Danielle's Journal.

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:24:47 GMT

So, again, I've let posting lapse. I remember a time when I was posting every day. Multiple times. That was likely a much more annoying time rather than entertaining, but still. Even if I have a hard time reading what I sounded like in 2001 over again now, it was nice to have a record.

So here's another go at picking it up again. Let's see if I can sum up the recently of things, yes?

A couple of shows have happened. George, Genevieve and I went to see Fuerzabruta in May which is this wild show off Broadway (a birthday gift to Genevieve from me and Michael). Action happening all over, above, on the walls, on treadmills. The audience moves around with the show. Crazy lights and building music. It all ended with a rave dance party under indoor rain. Thoroughly enjoyable show; quite the worth it experience.

Only other notable experience in May was more festivities for Genevieve's birthday. Lots good food and lots of friends.

June came and went almost as though it didn't exist. Many things happened, but it was one of those months that felt like it was over before I'd realized it started. To kick off the month we had a performance in Asbury Park for a ::insert many different sexualities and lifestyle choices here:: benefit. Our very first outdoor (and on asphalt, no less) show which went swimmingly but far too quickly. I did "Fuck You" again (which I absolutely love) and almost bought chaps. Damn my slightly too big (but beginning now to slim) thighs! I'm determined to have a pair by next year. This was followed by Dan's graduation party which was mucho fun and my introduction to a great family tradition of theirs: celebrating important milestones with lots and lots of crab.

Around the same time I got to enjoy both a boys' weekend and girls' weekend (one while Genevieve was in Virginia and one while Michael was in south Jersey). Boys weekend included much geeking out (including seeing the new Star Trek for the second time), much drinking, and a great deal of laziness. Girls weekend started by seeing the rescheduled Bailout Burlesque Charity Auction. (The first of which was cancelled, uncancelled, cancelled, moved, and finally cancelled the first time around - all on the same night. That experience included hanging awkwardly in the new Indian restaurant which was appalled to have us there in the first place, then move up to the scary soon-to-be clothing store which was falling apart, boxes and furniture - and rat pellets - strewn everywhere, only to discover performing there as illegal, almost moving the the gay club down the road, and ultimately turning away the whole audience and going home completely unfulfilled. Although in retrospect not a bad story to have.)

The rescheduled show was much fun to watch, some for tragic and some for very talented reasons. Parts made me very much want to collaborate, and other parts made me cheer (slightly inappropriately) as one act was dragged off stage. Overall and very fun night. I would love to see the auction aspect revisited now with lessons learned.

Saturday continued our girly-fest starting with some shopping, where I spent money I didn't have on clothes I _really_ wanted. Next we saw The Proposal which I liked a lot, followed by Appletizers and an impromtu stop at the club Switch to have shots and dance until close. I hadn't had a girly weekend in a long time; lots of fun was had.

Following the fun and leading up to the first of two full weekends of gaming, I got very sick, although nothing compared to the red death rash of earlier this year. Fortunately, my health returned for my weekends of gaming. You see, many times in the past we've started talking about RPGs and playing and I've said something like, "Oh! We could play now!" and everyone laugh and pats me on the head and we move on. But several weeks before, this happened while Dan and Katie were over only instead of laughing and patting, Dan, Michael, and Joe said, "Okay!" and Katie and Genevieve went shopping. This in and of it self was a geek-dream come true for me. And even moreso, as wee talked further, spawned into a plan to do full-on gaming weekends while Katie was away in Texas for a couple of weeks for a wedding.

This gave us (Michael, Joe, Dan, and I) a chance to plan an awesome D&D campaign Michael's been working on for a while on weekend one. Last weekend we tried D&D 4th Edition Friday night and then George joined us for Saturday and Sunday where we played card and board games and watched some geeky British comedy. (Best way to celebrate Fourth of July ever!) Completely enjoyable weekends and I absolutely want to do similar for every celebration that's for me. And many weekends in between.

Besides these gems I've remembered to mention, I'm sure many other really great things have happened, and for those things I forgot, I appologize. Much of the rest of my life has been exercise, shower, work, shower, dinner, sleep, repeat. Much with the work. But things are pretty okay right now.

Enough rambling; hopefully another two months will _not_ go by this time.

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:28:37 GMT

I can't believe Rochester is over. It's been coming for months and the center of attention for this most recent time leading up, and now suddenly I find I've been home for three days already after it's over.

Fortunately, it was even better than I expected (and I expected a lot). The event itself was relatively small, which isn't a surprise considering it's the first year. Ultimately, though, it made me pretty glad we were so insanely busy.

The weekend started for me on Thursday night after work. Genevieve and I had spent all of our free time on Wednesday and Thursday choreographing and firming up our numbers for Rochester. And Thursday is the day they decided to turn our water off. Even coming into work super late, I wasn't able to shower after rehearsal (which, while I was reassured I was not offensive, drove me crazy), so as soon as I got home Genevieve had the shower on and ready for me. Sarah, Regina, Dante, and Erin stayed over for caravaning on Friday. We had Chinese, hung out until admittedly too late, and then went to sleep for far too few hours. This would be an ongoing theme.

Friday was crazy busy getting everything ready, loaded, getting the rest of our group together. By the time we were all together, fed, and ready to leave NJ, it was almost 7:00 PM (which is closer to the time we were hoping to have gotten there). We ended up arriving around one-ish. Getting all of our bags to our room was quite the ordeal (we had a _lot_ of stuff), and after saying hi to Willow, getting everything together and organized and ready for the morning, we got to sleep around 4:30.

8:30 had us up and dressed for breakfast (mmm... made-to-order omlets...) and then on to rehearsals and preparations for our shows.

Saturday had a pretty strict schedule. We were doing shorter sets at 1:00, 3:00, and 5:00 with our hour show (which was the dinner entertainment for the guests) at 8:30. So starting at 12:00 it was basically call, get dressed, perform, clean up, shower, call, get ready, perform, clean up, shower. We did have a little extra time between the 5:00 and 8:30 sets, though.

During our shorter sets I did "Lemon Meringue' by Poe (which was a reprisal from the chair show at Wicked Faire), "Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn" by Evelyn Evelyn (which was a vaudevillian number that Genevieve and I put together - so much fun!), and "#1 Crush" by Garbage (a reprisal of a D/s number Genevieve and I have done at kink events before, including last years Rochester even). While the audience was smaller during these shows, they were energetic (and often generous).

While getting ready for the hour show, we also had to try to get our AC fixed. The rooms, while nice, had a lot of flaws, mostly with the electronics breaking and it being miserably warm in our room. The maintenance guy was there twice, had to replace fuses and an entire outlet and I still think it wasn't working right (although it was a little better). By the time we were getting ready for the hour set, I was really tired and the lack of sleep and all the work so far was catching up. But once we were in costume and going through our final numbers, I was awake and excited.

For the hour show, it was much more full (most of the event patrons in attendance), and besides a lighting issue and slightly split attention with food being around as well as entertainment, it went awesomely. I performed two numbers for the set. "Evil Night Together" by Jill Tracy (this was debuted here with Genevieve; another D/s number with Genevieve as the dominant; included tangoing and rose flogging!) and "Fuck You" by Lily Allen (performed the previous weekend at Pianos as a solo - along with "Lemon Meringue" - but with Willow, Genevieve, and Sandy at Rochester as my back-up pips). I also got to watch almost all of our numbers, which I love to do.

We got a huge and great response for these sets and Otter was particularly in love with Genevieve and me (as he gushed for minutes to us afterward). We got into sexy but comfy clothes for dinner and scarfed down loads of food (I hadn't eaten since breakfast so I was starving). Prime rib, yummy veggies, salad, and baked potato were all adequate, but the cheesecake was incredible. We all toasted (which cheesecake) to Bea Arthur who passed away Saturday and enjoyed the drummers while eating and finally relaxing after a tiring but rewarding day.

After dinner we converged for a drink and some games (me after a shower) and to hang and come down a bit. We didn't last too long; Genevieve, Michael, and I were in bed by probably 2:00, but again, up at 9:00 for breakfast. This time we had a delicious breakfast buffet (mmm...brunch...unending bacon...). I was pretty hungry again still from not really having eaten enough the day before. Afterward we got all of our stuff together and brought it down to our changing room so we could check out of our rooms.

Willow and I came up with choreography and a plan for "Science Fiction, Double Feature" which was both of our last number of the weekend and then I took a look around the event for the first time. I was able to see all the art and vendors. I almost got away with spending no money, too, until I saw the clothes. $60 later I have three new great burlesque costumes (of the lingerie variety), which really, is a great price for what I got.

Willow's erotic storytelling was on at 2:00 so we watched her and then got ready for the 3:00 set (the only set of the weekend I wasn't in, so I just got to watch). After that, the wait for the 5:00 set seemed a lot longer than on the previous day, even with the lunch provided by the event in the middle. Willow and I opened it with an intensely nostalgic performance of "Science Fiction, Double Feature" and we ended the weekend with some truly top-notch numbers.

Willow and I headed to Jim 8Ball afterward to get a sketch done and chat with him a bit. I was glad to get to hang with him a little. Afterward we gathered all of our stuff and by around 7:00 we were ready to hit the road back to New Jersey. Throughout the weekend we got many, many praises by attendees, volunteers, organizers, even security guards. I have never felt so full of myself. But it was great. Probably our best performance yet (and Wicked Faire was hard to top).

We got back home by around 2:00 (only major stop being dinner at 10:00 at Applebee's, although we tried a rapist-infested diner called Apple Annie's first...), showered, unpacked a little, and bed by 3:00. I slept so hard that night.

And now I'm kind of jonesing for more. We don't have any shows lined up for the near future and nothing really set in stone at all. Some possibilities that I'm sure will turn into plans, but otherwise, nothing specific to look forward to. But after each show I'm more and more excited to get to the next.

Hopefully videos and pictures will be up soon.

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:28:29 GMT

Now that I have a few minutes, a much needed update is in order. Life's been stressful the last few months with various things. New challenges are being faced with Michael's dad, although there's hope to be had. But all the stress and busy times made Wicked Faire creep up on us all this year.

The weekend kicked off for me on Thursday. Pauline covered the night shift for me because Genevieve and Michael got me tickets to see Ludo for Thursday night. There were three other bands essentially opening for Ludo that were okay in places but generally too loud, inexperienced, and taking up too much time. The concert started at 7:30, but Ludo didn't go on until almost 10:30. They were totally worth it, though. Everything I've heard about them in concert is absolutely true. They were adorable and fun and exciting. I loved every minute.

By the time we got back to the train station it was already 11:45 and the train had just left. So we took a 12:45 train and after drving home and showering Michael and I were in bed by 3:00. Genevieve had gone to get George and was home sometime after that. I got Michael up at six and Willow, Micah, and their friend Jess arrived at 6:30 while I was getting him off to work. We talked a bit, hugged hello, and then I crashed for another three hours. Then it was time for Wicked Faire craziness to begin.

Big show, though it was, it felt like it came and went before it even should have been the new year. We had a lot of things to look forward to. Best of show on Friday night. A panel on Saturday which was our first foray into improv/RPG style characterization. And an hour length show on Saturday night with a full theme and special guest start, Brian Viglione. Overall, possibly our most ambitious show so far.

And the good news? It all went fabulously. Friday's show was immensely fun. We showed up many hours early to scope space, get our stuff to the room, and then ran errands (like pamphlet copies) and had food before going back to the hotel for call. Our show practically kicked off the event. To the point where many people that were coming to see our show were still waiting at registration while we started the set. We started with a small but respectable crowd, but ended with much of the audience full. Possibly my best (and favorite) performance of "Start Wearing Purple" ever, too. Excellent crowd response, too. We detoxed a bit afterward in the room at then diner-ward-ly. Michael, Willow, Micah, and I headed back home sometime after trying to watch Repo! (which had a not-so-good shadow cast and practically no seating). I slept very hard that night.

Saturday morning we were up much too early (because of lack of sleep from Thursday and too few hours that night). Took me forever to do my hair (one in a few reasons why I've decided to cut much of it off and do something new) and soon enough we were back at the hotel for the call for the panel. Panel started at one and was basically an RPG style panel based off of a fake protest of our brothel a Wicked Faire that Genevieve and George had come up with and ended up with a mind of it's own at the Wicked Village. Went pretty well, with people really running with the jokes and theme and some of them bringing up things even before we could. Very fun; if we do it again, I just hope to have a more scripted or thought out roll. After that we went to get some performer food and then rushed to see Regina do her half an hour single burlesque routine and straight after that went to see Willow perform Poisoned Apples and Pretty Witches.

After those shows it was right to call for our 6:15 show. Brian Viglione was already there and we all tried hard not to crowd him while also going over a hours worth of material in less than half an hour. Did some rehearsal stuff, got dressed, and then rushed downstairs to perform. I was practically walking in as our five-minute warning music began. But from there it was incredible. All the performances were amazing and the atmosphere we created was so great. And the audience response was awesome. We got over four hundred people just to see us. It was overflowing standing room. So many people came up to me and all of us congratulations us, asking for autographs and pictures. Got some contacts and sold some merchandise. It was amazing.

We stuck around for several hours afterward. I went to see Chris' viewing of Homesick and stayed for the panel. They did such a great job. They set the room up like a birthday party with crime scene tape. There was birthday cake (which was delicious) and streamers. It was awesome. And the turnout was amazing. I'm so proud of them. :)

We hung out in the room a bit afterward and then went to the pub to get food (really good food). A little after one the four of us headed home again and again I was thrilled to have my own shower and blissful hours of sleep in my own bed. Back to the event around noon the next day to see Willow perform again, say our goodbyes, and check out the vendors (for the first time for me). Michael left after Willow's show to see his parents and George, Genevieve, Erin, and I had a little something to eat with Willow, Micah, and Jess before they started home.

Genevieve, George, and I then set out for out annual Oscar party. Much drinking and eating and critiquing was had. Unfortunately our drinking game was a total bust. We tried it for every time someone was played off stage but they were all either really polite this year or everyone's speeches were much shorter than normal. Either way, I didn't get nearly so drunk as I wanted. Still, Oscars were fun and High Jackman was adorable and awesome.

Overall, great weekend. I'm so proud of Genevieve and George and all of us in the society. It was such a great time and we're just getting better and better every time. I look forward to each show more and more.

And now on to the saga of one of the worse illnesses I've had to endure

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:21:16 GMT

So I'm guessing what must have happened in my subconscious is, after seeing all the people around me getting sick and going to hospitals and causing panic and worrying, it said, "Hey! We want in, man!"

But how to do it, you know? Not hospitalization, we've already seen that twice in major ways. And not just a really bad illness like pneumonia because Michael's mom has that one covered. Genevieve had the surgery covered, Michael's dad has the injury thing covered on top of hospitalization. So how, best, to get in on the panicky, miserable-making, money-sucking, time-wasting bandwagon? Hey! How about we exploit two of her least favorite things. Itchiness and control over her body temperature! Only, let's make her miserable and practically immobile, too, okay?

Last Tuesday, as I leaving work, I noticed that a very small skin irritation on my leg was getting worse and turning rash-like and these small red dots were appearing on my arm. Maybe like five on each arm? Nothing too bad and I figured I was crazy noticing at all. They were very small and very light. I'd been under quite a bit of stress in the last two days so I thought if I _was_ developing a small rash, it was probably just stress and I needed to calm down and relax a little. So I went home and relaxed, we had Chinese food which always helps me feel better, and then I noticed it was spreading.

Still not worried, I went to sleep. And woke up on fire in the middle of the night. Actually, more like six times. My skin was erupting in various areas in much meaner and larger and redder spots. It was not what I'd call pleasant. So I figured, okay, I should really go to the doctor because I need to get this taken care of right at the start. So after Michael left for work on Wednesday morning, Genevieve (who was a saint for the day and took amazing, patient, and loving care of me entirely) and I got ready and she took me to the doctor. All the while, I'm getting worse. It's not all over half the area of each of my arms leading up and a bit on my shoulders and spreading across the tops of my legs close to my knees. So I get to the doctor's and I'm freezing. And achy. Feverish, even. And we wait. And wait. And wait. For two and a half hours.

When I finally got in the nurse who originally took a look at me just basically kept saying the word "Shingles!" 'No, I really don't think it's shingles...It doesn't hurt and I've already had chicken pox and this is a bit far spread and fast...' "Shingles! You have shingles! The doctor should look, but that's what you have!" 'Um...okay...' So I figure I'll wait for the doctor and see if she'll actually talk to me. Well, as I was waiting, I started realizing this was seriously bad and not getting better. I had also, up until that point, thought it was probably allergic. But something was bugging me. Last year, when I had a similarly (up to this point, anyway) unpleasant skin experience in which the new antibiotic I was on attacked my body more than what I had and had my skin bubbling and changing color at work, I had come in, learning it was an allergic reaction, gotten a shot, and within an hour, 75% of it was gone or barely detectable. This rash was _much_ different. I had never given thought to all the different kinds of rashes there are, all the different textured and colors and reactions, but this experience made me thing. And this was definitely not bubbling, and while spreading fast, not spreading as fast as the allergy had. Plus, I'd eaten and done nothing that I could have had an allergy to; it was all familiar.

Still, when the doctor (a new female doctor who'd come to work with my regular doctor, Dr. Rizzo, there) came in and looked she did listen to everything I said, she suppressed the idea of shingles (which I _knew_ was wrong), and said "allergy". And even with all the thoughts I'd had while waiting, I gratefully accepted this as the answer from a well trained doctor, took the steroid shot thoroughly happy at the prospect of it going away in a few hours and going back to work, and sure some blood work just in case it's viral, why not? The steroids can't hurt, so if it is viral, at least the shot and steroid pills will do all they're able to do in the meantime.

If I've learned one thing this week it is this: The steroids can hurt.

And I don't mean they're unpleasant to take or the side effects make it almost not worth it. No, I mean they can make the condition _worse_. But at the time, I still didn't know this. So I was pleased. Genevieve bought me a quick lunch while we got my prescriptions filled, and I was now feeling distinctly miserable. Very cold, very achy, and very tired. I went along for the ride for the few errands Genevieve needed to run, all the while bundled in the car and sleeping off and on. When she brought me home and barely got in the door, to the bedroom, changed, and into bed before my body said 'One more minute and it would have been sleeping on the floor for you!'

So I slept a couple of hours, got up for a few to have some dinner, played some video games, and had my first fitful, cold to hot to cold to itchy to hot, waking up every hour night's sleep. Thursday started the really feverish achy miserable stage and I spent most of it sleeping or sitting on the couch watching TV or playing video games. Michael took amazing care of me and Genevieve (who had her tooth surgery on Thursday afternoon), and then came [abbreviated] night's sleep number two. I'd made my appointment to return for Saturday, but it was getting so much worse that I walked in on Friday instead. Fortunately the afternoon is a much better time and we barely waited before I was taken. And the minute the nurse saw me she said, "Oh no! Is shingles?! Oh no... It's worse, you know! Dr. Rizzo has to see you. I get him..." (As a disclaimer, she was actually a very nice lady. She was shingles-obsessed and a little less than compassionate the very first time I saw her, but she really was sweet, and funny, and very concerned for me.)

Dr. Rizzo is a dorky doctor that I started seeing because my primary doctor (Dr. Calamari) used to run the practice he runs now and she had him on as basically an intern and then gave him the practice. But sometimes when I'd go to see her, he's see me because they were busy and worked together. So I got very used to both of them and they both know my medical history pretty extensively. That's why I go there when I can't wait for an appointment because he accepts walk-ins. When he walked in he first said "Paging Doctor House!" and then told me that this never should have been diagnosed as an allergy. Within literally ten seconds. And apparently, the steroids made it worse! Much worse! In fact he said it probably would have stopped spreading and started getting better if it weren't for the steroids. But they made the rash spread and the illness worsen quite a bit in their 48 hours in my system.

We talked for a while while all the nurses on staff and both doctors gawked at my incredibly severe case of a viral infection showing itself as a rash. He explained that rashes are basically burns and work in the same way. My blood work implies that I can't have a viral infection, but everything he knows about medicine said it was so it was going to treat it like one (which mostly means wait a while and it'll go away; but also there was a cream involved), give me an antibiotic on the very off change it was bacterial (practically impossible), and take even more blood work to see if there's something like an autoimmune disorder, diabetes, or cancer that sped up the spreading process. Because even before the steroids, it was spreading faster and much larger than any viral rash he'd ever seen. He ultimately diagnosed me with Pityriasis rosea, told me not to go to work until at least _Wednesday_, and to page him it it got worse over the weekend.

Another rest-filled day and [abbreviated] night's sleep. Saturday it became clear it was still spreading but the steroids weren't going to up and leave just because I stopped popping the pills so I figured it would be okay. I actually went out for a while, even though I was not pleased with the appearances on my face, and got some air and sunlight. Also got to pick up my engagement ring from the jeweler where he put in a new gem for me and seemed to have cleaned it up and even put on a new rodium dip for me. Spent the evening lazily and resting again with more aches and again sleep. Sunday I woke up and everything I'd been going through hit me all at once. And this is because I'd ceased to look like myself. Along with making it's journey complete and not covering literally every inch of my flesh, it had also caused my face to swell. Everywhere. Especially in my eyes. I could barely open my left one and my right one was soon to follow. I looked literally the most tired (and deformed) I've ever looked. And it was scary. All of it was scary, but I hadn't let myself be scared yet. This was when I couldn't hold it back anymore. I was scared and I looked like a mutant.

Genevieve and Michael insist it wasn't that bad, and I hope it wasn't, but it really felt that bad. And it just kind of really hit home when it looked like that. But, after a little bit of panicking, I realized I was going back to the doctor first thing Monday morning and there were some good signs. No more fevers. I actually has some energy and an appetite. Some of the rash seemed to be actually getting better and while still reddish and a little bruised, getting much closer to normal. So I focused on those things and, as the day went on, the swelling even went down a bit. This day, though, I decided _not_ to go out. We played around with the new DVR we'd gotten on Thursday, I sorted some Magic cards, and slept actually better that night then all the previous nights since last Monday.

And yesterday, while I still was disconcerted by the swelling, it was clear that things were getting better because some of my skin really just looking like I'd had a bad tan, and other parts looked pretty normal in most lights. And the doctor was very pleased when he saw me. He told me the swelling would go down on it's own and the rash will continue to mellow out until it's gone. All my blood work came back normal (except the Lupus test I'm still waiting for) so this is likely to be the end in sight. I actually _can_ go back to work Wednesday (which I and my wallet are ecstatic about) and hopefully by the end of the week this will all be just a memory.

A very unpleasant memory. Fortunately, Genevieve and Michael made it as pleasant as a debilitating rash and flu symptoms possibly could be. I couldn't have asked for better care and I felt a hundred times better just having them around. So I guess not all the memory needs to be bad.

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:38:28 GMT

The Life Experience Test

Overall, you have partaken in 82 out of 169 possible life experiences.
Your average life experience score is therefore 49%.

The average score is 50%, making your experiences more than 42% of the people who have taken this test.
The average for your age group (18-25) is 45%.

Broken down by category:
Art: 9/17 (53%)
Career & Work: 8/13 (62%)
Civics & Technology: 3/7 (43%)
Crime & Disarray: 2/11 (18%)
Education: 12/18 (67%)
Fashion: 9/10 (90%)
Fitness, Health and Sports: 1/7 (14%)
Life in General: 7/14 (50%)
Relationships: 9/14 (64%)
Religion & Politics: 2/4 (50%)
Social: 10/22 (45%)
Travel: 3/20 (15%)
Vices: 7/12 (58%)

Take the test and see how YOU compare

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:51:10 GMT

And in funner news, I had a fantastic weekend.

While not quite so glamorous and show-ful as Genevieve and George's, I did get to see World Inferno Friendship Society perform Peter Lorre's 20th Century again on Friday night at Webster Hall. We were given details that this was to be a taping for a DVD, although that may or may not actually be true. We arrived in the city at around 7:30 only to find out that the 8:00 tickets really meant 9:30. Jordana was able to get us in protected from the cold a bit early and then we hung around chatting and taking in the atmosphere until 9:30.

Genevieve found herself a perch in the corner of the balcony where she could see some of the stage and all of the audience and George and I found what turned into choice spots in the center of the balcony. First few songs had us struggling a bit to see, but as the crowd shifted, we were able to move up to the railing and have an absolutely perfect view, of stage and mosh pit. The mix of punk, ska, rock, and jazz is something that's pleased me from the beginning and this show was even better than the last ones. They added some material and were spot on with the numbers. It was hilarious, sad, uplifting, and really fun. It's a great show, and I hope one way or another it ends up on DVD. They played six or seven songs from other albums after the scripted show, all of which I liked quite a bit. I've got to start collecting more of their music. I danced practically the whole time and enjoyed myself more than I have fro a concert in a long time. My feet were not so pleased with me when the evening was over, but it was worth it. I also finally picked up a real copy of the album the show is for.

And as much as I love cheeseburgers, I rarely enjoy them as much as I did the one I got at the diner on our way home. But that was mostly because it'd been 12 hours and a whole lotta dancing between meals. We got home around 3 AM, I took a very relaxing shower, and then spent another three hours chatting with George, which was really nice since we don't get to as much anymore.

Saturday, with the snow and all, forced and not-very-opposed lazy day on us. We did make it out to the jeweler to see about getting my ring fixed (which should hopefully be ready this weekend) and the supermarket, where we should never go when we're hungry. After that we settled in for much drinking, food, many episodes of The Simpsons, Working Girl, and National Treasure (which I liked quite a bit!).

Sunday was similarly lazy for Michael and I. We ordered Chinese, played video games, vegged, watched some Star Trek,and talked. Very nice, relaxing, day. Definitely the kind of weekend I needed.

And now, back to work. At least for another 10 minutes and then back to home for today. :)

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:24:26 GMT

After graduating and getting my associates degree in June, I decided not to keep going with school right away. We were just moving into our new place at the time and then I knew the holidays and busy times at work would make it that much more difficult to get into a new degree program. But I figured 'Hey, I've got six months before my student loans will start wanting to be paid! That's plenty of time to take time off and be back in school.

Well, life got in the way of that plan and I'm still researching where I want to go. But still, I shouldn't have had to worry until January, or so I thought. For reasons I'm still not clear on, my Citibank loan I was to start paying off beginning in October. Now, to be fair, my lack of starting payments originally had to do with the forwarded mail getting to be in November. It was only after that I became irresponsible and just, sort of, ignored it. Or more so, stressed a great deal over it but constantly came up with excuses why I'd call tomorrow.

Definitely.

Tomorrow.

Well, a month and a half later, I'd yet to call and by then Wachovia had dutifully let me know that they wanted me to start paying them as of this month too! Hope you've enjoyed your six months! Time to pay us back for all that schoolin', thanks!

And so, with even more intimidation and fear mixed in I put it off another three weeks (due to it actually _being_ the holidays and then Michael's dad was in the hospital and then the actual celebrating of the holidays). But I could no longer ignore it since the due date for Wachovia was coming up and I wanted to deal with them before I was delinquent, and I really wanted to fix Citibank before another month went by.

So, my plan was to call Wachovia, since I was still pre-due-date with them, have them consolidate my loads for me, and then get either a deferment, forbearance, or lowest possibly payment plan. So, with far more nervousness than I should have had, I called Wachovia and got a truly pleasant woman who told me they don't consolidate anymore, but I could probably go through Citibank. My nerves increased a bit until she said something that brought color back to my face, "You do, however, quality for a year long forbearance at this time." Woohoo! After getting some details I signed up for it and now have a year before I'd need to deal with potential payment again. At least, from Wachovia.

Then, Citibank. I called, more nervous about talking to them because I was two payments late already and got the absolute nicest customer service woman I've probably ever spoken to. She thanked me for calling, explained all the options I have and will have available for me in the future, and ended up signing me up for a forbearance for their loan as well, retroactively starting for when my first payment would have been due to erase the late charges. She then suggested I wait until the forbearances run out and then go through them to consolidate so I can sign up for a better interest rate and deal with one payment through them.

Both calls took less than an hour to complete and after my heart being in my throat for that time and taking copious notes on all the options I have and will have, I felt as though many pounds of weigh had been lifted from my shoulders.

I can now take my time figuring out which school I want to go to and when I'm ready to sign up for it. And hopefully, by the time it comes around again, I'll be in a better position to pay the loans off. Plus, now that I know how accommodating they are, I won't feel so nervous calling to work out consolidation and a payment plan.

Phew!

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:03:36 GMT

I'm really hoping the snow holds out until at least tomorrow morning. Even if that's like, 2 AM tomorrow morning. All the weather reports I'm reading conflict so I'm not sure.

Genevieve, George, and I are going to see World Inferno Friendship Society tonight for their DVD taping. Very much been looking forward to this. After seeing them months ago at Montclair State, I'd been hoping they'd put their Peter Lorre show on DVD, and not only are they, but I get to watch the taping!But, because of that, even though it's my shortest work day, it feels like it's taking the longest. Only about 40 minutes left in the day for me and it feels like 40 hours. Fortunately, once Chris gets here, I can started getting changed and ready for the show tonight. And hanging with her will probably help the rest of the time go by.

Last week's been pretty busy. New Years was very nice for us, kind of like our New Years/Christmas celebration combined. Much boozing was done. Same and Christie came up to visit from Virgina which was very nice. We've stayed at their various places over the years, but we haven't been able to host until now. And in honor of their stay we drank the better part of three bottles of margaritas and on New Years alone shot and finishedbottle of X-Rated (infusion). I was pleasantly dizzy the rest of the night (and parts of the next day). But one of the best parts of New Years was finding out that my brother Chris won this great award for his movie! I'm so proud of him, and this is bringing with it some great opportunities for them. I couldn't have been happier.

Of course the time off in the middle of the week made working Friday that much harder. But it wasn't too busy and the day went pretty quickly and the night was full (as so many are now) of Wii games. Saturday I got to have Genevieve all to myself while Michael visited his dad (who, by the way, was able to come home the other day!). We did lots of shopping and ended the day with a Eureka marathon (I got the first two seasons on DVD over the holidays).

Sunday Michael and I went to the range to shoot a bit, which is always fun, and hung around lazily for most of the rest of the day enjoying the much needed break. I also finally broke out my massage table to give my lovers much needed massages after the stress of the previous week. It was nice to finally do it again; I really want to get back into it.

I took off this Monday, as well, for the extended make-up holiday and we ended up going out to IKEA with George in the evening grabbing dinner there and hanging out amongst the snazzy furniture. And amidst there was much Wii playing to be had.

This weekend's looking to be equally relaxing. Genevieve, George and I (possibly Michael as well) are hoping to go out for a while tomorrow. Danielle Corsetto (GWS) is going to be at a comic shop in Kenilworth, so we're hoping to catch her, possibly visit my mom while we're close, and then hit a jeweler in our area (not necessarily in that order). I need to get my engagement ring fixed. It's been loosened from the setting for a while but we just never quite made it there, and then over Christmas break, the stone unfortunately came out and was crushed while being stored. So we're hoping to find out how much it'll be to attain a new gem and get it set back into the ring. Fortunately there's no damage to the gold, so hopefully it'll be easily fixed and not too expensive.

Then, on Sunday, Genevieve and George are going on Broadway overload so Michael and I will likely glue ourselves to our new Wii. No plan exactly, but either way it's likely to be relaxing. :)

And now, with half an hour to go and Chris just arriving, I should start changing and getting ready.

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:32:44 GMT

I am a terrible blogger.

When I started my livejournal I had much more time to spend and waste in front of a computer, and even afterward, when I didn't have the time, I always made time to post every detail no one but me cared about. But for the last year, I've been completely remiss and hardly every posting. Big, fun, happy things and big, scary, sad things have been happening off and on, and I mean to post, but I never get to it. It doesn't help that I no longer have a job that allows me to be in front of a computer consistently throughout the day to post every time I have a thought. Still, I _like_ blogging, even when no one else cares. And I like being able to go back and say "Hey, that's when I did that! That was fun!" So I'm going to make an effort to chronicle more; and hopefully it will be interesting.

Many things have happened over the last few months; graduation/birthday/holiday parties, amazing engagement, work highs and lows, my birthday, Tiger Lillies concert, White Elephant shows, Thanksgiving in Virginia, shopping on Black Friday, decorating, shopping, sex, reconnection, arguments, and more. I'd love to say I remember exactly everything and when, but I don't. Still, it's been a full and generally good several months. And now we're approaching a new year and this time 2009 I want to be able to look back and read about everything I did. Maybe not the toothbrushing and dishwashing, but everything else.

As of now, I'm in the Atlantic City Medical Center. As I'm sure most of you now know, Michael's father is in the hospital and has been since Tuesday evening as a result of a head injury. While we started at critical condition and unconsciousness, he's now awake, talking, walking around, sitting up, and complaining constantly about wanting to leave while refusing to eat hospital food. So it's an upswing! He's being moved finally out of ICU today and after a couple of more days will hopefully be able to go home. Now that things are out of the woods we're enjoying the rest of what we can of the holiday season and looking forward to being able to try out the brand new Wii my mom got us fro Christmas. I'm very anxious to get to a Gamestop so I can continue to stock up on games and accessories to go with.

Took me four days but I finally thought to bring my laptop to the hospital so Genevieve and I can now take turns online with minimal restrictions (since the hospital computers block almost everything) and playing DVDs and games. Also, they finally turned on the cool air in this waiting room so it's downright cozy.

Anyway, I hope everything had a really great Christmas. For me it's bee a great reminder of how much doesn't matter and how much the important things really do. I love all my friends/family and thanks to everyone who's been supportive and interested.

Hmmm...

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:23:34 GMT

CadaverForSale.com - How much is your cadaver worth?

I don't honestly know whether this is supposed to make me proud or depressed...

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:05:40 GMT

Lots to sum up. I'm not so good at the keeping up with LJ these days.

So I'll start with White Elephant. On Thursday night we had our first ever us-hosted event at the Diva Lounge in Montclair. It was a pretty great show. The space was good, we had plenty of people show up, including many we didn't recognize, and we all had a blast, even with the occasional slip ups and trouble with the sound systems. We got along well with the management and bartender and may have made a contact for a new member. It was really a great experience and I'm so glad we did it (and that I was able to be there).

We left at around midnight and headed to a diner (me, Genevieve, George, Regina, and Jeff) and chatted for a while before heading home. My least favorite part of these things is always bringing stuff back inside after the show. But soon enough we were unloaded, I was showered, and I collapsed into bed. Overall the five hours sleep I got wasn't quite enough. So getting through work was a bit difficult, but it was a short day and I closed up early. Then George, Genevieve, and I picked up Erin and I headed home to started finishing the minor decorating and setting up we had left to do for our evening.

We had a really nice evening hanging with Katie, Dan, Erin, and Joe. We watched movies, talked, and drank a lot. By around 1:30 I was one of the first to pass out. My body definitely decided to deal with my drunkeness by falling into a coma. I remember only two things after that. One was crawling and falling out of bed at some point trying desperately to find the bathroom but still being too dizzy to move around easily and the other was talking to Genevieve while trying to stay stable on the floor when she finally came to bed. I woke up in the morning feeling pretty much like crap, but drank some water and got rid of enough toxins to be able to clean up and make breakfast for everyone who was up.

Later on Michael, Katie, Dan, and I parted ways with the others to check out a gun shop we were pointed to by the Mount Olive PD when we applied for our FIDs to check out their selection. It was somewhat busy at the counter when we got there but we were able to take a look at a few things we really liked, including a Taurus revolver comparable to the Smith & Wesson I'd decided on. The largest differences were the shorter barrel and the fact that it was a .38 special instead of a .357 magnum. But I knew I was unlikely to get use out of .357 rounds anyway, and I've discovered that the shorter barrel, or at least the sights on the Taurus, are easier for me to use properly.

Anyway, afterward we met back up at our place with Genevieve and George and hung out a bit before Katie and Dan had to get going. The four of us spent the rest of the day eating more of the massive amounts of food we'd gotten for the party and playing games. We played Burn in Hell which's a Steve Jackson card game and then LIFE, which I've only ever played on this crazy computer version we had gotten with our Gateway computer years back.

Sunday was spent mostly out. We met Joe and Borders where I ended up buying way too many books (but they were cheap! And buy one get one free!) Then we headed to New Hope. I'm having some trouble with one of my piercings and wanted to get some advice from the piercer. I need to try barbells apparently before giving up and starting over, but I'm going to order them myself because they massively overcharge. We spent a good deal more time there and ended up chatting up two nifty guys, one who we met last time we went - he owns this awesome antique-y shop with all these weird and freaking artifacts. And he's got great stories. We had yummy pizza and ice cream and then headed back towards home. We stopped to do some rare but necessary Michael-clothes shopping and then spent the rest of the night in.

This morning Michael and I took a trip back to the gun shop this time equipped with snap caps so I could try the action on the revolver because that was really the only thing keeping me from deciding to go with that one over the Smith & Wesson. After trying it and talking with the guy a little bit he said I could prepay and have it stored until out permits and FID cards came in. So I did. It was a really excellent deal; "used" in the sense that he ordered it for someone who ended up not purchasing it so it was never actually used. The only thing not pretty much perfect is the gold fittings like you can see here, but it _does_ come with wooden grips in addition to the rubber ones, which is awesome. And I can always order silver fitting sand replace them once I'm familiar enough to take it apart.

Overall, I'm thrilled. I wish I could get my FID card already, but I'm all ready and paid for once I receive it. Plus I saved a _butt_load_ of money. :D

So that was an _excellent_ start to my day. And then, after setting up and having breakfast with Michael before he went back home this morning, I also discovered that 24/7 Led Zeppelin is back on XM! (And apparently Sirius Radio as well.) Yay!

And thus, for now, concludes my varying and all over the place sum up. We'll see if I get any better with more frequent updates. Soon to come: wedding planning update!

_Coffee_not_working_today...

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:28:11 GMT

This comic makes me wish I was back in bed with my lovers.

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:27:31 GMT

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:52:09 GMT

It's been a while since I posted, due to being very busy between work, White Elephant, and general life stuff, but today absolutely constitutes worth it. At SalonCon (which is currently happening today) this year we have two shows rather than one. For the first set, I wasn't performing so got a chance to actually watch the show. At the very end, George broke the fourth wall to call me up to sing me happy birthday (since today is also my birthday). I was both embarrassed and delighted but that was nothing compared to what came next.

Genevieve entered with her guitar and sang "Grow Old With You" from The Wedding Singer to me all adorably awkwardly. Michael joined her singing towards the end of the song while they both got down on their knees to propose to me. I'm not sure I actually ever said the word yes, but I was sobbing and still can't stop smiling. It was amazing and perfect. I'd love to be more eloquent but I'm still just all girly and blurry. I keep staring at my beautiful ring just to remind me it wasn't a dream, because really, I couldn't have asked for it to be more perfect.

The song was perfect (I'd already wanted it as my eventual wedding song; always thought it was so sweet), and they were so sweet and the audience was cheering and everyone was congratulating me. I'm incredibly happy. And therefore babbling. Matt was taping so I'll post the video soon for all to see the makeup running down my face as I broke down completely from surprise and happy. But for now, here's a picture of the ring:

To be completely cheesy, I'm so completely in love, and so grateful for such an amazing moment. I'm going to go back to internal squealing and gushing now. :D

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:16:39 GMT

Your Ultimate Purity Score Is...
Category	Your Score	Average
Self-Lovin'	41.7% When I think about you - or anyone - I touch myself	64.6%
Shamelessness	61.9% It takes a couple of drinks	78.8%
Sex Drive	71.1% A fool for love, but not always	77.1%
Straightness	8.9% Knows the other body type like a map	43.8%
Gayness	16.1% Makes Dr. Frank-n-Furter look tame	83.6%
Fucking Sick	47.8% Don't look in the basement	89.8%
You are 38.36% pure Average Score: 72.3%
Take The Ultimate Purity Test and see how you match up! (By The Ferrett)

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:53:57 GMT

Your result for The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test...

Rabbit

IT was going to be one of Rabbit's busy days. As soon as he
woke up he felt important, as if everything depended upon him.
It was just the day for Organizing Something, or for Writing a
Notice Signed Rabbit, or for Seeing What Everybody Else Thought
About It. It was a perfect morning for hurrying round to Pooh,
and saying, "Very well, then, I'll tell Piglet," and then going
to Piglet, and saying, "Pooh thinks--but perhaps I'd better see
Owl first." It was a Captainish sort of day, when everybody
said, "Yes, Rabbit " and "No, Rabbit," and waited until he had
told them.

You scored as Rabbit!

ABOUT RABBIT: Rabbit is generally considered Clever by his many friends and relations. He is actually a much better reader and writer than Owl, but he doesn't consider it worth mentioning. Instead, Rabbit's real talent lies in Organizing Plans. He organizes rescue parties, makes schemes to reduce Tigger's bounciness, and goes on missions to find out what Christopher Robin does when he's not at the Hundred Acre Woods. Sometimes, however, his Plans do not always go as Planned.

WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are smart, practical and you plan ahead. People sometimes think that you don't stress or worry, but this is not the case. You are the kind of person who worries in a practical way. You think a) What are my anxieties about and b)what can be done about them? No useless fretting for you. You don't see the point in sitting around and waiting for things to work out, when you could actually work them out today and save yourself a lot of time and worry. Your friends tend to rely on you, because they know that they can trust you help them work things out.

You sometimes tend to be impatient with people who are less practical in their ways. You don't have much patience for idiots who moan about things but never actually DO anything about them. You have high expectations of everyone, including yourself. When you don't succeed at something, or when something goes wrong despite your best efforts to prevent it, you can get quite hard on yourself. You need to cut yourself some slack and accept that everyone has their faults, even you, and THAT IS OKAY. Let yourself be faulty, every now and then, for the sake of your own sanity.

Take The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test at HelloQuizzy

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:09:30 GMT

I am both bored and trying to avoid doing work. And since I don't have the energy to write a real post as I'm still exhausted from this weekend, I stole this survey from Maggie.

01. First Name: Danielle

02. Age: 23

03. Location: Flanders, NJ

04. Occupation: Manager for Color Me Mine in Denville.

05. Partner(s)?: Michael and Genevieve

06. Kids: Not yet. Eventually.

07. Brothers/Sisters: 1 brother, Christopher.

08. Pets: Well, now that I live away from my mom's I don't live with the pets I still consider mine. Oreo and Trixie (cats) were both supposed to be my pets but at least in part became family pets. Trixie tries never to leave my side. We also have a bird, Jerry, (who I want to murder most of the time) and a rabbit, Merlin.

09. List the 3-5 biggest things going on in your life:

1) Genevieve, Michael, and I just moved into our very first apartment together. We have a significant amount of sorting and getting rid of stuff to do before it's actually set up (I'm hoping weeks rather than months), but we're well on our way.

2) I just graduated my first leg of college and now have an Associates degree in Business. Bachelor's to follow starting likely next year.

3) I just got a pretty awesome raise and vacation pay at work to go along with my constant responsibilities there.

10. Parents? I'm not sure what this one is asking. If I _have_ parents? Are they alive? What are their names? Either way, only my mom really deserves the credit, but they are both still alive.

11. Who are some of your closest friends? George, Michael, and Genevieve are my _closest_.

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:53:30 GMT

Okay, _one_ more thing before I get back to work.

This Saturday, as I mentioned in my last post, we're moving from my mom's place in Union to our new apartment in Flanders. We need to move furniture and boxes from my mom's place as well as our storage unit (also in Union). I know Genevieve posted about this a while ago, but anyone that would be able and willing to help (throughout or for part), we'd be most grateful.

Our plan is for everyone to meet at my mom's at 10:00 AM to start loading the truck. Fortunately, we're getting most of the boxes down to the main level of the house for loading before this weekend and our storage unit is a ground level one as well. Unfortunately, most of the actual furniture will need to be moved from the second floor and our new apartment is a second floor.

However we _will be providing food and drinks (soda/beer/girly drinks).

Anyone willing, just let one of us know so we have any idea of what we're looking at for Saturday and anyone who needs my address or directions, just let me know.

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:43:51 GMT

Lots going on at the moment.

Yesterday officially marked my last day of classes. As of today I graduate with an Associates degree. Going back for my bachelor's probably next spring semester.

Also, moving into our apartment this weekend. Spent much of the weekend (with gracious help from George) packing and organizing for said move. I feel like we've got so much to do but I know we'll get it done. It's both a little scary but also very exciting to know that this time next week I'll be going to a completely different home. One with _space_ all of our stuff and finally a place we can call ours.

This is not without it's stress, though. Money's tight and will remain so at least for a bit. But in that regard I'm actually getting a substantial raise as well as limited holiday pay. Pauline's been very impressed and she's slowly giving me more and more responsibility and compensating for that however she can. I'm kind of proud of myself in this job. And with school.

Life's been kind of up and down for various reasons lately, but for many reasons, I'm proud of the way I've been handling it. And I only intend to get even better at it.

Anyway, I should _probably_ go earn that raise I'm getting.

Who doesn't want one of these?

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:38:07 GMT

Wed, 28 May 2008 18:40:26 GMT

I had a really great weekend this past week, which was welcomed after some stress I've been feeling lately from several different areas.

Friday night, even though I worked late, Genevieve, Michael, and I met Joe back here at my place to game for the first time in months. After loading up on food and myriad stimulants to keep us awake we gamed for six and a half hours bringing us to 5:30 in the morning. The sun was up and we all passed out soon afterward. It was _awesome_.

Four and a half hours later, for no reason whatsoever, my body decided it didn't want to sleep anymore. So I, Joe, and Michael (and eventually Genevieve) went downstairs and started trying to figure out Arkham Horror for several hours while I made us all breakfast. After running some errands (my computer's getting a bit loopy and I've been worried there might be something seriously wrong, so I needed to get an external hard drive to back everything up before I try to fix it or it simply crashes), Michael and I went to see Indiana Jones that night while Genevieve and George went to see a different movie, the plan being to meet up for dinner afterwards.

Now, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull... Rather than a full review, I will just bullet some points I think sum it up:
-- The first five minutes were clearly designed to give such high hopes that even the most skeptical would have the full force or depressive disappointment after the following hour and fifty five minutes.

-- George Lucas took the criticism of the prequels as a challenge.

-- Cinematography that gave the feel of a parody video or TV movie rather than a multi-million dollar blockbuster film.

-- Dialogue and timing that weren't even laughably bad. Sometimes some very Indy-style dialogue that was ruined my delivery and direction.

-- Gophers! Friendly, hilarious gophers that would pop up periodically when something dramatic would happen so we could all laugh at the cute, furry animal!

-- It should be noted to all screenwriters and directors that if you'd like to use magnetism as a part of a plot device, perhaps you should, at the very least, read the wiki pages on magnetism, lead, and gold. Just a thought. Or, you know, have common knowledge.

-- I never, in my life, thought that Cate Blanchet, in a uniform, with a Russian accent could be the opposite of hot. That is 90% of my melty fantasies all rolled up into one fetishy package and George Lucas and Steven Spielberg actually made it unappealing.

-- The warehouse? We recognized it. We did not need the arc to strip in front of us to rub in the reference.

-- Really, Harrison Ford? "Nucular"? Really?

-- When exactly did Indiana Jones have time to become a colonel in the U. S. military during WWII?

-- I'm pretty sure that regardless of how well you know Mayan, it takes more than less than a second to use that knowledge to translate a completely different language.

-- I know what crystal looks like. Most people, I would expect, do. And even if you don't, you _should_ know that it doesn't look like plastic stuffed with saran wrap. George and Steven should be notified.

-- This is hot. Add direction from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and the hotness actually dissolves. Just like with Irina. >:(

-- Monkey Ewoks. Monkeys that taugh Shia LaBeouf to swing in the jungle like Tarzan and then help him beat up the bad Russians. George, must you always ruin things with furry animals? In this movie, twice?

-- Transdimensional beings, _not_ from space, but from the space between spaces. Oh yeah, you heard me.

I'm sure there was more. I know Michael and I have often erupted in complaints and banter back and forth since we saw it. But this is plenty to give you and idea at how worth your money it is to go see.

I remember little of dinner besides the frequent inserts of new or revisited complaints about the film from me and Michael, but having dinner with Genevieve and George was a good way to start cleansing.

But and even better way came the next day. In our continued effort to improve and fix some of the problems going on in our relationship (the three of us as a whole and all the individual ones), one step that we've needed is reconnection with Genevieve. She and Michael have gotten a better start at that than she and I have, but Sunday was an excellent way to kick it off. After lounging around for a while after we woke up, Genevieve told me to get dressed and get in the car. It became clear very quickly that Michael was not going to be joining us and so we went. She took me on a couple of quick errands and then we were driving up the parkway. I had _no_ idea where we were going until we actually walked _into_ the spa. She took me on a spa day!

We got to do a couple's whirlpool which was insanely relaxing, for a couple of reasons, and then got a full body couple's massage. Plus the place is just drenched in luxury. They have delicious lemonade, really nice robes (which you walk around in the whole time), comfy lounges, nice bathrooms, and huge showers that Genevieve and I took advantage of after our massages. Really, they just supply you with everything. It was one of the most relaxing things I've done in a really long time. She then took me out to lunch where we ate a load of food Michael hates, drank some really delicious fruity liquor, had a really nummy dessert, and watched zexy softball players. It was heavenly. (Also a great fix for the vileness that was Indiana Jones.)

The rest of the evening was spent pleasantly relaxing at home with Michael, playing Grand Theft Auto IV, having sex, and going to sleep nice and early.

Even so, we ended up sleeping in very late (we all clearly needed the sleep). Monday was another day of gaming for us. We picked George up and met Joe back at the house. We actually got through _most_ of a game of Arkham Horror. I think we were playing for a total of five hours and we still weren't actually near winning. It was fun, though, and I think we're finally getting the hang of it. It complicated, but that's what you get when you try to get the fel and spirit of an RPG into board game form. We all had dinner with my mom before Joe had to go to work, we played on round of Loaded Questions and then George headed home as well. Another relatively early night to bed and the end of a really excellent weekend.

And, short work week! I did find out, though, that unfortunately Pauline's dad is in the hospital and not doing very well. She's on a flight now to California and I'm going to keep things running for her while she's there. So it'll be an interesting week here (although hopefully manageable), and I wish her the best.

That's about all I got. I should really be getting back to work now.

I really am working. Really. Just, multitasking as well.

Fri, 23 May 2008 20:23:58 GMT

The second I saw the art on this recent Theater Hopper comic, I knew it was a guest strip and I knew it had to be the guys from Rob & Elliot.

This is too nerdily sweet...

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:20:43 GMT

It's not so much the whole comic as the last panel that had me cracking up...

Fri, 02 May 2008 22:55:59 GMT

Thu, 01 May 2008 22:38:38 GMT

On the brighter side, Pauline bought me a present today to cheer me up. :)