Hey everyone!
It’s been over a year since I last updated this blog, and a lot has happened. In March of last year, I packed up all my stuff, got into my GTI, and drove from DC to Central Oregon with my girlfriend and dog. After three and a half days, we arrived safely at our new home. There were some beautiful stretches—Utah and Idaho especially—while other parts, like Iowa and Nebraska, were mental torture.
Why Central Oregon? My girlfriend’s stepdad is big into mountain biking and invited us on a trip out here in 2021. Being from the East Coast, I had never once considered visiting Oregon. It might as well have been another flyover state, but we were on the other side of the pandemic and wanted to get out of DC, so we tagged along. Bend is huge for outdoor recreation, with plenty to do year-round. It sounds cliché, but when I arrived, something clicked. Instantly, I knew this was where I wanted to be. Dry heat in the summer, friendly people, access to beautiful forests, a clean river to float on, and over 50 independent breweries—those are just a few of the perks.
Anyway, one major career change later, I had the flexibility to move where I wanted. So I chose Bend, Oregon. Now every day feels like a mini vacation.
My biggest barrier to the hobby has been… being outside. Which isn’t a bad thing. With so much to do, it’s hard to want to stay cooped up indoors. Aside from that, I’ve spent a lot of time working with my girlfriend to get the house put together, and thankfully we’re now in a good place.
Why Exquisite Brutality?
In the Obelisk’s Shadow was never meant to be permanent. Back in DC, my apartment had a direct view of the Washington Monument, so it fit at the time. Exquisite Brutality is a reference to an old White Dwarf article (WD 192) that left a lasting impression on me as a teenager. TL;DR: the legendary Blanche talks about how the imagery of the Warhammer setting comes together; his thought process, influences, and approach. For two weeks, I waited in an empty house for the movers to arrive, rereading old White Dwarfs and codexes, itching to get my hands back on a paintbrush. The name felt like a fitting nod to something that inspired me all those years ago.
Bend is a small city, but it has a surprisingly lively hobby scene. The local store, Modern Games, has a great atmosphere, and I’ve managed to find a solid group of gamers who share a similar approach to the hobby. I even threw a Bash // Bash event in October to introduce Flames of Orion to the local crowd.
Beyond Bend, there’s also an amazing contingent of talented and passionate gamers up in Portland. The drive is only about three hours through beautiful, scenic Oregon, which makes the time fly by... easily 10x better than three hours on I-95.
I plan to post more frequently, and hope you plan on sticking around!
Mike
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