Progress...

You know that caption a couple of days ago about ties I had never worn that were lost in a bag for two years? Yep. This is another one of those...

Okay, I'm not entirely certain if the Vitamin D infusion is working. I have only taken dose thus far (it was a *HUGE* dose, though), but things seems to be, for lack of a better phrase, looking up. It is just over two weeks until the convention and I am MEGA-behind on work, but progress has been made.

Last night, I reskinned mechanics for a very setting-dependant magic system into a less setting-dependant psionics system. I still need to do power listings, but the frame work is there, and I only need a few abilities to cover the scenarios I'm doing for the convention. Once I get a handle on those, I'm going to sit down and sketch out some weapons and armor specifications that include things *NOT* found in a run-of-the-mill fantasy game. Copies of Boot Hill, Top Secret, and Star Frontiers just fell into my lap. Combine that with fact I already own SpaceMaster, Shadowrun, and Deadlands, and I have enough reference material to knock what I need out of the park in short order.

Then I will make player characters, NPCs, monsters, and maps. The maps will take the longest time, but I have a couple of ideas on how to shorten that...

It all seems downhill from here... =)

-- GopherDave

*BONK*

Blogger was going bonk early Friday morning and would not let me upload pictures. Turns out it was an issue with Internet Explorer. One quick switch to Google Chrome for a few moments, and the problem was worked around, but not with enough time to actually post something before my day started...

...Then the day hit...

Friday was one of those days where if I could mentally have it back, I would do so in a heartbeat. It was one thing after another, beginning with a can of root beer and gravity conspiring to attack Skribl, to shipments that were supposed to be here yesterday and shipments that were not due for another couple of days all hitting at once, to some customers who were less than decisive on what they wanted (I was patient, but it was wearing thin quickly), and a couple of other shenanigans, it made for a mentally taxing day.

It is 3AM Saturday as I write this. I have to be back at the store in eight hours. There is still a metric crap-tonne of work waiting for me when I get there. I also am looking at my schedule and wondering when I am going to have a chance to work on game stuff like I need to.

Don't get me wrong. I absolutely *LOVE* what I do for a living and am fully aware that in the grand scheme of careers, mine does not suck. I just hate it when I encounter a day that feels like it was a metaphorical Mack truck in disguise...

-- GopherDave

Lack of Sleep, But Knowing Why It's Kiciking My Backside...

Today is this necktie's maiden voyage. It's not exactly new. Loquacious bought it for me as a gift some time ago. It sat unworn for a bit as I was waiting for the right time to break it out. Well, when we moved two+ years ago, it (along with a couple of other ties) got stuffed into a bag to facilitate transport. Loquacious found it yesterday. So I'm wearing it today. Nyah...

Running on a lack of sleep, but I did manage to get some work done on one of the four events. Outside of that, it's been quiet.

Also got called back from the doctor on my blood work today. My testosterone is fine... My thyroid is fine... and my Vitamin D level is rated at a 9... Now, apparently 9 is not a good number for a Vitamin D rating. From what I'm told, most doctors like it when their patient's Vitamin D level is at 30 or above. One of the symptoms of a Vitamin D deficiency is... ...wait for it...

Fatigue.

So, beginning Friday, I get to start an intense Vitamin D infusion. The regimen will take roughly three months to complete, and then we'll see where it goes from there...

-- GopherDave

Not Much To Say...

It's a new year, and I am hip deep in end-of-year business. On top of the stuff I've given myself, I have seriously thought about dropping the blog and just trying to power through things. I even wore the uniform a couple of times last week, but provided no pictures or blog entries to commemorate it. Too busy and too tired.

However, I find that I am missing the updates, semi-regular though they may be.

A year ago, I found myself questioning whether I was going to continue the blog and the uniform. I mostly kept up with both. I didn't match the near-perfect record of last year. I didn't even come close. That's okay, though. I've mostly settled into a new groove. A groove that lets me be me...

...And that's all I can ask...

-- GopherDave

Checking In...

Hey, folks...

This is just a note to let y'all know I'm not dead.

I have been having a smattering of small, nagging health issues going on lately, and went to the doctor's office right before the holidays to kind of go over what has been happening. During the course of the discussion, the physician called for some blood work and a sleep study to be done.

I've yet to hear about the blood work, but I did the sleep study earlier this week.

I have come to the conclusion that "sleep studies" are the largest oxymoronic event ever created. Their purpose is to monitor your sleep patterns and what your body does during slumber. The technicians and doctors attempt to accomplish this by sticking about fifty leads to your body, most of them to your skull, as well as some breathing hardware around your face.

Now, I don't know about anyone else, but the absolute *LAST* thing I could do during the sleep study was sleep comfortably due to the amount of stuff stuck to my body.

How is this supposed to measure a person's actual sleep issues, again? No wonder the most common diagnosis for these things is "sleep apnea". I'm pretty certain I snored, tossed, turned, and otherwise twitched my way to a suspect diagnosis that night.

All that said, I'm pretty certain I have some sort of sleep apnea, and that it is mostly weight-related. All the weight I lost earlier this year I have gained back, with some bonus pounds added for good measure. What can I say? I like to eat and hate to exercise. That will have to change, though. Three hundred and eight pounds is NOT a healthy weight for someone with heart, spine, and knee issues. New year's resolution, here I come...

Work on the Winter War events proceeds slowly. I have the four events "rough plotted", which consists of little more than about half a page of notes for each. Within the next few days, I hope to have most of the necessary details filled in in regard to story/plot. Then I will begin to work on the pre-generated characters, including writing the genre sections necessary to make them happen. Honestly, even with all of the pressure I'm feeling, I'm fairly certain I can get enough done to run these things.

But only if I get back to work... peace...

-- GopherDave

Cold Sleigh-Bells, Starships, and Cyberspace...

Hmmm... Winter Storm Draco came buy and dropped a bit of snow, and more than a little bit of ice. The roads are dangerous this morning, but they'll get better as the day goes on. We Midwesterners are used to it.

Christmas this year has been different at Casa Gopher. We have so much random stuff in our house that we had very little room for the tree (it's a very small one) let alone any gifts we would have put under it. So, in true "just because we can" fashion, we've just been giving each other gifts as we acquire them. No excess paper trash, and no things to rearrange or clean up besides packaging. See... It's even a more eco-friendly way to do it.

This weekend is Shady's Terracide game, and since I haven't role-played in four weeks, I am needing it more than usual. On top of that, we are having a Netrunner LCG tournament on Saturday, and I am currently trying to puzzle out my decks for that. Tonight, though, is Friday Night magic, and we will be busy.

Off to it...

-- GopherDave

I'm Not Exactly Certain What Kind Of Day I'm Having...

Hmmm... Today is a day I am just getting angry for no real reason... I take that back, most of reason stems from one particular games distributor. Part of me wants to go into detail, but another part of me doesn't want to write a venom-imbued rant of hate. It'll take too long and I've got so much other stuff I could be doing.

On the positive side, the store will be running a couple of radio commercials from the 19th to the 31st. The sales rep sent over the audio files today and they sound pretty damn good. I wrote one and Loq wrote another (which I polished up a bit, but it didn't need much help). I believe mine reads better, but hers comes across better in audio form. Either way, the store is getting more advertising, and I am putting my not-quite-finished Bachelor's degree in Communications to good use.

Later on tonight is DaddyDeathSpank's birthday celebration. Loq and I plan on going to that for a bit. I cannot get too wasted. One, I'll probably be driving. Two, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. It's a general check-up sort of thing, but I have a *ton* of little issues I'm going to ask about, not the least of which is this cold/flu/sinus infection thing that I can't seem to shake. Being hung over for that seems like a bad idea according to the semi-official Gopher handbook.

Off to go do some more work... Toodles.

-- GopherDave