And in This Corner

Well hey there Forch Foreign Legionnaires. I would like to first introduce myself to the millions, and millions of adoring Forchites :

I am Master Sergeant Shane "Fatman" Whissell of the Forch Foreign Legion. For the most part the areas of interest I have in mind to cover for TNTM will be Wrestling, MMORPGs, RPGs, and various other shiny things that catch my eye.

A bit about me :

I am a man at a crossroads in my life... I've come to understand that I've made some very bad choices in life, and now I'm doing my best to clean up my mistakes. On my road to wherever I'm going, I would like to have you along for the ride, I won't lie... It may get bumpy, so buckle up. I won't shy away from expressing my opinions, and you may not like it or agree, but I hope you're entertained.

I am 34 years old, working in a job that just pays the bills and does not stimulate my mind. And an idle mind, like idle hands are the devil's playthings.

I have been a role playing games enthusiast ( hell more like an addict ) since my 8th birthday when my step brother bought me the old Basic Dungeons & Dragons Rule Set in the red box... It came with digest size rule books and your own set of dice. I still have most of them somewhere... I've always loved computers. Right from my friend Robert's Commodore 64, right up to my current rig, the Incredibly underpowered HP Pavilion Media Center PC, that I got for what I was allowed to spend on it.

I am a bit of a geek, but not like most other geeks I know. I was never much for comics, sci-fi, or electronics. I played football, I wrestled, I played every sport I could find. I used to be very active, and plan to be again. I played role playing games, but I wasn't the 125lb weakling that the jocks picked on in school.

I watched Anime as a kid, but we called it Japanimation back then, and it had real stories you could get into, it wasn't fluff designed to sell toys, although it did that quite well.

I like pro wrestling ( it will never be Sports Entertainment to me ), but I'm not a nut job about it, I know the results are predetermined, but I also appreciate the hell these men and women put their bodies and minds through to entertain me. And I have a hard time believing that anyone who writes wrestling now a days has half a brain in their heads. But I will leave that for another post.

I like books, Stephen King is the author I own the most of, probably next would be Tom Clancy, but J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis have a special place in my heart. I think William Gibson is probably the best sci fi I have in my collection, Neuromancer is a work of art if you can get through it. Harry Potter books spend a fair bit of time on my bedside table. I don't have kids, but sometimes it's nice to forget you're an adult. I also have a fair bit of Shakespeare ( I own the Complete Oxford, and the Complete Norton editions ) on my bookshelf... I think it comes to about 17 pounds worth... I think Douglas Adams was taken from us too soon, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is probably one of my favorite reads. I am well read, my wife double majored in Theatre Arts and in Dramatic Literature in university, so I know a little bit about a lot of plays. I enjoy the theatre. I love the cinema. I'll probably toss in some movie reviews maybe some DVD reviews as I missed some big movies this year.

When it comes to movies, I like Superhero movies, action movies, sports movies, I guess I'll watch just about anything, even a chick flick once in a while...

While I don't like comic books, I love Web Comics, I'll do a run down of my top 10 favorites at some point I'm sure.

I like stand up comedy, but I think it's getting to be a dying art form. George Carlin ( may the Dude love him and keep him ) is my personal favorite. I think that the older edgier Eddie Murphy was hilarious, Sam Kinnison, Russell Peters, Richard Pryor, and Bill Cosby to name a few coloured my sense of humor from a very young age.

I collect very few things : mistakes, regrets, dice, and role playing game miniatures. I'm a bit of a clutterbug, things always seem to be a bit messy around me, but I always know where my towel is*...

* if you don't get this reference please read hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy now as it will likely save you time and trouble later on as I'm likely to spout the odd phrase here and there...

Now we're coming up on the end... I'm glad you've stayed with me so far. Just a bit more patience I beg of you.

I am an ordained Minster of Dudeism (www.dudeism.com) on a related note The Big Lebowski rules if you haven't seen it, you should... :)

I have a great love of all things Joss Wheedon... From Roseanne, to Buffy, to Angel, to Firefly, to Captain Horrible's Sing Along Blog, to Dollhouse and beyond. The man just writes characters I would love to meet, sit down and talk to... And his casting ain't too shabby...

I have intentionally steered clear of Dr. Who... I have very strong feelings about this character... I feel that there was no better Doctor than Tom Baker. But Christopher Eccleston really was the next best thing, but again, I think I have another post in that alone.

I currently play a few different MMORPGs, if there's any interest I may make a few forays into the world of MMORPGs, but as I said that will be interest driven. I currently play World of Warcraft, like just about everyone else in the world. On quieter nights however I like to go over to Dungeons & Dragons Online... It's more like old home week over there. People are friendlier, there's less of them, and the visuals can be stunning at times.

I think Podcasting is interesting and I'd like to take some of this blog into the Podcasting world time, talent, and topics permitting of course.

One last thing for now... I hope to be a regular contributor, but at the moment my posts may be sporadic until my life settles down a little. I will however try to be be insightful, witty and amusing as much as my current situation allows.

I'm sure there's more I could tell you about me, I've been a long time on this spinning top we call a planet, and I know I have a lot to say. However this post is getting crazy long, it's time for me to take it home. I look forward to hearing from you, the reader. I gratefully accept constructive criticism, but let's keep the claws in, and flame throwers safely stored in the overhead bins please.

Peace, Love, and Dude be with you.

Fatman Out.