The Patent Dragon's Zone of Soul Retraction

REDSKINS 2-0...

And for the rest of the evening, it's back to the bedroom and DAB radio for live coverage of Patriots-Chargers. This'll probably become a regular thing - I enjoyed Redskins-Giants last week (obviously).

So, How Was Your Day...? Surprisingly productive, actually, as far as my Mission 101. I have a plan in semi-motion for a different design of home-made book... I have made progress with my diddley-bow... and I can chalk up what I'm counting as a classic movie - the 1948 Hitchcock movie Rope. Hey, if the IMDB Top 250 rates this as an 8.0 (at number 234), equalling the already-seen All Quiet On The Western Front (1930), at number 217, then it counts.1I still have a backlog to deal with, but this was a most welcome chance discovery in the TV schedules!

Hmmmm, seem like I'm getting too relaxed here. Gonna post this, and go "low-tech" for thr rest of the evening - don't want the trusty netbook in bits on the floor...

That's two house viewings done, and the latest... it feels better than the rest. A local family, with reasons to move to this area - just what I want to have living here, once The Move is done. Maybe this is "The One", and the additional viewings this weekend will move things along. I'm still not looking forward to "The Moment" - the closing of the front door for the last time - but I would really like to get on with the whole business, and see an end to that particular chapter.

Talking of which... The The Secret Adventures of Mane-of-Night - Flight 102 Is Overdue epilogue is maybe a couple of paragraphs from being done, but I'm damned if I can "close the deal". This weekend hasn't encouraged my "writing gland" much, but I'll give it another go this evening.

Talking of which... It's Conference Championship Sunday! Only two weeks of the season left (that matter), and I'm thinking we're looking at a Packers/Jets Super Bowl. Whatever happens, there's a definite feeling of "the old order" hovering over this post-season, with the Jets the team with the shortest history of all those playing today - and the Jets won Super Bowl III! Tonight's games should at least be entertaining...

And finally... *gasp* Mission 101 progress! I managed to squeeze in North By Northwest this morning, chalking up another *SCORE*-let for Task 28

28 - Watch one "classic" film for each month of my Mission (12/33)

It's been a while, but I'm hoping to make some more progress this month...

Bit sneaky, this entry, as it covers me until next year *grins*, but yesterday, I actually managed to put a dent in a problematic Mission 101 Task, and chalk up another movie for

28 Watch one "classic" film for each month of my Mission (10/33)

namely From Here To Eternity (1953). So many of the movies that fit my criteria are either cowboy movies (which I have no love for) or war films (which I'll watch if they're any good) - this fits in the latter category, but From Here... was good - Frank Sinatra was particularly surprising as the hero's seemingly solitary friend in the world, and the whole setting, Hawai'i prior to Pearl Harbour, melted into the background until the very end as military men show themselves as either all too human, or all too inhuman. Definitely a "war" film for people who don't like war films. 8/10

I could possibly fill my quota for 2010 with some effort tomorrow - I should have sufficient movies "on file" - but naaah. It's not like I have anything special planned for tomorrow night - apart from sitting down with Scott Pilgrim and an onion bhaji sandwich - but I'm not needing any stress. Unlike previous years, we're not expecting anyone for "the bells" on what's going to be the last New Year at this address...

No. NOT going to be as "heavy" as it might sound. Goodbye "Year of Change", hello "Son of Year of Change"...

And finally... Here's a new Task!

99 Reach an audience!

More on this very soon!

Hey, here's a task I haven't even looked at previously...

62 - Totally revise my blog template

- so now, I've gone ahead and switched templates! First impressions are fairly positive, although this isn't entirely what I'm looking for (a customer header image and more control over the colours would be welcome for a start) - even so, can I perhaps declare a *SCORE* here, all the same...?

Oh, go on then.

On Other Tasks... I'm still struggling with

28 Watch one "classic" film for each month of my Mission (9/33)

- I was trying to watch The Lion In Winter (1968), but the cold, and the somewhat frigid theme rather sapped my enthusiasm. I'll watch out for another showing of this, and stick it on the DVR, for future consumption - alongside Kind Hearts And Coronets, the original Solaris and currently recording North By Northwest - oh, and another I can't recall the name of right now...

Yeah, diligent, aren't I? Well, at least one of my Patent Saturday 2010 gifts should help me along with that (check back on Wednesday for the full story!).

Meh... nothing much to report. Was trying to watch a "classic" - This Sporting Life - but I'm falling asleep in my chair (again). "Classic" seems to mean "working class misery", and it's simply not grabbing me, no matter what Barry "Britain's Greatest Film Critic" Norman says.

Rather glad I changed my Mission 101 "classic movie a month" task...

And yes, I was watching Transformers earlier - my, what an uncultured Hollywood-zombie that makes me, doesn't it, Barry? *insert a nice juicy raspberry...*

Been busy piecing together the Appearances list for the "To Be Continued" Glitterthorn profile, and boy has it been an intensive endeavour...

Meanwhile... Ye gods, Mission 101 progress!

28 - Watch one "classic" movie a month (4/33)

in this case - I managed to cram in Fort Apache (1948), this afternoon. Not quite the usual "hooray for the cavalry" business, as some of the injustices against the Native Americans do get addressed, only for the commanding officer to just forget it all and charge in to teach the "savages" a lesson whilst more savvy Captain John Wayne looks on in disbelief - only to heroically monologue at the end, and rather blunt the message. And was that really Shirley Temple...?

Short And Sweet: A brave attempt to right a few wrongs that doesn't quite manage it. 3/5

Maybe more later...

Development News.. The current "story in progress", CHA-001 "Comes - THE CHALLENGER!", will now stretch to a finalised THREE chapters, even though it was initially planned to be just a "one-shot". Now, all I need is the blog hosting, and that's a step closer - I may even be able to get it running in some form tonight, or tomorrow...

Meanwhile... it looks like I may just have found a suitable movie for Task 28 - "On The Waterfront", on at lunchtime tomorrow! Yay!

Now, if only this damn touchpad would stop bloody zooming in on everything - and I could find a mouse that won't go screwy on me...

And finally... Waiting on the end of the Scotland-Ireland Six Nations rugby...

...YES! 23-20 Scotland! No Wooden Spoon this year!

Development News... I really need to limit the length of my chapters somehow. The final chapter of TDD-605 "She Returns" now totals 11 "screens" - and the event the whole story has been building to hasn't happened yet. I have had to "make room" for something that will be important fairly soon, which has added at least three screens to the whole thing - but this will lead to the answer to one of the biggest questions in Season 6: "why are The Unified Response and The Confederacy NOT on the same side?"

I am still aiming to have this chapter, and this story, "in the can" by Sunday's end. I want a "clean slate" (of sorts) for Monday, so that I can focus on Work, and get to grips with it on the first day. However long this lasts, I want to do it right, and this isn't work that'll allow for extended writing breaks. I may have been paid for Work Slot 1, but the income is ALWAYS welcome.

And then there's the whole "Mum's broken shoulder" thing. That has gotten in the way of creativity this week, but helping her deal with the injury is REALLY important. She's had WAY too much stress this last year, and this is another kick up the arse that she DOES NOT DESERVE. If the universe has been trying to tell her to take it easy, this is NOT the way. Bad universe - BAD!

Mission 101... Hmmm, got a small problem. I could be about to score my first failed task...

28 - Watch one "classic" film a month (1/33+1)

'cause I haven't been able to catch a proper classic, one I haven't seen, this month. A couple of times, there have been suitable movies on, but I miss them, either entirely or in part - I could count Brighton Rock as an official movie for this task, rather than a "bonus". I'd prefer not to squib-kick a task just two months in...

Meanwhile, I could be about to officially kick off another task (or two)

47 - Refresh my art skills
50 - Create "proper" pieces of art, fit to hang, or give as gifts

as I very much have something in mind, amply helped by getting the printer/scanner operational again. With the aid of that piece of equipment, I can take a work in progress that never progressed, and turn into a real hangable painting!

Oh, and now I've been paid, I can seriously consider getting hosting for thepatentdragon.com...