Mutterings...

1. Technique: I've never used a paint pen before. I have used a flexible tip marker to try and draw Moko on my Maori figs, which sort of worked, but using a gold paint pen for buttons really works well. We'll see if there's any problems with "materials compatibility"...
2. Books: I've read many Civil War books in my time but I, for one, will never feel like an expert on the subject. As you may or may not know I work in a huge, super high-volume used bookstore and one thing I can tell you is that I see at least 2 ACW books to every 1 WWII book and probably 10:1 (at least) ACW books to books about any other conflict. My problem right now is I have three books in line on the ACW that I really want to read: Brent Nosworthy's newest book Roll Call to Destiny which looks very interesting, How the North Won by Hattaway & Jones, which is apparently a classic strategic study, and In the Trenches at Petersburg by Earl Hess a locally based academic. Why is that a problem? Because while my kids are young my reading time is severely curtailed...
3. Miniatures: I've started the command base of my next Union ACW regiment. Painting a unit in "Kepis" will save me a step or two as compared the Hardee Hats. This unit will be a base-by-base project as I will probably break away to work on WWI or maori-war colonials depending on what I decide to run this spring.
4. Boardgames: Really wish I could find a good naval ACW boardgame, but none seems to be in print now. I do not want to start dropping $hundreds$ of dollars on another miniatures project, so ACW is naval is out of the question right now. Eagerly awaiting the release of many Boardgames (most of which I might play once) I wish I could play the Kaiser's Pirates some more as it's a truly great game. VPG is apparently working on a solo fall of the Ottoman Empire game for their Sate of Siege system, probably a ways off, but Tattered Flags (see image at right, of playtest game, stolen from ConSim World) is playtesting so hopefully I'll be able to get that soon!