Week in Review – Week of 2010.04.11 – 04.17

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

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

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

Last Week (ending April 11th)

Last week things were a lot better. We at CWA aren’t striking yet (although we’ve reserved the right to since we don’t have a new contract yet), so I got to return to work and continue hoarding money in case negotiations break down and we wind up walking out next week. That’s alleviated some financial stress, and since things in my personal life have calmed down I’ve been happier in general. I’ve gotten to spend quality time with local peeps during the week, and on the weekends I’ve been able to travel to see Emmo, Ra and Sckl last weekend and Caro in Minneapolis this past weekend. I didn’t really get much alone time last week, but it was worth it.

Last Sunday morning in St. Louis Sckl and I cuddled Ra in bed before they had to get up to go to a brunch and I had to head back to Indianapolis to meet up with Mika. Although pouring rain made me a bit late picking her up, I had a nice evening. Mika and I had Chinese food and then snuggled and napped together. Mika seems willing to make more time to get together with me in the near future, so that's very encouraging. She's trying to force doctors to treat her symptoms seriously so she can sleep again and be more awake during the day, which she hopes will help her concentrate and better handle decision-making and stress.

Last Monday CWA still wasn’t striking, so I went back to work. We were crazy-busy all day, and I had a blinding headache I couldn’t get rid of. This wasn’t helped by the fact that I’d taken my analgesics home in preparation for the strike and hadn’t yet brought them back. After work Jero made us dinner and we each played on our laptops. We collected meat on Kingdom of Loathing and I worked on the MUX wiki since it was too late to do much role-playing. I set up a Twitter account for the MUX to alert players when characters are closing and TP events are starting, etc. Once my headache finally receded I was much more productive.

Last Tuesday work was just as crazy, and I got stuck on a cut that took me four hours to resolve. After work I stopped by Jero’s for a hug and kiss and to pick up my computer, which I’d left there so I didn’t have to lug it around all day at work. I then went to Ke’s to pick her up and run us out to McDonald’s for food. Ke was horrendously sleepy (she said her friend called it “experimenting with whole new levels of fatigue”), so we watched TV and played on our laptops while we ate and then just went to bed. I couldn’t fall asleep as quickly as Ke did, so I played a bit longer on the Internet, but eventually I shut things down and snuggled up to Ke to sleep.

Last Wednesday morning Ke and I got up a little early so we could have breakfast at Denny’s before I went into work. After work I went to Chpa and Nivagi’s. They know I'm poor and trying to save money, so Chpa cooked dinner for the three of us while Nivagi got ready to go over to my apartment. Nivagi and I had discussed going out, and eventually decided to just stay in to snuggle and watch anime. Nivagi introduced me to Samurai Champloo, and then we watched Cowboy Bebop until Nivagi passed out (it was a Shinichirō Watanabe night!). Nivagi’s going to try to find the rest of her Samurai Champloo discs so we can watch it from the beginning.

Last Thursday morning Nivagi and I left early so we could grab breakfast at Le Peep. Work continued to be extremely busy, with everyone apparently trying to get everything done before the Easter holiday weekend. Ke had said she wanted more snuggles, so after work I went to her house, once again bringing us food. Ke had a paper to write, so I got on the MUX and role-played with Temera and Sci-Fi as Barbecue, as well as with Stormwind and Uplift as Blaster and Typhoon. However, it turned out that Ke’s paper wasn’t actually due until FRIDAY at midnight, so she decided to turn in relatively early. I got off the MUX and joined her for cuddles and sleep.

Friday I expected work to suck since 90% of my co-workers were gone for Good Friday, but actually it was not that bad. I did wind up getting stuck with an ISDN mess since I was one of only four people in the five states working who’d been trained on them, but after the business office closed it was relatively quiet and I had a chance to catch up on my points for the day. After work I went to Jero’s and we got a new membership at Our Haven so we could go there for events, starting with Beltane next month. I checked my itinerary and packed for the weekend, and then the two of us went to bed since Jero was already unconscious on the couch.

This past weekend I went to Minnesota to see Caro for her birthday. It was great to spend time with her, even when I was just sitting next to her on the couch while she spun yarn. Jero drove me to the airport Saturday morning and Caro picked me up. After stuffing ourselves with yummy breakfast specials we went by the art store and then returned to her apartment to snuggle on the couch and watch Juno. We hung out while she spun yarn, and then went to see some of her friends at a karaoke bar and then to The Triple Rock to see The World/Inferno Friendship Society perform (I’m definitely a new fan). I’m glad I bought my plane tickets before the strike scare, or else I might have hoarded my money and not gotten to have that wonderful weekend with her.

Now I’m back in Indy and at work. This week has been sucky between work stress and fighting with my sister about money, but I have enjoyed time I’ve spent with my girlfriends, and so far work hasn’t managed to destroy my good mood today. Let’s hope it lasts!

New spinning fibers added!
Clearance yarns updated!

Dyeabolical™
Yarns and Spinning Fibers
http://dyeabolicalyarns.etsy.com
http://dyeabolicalyarns.blogspot.com

Week of February 7th

This week has been pretty quiet. A lot of my social plans got cancelled, so I mostly hung out with my girlfriends and worked on my wikis – Obsidian Portal for my D&D campaign, and Wikia for TFU. I’ve been feeling a lot more anti-social and geeky lately, so I’ve appreciated the quiet time. This weekend I get to role-play and travel, so that will be fun.

Sunday I was still feeling sickly, so I slept in late with Jero, and when we finally roused ourselves from bed we went out to Breakfast of Pain for brunch. When we got back, Jero and I finally pwn3d the Guardian that’s been giving us trouble forever in Icewind Dale II, and then I went over to Ke’s for dinner. Unfortunately I was still feeling sick all night, so all I could do was keep her company while she read and studied.

Monday I was feeling better, so I decided to forgo the doctor and try to be productive. I got some journaling done during the day while Ke was at school, and then met up with Jero when she got off work. We had dinner and I MUXed while we watched House M.D. I got to role-play a bit with Spike, one of my favorite players there, and even though my back was killing me, at least my stomach finally felt better.

Tuesday I was an hour late to work because of the snow. Not that I had any trouble driving in it, but for some reason no one else on the road was capable of moving forward. After work I met up with Ke. She came over to my apartment and I made us stir-fry while she cooked us corn. Ke was sleepy, so after dinner she went to bed and I moved my laptop into the bedroom so I could keep her company while she slept.

Wednesday night my plans got cancelled, so I brought Ke food while she was working on getting UVerse installed, and then went over to Jero’s. While Jero worked on financial matters, I worked on my TFU wiki, chatting with people on the MUX and overall trying to be productive as well. When Jero went to bed I joined her, and snuggled up with her to sleep.

Thursday my plans got changed as well, so I stayed home and worked more on wikis, both for the MUX and for my new D&D campaign. I logged on to the MUX again and got to role-play a bit with Stormwind and post about an upcoming TinyPlot. When Ke got off work she came over to my apartment and brought food, and she studied while I continued to play on my computer.

Yesterday I picked up Nivagi from work and we went out to dinner. When we got back to my apartment she got a call from her vet about the results of her ferret’s surgery, which left her in a stressed mood with mixed feelings about her pet. I snuggled her until she felt better, and then we both wound up passing out ridiculously early. We’d planned to go swimming, but we’ll have to try again next time we can find time to get together.

Tonight after work I’m role-playing with Mars. He’s running his old D&D campaign again, and Jero and Jobe will be joining us. Tomorrow I get to go see Ra in St. Louis. I have Monday off, so it can be a two-day visit. She and I haven’t resolved everything yet, but we should have some time to talk this weekend. Either way it will be very nice to see ScKe and her.

“Hee hee. ‘Get her.’ That was your whole plan. I like it; it was scientific.”
-- Dr. Peter Venkman, Ghost Busters

Week in Review

This week has been spent mostly recovering from my surgery last Thursday. I’ve been exceedingly lucky to have very sweet girlfriends who have been going out of their way to take care of me and to make things as easy for me as possible. I got an infection in my lungs that made part of this week rather uncomfortable, but otherwise things are going well overall.

Sunday I slept in and spent the morning with Jero. In the afternoon Ke and Mira came over and brought the four of us food. We all ate dinner, and then Jero headed home. Ke, Mira, and I hung out, watching episodes of Pushing Daisies and an episode of Star Trek Next Generation. Mira helped Ke study while I putzed on the computer.

Monday I hung out with Mira while Ke was in class. When Ke got back the three of us had lunch and snuggled until Mira had to head home. Ke took me to Jero’s, where I was looking forward to being able to get on the MUX before 10 PM for a change. However, by the time I got on I wasn’t feeling that great, so I idled watching Heroes, and then took a Vicodin and went to lie down.

Tuesday I hung out at Jero’s while she teleworked, and then she took me home so Mika could come over for a short visit. Mika brought me dinner. We ate, and were snuggled up to watch Firefly when Nivagi called to say she was downstairs. I had security let her in, and she joined Mika and me in my bed, with me in the middle. The three of us cuddled and watched “Bushwacked,” and when the disc was over we joked and teased while I enjoyed their company.

Wednesday Ra came to visit from St. Louis! Ke picked her up at the bus station and brought her over with lunch for the three of us. We ate and hung out until Ke had to head home to take a test online. Ra and I spent the rest of the night hanging out, catching up, and watching funny videos online. Ra eventually went to bed since she wasn’t feeling well, and I joined her soon after.

Ra and I spent most of Thursday in bed, until we had to get up and dressed for Jero to pick us up for dinner. Jero took us to Murphy's Steak House and treated us to an excellent dinner. After we got back Jero hung out with us for a while before heading home, whereby Ra and I returned to our previous sloth-like existence. Ra and I did take the time to have a long Relationship Talk, and discuss how labels were creating unrealistic expectations that I can’t hope to live up to. Here’s hoping she and I can work out a solution.

Friday morning I woke up coughing my head off, and after resisting Ra’s advice all week, finally called Dr. Moretto and got an appointment. The doc checked my lungs and said I had an infection, but also assured me that the prognosis for my testicular cancer was good or else I’d have heard back from my urologist already. I got medication and spend the day recovering with Ra.

Saturday Ra had to head back to St. Louis, so I took her to the bus station and we bid farewells. I spent most of the day alone, puttering around my apartment, reading, and attempting to get things done. When Ke got a break from work she brought me food, and we grabbed a nap (my second that day!) before she headed back out. She came back to sleep, and in time I joined her.

It’s been a week of sickliness, but also of seeing people I never get to see. It’s sad that I missed seeing Amsc this weekend since I was too sick to drive seven hours to the Grove. It was nice though to get unexpected time with Mira and Ra at the beginning and end of the week. I have my follow-up appointment with my urologist this Wednesday, and then back to work Friday.

"You know, I could run for governor but I'm basically a media creation. I've never done anything. I've worked for my dad. I worked in the oil business. But that's not the kind of profile you have to have to get elected to public office."
-- George W. Bush, 1989