Last Saturday night, Keith and I went to a Victorian Christmas Party - in September. In Texas. It was incredibly cool, with costumes and candles and decorations, horse-drawn carriages, and 40 tons of snow.

It was also about 900 degrees in our costumes, and thus why we both look a little faint...

Before you read further, please note - I Am A: Nerd.

I Am A: Neutral Good Elf Bard Mage


Alignment:
Neutral Good characters believe in the power of good above all else. They will work to make the world a better place, and will do whatever is necessary to bring that about, whether it goes for or against whatever is considered 'normal'.


Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.


Primary Class:
Bards are the entertainers. They sing, dance, and play instruments to make other people happy, and, frequently, make money. They also tend to dabble in magic a bit.


Secondary Class:
Mages harness the magical energies for their own use. Spells, spell books, and long hours in the library are their loves. While often not physically strong, their mental talents can make up for this.


Deity:
Oghma is the Neutral Good god of knowledge and invention. He is also known as the Binder of What is Known, and is the Patron of Bards. His followers believe that knowledge reigns supreme, and is the basis for everything else that is done. They wear white shirts and pants, with a black and gold braided vest, and a small, box-like hat. All priests of Oghma are known as Loremasters. Oghma's symbol is a scroll.


Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy ofNeppyMan (e-mail)

I may lack in the cute baby pictures around here, but at least I have pictures of a somewhat mildly intrigued cat.

Buying a house is hard.

I've seen roughly 428,012 houses in the last week. Maybe less. I've learned that they all blend together to where I can't remember if the one on the corner had the kitchen I hated or the kitchen I loved, but the bathroom I hated.

I wake up in the middle of the night wondering if my furniture could be arranged well in house number 12. And then stay awake another hour wondering if I should really dismiss house number 4 because of the crappy paneling that makes it feel like grandpa's basement. Or wondering if I would be willing to settle for a slab foundation when it would be so much easier to build an addition on a pier and beam. And do I really need two bathrooms?

I stress out because I liked house 14, but I forgot to check whether there was somewhere to put the litterbox.

The owners of house number 6 watched too much HGTV and painted their wood floors. Ditto house number 9 with the sponge-painted purple walls and stenciled borders.

House number 11 has a shower made for midgets. The neighbors of house number 8 have cars on blocks in the yard. House number 13 has a tree growing out of the foundation.

It seems very much akin to finding a long-term boyfriend. "Will this snoring at 2 AM bother me in a year?" becomes equal to "Will schlepping my laundry out to the garage at 2 AM bother me in a year?" "This house is hot... but what if the next one is hotter?"

I did meet one house that was love at first sight. My soulmate house. Perfect in every way. Except that it sold two hours before I saw it.

So I continue to cruise the real estate listings, looking for that special somehouse.

In the words of Frank Sinatra, it is, indeed, my kind of town.

Keith and I spent last weekend in Chicago, enjoying a nice 4-day vacation. It was a surprise trip for Keith for his birthday - I didn't tell him anything about it until a few days before we left, and he didn't learn the destination until a couple hours before we got on the plane. And if you know me, you know keeping the surprise a secret from him for two months was all kinds of struggle with tempation!

There were visits to museums (Field, Aquarium, Science and Industry), Lincoln Park Zoo, Hancock Building, and Navy Pier. Fantastic food. Awesome funky little boutique hotel in the theater district. Lots of walking, El-riding, and sore feet. Oh, and Keith got to meet two of my oldest friends who pronounced him a worthy boyfriend (a fact already well known around these parts.)

It was also the first vacation I've had in years where I really let go and relaxed and wasn't worried about work. The few times I found myself thinking about work were just because I'm excited about the project I'm working on: scribbling down notes while in the museum on things I wanted to look up for use with the game. It was fantastic!

And of course, since I can't go long without anxiety in my life, I started house-hunting this weekend for my first house. But that's a story for another morning when I wake up at 5 AM... :)