Oh yeah, another holiday where I end up sick. At least the snow's thawed out. But that's only where it starts.
The Day Before
Prior to Christmas, I found myself rather listless. Instead of rushing out to seek work, I set myself to keeping the kids from getting into mischief while my wife sought out her training. It was a short bit, but my those kids do keep you on your feet.
My baby girl quickly figured out how to take steps, and was cruising a bit when I could give her the time to move about. Guess all that walking practice paid off in the long run. You ask what our walking practice is? It's where she grasps a pair of towels or my fingers and toddles about as I walk with her. It works pretty well, and with the towels there is a delay between when she loses her balance and where I arrest her fall. It may seem a little rough, but having a point of reference helps when you're trying to learn something.
My oldest troubles me a bit though. Her appetite has been a bit slack of late, even more so after a stomach bug made her puke. It wasn't until a couple of days after that she would reveal something of why...
Christmas Eve
It was a relatively simple day. All was relatively quiet, and it seemed everyone was well. We had our traditional dinner of Irish Rarebit (Irish Rabbit with Ham instead of Rabbit) and Sparkling Cider. It was exceptionally well done this year, my mom being quite the cook, but it was prepared about 2 hours later than anticipated. As a result, we were unable to head out and look at Christmas lights as we wanted.
I suppose that's what I get for relying so much on others who's reputation for sluggishness is now quite plain. I know Linda won't stand for it much longer, my mom's slowness being thought outright laziness rooted in depression. I find myself agreeing more and more with that opinion with each passing day, coming to the additional conclusion that somewhere she just cares less and less about herself and the effects of her decisions on my daughters' outlook of both herself and themselves.
Ahh...we struggle on, the horizon being closer than last year. I guess I won't be expecting this tradition to continue after our move out by next Spring or Summer. I will miss the rarebit, but the time is coming soon that we move out of this place and into our own digs. But Linda and I beat that dead horse enough outside of the virtual world...
Christmas
Well, the big day comes with a few surprises. The stomach bug strikes again, this time against my wife and our wee one, and I. Expecting to pick it up myself, I ate little more than a few crackers and braced myself...I did finally get it at the end of the day. My parents also took a hit, both picking up the colds that have been circulating.
But it wasn't all bad. Despite the downturn, things were rather cheery. Some extra clothes, a couple new video games - including Wii Music which I have been anticipating and we are rather enjoying (see Game Time) - and some neat little treats for the kids from both grandparents and ourselves.
My oldest got her first CD Player this year, something she's been wanting for months. I'm grateful for that, because now our room will again be pre-teen-pop music free. My baby got a number of new playthings that she can experiment with, but she's more inclined to pitch them every which way instead of try to keep things together. That's what babies do, as I've observed many times before. Indeed, they both have some additional toys that I can almost sit on, step on, or otherwise injure myself on. Let's see how that works out, eh?
After the Holiday
Not much to say about Friday, as I slept through most of it ill with the flu. Today though, I had a round of self-induced idiocy. I forgot to get some things cleaned up, and when I went to exchange something I forgot to pick up another storage tub for our new Christmas knick-knacks. But at least the girls and I had some fun at the fast-food joint, having a nice lunch to ourselves. The stomach illness left me with half the appetite I usually have, so I left my meal unfinished. But I found it odd that my oldest's fries were barely touched. Was it the bigger burger she ordered, or was there something else...
It was later at dinner that she let us know what was going on. She told me that she was trying to take off some weight. A 7-year-old, worrying about her weight! I don't know about Linda, but I took it as quite a shock. I tried to relay to her that she shouldn't worry about it, that she's a growing girl that needs the energy from food to grow. It didn't weaken any of her resolve, my comments discarded with such a flippant attitude.
I have been told I worry to much, but this has me discounting that outright. My daughter's health is at risk the longer she worries about weight loss. I mean, she's at a healthy weight now, and I'd like it to stay healthy. Letting herself go without the food she needs is going to harm her in the long run. I just hope I can convince her of this fact without sounding entirely overbearing.
Game Time!
Alright, enough of the worries around me. Being sick has taken some of the wind out of my sails, but it hasn't kept me from trying out my new games.
Wii Music
The critics have been quite unkind to Shigeru Miyamoto's latest creation, but my wife picked this one up for me this year, and it has been a sheer joy. The controls have been oversimplified, allowing the player to control any instrument with unparalleled ease, with the hopes that you'll use the program to create your own arrangements of up to 50 tracks. Among these tracks are a mix of genres, ranging from classical and rock, pop to reggae, hip-hop to Japanese; and it includes a few of Nintendo's own game tunes.
The wide variety of instruments available - including some off-the-wall choices - three interesting, fun minigames, and a highly customizable part and instrument selector makes this a fun introductory step into music arrangement. Next week I'll have updates about this game, and what I've been able to mix together.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Yes, I finally picked up this late 2007 FPS. Sadly, I had to trade in the game my mother-in-law sent me as a holiday gift. Oh well, I had Super Smash Bros. Brawl already. Bring on a new challenge!
I just had enough time to play through the first couple of hours, but it's whet my appetite for more. I knew the Wii would be an excellent platform for an FPS game. Control was tight and responsive, even at low battery power. The fighting's intense as ever, and now that I have full movement control, it felt perfect. And once again, Retro Studios also loaded the game with an extensive lore collection waiting for a scan-crazy kid to have at it. I can't wait to get back into the fray.
Alright, that's the week. Be safe out there, and watch your backside. You never know when the ranger is watching.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
...another week rolls by...
Ah, another week rolls by, and another fit of fun flits through. I tell you, it's been a rough one too.
Oregon gets snow?!
That's right, the Willamette Valley got dusted with a hefty layer of snow. Traffic snarled to a stop, and Eugene shut down as it wondered what the blazes just happened. Two days, we sorted through the suddenly frozen realm. All the while, my oldest was able to enjoy some well earned time off from school. (Those who want to hear my diatribe on how the school systems now overwork the kids until their eyes bleed and fingers ache, post a comment.)
She didn't enjoy the snow very much though. During our only snow fight, I accidentally hit her in the face with a snowball. It was only once, an honest misdirected throw, but she didn't see it that way. At that point, it descended into an immature battle to see how much snow we could shove into each others' face before the opponent submitted. I ended it before it got to that point, seeing neither of us was having any fun and getting angrier and more aggressive. She and I both got some wicked cold weather hives from that mess.
About 6 hours later, she developed a full blown rhinovirus-induced cold. She was happy to pass that along to most of the rest of the house. The real problem was the resultant rash that developed due to irritation of the skin just under her nose. It was red, dry, and angry, apparently brought on by contact from her own mucus. I wonder why her skin reacts as such.
She was ill enough that she missed one of the only two school days this week. You might be asking, why 2? There were two snow days, there should be three for school. Well, we had another thick dusting of snow the following Friday, so that killed any return to school until after the New Year.
Game Time
Thanks to the frightful weather, I had a lot of time for gaming. I decided finally to give Savage 2 a shot.
I had played the original Savage, the pioneering RTS/FPS hybrid that pits mankind against a bipedal beast tribe in the far flung, post-apocalyptic future. It is fun to play, but a number of bugs still persist, even after the source opened up to the public. Savage 2 addresses several of these, and adds a number of convenient functions that make playing much more fun. And best of all, S2 Games made it free-to-play!
Anyone who wants to give either game a shot, check them out at S2 Games' Website.
And yes, I still play Guild Wars. In fact Lady Kingel, leader of the United Legit Gaming Guilds, requested me to return to the in-game leadership rotation. This rotation is in place so that the responsibility of running the guild is shared between a small council of leaders. Each week, the leadership is passed to the next in the circle, which allows for a fresh take on how the guild is run.
I said I wouldn't get so deeply involved in guild life again, but it just seems that these things follow me to whatever guild I join with. I just hope I don't overextend myself again. I'm certain I won't though. I know my limits, and what will have to go should I find myself having issues again.
Financial Woes
I thought leaving Courtsports was a permanent arrangement. Boy was I wrong.
I found myself calling my old boss today, asking for whatever sub hours he might be able to kick back to me. Truth be told, I'm gravely worried about our financial situation. It's like my money is bleeding out, and the well's almost dry. To top it off, my wife was supposed to start work this week with a load of training, but the winter storm kinda killed that before takeoff, which means fewer hours.
So this week, instead of finishing preparations for Christmas, I'm finding myself contemplating a late-year job hunt. I wish I had thought about this sooner, but after the brutal finals week, I was more inclined to just let the world go by without me for a few days. Here's hoping I don't go mad from all this rushing about.
Well, that's my week at a glance. Before I close, congratulations to my wife Linda for passing her State of Oregon Tax Preparerer's Certification. She does the family proud with all that she has done to get this far.
Until next week, watch your backside. You never know when the ranger is watching.
Oregon gets snow?!
That's right, the Willamette Valley got dusted with a hefty layer of snow. Traffic snarled to a stop, and Eugene shut down as it wondered what the blazes just happened. Two days, we sorted through the suddenly frozen realm. All the while, my oldest was able to enjoy some well earned time off from school. (Those who want to hear my diatribe on how the school systems now overwork the kids until their eyes bleed and fingers ache, post a comment.)
She didn't enjoy the snow very much though. During our only snow fight, I accidentally hit her in the face with a snowball. It was only once, an honest misdirected throw, but she didn't see it that way. At that point, it descended into an immature battle to see how much snow we could shove into each others' face before the opponent submitted. I ended it before it got to that point, seeing neither of us was having any fun and getting angrier and more aggressive. She and I both got some wicked cold weather hives from that mess.
About 6 hours later, she developed a full blown rhinovirus-induced cold. She was happy to pass that along to most of the rest of the house. The real problem was the resultant rash that developed due to irritation of the skin just under her nose. It was red, dry, and angry, apparently brought on by contact from her own mucus. I wonder why her skin reacts as such.
She was ill enough that she missed one of the only two school days this week. You might be asking, why 2? There were two snow days, there should be three for school. Well, we had another thick dusting of snow the following Friday, so that killed any return to school until after the New Year.
Game Time
Thanks to the frightful weather, I had a lot of time for gaming. I decided finally to give Savage 2 a shot.
I had played the original Savage, the pioneering RTS/FPS hybrid that pits mankind against a bipedal beast tribe in the far flung, post-apocalyptic future. It is fun to play, but a number of bugs still persist, even after the source opened up to the public. Savage 2 addresses several of these, and adds a number of convenient functions that make playing much more fun. And best of all, S2 Games made it free-to-play!
Anyone who wants to give either game a shot, check them out at S2 Games' Website.
And yes, I still play Guild Wars. In fact Lady Kingel, leader of the United Legit Gaming Guilds, requested me to return to the in-game leadership rotation. This rotation is in place so that the responsibility of running the guild is shared between a small council of leaders. Each week, the leadership is passed to the next in the circle, which allows for a fresh take on how the guild is run.
I said I wouldn't get so deeply involved in guild life again, but it just seems that these things follow me to whatever guild I join with. I just hope I don't overextend myself again. I'm certain I won't though. I know my limits, and what will have to go should I find myself having issues again.
Financial Woes
I thought leaving Courtsports was a permanent arrangement. Boy was I wrong.
I found myself calling my old boss today, asking for whatever sub hours he might be able to kick back to me. Truth be told, I'm gravely worried about our financial situation. It's like my money is bleeding out, and the well's almost dry. To top it off, my wife was supposed to start work this week with a load of training, but the winter storm kinda killed that before takeoff, which means fewer hours.
So this week, instead of finishing preparations for Christmas, I'm finding myself contemplating a late-year job hunt. I wish I had thought about this sooner, but after the brutal finals week, I was more inclined to just let the world go by without me for a few days. Here's hoping I don't go mad from all this rushing about.
Well, that's my week at a glance. Before I close, congratulations to my wife Linda for passing her State of Oregon Tax Preparerer's Certification. She does the family proud with all that she has done to get this far.
Until next week, watch your backside. You never know when the ranger is watching.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
The Past Weeks Events...
Term End (Take 13)
Another week is done, another term's worth of finals complete. God help me, should I ever learn not to procrastinate, it'll be a miracle. Left myself a single bloody week for one final, the entire term's worth of labs in another. And I swore up and down I wouldn't let myself get that far behind.
I suppose I let my guard down. Sleep-deprivation has been for a time a result of me trying to do too much at once. I take care of my family, work, study, play video games, and help run gaming guilds. This term I also spent a sizable amount of time as an intern for a local computer recycling and refurbishing firm. It's been rough, that's for sure. And I'm aiming to have another go of all of these things once again in about 3 weeks time.
Some might call it madness. To me, it's just another day in the life...
Toasting the End
Unfortunately, I received some awful news today. 2 months prior, one of my favorite game guilds, the Draconian Empire, lost its domain due to nonpayment. Just today, a squatter claimed the rights thereto, and set up one of those quick rent-a-sites that redirect everyone to everywhere else. After 11 years, many of which spent putting my own sweat and tears into helping direct it, I am finding myself realizing that the Empire has finally fallen for the last time.
Saddened? Of course I am. Regretful? Honestly, no. It was a good bunch of gamers and friends. I tried to keep things together, but I guess there's just no stopping it. The interest waned, and no one wanted to stick around and get things going again.
And so, I drink a toast to all those who are as I, to see the Empire fade into history. It's been a privilege to have met, written, and played with the people of the guild in its heyday. And anyone who questions whether or not it was worth it, I will slap with a wet trout.
Not all news is bad though...
New Game: Robot Attack
One of my finals was the development of my own game in C++. Thus I have a half finished game called Robot Attack. Anyone who can remember the start of the video game industry can recall the Williams classic Robotron 2084, so I tried to build a clone. Thus far, the graphics are still lacking, and there are a few bugs still needing to be ironed out (one of which is where enemies spawn directly on top of the player), but it is a pretty fun game, and I look forward to finishing it. Once it is ready for viewing outside of my circle, a link will be provided.
For now, this will have to do...not thinking straight due to the fact I've been up for 19 hours. It's time to...
/me has fallen asleep. *skxxxxx*
Another week is done, another term's worth of finals complete. God help me, should I ever learn not to procrastinate, it'll be a miracle. Left myself a single bloody week for one final, the entire term's worth of labs in another. And I swore up and down I wouldn't let myself get that far behind.
I suppose I let my guard down. Sleep-deprivation has been for a time a result of me trying to do too much at once. I take care of my family, work, study, play video games, and help run gaming guilds. This term I also spent a sizable amount of time as an intern for a local computer recycling and refurbishing firm. It's been rough, that's for sure. And I'm aiming to have another go of all of these things once again in about 3 weeks time.
Some might call it madness. To me, it's just another day in the life...
Toasting the End
Unfortunately, I received some awful news today. 2 months prior, one of my favorite game guilds, the Draconian Empire, lost its domain due to nonpayment. Just today, a squatter claimed the rights thereto, and set up one of those quick rent-a-sites that redirect everyone to everywhere else. After 11 years, many of which spent putting my own sweat and tears into helping direct it, I am finding myself realizing that the Empire has finally fallen for the last time.
Saddened? Of course I am. Regretful? Honestly, no. It was a good bunch of gamers and friends. I tried to keep things together, but I guess there's just no stopping it. The interest waned, and no one wanted to stick around and get things going again.
And so, I drink a toast to all those who are as I, to see the Empire fade into history. It's been a privilege to have met, written, and played with the people of the guild in its heyday. And anyone who questions whether or not it was worth it, I will slap with a wet trout.
Not all news is bad though...
New Game: Robot Attack
One of my finals was the development of my own game in C++. Thus I have a half finished game called Robot Attack. Anyone who can remember the start of the video game industry can recall the Williams classic Robotron 2084, so I tried to build a clone. Thus far, the graphics are still lacking, and there are a few bugs still needing to be ironed out (one of which is where enemies spawn directly on top of the player), but it is a pretty fun game, and I look forward to finishing it. Once it is ready for viewing outside of my circle, a link will be provided.
For now, this will have to do...not thinking straight due to the fact I've been up for 19 hours. It's time to...
/me has fallen asleep. *skxxxxx*
Friday, December 05, 2008
3 Flipping Years?!
It's been 3 years? God, I'm horrible with these things!
So what's happened in three years? Well, my real life wife Linda is doing well. (Yeah, didn't think I wouldn't also go through all the old comments, did ya?) She's completing her schooling with H&R Block, and will be starting work in 2 weeks. Good thing too, as we've come to the brink of destitution. But she's looking forward to just getting busy with something other than the humdrum of house work. It's a good time for the tax prep industry now, and we're both hoping this will become a long-term solution.
My first daughter is 7 now, and she's a real spitfire. But she's also the sweetest girl I've ever known, always very caring and sincere. She is also quickly becoming one of the best opponents I've had in a long time in the gaming world. She and I play Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii, and we do trade wins against each other from time to time. Yep, she's my daughter alright...all she ever asks to do now is play video games. We have to force her out the door at times so she can spend all that pent up kid-energy.
We now have a second daughter too. 1 year old now...ok, 14 months, but that's splitting hairs. She's also a very sweet girl. Typical of the 1 year olds though is they get all over the place, exploring every nook and cranny in the house, putting all sorts of things into her mouth. Jeez, how they both have so much energy is beyond me...last time I remember having that level of get-up-and-go is...wait, I don't remember. Ugh, I'm getting old.
Oh, yes, me...I'm just about finished with college. It's been 5 years. I never thought it'd take me that long to get my degree, but it's finally within reach. Next term, I finish my User Support degree, a program that dies with my graduation. From there, the hope lies before me that I will move into a paid position with a company as a technical expert. I just hope it doesn't have anything to do with programming. The will to do it has been lacking lately, and I don't think that's what I want to do with my life at all. Sure it's profitable, but there's just not enough structure to the open-endedness that codework suggests. That...and it's easier for me to procrastinate with a lit screen in front of me.
Well, let's see if I can do a better job updating this thing...3 years...that's way too long to wait for an update.
AH yeah! Almost forgot. I adjusted the links on the sidebar. The DE site went down due to nonpayment of the domain. Once it's back online, I'll add that again. I also added links to my other blog on Xfire and to my wife's blog, Deep Thoughts with Linda. It'll be interesting to read hers, especially given we're both on the same service now. I'll have some other updates as I post the goings on in the gamesphere and reality.
For now, watch your backside. You never know when the ranger's watching.
So what's happened in three years? Well, my real life wife Linda is doing well. (Yeah, didn't think I wouldn't also go through all the old comments, did ya?) She's completing her schooling with H&R Block, and will be starting work in 2 weeks. Good thing too, as we've come to the brink of destitution. But she's looking forward to just getting busy with something other than the humdrum of house work. It's a good time for the tax prep industry now, and we're both hoping this will become a long-term solution.
My first daughter is 7 now, and she's a real spitfire. But she's also the sweetest girl I've ever known, always very caring and sincere. She is also quickly becoming one of the best opponents I've had in a long time in the gaming world. She and I play Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii, and we do trade wins against each other from time to time. Yep, she's my daughter alright...all she ever asks to do now is play video games. We have to force her out the door at times so she can spend all that pent up kid-energy.
We now have a second daughter too. 1 year old now...ok, 14 months, but that's splitting hairs. She's also a very sweet girl. Typical of the 1 year olds though is they get all over the place, exploring every nook and cranny in the house, putting all sorts of things into her mouth. Jeez, how they both have so much energy is beyond me...last time I remember having that level of get-up-and-go is...wait, I don't remember. Ugh, I'm getting old.
Oh, yes, me...I'm just about finished with college. It's been 5 years. I never thought it'd take me that long to get my degree, but it's finally within reach. Next term, I finish my User Support degree, a program that dies with my graduation. From there, the hope lies before me that I will move into a paid position with a company as a technical expert. I just hope it doesn't have anything to do with programming. The will to do it has been lacking lately, and I don't think that's what I want to do with my life at all. Sure it's profitable, but there's just not enough structure to the open-endedness that codework suggests. That...and it's easier for me to procrastinate with a lit screen in front of me.
Well, let's see if I can do a better job updating this thing...3 years...that's way too long to wait for an update.
AH yeah! Almost forgot. I adjusted the links on the sidebar. The DE site went down due to nonpayment of the domain. Once it's back online, I'll add that again. I also added links to my other blog on Xfire and to my wife's blog, Deep Thoughts with Linda. It'll be interesting to read hers, especially given we're both on the same service now. I'll have some other updates as I post the goings on in the gamesphere and reality.
For now, watch your backside. You never know when the ranger's watching.
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