My little April experiment went well. I hit most of the goals I set for myself, and anything I didn’t finish wasn’t all that important anyway.

My time away from news was delightful, though I admit that I still listen to a podcast or three. I discovered that my podcatcher of choice (Overcast), allows you to subscribe to a podcast but not automatically download every episode. I’ve gotten into a new habit of reviewing the feeds and selectively choosing what I listen to, instead of plowing through everything that is released in my direction.

I feel good.

During May I need to get outside more once it stops raining Every. Goddamn. Day. There’s a garden that needs cleaning up, some trees that need to be removed, and front beds to be mulched.

One thing I picked up in April that I can heartily endorse is Ironsworn: Starforged, a Creative Commons-released RPG you can play solo. It’s a sci-Fi toolbox with some very flexible mechanics and I’m really enjoying it. It’s a perfect balance of random generators and player-driven storytelling that makes for a nice respite when you want to game, but maybe can’t because of schedules or you just don’t want to be social. The settings you create, the wait the game is constructed, well…it really captures my imagination. I also recommend the Stargazer online app to help manage the game…it makes it super easy to play in the browser and on your phone.

Anyway, much enthusiasm there. Good stuff.

Otherwise, the only other big thing going on is my youngest kid is about to graduate on May 18th. After that…no more school systems, teacher meetings, or mandatory calls and e-mails. I’m looking forward to not caring whether school is in session or not.

That’s all for now. Be well out there. :)