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Past Shenanigans(ARCHIVES)

Posted by Hanse :) 7:31 PM

Some six years since my last post, I've decided to start blogging again. We'll see long it lasts this time. Regardless, I am no longer using Blogger. You can find my new blog at WordPress. I'll be interested to see if ANYONE actually ends up there as a result of seeing this old, defunct blog. ;)

Posted by Hanse :) 8:47 PM

I've been reading this - it's a "journal" written by a guy in a world where a zombie epidemic has broken out.  It's amazingly well written, inasmuch as it reads like a real blog - and you could almost believe everything in it.   I started at the very beginning a few days ago, and expected that I'd pace myself, because it's being posted to "real time".  Problem is, I couldn't stop reading.  I caught completely up to date within two days.  And now I check daily for updates.. and am very disappointed when there aren't any.  I highly recommend it.  I may even write a little something myself to submit to the "survivor's stories"...

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Saturday, June 12, 2004

Posted by Hanse :) 2:50 PM

I'm thinking of having LASIK surgery.

Actually, I've been thinking about it for quite awhile, but very recently, I've been seriously considering it. I'm tired of contacts, and I really hate my glasses, but my vision is horrible, and I can't get by without corrective lenses of some sort.

If you don't know what LASIK is, it's laser surgery on your eye that reshapes your cornea to correct vision.

The problem I have with contacts is that I can't wear them too long before my eyes get dry and irritated; and by the end of the day, my vision is blurred anyway from wearing them too long. I used to find contacts comfortable, but I almost hate to put them in now, and in fact, I often don't bother anymore, and settle for my glasses.

My glasses. Well, I don't particularly care for the way they look on me, for starters. Secondly, they're smudged and hard to see through about 85% of the time. This is because I tend to have very oily skin and it doesn't take very long before I've managed to muck up my lenses. I feel like I spend far too much time cleaning them, and even then I can't ever get them crystal clear. Also, it hurts to wear headphones with them on, which is a problem when I'm trying to play a game that really sounds better with headphones on. ;)

And finally, the last reason I really hate my glasses is because at night, I like to get into bed with my husband, and maybe we turn on the TV. We cuddle up and I rest my head on his chest... only it's not particularly comfortable, for me or for him, with glasses in the way.

Anyway, that's not the primary reason I want LASIK, but it is one of many. I'm also tired of spending large sums of cash on glasses, contact lenses, and the solutions for cleaning them.

So I've done lots of research on LASIK. I'm going to make an appointment with a doctor who does it at some point, and see if I can get a consulation. LASIK seems to be common enough these days that it's successful most of the time, and a lot of doctors have a lot of experience with it now. It also seems to be fairly reasonably priced, which is important since insurance doesn't cover it - I'd be happy if I can get it done for less than $5,000 I think. I've read lots of stories from people who have had it, and they all love it. About 95% of the testimonials I've ever seen say that it was the best money they've ever spent, their vision is better than they ever imagined, and they can't believe they waited so long. Unfortuately, I haven't seen any testimonials from anyone I know directly. So if anyone out there has had LASIK, or has a friend who had it, I'd like to hear some feedback. I think that's about the limit I'm willing to go. If you try to tell me that your "cousin's best friend's sister's brother-in-law" had it, I'm probably not terribly convinced of the accuracy of the story. ;)

But yeah, probably within the next few months, I will have had a consultation at least, and who knows, maybe in a few months time, I'll have good vision again.. for the first time since I 8 years old. I want so badly to wake up in the morning and immediately be able to see. I want to not have to fiddle with contact lenses every day, or waste time trying to clean glasses, only to end up scratching them. I want to be able to wear sunglasses without needing them to be prescription. I want to rest my head on my husband's chest when we lay in bed together at night.

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Posted by Hanse :) 2:43 PM

Hmm, I can tell that I don't post nearly as often as I should in that every time I manage to sit down to actually do it, Blogger's format has changed, and it seems like i have to learn everything all over again. ;)

Anyway. I've been busy.

Okay, I *have* been busy, but not so busy that I couldn't have posted here and there. I have no good excuses. But I'm posting now. And probably won't post again for another several weeks. ;)

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Saturday, May 01, 2004

Posted by Hanse :) 2:29 PM

Tarren asked me this question in a comment below, and even though I tried to answer it there, it turns out I rambled on too long (how surprising ;) and there's a limit on the length of comments. So I figured I'd just post it here:

"So, does that mean Jon is a full-fledged citizen and what not?"

No, in fact, he doesn't even have a green card yet. The fact that we're married is what allows him to stay here until all the papaerwork we've filed gets processed and he can *get* his green card... which may take a year or more. Until then, he cannot leave the United States without special permission from Immigration, because as a non-green card holder, he will not be allowed back in.

We've already filed the green card paperwork, now we just wait until they tell us to turn up for an interview. Having a green card does not make him a citizen either; it only makes him a "lawful permanent resident". Which basically gives him almost every right an American citizen has, except he is not allowed to vote, and he has to renew his green card every ten years. Basically, Immigration will keep track of him until the end of time.

If he *chooses* to become a citizen, he must take a citizenship test, which he cannot take until he's been a permanent resident for 4 years (I think). In any case, he does not ever have to become a citizen, if he doesn't want to, and many immigrants do not. I will leave that decision up to him, when the time comes. :)

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Friday, April 30, 2004

Posted by Hanse :) 9:13 PM

Okay, okay, by popular demand, here's a new post. ;)

Umm.

I suck at the regular posting, I know.

Okay, here's a little bit of news for those of you who may not have heard... I got married last weekend. Yeah, yeah, the handful of people who read this blog already knew that, but still, it seems a bit silly to have a blog and not mention something like that, even casually. ;)

It was a small gathering, just us, my parents, my brothers and their wives. (Little Noah was in attendance as well ;) We had a private room at a local restaurant, had a JP come in, got married (in a ceremony that took about 5 minutes, 7 minutes top) then had dinner. It was quite relaxed and informal, and in fact, there was a comical moment during the ceremony that helped the mood... my father had brought his laptop with him to play music on.. when we got there, he had it on the floor int he corner playing some classical music, which was nice. At some point, before the JP arrived, the music had gotten quiet, so much that my parents both thought the CD had ended, and hadn't given it another thought. The JP arrived, and the ceremony began. As she was going through the ceremony, suddenly there's this music swelling.. and it can't be some nice, relaxing Bach or Mozart of something, no it sounded like some sort of viking opera, lol... it didn't quite fit the mood, but fortunately the JP didn't have to shout over it. ;) In any case, it didn't ruin the ceremony by any means, though it was pretty funny. ;)

Anyway, we were home by 8:30, I think.. it was all a bit strange, really. Go out to dinner, oh yeah, get married while I'm there, then go home. It was perfect though. After all, the end result was that I became Jon's wife. :)

Don't count on seeing any pictures, I'm afraid... I wouldn't object to sharing one or two, though I'd be hard pressed to get Jon to agree to put one up... there's a reason he's not in the TTLG or Thievery photo albums. ;) Fair enough, though, not everyone wants their picture on the internet. Maybe I'll post the one of our hands showing off our wedding rings. ;)

In any case, I only took a few days off of work... we had immigration stuff to deal with, and I didn't want to have to rush around and be all stressed out trying to work this junk out while we were supposed to be on our honeymoon. Instead we're going to go away later on this year, during my regular two weeks vacation. It will be nice to go away and actually be able to relax.

Anyway, we didn't really do much during my days off... mostly just slept late, sat around and enjoyed each other's company. We did go to the zoo one day, which was nice (I love the zoo :), and finally bought a new television (which we've been needing for awhile, but every time we tried to shop for one, we got overwhelmed with the choices and never ended up getting it). So now we get to play old married couple. ;) On a similar note, I realized that the day before yesterday was day 90. By that I mean it was 90 days since Jon arrived here last. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but when one is traveling to the United States on a passport alone, the maximum amount of time you are allowed to stay is 90 days. So this is the longest that Jon has ever been here in one visit. And what's even better is that he never has to leave. :)

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Thursday, March 18, 2004

Posted by Hanse :) 6:50 PM

Another Legend of the Green Dragon update:

I've been playing some LoGD on another server recently (while still playing on the first one). This server is called MaddNet, and it has a *lot* of mods built into it, so there's *so* much more to explore.

On the one hand, it's a bit tougher - there are nearly 500 players instead of 60, so PvP is pretty fierce. However, the penalties for getting killed in PvP are smaller and more reasonable, and even given that, it's easier to recover lost experience, because once you've used up your turns, your can click "New Day" and start your turns all over again right away. The only exception is if you get killed in the graveyard. Unless you can afford to get resurrected, getting killed in the graveyard results in having to wait until the next game day. On MaddNet, a new game day starts every 6 hours, as opposed to the 4 hours 45 minutes on Chromotasm. There are a number of other changes and additions that are pretty cool, that I'll leave you to discover if you want.

Anyway, I'm concurrently playing both for the moment, but I'm quickly losing interest in Chromotasm's server, only because I've reached a point where you spend all your turns building up experience, only to lose it all in PvP (which you cannot avoid). If you're enjoying playing LoGD, check out the MaddNet server.

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Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Posted by Hanse :) 6:18 PM

I forgot to let everyone know that my latest nephew (as previously announced) arrived on schedule on Monday, March 15th. Noah Robert joined the world and he and mom and dad are doing fine. I haven't seen him yet, nor any pictures, but hopefully soon. :)

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Monday, March 15, 2004

Posted by Hanse :) 3:59 PM

Legend of the Green Dragon update:

~ ~ ~ Fight ~ ~ ~
You have encountered Carrot Top which lunges at you with Phone Company Slogans!
Level: 7
Carrot Top's Hitpoints: 74
YOUR Hitpoints: 79
Your skill allows you to get the first attack!
*insert random fighting here*
That has got to be the most satisfying kill you ever made.
You have slain Carrot Top!

It was, too. ;)

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