Just in time...

The snow is almost completely gone, and I can most definitely go to MAGFest. I haven't packed yet, but that's always the case. I never pack for a trip until right before leaving. It always works out, so... I'll keep doing it.

Since Jon St. John (The voice of Duke Nukem) will be there, I'm going to take my copy of Duke Nukem 3D Atomic Edition and see if I can't possibly get it signed. This also reminds me that I still haven't set up EDuke32 yet. I'll download it now and set it up at MAGFest or something.

I signed up for staff shifts nice and early when I could take my pick, and the result is awesome. I have one two hour shift each morning at 2AM and then both LAN teardown shifts. Due to how they're weighted, they count for enough to get me all the staff perks. I'd have an exact number but the staff system is down since it's being moved to the hotel.

What this means is I'm basically free to do whatever I want during the day, then staff a couple hours and maybe get some sleep or something. I chose my particular shift timing so I could go to the concerts. I've been missing out on most of them, so I decided this year that I'd just go to all of them.

To make this easier I have a package of earplugs. This way I can enjoy the concerts without going deaf. Most people put them in wrong and thus have them sticking halfway out of their ears, and then claim that they don't really work very well, but most if not all soft foam earplugs come with directions that show you exactly how to put them in.

If not, it's simple: Roll one up between your fingers. Pick an ear. Reach around your head with the opposite hand, grab your ear, and pull it back and up. This straightens out your ear canal. J-J-Jam it in there (carefully, don't want to damage anything!) and repeat with the other ear. To remove, twist it as you pull it out slowly. The ones I have are rated at 29dB noise reduction, so I'll be good to go.

All I really have left to do in preparation other than packing is topping off my gas tank, which can either happen this evening or tomorrow before leaving. I'm really trying to avoid having to drive anyone back this year. No offense to the guys I've driven back the previous few years or anything, but I'd really just like to be able to get back to Charlottesville, go home, and go to sleep.

My computer's going with me. I'll have it in the LAN room. Depending on how bleak the internet situation is there (we thought everything was set, then a couple weeks ago it all fell through, but we have another plan now. Just not sure what the new plan is...) I might be able to post, but I probably won't. There'll still be a summary post afterwards, that I'll probably work on during the event because afterwards I usually have a hard time putting it into a definite series of chronological events. That sort of thing happens when you're experiencing high levels of awesome.