Steven "Torolf" Nelson
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| Steve Nelson - as seen on Facebook! |
For work, I’ve had a couple of career changes over the years. But I’ve been a programmer for a long time now. Sometimes I feel like I’m still not sure what I want to do when I grow up. Maybe something a little more creative.
What hobbies do you enjoy other than LARP?
A big hobby I’ve picked up over the last three years or so is riding a motorcycle. It’s something I wanted to do for a very long time that just never seemed practical. But my wife and I took the three-day course through the state that ends with taking the test and if successful getting your license. I highly recommend it if you’re thinking about learning to ride. Initially, we just did the class as something to try, but it was as much fun as I always imagined so we ran out and got bikes right afterward. We’re still not riding the major highways like 495 yet, but we’re getting braver every year.
Favorite meal, dessert, and drink?
Hmmm, I’m not very particular about food, except where some of the more evil vegetables are concerned. So I’m not sure what I’d consider a favorite. Certainly, a good steak or barbecued ribs would be pretty high on the list. But I also really enjoy Mexican, Thai, and Chinese food. I do enjoy spicy food in general and am not above putting salsa and hot sauce on things like eggs or mac and cheese. And as for drinks, what I drink most of would have to be coffee. But I’m not sure that counts as a favorite.
If you could go on vacation anywhere, where would it be? Would you bring anyone?
The timing for this question is kind of funny. This past summer I think that I actually took that trip. I traveled to Denmark with my wife and youngest son. Aside from seeing some great and historical sites we also visited the region that one side of my family came from originally. With the help of a relative, we found the home where my great-grandfather, who immigrated to America, was born on the farm that many generations of my family lived before him. Some other amazing highlights were getting to help row a traditional Norse styled ship into the Roskilde fjord from the museum there, and getting my first tattoo in Copenhagen. We also went to Switzerland to visit with both family and a very good friend from college. This was a bucket list level trip, and I haven’t figured out what to put on the list to replace it.
Are you working on any life goals that you’re willing to share?
Well, I’d like to retire early and maybe travel more. So far not much progress on the retire part, but I do buy an occasional lottery ticket. Other than that I’ve struggled a little with trying to get into better physical shape. A couple of minor injuries set that back a little, then life and stuff gets hectic. Next thing I know it’s been a couple of weeks without a workout. I also feel like I can still improve at Realms combat. Every year about this time I start thinking about how to push that further.
Favorite outfit other than garb?
I live in blue jeans and Tshirts. If it’s chilly, I add a flannel shirt or sweatshirt.
Do you have any professional or personal skills you’d be willing to talk about?
I guess people are starting to find out that I used to be a pretty serious artist. I dabbled in a lot of media including things like bronze casting and carving with a chainsaw, but I was primarily a painter and photographer. Over the last few years, I’ve started doing some online stock photography. It doesn’t bring in meaningful amounts of money, but it’s fun and pushes me to get better at post-processing images and looking for pictures to take. Also, Realms has managed to get me painting again, things like shields, banners, belt favors, and tabards. I’ve even broken out some of my silk screening equipment recently.
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| Tournaments of Artemis 2018 |
What drew you to the realms, and what keeps you there?
Some of you have probably heard this story a few times. But what first drew me to Realms was a flier in a local pizza shop. Steve Johnson had started a practice in a park in Methuen. It seemed like something fun to try with the kids so we went. It was a very kid dominated practice so my kids loved it. Eventually, we started hitting some events which were mind-blowing. A while later, I think around 2012, Steve asked me to help him Dave Hayden, and Mike La Bossiere start a fight practice at Umass Lowell, which eventually became the Riverhawks. That was when I first really saw Realms as something other than an activity for my kids. I started getting more interested in combat and began sneaking off to tournaments by myself. This was around the time that the Order of the List started, so there were lots of them. I was pursuing OoTL points for a couple of years and wanted to get better which brought me to the Nashua practice. That was a turning point for me when I got to know more people and started getting involved in things. I think I got a little better at fighting too. And if you hadn’t guessed I still enjoy the fighting a lot. So that’s certainly one of the things that keeps me in Realms. But the other, even if it sounds a bit cliche, is the community. I’ve made a lot of friends in the Realms, and I enjoy spending crazy weekends with you people!
Favorite movies/shows/books?
I enjoy both major genres, Science Fiction, AND Fantasy. For TV shows I’d have to say all things Star Trek. Also Firefly, Vikings, Buffy the Vampire Slayer come to mind. Movies I’d say most of the Star Wars films, and Lord of the Rings, I also like most of the Marvel movies. Books are harder, I’ve read a lot, but not so much lately. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein may be my favorite, and almost everything written by John Scalzi or Neil Gaiman are also very high on my list.
If you happened upon 3 wishes, what would they be? (Wishing for more wishes doesn’t seem to work...)
Oh my, I’ve read and watched so much dystopian Science Fiction and Fantasy, that I could get seriously lost in a question like this. But rather than a long answer full of hypotheticals, and trying to avoid Twilight Zone outcomes I’ll say this. Like most of us, I have a number of friends and family dealing with health issues. If there were some way to help them and not bring about an apocalypse, I would jump at the chance and feel like I made good use of the wishes.