New Project and a Personal Accomplishment

Hey everyone!  Wow, I can't believe how much time has passed since my last post.  I have been painting, but I have nothing completed to show off just yet.  Last year I wrapped up my Mexican Revolution project to the point where I feel safe to say it is done!  I may add a unit here and there but that would only be to add some flavor to specific scenarios.

So what I plan to be my MAIN project this year will be Napoleonics.  When I was a young man (15 or 16) I walked into a game store one day and saw a miniature game being played.  This was new to me!  I walked over and saw all these uniformed soldiers being marched around and fighting a big battle.  It was Napoleonic armies in 15mm!  From that point on I knew I wanted to play miniatures.  But as you all know, that's an expensive hobby so it is difficult to start until you become an adult and have a real job.  Years later when I finally got into miniature gaming, Napoleonics seemed over-whelming so instead I started with smaller stuff.  Now many years later I have finally decided to take the plunge!

Here's my work in progress picture of the lovely vignette of Napoleon and his staff from Perry Miniatures.

And now for my major lack of productivity in painting this month.  My other "hobby" is that of being a martial artist, specifically Praying Mantis Kung Fu.  I study a specific style called Seven Star Praying Mantis.  It's a lot of hard work but it has been really rewarding.  I had a test on Saturday and now get to move on to my next phase of training.  The test covered a year and 3 months worth of study! So this month I spent a lot of extra time training in preparation (10-12 hours a week).  It really cut into my painting time, but it was really worth it.  Here's a picture of me receiving my new gray sash.

I hope February has been treating you well friends.

Rod