Catching up (again)
I know that I've been very poor at updating recently. I haven't said anything about Badgercon, my yearly appraisal, Monde or Prague, let alone Books, Television and Games.
I have therefore decided to provide a brief summary of each of the above, hoping that I won't be accused of missing stuff out.
Badgercon
Great fun - I don't see chrestomancy nearly often enough and it was a real thrill to GM the Gibbon. I got to run a Dragaera session, play in some of lathany's backplot, be a forbidding Athenian huntress, NPC (all unwitting) a Big Bad in triskellian and secretrebel's Chrestomanci Castle, encounter Nobilis (hee hee), use helicopter gunships (mmm, helicopter gunships) and spend a week with lots of friends in a very rainy location. I'm told this is a natural state in which to see the Lake District.
Appraisal
Not bad. I would have thought it was very good without my appraisal manager's caveat: "Of course, you'll be aware that your year is in general performing exceptionally well."
Corporate jollies
As a prize for spending six months of our waking lives on the Project, D&T let us out for half a day on a Friday and sent us to a very nice hotel in the Cotswolds for the evening. We went clay pigeon shooting in the afternoon, had a great time chatting and drinking over dinner and had lovely rooms (I had a king size four poster bed!!), although given the temperature they would have been much better for aircon. My boss from the project, Mark, won both the golf on the Friday afternoon and the quad biking the next morning (which I really enjoyed despite being the slowest by far).
Monde
Apart from mutterings from onebyone about shotgunnings in the back - totally uncalled for - the game is immense fun at the moment. I regret that I probably won't be able to get to the next session, but at least I won't be abandoning Sigurne, who currently needs all the support she can get so that smiorgan's character doesn't murder her in her bed.
Prague
What it says on the tin. I went to Prague for three nights, staying in a very pleasant hotel (with aircon) which had a truly gorgeous bathroom, including lots of modern glass, mirrors and marble. It's a shame that one of the synagogues in the Jewish Museum was closed - nevertheless, going round the Jewish Quarter and finding out about the Holocaust there was a very moving experience. The city itself is fantastic, like a Disney version of an "olden-time" city. I'd love to go back there.
Books
Prompted by Badgercon, I borrowed The Lives of Christopher Chant from lathany and immediately went on to consume Charmed Life and Witch Week, at which point I stopped. The first two are by far the best. I think I personally prefer The Lives of Christopher Chant, but it's a close-run thing. I still haven't read House of Chains. I am looking forward to The Riven Shield greatly and must get round to reading Memory.
Games
On the computer game front, I've finished Syberia which was pretty good for a point & click - anyone want it now? I have a new Gameboy SP and have been playing Zelda, which is far too hard for me. I die all the time and can't work out what to do with the dungeons. This makes people who are better at computer games (approximately 100% of the population) laugh at me.
On the boardgame front, I played Once Upon A Time for the first time with verlaine, kauket and Deirdre. I really enjoyed both seeing them (and rats) and the game itself - lots of fun. If anyone's playing a game, please invite me along!
Television
Watching the occasional bit of Big Brother. Remarkably dull this year. I'm also catching up on Millennium and American Gothic, both of which are excellent series.
I have therefore decided to provide a brief summary of each of the above, hoping that I won't be accused of missing stuff out.
Badgercon
Great fun - I don't see chrestomancy nearly often enough and it was a real thrill to GM the Gibbon. I got to run a Dragaera session, play in some of lathany's backplot, be a forbidding Athenian huntress, NPC (all unwitting) a Big Bad in triskellian and secretrebel's Chrestomanci Castle, encounter Nobilis (hee hee), use helicopter gunships (mmm, helicopter gunships) and spend a week with lots of friends in a very rainy location. I'm told this is a natural state in which to see the Lake District.
Appraisal
Not bad. I would have thought it was very good without my appraisal manager's caveat: "Of course, you'll be aware that your year is in general performing exceptionally well."
Corporate jollies
As a prize for spending six months of our waking lives on the Project, D&T let us out for half a day on a Friday and sent us to a very nice hotel in the Cotswolds for the evening. We went clay pigeon shooting in the afternoon, had a great time chatting and drinking over dinner and had lovely rooms (I had a king size four poster bed!!), although given the temperature they would have been much better for aircon. My boss from the project, Mark, won both the golf on the Friday afternoon and the quad biking the next morning (which I really enjoyed despite being the slowest by far).
Monde
Apart from mutterings from onebyone about shotgunnings in the back - totally uncalled for - the game is immense fun at the moment. I regret that I probably won't be able to get to the next session, but at least I won't be abandoning Sigurne, who currently needs all the support she can get so that smiorgan's character doesn't murder her in her bed.
Prague
What it says on the tin. I went to Prague for three nights, staying in a very pleasant hotel (with aircon) which had a truly gorgeous bathroom, including lots of modern glass, mirrors and marble. It's a shame that one of the synagogues in the Jewish Museum was closed - nevertheless, going round the Jewish Quarter and finding out about the Holocaust there was a very moving experience. The city itself is fantastic, like a Disney version of an "olden-time" city. I'd love to go back there.
Books
Prompted by Badgercon, I borrowed The Lives of Christopher Chant from lathany and immediately went on to consume Charmed Life and Witch Week, at which point I stopped. The first two are by far the best. I think I personally prefer The Lives of Christopher Chant, but it's a close-run thing. I still haven't read House of Chains. I am looking forward to The Riven Shield greatly and must get round to reading Memory.
Games
On the computer game front, I've finished Syberia which was pretty good for a point & click - anyone want it now? I have a new Gameboy SP and have been playing Zelda, which is far too hard for me. I die all the time and can't work out what to do with the dungeons. This makes people who are better at computer games (approximately 100% of the population) laugh at me.
On the boardgame front, I played Once Upon A Time for the first time with verlaine, kauket and Deirdre. I really enjoyed both seeing them (and rats) and the game itself - lots of fun. If anyone's playing a game, please invite me along!
Television
Watching the occasional bit of Big Brother. Remarkably dull this year. I'm also catching up on Millennium and American Gothic, both of which are excellent series.