Make Me an Offer
Dec 20, 2008

So it's been a while since I've made any update. It's been a busy couple of months, for sure. We've put our house up for sale, so there was a pretty big push to stage our place in preparation for showings, followed by endless cycles of tidying and cleaning every day. We've into the holidays now, so I don't expect we'll have a lot more interest until early January. That's okay, as we're not in a major panic to sell. We just need some more space, and our current spot no longer serves out need. Winter is beginning to sink in, although we don't have much snow on the ground. The temperatures have been flirting with the freezing mark for a few weeks now, but it always gets warm enough for everything to melt. Christmas is fast approaching, and it will be Samantha's second. I am not sure that she really knows anything is up just yet, but I know she'll be excited on Christmas day. Her language skills are developing so quickly. Every day she learns a few more words and is beginning to put together short sentences. She has begun to periodically call me "Randy" instead of "Daddy", but she never calls her Mom by her name. Weird, huh?

So my running year came to a close with the half-marathon in the middle of October. I had a great race, being really aggressive and maintaining a good pace. My overall position was 32 out of 427, and I had a personal best time of 1:38:48, which was three minutes faster than my previous best. I definitely felt the hills at the end of the course, mainly as a consequence of doing a minimum number of long runs during my training. By the end of the race season, I had competed in 16 races, which is the most I have ever run in during a single year. I haven't been out running very much during November and December, but still try to get a few in here and there. I'll typically step my mileage back up in February, as that'll usually put me in shape the spring races again. I felt pretty good about my running season this year. I definitely wasn't in the best shape I've ever been in, but I started to get back some of the competitive instinct later in the season. It was easier to stay in that uncomfortable zone for longer, and I was less likely to bail on a race plan if it wasn't going perfectly.

The expansion for World of Warcraft dropped in November, and I have made my way back into the world of Azeroth. It's been super fun to get back into the game, and I've managed to link up with friends several times to get some dungeoning in. I haven't played it quite as much as I would like, but I have other responsibilities that take priority over gaming. I sound so grown up! After a summer hiatus, a bunch of us have started playing D&D again this fall. I am DMing and have set the game in the world of DarkSun, which is my favorite setting. We have not migrated to the new 4^th edition rulesets, and that's okay by me. I have learning new rules systems, especially when they really don't add a whole lot to the main parts of the game for me, which are the characters and the story.

Speaking of gaming, I think it's a good night to conquer another small piece of Azeroth. Tammie is engrossed by her book, and Samantha is tucked snuggly in bed. A quiet Saturday night for sure!

Randy

Officially Hitched
Jul 27, 2008

My wedding day last month went off without a hitch. The weather cooperated and pretty much everything went as planned. Tammie was absolutely stunning in her wedding dress. It was a strapless white dress with red detailing and a long train. I wore a boring black suit, but I'm not supposed to attract a lot of attention anyways. We got married in a country church overlooking a beautiful bay. After the ceremony, we had a desert reception for everyone in a nearby community hall, and I'm happy to say the food was so well-received that not a scrap of it was left. Tammie and I made our own wedding cake. Actually, Tammie did most of it; I just helped with a few things. It was a large gazebo with a statue in the centre, made out of three different types of cake, and laced with icing and chocolate bits. Tons of photographs were taken to help us document the events of the day. As always, Samantha stole the show. In the evening we went to one of our favourite restaurants and had an intimate supper with our family and wedding party. Tammie and I ended the evening by going back to a romantic suite in a downtown inn. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Samantha turned one just a few weeks ago. It is hard to believe that a year has passed already since she was born. Some days time seems to move slowly, and other days you can hardly keep track of time clicking by. Samantha is really starting to develop her own personality, with her own likes, dislikes, and interests. She loves to look at books and is on the move almost all the time. She's been walking since she was nine months old, and needless to say she keeps us on our toes. We had a little birthday party for her in the park on a beautiful sunny Saturday. She had a lot of fun with her family and friends, and had a tiny little birthday cake all to her own. She was spoiled, especially by her grandparents, but I am pretty sure that's a rule in the grandparents' handbook.

The summer movie season is in full swing, and I have had the privilege of slipping out to see a few of them. So far I've seen "Iron Man", "The Incredible Hulk", "Wanted", and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army". I was surprised at how much I enjoyed "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk". My only complaint about "Iron Man" was that there wasn't enough actual Iron Man. "The Incredible Hulk" did not have that problem; there was plenty of Hulk action to satisfy the big green baddie in all of us. "Wanted" was a slick and enjoyable action flick, and Angeline Jolie is still smoldering hot on-screen. "Hellboy II" is one of my faves so far, just because I totally love the Hellboy character. The scene where he and Abe are drunk and singing sad love songs: priceless! Next up is the "Dark Knight", which I hope to see sometime next week. I can't handle the crowds of the opening week anymore, so I usually wait a week or two before seeing the big ones.

And just as a little side-note, I recently put up my latest labour of love: the DarkSun Atlas. I used to have something similar posted a long time ago, but I've rebuilt it from the ground up. It is still kind of in a beta state right now, but I'll be improving it over the coming months.

Randy

Good Help Is Hard to Find
Sep 30, 2008

Hard to believe that it is the end of September already. Things have been so busy the last couple of months. The biggest change is Tammie returning to work from maternity leave, which means that we need to find care for Samantha. For all of August and most of September, Samantha was with a wonderful baby-sitter in a home care situation, but that person is no longer available. I don't think that institutional daycare is right for us, so we've been on the hunt for another home care situation. I think we found a really good one today, and we're hopeful Samantha will like it as much as the one she has been at. Speaking of Samantha, she changes every day, and can now say a smattering of words. Her comprehension far outweighs her speaking ability, but I have no doubt that she'll be talking my ear off before too long. It's really amazing to watch her personality grow and develop. She's such a character.

I managed to consistently get over 100km or runs in for three straight months now, and I think that has paid off in some of my races. My times are pretty good, and I recently set a personal best in the 5k at 19:57; my first 5k in under 20 minutes! The next big race is the half-marathon in October, and I think I am ready for that. I've gotten out for the requisite number of long runs and feel my stamina is pretty good. The one thing I feel like I am lacking this year is the mental toughness to push through some of the pain that you experience when digging deep in a race. In other years, I've been able to be mentally tough and push through hard spots, whereas this year I'm a little more inclined to ease up. Oh well, I really want to lay it all on the line for the half-marathon so we'll see how that event goes. Every race day is unique.

I recently finished a new website with the Prince Edward Island Home and School Federation. They came to me earlier in the year looking for some help in getting their web presence updated and established. It wasn't a very large project, but it was nice to get back into an exclusively web-based work for a while. It's also always an interesting challenge to work within someone else's brand, seeing you can compliment and extend it. The client seems happy with the outcome to date, and that's always the main goal.

I'm going to get some drawing in tonight. For a long time, I was part of a group of artists that were doing sketch themes each week, but that kind of died out over the winter. So since then, I haven't been drawing nearly as much and I miss it. I still manage to do a few pieces now and again, but it's nice to have a goal or theme to work towards. The drawing I am working on right now is for a contest, but the deadline is coming up fast. We'll see if I can get it done before it's too late!

Randy

Officially Hitched
Jul 27, 2008

My wedding day last month went off without a hitch. The weather cooperated and pretty much everything went as planned. Tammie was absolutely stunning in her wedding dress. It was a strapless white dress with red detailing and a long train. I wore a boring black suit, but I'm not supposed to attract a lot of attention anyways. We got married in a country church overlooking a beautiful bay. After the ceremony, we had a desert reception for everyone in a nearby community hall, and I'm happy to say the food was so well-received that not a scrap of it was left. Tammie and I made our own wedding cake. Actually, Tammie did most of it; I just helped with a few things. It was a large gazebo with a statue in the centre, made out of three different types of cake, and laced with icing and chocolate bits. Tons of photographs were taken to help us document the events of the day. As always, Samantha stole the show. In the evening we went to one of our favourite restaurants and had an intimate supper with our family and wedding party. Tammie and I ended the evening by going back to a romantic suite in a downtown inn. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Samantha turned one just a few weeks ago. It is hard to believe that a year has passed already since she was born. Some days time seems to move slowly, and other days you can hardly keep track of time clicking by. Samantha is really starting to develop her own personality, with her own likes, dislikes, and interests. She loves to look at books and is on the move almost all the time. She's been walking since she was nine months old, and needless to say she keeps us on our toes. We had a little birthday party for her in the park on a beautiful sunny Saturday. She had a lot of fun with her family and friends, and had a tiny little birthday cake all to her own. She was spoiled, especially by her grandparents, but I am pretty sure that's a rule in the grandparents' handbook.

The summer movie season is in full swing, and I have had the privilege of slipping out to see a few of them. So far I've seen "Iron Man", "The Incredible Hulk", "Wanted", and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army". I was surprised at how much I enjoyed "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk". My only complaint about "Iron Man" was that there wasn't enough actual Iron Man. "The Incredible Hulk" did not have that problem; there was plenty of Hulk action to satisfy the big green baddie in all of us. "Wanted" was a slick and enjoyable action flick, and Angeline Jolie is still smoldering hot on-screen. "Hellboy II" is one of my faves so far, just because I totally love the Hellboy character. The scene where he and Abe are drunk and singing sad love songs: priceless! Next up is the "Dark Knight", which I hope to see sometime next week. I can't handle the crowds of the opening week anymore, so I usually wait a week or two before seeing the big ones.

And just as a little side-note, I recently put up my latest labour of love: the DarkSun Atlas. I used to have something similar posted a long time ago, but I've rebuilt it from the ground up. It is still kind of in a beta state right now, but I'll be improving it over the coming months.

Randy

Summer Vows
Jun 11, 2008

So June has arrived and we are closing on rapidly on my wedding day. All the planning seems to be in order, although you can thank Tammie for that. She has handled most of the wedding preparations, and I've kind of just been there to give an opinion or two. I'm getting excited now that the day is getting closer, and think it will be a wonderful day. Because Tammie returns to work the first week of July, we are not having a honeymoon, which is a bit of a disappointment. But with all the changes this year, including Samantha and the purchase of a new home, it's hard to get everything squeezed in. We'll be sure to take a nice trip somewhere before too many years go by; just not this year.

Speaking of trips, last month we went over to Fundy National Park for the weekend. It was our first real family trip, and it was a blast. Samantha travelled very well, and tolerated our crazy plans. We took her on a three hour hike to see some beautiful waterfalls, and she really enjoyed that despite being cooped up in a backpack strapped to her dad. I did my best to give her a relatively smooth ride, but there were some parts where she was jostled around for sure as we scaled rocks along the river. The weather was perfect and the scenery was breathtaking. We did have one day of rain while we were there, but that didn't really dampen our spirits. We got to see lots of local artisans and shops, which was enjoyable in its own right. Fundy will definitely be a place to return to in the coming years, and I think Samantha will enjoy it even more when she's older.

I've managed to get into more of a groove running-wise, which has been nice. Because of the general business of life this spring, I haven't been able to get out to all the runs that I wanted to, but enough to keep me in game shape. The last three races I've competed in have all been personal best times in that event. There are two very fast races coming up over the next couple of weekends, so I am eager to give those a shot. I still haven't been getting enough long runs in, so I am not sure how deep the tank will be with several hard races in a row. I was hoping there would be a local race on the morning of my wedding, but alas there isn't one. Would have been nice to blow off some nervous energy!

As I've mentioned before, I've been messing around with Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. It received rave reviews as one of the greatest role playing games ever, but I just can't get into it. As a sandbox game it really excels, but the characters, story, and environments are just not that interesting. Maybe I haven't gotten deep enough into the game yet, but I have to say I am disappointed. I would really like to try Age of Conan, but I just don't have the time (or the monthly subscription fee). I love the Conan universe and it would be very fun to muck around in it.

Well, it's getting late and there are dishes to clean and laundry to fold, so I best get at least one of them done. See you on the flipside of marriage vows!

Randy

Spring Is Sprung
Apr 16, 2008

March certainly zipped by this year, as we're halfway through April and I haven't had time to make an update! The weather has improved, which means that the snow is slowly going away and it is starting to look like spring out there. I am getting back into the running groove, and trying to get at least four runs in each week. Tammie also got me a Garmin Forerunner 305, which is super handy for training runs and keeping track of your mileage. I feel a lot slower than I have in past years, but this is my first year as a dad, so it's hard to say what to expect from here on out. I've run three races this year so far, and while my performances were not bad, they are far from any personal bests. But the legs are feeling better and better with each week, and as the mileage starts to add up I'm sure things will get better. Tammie and I are getting out for more hikes too, which help make the legs stronger. And nothing adds just the right amount of resistance but a little twenty-pound girl strapped to your back!

Samantha is doing very well, and continues to change every single day. We ran into our first bout of sleeping problems recently, and that has led to some very tired weeks. But I think we are sorting it all out and will have the routine back very soon. Samantha is full of life and only has two gears: full steam ahead or fast asleep. She has really taken to the pool and loves the water, and she's getting to enjoy our new running stroller as well. Tammie has actually had her out in the running stroller more than I have thus far, but I'm hoping to change that as the days become nicer.

Tammie and I are engaged, and our wedding will be in late June. So plans are well underway for that event, and we are all pretty excited about it. The rings are purchased, the suit squared away, and the dress is nearing final fitting. I haven't seen Tammie's wedding dress but am very eager to. I want to keep it a surprise until the wedding day though, so I've restrained myself from doing any snooping or asking too many questions.

I finally got into Elder Scrolls: Oblivion last weekend, and it is a super deep game. I don't fully understand the leveling system just yet, but I'm kind of just seeing where the game takes me. The characters and environments are very realistic, right down to activity cycles that can make the world seem alive. There aren't many games out there where the non-player characters sleep at night and sometimes wander away from their homes to take care of their own business. I've been also getting a lot of Starcraft in recently as well. They announced the Zerg for Starcraft 2 not that long ago, and it was more awesome than I could have imagined. I cannot remember ever being this excited about a game release before.

Well, I have some contract work to catch up on, so I best get to it. Website structure documents don't write themselves!

Randy

Delaying the Inevitable
Feb 28, 2008

February is almost at an end, and winter still has us in its grasp. Work today was delayed a few hours because of a storm, but I came in with my carpool at the regular time anyways. I've been trying really hard to get back into running at least four times a week, but that's proven to be difficult because of the weather. It seems like if it isn't storming out, the windchills are below -20C. But I've been determined to get my running legs back, and have been out on several days with windchill temperatures below -25C. I run on a walking path near my home, and there is a stretch that is surrounded by fields on either side, leaving it totally exposed to the wind. Needless to say I pick up my pace for that kilometer, just so my face doesn't freeze solid! The first race of the year is in mid-March, and I think I'd like to run it. It's just a 5k race, so I think I can handle it. I haven't been doing any longer runs as of yet.

Samantha is doing well, and growing like a weed. She refuses to crawl, determined to stand up and walk around like everyone else. She will pull herself up onto anything stable and then use it as stability while she walks around. I suspect it won't be too much longer before she's scampering around on her own two feet, as she is quickly getting better and better at balancing herself. She is quite the little charmer, flashing her big blue eyes and a bright smile to anyone that will give her a little attention. Her grandparents in particular have the best time playing with her during our visits with them. Needless to say she has us all wrapped around her little finger!

I've been playing Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords recently, and am pretty close to finishing it. The game is not as good as the first one, but then sequels rarely are. It has some nice features over the first, but you can see that the production company raced to get it finished. It's a bit buggy and some things just feel incomplete. But overall I am enjoying it and it helps me veg out in the evenings after Samantha is in bed. I bought Elder Scrolls: Oblivion last week and am very excited to get into that game. I played a tiny bit of the game last weekend and it looks very cool. It is considered one of the best computer role-playing games ever, so I am eager to see if it lives up to the hype.

Work is busy, with a few new courses on the go. We're working on materials related to firearms identification, first aid, and media relations for law enforcement. Our company is looking at some transitions in April as well, so there is some groundswell around rebranding, new websites, and stuff like that. I've been tapped to assist with some of that material.

Well, I'm off to continue my path down the Dark Side (referring to Knights of the Old Republic, of course)!

Randy

Shovelling is a Strenuous Activity
Jan 3, 2008

So winter has indeed struck, and those of us on the east coast of Canada are enjoying our fourth snowstorm of the season. We've received a huge amount of snow, and my sore arms and back are proof of that! Despite all the extra shoveling, we have had some nice days and I even managed to get out and snowshoe twice. It is a bit of a running joke about my snowshoes around here; I purchased them two years ago and we haven't had enough snow since then to actually use them. But winter is not disappointing this year, as we have more snow than we know what to do with! The crappy part of all the snow is that I haven't been able to get out and run as much as I would like, but I'm sure there will be time for that soon enough.

The holiday season is over, although I've taken an extra week of vacation. I won't be heading back into the office until the second week of January. It's been nice to have a few days at home to play games, draw, and just spend time with Tammie and Samantha. We are hoping to have a little road trip to Halifax later this week, weather permitting. It'll be my first trip out of the province since Samantha was born in the summer. While I don't eagerly anticipate the drive (I don't like driving all that much), it'll be nice to have a change of venue and Halifax is always a nice place to visit.

I finished Dreamfall: The Longest Journey recently and I have to say I was disappointed with the ending. The game itself is a great adventure game, with great characters, environments, and stories. But when the action is winding down and all the plot threads come together, I was left with a very unsatisfying feeling when the game was over. I understand this is pretty typical in the "let's make room for a sequel" mindset, but I was disappointed nonetheless. I have also stepped back into Guild Wars since getting the Eye of the North expansion, and I have to say the game has really changed for me. The addition of Heroes (power NPC's that you can take with you on missions) has really made the game more accessible for me. I'm really digging it and have completed several missions that I was finding impossible before.

Tammie took me to see "P.S. I Love You" today, and it was a painful experience. It was one of those movies in which all the film reviews use the words "delightful", "endearing", "thoughtful", and "heartfelt". That's never a good sign. Anyways, Tammie loved it, and I loved it when it was over. It'll take quite a few episodes of Planet Earth to get me back on track! I also saw "Ratatouille" and "Stardust" recently. I quite enjoyed "Stardust", but didn't care for "Ratatouille" at all. I seem to be the only person that didn't like Pixar's newest offering too; it just didn't connect with me at any level.

Well, I have someone calling "Dada!" at the top of her little lungs, so I should see what all the commotion is about. Have a Happy New Year!

Randy