So, Cape Cod is amazing. We're staying at the Cape Codder, just inside Hyannis. Last night's storm was pretty impressive. Thunder, lightning, sheets of rain, the works. Quite a show. We decamped in this mess and found ourselves considering going outside as little as possible. The hotel's attached restaurant, the Hearth and Kettle, was open, and we had a coupon, as we're staying at the hotel, so we went for it. Wonderful service, and great cocktails. We ended up forgetting the coupon in the hotel room, but we were starving and tired and it ended up being a non-issue after all.

We rented "The Great Mouse Detective" to watch, (after we found we'd forgotten the PS3's composite cord at home and only brought the HDMI) and I discovered I remembered pretty much all the words to "To Ratigan", which managed to impress Lauren.

This morning we went to beach, which was quite amazing. Of course, in the torrential rain over the last few days, I'd completely forgotten my sun gear. Natch. (Everyone forget something-- Kev forgot his flip-flops.) So, borrowing a pair of sunglasses and a visor, I played a little catch with Kev and Justine. As I went to trade my sunglasses for my regular pair, I looked down on the beach chair where I left them... and the frame as distorted and the lenses popped clean out. I was mortified, and quite completely astonished. After a moment, Lauren admitted she'd just sat in that chair, and apologized, quite embarrassed. I, on the other hand, took the moment to call work.

I'd called to grab the HR Help Line, in fact. Being another branch of Apple, they were on hand and extraordinarily kind. I'd explained I was an Apple Retail Employee on vacation and my glasses had shattered; I have benefits, but I don't know if I properly enrolled for vision or what. She asked for my info and said, "Ok, well, you've got Medical, so you automatically have Vision. You're covered by Vision Service Plan, and you just have to log on there and you can review all your benefits there. If you can find yourself an optometrist while you're there, it's a $10 co-pay for the exam, free single-vision, un-enhanced lenses, and frames worth $120, and whatever over that is out of pocket." Amazing. I love my company. Peace of mind, all from the beach.

So, after some shopping and walking around Main St., we get back and I look up a few in-network eye doctors around me and, lo and behold, there's one at the mall not a mile away from the hotel we're staying at. Double amazing.

We're chilling in the hotel room now, decompressing, reading, typing, napping. I'm headed to the game room shortly, and cocktails and dinner will be soon afterward. Marvelous day, interesting vacation.

No worries!
-Pen

http://ideas.livejournal.com/18322.html

For an Existentialist reading of Chrono Trigger, in several parts. Absolutely amazing.

-Pen

My birthday approaches. And, as usual, my wish list is posted at my Wists site: (http://www.wists.com/Ozymandias/) but, this year, I'm going to go out on a limb.

What I want is a $555 PS3.

I can hear the screaming and hollering already, about how I have a perfectly good PS2 right now, how I already own a Wii, I don't have an HDTV to play it on, there aren't any good games for it, it's extraordinarily expensive, and so forth.

And yeah, I'd be willing to agree with you for a great deal of these. But I'm getting one eventually, for Final Fantasy 13, so it's a done deal, it's all about when I pull the trigger, is all. They've stopped manufacturing the hardware backwards-compatible PS3s, so the longer I wait, the less likely I'll be to find one on eBay or third-party retailers. Second, I most definitely want Rock Band. Like you don't even know. There'll be a Wii version, sure, but there's really no downloadable content for Wii games, aside from what Nintendo doles out from its own headquarters. Not partial to that-- I already know all the stuff I'm missing for GH3 having it for the Wii rather than the PS3. Third, it'll probably be the only Blu-Ray DVD player I'll ever own, just like the PS2 was the first DVD player I ever owned, because it was gorram cheap for doing all it did.

I understand that, in a Bush economy, we're all strapped for cash. (I, personally, am choosing to turn my tax refund over to my debtors to pay off my car.) I'm looking at receiving a little less than half from my second job, so there's that. I might just ask for donations towards the cause for my birthday, in lieu of other presents, but the last people around me who've done this have done it for charities, not massive pieces of gaming equipment, so it makes me feel like a scuzzball.

So, questions, comments, concerns, pledges, feel free to leave them in the comments section.

-Pendragon

Well, today was supposed to be a nice, simple week.

And, just like that, I get into a car accident- now don't get too up in arms. I'm ok, the other driver was ok, she hit me, and I'm getting it taken care of. There's very little chance that I'm going to be found culpable or at least partially so, and I'm being very well taken care of by my car insurance agency, right now. So I'm as insulated as I can be, considering this is my first accident with me behind the wheel.

In other news, I'm doing well, I'm enjoying my job (and got to give and recieve a bit of recognition last night at our store meeting), I'm getting laundry done, getting used to having Lauren back at Gordon... and I've kinda come up with an idea that I've been kicking around for a little while now, and thinking about giving it a try.

I've wanted to, for the longest time, draw about the way Lauren and I interact. Not just us as a couple, but with our personae, as well. (Ever think that Jim Davis, if you knew him personally, might be both Jon Arbuckle and Garfield? Or if you've ever seen the film Monkeybone, you know what I'm talking about, about the division between an artist and his personae.) She and I are both represented, but we also have our avatars, hers a Kirby-like ball of fluff, presumably cat-like in nature, and myself an irascible, immature, incorrigible, 14-foot tall dragon. My artistic skill has been sorely neglected over the last few years, so there'll be lots and lots of false starts and character creations and re-creations, but I've got the basic plot of the first few down. Should be interesting.

-Pen

( Capital R Romantics Rejoice (sorry Karen, this will look familiar) )

Of course, I'd love to hear Lauren tell this story from her side...
-Pen

Well, it's been in the works for some time, but I finally popped the question to Lauren last night...

She's going to marry me.

It's going to be a very long engagement, we're thinking, like, 18 months minimum. Bare minimum-- like, if we find a caterer tomorrow, and she finally picks out a church... But yes. It's all true.

Of course, the first thing her father did was promise to remove absolutely all financial support: health insurance, car insurance, school loans, rent... he goes, "I don't mean for this to sound like a bribe, but..." First hurdle, and it's still a long ways away.

For those Romantics with a capital R in the crowd, I will, on request, recount the story of the evening and how I asked, and what the ring looks like and everything.

-Matt

A very interesting character I happened to come across; his most recent post about his cloak is what spurred my interest.

What kept it, however, was his LJ icon: Hover over this link (gominokouhai) and view it to amuse yourself.

If you get the reference, 20 points. If you need a hint...

( it's under the cut! )

g'night, otherwise...

-Pen

PS: Why did Black Friday have to be a gorram full moon, too!?

Quick note on events: partied with fellow Apple employees last night, borked my Mac trying to install Leopard. Working all week. Yay?

-Pen

Dear fan of Final Fantasy music,

Today we are excited to announce a new symphony world-tour with music from Final Fantasy. Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the release of the first Final Fantasy game to hit the market, Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy features the music of Japanese video game composer Nobuo Uematsu. The premiere performance of the official and exclusive tour will be by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic on December 4, 2007. This spectacular event will launch the long awaited series of international concerts. Second stop will be Chicago on March 1, 2008. The award-winning music from Square-Enix's world-renowned Final Fantasy video game series and the state of the art videos and art stills shown on massive screens will highlight the games most memorable sequences and thrill audiences.

"I am greatly honored that the 2007 Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy tour will commemorate the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy by premiering exactly 20 years after the first game hit the market in December of 1987," said series composer Nobuo Uematsu.

"I am excited to be conducting Nobuo Uematsu’s captivating music once again and to collaborate with him in this exciting new production." Arnie Roth, Music Director and Executive Producer, Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy.

March 1, 2008, 8 pm: Chicago, Arnie Roth conducting the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra and CPO Festival Choir, Nobuo Uematsu attending
Ticket link: www.ffdistantworlds.com/chicago

Tickets range in price from USD 35 to USD 150. There are a limited number of USD 150 VIP tickets, which will include a meet & greet with Nobuo Uematsu, a copy of the new Final Fantasy CD, and the tour program book.

For more information and newsletter subscription, please visit the official website at www.ffdistantworlds.com.

Kind Regards
Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy

I went to this in 2005, and it was the most amazing birthday present ever. Going a second time would be... phenomenal. I might have to. And maybe this time, I'll drag Lauren along...

-Pen

http://i-wear-wellies.livejournal.com/46041.html

Internet... you know what to do. I hate to do it to a fellow LJ-er, but, when you softball a meme like that... well...

-Pen