The Cantina Staring Back At You From The Abyss

*kicks in the front door of the cantina*

*drags semi-lifeless carcass through the door dragging the briefcase along the floor behind him*

Ugh. MONDAAAAAYYYY!!!!

*slides into the coffee hot tub*

Coffee, you're my only saving grace.

*sinks down to his eyes in coffee like a hippo*

Brightdreamer said:

The bosmina looks more like an alien kiwi bird to me... weird things exist below our visual threshold.

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Oh yes, it does, too! I want a pet bosmina for Christmas.

You should've seen what was in the horses' water trough. I won't be surprised if the local horses start sprouting antennas.

greendragon said:

The ash from the bonfire has burned small holes in my $1200 tent canopy top. I saw a couple burns on my awning as I was breaking down, and showed Bear (one of the folks running it).

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Ouch, nasty. I hope you find a solution.

E.F.B. said:

Then we'll try to find me some sweat pants because the ones i have desperately need to be replaced. Would have replaced them long ago but I've had trouble finding ones that aren't yoga pants, aren't so thick i get heat stroke in the summer, or aren't oddly tight in the wrong places.

ETA: Pockets. Pockets would be nice too.

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Pockets are always nice. I've never understood why it's so hard to find a good pair of sweatpants, but it is.

greendragon said:

Well, this weekend's show was good - and bad. OK sales (not enough to try a third time), but the folks running it are fantastic. An older retired/disabled couple. However... they had a bonfire. The ash from the bonfire has burned small holes in my $1200 tent canopy top. I saw a couple burns on my awning as I was breaking down, and showed Bear (one of the folks running it). He offered to buy a new awning, but those were cheap, so I said no problem. I could repair that with some Gorilla tape. However, yesterday I examined the canopy top and found about 6 holes in that, and that's another issue.

I emailed them, as well as my insurance company and the maker of the tent (Trimline) to see what my options were. I hate to do it, but this is my business, and their fire ruined my tent. Tape would only be a temp solution for the canopy, as it will curl/yellow with use. Also, the holes are in the skylight, and light coming through will show each patched spot, even with clear tape. Ugly and unprofessional.

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Not good at all... Hope they come through and do the right thing, paying for the damage they caused.

Raindrop said:

You should've seen what was in the horses' water trough. I won't be surprised if the local horses start sprouting antennas.

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Ha, ha - next thing you know, they'll be developing psychic powers! Silly... now, if you'll excuse me, I have a pressing need to drive a truckload of sugar cubes to some stranger's stable.

Monday, and already off to a lousy start. Relatives camped out in the kitchen every time I try to get breakfast - can't even get a flippin' apple. Relatives camped out in the bathroom when I try to go there... can't even get a shower to wake up. Over an hour, still playing tag, still losing.

I'd say "screw it" and just hide in my room with my headphones and my DVDs, but I've got logos to draw and a site to revise and I just know I'm going to be drug out on a shopping trip.

Damn it.

Sounds like all our Cantina introverts need some alone time. I keep telling my husband I'm going to go hide somewhere for 48 hours. He keeps giving me side-eye.

We just need a logo to go with my new slogan: Introverts, let's hide!

<--- As one of the resident extroverts, is trying really hard to restrain natural exuberance for our much-put-upon introvert Cantina mates.

Richard White said:

<--- As one of the resident extroverts, is trying really hard to restrain natural exuberance for our much-put-upon introvert Cantina mates.

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You don't have to restrain yourself. Just don't be surprised by a lag in response. This is the key benefit of a forum versus in person contact for an introvert. The introverts can collect themselves privately before interacting.
Unleash the exuberance!

Richard White said:

<--- As one of the resident extroverts, is trying really hard to restrain natural exuberance for our much-put-upon introvert Cantina mates.

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You don't have to restrain yourself. Just don't be surprised by a lag in response. This is the key benefit of a forum versus in person contact for an introvert. The introverts can collect themselves privately before interacting.
Unleash the exuberance!

That's OK, I'll work off my excess energy by wrestling raptors. They're looking a little pudgy these days. I think they've been dining on too many smibbles.

*Puts on his chain mail mesh armor and hoists his "Raptor-bopper 2000" to go work off some work-related stress*

Meh. Monday's winding down, and I have work tomorrow so I must feign sleep in a few hours. Spent most of the day wrestling with the danged camp logo; even blew off exercise, though I got about eight minutes of pedaling in on my little floor pedal device. Would work out better if I had a desk where I could use it, but my desk has no open space underneath. The design is sort of coming together, but nowhere near inking yet, and I still think it's kinda... meh. Was hoping I could concoct something more dynamic. But it's what I've got, and it sums up the theme, and there is a dragon. No time to redo anyway; I gotta get inking ASAP, so I can scan and clean and add text and send for approval.

We also ordered the ink for this year's runs. Turquoise and orange, the latter possibly to be mixed with some leftover red if it's too light/bright. (We need something that'll show well on light colors. And there's always that one idiot who brings a dark shirt...)

Guess I'll take my shower, then probably get back to logo work before bed. Will probably not get much, if any, spitballing in, either.

Dang it.

Hey, does anyone play Witcher? I just started Witcher 3 and OH MY GAWD WHAT A FRIKKIN INCREDIBLE GAME. As I played through the first few story arcs, I kept feeling like I was missing some plot from a prequel game. I checked it out on google and came to find out this story was never meant to be a video game at all. Witcher was originally a series of short stories published in the 80s in Poland. From what I read it's got a cult following and I see why.

I feel late to the game, but I haven't heard of Witcher until I bought this video game this year. I just ordered the short stories and novels and I'm completely excited and totally stoked. This kind of fantasy is right up my alley. I love this dark fantasy genre.

Just wondering if anyone else is into The Witcher?

Blinkk said:

Just wondering if anyone else is into The Witcher?

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It's one of the best games of the generation, especially in the story/side-quest department. Hopefully you bought the game with the two expansions, as those are both very worthwhile, with some great stories too. I played when it first released a couple of years ago. Really looking forward to Cyberpunk 2077, the next game CD Projekt is working on.

A brilliant game. Witcher 3.

Play it slow - no rush. Explore everything - do all the side quests.

Ride your horse through the scenery, just looking at it- it's magnificent. And vast, vast, vast.

Some of the cities are huge.

And there are two excellent expansions (Hearts of Stone, and Blood and Wine) - when you're finished Witcher 3.

Enjoy.

My husband played Witcher 3 and yeah, it's incredible. Definitely do the expansions, especially Blood and Wine. The setting for that one is just gorgeous and a refreshing change of pace from the bleak and war-ravaged main story setting. From my understanding, Witcher 1 and 2 were kinda meh, but 3 really knocked it out of the park. If you want to play 1 and 2 though, they go on sale frequently on Steam.

Count me in as one of the introverts who needs some time alone. I'm just waiting for my husband to get a job so I can take a week off from work and get at least a few hours a day by myself to unwind and maybe get some housework done.

Brightdreamer said:

I've never understood why it's so hard to find a good pair of sweatpants, but it is.

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Right? I thought I'd found one yesterday but realized they had those annoying (at least to me) elastic cuffs at the bottom and I'd rather they just hang loose. I'm starting to think I'll have to cave and get a super bright patterned pair I saw. Just so long as they meet my other requirements I guess I can put up with the pattern. I just won't wear them outside of the house.

Richard White said:

<--- As one of the resident extroverts, is trying really hard to restrain natural exuberance for our much-put-upon introvert Cantina mates.

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QuixoticQuill said:

You don't have to restrain yourself. Just don't be surprised by a lag in response. This is the key benefit of a forum versus in person contact for an introvert. The introverts can collect themselves privately before interacting.
Unleash the exuberance!

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QFT. I enjoy being around people I like in person, but even then it's amazing how much more easily I can express myself online just because I have the benefit of being able to stop and think. I also handle exuberance better online.

Day 2 of no home internet. Y'know, you'd think the internet people would realize that, since the local internet goes down EVERY TIME it rains hard, that they should...oh I don't know...fix the connection so it doesn't do that anymore? Or at the very least, automatically send someone out to check on it after the weather event is over? Seriously. *sigh* My dad's frustrated enough he's just contacted our satelite provider to see if they provide internet too and it seems they do, so we'll see if it sounds like an option.


Well, yesterday's non-writing plans went out the window but not in a bad way. 'Twas my parent's 40th wedding anniversary and my dad decided he wanted to go get a new copy of their marriage certificate with that date on it so we could frame it (old frame fell and broke a while ago) so we did that and went and found a nice frame that can also hold some pics of them on their wedding day. That meant a trip to Michael's so I also got to spend the gift card I got for my birthday. Then we ordered Olive Garden for supper and took it home. Ordering of oven and dishwasher will have to happen on another day.


Today there's nowhere to go so I'll be writing. I guess the upside of only being able to use my phone.to get online is that it keeps me less distractrd because I know I can't use up my data plan so I stay offline more.

Tuesday, and about to head out the door to work (picked up overtime this week... should do more, but there's only so long I can work the job.) Then I have to shop my way home, which brings me in the door just in time to start dinner. Not holding my breath on getting much logo work or site work done today, IOW...

Time to get shoes on and go.

Morning Cantina.

Things are getting crazy here; all good things, but still crazy. Life may become more stable in about 6 months.

Brightdreamer said:

Rewatched Expanse on Amazon Prime last night.

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Oooh! I just started that two weeks ago (also on Amazon). I agree, it's a great show an I love the mix up of detective noir, military sci-fi, political intrigue and the general thriller/mystery going on.

Justobuddies said:

*kicks in the front door of the cantina*

*drags semi-lifeless carcass through the door dragging the briefcase along the floor behind him*

Ugh. MONDAAAAAYYYY!!!!

*slides into the coffee hot tub*

Coffee, you're my only saving grace.

*sinks down to his eyes in coffee like a hippo*

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Amen

Blinkk said:

Hey, does anyone play Witcher?

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Yup! I started with Witcher 1, which was good enough for me to buy Witcher 2, with which I was so impressed I had to get Witcher 3, with which I've had a bit of a falling out with...sadly.

Maggie Maxwell said:

My husband played Witcher 3 and yeah, it's incredible. Definitely do the expansions, especially Blood and Wine. The setting for that one is just gorgeous and a refreshing change of pace from the bleak and war-ravaged main story setting. From my understanding, Witcher 1 and 2 were kinda meh, but 3 really knocked it out of the park. If you want to play 1 and 2 though, they go on sale frequently on Steam.

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I actually liked Witcher 2 more than 3. W1 is dated in both game play and visuals. It's worth the $2 you can get it for on Steam, though. Just don't expect anything like W3. The developers were a small indy studio at the time and as a whole had very little to no experience making video games.

W2 was nothing but improvements on W1 and, in my opinion, holds up to today's standards for visuals and mechanics. Both W1 and W2 had tight, well told narratives.

W3...well...it looks fantastic...and the stories are still great...but I feel like I could write an essay on my misgivings with that one. Short version: the transition from a story-focused linear RPG into an open-world RPG didn't go well, and I question many of game mechanic changes made between W2 and W3.

I'm back! *falls down face first* I got a combined maybe ten hours of sleep in three nights. And there were more than 200 people. I don't think I should ever sleep in a tent in the future, or at least not alone, I think I feel too exposed without a locked door, I was jumping at just about any sound (of which there are many) including something that sounded awfully like sniffing ("wolf?!" suggested my overworked reptile brain) but was probably just the wind, and geese chatting. Also, I forgot a bedroll so the first night was really agony, the second night I'd bought one and nearly had a nervous breakdown because I still couldn't get comfortable. We were at a hotel, though, and some rooms had been set aside so campers could take baths so I went and got an hour or so of rest in one of those, by which point I'd gone from over-tired to just plain tired and staggered back to the tent to sleep. Third night I slept in one of the hotel rooms, but not for very long because, you know, I wasn't supposed to do that and I was scared someone would come and chase me out. Anyway, I am sore and contemplating calling a chiropractor to unkink my spine.

That said, any of y'all into board/card games? I can heartily recommend Dominion. The rules aren't that easy to summarize, because there are a whole heck of a lot, but they're all written on the cards, of which there are many. Apparently, it's somewhat of a precursor to deck building games like Magic: The Gathering except with all the building happening during game and from the same sixteen(ish) cards as the other players.

tjwriter said:

We just need a logo to go with my new slogan: Introverts, let's hide!

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Want. On a t-shirt.

Brightdreamer said:

W3...well...it looks fantastic...and the stories are still great...but I feel like I could write an essay on my misgivings with that one. Short version: the transition from a story-focused linear RPG into an open-world RPG didn't go well, and I question many of game mechanic changes made between W2 and W3.

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Seems like a common them with open-world RPGs. I haven't played Witcher 3 yet (mostly because, as I understand it, the storyline is a bit of a downer and I don't need that right now), but as much as I love Dragon Age:Inquisition -- another open-world RPG -- it's definitely more fun to play if you do the quests in the right order.

I also find that a lot of the more recent RPGs don't offer as many roleplaying options (because voiced lines are costly). I can do it all in my head, of course, but I miss the likes of Arcanum, Fallout 2 or Dragon Age:Origins.

*

In other news... I've started week 2 of my low-FODMAP diet (not to lose weight... it's to find my IBS triggers) and it's driving me up the wall. My local superstore doesn't have the basics I need. It has plenty of non-dairy yoghurts made with soy (can't have), but it has run out of unflavoured, lactose-free milk-based yoghurt (the only one I can have). It has a quinoa and bulghur mix (no can do), but no quinoa on its own. It has tofu, which could be a nice option for protein considering I can't have any form of legumes... but they only have flavoured versions (garlic, oh hey -- can't have). God forbid they run out of snickers and confectionary crap! Those sections are always full. But the basics? Nah. They'll restock next week.

*screams into smibble pile about #adulting and stupid government health care websites being stupid and dumb *


ETA: 3 HOURS after starting, I have new health insurance and I'm really hungry from the effort.

*waves at everyone from behind the freelance pile*

Happy birthday EFB sorry i missed it

It depends on what I'm wiriting as to if I need musical accompaniment or not. Sometimes I do and it either has to be instrumental or so quiet I can barely hear it. Other times NOPE. *shrug*

Hope everyone is doing okay. Been busy here but that's normal.

Richard White said:

That's OK, I'll work off my excess energy by wrestling raptors. They're looking a little pudgy these days. I think they've been dining on too many smibbles.

*Puts on his chain mail mesh armor and hoists his "Raptor-bopper 2000" to go work off some work-related stress*

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And you have me at a loss. Haha. Even withe extra time. *tips hat*

Blinkk said:

Hey, does anyone play Witcher? I just started Witcher 3 and OH MY GAWD WHAT A FRIKKIN INCREDIBLE GAME.

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My husband plays games and I sit and work on stories or crochet and watch him. I quite enjoyed Witcher 3. I am hoping he finishes it at some point. It is indeed very beautiful and I enjoy seeing all the monsters and things they have in there.

E.F.B. said:

QFT. I enjoy being around people I like in person, but even then it's amazing how much more easily I can express myself online just because I have the benefit of being able to stop and think. I also handle exuberance better online.

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YES! One of the many misunderstandings about introverts. We don't necessarily hate being around people, we just need the space and time to think before we react. If we take in in person, we are thought to be aloof or scared or something.

I like it here.

Religion0 said:

That said, any of y'all into board/card games? I can heartily recommend Dominion. The rules aren't that easy to summarize, because there are a whole heck of a lot, but they're all written on the cards, of which there are many. Apparently, it's somewhat of a precursor to deck building games like Magic: The Gathering except with all the building happening during game and from the same sixteen(ish) cards as the other players.


Want. On a t-shirt.

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Thanks for the recommendation! My family loves board games. We recently got really into Mysterium. A cross between Clue and .... I don't even know. Its visual though, with beautiful art, and the players work together.

Also, yes, I need that shirt too.

Raindrop said:

In other news... I've started week 2 of my low-FODMAP diet

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Yeesh! Good luck. FODMAP was the worst. They put garlic in everything now! I finally gave up and decided that I'd just be sick for the rest of my life. (That turned out to not be the problem though.) But seriously, good luck and stay strong. (Unlike me.)

Maggie Maxwell said:

If you want to play 1 and 2 though, they go on sale frequently on Steam.

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Because of my incredibly excessive personality, I bought W1 yesterday. I'm putting W3 on hold and I want to play though W1 and W2. I was heavy into Baulder's Gate and games like that in the 90s, so W1 reminds me of that. I have a weird love of old school RPG games with meh graphics. I think I finally understand people who like cassette tapes - there's a nice personal connection that makes it so much better.

Also because of my excessive personality I'm really excited to read the books. Oh god, I usually get all fangirl over bands and stuff. I haven't had a game get me like this in quite some time.

I'm also seriously wondering if my introvert side is freaking out, and investing heavily into video games is my way of shutting the world out. IDK, but my family is constantly wanting. My cousin literally bought me a plane ticket and emailed it to me saying, "I never see you enough, this is insurance to make sure you come." My family is so social. Sometimes I need to be alone for a week. That makes me able to go out and party more. I need that quiet time to do it.

Blinkk said:

I'm also seriously wondering if my introvert side is freaking out, and investing heavily into video games is my way of shutting the world out. IDK, but my family is constantly wanting. My cousin literally bought me a plane ticket and emailed it to me saying, "I never see you enough, this is insurance to make sure you come." My family is so social. Sometimes I need to be alone for a week. That makes me able to go out and party more. I need that quiet time to do it.

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As a fellow introvert, I can get behind this. Big, huge, sprawling RPGs that you lose hundreds of hours in have been my kryptonite for years. It's the same reason I like novels. Just going off somewhere, by yourself, to experience fantastical things is one of the best ways for me to enjoy myself.

E.F.B. said:

Day 2 of no home internet. Y'know, you'd think the internet people would realize that, since the local internet goes down EVERY TIME it rains hard, that they should...oh I don't know...fix the connection so it doesn't do that anymore? Or at the very least, automatically send someone out to check on it after the weather event is over? Seriously. *sigh* My dad's frustrated enough he's just contacted our satelite provider to see if they provide internet too and it seems they do, so we'll see if it sounds like an option.

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I don't know how much satellite internet is like satellite TV but a real heavy rain will (temporarily) interrupt the reception on satellite TV. So, caveat.

You could try using the satellite company's offerings as leverage against your current ISP though. Threaten to switch unless they send people out to fix it permanently (and I'm betting, by what you describe, that it's underground cable that's frayed/corroded somewhere so that it gets FUBAR when wet so bear in mind that fixing is likely to involve digging things up).

QuixoticQuill said:

Yeesh! Good luck. FODMAP was the worst. They put garlic in everything now! I finally gave up and decided that I'd just be sick for the rest of my life. (That turned out to not be the problem though.) But seriously, good luck and stay strong. (Unlike me.)

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Thanks, I'll need the extra luck! I'm a good cook, and I enjoy cooking, thankfully. But if they don't have my Greek yoghurt at the store tomorrow, I may have to eat the store manager instead (without garlic, of course)!