If I had to pick which stereotype that I fit into when I was in high school, it would most definitely be Allison, the basket case, played by Ally Sheedy. Although I wasn't nearly that cool. I would've loved it if the Most Popular Girl in my school had taken me under her wing & had turned me into an object of desire for the school's Jock but alas, that dream never did come true.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
DAY 02 — YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE
Like my favorite song, my favorite movie changes depending on what type of mood I am in. Having to pick one definitive answer is really hard but I guess I would go with The Breakfast Club. I rented this movie every day for an entire summer back in '96 & eventually stole a copy from the Meijer video department when I worked there. I can't say why exactly this movie spoke to me so much. Maybe it was the idea of running around my school when no one was there or the way John Hughes simplified the different social castes that populate every high school and made them transcend their labels or maybe it was the thrill of being locked in a closet with John Bender for a whole Saturday afternoon or maybe it's in Johnson's underwear...
If I had to pick which stereotype that I fit into when I was in high school, it would most definitely be Allison, the basket case, played by Ally Sheedy. Although I wasn't nearly that cool. I would've loved it if the Most Popular Girl in my school had taken me under her wing & had turned me into an object of desire for the school's Jock but alas, that dream never did come true.
If I had to pick which stereotype that I fit into when I was in high school, it would most definitely be Allison, the basket case, played by Ally Sheedy. Although I wasn't nearly that cool. I would've loved it if the Most Popular Girl in my school had taken me under her wing & had turned me into an object of desire for the school's Jock but alas, that dream never did come true.
Strange Creatures - Game #3 / City Of The Spider Queen Prelude
Rob is getting ready to run The City of The Spider Queen module next weekend & he decided to let Randy and I use our magical creatures for the new module. Last night's game was a "wrapping" up of the side game & a prelude to the new module, bringing our characters to the Dalelands to meet Al & Eric's characters next weekend.
The City of The Spider Queen is a module for 4 - 6 PC's, base 10th level. We actually started to play this module a few years ago when another friend of ours decided to run it and I think we only got through 2 encounters before we had a TPK. Rob has said that the first encounter of the adventure is a 14th level challenge rating & he had us advance our characters to 12th level so that we would have a better chance of surviving. Therefore several years have "passed" since Strange Creatures game #2.
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Candlekeep Wizard: Hello Lulabelle! It's been several years since we've last spoken! Please, sit and tell me what you've been up to!
Lulabelle: I'm about 2' 3".
CW: What? No! I meant what have you been doing?
L: Well, I found some really pretty crystals in the desert and I gave them to Abraxus & I got a really neat wind chime in Silverymoon that had fairies flying around it and it made noise without actually using wind...so I guess it wasn't really a wind chime...it was a fairy chime! I met Lady Alustrial and she was the most beautiful human that I have ever seen and I gave fairy dust to Dracandros and he tricked me and stole my fluffy white kitten and then I stole a ring from him that looked like a snake but it was another trick and it tried to squeeze my finger off and I wished it was on the floor and not on me and we gave it to the lady at Mystra's temple and I tried to tell her about Dracandros but she wouldn't listen to me...
CW: Did you say Dracandros?
L: Yeah, he's a real big jerk. He asked me for some fairy dust and said that if I gave it to him I could have his fluffy white kitten but then when he got the dust he was all like, "I didn't say you could keep it. I'm a big, bald jerk and I'm gonna make it disappear." And WHAM! the kitten was gone. Come to think of it, the gnomes disappeared too. I cried but Abraxus said it was probably better cause he would a just ate it anyway - the kitten, not the gnomes...although I'm sure he would eat a gnome, too. I tried to tell the lady at Mystra's temple about him cause he's mean & he wants to control all dragons & steal some crown from the dragon's mom.
CW: Did it ever occur to you that you were aiding him by giving him your fairy dust?
L: Did I? I dunno! I also got to meet Abraxus' dad & step mom. They live on a cloud and they can walk on it like we walk on the ground! It was the coolest thing ever! I gave his step-mom the fairy chime that I found in the market in Silverymoon and she said I was a very good pet and then she took us through their house and they had a bunch of cool stuff...something about a Rod of Several Parts or Severed Parts or something like that...
CW: They have a piece of The Rod of Seven Parts?
L: Who does? I don't have it! I didn't take anything!
CW: Could you describe to me where the lair of Abraxus' father is located?
L: Well, first you leave Silverymoon through a crack in the wall that faces the sun during the morning on the 7th day of the week. And then you fly around the rainbow bridge 3 times...or was it fly around the bridge 7 times & leave on the 3rd day?
CW: Umm...yes...Well, I suppose it's probably best that we don't know the location of his lair...what were their names?
L: I dunno...I think Lady Alustrial called him Dale and he is HUGE and he was sleeping and he was very beautiful but we can call him Dad and his step mom is a gold dragon but she looked like a gold elf and we'll call her Step Monster.
CW: Did...Dale...that doesn't sound like a very dragon-ish name...ahem...did Abraxus' father wake up when you approached?
L: Nah. Abraxus touched him and then he said we had to go somewhere and deal with some problem. I don't remember. I wasn't really paying attention. So anyway...we went to the middle of the woods and found all of these abandoned wagons and then a see-through sphinx showed up and asked us some dumb riddle.
CW: "See-through sphinx"? Do you mean a ghost? How fascinating!
L: Yeah well he was kind of pushy. He said we had to answer his stupid riddle - which didn't even rhyme all of the way - or that we would loose our souls. I don't know who died and put him in charge but he is not the boss of me! And he's a sore looser, too cause we guessed the right answer and then he tried to possess us.
CW: Can you remember how the riddle went?
L: Something about a bloated face & moaning fat ladies with 2 heads and the obvious answer was the moon.
CW: I see...
L: Yeah so then we decided to camp and we met some people and the lady was pretty and preggers and they were going to Daggerdale so we decided to go with them because they looked trustworthy...or maybe they thought we looked trustworthy...and we traveled for a while and one time we got attacked by those one things with the big pointy teeth & Abraxus spazzed out and went all dragon-y on them and the people got all freaked out but they let us stay but they promised to keep it a secret but they told some dude in Daggerdale about it and he came to see us and he said his name was Andy and he was sad.
CW: Why was he sad?
L: He said he was in mourning so I guess maybe somebody died?
CW: Andy mourning...do you mean to tell me that Randall Mourn came to see the two of you while you were in Daggerdale?
L: Who is Randall Mourn?
CW: The leader of Daggerdale.
L: Cool.
CW: What did he want?
L: What did who want?
CW: Randall Mourn?
L: I dunno. I don't know him.
CW: sigh What did Andy want?
L: He needed help with a whiny dragon that was eating kidnapped people.
CW: Did you help him?
L: Oh yeah...and this is where it gets good...
The City of The Spider Queen is a module for 4 - 6 PC's, base 10th level. We actually started to play this module a few years ago when another friend of ours decided to run it and I think we only got through 2 encounters before we had a TPK. Rob has said that the first encounter of the adventure is a 14th level challenge rating & he had us advance our characters to 12th level so that we would have a better chance of surviving. Therefore several years have "passed" since Strange Creatures game #2.
Abraxus: They may assault us, so be careful.
Lulabelle: Why would they throw salt at us?
Candlekeep Wizard: Hello Lulabelle! It's been several years since we've last spoken! Please, sit and tell me what you've been up to!
Lulabelle: I'm about 2' 3".
CW: What? No! I meant what have you been doing?
L: Well, I found some really pretty crystals in the desert and I gave them to Abraxus & I got a really neat wind chime in Silverymoon that had fairies flying around it and it made noise without actually using wind...so I guess it wasn't really a wind chime...it was a fairy chime! I met Lady Alustrial and she was the most beautiful human that I have ever seen and I gave fairy dust to Dracandros and he tricked me and stole my fluffy white kitten and then I stole a ring from him that looked like a snake but it was another trick and it tried to squeeze my finger off and I wished it was on the floor and not on me and we gave it to the lady at Mystra's temple and I tried to tell her about Dracandros but she wouldn't listen to me...
CW: Did you say Dracandros?
L: Yeah, he's a real big jerk. He asked me for some fairy dust and said that if I gave it to him I could have his fluffy white kitten but then when he got the dust he was all like, "I didn't say you could keep it. I'm a big, bald jerk and I'm gonna make it disappear." And WHAM! the kitten was gone. Come to think of it, the gnomes disappeared too. I cried but Abraxus said it was probably better cause he would a just ate it anyway - the kitten, not the gnomes...although I'm sure he would eat a gnome, too. I tried to tell the lady at Mystra's temple about him cause he's mean & he wants to control all dragons & steal some crown from the dragon's mom.
CW: Did it ever occur to you that you were aiding him by giving him your fairy dust?
L: Did I? I dunno! I also got to meet Abraxus' dad & step mom. They live on a cloud and they can walk on it like we walk on the ground! It was the coolest thing ever! I gave his step-mom the fairy chime that I found in the market in Silverymoon and she said I was a very good pet and then she took us through their house and they had a bunch of cool stuff...something about a Rod of Several Parts or Severed Parts or something like that...
CW: They have a piece of The Rod of Seven Parts?
L: Who does? I don't have it! I didn't take anything!
CW: Could you describe to me where the lair of Abraxus' father is located?
L: Well, first you leave Silverymoon through a crack in the wall that faces the sun during the morning on the 7th day of the week. And then you fly around the rainbow bridge 3 times...or was it fly around the bridge 7 times & leave on the 3rd day?
CW: Umm...yes...Well, I suppose it's probably best that we don't know the location of his lair...what were their names?
L: I dunno...I think Lady Alustrial called him Dale and he is HUGE and he was sleeping and he was very beautiful but we can call him Dad and his step mom is a gold dragon but she looked like a gold elf and we'll call her Step Monster.
CW: Did...Dale...that doesn't sound like a very dragon-ish name...ahem...did Abraxus' father wake up when you approached?
L: Nah. Abraxus touched him and then he said we had to go somewhere and deal with some problem. I don't remember. I wasn't really paying attention. So anyway...we went to the middle of the woods and found all of these abandoned wagons and then a see-through sphinx showed up and asked us some dumb riddle.
CW: "See-through sphinx"? Do you mean a ghost? How fascinating!
L: Yeah well he was kind of pushy. He said we had to answer his stupid riddle - which didn't even rhyme all of the way - or that we would loose our souls. I don't know who died and put him in charge but he is not the boss of me! And he's a sore looser, too cause we guessed the right answer and then he tried to possess us.
CW: Can you remember how the riddle went?
L: Something about a bloated face & moaning fat ladies with 2 heads and the obvious answer was the moon.
CW: I see...
L: Yeah so then we decided to camp and we met some people and the lady was pretty and preggers and they were going to Daggerdale so we decided to go with them because they looked trustworthy...or maybe they thought we looked trustworthy...and we traveled for a while and one time we got attacked by those one things with the big pointy teeth & Abraxus spazzed out and went all dragon-y on them and the people got all freaked out but they let us stay but they promised to keep it a secret but they told some dude in Daggerdale about it and he came to see us and he said his name was Andy and he was sad.
CW: Why was he sad?
L: He said he was in mourning so I guess maybe somebody died?
CW: Andy mourning...do you mean to tell me that Randall Mourn came to see the two of you while you were in Daggerdale?
L: Who is Randall Mourn?
CW: The leader of Daggerdale.
L: Cool.
CW: What did he want?
L: What did who want?
CW: Randall Mourn?
L: I dunno. I don't know him.
CW: sigh What did Andy want?
L: He needed help with a whiny dragon that was eating kidnapped people.
CW: Did you help him?
L: Oh yeah...and this is where it gets good...
Friday, July 30, 2010
Mix CD - 7/30/10
- Robert Smith Intro
- Abecedarians - Soil
- Incubus - Dig
- The Editors - Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool
- Javelin - STD Fury
- Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill
- Heaven 17 - (Don't Fear) The Reaper
- Karen O Feat. Peaches - Backa$$
- Airiel - Sugar Crystals
- The Editors - Lullaby
- Lykki Li - Little Bit
- Mark Hoppus Feat. Pete Wentz - In Transit
- Florenece + The Machine - Heavy In Your Arms
- Phantogram - When I'm Small
- The Presets - If I Know You
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Phenomena
- Massive Attack - Paradise Circus
- Beck - Timebomb
- Ween - Push The Little Daisies
DAY 01 - YOUR FAVORITE SONG
This is a tough one because I have a lot of favorite songs & some days I like some songs better than others. It just depends on my mood. But if I had to pick just one, I guess it would be Just Like Heaven by The Cure. I remember sitting in the cafeteria with a group of friends when I was in 9th grade and one of them had Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me on tape. I was fascinated with the picture of the huge red lips & I asked them if I could borrow it. This was my first taste of The Cure. I have loved them ever since.
30 Days Of Blogging
I'm stealing this (and the background image) from Brandi because she said all the cool kids are doing it. As far as I know, she's the only one doing it so that makes her the coolest of the kids. I'm starting this today & as a matter of fact, it will be my next post. Enjoy!
DAY 01 — YOUR FAVORITE SONG
DAY 02 — YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE
DAY 03 — YOUR FAVORITE TELEVISION PROGRAM
DAY 04 — YOUR FAVORITE BOOK
DAY 05 — YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE
DAY 06 — WHATEVER TICKLES YOUR FANCY
DAY 07 — A PHOTO THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY
DAY 08 — A PHOTO THAT MAKES YOU ANGRY/SAD
DAY 09 — A PHOTO YOU TOOK
DAY10 — A PHOTO OF YOU TAKEN OVER TEN YEARS AGO
DAY 11 — A PHOTO OF YOU TAKEN RECENTLY
DAY 12 — WHATEVER TICKLES YOUR FANCY
DAY 13 — A FICTIONAL BOOK
DAY 14 — A NON-FICTIONAL BOOK
DAY 15 — A FANFIC DAY
DAY 16 — A SONG THAT MAKES YOU CRY (OR NEARLY)
DAY 17 — AN ART PIECE (PAINTING, DRAWING, SCULPTURE, ETC.)
DAY 18 — WHATEVER TICKLES YOUR FANCY
DAY 19 — A TALENT OF YOURS
DAY 20 — A HOBBY OF YOURS
DAY 21 — A RECIPE
DAY 22 — A WEBSITE
DAY 23 — A YOUTUBE VIDEO
DAY 24 — WHATEVER TICKLES YOUR FANCY
DAY 25 — YOUR DAY, IN GREAT DETAIL
DAY 26 — YOUR WEEK, IN GREAT DETAIL
DAY 27 — THIS MONTH, IN GREAT DETAIL
DAY 28 — THIS YEAR, IN GREAT DETAIL
DAY 29 — HOPES, DREAMS AND PLANS FOR THE NEXT 365DAYS
DAY 30 — WHATEVER TICKLES YOUR FANCY
DAY 01 — YOUR FAVORITE SONG
DAY 02 — YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE
DAY 03 — YOUR FAVORITE TELEVISION PROGRAM
DAY 04 — YOUR FAVORITE BOOK
DAY 05 — YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE
DAY 06 — WHATEVER TICKLES YOUR FANCY
DAY 07 — A PHOTO THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY
DAY 08 — A PHOTO THAT MAKES YOU ANGRY/SAD
DAY 09 — A PHOTO YOU TOOK
DAY10 — A PHOTO OF YOU TAKEN OVER TEN YEARS AGO
DAY 11 — A PHOTO OF YOU TAKEN RECENTLY
DAY 12 — WHATEVER TICKLES YOUR FANCY
DAY 13 — A FICTIONAL BOOK
DAY 14 — A NON-FICTIONAL BOOK
DAY 15 — A FANFIC DAY
DAY 16 — A SONG THAT MAKES YOU CRY (OR NEARLY)
DAY 17 — AN ART PIECE (PAINTING, DRAWING, SCULPTURE, ETC.)
DAY 18 — WHATEVER TICKLES YOUR FANCY
DAY 19 — A TALENT OF YOURS
DAY 20 — A HOBBY OF YOURS
DAY 21 — A RECIPE
DAY 22 — A WEBSITE
DAY 23 — A YOUTUBE VIDEO
DAY 24 — WHATEVER TICKLES YOUR FANCY
DAY 25 — YOUR DAY, IN GREAT DETAIL
DAY 26 — YOUR WEEK, IN GREAT DETAIL
DAY 27 — THIS MONTH, IN GREAT DETAIL
DAY 28 — THIS YEAR, IN GREAT DETAIL
DAY 29 — HOPES, DREAMS AND PLANS FOR THE NEXT 365DAYS
DAY 30 — WHATEVER TICKLES YOUR FANCY
Happy Birthday, Charlie
 |
| Dancing with my brother at his wedding |
You would have been 31 today. I miss you more & more as each day passes. I often think about what it would be like if you were still here. I tell the boys stories about you and I watch them as they grow & I think about how you would have influenced them. I see little things in them that remind me of you. Mom and Dad will smile after the boys do or say something and say, "There's your Charlie!" We're going to visit your grave today. The boys call it your "heaven". They think you are a zombie but they are not afraid of you. I wonder what you would think of that!
I love you.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Cookies
- 1 package (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
- 2 eggs
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Stir together the cake mix, baking powder, & pumpkin spice. Add eggs, oil, & vanilla extract then mix until well blended. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Lame Sauce
I took a shower last night and as I was drying my face off, I pulled my nose piercing out. I've only had it for a month and I was not ready to take it out yet. I spent 45 minutes trying to get the effing thing back in and I couldn't. The only thing that I managed to do was make my nose sore & it bled a little. Xander came into the bathroom while I was messing with it and he was like, "That's ok mom, I didn't like it anyway." And the sucky thing is that I couldn't have gone anywhere to have it fixed last night because it was a Sunday night & tattoo/piercing places are closed. And I'm broke. BALLS!
I volunteered for Gen Con this year but I can't go. A free 4 day pass & I can't take advantage of it. Aaron started a new job last week & he can't take the time off of work like he was going to. Sarah said she'd watch the boys on Thursday & Friday but I don't have the $$$ to play in any events & I'd have to come home after my shift to get the boys anyway. Saturday is the Ingalls Back-To-School fair & I am on the park board so I should probably be there & Sunday is my regularly scheduled D&D game. I'm not going to cancel on the guys or try to get them to switch the day because they've done that for me way too much already.
BALLS!!!!
I stayed at Rob's house after the D&D game last night to watch True Blood. It was a lot of fun to hang out with him and he made this really awesome chicken alfredo ravioli stuff for dinner. We also watched a movie called The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green. It's about a gay guy that can't seem to get his dating life in order because he's always trying to find the "perfect guy" and so he always finds something wrong with the guys that he is currently dating, even if they are really hot & nice. We started to watch Camp but Rob decided to show me the other movie because the main actor was also in it and it was a lot funnier. Daniel Letterle is so stinking cute! He looks like a young Ben Browder,
True Blood was really good last night. SPOILER ALERT!!!: The scene where Tara bashed in Franklin's head with a mace was super gruesome. Honestly, though, I would've gone for the double headed axe that was hanging on the wall & chopped off the fucker's head. Tara may have had a critical hit with the mace but it takes more than that to kill a vampire. You know that Franklin isn't dead & he WILL be back to terrorize her some more! I also loved the scene in the beginning when Bill goes crazy & stakes the vamp lackey in the King of Mississippi's house. Both Sookie & Talbot, the King's "wife", scream like little girls!!! And when the King throws Bill up into the ceiling, Talbot screams again in horror at the destruction of his home. I wish I could find a video clip of that part.
I guess those last two paragraphs weren't lame sauce but there it is.
I volunteered for Gen Con this year but I can't go. A free 4 day pass & I can't take advantage of it. Aaron started a new job last week & he can't take the time off of work like he was going to. Sarah said she'd watch the boys on Thursday & Friday but I don't have the $$$ to play in any events & I'd have to come home after my shift to get the boys anyway. Saturday is the Ingalls Back-To-School fair & I am on the park board so I should probably be there & Sunday is my regularly scheduled D&D game. I'm not going to cancel on the guys or try to get them to switch the day because they've done that for me way too much already.
BALLS!!!!
I stayed at Rob's house after the D&D game last night to watch True Blood. It was a lot of fun to hang out with him and he made this really awesome chicken alfredo ravioli stuff for dinner. We also watched a movie called The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green. It's about a gay guy that can't seem to get his dating life in order because he's always trying to find the "perfect guy" and so he always finds something wrong with the guys that he is currently dating, even if they are really hot & nice. We started to watch Camp but Rob decided to show me the other movie because the main actor was also in it and it was a lot funnier. Daniel Letterle is so stinking cute! He looks like a young Ben Browder,
True Blood was really good last night. SPOILER ALERT!!!: The scene where Tara bashed in Franklin's head with a mace was super gruesome. Honestly, though, I would've gone for the double headed axe that was hanging on the wall & chopped off the fucker's head. Tara may have had a critical hit with the mace but it takes more than that to kill a vampire. You know that Franklin isn't dead & he WILL be back to terrorize her some more! I also loved the scene in the beginning when Bill goes crazy & stakes the vamp lackey in the King of Mississippi's house. Both Sookie & Talbot, the King's "wife", scream like little girls!!! And when the King throws Bill up into the ceiling, Talbot screams again in horror at the destruction of his home. I wish I could find a video clip of that part.
I guess those last two paragraphs weren't lame sauce but there it is.
Harrowdale Campaign - Game #8/9
I didn't get a chance to blog about game #8 & we just finished game #9 so I'm going to combine the 2 sessions into one blog. Game #9 only lasted 2 hrs. because we foiled Randy's evil plans by casting teleport and escaping the Underdark with only one encounter. It's probably a really good thing that this session was short because I was rolling very, very, VERY badly.
☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠
It has been two years since the four of us were together and we are slowly bringing the races of Faerûn together. Katniss went to convince the dwarves of our dire need for assistance, Trey has been busy uniting the humans of the Dalelands, and Vicho had gone to Candlekeep to research the swords & to gather the elves under his banner. I was at the court of my father, Vorlac, recruiting as many of the forest creatures as I could.
Vicho, Trey, & I were able to bring representatives of each of our factions to the Standing Stone for the Dalelands Council however, Katniss was strangely absent. I hope that she has not had too much difficulty with the stubborn dwarves although it is more likely that she is eating & drinking them out of their subterranean homes. Vicho spoke very eloquently about the dream of Cormanthyr and the need to unite in order to realize that dream. We bickered and bartered and flattered one another for days, finally coming to the agreement that we would act as allies in the upcoming days.
During the council, Vicho honored us by knighting us and making us official members of his court. He also presented us with a brooch of his design and it was personalized to each of us. My particular brooch grants me arcane sight without having to cast the spell as well as stabilizing me should I suffer a grievous enough injury. He also introduced us to his cohort, Rocathia - an elven ranger & cleric, and the guards the he had traveled with. I believe that Rocathia is genuinely passionate about restoring Cormanthyr and believes in what Vicho and the rest of us are trying to do.
Vicho also shared some information with me that he learned about my father. Vorlac is a very ancient fey that is not from this world. At some point in his very shaded past he was beguiled by a shadow demon and he has become a perversion of what he was. He has become one with the forest and as a result he is very long lived but he corrupts his environment, turning it from woodlands to swamp.
It was decided that our first course of action would be to find the missing Elfblades and when the council convened, we traveled to Shadowdale to enter the Underdark by means of the passage underneath the Twisted Tower. We walked the dark paths for several days before we found the ruined city of Maerimydra. As we were standing upon the precipice overlooking the city, I stepped into the middle of a BIG FAT BLACK PUDDING. Fortunately, I was able to sidestep its attack and we dispatched the creature very quickly.
We made our way down into the city & once there we had to locate an old, secret temple dedicated to the Spider Queen, which was made easy due to the commune that Vicho has with the Crown Blade. The sword gave him the image of the house that the temple was located in & by means of telepathic bond, we were all able to see the house and to aid in the search.
We searched through the abandoned temple, finding no sign of the sword and only a single wraith. We did come across a strange room that looked as if it resided under the belly of a gigantic spider, with it's 8 legs coming down into the room. There was a sacrificial altar in the middle of the room with a deep pool dug around it and a mechanism that, when turned, opened a hidden door. With each turn of the device, one of the legs would come down into the alcove and we realized that it was just big enough to place a...person. The leg would pierce the body and the blood would drain into the pool in the middle of the room.
When we reached the "throne room" of the main priestess, Vicho's telepathic commune with his sword was negated so we quickly retreated from the room. A simple study of the magic in the room revealed it to be unhallowed & as we left it, Vicho was able to speak with the Crown Blade again. The sword gave him a vision of the War Blade rising from a pool of blood & with that, Vicho led us back to the room with the giant spider torture device. Once there, Vicho determined that if we used each of the 8 legs to offer blood into the pool, that the sword would rise from it's depths. I objected to such extreme measures & conjectured that simply putting a few drops into the pool would suffice.
Vicho did not want me to harm myself but I walked to the edge of the pool & sliced my own arm, letting the blood fall into it's depths. The blood sizzled as if it was burning but there was no other reaction so Vicho put his arm into one of the alcoves & told Trey to turn it. I admired Vicho's bravery & I held his hand as he let the abhorrent machine pierce his flesh. Both he and Trey gave blood to the machine, four times each - I had offered my own blood but Vicho refused to let me be harmed...or maybe he was afraid my blood would change the properties of the sword, as it did the Bane Blade...but as the last drops of blood ran down into the pool the belly of the spider opened and the War Blade was revealed.
At the same time that the sword was lowered, a most loathsome creature began to rise from the pool - we had awakened a drow lich. I was able to get through his magical resistance and bathed his dead flesh in spellfire but I had held back and I was not able to harm him as much as I could have. I would not have another chance to do so again. The lich cast a foul spell that would do most grievous injury to those of us who were living but leave his dessicated body unharmed. As the poisonous cloud descended upon us, Trey & Vicho leaped down into the pool to attack the lich, knowing that the cloud would eventually come to rest at the bottom of it. The lich was able to cast one more spell, killing Rocathia, before Vicho ended his unnatural life forever.
Both Trey & Vicho were harmed badly by the cloudkill spell but we decided to press on so that we could return to The Elven Court as quickly as possible. As we were leaving the ruins of the city we encountered a pair of driders. I acted immediately and used a wand to cast fireball at them but something was affecting my magic and it wasn't as powerful as it should have been. I think it may have been the radiation of the Underdark or maybe it was the driders' natural resistance to magic but my spells would not find their mark. (Note: I actually rolled a 1 on trying to bypass spell resistance & failed to bypass it several other times!)
We had a tough time with the driders and we should have spent some time recovering from our encounter with the lich but that had not been an option. We were able to kill one of the driders but the other one ran away and so it was decided that we would teleport out of the Underdark and back to the Elven Court. I was a little nervous to try a transportation spell while down there, especially with the way my magic had been affected thus far but the others felt that it was our safest bet. I was able to cast the spell perfectly and we made it back to the safety of the court, where we gave Rocathia's body into the hands of the clerics and allowed our own injuries to be treated.
Katniss arrived while we were recovering and we learned that she & the dwarves had traveled the tunnels of the Underdark and that they had encountered many demons and other nasty creatures. They had started out with a force of 300 but by the time they had reached the Standing Stone only half of them had survived. Katniss had come ahead to the Elven Court to prepare everyone for the dwarves arrival.
In the coming days we will be searching for the Artblade and from there we will attempt to clear the drow from the lands of Cormanthyr. I will also have to do something about Vorlac and to finish the cure of Gerard. Trey has to deal with the Baron, who is trying to undermine Trey's power in the Dalelands. Katniss is still something of a mystery, even though we have traveled with her for many years now. I have a feeling that she is hiding more than we know and that it may come to haunt all of us.
And Vicho...poor Vicho...he is growing old before he is ready. He inhabits the body of a grown man but his heart has always been that of a playful teenage boy. I can see the light dying in his eyes and his shoulders becoming slumped with the burdens of responsibility. But Vicho is handling everything with amazing tenacity and there are times when I see a glimmer of his child-like joy resurface..
It has been two years since the four of us were together and we are slowly bringing the races of Faerûn together. Katniss went to convince the dwarves of our dire need for assistance, Trey has been busy uniting the humans of the Dalelands, and Vicho had gone to Candlekeep to research the swords & to gather the elves under his banner. I was at the court of my father, Vorlac, recruiting as many of the forest creatures as I could.
Vicho, Trey, & I were able to bring representatives of each of our factions to the Standing Stone for the Dalelands Council however, Katniss was strangely absent. I hope that she has not had too much difficulty with the stubborn dwarves although it is more likely that she is eating & drinking them out of their subterranean homes. Vicho spoke very eloquently about the dream of Cormanthyr and the need to unite in order to realize that dream. We bickered and bartered and flattered one another for days, finally coming to the agreement that we would act as allies in the upcoming days.
During the council, Vicho honored us by knighting us and making us official members of his court. He also presented us with a brooch of his design and it was personalized to each of us. My particular brooch grants me arcane sight without having to cast the spell as well as stabilizing me should I suffer a grievous enough injury. He also introduced us to his cohort, Rocathia - an elven ranger & cleric, and the guards the he had traveled with. I believe that Rocathia is genuinely passionate about restoring Cormanthyr and believes in what Vicho and the rest of us are trying to do.
Vicho also shared some information with me that he learned about my father. Vorlac is a very ancient fey that is not from this world. At some point in his very shaded past he was beguiled by a shadow demon and he has become a perversion of what he was. He has become one with the forest and as a result he is very long lived but he corrupts his environment, turning it from woodlands to swamp.
It was decided that our first course of action would be to find the missing Elfblades and when the council convened, we traveled to Shadowdale to enter the Underdark by means of the passage underneath the Twisted Tower. We walked the dark paths for several days before we found the ruined city of Maerimydra. As we were standing upon the precipice overlooking the city, I stepped into the middle of a BIG FAT BLACK PUDDING. Fortunately, I was able to sidestep its attack and we dispatched the creature very quickly.
We made our way down into the city & once there we had to locate an old, secret temple dedicated to the Spider Queen, which was made easy due to the commune that Vicho has with the Crown Blade. The sword gave him the image of the house that the temple was located in & by means of telepathic bond, we were all able to see the house and to aid in the search.
We searched through the abandoned temple, finding no sign of the sword and only a single wraith. We did come across a strange room that looked as if it resided under the belly of a gigantic spider, with it's 8 legs coming down into the room. There was a sacrificial altar in the middle of the room with a deep pool dug around it and a mechanism that, when turned, opened a hidden door. With each turn of the device, one of the legs would come down into the alcove and we realized that it was just big enough to place a...person. The leg would pierce the body and the blood would drain into the pool in the middle of the room.
When we reached the "throne room" of the main priestess, Vicho's telepathic commune with his sword was negated so we quickly retreated from the room. A simple study of the magic in the room revealed it to be unhallowed & as we left it, Vicho was able to speak with the Crown Blade again. The sword gave him a vision of the War Blade rising from a pool of blood & with that, Vicho led us back to the room with the giant spider torture device. Once there, Vicho determined that if we used each of the 8 legs to offer blood into the pool, that the sword would rise from it's depths. I objected to such extreme measures & conjectured that simply putting a few drops into the pool would suffice.
Vicho did not want me to harm myself but I walked to the edge of the pool & sliced my own arm, letting the blood fall into it's depths. The blood sizzled as if it was burning but there was no other reaction so Vicho put his arm into one of the alcoves & told Trey to turn it. I admired Vicho's bravery & I held his hand as he let the abhorrent machine pierce his flesh. Both he and Trey gave blood to the machine, four times each - I had offered my own blood but Vicho refused to let me be harmed...or maybe he was afraid my blood would change the properties of the sword, as it did the Bane Blade...but as the last drops of blood ran down into the pool the belly of the spider opened and the War Blade was revealed.
At the same time that the sword was lowered, a most loathsome creature began to rise from the pool - we had awakened a drow lich. I was able to get through his magical resistance and bathed his dead flesh in spellfire but I had held back and I was not able to harm him as much as I could have. I would not have another chance to do so again. The lich cast a foul spell that would do most grievous injury to those of us who were living but leave his dessicated body unharmed. As the poisonous cloud descended upon us, Trey & Vicho leaped down into the pool to attack the lich, knowing that the cloud would eventually come to rest at the bottom of it. The lich was able to cast one more spell, killing Rocathia, before Vicho ended his unnatural life forever.
Both Trey & Vicho were harmed badly by the cloudkill spell but we decided to press on so that we could return to The Elven Court as quickly as possible. As we were leaving the ruins of the city we encountered a pair of driders. I acted immediately and used a wand to cast fireball at them but something was affecting my magic and it wasn't as powerful as it should have been. I think it may have been the radiation of the Underdark or maybe it was the driders' natural resistance to magic but my spells would not find their mark. (Note: I actually rolled a 1 on trying to bypass spell resistance & failed to bypass it several other times!)
We had a tough time with the driders and we should have spent some time recovering from our encounter with the lich but that had not been an option. We were able to kill one of the driders but the other one ran away and so it was decided that we would teleport out of the Underdark and back to the Elven Court. I was a little nervous to try a transportation spell while down there, especially with the way my magic had been affected thus far but the others felt that it was our safest bet. I was able to cast the spell perfectly and we made it back to the safety of the court, where we gave Rocathia's body into the hands of the clerics and allowed our own injuries to be treated.
Katniss arrived while we were recovering and we learned that she & the dwarves had traveled the tunnels of the Underdark and that they had encountered many demons and other nasty creatures. They had started out with a force of 300 but by the time they had reached the Standing Stone only half of them had survived. Katniss had come ahead to the Elven Court to prepare everyone for the dwarves arrival.
In the coming days we will be searching for the Artblade and from there we will attempt to clear the drow from the lands of Cormanthyr. I will also have to do something about Vorlac and to finish the cure of Gerard. Trey has to deal with the Baron, who is trying to undermine Trey's power in the Dalelands. Katniss is still something of a mystery, even though we have traveled with her for many years now. I have a feeling that she is hiding more than we know and that it may come to haunt all of us.
And Vicho...poor Vicho...he is growing old before he is ready. He inhabits the body of a grown man but his heart has always been that of a playful teenage boy. I can see the light dying in his eyes and his shoulders becoming slumped with the burdens of responsibility. But Vicho is handling everything with amazing tenacity and there are times when I see a glimmer of his child-like joy resurface..
Friday, July 23, 2010
Try Walking In My Shoes
I'm probably going to regret blogging about this but it's 2:30 AM & I can't sleep and I have a feeling that this issue is part of the reason why I can't sleep.
I have a lot of friends of different backgrounds and beliefs and for the most part, I am able to get along with all of them. I have my D&D friends, my MOMS club friends, my art school friends. I have Christian friends and atheist friends & gay friends & straight friends. I have friends that are married & have kids and I have single & kid-free friends. I have Republican friends & Democratic friends.
I'd like to think that I am able to have friendships with all sorts of different people because I can be respectful of the differences between us even if I don't agree with their beliefs. As Voltaire once said, "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." Or maybe it was W.C. Fields, "I am free of all prejudices. I hate every one equally."
But sometimes I have to wonder at what point to I draw the line when a friend or family member seems to be pushing the boundaries.
I have quite a few Christian friends & I know that they are very strong in their beliefs. I try to respect that even if I don't have the same beliefs and when they talk about God or they want to pray, I don't get all crazy with them. I choose to be there with them & if I don't want to hear it, I can get up and leave but for the most part none of my friends go overboard with religion.
But there is always one person...
It's not a person that lives close to me but it's someone that I talk to often and whenever I talk to this person, they have to bring up their faith in GOD and their belief that HE will deliver on their prayers and that if I would just have faith, my prayers would be answered, too! HALLELUJAH! I just have to have faith and someday I will believe and I will answer THE CALL!
I've tried to be respectful to this person because I really do care about them and I don't want to cause hard feelings between us. But it's getting to the point where I feel like I will explode all over the person if I hear them talk about GOD one more time!!! I almost feel like they are pushing this on me because they are trying harder to convince themselves of their faithfulness then they are of trying to convert me!
I know that I should just ignore it and move on because I don't want to cut the person out of my life but I feel like they are being DISRESPECTFUL to me by constantly bringing it up when they know how I feel about it. Yet, at the same time, I feel like that if I ask them to knock it off then I'm being just as bad as they are.
I dunno if that makes any sense.
I guess I will just try this. I will say, "Look. You know that I love you but the constant proselytizing is getting old. I know how you feel about the subject. You don't need to convince me that you are a good Christian. You know how I feel about it & if you keep pushing it on me is just going to make me resist it all the more. Please respect MY feelings on the matter."
I'm just so tired of the whole thing. I don't have to be a Christian to be a good person.
I have a lot of friends of different backgrounds and beliefs and for the most part, I am able to get along with all of them. I have my D&D friends, my MOMS club friends, my art school friends. I have Christian friends and atheist friends & gay friends & straight friends. I have friends that are married & have kids and I have single & kid-free friends. I have Republican friends & Democratic friends.
I'd like to think that I am able to have friendships with all sorts of different people because I can be respectful of the differences between us even if I don't agree with their beliefs. As Voltaire once said, "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." Or maybe it was W.C. Fields, "I am free of all prejudices. I hate every one equally."
But sometimes I have to wonder at what point to I draw the line when a friend or family member seems to be pushing the boundaries.
I have quite a few Christian friends & I know that they are very strong in their beliefs. I try to respect that even if I don't have the same beliefs and when they talk about God or they want to pray, I don't get all crazy with them. I choose to be there with them & if I don't want to hear it, I can get up and leave but for the most part none of my friends go overboard with religion.
But there is always one person...
It's not a person that lives close to me but it's someone that I talk to often and whenever I talk to this person, they have to bring up their faith in GOD and their belief that HE will deliver on their prayers and that if I would just have faith, my prayers would be answered, too! HALLELUJAH! I just have to have faith and someday I will believe and I will answer THE CALL!
I've tried to be respectful to this person because I really do care about them and I don't want to cause hard feelings between us. But it's getting to the point where I feel like I will explode all over the person if I hear them talk about GOD one more time!!! I almost feel like they are pushing this on me because they are trying harder to convince themselves of their faithfulness then they are of trying to convert me!
I know that I should just ignore it and move on because I don't want to cut the person out of my life but I feel like they are being DISRESPECTFUL to me by constantly bringing it up when they know how I feel about it. Yet, at the same time, I feel like that if I ask them to knock it off then I'm being just as bad as they are.
I dunno if that makes any sense.
I guess I will just try this. I will say, "Look. You know that I love you but the constant proselytizing is getting old. I know how you feel about the subject. You don't need to convince me that you are a good Christian. You know how I feel about it & if you keep pushing it on me is just going to make me resist it all the more. Please respect MY feelings on the matter."
I'm just so tired of the whole thing. I don't have to be a Christian to be a good person.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Peektures
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| Having fun at the water park |
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| Nana & the boys |
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| Xander, being cute |
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| My boys |
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| Zach, being cute |
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| BUGS! |
Stuff
- Left over spaghetti often tastes better than when it's first made.
- Fire beans are the magical fruit that makes you toot. Not to be confused with Lima beans.
- Vincent & The Doctor is the best episode of this season's Doctor Who. It also sounds like a really cool band name.
- Although The Lodger, episode 11 of series 5, features the Doctor with no shirt on & running around in only a bath towel. That makes it the second best episode of the season.
- The Last Unicorn makes me cry every time I watch it. Xander asked to watch it today but he says the opening song is very boring. I like it.
- I've decided that if I ever do get the fantasy themed tattoo that unicorn will look like The Last Unicorn.
- The Fairy is going to look like Elinore from Wizards & Smaug from The Hobbit will be the dragon in my tattoo.
- I made my mom a scrapbook for her birthday & I let the boys decorate some of the pages. It's the first time I've ever scrapped and it was fun.
- I got a bunch of scrapbooking stuff for Christmas a few years back & I have never used it because I don't really have a place to spread out. I took over the table for 2 days & the boys bugged me the whole time.
- I'd like to make a scrapbook for my dad & my mother-in-law for Christmas.
- Aaron started a new job today and now he can't request time off for me to work at Gen Con. Hopefully I'll be able to find a babysitter.
- I'm glad he has a new job but it really sucks that I might not get to go to Gen Con. I volunteered this year so that I can get in free because it's too expensive to pay for it.
- I may tie my children up & leave them in a closet if I can't find a babysitter.
- At what point to we forgive our parents for the things that they did to us when we were growing up?
- I'm still having issues with that myself. Maybe I'd better not lock the boys in a closet...
- I need to write a blog for the last D&D session, which was almost 2 weeks ago. We have another session this Sunday.
- I have to go to my dad's on Saturday for his wedding reception & I'm going to my mom's after that to give her the scrapbook. Then I'm getting drunk at my neighbor's house after that.
- I'm hungry.
- I think The Police are one of my top 5 favorite bands.
- Along with The Cure...
- I don't think I have a top 5 favorite bands anymore.
- I used to really like Tool, Type O Negative, Anthrax, Queens of The Stone Age, & Coheed & Cambria.
- I still like those bands but I couldn't listen to all of their albums in a row. I have to listen to them in bursts, unlike The Cure or The Police.
- I think I was born in the wrong decade.
- I should've been born in the late 60's so that I could have really enjoyed the '80's.
- Sting's voice gives me chills.
- I have an unhealthy fascination with his daughter because she looks & sounds just like him.
- I'm totally geigh for her.
- http://glastoblog.orange.co.uk/2010/6/26/liam-bailey-on-stage-with-i-blame-coco
- I wish I lived in London, England.
- I'm really kind of bored with both of the books that I am currently reading.
- Goodnight.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Hex Color Finder 3.0
Somewhere Over The Rainbow
I'm still fighting the black mood that I've been in for the past couple of weeks but I think I have finally figured out what's been bothering me. I can't really blog about the details but it's safe to say that I'm having some daddy issues. He's coming over on Monday so that we can talk and I'm hoping that once I get it all out, I'll feel better.
I'm definitely the type of person that needs to talk about what's bothering me because if I don't, it just festers inside until it affects every aspect of my life. It normally isn't a big deal when it's something little but sometimes I'm afraid of hurting the person that I'm upset with & I'll just keep it to myself because I don't want to ruin my friendship/relationship with that person. That only makes it worse because I get into a foul mood & things come out catty or insulting when I'm just frustrated with myself for not being able to articulate how I feel.
I'm pretty good at putting stuff into words but when it comes to actually speaking what I'm thinking, I get all flustered and I forget what I want to say. Maybe I should write down some of the stuff that I need to talk to my dad about tomorrow. Good idea. I just hope that I can talk to him without him getting to mad at me. Well, he probably will get upset but he's my dad & he has to love me even if he's mad at me.
I went to Rob's last night to hang out and we watched last week's episode of True Blood, The Hangover, & Wizards. I can't believe that I've never seen Wizards before. It was such a cool movie and I love the artwork/illustration. Rob said that Elinore, the fairy queen, reminded him of me. I would love to incorporate her into a fantasy themed tattoo - complete with a unicorn, a castle, a dragon, an owl & maybe even an octopus. If I had the cash & I was skinnier, I would love to get that as a half sleeve on my right arm.
The Hangover was really funny. Someone told me that it wasn't as funny as they expected it to be and that all the good parts were shown in the previews (I can't remember who it was - it was Rachel!) but I thought it was pretty good. Zach Galifianakis was just so wrong when he was making the baby pantomime masturbate but he was also really funny. And the nekkid Asian dude jumping out of the trunk & landing on the other guy's shoulders was probably the funniest part of the movie. "You gonna fuck on me!"
Another episode of True Blood is on tonight but I am going to refrain from watching it so that I can watch it with Rob next Sunday. It's such a good show. Eric Northman is my new crush & Rob is in love with Alcide - which is good because it means we don't have to fight over a man. :) I'm so glad that they decided to keep Lafayette's character because he is one of the high points of the show.
The Fitness Update from week #4 is going to be rolled into this post because it's not very long. In fact, there is no update. I didn't really exercise - aside from mowing the lawn & I ate like crap. I haven't even weight myself because I know that I've probably gained weight again. It's a new week and I'll just have to try to do better this time.
I'm definitely the type of person that needs to talk about what's bothering me because if I don't, it just festers inside until it affects every aspect of my life. It normally isn't a big deal when it's something little but sometimes I'm afraid of hurting the person that I'm upset with & I'll just keep it to myself because I don't want to ruin my friendship/relationship with that person. That only makes it worse because I get into a foul mood & things come out catty or insulting when I'm just frustrated with myself for not being able to articulate how I feel.
I'm pretty good at putting stuff into words but when it comes to actually speaking what I'm thinking, I get all flustered and I forget what I want to say. Maybe I should write down some of the stuff that I need to talk to my dad about tomorrow. Good idea. I just hope that I can talk to him without him getting to mad at me. Well, he probably will get upset but he's my dad & he has to love me even if he's mad at me.
I went to Rob's last night to hang out and we watched last week's episode of True Blood, The Hangover, & Wizards. I can't believe that I've never seen Wizards before. It was such a cool movie and I love the artwork/illustration. Rob said that Elinore, the fairy queen, reminded him of me. I would love to incorporate her into a fantasy themed tattoo - complete with a unicorn, a castle, a dragon, an owl & maybe even an octopus. If I had the cash & I was skinnier, I would love to get that as a half sleeve on my right arm.
The Hangover was really funny. Someone told me that it wasn't as funny as they expected it to be and that all the good parts were shown in the previews (
Another episode of True Blood is on tonight but I am going to refrain from watching it so that I can watch it with Rob next Sunday. It's such a good show. Eric Northman is my new crush & Rob is in love with Alcide - which is good because it means we don't have to fight over a man. :) I'm so glad that they decided to keep Lafayette's character because he is one of the high points of the show.
The Fitness Update from week #4 is going to be rolled into this post because it's not very long. In fact, there is no update. I didn't really exercise - aside from mowing the lawn & I ate like crap. I haven't even weight myself because I know that I've probably gained weight again. It's a new week and I'll just have to try to do better this time.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Self Machine
I have 2 healthy kids who just happen to be pretty darn good most of the time. I have a husband who loves me despite of my wild mood swings & random periods of self loathing. I have friends who must like me or they wouldn't hang out with me. I have a roof over my head & food in my belly. I have a car to get me from point A to point B. I get to stay home with my kids instead of spending most of my time stuck in a job that I hate. I don't have to buy clothing from a catalog because I'm too fat to leave the house.
So why do I feel like there is something missing?
All of my sources of happiness come from outside of me. What key piece am I lacking that would create happiness within me?
Some people would say that it's God and that I need to accept him in order to be happy. Others would say that it's a chemical imbalance and that I need medication. The rest of you would just tell me to shut the fuck up and get over it.
Lonely robot in a wasteland
Rusting in a lonely harbor
Lonely robot in a wasteland
Rusting in the harbor’s water
I’m not a human if you say I’m not
I’m not a human if my engines lock
And this motor that you call my heart
Is another machine that won't stop
I Blame Coco
So why do I feel like there is something missing?
All of my sources of happiness come from outside of me. What key piece am I lacking that would create happiness within me?
Some people would say that it's God and that I need to accept him in order to be happy. Others would say that it's a chemical imbalance and that I need medication. The rest of you would just tell me to shut the fuck up and get over it.
Lonely robot in a wasteland
Rusting in a lonely harbor
Lonely robot in a wasteland
Rusting in the harbor’s water
I’m not a human if you say I’m not
I’m not a human if my engines lock
And this motor that you call my heart
Is another machine that won't stop
I Blame Coco
Mix CD - 7/14/10
1. Catharsis - Anthrax
2. Cry Little Sister - Gerard McMann
3. Self Machine - I Blame Coco
4. The Artist In The Ambulance - Thrice
5. Vlad The Impaler - Kasabian
6. Take Me As I Am - Au Revoir Simone
7. God Has A Voice She Speaks Through Me - Concorosie
8. In Transit - Mark Hoppus Feat. Pete Wentz
9. Hello Again - Lostprophets
10. Kings And Queens - 30 Seconds To Mars
11. The Difference Between Us - The Dead Weather
12. Circle Of Filth - Ipso Facto
13. Burberry Blue Eyes - Razorlight
14. When Ginny Kissed Harry - Nicholas Hooper
15. Backass - Karen O Feat. Peaches
16. Rome - Yeasayer
17. From A Whisper To A Screem - Allen Toussaint
18. The Constant - I Blame Coco
19. (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Heaven 17
20. STD Fury - Javelin
2. Cry Little Sister - Gerard McMann
3. Self Machine - I Blame Coco
4. The Artist In The Ambulance - Thrice
5. Vlad The Impaler - Kasabian
6. Take Me As I Am - Au Revoir Simone
7. God Has A Voice She Speaks Through Me - Concorosie
8. In Transit - Mark Hoppus Feat. Pete Wentz
9. Hello Again - Lostprophets
10. Kings And Queens - 30 Seconds To Mars
11. The Difference Between Us - The Dead Weather
12. Circle Of Filth - Ipso Facto
13. Burberry Blue Eyes - Razorlight
14. When Ginny Kissed Harry - Nicholas Hooper
15. Backass - Karen O Feat. Peaches
16. Rome - Yeasayer
17. From A Whisper To A Screem - Allen Toussaint
18. The Constant - I Blame Coco
19. (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Heaven 17
20. STD Fury - Javelin
Monday, July 12, 2010
Fitness Week #3 Update
Last week sucked. IT.SUCKED.BIG.FAT.HAIRY.DONKEY.BALLS.
I slacked off on exercise all week. One day I rode my exercise bike for 20 minutes & I only got up once to walk for an hour. I babysat my neighbor's kids and we did a lot of stuff with them during the week. I need to pace myself better. I started out the week with a lot of energy and by Friday, I wanted to sleep all day. I've always tried to do too much at once and burned myself out very quickly.
I slipped right back into my old habits when it came to food. No breakfast & seconds at dinner time. I still ate salads for lunch but I got it into my head that because of the salads, I could eat the brownies or candy or whatever.
I.CAN.NOT.HAVE.JUNK.FOOD.IN.MY.HOUSE. At all. No soda, chips, candy, brownies, ice cream, cake. Nothing. I can not control myself when it is in the house.
I ate fast food 3 times this weekend and justified it with being too tired to cook or it would be too late to cook when I got home or it was getting late and the boys needed to eat or I had salads for lunch all week so I can eat McDonald's. BULLSHIT.
I ate junk food at Rob's house on Sunday, when we played D&D. D&D games are one of the hardest times for me because there are always unhealthy - BUT YUMMY - food stuffs. I know this and I should bring my own healthy snack with me but I don't because I WANT to eat the bad food.
I weighed myself this morning and I gained back 4 lbs.
I am very pissed off at myself right now.
I don't have any excuse for the back sliding.
I HAVE to do better. The only person that I have to blame is myself.
Weight loss from week #1: - 4 lbs.
Weight loss from week #2: - 3 lbs.
Weightloss gain from week #3: +4 lbs.
Things I've learned from the past week:
I slacked off on exercise all week. One day I rode my exercise bike for 20 minutes & I only got up once to walk for an hour. I babysat my neighbor's kids and we did a lot of stuff with them during the week. I need to pace myself better. I started out the week with a lot of energy and by Friday, I wanted to sleep all day. I've always tried to do too much at once and burned myself out very quickly.
I slipped right back into my old habits when it came to food. No breakfast & seconds at dinner time. I still ate salads for lunch but I got it into my head that because of the salads, I could eat the brownies or candy or whatever.
I.CAN.NOT.HAVE.JUNK.FOOD.IN.MY.HOUSE. At all. No soda, chips, candy, brownies, ice cream, cake. Nothing. I can not control myself when it is in the house.
I ate fast food 3 times this weekend and justified it with being too tired to cook or it would be too late to cook when I got home or it was getting late and the boys needed to eat or I had salads for lunch all week so I can eat McDonald's. BULLSHIT.
I ate junk food at Rob's house on Sunday, when we played D&D. D&D games are one of the hardest times for me because there are always unhealthy - BUT YUMMY - food stuffs. I know this and I should bring my own healthy snack with me but I don't because I WANT to eat the bad food.
I weighed myself this morning and I gained back 4 lbs.
I am very pissed off at myself right now.
I don't have any excuse for the back sliding.
I HAVE to do better. The only person that I have to blame is myself.
Weight loss from week #1: - 4 lbs.
Weight loss from week #2: - 3 lbs.
Weight
Things I've learned from the past week:
- No junk food shall be kept in this house. If someone brings a tasty treat over, I shall make them take the leftovers home so that I don't over indulge.
- Pace myself when it comes to activities. Maybe alternate the days that I get up early & walk with days where I can sleep in w/the boys and ride my exercise bike.
- Start taking healthy snacks with me when I go to other people's houses or I know it's going to be a long day.
- Pick something easy to make for dinner on the days that I will be out late or start something in the crockpot that morning so that it's ready by the time I get home.
- Salads at lunch do not justify McDonald's.
- I can work hard all week to loose 4 lbs. but doing nothing/eating bad will make me gain them back.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Harrowdale Campaign - Game #7 (Solo-ish game)
Randy wanted to advance the game by a couple of years and he wanted us to go off and do some things by ourselves so he ran a "solo" game for Rob & I. Rob's character & mine started the game out together but then our characters went our separate ways & Randy would switch between what our characters were doing. He did a good job of balancing what we were doing so that neither one of us sat for too long with nothing to do. He also had me run Rob's cohort for Rob's solo game but I'm only writing about Kaelynn's solo adventure.
☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠
So many things have happened and I'm not sure where to start. I have found my real father and I have learned much about my Fey heritage. There is a cure for Gerard's illness, although I am not sure how I will get the ingredients that are needed. I'm afraid that I will have to kill my father for the unicorn's blood. I have been able to persuade some of the Fey to ally with us but I fear that it's not nearly enough. I stole the Ventari amulet from Em'peri Goldenleaf's house because I did not want it to fall into the wrong hands and Vicho has professed his love for me but I'm not all that sure if his love is for me or for something that he can't have. He told me that he wanted to let me know before he left because he was going to come back a changed person.
I was certain that Em'peri Goldenleaf had been killed for the amulet that we had used to find the Bane Blade so I went to her house before I left town to find my father. The amulet was still there and I am ashamed to admit it but I broke into a dead woman's home & stole her property because I think that we will need to find the Bane Blade again. I did not want the amulet to fall into the wrong hands since it can easily track the sword and anyone who is in possession of it. It does not, however, explain why Em'peri was murdered.
Vorlac, my father, is an Unseelie Fey and he holds court near Myth Drannor. Most of the other Fey under his grasp don't wish to be there but not nearly enough of them want to leave. I was able to recruit about 20% of them to our cause. I spent so much time there but it only seemed like days had passed. If Katniss hadn't found me, I might have never left. My father has this aura about him...I know that he is evil but there is still a tiny flicker of light within him. I tried to reach that side of him and I felt that there were times when I could have brought it forward if I had only known the right words to say to him.
Vorlac expected me to beg for Gerard's life but I would not. I thought that if I was strong and challenged him, that he would have respected me more. I also thought that if I expressed an interest in learning about my Fey blood - the blood that he gave to me - he might have opened up more but I was wrong. Perhaps I should have begged for his help. Maybe he would have responded better to vulnerability instead of strength. It is of no matter now. I have researched Gerard's illness & I have found that it is from a poison. I have also found the antidote but I must have the blood of a unicorn and I have been unable to find one.
Gerard is in stasis, thanks to the help of the cleric of Mystra in Harrowdale. He had finally been given a seat on the town council only to have everything taken away by Vorlac. If my father does not give me the unicorn blood then I will take it from him. I will not be charmed by him again and I will not try to appeal to his sense of compassion. He may call himself my father but the creature will die if I can not save Gerard.
And Vicho...I can sense the strain that all of this new found responsibility is having on him. He has a care-free spirit and should not be burdened with such a heavy load. He seems to be handling what fate has dealt him in a respectable fashion but I fear the changes that he will go through. I'm not sure what to do about his declaration of love, though. Do I pretend that it never happened? Do I acknowledge it and leave things where they stand? I have known him for several years now and I know that the thrill of the chase excites him more than the actual conquest. How do I feel about him? I have always loved him but in a much more sisterly fashion & was that a defense to protect myself from his philandering? Or could my feelings grow into something more if I allow them?
It's almost too much to think about right now and we have so much more to deal with. But who knows what tomorrow may bring and it could be too late...
So many things have happened and I'm not sure where to start. I have found my real father and I have learned much about my Fey heritage. There is a cure for Gerard's illness, although I am not sure how I will get the ingredients that are needed. I'm afraid that I will have to kill my father for the unicorn's blood. I have been able to persuade some of the Fey to ally with us but I fear that it's not nearly enough. I stole the Ventari amulet from Em'peri Goldenleaf's house because I did not want it to fall into the wrong hands and Vicho has professed his love for me but I'm not all that sure if his love is for me or for something that he can't have. He told me that he wanted to let me know before he left because he was going to come back a changed person.
I was certain that Em'peri Goldenleaf had been killed for the amulet that we had used to find the Bane Blade so I went to her house before I left town to find my father. The amulet was still there and I am ashamed to admit it but I broke into a dead woman's home & stole her property because I think that we will need to find the Bane Blade again. I did not want the amulet to fall into the wrong hands since it can easily track the sword and anyone who is in possession of it. It does not, however, explain why Em'peri was murdered.
Vorlac, my father, is an Unseelie Fey and he holds court near Myth Drannor. Most of the other Fey under his grasp don't wish to be there but not nearly enough of them want to leave. I was able to recruit about 20% of them to our cause. I spent so much time there but it only seemed like days had passed. If Katniss hadn't found me, I might have never left. My father has this aura about him...I know that he is evil but there is still a tiny flicker of light within him. I tried to reach that side of him and I felt that there were times when I could have brought it forward if I had only known the right words to say to him.
Vorlac expected me to beg for Gerard's life but I would not. I thought that if I was strong and challenged him, that he would have respected me more. I also thought that if I expressed an interest in learning about my Fey blood - the blood that he gave to me - he might have opened up more but I was wrong. Perhaps I should have begged for his help. Maybe he would have responded better to vulnerability instead of strength. It is of no matter now. I have researched Gerard's illness & I have found that it is from a poison. I have also found the antidote but I must have the blood of a unicorn and I have been unable to find one.
Gerard is in stasis, thanks to the help of the cleric of Mystra in Harrowdale. He had finally been given a seat on the town council only to have everything taken away by Vorlac. If my father does not give me the unicorn blood then I will take it from him. I will not be charmed by him again and I will not try to appeal to his sense of compassion. He may call himself my father but the creature will die if I can not save Gerard.
And Vicho...I can sense the strain that all of this new found responsibility is having on him. He has a care-free spirit and should not be burdened with such a heavy load. He seems to be handling what fate has dealt him in a respectable fashion but I fear the changes that he will go through. I'm not sure what to do about his declaration of love, though. Do I pretend that it never happened? Do I acknowledge it and leave things where they stand? I have known him for several years now and I know that the thrill of the chase excites him more than the actual conquest. How do I feel about him? I have always loved him but in a much more sisterly fashion & was that a defense to protect myself from his philandering? Or could my feelings grow into something more if I allow them?
It's almost too much to think about right now and we have so much more to deal with. But who knows what tomorrow may bring and it could be too late...
D&D Encounters: Dark Sun
I went to Saltire Games a week or so ago after getting an email from my local meetup group that WoTC was sponsoring the events for the evening. I knew before hand that I was going to a 4th edition D&D event so it was not such a shock this time, unlike the game I played at Who's Yer Con. I asked Rob to go with me because I thought it would be interesting to play D&D with him in a different setting and because it was Dark Sun, a campaign setting that I knew he would like.
First off, I want to say that I'm not bashing 4th edition for the sake of bashing 4th edition. This is the 3rd time that I've played the game and my impression has not changed. I.Still.Do.Not.Like.4th.Edition. The monsters were way too powerful for a CR 1 encounter - and the DM even said that they have had to tone down previous encounters. There was absolutely no role playing. There was an awkward attempt at first, when the DM introduced an NPC but it was squelched when the DM failed to give us anything to work with, ending with him saying - "Oh, his name is blah blah blah" without anyone having asked that yet. The DM told us that we were fleeing across the desert but he offered no reason as to why or what we were running from. This may have been covered in a previous Encounter but he could have given a summary to those of us who weren't there.
We were attacked by several dust devils & after the DM killed our healer & the NPC and seriously incapacitated the rest of the party (I got down to 1 hit point!) he says - "You can run away now. The dust devils won't chase you." When it got around to my turn, I examined my options (I was playing a Tiefling psionicist) & saw that I had crappy powers that did me no good for the current encounter, I had no reasons on why I was fleeing with the other members of my party or why I would stay with them, & I had 6 hit points left and our healer was already dead (I had used my healing surge during my previous turn). I did what none of the other PC's had done & I turned tail (literally - my character had a tail) and I ran. I told the DM that I was stopping just out of range of the monsters because I wanted to see what they did with the NPC's body once we all left. His response was, "That's not in the module".
Once I ran away, the other PC's also decided to run away and that was the end of the encounter. It lasted about an hour, total. I know that this was a test run for the module because Dark Sun isn't officially out until August. I also know that as a group we didn't have a rapport because we've never gamed together before and I figure the DM was told to just run straight from the module and to keep the time to one hour. I guess I'm just used to a certain level of DM'ing and role playing that I've achieved with my group and the three 4th edition campaigns that I've played in have lacked that. It could be that if my group were to switch to 4th edition & Rob or Randy were to run the game, it would be a completely different experience.
After the encounter was over the other players said that the pre-generated PC's were crappy and unbalanced & the DM said that module was pretty tough, even above & beyond the CR's listed for each encounter and that they've had to tone it down. I've been playing d&d for around 10 years now and each time that WoTC came out with a new edition of the game I was able to transition easily because enough of the game stayed the same. 4th edition is a completely different game from 3.5 and it's not an easy game to transition to (for me, anyway). The races & classes & monsters may have the same name in 4th edition but they are not the same races & classes & monsters that were in 2nd edition or 3rd or 3.5 (I never played 1st edition).
I found the 4th edition books at Half Price Books and I was tempted to buy them so that I could attempt to familiarize myself with the game but I can't bring myself to pay even $20 for one of them because there are 4 PHB and then there are the power cards. Yes, 3.5 had about 50 bazillion books, to but you could still play the game using just the PHB, the DMG, & the Monster Manual. The first 4th edition PHB didn't have druids, monks, bards, or barbarians in them!
I found a really good review of 4th edition at amazon.com that breaks it down and explains the differences between 3.5 & 4th. It's not likely that our group is ever going to switch to 4e but I still have moments where I want to understand how it is played. Each time I attempt it, though, I am seriously disappointed.
First off, I want to say that I'm not bashing 4th edition for the sake of bashing 4th edition. This is the 3rd time that I've played the game and my impression has not changed. I.Still.Do.Not.Like.4th.Edition. The monsters were way too powerful for a CR 1 encounter - and the DM even said that they have had to tone down previous encounters. There was absolutely no role playing. There was an awkward attempt at first, when the DM introduced an NPC but it was squelched when the DM failed to give us anything to work with, ending with him saying - "Oh, his name is blah blah blah" without anyone having asked that yet. The DM told us that we were fleeing across the desert but he offered no reason as to why or what we were running from. This may have been covered in a previous Encounter but he could have given a summary to those of us who weren't there.
We were attacked by several dust devils & after the DM killed our healer & the NPC and seriously incapacitated the rest of the party (I got down to 1 hit point!) he says - "You can run away now. The dust devils won't chase you." When it got around to my turn, I examined my options (I was playing a Tiefling psionicist) & saw that I had crappy powers that did me no good for the current encounter, I had no reasons on why I was fleeing with the other members of my party or why I would stay with them, & I had 6 hit points left and our healer was already dead (I had used my healing surge during my previous turn). I did what none of the other PC's had done & I turned tail (literally - my character had a tail) and I ran. I told the DM that I was stopping just out of range of the monsters because I wanted to see what they did with the NPC's body once we all left. His response was, "That's not in the module".
Once I ran away, the other PC's also decided to run away and that was the end of the encounter. It lasted about an hour, total. I know that this was a test run for the module because Dark Sun isn't officially out until August. I also know that as a group we didn't have a rapport because we've never gamed together before and I figure the DM was told to just run straight from the module and to keep the time to one hour. I guess I'm just used to a certain level of DM'ing and role playing that I've achieved with my group and the three 4th edition campaigns that I've played in have lacked that. It could be that if my group were to switch to 4th edition & Rob or Randy were to run the game, it would be a completely different experience.
After the encounter was over the other players said that the pre-generated PC's were crappy and unbalanced & the DM said that module was pretty tough, even above & beyond the CR's listed for each encounter and that they've had to tone it down. I've been playing d&d for around 10 years now and each time that WoTC came out with a new edition of the game I was able to transition easily because enough of the game stayed the same. 4th edition is a completely different game from 3.5 and it's not an easy game to transition to (for me, anyway). The races & classes & monsters may have the same name in 4th edition but they are not the same races & classes & monsters that were in 2nd edition or 3rd or 3.5 (I never played 1st edition).
I found the 4th edition books at Half Price Books and I was tempted to buy them so that I could attempt to familiarize myself with the game but I can't bring myself to pay even $20 for one of them because there are 4 PHB and then there are the power cards. Yes, 3.5 had about 50 bazillion books, to but you could still play the game using just the PHB, the DMG, & the Monster Manual. The first 4th edition PHB didn't have druids, monks, bards, or barbarians in them!
I found a really good review of 4th edition at amazon.com that breaks it down and explains the differences between 3.5 & 4th. It's not likely that our group is ever going to switch to 4e but I still have moments where I want to understand how it is played. Each time I attempt it, though, I am seriously disappointed.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Fitness Week #2 Update
Monday - walked for an hour
Tuesday - mowed the lawn, rode my exercise bike for 20 min.
Wednesday - got up at 6 AM to walk for an hour, worked in flower bed for 4 hours
Thursday - worked in Sarah's flower bed from 1 PM until 9 PM
Friday - finished my front flower bed, took 6 hours
Saturday - worked in yard for 2 hours
Sunday - finished flower bed on the side of the house, 3 hours
Weight loss from week #1 - 4 lbs.
Weight loss from week #2 - 3 lbs.
I did really well on my exercise last week. I started out well with how I was eating but by Sunday, I had slacked off. We went to a wedding reception on Saturday and had dinner there. I tried to take smaller portions but by the time the reception was over I was hungry again. I had been drinking and I really wanted Taco Bell so Aaron stopped, although I only had 1 burrito instead of the 3 or 4 things that I would normally get.
I tried to eat light during the day on Sunday because we were having people over for a 4th of July cookout. I only had one hamburger at dinner but I had 2nds on the pasta salad because it was so good. I also tried all of the desserts but I had small portions of them. The brownies that Rob made were sooooooooo good. There are still some brownies left and I took them to a pitch-in today, hoping to get rid of them because they are tempting me.
I'm trying to get motivated to go ride my exercise bike right now but I am so tired & it's super hot outside (my bike is in the garage). I had lunch with Rob yesterday and we went to Steak 'n Shake & I had the grilled chicken salad. I had a 32 oz. raspberry ICEE when we went to see a movie - not sure how many calories are in those (holy crap, it was around 468 calories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). I was starving by the time I headed home and I was so tempted to stop for fast food but I resisted and ate dinner at home....and then I broke down and had 3 brownies before bed (insert mad face here).
Tuesday - mowed the lawn, rode my exercise bike for 20 min.
Wednesday - got up at 6 AM to walk for an hour, worked in flower bed for 4 hours
Thursday - worked in Sarah's flower bed from 1 PM until 9 PM
Friday - finished my front flower bed, took 6 hours
Saturday - worked in yard for 2 hours
Sunday - finished flower bed on the side of the house, 3 hours
Weight loss from week #1 - 4 lbs.
Weight loss from week #2 - 3 lbs.
I did really well on my exercise last week. I started out well with how I was eating but by Sunday, I had slacked off. We went to a wedding reception on Saturday and had dinner there. I tried to take smaller portions but by the time the reception was over I was hungry again. I had been drinking and I really wanted Taco Bell so Aaron stopped, although I only had 1 burrito instead of the 3 or 4 things that I would normally get.
I tried to eat light during the day on Sunday because we were having people over for a 4th of July cookout. I only had one hamburger at dinner but I had 2nds on the pasta salad because it was so good. I also tried all of the desserts but I had small portions of them. The brownies that Rob made were sooooooooo good. There are still some brownies left and I took them to a pitch-in today, hoping to get rid of them because they are tempting me.
I'm trying to get motivated to go ride my exercise bike right now but I am so tired & it's super hot outside (my bike is in the garage). I had lunch with Rob yesterday and we went to Steak 'n Shake & I had the grilled chicken salad. I had a 32 oz. raspberry ICEE when we went to see a movie - not sure how many calories are in those (holy crap, it was around 468 calories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). I was starving by the time I headed home and I was so tempted to stop for fast food but I resisted and ate dinner at home....and then I broke down and had 3 brownies before bed (insert mad face here).
Warning Signs of An Abusive Relationship
- Is jealous or possessive toward you
- Tries to control you by being very bossy or demanding
- Tries to isolate you by demanding you cut off social contacts and friendships
- Is violent and / or loses his or her temper quickly
- Claims you are responsible for his or her emotional state
- Blames you when he or she mistreats you
- Your family and friends have warned you about the person or told you that they are concerned for your safety or emotional well being
- You frequently worry about how he or she will react to things you say or do
- Your partner "rages" when they feel hurt, shame, fear or loss of control
- You have trouble ending the relationship, even though you know inside it's the right thing to do
I've read all of the Twilight books but I am not a "Twihard" (I also liked "Twitard"). I read the books because they were about werewolves and vampires & I like those things. What I didn't like was how whiny and codependent Bella was. I never really picked up on how controlling Edward was in the books because I feel like Bella's issues overshadowed his. Or maybe she just annoyed me a lot more.
And while Bella was constantly telling Jake "No", her body language was telling him "Yes". It's no wonder that the poor jerk tried to kiss her against her will. Yeah, yeah, - I get why that was because Stephanie Meyers explains that in book 4 but it doesn't make it any less annoying. It's just scary to me that there is a whole generation of stupid young girls who are going to use these books as an example of what their relationships should be like.
Rob & I went to see Eclipse yesterday and we saw it on an IMAX screen. First, there were too many close-ups of their faces & the gianormous screen made it even worse. I really didn't want to see Bella's nostril hair every 5 minutes. Next, Bella's constant make out sessions with Edward were bad but then she'd immediately snuggle up next to Jacob's shirtless, hairless chest. I really wanted to punch her in the ovaries. Really hard. The kisses really were lukewarm at best and I couldn't see any of the so-called passion/chemistry that Bella & Edward had. Or that Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson are supposed to have in real life.
The fight scenes in the movie were cool and the only thing that made the sugary dialogue bearable. I just wish there had been more of those. And a few explosions would've been nice, too. I also liked Jasper a lot better in this movie A. because his hair wasn't as dumb and B. because he had a cute Southern drawl.
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