please note there is sarcasm in this post... no hate mail... i love you kids...

I cannot stress enough how much I love the fact that the boys I hang out with make me feel like less of a nerd. Thank goodness that they sit around and talk about how to write computer programs and and put computers together. Also, so glad that they take gaming seriously enough that they fill out gear spreadsheets and read forums on how to improve their game play. If it was not for these amazing guys, I would most certainly be completely embarrassed by the extent of my own nerdiness.

I have known for some time that I could no longer try and pretend that I don't deserve the title of nerd. Last night at dinner I made an offhand comment about how I wanted to learn PHP and I knew it was over. (Mom, PHP is a computer language.) I could try and pretend that having two level 80 WoW characters and another one fast on its way, meant nothing. I could also attempt to tell myself that writing a web comic only meant that I was a writer desperate to have my words out there for people to read. Maybe the fact that the book I am writing could possibly be defined by the genre "Sci-Fi" meant that I was privy to information about the nerd world, but nothing more. However, the minute I admitted to a table full of programmers that I wanted to learn how to write script other than html, I was sunk.

That is why I am completely thankful that the crowd of boys that I call some of my closest friends are getting ready to meet and play Dungeons and Dragons in order to celebrate some holiday that celebrates dragons. That makes me supremely and awesomely satisfied with my life. Silly kids and their larping. (Thank goodness I had to work tonight and had a decent excuse to not go... phew... instead, I will head off to play with kids and finish crocheting my fingerless gloves while listening to JoCo on my iPod Touch.)

Oh! And can I please have an award for the most nerdy wikipedia hyperlinks in a blog... please?

an excuse to buy more...

I went to the Brandi Carlile concert a couple days ago with Beth. It was such a good time. Brandi puts on an amazing concert, so much energy through the whole thing. Her opening act was very good. Her name is Katie Herzig and I think I may be a little bit in love with her. Her voice was awesome, and her songs were really good. I spent a good chunk of time listening to her stuff on youtube when I got home.

I'm going to have to take at least a little bit of a break from playing games on my DS and compy. They may be a lot of fun, but right now I need to work on some crochet projects. On top of that, my friend Brandi told me about the Ravelympics which is pretty much a challenge to concentrate on a project during the Winter Olympics and finish it during that time. I'm trying to decide on what I want to work on. I really want to make this dress in a much shorter version (think long, tunic-style, tank top), without the beads, and in a darker color (probably grey), but I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that yet. I know whatever I do, I want to make it a knitting project because that is going to be the biggest challenge. Anyhow, I'm on a pattern hunt. We will see what I come up with. I will probably put project updates on my other blog, but I haven't decided for sure yet.

Okay, it's time for me to go get to work. I need to get started on an ele and a giraffe for a friend's 3 year old!

more of the usual...

It has most likely been too long since I last posted. Holidays make life busy.

I got new DS games for Christmas! The Professor Layton game I had demanded Josh get me was nestled sweetly in my stocking where it was supposed to be. The puzzles are fun. The story isn't as good as the first one I don't think, but that is okay, I play them for the puzzles anyway. the other game I got was a Sherlock Holmes game. I am excited to check it out, but right now Prof. Layton is consuming my DS attention.

On an even nerdier note, I have been spending entirely too much time leveling alts on WoW. Silly addictive game. My Paladin is now a 73 and I have a hunter up to 47. I'm sure that they will both eventually reach level cap and join my other two 80s. This may make me completely pathetic, but I really don't care. I find plenty of time for my family and other hobbies as well.

Knitting is a new hobby taking up a lot of my attention. I've discovered that since I started knitting I have found time to make projects for myself. I don't know if I could knit for others, it takes too much time. Crocheting is easier to part with for some reason. I've been posting my projects on a different blog so that this one wasn't swallowed up by all of the things I have been making. It's great to have something to keep my hands busy. It's also great to make a little extra money from something that I enjoy.

My book is feeling neglected. I suppose that holidays suck up a lot of time, but I still feel bad for not working on it like I would like to. It is coming along. I like my plot and I like where I am going to be able to take it. I thought about giving myself a word cap, and then I changed my mind. I don't want to limit where it could go, or extend it beyond where it should. Maybe I will just give myself a time cap. I'd like to have it done and ready for editing by the end of the year.

Comic. Oh, the comic. Sweet time-suck of frustration and awesome. It is getting better I think. The art is progressing and the writing is starting to look and sound like actual comic writing. I hope that the people that read it are getting enjoyment from it, and I hope that this new year brings even more readers.

In other news, I have a three year old now. I'm old. See her blog for more details. I also have the sweetest 1 1/2 year old on the planet. He is such a monkey and he makes me smile daily. See his blog for more details. (I have such a terrible blog addiction, it isn't even funny, I wonder if they have special therapists for that...)

I think that's about it. I won't bore you all with any more details of my life. Things are busy, hectic, crazy, obnoxious, and messy. However, they are also wonderful. With the bad comes good, and sometimes we wouldn't find the things that are making us deliriously happy without going down the painful roads. I hope you are all having a wonderful new year so far and that it continues to be so. Happy January!

penny for a thought...

It seems that my life has reached the stress out point once again. I'm not really sure why, but for whatever reason, I am feeling overwhelmed. My solution this go of it seems to be playing more WoW. Today I got my paladin Penelope to 60 which really means nothing except for the fact that I am one step closer to having my 3rd character at max level.

Halloween came and went and I didn't blog about it at all. It seems strange to me because I spent hours making all of our costumes. Jenna wanted to be Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and she wanted Cole to be The Itsy Bitsy Spider. So, Josh and I decided to be nursery rhymes as well. He was Old King Cole and I was The Cat and The Fiddle. My kids were pretty darn adorable. I think I made a pretty cute kitty as well.

The comic seems to be doing okay. I'm working on new story lines and trying to weave more of a plot line through the whole thing. There are always set backs for me. I have so little faith in myself and any talent I may (or may not) have. It makes it hard when critics start in on it. Rhett has been getting a lot of praise for his art progression, and rightfully so. My writing seems to just get constantly criticized. It's really frustrating, but something I know I need to get used to.

Crocheting has been a big stress relief for me recently. If you are at all interested in what I make, you can check out my new blog (we're not going to talk about the huge blogging problem I have) Cuddle Zoo (thanks Brandi for the name).

Yeah. I'm done typing now. I'm going to go back to watching Twilight ridiculously early in the morning and leveling Penny some more. My brain isn't feeling so hot tonight... so I figure distracting it is the right move at the moment.

busy and such but that's okay...

Hello, my life is busy and I'm running out of time to be bored. That, is a very good thing.

First, I am once again working in the nursery twice a week. It seems that the 5ish month break that I took was enough to make me want to go back. It is crazy to me that I have worked there for 6 years. The babies that I started with are in first grade this year. The kids in the oldest room that I started with are in third grade. How crazy! Seeing them walking around and being big kids is strange and makes me feel very old.

The comic is going well. At least I think it is. My little trip to Vegas inspired me with a story line that I have been quite pleased with. Characters are developing and people are responding and it is quite nice. For a while I was feeling a bit discouraged about the whole thing, but it seems I got over myself and am now okay with the fact that only a few people might ever enjoy it. I've decided that as long as someone is reading it and laughing that I am perfectly okay with that.

There are a hundred little things occupying my time and I like them. I finally convinced Josh that we should move to Boise. I've been looking for a place that we can afford that is big enough for us and that allows dogs. Tuesdays and Thursdays I drive to Boise to do comic stuff and to work on my own writing and just to see friends. It is also possible that I spend entirely too much time playing WoW and games on my DS. I figure whatever gets me though my day with some of my sanity is 100% time well spent.

Family stress is getting to me these days and I figure I will blog about it later, but I just don't have it in me today... at least not at this very moment. Maybe later.

mommy needs a hobby...

I meant to get up the second part of my Vegas trip before I blogged anything else, but I didn't. So, I will edit pictures and do that later, but right now I am going to blog about other things.

Today I realized, once again, how badly I need to find myself a good hobby. Somehow I managed to get up before my kids and shower. I also did a good chunk of the other things I usually do when they nap. So, when they went to sleep, I had nothing to do. The WoW servers were (and still are) down for maintenance, and so there was no death knight leveling on the agenda. What the heck am I supposed to do with myself in such situations? I watched the season premier of The Guild and episode three of The Legend of Neil (both very good by the way) and then I randomly clicked through youtube videos for a while... But now, I am bored.

I need to finish the story line I am on for the comic. I also need to stop trying to write them ahead of time. I had one all worked out a few weeks back, but now it just isn't going to work. At least not anytime soon. I'm enjoying Lola too much and she isn't really involved in the one I already wrote. I need to get the script for Thursday finished, like now, but I am just tripping over the punchline. It's so frustrating!

The new Professor Layton game is out for the DS and I need it (okay, just want it). If I had that, I would have wonderful puzzles to baffle my brain for hours and hours and it would be fantastic! I start working at the church again next week, and I'm hoping to use some of that paycheck to get the game. But, I'm also hoping that maybe I can get it now and just put my paycheck in the bank later when I get it.

Okay, I think that's enough of my rant. I need to get some food soon and so I am going to go dig through the fridge. I let Jenna "make" my lunch which means I had apple juice and a yogurt. Both were very tasty, but not very filling. I need carbs. Yummmmm....

my week...

Pictures taken.
Laughed at the M.
Andrea LAN party raid.
Comic up.
Friends are great.
Picked up kids.
Perfect evening.
Comic up.
Unexpected comfort.
Friend in town.
Drop off kids and Josh.
Wonderful birthday party for friends.
More vodka than expected in drink.
True Blood.
Slept on couch.
Perfect dreams.
Swimming pool.
Burgers.
Failed nap.
Played with clay.
Wrote a blog.
Harry Potter tomorrow.

also, bring on the guild season three...

Why did I pick my DS up again? I had made such a clean break... drat. Technology currently in my pockets: DS, iPod, hard drive, phone... my mini is in my room currently, but it will soon be safely in my bag and ready to go to Boise. (When this event occurs, I will transfer aforementioned technology to said bag.) I'm currently waiting for the WoW servers to come back up. I was hoping to get in my dailies while the kids are napping. Not looking too promising. I am currently trying to stop myself from buying a Kindle... but it's just so shiny! I was hoping the new gen would have a color/back light option... maybe I can wait one more gen. Also on my wtb list: Diablo and the original Warcraft games.

Blast! I really want a Kindle!

this picture is specifically for Brandi...

Group guildie picture from Auj's wedding.

don't judge me...

This past weekend I packed up in the car with several good friends and drove to Portland for a guildie's wedding. It was awesome. You can think what you want about my obsessive online game play or the fact that I actually know the people I play with well enough to drive six hours to one of their weddings: I really do not care (at least not much). It was fun! And, really, it was good for me. I have been spending a lot of time in a hole and that is not healthy. This stretched me. I was able to socialize with people that I knew at varying levels without having (much of) a panic attack. Go me! I even survived a hug or two. I'm proud of me... don't ruin it.

It was a beautiful weekend to go on a road trip. The weather was perfect for rolling down the windows and soaking in the fresh air and sunshine. I think I need to get out more often.

It was strange to leave the kids and not be able to visit them for an entire weekend. I had an iPod full of pictures to help sate my desire for contact with them, and it really did help. However, when we got home, I was extremely glad for the hugs and snuggles I got from both of them. I didn't even mind reading Jenna the stack of 10ish books she brought to me and insisted that I read. Leaving my kids was tough, but I think it was a good thing. The break reminded me how blessed I am to spend every day loving on them.