been in cincinnati for a week

I haven't blogged in a long time. I can't just tell everything on here, so sometimes I delay writing an entry in the hopes that I will think of something that isn't either deeply personal or terribly boring... and so what results is a blog that isn't updated with sometimes a month or more between entries. I enjoy writing on here when I have the opportunity, and (for a while) was even trying to force myself to update as often as possible, such as the wizard story (which I plan to continue, but trade shows abound and I usually only have three days at home and four away.) Creative writing is a psychological escape, one I enjoy doing most when at home. It's hard to write at home because I'm always either working or spending time with the family.... so I am forced to do it when away, when time permits and the countless distractions subside.

I've been visiting my mother for a week and I've had a nice time. Cynthia has been working on some awesome projects and wanted some quiet time to finish them up so I took the opportunity to come visit some of my family with Azalea. We got to see my sister Jenny, my grandparents on my father's side and my uncle Steve.

Played some games at Steve's house and had a great time! I swear, everytime I go over there he has some game I always dreamed of seeing or wanted to create myself. I find it very entertaining to escape into a fantasy world through games.... it takes a lot more brain power than just crashing in front of the TV for a movie. You have to interact with it directly and your decisions determine the outcome (like the climax in a movie), only the outcome is different everytime and you learn a lot about how your own brain works when putting it through such tests. It's great to play a game when socializing and catching up with someone, because it keeps you seated and settled and provides a justifiable distraction when the conversation idles.

I also got to see my old elementary and high school best friend Bryan Edwards. We were inseparable back then, and all the sudden we completely fell out of contact when I started college. It's been twelve years, so he looks different and sounds different and that's a little wierd, but we had a great time reminiscing and catching up. I hope to do more of that when I visit my mother next time.

I'm going home tomorrow so Azalea can be back in time for a slumber party with her friends Nathea and Cassie over at Tony and Lisa's.... and so I can catch up on work and get a casting done before the Interweave show in King of Prussia, PA. I'm looking forward to that show. Miami is the week after that and Denver is two weeks later, followed by San Fransisco the week after that when Bob Burkett will be flying back with me to prepare for Bead and Button in Milwaukee in June. So the schedule is looking full but all is well and the future looks bright. I will try to find time to blog as much as possible.