Roleplaying, Routines and Ruminations - plus a Rooftop

The word of the week is loquacious.

June 16 - Striding

At last, I seem to be hitting my stride at work.

All the invoices are making sense to me now, each morning when I checked my workload. 

The computer screen no longer seems like a mass of number-fields that I can lose my place in and have to remember 1000 things about all at once - only 100 or so now, which is still more than enough. My workflow is steadying itself, meaning that I can now much more easily envision what I have to do and when once I have a look at what my daily folder contains.

It's a good feeling, not being overwhelmed at the new job after only a month.

Already, there's talk of cross-training the various new hires, which makes an employee more valuable in that they can work in various different departments that need and cover for people who are off sick, naturally. All good signs pointing towards getting a permanent position in the office, I think.

Daily routine is also setting in, which isn't a bad thing. I can do whatever I want on my breaks and I usually choose to pop downstairs to sit in the sunshine in the atrium. I've been making excellent use of a pair of Bluetooth headphones, which I can also plug in at my desk, which is very convenient. I probably listen to more music in the last month than I have in the last year and I can feel my creativity resonating from the melody of notes massaging my brain through my years. An odd picture, but definitely truthful; I haven't written to music before but I'm finding this time around that it's very inspiring.

When every workday is a journey of musical discovery, it's hard not to smile.

June 17 - Kazowie!

After work today, I went all-out in getting all three scenes of my second book's first chapter sketched in.

It helps that the last few days I've been listening to 'epic music mixes' at work. Instead of just classical or relaxation / study music, I've specifically been listening to wonderfully inspiring scores from all forms of media. It's done wonders for my creative juices and I've already jotted down quite a few ideas that I've had as they've struck during the workday.

First chapters are critically important in a novel, as important as the ending and oftentimes even more so as they are what draws the reader into your story and piques their curiosity. The first three scenes that I've set as of tonight will do that in spades, I hope, bringing the readers of the first book directly into the story and plot lines of the second. Each scene flowed naturally from the first books concepts and having put them into words now, I can see that they most definitely work on several levels. 

The three scenes work well together to bring the reader into the timeframe of the new book via recognizable characters from the first novel and set up much of the conflict that will be present in the new novel's plot lines. Of which there are quite a few; as I've said already, it will be challenging to keep them all balanced and moving along. There's quite a lots to do and it's going to be a fascinating ride to take, even though I generally know where it's all going in the end.

June 18 - Shaking

We had an earthquake here, earlier this week!

It occurred at 1:37pm in the afternoon on Monday, precisely. I registered it as a heavy truck rumbling along the street outside, out of sight, and so paid it no mind. About 10 minutes later, someone else in the office said that a news site had registered the shaking as an earthquake just off the east coast of the city in the Haro Strait. I was rather surprised( and chagrined )that I hadn't recognized the shaking for what it was, having been through a few smaller earthquakes already in my time here on the West Coast. 

New studies have also pointed out that Victoria is prone to what are now being called 'slow earthquakes' which I had no idea existed. The things you learn after you've moved into a new city…

Ironically, we had just performed a fire drill that morning. The entire government building emptied out in an orderly fashion, close to 1,000 people proceeding along separate routes to assemble at different safe areas nearby. It was an enjoyable walk, literally in the park as that's where our assembly area was and it was much quieter once we left the ringing of the fire bells behind. In all seriousness though, it was an excellent way to remind everyone of the importance of training in the event of disaster, whatever that may be. Living in an earthquake zone may mean the next time those skills I've practiced will be needed will be necessary for my survival or for that of the people near me.

And, speaking of no warning given: here's Johnny Depp, everyone!

Today I found out that back in 2010, the Hollywood star was filming in London England when he received a letter from a local schoolgirl asking him to help her and her schoolmates in a 'mutiny against her schoolteachers' - which he actually responded to. Dressed in full Jack Sparrow regalia and in character, Depp descended on the school with a band of pirates, to the delight of the staff and students.  I thought it was a lovely gesture and the whole scene was captured in the video below:

June 19 - 360° of Awesome

As some of you know by now, I love Cosplay. So when I saw this, I had to share:

At Supanova Pop Culture Expo in Sydney, Australia, people got an opportunity to look like superheroes thanks to a panoramic set up from Syfy Australia. The company brought their FanCam 360 to the event to promote the season two premiere of Defiance, and the circle of 360 degree cameras capture images a la The Matrix bullet time scenes. It’s practically made to create memorable photos and videos for cosplayers.

That's really pretty cool, to be able to see everyone's hard work in such a unique way. It makes me wonder what kind of costume I can come up with, but I have a little time. Or maybe in a few years someone will make a costume out of one of my characters.

Such was the case for one of my favorite authors, Timothy Zahn.

Timothy Zahn looks tickled!

One of the wonderful things about creating something for other people to enjoy is that those people can do their own amazing things with your creation. At a recent convention when two cosplayers showed up dressed as characters from Zahn's books. If this ever happened to me I think I would be thrilled beyond words, as it would mean that my books at meant something at a deep level to my readers, enough so that they would dress up as characters I had created. 

There are few forms of praise as highest that, I think, for any artist in any field.

June 20 - Sproinged

Today was the last day of spring.

Looking back, I can't say I've done much in an outdoorsy way since the beginning of the year. Apart from riding my bike to work, I don't spend much time outside, which always surprises me. I'm not a beach person, which means that despite living within walking distance of the beach at the south end of the island I haven't paid it very many visits at all. I much preferred the solitude and peace of the woods, albeit in a fairly bug-free area if I can at all help it, though again I'm not a hiker who feels that they have to conquer a minor mountain at least once a month in order to feel a sense of accomplishment in their life. 

For the most part, I'm content to enjoy nature as it is, admiring the views and playing back on the grass once in a while to see what shapes the clouds are choosing for that day. If I can at all getaway to the woods, that would be my choice, as I feel the most connection to nature when among the trees:

After work today, I spent another wonderful few hours on the patio at The Rooftop with a group of my new coworkers. The sun was shining, the weather was mild and the sky was a bright blue bereft of any intruding clouds. The conversations were fluid and at one point, I ended up pontificating( in a good way )about my two books. I've noticed that when I speak enthusiastically about my work, people lean closer and seem to drink in my words in large portions. I've noticed it a few times now and I'm incredibly grateful that I can so easily express my passion for my work to others and hold their interest with it. Translating that passion into my work itself will also help things along, as my emotional connection to what I'm creating will be apparent in the words that I set down.

That whole top of the building behind the flags is the Rooftop, with a beach volleyball court!

I really like the place, despite the lack of trees.

June 21 - Weekend off!

It's the first official day of summer and my first full weekend off in some time.

I'll skip over the housework and other things that I did the morning, because they're a tad mundane. Highlights were going out for breakfast with my parents and visiting the Moss Street Market where I found the freshest head of Romaine I've ever seen, for a bargain price - yummy Caesar salad galore!

Instead, I'll mention that I didn't work at Staples today. Again, I had marked off that I could work in the morning up until 5 PM but the management took it as 'Peter cannot work today at all, period.' Which is a touch annoying, as I have to work at least once every pay period in order to remain on their books.

Later in the day, I did drop by Staples to update my schedule for the next few weeks. It's an odd feeling walking in there now, as I feel much more like a visitor that an employee. It's akin to walking into a house used to live in where you're still welcome to visit but all the furniture's been re-arranged. All the same, I'm still keeping my options open by working one to two days every pay period and I'll continue to do so until my government job is turned into a permanent position. That will mean I'll have to study up, as I've mentioned, as I'll have to write a 'competition' for the various permanent positions that will be offered. From what I can tell, this won't be mind-bendingly difficult but I'll put my all into it all the same.

This is very meta: Leo's holding a DM screen...

Tonight was another gaming night, held again outside of town in a lovely country house. My group seems to be getting together every couple of weeks, which is fine, though the sessions are only 2 to 3 hours long at most in the evening. Considering I was used to day-long gaming sessions in University, where we often played from morning until only shortly before midnight, this doesn't seem to allow much time to get anything accomplished. However, I'm playing as much for the enjoyment as for anything else and did this the group is more than sufficient: the players are more than tolerant of ponds and generally all of very good humor, so there's much laughter every session. 

It's lovely.

June 22 - Drunk and Disorderly

Today was a pretty good second day in a row off. With a caveat.

A late breakfast over at Jam took up most of the morning, which in itself was good as my batteries were low and I needed some time to recharge. I did some writing in the early afternoon, a bit of housework which had gone too long undone and I thought about a nap, but decided against it for no particular reason other than it was a lovely day outside, too good to be wasted sleeping inside of the sun.

Heading on down to Moka house seemed like the natural thing to do, so I packed up my shiny new laptop, grabbed my headphones and scooted down the street. Sunshine and the temperature 23° made it perfect patio weather and I soon arrived, accompanied by my sister who was on her way down to the beach further on to spend the rest of her afternoon there. 

It felt a LOT like this outside today... perfect.

All was well.

Not for very long however, as a drunk showed up. A very belligerent, angry drunk.

Angry enough to be yelling at pretty much anyone who was nearby, which unfortunately included the friend that my sister had asked to meet her at Moka house to head down to the beach with. To make a long story short, the police were called and the drunk wandered off down the street without any physical altercation, thanks to the quick thinking of my sister's friend who occupied the fellows time in a genial and neutral manner until he got bored and wandered off. It was definitely the right decision, as in the end it took three police cruisers with as many officers blocking off a nearby street to subdue the drunk, who resisted with a shocking amount of violence despite the efforts of three officers. Thinking on how things could have gone down differently on a patio crowded with seniors and mothers with children, it made me wonder a few things about our society and people's place in it. About their choices and how they affect others.

In the case of the drunk, his choice was to be ruled by the alcohol. Now, before you say that it wasn't his choice and that he had no control over his addiction, I would point out that there are many methods available today to help alcoholics get a handle on their demons. Point in fact, I overheard the drunk say that he'd been sober for 12 years and today looks like the end of that positive future road he was on, coming to a screeching halt in the back of a police cruiser. The Sinclair Method is also a recent development, where a single pill consumed before any alcohol disconnects the centers of addiction in the body, resulting in the alcoholic no longer craving the next drink in a very real biological way.

But I digress. 

The choices that were made today led to a few minutes of entertainment for most of the people at Moka house, most of whom I should note looked curiously at the drunk in their midst but there was no mass exodus to give him room, despite his noise and what he was saying. A few others, myself included, looked ready to react on a hair-trigger should he take things to the next level and I was thankful to recognize that look of readiness in several other worthies nearby. Again, platitudes to my sister's friend for defusing the situation and for the police in arriving as quickly as they did, especially since the drunk was wandering in and out of traffic on the road as well as the other businesses nearby. It was luck and good decisions that meant nobody set him off and he was removed from the area before anything serious happened, though I imagine he will have bruises from his altercation with the police.

Choices. I chose to go to Moka House today and in doing so saw side of society that most people dismissed from their mind soon after the event occurred. People choose to accept the decisions of others, or to live their lives by the small bad decisions that seem right at the time yet lead you down a road that you don't recognize by the time it's too late. Choices mean that the wrong ones, or even the less worthy, will take you to places that you know you don't really belong in yet have no idea how to turn around and find a better path.

It's something to think about this week, as I go to and from my 9-to-5 job, entering in invoices and making small jokes with my coworkers to pass the time of the day. I'll be thinking about how easily I could have recognized a part of myself in that drunk today, a small part admittedly, of not making choices but simply letting myself wander through life, in and out of traffic, someone to be reduced to an entertaining story in somebody else's day. I'm sure there's a story there, but I'm not sure I want to pursue it further; it's not mine to tell.

That's a sobering thought.

Some minor things: my wrists have complained MUCH less this week, thankfully, as I'm using them minimally at work of a day. Same goes for my right knee: a lack of heavy lifting and daily bike rides have made it far less vocal, though I am missing the exercise somewhat. I've a lot to do each day from now until the end of the year though, so until then: enjoy your week!