Blog news
Rebooting
My apologies for the darker previous post, normal service shall be resumed shortly.
I’ve let the blog lapse as real life took over and limited my opportunities, whilst I simultaneously reached a point in the personal posts that I couldn’t get past. Well, it’s a new year and this one I intend to be better, so posts will be going live soon.
On a personal level, I intend to look back at some defining moments in my life, whilst also revisiting my largely failed six month plan from previously.
Hobby posts will continue, I’ve been playing a whole load of guildball in the last few months and want to get more posts up about that. The new Wild West expdus Kickstarter is due to start shipping sometime very soon so no doubt I’ll be playing that for a bit too. I also intend to play some frostgrave soon, as well as the ever growing piles of board games I’m hoarding. And salutes bound to throw up a few curve balls. I also have a few tournaments lined up for the year ahead so expect write ups of them too.
The book and film posts I dropped for the most part. I was getting through a lot of dull stuff and the posts weren’t bringing anything useful to the Internet. If something especially grabs me I may bring it back.
Writings I have a few ideas for, with a few sketched out plans. It would be nice to finish something, so who knows.
beyond that there’s not much to say for now, except keep your eyes peeled for future posts, they are coming.
Life, I’m not dead
so, I remember a previous blog id been working on died a slow death, and at the time I read that you should never post to apologise for an absence. But that seems silly.
I have been busy, with various things going on so my long list of prewritten posts all published and I hadn’t found the time to write more. Fear not though more stuff is on the way this week
If anyone has specific posts they want written then comment below and I’ll get them done this week
Blog news, how many posts is too many?
so, since starting the blog Iv written over 300 posts about a variety of subjects, starting with my life through history, football and steadily more about my various hobbies (predominantly miniatures gaming). Some of these posts have been short, others lengthy with variable quality as Iv gone along. 300 and something in a little over a year feels good, but often Iv felt a desire (and put myself under pressure to deliver) a post a day, which has likely affected the quality from time to time.
Recently I have indeed managed a post a day (with content too) and at one point had three or four weeks of stuff scheduled, but having been away for a week- and eased off a bit- it’s caught up slightly. To avoid the pressure I’m no longer going to be posting daily (unless it’s a particularly productive time) and instead posting as and when things are ready to be posted about. Hopefully this will also allow me to schedule forgotten about posts (I’ll have to go back through the history to see what Iv forgotten about- I certainly haven’t forgotten the Wild West exodus and x wing stuff.
So not much to worry about here, it’s more a conscious acknowledgment that my posts may drop in quantity, but it doesn’t mean I’m slowing down. Hopefully this will also lead to an increase in quality.
I’d also like to see some post interactions. At the moment the statistics page tells me I get numerous views a day, with some likes thrown in as well, but only one person regularly comments His blog is here by the way, he’s currently working on some awesome looking Orks. I wonder how many of my views and likes are automated spam bots, but if a few of you could comment or share my posts it would be cool to see what you all think of the various posts I make. If there’s anything I can do to help that then let me know.
Blog news, a slight unplanned absence
So, just in time for my writers block Iv been involved in an incident whereby Myles’ thumbnail gouged a chunk out of my cornea leaving me unable to see out of my right eye and in near constant pain.
For this reason (and that it hurts to stare at the screen) posts may be minimal for a while in the hope of regaining vision
Writers block
so, it’s happening again; Iv got writers block, the blog posts I have planned haven’t changed in a few weeks (maybe months) as most of them are personal posts that I just haven’t got to yet. I’m beginning to doubt some of them will ever get written.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, perhaps if I haven’t got the motivation/ inclination/ ability to write them then the reason for planning to write them isn’t there anymore- hopefully for a good reason. The issue is of course what if the reason I haven’t/ can’t/ won’t write these posts is that the underlying reason for planning the post has moved beyond my conscious thought to a deeper more damaging level. Perhaps I’m becoming neurotic.
My personalities definitely changed, I’m less relaxed and calm on a day to day basis, I get frustrated more easily and my brain seems to fog over at time when previously it would have done its weird thing and kept me functioning. Of course tiredness comes into this- I haven’t had a decent nights sleep in years (part and parcel of being a parent). Early wake ups are a regular occurrence and daytime naps are a long forgotten student luxury. I could go to bed early yet my brain won’t allow it; Rox goes to bed between 9-10:30 on a normal day (abnormal days far earlier, game of thrones days later) and it should be easy to go with her and drop off, yet by that point Iv spent so much time watching kids TV or playing with toys that I need some time to myself to reestablish some balance. This means 11, 12, 1 o’clock I’m into bed knowing full well by six I’ll be up again. And that’s assuming no nighttime wake ups from the kids- and occasionally Rox.
My patience, calm, logical behaviour has been completely distorted by having children around, there is no patient time, no calm time, no logical action beyond a child’s warped logic. It’s become apparent that my brain is not compatible with having children, all of the required planning whilst allowing for complete spontaneity and chaos is a complete shift away from anything I have ever done. Even now I know I’m trying to create a suitable analogy yet I just can’t find one, my time in various retail jobs should be an easy point of reference but the spontaneity is accounted for, the chaos doesn’t happen beyond anticipated ‘busy periods.’ It just doesn’t fit. What makes it harder is the shifts- there are no warning signs for an increase/ decrease in activity- it just happens.
At this point I have nothing else to write. That writers block kicking in midway through a thought process. Funnily enough this is another issue Iv been having- attention span. Iv started and not finished books, blog posts, painting projects. I’ll be sat watching TV and feeling agitated and with a need to move. I leave the room and look in the fridge ‘just in case’ some exciting new food has materialised.
Yep, maybe you see the problem.
So let me know- what do YOU want me to write about? Comment with a topic and we’ll see if we can kickstart my writing.
Comics, Identity Crisis
So, a whole new section of my blog; Comics. I’ve been steadily acquiring comics for a couple of years now and over the last year Iv been acquiring far faster than I’ve been reading. As I cover books (and too a lesser extent films) I figured comics would be good too.
So I picked out a comic from my shelf and saw it was this one- Identity Crisis from DC. This was actually a good one, being more of a Marvel fan I’m not overly familiar with the DC universe or characters and this one covers a lot of them. It was also a good length so I knew I was guaranteed a decent story.
I was also pleased to discover it was a look at revealing of secret identities- always a strange aspect of the Superhero worlds.
So Mr Elongated’s wife is murdered and it sends the various factions of ‘good’ heroes into meltdown. Every hero has someone they love~ family, friends etc- and it soon becomes apparent that the murderer has more information on the loved ones of other heroes. What follows is page after page of heroes enacting bitter revenge and preemptive assaults on known enemies and suspected culprits, whilst also infighting and keeping secrets from each other.
The big secret is that a group of the heroes don’t see being ‘good’ and ‘evil’ as necessarily black and white, instead adopting less accepted means to win the day. This is done behind the backs of the major leaders in the DC univers such as Superman, Batman and the Flash.
I enjoyed the story a lot, it opened up a lot of potential for schisms and splits in alliances whilst also making every hero just a little more selfish and a little less selfless.
The only problem with the story was the lack of deaths. I know heros die and reappear in comics a fair bit but that seemed to be ignored as only a very small handful of heros died- this being despite the fact several times groups of super powered people were attacking each other,
Definitely a good first foray back into comic reading, if only for this
Poor Bruce Wayne.
Blog news, spreading my wings
So, this blog is for me more than anyone else but recently the traffics been increasing as (hopefully) it’s being of use to more people.
Iv responded to this by playing with the options and now any blog post automatically shares with my Twitter feed and my new facebook page Facebook here
So be sure to like/follow as appropriate and hopefully the posts will grow over time
2014 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,000 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 33 trips to carry that many people.
Life, things to say
So, it’s not writers block. I’m not blocked. Iv got months worth of posts scheduled; all noted and ready to actually write, but I keep having to push their publishing dates forward.
It’s not writers block, but it’s about the same. I think what was initially a really good way of noting things down and venting has joined most of the rest of my life in the ‘rut’ category.
Easy then, hop out and get on with things, make things happen. If it were that easy then I’d be bouncing like a power ball. Instead I just can’t quite drag myself out of it. Theoretically things are better- I’m getting out more, I’m doing things, I’m trying to be happier but still I just can’t shake off the malaise that’s set in.
It’s touch because despite the increased effort I’m not reaping any real benefit, I’m just getting more exhausted and demoralised as I can’t pick myself up.
Ooh, clichés.
Stuck in a rut
Pick myself up
Shake it off
Etc etc etc
Still, I just can’t ‘shake’ (another) it off. For this reason I just this week put in my application for counselling. Now, having read the leaflet I don’t think it’s for me; lots of ‘action plans’ ‘identifying stress’ etc but it’s the thought that counts (cliché). At least I hope so because my positive attitude certainly isn’t in attendance.
The calls due in this week and I plan to tell them the course sounds stupid. Or rather I won’t and I’ll allow myself to be signed up to it.
Then we’ll see what happens…
hobbybutterfly 