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[May. 16th, 2008|09:00 am] |
Last full day in Montreal. Heading out tomorrow morning after breakfast
with Rachel. Good trip. Really good trip. Long drive home, so I can
ponder if I really want a shiny new Ford Focus for $14k (loaded - the
dealership knocked like $3k off the price after taking Dad's UAW discount)
at <5% interest. The Vue is getting pretty raggedy, but the ~$280/month car
payment halves my liquid income and slows my debt reduction until I get
promoted in October. That being said, the fuel economy is better, it'll fit
better in Montreal, and its ~$10k cheaper than a Prius. Well, tis breakfast
time. |
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[May. 10th, 2008|10:17 am] |
Made it to Montreal alright. City fine so far. Company better. On roaming
on the cell phone; am roaming. Roaming is hurtful, but still below
threshold. |
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[May. 6th, 2008|03:25 pm] |
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Heading north. Have the super-secret Travel and Emergency phone. Its even on. Should be back sometime Sunday the 18th. |
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| I can has passport? |
[May. 2nd, 2008|05:27 pm] |
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Yes I cans! |
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| Woot! Cutting it close, but that's my style ;-) |
[Apr. 29th, 2008|10:33 pm] |
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"You requested delivery by regular mail. Passport Agencies use Priority Mail. This means you should receive your passport on or about 05/05/2008." |
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| Murderous rage |
[Apr. 29th, 2008|08:22 am] |
Excel Property Management dba Olde Towne Apartments resubmitted to my bank a
check that was written Jan. 30, 2008 and cashed Feb 11, 2008. This is, to
my knowledge, illegal. I am enraged. Crappy shitty little slum lords. I
must make formal complaint.
Edit: My bank claims that this was a 'common banking error' (which is almost scarier than malicious intent, truth be told) and would re-credit the money and the overdraft fee. This probably serves my purposes as well as can be expected, as it sends a clear message that I watch my accounts and swiftly act on such tomfoolery. |
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[Apr. 25th, 2008|05:20 pm] |
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To this day I regret taking classes at the U of I. While I do not regret my Environmental Toxicology class, I regret taking it at the U of I. They have been nothing but a headache and a nuisance. |
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| D&D Update |
[Apr. 25th, 2008|10:23 am] |
Pathfinder Alpha 2 is out. Updating my sheets. I need to send out some
copies for people once I'm done. I also need to hack a sheet because I want
to try the vitality/wound system from Star Wars. I like this system. It
basically doubles the survivability of low-level characters, but has a
cost. My thoughts are to use the base reflex save for defense, meaning that
monks, barbarians, and rogues are a bear to hit at high levels. Fighters
will be allowed to choose to either take the AC bonus for using shield or
armor as DR, or take it as a defense bonus when NOT using shield or armor.
I'm not entirely thrilled with the idea of having shields as DR instead of
defense, but I don't want to slow things down too much (at current, it'd be
a fast conversion - take touch AC, add reflex base, get defense). It could
go either way. I think I'll only give wounds to things with class levels,
or what which are mighty/supposed to be a pain in the ass. Either that or
have it such that once things get wounded they bug out, or up the fort save
for not getting knocked out or something. I must ponder. Weapons would
also need tweaked. I think leaving the crit range alone, but dropping the
multiplier by one might work. Things that still have a multiplier would
only do the rolled dmg to wounds, and the rest to vitality, i.e. I crit with
an axe. Its normally a multiplier of x3, now its x2. I roll 8 dmg. 8 goes
to wounds, 8 goes to vit. If I used a pick, 8 would go to wounds and 16 to
vit. Crits bypass DR unless its magical or supernatural, meaning that
barbarians class DR still is useful, as is the DR armor enchantment.
Natural armor DR and armor DR stacking could be rough, and the thought of a
20th level fighter having at LEAST 15 DR is kind of harsh too though (closer
to 20 if magicked). I'm not going to touch the breakage thing though - if
your gear doesn't get sundered its assumed that and combat damage is
repaired when you next camp. Anything that is an armor bonus would be DR,
deflection, dodge, morale, etc. would be defense, so on the whole people
will be easier to hit, harder to damage. Anyway thoughts, comments,
criticisms? Thanks! |
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[Apr. 24th, 2008|04:10 pm] |
Nary a day goes by when I am not grateful for my current job. My co-workers
are generally inoffensive, the work suits my nature (I could do with more
field time), and the amount of research, recon, connivery, and
weasel-dicking I get to do pleases me (most of the last two is against my
own masters...). This just adds credence to my belief that I'd love being a
cop, if it weren't for the other cops out there :-P |
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[Apr. 22nd, 2008|10:57 am] |
Its been a while since I've been to MN, what with gas prices and new job and
all that jazz. I should see how interstate worthy my motorcycle is (once
its running) and consider going to MN in July, maybe hit the con there. We
shall see. |
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| And lo, a sign was beheld! |
[Apr. 18th, 2008|08:39 am] |
For verily, the earth itself did shake, and rouse me from my unholy
slumber. I paced, finding the Grey Cat, Destroyer of Worlds, reclining upon
the futon. I asked him "Grey Cat, Destroyer of Worlds, what does this
mean?" and he spake unto me "Lo, worthless hairless ape, it is merely time
for this world to end. There is naught to be done but eat muchly, sleep
muchly, and bite anyone thou dost please."
He spake these things to me, and I know them to be true, for Grey Cat,
Destroyer of Worlds did so bite me upon saying these things to me.
Go know, and spread the Word of Grey Cat, Destroyer of Worlds. |
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| Grr |
[Apr. 18th, 2008|06:56 am] |
Damned earthquake aftershock woke me up at 4:40am.
Zombie Flip! |
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| Note to self: |
[Apr. 15th, 2008|12:28 pm] |
When running a cost-benefit analysis for driving up a check to be deposited
vs. mailing it in, always take initial estimates of when outgoing checks
will arrive and subtract two days, and add two days to the in-transit time
for mailing deposited check.
In layman's terms: Ouch *whimper* I'm fine, just not really happy. |
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[Apr. 13th, 2008|07:45 pm] |
Yup, I'm dead sexy I am. And smooth too. |
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| Situation contained |
[Apr. 11th, 2008|12:25 pm] |
Annoying, yes, but I just deferred my big scary student student loan two
months, and that covers the extra repair cost. Also, the 2003 Saturn Vue is
on the Consumer Reports "Do not buy" list. This, friends, is why you don't
buy a car until the current design is at least three model years old.
My next car will be a Toyota or a VW, because the Focus is marginal. |
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| blegh. |
[Apr. 11th, 2008|11:15 am] |
I hate my car. Hate, hate, hate.
Its in the shop today for new front tires, an oil change, and to have the
(original) brakes poked. I have enough budgeted to cover this.
They find that a rear hub assembly is shot. This is the 2nd god damned
wheel bearing this thing has had crap out on it. The second. I do not have
this budgeted. Blegh. I'll be able to afford it after the 22nd, when I get
paid, but still. Blegh.
I am afraid its time to talk to the landlord about him cashing my rent check
a week late, because this cuts into funds. At least I won't have a rear
tire and wheel assembly fall off on my way to Canada, and I'll be able to
afford gas, but I may have to be creative on where I sleep and what I eat,
unless that nice high-interest loan from China check comes sooner in May
than later.
Stupid Saturn. Even stupider me for buying one. This thing has just been
plagued with transmission and suspension/wheel issues. I will research my
cars better in the future. The fucking thing damned well better get to
200,000 miles, because this really cuts into its acceptable maintenance cost
threshold |
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| Whee! |
[Apr. 11th, 2008|10:42 am] |
I may be making a flying trip to CU tomorrow to deposit a check and do some
bank work. Depends on how hurtful the autoshop bill is today. Its going to
at least be $250 for the two tires and oil change, and they're also poking
the brakes and looking for an oil leak. Since the brakes are original, I
expect them to need replaced, and probably new rotors too. Eww. Since I
don't think the check will get applied before Tuesday if I mail it tonight,
and I have some other business to attend to (namely set up a new savings
account at the CU bank and shunt $5/check into that account (for vehicle
joy) and the SIUCU savings account (for the eventual moving) it may be worth
the drive. |
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| Cutting it fine |
[Apr. 10th, 2008|04:42 pm] |
Looks like I'm gonna be heading to Montreal May 7 or 8. I applied for my
passport April 7th, and sent off for a new birth certificate today. Its a
4-6 week turn around time. Those numbers, they do not please me. I should
have done this in February. Eh bien, c'est la vie. |
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