I spent money on LARP outside of event fees! I bought a dagger. The last two events I've been tow I haven't been armed. I think, actually, that I never got the actual item tags on my first event, I just got them oog approved. But I could be wrong - it is possible I put only those two tags in a completely different spot from everything else. Feasible, but not super likely :p Ahh well. So I'm saving up to buy armour in game, to match the reps I already have I guess the upside is that I don't need to actually wear it? :p But it looks cool ;_;

Anyway, I bought a latex dagger rep, after I looked at a bunch of different options. It is not ridiculous, but I think it will do what I want it to and will pass safety. If not, they have a return policy, so it should be okay. It is this one! I almost went with the 'red' model, because I like the look of the weathering on the blade, but I didn't $20 more like it, and it is pointier, which I think could be less likely to pass.It was pretty expensive, but it is not really distinctive, either, so I wouldn't feel ad recycling it for another character if I retire this one or die. And that's the main thing that really keeps me from spending a lot of money on larp stuff. People invest a lot of money (as well as the usual way gamers invest in characters), and I guess if you have t to spare that's great. But if your character dies after a year then what do you do with all that custom, identifying stuff? Sell it? I dunno. I've never hard to worry about it. the bodice I am using for this character is the most expensive piece of kit I've ever owned, but I didn't actually buy it for larp.

Someday, I will get a picture I like of me wearing my gear. It hasn't happened yet - I am not an easy person to get a picture of, especially in a candid setting - but who nows what the future could bring. Maybe I can get my sister to do another larp shoot for this character. She took some pretty amazing shots of my last one :3 (note: I own a few corsets but would never wear one to game, because they're expensive and I like breathing).

I LARPed!

It was fun! I mostly didn't feel like socially awkward penguin out of game! It was frickin' cold! It snowed a bunch - just flurries, but pretty intense ones at times. Now I am totally wrecked and will sleep forever @_@

This is one of those entries i am probably going to have to force myself to post rather than just delete. But I haven't posted anything in 5 days, as I've been away. I did write some paper journal entries on...less than half...of those days. Ugh. I had good intentions, I just didn't have a lot of time to myself, and not a lot of emotional energy.

The service was nice - an informal drop-in sort of thing for people to come see the family and such. I think it was a lot more work for them emotionally, especially Cat's mother and grandfather, than they probably needed. Just a lot of people to talk to and so on. I saw a few people I hadn't seen or talked to in years, and met some more relatives and co-workers. There were pictures up, and some figurines we'd brought from his house, and a slide show of pictures. Afterwards, a bunch of us went to the Diplomat, which is a 24hour Chinese-Canadian restaurant where we used to make many a late night foray. They did some renovations to the place since we used to be there all the time, but it was the same as the last time we went as a group which was about 2011. the food was pretty much the same, though they have really changed their soup portions and now they are huuuuge. This restaurant is responsible for my disappointment that sweet and sour chicken doesn't come as battered chicken balls everywhere. They also have some pretty good cakes and cheesecakes, though they didn't have the one that Pretentia wanted.

It was really really nice to see her, and to be there for her. She and Cat were closer than siblings in a lot of ways, and I know she is totally devastated. She is also closer to the family, and has been helping Cat's mother with a lot of things. I did go up to his place a few times with her, and we checked in on the kitties (so fat.... so so so fat), changed their litter, fed them, petted them. We did some nominal tidying to start (some had already been done), but I ran a load of dishes through the dish washer, and such. I compiled some notes from IRC friends who has messaged him there before he fell offline (;_;) for his mother, and took down some information about some other servers where he may have spent time so I can let people there know as well. I think all the major place have been contacted though. His mother has basically given us (his friends/online friends) leave to deal with his computer/online things as we see fit, but unfortunately it isn't all that simple, as there is money and authority involved, and as the executor of his estate, there will be things she has to handle at least initially. Things like pics accounts set to automatically renew, and his websites and all of that :/ I made sure to upload some of his one page sites into the wayback machine, and will probably let them go. But the wiki we have used for our games for the past ten years is in his name, and that needs to get sorted out. I also tried to copy the dice rolling script that he wrote and that we used for a lot of out online games..... but I can't get it to work :( I really want to have that available still, as something that he made for us.

Anyway. I flew back to Ontario on Monday night, into Hamilton, then drove an hour and a half to London, and then left again for Windsor, where I am now. I'd told Nary I would come spend a few days with her when I got back, since she couldn't come to the memorial, so here I am. I wish I had brought my dog though. I miss her fuzzy face - someone else's dog s not *quite* the same, even if they are a very nice giant fluffball, as Argo is. I also feel guilty because I had originally told my sister that I would go with her when she went to get her tattoo today (and then leave early to get the kids after school), but there was some miscommunication about the fact that I was going *and* I had completely forgotten that it was this week (despite remembering last week? I don't know, my brain has been a mess). And I don't know, I'm just feelign very stressed out.

I had a lot of stressy dreams last night, mostly Larp-contexted. I think probably because I realized that I am missing an event this weekend that I had hoped to get to, as it seemed like a nice casual opportunity to rp, and the single day events are generally easier for me to get to, so meh. But it was a lot of things like.... my tent was covered in giant angry bees/hornets that were also dying, so I couldn't get into it and then I had to be careful, I'd forgotten all my gear, or had gear for the wrong character, or I tried to borrow stuff from my sister without asking and she was cranky with me (deservedly). I don't remember them super clearly, because I kept waking up in the middle of the night (or partly waking), and then trying to go back to sleep, so it is more like a string of snippets I only half remember than anything coherent. The tent was exactly my tent from my last summer at the buttermilk excavation, when I borrowed Brad's tent, set in the same copse of trees and covered with a tarp sunshade in the same way. The bees/hornets were the length of my palm. I could probably describe some of the larp clothes I had and didn't have. One of the characters I had was entirely a dream fabrication, and they wore this cool leather dress/bodysuit sort of thing that was so unique I couldn't wear it for my real character (Zia). I don't remember anything else about them.

I have things I should be doing, and things I could be doing, and I'm not doing anything. On the one hand it is nice to have some alone time, on the other hand, I am missing having my own space today. It is grey and blah out and I basically feel the same way. I feel like I'm living in other people's lives without actually living my own, and I feel frustrated and tired and stuck. But I also want to be left alone, and not have to talk to anyone unless I want to. Meh. I'm going to do some knitting and see if I feel any better after that.

I've fallen back out of the habit, just like that. Well, other than writing about True Detective stuff. I am looking forward to the last episode, but it also makes me super sad to think ti will be all over so soon ;_; I hope that the next installment is as good. I would love to pick Nic Pizzolatto's brains. And possibly find out if he has been stalking me ;p

But! That's now what I meant to write about!

Tomorrow, naryrising will be here! Excite!Considering I saw her technically twice last month, I am feeling rather spoiled, I tell you! We are goig to shill out a lot and watch tv and also stress about the games we are running next weekend for Webercon. I have mine a little bit more in hand now, I think, but I still have some things I need to write out and so forth. I have a vague plot outline in my head that I need to solidify, but mostly it is going to be just letting the players run with what I give them. I have, at least, given them characters at this point. Victory! The next thing to do is finish the bits that say what they all know about each other. Oh and probably I should give them stats and shit too. I need to refine my system a bit and post that as well. I'll get back to all that in a bit.

The other thing on my plate ATM is Invisible ficathon, which I think I have under control at least. I've got a few days to get it beta'd and posted, and I may try to do some other things as well, depending on where I am with gamestuff.

Other than that, what's up in my life is mostly work, which is worky. I finished the tiffany and today I finished the Mother of Pearl/Pearl Satinglass/ Pearl Satin Ware/Air-Trap/everyone has a goddamned different name for it, grr glass. Some of it was really pretty! Some of it was hideous. Sop very very hideous. I've been getting to play detective a bit though, learning about some of the less well known glass companies making this stuff. Like Phoenix Glass (Out of Ohio). And John Walsh Walsh (winner of more repetitive name. 19th century edition!). However today I realized that there are like 60 fewer boxes that I have to do than I realized. I've done almost 130, there are maybe 350? And a lot of the ones left also have fewer objects than the ones I have done, or they are not actually part of the collection that I was technically hired to do, maybe? I'm not sure. Anyway. We'll see how I get on with things, but I admit I am a little concerned about what will happen if I run out of things to catalogue :p However, I *am* signed up to take a two day training course on Crystal Reports later this month, which will be good to have under my belt even if I don't actually ever use it for this job. It is weird to feel like in terms of responsibility this job is actually a step *down* from my GA position, where I had more autonomy to take on projects and so on. I do think that it is in part a matter of having a different supervisor as well. It is a little strange to think about how long I have been working at the galleries, for that matter. I think I started at Stark in 2010?

Anyway, I don't have a lot else to say - just debating between trying to do a bit more game work or going to bed. Maybe I'll do some wind-down knitting. I had to rip back 7 rows earlier tonight because I can't count, and I still have 4 to catch up to where I was. *sigh*. Meanwhile, lonpig is down to the ribbing on the bottom of the sweater, meaning she only has that and the sleeves to go. It's okay though, she assures me it is not a race. First prize is a sweater. Second prize is also a sweater! Woohoo!

I have posts I keep meaning to make and have not been making.

But I ordered the copies of my diss for the archives and I'll send them off once they arrive. I have some emails I need to send as well, and will try and do that tonight. And hopefully work more on my article as well.

And, oh godohdgod, get more hammered out for my LARP! I really need to get the characters fleshed out better and start working on some more props and interactive stuff >.> I have less than a month and I am not fast at these things! Maybe I need a notebook so I can work things out a little more visually before I write them up :p

The other thing I meant to say over here is - is anyone else out there on The Twitters? I'm elanya72 if you are interested in following me, but don't feel obliged! If you've got a feed you think I might be interested in, whether it is yours or not, please tell me!

I am amused, because at first I found it really overwhelming, but no I am seeing what mousme said, and finding it really easy to follow and keep a handle on. So far it isn't as overwhelming as tumblr, at lest :p Possibly because I am following more people I am actually interested in for more than just one aspect? I would also take recommendations on better ways to use/filter it, granted that I'm only likely to access it from the web, because I can do so at work, and don't have a smartphone. Or a cell/mobile at all.

I may have mentioned here that I am planning a trip to Ontario at the end of the month/beginning of next month. I'm leaving here on the 29th and coming back the 11th - a nice trip, and for most of that I'll be staying with curtana and forthright and their son, Arthur. I'm super excited for that!

I'm also excited because the LARP that I randomly started playing two Januarys ago, on a spur of the moment decision while I was in TO for SHA and hanging out with Rob (who plays regularly)... *deep breath* ... is having a 4 day event that weekend (there isn't an event page yet, so I will show you the main page instead :)! So I will actually get to attend a real event, as opposed to the mini events they run over the winter. I'm super excited for that too, but it involves a bit more prep than just hanging out with awesome people ;) I need a real costume (and more so this time as apparently there is a tv crew coming to film an episode of Fanboy Confessional!), I need camping gear, weapons, transportation, food... Man! I am now questioning my choice of character, who wears very little that I can safely improvise from my own wardrobe and whose survival chances for an event like this are likely to be slim -_- We'll see how it goes :D So far, I have one outfit for her, though as this is a 4 day affair, I'd really like a second :p I got some boots and some other miscellany today as well, so things are looking good! Also, Rob has a little tent he is lending me, and J&S say they might have a sleeping bag :D

People are coming over here Thursday to do some sewing, since Zari asked for help with her skirt, so I will hopefully get a chance to work on costuming some more then. Woot woot!

Yesterday I decided that I was fed up with not getting any exercise - I can feel my back muscles weakening, and it is affecting my posture and my sleep. Man I miss the assisted pull up machine :( Biking two days a week isn't cutting it for cardio either! So yesterday I did a bit of lazy yoga and some push-ups, and today I did a few more, and went sorta running with Jola (the sorta is a reflection mostly of my shitty shitty cardio, but I am also blaming the heat + humidity= heat index of 110 equation ;p). So I'll see if I can keep that up at all @_@ While it isn't my prime motivator, I won't deny that the 4 days of running away from things (in multiple layers of dress) that is coming up at the beginning of next month is also an incentive for doing this ;p

Oh also, work. Ahhh!