2011, We Hardly Knew Ya
Apparently, at the end of the year, it is a common practiceto look back at the previous year and forward to the new year. Not one to buck tradition, unless I feel like it, here is my look back at 2011:
Games
Highs
- SWTOR Released: I’m still having a lot of fun playing this game. It definitely feels like Star Wars and the story is great. Game play ain’t bad either.
- Skyrim- While I didn’t get very far due to SWTOR, I did enjoy what I played. It’s a beautiful game with lots of options of what to do.
- Rise of Isengard- I enjoyed this expansion, even though I got distracted before I finished playing all of it. But since it’s F2P, I can hop back in anytime I want.
- STO’s DOFF system- while STO will make up a large chunk of the Lows, the DOFF system is well done and fun to play.
Lows
- SWTOR Released: Due to the launch of this game, I never finished the LOTRO expansion or Skyrim. There’s always next year.
- STO saw very little content added to the game. The Foundry was a nice idea, but incomplete and hasn’t been touched since it was released. There was only one Featured Episode series this year and aside from the ground combat revamp (which was a positive) there was hardly anything added until the very end of the year, and that included a lot of stupid grindy changes.
- Bought Portal 2 on sale a week before it went on sale for half the price I paid for it. Still haven’t had time to play it yet. That’s for 2012.
Geekery
Highs
- Found some good new tv this year: Burn Notice, Once Upon a Time, Psych
- Got a Kindle and have enjoyed reading from it.
- Google Music has worked great. I have all my music available from anywhere. Started working on getting all my pictures onto Picasa as well.
Lows
- No new Stargate. No new Star Trek. In fact, no new space based sci-fi TV period. That is a sad point for television.
- Was disappointed in several shows that I tried: Freaks and Geeks, Grimm, Person of Interest
Politics
Highs
- Occupy Movement kick started national awareness of the inequality of incomes and power amongst the majority of Americans.
- The 50 million Republican debates. Why are these a good thing? Because they’ve shown how idiotic all of the candidates are.
- End of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
- Withdrawal of final troops from Iraq.
Lows
- We may have gotten redistricted into Ron Paul’s district. At least this means I can vote against him, though he’s been in power so long it’s unlikely to make a difference.
- The whole debt ceiling non-issue that was turned into an issue and paralyzed the whole system.
- A completely ineffectual Congress
- SOPA
- Most people still have no idea what the Occupy movement is about. The media coverage has been terrible.
Writing
Highs
- My first novel was released! It has been one year since I quit my job and I managed to write, re-write, edit and get published one entire novel. I call that an accomplishment.
- I tried my hand at some short stories. I enjoyed the process, even though I don’t think any of them are fit for release.
- Not finding an agent or traditional publisher. You’d think this might be a down side, but I think I’ll be much happier working with GGP than I would have been with a big company. I have more control of my work and am more involved. There’s no big advance, but I’ll get more per book sale. Might not make as much, but I am not writing to become rich. That would just be a nice bonus.
Lows
- Despite every intention, I did not finish the first draft of book 2 before the end of the year.
