A Pirate on the Prairie

I recently made my first and only visits to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim (https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/index.htm) and the Lees Ferry-Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (https://www.nps.gov/glca/planyourvisit/lees-ferry.htm). So it only seems fitting that I share this music video from the late Bonnie Tyler that includes some spectacular Grand Canyon scenes. And yes, I previously shared it earlier this year upon hearing the announcement of Bonnie Tyler’s passing...

I recently visited Flagstaff and other parts of Northern Arizona (as well as Utah) while on vacation and I enjoyed the opportunity to gaze upon night skies unblighted by light pollution. While I am a big fan of humanity’s victory over darkness, there are drawbacks to that technological triumph. One is that the artificial light of our cities and towns can obscure our view of the night sky and make some of the nighttime, natural splendor difficult or even impossible to see. If

Luke of the DM Lair YouTube channel (@theDMLair) has posted a relatively short video encouraging those people that want to play Dungeons & Dragons or D&D, but don’t have friends or family members that are interested in playing, to take the leap and play with strangers. Watching the video it occurred to me how odd it is to think that you can only play games and engage with a hobby if you have friends and/or family members that are similarly interested in playing and engaging w

“Raise Your Hands (Extended Obie O'Brien Mix)” https://youtu.be/CnuQN2-ygfU “Bon Jovi Live – Raise Your Hands” https://youtu.be/xdqjPCynGUc

“Bon Jovi - In And Out Of Love” https://youtu.be/5U6Y4xSa0HY

“Randy Vanwarmer - Just When I Needed You Most (HD) HIGH QUALITY AUDIO” https://youtu.be/yBOQgL731Ac

“Walter Egan - Magnet and Steel (Official Video)” https://youtu.be/2RamSFoo0jw

I knew that the United States Marine Corps had once stormed and seized the federal prison on Alcatraz Island after the inmates there had themselves seized the prison from the correctional officers. This event became known as the Battle of Alcatraz. Perhaps you knew this as well. Or perhaps your only recollection of United States Marines seizing Alcatraz is the result of you having seen the fictional account of rogue Marines seizing the former prison there in the 1996 film, Th

The album 5150 turned 40 years old earlier this year. I love the album and this song. It was part of the soundtrack for my 1986-1987 senior year of high school. It was the background music for some good times. 🤟😎 “Summer Nights” https://youtu.be/NSjnWI8HdhM “Van Halen - Summer Nights (from Live Without A Net) [Official Video]” https://youtu.be/g9pYywCZrXc

Here’s to breathless moments, being on the same page, and the last few days of summer. 😎 “You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)” https://youtu.be/HRZTRTPiIT4 “You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Nights) (Live)” https://youtu.be/mwNNwVmwsCk

I have mentioned the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game on a handful of occasions on my humble blog. Most recently I mentioned it in regards to the news that the publisher was planning to release a set of official rules that would facilitate solo play for those that would like to adventure within the Marvel Multiverse as a solitary participant (https://www.apirateontheprairie.com/post/solo-roleplaying-or-role-playing-in-the-marvel-multiverse). I am excited by the prospect of

It’s almost surreal to think that I lived through the moral panic that was the 1980s “Satanic Panic” surrounding the tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG), Dungeons & Dragons or D&D, and to a lesser degree other TTRPGs. My first exposure to TTRPGs was through a new friend that lived across the street that summer while his family was on vacation. He introduced me and my brothers to Dungeons & Dragons and Traveller. As the moral panic unfolded, I had trouble reconciling my own expe

Here is another reminder that the preparatory steps that lead up to someone actively engaging in the most visible and recognizable part of a hobby are also part of the hobby. Here is another reminder that the preparation undertaken prior to playing a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) or merely immersing oneself in the game’s materials and letting one’s imagination roam is a form of play. The time that one spends engaging his or her imagination and creativity is not wasted tim

Back in the early 1990s a female friend of mine hosted a murder mystery party at her home. As I recall, we all dressed for the occasion and spent the night playing the role of our assigned characters while trying to uncover who was the murderer in our midst. I don’t recall who it was, but I do remember having fun with the rest of the group in attendance. I also once took part in a murder mystery dinner party at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina when I was sti

Last year, Professor DM of the Dungeon Craft YouTube channel (@DUNGEONCRAFT1) devoted two videos to an examination of the most popular, best-attended games at last year’s Gen Con. I shared those videos in two posts to this blog, “The Most Popular Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPGs) for 2025” (https://www.apirateontheprairie.com/post/the-most-popular-tabletop-roleplaying-games-ttrpgs-for-2025) and “The Most Popular Tabletop Roleplaying Games for 2025 (An Addendum)” (https://ww

I’m by no means a defensive tactics/personal defense expert. I have had a couple firearms classes, I have studied some self-defense/unarmed combat techniques, I hit the heavy bag occasionally for exercise and stress relief, and I wrestled in high school. But I have some thoughts that I am going to share following a rather humorous “accident” that befell me yesterday evening. Last night I was relaxing on the couch before I needed to start getting ready for work. I was lying do

I’m reminded of a girlfriend that once staged what amounted to an intervention on my behalf. Beautiful, touching, and bittersweet song. “Diamond Rio - You're Gone (Official Video)” https://youtu.be/0IJiVwE1y3c

I was introduced to Restless Heart when I was a teenager, but this particular song by the band took on personal meaning for me after I started dating a young woman shortly after turning twenty-one. “Restless Heart | I'll Still Be Loving You” https://youtu.be/Sjmj-dwJQAI

Me when I tell a girlfriend what I believe to be a funny story from my childhood and she responds by telling me how sorry she is that I had to live through that:

“Squeezin' out a thin dime 'til there's no one hanging on my arm. I've gambled on a third time. A fool will tell you it's a charm.” I am not a big gambler, but I have definitely squeezed “…out a thin dime ‘til there’s no one hanging on my arm.” And I have once “…gambled on a third time” and I am inclined to agree with the fool. “Clint Black - A Good Run Of Bad Luck (Official Video)” https://youtu.be/lexhv8MaXQ8