iDice

10.15.2012

This will have limited appeal to those reading, but I've found the 2nd best dollar I've spent on an app for the iPhone/iPad. Mach Dice in the iTunes store is the dice app I want (or wanted to) make. It allows for 4 to 20 sided dice, you can select dice to not re-roll, and nicely shows the total rolled. That's the functionality I wanted, and this app presents it beautifully. There's also a handful of updates that have expanded the functionality even better. If only there was a way to get some custom Formula D in there.

For any game that uses "standard" dice, especially a lot of them, this is a nice little app to have handy. Especially if you find you adding skills slowing down as you get older.

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Still falling apart.

10.04.2012

My latest malady seems to be a form of Plantar Fasciitis as it hurts when I put some weight on my left foot. If I'm upright and mobile, that's a lot of weight pressing down no matter which way you look at it. The short version of what's wrong is that I've sprained the ligament in the arch of my foot, which I think connects to the heel. At least that's where I feel it.

All of this started 2 weeks ago when I finally went back on the treadmill at the Wellness Center. After 2 days of 30 minute power walking, I suddenly had a hard time walking at all. It gradually got worse, culminating Tuesday after I was standing around at work too long - too much pressure on my inflamed tendon. By Tuesday night it hurt to take a step. So now I'm alternating soaking in hot gingered water (suggested my my chiropopper) and what has to be the coldest ice pack ever made. Mostly, I'm staying off my feet as much as possible, and I think that's helping the most.

While convalescing, I've remembered at least 2 other times this has happened, with the earliest being around the 6th grade. In the 6th grade I remember having foot pain I couldn't walk on, but I don't remember which foot. This has happened more recently, but I think I was chalking it up as a side effect to my back/knee problems.

I'm still healing up from my surgery in May. This has not been a shining year for me medically. Maybe I'm getting everything out of the way this year and next year I'll be bright eyed and bushy tailed?

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Assembled

09.25.2012

Today may have been the shortest time for a movie to go from being delivered on my porch to playing in the DVD player. Today was the release date for The Avengers, a movie which I thoroughly enjoyed at the movies and I've been looking forward to a second viewing at home once the DVD came out.

I found out I still enjoy it.

I think the biggest reason that gets overlooked as to why this movie is so good is that it avoids the pitfall so many super hero movies spend anywhere from 25% to 90% of the focus - there's no origin story to tell in The Avengers. That's been done in 4 other movies. Here we have a bad guy (fronted by the bad guy from Thor) with a story that's been set up primarily by the end of Captain America and Thor. So all we need now is action. Lots and lots of action. And a helicarrier.

SHIELD and the helicarrier put the movie over the top for me. Ever since the Nick Fury VS SHIELD comic series I've loved SHIELD stories, and that's what Avengers is to me.

I think it took 10 minutes from the UPS man knocking at my door until I was watching the movie. Afterwards I watched all the bonus features, and I'm not sure of the last movie that had more than a gag reel that I watched extra. Odds are by the weekend I'll watch the movie again with the director's commentary.

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Too Much To Do... Again

09.24.2012

A few months ago I restructured my Big list of Things To Do and started to make some headway. Then something happened. I think more things got added to my list. On top of that, some of the things already on the list got a little more complicated.

So now I'm revisiting my list and trying to get a grasp on it. My first pass found a list unwieldy and imposing. Scary even. So I've backed off and tried approaching from a different angle. So far it's working, but it's still a big list. Right now, it's a list of things to do. Soon I will have to turn in into a list of things to do and times to do them. That's the hard part right now.

I've got time available to do extra stuff, but I spend half of that free time trying to decide what I'm in the mood/mind-set to do. Not the most productive time for me. I'm getting little things done here and there, I just have to optimize and turn those little things into big things!

Or at least a train of little things. A big long train.

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The Megaforce Thumb

09.16.2012

Today was the grand viewing of Megaforce on sweet, sweet DVD by myself and my good close personal friend, Charles Jr. Charles Jr had not had the pleasure of viewing Megaforce before today, except perhaps an errant partial veiwing here and there on the YouTube. He was not as fortunate as I, to have seen this during its theatrical release in 1982 with my Mother.

At the ripe age of thirteen-ish, I remember walking out of the theater with Mom and telling her of this movie's $20 million budget, and then saying "$19 million must buy a lot of donuts for catering." If I knew then how bad this movie was, I could only imagine how bad it would be 30 years alter.

It hasn't gotten any better.

As bad as it was, it was cheesy, 80's bad. Jerry and I still watched it all the way through. I've yet to finish watching Ghost Rider 2 (that's how mad Ghost Rider 2 is!).

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