Week in Review – Week of 2010.04.25 – 05.01

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

Spring Roll Derby Expo

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 Progress – 04.10

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

Weekend Update 2009.11.24

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.

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

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 Aug 30th – Sept 5th

Last week was mostly quiet. Jero got back from England, so it was good to see her again and spent time with her even when she was crazy-sleepy from jet lag. Nivagi moved in with Ke, but I had to work during most of the move so all I had to do to help was move a ferret cage. I finally got my yearly STI screening out of the way, and am still happy and healthy (no surprise there). My holiday weekend was pleasantly quiet and relaxing, and I got to spend time with people I never get to see, which always makes me happy. I’m way behind with my correspondence and journaling, which I need to make time to catch up on soon.

Last Sunday morning I got up early to drive down to Bloomington to help the Bleeding Heartland Roller Girls film their new movie, 8 Wheels of Death. I got to be a zombie extra, which was a lot of fun – plus, it was nice to see Erro and Brbe, and those I know on Jalyru and Jero’s derby team (although neither Jalyru nor Jero could make it, since Jalyru was moving and Jero was in England). After filming was over I headed back to Indy, where I got stuck in post-race traffic and ultimately had to park and walk back to Ke’s, still in full zombie makeup. I showered and then made dinner for Ke and Nivagi. The three of us ate and snuggled on Ke’s couch until it got late. We all went to my apartment to sleep, and Nivagi and I watched Dexter (Ke listened while trying to sleep) before bed.

Last Monday work was sucky and stressful. I did manage to pull my numbers up for August, and my new boss said he considers me a hard worker and all that, which as always good. Monday night when I escaped work I went over to Jero’s to see her. She’d just gotten back from England, so she was jetlagged and sleepy, but she did wake up long enough to show me pictures and souvenirs and to tell me a little about her trip. I’d so love to go back to the UK with her, since she’s a British history enthusiast and it would be very cool to go places with someone who was excited to be there. Maybe someday, if I’m ever not broke….

Last Tuesday morning I hung out at Jero’s while she teleworked and then headed into my own job. I stayed home to clean up my apartment since Hebe and P37 were going to spend the weekend at my place while they were in Indy. However, I quickly got sucked onto the MUX instead, and spent most of the night role-playing with Coldsnap and our new Slingshot as Typhoon, as well as verbally pwning Air Raid and Dust Devil as Sky Lynx (I almost felt a little bad doing that ;)). I did make time to give my bathroom a quick once-over before I went to bed, as well as get a little laundry done so I had clean jeans for the rest of the week. I wanted to journal as well, but I’d already stayed up far too late so eventually I just shut down my laptop and forced myself to go to sleep.

Last Wednesday I slept until the very last moment before I had to shower and go into work. That night I got together with Nivagi, and we went out to the Red Eye Café for dinner before going home to watch Dexter before bed. We’d planned not to stay up late since I had an early appointment in the morning, but Dexter sucked us in. We’d just finished season one recently and almost immediately started up season two. Usually Nivagi falls asleep after one episode, but she was strangely awake Wednesday night so we took advantage of it and wound up staying up until 3 or 4 AM. If I didn’t have appointments in the morning we’d have prolly watched Dexter ‘til dawn.

Last Thursday morning I got up early to call Bell Flower to make an appointment for my yearly STI screening and then went back to bed until Hebe and P37 came by to pick up the key to my apartment. Nivagi and I showered and headed to my appointment, and afterward we met Ke for a quick lunch before I had to go to work. After work I stopped by Ke’s to drop off Nivagi’s bag and help her carry in her ferret cage, and then went to Jero’s where we hung out a little before going to bed early to catch up on more sleep (Jero was still jetlagged, and I was exhausted after getting up every two hours all morning for appointments, etc.).

Last Friday morning Jero unexpectedly had another telework day, so I hung out with her on her breaks until heading out to meet Stsm for lunch at a tasty Indian buffet. I enjoyed hanging out and catching up with Stsm, and will definitely have to go back to that Indian place again. After work Ke made dinner, so I got to enjoy a good meal of mixed veggies, pork roast, and rice. Ke, Nivagi and I sat around in Ke’s living room playing on laptops until first Nivagi, and then Ke wandered off to bed. Nivagi had to get up early, so she went to bed separately in her new bedroom. I finally finished what I was doing and joined Ke in bed to sleep.

Saturday I headed down to Louisville to see Laat. When I arrived she showed me her new apartment and then we went up to her building’s balcony to hang out and enjoy the pleasant weather before going to a Kentucky bluegrass festival to see her friends’ band play. We were invited to go to a bar afterward with more of Laat’s friends, but instead we stopped by the store to buy avocados, butter, lime chips, and melons, and spent the evening quietly hanging out eating chips with avocado dip and homemade rice crispie treats. Laat had an insanely hectic week ahead of her, so I was all too happy to just chill with her and watch weird independent films on TV instead of venturing out. Laat conked out before I did, so I just finished watching whatever was on and then turned everything off to sleep.

Julian: “I like them too!”
Mort the Mouse Lemur: “Well, you hate them compared to how much I like them!”
-- Madagascar

Week in Review – Week of 2009 Aug 16th – Aug 22nd

Last week seemed to speed by incredibly quickly. It might have had something to do with the fact that I had the week before off for Gen Con, and then Thursday off work to go with Jero to see the Eagles play the Colts. I did get to see Mira a bit on her way back from her Chicago trip with Ke and Nivagi, so that was a pleasant bonus (not to mention getting to see Ke and Nivagi, which is always nice!).

Last Sunday was the last day of Gen Con, so Jero and I headed back to the convention center for one final day of geekiness. We didn’t have any games scheduled, so we wandered the dealer room and then went to a paint-and-take workshop that Jero has wanted to go to for years. We painted little miniatures and then went back to the dealer room so I could pick something up for B! and R@(.

When the Con ended Jero and I escaped for a quiet dinner to recharge our social batteries, and then went back to my apartment for a smaller geek get-together. A group of our friends showed up to hang out, and since it was B!’s final game night for a while (he was moving to Virginia later that week), we played a long game of Munchkin before heading to Denny’s for a last meal.

Last Monday morning I went to Ke’s to see Mira before she headed back to Evansville. She had spent the weekend in Chicago with Ke and Nivagi, and they got back late. The three of them were still asleep when I arrived, but woke up after I let myself in. I hung out with them until I had to go to work and then kissed Mira goodbye before leaving and heading into the office. Work was quiet and surprisingly failed to ruin my good mood from the weekend.

After work I went to Jero’s to MUX, but since aerosar.net was down I mostly just hung out on the couch with Jero reading TVTropes while we played on our laptops. Cawh eventually IMed me to tell me the MUX was back up, but by that point I was tired, so I just got some admin stuff done and tried to catch up my week’s month’s year’s backlog of email and journal notes. When it got too late Jero and I shut down out laptops and went to bed.

As nice as work was Monday, Tuesday more than made up for it in shittiness. Every call was crap, everyone I spoke to was an idiot, and every order I pulled down was an absolute mess that took me ages to resolve with little to no credit for my effort. Things did calm down after lunch, but by then there was no work, which made my points-per-hour rate suffer even more. They’re cutting back on e-time, so I was stuck there ‘til 10:15.

After work I hid out at home. I was originally planning to try to be productive, but Cawh had convinced me to log onto the MUX Tuesday since I wasn’t able to roleplay Monday night. When I got on, Anpe suggested a scene where the Decepticons cause trouble for G.I. Joe, so I ran a combat between Valour on one side and Ace, Slipstream, and Wisp on the other. It wound up being a lot of fun (the Joes ultimately won – barely).

Wednesday morning I stayed up until 6ish role-playing online and doing laundry, so I slept right up until the point I needed to get up and go to work. Work wasn’t as bad, although we didn’t have much to do so I spent a lot of time wishing they hadn’t started getting so stingy with e-time again (not that I can afford it if they offer it…). They want us to do busywork instead, which I’ve been resisting on principle.

Wednesday night Ke called me as I was getting off work, letting me know she was escaping also and was hungry. I’d planned to meet Nivagi at 11 anyway, so the three of us got together and went to the Red Eye Café. I was feeling a little down, so I was mostly quiet while Ke and Nivagi chatted. After we ate Ke headed home and Nivagi went up to my apartment. It was late by then and both of us were tired so we pretty much just went immediately to bed.

Thursday I took off work to go with Jero to the Colts/Eagles game. I had big plans for productivity with my morning off, but instead I slept late with Nivagi and then just relaxed and read X-Men: Messiah Complex for a while before calling Dada to wish her a happy birthday. I got to talk to Ra as well before it was time to get dressed and head to Jero’s house.

Jero had just completed her day of telework, so we went downtown and had dinner before going to the football game. Jero’s team lost, unfortunately, but I still had a great time going with her and enjoying her enthusiasm while they played. After the game we went to the top of my parking garage and took pleasure in the cool breeze and pretty view before headed back to Jero’s to collapse into exhausted sleep.

Friday Jero had to go into work early, so I went over to Ke’s for a few hours to nap before going into the office. Work absolutely sucked, and was more or less a repeat of Tuesday – stressful crap all day, and then not enough to do at night so my points-per-hour continued to descend into hell. I tried to work on the wiki, but some script from the new skin I tried was killing my computer, so I had to give up.

Friday night, though, I started celebrating my one-year anniversary weekend with Nivagi. She made dinner for Ke and me, although Ke didn’t each much since she wasn’t feeling well. The salad and tortellini with vodka sauce Nivagi prepared was incredibly good, however, so Nivagi and I more than made up for what Ke didn’t eat. The three of us hung out in the living room for a little while before going to bed to cuddle and sleep.

Saturday Nivagi had to work, so I slept in and snuggled with Ke until hunger drove us from the bed. Ke and I went to the Paragon Restaurant, which I hadn’t tried before. The food was very good, and I definitely intend to go back. Eventually Ke had to leave for her job, too. I hopped onto the MUX quickly to approve two new Players before heading home to meet Nivagi.

Nivagi and I went upstairs to snuggle and nap for a while, enjoying the rare chance to hang out before 11 PM. We then ventured out to get food, stuffing ourselves with yummy noodles. Once full, we headed back to my apartment to cuddle and watch Dexter. It was a slow, lazy day, and an excellent way to cap off and celebrate our first year together. I’m very much looking forward to the next one together.

Private the Penguin: “Skipper... don't you think we should tell them that the boat's out of gas?”
Skipper the Penguin: “Naah... just smile and wave, boys; smile and wave.”
-- Madagascar

Week in Review – Week Ending June 27th

Last week was extremely enjoyable, even if it seemed to zoom by far too quickly. I started the week with a visit to Ra and Sckl, got to hang out with Jero and Nivagi during the week, had lunch with Stsm, and then spent the weekend celebrating my three-year anniversary with Ke by driving down with her to Evansville to spend time with Mira. Woot!

Last Sunday morning when I got up Ra was already awake. I joined her in the living room and we watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. When Sckl woke up he made us breakfast before they left to see Ra’s dad for Father’s Day. I hung out in their apartment and read HPOP until they got back. We took a micro-nap and then went to Sckl’s family’s house. They were extremely nice, and man, they can cook – I may have to invite myself up there every Father’s Day! I had a great time with them all.

Last Monday morning I drove back to Indianapolis to go to work. The phones were insane all day and I was relieved when things finally calmed down in the evening before I escaped. That night I went over to Jero’s to roleplay on the MUX. Jero hadn’t been feeling well so she was treating herself to the five-hour version of Pride and Prejudice – apparently Colin Firth is a panacea. I ate quickly and jumped online. Since the event that was supposed to happen that night failed to get off the ground, I hung out for a while and then logged off. Jero and I watched G.I. Joe: Resolute before calling it a night and snuggling up to sleep.

Last Tuesday night I took some time to myself to catch up on my huge backlog of email, journaling, and laundry. I still have a ton to do at home, but some time for just me was very good. I pleasantly wasted a lot of time trying to read everything on the Internet, and then buckled down and got some productivity done before bed. I stayed up late but was still able to sleep until I woke up on my own, fifteen minutes before my alarm.

Last Wednesday night I went back over to Jero’s after work. She was passed out asleep, exhausted after derby practice. I let her sleep while I talked to Ra on the phone and then carefully woke her up to see if she wanted to hang out or go back to sleep for the night. We moved to the couch to hang out and chat, but Jero was still really sleepy, so before long we decided to give up and just go back to bed.

Thursday I had lunch with Stsm before work, and after work picked up Nivagi and brought her back to my apartment. Nivagi wanted to help me with my latest attempt at healthier living, so she offered to work out with me in my building’s exercise room. I only spent about 20 minutes on the elliptical machine, but it was a start if nothing else. I steamed some pasta and veggies for dinner and then we called it a night.

Friday morning I brought Nivagi to check out a car, which she bought (yay self-mobility!). We had lunch with Ke, and then Ke brought Nivagi home so I could go into work. After work I went to Ke’s, who managed to stay awake about 10 more minutes after I got there before passing out completely. I stayed up for a while reading more HPOP before turning off the light and joining her in slumber.

Saturday and Sunday Ke and I were celebrating our three-year anniversary, so we went down to Evansville to spend all weekend snuggled in bed with Mira. We picked up my sister on the way down to Bloomington, and hung out with my mom for about an hour before heading over to Mira's. Mira cooked dinner Saturday night and made breakfast Sunday morning so we never had to leave her apartment! We got in plenty of lazy cuddles as well as spending time with her roommate while he played Final Fantasy X and worked on his chainmail. It was a wonderful escape and Mira made sure we both had an excellent time (without spending any money besides gasoline). Happy anniversary, Ke! Thanks for being so amazing! Thanks as well to Mira for a fantastic time during our visit! B)

“Momma told me never to do the dance of joy alone, or I would go blind.”

-- Balki Bartokomous, Perfect Strangers

Week in Review – Week Ending June 20th

This has been a pretty nice week, although concerns about my long-term health have preoccupied my mind (that, and a strong desire to role-play since my post-birthday game night). I had a rare week where I got off work before 10 PM, so I took advantage of that fact the best I could with no money whatsoever. I got to MUX, visit Laat, attend a hafla, and spent time with friends and lovers, so I’ll chalk this week up as a win.

Sunday Jero and I called for a late check-out and then headed to my mother’s to have brunch with her and my sister Chhu. After we ate Chhu and Mom asked me if I could help them change the tire on Mom’s Malibu – something I was glad to do, until I found out when we arrived at a junkyard that they didn’t actually have a tire yet. We spent two hours baking in 100+ degrees sun until Jero found something that might work.

Escaping at last, Jero and I stopped in Terre Haute to grab dinner, and then finally made it back to Indy. I went over to Ke’s, where she was spending the weekend with Nivagi. We snuggled Nivagi on the couch before driving her home. We returned to Ke’s and hid in her bedroom to watch The Colbert Report and NCIS until late in to the early morning.

Monday I went over to Jero’s to MUX. Two of our admin returned recently from hiatus, and it is wonderful to have them back. The MUX has undergone a mini-revival, and I’m trying to get online as often as possible (which still isn’t that often, alas) to take advantage of that fact. We have a new Megatron, so I got a chance to role-play with him as both as my shy data-analyst character Floodlight and my brave warrior Valour.

I also got to carry on some RP I’d started Friday with Spike, continuing Buster’s birthday celebration with his brother. I followed up on Friday’s RP as Ace as well, role-playing out his guilt and recovery with Mara after his disastrous run-in with the Baroness and Vypra in Australia. I had a lot of fun with everyone and look forward to the next event scheduled Monday.

Tuesday I felt internal pressure to find time to hang out with people not available during my normal until-10:15-PM schedule, since this week I left work at 6:15. However, none of the most-hard-to-schedule people got back to me, and I was really feeling peopled-out, so I decided to be selfish and took the night alone. I stayed up way too late and got caught up on a tiny fraction of my email, journaling, and laundry.

Wednesday after work I headed down to Louisville to visit Laat. She took me out to dinner since I’m poor, and I had a Hot Brown since I was in Louisville and hadn’t had one as far as I could recall. It wasn’t quite as good as it sounded, but it was still quite yummy. After dinner we relaxed and hung out until Laat’s waitress friend came in to work. After hellos and hanging out with her a bit Laat and I went back to Laat’s apartment.

Since Laat was sleepy and her DVD player wasn’t working, we elected to just go to bed and snuggle and talk until we fell asleep. She apologized for being a “bad host” but really I’m very happy that we’ve gotten to the point were we can just hang out without having to be “on.” We used to only see each other once a year or less, so we had to cram a lot of visiting until each get-together. Now that she lives so close we can just get together and relax, which is a lot less stressful for me.

Thursday morning I got up early to drive back to Indy in time for my shift, and since I avoided bad weather and traffic I actually arrived early to the office and got to talk with Jero and Ra on the way. At work they sent a lot of people home early on e-time, so once again it seemed that our little group was stuck taking all the calls. This stressed me out quite a bit, and I could *feel* my blood pressure rising call after call.

This got me thinking about my health and what I need to do more specifically than just “eat better and exercise more.” I solicited ideas online, and since I had some time before Nivagi got off work, started thinking about how and when I could put better lifestyle choices into effect. I picked up Nivagi from work and we had dinner before returning to my apartment so I could massage her sore muscles before we snuggled and slept.

Friday work was insanely busy and I barely made it through the day, especially since I was trying not to gorge myself with caffeine (limiting stimulants sucks!). When I got home I had some time before Nivagi got off work, so I turned on my laptop to check blogs and email before dinner. I lay down “just for a minute” while my computer booted up, and wound up sleeping until Ke called to say she was nearly here.

I stumbled downstairs to meet Ke and together we went to pick up Nivagi from work. We brought Nivagi home to change into belly-dancing gear and then the three of us drove to Zionsville for dinner at Zorba’s Greek restaurant. il Troubadore was playing entertaining music that Nivagi and her friends danced to as a pleasant compliment to the yummy food. After dinner we went back to Chpa and Nivagi’s so she could tend to her pets before going away for the weekend, and then Ke, Nivagi and I returned to my apartment to swim, hot lukewarm tub, and sleep.

Today when I get off work I’m driving to St. Louis to see Ra and Sckl. I wanted to go to the Circle City Socialites bout with Jero, but I haven’t seen Ra in ages, so I decided to skip it this time so I don’t arrive in Missouri too late. Unfortunately I work Monday so it will have to be a lightning visit, but I always enjoy time with Ra and Sckl so I’m sure the trip will be well worth it.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

“Chickenfeet, come back! You're not a freak! You're just stupid!”
-- Dib, Invader Zim

Week in Review – Week Ending 2009 May 16

This week has been up and down emotionally, but mostly good. I’m working a relatively normal day shift for a change, with the tradeoff being it’s Saturday and I’m here in the office. I’ve been reminded that I don’t actually like working during the day, since the calls are non-stop and not actually worth any points. Still it’s nice to be able to get off work when people are actually awake and available to hang out. My friend Laat took advantage of this opportunity and drove up to see me on Thursday.

Sunday for Mother’s Day I actually had a good time hanging out with my mom in Evansville. She’s not feeling as depressed as she was, and while she is having a little trouble following conversations and tends to interrupt a lot, it was good to see her and she was very happy my sister Chhu and I visited. We took her out for an Italian dinner at her favorite place in Evansville, all three of us seemed to benefit from the time we were there.

Monday I had the day off since I’m working Saturday, so I enjoyed some time to myself, finishing another section in Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal before heading over to Jero’s for dinner. After we ate we snuggled up to watch the final episodes of Dollhouse, which were excellent. We did take time out in the middle to watch Castle, which remains a guilty pleasure.

Tuesday was crazy-busy with calls, and no e-time since they’ve come up with a busywork project for us when we run out of orders. When at last I got off work I grabbed Nivagi and we went by Ke’s lab to pick her up for dinner. We three went out for yummy noodles and hung out until Ke had to go back to work. Nivagi and I went to my place and headed down to the hot tub downstairs, cooling off in the pool when we got too warm. When we had soaked enough we came back upstairs, showered, and went to bed to snuggle since we both had to work early the next morning.

Wednesday night Ke and I went out to dinner before returning to her place to laptop and snuggle. We tested to see if we could both fit in her sleeping bag (not really – that only worked when she was still exclusively dating petite women!) and then she looked up camping supplies online for her birthday weekend while I tried to get caught up on email and the Internets. Neither of us really wanted to go to sleep, but since we both had to be up early Ke eventually lured me to bed.

Thursday Laat came up to visit me and met me at my apartment after work. She was tried from the drive from Evansville, so we napped for a while and then watched Lost before heading out to eat. Laat’s on a week’s vacation she took from work for her birthday, and I was very pleased she chose to spend part of it with me. She missed the televised season finale of Grey’s Anatomy, but watched it Friday morning online instead before heading back to Louisville.

Jero and I got off to a rough start to our anniversary Friday but smoothed things out in time for a nice evening. For dinner Jero and I went out to a new Chinese buffet that opened near her, and we were both very pleased with the food and service. Besides yummy Chinese food and sushi, Jero got to enjoy blue crab and other types of crab legs and I got yummy steak to share. We got shakes on the way back to her house to complete an evening of culinary indulgence, followed by SingStar 80's (at last).

Today I had to work, and I traded with a coworker to come in early so she could go to a morning event with her kid. I hate working Saturdays, and it certainly was an unwelcome interruption in my anniversary weekend with Jero. Tonight when I escape, Jero and I are heading down to Bloomington for dinner and then the Bleeding Heartland Roller Girls PANTS OFF DANCE OFF SEASON KICK-OFF PARTY, which should be a lot of fun. It should definitely make up for my crappy day at work.

"I believe what I said yesterday -- I don't know what I said, but I know what I think, and, uh, I assume it's what I said."
-- former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

Week in Review – Week Ending May 9

This past week I was back on my usual late shift. It made sleeping easier for me; although of course now I’m back to keeping other people up to all hours when sometimes they have to work in the morning. Oops. The next three weeks will have me working during the day or back on the 2 AM shift, so I guess my friends and lovers can stand one week of late nights this month. B)

Sunday morning Jero and I stayed up near dawn around the bonfire, partially to enjoy the revelry, and partially because we didn’t want to return to our tent and freeze to death like we had the night before. When we did return to our tent we came up with a new sleeping bag arrangement that was much warmer and so we slept better than we had on Saturday.

When Jero and I woke up we had some sandwiches, showered and then broke down the tent. We said our goodbyes and headed to Bloomington for Jero’s derby practice. I got to hang out with Jalyru, which was fun, and afterward Jero and I dragged Jalyru out to dinner. After eating, Jero and I headed back to Jero’s where we unloaded her car and then promptly passed out. It was a good weekend. B)

Monday morning Jero headed to work early and by the time I got up I realized I’d left my keys and wallet in Jero’s glove compartment. *facepalm* Luckily Jero got off work just a couple hours into my shift, so I was able to take a minimum of unpaid personal time and hustle into the office as soon as Jero got home. Unfortunately as soon as I got there I got yelled at since one of the managers is a jerk, but c'est la vie.

After work Monday I went back to Jero’s to eat and pick up my laptop and then went over to Ke to hang out and give her some snuggles. She’s been feeling cranky and since I’d just spent the weekend with Jero she was OK with me canceling our usual Monday plans so I could go cuddle Ke until she felt better. Ke and I talked a bit about what was bothering her and she was decidedly less cranky by the time we slept.

Tuesday morning Ke cooked me breakfast (yummy Canadian bacon, cheese and egg English muffin sandwiches) and then I showered and headed over to Jero’s with lunch. Jero and I got in a little bit of snuggles before I had to head into work. At work I talked to Mars about joining Ke and me for Star Trek this weekend, but since we were going to the 10 PM show near Speedway it was too late for him. B! and he went to an earlier IMAX showing instead, so I’ll have to talk to Mars about it Monday.

Tuesday after work I went to Chpa and Nivagi’s to meet up with Nivagi. We ran by Jimmy Johns to pick up sammiches and then headed back to my apartment to eat. I ran downstairs to pay my rent and hang a derby poster and then came back up with the intention of snuggling Nivagi and watching Dexter. However, the more Nivagi and I cuddled and talked, the less we wanted to watch DVDs, so we eventually snuggled and slept instead.

Wednesday morning I dropped Nivagi off at work and then went home from some alone time. I got to talk to Mira on the phone and accomplished a little journaling and laundry. I tried to grab some caffeine on the way to work but after sitting in the drive-thru for 20 minutes I had to give up and just go into work, which left me cranky. I napped during my break to re-set my mood, and felt better by the end of my shift.

Wednesday night I escaped from work and ran home to put in some more laundry before Gwde arrived. Gwde grabbed food on the way to Indy so we’d have time to hot tub before it got too late. After hot-tubbing we showered and then lay down to listen to music, relax and snuggle. It was definitely nice to hang out with her twice in one year. We’ll have to get together again before another year passes!

Thursday Gwde didn’t have to work so we slept in before going out to the Bonjour Café for breakfast. I tried some new spiced-chicken pita that was pretty good and then headed to work early enough to get some caffeine this time. At work I found out we might be getting dual flat-screen monitors soon which will definitely make me feel more like a super-villain. Muhuhuhuhahahah!

Work was busy in the morning and then quieter later in the evening. After work I went to Jero’s to hang out, since we’d cut out usual Monday date short. Unfortunately Jero’s laptop is dead, so she spent some time fighting with it while we ate and hung out. She was eventually defeated by laptop gremlins so we gave up and went to bed so she could get some sleep before work.

Friday morning I slept late at Jero’s after she went to work (cruelly teasing her about it over Twitter). When I woke up I played on my computer until Jero got home and then hung out with her. Ke called to tell me she was free after her last final and work for the week, so I went over to Ke’s and we napped until it was time to get up and go to meet Chwi and Melawi to go see the new Star Trek movie.

I loved Star Trek. I’m a long-time fan and I’m impressed how they captured the essences of the classic characters, while giving themselves room for a fresh start and a new continuity. I’m fan enough to get most of the little references without screaming about how they had the wrong number of pips on X character’s cuff and therefore the movie was crap. After the movie Chwi, Ke, Melawi and I retired to Denny’s to dissect and discuss.

Saturday morning Ke woke me up with breakfast and exuberant post-finals energy since she’d finally caught up on sleep at last. She ran around her house getting things accomplished while I tried to sneak five-minute naps where I could. Finally I left to head to Bloomington to meet up with Chhu since Chhu and I were driving down to see Mom today for Mother’s Day.

I drove Ke’s car to Chhu’s since Ke was taking mine up to have my brake pads changed by her mechanically-inclined brother (thanks, Ke!). Chhu drove us the rest of the way to Evansville, where we met Mom at her sister Jamcde’s. We drove Mom home and ordered pizza, and then all hung out until Chhu and Mom were ready to head to bed. I got to see Mira briefly when she dropped by to pick something up, so that was a pleasant bonus.

Today Chhu and I are hanging out with Mom and plan to take her out to dinner tonight. Happy Mother’s Day, all!

Shredder: “You fight well... in the old style. But you've caused me enough trouble. Now you face...The Shredder!”
Don: “’The Shredder’?”
Mike: “Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw.”

-- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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 in Review – March.28

Last week was pretty nice, marred only by lingering depression and stress, most of which relates to things outside my control. Still, time spent with my friends and lovers was fantastic, and as long as I didn’t have too much time to dwell on lost loves and what I couldn’t change or help any more than I was already, I was pretty happy. I got some time alone on Thursday, and the rest of the week I was surrounded by wonderful people who make me very happy, so I have no real complaints.

Wednesday morning my alarm went off at 7 and I had a hard time getting back to sleep. When I finally did get up Ke and I went to have breakfast at Perkins and then grabbed a nap before I went into work. After work I picked Nivagi up and met her new girlfriend as well as getting to say hello to her two other boyfriends, both of whom I really like. Nivagi and I went back to my apartment and tried to watch the first episode of Dexter online, but got pwned, so I’m going to have to buy the season one DVD when I can afford it (maybe not this week – we at AT&T might strike soon).

Thursday night I had no plans, so I decided to take the night to myself and unwind before my weekend in Evansville. I got to talk to Mira for a couple of hours after work, and then I called Jero to wish her a good night before she went to sleep. I’d meant to be productive and journal, but by the time I got off the phone I was pretty sleepy, so I listened to BSG commentary and just posted some backdated entries I’d written earlier before curling up with my pillows and going to sleep.

Friday I got paid, which is always good, but then immediately almost all of it went out for rent, car payment, and parking, which sucked. After work I went over to Jero’s. She had just gotten back from derby practice, so she was understandably tired. We talked about things to do since neither of us had to be up terribly early in the morning, but since she was exhausted and I had a long drive the next day we wound up just snuggling and watching Bones until we fell asleep.

Saturday I picked Ke up and we drove down to Evansville to see Mira. We met Mira at her house and then went to a sushi place to have dinner with Mira’s friends. After gorging on yummy sushi, Ke, Mira and I went to Hebe and P37’s apartment to hang out and watch Commentary! The Musical for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which was very amusing. Ke, Mira and I then retired to our hotel, which had a shower big enough for three and a huge comfy bed, in which we immediately conked out after a long fun day.

Sunday Ke, Mira, and I went out for breakfast and then napped at Mira’s before Ke and I drove back to Indy. Last night I hung out at Jero’s, and tonight I plan to see Ke. Tomorrow night Jero and I are going to go see The Lost Boys in the theatre as part of Jero’s belated birthday present, and I’m hoping to maybe get together Thursday with Nivagi to work on role-playing stuff if she’s free. This weekend I’m going up to St. Louis for emmo’s housewarming party, and I’ll get to see Ra, too! Woot!

"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is 'to be prepared.'"

- former Vice-President Dan Quayle

Amsc – Weekend 2009.03.02

Last weekend I talked to Amsc about the fact that she’s met a guy she likes who is monogamous. I told her if she needed to take a break with me to explore things with him, we could. I don’t want to give Amsc up, but I also think since she lives so far away it would be selfish to restrict her chances at a full-time local relationship to keep her available to me the four days a month we get to see each other.

Amsc thought it might not be fair to just say, “OK, never mind! Game on!” if things don’t out with New Guy. She’s concerned about treating me unfairly, especially with my recent troubles with Mika. However, Amsc has been up front with me about her needs and the problems she has with us long-term, and I don’t want her to feel pressure to “choose” him or me. I want her to be able to explore things without additional stress.

I’m trying to think of this in terms of win-win. If things work out with New Guy (or someone else later on), is happy, and I’ll still presumably get to do most everything I do with her now, minus the sex and maybe some of the snuggling, depending on New Guy’s comfort level. If things don’t work out, I’ll still get to date Amsc, and maybe she’ll feel less like I’m a restriction on her dating opportunities.

I had a very good weekend with Amsc. If it winds up being our last weekend together as a couple, it will be a nice bookend to our first nights together. While there, I tried to focus less on “I might lose Amsc” and more on, “If this is my last weekend with her, let me enjoy it fully so I can look back and smile.” If it turns out that Amsc and I only get two years together, I will try to be happy I had two years with such a wonderful woman.

Weekend

I had a very pleasant weekend. I got to meet new people, spend time with the only family I actually like, and see friends and lovers with whom I normally don’t ever get enough time. Friday night Mika and I went over to Mars's to play Runebound. Mika and I'd originally intended to have a night alone and maybe a date night (as opposed to the usual case, where by time I get off work it's nearly time to sleep), but Mars had one of his rare nights free so Mika agreed to change plans. Runebound turned out to be one of Mars’s fun-but-endless games, so we wound up hanging out at his house until 4 AM.

Saturday I woke up before Mika and realized I’d somehow managed to lose my flash drive the night before. I looked for it until Mika woke up, and then drove by Mars’s on the way to the poly picnic to see if I’d dropped it outside his house. Mika and I met back up at the picnic, but I didn’t have long to hang out before I had to drive down to Bloomington to meet Mira at Chhu and Jalyru's for Chhu's 30th birthday party. Jalyru had planned a photo scavenger hunt that turned out to be a lot of fun, and I got to meet more of Chhu and Jalyru’s cool circle of friends. Good times!

Sunday Ke, Mira and I went to the Indy Irish Fest for breakfast and to see the kilt race. I escaped without spending much money, which was good, and then Mira and I went back to Ke’s while Ke went to work. I was dead-tired all morning from staying out late at Chhu and Jalyru’s, so Mira insisted I nap until Ke got home. We all had dinner together, and then Mira and I role-played while Ke got some sleep. It was excellent to see Mira before she had to head back to E’ville.

This week has been good so far – work hasn’t been that unpleasant, and for once I’m not booked to my eyeballs, so I have a little time to relax and catch up on my life. My mom is still crazy, but getting better, so now she’s only calling 20 times a day instead of 200. I’m hoping things continue to calm down at work and otherwise so that eventually I can get back to what passes for normal. This weekend Jero is getting to play with the Circle City Socialites at their first bout, so that should be fun and exciting.

"Some see the move as an attempt to preserve traditional values, while others see it as a cynical ploy to ensure that Vice President Cheney will never have to pay for his gay daughter's wedding."
-- Jon Stewart, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," on the gay marriage ban

Great Weekend

I had a very nice weekend, although since I had to work on Saturday so I didn’t get as much rest, sleep, or time as I would have liked. Friday when I got off work Ke came over to she and I could drove down to Bloomington to go to a party with muppetofthenight and my sister. We had to nap before we left since we were both so tired, and on the way to the party we stopped at my mom’s to pick up a dishwasher.

I had fun at J031’s birthday party, even though Ke and I couldn’t stay late since she had class in the morning and I had to work. We made it back to my apartment alive and slept until I had to go to work and she to class. We were anticipating trouble getting downtown because of a marathon that day, but while Ke had problems dealing with the marathon fans I got in without incident.

For a Saturday, work wasn’t actually that bad. When I got off work I intended to go straight to St. Louis to see Ra, but I forgot my cell phone hands-free so I had to run home before leaving town. The drive was long but uneventful, and I got into St. Louis around ten PM, calling to tease Ra that I was just leaving.

Saturday night Ra and I kissed, cuddled, and snuggled up on the couch to watch Buffy season five. Ra’s husband Sckl had to go to bed earlier than we did, so we turned the sound down and watched two more episodes with the subtitles on since our hearing isn’t the greatest. Ra and I stayed up long enough to finish the first disc, and then joined Sckl in sleep.

Sunday morning Ra and Sckl let me sleep late, while Ra grabbed a shower and Sckl made us breakfast. I got up and ate, and the three of us re-watched the Buffys that Sckl missed because he went to bed earlier than Ra and I. We discussed what we wanted to do that day, and decided to go comic shopping before Sckl’s date with M@-6.

Sckl and I grabbed showers and snuggled Ra until Sckl had to leave for his date. Ra and I went out comic shopping and grabbed lunch. We went back to her apartment and snuggled more before moving to the living room to watch more Buffy. We ordered pizza and watched Buffy until Sckl came home, paused it to hang out until he went to bed, and then stayed up watching more.

Monday morning after staying up late watching Buffy with Ra I slept for about four hours before having to get on the road back to Indianapolis. I reluctantly kissed Ra good-bye, wishing I could stay longer, and then drove back to Indy, going directly to work. Work was busy but got quieter towards the end of the day since I’m back on the late shift, so I had time to catch up.

I went to Jero’s after work, with the intention to hang out and MUX. Unfortunately, I was so tired after four hours of sleep, four hours of driving, and eight hours of work, that I was too tired to RP and instead semi-idled on the MUX while discussed Gen Con plans with Jero. Eventually I became too cranky and sleepy to even do that, so Jero and I gave up and went to bed.

“Already, the Kay report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations."
-- President George W. Bush, in his State of the Union address, on evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq

"I don't think they existed."
-- David Kay, after stepping down as the U.S. special adviser leading the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, on the lack of evidence proving Saddam Hussein's alleged arsenal (Newsweek)

Family Weekend

This past weekend I spent a lot of time with my immediate family. Saturday after I got off work, I waited a bit until Chhu and muppetofthenight got into Bloomington, and then headed down to help Chhu move into muppetofthenight’s apartment. When I got there two of their friends were helping already, which made things go pretty smoothly, aside from the fact that Chhu’s stuff was going to three different locations.

Sunday morning I didn’t get back until late from hanging out with Chhu and muppetofthenight, so I slept in before driving down to have dinner with my mom for her birthday. I took Chhu, Mom, and my Aunt Jamcde out to the Great Wall for dinner, and then we took her shopping for food staples since she just moved to Bloomington as well. Then I helped Chhu move more stuff before heading back.

I’m happy Chhu has moved to Bloomington, and it’s good that Mom is nearby as well. With all of us in-state, I’ll be able to see Chhu more often, and as a happy side-effect, get to see A13 and muppetofthenight more as well. I’ll be able to help Chhu take care of Mom more often, which will take some of the stress off of her. And now Chhu lives close enough to role-play again! W00t! B^)

"Everyone is a citizen of the world. But living in America for me has been my life, and I'm very thankful for living here. To be able to now say I am American is nice."
-- French figure-skating champion Surya Bonaly, who became a U.S. citizen in Las Vegas (San Jose Mercury News)

Weekend with A13, Chhu, and Jalyru

I had a great time this weekend with A13, Chhu, and Jalyru. Saturday I wound up sleeping really late and missing a chance to go ice-skating with them, but I did make it down to dinner at Olive Garden. I always love hanging out with Chhu and Jalyru, and I hadn’t seen A13 in forever, so it was a really good time. After eating we went back to Jalyru’s, and pretty much spent the rest of the weekend hanging out, listening to music, playing karaoke games, and watching A13 DDR. Good times! I can’t wait for Chhu to move to Bloomington so I can hang out with the three of them more often.

River: [as her brother tends to a woman in labor] "What do you think is in there?"

Weekend

I had a very nice night last night in Bloomington with Caro. I went down to see her after work, and helped her truck stuff out to a multi-family garage sale. Caro is moving to Minnesota in a few months (*sob*), and she’s starting the delicate getting-rid-of-crap process now (had to act fast to save the meerkat I’d bought her a while back). After dropping off her stuff and helping set up a bit, we went out to Borders and bought a few DVDs. I picked up the second season of The Venture Bros. for me, and got The Silence of Sleep for her.

We went back to her house and dug some tables out of her storage room for the garage sale, a task that looked daunting but actually wasn’t that bad. We then snuggled and watched The Silence of Sleep while she knitted. Needing to explore the experience of sleep by the time the (very interesting) movie was over, we headed to bed to cuddle and snooze. This morning came far too soon.

Work sucked today, of course, and ruined the excellent mood hanging out with Caro had put me in. Also, looking at my calendar reminded me again that yesterday was A1’s birthday, and although I passed along birthday greetings and heard he had a good time, it’s still weird to no longer be that involved in his life. With luck Jaru and I can get together soon so I can see him. I miss hanging out with them both.

Luckily, Jero came by today and visited me for lunch, which lifted my spirits. The second half of work was a little less frenetic, except, of course, when I tried to get on the phone to make plans with Ra. We finally worked out a plan for a post-Memorial Day visit, and then I found out that since I’m the last person here on Saturday, there’s a bunch of extra crap I’m supposed to do. It’s a big hassle, however, and it’s not working, so I’m giving it another try, and then I’m leaving.

Tonight I’m hanging out with Ke, and starting her birthday weekend celebration. We’re going to the club tonight, and then tomorrow I believe we’re laying around all day being lazy, which sounds very, very nice. Knowing us, we’ll probably watch Star Trek. Ah, geek love. Her actual birthday is Tuesday, but we’re getting started early on a weekend so we can actually sleep in for a chance.

Ah, well. Almost six. I’m outta here. Have a great weekend, all!

“Now, to unleash screaming temporal doom!” -- Invader Zim

Weekend

My weekend turned out very nice.

Friday I hung out with A13 and Jalyru, which was good, although I hung out way too late talking while Jalyru burned CDs for me. Saturday Jero and I went to a party in Bloomington. We got to hang out with Caro there and meet one of her other boyfriends, G-. Sunday Mira came to visit from Evansville, and after having dinner with Jero and me, spent the night. We stayed up cuddling and watching Beast Wars. So, lots of entertaining snuggling and social activities this past weekend.

And, apparently, there was some kind of football game...? >B^)

Tonight I'm having dinner with Ke, and then going over to Jero's to MUX. Should be geeky fun.

"This was fast. I'm not even sure they had time to have sex."
-- Brian J. Steinberg, family law attorney in Las Vegas, on the whirlwind marriage-to-annulment caper of Britney Spears and Jason Allen Alexander. The marriage lasted 55 hours. (San Jose Mercury News, Jan. 6)