A Sickly Update.

I’ve been sick for the past four days (but sounds like nowhere as bad as Tex) and I’ve binged the first 35 episodes of the podcast. I turn it on when I’ve been resting and I just kind of doze in and out of it. It’s been really helpful to give me something to focus on to help get back to sleep at 3am. Thanks mate!

DarkSideoftheBaboon

It’s far to easy now a days to allow the endless gyre of work, bills, and stress to lead into feeling helplessly overwhelmed. I have appreciate your reminders that we only have to compete with yesterday’s man and that it doesn’t matter how often we fall but only that we get back up. I know you don’t consider yourself a guru of any sorts (you’ve been very clear about that) but you do occasionally offer what I would describe as hard earned sage insight…not that anyone should ever listen to some weirdo in the internet.

Haleion

Hey Tex hopes this finds you better. No questions this week to help you rest. Just wanted to give you cudos for the poetry. Keep fighting one step at a time.

Czarvak

Context is important in all things, especially history. Without it we understand yeah the death of arch Duke Ferdinand started it, but we don't get the why of it, we don't get the background of Europe being a powder keg already and that just being the match to set it all off. I appreciate your style of writing BECAUSE it's long-winded and gives the necessary context for the WHY of something. Much love to the rest of the team as well, Mike and the others deserve a praise factor far in excess of 7

Urchin

It's okay, I understand where you're coming from and didn't think you were trying to punch down when you're giving the parasocial caution. And on my end, I'll point to what you said about text being less than stellar for communication. When I say hearing your talks on here and with Father Bill about creation and struggle were reassuring for how close to home they struck, its one of those things where hearing that one's hardships arent unique, that its not just the world singling you out to suffer like Job of the Old Testament, its just a reassuring thing to hear. Kinda like how its soothing to hear Bob Ross talk about the creative process when he paints, or nodding along to Mr Train remembering sleeping in a dorm room right next to a busy railroad and having sympathies. I've fallen into the kinds of trap you're describing before. I wont say Im immune because of it, but I do try to be wary and have a no bullshit assessment when reaching out to people on the internet. But at the same time...I met my wife on the internet. So it's not all bad, kinda like what you're saying about reaching out and talking to people regardless of background. Speaking of...I cannot understand people. I'm as burnt out by religion as it gets and I greatly appreciated the Father Bill podcast because it was all very human and you got to listen to a man talking about his own journey and where its taken him. How that's "indoctrination" I dont know, but fuck those kinds of people. If their support is predicated on you never speaking to someone tangentially tied to something they dont like then can they really say they're being supportive? Both Father Bill and Fiaura were a delight to listen to (my housemate is a big Fallout Equestria fan and was wheezing laughs through tears at that story!) and I would love to hear more people from more walks of life. Y'all on the podcast always find a way to make it interesting and fun. Also, on the subject of the team, throw my vote in for yes to "Beware the Baron". The context adds tremendous value, and I legitimately still feel the Warhammer was you and your team's best work (not to knock on anything since, mind you!). The fact that you talk about the supportive details like the Baron or discussing what Demolishers mean in the mid succ wars for mech pilots really sells it. As a last note...ew. Management. As a manager myself the number of buzzwords I've seen get changed in the workplace like a pair of socks is always depressing because in the end the guys at the top have this grand vision but are too distant from the boots on the ground to understand the reality of implementation, and I've seen and heard of too many middle managers who are supposed to translate vision into action fail to do so because of incompetence, ignorance, or most often just plain lack of fucks to give for anything that doesnt directly advance their own career. I cringed with sympathy hearing the subject and daily question myself to try and make sure I don't wind up doing the same thing as those guys. This...turned out longer winded than expected. Appreciate the time it takes to sift through my rambling, pass all the encouragement I can't put well into words to the team for the awesome work they do, and I hope your illness abates. Because we know which corpo brand you got, after all. Delta's complementary turtleback flu, now in accessible softshell version for the elderly and infirm! Delta, where our bugs are bigger than the boogers on the window!

Iden DeSeer

An idea for Mr. Train has been stuck in my head since the prior update. When you mentioned that you had to appease Mr. Train with oil I thought up a head cannon where Mr. Train is a cargo train from a modded Factorio world that can manufacture and auto-build tracks infinitely infront of himself to go anywhere he needs to. He somehow broke into our reality in pursuit of resources for his unquenchable cargo cars. Maybe he could be a bit of Van Zandt lore as an unstoppable factorio train from hell that passed over to our side to spread chaos and move freight.

Bee_Tea

inflation is a right bitch; so here's another buck/month. as far as I'm concerned, it's a criminally small payment for all the truly great work y'all put out, but I reckon financial responsibility isn't as exciting as financial irresponsibility can be. Please take care of you and yours; and keep doing what y'all are doing. the poetry was a wonderful surprise; and I'm eagerly (and patiently) looking forward to those items that are in the works.

Bill_the_Guardsman

Tex, you and your production team work too damn hard. You really need to take a few days for yourself. Your core fans will gladly wait for the awesome goodness you and the rest of the BPL produces. Sorry to hear about you feeling under the weather. Please take some time and get better. We will all still be here once you recover. Take care.

For some reason I wasn't subscribed to the BPL podcast. That error has been remedied.

David Axel Hansen

Good evening Tex and crew. Firstly, I'd like to wish for a swift recovery from the Pox to all the afflicted on the team. Secondly, I immensely enjoyed the previous two guests at the podcast. Thank you for amplifying the voices of people of such far-flung walks of life. Thirdly, and this is perhaps impertinent,Mr. Tex, I have trouble understating why you would push yourself even when rightfully bedridden. Did you mean not pausing your day-job, which may not be an option, or did you keep working on BPL production? If the later, it seems to break self-mercy. Do you see your point of equilibrium regarding Overcoming really being that far? Finally, and less dourly, ever chanced upon the games by Joe Richarson? As you are a man of the classics, it occurred me you might enjoy them. With Best Regards

A Birb

There is no dystopia more dystopian than your own.

Kasperl Stormcrow

The artillery smoker, he's gonna need lots of foil, that's how we cook a roast with taters and baby carrots on a 10 liter cummins at 60mph for about 200 miles. Now I'm thinking of how many kg of food can you wire on top of the disco hunchback so everyone gets a nice meal after range day?

Christopher Barnes

Mr. Tex and crew, I am always impressed buy the work you guys do. I showed my son the poetry you did. He showed my wife, she liked it. I think she was more happy that my son showed her poetry the the poem it's self. She is very familiar with Shell Silverstien and I am too, and when I told him he has the book that the one you read he just laughed! Please tell your crew we love them, as people, not like THAT! (lol) Give yourself time to recover, my dad had the same attitude about his pneumonia. He almost died after hunting two weeks after he was recovered. NOT PREACHING AT YOU! Just don't want you to get sicker, and I do understand the "if I ain't bleeding I am fine" We all want you to live long a prosper in the way the best way. W/love Pistol6699 P.S. Enjoy your view from the moon.

Pistol6699

As someone who has been dealing with a low-grade sinus infection for 18 months and regularly gets knocked back due to now having a compromised immune system: yup, I can commiserate. The current smoke/wildfire situation in the North East is really fun for me at the moment. Keep those masks on hand, folks, they're for more than just the 'rona.

Face Into Keyboard

Good Evening Mr Tex, sad to hear there was such a negative response to your previous two interview episodes. I hope this hasn't disheartened you on future episodes for they were interesting and insightful as it's not something I get to listen to everyday and added variety to the podcast. My question for the next update - Does the BPL Podcast or yourself still have that P.O Box setup for receiving fan mail? Wish you and the gang the best in these trying times, fortunately it's not everyone's first rodeo so I'm sure you'll persevere regardless.

I hope you heal up quickly, take care of yourself Mr. Tex.

CookingUp

Hey Tex. Sorry that you are sick good luck with that. Thank you for being more ethical dispite inflation, but if you need a few more dollars we might be able to help. Get well soon. Man. I enjoy all your stuff. Don't work yourself to death.

Tau Volantis

I just got hit by a one-two punch of sickness, too. Since my dad got diagnosed with pneumonia, I checked in with a doctor when things suddenly seemed to be taking a turn... Well, the doc didn't say anything definitive, but said things to the effect of "There are a lot of cold-like illnesses about right now, you might have been hit by two different ones." Having just turned 40, I guess I can look forward to fun stuff like this from here on out. Still, antibiotics helped, and I'm feeling better now. Good luck, Mr. Tex. You should be able to pull through this.

Levi Whitney

Hey Tex, First of all thank you for all the wonderful stuff you're publishing from Tex Talks series, through Podcast to Poetry I really enjoy it all. While all this is well and good, it's not worth to grind yourself to death, so please take care of yourself and get Better before you make something more serious out of it. Stay safe, be strong and get better :)

Jan Raynor Sereda

I will happily pay the price of a few movie tickets (issh trough this patreon ) for the BPL's high quality work. It is worth every penny and then some. I wish you well in your recovery and hope for great things to come

So is this a separate illness, since Crow has it too? Yeah, $800, thanks very much. Thanks for calling out Infinite on it's flaws. Yeah, Black pants for the food service industry, among others. --- When I consider how my light is spent, Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, And that one talent which is death to hide Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account, lest He returning chide; "Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?" I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need Either man's work or His own gifts. Who best Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best. His state Is kingly: thousands at His bidding speed, And post o'er land and ocean without rest; They also serve who only stand and wait." --John Milton, "When I Consider How My Light Is Spent" -- The solution to not liking when Tex has someone on his podcast, is to....not listen to that particular podcast. I sent Invictus on to my mother, and like Iden DeSeer she knew only the last two lines. Having a community college degree I know they are worth jack. Edit: You say you're just a voice in the choir; yeah, in the same way that Avi Kaplan was "just" a member of Pentatonix.

Jay McIntyre

Speaking as someone who has had to put on black pants and sweat out a night shift with a fever sitting in car guarding Love Canal (not a euphemism) in February my advice is find a good Chinese restaurant and get a pint of hot and sour soup. It has amazing restorative properties.

Jellicoe Cats

Hey Tex, Hope you feel better soon.

Spyrle (spiral)

Mad respect for your stand on the interviews and general ability to continue to face-tank life and all its creative new miseries. Without getting too personal, would you consider yourself a stoic, or just relentlessly stubborn? You and your team are doing great work and it's appreciated. Very much been enjoying the poetry, Shel Silverstein collections like A Light in the Attic were some of the first books I have strong memories of reading on my own. Did you know he wrote A Boy Named Sue? Blew my mind when I found out, but I went back and listened again and it's 110% his style. Anyway. Y'all are killing it out there. You're good people and you deserve nice things. Much love.

Korehammer

Tex, did they check from strep? I just had it go through my household. and the symptoms sound really, really similar to yours. We didn't think it was strep until a really late scratchy throat. Locust Labs are ACE! Love their STLS. Sending as many good vibes as I can. Gets some rest and feel better. o7

Gera5915

Sorry you're sick Tex, will pray for your recovery 🙏

Nerd_Power

GREETINGS AGAIN BPL-PEOPLE! Hopefully you can get to feeling better-adjacent...the "when it's done" was great, I had a good laugh and appreciated the trailer and the eventual release. In regards to the most recent podcast, experienced a great TPK...I was running a Star Wars 3.5 rpg game, set in the rebellion era. The party was assigned the task of breaking into an imperial armory and super- looting it. I will preface the encounter with there were no more than 12 stormtroopers in the depot, and if a truck showed up, another 4. So there were some tall watch towers that needed dealt with, a party member came up with the idea of using grappling guns to sneak into the towers, kill the troopers, stuff a rifle up the back of thier armor to make it look like they are just slouching. During the climb a party member CRITICALLY failed a stealth check, I had them roll a dex save to make sure they could try and hide again....they critically failed again...they slipped off the rope, made another dex check, made it, but critically failed another stealth check...the troopers finally catch on that bad stuff is happening, they then proceed to gun down the whole party while they are dangling 10 meters in the air...after the dust settled, everyone died badly....we all laughed our asses off and we still talk about it nearly two decades later. Cheers Tex!

The Mailman

Will concede point on Deadliest Catch, although I will point out that show was the trash reality documentary that we all have griped about and pine for the days of “Wings”, “Sharks Of Steel”, “Modern Marvels” and so many other quality pieces of programming. Trash talking of modern day documentary programming aside (insert rude noise & gesture here) hope you get well soon. And yes, for a future TTH I’d love to hear your hot take on Hiriam Maxim.

MrToBeNamedLater

Tex talk to man with a religion I NO LIKE???! 🤬🤬🤬 GIVES US MY MONEY BACK!!! Some people are assholes.

Rest up, sir... Hope you are feeling better of course! Do have to say I like your streams as well, but please do take care of yourself. Your work has however gotten me to purchase the BattleTech and XCom equivalent game... Inherited a massively over specced laptop and someday I might get to play games? Work... Well, that's most of my life these days. Your updates and dissertations are a bright spot for me to play in the background, so thank you for providing something interesting and uplifting.

Paul Chappell

Same here Tex, sick as hell and hard to breathe. Your dedication to your team and your fans is recognized and we are truly grateful. Question, who is your favorite race car driver? Any series. Any time in history or currently driving.

I hope you feel better soon TEX. Please know that your health is more important than anything. To help distract from the bad feels here is a question. What was your favorite New Vegas DLC? Mine was dead money as I loved the story and just the idea and atmosphere of a haunted casino. Feel better Tex.

The_coat5

Sleep well, get better soon, dream peacefully.

Zeon's Ghost

Hope you feel better Tex, positive waves!

Kharakian

Tex please get yourself to bed. You sound like you absolutely need it, I know being workaholic means you’ll want to try and do stuff but take some time for you! Also holy crap I didn’t realize you had taken so much flak for those interviews. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I think most people realize what you’re trying to do

CPTMAUGHAN

Feel better Tex. Your health is way more important

Captain Hazelwood

rest up Tex we will all be waiting patiently for the masterpiece that will be the hunchback

Nadian Syrup

Go rest. You earned it tex