Oh my dearest blog, how long it has been since I've last done anything with
you.  Shall I start with the excuses as to what has happened?  Well, since it
has been almost 4 years since my last update, I'll start with the first major
interruption: work IT decided to change their firewall to block all telnet
traffic.  That is, I couldn't mud from work any longer.  On top of that, I
still did not have a home computer or home internet, so I was out of luck
getting onto Bat.

As I left off, major layoffs were happening and I was in the middle of a
project crunch.  Obviously, not the best time to worry about getting a
computer and internet.  I managed to survive the project and several others
like it as well as several more rounds of layoffs in the four years.  For all
of my stress and labor, I managed to get a promotion along the ways, so,
there's that.

Continuing on the narrative about the lack of computer and home internet
access, fast forward two years and I started doing my shopping for a home
computer.  Dell put on some pretty nice deals, and I was familiar with desktop
boxes from work, so I dropped a chunk of change and bought me a shiny
anti-social life machine.  During the two years without a computer, I
dedicated my gaming time in the evenings to my back catalogue of Playstation 2
games.  By the time I got the computer, I had less than 10 I had not seriously
played.  Also, I was building my PC game catalogue by buying several used
games at my favorite shopping spot, the Half Price Bookstore.  And did I
mention that I was reading several books as well?  No?  Well, I was!  I built
up my pesonal library.  So let's just leave this topic with I was not hurting
for hobbies during my Bat hiatus.

So now, I've got the Dell but no home internet.  I decided to start playing
some PC games and managed to sink almost a year into playing those.  The worst
part was that I had only made a small dent due to some of those games being
major time sinks to complete.  I'm looking at you Dragon Age.

However, it was nearly 3 years of hiatus now, and like cancer or a bad STD,
the Bat disease was starting to come back.  Thanks to Ewige for keeping in
touch with me via email and constantly encouraging me to come back into the
fold, I started feeling the need to scratch that Bat itch.  My anger at having
lost LoC guild, continents, and BatMud turned into FerryMud had dimmed quite a
bit, and I was willing to forgive my Bat-mistress for mistreating me so much. 
I decided to make the call to get DSL hooked up for my house.  I'm not sure
who was more excited at my return, Ewige in having his soul buddy back or
myself.  Fortunately, I was not in a terrible reinc. at the time of my forced
exile, and got back into the swing of things fairly quickly.

So what else was I doing?  Well, I never gave up on my gym/weight lifting
hobby after work.  I still hit the gym several evenings a week, even to this
day.  Unfortunately, my bad eating habits caught up with me in my older age,
again.  I'm back to 200 lbs, but at least I can still bench more than I weigh.
 In fact, I'm at my peak again for weight on the bench now that my right
shoulder finally got better and stronger after a couple of years of pain and
weakness.  Just tonight I put up 8 reps of 235 lbs.  Guess it is time for me
to get working on the diet thing and drop 20 pounds.  Now that I'm closing in
on 41 years of age, it is time for me to get serious about dating again, that
is if I want to find a wife and try for children.  Otherwise, it is the hermit
life for me.

Let's see, what else have I done with my life in the past four years besides
my hobbies at home and work?  I still go back to the farm most weekends during
the spring/summer/fall seasons.  Mom and I still do our fishing trips and
we've managed to catch our fair share of fish and fishing tales along the way.
 I still block and split the firewood for the folks, however those days are
numbered as our neighbors sold their plot of land and timber a couple of years
ago, and we no longer have access to the wood.  Ahead of the sale, I hauled
out as many logs as time allowed back to the farm for storage.  We estimate a
couple more years of firewood before the parents burn through the supply. I do
miss the logging opportunities, but that's how life goes sometimes.  I still
sneak out to that timber during morel season. shhhh!  If you don't tell, I
won't get into trouble.  *grin*

Some miscellany before I wrap this up, I managed to celebrate my 20th bat year
anniversary last year, and this year my character would now be legal to drink
here in the US of A.  How long ago it seems for this young man in a corner
computer lab with a few other guys taking their invitation up on trying this
mud that they were playing versus the one I was on at the time.  I wish I had
bought more tps from the tp shop back in the day when they were damn cheap and
plentiful.  Also, had stored away Burgle and Asmo equips too!

Well dearest blog, the clock is telling me I don't have long before Ewige will
come calling.  It is the main reason I haven't been updating you since my
return several months ago.  Typically, my time is locked into grinding souls
for E., and spawn rep for me.  It is a great mutual relationship that we have
going, and I don't want to upset it.  By the time we are done, I just don't
have the energy to do a proper blog entry.  I even had a request to update the
blog, so I didn't want to half-ass my glorious return to blogging with a tired
brain and sleepy eyes.

Till next time dear blog, I still have to put down my thoughts on my next
reinc. plans.  I've been in this reinc for nearly 4 years, so it is time for a
change, wouldn't you say?  Also, morel season is just around the corner, we
just need some warmth, as the rain has been coming down the past week or so. 
This is a good thing, don't get me wrong, as we are still are way short on
subsoil moisture from last year's drought.  I'm just ready for the spring sun
to bring out the girls in the skirts with their pretty...smiles.

-Cav.