I shall smite you since I paid $1,000 to do so!

I haven't blogged in years.  Fucking YEARS!  Apparently, getting hooked on online PvP vampire games can take a massive bite out of blogging (and your wallet).  I went from one game to another to another etc.  At one point I was playing four separate PvP games and paying for all of them!  

Wait ... you don't get what I mean by paying?  Oh christ.  This will take a bit of explaining.

You see, these games suck you in saying "Free to Play".  You start playing and find out that getting a VIP/Member pack/Donator Card (whatever it may be called) to the game gives you privileges that last for 30 days.  So you buy a monthly VIP (or however it's packaged).  There is hit to the wallet number 1.  Then, there are those that can "kill" you all the time.  That's when you discover if you pay even MORE money, you can bulk yourself up in hopes to one day kill them.  There is super hit to the wallet number 2.  The caveat to that little problem is that most of these players have been playing for five or six years and can pretty much squish you.  So, unless you feel like spending your tuition for the next three years or sacrificing about 6 months of mortgage payments, just abandon that dream.

These online games are heroin to those who feel their life revolves around the net.  You start one and you soon find yourself spending hours in front of the laptop, chatting with other players, and devising ways to win wars.  

Hell, I knew people that would forgo days of sleep JUST so their "coven" could remain undefeated in a war.  I shit you not.  

I knew people that spent tens of thousands on a single game.  You read that correct.  Tens of thousands. Holy hot french fry on a dill pickle spear!  That's just borderline insane!  I'm sure there are charities out there that would have loved to receive some of that excess cash, but making sure your character isn't "pistol whipped" by the big boys is a much better investment.

Oh and I can't talk about these games without mentioning the one common thread in all of them: drama.  OMFG.  Facebook doesn't hold a candle to the drama that can be drummed up in these domains.  I'll admit to be both sucked in and instigating drama in a game.  It's so fucking easy.  Even the most stoic of individuals can be wrangled onto the drama train.

One of the leading causes of drama is "marriage".  In most of these games, one can develop a relationship and get married.  There is no ceremony nor is there a sharing of tax status.  This is NOT a real marriage, folks.  HA!!  Try telling some of these people.  I knew someone whose real life marriage was ruined because of an online marriage.  That's some pretty heavy duty drama right there.  Granted, some of these "marriages" do churn out real life connections.  Yeah, then those people get to meet and in some cases live with that other person.  Suddenly, Miss Wicked Nightglider isn't the sexy, bombshell of a gladiator you once thought.  She's actually a manipulative shrew that now has you devising ways of chopping her up and transporting her in three different cars for a rather unceremonious burial.

Now not all people look at these relationships as real so to lump them all together would be rather unfair of me.  Still, majority of them are bunny boilers in the making.

I will admit to getting sucked into a few of these so-called "relationships".   Do I regret them?  Some I do.  A few I don't.   I've actually met some of my dearest friends that way.

 

So there we are, I played these vampire games and wasted pretty much 1/10th of my life on them.  That's over 4 years!   All that time was devoted to creating a character, building stats, joining and working for a coven/clan/gang/mob, and socialising endlessly.

Guess where that got me, folks?  Fucking nowhere.  Four years of money and time spent for nothing.  It's not like I can put any of that shit on a resume.  If I did, unless I was going for a job at the PA Renaissance Faire, no interviews would come my way.

I've retired from online games.  Those things ... they really are nothing but games.  Nothing is real except the money and time you waste.  No one is real either.  You really don't beat the shit out of anyone.  I used to love it when other players got all, "I'm gonna kick your ass everyday!"   You do that, sport.  While you're clicking a mouse button, I'll be sitting here watching TBBT on DVD.

Oink Oink (Good Bye, John)

Note: this was originally written on 4 October 2010 in a blog post in a game I play and the reproduced in Facebookas a note. My apologies if you already read this.

This is for no one else. No one here would understand or care. The only person who would have cared will never read this post. Not now, not ever.

I used to blog a lot. I had a private, personal journal blog for a few years. It was small and read by a handful of people. We all blogged and got to know each other well. Dare I say, we all became very good friends.

Sadly, between Crimson Moon and Facebook (and my inability to keep a blog's database from imploding ... don't ask), my blog fell to the wayside.

With that, so did the some of the friendships. Those who were on FB still remained friends to a degree.

Two blokes who became dear friends of mine were known as Tazzy and Piggy. They were sweethearts to the nth degree. They saw me through some very difficult times in my life and had me smiling and laughing through everything. I always promised myself that ONE DAY, I would go to the UK and share a pint with them.

They were both on FB so, even with the demise of my blogging, I was still able to contact them. It wasn't the same as blogging though. The banter was different and I felt more intrusive on their personal life. Still, I kept them in high regard and always said the ONE DAY, I would go to the UK and share a pint with them.

Tazzy and Piggy adored Alton Towers. They were forever going there and always posting about their ventures, especially their roller coaster ones. They loved roller coasters almost as much I do. It had literally been years since I went on a super fast Category 5 thrill ride. The last time I did was long before I started blogging and got to know them. When I was finally going to get to the UK, it was going to be a pint and a trip to Alton Towers to ride on a super fast thriller roller coaster.

About a month ago, Piggy started moaning about how he wasn't feeling well. He said it was a cold. I read his FB updates, read the comments, thought of commenting yet never did, and left it at that.

Two weeks ago, he was hospitalised. He was still updating his FB with his hatred of the hospital and all the procedures he had to endure. I finally wrote on his profile's wall and asked if he wanted me to come to the UK to do the Teddy Bear dance for him.

A few days ago, Tazzy started updating his own profile saying Piggy was too sick to even do updates. Everyone was well wishing and hoping for the best.

Yesterday, while I was at an amusement park, my cousin texted me. Since she rarely does it, I naturally blurted out loud, "I wonder who died?" Little did I know how prophetic the inside joke she and I share would be.

After weeks of battling pneumonia, Piggy passed away on 2 Oct 2010. I felt it strangely odd that, of all places to receive the news, I was at an amusement park.

About an hour after I got the text, I lowered the body harness over me as I sat in a suspended car and waited for the Great Bear, a category 5 thrill ride roller coaster, to start.
xx

Ok, so that didn't work

I deleted the new improved blog. I made one post and didn't touch it again for nearly a year. Anyone surprised at this move? I'm not.

So it's back to this blog.

Since no one follows it anymore, I find it to be more of a sanctuary than a chore. It's a place to release my inner angst. You think teenagers have a corner on the market when it comes to angst? Ha!!! Try being a mom ... or the mom of a teenager. Thank god I'm not there just yet. I have almost 5 years for that one to hit.

So that's it.

My blog for my opinion and if anyone reads it, I'll be shocked.

New Blog

This blog will no longer receive postings. Yes, I finally decided to officially retire the poor thing.

There is a new blog now (cue the trumpets!). If you want/need the new url, please let me know either via e-mail or the comment section here.

Thank you

For YukiCross

CANADA SUX!!!!!!

Thank you

:P

Thrash Metal

Thrash metal, speed metal, black metal, death metal, etc. The genre has many names and many offshoots.

Regardless, I don't get it.

I think I am a rather open-minded person when it comes to music. Name the genre and I can pretty much find something or someone I like.

Thrash metal? Not a chance.

I've tried many times to listen to it, but it was all in vain. As per me, it all sucks. Smashing a drum at 100,000 hpm (hits per minute) and churning out multiple chords in a span of three seconds while screaming into a mic is not music. It's inaudible drek! Hip-hop has more style than this crap.

I'm sure that tiny slice of the industry will somehow survive without my contribution in purchases.

Saturday Night

Saturday night in this house can be so painfully benign.

Last week, Geo and I went on a 8 hour round trip to pick up some 1940-something truck thingy for a friend of his. It wasn't all that bad. We went to Middletown NY to pick it up in a flatbed tow truck. Oh yeah, there's the epitome of our relationship. No kids for the day and we go to Inthemiddleofnowhere NY to pick up a truck. Thankfully he got paid to do this.

One good thing about last week was where we had dinner. It was at this place called the Americana Diner on NY Route 211 in Middletown. Their food was pretty damn good. There was also a couple of hot looking chicks there so that made the dining experience all the more pleasurable.

Then came Sunday and the rest of the week. It was work, come home, repeat.

Now we are up to tonight - Saturday night. It's the night before Easter Sunday and I still have to make the Easter baskets for the two urchins. I have no idea why. Gem has already informed me she doesn't believe in the Easter bunny.

"It's just a person in a rabbit suit."

That's what happens when you tell a little kid a few years ago NOT to be afraid of the giant, scary Easter bunny in the mall. Hey, if you had this to show your child, what would you do?

Exactly! You tell said child, "Oh no, sweetpea. It's just your imagination. The Easter bunny doesn't have fangs and this crazed look in his eyes. He's not even real. It's just some person in a rabbit costume."

The words now come back to haunt me.

So on that pleasant note ....

Happy Easter

Links

I lost my blogroll. I used to have a rather extensive one like three years ago.

So, if you want a link back to here, let me know.

And this happened when???

Geo and I are going out tomorrow to do a job. I can't say anymore than that - it's classified. >.>

Anyway, the 'rents have already put in a claim ticket for Gem for the whole day. As for Damian? Yeah ... well ... what can I say about that. They're smart. They'll watch demon boy until we get home and we get him right back.

Gah

I told Gem tonight that she would be going to Nana and Pop-Pop's house for the day along with her evil baby brother and that SHE would be sleeping overnight. I told her that her daddy and I were gonna go out drinking for the day.

She replied, "Just like the ole days."

*blinks*

NAME CHANGES

Starting today, the boy known as JT in this blog will be known as Damian. In case you weren't sure, that would be my darling son. I have good reason to give him this nickname.

The job place personified

We had a departmental meeting today. In the meeting, a certain project was discussed that may very well have a shortened life span. That's the way of my company though. We dump tons of cash into things that we may use briefly and then abandon. As my one co-worker put it, "Why is that I feel we're just a little bi-polar as a company?"

Do they make kryptonite underwear?

see more pwn and owned pictures


I'm pretty sure the kid in this picture is hoping to hell that's what his are made out of.


Yeah, this a real comic book cover. Someone explain HOW it got passed the editors?


This is just all sorts of wrong.

Whoopsie!

I missed the Sunday Ramble. Oh well. Deal with it - I am.

Was that a compliment?

I was called a bizarre, off-beat version of the missing link today.

Ummmm ....

thank you?

My Job - My Life

As you know, I work for a music company.

It's one of those places where you can get into a lot of trouble if you are caught NOT listening to music while working. I'm dead serious. It's even part of our annual review. That's messed up.

It's like working for McDonald's and getting in trouble for not eating their "heart attack in a bag" food.

Anyway (Pig's fave word), today was a banner day at work. I had to finish a report, which had a 5:00 PM deadline, and it was in no way, shape, or form gelling together for me. Oh yeah, I was ticked. I was cussing up a storm which prompted the ominous voice on the other side of my cube to say, "Maidy's in a good mood."

*sticks middle finger up in the air*

I was rampant. I felt the "postal" gene in my head click over to the ON side.

I

was

not

happy.

Then, like a sign from some deity, the loudspeakers kicked on and the whole company was filled with the Ramones, "I Wanna Be Sedated".

My mood completely changed as I mentally rocked out at my desk.

Music truly does have charm to soothe the savage Maidy.

Still never got the report done.

Homework

This was tonight's conversation with the girl while going over her homework for kindergarten.

Me: OK, pumpkin. You color the spaces that equal one green, two red, three leave alone, four yellow, and five brown.

Gem: OK, mommy.

Me: Now, you understand what you have to do? You have to add the numbers together and the answer is the color.

Gem (with attitude): I KNOW that, Mommy.

Me: OK, OK, just checking. So, *points* this one says three plus two. What does that equal?

Gem: Brown

Me: No, honey. It's five and five is brown.

Gem: That's what I said! Brown!

Me: No, baby. It's five and five is brown.

Gem: Right. Three and two is brown.

Me: No, sweetie. It's ...

*thinks*

Me: Ummm, nevermind. You get it.


I really wanted to go into an explanation that she was using logic, but I'm just happy the kid has her colors correct.

One of the reasons why I love him

This actually happened a few years ago, but it's still something he'd do today.


Me (doing something benign I assume and screwing it up): Grrrr. Fuck a duck!

Geo: Quack! Quack!

Back to work tomorrow

Yeah, I didn't go in today. I had a doctor's appointment this morning which stretched into the afternoon. After that, I didn't have the mental energy to deal with data and deadlines.

*sigh*

Not much of a choice but to suck it up and jump back into everything tomorrow.

On the upside, I have to take off from work on Friday. On the downside, it's for medical reasons again.

Ah well.

Criminal in Training

The other day my *ahem* adorable son got a hold of a pen. How he got it is still a mystery. I think he has a stash of them somewhere in the house. Anyway (Pig's fave word), he is not allowed to have anything that can be considered a weapon and a pen would fall under that category. So, it was my sworn duty to get the pen away from said child.

I looked at him and yelled, "JT!!"

The poor boy got startled and jumped.

The thing he did next astounded me.

He looked at the pen, threw it in one direction, and ran in the other.

*blink*

I looked at Gem who watched the whole thing from the couch and said to her, "Did you see that, pumpkin? That's what criminals do with weapons when being chased by the police."

I can already predict I'll be on speed dial at the Dean of Students for whatever school he will be in.

Maidy's Sunday Ramble 03/15/2009

That's right, minions. I'm back and so is the ramble.

Let's see, it's been about seven months since I have even wrote a real ramble so I may be a bit rusty at this. Just bear with me.


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My daughter talks a lot. She gets it from Geo. Majority of the time I have no idea what the hell she is saying. It all starts out the same way.

"Ummm, mom? I blah blah blah blah ... *trails off into something inaudible* ..."

I swear to God it's like she was told if she stopped talking, she'd die.


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The girl has been preoccupied with death lately. I don't know what prompted it but it's getting quite ghoulish with her.


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I have a new job as most of you do not know. Yeah, that other job I had for like EVER, the one that I hated but stayed with since they paid me to do nothing, laid me off last June. Pretty nice of them since they probably could have fired me for about a gazillion things.

Anyway, I work for a music company now. We are in the field of broadcast media. That, my friends, is all I will give in identifying where I work.

What about my job? I love it. It's high stress and demanding and I seriously love every second of it. I'm sure as the days trudge along, I'll have more blog fodder relating to it.


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I bought a new sippy cup for JT today. It 's spill-proof, leak-proof, and break-proof. Those are three elements that are key to things we give to that boy.

There's just one slight problem ... I can't get the damn thing open. I twisted, pushed, slammed it against the counter, and the damn lid won't budge. Yeah, it's leak-proof alright ... because you can't get any liquids in the stupid thing.


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JT sneezed in my face. That was pleasant.


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Has anyone out there watched Foamy the Squirrel? If not, I highly recommend you watch some of his rants.


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Why doesn't iTunes have AC/DC? They have freaking Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, but they don't have AC/DC.

That just seems messed up to me.

HEY APPLE!!! PAY THE DAMN LICENSING FEE AND GET ON WITH IT!!


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I bet you never knew that leaving a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee on your car roof and then start driving away can cause a big ole messy and unfortunate accident? And that's especially so when the cup was on the driver's side and it spilled all over the roof and cascaded down the door. Made wanting to get out of the car to survey the damage a bit treacherous.


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You know the mother's curse?

"Someday I hope you have kids JUST LIKE YOU"?

Yeah, it really works.

To those of you without children and heard that uttered by your mum at least once in your lifetime, you better hope to your god of choice that you were a child with a relatively good disposition or else you are so totally screwed.


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