It's been a heck of a week.

Despite how screwed up our planning and timing got, meeting readnofurther and seeing foghlai_mara again was excellent. As I told them, one of my greatest regrets in life now is that we don't all live closer together. And for a beautiful hour or so on Friday, when ehzoterik was there too, I had many of the people I care about most in life within arm's reach of me. That was a wonderful feeling, and a wonderful time. I hope we can all recapture it someday soon.

I can't say I started the new year right, being as I rang it in with a plague of doom. I haven't been this sick in years, maybe a decade if you don't count food poisoning. Wandering around feverish and freezing is not my idea of a good beginning to a new year.

I did, however, finally get around to watching Advent Children. (I know, I suck.) All I can say is that I really, really want to play Exalted now. Heh heh.

So happy new year to you all.

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!

FRAGGLE ROCK SEASON ONE DVD, SEPTEMBER 6TH!

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN AND I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT?! NEVER MIND I DON'T CARE! HOORAY HOORAY HOORAY!

Double-decker sandwich, with ham, roast beef, salami, and pepperoni, sliced cheddar cheese, mustard, mayo, and sub dressing. Oh yes, this is a very good sandwich.

For all my faults, flaws, and foible; for all that I imperfect, not good at many things, not competitive at many more; for every problem I have ever had and every self-esteem crisis I have ever faced...

I make a damn good sandwich.

I actually woke up feeling good today. Except now I'm feeling bitter and old because I got so cynical about it almost immediately: "Why am I feeling good?! When will it stop?! What's going to happen to me?!"

And it's light out, which after the rain of yesterday is amazing. I felt like I was livin' in the frickin' Dragaeran Empire for a while. (10,000,000 bonus points to anyone who understands that reference in its entirety.)

Monster Rancher 4 is great.

Heh heh. Vacation was awesome.

Well, it didn't start out so thrilling. tigerphoenix and I got out a little late, which wasn't so bad, on our drive from Pittsburgh to Tampa. Yes, all the way down there -- and believe me, our plan of sleeping and driving in shifts looked good on paper, but was very hard to pull off! Not much to relay about 22 hours of drive time, except I got pulled over by a cop who thought I was drunk because I was weaving back and forth (I was falling asleep...) and got off without even a warning.

Arrived in Tampa and picked up genesisangel. Her mother was cool. And then it was bonding experience time, because Tampa to Boston (area) was our next leg of the journey!

After hours of talk, roleplay and roleplay discussion, naps grabbed and hotels sought but not found, we pulled into tigerphoenix's house. Total elapsed drive time between her and me -- about 51 hours straight (Friday at 6 to Sunday at 9... whew!). And somehow we survived! And genesisangel didn't want to kill us!

Speaking of which, genesisangel rocks, and rocks hardcore. For someone who claims to be aloof and nonsocial, we got along like we'd all been best friends since kindergarten. It was really, really happy.

Monday saw us going to the Carver Renn Fest, where we got to see a pretty decent setup. Lot of vendors, decent shows. I got to see both tigerphoenix and genesisangel in bodices, which would make any heterosexual male's day, and we also got to see a great cat show -- with baby tigers, a cougar, and even a liger (!). I came away from the fest with a bo staff, chain-wrapped at the handgrips. Heh heh heh.

Tuesday and Wednesday were lazy days -- we hung out, yakked, played Magic and video games... I laid the smack down with my Goblin and Cleric decks, and whipped up a Massive Monsters deck which I'm entirely too proud of -- I've never seen a creature with above 30 power and toughness before then. And I beat my old life total (243) by shooting up to 329 before genesisangel forfeited. Damn.

Thursday was the trip from Mass to PA, which after the trips on the weekend was a breeze. We pulled in early Friday morning, caught some sleep, and then crashed the Cam Mage game. I have my problems with certain aspects of the game, but the company couldn't have been better. (And yes, cyfis, there's someone in your life who's so happy to see you that he'll charge and pounce. Bet you never expected that, huh?)

Saturday -- Revolutionary Girl Utena Marathon! All the episodes I have on DVD in one intense, action-packed ten-hour-straight stretch! Now genesisangel is thoroughly indoctrinated.

Sunday -- the wedding of ehzoterik! Despite arriving a bit late, it was nevertheless a wonderful affair.

And then that night, I said my goodbyes to genesisangel. Much video game loaning and trading ensued. It was an emotional parting at least on my behalf, because dammit, I'm a dragon, and we don't like it when we lose parts of our hoards! But ah well... I'm still surviving. Rougher still was tigerphoenix leaving on Monday.

State inspection for the home I work at was Tuesday. We got 100%, but the main office alternates between telling us we suck, and trying to take all the credit for the rating. I am getting the hell out. As soon as I get my resume together and posted, as soon as I find someplace else that's worth my attention, bam! Out of there.

I'm totally unproductive lately because I just have no energy when I get home. My job alternates between long stretches of boredom and nothingness to intense periods of work that I can't even delegate. Taking a promotion was a big mistake. But, learning from that!

This is probably the longest post I've done in ages...

Had a good weekend. tigerphoenix and I went to Sandcastle, which is a neat little waterpark, and really wasn't crowded despite being a very nice weekend. And we had a very nice time last night, which in and of itself is both remarkable and very reassuring.

I'm still working too much, though!

So, yeah, I intended to post about the fun fun week I had, but there's just so much good stuff I don't know where to begin. Let's see. Meeting ehzoterik rocked, X-Fest kicked so much ass, movies were good, the wedding was wonderful, I'm happy. So, here I am again!

Hung out with cyfis and siliconrose today. They're great friends.

Half my shipment of Transformers came in. Amazingly, Galvatron's battery still has juice in it. This is a 9-volt that's been in storage for eight years, remember. More amazingly, only one casualty. This is *so* cool.

On the downside, a lot of frustrations and angst to deal with. On the upside, chocolate marshmallow ice cream.

This info is for cyfis and siliconrose, pertaining to an earlier discussion, but others might find it interesting too.

Of my LJ friends:
3 are fictional characters
16 are ones I met in online roleplaying forums
6 I met through livejournal itself
4 I met in real life first
6 are communities.

I've got an apartment! I've got an apartment!

I have a place to liiiiiiive!

Yay! I've got a tigerphoenix!

So. Weekends.

This was Carnival weekend. Carnival is a huge production around here -- fraternities, sororities, campus organizations all take over the dorm parking lot and construct huge booths. These are really unbelievable affairs, all things considered, when a lot of effort is put into them. And then there're actual carnival rides, and all sorts of events and so forth. Fun stuff. Now, the upshot of all this is I got Friday off... or did I?

Friday. I went in to work. My boss wasn't there, so I slept till 12:30, then went home. In all truthfulness, I'm not into the Carnival scene much, so -- home it was. And I spent a reasonably nonproductive evening at home, and enjoyed myself.

Saturday was fun! I slept till 1, missed tigerphoenix online, and so went to hang out with cyfis and siliconrose. We hit Carnival a little, then went down the Library, and spent a good fifteen minutes just enjoying the pretty pretty day. Then off to get sandwiches for dinner, and a fun free-form role-playing session. (Say, did we still want to hit the Science Museum?)

Today was sitting around! I find I'm enjoying that more these days. Lest restlessness and fidgetyness on my part. Of course, that may just be a factor of having gotten out on Saturday. I don't know.

Much fun was had by all, or at least I'm of the opinion that it's so. The lessons we've learned?
Birds building nests are incredibly cute, but talking ravens are distrubing.
Sephigeezer is not a bad guy anyone can take seriously, and Geezeroth is much worse.
Gold Chocobos rule Chocobo Racing.
It's very easy to scar me for life.
Conversely, I have a sick, sick mind. :)
When your roommate leaves bass on at ludicrous volumes, check his room. Chances are, he's not there.
I like being happy.

Public Service Announcement:

I rock.

That is all.

Yesterday was the best day ever.

I went to the mall at 9:00 am. Final Fantasy X arrived at around 10:30, and I was the first person to walk out of there with one. Damn, that's a good game.

Lord of the Rings was a remarkably good movie. A lot changed from the books, but for valid reason, and they didn't make any alterations too painful to overlook.

By the way, I'm home. So I'm not keeping up with LJ very well. I hope everyone is well and having fun.

How did I manage to sleep till 12:45?

For some reason my body always seems to want ten hours of sleep on the weekend. I personally don't approve of this feeling. Yes, it's good to be rested and all. Heck, I feel wonderful, except for the lingering remnants of the cold lurking in my nose, in precisely the right spot to tickle it mercilessly. But I have people to see and things to do, and I feel like I've wasted the day.

Ah well. With any luck, I won't suffer too much. :)

Hee! This became a very, very good day. :)

Today I was thinking about balance. How fair is life?

I was thinking about how miserable I was. How I've been weighed down with so many responsibilities and so forth that I've been robbed of something -- my youth, my fun, something.

But then I thought of something else.

I have a wonderful girlfriend, and two wonderful friends. In short, there are a full three people in my life who I can trust, talk to, care about, love -- unconditionally. And recieve the same in return. And know the exchange for what it is; know where I stand, at all times, and in all circumstances.

No matter what happens -- no matter if the stars fall from the sky and destroy us all tomorrow -- no matter if we split to the corners of the earth -- no matter what happens... it is eternal. And I know it for such.

That makes it all worthwhile.

I was in such a terrible mood today, I had planned to cry myself to sleep tonight. I may still do that now, but for a far different reason -- simple joy, unreserved and unrestrained, that these wonderful, beautiful people could forgive me my faults, my sins, my folly, and care about me.

It's all worthwhile. All the shit, the heartache, the headaches, the disasters and catastrophes, the cataclysms and disappointments... all of it.

Is worth it.

Thanks to three very special, wonderful people.

Spent the morning moving furniture into apartments. The truck battery died. More of the same this afternoon, and four hours of it instead of three! Bleh!

I feel good. I don't know why -- I guess it's good to feel like I'm doing something instead of just hanging on. And I'm getting paid, paid, paid! On the downside, the work hasn't even officially started yet... eeeep.

I'm excited. My friends are actually going to be living in the same building as me this summer! It's a first!

Wheewhee!

Four hours of classes and then I'm off to the airport to catch a plane! I'm off to see my beloved Ellen!

I'm so excited! I'm so happy! YAAAAAY!

I... am an indecisive person, with an indecisive girlfriend, and indecisive friends. I have absolutely no friggin' clue how anything gets done.

Oh wait, yes I do. We roll dice. :)

No work for me! Whee!