Evil Dead the Musical !!!!

Evil Dead the Musical !!!!

Play the game ;)

Essay re-write

Well, there you go. I just got off the phone with Linda from Camosun. She has just marked my assessment and says that I got very high grades in the reading comprehension, vocabulary, and language expression. My essay writing skills were there, but wasn't what they wanted from an academic viewpoint. So she has offered to go over it with me and let me retake the written portion of the test :) I'd really like to take some writing courses anyways, so even if I score higher, I might take a lower level course. It never hurts to know your stuff :)

Yay :)

So there we go...Finally!

I was having some issues with the templates provided by blogspot, I couldn't get the comments to work. I gave up on it for a couple of days because I was so frustrated...But I'm better now :)

I lost all of my links when I was switching templates around. I wasn't too worried, 'cause that's what Google is there for...But I can't find Leanne or Jackie's URL's at all. Anyone want to send them to me?

~~~

I took my EPT (English Placement Test) yesterday at Camosun. I don't get my results till next Friday. I think I did ok. The multiple choice was a synch, but I worry about the essay portion. It's been a long time since I've used proper structure in my writing...

You Can Tell By the Way I Use My Walk...

Dan is complaining that my blog has been boring lately. I agree, it has been...But at least I'm posting something :) To make amends, here is a descriptive review of the 24 hr relay lip sync winner...

~~~

1st place : Coast Capital, History of Barbie (I just made up the name, I have no idea what they called it)

Curtain up (well really there was no curtain, but it's Barbie...Use your imagination)

The stage is empty save for a row of tall, thin black boxes across the back of the stage. A blonde woman dressed in a scarlet evening dress (aka Carly Russel) stands with a microphone.

The recording wasn't the best, it was hard to hear what she said, but it started with "Welcome to the __th annual Barbie awards ceremony..."

At that point almost all of the boxes turned around, showing an array of Barbie and Ken "dolls" dressed in many different costumes. From offstage drives Ken in a cardboard pink Cadillac, dressed up in a suit and tie. Barbie enters stage right wearing a candy pink ballgown. The music in the background..(you'll never guess it)...Is the start to "I'm a Barbie Girl". Ken offers to take Barbie for a ride...And the dancing starts. The crowd loves the line about "you can do my hair, undress me anywhere". Mostly these two quasi ballroom dance and then fade back so the spot light is on Carly again. During this scene, the Barbies in the boxes are pressing their hands against the invisible plastic, keeping time to the beat.

Carly announces the next pair to "arrive" 50's Barbie. The music changes to "Let's go to the hop". 50's Barbie and Ken(Dan) are suddenly able to step out of their boxes and they start swing dancing around the stage. Barbie wears a poodle skirt, blouse and a sweater (I think), her hair is tied back in a pony tail with a scarf. Dan wears jeans and a t-shirt with a pack of cigarette's rolled up in the sleeve. They move off to the side and pose, Dan bent over hands on his knees..Barbie to his side leaning on him and resting her head in her hands. They both freeze with smiles.

Next up...Carly announces Disco Barbie. The music changes again, this time to "Stayin' Alive". Out of their boxes pop Disco Barbie and Afro Ken. They strut around and disco dance wearing sparkling outfits, and epitomize 70's fashion. The Fara Faucett hair on Barbie was great. They pose off to the side and onto the next act.

Tahitian Barbie...This one was great, "Barbie" does tahitian dancing for a living, so she had traditional outfits with head gear. She danced circles around Ken, and had the audience in awe of her belly dancing abilities. Next.

Western Barbie..."Boot Scooting Boogie" Barbie came out in a short jean skirt and pink cowboy hat and squaredanced around with Ken, who looked like he had a few superbowl Sundays to many...

Hip Hop Barbie...These guys were really good. "Barbie" choreographed the whole show, as she has a background in it. She had the hip hop moves down, and Ken wasn't so bad himself. The best part was when he took his shirt off for the crowd, I'm pretty sure that wasn't scripted though.

Now Carly stands up and announces that over the years there have been many successful Barbies and many not so successful ones...Recently their had been an application that was denied (Ok I'm ad-libbing here, I couldn't actually hear what she said) ...Reject Barbie!

The last black box turns around and out steps American Idol dude William Hung. Bright yellow Bermuda shirt, pants pulled up to high. He starts singing "Shabang" and gets a couple of lines into it before all of the Ken's step forward and drag him offstage.

The End

New template (again)

I like this one...now to get comments and quotes to work :)

Essential Parental Cliches

I've used more then a few of these. Not all of them on my children ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I was your age we...

Because you're the child and I'm the parent

Life isn't fair

When you're the parent, you'll make the rules

They call it bed time for a reason

Do I have to come up/in/over there?

You're bored? I'm Mom, nice to meet you.

Just a few more minutes/miles

Don't make me tell you again

That's twice, three strikes and you're out

You make a better door then a window

Eat your vegetables

So, I guess you don't like dessert anymore?

Because it's my house

Because it's my car

Because I'm the parent

Just because

I can't wait until you have kids

Can you keep the noise down to a dull roar?

Are you trying to heat/cool the whole neighborhood?

Money doesn't grow on trees

I'll give you something to cry about

Maybe

You'll spoil your dinner

Find something to do

Do you have something you want to tell me about?

You won't be happy until someone loses an eye

If _____ jumped off a bridge, would you?

I hope your kids are just like you

When I was your age, we didn't have...

This is why we can't have nice things

You're not going out looking like that

No son/daughter of mine is...

This is going to hurt me more then it hurts you

Do you want to catch pneumonia?

This is why I have grey hair

You have nothing to do? I'll give you something to do

There are kids starving in...

Because it's good for you

Don't make me ask you again

The food left on your plate could feed a small village in...

Your face is going to stay like that

Too bad, so sad

Go to your room to cry

Because I said so

While you're under my roof, you'll follow my rules

Children should be seen and not heard

Don't make me pull this car over

Go ask your father/mother

Megatokyo

I have a bad neurosis when it comes to "popular" and acclaimed forms of entertainment. I usually have to force myself to read, watch, or listen to whatever it is. Whether it's listening to a symphony, watching the Godfather (or Starwars...) or reading Forgotten Realms, I always drag my heels. In the end it's always worth the effort, popular opinion always wins out. But I still feel dirty, like I've sold out to peer pressure or something.

Dan sort of has the same thing when it comes to video games...He doesn't like to play anything that I like to play...Not because it isn't good, but because he wants to do it first. To be the first to discover plot twists, and the first to reach 20th level...

Megatokyo is one of those comics that everybody links too. I avoided reading it for years, but I picked it up a couple of weeks ago. It's just as good as everybody says...I like what they say about the gaming community, and especially girls in games and girls who play games.

Read it, you know you want to.

Here comes the sun..It's alright

The best of the Beatles album is spending a lot of time in our sterio right now :)

Spent the day yesterday on the rooftop at the Sticky Wicket playing volleyball. I managed to avoid being sunburt everywhere but the part in my hair. That's what I get for wearing pigtails instead of a hat..(I looked good though, and that's what counts right?)

Just a note to you suckers in corperate slaveland...we're off to Thetis :p

Painting

Well I'm almost done the medusa and will probably start the angel in the next day or so. Scott bought me a dragon yesterday, but I want to finish the stuff already primed before I start it. These new tools (needle files, green stuff, and magnifier) really help. I'm finding that I take 3 times longer to finish because it's so much easier work in fine detail.

My wish list for supplies:

Paint, I'm getting low in some colors and I could use more variety

Paint brushes, my fine detail brush is taking a beating and it's the only one left that's usable for "wet" work

More figurines! I seem to have a surplus of female figures and undead. I could use more guys (couldn't we all ;) and more animal/monster figures perhaps a winter wolf or horse?

Reaper has a new contest on...check it out

New gold dream

I can't wait to see an update!

50 Thou a year, will buy a lot of beer...

So after yesterday's post about taking a philosophy course (and the responses I got from it) I started thinking about school again. At the moment it seems like my life is on hold, waiting for the kids to hit kindergarten age...Really it was on hold before that too. I didn't really have any career plans, besides making money. I didn't really care what I did.

In my discussions with Dan, at the moment I'm entertaining two options...a trade like welding would be good money, and I'd be physically fit..Both pluses. However I might not enjoy it for very long (I too have the "Oooh shiny!" syndrome). Option two is a travel agent or air stewardess...The pay is average but you can't beat the perks. However I don't see that as a long term position either.

I had dismissed any English related careers out of hand. Mostly because everyone I knew with an English degree a few years ago were having problems finding work. There are a few benefits to a career let's say as a journalist. For one, I could start the training right now. Camosun has an upgrading program that can be taken on a drop-in basis. I could go in on Mondays when Dan is home to get any help I needed. For another, I've discovered that I really like writing. This blog has done wonders for my communication skills. English is such a broad field, I could run the journalism or columnist gambit, or wander around in advertising. Who knows, maybe I'll try my hand at fiction. I could even justify taking theology and philosophy courses.

I guess my point is that it's something I would actually enjoy doing. My next step is to discover a cost for my madness ;)

New quiz :) The ethical philosophy quiz. I'm just going to post the result of my number 1 philosophy instead of the whole list...

Epicureanism (100%)
Epicurus (341-270 BC) - Greek founder of Epicureanism

Pleasure is the ultimate moral end
Dynamic (passionate) pleasures are bad, passive (mild) pleasures are good
The end result of pleasure is what is significant

This sort of stuff really interests me...I'd a take a course in philosophy if it was actually used for anything anymore...

Sweet dreams are made of these

So the author of one of my favorite online comics has had a stroke of good fortune lately. I guess a number of his readers complained to him about the lateness of his comics. His answer (probably as a joke) was that if all of his readers were to pitch in and pay his salary for a year, he'd quit his job and give the comic his undivided attention. He seemed pretty surprised when it happened, and now has 1 week left of work :)

But the best part was that Neil Gaiman, heard about it and mentioned it in his blog :) Too kewl!

So check out Something Positive, as well as Neil Gaimon's site. Good luck to r*k*milholland as well. You're living the dream man :)

Quiz

Kevin got me started. He sent me a "which Nemo character are you Quiz", and I've done a google search and come up with a few other quizzes. So far I've found out that I'm a libertarian, a Nigerian scam, and an operating system. The most interesting quiz I took though gave me the top 25 religions that I would fit with. I've never really had a religion, I just take things that interest me and discard the rest. Here's the top ten list and my percentage of conformity.

1. Neo-Pagan (100%)


2. Mahayana Buddhism (79%)


3. New Age (78%)


4. Theravada Buddhism (71%)


5. Unitarian Universalism (71%)


6. Hinduism (65%)


7. Jainism (65%)


8. New Thought (56%)


9. Liberal Quakers (54%)


10. Orthodox Judaism (54%)

Two movies that are not for the faint hearted. Kids is amazingly close to life on the streets in a Canadian city. And Citizen Ruth a movie that they labeled as a "black comedy". It has some smart political messages.

I'm going to hell for this one

The problem with having a blog is that every once and a while something comes up that reminds me off some of the skeletons in my closet. I guess that isn't actually the problem...The problem is...Do I post about it?

A lot of the thinking that I've done lately is around the upcoming Federal election. I intend to vote this time...For the first time federally (I'm young remember?). I like what Keith Martin has to say, but I'm leary of another Liberal Government. The NDP made a mess of BC (made worse by the Liberals), I worry about a country run by unions. But the Conservatives just scare me. I fundamentally disagree with their fundamentals. In fact I have a hard time looking past their bible thumping image to hear the message.

Which brings me too my skeletons...

Gay marriages...

and abortions

Gay marriages aren't where the story is...I attended one in Beacon Hill park 8 years ago...Long before they were legal. Of course the ceremony was by no means legal even by today's standards, a handfast followed by sword dance in Celtic tradition, but the love was still there. I hope they are still doing well.

My issue is with the Conservatives stance on abortions...

Once upon a time there were two girls who ran away from home...
One girl (who I will call Harley) was a native who was raised off of the reserve and lived in a very abusive household. The other was me. The two of us couch surfed, popped in and out of group homes, rehab and halfway houses, or just lived on the streets of Vic for a few years (her more then me). One day at a party, one of Harley's brothers friends raped her. Harley didn't tell anyone because she didn't want to rock any boats, and instead went to the birthcontrol clinic and took a morning after pill. She spent the rest of the day throwing up in a park. This guy who raped her, Steve, decided that she must have liked it, so this senario repeated itself on occasion over a couple of years. Harley actually wasn't alone, there were a few other girls that he was doing this too, all street kids (yup, me included). Finally she confided in me about it. I was at a low point at the time and wasn't really caring about myself. But she was my best friend, and if I didn't look after her, then no one else would. I convinced her to do something about him. She wanted to get the NWA (Natives with Attitude, a Songhees gang at the time) to teach him respect. I wanted to go to the cops. She gave in, and we reported him...

Of course nothing happened. Steve was a university student, we had blue, pink and green hair. Steve had a job and a place to live. We smelt like pot and never did our laundry. When asked if we had said "No" (the definition of rape) She hadn't after the first time, because it wouldn't have made a difference. And I had, I think...I was pretty messed up at the time...But ya. The fact that we were 14-15 at the time, and he was 20 didn't seem to be an issue. Neither did the fact that we actually didn't agree to sleep with him, ever. The case was dropped. Our friends hated us, we were labeled as "heat" and "rats"...Apparently Harley's idea would have been better. Steve visited us both one last time, just 'cause he could.

Harley and I sort of went different ways after that. I straightened up, tried going back to school, volunteered at various places trying to decide what I wanted to do with my life, and finally went traveling across Canada, got a job, and grew up.

Harley started taking more serious drugs, fell into a cocaine addiction, alcoholism, prostitution, abusive relationship...All before she was 18.

Now. What if either of us had become pregnant?

The amount of drug abuse, rape, incest, malnutrition, disease, mental illness and poverty in any city in Canada is staggering. Sometimes the only choice for survival is crime (Don't argue with me Dan, you weren't ever there). I know of dozens of cases where a girl would get knocked up by some guy promising to love and protect her, only to turn around and he would be gone. Stupid? Yes. But she's 16 and already doesn't have any dignity left, if she ever had it. Between begging for change, begging for welfare, begging for food, begging for love...What education she has is usually useless, her friends are emotional leaches just like her, and it's much easier to buy alcohol and smile for a night, then buy cloths and get a job. (Where she is told, she will be miserable anyways). She's still young, she should be living life and having fun. She still smokes as well. The baby is born, and something is wrong with it...or not, I've seen it both ways. She moves in with some new guy who jerks her around both for love and money. Finally she's tired of it and leaves the kids with a sitter and takes up stripping. (No joke here, I do know 2 girls were this senario is dead on, and many more with variations). Soooooo, if the girl had made the choice and aborted, maybe things might have gone better for her, and maybe not. But the baby would not grow up in that atmosphere, would not have been born with asthma, or addicted to crack or with fetal alcohol syndrome, and would not live below the poverty line, dealing with all those things I mentioned above. To take the choice away, in my mind is just as damning to the child in this case, as it is to abort. And adopting out a child with physical and mental issues I understand, is quite difficult.

These are all my arguments for "Choice". Being a mother, it is hard to think about it in a biological sense. To extinguish a life, small as it is, causes some real moral issues for me now. But I have a loving husband, a house, a meaningful life. A good place to give my kids roots and a safe atmosphere free of substance abuse. Not all women are so lucky. And it's an issue that needs to stay open here in Canada.

Abortions by their very definition are tough choices to make. As long as the choice is there, then girls will think long and hard before deciding. The more thinking that they do the better.

Perhaps Harley would have straightened up her act, and I would have been the prostitute?

Love and War and Garlic

The garlic feast was really good. I made the mistake of doubling the recipe since there was more then twice the amount of servings being dealt out, but apparently it could have been done with much less garlic...But I still really liked it. It was a lot of garlic with a steak and fries on the side, very tasty. We still have some of the sauce left over, and I'll be putting it in spaghetti, chili, and whatever else for a week.

The house smells like garlic...Not so bad when you aren't hungover, but still...

Yesterday I soaked in the tub for an hour, then took a shower and scrubbed, then used body lotion, talcum power, perfume...Brushed my teeth, gargled with Listerine. Scented hair mist...And I still had to hide in a corner at a kids birthday party because I smelt so bad of garlic. Although, at that same party there was a German/English dictionary on one of the shelves...Graf is a title, like Count. So the recipe is for "Count Dracula" not "Anti-Dracula", like I was led to believe...Even if it's a better name for it :)

We played Game of Thrones last night with Scott and Michele. It took a little bit to sort out, but once Dan got us organized it was pretty straight forwards. Dan says it's similar to a game called Diplomacy. I think it captures the spirit of the books very well. I really enjoyed it :)

In another post I'd like to prophesies how I think things will go in the next book. But I don't have the time today...

No vampires here!

So I've been posting a lot lately about my own delusional fantasy world. Today is time for a hint of reality...

Randy and April are camping this weekend, so no vampire tonight. Instead I thought I'd try to cook up this Graf Dracula recipe, in honor of the whole no-vampire thing. I'm very curious, it sounds tasty :)

Scott,Dan, and I are also planning on sitting down and trying to figure out how to play Game of Thrones which has a very thick instruction book ;) I can't wait!

So are any of you interested in joining us for an evening of garlic, wine, and strategy games?

Let me know asayk :)

Dinner will be at 6:30-7ish because Dan works till 6 tonight. I can't put it off any later or else the kid blows a gasket. So please don't be late if you want to join us for dinner.

Love and War

Dear Diary,
Having a secret affair isn't as fun as I had thought it would be. I've never really had a secret to keep before, so I guess I didn't realize how hard it would be. Now I have decisions to make with a secret to weigh in with the equation.

If I had chosen any other profession, then the choice would be very straight forwards. Lord Jarlan is a titled landowner who is getting on in his old age. Marriage to him wouldn't be all that bad..Settle down for a year, bear him his brat, and then leave again..When he knocks off in a few years then I would stand to inherit another property. Really, it's a pretty sweet deal for a courtier, or only daughter, especially one as near spinsterhood as I am. But I'm an adventuring cleric and I don't believe Pelor is ready to let me settle down just yet. If I was to marry the old lord, the mace would likely revert to someone else, and the citadel would belong to my husband...Stupid archaic laws. Both big reasons why marriage is not for me. That, and I'd like to think that Tirith would take issue.

*sigh*

I wish I knew more women my age to talk with. I'll be damned if I give in and confide with Cyrillia. Just what I need is Mom knowing that her sweet little virg*n priestess daughter is boffing an undead hunter. Especially one who's old enough to be her father..(well, maybe youngest uncle). Actually that might be an interesting showdown...Anyways I had a hard enough time keeping it from Cyrilla in Esdon, it's a good thing that she's a heavy sleeper. I don't think any of the boys would care to listen to me moan about my troubles. Perhaps I should speak with Omer or Jasper, Jasper might be a good confidant if I were to swear him to secrecy first...

*sigh*

Actually, as much as I'm lonely now, I think it's a good thing that I left when I did. My feelings for him were starting to get in the way of work. The skirmish at Three Peaks was an example of where I made the wrong choice in battle, when it should have been straight forwards, and poor Omer suffered for it. I don't think either of them noticed, but I still feel bad about it.

It's also a good thing that nothing more serious then a broken arm happened...Like a full belly. I'm no expert on birth control, so I'll trust to Tirith's experience. I'm pretty sure that tea he gave me, tasty as it was, had additional properties. I'd like to gain his recipe, it would be a useful addition for my healing knowledge. But all he would tell me was he got the recipe from a woman to the east. Perhaps he doesn't trust me to stay monogamous. Of course then that would mean that he does care and isn't just giving me lip service.

*sigh*

Now that I'm away, I worry that I was just a diversion for him. He's been an adventurer for almost 20 years, I know that I wouldn't have been the first. I guess I just need to put these feelings aside for now. I'm honored that he let me see beneath his cold exterior to the man beneath. He has such a love for life and light that he was hard for me to resist.

Now time to move on to more important things...Pelor's will.

I hope Mordicai stays put tonight. I really need some sleep.

Pretty fly for a white guy

Dan's tattoo

The History of Us

Today is the third anniversary of our marriage. When Dan and I married, he gave me a simple white gold band with three diamonds "gypsy set". They stood for *When we met, when we got engaged, and when we got married*. Since then there have been more stones added. And when ever I look at it I recall the "history of us".

So far it has (in this order) 3 diamonds, an emerald, 2 diamonds, a pink tourmaline, 1 more diamond..... (***@**#*)

*When we met:
I had just came back to Victoria from my adventures across Canada, and a bad break-up in Guelph. I looked up Bill and Leanne in the phone book, and they invited me to meet them that Saturday at Beacon Hill for some Frisbee. Once there I was introduced to Dan, who was having his first "bald hair day", as Joe had convinced him to shave it the night before. I met Joe and Jackie about an hour later, and then was invited back to Croft Street for BBQ. I'm not sure if I was coerced into my first session of D&D that night, or if it was the next weekend, but things sort of went from there. A few weeks later...Leanne and Shannon decided they wanted to know what all the fuss was about at Monty's and called a grrls night out. Dan had invited me over for a friendly dinner at his place and that was where the girls tracked me down...And of course the boys decided to tag along. If I remember right, the ratio was a pitcher of beer per person, and I was feeling no pain when Joe started interviewing me on Dan's behalf(much to Dan's annoyance). 20 Questions that just kept getting dirtier and dirtier...
After the bar closed we went to Alzu's on Bay for food, and Dan kept trying to put his hand on my leg. Knowing how drunk I was, I can now guess what both of our vocabularies were like. And needless to say I walked home with him.

*When we got engaged

After a wild New Years party at our house on Lekwammen. We ate breakfast at Smitty's and came home and cleaned up all of the dead soldiers (we killed a wine rack and several cases of beer). Dan ran a bath in Sylvia's soaker tub an put on soothing music to help calm my hangover...Lit candles, poured bubbles...Got in with me, and we just relaxed for a bit. He reached over the edge for a towel and pulled out a little box and handed it too me. "Will you marry me?"

*When we got married

The ceremony was late because the JP was running on Mexico time. But in the meanwhile the resort organizer had me perched on a brick veranda overlooking the courtyard where the ceremony would take place. Down below were all of the guests(all people we had just met at the pool), Dan (who was wearing a light Bermuda shirt, shorts and sandals), and a strolling musician who's job it was to serenade me with romantic folk music. Once the JP finally got there, I was directed to the stairs where I made my way down to meet Dan. We held hands while the JP talked in Spanish, and the translator spoke very bad English. We said our "I do's", and signed and thumbprinted on the dotted lines...Back to the beach!

*Liam (Emerald birthstone)

Our firstborn, little monkey. All I can really remember of this one was the pain, and the moment of complete clarity when I did the final beardown push. Just one long tone drowning out everything...No light, no sound, no pain...Just this curious out of body feeling. Completely detached, but magical nonetheless.
I came to me senses again and Dan was crying because it was so beautiful.

*First Anniversary

Sylvia babysat Liam the one-and-a-half month old. While Dan took me to the Keg for dinner. In one year we had had a baby and bought a house. Yay us!

*Second Anniversary

I was pregnant again, so nothing too exciting. A romantic dinner at home.

*Teresa (Pink Tourmaline birthstone)

Our daughter, princess ducky. This one was much faster, but just as painful (I'm told that I had it easy). Once again I had that beautiful feeling on the final push.

*Third Anniversary

Dan and I are going out for dinner again. Maybe to the Keg, it has been two years...Then a movie. I'm getting Dan a tattoo for a gift. He really wants a Canadian flag with the kids initials, and if I don't get it for him, it won't happen. I'll let you know how things pan out...


I love you Dan.

The misadventures of Tobin

So none of you guys give me much to go on...So I'm just going to make it up ;p


*

Wandering the streets of Roesone looking for a place to happen. He espied a suspicious robed figure hurrying towards the south area of town. (All robed figures are suspicious when you are an adventurer. That's what evil monks and wizards wear.) Tobin easily followed his mark until it entered into a tower complex. "What now?" he thought, "This might be important! Bad guys near the temple is bad news!"

Looking around the building for entrance, he noted large shuttered windows on the main floor. Not easily done, but doable nonetheless. Around behind the tower was a smaller square building and a well. "Bingo, looks like the servants entrance". Stopping to listen and peer through the key hole, Tobin flung himself behind a tree as a man stumbled out of the door. Swearing and emptying out a pot of boiling...Something...The servant wasn't paying any attention as Tobin slipped into the building.

Looking around him, there was no surprise when he found himself in a small kitchen. A staircase up was the only exit from the room. "Almost two easy" Tobin thought with trepidation. Snagging an apple from the counter, he whisked up the stairs to avoid being seen by the servant.

The staircase rose one flight and then ended at a landing. One room opened off to the west side, and proved to be the servants quarters. After a quick toss Tobin didn't find anything incriminating. So he left his apple core behind, and moved off down the hall that led from the east side of the landing. Now the stonework changed and he found himself in the tower proper. The hall proved to be short, ending with a wooden door.

Now he stopped and paused. "What am I doing? What if my suspicions are wrong about this guy?" shrugging his shoulders and stiffening his spine he answered himself "Buck up! Whatever you find out, any knowledge is good knowledge".

Tobin examined the door and decided that there was no trap. Lifting the latch he edged the door open and peered into a winding stairwell. Listening, the only sound he could hear was a dripping coming from above, and a low muttering from the same direction.

The door he came out of was one of three off of the stairs. There was a door above, and another below. Deciding it wiser, he checked the bottom door first and found a simple entrance room...With shuttered windows. A cloak and a pair of shoes were the only items in attendance both were void of secret pockets. "I'll grab those on the way out, they could be magical". A quick check of the door showed Tobin that he would be leaving the way he came in. This door was warded. So, as he was on his way up anyways, he grabbed the cloak and shoes and deposited them in a shadow near the exit to the servants quarters.

Stopping to listen again, he realized that the muttering had stopped. He waiting quietly, standing in the shadows of the servants hall for a couple of minutes, until he decided that the mutterer wasn't coming down. He stealthfully crept up the stairs until he was outside of the door, and cautiously peered in through the key hole.

From his vantage he could see piles of books and the corner of a desk. As well as another door. Tobin couldn't quite resolve in his head where the door should lead too. From his study of the building from the outside, this should be the top. Sure enough, he maneuvered so he could see the ceiling, there was the peaked roof. "Interesting".

Listening at the door, he decided that the room was empty, and tried the door. There was a lock, but it wasn't being used, and he couldn't find any magical markings. Tobin held his breath and opened the door. It was indeed empty.

Stepping into the room and closing the door, he took a glance around at all of the books. "Wizzbang would have a fit" he thought, laying a hand on the top book of the closest stack. That's when Tobin heard a chuckle.

"May I help you with something young man?"

Spinning around, Tobin spied a graying human sitting behind the desk. He was certainly not there a moment ago.

"Why are you here?"

Tobin felt a strong compulsion to answer honestly. "To learn, sir"...There, that wasn't a lie.

Another chuckle "I've been expecting you then. Let me see your fingers"

Thankfully there was nothing in them, so Tobin showed the man his fingers.

"Small and dexterous, perfect!...Can you do this?" He performed a complex maneuver with his hands that looked vaguely sexual in nature to Tobin.

"Sure!" Tobin completed the move easily.

"Well then that's your first lesson" making another motion with his hand, a candle appeared floating in the air beside the desk. "Follow the light to your quarters, and we can begin your next lesson after lunch."

Being led away, Tobin thought "This is the oddest undercover work ever"

What I did for my summer vacation

I'm having trouble getting back into the blogging groove after my absence. I've uploaded a bunch of photo's from this weekends outing...We had a nice walk down the Goose to Penelope's Bookstore and picked up most of the books that Dan was missing in the Drizzt series. Then up the hiway for a stop at Burger King. And home for naps and an afternoon of playing in the kiddy pool. A very good day in family-land :)

~~~

Since there won't be any gaming again this week...Here is what Aurora does during the 6 month downtime.

*
"Well, you know that I stuck around the Grand Temple for awhile. WizzBang was still there, and I wanted to be sure he was treated with respect while he studied. But I met the neatest gentleman one day while out walking in the gardens. He was out in the gardens studying Pelore's light as it was "refracted" through a crystal. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. The light split into the most startling colors across the wall of the chapel. I spoke with the gentleman at length that afternoon until an acolyte fetched me in for service. He too had met an emissary of Pelore! It had become his life's goal to meditate on the miracles. He hoped to serve Pelore better by gaining a better understanding of his will.

I tried to speak with him again over the next month. But whenever I sat down with him for tea, Mother would summon me away to do some task for her. When I asked her about him, she shrugged and told me it was sweet that I was taking an interest in such an obscure philosophy! After that I really couldn't be bothered to stick around any longer. Stating an excuse (I needed to give my condolences to the families of my fallen friends) I packed up and left. I forwarded the gifts I received from her to the Citadel. In the city I hired a troop of soldiers for the day, and made a show of visiting the former homes of the ranger, the archer, and the sorceress. I bore gifts and invitations out to the Citadel. Where they could live a better life if they desired. Kit was nowhere to be found, and I fear that she is up to some sort of mischief...She always is. After that, I took the guardian offered by the temple, and traveled north. Meeting up with Tirith and Ormer in the Esdon area. We made a good effort to purge the area of undead. I returned here on schedule leaving them with only a little mopping up to do."
"How about you guys?"
*email it to me, and I'll post it :)