Oh, for fuck's sake.

What Larp have I been wanting to play with Sil-West ever since I started playing with them?

Nexus.

What game are they running, this June?

Nexus.

The one with The Doctor and Ace.

I'd best get a job pretty damned pronto, because I do NOT want to miss this.

Link Here.

Double Oh, for fuck's sake

On the plus side, WinXP is now fully operational. Well, I've got a small problem with pixellating on some pictures, but I think that's because I'm using an archaic monitor. What are you gonna do?

Office is installed, but! It's one of the projects Micro$oft wants you to activate (precisely to prevent the sort of thing I did, which is to install someone else's copy), which means I can only use it 49 more times before it goes, as my aunt says, "tits up" on me and won't let me create documents/spreadsheets any more.

Ah, well. That'll get me through the rest of Statistics, and when I can, I'll purchase Office.

Pretentiousness is ME today!

A couple of days ago, I wrote this:

I will survive. Because I am who I was raised to be, who my mother made me. I have the strength of the Clan Johnston in my blood, and that of the Atreides in my heart. I am blessed with the regard of good people, and I am loved by Elizabeth.

I looked at that today, and it struck me that it isn't the best way I could have said that. So let's clarify it, examine it a little more closely.

I am who my mother made me. The beatings, the neglect, the costant belittlements and threats ... they all made me stronger. It's not the way I'll raise my children, I'll tell you that for certain. But her constant railing against who I was made me even more determined to keep hold of myself. I would not yield who I was -- not to her, not to anyone else. And so I have the strength of personality that some people admire (even my Aunt has said that although she hasn't always agreed with my choices, she's always respected that I fought to remain my own person), and some revile. Do I suffer hubris? Yes, occasionally. One doesn't survive the things I have and not get a little full of themselves.

I am a scion of Clan Johnston. In my veins flows the blood that saved Robert the Bruce from the treachery of Edward, that helped the King suppress the Douglas Rebellion in 1455, that was considered a bloodline of troublemakers until King James VI crushed the spirit of the borders in 1603. Sir Walter Scott said of the Clan Johnston, "beware how you spoil the sport of any one who wears the flying spur on his shoulder."

But my heart is also Atreides. Though I sometimes regret it, I didn't change my name out of some Geek urge to be even geekier. The change had great meaning for me. My mind and soul were changed by the Dune novels, to an extent I can't even begin to tell you. My thoughts on religion, on government, and on command were formed by those books, for good or ill, and my name change, which had already been made necessary by the fact I was disowned by the adopted family I'd claimed for ten years, was meant as a signal to all of what I believe. It's pretentious as HELL, I admit that freely. But it's still true.

Ok. I'm done with pretention for today.

Things to get when I'm flush again, #2

New Mouse: WinXP doesn't support mine because the company discontinued it and hasn't made new drivers. So it works as a mouse, but all the extra functionality I've grown used to is gone, which makes this thing basically as attractive to own as a brick.

Yes. There IS a point to this.

"Mad About You" opening vignette.

SCENE: Paul sits in the apartment, watching TV. Jamie walks in, clearly annoyed. She holds up her hands, one of which is holding a roll of toilet paper, the other is holding the spindle for the same.

Jamie: Watch me.

She puts the roll on the spindle, makes a "Do you get it?" gesture, and walks off.

Roll credits.

HAH!

Frelling collectors.

We've been getting this recorded call "You need to return this call to John Hall at Allied Interstate. This is important. We have been trying to reach you." Etc. etc., repeated several times with the number. It never says who it's for, just to call. Every time, I get a machine. Today, I got a real live person.

It's not for either of the people who live here. It's for someone we've never even heard of.

They say they'll stop calling now.

It's late. I'm tired. Here's a meme.

( Long meme ganked from the lovely Elisandra )