And a death in the family doesn't help things. It'll be a little while before more updates happen.

Updates: New broadcast on Samizdat Radio, new post in V.P.A. War Council.

New stuff has been lacking in the ol' Pit. Applying to grad school will do that to ya. It'll also take a large chunk out of your bank account. And that's just the application process.

The new "Pit"!

No, I'm not re-doing the look of the blog. MB's design is far too phenomenal.

However, I will be changing around the arrangment/purpose of my blog(s). It came to me in a moment of insomnia... Which isn't saying much, really. That's my usual state of being.

Anyway, here's the picture: think back to your last astronomy class (or lesson, what have you). You have a number of satellites orbiting around the bulk of a planet. Well, ...the pit of insanity is a planet surrounded by (so far) three satellites.

• Samizdat Radio is the pseudo-radioBlog experiment of myself and crime partner Tony Schermetzler. Utilizing fun new audioblog toys, we endeavor to bring a humorous bent to everything we encounter. Feel sorry for anything we encounter.
  
• V.P.A. War Council is the gathering place for random discussion of Warhammer 40,000 topics. Tactics, questions, discussions, and fluff will be the order of the day. Just imagine young warriors sitting around a table, tankard in hand, talking battle. Except not.
  
• Miskatonic Library is the newly-discovered moon. Having too much free time and too many Mythos texts, I'll be posting weekly essays looking at various entities and locations of the Lovecraft Mythos. And I'll throw in the occasional post on the authors and analysis of said Mythos.
  

And, floating lazily in the center of this network is the hub, the grand central station, ...from the pit of insanity. This one will host the links, the rants, previews, and hopefully some examples of anything I'm working on.

Hm. Sounds good. Let's see if it pans out. Later. Now, I must watch the D.

We'll just put that in the "Draft" folder...

Grrrr... the Me has decided not to post the latest rant. Too much around me causing angst. I don't like angst. A post where I justify and growl is probably counter-productive.

Just hand me that last bit of ice cream, and I'll stew and make bad jokes in the voice of Strong Bad.

Ohhhh... so this is winter.

Apparently I angered the snow gods with my last post... Because winter decided to hit the midwest/almost east with a biting vengeance. And though I enjoyed it, I could have done with a little less wind. The sub-zero wind chill is less fun when it's work you're walking to, rather than the sledding hill.

Speaking of work... nah, I'd rather not. Same ol' "staff having their jobs threatened," you know how it is. At least the few customers that make it in are usually cool... or shoplifters. Oh, well.

Then again, there's finally a new sbemail. And really, when it comes down to it, what else do you really need?

This is winter?

I'm sitting in my Pittsburgh apartment, after tromping through a heavy rainstorm. And while the sound is a good salve for my burnout, it still gets under my skin. The reason is very simple.

I love snow. If the temperature wasn't in the mid-50s, this would be one sweet blizzard. It would have been worth it to walk through the blinding snow, just for the simple warmth that would wash over me as I stepped into my apartment. I'd make a hot cup of coffee, watch some playoffs, paint a little, and feel the epitome of comfort.

Instead, it's raining. Sure, it's soothing, but the general feeling is nowhere near as poetic as the "snowstorm" version of events. Oh, well.

Umm... just as an addendum: do not drink too many Journalist's Delights in one night. All those energy drinks will cause your heart to explode. Seriously. I almost died.

The big oh-4

This is where I'm supposed to review the year and renew myself for the next one, right?

Screw that. 2003 started great, and dropped into misery and bitterness. There was an upswing the last few days...

Instead, I'll simply provide a tasty mixed drink recipe:

The Journalist's Delight
1.5 oz. Jack Daniels whiskey
3 ice cubes
8 oz. SoBe energy drink

In a chilled glass, pop in the ice. Pour the Jack over the rocks. Crack open the SoBe, and pour it in. The drinks should mix without any effort on your part. (The amount of Jack can be adjusted up or down half an ounce, depending on taste.)

Enjoy!