Team J.A.F.

Good News: I survived my roadtrip and made it to Dallas.
 
Bad News: My laptop seems to be dying and I can't get on the the Internet with it. So expect me to be even less active than usual.
 

Mostly cheap dishes.  See, I went and got some moderate quality stuff a couple of years ago when I was living in the dorms, but I didn't need to use it when I moved home.  As such, my sister took all of it, and she isn't giving it back.  Which is fine, and I said that I would just go to the store and buy some cheap stuff when I move to Dallas.  This way, I can choose my own styles and I won't have to transport it.  But nope, instead my sister went and bought a bunch of cheap stuff on her own, claiming this is what I asked for.  Meh.
 
I also got socks.  Yay socks.
 
And I got a smart phone.  Which has a touch screen.  There weren't any smart phones with keyboards.  It turns out that everybody loves touch screens and nobody wants physical keyboards anymore!  Except me.  Also, it did have a protective cover over the touch screen, but I stupidly removed and ruined it, so I need to get another one.  >.<  Oh, it's a Droid HTC.  Apparently has really good battery life, compared to most smart phones.  I actually did get a say in selecting this, so it wasn't a huge "surprise."  I chose a Droid because I am never gonna touch an iPhone and the Windows phones seemed just a little lacking. (Battery life, Google maps, ext.)  The web browser on it is much nicer than my old phone, but it will take some getting used to.
 
Also a camera.  Which is the same as the one my parents own that I borrow to take Lego picts.  But my mom got it for like 50% off at Costco, so now I can take one to Dallas with me.  I suppose I could've used my phone's camera, which is still really good but took really bad close up Lego pictures, so I prefer the other one.
 
Didn't recieve a single Lego set or otherwise related product.  (Last year, my mom got me a silly large minifig light thing and tried to say it counted as Lego even tho it had no buildable elements on it.)  Oh well, I do expect to buy a bunch of 2013 stuff, as soon as it's availible and I have an income. 
 
And yeah, that's it.  Cheap dishes, camera, and a phone.  Quantity is limited this year, but quality rocks!  Hope you guys all had a wonderful holiday.  Don't celebrate Christmas?  Well, too bad, still hope you had a good day. 
 

That's right, it's Tuesday!!
 
In related news, I guess that Le Miz movie comes out. Since when did Le Miz have such a rabid following on BZP?  I'm not saying I don't like it (seriously, great play) but I don't get the obsession over it sometimes.  But I can say the same thing about the ponies, and Dr. Who.  Oh, and that one Lego theme Bionicle, man that attracted the craziest fans.
 
Also, apparently I won a contest when I was in the hospital.  The Ninjago story contest.  It's not the first time I've placed, but it's the first time I took #1.  (I've reached 2nd a couple of times.)  It's really cool, but there were only like 7 stories, and I think we need more Ninjago fan fiction, because it's world is just as rich as Bionicle.  (And the female to male ratio is slightly better.  Slightly.)
 
Now I have to think about my Christmas dinner for tomorrow?  Yogurt or watered-down mashed potatoes?  Ah heck, I'll just do both. 
 

I had so many plans for what I was going to do over winter break.  I could work on one of my many stories.  I could do this art / animation idea I've had, or even try and make it a flash game like the MNOLG.  I could finish organizing my Lego collection.  And I was planning to watch a whole bunch of movies too!  (And also, pack and prepare for my internship in Dallas.)
 
But it turns out recovering from a surgery has left me unmotivated, and I haven't taken advantage of my free time at all.  Mostly what I've done is slept in bed, laid in bed trying to sleep but failing to do so because my stomach is growling, watching enviously as my family eats foods that I cannot currently eat myself, and staring blankly at a computer screen with no inspiration to work on any of my projects. 
 
Seriously, tho, it's not too bad.  I'm not in pain or anything, and the liquid diet is mostly just an annoyance.  I am certainly a lot better off than a whole lot of people, so I am thankful for my good fortune and health.
 
But yeah I am going to have a long to-do list by the end of the month.  >.<
 

So I'm going into Surgery today.  (Or rather, tomorrow since I'm writing this from yesterday thanks to the amazing blog time machine!)  I'll probably be out for a few days or so, and when I come back I might be on so many painkillers that you won't be able to tell my crazy ramblings from my normal ones!
 
Back-story: I've probably mentioned this before in this blog, cause I love complaining, but I have pretty bad acid reflux.  I had the doctors stick a camera or something down my throat this summer to see how bad I am.  Turns out I have some sort of abnormally large hole in the top of my stomach.  And as such, I can claim that this isn't a problem caused by my dieting habits.  (Goldfish crackers + lemonade is totally a diet.)  But it's an ongoing problem, and currently I'm having to take some hefty medication to keep it down.  So the obvious solution is a full out surgery.    (Well, I did research some other possibilities, and some I don't even qualify for, and it turns out this surgery is the best method.)
 
It shouldn't be too much of a problem.  The doctors who's doing this is experienced... like, uber, "I've do this a hundred times a year" experienced.  (And I suppose that also makes my problem not that unique either.)  So it's nothing life threatening, but it will help in the long run.  I'm not too worried about it.
 
What I am worried about is the fact that I'll have to be on a liquid food diet for two weeks after this.  Feasting during the end of the year?  Only on jello or yogurt for me!
 
That, and the world might end in a couple of days, and I might be on too many painkillers to either A: Get out of the way of the falling, flaming debris, or B: Not be able to appreciate the explosion on the horizon before it consumes me.  Hmm, maybe I should've pushed off the surgery for a few days.  Eh, too late now.
 

 
Anyway, parting picture: since people have been putting santa hats on their avatars, I decided to do the same to mine.    Happy holidays, stay safe, and see you on the other side!
 

I was gonna post this long detailed entry on this issue I've been having where my posts get eaten by the server...
 
But then the blog ate it. 
 
I'll be filling out a ticket for this, methinks.
 
But later.  it's been a busy week.  Finals.  My final finals.  But I had 1  final essay to turn in by Saturday, 1 presentation to attend on Monday, 1 written final on Tuesday, 1 final project also due Tuesday, 1 short answer essay due Wednesday, 1 class discussion final (we had to orally take our final, and it was a neat method for a history class), tomorrow I have yet another presentation, and then 1 final essay on what I've learned in my degree that's due Friday-ish.  And I had like three assignments due during dead-week along with a couple of finals then too.  So much for the last semester being a breeze.  Still, easier than when I was taking engineering courses. 
 
Also bought tickets to see The Hobbit tomorrow night.  No, spoilers, because I sure don't want to know how it's gonna end.   (Hint: the LotR movies never happened, they were just Smaug's dream after he ate all the dwarfs.)
 
Oh, and I have surgery next week, and then two weeks on a liquid only diet!  So excited to consume lots of jello, yogurt, and mashed potatoes!
 
And then sometime before January I need to find housing in Dallas.  Searching online is kind of a pain, especially with apartment reviews.  A few people gush over the places and give em great reviews, and others then claim those were written by the owners themselves and everybody else just complains and says they're horrible.  Maybe I'll just have to find a particularly cozy overpass to hang out under for my three months down there.
 
Hmm, okay, this entry did turn out to be longish.  And I was trying to be sarcastic with the title at first.
 

Woo Hoo, I managed to finish my story and enter it into the contest. Yay! You can read and review it Here.

What the Karzahni? I just wrote an extensive blog entry and then 90% of the text gets deleted when I posted it? Oh well, I guess I can go into the detailed about the story in a later entry. Suffice to say, I hope you'll take some time to read it, and I hope it does well in the contest. (It is quite long; the longest entry so far.)

So please review! Thanks! (Oh, and go enter the contest yourself, since it only has like 7 entries and the deadline's tonight.)

Am I trying to learn Actionscript just so I can recreate MNOLG-style Flash games?

Maybe

(Figured out how to create a moving target that has different affects depending on when you click it, and also how to scroll the background.  PROGRESS!)

I met up with my old Park Ranger bosses tonight and played a couple of games of risk.

Short story: I lost.  First time minorly, second time dreadfully.

Long Story: We did two games.  For the first game, I took Africa, and fought valiantly over Egypt and the Middle East.  But then the fighting in the Americas was decided, and they came storming in from Brazil and wiped me out.  Then that guy basically had all the power, the rest of us were fairly spread thin, so we called it a game

The second time, I lost half my countries in the first round, before it was even my turn to play!  But I held about half of Asia, and made an alliance with the guy in control of the other half that we wouldn't attack each other.  We were playing by the rules where when you claim a territory during a turn, you get a country card, and then you can turn them in for more troops later.  Well, I slowly made my way across Asia and into Europe, collecting country cards, while there was lots of fighting in Africa and the Americas.  Eventually, I finally got ten cards, which would give me a maximum of 30 extra troops!  But alas, before I could cash in, one player swept the board with me, knocking me down to two countries before he ran out of armies.  Then the next player, the guy who won the first round, finished me off completely and took all ten of my cards.  The others had no hope to defeat him, so the game was called in his favor yet again.

I will return for revenge.  I need a new strategy.  Africa gets fought over too much.  Australia is usually grabbed early on, but the Americas are a good option to take.  Also, cashing in on the cards I have before everybody else becomes aware of my plan... that was my failing tonight!

Gosh, it sure is expensive to find a place to stay for three months in Dallas.  So many factors to worry about.  How close is it to my work? How much is rent?  Is it furnished?  No, okay, then where can I rent stuff like a bed?  IT COST THAT MUCH!  Screw it, I'll sleep on a cot.  What's the Internet situation like?  Is it in a good neighborhood?  What stores are within walking distance?  If I bring my car, where can I park it?

But most importantly.

What's its proximity to the closest Lego store?  

(It turns out, for some of the properties, I'd be driving past a Lego store on my way to work!)

Anyway, it's crazy how pricey stuff is, but hey it's a city so it's to be expected.  Still, sounds like a majority of the paycheck will go towards rent.  Darn responsibilities, totally ruining adult life!