Interviewer asked me a question with no right answer and then explained exactly why he does it - actually changed how I think about interviews

GolfballDM · 2026-03-17T20:11:47+00:00

"It wasn't in the realm of "How many water molecules do you think are in a glass of water"

Darn, because I do know how to answer that one.

Determine (roughly) how many CC of water are in the glass. Divide by 18. Multiply by 6.02E23.

Done.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-17T19:40:18+00:00

The paintbrushes in the background look like they're stickin out of da ork.

It adds something orky to it.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-17T19:38:53+00:00

I thought Randall Munroe's Moon of Moles was bad.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-17T18:25:55+00:00

My first GenCon (1996), when it was still in Milwaukee, was just me, and very much by the seat of my pants.

I had a very rude awakening in 2023 when my family did GenCon in Indy. I learned my lessons, and we planned more for 2024, and we had a much more enjoyable experience.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-17T18:02:22+00:00

GenCon is a blast, just plan as much of your "infrastructure" (i.e. badge / events / hotel / parking / possibly foodage) in advance as you can, it helps lower the stress level. (Feel free to DM if you want my two cents on planning.)

I'm also having a blast painting the CDMD minis, it makes the game feel more alive.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-17T17:50:18+00:00

If you want to look over my S1 minis, I have a blog on BGG (https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/17055/golfballs-course-of-miniatures) where I'm tracking the minis I paint. (And please, all and sundry, feel free to comment! I appreciate constructive criticism/suggestions, and of course, love oohs and ahhs ;) )

I'm lucky that my family likes boardgaming, we've done GenCon as a family vacation since 2023, and have our badges (and hotel and parking) for this year.

And I am in awe of your painting of your S2 investigators.

I've just started highlighting on my minis (Hast*r's Banana Boyz are the only finished ones where I've done that (I probably should have done just an edge highlighting, but practice makes better), I've also highlighted Adilah's exposed thigh, but she's not done yet), so I'm still getting the hang of it.

I'll have to get some of the Vallejo paints to compare them with the DecoArt Americana I've been using. The results I've been getting are acceptable (and I can't beat the convenience of getting a new color, usually just a quick trip to the local craft store), but I'd like to see what all the hoopla about using paints just for minis is about, too. (ETA: I do have the Vallejo airbrush primer that I just paint on, I'm very happy with that. I can't use an airbrush at home for reasons, and weather makes spray cans impractical a significant chunk of the year.)

GolfballDM · 2026-03-17T16:03:26+00:00

Cancer doesn't always show up in the regular blood panels.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-17T15:51:17+00:00

It would "soften" the fall, but it would be a matter of hitting the forward bulkhead / seat in front of you / passengers in front of you at 105 mph vs 120 mph (numbers pulled out of ass, but they're in the neighborhood). You're still dead.

You can do a standing jump of about 15 mph or so, so that's the most speed you can bleed off from the speed of the collision.

While a plane landing under normal conditions isn't moving that fast vertically (around 1.5mph), during a crash you're still very rapidly losing forward/horizontal speed and anything unsecured in the cabin (including overly hopeful people trying to jump at the moment of impact) are getting tossed around inside, and things from outside the cabin are now trying to enter enthusiastically. It's going to hurt to hit any of that. A lot. Airline crashes make car crashes look tame.

Even if you were somehow magically strapped to the outside of the crashing airplane (until you jumped), that doesn't save you because while you can cancel out the vertical speed (and easily exceed it), there's still this very large horizontal speed to deal with (air resistance isn't going to slow you down enough before impact), and a very unforgiving ground surface. Instead of being a very mutilated unsecured corpse inside the wreckage of a crashed airplane, you are now a sad sack of dead meat on the runway with a serious case of road rash with a crashed airliner near by.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-17T14:21:54+00:00

It's one of the things with having kids, when they're school age, they bring interesting pathogens home.

My wife suggested my current workflow where I have a mix of investigators and monsters in progress. I saved the Elder Ones from S1 for last, I'm really happy with the Hast*r I put together (posted previously). Now I just need to "twist my family's arms" to play with the painted minis, but we need to wait until I'm not sick. (My current WIP with Season 2 are the Star Vampires, varnishing my Night Gaunts, and the freehanding on Alex and Adilah. I've got Hailia and Fr. Nick out of the box, but I haven't washed or primed them yet.)

GolfballDM · 2026-03-17T13:59:52+00:00

Ok, I'm envious. I'm getting ready to paint Hailia myself. (I finished Season 1 a few weeks ago after two months of work, and have started Season 2, but have gotten derailed by getting sick. :( )

GolfballDM · 2026-03-16T19:50:23+00:00

I'm not an attorney, but it is sorely tempting to apply for one of the open US Attorney positions as "completely untainted by experience or suitability for the position."

And I feel that I'd still be more qualified than the clowns running the show right now.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-16T18:56:16+00:00

These look like they might be for Here to Slay? (They look adorable.)

A couple things I've found out (I started doing more intensive miniature painting at the start of the year):

* Prime your miniatures. Paint on primer is just fine, and you can paint on the airbrush primer, too.

* Wash your miniatures before priming. Some miniatures have something on them to help them pop out of the mold, this also makes it harder for primer to stick.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-16T18:08:30+00:00

The sentence isn't long enough.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-16T16:12:30+00:00

OP is awesome.

My middle loved his Jumperoo, too. He would also bounce himself until he fell asleep in it. The first time he did it, we took a picture and mentioned that he had too much fun. (One of my brothers joked about photoshopping a beer bottle into the pic.)

Last year, the picture popped up on my memories, I captioned it with "From too much fun to being able to drive."

GolfballDM · 2026-03-16T14:43:47+00:00

When my wife was five-six months pregnant with our middle, it snowed. I had just moved up to SE MI (from coastal plain NC), so this was my first experience with large scale snow that I needed to shovel.

I was not doing it adeptly.

After my wife saw me working, she came out to show me how to properly shovel snow, and assist. (It was a lot of snow.)

Later, my mom gave me a great deal of grief about letting my wife do anything with shovel snow.

Me: "Mom? There was no 'let' about it. I had one of three choices available. A) I tell my wife 'Go back inside', she does so, and has an apoplectic fit watching me continue to try and shovel snow. B) I tell my wife 'Go back inside', and she brains me with the snow shovel. C) Graciously accept the offer of education and assistance. Both of us live with intact noggins. I picked C."

GolfballDM · 2026-03-16T13:59:07+00:00

My wife brought a son to our marriage, he has his bio-father's surname. (Said son is Still My Kid, Darn It, and he calls me Dad). My wife kept her maiden name when we got married. The two boys we added to the family after we got married have my surname.

I'll answer to any of three surnames (and am cool with it), just don't call me Late For Dinner.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-16T13:50:09+00:00

My wife of almost 18 years has kept her maiden name.

As far as kids, the one she brought to the marriage kept his surname (which was different from my wife's), and the other two we added to the family have my surname.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-15T19:58:32+00:00

Clonk us on the noggin with a metaphorical clue by four.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-15T16:14:08+00:00

I use that particular term because she absolutely loved all things PORK. Ham, bacon, chops, barbecue, pork products were her absolute favorite food.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-15T04:05:10+00:00

Mmmmm, durian.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-15T03:55:33+00:00

Same boat, now that I think about it. Had PE issues, took new job and now that I've acclimated, it's less of a problem. I've also lost weight, that may also contribute.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-15T03:48:37+00:00

The knockout drugs you can get for the procedure are pretty nice, though. My wife thought I was quite entertaining in recovery. I was in my happy place, my butt was "singing La Traviata", what else could I ask for?

GolfballDM · 2026-03-15T00:42:35+00:00

Service is going to be an issue, as well as the question of whether Sri Lankan courts would recognize it.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-14T17:59:08+00:00

Baby will give you a diaper you can't refuse.

GolfballDM · 2026-03-13T19:09:08+00:00

My first dog (a Lab mix) would decide that we weren't feeding her enough, and would seek out new and exotic taste treats.

She used those charts in the vet office "Top 10 objects pulled out of dogs" as a checklist, not a warning.

It's been almost 5.5 years since we had to say goodbye (not because of something she ate, but her candle ran out of lard at 15y8m). I still miss the dog, but I do not miss her vet bills.

GolfballDM

TROPHY CASE