| Because I wrote this in the previous post, but it didn't fit with the subject very well |
[Oct. 24th, 2009|12:00 am] |
I live in the now. Sure, I reminisce about the past when in roleplay games and such, but that is generally fairly directly related to what is happening in the present and my interactions with other people. I said in my last post that I don't blog much because nothing interesting happens in my life, then amended that to different.
Last weekend a random old dude in the library ranted at everyone in there for about 5 minutes about how the emo/skater kids on the museum steps had called him Hitler. Rah rah i'm a war veteran, respect for elders, in my day etc etc. Right towards the end of the rant (in our area at least), so quick I almost missed that he'd said it, he said "They ought to be put in concentration camps". Frothed for about 30 secs more, then wandered off to try and elicit help elsewhere, as everyone where I was sat studiously ignored him (at least after that comment). Maybe, just *maybe*, my cynical brain said, he muttered something along those lines about the skater kiddies making the streets unsafe or whatever, and that's why they compared him to Hitler.
That's a random story, but it's not really the point of this post. I came home having had that happen, and had no real desire to go and blog about it. I didn't *just* want to tell people about it, I wanted to see *their reaction* to the story, something that you really just can't convey in text comments/replies (but hey, at least noone replies on here saying things like 'lol, wtf?', otherwise I might have to hurt you). As such, I mostly forgot about/didn't think about the incident, until I got down the pub that night and proceeded to tell it to about 4 or 5 different small groups of people, who were all part of the larger LURPS group. I enjoyed telling people, but the main thing I enjoyed was not the telling, it was watching the responses to the telling. Without the facial expressions and physical reactions (in many ways more important than vocal responses) I would have felt little point in telling the story in the first place.
As such, anything interesting or different that does happen I tend to tell people in person, rather than write on here. That does mean if I think it's particularly cool I end up talking about it many times to different groups, and anyone who hangs around with me a lot ends up hearing about it about 3 or 4 times and getting thoroughly pissed off, but hey, that's all part of my award winning charm annoyance ;)
Thus what gets put on here tends to be few and far between, and often stuff where I really don't know if anyone will be interested. Thus instead of frothing at someone for 30 mins and boring them to tears, I can just froth on here and most/all people will just skip over it as something they don't care about.
Either that or I post up amusing pictures or videos, cos everyone wants to see cute cats riding roombas and they're harder to take down the pub (WTB iPhone) ;)
EDIT: This is kinda related to why all my LRP characters tend to be very... bland, in terms of both costume and background/character. In tabletop games, you generally have a session where everyone is genning up their characters. I enjoy this, coming up with a name, background, personality etc. But that is all done *within the game* as it were. I don't get asked to go away, come up with a character on my own time, and then bring it to the next session. LRP is different. I really like LRP, I really like playing a character, but outside of the time I am actually at an event in character doing just that I have little to no interest in thinking about it any further, and if I already have acharacter that I am playing then even at events I have little interest in thinking about the *next* one. Thus new characters are though up in about 10 minutes after the previous one dies, and costume is gleaned from whatever I either have with me at the time, or have the free cash at that exact moment to buy. I don't walk through town and think 'Hey, that'd be really good costume for my next/another LRP character!', because if i'm not in a field (or stately home, in the case of Cthulu ;) ) at an LRP event then LRP never crosses my mind. I don't follow the online forums, in or out of character, and even though my character should know about what's going on I have no desire to hear about what happened at event X which I couldn't make it to until I am in character at the following event that I *do* make it to. And then I can never get the information to stick in my brain, because I fail at remembering stuff like that. It's like my brain goes 'This is fictional, therefore it's not important, therefore I won't waste time remembering it' and no matter how much I re-read and repeat game world information to myself to try and make it stick (and I do, because I *want* to be able to remember it) you can bet that by the next event (if i'm lucky) or within the next 30 minutes (more normally) I will have completely forgotten it all. I do try to remember, because it's stuff my character should know so it'll allow me to play them better, but I just Can't Make It Stick.
Most RPers I know seem to live and breathe RP, be that Live or Tabletop. It's their primary hobby. For me it's one of my hobbies, and one I enjoy, but it's not the primary one, it's not the one I invest the most cash in, and it's not what I think about idly when my brain is otherwise freewheeling. If I try and do more than 3 Lives a year, or 2 tabletop games a week (max, I normally stick to only 1) I quickly get RP burnout and just stop doing *any* for 6 months or more. |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 23rd, 2009|11:11 pm] |
"Everyone has things they blog about. Everyone has things they don't blog about. Challenge me out of my comfort zone by telling me something I don't blog about, but you'd like to hear about, and I'll write a post about it."
Personally, I don't think this is very true. I *would* blog about anything, unless it involved other people who I thought would be offended by my talking about whatever they were involved in. I *don't* blog about much *at all* because not much interesting (actually, scratch that, make it 'different') happens in my life on a regular basis and I have other things I tend to do in free time before considering just randomly explaining aspects of myself to an audience who may well not be at all interested. Don't get me wrong, that is not a complaint. I really like my life (mostly), but I don't feel the need to go out explaining 'This is how my brain works' unless someone asks me.
But despite all that, I do find myself wondering if there is anything people want to know about that they might not ask in person or just haven't had the opportunity. Ask away. I'm interested to know what people want to know (if anything). Just don't be surprised if you don't get an answer for months ;) At work (particularly at the moment with our move to the new building and NAC coming online soon) I am too busy to suddenly feel the desire to brain dump about something, and once I get home all I really want to do is relax and let my brain freewheel after hammering it at problems throughout the day. But at some point i'll feel the desire to try and explain my brain's workings, and will Wall Of Text(c) y'all.
Now i've added that disclaimer, what's the betting I answer any questions within a day or two of them being asked... |
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| Feersum Endjinn |
[Sep. 6th, 2009|12:40 pm] |
Right, so I borrowed the above book off *someone* a good while ago. I *thought* all the Iain M Banks books I had borrowed came form either ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) mostlyfoo or calephetos but the latter is adamant that she doesn't own a copy and the former said it wasn't his copy some time ago. So who's is it? Does anyone remember lending me this book? The only other people I can think it might have been are mr_six, kit_ana, bodybag_pilgrim or darius_of_lancs. |
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| Day trip |
[Aug. 26th, 2009|11:31 am] |
So, having now got a mountain bike, I thought it was high time I used it for some proper mountain biking. Yesterday I caught the train up to Windermere with the bike, got the ferry across the Lake, cycled up to Hawkshead, and then came down into Grizedale Forest to the Visitor Centre. Distance after the train journey: 9.4 miles, but it felt a *lot* harder than the entire 28 mile ride I did with mates on the flat and mild hills a few months back. The entire thing is hills, not a single extensive flat bit. Most of the big hills are 8-10% inclines or descents (covered in warning signs for vehicles to select a low gear etc), separated by smaller shallower hills, but still hills nonetheless. While it was nice to bomb down the far side after all that effort on each hill, it did have the overall effect, on the journey back, to feel like it was in fact Uphill Both Ways (tm). It was also the first time i've ever used more than the top 3 gears (Kinda, I always jump from 9 to 7) on the back of the bike and the top 2 on the front. Had to use the entire range, absolute bottom gear for the steepest hills. I might have done better if i'd been on the racer, but the mountain bike's tyres are not great for lessening road friction for that kind of thing ;)
Once i'd got to the visitor center I refilled water bottles, stocked up on glucose packs for energy, and set off to try the North Face Trail. I was actually recommended, as this was my first time doing hardcore offroad and I was already feeling the burn from the cycle there from Windermere, to miss out the first 2 sections (the steep ascent bits that were still tricky mental offroad stuff) and take the gentler 'green/orange' starting ascent (Tracks are graded. Green-orange-purple are all varying distances and steepness of ascent. The North Face is red. The first section all the gentler tracks share an ascent). The initial North Face ascent is apparently both steep and mental offroad stuff, not something I felt like trying initially. The green tracks is still by no means 'easy'. We're still talking 6-10% inclines, it's just that it's on a 15-20' wide small rock/gravel track, instead of a <1' wide large rock thing.
After the easier ascent, the track joined up with what the North Face does. The North Face from this point on more or less follows one of the other routes along varying inclines, but periodically there are points where you are directed off the main track down the aforementioned <1' tracks for some 'technical' cycling. Twisting boardwalks about 2' wide over bogs (somewhat awkward to turn on the corners without losing the back wheel over the inside edge. Hairy, but great fun) with the occasional dropoff (1' or so drop from one section of boardwalk to the next), very narrow tracks over wet and slippery rocks and the rest. These sections vary from a few hundred metres to a mile or so in length, possibly a bit more. I think I averaged about 4-5mph over them. I was *very* glad of the front suspension, and it's the first time i've ridden any great distance with it unlocked. I was also very glad that i'd taken advice from my workmates and swapped the SPD lock-in pedals for the ones that came with the bike, that are just big metal job with nubs on to grip your shoes in wet and muddy conditions. On the one hand, there were several bits of sudden sharp ascent (3-4') over a large slippery rock or similar, and if i'd had the SPDs to pull up as well as push down on the pedals I might have got up the speed to make it instead of failing half way and having to push the bike over on foot. On the other hand, if i'd been locked to the bike I can think of 6 or 7 occasions where instead of just putting a foot down I would have toppled sideways down a 3-4' gulley onto some very sharp and painful looking rocks, or ended up in the bog. I spent all my time in these sections taking it nice and slow in a low gear (3-6th or so), though that did have the unfortunate side effect of meaning whenever I tried to get a bit of speed up I tended to just spin the back wheel. Possibly being in a higher gear and pedalling even slower would have been a better plan, but then on some bits I wouldn't have had the strength to give the sudden sharp push needed to get over some sections. Ended up doing 11.5 miles round the route. That was a bit longer than it should have been, as a result of me taking the wrong route for about a mile at one point and having to double back to rejoin the North Face. Got back to base, scarfed a chicken and bacon pie from the shop for energy, and headed back towards Windermere (trying to keep my arse on the saddle for as little time as possible ;) ). Train back to Lancaster, and then cycle home.
Time Left (to head to train station): 11am
Total Distance (on bike): 36 miles (barely any on the flat)
Average Speed: 8.5mph (for most of the downhill offroad bits I was on the North Face, so was probably slower on them than the wide steep uphill bits)
Actual Time Cycling: 4hrs 15mins
Time Back: 7pm
Great fun, but I think in future (particularly if I want to convince anyone to come with me and go round one of the easier/shorter routes) I might need to purchase a cycle carrier for the car. Unfortunately they're bloody expensive. Also, my front disc brake now rubs a bit, so I need to look up how to try and adjust that, and now when I pedal hard various bits of the bike make worrying cracking noises... I may need to take it to the shop.
Oddly, the thing that hurts most now, the day after, is not my arse or legs (and my legs were *really* burning by the time I got back. I felt like I could barely stand) but the palms of my hands where they'd been pressed against the handlebars. They *really* ache, whereas the rest of me would quite happily get back on the bike and go for another cycle (though probably not quite such a strenuous one ;) ).
Sooo, if I go again (and assuming I take the car with some kind of bike carrier) who'd be up for coming and doing one of the easier routes? The wide track sections with gravel and small rocks are easily doable on a hybrid.
EDIT: Took the bike into the shop. They're poking my front brake free of charge as they'd only just given it it's free '6 weeks from new' service, and it should have coped with the trail fine. Also, the cracking sound is from the saddle. Probably just a bit of grit in the adjustment mechanism or something, whenever i'm sat with all my weight on it and pushing hard (thus shifting my weight around a bit with each pedal) it cracks. All i need to do it take it apart, give it a bit of a brush, and then reassemble. Even *I* can manage that. Adjusting hydraulic discs, however, is still a bit beyond me. |
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| Copied from glittermouse |
[Aug. 15th, 2009|10:57 am] |
http://fragbert.livejournal.com/442522.html
'I offered my opinion that most everything that Jesus taught can be distilled down to one simple, if not a bit vulgar, statement: "Life is hard, we're all in this together, don't be a dick."'
So true. Don't be a dick, people. It the basis of pretty much everything he says in the Bible, something which a large number of people seem to have utterly forgotten when using his teachings as validation for being racist, sexist, starting wars, etc etc (the list goes on) |
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| Does anyone have... |
[Aug. 1st, 2009|06:17 pm] |
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...my copy of Welcome to the Jungle (the film starring The Rock, Seann William Scott and Christopher Walken). I didn't get it until we moved into this house, and I never watch DVDs in any room other than the Living Room, so it should be around there somewhere (given how OCD I am, and that Laura would never deign to watch it unless I forced her to, it *should* be in the W-nonseries section of my DVD shelf). I had just assumed it was there, but when I went to get it last night it was nowhere to be seen in the room. I suspect i've leant it to someone yonks back and just forgotten about it. |
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| The 'stache has landed... |
[Jul. 25th, 2009|03:30 pm] |
Right-click->View Image to see a larger version (God knows why you'd want to :P). I couldn't be bothered to make a thumbnail or smaller version just for a single pic, so I commited a heinous crime and just used height and width in the img tag. |
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| Question |
[Jun. 27th, 2009|06:25 pm] |
Would anyone, who has a bike or not, be up for the following:
Travelling to the Windermere area, either by train (with bikes) or car (otherwise), renting bikes from somewhere if you don't have a suitable on of your own, and then cycling all or some of the way round the lake.
Other possibilities include cycling from there into the forest and finding some dirt tracks or similar to go along there. Possibly an idea for a second trip or similar. |
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| Cycling |
[Jun. 27th, 2009|06:12 pm] |
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Another ace day out, this time with Peter, Andy and Lee. them on their hybrids, me on the MTB. Started by cycling to meet everyone at the Millenium Bridge at 11. Out to Morecambe on the cyclepath, then across to Carnforth on cyclepath and roads. Lunch in Carnforth sat on the grass (Lovely, but a bit of ballache for Andy, who was having hayfever explosions). Over and round towards Arkholme, before which we came across a very nice pub where we got J2Os and had our water bottles refilled. Stopped at said pub for a while while Lee bombed back to our *last* stopping place to grab the backpack he'd forgotten to pick up when we left there (d'oh). Took a road back towards Lancaster, down to Halton, and then back along the cyclepath into Lancaster. Up to the White Cross for a leisurely pint of Deuchars IPA, and then head back up home as it starts to spit down. Absolutely hammers it down as I get about a mile from home, maybe 1.5. Get soaked to the skin in 5 seconds. Tis fine, it's refreshing, although not actually being able to see more than 1 second in 3 because of the amount of rain coming down from the sky and bouncing up off the road into my eyes was a bit hairy. Home, shower, relax. 28.5 miles according to the cyclecomputer. Wonderful day, though I do now feel a bit sunburned. |
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| This made me grin |
[Jun. 24th, 2009|09:17 am] |
Note that I do not think everyone is like this (Zoe in particular got very annoyed at me once for holding a door open for her, though I was doing it at the time simply because she was *there*, rather than because she was female. I would have done it for a man too), but this does remind me of a number of people. |
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| Lovely day for a ride |
[Jun. 21st, 2009|12:31 am] |
Decided to test out the new bike today. Swapped the standard pedals Laura uses for the SPDs, and headed down to the quay. Bombed off along the cycle path at the end of there to Glasson Dock, which is even less exciting than it sounds. 1 pub/hotel, which doesn't have wireless, free or otherwise, and a marina full of rich people's boats. Reasonably stong headwind most of the way there does not help my average speed. Nor does the gravel section of the cyclepath. The cyclepath (and, in fact, the road) stops here, so I had to turn around and come back.
Partway along the path back was a track/road going off to some tiny village I forget the name of. Full of really posh looking newish houses in closes, with Porches and other similar cars parked outside. Probably it's their boats at Glasson Dock. Here Be Rich People (tm). Found a random woman walking along, and asked if there was anything interesting in this direction. Apparently the canal is this way. Shiny.
Head along the canal in the direction I have been told is Lancaster City Centre. Have only gone about a mile when I get to the White Cross. Phone Adam and froth briefly about new bike. Also get him to wave out of his flat window. Refuel in the White Cross with 2 Cadbury's Caramel bars and a bag of Nobby's Roasted Peanuts, thus negating any benefit the right might have earned me. Unfortuantely when I went down town I only had a small Pasy, so I was quite astoundingly hungry and lacking in energy. Study a canal signpost, only to find out i've been going the wrong way. This way goes to Kendal. The *other* direction gheads to Galgate. Head back the way i've come.
Cycle along the canal is very nice and scenic. Come close, generally on very narrow and bumpy bits of path, to falling in. Path is generally either a) grown over with grass, which pushes my speed down to a measly 6-8mph, or b) very rocky and bumpy. Flick the front suspension to 'unlocked', and smooth out the jarring shocks going up my arms. Find myself half wishing I had bought a full suspension MTB, as front suspension does absolutely nothing to prevent the hammering my arse is getting from the saddle on the bumpy ground. Realise that the racer has made me used to a totally different hand position on the handlebars, so my palms are actually getting quite sore as they normally don't touch anything when riding the racer.
Arrive in the back end of Galgate. Phone Laura to apologise for being out so long and to say i'm heading home. She'd already given up on me getting back in reasonable time and made herself some food. Good good. Head home via backroads, but decide as I get parallel with it to divert to the Uni and see if Jeremy is at County Bar.
Find both Jeremy and Sally at County. Froth briefly to Jeremy about bike. He heads off after hearing an insult directed his way from a colleague. Froth some more at Sally, in all probability boring her to tears (Sorry hun! I just needed to rant to someone cos i'd had a good time and haven't been out for a good reasonably long cycle in ages). Head home again. Takes 7 and a bit minutes to get home (1.65 miles ish). On a good day I can do that on the racer in just under 6. Normally it takes between 6 and 6:30. Boo hiss.
Home! Just under 24 miles, in 2 hours 5 minutes. Having been used to the racer for so long this seems like a slow as hell and completely crap time. Worry about going out with Andy and Peter on their hybrids, in case they leave me behind for being too slow somewhere where I have no idea how to get home. Quite pleased that my bum doesn't actually hurt after such a distance, and my legs are fine. My hands and arms ache a bit from the bumpy ground, but I could quite happily eat something then go out and do the same all over again.
Nom some food (mmnn, pasta) quickly then head out to Grad Beer Festival. Intend to leave at some point and go find/socialise with people at the LURPS tree. Run into Mike (who is heading home) at the Underpass, then head on to Grad. Somehow, several pints of several different things (at least one of which was 7% and tasted of Buttercup Syrup) later, it is gone last orders. Find Abi and Patrick, with their significant others and a few other people who are vaguely familiar but who, in my tipsy state, I can't recall the names of. Chat for a while about F1, motorbike racing, and rallying. They leave as they want to be up in tiem to watch the F1 tomorrow. I go to find Laura. There is a bus home at 12:08. We have 10 minutes to make it, which means the LURPS tree is a no-go. Oh well. Head home, stream-of-conciousness spew onto LJ. Now it's time to fall into bed. |
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| I haz a new bike! |
[Jun. 18th, 2009|07:46 pm] |
I got fed up of not being able to go out with friends of a weekend becuase the scenic cyclepath and canal path routes were too gravell/muddy/rough for my racer, so i've gone and bought myself a hardtail mountain bike. Lockable front forks and hydraulic disc brakes, so a pretty nice bike. As an added bonus, MTBs tend to be a bit smaller than racers for a given height of person, so while ym racer is 22" this one is 19.5". That means that while I need the seat right up to ride it comfortably except when properly off-road, if I put the seat right down Laura can ride it. As such, she's going to be coming in to work with me on a bike tomorrow :) I even shelled out for a pedal spanner and kept the original pedals when I had the SPDs fitted, so I can swap them around depending on who's riding.
Unfortunately it does have bloke's saddle, so isn't going to be the most comfortable thing in the world for her.
Fingers crossed it stays nice this weekend, so I can take it out for a proper spin.
Photos when i have a camera worth talking about on hand. |
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| We has a new tent! |
[Apr. 26th, 2009|12:54 pm] |
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Put it up as a trial on the field over the road. 400gsm canvas bell tent, so quite hefty fabric. Should keep the warmth out during the day, but in at night. Also 13' across, so plenty of room. We have worked out that basically, if we can't park the car in the space we're looking at, in all directions, it's not big enough for the tent. 8'6" tall, which means that *finally* I have a tent I can stand up in to get dressed. 2' high sides before it slopes inwards, and they can be tied up, so in hot weather you've got a roof to keep the sun off and also a nice breeze coming through instead of it getting muggy insude. Also the sides mean that even if the airbed is pushed near to the edge I should't have the canvas coming right across my face like I do in the ridge tent. The only thing we might need to do is smooth off the pole a bit, as Laura and I both keep getting splinters off it at the mo. |
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| Watchmen, the movie. |
[Mar. 7th, 2009|05:33 pm] |
I was impressed. very impressed in fact. I'm not going to bother going into why, because caerwiden has more or less put my thoughts down already, here.
I was a little worried that people who hadn't rad the graphic novel would end up a bit lost and not think it was very good, but senerity hasn't read it, and she still made sense of the film and thought it was very good (I have now given her the graphic novel to read ;) ). All of the people we went with who I talked to afterwards thought it was very well done and a good film, both those who had and those who hadn't read the original. I am actually very interested in blue_swirl's opinion of it, given that he was one of the very few people I know who *didn't* like the V for Vendetta movie. Also, as I came out i was surprised to hear one of the staff at Vue saying that he hadn't heard anyone say anything *good* about it yet, people all seemed to think it sucked. I am wondering if this is because most of the people he heard talking were uber fanboys of the "Ohnoes! They didn't do a full and uncut 4 hour panel-for-panel recreation of the comic! It sucks!" crowd, or because a load of people went to see if expecting a fairly dumb superhero movie with a slight edge of the dark, a la Batman Begins or The Dark Knight, and Watchmen is a looong way from that. |
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| It still makes me giggle |
[Feb. 25th, 2009|09:02 am] |
when Stephen Fry twitters things like this:
"Director just casually dropped a bombshell. I have to ride a mule tomorrow. A thousand boiling arses. Two hours up a mountain. Buttery fuck."
I just find the idea of him actually saying something like that hilarious, for some reason. |
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