News Archives: August 2006

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Rescue Dogs

I'm sure everyone has gathered by now that Zak is a rescue dog. He's not an ex-racer, but most rescue greyhounds are, and are equally lovable. The RSPCA is currently organising a petition to ensure that all racing greyhounds get the chance to enjoy their retirement. Their call centres on regulation of all tracks (not just some, as at present) and a retirement fund to pay for re-homing retired dogs. I've signed it, and encourage everyone else to do the same.

Posted by graham @ 07:42 pm

Relaxing Doggies

A few photos, taken by Claire on Monday, that I thought some of you might like to see.

What do I do with this?

Like this!

Like this?

No, like this!

Okay, I think I have the idea...

For some sense of scale, we're pretty sure those are cow shin bones...

This last one was taken on Friday. That's Andy's knee half-covering Tara. The angle makes Tara look smaller than she is...

Posted by graham @ 07:26 pm

Monday, August 7, 2006

More on Zak

GAL have done a quick search of their records, and found out that Zak was born around November. No one seems to know the exact date. So he's about twenty-one months old now.

He's starting to settle in now, and all three pets are now happy to lie around in the same room/garden. There's still a way to go on his training, but we're making definite progress.

Today we bought the doggies roasted bones. Enormous, half-a-cow-leg bones. Claire took some photos, so I'll see about posting them later.

Posted by graham @ 07:54 pm

Thursday, August 3, 2006

Meeting Zak

By the way, if anyone wants to drop round and meet Zak, feel free. I don't think we've got anything planned the next couple of evenings, for instance...

Posted by graham @ 03:31 pm

A Week, Backwards

Zak is currently laid on the rug behind me, cleaning a scrub on his flank. He acquired the scrub last night when he and Tara both tried to run full-tilt up the patio steps at the same time. They don’t both fit, and being lighter, Zak was the one who collided with the wall. Generally, yesterday was bad for him – involving enforced ear, eye, and tooth cleaning, vaccinations, and general vetly prodding. He’s generally a wimp, screaming the place down at the slightest touch of a needle.

Erm, who’s Zak?

Zak is the newest addition to our household, a two year old, blue-brindle greyhound that we are fostering for three months, to provide him with some desperately needed training. (After three months we get first option to adopt…) We first met him at the GAL hot dog show, back in June, and instantly fell in love with his gorgeous looks and desire for affection. Zak was bought as a pet, probably at great expense, and then handed in for re-homing at nine months, as he’d become too big and boisterous. Possibly that sounds worse than it is – he is a handful, and I can’t blame people for not being able to cope. We, however, are used to boisterous dogs of more monstrous proportions…

We collected Zak from the kennels on Tuesday morning. (That was an adventure in its own right, with joy-riders and badly driven trucks. Thankfully we survived…) He’s been in the kennels for most of the last fifteen months or so. Previous re-homing attempts fell through for various reasons, but he’s now very worried about when he will be returned. If things work out that’ll be never, but the other pets get a veto here. Tara and Zak are still working out dominance issues. Which bed to sleep on, which bowl to eat from. Most of that seems to have been settled on Tuesday, mainly by Claire and I saying, “That one’s yours.”

Meanwhile Cisco jumped up on the windowsill to ask for in, and spotted Zak. He had this funny expression, almost to say, “What have they done to the hound? Are they going to shave me too?” I called him in, and then he spotted Tara. Cue huffing. “They’ve got another one! They didn’t even ask!”

Later, he came in, and sat in one corner glowering. Zak went over, tail wagging, and carefully sniffed. Cisco tolerated this for a moment, then gave a warning hiss. Zak immediately walked away, and laid down. Moments later, cat was sniffing dog, and that ended Cisco’s worries about having a second dog in the house – although he is still sulking.

So, if you met Zak in June, why wait until this week to foster him?

Last weekend was Continuum, our bi-annual trek south to Leicester for the finest gaming convention in Britain.

High Point : So many to choose from. Probably the pirate freeform/drinking game, which was exactly as much fun as that combination could possibly be. I loved the flirting, the drunkness, organising a “time of fifth death” sweepstake, and the lovely touch that a letter I couldn’t read in character was written in German, so I couldn’t read it anyway…

Otherwise time was spent chatting, drinking, eating at the local Wetherspoons, singing, and, yes, even gaming. (I played two board games – San Juan, a sort of card game version of Peurto Rico, in which I came badly last; and Shadows Over Camelot, a fun co-operative game that works in all the ways Arkham Horror doesn’t, in which I pulled off a narrow victory as the traitor…)

Low Point : I expected this to be the shock, last-minute absence of Mike Gibb, but even that major omission was over-shadowed by the train-wreck that was Sunday’s freeform. Any freeform can go wrong, but the writers can make it far more likely. And this game’s authors threw at us broken and overly-complicated rules, a constant need for GM intervention (including the dozen player, three GM, three hour mini-table-top session in the middle of the game…), and a million and one reasons why players couldn’t even talk to each other. Normally enthusiastic players walked out at the first excuse, others congregated in one area that quickly became the “bitch about the game” tent. One group of players made a passable stab at fixing the broken economic rules, and were then the subject of complaints from the game’s authors. Claire and I took an hour and a half lunch-break, and seriously considered not returning. Oh dear.

Which is a shame, as many of the underlying ideas were good, just let down by the execution. I’d say that the authors might learn from this, and write a much better game next time, but their attitude that those complaining don’t get freeforms, or were just wrong, suggests otherwise.

Spirit of the Con Award : Chris, who arrived at the con within seven days of first hearing of it, took on major roles in freeforms, earning praise from fellow players and GMs alike, and even threw himself into the dreaded Sing-Along-A-Nick. The dude’s good in my book.

Biggest Surprise : After the pirate game, I suddenly realised I’d just gone from pleasantly drunk to overly drunk, and immediately went to bed. I didn’t know I could be that sensible...

Overall : One bad game, running the bar out of beer, and a few missing faces cannot spoil a magnificent con. The news that attendance went up by around eighty people is encouraging for the future, and I hope to see everyone at Tentacles next Whitsun

Any news from before the con?

Does anyone want to hear about the M6 turning into the world’s longest car park? Nah, didn’t think so.

Posted by graham @ 01:00 pm

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