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Margaritas were enjoyed.

It’s the day after Valentine’s day, and I didn’t celebrate Singles Awareness Day for the first time in a very long time. Instead, it was Taco Tuesday with my honey. I enjoyed it immensely. We ate good tacos, walked a bit, talked a bit, shared warmth during more walking.

It was a good evening.

Today, I gaze upon other couples’ social media posts (and a few single friends’) and feel like I’m now in the best days of my life. Yes, even during these times of great uncertainty and craziness in the world, I still feel very positive.

It’s Wednesday again, so that means it’s also another Hump Day! 🙂 No, I will not post a talking camel video again (for a while.)

Gallifrey One starts tomorrow! I’m so excited, even though I have no idea yet what actual events I’m going to try to make it to, except for the Real Timelords of OC dinner on Sunday, which will be after the closing ceremonies.

On to a long day of work and then last-minute preparations and some very loose planning for a fun-filled weekend.

 

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Photo by Rohit Choudhari

My hobby is playing video and computer games. It’s not a secret. What I like about them is a bit tougher to describe, but I’ll try.

Games are usually a fun pastime, and that is what I believe their primary reason for existing is. I do play games mainly because I find them fun. That’s not the only reason, though.

I also play them to visit, if only for a short time, different worlds than the current, real one. Sometimes it’s vastly different worlds, at times, there’s only a slight difference. It’ll be a “what if this one thing happened” scenario, and what kinds of adventures would result.

Often, I do like taking on the role of a hero, saving the day. I think I enjoy that because, unlike a book, or a movie, I get to control the flow of whatever “story” unfolds. Sometimes it’s a branching story, and other times, it can be a very linear story, and the variations can have their ways of entertaining, at different times and depending on what I’m in the mood for.

Games are also a way to provide exercise for the mind, without dire consequences. Solving puzzles in virtual worlds is also fun, and those virtual achievements can be something to remember fondly if only because some seemingly impossible task was pulled off by what might have been a burst of creative thinking.

Some games hide surprises and delightful moments, and I dig those as well.

This is not an exhaustive set of reasons, but I think it’s good for now. I might expand this someday, but I’m sure I far from alone in most of these reasons.

 

Prompt found (#56) at: http://www.dailyteachingtools.com/journal-writing-prompts.html

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A telegram, lodged between the pages of the book, S.

It’s another blank page. It’s time to conquer it! Let’s go!!!

My motivation for today that is.

Anyway, I had a good long meeting with my bed last night after a very long day yesterday. It was a day that included the long-overdue adult physical checkup (I’m good, but need a bit more exercise) and the sometimes-dreaded work performance review.

On a much brighter note, I got more reading on S. done. The core story is a decently good one. So far, it’s featured a man with amnesia (that’s S. himself) and a ship crewed by whistling ghouls. Seriously, only one shipmate could sort-of-speak English. S. has endured being Shanghaied so far, and his adventure’s only just begun. To be clear, he knows his name, as do people he introduces himself to, but it’s obscured from the reader so that whenever he presents himself, it looks like this:

“What’s your name?”
“S—.”

It’s the only book I’ve ever picked up that is written this way.

At any rate, it’s getting a bit easier to keep the loose items that come tucked into the book from falling out, now that I’m a bit closer to the middle of the binding. Like a good video game, I’m looking forward to discovering their meaning on my next “play-through” of this book.

Also, my sweetheart shared this fun video, made by one of my favorite YouTube creators, Freddie Wong:

She truly knows how to get me hyped for a movie.

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Check out part one here. Even though my Facebook post didn’t quite get more than eight likes as of the creation of this file, I press on, determined to complete the answers.

Best Soundtrack

This one is super subjective, and I have many favorites. Currently, I’d say the soundtrack that I feel is the “best,” in my book, is the soundtrack to Journey: The Game, by Austin Wintory. Even though I’m not ready yet for another playthrough of the game, I will regularly start that soundtrack up. It’s very relaxing and adventurous, all at once.

Saddest Game Scene

This one I almost didn’t do because it’s going to be a spoiler, no matter which scene I choose and loses some impact once you know the outcome. So, I’ll leave it simple: the end scene from the game The Walking Dead: Episode 5: Out of Time. Play this game, feel the feels. Here’s a hug in advance.

Clementine takes aim, but at who?

Best Gameplay

To be here, the game needs to be playable without any written documentation. That’s not so hard these days, but I have a high standard here. It also should delight whenever possible. I still feel like this is held by Super Mario games, and most especially by Super Mario World.

Gaming System of Choice

For now, it’s currently… wherever the games I’m interested in are! I don’t always have the latest systems either. I have both a gaming desktop PC and laptop, a Wii, a PS3, an XBox One, a 3DS, an iPhone, and an iPad. My last choice for gaming, however, is currently Macs, but that’s purely from a performance standpoint. The hardware in use just isn’t optimal on Macs right now, and that’s sad because I get work done most easily on Macs, so I’d love to consolidate back there.

A game everyone should play

I think that everyone that has a chance to needs to play Chrono Trigger. Time travel in an RPG, with a good story, is a good combination.

A game you’ve played more than five times

That would be most of the games that I’ve liked. I’ll just choose one that has come up a few times every few years. Halo: Combat Evolved. It will be time for another legendary playthrough soon.

Current (or most recent) gaming wallpaper

Genji Shimada (Overwatch) – Full size found here: https://whvn.cc/466444

Post a screenshot of the game you’re playing right now

Screeps – screeps.com

There will be more in part 3. Stay tuned!!!

Source: 30 Videogame Answers, No Likes Part 1 | Through Wolfy’s Eyes

Featured image credit: thatgamecompany

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It begins with a step out the front door. Then, I step off the porch and walk to the rough driveway, where my noble steed (car) awaits.

I’m usually parked next to the outer edge, so that’s right next to a pretty tall hedge. This hedge, depending on the season, sometimes sheds blossoms on my car. That’s the reason I usually get this spot – my car’s not anything awesome to look at. The tiny flowers stick amazingly when wet, so that’s the only annoying part of the parking spot.

At any rate, I get the car going and back out, slowly. Extra slow because it’s super hard to see the road on the right (tall hedge.) Once I’m out, the first decision, up or down the hill?

Up (east) can be blinding in the fall and summer due to the sun, but sometimes, it’s faster since it’s usually a route with less freeway time. Morning traffic is often heavy in the local area, so a bit more street time can pay off to avoid the freeway crawl.

The route is a bit of a branching set of options until I’m nearly out of my home city and into the canyon, which narrows the trip down to 2 choices – the freeway, or the canyon road that shadows it for about a mile before veering westward. If the freeway is especially clogged, the canyon road is the only option to avoid a huge delay.

The next major street for the canyon road is the one my office’s building is on, so I turn eastward onto it and drive a few more blocks. Or, if on the freeway, it’s an exit and quick turns, right then left, onto the same street. A few blocks down and the building looms on the right. I turn in and proceed to the rear, where there’s a parking structure. Nearly every time, I park on the second floor, the top. Most of the bottom is reserved parking, and I’m not an exec. It’s cool because I need my steps.

It’s a brief walk to the building (the left of a set of almost identical structures) and an elevator ride to the proper floor. I electronically key the door nearest my wing and enter. The coolest part is that, upon getting within proximity of my station (an inside office), my computer unlocks, and its desktop is ready to go (usually – unless it had to reboot for an update.) I clock in and get to work for the day.

I often wonder if other commuters have a more enjoyable trip.

Your turn!

Describe the way you get to school or to work every day. (Source is #92 on the list, 100 Prompts For Writing About Yourself)

Featured image credit: Jannik Selz

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I saw this posted on a blog I follow and it feels like the right time to create a listicle post, so here it goes.

Very first video game

This is getting to be very tough to recall. The reason being that I only remember my love of games starting in general in an arcade, but am fuzzy on exactly which game I played first. I’ll go with Space Invaders, as a kid, in an arcade. The location of that arcade escapes my memory, but it was somewhere in Los Angeles.

Your Favorite Character

Link. The reason is pretty basic. Link represents the actual player of the game more than some fictional character, like Mario. That first quest through The Legend of Zelda was so much fun because the person exploring the dungeons and overworld of Hyrule is you, not some plumber. The TV commercials were cheesy, but fun, as well.

A game that is underrated

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. I almost didn’t play this game because I wasn’t sure another portable Zelda game could surprise and delight me as much as Link’s Awakening did. It did.

Your guilty pleasure game

This one’s tough because I tend to stay pretty mainstream with my gaming. I’ll say Pokemon Go is the one currently. I was never a fan of any Pokemon games, so this might be my gateway game. It’s not the only Pokemon game I own currently, after all.

Game character you feel you are most like (or wish you were.)

Gordon Freeman from the Half-Life series. He’s a very lucky, for being a really nerdy guy, and who, with no combat experience, proceeds to save the world. I want to be a bit like him.

Most annoying character

Navi from Ocarina of Time. Hey! Listen!

Favorite game couple

John 117 and Cortana.

That’s it for now. The list will continue in part 2.

Source: 30 Videogame Answers, No Likes Part 1 | Through Wolfy’s Eyes

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If we were having coffee together…

I’d tell you that it’s another Saturday morning! I’ve made it again. Now that I’ve also obtained some coffee, my mind is focusing again. It’s, unfortunately, something I’m not going to put down here, so let’s see what’s in the memory banks.

America’s still crazy, but resistance also continues.

We saw Ip Man 3 last night (at last!) It was splendid, although I will say that perhaps life can sometimes be cruel to people that love each other. It should not take a terminal illness to remind a husband about not taking his wife for granted, even while he’s fighting for a noble cause.

Arriving yesterday as well was, what I believe is one of my last print magazine subscriptions – Mac|Life. I’ve been a sub since it was MacAddict, but since an electronic subscription is a way to declutter my physical space, I’ve started that up.

The frames survey for my next pair of glasses, by Vue, has arrived, and I sent in my choice for the frame(non-trendy black) and lens type (photochromatic transition, which I currently have and like). Once I get the HIPAA-compliant prescription request, I’ll schedule an optometry appointment. The timing is pretty good on this since it means I’ll get some time to get used to them before the outdoor season begins again.

More sharing: #WeekendCoffeeShare: In Which I Am Tired

 

Photo by Mark Daynes

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It’s another Friday, and that means it’s time to recap another crazy week.

This recap will include two weeks, but it probably won’t be super long since most exciting things happened on the weekends.

Let’s see. It’s been a couple of weeks. It was super raining in these parts a couple of weeks ago. I’m glad that’s let up quite a bit. The following week saw an indoor Saberguild practice in a gym again. That was fun.

The end of the month Dr. Who meetup also got together for a pub quiz night, and I got the lowest score on the holiday episode quiz. I will do better next time!

The Magicians next season has begun, and it’s even more fun. This time they are in Filory, and finding out it isn’t exactly like the books Q loves.

I got my loot gaming crate, and it was awesome (and for science!)

The POTUS kept another of his really un-American campaign promises, and a lot of people were affected and angry. It’s a bad trend. There’s one of the reasons he has the lowest approval rating any president has had at the beginning of his term.

The Super Bowl is coming up, and I’m actually going to a party for it. I don’t really have a team in it (or the NFL, for that matter, at this point), but it’s a deep-fry party, so that’s a welcome perk. Until next time!

 

Photo by Nathan Shively

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My room is still a mess. It’s slowly coming together, though. I chip away at the piles of “stuff” whenever I get a solid block of free time. That’s usually on a Saturday or Sunday with no events or evening events.

The more I do this, the more things I realize don’t have a high nostalgia value and are just clutter. Tossing them out feels pretty good. I’ve already got a couple of laundry basket loads of clothes for the local Goodwill. It’ll feel excellent not to be laundering those anymore.

After I conquer my room, I think it’ll be time to get to the inside of my car and its trunk. Those have both been suffering for a long time. They’ve also been hiding a few useful items, preventing them from being used or cared for.

On a somewhat related note, I also started regrowing part of my beard, after a trim of the wild stuff that’s my cheek areas. I’m getting more serious about it now, making sure to take care of both the hairs (with beard oil) and the skin underneath. I want it to look and feel good to the touch, so it’s the least I could do.

Your turn! Be inspired by the word clean.

Prompt: Clean

Bonus: Guess what day it is again…

Photo by Markus Spiske

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Today, I consider one of those deep questions I often thought about as a teenager. What would I do if I were locked in my favorite department store overnight? I certainly don’t spend as much time in stores as I used to, after all.

If I were locked into a department store overnight, it would have to be Toys R Us. I’d actually choose that one because I’m just a big kid at heart.

I’d start the night off with some LEGO building perhaps (something small, I’d pay for it in the morning.) Then, for a little while, I’d play the video games already set up on display. Perhaps I’d get pretty good at them too since I’d have a long stretch of time to play.

Lastly, because I’d likely get a bit tired, I’d nap for a bit. That would probably be it until opening time. I know, it’s not super exciting, and no supernatural stories like the movie Mannequin, but I’d enjoy my time.

What would you do if you were locked inside your favorite department store overnight?

I’m interested in what others would do. What store would you choose? Let me know in a comment or a new post that links back.

Source: 180 Journal Writing Prompts – Prompt #21

 Photo Credit: Exile on Ontario St Flickr via Compfight cc