Bump In The Road

It may be that I scared off Match Girl. It also may be that she's busy enjoying her vacation with her sister and didn't want to step away from her to write to me just yet. It also also may be that I'll get an e-mail from her the second I post this.

I also had a chat last night with My Mentor, the guy who stepped in as my father figure when I went out to Missouri in hopes of becoming the next best thing in religious circles. My having left the religious circles didn't stop him from caring about me, but in the last year, I hadn't called him. In hindsight, I was stepping away from him because of all the alternatives I was considering. He would not have approved. He doesn't approve of my current plan, at his core, but he was supportive anyway. His solution for my life is to get back in church. That was his closing line as we disengaged the call, and to my surprise I laughed involuntarily for about two minutes. It was just so him. And I remember when things were that simple--when I didn't doubt the voracity of the Bible or the intention of God for humanity.

Anyway, the reason Match Girl might be gone is that I unloaded my Geekdom on her in my last e-mail. She wanted to know the reason for my screen name, which is the name of a comicbook title. So I explained ... everything. I sent her a link to the audio drama (at broken sea dot com) and told her about My Hero. I just had to. She expressed value in a man who was dedicated to anything, a career, a hobby--just something. So I showed her that I was. But from another perspective, maybe it made me look childish. She's pretty successful--maybe I no longer fit her ideals.

In which case, I'll recover. I wouldn't change who I am or what I like, so whoever's in my future has got to accept me and my everythings. I wonder how long I should wait until I wink at Match Girl II?

Progress 101

First, my hobby went live on Thursday, and I've neglected to share it with you guys. I figured since it's science fiction/fantasy, readers here might not be that interested. But hey, here's the link, oh, and I have an acting part in it too, so you might want to listen to it for that.

Secondly, I have an interview with the counselor who runs his own center and his own radio show on the station that I listen to for arts programming. A few weeks ago when I told my therapist about this guy, she suggested I go ahead and follow through with a resume. She also guided me on what to put in the cover letter. Whereas I was ready to spill my guts as I do here on the blog, my therapist suggested that I do not. She said that they would probably just want to know about my professional qualifications rather than my personal ones, and if they wanted to know personal stuff, they'd ask me in the interview.

Well, "they" is a man in probably his sixties if not seventies. He has a kind and gravelly voice and he strikes me as a wise and caring man who I cannot wait to meet. He speaks with a sense of compassion and a sense of humor. And I like the jazzy music that he plays in his radio breaks.

Now here's the kicker.

His offices are across the street from Carnegie Hall. That's how midtown Manhattan this place is. and I'm interviewing with him on Wednesday morning to take on clients there.

My heart is speeding up a little just typing this. Because ... can I tell you this is insanely dream-come-true? I told this guy that I wanted him to supervise me. I told him that I wanted to be the kind of counselor that he seems to be. I meant every single word of it. Worst-Case Scenario Man sez he just wants to interview me so I can come in and stroke his ego, but WCS Man is a fool. This guy isn't going to waste time out of his day to see me when he's got listeners and clients who he most likely gets plenty of validation from.

And apart from working for this guy, and with this guy, ITS IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN!!

I've dreamed of working and living in Manhattan for all of my life. And now looky-looky what's a'happening to little old me. I think he'll approve of me. I think he'll use me. Because I think I'm good at it. With all my ups, downs, and sideways, this is the one skill I don't think I've ever lost confidence in. I haven't always have felt the strength to plunge into it, but I do now.

So Lara, this connection definitely makes me smile.

Let's see what else is ahead in 2008! B-D

So What Is This D&D We Hear So Much About?

(Originally June 22 2006)

Here ya go!
I discovered this from the Springfield, Missouri gaming podcast that I mentioned below. At RPGMP3.com they started the World's Largest Dungeon last year and have since finished. They have 40 sessions which they say took 2 years to finish, and most of the sessions are divided into 2 parts.

But here's the big bonus--they are in England!! Thus, just listening to them talk is the megabiggitybombdiggity. But they don't just talk--they joke, they flirt, they pun, and they do voices (Dwarven wizard is made unique by having a Scottish brogue which goes German when he interrogates his foes).

This is you getting to be a fly on the wall of a gaming group. If you want to know what its all about, then Hear Ye, Hear Ye.

On A Lighter Note

(Originally June 18 2006)

...as much as I slam Missouri, I found myself unusually nostalgic when I discovered this podcast. It's about D&D, through which I live a satisfactory fantasy life (in lieu of the 'real world'), and it also is created in Springfield Missouri, where for 4 years I lived, worked, and got my Master's degree. On the Dragon's Landing website, they use a Frappr to map where they and they're listeners live. Emery Ezell lives within walking distance of where I used to live.

I found myself remembering the small bigtown feel of that place. According to the map, the city is huge, but it's blocks and blocks and blocks of houses, shot through with wide highways and stripmalls galore, petering out to bigger houses as you go to the outskirts, (as well as cows), until suddenly, you're out in farm wastelands traveling single highways toward the horizon and the next town.

Anyway, I might just add a link to them. They're a good ol' pair of fellas and they managed not to have southern or western accents, although they do say "Whenever that I went to the mall..." and at the second I heard it, I should'a known where they were!

5 in 1

A Science Yet To Be Discovered? (Coincidence? Pt III) (Originally August 27 2005)

Brush Up Your Shakespeare (Coincidence? Pt II)
Originally August 27 2005

Coincidence? (Originally August 27 2005)

Angophilia, I Admit It (Originally August 26 2007)

First Impressions Of A Workplace (Originally August 26 2005)

3 in 1

Done This Morning 5:15AM, Another Story Idea (Originally August 8, 2005)

Actually, this one is pretty awful, at heart. And he wasn't really THAT young. He was about 14-16 yrs. old. And only most of it truly happened.

Either A Story Lead, Or A Confession, In Two Parts (Originally August 7, 2005)

Two Story Ideas, (Originally August 7, 2005)

(Originally August 4, 2005)