Of Dungeons and Dragons and Hollywood Stars
Don’t think I’ve forgotten about quitting smoking. I haven’t. The quit date is coming up rapidly, August 15. When I first mentioned that Britt and I were gonna quit smoking a few weeks back, I had quite a few of you say that you’re interested in joining us. The goal is this: quit smoking at midnight on Friday, August 15, wherever you are. I kind of wish I was in Hawaii now so I could quit a few hours later, but oh well. What’s done is done. For now, I’m chain smoking like a motherfucker.
If you’re interested in quitting smoking with us, I’ve made a little button banner thingie for you to use on your site. Here ya go.
Put it on your blog’s sidebar and if you use it, please link to the following page: http://secondhandkarl.com/2008/07/i-quit/
Don’t say I never gave you nuthin’.
Well, we’re down to the final two days of Karlifornia. It’s been a blast this year visiting with Hilly and TONS of other blog friends, and even some offline friends who I hadn’t seen in many years. But everything must come to an end at some point. By now, Hilary is likely sick of me taking up space in Hillywood and I’m looking forward to heading home, too. Funny, at home I’m nearly hermit-like, but when I come out to California each year, I’m forced out of my turtle shell and have to be somewhat “on” for a few weeks.
Not ALL the way “on,” of course. Hilly and I are very much like brother and sister so we really can let it all (mostly) hang out when it’s just the two of us. But I do appreciate my alone time and I know she does, too. That’s human nature.
I purposefully set my flight up on Wednesday for a stopover in Las Vegas because I’ve never been there before. And really, hanging out in the Vegas airport isn’t the same as getting out INTO Vegas, but it’s still better than nothing. And I’m sure they have slot machines in the airport, so I’ll be sure to bring a few dollars in quarters so I can watch them vanish into the ether. If I, however, happen to hit it big then I’ll be flying home first class. And buying a purple velvet fedora so I can be all rich and tacky and shit. Maybe a few thick gold chains, too, so I can wear my shirt buttoned open to my belly. That’s what they do in Vegas, isn’t it?
Saturday Hilly graciously took me to Hollywood – about an hour away with traffic – so I could meet up with two friends of mine from high school. I hadn’t seen Michael or Chris in over 20 years, and was really jazzed to hook up with them after all that time.
I first met Michael when I was in 10th grade. I had just moved from New York to Alamogordo, New Mexico, a tiny little shithole of a town located in the southeast corner of NM, 83 miles from El Paso, Texas. My family moved down there over Christmas break in my 10th grade year. I hated that, moving, leaving my friends behind. Plus, I was really allergic to change of any kind at that time.
Residents of Alamogordo call it Alamoghetto, and not with any sense of affection, either. It’s a military town, located not far from Holloman Air Force Base, and is comprised of around 35,000 people. And it’s smack dab in the middle of a bunch of mountains. The Tularosa Basin is pure desert. It gets hot, but it’s about as dry a heat as you can get without hopping into a ceramics kiln.
So I knew absolutely NO ONE in this new town, a place where I was surprised to find they actually had indoor plumbing. Not everyone listened to Kenny Rogers, either. In fact, the very first song I heard upon my arrival in Alamo was “Shake it Up” by The Cars. I love The Cars, and I can’t help but think of Alamo whenever I hear that song.
And I dreaded going to school that first day. I was (am) a major nerd, socially awkward (inept), a fashion nightmare, and I signed up for your typical high school courses. Geometry, Algebra II, English, History, and some electives, including art class.
That’s where I met Michael, in art. He sat across from me at our table. He reminded me of this during our visit the other day…I was drawing a polar bear and he was drawing Gandalf the wizard. You know, before Gandalf was cool thanks to Peter Jackson’s trilogy of “Lord of the Rings.” I mean, yeah, he was cool to US, but then so were comic books and 20-sided dice.
He was a year behind me in school and this was back when Alamogordo had a Mid High (9th and 10th grades) and a Senior High (11th and 12th grades). They’ve since conglomerated. But we hit it off fairly quickly, cracking smartass jokes to each other while working on assorted art projects. And the moment I found out he played Dungeons and Dragons, I knew I had made a friend. My brother and I had started playing in New York, but we really had very little idea what we were doing. That was about to change.
Mike introduced me to Rob, another D&D player and another goofus like us. We were all smart kids, and none of us were in the “in crowd” by any stretch of the imagination. We weren’t exactly outcasts or anything, but none of the cool kids were asking us to sit at their lunch table, that’s for sure. Nerds, the lot of us. And that suited me just fine. We were social commentators, mocking those around us in the quad, all the while secretly wishing that we knew why WE weren’t the cool ones.
And we played Dungeons & Dragons. Oh Lord, did we play! Countless hours after school, even more time on weekends, it was pretty much all we did during our waking hours. That, and playing our Atari 2600s. More fun has never been had with a joystick and one red button. The games nowadays are way too complicated for me, unless we’re talking about the Nintendo Wii. But I digress. In case you haven’t already figured it out, I’m quite good at the digression game.
At any rate, Mike eventually introduced my brother and I to Chris. (That also happens to be my brother’s name so I won’t be confusing you by bringing TWO Chrises into the equation.) Chris was a very peculiar chap who was quite particular about who he let into his D&D sessions. It took some time for Mike to properly work Chris over to the point where he’d agree to meet us.
“His mother owns the Travelodge,” Mike told me.
“He lives in a motel?” I asked.
“Yes, and that’s where we play D&D.”
“Woooooow.” That’s so fucking cool! Living in a motel?!
We finally got to meet Chris, walking behind the motel’s front desk into the living area, and then back into Chris’ secret lair, a room lined with dark wood paneling and lots of D&D gear (including the lead figuringes that some people collected).
Fortunately, we passed whatever criteria Chris had for gaming buddies and from there on out, we were inseparable on occasion for a good four years. Once in a great while, Chris’ mom would let us take over a vacant motel room on weekends. It’d be Chris, Mike, my brother, Rob, *another* Rob, and me at a small card table loaded with character sheets and lots of different colored dice of all varieties…armed with chips and pizza and lots and lots of soda and we’d play all freaking night long. It was divine. You know, for a bunch of guys who hadn’t been laid yet, anyway.
I got a job at the radio station when I was 16 and that cut into my playing time a little. And when I graduated high school, I started working there full-time, and that was kind of the end of my D&D career for the most part. But we had a great run. These guys were like more brothers for me. We talked about anything and everything, provided it involved science fiction, comic books, music, or D&D. We even attended a city council meeting once, when there was this nationwide scare about D&D being satanic and the schools were talking about banning D&D materials from the school grounds.
When I started dating, I lost even more touch with the guys. I don’t really remember the last time I saw either of them specifically, but we certainly lost touch until relatively recently. I’ve been in touch with Mike off and on over the years, thanks to the Internet. But Saturday was the first time I’d seen either of them since I left Alamoghetto.
That’s Mike on the left, me in the middle (of course), and Chris on the right…outside the Grauman Chinese Theater. I took a bunch of photos outside the theater…footprints of Douglas Fairbanks, Gregory Peck, and the like (you can find them on my Flickr).
Then we went to the California Pizza Kitchen for lunch, since we were all eyeing each other hungrily, thinking of maybe seeing if each other’s arms tasted like chicken. We caught up and laughed about old times. Michael is a graphic artist nowadays and has done a lot of comic book work. Even worked on “The Tick” for a while, the TV show! Chris is a television writer, working mostly on animated shows such as “Jimmy Neutron” and “Squirrel Boy,” among others.
And what the fuck is KARL doing? Um. Nothing. It was a little humbling to see my friends who have made their dreams come true, while I am sitting on my ass with several manuscripts in various stages of completion. Yeah, gotta work on that.
Anyway, after lunch, we set out on a quest to find a pack of Chesterfields for Chris to bring to Las Vegas. We went to a few smoke shops but found nothing, though we did find one smoke shop/sex toy shop. No shit.
Best of all? I found something I’ve been waiting to see my entire life:
Yep, it was a great day on Saturday. It won’t be nearly as long before I see Mike and Chris again, I assure you. They may not get the whole blogging thing, but I plan on emailing the hell out of them until they at LEAST join Twitter.
So Chris? Mike? Had a blast.
37 Responses to “Of Dungeons and Dragons and Hollywood Stars”
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PUH-Leez tell me that you played D&D at the California Pizza Kitchen. Or at least talked strategy.
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Karl, we have to get some of your 20 sided dice and bring them to Vegas. 20 sided dice are the new BLACK.
Chris & Mike sound like great friends. You’re very lucky indeed.
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Sportsfan’s – Well, we certainly *talked* about it.
Papa – I’d have to find my old dice. I’m sure they’re around somewhere.
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I quit smoking a few years ago cold turkey. And I recommend that method- don’t buy into the bullshit that you need nicorette or anything. You’ll be a raging asshole for a week and then you just need to pick up some new habits, like exercise. It gets better really fast and you won’t be willing to kill a baby kitten for a cigarette. Rip it off like a bandaid and you’ll be free!
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I miss D&D. Except for the drama about the rules.
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I have to say, I spent a whole day with these guys and they were lovely. No one bored me with tales of D&D (sorry, Karl) and everyone was very engaging and sweet.
Plus, they took me to a porn shop. I mean, come on…
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ML – Yeah, I’ve quit before, usually cold turkey. You’re right, that’s the way to go. All I know is nobody better get in my face for a good month or so, or I’ll be on CNN. :smoke:
Penny – There are a lot of rules.
Hilly – So glad you had a good time. It was great having a mingling of the worlds.
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I don’t need to quit smoking, but can I still put the image in the sidebar as a show of support for you two and whoever else signs up?
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The Quitterazi?? Really??
I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who actually played D&D. I mean, until I met the Internet.
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I thought Sex/Smoke Shop combos were typical. I have never been to a Sex Shop that wasn’t lined with bongs! Maybe I’m in the wrong part of town.
Thinking of you on the 15th, you CAN do it!
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I’ll quit smoking with you!
I smoked approximately 5 times in the last 15 years and when I moved out of my apartment I threw away all my cigarettes and cigarillos… so, I’m guessing this won’t be too hard.
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Do I need to start smoking to quit with you?
And that was the most interesting blog post I’ve ever had that included D&D, Vegas, El Paso and a Motel.
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I’ll quit smoking, too. I totally have to stop wearing corduroy pants and running on the treadmill.
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I keep thinking I should officially quit but I don’t smoke regularly. I usually smoke socially or when really stressed out. Since I had my wedding though I vowed to not buy cigarettes ever again, which means I’d have to borrow them from someone. So that means I usually smoke a couple times a month if that. It’s hard to give something up when you aren’t physically addicted.
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sounds like you all had a grand time. i love it! so happy for you.
i’ll be so thankful when you quit smoking. then we can make out for reals!!
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smoking..nasty habit.
I’d love to have been a fly on the wall in that motel room way back when.
Huh. Now THERE’s a thing I never thought I’d say…
But a chance at observing the inner sanctum of the virgin nerd? priceless.
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Kapgar – Sure, feel free to use it!
Miss Britt – Not Quitterazi…Quitterati!
Beth – Thanks! And I’ve never seen a smoke shop/sex toys store before, so it’s a first for me.
Poppy – The best way to quit is never to start.
Whall – Yeah, hard to believe I put all that in there and it didn’t bore the pants off you.
Avitable – Heh, very true.
Robin – There are so many smoking triggers for me: stress, food, coffee, etc. It’s gonna be a bitch, but I’ll make it happen.
Hello – I look forward to it.
Wendy – We would have gladly had you in the inner sanctum. Should I roll you up a character?
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“about an hour away with traffic”
So, I’m thinking, it was a three-mile drive?
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“Should I roll you up a character?”
Huh? What does that mean?
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Delmer – Ha, it’s about 40 miles, but yeah. Traffic can be a bitch.
Wendy – Aw, you’re cute. That means generate a charcter for D&D, done with dice.
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Karl, email me your address, I have a present for you.
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Dan – Ooooh! A present?! Spill it!
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Karl, that was an awesome visit. We loved Hilly, and can’t wait to see you again. ~Mike
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How fun that you got to hang with some old friends! And even cooler that you’re going to be a non-smoker soon; it’s very early ’90s.
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Good luck on quitting. I don’t smoke so alas I won’t be joining you and Britt for the quitterati.
And it sounds like you all had an awesome time in Hollywood!
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Mike – Had a freaking blast, dude. Thanks again for showing us around and hanging out. Love to do it again, for longer.
Sandra – Yeah, really enjoyed it. The quitting smoking, though? Gonna be tough. I’m fully engrossed in it right now. I suppose that’s emphasis on the “gross.”
Sarah – Thanks! You can join us in spirit and support and that’ll be fine.
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If you do strike it rich, please don’t OG.
Also, how do you quit being SMOKING HOT?!
And those two friends of yours? Sound just like the types who need to blog, dammit! Plus, Mike is cute.
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Sybil – It’s not something I have to struggle with, fortunately, being smoking hot. But I’m sure if you really need to, you could get yourself a female mullet and start chewing tobaccy.
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I don’t smoke, so I can’t quit with you, but you definitely have my support.
Your visit sounds amazing, and your friends sound very cool. My boys love Jimmy Neutron and Squirrel Boy. Now I can tell them that I know someone who knows someone who had something to do with the shows.
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Tori – Well, good for you, not smoking. Wish I’d never started, but oh well. And yeah, the visit was fantastic. I have lots of great friends and it’s just been a marvelous three weeks.
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Damn,
Chris is putting on the years isn’t he…HEE HEE. Mike never changes.
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Chris – Hey, bro! Yeah, Chris reminds me now of a cartoonish mad scientist. Funny as ever.
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You played Dungeons and Dragons with out me? WTF?
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Yes, there are plenty of slot machines in the airport. That’s how you know you’re in Vegas.
I was just there a week ago. Work should have coordinated that better.
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Stacey – Dammit! Why didn’t you get with me about your schedule? Very inconsiderate.
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I quit about 8 or 9 months ago with the patch, which made it very easy! It costs the same as smoking, and you only have to do it for a couple weeks or maybe a month. Also, if you have insurance, your doctor has things they can prescribe to help you quit easily.
The first time i quit successfully, (before starting again YEARS later,) was with a combination of the patch and Wellbutrin. Not sure if they still use wellbutrin, but they have medicines that work for sure.
Good luck!
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UMB – Thanks, Michael! I’m going to try to get some Chantix, which I’ve heard good things about. Good for you, quitting.
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