triadruid: Picture of Uni the annoying little unicorn from the D&D television show. (I'm a sheep)
Hello, Dreamwidth/LiveJournal... it's been 34 days since my last confession entry. Actually that seems to be the new pattern, looking back at January and such. Oh well, that means I'm living life, right? Sorta. Life is indeed busy, but some of it is good (really good) and some is really weird/bad.

Thing the First: I'm COVERED in poison-ivy-or-something-like right now, and I'm one of those lucky folks who can transfer minute amounts of urushiol from one part of my body to another, even though that's not supposed to be possible. I'm 99% sure I got it at the annual Blue River Rescue, but it's driving me batty. Topical creams aren't doing crap, so half the time I'm zoned out on Benadryl. I think I've got some in my shoes from several years ago too that keeps giving me foot blisters, and just learned that you can supposedly deactivate it with a hot wash cycle. Worth it even if it trashes my shoes' finish. BATTY I TELL YOU.

Thing the 2nd: Just finished cardiac rehabilitation - by the end I'd ran 5k (on a treadmill), ran a 7:56 mile, and only tried to pass out once. I've got a much better idea of my current cardiac capacity (AND limits!) which is kind of the point... still should get a HR monitor, but finances are tight enough right now to make it a lower priority. Still doing Fitocracy and still find it useful as a motivator, but they've just pushed through an *unfortunate* graphical redesign that is only slowly getting better. The problem with Internet startups is that they can try to Chase All The Things too much and end up doing nothing very well, but the people of the site are fantastic. If you were interested when I announced it before, they are now out of beta and you no longer need an invite to join. I'm 'naybliss' there; I think if you are on FB it will give you an autoprompt for friends you know there.

Thing the 2nd-and-a-half: Having finished cardiac rehab, K and I wanted to join a gym to keep going. One of my rehab nurses mentioned the Bene-Fit gym near us in the Red Bridge Shopping Center; turns out after going there that she's related to the owner! Also one of our neighbors works the front desk, and recognized us by our car. Heh, small world, etc. Anyway, we've gone twice so far and it's a very nice little gym. Decent hours, especially for an independently-run establishment. And the price is right; Bronze membership starts at just $10/month!

Thing the 2nd-and-two-thirds: Speaking of finances, 'bounced' my bank account the other day in a surprising turn of events. We've been dining out more and made a few bigger purchases lately, but that's no excuse for not keeping better track. Was able to transfer things around and avoid any major problems, but meh, embarrassing.

Part E: Boulevard has a Barleywine. A rye barleywine, and it's frickin' amazing. Complex, rich, warm, colorful, fantastic finish, and 11%ABV to boot. Whee? Related: Martin City Brewing Company is pretty awesome for a new restaurant, despite not (yet) having their own brewery license in place. Both the food and the staff are excellent, though the place can be a little loud (uhh, we helped with that problem, actually).

ζ: Mafia Scum suffered a catastrophic, unpredictable server outage that wiped out months of posts due to a suboptimal backup procedure. Many games were recovered via the amazing utilization of Google Cache by some very clever users, but my latest giant game got destroyed. Which is not the tragedy it could have been, as the game was just Too Damn Big and flawed in its core. Still, it's both stunted my desire to run games for a while and (hopefully) rekindled my efforts to work on the back end and site skins. Time will tell...

Seventhly: Finally finished painting the front door yesterday. When it got surprise-replaced last fall, we got the wild-ass idea of painting it copper, but that's not really a practical basecoat color for insurance contractors to implement. So we got a basecoat down in a sort of pumpkin color and then it got too cold to paint the glaze on. I'll try to get a picture posted soon, but it really does look surprisingly like http://www.kpcopper.com/doors/7-DoorPanels-In-1s.jpg

Ochtú: Miss the gaming; we've been SUPERbusy lately and less frivolous (well, sort-of) pursuits have taken precedence. Exercising in particular is becoming addictive in a good way... Games Night still happens, of course, but the RPGs are on the backburner. Ideas continue to flow, which is a step beyond first-world-problems, I'm guessing.

3*3: We'll be missing JordanCon this year, it appears. The massive drive, the expense-per-unit-of-fun (not that it's not fun, but it's really concentrated in one fandom, for the most part) and general burnout on extroverted activities led us to this conclusion. I think we'll end up going out of town somewhere that weekend anyway, just someplace closer and quieter. Going next year AFTER the release of the final book is probably a better use of limited resources. K and I are almost to the end of TFoH in our rereadaloud, with an excellent book coming next. A coworker who also happens to be a total wotfan gifted me the audiobooks in digital format too, so I've put them on the mp3 player and started listening to them in one ear at work. Funny how much of the first book I have near-memorized after 15 rereads...

Lastish: All complaining aside, life is pretty good. There's other stuff going on that is either too small or too private to mention, but if you made it this far, well done.
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
So, years ago when most of my visits to the Internet were done through the telnet protocol, there was a MUD called Valhalla that hosted an electronic version of the Highlander: The Card Game*. I was enamored of it beyond reason (okay, some reason... I enjoyed both the original film and the TV series a LOT), and got pretty good at the game, taking 9 or 10 heads as I recall in their ongoing tournament-style play. But the game died out due to being too narrow-focus, I guess, and I never got the chance to play in the real world...this was about 96-97, when Magic: The Gathering (no relation) was huge.

*Cut to describe the basic game )

Fast forward to this week. A random Google search, or something, leads me to a small ProBoard website about the Highlander CCG. Turns out not ONLY has a new company started to put out a "2nd Edition", but they're essentially based at 31st Century Games in Olathe! I'm at ground-bloody zero of game development, and they play locally in at least two FLGSs, not including tournaments.

I am unreasonably, stupidly excited by this. Anybody else who might want to play?
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
  • Took my first bike ride of the season yesterday
    • The trip up to Red Bridge is a lot easier when you have gears that work reliably - thanks [livejournal.com profile] kittenpants!
    • Yay shock absorbers!
    • Yay brakes, since I nearly got creamed at Minor Drive & Holmes, again.
  • The dog was off his line again when we got home last night.
  • Something unexpected may have started thawing out... (cryptic, but that's all I can say at the moment)
  • I found my first (attached) tick this morning.
Also, new icon.
triadruid: Roland Deschain from the Dark Tower novel "The Gunslinger", looking at a raven sitting on a skull on the ground. (hope)
Thought about doing the "26 letters for 26 questions" meme going around, but ran into some roadblocks when it started talking about "Favorite ..." - I don't have a lot of favorite things (singular). [livejournal.com profile] featherynscale and I were talking about this the other day, in the context of anomie or an unhealthy inability to distinguish preferences (sometimes masked as "too cool to find anything cool"). I don't think that's what goes on in my head; more like I have a hard time narrowing down to just one preferred choice (this makes going to a restaurant or going shopping with me particularly frustrating, and it has since I was a kid).

So in avoidance of that habit, here's some Things I Love (in the vein of the Pitch's This Week We Love, maybe):
  • The Studio Restaurant; this place has been my saving ^*$%*#& grace in working downtown the last couple of months. Between a shortened lunch hour and the dearth of non-sandwich-shop options within walking distance from City Hall, it's been an actual restaurant that serves pretty good food at very good prices. Mostly, though, they've got the friendliest wait-staff I've ever met. One lady not only remembered that I like wheat bread when I do get sandwiches, but chatted me up about South Beach and has taken to trying it herself for the new year. The other waitress I usually get there regales me with stories of her dead husband who was also a fantasy/sci-fi aficionado, and her most recent D&D games (the way she broke into that conversation was a story in and of itself). They're also the same place that had the "Don't use this stall. Even if you really have to go. We mean it. There's one around the corner. It's locked for a reason. etc..." page-length sign in their men's bathroom a month or so ago, which I unfortunately failed to get a picture of before they fixed it. If downtown wasn't such a bear to get to, I'd suggest it for Supper Club, as it's also locally owned and operated.
  • Imminent new-computer-ness. My D: drive has begun to crop up some weird errors last week (while doing my data backup, naturally), so this is apparently just in the nick of time, and I'm actually excited about being able to play with Linux again. Maybe this weekend?
  • The Amnesia Campaign has continued to be both entertaining and interesting; most recent events include a Gunslinger-style showdown with an entire village of werewolves (highlight was a player declaring "this is like something out of Stephen King) and charging "thorn dogs" - okay, really a Lesser Battlebriar with elven backup (now that we've finally gotten the players out of civilization, combat became a lot more plausible). Next time...well, they'll just have to wait and see, won't they? Muahah. Haha. Ha.
My brain is still wholly full and my schedule nearly so, but it seemed worth noting a few things that were abolutely "right" in the world at the moment, to keep perspective up.
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
Locals with a bit of free time this weekend could do a LOT worse than to visit the KC Fringe Festival at the River Market this weekend. We ventured out last night (despite a late dinner and accidents on 71 Hwy) for the Naughty Knickers burlesque show, and were FAR from disappointed. Grand fun and glorious routines by eight beautiful and talented women. Favorites were Sweet Louise, Crimson Sugar, and Puss in Boots, but they're all excellent performers. Get there early if you're going; the show is at 412-A Delaware but the room only holds about 40 people, and was full on Thursday night! Make sure to get your festival button and tickets at 500 Delaware first; full schedule for the festival is at http://www.kcfringe.org/pdfs/2007schedule.pdf
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
Another major wreck/tie-up at Holmes & I-435 tonight; they had the offramps going south blocked off in both directions, and routing everybody through Wornall. As if that section of the 435 loop didn't have enough problems, headed into the Grandview Triangle...

Might not have been a wreck, though. Something stinks out there, like a gas leak/chemical spill. Glad my meeting tonight is at our place.
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
Two bits of non-news: The Royals won last night (okay, that is kind of a surprise, actually) which meant lunch at Planet Sub was half-off. And Kansas City has another serial killer. Whee!

Nothing's hit the national news yet, but some guy in line was talking about the police finding a bunch of dead bodies down by where [livejournal.com profile] breathofgold used to live. I guess that's what I call job security...
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
Traffic was completely stupid out there (had my usual Wednesday noon meeting). Don't go downtown or in the Old Northeast of KCMO if you can help it; like 5 or 6 accidents and every cop/fire/ambulance in the city, looks like. I just now got back into City Hall; my meeting ended at 1. Everybody must be driving like they've lost their brains...

Now I have to go out and find lunch, since the cafeteria's closed by now. Don't think I'll go to the library though, too hot out. Yes, I'm a wimp, 84° is warm for me...
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
...but it might make you stumble from time to time.

Friday is short )

Saturday is very long )

Still got Sunday to deal with... )

And that's what I did on my summer vacation. The End. (except, of course, that this is only one weekend, and not even one of the three planned summer vacations)
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
Haven't been to one of these yet (the lineup usually underwhelms me for an all-day sunfest in June), but this year looks to be highly promising:
Main stageSecond stage
Puddle of Mudd - 1:30 p.m.

Chevelle - 2:40 p.m.

Sevendust - 3:50 p.m.

Breaking Benjamin - 5:00 p.m.

Buckcherry - 6:30 p.m.

Three Days Grace - 8:00 p.m.

Godsmack - 9:30 p.m.
Red Line Chemistry - Noon

Federation of Horsepower - 1 p.m.

Burden Brothers - 2:10 p.m.

Operator - 3:20 p.m.

Exies - 4:30 p.m.

Black Stone Cherry - 6:00 p.m.

Drowning Pool - 7:30 p.m.

Saliva - 9:00 p.m.
[livejournal.com profile] featherynscale and I are thinking about it, anybody else in? Tickets are approx. $30 and only available through Ticketmaster, so tack on the "handling fees" they extort. *le sigh* Saturday, June 9th is the date this time around...
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
This is sort of a manual aggregation of thoughts and other people's recent commentary that deserves a broader audience.
  • From [livejournal.com profile] gamera_spinning:
    Newsflash: Republicans blame election losses on Democrats, claims The Onion.
    What's that quote about art and life?
  • From [livejournal.com profile] ishara: Don't under any circumstances visit the LiveJournal account "silent_and_calm", as she detected an intrusion attempt on her computer due to some dodgy HTML there. This is the same account [livejournal.com profile] breathofgold was talking about a week or two ago, that serially adds people as friends who makes new entries, using a script of some type. Looks like a vulnerability bot, and has already been reported to LJ Abuse repeatedly I'm sure. Just so's ya know, you can ban a user from your journal/Friends of list (even though it doesn't give them any rights/privileges) by going to the Admin Console and entering:
    ban_set username

  • About yesterday: No, I'm not going to post a big diatribe/hallelujah about the election results. Most of it turned out okay, but the Light Air Gondola Rail thing - seriously, what the fuck? I don't even remember seeing that on the ballot. However, checks && balances == good.
  • Actually yesterday was full of meetings and trainings (3 of 'em) and coffee, which might have contributed to my staying up half the night reading bad fan fiction a Star Wars novel. I now know more about Darth Bane than I ever felt necessary. Mostly, though, all Sith just need their daddies. All of 'em.
  • For [livejournal.com profile] labstar: She's requested "more sex, less politics" in today's LJ, but OKCupid.com is blocked from work so the meme that's been on my list will have to wait until I get home. Won't somebody help a poor girl out?
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
Sometimes, being pagan means getting as many holidays as you can handle, all in a row.
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
So this morning I decided to ride my new* bike to the store, since we only needed one thing (kitty food). So I oiled up the chain and gears which badly needed it, checked the tires (only a little low), and set out.

Wow. Not only does this town lack continuous sidewalks, bike lanes, or drivers who know what a bicycle is when they see it (ahh, there's the root word of the problem, see), the gas station air pumps are apparently not designed to interface with bicycle valve stems anymore?? My 50¢ only let the air out of my tires, without being helpful in any way.

Bleh. At least I made it there and back without dying of either cars or heat, and the cat is no longer wasting away to nothing.

* Okay, garage-sale re-issue for $5.

P.S. Anybody got an old bike air pump they're not using anymore?
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
Oh noes! Kids might find out about sex!

http://www.classkc.org/

After all, we see how well it worked in [livejournal.com profile] featherynscale's case...
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
It would appear I got myself into one of the local newspapers the other day at a public meeting.

Of course, I don't think they heard my address right, as 118th street is hardly "in the urban core", but whatever.
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
Your personality type is RLOAI
You are reserved, moderately moody, organized, accommodating, and intellectual, and may prefer a city which matches those traits.

The largest representation of your personality type can be found in the these U.S. cities: Oklahoma City, Albuquerque/Santa Fe, Indianapolis, Reno, Greenville/Spartanburg, Cincinnati, Memphis, Chicago Area, Pittsburgh, Orlando, Louisville, Providence and these international countries/regions Czech Republic, Guam, Austria, Luxembourg, Philippines, Iceland, Indonesia, Portugal, Taiwan, Hungary, Israel, France, New Zealand, Slovenia, Canada

What Places In The World Match Your Personality?
City Reviews at CityCulture.org
triadruid: Apollo and the Raven, c. 480 BC , Pistoxenus Painter  (Default)
Morning duties accomplished:

  • Shower
  • Breakfast
  • Oil change
  • Library
  • Work on time
  • Turn in wedding ring to be fixed... why not, you might ask? Because apparently 114 W. 47th Street on the Plaza is no longer Montanari Jewelers, but a Cold Stone Creamery™.
I like ice cream as much as the next guy, but I was really hoping to stop my wedding band from spinning freely as two pieces (for those who haven't seen it, it's gold filigree inside a 'channel' of the main band - mine's come loose, somehow, and spins like a flywheel).

Huh. I'll try their (old) phone number when they say they open... want to know the real kicker? The story about the Cold Stone opening hit the Star on 9/9/05.

::edit:: With the bountiful help of [livejournal.com profile] starwyse, I located them at their new shop, on the other side of the plaza at 4810 Belleview. It's bigger, though they're not 100% "open" yet...

::further edit:: Aaaaand they're done (about an hour later); damn these folks are good!
triadruid: Missouri Conservation Department's deer logo plate, with the word "DRAOI" on it (druidmobile)
So yesterday I finally resolved the tickets related to my accident in January. About $140 for both tickets and I got to walk out of there done with the whole deal, rather than try to argue my case in April or July about a snowstorm that caused my accident in January...that seemed like a losing proposition for sure.

Now, I'd had some angst about being charged in court because I chose not to leave an accident scene in which I faced all the penalties & damage, and about trying to reduce a "Driving Too Fast For Conditions" down to a non-moving "Illegal Parking" ticket (?!?) to avoid my insurance getting hiked. I got over that, especially when I found out that the parking ticket would actually cost *more* in fines. Hmmm, something's screwy here (i.e. they want your money to go into their coffers, rather than your insurance company's) ...so rather than mess with it any longer, I paid the ticket, got my registration ticket reduced, and left with a clear conscience. And I didn't even have to put the three-piece on again...

I was smart this time and actually took a long enough book (LOTR), which of course meant that court was much shorter and speedier. The security guard at the door was the only one who commented. "Geez, you're actually going to read that?" "Yep, again."

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