Big Lunch Street Party.

The world is going street party mad, as a way for communities to bond and try to gain/regain a sense of unity - similar to the way things used to be, "in the good old days".

One of the people where I live decided to organise a street party, taking advantage of the national Big Lunch event being organised for 18jul2010, and have the neighbours round to share drinks and have a chat.

Overall, for a 1st gathering of this nature, it went well - lots of people,, lots of talking, lots of food.

I did my usual of hovering at the fringes and taking photos, and everyone rated the day as a good one, and definitely something to be repeated.

Until next time,

Peter

Old Friends

What a strange few days...

...Off walking around London at the weekend, I hear a call of my name from behind and it's Andy Fillery, a friend I haven't seen for 6+ years, who's recognised me from a block away.

We had a brief chat, a quick catch up and now we have contact details so can stay in touch.

And then more amazingly...

...Garry Vanderhorne, Someone I lost touch with over 15 years ago and have spent the last few years trying to locate and get in contact with, has just got in touch with me...

...And now I have his contact details, so can renew another old acquaintance.

But, should I ??

Obviously time has moved on and we're different people...

...So is it better to have the memories where things were great and any problems are conveniently forgotten/ignored...

...Or ir it better to renew old friendships and realise we've nothing in common anymore, and the memory is forever tarnished by the reality of strangers forcing behaviour because they want to be "polite" ??

Ahhhh, bollox...

...I'm renewing old friendships and let the dice fall where they may.

Until next time,

Peter

Strange Days & Lost Girls

Today was a strange day...

I went into work early, to be part of a meeting about changing the way part of my job is done.

I've been trying for years to get interest from management to allow me to change things, and been blocked at almost every turn...

...And now they've hired someone who's sole purpose is to do this thing - aaarrrrgggghhh

It did make me realise that that higher level work, looking and changing the how the work is done is something I'd like to pursue more than I am at the moment.

I left work, tired and hungry, crossed the road and saw a girl sitting on the pavement, looking at her phone.

As I approached I saw that she was crying, and I walked on by.

Well, nearly.

I stopped and made conversation, asking what was wrong and sitting next to her.

She cried and cried, telling me about herself and what was wrong.

I gave her a hug and listened as she talked and unburdened herself

When she asked why I was helping her, I just shrugged and said it was the right thing to do - walk on by, or stop and help, there's really no choice.

I got her standing and we walked about a little and I walked her to a pub, so she could have a wee.

As I left her there, I realised I've grown and come a long way from the Lost Boy that I was just a short few years ago.

She reminded me of several of the girls I used to know, of roughly the same age, and the troubles they had.

There's more to the tale, but it's private and stays between me and her.

So, if you know a 20 year old care worker, who lives in Kilburn, by the name of Cassie, who was helped by a stranger on this evening...

...Say hello from me, and ask her to get in touch - just so I know she's ok.

Well, that's my good deed for the day

H-H-H-Holiday !!

Packing like a mad thing, so I can go on holiday tomorrow.

It's all exciting and I'm looking forward to taking photos [with my new 18-200mm lens], trying new foods and doing lots of walking.

This is usually the time when I realise I have lots of clothes that I want to take, but they all need washing !!

It's amazing how much of what I take on holiday is tech orientated - camera, laptop, phone, chargers, adapters, cases, memory cards, etc...

...But it's all worth it in the end.

It's sad to say, I guess, that my holiday would be poorer without my Apple MacBook, which I use for so many things - writing, photographs, listening to music, playing a few games, watching movies...

...It really is the most useful piece of gear I have.

And an iPad would probably be a good relacement - especially in terms of weight saved !!

Until next time,

Me

Buried Treasure.

I've been going through boxes of stuff, to throw things away, and I've found lots of RPG stuff that I'd done from 10-15 years ago.

Some of it is the Shadowrun stuff from the sessions I ran - SR 2 rules, parts and pieces from lots of other places such as Call of Cthulhu and Cyberpunk 2020.

It's quite strange to see it again, handwritten scrawls from different players and me, ideas for scenarios, location maps photocopies of pages. The memories flood back and I can almost relive the rush I used to get, the excitement, the feelings of camaradrie.

Quite amazing, actually.

Also, I can see the moving away from SR 2 towards my own setting and rules, as I use more and more of my own ideas and FASA shut up shop and stopped producing material.

Almost all of the other RPG material I've found is the early writing for my own, homebrew RPG [The Twilight World, since you ask] - rules, notes, random scribblings, rough sketches of gear [and I do mean rough !!], attempts at layout in Word, ideas, setting notes, ideas that no longer make any sense to me.

But it is interesting to see the evolution of the RPG.

Now that I'm putting pixel-to-screen with recent material from the last few years worth of ideas, rules and setting - for people to read, critique and/or enjoy using for themselves - there's material to be mined and possibly re-used.

All in all, interesting times ahead,

Peter

Cameras ahoy !!

Well, jury service is ongoing and still interesting - even if it means a lot of sitting around waiting for things to happen.

I'm off on holiday in a few weeks, so I decided to get a new lens for my lovely Nikon D40x. I was planning on a 18-135mm lens for general use, but settled on a 10-200mm lens so I don't have to carry several lenses.

I ordered on Sunday and t was delivered today !!

Bigger than the 18-55mm lens I got with my D40x, it looks very impressive and I'm looking forward to trying it out !!

Now I have to get a new, larger polariser filter and possible a new case to carry it all around in.

Now I remember why I delayed getting a new lens !!

Until next time...

New World...

So we've had our election and have ended up with the Tories as the main political party [under David Cameron], sharing power with the Liberal Democrats [under Nick Clegg].

I hope they give this country the change it so desperately needs, even though the high may be high.

In other news, my limited edition of Shadowrun v4 arrived - something I didn't expect, as the company is undergoing serious problems and is not expected to survive.

I'm doing jury service, which is something I've always wanted to do [as a service to the country] and is turning out to be an interesting experience.

The weather is flipping between bright and sunny, and grey and rainy, almost on a daily basis...

...Which proves that the expected English summer is finally here.

I've made some progress with my websites, most of which are finally up-and-running.

Roll on June, and a longed for holiday.

Until next time,

Peter

Yippee, sort of.

On 11mch2009, I ordered a copy of Shadowrun 4th edition Limited Edition...
...And in the year since I've been annoyed at their lack of updates, the company's lack of customer contact, the company's lack of professionalism, the company's general crapness.

Now the company is facing financial problems because of the behaviour of the company people, and is likely to lose the license of Shadowrun and is likely to close.

I don't really care about the company, because they've been crap.
I don't really care about Shadowrun, because it stopped giving me what I wanted over 10 years ago - so I moved onto other things.

But on 23apr2010, over 13 months after I made my purchase, I've been contacted and told that the rulebook I had so much hope for will finally be delivered.

Still, now it'll all be over soon...

Yummy Food.

What a weekend for food.

I'm a newcomer to the world of cooking much beyond pasta and simple rice dishes.

But this weekend I got my hands on some big raw prawns...

...I cleaned them up and cooked them, with some spaghetti and rocket - and some chilli paste.

And it was lovely, if a little hot !!

Oxford...

I went to Oxford for a few days, a few days ago.

Absolutely wonderful place, with history oozing from every street and building [in the main, old part anyway].

Had some wonderful food and want to recommend The Mission or Giraffe for good mexican food, and Chutneys for good, tasty Indian food.

I didn't get to see Inspector Morse or Lewis, but I did visit a few museums and some bookshops.

The place I stayed was quirky and comfortable, with a nice homely feel to it...

...And right near the centre of interesting part of Oxford.

I took a few photographs, and I'll try to get at least one of them onto my picture gallery.

Peter

Old School RPG !!

I bought a copy of Shadowrun v1 nearly a month ago, but sent to someone else because of travel and work, but only just opened it.

My own copy was given away about 10 years ago to friend, and talk about old editions has cropped on websites now-and-then.

It's such a joy to open a book over 20 years old, that's so full of memories and inspiration.

Back then, cyberpunk was just starting out, and cyberpunk fiction was just making waves as a literary genre.

Lots of memories, and lots of inspiration - Mmmm

Oxford Steampunk

A lovely Valentines, wandering around Oxford with my dearly beloved.

An interesting town with lots to see - looks more modern that Cambridge, with it's no cars rule and narrow streets.

Whilst there, we visited the Steampunk exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science.

Amazing pieces of brass and wood technology from an alternative time.

I've seen many of the pieces that were there in books and on t'internet, but it was great seeing them in the flesh.

It was only a small steampunk exhibition, but I definitely whet my creative and inspirational juices !!

...And so 2010 progresses

Well, 2010 is underway and I'm making progress.

Websites being redesigned, though I'm finding it hard to decide on what software to use - iWeb, Freeway or Flux.

And all I want is a simple website, with links and simple structure [oh, and a tiny bit of php].

Looks like handcoding with Coda, or Textedit, might the way forward *sigh*

Until next time,

Peter

Looking forward...

Well, back to work tomorrow...

Wish I had more time off, but that's the deal - I work, they pay me.

I'm hoping that I've ironed out the bugs on my personal website...

...And if so, I can use that as a basic template for the other websites.

I want this to be the year I make it on my own.

Wish me luck !!

Peter