The little Inn by the wayside

[Railwaymodeler]

Mentally, all I know is that she is doing than the doctors expected. Then again, they expected her to not last through the weekend. She is aware of where she is at, why she is there, and what she did to end up there. This alone was better than the doctors expected. I haven't seen her in person, as when a patient is in critical condition, family only can see that person. One of her aunts is a friend of mine, and also good at referring her friends and colleages to me for PC work. She has kept Maria and I up to date with her condition. So really, as she has already exceeded expectations, anything can happen. So far as they guess now, she will be in a nursing home the rest of her life, and they doubt her kidneys will ever be much use again.

For me, right now, my right shoulder is in a lot of pain, so much I can't sleep. Again. This is the arm I often have around Maria in the middle of the night, which wouldn't do anything for the pain except maybe make it worse.

[jayenkai]

My sleeping's been terrible, lately, but in the opposite way. Since my hospitalisation, I've been getting to sleep about 6pm, and then not waking up until after 8am! This is completely throwing off my usual routine of coding until I'm zombifed!
Glad to hear your friend's on the mend. Hopefully she gets out of hospital, soon, 'cos that place can be crap for your mental health.

[eMTe]

Thanks, I've been working in (low) finance for the past four years so burning out is something I'm quite well aware of. My colleague here in my current job finally called it quits earlier this year, and just three months later he had shed more then 10 kg, his skin conditions was healed and he was... smiling. I've read that the average career in game industry is around 7 years, so it can be really stressful job environment.

The good thing is that while I'm going to have a part in making games, I'm not actually making them. My skills are in the business intelligence and analysis side, which are becoming more and more important now that games are serious business. I hope the development hell doesn't extend to that side as well...

One funny thing about job in rapidly changing social environment is that it becomes largely unimportant what you do and how much you earn, as long as you earn enough to fulfill and reach your personally defined dreams and goals. Not so long ago "better" job and higher earnings made you somebody, today you can be George Soros or street bum and most people will treat you equally, as long as you stay happy and appear to be faithful to your chosen path.

[Railwaymodeler]

To an extent, one is looked at as either having a job, or not. One thing I have noticed with the economic recession hitting particularly hard in my area, is that many people do not dream of asiprations of rising on the company's chain of command. People are thankful of having a job, and do not dream of bigger and better things.

Pace knows many of its drivers are thankful to have a source of income, and as we all know, the management let that go to their heads. Felt like a return to the labor situation of the early 1900s, when employees were largely at the mercy of their bosses.

Years ago, when I started out in the IT industry, I had a lot of dreams. After all, I've yet to meet a man that became more than he could dream of. Upon moving back home to Illinois, I had little more than a few PC parts, about $80, and my other personal effects (Trains, clothes, household goods, etc...). Without the use of a bank loan, I've built my PC business up quite well. Word of mouth is my best advertising, and I've still never had to take out a bank loan (and never will, obviously!). Nor have I ever owned a credit card. This says a lot: Follow your dreams; You might be at point A, dreaming of point B with no map between, but somehow you get there if you work at it enough.

Now that Maria and I are well set, it is time to follow another dream. Soon as we had those millions, we started thinking of other things we want to do in our lives. I'd like to set up an American version of Miniature Wonderland, using antique model trains only, and actually have such a place turn a profit. Maria would like to have at least two more children, and perhaps start her own transport company. I'd had a similar dream years ago of buying old railroad lines that are abandoned but intact, and running old style luxury trains again. Perhaps we could turn America into a giant game of Transport Tycoon!

[Scythe]

Just finished my spring cleaning. I guess it was about time. Now I can see my desk again, how horrible!

[jayenkai]

I'm in a slump, and I can't seem to get out of it. Or, rather, I'm really comfortable being a lazy goit, sitting here messing about on my iPad all day, rather than actually doing anything productive whatsoever.
I'm being far too lazy, and getting nothing done.
So much for the theory that getting a laptop might help. I've achieved nothing with it, so far!... Well, unless you count "installed a bunch of games, played them a bit" as achieving anything.

I need a push of some sort, but not even "it's Halloween! Halloween Game Time!!!" appears to be doing it.

[eMTe]

Spring cleanings and playing with iPads is bad for people. It makes them miss others' birthdays.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

The bike and running smileys are here, because they are the only working smileys which add some action to the wishes.

[Pater Alf]

Happy Birthday, Zyx!!!

[Zyx]

Yay!

[jayenkai]

Wootsocks! Happy Birthday Zyx!

Have a halloween'ish jumping game. *looks around, shiftily* ... That's not too spammy, right?

Took a few hours to get that built, this morning, mostly because I had to build a half-proper level for the thing. It's a nice fun little hopping game, and feels like it could be a wee bit bigger, with multiple levels and death traps and things. Whether it ever becomes that will be dependant on whether I can be bothered to remake it properly, and then build even more levels. ugh. Not really a fan of making levels. That's always the dull bit.
Anyhoo, I finally bothered to make something halloweeny, even if it is only linked to Halloween in the teensy tinyest of ways. Not just the sprite, mind. There's an old game that I once remember typing into my Amstrad CPC from a Magazine. Can't for the life of me remember which magazine it was, or I could probably track the exact game down on Google, somewhere, but the basic gist was a Pumpkin bouncing left and right, and you had to use cursors up+down to control it's way through a maze. That game was called (IIRC) Halloween. So, this is kind of a remake of that, even if it doesn't feel anything like it!.. or use a Pumpkin!

[Pater Alf]

That's a pretty cool game that you made, jayenkai. Can you tell me what the maximum score is? So far I didn't make it to the top...

[Scythe]

Now that is a sick and evil game. Just about right for Halloween!

[jayenkai]

Um... Dunno, didn't check!
I'm not 100% sure it's achievable, but it should be close-ish! You'll know when you reach it, as it says "WELL DONE!"
Should be about 1800, or thereabouts. I just kept adding doodles until it got out of reach

[eMTe]

Hard! But still easier to beat than pipe puzzle in Sanitarium, if we talk about Halloween themed games.

[Pater Alf]

1800? I think the best score I got so far was 1280. Seems I have to try harder...

[Scythe]

Um... Dunno, didn't check!
I'm not 100% sure it's achievable, but it should be close-ish! You'll know when you reach it, as it says "WELL DONE!"
Should be about 1800, or thereabouts. I just kept adding doodles until it got out of reach

With time to spare. Only 1400 though.

[Chroelle]

Belated CONGRATS Zyx. I hope you had a good one. Sorry for being so absent recently, but I really am busy. The other I finally had some time to do some fun stuff, but then Molly twisted her arm out of the socket and we had to go to the emergency room with her. She twisted it back herself before we got there.

Raillo I hope your friend is getting better.
Terrible when things go there.

Played your game for 2 tries Jay, and decided that it was WAYYY to early in the morning to torture myself in such a way...

[jayenkai]

Eeeeek!!!
I'm not sure exactly why, but my mind seems content to deal with broken bone stories, as long as you leave out the "twisting/grinding/popping back into place" bit, which always sets me off cringing like crazy. There's a show on, in the UK, called Helecopter Heroes, showing airborne paramedics doing their thing. Usually cringeworthy TV, as they're always helping fallen bikers, or other crashes and things. I really shouldn't watch things like that at nine in the morning, but it's on, so it'd be a shame to waste it!

[eMTe]

Maybe you can make a game inspired by the show?

[Tormuse]

Hi all, I just wanted to post and say that I'm alive and stuff and that Toronto seems to have escaped the worst of hurricane Sandy. There are reports of downed trees and power lines all over the city, but I was fortunate enough to still have power on where I live. (At least we didn't get flooding like some places in the States!)

Also, belated Happy Birthday to Zyx!

Also, also, ooh! a Hallowe'en-themed game from Jayenkai? I'll have to check that out when I get time.