And Now For Something Completely Different...

Here are some lyrics to a great song. Considering the sheer scope of things to do while here in mortality, these are amazingly similar to things I haven't done...

I’ve never plucked a rooster
and I’m not too good at ping-pong
and I’ve never thrown my mashed potatoes up against the wall
and I’ve never kissed a chipmunk
and I’ve never gotten head lice
and I’ve never been to Boston in the fall.

I’ve never licked a spark plug
and I’ve never sniffed a stinkbug
and I’ve never painted daisies on a big red rubber ball
and I’ve never bathed in yogurt
and I don’t look good in leggings
and I’ve never been to Boston in the fall.

The Writing Bug

I've really gotten the itch to do more creative writing lately. I used to do A LOT of it back in high school with my friends. For some reason I stopped doing it. Too many other things grabbed my attention, I guess.

I came across a new edition of a writing book that I discovered my first year in college, The Elements of Style. It is a fantastic little book and having reread it again makes me want to write more. So I might be starting a third blog for random writings. We'll see just how long that lasts. I'm still fairly impressed with myself that I have kept this blog going as long as I have.

MAJOR EDIT!!!

Ahem...I have been duly chastised. I did not just "come across" the book mentioned above. It was a Christmas present from my beautiful, darling, and extremely observant wife. Now that the record is amended, we will return you to your regularly scheduled blog...

Post-Christmas Recovery

I was going to write something Christmasy yesterday, but I'm so worn out. Spending several days with the in-laws can do that to a fella. Don't get me wrong, I love my in-laws. I just think I do better when I have several major geographical features between me and extended family. Case in point: my dad and one sister are down in Arizona, another sister is in Wales (yes, that is on that foggy little island northwest of mainland Europe). I'd do just about anything for them. I love 'em...just at a distance.

The kids had a good Christmas. They got their presents (not a lot, but enough), sang in church on Christmas day, and spent a lot of time with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. Me? I would have preferred to end my day after church. I just wasn't feeling very sociable. I did get some gaming in, but on the whole I'd rather have been at home.

The things we do for love...

Blanket Forts, Late Nights, and Sleep-Overs

On Friday night, Mary got to sleep over at a friend's house. Isaiah and Rebekah were a bit upset that she got to do that and they didn't, so I promised them we'd make a blanket fort in the living room and watch a movie. I picked up a Looney Toons collection for the occasion. I figure my kid's education isn't complete without a little classical grounding...

Anyway, long story short, it wasn't a great idea. Isaiah and I stayed up way too late - and, wow, was he cranky the next day...all day. Mary wasn't that much better off when she came home.

So yeah, we had a crank-fest this weekend.

(P.S. I'm proud to announce that all my kids are roadrunner and coyote fans! Some days I wonder how my wife puts up with us...)

Works And Plays Well With Others

Yesterday I spent the whole morning in Isaiah's kindergarten class. They were having some big holiday craft day and parents were invited, so I decided to stay for the whole time and help out in the classroom. I had a lot of fun - good ol' cut and paste type day for me. It was also a little sad because there were a few kids who didn't have a parent show up. Now I completely understand that not all family situations allow for a free parent - if I was working full time, there would be no way Leslie could have gone with two additional little kids tagging along.

So I formed a little group of kids who didn't have a parent there. It was really chaotic, but we all had fun as we moved from station to station. Isaiah now wants me to come to school with him every day. I'd love to help out. He has a great teacher and with most of the college students out of town, it looks like she might need some help. However, I still have final exams to take and work to go to.

Still it was a fun morning.

New Blog

Because of their length, I'm moving my religious posts over to another blog. I'll keep this one dealing with life, family, and the general chaos that is my life. Just click on the title above to go to the "Smaller Blog of Steve." And yes, the name is referring to something - you get lots of brownie points if you can figure it out.

Old Gaming Entries

I just spent most of the night transferring some old journal entries (and comments) I had made on a website called Board Game Geek over to this blog. I love board games, and I'm a geek, so the site has been a favorite of mine for quite a few years now. If you ever want to know about any game ever created in the history of mankind, you can (most likely) find information about it there.

Anyway, all the entries on this blog from February 2005 and earlier are from that site. Feel free to point fingers and mock - I revel in my geekiness!

Dead Week and the Last Time I'll Register!

Well, last time I'll register as an undergraduate anyway. In spite of being dead week, I still have a few test to take - which will actually be the final exam for those classes. I guess the professors want to get out of town as much as the students. Can't say I blame them.

Okay, here are my classes for my final semester:

Archaeological Processes

Maya/Aztec/Inca

Integrated Themes in Anthropology (kind of a capstone course for the department)

Swim Conditioning

SCUBA Diving

Put some newspaper down on the floor! I'm as excited as a little puppy to finally be done with school!

Dashing Through the Snow

A half-hour to go until I get off work and go sledding with my family! Woohoo! It has been a long time since I actually went sledding. We got the kids all decked out with coats, snow pants, gloves, hats, etc. So they have been going bonkers the last few days with the sled and snow forts and what not. They can't wait until I get to go out with them (it is usually too dark to do anything by the time I get home).

As for me...my normal shoes have holes in them, so I've taken to wearing my steel-toed military boots that I had in the back of my closet. My coat also "went the way of all the earth" this week. It has so many holes and rips in it - and the zipper finally exploded (yes, exploded) a few days ago. Overall, though, it's not bad. While there is snow, it really isn't that cold. Besides, thermal underwear does wonders for that winter-warm-fuzzy-feeling.

Crippled by Technology

Is is just my computer or did my whole blog take a jump to the left? (Physical-left, not political-left...that too is a topic for another post) I'm not sure what happened or how to fix it. Sigh...this is why I didn't pursue the technology field any further. It hates me...

Mary's Talk

Yesterday at church, Mary gave a talk to all the Primary kids. It was not her first talk, but I'd thought I'd share what she said. She worked hard on it all last week and did all the typing herself. I helped to keep her focused on her topic, but overall the words are hers:

* * *
My talk is about testimonies. In the Book of Mormon a guy named Amulek is a good example of someone who shared his testimony.

When the prophet Alma went to Ammonihah, the people did not like him. Then Alma left. An angel came to him and said, “I am sent to command thee that thou return to the city of Ammonihah and preach again unto the people of the city.”

The angel went to Amulek and said, “Amulek, return to thine own house, for thou shalt feed a prophet of the Lord,” So Amulek took Alma to his house and fed him. Alma taught Amulek about Jesus Christ and blessed his family.

Alma and Amulek went to preach the gospel in the city. They met Zeezrom who did not believe in Jesus Christ. He tried to confuse and trick Amulek into saying that there is no Christ.

Even though Amulek was a new member of the Church, he still knew that Jesus Christ was real. He gave his testimony about Jesus. Because of his testimony, Zeezrom believed in Jesus Christ.

I know that the Church is true, and I believe in Jesus Christ. If we share our testimonies with others they will believe in Jesus too. Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For starters, I made some wonderful pumpkin bread for the huge family dinner. I found the recipe over at All Recipes. It turned out really, really good. Instead of just water, I followed the suggestion on one of the comments to use orange juice instead. I was very happy with how it turned out. The recipe itself can be found here. Since I enjoy cooking, that whole site is a nice way to check out new stuff - especially with the comments.

I've been debating about posting a list of things I'm thankful for. It just seems kind of...cheesy?...lame?...

But who cares? Here is a partial list of things I am thankful for (in no particular order):

My religion. It not only has shaped me into the person I've become over the past 15 years, but it influences my present lifestyle and gives me a goal and a purpose for being who I am.

My wife and my best friend (who just happen to be the same person). The words "I love you" just seem inadequate at times - although I tell her as often as I can. We can talk, laugh, be serious, play games, work though problems, plan for the future, and have a great sex life (not that you want or need to hear about that).

My kids - the whole ornery lot of 'em. I am their Daddy and they are my Kiddos. Being a father is truly a defining part of my life. They are not perfect, but neither am I - and somehow we're managing to love each other. Nothing makes me happier than to think of being an eternal family.

My country. Yes, it has it's problems. Yes, it seems really screwed up at times. Be that as it may, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

My finances. I'm far from rich. Come on, I'm a college student with four kids. We're way below the poverty line, but we're managing. I think a lot of that comes from when we were first married. I had a LOT of money back then, but then wasted it and had NOTHING. The important thing, though, is that both of us learned so much about how to handle our money now and what we can really do without. The human trend towards consumerism (which is not the same thing as Capitalism) has become one of my pet peeves...but that is a topic for another post.

My education. One semester to go...

Well, it is a very generic list. I really do have more specifics - but I don't feel like sharing, so nyeah!

P.S. I shaved my beard off. I'm back to looking like a young punk again.

Turkey Day Approacheth...

Ack! Thanksgiving is coming and I need a recipe! Somehow I've gotten a reputation with Leslie's family as a good cook. I must have mentioned (though I don't remember it now) that I was going to make something for the big Thanksgiving dinner...I have no idea what to make. I'm thinking of doing some kind of bread - but I want it to be something other than plain ol' bread.

Aside from that, my crappy two weeks has been extended through the Thanksgiving break. A week from today I have a huge paper due on a gender-related topic of my choice ("Male Initiation Rites and the Identity of Masculinity"...oy vay!). The next day I have to turn in the first half of what is called a "reservation profile," which deals with the historical and contemporary issues of an American Indian tribe. This one is actually pretty interesting - I chose the Confederated Tribes of Siletz down in Oregon. Then after that, I have to rework my part of a group presentation I'm doing (which is also on contemporary Indian issues). My part focuses on the federal laws relating to the use of American Indian images which can be seen as racist, cultural harassment, etc. However, once those three things are done, this semester will essentially be over (I hope)! Yea!

Behold! Dad Reveals All Their Goofy Glory!

Amid my crappy week, my printer decided to go belly-up on me. The upside is that I got a good deal on a scanner/printer combo so I can at least make some horrible scans of some pictures. So here are the kids, goofy smiles, bad hair, and all!

Don't get me wrong, if there was a goofy poll taken at my house, I'm pretty sure I would win hands down. I think I have them all thoroughly convinced that their dad is the silliest person alive...and I KNOW that would shock a lot of the people I work with.

PS. I can't figure out why one picture is higher than the rest. If anyone can figure it out, let me know...

Heinous Rhymes With...

Thus begins the next two nightmarish weeks until Thanksgiving break. I've got so much stuff to do and very little motivation to do it. To top it all off, I went to the dentist last week and (oh joy!) found out that I have a few cavitites and one of my other fillings is starting to pop out. Wonderful...

On the up side, we had parent/teacher conferences last week as well. Both Mary and Isaiah are doing great. Their teachers love them. I like the teachers as well. I was a bit nervous since last year I was, um, shall we say less than impressed by Mary's teacher. This year, however, both are just great. Mary is still struggling with her reading a bit, but she tries so hard that no one doubts that she'll get caught up before too long.

What else...? Oh yeah. Did I mention the next two weeks are going to be REALLY crappy? Ah well, such is life. I really shouldn't complain much. My life is too good to indulge in to much hand-waving-freakoutery.

---

Last minute edit: I almost forgot to mention that yesterday at church I glanced at my reflection in a window and I realized, with my beard, I look like a skinnier and shorter version of my dad. I mean, I could have sworn I was looking at him. It was really weird...

Another Successful Pack Meeting

Well, I managed to squeak through another pack meeting. It is the second one that I have done and I thought it was going to be a complete mess. Earlier in the month, I had contacted the local fire department to see if they would come and talk to the boys about fire safety...and to see if they could bring a fire engine.

I didn't hear back from them until 2 hours before the pack meeting was supposed to start. ARRGG!

Still, three firefighters showed up in full gear with a fire engine, and the boys had a great time. Although my kids are still too young for cub scouts, they came along because they knew "dad was friends with the firemen." It's kind of distracting having kids underfoot when I'm trying to lead songs/stories/whatnot, but it all turned out okay. Fun was had by all.

Next month theme is "My Family Tree." Geneology stuff...no problem. :)

All is Well

Okay, Isaiah just had an ear infection, not strep throat. I guess I should give my wife more credit when it comes to stuff like that. Anyhow, everyone is better now, although Rebekah is still a little grumpy that she didn't get any medicine.

Only five more weeks until this semester is over! I can't believe that I am almost done. I've started looking into classes for my last semester already, and I think I have it all worked out. It should be a lot better than this semester has been - if only because I'm going to be taking a scuba diving class (to fill out the last few credits I need to be a full time student).

Glub, glub, glub...

More Sick Kids

Mary is feeling better, but now Isaiah is staying home from school. I think he has strep throat as well, but Leslie thinks it might be something less serious since he doesn't have a fever. Emma has also picked up a nasty cough, so we're keeping an eye on her as well. Rebekah goes around giving fake coughs - just to show that she is "sick" too. I guess she doesn't want to feel left out.

Leslie and I are still pretty healthy...just tired. With both of us in school and trying to raise a family, it can be exausting work. But we're hanging in there.

I've gotten away from playing online games. It has just been taking up too much time and it is way down on the priority list. That is not to say that I won't play every now and then; I'm just not going to play for hours on end anymore. Both Leslie and I want to do more stuff as a family like we used to do. It's been a good week for re-prioritizing.

Playing Hookie

I've decided to skip school today. Mary has strep throat, so I'm going to hang out with her while the antibiotics kick in.

Happy Birthday...Cha Cha Cha!

...and two months later it is my birthday! I haven't written lately mostly because I've been going through a bit of a slump. A lot of it started with the hurricane hit New Orleans. I don't really know anyone down there, but for some reason it was very depressing to me to see the horrors that those people went through. I strongly believe that a lot more people are going to be in very similar situations over the course of the next few decades.

I've also been having a lot of dreams where my children are missing or I'm trying to defend them during a hopeless war or other similar things. There have been quite a bit of gut-wrenching sobbing in my dreams - which has also added to my feeling a bit down. The good news is that I'm back on an upswing. I'm still a bit more quiet/thoughtful than Leslie would perhaps like, but it's nice to know that we have a good enough relationship to put up with each others little foibles.

There have also been some school issues (there are ALWAYS schools issues in my life), but I don't feel like going into it right now. Just going to keep my head down and barrel through as best as I can. At least that is balanced by the extremely good financial position we are in - quite a remarkable feat for two married college students with four kids.

So...now I'm 32. In an effort to stop looking like an 18-year old, I have started growing a beard. It has been...what...three or four weeks now. I've stuck with it so long now because I got the go ahead from Mary (our 7-year old). Leslie doesn't mind it either and I think it looks rather good - so it will probably stay for now.

Work is work. Nothing much to report there. I have pretty well blended back into the background. I come in, do my job, and leave. Because of the odd hours I now work, I hardly see any of the full time staffers anymore - which means they don't ask me to do extra stuff, and that is okay too. I've started to really slim down on what I get involved in. My kids are starting to get to the age where I really need to be more involved in their lives. Mary and I have finished reading The Hobbit and have started on the Chronicles of Narnia. I still try to spend one Saturday with each kid each month, which is more or less successful. The kids call it their "special day," so it must be working. I just need to come up with more ideas about what to do. The weather is cooling off and we can't really do bike rides/picnics/outdoor stuff as much.

Yup...Got the Job

My boss pulled my aside today and told me I got the promotion. Yea! Go me! Just when I had started to give up on the profession too. I still don't think that changes anything for the future, however. If I understand right, the staff positions still will not be available after I graduate. So who knows?

I don't think I want to do grad school right away anyhow. Just going to float along for a bit and see what happens.

...and yes, the time stamp on this post is accurate...1:30 AM...sheesh...

Wacky Work

So I go into work yesterday...

Just about all the staff members jump all over me asking why I didn't turn in an application for one of the two staff assistant positions. Apparently, they all had a meeting earlier to go over the applications together and noticed mine wasn't there. I didn't turn one in because in looking at the job description I thought it said I would have to work on Sundays. So I just threw it in the garbage without another look.

Well, it turns out that I DON'T have to work on Sundays. The hours listed were all the hours that ALL the staff assistants had to cover among themselves. My mistake. So my boss quickly grabbed me another application and had me fill it out as quickly as I could. Since these are the people who decide who gets the job, I have a sneaky suspicion that I might get one.

I could use a two dollar an hour raise...

New School Year

I started classes yesterday and the kids started school today. Isaiah is in kindergarden and loves it. He has been looking forward to it for a long time now. Mary is in 2nd grade...wow. She is growing up fast. She lucked out in that she is sits right next to one of her best friends in class. Overall, they are both loving it. Rebekah really wants to go to school as well, but she still has 2 more years to wait.

My classes are going to be...interesting this semester. I have 2 gender classes and 2 American Indian classes. The first class I have is "Sex, Gender, and Evolution" which, while the professor is entertaining, is going to be borderline lewd. Not that I'm a complete old fart, but a class of 90+ college students talking about sex is...well...I'll leave it to your imagination.

"Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspectives" is going to be tough. The work load is enormous. I actually find the topic vaguely interesting (I didn't think I was going to like it at all), but there is so much flippin' reading - and I'm not a fast reader.

"Contemporary Native Peoples of the Americas" is going to be good. The professor is a bit dry, but the topic is interesting. Since it is focusing on the Pacific Northwest (which is where I live), I'm really looking forward to getting into it.

And last is "North American Indian History, Precontact to Present" is also going to be interesting. Complements the other class well.

With some luck, I should do well this semester and then...ONE MORE TO GO!!! WOO HOO!!!

Hello Family!

This is a big shout out to my dad and sisters who I just finally got around to telling that this blog exists.

Okay, so I haven't written in awhile. The main reason is that I'm pretty discouraged with the whole library profession. When I first started looking into it, it seemed everyone was screaming that they had nobody to fill all the librarian positions out there. Not true. Sort of...

The problem is that there are no entry level positions open (according to a lot of people in the profession). The people that have been in the profession for years (decades?) do not want to move into manager slots. Which leaves the newly graduated library students no place to work.

I had planned on getting a masters degree in library sciences after I graduate this year, but I'm incredibly close to calling the whole thing off. But what about my current job? Well, I talked to some folks around here and it turns out that every time they lose a staff position, it is gone for good. When I graduate, there will be no open spots for me to fill. All in all, very discouraging.

So what to do? To quote Baldrick from the show Black Adder:

"I have a clever plan!"

More info to follow...

New Job Responsibility

Well, I got a bit of a surprise today. I mentioned before that our library departments are understaffed (for a variety of reasons). Next week, the librarian that runs the architecture library here on campus is taking some time off. However, that leaves nobody to look after things while she is gone. So guess what I have been chosen to do? All next week I will be "running" the architecture library! I feel honored that the full-time staff members think of me as qualified/dependable to do this.

True, it really isn't that big of a job - mostly circulation stuff - but I will be getting the keys to the library. I get to unlock it in the morning and lock it up when I leave (I'll be doing full-time again during that week).

This bodes well for when I graduate and apply for a full time job next year.

Wolves, and Tigers, and Bears...Oh My!

This past week I have taken up the position of Cubmaster in our church's Cub Scout pack. I have always loved scouting and I am looking forward to being involved in this. Unfortunately, certain people around here think that taking the summer off from running the unit is acceptable, so the next two pack meetings are pretty much non-existant. I will be changing that. I am of the strong opinion that scouting is a year-round program. The new program year starts in September, so we'll see what I can get jumpstarted - we are having quite the changed in leadership, so it might not be as hard as some may think.

Tomorrow is the next "pack meeting" (if you could call it that). I've got a lot of games I'm going to get the boys involved in. We'll worry about the formalities of running the meetings in September.

Y!PP Monkey Business

Well, not only did I not win the writing contest in Puzzle Pirates, but I wasn't even on the runner-up list. I'm quite disappointed with the whole deal. I guess that is what you have to deal with when you don't know your audience (judges) very well. Oh well. No monkey for me.

Our crew is pretty much dead now. Most of the active people switched after the split and now those of us left are debating the merits of recruiting, merging, or just disbanding. Such is the online life.

I really wish I had a good internet connection and another computer so Leslie and I could start our own crew. She is also a fan of the game, and a good puzzler as well. I heard that my sister, Lori, played the game for some time awhile back, but isn't currently playing. It'd be kinda neat to have a family crew going - but that probably isn't going to happen.

Working Woes

I have mentioned the library department I work in recently merged with the Circulation department. Overall it has been a good thing, for me at least. I'm getting to do a lot of different things. However, there is one trend that is beginning to bother me.

I spend a lot of my days training other people how to do the various jobs I have been trained to do. No problem there. However, it has become a problem that I am no longer scheduled to do any of those jobs. If I was paranoid, I'd think I'd be replaced soon, but I know that is not the case. Several of the staff members here (including my new boss) seem to think I provide the department with all sorts of mysterious and valuable services. Hey everyone, I'm just a student here!

Some people might love to have a job where you don't really have anything to do, but it drives me crazy. I've actually asked to have my hours cut, so I can go do something more productive with my time. Yeah, it's a cut in the paycheck, but I just can't sit around trying to look busy. So starting next week, I'm back down to part-time.

It's not that I don't mind the responsibility or that I'm lazy (okay, maybe a bit), it just bothers me to see other students around here just sitting around reading or talking with each other. Just give me a project, give me a deadline, and leave me alone so I can get it done - and it WILL get done...on time.

Happy Birthday America!

Okay, it's a day late...

We spent the morning up at my parents. My dad bought Isaiah a fishing pole and gave me one of his old ones. I haven't been fishing since I was a little boy. I can catch fish, but I don't enjoy fishing as such. I'm there to catch a fish and eat it - not for the sport of it or whatever else.

He also gave me a pocket watch. I love pocket watches. He still has an old one that us kids got him many years ago. It no longer works, but he has still kept it around in the hopes of getting it fixed one day. I'll have to see what I can do about that this year. The one he gave me isn't an expensive one by anymeans, and it needs a new battery. Still...

Now that I think about it, it was a bit of a gift day. He also returned my cookoo clock that he took and fixed himself last month. The man is amazing.

AND...to top that off, he gave me another Pendleton Blanket!

They are getting ready to head down to Arizona in two months, so they are dejunking and streamlining their lives.

We came back in the afternoon to spend time with Leslie's parents and family. We started to watch The Maltese Falcon, but I didn't get to finish it. The firework show was going to start soon and we wanted to be able to find a parking spot.

I love living in the United States of America, but I have my doubts about some of my fellow Americans. The Fourth of July around here is what I imagine living in a war zone would be like. Explosions going off all over - screw personal safety. The firework show itself was okay. Nothing that great, but I can't complain that much because it's free.

The kids also got to sit in a fire engine that was there. They all loved that. Rebecca managed to sleep through the fireworks...again. She has done that every year since she was born. Eyes clamped tight with fingers in her ears. Very cute.

Thus is life

I could see this coming. I haven't posted in a long time - just like I haven't written in a paper journal in a long time. I just don't seem to take the time to make entries after a certain point. But...such is life.

Isaiah and I are going out later today to do some father/son stuff. Not much, really. Just going clothes shopping - ties, dress shirts, etc. He is growing so fast nowadays that it is hard to keep him in clothes. We get a lot of hand-me-downs from his grandparents (Nathan, his youngest uncle, is only 10 or 11), so it is not as bad as it could be.

Fourth of July is coming up on Monday. We're going to take the morning to go up and see my parents (my dad finally got remarried a few years ago). After that, we'll come back down and go to the fireworks show here in town. Going to make it as relaxed as possible.

I've started growing a beard, but I don't think it will last long. Between the summer heat and the itchy whiskers, it just doesn't do much for me at this point. I hear my dad is growing his back out again as well. He always looked good with a beard.

Haven't got around to watching 8 1/2 yet, but we did watch Much Ado About Nothing again, which is a great movie. Besides the great writing of Shakespeare, the actors do a fantastic job in their roles. I enjoy it a lot. I also just finished up the book Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. I just picked up a biography of sorts about him. It's more a selection of his other, non-comical writings but it gives a good overview of his life and his thinking. Pretty neat fellow.

Old Movies and New Changes

Vertigo was pretty good. Definately not like the fast pace movies of today. I could see what happened at the end coming, but I didn't know how it was going to happen. Nice little bit of suspence there.

Next movie on The List: 8 1/2

As I've mentioned, I play an online game called Puzzle Pirates. The crew I belong to just split this week and there a some hard feelings about it. I was disappointed to see it happen the way it did myself. Yeah, it's an online game, and yeah, I don't really know these people, but it did seem a bit like being abandoned by your friends. It is really just unfortunate.

I have always found it interesting to watch the dynamics of an online community. I wonder if any sociologists have ever done a study. You would think they have, but you never know.

Busy Weekend and Lack of Time

I actually had a lot of things going on this weekend that I wanted to write about, but I'm finding it harder to take the time to actually do it. That was my main problem with keeping journals before. I just didn't want to take the time to sit and put it down on paper.

Anyway, yesterday was Father's Day. My wife and kids bought a little clock/radio/cd player for me to use at work. So now I'm sitting listening to The Bobs. Life is good.

I also had the beginnings of a spiritual message for yesterday, but I didn't get around to finishing it. There has got to be some sort of universal principle in that sentence. I'll leave it to you to work it out. Hopefully by next Sunday I'll have something finalized.

I've also been on a bit of a classic movie kick. Friday, we watched the old French film The Rules of the Game, and I have Vertigo next on the list. I thought Rules was an alright movie, but hard to keep track of who was who, especially since I was more concentrated on reading the subtitles instead of looking at the faces. It's not one I'd like to own, but it was entertaining. Vertigo should be interesting. I don't remember ever watching a Hitchcock movie.

On second thought...

Knowing a bit about myself, I don't think I'll take much time to write in the evenings. I usually have so many other things to do (read, play with the kids, sleep, etc.) that writing isn't on my mind that much.

I'm trying to get the two older kids (Mary and Isaiah) signed up for swim lessons that start next week. Before I had kids, I had ever intention to teach my kids myself. However, I found out quickly that I have a big phobia when I comes to my kids around water. I get too uptight and I worry about them a lot.

They started taking lessons last winter. With a few exceptions, I went and watched them. They both had a great time and are looking forward to doing it again. Overall, I did pretty good about not being too stressed out about it.

Every now and then I have dreams about drowning. Kinda funny coming from a guy who has been swimming competitively most of his life.

On a different note, the writing contest deadline is this coming Monday. I've already submitted my entry. I'm getting pretty anxious to see how I did. As of right now, I'm pretty optimistic about winning but, as Winnie-the-Pooh says, you never can tell with bees.

I've also been entertaining myself at work by listening to Shanty Radio which is run by some players in Puzzle Pirates. Some songs are not entirely appropriate for work (or anywhere for that matter) - I just turn those down or off. But for the most part it is entertaining.

Running Low

I'm finding that I'm running out of things to say, so I'm going to change how I go about blogging. I think I'll do my entries in the evening so I can come up with a topic to write about. I don't think my everyday activities are generally worth recording, so I'll switch to deeper topics - things I strongly believe, or things I'm trying to work out in my head. We'll see how it goes.

Free Day

Just as the last few days have been very busy at work, today looks like it is going to be dreadfully dull. Since the merge, we have been training the students who work at circulation to do the jobs we students at interlibrary loans do and vice versa.

Well, as it turns out, everyone else has been scheduled to do my normal jobs (except Fed Ex, which is still my sole responsibility) while I haven't been scheduled to do much of anything else. On the schedule, it just lists the very generic "ILL" (meaning interlibrary loan - not sickness).

So I guess I get to do pretty much what I want. I have some things to straighten up around the new place, and I'll probably pick up some things that have fallen through the cracks over the past few weeks.

It's Gotta Be a Monday

Some sausages I had for dinner didn't sit well with me last night. Yet again another night of bad sleep. So I didn't go swimming this morning. And the engine light came on in the car...again...They just "fixed" it a week and a half ago.

Luckily everything seemed to work out. Got the car into the shop this morning and got it fixed (again) free of charge. My boss was very understanding about missing work this morning. I was able to go to the store and pick up some desprately needed diapers for the baby. I guess it can't be that bad of a Monday.

I'll head back to work after lunch and see what nightmares people have left for me at my new desk.

One Week and Still Bloggin'

I've managed to post for a full week now - which is pretty close to a record for me.

In keeping with the Spirit of Sunday, I think I will normally post some kind of spiritual thought. I teach 8-9 year olds at church so I'm usually have something to say on the topic. However, for today I have an assuredly non-spiritual post.

I am generally not a fan of on-line games. Usually any enjoyment I get from it is destroyed by other players. Be that as it may, I have recently found one on-line game that both my wife and I really enjoy. It is called Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates. Not only do I enjoy the pirate theme, but the people I play with (they be the Meanies - yarr!) are of a decent sort. Yeah, we all have our days when we're feeling a bit cro-magnon and just want to go out and smash something, but on the whole they're a good crew.

Unfortunately, my family and I have recently moved and have to deal with a dial-up connection for a while. Those of you who play on-line know that this is a killer of the enjoyment factor. So my time in the game has been spotty at best. However, I haven't been completely lax in my piratey entertainment (now we come to the real reason for this post). There is a contest going on to write a background story for the new Oceanmasters (i.e. in-game moderators). The winner will get a little monkey that rides around on your pirate's shoulder.

So I gave it a shot. It is not as great as I would have liked it to be, but being limited to 2500 words made it necessary to cut the fluff, so-to-speak. I will post it in it's entirety in the next post. I want it to have a separate post for a variety of reasons. So, for what it is worth, here it is...

Yarr! Legend of the Nine!

"Places, PLACES EVERYBODY!"
"Cecil, bring up the lights just a bit. THERE! That's it."
"Will SOMEBODY get that CHICKEN off the stage! That doesn't come in till scene twenty-three! Sheesh!"
"Okay, let's see."
"The Swashbuckler's hair is out of place - MAKE-UP!"
"Better . . . can't disappoint the Teen Idol crowd . . . "
"Are we ready? Let's get this show on the road!"

"ROLL 'EM!!"
* * *
I – The Fall of Eris
(In which she is killed by the Enemy…yada yada yada…)

At the top of the mountain of a lone island, Eris the Ocean Master clung to a tree trunk as if out of breath. The sun was setting below the horizon of the Ocean and the light was beginning to fade.

I’m tired, she thought. I know it is because of him, but I am tired all the same. No energy to run any more. Where are the others? It shouldn’t be like this.

She looked down along the beach. A lone crab wandered its way slowly across the sand. Eris paused to contemplate the plainness of its existence. How simple it would be to just be a crab, she thought. As her mind strayed, the crab suddenly disappeared. No, wait! There is its trail in the sand. It’s as if I blanked out and didn’t see it walk away, she thought.

It’s him. He is here. He has found me.

Despair descended upon her, the fingers of its alien presence curling around the thoughts of her mind. Finally her heart stops, frozen in the grip of eternal forgetfulness.

The Azure light of the Ocean dims. Midnight comes.

II – Concerning the Enemy
(And in this corner…Mr. Bad – with a capitol “B”!)

Before the Great Cleaver created the first of the Oceans, there was the Web of Life. The strands of which stretched throughout eternity connecting intelligences of different worlds with different ideas. But woven into the Web was the Enemy. In the beginning he was there, and he was strong. The intelligences felt his presence but were nigh unto helpless in fighting him, for they were as yet young and weak.

It was a struggle for the intelligences to stay connected through the Web – the Enemy was there, trying to thwart their unity. But the intelligences learned, over time, that while they could not defeat the Enemy yet, they could weaken him. And weaken him they did. The intelligences wove new and stronger strands and added them to the Web, strengthening their nodes, increasing their own numbers.

Although not as strong as he was in the beginning, the Enemy still holds tremendous power over the Mortals of the Oceans. Even the Great Cleaver is unable to fully contain his influence. But by the same token, the Enemy has little hold over the Great Cleaver and his resolve to carry on the fight.

The Enemy’s purpose is the ultimate destruction of the Web of Life. He is the source of the weakening of the fabric of the Oceans, rot, weathering, and corruption. He seeks to bring all things to a stop, causing oblivion. Mortals sailing the Oceans, although never seeing the Enemy, feel the effects of his presence nearby as matter is destroyed, energy is dissipated, time stagnates, and new thought is stopped.

But not all oppose the Enemy. There are those who choose to fight for this great evil. These foolish servants can be found all across the Web. They can easily be identified by the arcane form of language they use, such as the vile incantation: “0/\/\f6 /\/\y l33t 5ki11z pwn j00! ph33r /\/\3h!!11oneoneone”

Mortals have many names for the Enemy. The most common is derived from the stupor of mind and body felt, the lagging behind in reaction to the environment – the Enemy is then simply known as Lag.

III – Trials of the Nine
(Cleaver creates ten. Enemy tempts. Nine remain valiant. Enemy sulks.)

The Great Cleaver stood over the body of Eris. The mighty fall but the fight must go on, he thought to himself. Bending down, he scooped together ten mounds of sand from the Beach. To these he added the salt water of the Ocean. From this he fashioned the bodies of ten persons – five female and five male. The wind of the Air he directed into their lungs. From the body of Eris he gave each one a drop of life-giving Blood.

And they awoke and stood amazed at the world around them.

They walked along the beaches and under the trees with the Great Cleaver, learning all that he would teach them – from the heights of the Air to the depths of the Ocean. They learned they were sculpted by his hands and given life through the Blood of Eris. But, as happy as they were, it did not last.

“I must leave ye for awhile,” Cleaver said. “There be other matter to which I must attend to. I will send for ye when ye are ready. Fear not, and may the wind always blow in yer favor!”

The ten Children of Cleaver grieved at his absence, but in time the joys of their world and their companionship with each other dulled that grief. The days were long, the nights were warm, and they were happy once again.

One looked out over the Ocean with furrowed brow. “What is the matter, brother?” Others gathered around with concern. He pointed out across the sparkling waters and asked, “Do you all see that ship with the sails as black as night?”

“Yes. What of it? It has always been there. It never moves. It just IS.”

“Indeed,” he replied. “It has always been, perhaps from the Beginning. I have been Watching it. It occurred to me today that Cleaver might have left it for us.”

“Yes,” said another. “He said he would send for us! Perhaps this is his call.”

“How can that be,” a third asked. “It was here when Cleaver walked among us.”

“Can you not feel the power of the Ship? Even from this distance, I can feel something akin to the power of Cleaver, but somehow different, too.”

“We must go out and see if the Black Ship is indeed a call from the Great Cleaver.”

“No! I too feel something - but not wholesome, not safe. We must wait here for Cleaver. Surely he would send a clearer message?”

Long into the night they discussed the mystery of the Black Ship. Eventually, one showed great Wisdom in convincing the others closely explore it. If it was from Cleaver, then they should make haste in going out to it. If not, then they should learn what they could and report it to Cleaver when he returned.

They agreed on this counsel and on the morrow, the ten Children of Cleaver left their home and set out for the Black Ship. As they drew closer, their Blood started to race as if in remembrance of a forgotten past. Their minds started to doubt and, for the first time, they knew fear. Clearly this Ship was not sent by Cleaver, but from a presence full of hatred, destruction, and astonishing malice.

Several wanted to go back, flee from the onslaught of dread they were now facing. But one called out to the others, “Sisters and brothers! We must not turn back. We must Persist and overcome our fears. This is an Enemy to Cleaver – for such I now feel in my very soul.”

“Yes,” answered one of her brothers. “We must be Brave. For we are the Great Cleaver’s own children!”

Such encouragement brought the others back and together they continued on, pushing through their mind-numbing revulsion, until they all stood upon the mahogany planks of the Black Ship. The sails, as if made of Darkness itself, blocked the warming rays of the sun. The Children huddled together for warmth as they looked across the deserted ship.

Nothing was to be seen, but their attention was drawn to a hatchway that led below decks. “We must go down there,” one said. The others remained silent and followed.

Down below, the world they knew faded and despair hung in the very air. As if dreaming, they wandered the endless halls, lost. After a combination of eternity and mere moments they came upon a velvet couch whereupon lay the form of a woman, both beautiful and terrible to behold. Asleep or dead they could not say, but deep in their hearts they knew whom they looked upon.

“It is Eris! She in whose Death we have Life,” they whispered. Their whispers echoed, and with each echo a soft, woman’s voice was brought back to them.

“Yes, my children,” it said. “I am she whom you call Eris. I am the giver of Life, and Life I am able to take away. I am your Mother, your Father, and your World. Come to me, my children, and I shall take away your fears, your worries, and everything that troubles your mind. I am greater than Cleaver, and able to break the confines of the Oceans. I am the Great Spider on the Web of Life! I control the destinies of mortals and can show you the secrets behind the nothingness of the eternities – come to me!”

In silence they stood, afraid of the malevolence that radiated from the darkness with each word. Yet one moved forward. “Show me your secrets,” he said. “Give me your power. I am your Son and I will bring all to you so that not one will be lost.”

“Yes,” the voice hissed. “Come to me!” He stepped towards the form on the couch and was swallowed up in the shadowy mists.

“No!” The shout woke the others from their shock. “You are not Eris! You are an Enemy and your vileness is shown in using her form.” The sister’s voice rose to it’s own level of hatred. “For this travesty you shall be destroyed!”

The voice of the Enemy laughed and became a voice that was neither female nor male. “Come to me! Your Dedication can make you powerful! Come to me and I will show you my weaknesses so you may overcome all! Come to me my daughter!”

“We will never betray the Honor of Eris or Cleaver! Brothers and sisters, we must leave this place!”

“Our brother! We cannot leave without him!”

“Yes,” the Enemy in the Darkness whispered. “Your brother is here. Come to us!”

“NO! All the Resources of the Oceans and of the worlds connected to the Web of Life we will use to fight you! We will find a way, you will be defeated!” With that, the remaining nine clasped hands and ran from the velvet couch with the form of Eris upon it. But the voice remained right behind them.

“Fools! You speak of worlds beyond the Web, but what do you know of such things? Pitiful mortals who waste their lives in search of oblivion – I WILL give it to them…and to you!”

They felt their minds slow and their hearts race. Still they struggled on. When they felt they could run no more and that the Enemy was about to overpower them, a flash of brightness pierced the Darkness and there before them stood the Great Cleaver with a burning fury in his eye.

With a mighty stroke he brought his weapon down upon the floor and the world seemed to split asunder.

IV – The Naming
(Who are these people anyway? Cleaver reveals all!)

All Nine drew together on the deck of a gigantic ship; it’s wood glowing white as the nearly transparent sails captured the bright sunlight and sped the vessel through the crystal clear waters. The Great Cleaver stood magnificently before them with the Elder Ocean Masters arrayed behind him.

“Me Children! Ye have set yourself against the tasks I placed before you. Ye are truly worthy to become Ocean Masters and have yer True Name revealed unto ye!”

“Ye have shown great Honor and leadership. Ye shall now be known as Amphitrite.”

“Ye have been Dedicated in the fight against the Enemy. I give ye the name of Nemesis.”

“Great Resourcefulness has been yer mark. Dionysus shall ye be hereafter known as.”

“When others feared, ye have been Brave. Prometheus I now name ye.”

“Yer road has been difficult, but ye have shown the value of Persistence to the others. Yer name shall be recorded as Bia.”

“Yer Wisdom will forever be of great worth across the Oceans. I name ye Clio.”

“While others rested, ye remained Watchful. Welcome, Hypnos!”

“Ye, the eighth,” Cleaver pointed to the last male. “How have ye fared in your trials?”

“I have done nothing. I am not worthy of any honor.” He hung his head as if ashamed.

“Nothing?” Cleaver boomed. “Is it nothing to not fall from grace? Is it nothing to fight alongside your brothers and sisters and not give up hope? Avast! Ye are much too Humble my son! Ye shall be honored and not forgotten – I bestow upon you the name of Lelantos.”

“With Humility I accept your great gift.” Lelantos bowed respectfully.

“And now we come to the last of my children,” Cleaver smiled.

“But what of our lost brother,” she interrupted. “Should he not also receive a name?”

“Nay,” Cleaver replied. “Though he was one of my elect, he chose to ally himself with the Enemy. As such, his doom is to wander namelessly across the Oceans forever leashed to his master, unknown and unloved.”

Cleaver paused before continuing. “But for yer Mercy and Love in thinking of him, ye shall be honored with the name of Eurydice. Now take yer place among your brothers and sisters. Behold! The New Nine!”

V – New Oceans, Old Enemies
(Oh lookie! Mortal playthingies!)

The oceans of blue:
Old Midnight’s hue
And Cobalt newly shine;

Viridian’s gleam,
Chaos supreme,
Gave rise to Masters Nine!

And thus the Great Cleaver removed the veil from their sight and at last they cast their eyes upon the mortal realms. Although not as dark and terrible as it had been in the presence of the Enemy, it was still dim and seemingly dreary when compared to what they had known before their Trials.

They looked out over the Three Oceans and beheld the influence the Enemy had over those mortal realms. His servants roamed to and fro while the youngest mortals wandered in disarray and confusion. Their hearts jumped in alarm as they spied a Black Ship sailing across the waters.

“Fear ye not,” Cleaver said. “’Tis but a Ghost of the real Black Ship, sent to punish those mortals who prey upon their weaker brethren. Ye have nothing to fear from it.”

Even with the Great Cleaver’s assurance, their new stewardship seemed almost too daunting a task. Bia was the first of the Nine to speak: “It looks like our fight has just begun.” She pushed her sleeves up to her elbows. “Let’s get to work!”

Snoozers

We like to snooze in the morning,
We like to snooze all day.
We like to snooze whenever we choose,
Snoozing our cares away.

~Sandra Boynton

That is pretty much how I spent my Saturday. We went over to the in-laws and Rebekah and I fell asleep on grandpa's recliner while watching Finding Nemo. I did get in a few games of hearts and spades with my wife, father-in-law, and brother-in-law.

When we got home, we got the kids in the bath - assembly line style. Jump in, shampoo hair, soap up, rinse off, hop out, dry off, pajamas, in bed, next kid. Very efficent. And since the kids were tired, there wasn't much of a fuss about it.

Overall a fairly relaxing day.

The Move Groove

It finally happened. They moved my work station from the empty office back into the realm of the living. It was a bit exasperating as the I.T. folks just grabbed stuff and didn't pay attention to where it came from. When they asked me which terminal went where, I replied with a "Where did it come from?" Blank looks all around. We eventually got it all sorted out, even if I did have to put up with the techs' digging around in the computer changing all the settings, background colors, etc. Half of the stuff they just changed for no apparent reason. Oh well, what do I know? I only work on the terminal every day.

I spent the rest of the day running back and forth between the new place and the old, trying to get some semblance of normality restored. Unfortunately, the new workspace is much smaller and I have to change quite a few of my processes. Nothing I can't handle though. I don't like to be one of those people who whine about change. Reminds me of the book "Who Moved My Cheese?"

I am so glad it is a weekend.

That Ol' Sinking Feeling

Last night I made the commitment to get up and go swimming this morning. So I did. A Friday probably wasn't the best day to get back in the pool. Fridays are sprint workouts - and today in particular was an I.M. (individual medley, where you do all the strokes) workout. Needless to say, a few months away have not done much for my ability to keep up with my lane mates. Still, it was nice to get back in and take some good-natured jokes from the coach and other swimmers.

The bike ride to work, however, was a killer. Biking and swimming in one day? All I need to do now is find a way to work in some running and I can do a triathalon. For the longest time, I felt the only appropriate way to run was if some large and hungry animal was chasing me. I still feel that way, in principle if for no other reason. I'm just not a runner.

Busy day scheduled today. I ordered some refills for my old Daytimer planner - the one I was given when I was an assistant manager at Hastings. I enjoyed using it, and now with school and work, I have a chance to put it to use again. Organization is a wonderful thing.

Superman Has His Kryptonite

Someone at work brought cookies today; snickerdoodles and a second kind with tiny M&Ms on the top. Looks like my pre-lunch hour is going to be filled with highly processed sugary goodness.

Lost and Found

Yesterday after work, we had a little bit of excitement. Rebekah, our 3-year old, got lost. Actually, she knew exactly where she was, but the rest of us didn't. The playground for the apartment complex we live in is right outside our back door, so we normally let our kids go out whenever they felt like it. Well, my poor wife looked out there and only saw our two oldest and asked them where Rebekah was.

"I don't know, Mom. Check out front."

Next thing I know, my wife comes back and says with a little edge on her voice that she needs help finding her. I spend the next half hour doing a spiral search (starting at the playground and spiraling outwards) while trying to keep the other kids calm and inside the apartment.

I figured she couldn't have gone far and that I would find her soon. There are a ton of kids living around here and I jumped at the sound of every kid playing, yelling, calling, etc. On my last pass, I was planning on telling my wife to contact the apartment supervisors and tell them we had a lost kid. But as I approach home, I saw my wife giving me the sign language for "yes," meaning she found Rebekah.

Turns out she was just over the hill from our front door playing with another kid (barely older than Rebekah) who kept trying to tell my wife that they were at the playground - he was probably going to get in trouble as well. She only came back because she got hurt - a minor bump somewhere (at that point I wasn't too worried about getting more details). I probably would have come across her on my next spiral out, but it was still a bit nerve-wracking. Nothing like losing a child to make you feel like a bad parent.

Needless to say, playground privileges have been severely restricted.

Sleep? What's That?

Here was the formula for last night:

1) I start to get comfortable.
2) My 3-year old daughter wakes up
3) She crawls into bed with us
4) We send her back to her own bed
5) She cries...loudly
6) The baby wakes up and starts crying
7) Mom and Dad get grumpy
8) Lather, rinse, repeat

I have a hard time sleeping these days as it is. I have something going on with my back that makes it hard to find a comfortable position in which to sleep. One of these days when I can't stand it anymore, I'll break down and buy an expensive mattress.

As it is, I'm extremely tired and I forgot to shave. At least I ironed my shirt so I don't look like a complete slob this morning. Which reminds me: I want to get a new ironing board as well. One that I can use standing up, not kneeling down on the floor trying to keep kids away from the hot iron.

Wait. I iron my own clothes? Yup. I don't have a big wardrobe (it's quite small actually, and most of it isn't in great condition), but I do make an effort to dress like a man.

Good Weather, Bad Memory

Well, the weather cleared and it didn't rain. It also warmed up a bit which was nice for the ride home for lunch.

Oh yeah...ahem...what I was forgetting was to pay the rent. I was supposed to take care of that during lunch. I have until the 10th so I'm not too worried, but forgetting important things like that is a little disturbing.

Cold to Very Cold With a Chance of Rain

It's June, and I shouldn't be cold. The temperature has been pretty low the past few weeks with minor exceptions. This morning was also overcast. Normally I wouldn't mind some rain - I enjoy it. However, I ride my bike to work, so when I felt a few tiny drops I figured I was going to get soaked sometime today.

I don't mind riding a bike, but this town certainly isn't bike-friendly. I don't mean the people, I mean the layout of the town itself. There are far too many hills and most of the roads are narrow with no bike lanes. It doesn't help that there are a bunch of stupid college kids who drive way too fast and way too close to me. One of these days I'm probably going to get hit.

Speaking of hills, shouldn't it get easier to go up them the more you do it? Maybe I'm just starting to show some aging, but the hill we live on just doesn't seem to get much better. I'm not in terrible shape, although I haven't been swimming in a few months. The workout times for the local masters swimming club were just way too early. I'll have to look into some later practices. I miss getting in the water.

The kids had a great time putting the posters up in their rooms last night. I had forgotten how many I had brought home. We covered the walls and a good portion of the ceilings. They spent the rest of the nights in thier rooms just looking at them.

Ah! Do you hear that? Quietness! It gave my wife and I some time just to sit and talk. I don't know if I have anything planned for the rest of the week. It seems like I'm forgetting something.

Strange Start to the Week

I work at the main library of a research university. A month ago I would have said I worked in the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) department, but nowadays it is a little more confusing than that. Due to budget cuts and the retirement of several staff members, ILL has merged with the circulation department. In spite of all the grumbling from others, this has been a good thing for me. Not only do I get to do more than just scanning/mailing out articles/books, but I'm getting to learn more about different aspects of libraries - always a good thing since this is the field I want to get into.

This started as a work-study job last year and has progressed (as staff members left) to a full time job over this summer. What I do is not particularly dramatic or what some would consider interesting, but I enjoy it here.

When I walked in this morning, I noticed that the schedule did not have me listed as working until Friday. A week off? Wow. That's going to cut into the paycheck a bit. I went to ask my new supervisor (who is very easy to get along with) - it was either a mistake or another round of budget cuts. Turns out it was a mistake.

So here I sit in an empty office. Everyone else moved two weeks ago to the circulation area. The Ariel scanners, the Fedex terminal, and I still sit here with a phone that never rings. Mondays are always slow.

Tonight is family night. When we cleared out the office we found a huge box full of posters about children's books - you know, the kind you see hanging in schools and libraries. Nobody wanted them, so I was given permission to take them home. Tonight we are going to wallpaper the kid's rooms with these posters.

Old Counsel, New Format

"Keep a journal or portions, as you go along in life, a record that can be woven into a Book of Remembrance, telling of difficulties you have been able to overcome, challenges met. Express your inward feelings and thankfulness. These are part of your Book of Remembrance passed on to your children and decendants..."

Such was the councel given to me in September of 1992. I have been pretty diligent in ignoring this over the past thirteen years - which, in hindsight, is unfortunate. Over the course of a nearly a decade and a half, I have dropped out of college several times, joined the military, gotten married, had four children, and moved more times than I care to think about. A lot has happened to have not recorded it anywhere. I still have my memories, but with each passing year they are subtly changed with what my father-in-law calls "reconstructive memory."

So this is my attempt to remedy the situation.

I admit that it is a little daunting to put this out where anyone can read it. I have my reasons, which I may or may not share at some point in the future. Although I used to consider myself fairly computer-savvy, I have only recently become aware of blogs. I have been out of the loop for a long time...and I can't say I miss it. I left the computer field in order to have more time to spend with my growing family. The irony is, perhaps, that I still don't spend as much time with my children as I should.

Having faults is a part of mortality - and this is my story...

My First Game of Diplomacy

Well, I played my first game of Diplomacy yesterday. I got Austria-Hungary. Yeah, I know a new player with one of the hardest nations. I also had one of the strongest players as a neighbor in Turkey. However, I was saved by the fact that Russia and Italy were single-mindedly intent on destroying Turkey and not me. I was also lucky enough to time a backstab on Italy at a moment when most of her units were around Turkish waters - leaving the Italian pennisula mostly empty. Needless to say, the 3-way alliance that Russia, Italy and I had fell apart after that. I was fairly confident that Russia and Italy were both weaken by the war and Turkey was still contained in the corner. I would have loved to see how it ended, but I had to leave early - another player stepped into my spot so I'm curious to hear if they renegotiated the alliance or what.

I can see why people don't like the game. I had fun even though I was pretty stressed out most of the time. Given what it is, Diplomacy is a fun game. But I don't think I'd want to play it all the time - I don't think my heart can handle it.

New School Semester...Must Be Time to Play Games!

Classes started up again this last week. And what a long week it was too. Being an old fart (at least these kids make me feel like one some days) can really be a drag some days. On a more positive side, I joined the university's Master Swimming program (5:30 AM workouts! YIKES!!). It has been years since I swam competitively and it was nice to get back in the pool - I kept thinking: "I sure hope the lifeguard is awake. He might have to earn his pay this morning!"

I've set a goal for myself to not only do continue doing good in my classes (last semester went GREAT!), but to also do the "Brute Squad" workout by the end of the year. For those interested in what that means (and if you are familar with swimming terminology) you can see what that entails at www.wsumastersswimming.org/news/brute.html

And on an even more positive note, the new semester has brought back the gaming folks! Yea! Eight of us showed up this Saturday for some gaming. Unfortunatly I couldn't stay long, so I only got two games in: Tikal (which I had be itching to play for a long time now) and a lightning speed version of Carcassonne. I lost horribly in both games. I was greatly impressed by Tikal, and it could very easily become a top favorite.

I also learned more about the history of this particular gaming group. It turns out they started as a Diplomacy club. I think they still might play every now and then, but I haven't seen them play since I joined up with them. Maybe they are keeping me away out of fear of my superior negotiating skills...yeah, right... Before I came along, it looked like they mostly played games like Settlers (K&C mostly), Carcassonne, and a wide variety of Steve Jackson games - mostly Munchkin (shudder).

It's fun to see them come up and ask what I brought in my bag of goodies this week. Since none of them had heard of BGG (nor have any joined even though I continually mention it - slackers) most of the games I bring are new to them...and they really enjoy them. Still, it's a fantastic way to spend each Saturday morning: teaching new games, playing new games, getting stomped in previously mentioned games, etc...