Dance Games and Diners
November 2nd, 2025
Woke up and went to the diner with boyfriend and roommates. I love going to diners, I love pancakes and coffee and sausage, all of it. I love the Americana of an unkempt neighborhood restaurant. I love the waitress who makes little digs at you in a charming, playful way when she recognizes you.
Yesterday was very quiet. I spent a lot of time surfing the web, feeling more and more drained and depressed as the day went on. What pulled me out of it was dinner with boyfriend, then going to Stamina Con to see the local dance game friends in the evening.
I love to local dance game scene so much, it's one of my truest joys in life. Getting into DDR and ITG in 2024 was one of the best things to have ever happened to me. Even when I'm not there playing, it's just great to have a space to hang out with like-minded folks and be yourself. The places people play dance games here are very DIY, community-oriented, and feel like a YMCA for gaming. I'll have to write a whole story of my relationship to the community and these games sometime in the future.
While we're hanging out, everyone is asking if we'll be going to the Rave happening at 11pm that night. I was really full from dinner, but wanted to spend some quality time with the locals, so I said yes. I ran back to my house to get my Halloween costume so I could be more in the spirit. The dance felt like something you'd see at a small furry convention, a bunch of us in a tiny dark carpeted room, jamming out and being silly to loud EDM. It's really worth it to show up and be silly and loose at these kinds of things, it makes it a better time for everyone.
Stamina con is closing this evening, I'll try to be there to see everyone on their way out. Roommates are hosting our weekly anime club afterwards. I have a lot of tiny, small-but-important tasks to take care of today. I also have a ton of driver-related responsibilities to take care of this week, but I think I'll be more capable than I was last week.
It's hard to explain to people around me that when I'm depressed, some number of good experiences in the right order won't pull me out of it. I really just have to wait it out, stay consistent with taking care of myself, and trust that tomorrow can be better. I'm glad at least that I always have good places to be and people to be around, even when I'm not feeling like myself.