If you have been following Quoth the Raven for any time now, you’ll have noticed that most of our posts are castle oriented, dealing with event announcements and other news. I expect that every now and then we’ll include a post that is a bit more personal in nature – after all it’s the personal connections we form with our guests that make Ravenwood more than just a business to us. It seems to me that this week, as we reflect on what we’re thankful for in our lives, is an appropriate time for such a post.

For the past twenty years a significant portion of my day was occupied sitting behind a desk, reviewing numbers on a screen. Over that time I was involved in several different businesses and had the great fortune to work with and learn from some amazing people. I am proud of what my teams and I were able to accomplish, and I wouldn’t trade those experiences for the world. But at the end of the day: numbers on a screen.

The past twenty months stand in sharp contrast. Just last month Ravenwood Castle was descended upon by a group of Ferraris, experienced the final hours of one of the world’s greatest poets, and was the site of a massive zombie outbreak. And that was all in a single week.

I spent a good part of that week behind the bar in the Raven’s Roost Pub – which happens to be my new favorite job activity. There I witnessed grown men running in fear from a werewolf, engaged in conversations ranging from quantum mechanics to trail clearing techniques, and was initiated into the International Association of Turtles. The most amazing thing is that this wasn’t even an unusual week!

I share this as just a tiny sample of the many new experiences I’ve had since joining the Ravenwood family last year. Sure, there have been a few unfortunate incidents along the way (land hurricane anyone?), but the overwhelming majority have been positive. I’ve attended two GenCons, formed working relationships and friendships with some great folks in the games industry, hosted numerous conventions (including one dedicated to the Game of Thrones!), and experienced first-hand the generosity of gamers at RavenCon/Hoop & Stick.

But good or bad, these experiences all have something in common: they’re far more than just numbers on a screen.  And that’s what I find I’m truly thankful for this Thanksgiving week – all of the wonderful people I’ve met in the last twenty months, and the amazing experiences we’ve created together.

On behalf of the entire Ravenwood Castle team, Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends, guests and business partners. Here’s to creating even more unique and exciting experiences in the coming year!

Jim Reed

Jim Reed is a lifelong gamer who started with the original red box Dungeons & Dragons. After spending 20 years in the corporate world, he decided it was high time that work be fun and struck out on his own. Jim now owns and operates Ravenwood Castle, and spends his days ensuring his guests have as much fun as he does.