Well, the bub was born. Patrick (after Ness' recently deceased grandmother Patricia) Jathan (my middle name) Angus (Ness' brother) Hayes. I argued against two middle names on the grounds of wankiness. She argued against the made up and bevan sounding nature of Jathan. It is actually a latin variation on Jonathan and goes a long way back on my dad's side. As always a good compromise left all involved disgruntled.

The labour was 4 hours long and drug free, in stark contrast to the 19 hour marathon last time. Both Mum and Bub are well and happy.

These things should come with a warning label: "Attention, use of this organism will fuck your life for a period of at least 3 months, and depending upon variation degrees of fuckedness may persist for greater than twenty years"

Life changes

Ok, 7 months between updates seems adequate. I'm back at work now and expecting a new baby in 2 months. Geez I am looking forward to having a small, demanding, unrewarding and crying shit-machine back in the house. Hell yeah. I'm also looking forward to having no time to devote to anything apart from the family and the new baby. Bye-Bye boardgames. Bye Bye computer games.

Esther has been lovely and a good sleeper, but the law of averages dictates that the next one will be a turd. I'm sure I will love it when it arrives, but that doesn't mean that I have to look forward to the initial months of hard work.

It seems a shame as it is so pleasant to have the toddler and us in the house. My time off has been very pleasurable but of course that money doesn't earn itself. I've got twelve months of work ahead of me prior to going off to look after the kid(s) again.

I'm scratching as I type

I think that one post over three months is a schedule I can handle. I am now a home dad. I am viewing this with a bit of trepidation. How will my days fill? Will I be able to handle the home duties? Luckily my masculinity is more on show due to my pathetic beard that I have grown since ceasing work. Oh boy do I like scratching my face.

My first task is setting up my parents and their place to be able to handle Esther. Then, with a little training I can leave her there for a day a week. I've got my GP fellowship exam coming up in September and October (Costing the better part of three and a half grand), so initially this will be "study time", although hopefully eventually this will become "online gaming time."
To those in the know, this has moved from Counter Strike to Battlefield 2. BF2 is infinitely more buggy and less user friendly, but my friends are playing this and I have played a number of years of CS.

I've never been much of a studier, but the $3500 is a big incentive to study. I don't want to sit that baby more than once. Luckily my academic record since my first degree is much improved. In an interesting little quirk. I failed most of the first couple of year of IT due to computer game playing! Ohhh ho ho the irony!

Poo

Well, I went home last week to have a relaxing 2 hours over lunch with the baby crying the whole time. At least some counter-strike got done. There's nothing like the soothing sound of an AK-47 to drown out cranky baby.

I never knew we had a red-headed baby until she has started to poo after starting solids. There is something about a baby looking you right in the eye as its whole bald head goes bright red from trying to poo. It is a little confronting, although I'm sure I'm not telling the parents anything.

Played some battletech last night, after a hiatus of a couple of years. My regular Monday night gaming (coming to you since 1993) began with about 5 or six years of weekly battletech. it was like coming back to an old friend. Of course, nick still kicked our arses, as he did for years. We seem to move clumsily about whilst he jinks and turns whilst hitting on 12's.

I'm looking foward to critical mass this Friday, I should turn up with a couple of friends. MMmmm, other people's expensive Games.

Work, Work, Tiresome Work

Well, here I am at work updating "The blog with no market!"

Work is a little quiet today for some reason. Nobody is obviously feeling too crook. On the upside, I might make it home for Lunch with the missus and the baby. Hopefully the missus might find this an attractive diversion from exclusive care of the baby.

Should hopefully have my four new games when I get home today :
1. Santiago, an interesting little game where you place plantations and pipe water to them
2. Shadows over Camelot, a game where you get fucked hard in the arse
3. Though the Deser, pastal camels
4. Frank's Zoo, Arsehole with animals and a few interesting tweaks.


I'm resisting the tempation to but Coloretto and No Thanks! (aka geschecnkt). Of course it is only 40 bucks, who would miss 40 bucks?

Who cares?

Well, here we are. First post. Not that I imagine anyone gives a fuck though, although a grain of hope deep down inside always thinks that world would just love to hear what you're saying.

I think I'm swearing too much. I was at Wednesday night games, treating it like Monday night games with my friends. We were getting slaughtered at "Shadows over Camelot," when I quite reasonably thought and said "We're getting fucked in the arse here." Now we were quite clearly getting fucked painfully in the arse, but the point is perhaps I shouldn't have said that.

This thought was only reinforced when I was at Monday night games (you following?) recounting this anecdote when my friend's 3 year old looked at me and said "That's a naughty word." And this from a household with occasional swearing.

So unless I want little Esther's first words to be "I need some more rice cereal you f*cking c**t sucking motherf*cker," I need to reduce the swearing. I see this as Ness' fault. I've asked her to pull me up when I swear, but she just won't. So it must be her fault.

I've got a couple of games on order from milsims, which may or may not arrive anytime soon. Of course, this is just social drug use compared to friendless' full on coke habit. I can give it up at any time. I just don't want to.

Wham

Test me up, before you Go-Go, 'cos I'm not planning on goin' solo.