The Sporadic Blogger (Handfasting/Wedding Video Enclosed)

Okay, eight months later...

I find that I don't have much to write about, and when I do, I usually just post it on Facebook. Maybe I'll get in the habit of posting a bit sooner, but I won't make any promises there.

What's new?

Nikki has a permanent teaching job now! Yes, no more temporary contracts here. She loves her job. Our marriage is going great, though it isn't a huge difference in our day-to-day living. We were very close then, and we're close now. I'm still a stay-at-home mom. Housecleaning, picking up Skylar with the wagon (we have one vehicle right now), and just taking care of anything home-related.

Sarah is in eighth grade now. She's going to be in high school next year! Oh my gawd. To think, she was seven when I met her. She's having a problem turning in her homework. She's been grounded so many times, and she's still just not doing her homework. She's lazy, doesn't care about her grades, and wow, we're trying to get her motivated, but it's not easy.

Savannah is doing very well, and she's in sixth grade now. Almost all her classes are GATE classes. I don't remember what it stands for, but they're advanced placement classes. She's a bit of an odd kid (in a good way though!) in that she likes doing chores and schoolwork. She stayed home with a bit of a fever today, probably because she keeps going out with her coat unbuttoned. I've had to tell her four times this week!

Skylar is in first grade! She's doing very well on her ADHD medication. There's a possibility that her school might be closing at the end of the school year. The decision will be announced today. I really hope they stay open. This is the end result of education being cut. No wonder people in other countries wonder why we don't know anything.

There's a possibility we might be visiting New York in March. The kids will get to see their family, and I'll get to visit my grandma and a few friends, hopefully. The last time I was there, I found out after the fact that my father wanted to see me. I don't know if he knew what he would've been getting himself into. I had changed a LOT in the couple years since I moved away, and I had been full-time for years already. I'm willing to see him, but wow... it will be a bit awkward, to say the least.

I almost forgot to throw this in, but I was off my meds for a month or so (we were so broke at the time), and after going back on them, I started getting a massive development in the chest area! I think they might be small C's at this point. And they're still sore, which means they're probably still growing. I absolutely hated going off my meds for so long, as I got so greasy and felt so icky... but now I see it was all worth it. I'm not sure if other transsexuals have had so much luck with the breast growth. I can definitely say now that I am completely satisfied with the proportion of my chest to the rest of my body, and getting a "boob job" is not necessary.

I apologize for this, but I've added a Captcha to my comments. I didn't want to do this, but I was getting between 3 and 8 emails a day of spam comments. I have comments within two weeks of a blog post going through without moderation, so hopefully that will be a good enough compromise.

In closing, here's a video of our handfasting. Shea and Rick did such a wonderful job, and I'm amazed at the two of them in general. Enjoy. I hope everyone is doing well, and for all that celebrate, Merry Christmas! For everyone else, Happy Holidays!

For anyone who can't get the embedded video to work, click here.

Forgive Me, Blogger. It's Been Almost a Year Since My Last Blog. :P

Hell yes, I am still alive. No, I am not going to delete this blog, and probably never will. The problems I had with two former friends a year back really took it's toll on me. Then my good friend, Melissa, passed away. I was sad for such a long time after that. I just couldn't write a thing here.

Anyway, so what have I been up to?

I'm still in Arizona, with Nikki and the kids. Not only that, but big news, big news! Nikki and I are getting married next month! Yes, finally! It'll be a Wiccan handfasting, taking place on a big mountain here in Arizona, called Mount Lemmon. I can't wait to marry my baby!

We've gotten so much closer since Spring of last year (right before I stopped blogging). I remember wanting to blog about that, but I was afraid I would jinx it. We went through some really rough times a few months prior. I'm so happy to say that we've been solid as a rock since then.

What else is new? Skylar is almost done with Kindergarten. We're thinking of putting her in some sort of special education program, or classroom, next year. We're also going to start her on a (very light dose) ADHD medication. She just can't focus or control her impulses at all. I think she is a very bright kid. She just can't concentrate. So we'll see. Believe me, we have agonized over this for years, so it's not a decision made lightly. That said, it's one that could be easily reversed if need be.

Savannah was in another school at the beginning of the school year, in a class for gifted kids. It was a lot of stress for her, and she was crying almost every night. We had to put her back in her old school, as it was just too much for her.

Sarah will be in 8th grade next year. Wow! Savannah and her will be going to the same school for just next year, so they can walk together. Sarah is doing pretty well in school, and isn't so overwhelmed by homework as last year.

And Nikki? Nikki is a teacher now! Yes! She made it! Unfortunately, it was only a contract for this year, so she's looking for work again for next school year, starting in August. But she's doing such a good job, and that's a lot, because she's working with a hard group of kids.

And me? I have a new YouTube channel (click here), so feel free to pop by, say hello, and subscribe! If you want to, that is. I play computer games and commentate over them. Right now I'm playing Skyrim. Wow, that game is so much fun. In 40 years, I hope they come up with a virtual reality game like Skyrim. Then put my brain on ice, and I'll live in the game until a cure for death can be found. Ha ha!

As far as the channel goes, I do have exactly one video where you can see me. It's under the "Miscellaneous" playlist, and it's of me opening up my new MEGA computer system from iBuyPower. (The IRS was kind to us this year.) All the other videos are of me playing through vintage/retro/classic games, but I am going to be putting up Battlefield 3 and Crysis 2 videos eventually. Oh yes, and I'll be playing Portal and Portal 2 with my two older daughters soon. I'm really looking forward to that.

So what has everyone been up to since last June?

Funny Video Friday: Lazy Teenage Superheroes (short film)

Just in under the wire, another funny video for Friday. Yeah, I know, I know... I've been awfully busy with the kids off of school and all that. Same old story. Anyway...

Zombie Awareness Month is now over, which may be a relief for those who are not zombie fans. Now how about... superheroes? Anyone who likes Heroes will like this too. Perhaps they'd even find it superior to Heroes.

This is about a bunch of lazy teenagers who just happen to have super-powers, and super baddies who want to kill them. Oh, and there is one teen in the mix who doesn't have any powers at all. I'd hate to be that guy.

I know it's a bit longish, at just under 13 minutes. If you watch it, let me know what you think!

"What the hell is that thing?"

"Chamelicon. Shape-shifting robot. He's always had it in for us."

"Get out, like a Transformer?"

"Decepticon with Downs Syndrome, maybe. I think he still runs on MS-DOS or something."

Funny Video Friday: Left 4 Dead - The Interactive

I made it! It's now just after 10 PM in Arizona, so yes, it is still Friday. Ha ha!  ;) 

I did get a few good suggestions for today's Funny Video Friday. They were either of zombies and not funny enough, or way too specific to the Left 4 Dead video game, which I would love to play, but never have. In any case, thank you for the suggestions, Naomi!

This is also based on Left 4 Dead, but can be entertaining for anyone who enjoys fine zombie fare. This is a series of interactive videos. Choose which character should lead the others, and see the outcome. The follow-up videos are much funnier than the starting one, so give it a try.

"I'm here to kick ass and chew bubble gum... and I'm all out of gum."

"Actually, Davis, I've got some right here if you want a piece."

"Goddammit, Husky! I was trying to be all cool and dramatic, but no - the moment's gone, so just shoot your goddamn rocket launcher."

Plethora

What? Something other than a "Funny Video Friday" post? Yes, yes, it's true! Things have been going pretty quietly lately, save for the deranged wailing of a couple lunatics. They really aren't worth my time or effort, so onward with other things.

The kids' last day of school was yesterday. Within four hours of getting home from school, Sarah started saying how bored she was. Oh boy. She was crying because she missed two of her friends. She had just seen them a few hours previous. Anyway, those two will be sleeping over our house in a couple weeks. That should be interesting.

Skylar's last day was actually last week. She'll be going into kindergarten in August. Wow! When I first made Skylar's acquaintance, she was only six months old. She has grown so much, into a little person... with her little hands in everything. Skylar keep asking me if she's going to start kindergarten tomorrow, and if she's going to be in Savannah's classroom. Same school, kid. Different class.

Savannah's class had all received t-shirts that say, "I Run..." on them. There was a space below to fill out a "reason" for running. Savannah wrote: "Because I'm hyper." Pardon my bad English, but ain't that the truth! For some reason, Savannah seems to be the only one of our daughters who doesn't mind school being out.

And now for a different sort of education. The Wicca classes I mentioned way back when (see the bottom of the entry), will finally be starting in late June. They'll run for two hours a week on a weekday, for eight months. Nikki and I will both be attending. I can't wait! The reason this was delayed so much, was that the High Priest's and High Priestess' son passed away a few months ago. Naturally, everything was put on hold for awhile. I sent them my condolences, of course, however ineffectual that may have been. I can't even begin to imagine such a loss.

Nikki and I are very excited about tonight. We're going to a "girl's night out", at a local restaurant, with a few friends, and quite a few new people (soon-to-be friends, I hope!). I know it'll be a lot of fun. I'll post the whole rundown here.

We're following up on Saturday, with a party at our apartment complex, celebrating Nikki's graduation from hell! She worked at a school with some really abusive, crazy middle schoolers... and the staff was even worse. The teacher and principal harassed her at every opportunity, in an attempt to get Nikki to quit, or do something that would be grounds for terminating her employment. I first wrote about that horrible mess over here.

Therapy has been going well, and we've been discussing quite a few heavy topics. I first mentioned this new therapist here. I do feel a lot more comfortable around this guy now. Well, as comfortable as I can be around any guy anyway. He has a very dry sense of humor, which suits me just fine. It didn't show up during our first session, but wow, is it making appearances now. He's funny. He's easy to talk to, but he tends to challenge me with questions to make me think. Most of the time, I know the answer to his question, or at least part of it.  It's just that putting heavy issues like that into words when put on the spot... yeah, it's kind of hard sometimes. But then, it's supposed to be.

Tomorrow is another Funny Video Friday, and my last zombie-related vid for Zombie Month, or Zombie Awareness Month, what-have-you. The only thing is, I'm out of funny zombie videos. Any suggestions?

Thanks for reading!

Funny Video Friday: Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2

Zombie Month rages on. The developers of the PlayStation game, Dead Space 2, had a few mothers come in to watch some of the game footage and give their candid views and opinions of the game. They then included some of this footage in a series of YouTube promotional ads. Here are three of the videos. In my opinion, the mother's reaction in this first video is the funniest, and hey... she only 'medium disapproves.'

Everyone else strongly disapproved of this game. Some of these parents are featured in the second video. What a clever promotion. If your mother hates it, than it must be completely awesome!

"It's gooey! I call it 'gooey,' `cause, you know, they took the guts out, and took the, uh, colon, I mean, you know, the bone structure."

Celestine

The Other Moms

Here's Celestine Playing Multiplayer Against Marci

"I'm pissed off now. Too many of them little babies."

Funny Video Friday: Mighty Car Mods - How to Zombie Proof Your Car

Zombie Month continues! Mighty Car Mods is a YouTube show. There are episodes and seasons... all that. I'm not sure if they're broadcast on any actual television network. But hey, if there's a zombie apocalypse and a complete breakdown of civilized society, this would be the kind of vehicle you'd want. They tell you how to turn a Nissan Pathfinder into a veritable armed fortress. These guys even go over weaponry and suggested reading material. Some of the books are a bit... interesting. Disturbingly enough for some of them, they're real. I looked one of them up on Amazon. You'll know which one I mean when you come to it. By the way, I do have a copy of The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. Good stuff. Also, the music they play during this episode is excellent.

For the squeamish of heart, there are no zombies shown in this video. There are plenty of good plans on how to survive meeting them, though.

So lock and barricade your doors and windows, and then sit down and enjoy a cool one, while watching, "How to Zombie Proof Your Car."

"Now, make sure you've got heaps of spares. Spare tire, spare fuel, lots of tools to keep your car going, as well as a squeegee to clean the zombie guts off your windows. Sometimes molotov cocktails go wrong. Make sure you've got a fire extinguisher."