http://blog.games.yahoo.com/blog/350-from-vow-to-wow-getting-hitched-in-online-games (Opens in a new window)

No, this post isn’t going to be about what you’d think at first.  There was actually an article on Yahoo! news about getting married online.  That people are getting married in person, then having their characters in online games get married on the game.  Yahoo! is treating it as something new.

I guess they don’t count weddings on MUDs since they’re not graphic MMOs.  Yet, I know they were having weddings on Apoc before I started playing there in ’94.  I remember playing Realms of Despair in ’95 or ’96 and they had weddings on there as well if I remember correctly.  It’s been a few years now.

After reading the article, the only thing I saw that stuck with me was the link to the YouTube video where they held the wedding on a PVP/PKill server – I think on World of Warcraft.  I giggled a little because I remember how upset I used to get on Apoc.  They may not have allowed player killing except on certain nights, but stealing from other players was allowed more often.  And of course, if memory serves, one of the … I won’t say best PThieves, but definitely one of the most prolific was played by none other than SaTaN himself (or the guy who also played the character on Apoc named SaTaN).  I often wonder how he’s doing, and some of the other higherups that were around when Shar was a little mort.

Now that Mozilla spellcheck has gone crazy.  It’s bedtime.  Laterness.

Last year, I made a list of goals that I wanted to achieve before I turn 40.  Since I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, I kept everything general.  I seemed to somehow think that if I didn’t put pressure on myself, these goals would take care of themselves.  A year and some later, I don’t understand my thinking.  I’m not a hot-house flower, I don’t wilt under pressure.  I don’t crack under pressure, so why would I think that I could get away with making generalized goals, as if this was a good enough answer.

New Year’s resolutions hardly ever work.  You have to want something bad enough to make real changes.  Generally resolutions tend to be formed with a touch of regret when you look back on the previous year.  I’ve seen it time and time again in the weight loss world.  ‘This year is my year, this year is the year I lose weight.’  Yet these same people will binge and tell you that they fell off the wagon.  Or they’ll simply underestimate how much they’re eating, and try to fool you that they’re actually eating less than 1500 calories a day and they’re gaining weight.

New Years resolutions are unnecessary if you simply make a list of what you want to do for the year, research what needs to be done, and follow through on the action plan.  Yea, it’s really not as simple as it sounds.

Resolutions tend to fall under several different categories.  Health, and Money are two big ones.  I’m going to get a better job.  I’m going to write a best-seller and make over six figures this year.  I’m going to lose 100 lbs and be happy and healthy.  After all, if you’re fat, then obviously you’re not happy, and you’re definitely not healthy.  And if you’re not making a lot of money, then you’re not happy either, you don’t have enough money to buy all the things you want.

Yea, whatever.

My goals this year are related to

1. Money: I want a different job
2. Family: I want more time with my family, (my kids, my parents/brothers/sister)
3. Health: I want to do what needs to be done to improve my health

Obviously there are a number of sub-goals under there.  Spending time with my family would mean moving to FL where they now live.  Getting a different job will mean figuring out what I want to do, and finding a plan to get a job in that field, etc.

I think February may be the best month for reflection on the changes that need to be made in my life.  By now, the chaos surrounding the holidays has ended.  I no longer have to help my husband with his paper routes and can sleep through the night.  My youngest is slowly getting out of the habit of waking in the middle of the night as well since his dad and I aren’t in the living room rolling papers.  It’s still winter, and still close enough to the beginning of the year that I’ll have plenty of time to follow through on any plans throughout the year.

All in all, it’s a good time to decide what I foresee in the next 11 months.

I’ve been spending time reading other blogs lately.  There are a number of different blogs I read regularly, from a couple that are weight-loss related and written by friends I’ve met online through the years, to ones that are written by complete strangers.  One of the ones written by a complete stranger is also weight-loss related. The one I’m linking to tonight isn’t weight-loss related.  Though this person has written about weight-loss, or at least our pursuit of ‘perfection.’  Many of his posts are feel-good.  Others are meant to make you laugh.  After all, the blog title is ‘Single Dad Laughing.’

Single Dad Laughing: The Thousand Roads Through Hell (Opens in a new window)

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about where my life is lately.  I’m second guessing my choices, including when I chose to drop out of college – for the second time.  Of course, at the time I was spending a lot of time MUDding, but there were other things going on in my life as well.  Dropping out started one trip through my hell.  But, I got through and things brightened for me.

I’ve been in the middle of another, as if some of what I write isn’t enough of an indication.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s still going to be a long road.  Much of what’s going on with me is because I kept second-guessing myself.  I kept going back to the beginning and starting over, like it was going to help things improve faster.

Life isn’t always sunshine and roses, and I thank God that it’s not.  When we go through our own personal hell, we grow up.  Having the bad around helps us to enjoy the good, and there is much good out there for us to enjoy.  One of these days, I’ll be all the way through this latest hell, and life will be very good.  In the meantime, it’s encouraging me to change a few things about my life.  That’s something that I’ve needed to do for a long time.

Another geek funny for today.

Cuz there’s always a new invention coming from Apple.

“As beautiful as simplicity is, it can become a tradition that stands in the way of exploration.” ~ Laura Nyro

Sometimes the simplest things can be the most meaningful.  The last couple of days, my younger kids have been sick.  Unlike their older brother, they prefer to cuddle with me when they’re sick.  He just wanted to sleep in his own bed.  Then again, the younger two wanted to cuddle with their dad, but he was out, so I was the next best thing.

So I spent more time this weekend looking at the computer or watching TV.  I was looking at the HGTV Dream Home and started thinking about skiing and other outdoor activities.  I went to church while growing up, and our youth group used to go hiking quite often.  I would go skiing with a group from school.  Yea, I’m a computer geek, but I participated in sports and other activities.  I loved hiking.  I’ve been doing some thinking about outdoor activities lately.  I miss being able to go out and hike a nature trail.  I haven’t been able to find any closer than 45 minutes to an hour away, maybe further.

When I lived in NC, my oldest and I went hiking on a nature trail.  I think he enjoyed it.  I know I did.  With the genetics in my husband’s family, I want my younger 2 kids to stay active.  Granted, it’s harder in OK, so I need to find other activities – when it’s not 100+ degrees outside.  The park across the street is hokey, but they can do that.  I need to get them over there more often when we’re not under a heat advisory.  I know my oldest went outside a lot more than my younger 2 do.

The simplest things for us to do aren’t going to be things we pay to see.  Parks and outdoor activities instead of museums and other things inside are ideal.

My subject isn’t quite what the quote is about, but in a way it is.  The simplest thing to do would be to stay home; do the same thing all the time.  Instead, we need to explore and learn.  The exploration needs to be in more areas than simply our days off work.  I’m working toward having more energy so I can do more with the kids, and more for myself.  The simplest thing is to keep the status quo.  I’m not going to be doing that.  Though we’ve been told we’ll still have jobs, I’m exploring my options on other incomes.  I will not walk out on a job without another income, but that doesn’t mean I can’t explore other ways that we can get by.  It may be time to go back to school for real.  My goal – get my degree in web development.  That’ll include both programming and design.

I can’t find any more 404 Posters, so I’m going to just post funny posters.  They give me the giggles, and that’s what I need to face my week.

Enjoy the giggles for the day.  I am 🙂

If the above sounds familiar, it’s from ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ by Boomtown Rats.  🙂

So it’s obvious that I haven’t been posting much lately.  I’m just at a loss for words.  I don’t know what to talk about.  Things have been going well, if a tad boring here, and I’m just … trying to sort through a few things.

Work, well, I was told that the person in charge of the whole department wasn’t going to make any changes to department staff.  She said ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’

Home… well I’m doing little other than going to work, coming home and spending time with the kids, though they both prefer their father over me.

I did see a good new TV show tonight on SyFy called ‘Being Human.’  Of course, it takes off on the whole vampire and werewolf thing that’s become popular since the Twilight books came out… not that I’ve read any of them.

Other than that, nothing to report really.  I hope to be back to blogging every day soon.  I just need to figure out what I want to say first.  If anyone has any suggestions, I’d be willing to listen, though I may not follow through if I don’t care for the suggestion 😛

This is my second part of the 404 Mondays. I may just have to change it to laugh Mondays because I’m not sure I’ll find any more 404 Posters 🙂 Or even Demotivational Mondays hehe.

My oldest posted this on his Facebook, my husband doesn’t get it.  I still find it funny 🙂

I’ve decided I need to start the week off with a laugh, so everyone else gets to see it too.  Laugh or not, but enjoy 🙂

So it’s from the same people that brought us LOLCats.  It’s still funny to me.

Most of the information that I had read about George was on a student website for a university, and is no longer available.  There is some information that the local paper has published, but it isn’t as comprehensive.

The building that I work in started out as a Masonic Temple.  It was built in the 1920’s with a lobby with high ceilings and a huge staircase going up all 5 floors.  It was purchased by Charles Knox during the depression, so it was renamed the Knox Building.  There’s no record of why it went empty, but it was empty for approximately 40 years until the mid 1980’s.  Some time later, the Symphony started using the top 2 floors.  Sometime between when the building was built and when the symphony started using the building, a repairman fell in the elevator shaft and died.  I can’t find any record of when this happened.

The head of the symphony, named Dough Newell, was getting things ready one night and saw a man in a coverall coming down the stairs from the balcony with a cigar in his mouth.  The name on the coverall was George.  Newell called to thank the elevator repair company for sending someone out after hours, and they said they didn’t send anyone.

There have also been instances of the chairs in the balcony being moved.

Most of the information above and more can be found at http://enidnews.com/localnews/x518699447/Stories-of-paranormal-hauntings-abound-in-Enid?keyword=topstory (opens in a new window).

It’s been said around the building that if you smell cigar smoke, then George is around.  I worked with one girl who absolutely refused to go in the elevators because she was worried about running into him.  I’ve never had a problem, and I used the elevators frequently when I was pregnant, as the stairs are rather daunting with 20′ ceilings.  The offices have drop ceilings, but there’s still a lot of room between the floors.  The fire escape has 3 flights of 7 – 10 stairs just to get from one floor to the next.

Someone else I work with went to the 3rd floor to find some rolls of labels.  When she came downstairs, she got spooked because all of the lights had been turned off on the 2nd floor in the 15 minutes she had been upstairs.  Is it possible that everyone left in that time? Of course.  But she no longer makes fun of M who doesn’t like to stay alone in the office in the evenings.