I’m very far behind this year, but I wanted to make sure I posted my birthday list. Every year on my birthday, my brother-in-law asks me what I’ve done in most recent year on Earth. I have always liked the chance to take time to look back at what the year held and what I’ve accomplished. It’s also a nice opportunity to reflect on what I’ve done in anticipation of what I will do in the next year.
So (as I did last year and the year before) I made a list of things I’ve done this year.
It’s been a little more than two years since I made my five year plan (updated in June 2012), so I’m checking in to see where I stand. I’ve crossed some more items off the list (exciting!) and, as I did last year, I’ve updated a few of the items (again, noted by italics) to make them more reasonable. Here’s where things stand now:
Every year on my birthday, my brother-in-law asks me what I’ve done in most recent year on Earth. I have always liked the chance to take time to look back at what the year held and what I’ve accomplished. Since my birthday is only nine days before the end of the year, it’s also a nice opportunity to reflect on what I’ve done in an anticipation of what I will do in the new year.
So (as I did last year) I made a list of things I’ve done this year.
I realize that I’ve been absent from this blog for more than a month now. Life has been happening and I’ve been so wrapped up in taking my baby steps towards adulthood that I’ve only seen the baby steps themselves; I haven’t really seen how much progress I’ve made going one step at a time. So here’s a recap of what I’ve done and, in light of the season, what I’m thankful for.
The Crew boarded the silt skimmer and stood on the aft deck while the sailors prepared to launch. In town, Templar Hocaxolatl and his guards stood stiffly at the approach to the docks and apprehensively watched the Crew prepare to leave. The two groups stared sternly at one another across the distance. The tension was thick in the air for several minutes before the silt skimmer finally set sail. The Crew stood together on the aft deck, glaring at the Draji soldiers, until Breakshore was only a smudge on the horizon.
When the city finally disappeared from the sight, there was an audible sigh of relief from several members of the Crew. Gathering the minimal supplies they had managed to acquire in Breakshore, each member went to find their own place on the skimmer to rest and to process the altercation with the Draji Templar. Darus roughly brushed past Ryllis on his way to the stairs leading below. “Crazy half-elf brings nothing but trouble.”
Ryllis sat on her bedroll on top of the rock overlooking the camp. She watched her compatriots in their familiar post-battle habits. Ilianora would do something with fire; be it light a cigarette, tend to the campfire, or burn incense. Gae’Al would attempt to do something with fire and most likely fail; be it adding too much kindling to the campfire and smothering the coals or trying to smoke a cigarette and going into a coughing fit. The brothers would tend to one another and then spend the rest of the night regaling one another with tales of past adventures. And she would write, as she usually did.
Before I get into this post, I want to throw the disclaimer out there that my feelings on a subject I have not experienced and my comparison of my non-related experiences to that experience should not be seen as my belittling the actual doing or having of that experience or the suggestion that I know anything about what I’m talking about when it comes to the experience (and not having experienced it, how could I?); it’s more of a disappointed realization that if I feel like this now, before I’ve actually experienced it, then how much worse is it going to be when I do experience it? It’s also an expression of amazement that those of you who have actually done or had the real experience; that those of you who actually have experienced it have made it through to the other side and not killed anyone. That being said…
I realized today that my last post about house progress was over three months ago. My shame face, let me show it to you. I could give you lots and lots of reasons as to why it’s been that long since I posted (been spending time on other projects, housemate moved in, I got the internet, Mists of Pandaria launched), but instead I’m going to update you on the most notable progress I’ve made since then. I got the streetlamp installed in the bedroom! Yay.
One of the things I really appreciate about my Dungeon Master, Ben, is that he is equally interested in the story as he is in the game. Ben is equal parts min-maxer and role-player and he does a great job getting those of us who are decidedly on one side of the fence to try to at least visit the other. For those of us who are role-players, he reviews our characters and helps us optimize them; making suggestions about gear that might be better, explaining how certain abilities work together or how certain bonuses don’t stack, and pointing out completely useless feats (not speaking from experience at all on that last one). For those of us who are min-maxers, Ben rewards us for trying to get in to a character’s head. After every session, we have the opportunity to submit a summary of the session, told from our character’s point of view. For each point of view (POV) summary we send to the group, we earn a “Luck Point”. Most often, Luck Points are spent to re-roll a failed attack or check, but most recently a player spent a Luck Point to recover an item that had been stolen from him. (The thief dropped it while making a hasty get away, but held tight to the rest of the party’s gear.)
Luck Points are a pretty good reason for min-maxers to role-play, but for role-players, Luck Points are like getting complimentary candy with your midnight premiere movie ticket. You win twice! Anyway, here’s Archer’s POV for our last gaming session:
When I started my calorie limit diet, I set myself the “lofty goal” of weighing 140 pounds. I wasn’t sure I could do it. I hadn’t weighed less than 150 pounds since early high school. But I’m close to that now. And I’m far enough from where I was when I started that I’m ready to show you what the start looked like.
Den of the Truth Fox 