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You have entered the mysterious realm of Cody Allan Menzies. Within it's confines you will find the pitiful ramblings of a self-obsessed egomaniac, filled with horrifying tales of roleplaying, sarcastic reviews of movies, and the occassion lament of how little sex he is getting.


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Feb. 27th, 2011 @ 08:37 pm Christchurch 22-02-11
How I'm Feeling: morosemorose
It had started as any other day.  It was my first day back from a few days off, and as is typical my mind was not on work, but sinisterly plotting my next lot of leave.  I had one goal for the day: survive the monotony.  I've always seen work as a necessary evil, something I had to do to enjoy my geeky lifestyle outside of office ours.  I spent my time answering calls, browsing emails and chatting with my colleagues.  Nothing was remarkable, nothing was worth noting.  It was just another day on the seventh floor.

The my world began to shake.  

It is hard to put this into words.  I felt like I was in the middle of a Rubik's Cube as someone rabidly tried to solve it, or being in a bouncy castle made of concrete and gib board.  The floor managers cried out and we all scrambled under our desks as computers, folders and roof tiles flew around about us.  People cried, people screamed, people huddled.  And then it ended.

We tentatively crawled out from our cover.  Managers checked to make sure everyone was okay, while everyone tried to make contact with loved ones over a congested mobile network.  There were more tears, people shaking.  One arsehole made a joke of having felt that one.

Actually, that was me.

I needed to provide a false bravado, to pretend that I was calm and fine after one of the scariest experiences of my life.  I needed to seem cocky and unaffected, to show that I was not particularly fazed, because otherwise I would have fallen apart.  I could not do that.  Mental breakdowns needed to wait for now.

Our managers let us know that we could not evacuate immediately.  While the building seemed to have survived relatively well, the building around us had not.  Facades had collapsed and mortar and glass covered the sidewalks.  One of the other workers on the floor had watched the Canterbury Cathedral spire topple to the square below.  

This was not our first major earthquake.  We had had one in September, which had been devastating, but it had happened in the early hours and most people had been asleep.  We had been lucky, with only a few people being hurt.  This one had happened at lunch time.  The city had been packed.  Our luck had run out.

The call was made, and we evacuated.  Walking down the seven flights of stairs, we joked about the danger of aftershocks, or how we had hoped the aftershocks from the September quake were finally over.  We wondered if God was jealous of Roland Emmerich, and if there were less dramatic ways to get a day off work.  We talked about stupid things because to talk about the reality would be too much to take.  At least we had survived, and exited the building onto the street.  

Around us was the damage.  Walls and roofs had collapsed, windows had shattered, the road had huge cracks in road.  We walked down the middle of the road as police and firemen did their best to usher people to safety.  It was surreal, nightmarish.

And then the first aftershock hit.

I have never felt so scared as I was then.  Bricks and glass rained down either side of the road, people screamed.  The police ordered us to run, and so we did.  We gathered at the edge of the Avon River, congregating in a sea of humanity as we looked on at the damage around us.  We talked in hushed tones as we watched the wounded being tended to by emergency staff.  I could barely breathe.  

The word came from the police: Go home.  Check on properties and family, and get the hell out of the city centre.  We were to not plan our routes here, but to do it as we walked.  The roads were clogged with cars trying to escape, but they were not moving any faster than a snails pace.  

I walked home, staying away from tall buildings as best as I could.  There was rubble, mud and water everywhere, liquefaction taking place all around me.  I did not stop to gawk at the damage, did not  pause to take photos or take in the significance of the devastation.  I just keep walking, knowing that I could not stop if I wanted to.  I was on autopilot, my adrenaline wearing off and numbness setting in.  

I got home and checked in with my neighbours, who were thankfully okay.  The chimney of my flat had toppled, and my driveway was covered in mud and large cracks in the concrete had water bubbling from it.  Within, my place was trashed.  Bookshelves had fallen, DVDs scattered.  My computer had attempted to achieve unaided flight from the desk and was sitting on my bed (how it survived I'll never know.)  But all in all, I only had a mess to deal with.  Others had lost their homes.

I spent the rest of the day outside, chatting with my neighbours in an attempt to keep ourselves occupied.  Aftershocks hit with scary frequency, but we dealt with it because we were together.  I managed to get hold of my family, who confirmed they were okay, and soon friends were checking in to make sure I was alive and safe.  I was certainly alive.  I haven't felt safe since that first aftershock.  

But I put on a brave face and push forward.  I tidied up as best I could.  I ate a banana. I even tried to sleep, with mixed success.  Like Christchurch, I was still shaking.  That was five days ago.

I'm still shaking now.
About this Entry
wasted
Jan. 27th, 2011 @ 10:26 pm Huh
How I'm Feeling: surprisedsurprised
You still here?
About this Entry
wasted
Apr. 23rd, 2010 @ 11:24 pm Apparently it's been a while since I posted to livejournal
How I'm Feeling: giddygiddy
Well here you go.
About this Entry
wasted
Mar. 16th, 2010 @ 11:26 pm Mass Combat and Mass Confusion
How I'm Feeling: tiredtired
My Soundtrack : Two Steps From Hell - Heart of Courage
Finished up my Mass Effect campaign tonight, which was fun. The players stormed the Citadel and bravely fought the baddies, saving the remaining council and coming out victorious (and alive). The ending was a bit rushed, but considering the game was meant to be wrapped up by the start of uni this year, I'll take it as a win.

Of course, this means I no longer have a Tuesday game. Time to start writing a new one, I guess.
About this Entry
Mass Effect
Feb. 6th, 2010 @ 08:33 pm Mass Effect - The Musical
How I'm Feeling: nerdynerdy
There are many reasons to love Mass Effect 2, but this might be my favourite...

About this Entry
Mass Effect
Jan. 30th, 2010 @ 02:01 am Saving the galaxy and killing my sleep paterns
How I'm Feeling: geekygeeky
There was something I was going to do tonight. What was it? I know it was important...

Oh yeah, that's right. Sleep.

Stupid Mass Effect 2.

Now to play some more ... er, I mean sleep.
About this Entry
Mass Effect
Jan. 18th, 2010 @ 09:45 pm End of an Age ... Sort Of
How I'm Feeling: geekygeeky
Just completed my first playthrough of Dragon Age Origins. I feel saddened that it's awesome awesomeness had to end, but at least it managed a kickass climax. Of course, I've only finished one of the six possible origin tales, so it won't be long (once I finish this post in fact...) that I will be once again diving into this wonderfully immersive and highly addictive game.

Now, for some meaningless stats!
Quin Cousland
Level: 22 Rogue Duelist/Bard
Personal Kill Total: 971
Party Kill Total: 2365
Time Played: 57:14:55 (ouch)
World Explored: 94%
NPCs Slept With: 4 (Lellianna, Handsome Lord Whathisname, and two bunny-pig things after a wild night)
Amount of Dragon Age Completed: 54% (!)
About this Entry
roleplay
Jan. 11th, 2010 @ 05:56 pm Report: First day back a work
How I'm Feeling: exhaustedexhausted
My Soundtrack : Inon Zur - Dragon Age OST - Lelianna's Song
Grr! Snarl! Rend! Blood! Clocktower! Disembowel! Shred! Maul! Darth Maul! Obliterate! Rampage! Kill! Broccoli! Gnash! Slash! Bash! Crash! Dash! Gash! Rash! Destroy! Erratically! Murder! Stomp! Zatoichi! Impale! Boom! Siege! Attack! Mutilate! Maim! Annihilate!

Other than that it was all right.
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Kinky
Jan. 10th, 2010 @ 10:00 pm End of the Golden Holiday
How I'm Feeling: nerdynerdy
My Soundtrack : Inon Zur - Dragon Age OST - Dungeons And Dungeons
Le sigh. Tomorrow is my first day back at work. I cannot lie and say I'm looking forward to it. Heckarooney, I cannot be sarcastic and say I'm looking forward to it. I know, all good things come to an end. And at least they pay me.

Anyway, it has been a good stress-free holiday, filled with family, friends, Dragon Age, traveling, fun, Dragon Age, relaxing and also some Dragon Age. Did I waste my time? Fuck Yes! That is what holidays are for. A break from being productive. So it's mission accomplished on that.

Maybe I'm focusing on the negative. Perhaps work will be filled with fun and joy and laughter. Perhaps after work I can come home and play some Dragon Age. Perhaps I'll actually post something sensical next time...

Nah.
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Jedi
Jan. 6th, 2010 @ 12:16 am Life is a Game and Gaming is my Life
How I'm Feeling: geekygeeky
My Soundtrack : Takida - Losing
Had my first roleplaying session of the year today ... er, yesterday (stupid sneaky midnight). It was an all action episode of my Mass Effect RPG, and the session was a chaotic affair as we got back into the rhythm of things and tried to remember were we had gotten up to before the end of year break. Other than that it went pretty well with lots of damage being dished out, a totally gratuitous killing of a morally lax scientist, and ending with a race to save the Earth from Total Destruction TM. I've been please how the game has gone, especially since it's a filler campaign, and I'm glad the (mostly stolen) rule system I threw together has led to a more tactical game. Kudos to my players for putting up with me and making it such a fun scenario to run.

Anyway, in other news I have been playing far too much Dragon Age, which is more solid than the Stone Age, cooler than the Ice Age and tastier than the Saus Age. Thankfully awesome things like roleplaying and Katiemonster's 4th birthday have given me reasons to step out of the house. Otherwise people might start thinking I'm antisocial or something.

Anyway, that's me for the night/morning. Back to work next Monday, so expect more bitching after that.
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Mass Effect