Life is sometimes sort of okay because...

[maryanddavid]

Nice one TB, I am recently back on a 4 day week from three day,  and if thing continue to get slightly better at the snails pace, I'd be hopeful of full time work in the not too distance future.
I'll have to say, the short time working was not good, it did bring its benefits, I learned to cook, limited enough meals, but still more than a fry with a few spuds,  cooking holds no fear for me now, I'd tackle anything.
Time to write, I have had two comicy thing out in that time. More time with the kids, especially the little fellah's was great, although the shift from video and dvd for popular cultural to computer and phone is marked between the older two and younger two, and there is no huge age difference.
Up with 2014!

David

[I, Cosh]

So when I say I enjoyed what was a long, hard day today, I mean  I really enjoyed it.  Many more of those please. What's that you say, tomorrow? 

I am a staunch disbeliever in the Protestant work ethic and the dignity of work, but I still find it in my black heart to be happy for you here lads.

[Colin Zeal]

While out on my lunchtime walk today (part of an attempt at getting some exercise and actually leaving my desk for an hour) I found a shop just ten minutes walk from my office that sells the prog. No more will my Wednesday involve a trip to a shop that adds an extra 20 minutes to my journey home from work, which I wasn't even able to do this week as i was busy then and Thursday. The only downside was that my walk today went on for too long to actually read the prog so it will have to wait until the bus home.

[Hawkmumbler]

Could have sworn we had a "People say the darnedest things" thread but this'll do. Made my evening anyway.

Little Brother (aged 4) between mouth fulls of pasta: Your not allowed to marry your sister or your cousin, Zachary. 'Chew chew chew'

Me: OK. Why?

Bro: Just because. You can in some countries I think. 'Chew chew chew'

Me: Really? Like where?

Bro: I don't know. Scotland I think. 'Chew chew chew'

Me: 'Internal monologue' That explains so much....

Just another day in Hawkins falls.

[Mardroid]

... I'm very likely getting an iPad soon!

I kinda wanted one for a while, but I wasn't willing to shell out the amount required. I kinda compromised by going the 7" route by getting a Nexus 7 tablet last year.

Actually, using the word 'compromised' isn't really true or fair as
a)the Nexus 7 is a fantastic bit of kit. Seriously. Even the 1st gen. version that I own. Actually, from a processor POV its arguably more powerful than the earlier iPads including the one I'm (likely) getting.

b) It's a different kind of beast. The smaller size means its more portable than the 9-10 inchers like the iPad, yet large enough to do things more comfortably than a smartphone. I'm using it now to type this, incidentally. Even when/if I get the iPad , chances are, when I'm out, the trusty N7 will be what I use.

I have noted the limitations where comic reading is concerned though. Don't get me wrong, it does the job well, and Comixology's interface is great. But it would be nice to have a big screen that, while not comic sized, is close enough that you can focus on the comic page on a page basis rather than a (just) panel basis. As comic readers, I'm sure you get exactly  what I mean. So for comic reading, the Nexus 7 is a bit of a compromise, albeit a decent one.

And its cool to be able to access Apples software base.

Anyway, a guy I know is opting for the new Air model, so he is selling his older model to my mate. The mate isn't a techie guy at all (although he is very much into buying and selling old mobile phone) and isn't really interested in it, so he offered to sell it on to me for the price he is buying it, and some favours in his business in return. (Stuff I'd been doing for free for him until recently anyway, so it hardly feels like I'm giving a whole lot.)

So, yeah, it won't be the latest model. Probably the second or third generation. I'm hoping for the latter as I'd like the higher resolution retina display. From what I've read the Air is the same resolution just lighter, so this is fine with me. But I'd accept the 2. And the deal seems to be a bargain.

[shaolin_monkey]

I managed to gash fingers on both hands last night (still hurts to type - wah wah wah etc) so couldn't get any much needed practice in.  On the plus side, it prompted me to have a cleaer out of some boxes, and I found some lead miniatures I painted when in my teens. 

I thought I'd lost them about 20 years ago in a house move!  I was well chuffed - it was my complete Blood Bowl team, a 40K heavy weapons orc, a little plastic Rogue Trooper, and Dredd himself!!!  So boo for fingers, yay for miniatures!

[Third Estate Ned]

I would very much like to see photos of those miniatures, if your hands could take it.

[shaolin_monkey]

Your wish is my command!

Blood Bowl team:











Heavy Weapons Orc:




Dredd:

[Recrewt]

Great stuff Shoalin.  That is one of the best things there - finding some old stuff in a box that you thought you had lost. 

[ZenArcade]

Love the Dredd figure; do you have a photo of the Rogue Trooper figure?

[shaolin_monkey]

Whoops, forgot about the Rogue Trooper one! Here it is:




Now I've taken pics of them all I've wrapped them back up and put them safely away in a place I'll forget about for another two decades! 

[ZenArcade]

Sweet!

[SmallBlueThing]

After over a year of suffering one horror after another, culminating in the deepest and darkest pit of depression that I have ever known and very nearly the utter end, things are starting to look up. A sign from the gods was delivered today, in no uncertain terms, when I walked into a junk shop and was confronted by progs 1816- 1865- all going for a tenner. There were more, but I stopped reading with prog 2013, so these were the ones I'd missed. I snapped them up, and they now sit atop a pile of books waiting to be read.

I've not so much as picked up a book or a comic since early December (and even then it was only to move it from the doormat where it had landed to the pile of unread crap I'd been collecting since August- when I last read anything). I cancelled all my standing orders, and the shelves went untouched and gathering dust. Last week, I dabbled in a re-read of Edgington and Culbard's At The Mountains of Madness, and got most of the way through before being physically unable to turn the pages anymore instead returning to sleeplessness and pacing. A small step, but a significant one. Anyway, today I bit the bullet and spent a tenner on Thrill-Power. Relapse notwithstanding, I intend to dive in asap.

SBT

[TordelBack]

Good to hear SBT (the second part, not the first), may your relapse be extended.  You've been missed round these halls: I've dangled any amount of lines baited with praise for Tim Burton and Disney, but had no bites for ages. 

[Trout]

I also enjoy the work of Mr Burton.