April 2024
Apple Music App - Sync Library
Apr 30 2024
Since I have an Apple Music subscription I decided to enable Sync Library which primary does:
1. replace lower quality audio files with ones from Apple Music
2. for unmatched files, upload them to the cloud (not your iCloud account, max 200 MB file size)
3. make that music available on all your Apple devices
I made a backup beforehand. In the end, after checking a couple of months later, it did not delete any files.
It did move stuff around, especially for my use case where I set album artist so that say Hannah Montana is grouped with Miley Cyrus. For that though just opening file info in Apple Music fixed it so I'd recommend using list view to view all your music files then do get info on one and scroll through your whole music library.
The above should solve most problems. I noticed some albums got moved to Compilations because the Album is Compilation flag was enabled so turning the flag off fixed those albums.
That's pretty much it. Much less troublesome than I thought it'd be.
1. replace lower quality audio files with ones from Apple Music
2. for unmatched files, upload them to the cloud (not your iCloud account, max 200 MB file size)
3. make that music available on all your Apple devices
I made a backup beforehand. In the end, after checking a couple of months later, it did not delete any files.
It did move stuff around, especially for my use case where I set album artist so that say Hannah Montana is grouped with Miley Cyrus. For that though just opening file info in Apple Music fixed it so I'd recommend using list view to view all your music files then do get info on one and scroll through your whole music library.
The above should solve most problems. I noticed some albums got moved to Compilations because the Album is Compilation flag was enabled so turning the flag off fixed those albums.
That's pretty much it. Much less troublesome than I thought it'd be.
Diary - Apr 20 to Apr 26 2024
Apr 27 2024
Sat Apr 20 2024
Sleep 0345 to 0815, 1 hour nap (5-1/2 hours)
Sun Apr 21 2024
Sleep 0145 to 0815, 1230 to 1600 (11 hours)
Mon Apr 22 2024
Sleep 0400 to 1330 (9-1/2 hours)
Tue Apr 23 2024
Sleep 0830 to 1045 (2-1/4 hours)
Wed Apr 24 2024
Sleep 2030 to 0115, 0615 to 1030. (9 hours)
Thu Apr 25 2024
Sleep 1130 to 0300, 0630 to 1100 (8 hours)
Fri Apr 26 2024
Sleep 2330 to 0045, 0545 to 0945, 1515 to 1845 (8-3/4 hours)
Sleep 0345 to 0815, 1 hour nap (5-1/2 hours)
- Oh, a bug in Apple Preview. If I bookmark a PDF then when I reopen the PDF it asks for a password. Just some PDFs though not sure why.
- Gaming at C3. Afterwards dinner at Ramen Parlor and coffee at Sama Coffee Shop.
- Right ankle starting to hurt so was limping around. DW thinks it could be gout so I should eat less proteins (meat, tofu, fish)
Sun Apr 21 2024
Sleep 0145 to 0815, 1230 to 1600 (11 hours)
- Right foot is hurting, hard time sleeping last night -- kept waking up every 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
- Trouble walking this morning.
- My mid-afternoon after a long nap foot feels better. Walking with a limp.
Mon Apr 22 2024
Sleep 0400 to 1330 (9-1/2 hours)
- Foot feels better again. Now it feels like my ankle is a bit stiff.
Tue Apr 23 2024
Sleep 0830 to 1045 (2-1/4 hours)
- Two days of extra sleep meant I couldn't sleep last night and was woken up early by a phone call.
Wed Apr 24 2024
Sleep 2030 to 0115, 0615 to 1030. (9 hours)
- Right ankle doesn't seem stiff anymore. At least when I walk, not sure if I run.
- Subtitles where they don't translate foreign language or just say "speaking in German" is rather annoying. Also subtitles for foreign media where they don't bother putting in English speech since you're theoretically hearing it.
Thu Apr 25 2024
Sleep 1130 to 0300, 0630 to 1100 (8 hours)
- HOA Annual Meeting. Andrew stepped down so we have four board members left. No one seemed interested in stepping up at the meeting.
- Things got a bit heated. In executive we discussed how to deconflict a situation.
- Right ankle pretty much normal now.
Fri Apr 26 2024
Sleep 2330 to 0045, 0545 to 0945, 1515 to 1845 (8-3/4 hours)
- One thing I sometimes miss about library books is the library card in each book. You could see the date stamps each time it was checked out. Like a faintly ghostly remnant of previous readers.
- We played DDO since Dave S hadn't downloaded Borderlands 3 and turns out Dave W hadn't either. Stromvauld's Mine on R5 was easy. Stormcleave Outpost on R6 had a lot more dying but still not bad.
CoveredCA/Medi-Cal Enrollment
Apr 25 2024
My COBRA ran out this month so I applied for CoveredCA. The hardest part there is filling out all your eligible income estimates for the year (there's a big chart to help you). You also upload a copy of your tax return which is good since I had a fresh one for 2023.
I think within a day or two they came back and said I was qualified for Medi-Cal (because of low income) so they had forwarded my information to that department. A week or so later I receive a Benefits Identification Card then a week after that I receive a letter saying I''ll be enrolled in my county's health plan, Health Plan of San Mateo, starting next month.
One option is that I could switch to Kaiser Permanente if I qualify (though I don't) by being one of:
Just as well as Kaiser is a big health care provider but has always had a mixed reputation.
So my enrollment was fairly easy and fortunately California is a state that provides free health care to low income individuals. Eventually though I need to get a job and then a regular health care plan.
I think within a day or two they came back and said I was qualified for Medi-Cal (because of low income) so they had forwarded my information to that department. A week or so later I receive a Benefits Identification Card then a week after that I receive a letter saying I''ll be enrolled in my county's health plan, Health Plan of San Mateo, starting next month.
One option is that I could switch to Kaiser Permanente if I qualify (though I don't) by being one of:
- Being a Kaiser member within the last 12 months
- Living with a family member who has Kaiser
- Being a foster child
- Having Medicare and Medi-Cal (so old and low income)
Just as well as Kaiser is a big health care provider but has always had a mixed reputation.
So my enrollment was fairly easy and fortunately California is a state that provides free health care to low income individuals. Eventually though I need to get a job and then a regular health care plan.
Bundle of Holding Ars Magica 5
Apr 23 2024
There are five bundles for Ars Magica 5th edition (Bundle of Holding has smaller-sized bundles so whereas Humble Bundle might do these as one for say $30 and makeup for it in huge volume of purchases with BuH's smaller audience they have to break it up into five $25 bundles).
These are all revived bundles. Based on the published dates the product line is no longer in development and besides it seems complete (other than you can always have more adventure books).
Previously as each bundle came out separately there was no reason for me to buy them. Now everything is together and all 5E products are included.
Although a bit pricey it is $130 for $605 of product. Even at a big discount of 50% that's still getting everything at 57% discount over that so seems well worth it. Definitely buying this.
Ars Magica 5 ($28, $125 PDF retail value) originally Aug 2014 bundle
AG-205 Ars Magica 5E (2004)
AG-275 The Broken Covenant of Calebais (2004)
AG-277 Houses of Hermes: True Lineages (2005)
AG-280 Covenants (2006)
AG-281 Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults (2006)
AG-285 Houses of Hermes: Societates (2007)
AG-286 The Lion and the Lily: The Normandy Tribunal (2007)
AG-291 Tales of Mythic Europe (2009)
AG-300 Apprentices (2012)
The Living Covenant: Freebies from Atlas Games (free)
ArM5 More Magic ($23, $105 PDF retail value) originally Mar 2016 bundle
AG-279 The Mysteries (2006)
AG-284 Ancient Magic (2007)
AG-289 Hedge Magic (2008)
AG-294 Rival Magic (2010)
AG-299 Hermetic Projects (2012)
AG-304 Tales of Power (2013)
AG-306 Transforming Mythic Europe (2013)
ArM5 Wizards and Power ($27, $125 PDF retail value) originally Aug 2017 bundle
AG-274 The Fallen Fane: An Ars Magica Live-Action Scenario (2004)
AG-276 Guardians of the Forests: The Rhine Tribunal (2005)
AG-278 Realms of Power: The Divine (2011)
AG-282 Realms of Power: The Infernal (2006)
AG-288 Realms of Power: Magic (2008)
AG-290 Realms of Power: Faerie (2009)
AG-295 The Sundered Eagle: The Theban Tribunal (2010)
AG-302 Against the Dark: The Transylvanian Tribunal (2012)
AG-308 Faith & Flame: The Provençal Tribunal (2014)
ArM5 Mythic Europe ($26, $120 PDF retail value) originally Jul 2018 bundle
AG-283 City and Guild (2006)
AG-287 Art & Academe (2008)
AG-292 Magic of Hermes (2009)
AG-293 Lords of Men (2010)
AG-296 The Church (2011)
AG-297 Legends of Hermes (2011)
AG-301 Grogs (2012)
AG-303 Antagonists (2013)
ArM5 World of Magic ($26, $130 PDF retail value) originally Jul 2019 bundle
AG-298 The Cradle & The Crescent (2011)
AG-305 The Contested Isle: The Hibernian Tribunal (2013)
AG-307 Hooks (2004)
AG-309 Mythic Locations (2014)
AG-310 Between Sand & Sea: Mythic Africa (2014)
AG-311 Through the Aegis: Developed Covenants (2015)
AG-312 Thrice-Told Tales (2015)
AG-313 Lands of the Nile (2015)
AG-314 Dies Irae (2016)
These are all revived bundles. Based on the published dates the product line is no longer in development and besides it seems complete (other than you can always have more adventure books).
Previously as each bundle came out separately there was no reason for me to buy them. Now everything is together and all 5E products are included.
Although a bit pricey it is $130 for $605 of product. Even at a big discount of 50% that's still getting everything at 57% discount over that so seems well worth it. Definitely buying this.
Ars Magica 5 ($28, $125 PDF retail value) originally Aug 2014 bundle
AG-205 Ars Magica 5E (2004)
AG-275 The Broken Covenant of Calebais (2004)
AG-277 Houses of Hermes: True Lineages (2005)
AG-280 Covenants (2006)
AG-281 Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults (2006)
AG-285 Houses of Hermes: Societates (2007)
AG-286 The Lion and the Lily: The Normandy Tribunal (2007)
AG-291 Tales of Mythic Europe (2009)
AG-300 Apprentices (2012)
The Living Covenant: Freebies from Atlas Games (free)
ArM5 More Magic ($23, $105 PDF retail value) originally Mar 2016 bundle
AG-279 The Mysteries (2006)
AG-284 Ancient Magic (2007)
AG-289 Hedge Magic (2008)
AG-294 Rival Magic (2010)
AG-299 Hermetic Projects (2012)
AG-304 Tales of Power (2013)
AG-306 Transforming Mythic Europe (2013)
ArM5 Wizards and Power ($27, $125 PDF retail value) originally Aug 2017 bundle
AG-274 The Fallen Fane: An Ars Magica Live-Action Scenario (2004)
AG-276 Guardians of the Forests: The Rhine Tribunal (2005)
AG-278 Realms of Power: The Divine (2011)
AG-282 Realms of Power: The Infernal (2006)
AG-288 Realms of Power: Magic (2008)
AG-290 Realms of Power: Faerie (2009)
AG-295 The Sundered Eagle: The Theban Tribunal (2010)
AG-302 Against the Dark: The Transylvanian Tribunal (2012)
AG-308 Faith & Flame: The Provençal Tribunal (2014)
ArM5 Mythic Europe ($26, $120 PDF retail value) originally Jul 2018 bundle
AG-283 City and Guild (2006)
AG-287 Art & Academe (2008)
AG-292 Magic of Hermes (2009)
AG-293 Lords of Men (2010)
AG-296 The Church (2011)
AG-297 Legends of Hermes (2011)
AG-301 Grogs (2012)
AG-303 Antagonists (2013)
ArM5 World of Magic ($26, $130 PDF retail value) originally Jul 2019 bundle
AG-298 The Cradle & The Crescent (2011)
AG-305 The Contested Isle: The Hibernian Tribunal (2013)
AG-307 Hooks (2004)
AG-309 Mythic Locations (2014)
AG-310 Between Sand & Sea: Mythic Africa (2014)
AG-311 Through the Aegis: Developed Covenants (2015)
AG-312 Thrice-Told Tales (2015)
AG-313 Lands of the Nile (2015)
AG-314 Dies Irae (2016)
Diary - Apr 13 to Apr 19 2024
Apr 20 2024
Sat Apr 13 2024
Sleep 0430 to 1230 (8 hours)
Sun Apr 14 2024
Sleep 0430 to 0900, 1730 to 2000 (7 hours)
Mon Apr 15 2024
Sleep 0430 to 1315 (8-3/4 hours)
Tue Apr 16 2024
Sleep 0715 to 1330 (6-1/4 hours)
Wed Apr 17 2024
Sleep 0130 to 0730, 1430 to 1630 (8 hours)
Thu Apr 18 2024
Sleep 0400 to 1100 (7 hours)
Fri Apr 19 2024
Sleep 0700 to 1000, 1700 to 1900 (5 hours)
Sleep 0430 to 1230 (8 hours)
- Picked up C2 from SFO airport. Timed it fairly well and got them on first circle through arrivals and they had waited 10 minutes.
- Received a State of California Benefits Identification Card. It's a for various CA benefits if you're qualified. Doesn't mean I've been accepted into Medi-Cal. Or maybe it does.
Sun Apr 14 2024
Sleep 0430 to 0900, 1730 to 2000 (7 hours)
- Did buy the BattleTech Fiction bundle. Might be a while before I get to reading the books.
Mon Apr 15 2024
Sleep 0430 to 1315 (8-3/4 hours)
- Received Ogre Miniatures Set 4. A bit disappointing in that it's basically the miniature sprues in a plastic bag with no box or outer packaging. I guess if this never goes to retail then it's fine since then there never was a box designed. Actually there wasn't even a packing slip.
Tue Apr 16 2024
Sleep 0715 to 1330 (6-1/4 hours)
- Amazon.com proxy vote. 14 shareholder proposals, although some of them overlap. Wow.
- One thing I love about BBEdit is tab support. I'm a spaces guy so my BBEdit if I hit tab key it adds spaces to the next tab stop. Similarly if I delete a space it'll delete to the next tab stop. So I get the niceness of tabs but using spaces. And if I edit a file that has tabs it doesn't automatically change those tabs to spaces which would introduce lots of spurious diffs as I edit a common code file. I can always use the convert tabs to spaces function if I need to convert a whole file.
Wed Apr 17 2024
Sleep 0130 to 0730, 1430 to 1630 (8 hours)
- MyCoverageInfo says data updated. Checked and seems like they only updated my insurance start/end dates. Hope they figure it out.
Thu Apr 18 2024
Sleep 0400 to 1100 (7 hours)
- Packed up stuff in HOA office. Contractors moved all the stuff and furniture into a nearby storage room in preparation for having the flooring replaced next week. Putting everything back is going to be a bigger hassle.
Fri Apr 19 2024
Sleep 0700 to 1000, 1700 to 1900 (5 hours)
- When I'm using Bootcamp I can only get my Apple data using my iPad but then can't copy paste things like passwords or URLs to the PC. But I can use iCloud Notes on the PC and copy data that way.
Humble Bundle BattleTech Fiction
Apr 18 2024
Humble Bundle BattleTech Fiction Collection is a followup to a previous bundle that had all the classic pre-MechWarrior: Dark Age novels. This one is $18 for:
These are all the originally printed MW:DA novels plus A Bonfire of Worlds which was a BattleCorps online novel then printed.
The rest are all BattleCorps and onwards (BC closed down in 2016. I don't think it's a complete list as there are several books missing. Shrapnel Magazine is a BT fiction quarterly which I guess replaces BattleCorps.
For $12 more you can also get the contents of the previous bundle.
------------------------------------------------------------
NOVELS - MechWarrior: Dark Age
------------------------------------------------------------
2002.12 2002 EPUB Ghost War (Michael A Stackpole)
2003.02 2003 EPUB A Call to Arms (Loren L Coleman)
2003.04 2003 EPUB The Ruins of Power (Robert E Vardeman)
---
The Proving Grounds Trilogy
2003.06 2003 EPUB A Silence in the Heavens (Martin Delrio)
2003.08 2003 EPUB Truth and Shadows (Martin Delrio)
2003.11 2003 EPUB Service for the Dead (Martin Delrio)
----
2003.12 2003 EPUB By Temptations and By War (Loren L Coleman)
2004.02 2004 EPUB Fortress of Lies (J Steven York)
2004.04 2004 EPUB Patriot's Stand (Mike Moscoe)
2004.06 2004 EPUB Flight of the Falcon (Victor Milán)
2004.08 2004 EPUB Blood of the Isle (Loren L Coleman)
2004.10 2004 EPUB Hunters of the Deep (Randall N Bills)
2004.12 2004 EPUB The Scorpion Jar (Jason M Hardy)
2005.02 2005 EPUB Target of Opportunity (Blaine Lee Pardoe)
2005.04 2005 EPUB Sword of Sedition (Loren L Coleman)
2005.06 2005 EPUB Daughter of the Dragon (Ilsa J Bick)
2005.08 2005 EPUB Heretic's Faith (Randall N Bills)
2005.10 2005 EPUB Fortress Republic (Loren L Coleman)
2005.12 2005 EPUB Blood Avatar (Ilsa J Bick)
2006.06 2006 EPUB Trial by Chaos (J Steven York)
2006.08 2006 EPUB Principles of Desolation (Randall N Bills)
2006.11 2006 EPUB Wolf Hunters (Kevin Killiany)
2006.12 2006 EPUB Surrender Your Dreams (Blaine Lee Pardoe)
2007.02 2007 EPUB Dragon Rising (Ilsa J Bick)
2007.04 2007 EPUB Masters of War (Michael A Stackpole)
2007.06 2007 EPUB A Rending of Falcons (Victor Milán)
2007.08 2007 EPUB Pandora's Gambit (Randall N Bills)
2007.10 2007 EPUB Fire at Will (Blaine Lee Pardoe)
2007.12 2007 EPUB The Last Charge (Jason M Hardy)
2008.02 2008 EPUB To Ride the Chimera (Kevin Killiany)
2019.08 2019 EPUB A Bonfire of Worlds (Steven Mohan Jr)
These are all the originally printed MW:DA novels plus A Bonfire of Worlds which was a BattleCorps online novel then printed.
------------------------------------------------------------
NOVELS - Catalyst Game Labs (InMediaRes)
------------------------------------------------------------
2013.10 2013 EPUB Isle of the Blessed (Steven Mohan Jr)
2015.00 2015 EPUB Embers of War (Jason Schmetzer)
2016.08 2016 EPUB Front Lines (Jason Schmetzer and Philip A Lee) [BattleCorps Anthology v6]
2016.09 2016 EPUB Betrayal of Ideals (Blaine Lee Pardoe)
2019.02 ----- ------ -------- Forever Faithful (Blaine Lee Pardoe) [Twilight of the Clans finale]
----
Rogue Academy Trilogy
2019.04 2019 EPUB Iron Dawn (Jennifer Brozek)
2020.06 2020 EPUB Ghost Hour (Jennifer Brozek)
2021.07 2021 EPUB Crimson Night (Jennifer Brozek)
----
2019.07 2019 EPUB Kell Hounds Ascendant (Michael A Stackpole)
2019.07 2019 EPUB Kill Zone (Philip A Lee) [BattleCorps Anthology v7]
2019.08 ----- ------ -------- A Bonfire of Worlds (Steven Mohan Jr) [MechWarrior: Dark Age finale?]
2019.09 2019 EPUB Redemption Rift (Jason Schmetzer)
2020.02 2020 EPUB Slack Tide (Jason Schmetzer, Philip A Lee) [BattleCorps Anthology]
2020.08 2020 EPUB Honor's Gauntlet (Bryan Young)
2020.09 2020 EPUB Icons of War (Craig A Reed)
2020.10 2020 EPUB Children of Kerensky (Blaine Lee Pardoe)
----
The Highlander Covenant (Duology)
2020.06 2020 EPUB Grey Watch Protocol (Michael J Ciaravella)
2021.04 2021 EPUB Paid in Blood (Michael J Ciaravella)
----
2021.01 2021 EPUB Hour of the Wolf (Blaine Lee Pardoe) [with Highlander Covenant, ends MW:DA era]
----
Founding of the Clans Trilogy
2021.03 2021 EPUB Fall from Glory (Randall N Bills)
2021.10 2021 EPUB Visions of Rebirth (Randall N Bills)
2022.07 2022 EPUB Land of Dreams (Randall N Bills)
---
2021.05 2021 EPUB Blood Will Tell (Jason Schmetzer)
2021.08 2021 EPUB Hunting Season (Philip A Lee)
2021.09 2021 EPUB A Rock and a Hard Place (William H Keith Jr)
2022.01 2022 EPUB No Substitute for Victory (Blaine Lee Pardoe)
2022.02 2022 EPUB No Greater Honor (John Helfers, Philip A Lee) [Eridani Light Horse anthology]
2022.05 2022 EPUB Redemption Rites (Jason Schmetzer)
2022.07 2022 EPUB Jaguar's Leap (Reed Bishop)
2022.07 2022 EPUB A Question of Survival (Bryan Young)
2022.08 2022 EPUB Marauder (Lance Scarinci) [Black Marauder anthology]
2022.11 2022 EPUB Fox Tales (Bryan Young) [5 Fox Patrol short stories]
2022.12 2022 EPUB The Damocles Sanction (Michael J Ciaravella)
2023.06 2023 EPUB Elements of Treason: Honor (Craig A Reed Jr)
2024.00 2024 EPUB The Quest for Jardine (Herbert A Beas II)
Shrapnel Magazine
2021.09 2021 EPUB Shrapnel Magazine #6
2021.12 2021 EPUB Shrapnel Magazine #7
2022.03 2022 EPUB Shrapnel Magazine #8
2022.06 2022 EPUB Shrapnel Magazine #9
2022.09 2022 EPUB Shrapnel Magazine #10
The rest are all BattleCorps and onwards (BC closed down in 2016. I don't think it's a complete list as there are several books missing. Shrapnel Magazine is a BT fiction quarterly which I guess replaces BattleCorps.
For $12 more you can also get the contents of the previous bundle.
MyCoverageInfo
Apr 16 2024
So I received a letter from my mortgage lender. On review of my current HO6 policy (condo insurance) they wanted me to change something. Weird because my current policy is correct as far as I can tell.
The letter said to send my updated policy declaration to www.mycoverageinfo.com/myLender. That seems like a weird site and a quick Internet search had conflicting info -- some people say it's a scam site and others say it's legit 3rd party used by some mortgage lenders.
Logged into my lender's web site and didn't see any messages (if you're sending me a letter how hard is it to also send a message in their internal system?). I then went to the help system and search for mycoverageinfo and sure enough a help page says to use it for keeping my lender up to date with my current insurance policy.
After that I went to the site and updated my info.
This is an example of double-checking when you're asked to submit personal to a third party site. Way too many businesses use third party services, especially email lists with emails that have links to third party systems. I tend to be suspicious of all of them and manually check myself or ignore the communication. Just because it's physical mail doesn't mean I treat it any more trustworthy.
The letter said to send my updated policy declaration to www.mycoverageinfo.com/myLender. That seems like a weird site and a quick Internet search had conflicting info -- some people say it's a scam site and others say it's legit 3rd party used by some mortgage lenders.
Logged into my lender's web site and didn't see any messages (if you're sending me a letter how hard is it to also send a message in their internal system?). I then went to the help system and search for mycoverageinfo and sure enough a help page says to use it for keeping my lender up to date with my current insurance policy.
After that I went to the site and updated my info.
This is an example of double-checking when you're asked to submit personal to a third party site. Way too many businesses use third party services, especially email lists with emails that have links to third party systems. I tend to be suspicious of all of them and manually check myself or ignore the communication. Just because it's physical mail doesn't mean I treat it any more trustworthy.
Diary - Apr 06 to Apr 12 2024
Apr 13 2024
Sat Apr 06 2024
Sleep 0730 to 0930, 1330 to 1630 (5 hours)
Sun Apr 07 2024
Sleep 0200 to 1130 (9-1/2 hours)
Mon Apr 08 2024
Sleep 0630 to 1330 (7 hours)
Tue Apr 09 2024
Sleep 1000 to 1430 (4-1/2 hours)
Wed Apr 10 2024
Sleep 2315 to 0715, 2 hour nap (10 hours)
Thu Apr 11 2024
Sleep 0200 to 1000 (8 hours)
Fri Apr 12 2024
Sleep 0200 to 1000 (8 hours)
Sleep 0730 to 0930, 1330 to 1630 (5 hours)
- Filled out my CoveredCA application. Immediate result is I probably qualify for Medi-Cal but not CoveredCA because it couldn't verify citizenship or SSN. I uploaded a photo of my passport and I did enter my SSN when I submitted the application. We'll see if the CoveredCA results change.
Sun Apr 07 2024
Sleep 0200 to 1130 (9-1/2 hours)
- Guess my headaches have stopped. Don't recall having one last few days.
- Recently realized that the + version of a game in Apple Arcade is often the same game with all DLCs and no micro-transactions, not necessarily an improved version of the classic. The + is just to differentiate it from the original game in App Store searches.
Mon Apr 08 2024
Sleep 0630 to 1330 (7 hours)
- Mailed my tax returns.
- Stopped by Mi Rancho Supermarket for milk and juice. Also got Chicharrón which they make there. It's crispy goodness.
- So don't qualify for CoveredCA because I qualify for Medi-Cal (i.e. my income is so low I qualify for free Medi-Cal in which case CoveredCA hands it off to Medi-Cal for health insurance).
Tue Apr 09 2024
Sleep 1000 to 1430 (4-1/2 hours)
- Ogre Miniatures Set 4 is shipping. USPS so I should see it my USPS Informed Delivery email.
Wed Apr 10 2024
Sleep 2315 to 0715, 2 hour nap (10 hours)
- I didn't realize that CrossOver can install a program via Steam. It launched Steam from my bottle with Steam then started the install process.
Thu Apr 11 2024
Sleep 0200 to 1000 (8 hours)
- Humble Bundle BattleTech Fiction Collection continues from the previous bundle and includes MechWarrior: Dark Age novels and BattleCorps books (BattleCorps was/is a subscription service where regular and new BT authors published serializes stories, novellas, and novels). For $12 you can also get the first bundle which is almost all pre-MWDA published novels.
Fri Apr 12 2024
Sleep 0200 to 1000 (8 hours)
- Randomly visited Worthing Publishing web site and see there's 14 days left on a Divine Right Kickstarter. Tempting but I shouldn't buy it.
- We played DDO for an hour then Woo got online and we played Gloomhaven for 1-1/4 hours so we're getting faster playing Gloomhaven.
Old Licensed RPGs
Apr 11 2024
An interesting History of Licensed RPGs multi-part article series. Looking through it here are three RPGs I'd like to own but will never have the chance (barring a lot of money or unusual luck).
Middle Earth Role Playing (1982) - Gorgeous and detailed supplements and I'm quite fine playing the cut-down RoleMaster system. This had a lot of products published for it. Eric R ran a MERP campaign which was fun.
James Bond (1983) - A stylish spy RPG. I'm not as impressed with the system as others but everything else including the adventures-based-on-movies-but-a-little-different was quite cool. Had a fair number of supplements.
DC Universe Roleplaying Game (1999) - West End Games version of a DC Comics RPG. Seven supplements published. Mostly want this to complete my DC Comics RPG collection.
Middle Earth Role Playing (1982) - Gorgeous and detailed supplements and I'm quite fine playing the cut-down RoleMaster system. This had a lot of products published for it. Eric R ran a MERP campaign which was fun.
James Bond (1983) - A stylish spy RPG. I'm not as impressed with the system as others but everything else including the adventures-based-on-movies-but-a-little-different was quite cool. Had a fair number of supplements.
DC Universe Roleplaying Game (1999) - West End Games version of a DC Comics RPG. Seven supplements published. Mostly want this to complete my DC Comics RPG collection.
13th Age Mega Bundle
Apr 09 2024
Bundle of Holding's 13th Age Mega Bundle is mostly a repeat from the Humble Bundle one I bought.
13th Age Core Book
13 True Ways
13th Age Bestiary
13th Age Bestiary 2
Book of Loot
Loot Harder
Book of Ages
Crown of Axis
13th Age GM Screen and Resource Book
Book of Demons
Eyes of the Stone Thief
Shadows of Eldolan
High Magic & Low Cunning - reprints of 5 small supplements I have
The Crown Commands - reprints of s4 mall supplements I have
Fire & Faith - reprints of 4 small supplements I have
Book of the Underworld ($13) - sourcebook
Shards of the Broken Sky ($21) - 232-page sandbox campaign
Elven Towers ($17) - 120-page adventure book
Diamonds and Shadows ($14) - 171-page campaign
I'd have to get the bonus collection for $40+ for four books that retail $65. I guess I'll skip this one.
Already Own
13th Age Core Book
13 True Ways
13th Age Bestiary
13th Age Bestiary 2
Book of Loot
Loot Harder
Book of Ages
Crown of Axis
13th Age GM Screen and Resource Book
Book of Demons
Eyes of the Stone Thief
Shadows of Eldolan
High Magic & Low Cunning - reprints of 5 small supplements I have
The Crown Commands - reprints of s4 mall supplements I have
Fire & Faith - reprints of 4 small supplements I have
Don't Own
Book of the Underworld ($13) - sourcebook
Shards of the Broken Sky ($21) - 232-page sandbox campaign
Elven Towers ($17) - 120-page adventure book
Diamonds and Shadows ($14) - 171-page campaign
I'd have to get the bonus collection for $40+ for four books that retail $65. I guess I'll skip this one.
Diary - Mar 30 to Apr 05 2024
Apr 06 2024
Sat Mar 30 2024
Sleep 0445 to 1245, 30m nap (8-1/2 hours)
Sun Mar 31 2024
Sleep 0415 to 1045 (6-1/2 hours)
Mon Apr 01 2024
Sleep 0515 to 1300 (7-3/4 hours)
Tue Apr 02 2024
Sleep 0200 to 1100 (9 hours)
Wed Apr 03 2024
Sleep 0715 to 1245 (5-1/2 hours)
Thu Apr 04 2024
Sleep 0145 to 0900, 1230 to 1400 (8-3/4 hours)
Fri Apr 05 2024
Sleep 0600 to 1400 (8 hours)
Sleep 0445 to 1245, 30m nap (8-1/2 hours)
- DVG - Warfighter Chtorr on Kickstarter. War Against the Chtorr is an old novel series about an alien invasion of Earth via ecological terraforming, though the series has stalled at four books written 3 decades ago. There was a GURPS supplement based on this which is why I read the books. The KS is a combat missions card game where you equip your troops then send them out in missions that are resolved quickly. The main thing is shepherding your troops and resources through multiple missions rather than the missions themselves. A bit pricey at $160 + $20 shipping for everything.
- DDO servers have been down since early this morning to this evening so far. It does bring out a few people who have complaints about Standing Stone Games but overall people understand this happens when you're a small company.
- We played Gloomhaven. A small easy scenario so we might need to move up to normal difficulty.
- We tried Dead Island: Riptide. Runs ok in CrossOver (Steam install) with some tweaking. Control is slightly laggy which really doesn't help my motion sickness. Woo was also having trouble so we will probably not play this game.
Sun Mar 31 2024
Sleep 0415 to 1045 (6-1/2 hours)
- I was printing my tax return (37 pages) and the Brother printer (connected to WiFi) was only printing 6 to 10 pages and then stopping without an error. I guess the memory was full but strange it didn't pause the print queue and instead ignored the extra data? Don't remember if this happened before when I printing out Modules B1 and B2.
- I've been having an evening headache several times this week. At the same time turning my head hurts a bit. Still not too bad.
- Tried making rice porridge again, this time using long grain rice. Still came out basically like mushy rice and no soup. I'll give up trying to make porridge in the rice cooker.
Mon Apr 01 2024
Sleep 0515 to 1300 (7-3/4 hours)
- Bought Warhammer FRP Enemy Within Bundle.
Tue Apr 02 2024
Sleep 0200 to 1100 (9 hours)
- Trader Joe's for some stuff. Freeze is pretty full.
Wed Apr 03 2024
Sleep 0715 to 1245 (5-1/2 hours)
- Dinner at C3's. Porridge and Things. The plain porridge (HK style) is so good. It comes with three toppings so it tastes quite fine.
- Laser Kittens session #3 with Cjr. The humans accidentally teleport themselves outside the house, along with three cats. Fluffy, Popcorn and Carol are arrested by space police.
Thu Apr 04 2024
Sleep 0145 to 0900, 1230 to 1400 (8-3/4 hours)
- Horror on the Orient Express: The Board Game on KS. The CoC-based board games are nice but I guess I'd rather play CoC RPG. Anyway, the KS is $98 for the game ($170 MSRP!) and the first expansion ($35 MSRP).
- Now that I think about it a bit more I'll skip DVG - Warfighter Chtorr KS. Mostly can't get past that it's an abstract card game. And I mean abstract at the tactical level -- I like having units moving around on a map. Like for CoC, just because it covers a topic I like doesn't mean I have to buy every game for it.
Fri Apr 05 2024
Sleep 0600 to 1400 (8 hours)
- Not sure if I've mentioned this before. In GarageBand if I record more than 12 hours (not sure how much longer, possibly 14+ hours) then try to export to disk the output is blank (no sound). I have to save the project and restart GarageBand and then export works.
Fiasco Classic Bundle
Apr 04 2024
The Fiasco Classic bundle of holding features Fiasco Classic (the RPG version, the current Fiasco seems to be more of a card-based game) though only the core rules are in the starter collection with three supplements in the bonus collection. But the majority of the material are miscellaneous RPGs by Jason Morningstar (Fiasco creator) and most of those are LARPs. For $21+ I guess the bundle is still worth it but I guess not for me.
Fiasco (2009)
The Fiasco Companion
Fiasco: American Disasters - three playsets
Fiasco: Run, Fools, Run - three playsets
Free Playsets
- Bear Trouble
- The Beast of Sucker Creek
- The Bull
- Fist City
- Planeta Droga
- Unassprechlichen Klutzen
- Ungodly
Carolina Death Crawl - American Civil War adventure
Radioactive Bison - "a one-hour live-action game for 8-19 players in a large room"
The Climb - "The Climb is a short six-person live-action game about an expedition to a virgin peak in the Himalayas."
Out of Dodge - "Out of Dodge is a live-action RPG designed for four people (Mole, Rat, Toad, and Badger) on a road trip.:
Space Post - "In Space Post you and your friends play a postal agent, and you will also play the strange, wonderful people waiting at each stop on their interstellar route. And you also play their spaceship."
Winterhorn - "Winterhorn is a live-action game for 3-8 players about how governments degrade and destroy activist groups."
The Skeletons - "The Skeletons is a meditative structured freeform game for 1-6 players."
Fiasco (2009)
The Fiasco Companion
Fiasco: American Disasters - three playsets
Fiasco: Run, Fools, Run - three playsets
Free Playsets
- Bear Trouble
- The Beast of Sucker Creek
- The Bull
- Fist City
- Planeta Droga
- Unassprechlichen Klutzen
- Ungodly
Carolina Death Crawl - American Civil War adventure
Radioactive Bison - "a one-hour live-action game for 8-19 players in a large room"
The Climb - "The Climb is a short six-person live-action game about an expedition to a virgin peak in the Himalayas."
Out of Dodge - "Out of Dodge is a live-action RPG designed for four people (Mole, Rat, Toad, and Badger) on a road trip.:
Space Post - "In Space Post you and your friends play a postal agent, and you will also play the strange, wonderful people waiting at each stop on their interstellar route. And you also play their spaceship."
Winterhorn - "Winterhorn is a live-action game for 3-8 players about how governments degrade and destroy activist groups."
The Skeletons - "The Skeletons is a meditative structured freeform game for 1-6 players."
Best of Magpie Games Bundle
Apr 02 2024
Best of Magpie Games Humble Bundle is $25 for 29 items (+$5 and shipping for Avatar Legends Starter Set). Most of their games are Powered by the Apocalypse, an easy to use indie system though not really a system I'd play.
Mostly don't care for one-off games and that's half the bundle. I have Bluebeard's Bride and Root and for both I probably spent quite a bit more than this bundle price but c'est la vie. That leaves Avatar Legends and Masks, neither of which seem especially interesting. Guess I'll skip this bundle.
Fate Codex v1 - fiction, essays, rules, adventures
Fate Codex v2
Fate Codex v3
Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game
Avatar Legends Starter Set
Avatar Legends: An Urgent Request - adventure
Avatar Legends: Wan Shi Tong's Adventure Guide
Bluebeard's Bride (own) - "A young bride is wed to an ugly, but powerful man with a blue beard. He invites her to explore the house...but one room is forbidden."
Bluebeard's Bride: Book of Lore (own)
Bluebeard's Bride: Book of Mirrors (own)
Bluebeard's Bride: Book of Rooms (own)
Cartel - Mexican narcofiction, "a combination of Breaking Bad, The Wire, and El Mariachi"
Crossroads Carnival - "where you play outcast souls striving to save a world that hates and fears them"
Epyllion - "game about young drakes who investigate rumors, solve problems, and discover the truth of growing evil in Dragonia"
Masks: A New Generation - superhero RPG "in which a team of young heroes fight villains, save lives, and tries to figure out who they are"
Masks ANG: Halcyon City Herald Collection - sourcebook
Masks ANG: Secrets of AEGIS - sourcebook of "the metahuman covert law enforcement agency AEGIS"
Masks ANG: Unbound - new playbooks and playsets
Pasión de las Pasiones - "play out the stories of the greatest telenovala ever to air!"
Passing: Ashcan Edition - "where you play shapeshifting aliens hidden in a 1950's suburb"
Root: The Roleplaying Game (own) - "a game of woodland creatures fighting for money, justice, and freedom from powers far greater than them"
Root: Clearing Booklet (own)
Root: Clearing Map Pack
Root: Travelers & Outsiders (own)
The Ward: Acute Care Edition - "game of medical drama, comedy, and tragedy"
'
Our Last Best Hope - narrative RPG. save humanity from a terrible crisis (a la Sunshine, Deep Impact, The Core, or Armageddon)
The Play's the Thing - "storytelling game about actors who want to rewrite the Shakespearean roles they've been given"
By No Means Vulgar - anthology of short stories inspired by The Play's the Thing
Undying - diceless RPG about vampirism
Mostly don't care for one-off games and that's half the bundle. I have Bluebeard's Bride and Root and for both I probably spent quite a bit more than this bundle price but c'est la vie. That leaves Avatar Legends and Masks, neither of which seem especially interesting. Guess I'll skip this bundle.
FATE
Fate Codex v1 - fiction, essays, rules, adventures
Fate Codex v2
Fate Codex v3
Powered by the Apocalypse Games
Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game
Avatar Legends Starter Set
Avatar Legends: An Urgent Request - adventure
Avatar Legends: Wan Shi Tong's Adventure Guide
Bluebeard's Bride (own) - "A young bride is wed to an ugly, but powerful man with a blue beard. He invites her to explore the house...but one room is forbidden."
Bluebeard's Bride: Book of Lore (own)
Bluebeard's Bride: Book of Mirrors (own)
Bluebeard's Bride: Book of Rooms (own)
Cartel - Mexican narcofiction, "a combination of Breaking Bad, The Wire, and El Mariachi"
Crossroads Carnival - "where you play outcast souls striving to save a world that hates and fears them"
Epyllion - "game about young drakes who investigate rumors, solve problems, and discover the truth of growing evil in Dragonia"
Masks: A New Generation - superhero RPG "in which a team of young heroes fight villains, save lives, and tries to figure out who they are"
Masks ANG: Halcyon City Herald Collection - sourcebook
Masks ANG: Secrets of AEGIS - sourcebook of "the metahuman covert law enforcement agency AEGIS"
Masks ANG: Unbound - new playbooks and playsets
Pasión de las Pasiones - "play out the stories of the greatest telenovala ever to air!"
Passing: Ashcan Edition - "where you play shapeshifting aliens hidden in a 1950's suburb"
Root: The Roleplaying Game (own) - "a game of woodland creatures fighting for money, justice, and freedom from powers far greater than them"
Root: Clearing Booklet (own)
Root: Clearing Map Pack
Root: Travelers & Outsiders (own)
The Ward: Acute Care Edition - "game of medical drama, comedy, and tragedy"
Unique Systems
'
Our Last Best Hope - narrative RPG. save humanity from a terrible crisis (a la Sunshine, Deep Impact, The Core, or Armageddon)
The Play's the Thing - "storytelling game about actors who want to rewrite the Shakespearean roles they've been given"
By No Means Vulgar - anthology of short stories inspired by The Play's the Thing
Undying - diceless RPG about vampirism