Into the isolation tank for me!

I came home yesterday to find that the internet was out. Or I guess technically, it went out moments after I came home--I started updating my podcasts and logged on to my computer to fix my gas bill account when I noticed that my computer had no internet connection. Then I noticed the modem was blinking strangely, about a minute of the upstream light blinking while the downstream light was solid, then the upstream light went out briefly while the downstream light blinked, repeat. I reset it, and nothing. So I called RCN and the summary is that there's a problem somewhere and there's another appointment this afternoon so they can fix it.

The good thing is that this exact error is what convinced the technician that I had a problem with my personal modem, so if they can find the source, maybe I can give them the rented modem back. The other good thing is that I did a ton of unpacking and now the entire area around my dining room table is clear. Now I just need to get a couple more bookcases so I can put up all the non-RPG books I have. The RPG books are already all on shelves in the office. I spent a couple hours doing that and finished up early--I went to bed at 9:30 and woke up at 5:30 feeling pretty rested.

Guess all I need to get enough sleep is to cut myself off from the world.

I finally joined Mishkan as a member. I've loved all of their events that I've gone to and I was really just waiting to attend services to get a feel for how their non-holiday events went. Well, I went and it was great, so I paid for membership. As a single member at the lowest tier it's not too bad, and I got an email where they offered to refund the cost of my High Holy Days tickets since they're free to members. They also wanted a short phone call on Friday to make sure that I'm getting what I want out of Mishkan, so I said that would work or that I could talk to the Director of Development in person at the oneg after services. I'm not sure what exactly I'll say, but I still have a day to think of something.

I'm scheduled to go to DaishoCon in November with some people from the AnimeChicago crew, and they just started posting a lot of logistical information--food, drinks, entertainment, who's sleeping where, all that stuff. In the food thread I said I kept restaurant kosher, which is to say that I don't eat a lot of stuff but I don't demand that the environment around me be kept free of it, and I said that I could cook Japanese food given the proper ingredients. I was immediately promoted to cook, so I guess I'm making meals! Well, chahan and yakisoba will go pretty far, if we can get the ingredients for them.

I'm about halfway through Blades in the Dark, past all the intro stuff and into the GM's advice section. There's a mix of mechanics I like a lot (the repeated use of clock-style timers to track nearly everything) and that I dislike extremely (GM doesn't roll for NPCs, players' rolls determine everything about an interaction), but most of what sticks with me is the setting. It's like a mix of The Lies of Locke Lamora, Unhallowed Metropolis, the Thief series of games, and Dishonored. As I read it, Drunken Whaler plays on a loop in the back of my mind.

thosesocks gave it to me with the goal of seeing if I'd be willing to run it, and I'd say that she succeeded.

Feed him to the hungry rats for dinner
Feed him to the hungry rats for dinner
Feed him to the hungry rats for dinner
Early in the morning