why my friends sometimes back away slowly

[xaara]

I'm a massive freaking nerd. I mean, this really shouldn't come as a surprise, but sometimes I surprise even myself.

I've been working on my Enochian.

This involves reading lots of rather dry and irritating pseudo-linguistics, like Towards an Enochian Grammar, and An Essay on the Pronunciation of Enochian, as well as deciding whether or not the alphabet consists of 21 or 24 characters, and interpreting the idea that it's "usually" written left-to-right as meaning that it doesn't have to be (which seems to be the case if you're writing in geometric shapes, like when you're seeking the Abyss Experience, and I am not making this shit up.) Also, the only linguist who seems to have worked on this is named Donald Laycock. I am not making this up, either. I think he probably became a linguist to understand how he got saddled with such an unfortunate name, which still reduces me to 12-year-old giggles every time I read it. Basically, he says that Enochian isn't a language, and shares traits with more run-of-the-mill glossolalia, but that's not nearly as much fun as a secret angelic script. Plus, what does he know, his last name is Laycock.

In a moment of caffeine-fueled insanity last night, I even stumbled across Enochian Sudoku, proving, as Terry Pratchett would say, that there's nothing really damn stupid humans won't do.

(I know that I should instead be working on learning more Spanish than I need to understand basic dirty jokes from the guys in the kitchen. However, Spanish is useful and real and therefore not nearly as appealing.)

Even more caffeine later, I had decided that since Castiel was an Angel of Thursday and also of November, he was the Angel of Thanksgiving, which got me thinking all sorts of things about how he would speak sternly against the genocide of Native people and push Indigenous People's Day. Also, I am customarily hungover on Thursdays, since they are my Saturdays in the wonderful world of working at a bar and the day that I usually don't train. So when I'm lying there muttering to myself Never again will I combine four shots of whiskey with that many vodka tonics and I really shouldn't have picked that fight by playing "Legs" three times in a row on the jukebox and then beating the annoyed gentleman in question at darts, Castiel is listening!

Anyway. Time to go for a run, and then sit down and puzzle out some calls. Onward and upward.

Comments

[smilla02.livejournal.com]

I've been trying to use the ritual for the Abyss Experience in fic since forever.
And I say this with all my admiration and symphaty: you're an adorable geek. Enochian? Oh, my.

[xaara.livejournal.com]

Oh, you must! I mean, c'mon, it's the Abyss Experience. You could go crack, you could go dark, you could go monster-of-the-week, you could go thinky.... And it's you, so whatever happens, it's guaranteed to be awesome.

Though I'm not sure admiration is in order, the sympathy is definitely appreciated. :P (There will be Enochian. Just give me a couple of weeks to create a cohesive grammar, and see what sorts of havoc I can wreak.)

[essenceofmeanin.livejournal.com]

*dap*

service industry ftw!

[xaara.livejournal.com]

For serious. I love it. Some old guy the other day was all, "Surely you're not only working here." And I wanted to say, "Dude, I only work more than three nights a week if I feel like it, I drink for free, and when I start grad school in the fall, I'll have it covered." But he looked like he read spreadsheets for a living, so I felt sorry for him.

I take it you're a fellow service industry veteran?

[essenceofmeanin.livejournal.com]

yes indeed -- i love it. i feel you. the late nights, piles of cash and a free double in front of you? 9-5s just don't compare to the crazy camaraderie and instant gratification of a restaurant shift.

although, today i had a customer leave me exact change on a twenty one dollar and seventy four cent tab, no tip. so there's that, sometimes.

[xaara.livejournal.com]

Ooh, ouch. The exact change people are awful. Or when they leave exact 15% tips in cash and you want to say, "Dude, nobody wants 16 cents. It's okay to round." If it makes you feel any better, I had a guy leave $5 on $130 a couple Saturdays ago. It was almost more insulting than not leaving anything.

It's funny, too, because once you say, "I work service," everyone else who also works service is instantly in your camp. It's like how I imagine the marines: we've all been through the same shit, dug the same trenches, shared the same foxholes. I have never met a better group of people.

[essenceofmeanin.livejournal.com]

ahahah, right? service industry is a very curious subculture, really. we tend to be smart, funny, creative -- and often alcoholics. it's weird how stressful the job is sometimes, isn't it? it creates a very powerful bonding tool, having something to rail against. i'm super lucky -- i work in a very cool place and we have awesome managers, the restaurant is spotless (and how often does that happen?) and we're pretty fairly treated. it's not a high end restaurant but we make decent money. what kind of restaurant do you work in?

and YES with the terrible tippers -- 5% is waaaaay more insulting than not leaving anything at all. although, most people aren't assholes enough to leave nothing -- i've only had the exact change thing twice in five or six years. nobody likes change. and $5 on 130$ -- you have my sympathies, that sucks out loud.