The second video in the history of Enelis series. This video explore the rise of the firstborn and how their early descendants began to spread across the world.
Author: E.J.
Song: Calista’s Lullaby
Calista’s Lullaby [2023] (Lullaby)
This song is dedicated to my newborn daughter in the hopes that it will help ease her to sleep. So, far she seems to really like when we sing it to her.
This recording is pretty simple, with an interesting I vii vi V progression and soft, steady rhythm.
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History of Enelis: Part 1: The Creation Myth
The first video in the history of Enelis series. This video explore the mythology of the creation of the planet of Enelis and how many of the deities and first people came to be.
Baby’s First Woodworking Project
A little over a week ago, my wife and I had our first child. With that came the continuous diaper changing, 8-10 times throughout the day. We had purchased a typical ‘pack’n’play’ or play-yard, that included an attached basinet and changing station. This was a great option for us in our small house, as we could move it around a bit and have it on hand right in the main space of our house.
We quickly learned that the station had a seriously flaw. The changing station was far too low. My wife and I are both almost 40, and the constant strain of leaning over to change diapers on a screaming infant was beginning to show in our lower backs. As a woodworker, I knew I had to build a height booster for the changing pad, but also ensure that it was still safe for our precious baby.
In order to support the frame, it’d have to have a cut-out to lock onto the sides of the play-yard. So I created the heightened portions and ran a deep groove on the table saw to create a slot for the side walls of the play-yard.
The top potion had to have a somewhat rounded protruding section for the plastic clips of the changing station to lock into. I cut the sides out on the table saw, then rounded it over with the belt sander. I created a locking groove on the sides as well for extra security.
Now my risers were laminated together to create the height I needed. I then just screwed in some scraps of plywood to connect the frame together.
The contraption was a success. The baby changing station locked in perfectly to both the top of the play-yard frame, and the station locked solidly on the top.
Now changing diapers is much better on the lower back, and I feel more patient while my infant is screaming during the whole process.
Summer Garden 2023
Summer is blooming and two weeks later, we see large green tomatoes with the promise of deliciousness on the horizon. The blueberries were ripe too, create a nice sweet treat. The gooseberries in the back are almost ready too.
Early Summer Garden 2023
Summer has officially begun and the garden is looking okay. The frontyard plants are thriving and my regular watering combined with the soaker hoses, seem to keep up with the heat and dryness. Tomatoes are already green and on the way.
The backyard continues to get shaded out by the encroaching silver maple trees. The raspberries and blackberries in the back of the yard seem to be doing okay, and the apple trees continue to produce (although the squirrels eat them green before they can even ripen). The elderberry and lilac bushes continue to grow, creating a haven for the many, many birds that now regularly inhabit the yard. I expect the fountains give them a reason to stay (and the plentiful birdfeed). Summer flowers are beginning to bloom.
Baby Changing Station
My wife and I are expecting this fall and the list of woodworking projects are exploding. We have a relatively small house and needed to adapt what we have to accommodate the new baby. My wife wants to keep an existing desk in the bedroom for storage and use the top for a baby-changing station. However, the flat top doesn’t suit the needs very well. After looking at some existing models, I decided to build an adaptive top for the desk.
The build was a basic plywood box with cubbies for storage and a well in the top for the cushion. It’s a perfect adaptation to the top of the desk, putting the baby at just the right height for diaper changing.
World Saga RPG
Over the past year, I have been working on creating my own role-playing game system: World Saga. Today, I am releasing the beta rules for this new d20-based system. I have created a new dedicated website where you can follow updates and new additions to the rule system: worldsaga.us.
Since the end of my video game programming days, I have been itching to work on a game system again, but I also couldn’t fathom spending more time at my PC. I had been playing a lot of different tabletop RPGs over the past few years, trying out and reading about different games. My game design brain began to buzz with excitement as I began to see a new game system unfold by combining the best components from my favorite game systems.
I also foresaw how elements from my failed video games could be refactored into a great tabletop experience. The DNA of Fief and Endless Worlds were a core component of World Saga. Much like these games, World Saga focuses on a factor of three: Body, Mind, and Soul. From these three components, we derive three Attributes for each component, three Resistances, three Tolerances. This design mantra combined with playtesting helped produce a system I am excited to share.
I was originally going to release the system under the classic Open Game License (OGL), but events earlier this year made that not an option. However, thanks to a collaboration of indpendent publishers, I’ll be happy to release this new rule system under the new Open RPG Creative (ORC) license.
Keep an eye on worldsaga.us for the next few months for regular updates to the Beta rules.
World Saga will also be featured in the 2nd season of Tales of Enelis!
Spring Garden 2023
The garden suffered during the drought last year. I lost all my currant bushes and many of my flowering perennials. This year I decided to accept the fact that my region is drier than it used to be, and I put in some soaker hoses to help with the watering. If I want to keep my garden alive and vibrant, it’s going to need a little more help from me.
On the positive side, the wisteria on the front trellis really took off and we got some beautiful hanging flowers under the arch, which was the dream I sought to create. I can’t wait to see it expand over the whole trellis. The peonies also had a great bloom.
Floating Shelves
I decided to reorganize my basement. I had been recording episodes of the Tales of Enelis, my solo-roleplaying podcast. Things had been a bit too cluttered. So, I move all my live-show music setup and put that away in storage to make room for my podcast environment. My old computer desk, which was really an old dining table, was going to move as my tabletop for roleplaying. I would then need a new computer desk. Since one on my large amps was getting put away, I needed a shelf in the corner too for my lamp and to hold my beverage when I jammed on my piano.
Corner Shelf
The first project was a quick corner floating shelf for my lamp, above my piano. I created a simple frame and set it into the corner of the wall.
Next, I created the shelf. It was simply two corners of 1/4″ oak plywood with a red-oak insert for the edges (with some nice shaping).
A little bit of stain and some shellac, and the piece came out perfect, fitting into the frame.
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Computer Desk & Floating Shelf
The second project would be a computer desk that was focused on music production. I knew I wanted a top shelf for my keyboard and MIDI controller. I also wanted a floating shelf for my speakers and monitor. The whole rig should be right against the wall to maximize my small space.
The floating shelf was easier, a square torsion box with some painted plywood over it. It was screwed to the wall studs.
There was a slight angle to the shelf, angling downwards, but it seemed okay.
Unfortunately, I didn’t capture any photos of the computer desk build. It was mostly an ad-hoc construction based on my measurements.
The end result was perfect. A computer workstation dedicated to podcast and music production.
