A bed of roses

 We're having a couple of grandson-free weekends due to him staying with his dad.  It works out particularly well today because we're getting a new bed delivered and it means we can get it all set up today rather than tomorrow.  I'm also planning on getting some proper cleaning done because it's been a while.  The windows, in particular, need doing - but they're pencilled in for next weekend due to the bed today.

The bed is due to arrive between 7am and 9am, so I've been watching some more Nier Automata at stupid o'clock.  But it is SO GORGEOUS.  I'm very glad I'm watching it, though, because I'd be terrible at playing it.  The story is...  I don't know... I have no words for how I feel about it.

And the husband has just brought me a surprise breakfast of bacon butties and coffee!  I love him <3

Last night I watched Star Trek: The Motion Picture.  That thing is sooo long!  Due to LoveFilm shutting down, I've prioritised all the 'old' Star Trek films and they've sent 1 and 3.  What about 2?!

Yesterday, I got mildly excited about a YouTube video featuring Beyond Good and Evil 2, until I realised it's a multi-player.  Well, that's the current plan.  It's at least 2 years off by the look of it, so there's plenty of time for them to change their minds.  I was also mildly annoyed that the original game is available on PS3 but not 4.  Anyway, I did get a wave of nostalgia for the golden age of my PS2 when my 3 favourite games were Primal, BGAE and Pirates: Legend of Black Kat - all with female protagonists.  Also, non-turn-based, which meant I was fairly bad at them - still looking forward to seeing how I do with Primal now that my skill have improved!

Work continues to be busy but in a good way.  Another colleague is having a really rough time, though, because their line manager isn't supportive in the way she needs.  It sounds like a case of the LM just not getting what the report needs - but it's still a horrible situation.  I've been in similar places in the past.  Of course, now I'm super-smug because I have the best line manager I've ever had!

OK, stuff to do needs to get done.  Bye for now, DW.

 First of all, a moment to remember that it is 9/11.  There is a talk at my church tonight about the life of Father Mychal Judge who was chaplain to the New York Fire Department and was killed at the Twin Towers.  It's one of those moments where everyone knows where they were when it happened.  I was at work and we ended up gathered around someone's transistor radio because the computer network had crashed due to the best part of 20,000 staff and students all trying to access it at the same time.

And now, to more trivial matters!

KH and I have clicked.  I can't pinpoint the moment when it happened but I can pinpoint the moment when I realised it had happened.  I was walking through the Dalmatian House looking at the cute cartoon puppies in the cute cartoon house and realised that I wanted to play more of this game, if only to rescue more cute cartoon puppies.  I am currently in the Dark Cavern outside Agrabad(sp?) trying to find Jafar and Jasmine.  Having to go around the city twenty times because everything was blocked off was annoying but I am getting better at jumping on things rather than off them.  A little...

I've also met Merlin and I gritted my teeth and agreed to help Pooh.  I have an abiding hatred of Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh, because I have such a deep-seated love for the original.  But it's still Pooh and he still needs my help.

Progress is also being made on the husband's poncho.  The back is done and half of the front.  I'm hoping to finish it in the next couple of days and then I can get going on my fancy scarf.

And my new morning routine has yielded words - not only here but also for the Write Practice.  Go me!

 Spent a lot of time last night getting beaten up by the Gil Snapper.  I'll have to come back when I'm stronger.  The REALLY frustrating thing was that I almost defeated it.  I did get the Feather of the Flock and the Ring of the Toad, though.  Will use those when I come back to Giza in the Dry.  I am really enjoying finding out just how much I remember from previous playthroughs.  I'm going to press on with the story for now, though.  Three characters are at Level 28 and the others are at Level 27.  By the time I get back to the Stilshrine, they'll all be at least 28.

It looks as though the plan is for the new PM to sort out the website.  The poor sucker will be buried in that particular black hole for at least 18 months.  To me, that suggests that there will still be stuff for me to pick up, perhaps even some odds and ends to do with the website.  Having someone in this post will also create pressure to employ a developer, tester and BA - at least this is the plan.

After today, I'm off work until 14 August.  The usual plan of 'gaming + cleaning + DS9' will be in operation - with three days in Cardiff thrown in for good measure.  Just hope the weather's a bit brighter down there!

OK, I'm really struggling to find stuff to say so I'm going to stop.  Bye, DW!

 So, I've been watching a YouTuber known as PixiePoison90 do a Let's Play of a game I had on the PS2 called 'Pirates: the Legend of Black Kat', which I bought mainly because of the female protagonist.  It's a Western RPG, so battle is real time and you have a growing list of objectives to fulfil.  Also, the story is minimal.  Whilst I enjoyed elements of the game (the minimal story is still interesting and the graphics look pretty good even now), there were things I didn't like/were too far out of my comfort zone, the real time battles being the most obvious example.  I found some cheat codes on line and used them to upgrade to the best ship and to make myself and my ship invulnerable.  I did not indulge in the ones that dressed Kat in a bikini...  Anyway, for all these reasons, I only played the game once but it was nice to watch someone else playing it (much better than I did 10+ years ago!) and to feel a bit of nostalgia.

Then I discovered that Pixie also had a Let's Play for 'Primal' (not to be confused with 'Far Cry: Primal' or 'Primal Fear'!).  Again, a Western RPG, played before I understood the distinction or how to tackle real time battles.  This one I know I played more than once but it developed a glitch in one of the boss battles and I couldn't get past it.  I did also have a cheat code for invulnerability that I used in the final boss battle.  The story is pretty linear and the only sidequest I can remember is collecting Tarot cards but it has a lot of charm.  The relationship between the MC, Jen, and her sidekick, Scree the Gargoyle, the fact that it's a 'real' companion game where each character has their part to play, AND the fact that the MC is female.  So, imagine my delight when I found out it is available to buy on the PlayStation Store for the PS4!  If only I'd known that when I came to the end of Witcher 3.  Anyway, the plan is to buy it on pay day whilst it's still available (because I missed 'Legend of Dragoon' - ;( ) and play it when I finish FFXII:ZA.

Speaking of FFXII:ZA, I am about four hours in and rotting in Nalbina Dungeon.  So far, I've given Vaan Shikari, Penelo White Mage, Balthier Machinist, and Fran Archer.  I'm undecided about whether Ashe or Basch should get Knight, but I think it'll probably be the latter because I'll get the opportunity sooner.  I made Penelo a White Mage because she'd already learned Cure - but, of course, I hadn't bought it, so she couldn't use it. Duh!  I am just in awe of how beautiful - how even MORE beautiful - it is.  The texture on Old Dalan's rugs is ridiculous - they're the background for a (fairly) minor character but they look amazing.  It all feels a bit easier than I remember but maybe I'm just a better gamer, now!

Well, that's enough gamer-talk.  Time to check emails and then get this day underway.

 I am REALLY enjoying Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, much more than the main game. I'm actually seeking out sidequests and getting quite excited about my home improvements. And the Big Bad looks like a VERY interesting character. Of course, the home improvements require cash, so I'm back to looting everything and everyone to get stuff to sell.

Even on 'story only' (ie VERY easy) and with Geralt at level 40+ the battles are challenging. I've improved my swords but I haven't found any armour I like better than the stuff I got about 3/4 of the way through the main game. But I am using my potions and signs, and dodging. So, yeah, it's all good.

All of the sidequests in Witcher 3 have an interesting little story behind them and one of the ones in B&W (The Hunger Game) is actually heart breaking. Geralt is a true defender of the weak and I'm enjoying making those choices for him.

And another (Great Balls of Granite) was just silly. But hey, who doesn't like a bit of silly?

Enjoyed this week's Doctor Who, 'The Empress of Mars'. The actress playing the Ice Warrior Queen did a great job, considering most of her face was covered. And Ben Kingsley's son did an excellent job of playing a cad :D Partly it was an exploration of the British attitude of 'we see it, we like it, we take it', which has led to so many of the problems we face today. And partly it was about how getting to know someone very different to you can lead to co-operation. And boy do we need some of that!

OK, that'll do for now. Bye, DW.

 So, the cast list for DOAICS is pretty long, even though the story only focusses on a few of them. But that's going to change now that Brad has such a pivotal role in the revised version. And Susaal seems to want in on the action - just not sure how to manage him. Hmmm... need to think about that.

Anyway, using the writing.com flash fiction prompts is really interesting. They are totally random (today's was 'write a story including the words window, whistle, pin') but the selection of the character isn't - it's just whoever is next in the list. Of course, the list was compiled rather randomly in the first place - it was just whichever character I thought of, rather than their importance to the plot! So, Susaal and his father appear before Brad, even though Brad was arguably more important to the story (certainly as far as Langley's state of mind went) even in the original version. But, Brad is now going to have a much more prominent role.

But I am finding out some interesting stuff about them. With flash fiction pieces, I don't usually have much of an idea of where the story is going. I pick a character, a location, and a bit of a scenario - and see where it goes. So far, they have all turned out pretty coherent and, as I say, interesting.

The plan is: finish the flash fiction pieces for each character; rewrite the plot sheet; insert the new words; smooth it all out; do a plot edit (does this REALLY make sense?); do an edit per character (or, at least, for each major character); possibly do a tech edit; do a final smoothing out edit. This is going to take a while!

Work-wise, I'm actually getting into this quality stuff. It is definitely 'what we do' but we aren't explicit about it. At the very least, tracking it for myself will a) give me something to do and b) boost my skill set.

It's Quantico on the telly tonight, so finishing FFXV will probably happen tomorrow. Then it's W3 DLCs, here I come!

Saturday could not have gone any better. The husband liked all of his prezzies, the daughter, grandson and I did some shopping together without falling out, and we got to the restaurant in plenty of time.

The food at Meet was really good. Everyone had what they wanted and came away replete. Everyone had a good time and there was no grumbling or falling out. And the bill was quite a bit smaller than I was expecting.

We finished off with a little stroll along the river, which blew away some cobwebs and livened us all up again. It wasn't warm but it wasn't really cold, either. Then daughter and grandson came back to ours for a bit before going home.

I then watched Doctor Who, which was brilliant (of course!). Slamming up against Bill's ethnicity was handled very well. I'm glad they're making something of it, because trying to ignore it in the case of Martha was, I think, a mistake.

Yesterday was supposed to be a 'chill out day', including some FFXV. I hadn't had a chance to play since Wednesday, so hadn't downloaded the update. It took HOURS! This gave me chance to watch a couple of things on the Tivo, but it wasn't what I had planned. I did eventually get to it (beating Leviathan and getting to the part where Ignis is blind), but it wasn't quite the day I had planned.

Today is the May Day Bank Holiday, so I shall be cleaning the bathroom, mowing the grass, and hoovering upstairs. And gaming.