Polyblog

2012-02-03T02:27:00.001-05:00

Watch "Me First & The Gimme Gimmes - My Favorite Things" on YouTube

Yay Drunk History!

2012-01-17T22:39:00.001-05:00

Drunk History: The Exploration of Antarctica

Dr. Suess meets Batman

2012-01-14T15:25:00.001-05:00

geektyrant.com by Mobify

Packing

2011-12-24T09:18:00.001-05:00

Packing for my weekend in Evansville with Jero, my mom, my sister, and my sister's boyfriend. Should be fun. Happy holidays!

Beyond the Curtain

2011-12-19T18:06:00.001-05:00

Behind the Curtain of Kim Jong Il's Regime | Mother Jones

No fair!

2011-11-12T13:24:00.001-05:00

Behu is sending me hot pictures of herself in her short vinyl dress. Tease! :)

Porn Stars Playing D&D

2011-11-05T19:51:00.001-04:00

Diseases, Dungeons, Bookbinding, Alcohol, Bestiaries, etc.

Great Night

2011-10-30T14:33:00.001-04:00

I had such a great night! Went to the Children's Museum Haunted House, and then got to roleplay with my ex-kid Alex for the first time... Ghostbusters, appropriately enough. I missed hanging out with rollergirls, but I had such a wonderful time with Alex, Chris, Jamie and Jess that it was completely worth staying home. Happy Halloween!

Mood

2011-10-28T17:54:00.000-04:00

Feeling not-so-depressed for the first time in a long time. I'm calling that a win.

--

"You know what they call 'alternative medicine' that's been proved to work? Medicine." - Australian comedian Tim Minchin

We refuse to live in fear!

2011-09-13T22:13:00.000-04:00

President Obama, in his weekend radio address to the nation:

They wanted to terrorize us, but, as Americans, we refuse to live in fear.

ABC News, yesterday:

Fighter planes were scrambled, bomb squads were called, FBI command centers went on alert and police teams raced to airports today, but in the end two separate airline incidents were caused by apparently innocent bathroom breaks and a little "making out," federal officials said.

But hey - "We refuse to live in fear!"

The decade's biggest scam

2011-09-13T20:04:00.000-04:00

"Number of American civilians who died worldwide in terrorist attacks last year: 8 -- Minimum number who died after being struck by lightning: 29." That's the threat in the name of which a vast domestic Security State is constructed, wars and other attacks are and continue to be launched, and trillions of dollars are transferred to the private security and defense contracting industry at exactly the time that Americans -- even as they face massive wealth inequality -- are told that they must sacrifice basic economic security because of budgetary constraints.

Article:
The decade's biggest scam

Debtpocalypse deferred!

2011-09-13T19:43:00.000-04:00

Debtpocalypse deferred!

Interesting but sad

2011-09-05T12:32:00.001-04:00

Must-Read Tell All: “Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult”

Traveling

2011-08-26T14:15:00.001-04:00

On my way to see Caro in Minneapolis. Good trip so far.

Interesting...

2011-08-21T09:46:00.001-04:00

US military invents 'bigger bang'
Better killing through chemistry!

Using Appointment slots

2011-06-27T18:51:00.000-04:00

Using Appointment slots

*snicker* Think I should use this for date nights? ;)

Birthday Week– 2011.06.04

2011-06-07T01:18:00.005-04:00

Sunday morning I got up with Nivagi and hung out at the main fire in Shaman’s Circle until it was time to head back to civilization. After saying goodbye to everyone, I drove back to Indianapolis to meet Mars. His wife Emmemy had made ribs, and I got to have dinner with them and hang out with their kids until Mars put them to bed. Mars and I then stayed up and played Fallout RPG for the first time in, we figured out, seven years. It was fun – I definitely need to make more time for geek bonding when possible.

When I got home, Stsm was there, so I snuggled up with her and slept. We hung out in the morning, and then I left to have lunch with Trinity. When I got back from lunch Stsm and I went out for cupcakes, and I bought an extra one for Jero. After dropping Stsm off I drove to Jero’s, surprising her by arriving on time. Jero and I went out to dinner at The Journey, and then I MUXed while she played on her laptop. We talked about watching a DVD, but I stayed on the computer too long and by the time we went to bed it was time to sleep.

Tuesday I had to get up early for my therapist appointment, and on the way back I picked up lunch for Jero and me. Work was annoying, but since Nivagi was out at Tojo’s birthday dinner I had some time alone to unwind before she arrived for our date night. She was itchy from mosquito bites and sleepy, so she took antihistamines and passed out early. I stayed up late, snuggling her at first, and then playing on my laptop while she slept next to me on the bed. Even though our awake time was short, it was nice to have her in my bed, and every once in a while wake up and tell me she loved me.

After a nice Wednesday morning with Nivagi, I went back to sleep and slept until work. Work was maddening, with calls in queue for almost six hours straight. It was probably best that I didn’t have any plans with anyone else that night. I talked with my mom on the way home, and then just chilled for a while before logging on to the MUX. I missed most of the players, which is bad for RP but good for quiet. I did get to run an excellent flashback scene with Sean about the say Sparkplug had to tell Spike his mom died. Yeah, we’re a laugh riot over at Transformers Universe. B)

Thursday morning Stsm snuck into my apartment and decorated it for my birthday while I was asleep. I didn’t wake up until she was covering me with confetti as a surprise. She kissed me and I went back to sleep. I slept most of the day, and then when I woke up I was productive – calling to make appointments, fix my insurance, etc. When Stsm got off work we went out for pizza and then back to my apartment for birthday cake and celebration. I’ve been depressed about my birthday, but Stsm did a good job of cheering me up.

Friday was my actual birthday, so I took the day off and slept in with Stsm. I was depressed and tired, so I opted to cancel my daytime plans and just stay in and try to get things accomplished. Later Stsm and I went out to dinner with Erma, Ke, Mira, and Nivagi. Afterwards we went to Maggie Moo’s for ice-cream, and sat around outside for a while talking about sex, and Star Wars. When it got late Erma and Mira each headed home, and Ke, Nivagi and Stsm came over to my apartment to spend the night. Most of my day was pretty stressful, but I at least had a very pleasant end to the evening.

Saturday was rough. It was my birthday weekend, but Jess had to run a bout, Ke had to work, and everyone else except Stsm had better things to do than hang out with me. Most of them were at a party to which I wasn’t invited, which really made me feel cut off from most of the friends I’ve made over the last year. My plans failed, as did my backup plans, so Stsm wound up dealing with a very crappy and depressed me by herself. She tried to make the best of it – we went out to dinner and then watched Coupling – but overall it was still a shitty end to a stressful week.

Therapy 2011.05.18

2011-05-18T03:38:00.000-04:00

Tonight’s my date night with Nivagi, but I’m MUXing while she crafts. She was feeling amorous earlier, but my depression got in the way and eventually she got up in annoyance. We ordered pizza, and everything is fine now, but it still sucks that I can’t be happy when I finally see someone I’ve been missing for days. I was having this problem this weekend as well, while celebrating my seven-year anniversary with Jero. I had every reason to be happy, but by Monday night I was miserable for no real reason.

It might be time for medication. While the problems in my life haven’t really improved, they’ve at least stabilized and I’m getting used to the new status quo. However, overall I’m not feeling any better. Concerns about my relationships, and the future, are stressing me out, as well the constant scheduling woes. Nivagi says I have an Eeyore cloud. However, even when I’m not thinking about my problems, or things seem to be going well, I still randomly feel like crap, and my good moods are very fragile.

My counselor did give me a list of people I could talk to for assessment for medication, so I plan to call them soon. I do hope it helps.

For J R

2011-04-28T15:33:00.000-04:00

A Short History of DC Teen Superheroes | the Captain's JLA blog

2011-03-28T15:47:00.000-04:00

A Short History of DC Teen Superheroes | the Captain's JLA blog

Rudolph (You Don't Have To Put On The Red Light)

2010-12-13T20:12:00.000-05:00

So wrong!

Fwd: Steampunk Cakes!

2010-12-13T08:43:00.001-05:00

From: J R

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2010/11/sunday-sweets-steams-it-up.html

"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is 'to be prepared."
- Former Vice-President Dan Quayle

Tuesday 2010.11.30

2010-12-01T21:13:00.001-05:00

Tuesday morning I got to sleep in again. Jero teleworked, so she joined me on her lunch break to cuddle up and snuggle. She complained about Obama's pay freeze for federal employees, but then backtracked and said she really can't complain while snuggling in bed on a workday. I went to get us food and then hung out with her during most of her workday, until I had to leave to go to my own job.

It was another quiet night at work, and afterward I went home to meet Stsm. She was in the shower, so I did my creeper impression until she got out and got dressed so we could eat. I had Yats Mira had left for us and Stsm had ice-cream. My new laptop had arrived in the mail, so Stsm encouraged me to check it out while she blogged and took pictures of her stuffed bunny. B)

I thought we might roleplay, but by the time we were done futzing around on our laptops it had gotten late. Stsm wanted to stay up since she was over-caffienated, but it was already 3 AM, too late to start something when she had a 12-hour shift in the morning, so ultimately we went to sleep. We snuggled all night, and then Stsm left me tucked into bed while she went to work. Sad! Boo work! It's too bad we couldn't cuddle up all day against the cold. B)

· "We have a firm commitment to NATO. We are part of NATO. We have a firm commitment to Europe. We are part of Europe."
- Former Vice-President Dan Quayle

Sunday 2010.11.28

2010-11-30T22:08:00.001-05:00

Sunday morning Jero and I got up early to drive her parents to the airport. We dropped them off and then headed home to snuggle and sleep a while longer. At two I headed home to meet up with Stsm. We went to the Children's Museum to see a Lilly Theatre production of Dorothy Returns!, which was based on Ozma of Oz. After the play we saw a short show at the planetarium and then wandered around the museum until it closed. We went out for bulgoki and sushi for dinner, and then back to her place to roleplay, appropriately enough, Oz the Great and Terrible. We made her character, and then she "napped" while I read up on the rules. Unfortunately, by the time I was ready to play she was deeply asleep, so we shelved roleplay plans for the night and just cuddled up to sleep. It was a very nice way to wrap up my four-day holiday weekend. B)

· "We have a firm commitment to NATO. We are part of NATO. We have a firm commitment to Europe. We are part of Europe."
- Former Vice-President Dan Quayle

Where My Shows At

2010-11-23T13:53:00.001-05:00

hee! B)

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/10/6/

--

· "We have a firm commitment to NATO. We are part of NATO. We have a firm commitment to Europe. We are part of Europe."
- Former Vice-President Dan Quayle

Be a Roller Girl for Halloween

2010-10-28T11:49:00.001-04:00

*snerk*

'I'm not saying that I wouldn't pay good money to see a team roll out
in this boutfit but "Sexy Skater Girl" isn't the first thing that's
coming to mind maybe "Disney Hooker".'

Pic/Link here: http://www.queenoftherink.com/be-a-rollergirl-for-halloween/

White America Has Lost Its Mind

2010-10-20T16:58:00.001-04:00

From Village Voice -

http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-09-29/news/white-america-has-lost-its-mind/

--

"More and more of our imports come from overseas."
- President George W. Bush

Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones: Movie Poster

2010-10-19T18:16:00.001-04:00

What could have been...

http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/10/17/mustache-on-or-off-tom-selleck-replaces-harrison-ford-on-indiana-jones-poster/2010-10-17-tom_selleck_indy/

--

"More and more of our imports come from overseas."
- President George W. Bush

Lead-Laden Toys Found at Wal-Mart, Sales Continue

2010-10-15T13:33:00.001-04:00

But... the lead toys are so much tastier!

http://health.change.org/blog/view/lead-laden_toys_found_at_wal-mart_sales_continue

--

"Bats are my favorite mammals by a wide margin, and yes, I'm aware that humans are mammals."
- Tycho, Penny Arcade

The US electrical grid is too crappy to be vulnerable to terrorist attack, say physicists

2010-10-14T13:08:00.001-04:00

More sad than reassuring...

"The US government worries that terrorists could take down the country's electrical grid just by hitting a small node in the system. But a new study reveals the grid is too unreliable for that kind of attack."

http://io9.com/5662593/the-us-electrical-grid-is-too-crappy-to-be-vulnerable-to-terrorist-attack-say-physicists

Proper

2010-10-11T13:25:00.001-04:00

Neat 110-word story: http://www.ommatidia.org/2010/10/11/proper/

--

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward." (Matthew 6:5, Bible)

Holiday Spirit

2010-10-11T12:42:00.001-04:00

Happy White Subjugation of Native Peoples Day!

--

Nivagi 2010.10.08

2010-10-09T11:54:00.001-04:00

Last night I had a pleasant, if busy night, with Nivagi. Work was
horrible, so I was happy to escape and have about an hour alone at
home before I had to venture back out. I talked to Jero, Ke, and Mira
on the phone (they're already in Chicago), and then ran around my
apartment packing for the weekend. Around 8 o'clock I packed up and
headed to Castleton to meet Nivagi at a costume shop after she got out
of class.

I got there just before it closed, and looked around, although I
didn't find anything perfect for either my Graverobber from Repo! or
my Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter costumes. Nivagi bought a wig and
some accessories for her Goth baby doll costume, and then we went to
Perkins for a late dinner. We talked about her plans for the weekend
– she plans to move out of Ke's today, and then go to a party. I'll
be in Chicago.

Nivagi and I stopped by my apartment to pick up her phone and Mira's
hair straighter, and then we went to Ke's house to sleep. I was
planning to help Nivagi pack, but it was already late and I had to get
up for work in the morning. Instead I read her a bedtime story –
Thumbelina, a story of interspecies rape and sexual bondage (hey, I'm
not completely making that up – every creature Thumbelina meets wants
to force her to be his wife!). At last we curled up and went to
sleep. B)

"It's time to prove to your friends that you're worth a damn.
Sometimes that means dying, sometimes it means killing a whole lot of
people." - SIN CITY

Conversation at work

2010-10-08T10:16:00.001-04:00

(referring to the zombies pictured on my BHRG calendar)

Coworker: "I like your calendar. Those gentlemen are very scary!"

Me: "They're not gentlemen. They're roller girls."

Coworker: "They're roller girls? That's even scarier!"

Me: Hee!

Yay Party Foul, Tijuana Momma, and Narnageddon!

"It's time to prove to your friends that you're worth a damn.
Sometimes that means dying, sometimes it means killing a whole lot of
people."
- SIN CITY

Polygamy, Polyamory, Sister Wives and You

2010-10-05T17:16:00.002-04:00

From bigger-love.com -

'By Lucius Scribbens on October 4th, 2010

Some of you may be saying to yourself: "Self, why has Lucius Scribbens
developed such an interest in polygamy and the plight of the Brown's
(the family featured in the TLC reality series Sister Wives) in Lehi,
Utah?"

Well it's like this. Kody Brown and his wives Meri, Janelle and
Christine (and soon to include Robyn) represent more than polygamy.
They are a very functional, long-term plural quad with 15+ years
together and 13 kids, and any consensual plural relationship that
constitutes commitment (such as they exhibit) could be prosecuted
under current bigamy laws across the United States.

Just because you are legally married to one person and have a
handfasting to another, doesn't make you safe from being convicted of
a third degree felony for bigamy. You are under U.S. laws, a
polygamist… Like it or not. The only thing saving your ass at this
very moment is that you aren't Mormon therefore you aren't garnering
the attention of the representatives of the State.

The U.S. Model Penal Code (MPC) states that you don't have to be
married to more than one person, you only have to say that you are to
be guilty of bigamy. Hell, in eleven states just coinhabiting with
someone other than a family member is illegal and can earn you a fine
and possibly jail time.'

More here: http://www.bigger-love.com/2010/10/polygamy-polyamory-sister-wives-and-you/

Adjectives

2010-09-30T10:53:00.001-04:00

I love XKCD: http://xkcd.com/798/

--

"Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked... in the head... with an iron boot? Of course you don't, no one does. It never happens. Sorry, Ted, that's a dumb question... skip that."
-- Rex Kramer, Airplane

This is a news website article about a scientific paper

2010-09-29T17:06:00.001-04:00

hee! The Title of the Song -- er, Vapid Science News Article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2010/sep/24/1

--

"She doesn't quite chop his head off. She makes a Pez dispenser out of him."
-- SIN CITY

Halloween bout

2010-09-25T18:00:00.000-04:00

For our co-ed Halloween bout, the theme is going to be Barbie vs. G.I. Joe. I told them I'd be on either team, and so since most of the female skaters are reportedly asking to be on the G.I. Joe team, I might wind up on Team Barbie. So, I've been thinking of possible derby names for that bout. Any opinions or suggestions? (My number will remain 2020.)

Ideas so far:

BOB

Eye-Roll Ken

Mod-Hair Ken

Plastic Boyfriend

Polyvinyl

Watcha think? B)

"This is America. I don't want a tomato picked by a Mexican. I want it picked by an American. Then sliced by a Guatemalan, and served by a Venezuelan in a spa where a Chilean gives me a Brazilian."
-- Stephen Colbert

The Walking Dead

2010-09-23T18:09:00.001-04:00

This looks so cool... I love the graphic novels, and it looks like the
series will capture what's great about them.

http://www.amctv.com/originals/The-Walking-Dead/video?bcpid=86227333001&bclid=88963904001&bctid=593569611001
--

"So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I
started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the
day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me,
that's on the worst day of my life."
-- Peter Gibbons, Office Space

question of the day: What would a new Bill & Ted movie look like?

2010-09-23T12:09:00.001-04:00

Link from MaryAnn @ http://www.flickfilosopher.com --

MaryAnn writes:

"Keanu Reeves tells MTV News that he'd love to do another Bill & Ted movie. There's nothing definite happening, just desire on the part of Reeves and -- he says -- Alex Winter. Check out what Reeves has to say about such a project... if for nothing else, you must see his impersonation of Werner Herzog explaining what he'd see in the boys:"

http://www.mtv.com/videos/movies/573900/keanu-reeves-down-for-bill-and-ted-reunion-if-story-is-right.jhtml

--

"So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life."
-- Peter Gibbons, Office Space

brianj.kelly@gmail.com has shared: Too rich for the Tea Party?

2010-09-21T16:53:00.001-04:00

snerk
Too rich for the Tea Party? Source: salon.com

brianj.kelly@gmail.com sent this using ShareThis.

Minimolecule may explain how antidepressants work

2010-09-18T10:47:00.001-04:00

Neat! My counselor was just talking about this discovery...

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/63457/title/Minimolecule_may_explain_how_antidepressants_work

"So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life."
-- Peter Gibbons, Office Space

MUX Night – 2010.09.09

2010-09-10T14:21:00.001-04:00

Last night after work I stopped at Noodles & Co. to pick up food for
Ke and Mira. When I got to Ke's she was asleep, so I put her food in
the kitchen while Mira and I ate. Ke was recovering from a medical
procedure earlier in the day, so we let her sleep and I logged onto
the MUX while Mira watched Project Runway.

Several players were on, so I got to run a small scene with Buster,
Daniel, Sparkplug and Spike Witwicky, as well as a battle between
Deathsarus and Mal-Feasance on the Nemesis in the Shattered Glass
universe, during which Jetfire and Trailbreaker managed to escape.
Fun night!

Stsm came over to bring Ke get-well balloons and elephant-ear-flavored
marshmallows (Ke like cinnamon), and Nivagi came home soon after. We
hung out in Ke's living room and watched bad fashion reality TV until
it was time for Stsm to head home and the rest of us to go to bed
(except Nivagi, who had homework).

I'm not sure how much help I was looking after Ke after her procedure,
but she took care of me after I was fixed, so I wanted to be there for
her in case she needed me. It was very nice to have a pleasant quiet
evening with my girlfriends and even get some MUXing in. Tonight I'm
going to see Ke again, and I'm sure it will be another lovely, low-key
affair. It sounds perfect.

color photos of a black-and-white world, part 1

2010-09-07T18:11:00.001-04:00

MaryAnn @ flickfilosopher.com has a series of links to articles about color photos or images of eras usually only seen in black and white. Neat!

Start here:

http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/2010/09/090610color_photos_of_a_black-and-wh.html

--

"One by one, the bedrock conservative convictions of the national Republican Party are giving way... yielding to the demands of a raucous religious right that has become the Republicans' most reliable electoral base." (Trenton Times)

It's Better Over There | The Nation

2010-09-03T18:47:00.000-04:00

It's Better Over There | The Nation

the word - control-self-delete

2010-08-25T14:48:00.001-04:00

From http://mashable.com/2010/08/25/stephen-colbert-takes-on-google-ceos-change-your-name-comments-video/ -

Are you a "young person," fresh outta college and looking for a job? Great! Now all you have to do to score your dream gig is perform a full digital cleanse, and assume a new identity while you're at it. Well, not really, but that's the premise of a recent "The Word" segment on The Colbert Report.

Video here:

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/351570/august-24-2010/the-word---control-self-delete

--

"This Republican Party of Lincoln has become a party of theocracy. My party is demonstrating that they are for states' rights unless they don't like what states are doing. This couldn't be a more classic case of a state responsibility."
-- Connecticut Rep. Christopher Shays, Republican, during the Schiavo fiasco. (Source: New York Times)

Voters Can Shed Daylight on Corporate Spending

2010-08-19T18:11:00.001-04:00

From The Nation:

"This has been a tough year for those who care about protecting our democracy from the influence of corporate money. In January the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United gave companies the power to spend freely from their corporate treasuries in our elections. Last month Senate Republicans halted Congressional efforts to mitigate the negative impact of the decision by blocking passage of the DISCLOSE Act, which would have required corporations to show how they spend money in elections. With Election Day less than 90 days away, we cannot afford to stand on the sidelines -- we need to fight back and take on corporations directly."

More: http://www.thenation.com/article/154069/voters-can-shed-daylight-corporate-spending

--

"Blind optimism and impulsivity often cause me to ignore logic and instead make decisions based on a hopeful projection of what's going to happen next."
- Hyperbole and a Half

A New Sith, or Revenge of the Hope

2010-08-11T17:38:00.001-04:00

It makes so much sense now!

A New Sith, or Revenge of the Hope
Reconsidering Star Wars IV in the light of I-III

http://www.morningstar.nildram.co.uk/A_New_Sith.html

--

"Love doesn't subtract. It multiplies." - R.A. Heinlein

Challenge Target and Best Buy Antidemocratic Donations

2010-07-29T14:00:00.001-04:00

http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2010/07/challenge-target-and-best-buy.html

--

"Gozer the Traveler. He will come in one of the pre-chosen forms. During the rectification of the Vuldrini, the traveler came as a large and moving Torg! Then, during the third reconciliation of the last of the McKetrick supplicants, they chose a new form for him: that of a giant Slor! Many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day, I can tell you!"

-- Louis Tully, Ghost Busters

It's Baaaack: The Catfood Commission

2010-07-27T15:55:00.001-04:00

From OurFuture.org --

Not that it ever went away. The catfood commission is the Zombie that has been clawing at the door since Obama was elected:

Senators from both parties on Tuesday put new pressure on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to turn the power to trim entitlement benefits over to an independent commission.

Seven members of the Senate Budget Committee threatened during a Tuesday hearing to withhold their support for critical legislation to raise the debt ceiling if the bill calling for the creation of a bipartisan fiscal reform commission were not attached. Six others had previously made such threats, bringing the total to 13 senators drawing a hard line on the committee legislation.

"You rarely do have the leverage to make a fundamental change," said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), who said he hasn't ruled out offering the independent commission legislation as an amendment to the healthcare reform bill.

The panel, which has been championed by Conrad and ranking member Judd Gregg (R-N.H), would be tasked with stemming the unsustainable rise in debt.

Among its chief responsibilities would be closing the gap between tax revenue coming in and the larger cost of paying for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits. The Government Accountability Office recently reported the gap is on pace to reach an "unsustainable" $63 trillion in 2083.

You'll recall that during the transition period Obama was all for this commission (it was part of the Grand Bargain) and put it off until after health care reform was passed once people raised a fuss shortly after the inauguration:

McConnell said that when Obama and his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, had previously spoken to Republicans, they struck a tone that indicated a willingness to work on Social Security. "That was the place that I hoped, based on what both he and the chief of staff had said earlier, we'd be able to move on a bipartisan basis. He kind of brushed over that issue" in his speech, said McConnell.

He said he has noticed a change in the administration's rhetoric over the last few weeks. "They seem to be kind of back-pedaling some," he said.

( More... )

Sooo sleepy

2010-07-22T10:05:00.001-04:00

Today is definitely going to have to be a high caffeine day. zzz....

--

"Egon, this reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole through your head. Remember that?"

-- Dr. Peter Venkman, Ghost Busters

Deficits of Mass Destruction

2010-07-20T17:25:00.001-04:00

From <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/37534/deficits-mass-destruction"><i>The
Nation</i></a> --
<blockquote>

If you've been paying attention this past decade, it won't surprise
you to learn that the country's policy elites are in the midst of a
destructive, well-nigh unhinged discussion about the future of the
nation. But even by the degraded standards of the Washington
establishment, the growing panic over government debt is shocking.

First, the facts. Nearly the entire deficit for this year and those
projected into the near and medium terms are the result of three
things: the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Bush tax cuts
and the recession. The solution to our fiscal situation is: end the
wars, allow the tax cuts to expire and restore robust growth. Our
long-term structural deficits will require us to control healthcare
inflation the way countries with single-payer systems do.

But right now we face a joblessness crisis that threatens to pitch us
into a long, ugly period of low growth, the kind of lost decade that
will cause tremendous misery, degrade the nation's human capital,
undermine an entire cohort of young workers for years and blow a hole
in the government's bank sheet. The best chance we have to stave off
this scenario is more government spending to nurse the economy back to
health. The economy may be alive, but that doesn't mean it's healthy.
There's a reason you keep taking antibiotics even after you start to
feel better.

</blockquote>
(<a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/37534/deficits-mass-destruction"><i>More...</i></a>)

‘Doctor Who’ thing of the day: awesome extras on the first Matt Smith DVD set

2010-07-20T11:40:00.001-04:00

Oooh! B)

According to an article quoted on FlickFilosopher.com, the first Matt Smith Doctor Who DVD set will have little "Meanwhile, on the TARDIS" bonus bridging mini-episodes. Neat!

( More... )

--

"Egon, this reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole through your head. Remember that?"

-- Dr. Peter Venkman, Ghost Busters

Gay Marriage Chart-of-the-Day

2010-07-15T14:11:00.000-04:00

Gay Marriage Chart-of-the-Day

Prototype Goggles Make Sure You Never Lose Your Keys Again

2010-07-14T10:57:00.001-04:00

I so need a set of these!

From techdirt.com --

Prototype Goggles Make Sure You Never Lose Your Keys Again

from the where-did-I-put-my... dept

We've seen a whole bunch of different technology companies (and government agencies) experimenting with various projects that would allow people to wear a camera that would record everything they see and hear, as a sort of backup memory or backup brain. All of these projects are in the (completely) experimental stage, but some researchers in Japan may have come up with a nice little app to go along with them. It's a prototype system that supposedly can recognize the different objects you see. The current version requires you to go around and train the system (i.e., "this is my iPod... these are my keys... this is my mobile phone") and then it uses some recognition technologies to make a note every time you "see" one of those items. Then, if you happen to have lost something, you can just ask the system "where are my keys?" and it will play back the video of the last time you saw your keys. Depending on how well this works, it sounds quite cool. And, of course, the idea is to go much further, hitting "Terminator"-type levels of information display, including what kinds of flowers are you looking at and who is the person you're talking to. Sounds like a wonderful solution for people who can't remember anyone's name. Of course, like all the other projects of this nature, it doesn't sound likely that this will be hitting the market any time soon.

--

"No one likes to be interviewed, and yet no one likes to say no; for interviewers are courteous and gentle-mannered, even when they come to destroy." -- Mark Twain

So scary!

2010-07-08T17:32:00.001-04:00

From PZ Myers --

How to fish for atheists

Category: Kooks • Politics • Religion • Stupidity

It's easy. Bait your hook with stupid.

It's true, we're a sucker for that stuff, although it does have a downside. We'll come up, swallow the bait, follow the line to its source, devour the poor fool holding the pole, and then waddle off, all fat and smug. It's our nature, we can't help it.

So, for instance, an Indiana politician who is considered a potential presidential candidate, Mitch Daniels, talks about atheism.

People who reject the idea of a God — who think that we're just accidental protoplasm — have always been with us. What bothers me is the implications — which not all such folks have thought through — because really, if we are just accidental, if this life is all there is, if there is no eternal standard of right and wrong, then all that matters is power.

And atheism leads to brutality. All the horrific crimes of the last century were committed by atheists — Stalin and Hitler and Mao and so forth — because it flows very naturally from an idea that there is no judgment and there is nothing other than the brief time we spend on this Earth.

( More... )
--
"Listen. You smell something?"
Dr. Raymond Stantz, Ghost Busters

Obama Making BP Pay Is Good Government

2010-07-07T18:38:00.001-04:00

From AlterNet --

Last week, the nation witnessed an act of good governance when the Obama administration put the full-court press on oil giant BP to set aside $20 billion in assets to compensate the thousands of Americans whose livelihoods -- and in some cases, lives -- are being devastated by the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. It was an example of exactly what government is supposed to do; whatever it can, within the limits of the law, to protect its citizens' interests.

Team Obama was shrewd to get a fund set up now, with the nation's outrage focused on the calamity, rather than allow the company's army of lawyers to drag a settlement through the courts for years. The agreement, entered into voluntarily by BP, ensures that the firm can't escape legal judgments by paying out all of its current profits as shareholder dividends and then claiming insolvency.

( More... )

--
"Listen. You smell something?"
Dr. Raymond Stantz, Ghost Busters

New study documents media's servitude to government

2010-07-06T14:44:00.001-04:00

From Salon.com -

A newly released study from students at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government provides the latest evidence of how thoroughly devoted the American establishment media is to amplifying and serving (rather than checking) government officials. This new study examines how waterboarding has been discussed by America's four largest newspapers over the past 100 years, and finds that the technique, almost invariably, was unequivocally referred to as "torture" -- until the U.S. Government began openly using it and insisting that it was not torture, at which time these newspapers obediently ceased describing it that way:

( More... )
--
"Listen. You smell something?"
Dr. Raymond Stantz, Ghost Busters

Last Airbender

2010-07-03T10:49:00.001-04:00

From http://abagond.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/airbender.jpg?w=370&h=400 -

--
"This is so embarrassing. We had never done that before, and now she's in the hospital, and my cat's dead."
(said a name-withheld New York City man in January, after he and
a neighbor decided to have sex but then accidentally ignited a comforter with a candle, starting a major fire in his apartment)

Week in Review – Week of 2010.06.27 – 07.03

2010-07-02T17:57:00.001-04:00

This week started off great, got insanely stressful in the middle, and is now getting better as the weekend approaches. I have to work Saturday, so I won't get a three-day weekend like most people, but I'm happy to get Sunday/Monday off at least, which I'm using to go down to Evansville. I'm going to finally go to InCon this year (for one night, anyway), which people have been trying to lure me to for ages, so with luck that'll be fun.

Sunday I spent the day with Nivagi. She woke me up pleasantly in the morning wearing cute pigtails, and after breakfast we hung out with Ke and took a nice long nap. When we awoke we relaxed and played on our laptops, eventually ordering pizza so we wouldn't have to bother venturing out again. I had a great weekend with Nivagi, and I'm definitely glad we set aside some unscheduled time to just hang out and relax. We both needed it, individually and as a couple.

Monday I didn't have to work since I have a Tuesday through Saturday shift this week, so I spent all day hanging out at Nivagi's while she was at work and Ke was asleep. When Jero got home I went over to her house and we went out for dinner. We decided we're not going to make Mondays default MUX days anymore, but since we were too tired to do anything else we wound up MUXing anyway. I got in a little bit of personal role-playing and set things up for a bigger event Thursday.

Tuesday was a horrible day. Through a misunderstanding I caused Stsm much distress, and in trying to fix it I got Nivagi upset as well. Since I was stuck at work answering calls, I couldn't get anything resolved until after I escaped at 6. Stsm and I had plans with Mika after work, but she'd had an equally bad day and so we decided to reschedule. I called Nivagi to calm her down, and then hung out with Mira until Stsm arrived. Mira headed out, and Stsm and I talked and then went to dinner at Denny's. When we got back we played on our laptops until late, and then watched Family Guy before bed.

Wednesday I was depressed due to lingering stress from the day before. I'd planned to go to derby practice, but I'd forgotten that I'd promised to give my sister a ride to airport, so I did that instead. Afterward I picked up Jero for ice-cream. We sat outside, enjoying the nice weather until I felt better. When I got to Ke and Nivagi's, they jumped into my car and we went to get Chinese food at On Time. Afterward Ke cleaned and then we all snuggled 'til Nivagi and I passed out and Ke got back up for the rest of the night.

Last night when I got off work I went home and hung out with Mira and Mika until they went downstairs to swim. I got onto the MUX and ran a short TP meeting before running a climactic battle between evil Shattered Glass Optimus Prime and heroic Megatron on top of Sherman Dam. Megatron's player is expecting a baby and is therefore seldom on after dark, so I was happy for the opportunity to role-play with him. Nivagi came by after work and I snuggled with her when I finally logged off the MUX.

Tonight after work I'm going to InCon with Mika and Mira. I know we're attending a Subgenius Devival and a midnight showing of Repo! The Genetic Opera. Other than that, I'm not sure what we're doing, but I'm sure it'll be fun. I probably shouldn't stay up for a midnight showing when I have work the next day, but ah, well. It's too bad I have to work today or I'd be tempted to try to put together a Graverobber costume. Maybe I'll do that for the cosplay Halloween party if I don't come up with anything better. Otherwise I might wound up dressed as Abraham Lincoln if Stsm has her way. ;)

Tomorrow I have to work, which is going to suck since there are several events going on downtown that are going to prevent me from getting to my parking garage. Trmo was considering meeting me for lunch, but with everything going on I no longer think that might be a good idea. After work I'm running to the Circle City Socialites bout against Bloomington's Code Blue Assassins – Jero's old team. I'll be late because of my work schedule, but it should still be fun. Sunday I'm driving down to Evansville to hang out with Ursula Sunday night and to see my mom on Monday since I have the day off the for holiday. Monday night I'll drive back.

Have a good Independence Weekend, everyone! (Well, at least, my American friends…)

--
"This is so embarrassing. We had never done that before, and now she's in the hospital, and my cat's dead."
(said a name-withheld New York City man in January, after he and
a neighbor decided to have sex but then accidentally ignited a comforter with a candle, starting a major fire in his apartment)

Cool Wonder Woman Costume Redesigns That You Won't See At DC

2010-07-02T11:28:00.001-04:00

From http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/07/01/cool-wonder-woman-costume-redesigns/ -

DC Comics may have finally given J. Michael Straczynski and Don Kramer the go-ahead to change Wonder Woman's costume and give her a jacket, but way back in simpler times during 2007, another group of creators came together to retool the Amazonian heroine's sense of fashion. Joe Quinones, Daniel Krall, Jemma Salume and a posse of other progressively minded illustrators presented their own visions of attire for DC's leading lady, and the top of the heap looked pretty darn good.

The contest, hosted by Project: Rooftop and sponsored by Zeus Comics in Dallas, TX, attracted some fine submissions, ranging in inspiration from sci-fi to ancient Greece. My hat's off to the to the judging, too, because Quinones really nailed his winning entry. It bears a slight resemblance to Karl Kerschl's look for Wonder Girl in "Teen Titan: Year One," only with a slightly more grown-up sophistication.

You will see a couple jackets, too, such as those that appear on Sonny Strait and Leanne Buckley's submissions.

( More... )

Why Our Brains Are Fooled by Illusions

2010-06-18T13:45:00.001-04:00

From http://www.neatorama.com -

The short answer is that our brains are programmed to see the world in three dimensions instead of two. There are more details at Discover magazine, as well as a gallery of colorful optical illusions. For example, these two Rubik's cubes do NOT have the same colors. The "blue" squares in the left picture and the "yellow" squares in the right picture are gray.

More here: http://discovermagazine.com/photos/09-wrong-by-design-why-our-brain-are-fooled-by-illusions/

--
"Good things come to those who wait, but only things left behind by those who hustle."
— Abraham Lincoln

2010-06-16T18:08:00.001-04:00

From http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/ -

I so needed a laugh today. And then I came across a USA Today article from a couple days back called "Next 'Transformers' is due for a switch," which had me snorting with derision all the way through. You can almost hear writer Anthony Breznican snickering in places. Listen:

More: http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/2010/06/061510omg_michael_bays_next_movie_is.html

"Good things come to those who wait, but only things left behind by those who hustle."

— Abraham Lincoln

Week in Review – Week of 2010.05.30 – 06.05

2010-06-09T14:27:00.003-04:00

Last week was my birthday, and I had such a magnificent time with my
friends and lovers that I'm still buzzing and in a good mood days
later. I';ve been unreasonably depressed and stressed for over a
month, and it had gotten bad enough that I thought about going back to
the doctor about it. However, I'm hoping that I'm finally over my
lingering doldrums, and can go back to the happier guy I've been since
I started derby and started getting regular exercise and adrenalin.
;)

Last Sunday I had a long talk with Ke that cleared up a lot of things
that had been bothering me, and then all of us took advantage of yummy
sammiches at 2 Bear's [sic] Café. We were planning to camp through
Sunday night, but since a torrent of rain was expected on Monday we
decided to pack up and leave early. I drove Jero home and helped her
get settled in before heading home myself. Mira and I decided to
watch Doctor
Who but wound up talking until 3 AM instead.

Last Monday afternoon Ke and Nivagi met up with Mira and me and we all
went out to Le Peep for brunch. After Ke and Nivagi headed home I
hung out with Mira until around 3 PM and then went to Jero's. I got
onto the MUX while Jero grilled steaks and veggies for dinner, and
then paused while we ate. On the MUX I got to run a climactic battle
between Shattered Glass Deathsaurus and Jetfire, and a Memorial Day
scene with the main-universe Witwickys. Geeky fun.

Last Tuesday I had the day off since Monday was a holiday and I had to
work Saturday (boo). I hung out at Jero's during the day and tried to
catch up on the Internets before derby practice. I had fun
scrimmaging at practice even though I fell and hurt my tailbone.
After practice I headed home to Mira. We were supposed to role-play,
but we wound up talking until 1 or 2 in the morning again instead. We
apparently need to reschedule role-play when there's less going on
that we need to discuss!

Last Wednesday I went to the chiropractor and then returned to work
after a week and a half off. I spent the first half of the day just
catching up on emails, training, and work IMs. Once I opened for
calls it got stressful, but at last I escaped and headed north for
derby practice. I had fun but fell on my tailbone again while trying
to walk on my toe-stops. When I got home I showered and Stsm came
over. She showed me the outfit she bought for my birthday (woo!) and
then we had story time, finally finishing Book 1 of Lost
Girls. B)

Thursday was my birthday. After work I skipped derby practice and
went out to dinner with Jero, Ke, Mars, Mira, and Stsm. Mars
originally couldn't make it, so his presence was a nice surprise.
After we ate I went home to meet her at my apartment to meet Nivagi,
who had to work late. We were both sleepy, so she played on her iPod
while I answered a ton of sweet birthday messages. When it was time
for bed I cuddled up with her and had a very pleasant wrap-up for my
birthday. >B)

Friday night I went to Ke's after work and almost got eaten by her
since she was hungry and I
Am Legend was on. Before completely resorting to cannibalism
Ke suggested we go to Euphoria, which wound up being very interesting
and tasty, even if they were out of Ke and Nivagi's first choice for
sandwiches. I had to get up early for work on the morning, so I
couldn't stay up too late. Therefore after getting everything ready
for the next day, Ke and I spent a quiet evening in and went to bed
early.

Saturday after work I got to attend an awesome party. Our friend Tojo
was celebrating his birthday and he kindly let me horn in on his
celebration. I met my girlfriends Jero, Ke, Mira, Nivagi, and Stsm
there, and also got to hang out with co-host Mika while I was there,
which was wonderful. I actually broke out of my shyness long enough
to meet new people, and had such a great time that I'm still in a good
mood. Hope everyone else is having as nice a week as I am!

"Good things come to those who wait, but only things left behind by
those who hustle."
— Abraham Lincoln

penguins playing soccer in South Korea

2010-06-07T09:54:00.001-04:00

For J R, from http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/ -

http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/2010/06/watch_it_penguins_playing_socc.html

--
"Good things come to those who wait, but only things left behind by those who hustle."
— Abraham Lincoln

Walking Dead on AMC!

2010-06-02T17:33:00.001-04:00

"We hope to do for zombies what Mad Men did for advertizing."

http://io9.com/5553571/first-look-at-amcs-walking-dead

Vulture Exclusive: How Robin Hood Nearly Destroyed the Russell-Ridley Relationship

2010-05-20T13:26:00.001-04:00

I'm way more interested in the movie as it could have been. Thanks
for the heads-up, <a
href="http://www.flickfilosopher.com/">MaryAnn</a>!

<a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/05/robin_hood_script_russell_crow.html">How
Robin Hood Nearly Destroyed the Russell-Ridley Relationship</a>

--
"Good things come to those who wait, but only things left behind by
those who hustle."
— Abraham Lincoln

Spring Roll 2010

2010-05-13T16:53:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday I was in Fort Wayne for the first-ever men's flat-track tournament, part of an all-day contest featuring five women's teams, six men's teams, and two junior teams. Our team, the Race City Rebels, didn’t win (in fact, we came in dead-last), but it was my first public bout (not counting the 15-minute intraleague Rookie Rumble demo) and in spite of my nervousness I had a great time. The event was like a big convention for players and fans, making me really want to go to the actual Roller Con.

Saturday morning Jero and I got up very early in spite of little sleep and skipped our breakfast plans, just grabbing fruit and snacks on the go. Bench coach LMB cautioned me that she was going to put me in a “very light” rotation that day, which was just fine with me. We started with two round-robin games to establish our initial position in the tournament, and in the first game I didn’t skate at all – LMB was going to put me in, but we had a player in the box so I got pulled.

I was fine with not skating in the first bout – I was nervous, and it was cool just to be on the sidelines observing how things worked up close. I’d geared and warmed up with the rest of my team, and even practiced sliding into the penalty box, since I’d never been – something that turned out to be good preparation for later. ;) In the second bout I skated once, and it was over before I knew it, but hey – I skated in public against another team, and didn’t humiliate myself, so yay me.

Unfortunately my team was in the bottom two ranks out of six, and we’d injured or lost a lot of players. We have a short roster anyway, so we feared there would be no way we could skate in an hour-long bout with not even enough players to field two full squads. We asked to play just a 30-minute bout next, and prepared to forfeit if not. None of us wanted to have to just give up due to lack of players, but staring down the barrel of a sudden super-heavy rotation, I was secretly almost relieved at the idea.

I’d considered buying new wheels to replace the crappy ones I’d had with me (I’d left my new ones at home), but I abandoned that idea once it looked like we weren’t going to play again that day. I left the prep area and went with Jero to watch the junior roller derby teams play. I resigned myself to the tiny baby-step I’d taken to becoming a real derby player, and relaxed to watch other teams play for the rest of the day. I sat next to Jero and enjoyed just being a spectator.

Twenty minutes before our team had been scheduled to play, Anya suddenly appeared at my side and said, “Suit up. You’re playing.” The awesome Twin City Terrors, who had come to Spring Roll to skate, dammit, asked what our problem was, and when we told them we didn’t have enough skaters, they generously lent us two of theirs. With no time to stress about it, I quickly got my gear back on and warmed up. We were back in business!

I had a great time playing against the Twin City Terrors. I’m not used to playing with and against players I don’t know from practice, and so it was a great chance to see firsthand other styles of play. The players that joined us were super-nice, and the rest of our opponents were fun to play against – they hit hard, skated well, and were good sports even as they beat us. They all skated better than I, but I didn’t feel completely shut down, so it was still fun to do my best and help where I could.

I got two jammer take-outs – derby glory! One of them was illegal, however, and I got my first trip to the penalty box. Jero got lots of pictures, and my braid got mocked by the announcers on nationally-streamed live boutcast. Not exactly fame from my mad derby skills, but it’s a start. I took one more trip to the box, but otherwise skated quite a bit. I quickly got into scrimmage headspace, and just told LMB to send me in again every chance I got. It was great.

I got positive feedback from Rebels coach Dexter – he said he could see what I was trying to do out there, and that sometimes I was even able to do it. Even though I wasn’t able to execute everything I tried, he said that would come with time as I increased by basic skate speed and skill, and that he anticipated that once I’d gotten more experience on the track, that Bignplenty and I will be amazing together as the two large guys on our team (especially against the teams of giants we’ve been facing).

After the bout I spent the rest of the tournament with Jero and some of my teammates watching other teams play and cheering on Jero’s old league, the Bleeding Heartland Roller Girls. We got snacks and watched the 'Ref Jam' as well as the final championship games for both the men’s and women’s teams. Both bouts were splendid to watch. The men’s tournament was determined by one point in the last jam, and we’re going to play the nominal second-place winner soon which should be interesting.

After the game day was over we joined our league at a massive after-party. Jero and I hung out with her BHRG teammates as long as we could, and then after they left we waded into the main area to watch people jam skate and get crazy in a huge crowd of drunken derby revelers. It was a great mix of male and female skaters as well as our fans, and Jero and I had a splendid time. By the time we went to bed, we only got about three hours of sleep, but exhausted or no, it was worth it. Spring Roll rocked.

We're number 6! (out of 6... d'oh!):
2010 Spring Roll Recap

Joss Whedon reveals the REAL reason Dollhouse died

2010-05-12T12:38:00.001-04:00

From SCI FI Wire

Want to know the real reason Dollhouse was canceled? The secret is out, thanks to the only fandom that might possibly be as enthusiastic and dedicated as sci-fi fandom. And that fandom is — crocheting fandom.

Yes. Crocheting fandom.

Back when Wired asked Joss Whedon about how publicity was going for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, he joking replied, "Fact is, there's been some buzz, but it hasn't reached the places it would normally. Where's our write-up in Crocheting Monthly?"

Funny guy, that Whedon. But to the crocheting community, that was no joke. Kim Werker over at the Crochet Me site put out a call to crocheters everywhere to get Whedon's attention — and they did!

( More... )

Week in Review – Week of 2010.04.25 – 05.01

2010-05-06T15:59:00.001-04:00

Last week was productive, with a lot of running around and then finally a tranquil weekend camping. We got Nivagi a new car, which will make like easier for her, and I got in some fun derby practice and MUXing. I thought I’d have more time to myself, but locking my keys in my car ruined my timetable Tuesday night, and the rest of the week was just too busy. Still, it seems like a relaxing paradise compared to the over-scheduling I have to contend with this week…

Last Sunday Jero and I enjoyed a massive sleep-in day, staying in bed about 12 hours before the need for food finally drove us from the house. After an extremely late breakfast, I went to see Stsm’s new house in Irvington. Her apartment is great and I love her neighborhood. She and I had dinner at Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza, which was insanely good, and I brought some back for Jero since she was intrigued by the idea of pizza with Old Bay (she liked).

Last Monday I had a date night with Ke, so I picked her up after work and we went out to dinner. She had a school project she was working on, so I popped on the MUX “just for a bit” until Ke was done with her presentation. Unfortunately, her assignment took all night, so I got in a lot more MUX time than I’d expected. I enjoyed cool scenes with Chdr, Desm, and Semcca, and got to advance to SG-Joe infiltration of the Pit plotline, as well as set up a future scene for Rodimus. Overall it was a productive night.

Last Tuesday’s practice was fun. I worked a later schedule, so I missed the first half-hour of the practice, but I got to scrimmage at the end, and even got lead jammer in the last jam (it helps when Buzz Lightbeer is on my side helping instead of opposing me!). After practice, however, I accidently locked my keys in my trunk while getting flyers, and had to wait an hour before roadside assistance could free me. I picked up Nivagi from Morgan’s (where she’d gone when I didn’t show up at her work), and by the time I got her back to Ke’s I was exhausted and so the three of us soon just went to bed.

Last Wednesday was the first practice run by Meek, one of our fast skaters. He had good drills for increasing our leg strength to improve our skating, and I was definitely sore the next day. After work I picked up Nivagi and we went to Adshru’s so Nivagi could buy Adshru’s old car. Ke joined us with a cashier’s check, and after they dropped off the car at a mechanic’s to get it checked out, the three of us went to Denny’s for a much delayed dinner. Exhausted, we went back to Ke’s and passed out immediately.

Last Thursday after work I met up with Jero and hung out with her while she had sexy vampire time. I fought distraction to catch up with some of the Internets while she was watching TV. By the time we left her house, it was too late to go to Chili’s, so we hit Stake N’ Shake instead. We went shopping at Meijer for weekend camping, picking up way more than we needed as it turned out. With luck we can use some of the extra camping stuff at future events, and eat the extra food this week. I wanted to do more when we got back to Jero’s, but it was already very late and we were exhausted, so we wound up just going to sleep.

Friday I took off work so Jero and I could drive down to Lothlorien early and set up camp. Since Beltane isn’t an official festival at Lothlorien, it was quiet and serene, and after I showed Jero around we got to pick our favorite spot for camping. When the tent was set up I headed back to Indy to go to the symphony with Stsm; the music was enjoyable, made even more so by Stsm’s ecstatic enjoyment of it. After the performance I kissed Stsm goodbye and headed back to the woods to sleep.

It rained overnight, but our tent held and we stayed dry as we enjoyed the thunderstorms. When we got up Saturday we headed into town for Free Comic Book Day and to buy me new skate wheels from Rolling Thunder Fun Factory. After a lovely meal at the Irish Lion, we headed back and spent the evening trying to build a fire with wet wood, eventually succeeding. We heated some food for dinner, and then joined people at the central fire, staying even after hard rain drove most people away.

My week was good, even with the hassle of locking my keys in my car and having to run around every night running errands. Lothlorien was very peaceful – there were so few people there that it didn’t have a festival feel, but a quiet weekend in the woods was just what I needed after a busy week. Chpa and Nivagi were there if we wanted company, or we could just hide in the tent to enjoy the thunderstorms. Even standing in the rain around the dwindling fire was nice. It was a tremendously pleasant end to the week.

Eye-Roll 20s - Race City Rebels

15 Companies That Originally Sold Something Else

2010-05-06T15:27:00.000-04:00

From Mental Floss -

Some companies find their niche and stick to it. Others, though, have to adapt to changing markets in order to thrive. Here’s a look at some companies that switched industries at some point in their histories, usually for the better.

( more... )

Spring Roll Derby Expo

2010-05-06T11:21:00.001-04:00

Where I'll be this weekend:

Event: Spring Roll Derby Expo
Start Time: Saturday, May 8 at 7:30am
End Time: Saturday, May 8 at 8:00pm
Where: Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=106899419353102&mid=24c2cfdG1f7963c2G4a6eb90G7

Derby 2010.04.26

2010-04-26T12:13:00.001-04:00

Saturday I had my first public scrimmage at the Rookie Rumble at Southland Skate Center. We were supposed to play a demonstration game for half an hour, but there were so few of us we cut it down to 15 minutes since we were all exhausted. While I usually enjoy scrimmaging, I didn’t skate well in the demonstration – I was completely shut down by another skater, who eventually even apologized to me.

I need to improve my skating ability before I skate again publically. This time I was skating against all new or returning skaters, and I still got completely pwn3d. If I’m going to compete in the Spring Roll against established teams next month (eep!), I need to improve vastly between now and then. I don’t mind losing so much, but it’s very frustrating to be completely ineffectual on the track.

Perhaps if we’d played longer I might eventually have had the chance to knock the opposing jammer out of bounds, or hit someone to help our jammer through. I don’t mind sucking overall if I can occasionally do something useful. However, if I’m going to continue being useless during bouts, I might be better off not going at all if we eventually get enough people where I’m not needed just as a warm body.

I am ze Viper

2010-04-22T13:24:00.001-04:00

From scifiwire --

Crazy cleaning company will send Spider-Man to wash your windows: Looks like Spider-Man has found other employment - http://tinyurl.com/26vayfv

heh. I'd so love to do that to someone... B)

Week in Review – Week of 2010.04.11 – 04.17

2010-04-17T17:54:00.001-04:00

This week has been stressful in terms of work, but fun in terms of derby. I’m still excited to be playing in scrimmage-like drills, as anyone around me can easily tell since I won’t shut up about it. I’m taking full advantage of my early work schedule to go to as many practices as possible. There are other things I’d like to be doing with this time as well, but right now I’m making derby a priority because I want to get my skills up to speed, and hope to be able to skate in the upcoming Rookie Rumble. Wish me luck!

Sunday’s endurance practice was surprisingly a lot of fun. I normally *hate* endurance practices, but since there was a bout last Saturday, very few people showed up for practice one and therefore it was ran at a slower, more personal pace. I actually got to work on technique instead of just racing pell-mell for two hours. It was nice. After practice I picked up Nivagi and we brought Ke dinner before Ke went into work. Nivagi and I snuggled and watched Angel, enjoying a pleasant, low-key night.

Monday I had off work so I enjoyed some quiet time while Ke slept and Jero and Nivagi were at work. When Jero got home I walked over to her house and we went out for a yummy dinner before I got on the MUX. I was able to get on early for a change, so I got to role-play with Cawh, Chdr, Desm, Hemy, Nightfall, Scourge, and Semcca in several different scenes. I didn’t advance the plot as far as I’d hoped to, but I had a lot of fun, which is ultimately more important. Jero and I then looked over Gen Con stuff before bed.

Tuesday night’s derby practice was a lot of fun. Again, my legs were tired in the beginning but fine once we started doing scrimmage-type drills. I got to be knocked around the track by Faye Stunaway, which was rather cool. I felt guilty “hogging” the track (even though I shouldn’t have because it was a men’s practice), but I wanted to block every jam. I still suck, but I’m having fun playing. After practice I tore Stsm away from my other girlfriends at the poly meetup to come hang out with me before bed. We talked and she brought me cool books to read and we had a lovely night.

Wednesday was a shitty day – it started with scheduling stress and went downhill from there. After I escaped work I didn’t want to go to derby practice, but I went anyway, since I usually enjoy it once I get there. Luckily, this was the case again that night – after skating around for two hours and getting pummeled by Uzi Q (who hits like the steel telephone pole), I felt a lot better. I grabbed some food with Jero and then Ke, and after a long shower I felt a lot better. Unfortunately since I’m working an earlier shift I couldn’t stay up too late, but I did get to watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report with her before she put me to bed. B)

Thursday was a better day at work than Wednesday, especially since I got to have lunch with Adshru. After work I went with Jero to practice where I had a great time getting my ass kicked by members of the Circle City Socialites during scrimmage-like drills. After two hours I was sore and incredibly tired, but I had a lot of fun. Jero and I grabbed quick food and then went back to her house so I could do my taxes (yes, at the very last minute, as always). Exhaustion and technology fail made it a much more difficult process than it had to be, but I finally got them filled out and submitted at 12:10 AM Friday morning (doh!).

Friday was busy and tiring, with the phones ringing off the hook all damned day. I did have a pleasant break when Jero visited me for lunch, but then the day dragged for the next 4 hours. I had to deal with a host of Friday-stress problems (every company in the Midwest seems to want to wait ‘til Friday to run everything), and I barely escaped on time at the end of my shift. I ran to Ke’s house to grab Nivagi, and then Nivagi and I went to see Neil Gaiman, who was awesome. After the lecture we went to Some Guys Pizza and ordered a ton of food, some of which we brought back to Ke before she went into work.

Thankfully today has been much quieter at work. We have very few people here, so I’m doing a combination of east and Midwest work, but I don’t mind. Tonight I’m going to go see the Naptown Roller Girls play the Ohio Roller Girls in a double-header at the Pepsi Coliseum. The Naptown Roller Girls got to hang out with Neil Gaiman last night after his lecture, so I’m a little envious. Jero is picking me up, and Stsm should be there as well. Should be fun!

Blast from the Past: Reminder of from where Obama’s “new” deficit originated :
Bush's tax cuts overwhelmingly favored the wealthy. The top 1% will saved more than $30,000 per year while the bottom 31% saved nothing at all.
Source: Citizens for Tax Justice and AFL/CIO

Amanda Palmer plays the ukulele for Neil Gaiman

2010-04-11T23:05:00.002-04:00

For Heather the ukulele player.

Molten metal batteries to be clean energy reservoirs - tech - 09 April 2010 - New Scientist

2010-04-09T16:00:00.000-04:00

Molten metal batteries to be clean energy reservoirs - tech - 09 April 2010 - New Scientist

Derby Progress – 04.10

2010-04-04T12:25:00.001-04:00

This past week has been very cool in terms of my derby education. Tuesday at practice I got to play something akin to roller derby for the first time. I was completely ineffective, but it was still a lot of fun. I normally hate doing things I'm not good at, but it was cool skating around in a mini-pack and experiencing first-hand how it might work in an actual bout. It was 3-on-3 instead of a full scrimmage, but it gave me a taste of what the real deal is like.

Wednesday’s practice was good – this time I got to skate in a pack of first two and then four people, and together we tried to stop a jammer from coming through. I got to lay a hard hit on West Side Slam - my first hard hit in roller derby. He gave me positive feedback about it, possibly exaggerating because I’m new, but still very encouraging. He said I hit harder than he’d been hit in a recent bout, although I’m sure now that he’s wary I won’t have the opportunity again for a while.

At Thursday’s derby practice we worked on offensive scrimmage skills, and I cemented my discovery that I actually love playing derby. Until now, I didn’t know – all I’ve been doing is working on basic skills, and I could have hated playing the actual game, especially since I generally despise team sports. However, derby feels more like soccer to me, which I really don’t mind – if I screw up, I have other players right there with me that have my back. It feels more like a group effort than all pressure on me.

Although my legs were burning and wobbly after three days of practice, I was able to keep up the entire scrimmage-like drill. I even jammed once and got through the pack (although I couldn’t catch back up to the pack afterwards). Rockit Ma’am was happy because she got to hit me finally, though apparently she went easy on me because she didn’t want to knock me into a wall my first time out (thanks, honey!). B) Luckily, right now what I lack in skill make up for in mass – I can take a hit pretty well and keep going.

At first I just held the line, but eventually I got moved to the middle of the pack and surprisingly was able to hit the jammer out a few times. While they were able to get past me initially, my teammates often set up a wall in the front of the pack and I was able to catch up and push the jammer out, in a maneuver called Set ‘em up/Knock ‘em down. We worked on one-on-one offensive strategies, and I had a lot of fun, grokking the point of everything even if I’m not fast enough to always put the strategies into effect yet.

Based on the fun I was having, I told my mentor Dexter I have a goal to play in upcoming bouts, especially the upcoming Rookie Rumble. Dexter said he might even put me on the roster for this weekend. That seems a little soon to me, but if he thinks I’m ready, I’ll give it a try. As long as I keep practicing, I should be ready to get my ass kicked at the Spring Roll Tournament in Fort Wayne in May. That should be very cool, even if I personally will be hopelessly outclassed by our competition.

Should be fun! I’ll try to remember to post how it goes!

-- Eye-Roll 20s

Eye-Roll 20s – Derby Hoodlum - Race City Rebels
RaceCityRebels.com

Week in Review – Week of 2010.03.28 – 04.03

2010-04-03T12:26:00.000-04:00

This week was a lot of fun, especially in the arena of derby. I’m finally getting to actually play the game and it turns out I love it, which frankly was a big surprise to me since I hate team sports. Roller derby is different, however, and I’m enjoying the hell out of it even though I suck. I put in a request to officially scrimmage, and with luck if I keep improving I’ll get to play in the next Rookie Rumble. I’ve never been actually anxious to play a physical game before, so this is all new territory for un-athletic me.

Sunday morning Jero and I got up early have breakfast with Dawi and Deal while Dawi was in town. We had a great time catching up with them (we hadn’t seen either of them in years), and afterward Jero and I went back to my apartment to clean, do laundry, and be productive. We went out to Outback for dinner, but it was very disappointing and we probably won’t go back again soon. After dinner we gathered Jero and I belongings and retired to Jero’s to sleep.

Monday night after work I drove down to Bloomington to have dinner with Caro and her parents. Caro made yummy craisins-and-pistachio pasta, which was delicious. After dinner I chatted with her parents and perused their bookshelf while Caro scanned pages from her grandmother’s memorial book. When Caro was finished we bid her parents goodbye and I drove Caro back to Indy to spend the night. We didn’t have a lot of time together, but it was great to see her while I had the chance.

Tuesday I drove Caro to the airport before heading into work. At practice I got to play something akin to roller derby for the first time. I was completely ineffective but it was still fun. I normally hate doing things I'm not good at, but it was cool skating around in a mini-pack and experiencing first-hand how it might work in an actual bout. It was 3-on-3 instead of a full scrimmage, but it gave me a taste of what the real deal is like. Afterward I had a great night with Ke, marred by technology fail when my laptop and my phone both crashed and I stayed up far too late trying to fix them.

Wednesday’s practice was also good – this time I got to skate in a pack of two, then four people, to try to stop a jammer from coming through. I got to lay a hard hit on West Side Slam, my first in roller derby. Slam gave me good feedback about it, possibly exaggerating because I’m new, but still very encouraging. After practice, I picked up Nivagi from belly dance call and we went to Some Guys Pizza since I was craving their yummy avocado/black olive/sun-dried tomatoes pizza. I then kidnapped Nivagi back to my apartment to snuggle and sleep.

Thursday’s derby practice we worked on offensive scrimmage skills, and I furthered my discovery that I actually love playing derby. Until now, I didn’t know – all I’ve been doing is working on basic skills, and I could have hated playing the actual game, since I generally despise team sports. Derby is different, however, and I’m really starting to grok the basics and have fun even if I suck at it so far. After practice I met Stsm at my apartment, and we snuggled and watched The Princess and the Frog, which I liked. Afterward was Lost Girls story time and then bed.

Friday at work was hectic! It was a ghost town since everyone was off for Good Friday, and there were few people to take all the repair calls. I was the only ISDN guy, so I dealt with a lot of headaches one after another. The highlight of the workday was lunch with Adshru, which was far too short but a very nice break. Friday night I was planning to go see Electric Six, but instead Chpa, Ke and Nivagi and I stayed in and watched Legend, which Ke owned but had never seen. It was fun, but difficult to watch without constantly making Tom Cruise jokes. ;)

Saturday Jero and I drove up to Toledo for a CCS Newbie Bout vs Glass City.
Jero got to play since she was just coming back from a long absence, and the game was very close – one 15-pt jam made the entire difference, and otherwise the teams were almost perfectly matched. I recorded the first period on Wrecker Becker’s video recorder, and most of the rest on my phone. I need to get a copy of WB’s bout files, and upload mine from my phone. It was a great week for derby!

Eye-Roll 20s – Derby Hoodlum - Race City Rebels
RaceCityRebels.com

Local News | Census will count gay couples who check "husband or wife" | Seattle Times Newspaper

2010-03-31T15:32:00.000-04:00

Local News | Census will count gay couples who check "husband or wife" | Seattle Times Newspaper

Week in Review – Week of February 7th – 13th

2010-02-17T22:14:00.001-05:00

Last week work sucked, and my personal life was down and up. I had an unexpected fight with Ra, and now am giving her space before talking to her again. I did enjoy hiding out on the MUX and pretending to be someone else, which helped me get through the week. Mira came into town for the weekend, and it was great to hang out with her and all my girlfriends this past weekend. We’re all getting together again maybe Thursday to skate and definitely Saturday for Howl at the Moon. B)

Sunday I got up early since the CCS/RCR had a derby skills camp before our regular practice. It was the first skills camps since the one that hooked me in, and it was fun to meet new skaters and be the one helping out this time. Tesh was there, and while he’s traditionally not my favorite person, he could skate well and could be an asset to our team. Ultimately it was nice to have another familiar face at practice. After practice Stsm and I were going to have a game night, but no one showed so we ordered Chinese food and blogged instead. I finally called and got my furnace motor replaced, so at least it was relaxing and warm, and a nice way to end off the weekend.

Monday, however, was awful, once again fulfilling my maxim of the nicer the weekend, the shittier the Monday. Work was absolutely awful, with an hours-long problem from Friday returning to rear its ugly head, and when I tried to reach out to Ra to see how she’s been doing, I wound up triggering an unintended argument with her, and now she’s not talking to me. When I got to Jero’s she fed me yummy steak and mashed potatoes, which did improve my mood, and I got in some fun role-playing with Chameleon and Scarlett as Airtight and with Spike as Dark Buster before the MUX router died and I just gave up and went to bed.

Work didn’t quite suck as much Tuesday as Monday – there were a lot of messes, but I got them all taken care of. After work I went to Ke and Nivagi’s to hang out with Ke. Ke was unexpectedly still awake (she’s had early days all week), so Nivagi and I got to hang out with her for a while before she went to bed. Nivagi made us all surprisingly yummy microwaved Indian food, and after Ke went to bed Nivagi and I snuggled up in her room and watched Angel on DVD. Nivagi’s cat Nana decided to join us, but luckily my allergies weren’t bothering me too much, so her cute presence wasn’t a problem. When it got late we switched off my laptop, kicked out the cat, and went to sleep.

Wednesday after work I just grabbed a salad from Wendy’s and went home to hide out and MUX (since the MUX router died Monday night without me accomplishing much). Even though it was late, there were a ton of people on, and I wound up in a lot of great scenes. Evil Scarlett came through a rift from Mirror Earth, causing mass confusion. Evil Flagg got to test-fire his massive laser. Starscream apparently beat up the Aerialbots and Broadside. Mel interviewed the Baroness for a story, which I need to get back on the MUX and post this week. I stayed up way too late, but it was a lot of fun. I also got laundry done and time alone, so it was a good night.

Thursday after work I went to Skateland to skate, since my work schedule is going to prevent me from attending any weekday derby practices this month. I felt self0-conscous at first, since I was still the worst skater there (everyone else were cool jam skaters), but after a while I relaxed, and it was nice to just practice on my own and work on my endurance and crossovers. Since it wasn’t an official practice, if it took me 30 laps to master something, there was no one to notice but me, which was nice.

Friday I had a horrible night at work, so I was all too happy to escape at 10:15. Mira came into town, so when I got off work I went to Ke’s to hang out with Mira, Nivagi and her. They’d gotten pizza, so I joined them on the couch and ate after showing them what I’d brought to wear to the party the next day and getting their more fashion-minded approval. Unfortunately, we were all tired, so after some snuggling we went to bed relatively early for a Friday.

Saturday Jero and I drove up to Ft. Wayne to see their SWAT derby team play Indy’s Circle City Socialites. We stayed to watch Ft. Wayne’s other derby team play the Hammer City Rollergirls from Ontario, Canada. After the bout, Jero and I drove back to go to an Anti-Valentine Goth party hosted by Tojo and Mika. We had a great time, and it was magnificent to see Ke, Mira, Nivagi, and Stsm all dressed in hot outfits. We stayed there until the wee hours and then went home to collapse.

"Gilligan's Island" star Bob Denver has died at the age of 70. The White House is declaring a national day of mourning to remember the man who created the TV character President Bush has strived to emulate in every aspect of his public and private life. -- Jake Novak

CBC News - Technology & Science - Tut was a 'frail king' with broken leg

2010-02-16T19:01:00.000-05:00

CBC News - Technology & Science - Tut was a 'frail king' with broken leg

Week in Review – 2010 January 31st to February 6th

2010-02-11T21:13:00.000-05:00

Last week I had an early work schedule, and so even though work itself was sucky, the rest of my week was great. I got to spend time with my girlfriends while they were actually awake, and was able to get onto the MUX while people were still logged on. One of the weekday derby practices was cancelled, but the other one was very cool, even if I personally sucked. I got to spend an entire weekend with Stsm for the first time, which was a birthday celebration for her and a great time for me.

Last Sunday afternoon Jero made omelets for breakfast and then she and I had a very good derby practice. It was an endurance practice, so we were worked to death but felt excellent the next day with positively achy muscles. Unfortunately after Sunday practice I wasn’t feeling well, so we didn’t get much more done besides a late dinner and skate maintenance before I left to go spend the night with Ke and Nivagi. Ke was tired, so the three of us didn’t stay up very late, and mostly just snuggled talking until bed.

This month I’m the go-to guy for ISDN problems at work, which kept me busy most of the day. Last Monday Jero made us dinner and then we got on the MUX. The Old One opened a portal between Wheeljack's lab and the Shattered Glass universe, and on the other side General Flint sent Snake-Eyes to investigate, which was wacky fun. Goldbug revealed himself in the SG-Pit and shot his way out while Ebony was powerless to stop him (which she took out on the Witwicky brothers). Geeky good times. B)

Last Tuesday after work I went over to Ke’s to have dinner with Nivagi and her. We went to Ruby Tuesday and when we got back to Ke’s, Nivagi went to her boyfriend’s while Ke and I settled in on the couch. Ke watched American Idol and Kitchen Nightmares while I MUXed. I got to RP with Spike and get a few other things done, although I idled on Kadjem, which I’ll have to make up next time. When it got late Ke turned off the TV and lured me to bed, where we snuggled under the blankets to get warm.

Last Wednesday night when I got off work I went back over to Ke and Nivagi’s to hang out with them again. Ke was HUNGRY and ready to eat, but Nivagi was asleep. We finally roused Nivagi enough for her to decide on food, and then we let her nap while Ke and I went to pick it up. Nivagi and I’d planned to watch Angel (to Ke’s chagrin), but I’d left the disc at home, so we watched Chuck and The Colbert Report instead. Ke helped Nivagi file her taxes, and then we all snuggled up to sleep, roasting and squishing Ke in the middle.

Last Thursday’s derby practice was awesome in that the Bleeding Heartland Roller Girls came up to help out, and bad for me because all practice I was just suck on wheels. Bunnie showed me just how low I’m supposed to be in proper skater stance, and in retrospect my thighs should have been screaming since the appropriately-named Thigh Scream Social. After practice I got back on the MUX, but it was quiet, so I got mostly admin stuff done, although I did get to role-play with Turborat and Stormwind.

Friday night Stsm and I had plans with her friend Jest. We met up at my apartment and then ventured out into the Snowpocalypse for dinner. We went to Some Guys Pizza, and I was surprised to discover they have *insanely yummy* vegetarian pizzas. I definitely need to go back with Ke and Nivagi. After eating we picked up a bottle of wine for Jest and Stsm, and then hung out at my apartment until Jest had to get home because it was late and snowy. Stsm was sleepy but I wasn’t, so I watched some Mad Men while Stsm napped until I was ready to join her in slumber-land.

Saturday night I had dinner with Jero and Stsm and then the three of us headed to the Pepsi Coliseum for the Naptown Roller Girls bout. After the game I went to the Beer Seller with Stsm and her friends for an after-bout birthday celebration for Stsm. When we returned late to my apartment my heat still wasn’t working, so we cuddled up under the covers and watched YouTube videos until my space-heater warmed up my room. I gave Stsm her birthday spankings and read her a story before we cuddled up to sleep. It was a wonderful, wonderful weekend.

"It's devastating. It's got to be doubly devastating on the ground." -- All President Bush could muster about the Katrina damage, according to his press secretary. His first view of the floods came, pitifully, theatrically, from the window of a low-flying Air Force One

Week in Review – Week of 2010 January 10th – 16th

2010-01-16T15:57:00.001-05:00

This was a good week. I’m feeling a little stressed lately since derby practice is pwn!ing all of my free time, but otherwise things are going well. The MUX has been crazy busy, with fun RP every time I log on, and my derby skills continue to improve – I hope to be WFTDA-ready by this time next month. Between B! visiting Indy and Nivagi’s birthday I had great times with my friends and lovers this week, and tonight I get to go see a derby bout! Good times. B)

Sunday Jero and I slept in late after getting in at 3 AM from a derby party in Bloomington. We’d planned to go to derby practice, but we didn’t get up and out of bed in time. Instead we tried out a new Chinese food place near her called On Time. The food was very good, especially the egg soup with tomato. After we ate I went home to get onto the MUX for an event Dean was running. Ke joined me when she got off work, and brought food. After the MUX event Ke and I snuggled up and slept.

Monday Ke and I went shopping and then met Nivagi for lunch. When we got back we went through my mail and then I went over to Jero’s to follow up on Sunday’s MUX event. Jero and I had dinner first and then got online. We played through the aftermath of Sunday’s raid, and furthered events on the human side of the Shattered Glass TinyPlot. I had great fun role-playing with Dean, Jero, and Spike, and it felt good to get things accomplished on the MUX since I’ve lost a lot of RP time lately to derby.

Tuesday was another WFTDA testing day. Again, I did a lot better than I expected, and if I work hard over the next month I might be able to pass everything when we test again. I did blow the written test since I didn’t study for it, so after practice Jero and I went to Denny’s and she went over what I missed with me and made sure I grokked everything I’d missed. When I got back to Jero’s I showered and called Ra. I haven’t spoken with her in a while, so it was good to catch up.

Wednesday after work Mars and I went to Brbe and E-’s for a game night to celebrate the fact that B! was in town for a few days. Mars couldn’t stay out too late, but the rest of us played a really fun game that was a cross between Pictionary and the telephone game -- there were lulz all ‘round. When we got hungry we ventured out to Steak n’ Shake and hung out there ‘til we all needed to go home and sleep. I went to Nivagi’s to snuggle with her until I had to leave for work in the morning.

Thursday work was tense, and Mars’s attempts to alleviate that tension got him in trouble with our manager and his boss, although it seemed to work out in the end. After work Stsm came over, and while she wasn’t hungry for food, she did want ice-cream, so we ventured out to McDonald’s to get her an Oreo McFlurry. Ice-cream in hand, we snuggled up and watched Mad Men far too late into the night. After a bad day at work it was very nice to see Stsm, who always improves my mood.

Friday I took the day off since it was Nivagi’s birthday. Nivagi wasn’t feeling that great, so we spent all day in bed, napping, snuggling and watching Heroes and Angel. When Ke got off work, Nivagi and I got up and dressed. Ke planned to take Nivagi out to the Melting Pot for her birthday, and I went with to help celebrate. After very yummy fondue we stopped at Wal-Mart so Nivagi could pick up supplies to upgrade her Mac OS, and we spent the rest of the evening on our computers. Happy birthday, Nivagi! ;)

Today I’m at work, which is pretty standard for a Saturday. Nivagi is spending the evening with Chpa, so I’m probably going to see the Naptown Roller Girls bout with Jero. Work is quiet today so far, which is pleasant and I hope lasts. Tomorrow Ke and I are spending the evening with Nivagi to continue her birthday weekend snugstravaganza. I’m not sure what we’ll be up to, but knowing us it will be a low-key and pleasant way to wrap up the weekend.

“Anywhere in the galaxy this is a nightmare.”
– Doc, Forbidden Planet

http://derbygirls.wordpress.com/

2010-01-16T00:04:00.000-05:00

Shauna Cross, A.K.A. Maggie Mayhem of the LA Derby Dolls Talks About Falling In Love With Derby and How That Love Lead Her To Writing “ Whip It” @ http://derbygirls.wordpress.com/

Roller derby is for blokes too

2010-01-07T16:51:00.003-05:00

From The Ipswich Queensland Times --

by Felicity Caldwell | 1st January 2010

NO LONGER a sport purely for women, roller derby is welcoming men with open arms.

The fast-paced sport has exploded in popularity in recent months and Ipswich’s local league – the Brisbane City Rollers – is expecting a packed rink at its next open day for new skaters.

Known as “fresh meat”, converts spend six weeks learning the basics, including skating techniques, how to fall properly and the rules of the game.

Eastern Heights nurse and recent fresh meat graduate Brigitte Gamble, 21, said the Rollers made learning the skills a dream.

“You’re really sore at first but when you come everyone’s really welcoming and no one makes you feel stupid,” Miss Gamble said.

Ipswich receptionist Erin McIntosh also recently graduated from fresh meat training to level two and has caught the roller derby bug.

“It gives you more confidence in derby and in your everyday life,” Ms McIntosh said.

“It’s lots of fun, you get fit, it builds muscles and you get to meet new people.”

Roller derby was big in the 1960s and 70s but has experienced a recent revival across Australia and internationally.

Played on quad skates, the sport involves two teams with four defensive players (blockers) and one points scorer (jammer) on each team.

A jammer scores points for his/her team when he/she passes blockers from the opposing team while skating around an oval circuit.

(More...)

Derby Practice Sunday

2009-12-28T21:33:00.000-05:00

I took another hard backwards fall during Sunday’s derby practice. It seems to be a pattern with pack skating – it takes everything I have to just keep up with the pack, so when I try to do something else (sprint ahead, zigzag laterally), I fall. Dexter and Bunnie were very supportive and encouraging, but I really need to work on my basic skills so I’m not so far behind everyone else. I especially need to work on skating in proper derby stance, so I don’t fall backwards if I get off balance. At least my tailbone doesn't hurt as much this week as it did last week -- I took it easy last night, and feel mostly better by today.

I do need to look into getting one of those tailbone protectors, however, if I'm going to keep falling on my ass. B)

Week in Review – Week of 2009 December 20th – 26th

2009-12-25T16:36:00.001-05:00

This has been a very nice holiday week. I only had to work three days this week, and while it sucks that one of those days is Saturday, it could be a lot worse. I’m in Evansville right now, hanging out with my mom, sister, aunt, and cousin. My mom is doing well, and we benefit by enjoying her wonderful cooking. I got her a carved wooden “happiness” statuette to celebrate the fact that her depression is lifted and she’s finally feeling herself again.

Most of derby practice sucked Sunday. Between my sprained ankle and my late work shift, I haven't been able to make it to more than one practice a week, and that's not enough to keep up. I tried to sprint out of a pack skate when it was my turn, and after getting whipped to the front I promptly fell on my ass, which didn't hurt then but hurt for days after. I think I might take Dexter's advice and start going to Skateland on Thursday nights, at least on the weeks I work late and can't go to Monday practice.

After practice I went to Ke’s to shower and spend the night. We went to the Laundromat so she could wash and dry blankets and sleeping bags, and we grabbed Chinese food from next door while we were there. When we got back we watched a cute Star Trek parody episode of CSI while Ke worked on computer repair projects. When Nivagi got home, she hung out with us for a while before going to bed. When Ke got hungry again, I went out and got us Fazoli’s before bed. We stayed up way too late, but it was fine since I didn’t have to work Monday.

Monday afternoon Ke and I got up and went to Le Peep for a late breakfast. I hung out at Ke’s before going to Jero’s to snuggle and get dinner. After dinner Jero and I went to derby practice – me to skate, Jero to observe and provide advice and moral support (she’s on a self-imposed off-season until January). Practice followed the same pattern as Sunday – the first half sucked, but it got better as I got warmed up. After practice I gave Jero solstice presents and then we cuddled and watched Dexter.

Work was hectic Tuesday, but I got to leave a little early so I went home and enjoyed some time alone before my friend Jeki arrived. She’s in area (sort of) for the holidays, so she made time to stop by like she did last year. We thought she was going to have to leave early to drive back to her parents’, but she got someone to watch her kids so she could spend the night. We both had a lovely time cuddling and catching up with everything that’s been going on in the last year.

Wednesday work sucked, so I escaped as early as possible and went home to unwind before bringing Ke dinner. Ke and I snuggled up and watched NCIS before I tore myself away and headed to Bloomington to pick up Chhu to bring her to Evansville. Chhu and I headed to Evansville, where I dropped Chhu off at our mom’s. I went to Mira’s apartment, where we said hello to her roommates and then sequestered ourselves in her bedroom to snuggle and watch “Epitath One.”
Thursday morning Mira and I went to her brother’s house for Christmas Eve celebrations. Mira’s family is very nice, and they (as well as Mira) got me presents. When we left I went to my mom’s house for dinner. She made super-yummy lasagna, and after we ate we hung out and listened to fun Christmas music like Straight No Chaser and Hebe’s Cthulhu carols. When Mom went to bed I got on the MUX for a while and then Chhu and I played Guitar Hero.

Around 2 AM Friday morning I went to Mira’s to sleep. Hours later Mira woke me up very nicely with kisses and breakfast. When she headed out for her Christmas plans, I headed back to my mom’s apartment. She’s making a ham for the holidays, and after we eat I’m bringing Chhu back to Bloomington and then meeting up with Caro while she’s in the state. Caro’s Thanksgiving visit was far too short, so tonight I get to kidnap her for the entire night.

Tomorrow morning I have to work, so unfortunately Caro will have to head back early. After work I get to have dinner with Jero and her parents. With luck maybe we’ll all get to play SingStar again and Jero’s brother and I can show off our mad Madonna-singing skillz. I like Jero’s family, so I’m happy I’ll get to see them while they’re in town for the holidays. Overall, it’s been a very nice holiday week with friends, lovers, and family.

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Ben Franklin

Week in Review – Week of December 6th – 12th

2009-12-16T05:58:00.001-05:00

Last week was nice. I got to skate again since my ankle healed from Thanksgiving, and I got to spend geek time with my friends and quiet time with my girlfriends. I also chose a derby name at last – Eye-Roll 20s. It combines derby with something about me (role-playing) and is a pun, as I feel all good derby names should (although my new mentor Dexter might disagree). I had some stress when our MUX disappeared for almost a week, but it is back up now so I can relax knowing I didn’t lose six month’s work.

Last Sunday morning Ke and Mira slept over. I was planning to go to practice, but by the time we were all awake and ready to go there wasn’t time for me to eat, hydrate and digest before practice, so I used that as an excuse to skip it and give my ankle another day to heal. Sunday night Mars and Nivagi came over and I ran a session of my old World of Darkness campaign, which was a load of fun. After everyone else went home Mira and I stayed up for extended RP and a geek talk session.

Derby practice Monday was fun. It was the first time I was back on skates since I sprained my ankle over Thanksgiving, and on my doctor’s advice I wore the brace Jero lent me. Monday’s practice was WFTDA testing, which was a strange time to jump back in (since I’m not ready to pass most of the requirements), but did give me a chance to assess what I could do and set benchmarks for improvement. Monday’s practice was also cool because it was the first time Jero has joined me since I started.

Jero hasn’t been on skates since the end of her BHRG season, so she took it easy as well, trying out her new skates and then offering advice to me and another new skater. Jero watched and encouraged me as I tried everything I dared on my healing ankle, which wound up being just about everything. I’ve fallen behind on some skills (crossovers, knee falls), but other things (one-foot glides, swizzle skating) I can still do, which is nice.

Last Tuesday I had a quiet night with Nivagi. She came over to my apartment and the two of us went to Broadripple for Thai food. After we ate we went to my place to cuddle up in bed. Nivagi had brought over Dexter to watch, but she was feeling too mopey for Dexter and too blah to make a character for World of Darkness. I lent her the Vampire the Masquerade book to read later, and instead we watched The Big Bang Theory, which did seem to help her mood.

Last Wednesday it was freezing, so I picked up Ke from work and we got dinner at Qdoba’s. We went back to my apartment, and since her laptop is dead I let her use mine to catch up on email while I read Nights of Prophesy. When Ke had read all of the Internets we snuggled up and watched House on huhu. We were going to watch Bones as well, but the episode started with extended product placement for Avatar, so we turned it off in disgust and watched The Colbert Report instead.

Thursday night I stayed home to schedule another MUX night, since the MUX was down Monday. Unfortunately, by Thursday we still hadn’t gotten out DB back from aerosar.net, so we MUX exiles met up at temporary refuges until we realized our MUX was still set up at its old location at spodzone.com. Its DB was out of date and missing anything we’ve added in the last six months, but it had the basic grid and characters so we were happy. Dean logged on and we all welcomed him back to the MUX and the country.

Hemy and I rebuild a tiny mirror universe so we could continue the Shattered Glass TP while we waited to get our new DB back. I got to play a stirring scene of Father Cobra welcoming Bludd to Cobra officially, as well as an amusing scene between Evil Growler and Dark Typhoon. For not having our real MUX, I wound up having a very pleasant evening of MUXing after all.

Another nice aspect of Thursday night is that Stsm called to tell me she’d resolved a long-running tension with her best friend, who happens to be the younger sister of an ex-girlfriend of mine. Since Stsm started dating me, she’s wanted to share her joy with her best friend. Unfortunately, that friend hasn’t wanted to hear it since she’d afraid that Stsm will get hurt in a similar fashion to my breakup with my ex. However, apparently Stsm talked it out and reassured her friend for now, and so is free to share her happiness with her BFF again. Good news, indeed.

Friday I was lucky enough to get off work early, so I met up with Jero and we went out for dinner and shopping. She was looking for new shelves for her house, but ultimately we were unsuccessful in our quest, although we did find a new holiday ornament, which we get together every year. When we got back to Jero’s house I played Zelda music for her and MUXed a bit more before the two of us powered down our laptops and went to bed. We stayed up late watching House before finally going to sleep.

Saturday I had to work, so when I escaped I headed to Ke and Nivagi’s immediately so we could go to Tojo and Mika’s Poly Meetup holiday party. However, when I got to Ke’s, she and Nivagi were each asleep in their individual beds. Even after waking, Ke didn’t seem up to a large social gathering. The three of us had a quiet dinner instead, and then I went to Jero’s to sleep so Ke and Nivagi could have a night alone. The weekend was quieter than expected, but still very nice.

“'Yes... this is a fertile land, and we will thrive. We will rule over all this land, and we will call it... this land.' 'I think we should call it your grave.' 'Ah. Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal.' 'Hahaha. Mine is an evil laugh.'”
- Wash, playing with dinosaur toys, Firefly

Sit on Santa's Lap

2009-12-16T01:19:00.000-05:00

Have you been naughty or nice this year?

Fetlife is giving away over 200 kinky presents!

Sit on Santa's lap and tell him what you want at Fetlife!

Happy Holidays!

MUX Thursday

2009-12-11T16:09:00.001-05:00

Last night I stayed home and schedule another MUX night, since the MUX was down Monday. Unfortunately, by Thursday we still hadn’t gotten out DB back from aerosar.net, so at first we MUX exiles met up at temporary refuges set up by helpful players, until we realized our MUX was still set up at its old location at spodzone.com. Its DB was out of date and missing anything we’ve added in the last six months, but it had the basic grid and characters so we were happy.

Dean logged on and we all welcomed him back to the MUX (and the country!) and then Bludd and I rebuild a tiny mirror universe so we could continue the Shattered Glass TP while we waited to get our new DB back. I got to play a stirring scene of Father Cobra welcoming Bludd to Cobra officially, as well as an amusing scene between Evil Growler and Dark Typhoon. For not having our real MUX, I wound up having a very pleasant evening of MUXing after all.

Another nice aspect of last night is that Stsm called to tell me she’d resolved a long-running tension with her best friend, who happens to be the younger sister of an ex-girlfriend of mine. Since Stsm started dating me, she’d been wanting to share her joy with her best friend, but that friend hasn’t wanted to hear it since she’d afraid that Stsm will get hurt in a similar breakup to what I had with my ex. Apparently Stsm got things resolved now and is free to share her happiness with her BFF again.

A great night all ‘round!

How the US Funds the Taliban

2009-12-03T19:05:00.001-05:00

From The Nation --

On October 29, 2001, while the Taliban's rule over Afghanistan was under assault, the regime's ambassador in Islamabad gave a chaotic press conference in front of several dozen reporters sitting on the grass. On the Taliban diplomat's right sat his interpreter, Ahmad Rateb Popal, a man with an imposing presence. Like the ambassador, Popal wore a black turban, and he had a huge bushy beard. He had a black patch over his right eye socket, a prosthetic left arm and a deformed right hand, the result of injuries from an explosives mishap during an old operation against the Soviets in Kabul.

But Popal was more than just a former mujahedeen. In 1988, a year before the Soviets fled Afghanistan, Popal had been charged in the United States with conspiring to import more than a kilo of heroin. Court records show he was released from prison in 1997.

Flash forward to 2009, and Afghanistan is ruled by Popal's cousin President Hamid Karzai. Popal has cut his huge beard down to a neatly trimmed one and has become an immensely wealthy businessman, along with his brother Rashid Popal, who in a separate case pleaded guilty to a heroin charge in 1996 in Brooklyn. The Popal brothers control the huge Watan Group in Afghanistan, a consortium engaged in telecommunications, logistics and, most important, security. Watan Risk Management, the Popals' private military arm, is one of the few dozen private security companies in Afghanistan. One of Watan's enterprises, key to the war effort, is protecting convoys of Afghan trucks heading from Kabul to Kandahar, carrying American supplies.

( More... )

Weekend Update 2009.11.24

2009-11-25T14:42:00.000-05:00

Saturday I got a pleasant surprise – A1@, who I haven’t had a chance to hang out since early 2008, was unexpectedly free after work. Pouncing on the rare opportunity, I picked her up after work and we went to Gallagher's Pizza to hang out and catch up. We wound up talking for six hours, catching up and telling stories of our misspent youth. It was a great time, and I’m hoping next time it might be only maybe six months ‘til we can do it again.

Sunday morning I slept late at Jero’s. I got up only when it was time for me to go to derby practice. Sunday’s practice was the hardest so far, and I was reminded I need to work on my lung capacity if I’m going to be doing athletic activities. After practice we had a meeting for the men’s league and discussed the first season of the Race City Rebels. It looks like if I get my skills up to par I’ll be skating with them after all. After the meeting I stopped by Nivagi’s for dinner, and then went to spend the night at Jero’s.

Monday I had off work since I’m on a Tuesday through Saturday shift, so I hung out at Jero’s house and journalled while she went into the office. When she got off work we went out to dinner and then I got onto the MUX. I had an interesting time playing both Good and Bad Buster at the same time in different windows with Good and Bad Spike. I also got in some other fun RP with Carly, Deadline and Temera, and look forward to getting back on the MUX tonight.

Religious Right, Catholic Bishops Seek To Impose Religion On All Americans Through Law, Americans United Charges

2009-11-21T17:30:00.001-05:00

From Americans United --

Americans United for Separation of Church and State today expressed grave concern about a renewed push by a coalition of conservative church groups to impose religious teachings on all Americans through government action.

At a press conference today, Religious Right leaders and Roman Catholic bishops unveiled a joint statement criticizing laws that allow reproductive choice and same-sex marriage. The “Manhattan Declaration” indicates that participating religious leaders will defy such laws if they conflict with church doctrines.

Americans United charges that the real agenda is not protecting the religious freedom of churches, but rather attempting to impose those doctrines on all Americans by government decree.

Said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, “This declaration is certain to be deeply divisive. These religious leaders want to see their doctrines imposed by force of law, and that goes against everything America stands for.

“The United States is an incredibly diverse nation,” he continued, “and it would be a disaster if government started favoring one religious perspective over others.”

(More...)

Stsm

2009-11-20T10:09:00.003-05:00

I had a very nice night last evening with Stsm. She came over around seven, and we kissed and then went out to Panera Bread since she was wanting vegetarian soup. we ate and hung out there for a while, and then went next door to Target so she could shop for pajamas -- she and her friends are having a post-Thanksgiving sleepover. We found something that might work, so she bought it and we headed back to my apartment to try it on.

Stsm looked cute in her new PJs, but they weren't quite what she wanted, so she decided that the Great PJ Hunt of 2009 was still on. I put on PJs of my own, and we cuddled and kissed for a while before putting on Mad Men. Stsm fell asleep during the first episode, but since she'd seen them before I just let her sleep and watched two before turning off the TV and snuggling up with her to nap as well.

Week in Review – Week of November 8th – 14th

2009-11-13T19:15:00.000-05:00

This week was a lot of fun, aside from being up and down emotionally. I got to attend the Thigh Scream Social -- a roller derby skills camp – which was a great time. I enjoyed it so much that I think I’m going to join the men’s league here in town as soon as I figure out when and where practices are that won’t conflict with this weekend’s plans or my work schedule. I’d go to the practice with them Sunday, but I’m going to be in Chicago with Mira. B)

Sunday after Jero’s bout she and I slept in as late as we could, and then got up so I could have breakfast before the first day of the Circle City Socialites and Race City Rebels’ Thigh Scream Social. Jero watched as the CCS and RCRs warmed us up and taught us day one of our basic derby skills. I was very shaky and wobbly at first, but our coaches were incredibly friendly and supportive, and so I got through the first day just fine. When we got back Jero helped me clean my apartment.

Monday Jero took off work and we slept in after staying up super-late cleaning out three boxes of crap from my apartment. In the morning we showered and brought an entire cartload of recycling out before heading up to Journey for a yummy meal (even if we wound up eating way too much). At Jero’s we got onto the MUX. I got to role-play with Deadline as General Flint, Lt. Bludd as Father Cobra, Optimus Prime as Blaster, and Snoop as Alpha Trion. Fun!

Tuesday I started off in a good mood, but that RAPIDLY deteriorated once I got to work.
That evening was Day 2 of the Thigh Scream Social, where we learned and practiced more skills that I was surprised I could do. After practice Jero dropped me off at Ke’s, and Ke and Nivagi made nachos for dinner. I’d missed V, but we watched The Daily Show and The Colbert Report before Nivagi went to bed, citing work in the morning. Eventually Ke and I went to bed as well, since I had to get up early also.

Wednesday was the last night of the Thigh Scream Social. We practiced falling and whips*, and learned dominance and hitting. I was expecting to be knocked on my ass, but the experienced derby skaters were primarily there to take hits and give feedback. At the end of the last practice we played a few rounds of ~~Queen of the Rink~~ Rank Ruler, which was a lot of fun – it was a last-skater-standing game, and then I *did* get knocked on my ass. We all graduated the derby 101 camp, and were pronounced official derby ~~girls~~ skaters. I definitely look forward to following up and skating again!

Thursday night Ke wanted some time to study alone before I came over, so I went to Jero’s to give her some snuggles until Ke was ready for dinner. When I did go over to Ke’s Nivagi wasn’t home yet so Ke and I enjoyed beef stroganoff. (mmm… meat!) When Nivagi came home we watched The Mentalist and ate blueberries in yogurt for dessert. Nivagi went to bed early since she had to work early, and since Ke had a test in the morning she and I went to bed soon after.

Friday work was busy and annoying, but I got to leave a little early, which made me happy. I went to Nivagi’s and played on my laptop while she cleaned her house. When Mira arrives we plan to go out to dinner with Ke and her. Then Nivagi and I will either head back to my apartment, or sequester ourselves in Nivagi’s room so Ke and Mira can have the night alone. It’s only fair, since I’m kidnapping Mira the rest of the weekend.

This weekend Mira and I plan to role-play Saturday when I get off work, and then Sunday the two of us are going up to Chicago. We’re going to spend the night Sunday, and with luck we’ll get to see Keje and his main squeeze while we’re up there, as well as hitting random museums and sex shops. I’m very much looking forward to seeing Mira this weekend, and excited that she’ll be here soon!

Have a good weekend, all!

*“You know, the whip is the fastest way to gain speed on the track!”
-- 'Hot Tub' Johnny Rocket, Whip It

Week in Review – Week of October 18th - 24th

2009-10-24T20:48:00.000-04:00

This week I started to feel better after a month of feeling emotionally crappy most of the time. Seeing Caro helped, as did hanging out with people close to me here in town. I took advantage of one of my vacation days to hide out with Jero and watch The Big Bang Theory, and used my last week of early shifts this month to go out to places I normally can’t because of my until-10 PM shift. I’m starting to adjust to my new relationship paradigm and hope to be able to focus more on my local affairs and fret less about relationships outside of my control. I’m still depressed, but this weekend Mira is coming into town, so it will be great to see her while she’s here.

Sunday I tried to sleep in, but I woke up around 6 AM and was unable to doze back off. At last I dozed off a couple of hours later, and when I woke up again Caro was already up, checking her email. I got up and showered, and then the two of us met a bunch of her friends for brunch at a very good dim sum restaurant. After brunch we stopped at a bookstore and then went back to Caro’s house to watch The Big Bang Theory and snuggle before I had to go to the airport and catch my plane back to Indianapolis. While waiting for my flight I talked to Mira and Ke on the phone, and when I got back to Indy Jero picked me up and we went back to her house to sleep.

Monday I’d intended to go to work, but Jero wasn’t feeling well and decided to stay home, so I decided to play hooky as well. We spent all day in bed watching season two of The Big Bang Theory, which frankly was wonderful. We ventured out long enough to grab a drive-thru lunch, and then returned to bed to watch more TBBT. When we finally ventured out again we had dinner and then returned to Jero’s to get on the MUX. I wound playing about ten different characters, which was crazy-hectic but a lot of fun. I didn’t get everything done I’d intended to do, but I got to chat with Mira and role-play with Jero so I was happy.

Tuesday I returned to work after my five-day mini-vacation. It was busy, but not too bad after a nice break from the daily grind. My boss came by for an observation, so I got to get off the phones for a while to explain to him what I was doing on a batch of P-Set/DID orders I’d pulled down but was having a hard time with because of the phones. After work I went over to Ke and Nivagi’s and the three of us went to A Passage to India for dinner. After we ate we went back to Ke’s for a hot night of checking our credit reports and playing on our laptops. I popped onto the MUX to check a few things, and then eventually joined Ke in bed.

Wednesday night I grabbed food on the way home, put some laundry in the washer, and then got on the MUX. I had a busy night: Typhoon got checked out by Good Spike, Bad Spike got his ass kicked by Cain, Stalker reported into Flint about Twilight, Blaster asked Turborat about his missing Timey Whimy Ball, Red Alert cleared Rat to leave security, Alpha Trion advised Dust Devil on an offer from Cuffs, and Professor Arkeville had a run-in with Deadline and SG Snake-Eyes. And those were just the scenes of which I was personally a part! I was a very hectic night, but entertaining. When I got off the MUX I checked the Internets briefly and then went to bed.

Thursday I was sleepy after staying up far too late MUXing the night before. I got through the day with silos of coffee and short naps at work. After work I met Stsm at my apartment and we went back to A Passage to India for dinner. When we got back to my apartment we snuggled up and somehow I wound up telling her the long, rambling tale of my dating life from Anbepa forward. Stsm seemed amused and entertained, and eventually treated me to some highlights from her own life. We stayed up so late talking we never did get around to watching Mad Men, but our conversation was every bit as engaging.

Friday sucked. Work was incredibly annoying and busy, and not getting enough sleep didn’t help. After work I did get to talk to Ra on the way home, which was very pleasant. Jero and Ke wanted milkshakes, so I grabbed food and shakes and ate at Jero’s while catch up with her about her day. I then brought Ke her milkshake and we discussed whether or not we were going out to see Up as planned. None of us really felt in the mood to watch it, so we went out to Wal-Mart instead so Nivagi could pick up costume supplies for the party Saturday night. However, as soon as we pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot we heard the party was cancelled, so we just went back to Ke’s.

Today Ke and Nivagi had to work, so I went over to Jero’s for brunch and cuddles. We spent all day in bed snuggling and watching season two of The Big Bang Theory, which greatly improved my mood. At 6 I came back over to Ke’s to await Mira’s arrival for dinner. Since tonight’s party was cancelled, I’m not sure what’s we’ll get up to, but I’m sure we’ll enjoy her company no matter what. Jalyru made a tempting offer to go haunted-housing with her, but I think we’re just going to stay in town. Tomorrow I plan to run the next session of Mira’s World of Darkness campaign, so that should be a pleasant bit of geeky goodness.

“Who's the cat?”

-- Alex the Lion, Madagascar

Week in Review – October 11th – 17th

2009-10-21T02:57:00.001-04:00

Last week I was depressed and stressed most of the time. Losing Caro and Ra as girlfriends in the same week left me very melancholy and withdrawn all month. In Caro’s case it’s mostly just a re-definition of the way things have progressed rather than an actual change in the nature of our relationship, but the rational part of my brain hadn’t had much luck of convincing my emotional center of that. Pleasantly, however, actually *seeing* Caro this weekend helped things tremendously.

Last Sunday Jero and I slept late after her Saturday roller derby bout. When we did venture out, we got food and then tried to find printer ink for that night’s D&D campaign run by Marsh. We couldn’t find ink, which led to some technical difficulties since we couldn’t print character sheets. We made due until Marsh’s laptop died, and even then we still got an interesting beginning to Marsh’s new D&D 4e game. We didn’t get as far as Marsh planned, but we will play again soon and I’m looking forward to it.

Last Monday I was little depressed. That week was the anniversary of when I first met Juho, who after several years has disappeared into the ether, and of my first kiss with Caro, who had recently told me she doesn’t consider herself in a relationship with me anymore. I was mopey and distant all day, but talking with Mira and having dinner with Jero cheered me up, especially after I got to role-play with them both on the MUX. I got to spring a surprise for Carrie on the MUX as well, so it ended up being a cool night.

Last Tuesday when I got off work I went to the Poly Meetup. Ke, Nivagi, and Stsm were there as well as Mika and Tojo. I sat between Ke and a rather funny guy I hadn’t met before who was cracking us up with self-depreciating comments and stories. I hadn’t been to a Poly Meetup in a while, but I had a lot of fun, and it was nice to see Mika and Stsm as well as my girlfriends. After the meetup Ke, Nivagi, and I went back to Ke’s to sleep.

Last Wednesday I had a night alone to do laundry, MUX, and pack for my weekend. Nivagi considered coming over after her belly dance class, but she decided she was too tired and it was too cold for her to leave the house. Instead I got a lot done on my Shattered Glass TinyPlot on the MUX, and even got some journaling in before bed. I stayed up way too late for someone who had to get up early, but it was good just to enjoy time to myself.

I took Thursday off to get a ton of things done before I left for Minneapolis, but all I really got done was a follow-up checkup with the doctor and a pleasant lunch with Ke. Unfortunately I was still depressed, grumpy, and stressed, so after lunch I went back home to hide and pack for the weekend. I read some and then met Jero for dinner. She and I picked up season two of The Big Bang Theory and then snuggled to watch it. I stayed up too late again but I very much enjoyed the cuddles and distraction.

Friday morning Jero dropped me off at the airport and I flew to Minneapolis. When I arrived Caro picked me up and drove me to her new place which she shares with friends. I got to meet her new cat, who is a cute holy terror, and then we nestled together on her love seat and just kissed and hung out. I’d been really insecure since she redefined our (non-)relationship, but cuddling with her and catching up made me feel a lot better. We went out to dinner and then searched for The Big Bang Theory since I forgot to bring my copy. We failed in our mission, and so we watched Fight Club instead.

Saturday Caro and I slept late and then ran out for errands. We finally found a copy of The Big Bang Theory, but failed in our attempt to have sushi, going to eat some other cool place that was actually open. When we got back to Caro’s she grabbed a shower and then went back out so Caro could compete in a drunken spelling bee. It was a lot of fun, and Caro won with the word ‘luculent.’ I had a great weekend with Caro, and when I returned to Indianapolis Sunday night I felt much better about everything.

"I like to move it, move it / She like to move it, move it / He like to move it, move it / You like to... *move it*!"

-- Julian, singing, Madagascar

Week in Review – Week of October 4th – 10th

2009-10-13T18:36:00.000-04:00

Last week I moved to an earlier work schedule, which is definitely nicer for social plans. However, the workday is far more annoying because the phones never seem to stop ringing (I’m used to it quieting down after 8 PM). Also, AT&T recently started disallowing personal fans, so now I am dying of heatstroke all day. These factors combined have led me to feeling cranky and hateful through most of my eight-hour day. As a bonus, I’m paid less because it’s a day shift. The only benefit is that after I escape there’s actually time to go do things since Indianapolis isn’t closed.

Last Sunday morning I slept in with Ke and then we just had cereal so we could hide out from the world a little longer. When we did venture out we went shopping and then picked up dinner from Yats. We went to Ke’s to eat, and I got online to MUX since I had a big plot I was setting up and wouldn’t have time to do it Monday since I going to the movies. I paused long enough to tuck Ke into bed, and then got things started on TFU’s Shattered Glass TinyPlot.

Last Monday I started my new shift. I was sleepy and it was frustratingly busy all day, but I was happy to escape at 6 PM instead of 10. I met up with Jero after work and we went to see Whip It, which we both enjoyed, cheese and all. After the movie we grabbed some Denny’s and went back to her house. We snuggled on the bed and I popped on the MUX, although I was too tired to do much besides more setup for the TP. Jero was very sore from derby boot camp, so I massaged her limbs before we went to sleep.

Last Tuesday after work Ke and I went to Max & Erma's for dinner, taking advantage of my earlier shift to go somewhere that’s not 24 hours. We both had super-yummy mozzarella and tomato burgers, and then went back to my apartment for a change. I got on the MUX while Ke read entertaining articles from Fark.com. I tried not to get too involved in anything so I could go to bed when Ke wanted to, but I did manage to get some things done for the tinyplot.

Work Wednesday was extremely irritating. I was overheated all day and it lowered my ability to deal with the non-stop stream of idiots I kept getting on the phone. I had no plans that evening, but Jero was suffering from a migraine so I volunteered to take her out to dinner. I treated her to medicinal steak nubbins and got on the MUX at her place to get more done on the plot. When it was time for bed I headed over to Ke’s to snuggle Nivagi and her since Ke was grumpy and I’d been missing Nivagi.

Thursday when I got off work I met Stsm at my apartment and we went out to A Passage to India (previously called Udupi Café) for delicious Indian vegetarian food. When we got back to my apartment we listened to some Garfunkel and Oates and then snuggled up to watch Mad Men before bed. Mad Men is getting addictive, and so is Stsm, to be honest. I’m avoiding making any more time commitments I can’t keep, but I do love hanging out with Stsm when we both are free.

Friday was incredibly busy at work, but I survived. After work I picked up Nivagi and we went to see Zombieland, which was a LOT of fun and highly recommended. After the movie we grabbed food at Chili’s and went back to Nivagi’s, where we expected to find Ke sleeping. Instead, we beat Ke home, and she joined us after a loooong day at work. Nivagi was laptopping, so I popped onto the MUX, and MUXed while very distracted by Ke and Nivagi wrestling on Nivagi’s bean bag chair. B)

Saturday morning I got some snuggles from Nivagi and Ke and when went home to meet Jero after hr hair appointment. The two of us headed down to Bloomington, where Jero skated in the BHRG Monster Mash-Up bout on the Monster team, dressed as a Skrull. Once again the teams were perfectly matched, and the game was decided in the last few seconds, with the Zombies winning by 3 points. After the bout Jero and I went to Denny’s with Jalyru and my sister, hanging out until the wee hours.

“You didn't see anything!”
-- Skipper the Penguin, Madagascar

Week in Review – Week of September 27th – October 3rd

2009-10-02T22:12:00.000-04:00

This week was better than the last, if only because I’m a little less depressed. I’m still powerfully sleepy all the time, which seems to be more of a chemical thing than a lack of rest, but today at least I seem to be coming out of it. I have a quiet weekend planned, and then next week I move to a day schedule for the rest of the month, which should let me get out more since I won’t be at work until 10:15 PM. Who knows what craziness might be in store beneath the seldom-seen day ball.

Sunday Jero and I slept late following her bout Saturday night. When we did rouse ourselves we got a late brunch and then each of us went down to Bloomington – Jero to derby practice and me to pick up Caro. Caro and I had dinner at Sushi Bar and then I drove her to the airport so she could head back to Minnesota. I met up with Ke and Nivagi at their house and MUXed while Nivagi did laundry and errands. After we tucked Ke into bed Nivagi and I watched the season premiere of Dollhouse before snuggling up to sleep.

Monday morning I called and moved around some vacation days so I could go see Caro for our anniversary. Work was insanely busy during the afternoon, typical for a Monday, but quieted down in the evening. After work I went to Jero’s, where she made us food. Mira joined us on the MUX for the first time in ages, which made me happy – I’m hoping it will become a regular occurrence. I role-played some and stayed up way too late setting things up for the upcoming Shattered Glass TP I plan to run there soon – with luck, starting next week.

Tuesday morning I was awakened to the sounds of construction, since people were stripping out and rebuilding the interior of Jero’s garage. After work I went to Ke’s where she had made us beet soup. It sounded less-than-appetizing, but since it was basically just vegetable soup with cooked (non-pickled) beets in it, after Nivagi got done spicing it the result was actually quite tasty. I popped onto the MUX while Ke was busy on her laptop but then logged off to join her when she went to bed.

Wednesday was Ke and Mira’s anniversary, so that morning Ke called Mira to say Hello and wish her a happy day. Ke and I then went to Paragon for breakfast. After work I went back over to Ke and Nivagi’s to hang out with Nivagi. After a trip to Denny’s for dinner we cuddled up and watched the last episode of season four of Buffy. She and I are both feeling a little better, so it was good to be able to hang out without both of us being mopey.

Thursday morning Nivagi had to leave earlier than I, so I had a little time to pop onto the MUX and build some of the mirror world before heading in to the office. After work Stsm came over. We lay on my bed and caught up with each other’s lives before snuggling up to watch Mad Men. Stsm fell asleep about five minutes after we started the DVD, but since she’d seen them already I just let her sleep while I watched first season episodes four and five.

This morning Stsm had an early meeting, so she let me sleep in while she took off. I got up and showered, and when Stsm returned she brought us breakfast in bed. We ate then cuddled back up to watch her favorite episodeof Mad Men before I had to leave. Work was awful, being the first Friday of the month, but I did manage to at least finish all of my cuts before ten.

This weekend I’m spending with Ke and Nivagi. We’d discussed going to Metamora Canal Days with Tibere, but Tibere got into a car accident and is in the hospital. Instead, we’ll probably just check out the Fishers Ren Faire and otherwise just take things easy. Since I’m an obsessive freak I’m hoping I’ll get a chance to pop onto the MUX at some point and get some more work done, but if not I can always get to it Monday after Jero and I go see Whip It. Have a good weekend, all!

“Giraffe! Corner pocket!”
-- Alex the Lion, Madagascar