Updating While Snowed In

There's about two feet of snow on the ground outside, so I figured now would be a good time to update.

I've been working at my new job for exactly four weeks, and I find that I actually kind of like it better than any of the other jobs I've ever had. Over the years, I've figured out that I prefer jobs where I can be "behind the scenes," and don't have to deal with disgruntled customers.

At my new job, that's basically the idea. I'm in the stockroom, pulling parts for the various jobs everyone in the production area does, and management talks to any customers who actually come to the building.

The dress code is good too. I can wear jeans and sneakers, but I also have to wear a static jacket and heel straps to ground me so that electrostatic discharges don't damage the electronic components. So the clothes are comfortable, and the static jacket is actually warmer than it looks, so I can just wear a tee-shirt underneath it and be comfortable, temperature-wise.

My first paycheck was only half of what I'd usually be getting, since I came in at the middle of the pay period. I was really worried at the time, because that meant I'd still be about half-a-month behind on paying my bills. Luckily, around that time, all three of my W-2s from last year's jobs came in, and I was able to file my taxes in the last week of January. I got the state return back ($618) on Friday, January 30th, and my federal return ($655) came early this past week.

I got caught up on the bills that were overdue, and then held the rest for when I got my first full paycheck (plus 2½ hours of overtime, since they'd asked me to stay late last Friday to help finish a project) yesterday.

I wasn't able to completely pay off what's left of my car loan, but going off of the payoff amount posted online, I was able to get about half of what's left paid. I also helped with this month's rent (though I couldn't afford the whole rent, what with knowing I'd have to pay my whole portion in two weeks again), paid my portion of the utilities, and paid all the bills that are due before my next paycheck. I now have about $70 in the bank, and $15.16 in cash (for snacks while I'm at the Haven) until February 19th.

I'm only going to use what's in the bank to fill up my gas tank when I start to run out--I've got half-a-tank still--and then save the rest to go toward bills with my next paycheck. It'll also be used for emergencies, if there are any between now and then.

Tomorrow, Anna and Tim have been planning to have people over for a Superbowl party, but we're not sure if they're actually going to be able to get here, what with the snow and all. Whether they do come or not, it's all good to me. I'm not even going to watch the game (I don't like football), but the three of us are already starting to go a little stir crazy from being stuck inside, so it'll be nice to have some visitors.

I've joined another RPG at the Haven. It's a game called Nobilis. It's totally dice-less, and looks/sounds really interesting. I already created my character, who is completely different from any character I've ever played before.

I usually play characters who are a lot like me (female, relatively good, interested in a lot of the same things I am . . . makes it easier to stay in character that way), but since I know the GM-ing style of the person running the game (I'd been in his Vampire: The Masquerade game for a little while a couple years ago) I decided to try something different. For one thing, my Nobilis character is a guy. For another, he's not all goody-two-shoes at all, but rather devious. It'll be a challenge to play this character, and I'm looking forward to it.

The game itself will have about 30 or so players, but we're not all going to be playing at once. The way the GM is running it, there will be set gaming sessions, and there will also be random, "Okay, who's here from the Nobilis game? Anyone up for a one-off?" sessions. We players just have to participate in only one session every two months, at the least, to be allowed to stay in the game.

Not bad, considering that the weekly Serenity game is pretty much the most regular gaming I can handle. It cuts into my sleep time on Thursday nights, so Fridays are a bit rough, but it's worth it, since the game is so frickin' awesome.

Thinking

I think I might have to drop out of the Wednesday night Vampire game. There are various reasons, which I will explain below, but what they all come down to is: I don't have enough time right now--either to familiarize myself with the rules of the game, or to participate in this particular chronicle.

For one thing, those of us playing the game never know if that week's session will go until 8pm or until 10pm. I don't like to stay out too late on weeknights, so that I can at least try to get things done at home and/or relax before I have to go to sleep for work in the morning, but if I'm at the Haven until 10pm, then there isn't much I can do after that. Even after school's out and I've found somewhere to live after June 30, this fact alone could be a deal-breaker.

Then there's the fact that finals are coming up in 2½ weeks. I'll have to at least read my notes again. Not to mention, I haven't finished my night sky observations yet.

Looking for a house and/or new job takes up a lot of time too. And the stress is awful.

When I first started playing the Vampire game, I wasn't all that prepared. I just saw Dan making up his character with a few of the Vampire books sitting on the table around him and asked if I could join in the game. Carl said it was okay, so I started making up my character. He read a bunch of things out of the book about the game, and talked about each of the clans and the traditions and stuff, but I was only able to half-listen, since I was trying to get my character created quickly so we could start the game. I missed most of what he said.

I think what I might do is drop out of this particular Vampire game, then when their adventure is over, if they start a new one after all the stress is over (either with the same characters or new ones), I might join in then. I figure by the time their current chronicle is finished, I'll have had time to read through the rulebook (and maybe a few of the options that I have in PDF format), so I'll understand the game better, and therefore be at least a little better at it.

Thoughts?

Almost the Weekend . . .

This week has gone by so slowly, it's insane.

Monday was boring but busy. Tuesday was okay. Yesterday was slow until work was over, then the Vampire game went by at a reasonable pace. I managed to do a bit more than I did two weeks ago (sit there and look confused), but I'm still not quite up on the taboos and traditions and things.

It's not because I can't play RPGs, I know that. I've played D&D now for a month and a half or so, and I've gotten worlds better at that than I am at Vampire right now. The thing is, I actually understand how to play my D&D characters. Some of the characters I've created before aren't human, but I can at least understand their values and such--that's what the alignment system is for.

With Vampire, they have a Nature (how they really are on the inside) and a Demeanor (what they show to the world about themselves), and they really are monsters--they might want to protect humans and/or use them as tools in their machinations, but all the time there's this beast inside of them saying to hurt them and drink their blood. There really is no difference between player characters and non-player characters except for the fact that the GM runs all of the NPCs. Even another PC from the Camarilla could happily kill your character, to say nothing of the NPCs or the Sabbot (if you're playing as Camarilla).

Nerd-to-Norm Explanation: The Camarilla believe that humans should be protected, and enforce the Masquerade (the tradition among vampires that says humans should not know about vampires). They keep self control on their inner beasts, and act as human as they possibly can, using humans to their advantage--as tools. The Sabbot, on the other hand, believe that humans are food and should be ruled over by the superior vampires, so they do their utmost to reject their humanity and have no interest in the Masquerade. In other words, both groups are bad guys, but the Camarilla are more like corrupt, "good" monsters, while the Sabbot are honest monsters. (Not bad for just having had it explained to me in terms I could understand last night, huh?)

That might be true of some D&D groups if you've got widely different alignments in the same group of PCs, but DMs usually make sure that the characters will at least get along unless the game they're running calls for in-fighting or a diverse range of alignments. With this Vampire game, there's constant backstabbing. It's kind of confusing, and makes me wonder if I chose the right Nature (conniver) for my somewhat new role-playing abilities. Maybe I should have chosen a Nature closer to the Demeanor I chose (bon vivant), but then it would've been kind of silly to add in all of those skills relating to subterfuge, and I'd have to re-write the part of my character's history involving spying for the U.S. government during the Sputnik frenzy in the '50s.

I'm hoping I'll be better able to role-play Vampires after I've had a chance to read through the rulebook thoroughly, instead of just skimming and/or researching specific things when I need to know them right away. There won't be a session next Wednesday, since Carl (the GM) has to work late that night, so I'll have extra time to do my "homework."

Anyway, enough about Vampire. Tonight is class again, and we're actually having a lab for the first time since before mid-terms . . . w00t! The teacher was behind on a couple of lectures, so we'd been skipping labs to catch up, which means we haven't been getting out of class as early as we usually do on Thursdays. That will change tonight.

I wish . . .

. . . there was a bathroom at the Haven.

I went there last night to hang out, and stayed until closing time, playing Vampire: The Masquerade. That was fun, even though I was kind of clueless. The last time (which was also the first time) I'd played was back in high school, when Kelly E. and Chris M. invited me over to Kelly's house to join their game. We got through character creation and half of a session before my dad called and said it was time for me to go home. So I really didn't have much experience with the game last night.

One of the other players has been playing the game for years and years though, so she helped me some by making her character ask my character for help contacting the primogen.

I had "purchased" a snack with my Haven store credit around 7:30 or 8, because I was starting to get a bit woozy. By 8:30, I seriously had to pee. Earlier in the day, I had been talking to one of my co-workers who is also a member at the Haven, and he told me that there was no bathroom, to which I replied that I usually didn't have a problem with that.

It seems I jinxed myself. By closing time (10pm) I could barely hold it. I walked the three blocks back to my car as steadily yet quickly as I dared, drove home as quick as I could safely, then got inside, only to find that the toilet in the half-bath wasn't working properly (the flusher wasn't flushing--I'll have to see if I can fix that when I get home today). So I went up to my bathroom on the third floor.

After that was taken care of, I surfed the 'net for an hour or so, looking for blank character sheets to copy my character information on. I found the first page in a PDF, plus two different character generators for keeping track on a computer while playing. I also looked up the core rulebook online, and found new & used copies at Amazon for $7-10 plus shipping. I might get a copy later, and that will definitely help me be less clueless while playing.

Tonight is lab night for my astronomy class, so I probably will be home by 9pm at the latest--labs are easy.