http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/11/19/ottawa-huskies-laurentians-rescued.html

If you are willing and able to get a dog, there is an overwhelming need for owners for huskies in Ottawa.

I have just finished writing the crude first draft of my RPG system. This is only the portion of the rules used to play the game (including character creation) and does not include the storyteller section. Still, it means that I have enough of the skeleton assembled for a playtest next month or so.

The word count thus far is approximately 32K, though this is missing at least another couple thousand words worth of examples. That is also only half of the final product. Still, I think that is about the correct length for the game at this stage of development. I think the final product will be about 80k or so at this current guesstimate.

I will try to use this period of time to do some basic editing of the last paragraph, preparing quick reference sheets and perhaps even work on the website content for some more respectable web presence. In either case, I will be hardly resting on my laurels though I might permit myself a little more sleeping time and a little less ceaseless toil.

Anyone else get an invite to try it out? I have it currently (though no invites) Lordjagash at gmail. Feel free to send me a wave.

I got my B, good enough language results. :) This means that I am in a good place.

But I don't think I did too poorly on the exam this morning. I was given all four sections of the test this time; usually they will cut you off earlier if you do particularly poorly. I was mostly relaxed and I think I presented myself fairly well, at least well enough that I suspect I got my minimum mark. Heck, it's borderline IMO between a B (which I need) and a C (which would be astounding). Yes, the grading scheme is non-intuitive.

So yes, thanks for the well wishing.

3d Fractal space shooter. Me likes.

You are only awake with energy at 1am when logically you should be headed to bed.  I am trapped between doing more work on my game and getting the sleep which I logically require.  Curses.

J’ai  mon examen lundi matin, pour l’interaction orale dans mon deuxième langue.  Ca va dire que je besoin de gagner aux moins un niveau ‘B’ pour garder mon poste intérimaire et les 8 mille pièces chaque année.    C’est un peu stressant, mais ma belle l’avait aidé énormément avec l’amélioration de mon français.     En tous cas, ces quelque chose pèsent sur mes pensées.

Know the Difference Between a Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms

( Large table below the link. )

It seems that I have been burning the candle at both ends with a blowtorch. I spent all weekend as well as the odd evening with Eve which has been pleasant but not quite restful. During the same period of time, I have been working 9-10 hours a day in the insanity of my work. Due to those factors I haven't gotten nearly enough accomplished and I am running down to boot. Add in an oncoming cold (I think) and you get a recipe for being slightly grumpy.

I will crash early and try to get 8-9 hours of sleep in case that could help me recover. I am sorely tempted to take monday off as either a sick day or vacation day depending on my wellbeing at that point. I know that I can't take the next two days off though as I have _far_ too much to do.

Long term I do think it imperative that I take some time off for myself. I have been slightly overbooked it seems and the strain is starting to show.

This is me in my happy place; I have managed to secure a competent alpha playtest group for my game and they will likely be available in the new year. I will be filling in a hiatus from Zenten who is normally running an Exalted game during that time slot. While he is off caring for the ever growing family, I will be able to run a very crude version of my new system.

The key reason that this makes me so happy is I get a rock solid deadline. I should be able to have a completed draft of chapters 1-3, the first discrete part of the book. A deadline like this is essential for timely completion of work and I know that the results of the playtest will _significantly_ improve my final product. My tentative goal is to have my rules and other mechanics in the system completed by early summer 2010 and to have the text of those three chapters edited in a pre-layout fashion by the end of 2010. Meanwhile, I should have written part of my draft for chapters 3-6 during that time period.

I must remember that I don't really have a time limit and I should focus on making the best possible product. At the same time, I do appreciate progress. If I tend to be slacking in my writing, please do harass me.

I spent the entirety of this weekend with Eve, varying from a Saturday spent at the Beaus Brewery Oktoberfest. The seasonal beer, for which I have 1.89 liters in my fridge direct form the brewery, was most excellent. The Piggy Market's sausage (Beausworst, Art-is-in Beau's Sourdough buns, Kate's Beaus Mustard, sauerkraut, hot peppers) was to die for. Alas it was also cold and miserable, which they couldn't control. What they could have done is ensured there was some kind of heated areas. We were glad there were no little kids among us.... Either way, it was a fun experience with the exception of the painfully long bus ride back to the nearest washroom....

Sunday was a warmer affair where Eve helped me out with some of the necessary tasks such as groceries, coffee and laundry between working on a written exam for a job. It did feel satisfying to get those incredibly necessary and long overdue tasks accomplished and it was a joy to spend time with her.

Today was a rather hectic affair with some urgent demands, attempting to jog part way home in a new exercise routine and preparation of a jaw-droppingly delectable soup. At least, that is what I am hoping is on my stove. Yam, Squash, carrots, a parsnip, peanuts, bacon, cumin, corriander, onion.... Ought to be good though it has absorbed my entire evening.

So that is my boring domestic life. Thanks for reading.

That was a very productive and quite fun week that I just returned from. A full week in the maritimes (Sackville, NB in specific, near Moncton) where I managed to meed up with the various interesting and intelligent coworkers from the regions. So much was learned that I can barely keep it straight. Admittedly my next week will be absolutely brain-fryingly busy due to what came out of the meeting but it was well worth it.

So much delicious seafood.... lobster, clams, mussels, oysters, salmon, shrimp, crab... Not to mention some excellent moncton microbrews. Will post with more details later, but the verdict I that I am happy.

I am progressing apace with my book writing and I expect to get some more progress during my upcoming business trip. I will we be off in Sackville NB (outside of Moncton) for a week, meeting with my regional peeps and generally having fun. The upside of the trip is that I ought to have time for reading, watching videos and even more importantly, writing. I should have net access the whole time, though I doubt there will be much worthy of blog posting.

One of my current thoughts is of taking a class to teach me some of the essential drawing skills. I am trying to gain progress in my ongoing education and and at the same time, not overloading myself with work. This striving for work/learn/life balance inspires my hesitation at signing up for such a class. *shrug* I wish I could convince my subconscious that I don't need to get absolutely everything accomplished in the next 6 months. I have a long life to live and I don't need to live my life at a breakneck pace. Suggestions on how to speak to my subconscious?

This is most intriguing. While I am uncertain if I support the model, I do respect the progressive and well thought out approach toward encouraging rehabilitation. As a halfway house, yes it is a good approach in my opinion.

This weekend has been delightful on a whole and surprisingly social. It commenced with an excellent dinner at my parent's home on friday night with left over Naan bread for my enjoyment. My Saturday included a walk through the small forested patch immediately below my apartment which I had never visited until just this weekend. My Sunday included meeting one of my former classmates in Jodo who had moved a way; she treated me to an excellent breakfast before we both attended a very full class.

I headed on back from that class and ran into a friend I hadn't seen in years, a brilliant humanities student, philosopher and gamer whom I had been trying to mentor. I invited him over to my apartment and we played chess, discussed philosophy/religion and rambled on about gaming. Lots of fun all around.

Now for the mandatory status update on my writing. On a whole, it has been pretty good. The little venture into the woods gave me a chance to work through some of the sticking points within the system and while my solution is currently a little clunky, I suspect it will be streamlined with time. My continued progress is such that I have pretty much completed chapters 1 and 2. I currently lack only a new character sheet design and some rough content in chapter 3 before I can run my next playtest, likely in October. I am very much eager for such an event.

Give me more weekends such as this and I will be most pleased.

Firstly, my hunts through the wilds of the internet found this gem.
http://www.myjones.com/limited/wizards

Secondly, potentially awesome chipotle chili in the slowcooker for this evening which will produce leftovers.

Thirdly, I am dashing off to get me a brand new cellphone which I suspect might cross the line into "shiny" territory. You have been warned.

Last but not least, my one year probation with my employer is now over as of sometime last week. It is officially easier for them to wait for me to retire in 30 years then to try to lay me off without cause.

This is a refreshingly pleasant monday. :)

I slept a disgusting amount last night, more then double what I usually get. The side effect of that was a relatively decent amount of productivity today. At this rate, I should be able to finish off the rough version of chapters 1 and 2 in another day or two of work. Chapter 3 will be harder, but I ought to be able to build a framework and complete the essential portions of it within the month if I am fortunate and productive. Gods, I would like another fun playtest. Those things are the proverbial carrots which I am reaching for as they show glimmers of what the final product will look like.

Other events of the day included avoiding the beautiful weather for no apparent reason, making some Falafel from scratch and communicating poorly on a friend's post. All in all, it was a decent enough day and I only hope that tomorrow will be similar. If nothing else, once tomorrow is done I will finally be able to purchase my new shiny cell phone.

Apparently not. I am actually writing, doing some illustration for the book, made tomato sauce from homegrown tomatoes for the freezer, doing recycling tasks, possibly making brownies while I am at it. Then I get to spend a little time with Eve.

Productivity is awesome.

I got a refreshingly large paycheck on Wednesday and thus I acquired two key tools which I wanted for my business and my personal life alike. I get to write them both off for my taxes due to their business use.

The first is a Panasonic RR-USS70 Digital Voice Recorder which I will use during my playtesting, so I I can listen to the entire playtest session again and not waste any time writing during the session. I will also use it for editing purposes and possibly recording podcasts or other audio work. It seems to work beautifully thus far.

The second item is a Wacom Baboo Fun art tablet, medium size. It was pricey (~$140) but it should help me significantly with my art and in turn, should save me some money on my later art budget. I am about to try it out, but I wanted to post these happy results thus far.

**Edit** Conclusion is that the tablet is awesome. Expensive but awesome.