Society for Aesthetic Deletions

Woolly writing creates new poetry

A man has been given a grant to create poems from words painted on the backs of sheep, then let loose to wander.

An example of the poetry created: Warm drift, graze gentle, White below the sky, Soft sheep, mirrors, Snow clouds.

Courtesy of The Daily Illuminator.

1. New Years resolutions: worthwhile modifier of personal behavior, or fruitless way to set yourself up for failure?

Fruitless. If you can't commit on your own, then committing once a year isn't going to change anything.

2. What should you have resolved for the New Year? Not what you did resolve, mind you, but what should you have resolved?

Committing or not to some games. I let a lot slide, and I shouldn't have. I should also have resolved to stop spending so bloody much!

3. You're suddenly able to send a brief message back to yourself on 1 January 2002. What would you say?

OMG!! The Two Towwers is sooo awesome! Too bad you have to wait until December to see it!

*giggles*

No, really, I'd tell myself to save some cash for the car repairs in November, and save vacation for the wedding in November, so I wouldn't use up everything then.

Courtesy of Ginger.

1. Do you wear any jewelry? What kind?

I wear my wedding ring, but that's about it for regular jewelry. I wear pins (I have a great collection) on sweaters when it's cold and I remember to put them on. I have a lot of earrings but I never think about putting them in except on rare occasions. I also have some other necklaces and rings, but those only get dragged out when I'm dressed up. Which is very rare.

That reminds me...I wanted to get rid of my high school class ring. I never wear it, and it is white gold. I wonder if it'll even be worth $50?

2. How often do you wear it?

Umm...oops, see above.

3. Do you have any piercings? If so, where?

I have my ears pierced, once. That's it. I was just recently thinking about getting them pierced again, to try to encourage me to wear more earrings. I will not pierce any other part of me.

4. Do you have any tattoos? If so, where?

No, though I've considered it.

5. What are your plans for the weekend?

Game tonight, with Jack staying over. I've asked for breakfast in tomorrow morning instead of eating out. Lou will probably finish Ratchet & Clank tomorrow or Sunday. We're supposed to get a nasty storm (though more rain here than snow), so I don't know if we'll go out to any movies.

It's basically a weekend to relax from all the stuff we've been doing over the holidays. Sunday is the Sunday game, wherein we're facing three (I think) white dragons on the elemental plane of ice. Thankfully Skyler still has her 9th level Shapechange spell available to her today...

I wandered over to The Bleat this morning, and found my reason to go see Star Trek: Nemesis in the theaters. I may even try to get out tomorrow to catch it.

And this amusing tidbit at the end, wherein the current Lileks talks to his 11-year-old self.

O ghost of Geekdom to Come, tell me what else I might see in this wondrous future.

A Spider-Man movie, a Hulk movie, and a Daredevil movie, all within a 18-month period.

(Pause) Okay, now you叝e just screwing with me.

Do we live in a great time period to be a geek or what?

1. What is one of your favorite things to wear?

T-shirts. Any kind.

2. Did you get any "dud" gifts for the holidays? Will you return them?

Umm...nope! I loved all my gifts this year!

3. Let's do a few "Best of 2002" thoughts. What was the best movie of 2002? Why did you pick that one?

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Duuuuuh.

4. What world event of 2002 made an impact on you?

Hrm. I can't think of one off-hand that has made a personal impact on me.

5. What personal event of 2002 was the most memorable?

Going to Las Vegas in February with my husband and his in-laws.

6. Is there anything in 2002 (decisions, relationships, purchases, etc.) that, looking back, you would have done differently?

Nope.

7. Shine up your magic crystal ball and look into the future. What do you think will happen in your life in 2003? Or, what would you like to happen in 2003?

I'd like to get a better handle on my spending, so I can get a better handle on our debt.

BONUS: Was it somethin' I said or somethin' I did, did my words not come out right?

The problem is, you're just not listening to what I'm saying, you're hearing what you want to hear.

Return of the King 2003 Calendar

Such pretty pictures. Spoilers, maybe. No Éowyn spoilers, though I can understand that. The pic of her is good, but not good RotK Éowyn. But Frodo with the phial of Galadriel is just plain cool.

Courtesy of ***Dave.

The One Ring.net has an RSS newsfeed.

*adds to NetNewsWire*

I just wish that the Star Wars site's feed wouldn't put italics in their headers. It invalidates the feed and I can't get it again until that header scrolls off. I also wish The Force.net had a feed.

So, what do you feed on?

Me, I have /., MacSlash, BBC News, Boing Boing, Kuro5hin, MacMegasite, myapplemenu, Ranchero, MacUpdate (MacOS X), Mac OS X Hints, StarWars.com, TORN, Gamegrene, Wil Wheaton, ***Dave Does the Blog, Blogatelle, Too Flattering Sweet, Perverse Access Memory, Digital Midnight Art, and Blackrose's Fiction.

Gimme more feeds.

1. Someone you deeply love is horribly murdered. The person you know did it gets off. Do you take justice/revenge into your own hands?

Would depend on how they got off on the charges. If it was a simple case of judicial foul-up (mistrial, for example), then I probably would consider it. If there were extenuating circumstances. Working with someone who is in the mental health profession has changed my view on some things.

But me, I'd rather find a way to make them rot in jail for the rest of their lives than just kill them outright. That's too easy...they'd be getting off way too easy.

2. If you learned you were going to die in two days, would you have any regrets? If you suddenly got a five year respite, could you avoid those same regrets?

I'd have a ton of regrets, what, are you kidding? But since there's only two days left, I wouldn't have a lot of chances to do anything about it.

Five years, I could so avoid a bunch of those. I'd go to Europe, finally visit Scotland, Australia, Egypt, Greece, Japan, etc. Climb a mountain (and not Mt. Monadnock). Learn to fly a plane.

And try not to rack up too much of a debt burden for my family in the process.

3. What's the greatest fashion faux pas -- wearing clothes too big, clothes too small, clothes ten years out of date, or clothes for someone ten years older than you?

Too small. Unless the clothes are from the 70s, which was an era which should never have happened, clothes-wise. Since I wear baggy clothes and my clothes are all out of date, the rest don't bother me.

Arse or Elbow?

I scored at 14/14. I so know my arse from my elbow!

Which Duran Duran album are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

This so rocks! I have the first album somewhere, in two formats. The US release, and an import I picked up in Spain that doesn't have "Is There Something I Should Know?" on it, which was added later to the US release.

Why yes, I was a Duranie, why do you ask?

Courtesy of Anne.

1. Where are you right now?

On the loveseat in the living room of my apartment.

2. What time is it??

9:02 p.m. ET.

3. What are you wearing??

A green polo shirt, my denim long-sleeved overshirt from Red Rock Canyon in Nevada, my new blue jeans from L.L. Bean, and my fleece slipper shoes, also from L.L. Bean.

And underwear and my wedding ring, plus a scrunchie.

4. Any people or animals around you? Describe them.?

My husband and I have just finished watching Farscape, and he is now playing Jak and Daxter. He's sitting on his chair (that matches the loveseat) and staring at the TV. He's wearing his workpants (since he can't wear jeans to work anymore) and a t-shirt, having removed his thermal shirt. He's a big man with long red hair that is the envy of women everywhere.

The cats, Athena & Artemis, are about somewhere.

5. What are your plans for the weekend??

Well, the trip to the Cambridgeside Apple Store has been called off, since it's not likely they'll have the 12" demo model of the new PowerBook. So we are going to get out of the house tomorrow and do something.

Sunday is our game and possibly breakfast out. I need to do laundry at some point. Maybe a movie (I still want to see TTT again). Loose plans.

***Dave says it better than I can, but I'll give it a go, too. After all, I'm a woman. I mean, why should I like Lord of the Rings just as much as the next man?

1. Have you ever bought something you were so excited about and found out later that it didn't work? Were you able to return it? How did it go?

I just bought my first ReplayTV, open box, and it was missing the IR blaster and serial cables. I did return it, and got another one, non-open-box, elsewhere.

2. I have a Palm (Pilot) for my date book and such, but have been thinking of jumping to the PocketPC world at some point. Do you have a PDA (personal digital assistant)? What kind, and how did you decide? What do you like about it? If you don't own one, do you want one or do you do better without such gadgets?

I have a Palm IIIc, a gift from my boss at work. It's work's Palm, not mine, but we had money we needed to spend, so she got me it.

Not much decision on my part here...just told by Kate to go to the Brown Computer Store and pick up two IIIc's, one for her, one for me.

I love that it's color, that I have a keyboard attachment for it, that I can have novels on it, and write novels on it (with Documents To Go), and also that it Helps Me with my Work. Can't forget to add that in.

3. What illness do you wind up catching more than any other?

Colds. The occasional sore throat. I've had pink eye a number of times in the past few years, and have never had it in my life prior to that.

4. Do you like going to see the Doctor (any type)?

Not a problem for me. It's not the highlight of my day, but I really like my doctors.

5. How about the Dentist? Do you like going? Do you go in every 6 months for a check-up?

I don't enjoy the dentist. I have dental phobia. But I've gotten over most of it, especially since my sister worked in a dentist's office for a while and I went to her boss, and my brother-in-law's brother (my sister's husband's brother) is a dentist, and is now my dentist. That has helped tremendously.

I do go twice a year for cleanings to Nina, one of his dental hygenists.

6. Are you a "Dog Person" or a "Cat Person?" Do you think a person's choice tells you something about their personality?

Cat person. I love dogs, don't get me wrong, but I am a cat person, through and through.

And yes, you can tell something about a person from what animal person they are.

7. I've mentioned before how me and a buddy of mine have just let our friendship lapse. There was no disagreement, but we've hit that point where we have nothing in common anymore. My life has progressed and he is still living in 1992. Have you ever had a friendship that just seems to have run its course? Where there is just nothing there anymore? What finally happened?

Yes, of course. Friends drift apart. It's life. People change, their interests change, and then they don't spend a lot of time together anymore.

My best friend from high school is someone I keep in touch with every now and then. We kept in better touch when she was playing in my once-a-month game, but even then it was rare. Now she has two children, I have none, and we don't have time nor a lot in common anymore. I still consider her a friend, and should probably call/email her more often, but I'm lazy and busy and so is she.

EDITED 1/14/03: Someone posted the LJ to TORN. Needless to say, her bandwith went through the roof. All entries are friend/locked only now. So I've removed the links from this entry.

Some people are very lucky folks. They get "For Your Consideration" DVDs. And just what do you think they are considering, hmmm?

How does it feel to have an arrow aimed at your head?

More caps can be found at her livejournal, often behind the cuts.

Bad FOTR Captions in a bad bootlegged copy.

Be warned, do not follow the links if you have anything in your mouth! Will not be responsible for spattered monitors or non-functional computer equipment due to spillage!

I'm playing Game WISH catch-up today...

What have pets and companions belonging to PCs and NPCs in campaigns you咩e GMed or played in added? What have their bad points been? How do they compare to sentient magic items in terms of their effect on play (good or bad)?

I had started to write a response to this ages ago, but it seems to have vanished. Probably at home on the laptop.

My current D&D character, Skyler, has quite a few companion animals. She could have more, but I am not bothering to do so.

She started in 2nd Edition, wherein using Skills & Powers I purchased the elven pet as part of her background. However, I chose her to have a raven named Thunderclaw instead of an elven cat or dog. Considering her background, it made more sense. Thunderclaw ran into some issues early on in the game, where he was captured by the bad guys. Once rescued, Skyler never sent him out on any scouting missions again. I must admit, I was very upset that he had been lured in by the bad guys, because I had assumed he was smarter than that, since he was the equivalent of an elven cat, and not just a dumb bird. It took a while for Lou and I to work out the differences we had in how the animal companion worked. I think Lou was possibly just thinking he was a slightly smart bird (and we already know how smart ravens are), not as intelligent as the pet I thought I had paid for. I can understand the desire they have for shiny objects (how he was lured in), but it still bothered me at the time.

Thunderclaw rarely comes with me on journeys now, even though he has been possessed by the great spirit of Raven and is a bit more powerful that he was at the start.

Later in the game, our NPC ranger cast animal friendship on the baby dire tiger that was dragging him up into the tree (hey, one of the material components is a piece of food that the animal likes to eat!). After Stalker wandered with us for a bit, and Skyler had progressed enough in levels, she awakened him. So now we had an intelligent (more intelligent than some members of the party!) talking, growing dire tiger to accompany us. Stalker's main allegiance is to the NPC ranger, but he's still a valued member of the group. And taking rogue levels. Be very frightened. No real bad points here.

And much more recently, Skyler awakened the horse that had been with her all these days (she's from a plains horse tribe), Calandra. We hardly ever go anywhere that Calandra can go (our current group is *notorious* for not taking horses with us, much to Calandra's, and Skyler's, dismay), but she always get invited. She's also been possessed by a great spirit of the Horse, so is a bit more than an average horse.

In previous games, I've had an intelligent pegasus, a little dragon from the Pern books (I've never read them, so the name is not sticking with me), and Bree had her paladin's mount, basically a cross between an antelope and a cow (Lou modified the ancient auroch). They've all had their benefits and their drawbacks, but I think they're an integral part of the game.

As for intelligent/sentient magic items - I've had very little experience with them. I'd love to have more, to be honest. Anne had an intelligent sword in our last AD&D game, and in this game, we ran into two swords (named Bleys and Brand, natch) who were not very nice swords. They were ancient artifacts that were left over from when the time local country was a patriarchy, not a matriarchy. In fact, they were the Baron's swords - the Baron who was overthrown by his Baroness who established the matrilineal line. So they were not happy, and wanted the guy who found them, the male descendent of the line (the party's NPC), to take over the throne. He got them melted down and made them into a new sword. *chuckle*

I think, with some controls and limits, having pets and companion animals is a good thing and should definitely not be overlooked.

How do you introduce a new PC to an existing group? Is it best if the GM takes special measures of some kind to integrate the new and existing characters, or should the GM just allow them to meet and let the players put it all together? Does it matter whether the game is oriented towards character cooperation or character competition?

A lot depends on the game that's being run.

I have just introduced a new character for an old player in my D&D 3E game. The player had decided that he didn't want to play his original character (that'd he'd been playing for about five levels, and over a year of real time), so I was stuck with how to introduce a new character.

Fortunately for this game, I have enforced a built-in backstory. Everyone must owe the same NPC a debt, and he has called it in. So the players have an opportunity to develop a good backstory to deal with the debt, and it gives the characters a reason to be journeying together.

I think it is best if the GM works with the player to devise a way for the new character to be accepted within the group. I definitely don't think it should be left entirely up to the player and players. I've seen a few cases where the player brings in a new PC against the GM's advice, only to have the rest of the characters hate or extremely dislike the new character, and won't travel with them. The player needs to be aware of this...I understand the need to play a "real" character, but if you're designing someone that will rub the rest of the characters the wrong way, then why bother? Why bring in a character that won't last more than one session with the group?

So leaving it all up to the players is not a good idea, in my experience.

As for cooperation vs. competition - I've never really done a long-term game with character substitutions. I did a competitive "throne war" type game once, and it was limited in scope. WEF was somewhat competitive, but more cooperative, really. I introduced a number of new PCs into that game, but always worked with the player to develop a backstory that would hopefully help them fit into the game.

The RPG market is dominated by fantasy (with horror coming in second). Why have most attempts at creating a science fiction RPG failed (commercially or artistically), and what would a hypothetical SFRPG need to catch on the way fantasy has?

I think there are two directions that SF games can go, and the main reason that they haven't take off like fantasy games.

On one hand, you have the hard sf games. On the other, you have space opera.

Both have their fans, and both have their strong and weak points. Since you can't merge the two, there is the big problem.

Hard SF games are ones where the science is paramount. Tech is the big thing, what makes the game go and be fun for those who play it.

For space opera, it's the fantasy, to borrow the term. The big, sweeping epics that have you moving from one point in the galaxy to another, and not caring how you get there, but what you DO one you arrive.

I'm not a huge hard SF fan myself, though I can understand the appeal.

Now, some may think that I'm leaving out whole genres of SF games. Cyberpunk, for one. But I think that's a modified space opera, or possibly a modified hard SF game, depending on in what direction you take the game/system.

I have no clue what it might take to produce a good SF RPG, since it's not my thing. I'm a fantasy fan; I rarely play SF stuff. But when I do, it's more science fantasy than science fiction, if you understand the difference.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has been scheduled for a June 21st release date in Britain, Canada, Australia, and the US.

*checks off date on calendar*

Now if only Amazon would update their page for pre-orders...

SCIENCE HOBBYIST: Traffic Waves, physics for bored commuters

I do the exact same thing this guy talks about, all the time. I've found the same results. I just hadn't blogged about it before now.

Really makes me wish I'd taken the time to write it up. But really...if you watch traffic at all, you'll note the patterns. And going slow and steady will always win the race.

Courtesy of BoingBoing.

1. Hanging out with your boss and co-workers, you're made very uncomfortable by some of the sexist humor being bandied about. What do you do?

Give as good as I get, and if I can't think of something offensive to give back, then just nod and walk away.

Problem is, I can't imagine this happening...

2. You are sure a neighbor child is being regularly abused by her parents, such that you worry for her health and life. The police and Child Protective Services are unable or unwilling to intervene. What would you do?

Ask Lou what to do. Talk it over with him. I'm sure he might know some other agencies we could call to get to intervene. Or know who to contact to get in touch with someone in our local police or agency to get them involved.

3. What modern invention would you most miss if it were removed from your life?

Define modern. Toilets and toilet paper are first-most. I could deal without TV or computers (not enjoy it, but deal) as long as I had books.

1. Where do you currently work?

Providence, RI, for Brown University.

2. How many other jobs have you had and where?

My first non-temp job was at St. Andrew's School, Barrington, RI, where I was the Assistant to the Headmaster/Receptionist. This job morphed and changed into being the Assistant to the Head of Upper School, later to the Assistant to the Director of Education (or something like that), and finally adding Assistant to the Director of Special Services to that. All totalled, about 7+ years at St. A's.

I moved from there onto a brief stint of unemployment (my fault - I told them I was leaving my job to move to where the current boyfriend was going to be moving to for college, then didn't end up following him, as he went to grad school at University of Toronto.

I followed that with a position as Senior Word Processor/Typist for the Office of Higher Education in Rhode Island. That was about a year and a half, maybe two. Too many job scares in that time. I swore I'd never work in a place where I could be "bumped" from my job by another person who'd had more seniority than me, just because their position had been eliminiated (or taken by someone else who's job had been eliminated, hence the term "bumping"). I also swore I'd never work for soft money again (ha!).

Followed that up by moving onto St. George's School, Newport (actually Middletown), RI, as the Assistant to the Director of Development. Did that for af few years, until another job opened up in-house, and I became the "Phone Lady" - aka Voice & Data Support, as they'd installed a hellishly expensive phone system and data network in all the rooms and dorms of the school. That was fun for a while, until my boss left and they started making me do her job, with no more pay. They didn't pay me enough to make those decisions, I tell you.

Oh, and I also added in Webmaster in there, but it really wasn't all that much. I was new and html was fun, but it wasn't like I was a big-time serious webmaster.

I moved from that job, after about two years, into my current one. I've had one job upgrade after starting here. But I'm now the Help Desk Manager (I manage myself, currently)/Systems Adminstrator.

3. What do you like best about your job?

I love my boss. I think if she weren't here I wouldn't last more than a few months.

4. What do you like least about your job?

Dealing with people who blame me when they frell up their computer/network/what-have-you.

5. What is your dream job?

Writer.

New Meme time!

1. Does everyone have a right to privacy? Why or why not? Who doesn't deserve a right to privacy, if anyone? Why?

Everyone deserves a right to privacy. Everyone. I think it is one of basic human rights that everyone should have.

2. When is an invasion of privacy justifiable? When is it not?

I think the only time it's justifiable is if another creature's life is in danger. Not necessarily immediately threatened, but if there is evidence - more than just suspicion.

If you think you saw something once or you just don't like the look of your neighbor (race, ethnicity, religion, etc.), then that's not a reason to call the cops.

Gah, I'm being so unclear. This is a tough set to start with!

3. Do employers have the right to monitor employee Internet usage (recording keystrokes, surveying email, etc.)? Why or why not?

Record keystrokes, I don't think so. Monitor email, as in how much traffic the person does, yes. I don't think they should read the employee's email, unless they have a high suspicion of the employee doing something illegal.

I know that some companies do survey email, and I can understand why. But that doesn't mean I have to like it or agree with it fundamentally.

There are always exceptions to rules, though. Employees who download pr0n or have a side business while at work are some of them.

4. Are surveillance cameras in banks, ATMs, parking lots, shopping centers, stadiums, etc. an unreasonable violation of personal privacy? Why or why not? When (and where) does the placement of a surveillance camera intrude on privacy?

No, those are public places. In bathrooms, yes, that's unreasonable. Especially if they're in stalls.

5. Does the government have a right to monitor everything we do in the name of national security? Why or why not? Under what circumstances might you support something like TIA?

No, the government does not have that right. See #1.

I can't think of any circumstance which would make me support TIA.

1. Friday I wrote about "People I Can Do Without." How about adding to the list with a few people you can live without?

I can live without just about anyone. I'm a real loner-type, though I've been moving away from that in the past, oh, 10 years.

2. Have you ever felt like someone truly respected you? What does being respected mean to you personally?

Oh. Err. Urk. Umm...hmmmm. My husband, I hope. Other than that, people respect my knowledge, but I don't know that they do the whole me.

Being respected means that someone can understand where I'm coming from and treats me with that understanding. Respect.

Frell, that so sucks.

3. In (past or current) relationships, what is the "one thing" your partner would change about you if they could?

I think Lou would change that I always have to be right. But I always am, so there you are. ;)

4. Have you ever tried to change who you are to please someone? How did that turn out?

No, never. I can't imagine even attempting it. It's then not *me.*

5. Do you believe in love at first sight? Can it really happen?

Yes. But the best kinds of love are the ones that take time to build up.

6. Today is "Martin Luther King Jr. Day" in the United States. King's non-violent protests against unequal treatment of African-American people led to radical change in America, and ultimately, his assassination in 1968. How have Rev. King's accomplishments impacted or influenced your life?

Not much, alas, at least not directly.

7. In America, our President declared yesterday to be "National Sanctity of Life Day." While it enacts no change in policy or program, it does allow our country's leader to make a declarative statement about abortion. How do you feel when you hear about a government taking a position such as this?

Really pissed off. Keep your hands off my body, Mr. Bush.

Anne is away on vacation, and has asked Lou and I to take care of their cats, Homer and Electra, while they're away.

No problem, we say. They leave on Sunday (Anne, the Cox truck was putting cable down your side street *and* right in front of your house! Whoo!), and we go in on Tuesday to check on the little babies.

They have a gravity feeder and waterer, and both are very full. And Homer, the giant of a cat, comes out to greet us and get petted.

But there's no sign of Electra. We call and call, and no response. I look in the basement, as best as I can, and still nothing.

Finally, Lou says that he thought he saw a flash when we came in, and asks me to look under the sofa.

While he lifts it up.

So he proceeds to do so, and I see Electra, looking from side to side, wondering where her couch/protection/hiding place went.

We laugh, Lou lowers the couch very carefully, and we proceed on our merry way.

We'll be stopping by tomorrow too, to check on the kitties. And we'll be looking under the couch.

I *heart* Movabletype. I think Ben and Mena are great people who have built a wonderful tool.

But how can I resist something that uses, as an example, my absolute favorite comedian?

Will have to keep an eye on Textpattern. Oh yes.

By the way...ma grand-mère est flambé. (please forgive any misspellings - it's been 15 years since I took French!)

Courtesy of Blogatelle.

1. If there were to be a televised, public execution broadcast in prime time, would you watch it?

No. Just wouldn't, couldn't, do it.

2. If you could mold to your liking your memories of any past experiences, would you do so?

Sure. I'd modify the things in my head that I keep beating myself up over, so that I wouldn't do that. I'm not saying change the memory itself, more change my reaction to it. If I could do that, of course.

3. The excitement of the Holiday Season is long over. What "big day" are you looking forward to next?

February 22nd. 6th Anniversary, woo-hoo! And it's a Saturday, so we can actually DO something on the date and not work! Whee!

I heard about this on SixApart, when I was browsing some old posts today. I had tried to use BlogScript to post to my blog, and it worked fine back when I was using Blogger, but it just didn't handle MT very well, especially with categories.

So, this post is my first test with the new tool. Mac OSX 10.2 or higher required.

Ooh, and it can insert an iTunes track! Ginger, have you been using this? I think I may need to play with the tags for that more, develop some new CSS tags...

Edit: Okay, so we have to figure out the convert line breaks thing, 'cause it ain't working. Also, it didn't pick the category...

Current Music: The Hurting from the album "The Hurting" by Tears For Fears.

1. What is one thing you don't like about your body?

While I like the color of my eyes, I don't like how nearsighted I am.

2. What are two things you love about your body?

I love my long, thick hair and my height (just 1/4" shy of 5'10").

3. What are three things you want to change about your home?

Well, first I'd like to GET one. I don't consider the apartment a "home." But if we're going with the current apartment, it'd be this:

First, I'd want the stove to be gas, since we're heated by gas now.

Second, I'd want a larger bathroom.

Third, I'd want outer walls that don't slope inward as they go up, so we can put things against them without them taking up a significant more floor space than they ought to.

4. What are four books you want to read this year?

I don't know...I read whatever I like. That said, I would like to read Diana Gabaldon's latest two. I still have not read Drums of Autumn nor The Fiery Cross. I want to read Neil Gaiman's American Gods. And I want to start Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Oh, and I want to finish Eric Flint's 1632, since I just couldn't get through the end, where I knew there was going to be a lot of deaths, after September 11, 2001. That's when I stopped reading it. I do want to get back to it, and now we have it in ebook format, thanks to Lou's Christmas present of War of Honor.

Oh, and I want to finish The Fifth Sorceress in eBook format on my Palm, too. That's by Robert Newcomb, and I got it free from Fictionwise last year. Hmm..well, I mentioned five by name, and then Terry Pratchett. That should do.

5. What are five promises you have kept to yourself?

Does this mean promises I haven't told anyone, or promises that I made to myself that I didn't break?

I don't make promises like the latter, nor the former, actually, now that I think about it. So, invalid question. Sorry.

(hmm..category is still not sticking in Kung-Log. Must report bug.)

1. Have you ever been nominated for a blogging award? Which one? What happened?

Hell no! And if I had, I'd be hella surprised.

2. Would you like to be nominated for a blogging award? Why or why not?

No. I don't blog for awards. My blog is my personal stuff, not stuff any great import, except perhaps to those who know me. Besides, it'd mean I'd have to devote more time to it that I do already, and that's just too much.

3. Do you follow blogging awards? Why or why not? Has there ever been a nomination and/or award that surprised or disappointed you? Which one? Why?

I looked at the Bloggies last year, and voted I think. But I don't follow them. I mainly did it for Wil Wheaton.

4. How do you feel about blogging awards? Real? Fake? Valuable? Worthless? Share your thoughts, please.

Worthless. I just don't see the point. But I'm not into awards, so that's probably why.

5. If you could create any blogging award category, what would it be? Why? Who would you nominate? Why?

"Blog that looks best in Lynx and *insert latest browser here*". Because everyone (me included) does all this funky, fancy stuff, and I'd like to see a blog that looks good in Lynx *and* IE6, Netscape 4.7, etc. I have no idea who I'd nominate, but I know who I'd go to for assistance in the choosing. I know someone who uses Lynx to browse the web.

Current Music: Victim/Volunteer from the album "Attainable Love" by Christine Lavin

You are blue. You are somewhat innocent, in the fact that your genius only extends to the physical world. You have a false sense of contentness. You are usually the quiet one, the genius. Everyone can count on you to help when they have problems, but you only fall short of being able to solve your own.

What inner color are you?

Quiz by Shirono

Actually, I find that pretty accurate. Of course, is there a quiz on Quizilla that doesn't have typos/misspellings?

I will post a more coherent review here later tonight when I get the chance to organize my thoughts. And maybe rewatch the episode and take notes.

But DAMN! if this isn't a great show! All new direction from here on out.

Doyce? Did you watch it? Please say you did...

1. Do you care for poetry? Do you have a favorite poem? Care to share some of it?

Poetry really isn't my thing. That said, I love Robert Frost's poems. Birches was the one I chose to read in high school Speech & Debate class. I didn't prepare enough for it, so I scored shitty.

2. What does it take to "rock your world?"

Anything. Everything. Gaah, there is so much. Let me sum up.

It has to hit my buttons, which are wide and varied. LotR rocked my world. Bujold's Curse of Chalion rocked my world. My husband repeatedly rocks my world. The Dixie Chicks' Traveling Soldier rocks my world.

Get it?

3. Have you ever done anything that landed you in financial trouble? Has somebody else's action ever caused you financial ruin? What happened?

When I got my first checking account, I never kept it balanced. And then I got a car. My car payments were late, often. I almost had it repossessed, but managed to squeak out of that one.

I've not gotten anyone else into financial ruin, unless you count dragging Lou into my debt as ruin. :)

4. Take a stroll down memory lane. There is a song, that every time you hear it, you think of this one person. What's the song, who is the person, and what memories does it conjure up?

College. There was a hallmate who hated me, for no reason. I guess I had moved into her territory, taken her friends as mine. Later, much later, she told me that she didn't know why she hated me so much, and we kinda moved beyond it. But I never really liked her, or trusted her.

While we were still on the outs, I heard Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight." And every time I hear that song now, I think of her.

5. I've never cared for football, it was never on in the house growing up and I never developed a "taste" for it. But I've always felt like I "should" enjoy it, that I was deficient in some way because I never get excited about things like the Super Bowl (except for the commercials). Are there any occasions when you feel like you are missing out on something that everyone else seems to enjoy?

No, not really. I don't watch the SuperBowl, or much sports at all. But I don't feel like I'm missing something.

6. A few of the phrases that get under my skin are "take it to the next level" (which was used when I was told why I was being replaced at Fox by someone who could do that) and "you just don't get it" (always popular in relationship fights). What phrases "push your buttons" and why?

None that I can think of off the top of my head.

7. Do you believe in life after death? What do you believe happens when our time is up?

No, I don't think I do believe in life after death. I don't believe in heaven, or hell, either. I haven't really given it an extensive analysis, but I do think that there are ghosts and some sort of afterlife. I'm just not sure what.

And more bad "engrish" captions found here, including...

"how will he take me he is still big for it"

"What business did a man and a wolf had ridden a mark"

"we are not oaks we are hobiks"

"Gandolf foogray that was my name"

No body should have pretty the child"

"That's solomon milon dish"

"cannot eat better not sleep" (cats/clowns might get me!)

"no i have to do sam"

And more! These are just some gems from the 80 minutes!

Which OS are You?

1. When was the last time you ever walked out of a movie while it was still playing on screen? Or have you ever?

I don't think I've ever walked out on a movie. I can't recall doing so. Not even for Highlander II.

2. What sort of things would you do if you could be as outgoing and uninhibited as you wish?

Probably not much more different than I am now. Maybe before I was married I'd have gone out to clubs more, dancing, etc. Now I'm just too old.

3. In an expensive restaurant, after a very nice, enjoyable meal, the waitress brings you your check. You notice you didn't get charged for one of the items. What, if anything, do you do?

I'd catch the waitress' attention and tell her about it. I've been a waitress before.

1. As a child, who was your favorite superhero/heroine? Why?

I wasn't into superheroes as a child. That said, I did watch Batman on reruns, and The Hulk and Wonder Woman on TV. That said, I think I'd pick Wonder Woman.

2. What was one thing you always wanted as a child but never got?

A horse. And totally understandable that I never got one. I didn't complain or anything. Hell, I used to *volunteer* to muck out stalls at the barn I rode at. I got up EARLY on weekends to do that.

3. What's the furthest from home you've been?

Alicante, Spain. It was supposedly the warmest place in Spain, and it was frelling cold. We only stayed one night, and then headed back to Madrid.

4. What's one thing you've always wanted to learn but haven't yet?

How to jump out of airplanes. And shoot a gun.

5. What are your plans for the weekend?

ATF tonight, and I'm trotting out the new monster I created last night. Tomorrow, Jack is staying and we're doing some Rilla & Gevrok stuff. Probably eating out some meal.

Tomorrow night, Lou's mother is celebrating her 60th birthday with dinner out and then a family game night. Her actual birthday is today.

Then the Sunday game, hopefully will go as usual. But since StillPoint is moving, we may be missing two of our four players, and hence would have to cancel.

1. Why do you blog?

For fun, and to keep in touch with folks. This blog is for random bits that amuse me. The Weight Watchers blog is for me to keep track of my body and stay healthy. The Pop Culture blog started strong, but has faded. It's for me to post comments about movies, tv, pop culture, etc. And others to post too. But Brian's never posted, Meera did some great posts, and Anne's done a few. But I have dropped off considerably.

My Whitespace blog is for me to work on my writing. I am working on it, but I'm not posting things there for various reasons. I think I will start in February.

2. What do you blog about? Why?

Umm....see above. I always answer more than I am supposed to in earlier questions.

3. Who is your primary blogging audience? Why?

Umm..urk..my friends. I don't blog for popularity, I blog for fun. So those who find the things I do for fun might read it and enjoy it.

My WW Blog has done well for others who are trying to lose weight. We get a decent amount of comments from "outsiders."

4. What is your blogging philosophy? Why?

Don't have one. Don't really need one. I don't blog about work (much) or badmouth folks. I originally thought I might, but it's never really come up.

5. Have you ever stopped blogging or considered ending your blog? Why? What happened?

I've considered ending my pop culture blog because I haven't posted to it. Other than that, not really. My interest in it comes and goes, waxes and wanes. But I don't want to stop.

[still playing catch-up with the Game WISHes...]

What are three movies that have inspired you as a gamer? Would you recommend them to other gamers, and if so, what would you tell them to look for and/or hope for them to get?

For Amber, I must admit I am a Dangerous Liaisons fan. The Usual Suspects gets an honorable mention.

What to look for? Look for the deviousness of Valmont and Merteuil. Especially how Valmont falls into his own trap. Especially how Merteuil explains how she practiced smiling while stabbing herself with a fork. Duplicitiousness is in their nature. And when Valmont starts believing what he's selling...and Merteuil convinces him to leave his lady...and oh.

Spacey's just awesome in Suspects. So frelling believable, you can't help but buy everything he says to Kujan, hook, line, and sinker.

For fantasy, I'm going to have to go with The Barbarians. Twin bodybuilding brothers (from Rhode Island!) play barbarians on your typical fantasy quest. But some of the scenes are almost straight out of a roleplaying session! Really a spoof of Conan, it's just a very fun and funny movie.

Now, one more...inspired me, hmm?

Damn. I'm just going to have to go back to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Aragorn is the penultimate ranger. Legolas is what a bowman should be like - and inspired my friends to try to create a character with exotic weapon proficiencies in arrows, so they could stab the bad guys as well as shoot them.

[yet another catch-up...]

Do you prefer campaigns to be limited-plot, with a definite ending, or open-ended, so that they can continue indefinitely? What about things like ìconvention campaignsî where people meet irregularly to pick up old characters and game together? What are the pros and cons of each sort of game? Which is more common in your gaming experience?

I prefer open-ended games. I like the ideas of having limited plots within the game setting - different adventures. But overall, the characters keep moving and growing. Eventually the characters may grow apart, or the situation may become untenable.

In our previous Sunday game (set in the fantasy world of Lou's and my design), our characters went only up to about 11th level. We were playing in 2nd edition, and by that time, Lou had beaten us over the head with "the end of the world is coming!" enough times that our characters were just sick of each other. Sick of banding together to save the world YET AGAIN from whatever evi thing was trying to destroy it. The players also got kinda sick of it.

Lou didn't necessarily *plan* for this to happen, but it did. In one scenario, our characters had all planned to take a month off and get various things done. But Lou, not thinking, dangled a plot in front of two of the PCs. Yet again, the world was going to be ending. And that meant we couldn't take any time off. Lou said that he hadn't intended for us to follow up on it, it was just there as something that we would deal with eventually. But it was presented in such a way that no good-minded party (which we were, heavily) could refuse to stop whatever they were doing and go and stop yet another apocalypse.

My husband does a very good job with apocalypses, don't get me wrong. But it was overdone in that game. Even he burned out on it.

The current game is set 20 years later in the same game world, and has mainly dealt with getting a rightful princess (one of the PCs) back on her throne and kicking out/killing the usurper. In the beginning, we didn't know she was even a *girl*, she was disguised.

The game started out in 2nd edition, moved into 3E, and our characters are now 18-19th level. And we show no signs of wanting to stop playing them. (My character is lower level than the rest because she had to leave for a time due to party conflicts, so I brought in the son of my old PC and an NPC from the first game, and played him for about a level.) In fact, Lou's had to revise the evil usurper a number of times because we keep advancing, and aren't going after him yet. Partially because we know we'll lose her as PC once we do that, and partially because there are other things we need to do. Like build an army to take her back, stop the evil Lich that killed a former PC, and figure out why my character was abandoned by her elven parents and raised by a human plains horse tribe.

In the meantime, we also ended a curse on an NPC, fought an ancient red dragon, journeyed to Sigil, and various other adventures.

Okay, that said, let's get back to the question at hand.

I like "convention campaigns" just fine. But I couldn't do it regularly. It's fun for a convention, getting together with old friends and pulling out the old character for some fun. But I think part of the fun is in the short time limit. I don't think I could play Calypso/Ingrid (my Multiple-Personality Disorder character) in a regular game again. She reached her end. But for a con game, sure I'd drag them out again, in a heartbeat. It's fun to visit in their heads for a brief time.

In my gaming experience, the open-ended is definitely more common. I ran an Amber game with a finite time limit, basically a throne war, just to see if I could (mainly the backstabbing issue). It lasted maybe a half-dozen sessions or so, and it was fun. But I couldn't do it regularly. I like continuity.

[only one more, then I can start on Roll Call!]

Are PBeM (Play-by-email) games actually roleplaying? Why or why not? How does PBeM differ from or approximate roleplaying face-to-face, or other activities that you feel it is similar to?

Since it's how I got into roleplaying, I have to come down on the side of YES, it is.

I started gaming back in the day on Compuserve. Most specifically in what was called then a CON (short for CONference) game, but now would be called a chat. But not long after that, I started in my first play-by-message-board game (and let me tell you, the thing I miss *most* about CIS is its message board system). I still have all the logs...somewhere.

That allowed me to branch out into face-to-face (or ftf) games, because I needed some game material and the guy at the local store asked if I wanted to join his game.

But in those dark, early years, all my gaming was done online.

Now, PBeM is a little different than message board gaming, I think. It's tough for me to describe the difference, but there is one. Part of it is the public-ness of message board. Everyone not in the game gets to watch, as long as the threads are public. PBeM most often only includes those actively involved in the thread, and absolutely no one who isn't even in the game able to watch.

But then again, most ftf games don't have spectators, unless you're playing at a convention or a game store, and folk (are allowed to) come by to watch.

For ftf games, you can get the immediate reaction of the player and thereby the character. You're not confused by the tone or the attitude of the character - it's right there on display. Immediacy is the key word with FTF games. You get everything done much more quickly.

But ftf games often can't allow for the private conversations that PBeM games do. Unless your players/GM allow for a long time of just two or three folk talking off by themselves, those have to be done out of game time. If even those are allowed.

They can also restrict individual character development, because the group tends to be paramount (not always, especially not with my WEF Amber game, but still true with many other games.). Back in the day, when I was running Calypso/Ingrid (the MPD character mentioned in the previous WISH answer), Lou and I would spend hours just the two of us (and this was before we were involved!) gaming with just Ingrid and Moirin (his NPC), or Calypso and Moirin (less frequently, but still done). But that was all done out of game time, on our own time. None of the other characters got as much face time with the GM as Ingrid did.

In PBeM, the immediacy is gone. You can have some of it, if folk are quick to respond to emails. But there's always the chance of others being left behind, and the GM having to retcon what really happened, if PCs jumped the gun and moved farther than they should have.

But it can also be hella slow. Waiting for busy players to respond, or just waiting for every player to get the chance to respond. In large games, this can take weeks before things get moving.

There's also a slight sense of distance, at least to me, with PBeM. I can play someone wildly different than me, because I can take a day (or more) to figure out how the character would respond to the insult/proposal/opportunity that has just landed in the inbox.

I get to write more with PBeM. I used to write more for my ftf characters, diaries and logs and all manner of things. That has fallen by the wayside with the number of games I play in ftf. Hells, I haven't done a log for the game I run in almost a year. I really need to get back to doing that, dammit!

But I play in two weekly games, one every-other-week game, one once-a-month game, one whenever-the-schedule-allows game, and I run an every other-week game. I also play currently in one active PBeM (yes, Jenn, I owe you a post!), and one rather lapsed PBeM (whither TRiH?), one whenever-everyone-remembers-to-post PBeM (Whither SBE?). I stopped running my play-by-message-board game, because I just can't keep interest in a game long enough to keep it going. Plus, I have issues with having to visit a place to post - I don't do it. *shrugs* Holdover from burnout on CIS? Possibly.

I wish I was in more PBeMs, but I don't think I could just join one that was already in progress, or I didn't know all the participants. I often miss the days of composing posts on CIS for Glyneth, or Celebanna (though that was mainly a CON game), or whomever. But I'm in enough ftf games to keep my interest going. No burnout yet.

[damn, another one snuck up on me! This is the second to last one now...]

Is there any addiction to the feedback gaming provides in the weaving of stories? Unlike traditional tales, gaming allows the input of the players and GM into going ìother places,î depending on the interests and desires of those involved...but can that lead to feeding the audience too much of what it likes and not enough challenge? Where in that scale do you measure?

Interesting question. I'm not quite sure how to respond...

Addiction of gaming? Yes. To the feedback...the immediacy, as I said in other posts for Game WISH? Perhaps.

Here's an example, I think.

In our Sunday game (D&D 3E), Lou has set the world and let us explore it. We have a TON of items on our plate, and are just getting to resolving some of them.

One of them included taking care of the ancient Red Dragon that one of our party members pissed off, trying to "threaten" it into staying off our back. It had been spying on us, we'd found out (using its half-breed children), and selling the information to the highest bidder. It told the PC that it would be coming for us, at some point. And also that it would kill the PC if he dared show up at the dragon's lair again.

Some of the players (and maybe the characters) wanted to deal with it. We made preparations, but we knew it was beyond our strength to deal with. So my character, not wanting to die (knowing she'd be the first one on the dragon's list once it knew she could cast Quench (no save, no spell resistance, 15d6 to fire-based creatures) on it (*hearts Quench*). She didn't want to die. *I* didn't want her to die.

So I kept putting that off. We'd get just about ready to fight it, then my character would suggest something else, and we'd go off and investigate that. Gaining levels, and magic items, and experience.

We finally fought the dragon last Sunday, because I couldn't think of anything else to use to stave off the fight.

This is a perfect example of catering to the audience, but keeping enough of a challenge for the players. Gauge what the players, and the characters, want to do, but offer them other opportunities. As long as there are other options, I don't think you'll ever be accused of pandering to the crowd.

Plus, as any good GM knows, the more you plan or push your players in one direction, the more likely they are to head in the other, no matter how much you cater directly to them.

To what extent do you or your gaming peers use and develop house rules? Are you the kind of player who builds a system from the ground up, the kind of player who endlessly tweaks an existing game system to improve its performance, or the kind of player who uses a system out of the box? How does it affect your playing style? How does it affect the balance between rules mechanics and ìpureî role-playing?

We use a number of house rules, but nowhere near as much as we did with 2nd edition.

(Amber doesn't really use rules, and we're not playing much other than D&D these days. Even starting a D&D Modern game, so will have to let you all know how that goes once it gets off the ground.)

In our current game, the biggest house rule we use is that characters get back twice their level in hit points each night, if in the care of a healer (ie, party cleric). The standard is that, but only if the character in question does full bed rest. It's better than level+1 or whatever silliness it was in 2nd edition.

We don't endlessly tweak a system - most of our gamers aren't system whores, they're there for the game, be it the experience, the social aspect, the roleplaying opportunities. So we find a system we like, and go with it. And since I'm not a system whore, that's all I really have to say on this.