World Enough and Time

No, I'm not becoming a game addict or a Facebook groupie, honest. But it's fun to play Gardens of Time when I can't sleep in the middle on the night, and once I saw that they have a Panda Garden - toraks has one - I was hooked. I want one.

But I'm fumbling over the rules and just like anything on Facebook, finding it somewhat difficult to figure out. How do I avoid the links where they ask me for money? Why am I not finding the places to go to for the quests I'm sent on? How do I find neighbours? How do I make a group of neighbours? What does Lulu have to do with it? How do I get the medieval stuff?

To do some research, I found some links I can browse:

1. A getting started guide
   
2. Quests
   
3. list of buildings
   
4. Game Guide on FB
   
5. Garden Guide
   

On a quick browse, I don't see the answers to my immediate questions:

1. how do I earn more energy? I see I can get more by waiting, or by asking my friends for it. Are there other ways? Is it connected to quests?
   
2. When the Time Society gentleman gives me quests, I don't know how to get to the scenes he mentions
   
3. How do I find the panda gardens? I want the pandas! I need to see how much I need to earn or save up, or what level I have to get to.
   
   
   
   
4. How do I create a wish list, and add things to it?
   
5. How do I convert silver to gold or vice versa?
   
6. Can silver or gold be applied to energy?
   
7. What does the check mark mean on some of the pictures of my neighbours?
   

Today worked out perfectly. After months (or maybe a lifetime!) of trying to sort myself out properly in the morning before work, so I get everything done and still get to work on time, I managed it this morning. Sufficient sleep, or close to. Back exercises. A hearty hot breakfast. Then walked to work and arrived five minutes early. Perfect!

Things were good at work, too. Donna is back from her vacation; it was good to see her. I had some interesting and challenging things to do - still working on some of the challenges. Lunch was amazing: I hadn't brought anything and I felt like a walk, so I went to Esplanade Laurier and had some amazingly delicious fast food tempura for only $7. It was wonderful.

Going home, I picked up a pile of library books that were on hold for me - don't tell maaseru, she thinks I check out to many library books. I visited her with an afternoon snack and then napped for an hour or more - then did the full set of weight training exercise that Lynne set out for me on Saturday. Damn, that half-plank for a whole minute is difficult.

Supper was quinoa pasta (note to self: buy more) with maaseru's spahetti sauce. explodedteabag showed us a website with some really good Hidden Object Games, and we played a few that she'd got.

Let's see if I can handle my time tomorrow morning as well as today. I did slip up with one thing - I left for work without my cell phone. Maybe I'll get it right tomorrow.

Dear Abby,

My name is Elizabeth and I am a Scrabulous addict. Luckily, some of my friends are also Scrabulous addicts. so that's all right. But the heavy hand of the law has come down and I can't play Scrabulous online any more. Information as to why is here.

So: how do I find a place where I can play the legitimate Hasbro version? I went to the Hasbro site and discovered I can't access it or play it from work - we have the wrong software, and I can't download anything anything here. Ditto for the game on quadplex, the Pogo game is annoying and times my moves, the MSN game won't work without installation, nor will the version at about dot com boardgames. Scrabblon seems to involve the download of something called Networdz.

I tried Scrabble Beta on Facebook and can't get it to work at all.

So - where I can play a version of Scrabble online without needing to download something?

Scrabulous was just about perfect.

Yours,
The Afflicted

Scrabulous is in trouble - copyright trouble. And I'm not the least surprised.

The news item is here.

Now, ever since I started playing Scrabulous a few months ago, I've thought it was identical to Scrabble - which is a fabulous game, one of the few games I actually enjoy playing - transplanted to the perfect online format. I've tried at various times to play online Scrabble, but it was never satisfactory. Scrabulous is perfect.

I am, in fact, highly addicted to it.

And it's more fun to play with friends than strangers, so if anyone here wants to play a game of Scrabulous - let me know!

It's all Donna's fault for introducing me to the game, and it's the only reason I signed up for Facebook. I ignore everything else there and go straight to my Scrabulous games.

Donna is also trying to persuade me to go to Scrabble club meetings and tournaments. Hmm. Maybe. I'm not really good enough yet, I don't think. But maybe with practise I would be.

What I hope is that Hasbro, Mattel and Scrabulous will come to an agreement that will allow Scrabulous to continue online. I really hope.