435 - Liebster Award: It's like a chain letter, but a bit nicer

Hullo World.

I was grateful to receive a tip-of-the-hat this week from The Responsible One [link] with a 'Liebster' nomination: thank you! I know these aren't everyone's cup of tea necessarily, but I am a fan of 'paying it forward' when I can, so I'm going to take the opportunity to shine a light on some of the stuff I've discovered (or rediscovered) more recently.

Being prone to longwindedness as I am, I shall endeavour to keep the length reasonable whilst following The Responsible One's excellent lead...

11 truths about me:

1. Educationally, my background is in theatre and then linguistics. If I had to lay claim to a 'specialism' it would be as a phonetician/phonologist;
2. Except for lips and - very rarely - hair colour, I never blend or mix colours. I always use them straight out of the pot;
3. I've owned two cats now for over six weeks and still haven't worked out their names;
4. I used to be able to breakdance. Y'know - gen-u-ine head-spinny breakdancing;
5. There lives - on my desk - a 'thank you' card that an ex-student gave me almost a year ago: sometimes it's just about what keeps me going back into work;
6. I've just acquired a free air rifle - with spousal blessing! *grins*
7. I'm always utterly touched by the acts of kindness and selflessness that this corner of the blogosphere sometimes produces;
8. Quite often at the end of the working day I blast out 'Rainbow Connection' through the speakers in my classroom and holler along with it. Sometimes people catch me doing this;
9. I really miss Cadfael the Corgi. It's been over a year now.
    
10. I always swore I'd never utter the word 'cute'...and then I became a dad. I still utterly draw the line at 'poop' (a mainstay for the Chicagoan Mrs Drax), and
11. [in shamed deference to The Responsible One]: the first single I bought was *cringe* Celine Dion's 'Think Twice'. I should've heeded her advice.

Here's where I get to nominate 11 blogs that I want to bring to your attention:

In no particular order at all, then, please give these a glance [NB: Sadly, I don't expect them all to pay it forward!]:

• Guardsman-A-Day [yup!] http://guardsman-a-day.blogspot.co.uk/
• The 86th Praetorians http://86thpraetorian.blogspot.co.uk/
• The 23rd Valhallan http://23rdvalhallan.blogspot.co.uk/
• Hudson http://pfchudson.blogspot.co.uk/
• James Wappel Miniature Painting http://wappellious.blogspot.co.uk/
• Fawcett Avenue Conscripts (in Canadia) http://wpggamegeeks.blogspot.co.uk/ [true story: in Portsmouth there is (or was) a pub on Fawcett Rd called 'The Fawcett Inn'. For a long time they sold 'Fawcett Inn Cider'. Say it aloud. Classy, huh?!]
• The new incarnation of Col. Corbane: http://corbaniaprime.blogspot.co.uk/
• The 512th Cadian http://cadian512.blogspot.co.uk/
• Do You Have A Flag (if only for his recent 'Fighting Fantasy' adventure) http://gotflag.blogspot.co.uk/
• Over Open Sights http://over-open-sights.blogspot.co.uk/ and
• 313th Drop Troop Regt. http://313dtr.blogspot.co.uk/ .

Right then. Here are The Responsible One's questions:

1. Why did you start blogging?
A) Mostly as a means of tracking my own progress; not least pictorially. I wouldn't ever have dreamed that six years in I'd be sitting on 172000 hits. I certainly couldn't have foreseen the friends I've made as a consequence! The name was courtesy of my dad (unwittingly) who talked to us as kids about the real, awesomely-named Admiral Drax.

2. If you could change one thing about the wargaming hobby, what would it be?
A) Easy: GW's heartless stupidity. Apparently it's not difficult...why are those in charge so hell-bent on draining their hobby of affordability, clarity and fun?

3. What is best in life?
A) Being greeted when I get home by my kids.

4. Do you want to live forever?
A) God no. I'd become utterly insufferable!

5. Fame or fortune?
A) Fortune. But preferably neither.

6. What miniature are you most proud of having painted?
A) Tricky. Painting-wise,I suspect it's an odd toss-up between (a) the Liaison Party banner-bearer I painted up for Zzzzzz [link], 

 

(b) the artillery staff stand for my Flames of War 25pdr battery [link], or

(c) my Typhoon [link].

7. How do you deal with burn out?
A) I like to read new rulesets, safe in the knowledge I'll barely ever - if at all - get to play with them. That, and painting stuff for others - I've found that can help.

8. Why is a raven like a writing desk?
A) Mrs. Drax would very much like both of them to be in our house.
9. Star Wars or Star Trek?
A) Star Wars... but Battlestar Galactica recently! Oh, and I have been to the awesome Star Trek Hilton in Vegas. Even for a non-trekkie it's something pretty special!

10. If you could only buy from one miniature company from now on, which one would it be?
A) Plastic Soldier Company. Their models are lovely - cheap too - and their range just keeps growing and growing! I'd never get bored.

11. What is your favourite take away?
A) The [REDACTED] Inn in the next village. They deliver. Amazing grub; no washing up. Bliss.

And finally, out of a combination of laziness and nosiness, I shall pose the same questions I 've answered above to anyone who cares to shed the light on any other new or pertinent blogs (please). Until next time then, thanks to everyone, and keep well. - Drax. PS: If I had a favourite conversion, it'd be this: