The howl of the wolf

I'm really not sure where to begin. Part of me wants to get to the meat of the story, yet there's just enough storyteller in me to want to set the scene, and to give context - or at least flavor - to the events of last night.

So, here goes nothing.

It's been an unusual week to be sure. The first oddity has been poor Benjamin (Dogbook, via Facebook) having spells of puking and explosive diarrhea (exactly what one wants in a long-haired sheepdog who has to be crated during the day). This started sometime Monday, as I discovered to my chagrin on coming home Monday night.

Wednesday was his birthday, and T and I feel sorry for the poor little guy as being sick anywhere near your birthday is seldom a good thing. Tuesday he was mostly all-right (one quick session of coughing up a tiny amount of stomach acid), so things were all good.

Wednesday (yesterday) I got home nad he was back to not feeling well apparently - his crate was a mess again. *sigh* T and I were due to drive to Pittsburgh last night, to attend a viewing for a friend's father's wake. I offered Tawnya the opportunity for us to stay home, so she could take care of her baby. To my surprise she was okay, and wanted to just clean up the mess and head to Pittsburgh to be with Joe and Susan in their time fo need.

I relented, and after making him a quick meal of ground beef and rice (recommended by our vet to settle his tummy for the night) we were off around 6pm.

It was a simple enough drive - there's little Inter-state traffic between OH and PA on Wednesday nights it seems, so the 2 hour drive passed pretty quickly. We stopped, made our quick visit with Joe and Susan, and decided to stop off to see Emily last night, since we were so close, I haven't seen her since the wedding, and T left some baby stuff there last time she was in town.

10:30 rolls around and it's time for us to depart. The drive home is pretty uneventful. T falls asleep, I set my iPod to play more of my Wheel of Time audiobook (Winter's Heart), and am cruising along minding my own business.

Running pretty low on gas, I get off at my home exit off the turnpike, pay my toll, everything's A-ok.

Heading up I-77, I see a patrol car watching for speeders. I'm not speeding, no worries.

A car passes me just after I pass the officer, and I see the officer pull out, pass me, and start pacing the other car. I see that the next exit has gas, and I start to slow down for the exit.

The officer is slowing down and catches up to me, and gets behind me off the exit. Odd. . . but it's a Brecksville officer, and I'm in Breckville, not far from the station, so, no biggie.

As I turn off the exit, his lights come on. WTF?

I wake T as I pull over. He tells me I was weaving over the median - a charge I *highly* doubt. I was wide awake, quite enjoying a big reveal in my story, fully alert. There's pretty much NO WAY I was weaving, chaging lanes, riding the median, etc. But, I'm not one to make a scene.

I tell myself he's likely just checking for druink drivers, I was in the right spot to be checked, and just shrug, handing him my insurance and license. He takes my license, heads to his car to run it, etc.

5 minutes later he's back. . . and he asks me if I'm having any problems I'm aware of with the city of Parma. I frowned. I recall the ticket I'd received months ago for the headlight that was broken after that tow truck backed into me. I mention that the only problem I'd hate was the citation I paid a few months ago, confused.

Apparently my payment was not received. Parma issued a warrant for me, because I didn't pay, and I didn't go to court. Yup, I was wanted. Instructed to stay put in the car, Tawnya and I just stare at each other in sheer befuddlement. The officer said they may or may not actually want to haul me in tonight, and just to hold tight while he waits on a verdict.

Sure enough, 10 minutes later, Parma wants me, so he's gotta haul me in. Seriously. T's got her license, so she's allowed to drive the car and follow me to the stations.

Turns out Parma wants me for - get this, a $100 bond. So Brecksville hauls me in, and as I'm heading to the station house, the officer who originally pulled me over tells me - TELLS ME that he'd like to not even cite me but "we're not supposed to bring people in on a warrant without issuing a citation". I don't even recall how I replied - though I made a note in my head that this guy essentially just admitted he shouldn't be giving me a citation. He also tells me now that I was weaving across the line and THEN was riding the line. Before I'd just been weaving.

So, they place me in the interrogation room after patting me down and emptying my pockets. I get fingerprinted (they don't use that heavy balck ink seen in movies/tv - there's some light purple dry ink that came right off my fingers afterward) and sat back down. Parma should be here in 10-15 minutes.

An HOUR passes before Parma picks me up, and tell Tawnya that it's a $100 cash bond.

She's got $85 on her, she says, and I had $15 in my wallet, so we're fine.

Get to Parma, get patted down *again* and get started signing my release paperwork, as the desk lady tells the officers that I've already been bonded. It turns out later that T can't count when she's nrvous and was $10 shy, but she was able to swing out to an ATM real quick, so no biggie.

I'm handed a court summons, and checked out. All in all, a two and a half hour ordeal. Because parma didn't receive my payment for a ticket, that was caused becuase the guy who owns the tow truck that hit me couldn't/wouldn't fix my car properly.

So, now I have citations for: riding the median, poorly aimed headlight, and failure to appear. The latter two with a court case in a couple weeks.

I kinda want to fight the first one - save it won't be worth my time. The fine is probably $100 - the time to sit in court, then have it be my word vs the officer's word (since T was asleep) and probably lose anyhow just isn't really worth it.

The latter two - I frankly feel silly for even having to go. I'm more flabberghasted by the process. Every time I've ever received a ticket I've had to list my phone number, home address, etc. I don't recall seeing anything in the mail from Parma, though T says she thinks she saw an envelope from them, but assume it was a receipt for my payment) - and I know I never got a phone call.

I've received phone calls for when T's brother, Jacob was supposed to appear in court and didn't (after we'd boneded him - another LONG story that's buried in my blog somewhere). I can't help but be amazed someone would issue a WARRANT for me, and I'd get no notice confirmable notice. I'd have expected a phone call, or a certified letter, or. . . something! Heck, I would have been far less surprised if I was told my license was suspecned for failure to pay. . . but a WARRANT?

~shrug~ Needless to say, I'm baffled by the entire process. I'm not incredulous (much) - and I'm not at the stereotypical level of "blah blah blah, go arrest a real criminal, blah blah blah" but. . . I am AMAZED that something so little because such a big to-do without me even being aware that things were at this sort of level.

I'm. . . . just in shock I guess.

Part of me wants to talk to an attorney at this point - perhaps to fight the lanes citation, but more to cover my ass at the "failure to appear" court appearance. To me it's a non-issue - somewhere communication channels got crossed, and I truly want to make restitution (though I do think they tow truck guy should have paid my ticket, but that's another issue). Having to go to court becuase of all this is. . . annoying.

Ahwell. It is what it is.

So, yeah, odd week. Sick puppy, wake for a friend's dead father, arrested, and still waiting to hear news about this morning's delivery of a baby Taranowski. Sooo much to keep track of right now. Seems to be a stack of omens. Just wish I knew what they are pointing to.

Okay, so, I was hungry, so I decided to cook something.

So I went to that . . .thing that keeps food cold? With the top and the bottom, and the top is colder? Well, on mine it's colder, I guess some people have it on the side or on the bottom.

Anyhow, I pulled some stuff out of the thing, and grabbed some bowls.

I started to pour the things I'd gotten out of the cold thing into a bowl, and then I put it in that microwave thingy, and I pushed a few buttons.

Now, the micro-thingy lit up and made a whooshing noise, but for some reason when it was done I didn't have a very appetizing meal.

What'd I do wrong?

So, I'm getting caught-up in the micro-blogging "thing" and, having discovered Twhirl, I've been posting fairly regularly (once or twice a day) to Twitter.

For the non-geeks reading this (aka, my family) a micro-blog is not unlike this blog. However, instead of taking time once or twice a week to write down whatever comes to mind, micro-blogging allows for a sentance or two at most, and is intended to be a "What I'm up to right now" style-tool. Fairly spiffy, especially since you can track friends, reply to them, and even see what everyone else is talking about.

So, I'm branching out. This morning I tried Seesmic. Same concept as twitter - quick, short entries on what I'm thinking about - only done via video. And in the time it's taken me to type this up, I've already received a reply (not sure how to link it for ya, still figuring out the site - with luck you'll find it yourself).

Anyhow, check it out, might (or might not) be something I keep up with, and it might, or might not, be something you enjoy.

. . . girl!

I was gonna do something witty, or at least wait until after a several-paragraph-long blathering of nonsense before getting to the point, but. . . nah.

Tawnya and I have been hoping for a little girl, and (while not 100% conclusive) the ultrasound today seems to confirm it. A little girl is on her way to us. Of course, she had to share her side of it first in her blog, but now it's my turn.

In a word, I'm elated. I get to raise a nerdy little Daddy's girl, and I don't know what more I could possibly ask for. Everything seems pretty normal too (though, our squirmy little baby wouldn't sit still long enough for all the ultrasound pictures - we have to go back in a couple weeks to get more spinal photos).

Still. I'm VERY gleeful.

This is really a post just to test twitterfeed to see if it really will report to Twitter when I make a new journal post.

However, to make sure this isn't a COMPLETE waste of space, I'd like to tell everyone about Nerdcore.

Yes, Nerdcore. Nerds who rap. Current favorite? MC Frontalot. MC Chris is good too. Next paycheck I think I'm gonna snag some Optimus Rhyme. Any of my geeky friends have other suggestions? :)

Ah, how time flies.

Important stuff:

Some of you may have missed my playful way of announcing it a few posts ago, so. . . to be sure there is no confusion, Tawnya is pregnant. :) You can follow along with our pregnancy over at the baby's blog (yes, I'm that much of a geek). The site is as open to the public as I can make it for now. When baby is born (due in February), however, I'll be limiting access to friends and family. In a nutshell that means you'll have to make an account to keep up with any updates I don't post here. There will be reminders. I just figure it's best to not put pictures of my future child, along with his/her name on the Internet.

I doubt anyone would really troll the site, get my kid and do anything, but there's still something to be said for one's privacy.

I haven't updated recently - here or for baby - and I need to amend that. I'm updating here now. . . will update for baby later.

Not really sure what to update about today. There's been a trifling of little things, saw The House Bunny with Tawnya last week (predictable, but still a good movie if you want to just shut down your brain for a bit and simply be entertained).

Oh, I'm finally "reading" Dune. Yes, with quotes.

Having a new iPod that came with T's macbook, I've been listening to more and more audio content in the car. Especially enjoying This Week in Tech, as suggested by several people on twitter (www.twitter.com/wolfstar76 - my "microblog" that I tend to update randomly through the day). TWiT turned me on to a free trial of hte premium program with Audible.com.

From there, I got a credit for a free audiobook, and (somewhat randomly) chose Dune having never read it. I'm about 1/3rd of th way through the unabridged volume, and I must say I'm quite enjoying it. Good story, I can see why people are such fans.

Previously my only exposure to the world of Dune was the movie - and even then when I was in, perhaps Junior High. The movie doesn't do the book justice I'm told, and I recall it being a muddled mess back then (perhaps why I've been so averse to reading the book(s) for myself). The audiobook is compelling however, I might well have to follow-up with the next book in the series.

I find myself wanting to say more - though I'm not sure what about. Something is budding inside me, yet I can't yet identify it, or put words to it. Is it something I'm keeping secret? Something I've forgotten? Or just my cyclilic nature of random desire to write re-surfacing again?

Hmmm. I'm not yet sure.

Okay, geeky post, if you're not into Dungeons and Dragons, and even then, if you're not up on 4th Edition rules, I won't be offended if you skip this completely. On the other hand, even withhout the rules, if you're a creative type with a good imagination, well, read on since I'm looking for help from creatvies. :)

So, in 4th Edition, I've decided that my Living Forgotten Realms character is a Gnome Warlock. He's already seen a couple adventures, but he's still lacking much personality, and I've had a rough time fleshing him out.

Gnome Warlock? Wuzzat?

Gnomes. IT's like being human, but shorter, and with a great propensity for magic, studying things that go "whirrrr", and being 3 feet tall. Y'know, like Shane in puberty.

Warlock. Warlocks are characters who've made a pact with otherworldly beings for a measure of power. There are (currently) three different types of pacts that help define your powers.

• Infernal - Long ago a forgotten race of devils created a secret path to power and taught it to the tieflings of old to weaken their fealty to Asmodeus. In his wrath, Asmodeus destroyed the scheming devils and struck their very names from the memory of all beings—but you dare to study their perilous secrets anyway.


• Star - You have mastered the astrologer’s art, learning the secret names of the stars and gazing into the Far Realm beyond, gaining great power thereby. You can call upon powers that madden or terrify your enemies, manipulate chance and fate, or scour your foes with icy banes and curses drawn from beyond the night sky


• Fey - You have forged a bargain with ancient, amoral powers of the Feywild. Some are primitive earth spirits, grim and menacing; some are capricious wood, sky, or water spirits; and others are incarnations of seasons or natural forces who roam the faerie realm like wild gods. They bestow magic that ranges from feral and savage to wondrous and enchanting.

I went with Fey Pact for my gnome. I dunno why, but I like the idea of working with the capricious powers of wood, sky, or water sprits. The fact that many of my Warlock's powers focus on frustrating enemies (denying them actions, immobilizing them, etc) is just my style. I should also point out that, in this case, (as I see it) the fey creatures aren't amoral because they're all "screw the systam, man! Evil is where it's AT!" but rather, given their capricious nature, they're mischevious beings because they simply can't grasp the concept of "morality". They do what seems like a fun/good idea at the time. Think mega-extreme hippies. :)

I want my gnome (Gerle "Twinklestick" Fudwinkle) to be a little on the creepy/crazy side, but not comic relief. So I'm trying ti fill in some of the gaps along that line.

So. . . what are the blanks?

Well, I'd like to have an idea what "natural" spirit (or spirits?) Gerle made his pact with. Name, persona, etc. I'm horrid at coming up with names, so this would be the area I could really use help with.

I think, just typing this out, I like the idea of him having a pact with a group of spirits. It could help him have not-quite multiple personalities. As the waxing and waning influence of at least two spirits affect him over time he too would wax and wane. The question then becomes are these sprits working together, fighting over him, part of a clan (both, say, water spirits? or one water one wood?) Hmmm.

I'm also trying to formulate why he made his pact. I'd like to give him a little depth, and instead of just seeking out natural spirits, or even having been chosen and approached by them, I'd like his pact to have come about almost accidently. Giving him a small amount of innocence - which I hope would only serve to make his personality shifts a little more off-putting when they spring up in combat. (Hmm. . . as I type this I'm starting to think if I'm not modeling him after River Tam without knowing it).

Perhaps he wandered into the Feywild (accidently or deliberately) and got himself into dire straights? The sprit(s) he's now sworn to aid helped him out of the problem, gave him his power, and now he's partly their servant?

M'eh. Typing it all out has helped spur a few new ideas, but I'd still like to hear what my geeky compatriots think.

My goal is to create a character that isn't particularly cliche, but still memorable. The hard part of this is that in geekdom all the REALLY memorable roles have been done, making any new attempt at least partially cliche. Bah. Now I'm overthinking about overthinking.

Time for some frozen treats to cool my brain off.

Post your thoughts. :)

Been busy with lots of stuff (like GenCon) so three quickies today.

1) Sagamore Ballroom Blog that I was writing for WotC at GenCon
2) I'm on youtube! They made me do a video to introduce myself. I was already losing my voice. Geez.
3) Here's another blog I've been working on.

Ah, time. Why can't there be more of you? Especially in the category of leisure? And why can't someone else do my dishes? :)

Tomorrow I'm leaving for GenCon, so I thought I'd dash off something to get my mind working this morning - since I have to go to work early, and because I'm on some Mucinex which. . . doesn't make me tired, exactly, but it's close. It's also makes my jaw muscles tense, which is odd.

Anyhow, tomorrow morning, bright and early I'm heading to Jim's and we're carpooling to Indy together. I have the following tasks to accomplish in the next 24 hours.

• Pack


• Organize my RPGA "stuff" so it can be efficiently used at the show


• Dishes


• Laundry


• Clean my office at work


• Clean the litterbox


• haircut(?)


• find our camera(?)


• Charge cellphones


• Take a charger


• Snuggle the daylights outta Tawnya

I think that covers most of it. Somehow it seems less daunting on paper than it is in my head.

BTW - I have a PS3 now. I also have Rock Band. I'm learning to love drums all over again. Not so much that I'm sorry I gave them up in high school, but enough that I'm having fun. If you have a PS3, I'm WolfStar76 on there, add meh.

Nothing else of note this morning. . .though it felt like there was more when I sat down. Bah.

Just got done with my first round of e-mail exchanges with Mr. Youngs. He told me what he's looking for in a blogger (report at least once each on D&D Minis, as well as the RPG side of the house). Pretty much what I expected - and what I hope to exceed. I confess, mind you, to being more excited about the RPG side of the hall, since I'm not a minis player.

However, if I can just get occasional updates from the minis guys about anything THEY feel is noteworthy, then I can always dress it up and send it out the door all fancy-like for the web.

I'm already plotting several things I look forward to writing about (Thursday - the excitement of a new show, Friday, growing crowds and early feedback, Saturday - People EVERYWHERE, the hall is PACKED, someon got TRAMPLED trying to get to a D&D table, oh the HUMANITY! Sunday - well, time to pack up and go home, see you next year GenCon!), and I actually think I'm going ot have to pace myself a bit.

As those of you who read me regularly (all, what, 5 of you? Hi sis!) know, I tend to get wordy when I get excited. The above parenthetical sentance is proof of that. Especially as it doesn't cover things like the Delve, the D&D Championship, and other things I'd like to try and focus on throughout the course of the show. I'm going to have to make sure I take the time to stop, take a deep breath, and think as I post. Breaking down my logjam of thoughts into small, easy-to-digest pieces will be key for me.

All the same, to borrow from Shane. . . I'm totally stoked. :)

Anyhow, Chris is likely spying on my blog even as I write this (he wanted a sample of my writing) so I should make this short and sweet lest I scare him off.

More as I think of it.

Time is far too fluid a substance.

As I'm sitting here at work, waiting for various drivers and softwares to download, I'm all but nodding off in my chair, wishing I had more to do to pass the time.

Yet, at the same time I'm looking at hw little time I have to get assorted projects done before I leave for GenCon - and it feels like everything is rushing around me in a blur. Paradoxical, intruiging, and annoying all in a pretty little package.

I *should* stop and make a to-do list. I should THEN prioritize said list, and chip away at projects one after another. Alas, Fay Sharpe has made my already erratic work habits (where I'm eternally juggling too many things) and made them even more erratic. I also fear I've become lazy about my job. Never quite getting anything done as soon (or as easily) as I'd like. I really dislike this job sometimes. I really dislike who I feel it's making me into. I also fear that if/when I get a new job, if its still IT related that I'm going to be in for a world of hurt when it comes to performance. Ahwell. . . no job prospects at the moment, so no sense worrying about things like that.

With GenCon looming little more than a week away, the various RPGA mailing lists and forums I follow are a buzz with activity. There's questions about this rule, comments on that rule. My personal favorite is people arguing with the staff in charge about what has or hasn't been said, and what they meant when they said it.

The rule for the RPGA have, by far and large, been simplified down to two main rules.
1) Have Fun
2) Don't be a dick
Everything else is, by far and large, procedure (this is the procedure for getting new items, this is how you order and report and event, etc).

People are having the HARDEST time understanding these rules. Some people were making a stink that these new rules, along with the new "DM Empowerment" option (whereby DMs are allowed and even encouraged to change an adventure to keep the players having fun) will lead to DM's having players sit down, and then not play. That the DM could/would/should just have the players sit down say "Okay, the princess is kidnapped, but you find out where, you slay the dragon, and here's your treasure - hope you had as much fun as I did! Now you have 4 hours free to do something else!"

Okay, I get it. We're geeks. We have Nerd Rage. We quibble about anything that isn't defined in solid terms. But. . . seriously? "Have fun" is a far cry from "give me your ticket, here's your stuff, bye".

Earlier today someone actaully started an argument via e-mail with the Senior GM for GenCon. He was promptly corrected about what the rules do/don't (will/won't) mean. . . but. . . geez. Who really starts a post to someone official with "Wrong, see below?"

Well. . . I guess that's redundant, I know who, I saw the e-mail after all. :)

More news on the GenCon blogging front. Apparently I'll be reporting to Chris Youngs - editor of both Dungeon and Dragon magazines. This is awesome in itself. . . but I almost feel guilty. My dear Tawnya is a writer at heart, but remains unpublished to date (not that she's tried submitting much since graduation, but she also hasn't had a lot of time to work on material). I'm just some slob with a blog who likes D&D. . . and I'm going to be doing some official blogging for a magazine (or at least an official website). Does that mean I'm published? Without even trying?

I dunno. . . while I'm honored by the opportunity, I just kinda wonder if it isn't a gift that's somewhat wasted on little ole me. :)

Bleh. Listen to me. Worrying about a good opportunity to do something I enjoy. Worry is so not my style. . . I must be getting stressed again. (Geez, and so soon after a vacation no less! - definately need to focus on organizing tasks. . . and my office).

I need to review my module I'm running at GenCon, had a chance to play it, and I see a couple things that are different from the slot zero I sat in on. Ahwell. I was going to order myself some minis to go with the adventure. . but really? I don't feel like going through the hassle of finding them online and ordering them.

In other news - I've started toying with "atomkeep" (www.atomkeep.com) - it promised to be a way to keep your contact info on assorted social sites (Flickr, MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, and eventually LiveJournal) all consolidated and synched. Dunno if its any good or not, but it looks nice enough. IT's slowish, but if it really CAN sync all my data so I only have to update stuff in one place. . . . it'll be awesome. :)

Shane's been out here for the last couple weeks.

It's been GREAT to have him visiting. I was in far more of a rut than I think I realized. While Shane's been here I took most of the last two weeks off from Fay Sharpe (Leann had assorted appointments that required me to be in for a few days, but on the whole I've been off), and when I've been at Recess, he's been with me and we're usually playing D&D. :)

4th Edition D&D gets better and better the more I play it. I've made a Gnome Warlock (Fey Pact) for Living Forgotten Realms and got to play him in a few modules for "slot zero". He deals decent damage, though I found I'm using his curse wrong (he can only curse the nearest enemy, I've been cursing any enemy. . . whoops!). I think in two modules he's only taken one hit. . . from a trap that targeted him. Concealment from moving about and staying out of people's sight is wonderful. :)

I don't know if it's been Shane's presence or if its the two weeks off from work, but when I *have* been working (at Recess OR at Fay Sharpe) I haven't felt. . . rundown. I was TOTALLY on my game at Recess the other day, and while I'm not as thrilled to be at Fay Sharpe, when I AM there I feel like I'm back "in the zone" - like I can juggle the assorted projects before me, get things done, and like I can explain things in ways that my users understand. It's probably just a side effect of my being more relaxed, happy, and refreshed, but whatever it is, it's awesome.

In other news, my list of volunteer duties for Wizards of the Coast keep increasing.

At Origins I was asked to help find Errata for some of the new rulebooks. Slightly before that I was able to fool someone into letting me be a "News Guide" for the D&D Insider forums (hi mudbunny!).

Now I've just been asked to be the official "Sagamore Ballroom blogger" at GenCon. Sagamore Ballroom is where the RPGA events and D&D Miniatures happen. There are also usually a few extra bits from Wizards of the Coast - last year this included a preview of the D&D Insider website. I wouldn't be surprised if they have some demo software from D&Di up and running at the show.

Whatever is there, if you can't make the show, you'll be hearing about it from yours truly. :)

Anyhow, Shane and I are off to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museam today. It's kinda sad that I've lived here since the thing was built and opened. . . and aside from a free preview day with Tawnya, I've never set foot inside. Doubly-so since my sister is a member and gets free tickets. *sheepish grin*

Anyhow, we're off. I'll be posting more over the next couple weeks to get back into the habit before GenCon.

Oh. . . and I just found out today that I haven't been logged into LiveJournal for a few weeks. . . so I haven't seen any posts that were marked as "Friends Only" - which means I've seen almost nothing from anyone. My apologies for that go out to a few of you for my lack of attentiveness. I'll try to catch up on your posts this weekend and comment accordingly.

Hugs and happiness to all of you. :)

So, I was pleasantly surprised to find an e-mail of apology from Matt in my Inbox this morning. I suspect others who were present at Game Night that night may have had a hand in seeing it written, but the sentiment is in no way diminished for it. My previous complaint that Matt never admits to being wrong, much less ever apologises, only makes his apology ring out all the more clearly, in fact. It was nice of him to step up, and I've accepted his apology fully, so that's a good thing.

Still not gonna be to the castle for a little while, however - though it's not due to any lingering bad feelings or passive-agressiveness. This is simply my week to not attend, and for the next TWO weeks, Shane's going to be in town. While I might be able to coerce him into heading out for a night of fun and games, I dunno if its really going to be his bag, so I can't commit to his attending.

What else. . . taking a little time (such as I can find it here and there) to make a 1st level character for each of the 4th Edition classes. . . and trying to use each of the varied races as I do. Just to get a feel for what they all do. I've gained a new appreciation for the Human race as a result. Being able to take a 3rd At-Will power (of the 4 offered per class) is pretty spiffy. I'm curious to see how that will stack up against the Half-Elf option to choose a 3rd At-Will feat from another class, however. I keep picturing a Half-Elf Rogue with the Eldritch Blast power. . . and multi-classing to Cleric for Healing Surge 1/day. . .

I like how, with Fighters, they kept some of the flavor of 3.5 Feats, such as Cleave and Power Attack, and yet put them into a better (more balanced) context in 4E. For example, Cleave is now an At-Will power (at will powers are your most common attacks - for all classes - it's a rare thing to "just swing your sword"). In 3.5 Cleave stated that if you killed something, you could swing at something else in your reach. Its use was balanced on the condition that you had to get the LAST blow on a monster to attack something else on your turn.

In 4E Cleave now states that if you swing and hit your target, you deal your STR modifier to another target adjacent to you. With the addition of Minions in 4E (mosters that only have one hit point - which sound lame out of context, I'll happily explain why they're cool if asked) cleave is GREAT for a fighter who wants to keep a mob of monsters away from squishy things like Wizards. :)

Hmmm. . . that half-elf rogue I mentioned? Forget Eldritch Blast. . . maybe he'll take Cleave. . .

I digress. The more I tinker and play with classes in 4E, the more I'm liking the rules. There are a few grey areas that are frustrating - stealth/concealment/cover rules, for example, could use a little clarification, however I think I'm getting a good feel for what's intended there. There's a VERY fine line between being hidden and being unseen/invisible - which sounds paradoxical. I've finally accepted that if you're "hidden" you're simply "unnoticed". Still needs work, but its terminology that makes my head spin a little less when dealing with some of the combat issues that can arise. :)

Now I just need a chance to REALLY play. I'm supposed to get in on some Slot Zero games soon, but the LFR guidelines aren't due until Friday (and that's assuming that the RPGA staff can convince the web team to publish them on time), PLUS the modules aren't available for download yet so far as I can tell (though we're told that most of them are, and have been, done). *sigh*

I'd really like to spend about a week in the WotC offices watching the way things get done. I'm curious to see if WotC is as innefficient as they sometimes feel, or if there's just so much "behind the scenes" stuff going on that we get a poor view of their (non-core) production. Hmmm.

I'm doing it again.

I don't know if its a summertime thing, a "me" thing, or just bad timing, but in the next month I've got lots of stuff coming up an I'm not sure how I'll juggle it all.

So, next Saturday (the 19th) Shane lands here in Cleveland, we'll be cavorting for a couple weeks and driving each other absolutely nuts. I look forward to it. I'll be taking lots of half-days off from work, and completely blowing off some days, because I can. :) Of course, that hinges on Leann being back in the office for those two weeks. She took off most of this week due to some healing from her recent surgery. Was only gonna be a couple days, but apparntly things simply aren't healing quite right. :-/

So, while Shane's here I still have to work at Recess (I eally should just ask for those weekend off. . . or talk to Shane and see if he doesn't mind hanging with me a little at the store. . . bah, I'm managing my time so porrly right now - must fix my schedule this weekend).

Adding to my weekend planning woes, GenCon is looming, and that means the launch of Living Forgotten Realms - the RPGA's first 4th Edition campaign (yes, for those of you that don't know, this would be geekstuff, as it's all Dungeons and Dragons).

Now, one of the downsides of "working" for the RPGA at GenCon is that you don't get time to sit and PLAY the adventures. So, to make up for this, those of us working/judging get a ~3 week period to play games in what's known as "slot 0" (since Slot 1 is the first play slot at the show).

Slot 0 games are going to start forming, well, the day Shane lands. :-/ I'd really like to get in on some of these games, but I'm not sure I'll get the chance while he's here, and most people will have the bulk of their "zeros" in by the time he leaves.

Hopefully I can get a few slot zero games arranged here in Cleveland, and convince him to sit in (only 3 of the people at the table of 7 have to be judges for the RPGA, thankfully). Yet another thing I need to clear with Shane.

Let's see. . . what else?

Work, Shane, Work 2, D&D. . . I think that covers what's impending.

For better or worse, I think I find myself with Wednesday nights free now. Traditionally that's been castle game night. This year, due to gas being what it is, and T and I trying to pay off bills, I've only been going every other week.

That's all irrelevant, really, as I think I'm simply done going out there anymore. Matt's REALLY been pissing me off as late - last time I stopped attending game night was also due to his influence primarily.

( Emo McLJCut )
I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for an apology either. I really don't think I've known Matt to admit he was ever wrong in the 10 years I've known him (when proven wrong he'll usually just utter "Well, that's STUPID" in reply), much less apologise for anything ever. I'm sure he was rolling his eyes as I left that night, seeing me as completely over reacting, etc.

So. . . now I get to find something else to fill in my Wednesday nights. Recess runs Games Workshop games on Wednesday. . . I think it's Warhammer Fantasy night. Perhaps I'll become a wargamer. . .

I digress. I didn't sleep well that night (I don't do well with confrontation, most of you know how much it takes to get me to speak up), but I'm over it for the most part now. Now I've just moved on to acceptance. My time is as limited as it's ever been, and it's far too valuable to burn with even one person who seeks to mistreat me.

Goodbye days of MMOs.

I've been paying for a WoW account for the last six months and I think I've logged in three times.  Money's tight enough for T and I that I really shouldn't, but it's been my security blanket to have at least ONE MMO account that I could turn to.

But even that's been disappointing as all I've really been trying to do is recapture the fun I had being a Sigil.  That's never going to happen (unless game "X" comes out tomorrow and the entire gang drops everything to transition as a group - and even then I dunno).

Factor in the fact that I'm really enjoying the new 4th Edition rules for Dungeons and Dragons, and that my work with the RPGA, and my posts on the D&D forums have caught the eye of people at WotC. . . and I'm turning in my electronic geek cred, for old school pen-and-paper cred.

Turns out, not only has the RPGA noticed me (and has placed me in HQ for the big shows), but that WotC has also notice that I'm on the boards a fair bit, and that I tend ot have a good grasp of the rules, and that I post with civility.

To that end, it looks like I'm being added to a small team (I think I'm one of two people) in the community to help WotC find things that need Errata, Clarification, and/or are otherwise broken.

As a heavy forum-user my duty is, first and foremost, to watch what other people are saying about rules that are or aren't clear, but I'll also be sent product every month to preview, and send in notes on anything I see that is "wrong".

So. . . yeah. . . I'm slowly becoming that basement-dwelling guy who lives in the world of D&D more than his own world (or so the stereotype goes).

But. . . I'm liking it.

So, yeah, meeting people from WotC at Origins was a very cool thing. The first book I'm slated to receive is the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting - which promises to be very cool.  Especially since I'll get that just before the Living Forgotten Realms campaign kicks off for the RPGA.

This has to count for something on my geek score.  :)

So, lots to update, and no time to update in.

Leann is back at work, she looks great too after her surgeries.  Check out her website for more info (www.meetleann.com).

Weight Watchers?  I haven’t been motivated lately.  Someone kick my ass, I’ve only lost 1 pound in the last three weeks.

No, seriously, call me at random, leave me instant messages, tell me I don’t need ice cream just because it’s summer.  I’m going to Origins in a few hours, remind me to stick to smoothies and to avoid the (totally AWESOME) place that serves waffles and other breakfast foods 24/7.

Origins promises to be a good time, not really prepared to run the module I’m supposed to run, but whatever.  I’ll figure it out on the way down.

Oh!  I teased about having a "secret” last time I posted.  Many of you had guesses and suspicions, and I’m sorry to report that you all missed it.  It wasn’t about T and I at all.

Instead, my sister Johnna got married.  She and her new husband Mark are big Cleveland socialites, but their wedding was a secret, private affair.  So, I wasn’t allowed to say what was going on.  Sorry for getting many people’s hopes up for other news.

Surprisingly, I think that’s it for me for now.

I’m sure I’m forgetting things, someone ask me if I’ve neglected anything good.  :)

Haven’t posted in a few weeks, due largely to sheer business, and also having a secret or two to keep that would have been otherwise blog-worthy.

So, what’s been going on?

Well, the thing mostly on my mind, when I’ve time to stop and think, is the release of 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons.

Of course, this comes with the added stress of showing me how much D&D I need to squeeze in at the store in the next few weeks, as our official D&D RPGA coordinator.  *sigh*

I’m SO glad that the current campaign is ending  3.5 had a good run,but I’m definitely looking forward to something simpler.

I had the opportunity to run 4th Edition a couple weeks ago – Oh My GOD what a DREAM it is to run compared to 4th Edition.  Monsters and NPCs?  Everything you need to know fits in a small easy-to-read, streamlined stat block.

Their powers, attacks, abilities, etc are all quick and easy to use.  Compared to 3.5 where a DM needs no small amount of books to flip through, pages to reference. . . just. . . ugh.

It was the first time in a long time that I RAN a D&D session, and I was the person most disappointed that our time ran out.

Even just running small bands of kobolds against a level 1 party was simply invigorating.  In three combats I didn’t kill anyone, but with even basic tactics I was able to drop a couple characters into negative HP.

It’s nice to have powers and tactics that make GMing fun again.  Instead of simply tossing roadblocks at the party that are either punching bags or so overpowered that I feel like a jerk for using it.

So anyhow, with 4E out, and conventions like Origins and GenCon looming over me, I’m getting excited (and a little stressed) with all that’s available.

In other news, I skipped Weight Watchers last week, just didn’t have time at work.  This week I’m not sure I wanna go.  I’ve kinda fallen off the wagon this week.  Stress eating, things that happened over the weekend (good things, but good things come with food . . .)

As for today being a “Cold” restart – well, I have a cold.  Pretty sure it started to really kick my ass last night.

OH!

Just got a phone call that reminded me of VERY interesting events that occurred in the last week.

From June 1st to June 6th (one week) I was in not one, but TWO accidents with Tawnya’s car.

Nope, no joke here kids, read on.

Accident #1.

June 1st, mid-afternoon.

Follow along with me, here.

Tawnya and I are sitting at the stoplight, talking about, whatever.

We hear tires squealing behind us and get a very small bump.  We looks back and see two people who seem to realize they’ve hit us.

I shake my head and turn on my turn signal, indicating that I’m going to turn down the side street, thinking they’ll do the same.

Nope.  The keep on driving.

I start to turn the car around, while T jumps out to chase the car (we know, don’t ask).

There aren’t any other cars in the immediate area, so I catch up with ease, and pull alongside their car.  Windows are down.

I shout to them “"YOU HIT MY CAR BACK THERE – AREN’T YOU GOING TO STOP?!?!”  I get two dumbfounded looks in reply – the lady driving actually turns to her passenger and back at me, clearly not comprehending or thinking I’m a loon – something.

They turn, heading south down another street.  Enough is enough.  I call the police.  I’ve given them more than enough chance to stop.

I tell the cops I’ve been involved in a hit and run (or HitSkip as the report says).  I tell them where I’m at, which way we’re going, etc.

The lady is driving erratically now.  Stopping to makeout with the  guy in the passenger seat at lights, swerving between lanes, speeding.  Is she trying to lose me?  They don’t even seem to know I’m behind them (didn’t look back at me, etc).

Eventually, they start heading back West again (like they’re making a big cirlce).

We stop at a light and I see the first patrol car coming up behind me.  I signal for him with my hand out the window. 

Behind him is another patrol car.

From there, I watch her get pulled over and pull over as well.  In about 45 seconds there are no less than 4-5 cruisers.  Three officers approach their car with guns drawn.

I was shocked at the reaction I got.

About 20 minutes later we’d determined that there was no damage to my car (I hadn’t had time to check while chasing them), so the officers let me go, telling me that the lady appears to be on something and they’re glad I called.

As I drove past they were searching her trunk, the guy she was with was standing on the sidewalk, her purse was spilled out on the roof of her car, and I couldn’t see her – I assume she’d been placed into custody at that point.

Got a call last night that I need to make an official statement, since she was stopped in Cleveland, they need my statement to establish that she was in Lakewood (since Lakewood claimed jurisdiction).

Its kinda funny that if she’d just stopped and looked at my car, she’d have (almost certainly) gotten away scott-free, since there was no damage.

Now she’s in trouble for DUI or DWI and a hitskip.  I don’t envy her.

Accident #2

June 3rd – 9:35(ish)pm.

Was done working at Recess and was leaving the mall.

Ahead of me was a towtruck, with a white minivan attached.

I’m on the phone with Tawnya. . . when apparently, deciding they weren’t on the trigger for the light, the tow truck starts to back up.

I lay on the horn, but its too late.  A loud crunching noise, and the front driver-side of T’s car is done in.

Got the information, made arrangements, and the car was still drivable, so it’s all good.

Today, a week later, the guy that owns the towing company (actually a repo company) dropped off a rental and will be taking care of all the repairs.

So. . . that’s good.

Anyhow, I’m at work and this post has taken forever to write, so I’m tired and hungry now.

So, sorry to drop my train of thought more or less at random, but now it’s time for some food.  STAT.

. . . weight watchers today.

Down another 2.4 pounds.

That's 14.2 total in ~6 weeks. Go me.

Little else to report. Thanks for checking in, kids. :)

Hello again cats and kitlings (bonus points for whomever gets the reference).

So many things to report, so little time to report them. LJ Friends - stay tuned for a special update only you will be able to see. (Of course, that means you'll have to login to LiveJournal to get your access token - no login, no hidden updates).

So, I went to Weight Watchers last week, feeling slightly guilty over having missed the previous week. Work happens though, and I know I won't be able to go EVERY week - its just not realistic. Still, to miss what should have been my 3rd meeting. . . I dunno. It made me feel a little guilty.

Regardless, I went and I got my weigh-in. I had really been hoping that I'd managed to keep up my 2-pounds-a-week "goal". That would have brought me to 10 pounds from my (self-observed) start of 280 (and down ~7.5 from my "official" weight of 277.6). I wasn't dissapointed. . . in fact, to my surprise, instead of being at 270, I weighed in at 268.2. HOLY CRAP THAT'S 12 POUNDS!.

Okay, so, yeah, that was a very happy thing. Especially as my diet has incorporated large amounts of Chipotle (Burrito Bols), and quantities of Brawndo (20 oz can is only TWO points? For an energy drink? with REAL SUGAR? That actually has a palatable taste? WIN!) So, yeah, go me, and go Weight Watchers. :)

In other news. . . I'm on vacation this week. T and I were supposed to be hanging out in Pittsburgh with her friend Amy (and I was going to try to sneak in some time for kierya and mordraeth as well, but plans with Amy never solidified enough to call them and be like "Yo, wanna hang out?"). As it happens, it's just as well that our plans were never more solid than "Hey, Amy, can we crash in your guest room?"

Benjamin, our dear mop, decided that he has been in need of an EXTREMEMLY high-fiber diet. So much so, in fact that he ate a pair of T's underwear. . . again. Alas, this time he didn't puke up what he'd gotten ahold of. We noticed, through the week, that he was a little listless, and had been puking pretty much daily. We took him to the Vet on Wednesday, and were given a (relative) all-clear.

Come Saturday, around 1 AM, he started puking and didn't really stop. We went back to the vet, and she could feel an obstruction. Calls were made, and soon we were on our way to the Lorain County Animal Emergency Center.

We got him checked in, got a bill for a ~$2000 deposit, and had to leave him overnight. T was beside herself. Her baby was sick and should couldn't fix it. She felt guilty that he got into our laundry, etc.

While he was in the hospital, changes were made here - the most noticeable being the addition of a gate to keep him out of our bedroom. We've moved (almost) all of our laundry to hampers now, but we're not taking any chances.

The one nice thing about the gate we chose - it has a cat door in it. :) So, the kitties can come and go from the bedroom as they see fit, we can come and go as we see fit, but Benjamin has to keep out.

He's home now, wearing one of those silly cones to keep him from his stitches. Stitches he would NO DOUBT remove. As it is he managed to remove not one but TWO catheters from his front paw. He's a rotten little monster sometimes. He's on a couple antibiotics, has a pain medicine patch, as well as some oral pain meds. He's still chipper and "himself" however. He *wants* to play, which is the hardest part of all this, since we can't *let* him play or do anything overly strenuous.

Well. . . at least, we can't play the way he wants to. No chasing cats, no going on walks, no tug-of-war. I've been playing a little bit of "keep away" with him and his toy turtle. Simply sitting cross-legged in front of him, and scooting his turtle around. He (mostly) lies down and just tries to grab the turtle with his head and neck.

Something to entertain him (lest he whine incessantly) and get a little fun in. He's still a puppy after-all.

Oh! Saw Jill and Josh last (aka alltoohuman not that he ever blogs anymore) night. They've got some big news to share, though I should likely check with them before sharing it. Yeah, yeah, you all get one guess as to what it is, but it's not my place to say. ^_^

Lastly, I have a new class that work is sending me to next week. I'm off to Chicago to learn VOIP Fundamentals. After taking my VMWare course, I saw several items in our configuration that I'd have liked to change (more RAM, more drive space, more NICs, VMotion, etc). I leveraged this to Doug, our Director of Administration, and said "Hey, since we're about to install VOIP at our new location, I'd really like to know what I'm doing before I do it. Get it all setup the right way the first time, etc). He took two weeks to mull it over, but approved me all the same, so, yay me.

I guess that's it for this morning. Go back to work, monkies.

I'm really feeling confident about my recent bought with Weight Watchers.

When I started this little contest with Shane, I weighed myself at Fay Sharpe as being 280. A week later I went to Weight Watchers and weighed in at 277.6 - I think the scale here at work was reading 276, but whatever.

I just weighed myself again today, mostly out of pessimism (because while I've been following the diet, my self esteem is playing havoc with me).

According to the scale here at work I'm currently down to 273 - and I still have two days until my "official" weigh-in. Kickin' ass and takin names.

If you're reading this, Shane, you're on notice. I hope you're saving up for my copy of Rock Band - for Xbox 360, thanks. :)

Seriously, according to the scale here at work, I'm down 7 pounds in two weeks - someone at work has even commented on it already. So, now I'm feeling jazzed what a mood changer a simple weigh-in can be. Of course, this rapid weight loss is less than ideal, as it can lead to yo-yoing, but I imagine the long walks Tawnya makes me go on with her are helping there too. I should do something nice for her.

Still adjusting to the diet, however. Today I'm okay, after a quick breakfast of wheat toast and two sausage patties (yeah, a bit abusive, I know, but I have almost all of my Weekly Points leftover for the week, so I splurged - I *wanted* a smoothy, but Liquid Planet was closed when I stopped by. *sigh* Stupid having to work early because Leann's in class. *grumble*

Other days I find myself randomly ravenous. And carrots/celery don't always cut it either. *sigh*

Ahwell. The point is, for the moment, I'm excited about Weight Watchers. I'm even more excited about the fact that it's working. :)