Dubious Quality

We've been traveling almost every weekend for hockey since Eli 12.6s cracked rib healed (he's playing great, but the trips are hard). Trying to support Gridiron Solitaire (and improve it) in a compressed time frame each week has been very, very difficult. 

I have four areas where I want to improve the game, and I've designed two of them, with most of the work done on the other two. I had no idea that I would have these ideas, and I'm glad, because it's going to make the game significantly better, but it's going to be a ton of work. 

I feel like I'm doing three things at once because--most of the time--I am. 

Because of this, I've noticed lately that I can't get my mind still. There are multiple data streams in my head at all times. This does not seem healthy.

I'm mentioning this because I'm sure I'm not the only one. I know that some of you are going through the same thing. There are so many inputs now--sound, data, video--that it's easy to just keep drinking from the fire hose. Actually, it's worse than that--there are so many inputs that you feel like you might be missing something important if those inputs aren't monitored.

So starting today, I'm trying to quiet down.

Less interaction. Fewer data streams. More time when I'm only doing one thing, not five. I'm hoping this will settle me down and improve the quality of my thinking. My thinking on small things is still okay, because small things are constantly in my head, but the thinking on big things has suffered. 

The big things are usually the important things. Being sound on tactics is not effective if you're unsound on strategy. 

Part of the quieting down was to make myself sit down and play "Banished" after it was released yesterday. It's brilliant--staggering, really--and I'm forcing myself to play it without accelerating time in any way. That means it's a slow, entirely engaging experience, which is just what I need right now. 

I'll have a post up about Banished within a day or so, but you can save yourself time and just go buy it now. It's beautiful and well-designed and has a kind of meandering intensity that very much surprised me. 

Just one note when you start playing: don't be greedy. You have been warned.