Walsingham

I can't get over this bloody weather. Christmas should not be held in shirtsleeves.

Whole family, bar me, slept through until midday. Normally they charge about like mentalists. I'm taking this as a massive compliment to my hospitality, food, and preparation of beds. For myself I'm beginning to get antsy as hell from no gaming, farting, or swearing.

Well, am inviting the waifs and strays around tomorrow. Friends on their own or away from home for Christmas. I miss the buggers after about a week not seeing anyone, to be honest. Family are all well and good. But (and maybe this is boarding school talking) your friends are your real family, I think. Family now taken over almost whole house. So am kipping in my office. I have a sleeping bag nestled up beside a filing cabinet. I love it. It's like camping, only awesome. I am incredibly tempted to move in permanently. For some reason I thought you'd said that you were inviting over waifs and strays to be buggered. I'm hoping that says more about you than about me.

Well, am inviting the waifs and strays around tomorrow. Friends on their own or away from home for Christmas. I miss the buggers after about a week not seeing anyone, to be honest. Family are all well and good. But (and maybe this is boarding school talking) your friends are your real family, I think. Family now taken over almost whole house. So am kipping in my office. I have a sleeping bag nestled up beside a filing cabinet. I love it. It's like camping, only awesome. I am incredibly tempted to move in permanently.

I got this for Christmas.

That's why we have locks on doors here in the North. LOL. Yeah. My view on Christmas day is JUST family. No outsiders.

Just got back from midnight mass. Decided to drag the family along partly out of mischief and partly because when it comes down to it I am Church of England, from school and my role models. I don't take communion because I think it's hypocritical while I support the Army. But nice people, and all very friendly. Good message, which unfortunately I left behind. Something about the important bits, and not having a hollow christmas covered in tinsel but which left you dark inside and dark towards others. Am now emailing friends and family abroad, while we field calls from places where it already... hang on... it _IS_ christmas day. Enjoying a beer to wet my dry throat. Merry christmas, all forum and staff.

Last minute bimble to the shops. Got all the bits. Pretty decent TV on, plied all the goons with tea, and opened an excellent negro amaro red wine. Probably too much tannin for sipping, but when the leg of lamb with anchovy and rosemary and garlic emerged, went down a treat. Am now sending off festive emails to all, while the family finish watching Miss Marple on the TV. I was just admiring the leading actress Georgia Moffett, when I realised she's an ex-girlfriend of one of my friends. Lucky bastard!

This made me laugh like Muttley, from the wacky racers.

Proper preparation seems to be holding everything together so far. Non-alcoholic, ginger based drinks and elderflower things... nuts... luxury healthy cereal... _5_ kinds of herbal tea. And plenty of beer and meat for the non-freaks. Boiler is holding steady for the heat. Fresh bed-linen in the dryer now for changeover to ensure maximum happiness sleep tonight... Off out now for the inevitable missed things on the shopping list. Need apple brandy for the pheasant.

Cancer Doc is trying to get emergency insurance approval to try a new med tomorrow. It's an IV drip unfortunately so I'll possibly be spending a couple of hours each Friday getting an IV. I guess the alternative could be worse. :wink: I'm assuming its some horrendous med which the liver can't metabolise? Fighting spirit still seems high. Immense kudos. However, make sure you take time out to chill over Christmas if you can. You're fighting a war and you need time out of the line, physically and psychologically. If you can coonvince the nearest and dearest to pretend you aren't sick* for a couple of days we found that it helped. *I once pretended my mother was horrendously hungover.

Sounds coherent, Tigs. But while I agree that SK could capitalise on more manpower, I think current global economic conditions are too bad to make good use.

*public school conditioning kicks in, responding to obvious rallying speech* *snaps to attention* *begins assembling wall of mealie bags*

Does that mean I SHOULD wish for South Park going ahead? Or am I being way to simplistic and am about to be sent to stand in the corner?

One of the things I've been pondering recently is the various industrial/governmental premiums on being BEST. That is superlative. Contrary to my prejudices, my observation has been that artistic creative endeavour favours (or at least has a niche for) awesome and ground-breaking. However, industrial products and commercial service activity do not. It's been making me re-assess my own career interests, since temperamentally I favour doing awesome stuff, and pushing boundaries. yet you'd be amazied how little demand there is for that! Point being that all these interviews talk about doing new and exciting things to a 'triple A' standard.

Listening to the interview I'm intrigued by how quests are actually designed. I can't help feeling that there shoudl be some sort of nested design aid to help guide writers, or perhaps enable writers to be supported by a team of materials goons. So, make sure you get plenty of situation awareness into the dialogue. BUt also perhaps improve creativity about how the PC can solve a puzzle or deliver what the subject wants. Not sure where I'm going with this.

It's just occurred to me that they could have all been black. I don't think Tolkein said anywhere that they WEREN'T. Plus, being black underground would have all kinds of survival benefits.

i think i once wrote a course paper about the difference engine itself. for the OP, A FIRE UPON THE DEEP. "Church of Prosper"?

Laugh, you somehow managed to stay ignorant of this crap for years, you lucky bastard. ^^ Or do all three simultaneously. Certainly more spectator-friendly that way.

And finished it with kind of speaks volumes. :D You've consumed a small pouch of speed? Just bipolar, I'm afraid. :D Isn't being afraid paranoia?

I have to agree with Morgoth on this last. I'm not sure if it's because there's something spiritual, or if its just a mnemonic for coping with the massive complexity in our environment, though. Personally I don't see that it makes any odds either way. If you';re running around and doing good ****, and feeling good, then doesn't that make your 'engine' valid?

Well, it's a kid's book and a kid's movie. Although i do think that professional child psychologists have a huge burden of guilt to shoulder for making children's entertainment 1) insane 2) insipid

But as Tigs pointed out, NK is a basket case. With the same money you'd need to make it part way serviceable you could turn around an existing domestic region. This is a serious thing for the Russians as I understand it. A lot of recent unhappiness is down to weak economic growth.

Oh man, that ribeye sounded good. I don't know if it will help you, but my mother used to drink fresh root ginger tea to settle her stomach. Plenty of lemon to give it a kick, nearly as good as a hot toddy. Of course I also suspect that she often skimped on her meds. So it may not be enough to help you. I'm not mad at her though. She was the boss, so if she couldn't face the meds, then I'm certainly not going to accuse her of anything. This cancer in the liver business is interesting. You've already mentioned that chemo is weak because liver cells are designed to process chems. And you've already had surgery... What do your docs say? Any novel methods parked up?

The Difference Engine. Absolute classic.