You can tell I'm home - blogging lots.
I think antibiotics are starting to kick in. Although still cruddy, less cruddy. I don't like to take them if I don't have to, but I'm grateful for modern medicine when needed!
2nd vehicle - we're going to become a 2 car family in the next few months. When I'm off work Bill will be taking to driving to work on his own, but I still need to get around. We're probably going to get a minivan. We'll need to see. We're really close to having paid off our car (as in a matter of months) so while it will suck to have another car payment, at least it won't be two at the same time.
Baked spaghetti - last night I tried this baked spaghetti recipe. It was yummy! But it made a whole bunch of food! Crazy. We barely put a dent in it. Jennifer, I think this one would actually be good to feed your clan!
Poor Ronnie - her car got stuck last night and it took her an hour to get out of the parking spot!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
2 AM update
Well it's almost 3 PM the same day, but it's still an update.
My Mommy made me go to the doctor about the ear problem, and yes, I have an ear infection. It sucks, it's annoying, and I'm off work for the balance of the week. Quite honestly I wouldn't be functioning at work anyhow - I can barely get off the couch with out it taking all my energy. I always, I'm grateful for Nikki as I could send Duncan there for the day. He would have been bored silly had he stayed at home, and this helps him stick with his routine. So I'll do the same tomorrow and Friday.
After I dropped Duncan off I went back to bed. I woke around 11 AM to the sound of someone in my room (sound familiar?) "Um, hello?" It was Bill. He came home early from work feeling sick. So we're both being sick right now. We'll go pick up Duncan in about an hour.
My Mommy made me go to the doctor about the ear problem, and yes, I have an ear infection. It sucks, it's annoying, and I'm off work for the balance of the week. Quite honestly I wouldn't be functioning at work anyhow - I can barely get off the couch with out it taking all my energy. I always, I'm grateful for Nikki as I could send Duncan there for the day. He would have been bored silly had he stayed at home, and this helps him stick with his routine. So I'll do the same tomorrow and Friday.
After I dropped Duncan off I went back to bed. I woke around 11 AM to the sound of someone in my room (sound familiar?) "Um, hello?" It was Bill. He came home early from work feeling sick. So we're both being sick right now. We'll go pick up Duncan in about an hour.
2 AM
When I was nursing Duncan at night when he was little 2 AM was always the dreaded hour for him to wake up b/c there is nothing on tv. When you're that tired (I'm not comfortable nursing while I'm asleep) you need something kind of brainless, not too thought provking, but interesting enough to keep you from falling asleep.
So now it's 2 AM this silly cold has me up (yes Mom, I was up at 2 AM). I already decided at midnight that I'd be calling in sick today - I feel miserable. Although when I went to bed I honestly had every intention of going to work today. I already feel guilty b/c I was off for two weeks and I have so much work to do. But hey, when you can't even hear out of your left ear and, ewwww, it's leaking fluid, I think it's safe to say I wouldn't be too productive in the office. I think once the ear thing clears up I'll be good to go, but the left ear is giving me more grief than the right one did earlier in the day.Anyhow, there is still really nothing on at 2 AM. Poker after Dark, lots of infomercials, some "hard hitting" news program on CBS (not that discussing the problems in the Gaza Strip isn't important, my mind just isn't there right now). Nature shows are usually a safe bet, so right now it's National Geographic Channel - a show about Patagonia.
I went to the walk in clinic yesterday to have the ears checked. At that time though the right ear was giving me grief, not the left, and now it's the left, and it's bugging me a heck of a lot more. The thing is, I don't want to be taking anti-biotics if I don't have to b/c I've got Bean on board.
The other thing that's killing me is this cough. The doctor checked my chest yesterday and it's just a cough, but it's keeping me up!
Enough complaining. I'm going to try to go back to bed b/c I am till tired ( go figure!). Although in 4 months this will be reality again anyhow.
So now it's 2 AM this silly cold has me up (yes Mom, I was up at 2 AM). I already decided at midnight that I'd be calling in sick today - I feel miserable. Although when I went to bed I honestly had every intention of going to work today. I already feel guilty b/c I was off for two weeks and I have so much work to do. But hey, when you can't even hear out of your left ear and, ewwww, it's leaking fluid, I think it's safe to say I wouldn't be too productive in the office. I think once the ear thing clears up I'll be good to go, but the left ear is giving me more grief than the right one did earlier in the day.Anyhow, there is still really nothing on at 2 AM. Poker after Dark, lots of infomercials, some "hard hitting" news program on CBS (not that discussing the problems in the Gaza Strip isn't important, my mind just isn't there right now). Nature shows are usually a safe bet, so right now it's National Geographic Channel - a show about Patagonia.
I went to the walk in clinic yesterday to have the ears checked. At that time though the right ear was giving me grief, not the left, and now it's the left, and it's bugging me a heck of a lot more. The thing is, I don't want to be taking anti-biotics if I don't have to b/c I've got Bean on board.
The other thing that's killing me is this cough. The doctor checked my chest yesterday and it's just a cough, but it's keeping me up!
Enough complaining. I'm going to try to go back to bed b/c I am till tired ( go figure!). Although in 4 months this will be reality again anyhow.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
hey there!
Hi!
So let's see... this cold has hit my hard. Blah. I came in anyhow, but right now I wish I were in bed. Maybe tomorrow I'll take the day. We'll see. No, wait, I can't take tomorrow. *sigh*
I was really impressed with Sears this past weekend. I'd bought this pair of slippers back in October - nice ones too, but they ended up being really crappy. So even though I didn't have a receipt I took them back to see if they could do anything for me, and they gave me a refund on a gift card! Nice!
The people at the Tulalip Resort also rock. Especially Jessica. We'd booked a night there on Dec 30th, but Duncan got the flu, so we had to cancel, however the booking was a non-cancellation one - you get a good price, but if you don't show, you're out of luck. Well I called just to see and they made an exception and let us rebook. We're going Friday.
Have you heard about this new law in the US set to take place Feb 10 2009? It says you can not sell children's clothing any more - new or used, unless it has been tested for things like lead. This means not through thrift stores, consignment shops, on Ebay, Craigslist... The idea is good - keep the kids safe, but it also means a lot of clothes will end up in land fills, and people who often depend on used clothes for their kids will not have that option any more (apparently the test is really expensive). I know I don't live there, but as someone who enjoys browsing thrift stores, this is a huge shame. Hopefully the US Gov't can ammend this some how.
So let's see... this cold has hit my hard. Blah. I came in anyhow, but right now I wish I were in bed. Maybe tomorrow I'll take the day. We'll see. No, wait, I can't take tomorrow. *sigh*
I was really impressed with Sears this past weekend. I'd bought this pair of slippers back in October - nice ones too, but they ended up being really crappy. So even though I didn't have a receipt I took them back to see if they could do anything for me, and they gave me a refund on a gift card! Nice!
The people at the Tulalip Resort also rock. Especially Jessica. We'd booked a night there on Dec 30th, but Duncan got the flu, so we had to cancel, however the booking was a non-cancellation one - you get a good price, but if you don't show, you're out of luck. Well I called just to see and they made an exception and let us rebook. We're going Friday.
Have you heard about this new law in the US set to take place Feb 10 2009? It says you can not sell children's clothing any more - new or used, unless it has been tested for things like lead. This means not through thrift stores, consignment shops, on Ebay, Craigslist... The idea is good - keep the kids safe, but it also means a lot of clothes will end up in land fills, and people who often depend on used clothes for their kids will not have that option any more (apparently the test is really expensive). I know I don't live there, but as someone who enjoys browsing thrift stores, this is a huge shame. Hopefully the US Gov't can ammend this some how.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Fun story
I can't say I've done any gaming, real gaming, in a long time. However, I enjoyed this story.
Taken from:
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/926/story/433992.html
Get in the game: Tri-Citians escape reality in role-playing games
By Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer
RICHLAND -- Here's a secret. For a few hours every Saturday night, I shed my mild-mannered, professional exterior and zip off across the galaxy on a rip-roaring adventure with a rag-tag band of spacefarers.
I'm the tough-talking female mechanic who grew up on the mean streets of planet Coruscant, who takes joy in heckling the overprivileged "rich boy" whose parents paid for our spaceship and hired me to make sure their pride and joy doesn't get into too much trouble. Since we attract trouble like bees to honey, I rarely succeed.
As alter ego Gin Caranthyr, I'm lithe, acrobatic and have mad skills with a wrench, spanner and a roll of space-age duct tape -- things that elude me in my real life.
That's what role-playing gaming offers -- a chance to shake off the mundane and pretend to be anyone or anything, whether it's my tough-as-nails space mechanic in the Star Wars game I play with a group in Richland every Saturday, or an orc-fighting elf in Dungeons & Dragons, the fantasy-based granddaddy of all role-playing games first released back in 1974.
Here's another secret.
While some might picture role-playing gamers as basement-dwelling dorks who never made the leap from adolescence to adulthood, many gamers hold jobs, own houses and have spouses and kids.
"Of the people I know who game, they're from every profession," said Carrie Varley of Richland. "They run the gamut."
Even tough-guy action movie star Vin Diesel has played Dungeons & Dragons for more than 20 years, according to Wikipedia.
"I love hearing about people who made it good as gamers, because growing up it was miserable," she joked. "Gaming folks were generally not the football players or cheerleaders."
While Varley often found herself ostracized while gaming as a teen in late 1970s Oklahoma, gaming has become a popular activity for adults, teens and families. Just ask Logan Kaufman, co-owner of Adventures Underground bookstore in Richland's Uptown Shopping Center.
Games in their many forms -- board games, collectible card games, role-playing games and accessories -- make up about 30 percent to 40 percent of the independent bookstore's sales, he said.
The store stocks about 1,000 varieties of games, including about 50 role-playing game systems, which typically are made up of a basic rules manual and supplements for specific kinds of equipment or adventures, known as campaigns.
Star Wars, for example, has a core book, then books on spaceships, robots and droids, and different campaigns so players can choose to play in the Knights of the Old Republic era, made popular in the video game of the same name, or the Clone Wars, subject of recent animated features, among other pieces of the Star Wars universe and its history. At $40 each, gaming can become an expensive hobby.
"Some have one book, whereas D&D takes up three shelves," Kaufman said. "It just depends on how deep you want to bury yourself in that world."
Many role-playing games are based in science fiction and fantasy worlds -- many based on television series or movies. There are role-playing games based on TV shows Stargate: SG1, Firefly and its movie Serenity, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Kaufman said many games are based on the same sets of rules, making it easier to jump from one to the other.
"You can move from Stargate to Buffy without having to relearn," he said.
Adventures Underground has become a destination for Tri-City gamers, not only because of its selection, but because Kaufman and his wife and co-owner, Amanda Divine, have created a space where anyone can come, set up a game and play.
They sometimes offer themed game nights, but most of the time tables are open to whoever shows up. Kaufman said on Sundays, there often are people waiting to use a table.
And that has shown gamers there are more of them than they might have thought.
"If you're just playing with friends, you don't know a whole city is out there doing the same thing," he said.
For Varley, the appeal of role-playing games is the ability to stretch her imagination by exploring other worlds and other personalities. She also enjoys the challenge of developing her own scenarios for other players.
"I like running games more than playing because I like to put together almost a cinematic experience for players," she said.
That means layering the experience with well-drawn characters, props, maybe even setting the mood with music. But since gaming is all about storytelling, it's also about the words she uses to set a scene.
"If you do it well, you can write a flavor text so if they're on a spaceship or go into a cavern to look for a werewolf, they can feel the dirt under their feet or the coldness of space, or feel the anger of the wizard about to blow their socks off," she said.
* Michelle Dupler: 509-582-1543; mdupler@tricityherald.com
Taken from:
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/926/story/433992.html
Get in the game: Tri-Citians escape reality in role-playing games
By Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer
RICHLAND -- Here's a secret. For a few hours every Saturday night, I shed my mild-mannered, professional exterior and zip off across the galaxy on a rip-roaring adventure with a rag-tag band of spacefarers.
I'm the tough-talking female mechanic who grew up on the mean streets of planet Coruscant, who takes joy in heckling the overprivileged "rich boy" whose parents paid for our spaceship and hired me to make sure their pride and joy doesn't get into too much trouble. Since we attract trouble like bees to honey, I rarely succeed.
As alter ego Gin Caranthyr, I'm lithe, acrobatic and have mad skills with a wrench, spanner and a roll of space-age duct tape -- things that elude me in my real life.
That's what role-playing gaming offers -- a chance to shake off the mundane and pretend to be anyone or anything, whether it's my tough-as-nails space mechanic in the Star Wars game I play with a group in Richland every Saturday, or an orc-fighting elf in Dungeons & Dragons, the fantasy-based granddaddy of all role-playing games first released back in 1974.
Here's another secret.
While some might picture role-playing gamers as basement-dwelling dorks who never made the leap from adolescence to adulthood, many gamers hold jobs, own houses and have spouses and kids.
"Of the people I know who game, they're from every profession," said Carrie Varley of Richland. "They run the gamut."
Even tough-guy action movie star Vin Diesel has played Dungeons & Dragons for more than 20 years, according to Wikipedia.
"I love hearing about people who made it good as gamers, because growing up it was miserable," she joked. "Gaming folks were generally not the football players or cheerleaders."
While Varley often found herself ostracized while gaming as a teen in late 1970s Oklahoma, gaming has become a popular activity for adults, teens and families. Just ask Logan Kaufman, co-owner of Adventures Underground bookstore in Richland's Uptown Shopping Center.
Games in their many forms -- board games, collectible card games, role-playing games and accessories -- make up about 30 percent to 40 percent of the independent bookstore's sales, he said.
The store stocks about 1,000 varieties of games, including about 50 role-playing game systems, which typically are made up of a basic rules manual and supplements for specific kinds of equipment or adventures, known as campaigns.
Star Wars, for example, has a core book, then books on spaceships, robots and droids, and different campaigns so players can choose to play in the Knights of the Old Republic era, made popular in the video game of the same name, or the Clone Wars, subject of recent animated features, among other pieces of the Star Wars universe and its history. At $40 each, gaming can become an expensive hobby.
"Some have one book, whereas D&D takes up three shelves," Kaufman said. "It just depends on how deep you want to bury yourself in that world."
Many role-playing games are based in science fiction and fantasy worlds -- many based on television series or movies. There are role-playing games based on TV shows Stargate: SG1, Firefly and its movie Serenity, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Kaufman said many games are based on the same sets of rules, making it easier to jump from one to the other.
"You can move from Stargate to Buffy without having to relearn," he said.
Adventures Underground has become a destination for Tri-City gamers, not only because of its selection, but because Kaufman and his wife and co-owner, Amanda Divine, have created a space where anyone can come, set up a game and play.
They sometimes offer themed game nights, but most of the time tables are open to whoever shows up. Kaufman said on Sundays, there often are people waiting to use a table.
And that has shown gamers there are more of them than they might have thought.
"If you're just playing with friends, you don't know a whole city is out there doing the same thing," he said.
For Varley, the appeal of role-playing games is the ability to stretch her imagination by exploring other worlds and other personalities. She also enjoys the challenge of developing her own scenarios for other players.
"I like running games more than playing because I like to put together almost a cinematic experience for players," she said.
That means layering the experience with well-drawn characters, props, maybe even setting the mood with music. But since gaming is all about storytelling, it's also about the words she uses to set a scene.
"If you do it well, you can write a flavor text so if they're on a spaceship or go into a cavern to look for a werewolf, they can feel the dirt under their feet or the coldness of space, or feel the anger of the wizard about to blow their socks off," she said.
* Michelle Dupler: 509-582-1543; mdupler@tricityherald.com
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Quick post?
I'm getting/have a cold. I got a sore throat yesterday, and today I'm all achy/sore/coughing... *sigh* I would like to be healthy!! Mind you if the sore throat goes away I'll be able to manage. I hate sore throats.
I was watching "My First Home" on TLC this afternoon and there was this awesome story about a Youth Pastor and his family looking to buy their 1st house. It was just an awesome testament of faith. One of their son's has recently been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and will require a wheel chair eventually. The house they live in now is in a really crime ridden neighourhood, so they need some place safer and that can accommodate a wheel chair. They got their debt in order to qualify for a larger mortgage, but needed $4500 down payment for the house. So their church took up a faith offering to help them out. It was genuinely touching.
Duncan has just climbed up on the couch with the Thomas Year book (the thing that shows you all the trains you can get) and he's just studying it. It's so cute!! Almost bed time for the boy.
I was watching "My First Home" on TLC this afternoon and there was this awesome story about a Youth Pastor and his family looking to buy their 1st house. It was just an awesome testament of faith. One of their son's has recently been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and will require a wheel chair eventually. The house they live in now is in a really crime ridden neighourhood, so they need some place safer and that can accommodate a wheel chair. They got their debt in order to qualify for a larger mortgage, but needed $4500 down payment for the house. So their church took up a faith offering to help them out. It was genuinely touching.
Duncan has just climbed up on the couch with the Thomas Year book (the thing that shows you all the trains you can get) and he's just studying it. It's so cute!! Almost bed time for the boy.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Welcome to 2009
Happy new Year friends! I hope this finds you in good health. As far as I know, most of you are doing well, so I hope that's true!
We're doing good here. Duncan got over his stomach bug and had an excellent appetite today, although is still very tired. That could have something to do with the fact that he's a growing boy though. It's going to be really tough to start getting him back up early next Monday, but that's only for 3 months, so we can do it.
New Year Eve was fantastic. We had Chris and Ronnie and the kids over and Theresa. The girls sat around the kitchen table and chatted and nibbled on food, and the boys played video games in the living room. Duncan had a lot of fun, but still went to bed around a normal time. This was good b/c I didn't want to pull out the bad for him food until he was down b/c I knew his stomach was probably still off and cheezies wouldn't sit too well. We had picked up this Bingo set with a roller cage for the balls and everything, so we played Bingo until almost mid night, which was a total hoot.
Today was really laid back and quiet. We really just vegged around the house. Played with Duncan, puttered around. I've been getting the itch to quilt but all my stuff is in storage, so I had a really bright idea. I knew Theresa was doing some quilting this afternoon (I'm thrilled I have a friend so nearby who is a quilter now!) and I had some blocks from the 2008 shop hop, so I took them over there and used her rotary cutter and cutting board and cut some pieces. I have my machine, so at least I should be able to piece together a few blocks.
We'll be taking out stuff out of storage soon. We've taken our place off the market officially. It didn't pan out - oh well. It would have been fun had it worked out, however I'm content to stay. We'll look at our house options again in 2010 or 2011 after I'm back to work. The Lord has provided us with a perfect roof over our heads, and although we have a few clutter issues, we bought this place saying we would live here about 10 years or so, and it be enough for a few kids, so we're still very much on track with that.
What else is going on... we were going to go to the Tulalip Casino this past Tuesday but Duncan got so sick, so we had to change our plans. Our reservation was no cancellation, so we would have lost the money, but on a whim I called the hotel and explained our situation and the awesome girl there, Jessica, helped us out, and it looks like we're now going next Friday for the night. Ronnie is taking Duncan. So that should be a fun little get away. Likely our last one for a while!
Alright, the timer just went off for dinner, so I'll send this off. I love you all (I'm pretty sure) and wish you the Lord's blessings in this coming year.
We're doing good here. Duncan got over his stomach bug and had an excellent appetite today, although is still very tired. That could have something to do with the fact that he's a growing boy though. It's going to be really tough to start getting him back up early next Monday, but that's only for 3 months, so we can do it.
New Year Eve was fantastic. We had Chris and Ronnie and the kids over and Theresa. The girls sat around the kitchen table and chatted and nibbled on food, and the boys played video games in the living room. Duncan had a lot of fun, but still went to bed around a normal time. This was good b/c I didn't want to pull out the bad for him food until he was down b/c I knew his stomach was probably still off and cheezies wouldn't sit too well. We had picked up this Bingo set with a roller cage for the balls and everything, so we played Bingo until almost mid night, which was a total hoot.
Today was really laid back and quiet. We really just vegged around the house. Played with Duncan, puttered around. I've been getting the itch to quilt but all my stuff is in storage, so I had a really bright idea. I knew Theresa was doing some quilting this afternoon (I'm thrilled I have a friend so nearby who is a quilter now!) and I had some blocks from the 2008 shop hop, so I took them over there and used her rotary cutter and cutting board and cut some pieces. I have my machine, so at least I should be able to piece together a few blocks.
We'll be taking out stuff out of storage soon. We've taken our place off the market officially. It didn't pan out - oh well. It would have been fun had it worked out, however I'm content to stay. We'll look at our house options again in 2010 or 2011 after I'm back to work. The Lord has provided us with a perfect roof over our heads, and although we have a few clutter issues, we bought this place saying we would live here about 10 years or so, and it be enough for a few kids, so we're still very much on track with that.
What else is going on... we were going to go to the Tulalip Casino this past Tuesday but Duncan got so sick, so we had to change our plans. Our reservation was no cancellation, so we would have lost the money, but on a whim I called the hotel and explained our situation and the awesome girl there, Jessica, helped us out, and it looks like we're now going next Friday for the night. Ronnie is taking Duncan. So that should be a fun little get away. Likely our last one for a while!
Alright, the timer just went off for dinner, so I'll send this off. I love you all (I'm pretty sure) and wish you the Lord's blessings in this coming year.
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