Plagues and things

You know how you get absolutely hooked on things? And you love them so much that you want everyone you’ve ever met to get hooked on them too? But when you try and explain your deep and abiding love, they look at you and you can see the ellipses?

…

I’m having a moment like that with a game I downloaded called Plague, Inc. Here is the trailer. I’ll wait over there for the ellipses.

Look, it’s awesome okay? You develop your disease and you have to try and spread it against the cure. The cure is working against you the whole time, and you use DNA points to try and slow it down. And you know … uhm. Destroy humanity.

Which I guess is where the ellipses come in.

But. It’s awesome because it’s strategy. I’ve hooked one friend on it, who hates me on principal but everyone else gives me the …  …

I’m … not sure what my point was there. It got away on me just a little bit. Hrm.

Awkward.

Anyway. I’m off work this week. Which will be nice. It’s the school holidays so I’m going to hang out with Patrick and try and destroy the world er, play some games. It’ll be fun.

Er, I’m hoping to get some reading done as well. Maybe catch up on some IT, since I’ll be home during the day.

Possibly I’ll even go to a movie or something. I went to Looper last Thursday and it was awesome. Before that, the last movie I saw that I truly loved, was The Dark Knight Rises. Since then, it’s been a bit hit-and-miss, but Looper is fantastic. Seriously, so very, very good.

This week, if they start here on Thursday, I’m eying either Dredd or Pitch Perfect. I can’t go to both, so I’m going to have to toss a coin or something.

:D

What I'm Working On

So I was trying to think of something to blog about because it’s been a while and you know, I want to try and do this on a semi-regular basis.

So here’s a (mostly) non-book related post in which I’m going to ramble on a bit about one of my other hobbies that I’ve  mentioned here before – cross stitching.

I’m no kind of artist at all and I can’t do any kind of fancypants embroidery. I can, however, make little x’s with different-coloured threads and make them into a picture.

What can I tell you, I find it soothing – lol.

At the moment I’m working on the one pictured – Circe, which is designed by Jill Oxton after a painting by pre-Raphaelite John Waterhouse.

I’ve been working on it since … 2006 – lol. I’m easily distracted and my house is littered with the ghosts of WIPs past. Last year I decided to try and be a bit organised or somesuch, instead of pretending that all of these half-started projects are magically going to finish themselves.

I’m probably never going to finish them all, I have to be realistic, but I do need to give the ones I have half a shot of finishing a fair go.

H’anyways, the upshot of that ramble is that I instituted a kind of rotation, which is basically choosing a few projects, setting a time limit for working on each, and then moving on to the next … here’s a handy definition guide I found on the interwebz: http://crossstitch.about.com/od/glossa2/g/rotationdefinit.htm

I’ve met myself, so my best bet is to keep it simple. I have three projects in my rotation, including one focus piece. I work on each piece for about 10 hours before switching out, working on the focus piece every second go-round. I hope that makes sense – lol.

So Circe is my focus piece at the moment, and my other two projects are an Impressionist-inspired London at sunset scene, and this really awesome kitchen alphabet. I’ve had them all languishing for years – lol.

I don’t stitch every night – some nights I’m too tired after work/wrangling kid/cooking dinner, etc and some nights I’m far too busy playing bejewelled and plague inc to haul it all out. But I’m trying to make an effort at least a few nights a week because even half an hour can make a difference.

There you have it. Maree’s non-reading hobby #1 J

Italong check-in post

So this has been happening: http://www.fizzythoughts.com/2012/08/just-do-it-the-it-along-starts-now.html and I decided to jump in because IT is one of the few Stephen King novels I haven't read.

I do love a good Stephen King. :-)

Of course, now, I'm scared of clowns.

Stupid Stephen King.

Anyway, the upshot of it (heh) is that I'm only reading IT at the weekends because that's the only time I can read during the day. During the week my reading time is after dark and that's really just a no-go.

BECAUSE CLOWNS.

So I'm probably a bit behind everyone else but I'm still picking away at it and scaring myself silly. You know, as you do. I love a good scare.

I just started Part 3: Grownups, where the gang (except Stan) reunites in Derry.

And that is where I will stay until next Saturday and I can read in daylight.

*shudder*

Italong-ing and RIP VII

... oh my? I stumbled across the Italong on twitter and immediately poked my nose in because IT is one of the few Stephen King books I haven't read. I'm enjoying it but at the tender age of 41 I'm afraid of clowns.

Thanks for that Stephen King. No, really, thanks. It's very much old-school King, which is the best kind of King. The man knows how to tell a story. And to scare the white blood vessels out of you.

Anyway on to the next, yet equally awesome thing: Carl's annual R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril challenge: http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/r-eaders-i-mbibing-p-eril-vii which always takes me by surprise - lol.

I always, inevitably, fail out of RIP, but as Carl says, it's all about having fun. So I've decided to go with Peril the Second, which is to read two books that fall into the categories. So I'm reading Dracula - for the first time - and sort of re-reading The Woman in White. I buzzed through the latter extremely quickly a few years ago for a Classic Circuit post but never really took the time to read it properly. I've been meaning to give it another go because I remember really enjoying what I did take in, and what better time than RIP?

Exactly. :D