I just got a call from Doug, our landlord, to inform me that our apartment has been rented. This was one of the main concerns about buying a house; I mean, there’s the stress of things breaking and my having to fix them, or of the cost, the mortgage, longer commute to work, etc. But because we bought a house much sooner than we had anticipated (due to finding pretty much the perfect house), we still had a rental obligation.
Essentially, we were facing paying a mortgage in addition to rent for the next 4-10 months, or until the apartment was rented. Our lease isn’t up until the end of May, 2009, but we figured that it would be rented by January, 2009 at the latest (end of the fall semester). We’d hoped, of course, for a September rental, but that was a long shot.
But now it’s done, and that’ll save us well over $400/month. \o/
Posted on August 14th, 2008 at 4:55 pm by Matthew
Filed under: General | Tagged with: apartment, house, money, moving, rent
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On particularly successful days of playing World of Warcraft, my mind will continue thinking game-related thoughts as I try to go to sleep. Since this weekend saw the acquisition of both a breastplate and a pair of pants I had been gunning for (not to mention some awesome shoulders), I continued to consider WoW while dozing off, and I wondered what kept me playing. It’s a game I enjoy a great deal, despite a two year hiatus, and I continue to have fun playing something that should, by all rights, bore me.
As I swished thoughts about the game around my brain, though, I began to think about the framework of WoW. Your character, regardless of race, begins and ascends as a hero. You are told from the outset that you are one of the last of your kind, or that your people are fighting some sort of war, and that you may be the last hope in our stand against evil.
Which, of course, appeals to me. In our middle-class, American lives spent eating, sleeping, and going to work Monday through Friday, we don’t often get the chance to be a hero. And, truth be told, we don’t really want that chance. While our characters run across continents, being attacked by fantastic and dangerous creatures, getting killed repeatedly while risking their lives, we (the players) sit comfortably in air conditioned rooms, eating pizza or drinking coffee while chatting with our friends.
Even if you’re not into roleplaying, you suspend your disbelief and sort of become your character for a while when you play World of Warcraft. The game gives you permission to put on a mask and become a hero, to work towards a goal with comrades and Save the World (of Warcraft).
We all want to be part of something greater than ourselves, and the vast world (of Warcraft) gives that feeling. Even when ascending to the heights of heroism, there’s still a great deal going on around you, and Blizzard continues to expand the world and add content for you to explore. What felt cramped prior to the current expansion now feels huge and ever-changing, and a second expansion will be released soon. New lands await for exploration, conquering, and storytelling.
As simple or complex as you make it, WoW continues to thrive, and continues to let us be the heroes of which we dream. A lot of people speak disparagingly of World of Warcraft, but you have to wonder why it retains and gains so many subscribers. The answer, to my mind, is simple: no other game or experience lets you feel so awesome. World of Warcraft is structured to stroke your ego and make you feel like a hero of legend and renown. That’s a sort of thrill that’s hard to find elsewhere, and even though I recognize the manipulation and suspension of disbelief required, the game continues to be fun for me. Every day I can become an even greater hero than the day before.
Posted on August 13th, 2008 at 4:00 am by Matthew
Filed under: Games | Tagged with: hero, lord raglan, suspension of disbelief, world of warcraft, wow
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Last Thursday, our mortgage agent called to say that they had nearly everything ready, but they needed a copy of my current driver’s license; the one they had on file was out of date. Of course, I knew that my license didn’t expire until September of 2008, and I had been putting off renewing it until then (partly because I procrastinate and partly (much later in the process) so it would have our new address on it), and after convincing the nice woman on the other end of the line that this was the case, I pulled my wallet out to look at my license.
Yeah, it expired in September of 2007.
Somewhat embarassed, I told her that I’d get it taken care of tomorrow (last Friday) and fax her a copy, thinking that I could run to the License Bureau during lunch, pay whatever fine was attached to having let my license lapse, and be on my merry way.
“Oh ho!” says the license bureau, “your license is more than six months expired! That means you might have forgotten everything there is to know about driving!”
If your driver’s license is more than six months expired, you have to retake all the tests associated with that license. I can partially understand this, but in the two and a half hours it took to get my license renewed, I couldn’t help but stew in frustration. If I had gone in five months ago, there would have been no test needed. Yet, somehow in that five extra months, it was assumed that I was no longer a competent driver who knew a “Do Not Enter” sign from “Left Yield.”
Both written and driving tests taken and passed, I have a shiny new license… a month before my address changes. Did you know that you have a legal obligation to keep your license up-to-date address-wise? When you move, you’re supposed to purchase new identification. Mine still had my dorm address from 5+ years ago on it.
So, after we move, I’ll go and get a new license with the new address on it. At least this one won’t require a time-wasting test.
Nothing has made me appreciate my bicycle so much. As I biked away from the license bureau, I had such a feeling of freedom. Here was transportation that doesn’t require license or laws (except some minor safety ones), and they can’t tell me whether I can or can’t bike. This is mine, just like the shoes on my feet, no test required.
It’s just so much simpler. Though I have to admit, the entire licensing process was sort of like any physically painful experience: it sucks at the time, but after it’s over, it’s difficult to remember what it was like. The pain is gone, time has passed, and though you know that it was bad, it’s hard to remember exactly what it felt like or how much it hurt.
Regardless, I’ll be certain not to let my license lapse again.
Posted on August 12th, 2008 at 4:00 am by Matthew
Filed under: General | Tagged with: bicycle, dmv, driving, laws, license bureau, test
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When I worked at the hospital (Cox North Food Service), my day had a very set routine. There were about seven different positions one could have, but you began with the position they thought you were best suited for (though, of course, it depended as well on what they needed most at the time) and you were trained on successive positions as you mastered those that came before. I began on one of the more complicated positions, but it was all routine.
Arrive at 4 p.m., place sliced bread into plastic baggies and seal shut with a heat stamper thing (to keep everything sterilized and clean), put bread into fridge, prepare metal palletes and trays and plates, set out condiments and butter and get eating utensils in place. Put trays together for the meals, then break down the meal line and put everything back away. Light cleaning, then go up to the floors and retrieve the meal carts, bring them back down, deliver to the people washing the dishes. Take clean stuff from the dishwashing machine and put it away. Squeegee and mop floor, go home around 8:30 p.m.
Every day, the exact same thing. You knew what you were getting into, and generally there were no surprises. Your mind could wander while your body did its job, and I enjoyed it.
Now, every day is a surprise, and as I contemplate the upcoming week, I feel harried. I feel like I have a ton of stuff to do, a dozen different tasks to complete before next Friday. This is the last week I have without a preponderance of meetings for the next month and a half, so I really have to get as much done as I can because this is my last chance for dedicated work-time.
And on top of that, I have a two hour presentation looming in October that I haven’t really begun preparing for. And I hate PowerPoint, but I know that for a two-hour gig, I really should have some sort of visual component.
I know I’d be bored if I went back to such a routine, but sometimes it’s really attractive. I like my job, but the constant inability to schedule out a day and know what I’m going to be doing is a little stressful. Still, the sort of stress and the flexibility and adaptiveness my job demands is why it pays more than the hospital did when I was preparing meals. I guess it’s a decent trade-off, but I can’t help but think back to our days in trigonometry when we all decided that it would be easier to just become garbage collectors.
Posted on August 11th, 2008 at 4:00 am by Matthew
Filed under: General | Tagged with: busy, computer services, cox, missouri state university, routine, schedule, uncertainty, Work
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I was going to start the morning cleaning, but instead I sat down at my computer (as I so often do), and it appears that almost three hours have passed me by.
In my defense, I did get some things accomplished, but I still feel guilty for not getting started with the apartment-work I want to do. Things I’ve wasted time on so far include (but are not limited to):
So, all-in-all, I’ve done stuff. Just not the stuff I want to do. Now it’s time to discipline myself, get the apartment clean, and then I can come back and do what I want: write.
On today’s writing agenda:
- New set of stories for The Stormsworn Saga so I have something to publish next week.
- The harrowing tale of my trip to the License Bureau last Friday.
- My upcoming work week and why work is bugging me.
- I’d like to revise at least two poems so I can schedule them for publishing this week.
- Something about World of Warcraft and the fantasy of being a hero, or what makes the game so fun.
- Reflections on Russia and Georgia.
Guess I’d better get to cleaning.
Update 9:26 PM :: Four and a half out of six isn’t too bad. I only got one story done, but that’s enough for tomorrow, and I can write about Russia/Georgia tomorrow night and schedule it for Thursday. Expect new poems on Tuesday and Thursday, and I think Friday will find us with a “This Week at SilverPen Publishing,” which I’d like to become a regular event here.
Posted on August 10th, 2008 at 11:10 am by Matthew
Filed under: Books, General | Tagged with: chores, procrastination, reading, research, silverpen publishing, Writing
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