The Other End of the Holiday

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.