So here I am about smack-dab in the middle of winter break. My school gets off at Thanksgiving, and doesn't start up again until the second of January. I've been sitting on my butt and watching a lot of TV, which disgusts me. I think I'm better than that. I make excuses like, "It was a long hard term, and the next one will be a long hard term, so I should relax while I have the leisure." But I can work now to make my future better.

My under-grad honors' thesis

I'm writing a pencil-paper roleplaying game. It's a post-apocalyptic steampunk thing. The working title is, The Worst of Times. I really like the concept, but I have very little on paper yet. The idea came to me over the summer in a flash of inspiration, and I quickly wrote this story to try and preserve as much of my original idea as possible.

I've also been researching roleplaying games, especially other post-apocalyptic games, like The End, to get a feel for die-mechanics, you know the randomizing engine that makes the game more than just playing pretend in your friend's basement.

This reminds me: If you are a role-player, and would be interested in helping to play-test my game /msg me. I should have something to give you before February. If not, I'm in trouble.

There is slightly more information available at my homenode.

Helping grandma move

Last weekend I helped my grandma move out of her house and into her new apartment at an apartment complex for independent seniors, or something along those lines.

I helped my grandmother leave the only place she's lived in since I was born.

It was a little strange. I would look around her house and her yard and I would see places where photographs of me were taken when I was very small. I cleaned out her garage, and found an old pair of goggles with real glass lenses. She gave me her old Underwood typewriter, which needs cleaning, because the w and a keys stick a little. The tragedy of helping an old person move for the last time struck me when I sat for too long. I felt much too old for my age doing this.

I decorated her little artificial tree at her new apartment. It looks rather pretty.

Applying to graduate school

Today I filled out a nice ink copy of my application to Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology program. This is the program I want more than any other. I'm hoping that my Mad Generalist Skillz will look appealing enough that they'll grace me with an acceptance letter. I want to have this in the mail by the end of the week.

Loving my girlfriend

I love my girlfriend. She'll be off and away for most of winter break, and I'm not sure how often I'll see her on-line. It's a long distance relationship, so it's not like distance is anything... we've held together for over nine months now, and I'm still happy with how things are going.

She mentioned that she wasn't sure I was going to be able to visit her for her birthday. I couldn't remember ever saying I was planning on it, and told her so. I don't think I'd have the cash. It was a non-issue with her. Still, I felt kind of lousy, not being able to fly down to see my girl on her birthday. Someday, when I have a real, steady income, I will do these things.

One of my friends turned down a Marshall Scholarship (200,000 pounds at any school in the UK) because his girlfriend didn't want him to cross the pond for so long. I'm glad my girlfriend isn't so emotionally unstable.

Christmas shopping

I still need to go out and pick up the thing my sister and I are getting my dad. One of my big Christmas shopping problems this year seems to be buying stuff for myself. I've been trying to get into the zen art of Living Below Your Means. I think that in reality, I'm quite good at not spending money compared to most Americans, but I've been trying to avoid the trinket-buying lately.

Also, my girlfriend told me that she bought me something, so I'm keeping an eye out for a suitable gift for her, whatever that might be.