Redwolf's Journal (continued)

If you bitch about something a friend is remotely involved in, they are likely to be upset. It's always so much easier just to shut the hell up and not say anything - it beats having to console and encourage. No matter how valid my points may or may not be, I end up suffering an emotional gutting for voicing my thoughts. Not worth it.

Picked up a helmet, and lights in case I decide to ride at night... but I haven't actually ridden my bike much yet. I'm waiting on a shifter to come in so I can actually change primary gears. That'll be another $25 give or take. I may be spending a couple days on a trip to Albuquerque with my dad to catch a Minor League baseball game or two. We haven't done that in years, and it's a good excuse to get away from things briefly. And I'm trying to wrap my mind around things in roleplaying. Maybe I'm just less flexible than I used to be, but some of this gives me a headache. Okay, so we've a fantasy world that is not only polytheistic, but polypantheonic (if that's a word). In real life, that "works" because no one knows for sure - oh, they might believe and have unwavering faith, but I've yet to see any convincing proof that Event X is a result of divine intervention. In the game, that's not the case. Divine-created miracles happ

I can tell. Upset friends online while trying to keep up with an adventure there. No offline game this week. Multiple ongoing/unresolved issues at work while my co-tech is away for three days. Problems with web sites I shouldn't have anything to do with. Work consists of scrambling awkwardly through unfamiliar setups until I get a point... and then waiting for the next bit of information I need before I can scramble some more. I have a headache. My neck and shoulders are tense. Mrrf. So need a vacation.

So my bicycle is now out of the store room and into the shop for tuning. That's only taken... years. $70 for a tune-up and $20 for a new chain thusfar. At least it's looking cheaper than a new bike and having the option of riding in to work could save some gas money. If I'm spending the money, I'd darn well better get some use out of it, though.

Watched Transformers today. Yes, there are plot holes Optimus Prime could drive himself through. Some of the silliness is overdone. That said, it was still an enjoyable movie and I'm not sure how the line between cheesiness and drama could have been walked better while working from Eighties source material like that. I thought it was fun. The action was pretty well done. "Great" special effects are almost a given these days, so I'm not sure how much praise to issue on that score. And the changes to "canon" didn't really both me. Human-centric situations are used for comedy throughout much of the movie, but they still get in on the action too. And, strangely, I'm not sure I've seen a comparable display of modern military combat on-screen. I know what an AC-130 gunship looks like from documentaries, but I don't think I've seen one used for a strike in a movie. A-10's, F-22's... and giant robots. One scene toward the beginning

Okay, not really. Not by a long shot. But there are some things it taught me... When I first got into playing Magic, some people referred to it as a "drug for roleplayers." With the collectible aspect, that fits in some ways. On the other hand, I've had at least one friend call it "roleplaying without the fun parts." The mythos and art certainly evoke a setting familiar to most roleplayers, but the big thing is the mechanics. Magic is, in a lot of ways, a roleplaying game boiled down to pure mechanics. It has the (deck rather than character) design aspect, an element of chance (usually the draw rather than dice), and the goal is to defeat your opponent(s). There's no "fluff." There's no real playing of a role involved. I've never been a serious Magic player. The closest I've come was still "serious-casual" or somesuch. I played in one con tournament during the utter infancy of the DCI, but never in anything sanctioned t

Got out for a couple hours yesterday and went for a nice walk. I even have the radiation damage (sounds so much more dramatic than "sunburn") to prove it. Yay me. Or something. Yesterday evening also marked my first experience with seriously tanking for a party. In theory, my level 65 protection-specced paladin is pretty well suited to this role. And yet, in world combat, my two rogue partners dish out enough damage that "standard" party dynamics don't really apply and anytime we've run a dungeon it seems we've had another guildmate (usually higher level) acting the part. I understand the concepts of tanking, healing, threat-management and such in an academic sense. Practical experience does make a difference. I think I did a fair job, though others may have a different perspective, and I gained a heightened appreciation for having a dedicated party healer - in this case, another paladin who joined us for the run. Juggling spells to dish out holy da