All posts by Newt

Games Designer, Publisher, Web Developer, Dad.
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Everything is alright

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We’re on day six of Dad part 2 and after a tired day from hell, mainly down to me waking up on the wrong side of bed and staying there until we had a break from the house at Grandma Elaine’s new bungalow (a lovely family meal to celebrate mine and Rach’s 5th Wedding anniversary), I find myself happy with the role that I’ve cast myself. I think I shouted ‘Hey every thing’s back to normal’ too quickly at a stage where I’m not 100% what ‘normal’ is, and paid the price as a result. Felt massively swamped and heading straight towards the Big Black Pit of Despair as a result. Fortunately someone in here likes me and at this moment stuck in the the Total Perspective Vortex, I got the overwhelming peaceful feeling that everything is alright. My mind tired as it was tried to argue the case against this happy state of harmony, but what ever force was at work was far too strong for my deep rooted pessimism. So mind gave in and all was good :)

I think this is going to be my personal motto from now on in “Everything is alright”, not in a fluffy over optimistic way were I can bum my way through life, but in a life affirming negativity busting way. I’ve been making vast headway recently changing my life for the better (through the power of AWESOME and WIN), but there always remained a deep seated nagging fear that Everything was Wrong on every level conceivable. Its now time to chuck that out that attitude and move on :)

Everything is alright :)

Mirrored from Newtworld.

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Standing on the edge

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Very quick update.  We now have a date for the c-section Monday 14th September, so things are moving towards that momentous day.  On a personal level I’ve been busy getting my head clear and ditching any apprehension and fear I may have.  Its very likely that the next post will be a pictorial one of the new baby :)

Rach is fine as is Evie, who despite a quick cold with fever continues to bounce around and talk us to death.  The middle bedroom finally got done last weekend when with the help of  Yann, the 15 year old son of a friend of Elaine’s we pulled apart the remaining fitted wardrobe.  I’ve also cleared out the remaining bits and pieces, which is just as well since the baby gear (seat, moses basket) is now coming down out of the attic.

Work is getting nicely wrapped up, with all remaining bits getting finished off and handed over to a colleague to support during the three weeks I’m off.   That’s right folks THREE WEEKS (2 weeks paternity +1 week hols).  Its going to be fun but hard work. I have foolish ideas that I will get some writing done during that period.

Which brings me onto D101 stuff.  Savage North continues apace with John finishing off the art and me the writing. Prepping a Demo scenario, The Beast of Ravenswood, for Furnace that Neil Ford is going to be running. With any luck we’ll have a preview of The Savage North in the con book.  I’ve also got a mystery 10 Day Writing project, which I started to break a writers block I had. I think that with all the recent ‘do or die’ release deadlines of OpenQuest and Hearts in Glorantha 3 I got so worried that I froze up. Fortunately the 10 Day Writing project has started me flowing again. I’ll be letting you know what it is on Friday :)

So in short we are fine, slightly stressed with anticipation of the coming new addition to our family. Here’s a pic of me and the ever impish Evie at a recent trip out to a local pub/restaurant.

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Mirrored from Newtworld.

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On a fast flowing river…

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Is how I feel at the moment. Flowing towards the birth of my second child at great speed it feels, a date only three to four weeks away. Its dizzying the rate at which things are happening and my slow dreamy brain sometimes has trouble taking it all in. Overall I’m very happy in an ordinary contented sort of way, with occasional bouts of panic and terror at the realisation that everything will never be the same (again). I’m erring on the side of rock solid calmness through and I’m beginning to see where my 40+ friends get that from.

Specifics

Rach – is holding up well. She’s got gestational diabetes much earlier than last time, but is coping with it and getting on as best one can when you can no longer bend down. She’s finished work and definitely in the final run up to Newtlet#2

Evie – has hit the terrible twos head on! Lots of loud shouting, running around and constant talking. A joy to be around and this gives me a reason to get me sorted out so she stays that way.

Office to Bedroom conversion – Nothing has happened on this for a good month. Good Lady wife, visibly concerned. Mr Newt will have to get his shit together on this and quick. Especially since young Evie has been introduced to the idea this is her new room (another great idea of mine come back to bite me on the ass) and has started to complain that she wants to move in!

Garden – Back still a jungle and a sustained hack and slash campaign will have to be conducted into the Winter, with hostilities resuming in early Spring. Recent Battle of the Upper Garden halted due to rain, will recommence this weekend. Weeds have sneakily taken opportunity to grow back.

D101 Games/Roleplaying Games writing – This has been going very well recently. Got out OpenQuest finally to much praise and over a thousand downloads of the150 page Pdf. Hearts In Glorantha #3 is out in a couple of weeks. Currently working on the Savage North , a Conan with serials filed off setting/adventure book for OpenQuest, with my friend John Ossoway who as well as writing 90% of it is doing some lovely art for it. After ten years of dithering I’m in the final straight towards getting a complete draft of Monkey. I’m hoping a quick bit of editorial will get it sorted for publication, since art is already sourced, for an October publication (i.e. just in time for Furnace) of the game I formed D101 to publish. However can’t help the ominous feeling that I’m suddenly going to have to have a break from D101 to look after family. Definitely a reduction in activity is on the cards.

Work– Fine, exactly where I want to be at this point with people I like in a nice relaxed environment :) Mustn’t get complacent though ;)

Mirrored from Newtworld.

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This is the begining

I’m back welll sort of.

Kind of missed blogging and a few kind comments after I decided to call it a day on LJ prompted me to resume service on my terms.

I’ve now sorted out a WordPress blog on my own server, www.newtus.co.uk which courtesy of the Livejournal cross poster plugin, mirrors to Live Journal.  Only downside for you LJ posters is that you’ll be redirected to the worpress blog to make comments.

No more messing about with LJ’s crappy interface, hopefully I’ll be posting more  :)

More meaningful post laters.

Mirrored from Newtworld.

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This is the end

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After nearly 10 years of using LJ I’ve decided to give up on it. Its not the fun that it used to be and has become somewhat of an unnecessary time sink.

Later today I will be deleting this account.

I’ll be blogging elsewhere so:

I’m on Farcebook as Newt Newport and Twitter as Newtus.

If you want to follow my D101 Games shenagins I’m here as  , but this is mirrored from my d101games.co.uk site where you’ll always get the full scoop and more.

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Gosh is it summer already?

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Things are getting busy busy here.

Fortunately I stay resolutely happy, despite a few wobbles here and the and the ever increasing stress of the upcoming birth of Newtlet#2

Work is fun and funky, with me becoming more and more of a WordPress/Opensource Guru everyday, while still keeping my ASP.net skills up.

Sorting out the Middle Bedroom to be come Evie’s new big girl bedroom is woefully behind scedule. I have promissed Rach that big progress will be made this weekend while she is away at her Knitting get togehter.

Had an awesome time on bank holiday Monday just gone, when the Sheffield posse met the Manchester mob and much gaming was done at Newtcon 2. I ran Monkey and Unknown Armies (an almost forgotten classic), Elaine M ran a much well recieved game of Dead of the Night set in WW1 and Dr Mitch ran Spirit of the Century.  As well as the gaming it was a nice day of chating, booze and food with glorious weather.

Although I’m missing out on this year’s RPG cons, I’m using it as an excuse to get ahead with the D101 releases I have planned. I’m now pretty much happy with the state of the rules for Monkey, so I’ll be sticking my head down and getting the game finished soon. OpenQuest still drags on but the end is in sight, going to burn the midnight oil over the weekend to get the final layout done. Meanwhile the first adventure book for OQ, The Savage North, is coming together nicely. Yesterday had the nice one of getting another   cover for it sorted. Jon’s just puttting the final polish on it, then I’ll show it off to the world. Its ace stuff.

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Still I rise*

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Oh woe is me, I’ve been so tied  up tightly in myself it hurts!

Its been getting in the way of the massive amounts of AWESOME I’ve been experiencing recently and preventing me from making the BIG WIN!

No more, head out of arse so to speak. Banish the grumps, deny the whinge. With a ZING AND A ZANG , WATCH OUT WORLD HERE I COME!!

Recent Awesome and Win

  • Six days off work, including mucho gardening, father/daughter bonding and CHESTER ZOO!!!
  • D101 Awesomeness, Finishing off OpenQuest (June release definitely!), Finishing off Monkey and getting an ace cover from   a pro artist, starting off Savage North (OpenQuest Conanesque adventure book with John Ossoway author of Cthulhu Rising), getting HiG in shops (Patriot Games, Leisure Games ) and having issue 3 and 4 in the bag.
  • Work continuing to be pleasant with opportunities for future WIN identified.
  • Seeing Newtlet #2 via second scan and seeing it wiggle about.
  • Transformation of the house in anticipation of Newtlet #2
  • The garden coming into blossom

* an ace song by Barry Adamson btw and along with ‘Once in A life time’ by Talking Heads one of my favourite ‘life’ songs

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Easterz

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Had an ace Easter.

Good Friday might as well have been Bad Friday, I was so grumpy. I guess it was all the tiredness catching up with me.

Mood massively improved on Saturday. Pottered around the house, did a bit of Gardening and made Choc chip cookies with Evie. Then my brother George came round in the evening and we retired for a pleasant evening of beer at the aptly named Pleasant Inn just up the road from us.

Easter Sunday saw a mild hangover, but enough to convince me my days drinking are numbered. Went to the Turk’s head for an excellent pub lunch to celebrate Elaine’s birthday. Evie was a cute as ever and after her nap pottered about in the Garden.

Had a lazy Easter Monday with more gardening. I think I have a plan (!) to sort out the Jungle now.

Now back at work and enjoying a productive but quiet week. 

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I’m going to be a Dad again :)

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Well I’ve kept quiet about this one too long, probably because I’m in a happy state of shock since ‘pre-production’ didn’t last as long as I had expected, but its official since we had the 12 week scan last week that me and my wife Rachel are expecting our second child sometime mid-September 🙂

Its going to mean a a bit of chaos at home converting the middle bedroom/den  into a room for Evie (Newtlet #1). I stepped down off the Furnace Committee as soon as I knew, since the due date coincides with the busy bit of getting ready for the con. Thanks for Graham and co for keeping quiet. Elaine has stepped up to the mark is already doing a fine job as Games Tzar. Not even sure if I’ll be going since its a month after Newtlet #2 arrives. I’ve half jokingly told my boss at work that I want a steady quiet year, which to be fair working at a University is pretty much on the cards anyway. I’m quietly desperately trying to get as much done for D101 as possible, and so far wining, before I have to take a break in Sept/Oct.

Rachel goes for her first batch of tests on Monday, since Evie’s birth was less than smooth, but she’s beginning to get over the initial bout of constant morning sickness and tiredness.  I’ve got over my initial shock and to be honest I feel a lot more ready this time after the first time round.