I was on the road a month and a half ago, for a period of 4 months, riding my motorcycle across the US. A lot happened during that time, good things and bad things to be sure. I sit here in my home, where I left from, and I am reminded that I wasn’t really changed by it. The camping out in remote areas, the constant conversations with people so very different from me, and the month living in bittersweet Mormon Idaho…these things did little to remove the coldness and lingering despair I tend to feel about life in general. It was…an interesting diversion, to say the least. Certainly enough to write a novel about, to be sure.
I went to GP Vegas during that trip, which turned out to be pretty last minute. I rushed from San Diego to get there, once I realized that it was happening just 2 days later. Quite a ride, from San Diego to Las Vegas. It was worth it, though. Haven’t spent a lot of time in Las Vegas, so it was a lot to take in, especially since I’d been staying in desert National Parks throughout Arizona and New Mexico during the previous 2 weeks. The GP was pretty routine, just more MtG “celebs” than other GPs.
I had a great time playing commander with new folks, primarily from California. They have a weird sense of humor and ease of being that I’m not used to. It was refreshing though, as I’m more used to uptight magic players who reek of insecurity and pettiness. My two decks, Jarad and Memnarch, went undefeated there. Folks started not feeling good about playing against them, so I made a draft-chaff Rona deck to humble myself before them. The gesture was appreciated, even if I didn’t end up having much fun playing it, hah. I did have fun playing with the friends I made, so that is what mattered. That was the first time I’d used a female commander, so that’s a bit of a milestone for me. I didn’t feel the normal urge to make a male commander that I could envision myself “being with”, so hurray for not gaying up my commander experience yet again. 😀
I went to a few card shops over the course of my trip. The most unique of them was ABU Games in Boise, ID, which was located in a building that had previously been a Gold’s Gym. Their super-casual commander rules were pretty ridiculous, but I get the feeling that the place is fun outside of that.
I really enjoyed visiting Renton, WA and staying with an old, good friend that lives there. To my surprise, Wizards of the Coast HQ was only 5 minutes from their house, so I get to check visiting that place off my bucket list. The Seattle area has such miserable weather, so that explains some of the decisions they’ve made over the years…haha! I was even able to play with an interesting R&D guy at a nearby card shop, who I’d coincidentally ran into at GP Vegas a few weeks earlier. I had a full “WoTC experience” in Renton.
Taking breaks to play MtG were some of the highlights of my trip. Although, bringing along 2 decks that had about $8000 of value in them on a cross-country motorcycle trip probably wasn’t the brightest idea. 😀
Disciple of the Vault 