I'm An Adventurer, Looking For Treasure

Dungeon Master James and Halfling Tori (who's playing from South Korea)

I mentioned way back over here that I had started playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends. It’s been a while since we’ve played though. It is a bit hard when your group is spread across the world after all. And life in general has a nasty habit of getting in the way. Quite hard indeed. But the game is something that I’ve thought about more and more lately.

But it’s not really thoughts about the game itself that pop up, though those thoughts are there too. Instead, it’s about the similarities in my life right now with my characters.

THE GAME

I generally roll poorly when it counts...

For those who don’t know, Dungeons and Dragons is a classic pencil-and-paper role playing game (RPG). It’s pretty much what it sounds like. You create a character (or adventurer) all with his/her own personality, strengths, weaknesses, traits, flaws, etc. In essence, you become that character while you play. Not unlike creating a character for a story you are writing. And that character gets thrown into situations dictated by the Dungeon Master (DM) or Game Master (GM). Those situations can revolve around conflict (“Your group gets ambushed by a horde of goblins in the dark! What do you do?”) or more socially (“The elf with the tattoos and her Halfling companion beckon you over. What do you do?”). But regardless of what type of situation you find yourself in you must react as your character would.

THE CHARACTERS

We had two games going and I played two different characters. Dorn is a human bounty hunter from Waterdeep who’s created a bit of a name for himself there but is trying to branch out a little bit. He’s confident in his skills and his attention and focus is on the fact that he has a job to do.

And then we have Flynt. I really miss playing Flynt. I had great plans for him when I came up with his character. Originally he was supposed to be similar to the nameless minstrel from Gaining Music, giving out inspiration and confidence to his companions. But from the start I knew that wasn’t going to be who Flynt was. I started envisioning him as a dashing rogue and a bit of a con-artist. Quick to get in trouble, and equally quick to get out of it. However, that’s also not who Flynt is. Flynt is, in a word, Flynt. Insanely charismatic, he’s a bit of a dick at times and started off as quite cowardly. As the sessions went on, though, he started to grow and became less cowardly. Instead, he has a great sense of self preservation.

THE REALITY

From that time Tina, Will, and I adventured our way into Mordor

As much as I’d love to be as courageous as Dorn, or as charismatic as Flynt, the harsh reality is that I’m not. Nor do I believe I ever will be. They are exaggerated after all. But I’m slowly coming to the realization that I’m more like them than I thought. At least in one respect. Like them, I’m an adventurer looking for treasure. And like them, I’m forging relationships with other adventurers I'm meeting along the way. The treasure I just happen to be seeking is memories, experiences, and friendships instead of money, weapons, and items.

Maybe Jay is right. Maybe I actually am a people person as I’m finding great enjoyment and enrichment in meeting other adventurers along the way…

Sinceriously,

-Chad

Live Your Life

Unplug and Breathe

Take a moment. Close your eyes. Breathe.

In a world where everything is turning electronic and everyone is connected 24/7, try disconnecting for a bit. Turn everything off but yourself. Just be. Just for a moment.

We’ve forgotten how to be us. Whether it’s the hunt to attract the opposite sex; seeking to impress friends and acquaintances; our peers; employers; random people on the street; even people we don’t like, everyone’s always trying to impress someone else. I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to.

Quite possibly the best name for a
candy store ever created

If it makes you happy to be your quirky self, be your quirky self. If you feel like going for a run, pumping out your motivational superhero soundtrack, go for that run! If you feel like sitting on a couch with a bowl of popcorn waiting for the next Kardashian to have a tantrum over something inconsequential to the rest of us, start popping those kernels! Do what makes you happy and screw the people that you spend your time trying to impress.

Like the opening of this article says, try disconnecting from everything but you for a moment. Go for a walk and turn your phone off (or better yet, leave it at home). Walk slowly, there’s no rush. Think about what truly makes you happy. When you have that figured out, do everything that you possibly can to do what makes you happy. It’s your life, and you only get to live it once. You have the obligation to yourself to be happy.

All this time I’ve been finding myself and I didn’t know I was lost.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Sometimes I do feel lost. Others, not so much. But regardless of whether I feel lost or not, I’m always finding myself. Trying to figure out what makes me happy and how to achieve that happiness. It’s a constant work in progress. Not just for me, but for everyone, whether you read my little blog or not.

What inspired this little melancholy/inspirational post (depending on your take from it)? A few things actually. First and foremost, a couple of conversations I’ve had with a couple of friends. And then there’s a couple of other blog posts that I’ve read. You can read them here and here. The take away? It’s life. It’s not perfect and it’s not what you might expect. But it’s yours to live. Live happy and realize that life’s imperfections are what make it worth living.

Sinceriously,

-Chad

Another Spring of Changes

This Spring has been another one full of changes for me. Not as drastic as last year, that’s for sure, but still some significant ones. The two biggest changes by far are work place and living accommodations.

The Changes:

A couple of the items that add personality to my office.
I also have a copy of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings on my desk

Back in October I was offered another temp job doing administrative work. Not really my type of thing, but it paid well and I had temped there before making it a familiar environment. That job was supposed to last until the Christmas break. I wasn’t given an official end date and I just kept showing up. I mean, as long as I’m getting paid why not? Then back in March I was offered a permanent position there. In an economic climate where people are losing jobs everyday I would be an idiot to turn the opportunity down. This job actually means I have some financial security for the first time in my life. It pays the bills, and it'll be funding future plans that I have. And that's what matters the most.

When my lease was coming to an end at my apartment, my friend Cassie made the suggestion that I move in with her. Doing the math, I’d be saving upwards of $600/month and that sounded pretty damn good to me. Besides, some company and conversation every now and then seemed like a good idea. I decided to take her up on the offer and, truth be told, I’m pretty glad I did. Though I haven’t personalized the basement much (I haven’t done any decorating to make it ‘mine’), it’s comfortable here and home should be comfortable.

Looking Ahead:

I have a few plans for the future. I’ve kind of been house-hunting, but haven’t yet found one that is the right fit. And if I’m being completely honest I’m in no real rush. Cassie’s made it clear that she’s in no rush for me to leave, so as long as she can put up with me for a while I think I’m going to stay put.

Japan 2017, baby!!

I’m also wanting to go on another trip. This time I’m wanting to go to the Land of the Rising Sun. Japan has always been on my itinerary to travel to, and I’m currently in the position that I can do it. It won’t be for a while yet. About a year, in fact. But I can do planning and research in that time and you’d be amazed at how quickly one year can go by. Though my usual go-with-the-flow type of personality and non-planning will most likely take over when I actually DO go on my trip, it’s fun to look at everything you would like to do during a trip.

The Here and Now:

And that's been my year in a nutshell so far. A bit of changes and just trying to get into a routine for everything from writing to fitness, all while trying to spend time with friends. It's been a bit of a balancing act, really, but I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Sinceriously,

-Chad

Alberta Strong

There’s no denying that this has been an exceptionally rough time in Alberta lately. The falling price of oil on the international market has had such a disastrous effect on our economy. People are getting laid off left, right, and center with no real hope of being recalled to work. Add those factors up and you see that unemployment in our Province is at 7.1% according to StatsCan.

This post, however, is not about our battered economy or unemployment rate. This post is about the current monstrosity of a wildfire that is devastating the area in, near, and around Fort McMurray. Such a terrible time for an already bruised and battered people with the economic slump. The fire itself is already posed to be the most costly natural disaster in Canadian history with estimates of $9 billion. Currently the record goes to the 1998 Quebec Ice Storm that cost a total of $1.9 billion with a close following of the 2013 High River Flood (also in Alberta) with a cost of $1.8 billion.

But this post isn’t about money. Nor about politics (of which I tend to shy away from). Or environmental rights and issues. This post is about people. And people helping people. It is a post about pride and honour. The outpouring of support for the evacuated people of Fort McMurray from all corners of the Province, and the country even, is mind blowing and makes my heart swell. It really does show that there is still a lot good in this world, but it’s unfortunate that it takes an event like this to bring it out. Both the Federal and Provincial governments have committed to matching donations made to the Canadian Red Cross to support the families displaced by the fire. Also, 103.9 CISN Country and 92.5 Fresh Radio of the Corus Radio network are taking non-perishable food items to donate to the various food banks around the Edmonton area to support the people affected by the terrible disaster.

Don't click image for details, Click HERE

Tragedies like this, and how we pull together to help each other out is one of the many things that make me proud to be Albertan. We saw it in 2011 with the Slave Lake Fire, we saw it in 2013 with the High River Flood, and now during the Fort Mac Fire. We are truly a strong and resilient people. Independence runs through our veins and hard work is no stranger to many of us.

If you would like to help, you can donate to the Canadian Red Cross by texting the word “RedCross” (no spaces) to 30333 or come on down to Corus Radio Edmonton HQ - 5204-84st to fill those Rosenau trailers and get the food items where it needs to go. We’re all in this together. We’re Alberta Strong.

Sinceriously,

-Chad

People Person

There was a comment left on a post that I wrote recently regarding traveling (you can read it here), where it pretty much says that, though I don’t want to admit it, I’m a ‘people person’. After a lengthy conversation with him, Jay is adamant that I AM a ‘people person’. I wouldn’t say so myself. I mean, I like the people that I like.

That’s not to say that I’m not interested in meeting new people, I just won’t go out of my way to do it. If there’s a connection, then great. If not, oh well. I’m NOT a people person. I won’t push it. The last batch of new people that I really get along with I met through friends and currently adventure with them in Dungeons and Dragons. Though we don’t get together too often (one of our group moved to South Korea), we still investigate the Forgotten Realms and banter back and forth occasionally. I guess the old saying still stands: those who adventure together, stick together.

To be a people person, you have to be comfortable around people. You have to enjoy people. To be blatantly honest, I’m neither. I’m selective with who I choose to spend my time with. There’s a quote that I read somewhere along the way: A journey is best measured in friends, not miles. And though my miles GREATLY outweigh the amount of friends that I have, I think my friends are of the absolute highest quality. Bar none.