So....

[johnpalmer]

So, I hit a deeply depressed state, and vanished into my head and Final Fantasy X. If you ever need to waste *a lot* of time, FFX will do it for you. There are tons of mini-games and side quests.

I've come out from under the deep darkness, but I've also become busy, job searching (Oregon State isn't going to need a windows guru, much less a DBA), getting a bit more exercise, and still wanting to wrap up FFX.

I'm not sure where life will take me right now. My 11 year old Saturn is worrying me; she's been burning oil for a while, and at my last oil change, I was told that my coolant (which was flushed and filled this year) is looking bad. That, to my sorely uneducated car-brain says that the head gasket may be going. If any car-folks want to tell me yea or nay, I'd appreciate confirmation.

I'm torn between wanting to get the head gasket, valves and rings done (my understanding is, if you're getting one of them done, you should consider getting them all done, and I probably need 2, gasket and rings), and getting a new car. I don't know how much money this will cost; I'm going to see if I can check some local folks to get wild-guesstimates and then start calling engine places. (If someone tells me "expect to spend at least $2500", and someone offers $1500, or claims $3500, I know to be careful.)

I have a possibility of a job offer that's about 45 minutes from where I'm living now... but I also know there are plenty of jobs in Washington. I'm searching in Oregon, but wondering if it might be time to move back.

At least, now that I know that Oregon State is a bust, I can stop being stressed over that.

Love to you all; I'm trying to catch up slowly, and trying to figure out when to comment.

Comments

[98.livejournal.com]

Glad you are out from under the worst and wishing you the best.

[caltastic]

I love FFX more than words can possibly ever ever ever express. The soundtrack contains some of my favorite pieces of music ever, and I have the ending video on my ipod. I am a big ol' Spira nerd, and I am always delighted when people I like are familiar with it also.

[johnpalmer.livejournal.com]

I wish I'd known that when I was trying to figure out how to win the first Blitzball game :-).

(I'd learned that you didn't *have* to win, but geez, Tidus promised Wakka he'd win the game for them, and bragged loudly that they'd bring home the cup, how the heck can you be playing the game *right* if you don't? I finally learned that the Goers can only score if they ever actually *get* the ball. So the first half, I kept passing. Second half, I set Tidus up for a quick Jecht Shot. I think I even got Wakka to score a second goal with a strong passing game. After having had to play the game through I-don't-know how many times to win at all - and with fairly long cutscenes before it starts! - it was exceptionally sweet to with with a shutout.)

(I've since learned to play Blitzball pretty well. I still rely on my passing game a lot, and only just learned not to buttonmash on techcopy. But I got both of Wakka's Overdrives handily. Now, my big annoyance is that sometimes the best prize is for second or third place. I hate having to throw a game!)

[caltastic]

Ahahaa I love Blitzball DESPERATELY. I still have somewhere my painstaking list of all the recruitable people around Spira and their stats and possible positions. Now, what I absolutely HATED was the chocobo racing. Oh my god. Hate hate hate. Even the lightning dodging did not fill me with as much hate as the chocobo racing.

Here, if you're interested, are recordings of every different arrangement of "To Zanarkand" (the opening piano piece). ... Because I kind of own all the FF music in the world. I used to have all of the Hymns of the Fayth collected somewhere too, but I can't find where I put them.

[laurarey.livejournal.com]

You have all my sympathy. I'll send good thoughts your way.

[droops.livejournal.com]

Glad that you have come back to us. :)

[wordweaverlynn.livejournal.com]

My thoughts are with you.

It's been a bad season for depression. I hope you feel better soon.

[zanawake.livejournal.com]

Best wishes with your next step.