Author Archives: jon

Time (mis)Spent With Freya

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I’ve been feeling a bit guilty recently. Despite being able to leave work earlier than most people (although I do work on a while because of the workload), I don’t give as much time as I would like to Freya.

By the time I have collected her and come home it’s soon time to start making food. I sometimes have a half hour with her, in between preparing the various elements that make up the evening meal, and I suppose the time I’m with her on the journey home (which may include an exciting visit to the shops for food, or a walk home instead of the usual tram) should count for something, since we are interacting, but I wouldn’t call it quality time. Although maybe Freya does.

I wonder how other families have it. I can’t believe their situation is, on the whole, better than ours. I work a good few hours less than most parents do (thanks to some kind planning by my employers); nonetheless, I refuse to use comparison as a way to assuage my displeasure at the situation.

One solution to the quagmire would be to plan and prepare our evening meals more systematically. This would be an attainable goal if we had the space to freeze in, which we don’t. Having said that, most of the food I cook could easily keep in the fridge for a couple of days, which would free up valuable time.

At least with the summer weather fast approaching I can start thinking about picnics. Part of my current feelings derive from our time together being confined to the flat, whilst I prepare food. If I’m cunning I can prepare “cold food” like salads, take them to work, and then take Freya to the park on fetching her from nursery school.

Respite from this will no doubt come from the summer holidays. Soon I’ll have a whole six weeks with Freya, which should go someway towards lessening the negativity I have towards my role as a parent.

How To Ruin A Game

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We have finally completed Lord of The Rings: The Third Age, and, for a tenner, it was a good two-player game (of which I am currently an energumen); it was also a fairly lengthy adventure, which gave even more for our money’s worth.

One thing which this game (along with Paper Mario on the Gamecube) sucks at, albeit infrequently, is a few prolix fights, where upon defeating one group of enemies, another battle immediately takes place, and then another, and sometimes a fourth. These series of battles can take twenty minutes or so to complete, and, if one dies, the whole process must be started again. As stated, this happens seldom, and usually only when some really important event is about to take place (the equivalent of boss stages), but a very simple save feature would have been appreciated.

Paper Mario suffers from this disease, though thankfully only when the final boss is met. Whilst we completed The Third Age’s final boss in two attempts, Paper Mario has remained unfinished for well over a year, and will possibly never be finished.

It is a testament to such badly implemented game designs that such flaws can destroy the gaming experience. I can’t remember just how many hours we have been playing Paper Mario (50, maybe), but it leaves a nasty taste in the mouth that so much time spent to complete a game is time wasted. If we do get it together and tackle Paper Mario again, the satisfaction I shall get from completing it will come more from being able to place the game on the “done” shelf, than from knowing we defeated a worthy opponent.

I have nothing against a challenge (thought less so as the years go by, it seems), and perhaps I’m considering myself a better player than I am, but I don’t expect a simple adventure or RPG to be froward. Strategy/God games, however, are a different kettle of lobsters…

Return Of The Dead

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We got our Furby, Domo, back from the repair shop yesterday. The man who owns the shop lied told us that he couldn’t fix it because he was unable to get into the workings, but we brought him (her?) back anyway.

Jo put some batteries in Domo, and s/he worked! We’ve no idea how it happened, but I suspect Furbies are a magical, self-healing species. Either that or the electrician actually did repair it, and had forgotten the incident. Or perhaps Furbies are a magical, non-self-healing species, who wipe the memories of those who help, giving the illusion they are self-healing.

The important thing is, though, that Domo is alive and kicking, and Freya has been interacting with it this evening. She has a little difficulty in understanding what is being said, which is in itself understandable. Domo uses broken English and Furbish to communicate, with a dash of dialect.

Jo and I are reacquainting ourselves with Domo’s functions, and it’ll be interesting to see how much more memory Domo has to learn.

How Many People Does It Take To Play A Video Game?

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Sometime I wonder why and when I rekindled my fondness for videogames. Now, more than ever, I appreciate playing and reading about all aspects of the culture, and I can only assume it has something to do with revisiting my youth, along with the need to escape (since I don’t go clubbing any more).

There is a rich and varied scene producing some fantastic forms of art, and this Space Invaders performance highlights this perfectly:

The Pole Position re-enactment as actually a better piece, though I have a soft spot for Space Invaders.

Calm After The Storm

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After a very turbulent half year back at work, things seem to have reached a relatively harmonious state. The irksome lower classes, who had never had me as a teacher before this year, have learnt to accept me and my authority, for the most part, and a radical change has occurred with Class 1 and 2.

I’d started a less-then-liberal regime a few months ago, ringing up troublesome children’s parents after 3 breaches of the stringent rules I had introduced. At first I thought this to be an overreaction, but now I realise it to be an effective and necessary action, and I do not regret it a bit.

I still have a few problems now and again, though the general ambiance during these lessons is both relaxed and enjoyable. I can have more fun with the pupils, and I enjoy their company. On top of this, this is the first year I feel I am really able to teach English to the younger children, which can only be a plus for them.