My therapist says I'm a bad kisser...

Okay, the title is a line I stole from something, but I can't remember what it was. I think it was The Simpsons, from one of the episodes that they project into the future, and I believe that it was uttered by Milhouse. But, as always, I could be wrong.

So, I had a pretty good week. I got an ovation at work for being the most flexible person on the school's payroll (I don't think it's entirely true, but I have done all that's been asked of me since I started working), and was applauded for being able to take charge and control stressful situations after being in the environment for only two weeks. It's good to be back, and even more importantly, it's great to feel wanted.

I took 7th in a Magic tournament on Friday, too. Could've had taken 3rd, but I made one innocuous mistake in the 3rd game of the final round, and lost because of it. My opponent went on to finish in 3rd place; it was fun, and I met some new people. I also found a comic book version of George R.R. Martin's The Hedge Knight, as well as an art book devoted to Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series.

Not too much is going on. I've had time to think about the choices I've made in the past six months, and understand myself a little better, along with what my emotional needs are, and how to best fulfill them. A lot of it's intensely personal, or torturously boring, so I'm not going to bother to blast my epiphanies throughout cyberspace, but I feel emotionally enlightened. The only one I'm going to bother to print is this: I'm done dreaming big, I'm going to get back to planning big. (This mostly means that I'm applying to PhD programs this year, to start in the fall of 2008, once I get accepted. I need to get a move on opening my own family therapy clinic.)

Later.

The Weekend That Was

Hey all! The biggest part of my weekend was attending a local Magic: The Gathering tournament on Saturday, wherein I took 5th out of 24 players. The coolest part was my first round, however, because I got to play against Elizabeth. She was smart, and willing to improve her game, and asked all kinds of questions-- all the things you'd want to see in a nine-year-old who's learning to play Magic and expand her circle of friends.

And she beat me in the second game, and forced a draw due to time for the round! In large part because I was explaining every aspect of a turn, as it progressed, and helping her find the best play in some standard situations, our 3rd game didn't begin until minute 48 of the 50-minute round. And I couldn't have had more fun. Her next opponent was "in it to win it," and treated her like seasoned vets treat one another when playing for $25,000... which is pretty much the opposite of how you're supposed to play against a nine-year-old kid in a tourney that has 8 booster packs ($32 value, before taxes) as the grand prize. But hey, she had fun, and legitimately beat someone in the last round, too.

Now, I also want to complain about the erosion of social graces and fashion sense in today's youth. I understand the tight clothes, the celebrity parroting, and pushing to look older than you are. But walking around a mall with some of my friends, I saw probably a dozen kids (both genders) who very much looked like characters from an anime flick. Wacko hair, nauseating clothing color combinations, and that intense/vacant/clueless look that every cartoon character gets when there's nothing special going on. These kids clogged passageways, darted through other groups, and did all the things that we fossils get mad at youngsters for doing. But then, as I work with teenagers, I know that they're not all amoral, brain-dead spoiled brats, so I'd love to know how these kids in the mall grew to be that way.

Also, where the hell were the parents of the three kids age 4-6 who were sliding down the metal railing of a set of concrete stairs? And they were using the handrail as an amusement park for at least 20 minutes, because I passed by them a few times. That's definately what I expect from kids that age, and therefore I want to beat up their parents for being stupid.

So yeah, it was a fun weekend. Won some cards, reminded myself that I'm good at solving problems through logic, and just kicked back a lot. Finally, Transformers was fun to watch, but you'll be okay waiting for it to come out on pay-per-view, if you have an HD TV available.

Hmm... I can't title this one due to some silly computer glitch or other. Anyway, I'd have titled it And there it is!, because I've been working my new/old job for over a week, and I'm loving it. Didn't realize how much I missed the people, and the comfort of knowing that the hell is going on. I even had a blast working a 12 hour overtime shift this weekend, during which time I spent over an hour outside playing touch football (I was the all-time quarterback) and coaching volleyball for 45 minutes.

So yeah, I'm liking things in life pretty well now.

Huh, time to update this thing...

Well, it's been too long. Okay, the new/old job is going great, and I'm very happy to have returned to it. My 4th of July was lame, as I was awake at 6am to get to work, but I went out with friends after work and had too much to drink. I skipped out on the fireworks because I have to get up at 6 every day this week, and I was kinda sleepy (I feel so old now!). But as a side bonus, I'm getting a raise for "cost of living" in Denver, which means I'm making more hourly now than I was at the job I left... and I still have options for holiday pay and overtime! Now, as long as that lottery thing pans out, I'll be in good financial shape!

Doing okay, aside from the tiredness. Playing video games, watching TV, and doing a little house cleaning... and reading a lot. Almost finished with A Feast for Crows, after which... I have no idea what I'll be reading. Maybe I'll just be writing again by then, I'm not sure.

And I've been going to the gym. My BONES are freakin tired! The muscles are just liquid, so my bones have to hurt now. Feels good, though. Oh yeah, and my left knee's doing better, well enough that I can jog across the street without a limp now. I hope to be running and playing volleyball/Ultimate soon.