I spent some time today updating my master spreadsheet.  I keep track of our products, how much they have made vs. the cost to pay the artist and writers, monthly earnings, average income over time etc.  I hadn’t updated it in a few months, so it was a pleasant surprise to see where we were at the end.  Certainly I am not making “quit-my-day-job-and-work-from-home” money, or anywhere close for that matter.  (More like “it-beats-slinging-burgers-at-the-food-court-for-the-same-income” kind of money.) It’s great to see products I put out in 2006 still bringing in sales; it all adds up to a nice part-time income.

Almost done with the christmas preperations.  A few presents to wrap, some cookies and cup cakes to make for the big party at my parent’s house.  I do have to work tomorrow but I expect I’ll be out of work by early afternoon and off to Mom & Dad’s house for the festivities.  Then Christmas around the tree at home.

I am really jonesing for Adobe CS4.  I may allocate some of my Christmas cash towards the purchase.  (Mom & Dad always hand out a little green on Christmas.)

I read over at ENWorld that we should hear more on the new GSL early in January.  That should break the PDF log-jam with publishers like myself deciding weather to support 4E or move on to 3.5/Pathfinder or some other system.  I am leaning towards a Modern “rules-light” system for my games, as well as dual-statting for OGL 3.5; but it’s all kind of up in the air currently.

Since we haven’t done it in a while; our Hawt Chix for today:  Eliza Dushku

(My wife knew her when they were both in Boston during college.  I’m sure Kevin Bacon is only another three or four hops from there in the six-degrees game.)

And for good measure…

I got an email from my buddy this morning.  He’s been drawing some stuff and is also very excited about the Pandora Project material I have shared with him.  Here is a sketch he did recently:

I hope to have some stock art from him for sale soon.

Took some pictures last night to send out in the Christmas Cards this year.  Also included a picture of the best Christmas Tree Topper ever invented in the whole history of ever!!

Doesn’t my daughter look happy to be taking pictures?

Our Tree.  Take a look at the top.

For the second year in a row Master Chief watches over our presents, protecting them from The Covenant, The Flood and the Grinch.

So Merry Christmas!  Happy Hanukkah as well.  (I’m lookin’ at you Daniel Perez.)

I just posted the latest PDF from Chris Field at OBS:

He’s got several more projects in the pipe-line, so look for more soon.

I read in a post over at ENWorld that we might hear some news on the revised GSL late this week or early next week.  I certainly hope so as I feel the uncertainty is putting a bit chill on PDF publishers.  If the new GSL sucks only slightly less than the old one, then we can move on and not support it with gusto.  If it allows publishers enough freedom to make a go of it then those of us on the fence can jump in with both feet.  Either way I am good.

I just have to say that I think WOTC has utterly dropped the ball on the whole 4E roll-out.  The Digital Initive is DOA, 3PP have been strung along from the beginning etc. etc.   It’s a real shame, because I want to support 4E but as it stands I am not feeling the love.

Overall sales have been down, and from the beginning I have attributed that to the “Big Chill” effect of WOTC’s tepid support of 3rd party publishers.  But PDF’s are still selling, Modern is holding strong and there is plenty of product in the pipe-line.I was talking with my Star Wars GM over the weekend and we were trying to decide what RPG to play when we wrap up or Saga Edition game.  We want to do the 40K RPG but all of us are former GW employees, and one of them just got laid off for no better reason than a personality conflict so he’s not really down with anything Games Workshop related.  (GW’s antics with hiring and firing are legendary.)

The good news is that we may end up playing the Omens of Armageddon campaign arc I have been working on. Having a regular group to run through the scenarios will help me flesh out the story and tweak better than any third-party play testing.

I’ve decided to upgrade to Adobe CS4.  I don’t really need to for many of the applications, but several of them (After Effects and Premier Pro specifically) have some new features that I need since they support the AVCHD codec natively. (Someone I know is getting a new Vixia HF100 for Christmas.) Photoshop, InDesign and the others I use for publishing are not on the must-upgrade list, so I may just opt for the Production Premium bundle.  But I may just spring for the full collection if I can muster the cash.  I may hold a big CS4 Upgrade sale come January.

Sorry for the lack of updates!

It’s been crazy at work as well as on the home front recently.  My wife has been down in North Carolina for her finals, so I am doing the batchelor thing this week.

I have several PDF’s on deck, look for one this weekend and more to follow shortly.

Still no GSL.  Big surprise there.

Saw Punusher: War Zone the other night cuz I didn’t feel like spending two hours in traffic.  It wasn’t perfect, but it sure beat the hell out of anything Dalph Lungren could bring to the table!

Rented some really bad movies recently as well.  One gem really shone forth; check out Dance of the Dead if your into zombie flicks. (Zombies take over the prom; with a premise like that you know your in for a good time!)