Life Is Not Purgatory

The Dishwasher Fairy
Yesterday, Pixie was at a talented little fairy, which showed remarkable skill in breaking Starlin’s dishwasher while babysitting. Alas, she posted the travesty to her weblog and Lazarus came to the rescue… which was convenient because I was looking for an excuse to leave work. So I dropped by, fixed the dishwasher (and even showed her how to fix it in the future). I spent a couple hours chatting with Angel and Pixie then went home to vegitate.

I was going to post more but I have to work Canada Day! Anybody have any special Canada Day plans? I am going to be watching the fireworks from the roof of my workplace (or maybe from the Penthouse if the weather is too poor), unless anybody else has a better suggestion.

PS – All gamers must check out this webcomic.

Mood: Tired
Music: Bring Me To Life – Evanescence

Stupid Guest Tricks
Back in the day, we had an idea to make a site much like Acts of Gord, that would chronicle the stupidity of the human race as seen through the eyes of hotel employees. James and Arthur are you still interested in the joint blog?
Mood: Tired
Music: Heaven - Live

Purgatory
So I am sitting down in the basement, doing turns for our live game. Dave has basically been forced to foist most of the individual write-ups on me as he has to entertain relatives from Austria who are visiting for the rest of the week. However, given that Dave has done the big turn writeups, it's just a matter of typing in their other turn information which is little more than tedious. With lucj I be done before work tonught and all I have to do is the general information updates (status, public info, etc) and then the turns can be emailed out. Yay!

I am also look for an actor for the game on Friday... It will be a short scene but I wouldn't look the part of a beautiful woman very well, that and Dave has to act another part so I'll have to be out-of-game the entire time. So ladies, please drop me a comment if you can act for me for a little bit on Friday...
Mood: Harried
Music: Angel's Weblog

Pixie Sticks!
Wonderful, sugary goodness in a neon plastic tube!

So I happened upon Mike at his place of work, where we traded a few good-natured barbs and poked fun at eachother. He seems like a good kid even though I don’t know him that well. It’s those kind of happy friendships that I like to see.

On the other side - Why the games? Why do people who profess affection for people feel compelled to hide such feelings when in public? Why do people not allow their appreciation for their would-be mates to show front and centre in their lives? Is it a sign of regret? Shame? Embarrassment? If you care for someone, and they profess the same to you, would you feel insulted if they only showed such affection in private? My advice in this situation falls on deaf ears… but I know that at least one of the parties involved deserves so much more than affection and appreciation behind closed doors.
Mood: Dissapointed
Music: Why Georgia - John Mayer

Comments
Heh.. I finally figured out how to modify the comments file without corrupting the entire file and toasting all my comments.... Sweet!

WARNING: Reader Discretion Advised
The above warning is no joke; today’s topic is the single largest hot-button topic in my life. I have a tendency to be protective, perhaps even over protective of my friends. I admit this, freely and openly and I would rather annoy my friends by being a mother-hen than stand idly by as something catastrophic happens.

In my life, I have encountered large number of acquaintances that have been the victims of a rape or other form of sexual abuse. I have helped more than one friend through the horrific troubles that such an event will inevitably cause. The emotional trauma of such an event is simply beyond male comprehension as much as I can empathize with my friends, I will never be able to truly understand the vicious circle of pain and suffering that any woman in that situation must go through, all I can be is a shoulder to cry on.

I personally view rape and similar crimes (child molestation, and the like) as capital crimes. While the justice system of our land takes a much weaker view, I do not fault the judges or lawyers, I fault the politicians – whom either should lock the perpetrators of these crimes away for life, or execute them. The likes of Paul Bernardo, who is on video tape raping two young women, should not have the right to consume the same oxygen that I or any other citizen does. Should anyone visit that horror upon my friends, or my family their life would be forfeit, even if that means my personal incarceration for 20 years.

This very nearly happened two days ago, when a friend of mine just barely escaped an attacker that forced his way into her apartment… while her sister dialled the police she was able to escape - when the ‘man’ then attacked the sister before fleeing the scene. The ‘man’ was eventually arrested – but not before he was successful in one of his attacks. The rage I feel is enormous… and I am completely impotent in dealing with it. Give me arbitrary power over life and death for a single day, and the world will be a much better place.

On the flip side, I have also been very aware of women using sex and sexual assault as a weapon against men. Rape is a power word - it invokes a level of hatred in many that simply cannot exist in any other way. I have sat on a jury for a man accused of a sexual assault. The trial was very short, only 3-days. But the evidence was presented and the jury deliberated on the merits of the case… for less than thirty seconds. Of the eight women and four men on that jury, not a single one had any doubts that the accused was simply NOT GUILTY of the crime, he should never, never, have come to trial. We all agreed that it was a nasty, vicious case of spite and jealousy. He had had sex with her (in a moment of personal weakness) but refused to commit to a relationship and so she concocted a story of him forcing himself upon her while they were both drunk and incoherent.

The mans life was destroyed. His family deserted him; he lost his job through contrived reasons when they learned of the charges against him, and he suffered an incredible torment through the near-destruction of his new relationship and his subsequent child. (He was charged almost 3 years after the alleged assault). I look back at this event and cannot help to think of the possibility of abuse of that very powerful word, in the hands of a spiteful and bitter individual. I have run into him three times since the trial and each time we have talked, finally years after the trial he has finally gotten his life back on track… but the woman still asserts that she was raped, and that he got off on a technicality – but I was there… I saw the ‘evidence’… and yet he is still haunted by a ghost of the past that is not of his own creation.

In my professional life the mere allegation of any kind of sexual harassment is sufficient grounds for me to be terminated from my place of employment, and no place of business would hire a man with that particular sword hanging over his head. I have seen that happen as well.

In my personal life, the fear of getting involved with a woman whom turns out to be bitter, vindictive and capable of making such a false accusation is always in the back of my mind. Regardless of how small the likelihood of such, this fear has more than once interfered in my relationships to some degree.

It is a difficult thing to worry about - but that very powerful word always seems to be on the back of my mind… on both sides of the issue. I am not certain why I posted this... hmm... but I think its important, even if this is introduced as evidence of pre-meditation in my future murder trial.

Merriam-Webster Definition
Main Entry: swear
Pronunciation: 'swar, 'swer
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): swore /'swOr, 'swor/; sworn /'swOrn, 'sworn/; swear·ing
Etymology: Middle English sweren, from Old English swerian; akin to Old High German swerien to swear and perhaps to Old Church Slavonic svaru quarrel
Date: before 12th century
transitive senses
1 : to utter or take solemnly (an oath)
2 a : to assert as true or promise under oath b : to assert or promise emphatically or earnestly
3 a : to put to an oath : administer an oath to b : to bind by an oath
4 obsolete : to invoke the name of (a sacred being) in an oath
5 : to bring into a specified state by swearing
intransitive senses
1 : to take an oath
2 : to use profane or obscene language : CURSE
- swear·er noun
- swear by : to place great confidence in
- swear for : to give assurance for : GUARANTEE
- swear off : to vow to abstain from : RENOUNCE

Blog This
I added a new link to Colour Me Confused, the blog of another friend of mine I just tripped over thanks to Arthur. I will have to make that part of my daily reading.

Heh, I have a funny story from work today... a 'guest' had started laying into one of my staff, and while it started out as simple ignorance and anger, it escaleated to swearing in very little time. Now, I do not tolerate people misstreating my staff at all. I simply will not accept it. I have fired far more guests than employees, and this is a trend I am certain will continue.

Regardless, he started to swear and curse when I interjected (as I have a penchant for doing when people are picking on my staff), that there was no reason to swear in my lobby. He stoppedm looked me right in the eye and in all seriousness said, "Fuck is not a swear." For those who know me... it's very hard to shut me up. I am a loud and boiseterous person but this little greaseball of a guest actually did. I stood there dumbfounded as he walked off before collapsing into laughter... I think that is my phrase of the day. I have been gigiling all day at that... I mean... really, isn't it the most distinctive swear in the English language? My mother still threatens me with the bar of soap, if I use the word in her presence, or should we just adopt it into the dictionary and be done with it (although it would probably be a very long entry in any dictionary).

Remember kids...FUCK! - Is not a swear."

New Career Path?
A beautiful piece of jailbait told me to update my blog more often! Apparently there are a lot more people than I thought of reading the drivel contained herein than I know about. Regardless, one does not maintain a weblog with any expectation of privacy… so I’m not surprised or any more self-conscious than I would be in personal conversation.

Recently I have been taking note of the number of people I consider to be friends, and actually it’s not that small a number, as more people move from ‘friendly acquaintance’ to ‘friend’ category. Now, friends are important to me… and always have been. I have a strong sense of personal loyalty to my friends and have a similar expectation from others that I would have as my friends.

I have also taken note that any individual that I have recently expressed or had any kind of romantic interest in, has generally been firmly entrenched as a friend. Now, I’m not aggravated, but it would appear that I need to adjust my paradigm to accept my new motto: “Friend to many, and lover to none.”… at least in my current circle of friends.

So… this brings me to the realization that if I cannot date within the role-playing community, or anything that even remotely touches upon that hobby (the waitress and I are good friends now, and nothing more), then I have to develop another circle of friends, or resort… to personal ads and internet dating services?

Sigh… Now, I have a fairly healthy self-esteem, but the most glaring weakness in that item of personal armour is: relationships. I have had absolutely no luck, and I am not certain that I have the emotional capital to invest in such an endeavour without becoming jaded, morose and melancholy… let alone if I even have the time to go out and meet new people via a dating service.

Hmm… maybe I should just become a priest. I have the counselling skills, dedication, tenacity, fiery charisma (at times), celibacy… just have to work on the whole ‘faith’ part.
Mood: Contemplative
Music: 38 Years Old - The Tragically Hip

Sleep: The Final Frontier
So I had to work an audit shift this weekend... and there is NOTHING that sucks more that shifting your sleeping schedule over for one night. Oh well... It's done now.

I cleaned up a few links... like Raven - I have sorta given up on King's of Chaos... although I am doing so because my population doubled due to some for of glitch and now I am far larger than my equipment can support... so I am getting nowhere.

I am working on a counter spoof of the LARP articles found at DrunkenDwarves: Article 1, Article 2. Apparently there have been a bunch of LARP's that have promised to defend thier hobbies and not followed through. Heh... I have a funny idea... (Tee Hee).

Mood: Tired but Jovial
Music: Lucky - Bif Naked

Trouble In Paradise
Sorry for not posting, but work has been very hectic. I took Wednesday off, and I’ll likely take half of Thursday off as well. Ah…. relaxing… but its not…

I have a friend that I know very well. I can read her like a large-print book, and there was a time not so long ago that she talked to me… a lot. Recently, I’ve noticed a definite change in her demeanor, and I’m not the only one. Something is bugging her… and she’s not talking about it, even to me (and I pretty much know all the skeletons in that particular closet.), and that severely limits the options of what is going on – and I have a good idea what it is.

I am getting changed and taking her out for lunch, I hope she talks to me… or to someone, at the very least.
Mood: Stressed
Music: Mr. Jones – Counting Crows