2 posts tagged “opticians”
It's official - Wii Fit is now a part of my life. Every day at around 7PM, I jump onto the Wii Balance Board and get my BMI reading. The picture above was the first BMI reading I got from it, and I was kind of shocked. Obese? Me? Overweight, yep. I am that. Not obese though. Obese? Thing must be broken. Yet I look down and see the developer belly which was hewn from countless late-nighters and an infinite conveyor belt of takeaway meals. Actually, the way Wii Fit shows you your BMI is kind of horrendous if you're weight conscious - your Mii is on screen and thin to start with, but slowly expands as the BMI increases. The end flourish is a comedy sound effect which does nothing to help the fact that there's a cartoon version of yourself on screen looking pretty fat and miserable.
Wii Fit has helped me in the past two weeks or so to a much more nicer BMI of 30.15 - I yearn for the day when I'm not in the painfully red obese oblong and am sitting in the pink glow of being overweight. It's still not a good place to be, but a hell of a lot better than obese. I've been on the thing often as well as complimenting the workouts with some running again. Ah, I've missed the running. I am determined to lose this gut though. Half my wardrobe now is unwearable - I've got slim-fit hipster jeans slowly getting covered in dust, and shirts which don't button up the way they were designed.
I was extremely lucky to pick up Wii Fit though - I somehow managed to get to PC World the exact moment they got stock in (and ironically it was after a 3km run..!) and now I'm getting serious with some rhythm boxing courtesy of a trainer Mii who sounds a lot like Jason Stratham. It's crazy I come out of those workouts with a sweat on, but it all helps. I've also cut out completely the chocolate and sweets. Biscuits? None of that sweet cakey nonsense for me. I've forsaken my treats for a gutless body. Is it natural to be doing this? I guess I just don't want to bounce as much these days.
I went for my annual visit with my optician at the weekend - although my optician has now become a Scottish fella with worse eyesight than me. Could this even be possible? He managed to put myself at ease with all the wacky things which are currently happening with my eyes. I have floaters - one main one for each eye - which drift into vision sometimes to say hello. I hate floaters. I also have the joylessness of seeing light sources shimmer in a next-gen-bloom-kind-of-way - it was a nice novelty to begin with, walking home with a dreamlike sheen over all. Now? It's kind of bloody irritating, evenmoreso when I was out running one night and not only were the lights all shimmery, but there was mist about - which only seemed to make the effect much worse. Oh, and the glasses constantly steaming up through my exertions too. So, yep. I hate my vision.
Mr. Optician also told me of the things to expect if (when?) one of my retinas decides to detach itself from the back of the eyeball. My old optician told me that I should expect a "curtain effect", though the new optician was a lot more descriptive - expect plenty more floaters than usual (like shitloads more) followed by flashes of white light and then the dreaded curtain effect. When that happens, I should phone them up without hesitation. I've been told that this is what you would expect if you are short of sight. On the good news side of things, he did mention that my eyesight hasn't changed that much - although his final test (a new one I didn't experience last year) proved I may soon need *two* sets of glasses - one for reading and one for normal everyday activity.
Getting old sucks. So does the prospect of spending money on spectacles - although my healthcare covers £200 of it all, so I decided to get a new pair anyway and also a pair of sunglasses in lieu of the pair I lost when I was training for the GNR a few years back. I did feel like not taking my vision for granted when I left there, so I decided to watch Watchmen at the wonderous Tyneside Cinema. Verdict? Really enjoyed it, although I've not read the book in a while so maybe when I re-read the book, I can get angry with the film like half of the critics out there. There were some very brilliant bits in the movie though, and there was some pretty impressive gore too, especially the scrap in the alleyway. People who have seen the movie will know exactly what I mean.
What else? Wheelman is going to be out next week! I'm quite excited about this - feedback on the demo has been majorly positive. There are still the naysayers out there, but we've got the majority and that'll do us. The game should be out the 25th (I've seen 24th somewhere though...) in the US and the 27th in the UK. To celebrate this, Ubisoft have produced a brand new trailer which - quite frankly - kicks serious booty -
Now Ubisoft produce some lovely trailers - they have a knack of marrying mainstream music with the action (check out these trailers for Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed and try and tell me otherwise, oh doubter of things!) and the above is no exception. I think it puts Wheelman firmly in the "fun" department. "Look, it's not a seriously gritty thing like GTA4. It lets you shunt cars, spin 180 and shoot shit and leap from car to car with gay abandon!". This trailer has got a lot of positive feedback, though I think it's interesting that the Midway logo has been toned down somewhat - you can see it at the end, but you need to squint a bit.
I think that says a lot about the company in this day and age. I can imagine the marketing men of Ubisoft getting together and realising that the Midway logo is a negative than a positive. This is sad news, though perhaps unsurprising given the slow descent which has been happening. Vin's also interviewed very, very briefly for GameTrailers TV (Note the caption for the interview doesn't mention Midway Newcastle) and it's pretty much telling that Vin doesn't really seem to know too much about the game. I've crunched on that motherfucker for over a year, the least he can do is know a bit more about it.
Vin recently appeared on a French chat show for Fast and Furious, and looked kind of unsettled when Wheelman was shown on big screens and one of the hosts handed him a controller. The result? Vin bouncing off walls and spectacularly ending the demonstration slamming into a roadblock. Thankfully a cop car exploded and the audience went crazy. Thank god for that exploding cop car, or else it would have looked kind of stupid. The host then showed Vin "how it should be done". Vin tried to rescue the situation describing the "Reverse Cyclone" (It's actually called The Cyclone, Vin) by getting up out of his chair and turning on the spot while shooting an imaginary pistol.
So, yep. I get the feeling that Vin would rather talk more about the new Riddick game than Wheelman - that's the impression I get. Has Wheelman changed from the original vision of a straight-laced GTA clone - in Vin's eyes? Is he pissed off that you can do all that fun arcadey stuff? I'm extremely glad we didn't go down the GTA4 route of chore-like gameplay and the seriousness of it all. GTA San Andreas had parachutes and jetpacks. What happened?
I think Wheelman will do well at retail - I think there's been that turnaround we've all hoped for when the gamers of the world realise what we're not trying to be. "GTA4 Meets Burnout" seems like a good description. It's going to be an interesting couple of weeks - review scores (the ones I've heard of have been very favourable), the game's release, sales figures and that possibility of a sequel. If we get to do a sequel, I wouldn't mind at all - it'll be great to see where else we can take the franchise and add the things that we wanted to, but couldn't.
It'll be interesting to see if Vin's on board too - or at least care enough for a sequel. Maybe if we have an unlockable Riddick skin, he'd be interested.
It's Been A While...
No updates for a few days... I've been pretty busy. For a start, Wheelman has moved into a new and exciting phase - marketing popped around last week and went through their battleplans to make sure everyone knows of Vin Diesel kicking virtual booty in our game. Actually, marketing know of this blog and have mentioned it (hello, Midway Marketing!) and I've made sure that I've stuck to my NDAs and not revealed anything at all which will spoil the events we have planned. It is pretty exciting though, although it's a milestone which means production of the game will step up another gear. I'm all for it - it's my first Triple A title I've ever worked on in the games industry and it's going to be interesting to see the write-ups from the press who attended our Press Day the day after marketing talked us through things. They'll be wanting assets from us - screenshots, concept artwork (Pete, one of our very talented concept guys, has produced some very, very tasty stuff) and - in my case - a lovely t-shirt design. I just need to find the time to do it - time has been something of a luxury for me as I've been sorting out other things too...
Housey-House!
I've almost got everything sorted out bill-wise for the flat... today I managed to drag myself through the dull-as-dishwater chore of contents insurance. The bank offered me a deal when I applied for the mortgage, but it turns out that the bank were taking the piss somewhat and I managed to get the same insurance for less than half price. Banks are funny like that. You ask for a loan and they want it all back and a lot more too. All that's left to be sorted out with the flat is water rates, TV licence and the Virgin Media package of phone/cable/internet... you know what, though? I've not really missed the internet at home that much. I do have pangs of wanting to visit certain sites I used to in the wee hours, but it feels good not to be a slave to the internet at home. I used to work on a PC and then come home and jump onto... another PC. It can't be good for my eyes....
"Call These Eyes? I Wants My Money Back!"
I come from a relatively large family. When genetics were dealt out to other family members, they all got the better deal of good eyesight. That one horribly latent gene decided to knock on my biological door - or rather kick the door in - and I was cursed with having myopic vision and be banished to wear lenses for the rest of my life. I remember vividly when it happened - I was 7 and my family were in constant poverty in those days. We didn't have a bathroom and used to drag a tin bath into the house - I shit you not. We also had the novelty of an outside toilet which was great in the Summer, but an absolute nightmare in Winter. Nothing beats the bracing experience of sitting on cold toilet seat while the wind whistles under the door. These days the Pick Household has evolved somewhat, but my eyes haven't. When I went to the Opticians last year, they did warn of my eyes and how lousy they were. If I ever experienced an effect like "someone drawing a curtain over my eye", I would have to make my way pretty damn sharpish to the Opticians as this would possibly be a detached retina.
OMFG!
Well, that's what I thought. Turns out they can be reattached, though they need to be caught early. You ever get floaters? You know, strange little cells which float by in the eyeball which aren't noticed until you really look for them. I get them often though recently there's been some rather alarming floaters which almost end up distracting me as I try and work on these bright computer monitors. I thought I'd pay the Opticians a visit in case it was something serious - turns out it wasn't, although my eyes are starting to do crazy things. I have stigmatisms in both eyes - how lucky am I? - and although my vision is fine, my eyeballs have kind of changed shape. I notice crazy shimmering effects too sometimes when I look out of a bright window - turns out that'll be my eyeballs changing shape. No problem, I need some new glasses. This fills my heart with dread. My glasses are super-complex lenses and often cost stupid money. Although the government lets me have free eye tests for my comedy eyeballs and a measely £13 discount from any lenses/frames, the price for the lenses? £260. Yep, sickening. I dust off the credit card and chuck that lot on there to worry about later, although our company has a rather excellent healthcare scheme, so I can claim back this money.
When Pupils Attack.
You should count yourself lucky if you have perfect vision or don't wear spectacles. The tests which I had to go through voluntarily (including the dreaded glucoma machine which fires jets of air directly onto your eyeball) were bad enough, but turns out I had to have my pupils dilated so they could get a good look into the back of my eyes to check for telltale tears (first sign of a detached retina). So I had some stinging drops slapped into my eyes and told to walk about the town centre for 15 minutes for the drops to take effect. Munching a pastie outside, I soon discovered the effects which I was warned about - it was getting brighter and I couldn't focus on my phone to check the time. It was pretty horrible. The good news? No tears! Bad news? I had to walk back home. In the bright sunshine. Dodging cars I could barely see. So, yes. I absolutely despise glasses. I love seeing them on women, but I could probably empathise with the horrible ordeal of a visit to the Opticians. I lament at the amount of fast women and loose cars I could have bought with the money I spent on complex and expensive lenses. Still, peace of mind is a wonderous thing.
Tuesday - My Best Day In Ages
After a lengthy weekend of weird weather, buying knick-knacks for the flat and trying to get the process of sofa purchasing out of my head (any colour as long as it's beige...), I returned to work on Tuesday. I really like working here for a number of reasons - the people for one. I have a lot of good friends at work, and it was great seeing them again. This was only the beginning though! I get an e-mail from Innocent Drinks and they tell me I'm 1 of 100 people lucky enough to be part of their first AGM - my mug even features on their blog (scroll down!) along with the others who are coming - it's quite a varied bunch. I keep thinking I'm Charlie with a Golden Ticket. I love Innocent Smoothies though (although they're sadly quite pricey - blame the Government for slapping VAT on healthy drinks, the fools). I also managed to show Ronda my sketches for banners she wants to produce for her class - you can check out the sketches below...
They're going to be vectorised so I need to turn them into something more... final. I also need to make the kangaroo less "retarded" and give the emu legs... maybe make him less angry too. The koala and the kookabura are kidlet-friendly. Ronda asked me "how much?" and I said that all she should do is send me a care package from Australia, as long as it doesn't contain any of those insta-kill spiders. I like the idea of having my artwork making kids happy halfway around the world. What else? I discovered a new band! Pugwash are pretty big in their native Ireland, but I only found out about them through The Divine Comedy's MySpace and now I need some of their music in my life. I particularly like this tune...
Saturday = Fridge Day!
Nothing will excite me more on Saturday - besides getting hold of a nice table to slap my PC on - than having a fridge in my life again. I miss milk, what can I say? I still need a sofa, but a fridge seems to be a lot more important than my personal comfort.. There's been some talk of a housewarming at my place too, but I like living there and I don't want to upset the neighbours. The fridge comes courtesy of my old housemate who I also work with, but not just that - he's actually giving me a washing machine too!!!! It's crazy, but much appreciated - they ordered a washing machine before they moved in though the seller left his washing machine in the house for them. At the moment I pop on down to the Laundromat though it can get a bit busy down there sometimes. It's a bit of a walk too, but it gets me out of the flat and keeps me healthy. All this nice stuff happening makes me believe in karma all the more.
Boosh!
Here's a video which will entertain certain readers of the blog - a documentary all about The Mighty Boosh! Catch it before the BBC take it down!
...and I'm spent. Living in the flat has been a great experience - it's quiet, I wake up in my new lovely memory foam mattress (still no bed) to the sound of birdsong and there's a feeling of slow but constant progress. I have missed living on my own, I really have.
