Or is that speed up? Everyone seems busy, the blogosphere has gotten pretty quiet. I didn’t think I was one of the quiet ones, but it turns out it’s looking that way ever since I got an XBOX 360! I’ve been playing a lot of Viva Piñata, and Gears of War.

Of course the wife has been playing Hexic and I got her Bejeweled 2 on XBOX Live Arcade. She’s also got her own Piñata garden.

Last night we tried out the Sonic demo, which was alright — Sonic runs so fast at times we ran him right off a cliff. We also tried out the LEGO Star Wars II demo, which was an insane amount of fun. The wife’s been bugging me about what to get me for Xmas, and I figure that might be a good one.

In more writing related news, I tried out a nifty new note-taking and To Do web app with integrated calendar called Stikkit. Made myself a story To Do list and set the due date for December 31st. This’ll give me motivation to do more than play the 360 over the Christmas break. It’s a pretty nifty free web app, check it out!

P.S. My 360 gamertag is Redchurch77 if any of you are playing.

Forgive me if this is a little late, as I wasn’t aware. The economist Milton Friedman died last Thursday November 16th at the ripe old age of 94. The bulk of his work in economics and political dialogue was cemented before I was even born. I came across his theories a few years back when I was studying economics as they pertain to logic, truth, and freedom.

Never was there a more rational voice for limiting the role of government, especially in what seems a neverending age where the American and worldwide public seem to crave more and more intrusion from government into their daily lives.

I fear what the world may become without the voices of men like Milton Friedman. I can only hope with his passing that he might grow in fame or even infamy. It is up to the rest of us to carry the torch.

Rest in peace, Milt.

The wife and I carved our pumpkins yesterday. Mine is the goofy one on the right. It was fun, and I haven’t done it for over fifteen years. What a cheap form of entertainment! I think we bought our pumpkins for $3.00 each, and spent over an hour carving, scraping, and carving some more. Halloween has become a spooky holiday for me, but it has nothing to do with ghouls and ghosts.

Halloween now signifies the night before National Novel Writing Month. My anticipation is peaking. Being my 2nd year, this makes a healthy tradition. Just like last year, my outline isn’t as solid as I’d like, but unlike last year I have a lot clearer idea of what I’m doing this time. Let’s hope this first draft only sucks half as bad as the one I did last year! While the kiddies are getting treats, I’ll be doing some last minute efforts to prepare my trick of 50K words in 30 days.

Are you getting scared yet?