The Second Edition of Personal Power

 The Second Edition of Personal Power

Hello everyone. It's been a long and strange couple of years. A whole lot of people out there seem to have found the first edition, with all of its many imperfections, to be of some help. Given the very positive feedback and so many earnest hopes expressed that I would update this guide, I have indeed done so.

For any newcomers, welcome. My objective was to create an ebook to teach totally blind owners of iPhones how to make the most out of their devices. I go right from the beginning with a section on setting up your device even if you're totally blind and have never felt an iPhone before. From there, I explain the VoiceOver screen reader built into every iPhone. I also explain the iOS operating system and much else besides. One major objective was to point beginners to more accessible apps so that their starting experience would be less full of frustrations. Hopefully, I've managed to offer something which will be informative and enjoyable.

As before, the guide is completely free to all. I encourage you to share it with whoever you wish. Provided the guide remains unaltered and freely given, I have no issue with this. If anyone is willing to make the guide available in other formats, such as DAISY, Braille, etc, you have my sincere thanks for making that effort. I would request you share that effort with me so I can make the files available to everyone along with the other versions of the guide.

I have placed copies of the second edition of the guide in four different formats. For most readers, I recommend the EPUB version. It has an interactive table of contents and should be the best in most cases. Many people requested a version in Microsoft Word, so I've put the DOCX version in the directory. I've also created a PDF version thanks to that option being available in Pages. It works well in the Voice Dream Reader app, but I think EPUB is still better. The final version is a plain text Markdown format version of the guide. In it, there is sadly no table of contents. However, you can search for headings denoted by one or more number signs or hashes. This could be helpful for people who find that the EPUB version fails to work for them. I also hope that people will find ways to use this, or the other files, in the creation of versions with active tables of contents, or other advantageous format aids.

For ease of use, I have place these files in a shared Google Drive folder. I hope this method of distribution will prove less troublesome for people than prior attempts. Here are direct links to the various files:

Thanks to the efforts of Harrison Tu, we now have a zipped MP3 audio version of the guide. It's recorded using an Elevenlabs female voice at a speed which is easily understandable. The link to the zipped file is:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AhXs9c9H93tOgmKrKpJSXH5RfGWHfLYp/view?usp=drivesdk

Daisy Audio format: This is for people using Daisy players. It is read by synthetic speech at a slow rate which people can use the player controls to increase if they wish.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XFaSVkOsDRp3YjW-vvh8aTQgi1GLVgBv/view?usp=drivesdk

EPUb version: This has an active table of contents and is recommended for most people.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kB3kLVSEFYS_9PnFmt71MRJ4cl_-96t5/view?usp=drivesdk

Microsoft Word format: People find this useful for making other formats.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/1gP2ZqASC863PsMQo60Z7C8lK1TQIzn1C/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msword

PDF format: This seems to work reasonably well and has an active table of contents.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AQlZbqq1IYEybK7o9Slk6GysIQbqR4K2/view?usp=drivesdk

Markdown plain text: This version has no table of contents but has numbersigns or hashmarks indicating headings.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1--pDFDqtC_65XyXAzg2RIbJwkvMQRNcc/view?usp=drivesdk

Braille .brl UEB format. This should preserve formatting and is likely the best for Braille readers at present.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MaZrpwXV1CpIHRE_-fy2eM-FmUX9emHH/view?usp=drivesdk 

Braille .brf format: This doesn't preserve formatting but might be preferred for people who don't like UEB.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xXorjD4SU0u8lM2yPf-Nc9Y8yaoSbZn5/view?usp=drivesdk

Single web page .mh format: This will open as a single page with headings.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1up0TqvuFg9iaWAhS3fO5-7uplQn9VGW1/view?usp=drivesdk

A TouchScreen Unseen: This was a lecture I presented at the 2020 Connecting The Dots conference.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ww8HmITcPeJmxZrFbaOF5AmcjW-J4ZMc/view?usp=drivesdk

The link to the folder is:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-1GAc2-HM1drA0GEj4fEBgQxIh4bHSKC

Review of King of Dragon Pass for the iPHONE

Review of King of Dragon Pass
Game available from the iPHONE app store for $9.95 regular price
Produced by A-Sharp Software
www.a-sharp.com/kodp
Fully playable without sighted assistance.
Reviewed by Michael Feir
Rating: 9/10

*Introduction:

The Apple iPHONE has certainly taken the blind community to an unparalleled level of affordable accessibility. Its built-in Voiceover screen-reader has managed to turn a flat-screen device into one of the most useful gadgets I've ever owned. Years ago, I had bought King of Dragon Pass for the PC only to discover that it was completely unplayable without sighted assistance. The text was printed in a way my screen readers couldn't detect. There was also a map to explore which required a mouse and sighted help to manage. Worse yet, in a painful paradox, the game required continuous reading as it was mostly text-based. Any sighted people I found who would try the game with me would very quickly lose patience having to read everything out loud. Now, thanks to the ingenuity and inclusiveness of the iPHONE, I am able to fully enjoy this unique game experience.

Let's be clear. This is a game made for a sighted audience first. There's artwork on the screen and the map to be explored. Things are set up to be easy for sighted players to scroll around when they need to. However, for those who have the patience to explore the screen, every element of the game has been made accessible thanks to the Voiceover screen-reader and the efforts of programmers at A-Sharp Software. The developers continue to update the game and have proved very responsive to peoples' reports of issues they faced while playing using Voiceover. There have been several updates since its release and they have included improvements for Voiceover users as well as other additions to the game like new scenes. At this point, the game is fully playable for blind people who have patience and recognize that due to its visual nature, there are some quirks to be wrestled with from time to time. If you can live with that, then get ready for a brilliant game where a flexible but cohesive narrative takes centre stage. Blind players may not be able to appreciate the artwork, but for a very refreshing change, we aren't left out of the picture.

*The Interface:

As I say, there are some quirks. One of these which I think is ultimately favourable is that the game must be played in landscape mode with the home button on the left or right. Presumably, this makes things like scrolling around the map somewhat easier. Familiarizing yourself with the screen layout is essential for this game. For instance, when the menu is toggled on, it goes across the top of the screen. I used to have all sorts of trouble getting to it reliably until I figured this out. Hitting the "menu" button toggles the menu on or off. It makes a slightly different sound when it's on. KODP uses ordinary controls familiar to Voiceover users. You can flick left and right to go between options and double-tap to select them. You can also scroll around the map with a three-finger flick in the direction desired. The map is much larger than a single iPHONE screen so you'll need to do this eventually. One issue is that dialogues in the game tend to stack on top of each other at times. A good example of this happens when you explore. One dialogue active at that time is the map screen. Once you hit the "explore" button, music plays and you can then position your exploration cross on the map. Once that's done touch near the bottom of the screen where you should come to the exploration dialogue. There, you can choose who leads the exploration party and how many weapon thanes and footmen to send. You also set the exploration pace between slow, normal and fast. Once you have that taken care of, you can then go to the "explore" button. The problem is that there are two of these. The first one is from the initial map dialogue. The one you want is past the "menu" button. Hit that and your expedition will be sent off. You'll here the exploration music as well as horses.

Another issue can occur at various times. One of these is when sacrificing. After you have sacrificed to one of the various gods or goddesses in the Orlanthi pantheon, you might then find yourself on what seems to be an empty screen. Patience is needed here as you should keep running your finger slowly over the screen until it starts reading you the result of your sacrifice or you encounter the "proceed" button. If you find the button first, just flick left and you'll hear the result of your sacrifice. Flick right again and you'll be on the "proceed" button.

Other than these minor issues, things are quite straight-forward. The background music and sound can be toggled on and off from the "controls" option screen which is accessed from the menu or before a game starts. Especially while familiarizing yourself with the game, it would be prudent to turn off the background music to make certain that everything is heard. I certainly found this helpful. There's no way to regulate the volume of the background music separate from overall volume. However, Voiceover does automatically lower the music volume while it is speaking. Reading event text works quite well. Most of the time, there's no need to scroll. Once you've flicked onto event text, all of it is read out to you. Continuing to flick right goes across the choices available.

When using the advice, it works much like the menu button in that it toggles the adviser selection screen on and off overtop of whatever dialogue is already present. Advice is always contextual to the screen or current situation the player is presented with. Flicking right goes across the adviser buttons whose names will be read out. Once activated with a double-tap, their advice will be read out. If you need to find it on the screen, you'll have to learn where it is on the screen or find it by flicking through elements. When you're done with getting advice, find the "adviser close" button. Activating this removes the adviser selection and any displayed advice from the screen.

*Game Play:

After choosing the duration and difficulty of your game, you must set up your clan. You can call it what you like and then begin to make various choices which effect how the game unfolds. Your saga starts here. Don't expect to just jump into this game and do terrifically right off the bat. Reading the manual is a very helpful thing to do in this case. Also, during the first year you play, a tutorial box is present which provides guidance for what to do on the various screens. After going through it, you'll at least have a basic grasp of the options and different game screens that you'll use throughout your clan's history. Once you have completed the tutorial, you will no longer have to contend with the tutorial box. It will never appear again unless you reset your game centre achievements even if you start a new game.

Essentially, the game is one of decision making on behalf of your clan as its history unfolds. There are many factors which influence the results of your decisions. These include random chance as well as such things as the skills of your clan leaders. You are always able to receive advice from members of your clan ring. This is very helpful particularly as you are first digging into the game. It may be helpful to keep notes on things you learn. A lot of information is available to you in the game but details such as the personalities of clan leaders you encounter can be useful to refer to. Not everything is kept track of in the saga screen of your clan. Also, during hero quests, you can't refer to the relevant mythology. Be certain to check out the "lore" screen. There, you'll find a vast amount of information about the myths, culture, history, and much more. The game manual can also be accessed from that screen via the button near the bottom right. The manual is also available in pdf form from the "tips" section of the game's web site. This pdf is unrestricted and may easily be converted into text by Kurzweil1000, Adobe Reader, or other software. Remembering details can make a very big difference in how things turn out for your clan.

Combat in the game is quite straight-forward in terms of the decisions you can make. However, there's a whole lot going on under the hood. A clan's personality might effect how prepared their forces are. How much magic you or the enemy devotes to the battle can make a substantial difference. At times, individual leaders involved in the battle will be placed in key situations where their choice can strongly effect the outcome. Battles occur throughout the game but this aspect doesn't dominate play unless you wish it to. If anything, the game encourages careful consideration about what is worth fighting for and why one goes to war. You cannot simply conquer your way to victory in King of Dragon Pass.

Much of the farming which takes place is handled automatically. However, there are points where decisions such as how much land to set aside for which purpose, how many hunters to have, and how much magic to invest in crops can make or break a clan. Thankfully, it's very hard to make decisions in the course of a single year which would completely wreck one's chances of winning. The game is won or lost in increments over time rather than in some sudden large-scale disaster or stroke of good fortune. Your clan ring is always there to advise you of problems and will have useful things to say about most decisions. However, during hero quests or combat, you understandably cannot seek their advice.

Your people, particularly your clan leaders, are capable of a degree of growth and change over their lives. In my Tandora clan, I now have a lady who is renowned for her bargaining skill. Over time, completing hero quests, fighting battles, and other experiences may produce exceptional individuals in your clan. These should be used with care and protected as much as possible.

Don't treat each year as a separate entity. Decisions you make in earlier years may have effects which carry on through the game. From how you choose to deal with the large pantheon of gods to which clans you are feuding with, it's all interconnected. In effect, you're building a house of cards with each decision you make. While the game is fairly forgiving, it is quite possible and inevitable that a game not won will eventually be lost. Things don't just keep going forever.

*Sound and Music:

The background music for King of Dragon Pass is quite well done. It suits the epic but fun feel of the game and enhances the various moods experienced by your clan. Sadly, as I previously mentioned, it can interfere with one's ability to hear Voiceover. You can download the soundtrack from the game web site and enjoy it separately. One way or another, the music ought to be experienced. Much like in a movie, it adds a lot to the feel of the game world.

Sound effects are experienced while dealing with various dialogues. They often include music as when you send off a caravan or exploration party. They are used to add life to things such as battles, feasting, or other events triggered by your choices. The sound vignettes are brief so they don't interfere with one's ability to hear Voiceover. Beginners can fully enjoy the game's sound without any added frustration. Much like the music, the brief sound scenes add just enough detail to the game world to tantalize the imagination. Due to their brevity, the sound vignettes don't become annoying after repeated exposure.

While not effective to blind readers of this review, it should be noted that King of Dragon Pass features original hand-drawn artwork. Not having seen it, or anything else for that matter, I can't give any detail or first-hand opinion about it. However, from what I've read in other reviews, people who are lumination dependent seem to think highly of it. Artwork is displayed during scenes and is likely also present on the various game screens. Mugs, shirts and original art from the game can be purchased if desired. Details are on the game web site. Therefore, if you're playing along and a sighted person asks "What's that?" they may very well have glimpsed some of this artwork past your fingers. You'll then have to decide whether to show and explain, or simply turn on your screen curtain with howls of derisive laughter.

*Conclusion:

This game is by far the most meaningful and detailed I have ever been able to play independently. I don't believe any other accessible game even comes close to what King of Dragon Pass offers the patient thoughtful player. The re playability level is astounding. There are over 500 scenes which may or may not occur in a given time. The results of your choices are impacted by many variables which may differ should you encounter a familiar scene. Even in cases where you do all the "right" things such as the hero quests, results might differ due to the preparedness and suitability of the person chosen to undertake the quest. Different treasures may or may not be found. You become a co-author of an epic novel which never reads the same twice but always maintains its cohesion.

You don't have to be a mathematician or social scientist. The text is very well-written and you'll find yourself drawn into the story. After a while, you'll feel that you've gotten to know leading figures in your clan over the years of game time. The leadership and management decisions feel very natural and intuitive. Keeping a good overview is important to eventual victory. However, you never lose sight of how much individual community members matter. They just keep popping up. The game has a whole lot to teach about the value of community cohesion, leadership, and other things besides. Should I ever be successful in winning even the short game on easy difficulty, I'll be left with fond memories and a true sense of accomplishment. I'll also be driven to start a fresh game knowing there are still possibilities I have yet to encounter. Thankfully, it is possible to record and share one's accomplishment via the iPHONE Game Centre, Twitter, Facebook, or via emailing your game saga to yourself and then to others. The iPHONE is the perfect device to play such a game on. Despite its complexity and length, it lends itself to casual play. You can pull it out of your pocket, make a few decisions, and then simply put it away again until a few moments of free time present themselves. That is, if you can resist finding out whether your weaponthanes manage to drive off the ice demons. Like drops of water in a bucket, all these short cessions will add up and you'll be amazed how far your clan has come along.

I have always believed that games are more than mere frivolous wastes of time. Games are like journeys for the mind. We learn best while at play and games can teach us a great deal in an environment where wrong decisions don't equal real disaster. Considering this game's fantasy setting, mythology, gods, creatures and people, King of Dragon Pass can teach us an awful lot of deep truth. At its core, King of Dragon Pass lets us play with leadership and power. It does so while showing us the consequences of our decisions in a very engaging way. If ever there was a game which defied its critics to call it devoid of any meaning and value, King of Dragon Pass is such a one. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if it proves to be a watershed game for blind owners of IOS devices. It has the potential to be played both at a casual and a serious level. This could prove to be the closest the blind gaming community has come to a phenomenon like Pac-Man was for the sighted world. What's more, we're playing on an equal footing and can let our accomplishments be known. Thanks to the inclusiveness of Apple and the considerate folks at A-Sharp Software, this game truly bridges the blind/sighted gaming divide. It's worth every cent of its $9.95 regular price.

Obtaining an iPHONE and Other Happenings

Hello everyone. It's a quiet saturday evening and a good time for another blog entry. Things are going pretty well. I'm now the happy owner of an iPHONE 4. Already, I think it'll prove to be the best investment I make in the next good long while. I now have a fully accessible smartphone. I'm still a little slow at answerring calls and finding out the quick tricks of navigating around the screens. However, I've managed to buy a bunch of nifty aps. One of them, Digit-eyes, is even better than my refurbished IDmate2 in terms of telling me what stuff is. However, it does so at a slower speed. That's fine by me. I've got the time to give in exchange for less mystery and surprises where groceries are concerned. I've bought some games and obtained a bunch of free aps. That's an area where I'll have to be somewhat more financially conscious. They're quite cheep individually but it's *so* easy to impulse shop. So far though, I've only found two that I felt compelled to delete. Sadly, nethack is inaccessible on the iPHONE. So is Rogue. Too bad. Those would have been fun. This afternoon, I managed to load my classic Infocom games into Frotz for the iPHONE. I like the idea of having those text adventures available again in a completely accessible form. My iPHONE is already proving quite the useful gadget. There's still a whole lot to learn about it. I've accidentally declined a few calls I actually meant to answer. That should happen less often now as I master the thing. Sorry to anybody I quite accidentally hung up on over the past few days.

Getting my new iPHONE on tuesday morning and then going to the Dam in the afternoon made for a nicely busy if not overly productive day. My second afternoon at the Dam felt very unsatisfying. The place is really too noisy for audio games. Only one kid showed any interest at all and I'm frankly amazed he did as well as he did given the background ambience. Played some audio dramas as well but nothing seemed to intrigue them. I think part of the problem is that sitting there with my stuff out on my lap makes me look too disengaged, like I'm off in my own world doing my own thing and would prefer not to be interrupted. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I have most of any given week plus weekends to do my own thing. There has to be some way of getting more engaged with them. The only thing I can think to try next week is to stay on my feet and hang around them hoping for some thread of conversation I can naturally join in on. They all just seem to want to blow off steam rather than relate but doubtless, a lot of visual body language comes into play for them. I can't fall into the trap of disenchantment and presume there's just no hope and no insight to be found. I'm far from resigned to exclusion over the next couple of years.

Today has been a fairly quiet but interesting one. Shirley came over to keep up to date with email and such. It makes a big difference just having someone come around more often. I'm just glad I can actually help someone out in a meaningful way. We're getting to hear more about each other's lives and that adds an important element for me. She's taken that step from being just another nice person willing to help where possible to actually being a friend. It's damned nice to know that's actually possible here. On these last couple of visits, I must confess to a little inattentiveness as I struggled to come to grips with my iPHONE. I think it did both our spirits good for her to see me struggle a little with new technology and hear my self-directed mutterings. Those come pretty naturally when your gadgets have been talking to you all your life. Hopefully, I'll get to know more people better over this spring and summer here.

We're moving ahead with obtaining my new computer equipment. Frontier Computing came through in good style with a price quote I'm happy to go with. It'll be different having an iMAC. I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead technology-wise. There'll be a whole lot to learn and look into on these all too plentiful more quiet days. Once I'm comfortable with the braille display, I believe I'll consider starting a podcast of some sort. I've simply got to keep more busy doing something which connects me more with other people. There's also the ever-present drive I've always had to share my blessings with others in whatever way I can. If I can't find more to do in the offline "real" world, then perhaps, I should play to my strengths and put something else out into the online one. It's not really what I hoped for from life, but it's what I have to work with. The world where people meet up in places for good conversation and actually value a man of thought seems to be a thing of the past. Any way you slice it, I'm in for a lot of long solitary days. I guess I've come to a point where I'm enough at peace with that prospect to start looking at how I can contribute more from that place rather than trying to force it to go away. There doesn't seem to be any real way to recoup a decade of effort rendered lost by a failed marriage and a near miss. Now that I've learned all sorts of painful lessons about relationships, it seems the universe is out to make certain that hard-won wisdom does me no good at all. Still, there's at least a spark of hope for that in me yet. Also, I still think there's a lot of reason to hope for finding more friends who are close in geographical terms as well as in friendship. It'll just take lots and lots of time and patience.

The dishes are all done and everythings' squared away now. I've got winamp playing some nice relaxing instrumental music as I crank out this blog. Aura is holding up its end of the bargain as well presenting me with forest night sounds plus a bonfire ambience. I've enjoyed a nice Black Oak beer with my dinner. As usual, one has proved more than sufficient for a night like this. I have no desire to get anywhere near drunk alone. Better to go put some of this relaxation music onto my iPHONE. I certainly have space for it and may find it nice to have while on the move. I'll also stick on Raymond Feist's Rift War Sauga. Roy Avers did such a brilliant job recording those stories. Listenning to them has become the sonic equivalent of comfort food for me that not much else I've heard over the years really has. Tomorrow is a thankfully busy day. Church has games night plus a class on the Belhar Confession so I could be there most of the day with people who actually take a bit of an interest in me. That'll be nice.

Parties, Phones and Other Stuff of Life

Hello everyone. It's around nine o'clock on this monday morning. Amia's third birthday party was a lot of fun for the whole family. The trip to Chuck E. Cheese was a big success. Since we went in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, it was actually not too noisy or crowded in there. I was almost even able to play a proper game of Airhockey but it wasn't quite quiet enough to hear the puck move over the table. Guided around by mom and dad, I followed my two little neaces and helped out where possible. It was lots of fun.

The next couple of days were pretty dull. It was very cold out so the expedition to the bank and to take care of a few other things will happen a little later this morning. It's apparently going up to seven today which is a heeping lot better than minus ten. Trust me on that one. All the more true when part of the plan involves putting a few more reminder landmarks into the gps on the various routes near the Meadowvale Town Centre. I can see my self getting confused next spring when I start using them more again. As much as I enjoy Harpal's company, I look forward to a spring and summer without these lessons when I can just live life knowing how to get around my immediate area. It's been a long year getting to this point.

I've been looking more thoroughly into this whole iPhone thing. In general, I've been impressed to a point where I believe I'll take steps to alter my spending so that I can acomodate one relatively soon. It looks like it'll make more sense to get one through Rogers and sign up for a contract. I can keep my phone number and save a lot on the actual iPhone at the same time. I've learned that it's somewhat important that I get a current iPhone rather than a 3GS one because of a difference in ram available which impacts users of Voiceover due to the extra demands speech output imposes on the phone's memory. Thankfully, I can go middle of the road when it comes to storage space and believe that a sixteen gb phone would do just fine for me rather than the more expensive thirty-two gb version. Of course, I have to plan for however much an extra battery pack costs. Especially when using Voiceover, battery charge gets chewed through more quickly. Each ap will also cost a small amount but I just have to prioritise and build my collection slowly and carefully. I'll have quite a bit of help finding out which aps are accessible with Voiceover as there's quite a community of users now. It's not like I'm going to be a pioneer at all here. Not this time. Given my finances, those days are likely behind me for good. I can't say I mind that overly much. When things are working fine, I'm a lot less tempted to jump off the cliff and try something totally new without having a backup plan.

While friday and saturday were two excruciatingly dull days, sunday was a different story. I had church in the morning which included a soup lunch. Finally got my container back from them so I'll be able to bring potatoes for the next soup lunch unless it's at a point in the Christmas holidays when I've got other plans. I always feel good doing that and people seem to enjoy them. Thought yesterday was games day also but was wrong on that by a week. However, I was able to enjoy another Mosen Explosion during the afternoon. Added to that was an unexpected gathering in the evening held by Doug and Nan. They've made a real point of including me in a good few events over the past while. They sort of ended up having more of an impromptu party than I believe they originally intended and it was damned good to get out and be with people. I figured most people would become fixated in a card game and brought my netbook along to be prepare for that eventuality. There were enough people present that I always had people interested in conversation and never really used it except to allow one of the kids there to see the version of Talisman I have on it. Also, other than brief periods, conversation continued among the card players. That doesn't seem to happen with sports. As soon as a game comes on tv, quality of conversation seems to suffer greatly. You'd think an active card game would have more of that effect. It often does in my experience but not this time. Conversation just kept on chugging along nicely. There's so much history in the church community. Also, there were enough people and things to update each other on that the dynamics just worked better for a pure conversationalist like me. It made me wonder how differently my life would have turned out had my family not moved around so much while I grew up. It's not like we changed cities every year or anything but each move would break off relationships I had started. I didn't know anybody going into my secondary school. Only a couple of people from those middle school days while we lived in North York have ever contacted me. If I'm ever going to find more in life than this apartment and too damned many solitary evenings, it'll be through friendship connection. I've all but given up on another wonderful lady finding me online. Same goes for the job front. I just have to hope that circumstance will provide opportunities for people to see enough of my capabilities and good character to think it worth-while making allowances for my disability in a context more life-changing.

Earlier that evening, I had a conversation with John Morgan. He's still doing well and was quite excited to hear about the iPhone's capabilities for blind people. He had seen them and hadn't given them much thought due to their flat screens just like I originally hadn't. It'll be good to be able to show him something new that he won't have had to pay for at least in my case. He does so much for so many people. Everything from helping them shop to taking them places to getting them equipment they can't afford for themselves. I wonder if anybody but himself and God has a real idea of the shere number of people he's helped over the years. He mensionned at least three people I hadn't heard of before.

It's the afternoon now. Dad and I went for quite a walk and put in the landmarks I wanted. They ought to keep me from too much confusion regarding which way the route to the bank from Symposium Cafe is, [to the right when facing away from the door to Symposium] and the route to the drug store and post office, [to the left past the front of the fitness centre when facing away from Symposium]. We also enjoyed a good brunch. I hadn't had a delux omelet in quite some time and the mango fruit smoothy was as refreshing as ever. There's also a cession of our church mens' group this evening which I'll be attending. A very sharp contrast indeed to friday and saturday's creeping empty dullness. This friday, there's a Christmas breakfast in our building put on for residents. I have a hard time picturing how that's going to work here indoors and how they'll set it up. I don't ever find many people gathered in the lobby at any time and haven't heard about any rooms in the building for that kind of occasion. My friend Shirley is going so I'll head down with her and find out. I don't think they could use a tent at this time of year. Warm days are getting few and far between.

This week will be pretty unusual. I don't often have things happen on three out of five week days. It helps keep me from feeling quite so cut off from the world and divides time up better. I guess this sunday is going to include a games night. Other than that, I have no other weekend plans as usual. Hopefully, a nice bit of inspiration will at last come my way regarding Enchantment's Twilight. A few additional special locations, perhaps an actual game character or two [Dare I hope?], or a chunk of overall story arc. It's such a complex large kind of thing that I guess it might well feel slow even if I were able to put in a solid forty-hour work week on it through some autonomic mental creative inferno. Haven't had one of those since I worked on the Personal Power guide. At least that burst of creativity went to a good cause. On the bright side, I'm getting enough sleep these days so writer's block and a thankfully punctured solitude are the only two demons I face currently. I hope to get through the rest of the year without my sleep being screwed up. That would be nice and might even be an attainable dream. We'll just have to see.