Tequila Sunrise's page

In good news today, I just talked to an HR guy at a global megacorp and I'm being passed on to the hiring team! Still have to interview, but this is very promising. It's not my ideal job, but it would be a foot in the door to what I want, and the location and pay would be improvements!

What respectable interstellar civilization would bother with planetary gold mining when they could process much more gold-rich asteroids instead?

Didn't know there is so much gold in space!

Maybe the gold was only an excuse to get jiggy with prehistoric Humans. Kinda like dragons?

Something from the one shot I ran, the players enjoyed it perhaps some of you will too.

** spoiler omitted **

This made me nauseous just reading it. Sea water tastes disgusting!

Watching a hilarious 'documentary' about ancient Sumer.

The whole topic of Mesopotamia is a super interesting topic in and of itself, but from the first episode it was sensationalist, with frequent snide remarks about academia and historical consensus. So I googled a review, almost couldn't believe what it said about the last episode, so I skipped ahead and yup! The culmination of the entire series is that aliens from outer space came to earth, interbred with prehistoric homo-species(or pre-lingual homo sapiens?) to produce us, specifically to use us to mine the gold they wanted, jumpstarted agriculture, writing, math, and everything else, and then...well I'm not quite done watching, I don't know if there will be a 'theory' about what happened to the 'shining ones.'

This watches like some college kid taking a history class got high and watched Stargate.

Drejk wrote:

*pokes American FAWTlies with a 10-ft. pole*

Yeah, yeah, politics.

But what disturbs me the most so far is that our contractors (who are finally here) think this whole thing is absolutely hilarious.

I can imagine many emotional reactions to current events. Mirth escapes me.

Macho working-man arrogance? Or maybe just privileged stupidity.

(And jesus h christ, NPR reporters are still calling the rioting mob "protestors." What's the point of the 1A if the press won't call things what they are?)

First fight with Mrs Sunrise this morning. We disagree on who is responsible for pre-cleaning dishes before they're loaded into the washer, so I'll be doing chores other than dishes for the immediate future.

Bleh.

Yup, if there's a profit to be made doing things the inefficient way (coal plants, piping water into AZ from the next state, etc.), some group of industry corporations will hire an army of lobbyists and consultants to slanderously brand the efficient way. 'Sewage heat,' 'wasteriver driveways,' etc..

Discovered on today's job search within a DoD contracting firm: Mission Manager of Zombie Program

I could lead the apocalypse!

Happy holidays, everyone!

We did xmas, or as I like to call it the gift-orgy, today. I got book money for my sacred scriptures collection, a fancy LotR glass and t-shirt, the first sweatpants I've worn since I don't even know, and a deck of art nouveau tarot cards.

So I am thoroughly gifted-out, sweeted-out, and holidayed-out.

Sorry the season is so rough for you Scavion, your mom sounds like she was a great person.

No.

The probability distribution wave function of the pierogi is scientific proof that there are never enough pierogis.

Tequila Sunrise wrote:

NobodysHome wrote:

And this is why I'm not a philosopher. I just don't care enough to get into deep arguments about it.

Yeah, at a certain point it all becomes very academic, doesn't it?

Objectively speaking, if the consensus among quantum physicists is fundamental spontaneity, I trust that they know what they're talking about better than I do. This is probably just a case of QM being beyond the limit of my education/smarts...but at the same time, fundamental determinism has become so intuitive to me, and I haven't been able to find an explanation I understand. And QM is itself a relatively new field and on the edge of Humanity's current understanding, so I have this nagging feeling that my intuition could be accidentally right.

Ah well, uncertainty is a feature of the Human condition.

Pun NOT intended!

I added quantum spontaneity to my model of Human will, and here's where it gets a bit academic, but I still think it's a worthwhile question: Which aspect of our will is 'free'? If we say that free = not deterministic, ok the answer is simple. But when I did believe in free will many years ago, a quantum die roll that modifies my decisions wasn't how I imagined it. I imagined myself operating under mind/body duality, not that there was some random aspect to my decision-making.

So I wonder if that quantum die roll is how others imagine free will?

(Feel free to answer, anyone and everyone.)

Well my personal opinion I think when I make those minuscule choices that I make everyday The ones that could of just as easy gone one way or another. Say how much sugar I put in my coffee or take one way or the other to work. I just can't believe that I couldn't of just as easily got the other way. The I figure if the small choices are truly choice then surely it works all the way up to the big ones.

Fair enough, but would you call this 'free'? Or maybe there's a better term like 'chaotic,' a la 2e's CN alignment where such characters act randomly?

And this is why I'm not a philosopher. I just don't care enough to get into deep arguments about it.

Yeah, at a certain point it all becomes very academic, doesn't it?

Objectively speaking, if the consensus among quantum physicists is fundamental spontaneity, I trust that they know what they're talking about better than I do. This is probably just a case of QM being beyond the limit of my education/smarts...but at the same time, fundamental determinism has become so intuitive to me, and I haven't been able to find an explanation I understand. And QM is itself a relatively new field and on the edge of Humanity's current understanding, so I have this nagging feeling that my intuition could be accidentally right.

Ah well, uncertainty is a feature of the Human condition.

Pun NOT intended!

I added quantum spontaneity to my model of Human will, and here's where it gets a bit academic, but I still think it's a worthwhile question: Which aspect of our will is 'free'? If we say that free = not deterministic, ok the answer is simple. But when I did believe in free will many years ago, a quantum die roll that modifies my decisions wasn't how I imagined it. I imagined myself operating under mind/body duality, not that there was some random aspect to my decision-making.

So I wonder if that quantum die roll is how others imagine free will?

(Feel free to answer, anyone and everyone.)

So I think the thing about it is if you have a single slit that you can shoot through you have a pretty good idea where your capable of hitting. if you have 2 slits then you should in theory still be able to see the areas you have to shot through however Apparently the quantum world moves more so in waves then straight lines and the waves can interfere with each other. Creating a non-deterministic pattern.

That is my understanding I could be wrong and I could be talking about something else entirely then what you are.. Maybe I should of waited for NH.

Eh...but I've seen the two-slit pattern, it's very predictable and regular, even if unintuitive. Aren't two waves interacting with each other (deterministically) to be expected?

This one's for NH, and anyone else into physics.

So I've been reading up on the double slit experiment and trying to understand this uncertainty thing. Specifically I'm trying to understand how it rules out a purely deterministic universe. I've asked the Ask Science subreddit, but no bites yet. So maybe a better way to understand this is to ask: What would be different about the double slit experiment in a purely deterministic universe?

An idea popped into my head on the way to work, and I thought I would share it in case someone could use it. Your players are in town, and find a store called "Frida's Enchanted Bakery". Inside is Frida, a pudgy middle-aged gnomish lady, and a whole bunch of cakes, cupcakes, pies, cookies, brownies, etc... Most are normal, but some are magical. If asked about them, Frida says that her family has been brewing magical potions for generations, but she has a sweet tooth, and her gnomish ingenuity led to her discovering how to make sweet treats that function like potions. So, instead of chugging a potion if cure light wounds, you can eat a sugar cookie of cure light wounds. Or a fudge walnut brownie of invisibility. Or an apple tartlet of shield of faith.

I thought it would be a nice alternative to the traditional.

More like Cursed Sugar Cookies of Disappointment.

Or maybe that's just me.

Happy b'day Freehold! Impart your wisdom to me!

The question is kinda moot for me, as I've got many loads to do, regardless of how big any one of them is.

Not sure how interesting this is for the layperson, but I found it an enjoyable (if long) read.

I'm pretty sure that most of it went over my head, but big cosmological questions sure are fun. Didn't know there are two competing models of the universe's expansion -- I still don't even understand how there's no center of the universe.

Does the pandemic win if I found myself starting to rewatch Tiger King this week.

For the love of all the gods CY, there must be another way

I used to get Facebook adverts for online Hebrew courses and 'tactical self-defence'; now I get Facebook adverts for what actually look like quite interesting books, and beer, which should tell me something.

In training to be the next Hebrew Hammer, are we?

NobodysHome wrote:

captain yesterday wrote:

captain yesterday wrote:

I'm getting ready for the first snow run of the season, should be fun!

It was not fun, the snow was ungodly heavy, they had us go out 5 hours too early, so I basically wasted five hours, I had five blowers break down, and then they had someone switch out my truck with one that didn't have a working heater. And on top of it all they expected 4 people to blow off 44 two or three car garage driveways by ourselves. I told them no and went back to the shop.

So, now I'm home, my back is sore, and I'm pretty pissed off.

On the plus side, everyone on my crew did an awesome job despite the near constant breakage and b%!@!@+%.

The kids keep talking about moving somewhere it snows. I say, "Then you'd have to shovel it."

"We wouldn't mind!"
"After the fifth or sixth snowfall? Yes, yes you would..."

They wouldn't even make it through the first shovelling before asking you to get a snow blower.

And the magic of new snow wears off pretty quick, as it gets muddy, slushy, and yellow.

Got a friend in Canada or the northeast? Send the kids on a 'winter wonderland' vacation, with explicit instructions to the friend that they're to do all the shoveling. :D

gran rey de los mono wrote:

Drejk wrote:

gran rey de los mono wrote:

I think the horse has the 2nd or 3rd best Perception in the group. He has a +6, I know one PC has a +7 and maybe another one has something similar. I have a +1 (no ranks, WIS 12).

In one campaign, the paladin's warhorse was the best combatant for a few early levels, easily out-damaging everyone else...

In the limited experience I had with 2nd edition DnD (AD&D), the donkey was the most effective combatant.

The ancestor of the Fiendish Cinnamon Butter Pony.

The what now

Jesus, LM, that's awful. Feel what you feel.

After failing to get a second interview four times, I dropped $222 on a month of AutoCAD. I spent a week on basic tutorials, now I'm digging into AutoCAD Electrical ones.

It's an amazing program, I can see why it's so popular in engineering and architectural industries. Hopefully it's a good boost to my resume.

I've given up on Van Helsing. It seemed like it might have been building up to a series climax and conclusion, but it's become apparent that they're just dragging it on as long as they can until it gets canceled.

*sigh*

Supernatural's ending was satisfying though, Mrs Sunrise even cried.

Sigh.

To cap off this colossally dicked up week, tonight WW got a text from the big cheese at our county Dem Party leadership office (who is an old friend of his mother's from Lions Club) asking if he was available for a phone call. So he said yes, so she called, starts to offer him a job (only part time, but with good pay and chance for advancement), and they chat for a few minutes, and she mentions a mutual friend they both saw in the office on Monday. He has no clue what she's talking about.

It turns out she phoned him by mistake, and the offer was for another man with the same first name.

Ugh, I was getting excited (and a little jealous) of WW! That sucks!

I have an aunt who once called my g'mother, and the two talked for like an hour before one of them finally realized they were strangers who happened to have the same name/relationship. An hour is a long time to not realize, but on the other hand this aunt is among the last to tell tall tales.

Yes and no. I like dark and edgy, though. Or at least have no problem with it.

Huh, same. Why yes and no?

Apparently, Freehold is on TVTropes.

I wonder who put him there.

Despite being Darker and Edgier than Dungeons & Dragons has EVER been...

Is PF really dark and edgy...? I've played it all of once, so I honestly don't know.

NobodysHome wrote:

"Well, when ARE you going to start drinking again?"

This is the kind of question only someone who has never in their life had to deal with addiction or mental illness could ask.

In this day and age, I feel like they also have to be willfully stupid to not recognize the nature of addiction.

Also, HAPPY TURKEY DAY EVERYONE!!!

Fun fact: there is one area code in the US that is cell phones only, and that is the 917 area code in NYC. Since NYC has the greatest density of phone numbers (with 7 or 8 area codes for landlines as it is), they set up a special cell phone area code before the rule came out about not doing that, so it is a grandfathered exception.

Oh wow, I still have my 917 number from ~10 years ago, and I never knew this.

captain yesterday wrote:

True story: I had a friend who's girlfriend would clean his apartment when she got really drunk, but this would get her hot, so she'd strip naked while she cleaned.

In college one day, me and a bunch of hetero guy friends are sitting at lunch discussing what gets us going that our ladies do. One buddy is staring off into space so we prompt for his answer. "Baking... cookies..." was his reply in a dreamlike trance.

One of these days I'm going to get Mrs Sunrise in an apron and nothing but...

Congrats, Vid, so happy for you and the Ms!

I feel like Diablo II had some of that issue. The boss at the end of act ii was, at least the first few times brutal with the slow load screen and his alpha strike.

Exactly the game I was thinking of. Diablo is no cakewalk, but Duriel is downright brutal, especially if you're playing a ranged character. Alpha strike + immunity to slow effects + tiny room = so many deaths.

Currently I'm having a blast playing Eternium, but the endgame boss is definitely a bit anticlimactic. Several other bosses have attack routines that force tactical play, but so long as you take out the endboss' lieutenants prior to engaging her (they're seperate encounters), you can literally just stand in one place and cycle through your attacks to kill her.

Its a weird feeling when you beat the endgame boss, and realize that one or more earlier bosses were a lot tougher.

I feel like there's gotta be a slang word for this.

Yesterday Mrs Sunrise and I introduced Homunculus #1 to Kill Bill, and he loved it. As do I, it has two of my favorite villain monologues of all time:

The biggest R I feel is regret

Superman was born Superman

Oh, and the theme track by Chingon is a total earworm that's still stuck in my head.

I am pretty sure the talks about American health insurance are taking us dangerously close into politicis kill-zone.

Though I am not sure if mocking American health-care system counts as politicis or is merely unelegant as kicking someone who is down.

The fact that healthcare reform is controversial is much like the fact that punching nazis has become controversial: It's a horribly grim commentary in and of itself on U.S. politics, and that's all I'll say.

So sorry for your loss, Woran. :(

Billy Joel's Captain Jack.

...But maybe it's not quite the right kind of inspiration.

Wow, I guess if entire categories of food made me nauseous I'd be pickier too. :p

Y'all are way too picky about restaurants.

Or maybe I just love eating.

I vomited up my dinner tonight, so I am now in the ER to deal with my kidney stone. I was hoping it'd pass on its own, but my doctor was very specific about going to the ER if I started vomiting.

In better news, I got yet another interview!

Yesterday was very good-news/bad-news.

The good news is that a consulting firm I applied to last week called to set up an interview today!

The bad news is that I was diagnosed with a kidney stone later in the day. The pain is not excruciating, so I'm hoping it passes on its own in the next couple of days.

Limeylongears wrote:

Democracy in action.

I wish I had had the imagination and the talent to pull something like that when my father was on the city council. My friends and I would have died laughing about it for weeks.

I love all the people trying to be respectful, but totally losing it under their masks.

"Think of the children!!!"

Love it.

Tequila Sunrise wrote:

So I'm gonna try the 'dungeon plus three adventure hooks' sandbox model. Enough choices to give the players agency and direction, but not so many that it feels overwhelming and directionless. The story is what happens as the PCs push toward their chosen hooks.

Go here

There is a strong possibility that #29 actually happened in the early stages of Human prehistory.

So I have a cracked tooth, one side of it is splintered off who knows how far down. Tomorrow the dentist numbs me up, then decides whether the tooth is root-canal-able or if it needs to be pulled.

Either way, ugh.

They ended up pulling it. It came out in four pieces, but it was a lot more pleasant than my first tooth extraction.

Mrs Sunrise and I are two sessions into a 5e campaign, and we've already 'derailed' it. Airquotes, because the DMs have said they can adapt the story to roll with it. And by 'we' I mean mostly me, as I was the one to turn on our NPC chaperone. In my defense, I thought that the plot was about fleeing from or killing him, it was just a question of when.

Roleplaying again has reignited my interest in DMing, and the speed at which we've derailed the game has me inspired to put together a sandbox. I've always run plot-based campaigns, yet I'm kinda in Mark's friend's position -- for one reason or another my campaigns never get terribly far, and I always end up exhausted and underwhelmed from planning my own story.

So I'm gonna try the 'dungeon plus three adventure hooks' sandbox model. Enough choices to give the players agency and direction, but not so many that it feels overwhelming and directionless. The story is what happens as the PCs push toward their chosen hooks.

So I have a cracked tooth, one side of it is splintered off who knows how far down. Tomorrow the dentist numbs me up, then decides whether the tooth is root-canal-able or if it needs to be pulled.

Either way, ugh.

I think my perfect undead apocalypse show would be a mix of TWD and Van Helsing.

TWD is wonderfully gritty, well-paced, and well-written. Van Helsing has different vampire 'breeds,' from the animalistic ones to the calculating nobles. It also has hope, which even undead apocalypses need a bit of.

My interview went mostly well, though I did definitely flub one technical question. Either way it's best to assume that every interview is a dead end until one isn't, so back to the job apps!

Got my first job interview on Monday!

Feeling more confident than I was job searching five years ago, but just the thought of the impending interview is stressing me out. Will be prepping through the weekend...