Progress.

Just an update on my schooling in general. It seems option X has been born from the flames of my other options collectively to give me Open Studies which will most likely lead me back into Computer Science. I have been told I should know by the end of next week. Also... I seem to be catching a bug of some kind involving the death cough and exhaustion. That explains why I've been sleeping almost uncontrollably (Within a 10 ft radius of my bed, floor included).

Now I have 2 weeks sans wife and 6 days sans best friend. I have one more class to be behind a whopping 7 classes, BUT! I shall triumph and spend every waking moment (which has been rare lately) catching up. I am glad it has been free, but my biggest fear is what about the possibility of when I reattend school in the fall? If I was going full time, there would be no temptation to work at all... but since I will only be allowed to take 2 courses (or six credit hours) the temptation is there, especially since student loans won't be there for me as much as if I was a full time student. Either way I need to make these two courses count and even before I have been accepted, even before I know what I am able to take... I charge myself with needing no less than a 3.5 in both classes. The challenge has been laid out... now to do all I can to get in!

Also with no one at home I am cleaning up a storm (Kitchen, Living Room, Dining Room, Main Entryway All Completed!) and I only have a few things (Bedroom, Bathroom 1, Bathroom 2, Mop, Vaccuum) left. Lucky for me, my schedule next week is super-awesome and I should have plenty of time to play catch up after I clean. Time to get things back on track!

A Future Uncertain.

As I sit amid the heat, I think back to fighting for my transcripts. Now after I failed to gain entry into Computer Engineering and Mathematics at my University of choice I am left one more option left. Sadly that school has just now requested official transcripts from my school, which is now in summer session, so no one is there. What's one more year? I ponder a moment and it doesn't seem like much in the grand scheme of things but to an employer I am at the age where people will be graduating with degrees. If I go back it will be four years minimum before I am back into the work force and I will be just that much closer to retirement. Some might laugh, yeah twenty eight is pretty close... but from the same graduating class, if they have the choice between some one four years younger, they have that much longer until that person retires.

I find myself always working harder for the job I currently have than the one I want. I technically work ten hours a day, due to travel time and an unpaid break. My problem is I can't be content at my current job. I love writing, creating worlds, characters, situations and stories. I also love game design, balancing, stories, mechanics, testing and of course playing. One of my ten year and beyond goals is to open my own industry approved Game School and teach others the skills required to land jobs in the industry. I've been told there's a wealth of information on the internet... but that is much like saying I'd love to try a red delicious and they send you to an orchard with every variety of apple. How are you supposed to find it, if you don't know what you're looking for? The apple you want is probably red... and delicious, but this green apple is also delicious.

Perhaps I complain too much, or waste too much time on this blog. I find time is exactly the same as money... the more you have, you raise your spending to match your increase. Anyway back to writing my story!

Tim

The Un-productive.

I could easily blame my slacking this week on everything... but at the end of the day this was a great week and has been a great month. I've started some new trends and forgotten some I started and NEED to get back.

Started:

• Playing Badminton Every Week (It's my second favorite sport after volleyball).
• Jogging (Maybe my lungs won't feel like they're on fire next time? Although I have improved from 1/2 km to 1 km in 2 runs!)
• Writing... (Just not consistantly).
• Playing new board games and breaking them down.

Forgotten:

• Writing... (I used to set a goal of 5 pages per night. I need to get back to that).
• Helping out around the house (I'm sure my roommates will agree I used to help more, but don't as much these days).
• Saying No (I cannot say no to board games, which is wierd because I haven't touched a game console in over 2 months now! Just won Fury of Dracula as Dracula, I need to pick up Arkham Horror next, so excited!)
• Keeping up with my game course (I fell behind one day, and now suddenly it's two days... need to catch up tomorrow!)

All in all I have noticed I haven't been setting down a plan. I used to blame this on an irregular schedule, which does have a lot to do with it... but how can one have time if he doesn't make it?

I know I leave a maximum of 45 minutes early for work. If traffic is good I get there early. I generally work 8.5 hours and then leave approximately 15 minutes after the official end of my shift. The drive home is normally 30 minutes due to a lack of traffic. So I devote 10 hours a day to working for someone else.

I never sleep for 8 hours, but I think I should start. So I schedule 8 hours of sleep and 10 hours for work I am left with 6 hours a day for everything else. Showering etc gets a devoted hour. Eating will also take 30 minutes (Prepare, Cook & Eat). So I am left with 4.5 hours a day that I should be being productive. Also I should write off the 1/2 hour I spend waking up and breakfast or brunch.

Time management has taught me to break things down into smaller time blocks and stick firmly to them. The irony in this is I just wasted 5 minutes typing this up instead of sleeping, which I will get 5 hours of sleep for work tomorrow. Oh irony, how I adore thee!

Anyway on that note the heat is getting to me and my eye lids suddenly weigh millions of pounds, thanks for listening!

Tim

Tim Edwards: Still Alive.

Some quick updates!

I finally got my text book for the free game design course I'm taking and for thirty dollars it was well worth it! Some of the challenges you can feel how much you've learned from start to finish.

Writing a story a week has been a challenge, but I will be posting them as I finish them!

Needing a break I'll be going to see Public Enemies tonight (hopefully) or at least spending the night playing the Fury of Dracula board game (which is super awesome and highly recommended).

Also the Green Lantern story that is coming out, Blackest Night, sounds better and better every time I read about it. The whole Sinestro Corps background, the different Lanterns and now the revival of former superheroes as the Black Lanterns has got me thinking... why is Marvel popular? I mean DC crossed all their worlds in Crisis on Infinte Earths, but they just keep revisiting and cross referencing and it is that attention to detail that just keeps me coming back for more. Yeah, Wolverine is pretty intense... but The Flash running and pushing a villian through time... what does Wolverine have on that?

Anyway better (more productive) update to come!
Tim Edwards

The Tim and the Eight Day Stretch.

So, I am warning everyone... I may be on media blackout for the next eight days. I work straight from July ninth, to July Sixteenth and all my spare time will be spent on my course and my writing.

One thing I have learned thus far is playtesting board games is so rediculously fun! I am currently working on the deck for Propaganda!!! which I am confident enough with that once I get the playtesting done I may submit it to be published. (If I can find a publisher of board games that is...).

Oh! Also everyone keep their fingers crossed for me, I just applied to every position at Bioware that is available to me and my current level of experience with games. Soon I might indeed get a call back... but it will be a restraining order! Although with every story, and every game design I see through to completion... I feel that much more confident and even closer to achieving my goal, despite the UofA not accepting me this year (Thanks goes out to my old high school for sending out my transcripts almost five months after I applied).

No new creative items to post here, just news. Keep following though and they shall come like the rains... in Edmonton.

Thanks Again,
Tim

Propaganda!!!

No sleep for the wicked... or the creative!

For the WW1 assignment I went and researched the effect of propaganda on the Americans to get them to agree to help their Allies and join in the war! I wrote this up but have yet to playtest it, but Hey! That's what days off are for!

Propaganda!!!

Enjoy!!

Tim

Old Short Story!

Quick update while I evade the Sandman for yet another night. I have a Game Design Assignment that is actually quite challenging for this week and I'm doing my best to multitask and manage my time, but work enjoys getting in the way. Also, I've begun to feel like a narcaleptic as I sit down to do the research on World War 1 for the board game assignment and fall instantly asleep. I'm sure somewhere, a veteran rolled over in his grave.

The assignment has been posted here, and I'm working on the highest difficulty. My initial thought instantly turned to a board game based around technology, industry and espionage but after doing research it has actually not helped as much as I'd initally hoped. I feel more stumped than before (Thanks Wikipedia!), but I do have tomorrow off to focus solely on that idea and writing!

Also, it seems I'll be working on a board game with my room mates which is actually exciting! (I kept telling them we should start small, or with something you can SEE the progress we're making. Millions of lines of code are lost on us artistic types!) But it seems I may have inspired them with the inital assignment board game they tested! It looks like we'll be doing a Fantasy Based Player VS Multiple Players type board game! I'm totally excited for the challenge as the scope is a bit bigger than my Snakes & Ladders wannabe as well as I'll get some team experience. I think even if they don't follow through to completion, I very well might!

Alright, so for any who haven't seen this already it's a short story I wrote not that long ago but it's just an idea for a character I've had for awhile. Feel free to leave any comments or if you'd like to give me any editing advice just feel free to leave your email address in the comments section and I'll get back to you.

For now enjoy this 25 page Action-Comedy about an excellent assassin who can't seem to move up past number 11 of the top 10 in the world. He has many moments of very poor luck and when you seem to be constantly strapped for cash, gear isn't always performing up to task! Also stay tuned... depending on how feedback goes on the story, I may actually post some Podcast clips from when I was considering turning this character into a weekly podcast show!

Mediocre Assassin

Thanks for reading along!

Tim