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

Week in Review – Week Ending May 2

Last week at work they had me on a 2 AM to 10:30 AM shift, so I spent most of the week buzzing from caffeine and extremely sleepy. It’s theoretically better for my social life than my usual 1:30 PM to 10 PM shift, but I’m not sure how awake I am to socialize after a few days of reversed sleep schedule. Of course, I started to recover and adjust by Friday, just in time for me to switch back to the until-10 PM shift. *headdesk*

Sunday morning Ke, Mira, and I dragged ourselves out of bed to go meet my sister Chhu for brunch at Le Peep. After Chhu headed home, Ke, Mira and I headed back to Ke’s, where they intended to make me sleep while they went shopping. They were largely successful at that, and I didn’t wake up until shortly before they came home bearing dinner. We watched some The Big Bang Theory, and then went back to sleep, since I had to be at work at 2 AM, and Ke had to get up for work at 6.

Monday morning when I got off work I brought Mira food at Ke’s house and then we lay down so we could snuggle and nap before Mira had to head back to Evansville. I woke up when Mira left but then went back to sleep until Ke got home. Ke was in a talkative mood so I didn’t get much sleep from then on. Spending so much time around old sick people (she’s a nursing student) has made her worry more about the future and what will happen when we get old. I snuggled her until I had to get up to head to Jero’s for dinner and MUXing. On the MUX I role-played with Katie and Spike and then went in to work.

By Tuesday the 2 AM shift was really starting to hit me. After 6 hours at work, by 8AM I was really dragging. When I escaped I went to Jero’s to sleep. After I woke up I showered and ate the yummy dinner Jero had cooked for us. When I was finished eating I kissed Jero goodbye and drove to Louisville to see Laat. Laat has been having a hard time lately and I used my early schedule as an excuse to go visit her while I could. We used the time to cuddle and catch up, and I much enjoyed our new comfort level where Laat finally feels she can open up and talk to me again for the first time in ages. I had a nice time hanging out with her, and she plans to visit this month during her vacation.

Wednesday morning at midnight I drove back to Indianapolis to go to work. When I escaped I brought Jero breakfast since she was home sick. I slept at Jero’s house and then headed home to meet Gwde, who came down from Muncie to visit me. I haven’t seen Gwde in exactly a year (!) so it was fun to hang out with her. We went out for dinner and wound up at TaTa Cuban Café, which was wonderful as always. Neither of us were really feeling 100%, so we skipped hot-tubbing and just snuggled in bed to watch Repo! The Genetic Opera. After she left I showered and went in to work.

Thursday after work I went to Ke’s to sleep and decided to stay there to MUX. My usual until-10 PM shift makes it really difficult to schedule role-play with most of the other MUXers who are usually going to bed just as I’m getting online. So, I talked to Hemy and we planned a TinyPlot event for Thursday. As
Buzzer and Major Bludd, we attacked a small town in the Midwest and civilians Katie and Mikaela got caught in the middle. Fun hijinks ensued. Ke made us yummy dinner while I was role-playing and I ate in front of the laptop. Unfortunately I wound up unintentionally irritating Ke since I’m completely unavailable while MUXing since I’m doing so many things at once.

On Friday the benefits of my 2 AM shift emerged, as my weekend started at 10:30 AM. I ran home to pack and then headed to Jero’s. We went shopping for last-minute supplies and then I napped while Jero loaded her Vibe (sorry, Jero!). We grabbed food on the way and headed for French Lick, Indiana, where we were meeting people at Our Haven for a Beltane celebration. We got there early enough to set up our tent in a very good spot – many of the people who had arrived Thursday had to move their tents in the middle of the night because it rained so hard it flooded. We caught some rain ourselves, but luckily by that point we were by the fire or safe in our tent.

Saturday morning we froze our asses off in our tent but finally warmed up once the sun rose. We bought breakfast from friendly drunk people still feeling the effects of the night before (Jero and I turned in early) and then we spent the day enjoying the peaceful surroundings, napping, and hanging out with Chpa and Nivagi. We observed fun maypole dancing and then cooked dinner over the central fire. That night we watched as huge log chimneys were constructed for that night’s bonfire and then hung out there for most of the night, watching Nivagi dance and talking with Chwo and Dapowo as well as a sleepy Mika. We had an excellent time camping, and hope to return soon.

"This is not a partisan issue, for Republicans and the Christian Right led the way in blowing the whistle on the slaughter in Darfur.... Ultimately, public pressure may force Mr. Bush to respond to Darfur, but it looks as if he will have to be dragged kicking and screaming by Republicans and Democrats alike."
- New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof, criticizing the Bush administration for backing away from its commitment to end the genocide in Darfur, including its opposition to the bipartisan Darfur Accountability Act

Conservatives Live in a Different Moral Universe—And Here's Why It Matters

From motherjones.com --

Jonathan Haidt is hardly a road-rage kind of guy, but he does get irritated by self-righteous bumper stickers. The soft-spoken psychologist is acutely annoyed by certain smug slogans that adorn the cars of fellow liberals: "Support our troops: Bring them home" and "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism."

"No conservative reads those bumper stickers and thinks, 'Hmm—so liberals are patriotic!'" he says, in a sarcastic tone of voice that jarringly contrasts with his usual subdued sincerity. "We liberals are universalists and humanists; it's not part of our morality to highly value nations. So to claim dissent is patriotic — or that we're supporting the troops, when in fact we're opposing the war — is disingenuous.

(More...)

Week in Review – Week Ending 2009.04.25

This has been a very nice week. The weather’s improving, I’m still working, and I’ve had a lot of time to spend with people whose company I enjoy. Next week I work from 2 AM to 10:30 AM, so this might be the last time I’ll be able to function coherently for several days while I adjust to a radically different sleep schedule. Of course, once I do – it’s back to 1:30 PM to 10 PM! *headdesk*

Sunday Jero had to leave early to go down to Bloomington for a roller derby promotional event, so I stayed at her house and at three PM signed us up for Gen Con events when registration opened. I was hoping to see Mika that night, but she was sick so had to cancel. Instead, I hung out at Jero’s for a while and then went out to dinner with Asca. After dinner we hung out and snuggled until she had to head home.

Monday morning before I went to sleep I brought Ke ice-cream and stayed there to snuggle. In the afternoon I got up and had lunch with Jero before going into work. After work I’d planned to go home, but Jero said I could come back over, so I wound up going to her place where I logged onto the MUX and got to role-play with Spike as Buster before Jero and I headed to bed.

Tuesday night after work I picked up Nivagi from her apartment and we grabbed Jimmy Johns before returning to my place. Nivagi had wanted to show me some Star Trek songs by Voltaire, so that of course started an all-filk evening of Voltaire, The Great Luke Ski, and Jonathan Coulton. Before we knew it it was 2AM, and Nivagi had to be at work at 8:50 AM. I set my laptop aside at last, and we went to bed to sleep as long as possible.

Wednesday morning I drove Nivagi to work and then went to Jero’s to pick up my flash drive, which I’d left there Tuesday morning. I hung out at Jero’s until work, and then after work went to Ke’s, bringing her food and ice-cream. We hung out and watched The Colbert Report and other shows (as well as listening to the Voltaire Star Trek songs) until Ke lured me to off the laptop and into bed for cuddles and sleep.

Thursday morning Ke got up and showered early enough to grab brunch at Qdoba’s. That night I went to Jero’s and we snuggled while I caught up on Dollhouse. Jero was sleepy but I wasn’t, so I let her doze while I stayed up and watched The Colbert Report and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. When I was drowsy enough I snuggled her up and joined her in sleep.

Yesterday work was busy since it was the last Friday of the month and they let everyone else go home early with E-time, but the phones finally quieted down at the end of the night long enough for me to relax a bit before the day ended. When I got home Jero joined me and we went downstairs to hot tub. After we showered we watched an episode of Transformers and Jero went to sleep while I laptopped.

Today ERRO is coming over so Jero can tutor her in statistics. Mira is coming up from Evansville to spend the weekend, and tonight I’m hosting a small game night in the piano room of my apartment building. B!, Chpa, Jogr, Ke, and Nivagi are going to join us for the game night, so that should be fun. Tomorrow Ke and Mira plan to sit on me and make me sleep so I can go into work at 2 AM. Oy.

“Sometimes I wonder what it's like to have political discussions with sane people. Envy.”
-- Bob Harris, http://www.bobharris.com/

Week in Review – Week Ending April 18

Last week was very nice. I got to start the week spending time with Caro in Minneapolis, and after I got back to Indy I had a pleasantly quiet week with Jero, Ke, and Nivagi. I ended the week going to see a roller derby bout with Jero, and hanging out with not only Ke but also Asca, whom I’ve actually gotten to see almost once a month this year (after a long stretch of about once a year, tops). I’ve gotten to talk with Mira a lot on the phone and over text, and she’ll be coming to visit this coming weekend, which will be great. Unfortunately Mika got sick this weekend, so I didn’t get to hang out with her, but I’m hoping she’ll feel better soon so we can reschedule.

Last Sunday was Caro’s birthday, so I was up for whatever Caro wanted to do while I was there. Her first request was for me to go with her to IKEA, so we ventured out to the land of oak and some pine and a handful of Norsemen so Caro could size up new storage space for her ever-growing yarn stash. Sunday night we had a yummy sushi dinner with Caro’s local boyfriend and his wife, both of whom seemed very cool. Caro seems to have a preference for long-haired geeky guys – who knew? B) That night we snuggled on the couch and watched Futurama while she spun yarn, before going to bed to cuddle and sleep.

Last Monday Caro and I had breakfast and then went to the bank so she could open an IRA -- she figured since she was 30 now she should do something responsible. We went to a bookstore so Caro could sell some used books and so she and I could conform to our traditional “sushi and bookstore” weekend. >B) We went back to Caro’s for a shower and a nap, and then had to leave so she could bring me to the airport. The trip back was a little sad but uneventful. Jero picked me up when I got back to Indy, and made me dinner before we snuggled in bed to watch Dollhouse. Caro was actually in Bloomington this past weekend, but she was busy with her family so I didn’t get to see her again. We might meet in Chicago in July.

Tuesday I went to Ke’s after work, bringing food from the crowned ruler of burgers. Ke and I watched The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, mystified at why, if NASA wasn’t going to name a node after Colbert because they "… typically name U.S. space station hardware after living people,” they named it Tranquility instead of Serenity, which I believe had won the online poll. Why have a poll and then ignore the results, aside from publicity? I thought we’d wind up staying up late playing on our laptops as we usually do, but Ke suddenly announced she was going to bed, so I shut down and followed.

Wednesday night after work I ran home to grab a shower and then went over to Chpa and Nivagi’s to pick up Nivagi. I’d expected another quiet night in like last week, but when I got there Nivagi suggested we could go to the club, which we’d been planning for a while but hadn’t done yet. I was still a little stressed from work, but I told Nivagi if she wanted to go the club I would be up for it. Nivagi and I headed to the Red Eye for a late dinner. While eating and enjoying Nivagi’s company my nerves gradually settled, and by the time we were done eating I was more calm and ready for a social outing, so we went to the club at last and had a good time.

Thursday morning Nivagi and I managed to drag ourselves out of bed early enough to have Le Peep before I had to drop her off at work. Work for me was busy at first since they’d sent everyone else home with e-time and left no one else to answer the phones, but in the evening it quieted down, which was more pleasant. Thursday evening I avoided siren songs of snuggles with Ke to have a night to myself to catch up on journaling and laundry, and just to recharge my social batteries. I watched a little Family Guy on Hulu, and went back through some of my old journals, reminiscing on the past. I stayed up way too late, but it was worth it just to have some rare downtime alone in my apartment.

Friday work was another crazy-busy day for the first four hours and then quiet the rest of my shift. When I got off work I met Ke at the Chinese buffet. She had just gotten a surprise scholarship, so she bought me dinner since I’m saving money in case we still strike. After we ate we went back to Ke’s and played on our laptops until Ke was sleepy, which wasn’t long. Unfortunately, although the food at the buffet was very yummy, it wound up making me feel a little sick for the rest of the night. I thought about watching The Colbert Report on Hulu before bed, but ultimately I wound up just joining Ke in sleep.

Saturday morning Ke and I stayed in bed as long as possible, until Ke’s hunger nearly caused her to resort to cannibalism. I grabbed a shower and then ran out to Denny’s, dropping food off at Jero’s on the way. Back at Ke’s, Ke and I ate, watched Bones, and played in the Internet before I headed back over to Jero’s. Jero and I went out to dinner and then to the Circle City Socialites bout. Jero was extremely cute in how excited she was about seeing CCS play again, and indeed they have improved tremendously since we saw them last in Evansville just a month ago. After the bout Jero and I went back to her house and stayed up way too late figuring out what events we wanted to sign up for the next day when Gen Con registration opened.

Sunday I registered for Gen Con and then went home to meet Asca. We went out to eat, and then hung out at my apartment talking about music, role-playing, and how cute Jero is. Usually when I hang out with Asca it’s just a quick hello before she has to head home before her kid gets off school, so it was good to have more time to talk and relax. Tonight I’m staying home for MUX night, and hope to get a chance to meet up online with Hemy and maybe work something out for next week, when I’ll actually be able to get online when other people are awake, since I’ll be working from two to ten-thirty AM, and be a free (if zombie-like) the rest of the day.

"...President Bush gave a speech to the American society of newspaper editors. Not surprisingly the speech was entitled `Thank you for Marmaduke.'"
--Conan O'Brien

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 – Week Ending April 4

This week seemed to go really fast. The threat of a strike loomed over me all week influencing my financial choices and adding an undercurrent of stress to everything I did. When I get a chance I think I’m going to post part of the open letter from my union to explain just why we’re considering striking if we don’t reach some kind of agreement with AT&T. AT&T really seems to be trying to use the bad economy to screw us, even though they’re still raking in millions billions in profits.

Last Sunday Ke, Mira, and I slept in at the hotel, getting a late checkout, and then finally ventured out for a late breakfast at Bob Evans before heading back to Mira’s to watch The Big Bang Theory nap. When it started getting late Ke and I reluctantly kissed Mira goodbye and headed back to Indianapolis. After a quick stop at Meijer to pick up supplies for the week, we grabbed Taco Bell and headed back to Ke’s to sleep.

Last Monday I took a little E-time before work – probably the last for a while, since we might go on strike soon. I ate a leisurely breakfast at Au Bon Pain and got some email and journaling done on my laptop before going into work. After work I went to Jero’s, who had just got home from roller derby practice. Since she was sore and tired, we went to bed early and watched Dollhouse and The Daily Show before sleep.

Tuesday after work I went over to Ke’s. Since I’m trying to spend less money in preparation for the possible strike, I resisted buying food and Ke made me a turkey burger instead. Ke had a lot to do, so I hung out and played on my laptop while she studied and did paperwork. She had the TV on, which made it too distracting for me to get anything done that required my full attention, so I poked around blogs, etc. When it got late Ke suddenly announced she was going to bed, so I shut down and followed.

Wednesday I took off work as a belated birthday present to Jero. I met up with her at her house, and after hanging out a bit we went to the northeast side for a very yummy dinner at The Journey. Full and happy, we went to a special theatre showing of The Lost Boys, which was excellent cheesy fun, and then we went back to her house to watch Lost Boys: The Tribe, which was entertainingly bad. I even read the between-movies bridging comic for a night jam-packed with Lost Boys cheesiness.

Thursday Nivagi had some girlfriend drama to resolve, and Ke wasn’t feeling well, so Nivagi and I postponed our role-playing plans and I went to Ke’s instead to keep her company. Ke was mostly feeling better by the time I got off work, though, so we just watched some TV and played on our laptops until she fell asleep. I wasn’t feeling sleepy yet, so I stayed up reading blogs for a while until eventually joining her for cuddles and slumber.

Friday morning I finally called my insurance agent about my windshield, which had been cracked by a flying rock last weekend while driving back from Evansville. I wanted to get it fixed before I drove to St. Louis, but they couldn’t get me in until 4. Ke offered to switch cars with me, and brought my car to get it fixed while I was at work (and she also got my oil changed!) After work she came over and helped me load emmo’s desk into my car for when I saw emmo this weekend. Ke’s such a sweetie!

Saturday I drove to St. Louis for Emmo’s housewarming party. I got to hang out her and her adorable kid, and meet some of her friends as well as her very distracting girlfriend. After the party I went over to Ra and Sckl’s and we got frozen custard and watched Greg the Bunny. Yesterday I’m drove back early to have dinner with Mika, which was nice, and today I’ll be back at work unless negotiations break down in the next ten hours and we go on strike after all. In the meantime, I should get some sleep.

"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?" --Lee Iacocca

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

Last Week and Half of This One – March.15 – March.25

My emotional state continues to be up and down. I’m surrounded by wonderful people, but a ton of crap is going on in others’ lives that I have no control over and for which I can provide little help. Things have settled in my relationships, but not exactly where I’d like them to, so the process of acceptance is a depressing one. I’m trying to be there for people when I can, and to enjoy the good times, but whenever I get a chance to think too much my mood crashes.

Last Sunday I slept until 3 and then woke up to breakfast with Ke and Mira. We had a lazy day of hanging out playing on our laptops and then Ke and Mira made a yummy dinner of chicken and asparagus. Ke worked on a memorial website for her grandmother while I caught up with friends and lovers about their weekend. Ke and I were feeling a little down by the end of the night, and Mira wasn’t exactly feeling very amorous either, but the three of us managed to pull each other out of our respective funks and have a good evening nonetheless.

Last Monday morning Ke, Mira, and I went out for breakfast and then Ke went into to work and Mira headed back to Evansville. I went to Jero’s and took a nap with her before driving up to meet Mika for dinner. Dinner with Mika was pleasant, and although we still have no idea when we’ll hang out while I’m on the night schedule, I’m hoping we’ll figure something out. After dinner I went back to Jero’s and we snuggled and watched Castle (a new guilty pleasure) and Dollhouse (which I love already).

Last Tuesday was St. Patrick’s Day, so I was worried about being late for work because of the damned parade (I work downtown). I left myself extra time, but besides having to run over some revelers, I managed to get in early. I waited 15 minutes to clock in at 1:45, only to realize later that they moved me back to the 1:30 shift this week (*facepalm*). Luckily I’d mentioned to my boss when I got there that I was “early” so she knew I was actually there. After work I had no plans so I went home to MUX.

Last Wednesday morning I went to bed way too late, so when one of my managers called and offered e-time I accepted it and went into work a little late but much more rested. After work I met Ke at Brbe and Erro’s where they were hosting a game night. Ke and I hung out there, playing Apples to Apples and watching YouTube videos and Onion News. When it got late Ke and I left, picking up food and heading back to my apartment for The Daily Show and sleep.

Thursday morning Ke and I got up and had Le Peep for breakfast before she went to class and I went into work. At work they were giving away E-time like candy, so I had the rare opportunity to leave work early. I picked up Nivagi and drove her to her apartment so she could see her boyfriend and pack for her Friday night date. After that Nivagi and I then went to Denny’s for a late-night dinner. By the time we got back to my apartment it was late enough though that we were OK with just going to bed.

Friday night after work I hurried home so I could watch the third-to-last episode of BSG before going over to Jero’s to watch the two-hour finale. I got off too late to watch the finale the first time it played, but luckily Sci Fi played it again later in the evening so I still got to watch it that night. They decided to focus a lot of the ending on character instead of action, so I can see how some people might find it a little slow, but I’m generally satisfied with how they wrapped everything up.

Saturday night Jero and I went to a roller derby bout between Indianapolis and St. Louis. The Naptown Roller Girls played the Arch Rivals Roller Girls and it was a pretty exciting game to watch. The ARRG were ahead 12 points by half-time, and were able to win 93 to 60. After the bout Jero and I went back to my apartment to clean, and wound up arranging my living room and organizing things in such a way that with luck I’ll be able to someday make some order out of the chaos.

Sunday morning Jero and I didn’t get to bed until almost dawn, so Jero slept until 2 PM and I slept until four. When I woke up Jero was going through paperwork in my living room, helping me organize and get rid of things I no longer need. I joined in to help her clean, until finally we got hungry and went out to Olive Garden. We’d intended to go back to her house after dinner, but wound up back at my place for more cleaning.

Monday was Jero’s birthday, so we went out for breakfast before I had to go into work. At work I was depressed – too much going on in my life and in the lives of people important to be that I can’t control. After work I went back to Jero’s, where she’d made us yummy chicken burgers. We were going to play SingStar, but I’d left my PlayStation controller at home, so we wound up cuddling and watching Bones instead.

Tuesday night I was allowed to leave work a little early again so I grabbed some food for Ke and me and went to her house to MUX while she did homework and studied for a test Friday. On the MUX I was able to get in on the end of a Decepticon raid TP run my Hemy. Since Jero had Snoop on, I logged on Browning, and we had a fun time being unhelpful non-combatants on the sidelines while Nighthawk and Skywarp beat each other to paint.

Tonight I’m getting together with Nivagi, and it should be fun as long as I can stay awake – my alarm went off at 7 AM and I had a hard time getting back to sleep. This weekend I’m going down to Evansville to see Mira, and my mom for her birthday. With luck Ke will get to come with me so the two of us can hang out with Mira and her friends. My mom is also depressed and doesn’t really want company, but I’m hoping if I’m right there in town I’ll be able to persuade her to at least venture out for dinner.

"The future will be better tomorrow."
- former Vice-President Dan Quayle

Week in Review March.14

This week continued the trend of suck plaguing my month year. Some overhanging things got resolved for better or worse, and overall life got better towards the week, but there is still a lot going on that I’m just going to have to hunker down, weather, and hope will eventually improve. I did get to see Jeso for the first time since 2002 and Mira for her birthday, so my week has definitely had its bright points. I’m hoping next week will be better overall. I could do with less drama and change.

Last Sunday morning Ke’s dad called her and told her that her grandmother, who Ke was very close to, was doing very badly health-wise and might not make it through the day. I cancelled my plans with Jeso and went over to spend the day with Ke to keep her company. She took a long nap and then we went out to have dinner with Jero. Ke called her parents and found out her grandmother had died, so we called Mira and I held Ke while she cried.

Monday night is usually my MUX night, but I got to Jero’s so late that by the time I logged on only R_55 was on, and he wasn’t very talkative (although he did pass along news that D3@ was doing well). R_55 said he was just popping in to see how we were doing, which confirmed my feeling that he isn’t really around anymore. I need to ask Cawh to have him turn over passwords, etc, for things if he’s not going to be an active admin. After logging off the MUX, Jero and I lay down to snuggle and watch Bones.

Tuesday I had a rough day at work, compounded by finding out that what I thought was a discussion of possibilities with Amsc the weekend before was actual a break-up and I didn’t realize it. Besides feeling like an idiot, it was better in some ways to have things officially end instead of hanging over me, which was stressing me out. After work I went over to Ke’s to take care of her, but she wound up taking care of me instead. I still couldn’t sleep, so I wound up lay awake depressed until dawn before finally passing out.

Wednesday I was still feeling emotionally crappy, so Ke came over to keep me company while got my notes together for Saturday’s D&D game. I was sad about breaking up with Amsc, but having some resolution was at least helping me start to adjust to the new paradigm. My ongoing troubles with Mika are causing me more actual stress, since she and I haven’t had a chance to work on things since our last talk and with the mandatory overtime she’s had at work, this week didn’t work out either.

Thursday I was feeling a little better. I scheduled dinner with Mika for Monday, and knowing when I’d see her again helped my mood considerably. I hadn’t plans after work, so I told Jero she could come over and hang out. I installed tax software she lent me and then Jero snuggled me while we played Kingdom of Loathing until three in the morning. Jero helped me catch up on quests on which I was behind, and it was a magnificently relaxing and silly way to spend the evening.

Friday after work I finally met up with Jeso and we went over to Marsh’s for a late-evening game night. B! and Jobe joined us, and they played Guitar Hero before we moved to the dining room to play Infernal Contraption and Fluxx. I was worried about dragging someone to game night I haven’t seen in seven years, but it actually turned out to be a lot of fun. We hung out until about 2 AM and then headed back to my apartment to sleep.

Saturday Jeso and I hung out and had breakfast while waiting for Mira to arrive from Evansville. When Mira arrived, Jero and Ke joined us and we got ready to role-play. When B!, Jogr, Marsh and Jobe arrived we had a fun game of D&D. We lost some players to a conflicting Ides of March party, but I had a great time nonetheless. After the game a few of us went to Denny’s and then Mira, Ke and I went back to Ke’s to snuggle and sleep.

Today I slept until 3, and then Ke and Mira woke me up with breakfast. We’re having a fun lazy day playing on our laptops, which is a great way to spend a Sunday. They made a yummy dinner of chicken and asparagus, and we might head back to bed soon to watch The Big Bang Theory. Some underlying issues were threatening to ruin my good mood earlier, but I’m trying hard to work through them and stay positive and enjoy Mira’s presence while we have her here. As Jero pointed out, I had a great weekend surrounded by wonderful people, and I need to appreciate what I have instead of worrying about everything else.

"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

Week in Review: March 01 – March 07

This week has been really rough for a lot of people I know. So many friends have lost people close to them this month that I’m ready to join Ra in demanding to the Powers that Be: ENOUGH. I’m concerned about a couple of my relationships, but really, it’s hard to complain when so many people around me are dealing with so much worse.

Last weekend was good, but between a potential break with Amsc, Sero’s daughter Jennie Sutton dying, and Bemcco’s friend Jest’s baby being born, my emotional state was way up and down. I spent Sunday hiding out with Amsc and watching Dollhouse and Sex and Breakfast. We had lunch and dinner delivered, so I barely left the bed all day except to shower. It was a good way to hibernate and spend time with Amsc while I have the chance.

Monday morning I drove back to Indy and got to work early. The events of the weekend started to sink in, and my good hanging-out-with-Amsc mood started to fade. After work I went to Jero’s. She’d cooked me yummy Slither-beast, and after I ate we decided to skip MUXing since I get there so late on this shift that most people wouldn’t still be online. Instead we went to bed to snuggle and watch Bones. I called Ra before I went to sleep, and talked to her until she needed to get off the phone to call Sckl.

Tuesday night I got together with Ke. I got off work early since they had no more work for us, so I went to Ke’s house to wait for her. When she escaped the lab we went out to Wendy’s to grab late-night food and then ate and played on our laptops until it was time for Ke to go to bed. I’d snuggled with her under her electric blanket while I typed, but once she was ready to actually sleep I set the computer aside so I could cuddle her while we slept.

Wednesday evening I had a night to myself. I talked to Mira after work and then called Nivagi so I could make plans for Thursday. I got to talk to Ra on the phone again for a while and then talked to Jero. Mira called back, so I got to talk to her at the end of her evening as well. I was hoping to get some journaling done, but I was depressed and by the time I got off the phone I was also tired. I watched Family Guy on Hulu and poked around the Internets until I gave up and went to sleep.

Thursday I went to see Watchmen with Chpa and Nivagi. I love the comic, but hadn’t read it in a while, so there were still a few surprises in terms of small things I’d forgotten and changes they’d made to the story. As a fan I can say I approve of the slight change they made to the ending – if anything, it keeps the spirit of the original while increasing the emotional impact and making things even more personal. I enjoyed the movie and it was well worth staying up until 3 AM to see it, especially with Chpa and Nivagi along.

Friday morning I went to see Dr. Moretto for a check-up and to establish him as a new family doctor, something I haven’t had in years. Doc said everything looked good, but took fluids to check for cholesterol, etc. I was feeling down since Mika cancelled on me because she had to work mandatory overtime, so after work I hid out for an hour and then went over to Ke’s to hang out with her while she ran around in a cleaning frenzy.

Saturday I’d planned to go visit Jeso, who has recently moved back to Indiana from Texas, but I rescheduled with Jeso to have a chance to go down to Evansville with IceSpark to see the Circle City Socialites in their first interleague bout against the Demolition City Roller Derby Destruction Dames. It was great to get to see CCS play, even if they did wind up getting pwn3d this time out. We also got to see a rematch between the DCRD Dynamite Dolls and the NEO Rock’n’Rollers, which ended in an exciting last-second finish of Dynamite Dolls 100 NEO R’n'R 102.

Sunday morning Ke’s dad called her and told her that her grandmother, who Ke is very close to, was doing very badly health-wise and might not make it through the day. I cancelled my plans with Jeso again and went over to spend the day with Ke and keep her company. She took a long nap, and then we went to have dinner with Jero. After dinner Ke talked to her parents and Mira, and soon we will probably go to sleep.

“I check the list. Rubber tiring. Gas. Saw. Gloves. Cuffs. Razor wire. Hatchet. Gladys. And my mitts.” -- Marv, SIN CITY

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.

'Talking' Cars

Now, all I would need would be Super Pursuit Mode!

'Talking' Cars Could Hit the Road by 2012

Dust off that leather jacket and those tight jeans, Knight Rider fans. An Australian startup says "talking" cars could be on the road as soon as 2012 and the technology could reduce fatalities by half.

The technology developed by Cohda Wireless and researchers at the University of South Australia combines Wi-Fi and GPS technology in a system called dedicated short-range communications to make each car a node on a huge communication network. Those vehicles can communicate with each other and warn drivers of potential collisions. The company also claims the system would minimize traffic jams and curb emissions by more effectively managing traffic to avoid congestion.

"This technology essentially equips vehicles with the ability to see around corners and to predict and avoid dangerous situations," said professor Alex Grant, head of the university's Institute for Telecommunications.

Cohda is one of several companies joining automakers in developing car-to-car communications and in-car connectivity. Here in the United States, the goal is to create an Intelligent Transportation System where cars talk to each other and to us in a network designed to increase safety, reduce congestion and manage traffic. The Department of Transportation has been pushing the idea for years, but progress has been slower than rush hour traffic out of San Francisco.

But Cohda says the technology could be road-ready by 2012. It already has conducted 700 field trials in Australia, the United States and Italy, and it recently demonstrated the system for automakers and government officials Down Under. A $1.5 million field trial involving 200 cars is slated within two years. Now, if they can get cars to utter KITTisms like "Scanner indicates danger ahead" or "Engaging the infrared tracking scope" ...

Dedicated short-range communications uses Wi-Fi and GPS to share data with a centralized location and other vehicles via external Wi-Fi spots, effectively making each car a node on the network. The system was designed to work in urban environments — where radio signals can easily be lost among buildings, tunnels and the like — and does not require line-of-sight transmission to work.

( More... )

Mika

I'm sitting at work dealing with an all day cut, trying to ignore the bowling ball on my chest that is my unresolvable frustration with Mika.

Week in Review – February 21st

Last week was really rough for me. I was sick most of the week, and my unhappiness with my relationship with Mika, which I’ve been trying to keep a lid on since she was busy and stressed from moving, boiled over into an unfortunately argument over text message, the repercussions of which are still being felt. I thought we’d resolved some things Thursday, but from the email I got today, apparently not.

Last Sunday Jero had to go to derby practice, so I headed over early to hang out with Ke and Mira while Mira was in town. For dinner we went out to a super-yummy Turkish restaurant, and then snuggled in bed and watched The Big Bang Theory DVDs Ra got me for the holidays. Since we’re all big geeks we laughed our asses off until time for bed. Mira and I were planning to stay up but wound up going to sleep, too.

Monday before work I got to hang out with Mira before she had to head back to Evansville. Monday night is usually my MUX night, but Jero was stressed from derby stuff, so after I ate yummy food she made me we played Kingdom of Loathing for a while and then went to bed to cuddle and watch the latest BSG. Friday’s episode was a bonanza of exposition. B)

Tuesday I had a bad headache at work and wound up arguing with Mika over text message between calls, which I’m sure didn’t improve either of our days. She eventually stopped talking to me, but my headache lasted late into the night. After work I headed over to Ke’s, and we hung out and watched Bones while playing on our laptops. When she went to bed I joined her.

Wednesday morning I continued my text message argument with Mika until she had to get back to work. We tabled our discussion for Thursday, but the situation continued to bother me throughout the day. I spent the night alone, and tried to focus on other things, but it’s difficult for me to concentrate on anything else when there is unresolved tension between me and someone I love.

Thursday I got together with Mika to talk about our relationship. During our discussion we focused on the fact that our relationship had a weird beginning and we skipped over a lot of the “getting to know you” foundation. Mika wanted to take a break to work on rebuilding the foundation of our relationship – I’d rather continue dating while we work on things. We made plans to get together on Tuesday to discuss further.

Friday I stayed up late printing character sheets for Saturday’s game. I had far too many characters left over from previous sessions, and wanted to make sure I knew what everyone was doing so there’d be as few delays as possible. When I was finished I went over to Ke’s to snuggle and sleep. She was already in bed by the time I arrived, so I slid in next to her and snuggled her while she slept.

Saturday I ran the Exiles game for a big, fun group of players. I had a lot of fun, and am finally getting the hang again of running things for large groups. I learned lessons for the future – get started sooner so we don’t lose players to time, and design stories to feature fewer NPCs and less back-story so players spend more time playing and less time listening to me talk and RP with myself. Nonetheless, I had a great time.

The rest of the weekend was nice, and my Monday was nice until I got new email from Mika. I have to wait until after work tomorrow to talk to her about what’s up, which is bad since I have a hard time concentrating on anything else when something is hanging over my head. Still, it’s getting late and I’ve been a grumpy mess all evening, so I’m going to log off now and try to salvage my night with Jero.

GOP pollster Tony Fabrizi told the L.A. Times, "It becomes a more crystallized proof point that we are no longer the party of smaller government. We have become a party of 'It doesn't matter what size the government is as long as it is imposing our set of values.'"
-- “Some in GOP Fear Effort May Alienate Voters,” L.A. Times

Week in Review – February 14th

Last week was good, even though I started feeling sickly around Thursday. I got to spend some much-needed time with Ra and Amsc, and spent the weekend hanging out with Jero, Ke, and Mira. I didn’t get to see Mika at all for the second week in a row, which bothered me a lot more than I realized it would. I could have gone to her anti-Valentine party, but I didn’t want to deal with the smoke and the social anxiety.

Last Sunday I woke up early to drive to St. Louis to see Ra and Sckl. When I arrived we went out for lunch and watched Coraline, which was awesome. After the movie they ordered pizza and we watched The Big Bang Theory, which Ra had gotten me as a present. TBBT was good choice – some of the geek jokes strike very close to home. I’ve already started quoting it, to Ra’s amused annoyance.

Last Monday Sckl had to depart super-early to leave town for work, so he was gone by the time I woke up. I ran to the credit union to give my mom money, and then Ra and I went out for lunch and a visit to the comic store. We spent the afternoon discussing our relationship, and then at 7 I got onto the MUX for a meeting. That night I had to head back to Indy, after a long and very pleasant good-bye from Ra.

Last Tuesday I took a half-day off work to recover from the late drive back to Indy. It was very worth it for the extra Ra time, and I made up for it by converting my day off Friday to another half-day. After work I went over to see Ke, who seemed just as tired as I. We tried to stay up and be productive, but eventually we threw in the towel and just went to bed to snuggle and catch up on sleep.

At the MUX meeting Monday we realized that a lot of our players and admin were free on Wednesday, so Hemy put together a TinyPlot event. Cobra attacked Chicago, both to damage Boeing headquarters and to damage the message of hope set forth by President Dunham (our stand-in for Obama). The event was a lot of fun, and we got it started early enough that General Hawk could join us, which was a nice bonus.

Last Thursday after work I drove to Illinois to see Amsc. We ordered Jimmy Johns and snuggled on her couch to watch the two most recent episodes of BSG. Amsc played some on her fancy new laptop, but this time didn’t let tech focus completely distract her during our visit. Unfortunately, I was starting to get sick, so by the time we went to bed I was too miserable to fully enjoy her company, which was a crying shame.

Friday I got to sleep in a little with Amsc since I’d taken a half-day off work. After my four hours at the job, I picked up Ke and we went to shopping for flowers for Mira, who came to visit this past weekend. We were hoping to go to Panera for dinner, but it got too late so we hit the Chinese buffet instead. I had to work the next day, so when we got back to Ke’s house we soon headed to bed.

Saturday after work Jero picked me up and we went to see the Naptown Roller Girls Warning Belles debut bout. I was still feeling anti-social and crappy, but I had a great time nonetheless. The Warning Belles kicked ass, beating the NE Ohio Rock n Rollers 63 to 41. They also raised $ 5025 for breast cancer research during their half-time auction, which was even cooler.

I had a good time seeing Ra and Amsc last week, and I’m glad I was able to work out the time to drive out to see them. Besides being sick, I had a great time this weekend hanging out with Jero, Ke, and Mira. Unfortunately this week has been hellaciously crappy so far, due to feeling sickly and fighting with Mika. I’m hoping I’ll at least be able to work things out with Mika when I see her today after work.

Oil Drilling In Alaska
"This can't be true. Bush described himself as an environmental guardian last fall, and I've seen photos of him standing in front of trees."
—Cecelia Mayo, Systems Analyst, theonion.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 – January 31st

Last week I worked the late shift. Since that usually limits my social options, I thought I’d at least be able to stay up late and get things done, but instead I wound up still going to sleep relatively early and just catching up on rest instead. It didn’t stop me from getting sick this weekend, but it did give me time to think and work on some of my ongoing relationship troubles, even if I haven’t reached any solid new conclusions.

Last Sunday I spent with Amsc, snuggling her and watching with amusement as she explored the options of her new phone. She has a new Crackberry, and is already completely addicted. We did venture out for breakfast and then sushi later, but the rest of the day was spent focused on her phone. I had fun hanging out with her, but I did have to tease her that she inadvertently wound up choosing her phone over sex.

Monday before work I got to see Asca for the first time in over a year, which was nice. After work I went over to Jero’s for MUX night. Unfortunately, by the time I got online most the MUX players were ready for bed (damned late work shift!), so I just did some admin stuff and worked on TFU’s online presence. I’m hoping when the new GI Joe and Transformers movies come out we might net a few more new interested players.

Last Tuesday I went to see Ke after work. I hung out with her and worked on my laptop while she studied. She asked if I’d like to snuggle her before she went to sleep and then go back to my computering. I knew that once I lay down I wouldn’t want to get back up, so I just shut down what I was doing and joined her in snuggly sleep. It was a good choice to get another full night of rest, and to pick snuggles over productivity.

Wednesday night after work I stayed home to talk with Ra. She’s been unhappy with our relationship for a while, and with how many people I’m dating. The problem is related to feelings of connectedness and spontaneity, but after hours of talking we’re not much closer to a solution. Obviously for her happiness and mine I’m not going to start dating any additional people, but besides that we still have a lot to work on.

Thursday night I had free, so after work I surprised Jero by popping by to give her a kiss good-night and to tuck her in. I then went over to Ke’s to keep her company while she studied before bed. I thought again about staying up late to be productive, but wound up follow the pattern of the week by just going to bed semi-early and getting more sleep. Once more I think it was a good choice, especially since Ke needed lots of snugs.

Friday I finally got to spend a night with Mika – the first time this year. She met me at my apartment after she got off work. We went out to a late dinner at Steak n Shake and caught up with what’s been going on in our lives. I was glad that she’d gotten a four-hour nap before meeting up with me, since it meant that she was a little more alert than she has been – her sleep apnea has been a real detriment to her energy level for the last few months. It was great to spend time with her.

Since I worked the late Monday through Friday shift, I had the rare Saturday off work. Mika and I got to sleep in before she had to run home, choosing more cuddles over breakfast. After she left I wanted to use the time alone to be productive, but by then I was feeling sickly so I didn’t get a lot done. Jero came over after derby practice and we went out to dinner, and then returned to my apartment to watch Go Lion before bed.

Last week was rather restful, even if it was kind of ruined by being sick all weekend. Still, it was good to have a chance to see Asca after more than a year, and to have a night free to focus on talking with Ra. The rest of the time I’ve been working on the TFUMUX wiki, trying to get it into some sort of shape so other people can jump in and help. Wiki wiki wiki! (OK. Maybe even more sleep was needed…)

"If you cut your sex organ and then eat it, then something is wrong with you."
-- hospital spokesman, (NEWS.com.au)

Week in Review – January 24th

This week started off wonderfully! After a fun game night Saturday Ke, Mira and I spent all day in bed Sunday. I took advantage of the unstructured day to relax and take advantage of vast swaths of sleep and snuggles. Ke and Mira even made frozen pizzas so we wouldn’t have to leave my apartment until the wee hours Monday morning, when we finally headed into the cold in search of more Denny’s.

Monday I was supposed to go out of town, but my plans got rescheduled, so I spent the morning with Ke and Mira before meeting Jero for lunch. Monday is usually my MUX night, but since I thought I was going to be gone, I went on vacation on the MUX. So, I decided to just enjoy the night off. It was sad not to see Ra this week, but I hope she and I will be able to reschedule soon.

Tuesday I had off work so I got to hang out with Jero during her telework day. We watched the inauguration and were very happy with the swearing in of a new, intelligent President. When Jero’s workday ended we went out to eat to celebrate, and then we went back to her house to relax and play Kingdom of Loathing. We were going to play SingStar as well, but it got too late, so we went to bed.

Wednesday after work I drove to Illinois to see Amsc. When I arrived I gave her a belated New Year’s kiss and then we retired to her bedroom. We chatted and caught up a bit, and then got out my laptop to watch BSG Webisodes and The Other Boleyn Girl. I’d have loved to follow with the Elizabeth movies, but alas I had to go to sleep since I needed to get up super-early to drive back to Indy for work.

My plans Thursday with Mika were cancelled since she got sick, so I stayed home to try to catch up on journaling and laundry. I wound up having an extensive conversation with Amsc about whether or not we should continue dating, since the distance is putting a heavy strain on our relationship. When it got too late to talk about it further, we tabled the discussion for now and worked out possible plans for this weekend.

Friday night I hung out with Ke. She bought us Fazoli’s and we hung out at her house on her laptops. Ke helped me a bit with working out my financial troubles, and I mulled over a response to a critical email I’d gotten from Ra concerning my dating practices and how they lead to my “relationship stress on multiple fronts” as Ra put it. I’ll need more time to ponder her points and think about how to resolve them.

Today I had a pleasant lunch with Jero. After work Amsc is coming into town and then the two of us are going down to Bloomington to meet up with Jalyru and my sister. Jalyru invited me up to play on her Wii and ‘do some karaoke,’ so it should be fun. Tomorrow Amsc and I have all day to sleep in and snuggle, so I look forward to the quiet downtime.

“’Sin?’ ‘Sin’ like ‘love’ was a word hard to define. It came in two bitter but vastly different flavors. The first lay in violating the taboos of your tribe.”
-- Robert Heinlein, Time Enough For Love

Last Week 2009.01.17

Last week was pretty good. I stressed myself out over Saturday’s D&D game, but everyone seemed to have a good time. I finally got to talk to Mika about the problems I’ve been having with out relationship, and that cleared up much of the cloud of depression that’s been hanging over me for months.

The Sunday night before last I met up with Nivagi to celebrate her birthday. I couldn’t afford to take her out to dinner, so we just ordered Chinese food and stayed in. We got some time alone and got to sleep in together since I’m off work most Mondays. It was good to spend time with her when neither of us was rushed or exhausted, and Nivagi said it was a first-rate start to her birthday week.

That Monday I blew off MUX night again to work on my Dollship of Doom for Saturday’s D&D game. I felt guilty about it, but I did need to get it done by Saturday, and it’s a lot more fun and speedy with Jero’s help. I felt some time pressure since I wanted to journal, MUX, and work on the Dollship all at the same time. Besides self-induced stress, however, it was a nice night.

That Tuesday I had a horrible day at work, so I skipped the Poly Meetup and just had noodles and hid out with Ke. She helped me put my bed together (finally!) and looked into storage options for all my crap. I got caught up with a little of the vast list of things I’m behind on while Ke studied and window-shopped online. It was a perfect night of productivity and unwinding.

That Wednesday Jero and I had tickets to Repo! The Genetic Opera. Anbadi, D!1, Beldar, DaSn, Jedo, and Liin were there, as well as the director and one of the stars. The movie was marvelously fun in a Sweeney Todd sort of way, and full of Anthony Stewart Head goodness. Afterwards there was an interesting Q&A with the writers and the actor who played the Grave-Robber. I got their autograph for Mira, hugs from Anbadi, D!1, and Liin, and then we went back to Jero’s to sleep.

That Thursday night Mika came over and we had a long talk about our relationship. I’ve had a hard time adjusting to the rapid development of her connection with Tojo, but I didn’t want to bother her about it because I didn’t want to stomp on her NRE. It turns out that just talking about it with her made me feel a lot better about everything. What was that about poly and communication, communication, communication? >B)

Last Friday I went to Mars’s to work more on my Dollship of Doom. Emmemy made us dinner, and their kid ran around looking cute. Mars worked on his own constructible cardstock projects and then helped me with part of the Dollship forecastle. When Emmemy went to bed Mars and I watched the first episode of season 4.5 of BSG, which was just as uplifting as hell. When it got late I stumbled over to Ke’s and passed out to sleep.

Last Saturday I had to work, so I dropped off the Dollship at Jero’s so she could work on it and then went into the office. Unfortunately I’d left the ship in the car all night and the glue froze, meaning Jero had to redo a lot of what we’d done this week. After work Mira come into town for the weekend to role-play with me and to visit Ke, and the D&D game was a chaotic but fun time, and I think an overall success.

“I'll go where and when I please, see what I want to -- and try not to antagonize local yokels. Especially those fighting each other; it makes them trigger happy.”
-- Robert Heinlein, Time Enough For Love

Week in Review – January 10th

This week has had a lot of money and relationship stress, although with help and understanding from the important people in my life it’s been getting better towards the weekend. I did have to cancel my plans with Amsc on Thursday, but with luck we can reschedule soon after I get my next paycheck. This weekend should be fun even though I don’t have any money.

Last Sunday morning Ke picked me up and took me with her to her family reunion. It was fun meeting more of her family and enjoying yummy food. When we got back to Indy we went to Kinko’s so Ke could mail schoolbooks, and then I went with her to work and printed stuff for my Dollship of Doom. I’ve been depressed lately, but Ke endured my crappy mood and did what she could to make me feel better.

Monday is usually my MUX night, but Jero wanted to help me work on my Dollship of Doom. Since Jero and I had bought office supplies Saturday night, and Ke had let me print stuff while I with her to Kinko’s, I had most everything ready. Jero and I got a lot of progress done, and will post pictures after the campaign – I want the ship itself to be a surprise to most of the players.

Tuesday night Mika came over after getting her headlight replaced, and arrived at the exact moment as the Chinese food I’d ordered. Remarking on her perfect timing, I led her upstairs and we ate sitting on my bed and talking. After dinner we finished her D&D character and then snuggled until Mika passed out early (10 PM). It took me a long time to fall asleep, but it was pleasant to have Mika here to cuddle.

Wednesday night after work I stopped by my apartment and then headed to Ke’s to pick her up. Grabbing some food on the way, we wound up doubling back to my place to see if a check from my mom had arrived, but no luck. Unfortunately, a quick scan of my finances revealed I was about $40 short of the rent check I’d dropped off on the 5th, with no money left for the $315 student loan bill due next week. Eep!

Unfortunately, this poverty led me to have to cancel my plans with Amsc, which I’d been looking forward to since New Year’s Eve. B( It may have been for the best, since the self-same poverty led me to make some questionable decisions about what might still be edible in the work fridge. When I felt better Jero took me out for non-poisonous food, and Ke made me some lunches so the same thing wouldn’t happen again.

Friday I was a little less stressed since Ke lent me money to cover my bills until my next paycheck, as long as I’m frugal. After work I went over to Chpa and Nivagi’s to work on their D&D characters. I headed back at 11 so Ke could come over and hot tub and I could get my suit ready for today and still get to bed at a decent time. We watched a little Colbert Report and then went to sleep.

Today I went into work early so I could leave early to go to Brbe and Erro’s wedding. I’m going to be an usher, although if the weather is bad I’m not going to get down there as early as Rere would like. Still, Jero is picking me up so we can head down immediately when I clock out here. After the wedding Jero and I are going to Roller Ball with Jero’s derby league.

Tomorrow I’m going to celebrate Nivagi’s birthday with her a little early, and the rest of the week I’ll probably lie low until payday, working on the D&D campaign I’m going to start next Saturday (eep!). Jero and I are planning to go see Repo the Genetic Opera Wednesday, so that should be all different flavors of awesome. The D&D campaign I’m worried about, since I’ll be trying something different, and just have to hope it works out. Wish me luck!

“I have never swindled a man. At most I have kept quiet and let him swindle himself. This does no harm, as a fool cannot be protected from his folly.”
-- Robert Heinlein, Time Enough For Love

Happy New Year!

The first week of the New Year has been even more up and down for me than most. I’ve been cranky, depressed, down, and stressed. My friends and lovers have been mostly patient with me as I try to pull myself out of an emotional slump. I’ve had some really nice nights that have sometimes counter-balanced my bad moods. I’m trying to make the best of things without feeling too fake-happy like I used to.

Last Sunday Ke and I slept late and then headed out for some Dairy Queen. B! had suggested a game night, and for a last minute event we had a surprisingly robust turnout -- Brbe and Erro, B!, Chwi and M31, Salamander and Nivagi, Jero, and Jogr, a new person from Indiana_RP. Nada still has my Apples to Apples and Munchkin, but B! and Jero brought theirs so the evening was saved. *grin*

Last Monday I had a follow-up doctor’s appointment, so Ke went with me to the radiation oncologist’s to be checked out and makes her everything is AOK. After my appointment Ke and I had Cuban food for lunch and went to see the Bodies exhibit, which was very interesting. I spent the evening with Jero, having dinner and MUXing a bit before heading to bed.

Last Tuesday I went to see Jeki. She and I don’t get to hang out very often due to her schedule as a single mom, but for the last couples of years she’s been free the week between Christmas and New Year’s while her kids were at the grandparents’. So, even though I was insanely busy, I made some time to go visit her and hang out during her rare childfree time. Her ex-husband teased her because she’d tried to squeeze in time to see everyone she knew while she had the opportunity to have adult conversations without interruption. It was pleasant to spend time with her, and I hope I won’t have to wait until next Christmas to hang out again.

Last Wednesday Jero and I had a fun night at Mika and Tojo’s New Year’s Eve party. Jero and I shared a kiss at midnight, and then I got one from Mika and Nivagi as well. Ke and Mira called to wish me a happy New Year from Evansville, and I called Amsc, Bemcco, Caro, and Ra to give them (or their voicemail) long-distance New Year’s kisses as well. Jero and I stayed pretty late at the party and then headed back to her house to sleep.

Jero and I slept in late on New Year’s Day. Later in the day Ke drove back from visiting Mira. I went over to her house to give her new year’s kisses in person (and collect some from Mira!). After she made some food we hid in her bedroom to hide under the electric blanket until her house and we warmed up. It was a warm snuggly way to start the New Year!

Friday night A@, Jobe, and I met up at Mars’s house for a game of Runebound. Mars made yummy chili and the four of us played after midnight, when A@ announced he had to leave soon. For fun A@ made a reckless grab for the end game, quickly beating the three of us to victory. Apparently the rest of us need to learn the lesson that bold action gets results in Runebound!

Saturday night Jero and I were planning to go to a party, but I wasn’t feeling well so we stayed home. We did pick up some materials so I could work on my constructible ship set for my upcoming D&D game, although we were stymied from further progress by the lack of a color ink cartridge. Instead we played on our laptops until I felt better and then watched Bones before falling asleep.

This week has been steadily better in terms of my moodiness, and I hope things will continue to improve. However, in terms of stress I still have to deal with the fact that I am fantastically broke and may have to borrow money and postpone out-of-town plans until after my next paycheck. I hate to disappoint, but so far at least people are being very understanding. *sigh*

“I don't give advice; people never take it.”
-- Robert Heinlein, Time Enough For Love

Happy Holidays! -- December 27th

I’m not much of a holidays guy, but this week was pretty cool. I got to see Caro while she was in to visit her family, and I actually had a nice time with my mom and sister over Christmas. I got to meet new members of my family, and spend some quiet time curled up watching Dexter - Season 3 with Jero. What could be better for the holiday season? *grin*

Sunday I picked up Caro at the airport and we went downtown to have dinner and warm up at Steak n’ Shake. After eating we braved the freakin’ cold! to run over to Borders. Caro sneaky bought me a holiday gift (a Stephen Colbert desk calendar!) and then we headed back to my apartment to nest and de-thaw. We watched two episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer (“Once More with Feeling” and “Restless”) and then cuddled up to sleep. It was fantastic to have Caro cuddled up in my bed again! B)

Monday Caro and I slept for about twelve hours before finally emerging from my apartment for sushi. We then headed down to Bloomington, stopping into a knit shop and then hanging out at the Runcible Spoon until it was time to go meet her parents. They made us dinner, and I had an enjoyable time with them. After excellent food and conversation, I headed back to Indy to snuggle with Jero and watch Dexter for as long as we could stay awake.

Tuesday I had to go back to work, but I started a 9:45 AM schedule which was much better than having to be at work at 8. I wound up leaving work two hours early thanks to E-time (Saca isn’t such a Grinch after all!), and spent the night alone, hiding out and storing up social energy before having to deal with my mom and family. I did some journaling and laundry, and stayed up way too late since I had the opportunity.

Wednesday I got up relatively early and met Jero for lunch before driving down to Bloomington to meet up with Chhu and her boyfriend Semo. Chhu drove us to Mt. Vernon to my half-brothers’ dad’s place, where Mom made us a huge yummy dinner, with homemade New York-style cheesecake for dessert. Mom got me a lot of crap for Christmas – Chhu was smart and asked for just money. B)

As I posted day-of, Thursday (Christmas itself) wasn’t quite as fun. I was cranky and didn’t sleep well, and Mom was too sick to join us for the yummy dinner she’d prepared. When we left I drove part of the way back, and then Chhu took over since she was getting car sick and feels better if she’s driving. I made it back to Jero’s late, and spent the night snuggling and watching Dexter.

Friday night I wanted to go back down to Bloomington for Dadypi’s birthday. However, I am poor and my gas tank was on empty, and Jero, who I was hoping would come with, was feeling sickly. Add thick fog and a hour drive to that, and we decided to stay home and just watch more Dexter. I’ll take Dadypi out later when the financial and meteorological forecast is better.

Today I’m at work, and tonight I plan to hang out with Ke when she returns from visiting her family. I haven’t gotten to see Ke all week since she’s been out of town, so I look forward to cuddling and catching up. The rest of the weekend should be peaceful and relaxing. If Ke’s on the computer I’ll probably work more on my D&D campaign, since I’m fretting about now that a date is set.

Hope everyone is having a happy holiday!

"History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes."
-- Thomas Jefferson, 1813