Holy speeding year, Batman! Did you see that? 2007 is almost gone. Mere hours to go and I have a houseful of wonderful people, cats and food. It couldn't end much better.

Last year, Cheruby and I rang in the new year at his house with his friends. It was alright, but I was just happy to be with him.

January started with a great trip to Edmonton. I got to see so many great friends and had a wonderful time. Cheruby and I started playing Mage. I got pretty sick in January too, sick enough to keep me from work which is not as easy as you might think. I got a flu shot this year for the first time since I was in high school. We took a weekend trip to Christopher Lake to visit Cheruby's aunt and uncle. Those are always enjoyable. We also started playing Low Life with Drang and SocChick.

February was filled with games of Low Life and Mage, supper at EE Burrito's with Cheruby's mom, Irish sessions at Cluricaune Pub and Lydia's, and tulip deliveries. We started playing In Nomine which Cheruby runs. A friend needed some support so we spent a long time creating a CD just for her. Cheruby and his cousin had a falling out. And Cheruby and I spent our first Saskatchewan Family Day with my parents quite far north at Little Bear Lake in a wonderful cabin. We all went ice fishing and went for rides on snow-mobiles. I also started exercising regularly. Cheruby's cat moved into my house and Cheruby never slept in his own bed at his house again.

March brought about my viewing of Pan's Labyrinth which was uplifting for me. Another trip to Edmonton was upon me, but just me this time as I bought a ticket from a friend who could no longer go. Mage, Low Life and In Nomine once again kept us busy. My friends lives were quite tumultuous, but results have been for the best. I care about them all very much so it was hard for me to be objective about anything. Dinner at the Ivy was good. There was also a board meeting for the Canadian Cancer Society. Babyface also stayed here for quite a while when he started his new job. I was happy to have him and his family moving back to Saskatoon. My mom and I helped with the moving in for a while. I also proctored an exam for a friend's sister. The fabulous people from Edmonton came up for a game and stayed with us. I got to hang out with quirkykitten which I enjoyed immensely. I continued my swimming goodness.

In April, Cheruby officially moved in. He arranged a garage sale and sold a lot of his stuff. I sold a little of my stuff to make some room for him. I need a lot more storage space than he does. We also celebrated our first anniversary even though we were in different cities. I was on a business trip to Winnipeg at the time. I also spent some time in Edmonton at the beginning of the month. As usual, there were lots of games being played. I spent some time with friends and my mom came to visit.

May brought about time off that was packed with family. My brother finally married the mother of his children. YAY! And Cheruby's sister married the man of her dreams two weeks later. In amongst all that, I saw some great friends who live in Calgary and had a party at my house to see a lot of other great friends who came from afar to attend another friend's wedding that was the same day as Cheruby's sister. Games and time with more friends made this a very busy month. I was happy to have Cheruby with me to help me stay sane.

June started with a party hosted by the dear Rilla and Em. I stayed with the dear Neuba when I went to Edmonton. She was my date for a friend's wedding - traditional Chinese wedding with all the crazy courses of which I tried every single one. Then I was off to Winnipeg for work again. And then off to Toronto for work. I enjoyed being able to see so many of my colleagues who work very far away from me. And then to Lake Namekus for Cheruby's birthday celebration with a stop at his uncle's. I think the rest of the month was spent just enjoying being at home with my angel.

July began with the usual International White Trash Week celebrations in Regina with Cenobyte and His Nibs. This time Cheruby and I were actually able to attend. We also got to pretend to be a werewolf pack which was a ton of fun. Ril and I went to Regina again this month to see a psychic but she was broken. Furnace shopping and meetings with the bank also happened this month and took quite a bit of time. Off to Winnipeg for more meetings for work.

I had some vacation time in August again. I journeyed to Calgary to get my niece and nephew and spend some time with my friends. We shopped and went camping at Tobin Lake with my parents and had a good time. We hosted our first movie night on our countdown of AFI's Top 100 Movies of all time. I had my appeal board hearing this month on the ongoing issue of my eavestroughs. We helped Lando celebrate her birthday. Cheruby also made the semi-finals in an international screen writing competition. To celebrate, we had supper at Taverna and saw two movies in one night - Transformers and Stardust. It was a great evening and month. We kept up with our usual gaming and event schedule as much as possible. Cheruby's cousin called and they made up.

September started with a week of vacation time which was very needed although it was mostly spent doing home repairs with my dad. I spent time with mom as well which was great. We got to go on a riverboat cruise with work which was pretty cool. And I got to spend a lot of time with friends. Gaming and movie nights continued with great success. We met up with Cheruby's aunt and uncle from the states. There was a wonderful breakfast with all the people that were eating at the Ivy earlier in the year.

October saw the completion of my eavestroughs thanks to my dad. As well, we had the furnace and water heater replaced, an air conditioner installed, and the wood fireplace replaced with a gas fireplace. We spent some time in La Ronge with Cheruby's dad. Another week of vacation which was also very needed and actually relaxing this time. I got to see a friend through work who moved quite a few years ago. The lovely Edmonton folks came for a visit. Cheruby and I attended the Echoes of Erin concert which was great. Movie nights continued with D&G being our regulars. I have very much enjoyed their company.

In November, I had another week of vacation. Cheruby and I drove out to the coast and spent a few days visiting those in Vancouver. I got to see some of my friends from work in Vancouver. I treated Cheruby to an evening in Jasper which was very lovely. We drove Calgary to Vancouver then back through Edmonton to get home. It was a wonderful vacation. The Edmonton folks came up for their final visit for a long time as the game they were playing in was finishing. I love having them here. We listened to over 40 hours of Christmas music in November for our Christmas project. I also accepted a position as the Canadian Cancer Society Saskatoon board president.

December started with a trip home to visit my parents and hang out. I enjoyed the weekend with no expectations, just enjoyment of their company. I spent two weeks working in Calgary just before Christmas which was hard, but I very much enjoyed the time spent with colleagues I rarely get to see. We even got to go to the mountains - it was the first time ever for one of my colleagues. I spent a weekend in Regina for my first provincial Canadian Cancer Society board meeting. I also hosted a psychic party at my house one weekend. Bne came home with me from Calgary and has been a great house guest and company.

Tonight is New Years' Eve. I hope to see a lot of my friends and wish them the best. To those of you I can't see in person, I love you all and will see you in 2008.

I Am A: Neutral Good Human Ranger/Sorcerer (2nd/2nd Level)


Ability Scores:

Strength-12

Dexterity-11

Constitution-13

Intelligence-17

Wisdom-14

Charisma-17


Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because because it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.


Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.


Primary Class:
Rangers are skilled stalkers and hunters who make their home in the woods. Their martial skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's dedication to the craft of fighting. Instead, the ranger focuses his skills and training on a specific enemy a type of creature he bears a vengeful grudge against and hunts above all others. Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures. Finally, an experienced ranger has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw on natural power to cast divine spells, much as a druid does, and like a druid he is often accompanied by animal companions. A ranger's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.


Secondary Class:
Sorcerers are arcane spellcasters who manipulate magic energy with imagination and talent rather than studious discipline. They have no books, no mentors, no theories just raw power that they direct at will. Sorcerers know fewer spells than wizards do and acquire them more slowly, but they can cast individual spells more often and have no need to prepare their incantations ahead of time. Also unlike wizards, sorcerers cannot specialize in a school of magic. Since sorcerers gain their powers without undergoing the years of rigorous study that wizards go through, they have more time to learn fighting skills and are proficient with simple weapons. Charisma is very important for sorcerers; the higher their value in this ability, the higher the spell level they can cast.


Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)




Detailed Results:

Alignment:
Lawful Good ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (21)
Neutral Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (25)
Chaotic Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (19)
Lawful Neutral -- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (18)
True Neutral ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (22)
Chaotic Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (16)
Lawful Evil ----- XXXXXXXXX (9)
Neutral Evil ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Chaotic Evil ---- XXXXXXX (7)

Law & Chaos:
Law ----- XXXXXXX (7)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXX (11)
Chaos --- XXXXX (5)

Good & Evil:
Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXX (11)
Evil ---- XX (2)

Race:
Human ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
Dwarf ---- XXXXXX (6)
Elf ------ XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Gnome ---- XXXXXXXX (8)
Halfling - XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Half-Elf - XXXXXXXXXXX (11)
Half-Orc - (-2)

Class:
Barbarian - (-6)
Bard ------ (-6)
Cleric ---- (0)
Druid ----- XX (2)
Fighter --- (-4)
Monk ------ (-21)
Paladin --- (-23)
Ranger ---- XXXXXX (6)
Rogue ----- XX (2)
Sorcerer -- XXXXXX (6)
Wizard ---- XX (2)

Oddly enough, I thought I did pretty well this Christmas. I had it all planned. Even with my gallivanting around the country, I managed to be done Christmas shopping a week and a half before the big day. I think I started to relax after that and got sloppy because nothing much seemed to get done after that. In fact, not all presents bought have been sent to their recipients and some haven't even been wrapped. Although, we're close now as things have been done on an as needed basis.

There was one other added request for my support which I gave willingly, but kind of left me without the energy to be social and energetic. Cheruby was very good to me and made sure that I knew it was okay to not be that way. I had a good time.

Bne has been here since last Thursday. We drove home together on the evening/night of the 20th. It was mostly a good drive, but close to Saskatoon it got a little bit more miserable. I was pretty useless at work on Friday, but managed a nap before Lando's wedding which made it better. That and I got to hear my angel play and sit next to Babyface who made me laugh and giggle. It was all good.

Saturday, Bne and I watched Six Feet Under all day. We got through over half of the last season. it was good. Only 5 more episodes to go. Part of me just wants it to be done. I want off this ride. The other part of me knows that once it's done, I will be sad and I don't necessarily want to be sad.

We had some folks over on Sunday to enjoy some good company. I liked it although I had to leave everyone downstairs at about 1:30 so I could sleep as I had to work Monday. And work I did - 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Somebody had to be there for the staff who were there until 5 p.m. Pacific time. That's okay, I don't have to work New Years Eve at all.

Christmas Eve, Cheruby and I exchanged gifts. I was so excited to be able to tell him about GenCon. I couldn't possibly make it to his birthday in June to tell him since registration begins in February. He's very excited to have others included in the trip as well. Although, he doesn't know about the costuming yet and I'm particularly excited about that. I got my elf, Elvin. [squee]

Christmas day was sleepy. But we got up and wrapped presents and went to Cheruby's mom's house to open presents. I felt quite spoiled. Then Cheruby made us wonderful Christmas breakfast which we all enjoyed. We played a bit of Tetris before coming home for a nap and opening presents with my lovely folks. Then it was back to Cheruby's mom's for Christmas dinner. Last year, she made sweet gravy due to a mix up with icing sugar and flour. This year, she spewed wine over the table when my mom asked her very politely how long she'd been hearing "these" stories. Stories about anything and everything from Cheruby. It was very funny. I nearly died laughing but only because my mom was there. We get a little silly sometimes.

Boxing day wasn't as sleepy as I would have liked in the morning, but in the afternoon, I got my nap. Cheruby's dad showed up and met my folks. It was good and I was very tired. They went off to a shindig at one of Cheruby's band mate's and I went to visit Ril, Kaz, and Bne. We played a partial game of Runebound where I could do no wrong. It turned out to be just what I needed because I returned home feeling much better than I had in many days. I was quite surprised by the effect that few hours had had on me, but very thankful because I was starting to tire of feeling broken.

Today was even a good day at work and I managed to keep my energy up until 3:30. I napped and then we watched The Raiders of the Lost Ark. And I am currently winding down for sleep again. I have to go in again tomorrow as Bne is sleeping in my home office. If I get lots of sleep tonight, I think I will be mostly recovered from my over expenditure of energy and be ready to enjoy my upcoming 4-day weekend.

And tomorrow, I get to see Buttery B and Neuba which I am very much looking forward to. The movie might be okay, but I'm more interested in the company.

I was fairly upset about having to leave Saskatoon to come back to Calgary today. I wanted to stay home and be with my angel and be surrounded by my things and be able to sleep in my bed. Alas, it was not to be. By my choice, of course, but sometimes that only makes it necessary and not easy.

On the drive, I was feeling lonely. I didn't like it. I phoned Cheruby and that helped a lot, but I still felt sad afterward. So I reached to hold the hand of someone described to me last weekend. And there I was, holding hands with this man. It felt right. And then I gave him all those negative feelings I was experiencing. I felt them all leaving and it was good. I felt the hand I was holding let go and start to withdraw. Instinctively, I scrabbled to keep ahold of it to keep the feeling, but quickly realized that it was okay. I was okay.

I thought of lots of rationalizations for this sudden shift in mood. I had a lot of time to think along the drive. But I want to believe that there is a hand for me to hold when I need it. So for me, that's what happened.

This isn't what blogs are for, but I seem to be missing my Blue Moon game and additional decks. Has anyone seen them?

Things have been cra-a-azeee lately. Holy to-do lists, Batman!

Recap:

After spending the weekend at home with my folks two weeks ago, I came into work the next Monday morning to read about a project for a large client that was going to have some incentives that were pretty sweet. I know my team is awesome and can do without me for a while. They are pretty self-sufficient, but like to have me around to do my manager-thing which mostly involves giving the people making their lives harder than necessary what-for and helping them come up with the most efficient solution to a situation.

I digress and I'm realizing this is going to be a story rather than a recap. Oh well. It's making me happy.

After being on stand-by for most of last week, I finally get the go ahead that we're really going to Calgary for the next week (this past week). That was a really stressful couple of days because I had to figure out what was on my to-do lists, cut things that weren't going to get done, figure out what I could pass off to Jeremy (not that easy for me as most of you know), and do as much of my stuff as possible before flying out on Sunday night.

I also had to fit in all of my regularly scheduled programming for last weekend - leaving work early to drive very quickly to Regina for a Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) board meeting which turned out to be 6.5 hours of budget-talk on Friday night and 2 hours of budget-talk on Saturday with a couple more hours of much more interesting stuff, but I was so tired by then that I wasn't as enthusiastic as I could have been.

His Nibs and Cenobyte (in absentia) were kind enough to put me up for the Friday night at their place which I enjoyed greatly. I was hoping to spend more time with them that night, but I went to bed and crashed before having to be back at the board meeting early in the morning.

After the board meeting on Saturday, I went to one of my favourite stores in Regina called the paper umbrella where I bought a *fabulous* pen. I've been using it all week and I'm not sure it's going to last if I keep doing that, but really, what else is a pen for? It's really making the project work easier by the happiness it brings me.

Then I got to see my brother and dad. I watched my brother spend scads of money at Home Depot on stuff for his new bathroom. My dad is still in Regina by himself working away at the new bathroom. I love their house there and it's even better that it is so much closer to me! We had some pizza and munchies together and I toured the house. I gave them some much needed advice on sound-proofing the wall between the new spa tub and my nephew's room. What would they have done without me, eh? [grin]

Leaving my brother and dad to start rebuilding the bathroom, I headed back out to Lumsden for the company. I sat with cenobyte for a bit and we watched Ghost Whisperer. She told me a little more about her visit with the psychic and just gabbed for a while. It was really good. I'm so looking forward to spending more time with her in the next year.

Anyway, I stayed a little longer than I should have there because I was expecting my mom to be coming to my house in Saskatoon that night. Oddly enough, I beat her home and I got there at 11:30! She followed Cheruby home from the Mage game though which was pretty coincidental. She thought it was me because he was driving my car. Having the puppy in the house was pretty awesome though. Cheruby liked it.

Sunday was an adventure - up early enough to run errands at CostCo and Peavey Mart and clean the house (mainly my office) before the psychic showed up. Mom went first and it was pretty traumatic for her. Rilla went second and was very happy with the experience. A nervous Cheruby was next, but got some information he was looking for and was happy he'd done it. All of those people were in with her for over an hour. My turn was last and she had a really tough time getting started with my reading. For about 30 minutes, she couldn't see any of my issues. Nice thought, but not quite. I was happy enough with the reading, but it didn't last as long as the others. It was interesting although with all the hub-bub in my head with to-do lists, I didn't retain a lot of it and this time, it wasn't taped. I really wished AJ had been there.

My mom, Cheruby and I hung out for a couple hours after she left. Then I packed in a frenzy and was off to the airport for my flight to Calgary.

Calgary I can recap: 12 hours of work a day, eating and sleeping. Throw in a niece's Christmas concert as well as a nephew's Christmas concert and you have my week. I didn't have wheels to get around so I was quite trapped. I had thought I might see Bne and Ferlak tonight, but changed my flight because I needed home for a rest.

Tomorrow, I had some shopping to finish, a rental car to pick up, and laundry to do. There is a party being hosted at my house. Fudge needs making as well as finishing up some Christmas presents. Cards need to be addressed and sent and then I'm back on the road Sunday headed for Calgary again. I'm hoping next week isn't as grueling, but I'm guessing it might be even worse. It's going to end well because I get to drive back with company in the car. YAY!

After a month of blogging, I was surprised to find myself wanting to do it. Of course, blogging usually takes time just before bed which meant that I was getting less sleep because of it. And this weekend, I was allowed to go to bed without blogging. I slept over 9 hours on Friday and Saturday nights each. It pleased me.

So there are big things that may not happen like my working in Calgary for the next week or two. We'll see how long the project takes. This seriously cuts into my holiday plans, but I'll manage.

My brother is moving to Regina, which you all know by now, and that's big. I'm going to be in Regina to help with all the stuff the weekend after Christmas. That means that mom and dad, who are also going to Regina to help that weekend, aren't going to be in Saskatoon for Christmas. I'm a little sad about that. Okay, a lot sad. I love being with my parents, but they don't like to be away from home for too long. And especially with the new puppy, they'll want to be close to home. Part of me is being selfish too because I don't know where I would put everyone in my house. With Bne coming and my parents and Cheruby's dad, I just have no idea where they would all go now that my office and Cheruby's office have all kinds of stuff in them.

I'm going a little crazy with my Christmas plans. I have a pretty big to do list and not a lot of time with weeks in Calgary now taking those evenings away. Ah well, you know what, everything will be just fine. Christmas will come and go and I will be happy for all the company and love filling my house. It doesn't get much better than that.


Being at home this weekend, I was able to visit with my mom and do some crafty business with my very talented aunt BB and my mom. We went tromping around in the snow-filled bush in the country side. It was awesome. I loved it. And we decorate BB's Christmas tree which is too tall for me to get to the top of even with a six foot ladder. It is totally awesome and cool. BB only recently converted to a fake tree. For most of their years in the house, they would get a real one which was about the same size as the fake one if not bigger.