Vertigo, not just an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

I’m sorry I haven’t been posting much lately.  In case you don’t already know, I’ve been dealing with a pretty nasty case of vertigo for the past week.  If you have never had the joy of experiencing this, let me paint you a nice little picture...

Imagine, if you will, sitting on a boat on calm waters.  You get up and don’t realized exactly how not calm the waters are.  You try to regain your footing while being bounced from side to side.  Now, take away that boat and water, but keep the sensation.  Yup, that’s where I’m at right now.  Everything gives me that feeling!  If I turn my head, blink my eyes, stand up, sir down, or fight, fight, fight!, it’s still there.  I cannot escape it no matter what I do.

This happened to me just a few short months ago, in June.  My primary doctor told me it was called Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and was told it would go away with time.  They gave me some drugs, pat me on the head (not too hard), and sent me on my way.  Eventually, it did go away and I was able to get my bearings back.

Well, it has reared its ugly head yet again and has rendered me helpless.  This time, I took no chances.  I went to see a specialist for vertigo and he came back with the same answer; it will go away with time.  This just frustrates me because I’m off balance and walking like a toddler.  What am I supposed to do between now and when it decides to take a hike?  Last time, I suffered through it.  I suppose I will have to do the same this time, again.

I wanted to throw this out there in case anyone had any suggestions or cures.  I’ve been offered a Cure Moderate Wounds, Remove Curse, Spiritual Hammer, or all three to be cast at once (bonus points if you understand the references).  I suggested a Restoration spell, but I had to wait an extra 24 hours, plus a flight to Boston because I’m out of range for my Touch AC. 

For now, I’ll suffer with a pounding headache, ringing in my ears, and a “swooshy” feeling just praying this goes away.  If you need me, I’ll be under the covers in my squishy bed.  If I don’t come back in a week, forward my mail.

Confessions of a Part-Time Urban Ranger: My Life in the Gaming World

I love games!  I love gaming!  This is a big part of my life, but some people don’t really get it.  So, let me break it down for you.  Gaming is an outlet.  Gaming helps me get away from my daily life and socialize with friends.  It also lets me kill shit and get cool stuff in the process.  Let me break it down a little bit further.

When I was in college, I was introduced to gamers.  One of my good friends, Art, asked me if I would be interested in coming to a game over the weekend called Vampire: The Masquerade.  The players did something called Live Action Role Playing, or LARPing.  I had no idea what to expect.  I was very interested and I wanted to learn more.  After all, I was in college and I wanted to get the most out of my experience while I was there.  I get to hang out with cool, new people and step out of my comfort zone 1 night every 2 weeks. 

I was so nervous the first time I stepped onto the scene.  Art took me aside and explained how everything worked.  We made decisions and resolved “combat” via Rock, Paper, Scissors.  There were rules to abide by: No touching, no alcohol, no drugs, and have fun.  He told me to sit back and observe for a little bit to see if I would be interested in joining.

The first interaction happened with players and I sat there watching in utter awe.  There were arguments, “fights”, tests, you name it!  I was hooked!  I knew I wanted to get involved!  I sat down with Art, wrote up a character with a pretty bitchin’ back story, and I haven’t looked back since.

This opened me up to different experiences, different people, and different kinds of games.  I’ve played board games that most people have never heard of that are really great and fun.  I’ve demonstrated new games that have just hit the market.  I’ve attended conventions specifically for games.  I’ve helped run games for other people at said conventions.  Hell, I met my husband at one!  This has been a big part of my life and I wouldn’t change that for the world. 

With that history lesson aside, let me tell you what gaming has really done for me.  It has helped develop my problem solving skills.  When faced with a huge challenge, my party (or fellow players) and I develop a plan.  We discuss who should do what and when.  Sometimes, we have to use our weapons to help defeat the encounter.  Sometimes, we need to use our words to get what information we need.  It’s a great way to interact with people and you learn a lot about yourself, trust me.  What I didn’t expect is the stigma that goes along with such a hobby.

I remember when I was younger hearing about Dungeons & Dragons.  I had no idea what it was all about, but I knew that only really “weird” people got involved in this.  The older I got, the more I was proved wrong about this.  You would be amazed who are gamers now; celebrities, professional athletes, every day people you would never think would be involved.  It seems to becoming more popular, but I still get the raised eyebrows.

It’s even worse if you’re a female.  This seems to put you in a more uncomfortable situation.  The first time I attended GenCon, I was surrounded by women who were dressed very scantily clad.   This was the first experience I had with costume playing, or Cosplay.  At the time, I felt a little uncomfortable because I would never wear something that revealing!  At the same time, I was jealous of those who walked around and didn’t give a shit what other people thought.  They were having fun!  I was all about having fun.  I started to Cosplay with what I had and I came out more and more.  Again, it let me step out of my reality into a fantasy world where everyone was awesome.  However, women were expected to wear next to nothing.  That is the way of the gaming world.  How else are they going to get guys to buy their games?  Put hot, half-naked chicks on the cover!  Makes sense, right?  Let me explain how much that sucks.

The first time I walked into our local game store, it was like a scene out of “The Big Bang Theory”.  Everyone stopped and looked at me all because I was female.  The whole store STOPPED AND STARED!  It was really uncomfortable and kind of embarrassing.  I started to look at some of the games on the shelves, the books they had available, but all eyes were still on me.  Let me stop you right there: No, I am not here to drop off/pick up my little brother/son for a Pokémon tournament!  Yes, I have breasts!  Yes, I am here on my own agenda to buy things!  Oh, THE HORROR!  Get over it!

I’m currently in 3 tabletop games: Star Wars and 2 Pathfinder games.  I get to sit around a table, roll some dice, kill some cool shit, and be an all-around bad-ass!  I don’t get to do that in real life.  It’s fun to step into an alternate reality where I am a force to be reckoned with!  I enjoy the fantasy.  I am not so sucked into the fantasy to try and harm others.  This is a stigma I wish to squash. 

Think of it as interactive storytelling and YOU are the main character!  You have friends that support you along the way.  But most of all, IT’S A GAME!  I don’t see people losing their shit when they find out their children play Monopoly!  Do you think they are going to turn into slum lords or millionaires??  You played Battleship as a kid?  Then you must be a war loving, ship bombing psychopath, right?  WRONG!  All around wrong!  It’s a creative way for creative people to get together and have fun.  If you don’t understand it, try it sometime.  If you don’t wish to understand it, piss off and let the rest of us have our fun!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a gnoll to shoot with my bitchin’ bow! 

Give me your opinion on the matter.  What games do you like to play?  What do you think of “gamer geeks”?  GAMERS UNITE!