Soapbox Time

*climbs up onto soapbox*

So, somebody I know had to leave her place of work because she was uncomfortable with a conversation that some of her supervisors were having. This discussion took place in the middle of her department, with no discretion used at all, between two well educated adults.

Basically, it amounted to "Hey, this guy who used to work here got a sex change, and that's unnatural, and it's against God, and I'm glad that Texas doesn't allow gays to adopt because that puts kids into a hazardous environment, and it's not about Civil Rights because I was born black, and you can't be concerned about Civil Rights unless you're black."

Prefacing each disparaging statement was something along the lines of "Well, I don't wanna end up in Human Resources, but...".

Now, I don't care what your religion or own personal beliefs are, or how you feel about subject A, or subject B, but if you have to preface your statement at work with "I don't wanna end up in HR," you probably shouldn't be saying it at work. I would expect two relatively well educated people, with doctorate degrees in their chosen fields, to understand that concept.

Also, in my own personal opinion, if you judge anyone based on anything other than your personal interactions with them, and the quality of their work ethic (be it employment, or academic, or personal), you're an asshole.

*steps down from soapbox*

Law Enforcement Academy...

So, I started one of the local Community College's Law Enforcement Academy last night. And I get to work this morning...

My life is gonna be a series of long days for the next ten months. Good times.

Dancing...and my inability to do it...

So, I was informed the day before yesterday that I would be going out dancing (two-stepping, specifically) last night with my wife, brother-in-law, and a friend of his from college, along with one of their cousins and her friend.  I fussed a little bit about being informed instead of invited, but it's not that big a deal.

Now, as a Texan man, I was taught early on how to two-step. It's a very simple dance that can be embellished and flourished to no end, and it's very easy to learn. Unfortunately for me, I haven't danced in a while, and I haven't two-stepped in a long while. 

Last time I went to a dance club I was in Alaska, probably eight years ago, and they don't two-step. They just kinda bob back and forth. So the last time I actually two-stepped with someone who knew what they were doing, I was probably about sixteen years old, and by that time I'd grown out of country music and into rock/pop/alternative. I don't know that I was a teenager yet, the last time I danced to country music and enjoyed it.

So, we arrived at the club, which was packed, and I got my first glance at how much country music dance has changed in the 18 years or so since I participated, and my heart dropped. I think I was in the middle of the post Achy Breaky Heart line dancing craze of the early '90s the last time I paid any attention to country dancing, and so I was completely out of my depth. 

Unbeknownst to me, my brother-in-law's friend is fully capable of competitive level dancing, and has been training my brother-in-law, and the cousin/friend duo, so everyone in our group had me at a disadvantage. There was an unfamiliar song  playing, but I wasn't surprised. I hadn't really followed country music in a decade. The dance floor was jam packed, with people faster, flashier, and more skilled than I was, and so when the others in our group went onto the floor, my wife and I retreated upstairs to practice. I showed her how to two-step, and we were doing okay, until I realized that I was totally holding her in the wrong position. 

I was always taught that the leader in a dance, drove the follower around the dance floor. Turns out, I'm a right handed driver (dancer, which is reversed from the norm, where the leader's left hand is clasped), and so I was driving in the follower position. 

What a maroon...*sigh*.

Well, confidence shattered, she and I never made it onto the dance floor, and I felt like a grade a Jerk Face McGee for taking her dancing and not actually dancing. We've resolved to go dancing again, after some practice, and I'm actually looking forward to it, which surprises the shit out of me. I'm not graceful at all, but I'm trusting that she'll make me look good...

Married life...

So, as some of you may know, I got married last year. 4 February 2012, to be precise. We got married on a  Saturday, and both had to be back at work on Monday. Over the last year we've had good times and bad. We've had very good times and very bad times. I've been an asshole, she's been a bitch. I've been a decent husband and she's been the best wife/friend/partner anyone could ever ask for.

We're now finally getting to go on our honey moon, a year and change late. We're taking a trip to Ireland over Spring Break. We're not sure what all we're going to do while we're there, though traveling and drinking (not at the same time) are definitely on the agenda. We'll be there for Saint Patrick's Day, so that should be...interesting.

So yeah...good times.

Live Action Role Playing...or Larping...

So I recently got into Larping. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept, it's where a bunch of folks dress up in a particular kind of garb (medieval, high fantasy, steam punk, etc...) and role play as created characters. This might just involve in character actions and speech, or it might involve combat with varying degrees of realism.

I recently (last month, and then again last weekend) began playing in a LARP game that's about two hours from my house, with my father in law's best friend. He has an old SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) fighting buddy who made the initial invite, and I got brought along. I was initially afraid that it would wind up being LARP like one sees on TV and in movies. A bunch of sad, socially awkward nerds who have no friends in real life, and prance around throwing spell packets at each other, scraping and bowing to a king/lord/duke who is entirely too impressed with himself.

It's only half like that. There is lots of prancing around, and there's bowing (in a tongue in cheek kind of way), but there's also comedy, and adventure, and setting traps, and acres and acres of combat. Oh my dear lord the combat...

Some folks use latex weapons, specifically designed to be less dangerous, while still looking like weapons. Others use "boffer weapons", which are typically made from closed cell foam padding around a solid core of some kind, and then wrapped in some sort of soft cloth to avoid abrasions to targets. I initially tried the sword and shield method, but I find that I don't like how slow the shield makes me. I tried a polearm, and while I like the range it provides, I find I'm most comfortable wielding two equal or nearly equally sized weapons.

Then there's the role playing. I've been NPCing (Non Player Character), which means running around as various bad guys for the PC's (Player Characters) to fight. I've been an orc, a goblin, a bandit, a thug, a pirate, a kidnapper, a mob heavy, a fae lord, a fae enforcer....I've killed, I've died (lots of dying), I've laughed, I've wailed in anguish.

I signed up for a 3 month NPC shift, at the end of which I get extra points towards building my character, but I'm having so much fun, I might just go ahead and NPC more than the required 5 hour shift per weekend.

There's running, jumping, sliding, grabbing, fencing, beating, whacking, laughing...it's stupid amounts of fun, and I think I may have found a new hobby that I'm going to stick with for a while.

Nerd things...

So....Avengers.....

OH MAH GAHD!!!!!

Went and did the Avengers Movie Marathon (Iron Man 1&2, Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America) before the midnight release. Totally worth the 15 hours I spent in the theater. Never again, though. Can't imagine any film coming out that I'd need to sit through that much time for.......maybe Justice League....Joss Whedon's Justice League.

I've been catching up on some shows on Netflix, and I've tried re-watching X-Men: The Animated Series, Spiderman: The Animated Series, and a bunch of other shows that I loved when I was younger. Unfortunately, it's just not the same. Don't get me wrong. I still love the shows, and have magical, sparkly, youth tinted memories from the shows, but it's just not the same...

I finally finished Dollhouse, and it was everything it should've been. Except, as usual, it was cancelled. DANG IT!!! I tried watching it back when it was airing, but I only caught the first half of the first episode, and being the Whedonite that I am, I couldn't jump in without knowing everything (which is why I never watched Buffy). Joss Whedon and Amy Acker always make me cry....

I did, however, just find Star Trek: The Next Generation on Netflix. I started watching "Encounter at Farpoint", and other than chuckling at beardless Jonathan Frakes (Commander William T. Riker, for those who don't know) and the awfully young Wil Wheaton (Shut up, Wesley!), it was just as good as I remember. I'm about halfway through the episode, and I've pretty much decided that it shall become my life until I'm done with it. No TV, very little gaming, and only what errands I HAVE to do.

I watched some of Star Trek (TOS) when I was a kid, as re-runs, but I was young enough that Picard will always be my Captain. Kirk was great, but I grew up with the Enterprise D. It will always be home, in my little nerd heart.

I'm a Trekker, or Trekkie, or Star Trek Fan. I don't care what you want to label me as. It applies. I'm the hardcore "Um, actually, let me correct your facts." Trekkie, that folks hate, and I'm also the "Oh, you silly silly tar monster. Leave Tasha alone." fan who can poke fun at what was and still is, in all honesty, ridiculous fun.

Movies and Jobs and Junk...

Originally written a week ago:

So I saw "Cabin In The Woods" last night. It was quite fantastic. Witty, suspenseful, and overall awesome. The monster design was absolutely superb, and once again, I'm proven right in the "I'll see anything with Joss Whedon involvement". The ending completely blew my mind, and even now, I've got that vague "WTF did I just watch?" feeling mixed in with the "Holy crap! that was awesome!".

My Sweetheart is about to start her new job. I'm nervous, but excited. (She started last Monday, and it is awesome.)

Embarking on a journey...

Well, kinda. I'm learning Russian. Or trying to, anyway. It's so much fun it's ridiculous, and it's getting much easier to read the Cyrillic alphabet. I still can't type in Russian, of course, because my keyboard is in English, and it'd be entirely too complicated to learn the alternate keys on my current keyboard. Maybe I'll just go with an online Cyrillic keyboard.

Also, my work computer has gone COMPLETELY RETARDED! I'm hoping IT&S gets back with me so we can make this thing work like it's supposed to.

I'm working now, but have a date with my dad, little bro, and best friend for some gunpowder therapy (time at the gun range), and I can't wait.

Hey, look! A blog post!

When I spend time with my wife’s family, I feel at home. Her mom’s family, her dad’s family, it doesn’t matter. They’re all super welcoming and laid back (even the uptight ones), and I feel at ease.

Mostly.

At holidays where everybody gets together and I am put in a group of people whom I may have met once or twice, I feel super awkward. Especially when the relationship to the family is just barely there. With my family, it’s Parents, Siblings, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, and Cousins. That’s what qualifies as family.

With her it’s....everybody. Grandpa’s brother, her aunt’s aunt by marriage, brother’s uncle’s nephew’s cousin. Anybody and everybody can be counted as family, and to their face, they have to be treated like family. Even when everybody hates them. It’s all “shake hands and make nice”.

Add in the alcohol content and the fact that I only have one drink, maybe once or twice a year, and things get really weird.

Not that I’m complaining. I have no cause for complaints. I just don’t get it sometimes. Maybe the “family” portion of my brain is wired wrong. Lord knows I’ve got enough dysfunction in my family to share....

Ugh...

Well, my ER flooded today. I'm so soggy it hurts. During the flood, we had some jackass upstairs having friends bring alcohol into the hospital "to party". When we tried to disallow such practices (Because you're in a freakin' hospital, stupid!), was the response a calm, collected "I'm sorry."?

No.

"Show me the policy that says I can't drink in the hospital."

Are you fucking serious?

Okay. I can think of two, right off the top of my head.

1. Your doctor didn't put that on the strictly controlled diet that you're on while a patient in the hospital, therefore, no alcohol.

2. Alcohol (for all intents and purposes) is considered a chemical in the hospital setting. All chemicals must be approved by our Engineering department, and a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) must be created for said chemical. As our Engineering department did not buy the alcohol that your friends brought in from a licensed vendor, they're not going to do the work required to make your outside adult beverages legal in the hospital. You're welcome to try and get it approved on Monday, though.

Some people.........