Did you know? When hungover on a business trip, the correct terminology is "foggy".

"I'm a bit foggy this morning" translates to "Wow, it feels like a 747 flew right through my brain."

Just thought you'd like to know.

I did have a pretty nasty headache/queasy hangover this morning, but I managed to clean up and get myself out OK.

Myself, VA, and our lead designer had a nice civilized breakfast of bagels and fruit and salmon downstairs while discussing our respective "fogs".

There was much drinking last night, as you no doubt ascertained from my last spelling-challenged entry.

The ship party was great fun - the team is really cool and down-to-earth. We went to this place called "Illusionz" which is like a quirky D&B with fulltime magicians in their employ.

We played in the arcade (apparently that is all game developers do for ship parties?) - which had a bunch of awesome Japanese import music games like Para Para Paradise. We also played 2 rounds of Laser Tag in their admittedly very awesome 2-story laser tag fortress with ramps and turrets and the whole nine yards. I came in 5th of about 25 people. Don't you mess with me!

Then came dinner, where I found myself sitting at the "table of honor" in the center, where the SimCompany peeps and the highranking producers from their team enjoyed each other's company.

A full-on magic show ensued, in which I was dragged up on stage at everyone's request to assist in a trick. The show was entertaining, although you had to feel bad for the performer when he kept making cracks about being in the Entertainment Capital of Absolutely Nowhere. ("It was the 90's," he explains - the complex is located in a small strip mall. "We were... optimistic.")

Afterwards, we played more video games [I made many people play DDR...I'm getting better!] and then decided to adjourn to the Red Hook Brewery where we had eaten lunch for a little afterparty. We sat on couches around a big fireplace and ordered 5-beer samplers for everyone...but the waitress liked us so she brought us 8-beer samplers of everything they had on tap.

That was much fun indeed. I know more about beer now. I'm not a complete novice, anyway.

After THAT, the lead designer suggested a nightcap, and the SimCompany group thusly went to the bar in our fancy hotel, where we sampled expensive wines and had "Frogtinis" which are really very good.

The Damage: 2 glasses of wine at Illusionz, 6 3-ounce beers, tastings of 3 wines and a hard Frogtini.

Messy, messy, messy. But very fun to be arguing about design questions at a fancy bar while sampling Chateau St. Michelle's 2001 ice wine.

I must admit I've felt a bit out of my league at times, but I'm holding my own.

I rode to Illusionz with the Exec Producer from the other studio, who I have worked with quite a bit, and he told me how I had a great leadership style and how he thought I might even outclass my boss as I assume her responsibilities for this new project.

They're having me drive. Like, I've been in this industry for 7 months and they're going to give me a large amount of control over a whole project.

Sheeeeeeeit, dawg.

Last night was funny... I was drunk and came into my room and got completely disoriented thanks to the turndown service, who had turned on the fireplace and turned on some classical music on the inroom stereo, in addition to turning down the sheets and leaving some fancy spa lotion and an eyemask.

Weeeewd.

But I have to go. Dinner at the Space Needle and then very possibly more liquor. I'll be better this time. ;)