A home away from home...

A sobering day...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:10:16 GMT

This entry may go on a bit. Apologies for that.

At 9:48 PM on October 23rd, 2009, I found a stray dog at the 88 West apartment complex. She was mostly white, with a few tan spots. I couldn't recognize the breed. Asking around the tenants I saw to locate an owner, I then sighted the police in the complex, talking with 88 West security. The policeman I spoke with said he'd had a report of a stray dog, but no missing ones. Security had had a call, but noted the girl was a Jack Russell Terrier. I took her home, picked up some canned food, and made her a little bed. I was honestly thinking of adopting her, and naming her Isolde. Nonetheless, I placed an ad on Craigslist, promised the police I speak with animal control, and made every effort to find the owner.

That night I let her explore the backyard. I had to drag her in after she began barking up my trees in the dead of the night. I gave her an extra blanket and called it a night.

The next morning, Kelly, my sister, came over, thrilled to meet the new pooch. While we watched her, she found the one vulnerable spot in my fence and escaped, prompting a merry chase throughout my neighborhood. As soon as I caught her, I confined her to my room. I then went to get more food for her, as well as a collar and leash.

We later took her to animal control in Urbana, where we found she had an electronic tracking chip, installed by Avid. The chip's information told us she'd last been adopted in 2006, in St. Joseph, Indiana. She was returned to the Humane Society there after two weeks, since she'd been an escape artist. St. Joseph's records were extremely shoddy, and had no record of her leaving since then. Being told that if I didn't hear anything by the end of the day, the dog was basically mine. They also told us her original name: "Pepsi." Not liking it, I resolved to train her under her new one. That resolution didn't last.

Taking her home, I got her used to the place over the next couple of days. On Monday, my friend Mylaika took me by the VCA in Savoy, to have a look at Pepsi's irregular droppings. Finding she was ok (and having the bill waved by the extremely kind doctor), we took her to Animal Outfitters to get fitted for a harness and new leash. She'd been choking on the one I originally got her. For several days, I seemed to be looking at the new status quo for my house.

Nearly a week later, on November 3rd, I got a hold of our local animal control. Since it had been over a week, I decided it was safe to adopt Pepsi. They said to get her inoculated, and I could consider her mine once the chip was registered. Later that day, however, I received a call from the St. Joseph animal control people. Pepsi's records had finally been checked thoroughly, and she'd been adopted again in 2007. Telling me not to get too attached, they said they'd try and get a hold of the owner, who was now in Michigan. Apparently, his girlfriend had adopted Pepsi back then, and when they split up, he took the dog without registering her. The day was spent by me, wondering whether or not they'd take her from me.

The next morning, November 4th, I woke up to a call from St. Joseph, saying they couldn't locate the man in question, and that I could consider Pepsi mine. I called Champaign animal control to confirm this, and double checked the status of her vet appointment for the 5th with VCA. Hours later, however, they called me once more, having the owner on the line. As soon as I heard the words "the Wilson family," my stomach clenched. Kids. If I tried keeping Pepsi, I'd be stealing her from kids.

Talking with Mrs. Wilson, I asked her about the circumstances of Pepsi's rapid relocation. She didn't know how the girl had gotten that far, but said she escaped from a house sitter. It made sense. I knew I had to return her, so I began making arrangements. We also both agreed to file a complaint against the St. Joseph Humane Society and Animal Control. Once I learned how long ago she'd reported Pepsi missing, I realized that St. Joseph should have put two and two together when I spoke with them on October 24th.

The Wilsons haven't said when they're coming down, but I suspect it will be Saturday.

So now I sit here at the laptop, watching Pepsi snuggle up in my bed. Knowing she'll be taken from me shortly. Somehow, I knew, in the back of my head, that this was what was going to happen. Yes, it means I now know I can take care of a dog, but still, having this adorable Jack Terrier taken from me hurts. I got attached. I couldn't help it. I don't blame the Wilsons. I blame St. Joseph.

Gods, and the day started out so well...

Yeah, I'm finally posting again. Good reason.

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:20:40 GMT

Feast 'yer eyes on this!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8003077.stm

Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait...

Can you tell I like to travel a lot?

So I'm at the Midnight showing of Watchmen...

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:55:29 GMT

... and there's a scene with several generals.

And I will swear up and down that General David Patraeus was one of them!

Looking for a list of extras to confirm, and can't find one for that scene. Coming up empty, but it just looked too much like him for me to say, "nah, couldn't be."

Sometimes, I'm glad for pictures in obituaries.

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:12:22 GMT

Farewell, Wendy Richards.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7912668.stm

One by one, the icons of my childhood fall.

SQUEEEE!

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:15:47 GMT

It takes me 3 months to finally see something worth making me post.

Today's link is courtesy of Aaron Williams at Nodwick.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqR8A8ecKWo

Yeah, it's fan work, but John Pertwee was always my favorite Doctor.

Vote!

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:25:29 GMT

Right fucking now!

I'm headed over to the 14th district. If you don't know your polling place, I refer you Shampoo-Banana folks to the following.

https://www.champaigncountyclerk.com/elections/polling_places.html

The End is Near!

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:05:38 GMT

Of the Tenth Doctor, that is...

http://io9.com/5070684/david-tennant-explains-why-hes-crushing-your-doctor-who-dreams?autoplay=true

Not a complete video, but it gives you what you need to know.

Worst part? After 11 and 12, the Doctor would technically become a Skeletor look-alike.

And again...

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:10:53 GMT

Happy second impact, Adin!

About time I posted again.

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:14:43 GMT

Predictably, this is about politics.

In 2000, I liked McCain. If Bush hadn't beaten him in the primaries, I might've considered voting Republican (yes, I know his views had flaws; you could say the same of Gore).

Since 2002, McCain's platform has changed enough that I could not bring myself to vote for him against all but the most backward candidates. Even his views on "enhanced interrogation techniques" have been altered to fit the Bush administration line.

But you know what? Even then, I still respected him as a person. He was a veteran, a POW, an experienced senator...

And then he nominated Palin. Let me sum up my views on Palin as best I can: Ann Coulter has more business running than her.

As I spoke to a friend today, he said what should be plainly obvious.

"McCain's proven with this that he doesn't want to run the country effectively. He just wants to win the election."

I've actually lost ADDITIONAL faith in a GOP politician. I didn't think that was possible...

Yes, I've been posting more often.

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:41:16 GMT

And I just had to share this that made it on to a forum I visit.

Gotham Knight

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyp-jqjgoL4

From the artwork, it looks like Yutaka Minowa is behind this (Ninja Scroll, the second Vampire Hunter D, and a couple of other movies with similar character design). There's some more video on this at YouTube, but I think I'll watch that after I wake up.

Took the words right out of my keyboard!

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:54:36 GMT

So I went around looking for reviews on 4th ed, to see what others thought. I searched both the good and bad, looking for some sort of objective balance.

So at RPG.net, I think I found the review that sums everything up perfectly.

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13842.phtml

Give this a once over. I think this reviewer's made the best commentary yet.

It's Early/Late

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:29:46 GMT

While I'm up and posting, I figure I'll rant a little.

Now, before you click on the link below, be forewarned. I'm a nerd. If you friended me, you undoubtedly know that on some level. This is a great time to remind you of that. We nerds geek out from time to time. This is one of those times, and unless you're prepared for a good deal of geekery, don't follow the link.

- Pros

Easy character creation.

Smooth combat system.

The gradual return of numerous 1990s settings, including PLANESCAPE!

Excellent for miniatures gaming.

Decent sized section in the back of the MM for humanoid races.

Tieflings added as a core race, along with a half-dragon variant.

- Cons

Numerous races and classes temporarily removed.

Five alignments gone (no joke!)

Numerous incompatibilities with 3rd Edition, making character transfer difficult (part of this stems from the temporarily removed classes)

The game just feels incomplete. It's partially the classes, but the lack of a decent guide to character building at the onset is inconvenient.

The new "Eladrin" race seems unneeded for this game. Simply have your elves be wild or civilized (you know, like humans and halflings can be?), and leave it at that.

- Odd Sticking Points (mostly cons in the form of pet peevs)

Was this done to attract the MMO people?

You're telling me I have to buy another PHB for the five classes you omitted?

Seriously! Tell me how Chaotic Good and Lawful Neutral are NOT valid alignments!

Was it REALLY necessary to remix the entire D&D cosmology? How's the Lady of Pain gonna take that?

Tieflings only come in one flavor? C'mon! They had a chance of looking completely human when they first debuted!

Why are cambions and succubi devils now?

To quote Angela, "so many bizzare monsters, but the rust monster couldn't be included?"

Yes, I know drow weren't included so that Heroic Characters could be emphasized. I just don't think replacing dark elven rangers with tiefling warlocks solves this problem.

More to come. I need to do some playtesting.

At Eleanor's request...

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:01:39 GMT

... and partially because it's a good idea to keep your LJ entries in context for people.

1. First Name: Andrew

2. Age: 29

3. Location: Champaign, IL

4. Occupation: Delivery driver/quasi-landlord

5. Partner: none

6. Kids: none

7. Brothers/Sisters: Kelly, who lives on the other end of Champaign

8. Pets: None, unless you count Mike's ferrets

9. List the 3-5 biggest things going on in your life:

- Coming to terms with the realities of teaching English abroad

- The travails of homeownership (yeah, had to keep this as was) - mainly the expense portion

- Planning travels for August

10. Where and for what did you go to school for?: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Rhetoric (Professional Track); translation; technical writing

11. Parents: My parents live in Sullivan, IL. They met in Lawrenceville roughly forty years ago.

12. Who are some of your closest friends?: Adam (my best friend), Mike (my roommate), Wheelz (my mentor?) and Sam (my boss).

If you feel you haven't updated in a while, or might have missed updating for a major change (new job, new place, etc...), wipe out my answers, fill in your own, and post.

Get Dick-rolled already

Thu, 01 May 2008 10:05:45 GMT

One of my favorite webcomics just won the Internets!

http://lfgcomic.com/page/144

There's call on their forums to put this page of "Looking for Group" into an animated form.

I'm the most oblivious man in the world

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:43:00 GMT

I kept hearing today that there'd been an earthquake, but assumed I'd slept through it. Then I ask what time it was.

"Around 3 or 4 this morning."

Realizing I'd have been awake then, I remembered I was at Marry Ann's at the time (my internet was down, and their wireless access is pretty damn fast!). I'd gotten one of my vertigo spells, then felt SEVERE tremors. But because of where I was, I'd assumed it was just another train going over the diner, magnified by the queasiness.

Funny thing is, I felt a tremor fainter than that back during 1995, and the next day California took a major quake (haven't looked up the dates to confirm this).

Illinois Weather

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 11:43:41 GMT

I look out the window at 6:30 am. I'm expecting rain, since it's been a damp past few days. But what do I get?

Snow.

"Spring begins on March 21st" my ass...

Tuning in on the PC

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:42:14 GMT

So I'm playing around on my speakers, and after a minute I hear faint music. Turning the volume up, I starting hearing a song I don't recognize with some heavy static. It's easy to hear through after a minute, and then I hear the station ID as 97.5.

Now, I've heard of equipment being able to do this, but for crying out loud... Couldn't I have gotten 90.1 or something instead of the light rock station?

Fare thee well, Gary...

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:54:26 GMT

Today, Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, passed away. At age 69, he leaves behind six children and seven grandchildren.

I found out today around 3:30, when Derek gave me a call. I'm looking around now for where to send condolences.

I only got speak to Gary once, at GenCon 2000, Milwaukee. He was signing my 3rd Edition PHB, and seemed a little upset that his input on it had been limited.

If you want to learn more about Gary, I heartily recommend checking his Wikipedia entry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Gygax

Sunday Night Mage

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:47:11 GMT

So, I'm in Nick's Mage game on Sundays (alternating with Angela's D&D game), and I'm in character, conversing with one of his NPCs. A bit into the conversation, I notice everyone seems a little perplexed. Afterwards, Grace comments...

"It's very surreal to see two young, white men play a couple of portly, middle-aged black women."

That took a bit to sink in.

In hindsight, that's gotta be a first in tabletop, at least in this state.

Why I can't bring myself to read comic books anymore

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:29:28 GMT

Continuity. It just doesn't exist.

In 2006, Spiderman revealed his secret identity to the press as part of the Civil War storyline. It was thought that this moment would have profound and lasting effects on the Marvel Universe.

Last month, the Amazing Spider-Man contained content not suitable for sensible viewers. Namely, alterations to continuity. Peter Parker wished to save his aunt's life, and in the process, rationale was found to erase some key moments in the series.

1) Parker's identity is again secret
2) Mary Jane and Parker were never married
3) The web shooters are now mechanical again (This I like, but still...)
4) Harry Osbourne never died

When you make an alteration to a character that seems unchangeable and drastic, the storyline is gutted by undoing that. A similar example is the resolution to the Magneto/Joseph storyline in the late nineties. Rather than stick with the idea that Joseph was an amnesiac Magneto, they ruled he was a clone. Within a few issues, Joseph was killed, and the character of Magneto reverted to behavior similar to his early days in the comic.

Now, I can imagine why this happens. A new writer comes along, makes changes to the story, and is replaced soon afterwards. The next writer, perhaps wanting to return the status quo, or perhaps wanting to make their own changes, ret-cons the recent plotlines.

Now I know what's going to happen next. With the death of Captain America (and his subsequent replacement by Bucky), some upcoming Marvel writer is going to come along and resurrect Steve Rogers. The shocking moment when the Red Skull had him gunned down by Crossbones will lose all meaning. Kind of like the rest of the Marvel Universe. And, of course, Bucky will go back to being flat-out dead.

Bah, I should have stopped reading in 1997, and assumed the end of the Onslaught Crisis was also the end of the Marvel Storyline.

For crying out loud, Marvel! You have an untold number of alternate universe-based series! Would it kill you to just "restart and reset" in those instead?!?

Minor note regarding WoW

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:37:56 GMT

I may actually transfer my character within a week or so. The attitude of the PvP servers has finally gotten to me. Everyone I run into on Azgalor has the attitude of a 12-year-old or a fratboy (which is more immature, I'm not certain).

Might move him to Blackhand, which is looking more likely. I might also ask Adam to move his own toon here, too.

You know, I was warned about PvP realms when I signed up three years ago, but everyone I knew online was on this one. With most of my guild having transferred to Thunderlord, moving doesn't seem as bad an option now.

Twenty Years Too Late

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 12:20:41 GMT

I'd like to share the following tidbit of information for you.

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/10/08/goonies-sequel-an-absolute-certainty-says-astin

If you don't feel like clicking the link, that's fine. Read the bloody thing, and cower. Cower in fear like none you've ever known.

Now, not all sequels are bad. The new Doctor Who episodes have given me a whole new happy place! And this, being animated, would happen in the same continuity.

Then again, so did the Doctor Who movie... And the Green Acres Movie... and the made-for-tv Dukes of Hazard movie...

And this is the sound of my brain, shattering.

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 11:46:33 GMT

Thanks to the people at "Bigger than Cheeses," the most bizarre site I've seen in a while.

http://marryourdaughter.org/

I want to come up with a reaction to this, but... I'm at a loss for words.

Once in a LONG while, something finally creeps me out.

Took the career meme...

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 10:45:28 GMT

Historian topped the list. Oddly enough, technical writer was #5.

Hey, Adin!

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:00:55 GMT

Happy Second Impact!

... sorry. Couldn't resist.