June 14, 2013

Chambers and Hydras

Dungeon 2
Dungeon 2 (Photo credit: Tony Dowler)
So this afternoon, my husband and I will be playing Dungeons and Dragons with our friends Tay, N, and K. We are currently trying to stop a citywide riot from going down in large seaside city. We had to reschedule our session from Sunday because Tay's internet was down and K Skypes in to be our DM. Best DM screen ever, right?

Before we started playing this particular campaign almost a year ago, I hadn't played much Dungeons and Dragons, though I had wanted to play since high school. I had watched many games in which my ex-boyfriend was playing, and actually participated in one or two.

D&D uses polyhedral dice to resolve random eve...
D&D uses polyhedral dice to resolve random events. These are abbreviated as a 'd' followed by the number of sides. From left, d4, d6, d8, d12, d20 and two d10, both of which are used together to represent a d100, d%, or percentile die. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
My character in this game is an eladrin rogue named Dezirinda. My husband is playing a human fighter named Ryan. Tay's character is a tiefling wizard named Morthos. Nelson just recently joined the group with an elven ranger named Leoven. We've discovered that a group of (mostly) orcs in the town has been inciting riots through the use of a spell that removes people's inhibitions. Currently, we're in an odd sort of...alternate dimension, I suppose? There are sigils all over town that will transport you somewhere else. We are in the in-between space of one of those. We have less than 24 hours to stop the riots or I WON'T GET MY SWORD BACK. The creature who has been leading the orcs took my sword, which also has some teleporting powers, and won't give it back. I tried to steal it back, to no avail. As a rogue, this is very troubling for me.

We'll see what happens tonight!
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June 13, 2013

Reading and Attention

US Navy 100302-N-0718S-095 Cryptologic Technic...
US Navy 100302-N-0718S-095 Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) 1st Class David G. Burrell reads a Dr. Seuss book to students at George C. Marshall Elementary School during National Read Across America Day (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When I was little, about elementary school age, I read tons of books at a time. I remember spreading them out on the table at the deli where my Mom worked. How did I keep track of them all? I don't know. At some point, I decided that I would only read one book at a time, in order to better focus on it. I kept that up pretty well. Until lately, that is.

Technically, I am reading six books right now. I started reading The Summer of the Spanish Woman a few months ago. It's part of a Reader's Digest Volume of Condensed Books from the '70s. I'm pretty sure I found it in my Great Grandmother's cabin over a decade ago. It is about Charlotte, a teenager who is forced to leave her home in Ireland due to someone else inheriting the property. It takes place mostly in late nineteenth century Spain. I'll be honest, I mostly rolled my eyes at the short description I read before actually starting the story. However, Charlotte is no Scarlett O'Hara, and I am finding it to be an interesting look at how women could gain and/or maintain any measure of independence or self-sufficiency in a culture that often tried to make them victims of their circumstances.

English: book cover of German Reader's Digest ...
English: book cover of German Reader's Digest collection book, 1988. simple shape cover design Deutsch: Buchdeckel Reader's Digest Auswahlbücher, 1988, Bild 2 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Chicago-Read Mental Health Center sign
English: Chicago-Read Mental Health Center sign (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
 Another book I'm reading is Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure. I honestly don't remember how I came across this book. I added it to my Amazon wishlist, so it was probably referenced in a blog post or something. ...I really want to like this book. But so far I don't. In fact, I have to make myself read it. It was written by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a Welsh minister. I don't know much about him, but his tone in this book reminds me of other arrogant, presumptuous ministers whom I've read or heard before. I won't name names. This time. The subtitle is a pretty accurate summary, at least of what I've read so far. I guess I was looking for something different, perhaps a look at actual clinical depression and how it impacts people spiritually or vice-versa. I suppose I should have known better. Perhaps an in-depth look at Scriptures that would be helpful to people suffering from depression, a survey of Biblical figures who were sometimes depressed, or something. Not this. To be fair, it was written in 1964, a time that I imagine the state of mental health was even more abysmal than it is now.

I'm also reading Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets...I won't go into great detail about that book for obvious reasons. This book was written by Kevin Leman, who calls himself a psychologist. It's supposed to be a practical guide to sex. I guess it could be, for some people. It just depends on your experience. I was blessed to have a Mom who was very frank and honest with me about sex, so I didn't feel like I really needed most of the advice in the book or that I couldn't just as easily get it from somewhere else, without some older guy making awkward references the entire time. It was kind of creepy, honestly. However, I can see how it might be helpful to someone who came from an extremely sheltered home. At the same time, I think it might create as many complexes as it might solve. It certainly made me feel stressed and insecure. I started reading it on the advice of my pastor, who did my husband and I's pre-marital counseling. That was over a year ago, and I just recently finished it. (I am still reading the 'extra' questions at the end of the book, which is why I haven't marked it as finished on Goodreads.) T still hasn't read it, but I'd be very interested to hear his take on it. Thankfully,  he is way more patient and understanding than any man portrayed in that book. To be fair to my pastor, he usually gives great advice, and everyone drops the ball sometimes. I think this was one of those times.

So those are three of the six books I'm currently reading. Madness, right?
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We like Adoption

Emblem of Hong Kong
Emblem of Hong Kong (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Last night, T and I talked about kids, genetics, adoption, and blended families. It was good. We talked about how excited we are to have kids. (I'm not pregnant, to my knowledge, but we are actively trying to become so.) I told him how I'm second-guessing every little symptom and twinge I have, wondering if it means I'm pregnant or if it's just hot or I'm just tired or ate something weird. We talked about how our kids are likely to have his black hair, since it's dominant. We talked about how even if we have our own kids, even if we get a 'matching set' (boy and girl), we'd still really like to adopt. He told me how he used to be uncomfortable about adoption, but now the possibility excites him. My husband used to think that adoption was an either/or prospect, that you either had biological kids or you adopted. However, our pastor's family includes his two oldest children, both boys, both biological, and his youngest, a little girl whom they adopted from Hong Kong. They are a beautiful family. Their daughter is thoughful and amazing and kind and smart. As are their sons. I talked to their daughter at length last night. She is also perfectly secure and willing to talk about her adoption experience. She is so very happy with her family and obviously feels like she belongs. I feel like this has changed my husband's perspective on adoption and I am so very thankful for their influence.
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June 10, 2013

Brothers and Mothers

The Flags on Memorial Day weekend
The Flags on Memorial Day weekend (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I'm lookin forward to seeing my brother soon. We are doing a Mud Run and I know it is going to be really amazing! I am so proud of him and his job and motivation. My Mom will be coming to visit me soon too. I invited her to the women's ministry meeting at my new church. I am looking forward to introducing her to some new and old friends and just giving her an opportunity to be encouraged. She hasn't been part of a church community in a long time and I think she could benefit from it.

T is taking good care of me lately. I hurt my knee playing softball and he has been making sure I wear my knee brace and rest. He has been working really hard and we have been planning our fall vacation! Right now we are trying to decide if it would be more economical to drive or fly. He has also been teaching me to play XCom:Enemy Unknown, which is surprisingly fun. Dinner Saturday night was a delicious Dijon Doused Steak that he cooked. I want more! Like, now!

I got a new job this week! I will be making cupcakes soon. I am excited about the opportunity to save up some extra money, since T and I will be buying a house soon. We are trying to save as much as we can! An old friend from church recommended me for the job and I am super grateful.

We spent Memorial Day weekend at the river and had a lot of fun. The water was really choppy, but we both went on the inner tube anyway and my uncle did his best to throw us off. I had fun, but my arms were sore for days! Just another reason that I need to build some upper-body strength. I also got to debut my new purple bikini. I tried to drink lots of water, despite my temptation to guzzle Mountain Dew. I also slept surprisingly well on the foldout couch bed. It was a wonderful weekend.
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June 05, 2013

Challenges

Cover of "American Gods: A Novel"
Cover of American Gods: A Novel
My Mom booked a hotel for us for when we go to the Mud Run. We have been slacking off majorly on our running, so I'm a bit worried. However, she has taken a huge load off my mind by doing so, and I am incredibly thankful for it. Either way, as long as I finish the race and get super-muddy, I will be happy! She is also offering to buy me some new boardshorts and she paid for my car's oil change the other day. I am seriously blessed. I told her not to pay for the oil change and she said she wanted to, because I never let her do anything. I asked if she wanted me to be more needy, and she said no, that she liked me just the way I was. I love making her laugh.
I actually got up this morning with T and really enjoyed seeing him off to work. He too, makes me laugh and we really enjoy giggling at Kazu's crazy antics. He is a real spaz in the mornings. He was probably also hyper because it is not part of  his usual routine for me to be up so early. T also got me a paperback copy of American Gods last night and he downloaded it onto his Kindle so we can read it together! He is really getting into this reading thing. That was his New Year's resolution this year. We also managed to have a fight last night with no yelling or crying. (Okay, there was some swearing. Mostly on my part.) However, we resolved it quickly and I was really happy about that. I feel like we are improving our marriage all the time. Cooking dinner was a lot of fun last night too. Okay, so we didn't actually cook, but we prepped ingredients.
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