Easy Decision

I'm not out shopping today. Mainly because I have to work, but still, I wouldn't be out in that lunacy anyway. It's dead quiet here but I'm getting some gaming prep done for Anonycon and there is still time for you to come join us! I'm running three different games because yeah I don't know why I'd do that to myself. I was just contacted by a father who played Kobolds Ate My Baby! last year with his son and friends, and now wanted to know if it was okay if he brought 'a gaggle' of 12 year olds to play this year.

Oy. I said yes, of course, but Saturday morning is going to be rough. By the end last time the kids were just trying to kill one another when they were still paying attention, but with an all-kids slot I can make it age-appropriate and really not worry too much about ending a little early if they aren't into it anymore. I am running 4 slots and playing in only 1, but the slot I signed up for has only me so far and it's the one time where most of the games I'd play otherwise aren't running. I'll find something, I'm sure.

Writing: 615 words today and I was actually eager to write. Just decided to rewrite a little bit of how the next chapter is going to go. I bet it would be awesome if I'd actually bothered to look at Scrivner since I bought it. Gah.

Enjoy

Happy T-giving to all those who celebrate it. As I see my family all the time the allure of getting together for another meal is somewhat dimmed, but there's football and grilling my nephew on how to be able to do a good slapshot and so on. Plus, it's The Boy's birthday, so he's fairly vibrating with excitement.

To all of you, arrive safely both where you're going and back home again. I will have a very grumbly post for you as I work on Friday. Gah.

writing: 541 words. More of teh sexing. End of chapter within sight with two to go after that. Then the auction for the rights, no? ha. I kill me.

Quit Pucking Around

Spent so much time blathering about hockey yesterday I forgot to update the words. FLOW FROM ME WORDS!!

Anyway.

Writing: Saturday 611, Monday 545, today 518. After some sexytimes for our hero tomorrow I should roll into the penultimate chapter Friday. Yes, I'm taking Thanksgiving off. I don't wanna be, uhm, thankless for the bird's sacrifice. YOU DIDN'T DIE IN VAIN, TURKEY

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? - Old Man and the Ice: Game 6

It's said you should do something every day that scares you. Okay, by 'they' I mean the Baz Lurhman thing 'Everybody's Free' from 1999, but I've been trying to do it as often as possible, if not every day. I mean, learning how to play hockey counts, right? Or maybe in my demented viewpoint, that's not quite enough.

I'll spare you the anticipation and just let you know right up from we lost again. I know, shocking. The final was 7-1 but at the end of the first it was only 2-0 (not that your would know that from the boxscore, which is comically inaccurate). The other team was fairly average, with one outstanding set each of forwards and defensemen.  Our first line had a tough game, most of which was due to being against that group but also possibly because they took incomprehensibly long shifts. Look, I know I'm new to the game and all but if you can get above a lazy glide to get back on D then you need to get off the ice. At best guess they were -5.

We had a numbers issue with 15 skaters. Normally that's a great number to have - 9 forwards and 6 defensemen. Unfortunately we only had 5 defensemen. I finally cajoled Stephanie into shifting to D with the promise that if she wasn't enjoying herself, I'd take her place. I figured there was no way she'd want me to me playing D and so it would all work out.

Yeah.

Anyway, Goalie Alex gave up a goal during our first shift of the second period to drop us behind 3-0. I was with my same linemates - Chris and Jeff - and while we weren't generating a ton of offensive chances we were doing okay at keeping them off the board. Jeff was complaining that he was having a terrible game, but managed a fairly nice wrist shot that almost beat the goalie glove high.Chris was his usual solid self. I had a tough first two periods, as I just seemed a little bit off or a little bit late in everything - except faceoffs. For some reason my idiot savant ability continued to function as I won four out of five . Maybe the ref wasn't making me put my stick in the right place. Maybe I was just getting lucky. Maybe the hockey gods have decided this is to be my calling. Whatever. I'll take it. Actually, out of the Hanson Brothers Shequi probably had the best game of all of us. His line pestered the other team constantly in their own zone and had  a couple of decent scoring chances.

Then the second period ended, and Steph strongly hinted she wouldn't mind moving back to forward. And so I shifted to right defense. Me, who skates backwards about as quickly as a turtle chugging uphill and with as much confidence as Obama dealing with the House of Reps. See, if you screw up as a forward it's not the end of the world. The defensemen are behind you to cover. But if you screw up as a defenseman, there's nothing behind you but a goalie. Goalie Alex, learning of the move, said to me, "Look, one thing. When you clear the puck, don't just give it to one of their guys at the blue line. Get it out."  Spoiler - I had the majority of my clearing attempts picked off. it was beyond frustrating. I nodded and took my spot. This had the earmarks of a disaster.

I started the third period as a nervous wreck. Their top line was out and swarming, but I did what I could and somehow escaped the shift without giving anything up. I place the blame for that on my teammates. On my next shift, something really weird happened. We SCORED. With me ON THE ICE. Later my wife, who was watching with the kids, asked if I had an assist. I had no idea (I didn't). Still, I had been trailing the shooter and was the first there for high-fives, which I almost missed because I caught an edge. It felt really good to be on for a goal.

Not for the other team, though, as they started muttering and their 'What the hell are you doing in 8W?' player basically skated end to end and bore in on me. I'd seen it coming and was desperately trying to get back, but speed kills and he beat me to the outside. I don't remember if he shot it then or curled and centered it, but when I got to our goal for the rebound one of their THREE players in the crease stuffed it in. Yeah, I guess they didn't like getting scored on my the league doormat. Jerkweeds.

I managed to not be on the ice for any more goals, so that's a victory of sorts. Afterward both the goalie and two of the other defensemen told me that my positioning was dead on - I was where I was supposed to be most of the time. Now I just needed to be able to make the plays. I'll miss the faceoffs and having Jeff and Chris on my wings, but I'm willing to stick with D if the team will put up with my learning curve. Maybe I'll get a slapshot for Xmas.

because the stress

Stress everywhere. Home, work, etc. Will write more when I can, but I am staying true to the stupid book. Two, maybe three chapters left.

Writing: 544 Tues, 493 Weds, 511 today.

Inevitable - The Old Man and the Ice - Game 5

The angels wept, fanfare was sounded, and the very pillars of the Earth trembled at such a momentous achievement.

The Ice House raiders scored a goal. Jesus may have wept as well, I'm not really sure. But there was definitely much rejoicing.

The mood in our locker room pre-game was upbeat and jovial. I think the practice helped bring us together a little and now instead of dressing in relative silence there was joking around, sharing some scouting (which isn't too in-depth. I went to the other teams stat page and reported back that #5 had 9 goals and we'd better watch out for him), and putting together a pool for the first goal scored by us. I kept one of the other Chris' as my left wing and had my friend Jeff, liberated from defense, as my right wing. Sheq and I also had our families there to root us on, so we had some added incentive to not suck.Things looked good as our first line managed to keep it a scoreless game against a well-disciplined team, but the second line couldn't do the same on their next two shifts. Then we got caught running around a little and they punched in one against my line. The second line got beat again and our older goalie soon after took one off his knee and came out. Our super goalie came in cold and not stretched  out, and got beat by a shot he felt he should have stopped while my line was out there. We stumbled into the break down 5-0. Blerg.

I'm not really sure what happened next. Either we started to play better or the other team took it a little easy on us, switching to dump-ins as opposed to skating into our zone lugging the puck. Maybe a little column A, a little column B. In any case, the ice no longer seemed tilted toward our goal. I would go so far to say that we carried the play in the 2nd period, even after Tom beat their goalie with a wrist shot and the other team stopped being so laid back. We went nuts when that happened, of course. It was so cathartic that the rink echoed with our yells. I apologized at the next faceoff by saying, "We'd act like we'd scored a goal before if we'd actually scored a goal before."  We had shots on goal, scrambles around the net, and Alex (the goalie) bailed us out numerous times. The 2nd period ended with the score 5-1. Not only did we score, we shut them out. A miracle.

We stayed just as chippy and feisty in the 3rd. While cruising the other team's crease I annoyed on of their defensemen enough that he tried to stuff me into his net. They managed to punch in two more, one on our first line when they stayed out way too long and another against line #2. We had one of the coaches playing casual defense for us and along with some advice he had a good deal of praise.

As for me, I just tried to play my usual low-on-talent-but-high-on-effort type of game. Loved having Jeff as a winger, and he got off a nice wrister on a 3 on 2 break. I made the dubious decision to hit the ice to block a shot from a player in the slot, and he lost the puck trying to get around me. I heard my teammates banging their sticks and yelling from the other end of the ice, but I don't know if it was for my stupidity effort or if Alex made a save. My skating is still weak, I didn't get the puck out one time that I should have, I had a swing and miss again, but . . .but I went, IIRC, six and three on faceoffs. If I can win 2/3s of those that would be a good thing indeed. There are so many aspects of my game that need improving but that's why we play, right? Our scoring drought is over - our win drought is next.

Writing: used Saturday and Sunday for editing, but got 518 done this morning. I'm one chapter away from the climatic scene. The end is in sight. Maybe.

Yeah, Yeah. I Know.

I know, I know, no posts since Monday. Crazy busy everywhere, problems at work makingm e spend the day delivering parts. Foo. It seems time is especially hard to find these days, as I'm trying to juggle:
1) prepping 1   2  3 games for Anonycon. I tend to overdo things, so it takes me longer to get them ready.
2) editing a book for other people. I love doing it absolutely love it - but carving out time can be tough.
3) finishing what is amount to a first draft on my novel. I can't see it taking me longer than the end of the month, at which point I'll give it a first edit before inflicting it on my readers.
4) building a studio for my wife. Hanging sheetrock by myself in a currently unheated garage. FUN.

These are just the current projects above and beyond kids, work, housework, etc.  My candle is not just burning at both ends, there's a flamethrower pointed at the middle as well. Eh, that which doesn't kill you AND SO ON.

Writing: Basically wrote a 1900 word chapter. I'm like an X-wing in the trench at the Death Star, baby - staying on target.

Wait what's that behind m-------