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Diary of a B+ Grade Polymath ([personal profile] tcpip) wrote2008-04-15 06:07 pm

Writing and Gaming Update, Industrial (etc) Music, Work Stuff

Well, I've finished my three chapters for the new edition of Campaign Law. Specifically they are concerned with using the literary model (narrative, characterisation, setting, theme/motif and style) in roleplaying games, generation of cosmology and 'realistic' physical worlds and the same for societies and cultures. I am very pleased with the work I've done not only in the scope (as it crosses social, physical and aesthetic pragmatics), the quality of the content, but also the blunt, formal yet highly readable writing style. Damn it's going to good when that book comes out. In other gaming news, finally got around to running a session of Swordbearer on Friday which was a real blast, especially when it was based in The Hidden Shrine of Tamochan. On Sunday converted all the characters in the fantasy Japan/Ainu game to far more sensible Bushido which, despite obviously coming from the day clear writing in system rules, is far more evocative and substantial. Lastly, on Saturday the AD&D1e Norman Britain game came to an end after almost 15 months with a victory for the noble venturers over Arachne's plans to unravel the threads of space and time. Thus ends (AD&D speak here) UAGDQ...

For fans of industrial music [livejournal.com profile] squidb0i reports an amazing new Skinny Puppy song. Heh. Catchy isn't it? A week ago I didn't even know who Rick Astley was. Now I'm engaging in the Internet meme of Rickrolling. There's a certain amount of coolness in the old guy yet, eh?. In other music-related news, I snapped up a copy of the 25th anniversary edition of The Chameleons' Scipt of the Bridge. Go on, tell me another CD which receives 5/5 from 43 reviews and sells for a minimum of $52USD? Yes, The Chameleons and Script of the Bridge in particular are that good. Naturally enough I picked up a t-shirt to go with the re-issue as well. Go get some. Thanks to [livejournal.com profile] hbdeath, I've also been alerted that John Foxx, the original lyricist and singer from Ultravox! is touring Australia with music and a new movie. I am so there.

Many of my friends get annoyed at the workplace, by bosses, cow-orkers and so forth including my dear [livejournal.com profile] caseopaya. She's changing jobs at the moment and is being struck by a rather immature workplace that feels that she's deserting them for a better place. Whilst that aspect is true, it doesn't excuse their childish and snide attitude. But such behaviour does occur in so many workplaces, and often in business that are about to go down the tubes. So to all my friends who experience this sort of thing - and it happens with alarming regularity - follow the tcpip law of work which states: "It is never important enough to let them upset you". In other words, take a seriously phlegmatic approach. Meanwhile at my work, apart from a praised scripting hack, I have also taken on the role of being OHS officer for the floor and completed First Aid training. OK, so it's pretty minor but as a kid I wanted to be a doctor (no, not of philosophy). This is probably as close as I'll get.

[identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com 2008-04-16 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
How about experiences with dodgy cow-orkers? Everyone has at least one of those stories..

[identity profile] tempusfrangit.livejournal.com 2008-04-16 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
I've never really had a job. (I'm permanently brain damaged and multi-disordered) .. I could complain about my neighbors, the heat and sleeping too much.. but that's not relevant.

[identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com 2008-04-16 06:27 am (UTC)(link)
Actually that's a very good answer. It can serve as a gentle reminder for people not to let work colleagues 'get' to them.

See, you can contribute meaningfully to this journal! :-)

[identity profile] tempusfrangit.livejournal.com 2008-04-16 06:44 am (UTC)(link)
Also could serve as a gentle reminder not to look down on disabled people with no visible disabilities.. :)

[identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com 2008-04-16 07:04 am (UTC)(link)
*nods*

There are still plenty of people out there who still think mental disabilities are a myth. Well, in a sense they are because they're not 'mental' per se, but physical problems with the brain.

The way I've tried to explain it to some is just like diabetics have a pancreas that doesn't function as it should chemically in the production of insulin there are necessary mood-determining chemicals in the brain which are just as prone to being a tad dysfunctional..

Sometimes people understand that analogy. Usually there's a lot of "Yes, but" and I suppose with some justification. After all there's some studies of people who claim a biological issue (say, "I have lactose intolerance") for something they simply don't like the taste of (they should say "I don't like milk!")

[identity profile] tempusfrangit.livejournal.com 2008-04-16 07:12 am (UTC)(link)
Well, anyone who thinks mental illness is a myth should have to live 3 days in my head. Mandatory minimum sentence.

[identity profile] lardarsegreg.livejournal.com 2008-04-16 07:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Spending 3 days in the head of someone who has mental health issues (I'm not sure that "mental illness" is an entirely suitable way of describing it) could be a suitable punishment for certain crimes...

As for making posts on his quality level... anything that is relevant to your life is relevant to a blog post. The main barrier is more likely to be if you actually want to talk about it. That's my main barrier right now...

[identity profile] demonhellfish.livejournal.com 2008-04-17 04:19 am (UTC)(link)
Or travel on the New York City subway system. There's an amazing number of people here with schizophrenia and Tourette's.

[identity profile] lardarsegreg.livejournal.com 2008-04-16 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
The way I've tried to explain it to some is just like diabetics have a pancreas that doesn't function as it should chemically in the production of insulin there are necessary mood-determining chemicals in the brain which are just as prone to being a tad dysfunctional..

Am I the only person who hates the "chemical imbalance" explainaitions that people come up with?

[identity profile] tcpip.livejournal.com 2008-04-16 10:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Possibly not, but it is a factor in some cases. In others it is a "mimetic imbalance". In others still is a genuine reflection of the environment, in which cases 'cures' are a type of social control.