Backroads

So I found a way to get to my blog from the assignment. I'm still staying pretty busy, but it's nice to be able to do this when its slow. I felt a little like a n00b today - I was asking some pretty basic questions about things I already know (or should know). Things like manually setting an IP address on a HP Printer through the printer's webclient, or opening an application as an administrator while the user on the other end is still logged in as them. I'm not incompetent, just not altogether sure of how things are done around here. Luckily enough, the guys here seem patient enough, and I am fielding calls for them that they'd otherwise have to take. Win/win.

When I got home, D had a story for me. Turns out that when she got home, she let Colin go and play after asking if he was done with all his homework. He said he was, so we let him go play. A little while later, he came in quietly and tried to move his backpack upstairs to his room. Of course, she noticed this seemingly random act of cleanliness on behalf of the walking disaster area, so she asked what he was doing? He replied that he was just taking his backpack upstairs. He had no reply for what prompted him to do so, and the fact that one of his buddies was waiting for him outside was very suspicious. So she looked through his backpack and found his spelling homework missing. He's notoriously bad for getting that done: for all the reading he does, he sure does hate writing. He said he did it at school, but when she asked if his teacher would confirm that, he confessed that he had lied about his homework and wanted to get it done.

He's gotten into a REALLY bad habit of lying to get out of things he doesn't want to do, which just absolutely infuriates me. It makes me have to spend time I already don't have checking up on every little thing he does because I can't trust him. This time, though, he confessed that he had done wrong and was trying to make it right. That's the kind of man I'm trying to build in him, so I let him know I was very proud of him for coming clean and taking responsibility, and asked him not to lie anymore. He did his homework and was back out playing in no time.

I've talked with my wife several times about wanting to positive and encouraging, but I need him to do something to praise first. He's academically awesome, and we tell him so, but I think he's taking a cue from TV and the kids around him that lying and being rude to your parents is cool and funny. When he did the right thing today, I wanted to make sure I noticed he did right and that it was appreciated. It is a lot easier for me to send good things his way when he is in line like that.

After we put the baby to bed, DeAnn and I decided to try to make Dynamis - Xarcabard tonight. She'd been away from FFXI for a few weeks since the drama over our static really started hitting. Now that things have cooled off a little, she's slowly coming around to do things that are fun. I've said it before and I know I'll say it again: if it's not fun, it's not worth playing. She likes dynamis and events and such, just doesn't like them to take over all her ingame time and life. We got on about 15 minutes before we were scheduled to go in, and we had to cancel because we didn't have enough people for an initial pull, much less a Dynamis Lord kill. Several of our PLDs have either left or are taking a break from the game.

This sparked conversation on reasons why our shell needed to change. We simply need more like-minded and casual people. We have never been, are not, and likely never will be a hardcore endgame shell. The forces in our shell trying to make it that way need to knock it off, because they are only frustrating themselves and their shellies. There aren't enough people to do all the things scheduled, the talk about people needing to step up or get out is only stressing people out and pushing our numbers down. Completely counterproductive.

And I just wasn't in the mood for it. Keri and I switched over to our lolCats social pearl and hit up some really nice campaign battles. SE must have recently changed the frequency of battles or something, because for the most part, it's no longer feasible to sit in one spot and camp battles. Sometimes its a good hour between battles. Instead, its better experience to sit in town and wait for the troop movement notices and go where they are going. Despite my best efforts, though, I still couldn't get the counsel to at least let me keep my current medal, and I only have 12 days left... X.x!

Static is scheduled for tomorrow night. If we have another night like last time, we might scrape 65 out of it. :) I had run the idea by the gang to schedule a (BC/KS/IS)NM sometime soon. I needs the monies baaaad... Might schedule it for next week Thursday, or perhaps Saturday. I will have to check the schedule and pick the day with the least impact and best chance for drops.