Cartoon Friends

In MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, you can really develop some cool online friendships. One example is my character, Lightguard and a Warrior named Redriver. We first met and teamed up in the game when we were barely beginning at level 15 or so. We played together and conquered challenges through the mid 20's. We became pretty good online friends, but he disappeared after a number of months and I just went about my business. Then, after 8-10 months, here he is again asking for my help with some end-game content.

He talked to his guild-mates about me like an old friend, and it was really nice knowing that he remembered me as a good player and an honest person....meaning I won't steal things.

Online gaming has gone into the mainstream and it is giving our already-interesting culture another layer of complexity, especially on the issue of trust. How far should online friendships go? What do you reveal about yourself in conversation? How much should you share? The rules are already taking shape, and i will post my thoughts as they develop.

Moving up

Literally. Friday is the day I get to move from the classroom, which has been my home for 2 weeks, to my desk at work. I am actually excited about taking calls now. Our customers seem wonderful and I can't wait to help them.

http://www.appliedsystems.com

I'm a geek

It’s official, I am a total geek…and here’s why.

I like Star Wars, Star Trek, White Castle, World of Warcraft, Apple computer, SQL databases, I live in Instant Message-land, my job is to support a Windows program that is older than I am, and I am a political wiz.

With all of that, how in the world do I have a hot girlfriend??

Life is good! Time for WoW now. May the force be with you.

Moving on

It's Official. I quit my white castle job today. We parted on good terms, and I will remember my time there fondly.

Now on with the rest of my life!!

sleepless

I have to say, I am excited and nervous about starting work today. I can't wait.

And now I can't sleep. Oh well.

Brain dump

Ok, I feel like this is going to be the summation of all of the posts that I have meant to make over the last couple of months.

There is a big wave of changes headed my way in the coming weeks and months. First, I am starting my new job at Applied Systems on October 9th (which I am excited about) and that alone is going to bring about a wave of change that I can't hope to avoid.

First, my church is going to change. Over the past few months, I have been acting as song leader at Our lady of Grace church in Highland. In the past, Cantoring has been very good for me, spiritually, but this time it has been nothing short of a disaster. Every time I go up to sing a song, it comes out wrong, I lose my place, and we barely make it through the song without starting over. I am doing a disservice to the church by disrupting the masses, and I am worried about myself, wondering what happened to my singing ability. Maybe this is a test, maybe this is telling me to switch parishes. I am going to try a different parish once my life slows down.

Second, my involvement in Masonic organizations is going to increase. Now that I will have evenings and weekends off, I am free to attend various Masonic functions. I am really excited about this, and it is going to be a major change in my nonexistent social life.

Third, I plan to move out of my parents house after the first of the year. I have been living with them, because I couldn't live alone on White Castle pay and still be able to pay all of my bills. Now that I have my new job, I can't justify living at home anymore. I can't wait to get my own place!

Fourth, I will be committing myself to DeMolay in a big way by becoming Chapter Dad. I simply refuse to let this chapter die because of the lack of adult support. We have an open house on November 4th. It should be interesting.

Fifth, and most importantly, I will be seeing where my relationship with Melissa is going to go. The drama and festivities of the holidays should make things interesting.

If you have read this far, you can see that I have a lot going on in my life. I haven't even started to talk about where my business is going. All in all, this adds up to a difficult and exciting time in my life. I am convinced that it is going to make me stronger, but I hope it doesn't break me down too much in the process.