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Sep. 23rd, 2008 @ 02:31 pm Let's try this weekly goal thing again
Current Mood: aggravated (at work stuff)
Current Music: "March of Mephisto," Kamelot
Tags: , ,

It's been awhile since I've made goals, but it seems like I'm in need of a structured list again ...

Weekly goals (work on one of these every day)
-RP for NTGC
-fic for NTGC
-embroider belt for Halloween costume

Tentative schedule:

Tuesday
[x] stop by bank for money stuff
[x] make online order for kitty supplies

Wednesday
[x] weekly goal: wrestled with embroidery

Thursday
[ ] weekly goal: wrestled with embroidery (with greater success)
[ ] weekly goal: worked on RP

Friday
[ ] gym
[ ] weekly goal:

Saturday
[ ] Friends of the Seattle Public Library book sale!
[ ] cook dinner?
[ ] weekly goal:

Sunday
[ ] attend NTGC session!
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Jun. 9th, 2008 @ 04:39 pm This week's to-do list
Current Mood: stressed
Tags: , ,

Monday
[x] gym
[x] Black Sexual Politics ch. 2

Tuesday
[x] cook food for this week's dinner
[x] Black Sexual Politics ch. 3

Wednesday
[x] gym
[x] Black Sexual Politics ch. 4

Thursday
[ ] gym
[x] Black Sexual Politics ch. 5

Friday
[ ] NWSA meeting
[ ] Black Sexual Politics ch. 6

Work on every day until done
[ ] notes for NWSA meeting
[ ] character creation (note to self: this is your break-from-work fun project, NOT Warmakers fic)

Weekend and beyond to be organized later
[ ] pack for Cincinnati
[ ] finish Black Sexual Politics
[ ] final notes/outline for talk
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Jun. 8th, 2008 @ 01:44 pm Today's to-do list
Current Mood: lethargic
Current Music: "Edge of Paradise," Kamelot
Tags: , ,

Note to self: Okay, self, you have had a nice and indulgent weekend, doing nothing more productive than writing fic. Then you had a fabulous time last night giving [info]coramegan a proper send-off, and a lazy morning this morning besides. You have a lot of things you ought to do, all of which you want to do (or at least have done), so it's time to get crackin'.

Practical things
[x] eat lunch
[x] grab a shower
[x] eat dinner
[x] cook food so you have lunches for work

Fun things
[x] email GM #1
[x] email GM #2
[ ] email GM #3
[ ] make notes on Warmakers fic ideas ONLY IF TIME PERMITS

NWSA things (which are somewhere between practical and fun)
[x] Black Sexual Politics introduction
[x] Black Sexual Politics ch.1
[x] work on travel arrangements
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May. 19th, 2008 @ 07:34 pm D&D character meme
Current Mood: geeky
Current Music: "Crash and Burn," Savage Garden
Tags: ,

I Am A: True Neutral Human Wizard (3rd Level)


Ability Scores:

Strength-12
Dexterity-9
Constitution-13
Intelligence-16
Wisdom-13
Charisma-14

( Details and irreverent commentary )
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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!
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Apr. 23rd, 2008 @ 09:45 pm A quote
Current Mood: amused
Tags: , ,

"I've been trying to think of how to kill a dragon by using move actions."
-[info]ratzeo

My boyfriend, ladies and gentlemen.
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Apr. 23rd, 2008 @ 03:25 pm Muddling through
Current Mood: calm
Tags: , , , ,

Last night was pretty bad in terms of productivity - my brain rebelled at the homework-like reading load I attempted, so I was unable to concentrate on anything more rigorous than Picross. I decided to let that happen and take the evening off, with the plan of buckling down again today.

So, in the meantime, to keep my spirits up, here's today's happy list:

1. I ran into [info]coramegan on the bus this morning, and we chatted about Warmakers and Next Time Gamers. Gave me a great geeky start to the day. 8D

2. Today the University put on a staff appreciation lunch event. Free burgers and lovely sunny weather to go with.

3. Making final arrangements for the NWSA conference - booking plane tickets and requesting time off work. It's a little scary, but the kind of scary that has been associated with some of the best things I've done.

4. Finalized the plan for my date with [info]shadawyn at Pike Place Market on Saturday. :D

5. And, uh, this one's super-nerdy, but ... our GM is laying down plans for the end of the Warmakers campaign. I'm still new to the experience of playing through and finishing campaigns, so the idea still makes me wooby. And throughout the day, I've just been imagining a sort of "AMV" for the campaign (because it's anime-based and I totally envision it done as an anime) set to the over-used, slightly cheesy, "At The Beginning." There are bits and pieces from the campaign that I think would be fun to see animated and set to the music.

... WHAT. I said it was super-nerdy. Don't judge me.
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Apr. 17th, 2008 @ 09:03 am (no subject)
Current Mood: hopeful
Tags: , , , , ,

Yesterday was ... well, it was good throughout the afternoon, but then near the end of work things got bad enough that I skipped my trip the gym and went straight home, feeling unfit for human interaction. After indulging in spirit-soothing creature comforts (comfy sweats, nap in warm bed, caramel butter pecan ice cream), I was somewhat restored.

I still have a tendency to let work difficulties weigh on my mind at home. It wasn't as bad as last time something like this happened, but I need to keep working on it.

So I'm focusing on the positive things this morning:

1. I took a step towards fixing the work difficulty this morning. Additionally, outside circumstances are such that the difficulty will not last for much longer. (Sorry for the vagueness, but I don't think I should go into detail in a public post. I figure anyone who's actually curious can ask me in person.)

2. Emails from [info]shadawyn! She's actually awake and online when I get to work, so she provides most of my social interaction and makes my mornings more fun. Although she's also a bad influence on me and dangerous for my credit card bill. ;)

3. Poking my GM and having game info pour out! Great for someone as bad at character creation as I am, who needs extra inspiration.

4. Last night, I progressed from passive comforts (like sleeping and DSing) to more active comforting activities, like drawing. I now have two of the Warmakers 4-koma ready for coloring, and am sketching out a third one. Like I said before, it's slow going. I'm about as good at drawing "funny" or "cute" as I am at writing them, which means I have to try really hard even though they're just dinky little chibi figures. But I'm happy with how the first two look so far.

5. And finally, the big thing to remember: my life is good. Very, very good, in fact. I'm healthy, I have a house and a job, I have great friends, I have engaging hobbies, and I'm in love. I want to remember this - not to make myself feel like OMG a horrible ungrateful person for feeling down sometimes - but as a reminder that I always have something available to make me feel better.
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Apr. 14th, 2008 @ 09:00 am Happy Monday!
Current Mood: good
Tags: , , , , ,

Good morning, all! I hope you have a great week!

Here are my happy things for today - the events themselves occurred over the weekend, but they're still boosting my mood:

1. Saturday's sunny weather was gorgeous, and I got to spend the afternoon outside with friends.

2. The book sale on Saturday had a pretty good selection, and I found quite a few things I wanted, including copies of two of my favorite Wonder Woman books - Spirit of Truth and JLA: League of One.

3. Warmakers adventure yesterday! Alas, [info]ratzeo could not attend (due to a favor he was doing for me and my household), and I missed both him and Gunnar. At least no one died while I took over his character, though. :P Also it looks like my pr0nfic went over well, which is a bit of a relief because I was kind of nervous. XD;;

4. Our new fridge was also delivered yesterday, which makes life more convenient. It also means we have freezing capabilities once again.

5. Got a few BPAL imps from [info]shadawyn yesterday, and today I'm wearing Szepasszony. Though the scent is gentler than the description implies, it's lovely and I keep sniffing my wrists.
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Apr. 1st, 2008 @ 08:35 pm Meta rec
Current Mood: thinky
Current Music: "The Minnow & The Trout," A Fine Frenzy
Tags: , ,

Head on over to [info]oyceter's (LJ) post on alpha males in fiction for some great discussion. The original post is specifically about mainstream heterosexual romance novels, but of course the alpha male trope shows up in romantic relationships in all kinds of fiction. It's a great read for those coming from feminist perspectives but who enjoy fictional romance - and who know why I put that "but" in there.

I was particularly glad to find this in light of my earlier entry about my struggles with fictional portrayals of "romantic." Not only is it nice to find people who agree with me in a hey-I'm-not-alone way, but it helped clarify some things in my head.

( Some highlights )

( My additions )
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Mar. 21st, 2008 @ 01:45 pm 5 happy things for the weekend
Current Mood: 8D
Tags: , , , ,

Let's start the weekend off on the right foot by highlighting the good things!

1. I just had a nice, relaxing lunch where I got some quiet time and finished reading the third volume of the new Blue Beetle. I totally dig this series.

2. I got a dose of puppy today! A faculty member brought in her border collie to meet one of my coworkers, and they hung out in the reception area while they talked, so I got some good puppy time in. I love visiting dogs (would never be able to own one, but I love visiting them).

3. [info]ratzeo finished his last final on Wednesday, and last night he and I went on a date to celebrate. I got to see my boy, plus I got to try a delicious new Thai restaurant.

4. [info]ratzeo being done with Winter Quarter also means that he's going to run game again - tomorrow, in fact! Now I need my brain to switch gears from playing a true Neutral Dervish to a Warforged Crusader ...

5. I just got notice of being refunded for the last online shoe purchase I returned (gotta love online shoe shopping with free shipping both ways). This means I have money to fund my next shopping spree - first it was hair jewelry, then shoes, and now apparently it's going to be BPAL. XD
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Feb. 25th, 2008 @ 12:47 pm Goals for the week
Tags: , , , , , ,

I'm at the point where the idea of making goals for myself feels encouraging rather than draining. YES.

I've been moving toward this point for a while, but what really cinched it was this past weekend, during which I: met with my NWSA group for our first official planning session (which was also the first time I'd seen any of these fabulous women in many months), went downtown with [info]kyonkun, met up with [info]mahokiwi and [info]laylah at [info]ratzeo and [info]zinjadu's apartment (also the first time seeing them in a while, though luckily not months), and played my first session of [info]casaval's Harry Potter game.

The NWSA meeting was crucial for lighting a fire under my ass and getting me back to work. These are some of the most amazing, intelligent, powerful women I know, so being in a room with them, and feeling their energy and support, went a long way towards making me feel capable of taking on this conference. And, from there, taking on anti-oppression work in general. (I've started, for better or for worse, thinking about grad school again ...)

The rest of the weekend was more about making me happy enough to keep going with this productivity, rather than being productive in and of itself, but that is also important. :D

( And now, my goals )

ETA: ( Current progress )
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Jan. 27th, 2008 @ 01:16 pm Halloween costumes (already)
Current Mood: geeky
Tags:

[info]lunapome once suggested using the various deities from the Faerun campaign setting as a Halloween costume theme. I liked the idea, but didn't think about it again until recently, when I looked through the Faiths and Pantheons gallery. And now ... well, now I've decided to do it and the only question is whether I dress up as Mystra or Shar.

I like both of their costumes, and the lovely and talented [info]lunapome is capable of making either one within the next nine months. So, as usual, I'm just feeling indecisive about which one to actually pick.

( pros and cons )

One costume that I have no question about is that [info]ratzeo should be Mask, the god of lies. Because who else should a GM dress up as?
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Jan. 4th, 2008 @ 09:09 am My poor wallet
Current Mood: indecisive
Tags: ,

Barnes & Noble is having a buy 2 get 1 free sale on DVDs.

Should I, or should I not, get the first three seasons of the new Doctor Who?

I loved season 1, and I'm enjoying season 2 so far. As for season 3, I'm probably going to love Martha, but I've also been warned I'll hate what they do with her character. So. :/

On the other hand ... it's not *that* expensive, for three seasons' worth of DVDs that I'll (at least mostly) enjoy ...
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Jan. 2nd, 2008 @ 01:18 pm Happy New Year!
Current Mood: optimistic
Tags: , , ,

I hope everyone's 2007 was good, and that your 2008 is even better.

( New Year's Eve )

( New Year's Day )

( New Year's resolutions, sorta )
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Dec. 27th, 2007 @ 09:07 am Back
Current Mood: sleepy
Tags: , ,

Arrived back in Seattle last night. [info]neo_angiel kindly picked me and [info]kyonkun up from the train station.

Went out to dinner. Didn't make it home until 10:30ish. Had time to either unpack or get a full night's sleep; attempted both, with inadequate results.

Luckily it's quiet in the office, and I probably won't have to deal with many callers or visitors.

Am attempting to catch up on email and blogs and such. (Also, you know, work stuff, seeing as I'm at work. ^^;;)

Holiday was nice and quiet. Parents spoiled me with gifts of clothing, including lovely coats that make me feel like a grownup. Got a lot of reading done. Made plans for my Next Time Gamers' character (character-building RP stuff and numbers-boosting item stuff) using Races of Eberron and Magic Item Compendium. Drew some Warmakers fanart, using new Prismacolor markers with gradually improving (and therefore pleasing) results.

Came home to one (of the many) packages I'm expecting in the mail. On the one hand, online shopping is far too easy for the comfort of my credit card. On the other hand, I love my new shinies and totally don't regret it. :P It's my Christmas present to me, I guess.
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Dec. 21st, 2007 @ 02:29 pm Hunted
Current Mood: chipper
Tags: ,

I just finished reading Hunted, my fourth James Alan Gardner book.

As is to be expected, I really really liked it.

( spoilers within )
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Dec. 13th, 2007 @ 04:23 pm Last night, I had a dream ...
Tags: ,

And in less dramatic and confidential news ...

I have now joined the ranks of DS owners. 8D

[info]ratzeo gave me one of the shiny new "crimson and black" style last night for Christmas. And he and [info]kyonkun furnished me with a few games to suck my life away practice with.

(He gave it to me earlier than originally intended, because I was complaining about being bored while I was sick. And a DS is manageable when your head is fuzzy, but has the benefit of being less brain-killing than extended Internet surfing. I have the best boyfriend evar.)

Now, ironically, I was actually well enough to come to work today, so I haven't gotten a chance to use it much. But I don't care, because ... well, now I'm on the road to recovery *and* have a shiny new DS. XD

( And then there was the dream. )
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Nov. 25th, 2007 @ 02:10 pm A new experience
Tags: ,

I just tried something different for the first time last night. It was a lot of fun, if kind of confusing, and kept me up for most of the night. Also, now my ass hurts.

As you've surely guessed, I played Rock Band for the first time last night. ... whut. [info]music_enforcer and [info]lunapome recently got it and let me come over to their apartment last night, where I joined them and [info]ratzeo, [info]zinjadu, [info]miss_arel, and [info]nekokoban (who did not play an instrument, but instead provided peanut gallery commentary :Db).

Having never played Guitar Hero or any other games of that ilk, I didn't think I could do anything besides vocals, and then I couldn't do vocals because I don't know rock music. But [info]miss_arel took a break from drums and convinced me to try ...

... and ZOMG it's SO MUCH FUN. XD;;

Now, [info]miss_arel did point out, quite accurately, that sometimes, on the drums, you're reduced to an angry monkey banging on things with sticks. (This is especially the case when you trigger your "Overdrive" mode, at least for me - you improvise for a specified amount of time, which means that no-improv-skills me just whacks things at random.) But! XD;; It was a lot of fun, and everyone was very patient with me as I learned. And also? I got to make a Gwen'maethor'roval avatar, how cool is that.

Since I essentially played for something like six hours straight, I managed to work my way up from Easy to Hard mode. However, this advancement came with two costs: one, I didn't have time to learn the more complicated combinations, so I still go into "angry monkey" mode at times. XD;; Also, the kick pedal is kind of a pain to use, and now I have soreness up my right leg (hence the ass pain). Not that this is going to stop me from playing at every moment that someone who owns the game will let me at their drum set.

Oh yeah, happy belated Thanksgiving to the United Statesians out there. 8D
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Nov. 16th, 2007 @ 04:46 pm Happy things!
Tags: , , , ,

It's a wonderful day today, and here's why:

1. It's Friday, duh.

2. Tonight I'm going over to watch Doctor Who with [info]nekokoban - the last episode of season 1, and probably some of season 2.

3. Cathartic cooking! I don't know what it is, but cooking my own meal makes me feel good. Something about following the steps to get a desired result, which makes me feel both productive and fulfilled.

4. I've spent the past two days geeking with [info]shadawyn about Warmakers stuff ([info]irishninja's game) both over email and in-person. Fleshing out the backstory for our characters (who are twin sisters), RPing some conversations between them, and drawing fanart.

5. I've also been RPing with [info]ratzeo over email. Since this is something like our fourth or fifth game together, we've decided to try RPing a romance between our characters. Unfortunately ... both of them have negative Charisma. XD;; [info]ratzeo's character has both negative Charisma AND Wisdom, which is even better. And finally, both characters are teenaged. The result? Hilarity.

6. [info]shadawyn, evil temptress that she is, just shared SilverJewelryClub.com with me, a site which offers designer jewelry essentially for free (for real). I haven't gotten anything yet, but I have stared at a lot of shiny things.

7. Tomorrow I'm going to dinner at The Melting Pot!

Edit for myself: Okay, self, you are not allowed to order any more jewelry until you actually receive one of your orders.
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