Shut Up and Take My Money!

I donated to the Kickstarter that has the world in a tizzy.

I like Double Fine games. I like old-school games. But most of all, I like seeing a company that's willing to take a chance on something that's not your standard multiplayer shooter in muddy tones of green and brown for the "core gamer."

There's more to gamers than guys who like guns and teabagging. There should be more than that in games, too.

Birthday Wish List, 2012

Haven't done a birthday list in a few years -- funny to see that the sweater pictured I linked in 2008 is the sweater that's on my needles right now.

Anyway, it's the big birthday day, and I get to wish for whatever I want.

1. More time near the ocean. I love it, feel recharged every time I get near it, but we don't go nearly as often as I would like. I understand that J doesn't get the same thrill from it as I do (I am very much a water baby) but dangit, I want some beach time!

I took the pic at the top last month at Santa Cruz, btw. First time we'd been there in *ages.*

2. More writing. Now, those of you who know me are thinking "Wut? Don't you write all day every day?" Yes, but that's my job. My own writing projects get neglected when I'm too exhausted or too stressed to think about anything but heating up a frozen pizza and watching Castle. That needs to change.

3. I need to cowgirl up and work on the apartment. We've been here for four-and-a-half years, and it still looks like we're moving in. There's a lot we could do to make it better.

4. Health and happiness for all my family and friends. May you only have good things.

5. High CCU. If you don't know what that means, that's OK.

6. If anyone wants to get me two of these chairs in black, I wouldn't complain. :)

7. Excellent yarn. I'm knitting a Central Park Hoodie in Dream in Color Classy now, and it's amazing how much the yarn contributes to my enjoyment of a project. I am an official yarn snob.

8. I want to cook more. The food tastes better, it's better for us and I *know* what went into it. I've been working on my cookie technique, made a cake from scratch, and even roasted a chicken with great success. This, as the Dread Lord Martha might say, is a good thing.

9. JAPAN! J and I have been talking about a trip to Japan for more than a decade. Is this the year that we go?

10. This year I will finally visit Alcatraz. Say what you want, hipsters -- I enjoy touristing around California. The Rock has been at the top of my list for a while, and the closest I've gotten was a boat ride around the island.

11. Cupcakes. I think I want a cupcake.

12. Hey Blogger! Be nice if your CMS didn't add a bunch of extra div tags every time I try to drop in a picture!

Don't make me do my own coding. No one wins in that scenario. :)

Anyway, best wishes to everyone over the next year. May you get everything on your list.

So as I was saying ...

Haven't been here for awhile -- nice to see the old place is still around.

Don't know what made me think about blogging again. the Facebook beast takes up most of what passes for social networking these days, and my Twitter is work only.

But I am trying out some new things -- why not try out some old things?

I stopped blogging because there was a lot of things going on that I couldn't talk about, and it felt disingenuous.

The odd thing about having a semi-"public" identity (and saints above, please don't let the Trekkies find this -- parts of my life should and will be mine and mine alone) is that I expect everything I post on the Internet to be used against me in a forum fight someday. It makes me consider what I say very carefully. Trust me -- that's not always fun.

So what happened? Some good things happened, then some bad things, then we launched a game (and if you haven't played Star Trek Online, go do so RITE NAO), then some more bad things, mixed with a few good things, then I had ice cream ... you get the picture. Overall, I'd say there's been more good than bad, which is always nice.

As to what I'll talk about here? I don't know. Knitting and movies, probably, writing, games -- things that interest me.

You might not find them fascinating, but then again, I'm not writing this to please you, Mr. and/or Ms. So Doesn't Find My Life Interesting.

This is for me.

Hey Bendis!

OK, Bendis -- I cut you a lot of slack because Alias was just so damn good.

But I'm reading this never-ending ridiculous Hood nonsense, and I'd like to point out a few things.

OK, first -- I get that you don't want to be writing superhero comics. I really, really do. You're all sorts of scared that you're gonna lose your indie cred, but you just can't give up the phat Avengers paychecks. Have your personal drama if you want -- but would you please keep your Blue Velvet tendencies out of my damn superhero comics??

And seriously -- leave Tigra alone. Just don't write for her *ever* again. Because you don't get her. And you don't think she's a superhero. Maybe you're distracted by the bikini, or maybe you're a dog person. But the next time I see a superhero go all weepy and cower because of some stupid two-bit hood cosplaying as Little Red Riding Hood, I'm gonna come to your house and ask for my three bucks back.

Check out the stick figures (scroll down). It's a better Avengers comic, and it comes out on time.

Birthday Wish List: 2008

A year has gone by, and I was looking at my wish list from last year. And it occurs to me that I actually did pretty well -- I got the majority of what I wanted.

So 2007 had its ups and downs, but overall it didn't suck.

In the interest of having another year that doesn't suck, I present the 2008 version of my birthday list. Items are in no particular order, so start shopping.

Thanks.

1. Some stability. It's tough to get a grip on something that keeps changing. If I can't have stability, I'd really like the same thing to be true two days in a row.

2. Lucky breaks. It would be really nice if things would go my way a few times.

3. Health and happiness for everyone I care about.

4. Unclipped wings. If this little falcon doesn't get to fly soon, she's gonna start pecking out some eyes.

5. A bed. A nice cushy bed that I can sink into and not wake up with a cramp in my hip 'cause the mattress is starting to deflate. We got rid of the majority of our furniture in the move, and I miss it. (Not my crappy old furniture, but the idea of furniture.)

6. While we're at it, how about an apartment full of kick-ass furniture? We can start with bookshelves (pie do I need a load of those) and then move on to pieces that satisfy my retro-cool desires.

7. More time at the beach. Nothing I've seen out here affects me as deeply as standing at the edge of the world.

8. A real vacation. It's been a few years since I had one, and it's time. I'd like it to involve majestic sights, stories to last a lifetime and at least one umbrella drink.

9. Jeans that fit. Preferably jeans that fit that are one or more sizes smaller than the jeans I'm wearing now.

10. To successfully knit socks and a sweater that both fit and are nice enough that I'm willing to wear them out of the house.

11. To sell something I've written that is non-work related and that I get actual money for creating.

12. Multiple pairs of hella cute hand-painted shoes. Anyone who's still looking for a present for me could start with these in a size 8.5.

13. More Pocky and milk-flavored Hello Panda. And the return of my beloved Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze -- damn that stuff is tasty.

It's not too much to ask, is it?

Marvel's Attitude Towards Its Fans

I really need to stop thinking about this ...

End of the Day

I'm not going to go into what a complete waste of paper the Spider-Man "One More Day" storyline was.

I'm not going to rage about lazy storytelling, complete lack of respect for the characters and heavy-handed editorial decisions that bork up thirty years of comic history.

I'm not even going to mention how amazingly stupid it is to say "Spider-Man can't get divorced, but deals with the DEVIL are okey-dokey!" Or how if this deal doesn't come back and bite Peter Parker in his regressed ass, it will be a severe injustice.

I'm just going to say Thank you, Marvel. Thank you for saving me nine bucks a month. Because hell will freeze before I buy any Spider-Man comics having anything to do with this lame idea.

If you want to know what I'm ranting about, you can check out Newsarama or Comic Book Resources, or just look for the cluster of comic fans foaming at the mouth.

But don't bother me. I'll be reading Booster Gold or perusing my DVD full of Spider-Man stories that don't suck.

"It's magic, it doesn't have to be explained."

Bite me, Quesada.

Why Peter Parker Shouldn't Dance

Or maybe, why this sequence shouldn't have been in Spider-Man 3:

Indiana to California: Day Four and Beyond

A good night's sleep and a full breakfast was just what we needed, and after we lost a couple more bucks in the slots we got back on the road.

We skirted around Reno, not wanting to stop at this point, and headed into California.

The area near the border is crazy beautiful -- mountains, big blue lakes, an amazing sky -- it was an *immediate* difference as we crossed the border, and there was so much gorgeous scenery that John had trouble keeping track of the road.

Things got flatter and more urban until we were in Sacramento. We'd talked about stopping for lunch, but at this point, we just wanted to *get* there. So we kept going.

On and on into the Bay Area, and oh, that's the Bay!!!

Oakland had a *huge* amount of traffic, and then we passed through the biggest conglomeration of highway ramps and curves and lanes either of us had ever seen.

On to Los Gatos -- where we drove around for *an hour* looking for something we recognized from our research. We *finally* found Vasona Park, after stopping for directions.

This was Saturday afternoon, and our apartment wasn't going to be ready until Thursday. So we checked into the Los Gatos Lodge, and made that our new base of operations.

Cute little place, nice people -- I'd recommend it for someone staying in this area.

As to what the past three weeks have been like? Eh, that seems like another post. So far, though, I love California.

Indianapolis to California: Day Three -- The Nevada Chronicles

I guess I should finish this overblown tale before I review the last Harry Potter book, right?

Anyway ...

We crossed into Nevada -- we knew it was Nevada, because there were casinos. And we're driving, there is desert and mountains and a book on the mp3 player (Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin) and everyone's happy. Well, the cats weren't happy, but they were hecka pissed all the way across the country.

Hey, what's that black cloud? Is that smoke?

Why yes, officer, we'll pull off I-80 now.

Apparently the area surrounding the interstate was ... ON FIRE!!!! An approximately 7,000-acre wildfire, and there was no way to know when the road would be re-opened.

And we were stuck at a truck stop with everyone else. So we grabbed some sodas, and I lost two bucks in the slots (Those things are *way* more complicated than "pull the lever, look for cherries.")

While I was losing quarters, John was studying the map. And he found another road, U.S. 50, that was out of the fire area and ended in the same place I-80 would have put us -- Reno.

A local said it would take three to three-and-a-half hours to drive. No problem! It was mid-afternoon, and we'd be in Reno in time for dinner.

Yeah, I don't know how *they* drive, but ...

A few interesting things to know about U.S. 50. The Nevada stretch has been called "The Loneliest Road in America." AAA advises not driving it unless you have survival skills!

But did we know that? Nah!

And we're driving, and we're driving, and there's *nothing.* No towns, no stops, no people. A few bunny rabbits. Horror movies start like this.

And for miles and miles and miles, this is all we see:



And it's OK, because we've got our snacks and our mp3 player and we'll be in Reno in a little while.

But then it starts to get dark. And we're not in Reno.

And in the fading light, we start to see stuff like this:



Now we're going up and down mountains on tight hairpin turns. And it's pitch black. John could only drive 25 mph or so, and that was on the easier stretches.

And ... it ... just ... goes ... on ... forever.

We decide we're stopping at the next available opportunity.

At the bottom of the mountains, we hit a town, Austin. Time for rejoicing? Not quite. The first thing we see is a spray-painted sign warning about a speed trap. The next? The speed trap -- it was all John could do to get our speed down in time.

It's late by now, and we see a couple of scary looking bars, and two even-scarier looking motels with a bunch of Hogs out front. I'm sure the people of Austin, Nevada are good people and all, but they should know that after dark, their town looks like someplace where they serve wayward travelers with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.

We decide not to stop.

So we keep driving ... and driving ... and driving ... and driving ... and driving ...

And there's no end to this road. We're in the Twilight Zone. We're trapped in some sort of alternative dimension where we are the only people.

This was one of the main routes of the Pony Express, so that was cool, but really. I thought people in Wyoming were isolated. Compared to this, people in the backwoods of Indiana are downright suburban!

About *midnight,* we start to see lights. A town! A good-sized, not so scary town! Fallon welcomes us with ... a bunch of totally booked motels.

It seems there was a *rodeo* in town. Danged cowboys! I grab the AAA guide and start dialing numbers, and we luck out at the Motel 8/casino -- one room left. Non-pet. Why no, I don't have a kitty! (/em hides cages behind her back.)

We were *scrupulous* about cleaning up after the felines, but we needed a bed. Who cared about dinner ... that passed hours ago. Shower and collapse.

Indiana to California: Day Three

After a fuel stop and a quick breakfast (more strawberry cereal bars) we were back on the road.

Wyoming is really, really gorgeous. I just can't say enough, and we're making plans to go back for a longer vacation so we can take it all in.

As we moved into "The West," though, we were both struck at how many manufactured homes and trailers we saw instead of houses, and the vast distances between them. Since we're both from the rural Midwest, we thought we understood isolation. Not so much. Out there? That's isolation.

We stopped near the Utah border for lunch at a regional chain called Taco Time. It was *packed,* so I guess that's what passes for good food there. I had a chicken soft taco that looked suspiciously like a burrito, and their signature Mexi-Fries.

The secret's out -- Mexi-Fries are tater tots with seasoned salt. I make those at home, but I didn't know I was recreating a Wyoming treat.


And then there's Utah.

OK, I'll admit, ever since I read Under the Banner of Heaven I've found Mormons to be kinda scary. And I watch Big Love, so you know ... :-)

I entered Utah with a little trepidation.

Pretty mountains, pretty mountains ... bam! Salt Lake City!

Salt Lake City is *huge,* yo, and it's interstates are some of the most twisted and convoluted I've ever seen. We saw the temple from a distance, and then we headed to the Great Salt Lake.

I bought a Coke at the last cluster of gas stations and civilization before the lake. Caffeine for the win!

The Great Salt Lake is huge, and very flat, and incredibly impressive in a bleak way. There was that sense of isolation again, because there were miles and miles of nothing but road and the lake.

I kept noticing messages spelled out in rocks. People wanting to leave their mark on nothingness. It was very ... human. But as we zoomed past, I wondered if anyone would ever stop to read those messages.

A cluster of casinos told us we were in Nevada. Day Three isn't over, but Nevada deserves its own post.

Indiana to California: Day 2

Get up, shove the cats in the car, grab some milk, cereal bars and gas and we're back on the road!

Iowa ... yeah, not much to report here. We stopped at a A&W in the middle of nowhere for lunch. Chili dogs are good. I bought a postcard of a cow's behind -- I'm not sure that's the image Iowa wants to project.

Onto Nebraska!

No, wait, Nebraska doesn't deserve an exclamation point. Onto Nebraska.

It's boring, it's flat, and it's huge. Omaha was bigger than I expected, but it looked like three-fourths of the state's population was concentrated there.

We stopped at outside Omaha at a gas station so old and scary I refused to buy lemon drops. They looked like they'd been there since time began. And there was a bunch of photos on the wall about the big meth bust at the station a few weeks back.

There were some Old West-type attractions advertised, but for the most part, there's no good reason to go to Nebraska. We did see the Great Platte River Road Arch, though, which comes out of friggin' nowhere.

Stop again for gas and postcards. At this point, we just want out of this pie-loving state.

There is a notable difference in the scenery when you pass into Wyoming. It's beautiful!

We passed through the Medicine Bow National Forest, and saw the Lincoln Monument, which apparently marks the highest point of I-80.

Didn't see as many cows as I expected to, but we did see a great vintage iron sign from the Laramie County Cowbelles urging us to eat beef.

We were going to stop for the night in Cheyenne, but everything near the interstate looked hinky, so we pushed on to Laramie.

Laramie is an adorable little college town. I love college towns. We checked into the Ramada, had a nice dinner at a brew pub-type place called The Altitude, and called it a night.

Indiana to California on I-80: Day One

Packing up the house, cleaning, etc. Ugh. I'm so, so grateful for all the help we got from our friends and family. Without you guys, I would have set the place on fire.

Then a shocker: My last day at work was on a Wednesday. On Friday, my former employer announced it was going to cut its workforce through buyouts.

Talk about dodging a bullet! I'm not really going to talk about The Indianapolis Star (on the "if you don't have anything nice to say" theory) but there's a lot of good people in a *very* bad situation there, and I feel for them. Good luck, guys.

And it's the Newsroom, dammit, not the Information Center. I'll go to my grave before I start spouting that stupid corporate speak!

Sigh. OK, breathe, breathe ...

And I'm fine now. ;)

Day One

We said goodbye and left Indiana on July 4. Yep, it was Independence Day.

Illinois was the same old, same old. It had the nicest rest stop I've *ever* seen, though -- it was even staffed. My cats thoroughly rejected all the suggestions from the pet books that they come out of their cages and walk around and drink some water every couple of hours and refused to budge. Only Gabriel was brave enough to accept the leash and hop up on a picnic table to look around, but you could tell he wasn't thrilled with the idea.

Stopped at a gas station at the Illinois border that didn't sell Coke products. I didn't think places like that existed. Then we crossed the Mississippi, which was the first time I'd done that by car.

Iowa was hillier than I expected, but there were lots of fields and cows, which is what I did expect. The rest stops there had wifi ... pretty progressive, if you ask me. This trip has taught me how dependent I am on the Internet.

We passed the world's biggest truck stop (or so they claimed) and the International Museum of Wrestling. We were getting tired when we hit Des Moines, so we pulled into a Motel 6 for the night.

The cats kicked up another fuss, so we had to resort to letting them out of their cages and locking them in the bathroom with all the kitty essentials (food, water, litter box) one at a time.

So much for finding cool little restaurants along the way -- we were exhausted, and dinner came from Burger King. A little TV watching with my Whopper Jr. and we crashed.

Only YOU Can Save Ant-Man

For the past few months, I've been laughing my butt off at Marvel's The Ireedemable Ant-Man, about a hero who's kind of a zero.

Yeah, he can be a real tool sometimes (seducing his dead buddy's girl *on* the dead buddy's grave? That's cold, man) but the book is funny, witty and even in his worst moments, Eric is still less of an asshat than Iron Man.

But now, Marvel wants to cancel my fun. First Nextwave, and now this? C'mon Marvel -- have a heart! Have a funny bone!

Ant-Man's got everything -- drama, vengeful old bosses, Ms. Marvel in the shower ... and the Wii! Think about the Wii!

So go out and buy the first Ant-Man trade. Do it soon. Save Ant-Man.

If we don't, they might stick Pym back into that suit, and trust me, no one wants to see that.

OMG

So I said it was decision time, right?

A couple of years ago, I got crazy addicted to a MMO called City of Heroes. I still play danged frequently.

Over the course of a couple of years, as I met a few of the people from Cryptic Studios at conventions and such, I always had the little voice in the back of my head that said "wouldn't it be cool to do that?"

So last summer at GenCon, Cryptic's got a booth, and they're hiring. The little voice gets a little louder.

About the end of October, it got loud enough that I sent in my resume. It was a "why not?" decision -- one of those things you'll always wonder about if you *don't* do it.

I didn't hear anything back, so I forgot about it.

Fast forward to early January, and I get a call from California.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Much stress and drama ensues. I didn't get a firm date on when I'd have my first phone interview, so I didn't leave my house for *two weeks* except to go to work. Then I broke down and got a damn cell phone.

More drama, more stress. J had *serious* doubts about leaving Indiana, as did I. Seven interviews, two writing tests, two whirlwind trips to Cali, exhaustion issues, getting stuck in Denver in a snowstorm, Korean gangsters, terrorism threats, a pint of blood ... you so don't want all the details. Several of them I'm doing my best to block out of my memory forever.

I would have had an easier time being named head of the World Bank -- I hear they're hiring.

I thought about telling them to buzz off half a dozen times, but I didn't. The people I met there were really cool (and really smart, which is a nice change). The job? Beyond cool.

But to anybody who had to put up with me being emo in the weeks and weeks I waited for one call or another -- I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.

In the end, it came down to this -- I'm moving to California to write. I'm doing what I always wanted to do, and someone's crazy enough to pay me for it.

So yeah, it's crazy cool, but I'm crazy stressed at the same times.

Some of the good:

1. I won't ever have to write a headline that involves the words "Iraq," "welfare fraud," "Colts" or "tornado" again.
2. No more working on holidays!
3. No more working on a schedule opposite most of humanity!
4. I was in danger of becoming a cliched, burnt-out journalist. That's not good.
5. I could really love this job, in a crazy kind of adoration way.
6. The San Francisco Bay area looks amazing!
7. We need a fresh start. Too many things are piling up here, too many things left unsaid. J and I need to rethink and recharge. We also need to get rid of at least half of our stuff.
8. Sunshine, mountains and redwoods, with the beach 25 minutes away.
9. I finally have a response for the people who say I spend too much money on comic books -- a big, fat raspberry.
10. Did I mention I was getting paid to write?

Some of the bad:

1. My mom, J's family, and a bunch of good friends will be 2,300 miles away :(
2. The housing market in California officially scares me. I have fears of living in a Hyundai.
3. I have a house to sell, and the last act of Hamlet is more cheery than the Indiana housing market these days. My house has lost $30,000 in value in *six months*.
4. We're breaking up two good gaming groups, and gaming groups are hard to find.
5. I have to clean, sort and pack all my drek, and I've got a month to do it.
6. Did I mention driving across country with three cats?
7. My irrational fear that I'll start my new job, and two days in someone will scream "N00B! I thought you said you could write! Pwned!"

So I'll keep you up to date, as best as I can. Please forgive any gaps in the next few months, as I'm gonna be kinda ... yeah .. distracted.

At least I'll have lots to blog about.

Oh, and this may be the first and last time I ever mention my work on this blog. I've got a thing about keeping my personal and professional lives separate. Ya'll understand, right?

Decisions, Decisions

Goodbye, Blue Monday

I first read "Slaughterhouse-Five" in high school. My school had a copy in the library, but they hid it in the stacks of old Newsweek magazines. A little vision can be a dangerous thing.

I think it's time to revisit some old friends -- "Slaughterhouse-Five," "Cat's Cradle," "Breakfast of Champions" -- they never get old, even if we do.

Farewell, Mr. Vonnegut -- you will be missed.

It's all in my mind

So a little over three months ago, I got a phone call that still could be something super, but for now has thrown my happy little world into chaos.

I can't really explain (some of you know what's what) but I'm tired of sitting by the phone like a freshman who needs a date for Homecoming. And being crazy all the time takes too much energy.

When I get stressed, or anxious, or just need to relax, I like to play games or knit. Knitting works the best -- it's almost like moving mediation, and my hands are busy while my mind can wander into whatever dark little corner it wants to explore.

Since I got that first phone call, I've made a scarf, three hats, six washcloths, a dishtowel and I'm almost done with a scarf/hood. (Yes, I'll get more pics up soon) But I think that count shows something about my stress levels lately.

I've decided the whole crazy mess, including a very surreal night in a Holiday Inn in Denver, was a figment of my imagination.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

My Birthday Wish List

OK -- so I've been really distracted for the past week.

I can't exactly explain why -- it's complicated. But 2007 started out pretty crappy -- I've got a lingering cough that won't go away, the fraggin' DVD player broke again (that's the second one in a month), I've got issues that don't seem to have a resolution and no one gave me a pony for Christmas.

Last week, something happened that could bring a little sunshine into it all.

Now, I'm not going all emo and saying I hate my life and everything -- I've got a husband I absolutely adore who makes me very happy, friends, family, cute cats, yarn, "Buffy" DVDs ... there's lots of things to be happy about.

That doesn't mean there aren't things I wouldn't change.

And to stop rambling and give this post a point, my birthday is coming up in a few weeks. Here's what I want in 2007, in no particular order. Start shopping now. :-)

1. A job where my ideas are appreciated, my humanity is respected and my intelligence is of use. I want to be creative and useful again.

2. To see something beautiful, up close and personal.

3. To stand in the shadow of a mountain. Or in a forest so thick it blocks out the light.

4. To eat an ice cream cone while I wiggle my toes in the ocean.

5. To go places that will engage my mind and relax my soul.

6. To wake up to the scent of flowers, and a view that will energize me for the entire day.

7. A picnic at a drive-in movie.

8. A Hello Kitty bike. Is this not the coolest bike ever?

9. The continued health and happiness of everyone dear to me.

10. A Creative Zen Vision. If I can't have that to block out the world, I'd like a way to make the annoying twit who sits by me at work shut the hell up for a few minutes.

11. Pocky. Lots and lots of Pocky. Milk-flavored Hello Panda, too. And vanilla lattes.

12. To feel beautiful.

I'm convinced this isn't too much to ask for ...

Best commerical ever!

And it covers my Bruce Campbell quota for the week -- how can I lose?

Somehow I feel the need to buy a case of smelly aftershave now.