Winter Storm Mara swept in and knocked out service to much of Austin a couple of weeks ago. I was spared much of the difficulty and inconvenience, but I've been feeling the effects ever since - a long, ever-delayed feeling that I'm behind, that I need to catch up, that after a very productive January, I am already beginning to fall behind.

Why do we only learn the name of a Winter Storm after it's already come and gone? Hurricanes at least have the decorum to announce their names before they arrive on your doorstep.

• January WAS productive, though. Matthew and I finished and released COUNTERHEIST, a roleplaying game of two teams racing to steal the same spectacular prize. It's a really fun bit of playing-card-based competition - our friend devin described it as a fun party game, which I think accurately captures a lot of the energy behind it.

• I also helped my friend Gavin release his game, HER SERVANT, DEATH - a story game about cursed children being hunted down by their infernal mother's dark servant. The game is really more Gavin's creation than mine, but I was glad to have the chance to do some graphic design to help bring it to life.

• There's lots in the works for FATHOM but the update has fallen behind a bit. Hoping to work more on that later today, in fact!

• I wound up abandoning the aforementioned #dungeon23 project before it started. I'm doing enough this year!

• 📺 - The first season of BOCCHI THE ROCK!, an anime about a deeply socially anxious high school guitar player, was terrific: charming, funny, and visually interesting at every turn.

• 📽️ - Catching up on Marvel stuff I missed, starting with the two Ant-Man movies. Paul Rudd is very handsome and it's hard to believe he'd ever be down on his luck in the way that Scott Lang is.

• 🎮 - I was delighted by the twists and turns of CARD SHARK - a game about cheating at playing cards in 18th century France. I loved it enough to both buy it for someone else, and to start trying to learn how to cheat at cards in real life.

• 🎲 - I only just returned to board games last week, and finally played the classic CASTLES OF BURGANDY. I've also, after ten years, made a return to MAGIC THE GATHERING, which might be my downfall as an adult. The new cards ... they're very good.

• 📚 - Inspired by JUST KING THINGS, I've finally read the first book of Stephen King's Dark Tower epic, THE GUNSLINGER. Surprise - it was good! I'm currently reading THE DEAD MOUNTAINEER HOTEL by the Strugatsky brothers. I'm determined to read and read and read, this year!

February's a short one, so I'll have more to report on again soon.