Not much, ElJay, not much.

Work of course. And reaching the conclusion that I'm going to have to force myself to be productive beforehand, because if left to my own devices, probably not going to happen. I love working nights, but it's tough to not just wander through the day like a zombie. My days off still suck ass, and I keep hoping hoping for a change, though I have no idea if or when it'll happen. I'm settling in to it now, but it still sucks ass that pretty much everybody else has Saturdays and Sundays off while I'm like, "Yeeeaah, can't do anything. Have fun!" The work itself remains pretty fantastic though and I very much feel I'm getting the swing of things now. Which is nice for my stress levels. I really, really hate that settling in period with new jobs.

This upcoming week is going to be pretty packed. It's Mike's birthday tomorrow. Usually he gets King Treatment for a week, but seeing as how I'm working, that's truncated horribly, so I have to try the best I can otherwise.

I have tomorrow off (my first PTO!) and that night we're going with Amy and Scott to see The Police. I expect much awesomeness. (Tomorrow I think I may also try for an iPhone, but I still haven't decided yet.) Back to work for me on Saturday and Sunday, but we'll have the pre-work day to do whatever strikes Mike's fancy. Same with Monday, which Mike has off. Tuesday though is like my Saturday, and it's going to be PACKED.

Every year, Mike gets to go to Ground Kontrol with a ridiculous number of quarters and play. And play. And play some more. As much as he wants, as long as he wants. So that's what we're going to do. It opens at noon, and we'll be there at noon, ready to go. After playing all through the afternoon, we'll head out for some nice dinner, then make our way to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall for the man himself, Eddie Izzard. Did I mention third row seats? THIRD ROW SEATS. After Eddie, we'll make our way back to Ground Kontrol for more playing, up to 2am, then drag our asses home.

Oh, and also, Tuesday happens to be the release of The Who pack on Rock Band. So we'll cram in as much playing of the new tracks as possible before having to leave. And, of course, Tuesday also happens to be when Harmonix are announcing all their Rock Band 2 goodies at E3.

It is not coincidental that I'm seriously considering having the web in my pocket by Tuesday.

Wednesday will be catching up on all the other stuff we didn't get done while I was at work. Sleeping in with cuddles, further enjoying our Who pack, dinner and a movie, etc.

In other news, I have seriously jacked up the first joint on my left pointer finger and I have absolutely no idea how. It's been about a week now. I think I may actually have to put some of that insurance I now receive to good use. Darn it. I think I'm going to tape it up this afternoon and keep it that way for about 24 hours, see if that helps. And it's going to make typing hilarious.

Yesterday I was just in the most horrible, foul mood. Which isn't necessarily unheard of for me. Let's face it, a foul mood is really my neutral gear. But now that my time is once again measured in "work" and "not work", I really hate being pissy during one of my precious, precious "not work" times.

I won't go into what's contributed to my declining mood, since focusing on that is liable to have much the effect of putting out a fire with lighter fluid. So instead I'll say what's making today better.

1) Obama got the primary. I've refrained from talking politics in here lately because the whole thing has had me so irritated that I didn't want to voice anything. Now I can give an enthusiastic HELL YEAH.

2) I've been having massive eye trouble that's led me around and around and around and around and finally ended today with it looking A-okay. I may actually finally be getting those contacts I was supposed to get back in October! Now with updated prescription!

3) We downloaded the Jimmy Buffett pack for my favourite game last night, and it's ridiculously fun. As mentioned, these are rerecordings he did just for this pack ... and that included this modified line from "Volcano": "Just want to be a couch potato and play Rock Band every day." You go, Jimmy. You earned me dollars.

4) Picked up some nice fresh chicken and veggies and will make a delicious dinner. It'll be DELICIOUS I tell you. I decree it.

5) Despite myself (and a huge irritant I shall not discuss, see above, re: lighter fluid), I got things accomplished today.

Tomorrow flips the needle back to "work", but at least I have hope that "not work" will end on a positive.

(Now come on, dinner, don't you let me down, you bitch.)

One more day. Then the shackles of employment slap shut once again.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited, both at the prospect of a job that doesn't suck and a big steady paycheck. But apart from school, I've had time to do whatever the hell I wanted for a sort of ridiculously long time now. It's weird to think that I won't be able to check whatever sites I want when I want. That my cell phone will have to go ignored until appropriate intervals. That my time won't be 100% my own whenever I want it to be.

I know, the woes and tribulations, right? Blah blah, bitch some more.

It's kinda cool though. I'm watching my "free" days tick away, and I chose to spend all of today writing. It felt good. Not just from a "I wrote" perspective (though that was awesome), but the affirmation of what I said previously, that when I don't have all the time in the world to do it, I actually do. I sort of suck like that.

So tomorrow is my last day, and I'm wondering what to do with it. Well, I have some errands I have to run, so I'll get that out of the way first. Need lunchy things that are easily preparable, and a new Def Leppard CD that must be made mine. Other than that though, it's a big question mark. Do I work on some organizing I've been meaning to do for like 2 years? Clean up real good and go back to work with a spotless apartment? Veg on the couch all day watching movies and/or playing games? Dive into some fanfic archives and embrace my inner nerd?

So many choices. Only one shot to make the "right" one.

So I'm not a sharp dressed man. Whatev.

Success! A whole outfit found in my closet. Practically brand new! With shoes!

That's today's primary irritation resolved before I even got started.

And there are indeed pants! oblique_ref wins one free afternoon of Rock Band! Yaaaay!

I've been thinking about making videos of myself (and/or Mike) playing the new Rock Band DLC when it comes out. Between those vids and the DLC announcement, I have a question for you, my flist.

Is the Rock Band stuff just totally bugging your shit? Is it something I should split into a separate blog (be it ElJay or EyeJay or my own site)? Or do those of you who don't care find it easy enough to just let your eyes glaze over? Is it getting to be a "God damn that Jet Wolf! If it's not Buffy it's Rock Band!"

I hate the idea of being one of those ElJayers. Yeah, those. You know the ones.

Please to be speaking freely.

Sorry so quiet lately. School is in its final throws, and my head's down as I drive on through. You won't be able to shut me up in a few weeks, I'm sure.

There's still time for some awesomeness though.

Tomorrow? TORI.

I squee.

On the ride home from the store, I reflect.

I think the girl at Trader Joe's keeps flirting with me.

I can't really be sure. My Flirtdar is perpetually set to "Huh?" But I think she is.

My haircut = TEH SEXOR.

This morning, I was going to have toast for breakfast.

I couldn't be bothered to toast it.

I'm currently eating bread and butter.

How I love finding new levels of laziness to which I can sink.

So I had an interesting weekend.

Be warned. This is a long'un.

( Friday, as mentioned ... )

( Saturday Night pt 1: Grand Theft Annoyance )

( Saturday Night pt. 2: Oh what a night. )

I found some old chat buffers the other day. I'm talking oooooold. Pre-Internet old. Local dial-in BBS old. Before Compuserve, Prodigy and AOL old. Really fucking old, is what I'm saying. I was in high school and, as is the requirement, it was all about two things: ANGST and ME.

This is some seriously embarassing shit. And it goes on. For hours. NIGHTLY. The only people who could've possibly seen it were myself and the three other people in the room – yes, chat rooms consisting of four whole people. I take a moment to shout out to my oldskool homies Hamilton, Tonfa, Druid, Puppy, and ... and damn, I can't remember anyone else. Delirious was one I think, but I also think I hated her. Stormy? Or was that just Aardwolf? Ack, losing track of online personalities in my advanced age.

But I digress.

The only people who would've seen this stuff were the three other people in the room and the creepy voyeur sysOp. Still, that's three (possibly four) too many and it makes me cringe. All I can say is that I'm so thankful that LiveJournal and LJ-esque services did not exist at that time. If we wanted to whine to ourselves, we had to use PAPER and a book with a FLIMSY LOCK and we LIKED IT.

I did that too. (I didn't like it.)

I've realized something though. I was a punk-ass kid who had the arrogance to think she knew what real pain and struggle was all about, who was so sure she was ALONE IN THE WORLD and NO ONE COULD POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND HER, with my wangsty music and my wangsty depression ...

I was emo before emo.

My suck is trend-setting suck. So in a decade or so, we can expect that being a lazy bitch who thinks far too highly of her own opinion will be totally in.

And this is why everyone should have an Art Slave. ( To save them from embarassing real-life photos. )

I did something today. I did something today I haven't done since I was, oh, three years old.

I got my hair cut.

Short.

Way short.

( "I couldn't put it up in a ponytail if I tried" short. )

ETA: Hey, all my little JW-heads don't match now. A travesty I had not considered! OHNOES!

Now I've got my moods well under way, here are my remaining day's plans.

First, I shall get an early lunch, for I am hungry. Whilst I eat, I shall play a "quick" game of Civ4. I haven't yet done battle with a neighboring nation, so I think this time I'm going to get all warlike on their digital ass. Hail the conquering heroes!

After that "quick" game, I'm going to open up Callisto and install her new DVD/CD burner. Her current one has ceased functioning and when I bought Mike's RAM, they had a really good deal on a new one. Time to put that puppy in so I can burn off the, like, fifteen gigs of Daily Shows and Colbert Reports I have sitting on my hard drive. After that, it's a full and far overdue back up, then a reformat and reinstall. I've had Callisto since 2002 or so and she's never had one. She's in desperate need.

This smacks of being an all-day job. I've been wondering what to do while it's going on, and I think I've settled on either the old standby of MST3K eps, or I might continue watching/listening to Buffy S1. Of course, I was doing that with mum and she's at work right now, so maybe I'll hold off on that until we can continue the rewatch together. Hm. Yes, MST3K it is then. I'll happily listen to Angel's Revenge for the 3348th time.

Tomorrow, it is a grand return to writing. I'm disabling the wireless in Glory and not turning it on until I've at least finished the scene I started, oh, a month ago. It's whatcha gotta do. How Jet Wolf got her groove back was not by sitting here, staring at her writing folder in stark terror.

But first! Peanut butter sandwich of the gods.

----
Adding: UPS just showed up. We got gift part 2, Amy. SQUEE! I think I'll let Mike take it up to work though. It looks like it belongs there. :)
Adding #2: Kate, I just remembered I totally spaced on your feedback. Can you link me again to your stories?
Adding #3: I don't have a "productive" head yet. Soon!

Because I am so very loved, Amy is in the process of making me a custom mood set for LJ. What is it of, you ask? What else?

ME.

These are, simply put, awesome. I had plans to make my own Buffy one, but with everything else, gods only know when that will happen. Now I may not bother. I mean, what can better show my mood than a little pixelized head of myself? Nothing, that's what.

Hee! Little Jet Wolf heads! <pets little Jet Wolf heads>

<little Jet Wolf heads don't like being petted>

<cleans wound left by little Jet Wolf heads>

ETA: So of course the first head I pick is one that I don't have an image for yet. There. That's better.

Just throwing this out there. It drives me absolutely starkers and has for years and years. I don't typically bother to correct people despite the insanity because ... well, it's just one of those petty little things that I feel really isn't worth saying most times. But today I feel like sharing. So here we go.

It's "Jet Wolf".

NOT "Jetwolf".

Two words.

JET. SPACE. WOLF.

It's always been this way. I first entered the world of the Internet, courtesy of Usenet, on 26 June 1995. (I know, cuz I just looked it up.) It has never changed.

I know it's "jetwolf" on LJ. They don't allow spaces on LJ. They don't allow capitalization either, but that's a completely separate bitch.

Jet Wolf.

For the love of all that is holy, please include the space. Please.

</self-indulgent raving>

I had a neat encounter on CoH a week or so back. After I said something on the LJ channel, another player replied wtih, "Huh, Jet Wolf. Why does that name sound familiar?" After some brain searching, it turned out she remembered my name from my Sailor Moon music videos. Delighted to have made the connection, she informed that it was because of my videos that she went and tracked down, watched and enjoyed the whole gosh darned series. She called me her gateway drug. That was pretty freaking cool for many reasons, not the least of which being that these videos are about eight years old. Yay for staying power.

Then yesterday, someone said, "Are you the Jet Wolf who did OSB?" Again with the cool.

I love it when, out of nowhere, there's this little flash of recognition for something else I've done. In the past ten years or so on the Internet, I've heard: "Are you the Jet Wolf from the fandub?", "Are you the Jet Wolf from Otaku Wars?", "Are you the Jet Wolf with the Top 100 Buffy list?", "Are you the As If! Hunter Jet Wolf?" That one sounds like some weird subspecies.

Then there's my all time favourite, "Are you THE Jet Wolf?", to which I responded, "Well I'm a Jet Wolf ..."

It's like my whole life has meaning thanks to these little flashing moments of Internet recognition.

Man, my life is lame.

In other news, massive insomnia attack last night. I didn't get to sleep until around 3, and I got up at 8. I've been working on end of term stuff too, so no real sleep for me today. On the plus side though, after Mike gets off of work, we're going to see Goblet of Fire. Yes, finally. And tomorrow we brave the mall. We must be stalwart.

And finally, everyone keep your fingers crossed for Harley. Harley, for those who don't know, is my mom's dog, but she belonged to both of us before I moved to Oregon. You may remember mentions of Nova's puppy trouble on The Pack, and it's returned. Harley has to go into the LSU vet school Tuesday for more work. If all goes well, then she'll just need her gall bladder removed. Worst case, the vet's prepping Mum for news of cancer. Needless to say, this is not news we want. We'll take any finger crossing we can get.

Last night's sleep was the antithesis to the previous. I did not sleep well. I do not feel rested. I am now tired and crabby and there's no one to complain to.

Grump.

I slept quite well last night. I actually read a little before going to bed, which I haven't done in forever. That was nice, I should start doing that more often. Jett wholly claimed the Mikeless side of the bed as her own, and I didn't wake up once until the morning. A good, solid six-and-bits hours. Very nice.

Of course, everything started going downhill from there.

( And you can read all about it! )

As previously advertised, Mike departed to visit his parents this afternoon. He's about 30 minutes outside of Atlanta as I type, according to the little flight tracker thingie I always watch obsessively when a loved one defies gravity in air Titanics. He'll be gone for a whole week. This is the first time I've been on my own since The Worst Christmas Evah. (For those who did not know me back in December 2002, backstory is here and here.) Despite my age, I've actually not been 100% on my own very much, so it's always an interesting experience when this happens.

After going to the airport and the grocery store (so that I would eat more than cheese sandwiches all week), I came home. Within 10 minutes, I was holding a conversation with Jett. I would both ask questions and answer them. This does not bode well.

My afternoon and evening were supposed to be spent writing. This didn't so much happen. Instead, I walked in to find that the Democrats forced the Senate into a closed session, so I of course had to watch CSPAN for the fun of it. It was worth it to see Frist practically gnawing his own arm off in anger. From there, I decided to catch up on about a week and a half-worth of Daily Shows that were backed upon my TiVo. I did all of this while gorging to almost the point of nausea on my deeply discounted Halloween candy bounty I'd found at Freddy's. Afterward, I played some more City of Villains (I heart my Mastermind, High Revolutionary) while watching/listening to MST3K.

So here's the summation of my day: I ignored homework to watch TV and bad movies while playing video games and eating candy. In other words, when unsupervised, I regress to fourteen years old.

I have expectations that the rest of the week won't be quite so ill spent – at least not once I get the party out of my system when my friends come over and we get SO TOTALLY WASTED, MAN. But I do expect there to be other misadventures. After all, there's bound to be cooking.