Terrain Project

We have received new word of a foot bridge being constructed on Venus. It has been made of an amazing new substance, called styrene. This is supposed to be able to withstand the pervasive rot of the Jungle Planet's humid atmosphere.

Seen here with basecoat painting in a shot which is a bit blurry. You can see all the photos and follow the project's progress here:
http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t225/jwomack94/Wargames%20Terrain/

Enjoy!

Reporting In

Good friends, i am sure you all thought that I was off on safari in the wild highlands of Venus, or perhaps the sleazy dives of Bongolesia.

No, far from those sites of grand adventure, I have been inundated with the everyday and recovery operations in the wake of the Republic's recent hurricane. Even now, I am forced to borrow access to a difference engine connected to the Webley-Errington-Bynes System of Interlocking Telephonic Engines (WEBSITE) rather than conducting my journaling from the comfort of my homestead.

Alas, if you have been following the progress of my Pledge Counter in the left hand margin, I am not making progress on my pile of lead. In fact, I haven't picked up a brush in three weeks. Virtually the only work that has been accomplished was the assembly and priming of two small vacu-form plastic terrain pieces (rivers, in this case) that were purchased last summer (2007) at Historicon. I would like to say some paint will be applied this weekend, but I seriously doubt it.

Perhaps - perhaps! - I will be inspired to work further on my Papal papers this weekend. That is more likely, as I have many distracting guests in the house currently, and I need more concentration for painting than for writing, plus the painting station is setup in a more public area of the house, whereas my writing engine is in my bedchambers, the last refuge of privacy remaining to me.

I am assured by the service people from the telephonic connection agency I subscribe to that my lines should be repaired as soon as Monday next. We shall see. I, for one, remain skeptical of their promises.

That is all for now, gentlemen. Please do keep checking in to see if any progress is made. I have come across many interesting projects that were set aside previously and would dearly love to return to at this time. It might just be the next entry in this journal.

NEWSFLASH: Hurricane Cuts Communications

A severe storm has caused a good deal of damage in the Republic of Texas, where many of our faithful readers (and both writers) live. It is our sincere hope that all our readers have been inconvenienced as little as possible during the recent troubles, and that they will be able to resume their normal lives as soon as possible. Our correspondents in the area suffered only minor damage, but one (myself, actually) was forced to evacuate the area with his family for a short time.

Just imagine what it would be like if we had no orbiting stations to observe and warn us (via heliograph, of course) of incoming stormfronts! The loss of life could be catastrophic!

In further news, the Journal has only limited access at this time; however, I have prepared for your reading pleasure a short treatise on the development of the first British landships, which you may read in the links marked 'Publications' under the heading of "Prince Royal-class Landships." Also, a preliminary version of a history of the Papal States Army and Navy will be made available today, though it is certainly not finished.


[OOC: Hurricane Ike was, for my family, mostly a great inconvenience. We evacuated to Dallas two days before the storm arrived, and were lucky to be able to return to our home in Leauge City (between Houston and Galveston) on Wednesday. We realize how blessed we are to be able to say that, and our family's prayers go out to those who lost loved ones or who suffered serious property loss. My wife is temporarily out of work until the business she works for gets up and running on Galveston Island again. I am scheduled to report to school on Wednesday morning at this time.]

Bongolesian Oxygen Plant

The Bongolesian Oxygen Plant (Oxygenesis bongolesia) is a marvel of modern botanical study. It has the curious ability to generate fantastic amounts of oxygen when subjected to the proper conditions of temperature, atmospheric pressure, and carbon dioxide emissions.

O. bongolesia has been known to the highland dwellers of the African nation of Bongolesia for milennia, although naturally no proper scientific study had been carried out by the natives. It might have gone on forever as a simple mossy ground cover had it not been for the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the Smith Expedition.

You will recall, of course, that the freelance antiquities hunter Doctor Albert Henry Jones Smith, formerly of the British Museum, led an expedition to discover the ancient city of Bongolia, in the highland areas of Bongolesia. There they found a tribe of fierce savages who ate all but three of the expedition, including Doctor Smith. The three survivors brought along with them a few scraps of gold jewelry and a small amount of the oxygen plant, which one team member described as 'possibly worth something for industrialists.'

Again, fate stepped in and the oxygen plant was mentioned as a botanical curiousity in the Times on a slow news day. That article was read by Sir Reginald, who immediately deduced it could be used to replace the bulky and heavy compressed air cylinders then in use aboard the first aetherships. The rest, as they say, is history.

100 Posts!

Fenwyck, break out the port and cigars, there!

No, you imbecile! The good cigars. The ones made of Cuban seed grown in the fields of majestic Bongolesia. Rolled on the soft thighs of both of the maidens in that benighted nation.

Why? Damn you, Fenwyck! I've just made my 100th entry in the journal, that's why!

Gentlemen, I apologize for Fenwyck's poor manner. Ever so hard to find a good dogrobber these days, don't you find? I have to muddle along with him.

Bongolesia Endangered! Encyclopediacly Speaking

Friends, a dark movement is afoot to erase from our shared world the nation of Bongolesia.

While it is true this small African nation has seen its share of misfortunes and misrule, surely it does not deserve to be totally forgotten and deleted from the Wiki Encyclopedia of the telephonic differencing engine network.

Please, go now, and avert this travesty of pseudo-intellectual prejudice against the fun-loving peoples of the world.

Poll Results for August, and a new Poll

Well, I see that we are all quite Conservative in our naming conventions here at the journal. Red Planet, that old stand-by, has won out in a massive landslide victory over the other options. I think it ahd something to do with Her Majesty using the phrase herself a time or two in official releases to the Press.

Well, this month, I pose a similar query, and no help from Her Majesty is forthcoming, I assure you! To date, my information does not include any reference by Her Majesty to the planet Venus, so we'll have no pro-royal bias on this poll! Not that I am one of your screaming anarchist anti-monarchist types! Far from it! Queen and Country, by jingo!

The recent storm activity in the Atlantic has kept us all busy around the manse, but our friend Gustav has cleared off, leaving us unscathed in his passing. Best of wishes and our prayers to those who were caught in his path. All that remains to do around here is keep a watchful eye on Hannah and Ike, who seems likely to come in as well.