Wow is all I have to say.
My new computer rocks. I got home about 8pm Friday night. Gak had pizza waiting for me and my computer set up. We chowed down on the pizza and then headed into the world of Norrath. Together. For the first time ever. Needless to say we had a blast. We took names and killed lots of stuff. Mind you, my computer was set up at an end table beside the sofa so I was sitting on the floor. I didn't care. The monitor was so clear and the computer was so fast I didn't mind.
Saturday while Gak was at work I again ventured into Norrath. I was grouped with a few people and had some fun. People laughed when I told them I was sitting on the floor. Gak and I did a hit-and-run raid on IKEA after he got off work Saturday. We got 2 new desks and a second chair. We got the first desk put together Saturday night. Mind you, this was around going out to dinner and the fire company carnival with some friends.
Sunday we both grouped up with some long-time friends of ours. Much mayhem was created. There was much dying. Mostly our prey, but occasionally us. I think there was a little more mayhem than usual because of Team Speak. I thought I wouldn't like TS. I was wrong. Typed conversations are fun, but actually being able to talk to people is so much more fun.
Last night both Gak and I were able to attend the raid. About 2 or 3 hours in (I forget really, it's all blurry) someone on TS finally realized that both Gak and I were online at the same time. Everyone laughed and told them they were being very observant tonight and to look at the boards more...
I'm tired today. I go to South Dakota tomorrow. I'll be home Friday.
Peace to all, and may the heat be not so bad.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Thursday, July 27, 2006
"The Beast"
I mentioned earlier this week I was getting a new computer. I ordered it from Dell on Saturday morning. It was 'tennativley' scheduled to ship by Monday the 31st with 3-5 day ground shipping. Cool! I'll have it by the time I get back from South Dakota next week.
Surprise!
I was driving up the PA Turnpike when my phone rings. Expecting it might be Gak I answer. No, it's an automated call from UPS telling me my Dell order will be delivered sometime between 8 am and 7pm tomorrow (i.e. today) the 27th. *GASP* I don't even have a desk for it yet!
I call Gak and tell him the good news.
It came in today and he picked it up at work. (Very convenient Gak working at a UPS store for when we receive packages etc.)
He took it home this evening and set it up. He has named it The Beast. It makes his computer look tiny he says. It's a Dell XPS400. Sweet! Mostly bottom of the line, but I did make a few improvements. http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsdt_400?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
I can't wait to get home and play with it. I'm kinda bummed that Gak got to open it first, but that's OK. It's mine. And now we can game together. I am glad in a way that Gak got to open it because he is lovingly installing EQII on it as I type from my hotel room and patching it tonight. How did I end up with such a sweetie???
Peace to all and Gak and I will both see you in Norrath soon!
Surprise!
I was driving up the PA Turnpike when my phone rings. Expecting it might be Gak I answer. No, it's an automated call from UPS telling me my Dell order will be delivered sometime between 8 am and 7pm tomorrow (i.e. today) the 27th. *GASP* I don't even have a desk for it yet!
I call Gak and tell him the good news.
It came in today and he picked it up at work. (Very convenient Gak working at a UPS store for when we receive packages etc.)
He took it home this evening and set it up. He has named it The Beast. It makes his computer look tiny he says. It's a Dell XPS400. Sweet! Mostly bottom of the line, but I did make a few improvements. http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsdt_400?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
I can't wait to get home and play with it. I'm kinda bummed that Gak got to open it first, but that's OK. It's mine. And now we can game together. I am glad in a way that Gak got to open it because he is lovingly installing EQII on it as I type from my hotel room and patching it tonight. How did I end up with such a sweetie???
Peace to all and Gak and I will both see you in Norrath soon!
Monday, July 24, 2006
Traffic Trials
I'm tired. I hate the Blue Route. (Yes, that's a 'name' of a local road...) I-95 isn't much better...
This weekend was quite enjoyable. We visited both friends and family in Maryland. Saturday after Gak got off work, we went down to visit my friend Michelle from college. It has rained a lot in the last week, with some pretty nasty storms (i.e. it was raining sideways!). It rained a bit on our way down. The oddest thing though, is that the Blue Route and I-95 slowed to a crawl at various places and for quite a bit of the trip after the rain stopped. No real reason. No accidents, no construction and the toll areas were clear.
We get to Michelle's and decide what to do about dinner. Then the skies open up and the rain starts at full force. We run for the car and get drenched. I drop them off at the door and then have to find a parking space. Even more drenched. It's all good though. We have a good meal, wander around some shops for a bit and then go back to her place and watch Clue.
Yesterday morning Michelle and I go to the gym. Gak and I are planning on heading to the aquarium for a bit before heading over to my cousin's house. My aunt and uncle are in town from California and they, my cousin and his wife, Gak and I and my parents are all getting together for a cookout. I thought Mom said between 3 and 3:30. Nope, between 2 and 3. Oops.
Gak and I go to the Inner Harbor, but the line for the aquarium is about a mile long and we don't have all day. Oh well, we'll just have to go back. We wander around a bit and visit the USS Constellation. It's a good thing Gak was in the modern Navy, not the Civil War era Navy. My hubby can't clear the ceilings below decks. In some cases, I felt very tall... and I'm not.
We head over to my cousin's house and since we're running late, I hit every traffic light on our way back to Towson. My cousin and his wife have a beautiful house and a friendly and cute little dog. We had a wonderful time. It really is amazing how similar the people in our family are. The only thing that would have made it any better is if my brother and my cousin Rachel had been there.
We leave Ben's around 8. We should have been home by 10:45 or so. I-95 cooperated this time and we get back to PA in good time. Then we get back onto the Blue Route. We're about 50 miles from home at this point and should be home in about an hour (or less....). Suddenly, we stop. We creep at 10 miles an hour or less for 12 miles. It is now 11:15 and we still have almost 45 minutes left of driving ahead of us. This time at least it was a known cause. Construction. I'd forgotten about it, as it is only on the northbound side right now. And they took it down from 3 lanes to 1. Yep, 1.
Needless to say I got home exhausted and around midnight. As odd as this sounds, I was too exhausted to sleep, but I couldn't stay awake. Not a very restful night. Oh well. It'll just be a tired Monday.
Peace to all and somebody take a nap for me.
Oh, as an after thought... I ordered a new computer Saturday morning so now Gak and I will both be online at the same time soon!!!
This weekend was quite enjoyable. We visited both friends and family in Maryland. Saturday after Gak got off work, we went down to visit my friend Michelle from college. It has rained a lot in the last week, with some pretty nasty storms (i.e. it was raining sideways!). It rained a bit on our way down. The oddest thing though, is that the Blue Route and I-95 slowed to a crawl at various places and for quite a bit of the trip after the rain stopped. No real reason. No accidents, no construction and the toll areas were clear.
We get to Michelle's and decide what to do about dinner. Then the skies open up and the rain starts at full force. We run for the car and get drenched. I drop them off at the door and then have to find a parking space. Even more drenched. It's all good though. We have a good meal, wander around some shops for a bit and then go back to her place and watch Clue.
Yesterday morning Michelle and I go to the gym. Gak and I are planning on heading to the aquarium for a bit before heading over to my cousin's house. My aunt and uncle are in town from California and they, my cousin and his wife, Gak and I and my parents are all getting together for a cookout. I thought Mom said between 3 and 3:30. Nope, between 2 and 3. Oops.
Gak and I go to the Inner Harbor, but the line for the aquarium is about a mile long and we don't have all day. Oh well, we'll just have to go back. We wander around a bit and visit the USS Constellation. It's a good thing Gak was in the modern Navy, not the Civil War era Navy. My hubby can't clear the ceilings below decks. In some cases, I felt very tall... and I'm not.
We head over to my cousin's house and since we're running late, I hit every traffic light on our way back to Towson. My cousin and his wife have a beautiful house and a friendly and cute little dog. We had a wonderful time. It really is amazing how similar the people in our family are. The only thing that would have made it any better is if my brother and my cousin Rachel had been there.
We leave Ben's around 8. We should have been home by 10:45 or so. I-95 cooperated this time and we get back to PA in good time. Then we get back onto the Blue Route. We're about 50 miles from home at this point and should be home in about an hour (or less....). Suddenly, we stop. We creep at 10 miles an hour or less for 12 miles. It is now 11:15 and we still have almost 45 minutes left of driving ahead of us. This time at least it was a known cause. Construction. I'd forgotten about it, as it is only on the northbound side right now. And they took it down from 3 lanes to 1. Yep, 1.
Needless to say I got home exhausted and around midnight. As odd as this sounds, I was too exhausted to sleep, but I couldn't stay awake. Not a very restful night. Oh well. It'll just be a tired Monday.
Peace to all and somebody take a nap for me.
Oh, as an after thought... I ordered a new computer Saturday morning so now Gak and I will both be online at the same time soon!!!
Monday, July 17, 2006
Not too bright....
Some days I'm not too bright. Ok, many days I'm not too bright. Yesterday was right up there in the Not Too Bright list.
Saturday we all went out for a friend's birthday. HUGE dinner, good friends and a nice evening. That ended around midnight (yes, early I know, but not early for me...).
Sunday morning I wake up and realize I never talked to my friend Uday about carpooling to the O-event at Daniell Boone. Crap. I call him and he's about ready to head out the door. I live about a mile away, so I throw my stuff in my bag, kiss Gak good morning and head out the door.
I remembered all my O-gear. Well, except the bug repellent (which I rarely use) and sunscreen. Remember that I forgot the sunscreen; I can't forget that information today.
We get to the Wa Wa for dark fluid of wakefulness +2. Uday doesn't have his wallet. No problem, I was going to give him cash for gas anyhow. We make it out to the event on time, early even. There was still some setup stuff to do, so of course we help out. Mind you, by now it's just about 10am and already above 80 (or so I'm guessing). And Sunny. And a little humid. And did I mention I forgot my sunscreen and that Boone doesn't have a lot of shade?
This was a unique event, the event director was calling it a 'spell-O'. You had a short or a long option. There were lots of controls placed out there. You get to choose which ones and which order. Ok, nothing unique there, that's a score-O. But wait, each control has 2 or 3 letters associated with it. If you're doing the long course, you must spell out, in order, Daniel Boone Homestead. Those of us doing the short course had to spell Go Orienteering. Ok, so this is a score-O with a twist. Other rules included not getting more than 2 of any one letter on a single side of the creek and you must stick to paths, roads and clearings (makes sense as Boone is a pricker bush haven). Sounds like fun. It was. Except for the heat. And did I mention I forgot my sunscreen?
I ended up not getting all my controls because I nearly fell over from the heat. I ended up off a path (what I thought was a path died in the middle of a patch of prickers) at one point so my legs are all scratched up. And of course, I forgot the sunscreen. And I wore a tanktop to be cooler. Therefore my shoulders are nice and toasty red.
*sigh* Sometimes I'm not too bright. But I did have fun....
Peace (and no sunburn!) to my friends in Norrath and beyond.
Saturday we all went out for a friend's birthday. HUGE dinner, good friends and a nice evening. That ended around midnight (yes, early I know, but not early for me...).
Sunday morning I wake up and realize I never talked to my friend Uday about carpooling to the O-event at Daniell Boone. Crap. I call him and he's about ready to head out the door. I live about a mile away, so I throw my stuff in my bag, kiss Gak good morning and head out the door.
I remembered all my O-gear. Well, except the bug repellent (which I rarely use) and sunscreen. Remember that I forgot the sunscreen; I can't forget that information today.
We get to the Wa Wa for dark fluid of wakefulness +2. Uday doesn't have his wallet. No problem, I was going to give him cash for gas anyhow. We make it out to the event on time, early even. There was still some setup stuff to do, so of course we help out. Mind you, by now it's just about 10am and already above 80 (or so I'm guessing). And Sunny. And a little humid. And did I mention I forgot my sunscreen and that Boone doesn't have a lot of shade?
This was a unique event, the event director was calling it a 'spell-O'. You had a short or a long option. There were lots of controls placed out there. You get to choose which ones and which order. Ok, nothing unique there, that's a score-O. But wait, each control has 2 or 3 letters associated with it. If you're doing the long course, you must spell out, in order, Daniel Boone Homestead. Those of us doing the short course had to spell Go Orienteering. Ok, so this is a score-O with a twist. Other rules included not getting more than 2 of any one letter on a single side of the creek and you must stick to paths, roads and clearings (makes sense as Boone is a pricker bush haven). Sounds like fun. It was. Except for the heat. And did I mention I forgot my sunscreen?
I ended up not getting all my controls because I nearly fell over from the heat. I ended up off a path (what I thought was a path died in the middle of a patch of prickers) at one point so my legs are all scratched up. And of course, I forgot the sunscreen. And I wore a tanktop to be cooler. Therefore my shoulders are nice and toasty red.
*sigh* Sometimes I'm not too bright. But I did have fun....
Peace (and no sunburn!) to my friends in Norrath and beyond.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Ugh
This has been one long and not overly productive week. I haven't even taken the time to write about how unproductive I've been.
My trials from my last expedition to the woods aren't quite over. Not only did I get that nice massive bruise, but what I thought was an infected cut turns out to be poison ivy. This is the first time in my entire life that I've ever had poison ivy. My doctor thought it was an infected cut as well when I went to my appointment and put me on some antibiotics. 4 days later and the itching was still as bad as ever and spreading. Uh-oh. I guess it's not an infection but poison. He then gave me a steroid cream for it. Just getting that was an adventure because my normal pharmacy was out and "we can get that for you tomorrow..." just wasn't going to fly. Luckily a nearby pharmacy did have it and I'm feeling a lot better. I still itch like crazy at times, but the area of the rash is much smaller and not so bad looking. At least my bruise healed well.
I haven't had a very productive work week. It's a combination of still being exhausted from last month and coming back from a vacation week. Both things make it hard to concentrate and care. I'm planning on getting work done from home next week. I've got a couple of big projects and they go so much quicker when I can spread out over the entire apartment and tell Gak to go away for a bit.
This weekend looks to be hot and humid and nasty. I'm still trying to decide if I'm heading out into the woods on Sunday.
Now I've completely lost my train of thought. My buddy Don came up and distracted me yet again. I'm not going to even begin about the 2-hour lunch some of us had yesterday. shhh....
Oh well... Peace to all my friends in Norrath and beyond.
My trials from my last expedition to the woods aren't quite over. Not only did I get that nice massive bruise, but what I thought was an infected cut turns out to be poison ivy. This is the first time in my entire life that I've ever had poison ivy. My doctor thought it was an infected cut as well when I went to my appointment and put me on some antibiotics. 4 days later and the itching was still as bad as ever and spreading. Uh-oh. I guess it's not an infection but poison. He then gave me a steroid cream for it. Just getting that was an adventure because my normal pharmacy was out and "we can get that for you tomorrow..." just wasn't going to fly. Luckily a nearby pharmacy did have it and I'm feeling a lot better. I still itch like crazy at times, but the area of the rash is much smaller and not so bad looking. At least my bruise healed well.
I haven't had a very productive work week. It's a combination of still being exhausted from last month and coming back from a vacation week. Both things make it hard to concentrate and care. I'm planning on getting work done from home next week. I've got a couple of big projects and they go so much quicker when I can spread out over the entire apartment and tell Gak to go away for a bit.
This weekend looks to be hot and humid and nasty. I'm still trying to decide if I'm heading out into the woods on Sunday.
Now I've completely lost my train of thought. My buddy Don came up and distracted me yet again. I'm not going to even begin about the 2-hour lunch some of us had yesterday. shhh....
Oh well... Peace to all my friends in Norrath and beyond.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
The weekend already??
I can't belive it... It is the weekend again already! This week has flown by way too quickly. I have managed to get a bit done around the house, but no where near what I thought I was going to.
I've got the curtains for the living room almost done. I haven't touched a single box of stuff or organized the back room at all.
I've had lots of adventures in Norrath. Finally getting to know a few people in Oops other than my other fallen Knights. I'm finally able to go up to the Kingdom of Sky by myself and not get killed every 5 minutes or less. I did have an enjoyable evening with a few people doing some quests in the Sands. I still hate that place. I think the story line of it got too old, too quick. I mean, I like the Arabian Nights and Aladan and all, but to spend over 10 levels in the same area and because of a not-so-great choice at the beginning not wanting to venture to the main city to get quests? Not my idea of fun in the least. It is definately a grind zone. I hate grinding. Give me some good quests and I'm there. Solo quests becuase I can't always count on my friends being on (and I am a little shy about making new ones easilly...) and don't always feel like grouping anyhow. Overall, my oppinion of the Sands is, it would have made a great adventure pack, but no way would I stay there from level 45-ish to 60. I admit, I could have spent more time in Everfrost, but I grew tired quickly of those damn ice lizards. I could have gone to Lavastorm, but again, it's a mostly heroic agro zone and I don't always group much. That left me the sands. Or finding a guildie who had the time and wanted me to heal them up in the Sky. Which really spoils going back to the Sands. Feels like punishment almost. I don't know, maybe I'm just feeling bitter or angry or something that I haven't had as much time the past few months and my friends have outstripped me in level yet again. I shouldn't feel that way. It is a game after all. But one I enjoy playing and playing with my friends. Actively, not just chatting with them.
I've been feeling similar frustrations with my Orienteering lately too. Orange has been a bitch this year. At least for me. I really do need to go to the training weekend this fall. I think I've gotten about as far as I can without major instruction and taking the time to actualy learn what I am doing. I do very well if there is a handrail or catching feature anywhere near the control I'm going for. Put the controll in the middle of what, with a casuall, untraind glance, looks like a featureless plain, I'm sunk.
Ok, enough moping and being frustrated about things not always in my control. I'm heading into Norrath for a bit before Gak wakes up and I have to actually be responsible and get things done.
Peace to my friends in Norrath and beyond.
I've got the curtains for the living room almost done. I haven't touched a single box of stuff or organized the back room at all.
I've had lots of adventures in Norrath. Finally getting to know a few people in Oops other than my other fallen Knights. I'm finally able to go up to the Kingdom of Sky by myself and not get killed every 5 minutes or less. I did have an enjoyable evening with a few people doing some quests in the Sands. I still hate that place. I think the story line of it got too old, too quick. I mean, I like the Arabian Nights and Aladan and all, but to spend over 10 levels in the same area and because of a not-so-great choice at the beginning not wanting to venture to the main city to get quests? Not my idea of fun in the least. It is definately a grind zone. I hate grinding. Give me some good quests and I'm there. Solo quests becuase I can't always count on my friends being on (and I am a little shy about making new ones easilly...) and don't always feel like grouping anyhow. Overall, my oppinion of the Sands is, it would have made a great adventure pack, but no way would I stay there from level 45-ish to 60. I admit, I could have spent more time in Everfrost, but I grew tired quickly of those damn ice lizards. I could have gone to Lavastorm, but again, it's a mostly heroic agro zone and I don't always group much. That left me the sands. Or finding a guildie who had the time and wanted me to heal them up in the Sky. Which really spoils going back to the Sands. Feels like punishment almost. I don't know, maybe I'm just feeling bitter or angry or something that I haven't had as much time the past few months and my friends have outstripped me in level yet again. I shouldn't feel that way. It is a game after all. But one I enjoy playing and playing with my friends. Actively, not just chatting with them.
I've been feeling similar frustrations with my Orienteering lately too. Orange has been a bitch this year. At least for me. I really do need to go to the training weekend this fall. I think I've gotten about as far as I can without major instruction and taking the time to actualy learn what I am doing. I do very well if there is a handrail or catching feature anywhere near the control I'm going for. Put the controll in the middle of what, with a casuall, untraind glance, looks like a featureless plain, I'm sunk.
Ok, enough moping and being frustrated about things not always in my control. I'm heading into Norrath for a bit before Gak wakes up and I have to actually be responsible and get things done.
Peace to my friends in Norrath and beyond.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Happy 4th!
Well, I've been home since Friday. It's now Tuesday evening and I don't have to go in to the office even until Monday the 10th. The past few days have been very nice. Saturday was a vegetable day. Sunday was a tough day in the woods. Yesterday I spent the day with my mom and today was a home day. I really feel like I've been getting stuff done the last few days.
Sunday... Sunday was painfull. I've got the bruise to prove it! It's a good 2 inches wide and 3 or 4 long on the inside of my right knee. I don't remember how I got it. I knew I was going to get bruised up, but I wasn't expecting one that bad.
Why was Sunday worse than usuall? Well... 90+ degre weather with high humidity, 5.1 km and 185 m climb on my usuall dificulty course could have something to do with it. I took a look at those course stats and said, "I don't think so..." That meant I could either move up or down one level of difficulty. I moved up. Why, because everyone said "If you've been doing Orange, just move up to Brown.". Don't listen to them. They lie. Well, maybe not lie, but I shouldn't have moved up. I was physically and mentally wiped out. Not the best time to try something more physically and mentally challenging than normal. I only seem to learn this the hard way. I got through the 1st controll somehow. Almost made it to the second and then realized, "If I miss this... I'll end up halfway home before anything catches me." Not good. The rest of the course wasn't going to be any easier. I'd already been out way too long for only getting this far. I was in a good place to haul back to start, so I did.
The upshot is that my friend Kathy said we should team up to do a Brown next time. I'm going to take her up on the offer. When we were compeating on the same level all the time, we played tag quite a bit. We like eachother and work well together most likely. We'll see.
I'm off to walk up the streat to Rita's. (Man, it is so nice to live in town again...)
Peace to all my friends in Norrath and beyond.
Sunday... Sunday was painfull. I've got the bruise to prove it! It's a good 2 inches wide and 3 or 4 long on the inside of my right knee. I don't remember how I got it. I knew I was going to get bruised up, but I wasn't expecting one that bad.
Why was Sunday worse than usuall? Well... 90+ degre weather with high humidity, 5.1 km and 185 m climb on my usuall dificulty course could have something to do with it. I took a look at those course stats and said, "I don't think so..." That meant I could either move up or down one level of difficulty. I moved up. Why, because everyone said "If you've been doing Orange, just move up to Brown.". Don't listen to them. They lie. Well, maybe not lie, but I shouldn't have moved up. I was physically and mentally wiped out. Not the best time to try something more physically and mentally challenging than normal. I only seem to learn this the hard way. I got through the 1st controll somehow. Almost made it to the second and then realized, "If I miss this... I'll end up halfway home before anything catches me." Not good. The rest of the course wasn't going to be any easier. I'd already been out way too long for only getting this far. I was in a good place to haul back to start, so I did.
The upshot is that my friend Kathy said we should team up to do a Brown next time. I'm going to take her up on the offer. When we were compeating on the same level all the time, we played tag quite a bit. We like eachother and work well together most likely. We'll see.
I'm off to walk up the streat to Rita's. (Man, it is so nice to live in town again...)
Peace to all my friends in Norrath and beyond.
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