E. Gary Gygax died today.

For those who have never heard of him, he was the co-creator of the original Dungeons and Dragons Role-playing game.

This makes me incredibly sad - without D&D I wouldn't be the person who I am today. Gaming has taught me a lot, and not just those jokey '1001 things I learned from playing D&D' type lists.

I don't think I'd be blogging if it were for the effect that RPGs have had on my life.

Wil Wheaton says it best.

Rest In Peace.

I'm a twit sometimes.

Take yesterday. I'm supposed to be working four night shifts, so I arrive in work with plenty of time to spare (and so I can pop across the road and get my dinner, a half-pound heart attack in a bun).

My crewmate turns up, we get our kit on the ambulance and wait for the first call.

Then the resource center (who handles the staffing of vehicles) phones up my crewmate and tells her that she's single and they are sending someone to work with her.

The shoe drops - I'd booked these four nights off early last year so that I could go to SXSW, but then money became a problem so I couldn't go. I'd then forgotten to cancel the leave.

What a nice surprise.

I'm back at work on next Thursday - so I have a chance to do a load of things that I've been putting off because I haven't had the time.

Just a quick comment on the news that the report on 24 hour licensing is to be positive.

It's not my opinion, there has been a 12% increase in alcohol related calls to the LAS in the last two years (without an increase of resourcing to deal with it). The Information Centre shows that admissions for alcohol have doubled in the last decade. And anecdotal evidence would suggest the same.

It just shows how detached from reality our policy makers are. Or how blatant the conspiracy between government and alcohol producers has become.