This was a triumph.

It turns out the gallery internship does result in a positive cash flow, but so infrequently as to be negligable. I got a paycheck today, I have no idea why but I'm not complaining. I'm mostly happy I was sitting down when I opened the envelope, since it's the single biggest paycheck I've ever gotten - it could easily cover a month's rent in a decent room in Squirrel Hill with some breathing room for groceries, and I was just expecting the groceries. Scaling up income levels always takes a couple of days to adjust.

Like the good fangirl I am, after I processed the numbers printed on the check, I realized, "Hey, I can afford commissions!"

Something else I can afford, along with everyone else with a decent internet connection, is the game Portal. You have to get a Steam account, but that's free and takes just a couple of minutes to set up. It's worth it. In case you haven't heard, Portal is a first-person puzzle shooter that's almost unique - the only reason it isn't is because there's a sequel. As described here by professionals:

In the entire history of video games, there aren't very many that literally changed how people think. And not just thinking in the sense of "where in God's name can they have hidden the red key this time?" but thinking in the sense of "wait, if I grow lungs I can live on land?"

Something like Doom or Quake or even Joust, those are games we could all play in a warehouse if we really wanted to. Maybe we don't have flying ostriches, but we could dress up sheepdogs or something. But when you're playing a game that literally is based around the idea that you can make a hole in the game... man. That's something that you can only do in the computer. How could you walk through a warehouse wall and then fall through the ceiling in the real world?

We all get a little bit closer to the singularity today, ladies and gentlemen. Unless, of course, it sucks. Then it's just a crappy game from some sellouts who need to get off their butts and make a new Half-Life.

Or, if you prefer something a bit more direct:

I'm serious, this is the most fun you'll have with your PC until they invent a force-feedback codpiece. I went in expecting a slew of interesting portal-based puzzles and that's exactly what I got. What I wasn't expecting was some of the funniest pitch black humor I've ever heard in a game. OK, it's only two to three hours long, but that's a good length for it, it means that it doesn't outstay its welcome, and it narrows the gap between you and the balls-tighteningly fantastic ending. Absolutely sublime from start to finish and I will jam forks into my eyes if I ever use those words to describe anything else ever again.