(log) by Dreamvirus Sun Nov 30 2008 at 22:33:45
  • I just returned from an awkward family dinner. I'm used to my own family's awkward dinners — my parents split up 20 years ago — but this one was my girlfriend's family. I really like all of them individually, but together they just don't seem to work; there are too many things unsaid and unsayable. I don't want to say too much about it because it's their business, and because it's not inconceivable that one of them could eventually discover my writings on here. It wasn't unpleasant for me — funny how one's own family problems can make an occasion unbearable, but someone else's just doesn't have the same effect. I ate nice food and had fun showing off the baby. I felt like Doctor Evil with Mini-me. Holding a baby is a licence to do all kinds of things socially that you normally wouldn't do for fear of embarrassment. It's amazing how many people will simply come up and start talking to you when they see a cute little baby in your arms. I wandered around the hotel showing him shiny Christmas Tree baubles and a man building a fire, and to be honest, I was enjoying it all at least as much as the little bundle in my arms. I'm loving this.
  • Money still sucks. Because I was sick this weekend, I haven't done any of the work I intended to do, so I'll be starting off the week behind. I haven't earned anything yet over here. Our housing benefit claim was cancelled because they say that they asked us for documentation I didn't provide (except I did) — so now I have to reapply, and also appeal against the cancellation so I can get the claim back-dated. I was hoping to have that money before Christmas, for obvious reasons. Tomorrow I have to go sign on in Harrogate, despite the fact that I still haven't got any jobseeker's allowance yet, for equally annoying bureaucratic reasons. I know that one day soon money won't suck, because I do have work, and our costs are low now. But in the short-term, we're having to borrow and beg from family or get into debt, and it doesn't feel good. I try not to stress about it. Maybe my dad will come up with a big surprise Christmas present; more likely he doesn't give me anything, like my birthday, and last Christmas. I'll probably just get a text. OK, no more ranting, I'm done. Time for a more positive note:

  • The Iron Noder Challenge has been more successful than I ever imagined it would be. When I initially raised the idea, I didn't think anyone would be interested. By the way, I read through the catbox archive and I have to credit sam512 with the original idea of a node a day for 30 days. He even called it "Iron Noder". I don't know if I saw him say that and forgot it, or if I came up with it myself, but originally I was going to call it "The Iron Man Noding Challenge", until someone, I forget who, pointed out a much better name. When it became clear that there were a few people interested, I decided to try and run the challenge, but the eventual response overwhelmed me. Not only did far more people sign up than I expected, but quite a few people who hadn't written on the site for a long time — years in some cases — decided to make a return, citing the quest as their reason.

    Not everyone is going to complete the challenge — and I'm not surprised. It might have seemed like it would be easy, and for some people it may have been, but I can report that it was not easy. It was very, very difficult to keep on producing the urge to write, day in and day out; and it's easy, if you fall behind the pace, to feel like giving up instead of having to write 2 or 3 nodes a day for a couple of days. This wasn't an easy challenge, and everyone who gave it a go should be very, very proud of themselves. Everyone who completed it fully deserves their rewards and their honorary title of Iron Noder — and whatever other goodies the staff (and I realize that now includes me!) come up with for them.

    At the time of writing, it looks like we're going to hit something between 660 and 670 writeups for the quest. I'd hoped to break 700, but regardless, it's a pretty amazing collective achievement. The standard overall was astonishingly high, considering the requirements of the quest. I want to gently encourage anyone who wants something to do with their votes and C!s to spend some time going through at least part of the list of writeups in the quest node. A great many deserving writeps slipped through the cracks due to the high turnover in New Writeups and the reduced number of C!s to go around these days.

    This is my 30th node this month. I think I need a little break now. But I feel pretty proud of myself.

I like it! 1 C!