Mortaine’s Blog

I’m tired. I want a nap. Where did naptime go, anyway? How the hell am I supposed to concentrate on one task for 8 hours straight? This work shitthing is ridiculous, really.

I need to remember to return the keyboard to MicroCenter.
I need to remember to return the extra seatbelt adjuster to PepBoys when I pick up my car.
I need to remember to update because I forgot to do it over the weekend and now I have to wait till I get home.
I need to remember to meet in IRC tonight at 11:00 PM. Which is why I must nap beforehand.
I need to remember to go out to the car with some carpet cleaner to scrub out the cold home-made mocha that spilled over today during lunch (the mocha was from breakfast).
I need to remember to vacuum out the rest of my car– perhaps after the mocha spill is cleaned up and dry, though.
I need to remember to take painkillers today.

Update on the wrist injury:
I had Inga (who is an RN) take a look at it today at lunch. She said it looked okay, and that as long as all of the wood is out, it should be fine, but to boost my tetanus in the next 5 years or so (my last one was about 7 years ago). She also tells me that my reaction wasn’t shock– it’s called a Veigle reaction, and is really common. Good to know, actually. Had I not been calmed down, I would have just passed out and eventually come around with no lasting harm (true shock can kill).

I forgot to mention when I was writing about the injury that it hurt. Yes, it hurt. I think the wood hit a nerve because it hurt almost to my elbow. Actually, it wasn’t all that different from that deep-in pain when they take a blood gas (taking blood from your artery instead of your vein). I took 2 advil last night during the game, which helped. I didnt sleep well in part because I didn’t want to sleep on my right side and reduce the circulation to that hand (my right hand invariably falls asleep at night), and also, it was still sore. I took 2 advil this morning, and need to take a couple more this afternoon. 2 advil, by the way, is 1 fewer than I normally take for a typical bad headache of mine. On a scale of 1 to 10, I feel that my headaches average about a 7 or 8. The hand hurts somewhere around a 3. But then, I’m also very pain tolerant because I’ve undergone quite a bit of it (though not as much as some of my LJ friends– that’s for SURE). After I had surgery when I was 16, the doctors kept asking if I was in any pain. Pain? Are you kidding? The discomfort I was in was minor compared to the cramps I got every month. There was no pain.

Anyway, it looks like I will be working next week after all– 2 weeks to overhaul a manual and get it to a training session is, well, not enough. I will probably take Tuesday off, or at least take off early, just so I can make it to Petaluma on time.

Yesterday afternoon my gamers showed up mostly on time– Carl called at 1 to tell us he would be an hour late. While we waited, Chris wanted to show me her work up on the hill. On the way back down, I slipped on the hay (I’d call it grass, but it was 8 feet tall when she cut it) and landed on my butt– no damage– and my right wrist.

Into which a piece of wood decided to embed itself. Chris and I disagree on the size of the wood– yes, the damn thing was in my hand, so perhaps my perspective was off. But I had also pulled about 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch out before she got there– and there was more inside.

So, as soon as I got the damn thing out, I went into a really nice state of shock, hyperventilating and everything. This happens whenever I sustain an injury that causes me to bleed significantly. I can’t deal with the sight of my own blood. I get nauseated, and hyperventilate trying not to throw up, then I lie down because I feel faint… yeah.

And so I did all those things. Mind you, Chris is flitting around the house, laughing (half nervous laughter, half of it guilt, and something about having fallen the day before so many times– to be honest, I didn’t give a fuck as long as she would stop TALKING!) and John is telling me how it’s nothing, it’s not even bleeding (yes, I know that– it’s a fucking DEEP PUNCTURE WOUND– it’s not bleeding enough!), etc. etc. etc. I’m hyperventilating and crying and lying on the floor bleeding and trying to ask for help, but of course I’m in shock so I’m unable to give coherent First Aid directions.

We ended up soaking it in betadine for 20 minutes, then putting neosporin and a bandaid on it. Today, it’s swollen, but it didn’t even bleed last night, which is a good indicator that it’s all closed up at the surface; now I have to watch for the infection below.

We did play last night, starting way too late. Everyone was like fucking pinballs– Ann actually yelled at them because people were continually getting up, Chris was talking and distracting everyone, and generally Ann had had ENOUGH of the scattering. We ended at about 9:30– two and a half hours late. We started 2 hours late because of Carl, so I don’t feel too badly about the delay (though it irks me when players decide that someone else making dinner means it’s naptime).

I think my new plan is to play for 50 minutes and have a 10 minute break every hour. The problem with that is that bringing people back to the table after 10 minutes is a pain in the ass and takes 20 minutes, at which point everyone decides it’s time to scatter again. Basically, I have three players who, if everyone else isn’t at the table when they sit down, will get right back up again and go do something else.

I don’t know. Ann asked me last night why I bother. I mean, basically she and I are the only ones who manage to actually stay at the table for the whole game. If my players are having so little fun that they can’t stand to actually stay at the table, then there’s no point in gaming, you know.

As far as the actual game went– this is an easy adventure for them. Something they should be able to walk through pretty well, which they did. Of course, that means that the experience points are lower– if you don’t need to do much to defeat something, then you don’t get that much experience from it.

I did practice last night, at about 9:30, after we had ended and everyone was still here. That’s the other thing that irks me– if you’re not having fun or don’t want to play, then please do not take 2 hours after I close the books to get up and leave my house. I’m tired. I’ve been hosting and DMing for the last 8 hours. I have things I would like to do, like cleaning up. I do not want your help. I do not want your company while I clean up. I do not want an audience when I practice. I just want to finish my evening routine and go to bed.

At 9:45 or so, I took the phone into the bedroom and closed the door so I could call Aunt Kathleen back. Friends eventually got the hint and left, calling their goodbyes through the bedroom door at me. Kathleen and I had a nice half hour chat, and then said good night.