Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in disableanonymos' LiveJournal:

[ << Previous 20 ]

Thursday, September 10th, 2009
9:39 am	Sexualisation My brother recently wondered:  Why everything in our society has to be sexualised?....why cant we just shoot the cast of "Packed to the Rafters" without them ripping their clothes off??? I am not sure what provoked this musing - but I felt compelled to write on it and share it with you... Everything in our society becomes sexualised because it provokes reaction that sells and makes a buck.  Honest and conserved is boring - people want the risqué or the voyeurism because ultimately the forbidden pleasures are alluring and enticing - and it thrills us. Marketing people realise this, and know that even the scary and thrilling is boring - I mean look at modern horror - it's all about blood and gore and in your face visceralness.  Sex and violence are some of our core drives as a species - we can't escape this - it's part of us, built into us.  I don't think we should bottle it all up - that's repression and therefore dangerous - but the trick is to manage it responsibly and without impinging on others and their rights.  In the end it comes down to is it right for you. Make your own decision and let others make theirs. If you don't like the sexualisation of something, avoid it. Others may like it - and your commentary of it often sparks more of the same rather than diminishing it. Controversy sells just as well. In the end, it's just all about further filling coffers. Current Music: Shamen - Ebenezer Goode (Comment on this)
Monday, July 20th, 2009
3:01 pm	pizza (correction), power and writing update Correction: Pizza Joint is called "Angelinos Pizzeria" Of course this means it is a completely different guy - but the pizzas are still ace (been there twice), and the other Italian food looks really nice. Update: They've replaced our fuses with circuit breakers (about time), but apparently left the melted wires.  We are therefore treating power very carefully. Writing has continued.  I am posting once a week and have enough material written in advance to keep it up for another 3 weeks, which is nice. Current Music: none (Comment on this)
Friday, July 17th, 2009
3:46 pm	PtAP August 1st Games Werewolf: the Forsaken - Shear Endurance Challenge A howl splits the night air, and it's lilting sound conveys a message of... Invitation: "Come to Copper Rocks..." Challenge: "...play us at our own game..." Glory: "...become the Quicksilver Hand..." and Honour: "...or be counted a wuss." Sundered Claw have thrown down the gauntlet, and issued a challenge to the other packs – but as they gather to test who has "Shear Endurance", another silver-pawed note appears for each pack. What does this note contain? What other mysteries of the waterfall way will it compel the characters to seek? Why are the packs being directed to strangeness around the area? Who is the silver-pawed informant and who do they think they are directing the packs? With so many territorial Werewolves gathering in another pack's territory, will they play nice with each other competing for the winning place in a game Sundered Claw use to challenge each other, or will hostilities ensue? ...and what secrets of the Waterfall Way have they forgotten or neglected? Vampire: the Requiem - Elysium Grand Opening Elysium! The domain whispers - Elysium! The domain has taken a firm step in the direction of civilization as the newly anointed Prince has declared the Old Leagues Club to be the court's Elysium - a safe haven for Kindred gatherings, free of tension, fighting, or conflict of any kind. ...and if you believe that, I've a bridge to sell you. The Prince is in the Lancaea Sanctum's pocket - or is it vice versa? Do the Crone have some religious 'services' of their own in mind for Elysium's grand opening? Will the Carthian Movement treat the event as a convenient gathering of all their targets - I mean rivals? And are the Ordo Dracul behind it all, laughing at puppets who think their strings are cut? Or are there other eyes on the Kindred of New England, watching from behind the scenes? There is one way for you to find out... ... Elysium is opening on August the First. Everyone who's anyone will be there. But who's to say everyone who's there will leave again? Current Mood: accomplished Current Music: NIN - Starfuckers (Comment on this)
Friday, July 3rd, 2009
5:35 pm	pizza, power, cold and writing. Oooooh! There is a new gourmet pizza joint open in town!  At least, that's what they tell me.  It's called 'Angelos', so I have a suspicion that Angelo who used to be running the restaurant where the Red Grapevine now is has decided that his pizzas were the most popular (and they were) and just gonna concentrate on that.  I wonder if he does calzones... This is also good because while we now have power back, we have to be careful. Yes, we lost power.  For a whole night!  A whole winter night without power!  A whole winter night in FARMidale without power! It was freezing. Thank gawd for laptops with batteries, candles, and phat lute from Sydney.  It was so cold I couldn't sleep.  At least I had plenty to read. Speaking of reading, I've been writing a lot recently.  Mainly stuff for characters - which given that and that it's been directly after a funeral is generally rather grim and depressing.  For those of you who know where - go read it if you want. For those of you who care, but don't have a foggies - just ask. Current Music: Freestylers - Too Far (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, March 6th, 2009
1:06 pm	GREATEST SHAVE FOR LEUKAEMIA FOUNDATION 2009! Just a reminder that it's only a week to go till I shave the back of my head into a mirror of the front for charity! Imagine the set of mutton chops I sport on my face now - then imagine them mirrored on the back of my head - eyebrows and all! And YOUR DONATIONS stop me shaving it all off! So far I am keeping my haircut trimmed and silly-looking for 26 days – which has been an amazing $574.61 in donations so far! The daily cost increases by 10% for every additional day, so: $ 595.91 in Donations, and I keep it for 27 DAYs. $ 721.05 in Donations, and it stays on the back of my head for 29 DAYs ! $ 872.47 in Donations, and I look like a street theatre reject for a full MONTH !! $1055.69 worth of Donations and I risk respectability for a MONTH and 3 days, but also give my backward beard a face !!! Most of us are a poor bunch, and I understand if you can't donate - but anything you can spare is worth it - and may prolong my looking ridiculous. If it gets to $1000 of donations, I shall henna tattoo a face on the back there as well. As an added bonus - I will donate however much I am short of another day in order to make that day count!  So if it gets to 29 days and I am $60.40 short of 30 days - I'll donate to make up that to 30 days.  If it gets to 33 days, and we are $105.57 away from 34, I'll chip in that amount to prolong my suffering! You can either donate in person (I have official receipts), or via the web-page: http://my.imisfriendraising.com.au/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=277965 From there click on the "Sponsor Me" button to donate to the cause - and my suffering! Join my other sponsors (if you havn't already): Jolyon Ansuz ($172.61), Diana Helmrich ($100.00), Crystal Plowman ($57.00), Hilary White ($50.00), Tiffany-Jo Williams, ($40.00), Elliott White ($30.00), Amy Mann ($20.00), Nathan Heberly ($25.00), Angie Henricks ($10.00), Ross Williams ($10.00), Cate Mitchell ($5.00), Mark Fletcher ($5.00) and Matt Debus ($2.40)! Even the UNE Vice Chancellor thinks it is a good idea: From: une-official-bounces@une.edu.au [mailto:une-official-bounces@une.edu.au] On Behalf Of vc@une.edu.au Sent: Friday, 20 February 2009 5:01 PM To: une-official@une.edu.au Subject: [une-official] The UNE Voice - January 20, 2009 The UNE Voice General Notices: Help clone Conrad White and support the Leukaemia Foundation ITD staff member Conrad White is raising money for the Leukaemia Foundation, and you can help him. For those who haven't met Conrad, he sports an impressive set of mutton chop sideburns and a moustache, which he proposes to mirror on the back of his head along with eyebrows and a face, if only he gets enough sponsors. The more money he raises, the longer he will keep this amazing forward-reverse man look. If he receives more than $872.47 in donations he will keep his bizarre haircut for a whole month. To sponsor Conrad on this noble tonsorial quest, visit: http://my.imisfriendraising.com.au/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=277965 Forward this MESSAGE to as many of your family, friends, email lists, forums, blogs and so on that you think would like to see me look positively ridiculous for as long as possible!   It's for a great cause!  So get them to prolong my idiocy now! I dare you all to breach the $1000 mark in Donations! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
12:41 pm	Conrad does World's Greatest Shave 2009! I've just signed up for the Leukaemia Foundation's World's Greatest Shave 2009 ! Why did I sign up? Well it was about time for a change - and I wanted to do something really different! What's different?  You've coloured your hair before!  You've shaved your head before!  How can you be different? Well imagine the set of mutton chops I sport on my face now - then imagine them mirrored on the back of my head - eyebrows and all! That's cool, but won't you just shave it all off afterward? Aha!  YOUR DONATIONS stop me shaving it all off! $50 and I keep it for a day - and increases by 10% for every day after! $ 55 in Donations, and I keep it for 2 DAYs. $ 66.55 in Donations, and it stays on the back of my head for 4 DAYs. $ 88.58 in Donations, and I look like a street theatre reject for a full WEEK! $172.61 worth of Donations and I risk respectability for 2 WEEKS! $872.47 Donated to the Leukaemia Foundation and I'm the amazing forward-reverse man for a MONTH! What you need to do is go to MY Profile Page: http://my.imisfriendraising.com.au/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=277965 From there click on the "Sponsor Me" button to donate to the cause - and my suffering! Forward this email to as many of your family and friends that you think would like to see me look positively ridiculous for as long as possible!   It's for a great cause!  So get them to prolong my idiocy now! I dare you all to breach the $1000 mark in Donations! Current Mood: bouncy Current Music: Pendulum (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008
9:22 am	Getting on with People in the Camarilla 101 This post is a combination of replies I have made to some people and edited for cohesion.  If you think you've read it before, or read this sort of thing from others - read it again and think for a second before forgetting it. As a good friend wrote - it's the season for people to be declaring that they've had enough and are leaving the Camarilla.  Every year this occurs and some we actually loose forever, some come back, some (myself included) never really make good their promise and hang around like a bad smell anyway.  Some people give their reasons, some do not - almost always it comes down to other people - and to those I say: There are always going to be people in the world that you won't like - it's just human nature. In my experience, if I concentrate on what I enjoy and ignore that and those that I do not like or get on with, I can bear their presences, even be friendly and genial, and still overall have fun. I know people think that Camarilla is a leisure activity, and that as such they shouldn't have to put up with people they don't like - but real world leisure activities are just as full of people who piss you off. Gone clubbing and had ice chucked over you - do you not go clubbing again? Had someone talk through a movie - do you never see a movie again? Had a restaurant stuff up your order - do you not eat-out anymore? The real world is full of dickheads that you just have to put up with daily, else become a recluse. The Cam is just the same. Because of it's open, all-inclusive policy, and because it is set up so most casual gamers can choose to come along to a game or not, and not be penalized for it, the Cam draws a lot of people. These appealing factors bring people that many of us would not normally game with - people of all types and play styles. Some of these play styles are going to clash with your or my play style, and unfortunately in the Cam you have to either put up with it, or find some way to avoid it. A lot of the time the people you think are playing to have their power-trip at the detriment of others are just exploring a different play style to yours. Those players who are there to play more cooperatively are also engaging in a style of play - one that is equally valid to the power-trip to the detriment of others - and as equally valid to the lone wolf style - as valid as any other style. The nature if White Wolf's Vampire game is especially prone to the more antagonistic types of play style - that's just how it was written and designed. It does not mean that you cannot play cooperatively, or with any other play style - in fact I approve of anyone who can - it's just that the nature of the game will often prevail.  A good friend of mine said that Vampire LARP is only good when there are enough people playing that you can ignore all the dickheads, and play with people you like. If this is true (and I tend to think it is), then given the size of some games, most people should have little problem with this with only the occasional dickhead flavoring to the game. It's human nature to be subjective. Any person you like, you view with better intensions - you cooperate with and find them in game to be 'giving'. Any person you don't get along with, you tend to think the worst of them in game - that they are bullying or taking an unfair advantage.  Both may be just exploring their style of play. Don't get me wrong, this is not an excuse for people to bully and take unfair advantage - meaning for an awful grey area - but the main difference is that people who are exploring a style of play tend not to continue that outside of game. So give people a chance.  Go out after game, between game, before game and honestly, genuinely give people a try.  If you still don't like them - that's fine, you are not expected to get on with everyone that is drawn to the Cam - find some way in game to avoid them, or minimise their effect on your gameplay, on your fun.  Sure, your gameplay will have to change a  bit, and it will mean a bit of effort (although hardly much in the scheme of things), but you will probably find yourself enjoying games more. While I respect people's desire to be part of the Cam or not part of it as they please - I have found that if people scrutinize their reasons and explore ways to reduce the things they dislike - then the Cam can be enjoyable no matter who or what is involved. Some people leave and never come back to the Camarilla - I am glad that I did come back - twice. In this, my third attempt at it, I like to think that I have learned a lot and will play how I like to, with whom I want to, and enjoy the open casual gaming that the Cam allows because of that. Just my two cents given the spate of this sort of thing going around at the moment. Take it or leave it - your choice. Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: Pirate Tunes (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
3:25 pm	Zoom World my head is still sspinning from: http://zoomquilt2.madmindworx.com/zoomquilt2.swf Current Music: Dresden Files Audio Book (Comment on this)
Sunday, July 27th, 2008
6:42 pm	Indie Newcastle Premium: NINE POINT OH -- Newcasle Pub Scene: NEGATIVE SCORE AND FALLING The Place: Newcastle. The Reason: Not FArmidale and see old friends. The Excuse: Cam Indie Premium Session. The Result: PURE GOLD (bar the pubs). Not Armidale is good. So good that when I saw the Indie event advertised in Newcastle, I broke my self imposed cam exile and went to it. Here are the details: The Good: NOT ARMIDALE. Many people caught up with. Many drinks consumed. Grand Hotel Food. Grand Hotel Atmosphere. Hobby store. Comic Store. 1920's clothing store. Game setup/plot was fun. In-game agenda engaged with gusto. In-game accent dodgy but stable. In-game plan adhered to and successful. Paymaster Cafe Food. NOT ARMIDALE! The Bad: No neat drinks No doubles Pub lockout times Pub closing times 1/4 of game time freeze (self imposed). Newcastle taxi service The Ugly: Drunken relating the "onegina" theory to S.O. All in all, more good than bad or ugly - and the ugly really got canceled out by S also being happy to not be in Armidale. Summation: Fucking Awesome. Most fun I've had in ages. Well done Southern Cross! I really enjoyed myself. Current Mood: cheerful (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
5:29 pm	TLC Virginity Lost I've been working for UNE's Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) for a few weeks now. TLC manages the two Learning Management Systems that UNE employs to spread course material to students. One of these is called "BlackBoard" - or for those who knew the predecessors, WebCT 6. BlackBoard is by far the most troublesome of the systems, but is often the easiest to fix the problems for because of the support team at UNE and from BlackBoard itself. It seems the standard for people in TLC (at least the programmers) to break BlackBoard every-so-often - and is in fact expected of new people working for TLC within a week of their employ. Four and a bit weeks on my timesheet, and I have had a lot of tinkering around in BlackBoard. And I do mean a lot - 11 average alterations to 2586 units so far - that's 28,446 updates for the mathematically challenged. It should have broken well before today. My consolation is that not only did I achieve it today, but I broke it good too. Not only could I not continue my work, but no one could upload or import any data to the system at all. Everyone, even the most experienced of the users here were getting fatal errors all over the place, and their browsers were crashing, followed shortly after by a forced attempt crashing everyone who was using the System's computers as well! Tense calls were placed to the BlackBoard Developers in the the US - whose remote diagnostic tools crashed when interacting with our server. Finally we all just gave up and went home for the night - hoping that leaving it alone while they jump-started the server and let the US Developers tinker from their end would fix it... In other words, this was not just loosing my TLC Virginity - this was loosing it in a mop-and-bucket-clean-up threesome of nineteen year old midget MILFs while being filmed and then the vid getting over a million hits on YouTube. Fuck yeah! Current Mood: ecstatic Current Music: Teisto - Suburban Train (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
4:01 pm	job paranoia Just need to get this off my chest - write it down - think clearly about this. For the last three weeks, not including this week, I have been entering 7 links into every unit in second semester - some 4700 of them.  This is a tedious process of finding the unit, clearing irrelevant links, importing the 7 basic links, changing their icons, adding a description to each, clearing the log data, marking the unit done and moving on... Now all of that does not really fit with what I was hired here to do. Assistant Multimedia Programmer - that's my job title.  While most job titles are bunk, I'd expect either a bit more than what I've been doing. I've been told that this job I'm doing right now "simply needs to be done" and that there is "no other way to do it" and that "I'm the only one can be spared to do it". This sort of work, and those justifications from employers does fit with other things I have done before - and that does not bode well for this job. Previously in other appointments when I have not met with what was expected from me - sometimes due to my own fault, but often due to the employer being unable to tell me what I was doing wrong - I have been lumped with menial tasks - much like this. McDonalds:  Given cleaning jobs far in excess of the norm because I was not fast enough or did not learn fast enough. Maccas food prod, and yet I was picking up trash in the concourse and off the highway. Finally when I turned up late for a shift I didn't know I had, they gave me more cleaning for the 8 hours, then my marching orders. Star Systems: the boss looked over my work, said it was okay, and moved me onto another project - never telling me that he was actually unsatisfied with what I was producing, never telling me what I could do to improve - soon I ended up on the production floor, far from my position in Advertising/Marketing - then finally I was let go. UNE Data Analyst:  My fault here, but wound up doing the shit data entry job till they finally said that my services were no longer required. There are more - but these are the most notable. The real problem I have here is that all I have been doing is this - this is all they have ever given me to do.  It's kind of like in my application and interview they couldn't fault me - but secretly didn't like or want me.  No reason to not employ him - but we really don't want him - so maybe we'll give him the shit job. dunno - am I being paranoid? (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, March 3rd, 2008
12:27 pm	Pastry, pastry everywhere, but not a sod to eat   So far MONDAYnish has been anything but.   The server was down over the weekend, so hundreds of emails and calls awaited. One guy was incredibly irate, and because I had received a lot of these calls was jovial and flippant, which did not go down well – and was berated by him for half an hour. The server was back up by twenty past nine, but students hadn’t logged out, and were just hitting refresh – meaning that not only could they still not log in, but they pinged our server to death again. They got the webpage server up and running, but the portal to student’s units was still down, and the consistent unending ping death from students eventually sent the web server down once more.   Like the proverbial yo-yo it was up and down all morning. Students, being the panicky animals that they are flooded switchboard and IT help desk with calls of abject terror. Finally, an alternative to getting the server up and running was given, and tediously we directed hundreds of students through the archaic entering of URLs directly into the browser. Just now they have gotten the line of jumpy, teary, and angry students down to manageable proportions. The team around me at ITD Help Desk did all the real work and were fantastic about it – though looked terribly frazzled afterwards.   But to my point…   So, while there is this lovely platter of sweet and savoury pastries sitting, ready to be eaten – we have been all too busy to consume! (Comment on this)
Friday, February 29th, 2008
4:21 pm	Mondanish It is settled.  On monday I shall bring everyone at work danishes. We have declared the first working day of next week MONDANISH! Current Music: The Voices In My Head (2 Comments |Comment on this)
11:55 am	How not to write email Was in a mood at work, and getting an email about after-work shenanigans, just went a bit nuts - here is the result: ( bad email writing form... ) Facinating. Current Mood: bored Current Music: The advice of IT support around me. (Comment on this)
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
10:41 am	That sinking feeling So I've got a hit from a job app - and talking to the people it sounds rather exiting, and despite being in a field I am not top-notch confident in, is right up my alley of interest. Things proceed, and I get asked for some additional information, something no other candidate for the job has been asked I am told, and so I give them what they need as promptly as possible. Then they ask for my Official Academic Transcript. Until this point I've just given the unofficial web version - which just lists what I've passed. The version they have asked for contains everything - and I mean everything. My seven Credits... My seventeen Passes.. My NINETEEN Failures. More than that, it shows how long I've been at UNE, and makes no noticeable distinction between when I first arrived to study Arts, when I transferred to Computer Science and the deferrals and leaves of absence I took. It looks bad. Really bad. I don't think that any of the good things I actually did will at all be noticeable. I don't think they won't be influenced by it in their decision, not even when looking at the work I did in the last semester that was ideal for their job. I'm fucked. Current Music: The ranting of unhappy students. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
2:26 pm	temp-job it is funny how this job ranges from complete boredom to sudden furious activity - yet never in a predictable or processable pace. For instance every time i go to write more to this email, the lines ring - so it has taken me about 15 minutes to write just, 18 minutes, this. gawd i wish yarm would either put their phone (20 min) away from the children, or glue it's handset down. you've no (23 min) idea how much parents panic when they can't get through. no, i do not speak pakistani (28 minutes) - what's this arabic shite - say again, you are breaking up - um, you put me on hold - sorry his phone is busy. argh! it's near 3 pm now, maybe things will (lost track of how many minutes that was, but more phone calls) calm down a bit. Current Music: The electronic twinkle of Telepone Tones (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, February 3rd, 2008
2:57 pm	Camarilla Peer Review That last post got me thinking... What if all Cam XP awards were by Peer Review? Circle of Love attempts to do this - but people can rig the circle and since there is only one award, this has little effect on everyone except the desire to compete or rig the circle more. Maybe you all still get the one XP for attending - but then the rest of it is all based on what others say: * Each player nominates ONE, and only one, OTHER player for anonymous XP - one for roleplaying, one for costuming, another for interaction (the distinction between these should be noted) * Each NPC player nominates a number of players (based on a ratio of XP to players to NPCs, for instance 1:5:1, that is each NPC player gives out 1 XP per 5 players in the game, so long as there is only 1 NPC per 5 players). * ST awards xp to each player that participated in his plot - no plot, no XP. By that rationale - someone who did a good job playing character to impress the other players and participated with NPCs and plot, may pull 6 XP per game. Someone who really, really goes all out could pull more. Others who skirt the edges of the game may get one or two. Just a thought. would need a lot of work though, but maybe... Current Mood: thoughtful Current Music: Freestylers - Boom Blast (Comment on this)
1:08 pm	Problem: Playing a Character, Not Dots So I've got this restriction on one of my characters. Because of his rather radical beliefs and morality, it costs him a spendable trait whenever he posts over a email list. Because our local game is somewhat restricted on gaining these spendable traits, I get one post per month unless I spend downtime actions (per additional post) to get said spendable traits. I haven't asked the ST if I can hold over traits from previous months - am afraid he will say no - and haven't posted like it were so, yet... So what this means is that I have to be absolutely clear, understood, and cover all topics with each post. I often end up replying to more than one email at a time - gawd help me if I have my own post to make - and further go to great lengths with words to make sure I am not mis-understood. All this means that each post is a bit verbose and tone free (harder than it looks, but perfectly in character) - and since in RL I am not a very succinct person, each post tends to be a tad long. The Point: Now people have posted to the effect that if I can't say anything short and simply, they won't read it. I find it a bit annoying that in order to play a 'character' rather than just an attitude attached to some sheet dots - you occasionally have to take this kind of slug - the realization that no one but yourself cares about your portrayal. I suppose if Cam were more like a movie, or play, then people might have their heads out of their own asses and understand that the way you are doing things is to be true to your character. Thought that said, if the Cam invited critical review, the gaping wounds made in people's egos by the words of critics would drive a third away, send another third into annoying flame wars of vitriol (as if we didn't have enough), and make the final third timid enough to never want to stand out. Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: Mavis' - Naughty Boy (Comment on this)
Saturday, February 2nd, 2008
10:19 pm	Shannon's Birthday, Yet It Is I Who Cellebrate! So because of tight money issues, everything for Shannon's birthday was left to the last minute, and on the day itself I ran around town with my pathetic government serve trying to make it stretch to all that I needed to get for her big three oh. I had just settled on the present for her, and was stopped chatting to a friend at Caffiends before heading over to get the last of things at Coles - when my phone rang. It was IBM Graduate Recruitment. I was kind of surprised by this. My previous talks with these people had not gone well and I was told that not only did I not qualify for any of their Graduate Programs, but that because of this all my other applications would be automatically rejected - which to the best of my knowledge had happened. I found a quiet place to take the call, and answered her questions. The sticky point of my GPA came up - and I told her the truth, but also why. She said something I didn't quite catch, I figured it was her easing me into rejection again - then she asked whether I would mind being on hold while she talked with her manager. No worries. Hold music. 2 minutes. Different song. 5 minutes. Concerned now. 10 minutes. Will battery last? 15 minutes. Um, are you there? Almost 20 minutes then she comes back, apologizes for the wait - and then says some words I never expected. "I talked it over with my manager. We are going to let you through to the next stage. My manager reserves the right to cull the list, but at this stage you've made it through to interviews." I was floored. So I am now waiting with baited breath for something I had lost hope of ever getting - a follow up call to schedule an interview! With IBM of all companies! I'm not fooling myself - there is still only a slim chance of getting in. The competition is going to be fierce. I've scheduled myself for some government funded interview practice on Wednesday, and will try and get some help from UNE's Careers people too. A friend even pointed me to some articles that give lost of hints and tips for these things. So while I'm not fooling myself, I will be doing everything I can to make the best effort of it possible. To top off the night, we celebrated Shannon's birthday, she loved my pressie, the dinner, and the company. Current Mood: bouncy Current Music: Kiss - Deamin' (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, January 25th, 2008
12:59 pm	Rejections, the funk, and werewolf fiction. So I've been having trouble when it comes to writing these damn job applications lately. I've written a lot, and I'm getting better and better at them - but I've sort of hit a wall, and it's been almost a week and I haven't been able to scramble over it. I suppose part of it is to do with the rejections - in fact given that this started last Friday, and I was almost motivated to get to it again when some more rejections came in today - I'm pretty damn sure it's just the rejections. 15 last friday. So far as I have checked, another 6 today. Bob (John C McGinley) from Office Space was right about Fridays. The industry obviously is of the belief that there is less chance of an incident if you get bad news in jobs on a Friday. I know I should just get over them, and on with it. Easier said than done. It seems that the funk of a slump on the job hunting front has been effecting more than just writing apps - I can't seem to do any work on my game or the website. I had hoped to have the authentication process sorted by now, and an upgrade of content based on that. I had also hoped to have summarized the new additions/changes to such an effect that I could playtest them this weekend - but the funk is effecting my ability to do that work too. So of course along with this funk comes procrastination - and this time it's been for Werewolf fiction. I've written two pieces, planned a third, and have thoughts for a fourth. The first is a deep look into how fucked up my Cam character is. I didn't think it especially riveting or great, but it did somewhat freak me out when writing it. I knew that I was going to deal with a somewhat adult and deranged topic - but as I was writing it I felt like all those sexual predators I despise, loathe and hate (naming no names, but some of you may be able to pick a few). Partially because it deals with what is tantamount to rape, and enhanced by the fact that the character knows it's wrong, but for the wrong reasons, and essentially is unconnected to the act. Gave me chills after re-reading it to think that I had written that. The next piece (technically the next three) is the background and part of the story arc Tim and I had planned for the Armidale Forsaken game. Just in case you didn't know, Tim couldn't deal with the bureaucracy and the tools playing here, and walked away. His replacement decided to end Tim's plot quickly - which meant dropping it entirely and railroading characters who tried to investigate it further. Now while Tim's plot was influenced heavily by old school werewolf, it was still a brilliant story - and I think it needed to be told. So now I have written it up as a story in three parts - the first of which is called "The Ravenous" and with any luck will appear in the next BTS. So while I am feeling down and unproductive because of the job hunting front, the procrastination fiction front is making me feel accomplished and happy. You'd think these would cancel out for a mellow okay - but no, instead I have swings. Ain't live grand? Current Mood: ambivalent (Comment on this)