I disappeared from the site about 14 months ago, quite ignominiously.
I had just completed the 2018 version of “War in the Americas” playing as Colombia, and it was a spectacularly Dickensonian experience – the best of times and the worst of times.
I played my best gave EVER. I managed to complete 7 game years without suffering a single defeat – no centers taken, no units destroyed, no territories lost, no retreats. I don’t believe I have ever seen another play accomplish such a feat in any game I have played.
Then it became my worst game ever. I was the clear center leader late in the game, with two strong allies… what could go wrong? A brilliantly executed stab, laying bare the reality that I had overextended my reach and underestimated the threat posed by my “allies.” I faded from dominant game leader to complete elimination. . I don’t believe I have ever seen another play accomplish such a feat in any game I have played.
I disappeared from the site before writing an AAR to the game (congrats to my stabbers - scumbags, but genius strategists!!), in part because the shocking turn of events left me bitterly disappointed… but in part because real-world travails consumed me:
In the months since I faded from view, I worked two jobs (a full-time professional gig plus driving Lyft – uggh!) to save $$$ ... and worked countless additional hours planning and packing and prepping and completing documents, because…
I retired this past summer, loaded my elderly father and my dog into the car to drive cross-country from California to Miami, loaded the dog on air cargo, then flew with my father to start a new life in Medellin, Colombia.
Yes, Colombia – the same country that I played to spectacular greatness then to spectacular collapse in the WITA game!
Because of all my planning and prep work, we had already obtained our permanent resident visas from the Colombian consulate in San Francisco, and I had already opened a Bancolombia account and obtained an apartment on a prior visit. So we arrived to a ready-made new home, and hit the ground running obtaining local photo ID’s, health insurance, etc.
Sooo… I am retired! I now have LOTS of time on my hands. Most of that “free time” will be dedicated to exploring the new city, learning Spanish, and pursuing my fiction writing – which was the key purpose of taking early retirement.
But I will now also have time to get back into some games. Soooo….
I’M BACK!!!!
Best wishes to all of you!
AardvarkArmy
