You should do this thing

We can discuss in greater detail where I've been lately and why I suck so hard. Right now, there are more important things to talk about.

If you're like me, you're probably appalled at the tragedy in Haiti and at the same time sick of hearing about it night after night. It's okay to feel that way, though; it's human to not want to be reminded of suffering and death on a nightly basis.

But I have to tell you that part of that dread comes from guilt. Maybe you feel guilty that you haven't helped, or haven't helped enough (though what constitutes enough is purely between you and your neuroses; I won't presume to lecture you), or maybe you have some bizarre form of survivor's guilt.

So here's what you do to alleviate that guilt: You head on over to Gamers Help Haiti at RPGNow/Drive-thru RPG. If you donate $5 or $10, they will match your donation. If you donate $20, you get over $1400 worth of digital downloads in return.

Look guys, rarely do you get the opportunity to do the right thing AND make a profit doing it. Your money goes to Doctors Without Borders, which is a bona-fide Good Guy Organization, and you get nifty swag for your trouble.

As of this writing, gamers have raised over $90,000 for relief efforts in Haiti.

Go now, and do this Good Deed, and reap the fruit of your efforts.

I'm not slacking

Really.

Yesterday was mostly spent deep in the bowels of bureaucracy (bureaucracy needs a colonoscopy, btw) as I dealt with the Social Security administration to prove that yes, I am who I say I am, and I was indeed born here.

Then I took the rest of the day to work on Ch 5 of Curse/Or. It was productive, but I have little to show for it, which is frustrating. I hope to have something bloggable on it soon.

And then I sat down to watch Chuck and Big Bang Theory. Guys, if you aren't watching these shows, turn in your Geek Cards right now, because these are two of the funniest, coolest, fan-friendly shows on the planet.

So... that was my Monday.

I am so stupidly proud of this

I have found a clip of Craig Ferguson reading my email on his show.

Yes, I know this "accomplishment" is of dubious merit at best. But this was the first time I ever wrote to him, and I'm thrilled that it made the cut. And it's a bit like seeing your name in the newspaper for the first time.

So in other words, it's not at all entertaining. Your only purpose in watching it is to say, "Oh, I know that person!"



Thrilling, isn't it???

WNW: THHGTTD

Just when I was worried that I wouldn't find anything wacky enough to post today (I'm still waiting for a clip of last night's "Late Late Show" wherein Craig Ferguson READ MY EMAIL! ON NATIONAL TELEVISION! It's such a tiny victory but I'm so inordinately happy about that), I found this lovely thing:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Daleks.

Counting the Christmas Loot

And now, in an inversion of chronology, I go from talking about New Year's Resolutions to Christmas Presents.

I received a decent pile of loot this year, which I achieved through the agency of ordering it myself. I'm not exactly a shopaholic but I tend to get grumpy this time of year, what with the crass commercialism, and so in a bout of extreme irony I usually end up buying myself some really neat things in order to lift my spirits. Yes, I know that I'm part of the problem, not the solution. Sigh.

But anyway! Here are the cool things I got:

• A 1-Terabyte USB drive. I found a cache of Best Buy gift cards my brother had sent me over the years, and I turned them in to get this bad boy. I've moved all my mp3's and movies and PDFs of RPGs into this thing and I still have tons and tons of space. I think I'll have to start downloading porn just so I can fill it all up.
  
• Lots of stuff for my Z-Kit, including a swank new Utility Belt for when I walk the dogs. I'll explain in greater detail in future posts.
  
• But the best present I got is awesome because it was completely unexpected. My neighbor is friends with my mother, and she got presents for everyone in our family this year. She gave me Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable. I had no idea such a thing even existed, but the moment I opened it I wondered how I could have possibly lived without it. If you've ever wondered about the meaning behind an archaic platitude, or (like me) are just a nerd for language and phraseology, you will love this book.
  

Hmm. I'm not sure how I should end this post. I believe I'll copy Craig Ferguson and use an awkward pause.





Erm.






Goonight, everybody!

Already I've failed

Yes, here it is, the 5th of January, and I've already broken not one but TWO resolutions this year.

Now admittedly, the first was just asking to be broken, what with its "I shall post on this blog every day this year," but that was my token aim-big-miss-big resolution which always gets broken early so I don't have to dread failure and I can get on with my life.

But now I've broken my second resolution, which was "Okay, seriously, I'll post something before midnight every weekday." I had every intention of doing this last night, but... y'know, stuff happens. I got distracted, and then it was late and I went to bed.

So now I'm working on my third resolution which is "How about posting five times a week, Erin? Can you manage that, you slack-ass?" Only time will tell on this, but I'm guessing the answer is a big resounding "No."

My last two resolutions are a lot more attainable. One of them is "Take better care of my teeth," which is easy because I've already gotten into that habit as a result of last year's intense dentistry. I do need to make a concentrated effort to floss more, but it's not as big a deal as it is for some people because I only have 28 teeth (no wisdom teeth, plus 2 others removed in High School on advice of my orthodontist because I have a small mouth [hah!] and the teeth were crowding each other) and so my standard regimen of "rinse with plaque loosener, brush vigorously, and rise again with fluoride works pretty well.

My final resolution is, of course, to write more/better/faster on Curse/Or. I really want to finish Chapter 5 in January, because that finishes the first Act and that's a tangible reward for me. It's so close I can taste it, and now that Christmas is over I feel like my life is finally my own again.

So, that's me. How about you guys?

Sad Wookiees in Snow

Sigh. Another crap day spent mostly in bed. Will try to make time for a better post tomorrow.

And now, Chewbacca shoveling the walk: