The Mummytaur

So I expected to write my next Game Set Watch article slowly and ahead of time. Of course, I thought that my next article was due next week. No, I don't know why. Anyway, I reached into my pile of article topics and pulled out the one that I had the most information for, Robert Abbott's Theseus and the Minotaur. I would have written about it sooner, but I've been having problems getting my computer to play PopCap games, and I haven't had time to clear it up. (Basically, they won't give me any further support until I update my drivers, and at least one of my drivers doesn't seem to be supported by anyone anymore.) Anyway, I wrote the article, and ojouchan helped me by grabbing the necessary Mummy Maze screenshots off her computer and sending them to me. Then she cursed me because she hasn't been able to get any work done because she keeps playing Mummy Maze instead of working.

More tidbits that didn't make the cut:

• Though Berserk was the inspiration of the Minotaur maze, Robert Abbott has a dim view of post-'80s videogames.
  
• Yoah Bar-David wrote a solver for Minotaur and Mummy mazes.
  
• Michael Madden has used the set of fifteen puzzles by Robert Abbott and Toby Nelson as a test problem set for learning AI (PDF).

When I wasn't hunched over my keyboard writing the article, I was hunched over the keyboard editing articles for the next, somewhat-delayed issue of The Gamer's Quarter. Only three more articles for me to work over, and what I've read has been fantastic.

Calmed Down.

Yeah, so, in my last Proposal post, I was a bit panicked and overthinky. Bascially, I know that ojouchan will have a great tme at the party as it's scheduled, and I know that she'd much rather be proposed to sooner, rather than later (yep, that does apply to a matter of one day). I'm just sad that that one aspect of the party won't have the same meaning.

So I've calmed down. I booked my hotel for Friday-Monday at Hotel Marlowe, and I'll be calling the jeweler tomorrow to check on the status. The location is set: Sandrine's in Harvard Square at 7 p.m. My biggest concern right now is finding my phone. After Ojouchan's latest post, it's clear that I will have to make my entrance by calling her cell phone from my cell phone and singing to her as I enter.

Incidentally, during my free time in Boston between waking up and getting to the restaurant, I'd like to get a professional haircut and shave. I could get a haircut here (just a trim of course), but to get the shave and have it mean anything, I'd have to have an appointment on Friday morning, which is no good. I don't know if this is actually feasible, but I'd like to try.

I feel like I've forgotten to mention something, but I can't think of it.