What do I have to do to get you into these peas?

Oh, some free time. Bless you kindly.

My goodness, I've been absent from the ol' LJ for a long time. I haven't missed too much, it seems. Lately I've been starting to wonder if I should even bother paying for this thing anymore. My friends' list has been reduced to April and Danielle (they being the only two people on my f-list who still regularly update), what with the real-time allure of Facebook and Twitter now to keep up with. Thoughts in real-time! Whoda thunk it?

But to the 2 people who still are keeping track of my goings-on in the world we must all inhabit, it's been very busy. But let's recap, for those who have lost track of the score.

Left my job at the end of August to go back to school full-time. If everything holds and I don't have to withdraw again due to my rebellious guts, I'll be done in 2014.

Character Battle 14, my very last contest, came to an end a few weeks ago. I haven't had time to miss it.

This being the first time I'm a full-time student since fall 2004 back in that sinkhole that was MCLA, I've long since forgotten what it was like to be on such a schedule--more so, since I'm an art student and have to deal with studio courses. It's been rough. Ran into some trouble early on when my guts tried to undo me again (not to mention give me canker sores that went on for 3 weeks), but things have since quieted down, and I am stable. I was overjoyed to find out that I don't need surgery for Crohn's, and that the surgical wound inflicted on me two years ago for fistula correction is very nearly healed up.

I've survived through midterms, and now we're in the 2nd half of the semester. I'm holding on to a 3.7 GPA at the moment, and I hope to maintain it as I move into the harder, and more time-consuming part of it, where professors assign longer and more time-consuming art projects, and longer research papers.

I'm struggling a bit in terms of my social life--I knew going into this that I'd have pretty much no social life because most of my time is spent doing homework or other school-related stuff, but I didn't expect to feel the occasional rounds of depression from the lack of human contact. Going down to New Paltz for Wyatt's birthday party was a very nice shot in the arm--seeing everyone made me feel very good.

Also, I've barely seen April. Knew that was going to happen too, but it's still annoying. She's putting up with it as well, but come December, I'd love to get reacquainted.

In other news, we are going to be moving again; this house is trying to kill us. Also, due to all the repair work the landlord had to do, he wants to raise our rent by 300 a month. In addition, we're having to put up with a rather stupid realtor who has been showing the place to prospective renters. Whatever. After November 30, we're no longer responsible. We found a place in Guilderland, about 15 minutes away from here, and we'll begin moving in mid-November. Danielle will be moving with us, while Ryan will be moving out to a place of his own. So, we go back to apartment living, but that's ok. I'm looking forward to the next Januarymas.

In photo-related news, I've been updating my deviantART more often, and I've also joined the ranks of Tumblr in an effort to shamelessly promote my images. You can see my Tumblr here.

With Frankensnowpocalypseicaneageddon 2012 about to bear down on us (or not--I'm leaning heavily on the NOT), I find myself not believing the hype. Not a bit. I find myself laughing at all the panicked grocery shoppers who will stock up on enough canned goods to last through the next ice age. Call me jaded, but after all the hype weather forecasters gave us last winter about every single winter storm destined to hit us and never did, I feel justified. I'll believe this when I see it. This mentality may bite me in the ass, but whatever. So far, all's that happened is that the wind blew a bit. But apparently, the THREAT of possible doom has been enough to pretty much close every school and most businesses down, including my own college. Means I don't have class until Thursday.

However, if you do indeed get pounded by the storm, you're welcome to come here for shelter.

But if we do lose power, we've got board games. Oil lamps. Candles, camp stove. I can also have sex. How's that for a crazy idea?

Wyatt persuaded me to download Happy Wars from Xbox Live Arcade; it's the first free-to-play game (EVAR!!!!!) on the 360. It's hilarious. Basically, here's the best way to describe it. It's 15 vs. 15 online multiplayer, and the object is to capture the other team's tower before they do the same to you. Along the way, you erect towers which serve as spawning points in case you die. The battle ends after 15 minutes (or if a castle tower has been conquered). In the ensuing chaos, you kill members of the other team, support your own team, etc. But the kicker: it's all done in a hilarious, cartoony style of play; avatars armed with ham bones, equipped with tin can helmets and shields that look like pigs, for example.

Basically, think of it as King Arthur and his knights from Monty Python and the Holy Grail trying to take Camelot from those nasty French guards. It's hilarious. If you want in on the fun, my gamertag is ERoivas.

Stay safe, everyone who's in the path of the oncoming bit of weather. For now, I'll take this rare moment and unwind a bit.