Adventures in...
...Dentistry
Suzanne and I went to the dentist last week for what was, for me, the first time in over a decade. I was expecting a lot of "ZOMG!! Cavities! Crooked wisdom teeth! Your gums have rotted straight through to your spine! Get the drills, no time for novacaine, we're going in!!" Actually, it was just, "You could floss a little more," and they made another appointment for a cleaning. And that was it. Apparently, against all odds, the only thing I've really hurt by my years of neglect is the income of some poor dentist out there.
...Nerd Herding
DragonCon was fun. I spent a little time in open gaming, reinforcing my opinion that next year, if I go, I should spend a lot more time in open gaming. Aside from seeing and spending time with friends, that's really what I enjoy most at the con. (Seeing, spending time with, and playing games with my friends is a sort of DragonCon hat trick.) servingdonuts has a pretty cool "Insta-LARP" system that I look forward to playing, one day. It wasn't quite ready for prime time at the con, but I think it'll be a lot of fun once it's been polished and trimmed a little. I also had a fucking blast spinning the Secret Room party. The crowd was the best I've ever played for, and despite some con scheduling snafus, dj Weasel and dj Spider where hella cool folks to work with and great DJs - I stuck around till about 7 in the morning after my set was done, dancing most of the while.
...Public Drunkenness
Correction: DragonCon was fun except for a few hours Saturday night. I haven't been more intoxicated than "mildly tipsy" in years, so I forget that yes, even large men of irish descent will get humiliatingly trashed if they completely ignore sane limits of alcohol consumption. Sorry to anybody I embarrassed myself in front of, and massive thanks are due my lovely wife for looking after me*. This sort of thing isn't even remotely a regular occurrence, but given the alcoholism that runs up and down both sides of my family tree it seems wise to step back and take stock after making a drunken mess of myself. So, for at least a little while, I'm officially off the sauce.
...Dark Indy Rock (aka "music that sounds like Joy Division, except it's good")
You know, like Interpol and She Wants Revenge. I've been getting on a serious dark indy jag lately, spurred largely by The Editors (whom I was turned on to by beeporama). Good stuff!
* Actually, thanks are also due somebody else, whom shall remain unnamed to avoid implicating anybody who might or might not want to advertise their own epic intoxication. But you know who you are, so thanks (and I'm really, really sorry)!