yet more questions

[jazzfish]

Because, honestly, it's easier when other people tell me what to write about.

Questions from rbandrews, scathach, isolde_deely

From rbandrews:
1. What do you think of Perl?

I think it's an incredibly useful tool. It's fun to use and it's saved me a lot of time mangling HTML files. I only use its very basic abilities, so I don't know how it stacks up as a "real" programming language.

2. If you could have a career as a writer or a game designer but not both, which?

I'm not much of a game designer, so I'd take writer. Although, if you count GMing as game design, that gets a lot tougher, since I'm starting to think my real talents are in the plot-construction and reacting-to-players departments.

3. What skill do you have that most people don't?

Other than a small amount of contact juggling? I can sort of raise one eyebrow, after years of practice.

4. What's something about me that I don't know?

Beats me. Probably something along the lines of "you'd be happier if you took the time to find people in Houston to hang out with, despite the awkward initial stages."

5. Testing or technical writing, which is more fun?

Tech writing. It's way less repetitive.

---

From scathach:
1. How's your job going?

If you'd asked me two weeks ago I would have said "really well." Then we got a whole heap of stuff dumped on us by the team that can't seem to keep to the schedule (not their fault, the boss keeps telling them to add in more features). So, it's hectic. On the other hand, my coworkers are okay, my boss is great, and I'm not too displeased with the work itself. It's going alright.

2. If you had college to do over, what would you do differently?

More things than I can readily list. "Not start dating Shaye two days before leaving" would be way up there, along with "not take classes just because Tech will let me back, even though I'm still trying to keep up with working full-time." I don't know what I could have done differently other than "seek help" to avoid failing out in spring '97, and most everything else stems from that.

I'd tell Dr Scigaj how much his class meant to me.

3. What are you most afraid of?

I'm not sure whether I'm more afraid of being alone because then I'll have no one to tell me I'm good enough, or of being not good enough because then I'll end up alone. See "egg, chicken and."

4. What are you writing right now?

Answers to questions, and a tutorial for the BlackBerry version of our software. For me? I'm plodding away at a thing I started nine months ago that's flavored by Le Guin's Orsinian Tales and Stoppard's Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, and that I may or may not be good enough to write so that it does what I want it to. I've had another story stuck in idea mode for about a year because I don't have any way to tell what happens next or what the point is: it goes, and then it stops (not "ends," but "stops"). My Lettergame with nixve is on temporary hiatus while I try and figure out what the heck my viewpoint character wants. And I'm getting flashes of inspiration for various games; those may or not pan out depending on getting players.

5. What accomplishment of the past year are you most proud of?

Keeping my finances under control. That feels awfully stodgy and grown-up, but it's not something I'd ever really been able to consciously do before. My only debt is my student loans and I'm close to sticking to a pretty ascetic budget.

I still have a lot of trouble feeling proud about things that are works in infinite progress. Otherwise I'd have something to say about the counseling and personal growth and all that.

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From isolde_deely:
1. What drew you into being a Lab Rabbit?

Fluxx, Aquarius, and Icehouse, but mostly Fluxx. I picked up a copy at my FLGS shortly after GenCon '97 and was hooked by the back-of-the-box copy. ("Do you not know the rule of Fluxx?") That spring I bought a copy of Aquarius from the website and exchanged a few emails with Lori the sales intern. Somehow she convinced me to come to Origins. I played in the IIT (in the memorable "four in the icehouse" game) and generally had a lot of fun.

Two years later Andy emailed me saying "So we were going to get Keith Baker to run a Fluxx tournament, but he decided he'd rather go to London. Interested? Of course we'd pay for your badge and hotel room . . ." I almost wrote back "I believe the words I am looking for are OH GOD YES." And that was the first year they had Rabbits and lab coats and things. So, Fluxx.

2. What is your favorite game, or top three?

According to BoardGameGeek my 10s are Go, Princes of Florence, and Fairy Tale. That seems like a pretty representative sample right there, so I'll go with those.

3. What is your favorite Muppet?

Statler, except on days when it's Waldorf.

"I've a good mind to go home."
"If you had a good mind you wouldn't be here in the first place!"

4. Do you like to sing?

I do! For certain rather inclusive values of "sing," anyway. If given a bucket I can sometimes manage to carry a tune in it. I do a lot of "singing" along with the iPod in the car, too.

5. As far as Changeling:The Lost goes - will you buy it and will you play in it?

Bought it last Thursday. It makes me uncomfortable for reasons I've not quite managed to verbalise; expect more on that subject soonish. If I could find a GM I'd play in a heartbeat. I might even run it myself. I'm more likely to steal large parts of the system and run a Changeling: the Dreaming game with it, though.

Comments

[plumbob78.livejournal.com]

weren't you in the market for victims players a while back?

[jazzfish]

Still am, more or less. Plans are still kinda vague.

[rbandrews]

"you'd be happier if you took the time to find people in Houston to hang out with, despite the awkward initial stages."

I find it hard to disagree. However, what with the job and the general hugeness of everything, I don't know where to begin or even have any time to devote to it.

I am going to BarCamp though, maybe that will yield cool people.

[jazzfish]

I was thinking specifically of the Houston board game club that you went to a couple of times.

[rbandrews]

Yeah, there was that. It was okay, I guess. The problem is that dealing with new people is exhausting, and the last thing I want to do on the few days when I don't have to go to my horrible job is something exhausting.

I am trying to see my friends from high school more, though, the ones who didn't leave town.