Day 6 - The Return
Put notes here. Ride back was pretty pleasant and I got more reading and vid-watching in. Got back at what, 5-ish and Sis picked us up and we went to dinner.
Aerinravage's GamerCard
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Capital Hill - Day 5
Day 5 - Busch Gardens
We left our place at about 8 and arrived at BG at just after 10. After sternly-delivered directions to not get lost or be late, and a review of the meal coupons we were handed, we were set loose. It was Ape, Younger, K & K, and A in our group. Thankfully, all members of our group wanted to ride rides, so there wasn't a lot of "sitting out". Except for me on water rides. I'm not fond of water rides, /especially/ flume-style rides with no seatbelts.
SO, I'll skip a lot of the walking around bits and cut to the fun. First up was the Loch Ness Monster. It was a pretty neat ride except for one thing - as with Space Mountain and a number of older coasters, the headrests are too low for my head, locating closer to my neck just above my back. And on one of the quick drop/climb sections, I got whiplashed and my neck actually *snapped* - chiropractor snapped. It hurt, it was unpleasant, and I was afraid I'd pass out. And this was the first ride!
After that I wasn't so sure about the rest of the day's activities. I was *already* hurting from load/unload duty and not enough sleep. So it was with unease and a growing headache that I approached the next ride, the Griffon. You may remember that I've mentioned my dislike for "negative-G" rides, right? Guess what Griffon is? Not only does it feature a LOT of negative-Gs, it also starts with a literal straight-down drop. A lot of people describe drops on some coasters as "straight down" but unless it's 90', it isn't. This one is. And it goes on from there!
The ride itself was very smooth and other than the loopy stomach, I enjoyed it. Enough to go again with the whole crew. I kept myself calm by playing the "Zi'Tah" music in my head. I noted that some of the "drop towers" resembled Rock-It's towers, and figure maybe I can handle that one now...
Did we have lunch here? The food coupon covered pretty sizable meal options, and we chose the Canadian BBQ joint to use the first one. I picked the hot-dog kid's meal and added a large slice of lemon cake for dessert. It was surprisingly good. Everyone else grabbed big BBQ platters and I wound up with some leftovers ^^ I also got a "thing" which I want to send to LK for a housewarming present when he moves in a month.
Next up was Alpengeist. It looks a lot like Ice. It rode a lot like Ice too, but it was rougher than Griffon. Honestly, I gave it a ~meh~. I think the gang went on some water stuff at this time.
Then, the highlight and disappointment of the day. Apollo's Chariot. A ride that pretty much answers the question, "How much negative-G can we expose riders to?" It's a deceptively simple layout with two long "vomit comet" sections with a fast twisty bit in between. It's also two minutes long!
In keeping with the G-force application, AC uses "thigh t-bars", meaning a thick padded bar comes between your legs resting on your upper thighs. Pulled tight, you can get it almost to your hips, locking you in tightly. Ape tried the "test seat" and made it, but when we got on board, she was bumped because her bar wouldn't click three times. The test seat didn't say anything about minimum clicks ><:
I wound up riding three times with the rest of the group. I even threw my arms up at one point, which is really out of character for me. But I did feel horrible for Ape. She would have loved it I think!
Most of the rest of the day was spent on simpler pursuits, some basketball for A, and an attempt on their "4D" ride a'la Spiderman. We got on line despite the ride being down. We waited but I saw that time was nearly out if I was to make it to Celtic Fyre. So I bolted and hustled to Ireland and walked into the theater with literally like 2 minutes to spare.
CF was pretty good, and the lead sure did look like Seth McFarlane. From there, I went shopping in the Irish store, and found a neat cross to use with my cosplay. I walked out of that store just as the rest of the gang caught up with me. They reported that the 4D ride was pretty lame, with too many gratuitous 3D scenes. I reported I had a great time at the show q:
We all looked in the "magic" shop and there were some pretty interesting witchy/goth statuettes and they were reasonably priced too. From there, we dashed to England to eat. And found a monstrous line. I waited for probably 30 minutes and wound up snapping at several kids who seemed to be cutting in. I later apologized to two of the group moms (not from our group) but dang...
Anyways, our food wait was seemingly lengthened by the fact the buffet pipeline would snag or fill at bad places, especially the salad pick-up, causing the cashiers to be either flooded or idle... But we got the food. And it was really good! We had to take ours with us because we were too close to deadline. Ape didn't get to eat at the park at all - she went to a souvenir shop to grab a shirt.
On the ride back, I finished Cast in Secret, book 3 of Michelle Sagara's Elantra series. I had read #2 on the way up and look forward to the next volumes. Also on the way back, we got word that they were ordering pizzas for our last night. By the time we got in, packed and settled, it was pretty late for pizza, but I partook anyway. It was good, too!
We left our place at about 8 and arrived at BG at just after 10. After sternly-delivered directions to not get lost or be late, and a review of the meal coupons we were handed, we were set loose. It was Ape, Younger, K & K, and A in our group. Thankfully, all members of our group wanted to ride rides, so there wasn't a lot of "sitting out". Except for me on water rides. I'm not fond of water rides, /especially/ flume-style rides with no seatbelts.
SO, I'll skip a lot of the walking around bits and cut to the fun. First up was the Loch Ness Monster. It was a pretty neat ride except for one thing - as with Space Mountain and a number of older coasters, the headrests are too low for my head, locating closer to my neck just above my back. And on one of the quick drop/climb sections, I got whiplashed and my neck actually *snapped* - chiropractor snapped. It hurt, it was unpleasant, and I was afraid I'd pass out. And this was the first ride!
After that I wasn't so sure about the rest of the day's activities. I was *already* hurting from load/unload duty and not enough sleep. So it was with unease and a growing headache that I approached the next ride, the Griffon. You may remember that I've mentioned my dislike for "negative-G" rides, right? Guess what Griffon is? Not only does it feature a LOT of negative-Gs, it also starts with a literal straight-down drop. A lot of people describe drops on some coasters as "straight down" but unless it's 90', it isn't. This one is. And it goes on from there!
The ride itself was very smooth and other than the loopy stomach, I enjoyed it. Enough to go again with the whole crew. I kept myself calm by playing the "Zi'Tah" music in my head. I noted that some of the "drop towers" resembled Rock-It's towers, and figure maybe I can handle that one now...
Did we have lunch here? The food coupon covered pretty sizable meal options, and we chose the Canadian BBQ joint to use the first one. I picked the hot-dog kid's meal and added a large slice of lemon cake for dessert. It was surprisingly good. Everyone else grabbed big BBQ platters and I wound up with some leftovers ^^ I also got a "thing" which I want to send to LK for a housewarming present when he moves in a month.
Next up was Alpengeist. It looks a lot like Ice. It rode a lot like Ice too, but it was rougher than Griffon. Honestly, I gave it a ~meh~. I think the gang went on some water stuff at this time.
Then, the highlight and disappointment of the day. Apollo's Chariot. A ride that pretty much answers the question, "How much negative-G can we expose riders to?" It's a deceptively simple layout with two long "vomit comet" sections with a fast twisty bit in between. It's also two minutes long!
In keeping with the G-force application, AC uses "thigh t-bars", meaning a thick padded bar comes between your legs resting on your upper thighs. Pulled tight, you can get it almost to your hips, locking you in tightly. Ape tried the "test seat" and made it, but when we got on board, she was bumped because her bar wouldn't click three times. The test seat didn't say anything about minimum clicks ><:
I wound up riding three times with the rest of the group. I even threw my arms up at one point, which is really out of character for me. But I did feel horrible for Ape. She would have loved it I think!
Most of the rest of the day was spent on simpler pursuits, some basketball for A, and an attempt on their "4D" ride a'la Spiderman. We got on line despite the ride being down. We waited but I saw that time was nearly out if I was to make it to Celtic Fyre. So I bolted and hustled to Ireland and walked into the theater with literally like 2 minutes to spare.
CF was pretty good, and the lead sure did look like Seth McFarlane. From there, I went shopping in the Irish store, and found a neat cross to use with my cosplay. I walked out of that store just as the rest of the gang caught up with me. They reported that the 4D ride was pretty lame, with too many gratuitous 3D scenes. I reported I had a great time at the show q:
We all looked in the "magic" shop and there were some pretty interesting witchy/goth statuettes and they were reasonably priced too. From there, we dashed to England to eat. And found a monstrous line. I waited for probably 30 minutes and wound up snapping at several kids who seemed to be cutting in. I later apologized to two of the group moms (not from our group) but dang...
Anyways, our food wait was seemingly lengthened by the fact the buffet pipeline would snag or fill at bad places, especially the salad pick-up, causing the cashiers to be either flooded or idle... But we got the food. And it was really good! We had to take ours with us because we were too close to deadline. Ape didn't get to eat at the park at all - she went to a souvenir shop to grab a shirt.
On the ride back, I finished Cast in Secret, book 3 of Michelle Sagara's Elantra series. I had read #2 on the way up and look forward to the next volumes. Also on the way back, we got word that they were ordering pizzas for our last night. By the time we got in, packed and settled, it was pretty late for pizza, but I partook anyway. It was good, too!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Capital Hill - Days 3 & 4 Placeholder
Day 3 - DC B-Day
Day 4 - DC C-Day
I have some handwritten notes plus Ape's photolog to go by...
Day 4 - DC C-Day
I have some handwritten notes plus Ape's photolog to go by...
Monday, June 21, 2010
Capital Hill - Day 2
Day 2 - DC A-Day
(confirm sched with pic timeline and itinerary)
Our four-day forced-march adventure begins today. For the next four days we will be up at dawn and on the move until dusk. We will eat mostly buffets and food court meals. We will have little time to actually enjoy things because we (the adults) are supposed to be chaperoning, not sightseeing. Do not worry, Dear Reader. We managed to take in quite a bit...
Our first stop in Washington was near the Pentagon Mall to collect our tour guide. This lovely woman called Dale, who reminded me greatly of my beloved former boss, got on and took charge. She had three days of adventure planned out for us and she wasn't going to waste time. Unfortunately, the kids did, and our schedule got pretty messed up. But more on that later.
Our first stop was the Capitol Building and a walk around it. I'm not going to include much of Dale's commentary here because honestly, I couldn't remember it all if I tried. The woman was a walking factbook on D.C. During her time with us, she'd be feeding us an awful lot of history and trivia about the places we were going. I kept wandering around behind the throng of children to get close enough to hear her. This of course, meant I wound up in a *lot* of the "official" trip pics ^^ It seemed I was one of the few adults who really wanted to listen in. I do know that a number of our group has previously visited D.C., so, maybe they knew this stuff.
There was a classic VW coupe (Karmann-Ghia?) on the grounds and one of the tour medics went to take pics. A guard came up swiftly but after some chat about VW fandom, he relaxed. Before we made our way towards the Supreme Court, we were passed by a rather large Amish group. I mean no disrespect here, but just how did they get here? I am under the impression that there are differing levels of "observance" in the Amish faith, much as there are in others. Was this group OK with motorized transport? To Ape and Younger I mused: If I was going to board a motorized conveyance for the first (and possibly last) time. I'd be in a Hummer limo.
We didn't actually go into the SC. In fact, there was no getting near it. Also, some journalists were camped out on the lower steps. When asked, one gent said they were waiting for Sonia Sotomayor news. Oh! Well, it didn't happen whilst we were walking by. DJ climbed the stairs and *immediately* one of the three visible armed guards walked down from his post at the top. DJ got the pic he wanted and scooted, the guard walking through his just-vacated position moments later. The guard continued past, to the journo area. But it sure seemed to me he was making a subtle point.
Late in the morning, all 11 buses in our armada assembled for a group shot. We hope to get a copy soon. While assembling, a man was "escorted" out of the shot by two of the photographer's assistants and I heard him protesting that he wanted some notice in writing while apparently complaining about not being allowed to be there. I never did ask if it was a real incident or if he was friends with the crew.
We got to take a quick tour of the Library of Congress. Remember me saying how my two years with the local library system was my fave job (well, before my present one)? Imagine going to the "mother library"... It really was incredible. I had no idea the place was so ornately decorated! The roof mosaics, the frescoes, the statuary, all of it breathtaking!
(confirm sched with pic timeline and itinerary)
Our four-day forced-march adventure begins today. For the next four days we will be up at dawn and on the move until dusk. We will eat mostly buffets and food court meals. We will have little time to actually enjoy things because we (the adults) are supposed to be chaperoning, not sightseeing. Do not worry, Dear Reader. We managed to take in quite a bit...
Our first stop in Washington was near the Pentagon Mall to collect our tour guide. This lovely woman called Dale, who reminded me greatly of my beloved former boss, got on and took charge. She had three days of adventure planned out for us and she wasn't going to waste time. Unfortunately, the kids did, and our schedule got pretty messed up. But more on that later.
Our first stop was the Capitol Building and a walk around it. I'm not going to include much of Dale's commentary here because honestly, I couldn't remember it all if I tried. The woman was a walking factbook on D.C. During her time with us, she'd be feeding us an awful lot of history and trivia about the places we were going. I kept wandering around behind the throng of children to get close enough to hear her. This of course, meant I wound up in a *lot* of the "official" trip pics ^^ It seemed I was one of the few adults who really wanted to listen in. I do know that a number of our group has previously visited D.C., so, maybe they knew this stuff.
There was a classic VW coupe (Karmann-Ghia?) on the grounds and one of the tour medics went to take pics. A guard came up swiftly but after some chat about VW fandom, he relaxed. Before we made our way towards the Supreme Court, we were passed by a rather large Amish group. I mean no disrespect here, but just how did they get here? I am under the impression that there are differing levels of "observance" in the Amish faith, much as there are in others. Was this group OK with motorized transport? To Ape and Younger I mused: If I was going to board a motorized conveyance for the first (and possibly last) time. I'd be in a Hummer limo.
We didn't actually go into the SC. In fact, there was no getting near it. Also, some journalists were camped out on the lower steps. When asked, one gent said they were waiting for Sonia Sotomayor news. Oh! Well, it didn't happen whilst we were walking by. DJ climbed the stairs and *immediately* one of the three visible armed guards walked down from his post at the top. DJ got the pic he wanted and scooted, the guard walking through his just-vacated position moments later. The guard continued past, to the journo area. But it sure seemed to me he was making a subtle point.
Late in the morning, all 11 buses in our armada assembled for a group shot. We hope to get a copy soon. While assembling, a man was "escorted" out of the shot by two of the photographer's assistants and I heard him protesting that he wanted some notice in writing while apparently complaining about not being allowed to be there. I never did ask if it was a real incident or if he was friends with the crew.
We got to take a quick tour of the Library of Congress. Remember me saying how my two years with the local library system was my fave job (well, before my present one)? Imagine going to the "mother library"... It really was incredible. I had no idea the place was so ornately decorated! The roof mosaics, the frescoes, the statuary, all of it breathtaking!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Capital Hill - Day 1
Day 1 - The Departure
Today's plan? 14-odd hours on a bus. With 32 kids, 12 parents, plus Al the driver and police officer. Dear Lord, please give me the strength...
Up at 4:15am, at the Stadium at 5:30, helping another dad (let's call him DJ) load the holds with luggage, chairs and sundries. Actually, this Dad Duo would be a pretty constant thing on this trip. More on that later. On the road at 6am.
We were on the hook for breakfast and lunch today, then all other meals would be provided. Last night, Ape packed our bag with snacks, fruit, and, for me, four sammies. Two deli meat standards, paired with PB&J. Shortly after our departure, I ate my breakfast pair, while Ape commented on the coffee fashionistas. I read for much of the first leg, digging into Cast in Courtlight. I think I'm going to really like this series, provided it doesn't go off the rails in the later volumes, the way Piers Anthony's seem to.
Lunch was at a South Carolina rest stop. As one of only two dads on the trip, restroom security fell to DJ and me. Yay. It didn't help my mood that this particular facility smelled and I inadvertently stood watch long after our patrols had finished, as other busloads of patrols had been filing in the whole time. And many of the kids (of all groups) were fond of shaking water off their hands and much of it landed on me. If you don't know my feelings for being sticky or dirty, guess.
About an hour before dinner. Bus Seven decided it didn't like its transmission and Al stopped us at a rest area. When Bus Seven the Second arrived, we piled on without the items in the holds. Later at dinner (Country Buffet) we had to wait while Bus Seven the Second returned to the rest area for our things, and then back to us. All told it wasn't a big wait, as the dining progress was slowed by the fact the building was prolly full to Fire Marshall capacity of 510. My dinner? I did a sampler: bourbon chicken & rice, a chicken nugget, pizza slice, corn, mac & cheese, and a roll. Plus ice cream and lots of mini orange slice candies - nom!
Arrival at the Best Western was at 9-ish, and after unloading, check-in, long elevator lines and settling the boys (Younger, a friend we'll call K, and another boy whose parents were unable to travel with us, A) it was just after 10 when Ape and I finally had time to breathe. I really don't remember what we did, besides maybe some TV and web surfing... Bed by midnight.
Today's plan? 14-odd hours on a bus. With 32 kids, 12 parents, plus Al the driver and police officer. Dear Lord, please give me the strength...
Up at 4:15am, at the Stadium at 5:30, helping another dad (let's call him DJ) load the holds with luggage, chairs and sundries. Actually, this Dad Duo would be a pretty constant thing on this trip. More on that later. On the road at 6am.
We were on the hook for breakfast and lunch today, then all other meals would be provided. Last night, Ape packed our bag with snacks, fruit, and, for me, four sammies. Two deli meat standards, paired with PB&J. Shortly after our departure, I ate my breakfast pair, while Ape commented on the coffee fashionistas. I read for much of the first leg, digging into Cast in Courtlight. I think I'm going to really like this series, provided it doesn't go off the rails in the later volumes, the way Piers Anthony's seem to.
Lunch was at a South Carolina rest stop. As one of only two dads on the trip, restroom security fell to DJ and me. Yay. It didn't help my mood that this particular facility smelled and I inadvertently stood watch long after our patrols had finished, as other busloads of patrols had been filing in the whole time. And many of the kids (of all groups) were fond of shaking water off their hands and much of it landed on me. If you don't know my feelings for being sticky or dirty, guess.
About an hour before dinner. Bus Seven decided it didn't like its transmission and Al stopped us at a rest area. When Bus Seven the Second arrived, we piled on without the items in the holds. Later at dinner (Country Buffet) we had to wait while Bus Seven the Second returned to the rest area for our things, and then back to us. All told it wasn't a big wait, as the dining progress was slowed by the fact the building was prolly full to Fire Marshall capacity of 510. My dinner? I did a sampler: bourbon chicken & rice, a chicken nugget, pizza slice, corn, mac & cheese, and a roll. Plus ice cream and lots of mini orange slice candies - nom!
Arrival at the Best Western was at 9-ish, and after unloading, check-in, long elevator lines and settling the boys (Younger, a friend we'll call K, and another boy whose parents were unable to travel with us, A) it was just after 10 when Ape and I finally had time to breathe. I really don't remember what we did, besides maybe some TV and web surfing... Bed by midnight.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The Calm Before The Storm(ing of the Capitol)
Sat: Up earlier than normal to pick Younger and bro up from TKD. Then the three of us went to Toys R Us for what we thought was a Family challenge aimed at FD. Nope - some sort of demo. No obvious competition and Younger wasn't that interested in waiting for a turn. SO we browsed a bit then went home.
We picked Ape up and headed towards the theater, as it was almost time for TOY STORY 3!!! Three! And in 3D too ^^ We grabbed CFA and scarfed it down then went in. Oh my Lord - this was easily one of the best movies I've seen in a long while. Everything I was hoping for and nothing I wasn't. And the endgame left me & Ape crying for quite awhile - it was really touching. First KK, now TS3.
Somehow, no Tron preview...
Back home, more room work, then off to FD din for me and Dad at J. Alexanders. Still one of my fave restaurants, although I picked the wrong kind of sandwich. Still good. On the way out, we got a treat - there was a red Ferrari 360 Spyder right out front. It was beautiful, with "Italia" racing stripes and unbelievable lines.
We weren't planning on going back home, as the car was packed for Sunday's early morning journey. We were supposed to be going to mom & dad's so they can drop us off. Nope - Younger forgot shoes so Ape decided to grab some foodstuffs to make Sunday's lunch & snacks with. Some came from our house and the rest from Publix.
We didn't get to my parents' until almost 10, and after settling in and a half-dozen trips to the car for stuff, Ape didn't go to bed until 11:30. I'm still up at 1:15 updating this and taking care of last-minute cosplay details.
Sunday is going to be brutal. We're going to see amazing, powerful sites, and sights. But I may not be able to keep up with it all... And we'll likely be so wiped from the tour grind I may not be able to log in for note-taking. I might see if I can get a small notepad and jot important things down.
P.S. I am apparently 1/8th Irish! So my fascination with it vis-a-vis Sevenwaters and the like is legitimate ^^
-=-=-=-
Fri: Met Ape and the Clones at European Street for FD din with her dad & pat. Got hot ham & swiss and it was awesome! Had a nice time too as we managed to have a whole meal with the man and not break out into ideological combat. Then dropped the boys off at my parents' and headed home
Worked on Elder's room for a couple hours then cleaned up, chilled and hit XI. Ran into Fhox after an unsuccessful LFG. He was farming RDM tests in Beadeaux. I was marginally able to help as I was desperately underleveled for the test mobs. I even died once on a nasty hit followed by a Firaga III. I did get like 6 dagger levels though.
-=-=-=-
Thurs:
Good chats with the crew. Details?
We picked Ape up and headed towards the theater, as it was almost time for TOY STORY 3!!! Three! And in 3D too ^^ We grabbed CFA and scarfed it down then went in. Oh my Lord - this was easily one of the best movies I've seen in a long while. Everything I was hoping for and nothing I wasn't. And the endgame left me & Ape crying for quite awhile - it was really touching. First KK, now TS3.
Somehow, no Tron preview...
Back home, more room work, then off to FD din for me and Dad at J. Alexanders. Still one of my fave restaurants, although I picked the wrong kind of sandwich. Still good. On the way out, we got a treat - there was a red Ferrari 360 Spyder right out front. It was beautiful, with "Italia" racing stripes and unbelievable lines.
We weren't planning on going back home, as the car was packed for Sunday's early morning journey. We were supposed to be going to mom & dad's so they can drop us off. Nope - Younger forgot shoes so Ape decided to grab some foodstuffs to make Sunday's lunch & snacks with. Some came from our house and the rest from Publix.
We didn't get to my parents' until almost 10, and after settling in and a half-dozen trips to the car for stuff, Ape didn't go to bed until 11:30. I'm still up at 1:15 updating this and taking care of last-minute cosplay details.
Sunday is going to be brutal. We're going to see amazing, powerful sites, and sights. But I may not be able to keep up with it all... And we'll likely be so wiped from the tour grind I may not be able to log in for note-taking. I might see if I can get a small notepad and jot important things down.
P.S. I am apparently 1/8th Irish! So my fascination with it vis-a-vis Sevenwaters and the like is legitimate ^^
-=-=-=-
Fri: Met Ape and the Clones at European Street for FD din with her dad & pat. Got hot ham & swiss and it was awesome! Had a nice time too as we managed to have a whole meal with the man and not break out into ideological combat. Then dropped the boys off at my parents' and headed home
Worked on Elder's room for a couple hours then cleaned up, chilled and hit XI. Ran into Fhox after an unsuccessful LFG. He was farming RDM tests in Beadeaux. I was marginally able to help as I was desperately underleveled for the test mobs. I even died once on a nasty hit followed by a Firaga III. I did get like 6 dagger levels though.
-=-=-=-
Thurs:
Good chats with the crew. Details?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Busy Busy Bee
Wed Morning:
Quick note: Both of us feel the foam topper is helping us with our sleep-aches. But dang, that thing STILL stinks, after three days in the garage and three more on the bed!
-=-=-=-
Tue:
7am dentist appointment. /Yawn Despite being held up a bit by Ape ^.~, I made it to the appointment on time, and I didn't even get fussed at for not flossing. Maybe because I have been, once a week or so anyway.
On my lunch break, I looked into volunteering for "IMAlive", TWLOHA's summer project for suicide prevention. It seems pretty intense and I'm not sure I could handle that much pain. But I'd love to help somehow!
After work, met fam in Sawgrass for Younger's first swim meet. Versus the Sawgrass Sharks. Elder got a chuckle when the wind blew part of their team banner down, leaving only the last three letters visible q:
Younger did his best but he's having a little trouble with his entry and his turns. Poor kid keeps belly-flopping which not only stings, it knocks his goggles off too.
The meet started at about 4:30, and we didn't leave until nearly *8:00*! Mind you, none of us had eaten dinner yet! And the place Ape wanted to try was about 30 minutes away.
But, we made it, and after a slow start, got some really delicious food. I indulged, having a burger, fries and Coke Classic. It was worth it ^^ We didn't leave until 10 and home was another 40-odd minues away so I didn't see the inside of my house until close to 11. And this was after leaving at like 6:30...
In any case, Ape and I watched a little South Park and had a talk about my cosplay. If you're ever interested in studying causality, look at me. One little decision almost a year ago and the ripples are still being felt now.
I don't think I quite have a /green/ light but I'm close. My plan is to solidify things with her tomorrow and then put in the request Thursday. Assuming tomorrow goes well!
I actually fell asleep putting more movies on T-Dub. Ape had to wake me so I could put everything up and go to sleep properly.
-=-=-=-
Mon:
up early to drop younger off for swim practice. Pretty down about the whole cosplay thing.
At lunch, a chance tweet on Twitter's homepage caught my eye, just as I was logging out: TWLOHA has a twitter. And a benefit update tweet is what rolled up the "top tweets" scroll just as I was closing the window. Which meant I had to log back in, find them, and follow them.
Then I started poking around their website looking at merch (some great shirts await!) and then I saw a blurb about "I'm Alive", a volunteer effort they're trying to launch to combat suicide attempts. They want to train and staff a line (site?) with 1,000 people, each giving 4 hours a week for a year.
I find their ideas intriguing and I wish to subscribe to their newsletter...
-=-=-=-
Sun:
Ape's can opener warning
Huggies jean diaper lines (The coolest you'll look pooping your pants)
thrift store template search
grocery shopping
yardwork
city cruise listening to RB 2nd gear
death of dreams redux?
put stinky foam topper on the bed
bed early, awakened 2:47am, terrible sleep after ><
-=-=-=-
Sat:
nice breakfast, then chores
off with Bonnie & Mimi - dinner at Mikes
saw the duckies
Late party on DNC, to 54.7
Quick note: Both of us feel the foam topper is helping us with our sleep-aches. But dang, that thing STILL stinks, after three days in the garage and three more on the bed!
-=-=-=-
Tue:
7am dentist appointment. /Yawn Despite being held up a bit by Ape ^.~, I made it to the appointment on time, and I didn't even get fussed at for not flossing. Maybe because I have been, once a week or so anyway.
On my lunch break, I looked into volunteering for "IMAlive", TWLOHA's summer project for suicide prevention. It seems pretty intense and I'm not sure I could handle that much pain. But I'd love to help somehow!
After work, met fam in Sawgrass for Younger's first swim meet. Versus the Sawgrass Sharks. Elder got a chuckle when the wind blew part of their team banner down, leaving only the last three letters visible q:
Younger did his best but he's having a little trouble with his entry and his turns. Poor kid keeps belly-flopping which not only stings, it knocks his goggles off too.
The meet started at about 4:30, and we didn't leave until nearly *8:00*! Mind you, none of us had eaten dinner yet! And the place Ape wanted to try was about 30 minutes away.
But, we made it, and after a slow start, got some really delicious food. I indulged, having a burger, fries and Coke Classic. It was worth it ^^ We didn't leave until 10 and home was another 40-odd minues away so I didn't see the inside of my house until close to 11. And this was after leaving at like 6:30...
In any case, Ape and I watched a little South Park and had a talk about my cosplay. If you're ever interested in studying causality, look at me. One little decision almost a year ago and the ripples are still being felt now.
I don't think I quite have a /green/ light but I'm close. My plan is to solidify things with her tomorrow and then put in the request Thursday. Assuming tomorrow goes well!
I actually fell asleep putting more movies on T-Dub. Ape had to wake me so I could put everything up and go to sleep properly.
-=-=-=-
Mon:
up early to drop younger off for swim practice. Pretty down about the whole cosplay thing.
At lunch, a chance tweet on Twitter's homepage caught my eye, just as I was logging out: TWLOHA has a twitter. And a benefit update tweet is what rolled up the "top tweets" scroll just as I was closing the window. Which meant I had to log back in, find them, and follow them.
Then I started poking around their website looking at merch (some great shirts await!) and then I saw a blurb about "I'm Alive", a volunteer effort they're trying to launch to combat suicide attempts. They want to train and staff a line (site?) with 1,000 people, each giving 4 hours a week for a year.
I find their ideas intriguing and I wish to subscribe to their newsletter...
-=-=-=-
Sun:
Ape's can opener warning
Huggies jean diaper lines (The coolest you'll look pooping your pants)
thrift store template search
grocery shopping
yardwork
city cruise listening to RB 2nd gear
death of dreams redux?
put stinky foam topper on the bed
bed early, awakened 2:47am, terrible sleep after ><
-=-=-=-
Sat:
nice breakfast, then chores
off with Bonnie & Mimi - dinner at Mikes
saw the duckies
Late party on DNC, to 54.7
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Too Much LFG
Saturday
Today's been very quiet. While Ape and Younger were at his swim meet, I slept in, then woke up and ate the sammy she made for me while watching whatever I could find.
Then I jumped on XI and flagged up on Dancer and soloed two pages in the Sanctuary. This put me 2.5k into 51, so I'm almost ready to start my AF properly. I'm also high enough now to consider gear upgrades where my AF won't do. I really need new knives soon!
Now we're chilling and getting ready to head out for family time.
-=-=-=-
Friday - Continuing from yesterday...
Younger's too-long graduation ceremony was too long, but it was nice. They did a pretty good job with awards and different segments to break up the time. There were choral performances, a slideshow, farewells from the teachers and more. Younger looked so professional in his suit! And I think he might have been as surprised as we were at some of the awards he got!
Our very-late breakfast at Bob Evans was nice, but hectic with 13 of us. Sis bought the boys (minus Elder) Silly Bandz. Wow - the controversial rubber bands shaped like stuff! I happen to think they're neat, but I also see how they're absolutely awful in a classroom.
I didn't make it to work until 1:30 and wound up just taking the full day off in the T&A system. This squares me up for the time I've had to miss for Elder's conference and other errands. I left at about 5:30 after a decent day. But I didn't care about that - we were about to see The Karate Kid with Sis's family and Mimi!
We would have gone at 6:45 but AMC pulled a stupid (as is their way) in putting that showing of a brand new movie in a smaller theatre. We bumped our tickets to 7:15 and got the second largest house. Prolly appropriate because this movie is LONG!
Too long, in fact. I don't think I'm giving away spoilers here, as the formula is pretty close to the original's. But it took far too long to get from "bullied kid finds unlikely teacher and begins to learn self defense and self confidence" to the actual training and the tournament.
Don't get me wrong - I think we all loved it, but it's just too long! There's an easy 20 minutes that can be lost somewhere. Other than that, it's fantastically acted and a lot of fun. The kung fu is exciting, and there's a part that made us weepy. Well, me and Ape - not sure of the others. There's a /very/ touching scene just before the tourney!
After that it was just after 10 and bro's brood was hungry. Sis had to dash right at the end to go to work so we took them through Taco Bell and then home. I got one of the 2-buck meals and it was pretty good. Doritos + taco = nom.
Ape and I hung out some with the clones and then when we finally got them sorted and I pressed Ape's back and feet I gave Dancer a shot. About 2 hours LFG later I gave up. I managed to get some of my stuff sold and the rest put back up.
Today's been very quiet. While Ape and Younger were at his swim meet, I slept in, then woke up and ate the sammy she made for me while watching whatever I could find.
Then I jumped on XI and flagged up on Dancer and soloed two pages in the Sanctuary. This put me 2.5k into 51, so I'm almost ready to start my AF properly. I'm also high enough now to consider gear upgrades where my AF won't do. I really need new knives soon!
Now we're chilling and getting ready to head out for family time.
-=-=-=-
Friday - Continuing from yesterday...
Younger's too-long graduation ceremony was too long, but it was nice. They did a pretty good job with awards and different segments to break up the time. There were choral performances, a slideshow, farewells from the teachers and more. Younger looked so professional in his suit! And I think he might have been as surprised as we were at some of the awards he got!
Our very-late breakfast at Bob Evans was nice, but hectic with 13 of us. Sis bought the boys (minus Elder) Silly Bandz. Wow - the controversial rubber bands shaped like stuff! I happen to think they're neat, but I also see how they're absolutely awful in a classroom.
I didn't make it to work until 1:30 and wound up just taking the full day off in the T&A system. This squares me up for the time I've had to miss for Elder's conference and other errands. I left at about 5:30 after a decent day. But I didn't care about that - we were about to see The Karate Kid with Sis's family and Mimi!
We would have gone at 6:45 but AMC pulled a stupid (as is their way) in putting that showing of a brand new movie in a smaller theatre. We bumped our tickets to 7:15 and got the second largest house. Prolly appropriate because this movie is LONG!
Too long, in fact. I don't think I'm giving away spoilers here, as the formula is pretty close to the original's. But it took far too long to get from "bullied kid finds unlikely teacher and begins to learn self defense and self confidence" to the actual training and the tournament.
Don't get me wrong - I think we all loved it, but it's just too long! There's an easy 20 minutes that can be lost somewhere. Other than that, it's fantastically acted and a lot of fun. The kung fu is exciting, and there's a part that made us weepy. Well, me and Ape - not sure of the others. There's a /very/ touching scene just before the tourney!
After that it was just after 10 and bro's brood was hungry. Sis had to dash right at the end to go to work so we took them through Taco Bell and then home. I got one of the 2-buck meals and it was pretty good. Doritos + taco = nom.
Ape and I hung out some with the clones and then when we finally got them sorted and I pressed Ape's back and feet I gave Dancer a shot. About 2 hours LFG later I gave up. I managed to get some of my stuff sold and the rest put back up.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Perfect Attendance
This morning was Younger's Fifth Grade Graduation exercise at his school. We were there for over 2 hours, largely due to the sheer number of awards given. Granted, the school is an academic center of excellence in our county school system, and most of the 73 fifth graders excel academically and in athletic and civic pursuits.
There *were* a number of awards that seemed like maybe the criteria is set low enough that everybody has a shot, so as not to leave kids out. I'm not going to stand here and say I oppose this, though I think initiatives like this, "scoreless Little League" games and the like are more harmful than helpful.
No, what I want to talk about is one very specific award that raises the hackles on my neck. Am I the only person who thinks recognizing Perfect Attendance is both unrealistic and unfair? The kids who go on to get this year after year must really miss out on stuff. Or maybe their folks don't ever do fun stuff during the year.
Let me rephrase - I'd be OK with PA awards (No, not *those* PA awards) if they didn't hold parentally-excused absences against the kids. Pretty much from the time I hit middle school on, my parents had a rule. We got "vacation days" every grading period, so long as we kept our grade up and didn't use a vaycay day to blow off anything important. Otherwise, it was pretty much our choice.
So, once a month or so I'd just stay home. I'd veg out on the couch watching TV and eating junk food. Or I'd play games or read. Or whatever. And it was great!
Other times, they'd pack us in the car and we go out of town. They're the ones who instilled this sense of adventure and family fun in us - we didn't always go to exciting places but we had fun together.
Now, as parents, Ape and I do the same thing. We're always on the go and we take the Clones with us. I don't think it's for the school to punish my kids if I take them out. So long as the absence doesn't interfere with classroom activities and such, of course.
Another prob I have with PA - does that mean these kids never get sick? Or are they at school, infestulating* my kids because they or their parents want some piece of shiny at the end of the year?
* Infestulating - v. - I have no idea where we came up with this. I thought it was a portmanteau of infest and something else, but now I can't remember what the something else is.
There *were* a number of awards that seemed like maybe the criteria is set low enough that everybody has a shot, so as not to leave kids out. I'm not going to stand here and say I oppose this, though I think initiatives like this, "scoreless Little League" games and the like are more harmful than helpful.
No, what I want to talk about is one very specific award that raises the hackles on my neck. Am I the only person who thinks recognizing Perfect Attendance is both unrealistic and unfair? The kids who go on to get this year after year must really miss out on stuff. Or maybe their folks don't ever do fun stuff during the year.
Let me rephrase - I'd be OK with PA awards (No, not *those* PA awards) if they didn't hold parentally-excused absences against the kids. Pretty much from the time I hit middle school on, my parents had a rule. We got "vacation days" every grading period, so long as we kept our grade up and didn't use a vaycay day to blow off anything important. Otherwise, it was pretty much our choice.
So, once a month or so I'd just stay home. I'd veg out on the couch watching TV and eating junk food. Or I'd play games or read. Or whatever. And it was great!
Other times, they'd pack us in the car and we go out of town. They're the ones who instilled this sense of adventure and family fun in us - we didn't always go to exciting places but we had fun together.
Now, as parents, Ape and I do the same thing. We're always on the go and we take the Clones with us. I don't think it's for the school to punish my kids if I take them out. So long as the absence doesn't interfere with classroom activities and such, of course.
Another prob I have with PA - does that mean these kids never get sick? Or are they at school, infestulating* my kids because they or their parents want some piece of shiny at the end of the year?
* Infestulating - v. - I have no idea where we came up with this. I thought it was a portmanteau of infest and something else, but now I can't remember what the something else is.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Slow Week
Besides being bummed at work, I haven't done anything much related to XI. I spent both Tuesday and Wednesday with Ape, reading, surfing the net, and watching TV. Last night was "Sleepless in Seattle", after Ape realized she'd stalled on the Stanley Cup finals.
Wednesday I chatted with LK and managed to get in our first game of chess. Not much of a game, really. I'm not that good. I fail to properly analyze all threats and opportunities and make boneheaded moves. Still, it was fun finally trying that out with him! Also, he's going to be moving to NY soon - here's hoping things work out for him there!
Tonight, I finished Eclipse (all 629 pages) after less than a week. Now I totally can't wait until the 30th! Later, it was family dinner with Mimi and our aunt, who finally made it over. Very yummy, as always, Ape!
Took a little time to update XI and put my junk back up on the AH. I also ripped some more games to TFM, including Falling Stars. It's...interesting. I have a feeling the reviews are going to be dead on with this one. But the worn gear=NPC charisma is interesting.
Later, I brought up the source of this week's malaise - my cosplay. I only have until the 20th to commit and I'm having a hard time working out how to balance the pain it causes her if I do it, versus not and hurting myself, which would hurt her too. Can I win here?
When we talked about it she basically told me to do it anyway and that what bothers her is the girlishness of the costume. -.-
Before bed, Ape quizzed me on past spelling bee winning words. I got 4 of 5!
Wednesday I chatted with LK and managed to get in our first game of chess. Not much of a game, really. I'm not that good. I fail to properly analyze all threats and opportunities and make boneheaded moves. Still, it was fun finally trying that out with him! Also, he's going to be moving to NY soon - here's hoping things work out for him there!
Tonight, I finished Eclipse (all 629 pages) after less than a week. Now I totally can't wait until the 30th! Later, it was family dinner with Mimi and our aunt, who finally made it over. Very yummy, as always, Ape!
Took a little time to update XI and put my junk back up on the AH. I also ripped some more games to TFM, including Falling Stars. It's...interesting. I have a feeling the reviews are going to be dead on with this one. But the worn gear=NPC charisma is interesting.
Later, I brought up the source of this week's malaise - my cosplay. I only have until the 20th to commit and I'm having a hard time working out how to balance the pain it causes her if I do it, versus not and hurting myself, which would hurt her too. Can I win here?
When we talked about it she basically told me to do it anyway and that what bothers her is the girlishness of the costume. -.-
Before bed, Ape quizzed me on past spelling bee winning words. I got 4 of 5!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Mandy Monday
(Did I do that one already?)
Spent almost all day at work doing support - AKA putting out fires. I got a lot of them put out, but it was tiring grinding through all those issues.
With lunchtime and TKD time, I got through 20% of Eclipse and I'm getting into it.
At home, I ate and soon got on XI. After checking on the shell meeting (cancelled) I planned to pick up where I left off with last night's soloing and try flagging up near the end of the page. I got the invite, from Steelcyclone, for the jungles of Elshimo.
I had a little time as the roster wasn't full, so I finished off my page and went back to Windy to dump meds, gear and junk. Then I picked up a pumpkin and OPed my way to the group.
Initially his plan was for me to voke off him so he could cast shadows. Which would have been fine had I been able to hit squat with my Quicksteps. Eventually I was able to build up both TP and steps and between curagas to wake us from the mandies, I did my best to voke off Steel.
Things went pretty well too, and between two anni bands and one regular band charge, the two-plus hours netted me over 16k XP, and more than halfway to 51! Also, Countjethuth was my rep, so that was nice too.
Oh, I saw this at work today - what a quote! On the Today show, Obama was talking with Matt Lauer about his administration's response to BP's befouling of our Gulf waters. Lauer needled him a bit but Obama's response needs to be shortened and plastered on a t-shirt:
"I don't sit around talking to experts because this is a college seminar. We talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick."
That is pure Presidential awesome-sauce!
Spent almost all day at work doing support - AKA putting out fires. I got a lot of them put out, but it was tiring grinding through all those issues.
With lunchtime and TKD time, I got through 20% of Eclipse and I'm getting into it.
At home, I ate and soon got on XI. After checking on the shell meeting (cancelled) I planned to pick up where I left off with last night's soloing and try flagging up near the end of the page. I got the invite, from Steelcyclone, for the jungles of Elshimo.
I had a little time as the roster wasn't full, so I finished off my page and went back to Windy to dump meds, gear and junk. Then I picked up a pumpkin and OPed my way to the group.
Initially his plan was for me to voke off him so he could cast shadows. Which would have been fine had I been able to hit squat with my Quicksteps. Eventually I was able to build up both TP and steps and between curagas to wake us from the mandies, I did my best to voke off Steel.
Things went pretty well too, and between two anni bands and one regular band charge, the two-plus hours netted me over 16k XP, and more than halfway to 51! Also, Countjethuth was my rep, so that was nice too.
Oh, I saw this at work today - what a quote! On the Today show, Obama was talking with Matt Lauer about his administration's response to BP's befouling of our Gulf waters. Lauer needled him a bit but Obama's response needs to be shortened and plastered on a t-shirt:
"I don't sit around talking to experts because this is a college seminar. We talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick."
That is pure Presidential awesome-sauce!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Slow, Soggy Sunday
I woke latish after my long XI night. Ape was up already cleaning in anticipation of her aunt's visit from TN, who hasn't visited us here in ages. This is the aunt we usually see in the mountains at Thanksgiving. It was well that we were getting indoor stuff done as it was a pretty rainy day. Nice to have it though! And I like how Younger likes storms and cloudy skies as I do ^^
I helped with the cleaning where I could but I think Ape sees how much of the clutter is hers. Prolly doesn't get me off the hook tho ^.~ She's been making a lot of headway though and there is a definite feeling of openness building. It's very nice!
Younger spent most of his day on TFM, making up for all the lost time. Maybe I should see about digging up my disc binders and loading up some of the stuff I've bought since TFM bit the dust...
Later, I stayed at Sis's with all the boys save Younger, so he mom and Mimi could do some graduation-day clothes shopping. I read the first 55 pages of Eclipse to pass the time.
Dinner was The Loop and later at home we tried to endure the MTV Movie Awards. What we saw was awful. Kate Plus Eight was better. And I mean that seriously. I enjoyed Kate over MTV. Viacom? Taking notes?
During this time I soloed in Zi'tah. Why it took me so long to find the wiki page with all the field manuals, page specs and the level ranges. Much easier to plan solo days! I got 48 this way, but it's slow work...
I helped with the cleaning where I could but I think Ape sees how much of the clutter is hers. Prolly doesn't get me off the hook tho ^.~ She's been making a lot of headway though and there is a definite feeling of openness building. It's very nice!
Younger spent most of his day on TFM, making up for all the lost time. Maybe I should see about digging up my disc binders and loading up some of the stuff I've bought since TFM bit the dust...
Later, I stayed at Sis's with all the boys save Younger, so he mom and Mimi could do some graduation-day clothes shopping. I read the first 55 pages of Eclipse to pass the time.
Dinner was The Loop and later at home we tried to endure the MTV Movie Awards. What we saw was awful. Kate Plus Eight was better. And I mean that seriously. I enjoyed Kate over MTV. Viacom? Taking notes?
During this time I soloed in Zi'tah. Why it took me so long to find the wiki page with all the field manuals, page specs and the level ranges. Much easier to plan solo days! I got 48 this way, but it's slow work...
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Mission Marathon
While I was finishing my latest book, Ape was off at the pool with the boys. When she got back (just as I finished the Epilogue), we prepped for a group departure.
We rounded up Mimi and then went to our mall. I dropped the girls off at Kohl's and I took all 4 boys to GameStop to see about a used phat PS2. It was time to revive The Fun Machine. While I was being helped, some young girls were making cracks about "he's so hot! - No, the other one". Assuming they were talking about the staffers, I looked at them and they started giggling, embarrassed. The one turned to the other and told her I'd heard. Well, duh, they weren't very quiet about it!
So, I was able to source a re-manned PS2, with a 1-year warranty, for 55 bucks. It actually came with a Sony DS2 as well, rather than some third-party crap. Younger was excited by the Ocean Blue controller and the prospect of playing the dozens of faves from my hard drive. We had some other stops before that happened, but it wasn't long before we were at home and I was setting everything up.
Aside from losing the "trigger" memory card, and accidentally using my XI drive once, setup was easy and it booted to the HD right away. In fact, we got a surprise when I loaded Tony Hawk for PS1 and out popped Tiger Woods 2007 for PS2. Lol. I joked it wasn't the good version as seen on South Park ^^
The rest of the night was light cleaning, then I logged into XI. I had hoped to hit 50 on DNC, but Lees had other plans. Old, Lees and Zelia were attempting ZM6, Through the Quicksand Caves. I jumped at the chance and we left pretty quickly, attempting the tricky Antican NM fight with just the 4 of us. Lees and Old on DD, Zel on BLM and me on WHM.
The fight went well, with Zel taking care of most of the sleeping so we could focus all efforts on the PLD ant. I got some Reposes off and used my favorite enfeeb, Paralyze often, with many sticks. Once the PLD fell, the rest was cake. Old was surprised at not dying with our small band. I didn't say much, knowing that Zel is often WHM but not knowing if she WHMs for their fights when I'm not around.
The gang decided to forge ahead, to the second fight, ZM8. Archduke Kam'lanaut is a tough little bugger, being a Zilart and all. But our merry band did well. Until my stupid net decided at the WORST POSSIBLE TIME to R0. Old was hit into the orance and I fired my C5 twice with no result. Then I saw R0. Then he died. Then it reconnected. Geez.
I apologized for Old's second death at my hand, although this one wasn't like the first when I wasn't paying close enough attention. He shrugged it off graciously though :3
After beating Kam'lanaut, Lees wanted to go to bed but asked the rest of us to get our cutscenes. Which I did over the next hour. I'd like to see this set from start to finish as these are pretty well done and I like the story.
After one last Norg-Ninjutsu scroll run I headed out. I spent the rest of the night ripping more movies to my PSP (Geez but Liam Neeson is a hard man in Taken!) and chatting a bit - Kep was finally back on, enjoying a new(er) PC and LK is working through his situation and upcoming move.
We rounded up Mimi and then went to our mall. I dropped the girls off at Kohl's and I took all 4 boys to GameStop to see about a used phat PS2. It was time to revive The Fun Machine. While I was being helped, some young girls were making cracks about "he's so hot! - No, the other one". Assuming they were talking about the staffers, I looked at them and they started giggling, embarrassed. The one turned to the other and told her I'd heard. Well, duh, they weren't very quiet about it!
So, I was able to source a re-manned PS2, with a 1-year warranty, for 55 bucks. It actually came with a Sony DS2 as well, rather than some third-party crap. Younger was excited by the Ocean Blue controller and the prospect of playing the dozens of faves from my hard drive. We had some other stops before that happened, but it wasn't long before we were at home and I was setting everything up.
Aside from losing the "trigger" memory card, and accidentally using my XI drive once, setup was easy and it booted to the HD right away. In fact, we got a surprise when I loaded Tony Hawk for PS1 and out popped Tiger Woods 2007 for PS2. Lol. I joked it wasn't the good version as seen on South Park ^^
The rest of the night was light cleaning, then I logged into XI. I had hoped to hit 50 on DNC, but Lees had other plans. Old, Lees and Zelia were attempting ZM6, Through the Quicksand Caves. I jumped at the chance and we left pretty quickly, attempting the tricky Antican NM fight with just the 4 of us. Lees and Old on DD, Zel on BLM and me on WHM.
The fight went well, with Zel taking care of most of the sleeping so we could focus all efforts on the PLD ant. I got some Reposes off and used my favorite enfeeb, Paralyze often, with many sticks. Once the PLD fell, the rest was cake. Old was surprised at not dying with our small band. I didn't say much, knowing that Zel is often WHM but not knowing if she WHMs for their fights when I'm not around.
The gang decided to forge ahead, to the second fight, ZM8. Archduke Kam'lanaut is a tough little bugger, being a Zilart and all. But our merry band did well. Until my stupid net decided at the WORST POSSIBLE TIME to R0. Old was hit into the orance and I fired my C5 twice with no result. Then I saw R0. Then he died. Then it reconnected. Geez.
I apologized for Old's second death at my hand, although this one wasn't like the first when I wasn't paying close enough attention. He shrugged it off graciously though :3
After beating Kam'lanaut, Lees wanted to go to bed but asked the rest of us to get our cutscenes. Which I did over the next hour. I'd like to see this set from start to finish as these are pretty well done and I like the story.
After one last Norg-Ninjutsu scroll run I headed out. I spent the rest of the night ripping more movies to my PSP (Geez but Liam Neeson is a hard man in Taken!) and chatting a bit - Kep was finally back on, enjoying a new(er) PC and LK is working through his situation and upcoming move.
Book Review: Child of the Prophecy
~Whew~
I read the second half of "Child" in a breathless rush. The misgivings I had about the story changed at about the halfway point when Fainne found her center. And I liked the ending. Pretty much anyway. Oddly, there are some parallels in the ending here and in the resolution of Phèdre's story with regard to Hyacinthe. In fact, Darragh and Hyacinthe seem to be men of a similar wanderlust.
One thing I've enjoyed in the Sevenwaters series is the regard for earth and nature. I'm not heeding the call to a druidic life, but the view Marillier gives of that life, plus the mysticism of Irish/Celtic lore is fascinating and appealing. I am considering integrating natural symbolism into my Noble's. You'll just have to wait on that though!
I've also enjoyed that the series focused on strong female leads, as Kushiel's was. And as in that, these ladies are often flawed and conflicted but still strong of will. Well, sometimes ^^ But they carry on until the end. There's a good deal of romance in these books as well, although not so much in the traditional sense. It's more like the pages are filled with love, and only some of it romantic. A lot of it is familial bonding, and love of kin for kin.
Now I have to get Eclipse out of the way to make room for Heir. Not like Eclipse is going to be some great chore. The passion in Twilight is palpable and fun and I'm looking forward to being ready for the movie.
I read the second half of "Child" in a breathless rush. The misgivings I had about the story changed at about the halfway point when Fainne found her center. And I liked the ending. Pretty much anyway. Oddly, there are some parallels in the ending here and in the resolution of Phèdre's story with regard to Hyacinthe. In fact, Darragh and Hyacinthe seem to be men of a similar wanderlust.
One thing I've enjoyed in the Sevenwaters series is the regard for earth and nature. I'm not heeding the call to a druidic life, but the view Marillier gives of that life, plus the mysticism of Irish/Celtic lore is fascinating and appealing. I am considering integrating natural symbolism into my Noble's. You'll just have to wait on that though!
I've also enjoyed that the series focused on strong female leads, as Kushiel's was. And as in that, these ladies are often flawed and conflicted but still strong of will. Well, sometimes ^^ But they carry on until the end. There's a good deal of romance in these books as well, although not so much in the traditional sense. It's more like the pages are filled with love, and only some of it romantic. A lot of it is familial bonding, and love of kin for kin.
Now I have to get Eclipse out of the way to make room for Heir. Not like Eclipse is going to be some great chore. The passion in Twilight is palpable and fun and I'm looking forward to being ready for the movie.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Funny Friday
* Pretty good day at work
* Tried to stop at two stores near work on the way home. One's phone is disconnected and the other is mostly upholstery fabrics. Went back to JoAnn's to look for a bulletin board - commissions list. None... Also looked in Michael's but nothing doing.
* Pizza Hut
* Went to see "The Killers" but because AMC is stupid they put a brand new movie in their smallest theater. So we jumped over to "Get Him to the Greek". Did I mention my parents were with us? And that the movie is pretty raunchy? A tiny bit awkward...
Movie's actually pretty good but it's strangely lacking in soundtrack for a rocker flick.
Came home to the end of Princess and the Frog (pass...) and Younger showed me a couple vids: The Obama Llama song (Did I really make it almost 2 years without seeing this?) and its predecessor, the Green Llama (Bunchie?) song.
* Tried to stop at two stores near work on the way home. One's phone is disconnected and the other is mostly upholstery fabrics. Went back to JoAnn's to look for a bulletin board - commissions list. None... Also looked in Michael's but nothing doing.
* Pizza Hut
* Went to see "The Killers" but because AMC is stupid they put a brand new movie in their smallest theater. So we jumped over to "Get Him to the Greek". Did I mention my parents were with us? And that the movie is pretty raunchy? A tiny bit awkward...
Movie's actually pretty good but it's strangely lacking in soundtrack for a rocker flick.
Came home to the end of Princess and the Frog (pass...) and Younger showed me a couple vids: The Obama Llama song (Did I really make it almost 2 years without seeing this?) and its predecessor, the Green Llama (Bunchie?) song.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Thursday
Kind of a meh day... Good progress at work but oh so tired! At home it was a nice dinner followed by TKD. This time I got a good spot and was able to read quite a bit of "Child of the Prophecy". This is book 3 of the Sevenwaters series. I'm hustling to finish it because it's due back in 5 days and I want to finish it with enough time for Eclipse.
See, Eclipse (the movie, not the lunar event, or the sporty car) comes out on the 30th and I'm determined to read the book prior to seeing the movie.
Back home after TKD I got on XI long enough to solo to 48 on DNC. I'd love to be 50 by the weekend.
Also, we had a family movie night, watching AMC's (channel, not theatre) 25th anniversary airing of The Goonies. I confessed to Ape that I've prolly only seen the entire thing twice. Not bad, after all these years. Managed to get the boys to watch most of it at least!
See, Eclipse (the movie, not the lunar event, or the sporty car) comes out on the 30th and I'm determined to read the book prior to seeing the movie.
Back home after TKD I got on XI long enough to solo to 48 on DNC. I'd love to be 50 by the weekend.
Also, we had a family movie night, watching AMC's (channel, not theatre) 25th anniversary airing of The Goonies. I confessed to Ape that I've prolly only seen the entire thing twice. Not bad, after all these years. Managed to get the boys to watch most of it at least!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wednesday Comes After Tuesday
Wednesday: Pretty good day at work followed by a tasty dinner! Wound up just chilling with Ape, reading some more, and watching TV. Ape was thinking about going to see "Sex and the City 2" with friends and maybe me, but the plans fell through. She could have gone to one of her friends' to hang out but she decided to stay home.
-=-=-=-
Tuesday: Awful! I was super tired and thought a lunchtime nap would help. But I underestimated the heat. Even with windows and roof opened and the sunshade up, I baked in there. I made it to the end of the day and left a touch early headed for a nearby fabric store.
A bad time with the map meant I missed my turn and didn't have enough time to go back. So I went by the JoAnn's near our house and checked out different colors, patterns and fabrics. I'm getting some new ideas I think will come out nicely if I ever get this thing together!
I made it home just in time to grab Younger and my Subway dinner. At TKD, I parked in the first spot I found and ate. And wound up sweating to death again. It was /way/ too hot (again). But the sandwich was really good!
And then my night got worser. I thought it'd be a good idea to park closer to the TKD dojo and moved. And then spent 20 minutes circling and 20 double parked, stuck in the car! I think the dance studio next door was having a recital because people were lined up in front of the large window...
Back home, I jumped on XI whilst we watched America's Got Talent. I soon got a jungle party with Vourant and made nearly a level and a half! When it was time to leave I got lucky with my rep and went to bed soon after.
Oh, PS (not PCL): I feel horrible LK! Next time let me know what's going on... Please?
-=-=-=-
Tuesday: Awful! I was super tired and thought a lunchtime nap would help. But I underestimated the heat. Even with windows and roof opened and the sunshade up, I baked in there. I made it to the end of the day and left a touch early headed for a nearby fabric store.
A bad time with the map meant I missed my turn and didn't have enough time to go back. So I went by the JoAnn's near our house and checked out different colors, patterns and fabrics. I'm getting some new ideas I think will come out nicely if I ever get this thing together!
I made it home just in time to grab Younger and my Subway dinner. At TKD, I parked in the first spot I found and ate. And wound up sweating to death again. It was /way/ too hot (again). But the sandwich was really good!
And then my night got worser. I thought it'd be a good idea to park closer to the TKD dojo and moved. And then spent 20 minutes circling and 20 double parked, stuck in the car! I think the dance studio next door was having a recital because people were lined up in front of the large window...
Back home, I jumped on XI whilst we watched America's Got Talent. I soon got a jungle party with Vourant and made nearly a level and a half! When it was time to leave I got lucky with my rep and went to bed soon after.
Oh, PS (not PCL): I feel horrible LK! Next time let me know what's going on... Please?
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