Brand New Day

Well, I'm back. Back-ish, kinda. I'm going to be running around a lot for the foreseeable future and may even head off traveling again so I might just up and disappear again soon. Basically, what I've been up to is trying to find a job. More of an occupation, really. Something I won't be embarrassed to bring up at any of the upcoming family picnics instead of the various stopgaps I have and haven't been pursuing lately.

Still, it's a new month for the year and a new era for the blog. I think I will continue to write less and post more sporadically for the time being.

While I've been gone, lots of stuff has happened.

The Pistons lost. I hate to say it but the way they played they really deserved to, especially with the clunkers they laid in games 3 and 6. Flip Saunders got fired because of it. About time, if you ask me. It's not that Saunders is such a bad coach that he had to go (I personally think there are only a few coaches in the NBA who actively add to their teams win totals especially in the post-season - coaches like Riley and Jackson. Then there's a steep drop-off to the caretaker coaches who basically don't mess up a good thing. Saunders is squarely in the bottom of that tier not great but not bad, either.) but more because it was time to shake the team up. In a lot of ways. Looks like they're going to trade at least one part of their big engine block of a core.

The Wings won. Once they went up early it was only a matter of time although the Penguins made a game of it just like they made a series of it. But, then, it wouldn't be the Wings if they didn't make us fans sweat it out for a while. Zetterberg got the Conn-Smythe although I think if the series had lasted a few games less it would have gone to Ozzie - who's now the worst goalie ever to win two Stanley Cups. Parade is downtown tomorrow although I think I'll skip the event. Been there, done that, literally bought the shirt before and the prospect of standing around, jostling for position to watch some cars drive by and then hear people who have no business being public speakers mumble through their remarks to a crowd in the middle of what's supposed to be blistering heat tomorrow somehow doesn't appeal to me. Also, outrageous parking fees, no doubt.

The Tigers still stink and the Lions are still not playing so I can go back to not caring about sports now.

The Michigan delegates got seated. Took the Democrats months to strip half the vote just like the Republicans did in the days leading up to the primary. I got pretty sick of people trying to claim my homestate's stupid decision to disenfranchise ourselves for various purposes so I'm glad that's over.

Also in the "glad it's over" column is the whole nomination process itself. As looked certain for months now, Obama took it. And showing the same dignity and class I've come to expect from her over those long weeks, Senator Clinton managed not to concede. Which gives me an opportunity to post this link.

What else? Kwame's still being Kwame, arguing that black might be white but it doesn't matter because it's not in the City Charter. Or something. I'm pretty tired of him, too.

Massive update to Kongai finally went live today. I'll be talking about that a little later, hopefully, and working on updating The List tomorrow. One word review: good. But, sigh, now I have oh so many cards to check through again...

I've wrapped a bow around my creative project for last month. I didn't mention it much but I was working on a set of expansion cards of my own for Kongai. I got a bit bogged down when I decided to write up a quick little background vignette and include M:TG-esque flavor quotes for each and every skill (Why? Because I'm insane.). Also, I wante dot work up each card into a post I could throw up sometime around Novemember. But the actual crunchy bits are done. I mean, it's nothing like balanced and, at this point, I could use more eyes and opinions to figure out where to go next but I have twenty cards, twenty items (I decided to forgo adding more universal/general items. Why? Because I'm not that crazy.) divided equally between four groups and all the assorted values and elements those entails. Not that you'll get to see them any time soon because, well, just like every waiter and busboy in Holywoodland has a script of a headshot in their dreams if not within arms reach, every gaming blog writer or serious message board warrior secretly fantasizes about what it would be like to actually make the games instead of only talking about them (I know a few people who do - indeed, even some who've made the jump from fan to staff - and the answer, like everything else you could ever wind up doing with the possible exception of official chocolate taster, is "Probably not as great as you think it would be."). In short, there's a small possible outside chance that someone might look at this seriously one day and I don't want to ruin it by having already publicized the information - I could use the money, if nothing else. If by some strange and wonderous quirk of fate, the fine folk at Kongregate ever come up to me and ask me to hop on board then you can be sure that I'd push as hard as I could to have as much information as possible put out there as early as possible but until then, if you're interested I'd talk about it in e-mails or if you catch me in game I might be willing to talk about it, too.

This month's project, though, is another stab at Unbound. If you'll remember, that was my second attempt at a script in the original Script Frenzy. If you don't, it's your basic fantasy story of a young mage trying to escape being "bound" - a process that allows her to channel mystical energy more safely but at the cost of any personality or independence - with the help of a guard whom she may or may not have cast a spell on set against the backdrop of a rebel plot to keep a Princess, the true heir to the throne, from marrying the leader of the foreign invaders who've conquered the country. I've finished it a few times since but never exactly been happy with it so I'm going to take another crack at a revision now that I think I've been able to strip the story down to what works and to take away what doesn't.

Which I really should be getting back to.