Away Game

A friend of mine, who we'll call Keith (because that's his name), has gone out of town. He and his family went to the aid of his grandmother in Carolina. His family plans to return on Monday but he will be staying indefinitely. This has put a large hole in my social life. Not only is he an integral part of our Role-Playing Games, but he and I go to movies and generally hang out together. So now I must come up with ways to entertain myself!

Richard, Keith's brother Nick, and I will still try to do our once weekly RPG session, but we will have to find some way to explain the absence of Keith's characters or start yet another ongoing campaign. (we have over a dozen unresolved games hanging over our heads just now)

None of this is meant to be a recrimination against Keith, I fully understand that when family needs you, you should be there. I'm just listing all the ways I will miss him and hope circumstances allow him to return soon.

Tonight is the premiere of 'V for Vendetta', I am trying to replace Keith as the coordinator of the movie gang which is a much wider net than the RPG gang. It's tough getting in contact with everyone and syncronizing schedules. We'll see how this goes...

Please sir. I want a job...

I am currently in the application pipeline for a Communications Officer I position here in Virginia Beach. I have already passed the preliminary testing (can you hear, can you type?) and today I went before the interview panel. The panel was three senior Communications Officers and they asked me a series of questions about my attitude and qualifications for the job. I believe it went well, but I wont find out officially until the begining of April! If I am hired I will begin employment in mid May!! (life at the speed of government...) There will be 10-12 weeks of official training then a year of probationary on-the-job training, but pay and benifits begin right away.

The board went well. My zen-like calm exuded a level of confidence which was almost entirely fictional. I didn't come up against any questions for which I had no answer, but I did think of a killer answer to one of them on the way home... Hopefully my reaching/weak answer wasn't a deal breaker. I tend to ramble and move off on tangents in conversation but I think I shut myself up early enough durring most of the questions. The board was scheduled for a maximum of one hour and I took about a half-hour. (is that good?)

I honestly do look forward to getting this job, and not just because it is the only job I have applied for which has deigned to grant me an interview. I don't think I could be a cop, firefighter or EMT but I do like the idea of helping people.

Going on the Dole

As my English friends say...
AKA welfare, or more accurately Unemployment Insurance.
I have decided to apply for money from the government. This is not going to be very much, if I even qualify. It should be enough to keep me in bath soap and hair cuts and keep me from needing to sponge off my friends quite so much. I got the paperwork today and should easily have it sent back in my Monday.

On another topic I recently saw the movie "The New World". I did not expect to like it, but I did. The direction is very odd; the film consists of a series of establishing shots and transitional shots interupted by a sparce sampling of 'scenes' - some of which contained actual dialog! All that being as it is the film is enjoyable to watch, not least because of the sheer beauty of the vistas presented. The story is also well served by the languid pacing and the heavy use of narration by the characters. It gave me the feeling of being truely privy to the 'inner lives' of these people.
Once again it is an unusual but unexpectedly enjoyable film.




(I seem to be turning this blog into a movie review site...)

Munich

I recently saw this movie.

It is fantastic!

It is graphic and honest, and a great depiction of the weight of doing horrible things for the 'right' reasons on a person.

It actually has a somewhat limited 'message' in that it sparks thought and discussion rather than fist pumping rightiousness...

Although it does seem to lean slightly in the direction of the Israelis. (probably because it is hard to be honest while portraying them as the bad guys)



(I also couldn't help but think: "them palistinians are toast, they're going up against Julius Caesar, The Incredible Hulk, and the new James Bond...)

ME!

I know you've all been dying to know what I look like...

Here is a picture of me from a few years ago. I still have the glasses, but alas the beard did not survive... Sad really.


 

Paranoia will Destroy Ya!

Your Social Dysfunction: Paranoid You show pervasive and unwarranted suspiciousness, and mistrust of others. You are overly sensitive and prone to jealousy.

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Please note that we aren't, nor do we claim to be, psychologists. This quiz is for fun and entertainment only. Try not to freak out about your results.

Argh! I took an online quiz and it destroyed my self esteem...

Holiday

I hope everyone had a grand holiday season. (whatever holiday you choose to celibrate...)

This was probably the most mediocre Christmas for me in quite a while, maybe forever.

I am still out of work (that library position didn't pan out) and my father was forced to retire this year, so I got virtually nothing and couldn't give anyone anything either.

That being said it wasn't a total washout, I still got to spend quality time with the people who matter most in my life and I am far from being on the street. My father is still alive and getting better. I also still have good friends and we get to see each other pretty much whenever we want.

There is much to be thankful for this year and I remain optomistic. If I could get a decent job I believe that would turn things around and put everything in the plus column.

Happy New Year everybody!

Good News!

The other day I was in the Career Center at my school, getting some paperwork for a job application with the Sheriff's Department. While there I decided to visit my former boss (from my student worker days) in the Campus Library. She informed me that my former supervisor was getting married and moving to Florida. No decision has been made yet but I was asked if I would be interested in applying for this position!!

Yay!

I would LOVE to work in the school library. Even though it isn't a direct use of my degree, it would allow me to pay for my degree.

Good news all around, and even if that doesn't pan out I'm still applying at the Sheriff's Department and for a Forensic Trainee position in a nearby city.

Unemployment Sucks!

I finished my Associates degree at the beginning of October...

I have applied for over a dozen positions so far...

No one has chosen to even interview me...

This is disheartening! I am a qualified adult human, I even shower! Why will no one consider me for employment? I will soon be forced to go back to working in a convenience store or some other unsavory job, just for the money.

The Hobby Which Dare Not Speak Its Name!

A coworker of my friend Richard is also a gamer.
However he and Richard must speak in hushed tones about this as the coworker is worried that other of their coworkers may find out.
Now we do live in Virginia, the home of Pat Robertson, but I don't think it is the condemnation of the Religious Right(tm) he fears... it is the ridicule of his fellow man. I find it strange that our hobby, as well as sci-fi and fantasy in general, is seen by major components of our society as childish or unworthy of the attention of 'regular' people.
This attitude is somewhat hypocritical too. What is a fantasy football league if not a type of wargame? You choose your players and combine them into the 'ultimate' team and pit your invented reality against that of your fellow fantasy footballers. Or you sit and argue the merits of past sports figures against those of today. Wargamers have been re-fighting Waterloo pretty much sence it happened, and they also try to convince each other that Patton (for example) could out general Alexander (for another example).
Roleplaying is just an extention (or niche) of the wider pasttime of playing 'what-if', and I feel it is long overdue that it should be allowed out of the closet and people should stop feeling that they have to hide their interest.

So, there it is. Nothing new perhaps but I feel better for giving voice to my opinions on the matter.