Where did the summer go? We are now into Fall and the changes are all around us. It already seems so long ago that I was at PAX (The Penny Arcade Expo) in Seattle. It was a great time to see old faces, and to meet new ones. I’m sure everyone experienced something new and their memories will carry on for a long time. I hope to maintain the friendships I began there for many years to come.

I’d like to congratulate kiki kat [Kiki Lewis] who recently accepted a position at Microsoft and has moved to Seattle. I know she will do great in her new job, and when things settle for her; after an adjustment period, I look forward to seeing her back at TBS. Additionally, we welcome IchigoSage a.k.a. Pinksage a.k.a Drea [Andrea Avellan] back into the saddle here at TBS. She will be starting a monthly “Pinksage Guide to Web Awesomeness,” and offering feedback on other articles, as well as helping Kwynn [Denise Wynn] on graphics. Kwynn took over as head of graphics for Drea, and she’s made the zine look super! Speaking of graphics…we will be discussing some cool visual changes for TBS, with our other graphics girls Dezign Grrl [Zendra MacLeod] and squazzy [Susan Leenhouts] so be sure to keep your eyes open. As for other content this month, our writing duo, fatherwags [Richard Wagner], and Surplus Talent [Tim Jones], are also back in the saddle (they take turns wearing it, riding each other, and yelling expletives like “Yippee-ki-yay, mofo!” and “Giddyup-Go, daddy-o!”); giving us two most excellent articles, “Two Human And The Great Divide” and “Beyond Destruction”. But wait—that’s not all! Newly aboard the TBS party train, we present to you our newest contributor, CoralToe [Heather Howie]. CoralToe will be handling Podcast/Community reviews for TBS. This is very exciting for TBS as we really enjoyed her assistance, and her company in Seattle at PAX. Be sure to congratulate PMS Harlequin on her new role over at Sarcastic Gamer as co-host of a new podcast called Pink, and then go give her show a listen.

On a more somber note, Hurricane Ike adversely affected many people we know, and our hearts go out to them. Life is like that; when you least expect it your plans and dreams can be eternally altered in the blink of an eye; creating various levels of ripple effects, and often reaching the unlikeliest of sources. TBS felt the effects of Ike. We felt it in our sadness for our friends in that area, and we felt it in our timeline as some of the articles we had planned for this issue included participation from a few of those folks, thus; for obvious reasons, another late issue. Hurricane Ike reminds us of what matters most, which is why my cofounder of Gaming4Others, KilamOmjaro [Nori Fox], and I will be running Gaming4Others charity event later in November to raise money for the children affected by Ike so that they can still enjoy a bit of the Holiday spirit this year.

As Canada celebrates its Thanksgiving on October 13, it’s a time to enjoy the breathtakingly gorgeous colors of fall, and the harvesting of crops. It’s also a time to express gratitude for our many blessings. I’m thankful for all of our readers, and the friends I’ve made along the way. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

<3

Ooopy