Good Morning, 2010! The Princess' Diary Intarwebs Edition

[OblivionKnight]

I'd hire people.  The A-Team probably.

[Cotigo]

There's only so many opportunities for someone to take a trip to the US where a bunch of your friends are willing to put up with you for a week. I mean, put you up with some decent lodgings for a week. Your bosses may be more understanding than you think. You can at least ask.

Yeah.  See, that kinda shit?  It only happens once a year.

Every year.

And immediately after DLC5 or 6 or whatever we're on now happens, plans for DLC6/7 will pop up.  And if they don't, that's because something so horrible happens at this DLC that for some reason none of us would want to see each other again.  And would you really want to be at THAT DLC?

DLcon can take a backseat to this opportunity.  

[Shale]

Look, I need to do something to keep busy.

[superaielman]

The pipeline is going the wrong way. We're supposed to smuggle people into Brazil, not out!

[VySaika]

There's only so many opportunities for someone to take a trip to the US where a bunch of your friends are willing to put up with you for a week. I mean, put you up with some decent lodgings for a week. Your bosses may be more understanding than you think. You can at least ask.

Yeah.  See, that kinda shit?  It only happens once a year.

Every year.

And immediately after DLC5 or 6 or whatever we're on now happens, plans for DLC6/7 will pop up.  And if they don't, that's because something so horrible happens at this DLC that for some reason none of us would want to see each other again.  And would you really want to be at THAT DLC?

DLcon can take a backseat to this opportunity.  

Zenny's hitting the nail on the head here. Get yourself secure into the new job and make plans to hit another DLC. Real life, especially of the family and/or job varieties, always comes first.

[Idun]

I lost my promise ring Friday! I don't even remember wearing it. I was only at two places on campus, and I believe I lost it in the first. Security let me in, etc. couldn't find it. Just called the library (which I was in editing people's applications for SA) and they said they believed they had it.

I have been freaking out for the last 24 hours.

And I have it.

And everything is quite and coherent again.

[Cotigo]

This is why it's not good to put too much value in material possessions.

[NotMiki]

This is why it's not good to put too much value in material possessions.

By extension you could make the argument that it's not good to put value in anything, except perhaps your own life, because anything you put value in can be lost (though in the case of your life you may never be aware you lost it).  Friends, relatives, significant others, sports teams, memory...everything you put value in has the potential to hurt you.  It's a great argument if you think the point of life is to minimize your suffering.  But life like that is boring and devoid of joy.  I say cherish not only the people in your life but the stuff, too.  The fact that it hurts to lose a prized possession is evidence the thing was worth possessing in the first place.  Same principle applies when your team loses the big game, etc.

Stuff, by the way, isn't just randomly accumulated material possessions, it represents memories, people, values that contribute to your persona.  So it's not as if the value people place in stuff is just arbitrarily assigned.

Side note:  feel like I should mention George Carlin somewhere in here.  So I just did.

[Taishyr]

This is why it's not good to put too much value in material possessions.

By extension you could make the argument that it's not good to put value in anything, except perhaps your own life, because anything you put value in can be lost (though in the case of your life you may never be aware you lost it).  Friends, relatives, significant others, sports teams, memory...everything you put value in has the potential to hurt you.  It's a great argument if you think the point of life is to minimize your suffering.  But life like that is boring and devoid of joy.  I say cherish not only the people in your life but the stuff, too.  The fact that it hurts to lose a prized possession is evidence the thing was worth possessing in the first place.  Same principle applies when your team loses the big game, etc.

Stuff, by the way, isn't just randomly accumulated material possessions, it represents memories, people, values that contribute to your persona.  So it's not as if the value people place in stuff is just arbitrarily assigned.

Side note:  feel like I should mention George Carlin somewhere in here.  So I just did.

Mmm. I can see your point but I personally disagree re: the stuff part, I can't see myself having an emotional attachment to... uh, pretty much any object ever (nor, say, a favorite team). But eh, this is me, and I know I've got disconnects, and what you says makes some sense for other people.

I suppose this is a roundabout way to say that I'm pissed at my sister a bit for autopresuming shopping will make things better for me. Yay for humanity!

[VySaika]

Took cat to vet today. Turns out he has kitty diabetes. This is going to kick us straight in the wallet(was roughly $400 for the diagnosis, will be another 4-500 for checkups over the next few weeks), but that's still within doable range. I don't want to think about having to break that to Kier if it wasn't.

The really "fun" part, though? We get to give a 20lbs tomcat shots. Twice a day. For the rest of his life. I have never been more thankful that he's a chicken in a cat-suit and not a fighter.

[Xeroma]

Yikes. Hope that works out gate.

[Grefter]

You guys are horrible at this Nihilism thing.

You don't worry about losing things because it is an excuse to go out and get another one.  The first one gave you so much pleasure that you look forward to getting the next one.

Loss is nothing more than another chance at gratification.

[Yoshiken]

Just got back from a friend's 18th birthday, and I felt like coming here to gloat.

My friends are awesome, I had an amazing time with some friends from college, as well as meeting a couple of new people. And now I may be going out with one of the two new people I met, because she's awesome and-- not gonna ramble here. Yeah. Let's just say: ♥.

And now I'm back home with one more day until I go back to college, and I am happy to go back to college knowing Lisa goes there. All is going JUST AS PLANNED. For now, at least. ♥

[DjinnAndTonic]

*pats Yoshiken on the back* 'Atta boy! Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

There's only so many opportunities for someone to take a trip to the US where a bunch of your friends are willing to put up with you for a week. I mean, put you up with some decent lodgings for a week. Your bosses may be more understanding than you think. You can at least ask.

Yeah.  See, that kinda shit?  It only happens once a year.

Every year.

And immediately after DLC5 or 6 or whatever we're on now happens, plans for DLC6/7 will pop up.  And if they don't, that's because something so horrible happens at this DLC that for some reason none of us would want to see each other again.  And would you really want to be at THAT DLC?

DLcon can take a backseat to this opportunity. 

I'm not saying he shouldn't prioritize his job over a trip to the US, I'm just saying that it doesn't hurt to ask. Also, we may have DLcons every year (so far), but the locations are always different and he may not be able to make it those either, so it's worth a try.

[Cmdr_King]

Actually, I think that if we give Snow a hard time over missing DLCon, it's only because this will make the third year in a row where he says "I can make it!" then pulls out.  that sort of thing earns razzing.

[Idun]

Blah blah blah materialism. He made it. I appreciate every single gesture like that. So whatever. I'm happy I reclaimed it, but he needs to resize it because I'm sure it just fell off.

Edit* I was freaking out mainly because I couldn't retrace my 3 hours on campus which is ridunkulous.

[NotMiki]

I'm not saying he shouldn't prioritize his job over a trip to the US, I'm just saying that it doesn't hurt to ask. Also, we may have DLcons every year (so far), but the locations are always different and he may not be able to make it those either, so it's worth a try.

At least in the US, it's not unheard of to request leave for vacations planned previous to accepting a new job.  It's something well within polite, professional business conduct.

[Grefter]

Snow has pulled out again like a Catholic on his honeymoon.  Sad times.  Andy will just have to be consoled with many games of Arkham instead of milk baths then.

[Cotigo]

Blah blah blah materialism. He made it. I appreciate every single gesture like that. So whatever. I'm happy I reclaimed it, but he needs to resize it because I'm sure it just fell off.

Edit* I was freaking out mainly because I couldn't retrace my 3 hours on campus which is ridunkulous.

Nothing wrong with that, then.  It's just that, if you were panicking over the loss of the ring itself, then it's probably a good idea to care a little less about the ring.  No object, regardless of the sentimental attachment to it, should be so important that it induces a bloody panic attack.

(Now, objects with practical value...)

Re:  Miki's philosophy lesson:

Look I'll gladly whip up a more thoughtful response when I'm not on my way to work, but if the central argument behind a philosophy is "life is DEVOID of JOY if you DON'T DO THIS" then I'm not going to take it seriously. Sorry.

[NotMiki]

if the central argument behind a philosophy is "life is DEVOID of JOY if you DON'T DO THIS" then I'm not going to take it seriously. Sorry.

The point is, don't forbear to do something that makes you happy just because you fear that it will expose you to later unhappiness.  That's all.

[Cotigo]

Fair enough.  That's sound advice, especially in light of this:

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html

tl;dw: The human brain "creates" happiness in situations where you've made a choice and can no longer do anything to alter it.  This happens regardless of whether you remember making the choice or not. 

So yeah science kinda backs up your advice on this.  I'm just inclined to say that while giving objects sentimental value is perfectly healthy and fine, life becomes much easier if you're able to embrace the loss and move on.

(Of course I wouldn't extend that to human-to-human/animal relationships.  Material loss and death are two entirely different monsters.)

[Idun]

I want to know why I stayed up 'til 5AM to get McDonald's breakfast and woke up at 3PM. Damn target commercials showing black people enjoy food to soulful music! *shakes fist*

[Cotigo]

I want to know why I stayed up 'til 5AM to get McDonald's breakfast and woke up at 3PM. Damn target commercials showing black people enjoy food to soulful music! *shakes fist*

It's so in right now.

[Idun]

Fuck you Snow Leopard. FUCK you. I just uninstalled you today, had to fucking clear my HD to go back to Leopard - but FUCK YOU.



Service my battery? Yeah, fuck you. 100% battery life to 48% in 10 minutes?

[Fudozukushi]

So, there's a die sitting on my kitchen counter and whenever I walk by it I think about what would happen if I swallow it.