D-D-Dragon!

We finally got together for our Friday 4e D&D game again. Looking back it was the beginning of October the last time we played it. Generally that would be a death knell, and we spent about an hour bullshitting about movies and stuff before actually getting to the business of even updating our characters and trying to remember what happened all those months ago. Turns out my memory, while good on the broad strokes had painted them with Southwest desert colors instead of the Germanic forested ones of which they were actually comprised. Once we got back into it things rolled along pretty smooth and it turned out to be one of the better sessions of this game. There was a bit toward the end with a dragon that highlighted a strength and a weakness of 4e. The strength: we decided to try to talk the dragon down instead of fighting it. We jumped into a skill challenge and avoided what would have likely been a long-ish, possibly bogged down, fight. We got to roleplay convincing a powerful monster that we were a bigger threat than it was, and feel like badasses in a situation that wasn't combat. I love skill challenges for this aspect. The weakness: From an economic standpoint it would have, within the rules of 4e, made more sense for us to jump into combat. Or maybe to use the skill challenge to set ourselves up for advantage in the fight with the dragon. We would have gotten size-ably more XP for fighting, which does say something important about the game, "This is what we designed this game for. You can use skill challenges, but they're not as important." I don't really like that.

Make Merry

The hell has been happening?

Wrapped up Burrito Quest 4: Veggie Trek. Managed to coordinate Isaac in on the last episode. We kind of decided to do a BQ5: Bizarro Trek, but my enthusiasm for it is not super high. Maybe I'll see if I can pawn all the work off on Ben, then just coast along.

Xmas went swimmingly, without any actual swimming. Spent the weekend before and up till Xmas day in Carl-Bad. Highlights include:

Trying to find something to do on Sunday before Xmas in Carl-Bad, as nothing beside fast food or Chili's is apparently open. And for your information, the Chili's in Carl-Bad is pretty crappy. Got to hang out with Nathan some though, which is always good.

Played some Minecraft with Ross while in C-Bad. I finally grok why that game is so popular.

Woke the kids up Xmas morning telling them Santa Claus came and left them presents, to which Owen replied, "Dada, I'm scared." He got over it pretty quick though, and spent quite a while pushing his new scoot bike around the house. They should hopefully put on the inch or two needed to fit them by the summer. Paige dug hers too, but was more interested in her new backpack.

Fat loots from Santa to me included were highlighted by Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version by Philip Pullman and a new Kitchen Aid can opener. We use a can opener twice a day feeding Piper and have generally picked inexpensive models that either didn't work consistenly or broke within a pretty short time period. Maybe I was just doing it wrong. Anyway, the new opener rocks. Also got some socks with monkeys and mustaches on them.

The day after we got back from Carl-bad, Jon (plus Cameron & Derek) and Dad both showed up. Jon stayed till this past Sunday, and Dad is leaving this coming Saturday. Been a busy house full of visitors through the holidays, but not in a bad way.

Made it out with Jon and Dad to the Mimbres Brewery taproom. The beer was better than it has been (helped that they had their Chocolate Pinon Coffee Stout on tap) and we had a good time hanging out, chatting, and having a few beers.

Played some CoD: Black Ops 2 with Derek. The zombie mode on that game is pretty damn sweet, especially the Grief games.

More Xmas with Jon et al. Scored more loot, including a sweet Loveland Ale Works shirt from Jon, a digital photo frame from Mom, cash for a weekend getaway from Dad, and comics and video games from Sage.

Did our annual kickball game. I think I kicked once, then rounded up the kids and took them home. It was cold and they were getting grumpy. But there was a good turnout depsite the cold and I think everybody had fun. May try to do it bi-annually, or maybe even quarterly in the future.

Saw the Hobbit, was underwhelmed. There was a lot of bloat and some weird production choices that would have, for me, been more successful if they had been more understated. Dislikes: too much light in caves in the bottom of the mountain, dwarfs looking weird or not like dwarfs, for kids=goofiness & fart jokes, Radagast. Likes: Bilbo, Riddles with Gollum. I like the old Rankin & Bass cartoon a lot more than I do this version.

Dad and Aunt Nette are both headed back east tomorrow.

And look at this, it snowed.

Wrasslin Talk

Hey, Nathan Paoletta pretty decent interview, and there's even some wrestling talk in there
http://www.nerdist.com/2012/12/nerdist-podcast-cm-punk/

Make Mine

I've taken to reading comics again lately. And by comics I mean superhero books, namely of the Marvel variety. I think something Sage mentioned about AvX piqued my interest, so I got a hold of that storyline and blazed through it. It lit a fire for more Marvel stuff. In the past week I've read that and all of Young Avengers. Now I'm turning toward the Marvel Now! releases. All this with a book half-finished and other novels clamoring for attention in my brains.

Current Read: A Betrayal in Winter
Reads Clamoring: One of Mieville's post-The City & The City books (Kraken, Embassytown, or Railsea), Ghost Brigades, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, Wildwood

Pacified

I'm not sure how much the 'kiki' (pacifier) is a tool to provide Carrie and I to sleep rather than my kids. My guess is that it's at least in the 50/50 range, if not weighted more heavily in our favor. Despite this, until now, favorable coexistence, these suckerlings will be phased out after the holidays. The fact that Owen woke up crying after his early this morning does not bode well for this plan. Nevertheless!

A night out was had at the Reddest of Lobsters last night. Booths have become the seating arrangement of choice when dining out with the kids. It provides for a somewhat corralled freedom of movement for Paige and Owen, which in turn frees Carrie and I from constantly trying to keep them in their chairs. As yet they have not shown interest in sliding underneath the table, so there's that to look forward to. I had a brief moment of nostalgic clarity when Paige (whose attachment to me means I get to corral her more often in these situations) wouldn't stop staring over the top of the booth seat at the patrons seated behind us. I, of course, told her to stop rubber-necking, and was instantly transported to a restaurant in Austria or Switzerland circa 1982, when the same comment by my very own father, set his kids to laughing and craning their necks in what was, for them, rather a humorous fashion. Not, I think, his intent.

Open for Business

Nyquil dreams last night: I threw someone out of our office at work for calling a coworker an asshole. Then another guy came in and tried to start a fight with me so I put him in an arm lock until security came to collect him.

When the kids became mobile we installed a fence of sorts in front of he couch table that serves as our entertainment center.  Last year the addition of a few sections made it so the Christmas tree was blocked off as well.  This year when we put the tree up, the whole affair looked a bit sad, fanced off like that.  So we I took the whole fence down the other night.  So far so good.  The only real worry about the whole thing, beyond having to pick up any dvds or video games that get scattered across the floor, is that behind the entertainment center are the only accessible electrical outlets that actually have things plugged into them.  We're watching you, Owen and Paige.

Should Do This More Often

Since last time:

I hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim. Given a general lack of training on my part it went pretty well. If anything it mostly affected my recovery time. The scenery was, of course, amazing.

Owen and Paige turned 2. Had a great party with lots of friends and family.

I turned 38!

Gaming ground to a standstill with various travel and whatnots. Played in a session of Apocalypse World this past Saturday, was good. Was good...

Decided to put the renovation project on hold, for the patio. We're in saving mode, trying to build the money to get the job done, rather than depleting savings to do it.

The tree is pretty sweet. It finally dropped its leaves, and the yard is, for the first time, littered with leaves. Hopefully it established well enough to make it though the winter. Should be fine given how large a tree we bought.

Had a low key Thanksgiving with Mom and Nette. Made way more food than needed, as is the wont of that holiday.

Finished the firs of the Long Price Quartet and started the second, Betrayal in Winter. Good series, but I think I may pause after this one and read Ghost Brigades.

Burrito Quest is on track for a possible successful trek. It would be our first since BQ1 if it happens.