Fault-Finding

It's a relatively simple system. We have these little cards upon which we document what's going on with a paper. An arrow pointing to the initials of the editors means, fairly obviously, that the paper with the two completed referees' reports have gone to the editors. Simple, right? Seems not, because I get into work and apparently there's this query about a paper that we got the referees' reports on last month while I was on holiday. Seems Michael labelled this paper as having gone to the editors when he was trying to say that it was just ready to go to the editors. But since the paper was labelled as having already gone, of course I didn't do anything with it. So apparently I now have to double-check everything I send out to make sure it all went out, just because he fucked up the labelling system. Whoopee.

Also, Ham-Fisted Editor. There's this series of papers by this one author. I sent Ham-Fisted Editor what opinions we had on these when we had 'em. He went away to think about it. This was months ago. They checked up on this paper after I went home last night and apparently, Ham-Fisted Editor has absolutely no memory of me having sent him this, told him anything about it or otherwise dealt with it in any way. Never mind that I know I sent him the referees' reports because they are sitting in my scanned reports folder on the desktop. And yet apparently, this is somehow my fault, and further proof that I have to double-check everything because people paid immense amounts more than I am cannot for the life of them keep anything straight.

Oh, and the most competent person in the office (and the only one anywhere near my age, I might add) is leaving for pastures new soon. So that leaves me with maybe two people in this office that I actually like. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate my job?

In other news, I spent some time this morning tweaking around with PlayOnline and paying up my Deathgnome for the next three months. Something like £30 for the quarter isn't so bad, though I had to fuss about until I could find out how to change the card details with which I registered, as my old card got eaten and my new card has different issue number, security number and expiry date. So I don't have to worry about it until November's paycheque. Go, Deathgnome! And payday along with new card means I have to start thinking about flight bookings. Ah, quick-plan holidays, how I love thee. Samhain in the US, huzzah! Plus I'm thinking of trying a new little Japanese restaurant for lunch today. So there's always a little silver lining. Always.

And we do not mention Chicago except in the context of "hour and a half layover therein on my way to St Louis".

The Geek Pound

So I gave in and Googled for how one obtains a chocobo egg. I was mostly just curious, I suppose. I mean, I've got enough to do in that game that I don't really need to start raising chocobos. But still, it's nice to have the option. (At some point, I really need to learn how to apply for a chocobo licence. But later.)

Anyway, I Googled and I discovered that I need the third expansion pack (Treasures of Aht Urghan) for that. Which, of course, I do not have. Yet. But I figure, if I'm paying £9 per month to play the fucking thing, I may as well have all the bells and whistles, no? Besides, there's also new jobs, subjobs, areas, monsters etc. It just seems ... kind of appalling that this game is essentially designed as something to chuck money at. At least with Sims 2 expansion packs, you only shell out for the expansion pack instead of the expansion and the monthly charges. And it doesn't turn around and shut down at various times for updates on top of the stuff you need from the EPs. Oh well. That's the way it goes, I suppose...

And as I was checking Amazon for prices on Treasures of Aht Urghan, I noticed something else. SiP volume 18. To which I say "Eeeeeeee!"

And budget allows. For that much, anyway. So do I pay above the odds on the high street, or do I pay delivery charges? *sigh* Decisions, decisions...

Deathgnome Grows Up

That was amusing. Today, Satomi Deathgnome discovered Giddeus.

Giddeus, for those of you not familiar with the game, is this ... canyony sort of area somewhere off West Sarubataruba (closest start point: Windurst, from whence originates our little Deathgnome). It contains, so far as I can tell, Dirt Eaters (worms, basically - worms that can cast the first spell I ever learned, namely Stone, and do so while you're trying to heal, the fucks), Giddeus Bees (like Bumblebees, not much worth my time anymore), and Giddeus Pugil (those fucking fish again). Oh, and Yagudo. Lots and lots and lots of Yagudo. Who turn around and cast Banish or Dia or Poison on you while you're down to 56 HP and still trying to heal from the last two Yagudo fucks you just had to kill. And generally come out of fucking nowhere. It's rather disturbing. However, I did manage to make it out of Giddeus alive, with several chunks of metal ore and various other wonderful little items. Must go back at some point. It was aggravating but I didn't die once!

So I went back to town and did some shopping and trading and suchlike. Bought a new pair of mitts and some bait. Sold some grass cloth, some leather, some silk thread and a cornette I've been hanging onto for weeks. Traded three Crawler calculi to that Mithra out by the dhalmel pens and got my 600 gil. Discovered I need more beehive chips for the Mithra at the apothecary. Did some fishing. Then headed back to the Moghouse where I intended to look and see whether I had an extra beehive chip or two stashed in there before logging out for the night. However, just before I hit the zone point, I decided to have a quick look and see where my EXP was at; I'd started the night at something like 1300 and wondered how long it'd be before I got to level 13. And I saw the following:

EXP: 2971 / 3000

Yeah. 29 points between me and level 13. Two kills maximum.

Fuck that, I'm headed for Sarubataruba again. Offed a Crawler and a Goblin Weaver, levelled up, then decided that even if I didn't have Signet cast, I'd still off the two Crawlers I bumped into on my way back to the zone-in to Port Windurst.

...And didn't even get EXP for them. Low-level Crawlers don't earn me EXP anymore.

...meep?

I mean, what do I have to kill to get EXP anymore?