The beginning and one of the endings go together. I mentioned back in January that I was forcing myself to not play my new game until I was done with Storyworth. I called that project finished last week, so I fired up Steam and launched Command: Modern Operations.
Wow, what a game.
I’ve already clocked 21.9 hours, but that’s all just been tutorials. I was at 5.5 hours Monday night after dinner, and Number Five Son remarked, “And you’re still on tutorials?” I explained the depth and breadth of the platforms available for the game, and he began to understand, even if he didn’t quite grok some of the terms I was using.
I don’t have a great grasp on the mission editor at the moment, because whenever I set up an AEW mission with my two AEW aircraft, they both launch, which means I’ve got some setting or selection wrong. And during one training scenario Monday night, my Israeli fighters shot down a civilian ATR-72. I don’t think I’m supposed to do that. The worst part was that I actually ordered the fighters to attack the plane, because I was pretty sure at the time that they were just slow to identify it as hostile. Oopies.
Crappy weather this week, so no action on the driveway. Well, unless you count the erosion caused by three inches of rain over four days. But next week’s forecast is sunny and mild for the entire week, so the next pours are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. The contractor is doing the last stretch in two pours because of the curve of the driveway. Splitting it up will make it easier on the trucks, he said. Works for me.
Allergies
Youngest Daughter has been dealing with some belly pain for…far longer than I care to admit. She downplayed it quite a bit, as people with chronic pain sometimes do, so we only noticed it when it was really bad. We finally started checking it out. Part of that involved allergy testing, because the NP’s first thought was gluten sensitivity. Turns out she’s not allergic to gluten. But she is allergic to cocoa beans, egg yolks, tomatoes, strawberries, bananas, salmon, and pistachios.
Sigh.
It’s going to be a rough couple of months for her as we tweak her diet. The allergist said to cut out everything for about three weeks. Then we’ll add things back in one at a time so we can see what’s causing the worst reactions. The salmon and pistachios won’t be a big deal. She’s not a fan of fish or seafood, and she’s not supposed to be eating nuts with her braces.
But chocolate? Yeah, our family keeps Hershey and Mars and all the others in business. She loves pasta too, so that’ll take some work to deal with. I suspect it’ll be easy enough to switch over to white sauces and pesto for a while. She really likes her strawberries, too.
I count us fortunate that we didn’t find out about these allergies the hard way, like with an ER visit. None of the responses seem to be life-threatening, so that’s a huge plus. She’ll have to make some changes in her life, but it looks like carrying an Epi-pen won’t be one of them. We’re grateful for that.
We’re also having some other specialists check her out, in case food isn’t the primary culprit. Wish us luck. I’ll happily accept product suggestions for your favorite egg-free pastas and other products though.
Writing
I was sad to see the announcement from Lee Lofland that this year’s Writers’ Police Academy will be the last of the in-person events. I don’t know the exact reasons behind his decision, but I expect it has a lot to do with the energy and expense involved. It’s a huge undertaking. Each year, he brought in local, state, and national public safety agencies to talk about how they do their jobs so writers can get their stories right. While one year’s event is going on, he was already working on the next one, and I know how stressful that’s been for him, especially during the pandemic years and having to change plans at literally the last minute.
He does say that “The closing of the WPA annual event is certainly not the end of our projects for writers. Not at all. We have a couple of exciting plans in the works,” so make sure you check his blog and the WPA website. I suspect there’s a lot of cool stuff in store.
Take special note of the 2-for-1 registration deal, by the way. This is definitely the year to go.
I made it to two in-person editions of WPA, in Raleigh and Green Bay, and they were fantastic events. I heard people like Anne Schwartz, the reporter who broke the story about Jeffrey Dahmer. Dr. Katherine Ramsland talked last year about the BTK Killer and give some great insights into serial killers. One year, WPA attendees got to experience a mass shooting, way up close and very personal, as the lecture hall they were in became the crime scene. He’s had simulated DUI crashes, complete with vehicle extrication and transport by medical helicopter. Attendees have been able to go through SWAT training, firefighting training, and an Emergency Vehicle Operations Course, all in the name of getting their story right. I was thrilled with what I learned at Murdercon, and I wish Lee and everyone involved with it the absolute best in the future.
And don’t forget to check out BookMarketingChat on TwitterSpaces Wednesday, April 5 at 11 Pacific/1 Central/2 Eastern. I’ll be on there with host BadRedheadMedia talking about AI tools for Authors. You don’t need a Twitter account to listen in – just follow this link or click on the graphic.
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