About this Journal
Current Month
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
May. 16th, 2008 @ 02:15 pm It worked!
Current Mood: om nom nom
Tags: ,

I love it when a determined effort to bring yourself out of a black mood pays off.

[info]ratzeo came to my office to meet me for my lunch break. I was late getting back from a meeting, and so he had to wait a while in the reception area - cue speculation about "that cute boy" from co-workers, mostly married and/or older women, who were delighted to meet my boyfriend. Because apparently my boy makes quite a splash. ♥

We spent the hour walking around campus, enjoying the gorgeous sunshine and fresh air (and, of course, talking about Warmakers).

And then when I got back, a co-worker sliced up a watermelon she had brought to share with the office. Delicious. :D~

It's not that these things wouldn't have happened without me telling myself to cheer up. But determining to make myself happier put me in a better mood to receive good things, which in turn made the good things even better. And now I ♥ the world.
About this Entry
11 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 16th, 2008 @ 08:19 am Stupid body
Current Mood: blah
Tags: , , ,

Ugh. My body decided to be stupid and hit me with about of nausea in the middle of dinner last night. Not food poisoning, not PMS-related, not vomit-inducing - just enough queasiness to render speech impossible and make me useless for anything besides going home and curling up until it went away. This is especially frustrating because it used to happen to me all the time as a teenager, but then it went away and should not come back now that I'm taking care of myself and being healthy. >:(

So that meant productivity was shot for the evening, which makes me grumpy. I'm trying to get my mood back on track this morning:

1. Prior to the stomach blargh, I was having a wonderful time on my date with [info]ratzeo, discussing plans for the Warmakers endgame.

2. Today is Friday, and it is sunny and warm.

3. This.

4. BPAL will (most likely) post this month's update tonight. I'm not looking forward to it because I actually want to make an order (perhaps it's best if I don't establish a pattern of monthly BPAL orders, you know ;D), but I like the prospect of new shinies to read about and put on my future-order wishlist.

5. Tomorrow is the first day of the Street Fair! I probably won't get to go until Sunday, but I'm still jazzed for it.
About this Entry
4 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 15th, 2008 @ 12:40 pm I should not grumble about being happy ...
Current Mood: busy
Tags: , , , ,

Making a happy list for today felt like a burden, because there are a bunch of little stressors that I wanted to think about instead. But that's exactly the time I should make a happy list, right?

1. I see the sun from my front desk - looks like it just came out a few minutes ago. And yeah, that will make my workout this evening a little blech (I tried to get all my weekly gym trips in before the heat arrived, but working out three days in a row is not a good idea). But for the rest of the week, I will wear cool clothes and drink cool liquids and enjoy the sunshine and warmth. ETA: I went outside for a quick walk at the end of my lunch break, and it was lovely. ♥

2. Just found out some relieving family news ... no thanks to [info]kyonkun. ;D

3. I'm running around like a headless chicken trying to figure out how to manage the plans I have for this weekend - but hey! It's all good stuff that I want to do, so there's really no way that I'm losing out, right? I have to run from one fun thing to the next!

4. One more week until Warmakers super-epic-mind-blowing-endgame-extravaganza! XD On top of running around like a headless chicken in terms of my social plans, I'm also a headless chicken who wants to squeeze in time to work on fanfic/art before the campaign ends. But that enthusiasm is a lot of fun, even if it makes me feel stretched a little thin.

5. Speaking of Warmakers, I'm still really happy with my last fic - not only did I really want to write it, but it was really easy to write (two things which do not always coincide!). And it represents, at least to me, so much fun and cool character growth that I've gotten to explore over the course of the campaign. Mind you, the end result of Sae's character is much different from what I envisioned at the beginning, and even from what I envisioned two months ago - but that's part of the fun. I've gotten to play around and figure out how story events, level progression, inter-character RP, and my own character's personality all fit together and worked towards a narrative conclusion. Some things went according to plan, some things came together in happy coincidences, and some things were challenges I had to figure out how to deal with. Now that's fun creative work.
About this Entry
6 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 14th, 2008 @ 09:18 am FYI
Current Mood: irritated
Tags:

Looks like my email notifications for comments on my journal have crapped out over the past few days, so sorry if I missed your earlier comments.

Luckily, [info]das_dingsi pointed out this handy tool, so I'll be using it to keep up with comments until the problem (hopefully) goes away.

Because of this snafu, I thought that no one had commented on the fic I posted last night. So I thought, "Woo! I can take the time to revise it now that I'm well-rested and fully awake before anyone reads it!" Except, of course, that was not the case. XD;;
About this Entry
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 13th, 2008 @ 10:56 pm [Warmakers] Into the Clear
Current Mood: accomplished
Tags: ,

Title: Into the Clear
Characters: Sae, Reika, Gunnar, Khag
Warmakers Adventure: 24
Word Count: ~4100
Summary: The Great Hunt and its aftermath, through Sae's eyes.
Notes: The title of the fic is from "Steer" by Missy Higgins, which I think of as Sae's image song for the last part of the Warmakers campaign. This fic represents the last big chunk of the character development that I wanted to happen for Sae. We'll see what comes out of the last two adventures, of course, but this is the last piece of her narrative that I have planned.

( 'But the search ends here/Where the night is totally clear/And your heart is fierce/So now you finally know that you control where you go' )
About this Entry
14 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 13th, 2008 @ 11:46 am Happy Tuesday!
Current Mood: pleased
Tags: , , , ,

1. My tax return arrived yesterday, woo! I'm not planning to splurge on anything - but not because I'm responsible. It's because I've already bought pricey things (or know of pricey things I will soon purchase) and I know I'll need that money in the bank. XD;;

2. The weather is supposed to turn gorgeous this week, and be warm and sunny for the weekend. (This is despite the fact that it is cool and drizzly today. Oh, Seattle. ♥)

3. Fic-writing continues apace. This one is coming much more easily than the last one, happily. I'm also working on an RP with [info]shadawyn, which makes me extra happy because it's been a while since the twins have really talked.

4. Last night I finished reading Batgirl: Year One, a trade that I picked up at the book sale. Awesome fun. The more I read of Barbara, the more I like her.

5. Wearing Pele today, and it's absolutely lovely.
About this Entry
4 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 12th, 2008 @ 02:06 pm Monday means goals!
Current Mood: busy
Tags: , , , ,

This week should be a little less busy and structured, in terms of my to-do list. I want to maintain my productivity, though, so I'm still laying out my goals.

Fun goals (work on one of these every day)
-write fic(s) for Warmakers episode 24
-draw at least one 4-koma
-make Sae's new character design (hopefully to result in some substantial drawing, though that may have to wait until next week)

Less-fun goals (also work on one of these every day)
-gym x 3
-revise resume
-read NWSA write-up
-write my own NWSA write-up
-grocery shopping for weekend events

Tentative schedule

Monday
[x] gym
[x] revise resume
[x] finish(?) another thousand words on fic #1

Tuesday
[x] gym
[x] cook dinner for the week
[x] level 21 character sheet for Sae
[x] finish fic #1

Wednesday
[x] read NWSA write-up
[x] sketch out (or more) the two 4-koma that popped into my brain

Thursday
[x] gym
[x] meet [info]ratzeo for dinner ♥

Friday
[ ] grocery run

Saturday
[ ] NWSA meeting
[ ] birthday party

Sunday
[ ] U-District Street Fair
[ ] level Sae to 23
[ ] level Khag
About this Entry
2 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 12th, 2008 @ 11:29 am Happy Monday!
Current Mood: calm
Tags: , , , , ,

(I say that because I need to hear it. XD;;)

Here are the good things from the weekend that are keeping me going today:

1. Awesome Warmakers game yesterday! Admittedly, I am self-centered and excited that some shiny stuff happened to my character and she got to do cool things. But it was a fun adventure all around, with our GM letting us go to town on a tarrasque and then dangling plot teasers in our faces.

2. I have already started writing fic for the game - about 1000 words of tarrasque butt-kicking written in a burst last night. Part of my eagerness is because this is all part of the final milestone in Sae's character development and maturation. Part of it is just because, well, ZOMG tarrasque! 8D

3. [info]shadawyn's and my BPAL order arrived last week, and I got to pick up my part of the order on Sunday. Several of the frimps from the package were also to my liking, so I have quite a bit of shininess on the perfume front right now.

4. On Saturday, I went shopping with [info]kyonkun - didn't buy much, but it was fun. We also met up with [info]ratzeo for dinner (at Mandarin Chef, my favorite Ave restaurant).

5. Last week I completed every single one of my goals. I needed to rearrange my Saturday goals a bit in order to accomodate deadlines and my own lack of energy over the weekend (woo PMS), but I was quite productive in exactly the ways I'd hoped/planned for the weekdays. (Which reminds me, I need to make a new goals for this week's to-do list ...)
About this Entry
3 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 11th, 2008 @ 01:38 am [Warmakers] Journeys
Current Mood: tired
Tags: ,

Title: Journeys
Characters: Sae, mentions of Gunnar, Nariko, Khag
Warmakers Adventure: 23
Word Count: ~1300
Summary: The Guardians travel towards M-tor, and Sae moves closer to who she wants to be.
Notes: This fic is intended to (among other things) contextualize two changes to Sae's character build. With the retcon, she gained one level of the Dreadnought class, granting her the Fearless ability. Also, at level 21 she will be taking the Leadership feat.

( Sae's strengths and desires reside in her body. Perhaps so does her purpose. )
About this Entry
4 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 7th, 2008 @ 08:09 am 5 happy things for the day (week?)
Current Mood: sleepy
Tags: , , , ,

I keep composing these lists in my head, but then forgetting to post them. I've been feeling sort of breathless this week as I keep up with my goals, so things without a clear deadline of next week (or earlier) are temporarily on the back burner.

But it's always good to ruminate on why I'm happy.

1. Ran into [info]coramegan on the bus again this morning and (surprise, surprise) talked about Warmakers again. This Sunday is our second to last session - after that will be a full-weekend marathon of the last two adventures. O_O Admittedly, this is sort of a sad thing - but in a good way. We've had the full run of the "television season" (campaign) and it's time to reach the well-deserved epic ending.

2. Tonight I'll be going with some co-workers to a university banquet. :D Food, wine, and hearing about student achievements - all in all, a very pleasant way to spend my evening. Also, it's located in a campus building that I rarely get to anymore, just in time for me to see an anti-violence exhibit put on by one of my former professor's students.

3. On Friday I'm getting a massage. XD Every once in a while we have a masseuse come into our office, so when I heard about it this time I decided to splurge on a half-hour massage. And boy, do my shoulders need it.

4. My tea stash and earring collection, while both beloved, are also huge, and threaten to overflow the space allotted to them. I'm paring them down by sorting out the things that are perfectly good, but which I never use, and passing them along to folks who will appreciate them more than I do. This is not only good for me, but also for the people who will be getting my money now that I have more space. :P

5. I have thus far managed to meet all of my goals this week, even including the extra free-floating goals. I know it's only Wednesday, but I feel pleased and energized by the fact that I haven't missed anything so far. I have a pretty demanding set of goals this week (well, for me - probably other people could do all this one-handed!) and don't plan on keeping up this accelerated pace for long. But it's a temporary pace set for the purpose of next weekend's NWSA meeting (and then, one month after that, the conference itself!). Also, this weekend, I shall take a well-earned rest.
About this Entry
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 5th, 2008 @ 04:08 pm Haven't done one of these in a while ...
Current Mood: grumpy
Tags: , ,

Goal list for this week!

Daily to-do list

Monday
[x] gym
[x] The Cult of True Victimhood ch. 2
[x] pencil sketch for one 4-koma

Tuesday
[x] grocery store
[x] make curry
[x] The Cult of True Victimhood ch. 3
[x] couple hundred words in Warmakers fic (it's actually starting to look like a story now ...)

Wednesday
[x] banquet (whee!)
[x] The Cult of True Victimhood ch. 4
[x]no other goals this day because the banquet will run late inked one 4-koma ha ha!

Thursday
[x] gym
[x] The Cult of True Victimhood ch. 5
[x] colored 4-koma

Friday
[x] gym
[x] The Cult of True Victimhood ch. 6 and Epilogue
[x] couple hundred words of fic

Saturday
[x] shopping with [info]kyonkun
[x] level Sae
[x] finish fic

Free-floating goals
(i.e., do at least one of these every day, but I'm not dictating which one)
-write fic (at least 100 words)
-draw 4-koma (entirety of pencil sketching, inking, or coloring for 1 strip)
-draw non-stupid fanart XD (at least 30 minutes, however much progress that results in)
About this Entry
9 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 2nd, 2008 @ 04:28 pm (no subject)
Current Mood: infuriated
Tags:

When you call my office and just tell me you need "advising," I have no idea what that means. So then I ASK YOU what YOU need, so I can figure out how to help you.

When you don't answer my questions, and I tell you that I don't know who can help you BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T TOLD ME WHAT YOUR QUESTIONS ARE, you do NOT get to ask me, "Who are you? What do you do? Oh, just front desk."

Fuck you, you little SHIT.
About this Entry
9 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 1st, 2008 @ 03:52 pm Staying happy at work
Current Mood: okay
Tags: , ,

1. Things at work are a little craaaaazy right now, but in a good "we are undertaking a big project in order to make things work better" kind of crazy, rather than the sucky "people are mean/stupid/disruptive" crazy. This is the kind of work I'm willing and happy to do, and I wish it made up a greater percentage of my workload.

2. Another bit of happiness is my small group of favorite students, whom I like because they're consistently friendly or solicitous when they come into the office, or they're funny, or (in one notable case) delightfully odd. Yesterday one of them offered to bring me flowers for "bugging" me all the time. That's hardly necessary - it's my job to do things for students - but being appreciated for doing that makes me happy.

3. The salesman who gave me a Starbucks gift card a couple of weeks ago came back for his big presentation/pitch, and thanked me for organizing it by giving me more gift cards. Plus he left the leftover cookies and coffee from the presentation after he was done. :D~

4. Chatted with a coworker over lunch about anti-harassment training in the workplace, and idealism (why can't all such training involve anti-oppression education?) versus practicalities (most companies just want to make sure they don't get sued, rather than pursuing social justice). Things like that - casual discussions about anti-oppression where I don't have to worry about getting accused of being "over-sensitive" or "PC" (in the negative sense, of course) - just make me happier and more comfortable in my workplace.

5. Not work-related, but - going over to [info]ratzeo's tonight! Much geekery will ensue.
About this Entry
6 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 30th, 2008 @ 11:38 am Like a Monday, but better
Current Mood: calm
Tags: , ,

I record my life in list format. Behold:

1. Yesterday's retreat was pretty good. The sessions were motivational speaker-style, but even though there were a couple of smarmy "unlock your potential" hand-wavers (with bonus cultural appropriation of "exotic wisdom," yay), most of the speakers had solid, straightforward styles and were great to listen to. Also, the food was great, and I got to eat pretty much nonstop all day. 8D

2. Since I was completely away from the office yesterday for the retreat, coming in this morning felt like coming in on a Monday. Which (hopefully) means that it will feel like the weekend arrives very quickly.

3. I decided to wear "Rosalind" today, even though the first time I wore it I was worried at how much it smelled like soap. I discovered that it's less soapy this time around, which lets the pretty fruity floralness come through better. I don't know the reasons for the change (diet? stage in monthly cycle?) but I'm glad of it.

4. Last night I slapped together an improvised solution to salvage the lentil soup whose recipe I mucked up. This also increased the volume of the soup, so I have the next week or so of dinners taken care of (which is my preferred method of cooking: make a giant batch o' stuff a couple of times a month).

4. Getting back on track with my reading. Just gotta keep it up.
About this Entry
4 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 28th, 2008 @ 11:29 am Reclaiming my day
Current Mood: blargh
Tags: , , , ,

30-second compressed rant: My sickness, which has seemed to ebb and flow all weekend, has seized control of my throat and head this morning. (Probably the fact that I had to wake up early and go to work, rather than out with friends, is exacerbating the unpleasantness.) I'm way behind on my "homework" reading. I left my lunch in [info]ratzeo's fridge. People on the phone continue to be stupid.

*deep breath*

I am determined to do better, though. I indulged in some listless laziness at the beginning of the morning, poking around at work without getting much accomplished, but now I'm getting back on track. Here are five things I'm focusing on to boost my mood:

1. Warmakers yesterday was lots of fun. I didn't do much roleplaying myself, but people around me did, so I got to observe some interesting conversations (which I often miss out on when I'm roleplaying my own character). Also, we ran out of time before reaching the big combat, but that means that next adventure opens up with our battle against a tarrasque. 8D Also that means both the games I most recently played have ended on cliffhangers. *shakes fist at GMs who have me addicted*

2. I still have untested BPAL imps from my previous order, but instead of trying out a new one this morning I decided to go with something I know I like, and put on Szepasszony, which has thus far emerged as my favorite. It starts out as a light, aquatic, just-barely-soapy floral that is quite pleasant; after an hour or so on my skin, it deepens into a less-soapy, fuller scent that I want to describe as musk (but I have no idea if the perfume actually has musk in it, so that may just be how it reacts with my skin). A nice little comfort/mood-enhancer.

3. My coworker, whom I sucked into Adagio, shared with me a tea blend she ordered from there, called "Firefly" (yup, that Firefly). Tasty and geeky!

4. Being sick and having no lunch suck, but they give me an excuse to hit the Ave for pho.

5. I'm not actually coming into the office tomorrow, because my supervisor is sending me to an all-day retreat for "support professionals." I hope to get some good things out of it. And, hey, no answering phones all day!
About this Entry
4 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 26th, 2008 @ 04:42 pm This is what spring should be like
Current Mood: content
Current Music: "Come On, Come Out," A Fine Frenzy
Tags: ,

Nothing like a Pike Place Market excursion when the weather is acting proper for late April. Plus, I got to spend it with [info]shadawyn, [info]redbird, and [info]nekokoban. Sat down to a nice lunch (all the times I've been to Pike's and I've only eaten at one of the sit-down restaurants twice), and went to Market Spice to indulge my tea obsession (with bonus nascent coffee obsession!) and then Golden Age to indulge my dice obsession.

Lesson learned: never say "I'm going to be good and not buy _____" when [info]shadawyn is around. It never works. XD;;

All in all, a lovely afternoon. Though, man, is my credit card going to be sore in the morning. XD
About this Entry
7 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 25th, 2008 @ 10:40 am Sick day happy things
Current Mood: sick
Current Music: "I'm Still Here," John Rzeznik
Tags: , ,

Home sick today, blargh. And, of course, this is the day before I planned to go shopping for the last ingredients necessary for my attempt at making lentil soup (which is great sick food).

Honestly, I probably could have made it through work today, but I just would have been hosed for tomorrow and possibly the rest of the weekend. And when it's a choice between one more day of work while uncomfortable, and a date with [info]shadawyn + Warmakers adventure?

Yeah.

So! Today is not so bad. Here are my happy things:

1. Since I'm not incapacitated, I should be able to be productive today. I don't want to push myself, but I want to get most of the way done with The Macho Paradox when my brain is feeling functional. When it's not, I'll break out my markers on drawings that have been inked and waiting around for coloring.

2. I'm not quite out of sick leave yet. Which is impressive, considering I've been accumulating it for less than a year, and I have a -2 CON penalty. XD;;

3. Payday!

4. I got approval from the big boss for my vacation time for the NWSA conference. I was pretty sure it would be okay, especially this far in advance, but it's nice to get the final word.

5. Wearing "Aeval" this morning. Too early for a final verdict, but right now it's gorgeous.
About this Entry
6 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 24th, 2008 @ 04:26 pm rape prevention: ur doin it wrong
Current Mood: *sigh*
Tags: , ,

From the front-page article of today's campus newspaper, "UWPD to train students in rape defense":

"One in six women is a victim of rape or attempted rape during her lifetime in Washington state. In order to combat these statistics, the University of Washington Police Department is holding a women’s self-defense class."


Uh, no. In order to combat rape, you teach people not to rape. Within the sexism-fueled rape culture that we live in, that means, first and foremost, teaching men to respect women's sexual and bodily autonomy. Providing women self-defense education so that they can keep themselves from being victimized is a stopgap solution. It can be useful, yes, but is not to be mistaken for the primary method of sexual violence prevention.

Ironic that this article comes along just as I'm reading The Macho Paradox, which describes how we mistakenly place our attention and scrutiny upon (female) victims of sexual violence, rather than looking at men, who commit the overwhelming majority of sexual violence and actually have it in their power to prevent it. Notice how the article is comfortable naming women as the primary/only targets of sexual violence - which is true - but fails to note that men are the primary perpetrators of it. Notice how it makes men, and men's responsibility to prevent themselves and their peers from committing sexual violence, disappear.

To get a sense of how ridiculous this one-sided attention is, check out [info]misia's Open Source Swift Kick to the Balls Project (a satirical response to the Open Source Boob Project). Does it seem absurd that the proposed project puts the onus on men to prevent unwanted/violent attention perpetrated upon their own bodies? How absurd is it that we do expect women to do this for themselves, every damn day?
About this Entry
6 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 24th, 2008 @ 12:22 pm Happy almost-Friday
Current Mood: sluggish
Tags: , , , , , ,

1. Yesterday's geeky morning was followed by today's geeky morning, wherein [info]ratzeo and I spent the bus ride theorizing about Warmakers. 8D

2. The Open Source Boob WTFuckery has been countered with the Open Source Women Back Each Other Up Program, joined by the Gentlemen's Auxiliary.

3. I'm wearing "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" today. The reviews promised a floral scent with a sharp, cold edge. What I'm getting is a pretty floral that's definitely not gentle, but, alas, not the edge I was looking for. Still, it's quite lovely, so I like it a lot. But this means that my search continues for a perfect BPAL scent for Sae. 8D

4. This. Yeah.

5. Progress on The Macho Paradox goes slowly, but steadily. (Rather than beat myself up on the low number of pages I've read, I will focus on the good: that I've been making consistent progress on a theory - however light - book for the first time in months.) My next NWSA research book, Black Sexual Politics, arrived at my house this morning, and The Cult of True Victimhood shipped out today.
About this Entry
6 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 24th, 2008 @ 10:49 am "Preservation of ones' culture doesn’t mean contempt for others'"
Current Mood: pissed off
Tags: ,

A proposed Arizona bill would ban race-based student organizations and any courses that supposedly "denigrate American values and the teachings of Western civilization."

The results of this bill would be simple, and devastating. Ethnic student associations like MEChA, which provide students with a place to learn about and share their cultural heritage, would be lost. Courses that (dared to) criticize the violent colonialist history of the United States, or the continuing racist patterns that persist today, would be silenced.

These results aren't the unintended consequences of well-meaning legislation. Read the article, and you'll see that this is exactly what the legislators mean to do.

Read more and send an email to Arizona legislators.
About this Entry
Leave a comment
Permanent Link