2017 Things I'd like to do

Like resolutions but with a firm admittance that I'm not really in the business of tracking my own progress on anything. I can only do what I can. So these are all things I would like to do, some are personal, some are for the family. I want to do more socialising but at the moment it's so hard to plan or think about what that might take. I'd love to get back into roleplaying face to face. I do like Roll20 but it doesn't beat face to face.

Minecraft

  • Finish the Cloudship at South Castle. done
  • Build 5 more buildings in Nordcastle. (1/5)
  • Circle line from Byrn's Bunker to the Uber store. done
  • Decorate the insides of buildings at the Vertislum. 40% done.
  • Light the inside of Ringwall so that no mobs spawn there. done

Creativity

  • 200 words a day. paused - I've finished it
  • Edit my novel.
  • Make 10 YouTube videos. (4/10)
  • Get 50% through the Icar version 5 rewrite. 20%

Drones

  • Fly 10 times outside. (6/10)
  • Fly the Inductrix Macaron inside 10 times. done ... easily!
  • Get through an air gate reliably.

I'd like to get new set of goggles but we'er on the cusp of everything going digital (which is waaaay better) so I'm holding off for that. My flying chums have been practising gates by using some cheap pop up goals from Amazon, so I might get some of those when the weather turns.

For others

  • Teach Felix to ride a bike. done
  • Get the garage turned into a room with a roof garden. Started
  • Naomi to survive 6 months. done
  • Kate to restart her counselling course. postponed

Edit - the words graph.

Comments

So I'm making some good progress this year. I've becoming inventive if eeking out time and concentrating on a few things. I also like having measurable goals - which I know Pete is really good at setting.

I managed to get flying last Wednesday and re-maidened the Tweaker 180 on the new flight controller (the USB port on the old one was knackered). Without any tuning at all, it flies really well. The only "vibration" I got was when I was descending into unclean prop wash. That's kind of expected, I'm not sure any flight controller can deal with that turbulence yet. I went down to the old park and ride car park by Showcase (after seeing Rogue One) and it's an OK spot but I'm not a big fan. Flying over concrete amplifies any cockups.

In Minecraft, I've completed the Circle Line as far as it needs to go for now. Being able to go from the Uberstore to the Village easily is a boon although I'm quite taken with riding horses at the moment and have them littered in stables around the map. I've started decorating the Vertislum, which I can do in 30 minute batches. Using Shulker boxes to hold all the stuff I need is excellent, well worth the Ender Dragon killing spree.

I've started collecting a list of architect/builders for turning the garage into a roof garden and lab and we're also looking at putting a mini conservatory on the back of the house. We just need more space!

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I was dreading looking at this post again. The thought of not really achieving much in a year was terrible however, now looking back I've done quite well. I might add a few more bits.

Minecraft has been a wonderful, relaxing escape from screaming babies, pressure at work and that feeling of time rushing by. I can pop in, do an hour of something or other and feel like I've achieved a little more. Bit by bit lots of cool things have got done and I can wander around the world proudly knowing that I did things. The World Of Colour update for Minecraft has fixed a bunch of the dodgy colours (particularly yellow), which is making the interiors of the Vertislum much more fun to do. I'm about 40% the way through and on track.

My novel is finished in draft. It goes from start to finish but it's now time to go back through it. I've left it alone for 3 months to give myself some space. A few characters need sorting out (they're just bland) and the writing in places is just tedious but I do like the protagonist and I think the story is worth telling. I've made 4 flying videos, I still want to try doing some Minecraft actual play but I think that might take the form of "things going on L-O" rather than a single player survival.

I've also started rewriting the rule system of Icar, simplifying some mechanics and amplifying the things that make it different.

My drone flying has come along hugely. This is where I was 2 years ago:

This is where I am now:

Hardly UK national worthy but it's easy to see how the build of my quads has improved along with my flying. I don't feel like I've solved "Fly through an airgate reliably" just yet but I think that's achievable. Getting out to fly is so sporadic right now.

As for other things - Felix can now ride a bike, which is a great boon (even if we don't ride that often). He's got his own list of challenges to face. "Riding to a toy shop" perhaps being the best. We're just confidence boosting now, and practising going up hills (standing up) and so on.

The architects have done the survey and are creating the plans to submit to the council. That's very exciting. Perhaps done by Christmas but I'm not holding my breath. Kate has decided to postpone restarting her counselling course to look after Naomi, who is a little more clingy than Felix was. That's OK, I was all ready to support her and we had the money ready to pay for it.

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Minecraft

My plans went sideways with this one as I started an insane secret project that became something of an industrial secret project. It's a massive challenge that might require an intervention. It's going well, I think I'm about 60% through.

Drones

I've been flying my 80mm Macaron in the car park under the White Building on most Thursday nights (fam and drone serviceability). It's been great fun, here's the only video I have of it, I'm actually a great deal quicker now!

I hope to get out during next summer. Naomi will be less of a handful and I won't feel so bad abandoning Kate with her. I've got an upgrade to do on the Macaron, which will change its flight dynamics and give me a better picture.

I'm hoping that with some Christmas kindness from the fam, I'll have enough savings for new goggles as mine are so far behind the curve, my experience isn't that great.

Architects

Design Work Studios were legends and we got planning permission but we're on pause until after Brexit. It'll be about 70K, which the Bank will happily give us but our bills are increasing slowly and Kate will be going back to college to finish her counselling next September. That all puts a squeeze on things. I've not had a pay rise in 4 years, so am paid a little below the market rate but the intangibles are still worth the gap.

Icar v5

The numbers are largely complete (in a big spreadsheet) and I've started on writing up improved space combat rules. I've done a lot more of it than I planned!

The novel has languished but now I've got two to start editing because...

Bonus - NaNoWriMo

This came out of nowhere. I was itching to write and had a story idea. I decided to do it more publicly than before. It's set in the modern day in Reading and I found it quite easy to shit out nearly 2000 words a day.

Children Stuff

  • Naomi hit 1 year old today, she's lovely.
  • Felix learnt to ride a bike and his longest trip was around campus (we did about 3km I think).
  • Felix went on a tech camp, where he built Mindstorms robots in various challenges for a week. He loved it.

All in all, a cracking year. I've managed to keep Sunday game nights going and a bit of Elite on Mondays. I've even attended a few Swamps this year.

Now, like Pete, time to think up some goals for 2018.

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