Sunday, February 20, 2005

Reports of My Accidental Suicide Have Been Greatly Exaggerated...

No shark/car/metal object-related accidents in recent days. I did nearly cut two fingertips off yesterday while trying to slice some key limes--man, those little bastards are tough-skinned! (I'm embarking on an experiment with making fruit vodkas, inspired by Anne's dad. Started a jar of peach vodka last week, and key lime yesterday. Still deciding on batch #3.) Still, overall it's been a pretty safe couple of weeks, physically.

Mentally, as always, is a whole nother barrel of monkeys! You may recall Sewage-Con, from an eariler post. Well, just over a month has passed and it's already time for Sewage-Con II: Plumber's Revenge! Jane and Sarah, you may have thought mopping up sewage-tainted water at the first con was fun--but let me tell you, it was nothing compared to the solid waste extravaganza that was SewageCon II. Next time, I may sell tickets. And I can correct this whole problem with my plumbing for a low, low price of only about $3000. I'm so happy, I just might shoot someone!*

To make a few pennies to cover this and other expenses, I've been stalking people around Dinosphere, collecting data and generally making visitors uneasy. Things at my "real" job (real being a relative term here) have been heating up, sales are doubling in the wake of our new releases and we're gearing up for GAMA in Las Vegas in a few weeks. I'm trying not to be worried by the fact that my boss has not (as far as I know) put in a registration for me or made plane reservations for any of us. Hell, if I don't get a badge that's just more time at the blackjack tables, right?

* shooting threat for dramatic effect only, no actual violence stated or implied

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Blue Monday...and Tuesday, and Wednesday.
My frog died on Monday night. So I'm sad. He had a long life for an African Dwarf Clawed frog, but still, it's never fun to find a pet belly-up in his tank in the morning. Butterfly Woman happened to show up just as I was conducting the funeral (by the downspout on the corner of the house; being a frog, I figured he'd like to be someplace damp) and she was very kind and supportive. It's been a rough few weeks in the aquatics department, I've lost a couple of tetras out of my main tank, and at the zoo, the female nurse shark appears to be getting ready to check out. She's listless, she hasn't been eating, and today she was flipped over on her back. I thought she was dead, but turns out she just needed to be flipped back onto her stomach, which I did. Still.... she doesn't look so hot.

Tuesday, I ran over my wristwatch. Yes, with the car. No, I don't know how my watch ended up in the driveway. I'd taken it off to cook dinner monday night; I must have slid it into my pocket and it slid back out inopportunely on the way to go bowling. It still works, but a couple links in the band were pretty smashed. After the jeweler up the street told me he couldn't fix it and would have to send it out, I came home and made it 99% perfect with a pair of pliers and some brute force.

Wednesday, I was getting dressed in the morning, and gave my pants a good hard shake to untwist one of the legs that was inside out. A small metal object (yeah, ok, a gaming minature) that had been in the pocket of the pants and apparently worked its way out *somehow* and down the pant leg, came flying out of the pants when I snapped 'em, and hit me in the face like a friggin' guided missile. Missed my eye by about 2", and instead hit me in the forehead so hard I was momentarily stunned with pain. In fury, I flung the miniature across the room, then remembered it was a gift for someone and I probably had just dented it even more than it already was from hitting my skull at 30mph. I've got a small cut, and an interestingly shaped bruise to show for my trouble. So really, today was a great improvement and tomorrow is bound to be excellent comparatively! After all, the frog was old, my watch is fixed, and I didn't lose an eye. Stay tuned for next week, when I run over myself with the car and drop my watch into the aquarium.