GAH EVERYTHING SUCKS

[jazzfish]

Work is being workish and just dropped a ton more work on my head, on top of all the work I've been putting off because hey look over there, a procrastinabob! So the next couple days will be awful. Starting tonight.

And likely because of that I'm still in hiding-from-everything mode and don't want to do anything, and haven't revised a bit of my stupid deeply frustrating story. Which I wanted to have out the door by the time summer con season got started. GUESS WE BLEW THAT ONE.

And I go to the beach next week. Which would be awesome and relaxing but there will be work, and why will there be work? Because I felt stressed out and slacked off and didn't get it all done by now, that's why. Not to mention the packing and planning and non-work everything that needs to happen before we leave. Including figuring out how we're getting to SeaTac (current best answer: by Amtrak bus, getting us there IF EVERYTHING GOES RIGHT at 8:30 PM, half an hour away by transit for a 10:15 flight).

After that we'll be in Richmond (Va) for a couple of days and then in the DC area for a couple of days, and then we fly to Madison for Wiscon. Which will hopefully not suck, and will in any event be populated by a large number of awesome people I have not seen since October (or, in two fortunate cases, since March).

But the DC part is going to be rough because there is simply not enough time to see all the awesome people I want to see.

There's a Hokusai exhibit at the Sackler gallery, and since I just finished rereading Zelazny's only-female-main-character mood piece "24 Views of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusai" we are likely going to that on Monday. And dinner with my folks on Tuesday and working from work Tues and Weds and flying out of National on Wednesday night. Gah time.

And then after Wiscon I come home and go back to work, nominally relaxed and recharged and in reality just jetlagged and lonely.

---

Today I am grateful for the perfect weather, for being a beta-tester for Spectromancer for iPhone, for a handful of pretty kick-ass friends. For having a job that pays me to be where I want to be.

Comments

[thanate]

Which couple days are you in DC for?

[jazzfish]

Getting in either late on the 20th (Sunday) or noonish on the 21st (Monday). Work on the 22nd and 23rd, flying out of National at around 7 on the 23rd. Fun times.

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

oh, misread - well, if you decide on an evening foo, let us know!

[jazzfish]

There is a nonzero chance of Monday dinner of some sort, and possibly post-pm shenanigans as well. Will definitely keep you posted!

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

k. My Monday 21 May will have me at Glen Echo from no later than 6 until no earlier than 7:40; staying past the ballroom/latin class that follows intro swing (there's no 8:30 class this session) has merit as I'm working with M at Almost Heaven starting early Saturday morning and it could be planning time.

But if there's a dinnery thing that extends past 8 I can probably get there, and if there's a shenanigany thing that extends later (particularly on the west side of stuff) I can definitely get there, and I have no absoslutely necessary plans for the 22nd.

[rbandrews]

people I have not seen since October (or, in two fortunate cases, since March).

Don't forget June!

[jazzfish]

... right, or in two other cases stretching back to June.

[rbandrews]

Reminds me, do you want anything German? I can mail it to you. Except Kinder Eggs, because apparently those are actually really difficult to sneak back into the states. But games should be cool.

There are a whopping two things I want to see in Berlin: Checkpoint Charlie, and the biggest game store I can find (because no Origins, that's why). I just... don't know of a ton of stuff to do in Germany... I'm looking forward to the hackathon more than the tourism.

[notyourwendy]

Kinder Eggs can be gotten all over the place in Canada. It's just the US that has some freaky problem with them.

(I confess, I mostly just checked in here so that I could use my chocolate octopus icon)

[rbandrews]

Don't tell The Man™, but I know a place to get them here too.

Seriously though, apparently places here selling them get raided all the time. It's crazy.

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

it's the itty bitty pieces, I think. though i'm always amused by the huge long string of languages in which they print 'don't let your kid kill himself with this'

Urgh, difficult timing for a foo, that. And I'm committed to teach at Glen Echo on Monday, though could conceivably bail around 8. Virtual hugs.

[jazzfish]

Hm. I don't think so. If anything comes up I'll let you know. I imagine there are game-related things I'm interested in that are just not coming to mind.

[(Anonymous)]

*hugs* try to relax. I'm hoping to go to Cincinnati to go to a zoo this weekend, because I need the break :)

this is Melissa, BTW. isolde_deely on LJ

[jazzfish]

Trying. :7 There is sadly no zoo anywhere near here. I mean, there's the abandoned one in Stanley Park, but sacks pretending to be polar bears aren't really the same thing. :)

[selki]

That does seem a bit lacking.

[aamcnamara]

I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy life to give me story comments. However, I should note for the future that saying "sorry, everything's busier and more stressful than I thought, I can't do it" is totally fine. (:

WisCon will not suck. WisCon will ROCK. My enjoyment of cons tends to go up when there are more people I know around (social interaction at cons really adds to the experience), and you know lots more people than I did at my first WisCon, so.

[jazzfish]

Part of this is complicated and wants more than a simple comment. But part of it is easy: everything (including your story comments) was at a "stressful but manageable" level until about one PM yesterday, when I found out that I had roughly three times as much stuff to get done by Friday as I'd thought. So, story did not add to the problematic stress, no worries!

I am crap at making friends at cons, which is why this WisCon will rock more than my last two (which, I must note, were pretty darn rockin to start with). I am very much looking forward to seeing people again!

[aamcnamara]

Yeah, that'd do it.

Yay! It is indeed difficult to make friends at cons, so having at least a few people to hang out with really helps. (And I know some other people, so I can introduce you to them, and I'm sure LaShawn at least knows people too. Which is, as far as I can tell, one of the best ways to meet people at cons.)

[selki]

The timeframe to catch the plane seems awfully tight. Is it too late to consider driving/renting a car?

[notyourwendy]

Busses get their own lane to go over the border, so it will probably be faster than trying to drive and having to wait in line at the border crossing.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Hope all that traveling is awesome!

[jazzfish]

Me too! I do tend to like travelling and I've missed getting to do more of it this year. It's everything leading up to it that's got me stressed.

[l. blankenship (from livejournal.com)]

I love the Sackler gallery, it's one of my favorite parts of the Smithsonian. I need to go downtown more often...

[jazzfish]

Me too. I very much like the monkeys reaching for the moon in the central gallery. :)

(They had an awesome exhibit on Asian & Indian games, um, back in winter/spring 2005 or 2006, which was where I met several of my now-close friends. So I'm a bit biased.)

[fwilde.livejournal.com]

Ohhh if this is a return of the Hokusai exhibit from a few years ago (or an evolution, even better) you are in for a treat. Have you seen this (http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/hokusai/launch.htm) ?

I hope you have great travels!

[jazzfish]

oh, neat! Yeah, that's the one. Will have to poke around on their site a bit. (Later :( )

And, very much looking forward to seeing you in June!

[tbonejenkins.livejournal.com]

Hang in there. We'll get to hang out at Wiscon, so YAAAAAAYYYY!!!

[jazzfish]

That is a great deal of yay. :)

(Do you use LJ or DW more?)

[tbonejenkins.livejournal.com]

I post to both, but I read more LJ simply because I get the email alerts when people post. Still haven't figured it out with DW.

[jazzfish]

Ah, makes sense. I tend to read people in only one place if they're in both. Will adapt accordingly!

Appropos of nothing

[candle.livejournal.com]

But this is the easiest way I know to get a hold of you.. Leonard Cohen is playing the Rogers Arena in VC on Nov. 12. Tickets go on sale tomorrow. I don't imagine they'll be cheap, but if you love Cohen, I highly recommend seeing it. All three shows I saw of the previous tour were phenomenal.

Re: Appropos of nothing

[jazzfish]

Hm. 'Not cheap' is likely to cover it, if stretched very thinly. Still, thanks! Will take a look when I get back to non-sucky internet.

[isolde-deely.livejournal.com]

have fun - everyone needs a break :)

*hugs*

[jazzfish]

Yah. Was a good break, too. Missed you, though. *hug*