The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I haven't experienced music stopping time, John, but I recognize what you're saying. There are times that music brings stinging tears to my eyes.

Sometimes that's for sentimental reasons: a song that meant something to us in youth or when we first fell in love, or patriotic songs. Just one example of that is Glenn Miller's rendition of Chattanooga Choo Choo, which brings to mind my parents, of the WWII generation, dancing when I was a little boy.

But sometimes it's the sheer beauty of a composition or arrangement or performance. Some of Tchaikovsky's works do that for me. And I think it would happen more often if I lived in a place where I could readily access live performances, for I've noticed that it happens almost without fail when I'm sitting in a theater or concert hall on rare occasions.

If you make me sit through loud rock concerts (including Christian rock), the tears are for another reason altogether. I hate noise.

Not the sentimental type at all but saw a flash mob performance of Beethoven's Ode to Joy (9th?) that just made me a little verklempt. Not even into classical but there something about it....

But do you guys experience frisson?

In my experience, once you start... it intensifies throughout life to the point where even just the hint of something that would do it touches it off.

The first time I seriously made out with a girl I experience that. Except it was continuous and lasted through the whole make out session. She must have though that I was really cold or seriously weird. Very strange sensation.

[tacticon]

I went to buy a soda but it was really flat so I asked the guy at the counter if he could turn the frisson.

[Canoerebel]

4/17/45

Asia: John has returned and is back in the gaming saddle. A good day in Korea and China and against Home Island industrial targets.

[Canoerebel]

4/17/45

Intel Screen: Allies now less than 10k from auto victory.

Looking at the categories, Strat Bombing has contributed slight more than 50% of the Allied lead; Base Points has also become key; Army Loss Points, despite the 1:1 ratio, has been key because Japan opens the game by pulling way ahead in that category and I exacerbated the problem via Sumatra; Ships and Air War points have been tough, but fighting hard at sea and in the air helps clear the way for the other categories.

I think Allied victory will occur in roughly 20 to 30 days, perhaps less. John is fighting hard to milk points from bases and will look for other ways to tweak things in his favor. I think the Allies can win by destroyng enemy troops in China; building Keijo and Heijo large; and efficient Strat Bombing. Only in regard to the latter does John really have a chance to fight effectively, using fighter to down my bombers.

I don't think I need to cross the strait and lay siege to Singapore. And I think, at this point, John is best hiding KB.

So the biggest question left: Does he Banzai or doesn't he? Does he go out with a bang or a whimper? I just don't know.

[Capt. Harlock]

D##n! I would really have loved to see Alaska and Baltimore in a surface scrap!

[Canoerebel]

Way back in the summer of '43, Halsey commanded a TF led by CA Baltimore. The dang TF reacted something like 12 or 13 hexes, from Wake Island to Saipan. The TF didn't accomplish anything, somehow didn't get hit hard by enemy air, and sort of obeyed orders to retire - reluctantly and in fits and starts. Since then, I've seldom put Halsey in command - but I did this past turn specifically to intercept John's cruisers...and this time Halsey just had coffee on the bridge and watched the Northern Lights.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: crsutton




Not the sentimental type at all but saw a flash mob performance of Beethoven's Ode to Joy (9th?) that just made me a little verklempt. Not even into classical but there something about it....

But do you guys experience frisson?

In my experience, once you start... it intensifies throughout life to the point where even just the hint of something that would do it touches it off.

The first time I seriously made out with a girl I experience that. Except it was continuous and lasted through the whole make out session. She must have though that I was really cold or seriously weird. Very strange sensation.

I get that. Definitely with music, but also remembering things that have had a big impact. It's odd. We are electric though, so I think of it as a little current going through.

[Canoerebel]

4/18/45

Intel Screen: Allies increase score by a net of almost 400 points. This was a "quiet" turn, with little ground combat, as Allied troops continue to make good progress in closing the China Pocket. There was significant opposition to the Allied 4EB raid, too, but sweeps and escort managed to distract most of the fighters so that the bombers did their job efficiently. I'm trying to average about 500 points progress per day, so getting about 400 on a day like this one is pretty good.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

4/18/45

Intel Screen: Allies increase score by a net of almost 400 points. This was a "quiet" turn, with little ground combat, as Allied troops continue to make good progress in closing the China Pocket. There was significant opposition to the Allied 4EB raid, too, but sweeps and escort managed to distract most of the fighters so that the bombers did their job efficiently. I'm trying to average about 500 points progress per day, so getting about 400 on a day like this one is pretty good.

I like seeing the countdown. interesting to notice turn by turn how much or how little difference occurs in the score, sometimes even on the quiet turns.

[Canoerebel]

4/18/45

China: A good day of maneuver, as the Allies make progress towards closing the key Kaifeng Pocket.

Korea: Allies making progress heading north and south.

[Lawless1]

Wonderful article Dan. Passed it on to my wife and daughter who both writes poetry.

I also like the photos, your work?

Sitting silently
Rain fallls wind blows
The car shakes

[Canoerebel]

Thanks, Lawless. Yes, I took the photos during an epic Saturday bike ride and hike (the latter necessitated by a flat tire) covering about 11 miles in November. It was a memorable day.

[Canoerebel]

4/19/45

Intel Screen: A good day for the Allies, whittling away on the Auto Vic target by more than 600 points. This came by a combination of Strategic Bombing (about 275 points), taking bases (about 200 points), and destroying a fair number of enemy squads (about 175 points). Signficantly, Allied armies continue to close on vulnerable Japanese stacks in Korea and in China. Alot of points to come that way. Also, the fall of Heijo (a turn or two earlier than expected) provides solid points potential. Engineers are en route to help build the airfield fast (100 points will accrue per level, and it's currently a 2(7)).

[Canoerebel]

4/19/45

China: Allied troops are close to encircling the main Japanese stack. China is a disaster for Japan.

Korea: Resistance has collapsed in northern Korea - several weak stacks exist that represent lots of points. Heijo falls a few days earlier than expected, so base building will commence as soon as the engineers arrive. And in the south, the Allied army approaching from due north threatens the flank of the Japanese MLR. Still a lot of work to do down here, but lots of points potentially here too.

Strategic Bombing: A good day grosses 275 points. Still far less than the mythical "1,000 points a day" that I've heard about. Occasionally my bombers gross 600 points or so, but routinely 300 seems like a good score.

Malaya: Allies take Johore Bahru. The Japanese are bottled up in Singers, with 40k troops probably behind 7 or 8 forts. I don't think it's worth tackling at this very late date, but I'll line things up in case of an eventuality where moving on Singers becomes necessary.

KB: No sign of John's carriers at the moment. I feel certain that KB South is loitering somewhere, while John yearns for a shot at the little RN carrier TFs at Colombo. I won't give him that chance. As for the rest of KB, I think it's in the Home Islands. Will he or won't he? (Banzai, I mean.) I don't have a feel for his mental state right now. He's not playing in character, so he might prefer to walk away with KB intact.

[Canoerebel]

4/20/45

Ceylon: John's showed noticeably heightened interest in the Bay of Bengal in recent weeks, including NavSearch where there had been no NavSearch for months or years plus enemy subs. I have zero hard evidence of KB South's location, but I'm as positive as I can be that John's waiting to take on the RN carriers at Colombo.

The defenses at Colombo are sufficient to handle KB South. It occurs to me now that John may want this bad enough to augment KB South...and may have already done so, without my catching a whiff of the additional carriers in theater. So I'll take a few precautions to beef up the defenses.

[Canoerebel]

Hah!

As I continued to run the turn, about 15 seconds later I got a confirmed carrier sighting between Ceylon and Diego Garcia.

[Canoerebel]

4/20/45

Air Raid Nagasaki: This is the main target today, and the opening sweeps show that there is minimal opposition. Ordinarily, after two turns hammering Fukuoka, a southern target, I'd swap to a northern target. John likes to think he has a handle on "target fixation," as he's referred to it, which I like to use against him. Mostly I succeed, though sometimes I don't (as when weather knocked out the sweeps at Shimonoseki earlier this week).

[Canoerebel]

4/20/45

Raid on Nagasaki: The first big contingent of 4EB comes in from Ningpo. Air opposition is minimal; flak appears decent (but I don't think the "damage" done to the Liberators is meaningful). Damage inflicted is decent but not earth-shaking at 8k.

Many more raids to follow, including 4EB from Shanghae and 2EB and 4Eb from Gunzan, Korea. Overall, damage inflicted is pretty signficant. I'll post more on that later.

[Canoerebel]

4/20/45

Raid on Nagaski: Bombers coming from everywhere.

[Canoerebel]

4/20/45

Kaifeng Pocket: The Allies are getting close to encircling the Japanese army once centered on Kaifeng. I think John still has hopes of extracting some/most of his units via Chengting. The odds look slim for him, so he's probably considering alternatives. Perhaps his best is to try for the rougher terrain to wage guerilla warfare until the war ends.