The Grinning Geek
A day in the life of the Grinning Geek.
Blogging attempt
Jan 21st
So my last try lasted all of three days. 
I just have a hard time coming up with anything to say that people won’t find boring. Which is silly since no one actually reads this.
Anyway, Ellie is getting so big and independent! I don’t think she really qualifies as a baby anymore, but I will keep her a baby as long as I can. She is getting to the point though where she wants to do everything on her own and she gets mad if you try to help. It’s funny at times and frustrating at others.
Back to school
Oct 24th
Fall break is over Ellie and I both had to go back to school today. It doesn’t look like she was ready to get up this morning though. Since it’s the start of a new quarter I’m trying to take this opportunity to get into some new habits. I’m starting up my fly lady routines at home and at school with the help of an iPhone app I forgot I bought a while ago. I am definitely not the most organized person in the world so hopefully this’ll help me do a little better. I’m hoping if I can get more organized it’ll give me a little bit more free time at home. Wish me luck!
Daily dose of Ellie!
Oct 21st
So I’m trying to get in the habit of posting something every day even if it’s just something little. Today is my last day of vacation so are playing outside while I water the flowers. Ellie loves playing outside! She especially loves to pick oranges from our orange trees though she calls them balls. It’s finally cooled off enough that I should probably start hanging laundry out on the line again but I’m lazy. So to distract you from that here’s a video of Ellie playing with an orange tree.
Ellie’s dashing new hat!
Oct 20th
I haven’t blogged since before Ellie was born, but I’m thinking a giving it another go. We’ll see if I can keep up with it. So I’ll start off by showing a picture of Ellie’s lovely new hat that we bought at the outlet mall yesterday. I had a really good time going shopping with one of my friends from school.
-D
-DLife goes on
Apr 10th
Lots has happened since I got pregnant. Time seems to be just flying by! On the downside of things, Jesse is having some trouble with his whole work situation and cut hours and such, and I just got told my teaching contract for next year is not being renewed unless the financial/educational situation in our state changes. So that’s a little stressful because it wasn’t really where I expected us to be when we first got pregnant. However, there’s never really a perfect time to have a baby, and we have friends and family that will help us make things work, so we’ll get by.
On a more positive note, we had a really awesome visit with lots of friends during my Spring Break. Scott, Carrie, Bill, Leah, Mikey, and Beak managed to come hang out with Jesse, Devon, Rena, Bacon, and I. Good food was eaten, lots of Magic was played, and general geekitude and good times with friends abounded. I had the experience of being one of the designated drivers for the week which was definitely an interesting experience. Nothing like a car full of drunk geeks singing at the top of their lungs. I really enjoyed having everyone out here, and I missed those of you who weren’t able to make it. I am grateful that we have such awesome friends who are always happy to come out and spend some time and make some good memories.
On the baby side of things, I’m over halfway there! I’m am excited! And nervous. 
I have to admit I was a little disappointed when we found out we were expecting a girl because I really really wanted to have a boy first. And I’m still not quite sure what to do with a girl, because I’ve never really been girly, but I am definitely excited to be welcoming Elizabeth Diane into the world in a few more months! It’s been fun to watch how excited Jesse is about having a daughter too. In the past two weeks, I’ve really started being able to feel her kicking a lot! At first it was mostly after dinner when I sat down, or when I got ready for bed, but over the last week, she’s definitely been a lot more active, and I’ll feel her moving around at random times during the day. It’s really amazing to be able to feel her and know that there’s actually a baby in there! I know this might not last as I get bigger and the weather gets hotter, but right now, I am really enjoying being pregnant. Regardless of any setbacks we’ve been having, I know I am truly blessed. As Jesse’s dad says, in the scheme of things, any of these things are simply annoyances, not problems. Life goes on, and I’m along for the ride. 
The Gaming Geek
Mar 23rd
So, what about games Jesse? What have you been playing?
I am glad you asked, made up imaginary italics question giver! I’ve been focusing my time over three games. First, of course, is World of Warcraft. We continue to press on in Icecrown, despite a week off for vacation. We’ve downed Rotface and Festergut, which I am pretty pleased by. Putricide is of course proving to be difficult, but we’ll get him. I admit a lot of these fights frustrate me, because for various reasons I’m not really getting to tank. I am kiting, aggro swapping, or AOE stunning zombie chow most of the time. Still, I got my Boots of Kingly Upheavel and my T-10 helmet before vacation so I can’t complain. I’ve been running stuff on Hightower during the week to get frost emblems, which I use to purchase primordial saronite for Tyrolos. It was this method that got me those boots, and hopefully will get me the Pillars of Might. Those are some hot tanking pants, and I’d rather have them than the T-10 Paladin pants, aka the War Skirt.
I am incredibly excited for Cataclysm, even if I think we’ve still got 6+ months til it’s release. I mean, we don’t even have a beta yet. Still, it’s been good to focus on Tyrolos and getting him achievements, gear, etc. I’m a handful of mounts away from my 100 mount achievement, which is awesome. I’ve been doing some light PVP on him, though I hate battleground PVPing anything other than AV as a tank. Even Isle of Conquest isn’t much fun on a tank. I admit, the survivability is nice – but I can’t nuke people down fast enough. And against a spell caster or anything else that can keep me at range, I am owned. (Sometimes I PVP as holy, which I admit, is a whole lot more fun.) Mostly I just want the honor kills, so I can eventually get the 100,000 honor kill title.
I’ve also been working on Tyrolos’ reputations. I missed Burning Crusade on him, so I am working on their dungeon reps, plus the Violet Eye from Kara. I’d love to get the reps out of Hyjal and Black Temple, but that might be asking too much. I’m also working on the Thorium Brotherhood, Hydraxian Waterlords, and Zandalar tribe. I know, do I know how to party or what?
Aside from WoW, I’ve also been putting in some time in Star Trek Online. I enjoy this game, but it’s experience is much different than WoW. Cryptic seems to reward grouping, while Blizzard often feels like they punish it. There doesn’t seem to be a massive XP drain if you have a higher level friend come with you, they just scale the encounter to having a high level with you. In fact, the game is a million times more fun (and more rewarding in skill points) if you do everything in a group. So I like that aspect to it. However, with no real end game I am not sure how long it’ll hold my attention. We’ll see – I’m already a Rear Admiral, but there is some content I’ve not cleared yet.
Finally, as I referenced in an earlier post I am playing Magic: The Gathering again. This time is different, because I am not a poor 15 year old, hunkered down in the hallways of my high school at lunch trying to play a game on the gritty dirty floor. This time I have money and a house to play in and friends who play, some of which are very attractive and female. (Another radical departure from the last time I played). I really do enjoy this game, and I like deck building. I find I enjoy big multi-player games more than just one on one, but I do enjoy building decks for both. Diana and I bought a box of M10 last week to fill in some of the gaps in our commons and uncommons, and I was able to build some awesome stuff. I want to play more, so people should move closer to play with me. We can start the Grinning Geek Tournament!
Jesse, in the trees! Danforth, pull up flank!
Mar 23rd
Keeping an active blog is a lot harder than I thought it would be. That said, I’ve got a buttload of stuff to discuss so I think I may break it in to several posts. We’ll do a general life post and a gaming post to get us started.
So the first part is related to the baby. We found out (as many of you know) that it’ll be a she. Elizabeth Diane Miller will be born in August, as our daughter. I am incredibly excited by this, and I can’t really explain why. I had thought I wanted a boy first, to carry on the name, etc… but the prospect of a daughter has me very happy. I know I’ll be completely bound by this girl, she’ll have me wrapped around her finger (which is a very odd phrase, isn’t it?), but that’s okay. That’s what dad’s are supposed to do for their daughters. We found out this awesome news the week before Diana’s spring break, which is another reason I’ve not been around is for Spring Break we had a bunch of people come out to visit…
This means that I had to spend a lot of time preparing the condo for guests. Last week we had 6 of our best friends come in to town to spend some time with Diana, myself, Devon, and Rena. This pretty much ruled, and as always reminds me how much I miss my friends and how glad I am that we live IN THE WORLD OF TOMORROW and that I can keep in touch with them, game with them, and they can come out to visit me without battling winter snows and dysentery and roaming tribes of Indians. People arrived in three groups, with Scott and Carrie arriving last Saturday, Mikey on Sunday, and Leah, Bill, and Beak on Tuesday. We had a lot of fun, ate a lot of delicious foods, played a lot of Magic: The Gathering (Old School Baby. See gaming post.) and generally just had a good time. Events like this however, are always exhausting for me. Perhaps it’s just ego on my part, but I like to make sure everything is proceeding according to plan when we have large social groups. Keeping 8-10 people moving in the same direction, all happy and content, and all enjoying themselves is a task. Perhaps it’s not really needed, and perhaps if I didn’t do it, someone else would but I always seem to appoint myself the director. I make sure when people start to get hungry we begin moving to a meal, when people want to see something we see it, when people want to play a game, we play it, etc. I don’t mind doing it, but like I mentioned – it can take it out of you!
All in all, I think people enjoyed their trip. We had a few moments of chaos, like when we lost the car key to the beetle or my shower broke. But we were fluid, we adapted. My dad was cool enough to go the week without a car, so we could have two cars to keep people mobile. The shower broke, but Diana being the awesome money-whiz she is, figured out how to pay to have a plumber come fix it without depleting all of our fun money for the week.
In the end, it was fun. I am glad people came out, and I am glad Diana got to have a good spring break. I really can’t say how having a baby is going to change our social lives, other than I suspect it will. It was good to get everyone out here, perhaps the last big gathering before we’re parents. I am really glad I had that, and I am glad people could come out to spend it with me.
But, as with any week that is filled with food, drink, and friends I put on some pounds. Pounds I’ve been letting slip back on for several months now. This is really not who I want to be, nor is it who I want my daughter’s father to be. So, to that end I’ve recommitted to losing some weight. I’ve done this so many times now, it’s hard not to feel like I am ‘crying wolf’ or something, but I got to keep plugging. The last time I say it, will be the time I do it. I’m going back to the method I’ve had the most success with, which is strict caloric control and monitoring, combined with regular exercise. In my heart of hearts, I like science and math. I like reason and logic. The human body is a machine, that requires X amount of fuel every Y hours to maintain proper function. I’ve been giving it Z amount of fuel, and the natural way my body deals with that is to store Z-X calories as fat. So I need to reduce my intake, monitor my caloric useage, and simply stick with it. When it’s a science experiment for me, I can stick with it better. It gives me things to do.
We’ll see how it goes. I hope I can do it this time. I’ve set a goal for my 31st birthday, and then another goal beyond that for August 10th, Ellie’s due date. I can do this, I am stronger than I realize, and if I am to be a true renaissance man, a greek ideal, then I must perfect mind, spirit, -and- body. Wish me luck!
Baby foo and other random updates
Feb 28th
I’ve had a few doctor’s appointments where I’ve gotten to listen to the baby’s heartbeat. So much fun! Since it’s my first, I probably still have several weeks until I’ll be able to feel the baby moving, so I get a little nervous between doctor’s visits since I can’t tell what’s going on in there. I’ve been pondering investing in a doppler so I can hear the baby’s heartbeat at home. In less than 2 weeks, we’re going to try to find out what the baby’s gender is, so that will definitely be exciting! Hopefully baby cooperates and isn’t to shy to show us its parts. I am definitely looking pregnant now, apparently so much so that a couple times I’ve been asked if I’m having twins. Haha! I’m not having morning sickness anymore, so that’s nice, but I’m having trouble finding a comfortable way to sleep. Poor Jesse is stuck with me flopping around all night. :P
In a couple more weeks, people will be coming out for spring break! We’ve been doing some spring cleaning, especially Jesse and the condo looks awesome. Unfortunately since we’ve been moving stuff around and throwing stuff away, this has totally freaked Scribbles out. She has started peeing on the carpet near one of our bathrooms as a way to express her displeasure and I suspect there may be somewhere else she’s peed that we just can’t find. We bought some Feliway to start using, so hopefully that will calm her down. I always feel bad when she’s stressed out like that, but kitty needs to chill.
Life & WoW
Feb 25th
Life has been chugging along as of late and while things are still bleak on the job front, we’re getting by. We had a friend come in from out of town this past weekend and it allowed me the motivation to really dig in and clean up a lot of the condo. This was good, we needed a good spring cleaning, and it’s put the condo in a good place to keep clean for when everyone comes in to town in March.
I’ve been actively trying to ensure that my responsibilities and hobbies outside of online gaming are getting the attention they deserve, and that’s made me feel much more… “accomplished” I guess. I’ve been putting a lot of effort in to keeping the condo clean, I’ve been tending my plants (I really want to buy more), I’ve been organizing Magic cards, I’ve been eliminating a lot of “clutter” that’s just been sitting in our condo, and I am very happy for it. I feel like I need to make the condo much more organized and clear before the baby arrives. All I need is a box of books stacked halfway to the ceiling falling and squishing my kid.
Speaking of the kid, we’re really close to finding out the gender. Two weeks, just before people arrive in March, we should know. Diana has convinced herself it’s a girl, which to be fair, my mother did with both me and my brother, so I am still not pinning my guess on anything. I’ll find out when I find out.
I have been dividing my time between Star Trek Online and World of Warcraft, for online gaming. It was funny, my dad saw some show on PBS about online gaming, and the “internet generation”, etc. He was curious what exactly it was we did when we raided, so he wanted to come over and watch one night. Last night he came by as we started our raid, and while I did my best to give him a 15-20 minute introduction, I think it was still far too chaotic to really understand what’s going on. It’s possible, since I was MTing, he should have watched Diana’s screen. She has a better view of the raid, as a healer than I do. All I see are giant undead feet.
Which brings me to our raid progression. We’ve cleared through Saurfang pretty easily, but we’re having some trouble with Rotface. The slime mechanics just seem to be a bit too much for us to really handle right now, but I am confident we’ll figure it out. I hate fights that don’t allow me to tank. I took over slime kiting from our OT, just to see how it all worked, and it’s pretty much “do everything in the world BUT tank”. I loathe that kind of fight. I spent a lot of time trying to gear myself and practice tanking. I think fights where I don’t get to do that are pretty much useless. Don’t see warlocks being asked to heal or priests being asked to tank, why am I being asked to run around in a circle? Oh well, I just hope that eventually there are a few fights that rely on me and my gear, instead of just standing there and holding aggro while the rest of the raid does the work.
Star Trek Online has been a lot of fun, but it’s a lot more fun in a group, and people haven’t been real motivated to level in it. I’m just enjoying playing it when I can, and not feeling like I have to blast to Admiral or whatever. I think there’s some elements to it Cryptic needs to re-examine, like how their skills at the highest tier got like 10 times as much as the first tier, but don’t provide any more benefit. I look forward to how they are going to add content to it, I am hoping for fleet bases and cool things like that.
Oh well, just a check in post. Talk to you guys later.
-J
Wait, what?
Feb 10th
So I was watching the Daily Show, and they were talking about how ‘radical’ it is the 9/11 guys might get tried in New York City in a civilian court. This confused me a bit, because Newt Gingrich indicated that New Yorkers would not like this happening, and I don’t understand why.
I mean, these guys attacked New York. They damaged the very fabric of life there and destroyed one of it’s iconic landmarks. While I think it’s a travesty we’ve not rebuilt something bigger and better there (if possible, taller than any building in Dubai, but hey) that we could parade them in front of, showing them that any harm they think they can cause if fleeting and momentary at best, I don’t understand why anyone would think New Yorkers don’t want the trial in their city.
Hell, if I lived in New York I’d want the trial to take place at Yankee Stadium, on the jumbotron. I’d want to eat hot dogs with pork in them while I watched the trial. I’d want my wife, with her face completely uncovered, wearing a tight shirt, and driving the car to be sitting beside me. I’d assume every New Yorker would want something similar. What kind of message is it sending if we’re too afraid to have them in NYC? What are they going to use their super powers to burn holes in their cells and escape? How long do you think they’d last on the streets of Manhattan -without- the protection of the NYPD? Put it on the news they are running around free and assuming they don’t end up in the East River, I somehow think they’d be found pretty quick.
I just hate the idea that people in our government think we’re such a group of weak-willed, frightened children we can’t stomach this. One of the basic tenants of our Democracy is our Justice system. We don’t behead people, we don’t cut off thieves hands, we don’t stone women in the street. Why, in a war that comes down to ideals and beliefs, would we want to abandon our core values for a sense of security we don’t even want?
-J