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Wow!  What a great Stargate SG-1 episode!  At least until the cable went out for the last ten minutes!  Ugh!  I lost my Internet connection and SG-1 at the same time.  Grrrr.  It's not like I watch much TV.  Is it too much to ask that my one hour a week be spared troubles?  *sigh* 

Currently Playing: Celtic World Irish Jam Alternative and LIVE
Tracks: "The Shetland Fiddle Diva Purif" –– Catriona Macdonald
"Amang the Heather" – Tannahill Weavers
"Back Home in Derry" – John McLean Allen
"While You’re Asleep" – Bad Haggis
"Border Crossing" – Neil Anderson & Friends
"Amazing Grace" – John McLean Allen
"Summer Breeze" – Bad Haggis

I tried making a post last Tuesday, but while switching between windows I accidentally hit the "xTools editing box not working? Click here." link. And that was the end of that entry. So if this seems less detailed than normal, its only because I processed it once already. Well, at least the part that’s through Tuesday.

Two Fridays ago Jackson ran his campaign again. Our characters were joined in the Underdark of the Spine of the World by Skragg, Rusty’s Half-Dragon Ranger/Fighter/Sorcerer, and a mysterious woman Syrus nicknamed "The Cheese Eater", Kitty’s new Human character of unrevealed class(es). The Cheese-Eater was the companion of the male Human we had found dead at the end of the last session. She joined us in the search for Skragg’s grandfather, a white dragon feared to be plotting with the Cult of the Dragon and the church of Velasharon to become a dracolich. While she and the two clerics buried her companion in a makeshift cairn, the others went on ahead rolling four dwarven cart wheels with them. A vampiric dridder revealed itself to the mourners to offer a warning to the surface elves she smelled amongst us (all of whom had gone ahead with the others) that drow activity was heavy in these parts. After offering various magical items to fight the drow in exchange for some blood, she departed. Thankfully, Zed had also gone on ahead with the others so no one was foolish enough to take her up on her offer.

By the time we had caught up with the others, they had successfully repaired a dwarven cart they found in disrepair. As we continued through the underdark, we eventually discovered a hallway where the continual flame torches ensconced in the wall suddenly went out ahead of us. When most of the party desided that feeling was the best part of valour, Zed and Squigbarm noticed that the lights turned back on with nothing in the hallway behind them any different that before. Because neither of them knew of a creature that could move near instantaneously, they chose not to flee immediately. Suddenly, a dwarf fell down–obviously injured very badly–at the other end of the hallway. Squigbarm announced his intension to tend to the injured dwarf, despite the fact that he acknowledged that it was obviously a trap. Syrus actually managed to reach the dwarf first due to his Boots of Stridding and Leaping, then Zed and Squigbarm. They were ambushed by a Death Tyrant and the rouge Silver Dragon that had once been an ally of Silverymoon. We also saw a couple of skeletons, but like before once they saw us they retreated down a hallway to the right. Neither Squigbarm nor Deloame had the strength of faith to turn the death tyrant (not even with a modified 22), so it had the chance to slow Squigbarm, sleep Syrus, and inflict serious wounds on itself during the one turn it had its anti-magic eye closed. Luckily, Syrus was using a sunrod (whose alchemical nature was not nullified) to light things for those without darkvision. Syrus was also the one who was able to throw a fireball gem behind the two and injure them enough to cause them both to flee (but not before being targeted with sleep. The Cheese Eater tried to use her Arrow of Dragon Slaying, but missed. Luckily, the two fled so we fled in the other direction, with a seriously injured Zed in tow (he was at -5 hit points after being targeted with the dragon’s cone of cold).

Saturday, Steve, Mike, Mike, and I played games of Settlers of Catan and Shadowfist after I was unsuccessful in convincing them to go to the Chinese New Years festivities next door at the Chinese Cultural Centre. When I got home Saturday night I discovered my water heater sitting in my driveway. Because I had accidentally left my phone at home, I discovered after the fact that my parents had come by and left me a message letting me know that they had worked on the plumbing as promised in December. Because they were unfinished, they were going to return Sunday. Which they did, spending most of that day as well replacing most of the rusted out indoor plumbing. They promised to return when they could to replace the outdoor plumbing and the guest bath/shower. The formica needs replacing, along with all of the related bath/shower plumbing. They guess it’ll run an addition $300 in materials than they originally agreed to cover as part of the sale of the house.

Monday, as I had promised Wayne, I spent the day with him and his friend Robert from Mystic, Conneticutt. He’s a chef for the Foxworth Hotel on the Mohican lands. We first went to Indian Palace for the buffet lunch (but our breakfast). Afterwards, we went to the Phoenix Zoo. Wow, has that place changed over the past year. They’ve moved the tram station to between the African Veldt and Zebra exhibits. They’ve added a dinosaur ride and a paddleboat rental area between the Zebra and Flamingo exhibits. The paddle boats only rent on the weekends, thus preventing us from going closer to Monkey Island. Everything between Ruby’s House and the Gift Shop is closed off, and the animals moved to other exhibits in the park. They’re building a new Enchanted Piper Land there. My guess is that it will connect to the Discovery Trail in order to make for a larger "children’s zoo" running from there to Harmony Farm. They’re also building a new trail to go out the quarter mile to the Big Horn Sheep exhibit and connect between the Ibex exhibit and the Arizona Trail. The Nocturnal Animals exhibit has been replaced with a scaredy cat-themed exhibit. Oh, and the snack machine at the Crossroads Café ate my dollar and Robert’s quarter so we had to wait by the Ranger’s office to get our money reimbursed.

After the zoo closed, we went to see The Lion King: Special Edition at the Arizona Mills IMAX. It was pretty good, although Wayne thought they had added scenes where they hadn’t, much like he had with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: Special Edition. Only this time he waited to ask me until after the movie. He must have learned his lesson.

Before and after the movie we wasted time in Gameworks. It turns out that one of the things Robert wanted to do our here was try our various DDR places in Phoenix. They were going to Golfland on Tuesday so he could try more. There was this one woman who was also playing DDR both times we were in Gameworks. I thought I recognised her, and it turns out she worked for IMAX until she quit when they wanted her to work Superbowl Sunday. She referred to AZ Mills as a ghetto mall, to which Robert and I agreed. She was rather disappointed every time I turned down playing DDR with her, but I enjoyed watching her. She was amazingly skilled. Then again, she had an unlimited card because of her mall employment connections. I did play Virtual Fighter, doing better than anyone else I saw play that day. So afterwards, I felt kind of bad for not taking her up oin her offer. Sure, she was intimidatingly good, but in hindsight I realised that I could have asked her what songs are good for newbies to learn DDR. After all, if I can kick butt with Virtual Fighter, why couldn’t I learn to do so with a non-violent game. Sure, dance was always my weak point in theatre, but what better way to learn than with a video game and an attractive woman at your side? And Paul lets another opportunity slip by without thinking.

Tueday, I caught up with E-mail and failed to make a Xanga entry as related above. Wednesday I thought I’d get the chance to try again, but Wayne and Robert invited me along to Adult Night at the Arizona Science Centre followed by dinner at Don and Charlie’s. They had some nice orderves at the Science Centre, but we were too late for the lecture on cloning. So we just wandered the centre so Robert could enjoy it. Afterwards at Don and Charlie’s we forced Wayne to try frogs’ legs as our appetiser. The bread that they offered was of various types, and was augmented with liver patte, hot peppers, butter, julienned carrots and bell pepper, and sliced onion. They brought out warmed wet napkins after both the frogs’ legs and the ribs. It was an excellent place, but it was definately upscale. I certainly can’t afford that on a daily basis.

Thursday, I had to do some chores around the house to prepare for the weekend. So I never had a chance to update here either. Friday, Kitty, Steve, andRusty didn’t have their kid characters prepared, so those of us that did played Shadowfist until they were ready. By that point, the Tom didn’t have enough time to do anything other than set the scene for next week. Apparently, the castle in which our kids reside is preparing for ambassadors from a foreign land. That means that Dennis Myn, my Human Thug, was busy with clearing the unused wing of its vermin inhabitants. He has the Dark Ancestry feat, meaning that the demon blood that was introduced to his ancestors’ bloodline had been dormant for several generations before remanifesting itself in him. I chose the increased inherant Dexterity and dark vision. The castle uses him as a ratter, because his size and dark vision let him get to vermin where others can’t. As an orphan, they give him a patch of hay to sleep upon in one of the common rooms.

Saturday was Kitty’s birthday, so Jackson supplied us with vanilla cake and vanilla ice cream on Friday. Saturday we went to Monti’s La Casa Vieja for hr birthday dinner. She wouldn’t let me tell the staff that it was her birthday, so we had ice cream cake supplied by Rusty while we watched the Farscape episode he had taped the night before. It was a "girl’s night out"-style episode. The quality of the show seems to have slipped since I last watched a few seasons ago. No wonder it was canceled. That is too bad though. They’re aren’t enough quality science fiction, science fantasy, or high fantasy shows on television.

Today I did some chores before mass. After mass, we had our first Saint Paul’s Café since December. They served penne pasta with meatballs in marinara sauce, garlic bread, tossed green salad with Italian dressing, lemonade, and deserts featuring recipes from the Saint Paul’s Cookbook (which was conveniently on sale right next to the desert table). All was good, but many of us didn’t get to try the Death By Chocolate. I’m guessing it must have been good.

So now I’m going to post this entry and play catchup on my various Internet sites. Before I go, the zoo trip inspired me to leave you with the following quiz result:

Otter

What Is Your Animal Personality?
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