You know how sometimes people on your friends' list post about stuff going on in their life, and all of a sudden you think "Wait a minute? Since when were they working THERE? Since when were they dating HIM/HER? Since when???" And then you wonder how you could have missed all that seemingly pretty standard information, but somehow you feel too ashamed to ask for clarification because it seems like info you should already know? It happens to all of us sometimes.

Please copy the topics below, erase my answers and put yours in their place, and then post it in your journal! Please elaborate on the questions that would benefit from elaboration. One-Word-Answers seldom help anyone out. (:

*if you want to know anything else, or want me to elaborate further, please ask.

Right then, I've just spent what amounts to several hours (in the middle of an otherwise incredibly boring shift sitting on my ass feeling it get number and number as the seconds ticked by) listening and enjoying Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw speak in his British accent (which is made of awesome and win) even though he lives in Australia (I don't know, but it's still cool) as he espouses his particular brand of verbal evisceration (or in other words 'reviewing' and 'critiquing') in a style I've long since dubbed "Snarkasm" which is prominently displayed at Zero Punctuation! *DEEP BREATH*
I coined that term. You can't have it.
Now I'm talking (and thinking) in a British accent and have the strangest craving to say things like "Bugger all", "Wanker", and "Smarmy Git".
I also want little imps to run around and do my bidding.
Fnar, har, har.

What, you ask, IS "Snarkasm"? It's what happens when wonderful accents with indigenous dialects indulge in Snark (like a British one for instance, but really I'm not at all saying that that's the only accent acceptable, you could use Aussie, or Scot/Gaelic, but not French, no, not French at all) and combine it with standard sarcasm to create something EVEN BETTER. Something that is entertaining, evocative and witty, yet conveys the appropriate levels of disdain or dissatisfaction brought on by RAMPANT idiocy rolled into one big, heaving lump and topped of with a liberal flag made of poka-dot bikinis.

I've mentioned before that I pick up on accents, verbage, word use and choice VERY EASILY and I've had a LOT of caffeine.

*maniacal laughter* 

Edit: I did actually manage to censor a LOT of the things I put up there. I really wanted to use 'tallywacker' at one point. I should get points for that.

I'm having way too much fun planning which songs to add to the GCL karaoke-a-thon for next year. And it appears certain members are in on the idea! w00t!!! Yay!
*goes back to evil, evil planning*

We have nominations for the Safety Dance to be performed by the Bonegnawers. Hee!
A multi-sphere crossover Electric Slide. *facepalm* 
"Walk Like an Egyptian" must be performed by Setites (if any are left)!
"Addicted to Love" was nominated. I'm so very bad-"Bohemian Rhapsody", "We are the Champions", "I will Survive" (specifically for the Changelings).
Need. To find. A Video. Camera! Hee!

*sigh* GenCon has come and gone. And, as was stated by many of my adopted geek family (for in all honesty, geeks are family. I will not break into song.) have expressed in e-mails, it was over too quickly. Wednesday, the SO & I picked up Adam and his wife, Elspeth at the airport, and drove them to the convention center. The SO stayed for drinks at Ike & Joneses', and much fun was had (though one Archangel got entirely too drunk and made an ass o'himself). Crashed that night around 3 a.m. and was up by 6. Not fun, but do-able. I was complimented on the SO several times. Which sounds bad when I put it that way, but it's the truth.

Thursday I was there for the official opening of the exhibition hall (or, as I call it, The Grand Hall of Gaming) and managed to protect Ginger from getting squished by the hordes of our geek brethren surging around us. Much fun was had exploring and finding stuff and walking around, talking geek. The GCL game kicked off around 5 p.m., geek-time and we had a good time running around. I screwed with several people's heads throughout the 'Con and creeped out more than one player with my plotline and scare tactics.

Friday I got to meet one ofthe webcomic artists I adore and got pictures and sketches made whilst talking more geek with a professional geek (in the sense that she makes money from being a geek! Damn! How do I get into that?!?). I bought stuff from people and got to meet some people I'd only read about 'til then. It was fan-freakin'-tastic! I ended up in pirate garb (modified) that night, then in more traditional pirate garb the next because of a chance encounter with Nigel Sade. So cool! That night during game (and after an hour or two putting PCs together from scratch) I arrived out at the game area later than usual and saw quite a few people sitting on their hands. So I asked who was bored. Many of them lit up and raised their hands! Pointing at them I declared, "Alright, you are all now my bitches!" They all seemed to enjoy that, rather entirely too much. But it was fun handing out the equivalent of a chimerical STD and watching the results fly around vampires and garou as the tripping began. Hee, hee, hee. I screwed with people, included many who rarely got plot, and made several people smile a lot. That's m'job. And I'm good at it. It was a blast.

Saturday I met up with friends at Noodles & Co, then again at the Ram, and finally at Alcatraz Brewing Co for a series of near dinners, drinks and munchies. I was involved in a series of pictures because of my costumes and had a great time (was even mistaken for Dog: The Bounty Hunter, wtf?!?). I played a really cool card game with Ginger and a few other people and I'm thinking I'll have to track it down to buy and play at home. The pictures were taken by Coke Zero reps, Noodles & Co reps and so on. I was hit on by several women. This makes me think my exercise routine has panned out well (and made the SO jealous as hell) so I'm gonna keep working at it. The first instance happened Wednesday when some random woman declared me hot. *grin* Thanks! The next day I was accosted by a latina babe who told me I was the sexiest picture she'd gotten all day after I literally swept her off of her feet for the photo-op. I think the funniest one was later that night when a third woman told me I looked sexy in the pirate outfit and without missing a beat I responded with, "Hey sexy, if you like it, hop on." That got a round of giggles and a big grin out of me. Saturday night was awesome as well with much in the way of flirting (and getting groped, but we'll leave that out of this rendition for now).  So, yeah, 'Con this year really boosted my self-esteem and made me feel good and confident about myself in many ways. 

I was embroiled in hilarity Saturday night (more like an annoyance at the time, but funny now) involving one geek's desperate attempt to get his friends to procure condoms for him-it's a weird story, believe me. Climatic battles were waged. Faustian deals were struck and 'Faust' himself earned the nickname "Zombie-Lemmingboy". Don't ask. Seriously. Okay, fine, the guy got stuck with an impossible quest, agreed to it (earning pity from teh Archangel) and then proceeded to make things worse and worse for himself from there. In the end, facing death from the Prince, he chose honor over life and stood in place (despite many and varied attempts by the STs to keep him alive for plot reasons) and allowed himself to be vacuumed up into a wet/dry vac. Death by wet/dry vac-that's a new one on me. *facepalm*  But the player was fine with it and went on to make a new, more annoying character to plague the Changelings with. *shrug* But he did give me ideas for plot next year. Heh, heh, heh. 

I've come to the realization that the players of the GCL are in many respects, my extended geek family. We only get to meet once a year (a reunion) and we all have a great time together (save for those few family member everyone tries to avoid, like Zombie-Lemmingboy {I mean, really, who lets themselves be sucked up by a wet-dry vac after the STs make an obvious effort to keep them alive? WHO?!? He now officially ranks higher up on the dumb-shit-o'meter than Panty-Hose Taro, the Eshu Jedi!!!}).

Sunday came around too quickly. The SO and Mal-Mal arrived and picked me up; stayed for Wrap-Up, and got some good pictures. Mal flirted a lot (to be expected) and was complimented a LOT by the ladies (also expected). I took Mal and the SO on a whirlwind tour of the exhibition hall, then we all got lunch whilst Mal napped and I drove us home. I unpacked and spent the next few hours cuddling and chatting and staving off the emptiness that is the post-con condition.

In all, it was a wonderful 'Con. And I miss it severely. As I've said many-a-time, it's like my X-mas and Birthday all rolled into one. I got many new friends added to my Facebook Monday as I posted 'Con pics, and can't wait for next August and the reunion of my extended Geek Family.

Next year though? Karaoke! Oh yes, it will be done! I have ideas for the mixed CD already...heh, heh, heh.

Edit: I will be adding details I've skipped over at some later point. Mostly I just wanted the basics down for now.

I will post about GenCon experiences later today, once I have chance to edit certain of my commentary so I do not appear stupid. I kept notes on things as they happened so I wouldn't forget them when I actually blogged and most of my notes were taken at 3-5 a.m. I will say I got flirted with and hit on a LOT more this year than at any other con I've been to. Including the one I spent hanging out with the nymphomaniac! Several women commented on how sexy I looked! Talk about boosting the self-esteem! I had a great time, all said and done and I really miss Gencon already, and it's only been officially over for about 12 hours or so. I will also say that it's good to be home; surrounded by my things, family and energy again. They all appear to have really missed me (especially the SO). As an added bonus I still have plenty of monies for WindyCon! w00t!!!  I will try to get pics up soon!

It's my last night on the unit for the next week! Happy!
Today I'm going with the family (including my mother) to the State Fair. I haven't been to this thing in, what? ten years? In all reality the only reason I'm going is because the SO got free tickets and asked me to go. I figure why not? She's coming with me to the pre-con drinking blitz-fest and it'd be nice to do something as a family before I spend the majority of the week in Indy.
Spent a good portion of the evening chatting with friends over IM and PM, running a few scenes to get into gear for Thursday. It always makes the nights go by faster to have someone to chat with. And such pleasant company makes it even better.
I registered for Windycon and reserved a hotel room. As far as I can tell at least one good friend will be attending that convention with me and possibly two others will be in attendance.
The SO and I had a discussion about Sunday night that can be summed up by her calling me 'stupid' and me deciding I wasn't in the mood to fight this afternoon and walking away before it became an argument. *sigh* Lovely.
So I went outside and charred meat on the grill. Mmm...steaks...
Apparently USDA steaks are being sold cheaply at the markets due to the economy and Donna picked up a couple. She got the baked potatoes, corn, muffins, and salad ready whilst I indulged my inner neanderthal and made fire with which I seared meat into a juicy, yummy...damn, I'm making myself hungry. *shake* Okay! So, dinner went well.
There are several cats hanging around the house. Today I took pity on one that looked half-starved and both fed and stroked it for a while. It gobbled the food up (just as if it were starving, gee, who'd a thunk?) and purred around my ankles for a while as I cooked. There was another kitty lying on our porch swing (which is new, to us at least). As I looked at her (and it was a her) I realized she was pregnant (swollen teats, swollen belly). My next thought was OOhhhhh SHIT. This means that sooner or later there will be kittens mewing around; probably our house considering mama kitty likes our porch swing and we have plenty of dark, enclosed spaces around our place. *headdesk*
I haven't really got the heart to have the cats hauled off to the pound. Even though they swarm our yard and I found one sleeping IN the car one night-gonna keep the windows up from now on at night, I guarantee! The SO said we might as well get some cat food and leave it out, considering at least two of them seem to have declared us their property. Oi. And I really can't find it in me to let Cinnamon chase them off now, considering the pregnant one. Stupid sentimentality. *sigh*
Well, in other news my 30th birthday is about two months away. The SO is in high gear, getting the party set up. My mother called today and managed to piss her off, though. Basically my mother decided to merge my grandfather's birthday celebration with mine (which, granted, it's his birthdate too and he IS turning 70) but that honked off Donna to no end as she'd planned to make that particular party about ME and figuring we would have a different party for my grandfather and I a little later that weekend. So she was upset for a while, but I made her laugh a few minutes later and things lightened up a bit afterward.
I try to keep things light, and for the most part it works. I don't care if my family's at my party (black sheep that I am) but it was important to Donna that she invite them. Now that Mom's trying to take over there's friction again (sort of like at my college graduation party, where my parents and sister didn't show up until near the end), but eh. I don't care. My friends will be there. And if my family can't handle my friends, then my family is free to leave. Though I am interested in seeing my cousin Ryan, again. From the pictures I've seen, he looks like my double! Minus about a hundred pounds of muscle, but it's uncanny how much we look alike. I envy him on one thing. The guy's got serious musical talent. The guitar, piano, you name it, he can probably play it. Damn, that's cool.

Sorry, had to get that out of my system. I had an idea for a post-apocalyptic setting D20 Modern game and suddenly I couldn't get the intro theme from the old Ruby-Spears' Thundarr the Barbarian!-out of my head. What's really disturbing is that I can remember it so well.

As certain others have said, "Those are brain cells I could know physics with." 

Unfortunately the idea has taken root along with a tremulous history and various ghosts of plot-lines ('cause my mind just does that) and now the only thing for it is to get some people to draw up characters to face my latest insanity as that damned theme song plays in a continuous loop in my mind.

The year: 1994. From out of space comes a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction! Man's civilization is cast in ruin!
Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn...
A strange new world rises from the old: a world of savagery, super science, and sorcery. But one man bursts his bonds to fight for justice! With his companions Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel, he pits his strength, his courage, and his fabulous Sunsword against the forces of evil.
He is Thundarr, the Barbarian!

But no sunswords in-game, honest.  

A journal is a memorial, a testimonial for posterity of the thoughts, opinions and experiences of the person who writes in the journal. It is a keepsake and a reminder of activities and events that can be referenced when memory has become foggy with time.  It should be true to the nature of the individual, in as much as anything of that persuasian can be true to the nature of an individual.