Below are the 19 most recent journal entries recorded in Gairten's LiveJournal:

Monday, November 12th, 2007
10:14 am	Dancing Ftw I've surprised even myself with how much I enjoyed yesterday's Guy Fawkes event and the one Rogue Dancing session I've gone to. I have conquered the basics of the regular Waltz, Samba, Rhumba, Tango, Foxtrot, and (sort of) Bolero and it feels good. Hats off to the organizers of yesterday's event and to the women who, due to the guy:gal ratio, were no doubt exhausted by the end : ) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, August 14th, 2006
5:52 pm	Past Weekends This past weekend I saw the Red Sox game at Fenway against the Orioles with D who came up to Boston with A to see J afterward (yeah, they need LJs). While I'm not a baseball nut, having it be a very close (and good) game that the Sox managed to win in the 10th inning was pretty awesome and exciting. The weekend before was cool because I got to see matt_rah and bigbluebackpack at dinner in Cambridge, along with my roomies taranhero and silvergoose. I found out the price of my not reading LJ regularly as my mind melted when I heard the news I'd missed - so many people are getting hitched, yikes and congratulations to all of you! The weekend before that was very cool because winterswan's shindig was awesome as always and it was great seeing everyone. I also realized that there are a number of folks I'd love to catch up with over dinner. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 8th, 2006
5:27 pm	ProCon: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly The Good Every LARP and tabletop I participated in one way or another went off well, on time and seem to be genuinely enjoyed by all. Also, the entire event was nicely done this year, congrats to all players, GMs, the Sci-Fi episode & video bringers, organizers and even police and security for letting a spill be in the main room of smitty banana. The Bad After my big high of playing Ares, God of War! I hit quite a low as blue and white lights appeared in my rear view mirror on I95 at 3:55 AM to give me a ticket, my first in years, (cry). The Ugly I have been hit with the plague as well, and while it is not a flu nor am I letting it stop me from going to work, it has certainly kicked my ass for the last 3 days. I await a cure potion. It occurs to me that when you have five dozen people eating, shaking hands, talking, eating some more, etc. that it's just a breeding ground for disease, I suggest next year we think of ways to mitigate that somewhat. Off the top of my foggy head: 1) more asian games so that there is more bowing and less handshaking, 2) more hand washing for all around! (I am kidding about #1, what *is* it with this non-stop Asian game fetish?) (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, February 25th, 2006
8:51 am	Costuming These seems like a great forum to ask for ProCon costuming so here goes. Does anyone have any tribal leather or furs that I could wear for next Saturday night's The Middle Kingdom? I'd also love a giant boffer greataxe, I promise to be kind to it. Thanks! (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 1st, 2006
8:48 pm	ProCon I've decided to run a one-shot at ProCon since I had so much fun running a one-shot at it a couple years back and because while I definitely need a break from running one-shot LARPs, one-shot tabletops are a great way to try out an interesting idea. Anyway, for those of you not on the mailing list (or who like to get their event notices via LJ - more on that later): ProCon One-Shot: The Well of Eternity It is the time of the Ancients. Demigods and the five Dragon Aspects roam the lands of Azeroth, and a lake of near infinite mystic power situated in the center of the vast continent of Kalimdor is worshiped by the Kaldorei or "blessed of the stars", who would in time be called the Night Elves. It is this Well of Eternity and how the powerful would use it that will decide the fate of an entire world as well as the fate of those who follow this world's history… *** The Well of Eternity is a ProCon one-shot for 2-10 players that will use the diceless Nobilis system, in which players control a powerful being with dominion over a particular aspect of reality, for example: Bikes, Light, Injustice, Zones, Zealotry, Anger, Radios, or Dogs. Players will be either a demigod or an ancient dragon, characters are pre-generated but will be assigned based on player preferences. If you are interested, please feel free to post or e-mail me so I can get a sense of who may show up. There will be opposing player sides as well as in-game cooperative team tournaments and other player vs. player action (a.k.a. PC whacky whacky in Aralis-ese). A little online game (ok, it's multiplayer and massive and you roleplay in it… sometimes) called World of Warcraft is my inspiration and setting for this game but the game also satirically explores the MMORPG culture in general so you may enjoy the game - and are more than welcome to come - even if you just know someone who plays. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, January 19th, 2006
7:25 pm	Status Update Job: Going well, working on two projects that are cool plus some internal projects but I am still, as they say, trying to level up in Consultant. One of my colleagues describes consultants well – “we don’t know the answers, we just know what questions to ask”. Yeah, I know. Apartment: Buggier than Windows 3.0, as of my typing this things are still being lame and not working completely, but I’m sure they’ll fix the root of the problem soon as these constant repair visits must be costing Norwest Woods a bundle. Gaming: The Saturday game has split into the older one, with my Barbarian, and a new one, where I’m playing a Psion. I’ve discovered that I like playing characters that either a) do damage (no surprise) or b) have minions and c) aren’t healers. Looking back at all characters in FGS (and even World of Warcraft) I’ve been able to play long term it seems this is a definite pattern. Not to say playing something other than that isn’t a fun change ; ) People: Hanging out with D&A last Friday was fun and I also got to see one of our old friends, not to mention have spicy Thai food in some random part of Providence that had a BYOB policy. Sake is deceivingly easy to get drunk on… Side note, giving A World of Warcraft for Christmas may prove to have been unwise, but only time will tell ; ) World of Warcraft: On a brief hiatus from it, and enjoying the free time. Watching anime and planning on running a D&D game on the weekend is quite relaxing. Anime: Like so many other anime series Wolf’s Rain has an annoying ending, but on the bright side it was enjoyable and had good music… so still worth watching, if for nothing else other than cool wolf fights. Side note: episodes 15, 16 and 17 are complete rehashes of earlier episodes… they didn’t even do a voice over or use flashbacks to pretend they’re giving you something new – lame. TV: So very, very happy that my favorites are all on again since January – BSG has been badass/wonderful/mind-warping, and Stargates and Smallville have been enjoyable and comforting to have around again. (Comment on this)
Friday, December 30th, 2005
5:18 pm	Games I've had some time to decompress from constant gaming, both FGS and World of Warcraft, and it's been relaxing not having to go somewhere or do something all the time such that all free time disappears into a black hole. I will not be running Age of Dragons: Veterans this winter/spring, and after talking to my co-conspirator marcus_sez_vote something in the future would definitely not be out of the question... I fully expect it to run again some time, just not in the immediate future. Reason being that it is a very demanding game to run (though I do enjoy running it) as it's always a new world to create and then maintain each week, thus it takes a fair amount of endurance to pull off ; ) On the other hand, I do feel the itch to participate in another regular game, and I'm seriously considering starting up a Warcraft tabletop. Now I know what some are you might be thinking... that addict can't get enough of the MMORPG so he's just getting his fix another way... but the setting has a very rich and cool history and the more I think about it the more it reminds me of Earthdawn. Anyway, there are published rules for it - d20 (D&D 3.5), and I am curious if anyone might be interested in PCing. It would likely be a long-term weekly game on Sundays that keeps going through summer and winter vacations, most likely starting this summer, and 4-5 players would probably be the sweet spot. Setting would be just after Warcraft 3X: Frozen Throne and a couple years before World of Warcraft, party makeup could be both alliance and horde, race list still TBD but most likely include the 8 playable in WoW + Goblins & High/Blood Elves. No prior Warcraft knowledge needed, high fantasy with some steam tech is the setting. Classes would include Warrior, Priest, Druid, Shaman, Mage, Warlock, Tinker (creates tech, usually Gnomes/Goblins), Barbarian, Hunter, Rogue, Paladin, Scout and prestige classes such as Blademaster, Knight, Archmage of Kirin Tor, etc. History: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/story/chapter1.html Races: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/races/ (ignore racial traits) Anyway, suggestions/comments are most certainly welcome, I'm still in the planning stages. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 1st, 2005
6:29 pm	First Impressions I've gotten through most of my first week at my new job and while slightly bleary eyed from adjusting to the work time zone I am even more excited than I was before I started. The people in my group are pretty awesome in that while they are hard-working, bright professionals they also have a great sense of humor and all seem nice and cool... so rare. Only time can tell of course but I'm getting a good vibe. I'm currently an info-dump receptacle, soaking up all sorts of group and company info, looking at current projects and talking to the other group members so I can do my job competently when I get my first project in a few weeks or so. I feel good that I am not working for an "evil company" (after looking at the financials closely, I feel pretty confident about this one) and I think working in the healthcare industry will make me happy on a moral level. I'm sure it will worm its way into my mind too... like watching Scrooge and wishing little Timmy had a health plan. I'm still going nuts at not being able to use a phone at home (no cell reception, no land line) but at least my long lost roommate in absentia (he's living in DC now in fact) has given us the info we need to add a land line, since all bills were in his name. My WoW withdrawal is going well and looking at my new necessary bedtime I feel less bad about dropping Something Evil.* The new Harry Potter movie was great and I'm looking forward to Narnia this weekend and Aeon Flux soon as well. *I know I'm getting old when sleep is more of a concern than FGS. Ah well. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, November 24th, 2005
7:40 pm	Housewarming Party! Something I'd promised many to do when I moved in was to throw a party. And as I have finally moved in recently it's time. taranhero and I were thinking about next Friday, December 2nd starting around 8 and going until whenever. FGS in general and friends/SOs are welcome, please post if you think you'll be coming so we know how many to expect. Directions to be posted in a bit, but it's Norwood, MA and a number of you already know the way. (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, November 11th, 2005
2:37 am	Random Updates First the mini avatars, as they are just cute as hell. Gairten James Verette Alvarado I jinxed myself a few weeks ago when I told labyrinth_ghoul that a little rain wouldn't stop me from driving down, and that only a blizzard and being told not to come had ever stopped me twice from coming to Earthdawn... then I get a flat tire on the way, followed by flooding causing a detour in a remote area of Providence I have no experience in navigating! Speaking of which, the game goes well and the barbarian is becoming a serious force of nature to be reckoned with and his cohort has officially become creepy but cool. I wonder if we're leveling slightly too fast, savoring the moment is always a good thing, even though we earn it. I do like the way the meta plot could be headed and owning a weaponsmith should be fun. Something Wicked also goes well and while I'm beginning to connect with my character things seem a bit more disjointed than in the summer what with player shuffling and absenses, including my own. Writing recaps/log is a serious undertaking as I don't like doing a bad job at it yet it takes so long to do a good recap, I should probably get started on last week's soon... Tonight I had fun hanging out with my roommate, I've finished moving virtually everything except clothes and a bed. Putting together furniture is a pain... more-so when one of the pieces is missing some drilled holes as I learned yesterday trying to finish the top part of my desk =P But now my new computer is set up and happy and ready for way too much WoW. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, September 26th, 2005
11:17 am	Television and Anime The weekend was quite fun, spending it in Providence with D&A, watching some of the anime I had: Kare Kano and Hellsing, and generally relaxing. Before that on Friday, I was left extremely disturbed, shocked and amazed at the wretched squalor of the mid season finale of Battlestar Galactica. It continued to be extremely well acted and written and it seriously reminded me of darkwhimsy at his most frightening as an Aralis/RM GM. I need more people to watch this so I can talk about how insane that episode was. My roommate (other than taranhero) who’s moving to DC had thought up a mock system of one drink for a bad thing happening and 4 for a good thing happening. I think that episode called for a new category. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 13th, 2005
4:58 pm	Stringed Instrument I went and bought an acoustic guitar yesterday. I got a good deal from a reputable store and while I got one that wasn't too fancy it sounds good (at least it did when the store employee played it). Right now I've got a few chords down and am waiting for my left forearm to adapt to holding down multiple strings in odd configurations as I plod through beginning lessons from a book with pictures. My short term goal is to play the Imperial March from Star Wars (a habit I got into long ago, have to play this on any new instrument I learn) within a week and move on from there. (Comment on this)
Thursday, September 8th, 2005
2:38 pm	Wasting Time Last weekend was very fun as not only did I go to the kiddens birthday party, two of my non-FGS friends had what amounted to a long weekend-long double birthday party. I also watched the Transporter 2, which I enjoyed as a good martial arts action movie (mmm... combat firehoses). My friend and fellow martial artist (Tang Soo Do though and not Tae Kwon Do) remarked that it was good to see some Korean martial arts on the big screen instead of just Kung Fu, I agreed. I would like to blame noradannan for getting me into Vampires! indirectly from her 9/2 post. Urban Dead, in which I'm playing as Gairten, is somewhat pathetic as I have a total of 31 XP and became a zombie the first day. Vampires!, in which I'm playing as Alvarado, though simpler is more satisfying somehow. Sadly, neither are anywhere close to Avatar (sniff, sniff). I suppose both are good for working on my World of Warcraft addiction, acting as something like the nicotine patch perhaps? (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, September 1st, 2005
2:19 pm	Music Last Wednesday I saw Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers while I was at the Cape with my aforementioned uncle, aunt, grandmother and parents. It was a good concert and I learned that Bruce Hornsby did the song "The Way It Is", and was a pianist for the Grateful Dead*. He's pretty hard to put into one kind of music and he was very versatile on stage. One of the things that hit me when I went to a small music shop with my uncle and aunt the next day was that I had a real desire to buy and learn how to play the guitar. Not sure how much of a fancy vs. commitment I was thinking of I decided to research it a bit more. So for those in the know, where's a good place to get a guitar (on the web), what price range should I consider (something better than junky, something less than the really good), what brand, etc? Music (singing in particular) was a very big part of my life before college and forced to choose I went with martial arts and FGS, not that they're exclusive but there is only so much time you have in a given day. *A distant cousin of mine is/was the drummer for the Grateful Dead, (the above-mentioned) aunt's nephew to be exact, so my uncle and aunt were quite excited to see the performance, especially when he did a Grateful Dead piece. (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, August 29th, 2005
1:43 am	Relatives and Justice Last week I had a long stretch of having no internet or cell phone reception at my disposal and once again realized what the early 80's were like. However the reason for this was that my uncle, aunt, grandmother, parents and I were having a grand old time at the Cape for five days. Seeing as I rarely if ever get to see my Californian mother's brother and his wife on this side of the country it was a real treat, he's the coolest uncle ever. I had jury duty last Thursday (my 3rd time, sat on a jury panel once out of those) and the few dozen of us came in the room and watched that video made in the 1970s about civic duty again, etc. The judge came by and told us that most cases were quick and took just a day. I was pleasantly surprised when the bailiff put on a movie for us while we waited for the judge to figure out what if any cases were going to be tried that day. The movie was "Meet the Parents", which I hadn't seen but oddly enough had seen its sequel "Meet the Fockers". The former felt like the sequel just without Barbara Streisand and even though it wasn't incredible the occasional laugh was nice. The real punch line was when the judge finally came down, called all of us into the courtroom, said that there was a case and that it would likely take three to four weeks, asking if that would pose any undue hardship for any of us. Half of everyone (but not me) raised their hands. Then he said he was kidding and that he just wanted to show us the inside of the courtroom and that our being there served justice. Harty-har-har, a comedian for a judge, how lovely ; ) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, August 15th, 2005
2:40 pm	Road Hazards This is a follow up to my Rain, Rain post. So Saturday I discovered that my car was stuttering and shivering and a foreign light appeared on my dashboard - neither the engine nor the oil. It seems the stupid flood on the road last week also happened to short out some wires and my starter. A couple hundred dollars later I was on my way with a functioning car again, joy. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, August 6th, 2005
7:32 pm	Good Eating I had some very good steak tips last night at a Norwood restaurant called Conrads. Moist, juicy, with a sauce that was tasty without being very salty and a nice side of potatoe and 16 oz lager. There's really nothing quite like meat, potatoe and beer when you're in the mood, I've gotta say. The interesting thing was that even though I ordered my meat medium-well and everyone else got medium-rare, all were juicy and not burnt (which is good) and there's didn't look red and bloody. I hate seeing red, pink is as far as I'll go. I guess it's only those hardcare steak places that take you literally when you order rare. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2005
11:16 pm	Rain, Rain So I stepped into my car this morning only to realize that the water on the road from Monday night's storm (which seriously created lagoons on VFW parkway) had managed to seep up into my car while driving through them and made it smell like wet dog. It does go away after a few seconds of driving real fast with the windows open... Time to test the power of Febreze while I contact the dealer to get a thorough dog wash. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, August 1st, 2005
3:08 pm	Starting Off Special thanks to taranhero (my "roommate") for pointing me in the right direction, and to marcus_sez_vote for guilting me here in the first place. I'm still working on my friends list and learning the more obscure nicknames, poke me if I have forgotten to add you. (8 Comments |Comment on this)