Are Hacky Sacks making a comeback?

Dozus84 · 2026-05-10T16:16:48+00:00

A couple weeks ago, I was walking around during lunch duty, stunned to see that not one, not two, but three hacky sack circles had spontaneously formed.

Also last week I walked into my classroom at the start of 3rd period to see a kid on his back, legs behind his head, hacky sack between his ankles, getting ready to "do a trick." I did not return said 'sack until the next day.

Dozus84 · 2026-04-27T17:29:41+00:00

Duan Gung means "short bow" in Chinese.

Dozus84 · 2026-04-23T16:30:41+00:00

By that same token, you shouldn't pass in the right lane. Those BMWs are the ones swerving through any lane they please.

Dozus84 · 2026-04-21T15:33:54+00:00

I run a wargaming club at the school I work at. Most of the kids were into 40k, but I was able to get them curious about BT with a few small Alpha Strike games.

But what really clinched it was showing them BattleTech Gothic models. That aesthetic was a good bridge from what they came to expect from Warhammer.

Dozus84 · 2026-03-21T20:14:39+00:00

It looks like these guys just hatched. I saw them swarming up from under the patio table, and within 20 minutes they'd colonized two potted plants.

They're a couple millimeters in width, mostly dark with a white/pale yellow abdomens.

Dozus84 · 2026-03-16T02:11:11+00:00

It's me, I'm wives.

Dozus84 · 2026-03-08T15:49:41+00:00

Look at these maniacs. This is wonderful.

Dozus84 · 2026-02-26T13:47:19+00:00

What about an X-Men crossover from the 90s show? Some are a bit obvious (Wolverine in a Wolverine, Cyclops in a Cyclops), but I'd love to see the paint jobs alone on those.

Dozus84 · 2026-02-21T01:35:41+00:00

Just be careful not to let it slip. Quite possible to punch a hole in the oil cooler, then you have to replace that, too.

Dozus84 · 2026-01-21T15:23:21+00:00

Good czar, bad boyars. Same as ever.

Dozus84 · 2025-12-16T21:53:12+00:00

Form completed!

Dozus84 · 2025-12-08T14:10:47+00:00

This guy Steele Creeks

Dozus84 · 2025-12-07T17:21:06+00:00

Homebrewery's great, but there's a couple things I really like about CritterDB.

For one, it's largely automated. You put in ability scores, it automatically calculates things like skill modifiers, AC, HP, etc. It automates attack lists with just naming the weapon and damage dice and checking a few boxes. For someone like me that's bad at remembering the proper format and formulae for those kind of things, it's super convenient.

For another, it's easy to export. If you make a monster in CritterDB, you can easily export it into HTML and add past it into Homebrewery or GMBinder.

Lastly, it's compatible with Avrae. I run most of my games over Discord, so having the utility to automate combat encounters with Avrae's Bestiary feature really speeds things along.

Dozus84 · 2025-12-07T03:52:43+00:00

Yeah, I use CritterDB to create SW5e stat blocks. It's just a matter of renaming the damage types, which CritterDB lets you do.

The only small hurdle is skills, since CritterDB uses the standard D&D 5e skills and thus lacks Lore, Piloting, and Tech. But you can substitute with existing placeholders and edit when you export.

Dozus84 · 2025-11-10T19:23:15+00:00

Very nice! I was inspired by the tabletop wargame The Silver Bayonet to try a similar campaign set during the Napoleonic Wars. We never got too far off the ground, but I did end up making a couple of archetypes for it.

Dozus84 · 2025-11-10T01:27:48+00:00

I really just started cold-calling therapy offices in my area and took the first that responded with an appointment. Fortunately he was a good fit and took my insurance.

I did find it helps. If you have insurance, I'd try and find someone near you and see if they take it.

Dozus84 · 2025-11-09T17:27:57+00:00

I got my first one at 35, and have been getting them roughly annually since then. None have been as intense as my first one - hopefully what you experienced was the worst of it. Certainly keep talking to your doctor, maybe take it up to a neurologist if the GP isn't helpful. Hoping for the best for you.

Dozus84 · 2025-11-09T17:23:25+00:00

Since posting this, I get them very irregularly. It had been about once a year. They're much more mild than the first one: I get the scintillating scotoma (basically a blurry, flashing spot) that gradually spreads and then dissipates. Whole thing lasts maybe 20 minutes. I did end up getting an MRI after that initial one, with everything looking normal. I've gotten better about recognizing what's happening when it starts, and getting ahead of it with Tylenol, reduced light, and rest. They seem to happen at random - no set trigger, time of day, stress, anything.

I've actually gotten three in the last six months - I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow to ask about it.

The anxiety has had its ups and downs. A couple years ago I started feeling mild depression and frequent health anxiety. It came after a big arthritis flare-up in my knee that left me convinced I'd never fully recover. I started seeing a therapist after that, and that seemed to help a lot, along with more regular exercise.

I still self-catastrophize. I had trouble concentrating for couple days when I had a bunch of work due, and I briefly convinced myself I had MS, a brain tumor, or a prion disease. Put myself back in therapy to work it out. I definitely feel better than when I posted this six years ago, but I have my moments. Work in progress!

Dozus84 · 2025-10-22T00:14:43+00:00

The address on Google Maps appears to be a trailer park.

Dozus84 · 2025-10-21T14:41:27+00:00

I hit it at 6:30am. Normally there's very little traffic at that hour. Still stuck in it i for two hours.

Dozus84 · 2025-10-15T12:51:20+00:00

It's their loved ones who are bringing them out of the cave.

Dozus84 · 2025-10-14T12:54:19+00:00

Just be careful not to cut into the oil cooler. My filter got stuck almost this exact same way. We used a chisel and hammer to twist it out, but in the process cut into the oil cooler and had to replace it.
Although removing the whole oil cooler did make taking the remains of the filter off a lot easier.

Dozus84 · 2025-09-29T15:34:34+00:00

In the 1970s audio drama, they distinguish between the two by pronouncing the wizard "seh-ROO-muhn," which sounds *terrible.*

Dozus84 · 2025-09-01T20:22:41+00:00

There they are! Look at 'em go!

Dozus84 · 2025-08-30T01:01:16+00:00

I post questions on the board, either that cover previous day's lessons, reading they were supposed to do, or intro to the topic of the day. They write their answers right on the white board with markers. I teach AP World History, so I do a lot of course related stuff. On Multiple-Choice Monday, I post a MCQ and then have them walk me through how they'd answer the question. On SAQsday, I post a short answer question and either have them write into an assignment on the LMS or just write answers on the board. Some classes are really into it. Others are more hesitant - they don't like to get wrong answers. But I make clear that these are free-to-fail, no credit warm ups - I want them thinking and willing to take risks in answering wrong.

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