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“I’m going to make my own game.” Isaac sounds determined.
I pretty much ignore him. I glance at him after a second or two. I am curious, but my coffee requires some attention first.
Plus, I don’t think he needs my help yet.
“It’s going to be Connect Four.”
Now I really am curious.
Three days later after hours of effort, Isaac has produced the following:
- Dozens of yellow and red circles cut from construction paper.
- A circular base, also from construction paper.
- Dozens of squares. Gabe decided that he was going to make Candyland, and Isaac has been kind enough to help — by making squares.
There has been no parent intervention. No help, no suggestions, no prompting whatsoever. I admit that at this point I am extremely curious about how he expects this construction paper creation to actually function. I am curious to see how long he will work on it.
And I have to admit that I am extremely proud of his inventiveness and creativity.
Even if he is just creating a game that totally already exists.
Now that the summer is ending, it seems like a good time to reflect upon what I might be this winter.
I will be:
- The father of a kindergartener. Isaac will be entering the realm of academia, plunging into that vast sea of knowledge and bureaucracy.
- Cold. I really love my warm weather. Really.
- Working, like, five days in a row. I will soon exit the “No Work on Mondays” summer. Most weeks will see me working a ridiculous amount.
- Published. Really? Yes. I found out on Friday that an article of mine will be published in Issue #15 of Kobold Quarterly. And they’re paying me for it.
I have to say, the significant drop in daycare costs is not the only reason I’m looking forward to Isaac starting school. Isaac has been doing math and reading for so long it’s hard not to want to get him going on this academic path. As I write this he’s reading a book which Amazon apparently thinks is for ages 9 – 12.
I expect some challenges as he adjusts to the school life. I know that it will be emotionally challenging for him. He’s always had trouble with big life changes in the past. We’ll work through it, though. It helps that many of his best daycare friends are following him to the same school.
Oh, and I really am looking forward to that extra money.
Getting published is about as exciting as it sounds. I love both writing and money, so getting someone to pay me to write is just amazing. The worst part, of course, is that this is a quarterly publication. I have to wait a whole three months before the piece actually gets published. In the meantime, I’ll just keep writing.
Today is Carol and my seventh anniversary.
Traditionally she and I have eschewed the whole gift-giving thing. We have an agreement just to appreciate each other and acknowledge our love with a date or some time together.
We did that this year.
We also got each other a present. One present. From both of us, to both of us.
Of course, tradition dictates the sort of gift a person is supposed to give on each anniversary. First anniversaries get paper; third anniversaries get leather.
Most people, don’t know it, of course, but the seventh anniversary is the best of all.
On seventh anniversaries spouses are supposed to buy each other…
Motorcycles.
Happy anniversary, Carol. I love you.
Captain America walks next to Solid Snake, a Big Daddy lumbering in their wake. Two Links pass each other, acknowledging each other with a nod.
This is Gencon.
There are a good many things I like about this convention. The hours of the day are packed with fun, breaking only for that pesky interruption of sleep. From DnD to board games my hours were filled with good people playing great games.
The seminars I attended were informative, and may have sparked a dangerous interest in freelance writing, an interest which has been slowly creeping up over the past year. The presence of so many normal people whose writing earns them money makes me think that it might just be a possibility for me. I love writing, after all, I see no reason why I shouldn’t get paid for it.
I learned that the next year of DnD will feature very few books of interest, making me a little bit more exited about this year’s video game line-up. After all, if I’m not squandering my money on Dungeons and Dragons then it has to go somewhere.
It was a great trip, and a good chance to get away.
I did miss the family, though.
I am glad to be back.
Let’s see if that feeling continues tomorrow when I get to work.
Gabe climbs, hand over hand, feet locking into the rocky slope. Fifteen meters away, then ten. He is by far the best climber of the group. He leads the way, using rocks, trees, anything to pull himself up higher.
We went geocaching this past weekend. Our first foray took us into Quarry Hill. We went from paved trails, to gravel, to animal trails, to uncharted territory. Well, mostly uncharted. We managed to find one of the three caches that we went after.
There were only minor injuries.
The weather was hot. Bugs were everywhere.
It was nature at its finest.
I am looking forward to going again.
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