planes, trains, and....games?

hello...hello...hello...is there anybody out there?

to be honest i almost forgot i had a blog.  you see, i suffer from toomanyprofilestomanageitis.  i've addressed this before.  but the problem is confounded by a dual diagnosis of ilovetosetupprofilesism.  it's true.  "ooo!  new cool site!  set up a profile?  sure!"  and then, one by one, they fall off into the void, never to be thought of again until i get an e-mail or something reminding me i have an account.

which sites, you say?  let's just say i am not exactly "hard to find" online.  i've got accounts at all of 'em.  except linked in.  can't really get my head around the idea of a "facebook for professionals."  who wants that?  snore.

anyway, what's been keeping me from my blog all summer?  let's see.  planes, trains...

a trip to OR last month.  let me tell you how gorgeous the oregon coast is!  wait i don't have to tell you, i can show you:



wish we were still there, but yes, life goes on.  and work.  work has kept me from my art, my fun, my blog, and just about everything else for quite some time.  busy busy busy, but you don't want to hear about that.  if you want to know more about what i do, click HERE.

and when i'm not working...i'm normally enjoying my most recent addiction.  wait for it....wait for it....

...keep waiting for it....

ok ok.  RIFT.  it's an MMORPG.  (don't worry i just found out what that is, too.)  i've introduced you to this before.  but now, it's worse.  i know the lingo, i know how to set up a macro, i know what button to press when, and the most unlikely bit is this:  i am in a guild.  that's right.  and how about this?  i am an officer in this guild.  which doesn't mean i'm in charge of anything as much as it means i'm on the computer every darn evening killing digital monsters (and other players) with my digital character.

can't believe i'm actually playing this game.  really kirk just thought i'd have fun trying it out, so he gave me a pass to the "beta."  (i had to learn what that was, too...it's a pre-release "trial" that allows people to play for free and then give the creators feedback to make the release go smoothly, etc.)  turns out i didn't just have fun, i had a blast.  and considering my daily work as a foster care social work supervisor, it was just such a nice balance to the seriousness and stark reality of my daily life, it just fits.  and honestly i could spend 3 hours watching "reality" tv, which i hate, or i can spend 3 hours playing a game.  and there's art!  well, not art, per se, but a very cool character creation tool that allows one to customize a little character pretty closely.

so....yeah.  i'm a guild officer who has 2 "toons" leveled up.  all the way up.  kirk doesn't even have 2 characters all the way "leveled" yet.  this could be bad.

but how cute are these characters?  and so like me, right?  i'm in love with the female dwarves!

there's my cleric, Valkara:

Clerics do this:


I also have a Rogue, Valkyrie:

She does things like this:



And, I have a Mage, Valyana:

She rocks at doing this:


so...yeah.  clearly i'm going to need some help at some point.  but for now, these little hotties are keeping me sane after long days dealing with child abuse, foster care, and stressful budget cuts.  ok, rift and red wine.  but it works.

hope you're having a great summer!