Well damn, January flew by far more quickly than I was prepared for! Into the good stuff.

A portion of the script is written for the id video, but I realised that in order to draw the links I'm drawing and validate my opinions, I need to do a bunch of research. I knew this was required before I started work on the project, but because the nature of my 'statement' changed, the amount and type of research I've done is inadequate. I could guess or gloss over a lot of stuff to rush the video out, but I wouldn't be happy with the final product, and I don't think you would either. I always try to ensure the facts are air-tight and well-researched so that there's no debate on silly things which should already be known. You also can't make assertions on Falsehoods or Unknowns, and anything which potentially undermines the credibility of the statement and the supporting evidence must be nullified with further evidence. Can't build a house without a foundation. I vastly underestimated how much total effort such a simple shift in focus would create.

And with that, January was spent writing the script, reading old-ass articles, watching decade-old dev interviews, re-reading Masters of Doom, and playing Quake 1 and expansions through their entirety. We're running through an id timeline and I'm currently up to Quake 1 in the script. The amount of research effort is represented in the quality of information, not the volume written. That's to say, writing the Quake 1 section will be relatively quick, especially when compared to its research efforts. The other sections will be a similar effort.

Future effort effectively requires research on multiple games, and even though the scope is focused, it still takes time to unearth and digest all this stuff. It's 7-8 games' worth of research in 1 video. I have terabytes (yes, plural) of footage to draw from, so much footage that I had to store some of the files on an external drive. On the upside, I've been able to squeeze more time here and there, working toward completion. It'll be done when it's done.

What's Blondie playin'?

I finished Hell of Fear: Mind Breach, and enjoyed the experience. Not as much variance as I'd hoped, but still engaging from start to finish.

I also 'finished' Cold Fear. I say 'finished' because the end boss can fuck itself. Inconsistent hit detection made it a chore I wasn't willing to slog through, so I watched the final cutscene on Youtube and called it a day.

Just started Cronos: The New Dawn. Only 1.5hrs in, but I enjoy exploring, and the mystery of the setting is pulling me along quite nicely.

Ambitions

On the back of last month's mention of mini essays, I wrote 1 this month and could have written a couple more but chose to focus on the video instead. The ideas are benched for later.

Personal ambitions

Running: this is the last day of my de-load week, and boy was it needed. I'm getting a good feel for how long I can push my body before it needs a slower recovery week, and although I can stretch it out to 8 weeks, once a month is the sweet spot. The key is to retain the gains while not overtaxing the neuromuscular system. It's been surprisingly easy to jog slower and take it easy this week, and it makes me appreciate how hard the normal sessions really are. An eye-opener, but I'll enjoy ramping up to faster times again.

Food: I've cut a lot of superfluous junk from the diet. The binge-donuts have been replaced with protein cookies, and I've avoided most sweets and artery-bursting pub meals. Portion sizes are still a struggle, but the only way I'll get on top of it is by counting calories. I'm still not ready for that, so instead I'll focus on keeping the protein high and the carbs/fats lower, particularly coming into the evening. I'll cut evening carbs in half and remove between-meal snacking and see how that goes.

Also been reading a tonne more, that's another commitment I'm trying to focus on. I can't get uninterrupted stretches of time, so just pulling a book out when it looks like I'll have a 'spare' few minutes. So far it's worked surprisingly well. I'm on my 3rd book and it's barely been a month. The reading priority alternates between fiction and non-fiction to keep things fresh. Currently reading The Catcher in the Rye (yes, this is my first time reading it...).

Hope you folks are doing well, wherever you hail from. Until next month.