Warmachine Rising

 I don't know why I am writing this here, but I want to see it in writing.

I own a lot of miniature games. And I do mean A LOT. I have rulebooks and models from a wide variety of things ranging from alternate Wild West and sword and sorcery fantasy stuff, to futuristic sci-fi and steampunk robots. Too many games. I have barely played any of them.

Apparently, one of the old games I used to play is coming out with a new edition. This happens sometimes. A company has an IP (intellectual property) and they want to maximize return on it, so they push a reset button to squeeze more life out of it. Sometimes this reset allows for old, previously released stuff to be used, and other times you have to or are encouraged to buy all new stuff for it.

The new announcement is for a game called Warmachine. They recently announced MKIV (or Mark 4) as a complete overhaul of their current product.

Years ago, the store I work at used to carry Warmachine. Throughout the years, interest in it had dwindled. The product line became too unwieldy, and a new player was typically turned-off the product due to shear bloat. It didn't help matters that supply for the product became more difficult to attain.

With the announcement of the new edition, it sparked an interest. I don't think my store will carry the new product line. The way the company is approaching how their product is sold just seems a little much. I understand where they are coming from, but I just think the price point is too much for someone casually interested. Those that are casually interested can become hardcore over time. Not everyone can drop hundreds of dollars at one time to become invested. Spend about $50 or so every once an a while, and you can slowly add up to a collection.

Still, the new announcement makes me want to dig out some of my old stuff. I have no desire to play the game. I don't even know what ruleset I would use. I just thought the story of the game's world was interesting and that the models were sometimes neat.

The last thing I need is to start another project.

Breaking the rust

 Should I use this more?

I have the itch to write something again. I lack the creativity for a story or anything like that. I mainly want to rant. Scream into the void.

Most of my entertainment lately is just people talking, usually on YouTube. I don't have the attention span for an actual podcast, and I usually need to have visual stimulation. 

I tried watching livestreams, but they are not for me. While Twitch is sometimes fun to catch someone playing a game I either like or am interested in, most of the time I tune in to see the streamer just mulling around or doing something... boring.

Who knows? This is something at least. A tense muscle needed some relaxation. I don't think I got a full workout, but at least I got up and did something. Right?

Stressed

 My life is stress. Everything annoys me. The people I deal with on a daily basis just seem to get dumber and dumber.

It is effecting my health. I am sore all over. I don't sleep well.

I don't look forward to things.

Mostly, I just want to be left alone.

Interests, Comics, and Problem

 I have a problem with my interests. I like some things that are in a continual and constant change. The problem is, that some people enjoy the same things, but they drop in and out of interest.

When it comes to comic books, I think people fail to realize that they don't really stop. Just because you stop reading Spider-Man doesn't mean he quit having adventures published about him. Being surprised that stories have progressed is a pet peeve of mine. I strongly dislike when someone claims to be a "fan" of something, but has no idea what is going on with that supposed "fandom".

I work in a comic book store. I have done so for far longer than I like to admit. Being around these things and the constant change in story, tone and character just makes everything blend together. I may remember that a thing happened, but can't explicitly point out exactly when it occurred. I just know that it did. Hell, it could be changed back to the original by the time of asking. Strike that reverse it.

This happens a lot when supposed bigger events occur. A story gets hyped up, so people want to jump on. Then the reader might feel a bit left out when they don't quite know what is going on in the book. While there may be a pay off for a long time reader, it just seems too many new readers are thrown in the deep end of the story pool. It is this disregard of the new reader that pushes too many away from the comic medium. Just saying that a reader should read a pile of comics to play catch up doesn't help. Most people want the story, but don't want to read years or decades worth of comic stories to have the full grasp of what is going on in a current story.

I guess the problem I have is that trying to enjoy something gets tougher every day. There is no real easy way to get into a thing. I used to tell people that the sign of a good comic is that any comic should be able to be someone's first. There should be enough in there to grab the attention of the reader.

Now, there is no easy introduction. All that leads to is lapsed "fans" who have a passing knowledge of what is going on. They tend to be stuck wherever they stopped though. I just dislike when they are surprised things progressed without them.

Stress Distribution

Just trying to get things out of my head.

A friend of mine asked what the new situation was with how comics, specifically DC Comics, are distributed to the retailers. I have been under a ton of stress and other problems, that I ignored giving an answer. I am writing this now to get some of it down. I will inevitably forget some aspect of it that grates my nerves.

When this global pandemic hit, it rocked all aspects of life. Literally everyone was effected by its spread. It forced people to stay home, not go to work, close schools, ban shopping and dining. Life was, and still is to a great degree, upended.

When it comes to comic books, this hit globally.

All comic book stores deal with Diamond Comics Distributors. Well, all of them do if they want to carry almost anything popular. Diamond has exclusivity deals with Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, IDW, BOOM, and probably many others. When the shutdowns started, all levels were impacted. Stores had to close their doors. Warehouses had to stop shipments because of both the stores closing and not being able to receive as well as for the sake of their employees too. Since the warehouses couldn't get new stock, that caused the printers to stop making things. When the printers stopped, the comic companies started to pull back on what they were producing. Everything was thrown into chaos. No new comics.

Diamond used to have DC Comics, but the pandemic hit. DC saw an opportunity.

Seeing how Diamond couldn't, nay wouldn't, distribute comics broke a contract of exclusivity. I think DC was looking for an out. DC wanted to get comics in the hands of readers and Diamond wasn't making that happen, so they had to go figure out alternative methods. DC hooked up with a couple smaller distribution companies (that just happen to be two of the bigger comic retailers online). Being a comic seller online doesn't effect how I thought of them as distributors. If someone was buying their stuff online, then they probably weren't coming in my store to get the same thing. So, DC was determined to get comics in stores regardless and especially if they were the only ones. It didn't matter that most stores couldn't open. They could still mail order and curbside pick up and a number of other new was of trying to make a living if you can't go inside a store.

At first, it was portrayed to me that DC was making efforts to get comics in stores. The best way to get the first release is to go with the new distributors. DC claimed at the time that they were working with Diamond to get those promised books to their stores too. They would just be delayed until Diamond started shipping. I didn't mind this because my store wasn't allowed to be open yet. Sure there were customers that wanted new comics, but the world already gave plenty of other distractions to worry about. There wasn't mush pressure to start with a new distributor if I could just stay with my current one-stop-shop for my comics. Who wants a new bill every month?

Turns out, this was a lot of smoke and mirrors. DC Comics and Diamond couldn't come to an agreement and DC pulled out. Now, DC exclusively goes through new distributors that are not Diamond. Also, all of their comics are scheduled to be put on sale on Tuesday. (Tuesday is the typical new on sale date for most books and other media.) Comic books on sale date has been Wednesday for a very long time. DC wants to be different. Oh, and DC doesn't want to produce a print catalog anymore of their upcoming products. They recently had a separate book that had just their stuff that was "free". (They only provided enough free copies to go along with the Diamond Previews catalog that contains all the other comics. Except Marvel, they have their own book too, but they give extras free of charge.)

Anyway, the stress now started with having to deal with a new distributor of a product that makes up a significant portion of our comic sales. I can't really sell new comics if one of them isn't Batman. There was about a two week window to set-up and get approved to be a client for the new distributor.

All in all, this has added a ton of new work for me. It doesn't help that it is just my boss and me as the sole people that work in the store for the moment. It more than doubled what I would normally do for ordering comics. That doesn't even account for the later changes that just keep happening with it as well.

For our account, it is shared between the two stores. This saves on shipping, which can quickly lead to loss of profit when shipping fees eat most of could be made from an order. I have to keep track of all the comics that are ordered. My book-keeping went up because instead of just keeping track of the comic inventory, I now have to keep track separately of what specific DC stuff I am getting. Add to this deciphering what stuff I ordered compared to the whole order. These are separate tasks that I have binders and folders full of paper to try and account for everything.

So, money is tight. I have to watch what I am ordering so as to not go overboard with extras, but still ride a line of taking care of customers. For most of the titles that come out, I am now getting either just for subscribers, subs plus one, or even a couple extra for the shelf if it is a bigger title, like Batman. When it is sold, it is effectively gone forever now. Supposedly, I can reorder stuff I sold out of from the new distributor. It would help if there was any overstock to order. It would be nice if reorders were sent with the weekly order to save on shipping. So, I just don't reorder. What we get in initially is about it.

The DC books come in earlier than the rest of the comics. The first week was right after July 4th, so they showed up on a Tuesday and it was a bit hectic. I didn't have to deal with the bulk of the problems that day, because I was at my day job. My boss and the other guy at the other store figured it out. The next week was fine and showed up on Monday when I could handle it. The third week had problems and showed more problems with the new distributor. We were missing entire titles. No issues of things were ordered. Usually, if it was Diamond, I could call or shoot off an email and the problem would have been resolved. Either the books would show up in a later shipment, or the account would get credited. Typically, the comics just show. There are supposed to be several copies of each title set aside for when things like this happen. The new distributor doesn't answer their phone. There is no real email to contact. I reported my problems to a strange contact screen. I don't think it actually worked.

Thankfully, all of our orders since have been fine. Some of the orders even show up on Friday to give me extra time to work on them. I just feel I have to do everything twice.

Oh, when we submit orders, I order week by week. Normally, I order all of the month's comics at once. A few weeks before they come out, I can do an FOC (Final Order Cutoff). This just allows me to make some changes if I need to, like adding issues to popular titles or removing some from poorer selling ones. DC is just done during FOC now. There really isn't an initial order to put in. This is upsetting, but not too much of a problem. The problem is that FOC is typically on Monday. DC is now on Sunday night, when I am not there. I don't even get an entire weekend of sales to judge how a title is performing. I also doesn't help that I have no real idea what I am ordering other than issue numbers and titles. It is all guess work and hope that I don't upset too many people.

And now it is constant event season for the comic industry. Companies are playing catch up and it is very difficult to guess what stuff people will buy. The speculators are on the rise too, which is its own headache.

I just want to like comics again.

In the beginning...

This is mainly a running tally of things I could be doing.

I haven't creatively written in a very long time. The seeds of a story never germinate. I see scenes and parts of a whole, but nothing to congeal it. I think the last long form thing I wrote was years ago. Possibly college. Christ, that was almost two decades ago.

At the moment, I am trying to spark something. Not necessarily a written thing, but some thing. I have a book in front of me that I read the first chapter of on Sunday. I picked it up because lately I watch a ton of Youtube videos. Seriously, it is probably my main form of entertainment. I used to listen to podcasts while playing World of Warcraft, but I put aside the game for the time being. I think I was just a bit bored of it. 

Anyway, the book was written by the guy who runs the channel and produces the videos. I started watching him because I was approached to participate in a Star Trek role-playing game. Trying to gather inspiration for a character, I discovered a channel that had some short sci-fi lore videos. 

After watching a bunch of the videos, I usually feel compelled to contribute something back to the creator. Sometimes, I back them on Patreon if I find myself looking forward to their videos every week, This time, I kept getting his embedded ads for his own novel. Checking it out on Amazon, it was a decent price, and only a few dollars more for a print copy. I personally prefer physical books rather than digital. I have a better chance to read on paper than a screen because a screen can usually be used for videos instead.

Well, after the first chapter, it hasn't grabbed me yet. I liked his brief description of the plot. The concept seemed interesting. When I got the book, the layout looked easily digestible. I will probably attempt to give it more of a go. The first chapter seemed like a slog though. I know it was set up, but parts seemed forced. It will probably pay off later, but I don't think it was handled very well.

I am a big believer in the power of the first sentence. It sets the stage for everything coming after it. The first sentence was weak. It was certainly no, "Call me Ismael." That is hard to top. Even the generic, "Once upon a time," evokes something. It starts with, "In a corner of the Universe, resided a Galaxy." I know it is science fiction, and wants to present that. Still, the whole first chapter is set up, but consist of the end, final strike of a war between two worlds. According to the back of the book description, the rest of the story is about trying to prevent another war. It should have been something about war and not the universe/galaxy thing.

Looking ahead, the second chapter starts better. Maybe there is hope for it. Hell, the first sentence of the Special Thanks in the very beginning was good. "Writing is expected to be a solitary activity."

Well, he ain't wrong.

I specifically didn't name names or throw anyone under a bus because I don't think I can't accurately review a book without reading it. I don't drop the Youtube channel because 1) I don't think anyone is actually reading this, and 2) I don't think anyone will actually care.

Fandom things

I am not sure I understand fandom.

I like a lot of things. Nerdy things, sci-ency things, arty things, weird things, scary things, lovely things, pretty things, ugly things... you get the point.

More and more, I keep hearing and reading about how fans of things aggressively admonish the supposed thing they love. They focus so much time and effort in loving a thing, that whenever something is done with their fandom, it is seen almost as an attack.

I understand preferring one thing over another. I can understand someone who says that the prequel Star Wars films are better than the original trilogy. I think they are wrong, but that is my opinion. Maybe they fell in love with Jarjar Binks when they were a kid and it triggers that right sense of nostalgia. It can bring them back to a better part of their life, or and easier part. Maybe Jarjar makes them smile.

People are allowed to like things. There truly is something for everyone out there. Grabbing hold of a thing and making it your life can be troubling. Like or love a thing but don't let that thing govern and define who you are as a person. It is merely a part.

I like wresting. It seems silly to some people, but I like it. I have actively watched wresting for nearly 25 years, but it has always been in the periphery my entire life. At first it was something to do. Then, it turned out my friends got into it as well. When college and young adulthood happened, I started to be slightly ashamed of it. I would still watch, but I had no one to share it with. Still, I liked it and didn't really retreat into it. It was just entertainment. Now, I am a little less guarded by my love of wrestling. I still watch, but I will engage in conversations if someone wants one. I wear the t-shits like a badge.

Still, it isn't my everything. If I don't like it, I can watch something else. There are plenty of things that can fill that void. Hell, I can fill that void of bad things with other wrestling. I can give new things a chance if the current thing I like isn't going the way I would prefer it to.

I like things. I never call myself a fan of them. It feels like that word had an almost negative connotation these days. It seems that "fans" are the first ones to adversely react to the thing they supposedly love. If the thing I like suddenly does something I am not happy with, I can always just go find something new. Some day, I may even come back to the old thing. It is my choice.

Something to do....

I haven't looked at this in years.

I have been feeling anxious lately. The whole world is in actual chaos. People are unsure about how life works now. For me, I just don't know what to do with myself.

I fill my time. I still work two jobs, which is better than some people. I never applied for unemployment, so no bonus cash from the feds. Money isn't too important to me right now. I have that going for me. Thankfully, I have few expenses.

I decided to started writing this in an effort to do something. I spend a good bit of time trying to figure out what to do with myself. I sometimes get stressed at work from just having seemingly everything happen at once. Work can give me focus, though. At least when I go to work, I have something to do. I have something to work towards, even if it is the end of the day.

I am the only employee working at my "night" comic book job. The boss stepped up and is still finding his feet getting back to actual work and not just delegating. I just have to step up my usual tasks. It doesn't help that the comic book industry used everything going on as a springboard to screw more things up for me. I know it wasn't a personal attack. It is mainly poor timing at a terrible time to throw more chaos and stress on an already near mentally breaking time.

This is just a bit of stress relief. I have more hobbies than I can handle. I like too many things, but am not a true fan of any of them. Nothing is really "my thing". I still have a terrible habit of attempting to throw money at a thing in the hope that I'll enjoy it. I have bought video games and played them once. I buy books to flip through and pretend I may read them some day. I have models to build and paint and no desire to choose which ones to do first. An excuse of not wanting to screw it up is fleeting. I could always just buy a new one to attempt to get that desire feeling again.

Who knows? Maybe this will trigger something in me. Maybe I will start writing a bit here again. Even it if is just something to do. At least it feels like a slight sense of accomplishment. That is all work is now, a sense of accomplishment when I struggle to get started. Still, I didn't have to get back on here to write, Luckily, it was automatically logged in because this site is owned and run by Google. Saves some time.

All right. I think that is enough for now. We'll see how long this lasts. One step at a time...

Start the New Year

Part of what I wanted to do this year was to "do more stuff". It is a nebulous thing, but something I thought I could accomplish.

I went to the movies to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens for the second time tonight. It was good. I still think it is a great movie. I would absolutely see it again and contribute to it beating Avatar for the most profitable movie ever.

After the movie, I went to the First State to see my co-worker play a show with his band, The New Shields. It was a a bar called 1984 and focuses on  retro arcade games. I was not nearly good enough at Street Fighter as I used to be, and pinball was a bit too pricey for my blood. $1 per play is not ideal.

It was a good time. Plenty of cute girls. Me being too shy to say anything. I had fun hanging out with my friends. I ran into a guy I know from work. I even got complimented on my beard from some random guy. I'll take what I can get.

It was a good night. I should do it more often.

Halloween Mix for 2015

What is this? A post? No way!

Every year, I try to make a new mix for Halloween.

I say every year, but of course there were some year I skipped. I started in 2002, and made 5 through 2008. I started back up in 2011 with The Return, and have had an annual one since.

So, here is the list for this year:

Halloween 2015

1. 1. Rob Zombie – Transylvania Transmissions Pt. 1
2. 2. Rihanna – Disturbia
3. 3. Mötley Crüe – Shout at the Devil '97
4. 4. Tegan and Sara – Walking With A Ghost
5. 5. Kyuss – Demon Cleaner
6. 6. The Edgar Winter Group – Frankenstein
7. 7. 45 Grave – Evil
8. 8. The Atomic Fireballs – Man With The Hex
9. 9. The Fuzztones – She's Wicked
10. 10. The Fat Man and Team Fat – Mr. Death
11. 11. Johnny Cash – Ain't No Grave
12. 12. Dissection – Where Dead Angels Lie
13. 13. Scrappy Cartoon – I'm A Ghost
14. 14. John Massari – Killer Klown March
15. 15. Ozzy Osbourne – Hellraiser
16. 16. Anthrax – Bordello of Blood
17. 17. The Cramp – Human Fly
18. 18. Chvrches – Bella Lugosi's Dead
19. 19. Siouxsie and the Banshees – Spellbound
20. 20. Buddy Baker – Swinging Wake
21. 21. The Brass Action – The Devil Down Below
22. 22. The Fleshtones – Dracula A GoGo
23. 23. Ghost B.C. - I'm A Marionette
24. 24. Imogen Heap – Getting Scared

​As you can guess, it is fairly eclectic. There is some stuff from soundtracks, random stuff I found and even a video game song. There is also a supreme lack of Misfits and other Halloween-esque staples. I have used them a bunch of times. It is getting increasingly more difficult to come up with varied songs.

I still come here.

I am feeling antsy again.

I need to do something creative. I have no idea what that something is, but I am going to push my way towards... something, anyway.

I read an article recently that a friend of mine posted on Facebook, "Ten Rules of Writing" by Amitava Kumar. In it he discusses his influences for focusing on writing and his own personal philosophy on writing. It is fairly brief, but worthwhile.

One of the rules is to set modest goals. Most times I read suggestions on writing, the same thing is listed every time: write every day. Pretty simple, really. Kumar was the first to have the modesty part. He only suggested about 150 words. Truth be told, I am almost there as of this sentence. I thought that even I can do that. So, here I am giving it a go.

Now, one of his other rules is something I definitely work on: walk for 10 minutes.

Basically, get some exercise everyday. Granted, this is something I should probably do any way. I have even been talking with my more in-shape brother on a regimen to get into. I think it is more of a sign now that I have seen in on a list of suggestions on how to write well. Even thinking back to reading Stephen King's On Writing, he makes reference to going on walks a lot. (It was even on a walk that lead to him being hit by a car.) Still, even a walk is better than just sitting around all day. It could get the blood flowing to the right places to inject life into dormant brain cells.

Flare up

I feel like crap.

It isn't a medical thing. There is no ailment, that I am aware of contaminating my system. My medicines, analgesics and daily vitamins seem to be doing their job. It seems to be emotional.

I apparently have emotions. Score one for not being a robot. At least not an unsophisticated robot. Still, no idea what my actual problem is at the moment. Could be many things. Could be one thing. Could be psychosis, but I doubt that. I already think I am partially crazy, so that must mean I am not right? That's how that works... Maybe.

Other than that. I got nothing. I keep getting urges to write something. Creative urges. It's weird, I know. Urges send me to bad places. Maybe that is how I got here? Too much introspection.

Anyway, I am starting to either fizzle or spark. I have no idea which. Like a freshly struck match, will I flare-up to burn out, or become a raging inferno, consuming all in my path. Perhaps somewhere in-between, like canned fuel for those summer parties trying to keep the roast beef warm till the end of the buffet. Who knows? I sure don't.

If I write about what is really going on in my head, I would probably sound like a high school goth kid. Bad poetry and all. Not a cutter or anything, just a mopey kid who has no idea what the real world is or what he should be.  Even worse, I don't think anyone would really care. Don't know if that is emo me, or current me. Probably all of the above.

People are in their own world, dealing with their own stuff. I am torn between not wanting to burden anyone with my problems and feeling like my problems aren't as significant as their own. Many people see their own life as the only thing that is important. I don't know how I feel about that. I want to be selfish. I am certainly not altruistic. I just don't know what is me.

So ends a tiny rant from an insignificant man. Go about your day.

Winter Quest Solo Adventure Part 2

So, where was I? That's right, not writing on a proper schedule.

Finally at work, Monday, and the place was dead. Granted, my mall typically looks like the set from Dawn of the Dead, only with less zombies. There were a few places open. The brave employees for corporate stores that brave their salary and modest wages... and me. Still I had work to do. It was a Monday, and I have a routine.

Monday is typically the day I need to get my inventory done. For two reasons, really. One is so I know what to order later in the month. The other is that I need to adjust the quantity of our order coming in a couple days if need be. Typically it means decreasing the amount of comics we are getting because of lack of sales and no return-ability option.

I deemed it classic rock day because I bought some CDs (remember those?) the day before. The likes of Kansas, Boston, Foreigner, and the Scorpions were my company for the day. Apparently, that was the nearly literal.

I had one person come into the store in the morning. One. He is a regular and I see him multiple times a week. Sure, he is odd for even comic book stereotype standards, but he usually buys something. Unfortunately, he usually only buys one quarter comic. Thant's right. One 25-cent comic book. That was the extent of my sales till about 2:30. The only people I saw until then were the Postal carrier and the UPS delivery guy.

Chick-Fil-A seemed like the only place that was doing business. They seemed to have a steady stream of people buying chicken and chicken flavored products. That was until the spontaneously closed around 2. They were one of the only places actually making money and they closed. That wasn't a good sign.

Going back to when I first got into work, my first phone call was my boss. He was asking how it was and how the roads were. I didn't sugarcoat anything. I said they were terrible and getting worse. Probably not the best idea to try and brave it for no reason. He told me to leave whenever I felt like it. This was at 10:30.

I stayed till 3:30.

See, I am way to dedicated to getting my work done. I decided to finish my inventory and input my order changes. I had one other customer who braved the weather. Thankfully, he justified his determination with a respectable $80 sale. That was about it though. As soon as finished with him, my orders and a general sweep of the store, I was going home.

Surprisingly, the worst part about going home was getting out of the mall parking lot. This didn't really surprise me. The mall isn't the most on-point when it comes to snow clean-up. They finally got around to sending plows and tiny Bobcats to clear some of the lot. My car, of course, was still surrounded by a layer of heavy snow. I had a secret weapon though. Instead of trying to rock my car through the snow and risk slipping and spinning into something I didn't want to hit, I used a shovel. Yes, I have a shovel in the back of my car. I should have been a boy scout. Some quick snow removal later, and my car could escape the snowy grasp of my parking spot. That should have been the end of it.

Little did I know that there was no clear path to actual exit the mall parking lot though. I made it to the outer-rim of road. When I tried to get to the exit, my path was blocked by more standing, un-plowed snow. Thankfully, some brazen mall escapee trail-blazed a path for me. So, best I could, I sunk into their pre-driven tire tracks and escaped the confines of the mall. The drive home was fine after that.

The only other significant thing that happened occurred when I finally parked at home. A little kid, probably around 10 or so, was shoveling the sidewalk across the street from my house. When I got out of my car, he asked if he could shovel the sidewalk in front of my house. I told him,"Sure, if you want to." I then went inside to drop all my stuff off and grab a drink.

The kid started shoveling. I felt a little bad, so I was going to help him some. Yes, I was going to pay him. I am not that stingy. I mainly allowed the kid to do it because he asked and I really didn't want to do it myself. So, I went to to clear the walkway to my house while the kid worked on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, the kid was gone when I got back outside.

Begrudgingly, I had to shovel it all myself. Heavy, wet snow is the worst when it comes to clean-up. It is gross and messy. It splashes when you heave it out of the way. My shovel handle broke in true, typical fashion. My brother showed up after the initial clean-up with a better shovel.

After that, it was time to eat something, take a nap and generally try to figure out what to do with my extra time off. Mainly, it was take a nap. I like naps.

Winter Quest Solo Adventure Part 1

As with most people in my area, I am pretty much done with dealing with snow for this season.

Some of the most recent snow days were messy, sure, but not tolerable. It has been exceptionally cold. This in turn makes snow fluffy. The snowflakes are like their own thing and are kind of like sand. Today presented a more terrible, ugly version of snow. The heavy wet stuff. The stuff of accidents and backaches.

I had a fairly average start to the day. Most times, snow doesn't really bother me while driving. I am not a hardcore driver, person. I have a sedan. No 4-wheel drive for me. I just have confidence and trust in my vehicle. Take things slow and careful. Be considerate of everything around you and try not to stop for fear of never starting again. This felt like one of those mornings. Don't rush to work. I'll get there when I get there.

Everything seems about what I was going to expect. A few daily commuters on the road going to their respective day jobs. We just took our time.About half way to work, the weather decided it had enough with pleasantries and turned against those of us on the road. The sky grew grayer, snow was coming down in large, wet clumps. The road was getting messy and slippery. Still, I trudged on. cautious as ever, but things were moving and not bad.

That was until I got to the top of the one large hill I need to climb. Thankfully, I was at the top of the hill and not the bottom. There were a few cars ahead of me stopped. Some were already attempting a three point turn to find another route. Turns out, there was just an accident. I didn't want to take an alternate route. I was fairly close to where I needed to be already and I definitely doubt wherever I went would be any better.

So I waited.

It wasn't really that long. I was already late for work. In a few minutes, the first car in the accident started to move. It actually seemed to have decent traction and maneuverability for only having one working front wheel. The SUV that was also involved faired a little better in damage, but that car couldn't drive worth a damn. I thought it was going to hit someone else just trying to drive away. Thankfully, it didn't and I was on my way to the mall.

I had a brief scare at the next intersection because I had to stop at a red light. Going on the green turned out to be a skill challenge to keep my car from moving laterally. I passed. Things were all right. The parking lot was garbage for driving. I made it to where I thought a spot would be. Really, I parked next to someone who was already there. It was a pick your own spot day. Nothing was plowed, so there was no telling where the lines to park were. I made it though.

Then one of the most boring work days happened.

No Repetition for this Groundhog Day

It is February 2nd, and the Superbowl just ended a few moments ago.

I didn't really watch it. It was on in the peripheral of my vision. Mainly, I was playing World of Warcraft, doing something monotonous. I was listening to some classic rock and a podcast to break up the noise.

I have nothing against the Superbowl. I usually watch it. This entire season of football really didn't grab my attention. Sure, I am from Philly, and the Eagles did pretty good considering a terrible start. I just didn't watch many of the games. I usually have a tendency to sleep late on Sundays. I work Monday nights and Thursday nights, so those games are out of the picture. I just didn't feel compelled to watch. I usually like football. Hell, I like watching most sports in general. I just don't make a consistent habit of it.

Still, the Superbowl happened and the Seahawks handily defeated the Broncos. All that matter is that no matter who won, legalized marijuana won. See, each team was from a state where buying pot is legal for recreational use.

It is also Groundhog Day. You can blame Punxitauny Phil that we will have six more weeks of winter. He saw his shadow, but really, after the winter so far, I am not surprised there isn't an end in near sight. It is even supposed to snow tomorrow. I am not looking forward to that. I have had enough of snow this season. One thing I absolutely hate about winter is the necessity to clean my car off whenever I want to go somewhere.

Other than that, I am currently pretty tired out of boredom. Playing WoW is just making my eyes droopy. I think I am just going to watch some Supernatural via convenient DVD.

Once More Into The Breach.

Well, I last visited this thing in August, why not come back for some more?

A friend of mine started a video blog as a 30-Day Challenge. I though it was a neat idea. I don't think I could do a video blog myself. I am not that pretty for it. I also don't want to subject people to my awful stammering when it comes to speaking out loud.

Now, I don't plan to partaking in an actual challenge. I am making no promises or signing any deals. Could I do this for 30 days? Maybe. I kind of hope so. I need to get back into a regiment of things.

I have been feeling especially bland lately. One of my least favorite questions that I have to fake an answer for is, "How are you doing?" I just don't quite know how to respond to it. Things aren't particularly terrible. Thankfully, no one in my immediate family is gravely sick or dying. My main problem recently was car trouble that I threw a lot of money at to fix. That isn't interesting.

My car started doing weird things. Making noises that I mentioned in a blog last year. Finally got that fixed. Engine smoking but not impairing performance. Got that fixed. Not really the stuff of legend here. My car worked fine, but was having some troubles. I got worried about it and took care of it. Granted, I wound up not having the use of my car during that time for about 20 days. That sucked. Still, it seems fixed now.

Now, I just have to figure out where to drive her. (Yes, I think my car is female.) I don't really drink that much. I tend not to drink alone and I am mostly alone, ergo, I tend not to drink that much. Not a hard algebra problem. I just don't see the point in going to a random bar. Mainly because I would do it alone. Not too many friends that drink either for personal reasons or familial reasons.

Still, I am going to try this writing thing again. I carry around a notebook and everything. Maybe I should use it for topics. I haven't actually written in it for months, but who knows? Could be something good in there. Mainly my notebook is for lists of things to get while I am at Target or a mall or somewhere.

If all goes according to plan, I will continue to place words on this here page over the upcoming days. If my day seems particularly uninteresting, I will think of some topic to discuss, like what I am listening to, or reading, or my thoughts on pop culture. I don't know if I am an expert in anything, but this is the internet, that doesn't mater.

Con-Blah-Sion

I am emotionally confused, right now. It's for multiple reasons. Granted, some reasons which I shouldn't talk about here could be construed as having more impact. Still, there are other things too. Personal things. Things I should write about. But, you know, won't.

It doesn't help matters that I am not at 100% physically. I think it's some sort of summer cold. I am not laid out on my ass or anything, but I am definitely sluggish and snifflely. I would like to blame allergies. It isn't that though. Comes and goes too frequently at random intervals. No direct causes.

So, Blah. That's what I have.

The Lateness of the Hour

I am listening to Alex Clare right now because I guessed wrong on SongPop.

I play Song Pop on the Facebook. I think it is the only "social" game I play. Plenty of people have their Farmville and their Candy Crush, but not me. I stick to simple song trivia stuff. It is mainly a time killer. I currently on have about 4 regular games going on. I have played hundreds of games at this point with dozens of people, but most people loss interest in such games. I blame ADD. People have no dedication anymore.

I wound up buying the Alex Clare album The Lateness of the Hour a while back. It was one of those random iTunes purchases. I had stored credit and felt like spending it. I happened to be listening to the the song on the radio earlier that day, and it stuck in my head. The song was Too Close (oddly enough playing as I type this).

During one game, I guessed wrong, and Too Close was the correct answer. As penance, I usually watch the video of the song to refresh myself for future reference. I knew he was a white guy. What I didn't know was that the video presents him as someone who would look more comfortable in a folk band. Completely prejudging, I didn't think he was a guy to sing over dub-step. Color me surprised. Still, I think it's a good song. Album isn't too bad either. Maybe not everyone's type of music, but I dig it.

Sunday is usually a weird night. I have probably said this on multiple occasions. Still, it rings true. I always want to do something, so here I am writing about Facebook games and music.

I am trying to un-scuttle my brain. I think I shut off too much of my fictional creativity. I have no usual problems waxing philosophical with some writing, but expect me to add dialog to a character and I freeze. I am trying to figure out a script. I am not even shooting for something lengthy.

An eight page comic story, that's it. That is all I am trying to write. Creativity keeps getting sapped from my body whenever I approach focusing on it. I have maybe 2 pages kind of figured out. You would think this shouldn't be difficult being that I deal with comics on a daily basis. I know and understand the structure, the flow... Hell, I even know most of the formatting issues. I just can't figure out the meat of the story. The reason for people to actually want to get invested in reading it. Having a good beginning and a good end means squat when there is no in-between.

So, here I am at nearly 3 A.M. My mind is nearly wiped from the weekend. I filled it with various movies and reading and games. Now, I have no desires for anything except the anticipation of desire. Crap, I should just sleep. Good night.

RSVP for Nonsense

My brain is fairly fuzzy at the moment. I can't hunker down on one single thought.

That's a lie. I totally can focus on one thought. It is just that that thought hurts a little too much at the moment. I don't know if I want to dwell on it. Apparently sense of loss gets me to type on a keyboard. Good thing no one actually died. Sucks that it's loneliness.

I decided to listen to metal tonight. Not standard metal music. I have to nerd it up a bit. Metalocolypse: The Dethalbum. The first one. I have 3 of them. Songs about how the fish will rise from the water and take over the land. Not nearly as deep (puns!) as a Cthulhu mythos. Oh, and who could forget "Thunderhorse." That song even made it's way into Guitar Hero or Rock Band... one of those play fake instrument games.

Today was a mixed bag. I am not sure what to think of it. There really wasn't anything glaringly great about it. I got my work done. That's about the up-point. Sales were better then average. I got random text messages from people I usually don't get messages from. Good things.

I started carrying a notebook again. This time I actually have some things written in it! I didn't write anything in it today though. Probably why my brain can't focus on a topic to bitch about. That is all this stuff is. A forum to complain about things. Well, whatever gets me to actually write I guess.

Missing Rock Band

I miss Rock Band nights.

There were times when friends needed no excuse to get together. That doesn't happen any more. I would just show up at a friends house and we would go from there. It could be simply playing NHL'94 on a SNES or watching some bootleg copy of Sleepers. Events just happened. They weren't coordinated and planned ahead of time.

That spontaneity doesn't happen anymore. There needs to be reasons to go see friends. Schedules need to be checked and filled in with the appropriate date and time. Sitters need to be found for those with offspring. Work needs to have priority over fun. Someone needs to confer with their spouse to make sure it's all right. Permissions need to be granted.

I don't remember the last time I played Rock Band. I miss it. I don't own it. I gathered all my knowledge and skill in it from playing over friends' places. I like playing it. It calls for some timing skill, but more importantly, fun. You can choose the song you want to play. Show off in front of your friends. Make a fool of yourself. Have fun.

Rock Band was one of those social games that were broken out to enhance a party. It may not be the reason for an event, but it as always a good catalyst for activity. It gave a group of people something to do. There is a social convention of sharing involved too. People like playing, but they like seeing other people enjoying what they are enjoying.

I was never the biggest fan of singing. Yes, I am a giant nerd and sing when I am alone. I have multiple playlists on my computer of songs I could potentially sing in karaoke. That doesn't happen though. I am a coward in that respect. Still, Rock Band has multiple instruments. Don't like singing because of stage-fright? Fine, play the guitar or drums. Take a crack at it. What is the worst you could do? Fail? There really isn't any penalty aside from having the opportunity to try again.

There were points where I got so used to certain songs and their rhythm, that I would throw a little showmanship in the "performance". Jump and dance while playing guitar, twirl the drumsticks while nodding my head to the beat. All good fun.

Things have changed though. I don't play anymore. The opportunity just doesn't appear. Friends have drifted for a variety of reasons: work, family, break-ups, new relationships. Things constantly change. Still, I look forward to doing it again. I look forward to smiles, and laughter. Actual, honest to God, fun. I have seen it before. I would like to see it again. Sooner, rather than later.