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| Coolest book EVER! |
Many many moons ago, when we were just starting to date, the amazing
woman who would become my wife learned that for pretty much my entire
life all I wanted was a genuine Solid Leather Authentic Bomber Jacket complete
with the removable fleece lining. I had never owned one because
traditionally the real leather classic design jackets ran somewhere
between $300-$500 and I had never had that sort of money. So one
Christmas Day, I opened a large package and found the EXACT jacket
that I had always dreamed of owning. She had somehow found the
jacket on a massive sale and purchased it for me. To this day, it
remains the greatest Christmas Gift I have ever received. Although
for the record I still deny crying when I opened the package.
(As a side note I can add this. Several years ago, the zippers
busted on both the jacket and the fleece lining inside so I couldn't
zip up the jacket which made it impractical in really cold weather.
Once we moved to VA, I actually found a talented tailor who repaired
both zippers just this last week so it was kind of like getting my
cool jacket for Christmas all over again.)
Okay, now for some background information. I have been lucky enough
to become friends with some amazing and talented people who have
become household names in the worlds of Fantasy Fiction and Fantasy
Artwork. I could name drop names that would boggle the minds of most
people who follow such things and proudly claim them as true friends
whom I have known for the better part of three decades. I am a
modest man (Waiting for lightning bolt to strike me dead for lies.)
so I will limit the names to just one,
Larry Elmore is one of the greatest Fantasy Artists of all times. If
you ever read books like the Dragonlance Series or played games like
Dungeons and Dragons, you have seen his art work a 1000 times. He is
beloved by millions around the world.
A while back, Larry announced that he was going to use Kickstarter to
do the art book that he had ALWAYS dreamed of doing, but could never
do because none of his publishers ever felt that the book would sell.
Using Kickstarter, he asked his fans for contributions to help him
make this dream come true.
(Now at this point, I could spend pages on amusing stories stemming
from this venture. Like how Larry seriously felt like not a lot of
people would contribute so he set his goals very low and how the
donations blew past those goals on the first day or so. Or how as
more and more fans donated more and more funds, he had to scramble
and brainstorm to come up with new rewards to give to people.)
Okay so you are prolly wondering what all this has to do with Xmas
right? Well, back when Larry was starting his KS campaign, I really
wanted to contribute as much as could, not just because I wanted the
book but because I wanted to help my friend achieve his dream.
Problem was, times were tough and money was short. I was feeling
really down so my wife assured me that she had made a tiny
contribution of $25.00 just so I could say that I had helped. I was
sad that I couldn't do more but at least I felt that I had helped
Larry.
Now fast forward to Christmas Day, 2013. After opening a bunch of
cool presents, I open my last package and what do I see? The full
sized, hard bound copy of the book that Larry Elmore had always
dreamed of making. Signed by my friend and even has our names in
the dedication in the back. Needless to say, I was beyond blissed
out by my wonderful wife's gift.
Now having said that, I am also mildly annoyed at my buddy, Larry
Elmore. Several times I have apologized to him over not being able
to contribute more money to his dream book. Every single time, he
has assured me that he understands and that he appreciated the tiny
contribution we had made. See for over a year, my friend has been
lying to me AND probably snickering behind his rather substantial
beard. ANNOYING! LOL
Still, my minor annoyance is easily offset by the fact that, once
again, my amazing wife has managed to totally blow my mind when it
comes to gifts AND managed to give me a gift that I didn't think I
would ever get. Just shows I married the right woman. Not that I
actually needed any real proof of course.
Brew long and Prosper
