cetius

Follow-Up To Last

2009-11-27T20:30:27Z

The answer to what will be with Heather and I is...exclusive dating. We went to the Case de Caras Turkey Day festivities (empty-handed sadly, and I feel bad about that), and she enjoyed the camaraderie of the group--she even contributed to "bad jokes at the dinner table". We went back to my place, watched "Out of Gas" as her introduction to Firefly (she's now game for the rest) and retired for the evening, though it took some time getting to sleep. This morning we discussed what is up between us and she said she wasn't really comfortable being as affectionate as we have been and not staking a claim on me, so I'm now happily taken. It does mean that I'll have to scale back some of the flirting I've been doing with others, which isn't such a big deal, all things considered. Watch, now that I'm taken, a potential plaything or two will pipe up saying something like "But, I was hoping for [insert otherwise acceptable fun here] from you."

She does have some reservations in terms of whether she's a good match for me, mostly for the facts that she's just started college (though she's old enough to have finished) and is uncertain about wanting to bear children (yes, we've already talked about that in the "what's your future hold" sense). This is a recurring problem for me, but until I find someone my age that actually wants kids, I guess I'll just have to run with it.

Anyway, I've a girlfriend again and she's going to try to find time for me without sacrificing her schoolwork. We're hoping to see each other again next weekend. Until then, we have email.

Spectacular Saturday

2009-11-23T03:52:59Z

So, it was a crappy, boring, pain in the ass week at work. I survived because I managed to convince Heather, the beauty I met at Voltaire, to come by for a visit on Saturday, and boy am I glad I did.

Admittedly, when the plans were made, I figured I was good for hello and goodbye hugs, and if the day went well, a chance for a goodbye kiss. Our plan was to get together around noon, grab food, and watch the new Star Trek, though we'd both seen it, and then go from there. Arby's was consumed and Star Trek watched, complete with gag reel, and it's a pretty good one (available on YouTube, or was on Thursday). She was being indecisive as to what to watch next, so I put on Eddie Izzard's "Dress to Kill", as comedy concerts only go amiss when 1) the comic's humor doesn't appeal to the viewer, or 2) the viewer just doesn't like comedy concerts. I find "Dress to Kill" rarely falls under the first, and she gave her consent, thus we were in good shape. Post-Eddie I gave her the massage I'd threatened her with. Results were....pleasant, though I fell short of 100% full seduction. Neither of us expected things to roll as they did (though I had hoped), and so we're in "now what do we do?" mode, and by we, I mean she needs to figure out how and how often I'll fit into her life. She's recently gone back to school, and was anticipating being boy-distraction-free for the duration (though I feel even she doesn't really believe that would have happened). Regardless, I do want to make sure she gets her assignments done and doesn't skimp because she wants snuggle time. She does indeed want more snuggle time, so I can't complain. I just need to be patient and hope we get to hang out again soon. I don't know that we'll see each other on Turkey Day, but as she likes to avoid too much family time, it's a possibility. I'm only doing lunch with Mom this year, so time should be available. In the meantime, I'm happily twitterpated.

Also, the gym isn't very busy Sunday mornings. I might have to try to get there early as a habit on non-Rocky weekends.

OmegaCon and Such

2009-11-20T00:03:24Z

I had a decent time at OmegaCon, but like the last three years, the experience started strong and ended with me happy to get the hell away. I was happy to see those people I only see at Con, but there was the notable absence of Amada, who I've been trying to find a way to get to know better, but she's always to busy to hang out. It just wasn't the same doing Rock Band/SingStar without her, though.

I ended up having the room to myself, as Hal's friends bailed when I overestimated the room cost. She showed up though, which was a surprise, as she'd told me she wasn't going. She decided the prospect of see said friends was worth it, and she already had guaranteed crash space so it wasn't inconvenient for her to change her mind last minute.

I finally got to play Lexigon, a word game I bought for last OmegaCon but never got a chance to play. Cole and her group had picked it up, and upon noticing this, I asked to join in and they welcomed me, though I think it was somewhat grudgingly. I didn't win, but it was fun to play. I've gone several rounds since with Sam and Heather and won most of them.

Heather? Who is that, you say? She's the lovely young lady I met at Voltaire. We've chatted a great deal via email in the last two weeks and she met up with me on my way back into town from OmegaCon. We played the game at the local Starbucks and I got a hug goodbye. Things would seem promising on the relationship front except for two big things:
1) She's quite happy being single while in school, as she knows boys distract her, and
2) She's another of those "I'm not having kids" types
On the "my personal issues" front, she's also only 22 and that's not a good sign with me. She says that it wouldn't bother her, and even with the aforementioned issues, she's not ruled out future possibilities, but stated firmly that it isn't exactly what I would call near future. We're planning on hanging out this weekend, watching movies at my house rather than hitting the MISFITs movie night for "Coraline" and "Star Trek". She limits her socializing in crowds and has an engagement in two weeks she can't shake and appears to be avoiding potential people overdose in chilling at my house instead. I figure I've given her fair warning and she says she's not above hitting me with the clue-by-four, so I think we're good.

I've been hanging out with Tori's friend Ashley lately. Not bad company, but I'm not exactly sure how to handle her either. I also need to fine some time to visit Tiffany again soon. Elizabeth warned me she'll be busy for a bit yet, but I'd like to catch dinner with her in the next week or so, too.

I went to Chrys' apartment warming last night and she seemed happy I came. That's quite the change in the last two years, when I swear she'd roll her eyes when I'd say hi. I doubt we'll end up close friends or anything more, but it's good to have another sexy lady smile when she sees me. If only I could find one that doesn't mind being claimed in the name of New Spain....

Off to the gym now.

A Timely Update For A Change

2009-11-10T16:29:48Z

It's only been about a week since my last post, but it's been an interesting week.

Friday night was the Voltaire show at Barfly. First oddness, the show was on the 4th floor. I've never been to a venue where I had to leave the main floor for the scheduled entertainment. The floor was a two room split--in the entry room were the fashion show and the belly dancers and to the left of the entry was the concert stage. The open musical act (Uzza, I think) was so-so and the follow-up wasn't much better. The only things that made me care a bit more were 1) they had a violin, 2) an attractive lead singer, and 3) Charles from Stellar Vector on keys. I didn't know he played with anyone else, and he was one of the first familiar faces, of about 2 dozen, I saw.
The first was one of my Rocky crew, Sophia, and a woman I am assuming was her mother. They were two of the four people who were in line before me. Of note was the other young lady, who I found attractive enough that I got too nervous to really talk to her. I tried, when she moved from where she'd been standing to further back in the line that had formed behind me. I told her she got there first and was welcome to go in before me, but as she was only two or three people back, she didn't take me up on it. Anyway, I had my eyes open for her the rest of the night and she was almost always within my line of sight, but then again, the venue wasn't really big enough for it to be otherwise--only her short stature kept her from being seen all night. One of the things that amused me is that, like me, she'd brought a book to read between events, and that's what eventually got us talking.
Right after Venus' set, one of the belly dancers, the one I found most attractive, walked by and mentioned she thought it attractive that I was reading between sets. In following her with my eyes as she walked away, Heather, the young lady, was again in view and had her book out, too. So I decided the dancer was a sign that I should use our mutual reading as an icebreaker, and it worked well enough. She, like me, was there for Voltaire and didn't really care much about the rest of the show. She didn't know much of his work, though I can't claim to know his catalog well either, but she sang along with "When You're Evil" and it made me smile. I asked what her plans were after the show, and since she didn't have any, she joined me for food at Little T's. She even rode with me rather than play follow-the-leader, but that was as much because getting lined up for such would have been difficult as her being trusting of me. Dinner conversation had a few awkward silences, but went pretty well. She was even willing to give me contact info when I dropped her off at her car, and we've exchanged some email. I'm sure she knows I talked to her because I thought her cute, but I've no idea her opinion of me, other than worth talking to online, but that's good enough for a start.

In other girl-related news, a friend of a friend I met at Fest expressed some interest in yours truly, and said mutual friend made mention of this to me Saturday night as they were driving back from the Vil show, which I completely forgot about. As luck would have it, she was at the friend's house when I dropped by Sunday and confirmed the interest. As she's even younger than Heather, I made it clear to her that I wouldn't really consider dating, but I'm a flirtatious person and don't mind random cuddle time. She was cool with the plan and it was a pleasant evening. She official broke things off with the boy she'd been seeing yesterday and popped by last night for a supporting shoulder.
I'm all for being a friend to her and all, but I really hope she doesn't bond too much with me. I know how much I tend to latch on the the first comforting female after a break-up, so I'm going to keep my eyes open for danger signs. At least I can expect to not see her again until next week, as our schedules don't mesh this week and I've OmegaCon this weekend.

I'm looking forward to that, but I'm still not exactly sure what my roommate situation will be there. I threw some likely inflated numbers at the pair Hal threw at me and they were a bit scared by them. I wrote back to say I'm running from my faulty memory concerning the figures, so if they saw other numbers elsewhere, they're probably the right ones. We'll see. I'd love to invite Heather, but we just met and I've no idea what her weekends look like anyway. I'm also a bit disappointed that neither Tiffany or Amada will likely be there. Tiffany and I have had good times hanging out lately, though they are still infrequent visits, and it just won't be OmegaCon if I don't play SingStar with Amada. She might still show, but it's a pretty slim chance. I do know that Gabriel, Chrys, the Dregs, and Hal will be there, though I didn't think Hal was going until this morning when I read her post on the Rocky list, so I'll have plenty of people to chat at, not to mention those people I really only see at OmegaCon.

Also, I hit the gym again last night. Doing my own thing seems to be working for me--I had to up the weight on a couple machines I've been hitting. Trainer-from-Hell came to chat at me, though she didn't remember my name and thought I was married, as opposed to the dude I did my sign-up with, who gets my name right. She had noticed I'd not been around for a while and asked what was up. I made polite in a way most people would pick up on as a "piss off" but she kept talking, again trying to convince me I needed a trainer. She's the last person who has any chance of convincing me of that, though I am thinking about sitting down with the guy who does recognize me and ask his opinion on what I've been doing. We'll see. I think I'm going to go hunting for training plans online first.

Well, that's good for now. I'll like do a post-OmegaCon update next week.

OMG, I've been Nudged

2009-11-05T18:22:06Z

In no particular order, here's some subjects of interest since the last post:

Oh, Rocky, why did I come back again?!

Ok, that out of the way, the issues we had were really from a lack of dress rehearsal, which is the theater's fault. Also, the fact they didn't have the spotlight they promised us made me cranky before anything even got started, so it was not the best weekend ever. Even our Night 2 solution to borrow a spot didn't work as expected, as the circuit couldn't handle it, which makes me fear for what the theater is getting us, as it will like have the same issue.

We did have a good crowd both nights and I think the performances themselves were pretty good, though there were some blocking snafus (again, curse the theater). Because of the issues, I didn't really get a chance to train in my crew, as Lights the first night was completely winged with 2 box torches that barely lit faces (and shined too brightly in actors' faces), and the second night my only consistent worker had to bolt right after. Syn came back to help with Lights Night 2, so that helped, but there are still some things that need work.

As for building new props before the next show, it needs to get taken care of, but my desire is way down. I'll have to rely on my help to pull me through. Speaking of, the person who was in theory to be Stage Manager if I didn't return was completely absent both nights, or at least didn't talk to me. Turns out she'll be at OmegaCon next weekend, so I'll talk to her about it then. I'm not impressed at this point.

I finally overcame the issues the personal trainer gave me about hitting the gym and went again on Monday. I took a notebook with me and recorded what I did on what machines, and it only proved what I already knew--I've have the upper body strength of a ten-year old. Still, I did what I hope is a full set of upper body/ab work, though the abs probably could use some more. I might find a different trainer to talk to about it. I also hit the elliptical for 20 minutes afterward in fat-burn mode, which I think is "more resistance/slower heart rate" than the cardio setting. I think tonight when I go (couldn't make it Tuesday or Wednesday) I'll do some elliptical first, do the weight training, and then elliptical again.

Emily and I haven't had time to hang out since I last posted (or at least I don't think so). She popped by briefly Monday after I got back from the gym to pick up her present as she was too sick to get it Thursday on her actual birthday. I'm not overly surprised she wouldn't let me swing by to drop it off, but whatever.

The windows got installed. They're much nicer than what I had before. Not sure what else to say.

Still barely playing, mostly just auctions. When my account got restored, I got a lot of extra stuff because they attempted to server transfer two of my toons. I have something like 100 void crystals and large prismatic shards, which don't sell for much, but I'll take the money. Of more interest are the Primal Fires and Abyss Crystals I got.
I got my Halloween achievement on Picardo, and again never saw the mount drop, though I only went on the one run. Managed to get my PVP element in a single Arathi Basin run, which we lost, but I also got the 300k Damage achievement and 2 more flag caps, so I won't bitch too much. Looking forward to the Thanksgiving stuff.

The They Might Be Giants show on Tuesday was good times as usual. This was a "Flood" show, meaning they played all of their album "Flood", though not straight through or in order. The breaks had songs from "Here Comes Science" and some other random songs, but I was there for "Flood". It was great to hear some songs I never thought I'd see live ("Letterbox", "Dead", and "Minimum Wage" in particular). It also reminded me that I need to write my filk for "Someone Keeps Moving My Chair". I'll post it when it's done.

We're actually getting sheets for the LARP now, but more slowly than I was hoping. We fielded some questions last night and I know the answers weren't what the askers wanted to hear, but the rules are the rules. If that keeps them from playing, so be it, but we're not going to bow to pressure before the game even starts. There are some update that need to be made as there are some oversights on the site as it stands, but the rules are not "changing" from the ST perspective. Some might see it differently, but that's their issue.

That's enough of that. I'll post again when life gets interesting.

More Follow-Up and Random

2009-10-13T14:58:29Z

So Emily did stop by, and the conversation went well for all intents and purposes. She's still very busy and there's still awkwardness for me, but we're going to try and hang when she can find the time. I got back my movies and the key to the house. The invitation to watch her fence is still there, though she has suggested it wait until her normal partner returns from wherever she is first, as she's sparing Remy right now, and she acknowledged on her own that he's the issue that's kept me from coming. Honestly I think to key to us still hanging will be to have some fun together rather than "the cloud of what was" being the most obvious aspect. Some of the playfulness is still there, but I need to remember she's not a contact person, which is a big part of spending time with most of my female friends. I have a really hard time sitting and talking without there being a massage or hand holding or something of that nature. Still, it could have been much worse and I suspect had I dug it could have been, but the big question I wanted answered was and with something that I didn't expect but makes sense. My jealousy probably couldn't handle asking some of the questions I might have wanted to, but really, no matter what, I'm feeling jealous of those she sees more often.
Why am I always the one broken up with and while still very much enjoying her company? It's getting old and it's only making me more bitter.

Anyway, earlier in the evening I tried to get my TMBG tickets at the Crystal Down in the Valley. Sadly, they have to sell the First Ave tickets for cash, and as usual, I didn't have any one me, and TCF and I are still arguing over what my PIN is on my cash card. Looks like I'll just have to go into the bank and try to get it reset...again.

Not sure when the Rocky props are going to get built, but our one Dress/Tech rehearsal in the space is this Saturday. The tank should be ready, assuming I can get it where it needs to go, but that's the only thing, though the most important. Hopefully the contact someone's throwing at me will be able to help with the other things we have in mind, but I'm still not sold on one of my own ideas at this point, so we'll have to see.

The new windows are going in on the house on the 24th, and I need to make sure the house is ready. I need to put smoke detectors in every bedroom and a CO detector both up- and downstairs, as well as moving everything away from the windows. Unless the weather shapes up, it'll be a cold day in the house all day, but what can you do. At least I should be assured that once I reheat the place, it'll stay that way.

I really should post more often

2009-10-12T22:21:12Z

So, it looks like I've not posted for a month again, silly me. Here's the highlights I remember:

The "interesting person on the dating site" from my last post ended up being a bust. We had dinner the night of my last post and things seemed good. That Thursday I took her to the "halfway to St. Patty's" show at O'Gara's and it looked like she enjoyed the Dregs set, which was the goal. She didn't mind the Dirty Nellys, but she was keen to leave after their set and I wasn't opposed. When I dropped her off, she confessed she didn't think we had anything in common, which I thought to be incorrect, but what could I do. She mentioned again how extremely introverted she is and I'm going to infer she's also at least mildly agoraphobic. She had agreed to go bowling that Saturday, but called that morning to cancel and say "I can't do this" at me, which hurt me a bit. I hoped we be able to hang as friends and she said she had my number--she's not called or responded to my messages, voice or email. Can probably write her off.

No other luck on the girl front, though I've had good times hanging out with several female friends who indulged my varied levels of flirtation. Had a lovely conversation with a lesbian friend of a friend after a group outing and we're tentatively hanging sometime this week. Will likely be at the Saloon for a bit tonight to flirt with pretty things that are too young for me, but if it keeps my spirits up....

I might need it, as Emily is supposed to drop off my DVDs tonight. I'm getting better about things there, though we've not really spoken since the failed DQ run--time heals. There are still a few things I want to say, but I'm sure they won't change anything. I just wish I could have someone want me to themselves the way I want them to myself. Shared possessiveness seems to be "normal" and it seems to be the thing that most non-polys can't get their heads around. I'm open to poly, but really I'm too jealous to live it for long. Anyway, I'm hoping she'll have time and desire to hang out for a bit and watch TV or something, to prove we are still friends--I've been feeling ignored and that hurts more than not being "with" her.

Another follow-up from last post--Catherine is fine, but her phone is dead. It looks like it's the house's wiring, and as it's in foreclosure, she's basically screwed. This means talking to her is very difficult, though I've discovered I do have her email address, so we'll see if that helps. I've got her work number too, so hopefully I can set up hang-out time occasionally that way.

Work's continued to be slow, but testing for the new external site is done and will go to the users...as soon as we resolve a file loading issue in the back-end with software I've had a poor opinion of since my last job. Roll-out is scheduled for Halloween weekend, so I'll be looking at a late day that Friday with possible follow-up the next day, which will suck since I have Rocky both nights.

I'm scrambling this week to get props in working order for the dress rehearsal and it probably won't get done. I'm not mechanically inclined and I don't have the tools at my house. I need to coordinate with Rob, Hope, and James if I even want to hope it'll happen and the logistics of that kinda suck.

My WoW account got hacked two weeks ago, but in theory, they're restored in full. I say in theory as I haven't gone through all my characters and really have played in two weeks. The Halloween event starts Sunday though, so I'll be back on the WowCrack for that. I've been playing Puzzle Quest and Dynasty Warriors Gundam in the meantime. I think I've almost unlocked everyone on Gundam now.

I've also caught up on all my TV on Hulu. I don't know why I'd let House and Dollhouse sit until I had Bones, but I did. Last week Season 4 of Bones come out, allowing me to get current, so now I have three shows a week to miss on TV and catch online later :-) I should ask Emily if she's catching Bones on TV or Hulu--maybe have "Viewing Day" together if we can find a time that works for her--she says her main issue is being really busy with work, school, and fencing. I'm very forgiving of the first two and have to be of the third on account of my own addictive personality. If I could only get it going for the LA Fitness membership I've yet to use since the trainer pissed me off, I might be in better shape--literally. Really need to start using it though, as Sam and I are officially doing our in-house weight-loss challenge and I hate to lose.

Cuz it's been 2 weeks

2009-09-14T16:17:30Z

OK, so, Stacy's been out of the house for a while. She moved what was left of her stuff out of her old place into the new at the end of August and took what she had at my place the next day. I was still too sick to help, but I oversaw the process as she brought a stranger-to-me with her. I've not spoken to her since, not for any grumbles, but just that I've not felt like calling, and she's only ever called me back.

I'm a bit worried about a friend I've not heard from in about a month. More disturbing, her voice mail has been full for most of that time. My roomie says it'll likely fill after about 20 messages, and I probably left 3-5 myself in that time. I think this Wednesday I'll be stopping by the house to knock, and if she's not there, leaving a note to have her call me. Her not being OK is a reasonable fear to have, unfortunately, and it's been eating at me a lot the last few days.

Hoping to hang with Emily sometime soon and talk about things. From what she's said so far, I'm confident our friendship can remain, but I've had other such friends completely drift out of my life before, and I don't want to see that happen here. She wants to work on verbal communication, and that's cool. I don't mind talking and asking questions, though I've a habit of asking questions that people don't like answering, so we'll have to see how that goes. I'm also hoping she'll be up for trying to set up some regular time to watch BSG, though her schedule's pretty heavy at the moment as is.

I've had a week-long email volley with an interesting person on yet other dating site I thought I'd try. The "what are you doing this weekend?" conversation netted some positive results insofar as I suggested my schedule was open for random public hanging and her response Sunday was that she regretting waiting so long to see it. I take that as a sign she might have been up for it, which means there's a possible date in the near future. *fingers crossed* It'll make dealing with the exes easier, as I'll scale back on the flirting, at least a little ;-)

Work's been a bit slow, but it can't be helped at the moment. I've spent the last few days trying to track down a good ASP.NET training course that isn't a 3-5 day crash course. This means I've been checking in with CSOM and the varied tech colleges in town, but so far it's not looking promising. I might have to live with the crash course and just doing the RTFM thing with the 2 books I have. As slow as coding has been, reading the books might not be a bad substitute, except that I just started reading for fun at home again, as the WoW addiction is waning again. The likely date is a big fan of a series my sci-fi/fantasy group read the first book of last year, so I've purchased the next two, reread the first, and started in on the second.

Recent WoW points of note:
- got my Venomhide Ravasaur
- completed Classic Raider
- maxed out my Bejeweled skill and possess the guild high scores for Classic and Timed modes
- will likely be staring BC heroics this week
- doing BC raids on Sundays until I get that Achievement (guild runs)

Did well at poker again last night--walked away $7.25 up.

Will be ordering Seasons 2 and 3 of The I.T Crowd tomorrow, as that's when 3 is released. It'll give me an good excuse to get drunk and watch TV with Hal again--it was probably the most fun I've had since the Dregs show at Con (it's been a slow descent since then).

I really shouldn't spend too much money on toys, having just bought Beatles Rock Band and the complete stereo recordings already, as I've just ordered new windows for my house. Yep, the first major investment in the house is about to happen. I need to break out that real estate crap I paid too much for earlier this year to see if I can't find a grant to help pay for the improvement somehow. It'll help justify the cost. I should probably read the letter they sent me last week, too.

Being Sick Sucks

2009-08-31T06:01:18Z

So, late afternoon Friday, my throat starts to hurt and my sinus begin to plug. I didn't think much about it, but it got worse as the evening went on after I got home. Sam also mentioned feeling a bit off, and I had her take a quick step into my spare room, where my escaping-from-a-bad-situation house guest has been. She got the same hit I did--something wasn't right and we suspect it was the clothes. Her apartment was pretty trashed, and she mentioned getting an item for cheap that always kinda smelled. At this point, I'm guessing whatever mold was in it spread throughout her wardrobe, which as distributed in both the computer room closet and my own--the two worst places in terms of hitting me. We're guessing it took 3 days of random airborne exposure to finally hit me, and it hit hard. No good deed goes unpunished, right?

Saturday was a miserable pile of crap, during which I slept a great deal and reminded myself that Halls are my friend. I did manage to watch a few more episodes of Carnivale, which is only getting stranger as it goes along. Today was much better, but I'm taking tomorrow off as I still need extra sleep, and as the sinuses dropped to my lungs, I expect to be hacking one up tomorrow, which always gives me a splitting headache. I've already dug out the Robitusin and had a couple shots...actually, a shot sounds like a marvelous idea before bed.

Long Overdue Update

2009-08-20T20:32:13Z

So it occurs to me I've not posted since being dumped. I have a bad habit of forgetting to post the good stuff and things haven't really been *that bad since.

To get it out of the way, she and I have chatted a couple times since, but over mostly trivial crap. I'd still like to discuss where things stand with her and us and why, but that's a conversation I'd like to have in person, and that's not happened yet. I'm not sure I should even go to karaoke until we've talked, as it was her place first and I don't want to make her uncomfortable.

Anyway, I've found the time to catch up with some other people. Two weeks back Catherine and I hang out for a bit and it was rather like old times. Not a completely bad thing, but she hasn't really changed her situation either, which is disappointing. I still say that her getting kicked off the Browncoat board was inappropriate, but she does need to do something about her personal issues, and scaling back or stopping the drinking would be a great place to start.

Last Thursday was a good night: CSTS with Dr. Horrible and Serenity. Dr. H on the big screen was fantastic, as was singing along with a sold-out crowd. Better still, I got to play hero to some good friends, all of whom are gorgeous women. They hadn't gotten tickets in advance and the show sold out before they got to the ticket booth. Fortunately, as a member of the board in good standing, I was able to get them in with the understanding they had to stand. It worked out well I think--I got hugs from all of them and was able to introduce myself "old skool" to the one lady I didn't previously know: a back massage, and she seemed to enjoy herself.

I had good times Saturday too. I was supposed to go to my friend Tiffany's 30th B-day Party, but it was supposed to be outside on the beach at her parents' house. However, with the weather being what it was, I decided against it. Around 7:30 I was getting hungry and called Elizabeth. Turns out she was on her way to Psycho Suzie's, so she asked me to join her. We had the spinach/garlic/dried tomato pizza (which is the awesome!) and One-Eyed Willy tiki drinks. Now, anyone who's been to Suzie's knows, their tikis come in three levels: strong, pretty strong, and woohooo! Guess where Willy falls? They're damn tasty, but one's enough. Anyway, since I was bailing on the party already, I asked her if she wanted to hit another friend's DJ show. She was spinning and there were going to be at least two other performers. We went and enjoyed all three sets. I particularly enjoyed the first guy, who was playing solo acoustic stuff though he usually has a band. I might get the album, though I'm not sure I'll like it as much with a full band. Anywho, my friend spun at the end of the evening, we stayed through her full set, though Eek went out to smoke and chat with the other artists for most of it, and then went back to my place.

I've gotten some more stuff done in WoW, though that's pretty much a lack of surprise. Got my Traveler's Tundra Mammoth, which cost most of my gold, but it's so worth it to be able to sell stuff and buy reagents anywhere I can mount up. Sadly, it's spoiled me and I miss not having it on my other toons. Starting Oracles on my hunter, and will do so with my rogue too, to increase my chances of getting the mount from the egg.

The last two Wednesdays have also had me at LARP coffee discussing the new rules. So far, things have been going relatively well, even when I don't get my way. Sometimes, I really want the change, other times I just want to know why they wrote it as they did. I really think things will be good, and I think the three of us (me, Jessica, and Keith) will do well together on the floor. Jesse's been able to make the meetings thus far, but I don't see there being any issues. We're hoping to get together this weekend for a marathon session of rewrites, as the 1.5 hours we get on Wednesdays just isn't enough. I hate to burn WoW time, but I really want the LARP to succeed, and I'm optimistic so far.

K, should get back to work now. As much as I want to keep playing WoW, I'd love to see you people. Let me know when you want to hang.

EDIT 5:30 -

Completely forgot something--I went to another Cupid.com speed-dating thing. There were 8 women, and 4 seemed cool enough to want to hang with again, not necessarily date, but hang with. Of the 8, 3 of them play D&D, and they brought it up (what's with the women always coming in pairs or more?). Didn't match with anyone. What's worse is Cupid used to only show which people you mutually matched, now they show those that matched you that you didn't. So, since I see nothing, in means I'm 0 for 8 again--3 were gamers and 1 said she loves a guy with long hair, still 0.

Single, for real this time

2009-07-25T23:40:34Z

So, Thursday night I had the misfortune of unexpectedly meeting until-recently-girlfriend's other cuddle. He managed to piss me off, and in the process, make her mad at both of us. This was, in part, because she's been frustrated that I still treat her like my girlfriend. Funny thing is, I thought when we'd had the conversation at CON that the only thing she wanted to change was that I couldn't call her that, as it made her feel trapped. Turns out, that isn't it at all.

Now I'll admit I've reached the point where I want to have someone special who sees me as someone special and doesn't want to share. That's not to say I'd be opposed to sharing here and there, but for all intents and purposes, I'd really like a good monogamous relationship. When I'm interested in someone, I try very hard to treat them right, at least to the best of my knowledge. If there's a problem, I expect her to bring it to me for discussion--I can't fix what I don't know ain't broke.

The issue in this case seems to be that she feels treated like a possession. I'd like to think I give my woman freedom to be herself. I'm aware of the fact that I often want to spend more time together than she thinks necessary, but I generally take "not tonight"s well, especially if she's going to hang with other friends or says she needs alone time--I'm cool with that. On the other hand, I know I will often stand close, frequently touch, and sometimes even follow around my chosen. Most of that is just me expressing my affection and feeling of togetherness. I don't have an issue giving her more space if she asks for it, and I do sometimes need reminding. I'm a very touch oriented person, and so it does hurt me just a little to be asked to back away, but I understand that not everyone's like me in this regard. So I get how she can feel a bit like a prized possession that I don't let out of my sight, but I do feel that it's only fair to give me time to adjust when this gets pointed out and not just back away.

For now, she's telling me that she's taking a break from men altogether. I hope that's the case, as I don't want to be the only one getting the shaft here. She wants to still be friends, and I've warned her that as we got to know each other as a couple, it'll be hard for me to turn that off completely. She's acknowledged I'm a flirt so she'll let that go, but things will likely be uncomfortable for a while. I certainly can't expect any sweaty, fun time from that quarter, which of course saddens me, but our relationship is more than that. Hopefully after I've proven that and she's in the mood to see people again, we can pick things up, assuming I don't find someone else.

I've been looking since CON, but I don't really know where else to turn. I've been with Great Expectations for over a year and haven't gotten a single positive response to any of the pings I've sent out, and I've not been pinged by anyone at all. It's eHarmony all over again, only even more expensive. I've found another site to try, this one geared to geeks, and since I've decided first and foremost my woman's got to be a geek, I'm hoping I'm have better luck. None of my long-time flirts have nibbled at the hook either, though there's one that's at least been somewhat flirty back at me. I'd give up entirely, but I like how I feel when I'm with someone so much more than loneliness.

At least I have Vilification Tennis to cheer me up tonight.

Real Update

2009-07-15T16:24:55Z

OK, so I teased that I'd be posting something soon, so here it is.

As per my usual, life remains in balance of good and bad:
Convergence was mostly good, but I no longer have a "girlfriend".

The relationship with said not-girlfriend is mostly unchanged, but she's still gone for the summer.

I was supposed to go camping with a former classmate and her friends, but she had a family issue arise and couldn't make it.

I was spotted at the campground by someone who partied at the Basement and I went tubing with her and her friends, but got sunburned even though I was wearing SPF Stupid.

Been having some good times in WoW and have gotten some old Achievements done, but most of my RL friends have server transferred, so I'm now stuck with making new virtual friends.

The "making new friends" isn't so bad, but the downside of an active guild is active guild chat, and a lot of it is pretty worthless chatter, though occasionally amusing. My biggest beef is that there are a few guildies who use "That's gay." in place of "That's lame." and I don't feel, as a n00b to the guild, it's my place to point out the inappropriateness. The GM's not said "boo" about it, but I suppose I could message her privately.

Work's been better, but I'm still pretty unfocused, and while no one's complained officially, I'm feeling down about it.

Interesting developments:
A long-time crush has recently gone single. She made mention that she's not feeling a relationship is what she wants right now, so I might actually be able to make a play for no-strings fun. She'll still likely say no, but I've nothing really to lose at this point.

Another long-time crush is in state visiting her brother and we're set to hang out Friday night. I'm going to suggest dinner and Harry Potter, assuming she's not seen it yet, with possible chilling at my place after. She's not stated whether or not her intention is to stay over (it didn't come up), but Friday wasn't the only day I gave her as an option and she chose it with no hesitation. If she's staying with her brother, which I assume is her only other option, she'd likely have to leave after the movie as he's in River Falls. Course, since she's on vacation, I've no idea what schedule she's keeping. Then again, even if she stays over, I do have a spare room with a bed in addition to the other half of my own. We'll see. At least the sunburn shouldn't be bothering me by then.

Elizabeth is now on a day-shift schedule, so I've actually gotten to hang with her again. She was also gracious enough to cat-sit for my camping trip, as Sam suggested it would be better for Xerxes to be somewhere he might get more attention, as he was very upset and lonely, and her allergies preclude her being much help to him in that regard.

I also got to visit Freet again, and hope to do so again soon, though our schedules do seem to hate us.

I've been asked to play in a Marvel game as well as run a Scion game. While I've got some plot hooks figured out, I've still not gotten around to reading the Scion book for mechanics or over-all story-arch devices. I've not read Marvel's book either, but I figure Keith, who's GMing, will make that a moot point. He knows the rules pretty well from what I've gathered, and he's helping me build my character tonight at LARP coffee.

Vampire is officially done. It seems the after the player meeting, no one felt it was worth going to the game even though it had been decided by the players it would be the last session. If only I'd not sent in my character's letters stating he was leaving, I could have gone, and likely convinced others to do the same. Course, I was supposed to still be camping that night so, meh. Turns out only 5 people bothered to show, and from what I've heard, the STs made some poor decisions as to how to close out the night. Bad form, folks, if what I hear is true. Not that it matters, as these characters will never see the light of day again, but still. On the plus side, a few of the players have taken it upon themselves to review and rewrite the rules and try to get another game going before year's end. Assuming the rules are more balanced and enough of the cast wants in, I'll totally play.

I suppose that pretty much sums it up. I've been getting out of the house pretty regularly, but still feel like I should be socializing a bit more. On the other hand, if I'm awake and not at work, I'd just as soon be playing WoW, if I can't be with Emily, that is.

Those locals that read this:
If you want to hang out, call me. I probably miss you but I've been to scatterbrained to call you myself. Help me out :-)

Updates

2009-06-29T20:30:58Z

I swear I'll post a real update soon.

Meme: ST character

2009-05-14T20:15:19Z

Your results:
You are James T. Kirk (Captain)

James T. Kirk (Captain)		70%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt)		70%
Will Riker		65%
Spock		62%
Jean-Luc Picard		60%
Deanna Troi		60%
Leonard McCoy (Bones)		55%
Beverly Crusher		50%
Geordi LaForge		50%
Uhura		45%
Mr. Sulu		45%
Data		40%
Mr. Scott		35%
Chekov		35%
Worf		25%

You are often exaggerated and over-the-top
in your speech and expressions.
You are a romantic at heart and a natural leader.

Click here to take the "Which Star Trek character are you?" quiz...

It seems I'm equal parts awesome and expendable.

Just Cuz Update

2009-04-03T19:37:03Z

Things are going well with the new relationship. Emily and I are spending a fair amount of time together, and she's not acting like I'm being smothering. In fact, she seems as keen as me to spend time together when it fits our schedules, and sometimes even a bit when it doesn't. I'll probably get used to getting less sleep again, but need a bit more practice. Might start taking quick naps after work before doing my dailies in WoW.

Moogenta has been retired as my main and it's now Picardo, my shadow priest. Can't remember if I've posted that previously or not. This being the case, I now have to do a lot of the achievements on Pic that I'd already done (more easily) on Moo--including all the old dungeons and quest completions. Moo hadn't invested too much time into Loremaster, but Pic's cleaned up a few zones in the last few days. I figure I'll be good solo through Sunken Temple, but after that I might start needing help, though I could probably handle Scholomance and Strathome solo slowly. Not sure Blackrock Depths will be possible and you need at least 3 for a complete Blackrock Spire run (not to mention the UBRS key, which Moo alone of my toons has). I also need to waste hours fishing to get it up to snuff, but at least I can make some small bank off Deviates until I'm Dalaran-fountain able. Bleh!

Work's picking up again, too. The app from Hell is in testing, though I've got a few things to look at already, but they can wait for next week. I'm actually enjoying working on something else, so I'm going to stay with that for the day. In fact, I'm probably going to wrap this up now and get back to it.

Cuz it's been a while

2009-03-23T15:32:56Z

So the thought occurs to me that putting my direct thoughts on this site, which I have always done, is only a good idea if there is nothing I don't mind my audience seeing. My friends list isn't large, but it does seem to contain many of those I might otherwise keep some details from. It's for this very reason that I resisted getting on LJ for so long, as I've seen more than one friendship fail over something someone said on LJ and blocked from their view but not another mutual friend's, and it got out. This is why I've never limit-posted, and I don't expect to start. I guess I'll just have to hope I don't put my foot in it. On with the show:

Things continue to go well with Emily, though she's admitted she wants to stay officially single for the near term. Considering her recent experiences in that regard, I can understand why, as I would feel pretty burned in her place too. Outside of having no easy phrase to describe our relationship, I'm quite happy and she seems to be as well, so yay!

We've started watching Angel together and have finished watching Episode 5 from Season 1, so I can look forward to couch-cuddle time for the foreseeable future, pending any disaster. Speaking of, she just had her car get jacked last night while at a friend's. Fortunately, her computer was inside, which she blames on me as her friend wanted to see pics, and so Em brought her laptop in (to pull up Facebook presumably). Sadly, she lost her iPod and some clothes along with the car, and unless the car turns up in the next day or two, I have to assume she's going to be transportation-neutered from some time. I've agreed to taxi her to her math class tonight, after which she was supposed to come over anyway.

Work is going pretty well, and I'm almost done with the app from Hell. I'm taking a quick break from it to write this, as it's still rather taxing to make sure I'm getting everything right. Sadly, it's very important that I do, as it will be affecting our Pricing application as well as Payroll. No pressure, right?

Vampire is going OK. Last game went pretty well, though I'm hoping Sansnom will soon have time to mingle with his lessors, as he barely knows half the Kindred in his Domain, something he considers poor form. We'll have to see how the situation with his kinsman plays out, as while I'm within my rights to exile him, I might not be doing myself any favors. Like I said, we'll see what happens. At least I'm not bored.

WoW has taken up less time in the last week, but I've managed to get in on some Heroic runs with Picardo, my shadow priest. I hate to admit it, but I think he's become my main. He's arguably better geared than Moogenta, my feral druid, not to mention more utility useful as DPS due to Vampiric Embrace's healing effects and the mana regen of Vampiric Touch/Mind Blast. Raven got to 77 last night, and so I've explored Northrend and gotten enough herbs to get me to 450 alchemy finally. She'll be spending some time circling the Basin for Adder's Tongue for the 3-day "learn a new recipe" thing. Got water walking last night--probably the most lame one.

Finally, the thing I'm most nervous about. I've invested more into the Grants and Real Estate program I went to a few weeks back, and so I need to start putting in 8-12 hours a week on building a network of useful people and looking at properties. As I only have after-work time during the week, I think it's going to be search time weekdays and viewing on weekends. As for getting the people, I need quite a few, so I should probably consider looking over lunches. If all goes well, I might consider doing it full-time, which in reality will probably mean 20-25 hours a week for the same salary I'm making now, and that's if I'm only so-so at it. From the conversation I had with my mentor/coach on Thursday, he's pretty sure I'll excel if I do the work. Sadly, my motto has been, do some degree, "I'll procrastinate tomorrow". We'll see.
*fingers crossed*

UPDATED:
Her car wasn't jacked; it was towed out by the trailer park management. It seems the street is no parking, though there are no signs marking it anywhere and the friend has been a resident for a long time. As of this writing (3:45), she's trying to get the car out of the lot, where is was discovered to be when the police called to inform management of the theft.

Happiness vs Sleep, Round 1

2009-03-10T14:21:10Z

So Emily and I decided to hang out last night, knowing full well she'd be keeping me up past my bedtime. Our first thought was to join my friend Chad and the group he bowls with Mondays at Elsie's, my old neighborhood haunt. At the last minute, we opted for watching Eddie Izzard's "Unrepeatable". We ended up chatting afterward, in the "let's get to know each other" line. It was enjoyable, and we stayed up until 1 a.m., when she decided to leave and let me sleep. Probably a good plan, as I probably didn't actually get to sleep until 2ish. This means I got about 3 hours less sleep than usual, but as I was happier than I've been in a while upon going to bed, it was an acceptable loss. I'm a bit groggy, but I've had worse days with more sleep.

With the crap application at work nearly finished and a pleasant courtship on the horizon, I'm thinking I'm going to be in the best state of mind I've had since late '06. Here's hoping I don't screw things up with the first lady who's shown real interest in 2 years.

The Benefits of Nosy Neighbors

2009-03-09T21:55:35Z

So, I was lamenting my lack of time off at a co-worker over the phone, stating my intention to try to find a way around it by taking an unpaid leave. My cube neighbor, who happens to be the one that enters the time-off data, overhears the conversation and investigates, as she doesn't think I've been gone enough to have used all the hours I should have had. Sure enough, after the math is done it appears as though I'm 40 hours short. Yep, a whole bloody week was cut from my PTO when my anniversary date hit last year. The hours have been added back in, and assuming it doesn't get overridden, I now have another 5 days to burn before mid-May, when I get the whole lot back, and I'll be looking to make sure it's the proper amount this time.

The reason I got less hours was because my status in the system was set to something other than I should have been. This other setting gets 40 hours less than my proper one. Either someone accidentally changed my status (unlikely) or it was intentionally altered to rob me of hours. As I got a rather substantial raise last year, I have to wonder.

Nothing Important to Report

2009-03-09T17:33:30Z

Weekend Update:
Friday date cancelled, didn't see the new focus of attention all weekend, but chatted a bit.
Watched the Watchmen.

That's about it.

Which makes the most important reason to post the pre-order announcement I saw--The I.T. Crowd Season 1 comes out in Region 1 on March 31. I know there are some on my list who will care, so here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001NOMOS8/imdb-button/

I'll be getting it. Whether I Amazon it or not will depend on whether or not I find other things to order.

Survey says....

2009-03-04T14:57:46Z

So, here's the update to the post of two days ago.

Last night I met up with the Browncoat I insta-crushed on at Dave & Buster's in Maple Grove. For those not familiar, it's a arcade restaurant in the vein of Gameworks. I got there about 15 minutes before she did so I could scope the place out a bit, as I'd only done a cursory glance a couple weeks ago while out with someone else for dinner at Fridays (sadly the 2-4-1 entree coupon I had has expired). Like Gameworks, they do the card thing rather than quarters, and I bought a large card, thinking we could probably both play off it all night.

We started with food, as it was nearly 8pm by the time she got there and we were both quite hungry. They food's a might overpriced IMHO, but not horribly so. It turns out they have a deal where you can buy food and a game card, and it makes the food cheaper. Since she wanted a card, I ordered off that section of the menu and gave it to her, which was probably the first clue to her that it might steer into date-dom, though it turns out that she'd wondered if my invitation was for such based on the intentionally vague-on-that-point email I sent her. Myself, I wasn't convinced I could take it there, as I wasn't sure she was single or interested that way. So I played the "fair warning" card: "By the way, I'm a flirtatious person by nature, so I get annoying, just say so", to which she responded "I flirt with everyone, and I mean everyone. Girls are so much fun." So, another check mark in the "plus" column.

What sealed the deal for my wanting it to become a date was that she suggested we start with skee-ball, as I'd suggested I'd have to play it sometime in the evening, and then she proceeded to beat me two out of three games. Yep, that's what hooked me: she beat me at skee-ball. So we wandered around for a bit playing a bunch of different games. Twice she got the "bonus" line on those games that have to push a button to stop an indicator at various prize levels for coupons. By this point, she was getting kinda giddy at her luck, and I stepped up the flirting a bit, though still pretty contained by my standards. Oh, I won at air hockey both times, but managed to slam my right pinky--it's still a bit sore.

Eventually, we ended up at the pool tables, and I just let the reins go on the flirting. Pool's great for that if you flirt by touch--a light touch as you walk by.... Anyway, there was a time or two where she was still sitting after my shot failed, so I got to play the massage tease card. I'm sure if she'd any doubts about whether I wanted it to be a date, they were gone by then, and her body language said "open to the possibilities".

We wound down the game at a quarter to 11pm, and I walked her to her car, where she offered up the goodnight kiss. She offer me a ride to my car, a half block away, and I chuckled. We chatted for a minute or so more and then I took her up on the offer, as I was all for more hugs and kisses at that point. I was about to get out of the car when she expressly asked "So, date, right?". I stopped getting out and answered her with another kiss, during which her enthusiasm increased a bit. "Yeah, I think so," I replied. We ended up talking for another 10-12 minutes, during which I invited her to Voltaire Friday, as it's the next time we're both free. I warned her I'd already asked Stacy and that I didn't want to make things awkward, but that I'd still like her to go. She's not familiar with his work, so I've tossed her at imeem.com to look him up. She also squeed a bit when I mentioned both by book collection and my Star Wars LEGOs--yeah for girl-geek squee.

So the answer is that it was definitely a date and she's looking forward to Date 2 as much as I am, as far as I can tell. I guess I'm not the only one who insta-crushed when we met, as I don't really feel like I needed to convince her to date me, just express that it was what I wanted. I won't call her "girlfriend" just yet, as I didn't ask her if it was OK that I did, but unless something unexpected happens, I think it's a fair assumption.

I'm hoping that Stacy will react well to my giving up on her. I still plan on hanging out with her--we'll certainly finish watching Firefly at some point--but it'll be less frequent as I'll want to spend time with Emily. I don't think she'll have a problem as she doesn't seem interested in me, but who knows. I do know that if the three of us go to Voltaire together, I'm not going to flirt with Emily too much while there.

Very Late Update

2009-03-02T23:11:01Z

So, if I'm reading things right (and I don't want to check), I've not posted in a month, so here goes:

February overall was a bust, as is usual. Don't get me wrong, I was happy to have a b-day dinner, and thanks to all attendees, but I was hoping for more (insert "happy ending" joke here). Singles Awareness Day came and went with the usual pitiful reminder of my status and to add insult to injury, it was LARP night, so I couldn't even take out the woman I've been chasing.

As the segue is there, continued fail in that quarter has reached the point that screams for giving up. Having ridden that attitude for the last week, our outing last night had different perspective, and she might be right--there's not as much spark there as I usually feel when on the hunt. I guess her being one of the only two real targets I've had in the last year, the first of which would have ruled herself out anyway, was adding some shine that wasn't really there that my loneliness was creating. Don't get me wrong, I still think she's neat and quite attractive and I hope to hang out and flirt with her to a lesser degree, but I'm going to stop feeling guilty hitting on others, which is my first sign that I'm twitterpated.

In a twist of fate, the same night that I had that depressing reality check, I met one of the newer members of the Browncoat board and insta-crushed a bit. Per my usual of the last few years, she's young--not old enough to drink in public based on her order that night. On the other hand, she fangirl squeed at the Dr. Horrible paraphrase I made when the Shindig organizer finally showed up (20+ minutes after the start time she suggested)--"oh, gosh, look at my wrist. You're late." She also laughed at other jokes I made that evening and responded positively to other geeky references. Having (mostly) given up on dating possibilities with Stacy, I sent her a PM the next day on the board expressing interest in hanging out, to which she eventually responded, seven days later, with her number and shared interest. We're tentatively having a food-and-fun meet-up tomorrow, so....*fingers crossed*

In other social news, I actually was quasi-invited to two both birthday celebrations involving people at the Pet Shop. Kala was kind enough to allow me to attend the "Pet Shop resident and S.O.s only" dinner, in place of her out-of-town boyfriend. I bought some wine and shared with Kate, who's b-day it actually was, and a few others. I was also in attendance at the weekend gala at Wasabi and had tasty hibachi chicken. Two things made the evening less than perfect, but it was generally good times. Sadly, I did have Day 3 of my seminar to attend the next day and was tired, so I didn't get to sober cab the night as I'd originally planned. Also, I managed to disturb Kitty's calm with my driving (sorry, dear).

The seminar was worth going to though. I've invested in the program with expectations that I'll make back the cost of attendance and the software before 6 months is out and pending my early experiences, I may very well quit my job before year end. I'm still a bit concerned about the tax filings, but I can worry about that later. I'm also likely to pursue a bit of a side project that was discussed, but I need to figure out how to advertise it first.

I'm staying late at work, and should probably get back to it. If I can think of anything else pertinent to February, I'll add it later.

Meme: Love Languages

2009-02-03T23:00:55Z

I feel loved when...

The Five Love Languages

My Primary Love Language is Physical Touch

<th colspan="2">My Detailed Results:</th>

Physical Touch:	10
Quality Time:	9
Words of Affirmation:	6
Acts of Service:	5
Receiving Gifts:	0

About this quiz

Unhappiness in relationships is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. It can be helpful to know what language you speak and what language those around you speak.

Tag 3 people so they can find out what their love language is.

Take the Quiz!
Check out the Book

Gee, I'm so surprised to find I'm tactilely driven. /sarcasm

Didn't expect affirmations to be that high, but I suppose of the list, it's 3rd place in what I've gotten from my relationships. In that regard, the list is pretty much in order, so I have to wonder if it's really what I want, or just what I'm used to getting, though they may be the same. Wouldn't surprise me, as generally speaking the thing I've disliked most about my past relationships is that they ended. Good job to my exes. ;-)

Update

2009-01-27T20:29:19Z

Finished "The 4400". Meh. OK series overall, but left kinda hanging. Obviously left open for potential continuation had they gotten the green light, but fanfic is all we can get, and I'm not motivated to look for it.

Did the "House" thing at Leah's, and they've gotten the report of who has my other shoe. They're gonna try and get him to call me about an exchange. In the meantime, I'm still in my spares.

Got a meeting at work in a couple minutes discussing the recent board meeting. What I know in advance is we're in a wage freeze all year and the 401k matching has been dropped. Can't say that endears me to the company any, but I'm thinking I might suggest bring the concept of "raise through more PTO days" to the right people to see if it'll fly. I've told my direct bosses that I'm not likely to take a "lateral move" job offer, but I've little motivation to stay, save it looks like my hint to make .NET a priority might actually go somewhere. There's talk it might even be the next big project.

Went to "Labyrinth" on Saturday with Stacy and watched Firefly at her place afterward, as the place was vacant other than her cat and the ex's dog, who seemed to enjoy the company. If she's the kind of person who does the "animals are good judges of people" thing, it might add up to some headway, but whatever.

I had an ST vent his frustration that my character has made their meta-plot the plot, but it's in line with my character's history, both in Game 1 and the in-between time. I understand that I've created some difficulties for them by doing so, to the point where it looks like Canada will likely get wrapped up in some way so that we can move on to something with optional participation, which was the meta-plot intention. On another level, it helps justify the potential of my character abdicating and leaving the Domain when it's all over--it'd be a bit of a meta-game apology to those who have been adversely affected. Then again, if you don't want to play on Team Canada, the city defense squad essentially is the meta-don't-mess-with-me way out, though there's at least one player who might argue that's not really true.

Off to the meeting.

Amongst Other Things

2009-01-20T19:01:44Z

So, I happened to leave for lunch in time to catch the swearing in. That wasn't my intention, but as the bar and grill was playing it, too loudly, I might add, I got to take it in. Obama was probably halfway through the speech when I got there, so I don't know what the first half was like, but so long as the latter half doesn't just end up as rhetoric, I don't think I'll have anything to say against the man. Still can't say I'm pro, but in the "lesser of evils" category, we could do much worse.

In other news, I've still not received word from any at Leah's of someone reporting the loss of their right shoe. Yep, I went to a party Friday night and wound up with someone else's shoe. As I was the last to leave, I'm not the guilty party, but I would very much like to have my shoe back. In the meantime, I'm wearing my spare pair, which I've generally held in reserve for "special occasions", of which I've had maybe two since buying them, and alternates for LARP locations that are picky about their carpets, most notably, the Masonic Lodge, which gives you the idea of when I last wore them. They're comfortable enough for work, but they're a bit heavier and I don't really like driving in them.

Work's gotten a bit better, though I still hate being the lone gunman. I got answers to the questions I've had concerning my development application of focus, so I'm feeling a bit better about it, but I still wish it were already done. I'm making some changes to the underlying specs that my boss wasn't sure we a good idea, but it's hurting my brain less to run things this way, so I'm going with it. There are still some nasty issues to attend to, but I'm sure I'll find a way to handle them, though I'm fearing my brain will be putty for the near future.

Not the best news on the dating front, but I'm not giving up hope on the current target just yet. I think next time we hang I'll have a "clear the air" talk with her to see how she'd like to play things and explain exactly where I've been coming from. It might help with the occasional awkward silences and put me on better footing. Plus, I kinda need to know exactly what is up with the mostly-seems-like-he-is-"ex".

Been watching "The 4400" while WoWing and it's OK, but not stellar. Probably will watch/game more tonight, though I might try calling Shandai. Tomorrow's LARP coffee is the one before DTs are due, so I have to been there to discuss plans with folks, though I think my 3 are pretty locked in place, pending an ST ruling. I've made tentative plans with hang with Kyrie on Thursday, and Friday I'm keeping open for WoW and DT authoring. Might try to touch base with Katie this weekend, as we had to cancel our late-night Saturday plans due to sick child last week.

Probably should get back to work now. Not sure how much longer I'll be able to get away with the longer lunches I've been having lately.

Notice

2009-01-16T17:44:08Z

For those who care:

KHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

is dead. Ricardo Montalban passed away Wednesday, age 88.