All posts by Newt

Games Designer, Publisher, Web Developer, Dad.
Fun, Heart matters

Lets talk about the Positive Spiral

Leave a comment

Yesterday a whole slew of ‘blockers’ in my life resolved themselves. I’m currently sat here still enjoying that moment. The cheerleading voice in my head that has been previously cheering me on to get these blockers sorted, is having a rest and a nice cup of tea 🙂

As I posted to Twitter/Farcebook at the time:

“Some days are more Awesome and full of Win than others. Not only does the weather remain gloriously sunny, but after a good 9 months we’ve finally got the remortgage through, and the police rang to say they caught the gits who stole our car back in Oct :D”

The thing that surprises me is that it all happened within 24 hours. The remortgage, which takes a whole lot of financial stress of me and my family, I was kinda expecting. The police ringing up about the car theft, H suddenly getting reports of fantastic days at school, and the decision to fire the overly aggressive window cleaner (who was completely meek and accepting) came completely out of the blue. And there were other things as well. I’m in shock! A short of nice shock, were I fell warm and safe and my body is really relaxed. Weights have been removed from my shoulders 😀

The reason why I’m posting this is not through any sense of self-grandeur. But because of its Mental Health Awareness week. I get people saying “if you are depressed talk about it” that’s what I did when I had a breakdown in my early 20s  (thanks to those who listened). I get people saying “take more care of yourself” because I’ve spent the last 20+ years as a practising Taoist which has a variety of tools/methods for self-care. and improvement (meditation/Chi Kung/Tai Chi etc). But what isn’t said enough about depression is that its not something that you are going to have to suffer and cope with (I hate the term “coping mechanism”) for the rest of your life. If you put the “play” in you will quickly get results and find yourself on an upward spiral, that takes you to a previously undiscovered country of happiness and joy.

Because that’s where I’m at the moment, being sucked “upwards” to a more complete me. I won’t say the word ‘better me’ because I truly love all my previous incarnations, one of the paradoxes I’ve had to get my head around. If a fool like me can do it, so can you 🙂

Right off to walk the dog! 😀

 

Fun, Heart matters, Music

The Days of the Week

Leave a comment

These are the days of the week as I see them now, instead of the dull boring/miserable associations I used to use.  May it enlighten you and make your days HappyMad too 😀

Miraculous Monday. I used to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff I assign myself to get done in the week (the dark side of goal setting). Now I just acknowledge the miracle that I’m alive, and the joy of fill my plate high with stuff to do and make sure I have fun doing it.

Terrific Tuesday. Tuesday used to be this draggy non-entity of a day. Not any more, this is where I really get my head down and into the week’s work!

Magic Wednesday. A day of celebration, because at Midday you are suddenly going towards the weekend, rather than away from it 🙂

Thrilling Thursday. It’s nearly the weekend (or the start of the weekend if you are young/young at heart) so get excited!

Fantastic Friday. The fun-filled wrap up of the week’s work.

Slack Saturday, Ok there’s fun stuff to do with the family, but Saturday is the day

Smashing Sunday – Sunday boring and sleepy?  NEVER!!! 😀

As a FREE bonus for reading this post, here’s Blue Man Group with Mediation for Winners 🙂

Fun

Back to the Blog!

Leave a comment

My long-running blog, started in July 2000*, is back in action. With a new address (mrnewt.dev – cos I’m like a developer of stuff) since newtus.co.uk has been hijacked and is now a Cheap Clothing webstore (gowan click on the link and witness the full horror).

This is mainly for me to chuck up memories and navel gaze about my life, but if you find value in it, welcome to the show 🙂

My new set of passport photos
My new set of passport photos

*Crikey its my own Rowdy Teenager off to raise hell at Uni! 😀

Family, Heart matters

Jess returned!

Leave a comment

One of the things that reinforces my faith in the fundamental goodness of reality when it waivers is the adventures of our Henry’s Jess the Cat. This black and white soft-toy has been with Henry since his first Christmas, courtesy of my brother George. He/she (I and Rachel aren’t exactly sure) is his constant companion (excepting school and the occasions where we or Henry decide its best to leave her at home). I’ve lost count the number of times that we’ve lost her on trips out. When he was really young I was forever having to retrace our steps and ask shopkeepers or customer care people “have you seen our Jess?” Sometimes it’s an overnight stay as we have already left the attraction, and we ring them when we get home. But every time, and I mean every time, Jess is returned to us. Noone takes a fancy to her, throws her in the bin, or just can’t be arsed to look for her when we ask and shes be found on some sites that are frankly staggering in size and super busy. Consider the odds of that for a moment.

Her latest adventure was at the Heights of Abraham (which fits the big and super duper busy category), which we visited last week on Thursday on our way home from our short holiday in the Peak District. Henry had wandered off to play in a playground without telling us (which was an anxious 20 minutes in itself) and left Jess on a nearby table. We only realised a couple of hours later when we reached the car, and for a variety of reasons couldn’t simply go back up the cable car to look for her. So Rachel contacted customer care there and then and left our contact details. I politely chased up over the bank holiday weekend, but they were so insanely busy I didn’t actually get through to a human being until Sunday! In parallel, I had also emailed them, and this started a conversation with their office when it opened on Monday. On Tuesday despite a search, they hadn’t found her, and I politely thanked them for their time especially in light of Henry’s attachment to Jess.

Notice at all times I (and Rachel) were polite. No point being otherwise, but it really is part of the magic. People really go the extra mile for you and some really magical things happen as a result. So I send my email conceding defeat in this instance and then five minutes later the nice lady got back to me saying that the park rangers had found Jess in some brambles, a bit soggy but otherwise ok. She then got her washed popped her in the post and she arrived first thing this morning so that when Henry got up he was able to give her a big hug 

Uncategorised

A New Year Dawns! Jan/Feb 2017

Leave a comment

Despite the grand title, truth be told the first two months of this year have quietly whizzed by.  Saying that I’ve had more fun than I normally do at this time of year, not had any horrendous colds or feel down in the dumps. In fact I’ve been full of beans 🙂

Never mind the Lady in the Lake, here’s the Boy in the Bath!
Toby discovers we have fish….five years after we first get them
Playing at Tandle Hills Park
New family sofa!!!
Henry gets an award for Persistence at his Taekwondo class’ Annual Awards Ceremony
We had a family out to Trafford Centre…and picked up this entertaining game.
Half term day out to Oldham Gallery: The Big Camera
Half term day out to Oldham Gallery:: Hats!
Half term day out to Oldham Gallery: Making Big Cameras
Toby with Rach’s new friend Charlie the Cheetah
D101 Games stockclearance sale, overseen by the Monkey King
Back at Gulliver’s World having fun despite the cold and wet
We stayed over at the Gulliver’s World hotel, the kids got their own bunk beds
My favourite bit, the Lost World
Their favorite bit, the Joker!
Family, Fun

December 2016

Leave a comment

It seems so long ago, but I had a cracking end of 2016 with the family.

First off was Dragonmeet, a RPG Convention/Trade show/Shopping Day down in London at the beginning of the month 🙂

Me at Dragonmeet 2016 in fighting form
Dragonmeet: Stuck in a lift with my homies Steve and John

I wrote more about Dragonmeet over on my D101 Games Blog.

Then the endless parade of school concerts/nativity plays that dominated weeks 2-3. My favorite was the Christmas Concert held at Oldham Parish Church, which Evie’s school choir was invited to sing at.

Evie at her Christmas Concert at Oldham Parish Church
Splatface comes to the Newport household
Out in Oldham Christmas shopping

Christmas itself was a quiet affair. I got loads of presents (which I still haven’t played with all of them), but me George and Evie did manage to get out on a cold and blustery Boxing Day to do the traditional walk thing 🙂

Boxing Day walk up to the Monument in Tandle Hills Park with Uncle George

Rach and Henry went to Guliver’s World in Warrington with our H’s Beaver group in October, and were keen to go back to this themepark/fairground aimed at 6-preteens. Just before Christmas Rachel noticed that they did a New Year’s celebration, so we signed up and spent from about 4-9 in the park before retiring to a nearby Premier Inn. As well as being fun in itself its the first time I’ve celebrated New Years in the last ten years or so!

New Years Eve at Gulliver’s World: Entering the park at 4pm
New Years Eve at Gulliver’s World : Darkness descends over the little castle
New Years Eve at Gulliver’s World: Farmyard ride, Henry is not impressed
New Years Eve at Gulliver’s World: Whee sliding!
Uncategorised

What I did in the Virtual World this Christmas

Leave a comment

So I completed Fallout 4 Far Harbour last night. I played it over Christmas and it had been a good 9 months since I played the main game. I got caught up in the main plot and felt the desire to help build/maintain the peace between the island’s factions. Then I remembered that my character had 9 months previously joined the Brotherhood of Steel, killed his son and nuked the Institute and generally ended the game as a fascist in a set of power armour. Things did not go well for the Far Harbour Peace plan immediately after that 🙂

Fun, Heart matters

It comes down to this

Leave a comment

This year my experiences has led me to believe in no uncertain terms that we are bigger and better than the reality we believe ourselves to be trapped in. It’s like we are constantly looking down at our feet, with an inescapable deep back pain developing from our neck downwards as we break our own backs looking down, while a voice whispers in our ears saying “hey you’ve stepped in shit and everyone can smell it!”. Well not to put it to gently its time to “Free our mind and our ass will follow” and escape this victim-martyr-poor-me mentally.

It costs nothing, and will literally save the world that our thoughts create 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeeYUXjp_ro