Mood: Full of garlic cheese buns!

Thanks, April, for once more conspiring with Mother Nature to shit all over my birthday weekend. *Looks at snow and cries*

No luck yet on the job front. I'm hoping that before the end of the month I find something I would really like, because I don't want to have to resort to the alternative of getting an easy-to-find-but-I'll-hate job. ;_;

On the upside, I haven't had so much free time in years. With that in mind, I'm trying not to become a complete bum -- I'm making sure to still wake up at a reasonable time each morning (usually 8 a.m.) and every day I try to strike off some items from my ever expanding to-do list of stuff, because it keeps up the feeling that I'm being productive and not wasting all of this extra time I suddenly have. There are errands to run and appointments to make and chores around the house to do, among my copious baking of home made garlic cheese buns and slow but steady work through Mists of Avalon.

Since I have time to fill, I've also been working out a lot more again finally. I've gone for a couple of good walks during the afternoons and I've restarted my Wii EA Sports Active exercise regiment again four times a week. My latest one yesterday introduced the horrible, evil concept of crunches that practically killed me, my abdomen is super sore this morning; there's also another one where you have to reach your arms straight out behind you while stretching the resistance band is also really surprisingly hard. T-T And then it goes and makes me sprint and run right as I'm already already wheezing and cramping, and I end up flopping around and flailing there in agony screaming profanities at my television.

On the topic of my sporadic attempts to be healthier, we're probably going to start up a curling team in the fall. I went and watched Mason and a couple of the guys play in their first bonspiel the other week and, much like golf, it looked like a very Brenna-friendly sport. There's no running involved or scary objects being thrown at me. WIN. \o/

Mood: Determination!

For Mason's birthday this past Tuesday a bunch of us piled our collective monies together and bought him a Nintendo Wii, and among the games he has currently *cough*obtainedbyquestionablemeans*cough* includes EA Sports Active. The few reviews I've heard of the game make it sound pretty reputable, and the concept of being able to start an actual exercise regiment of some sort right at home and without paying for classes or gym memberships is pretty appealing. Thus, I'm determined to at least try and make use of EA Sports and get into a four day a week workout session in the comforts of my own basement. :D POOF! Wobbly flab to toned muscle, here I come! Hoo! Ha! *wheeze*

EDIT: We bought the little active accessory kit for the game (includes leg strap for Wii nunchuck and resistance band) and both Mason and I each began our own "6 Week Challenge" this morning (though Mason has his workouts set to either medium or hard, and I'm sticking to easy to start off with.) I did a 20ish minute full body work out, and was so proud of myself as it ended and was about to start my cool down stretches -- and then Iroh chose that moment to walk across the powerbar and turn off the Wii. NOOOOO! I didn't even get to save my first day! D:{ So after angrily locking the kitty upstairs, I did the whole workout over a second time just so it would be able to record my progress for this morning. (Does that mean I can be proud of myself x2?)

Obviously I'm starting off slow and the first workout wasn't that hard, but overall it was actually more fun than I thought it would be! The fact that I ended up having to do it twice made me extra tired at the end and my legs felt a bit jellylicious, but I'm determined to keep up with it! Go Team Me! Really, any amount of fitness more than the zero amount I had been doing before has got to be some sort of improvement, right? ^^;

Mood: Chilly

What's this? We have a second bunny hanging around our house. He's (she's?) been a constant visitor to our front lawn and backyard since we moved in; we probably see him at least once a day. I never see the bunny on any of our neighbors' lawns, so I can only assume there's something drawing him to ours. *Looks suspiciously at a certain young black and white bunny sitting innocently on the couch* Toby, I think you're having a torrid long distance affair with this wild rabbit. I see you perched up at that window pretending not to look at him (her...?). What a scamp. My bunny, the heartbreaker. But they're two bunnies from two different worlds. It's like Romeo and Juliet but with long ears and fluffy tails -- and like all Shakespeare it can only end in tragedy. D: I tell you, I will have no part of it! Plus this rabbit is like three times the size of poor Toby and would probably squash him flat.

It's funny because every time Mason see's the other rabbit, he rushes out of the house with his airsoft pellet gun like an overzealous protective father -- only instead of caring about illicit bunny affairs, he is more perturbed that the rabbit is shitting on our lawn. It is kind of annoying, because I can't bring Toby outside in a backyard pen if there's wild rabbit feces that could make him sick. We'll have to see if this furry stranger decides to become a permanent resident or not.

I got my new Edmonton library card! I didn't have time the other day to spend a lot of time at the local library, but I did take a quick peak around. It's disappointingly small. :c I thought it had two floors like the St. Albert library but it turns out it's only one; though the fact that I can transfer any book from any of the other Edmonton branches to mine is pretty neat and makes up for the lack of physical shelf space. I immediately put a hold on The Time Traveler's Wife which I've been meaning to check out for a while, before realizing that with the bigger city comes the much bigger hold queue. (405th in line... *Sweatdrop* Should have expected that with all the movie hype.) Thankfully Sarah is kindly lending me her copy or I'd probably be on the waiting list until next year.

I'm getting very excited for the new Batman game Arkham Asylum being released on the 25th. Paul Dini himself is reportedly heading the script, and Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are both reprising their roles as Batman and the Joker respectively (though from what I've seen from the trailers, Hamill has toned his readings down to something significantly darker than his work on the original Batman animated series' *glee*), and word is there are parts of the game you can actually play as Mister J~ THAT IS EPIC FTW. :B Mason's promised to only play it when I'm in the room so I don't miss any of the story or animated sequences. Depending on how frustrating and hard the game controls look, I may actually take a stab at playing this one myself. Maybe.

Mood: Glad it's Friday

I downloaded the Firefox addon "StumbleUpon" and it stumbled me across an amazing UK artist named Russ Mills. One look through his gallery and I've completely fallen in love with his work. After July when we're done saving for a house and hopefully not dirt poor, I'd love to buy one of his large-scale prints to hang above the bed or the sofa~

I'd also still really like to own large prints of this piece and this piece from dklette.com. I saw them at the Christmas craft sale and thought they were really cute.

*Can't wait until she has a house and more empty wall space for art* *Hearts*

A happy first birthday to adorable Toby! He turned one-year-old today~ *^^* I took him for an annual checkup yesterday and the doctor said he's a perfect picture of bunny health! *Cuddles her Toby*

My plan for this weekend more of less consists of drawing and Guild Wars, two things which I've been increasingly wishing I had more free time for. *Sad* I just got Koss back from being stupidly captured and I have to get him to level 20 like the rest of my heros. *Rolls eyes* I have a very love-hate relationship for Koss, being married to him and all (because in the GW universe, I've decided that Koss is Ula's goony husband, because I'm a giant unbelievable nerd and think up backstories for my role playing characters like that -- and there's just something about that giant afro that screams a perfect match to my Ula who is overly butch.)

In any event, Koss, who already has proved to have a bit of a habit of being absurdly stupid (he constantly draws unnecessary badguys to us or is running off and getting himself killed when I tell him to wait at a flag) is true to his nature and goes and gets himself captured by the enemy. So I come in all heroically to save his ass, and what's the big oaf doing when I find him and the other prisoners? DANCING. Torture? Beatings? The regular hostage stuff? Oh no, with Koss it's all "Fuck that, man -- we ordered pizza!" and dance parties. Some times I question Guild Wars' character developers. (And I just found out Koss ends up running off with Meloni later on in the game. That bastard. I don't know what Ula ever saw in him anyway.)

... I think I've surpassed on my omgNERD quota for this blog post, so I should go now. ¬_¬

Mood: The sap? I collect it here in this bucket.

Why is it that I always get all sentimental and sappy when I go to my parent's house? I walk in the door and suddenly it's as if I haven't been back there in years, when really I was just there the week before. Is there some sort of reverse empty-nester syndrome? I walk around and look at all the family photos on the walls and have a habit of touching the furniture and feeling up the fluffy linens and towels (but obviously a sentimental feeling up of the linens -- not the creepy crazy kind.) Or maybe I just don't do the laundry at my place enough...

Oh old bedroom, you are now a giant bedroom-sized walk-in closet for Dad. Beloved NASA-like computer room (though slightly-less NASA-like without my own dual-monitor computer) -- I miss you and strive one day to build a computer room in your grand image. Smelly little green software fridge... you are still smelly. *Hugs*

I love the fact that I'm moved out and have a place of my own and everything, but I guess there will always just be things that you miss from a place you grew up in for half your life. It's cozy. It always has lots of warm, fuzzy memories (in addition to the linens.) And may I also add that it's such a rip that once the kids move out, the parents finally take the opportunity to prettify and renovate everything? Seriously. Pretty bathroom now? Not fair. *Deadpan expression as her computer chair rumbles and rolls across the slanty apartment floor of it's own accord with her still sitting in it*

PS. I haven't gotten a chance to play any Guild Wars in the past couple nights because of art-related things, which is very sad. Ula is level 20 now! She must quest more! Art and Guild Wars... why must you always make me choose between you?! D:

Mood: Tired

Dear angry teens:

If you would like me to post your anti-Twilight rants in the front page article section -- which I'd be more than happy to do simply for the uproar and fangirly angst that it would stir -- please try to make a half-decent submission that doesn't break every spelling and grammar rule in existence. (Despite what you may think, netspeak is not an acceptable form of English.) Also preferably a submission that is more than two sentences long. (Extra exclamation points do not count towards your word count.) I am always up for spreading more LULz at the expense of Stephanie Meyer and the Twilight series, but I can't do so when you don't put in any effort!

On the related note of Twilight fuckwittage: If Twilight Were 10 Times Shorter and 100 Times More Honest

So I've been badgered into taking a trip on the Twitter bandwagon. I made a deal that I'd use it for a week and I'm on my fifth day and am still not quite sure what the whole point of Twitter is. I'm trying, I really am. *Squints* Wait, is that... Nope. Sorry. Don't see it.

I don't understand why people are flocking towards this awkward and somewhat useless middle ground between blogging and Facebooky social networking. I particularly dislike the part of this week-long deal where I'm being forced in turn to follow every Tom, Dick, and Sally that randomly decides to follow me. I don't understand. I don't know these people. I don't care what they're thinking, doing, or saying through out the day. Why are strangers following my Twitter feed in the first place? D:

The only Twitterism that I've grown fond of is the handy ability to immediately update my Facebook status straight from the Twitter app on my desktop. That's cool. I also like the idea of being able to include a widget on the side of my blog that shows my recent updates. Basically I like and will probably continue using anything involving it that directly relates to updating or displaying my Facebook status, which essentially is all Twitter really is. Starting Friday though, I'm cleaning out my spammed-to-hell Twitter friend list.

I didn't get to play any Guild Wars tonight, which I'm very sad about. :c I really need to buy a cheap computer headset. Playing in a party that I can't talk outloud to directly is really hard; I don't know where people are, or what they're doing, or what I'm supposed to be doing! There's not exactly a lot of time to spare to type out game plans while you're being mauled by a fucking gang bang of vicious skale monsters, you know?