suki), Zyl (Zyl, Hontou Ni Sou Omou/Zan), Peregrinus (Crusader, THAT Anime Blog), Haess (Haesslich, no particular blog, but did part-time writing for THAT as well), and Kaio (Kaiohshin-Sama, Anime History).

Tactical Dreadnought Armor Veterans

More Veterans of the 1st Company, this time clad in Tactical Dreadnought Armor. Four are named after other authors/old acquaintances in the EVA Fanfiction Mailing List, though Haroun is a reference to one of Salman Rushdie’s books. Those named after EVAfic authors are as follows: Filiolus (Godsend),  Te-Loong (Toh Ee-Loong), D’Snyder (Daniel Snyder), and Ka-Wing (Ka-Wing Tam).

Terminators in Assault Configuration

Even more Veterans in Tactical Dreadnough Armor, this time configured as Assault Terminators. They too are named after EVAfic authors; A’Huang (Andrew Huang), S’Sparky (Saint Sparky), Ha’Ut Wirei (Hotwire), Sfiss (Strike Fiss), and Dweeks (Douglass Weeks).

Brother Diego and Brother Koutetsu

Following them are my Dreadnoughts, Venerated Brother Diego and Venerated Brother Koutetsu.  Diego is a normal Dreadnought, but Koutetsu is converted in an Ironclad configuration.

Size Comparison for Reference's Sake

Now for my Vehicles, which occupy the Heavy Support slots in the Army Force Organization Chart. I have three light vehicles based on the Rhino chassis completely painted so far, a Vindicator (Arcturis Claymore), a Whirlwind (Dagger of Antocles), and a Predator Annihilator with heavy bolter sponsons (Varan’s Fang).  Incidentally that’s my Power-Armored Chaplain with the Vindicator, who’s named after Darren Dermaine.

Rhino-based Vehicles: Vindicator, Whirlwind, Predator Annihilator

Finally, rounding off the Vehicles is the modified Mark-I Land Raider Antonius’ Wrath, and of course my (currently) only Drop Pod.

Modified Mark-I Land Raider and Drop Pod

Last up is the only Troop Choice of my Army that seems to have escaped my Repainting, a humble squad of Sniper Scouts.

Scout Squad Donner

And that’s pretty much what I have that’s actually deployable at this point.  Anyone care to compute how many points they are in total?

Across the Precipice

Well, it looks like the hard part is over.  Although there was some shuffling around between the offices of the College of Liberal Arts and the Literature Departnent, it looks like my return to the Master’s Degree program after a term’s hiatus has gone without a hitch.  All I have to do now is show up on Friday for the encoding and payment of the units I enrolled.

Now…  All I have to worry about is finding work again, as it’s going to be awkward just going to class on Saturdays and leaving my week idle.  I wonder if there are any high-paying jobs out there that have normal schedules.  I’m frankly tired of the graveyard shifts that the outsourcing companies keep.  Hmm.