As keefybabe used to say “The terror never stops, it just takes a break for a pint”.

So consider this a big pint of the black stuff

http://joecartoon.atomfilms.com/pages/donkeybong/

(WARNING NOT WORK FRIENDLY:Lots of noise)

and a favourite from the ‘Annoyance at work’ days.

http://joecartoon.atomfilms.com/pages/frogbender/

I’m not usually one for venting in public, but I’m going to get this off my chest.

In my major interest outside work is witting and playing pen and paper role-playing games. I mainly run at Conventions (fun filled weekends away usually at Universities) where I also organise not only my games but time table 2-6 others, since I am a demo team leader for a game called . At home when I have time and motivation I write mainly HQ again, but also my own stuff. I’m working on the HQ for publication and my own stuff is for fun (with self-publication later on perhaps).

I don’t have a problem with my writing, which I’m quietly coming along with and WILL get done, but its the attitude of my fellow gamers that’s pissing me off. You go to the trouble of creating stuff for other people to use and you don’t even get any thanks for it. And very occasionally some random nerd with his head up his own arse will actually come and have a go. This person will have no idea what they are talking about, so its an easy enough job to deflect them in an nice way. But it takes it out of your self esteem, why do I have to put up with this crap?

I’m sick of the clicheness of it all. Forums and e-group were couple of 30-40 year old loud mouths can set the agenda and rules, and on whim break them in hideous ways. The ongoing crapness where people say they are going to do it and never do and then pat themselves on the back for it. I know I’ve equally as guilty of dropping the ball from time to time, but I’m not shouting about the glory of my achievements and making outright lies as I do.

I’m also coming to the sad conclusion that allot of the hobby is an ever diminishing group of clichy men telling tales of past glories round a gradually dimming fire.

Time to have a break from this ‘community’ and come back in a month or so refreshed.

Rant over.

Argh. Its crunch time at work over the school website and I’ve not had my traditional day working at home this week. So I’m tired and pissed off. I’ve still got enough about me not to be immersed in it. To keep a certain distance and know that its just because I’m a tired and a black cloud that will pass. In fact Its quite entertaining waking up in a murderous mood and stomping off to work.

Rach has recently taken up knitting. Not just slightly, but in a mad frantic way. Its not a student time-displacement thing as I thought intially, but pure mania.

But every cloud has a silver lining.

Look what she’s making me…

Enough for me to make a post.

Two Weeks ago had a ten day holiday. Started this in fine style with Uncle Monty’s Birthday which took the traditional form of a film at the Vue Cinema and a curry at Sheesh Mahal. We all agreed the film, Revenge of the Sith, was entertaining fun. I liked it because it was so unashamably black more or less all the way through. My only peeve was that there wasn’t enough of the Wookie world. One of our number repeatably made whooshing light sabre noises in the pub afterwards. Inner 12 year olds were happy. Sheesh Mahal did what it does best, bog standard take away curries that are gorgeous. However since the parties pallets have tasted proper Indian food, we seemed to spend most of the time talking about other restaurants.

Had a week off which I had planed to get my head down and write loads. Nope were sorting out the house, putting shelves up downstairs and me clearing out the attic of books and crap. Now we have room to swing our three cats, but as you can see from the photo they would rather sit in the new shelves.

Back to work with a loud whooosh…. Lots of meetings and copy being written for the web site. Were in Build phase and boy are we building! Better still since the school site is going external only, I’ve been given the task of splitting off the staff & current student pages into separate sections, completely under my control. Here I will be able to get on with it without any interference, and my boss is actively encouraging me to do some pages which use my coding skills. Yay! I melted into a happy drooling mess the afternoon when this was all sorted out. After over two years I am finally doing the job 100% what I studied for when I did my MSc in Software development.

Other than that I succumbed to the time suck that are MMORPGs and bought Guild Wars last weekend. Lots of fun, which I can pop in and out of and best of all NO MONTHLY FEE!! Mini review when I’ve played some more.

That’s right kids, just one lunch hour down the pub with keefybabe has made it difficult to get my head round doing any more work.

Bastard 🙂

Well here I am over half way through my week off and suddenly I’ve become all grown up. Yes folks unwittingly I’ve finally taken time off to sort out the house!!!!
[que long scream from Newt]

Mon-Wednesday we sorted out the front room with some book shelves and today I started in earnest on my attic retreat. The aim is to have it as a place of tranquillity were I can meditate, shoot people online, and I can actually get to my possessions. The reality at the moment is that I’m simply moving stuff around to get at stuff and taking endless bags of rubbish down.

Oh well time to take another bag of crap downstairs…….

Its been nearly six months since I had any proper length of time off. I’ve put in for next week off which I should get.

Its caught me unawares, instead of getting depressed I’ve just been feeling extremely wired and tense. I love my job but I find myself increasingly unable to focus on it.

So next week some serious chill time 🙂