10 confounding cosmic questions is a fun read, even if some of the information is already common knowledge. 

Today Clancy Jayne probably lost several votes while in our store.  He was very obnoxious, and even I almost told him that he was making me regret having voted for him when he was in the run-off for city council against Councilwoman Peggy Neely.  Now he's a candidate for state Representative, and his conduct in the store was very rude and ungentlemanly.  I don't know how he thinks he can represent people and act like he did.  Please pray for the guy to find peace within himself.  He really needs it.

I got several of my bills in the mail today, and the first thing that came to mind is that I can't afford to go to Disneyland in a few weeks.  Sure, the travel package is already paid for, but vacationing means eatting out for all meals for a whole week.  Even longer, considering the fact that I'm going directly to TusCon after that.  It's all paid for already, so there's no reason not to go.  I just don't look forward to being broke most of next month. 

So it looks like neither Bill nor Jay will be going to IMAX Thursday or Friday.  I hope I'm awake enough to ride home after the midnight showing.  I'd hate to have to skip out on the midnight show when I don't have to work the next day.  Oh well, I guess we'll see what happens. 

I'm listed as wearing a PFF shirt on Bill's Excel file, but I recall telling him I'd be wearing a mad scientist costume.  Oh well.  I noticed I'm not the only one who's planning a non-Star Wars costume who is listed as wearing a PFF shirt instead on his IMAX file.   At least I'm not alone. 

So my four year and two month long MSHAG campaign has ended.  I think I'm in denial.  I'm still in the mode where I'm thinking of new plotlines and how to resolve existing ones.  The gang was talking about maybe returning to the campaign on an occasional basis, which really isn't helping matters.  I think everyone is having fun, which is the disappointing part.  We just live too far apart. 

Bill actually showed up, which was real sweet of him.  It's when he's a good friend like this that I remember why I put up with some of his flaws.  After all, everyone obviously puts up with all of mine.  Even Wayne, who's only a part time role player, said he was interested in future Crusaders campaign sessions.  Thanks guys (and gal)!  You've been great. 

I feel like listening to "Taps" right now.

Sunday the 27^th of October 2002 CE @ 2:53 hours MST.

Well, Xanga’s down for the night. I’m not gonna wait for them to come back. Now that there’s nothing to watch Monday mornings after X-Files I find myself turning the television off after 2am. That’s OK. This is a great album with a variety of different groovin’ songs. I wanna go dance. I wish I had an outlet for all my energy.

Let’s see. What’s there to catch up? Friday we played Michael’s D&D game again. Harley was all whiney because his fighter and the other fighter in the group decided to battle the great evil without the rest of the group which was pinned down by lackeys. While Rusty’s fighter made his Will save, Cyrus did not and fell victim to a confusion spell. Tom was complaining that Jackson woke him up and asked him to come play only to play his character for him. The next morning while I was talking with Mike he said that he hadn’t called Tom all day, but that Harley had called his house asking where Lori was. But that was the conversation I had with Tom, because I answered the phone that time. So I know Mike didn’t ask him to come over during the phone call. Mike didn’t talk to him at all, only I did. One of them is lying, and my money is on Tom. I suspect that he doesn’t want to game with us anymore, and he’s just looking for an excuse that Lori will buy.

Last night Eric and I met up with Wayne at the Arizona State Fair after I got off work and Wayne was done playing Highway Hawk for ADoT. They knew each other from my mother’s Halloween party the other year, and seemed to enjoy each others’ company. In fact, they exchanged contact info, so I think they hit it off well. Both of them are used to my other friends not measuring up to their expectations. They both wanted to photograph rides and exhibits rather than spend money there. Midway through the night we went out to Uno’s (my first time, but not either of their’s) at the Arizona Center before returning for more fair action. We ended up closing the park with me trying a deep fried Snicker’s bar while the two of them were too chicken. It could have been better. I’m sure they’re good when fresh, but this was room temperature cold. :

This morning Mom and I took the whole #220 trail at Dreamy Draw Park. After walking the fair last night, that was a good workout. If that doesn’t get me ready for Disneyland in a few weeks, I don’t know what will. At mass tonight Father Greg gave one of the quickest homilies I’ve heard. It might have been two minutes. Might have been. To paraphrase him:

And that was it. I think he got his point across to some in the congregation, but I wonder what was on his mind. At several points in the mass when it was his turn to do something, he had his head bowed in prayer for a few seconds longer than usual. I’ll have to ask him the next time I see him.

Monday is our last MSHAG campaign session. I hope I deliver a worthy game session to them. We’ll see.

*sigh*...I just want to go out under the stars right now and listen to the "silence" of the night. It’d be nice to share an experience like that with someone. Not a girlfriend, just a companion who is a good friend with whom I could feel comfortable just being. I’ve been having yearnings like that more and more often. I hope its not a sign of my age. If I remember correctly, Wayne started wanting to have a kid around my age. Once he was thirty he seemed to be past that, but I don’t want to end up like that. It seemed rather difficult for him.

Well, I gotta go. I’m falling asleep.

Busy, busy day.  Great uncle Eugene died.  There will be a wake Thursday evening and a funeral Friday afternoon in Fort Collins.  I called Grandma to see if she was OK, and she seemed to be at peace with it.  It's not like we haven't been expecting this with all his health problems in the last few weeks. 

I got my Disney Travel Company package in the mail this evening!  Apparently Splash Mountain will be closed for renovation starting Tuesday of that week.  On top of that, the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Sleeping Beauty Castle, the King Arthur Carosel, and Hyperion Theatre will be closed the whole time we're there. 

They've apparently started this new thing (new to me anyway) called a FastPass.  You use it at the "E-Ticket" attractions to electronically save your place in line.  The machine stamps a time for you to return.  That's rather cool.  That means you can eat or shop nearby while waiting to get on the ride. 

Today I was riding to work and I decided I want to make a Sio Bibble costume.  I don't know when I'll have the time.  Perhaps I can get it done by Episode III. 

Speaking of Star Wars, I was on the boards again after a couple of weeks and saw this thread:  Jedi Council Forums - Regarding Subjugator, all members please read.  And all I can think is:  what happened now?  The last time he was banned he was allowed socks and wasn't IP banned.  It sounds a lot more serious this time.  IP ban and sock banning.  What threads did I miss?

I've decided to refer to my one group of friends as my "flakey friends".  You might remember that they had made plans for Tempe Cinemas, Sonic, and D&D for tonight.  Well, apparently they canceled it without telling me.  I had to find out when I got off work and discovered no one was around.  Apparently, the three of them knew it was canceled.  I wish someone would have told me.  I wouldn't have turned down Wayne's offer to do something tonight if I'd have known I was going to be free.  They've pulled this stunt too many times for me to trust them on any future plans. 

Work's been extra busy for the last week or so.  This weekend starts the hunting season.  Next weekend starts the holiday travel season.  Busy, busy, busy.  I think I need to be getting more sleep. 

Cool!  Kitty and Rusty gave me a ride home tonight from the LepreCon XXIX Program Team meeting.  That means that I have time to type up the notes tonight while they're still fresh.

In other good news they've taken down the little memorial set up on the southwest corner of 22nd Place and Union Hills Drive.  Yay!  They've cleaned out the crosses, flowers, candles, and sidewalk graffitti.  It's about time.  We have cemeteries for a reason.  I don't begrudge people their grief or their memorials.  I just begrudge them putting their memorials in unappropriate places.  Next I've got to get the city to remove the memorial on the southwest corner of Cave Creek Road and Grovers.  This will be harder because its on private property rather than city property.  Wish me luck. 

I'm afraid I didn't get done everything I had wanted today.  I picked up my mother's pre-ordered birthday present at the mall as planned.  I also bought a new U-lock for my bicycle at REI.  I didn't really have much choice.  My old one has disappeared.  I also picked up a set of Star Wars glass stines which were on clearance at Suncoast.  They're really cool, and they only cost $2.49 each.  They had cool Spider-Man or various anime candybars there, too.  Yet somehow I displayed the self control to not buy a single one. 

I didn't get my mother's birthday cake baked or go shopping for cell phones as planned.  Oh well.  I can always try baking her cake Wednesday night after work. 

I did get Lexmart to agree to ship a new X83 to me under the warranty conditions.  So I should have a functioning printer by Thursday evening.  Yay!

It only seems fair that while I'm listening to a Witchblade single that I should find:  1954 Senate Interim Report - Comic Books and Juvenile Delinquency.  This little document's effects still ripple through the comics industry today.  Be aware.  Knowledge is power.

I'm reading my E-mail for the weekend, and I notice that my great-uncle Eugene's heart and lungs may be permanently damaged.  Some of my less than optimistic family members think that he's in the process of dying.  I guess he's getting weaker, and they keep postponing the surgery they claim he needs.  We need better health care in this nation.

Uh oh!  Also in my mail was an announcement that Trollgod's now on Xanga.  Those who have forgotten to support Tunnels and Trolls 6th edition should join Trollgod's Trollhalla. 

Now I'm really going to turn the TV off and go to bed.  Really.

Cool!  Ken's on-line for once.  That man is hard to get a hold of!  I invited him to the last MSHAG session, but apparently he'll be in Illinois for his One World of Darkness group, the Succundus.  Oh well.  I'm not surprised.  He never was much for anything which he couldn't control.  That goes for work, play, and home.  I'll just leave it at that.

So it looks like Tom will be quitting the Friday game.  He had Cyrus leave the group mostly because of an out-of-game arguement about the game with Kitty.  He still has a chance to back out of it, so we'll see next Friday I guess. 

Saturday we went to Bill Johnson's Big Apple before learning to play Valley of the Mammoths.  That's a fun game.  It's too bad that Jackson didn't seem to like it.  That means its unlikely that we'll get the chance to play it again.

My mother and I hiked trail #304 at Squaw Peak Park this morning.  That's the nature trail.  She claims to want to be in shape for Disneyland next month.  We'll see. 

I guess tomorrow I'll make my mother an angelfood cake and go get her Return to Neverland DVD I ordered for her birthday.  She'll be fourty-nine on United Nations Day.  Then I'll be going to the LepreCon XXIX Program Team meeting at the Bishop's residence.  I hope I'll wake up in time to get all that done.  We'll see. 

Mike gave me Greatest Science Fiction Hits, Vol. 2 by Neil Norman and his Cosmic Orchestra to return to Wayne.  I guess he was afraid he'd forget to return if he waited until the next time he was in town.  So I'm listening to it until I next see Wayne.  I'll assume that he doesn't mind.

What Is Your True Aura Colour?

This is weird because a former supervisor who claimed to see auras (and tried to teach me to do the same) claims that I have a heavily green aura.  So much for quizes. 

Matlock is on both 3TV and WB61.  There's something very wrong about that, even if they are both managed by the same offices.  I miss Earth:  Final Conflict.  Oh well.  I guess I should just turn the TV off and go to bed.  Later.

Currently Playing: Lifescape Harvest:  Sacred Bagpipes 

OK, so I get to work today and guess what?  George tell me that he has a present for me.  That really threw me for a loop.  He's too straight of an arrow to be pulling my chain, so I knew he had actually done so, but what?

Star Wars: Episode I Incredible Cross-Sections from Greenbacks!  He said he was there and that he just had to buy it for me when he saw it.  Is that cool or what?  How many people's managers buy them gifts for no particular occassion?

Then tonight, while I was preparing my bicycle for the ride home from work I got a phone call from Monte.  He was worried about the possibility of me riding home through the pouring rain so he offered to stop by my work and give me a ride home.  When he showed up he showed me his new Arizona Class A Commercial Driver's Licence.  Shway!  So we celebrated by trying to go see a movie.  However, with rain-slowed traffic we missed any good showings.  So we ate dinner at Country Harvest Buffett.  It was OK, but I'd have rather seen a movie.

So tonight I'm all caught up with reading my Yahoo!  and HoTMaiL E-mail, and I've installed Yahoo!  Messenger.  Monday I'll catch up on writing my E-mails and download MSN Messenger.  I just had to chat with someone.  I miss the instant gratification.    I should get some sleep though.  Later!

OK, so last night we saw Minority Report before playing a spontaneous D&D game at Sonic.  MR was so Hollywood that I was willing to play a spontaneous D&D game run by Bill.  Now that's saying something.  Damien chose to play a Druegar Barbarian while Sam chose a Deep Gnome Cleric.  I chose to play a Drow Psychic Warrior.  We had none of the rule books with us, so we just kind of played with rough stats in our heads.  At first Bill said it was going to be a one shot, but Damien must be hard up on role playing.  He actually got Bill to agree to run a sequel next week at the same Sonic following our discount movie at Tempe Cinema. 

I found out that Sam and Hong live out in Nowheresville, AZ aka McQueen and Ray.  It's miles to any civilization out there.  By the time they were done playing I was already falling asleep.  Which was good because it was an hour trip from their place to mine, even when using the SR101 the whole way. 

I feel like I'm loosing my vocabulary.  It took me almost five minutes to remember the word for "oval".  That's so first grade, it's pathetic.  I hope its just the sleep dep.  I need new friends that don't keep me up all hours of the night during the work week.  Speaking of which, I'm up too late right now considering my lack of sleep last night. 

Hey, it's raining!  Yay!  Well, OK it only sounds like sprinkling.  But it sounds like the sprinkling before a good rain.  I should go out and enjoy it, but I think I'll go to bed instead. 

What box do you get put in?
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Goth again?  What's up with that!  I never even put enough money into my appearance to look Goth.  *sigh*  Kermit had it right.  "It's not easy being green...or something like that." 

I know, I know.  I said I wouldn't lower myself to posting those pesky personality tests' results again.  Obviously I lied to us all.  I'll try to remain true to my pledge and limit my posting of those whenever possible.  Really.  I mean it.  (Somebody want a peanut?  Sorry, I had to do that.)

Well, last night I posted my personal logs from my computer.  I didn't get to do a log last night though because the computer was rebooting itself every five minutes or so.  I ws just too frustrated to bother with any live posts.  The newly formated computer has Windows 2000 Professional and a new external modem, which is really sweet.  I'd forgotten what real dial-up speed was like.  I don't really have the time tonight to install MSN or Yahoo!  IMs, but I can actually login to MSN HoTMaiL and Yahoo! Mail again.  Yay!  I've really missed chatting with all my online friends. 

Today was Canadian Thanksgiving, so to celebrate Wayne, Monte and I went to Old Country Harvest at MetroCenter.  Afterwards we walked off our feast at Rose Mofford Municipal Sports Complex.  We ended our holiday with Scooby-Doo at the Silver Cinema Bell Pavilions.  Wow!  Did that movie rock!  It was the best action/comedy I've seen in a long time.  As a live action remake of a cartoon, I'd rank it as even better than Bullwinkle and Rockie and The Flintstones.

Sunday my mother and I went on a short hike on the #60 trail of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.  She wants to be in shape for our trip to Disneyland next month.  So every Sunday morning between now and then she's got a slightly harder hiker lined up.  It should be fun. 

At church, our Paul's Cafe event was postponed until November because an unnamed parishoner contacted the county with claims that we were operating without a food licence.  This seemed a  bit odd, considering the county had OKed the new kitchen built into O'Carrol Hall, and sure enough the county has since said we didn't need a licence.  I sure wish people wouldn't bring politics into the church.  Why can't we just love and serve God and one another? 

Saturday Bill wanted to get together, but the gang (Mike, Mike, Steve, Trav, and I) were playing Shadowfist so he opted not to do so.  I find that odd considering the fact that Shadowfist is based off of action movies and he loves action movies.  He plays the Star Wars and Doctor Who CCGs, and they're not nearly as strategic or play friendly as Shadowfist.  Oh well. 

I found out from work that the upper management is rethinking the yellow uniform short idea.  I'll keep you posted.

Great uncle Eugene is out of the hospital again.  His pneumonia is gone, but his blood sugar and blood pressure are still higher than they want.  I really hope and pray that they're keeping God in their lives right now.  They could use it.

Friday, Cyrus accused Scuigbarm and Delome of being cowards and not understanding true evil.  He even said he would not trust a Detect Evil cast by either of them, as he questioned their gods' abilities to understand true evil as well.  Suffice it to say that when all was said and done, Delome vowed to never cast a spell to aid Cyrus again.  Berating a cleric's god to that cleric's face, in front an assembled group of friends and strangers is a harsh thing.  I'd be sorely tempted to reciproacte in similar fashion.  Luckily, Scuigbarm is a cleric of Eldath.  One of her domains is Family, so he see this as a family squabble.  He'll try healing the harsh feelings to keep this family of sorts together, while brushing aside the harsh comments about Eldath. 

The party also had any chances of diplomacy with the barbarian horde thwarted by Cyrus.  The Harpers asked the party to convince the barbarians to stop raiding dwarven merchants.  They've been performing those raids on those that go through Silverymoon Pass in order to help fund their war against the orcs which have holed up for the winter in the thousands of caves in the mountain pass.  Cyrus opened up with insults to the barbarian chief, followed by lots of posturing, before threatening to just kill the whole barbarian horde.  Sometimes I think Tom (Cyrus's player) wants to derail the entire campaign. 

Well, I should get some sleep before starting my work week tomorrow.  I still don't have any idea whether or not we're having Doctor Who or discount theatre night with the gang.  I guess I'll find out tomorrow.  Night.