Saturday, June 7, 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Telecommute?
This week has been both a very short and very long week at work. I have only gone to work three days last week. Monday I took off for an appointment with my husband, and then Friday to go to Norwescon. sadly, Norwescon didn't work out, but I did get to hang with him.
My supervisor called me on my day off. It sort of freaked me out when she called. I was worried I must have done something wrong. She was actually fairly excited on the phone and said she wanted to tell me something about my part time telecommuting application. If it had gone through I would get to work from home three days a week.
With the part time telecommute I would still need to drive two days a week to the office, and when I have audits I would have to go to them (and the distance is about the same for audit days since most audits are south of my office). However, I wouldn't have to drive those three days just to the office. I would try and arrange my audits to be on those two days to minimize excess driving as much as possible.
My boss however said that I, along with a few others, have been selected to do a pilot program. 100% telecommute. I would still be driving long distances, but my home office is my house (and I would have all the necessary equipment given to me). It means every time I hit the road I would get back at least a couple dollars in mileage (some audits I would lose money on the gas, but some audits would gain more then I drove).
However, the absolute best thing about this would be none of the travel would occur outside my 8 (or 9 with lunch) hour shift. Right now I put in about 2-3 hours extra time into travel a day. This is why I leave for work around 5am, not because I want to, but that is the only way to keep my commute of 30 miles down to only an hour each way (at the height of rush hour its sometimes 2 hours). With full time telecommute it means I work 6-2 (or 3 if I take a lunch) but I never have to leave earlier (I can get up at 5:45, hop in shower then sit at computer by 6am instead of current 4am). It also means all driving is during work hours, I clock in at my house, and I clock out at my house.
I believe she said on the phone it will start the 27th (but I haven't been in to confirm, nor can I be sure now that is the exact day). I am excited, this will alleviate a lot of stress. Another advantage is once the hubbie graduates and is working steadily, if I am still working here it will be easier to take classes at night for my MBA.
I realize this is a pilot program so it may not be permanent (but they are getting rid of all the tax office so something is going to be happening) and even if it went to part time telecommute that would be great. So things are looking up.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
365 Project Year 1 Dec 2012 Nov 2013
Here is the compilation of my year 1 365 Project. Since I moved to this new channel I didn't want to reupload all the old ones. A good friend of mine (thank you Cannonhawk) suggested I upload the whole thing.
So here it is, December 2012 through November 2013. I am beginning the second year now (starting April 1st 2014).
All of the music below was provided by freesoundtrackmusic.com for free use.
"Atomic Isle Revisited" by C.P. Bryan provided by http://www.freesoundtrackmusic.com
"Cherry Blossom Days" by C.P. Bryan provided by http://www.freesoundtrackmusic.com
"Teenage Heartbreak Orchestral" by C.P. Bryan provided by http://www.freesoundtrackmusic.com
"Crystal Forest" by Steven Lowther provided by http://www.freesoundtrackmusic.com
"Mechanical Bullride" by Steven Lowther provided by http://www.freesoundtrackmusic.com
"Cumulonimbus by Steven Lowther provided by http://www.freesoundtrackmusic.com
"Cherry Blossom Days" by C.P. Bryan provided by http://www.freesoundtrackmusic.com
"Teenage Heartbreak Orchestral" by C.P. Bryan provided by http://www.freesoundtrackmusic.com
"Crystal Forest" by Steven Lowther provided by http://www.freesoundtrackmusic.com
"Mechanical Bullride" by Steven Lowther provided by http://www.freesoundtrackmusic.com
"Cumulonimbus by Steven Lowther provided by http://www.freesoundtrackmusic.com
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
Ice
Had another dream last night, once again I didn't write it out immediately so it is a bit blurry.
It started out that I lived in what seemed to be an area much like Bellingham, except it was dead of winter and everything was iced over as if a bad snow/ice storm had occurred. The house I lived in looked partially burned down, things were all icy on the inside as well (as if it had rained, or perhaps the fire department had been there).
It was cold and I was wandering through the ruins of a giant house, then it morphed into along the streets. At some point the dream had morphed again into being on a large scientific vessel in the deep ocean. We ended up somewhere down in the artic. There seemed to be a huge ship that had been lost, we started exploring it as some sort of salvage type of experience.
As we explored the frozen ship, people started to go crazy. It was a bit like a horror movie, by the end of it some of my crew had bashed each other's heads in, or killed each other or even themselves in some other pretty horrific horror movie, style. This occurred for quite a while. It appeared that we as the crew of the exploring ship, were exposed to something that made us all crazy. The remaining crew were hiding in different rooms and I was eventually approached by a group that they were going to kill me (they had been going room to room killing people). They had found me guilty for some crazy idea, that I couldn't even explain now. I somehow talked them into letting me do it myself and they gave me an hour to finish the business.
It was about this time that I noticed we were near land, (as in only a couple hundred feet) and there was a town on the land. It appeared to be a nameless Canadian town (a Canadian chain restaurant I can't remember now, maple leaf flag, etc). I jumped into the icy water and swam there instead of "taking care of myself". I walked into the small town's park in the center and I noted in the distance a couple of the buildings were on fire.
I also noticed screams and people being chased. Crazy parents having their kids play in the park, some of the kids had been killed and propped on swings. Other parents were encouraging kids to kill homeless while others appeared totally rational and going about their daily business (which seemed even crazier then the killers who were acting weird). I was sneaking through the town trying to find dry clothing and food.
I woke up at this time, unfortunately I needed to go to work. The fan was blowing cold air on me, so at least I understood why the entire dream took place in a frozen place.
It started out that I lived in what seemed to be an area much like Bellingham, except it was dead of winter and everything was iced over as if a bad snow/ice storm had occurred. The house I lived in looked partially burned down, things were all icy on the inside as well (as if it had rained, or perhaps the fire department had been there).
It was cold and I was wandering through the ruins of a giant house, then it morphed into along the streets. At some point the dream had morphed again into being on a large scientific vessel in the deep ocean. We ended up somewhere down in the artic. There seemed to be a huge ship that had been lost, we started exploring it as some sort of salvage type of experience.
As we explored the frozen ship, people started to go crazy. It was a bit like a horror movie, by the end of it some of my crew had bashed each other's heads in, or killed each other or even themselves in some other pretty horrific horror movie, style. This occurred for quite a while. It appeared that we as the crew of the exploring ship, were exposed to something that made us all crazy. The remaining crew were hiding in different rooms and I was eventually approached by a group that they were going to kill me (they had been going room to room killing people). They had found me guilty for some crazy idea, that I couldn't even explain now. I somehow talked them into letting me do it myself and they gave me an hour to finish the business.
It was about this time that I noticed we were near land, (as in only a couple hundred feet) and there was a town on the land. It appeared to be a nameless Canadian town (a Canadian chain restaurant I can't remember now, maple leaf flag, etc). I jumped into the icy water and swam there instead of "taking care of myself". I walked into the small town's park in the center and I noted in the distance a couple of the buildings were on fire.
I also noticed screams and people being chased. Crazy parents having their kids play in the park, some of the kids had been killed and propped on swings. Other parents were encouraging kids to kill homeless while others appeared totally rational and going about their daily business (which seemed even crazier then the killers who were acting weird). I was sneaking through the town trying to find dry clothing and food.
I woke up at this time, unfortunately I needed to go to work. The fan was blowing cold air on me, so at least I understood why the entire dream took place in a frozen place.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Delayed Death
I used to write down all my dreams, and there was some awesome sources for RPG games (also let me see what I was stressed out about). I figured I would try again.
Last night I dreamt a close friend named Sean died. I spent most of the dream with Jello looking through his stuff trying to figure out what happened. There were a lot of other people there, but they kept trying to walk off with his stuff. I spent a long time trying to keep people from grabbing things and running until we got his will read. (Sean you do have a will right?).
There were a lot of little details about a specific game Sean had been developing, and indications that it was something more. It was really clear in the dream, but unfortunately this long after waking up it has all blended together. There was something about how whatever Sean was working on let people survive as corporeal ghosts until the day ended (for the world, not for the current location).
I remember being incredibly sad in the dream, Sean is a little brother to me, and while I don't get to see him as much as I used to it would be a horrific event if something happened to him.
I then walked out of his house and found myself in my old trailer that Jello and I owned. I was in the living room, the evening sun was streaming in and I found my little brother Derek setting up the video game in the same location that the computer he used all those years ago in that room. He looked up and me and asked if I would help him set up the game. I started setting up the game but something was wrong.
He smiled at me a little sadly and said he had until sunset in Spain before he passed on (which was just an hour or two from the dream time, even though I know logically Spain's sunset is not the same time as our own). I realized that whatever Sean had been working on allowed Derek to stay around for awhile. I hadn't been able to see Sean in the extra time he had, but I could see Derek. It was weird to hear my little brother I grew up with tell me he was dead and would be gone in a few hours and he wanted to play some video games on his way out.
I woke up at that, freaked out that Derek and Sean were dead. It was a rough morning.
Last night I dreamt a close friend named Sean died. I spent most of the dream with Jello looking through his stuff trying to figure out what happened. There were a lot of other people there, but they kept trying to walk off with his stuff. I spent a long time trying to keep people from grabbing things and running until we got his will read. (Sean you do have a will right?).
There were a lot of little details about a specific game Sean had been developing, and indications that it was something more. It was really clear in the dream, but unfortunately this long after waking up it has all blended together. There was something about how whatever Sean was working on let people survive as corporeal ghosts until the day ended (for the world, not for the current location).
I remember being incredibly sad in the dream, Sean is a little brother to me, and while I don't get to see him as much as I used to it would be a horrific event if something happened to him.
I then walked out of his house and found myself in my old trailer that Jello and I owned. I was in the living room, the evening sun was streaming in and I found my little brother Derek setting up the video game in the same location that the computer he used all those years ago in that room. He looked up and me and asked if I would help him set up the game. I started setting up the game but something was wrong.
He smiled at me a little sadly and said he had until sunset in Spain before he passed on (which was just an hour or two from the dream time, even though I know logically Spain's sunset is not the same time as our own). I realized that whatever Sean had been working on allowed Derek to stay around for awhile. I hadn't been able to see Sean in the extra time he had, but I could see Derek. It was weird to hear my little brother I grew up with tell me he was dead and would be gone in a few hours and he wanted to play some video games on his way out.
I woke up at that, freaked out that Derek and Sean were dead. It was a rough morning.
Friday, March 21, 2014
A bit of morning anxiety
I woke up this morning at 3:30. Not a huge surprise, I am an anxious
person, with an anxiety disorder and our life is currently a bit
stressful. Also doesn't help that my job requires me to be up by about
4:15am at the latest anyways and there is a switch in me that if I have
to get up too early too often my circadian rhythm gets messed up and
anxiety attacks will hit me.
However, this anxiety was due to a bit of dreams (which are just a blur now, I waited to long to post), my current employment situation, but mostly my parents. Things have seemed to settle well for them, they are on the wagon and their health has stabilized. It sounds weird I would have an anxiety attack about them when things are going well, but for some reason that is the trigger for me. Evidently I like anxiety on some subconscious level.
I think my biggest anxiety is the fact that my dad's 66th birthday is Monday. I realize he isn't very old, but there health makes them about 10 years older in body then in years. I feel guilty/sad that I haven't "made it rich" enough to support them as they get older. This means I have less time to take care of them like I want. I barely can support my husband, let alone do much more then a food run for my parents. It isn't like my parents expect it, or that anyone outside my own head looks poorly on me (in fact my parents are very proud of how far I have gotten).
I guess it is just a way for my mental issues to rise up and remind me that they haven't left yet.
However, this anxiety was due to a bit of dreams (which are just a blur now, I waited to long to post), my current employment situation, but mostly my parents. Things have seemed to settle well for them, they are on the wagon and their health has stabilized. It sounds weird I would have an anxiety attack about them when things are going well, but for some reason that is the trigger for me. Evidently I like anxiety on some subconscious level.
I think my biggest anxiety is the fact that my dad's 66th birthday is Monday. I realize he isn't very old, but there health makes them about 10 years older in body then in years. I feel guilty/sad that I haven't "made it rich" enough to support them as they get older. This means I have less time to take care of them like I want. I barely can support my husband, let alone do much more then a food run for my parents. It isn't like my parents expect it, or that anyone outside my own head looks poorly on me (in fact my parents are very proud of how far I have gotten).
I guess it is just a way for my mental issues to rise up and remind me that they haven't left yet.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Things You Should Know has been
running successfully for seven weeks. I have gotten great feedback and
found I really enjoy this (almost more than video game LP’s). My next
step is to add a third regular series of videos per week (my eventual
goal is actually four, but I only want to add a single
regular/semi-regular series at a time). Right now I am just trying to
figure out what to do.
I want to cover things that most people don’t know or aren’t familiar with. I have kicked around the idea of something else historical (maybe a biography of lesser known people, or more recent history bits). I was also considering going into areas I am less familiar with. This would force me to learn stuff and I think that is great. I am considering astronomy (that is awesome), debunking myths, or perhaps teaching a new type of class (much like my accounting videos), even something along the lines of a science, or math type thing.
Before I make any decisions I wanted to ask people who do watch the videos, anyone have ideas? The basic idea is it would have to be teachable in 3-8 minute segments (or be able to be split up among segments), interesting enough that people want to watch and something I can do visually. I love the accounting series but that is about as dry as I want to go with a series. The Civil War stuff is great, especially with some of the pictures I can find, but I wonder if it would have been better to start with something like a more current war, that way video footage would be available.
Either way I wouldn’t start it up for a couple/few more weeks just so I can film up a respectable back stock, I am thinking around May 1st. Let me know what you think.
I want to cover things that most people don’t know or aren’t familiar with. I have kicked around the idea of something else historical (maybe a biography of lesser known people, or more recent history bits). I was also considering going into areas I am less familiar with. This would force me to learn stuff and I think that is great. I am considering astronomy (that is awesome), debunking myths, or perhaps teaching a new type of class (much like my accounting videos), even something along the lines of a science, or math type thing.
Before I make any decisions I wanted to ask people who do watch the videos, anyone have ideas? The basic idea is it would have to be teachable in 3-8 minute segments (or be able to be split up among segments), interesting enough that people want to watch and something I can do visually. I love the accounting series but that is about as dry as I want to go with a series. The Civil War stuff is great, especially with some of the pictures I can find, but I wonder if it would have been better to start with something like a more current war, that way video footage would be available.
Either way I wouldn’t start it up for a couple/few more weeks just so I can film up a respectable back stock, I am thinking around May 1st. Let me know what you think.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Shaq Vanilla Cream Soda
Today I am back with my first vlog in a long time (and first one on new channel). Also you get to meet Marmalade.
)
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Bloodbowl Combine 1 2014
I have been trying to get back into tabletop wargaming for the last
few weeks. During this time I have been collecting some Warhammer 40k
Space Marines, and the Bolt Action main book. Well I learned that MuGu
Games had a Blood Bowl league. I haven't played the miniature version of
Blood Bowl in over 8 years. Of course I had to look into it.
I talked to a pretty cool guy named Jason and he told me about the Blood Bowl league website he hosts for this league at http://www.everett-bbl.org/. So today we had the first of three combines for the league before the Golden Tentacle tournament in April and the new Blood Bowl Season in May.
I had a lot of fun, I played a guy named Tim. I played a human team while he played an elf. I didn't do too bad, I lost 1-0 but it was down to the wire the entire game. Like I said though, it was great fun and now I need to look for a human team to buy. I am fortunate, Jason has a team I can play until then, but I really want to paint one for myself.
Here is a couple of pics from the game. The first is bashing down the elf line and the second I am trying to push my way up the field after the ogre had retrieved a fumble. I really want a better camera though.
The
next combine is in two weeks. I might try orcs for that game, just so I
can get a feel of the two teams. In addition I might check out the Bolt
Action tournament the same weekend as well, I will get into that game I
just want to see it played a couple of times before I commit to a
force.
That is it for my weekend gaming update :)
I talked to a pretty cool guy named Jason and he told me about the Blood Bowl league website he hosts for this league at http://www.everett-bbl.org/. So today we had the first of three combines for the league before the Golden Tentacle tournament in April and the new Blood Bowl Season in May.
I had a lot of fun, I played a guy named Tim. I played a human team while he played an elf. I didn't do too bad, I lost 1-0 but it was down to the wire the entire game. Like I said though, it was great fun and now I need to look for a human team to buy. I am fortunate, Jason has a team I can play until then, but I really want to paint one for myself.
Here is a couple of pics from the game. The first is bashing down the elf line and the second I am trying to push my way up the field after the ogre had retrieved a fumble. I really want a better camera though.
That is it for my weekend gaming update :)
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Dreams
Strange dreams all night, the one with the most impact had me sitting in a burned out house, in the dark, and talking to my stillborn brother.
That hit hard.
It started with me sitting in what appeared to be a war torn area (or maybe super impoverished like Detroit, the destruction is similar).
It was cold, wet and dark out with sirens in the distance. I couldn't really see much in front of me, just a cold mustiness with flashes of cop lights in the distance.
I was talking with someone a bit younger than me. I honestly don't remember what I was saying, just that it was heavy.
I couldn't see him clearly, and he kept listening. After I had finished it was silent for a few minutes. I could feel him lean forward and touch my arm, I think it was meant reassuringly. That is when I recognized who he was and I snapped wide awake laying in bed beside jello.
Normally that isn't the brother I dream about. Normally it's "Bear", my actual living brother I talk with sometimes.
Dream definitely set me off in a weird mood today.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
TYSK: Users and Professions of Accounting - Acct Edition
Another video of mine from Things you should know!
Monday, February 10, 2014
Work
Last few weeks of work have been weird and uncomfortable. The job
itself is fine, I don't mind finding people avoiding taxes and honestly
for the most part I don't mind nailing them. Unfortunately it isn't my
job duties itself that is bothering me.
My work schedule is killing me. In order to drop my 3 hours of commuting to about 1.5 hours I need to leave the house by a few minutes after 5am (meaning I have to be up around 4am). This is bad enough, but on top of this I get anxious about work, if I get anxious and I need to get up too early, I end up waking up even earlier (around 2:30 am after going to bed around 1030pm). Now, that last part isn't my job's fault, it is just a program bug in my head. However this is resulting in my being exhausted all the time and not wanting to do much but nap. Although on a good point, I might be exhausted but I am not depressed anymore from my other horrible job.
I found out today that I won't be considered for part time telecommuting for at least three more months (originally a month ago I was told February). This is frustrating, especially so since I took a 25% paycut because of the flexibility of this job. However, it is turning out there isn't much flexibility. It is ok though, it will keep us going until Jello graduates.
The next problem is training is all over the place. I can do the audits, but the fine details are still not completely explained to me and results in a fairly steady stream of "please do this again and do it "x" way". I never have to repeat this, but it bothers my own sense of self that this keeps popping up because I wasn't told how to handle specific circumstances.
What worries me is that both the nitpicking and the moving back my date of telecommuting by months came after I mentioned in passing my husband's proper pronouns of he/him. I can't say for sure my boss realized what I had said, but the behavior has changed since then and alarmed me. In all fairness though, my agency is undergoing some upper echelon changes so maybe it is that as well. That would almost be worse as it would be a sign that the agency itself is going downhill and that would be bad.
I have talked to my husband and will continue to use the she/her pronoun forms until my probation is over in May (I haven't come out to my work on the transition, they had interviewed me before Jello had decided to go all the way so at the time I had talked about my wife). I absolutely HATE doing this, hate hate hate, but I cannot risk being able supporting my husband financially until he has graduated and is working.
There is a possibility I might get a call from my old job at SAO (at the Seattle office, which is about thirty miles from here), I am kind of hoping that it works out, but I am not holding my breath.
However, even if they don't hire me I think I am going to start putting apps out. Low pay with no flexibility is not something I want. The job is interesting, it is a combination accountant/auditor/private investigator but the payoff is just too little at the moment.
My work schedule is killing me. In order to drop my 3 hours of commuting to about 1.5 hours I need to leave the house by a few minutes after 5am (meaning I have to be up around 4am). This is bad enough, but on top of this I get anxious about work, if I get anxious and I need to get up too early, I end up waking up even earlier (around 2:30 am after going to bed around 1030pm). Now, that last part isn't my job's fault, it is just a program bug in my head. However this is resulting in my being exhausted all the time and not wanting to do much but nap. Although on a good point, I might be exhausted but I am not depressed anymore from my other horrible job.
I found out today that I won't be considered for part time telecommuting for at least three more months (originally a month ago I was told February). This is frustrating, especially so since I took a 25% paycut because of the flexibility of this job. However, it is turning out there isn't much flexibility. It is ok though, it will keep us going until Jello graduates.
The next problem is training is all over the place. I can do the audits, but the fine details are still not completely explained to me and results in a fairly steady stream of "please do this again and do it "x" way". I never have to repeat this, but it bothers my own sense of self that this keeps popping up because I wasn't told how to handle specific circumstances.
What worries me is that both the nitpicking and the moving back my date of telecommuting by months came after I mentioned in passing my husband's proper pronouns of he/him. I can't say for sure my boss realized what I had said, but the behavior has changed since then and alarmed me. In all fairness though, my agency is undergoing some upper echelon changes so maybe it is that as well. That would almost be worse as it would be a sign that the agency itself is going downhill and that would be bad.
I have talked to my husband and will continue to use the she/her pronoun forms until my probation is over in May (I haven't come out to my work on the transition, they had interviewed me before Jello had decided to go all the way so at the time I had talked about my wife). I absolutely HATE doing this, hate hate hate, but I cannot risk being able supporting my husband financially until he has graduated and is working.
There is a possibility I might get a call from my old job at SAO (at the Seattle office, which is about thirty miles from here), I am kind of hoping that it works out, but I am not holding my breath.
However, even if they don't hire me I think I am going to start putting apps out. Low pay with no flexibility is not something I want. The job is interesting, it is a combination accountant/auditor/private investigator but the payoff is just too little at the moment.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
My husband is writing again!
I am excited, my husband Jello has a regular spot with Queereka as a
writer (he has done it for a couple other places). He has his first
article there entitled "But it's just a compliment". He is talking about his experience before his change and how men would aggressively harass a woman on the street.
It is a great article, he is a great writer and this Sunday he will be in a panel as well.
I am so proud of him!
It is a great article, he is a great writer and this Sunday he will be in a panel as well.
I am so proud of him!
Sunday, January 26, 2014
LARPs: Roleplaying
My last post I talked about the pros and cons of LARPing, I figured
for my first post specifically about a pro/con I would start with what a
lot of people consider the most important part, role-playing.
Role-playing is the most identifiable part of LARPing. The interaction between people ranges from the most intense situations down to the worst ham acting known to man. Also people's attitudes about role-playing plays a big influence in this as well.
I want to note that this is my opinion, everyone has a different experience and your mileage may vary.
PROs:
The best role-playing experience I have ever been involved in was LARPing. There are times when a group all hit the same groove of being in the moment that all thoughts of the outside world disappeared. For those who have never role-played in any form, it is the ultimate form of escapism. You really feel like you are in another world.
This type of role-playing drowns out thoughts of work, politics, home problems, etc. All that is happening is the situation between you and the others. The relationships are an extremely exaggerated for both good and bad. You would die for your in game friends and would gladly salt the earth of your enemies' graves. It is like the most intensive TV drama you could name. After a really good role-playing session you are both exhilarated and exhausted.
A good role-play session will last for years in retelling. These sessions are usually what comprise a LARPers list of stories they talk about (ok, even if the people aren't interested in hearing about it, the LARPer will remember fondly).
CONS
1. Average level of role-play:
LARP role-play overall is lower quality in acting/interacting then all other mediums of role-play I have been exposed to (such as tabletop, online, forum/PBEM).
First it should be noted that LARPers are not innately actors, they don't do it as a living, and most don't engage in a lot of other speaking type hobbies (such as a toastmaster or other public speaking clubs). If you aren't really in the mood, too tired from being up too long, too distracted because of real life or just having a bad day can impact the best actor's performance. While I do think I am fairly good at role-play, I know some of my performances have been horrible, just like everyone else.
2. The role-play snob quotient:
A second negative issue about role-playing at a LARP (and honestly this is probably more about the community which will be more in detail later) is the snob quotient.
I might talk about the average level of role-play being less at larping, there are a lot of other aspects that can make a weekend really fun (the sense of community, just being away from the real world for a weekend, sharing a hobby with a few dozen others, etc). I have had weekends that were fantastic, that didn't have great role-play, but a great time hanging with people.
Unfortunately, some people focus as role-play is the only reason to be there. Now this is valid for them, and I can understand if that is their total focus. However, I have witnessed a lot of people act in a very demeaning manner to individuals who just aren't good at role-playing.
These people will ignore and cast out individuals that do not meet their "expectation". I know that it isn't anyone's job to teach, but my opinion is if I claim to be one of the LARP's role-playing leaders, then it is my responsibility to help others so it improves the overall experience.
Someone who is not good at role-playing will not get better if you don't try and help them. In order to help them (in my opinion) is to invite them into your group, treat them as one of you and in my experience they learn and become better role-players and sometimes great friends.
The funny part about this is that there have been many people who claim to be great role-players, who demean and belittle others, yet the sadly ironic part is that they really aren't that good at role-playing themselves.
Conclusion:
I have not covered the relationships formed during role-play, I will do that during my post about the community itself.
It may sound in the end that I am bagging on role-play at larping. I don't really think that is the case.
LARPing is made up of much more than just role-play, and even the role-play can be intense and fun. Would I personally come just for the role-play, probably not. I feel I would get more bang for my buck on a tabletop game, however like I said there is more to it (and I will cover that later).
Role-playing is a great avenue at LARP, but it would not be the sole reason I recommend LARPing to anyone.
Role-playing is the most identifiable part of LARPing. The interaction between people ranges from the most intense situations down to the worst ham acting known to man. Also people's attitudes about role-playing plays a big influence in this as well.
I want to note that this is my opinion, everyone has a different experience and your mileage may vary.
PROs:
The best role-playing experience I have ever been involved in was LARPing. There are times when a group all hit the same groove of being in the moment that all thoughts of the outside world disappeared. For those who have never role-played in any form, it is the ultimate form of escapism. You really feel like you are in another world.
This type of role-playing drowns out thoughts of work, politics, home problems, etc. All that is happening is the situation between you and the others. The relationships are an extremely exaggerated for both good and bad. You would die for your in game friends and would gladly salt the earth of your enemies' graves. It is like the most intensive TV drama you could name. After a really good role-playing session you are both exhilarated and exhausted.
A good role-play session will last for years in retelling. These sessions are usually what comprise a LARPers list of stories they talk about (ok, even if the people aren't interested in hearing about it, the LARPer will remember fondly).
CONS
1. Average level of role-play:
LARP role-play overall is lower quality in acting/interacting then all other mediums of role-play I have been exposed to (such as tabletop, online, forum/PBEM).
First it should be noted that LARPers are not innately actors, they don't do it as a living, and most don't engage in a lot of other speaking type hobbies (such as a toastmaster or other public speaking clubs). If you aren't really in the mood, too tired from being up too long, too distracted because of real life or just having a bad day can impact the best actor's performance. While I do think I am fairly good at role-play, I know some of my performances have been horrible, just like everyone else.
2. The role-play snob quotient:
A second negative issue about role-playing at a LARP (and honestly this is probably more about the community which will be more in detail later) is the snob quotient.
I might talk about the average level of role-play being less at larping, there are a lot of other aspects that can make a weekend really fun (the sense of community, just being away from the real world for a weekend, sharing a hobby with a few dozen others, etc). I have had weekends that were fantastic, that didn't have great role-play, but a great time hanging with people.
Unfortunately, some people focus as role-play is the only reason to be there. Now this is valid for them, and I can understand if that is their total focus. However, I have witnessed a lot of people act in a very demeaning manner to individuals who just aren't good at role-playing.
These people will ignore and cast out individuals that do not meet their "expectation". I know that it isn't anyone's job to teach, but my opinion is if I claim to be one of the LARP's role-playing leaders, then it is my responsibility to help others so it improves the overall experience.
Someone who is not good at role-playing will not get better if you don't try and help them. In order to help them (in my opinion) is to invite them into your group, treat them as one of you and in my experience they learn and become better role-players and sometimes great friends.
The funny part about this is that there have been many people who claim to be great role-players, who demean and belittle others, yet the sadly ironic part is that they really aren't that good at role-playing themselves.
Conclusion:
I have not covered the relationships formed during role-play, I will do that during my post about the community itself.
It may sound in the end that I am bagging on role-play at larping. I don't really think that is the case.
LARPing is made up of much more than just role-play, and even the role-play can be intense and fun. Would I personally come just for the role-play, probably not. I feel I would get more bang for my buck on a tabletop game, however like I said there is more to it (and I will cover that later).
Role-playing is a great avenue at LARP, but it would not be the sole reason I recommend LARPing to anyone.
Larping intro.
Damn I am talkative today...
I have had a lot of friends asking if I would come back to LARPing (both for local LARPs Alliance and Oz). I have been warring over that idea for a long time. I really do enjoy the hobby, but it is expensive, time consuming and I am not sure if I enjoy it as much as I used (or if I even actually enjoyed it as much as I thought I did). It is a mixed bag for me, no regrets, but a lot of ups and downs and as I get older I am not sure which way I want to go.
I suspect I will have many posts about LARPing, with having attended three boffer larps (Legacies, Amtgard and Dying Light), ran two of them as both head of departments and as owners. Jello and I have designed two LARPs, one from the ground up (and another is in the pipeline). In addition I have had friends attend two other LARPs and their stories match up almost exactly with my experiences.
I think I will break down the pros and cons here and then address those separately.
PROS
The role-play
The sense of community
The costuming
Learning new skills
CONS
The role-play
The sense of community
The costuming
The monetary and emotional/physical cost
You might think it is weird that three of the items are both pros and cons, but actually the extremes of each of these are what is great and horrible about LARPS.
Those items are just the things I think everyone comes across, there are additional things I want to post about, such as designing LARP rules, handling disputes, dealing with emergencies, etc.
I suspect I will post more today :)
I have had a lot of friends asking if I would come back to LARPing (both for local LARPs Alliance and Oz). I have been warring over that idea for a long time. I really do enjoy the hobby, but it is expensive, time consuming and I am not sure if I enjoy it as much as I used (or if I even actually enjoyed it as much as I thought I did). It is a mixed bag for me, no regrets, but a lot of ups and downs and as I get older I am not sure which way I want to go.
I suspect I will have many posts about LARPing, with having attended three boffer larps (Legacies, Amtgard and Dying Light), ran two of them as both head of departments and as owners. Jello and I have designed two LARPs, one from the ground up (and another is in the pipeline). In addition I have had friends attend two other LARPs and their stories match up almost exactly with my experiences.
I think I will break down the pros and cons here and then address those separately.
PROS
The role-play
The sense of community
The costuming
Learning new skills
CONS
The role-play
The sense of community
The costuming
The monetary and emotional/physical cost
You might think it is weird that three of the items are both pros and cons, but actually the extremes of each of these are what is great and horrible about LARPS.
Those items are just the things I think everyone comes across, there are additional things I want to post about, such as designing LARP rules, handling disputes, dealing with emergencies, etc.
I suspect I will post more today :)
Hobbies
Well, even though I am tired a lot from working, evidently my current
job is less draining then my higher end prior job. I feel like doing
things. I am running Shadowrun fairly regularly, I am starting to
collect Warhammer 40k (and will start playing when I get my army built
up enough), and I am considering a D&D or some other "easy running"
game for Sundays.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to get into Warhammer, but Vince and Chuck have gotten me interested. So interested in fact that I bought a Space Marine squad and Captain (Space Marines because they are a good neutral army to start with). These are the first figs I have bought and began to paint in 20 years. Also I just noticed how bad my eyes are, I am going to have to buy one of those lighted magnifying setups so I can paint, so I can keep my lines straight.
I decided to play a no-name Chapter. I don't want a Chapter of Marines that has a specific paint scheme, I want to paint all different types of colors, above is the first squad painted about 3/4 of the way, of course after getting this far I have decided to paint my future Marines in German Wehrmacht colors (color scheme depending on squad). But I can always add four extra standard Marines painted differently if I need to.
I do plan on collecting a sizable Space Marine force, and then a second army that I am debating on. Once that is underway I want to also collect Bolt Action (World War II miniature game) and then finally Warhammer Fantasy. If nothing else I really like painting figs (and they will only get better from here).
I also want to play some Song of Blades, I need to pick up some generic fantasy figures for that though.
One other hobby I have gotten into is expanding my Youtube experience by opening a channel called "Things You Should Know". Basically it will be short 5-10 minute videos on different subjects such as accounting/auditing, government workings (I find a lot of misinformation here), historical things, biography and gaming (such as reviews of game systems, gaming techniques, etc). I put the first one up last week. I am working on a sizable list of future videos, should have them regularly starting sometime this week.
I posted my first video for the channel. I talk about the common myth that we pay a flat tax rate and thus if we get a raise, sometimes we actually lose money because of taxes. Fortunately for all of us, that isn't true.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to get into Warhammer, but Vince and Chuck have gotten me interested. So interested in fact that I bought a Space Marine squad and Captain (Space Marines because they are a good neutral army to start with). These are the first figs I have bought and began to paint in 20 years. Also I just noticed how bad my eyes are, I am going to have to buy one of those lighted magnifying setups so I can paint, so I can keep my lines straight.
I decided to play a no-name Chapter. I don't want a Chapter of Marines that has a specific paint scheme, I want to paint all different types of colors, above is the first squad painted about 3/4 of the way, of course after getting this far I have decided to paint my future Marines in German Wehrmacht colors (color scheme depending on squad). But I can always add four extra standard Marines painted differently if I need to.
I do plan on collecting a sizable Space Marine force, and then a second army that I am debating on. Once that is underway I want to also collect Bolt Action (World War II miniature game) and then finally Warhammer Fantasy. If nothing else I really like painting figs (and they will only get better from here).
I also want to play some Song of Blades, I need to pick up some generic fantasy figures for that though.
One other hobby I have gotten into is expanding my Youtube experience by opening a channel called "Things You Should Know". Basically it will be short 5-10 minute videos on different subjects such as accounting/auditing, government workings (I find a lot of misinformation here), historical things, biography and gaming (such as reviews of game systems, gaming techniques, etc). I put the first one up last week. I am working on a sizable list of future videos, should have them regularly starting sometime this week.
I posted my first video for the channel. I talk about the common myth that we pay a flat tax rate and thus if we get a raise, sometimes we actually lose money because of taxes. Fortunately for all of us, that isn't true.
Job stuff
I figured I would give you guys an update on job stuff/possibilities.
Current Job: Honestly the job itself isn't that bad. I investigate businesses that pay employees under the table. I ensure that unemployment insurance is paid by the employers, protecting the employees and ensuring they get unemployment insurance if they get laid off (if they get paid under the table they don't get unemployment).
I have been picking up a lot of businesses who are avoiding taxes (surprisingly, or maybe not software companies are a big issue, along with housecleaners and dog groomers/sitters/walkers). I don't feel bad auditing them, nor do I feel bad when we find they owe money. Does that make me bad? Maybe, but I don't think so.
I have a lot more to talk about my current job, but I figure some of them deserve their own posts so I will wrap this up saying I do have a few dislikes about my current job.
The issues are the commute sucks (I-405 to Bellevue and then I spend half the day driving to different audit sites) but I can deal with that. The pay is very low, especially compared to what I was getting paid at my prior two jobs and while I think the job is fairly flexible and honestly I like busting people avoiding taxes, the actual scope of the job is very limited. I am so used to doing full GAAP/GASB based audits and this would only represent a very tiny portion in duties.
DoD: I had a weird thing happen with the Department of Defense job. I wasn't picked up in the first round of hirings, my app was returned to central place for HR, but then the next day my app got returned to DoD management and I was told by email to disregard all prior notices (it sounds like there was a mistake made) and that it was forwarded to management. Does this mean they will hire me? I think its an eventuality, but it is a federal job and if it does happen it can take months. So, while I am interested I won't hope too much.
State Auditor's Office: Now this is the real news. I got a call on Friday from a friend who works for the Seattle team. She asked if I was interested in coming back (I made a lot more there then I do with ESD there and I had a lot more authority). Evidently their team is short people, and extremely short trained people (most of their team are new auditors). Evidently one of her assistant managers asked her to talk with the main manager about me.
So Rae called me to verify if I would be interested in coming back. I am not sure how interested I would be in coming back to my old team, but the Seattle team is a new team and I plan on working down in that area anyways. It also doesn't hurt that the Seattle team gets paid a 5% boost in cost of living due to the area (but its the same cost of living as where I live now so it would be a boost over my old wages).
I told Rae that I would be interested (after talking to Jello). I miss auditing, and if there is office drama at least it would be a new place and new issues. So Rae talked with her manager at a meeting and they both looked me up in the system. Evidently my old resume/application had already been expunged (they dump apps/resumes after 90 days) and so he (the manager) told Rae to have me put in my resume ASAP and then call one of the HR people on Monday to confirm it went through.
I think that is a good sign, and if it worked out at minimum I wouldn't be living on the edge of my paycheck (having to use credit cards on occasion with no paying them more than minimum). It would be at least $800 more a month, the commute would be comparable with no driving during the day except for special items (unlike now, I put 100-200 miles on my car a day). Plus, after getting past probation I could take a job down in the Vancouver office if one opened up and live near Portland (I know Jello really wants that, and I would like it).
Is it definite? Absolutely not, but it is ok either way. I would go back to SAO, and if that doesn't pan out I can get by on my current job (I should be telecommuting part time in a month, that would make up a lot at that time for the low pay). Will I take the Department of Defense job either way? I think I would. Jello has been telling me for a long time to take the jobs I want, not to work at any place out of a misguided sense of loyalty. I should have listened to him last year, I had debated many times (and had a couple of options) to dump the County, but I felt I owed the County at least a year before I started looking for other jobs. Obviously that was an erroneous thought as the county dumped me in less than a year when I wouldn't agree to do things that weren't acceptable to an auditor viewpoint.
So everything is still in the air, so I thought I would just blab to all of you.
Current Job: Honestly the job itself isn't that bad. I investigate businesses that pay employees under the table. I ensure that unemployment insurance is paid by the employers, protecting the employees and ensuring they get unemployment insurance if they get laid off (if they get paid under the table they don't get unemployment).
I have been picking up a lot of businesses who are avoiding taxes (surprisingly, or maybe not software companies are a big issue, along with housecleaners and dog groomers/sitters/walkers). I don't feel bad auditing them, nor do I feel bad when we find they owe money. Does that make me bad? Maybe, but I don't think so.
I have a lot more to talk about my current job, but I figure some of them deserve their own posts so I will wrap this up saying I do have a few dislikes about my current job.
The issues are the commute sucks (I-405 to Bellevue and then I spend half the day driving to different audit sites) but I can deal with that. The pay is very low, especially compared to what I was getting paid at my prior two jobs and while I think the job is fairly flexible and honestly I like busting people avoiding taxes, the actual scope of the job is very limited. I am so used to doing full GAAP/GASB based audits and this would only represent a very tiny portion in duties.
DoD: I had a weird thing happen with the Department of Defense job. I wasn't picked up in the first round of hirings, my app was returned to central place for HR, but then the next day my app got returned to DoD management and I was told by email to disregard all prior notices (it sounds like there was a mistake made) and that it was forwarded to management. Does this mean they will hire me? I think its an eventuality, but it is a federal job and if it does happen it can take months. So, while I am interested I won't hope too much.
State Auditor's Office: Now this is the real news. I got a call on Friday from a friend who works for the Seattle team. She asked if I was interested in coming back (I made a lot more there then I do with ESD there and I had a lot more authority). Evidently their team is short people, and extremely short trained people (most of their team are new auditors). Evidently one of her assistant managers asked her to talk with the main manager about me.
So Rae called me to verify if I would be interested in coming back. I am not sure how interested I would be in coming back to my old team, but the Seattle team is a new team and I plan on working down in that area anyways. It also doesn't hurt that the Seattle team gets paid a 5% boost in cost of living due to the area (but its the same cost of living as where I live now so it would be a boost over my old wages).
I told Rae that I would be interested (after talking to Jello). I miss auditing, and if there is office drama at least it would be a new place and new issues. So Rae talked with her manager at a meeting and they both looked me up in the system. Evidently my old resume/application had already been expunged (they dump apps/resumes after 90 days) and so he (the manager) told Rae to have me put in my resume ASAP and then call one of the HR people on Monday to confirm it went through.
I think that is a good sign, and if it worked out at minimum I wouldn't be living on the edge of my paycheck (having to use credit cards on occasion with no paying them more than minimum). It would be at least $800 more a month, the commute would be comparable with no driving during the day except for special items (unlike now, I put 100-200 miles on my car a day). Plus, after getting past probation I could take a job down in the Vancouver office if one opened up and live near Portland (I know Jello really wants that, and I would like it).
Is it definite? Absolutely not, but it is ok either way. I would go back to SAO, and if that doesn't pan out I can get by on my current job (I should be telecommuting part time in a month, that would make up a lot at that time for the low pay). Will I take the Department of Defense job either way? I think I would. Jello has been telling me for a long time to take the jobs I want, not to work at any place out of a misguided sense of loyalty. I should have listened to him last year, I had debated many times (and had a couple of options) to dump the County, but I felt I owed the County at least a year before I started looking for other jobs. Obviously that was an erroneous thought as the county dumped me in less than a year when I wouldn't agree to do things that weren't acceptable to an auditor viewpoint.
So everything is still in the air, so I thought I would just blab to all of you.
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