In Which I Am Too Dumb to Function

I don't know what the hell is going on, but my memory is just like, gone. I was up at like, 3am on Monday morning, and I was so unsure of what day it was, I was starting to panic. I know it's common to be a little messed up on around federal holidays, but still. I'm also literally forgetting things almost immediately, like my neighbors name (sort of understandable b/c I was all anxiety-awkward panicky) but I'll forget the answer to a question I just asked my kids, which is not like me. I feel flighty and forgetful and unfocused--UNABLE to focus.
My nerdspaper arrived yesterday, FINALLY, and I just couldn't even with it. I just couldn't focus. I did a couple of the puzzles over several hours, but I'm just not into it like I usually am.

Also, the puzzles are REALLY DIFFICULT. Like, I don't even know what they're asking for. And I can't focus, so I'm just like derpy derpy durr durr... just gonna stare blankly at the... something, I don't even know at this point.

This was an easy puzzle. At least, one part of it was. The other part made very little sense, and I can't figure out the last bit at all.

In other news, the pirate thing I ordered for Marv is going over pretty well, after an initial hiccup. The first mailing arrived last Friday and she was NOT into it, and I was ready to light myself on fire.

Mailing #1

She had no interest in the letters or the cipher, and only wanted the key. Fucking kill me.

Luckily, the first mailing had trouble crossing the border or something, so the second mailing came the next day. Oh, also, and I know I could totally insert this bit in the appropriate place (heh) but whatever. When the first mailing came, Struggs was all like, 'oh, yeah Marv, me & OD didn't want to do this, so Mom got it for you,' and I'm like, STFU, Struggs, that's not even what happened, and don't make this seem like a punishment, it's meant to be fun, you asshole. (That's what all led to me putting my head in the oven. I was unusually delicate that day or something.) ANYWAY, the second mailing came, and guess who suddenly wanted to be involved?

If this were an actual publication, I'd subscribe immediately.

That's right, fuckin' Struggs all up in the jam. Considering they spend the majority of their time arguing, this melted my obsidian heart a little bit. 

Which leads me to my final point:

I hate ventriloquists.

Puzzles, Mysteries, and Missions - Long-Winded, Boring.

So, since completing Chapters 1 & 2 of C&C Vol 3, I've been drowning in a sea of ennui. I ordered this thing called 'Under the Ceiba Tree' for Marv, which is a series of mailings that tell a story, but the company that produces these experiences (and C&C) is notoriously slow/erratic in their mailings, so my estimated ship date has already been bumped from the 9th to the 19th, and the 19th has already come and gone without a shipping notice, so. In the meantime, I also ordered 'The Haunted Dollhouse' which looks super cool -- I mean, it's like, 1930s/1940s, New Orleans, murder... all the things I like. However, the fucking Dollhouse doesn't start until October, so I ALSO ordered the piratey thing from a more kid-friendly mystery company (what's it called? can't remember). THAT looks like it's actually going to ship on time (today-ish), but I just realized school starts on Monday, so even it won't be here early enough for Mary to really get into it before school. Plans have been completely foiled.
But really, tho, this Haunted Dollhouse, can you even? I can't.

All Haunted Dollhouse photos courtesy of  http://www.thehaunteddollhouse.com/

I literally have a map of New Orleans on the wall by my bed. And the most recent email from Lady Delaney features Hotel Monteleone, which is totally my jam.

Anyway, also, in the meantime, The Black Watchmen happened to have a live event, and all the stars aligned and I had the house to myself so I could listen to it & participate without interruption. Operation SILVERSPEAR kicked off the Mother Russia special ops, which I ripped though in about 24 hours (and I'm now planning a trip to Novosibirsk--the weather is pretty much just like here, in spite of it sounding like an awful, bleak Russian tundra of Hell), and then I figured I'd finish up S2, which took me another day. I'm super-proud of myself, because there were definitely points where I felt like there was no way I could figure out the ciphers/puzzles, but now that I'm done, I'm kind of back to square one, like, WTF do I do now??
Oh, AND, I'm now totally obsessed with VIC/straddling checkerboard ciphers.I'm trying to get at least ONE of my minions into codebreaking but literally none of them have even one fuck to give. I sent Marv an Atbash and I'm pretty sure she just put me on ignore. An extension of TBW is Nite Team 4, which is all about hacking, and I thought OperationDelta would be all over that shit, but he's like, 'meh' and goes back to playing Counter-Strike. When I was a kid (and okay, still) I SO wanted to be a PI/Nancy Drew. I mean, with the Titian hair and the convertible and the dad that was all like, 'OK, sweetie, just be careful, get a snack from Hannah before you go'?!?!?!?!?!?! YAAAASSS. My kids are all, WUT, NO.

(Note to self: place CL ad for older lawyery dad gentleman for Nancy Drew RP.)