Cast summon monster IX!!!

I order my comic books online from Westfield. You pre-order 2-3 months in advance, then they ship once a month. Not only do they offer an outstanding selection from a wide variety of publishers, but you can get a pretty decent discount off the cover price. Still, nothing beats a real, live comic book store. After living down here more than a year and a half now, I decided last weekend that it was high time I visited a local gig.

The shop I found was down on El Dorado. While their comic offering was pretty typical, it was clear to see that their real bread and butter was tabletop gaming. About two thirds of the wall space was devoted to Warhammer, Magic, AD&D, and the like. What was most impressive, though, is that there were tables set up where kids (and adults, I guess) were actually playing games.

Sure, when I was a kid I spent my fair share of Friday and Saturday nights rolling my 20-sided die and casting magic missile, throwing LAN parties for some Warcraft/Starcraft/Unreal Tourney action, MUDding, or just being a general nerd. But that was all fun and games and mostly just something to do before I discovered the joy of drugs.

These guys were fucking hardcore, though. I mean, it was obvious that they had invested massive amounts of time and energy into building up their armies or decks or whatever they were playing with, and that you could probably find them in that exact same spot just about every weekend. Such dedication.

I was almost jealous of them, that they had found themselves such an intense niche. After all, everybody needs a niche, and theirs was possibly the niche par excellence. The camaraderie was evident, as was the advanced level of strategery. I also got a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that even social losers like those kids had a place to go where they knew that they were a part of something.

Anyway, I didn't find any comics I needed, then I went home and got drunk. How's that for a niche?

---------------

Not so much a niche as a way of life: Longhorn Football.

Dear [My Pseudonym Here],

Thank you for your ticket purchase. For future reference, your order confirmation number is XXXX. A summary of your order follows:


FBS - 2006 Football Season Ticket
==========================

North Texas
02 SEP 2006 at TBA
Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium

Ohio State
09 SEP 2006 at TBA
Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium

Iowa State
23 SEP 2006 at TBA
Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium

Sam Houston State
30 SEP 2006 at TBA
Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium

Baylor
14 OCT 2006 at TBA
Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium

Oklahoma State
04 NOV 2006 at TBA
Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium

Texas A&M
24 NOV 2006 at TBA
Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium

Price Type Qty Price Fee Cost
------------------------------ --- -------- --------- ----------
LASP Season Ticket 1 60.00 0.00 60.00

Delivery Method: Print at Home

==========
Item Cost 60.00
Order Charge 6.00
Total Cost 66.00

ALL SALES ARE FINAL. No refunds or exchanges.

Placing this request does not guarantee fulfillment of tickets. All requests are processed according to UT Athletics Department priority policies. These policies are available at www.TexasSports.com. Please call the Athletics Ticket Office if you have any questions or need any additional information.

If you requested Student Football Season tickets, you will receive emails in August if your order is able to be filled that will include attachments for your Print at Home tickets. You will then be able to print your tickets on your own and bring these tickets to the games in order to be scanned for verification. Individual away game tickets will have to be picked up at the Bellmont Hall Ticket Office.

If you have any questions regarding your order, please email... yadda yadda yadda.

Hook 'em Horns

You're damn straight.