The microwave in my office went out in a blaze of glory this morning, before I got there. Nothing (else) caught fire, but it emitted a lot of smoke. Something inside must have reached its limit and burned. We've opened all the windows and doors, but it's still smelly, even halfway across the building. My lungs are surprisingly okay with this ( Read more... )

Moved in to my new abode yesterday afternoon. My room is spacious, but I don't know how to best utilize the unfamiliar arrangement of shelves and drawers and closets, so there's still a pile of stuff in a corner. The chair -- the exact same kind as the one in the dorms -- is at least painfully familiar. I mean that literally ( Read more... )

This morning I was pondering yet again how to free our D&D party from slavery -- specifically, how to assist our spellcasters. They're all wearing manacles and a collar which prevents the gestures and words from connecting to produce the usual effect. We have a druid who must shapeshift to draw her power, a slightly hindered ranger, a wizard ( Read more... )

" -- and you can tell 'em I said so!" -- Prostitute in Baldur's Gate II (and possibly I ( Read more... )

While I was standing at the street corner, waiting for the light to change, I saw an old couple in a stopped car. (By "old" I mean old enough to be my grandparents.) The man, who was driving and therefore closest, smiled and raised a hand in a wave. Confused, I waved back. Did I know this person? I didn't recognize either of them. I wondered if ( Read more... )

marysia and I were happily discussing our most recent Tales of the Abyss session. In the game, fellow named Guy suffers from a phobia about physical contact with females. At least he now knows the root of the problem. The ever-teasing Jade remarks that this setback does not effect his interest in women at all, to which Guy agrees, so Jade then tells the ( Read more... )

Trading Japanese and English tongue-twisters and puns at a Mexican-American restaraunt: a wonderful way to spend part of your evening.

Even though I did not want to get out my nice, warm bed when my alarm went off, I woke up feeling positive, optimistic, even a little excited -- "lucky" was the word that came to mind. I consciously maintained this attitude throughout the morning, and it paid off. One of my coworkers buys clothes in large quantities then re-assesses later if she ( Read more... )

Observation: in order bypass my Honors-honed laziness and get engaged in my schoolwork, I have to fidget. I tend to hum and voice pieces of my thoughts aloud. Essentially, I have to convince a part of my brain I'm not actually working. Obviously, this is a tactic developed for solitary and isolated study sessions, not possible in shared quarters ( Read more... )

This is copied, with minor editing, from an email to my friend Cassidy:

Today I got fed up with my lonely box of a dorm room and took a stroll around campus. I watched squirrels, observed people, studied the buildings for interesting, remote carvings, and admired the fauna on campus. My appreciation extended as far as trying to climb several trees. ( Read more... )