Platypus of Truth

I'm attempting a slight aesthetic overhaul here at Platypus of Truth. The eclectic content will remain the same, but the blog site is getting a much needed update. Let me know what you think. In other news, things have gotten a little sluggish here of late following my surgery, but I am back on the mend and hopefully that will mean an increase in meaty content (especially once Christmas Break comes around). I don't have anything specific in the works, but we'll see what I can come up with in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, remember: the Platypus speaks Truth.

Happy Saint Pompion's Day! Long live the City on a Hill. Qui Transtulit Sustinet.

It's been a long time since I last taught the history and literature of Ancient Greece. I'm used to being a consultant on the subject for other teachers, but this year I finally find myself back in the saddle again. We've just finished a tour through Homer's Iliad and are set to discuss Book III of the Odyssey next week. The method I use to discuss the books is rooted in the master of key concepts/terms; a college level way of teaching the books that my colleague and I adapted for use in high school. Thus, we go hunting in each book of the Iliad  for Menos, Arete, Kleos, an Aresteia, an Agon, Kratos, The Best of the Achaeans, a Geras, The Burial of the Dead, Hubris, and discuss the material in light of these concepts. The result has been highly fruitful and the students made much better sense of the Iliad  and its world than the last time I taught the book. I've taken up the approach in my own notes, and now my teacher's edition of the Odyssey  is pleasantly fil...

My wife and I have been enjoying our $10 copy of "Elder Sign: Omens" over the past few weeks. I have to say, I wasn't sure at first how well a table top game would port to the PC. I mean, who really wants to play risk on their computer? I'm glad we gave it a whirl though. "Elder Sign: Omens" is another triumph for Fantasy Flight games. It's much cheaper than the boxed game and is disproportionately creepy for what you'd think could be supported by the game mechanic. We've also found it to have great re-play value and a number of extra investigators and Ancient Ones that can be unlocked by completing investigations. Each game lasts between thirty minutes and an hour, so it's also much easier than breaking out a table top behemoth like Eldritch Horror. If you're into Lovecraft and computer games, this is a great one to pick up.

Michaels was having a terrific sale so I broke down and bought some Prismacolors. Sketching around to get the feel of them produced this second take on H.P. Lovecraft's "The Silver Key". My first attempt was in pastels which seem to work better on this particular paper. The colors are lovely, however, and I found the pencils very easy to work with. I look forward to trying them out again when I have more time.