I Did It Again

            This blog is probably coming out late because I was up late and then the internet died. Why was I up late, you ask? Dungeons and Dragons.

            Yesterday we had a power outage that lasted for a few hours, during which my wife and I played Sorry! With my sister-in-law. Then we played Apples to Apples. After that, we started talking about what board game to play next and, silly me, I suggested playing Dungeons and Dragons.

            Why was that a silly idea you ask? Because of what happened the last time I suggestedplaying D&D to people when I didn't think it was actually going to happen. I ended up as a Dungeon Master.

            Not that I mind being a DM – I thoroughly enjoy it and I think it’s a great exercise for any author. It’s just that I'm a bit busy right now, what with moving (okay, so at this point it’s unpacking), ongoing renovations, making chainmaille and shows, taking on more work is a bit crazy. And, as I mentioned in my post last yearish, being a DM is a lot of work.

            This time, I know a lot more about running a game (which is a good thing, because the game’s designed to have 4-6 players (plus the DM) and I'm running it for 2), but I haven’t had to thoroughly plan anything out, so I'm making up everything as I go along. It’s a huge challenge, but, again, a wonderful creative exercise. Keeps me on my toes.

            Did I mention I'm trying to find time to get my family together, too, so we can continue the game we started last summer? Then I’ll be running two games at the same time. Talk about crazy.

            That’s the most important thing about life, though. You have to find time for the things you love. Otherwise, what’s the point.

            Oh, look! The internet is back. Quick, upload, upload, upload!!!

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Renovating

            I've just come home from a day of renovations to discover that it is, in fact Sunday – aka blogging day. I almost missed it. Didn't this just happen, like, a week ago or something?

            Anyway, yes, renovations. My wife and I are soon moving from my parents’ house to her parents’ house. This seems like a simple enough process, except that we are first converting the house into two separate apartments. This is because I have allergies to a number of their pets, plus they want to downsize and eliminate possible clutter space and so we’ll have our own space.

            It’s an interesting process, made difficult by the fact that there is a limited amount of work we (who know next to nothing about renovating) can do without my father-in-law (who knows how to do just about anything) who’s working a lot right now.

            Nevertheless, progress is being made. Various walls were torn down and, over this weekend, new ones were put up. Along with my wife’s cousin (another renovating rookie who, incidentally, looks a lot like Hagrid), I learned how to put up drywall and we became pretty good at it over the weekend.

            The downside is that my hands are completely worn out from all the work we did today, so I'm going to stop typing now. You may be hearing more about renovations in the future – if nothing else, you should be getting pictures when everything’s done.

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Moving Day!

            Ahhh, moving day! Yesterday was moving day for me, which is why this blog is coming out a little later than usual – sorry to anyone it confused. One thing I've decided, though, is if I want to really get into shape, I’ll become a mover.

            Nope, not happening. Never. My muscles say once was more than enough. They have also threatened to mutiny if I ever move into (or out of, in this case) an apartment building again. Particularly the top floor.

            I'm told that moving can be very stressful – it certainly was for Colleen – but I don’t see it myself. Perhaps that’s because everything I do, moving included, is rather abnormal. For one thing, I've technically been in the process for months, and I don’t mean just packing. You see, since it was my parents’ house we were moving into, Colleen and I have been bringing boxes over since our roommate confirmed he was buying a house with his fiancée. This, in my opinion, is a far more sensible way to move than the usual do-it-all-at-once method because you don’t need as many people and you spread all the work out over more time. Then there is only one trip with all the big furniture and you’re done! Time to unpack!

            Granted, not many people have this option available. I've only ever moved twice in my life (excluding when I was too young to remember) and it was either out of or into my parents’ house. The result being that I have always had the freedom to move at any pace that works.

            My parents are awesome, by the way. And I'm not just saying that because they read this blog – they really are! I mean, not only did they let us move back in, but they gave us two rooms instead of the one we were expecting! Plus they entirely fixed up the bedroom for us (okay, so we helped with that, but they didn't even ask us to). This is only one instance of their awesomeness (my friends were always jealous that I had the best parents ever), but this isn't a blog about them, so I’ll stop boring you.

            I think that’s about it for today. Moving has occurred. All is well. Time to finish unpacking then get back to work as usual. Moral of the story: always move in or out of your parents’ house (or don’t move at all).

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so. Really, please do!