What's Up With Ichabod
Last time I posted a What's Up, I was looking forward to see what would happen. Here I am with the answers, or at least information on what has past.
My second business met with failure, although I am still struggling on. My attempts to print my Mad Scientist card game ran into problems with the printers. I couldn't get one that would give me a reasonable price. The best price I could have gotten would have forced me to sell a black and white card game for $25, far more than customers would be willing to pay. You might think it's just not feasable, but the printers are charging me two to three times what I know other companies are paying for larger games with more packaging and full color.
With the advertising deadlines approaching, I had to bail on the whole thing. I looked into getting it printed through Mayfair games, but at the summer conventions Mayfair blew off three meetings with me to demo the game. To be honest, I blew off one meeting myself. However, I think most other recovering alcoholics who survived cancer and have hearing problems would agree that a loud smoky bar is not appropriate for demoing games. I want to get my games published, but not that bad.
I looked into refinancing and getting larger print runs to maybe get a reasonable price out of the card printers, but I determined I would not be able to handle it alone, and passed. My latest attempt has been to send a query letter to another game company, we will have to see what happens with that.
I took my class on children's literature, and really enjoyed it. I like the format, and I think with some work I could do it well. Unfortunately, I once again shuffled my priorities and writing fiction fell to the bottom. I do hope to one day finish and illustrate Crazy Johny and Rhino Gets Sued, and maybe even post them to this page. But not today.
My sister got married, and although my tux was mis-measured and nearly choked me to death (I couldn't button the top button, it took my brother 5 minutes to do it, and I had red marks around my neck for two days), it was an excellent wedding. There was plenty to do for the children, so the adults were able to have more fun than usual. It was also wonderful to see Uncle Bernard and his whole clan again. As for life alone, I cannot say at this time.
Owning a house kicks ass. Nothing more needs to be said.
As for work, things have changed. I quit working at Tandem, and I am now full time at Iron Crown Enterprises. My little bit of freelancing for InQuest will soon end, as I have determined that I never want to do deal with them again.
How things will go at Iron Crown, I can't say. They have declared Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, to reorganize and get back on their feet. On the up side, I got paid last week. Long term is still unclear. I was orginally hired to work on a project that is now in indefinite limbo, pending resolution of an issue that was unresolved when they rehired me almost a year ago. They have instead given me a psoition that they started promising me two years ago (before they laid me off that one time), but I find it a meaningless title. I get none of the freedom to make decisions that one would expect with the position, and I don't even do all of the work.
Overall, I am dubious. I disagree with the direction the company is taking in the reorganization, but as the lone voice of dissention, my input is drowned out and decisions don't go the way I wish. I'm left with the choice of jumping ship (and giving up a third dream, to live a life of quiet desperation), or get dragged along hoping the guy on the other end of the leash knows better than I do where we should go.
On a sad note, my cat Jazz, who was a good cat for 12 years and saw me through cancer, died last month. His ashes are scattered in my mom's favorite garden, and in the small jungle in my back yard. I will miss him always. I have taken in two new kittens, Punk and Hermit, whose litter I found in my back yard the day after I bought my house. The cycle of life goes on.
Score: 105 - 71 - 2.
Last Updated 9/19/1999
Created 9/6/99