Where Did the Time Go?

Man, what the hell happened? I don't know what I was doing but all of a sudden it's the end of the night and I'm about ready to call it a day. And I've got nothing to show for it blogwise (Except, you know, the nearly 100 posts I've made this month already. I was worried I wasn't going to get there for a while but if I can get some things off the production line, I should pass that mark just fine.). I want to get some Guild Wars in so I'm putting off the weekly wrap for yet another day - I've skipped so many, I'll just do it as an end- of-the-month thing, I think.

I think I've been studying too much math - I've got a test coming up and I want to do well on it (Not that I actually need to, mind, because as long as I pass this class I'm taking I'll have the credits to transfer to any other degree. But it's more of a pride things which I take far more seriously than a GPA.) so I've been cramming and trying to get caught up on my homework and all. My professor doesn't collect it at all (Not until the end of the semester to determine your grade if you're on the borderline. I'm not planning to be on the borderline, by the way, as one of my stated goals for the Big Crazy Year is to ace the class.) so if I'm feeling lazy it's easy to let it slide.

At the moment we're well into the geometry/Cartesian plotting portion of the syllabus. In other words, the stuff I'm really, really good at. I happen to have a very good sense of spacial logic and a mind that thinks in pictures (Well, symbols, but that's a post in and of itself.) so manipulating graphs around is a breeze for me. Where I fall down is in making simple arithmetic errors or in not knowing the terminology that lets me communicate what I "see" with my mind's eye to someone else (I know, you'd think as wordy as I am hear this wouldn't be a problem, but, really, I have a lot of trouble communicating because there's no backspace in real life.) like, say, on a test where I'm getting graded. That's what I need to study up on - and just practice with a lot of problems so I can get better at doing the intermediary steps that solve a problem instead of looking at it and knowing the answer or getting frustrated it's not coming to me (This isn't just a problem with math for me, by the way. Step One, collect all the underpants. Step Two..... Step Three, profit!). Which is where the homework comes in.

Just got done watching Colbert so I'd be remiss if I didn't pass along the link to the Wikipedia entry on elephants and a stern warning not to deface it. Under any circumstances. I'm totally serious here (It's protected at the moment, anyway. But, hey.). The wikipedia is one of those tentpoles to digital culture that even thought people realize it's important I don't think anyone quite realizes the real impact of it - sort of like the Gutenberg press or the first work printed from it - the bible. Not even me. In other words, it's not going to be until years from now when people are able to look back and see the results that it's going to be understood just what that thing is - if it's even important. All I can tell is that it's a fascinating idea. One that sparks my imagination with possibilities. In the wake of the recently revealed Microsoft's attempts to wikimpose on the site with what amounts to paid writers, it's something to think about, anyway.

Sadly, no writing going on - it was a busy weekend and, apparently, a busy day. I have noticed I'm starting to dream more. Well, not quite dreaming as most would think of it. Something like lucid dreaming - the launching pad for reams of bad fanfics - where I'm aware and awake but not consciously directing my thoughts. I'm a bit of an insomniac so just laying in bed and letting my mind race until it exhaust myself, at times, is the only way I can get to sleep. And one of the things I'll do in what amounts to a meditative semi-trance like state is tell little stories. Like dreams they don't have to make sense and I wouldn't exactly want to transcribe them or anything but I've found this is usually a sign that I'm about ready to burst out with some creativity - I've been penning it up lately so let's hope that dam's about to break.

Anyhow, I'm about to head in game. Think I'll go and Monk it up again. I'm feeling the need. The need to make other people bleed (Or, I guess, to keep other people from bleeding since I'm going to be Monking. Doesn't quite have the same ring, though, does it?). I haven't done much PvP lately because some time Sunday I realized I've had Nightfall for more than a month now and I haven't finished off the campaign yet. I'll get around to detailing it eventually but we're in full-on powergaming mode as I'm rushing through the campaign - on the second to last mission (Gates of Madness. Which is proving aptly named. Twice I've gone through it and worked Shiro down only to have him pop off Incredible Odds and slaughter most of my party. Cue thirty minute attempts to combat rez and try again without getting slaughtered because he's so close and I just need a bit more to pop him only to fail and get kicked out to the lobby. Sigh.) and I've capped 29 of the 31 elites - including the Lightbringer one (Which seems useless for anybody who's profession isn't Warrior.) - I'm only missing two Paragon elites - one in Dasha which I can't get to until I complete the campaign - and the other in an out of the way EA in the Desolation I haven't bothered to trek through yet. Love the late game missions, by the way, they're very well done and feel appropriately epic. And the designers have really tied together a lot of the threads left in the game especially with the quests they've scattered around in the Realm of Torment (Um, how do I find time to play when I'm complaining about all this math studying. Simple. I play while I'm studying. Just turn the game on and point my henchie horde at the nearest pack of mobster, walk away, and come back later on to check on them. It's slow going but it works.). But, for the day, I've burnt out on that game for the moment so it's time to play another one.

Outlook: Yeah, I still like this game. Dammit.

[1] - 30 minutes. But the dam broke.