Well I've had an eventful few days. Usually when I approach a busy project month it gets very hectic and confused. Sometimes it takes a few day for things to straighten out into an understandable system.

However during the past month I’ve been working on some of my personal challenges for the year, as part of a list of projects over on the NaNoWriMo boards call ‘big fun scary challenges’, and though it’s been a bit stressful planning for my convention while setting up this charity event, the personal challenges I’ve worked on this month have help me look at approaching the end of some projects and then starting new ones.

Better that then stressing out over the set up of upcoming events. Sometimes the anticipation of a thing is worse than the thing itself, as they say.

So this past weekend I managed to complete a rough draft of some maps for fantasy or gaming needs, they are hand painted in black on parchment like paper, and I will compile a few good ones into setting material for sale through e-books I think. I will also offer commissions to those interested.

Also I finished and prepared the first of four messages in a bottle for the project of the same name:

http://groups.google.com/group/mess-n-bot
And that message will be sent on its way Friday afternoon from the Connecticut convention center where I will be at the annual multi-genre convention Connecticon.
But I’ve also created a few hand crafted pendants to wear at the convention to sort of prime people for the future release of a line of hand crafted jewelry I will be starting. I’ll keep you all posted on this as time goes by.
I’ve build a mock up of a pinhole camera design that when tested will show me whether I need to make a few adjustments before making a good quality metal fabrication of the same design. I’ve still got to work out the film winding but it would work now for single shot usage.
I’m fairly excited by my progress on my Big Fun Scary Challenge list so far. All they asked was that we try one personal challenge during the year, I being the person I am promptly decided my one challenge would be to complete 24 personal challenges.
I’ve made some progress into the list, having completed near half of it since January. The remaining half, are going to be the harder ones to complete; consisting mainly of editing, rewriting and submission of writing from my past, as well as learning new things. The learning can be fun but again, being the person I am I’ve not chosen nice easy things. Sumerian, computer languages and complex mathematics are not light subjects to self teach.
Why make so much extra work for myself? Because I’ve discovered in myself some potential I’d never known I had before. I am beginning to realize some of my potential and am anxious to see just how many of those ‘one day’ dreams I can manifest in my lifetime. It’s empowering, and it’s comforting to know that somewhere along the way I stopped being a passenger on a tour of the world and became an explorer.
So join me for some of my explorations, start some of your own, and as always…
Take care of yourselves,
Roving Jack
PS. I’ll be trying to make my next post sometime on Friday night from the hotel, and each night after that.