The Rabid Paladin

We’ve been rocking out with Rock Band for over a year, now. It’s fun for the whole family, or at least, those of the family who manage to secure a fake plastic instrument. There are advantages to being the largest member of the family, and one of those advantages is that I can generally snag the drums.

Well, our drum kit has been showing its age. The pads are all scuffed and puffy in places and I’m afraid I’m going to do permanent damage eventually. Playing on expert means moving with enough speed that it’s kind of hard to tap lightly. You can see in the picture above that we’ve already modified the pedal with an after-market metal overlay to help it withstand the stompin’.

Anyway, I wanted a new drum kit for Christmas, but Santa refused to pony up. The jerk. So I waited. On my birthday last week, I asked for a new drum kit. I told myself no, but I just couldn’t resist that sad look I was using to persuade myself that I really need one now. And hey, it’s the big 4-0 so as midlife crises go, this one is… recoverable.

Isn’t it cute?!? We’ll get those unsightly wires tucked away shortly with the little plastic ties Ion included in the packaging. Long story short, my fake plastic rock is now just a smidge less fake now. Initial experimentation turned out well. It’s a ton quieter and the rebound action makes a bigger difference than I even thought it would. I’m still getting used to the changes in position. I’m trying to play the cymbal lines on the actual cymbals, but the game itself doesn’t detect the difference. And I can tell you right now that the optional third cymbal is going to be a rather urgent addition soon (hitting that blue rhythm cymbal line just feels unnatural on the pad, particularly when all the other lines have been cymbals, too).

Here’s an action shot for your enjoyment with Teleri and Aerin accompanying (Melissa is off camera singing). I assure you that we’re all smiling on the inside. Rhys served as photographer.

Another boring Christmas post. I know! I'm doing these for the benefit of sharing Christmas with my mom while she is in Germany and anyone else who wants to listen in.

We had an awesome Christmas this year (not that any of our Christmases suck). The weather outside is extremely blustery.

If you click for the larger picture you'll see that the snow is coming down almost horizontally. Ugh.

Our little family has internalized and formalized the Christmas tradition of the older kids filling the stockings for mom and dad. This year Cordy got to join the fun. That means we no longer have any illusions about Santa Clause. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

And just to be controversial, I had the us all show off our favorite presents this year.

Cordy loves her Playmobile.	Rhys is excited about his pocket knife.
Aerin giving astonish-face with her new DS game.	Teleri gushes over her hat and clogs. (who is by far her favorite Bleach character.)
No surprise that Melissa's favorite is a book...	Even less surprise that my favorite is a katana. (!!!)

Here are some pictures from our Christmas Eve. They're hosted on Ovi again, so you can click them for larger versions.

Making Deliveries

Every year Melissa makes goodies of some kind that we can deliver to neighbors and friends.

Plates ready to go.

All the kids are there, but you can only really see Teleri with her cowboy hat.

Aerin, Rhys and Cordy deliver to our bishop. Teleri is the teen not appearing in this picture...

Watching a Christmas Movie

Each year we watch a Christmas movie on Christmas Eve. It's generally either A Christmas Story or White Christmas.

Watching A Christmas Story while eating snacks.

Ralphie and family.

Christmas Trappings

We aren't terribly good at decking the halls, but here's what we have.

We have a Christmas Advent each year—usually by Playmobile. This year it was a pirate themed advent.

Here's our humble fake tree. We've had it forever and it still looks pretty nice. Best Christmas purchase ever.

The stockings are all hung with care on... the piano? Yeah, well, we have no fireplace and the piano works as a substitute.

Opening a Present

On Christmas Eve we pick one present to open.

Everybody has their present all ready to go.

Everybody showing their one present.

Well, that's all I could cram in here. Have a very Merry Christmas!

It's been a while since I gave anything of a personal update and there have been some fun events you've missed out on so I'm going to shove a bunch of stuff into a single post. It's shotgun blogging in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. (Some of the embeds won't come through on an RSS feed, so be aware that you may be missing stuff if you're reading this in a blog aggregator.)

Salt Lake City Anime Convention

Melissa took Teleri and Aerin to the Anime Convention October 25th. They have been planning this convention outing for months with their friend Rowan. Melissa and Rowan's Mom, Julie, went with them along with a stray cousin or two. Julie even dressed up (which is apparently the custom at these things). Best of all: Melissa brought the camera. As usual, I've uploaded the pictures to Ovi where you can see them with captions and tagging. I think that Melissa captioned them...

Highlight of the event was that Melissa convinced Teleri to enter the Dance Dance Revolution Competition. Anyone who knows how shy she is in person will understand how much of an achievement it was just to get her to enter the competition. She ended up winning first place! She even journaled about it (but then, she's not nearly so shy online).

Here she is with her first prize loot.

Kung Fu (without the Panda)

The next day I went up for my Orange Sash. Successfully. Oh yeah, did I mention that I've begun taking regular Kung Fu classes?

Halloween

Melissa was also sharp enough to catch Halloween on camera. By the time Halloween rolled around, Aerin managed to get herself so grounded she's still trying to dig herself out so you'll see that she's missing from these pictures.

Road Construction

November has been mostly pretty quiet, though they've torn up the street near our house. This morning I was woken by the house shaking. The whole house. That was entertaining, let me tell you. Just for kicks, I took pictures of the guys doing real-man work in the cold early hours.

Side shot along our house	That's our back fence

Twice a year, the LDS church holds a world-wide conference. The talks are awesome, but since there are four general sessions, we like to break them up a little bit. We have a long-standing family tradition that we drive up to Cascade Springs between the morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday of the fall conference. It's a beautiful interlude. The advent of conference reminds us that Fall is in full swing and we'd better get up there if we want to catch the colors in the mountains.

This year, we were a might over-scheduled on Saturday, so we went up between the Sunday sessions. My Mother and Grandmother went with us, though MamaGinger couldn't walk the trails. It was a great day for walking about. It had just stopped raining and was still lightly clouded. This made it just cool enough that walking was a pleasure.

And, since I brought my camera, I've post new pictures to Ovi. I've commented them there so if you want the full story you might want to hit my Cascade Springs channel.

I gripe about it enough that most people know that Melissa and I are not fans of camping. Unfortunately, we are a small minority with our family and friends so we end up doing our share of it. This year, we’ve managed to keep our camping commitments to a single outing to Cherry Campground near Springville, UT.

I brought a camera. As has happened in prior posts, I choose to share. This time, I’m using a photo sharing site so that you can click the images and choose how big you want to see the photos. Not many photo hosting sites would actually give me access after the fact to my originals, but Ovi turned out to have the right mix of utility and price (uh, free).

You can check out the whole channel if you’ve a mind (if you’re a member, let me know and I’ll add you as a "participant" to the channel so you can post comments, your own tags, view the original high-def images, and even upload your own photos to the channel). Below is the embedded slide show version of that channel (click on a picture to view it in full).

We had a family dinner/weblos activity tonight. Since I had my new toy, I thought I'd share the results. The kids were completing their Outdoorsman Badge or something and that involved putting a pack together and putting up a tent and cooking an outdoor meal. I arrived late, so all I really have is the tent stuff.

Starting Out

Spreading Out

Leaving them to it (this is not me)

Staking

Threading the Poles

Consulting the Expert

Progress Inspection

Setting the Awning

Enjoying the Results

Packing back Home

My mom wrote me an email recently saying that she missed reading my blog. Things have been sparse here lately, so I think I'll crib one of those TMI memes from a friend of mine.

In five words, explain what ended your last friendship?

Not on last one yet.

How was your prom night?

It was good. I went with a girl I haven't heard from since graduation. It was a “friends solve mutual problem” situation.

Do you have any famous relatives?

Not really. Had one fall off the Mayflower, but that's more of an ancestor than a relative.

Have you taken out loans to pay for college?

Yes.

What did you receive last in the mail?

A bill of some kind.

What beverages have you drank today?

Water. And a swallow of milk this morning.

Do you leave nasty messages on people's answering machines?

Never.

What's the most painful surgical procedure you've had done?

I can't remember ever having actual surgery. The stitches in my lip kinda hurt, but my memory of it is weak. When I was a baby, I had Pyloric Stenosis, but I don't remember the surgery to correct that at all.

What is out your back door?

A deck and an awning.

Also some kids.

Do you usually go out on the weekends?

Most Saturday nights will find me playing D&D with friends.

Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?

No. I kind of hate it, actually. Fortunately, when you're hanging out at the beach, who cares what your hair is doing?

Have you ever visited a planetarium or do you even know what one is?

How do you not know what a planetarium is? I went to Hansen Planetarium when I was a kid (when did it become Clark Planetarium? Clark, you do something last time you were up here?)

What is your favorite flavor of pudding?

Tapioca. Seriously.

Describe your keychains:

There are two rings, a lot of keys, and an LED flashlight that looks like a USB drive.

Where do you keep your change?

In Melissa's purse.

When was the last time you got up and spoke in front of a large crowd?

Four months ago in Church.

What kind of winter coat do you have?

A big fluffy one with a lining I can remove.

What was the weather like on your graduation day?

I don't remember. Since it was May in Phoenix, it's safe to assume it was sunny.

Do you sleep with the door to your bedroom open or closed?

Yes.

Is there anything purple within 20 feet of you?

Yes. My daughter's pencil case.

What is the strangest thing you've put in the microwave?

Uh. Cheese on a plate?

Can you speak any Japanese?

No.

Do you look good in the color yellow?

Surprisingly, no.

Do you spit or smoke?

Ew. And no.

What is your favorite color(s)?

Forest green.

Ever played an instrument?

Four years of piano lessons, a year of guitar, and a year of drums (in a band, not the cool kind). All when I was a kid. A better question would be if I've ever played an instrument well. That answer would be no.

Do you believe in Bigfoot, or Sasquatch?

No. I wasn't aware that Bigfoot had founded a faith. I'll ask him about it next time we talk.

Ever been to a palm reader?

Not formally, no.

Did they tell you the truth about your future?

Of course not.

What are you thinking about at this very moment?

People will believe any stupid thing.

Have you ever received a black eye?

No.

What is your biggest current disappointment?

My children. I kid! I kid! My biggest disappointment is more private than I'm going to share in a blog post.

What are some of your favorite drinks?

I like water. And Dr. Pepper. And milk. Not all at once.

Do you have anything that hurts on your body at this time?

Not really. My conscience a little over the children quip.

Have you ever ridden in a taxi?

Yes. Once in Las Vegas. A couple of times in both Italy and Germany.

What is the last alcoholic drink you had?

None. I've never actually drank alcohol. I've had rum candies and there was a nasty vodka-based glaze on some ice-cream I had once, but that doesn't actually constitute drinking.

Did you do anything special last night?

We finished the first season of Angel with my oldest girls. Also, my Dark Templar made it off Tortage.

What is your very favorite food?

Good question. I'm not sure I have a favorite. Domino's thin-crust pizza, maybe.