The Other End of the Holiday

[lathany]

Tomorrow I go back to work. It's been a good Christmas and a better holiday and, whilst I enjoy my job, I wouldn't work if I didn't need the money. Instead I'd stay home where I could read, write, play computer games and go for long walks (to name just a few of my favourite pastimes). However, I do need the money so I'll be on my usual train reading Cloud Atlas (assuming I remember to put it in my bag) come tomorrow morning.

What's been unusual about this particular holiday is that I finally managed to set myself a doable 'To Do' list.

<a little episode of self-congratulation, feel free to skip>

i. Reviewing and editing Fourth (also tentatively known as The Old English Gentleman) so that it can go to bateleur and then off to agents and publishers. - Done and with bateleur. The title's due for a change.
ii. Finishing off my ICESP preparations - most of which are now a case of finalising PCs. Then I can schedule a first session. - The PCs are pretty much all finished and the first session is booked. There's a couple of things I need to sort out before that session, but it's all ready to go now.
iii. Writing up a Principal Record entry for the last session of The Wheel. - Done. However I now have yesterday's episode to write up!
iv. Tidying. - I can actually see the bedroom floor now that a binbag of rubbish has gone out. There's still plenty more to do, but the difference is already noticeable.
v. Putting plans together for Fifth (Book Five). - I now have a file of ideas for Fifth. It's still some way off being started, but the process is began.
vi. Writing some sort of review of 2005 for LJ. - Done.

</self-congratulation episode>

Plus there's been plenty of other stuff:
- Reading my Christmas books (including Thud!, Perfect Circle and The Time Traveller's Wife).
- Failing to load Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodelines on my PC.
- Playing Icewind Dale and Diablo II.
- Catching up on Lost (after a binge of four episodes, i'm now up to date).
- Patchwork Universe: Sir Waters plans a journey, Max is about to change state whilst Jewel travels to Hub.
- The Wheel: Jason (chrestomancy) continued to show competence as a field operative whilst Edie (bluedevi) came to a beneficial arrangement with the Sultan of Sultans in Byzantium and Cherry (TheHattedOne) found a real hell child (from a city of humans and demons - aka Byzantium) and then got given her as a slave.
- Food: 'nuff said.
- Puerto Rico: One playthrough later, I think I enjoyed it although I'm still not ready to commit to the 'is it the most strategic board game' debate just yet.
- Final Fantasy Campaign: Is about to start (assuming everyone else can make the date?)
- My father's birthday: I gave him The Undercover Economist along with a Far Side desk calendar.
- Twins sitting: Of course. There may be ballet lessons in Bea's future. Assuming Jo gives bateleur the phone number, that is.

Comments

[onyxblue1.livejournal.com]

You're reading Cloud Atlas, too? I'm into the second part. It's good. It's interesting. It hasn't grabbed me yet, though. I don't quite see the resemblance to Umberto Eco that was mentioned in the blurb on the back.

[lathany.livejournal.com]

It was recommended to me by a friend at work (who recommended it to her book club) and I was meaning to buy it at some point this year. However, it then turned up in my Christmas gifts (from bateleur's parents - complete coincidence)!

[leathellin.livejournal.com]

Puerto Rico: One playthrough later, I think I enjoyed it although I'm still not ready to commit to the 'is it the most strategic board game' debate just yet.

That's possibly a bit of an odd debate, there's lots of other games. We're currently playing Tigris and Euphrates (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/42) which is also highly rated. Present from quantumboo.

[lathany.livejournal.com]

The Puerto Rico rating came from jiggery_pokery (via bateleur). I've not come across Tigris and Euphrates before - it looks interesting.

[leathellin.livejournal.com]

Puerto Rico is very good, I like it a lot. We haven't experimented much with the expansions yet though which should be done.
New games are automatically more exciting :-)

[lathany.livejournal.com]

I didn't know there were expansions. Do you know how many (and what)?

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

I find there's a bit too much "standard opening" to Puerto Rico, in that you pretty much have to buy certain things in a certain order to have any chance in the game (against experienced players). Same problem as Settlers of Catan. Not that they're not good games, it just kind of sucks some of the enjoyment out for me after the first few plays. I'm more taken by games which are different each time you play them (including T & E and several other Knizia titles).

[lathany.livejournal.com]

We've not yet got to the point where we've figured out what you need to buy. However the first turn had an obvious order to it.