In a concerted effort to Do Stuff With My Weekends, I spoke to my old mate Paul during the week about tripping off today to the London Expo at the ExCeL Centre in London's sunny Docklands. Traditionally not my favourite of the fan conventions, but normally worth a look. The London Expo is supposedly organised by the same folks as Memorabilia... but it's not done half as well.
I'm not sure whether it's the location (ExCel and the NEX are similarly purpose-built convention centres) or the people (a much greater percentage of Londoners at this one, obviously), but the London Expo always seems more crowded and more prone to hugely long queues at the entrance. We spent approximately an hour and a half queuing for tickets before even getting into the hall (a second hall was used for the queues, but very badly sectioned off into channels, which had the be constantly adapted and extended while we were progressing in the queue), and then navigating the show itself was a nightmare.
It wasn't even that it was poorly laid out... it was just difficult to see where you were, if your tendency is to navigate by the stalls. I'm pretty sure that we saw everything, but two of my regular haunts - Genki Gear and Retro GT - only turned up on my second run-through. I really must get my arse in gear and draw some of the T-shirt designs I've had knocking about in my head for Genki Gear. It'd be cool if they were turned into products...
In the end, despite having plenty of cash on me when I walked in, I spent very little - about £30 on T-Shirts and a further £10 on a new travelcard holder for me, and a choice of two for someone else.
I was very disappointed in the show in general - even the guests they had in weren't exactly prominently placed - but also very glad I decided to go with Paul, rather than my usual companion, who would have been foaming at the mouth and murdering people left, right and centre before we'd even got our tickets.
Still, the Cosplayers were there in force and, broadly speaking, seemed to be enjoying themselves. Must say I'm still creeped out by some Crossplayers and the sheer number of people with "Free Hugs" signs and, annoying as they were, I'm forced to agree with the two kids who were behind me in the queue - why on earth would so many of the Cosplayers attend something like the Expo in costume and look so serious about it? No surprise that there were quite a few Na'vi at the show, some more successful that others but, other than them, there weren't a huge number that I recognised.
I'm kind of wondering if the majority of the retail stands ended up going to Collectormania instead... that runs over the whole Bank Holiday weekend... There was a decent amount of upcoming movie stuff on show, plenty of Manga and Anime, and an excellent selection of videogames (particularly on Wii)... but the crowding and the lack of stuff to buy really let the show down for me.
Saturday, 29 May 2010
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
A bizarrely calm press day?
Yup, I'm serious... What has traditionally been one of the craziest press days of my month went quite smoothly. Very much overlong, due to the Editor being incredibly slack. I spent a lot of time advancing my next couple of flatplans, and trying to decide whether or not I could safely work on web ads... But eventually the pages came through. Slowly.
Doesn't help that the Designer isn't exactly quick in her work, or assertive with her editor (defensive enough about her work when it's called into question or otherwise challenged, though). It's frustrating in many ways... She reckoned on being familiar with InDesign, so Quark 4 was probably a terrible shock to her... but she's not picking up on shortcuts (I can only hope she's better in InDesign, as I've never seen her use it), and is very reluctant to think for herself. On a couple of occasions today, she wanted me to look at pages that had failed their flightcheck. Since the software puts up a big, red icon saying "PDF Failed Checks" where the page preview should be, it seemed as though she hadn't read the details of the error. Most were self-explanatory. More than 310% ink coverage is the norm with supplied artwork (and our own, where the Designer is using stupid Photoshop profiles), and I've lost count of the number of times I've explained to all of them that, yes, we like to have our images at 300dpi, but anything above 150 is passable.
I do not understand why so many 'Designers' these days cannot remember and understand these things... Why they can't look at a preflight report and determine for themselves whether the artwork is passable or not and, if not, investigate the reasons and take appropriate action to fix them without involving me.
Although, upon reflection, it is perhaps for the best that they do involve me... I just kinda wish it wasn't necessary. In many ways, I feel (and have done for years) that my presence in that sort of environment inhibits their development as Designers. While I'm there to answer questions and investigate problems, why would they try? It's not as if they'll be as good as me anytime soon... if ever.
These people will be made redundant at the end of the year, and I dread to think what their next job will be like. As harsh as my boss is, she has yet to sack someone for being crap - and there have been those who really needed sacking for being crap. I don't necessarily agree with her methods, but her ultimate aim is to get people to think about what they're doing, recognise their mistakes and learn from them. Far too many are far too keen to stop listening and blanket disagree with any comment made about their work, rather than taking on board what's been said. They shut down at the first sign of complaint, and - quite visibly in some cases - build walls around their egos, which the criticisms do not penetrate.
One of my team is an excellent Designer when given something worthwhile to work with, and time enough to work well... but point out a mistake, and she snaps. Eyes narrow, mouth tightens, arms cross.
I've had limited success by suggesting alternatives ("instead of this, try that... and maybe see what the other looks like."), but what I'd really like to do sometimes is wring her bloody neck and point out that the reason our boss is so hard on her is because she knows what level of work to expect, so she's frustrated and disappointed when she doesn't see it... but if this Designer can't figure that out on her own, it's hardly worth the effort.
If they don't learn, part of me actually hopes they'll get sacked from one job after another, until they figure out that much of what our boss says was worth listening to... but, I suspect, by that time, they'll have forgotten it all.
In other news, The Naked Office? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Reality TV Commissioners. The woman fronting the show poses the question: "If these people can get naked in front of each other, what can't they do in the future?"
Um. Breathe in space?
But seriously, what on earth does that have to do with failing business? "Breaking down boundaries"? Please. This is just some TV Commissioner's bizarre wet dream. Nothing more. But what's worse - that someone is actually daft enough to believe that getting people to strip off in front of their coworkers will actually help their business, or that some businesses are desperate enough to give it a try? Or maybe the possibility that the folks behind the show don't believe that nakedness will make the tiniest difference, and choose to continue the parade anyway?
Ugh.
Really ugh.
But, hey. Season three of Chuck begins on Monday... and it doesn't even clash with the finale of FlashForward. Sometimes, I like the schedulers.
Doesn't help that the Designer isn't exactly quick in her work, or assertive with her editor (defensive enough about her work when it's called into question or otherwise challenged, though). It's frustrating in many ways... She reckoned on being familiar with InDesign, so Quark 4 was probably a terrible shock to her... but she's not picking up on shortcuts (I can only hope she's better in InDesign, as I've never seen her use it), and is very reluctant to think for herself. On a couple of occasions today, she wanted me to look at pages that had failed their flightcheck. Since the software puts up a big, red icon saying "PDF Failed Checks" where the page preview should be, it seemed as though she hadn't read the details of the error. Most were self-explanatory. More than 310% ink coverage is the norm with supplied artwork (and our own, where the Designer is using stupid Photoshop profiles), and I've lost count of the number of times I've explained to all of them that, yes, we like to have our images at 300dpi, but anything above 150 is passable.
I do not understand why so many 'Designers' these days cannot remember and understand these things... Why they can't look at a preflight report and determine for themselves whether the artwork is passable or not and, if not, investigate the reasons and take appropriate action to fix them without involving me.
Although, upon reflection, it is perhaps for the best that they do involve me... I just kinda wish it wasn't necessary. In many ways, I feel (and have done for years) that my presence in that sort of environment inhibits their development as Designers. While I'm there to answer questions and investigate problems, why would they try? It's not as if they'll be as good as me anytime soon... if ever.
These people will be made redundant at the end of the year, and I dread to think what their next job will be like. As harsh as my boss is, she has yet to sack someone for being crap - and there have been those who really needed sacking for being crap. I don't necessarily agree with her methods, but her ultimate aim is to get people to think about what they're doing, recognise their mistakes and learn from them. Far too many are far too keen to stop listening and blanket disagree with any comment made about their work, rather than taking on board what's been said. They shut down at the first sign of complaint, and - quite visibly in some cases - build walls around their egos, which the criticisms do not penetrate.
One of my team is an excellent Designer when given something worthwhile to work with, and time enough to work well... but point out a mistake, and she snaps. Eyes narrow, mouth tightens, arms cross.
I've had limited success by suggesting alternatives ("instead of this, try that... and maybe see what the other looks like."), but what I'd really like to do sometimes is wring her bloody neck and point out that the reason our boss is so hard on her is because she knows what level of work to expect, so she's frustrated and disappointed when she doesn't see it... but if this Designer can't figure that out on her own, it's hardly worth the effort.
If they don't learn, part of me actually hopes they'll get sacked from one job after another, until they figure out that much of what our boss says was worth listening to... but, I suspect, by that time, they'll have forgotten it all.
In other news, The Naked Office? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Reality TV Commissioners. The woman fronting the show poses the question: "If these people can get naked in front of each other, what can't they do in the future?"
Um. Breathe in space?
But seriously, what on earth does that have to do with failing business? "Breaking down boundaries"? Please. This is just some TV Commissioner's bizarre wet dream. Nothing more. But what's worse - that someone is actually daft enough to believe that getting people to strip off in front of their coworkers will actually help their business, or that some businesses are desperate enough to give it a try? Or maybe the possibility that the folks behind the show don't believe that nakedness will make the tiniest difference, and choose to continue the parade anyway?
Ugh.
Really ugh.
But, hey. Season three of Chuck begins on Monday... and it doesn't even clash with the finale of FlashForward. Sometimes, I like the schedulers.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
...And in conclusion...
There's something about this time of year that says "Season Finale".
We've already had the end of the update to The Prisoner (more story than the original, but just as unintelligible... and sadly predictable in its presentation of an "Oh, no... Not that!" ending), with FlashForward concluding next week (my guesses: Mark Benford lives, Demitri, Janice and Simon get killed, Olivia and Charlie probably get captured) without ever really getting anywhere. I'm sure there was at least one other Season Finale since I last wrote but, if so, I've already forgotten it.
Doctor Who continues apace... I'm reasonably impressed by the reintroduction of the Silurians, even though they're rather derivative of the Predator, now that their alien/reptile/fishy appearance is explained away by a mask that gives them heat vision (amongst other things). The first part seemed perhaps a little slow (and how is the young boy the Doctor's responsibility rather than that of his own mother?), but Matt Smith is working out far, far better than his predecessor, and the 'two companions' dynamic is much more interesting than the previous, single companion setup.
Work is settling back into a decent enough flow. The new top dog introduced himself to everyone on the floor yesterday, then started calling meetings with all the Sales Managers, generally making himself unpopular by asking them difficult questions (such as "what have you been doing today?" and "what are your prospects?") and making them accountable for their sales and those made by their staff.
Having now played a bit of Castlevania Judgement, I can say that it's rather hard, but not just because of the way the camera tracks the action (or, more accurately, doesn't). Playing in Story Mode, I can win a few battles... but playing in Castle Mode is bizarrely difficult on the first stage. Perseverance will win, though... it's a very interesting concept hampered by a few technical issues.
I've also had a go at Monster Hunter Tri using the bowgun as my weapon. It's a very different style of game that way, not least because I'm packing a six-shooter when even the smaller animals can take 7 shots to put down... and it took me far too long to remember how to reload. I did happen upon an interesting revelation about armour upgrades, which I may well put into practice when I switch back to my main game... in which my character has already faced off - and, to be perfectly honest, lost - against the Lagiacrus. Its first appearance is a shock, considering how early on in the game it is (something like 3-5 hours for me, so substantially less for some, or more for those who like to explore before they start hitting the quests)... but that initial shock is nothing compared to the urgent yet glacial terror of realising that it can quite happily follow you from area to area.
My problem is that, when I panic, I lose any level of ambidexterity I might normally have, so I can't get my hands to coordinate and direct the camera where I want to go, so I can swim in the correct direction. That, coupled with my inability to switch focus to the map for a vague idea of what the correct direction might be, is why I got myself chomped. That said, my panic-state affects this game a little less than it does the likes of Silent Hill...
We've already had the end of the update to The Prisoner (more story than the original, but just as unintelligible... and sadly predictable in its presentation of an "Oh, no... Not that!" ending), with FlashForward concluding next week (my guesses: Mark Benford lives, Demitri, Janice and Simon get killed, Olivia and Charlie probably get captured) without ever really getting anywhere. I'm sure there was at least one other Season Finale since I last wrote but, if so, I've already forgotten it.
Doctor Who continues apace... I'm reasonably impressed by the reintroduction of the Silurians, even though they're rather derivative of the Predator, now that their alien/reptile/fishy appearance is explained away by a mask that gives them heat vision (amongst other things). The first part seemed perhaps a little slow (and how is the young boy the Doctor's responsibility rather than that of his own mother?), but Matt Smith is working out far, far better than his predecessor, and the 'two companions' dynamic is much more interesting than the previous, single companion setup.
Work is settling back into a decent enough flow. The new top dog introduced himself to everyone on the floor yesterday, then started calling meetings with all the Sales Managers, generally making himself unpopular by asking them difficult questions (such as "what have you been doing today?" and "what are your prospects?") and making them accountable for their sales and those made by their staff.
Having now played a bit of Castlevania Judgement, I can say that it's rather hard, but not just because of the way the camera tracks the action (or, more accurately, doesn't). Playing in Story Mode, I can win a few battles... but playing in Castle Mode is bizarrely difficult on the first stage. Perseverance will win, though... it's a very interesting concept hampered by a few technical issues.
I've also had a go at Monster Hunter Tri using the bowgun as my weapon. It's a very different style of game that way, not least because I'm packing a six-shooter when even the smaller animals can take 7 shots to put down... and it took me far too long to remember how to reload. I did happen upon an interesting revelation about armour upgrades, which I may well put into practice when I switch back to my main game... in which my character has already faced off - and, to be perfectly honest, lost - against the Lagiacrus. Its first appearance is a shock, considering how early on in the game it is (something like 3-5 hours for me, so substantially less for some, or more for those who like to explore before they start hitting the quests)... but that initial shock is nothing compared to the urgent yet glacial terror of realising that it can quite happily follow you from area to area.
My problem is that, when I panic, I lose any level of ambidexterity I might normally have, so I can't get my hands to coordinate and direct the camera where I want to go, so I can swim in the correct direction. That, coupled with my inability to switch focus to the map for a vague idea of what the correct direction might be, is why I got myself chomped. That said, my panic-state affects this game a little less than it does the likes of Silent Hill...
Saturday, 22 May 2010
Not at IPEX
Actually a good thing, as I really didn't want to go. I put off registering till a couple of weeks ago, despite much nagging from my boss, hoping to get out of it entirely.
Of course, what with all the news at work, it's not surprising that my boss forgot all about it, and double-booked herself for today. I'm certainly not heading off to the NEC by train for an extremely dull show aimed and a trade I'd like to leave.
Although I guess it's unfair to call it 'extremely dull'. There's plenty of cool stuff there (if you're into print/publishing), but there was really no point to my being there because, even if there was something on show there that would benefit the company in some way, they're not going to pay any attention to a manager they're making redundant at the end of the year.
Or not. Who knows? The process is drawing much criticism from around the company - not just the Production departments - and just keeps dragging on. More and more, the ground troops are being shown how awful everything will become when Production is centralised at head office. Frankly, most of us are finding it hilarious. There was no risk assessment prior to the proposal, and the figures used at the planning stage seem to indicate that the folks behind the proposal started with their £1M p.a. saving and worked backward to achieve it.
So. The week at work. The MD is now officially gone, and three managers are taking his place. One to deal with the day to day office grind, starting in about a month (thankfully the only new recruit), and the other two are next up the food chain for Sales and Production/Editorial respectively (and are just adding our titles to their portfolio). The Sales guy has already won some points (with everyone but the Salespeople) by calling for weekly Sales meetings to discuss current status, prospects and plans. I'm surprised this is considered revolutionary.
My boss offered to run the exiting MD's personal effects to his home today - hence the cancelled trip to IPEX, and also cancelled plans to meet up with a couple of friends on the way to/from the show.
The weirdest thing - or perhaps not weird at all - is that no-one in Production really gives a flying fuck about the MD, while the Salespeople (even those who claimed to hate him and want him dead) were weeping - literally, in some cases.
"What are we going to do without him?" they ask.
"Grow a spine and learn to do your fucking job," I reply.
I give it a couple of weeks before they realise they're (broadly speaking) better off without him.
In other news, I got my hands on a couple of Wii-based guilty pleasures recently - Castlevania Judgement (a 3D fighting game using characters from various parts of the franchise, but which also has a more interesting 'quest' mode) and Onechanbara (aka 'Bikini Zombie Slayers'). The former I haven't played a great deal yet - just enough to understand the complaints about the in-game camera, which seems to focus on the opponent and swing wildly around the player without really keeping track of them). The latter is a very standard slice-'em-up... nothing particularly amazing to any of it, and the presentation of some of it is downright apalling - scrolling intro text? Wasn't that last seen on the Atari Jaguar? The voices are the original Japanese which, lets face it, adds to the authenticity of the experience... but did I really mention authenticity when writing about a game featuring a girl scantily dressed as a cowboy running around a zombie-infested city in Japan?
Annoyingly, I'm sure I had a dream last night that might have proved interesting... but I'd forgotten all about it by the time I woke up.
Of course, what with all the news at work, it's not surprising that my boss forgot all about it, and double-booked herself for today. I'm certainly not heading off to the NEC by train for an extremely dull show aimed and a trade I'd like to leave.
Although I guess it's unfair to call it 'extremely dull'. There's plenty of cool stuff there (if you're into print/publishing), but there was really no point to my being there because, even if there was something on show there that would benefit the company in some way, they're not going to pay any attention to a manager they're making redundant at the end of the year.
Or not. Who knows? The process is drawing much criticism from around the company - not just the Production departments - and just keeps dragging on. More and more, the ground troops are being shown how awful everything will become when Production is centralised at head office. Frankly, most of us are finding it hilarious. There was no risk assessment prior to the proposal, and the figures used at the planning stage seem to indicate that the folks behind the proposal started with their £1M p.a. saving and worked backward to achieve it.
So. The week at work. The MD is now officially gone, and three managers are taking his place. One to deal with the day to day office grind, starting in about a month (thankfully the only new recruit), and the other two are next up the food chain for Sales and Production/Editorial respectively (and are just adding our titles to their portfolio). The Sales guy has already won some points (with everyone but the Salespeople) by calling for weekly Sales meetings to discuss current status, prospects and plans. I'm surprised this is considered revolutionary.
My boss offered to run the exiting MD's personal effects to his home today - hence the cancelled trip to IPEX, and also cancelled plans to meet up with a couple of friends on the way to/from the show.
The weirdest thing - or perhaps not weird at all - is that no-one in Production really gives a flying fuck about the MD, while the Salespeople (even those who claimed to hate him and want him dead) were weeping - literally, in some cases.
"What are we going to do without him?" they ask.
"Grow a spine and learn to do your fucking job," I reply.
I give it a couple of weeks before they realise they're (broadly speaking) better off without him.
In other news, I got my hands on a couple of Wii-based guilty pleasures recently - Castlevania Judgement (a 3D fighting game using characters from various parts of the franchise, but which also has a more interesting 'quest' mode) and Onechanbara (aka 'Bikini Zombie Slayers'). The former I haven't played a great deal yet - just enough to understand the complaints about the in-game camera, which seems to focus on the opponent and swing wildly around the player without really keeping track of them). The latter is a very standard slice-'em-up... nothing particularly amazing to any of it, and the presentation of some of it is downright apalling - scrolling intro text? Wasn't that last seen on the Atari Jaguar? The voices are the original Japanese which, lets face it, adds to the authenticity of the experience... but did I really mention authenticity when writing about a game featuring a girl scantily dressed as a cowboy running around a zombie-infested city in Japan?
Annoyingly, I'm sure I had a dream last night that might have proved interesting... but I'd forgotten all about it by the time I woke up.
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Good grief...
...I really need to get a bit more active with this blog. I barely even think about it lately... Understandable, considering my employers are intending to make me and my entire department redundant by the end of the year. Understandable, considering I need to look for another job (and really haven't done much so far). Understandable, considering I have to safeguard my income, even now my mortgage repayments are going to be significantly lower, thanks a welcome donation from my parents.
Except that's kinda all just excuses.
There have been plenty of times when I could be writing something or other, and I choose not to.
I watch TV, I watch "Let's Play" videos on YouTube, I play videogames.
Hell, it's not even as if I'm doing the dishes or the laundry... I am well and truly skiving.
I would imagine that this can be put down to my work ethic, my need to leave the office behind when I clock off for the day, and be Real Me rather than Work Me: When I'm in the office, I am 100% focused (some would say more so) on the task at hand, to the point where other things are deliberately, actively and occasionally rudely ignored. While that may be necessary to get the job done, it has been observed that a little more attention to social graces wouldn't go amiss.
The biggest problem is those who do not (and some who cannot) identify when I am busy, and when their 'important information' is not remotely important to me. For example, a couple of advertisers in my next magazine ask for new templates to be set up while I'm still working on my current magazine. Say "hello" to the bottom of my priority list.
But, note, still on my priority list.
And the worst way to present this is to sit on my shoulder, waiting for me to 'notice', so the client's life story (slight exaggeration) can be told in unnecessary detail.
I have colleagues who do that.
All the time.
And have done for far too long, despite very obvious feedback to the effect that "I am not interested in that at this present time. Either leave it here, or bring it to me when I'm done with my current magazine".
That kind of stupidity, I will not miss.
Other things I will not miss include my MD... who's being canned tomorrow.
Hoo-fucking-ray.
Certainly not before time, and the stupidest thing is the company are paying him off to get rid of him. More money that could have been used to safeguard the Production departments is being handed to an underachieving, downright troublemaking Manager.
It'll be interesting to see who they appoint to replace him. There are two obvious contenders. One would probably be an improvement, the other would be... Amusing, to say the very least. I would love to see how our Salespeople take to being micromanaged, timetabled, and generally scrutinised in a way they haven't been for more than the last five years.
In other news... Doctor Who has a nightmare where old people are hosts to alien parasites, his current companion is pregnant, her boyfriend has a ponytail, and this is one of the creepiest, most disturbing episodes I've seen in recent years? And it wasn't even written by Moffatt?
I'm not sure quite what it was about last weekend's episode (maybe just the dream angle, and the constant switching between 'realities' which - spoiler warning - were not real) that struck such a chord, but I really enjoyed it. In common with all the good stories in this series, it could have done with being run over two episodes... but, in some ways, that might have just left this one bloated and slow. Hmmm.
Anyway... that will have to be all for tonight. Press Day tomorrow, and it's not looking particularly good...
But I've made my sandwiches... and I've got other stuff to take in, as long as I remember.
Except that's kinda all just excuses.
There have been plenty of times when I could be writing something or other, and I choose not to.
I watch TV, I watch "Let's Play" videos on YouTube, I play videogames.
Hell, it's not even as if I'm doing the dishes or the laundry... I am well and truly skiving.
I would imagine that this can be put down to my work ethic, my need to leave the office behind when I clock off for the day, and be Real Me rather than Work Me: When I'm in the office, I am 100% focused (some would say more so) on the task at hand, to the point where other things are deliberately, actively and occasionally rudely ignored. While that may be necessary to get the job done, it has been observed that a little more attention to social graces wouldn't go amiss.
The biggest problem is those who do not (and some who cannot) identify when I am busy, and when their 'important information' is not remotely important to me. For example, a couple of advertisers in my next magazine ask for new templates to be set up while I'm still working on my current magazine. Say "hello" to the bottom of my priority list.
But, note, still on my priority list.
And the worst way to present this is to sit on my shoulder, waiting for me to 'notice', so the client's life story (slight exaggeration) can be told in unnecessary detail.
I have colleagues who do that.
All the time.
And have done for far too long, despite very obvious feedback to the effect that "I am not interested in that at this present time. Either leave it here, or bring it to me when I'm done with my current magazine".
That kind of stupidity, I will not miss.
Other things I will not miss include my MD... who's being canned tomorrow.
Hoo-fucking-ray.
Certainly not before time, and the stupidest thing is the company are paying him off to get rid of him. More money that could have been used to safeguard the Production departments is being handed to an underachieving, downright troublemaking Manager.
It'll be interesting to see who they appoint to replace him. There are two obvious contenders. One would probably be an improvement, the other would be... Amusing, to say the very least. I would love to see how our Salespeople take to being micromanaged, timetabled, and generally scrutinised in a way they haven't been for more than the last five years.
In other news... Doctor Who has a nightmare where old people are hosts to alien parasites, his current companion is pregnant, her boyfriend has a ponytail, and this is one of the creepiest, most disturbing episodes I've seen in recent years? And it wasn't even written by Moffatt?
I'm not sure quite what it was about last weekend's episode (maybe just the dream angle, and the constant switching between 'realities' which - spoiler warning - were not real) that struck such a chord, but I really enjoyed it. In common with all the good stories in this series, it could have done with being run over two episodes... but, in some ways, that might have just left this one bloated and slow. Hmmm.
Anyway... that will have to be all for tonight. Press Day tomorrow, and it's not looking particularly good...
But I've made my sandwiches... and I've got other stuff to take in, as long as I remember.
Monday, 10 May 2010
Catching up in bits and bobs...
Had a weird dream last night. The first part was generic "First-Person-On-The-Rails-Zombie-Shooter-Videogame", the second part was rather more interesting.
It seemed to play on my usual Travel Anxiety - forgetting something important - but ramped it up to the point where I forgot pretty much everything. I think my backpack contained food for the journey.
I was with my old mate Paul, and we seemed to be meeting up with our group at the high school I went to 20-odd years ago. Naturally the layout was all screwy - for one thing, it was all car park, no school - but my dream-self recognised it well enough. We met up with the tour guide just after I realised I had no clothes, money, tickets... not even my passport.
While waiting around for the rest of the travel group, I saw my father on the street, supposedly heading to work (though he's never worked anywhere near any of my schools, and is retired now anyway) so, on a whim, I decided to follow him into the shopping area just down the road.
I lost him in the crowds but, in any event, didn't end up in the shopping area I was expecting... I recognised it in the dream as being 'downtown Baghdad', so most of the shops were not only closed, but bombed out... and suddenly the whole place was deserted.
I'm sure there was a bit more to it... but I've been very bad at blogging lately, and consequently keep forgetting things before I get round to writing anything up. Silly me. Should have done this in the morning, when it was reasonably fresh in my mind.
In other news, work is going reasonably well, all things considered. The new magazine manager isn't a complete dick, and certainly talks as if he wants to do things properly. Time will tell. The sudden announcement of the redundancy of the two Commercial Managers seems to be all but forgotten already. There was supposed to be a leaving do for the both of them last week but nothing happened. One of them had already said he wouldn't attend, so I guess that's not very surprising.
My Wii games collection is growing quite fast. Having recently got lucky and found Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love in Hounslow, I visited Harrow yesterday and found Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies all over the place. Obviously quite a big 'event', considering they're running TV ads for it as well. First impressions? Well, all the Treasure hallmarks are there: huge, mad bosses spewing endless gunfire in set patterns that must be learned to beat them, score multipliers, and lots of fun. To be honest, though, they might as well have called it 'Successor of Space Harrier', because that's what I was thinking all the time I was playing. Sure, ol' Harry was flying around courtesy of a combined jet engine/BFG, while S&P's Isa and Kachi get airbourne via a jetpack and a hoverboard, respectively, but the whole 'into the screen' schtick is firmly rooted in Sega's old Fantasy Zone.
I'm progressing slowly in Monster Hunter Tri, attempting to explore and get the most out of Moga Woods, rather than simply ploughing through the quests. It's quite an inspirational game... but the wonky combat is still a bit of a chore.
In Silent HIll, I've reached the point I was dreading: In the school, there's a section where you have to take three photos - in locations marked with flashing red lights - while being chased by the monsters. It'll probably not be as bad as I'm expecting, but the Let's Player who recorded it managed to literally run around in circles for most of that part of the game. Then again, this is the same person who had no comment on all the Children of the Damned references (Midwich High School, founded by John Wyndham, and with a football team called the Cuckoos?), and who couldn't figure out that, to see hidden messages written on mirrors above sinks in the hairdressers, he had to run the taps hot, not cold. Ah well.
My visit to Harrow was for more than just shopping. I was meeting up with my mother, who was paying off about half of my mortgage in one fell swoop, with some of the money raised when my cousin bought out my father's share of his mother's old house. This means that my monthly repayments will now be about £250... so I can actually start saving again. Perfect timing, all things considered.
Last weekend, I went to see Iron Man 2, and was broadly impressed. It didn't hang together quite as well as the first, and I really can't stand Sam Rockwell in most films (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind being the one exception I can think of), but it was a decent enough addition to the franchise. I suspect it might have been better if the thing slowly killing Tony Stark was liver damage due to drinking, rather than poisoning by his new power source, but you can't have everything.
New Doctor Who continues to impress, also. The two-parter with the return of the Weeping Angels was awesome, even if part 2 seemed to tie up all the loose ends rather too quickly and conveniently. Yesterday's, where the Vampires in Venice turned out to be alien insect-fish wearing perception filters was decent, but riddled with plotholes. First one not written by Moffat, first real disappointment.
It seemed to play on my usual Travel Anxiety - forgetting something important - but ramped it up to the point where I forgot pretty much everything. I think my backpack contained food for the journey.
I was with my old mate Paul, and we seemed to be meeting up with our group at the high school I went to 20-odd years ago. Naturally the layout was all screwy - for one thing, it was all car park, no school - but my dream-self recognised it well enough. We met up with the tour guide just after I realised I had no clothes, money, tickets... not even my passport.
While waiting around for the rest of the travel group, I saw my father on the street, supposedly heading to work (though he's never worked anywhere near any of my schools, and is retired now anyway) so, on a whim, I decided to follow him into the shopping area just down the road.
I lost him in the crowds but, in any event, didn't end up in the shopping area I was expecting... I recognised it in the dream as being 'downtown Baghdad', so most of the shops were not only closed, but bombed out... and suddenly the whole place was deserted.
I'm sure there was a bit more to it... but I've been very bad at blogging lately, and consequently keep forgetting things before I get round to writing anything up. Silly me. Should have done this in the morning, when it was reasonably fresh in my mind.
In other news, work is going reasonably well, all things considered. The new magazine manager isn't a complete dick, and certainly talks as if he wants to do things properly. Time will tell. The sudden announcement of the redundancy of the two Commercial Managers seems to be all but forgotten already. There was supposed to be a leaving do for the both of them last week but nothing happened. One of them had already said he wouldn't attend, so I guess that's not very surprising.
My Wii games collection is growing quite fast. Having recently got lucky and found Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love in Hounslow, I visited Harrow yesterday and found Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies all over the place. Obviously quite a big 'event', considering they're running TV ads for it as well. First impressions? Well, all the Treasure hallmarks are there: huge, mad bosses spewing endless gunfire in set patterns that must be learned to beat them, score multipliers, and lots of fun. To be honest, though, they might as well have called it 'Successor of Space Harrier', because that's what I was thinking all the time I was playing. Sure, ol' Harry was flying around courtesy of a combined jet engine/BFG, while S&P's Isa and Kachi get airbourne via a jetpack and a hoverboard, respectively, but the whole 'into the screen' schtick is firmly rooted in Sega's old Fantasy Zone.
I'm progressing slowly in Monster Hunter Tri, attempting to explore and get the most out of Moga Woods, rather than simply ploughing through the quests. It's quite an inspirational game... but the wonky combat is still a bit of a chore.
In Silent HIll, I've reached the point I was dreading: In the school, there's a section where you have to take three photos - in locations marked with flashing red lights - while being chased by the monsters. It'll probably not be as bad as I'm expecting, but the Let's Player who recorded it managed to literally run around in circles for most of that part of the game. Then again, this is the same person who had no comment on all the Children of the Damned references (Midwich High School, founded by John Wyndham, and with a football team called the Cuckoos?), and who couldn't figure out that, to see hidden messages written on mirrors above sinks in the hairdressers, he had to run the taps hot, not cold. Ah well.
My visit to Harrow was for more than just shopping. I was meeting up with my mother, who was paying off about half of my mortgage in one fell swoop, with some of the money raised when my cousin bought out my father's share of his mother's old house. This means that my monthly repayments will now be about £250... so I can actually start saving again. Perfect timing, all things considered.
Last weekend, I went to see Iron Man 2, and was broadly impressed. It didn't hang together quite as well as the first, and I really can't stand Sam Rockwell in most films (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind being the one exception I can think of), but it was a decent enough addition to the franchise. I suspect it might have been better if the thing slowly killing Tony Stark was liver damage due to drinking, rather than poisoning by his new power source, but you can't have everything.
New Doctor Who continues to impress, also. The two-parter with the return of the Weeping Angels was awesome, even if part 2 seemed to tie up all the loose ends rather too quickly and conveniently. Yesterday's, where the Vampires in Venice turned out to be alien insect-fish wearing perception filters was decent, but riddled with plotholes. First one not written by Moffat, first real disappointment.
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