Gobo Gazette

訪ねてきてくれて、ありがとう (Tazunete kite kurete, arigato)! Please note that I do not speak Japanese. I found this translation online and when I passed it by my wife, she said “All Good.” You might be wondering why I am going through all this trouble. Well, my mother-in-law had traveled from Japan and spent the last ten weeks with us. And it was quite enjoyable. I had first met her, her mother and her daughter when she was still living in Hawaii. That was many years ago. I am happy to say that little has changed since then, other than we are all a bit older – hopefully wiser – and there was a grandson for her to see in person for the first time.

Ten weeks seems a long time but it went by too quickly. We all saw her off just the other day and we found out this morning that she has arrived safely back home. Among the items she returned with is a printed version of this Instagram image (albeit in an 8×10 format). When she had asked for a gobo drawing, I thought “why settle on just one?” Plus it gave me an option to explore a different take on the twelve of them (I don’t think Bam gets it). It is a kind of omiyage, which is so much more than just a souvenir. And it is my little way of saying arigato. We hope to see you again soon!

Who doesn’t like some hugs on Father’s Day? This guy, apparently! This is a direct follow up to the previous post, both images – as always – are viewable on our Instagram page. In past editions of Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder, Dwarves had a hatred against goblinoids as a racial trait. That doesn’t seem right. Maybe it is just a hatred of the hugs?

Think about it for a moment. How many shows have you seen, novels you have read, that show any dwarf as “lovey-dovey”? A great number of media sources show them as gruff and surly. It has been some time since I’ve seen Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. There might be one of two hugs in there. But that is an exception to the rule, and a Disney portrayal. You will most likely see dour warriors over comical miners in any work of fiction. Maybe they are just upset that their stout ladies are never around? Or unhappy that they may or may not have beards as lustrous as their own? All of you writers and directors out there! Get those Dwarves some hugs! And don’t forget dad! Give him a bunch of hugs on Father’s Day!

What do you mean, happy second birthday? Isn’t about eight months too early? You would be correct, but this is actually a personal shout-out to my boy, Dante! The days of changing diapers are soon to end but the memories of the task (and smell) linger. Have you ever changed a diaper before? The difficulty level fluctuates between marathon quickness and a Tom & Jerry cartoon. It appears that Pat is a pro when it come to the endeavor. Our saucepan-wearing gobo makes this look easy. And the little baby is content with laying still and not going mobile (although that would make for a great comic strip). So happy second birthday, Dante! I hope you have a lot of fun.