more stuff to add to the list

Damn this list

Well in addition to the list from earlier – there’s also

• purchase and config new NAS (DS218+)
• set up docker on new NAS so I run pihole from it
• set up pihole in the work flat

time to trim my life – but do more stuff

So it’s been a while since I’ve actually written anything here – but once again I’m going to try to be more regular with posting. If nothing else I think by actually writing down what I’ve been doing will give me something to look back on later in the year and then see the stuff I’ve either started or (not)finished etc.

I really want to take a bit more control of my life – as at the moment I feel like I’m just moving along with little direction. Days morph into weeks/months and despite ‘wanting’ to make a change, so far I’ve done sod all about it.

Here’s the massive list of crap I’ve got scribbled down in places that I want to either start/finish plus some other things I’ve just got bouncing around inside my head. Not in any order, just an output dump

• learn how to solve a rubiks cube
• get house extension plans finished/quotes/build started
• so many video games – I recently realised I’ve actually really missed time spent playing video games
• start/finish Zelda on the switch
• resub to WoW and run through the expac
• watch more TV with the wife – we’ve skipped lots of great TV over the last year and I really want to start to catch up on some of it
• actually start/finish some of the courses I’ve bought in the sales on udemy
• sort of learn to code a bit
• get AWS accreditation (work related)
• set up arcade cabinet
• skate more
• get fitter (need to get back into running)
• eat healthier
• sell/recycle/donate a load of crap I don’t use
• work out how to keep a proper track of all the shit I’m doing/not doing

Anyway – with any luck I’m going to make a start on smashing this list tonight – I’m going to hook up the switch and restart Zelda (I only got out of the starter zone when I played it previously) while watching the footy. I’m torn between wanting liverpool to win and hopefully make winning the league more difficult, or wanting them to lose (as that always cheers me up no end)!

I’m also going to order a rubiks cube off amazon – my 10 year old son taught himself how to do it in about 10 days of youtube watching and practicing, and while I don’t think I can commit the amount of time he spent per day with it I’m going to give it a go as he’s bet me I can’t learn in a month!

the last post was a lie

I hadn’t updated the blog at all in god knows how long.  I did start a new blog this year with the intention of reading 52 books this year but University workload has meant that’s been very tough.

As such I’m going to switch that out to focus on 52 stories in a year, so that will mean I can lump films in there as well which are much easier to consume.

I may import that site into this blog, to get it going again and then as I’ll be posting here about that I may actually update it with some other ramblings . . .

 

 

the winds of change . . .

Well I’m toying with moving the blog, and having a bit of a rethink of what I can possibly achieve in 52 weeks – university coursework is proving to be more time consuming than I anticipated and that has to take priority as I’m only 8 months from graduation.

I think the time needed to consume 52 books is just going to be a non starter, so I’m going to switch the blog up a bit to include any type of story  – regardless of the media.  This will allow me to use films as well which will be much easier to consume.

 

Once I’ve got it sorted, I’ll export all this to the new location

201611 – For The Win

Another one in the bag – well to be honest this one was finished a couple of weeks ago but I hadn’t got around to posting.

I do like Corey Doctorow (in fact I’m reading another one now that I’m almost done with) and his visions of the near future are almost always believable.  This book was a bit heavy on the economics, but after being initially turned off about them, I did find myself being more and more interested in how the markets worked.

All in all a good read – and while not as strong as some of his other works (Little Brother was a particularly fun read), if you can cope with the economics and have played MMORPGs you will most certainly enjoy it.

 

 

201610 – Zero Minus Ten

The second Bond book I read on hols was Zero Minus Ten – in which bond had to stop a plot to send China/UK to war at the handover of Hong Kong.  

While there are bits where the book hasn’t aged well, on the whole it was another easy read (as are most Bond books).  I didn’t really care for the main villain, but the interactions between Bond and the Triad leader was good and probably the best bits of the book.
  

201609- For Special Services

Getting a bit behind with this whole year of books thing – but going to keep trying to catch up somehow.

Had a week in Portugal and managed to read two books in a week – took my kindle with me and realised I’d only got all the James Bond books on it (had to wipe and reset it a month or two ago and never got round to re syncing it with calibre) so picked two at random that I hadn’t previously read.  I love the Flemming bond books and read them all in order a few years ago and have to say that while the newer ones can’t really hold a candle to the originals a few of them are actually pretty faithful to Flemmings Bond.
For Special Services was a pretty good read, perfect for a holiday book as its formulaic nature means you can just plough through it and let it carry you away.  Blofeld is back (kinda) and I have to say I didn’t see the twist coming which surprised me.  It was an enjoyable read, however the Villian pet/animal killing scenario that is set up at the start never really comes back in the way I’d have liked it to. However that (and it’s by the numbers approach) didn’t stop me finishing it in a day or two.  

  

201608 – Letter 44 (vol 1)

I dipped back into graphic novels for book 8 – with the first volume of ‘Letter 44’.

The new president is sworn in and receives a letter from the exiting PotUS telling him about a space related threat, and a science/military mission that was set in motion 3 years ago to go up and see what was going on.

A great premise, and an enjoyable read.  Definitely going to hunt out the subsequent volumes to see what happens.  I’m more interested in what happens to the mission than what happens back on Earth (so far the usual USA, USA, USA, posturing but I guess that’s to be expected).

201607 – High Rise

Thought I’d get round to reading this before the film was released.  An enjoyable read, however I did lose the sense of time towards the end of the book.  I had no real feeling of how time was passing, or why the situation was never actually looked into by the authorities.

Still – I enjoyed reading it, and considering it’s as old as I am (40) it’s an interesting look into how the 70’s saw the future possibly turning out.

Gonna go back to the future for the next read I reckon.  Got some catching up to do so will smash a couple of shorter books out in the next couple of weeks to get myself back on track.  Might even see what graphic novels are in the local library to have a read of.

 

201606 – Influx – Daniel Suarez

 

Firstly I’m not sure this is the book to be calling Suarez a legitimate heir to Crichton, but that’s by the by.

I did enjoy the book – and while not as much as Daemon or Freedom (but more than the drone related one that I can’t be arsed to google) it was still a very enjoyable read.  I loved the premise, that a shady off hte books govt agency has harvested all the new tech for the last 50 years and is keeping it from everyone to maintain the status quo.

Would I recommend reading it?  Well yeah, I guess so if you like this sort of thing, and you’re wiling to let a few of the plot holes pass you by