Quicky

Not a lengthy one today. Started re-reading Bluff last night with a view to start editing it. My word I'm a terrible writer in places! :-D  I think (hope) I can turn it into something readable by average humans but it's very early days yet.

And by "average humans" I don't mean that it's in any way too intelligent for normal folks, just that it's bloody painful. Maybe I should have said "discerning"humans.

I plan to start another creative project ASAP but the main issue I have is, as always, focus. Just as I get myself geared up to run a load of creative projects Netflix goes and launches in the UK! So instead of writing I find myself watching The IT Crowd, (entertaining) films and Mythbusters! I really need to get a grip and move away from the entertainment. I tell myself that I'm being productive, doing background work of some kind. To a degree I guess that's right as all the information and dialogue's going in somewhere but unless I actually sit down and get it back out onto paper I'll be going nowhere.

I keep reading tips and tricks on how to get going but the main challenge is sitting down to write in the first place. I can spare an hour a day. I need to spare an hour a day. Every day that I get home and spend 3 hours doing nothing before i go to bed is a waste of time. It's said that "time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time" but there's only so far you can take that premise. I need to set myself a firm calendar to give myself writing days, study time, drawing time.

Skills I have on the cards for this year:

Writing - I need to finish Bluff and, if I do, to get something else written. I want Bluff out by June at the latest. Let's say I finish and publish Bluff by June 1st

Coding - I need to develop (geddit?) theskills I started last year. The couple of months I spent trying it last year were by far the furthest I'd ever got into it, I shouldn't throw that away. Having an app out on the store might be a bit bold but someone else from EG has done it so there's no reason I shouldn't be able to.

French. - Parlez vous? I need to rebuild what I learn in school. I then need to practise that skill. I got to A-level levels FFS! I should be able to understand more than I do

Drawing - Not a necessary skill by any stretch but something I've had a reasonable talent for before, I want to develop this one through sketching and building up muscle memory

Things I may need to give up on:

Guitar - I think we all know it's probably not going to happen.

Bah

So my telly got replaced - a friend gave us their old one. But it's shit. I've gone from a 100hz nice Bravia to a 30hz Digimate that has dreadful picture quality and can't be used to plug a PC into. The wife's said "it's good enough" which translates to "any emergency budget we could have drummed up is now off the table, let's go to Ikea and spend it on storage and curtains"

Bah

Whilst whinging about tellies though, what a fucking minefield! You can get no-brand, no frills LED TVs (32") for a shade over £200. Great, but then if you want a reasonable manufacturer, plus mod-cons like FreeviewHD and iPlayer/Lovefilm built in the price goes up to £400. Still not too bad on the face of it but that's then the same price that decent 40-42" screens start at!

So I'm left with the choice of a Freeview HD internet-enabled 32" screen or a 42" screen with the same (and sometimes better) specs for EXACTLY THE SAME FUCKING PRICE! All which leaves me with a distinstly sour taste in my mouth as I'd feel like I as throwing cash into the gutter by not choosing the bigger screen, even though I fucking hate big TV screens

Fuck it, maybe this shitty TV has helped me dodge a bullet

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LIVING ROOM

The east wall of the room is decorated in floral wallpaper, the other three walls are plain. A large bay window adorns the South wall, allowing copious sunlight to flood across the thick wool carpet. A two piece leather suite provides comfortable seating options. There are exits to the West and North.
There is a GIFTHORSE here.

> Look at gifthorse

The gifthorse is black and silver, a little shabby and dusty. He is piebald, and the markings on his side seem to almost appear to mark out the letters "DGM". His mouth is open.

> Examine gifthorse mouth