Surfing from the crack of the internet

Well, lets see…

I’ve gotten the broken tooth completely fixed and I think overcome the fear of the dentist for the most part. So nice to have both sides of my mouth to chew with again. It’s almost odd feeling after all the months I couldn’t do that.

I’ve stretched the third ear piercing up to 10gauge, so now all three I have are at 10gauge, and I’m planning on getting the other lobe pierced next, maybe (hopefully, even) sometime in the next couple weeks. It has to be soon since it needs to be either almost fully healed before pennsic, or not pierced at all yet. Do not want to camp for two weeks with a partially healed piercing.

Speaking of pennsic, the plans are going nicely, and the time to the event is fast approaching. Will be very soon now indeed.

I picked up archery equipment now, and missed being baronial champion by about 1/2 inch or so. Maybe next year after I have a year to practice, instead of a couple weeks. I’ve also started to get a lot more involved with the local SCA group, going to events, and now volunteering to help out with things at events. I’m trying to volunteer and have fun but stay under the radar, but I’m thinking that will not work for long, and will be bound to be called into court at some point. Still working on ways to bypass that part but still be helpful and social. If anyone has any ideas on how to do that, let me know. 

About the status of friends abroad, after seeing news of a cyclone hitting that area.

Hope all is well, and that we’ll get word soon to that effect.

OK, I usually don’t bother, but I am getting pretty tired of idiots in this country being, well… being idiots…

http://www.wyff4.com/news/15948849/detail.html

So, some minister in NC has decided that it’s bad if a candidate for a position that is supposed to uphold and observe a rule that states there is a separation of church and state isn’t of the same religion as that minister. Uh, scuse me? Open your eyes, you bible blinded rhetoric spewing moron. Look at a person’s ideas on topics, look at previous voting and attendance records for them in congress or the senate, if you must dig that deep fine, look into the private affairs in case you question character. There is no reason whatsoever to say that only someone of one religion or another is qualified to be a political leader, however. That topic shouldn’t even come up in conversation regarding someones qualifications for political office.

As Americans, at least once a year everyone puffs up their chest and tries to look down at pretty much the rest of the world, thinking how great we are, and that every country should fall in line with us due to that. We have this freedom and that, and were founded on a system made to allow religious tolerance, etc.. What a complete farce, it’s no wonder we are a running joke with the rest of the world. What most of Americans really seem to mean is that there should be freedoms (but only for themselves, not for everyone, since all the others would abuse that freedom), and religious tolerance is fine, so long as no one of a religion other than yours tries to be in charge of anything.

There are still things about and in America to be proud of, but it does feel like the reasons are becoming fewer and fewer. I’d pack up and move, but no other country wants immigrants from America…

The worst of the dental work (that being the root canal) is done, and the tooth itself isn’t sore or sensitive anymore. Thanks to the good drugs, I really do not remember much of the procedure (despite it being over 4 hours of time in the dental chair).

I got to do a weekend getaway with Nikki to go visit some friends in PA. Much fun, and it sucked that it was only a weekend. We did learn to really investigate inns and bed&breakfast type places really well before booking into them. But, live and learn, and Nikki got her money back for the second night we’d booked. If it wasn’t for the minor things that were lacking… like heat, extra blankets, a room door that locked, the breakfast food that was advertised… the place might not have been so bad. lol

Starting to do the ramp up on the planning for Pennsic, as well as being a bit more involved with the local SCA, doing like social get togethers as well as the events and such. Fun stuff. 

Kinda tired to go on much more or elaborate more, though. Workload has been pretty heavy at work, wearing me out a bit.

As always, I slack on the updates. Couple big sort of things have happened now…

I had a chunk break off a tooth in the back, leaving a hole, a sharp edge to cut my tongue on, and an exposed nerve that hurt if exposed to any temperature changes. I picked up some of the temp dental filling stuff from the drugstore, packed/filled it so it’s not getting exposed to the temperature stuff and it covers that rough edge, and finally got past my over all phobia if dentists. Nikki did some online research, since I was not really in a clear thinking mode/mood and found a few places in the area that sedate the heck out of a person before they have to sit in a chair.

The initial contact and scheduling for the appointment took several weeks to build up the nerve, and I was pretty much a complete wreck for a few days leading up. The day before I was trying to bring up a map and driving directions, and wasn’t able to remember my own address, even. Well, I obviously survived the first trip, and even the second. So, I’m looking at 4 fillings, one root canal/crown on the broken one, and they want to pull 2 wisdom teeth. oh well, managed to get this far, and my over all fear has somewhat abated now that I’ve been there twice. Going to try to hold off on the wisdom teeth part till after my insurance resets again next January. So, I think I’m past the biggest hurdle of the extreme fear I have of being at the dentist, but that sedation they use helps a lot.  heh

Wow, that was a fast month. The hustle and bustle of the season with shopping trips and planning and lists to make and check, and re-check… time just zipped on by.

So here I am at work, on Christmas Eve, and there is pretty much no work to do. Since I got here at 8am, I’ve had two phone calls and one new trouble ticket to work, in the last 3 hours! I can only hope they give us the go home early, Happy Holidays bit, and soon.  The only part holding me here is there’s a package supposed to be delivered here to me today, and I’d really like to get it before I head out. It’s possible it’ll not get here today, I guess, but the web tracking said it was processed this morning in the Rochester facility, and I’m pretty sure that means it was put on the truck to be delivered.

So tonight is a dinner party, which I am cooking for. Lasagna and stuffed mushrooms, some home made bread, and side salad. Tomorrow will be presents by the tree, a dinner, then some travel to my cousins for the extended family get-together. The one of two times a year I see most of my cousins, my aunts/uncles, ect.. Usually it’s a mixed evening, some fun times, and some time spent trying to avoid my one particularly annoying cousin. We’ll have to see how this year goes. lol

So anyways, Happy Holidays and such to everyone. 

Well, I’ll steal some work time here while on hold and start typing away. Maybe I can finish a post at some point today…  lol

So Nikki has been put in a bad spot and had to move to a smaller less expensive apartment. I’ve been doing what I can to help over the last few weeks, and the process is almost finished now. 

Around 5-6 months ago my daughter decided in her infinite 14 year old wisdom and world view that I was a terrible father and all around lousy human being, and wanted nothing to do with me at all, ever again. I figured well, if that is what she truly wants, so be it, I can’t force her to see or like me. The night before Thanksgiving at around 11:30pm I get the crying, sobbing, barely understandable phone call from her, asking to come live with me since her mother wants her out of the house for now. I get her mom on the phone so I’ll be able to get English out of it. Seems my daughter has managed to get herself a 17 year old boyfriend. Sometime a few days before Wed. her mother caught them together doing some things that shouldn’t be kid tested, and that are definitely not mother approved. Short version, daughter is grounded and told she’s not to be seeing that boy anymore. Daughter response is to steal her mothers cell phone and run away to the guys house, and stay there with him and his dad. Police are involved, child taken to the trooper barracks, mother has to pick her up, this is where my phone call comes in.

So, the next day Katie  comes over to my parents, spends the day there, I stop over in the middle of helping move a few times, things seem fairly calm. Katie is staying with my mom and me over the long weekend then going back to her moms for school. Give her mother a break and such. She spends the next few days with me, helping Nikki move, hanging out, and getting to know Nikki and Nikki’s daughter Shelly a bit. Was a decent time over all. I got to have a few nice conversations with the daughter and stuff. She managed to make her mother even more angry by sneaking onto a PC and onto her MySpace profile and sending out some messages. We’ll have to see if she straightens up, or if her mother begs me to let her stay with me, etc.. Anyways, that and work being the usual grinder, that has been my last few weeks here. 

Yeah, that one that starts with a 4 and ends in a 0 is creeping up fast on me, darn it. Oh well, such is the way of things. At least it’s still a couple years off yet.

This year was a great evening with Nikki, dinner, shopping, watching a movie. Just a really great time. I also have a few other friends that are lining up to take me out to bday dinners, so I’ll get a couple more nights out with friends still coming up. Guess getting a year older has a few benefits here and there.  hehe 

Well, I made it through fight practice unscathed for the most part. One small sore spot/bruise on my left upper thigh. Seems my armor set has an open area there, and it’s a legal hit area… bad combination, one that I will rectify soon… other than a few sore muscles (from using them in ways they aren’t used to, try holding up an 8 pound shield for 10-15 minutes), all is well. It was a lot of fun for the most part, especially after I stopped standing there not moving and not reacting. After a few completely open shots to my head, getting my bell rung good, I learned pretty quick how to block somethings at least. lol

I guess from here it’s a matter of deciding how much I liked it, and how much time/money I’m willing to put into it. It’s a good thing to have a physical hobby, no doubt there. Gets me out of the house, and exercise at least once a week, while still being fun. Good combination. Still very convinced I’m not going to fight at Pennsic anytime soon still. I’m not even convinced on doing tournys at local events. My biggest issue is that you really get very sweaty and pretty nasty in all that amor and padding, then doing a workout. Not a pleasant way to spend the rest of the event, and sit at feast for. I’ll have to think on that one a bit more. Maybe just a towel and a change of clothes, with some body spray will suffice.  

That is sorted out now as well I think. The two weeks of 9-10 hour work days wore me out enough that pure exhaustion took over on many nights.  lol Hey, if it works, go with it, right? Plus the extra hours is extra $$, never a bad thing at all.

Today was spent setting my my friends home network for her and her hubby since they moved to a new place. Tomorrow will be a nice afternoon with Nikki and her daughter, plus an old friend of hers, out for lunch and just general hanging out. Will be a nice end to a good weekend.

I’ve also picked up the last piece of required bring my own protection for doing some SCA fighting. Monday I am going to fight practice as more than just an observer it seems. We’ll see how that goes, I’m hoping for minimum bruising, and nothing actually broken. Since those things are pretty rare to happen, it should be fine. That and being new, they should go easy on me and not spec up to full power shots just yet, only one hard enough to let you know it was a legal hit. Should have updates later in the week on that, maybe even pics, if I can remember how to post them…  lol