EA300 TMA 02 Word Cloud

By the time that this is posted I'll probably have my results back for this TMA, I'll let you know how that goes.

This TMA was another one with two options, I went for the second one because when I read it I could immediately see how it related to what I'd been reading in the course book, whereas the first option didn't really grab me at all (until I'd read further in the course book and understood what it was talking about, but still didn't want to write about it).

I'm pleased that 'boys' and 'girls' are the two largest words as these were one of the main things I was talking about. I'm not sure how close to the mark I was but as long as I pass I'll be happy.

One of the main issues that was raised in the tutor notes from my last assignment was that I relied on quoting the study guide too much. This time I don't think I quoted from it once, instead I used the Readers a massive amount, which is what you're supposed to do. Hopefully that'll be reflected in my marks, as long as I've not waffled on for nearly 2,000 words about the wrong thing!

Day Zero Project: Write at least one letter to a friend each month

My letter writing target kind of goes long with the address book target that I set myself. Unfortunately this is one that I'm yet to achieve. I send letters sporadically but I've not gotten into a routine of actually writing letters to my friends.

To be fair, they've got busy lives as well and it's not always practical to exchange letters that frequently.

All the same, I really enjoy writing letters, when the time allows, so I'll hopefully work on this one so that I do get into the habit of writing to people more often. This is a good time of year to get into it, I guess, because I've got Christmas cards to send and it wouldn't hurt to include a little written note in with them.

Day Zero Project: Get An Address Book

Back when I made this list I was existing with a little old-fashioned Nokia phone. I'd decided that I wanted to write to friends regularly but whenever I wanted to send a little surprise letter I would ruin the surprise by having to ask someone for their address. Usually I'd do this via Facebook or online over a forum, so I'd have the message saved somewhere but not having internet access at home, I wouldn't be able to get to the details I needed.

So when I made my Day Zero list I decided that getting an address book should be a top priority. So I did. I managed to tick this target off within a month of making my list.

Then a few months later I got an iPhone. The address book has gotten buried somewhere and all of my addresses are stored in my contacts list in my phone. Or if I lose one, I can just send a message via Facebook or on a forum, and I have access to it.

I'm all set as long as I have power and internet access.

I'm beginning to think that it might be a good time to dig out that address book after all...

Book 43 of 2013: Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett

I finished reading all of the Discworld books earlier in the year but I still have quite a collection of Terry Pratchett books to read. Only You Can Save Mankind was the first non-Discworld Terry Pratchett book that I've read in, well, a long time.

This is the first in the Johnny Maxwell series of books and introduces the character of Johnny, a teenager who unexpectedly finds himself in a computer game. It's the classic sort of game, you have to kill the aliens, except that one day while playing the aliens in the game surrender, which is not supposed to happen. It's up to Johnny to save the aliens, whilst having to deal with school, homework and 'Trying Times'.

I wasn't sure whether or not I would enjoy this. I mean, I love Terry Pratchett and everything he writes, but I've got into the way of the Disc and I was concerned that coming back to the real world might not suit me so well. But I got really into it. I had to keep putting it down to go to work and things, but I read it really quickly because I just didn't want to stop!

In a way it's a little bit dated. The games Johnny plays are on discs on his computer, there's no mention of a console anywhere and yet, it's surprisingly undated at the same time. One of his friends is able to break pretty much any copy protection on the games and keeps Johnny supplied with all the latest hits. There's no mention of motion sensors or photorealistic games, but the idea of teenage boys holing themselves up in their bedrooms defending the galaxy is still fairly common.

It was kind of nice because I remember those old games. I used to love playing The Hobbit, the old text-based game. Me and my Dad made a project out of it and worked out what would happen at each turning point on a massive map. I remember getting our first Playstation and thinking that all the graphics were fantastic, only to go back to the same games years later and realise that everyone in the Harry Potter games had cuboid heads. Nowadays TV adverts for games show actual clips from the games, not a bunch of funky images with a little disclaimer at the bottom saying that's not actual game footage. Reading Only You Can Save Mankind made me feel a little nostalgic.

I really like the character of Johnny. I think modern kids would still relate to him. His parents are going through a sticky patch and computer games are his way to escape. It still has the classic Terry Pratchett humour that I've come to expect as well. I love some of the things that Johnny and his friends end up coming out with as they hang out together.

This is the first book in a trilogy and I have the others on my bookcase just waiting to get around to them. Unfortunately studying Children's Literature is delaying me somewhat, which is ironic, considering these would probably be classed as Children's Literature. I'm looking forward to when I am finally able to read them.

Book 42 of 2013: The Uninhabited House by J.H. Riddell

I'm quite behind on typing up my books reviews, and as I've been terribly disorganised about posting during the last couple of weeks, so I'm going to spam my blog with some book reviews for the next few days. Starting with a book I read way back in the summer during the HTV Reading Challenge.

I was looking for a book with a title beginning with the letter U for the Summer challenge and found a book called The Uninhabited House by J.H. Riddell for free to download for my Kindle. It looked like a nice short read, which it was.

It's the story of an old house which is owned by a poor woman but which cannot be sold or let out due to a resident ghost who scares away all prospective renters. A young lawyer agrees to stay in the house in order to prove that there is nothing wrong with the house.

I wasn't expecting it to be a ghost story, I didn't read any blurb or information about it before I started so that came as a bit of a shock when I realised the direction it was taking. That did slow me down a bit because I was reading it in bed at night and I didn't want to wind up frightening myself, so I had to set it down and finish it the next morning. If I'd not chickened out I would've read it all in one sitting.

It's the sort of story that would make good reading at this time of year, rather than in the summer when I read it, because I always associate Christmas time with Victorian ghost stories (thank you Mr Dickens). It had a bit of everything in it; the creepy ghost story, the romance, the technical legal stuff.

It was a nice simple quick read and one which I'm sure to revisit again in the future.

Project 52: Community Band

I've kind of slipped up with my Project 52 posts. I have been taking photos but I've sort of stopped following the themes set on the BBC site. I'm just taking photos of things that I like and want to photograph. It's working out a bit better for motivating me actually, so I'm going to finish up the year photographing what I want to.

As I said yesterday, we went out to the Christmas Fayre on the square at the centre of town and the community band played for almost an hour. I'd been asked to take my camera with me to get some photos for them. It'd been a while since I'd had my camera out and it was good to have an excuse to take photos, completely unposed.

I spent the first bit of the session with my little lens on and taking photos of everyone, but once I knew I'd got a few which they could use I started playing around a bit and taking photos of things I wanted to. I don't normally have an excuse to take photos of actual people, so I had good fun doing it.

Community Band

Right from when it started I wanted to get a photo like the one above. I wanted to look through an instrument or between two of the band members at their music. This one turned out exactly the way I wanted it to.

I've been asked to take photos at the concert they'll be doing later in the week and I was a little bit unsure about doing it, but I had so much fun yesterday that I'm quite looking forward to it now.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Today has been a very Christmassy sort of Saturday. It's actually the first of several Christmassy Saturdays as next week is my work's Christmas night out (when I'll be having my first of three Christmas dinners).

This afternoon was the Royal British Legion's Christmas Fayre and the local community band were playing carols. I'd been asked to act as official photographer for the day so we headed down early so I could do some last minute Christmas shopping and pick up some cards for family and friends.

It was a wonderful boost to my Christmas spirit. The moment they started playing Good King Wenceslas I couldn't help but feel all excited and Christmassy. So when we got home I banished Mr Click to the living room and took all the presents I had upstairs to sort and wrap.



He'd put my main presents under the tree the other day, that's them on the right. I wrapped the two in front and the pile to the left which includes his birthday presents.

I decided to be really organised this year and started Christmas shopping in August. Unfortunately I didn't keep a list so I wound up buying a few extra gifts. Some are going to be stocking fillers but one has been redesignated as a birthday present from our Tara-Tup to Mr Click for his birthday.

Speaking of Tara, her main present arrived today; a Kong Wobbler! I really can't wait to see what she thinks of it on Christmas Day; I think it's as much a present for us as it is for her!