Return to the world
Tough week. Very tough week.
The week started quiet enough, with a fairly quiet Monday, but I was not feeling up to spec. At work a few systems did not entirely cooperate, and KPN still had not installed the new router for our 100 mbit line, and I was getting very miffed. A lot of students returned from their internship and had all gotten new passwords in the snailmail, but few if any remembered that or had the paper with them, so I massively resetted all the passwords and tried to sort out their various questions. I was tired. Worse yet, a few systems went down at the end of the day, and I got them back up, but couldn't trace the reason before I had to get myself to Amsterdam. I was on time for the birthday of Lies' mom, but would have appriciated more time to work on my OGD presentation which I was supposed to show Friday in front of the Jaarvergadering in the Efteling.
Tuesday I was not feeling well yet, and the day was more a question of letting it all happen and getting through it then actually working, so I took the hint and made sure that I took it easy on Wednesday, also already packing a few necessary Exodus things and preparing to load the cart, as the weather for the end of the week was looking somewhat grim. I must honestly say I was not very much looking forward to Thursday: the 'actor-day' of the OGD self-management course in which we would be faced with an actor playing scenes from what we saw as tough situations, trying to improve upon those. I came face to face with a few tough situations and had to swallow several times, as my lessons were "learn to trust" and "give and take". While the day itself was also a lot of fun this is not something I want to do soon again, mostly cos it is hard to let my guard down and take it, and immensely tiring. The group were a lot of good people, though, and the organizer and actor both professional and caring; also, the restaurant we used as the same as where we did the first run of "De Glorie van Altenstad", so it carried good memories. The dinner at the end was a bridge too far for me, though, at the end of my 'people-tolerance' and tired it just felt like taking too long. I prefer my catharsis with a group like this around a big table loaded with plentiful but simple grub. I'll suggest it.
Friday saw Exodus, but first the OGD Jaarvergadering. The massive hail-storms made loading go very slow, and Cora and myself had to leave for the Efteling early enough. Turned out my hunch was correct, because we were there with 'only' half an hour to spare, having been delayed due to a storm-damaged Moerdijkbrug. The busses from Amsterdam and Rotterdam were also delayed, so I had plenty of time to fret and get really nervous socialize. They also rearranged my presentation due to the late-comers to make the schedule fit, so I suddenly was the opening presentation. Gulp. Got up there, was happy to see some friendly faces (Cora, Joost and Jolanda, mainly, coupled with plenty of OGD and larp buddies) and blurted it out. After one more presentation we had a break, and Cora and myself went to Exodus, to which I will devote its own post, as usual.
Exodus was a great deal of fun. The location was good again, and this time we also had an extra building: the tower in the water kindly lent to us by the Delftse Zwervers. Players were responsive, NPC's were absolutely great and a lot of people pitched in. Was home on Sunday fairly early and had a traditional end-of-larp dinner with Cora and Rene. Spent most of my Monday regenerating but made a quick hop to Utrecht to meet up with ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
maglok and selmaika to discuss Symbols plays. That being done I happily returned home and spent the rest of my evening alternatively cuddling the exam-stressed girlfriend (exams this week) and playing some WoW and Dawn of War: Soulstorm.
Tough week, yes. But a happy one.
thoughtful
