Ultramundane.com -- It's Just Not Natural.

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United States, California, San Francisco, The Mission, English, Spanish, Casey, Male, 31-35.

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Wednesday, October 22, 2003

There Can Be Only One.

Today I began my Jesus Death Year, and the countdown to the Passion and Crucifixion has begun. If for some reason I live for another 364 days, I'll have proof that I wasn't actually the second (or first) coming. Even if J-money's actual age was up for debate; that's my story, and I'm sticking with it.

Of course, barely a week ago, I discovered that there's another contender for the cross. Look here, mister, I'm not giving up this crown without a fight. This is full-contact, competitive Saviourhood, and I intend to be the Cage Match Messiah. And even with your head start, don't think I'm not going to try and match you on live appearances and miraculous acts.

06:09 PM PST (link)

Tuesday, October 21, 2003

Supervise, Supervice: Squeeze The Work Out Of Them.

At first I was upset. I have a new client, another major initiative up for review, and have had a headache for about three days now. So how the hell did I become chair of the Activities Committee for next week's company charity fundraiser? Don't I have enough to do? Why me?

I'm not sure why I was volunteered. I'm not exactly the role model for the skill sets an Activities Chairperson would need:

Communicator: (sits silently in office with overhead light turned off...check)
Organizer: (filing system is a messy pile of papers stuck pell-mell into a dirty tablet of paper...check)
Motivator: (late to work, having laid in bed trying to come up with an excuse to call in sick...check)

Then we had the meeting that I called. Each of the events people presented their spreadsheets and presentations, and I nodded sagely. Each committee member presented their action plan, we established next steps, and I walked out of the meeting having committed to nothing more taxing than making three decorative boxes for contest entries. Turns out I do my best management by not managing anything at all. How libertarian!

I'm beginning to suspect that I've just been promoted to the position where I can do the least damage. Senior Management, here I come.

02:58 PM PST (link)

I Summon The Forces Of Room Service.

No, Jason's right. I don't have a lot to add to the story about NERO in the Park either. We went down to a suburban neighborhood in Los Gatos, right near where I went to high school. I know a few of the NERO folk already, so of course it was good to see Leon and Jeremy. They're good people.

I have played a few roleplaying games before, but most of my experience, if you'd call it that, is from reading the rulebooks or posting to a newsgroup. Highly esoteric. If I wanted to be a great swordsman or a superhuman creature, I could. I only had to be able to describe what I could do to do it in-game. NERO is different. Not only is it Live Action Role Playing, but includes an actual combat system; if you want to attack, you swing a foam padded weapon at your opponent. If you want to dodge a spell thrown at you, you're the one who has to duck in time. If you want to run back to town like a little girl, you're the one who has to do the crying all the way. This realization brought the reality of working up a sweat and getting pummelled a little too close to my fantasy; I chose just to watch.

So it was good to cheer Jane on, and fun to make faces at Jonathan, who played a Gargoyle for a battle scene. Jhames and Min Jung and I sat on the sides and watched and threw leftover spell packets at each other. "I call forth a Furry Fetishist!" "With mystic force, I make you wear Strawberry Shortcake Underwear." It was fun to follow along like a spirit, taking pictures.

It was even more fun to watch Jhames get hit on by the elf. The man was an equal opportunity flirt, so he tried a little charm magic in my direction too. And really, he was a reasonably handsome fellow but...well, to be blunt about it, elf ears just make me go totally flaccid. Sorry. "Resisted."

Truth be told, I somewhat regret not playing; I suppose I could have at least played as an NPC (one of the monsters that the NERO people beat up.) Then again, I also saw Jonathan rolling around on the ground after an errant foam sword clocked him in the nuts. So maybe I made the right decision after all.

I am a geek at heart, so when I came home I started to reread the rules of Magic. I started to come up with a Celestial Scholar character, and was writing myself into the story line I saw on Saturday. This was starting to frighten me. I really don't have time for yet another hobby that takes up all my spare time. But I was considering it. Even to the point that I was starting to consider going to the upcoming weekend event. I mentioned this tonight on the phone to the boyfriend. He sighed. "Just don't fuck the elf, OK?"

The food that was in my mouth came out my nose.

He asked me a little about it and I mentioned that it was up in the Santa Cruz mountains. "Camp? You mean, with cabins and tents?" he asked. I hadn't put those two thoughts together before. Suddenly I realized I was in imminent danger of breaking one of the more fundamental Rules for Being Me: Casey Does Not Camp. Not even with bunk rooms and showers. If it involves a lot of dirt, it doesn't involve me. That's pretty high up there on the List, probably somewhere around the rules about drinking decaf and wearing sweatpants in public. If there's a game night planned, though, I think I may need to make my roleplaying experience a little less hypothetical.

In the meantime, if anyone needs me I'll be here, snuggling up in bed with a nice big rulebook.

And wearing Strawberry Shortcake Underwear. Rules are rules.

01:17 AM PST (link)

Sunday, October 19, 2003

Served With A Spicy Red Sauce.

vamp You are Form 9, Vampire: The Undying.

"And The Vampire was all that remained on the blood-drowned creation. She attempted to regrow life from the dead. But as she was about to give the breath of life, she was consumed in the flame of The Phoenix and the cycle began again."

Some examples of the Vampire Form are Hades (Greek) and Isis (Egyptian). The Vampire is associated with the concept of death, the number 9, and the element of fire. Her sign is the eclipsed moon.

As a member of Form 9, you are a very realistic individual. You may be a little idealistic, but you are very grounded and down to earth. You realize that not everything lasts, but you savor every minute of the good times. While you may sometimes find yourself lonely, you have strong ties with people that will never be broken. Vampires are the best friends to have because they are sensible.
Which Mythological Form Are You?
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I suppose I should have taken this as a sign to go to the Friendly Neighborhood Vampire Fetish Club, if for no other reason than because there is one. I decided I was more hungry than "hungry" and bought a big burrito to enjoy while at home in my PJs.

Does it count if I sucked all the salsa out through two holes at the top?

10:05 PM PST (link)