The Bear Minimum

I’m speaking of the upcoming Hobbit films, and the question now, again, as to who will be at the helm for them.

As an avid devourer of all literature, I’ve a few particular favourite genres. I personally love a good detective novel, one where I don’t know what will happen. I think that all started as a boy when I read Sherlock Holmes for the first time. Ahh, what fun that was! Anything by Dickens is another favourite genre, the man’s work is so brilliant I think it deserves a genre all to itself!

I do also love a good fantasy novel every now and then, too. That started when I read The Hobbit when I was young. My mother chose to read it to me as a bed time story when I was five years old. I could vividly imagine the cloaks of all the dwarves as they turned up at Bag End and ever since I’ve been hooked. I also loved The Lord of the Rings when I read it on my own about seven years after that. Wonderful books, and subsequently, lovely films. Excellent fantasy film making there!

As much as I enjoyed the Harry Potter books, which I read for their Dickensian protagonist in the beginning, the films have lacked some certain something. I think it’s a few small things, that when put together make the films feel less than they could have been.

When I heard that The Hobbit was to be made into a film, I was very, very happy. That the book would be made into two films was even better! I’ve learned recently that the director originally announced for the film has stepped down. Guillermo del Toro has stated that the length of the project, which has expanded greatly during pre-production, has forced him to hand the project over to another director.

I thought that del Toro would do a wonderful job with the film, and so far the front running contenders, according to internet gossip, are Alfonso Cuarón and Peter Jackson again. I’m not sure which I would prefer to direct, but nonetheless I’m highly anticipating this film.

Upon opening up an email from my mother I’m greeted with a sad thing this day.

It would seem that my mother’s peculiar form of psychosis is rearing it’s ugly head again, and she’s targeting my wife…

She sent me a very lengthy email containing a story she overheard in a conversation between some people sitting near her in a coffee shop. The problem is that the story is outlandish, incredibly so, and it just so happens to parallel a great deal of my life, and coincide with advice my mother had previously given me, suggesting I leave my wife.

No, my wife and I don’t have any problems, no we weren’t thinking of any such thing, and in spite of being married for eight years at the time, my mother told me that my wife and I weren’t right for one another and that we should leave each other. She also insists that my wife does not like her or the rest of my family, and that she’s ‘keeping me around for sex’. Yes, my elderly mother accused my lovely wife of keeping me around for sex. God Lord.

My wife has actually gotten along very well with my mother in the past, though understandably has been restrained with her since this episode, as my mother did also state that she’d never liked my wife. The reason? Well you know that persecution disorder she’s been manifesting? One of the signs, dear reader, of this group who’s harbouring ill intent for my mother, in her own mind at least, is the colour purple. My wife used to like the colour purple, and did at one stage a long time ago wear a lot of it. My mother uses this as her evidence that my wife is part of some governmental force dictating certain aspects of my mother’s life.

I’ve responded to the email, stating clearly that her attempt to manipulate me has not gone unnoticed, and that I don’t appreciate the slanderous comments unsubtly made against my wife.

I’m saddened, dear reader, very saddened. This is not senility, no this is something quite different, and I fear for my mother’s mind.

She’s a tough chicken, and she’s healing fast.

I covered the accident here in a post a short time ago, and I’ve been taking care of her since then. Her knee was badly bruised, and as a result she’s had to stay off of it, which she’s really not minded! She’s been enjoying watching a lot of television, reading a lot, and playing computer games. She’s also been sewing a little as it is a newer machine which doesn’t require a pedal to sew with.

I’ve also been enjoying taking care of my wife whilst she recovers, and being master of the kitchen for a while! We both like to cook, so usually we take it in turns to make dinner and so on, but since she’s been unable to get around easily, I’ve been able to cook every night for… oh it must be a fortnight now! I find it very pleasurable to find a good recipe, buy the fresh ingredients, and then prepare something delicious for my wife and I.

As much as my wife loves to cook, too, I think she’s thoroughly enjoying seeing what I make for us each night; I’ve been making it a surprise each night which has been fun, as my wife has been calling out guessing from the living room based on the smells whilst I cook in the kitchen. I’ve made some lovely breads to go with our meals, including a fantastic pepper bread and a lovely rich cocoa bread, both of which are savoury in spite of the cocoa in that second one.

Tonight’s menu includes curry puffs with garden salad and a nice wine. My wife loves puff pastry and I love curry, so it’s a good combination! I suppose I best be off for now, though, as I’ve much to do today.

I’ve found myself in a bit of a Zen state this weekend, as I’ve been playing World of Goo!

I’m not entirely sure what the reason is, but this weekend I bought the game and decided to play for a while. A while turned into many hours, and I found that it’s been an incredibly pleasant way to spend a few hours on the weekend. I found that, quite unexpectedly, whilst I built towers or bridges of Goo, I was entering an almost meditative state.

It’s one of those lovely, unexpected bonuses of gaming. Occasionally you’ll run across them. In my case, I found that the type of thinking required for Goo keeps those difficult to quiet parts of my brain occupied, whilst the rest can simply be. Think sitting in the park, feeding bird seed to ducks, and the way your mind can go so quiet, that you’re not thinking anything, save the repeated motion of pulling out handfuls of seed and scattering them about.

It’s actually a great way to free up the higher thinking parts of your mind for other tasks, but if you’ve no need for that right now, simply sitting back and going into that trance like state can be incredibly rejuvenating.

We run around being stimulated all the time in our daily lives, we’re always surrounded by technology and people, and the noise created by both, and it can fast become a subtle pressure, a slowly building tension that a quiet bath can do wonders for.

So if you haven’t gotten the message yet, I strongly recommend you buy this game! You don’t even have to go anywhere, you download it right to your computer. Ahh, what a lovely function! Especially with independent games, as that way their getting the entirety of their profits and not having to lose a percentage to a store. There’s so many ways we can, and should, relax each day, this is a new one to me and I hope you try it too!

Many communities in Cumbria are in mourning now, and I feel for them all.

I am, of course, writing of Derrick Bird and his actions in Cumbria on Wednesday. As a mental health professional, I sit and think of how those left behind will be reeling. Of how the man’s two daughters will be feeling right now, one of them being a new mother. I think of how the man’s ailing mother will be feeling, and the rest of their family.

I think of the poor witnesses who looked into the eyes of a man who might or might not shoot them, for no other reason than ‘because’. I think of the families of those Bird shot without reason, those who’ve lost their spouse, father, mother, son, daughter. I turn my mind to what these people will need, the care and compassion, the gentle understanding and aid, and I realise what an immense clean up is left in the aftermath in the minds of those left behind.

Then, as a man, as a husband, as a law abiding citizen of fair Britain, I feel something very different. I feel a great anger at the selfish, heinous, and pathetic actions of a weak and disgusting person. He was in trouble and his solution is to kill twelve innocent people? Then, of course, because he’s a coward, he turns the gun on himself. He not only robs numerous families of their loved ones, he robs the country of the closure of seeing him convicted, of seeing remorse or insanity, of knowing why.

I feel no compassion for the man, none at all. I’ve seen many people in the midst of a complete break down, and not one of them went off and shot anyone. We’re talking about people who’ve endured violent crimes, abuse, and psychosis, and not one of them harmed another person. I know what the human mind is capable of, the strength and resilience, and in that I can rest assured that those left behind after this will heal, will be able to live. But those victims are denied that.

We know there’s quite a few things, but what specifically would we need?

My wife and I are both professionals, I’m a psychologist whilst she’s in admin, so we could both use a home office. My wife especially could benefit as there is much of her job that she could do from home, given the right equipment, so we are considering what we’d need.

Obviously there’s the office equipment basics of business phone system, fax, photocopier, computer capable of handling a heavy load on a very regular basis, as well as the furniture necessary, a more ergonomic desk and chair - the ones we have at the moment are more about comfort than about working for long periods of time - and we’re both sure we’re forgetting things in that area.

There’s also the issue of motivation. Should we work from home, in the same office, will we actually get any work done, or will we chat and look at funny internet memes? We’re thinking that a lot less would get done if we were able to work in the same room, and whilst I don’t have a heck of a lot of work that can be done from home, I think the work that could be would take four times as long.

It’s a wonderful idea, though, and you can’t discount how much nicer it would be for us to not have to go into our respective offices for the little things. My wife, for instance, has had to go in on the weekend more than once because she had a specific document in a file in her briefcase instead of in a file at the office, and had she a fax machine that would never happen again. It would also be more economically sound if we were to work from home when we could as we’d be saving on fuel.

Still something to think about and not hastily decide about one way or the other.

My wife and I just finished watching Once Upon a Time in the West and that immensely enjoyable experience has sparked us to take up a quest to re-watch the classics of cinema.

It has been many years since I last watched the film, many, many years, so I’d largely forgotten much of it, though I clearly remembered thinking it was fantastic. It happened to come up in conversation with my wife a few days ago, and now that she’s laid up for the next little while, we decided to put in some good hours with the old Blu-Ray player.

Earlier today, after my having spoken about this film, my wife asked me if I could grab it in town and tonight we watched it. She enjoyed it immensely as did I. We both agreed that the slow pacing of the film gave it a feeling of standing on a precipice, for the whole time, and not in some cheap way, but something that really keeps you interested in watching and paying attention.

After sitting through close to three hours of fantastically paced classic film, my wife and I have decided that we’re going to have to go and revisit many old and beloved movie classics over the next few weeks. One that my wife suggested, as it was one she remembered enjoying immensely the first time she saw it, was The Manchurian Candidate, and I concur, it was a very enjoyable film!

I suggested that we also watch North by Northwest and my wife loved the suggestion. She’s quite fond of many of the Hitchcock classics, as am I, and many more of that era. There’s something so immensely satisfying about those movies, some ineffable essence that does something to the viewer, it makes it more of a full meal than simply watching a movie.

Though we’ll not only be watching the classic, great films of that era, no we’ll also be re-watching those great films from all of the previous few decades. I myself am looking forward to watching Marathon Man again, whilst my wife is looking forward to Singin’ in the Rain. There’s so many to go through! Rear Window is another we’ve just added to our list. That was a fantastically intense watch the first time!

For a new and worthy book to read. Shall I find one?

I’m in the mood for something a little different. I’ve been reading The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams, but after starting it and then stopping reading it for a while I find that I want to read something else before returning to that series.

After some investigating online, I’m thinking of giving The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher a go, as it seems to be a bit of a divergence from the more traditional fantasy I’ve been reading of late.

The series is centred round a detective (or private investigator) who’s also a wizard, and his investigations into the supernatural wrong-doings in modern-day Chicago. Well it’s certainly different, no? The book was also made into a television series, but from what I understand that series doesn’t really stand up to the book series.

I don’t think Butcher’s won any awards with the Dresden Files, but there does seem to be a fairly full readership and mostly positive responses to the series as a whole. I first heard of the books some time ago when my wife was talking with a colleague who was reading the series. Whilst it didn’t immediately jump out at me as something to try, now that I’m in a mood for something a little unfamiliar I think it should work quite well.

There are a few books that I am still waiting to read, the next Song of Ice and Fire book, for instance, along with the final books in the Wheel of Time series, which I’ve decided to not read until the final three are all available. I’ve not read the prequel, either, nor the last two or three books as I want to wait until all are available and then read them start to finish again.

Of course, since deciding that I would read the Dresden Files, I’ve called every book store in my area and have been told that they’re not stocking it, but if I’d like to wait around ten days they can all order me a copy. Yes, well, I’m not a patient man, dear reader, so no, no I shan’t be waiting. I’ll buy them off ebay!

My wife was in an accident last week, and I’m thanking my lucky stars that she’s okay.

My wife was in a car accident last week, though thankfully she’s not too sore. Her car was hit from the side by an oncoming driver who drove through a stop-sign and hit the front side panel of my wife’s little Toyota, which thankfully is a very safe car - which is why we chose it - and it protected her, though due to the impact her knee was hit by the side of her car being pushed inwards and it’s quite badly bruised and she has to stay off it for a few days at the least.

Since the accident we’ve been going through the ubiquitous insurance issues, filling in the necessary paperwork for car accidents, and a claim for compensation, too. She’s not going to be working for probably a fortnight, and she’s quite adamant she doesn’t lose earnings (or vacation time or sick days) for the negligence of the fellow who struck her.

With the rise of car insurance fraud insurers are becoming more and more thorough in determining whether or not they’ll pay out on a claim, and we actually have had to have an insurance company representative round to see my wife’s injuries and her car. The signed by the doctor photographs were not enough for them, which I suppose I can understand, but it’s just such a frustrating task.

My poor wife should be able to relax at home and watch, what she loves to call ‘dodgy day-time TV’. She’s more patient with all this than I am, but I just want her to be able to rest and recuperate. I love my wife dearly and the thought of losing her is beyond my words to express. I’m furious with the young man who hit her, who was speeding and not paying attention to road signs, and I’m so very thankful that my wife is okay.

Independent games are a different kind of game. A unique experience!

An independent game is one that has no funding from a game publisher. These games often get little in the way of advertising, but that doesn’t mean they’re not good games. Without a publisher a game has a lot less in the way of funds to work with, and often those who make the games don’t get all that much in return.

Some independent games do make a fair amount of money in return, but not a lot in comparison with the big name produced games or franchise games such as Halo, Madden, or the new Rockstar title, Red Dead Redemption.

A week or so back I happened upon the Humble Indie Bundle, and whilst I didn’t purchase it (I was meaning to but was unfortunately side-tracked for a few days and missed my chance) I have been checking out some of the games via demos available. Samorost 2 was added late in the game, and is quite enjoyable. It’s a web browser game so no need for instillation, and whilst the art style is not my favourite, it is done very, very well. Gish is a highly awarded game, but I didn’t find it to my liking. There are other physics based games out there, and whilst this one had a few neat ideas on the basic premise, the art style and music were both quite lacking.

Aquaria is fun, and I like some of the game play elements, but overall I feel like it’s aimed at a younger, more feminine, audience. World of Goo, however, was very, very enjoyable to play. I thought the graphics style was fun and clear, and I liked the take on the physics based game. Very entertaining and one I have purchased the full version of.

In my search for more independent games I also happened upon Continuity, which is a Flash game, and is fun and quite a unique game, and I’m about to have a go at the Max and the Magic Marker demo, as well.

All in all I strongly recommend a foray or two into the world of independent games.