Zel-kun’s Words

Well, I went to Indiana again yesterday, for our second session of DnD.  Things went smoothly, with the exception of Paul yelling at his dogs every five minutes.  But the characters work well with each other, and are learning to deal with my NPC’s.  As a group, I’m very proud of them.

I’d like to say that having a good group is allowing me to also become a better GM.  I now have to think things out a bit further, and develop the storyline further than I expected.  They interact more fluidly with the environment than I have anticipated.  This is a good thing.

Zai is also learning to roleplay, and she is slowly but surely getting better.  She has a firmer grasp on the mechanics, and seems to be adapting to interaction very well.  Kevin (another player) plays a female character, which confuses all of us.  We can never seem to remember his character is a girl.  After all, we’re sitting here talking to a boy.  So, Zai had an ingenious solution: she brought a long black wig and we made him wear it.

And that’s when Zai said the funniest thing ever.

“I could never pass up the chance to dress a guy in drag.”

Folks… my girlfriend frightens me sometimes.

This morning I took my stepfather to IHOP, which is one of the better breakfast establishments I know.  This excludes the Broadway Cafe in Merrillville, which easily has the best breakfast.  And was taken off guard by our waiter, a young african in dreadlocks (this is NOT the part that surprised me).   He took our order and brought us our coffee, and then proceeded to flip the coffeee cups around and pour with as much flourish as I’ve ever seen at those fancy japanese restaraunts with the flamboyant chefs.  He did stuff like this every time he came around, and I spied him at other tables, it was almost as though he danced through his work, moving to some unknown tune in his head.

I eat out a lot.  I would estimate I go to an eating establishment at least four times a week, bare minimum.  I have seen my fair share of morose and unfriendly waiters, as well as happy and cheerful ones.  This is the first time I’ve seen a waiter take genuine pride and joy in his work, which earns my respect.  I don’t know how much my respect is worth, my respect and two dollars might get you a cup of coffee, so I left him a ten dollar tip (60%).

Well, that about sums up my weekend.  I think I’ll relax, get some things organized, and start working on some dusty writings.

Zel-kun out.

I drove all over the city of Chicago today, taking inventory at various gyms.  I find it odd being a nerd working on servers and computers amidst a jock haven.  I actually find that the other technicians that work for XSport have a jock-ish feel to them, with the exception of the programmer, who is a full-blown nerd.

Because of this, I don’t really meld well with them.  There seems to be an invisible barrier somewhere that divides us.  I fear that ultimately, it will be this barrier that will cause my contract to not be renewed when the year is up.  Of course, its not just that, but I was hired to deal with service calls, which I have learned to do expertly.  The problem is they’re dwindling, it seems.

Ah well, hopefully I’ll be able to get a certification or two under my belt before this contract expires, so either Sentinel will keep me on, or I’ll have an easy time finding different employment.  That’s fine in my book, I  don’t seek to make XSport a career.  Trying to work your way up from the bottom in one company is foolish, in my book.  Getting a new job in a better position is much more likely than being promoted.

But for the time being, my job is secure and the money is good, so I’m making sure to take advantage.  Already most of my debts are gone, and my savings are increasing, so its been a very good couple of months.  I’ve learned quite a bit about network infrastructure, which is good being as it is a weak point.  I’ve learned a great deal about remote support and even a little managerial skill.  Yeah, this job even has me sending out hardware technicians and monitoring their work, and making sure it gets done.

… I feel dirty.

Anyhow, I was pulled over by the Chicago police today.  I saw them pull behind me and throw on their lights and siren.  My heart leapt to my throat and I began contemplating every move I made in the last ten minutes, searching for things I could have done wrong.  I was trying to follow a map, so I suppose it would have been possible to miss a stop sign or something.

I then see both officers leap out of their car and stride towards me pulling their guns in the rear-view mirror.  For a split-second, I get very scared.  But then reason kicks in and says, “There’s no way you’ve done something bad enough to be shot at for.  Obviously your car matches a description.”  I relax, and sure enough, the officer approaches and asks me a couple routine questions (where are you from, where are you headed, etc), and tells me a car matching my description was involved in a shooting.  He then sends me on my way.

Its amusing that the sight of an officer drawing a gun on me calmed me down…

Anyhow, that’s all for now.

Zel-kun out.

I’ve been spending a lot of my free time playing Tales of Symphonia, which, if nothing else, is very addictive.  I think I’ve decided that I like the storyline because it is both traditional and unique at the same time.  The thing is, everytime I think I’m looking at another trite story, the game throws me a curveball.  I’ve been thrown quite a bit of curveballs, to the point that I’m not sure what to expect anymore.  As avid a player as I am, that is truly saying something.

Work has been very hectic, I have to visit every gym (about 15 locations) this week, and do inventory.  All while being on notice for service calls 24/7.  That’s not too bad, but it really makes me relish moments when I can just sit and relax.

My friend Pete is thinking of starting up an old Dark Tower RPG we had going awhile back.  If we can actually sit down and have some regular sessions, I’m sure it’d be a lot of fun.  The problem is that our games tend to fizzle.  Though, that’s likely my fault, I’m easily distracted.

*goes to chase something shiny*

But in other news, I started a D&D game with my friends back in Indiana (lady Zai included, of course), and it went very well.  The game lasted four hours and consisted primarily of roleplaying.  The character development is amazing, I’m very proud of my players.   I think this stems from having four players, two guys and two girls, the interaction is more of a group of differently-minded individuals, and less like a group of “let’s find things and kill them.”

I already have a sexist and a racist, which actually makes for some great gameplay, its pretty damn fun to watch a group of people argue in character.

In still other news, my old friend Sarah has made another appearance, the southern belle from the…. south.  I have most of my roleplaying experience with her, with online story RPG’s.  It isn’t very far from the truth to say she has taught me many things about character development and motivation.  I daresay the depth of writing I am capable of today is thanks to her.

Sadly, she never stays long.  Just long enough to say hello (a few days), then she vanishes into the void once more.  Actually gave me quite a scare when she vanished in the months during the Katrina event.  But fortunately she is alive and well, with a dog and a husband.  His name is Larry…

His name is Larry…

He has an uncle…

His name is Bob…

Only Dr. Demento fans will know what the hell that is about.

Well, that’s all for me.

Zel-kun out.

I’m working late today. Not that I’m especially busy, but because I need to be here to answer questions until late. No big deal, really, but the server room at this gym I’m at is located in the childcare center. Currently, no less than twenty children are running past me, around me, and above me (they have this weird hampster like tube on the ceiling). Its giving me a headache, really.

But, on the plus side, I have updated the Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame, so that’s good.

Zel-kun out.

UPDATE:  I have discovered that most of my Hall of Shame review of Majora’s Mask was not saved.  I have corrected this problem.

I really think there’s something wrong with me today. I woke up early this morning for some reason, and started cleaning, of all things. Its like I had OCD or something, every tiny thing out of place began to irritate me. Well, this does have a few positive side effects, at least.

1. My mother is sure to stay off my back for at least a week.

2. I finally set up a reading area in the corner, taking the server off of the recliner and straightening that up.

3. I not only found my long-lost digital camera, but also the rechargable batteries and charger that go with it.

So, that’s good at least. Maybe now that its found I won’t have to clean anymore, maybe the camera has exorcized the demons of cleanliness from my head. I sure as hell hope so.

But, anyhow, this also gives me a chance to try my hand at uploading a photograph onto this here site. Feast your eyes on Zel-kun’s evil, but clean, den.

There, that seemed to have worked well enough.

If you can see it, the video game on the television is my newest acquisition, Tales of Symphonia for the Gamecube. So far, not half-bad. For those in the know, its style is very much like that of Tales of Destiny. Or even Star Ocean by a small stretch.

Well, I’m sure I’ll post more, or even a review about the game soon. In the meantime…

Zel-kun out.

.. for people looking for Magical Trevor Plushes on Yahoo.  Seriously, check it out.

Scary

Of all the things my site is known for, that’s the first.  I must say I’m pleased.

That’s all for now.

Zel-kun out.