So, when I said at the end of the last post that it was my father's birthday on my last press day, I was wrong... it was my sister's birthday. Her presents are sorted, and the main one is an email anyway, so that's no problem. My father's birthday is a couple of weeks away, and I already have his gift, I just need to do some wrapping.
The shelves are up, and already laden with stuff... Books at the bottom, DVDs on the next shelf, and an empty shelf with space for at least one more when required. Slowly getting there...
Got to playing Riven yesterday... Largely because it came up in conversation at work recently, and I wanted to see if it was still as frustrating as I remember it. Seriously, 'playing' those games - Myst was perhaps a slightly worse offender - are just like watching slides of someone else's holiday snaps, with the occasional puzzle thrown in. When moving around, half the time you simply click from slide to slide but then, for no readily apparent reason, the creators felt it necessary to have you manually turn around on a staircase (down stairs, down stairs, turn, forward, turn, down stairs, down stairs, etc). Junctions are sensibly handled, but staircases are not. Why? I guess the idea behind the games was that you're free to explore, marvel at the scenery and just do whatever you want, without fear of getting killed (there are other people in Riven, but you rarely get to interact with them - normally they see you and run off)... but the method of getting from location to location - click, click, click, endless clicking - is utterly tiresome... You'd have to be particularly enamoured of the scenery to want to spend time 'exploring' and, frankly, I've never been that keen. Give me Myst rendered in real-time, that I can walk through rather than clicking, that I can see from any angle rather than the prerendered views chosen by the creators, and I'll be impressed by that. It could easily be done with today's technology... and, frankly, the puzzles could be better as well. They don't even have 'pick up item x and use it at location y' puzzles!
The last two days of last week I spent at the home, feeling quite sorry for myself due to the cold I picked up from my sister. On Thursday morning, having been instructed by my boss to stay at home, I texted her to say she was quite right - I'd been feverish overnight (probably shouldn't have gone in on Wednesday, but it was my press day), and felt rotten. Friday was marginally better but it's really only today that I've started to feel reasonably well again.
My visit to the chiropractor yesterday was interesting. She recommended I ask my (new!) GP for some blood-work, to rule out the possibility of infection in my hip. Quite a coincidence, considering I was convinced it felt like an infection at the start. Not sure when I'll get round to it but, having registered at a practice just down the road, I have a list of names and hours worked, so I should be able to direct the question to the most relevant person.
Afterward, I decided to browse Acton in search of bookends for my new shelves. That didn't go too well - one shop even suggested I try Ikea or B&Q! I even managed to get myself collared by one of those 'Chuggers', working for Scope. It's a noble cause and all, but part of me already regrets signing up for dontations... I agree that disabled people should have every opportunity that the able bodied have, but one has to be practical. I was asked when I was last served in a shop by someone in a wheelchair... that's never happened, and for good reason. Wheelchairs get in the way, and they occupy too much space behind (or around) counters. We don't need legislation to force employers to take on disabled people, we need alternative to the 'solutions' disabled people are currently lumbered with. Wheelchairs have been around for ages without developing anything significantly new... Let's get these Japanese robots people to build robot legs for people who can't walk. Otherwise, the wheelchair-bound are stuck with desk jobs... or none at all.
On the way home, I decided to stop off at Staples, where I knew I'd find bookends. It's a decent shop, which supplied me not only with bookends, but with a new powered USB 2.0 hub (SEVEN ports!) and some DVD-Rs, so I can clean up my machine again.
Today, I'm expecting a visit from a friend who plans on cooking me lunch, but she's already called to say she's running late. Just as well... I haven't done the vacuuming yet!
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