A Pirate on the Prairie

This is going to be the year (Lord willing) that I FINALLY get my “big, stompy robots” and other instruments of future warfare painted and on the field of battle. I happen to own the BattleTech Alpha Strike box set in addition to other BattleTech box sets and related wargame and roleplaying game products. Click on the link below for a 2023 Goonhammer review of that particular product. “Battletech Alpha strike: The Goonhammer Review” https://www.goonhammer.com/battletech-alpha

“Suddenly Everyone Is Scared to Dance at Concerts and Clubs” https://apple.news/AobRQ7JA3SUm53j7UnGQVog This article from The Wall Street Journal (click on the link above) points to a rather sad consequence of our arguably out-of-control social media culture. And this is coming from someone that is not exactly inclined to go out on the town for a night of dancing ( https://www.apirateontheprairie.com/post/shagging-on-the-beach-and-the-boulevard and https://www.apirateonthep

Anthony Michael Hall and the rest of the Weird Science cast were fantastically funny in the blues club scene. I have included a link below to a video clip. Enjoy. I, myself, have plans to enjoy some more live blues performances in 2026. I will have to remember though to take it easy with that Blind Dog bourbon. “Weird Science (5/12) Movie CLIP - Gary's Blues (1985) HD” https://youtu.be/g9GBuciv20A

Help isn’t coming. Be prepared to self-rescue. Great song. I was fairly certain that I had shared it on this blog previously. Oh well. “Hal Ketchum - Past The Point Of Rescue (Official Music Video)” https://youtu.be/BDbBBq1Dn2U

Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze The one great thing about failed New Year’s resolutions is that you can dust them off and try again in the upcoming New Year (and you can admittedly also recommit to a resolution during the current year if you’re missing the mark). While I didn’t complete one of my two purchased The Great Courses Plus courses in 2025 as planned, I did finish viewing the course on the American Revolution and I watched parts of two add

You may plan to sing “Auld Lang Syne” tonight while celebrating New Year’s Eve with family, friends, and/or strangers. At the very least you will probably hear it being sung or played, as it is traditionally sung or played as people ring in the New Year. But have you given any thought to what it means? Well, I am here to help. Below are links to a short video explaining the meaning behind this Robert Burns song, a couple of articles on the song, and a video of the song being

“Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole.” 😏 “Repo Man (1984) | Burning Sensations - ‘Pablo Picasso’” https://youtu.be/AE2Vwefur0U

I bet no woman ever told David Cassidy or Keith Partridge that he was just infatuated or feeling nostalgic. 😉 “The Partridge Family - I Think I Love You (Audio)” https://youtu.be/bb4FMn-IWEY

Happy Thanksgiving Day 2025! If most of us are being honest, we have much to be thankful for even during trying or tumultuous times. I say this to humbly acknowledge my blessings for which I am sincerely thankful and to head off any understandable criticism that might follow in the wake of a random thought that brought a wry smile to my face. Sometimes something that we initially see as a cause for joy, celebration, and a feeling of gratitude is later revealed to us to be so

“Aaron Tippin - "My Blue Angel" (Official Video)” https://youtu.be/WHVGfC67eMM

This is my favorite Aaron Tippin song. “That's as Close as I'll Get to Loving You“ https://youtu.be/rM_tjCpYaxI

In a recent post, “Telling a Horrific Tale This Halloween” ( https://www.apirateontheprairie.com/post/telling-a-horrific-tale-this-halloween ), I shared an X tweet by Call of Cthulhu creator, Sandy Petersen, where he shared a simple method of repurposing a tale of horror for use at your gaming table. He specifically mentioned Frankenstein . Now I am pleased to share the most recent video (link posted below) from Professor DM of the Dungeon Craft YouTube channel specifically d

Singer and songwriter Gordon Lightfoot wrote this song in the days following the loss of the American merchant ship, SS Edmund Fitzgerald, on November 10, 1975. Admittedly, there were some discrepancies between the facts and some of the lines in the song, but Mr. Lightfoot has been reported to have made changes to the lyrics in subsequent live performances. And his song is certainly one of the most memorable and evocative tributes to the ship and its crew of twenty-nine that

Today marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Lake Superior sinking of the American freighter, SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Below is an article from Fox 2 Detroit. The ship was bound for Detroit on November 10, 1975, but never made it. The ship had been built in River Rouge near Detroit. The Edmund Fitzgerald was a familiar sight on the Great Lakes and was renowned for both her size and her multiple record-breaking performances as it pertained to cargo hauled during a season. As one

Before she was doing infomercials for the Psychic Friends Network in the 1990s, she was a very talented singer. “Dionne Warwick - Heartbreaker (Official Video)” https://youtu.be/9xHQsMYosao

“Pat Benatar - Heartbreaker • TopPop” https://youtu.be/Qg_xVq862D8

“What is that metallic taste in my mouth? That’s weird.” — me earlier today (Not really.) Driving back to the distribution center with my load of refrigerated food, I was passed by two tractor-trailers placarded to identify them as hauling radioactive material. I didn’t notice any obvious accompanying security presence, so I don’t expect that it was something that would constitute a national emergency if it was briefly held up by traffic or an accident. I doubt that what they

I wasn’t looking for a video regarding the Shadowdark tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG), but I came across an interesting one from the TechDweeb YouTube channel and I decided to share it. It’s entertaining and it provides both a glimpse at Shadowdark and an example of play for those new to TTRPGs. Shadowdark is a relatively new game that has received a lot of critical acclaim and a number of awards. It reportedly takes many of the best rules and mechanics of Dungeon & Dragon

It’s a different experience, but a rewarding one. In two of my previous posts, “Journeying Solo” ( https://www.apirateontheprairie.com/post/journeying-solo ) and “I’m Playing a Game” ( https://www.apirateontheprairie.com/post/i-m-playing-a-game ), I mentioned the Geek Gamers YouTube channel and the Geek Gamers’ book, Solo Game Master’s Guide . I recently watched the Geek Gamers video, “Easy and cheap fantasy RPG rules for solo play” (link is provided below), and I perused the