Happy Birthday, Naomi!
You are 25 months old today, and your new snowsuit is the perfect thing to wear when you’re catching snowflakes at night.
Roadworthy
Some people of scared of going to the hospital. Some people are nervous about a trip to the dentist.
I’m nervous about a trip to the garage.
I’m always worried that the mechanic will discover massive amounts of damage that require far more time and money than I can afford. I vividly remember being five or six years old and hanging around a wheel alignment shop in NDG with my dad. He had brought the car in for a simple alignment, and they kept the car for much more involved and expensive repairs, and they might have even begun the work without authorization. We ended up staying there for so long that we walked up to my grandmother’s place for lunch while we waited for the car.
That shop still exists, though most likely under new management. I drive past it every day and snarl at it every once in a while.
That apprehension has only increased since I’ve embarked on the unsettled life of a freelancer. Cash flow is an issue. Then there’s the problem of scheduling. I have to be able to pick Ben up from daycare at noon, so all the work has to start as early as possible, just in case there are surprises that require extra work.
Finally, I got everything lined up two weeks ago and made an appointment for the recommended 120K km service check today. During the intervening two weeks, my “Check Engine” light flashed intermittently, my brakes started feeling a little spongey, and somebody slid into me when I stopped at an intersection (I’m fine, of course. There was no visual damage on my bumper and her car was much worse for wear. Solid construction in that Subaru.)
I can tell you, I wasn’t looking forward to this trip from the mechanic. I had most of the funds from my eBay auctions set aside, and I felt ready for almost anything. Anything, except a really bad surprise.
Fortunately, there were no surprises. The “Check Engine” light turned out to be a faulty knock sensor, which needed replacing. It wasn’t cheap, but the engine would run more smoothly with it running, and I’d get better mileage. The spongey brakes were caused by a stuck caliper that wore one of the shoes unevenly. They just ground it even so I could get through the winter, when I’ll have to replace the front brakes anyway (they’re 3 years old. It’s about time.).
No surprises, but still a pricey bit of work. Half my fears came true – the final bill came to all the money I had set aside, less five bucks. Dagnabbit.
On the plus side, I have an estimate for the upcoming brake job, so I can shop around and save my shekels.
On the even more positive side, the engine purrs and the brakes stop on a dime. It’s good to be roadworthy.
The Con Game
Here’s my answer to the Open Question about conferences:
I love conferences. They’re the adult equivalent of class trips (with a greater chance of ending up a tavern after the show). The Montreal International Game Summit has been a fixture on my calendar for the last three years, but I’ve also been to a Society of Technical Communication conference in Chicago back in 2001 and, if we extend the definition of conference to include conventions, I’ve been to two gaming cons (CanGames) and hosted one (the Middle-Earth CCG World Championships). Despite all my years of comic book reading, I’ve never made it to a comic convention, a sci-fi convention or a book fair. Given that Montreal is slated to host one of the big SF conventions next year (?)in 2009, I’ll be checking at least one item off that list.
Getting ready for a conference is a simple matter of packing just enough note-taking and entertainment material needed to get by. Start with some form of notepaper and pens are a must, then add in a stack of business cards for schmoozing, and then a fully-loaded MP3 player, game deck or a book in case you hit a lull and want to escape for a little bit. In the case of a gaming con, I always packed a bag full of pairs of CCG decks that I could whip out and play/teach at a moment’s notice (that ended up being a pretty heavy bag).
I’ll be honest and admit I’m shallow: swag is a good indicator of the strength of the conference. First, there’s the swag contained in the greeting package offered to all participants (anything with a reusable bag is great, notebooks and portfolios are good and pens are practically de rigeur) and then there’s the swag available at the Exhibitor’s/Vendor’s Hall (more pens, post-it pads and keychains are fine, but the odder the gadget, the better). I’m still using some of the swag from the STC conference – the tote bag, CD case, portfolio, luggage tag, mini-fan and playing cards, I’ve got a collection of courier bags from past MIGS (though I’ll be using the courier bags from this year’s edition for a long time. More on that later). That’s a long time for advertising and promotional objects to endure.
When I organized the MECCG Championships, I had grandiose notions of printing T-shirts and tote bags for all participants, but then I realized how much these things cost and how much production time they require. That’s why I use swag as a quick measure of the conference – it takes a really good organization to give out the really good stuff.
Once I’m at the conference, half the sessions I attend relate directly to my immediate job description, a quarter relate to work that I’d like to be doing in the future, and the rest are whatever strike my fancy. I try to attend at least one panel discussion, because the format is interesting, and at least one topic that’s way out in left field, just to see how I can relate to something not immediately in my domain. Conferences are as much for exploration as they are for professional development.
Striking up conversations and networking always seems easier at a conference, because everyone’s there for a common purpose and, if nothing else, you can always talk about the keynote and praise/complain about the food.
Open Question: Conferences
I’ll be attending the fourth edition of the Montreal International Game Summit for the next two days. This seems like the perfect topic for the Open Question for November:
Have you attended conferences or trade shows? How do you prepare for a conference? What do you expect in terms of setting, support materials and swag? What was the best (or worst) conference you attended? Have you ever made a presentation at a conference? Any surprises, controversies or anecdotes to share?
Leave your answers in the comments. I’ll post mine tomorrow.
The Last of the Pre-Written Reviews
I have got to get cracking! Should finding time to write fifty words really be this tricky?
Crime Bible Five Lessons in Blood #1
Because this is Rucka and because this features the new Question, I’ll give this series one more issue to prove itself. As it stands, it’s a muddy mess with the “religion of crime” as a plot point discarded from Hellblazer. Either the Question or the villains need to be interesting.
Ultimate Power #8
The Squadron Supreme vs. Supreme Power conflict was much less than I hoped it would be, and this six-issue fight has dragged on for far too long. It’s a fine fight, but doesn’t do much to develop either the Supremeverse or the Ultimates. Maybe they’ll fight more in the finale.
She’s a Big Girl, Now…
…as you can tell by how well she’s sleeping in her big girl bed.
Way to go, Naomi!
(If memory serves, the first night went well for Ben, too. It was the second night when the fun started.)
A Doctor Who Tidbit
It’s extra scenes like this that would encourage me to scrap my home CBC recordings in favour of the DVDs.
Of course, I haven’t been subjected to the musical number in the Season 3 finale thanks to those same CBC broadcasts, so perhaps it evens out.
[via Lemuria Press]
Not Buying Nothing on Black Friday
Today is Black Friday in the States – the first day of the Christmas shopping season, a time of huge discounts and the date when most retailers finally get their accounts in the black. This extravaganza of consumer spending inspired the “Buy Nothing” counter-movement, which encourages people to hold of on buying stuff for stuff’s sake, and think about how else they can give gifts to their loved ones. This, in turn, inspired my own Buy Nothing exercises.
So, today seemed like a good day to see how I’m doing, three weeks into the exercise. The answer is – good, but not great. Thanks to extraordinary online discounts on gaming products (I’m looking at you, Green Ronin) and the flat shipping rates offered by Fantasy Flight Games, I ended up buying five extra gaming books instead of the promised one…but all for only $20 US (not including shipping), which ain’t bad. In fact, it’s less than past failures…even though I ended up with more stuff.
From Green Ronin’s d20 Apocalypse sale, where they’re liquidating their d20 and D&D v3.5 supplements and sourcebooks, I ordered Eternal Rome and Trojan War for $2 apiece. That’s a lot of gaming/historical goodness to pass up for a pair of twonies, so I didn’t. Then game Fantasy Flight Games and their long-awaited sale. I ordered Nocturnum for $5, but then I saw that the cheapest shipping price was $17, which made one book cost $22 (not much savings there). For a kick, I added the two Fireborn rpg books (I had picked up the introductory adventure in Vancouver) for $5 apiece and noticed that the shipping cost hadn’t changed! So, the books worked out to about $8 each, which was fine by me.
But that’s it – I’m done. No, really. I mean it. Stop snickering.
Parent-Teacher Night
I could sing the praises of Ben and Naomi’s daycare all day, because the staff have been so wonderfully attentive and accomodating since we’ve joined them, but I’ll concentrate on just one aspect of the exceptional work they do.
It was parent-teacher night, and both teachers prepared comprehensive written reports and checklists outlining Ben and Naomi’s progress in the classroom and went through them with me, page by page. Then we took the time to talk about a plan for coordinated school goals and activities. As well as the kids are doing, there’s always room for improvement.
But the highlight of these meetings is the portfolio. Ben and Naomi both have a scrapbook filled with artwork and photographs taken of them at play. I love seeing the kids in action. Alas, we can’t keep the portfolios for long – they have to go back for the next session. We get to keep them at the beginning of the summer.
At lot of care and attention goes into producing those portfolios, and they are a great window into Ben and Naomi’s daily lives.
It’s good to see that the kids’ teacher appreciate and enjoy Ben and Naomi. They’re in caring, capable hands.
Everyone Should Play More
Hobby Games: The 100 Best, James Lowder, ed.
100 hobby game designers write short essays about their favourite game. There’s an even split between old-school wargame favourites or the most recently purchased games, defining “best” as a range between nostalgia and infatuation, but that’s not the point – the essays offer insight into the mechanics of gaming fun.