LEGO Pirates Of The Caribbean (or is it Carribean?) was launched today, and I can't find it anywhere. None of the usual online culprits have it for purchas eor even pre-order on Windows. Every other format is there, but not PC. I'm not a happy bunny.

 

I've been really into the Lego Star Wars Clone Wars game this last couple of weeks. I love the LEGO Star Wars games. They're quite freeform, cute and fun to play. Most importantly, they're relativly easy to complete.

 

This has always been my problem with games - I play games to relax, not for a challenge. I get easily frustrated with games if they are too hard, but I'm in the minority. Game review websites and magazines always go for the longivity of a game, which means they like it difficult and challenging to keep bringing you back. Sadly, for me, that usually means that a game will sit on my hard drive untouched for months once I get stuck. Walkthroughs have helped sometimes, but still it's just tedious.

 

The LEGO Star Wars games have made me happy and so far I've wasted 40 hours of time that could be spent doing something far more useful just playing Clone Wars. Before my installation of Windows 7 died in March I had wasted about 20 hours on LSW Complete Saga (don't worry, I backed up the save game files).

 

There might be people that know me out there reading this and wondering why I'm playing games when I have so many other things to do, like updating the Butterflies web site or trying to get MadCap Models going or even migrating my website away from the travesty of reliability that is Fasthosts. Well, my regular day doesn't stop until about 10pm at the moment during the week, by which time I'm tired. This week, for example, I've been so tired it's been difficult to string two words together the right way round. So by 10pm the last thing I want to do is dig out the computer and start writing web sites or writing up documents or business plans. Two things occupy my mind at that time - spending time with Anne and just sitting and being with each other, or running about in a LEGO universe hitting things with a lightsabre. Both are relaxing and help me sleep. So there.

 

Work has been fun though. Since moving to the Derby office to do signalling software work, I have found something that's caught my interest BIG TIME! I'm working on Solid State Interlocking at the moment and it's really made me look forward to coming to work again. I can't remember enjoying work this much before. I've got so into it that I'm thinking about trying to get accredited as a signalling engineer. The software side is much different too. For the first time since joining Balfour's I'm actually getting to CREATE something rather than maintain it.

 

The two last paragraphs there combined to create a third thing. I was trying to do a google search for types of signalling and somehow, in a caffeine induced haze, I searched for "railway signing type", which led me to a typeface that closely approximates the one that is used on railway signs. So I downloaded it (BritishRailLightNormal, it's called) and made some mock-ups of the signage used at railway stations, including the big BR logo sign at Derby railway station. It looked so cool that I made it into one of my famous Business Card Paper Models (c) and uploaded it to the site. I've classed it as a MadCap production, but I've uploaded to the main website for now. You can have it if you want: Get It Here (clicky clicky)!!

 

More gardening shenanigans beckon this weekend. I've hired a concrete mixer to make concrete to base the shed, since the guy that was supposed to be doing it turned out to be "unreliable". I don't trust people who try and take me for a ride... I have to try and pour a 3 metre square base with NO experience now. Dave from up the road is helping, and he's convinced another dude from The Street to muck in too. Hopefully we can get it done before the bloody rain starts...