Blog-a-Log (or: No-New-Is-Bad-News)

The job search is going crappy...thanks for asking. I apply to 2 or 3 A DAY - no takers yet.

Unemployment sucks.

But enough about that. On to more exciting stuff. I'm adopting a cavalier (adj.: showing a lack of proper concern; offhand) attitude and am going to make up some exciting stuff to write since there is a distinct lack of excitement in the aforementioned life of job hunting.

I've always been big on imagination and making up stories. Heck, I've been known to indulge in role-playing games from time to time. With the excess amount of free time I've had lately, I've been looking around at some simple role-playing games (RPGs) with which to introduce my kids into the hobby. Please, no charges of Satan-worshipping...save that for any ill-concieved ignorance you may have for my chosen religious views.

I had two main requirements for any RPG I would play with my kids: 1) VERY simples rules. 2) Free. While #2 almost always trumped out #1, I have to admit I found one that I was extremely tempted to buy: The Secret Lives of Gingerbread Men. Little cookies, big secrets. Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! "Oh no! Not my gumdrop buttons!" I'm going to be smiling about this one for days. Why didn't I buy it? I don't think it is available any more...but I didn't look too hard. It might still be around somewhere.

In the end, I decided to start them off on a game called Shadows. The name sounds spooky and possible not a game for kids, but just click on the link and read. Yeah, it's for kids. The basic plot I have in mind for them (the three older kids that is: ages 8, 6, and 4) starts as a sleepover at their aunt and uncle's house here in town (which is huge, by the way) when they are awaken by Ka-bree-is (no idea how they spell it - she is one of their dogs) barking at something and go from there. I'm curious to see what they come up with. Since they will be "adventuring" together, I expect we'll have some interesting dynamics.

Once we do that (if we do it at all) a couple of times, I'll probably switch them over to Risus which is a pretty bare-bones system that I think they will grasp easily (well, the older two at least).

I think they might take to role-playing quite well - based on what I hear when they play together...at least before the arguments break out. Besides, Isaiah loves playing with my Heroscape board game and Mary has recently discovered the Magic Tree House book series. Rebekah might still be a bit young for it, but there will be severe consequences and repercussions if she doesn't get to play with the others. Besides, it might provide some good role-playing opportunities for the older two as they look out for Little Sister.

I came across some other good games for kids, but they cost money, and most of the other free ones are still a bit beyond their age group...at least until they grasp the concept of "make-believe with set rules."

IT'S ALIVE!!!

Sigh...What a rough summer...

But before we get to all that, I have some catching up to do. First of all, the family trip went relatively okay, all things considered. We had the chance to see a lot of really neat things and the kids really enjoyed seeing the sights. The car trips between the sights were...well...pretty much what you'd expect. But we survived. The really bad part of the whole trip was that we were "lucky" enough to go during a huge heat wave that covered the entire country. Arizona. Heat wave. Umm...yeah...that quickly cured me of any ideas I might have been harboring about moving to the Southwest.

Since being back, things have gone precipitously downhill. I will just have to summarize so as not to blow another gasket and lose even more brain-juice.

• Still no job
• I managed not to kill any of my in-laws
• We moved to Spokane (sans job...but at least it's not Pullman)

There is probably more I could put in that short list, but...you know...loss of brain-juice and all...

Not all is bad, however. The kids start school on September 5th, and it seems to be a pretty good school district. The school itself is only 4 blocks from the house but, unfortunately for the kids, it is uphill all the way. Eh...it will do 'em good.

I've still got some pretty rough months/years ahead. I've spent all this time and money getting a college degree and I'm finding out that it is pretty close to worthless. Yeah, yeah, I know all the arguments about the "value" of a college education, but right now it seems like it was a big waste of life's resources. Graduate school seems like more of the same as well. Besides, I would need three letters of recommendation to get accepted and I don't know three people who know enough about me to be able to recommend me. And to top off that particular path, most of the graduate degrees that interest me or that I would qualify for seem like dead-ends as well.

BS, MS, PhD indeed: Bull **** (BS), More of the Same (MS), Piled Higher and Deeper (PhD).

What? No job? I'm going on VACATION!

So...here's the update:

I have no job - big long story, but the upside is that I get out of this town. YEA!

I have no home - been living at the in-laws until I heard one way or the other about this job. Hasn't been bad, but certainly not ideal.

So, what's a guy to do? Road Trip!

We're packing up the family (99% of our stuff is already in storage) and driving down to Arizona to visit my dad. But we can't go in a straight line, now can we? Heck no! Here is our tentative itenerary:

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

Temple Square in Salt Lake City

Zion National Park

Grand Canyon National Park

And then what will probably be the most fantastic (and I mean that in the very literal sense of the word) sight of all: Quartzsite, Arizona!

I figure it will take us about 5 days to make the trip. There are a few other spots I would have loved to visit, like Dinosaur National Monument and Chaco Canyon National Historical Park, but we'll get those some other time. In any case, I'll try to get pictures posted when I get the time.

Wait! 5 days? 5 days in a car with little kids?! ARE YOU INSANE, MAN?!?

Quite possibly. And we leave Monday...

Disconnected

No internet at home = no new posts for a bit.

We will be moving at the end of this month, we just don't know where yet. Until we settle down (yeah, right), we will be without an internet connection. Such is life.

Occupational Dilemma

It is getting to be crunch time. We are still in student housing and our lease is up at the end of this month. The Scouts haven't said "no" to me yet, but they certainly haven't said "yes" yet. It is completely infuriating. If I do not hear from them by the end of this next week, I'm going to have to call it off and pursue a different option that has recently presented itself.

While it doesn't pay as much as Scouting would, one of my former co-workers at the library has informed me of a staff opening there. I have to get my application in by the 12th - which is this coming monday. The job involves working in the same unit I was working in as a student, so I'm pretty sure I have a good chance of getting the position.

If that happens, we will still have to move. I've been looking at some real estate around town here and I think I have found a place. For the price they are asking for it, it is probably a bit of a fixer-upper - but I guess you have to take what you can get. I'll go take a closer look at the house tomorrow. I would REALLY prefer to move away. I haven't hated a town this much in a long time.

This whole situation has me a bit on edge and I've been...how a polite way of saying this...grumpy lately. I've probably taken it out on the kids more than I should have. No one is perfect....