| Work has been going pretty well here at Trion. The people are cool, and I really feel like I can talk about some of the things that matter to me outside of work with people at work -- like Quality of Life advocacy. I also feel like I can be free to try out new things in terms of QA - like using alternate tools I find, or poking at the systems from a new angle and have it reflect well on me whether it works or not. Overall, it's been a very neat experience, and we even had Jon Van Caneghem, one fo the company founders, come by for a visit and talk a bit about his design philosophy. Despite the potential growth here, it's still a pretty small company. If only I'd brought my old World of Xeen box out...
The GDC this year was less exciting in terms of sessions and speaks than usual -- but the roundtables were pretty good. I got a lot of ideas for new tools to try out and methods to test which I'm looking forward to implementing at work (and maybe leveraging it into something in the future). As always, the Confernece Associate (CA) volunteer program was fantastic. This was the smoothest run con I think we've ever had, from the CA-side of things, and it felt good. I met some awesome new CAs, some of whom I'll be working with through the year if I can to help them get that little extra boost they need to show their awesomeness - like the people who have a great DS game, but lost their publisher.
Since I've been back, I've felt ok, but I finally took a day off - between the GDC stress, and some post-GDC QoL stuff, I think I neglected a bit too much sleep, and Austin seems to be an allergy haven. I'm not sure if it's just pollen, or if I finally succumbed to the GDC bug that people have talked about, but I spent most of today sleeping. And in the time I was up, I watched some Lost (still in Season 1, but I figured it was time I watched it so I could chat about something other than games or work with people), and I read some. There's a library right near my apartment - I finally stopped in before the GDC to get a book for the plane (Lost Boys by Orson Scott Card -- not bad, probably more enjoyable for me than most as the main character is a game programmer back in the Commodore 64 days), so I've decided to start reading regularly again (any suggestions are welcome -- Austin has a good system, so I can probably reserve just about anything people might have in mind).
So after my third nap of the day, I woke up just in time for my usual WoW raid (by chance -- I had even warned them I migth sleep through it). Since I was on, I joined in and we finally finished up the last achievement I had for the Heroic (25-man) raids. Only a tiny fraction of raids in the world have gotten this, so it's pretty sweet. And now, since I've slept all day, I'm not terribly tired -- but I am a little sleepy, so I'm hoping after an episode or two more of Lost I'll pass out and be well enough for work tomorrow. | comments: 4 comments or Leave a comment   |
| | This just in: World of Goo is $5 on Steam this weekend. It's an awesome indy game, and for $5, you can't beat the price to entertainment ratio with almost anything (unless you are a cat, in which case the plastic bag it doesn't come in will be better). We now return you to your regularly scheduled lack of posts from me. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Tags: | politics | | Current Music: | Legend of the Seeker | | Current Location: | home | | Subject: | He did what? | | Time: | 07:52 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankhappyp.gif) impressed |
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| | I wouldn't be surprised to hear of other politicians needing treatment for whiplash from the way Obama has handled his first two days. | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| 7:42 PM me: Madness.
7:43 PM midknightrocket: haha
me: But it's ok, because my pan-frying experiment worked well.
midknightrocket: did it now?
me: Well, I bought soft burrito shells and cheese thinking "Of course there's a microwave in the kitchen." Only there isn't.
7:44 PM So today I got a frying pan and oil and I pan-fried them instead. With the Chipolte Salsa -- apparently it's ok in burritos, but I don't like it so much on chips.
7:45 PM And then I had to figure out how to creatively flip them when I had no spatula.
If only there were a Spatula City near here.
7:46 PM midknightrocket: ;P
sounds like you had quite the adventure
7:47 PM me: With a happy, and delicious, ending. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| I now have a bed, which is what I set out to get. I also have a futon (assuming I can figure out how to assemble it) which was tossed in for free when I got the bed. Next up: Computer Desk, Dining Table, Chairs. Possibly a TV (for use with gaming systems - I doubt I'd actually watch much on it). I also still need to stop in at Target or the like and get a basic set of plates. And a microwave. But none of that is critical, so I feel pretty good. I should be well set for a while... It's like I'm an adult or something.
Update: Futon assembled. It's a good thing I have tools for my bike. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| | When they're above you, and they accidentally open the drainage valve for their hot water heater just a little when moving some boxes, they totally suck. At least I noticed it early. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Tags: | life, work | | Current Music: | Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog | | Current Location: | home | | Subject: | First Days | | Time: | 06:52 pm | | Current Mood: | cheerful |
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| I doubt I'll update a lot once I've gotten into a rhythm here (much like I stopped really posting in L.A.), but there are new things happening for now, so posts will happen.
Went to work for the first time at the new job yesterday. Waded through the paperwork fairly quickly, and then got to sit around poking at the various updating systems they have in place to get a functional build running. Due to some unknown additional issues the system I was assigned seems to have, it took all of yesterday and most of today to get it working... but it does work now.
I'll need to check at work to see exactly what is public knowledge about the game (and therefore what I can write about without breaking the NDA), but I expect I'll have a decent amount of fun testing, and for the first time since F.E.A.R., I think I might actually recommend a game I worked on to other people. ;p Well, that's not entirely true -- World In Conflict was pretty well done, though I only really worked on the console port which, I believe, has yet to hit stores.
Anyways, they seem to have a solid business and development plan in place, so I'm a lot less stressed now that I know I should have a job for more than 2 weeks before the company folds. ;p Tonight is my usual WoW raiding so I headed home directly, but tomorrow night I'll probably explore a little before coming home, and I'm planning out my weekend trips already. Life in Austin may not be what I expected, but with the exception of missing the people I'd gotten to know in L.A., I think I generally like things better here... we'll see if that lasts. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| So, as per my last post, I've moved to Texas. Initial packing could have gone better, but the drive itself was uneventful, and with the exception of not having any furniture here besides a computer chair, I'm pretty well settled in. Overall, things are pretty good - apartment isn't everything I might have wanted, but it's better than I was expecting (or fearing, I suppose).
Earlier today I went out biking to explore the neighborhood -- sidenote: it's odd, but this area reminds me of home (as in Upstate New York) a great deal, due to trees and the general flow of streets and such -- and also pick up a few things that I'd managed to forget the first time I went shopping (which was when I still had the rental car, meaning I could get most of the big and heavy stuff). So first I stop in at the general grocery store called H.E.B. (Here Everything's Better) - nicer than most, but not quite a Wegman's.
I was originally just going to get some laundry detergent, but then I remember I could also use dish soap. So I'm scanning the shelves and spot this product. This is either the most blatant abuse of Native American culture I've personally seen, or one of the coolest companies ever. I'm still not sure on that, but the idea is damn keen, coming from the Great Law of the Iroquois. I'm just surprised the first place I found this was in Texas.
Unfortunately I couldn't find any of the laundry detergent or anything else they make -- I wasn't even sure those things existed at the time, but now I know they do, so once I check into the company to ensure they're really trying to live up to the name I'll probably buy from them for various cleaning products in the future (Zay, I'm looking at you for help on whether this company is legit).
The rest of my ride around was mostly uneventful, though I found I'm also close to a Fry's Electronics. All in all, I've enjoyed being here so far. The city seems like it's very bike friendly; similar bike racks on the buses to those in L.A., and a lot of "hike-and-bike" trails all over, along with designated bike routes and bike lanes around. I'm not terribly looking forward to summer, but for now I think things will be pretty good. Still have to see how work is on Monday. | | comments: 10 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Tags: | la | | Current Music: | WoW - Borean Tundra | | Current Location: | home | | Subject: | Ashfall | | Time: | 03:58 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankthinkp.gif) thoughtful |
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| So I went out today to meet up with a girl. The date had been set up by a friend from work, and went well, but that's not really the point of this...
While were were sitting outside, I kept noticing flecks on my arm -- at first I thought I just had really bad dandruff or flaky skin or something (unusual, but not entirely impossible, particularly this time of year). Then I noticed black flecks I as well -- and that the air seemed to be filled with tiny insects, which is even more unusual.
It was neither dandruff nor insects, but fine ash slowly floating down. Now, I know there are wildfires around here, so it wasn't entirely unexpected that this might happen, but I don't think I've ever sat outside as the ash sifted down like snow. It made me a little homesick - as it did greatly remind me of snow, and of the gnats that buzz around in the woods - but also made me notice how the ash looked right as it landed amongst the birds and plants, but not so much when it was on the cars and windows of the buildings near by.
It put me in mind of some of the darker visions of the future -- when the war comes and fire rains down, the ash that falls will only be returning the world to a good and natural state. | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| I've been meaning to post about this for a couple weeks now, but I've been busy -- just pulled an 80 hour week... ironic, since I crusade against OT while working it. Anyways...
A couple weeks back, I went to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) nalroth and skkyechan's wedding in D.C. Lovely ceremony, outside, not too long or too short, fun reception -- and happily, I can still move well on the dance floor. And while it was fun, that's just the backdrop for this. I figured as long as I was flying across the country, I should take an extra day or two off from work and enjoy myself. As I didn't want to spend more than I had to, I got in touch with one of my friends from college and arranged for some crash space at his condo (he was going to the wedding, too, which made transportation easy as well). The first night there, before the wedding, he had a bunch of people showing up at his house for a board and card game night.
He didn't know everyone, and they didn't all know each other, so it was really easy for me to slip in as part of this, and it was quite fun. I played several games I'd never played before, including finally getting a chance to try Puerto Rico and San Juan, which are quite fun strategy games that I'd heard about on several occasions prior to that, and a rather long game of Munchkin that could have been better -- one of the players was trying a little too hard at being geeky. Anyways, that was a fine opener for the weekend there. The wedding was the following day and took up the entirety of it, and the following day I went in to the city and wandered around the Mall and the Smithsonian.
I've been to the Smithsonian before, but I don't think I've ever had a chance to wander it alone, and previously I was primarily interested in the science-oriented aspects. This time I decided to check out the art and historical relics. There were some lovely Japanese and Korean
collections on display, but the real treat was a special exhibit. They had a Jim Henson exhibit which included a lot of how he developed the muppets and was really, really well done. At the end, they even had a puppet theater set up for kids -- though I only ever saw various adults using it, and probably enjoying as much or more than any children might have. On my way out, I passed through one of the museum stores which was stocked with Henson merchandise and came across a box set of movies.
Now, I've seen The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, certainly, and I very much enjoyed them, but I had never gotten around to buying them. So I saw them in this box set and figured this would be a fine time to get them both... but they were with this other movie. Somehow, I completely missed this one, which is surprising since it combines the excellent work of Henson Productions with a Neil Gaiman story. The movie is called Mirrormask, and if you haven't seen it, I do recommend it (and if you're ever near by, I'd be happy to watch it with you, assuming I have the time). It's a little disjointed, but it's very, very cool in artistic
style and execution. I didn't know that at the time, of course -- I just knew it was Gaiman and Muppetry, and that was more than enough of a reason for me to get it. I also picked up a CD of Muppet music, mainly so I could have a good copy of "Can You Picture That"...
Following the tour through Henson-land, I wandered through a bit of the Natural History museum, and then, since I was next to it, decided to visit the National Archives. I don't think I've ever actually gone through there, but far form being the dry or dusty sort of experience I was expecting, they had some very up-to-date and well-designed exhibits. Some of them were mainly there to demonstrate the primary purpose for the archives -- to hold the government accountable for actions taken and promises made as they're all on public record. And they did that fairly well. The rest were just some excellent displays of various declassified documents on subjects people are interested
in, with annotations and commentary on what they actually meant. I finished this off with a pass through the great hall to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. They're all very faded, but it's cool to see them, and even more cool
to talk to some older folk who commented on them looking more faded than last time they'd been through...
All in all, an awesome experience. Clearly Nalroth and Skkye should get married more often or something. >.> | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| Whoa.
No word on what this will mean for us in the field, but I don't think it will be good (and I just saw a new wave of testers come in today...) While I still have the luxury of being picky, if anyone happens to know of good companies I should apply for jobs at, I'd love to hear about them.
Also, my father is doing much better. Thanks to those of you who sent along well wishes. | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| When I get going on a subject I like, and I think I have an interested audience, apparently I just won't shut up. I probably should have noticed this earlier.
In general news, life is good, I'm moving soon, and I'm considering starting a personal splinter of the Kotaku Game Club, since the concept is neat, and the first game is a good choice anyways. I'll probably post a little more often in the future, as I expect I'll actually have interesting things to post about.
P.S. My future flatmate is into Cosplay, and he has made some amazing things. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| | Tags: | gdc, life | | Current Music: | Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere | | Current Location: | Home | | Subject: | GDC 2008 | | Time: | 12:52 am | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/anksleepyp.gif) exhausted |
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| In a word: awesome. As always. I went as a CA again, and it was a blast.
First day I did some hopping around - mainly poked my head into the IGDA Education summit for a bit and the Worlds In Motion summit for Erik Bethke's talk on how to apply the Bartle Classification of Gamers for fun and profit in your MMO. The Bartle stuff is kinda interesting, but the education summit was pretty cool. I was one of the few people there not actually in academia, and it meant they wanted to hear what I had to say. A lot. Way more than I expected, given my role in QA. But they did, so I spoke, and things went well. Played in a Super Smash Brothers Brawl tournament qualifier. Lost, but not too badly. Much fun was had. Went and was a witch in Witch Hunt. Many innocent villagers were burned, and fun was had by all.
Second day I was in a tutorial about Parallel programming - cool, for the most part, but some of the middle-sections were pretty close to infomercials on middle-ware solutions (good for those who need it, but I'd rather learn more about how to do it, or how it's being done presently). Still not bad, over all. Went to an RPI reception thing (which was actually pretty cool), and then to the LucasArts party (which was actually kinda not, though the Storm Trooper guards were neat). More witch hunt was played, I was a witch again and more innocent villagers were burned.
Third day was the start of the main conference. I was all over the place. Went to a few sessions on Quality Assurance (Vivendi is paying me to bring notes home on these -- bonus!), one on Quality of Life, and did some wandering. Also saw various people, which was cool. Ended the day with another try at Smash Brothers Brawl. Qualified this time. I think I burned some witches, too (I was finally a villager).
Fourth day was more of the same -- running around to sessions and seeing people. Also, Smash Brothers Brawl tournament finals (lost early, but it was a good fight), and burned witches.
Fifth day wrapped up the show. More running around to see people and sessions, went out for dinner with some of the CAs I met this year, and attended the post-mortem CA fun-and-raffle party. I now have Morrowind. And a few new shirts. Practiced my massage skills for a few hours to help people recover, and then more witch hunt. I totally should have won the game, but near the end I blanked badly on what had just happened and voted the wrong way (it was very late after a very intense con, so I don't mind excusing myself on it, but it still kinda sucks).
Came home yesterday and pretty much passed out when I got here. Today I typed up a few quick reviews on specific sessions for various places. Just spent a few hours writing e-mails to the various people who handed me business cards and deserved a quick reply. And now this. And next: bed, then work. I so am not ready for regular work again after the awesomeness that is the GDC. But I shall go, because it is what I do, but I see changes coming in some form in the near future. Totally. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| So on Friday I got my first restoration at the dentist. Ordinarily this wouldn't be a big deal, but there was also some funeral procession for a police officer happening that shut down part of the city - in particular, it made all the bus routes I usually take go through detours. So I got to the appointment late, and took longer to get from there to work. Again, no big deal ordinarily. Incidentally, it went well and looks quite nice.
Point being, I get to work around 12:45. Lunch starts at 1:00. As before - no big deal, usually on days like this I'd just work through lunch. However, Friday also happened to be the day when Vivendi offered to have us all go see the Spiderwick Chronicles (since we'd just finished working on the games). So I got all of 5 minutes of work done and headed out with everyone for the movie.
It wasn't bad - certainly some sections felt a little bizarre or forced, but it is a kids movie. ;p Basic premise is that a mother has split up with her husband and takes the kids out to a house out in the middle of nowhere (more or less). Former residence of their aunt Lucinda Spiderwick. Her father, Arthur Spiderwick, was a naturalist who ended up studying fairies and the unseen world. The kids discover his field guide and then fairies and goblins and such. For the gryphon people, there is also a nice CG griffin in it.
The basic premise is in line with the games, and the books, and I think they tried to keep the plot line fairly close to the books, but I haven't read them - just looked at the wikipedia article on them. Overall, as I said, it wasn't bad. I was expecting far less out of it, so I actually enjoyed it. Also, I got paid to see a movie, so that might have colored my perception a bit. ;) | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| Bought a new bike on Saturday. It's sweet. I was going to get a Specialized Globe City, but they didn't have one in my size at the store I visited, and the new models won't be shipping until April. I more or less wanted a bike right now. So I took a Globe Elite instead, and it is quite cool. Internal gears (no funky rear derailleur to worry about), easy shifting, light, and all around awesome.
Also... I don't even know how many people who read this will understand, but then, it's also my journal to report things that are of note in my life. Or pseudo-life. Whatever. I'm in Mount Hyjal, and it, too, is awesome. Erin, if I get a chance at the GDC, I'll take you on a quick tour, since it's pretty and it works in reverse from a normal raid instance in that you can explore the whole region until you start events and then it slowly fills with mobs instead of slowly getting cleared. In theory I'm also attuned for the Black Temple.
I didn't actually expect to make it into these places before the next expansion, given the wonky schedule I end up having with the games and OT and such. But we've kept things at a sane 2 raid days a week, and it's totally sustainable at just that. I actually haven't been playing nightly lately, closer to 1 day in addition to the 2 raids, but I'm still keeping up on things and completely ready for each raid with everything needed. After looking at how other MMO games handle raiding, I'm glad Blizzard is essentially giving that style of play the finger and making it accessible without absurd commitments. | | comments: 4 comments or Leave a comment |
| Date went well. We met up, sipped some hot beverages, and talked a bunch. And then wandered around Borders and talked some more while looking at books. She reminds me a good deal of my most awesomest aunt, the one who gave me my cloak, which is a very good thing. It's holiday season, so it may be a bit before we can get together again, but I think it'll be worth making the effort to find time to do so. And that's all you get about that in an LJ format. If you want real details, you'll just have to talk to me in a more direct fashion.
P.S. After having not had caffeine in forever, I'm thinking a large Chai wasn't the best idea. Maybe I'll write more at 4 AM, since I suspect I'll still be awake and going strong. :P | | comments: 4 comments or Leave a comment |
| Quick update on life: No pain from my tooth, and it seems up to handling my chewing needs, for the moment. Still need to go back in for more work, I'm not going to let it go and then have my tooth disintegrate in a few months when the temporary filling gives up.
And now for the real point of the post: Dreamfall. I finally finished playing through The Longest Journey: Dreamfall and I figured I'd post a little about it. The few reviews I glanced at after playing, even the ones with low scores, were all fairly accurate. The gameplay, such as there is, isn't great. I blame the attempt to make it work for consoles. However, the art is very cool, and being able to wander through 3D versions of places from The Longest Journey is also quite cool.
Hmmm... maybe I should start somewhere else, though. If you enjoy Adventure games and haven't played The Longest Journey, you're missing something quite good. You owe it to yourself to play, and to the Adventure genre to make sure it earns some money so they might consider making more again. ;p If you like the story after playing it, then you might consider Dreamfall.
It takes place in the same world, though some years later, and the main character (most of the time) is someone else. Which is fine. Rather than being a 2D point-and-click type adventure, it's 3D. Which is also pretty reasonable in the end. If I didn't have a XBox 360 controller to plug into my computer, I don't think I'd have enjoyed it as much - the controls are clunky enough on the controller, but manageable to anyone who has played similar control-scheme games. Mouse-and-keyboard just felt like they were poorly conceived afterthoughts.
The worst part, though, is the addition of a combat system to a game that didn't need it. At all. And even that wouldn't be such a tragedy if it was a good system, fun to play with. It isn't. It's slow, and clunky, and just plain annoying. Luckily, it isn't used much, and the game pretty much auto-saves you just before and just after any given fight, so you don't need to deal with it much. Which leaves the adventure elements (inventory and puzzle solving) and the story. The Adventure elements are pretty rudimentary, but there's enough to make things fun and if they hadn't bothered with the combat these could have been expanded into a much nicer game. Unfortunate, but there you go. Which leaves the story.
If you like story, and particularly if you liked the story and world of the original game, you'll find this more than enough to keep you going, dealing with the combat or simple little puzzles enough to get to the next story segment, next conversation (the branching dialog trees were pretty neat, and some even matter in a small scope for what you do, though in the larger scope it's fairly irrelevant), next twist that comes up to prod you on.
Now if they'd only release the next game to actually finish the story already. This feels almost as bad as Soul Reaver. Worse is no one close to talk about it with. So play already, so I can talk to you about it later. ;p | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Tags: | life, teeth | | Current Music: | Rush - Finding My Way | | Current Location: | Home | | Time: | 05:53 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/anksadp.gif) numb |
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| So instead of going to work today, I decided to visit the USC campus. And what visit to USC would be complete without a Root Canal? No, seriously. No pain yet. Local anesthetic is fading, though. I figure this may be my last chance to write coherently for a while. :P I still need to go back in to get the procedure finished, probably in January.
Going in next week to get a comprehensive exam and general treatment plan for everything that's gone wrong since I last had a regular dentist. The student-doctor who got my case was pretty cool, and the faculty observing were also excellent. Apparently I have interesting and unusual teeth (more roots than average in the one being worked on), so he'd like t pick me up as a regular patient. Since it's all about teaching, sessions are longer. On the other hand, since it's all about teaching, they're also less expensive. And they use the latest techniques. And I get to learn while they work, since they talk fairly regularly about what they're doing.
Quick update on girl - first date was canceled as she got stuck at work. New date scheduled for next week. Still optimistic. | | comments: 4 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | 50 First Dates - Wyclef Jean / Your Love (L.O.V.E. Reggae Mix) | | Subject: | Vague Life Update | | Time: | 08:14 pm | | Current Mood: | chipper |
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| I don't even remember what I last wrote about. *goes to look it up* Looks like biking, GDC, a couple memes, and then a lot of nothing. Let's see...
I worked. A bunch. Crash of the Titans, which I worked on, is out now, and if you have younger present receivers on your list who are into game type things, it wouldn't be a bad gift. I also did some more work on F.E.A.R. (PS3), and the new expansion. New expansion (Perseus Mandate) is ok, but not great. PS3 version of F.E.A.R. suffers from being on a console in the first place (I still don't like FPS on consoles), and it's also a bad implementation. Then again, the PS3 is a bad implementation of a game console in general, so if you like the PS3, maybe you'd like it. ;p
Still biking to work, though I almost always take the bus part way to work, and most days I've been taking it part way home. The days I don't, though, are still great. I do quite enjoy the ride out on the beach, even if it is after dark when I'm taking it.
I've been using a Roomba Vacuum for a while Pretty damn nifty device, awesome for a one-story type place. Goes off daily while I'm at work, and picks up a surprising amount (L.A. is a dirty city :P). Recently picked up a Scooba, which is the same thing, only for doing mop-type things. Going to use it for the second time tonight, but it went quite well last month. As a fun aside, they can be reprogrammed pretty easily, so if you feel like coming up with a better AI algorithm for them, you can (assuming it'll fit in their limited memory and instruction set).
Since the last GDC, I've been vaguely plotting to do more social-type stuff in my life. Initially, this was helping a few other people at work with doing our on-the-side game design and getting out to do that on occasion. One of my friends from back home said she could help me get into the Swing Dance group out here, so I was going to do that, but then I got all busy with overtime, so I didn't. But I probably still will, and soon, since I should have time again soon. I recently signed up on SoulGeek, a dating-type site for geeks. Mainly because there was an offer, I was intrigued by the idea, and I figured it couldn't hurt. Nothing from it, yet, but I haven't been putting in a lot of effort on it either, so I'm not particularly surprised.
My parents came to visit fairly recently, and we went up to the Getty Museum (up on the hill -- the Getty Villa, which I didn't even know about, is reopen now in Santa Monica and I'll probably see about going there sometime soon as well). That place is still pretty darn cool. The whole flow of it is amazing (and evidently very intentional to keep people from suffering from "museum exhaustion"), and the stuff they have on display is usually pretty good. Also went to a great Indian food joint, and visited a cousin a little south of here. It was good times all around.
The most social item from the last few months happened due to house mates (I share the house I'm in with a few other people). We had a Sangria Party and each invited some people, and it was quite enjoyable. Also, Sangria is tasty. According to one of the females I live with, at least one of the girls was totally in to me (though it wasn't someone she knew, it's just that girls can tell, or something). I completely missed it, but I left myself an avenue of getting in touch (she was interested in web design or graphic artistry as a future career path, so I said I'd talk to some people, did so, and am waiting for her to call back at this point -- incidentally, if you people reading would want to help or can poke others I used to know who are in that line of work, or were in it, let me know; more help is better, I figure) so if it's going to happen, it will.
At work, some of the guys on my current project are quite cool. And one of them is going to try to fix me up with a girl he knows... based off my comments about fencing. Apparently she's into it and likes guys who are into fencing as well. I am both scared and interested. Particularly since I haven't actually fenced in quite a while. Anyways, he thinks we'll get along really well, and I think I'll have fun regardless, so hopefully that will at least get itself up into an actual date at some point soon. Which would make it, I think, my first real date, ever. Any other time I've gone out with a girl, we were friends well before hand and usually "going steady" long before we went out alone together. Which says volumes about my life, I suppose. Along with more than half my post about my life being about games. At least I'm not living with my grandma (or parents) or forty and a virgin.
In World of Warcraft, my raiding group has recently gotten some faction firsts for our server (which is also sad, because they're really not particularly far along in the raid path as it exists in full). For those in the know about such things, we've cleared Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, Magtheridon, Doomwalker, Void Reaver in The Eye, and all the bosses except Vashj in Serpentshrine Cavern. Rather than going for more in the The Eye like most groups do, we intend to work on Vashj first and completely clear Serpentshrine Cavern.
Out of WoW, I've been playing some Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War (plus expansions), which has been pretty neat. I completed The Longest Journey, and have started on Dreamfall. The Longest Journey is a great game in the vein of the old classic Adventure games (King's Quest, Full Throttle, Sam & Max, etc...), and Dreamfall is a great story and potential game stuck inside an ok game (some odd design decisions make it less stellar than it could have been). Even as it is with Dreamfall, I recommend both Longest Journey titles (particularly as they come in a nice package deal on Steam).
I've also been playing some Guitar Hero again, which is quite enjoyable. I finally set it up on the main room TV (instead of the one in my room) for the Sangria Party, and it's been there since. On Halloween, I was playing so I could keep an eye on the door (our doorbell is non-worky), and when one of my housemates distributed the candy for one group... that group (and the next) didn't leave and instead stood at the door watching me for a good five minutes until the parents came up and dragged them away. To little kids, I am the most awesome person in the world. :P
I've just finished re-reading the Great Teacher Onizuka manga I own on the bus (and I may get the rest). It's a good size and read for the bus trips. I also read all of the stories in Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy, edited by Robert Silverberg. Some great stuff in there, and because of it, I think I may go pick up a few series I've been meaning to read but never got around to for various reasons. I'm also considering finally finding that local library so I don't need to buy them all. I know it's somewhere fairly close...
At work, I've been on Spiderwick Chronicles (based on the upcoming movie) for the DS. The books seem like they'd be pretty cool, the movie should be decent, and I probably shouldn't talk much about the game yet but the version I'm on is actually pretty neat. Should you know a kid who likes the books or the movie, and is into the old-school style RPG-type games, it'd be a great purchase.
More than one permanent employee has left in the past year and hasn't yet been replaced. They just finished budgets and they should do the perm-hires soon. If I get passed over this year, I'm going to do a lot more job hunting at the GDC this year, because while I do quite like my job, I don't want to be doing it as a temp forever. If I am pulled in, I'll still check around (it doesn't hurt to look), but I'll be a lot more comfortable with sticking things out here or looking for internal-offers to move out into the various studios Vivendi owns.
And no, I don't think I'll really be posting more often. But who knows, stranger things have happened. | | comments: 14 comments or Leave a comment |
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