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Organised some time ago I had arranged for a visit to Hanging Rock (Ngannelong) for Damien B's birthday. Jac and Damien came around on Friday night and we watched the famous 1975 movie Picnic at Hanging Rock, which some kind soul had uploaded to Youtube. It really has stood the test of time with, a combination of implied horror, homoeroticism, and plenty of disturbing exploration of the Victorian social mores (the lines of Doctor McKenzie became a running joke for us). The following day we made our way to the namesake site and, naturally enough, had a picnic. It really is quite an astounding geological formation, a labyrinth mamelon columns made of soda trachyte. Afterward, we made our way to our overnight stay at an old cottage in nearby Gibsourne and had an afternoon meal of brie and Klein Constantia Vin de Constance which is, in my considered opinion a wine that is liquid gold (and with a price tag to match). Even the normally alcohol-free Damien had a glass. The owners of cottage also have a herd of alpacas (llama minimus?), which we took the opportunity to feed this morning.
That evening we played the dystopian SF game Paranoia, which certainly is one of the innovative roleplaying games of all time (The Computer says so, and The Computer is your friend), whose tropes have made there way into a number of cultural artefacts. In recent years, there has been an increasing trend to play it "straight" partially inspired, I believe, by the Paranoia comic, where it can go very dark indeed. We played it with a little bit of that orientation, but a more classic absurdist flavour. It is also worth mentioning that last week I finally finished everything for RPG Review Issue 45, which is almost three months late. My own contribution to this issue include reviews of Chivalry & Sorcery's Saurians, the three volumes of Role Aids' Monsters of Myth and Legend, GURPS Monsters, and Monsters and Other Childish Things. The next issue of RPG Review will be on FUDGE and FATE based RPGs.
Of other note, there is the continuing global pandemic. Last week Australia's DFAT issued their highest level warning to overseas Australians which was basically, "get out now" as countries start closing their borders which, without any sense of irony, coincided with the national carrier QANTAS (and its cheaper line, Jetsatr), canceling all its international flights. The result is a number of Australians are trapped overseas. My advice to anyone in this situation is beg, borrow, or steal (in that order - but ultimately your life is more important than their property) to buy your way home - and friends of those overseas should do everything they can to help those stranded. Which, I must mention quietly, is what I have done for my dear friend![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lei_loo. They were planning on returning to Melbourne, I noticed their flights were being cancelled, I sent a hurried message, and shortly later had them on the second last seat of the last plane leaving the country. One of the proudest moments of my life, really.
Not that Australia is doing brilliantly in the COVID-19 stakes. I was optimistic about when we would hit a thousand cases, and I should have followed the math rather than being conservative at potential new diagnoses. Incredibly, for a higher education institution, my workplace is still dragging its feet on the working from home option. At this rate they'll have to be directed by an external authority.
That evening we played the dystopian SF game Paranoia, which certainly is one of the innovative roleplaying games of all time (The Computer says so, and The Computer is your friend), whose tropes have made there way into a number of cultural artefacts. In recent years, there has been an increasing trend to play it "straight" partially inspired, I believe, by the Paranoia comic, where it can go very dark indeed. We played it with a little bit of that orientation, but a more classic absurdist flavour. It is also worth mentioning that last week I finally finished everything for RPG Review Issue 45, which is almost three months late. My own contribution to this issue include reviews of Chivalry & Sorcery's Saurians, the three volumes of Role Aids' Monsters of Myth and Legend, GURPS Monsters, and Monsters and Other Childish Things. The next issue of RPG Review will be on FUDGE and FATE based RPGs.
Of other note, there is the continuing global pandemic. Last week Australia's DFAT issued their highest level warning to overseas Australians which was basically, "get out now" as countries start closing their borders which, without any sense of irony, coincided with the national carrier QANTAS (and its cheaper line, Jetsatr), canceling all its international flights. The result is a number of Australians are trapped overseas. My advice to anyone in this situation is beg, borrow, or steal (in that order - but ultimately your life is more important than their property) to buy your way home - and friends of those overseas should do everything they can to help those stranded. Which, I must mention quietly, is what I have done for my dear friend
lei_loo. They were planning on returning to Melbourne, I noticed their flights were being cancelled, I sent a hurried message, and shortly later had them on the second last seat of the last plane leaving the country. One of the proudest moments of my life, really. Not that Australia is doing brilliantly in the COVID-19 stakes. I was optimistic about when we would hit a thousand cases, and I should have followed the math rather than being conservative at potential new diagnoses. Incredibly, for a higher education institution, my workplace is still dragging its feet on the working from home option. At this rate they'll have to be directed by an external authority.