In no particular order

...for Lent, I chose to give up my impatience with other drivers. It's not going that badly, but there's room for improvement. As is usual in such cases, I had no idea exactly how much junk I had to spare.

...the Coalition folks have been mentioning this event off and on. That's not the only reason that I recognized the name "Oriskany."


The details of the good ship Oriskany are here. You can also read about the New York town it's named for, and where the town's name came from, and all sorts of other fun.

...and speaking of fun - here's the post that started it all. It kept on into May, and kicked up from time to time afterward.

...during the actual hustle and bustle of the weekend, there's one thing I didn't mention here, publicly: Happy Birthday, Ladybug! And since me bonnie lass is a Seahawks fan, I'd like to extend belated congratulations to Seattle's Shaun Alexander for his big payday. Not bad for a guy who went #19 overall, but he earned it. As TMQ would say, it's pleasant to be paid $62 million to run past people who have been knocked to the ground.

...Faux Sports Dept. - I'm enjoying NHL '06, but there are some frustrations. For one, the goalies were turned from supermen into flounders. Oh, the goals I've seen. Keepers used to block incoming shots like Jedi Knights; now they dive out of the way as if they were allergic to the rubber. But the biggest is the system where the staff and owners email you all the time.

It's always dumb stuff, which would be OK if it were realistic dumb stuff, but my coaches don't seem to notice what actually happens in the game. For example, you have 15 different areas that you can spend money on to improve, so my coaches tell me that I have to upgrade them - but they either pick ones that I've just upgraded or that I can't upgrade any more.

And can I, the GM, fire these dunderheads? Hells no.

And the owner is worse. Wow, unrealistic demands from an owner! Just like real life! Well, no. First, is that the kind of realism a gamer wants? Second - owners want to turn profit and win the Cup, right? Fine. But the owner also gives you tasks like "finish first overall in the regular season" or "have the league's leader in goals scored."

Sorry, boss. In the game I've won four straight Cups, and this past season one of our forwards did in fact lead the league in scoring: goals + assists. But his goal total alone fell three short, so the owner threatened to fire me.

Can I, the GM, quit and find better work? Nope. And if fired, I can't join another team, but am forced to start over. It's the reverse of the Hotel California: I can leave any time I like, but I can't check in. My only recourse is the off switch. Click.

...and finally, happy St. Pat's Day to all and sundry. Enjoy that dispensation! Or, if not, rememeber that you can pop that Guinness regardless. Bishops may wear funny hats, but it don't mean they don't have something going on underneath them.