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willdabob
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Name: Will
Country: United States
State: Mississippi
Metro: Starkville
Birthday: 12/17/1980
Gender: Male
Interests: The typical college assortment: Slacking, reading, assorted video games, college sports, theology, and occasionally indulging in a bit of vandalism
Expertise: Living the life of a profesional student.
Occupation: Student
Industry: Education/Research
Message: message me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  willdabob
Member Since:
12/30/2005
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| So, I haven't updated in a while. A long while. Amazing how the time flies. For those who have been wondering I am neither dead nor spending hours on end starring blankly at a PS3 screen. Work and school seem to rule my life for now. This week I'm taking exams and working a 47 hour week. Fun times.
Now, on to new and interesting news:
I started counseling for my depression about three months ago.
It's defiantly helped. Things had just reached the point where I needed to do something, anything to relieve the stress and anxiety. So I finally checked myself in at the schools psyche center. Good move on my part. My counciler actually tells me I dont take my depression seriously enough. Funny.
I've also decided that I needed to start medication in addition to the counseling.
My drug of choice is Lexapro and I've been taking it for about a month. I'll have to stay on it for a minimum of one year. I've noticed a bit of a change, and thankfully it hasn't been to zombie out.
Some interesting things about my depression:
1) Both my med and psyche consols were of the opinion that I should have been getting some kind of help for at least the last year, if not longer. And honestly I've been in a slump that long, if not longer.
2)My grades have gone up considerably since I started my routine. From test grades of Cs at the beginning of the semester to As on my final two exams in both my classes. Go figure.
3) I refuse to treat my condition like I have some stigmatized disease. I'm clinically depressed. Big deal. I'll get over it eventually, or I wont (in which case meds for life, whoo hoo!). It's not like I'm a leper or something.
As for work, I'm a shift manager now. Better pay, more hours, same job. I find I really like working at the coffee shop, which is a huge change from the Dell place. I like the "Regulars" that come in and I enjoy making coffee, there's a certain amount of challange in a perfectly pulled shot. I take pride in my job. Also, my coworkers rock. A good work enviroment goes a long way, I've found.
This school term has been fairly interesting. I can't remember the last time I've actually been motivated to fight for a grade, but I spent most of last night and this morning cramming for an "easy" test because I'm boarderline A/B in the class and want my 4.0 semester. It feels good to be motivated again in some fashion. I'll graduate come May, believe it or not. Scary thought, I know. A sign of the end times perhaps?
Ed, regarding the PS3, I'm staying far far away from it. I think that, upon review of launch titles and a comparison of it, the Wii, and the 360, the PS3 is going to be the biggest "failure" of the three. Mind you, it will still corner much of the Asain market, but Americans and Europeans will flock to the 360 for it's wider game selection and familiar interface. And America is where the biggest market can be found, hence the greatest profit.
The Wii will be the runner up as it not only introduces a completely new and inovative playstyle that will catch the eye of gamers, but also will reach out to non-traditional gamers looking for their first system. The interactivity of the Nunchuk control style, I think, will pull in those who have otherwised shuned video games. And it's Nintindo, everyone loves Nintindo (and Link rocks). I've had the privlage to play around a bit on the Wii, once you get used to it it's a blast. Also it's fun to watch others flail about with the controller. Besides, Microsoft is giving Nintindo so much free publicity they wont have to advertise for themselves.
Sony's biggest mistake, I think, comes from the inclusion of the Blu Ray player. I'm sorry folks, but HD-DVD is going to win out. Heck, you can't even use the PS3s High Def capabilites on anything but the most high end of Flatscreen HDTVs. Great design there folks. Make your selling point all but unavailable to the common market.
And that's my final word on the gaming world today.
Other then that not much goes on. I'm free from exams as of 3:19 this afternoon, so now I'm just trying to decide how I'm going to spend the rest of the week (besides work). Oh yeah, I wont be home for the holidays. Sorry people, but between work and the fact that after about 5 days my family goes Nova I've decided that it's best I stay here in Starkville except perhaps for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I'll be in and out of Lee County, just not for any prolgonged stay. I'll also be driving down to Jackson and various other places to see folks and get away from the house. I'll keep you apraised of my travel plans. Be at the next F15 (or whoever they are now) show for a sneak peak of me (and my new beard. Oh yes, beard.) That is all.
Peace. Out.
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| So, I finished up the last couple of chapters of "To Own a Dragon" today and all I can say is "wow". I dont think I've read a book that quite describes..well...my life... There are so many parallels I dont even want to think about it. I wonder if other fatherless men share such a similar outlook and life history as I do with the author?
This book comments, and fairly accurately, on everything from my rebelous attitude to my relationship with God. It's kind of disturbing, yet at the same time conforting in that I know others (well, at least one other) suffer through the same trials that I do.
I've decided I like this book, and that it's an excellent read. It's almost to personal at times, but worth the time spent. Give it a go.If anyone wants to borrow this, feel free to ask. But I better get it back...or else.
Now to finish up the Ireland book Sarah let me borrow. I'm such a slacker.
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| I've come to the conclusion that perhaps I should update more then once a month. I'll work on it. I promise.
Gen Con was a blast. A quick summary.
Thursday: The first day was a bit lackluster as the True Dungeon (billed as one of the best events at the con) was a bit of a let down. The event was disorganised and chaotic. Our group stumbled around in the dark for the first three rooms before we even had a light source. I might give it a second chance next year.
Friday: Day two was much better. I finally got to really check out the trade show, and I gotta admit I was impressed. They had just about every game system you could possibly imagine. From original Dungeons and Dragons books all the way up to an Alpha test of the new Warhammer Online MMORPG. I got to play in the Arena D&D event, with our pickup (some random dude we found to take our fourth ticket) we made a rspectable showing, but didnt quite make the top five. Friday night was my first scheaduled table-top game. Deadlands run by one of the registered GMs. It was a blast, one of the guys playing with us could have been the love child of Sammy Davis Junior, complete with witty combacks. This is also the day most of the attendees rolled in. I was blown away by the sheer number of gamers running around. 30,000+ of us in one place at one time is kinda scary. This is also the day I met up with some of my Warcraft guildies who happend to be attending the event.
Saturday: I started the third day with gladitorial combat with foam weapons. Sounds goofy, but it was amazingly fun. I watched others compete for about twenty minutes before I decided I should step up and give it a shot. After seeing others basicly dance around with the gladiators for five minutes before being poked to "death" I figured I'd demonstrate that showmanship and guts are more fun then trying to stab someone while hiding behind your shield. Imagine the doors to the "arena" opening and 155lb me chargeing out, screaming at the top of my lungs, buckler in one hand, longsword in the other, only to slam into a fully armored guy using a tower-shield and outwieghing me by about 50 pounds. It was entertaining for all involved. Also got to duel in the Battletech VR pods, here I was more in my element. These things were awesome: fully enclosed pods with command chairs, throtle, foot peddles (for jump jets), target selectors...basicly everything you need to control a 40 foot tall fighting robot. It's been a while since I've played something like this, but it came back pretty quickly and I left a trail of wreckage and other players in my wake. Finally bout a couple of items at the trade show, sadly I didnt find evrything I wanted, but I got a couple of out of print Trinity books.
Sunday: Basicly we just woke up and drove home. Finally got to Guntown late that afternoon at which point I crashed out.
Lessons Learned: Brad snores like a tank, earplugs are your friends.
Next time go with some people in the 20-28 range. The guys usually got tired at like 10-11pm.
Play in more pickup games. They're usually crazy, but a ton of fun.
And I promise I'll add pictures to this post later tonight.
In other news, I'm back in school, attending class and doing well. I'm also back on a regular workout shceadule, which is why I'm so freaking sore at this very moment. I gotta say, between work, school, and working out, there just dont seem to be enough hours in the day. I dont think I've ever been this busy in my life. It's good though, I feel like I'm being productive.
The D&D game I ran last year has been picked back up now that everyone's back from summer break. It feels good to be rolling dice again. I gotta admit, running games is an experience I never thought I'd get used to, but I think I've finally got the hang of it. What can I say, I enjoy telling stories, I think I picked that up from Grandpa Wesson.
I'm reading an excellent book titled "To Own a Dragon" by Donald Miller. It's an autobiogrophy about growing up fatherless. It probably makes me more angry then anything I've read before. Not because it's offensive, or because it's untrue, but because it's right on the mark. It's like someone has been watching my life for the last 20 some odd years, and decided to write it all down. I understand why Kelly O'Brian debated if she should give it to me or not, though I'm glad she did. It's probably the most personal book I've ever read, and strikes a bit to close to home at times. In an odd contradiction I want to forbid anyone I know from reading it because it's, in so many ways, my life and I dont want others to see my struggles in ink and paper, while at the same time I want everyone to read it because he expresses what it's like growing up without a father so much more effectively then I ever could.
One of the most striking parts of the book for me is when the Miller describes how he never had anyone to show him how to be a man. How he's lacked for instruction for parts of his life that others take for granted. I often feel much the same way. The only father figure I had was my grandfather. Dont get me wrong, he did a wonderful job helping to raise a child forced upon him in the later years of his life. He was an excellent example and I owe him so much. But he was still a Grandfather, not a Father, and the things he taught me aren't what I need to know now. Sometimes I feel that I know how to be 20 and I know how to be 70, but the ages in between are completely foreign territory to me. I missed out on the "Guys Handbook to Life" or some such. Flirting, sports, hunting...I pretty much missed out on the directions for all of those. If anyone has their notes from "Guy School", I'd be grateful if you'd let me borrow them.
That's pretty much it for now, out for class and work. I also have to learn not to type when I'm tired, I tend to ramble.
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| Only 30 minutes till we leave
and we're down a man. One of the four of us, Dwayne, got told by his
boss that he couldn't take off this week. Mind you, the trip and D's
time off has been approved for over three months. But the week of the
trip they just can't function without him. That's messed up. I am a sad
panda.
So, we're going to Gen Con minus one of the four of our core group and
without a navigator (D is an ex-truck driver, there's not a backroad he
doesnt know about). This sucks. But I will carry on!
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| Ok, one last quick post before I'm out for the week.
So, I walk into the living room this morning at 7:30 to check my email
and stuff before I leave for Gen Con, dreading the use of my mother's
dial up connection. Oh the horror. I sit down at the keyboard and
notice that I can hear the comp running. Apparently she left it on
overnight, which is odd.
I look down at the tower and notice a new addition. A router. Ok, more
odd. Why would hse have a router? She uses dial up. Wait...it can't be.
Yep, jiggle the mouse to get the screen up, double click firefox and up
it pops. No annoying dialing noises, no wait. My mother got broadband
and DIDN'T TELL ME. I feel so robbed. Five years of trying to convince
her she needed to upgrade, and then as soon as I'm really out of the
house she upgrades both her computer and her connection. Typical.
Well, at least now I know I can play WoW when I come home for the holidays.
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