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01/08/09 12:12 AM	#1497
Mark Avant (1985) Chuck, yeah he and his step brother Johnny. If you look at that ppt demo, there's a picture of you and Matt in the hall with a bunch of guys from our class. I'm not in it (shocker) but I'm gonna print it out and frame it.

01/08/09 04:10 AM

#1498

Chuck Schwartz (1985)

Y'know Mark, I think I remember you talking about us doing role-playing D&D at Lakeside Country Club. (I haven't done that since about say...1982) But I remember our group it was Matt who was the Dungeon Master and Johnny, and you, Barry and some others. We were into it for awhile, but we sort of lost interest. And I do remember us playing at a Country Club for somebodies birthday. Scott Wallis was with us as well. Crazy how stuff just sort of opens up and you remember things. Forgive me for the journey, but I am just trying to remember Matt and how I interacted with him. I had Advanced Biology with Matt Newsome with Mrs. Knighten and that was a great class. Matt always had this great laugh, this belly laugh that kinda was his whole being. I don't mean that wrongly, just he had this real deep joy within him. If you knew him, you will know what I am talking about. I remember how much that class play meant to him when he got his part. I remember how much he talked about it in class. It really helped him fit in and he loved it. I loved watching him in that play and I cheered him like crazy! I thought it was really cool that he had the huevos to even try out for the play. And he had a main part. That was a cool moment. When your friends finally have some applause that is long overdue, you sorta say "Thank you! For finally celebrating this awesome person!" It is about frickin time!

01/08/09 07:38 AM	#1499
Vicki Ausbrooks (Shaw) (1988) This is sad news. I've added an In Memory entry for Matt. Feel free to leave comments there as well. If anyone has the obituary or can give me more information through e-mail, I can add that to the entry as well.

01/08/09 07:40 AM	#1500
Vicki Ausbrooks (Shaw) (1988) Nevermind...I found the obit online...

01/08/09 08:13 AM

#1501

Steve Warmack (1987)

I always liked Matt. I wish I could say I ALWAYS acted respectfully towards him...

There is a vague memory I have of having some friends who didnt like Matt much... (though I could not tell you WHICH friends -- I just dont remember...) but I DO remember wondering "Whats the problem with Matt? He is a nice guy" yet still occassionally treating him dismissively when I was with them. It is one of those memories that feels like you were living an "afterschool special" and didnt follow the script correctly.

But I think we got through that and were on friendly terms last time I saw him many many years ago. I havent thought of Matt for years and years... but I remember him as nothing but a good guy.

01/08/09 11:38 AM	#1502
Jerry Flynn (1988) I remember Matt well, he was very nice to me in band and he helped me a lot since I went from beginner band to senior band and was completely lost for a while.. I have not seen him since he graduated and am sad to hear that he is gone..

01/08/09 12:47 PM

#1503

Mark Avant (1985)

Thanks Vicki, your efforts are muchly appreciated. And anyone who went to the city pool before it was condemned knew Matt, or by his nickname. He didn't seem to mind though. Whomever put us together seemed to bless him with thicker skin than most. Doesn't excuse the unflattering knickname, heck he even put it on the back of his tee shirts. Yeah Chuck, we played out there. I believe Doug Head's family were members of the Springlake CC. I remember the really big main room with the view of the lake. Speaking of Scott, I remember he used to put together cheat dungeons with lots of loot and no danger. Then he'd try to play with Matt as DM. Matt wasn't buying though. Poor Scott, he went into a battle of wits unarmed.

01/08/09 01:24 PM	#1504
Steve Warmack (1987) At the risk of taking this conversation into what some would consider geek territory... I didnt know anybody in town other than me and my small cadre of fellow boy scouts ever played D&D...

01/08/09 01:57 PM	#1505
Justin James (1986) Im sorry to say i did not know Matt, from the post he sounded like a very special person. Steve i have been meaning to ask does your band have a website?

01/08/09 03:10 PM	#1506
Chuck Schwartz (1985) That's ok Steve, geek territory is frequent with me. We played it for awhile. I can't remember the last time. Mark, Barry, Doug Head, Scott Wallis, Matt N., Johnny Puckett were all part of our group and maybe some others.

01/08/09 04:17 PM	#1507
Mark Avant (1985) I don't know Steve, I think I would be less inclined to admit my involvment with break dancing more than RPG's.:)

01/08/09 08:37 PM	#1508
Andy Welch (1985) I think I actually have some pics of Matt from that play. I'll try scan them if I can find them and then post them here somehow.

01/09/09 08:33 AM	#1509
Justin James (1986) Good morining everyone!

01/09/09 09:16 AM	#1510
Steve Warmack (1987) the band used to have a website... now we mainly use our myspace page.. I THINK it is www.myspace.com/theboswells but I am at work and cant really check.

01/09/09 09:46 AM

#1511

Steve Warmack (1987)

I wasnt casting stones on the RPG thing...

for all practical purposes.. I STILL DO play them.

In MY case it was my boy scout troop. Our scoutmaster was Mr. Burton... the art teacher. Sometimes on Campouts we would play. I think Brodsky might have played one time... he got out of scouting fairly early... and I think Choate might have played a game or two with us.

But as for Clint Rhoden, Brian Haller, Jim Hastings, and I... we went to Mr B's trailer and played all night a number of times.

at our 20 year reunion, the guys from the old troop were standing around and wondering if Mr. B was still around... none of us had talked to him in years.

Then eventually, last Summer, Clint got in touch with him... so Clint, Brian, Jim, Jimmy, Gordon and I went down to Magnolia and surprised him. We threw up tents in his back yard and sat around and talked and had a pretty good time.

Clint bought him the original "Neverwinter Nights" Diamond edition PC game and encouraged a number of us to get it.

It is a lot like Everquest or World of Warcraft... but much smaller in scale... and it is strictly D&D 3.0 rules... swords are still referred to as doing "1d8" or "2d12" damage... you have hit points... armor class... encumbrance... all of that.. just like the old days sitting around the table with paper and pen.

only it is a video game and does all the "dice rolling" for you automatically.

SO... anyway... Clint went back to Bryant or Alexander or wherever he is living exactly and put up a dedicated server so that he (in Bryant I think), me (in Little Rock), Mr. B (in Magnolia), Jimmy (in Sheridan), JD (in Conway) and Gordon (in Hot Springs) could all get online and play together in as close an approximation to the old days as is possible.

We were having fun there for a while and it was nice reconnecting with Mr. B... running around with my elven bard and his human paladin... slaying goblins and whatnot..

But Mr B had a bad health scare recently..and then his computer has gotten jacked up... so he hasnt played in a couple of months. Jimmy used to play a lot but got busy with other things... Gordon has been too busy to get started really... so it was just me and sometimes clint... but he is a DM so it doesnt really count... so I got a bunch of friends from work hooked and I spend a lot of nights these days (my computer is hooked up to my 55" widescreen & sound system - I play with a wireless mouse and keyboard) running around and hunting dragons.

I currently have ten characters up to level 24... heh heh.

Clerics... bards... paladins.. sorcerers... wizards... druids... you name it dude.

Before you make any snide comments... I view this as a RESULT of being undateable.. not a CAUSE.

So anyway... if any of you old school D&D players want to bounce out to your local Best Buy and pick up Neverwinter Nights... I can tell you what you need to do to log on to our server... heh heh... we play at night after everyones kids go to bed usually.

and can always use more players.

I helped one of the forensic pathologists from here at the lab get ten levels in two hours last night. (It was a particularly amusing adventure because he is playing a pixie.. so our party was my big strapping cleric.. killing ice dwarves by the dozen while tinkerbell floated around watched and sucked up the shared XP for being in a party.)

...and THAT, my friends... is how you do a proper GEEKPOST.

as far as breakdancing... I am sure I have no idea what you are talking about.

01/09/09 11:38 AM	#1512
Stacy Cunningham (Gilbert) (1989) I am speechless. And for me that is saying A LOT!

01/09/09 11:49 AM	#1513
Steve Warmack (1987) At my geekness? Thats so sweet.

01/09/09 11:54 AM	#1514
Justin James (1986) well i never got into that, but i do respect any one that shows passion for what they enjoy!

01/09/09 12:02 PM

#1515

Steve Warmack (1987)

I am passionate about a lot of things... this not being one of them... it is just something I do when I am at home and nothing good is on TV... which is most of the time.

Until a few months ago, I hadnt played a computer game or even a video game since the Atari 2600... no lie.

I never played a Nintendo... never played a gamecube or game box or Xbox or Playstation or anything... I have never played a game of solitaire on a computer.. I dont play games usually. Then I bought a PS3 for the blu ray and played a couple of games.

The primary reason for playing the Neverwinter Nights game was to reconnect with old friends... so it is kind of like this site...

only with dragons to slay. ;-)

01/09/09 04:44 PM	#1516
Stacy Cunningham (Gilbert) (1989) No, not the geekness...the fact that there is a whole other language (D&D) to which I have NO communication skills!

01/09/09 04:46 PM	#1517
Mark Avant (1985) Man, I don't think anyone's said that much in one sitting. I saw Breakin' 2 Electric Boogaloo on tv and thought it'd be a good chance to poke at Steve. You know kinda lighten up things after the last couple of days.

01/09/09 05:51 PM	#1518
Steve Warmack (1987) Stacy - good save Mark - yeah I am a wordy guy. I own Breakin' on DVD. (Impulse buy... nine bucks at Kroger.) You know? It just doesnt hold up as well as you think it would. I actually think Beat Street would hold up much better.

01/09/09 07:26 PM

#1519

Myra Bruce (Ferrell) (1986)

i love this site!! talk about a blast from the past!! it is so cool to see everyone's old and new pics. my question is why can't we see all of the classes info? some say you have to be a part of "that" class to see updates. i have a lot of friends from all of the 1985-1989 classes and was wondering if we can change that feature? thanks bunches and hope all is well!! Myra

01/09/09 11:43 PM

#1520

Mark Avant (1985)

Stacy was doin' some fancy tap dancin'.

I also checked out this band on mySpace called The Boswells
I was listening to their playlist and had some observations:
The sound sometimes seems like they're gonna go Smithereens,
but stays contemporary. I don't think they really sound like anyone who's come along in the last 15 years or so, so it's hard to describe.
The lead singer sounds like he's gonna go Robert Smith, but then he has range and all "Fat Bob" can do is whine really well.
The guitars are good and strong. Melodic, no real cut and thrust. I find this refreshing. I think cut and thrust belongs in metal or rockablilly. Very nice.
Rhythm section does what it's supposed to do, no Rush or Iron Maiden here.
Production value is excellent, like they knew what they were doing or something.
If I were to hear them in Arkansas, I would say they were the best I'd heard there since John Kilzer in the early '90's.
I seem to recognize one of the guitarists' names, not sure
but I'll think about it. :-)
Very nicely done. Wonder where I can pick up a cd or download some stuff?

01/10/09 07:52 AM

#1521

Vicki Ausbrooks (Shaw) (1988)

Um, wow. Steve, I remember you trying to explain the intricacies of D&D to me back in the day. Didn't understand it then, don't understand it now. : ) I mean, it sounds UBER cool and all, but WAY too complex for me. I dig Wii Bowling though. Nothing to it...just hold the Wii remote and bowl. : )

Myra, I'm not sure what's up with the problem you are describing. Can you give me a couple of examples of the profiles you aren't able to view? Then I can see if I can fix that. Thanks!

Mark, I have a lot of The BosweLL's stuff on CD. I've never been able to catch them live though. It's on my list of things to accomplish in 2009. And I believe they are aptly described as "Power Pop."

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