Daughters Of Darkness Vs. Footprints On The Moon

5/19/14

I didn’t get anything accomplished this weekend.  I couldn’t even get the things done that I planned on doing.  However I did spend the entire weekend on a ‘Date’ with Cassandra.  That THAT was amazing.  The whole process of just being together with no pressure to do anything, no real plan, and just the want to relax was wonderful.  I think after last week’s crazy highs and lows of last week I needed something to sort of try and find a way to recharge my batteries to deal with my Monday through Friday.

I’ve had no luck in finding alternative arrangements and although I planned on looking this weekend I just didn’t.  So this week we’ve planned out a ‘Search Evening’ and then a week from day when we are recovering from the return of CHIKARA we’ll hopefully find some new leads and prospects.  We’ll take another look at my resume, see if any tweaks need to be made, and start the long process again.  My confidence is a tad banged up and bruised, but I still feel like the next opportunity is right around the corner.

Which is odd for me seeing as I’m not what one would refer to as an ‘Optimist’.  However I’ve been learning.  I’ve had a flood of people come into my life of late who just seem to see things in me that I don’t or can’t.  I was worried that due to the issues I’ve always had compounded with the last few years errors as letting folks in that I would have sort of lost a cog for that sort of trust.  I am gleefully wrong. 

For 11 years or so Cassandra has been espousing her belief and thoughts of who I am not just to me, but to whoever would listen.  It is one thing to hear that from someone who you are so bonded with, so invested in, so utterly and madly in Love with because you feel their view may be slightly skewed.  It is another to hear that from other people.  It is another to have other people that believe in you, to try and help you out at every turn, and to never quit telling you the good they see in you.  It is surprising, humbling, and something I’m not very good at handling.

I’m attempting to get better at it.  I’m trying to get better at listening to these people, to let go of my insecurities, and attempting to not just discount these compliments and encouragement.  I mean why would these folks lie to me?  The fact is they don’t and they wouldn’t.  Now I just need to help translate that into making this huge positive transition in my Monday to Friday gig.  Looking on the bright side, I would rather be unhappy 40 hours a week and insanely happy the rest of my life.

RANDOM CRAP

- Crazy cool comic television shows are going to eat up all my time.  Gotham, The Flash, Arrow, and Constantine all have me intrigued to say the least.  We need to catch up on the 2^nd season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., but we both liked the 1^st season enough to continue to watch it.  I have to say that those trailers of The Flash and Gotham really have my attention.  I am honestly concerned about the amount of television I’m going to be consuming.

- Oh and the Guardians Of The Galaxy teaser to the trailer blew me away. 

- 2^nd Group D&D is Saturday, and we’ve lost another player.  It happens as Real Life always takes precedence over Fake Life.  I just have to figure out how to wrap the story around the loss of three characters.  That presents some interesting issues in the Encounter building which is basically done, and even in what I had planned as the culmination of the current adventure.  Luckily, I think this morning a solution came to me.  I’m not so sure how it’ll play out, but all I can do I hope that it raises the stakes of the game a bit, keeps the fun quotient high, and draws the PC’s into what I have in store for them as the campaign progresses.

- We fired up the Kuerig and it is fantastic.

- I ate what I thought was corn starch battered and fried sushi on Sat., but I’m pretty sure it was flour.  I was miserable for the afternoon afterwards.  I felt like I had somehow eaten a fire hydrant and that it was stuck in my insides.  It is further proof that Gluten has become the DEVIL for me. 

-          With the shaved head it makes me long for my Mohawk.

5/20/14

Last night Team TROLLSTRONG met and went through the non-combat orientated part of the Pathfinder Card game’s Rise Of The Runelords ‘Burnt Offerings’.  As the co-resident head crusher with Cassandra I found this session to be slow and while not frustrating it certainly didn’t hold my attention the way other sessions have.  Make NO mistake it was still a blast, and after some bad rolling early I got my ‘Kill’ on.  However I am very much looking forward to going on a kill crazy rampage next session and slaying my party’s body weight in Goblins.

Besides Gene-O-Machine-O, Sassy Cassie, THE Karl, and the lovely Cassandra the amazing Kedrin came over and did some studying and general hanging out.  Cassandra made an insanely good Jambalaya, Gene & Cassie graced us with some veggies, and Kedrin brought the most delectable Gluten free brownies.  The was much conjecture and excitement over Sunday’s CHIKARA get together, lots of laughs were had, mini painting was heavily discussed, RAW was sort of watched, James and his Beard were forced to join 1^st Group D&D, a DQ run was magnanimously made, and overall it was just a wonderful night.

Nights like last night are the fuel that gets me through.  Spending time with people who you not only like but care about is something that never ceases to leave a smile on my face.  The food being that damn good didn’t hurt either.  Seriously, that food was fantastic.  I think what amazes me is that is a group of people who I met through such different circumstances.  Gene & James are co-founding fathers of L.E.W.G.I., but I met them through James’ brother Diamond Dave.  I met Diamond Dave through Mighty Mike.  THE Karl and Kedrin are part of 3^rd Group D&D, and have been since its inception.  They were folks who we were introduced to through Mick.

These are some of the folks we spend the most time with, almost every other Monday for Team TROLLSTRONG.  THE Karl & Kedrin we hang out with all the time, they quite literally are some of, if not THE, best folks we know.  When you are in a room with these people and having a good time I can’t help but walk away and just watch for at least a moment in awe and appreciation.  These people are my Friends and they are damn incredible.

I found myself doing this last Halloween too.  I went outside so I could watch from a distance for a bit, getting perspective I suppose.  However, more than that it is just this overwhelming sense of pride, fortune, and happiness that I know all these amazing people and that they come to our home, bring their energy, their humor, and their lives into ours.  It truly makes me happy.

RANDOM CRAP!

- Podcast tomorrow night!  Cassandra suggested we talk about our Nerdery origins and what we would use as a ‘gateway drug’ to Nerdery for people we know.

- The Guardians of the Galaxy trailer makes me want to build a TARDIS and travel to August 1^st right flippin’ NOW!

- THE Karl is going to attack the Bones Clockwork Dragon, and his plans for the base have my mind officially blown!  Seriously spectacular!

- You know you hang out with the right crowd when you get into a discussion on the comparison of Batman Vs. Superman as opposed to Green Arrow Vs. The Flash.  By the way there is no comparison The Flash would OWN Green Arrow in a way Superman never could Batman.

- Dill Pickle chips are the best.

- The Wrestling Road Diaries Too came in the mail yesterday, and I for one, can’t wait to watch it.

- Rather than go to Ebay first, Gene suggested putting all those minis and board games up on Craig’s List.  He had some good luck with it so I’m going to give that a shot tonight.

- I am now grilling on both Saturday for D&D and Sunday for CHIKARA.  I’m pretty stoked about both.

- I’ve begun to crunch numbers about buying the D&D Next core books.  That’s right I’m Edition Smitten right now.

- We might go out for wings on Thursday!

- Just starting to formalize the grilling plans for Sat. and Sun.’s events.  Saturday I think I’m going to hammer out pork loin again and go with cheese and honey mustard coleslaw.  We might do some packet potatoes as well.  It really is an easy thing to hammer out and even easier to grill.  Sunday sounds like it is all Meats on Sticks.  Kabobs of all types being devoured by the L.E.W.G.I. gang.  

- Surprisingly enough I’m excited, I have re-listened to the last two Antagonist Relations Podcast a few times, and I really think the fun Zack and I are having just talking games jumps out of the audio.  It makes me eager for the next episode of that as well as all the other Podcasts we do, especially the proposed Cat MEME & Anime Podcast hosted by Kedrin & Elyssa.  Yeah, you read that right….

- It was shocking to read that Willie Mack, of PWG fame, and Prince Devitt, of NJPW fame, apparently both have either signed or will be signing WWE Developmental deals.  Devitt has been one of my favorite parts of New Japan for a while now.  First as a lily white Face, and then as the founder and leader of the nefarious Bullet Club.  The man is lightning in the ring and has found his stride on the mic.  If you haven’t seen Willie Mack wrestle you are missing out, he’s a big, SUPER agile guy.  He’s body isn’t the WWE normal, see the released Chris Hero, but he’s solid in the ring.  Add into that the subsequent rumor that both KENTA, of NOAH and ROH fame, and ‘Mr. Wrestling’ Kevin Steen, self-proclaimed Zoo Enthusiast, are both on the verge of also being signed and I am blown away.  KENTA I get, as he has been the MAN in NOAH for some time and his skill set, personality, and reputation are all simply spectacular.  I LOVE Kevin Steen, but honestly never thought he’d get a run in the ‘E’.  Like Wille Mack he is a larger, rounder athlete.  Not to mention Steen is known for his unpredictable nature and language on the’stick’.  I just figured he’d never find a home in the PG Era of the ‘E’.  However, it seems that it is on the horizon.  The idea of Kevin Steen cutting promos on ’Jern SuperCena’ makes me happy beyond words.  I‘m just curious where the cuts are going to come from.  The ‘E’ seems to be smitten with some of their home grown talent, and yet they keep acquiring the best of the Indy scene.  When you keep bringing in this caliber of talent where does that put guys like Mojo Rawley who to me hasn’t grown one iota in developmental and yet gets a TON of time on NXT?  It is an intriguing time to be fan. 

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