We're pleased to announce that, three decades after his initial memoir From Sandwiches to Glory, the former Rules Lawyer Noggin' has once again published a fascinating look into life at the top. His autobiography, Changing The Rules: My life in UMBA and UMBC, builds on the themes of competition without aggression and understanding how the minutiae inform the bigger picture of success. His refreshing values and a long lifetime of anecdotes are evident in the speeches he gives at charity dinners and legal conferences. We are confident that this wealth of knowledge and humour will be present in this long-awaited autobiography.
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Since retiring from the Championships and from Rules consultation work, the respected first-generation UMBC fighter can be found taking morning exercise in various parks. With the faithful Murk, of course.
– From ENTROPY, Season 25: Issue 8
“Choosing which team to support was always a delicate decision. My time in the Vault Conferences gave me the opportunity to assess Trainers and their merits. Ultimately, I backed Team Heavy Metal multiple times. I enjoyed their flair and their true appreciation of the spirit of UMBA. I carried this over to my later support of such worthy UMBC Champions as Geyser […] I do believe that the prizes should not be forgotten over glory, and teams do deserve the financial and material compensation which I helped Heavy Metal and Geyser's Trainer [HotHotPuff] achieve. I like to think Geyser's personal faux-volcanic training ground, with its excellent details such as carefully strewn sulphur crystals, was achieved by my persuasive and rational negotiation.”
“My respect for Yarn grew during the Team Heavy Metal versus Team Legit match. They proved to me that they were much more than a loud commentator grabbing the microphone to air opinions. They were so sharp and quick on their feet, with a knowledge of obscure amendments that I never expected to have to counter.
“I didn't see it that way at the time – having been beaten up and ridden out of a mosh pit shortly before – but, looking back, it was a delight to know that somebody else had studied the works of the infamous lawyer Chair. I hope they realised that their knowledge of, and skill at interpreting, amendments was recognised as well as the famous stunts and Mesh business.”
– From Changing The Rules: My life in UMBA and UMBC, by Noggin'
“Mummy! Daddy! Look what I've got!”
“Hmm? Oh, ugh. Put that down at once.”
“No, I can't! I only just got it.”
“It's dirty. Put it down, NOW. What was it, anyway?”
“It was a piece of Murk! I reached out when he went past me.”
“What? Why?”
“Because Murk is the BEST Monster there has ever been!”
“That… I think there are more important things than having soft hair, sweety.”
“No there isn't. When I grow up, I want to have hair like Murk's!”
