Nicole Tries RPGs

Happy almost tomorrow!  Last night I went to my high school friend Joel's house to watch he and his friends play Pathfinder.

Pathfinder is a fantasy role-playing game that is very combat-based, and very complicated.  This particular group of 6 friends (and two gamemasters) had already been playing since the end of 2014, so I popped in somewhere in the middle of their progress through the book.   

From what I could gather, there is a map in the middle of the table with a grid on it, and each character has a figurine that appears to serve approximately the same purpose as a Monopoly piece.  Each person has a set of dice (SO. MANY. DICE.), and the numbers they roll determine what happens next in the game.  Joel and the other gamemaster sat and crunched numbers the entire time.  Another player was on a laptop the whole time manipulating data.  It was a lot to take in.  Joel mentioned that it takes a ridiculous amount of prep to get ready for one of these game nights, and I believe him.

Each player has a sheet with information about his/her character.  The other side of the page also has a ridiculous amount of data.  I understood almost none of it.  Joel tried his best to explain it to me, but I had too many questions and I didn't want to interrupt everyone's game.

The game took about 3 hours.  It was intense, but there was also a lot of laughter.  Everyone brought food and beverages and had a great time hanging out.  It was a lot of math, but also a lot of problem-solving.  Even though I had no idea what was going on, it was still fascinating to watch.

My main takeaway from watching this campaign is that it's about the game, but not really.  It's a bunch of friends getting together to enjoy a common interest and each others' company.  Everyone I met last night is really awesome, and I hope to see them all again at some point.

This is going to be an interesting week.  I have speed dating on Wednesday, plus I'm going to be reuniting with someone I haven't seen in a really long time.  I'll keep you posted.  Right now I need some sleep.

See you all in the morning.

10 Things I Hate About You: In Movie Theaters

Happy Friday!  If you haven't started watching Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams yet, do so immediately.  That show is fire.  I'm watching it right now.

Tonight's post is the second installment of 10 Things I Hate About... with Jessica.  This week's theme is movie theaters.

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10 Things I Hate about You: In Movie Theaters

1. Talking constantly throughout the movie.
2. Guessing the end of the movie throughout the movie. See Number. 1.
3. Asking me what just happened because you were talking to me and not watching the movie. See Numbers 1 and 2.
4. Smoking pot during the movie.  I don’t care if it’s legal—it’s stinky.
5. Eating crunchy food, esp. with your mouth open, and even worse, during quiet scenes.  
6. Coughing loudly and dramatically. Get up and leave the theater if you must.  
7. Trying to touch me during the movie. Don’t grab my hand, put your arm around my shoulder, or put your hand on my knee (esp. the latter-- you will get punched in the arm.).
8. Getting up and sitting down throughout the movie.   Please get your food/drink/go to the restroom beforehand.
9. Putting your feet up on the back of the seat in front of you.  It’s rude to that person, and your big-ass feet are probably partially blocking my view of the screen.
10. Anything you are doing with your phone – answering it, texting on it, even having it on silent but letting it be visible so it lights up when someone tries to reach you. PUT IT AWAY OUT OF SIGHT. This goes for your Apple Watch, too!  Please hide it under your sleeve or disable the light so I don’t see it out of the corner of my eye lighting up.  And don’t keep checking it! 

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Side note: Jessica and I saw IT together in the theater a few months ago, and I think the other patrons did all of the above.

This is a nice night in.  I'm going to turn my attention back to the show and the person watching it with me.  I hope that you all have a lovely evening as well.

10 Things I Hate About...

Tonight was Kiera's birthday dinner at Flame & Fire.  If you've never been to a Brazilian steakhouse before, it's basically men with huge skewers of meat walking around and constantly asking if you want some.  It's a lot like online dating, actually.  They give you a card to put out if you don't want any, but just like guys on the internet, apparently they don't take no for an answer.

Alright gang, this is Jessica's first installment where she makes a list of things that she hates.  I can relate.  We both hate a lot of things.

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10 Things I Hate About You:  In Restaurants

1. Noisy eating and visual displays of food while chewing:  “seafood” much?  Chew with your mouth closed!
2. Eating food over the buffet/serving table – put your food on a plate, walk away and THEN eat it. 
3. Picking up / touching food and not taking it - DO NOT poke, prod or pick up food without then taking it.  Please refer to No. 2 above for further instructions.
4. When it is self-serve, taking more than a fair share during the first round.  DO NOT take your 2nd and 3rd helpings during the first round.  Leave some for the rest of us.
5. If being served a meal, being rude to wait staff.  Treat people with respect, especially people who are handling your food! You never know what might happen to it (If you have not already done so, please watch the movie “Waiting” feat. Ryan Reynolds and see what might happen…I guarantee you will never be rude to anyone in food service ever again!)
6. Being a pain in the ass customer by making all sorts of additional/ridiculous/unrealistic requests from wait staff and then leaving a poor tip--or worse, no tip at all! These people have gone above and beyond for you, and their service should be acknowledged with a tip AND one befitting the level of service received. 
7. Ordering for your date, without asking permission.  Let your date choose unless your date tells you he/she has no idea and wants you to order for him/her.
8. Insisting on splitting the bill unless previously agreed upon, especially if you were the inviter.  Don’t be a cheapskate if this whole thing was your idea.
9. Forgetting your wallet (and again, ESPECIALLY if you are the inviter). Really??  Do I need to explain this one?!?
10. Taking or making non-emergency calls during the meal.  The only time this is acceptable is if you are an ER doctor and you are on call.  

P.S.  If you do happen to be an ER doctor, then you should DEFINITELY be paying the bill.

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Side note: each one of these scenarios has actually happened to me on a date.  

Have something you want to add to the list?  Think we're just a bunch of haters and want to vent?  Comment or e-mail at nicole@thebeentheredonethatproject.com.  

I'm going to attempt to go to sleep since I have work again tomorrow, then I have to hop into a lemur onesie to go to a party.  It's a long story, but I'll tell you guys about it in tomorrow night's post.  See you all in the morning.

You Aren't Going to Get Laid

Tonight's post comes courtesy of Logan Banner.  If you're as geeky as he and I,  you'll know that's not his real name.  He's someone from my awkward high school days who has recently resurfaced from the depths of Facebook, and we will be working on a few different projects together for the blog.  He wishes to remain anonymous, so I will respect his wishes.  Here is Logan's first of hopefully several pieces for this blog.

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You Aren't Going to Get Laid

I’ll be honest: I very much dislike grouping people or speaking in generalities, but for the purpose of entertainment (and hopefully a little education), the following is a humble painting using the broadest of strokes.

Hello, single men. You are not going to get laid. I’m sorry, but it’s true. You now live in a world where women are bombarded with offers for sex, both directly and indirectly, on a near constant basis. If you think your opening line, abs, or dick pic is going to cut through that noise, you are living in a dream world.

...Still reading? Done cursing me out? Great, let’s start talking solutions. Solutions to how you get laid you ask? No. No, I just told you it isn’t going to happen. The solution is to stop caring about getting laid. (Pause for gasps.) Yes, I know, we men constantly think about sex, but that’s why internet porn exists. I know, I know it’s not the same, but it’s also not the point. There is a two-fold reason here. The first is the point I keep driving home, which is, it’s not going to happen, so obsessing about is just going to frustrate you and you’ll lash out when you feel rejected because of it. This helps no one and at some point, you’ll regret your behavior.

The second reason to stop caring about sex is that it actually leads to you having better interactions with women. Not just for them, but for yourself. See, the male brain has two modes:

1. Normal, and
2. SEX! When the male brain is in SEX! mode, nothing is quite working right. If we register a 0.01% chance of sex, every action we take is about increasing those odds. You aren’t even really present. You're reacting, looking for signs, peacocking; anything to get you closer to SEX! When you are like this, you aren’t having a good time. You won’t remember the details of the interaction. And in the end (all together now), you won’t get laid.

...Throw your phone yet? Sorry, I honestly know this is hard, but here’s the thing: not getting laid and not trying to get laid puts your brain back into normal mode. That means you can actually try to have a conversation about something you want to talk about. It means a lot of anxiety is gone and you can be yourself. Can dates and interactions still go less than perfect? Of course. But the result will be a lot more positive (non-sexual) interactions with women that will lead you to understand them better and maybe sympathize with their perspective on dating in this modern age.

I know what you’re thinking. If you do the above, you’ll get laid. (Sigh.) Will you ever learn? Truth is that the above probably won’t get you more laid than you already do. But it will make you grow as a person (no, not your penis) and give you a lot more positive dating experiences.

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Logan, women everywhere thank you.  Have some feedback for Logan?  Please feel free to comment on the post or shoot me an e-mail at nicole@thebeentheredonethatproject.com.

It's going to be another jam-packed overtime weekend, plus two of my friends are celebrating their birthdays.  Oh, and Sunday is New Year's Eve.  Sleep is overrated.

I know I say this all the time, but I will say it again.  I absolutely love that so many people are sending me articles for the blog.  I am always accepting submissions, so please don't be afraid to send me an e-mail if you would like to contribute something.  I can either name you and promote your comedy/business/whatever, or I can keep you anonymous.  

OMG, I might actually get to bed at a decent hour tonight.  Have a lovely evening, everyone.

A Hell of a Week, Indeed

First of all, thank you to the wonderful staff at Agape Eco Nail Salon for giving out free sugar scrub and cocoa butter for the holidays.  You guys never fail to amaze me.

My car has been in the shop all day, which put a wrench in my evening plans.  I am getting a lot of work done on the blog and on my sets for the two shows I'm in next week, so I can't really complain.

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In lieu of a creepy screenshot tonight, I'm going to chronicle the story of a date from a few weeks ago.  This will be the first of the Teaching Moments blog posts.

My date and I ended up at a fairly nice restaurant, and he was adamant that he wanted to get drunk because it had been "a hell of a week".  Somewhere into his first drink (and my only drink), he started ragging on himself and fishing for compliments.  Disclaimer: I refuse to give into this tactic when I'm on a date.  I'm sorry.  I like a guy with a little confidence.

Homeboy was not happy with this, and at one point he told me to go to hell.  My response was "I'm already there", so he flipped me off.  This wasn't just a quick finger-up; he was waving his middle finger in my face for a little while.  In the middle of a crowded restaurant.  While horrified patrons stared at us.

Here's the thing: he told me earlier that he felt like I prematurely friend-zoned him.  This is honestly more than likely true.  He's a nice enough guy, but I hadn't really been feeling it, even before this incident.  In his defense, he apologized, paid the entire check and waited with me for my Uber.  

This guy might end up being a good friend.  Once I stopped looking at the evening as a date and considered it dinner with a friend, I actually enjoyed myself.  If nothing else, I got a humorous blog post out of the night.  I hope that this is the last time he tells a girl to go to hell and gives her the bird.

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Now for some happier news: Eddie and I are taking the blog on the road in February!  We are headed to Portland early February to check out some touristy stuff.  If you read this, live in the area, and would like to hang out, hit me up at nicole@thebeentheredonethatproject.com.

Erin and I will be watching A Christmas Prince on Netflix at some point tomorrow and attempting to discuss it on the blog.  My plan is to post on the blog, Twitter, and Facebook when we go live.  The conversation will take place in the "Comments" section at the bottom of the blog post.  We don't have a time yet, but it's probably going to be early morning/late afternoon.  I apologize for the vagueness there, but we're having scheduling issues.  If you happen to see that we're on and would like to join in the discussion, feel free!

Time for me to attempt to sleep.  I hope that you all have a lovely evening.