Random Ramblings LXXXVII · 3:35am Oct 19th, 2016
IN WHICH I SORT OF RETURN
So, yeah. I've been away for awhile. I promised I would make public one of my finished one-shot stories and I didn't. I apologize for that. I just couldn't bring myself to deal with the bell icon while also dealing with other things.
The trip to Kansas was simultaneously the best and worst trip I've ever taken part in. I was banned from driving because I absentmindedly confused my SUV (blue) with a coworker's SUV (red) – the assumption was that I was so out of it due to stress that I couldn't be trusted. We ended up making the trip in a minivan… that had no plates of any kind (and our friend who did drive had no insurance because he doesn't own a car). I spent the entire time terrified we would be pulled over and arrested. We ended up hitting a storm out on the plains that threatened to blow us off the road… and the windshield wipers didn't work well… and it was ~10pm. It was at that time that we noticed one of the tires had a leak. We filled it up and managed to reach our destination before midnight, but the tire was flat the next morning. I and our driver managed to get the spare on (I did the actual work of changing the tire once he got it off the undercarriage). The day after that, I went to the nearest Walmart to get a new tire, for which I was eventually reimbursed. And yes, I worried about driving around without plates, to the point I was convinced Walmart would call the cops on me.
The convention was fun even though we sold next to nothing. Really nice people. I actually want to go back next year, especially if they can keep the location. Unfortunately, we didn't get to stay for the entire thing…
Our boss messed up (AGAIN) when booking our hotel room. This time he didn't put us in a shithole – it was a nice place – but he had us checking out on Saturday instead of Sunday. We tried to get our stay extended but it turned out every hotel in the city was booked that night, so we got kicked out. While we made local friends at this con who offered to let us crash at their place, for which we were grateful, by that time we had gotten tired of the logistical bullshit and just wanted to go home.
We packed up all the unsold product and left just after sunset. Instead of going straight home, my GF asked we take a detour a hundred miles out of our way. I agreed. It was a LARP game she wanted to put in an appearance at, even if only for half an hour (which is about how much time was left by the time we arrived). Then everyone went to a 24-hour diner for "afters", a tradition amongst gamers. I was terrified for about the first half hour because I was so out of my element, though I eventually found people to talk to… like the guy wearing a Flutterbat shirt (friendly, obese, gay… kinda stereotypical brony). We FINALLY got back on the road at about a quarter past 2am. We finally made it home around 6:30am, though we decided to officially tell people we wouldn't be back until late that night so no one would bother us.
On the ride back, I – banished to the back seat – tried to sleep but couldn't. The whole time, my GF (for how much longer I cannot say) and our friend had a conversation about how I must be replaced on future trips because I am utterly worthless at helping out due to my high anxiety and inability to handle stress.
I have since been handed an ultimatum — Get Help.
Thus concludes my explanation – poor excuse – for why I haven't written anything in about a month. While I currently have no drive to write much of anything, especially a multichapter story, I hope to regain the ability at some point in the near future. Finally, I apologize for rambling; I do that sometimes. Okay, a lot. Bye.
