Year End Review

Hey Lucid Thoughts - although I enjoyed the "Ode to my husband" I keep checking for a new post.... :(

Regards,

Bid.

I guess it's time for another post than :)

This year my blog posting has fallen off due to our busy schedules. I'll try to sum it all up here for you.

I guess I'll cover the kids first :)

Liam and Teresa are growing up way to fast. I'd love to make Teresa stop growing and stay just as she is right now. For all the drama and tantrums she is very sweet and just the most perfect little girl ever. Liam, I would fast forward until he's past this "I have to do everything myself and by the way you suck" stage. He is also the most perfect little boy ever, very imaginative and creative. He is very good at coloring pictures, building forts or crashing cars. He is usually very patient with Teresa and loves to teach her new things. Teresa has started to talk over the last year, and now uses words like "Delicious", "fingers", and "princess". She names her dollies names like "Sarah" and "baby", and she LOVES Dora the Explorer. Liam has started playschool ans is making friends with both boys and girls. After his last class before Christmas break, he said he has a girlfriend named Alissa. I don't think he knows what a girlfriend is though. At least I hope not.

Dan has had a busy year as well. On the work front he is sitting on the Social Committee for the island and helped to plan and host several company wide events. His baby "the Knight to Remember" was a complete success, and a great excuse for me to buy us matching Renaissance outfits :) This year was a big one for Reno's. In the spring Dan and his dad and granddad ripped apart our living room and took out the fireplace. They then laid down laminate flooring and painted the main floor. In the summer we stained our deck and planted a successful garden back in the common area. And in the fall with the departure of Scott from our basement, we finally got rid of the ancient red shag carpet and put down Berber. Transforming our dungeon into a comfortable playroom for the kids. In the "fun" category, Dan wrapped up his 2.5 year D&D campaign. He saw both Oasis and Greenday in concert and came in 1st or 2nd place in every D&D tournament he played in this year. We threw several successful parties this year, my personal favorite being the "Wine and Cheese" party in August. But also the "Seafood Feast" and our "Serf and Turf". There was also the "Sushi Dare" where certain individuals claimed they could eat way more than they did.

I'm sort of switching to the "we" section of this post here. We both became addicted to our first MMORPG this year...Eve. I can't even begin to talk about it or I'll go on forever...and only half of you will understand what I'm saying :)

We made new friends this year. Bridget and Jean Marc have been sucked into our circle of friends. We have them hooked on obscure boardgames from Germany now and card games put out by Steve Jackson... Mwa-ha-ha. Other than their impending geekiness, we enjoy their company a lot and Jacob is close to being a third sibling to Liam and Teresa :)

For myself...this year wasn't as eventful as years past, but I still got a lot accomplished as long as you count raising two kids as work. I have been working a few hours a week as security for a construction site up the street, which helps to bring in a little money and eases my guilt about staying at home. I know I'm not supposed to feel bad about staying at home and raising my kids, but I still do anyways. Having an income has always been important to me. I have also been gathering clients for my miniature painting. I just got my third contract for an army ($300) and there are three other clients waiting in the wings. With one army under my belt, I am now able to raise my prices, and I will continue to do so as my experience and talent increases :) I have also gotten my Learners Licence this year and am taking the Young Drivers defensive driving course. That will start up again in the new year :) My Play-By-Post has also been a source of entertainment this year and has helped to keep me sharp. It will start up again in early January when Dan goes back to work.

My New Years resolutions for next year :

-Size 14
-Finish this latest contract by May
-Take a trip for our 5th wedding anniversary somewhere that we both want to go
-Get "N" (for New driver) licence in November
-Raise kids to be good people

Ode to My Husband

I've been reading a lot of Nora Roberts lately who writes mostly romance novels with good story lines (as opposed to just good sex scenes). Last night at work I took the time to write out a little comparison between the romantic hunks in those books and my wonderful husband.

My Husband

My husband is not 6' something and built like a viking warrior. He doesn't saunter around wearing a reckless sneer on his face either.

But he has amazing eyes and he gives good hugs with the arm span he has.

My husband has never tortured himself over feelings for months or even years, keeping things bottled up like some kind of macho time bomb.

He instead speaks his mind and tells me he loves me at least 3 times a day, every day.

My husband has never painted a portrait of me, or composed a sonnet, or choreographed a ballet to express his love for me.

But he makes me Valentines in October and brings me flowers regularly.

My husband has never thrown me on the bed and destroyed a perfectly good evening gown in a fit of passion.

But he buys me cloths whenever I want them and then gets passionate.

My husband has never lived in a penthouse with a view of the city and eaten only pizza, restaurant and room service.

But he makes an amazing steak dinner, seafood feast and spaghetti sauce, and we can see our flowers in the backyard from our bedroom balcony.

My husband has never picked me up and thrown me from a burning building.

But he's very handy at fixing the building we have and hasn't set it on fire yet.

My husband doesn't have an "explosive" or "slow burn" temper or a "stoic" attitude.

But he still managed to make it through 16 months of pregnancy induced insanity and 6 1/2 years of living with me.

My husband has never impersonated a police officer or a doctor so he could visit me in the hospital.

But he held my hand through 2 intense labours and acted as my anaesthesiologist (bringer of the laughing gas)

My husband has never cried whilst confessing the dark tragedies of his past.

But he cried the very first time he held Liam, as the sun came up.

My husband has never built me a shelter out of branches and pine cones after he crashed his private jet into the side of a mountain...all as part of a ruse so he could have sex with me thus staving off hypothermia.

But he keeps me warm and safe and fed in our own home where we can make love anywhere...as long as the kids are in bed.

My husband has never fought in a war, in a bar fight, or for any meaningful political cause.

But he would fight to protect earth from countless alien civilizations on the PC, with me, for hours.

My husband has never gotten drunk and had to defend me against a homicidal hatchet wielding maniac.

But he fills out my tax forms for me every year...drunk

My husband hasn't wandered off to become a stock car driver and "find" himself only to come crawling back 2 years later...but if he wanted to I guess I'd let him..as long as I could come too.

www.LucidRPG.com

My blogging has fallen off as I get intested in other things. It's a cycle that I go through...don't worry I'll be back. In the mean time I'm working on a few projects. The website above is near the top of my priority list. If I can get even a small income off of my painting I can justify to myself not working. As it stands, Dan would like me to quit, because it's a crappy job and cuts into family time. It really doesn't pay much, but to me it's something. I have to feel like I'm contributing or I'll go nuts.

Also high on my list...pbp is back up and I'm really enjoying having the creative outlit again :) I missed having that social outlit during the day as well.

And of course at the top of my list is being a better Mom and keeping my house clean and feeling good. Trying to decide whether to cook pasta or steak for dinner. Oh yeah and figuring out ways to cook beef. We have a quarter of a cow taking up space in our freezer :)

Really, life could be worse.

Once more...but with feeling

I had a personal epiphany this evening that came out of nowhere. I think my self-esteem is shot.

My boss was trying to talk to me about work and explaining the job-site politics and such when he stopped mid-conversation and asked me why I never look him straight in the eye. It makes him uncomfortable, like I might be shifty or something. It really threw me for a loop, because I have always had a hard time looking at people's eyes straight on. I didn't think it was the sort of thing people noticed. I'm not shifty in a criminal kind of way, I just can't stop my face from showing what I think and I learned at an early period in my life to defend against that.

Why am I still defending?

Besides defending myself it also serves as a way to measure my trust. If I can trust you I'll look you in the eye because I know where I stand and what I can ask for from you. I see you as equal. Otherwise you are above me due to my own social guilt. That sounds weird until we get back to the self-esteem thing. I don't know where I stand anymore on a lot of issues. Being home most of the time leaves me feeling uninformed about the world at large. How can I look a person in the eye while I have no idea what I'm talking about?

At the root of my problem tonight is that I recognize my social ineptness from people around me when I was growing up. Part of the reason I don't look people in the eye is because there were real trust issues back then and I absorbed a lot of that guilt. I spent a lot of time feeling guilty for absolutely no reason except the projected distrust in the environment.

Now that I've recognized it I need to work on not passing it on again.

When Ron asked, I blurted out something about a domineering childhood. It's none of his business, but even though that answer wasn't exactly correct, it was what he was able to hear. He's a good guy and apologized for bringing it up. I'm going to try to look him in the eyes from now on.

Ballad of Joss

I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats ;)

The Ballad of Joss (listen to it here)

Joss, the man they call Joss . . .

He wrote about spaceships and shepherds and whores,
Stood up to the networks and gave ‘em what for.
Fox cancelled his program, but that was their loss--
The creator of Firefly, the man they call Joss!

Our Joss saw the viewers’ hearts breakin’,
He heard the Browncoats’ lament,
He saw the Fox network takin’,
His show in a way that made no sense.
(He said) “You can’t do that to my program,
Can’t grind it under your heel.”
So he took all the cast,
And now at last,
They’ve landed a Big Damn Movie deal!

He wrote about spaceships and shepherds and whores,
Stood up to the networks and gave ‘em what for.
Fox cancelled his program, but that was their loss--
The creator of Firefly, the man they call Joss!

Now here is what separates Whedon,
From writers who slave in the core,
The man they call Joss,
Well, he said to Fox,
“I’m going where no show has gone before.”
He told us about reavers,
He told us about sin,
He took us to the black,
And we ain’t comin’ back,
‘till all those crazy Browncoats rise again!

He wrote about spaceships and shepherds and whores,
Stood up to the networks and gave ‘em what for.
Fox cancelled his program, but that was their loss--
The creator of Firefly, the man they call Joss!

Now, here is what separates Firefly
From other shows you’re likely to see—
It’s meaningful and witty,
And the setting’s really gritty,
And the theme song is about Serenity.
It’s a little like a western,
And a little like X-Files,
It’s better than Trek,
And funnier than Shrek,
And it beats out Andromeda by miles!

He wrote about spaceships and shepherds and whores,
Stood up to the networks and gave ‘em what for.
Fox cancelled his program, but that was their loss--
The creator of Firefly, the man they call Joss!

Serenity

Just getting myself pumped up for the up coming premere. Thought I'd share.

For the record my favorite character is Jayne closely followed by Inara...

The Ballad of Jayne(listen to it here)

Jayne, the man they call Jayne

He robbed from the rich
And he gave to the poor
Stood up to the man
And gave him what for
Our love for him now
Ain't hard to explain
The hero of Canton
The man they call Jayne

Our Jayne saw the mudders' backs breakin'
He saw the mudders' lament
And he saw the magistrate takin'
Every dollar and leavin' five cents
So he said "you can't do that to my people"
He said "you can't crush them under your heel"
So Jayne strapped on his hat
And in 5 seconds flat
Stole everythin' Boss Higgins had to steal

He robbed from the rich
And he gave to the poor
Stood up to the man
And gave him what for
Our love for him now
Ain't hard to explain
The hero of Canton
The man they call Jayne

Now here is what separates heroes
From common folk like you and I
The man they call Jayne
He turned 'round his plane
And let that money hit sky
He dropped it onto our houses
He dropped it into our yards
The man they called Jayne
He stole away our pain
And headed out for the stars

He robbed from the rich
And he gave to the poor
Stood up to the man
And gave him what for
Our love for him now
Ain't hard to explain
The hero of Canton
The man they call Jayne.

Weddings, blogs, kids and Eve

So first of all I have to say congrats to Stacy and Evie. It was a beautiful wedding and a lot of fun. I can still imagine the prime rib we had for dinner..Mmmmmmmmm! Of course everyone who reads this was there, so I don't feel the need to reiterate the event. Just take a moment to remember it yourselves :)

Kevin and Cheryl have started their own blog. Which means I have to get interested in mine again. It just isn't the same without the paper route. These days I don't even have time to think let alone philosophise.

Dan and I both miss gaming. Not so much the game as the chance to hang out and be social on a weekly basis. We've spent a lot of time lately hanging with the neighbors and the kids (which, don't get me wrong, is a ton of fun) but we miss the rest of you. On that note, who wants to throw the Halloween party this year? I've decided that I've hit my quota of parties for the year. At least until Christmas :) But if nobody wants to step forward, I could see a non-theme party (unless you count junk food as a theme ;) )

The kids are doing great :) I'm in negotiations with the View Royal Preschool for 1 day a week with Liam. I think it's important that he gets some structured play before kindergarten. And maybe they can smooth some of the behavioral edges that I'm having trouble with, such as sharing and being polite while eating. Teresa has a few more words like "Sliding!", "baby", "snack", and "blankie". She's started playing house with her baby dolls who get tucked in, feed and taken for walks incessantly.

Play by post is on hold until Stacy, Kevin and Leanne are ready to start again. I can work with one of you not available, but three is a little much :) That's OK, because Eve has me hooked :)

The Darren at the gaming store is supposed to put up a website for me soon so I can start dealing painted miniatures on-line...introducing www.lucidrpg.com...not much right now, but I'm hoping he gets his butt in gear soon. I have a line-up of people wanting to design it otherwise :)

Also, there is a new board game in the complex :) Jeanmark and Bridget are now throughly hooked on "better than Hasbro" board games. The latest being Betrayal at house on the Hill a Wizards of the Coast sponsered game. They also are putting out Robo Rally which I can't wait to get :) I loved that game!

Angels

New comic link! I've read this one before and keep thinking that I need to link to it, but have been to lazy. If you like sci-fi and girls in tight space suits then this one is for you ;)

Take me to your leader

Just a quick post before breakfast, I wanted to get this one out while I was thinking about it :)

Kelowna is such a hockey town. My family is ruled by hockey especially while all my teen-aged boy cousins are all off for the summer. Hockey camp is the activity of choice.

Well the big buzz in Kelowna this week was of course the Team Canada try outs held in Prospera Place, and the busload of Canadian icons arriving via bus outside The Grande Hotel.

My (younger and more career motivated) cousin Jamie is a manager at the Grande and has the honor of meeting and greeting these heroes...but the biggest buzz of all of course, is the penthouse suite being prepared for Kelowna's Sovereign ruler...the King himself.

Now, I like hockey. Probably less than the maniacs in Kelowna, but I do enjoy the sport. I'm not sure how I would react to meeting Gretzky in person. It would possibly be more exciting then meeting the Queen...or the cast of X-men.

Good luck to Kelowna on your celebrity stalking :) And good luck to the players in your try outs. I wish I could still be there.

OK. No I don't. Being home is really nice too :)

Casey d'Sol

So Dan has been dreaming about D&D again, and I've caught the "make a new character" flu. He is debating whether to continue the adventure we've been on for the last 2+ years, or jump time 25 years or so and play a desendants game :) I really like the idea of that. As much as I have fun with Aurora, she's sort of run her course, and the longer we don't play the more I think that she's done.

However! A 16 year old daughter of an overbearing high cleric of Pelor (and Tirith) has been hanging out with her aunty Kip down in the thieves guild...

I figure C-G Bard with thiefy skills. She has her mom's charisma and diplomacy but Aunty Kip pays more attention to her. She probably wouldn't even call herself a bard...she just happens to like stories and knows how to sing in the choir.

So anyways, It might be fun to make characters desendant of our favorite...things...from Dan's campaign. While I don't see Brother Lucius ever siring a brat, there were plenty of interesting NPC's and PC's to breed together in interesting combinations :)

So how about it? What would your character sheet look like?

Wine and Cheese party

Here's an open invite to everyone interested in getting together with Joe and Jackie when they are in town. I haven't heard back from Jackie about my idea, so I just figure if I build it they will come. I spoke with Kari the other day and I guess the whole Comp-Sci crew will be in town for a convention of some sort. If anyone talks to Kenny or Steve (or Brian) in the next while, please pass on the invite :)

When: August 27th or 28th which ever day is best. After 7:00pm

Where: Our house...you should know where it is by now, if not then call me. 380-0871

What: A social gathering where we can all eat cheese, drink and maybe play some cards.

What should you bring?: A bottle of wine and a cheese. We will probably set up a fondue as well.

RSVP please.

Yes, Sylvia and Mike, you are invited.

Potty Training

Just like there are some days that my posts are written for the gaming crowd...this one is for the parents/grandparents and those of you interested in how things are going with the kidlettes :) Just a little forewarning for anyone who doesn't want to hear about how often my kids go to the bathroom...

We've been working on Liam and his potty training for a few months now, and I can now say that he's done with diapers for good :) He's been staying dry during the day as well as through the night! Yay! I don't think many people without kids realize how expensive it is to diaper your kids. The extra $40-$80 a month that it cost us to buy diapers for Liam will be appreciated :)

Then yesterday Teresa (the little monkey see monkey do that she is) walked into the bathroom and hauled herself up onto the seat. She just sat there taking all the toilet paper of the roll...Great fun!...but the idea is there :) She is now running around saying "Pee on Pot!" Which is also exciting because it is one of the only clear things that she can say yet.

Her repertoire includes "Wat dooin?", "OK!", "All done", "Cgom" (your welcome or thank you), "MAAMAAAA", and "NO!" which is not to be confused with "no!" which actually means yes. She also has a spattering of animals and their sounds but that is a given :)

Confessional

The reason I enjoy blogging so much, is that it gives me a chance to get things off my chest. In the past I've even used it as a confessional of sorts. Admitting my sins to an audience of my peers is, in a strange way, very liberating. I'm not the most vocal person in person, I have a hard time talking about the hard stuff. Writing it out helps me get my points across better, without the fear of being misunderstood.

I've been bugged recently that my posting has become boring. I see that as a good thing. It means that my life has settled down. Become secure. It is better than it has ever been.

Dan used to get upset when I vented about things going on in our private life. Fair enough, his sins are not mine and not mine to talk about in this confessional of peers. I use him as an example because he has taken an interest in reading up on the blogging phenomenon. Apparently the professionals say that Rule #1 of blogging is "Don't tell anyone you know about your blog". That way nobody gets hurt when you end up writing about them.

The last little while my world has been changing around me. Actually "my" isn't the word I want. "The" world is changing around me? Not quite it either. The Ferris wheel of fortune has been moving...I guess that works. Dan and I are just getting better and better, life is good and everything is looking up. Unfortunately others lives are going down as we go up, and it's a little heart breaking.

There's nothing I can do about it, which is the worst part. Over the last few years living in security for the first time in my life, I've become a bit of a control freak. I like my life to fit the pattern I lay out for it. I have to remind myself that I can't make others follow a pattern that they don't create themselves. I can't do it for them.

It makes me cry.

Notice I never said names? Not my sins to talk about, but I still need to get the feelings off my chest. This is what is happening in my life right now and I needed to talk about it.

Thanks for listening to my rant of little content.

Hey Look!

It's a new post!

Sorry I haven't been around posting lately, I'm kind of wrapped up in my forum right now. I'm very excited about how well it's going, I can easily see how I could edit out the out of charecter stuff and it would tell a great little story. Sort of like those campfire stories that got told back in Brownies and Cubs where one person starts and the next person has to add to the story...

Anyways...

Speaking of camping, the 16th and 17th of this month...who's up for Lizard Lake? Bill and Leanne are in town and we'll be going up with a few of our neighbors. Kevin has hinted at coming out for the day (which I'll believe when I see it) and Randy and April can't make it. That leaves at least three people who read this blog unaccounted for...so are you in? There will be swimming and hiking and drinking and drinking...and drinking. And sitting in the sun...drinking

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http://p097.ezboard.com/blucidthoughts

The Big Bad Man (and Ants)

Liam has nightmares sometimes and needs someone to go in and rub his back til he falls asleep again. That's Dans job. When Liam comes stumbling into our room at 3 am speaking in urgent syllables that neither of us can understand. That's my job.

After a minute of incoherence I pick three words out of the air "Big" "Bad" "Man". Oh, OK, he's back. I pull on my Super Mom outfit (fuzzy blue robe with kitties on it) and march down the hall to Liam's dark room, all business.

In a loud whisper so we don't wake Teresa, who is sleeping in the next room, "OK Liam, can you show me where he is?"

Liam points to a dark corner beside his bed, "There".

And then he starts pointing around the room quickly, "and there's ant there, and there and there and there and there."

I see, we're surrounded.

"OK Liam, quickly jump into bed and I'll make you safe."

Liam hops into bed and I tuck him in, making sure that the covers go up under his chin. Then I turn to use my SuperMom powers.

I look Big Bad Man straight in the eye and say "OK, it's time for you to go, Liam needs to sleep" and I grab his arm and usher him out the door. SuperMom doesn't take no for an answer.

Then I get to work on the ants. I crouch down and push them all out the door (they are about the size of small dogs) saying "Shoo! It's Liams' bedtime and you're bugging him".

Once they are all out the door, properly scolded and scurrying away. I tell them to "Stay Out!"

After the show is over I sit next to Liam to show him it's safe and ask him if there was anything else he needed. The answer is usually "Wa-ter" which I provide after stumbling around in the dark looking for his drink cup.

A kiss on the forehead and an "I love you, goodnight" later, and my job here is done! Being a SuperMom is lots of fun sometimes :)

Finished :)

I finally finished the Necrons for Paul. I'm very impressed with myself today, they turned out even better after applying the coat of varnish. The colors just seemed to POP off of the figures. Very shiny, I'm happy :) The owner of the Game Factory, who I got the contract through was also impressed. He said the only problem he could see with the figures was how little I was charging for them...That was a real ego boost for me...Coming from a man who was an artist with Disney before opening a gaming store. Even just writing that, I can feel my head get bigger...Quick somebody pop my bubble before I go into orbit ;)

Price-wise, I don't really care...yet. At the moment I am painting because I enjoy it a lot, and I enjoy the complements I receive when I do well (so keep them coming please!). After working long thankless days as a stay-at-home mother/mediocre housewife. It's nice to have something that has immediate job satisfaction. I guess ego is everything :) However, Paul has a very large order coming up this Friday. As I paint them, they are going on display at the store (stop by and take a boo). If another client were to become interested I would seriously consider raising my prices. $2 an hour (which is what it works out to be) for something as easy as robotic skeletons isn't a big deal, but anything else and I'll have to really think about what to charge.

~~~

In other news, Dan and I took Liam to the Tall Ships Festival. After paying $15 each for wrist bands, we weren't impressed with the organization of the event at all. If you are planning on going, apparently the thing to do is get the $5 pass and hop on the harbor tour for $16. They do a much better job of explaining the boats, and you will actually get to see the ships up close.

Hard at work

So I finished the big figure that I was working on for Paul last night. Hopefully he likes it...in the end I was desperately looking for ways to make it more dynamic looking, because frankly it's a boring figure. Black and gray. Dull.

Tonight I'll probably file the lines off of the next piece during gaming. It's a very low attention type of activity and I need to get the piece done for Saturday.

It's Scott's birthday today! Happy Birthday Scott! I'll go pick up a cake for him later today. No idea what he wants for a present. I kinda feel like a bad sister.

I'm emailing back and forth with Randy, Dan, Stacy and Leanne about Vampire. If you are interested in playing read up on it in the forum and email me. I mostly put that out there because I haven't heard from Sean yet, and I sort of figured he'd be first in the que.

In other news, looking forward to gaming tonight, the prelude was really good.

and...

Waiter!

I'll have what he's having.

Play by post

So here's the deal...anybody can play, just email me first with a character concept. I'm going to pass protect the thread so we don't get uninvited visiters...I have an idea for several systems: Demon, Vampire, or D&D but I'll only do one at a time so let me know your preference. I'd appreciate tips from anyone who has played like this before. I'll probably install a "min. 3 posts before next post rule" so nobody steals the show. Minimum 1 post per (work)day, character sheet and dice are manditory whatever system we go with, although it will be heavy roleplaying with most things depending on stats and skills instead of dice rolls. Ie. If I think it sounds cool, and your character can probably do it, I'll let you. (Brother Lucius: I back flip over the orc and punch him in the back of the head)(Dex: out the wang, tumble: 28, str: 10, attack +4 dmg 1d4+0)(DM: The Orc looks a little wobbly on his feet but turns around to face you)

Campaign ideas to choose from:

Demon: Los Angeles' (BBEG: The Devil! who else...)

Vampire: Start in dark ages -> Present day (BBEG: Anyone who's not you)

D&D: Save the kingdom from an ancient red dragon...or...Ravenloft, Mwaa-ha-ha

Once I have enough interest (Min 4 people to play, Max 10 for now) I'll post instructions on the forum and email a start date :)

If anyone else wants to DM something.......

*Edit*

Here is a post on The Giant in the Playground forum Pbp area, fyi

The Basics

What is a PbP game?
A PbP, or play-by-post, game is any game that is normally played face-to-face or on a tabletop played by posting to a web-board. For these boards, that's exclusively going to be RPG type games.

There are two basic variants of PbP games. Free-form games lack formal rulesets - the GM of the game determines what is possible and what is not depending on the situation and what the player's tell him. In short, free-form PbP is sort of collective story telling.

The second form is the one favored here on the Giant in the Playground boards - PbP that uses an existing ruleset for tabletop gaming. On these boards, this primarily means d20 systems, especially D&D 3.5.

How do you play?
Simple: the DM explains what’s going on, and then you post to the game thread explaining what your character is doing. PbP is just tabletop gaming expressed through the medium of the forum.

Joining a PbP game
First, if you want to join a new game, check the Finding Players (Out-of-Character) forum and see which games are looking for players. Do not post to a thread in the IC forum asking to join. This just annoys the DM and other players. Also, check the Currently Recruiting thread for games looking for players, and post to the Player Registry.

Other Characters
In PbP, there is a temptation to include the actions or reactions of other characters, PC or NPC, in your own post, in order to move things along in the story. Do not do this. It's quite frankly very rude. It may take a while longer, but waiting for another player to compose their own characters response is generally worth the wait, and the slight acceleration of the plot is not worth the trouble. Also, let the DM resolve anything that needs an opposed die roll. In order to speed things up, its usually okay to post probably actions your character will take depending on what happens next - a sort of "if, then" statement. Don't go overboard with this.

The exception to this rule is if you have permission from the DM and another player to control another character's actions, or if a DM has taken control of a character from an absent player.

The rest of this guide is generally geared towards running a game, though the last section is on post formatting. I suggest reading a few currently ongoing games to help get a feel for how things work, in addition to reading this guide.


General Concerns

Timing
One of the benefits and curses of PbP games is that there is no formal meeting time for games. Players post whenever they are available to check the boards. However, this also extends the time it takes to work through adventures quite a bit. It could take several hours, or even days, for every player to post to a single combat round.

Given this, a few suggestions can make the game run more smoothly. First, state how often you expect players (and yourself, as the DM, in particular) to post at a minimum - once a day, three times a week, whatever works best. If you particularly prolific posters in your game, especially if the rest of the players don't post as often, establishing a maximum number of posts might be a good idea as well.

Finally, establish a couple limits for non-response from players. For example, if a player doesn't post for two days, the DM will decide that PCs actions in order to keep the story moving. If the player doesn't post for say two weeks without warning, then the player is dropped.

Absences
The previous paragraph brings up another potential problem of the expanded time span of PbP - player absences. Players might have to leave for a week or more due to vacations, family concerns, work, school, or any of a myriad of reasons. Generally, if the player contacts the DM, that player should be able to return to the game when they get back, without penalty - though, if the absence is going to be especially long, it might be better for the player to leave altogether. Also, its often standard-practice for another player to handle an absent player's character while they are gone. This should only be done with the player's permission, and the DM should make sure the absent player's character doesn't get, well, screwed, while the player is gone.

If you as the DM are going to be away for a while, it’s a good idea to post to both the IC and OOC threads, and let people know when you'll be back.

Dropping and Adding Players
Players end up dropping out of games regularly due to outside concerns. This is problematic in PbP due to the extended time span the game progresses through. Ideally, having a couple alternate players to call on should a regular drop is a good idea. Otherwise, adding a new character should proceed the same as starting a game (see below).

Dice Rolling
Most DMs prefer to make all rolls themselves, but there are also online dice rollers available. The DM should establish the method used at the beginning of the game and stick to it.

Roleplaying
The nature of PbP tends to promote heavy RP games. The players have longer to compose their thoughts and responses, and heavy "roll" games tend to go quite slowly, so extra RP helps keep things interesting.


Starting a Game

Getting Started
The DM should first establish what system the game will be in and what material is available in the game (SRD only? All the splatbooks? Standard ECS material?). Having this clear at the beginning makes things easier later. Also, a general description of the game type - is it hack-and-slash D&D, or RP-heavy d20 Modern spy game? - should be included.

Collecting Players
Post your idea to the Finding Players (Out-of-Character) forum. Figure out how many players you want, and include that in the post. You should post to the Currently Recruiting thread at this point, and contacting players from the Player Registry who are looking for games is also a good idea as well. As DM you can chose who plays, but first-come, first-served is the preferred method.

Character Creation and Posting Characters
As DM, you should establish the rules for character creation ASAP. Just use whatever variant you prefer from the game you're playing, though for d20 point buy or shared stats are preferred for fairness. More important is deciding how to post character stats. The two primary methods are to have a "Rogue's Gallery" thread for stat blocks in the OOC forum, or to create the character sheet on 3EProfiler.net. For the latter, don't forget to make the sheet public!

First IC Post
Once players are chosen and characters created, and the posting amount rules set, you should create a new thread in the Ongoing Games (In-Character) with a the title of the game and game type as the thread name. Make sure its clear which game is yours when you pick a name, and link back to the OOC thread in the first post, and post a link to the IC thread in the OOC thread. Linking to characters in the first post is also a good idea. Read some of the ongoing games to get an idea of how things work.

Private Messages
Generally, with PbP games, you just have to trust players not to metagame. As a player, you shouldn't take advantage of this trust. However, every once in a while it’s easiest for a DM to send a private message to a player to supply information or ask questions. In this case, I suggest two things: try to stay in character for PMs, make the PM's subject clear that it's from the PbP game, and mention that you've PMed the player in the IC thread.

Now you've got a PbP game going. Good luck!

I'll probably also request post formating for actions, skills, out of charecter comments etc. I'll post a link when I decide how that will look :)

Busy, Busy, Busy

I just finished saying good-bye to my cousin Cheryl after a two day whirl-wind stay. I'm a little sarcastic while I write that, not because it wasn't fun, but because by whirl-wind I mean "nice leisurely visit". I just wish I could still throw fun and exciting adventures for out of town guests...but the kid factor is a damper on things. Last night we went to the Reef with my Mom and ate till our lips tingled, while talking about the usual...Family, school and gross medical conditions (or a combination of the three ) Cheryl just finished her final exams and as of the end of the month going to be referred to as "Madam Pharmacist" in exaggerated accents by all participating family members...

Yes we are odd. Yes we are ALL odd.

Cheryl showed up two days after a whirl-wind visit from my Grandma and Grandpa, and she left 15 minutes after I got off the phone with Jackie to arrange a visit with her and the Ricelettes...Can you tell it's summer yet :)

I'm not sure what the plans are for July and August yet, but things are filling up fast...and September is going to be so busy I'll need a vacation after that vacation :) Stacy and Evie's' wedding, Green Day concert, Firefly in the theaters, Bill and Leanne in town...

I'd better work faster on my painting contract :)

YAY Busy !! :)

YAY!

Reaper put out a new female cleric!

Don't mind me as I geek out for a second...

I hate how limited the resources are out there for female roleplayers. I mean come on...how many scantly clad, sword wielding, barbarian chicks are actually played on a regular basis? *Sarcasism* I know that all MY characters run around topless, but is it really that common?

In other news...I now have a paying client for miniature painting :) Paul over at Game Factory wants me to paint a whole Necron army for him (Warhammer 40k)...Easy money let me tell you :)

Forum

I've signed up for a free forum through Bravenet :) I've used their stuff before and liked it, but I think they use a lot of advertising software, so I might not keep it around. I can't see the pop-ups with my browser (Firefox) but I can't really expect everyone to use the same one as me now can I. Please give me feedback, and I'll see what I can do to make it a better experience...I thought it might be fun to try a play by post or something, I know Sean has something in mind...Or maybe Bilbo would want to start something ;)

On another note...clicking on my "Quote Du'jour" will take you to "Behind the Screen"...No I haven't updated it lately!

OMG! THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END!!!

Leanne posted.

I love the Jerk...and the food was good to ;)

So dinner last night was really good. The restaurant is called "The Reef" and was quite the hopping little place on a Tuesday night. Dan had never had Jamaican food before, so I was a little worried when I glanced over the menu and only saw one burger...but he took a chance and ordered the "Ackee and Salt Fish" and was blown away :)

I've been a big fan of the Jamaican jerk since I lived in Guelph...(after bar food there was bought from a Jamaican Patty wagon instead of Mr.Tubesteak stand) I've been looking for something like this in Victoria since I got back. When I read the review in last Thursdays paper I knew we had to go. Tragically, they've been in business for 2 years...and I never knew!

Dan is raving about it, and would like to go back on a Saturday when there are live dj's and music...not to mention the Shaftsbury 420 jokes.

After dinner we wandered around downtown and stopped to buy a cigar to share. When Dan inevitably got too cold we drove around James Bay and talked about life. It was really good. We don't get to spend a lot of time together like that anymore and I'm really happy that we did :)

Thanks for the great evening Dan. Thanks for the last 4 years. I love you!

Fun Times at the Adair House

So this is supposed to be a quick post in response to Krista's last comment (Hi Krista!) But I've just finished drinking a cup of caffeinated tea and it's effecting me a lot worse than usual...so we'll see if I can make this into a full-on ramble :)

A lot has been going on with me and the family, health-wise. Mostly me though since Dan has an incredible immune system and it looks like the kids have inherited the antibodies (or whatever it is that fights off bacteria). I had this sinus infection/cold thing for about a week and a half...Dan had a sore throat for a couple of hours, the kids sniffled for a day. It left me pretty drained, and not very interested in blogging...unless people actually WANT to hear the gory details, in which I then have a lot to tell you about mucus. I love that word...mucus.Then during that period I was supposed to blog about gaming, but I think for now I'll leave all game related stuff for Dan to talk about, as he has plans I'm sure.And Saturday I managed to give myself food poisoning from leftovers that had been recycled to many times...Turkey dinner -> turkey soup -> Rice casserole which the kids thankfully turned their noses up at. I'll spare the details. In the last 48 hours I've eaten a couple of pieces of toast, lot's of water and Gatorade, and a cup of (apparently) caffinated tea at the neighbors house. Even though I've dropped 5 lbs, I don't recommend food poisoning as a dieting technique to anyone. The most fun was last night when I got the shakes and hallucinated about being covered in blue nets. Don't ask why cause I just don't know. There were a couple of times that I seriously considered making Dan drive me to the hospital. But if I was having that much trouble at home, I can't believe that being at the hospital would be any better. The last two times I was there were for Liam and Teresa's births. They call the maternity ward the "Happy" ward...If that's happy, then I don't want to see their "Unhappy" wards! Anyways, I'm feeling much better now. Tomorrow I should be able to eat again. Or at least eat toast, meat still makes me queasy. Mentally I'm still a little flaky (as you can probably tell by now)and will probably continue to be so until I get more nutrients into my system. My stomach has to agree with me before I can do that :( Tomorrow I'll just take it easy and watch back-episodes of Desperate Housewives that Jean-Marc was nice enough to lend me :) What else.....Oh! Dan and my anniversary is on Tuesday, we're going to a Jamaican restaurant on Yates to celebrate :) I've no idea what the restaurant is called, but the review was in the paper on Friday, and it sounds really good. I bought two tickets to see Green Day in Vancouver to celebrate our anniversary :) The concert isn't till September, a week after Stacy and Evie's wedding, so it'll be a busy month for us :) Um...Oh yeah! Congrats Sylvia for making the news! Sylvia made it into the Weekend Edition for taking the "Bike to work" challenge. Her picture is on A7 I think. She raced a co-worker (who was in a car, Sylvia was on a bike) and made it to work a minute ahead of her friend. Just goes to show, if people are in such a hurry to get somewhere, maybe they should bike! I know, I know, it isn't always practical to bike. But if only the infrastructure was there (like showers at the workplace). I think that's all for now, sorry it took so long to post, but I'm sure it'll happen again from time to time :p

Peace
Tina

An outside perspective

I wasn't going to go see Return of the Sithe in the theater. I'm just not interested enough to stand in an hour long line-up to see a movie that I'm out of the loop on. My weekend has been pretty lonely though, I've been a little sick and I worked on Saturday and Sunday...So when Dan told me that he was going with a couple of our neighbors, I said yes just so I could cuddle up to him in the dark ;) Luckily we didn't have to stand in line, Jean-Marc and Bridget did that, while we watched Jacob their son before bedtime. It was cold when we got there and Dan would have frozen his *coff* nuts off.

I won't spoil the movie for any of you who haven't seen it yet...but I wasn't that impressed (oh yeah, and the bad-guys win ;). Dan says that it was full of "Easter eggs" (keep your eye out for the Millennium Falcon in the first few scenes). Since I haven't really watched any of the movies except Episode 1, (I've seen #3 and #4, but I was making out with pre-husband Dan at the time and not caring about the movies). I can't really comment on much but the really shitty acting. It wasn't a badly done movie, really it was quite shiny with the effects. But Anikin and Padme really needed to be put out of their misery, or taught to act....They made my skin crawl in a couple of scenes.

Before you send me any hate-mail for not knowing my StarWars, Jean-Marc is lending me all of the movies out so far. I was -2 years old when the first (3rd) one came out and Sci-Fi just wasn't my genre when growing up. I'm sure that one of you can fill me in on any details I miss, thus turning me into a "true" geek.

Like he said (link)

For those of you who are interested in staying up to date...election results

OK,OK, those of you who don't have a TV, like us losers :P

Behind the Screen

My computer was dead for a couple of days there, due to a bad Windows update :( But Stacy,being the kNight 1N 5H1N1nG 4Rm0ur that he is ( |-|3 Rox0rz!!!11! ) He fixed it and made everything better :) Yay Stacy!!!!

In my downtime (time away from the computer) I worked a little on Behind the Screen and have finally finished the introduction :) I will definitely have to do some tweaking, as I feel that in places I've really rushed things together. I need to insert a few literary breaths here and there so I don't suffocate any readers...but other then that, I think the layout is pretty good.

Stay tuned for chapter one where we meet a strange cloaked ranger (Sean, I still need a name btw) talk about hangovers, and learn about a haunted house...

Mwa-ha-ha

Lessons in walking on the path

I really should have blogged this last night when I had it all composed in my head...instead of 13 hours later after. Let's see if I can recreate it...

Liam, Teresa and I went for a walk yesterday morning down the "Goose", and Liam and I spent most of our walk playing "Eye Spy"..."I spy with my little eye, something that's yellow and gives mommy hayfever"....Liam is now really good at recognizing the difference between Seagulls (Shithawks for you Easterners) Crows, and Robins. I explained to him why the early bird is a Robin and why he gets the worm, and discussed the best way to pick wild roses, without destroying the whole bush.

Liam is really well behaved as long as I don't put any restrictions on him. As soon as I lay down a rule though...look out.

Liam was walking along the side of the trail in the grass, when I looked down and saw a nice pile of dog doo in his path.

"Liam, please don't walk in the grass."

"Meim, wants walk in grass"

"Liam, we need to stay on the gravel, because the grass is where dogs go pee and poop. If you walk in the grass you might step in some and that's icky!"

"Where's dog poop?"

"That's dog poop right there Liam"

"Where?"

I point it out to him. "Right there."

"Where?"

*Sigh* "Liam, just get out of the grass."

"No, Meim wants walk in grass"

"But Liam I don't want you to step in dog doo."

"Meim wants step in dog doo"

"Ok, whatever, but you won't be coming into my house with dog doo on your feet"



Of course I couldn't let him go through with it, although I'm sure a Super-Mom would have. We fought and bounced off each other for a lot of the walk after that. I feel like I've let the perfect opportunity to teach him a valuable lesson on consequences slip away. Nothing like stinking all of the way home and then getting hosed down when you get there to make a lesson stick. As much as I wanted an excuse to hose down my "Extremely Inquisitive and Irritating Infant" ("EIII !!!!") I couldn't make myself break that barrier I've put there for myself. The one where I have to protect my child from doing things that might hurt him, make him sick, teach him the wrong things, or make him socially unacceptable.

I think we both have problems with our boundaries right now...

Just Kidding Around

So our plans on Saturday night were a bust. After standing in line to get in, the staff at Blue Pearl finally informed us that Ron Jeremy was fogged in, in New Jersey :( It was nice of them to let us know far enough ahead of time, so we could make other plans *Sarcasm*. At least we got a good dinner out of it, and a few games of pool over on Craigflower. Randy and April went undefeated, as Dan and I scratched THREE TIMES on the eight ball. Our finest moment was when Dan, in a fit over my playing style, sent the cue ball flying off the table, and missed the eight-ball altogether.

Isn't summer great :)

The kids spent the night at my Mom's house, and did really well. Teresa apparently had 4 pancakes for breakfast and a bowl of strawberries. Liam played with the Thomas train set for most of the time there :)

The joint birthday party for Liam and Jacob at McDonald's went really well. The kids had a blast playing in the tube-town...as did some of the parents, and we brought everybody back to the big-backyard common area here for present opening. Dan's Grandparents, Sylvia and Mike, and Aunt Joanne stopped by for a visit as well. Joanne really made the party special and we really need to thank her for it! Joanne is a licenced clown in California, she brought her balloons and spent most of the time making balloon hats and swords for the kids...You should she the motorcycles, cars, kittens with beaded collars and flowers that she can make...needless to say, the party was a success :)

Price-wise, I was impressed. 10 kids, happy meals, goodie bags, and a cake all came to $42.82. That's before splitting the costs with Jacob's parents (Bridgette and Jean-Marc). Now if I was to do that same party at home it would have been way more expensive!



~~~

Just talked to Dan...we game tomorrow night? Everybody cool with that?

Pronstarz

So Dan and I are going to see "the Hedgehog" at the BluePearl in Langford tonight...Wet T-shirt contest, cherry pie eating contest, dirty comedy..the whole trailer park is coming out to see him :)

What are you up to tonight?

Grouch

I'm not always the most pleasant person when I wake up in the morning. That's why I grabbed myself a new pair of pj's when I was shopping last week. Rage pink, Sesame Street, Oscar the grouch jammies...with my name stamped across the bum..."Grouch".

I have less of a problem with my grouchiness if allowed to wake up on my own time. 8 minutes (a "snooze")of quiet to think back over my dreams and appreciate the weather outside, is usually good.

I have rarely had that in the last few years. Usually my dreams start to get good at around 8:00 am...you know, the ones where I can fly or breath under water or solve the worlds problems...or, you know, the sex ones...But being woken up every morning (6:00 am!)by a hyper 3 years old has not improved my inner world one bit. There's nothing like a little knee to the kidney to put me off of negotiations with the pope and make me want to start nuclear holocaust...or at least make me really grouchy for the rest of the morning, which might continue into the afternoon depending on how my morning went. Sometimes I wish there was a large garbage can that I could hide away in.

Serenity

New movie trailer here.

God, I loved that show! If Sean reads this today...Can I borrow your copy again??? Please?

When it hits theaters, I'm going!

Kevin

a Link for you :)

Order of the Stick

I'm staring to get very frustrated with Giant in the Playground. I ordered a copy of his printed comic (Order of the Stick) back in January, hoping to have it by Valentine's Day as it was sort of implied that was when I'd get it.

Now I realize that this is his first experience with publishing.

And it's crappy that his paid helpers ripped him off instead of dealing with shipping.

But I paid him a chunk of cash almost 5 months ago...a explanation in email form would go a long way towards soothing me and the rest of the horde waiting for their books. A personal blog post is one thing, but I don't read his blog or forums. Does that make it my fault for not being in the loop? Nope. Take a little time out of your busy day, Rich, and send out a form email explaining to your customers about the 5 month delay.

There is a fine line sometimes between crazy fans and people with legitimate concerns, decide for yourself which side I fall on.

TC Article "In Harm's Way"

I shed a tear this morning after reading the front article in the Living section on battered women.

This week is Prevention of Violence Against Women Week, and I think I'm going to spend (at least today) being thankful of what a great thing I have here with Dan. I've never been as bad off as the article relates, but it came uncomfortably close to true in places.

~~~

There were the times I'd been manipulated to have sex against my will.

The times when I had an escape route planned in case he came home coked up and wanting to shoot things again.

The time he put a friends' head through the wall and then hit him with a pipe. Then used me as an alibi.

The times when I would be given courage from my girlfriends, only to have it mentally and verbally beaten from me when I got home.

The times he cheated on me in my own home and then acted like it didn't matter.

The times that he borrowed money/used my bank card/pawned my stuff without asking.

The times he put holes in the walls.

The times he got off on asphyxiation and hair pulling.

The bubble of fear in my stomach whenever I walked in the door.

The taste of blood in my mouth.

The silence, the depression, the self-hate, the embarrassment.

~~~

Please read the article if you have the chance. And speak to your girlfriends and spouses, I think you'll realize that the problems are tragically more wide spreed then is apparent. Don't discount anything said, it all adds up. It all means something if it's being talked about.

And just to clarify, none of this has ever happened between Dan and I. It is a mosaic of things I have experienced with a few different men and is by no means an example of the good ones I've dated...just the worst ones. This is only a few of the examples that I can come up with from my own life. I like to think that I was smart to leave whenever I did, but it was a hard choice every time.

Every single time.

My heart goes out to those who haven't made it out yet.

~~~

I love you Dan. Thanks for being a normal, well-adjusted guy. Thanks for being boring...or at least having reasonable flaws. Thanks for loving me.

*sniff* Damn, I'm crying again :)

Running Sore

We had a brief visit from Kenny last week. Mr. Kent just thought he'd stop by on his way back to Nova Scotia from Shanghai. It was a good visit, ate a little BBQ, talked about our kids, played some Carcasonne. Kenny and Elizabeth were people that I really would have liked to know better. It got me missing the days before many of our friends moved on...and away from Victoria...*sigh*

Anyways

Kenny looks like he's lost a Danno. I hardly recognized him when he walked through the door, he looked so good. Apparently there isn't much to do in Fredericton in December, so he took up running around the indoor track at the university.

So Kenny is my muse at the moment (don't laugh, you've all been my muses at times whether you knew it or not). Monday night I went and bought an arm band radio and ran down the Galloping Goose to the bridge and back...maybe 2 km's. I still hurt. But it felt good to get moving again. It let me release my daily frustration after the kids went to bed as well....If we don't game tonight I think I'll go again :)

Thanks Kenny!

3 Weeks...

I've no idea where to begin...

I could cut to the chase and talk about what's been bothering me lately, but then you wouldn't get to hear about what I've been up to lately. Or I could write a long post detailing my mundane albeit eventful life over the past three weeks, but do you really want to hear about what color paint chips I decided on and why? Really?

I guess I'll give you guys a little closure on the whole flooding thing. It sucked. Badly. For about a week we had fans going 24/7 drying the place out. After it was done though, we found out that we really didn't have a lot of damage. The path that the water took through the house was the best way it could have gone, causing the least amount of damage :)

We now have professionally cleaned carpets upstairs, newly painted walls in the upstairs hall and bathroom and a portion of our laminate flooring paid for :)

The main floor of our house is a whole new area :) It was due to our already planned renos though, and not a restoration crew. I'll post pictures soon...

The kids have been behaving well through all of this if a little antsy for their old routine back. Liam has reached an age where he is testing his (and my) limits, I have to say that I can't wait for this faze to be over :( Teresa has a few words now, more notably "NO!", "done", "bye" and something that sounds like "please". She gets very excited when Dan leaves for work because she gets to say "kiss" and give everyone kisses whether they want them or not. Liam usually doesn't.

I've been combining my new obsession with Feng Shui with my need for a good spring cleaning. I think that the next free weekend we have we should throw a garage sale...Maybe someone out there will want to buy some of our clutter.

~~~

So on to the rant you've been waiting for...I'll keep it brief because as usual, Dan will get bruised feelings if I let go with both barrels here.

The death of my character upset me...a lot. It's not that I think that she should be immortal or anything, but the politic and rules around bringing her back seem to be more of a deterrent then anything else. Drop a level and loose 15200xp or 2 points in Con and between 5,000 and 10,000 gp (at least, before mark-up), not to mention any other ordeal that the party would have to go through to get it done...When I finally come back (if anyone can cast the spell without failure) I'll be spending the rest of my life boot licking because Wizzbang will insist on being recompensed (I already owe him most of my money right now for that stupid ring). And then...what's to stop it from happening again the next time we get in a big battle..."Oh look! There's a cleric standing by herself over there! Get her!" and it starts all over again :(

If it wasn't for the fact that I've played Aurora for over 2 years now and I've become attached to her (some weeks she's the only social life I have...I know how sad that is, you don't have to tell me). I'd drop her and start a new character altogether. Or just stop playing, take a break. But as Scott pointed out, that would mean an almost total party turnover again as somebody scrambles to be the cleric.

So I'm coming back, but I reserve the right to be happy about it.

Pool Party

So the bbq was a blast. Thanks for coming out, to everyone who came :)

Leanne and Bilbo are now staying at Leanne's Gran's house as our house is flooded.

I'm tempted to just leave the post at that and see how many phone calls I get, but I'm probably not going to be here much in the next week or so to answer the phone and get any satisfaction ;)

We had a new roof put on the building last week. Aparently we were lucky enough to have a faulty piece of flashing installed over our bathroom, and with the rain last night...When I awoke this morning woth a really bad tequilla hangover (ok I lie...I was still drunk) there was a river running in our bathroom wall...driping out of our livingroom ceiling...down the stairs and into our storage (right over the cardboard boxes of keepsakes, not the waterproof tupperware bins that we've been replacing boxes with) and under the wall into Scott's room.

However I hear that having running water in your house is good Feng Shui.

The blogger dashboard is being really slow this morning and won't let me edit in my email address to that last post...

If you wish to RSVP for the bbq on Saturday, eMail me.

She moves in mysterious ways...

Hello! Happy Saint Patrick's Day :)

I've been remiss on the whole blogging thing for quite awhile now, I know. I'm pretty sure that nobody actually reads this anymore...oh well. It might be easier to write for myself right now instead of to an audience. Not that I mind anyone else listening in or commenting... but at this time of the year I always spend a lot more time looking inwards and self-evaluating, than worrying about what is happening in the world around me. It helps keep me positive until the social season starts up again :)

On the family front...While I was changing Liam this morning, Teresa helped herself to my (half-full and luke-warm) cappuccino mug of coffee...They are both having a grand time jumping and spinning around in the living room as I write this...

This weekend was a lot of fun. The weather was idyllic, with a little wind the first night we were there (all the better for hot-tubing) and perfect sunshine for the rest of the weekend. The cabin was perched on a bluff (aka cliff) at least a km above the ocean, and overlooking the entire inner corridor between Sidney to Saltspring. We could see Washington to Millbay before Saltspring cut off our view. At one point I waved to you guys... On Saturday night Dan and I saw the meteor over the island from the hot tub. Green tail for luck I guess :)

We probably spent 5 hours playing Frisbee golf on Pender's 27 basket course. I had a blast, although my muscles were killing me on day two. The first round I shot at + 22...Dan says that for my first time I did awesome on a 27 hole course :) 5 better than average... But then he shot a +6...

The cabin itself was gorgeous. Tiffany lamps and bouquets of daffodils, a roaring fire in the fireplace when we walked in set the comfort level for the whole weekend :) We ate like royalty the entire time :) If anyone else is interested in a romantic or relaxing weekend let us know, and we'll hook you up with Penny and Wally who run the place...there is also a bed and breakfast on the (10 acre) property if making your own food and bed doesn't appeal to you :) It was a very affordable trip all in all :)

~~~

Down to the inner reflection part of the post.

I've lost contact with somebody that I used to be very close to, and am trying very hard to get back in touch with her again...If anyone sees my inner diva, tell her to come back! I miss her...

Of course it's not as sad as I make it out to sound, but it has been a long time since I've felt invincible. It was an inner core than I used to cultivate, my inner hero/queen/goddess...she was lost at some point and replaced by a husband and two kids. But as the kids are now growing and walking around on their own, talking and pushing me away (it's a two year old thing), more and more I wish she would come back again. She was always there when I needed motivation or just to feel beautiful... I could always count on her to take me dancing in a thunderstorm or skinny-dipping in the reservoir. She was always thin and graceful, she never hesitated to speak her mind and could talk her way out of most situations. I'm not sure where she went or what scared her away, but I'm working on it and hope to get her back sometime soon :) I'm sure she'd get along well with the kids once they got used to her...

~~~

On another not quite so psychotic note...I'm working on the Feng shui energy in my home and would like more house plants :) If anyone has plants that they want to get rid of, or that can spare a few clippings I'd be very appreciative :)

~~~

Leanne and Bilbo are in town next week (actually tomorrow on)and would like to see everyone sometime this weekend. A bbq might be in order on Saturday night. Byob and byom and pass the word along to whomever wants to come (Brian maybe?) Just send us an email so we know how many chairs to set up :) Maybe people would want to go in on some bubba's ? Of course I no longer do the papers...except for the next day, but I will be well rested and intend on staying up to do them at around 2 am :)

~~~

And just because I used it as my quote today and in honour of Saint Patrick's Day...My favorite U2 song :)

U2 LYRICS

"Mysterious Ways"

Johnny take a walk with your sister the moon
Let her pale light in to fill up your room
You've been living underground
Eating from a can
You've been running away
From what you don't understand...
Love

She's slippy
You're sliding down
She'll be there when you hit the ground

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways

Johnny take a dive with your sister in the rain
Let her talk about the things you can't explain
To touch is to heal
To hurt is to steal
If you want to kiss the sky
Better learn how to kneel

(on your knees boy)

She's the wave
She turns the tide
She sees the man inside the child

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
Lift my days, light up my nights

One day you will look...back
And you'll see...where
You were held...how
By this love...while
You could stand...there
You could move on this moment
Follow this feeling

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright

We move through miracle days
Spirit moves in mysterious ways
She moves with it
She moves with it
Lift my days, light up my nights

Yay! all around

So most of you know that I've put Dan's Talisman game up for auction. I had been surfing EBay for deals on paints and stumbled across an auction where JUST THE TOWER was going for $450 U$. That's all I'll say about it though. Even though Dan told me to do it, I think he's having second thoughts already...

I went shopping downtown with my neighbors on Saturday which was nice. It's been a very long time since I've had girlfriends to hangout with...and speak of the devil...when I came back home there was a lump wearing Power Puff socks sitting on my couch! She says "Hi!" and sorry that she couldn't visit with anyone else. She was in town for the job fair at the new arena so she could get the skinny on putting up her plaques. She didn't actually know if she'd get out to see us so she didn't let us know she was comming to town...We got our revenge though... I think she got to her meeting on time the next morning, hopefully she felt just as hungover as we did :)

On a side note, our neighbor James asked me out of the blue when the next comic page would be up...luckily Leanne was sitting right there so she could make up the excuses this time. However she promised me that once the weather starts to get better and she can find a quiet place away from TV and loud music...she'll be sure to think about it in between staring at the beach boys and girls ;)

My birthday present is now booked and paid for I'll be sure to let everyone know how it went :) I'm very excited about going!

I enrolled in my English 12 course...Dan is talking about forcing me into the Young Drivers course... Guess what! I turn 16 next week! :)

A Woman's Perspective

I read with interest any articles that come out in regards to women gamers. Sites such as Gamegirl Advance (it used to just be "Gamegirl") do women gamers a real service by writting from their perspective. Personally I don't care whether a game objectifies women as gun toting large-breasted amazons, as long as the game play and story makes sense, and most importantly of all...the visuals are both stimulating and pretty. All of this talk about women liking a certain type of game is nonsense I think. I've know girls who play strictly Tetris as well as a few who could frag your ass into next week. So how do you get more women interested in buying a game in the first place?

It's kind of like Valentine's Day...Most women when put under pressure will say that Valentines Day isn't important to them...They are lying. It's true that most of us have no idea what we want...it's very hard to pinpoint in a way that men could understand (or admit to understanding). I think that this applies both to everyday relationships with our men and our relationship with a male dominated game designing industry.

Romance and the appearance of romance are very pleasing to women because it makes us feel special. Just like playing with pretty Barbie dolls and sticker books did when we were younger. Visual stimulation focused on sexy/pretty/romantic images and/or concepts are a sure way to sell both yourselves (on Valentines Day) and a game to the women's market. Give us a pretty, unflawed (examples of flawed are: stupid, weak or a blatant slut) woman to play in a game, and most sane women won't jump down the game designer's throats for it. All in all we are pretty easy to please, I think.

I started thinking about this while wasting time on line. I came across this site, which is full of compelling games ("Swordsman" is cool) that are truely better than similar games, because of the graphics.

At the moment I am finding a lot of enjoyment out of puzzle games like this one.

And I find myself looking for quick zen-like games that'll help me relax between playing referee to my kids.

And for those of you who don't hate me yet...Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Linkapoloza!

So here's some stuff to keep y'all busy between posts. At the moment I'm brain storming for Behind the Screen, which will be updated on Fridays (through out the day, so check it in the evenings).

For those of you who work...Dan says I'll get him fired ;) So take it easy. I reached 14th level and then realized that the game actually had a strategy. I restarted and now am doing much better :)

For the comic lovers...an oldie but a goodie.

And for the mommy's, something to do on your breaks (yeah right!)

~~~

Lastly, my apologies to Stacy and Sean for last night (if you noticed, if not then ignore me) If it seemed like "pick on Scott night" that's because it was. It was the only time I've seen him all week and I needed to say a few things to him before he disappeared again. I'll try not to do that again.

Introduction is started!

I am writing a paragraph here and there and adding it on as I go, so keep checking back :) It will be done as I find time between breaking up my kids fights :(

Oh and I'm also spellchecking it as Kevin will be glad to know ;p

http://behind_the_screen.blogspot.com/

Slave

So Dan is harassing me to do a little writing. Just a small amount mind you...only the story of the last year and a half of his D&D campaign! So to start off I've written out everything that I can remember in a time line. I'd love to get all of your input...IE, anything I've missed, anything I have the timing wrong on, any missing names, political exchanges, etc. I will post the final version in bits and pieces at my other blog (I set it up for Dan to use months ago)...

For now though, here is my time line

Introduction: Character bios for Aurora, Lucius, Shannon and Cory and Bilbo's characters to which I can't remember their names, Sean's Ranger and of course Kip. All as I remember them...

Leaving Roesone heading to Seaside village where we get our first quest...clear a haunted house

We clear the haunted house and find evidence of smugglers. head back to mayor of village for reward and to pass on findings. Mayor sends us back to catch smugglers.

We take on smugglers and win as long as we are on shore...poor planning on our part leads to capture by pirates.

Shipped to Slave islands and sold into gladiator pit, Kip the halfling gets sold to Thieves guild, Bilbo's bard dies, conveniently killed by his next character, a half orc barbarian.

We are bought by the (?) family and put under a guise, are forced to attack a dwarven caravan, Once again we suck and get captured, the dwarves check our alignments and decide to use us to infiltrate our owners, the pay us to go back and admit failure, Kip is contacted by dwarven assassin and let in on things, we all take down a holding/warehouse, the family falls, The dwarves send us back to the mainland with a package for the King Dwarf

The first city we are in on the mainland...we are shopping for equipment and witness somebody being dragged into the sewers, of course we go after, we clear out the undead in this area, discover the old thieves guild, we report findings to city guard

Kip "finds" a treasure map while we are relaxing in a tavern, we decipher it and follow directions, rent a telescope off a sailor npc and head out, ask for directions at a farm and pick up two more npc's...farmer and farmslut daughter, we find the location to use the telescope and then take all npc's back to town pretending that we were just site seeing (the sailor didn't buy it) Back out into the woods, we are followed by sailor and friends, we side step them in the woods, solve the riddle and get some treasure (dwarvenkind belt and silver raven). The farmslut gives Cory some issues on the way back but we keep walking.

(At this point Bill and Leanne and Cory and Shannon stepped down making room for Kevin and Randy)

Kip, the archer, and the sorceress decide they've had enough adventuring and go home to Roesone. Bilbo's half-orc just decides to leave and goes. We meet with Mordicai the Paladin and Randy's bard in a tavern and quickly get them involved in catching a familiar slaving ship docked at the harbour. Unfortunately the captain (Capt. Hindgrinder) gets away, leading us to explore further into the sewers (I think there were more slaves down there to save...but I can't remember) we fight fish people and find a map to a green dragon's lair. There are still a few places left to check down here but we leave it for now and head towards the dwarven mines.

A few things happen on the way there, Randy's bard tries to stab Mordicai in his sleep and is thwarted by a naked dwarf, Kronk. We meet Spindle when he also tries to kill us in our sleep. After talking to the Dwarf and Spindle we realize that we might need help saving the dwarves from a horde of orcs. Spindle goes off for reinforcements (his girlfriend is a dwarf) brings back centaurs, we sneak up and save the day for once, send orc's scrambling up the mountain, free the dwarven men (I won't mention where the women and children were) Give the king his package, they give us some mithral stuff and ask for help. Mordicai and Sean's Ranger head back to town for troops, we head after the orc's and are shortly after met by Wizzbang and Tobin (apparently friends of Spindle) Spindle scouts a bit on eagle back and we send off a message to Mordicai via the silver raven. That night we hear a noise and find a trolls den, we kill trolls and explore to find a back door into the Keep.

We fight bad guys and sneak around until we can open the front door for Mordicai and his army (including Ranger, archer, and sorceress...I guess hec caught them before they left via ship) epic battle ensues leaving Mordicai and the rest, dead or MIA.

We are awarded the keep and it is decided that the title go to Aurora because she is the most highly connected (or something, I'm still not sure of the reasoning there). We find journal with info on three artifact weapons and a little about the baddies. We decide to go after the Mace of Pelor before the BG's do. We meet a bard NPC named Jasper and ask about the area.

Into the swamp...we get a little info about Tirith and his brother from the village being plagued by vampires, we wander into swamp and are in time to rescue Cat the druid from death, Wizzbang harvests her familiar...we gain the vampires identity from Cat, and her promise of help.

We return to the city and seek out Tirith at the temple of Heronious, we convince him to come along and help kill his brother the vampire, We take out/explore swamp temple and coerce a couple of evil priests to tell us where the Vampire's lair is, we quaff water breathing potions and enter the lair while daylight. Tirith kicks butt, we basically watch we grab mace of Pelor and other loot...I think Jasper was there too, that might have been the day Kari played. We let the evil priests go as promised, they kill Scott, Cat kills them after we leave.

WE return to the keep, and aurora tries to return the mace to the temple of pelor in town, is visited by a solar.

Spindle shows up at the keep along with peasants from the swamp and Scott's next character the half-orc fighter. Our Chamberlain is slain, we discover secret rooms in the keep and that we had the dagger of wee jas but it is now missing. We increase security.

Maxis the noble shows up and wants to put on an aerial race from our keep.

Lucius's brother monks show up seeking refuge and help as their cloister is being destroyed. We travel to the cloister a couple of mountains over from ours and help a NPC monk fight off winter wolves on our way up, he gives us some info on the area, We fight mephits to get across an ice bridge, and the Kronk incident happens, we arrive and search the cloister finding nothing, so we enter the festering volcano nearby. Fight salamanders, close portal to the plane of fire by shooting mage.

Surprise! The NPC monk turns into a white dragon who grabs her eggs and tells us to leave. We do, we sleep the night in the cloister, and then go searching for Kronks body, unfortunately for the dragon the body was dragged to her lair and we take her down along with her wolves. Treasure galore and eggs! On the way back to the keep we stop in to the capital city and snatch a nobleman's groom (my first follower Dorian/Doreen the ranger)

Back at the keep, more Monk refugees arrive, and Maxis is a pain in the ass. WE meet Cefir the cleric. Maxis puts on his aerial race, somebody is accosted by a psychic and told that we need to be somewhere else right now getting the Scythe of Nerull, Maxis overhears and says he'll arrange things, gets us aerial mounts and picks Scott up and flies off with him (Maxis the copper dragon of course).

At the prophesied town we meet with a band of were tigers charged with guarding the evil temple. Mostly making sure that nothing gets out. We convince them that we are good, and get thier help in fighting the giants and ogres that have come calling, looking for the scythe. WE win, one orc survives as a were tiger himself. We descend into the temple of nerull, deal with the statue riddle room, opening up the sarcophagus and once again desending. Speak with a spirit of the mayor in the jail cells for information, and then enter the catacombs. Aurora detects evil and stuns herself (silly git). WE find the scyth easily enough, Wizzbang offers to carry it. All of the undead wake up around us and we fight our way outside. Tobin runs ahead at the last minute and gets Maxis to help by spraying acid into the temple behind us as we retreat.

Maxis leaves with a message to take to Jasper for Tirith. We are followed for miles by a wraith, until we place the scyth into a bag of holding. Cefir goes home to the elves and we travel to Roesone and the High Temple of Pelor with the scyth.

High Cleric d'Sol takes the Scythe to destroy, and attempts to take the mace as well, but pelor has other ideas...6 months downtime (I'll work from Dan's notes here) Aurora picks up a tag along...Cerilla

WE meet up again at the keep, and finally catch up with Capt. Hindgrinder. Tobin is contacted by Kip and dwarven assassin regarding working for the dwarves again on the island. Sounds good, but first we are invited to a dinner and joust at the capital. During the joust the king is kidnapped, and politics get ugly. We are asked to look into it. We meet up with Mordicai again and are very happy to see him alive. He tries to steal the Mace. Fails, but gets away. We set out to interview 3rd in line to throne and are attacked by minotaurs, we meet Shabbahat who kicks butt.

On to the interviews...the guy keeps his wife in a tower, interview both of them and learn area history. head out to Blue Dragon cult area and kill 1/2 blue dragon. reunite guy and wifey, reanimate King...Yay us!

We all get titles, Scott is now kings champion.

Now we contact dwarves and set sail for island...halfway there we are attacked by Mordicai. Scott dies and is reserected. The island is covered in giant bugs and slaads. Not to mention the bone devil. We call to the dwarves for help, they send ship which gets slaughtered. We escape to shore with the ship manned by rescued magic welding sailors. We take on new troops and crew and head back. Take on the kobolds and take out the bone devil. Scott asks to be dropped off on the mainland.

We finally make it to the island. The dwarves want us to take out the gladiator pit. we get ourselves captured, break everyone out, and then try to lay low. Shabbahat and Tobin become Vampires.

The dwarf assassin asks us to look into his mentors disappearence...





That's all for now folks, my brain hurts.

Life Of Riley

This was the first webcomic I'd ever read...

A few years back I was researching the geneological tree of Vampire the Masquerade and somehow stumbled upon this site. I really enjoyed it at the time, but they had some site troubles a while back and it went offline.

Well, now it's back again! At least in archive form, which isn't quite as good because I can't just ignore filler comics anymore...but enjoy!

Explaination: 9 gamers, 1 house, 1 vampire...trying to save the world from destruction :)

*Side note* There isn't a plot until strip #23...so hang in there until then, or skip ahead...or just don't read it, I don't really care.

Your Ultimate Roleplaying Purity Score
Category	Your Score	Average
Hacklust	57.55% Will kill for XP	53.5%
Sensitive Roleplaying	44.3% "But what's my motivation for this scene?"	54.4%
GM Experience	78.26% Ran a module once or twice	69.4%
Systems Knowledge	94.07% Played in a couple of campaigns	90.3%
Livin' La Vida Dorka	42.53% Has interesting conversations in public	63%
You are 68.45% pure Average Score: 68.7%
Take The Ultimate Roleplaying Purity Test and see how you match up!

Parenting Highlights

I know I haven't posted anything in a while with any actual content. I don't really have anything to talk about. It's January, and traditionally this is the time of the year that I start to get the blues. After the Christmas season and the lead-up to it, January and February are VERY slow months. During which we get our finances back in order and try not to have any fun. Fun costs to much.

On a side note to that, my Auntie Bonnie will be in town next week, Her and my mom are off to the annual Kingfisher Spa weekend. Lucky buggers ;) I'm talking to Bonnie on MSN while I write this.

~~~

So anyways, back on topic, sort of. Can you tell I haven't actually planned this post?

Sean called me yesterday from Vancouver. He sounds good, and is apparently pretty bored. When he asked me what I've been up to lately, I had the usual dilemma...Do I say nothing? Because socially I haven't done anything new since the last time I saw him. Or do I talk about the kids? Typically I avoid talking about parenting with you guys in general because besides the Rices, none of you have kids. You honestly have no idea what it's like to deal with a tantruming 2 year old in a store full of people. And you have better things to talk about then Liam's resistance to potty training and Tessa's molars coming in. (Like World of Warcraft).

But I gave in and told my woes to Sean, him being a captive audience and all. Sometimes I forget what a good listener he is, I came away from that conversation with a few new ideas to try. For the record, I'm trying to switch Liam's sleep schedule around so that he'll nap in the afternoon and wake up at 6:30-7am instead of 5:30-6am. Pretty boring stuff if it doesn't effect you, but a big deal in our house right now.

~~~

Last night a more interesting parenting dilemma came up, that I will share in the hopes that someone has a suggestion...

First, a little background.

Children are by nature, sexual creatures. It has been proven that touching, hugging, kisses, and snuggles lead to a sense of security and a safer learning environment as there is a greater bond of child/parent empathy. That being said, it is a time of their lives when they are discovering everything they can about their bodies..."What? I see when my eyes are open, but not when they're closed?", "What? When I spin around really fast I fall over?", "What? When I go to the potty I get a reward?"...

The latest for Tessa is "What? When I sit on Liam's tractor with the smokestack here, It feels really neat!".

This is all normal, and Liam went through about a month of mild experimenting a while back. He then got bored and moved on to testing his 2 year old boundaries.

Dan and I (mostly Dan) used to take baths with the kids when they were really little. Before they could sit up themselves. The family bath stopped in both instances when the kid in question inevitably leaned over and grabbed a part of Dan's anatomy. From then on they were on their own, with supervision only.

Last night during bathtime Teresa found Liam's peepee.

Now I call it peepee because to me "penis" hints at adult uses. "Peepee" is what little boys have and that's what it's used for...peeing out of.

Dan and I had a little giggle as Teresa poked at it a bit, and then we stepped in and got her out of the tub. Liam had a stiffy (which are not unusual in two year olds, and definitely not with Liam).

Now, the dilemma is this...Do we lay down the law and discourage this line of experimenting?

We know that they probably have a two week attention span at this age.

Or do we explain what a boy and a girl is and let them play?

We know that Teresa doesn't actually understand half of what I say at the best of times, and neither of them has any idea what they are doing?

I mean that's the point, they don't know.

I bring this to you guys because it's something that I believe a lot of people would have opinions about. It's the sort of issue that changes depending on perspectives. I'm going to do what ever I choose to about it, but I'd love to hear what others would do, given the same situation.

Schnappi das klien krokodil

Leanne sent me an email explaining that this is the top dance hit in Germany right now...the lyrics are done by a four year old. I tried to get more info on it, but all I can tell is that it has something to do with music pirating. Either it advertises a peer to peer site, or it is anti file sharing...sorry I don't read german so well. The song itself is quite catchy :)

Translated from German by google

Interpreter: Schnappi the small crocodile
Title: Schnappi the small crocodile
Album: Unknown


I am Schnappi the small crocodile
Come ' from Egypt is located directly at the Nile
First I lay in an egg then schni schna snatched myself I freely
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi snatch
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi snatch

I am Schnappi the small crocodile
Have ' sharp teeth and of it completely beautifully much
I snatch yourself which I snatch can
Snatch too because I so well can
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi snatch
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi snatch

I am Schnappi the small crocodile
I snatch gladly that am my favourite play
I creep ' me to the mummy ran
And show ' it like I snatch can
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi snatch
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi snatch

I am Schnappi the small crocodile
And of snatch there war ' I not too much
I bite the Papi in's leg briefly
And then then sleep ' I simply

Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi snatch (schnap)
Schni schna schnappi () - schnappi schnappi snatch (schnap)
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi snatch (jap)
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi snatch

And the origanal in case anyone can translate it better

Ich bin Schnappi das kleine Krokodil
Komm' aus Ägypten das liegt direkt am Nil
Zuerst lag ich in einem Ei dann schni schna schnappte ich mich frei
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi schnapp
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi schnapp

Ich bin Schnappi das kleine Krokodil
Hab' scharfe Zähne und davon ganz schön viel
Ich schnapp mir was ich schnappen kann
Ja schnappe zu weil ich das so gut kann
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi schnapp
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi schnapp

Ich bin Schnappi das kleine Krokodil
Ich schnappe gern das ist mein Lieblingsspiel
Ich schleich' mich an die Mama ran
Und zeig' ihr wie ich schnappen kann
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi schnapp
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi schnapp

Ich bin Schnappi das kleine Krokodil
Und vom schnappen da krieg' ich nicht zu viel
Ich beiß dem Papi kurz in's Bein
Und dann dann schlaf' ich einfach ein

Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi schnapp (schnap)
Schni schna schnappi (ja) - schnappi schnappi schnapp (schnap)
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi schnapp (jap)
Schni schna schnappi - schnappi schnappi schnapp