2001-02-22 - 16:19:08
eBay frustrations, froth, and heraldic musings

(@#$&)! I spent $5.23 online a few weeks ago to purchase about 16 cards for the CCG that Azash is getting me to play. The IDIOT I purchased them from put them all in an ordinary white letter envelope. You'd think anybody used to selling things on eBay would know that you can't do that!!! Postal machines will rip open any non-padded envelope containing items thicker than 1/8".

Yep, you guessed it: the envelope arrived entirely empty. Grrrrrrrrrrr. (ni!). I am not happy about this at all. I hope the guy at least has the decency to refund me my $5.23. It was his fault in shipping preparations, not "random bad luck", that caused this problem.

On a brighter note, I am completely free of large database projects at the moments and into the froth zone of small clean-up projects and can-you-tell-me-how-to-total-things-in-Excel questions. An example of my current duties: I am playing with a campus map in MS Paint to reflect current buildings and to add locations of lightpoles. Fun, yes?

I also had a brainstorm two nights ago and stayed up much too late drafting an entire summary outline for my novel. At last! I know how it's going to end! This really helps inspire the actual chapter-writing, when I know exactly where my characters and plots should be going; and allows for adding the necessary foreshadowing in-process rather than editing through and tacking it on after I'm done.

Last night, for variation, I attended another SCA business meeting in the shire where I live. I have an identity now, although it's not yet approved: Dubheasa, a 14th century Irish lady. The name means roughly "dark lady of the waterfall", and would be spelled Duvessa in modern times.

I also have a device idea: Per bend sinister gules and argent, an escallop and a wyvern counterchanged. For the heraldically challenged, picture a shield with a line running across the shield diagonally, ending in the upper right corner; the top half is red with a white scallop shell on it, the lower half is white with a red two-legged dragon. Dragon shields are difficult to get approved these days; there are over a thousand of them, and no two shields may closely resemble one another. I have checked the online Armorial, and can't find a direct conflict with mine, but I need to consult some more heralds about it.

*stretching* Well, I must return to my leisurely day ... it won't stay that way for long, I'm sure, but I might as well enjoy it while I can. *grin*