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I like stories. In all the various forms they come in. I’ve been this way most of my life. I think it started with books, but I appreciate a good story, even when it’s wrapped in a lot of fancy technology.

It began with a live for books. That came once I got basic reading down. It only expanded once I got into a grade in school where “story time” was a thing. I secretly longed for this part of the day a bit more than recess.

I listened to The Hobbit, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and Watership Down. I was hooked. School libraries were somewhat small, so I quickly moved up to the local public library and my library card was an essential, everyday carry item.

It wasn’t just books though. I loved TV shows and movies, as well as video games. Still do.

Now, storytelling is usually a key aspect of many games (sometimes in sports video games as well.) Some games are even just basically interactive stories, with the player only making minor branching choices, or even being in nearly complete control as the main protagonist, or sharing that with other players, in small to massively multiplayer online role-playing games, like World of Warcraft. 

In all cases, it’s whatever story is being told (or guided towards) that draws me in. The awesome thing about loving stories is there are so many to experience. Running out is simply not an option, and it’s as easy as listening to another nearby human being.

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University of Illinois Arboretum Pete via Compfight

After a wonderful weekend, Mother Nature has decided to take a chill pill. That’s what I think from here in southern California, at least. My apologies to my fellow Americans in the eastern part of our country. It’s far from the pleasantness we have here.

OK, there is a bit more seriousness out there. Check out this post for deeper insight:

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too. ******* I read an interesting thought from Abraham Twerski (The Enemy Within).&n…

Source: #MicroblogMondays 134: Fish Love – Stirrup Queens

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Photo by Jakob Owens

The sky is blue. That’s normal, I know, but one always notices it more the day after being completely covered in rain clouds.

There’s more energy available from a clear sky, so I’m more inclined to open my blinds in the morning on bright days than on gray days.

It’s important to remember that waking up, whether it’s a blue or gray (or black – space station dwellers sleep too) sky, I’m awake, and alive, for another day. There’s potential. The day can be a good one.

It can be. I can be. We all can be. Let’s be good.

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Photo by Freddy Castro

Lately, I’ve thought that I don’t often do a thing that I see many bloggers do very often. That thing is: sharing other people’s content. I don’t just mean the link sprinkled here and there. I mean something like bringing attention to their stuff, driving interest their way.

OK, it’s time to do something about that.

I’ll start off with a blogger that has been super consistent for a very long time, John Saddington. The thing that first caught my attention was that he gets up, writes, and posts something, every single day. That’s super challenging.

Not only that, but his posts are often a peek into the mind of a software developer, human, dad, and lifelong learner. His currently visible project is a daily VLOG (video log). Making a video every single day (he still writes as well), especially if you’re learning along the way, is tough. When I think of giving up on any of my experiments, I remember this. John’s post (and video) today might have been a bit of a kick for that too. Check out the video:

How John sees and executes new projects:

1. Time box
2. Create artificial constraints to simplify your experiment
3. Create accountability
4. Invite others into your experiment and process

At this point, I think I understand the above, but I honestly need to get better at all those points. For example, I started the 100 Days Of Code challenge, but have fallen off on that, so my time box is broken. I can see now that since I didn’t force myself to stick to some artificial constraint (always do work at the same time, for the same amount of time, one hour), it became super hard to get motivated enough to do any work. I’ve got almost no accountability here, and I think only one person knows I even started this.

The last point, inviting others in, is the scariest part. Nobody wants to look like they don’t know how to do a thing that they’re public about, but I realize that that’s  how you stay accountable: somebody is watching what you do, so you want to have something done, on a regular basis.

I feel like John is a person worthy of daily attention. I’m even using a piece of software he’s published, Desk, to type up this post. Subscribe to his VLOG, add his blog to your reader. It’s that good.

 

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I used to have a copy that looked like this. Source: ilisteniwatch

The best book I have ever read is tough to decide. For now, I’m going with Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton. I read it back when I was in high school.

I think I first became interested in it when one of our math teachers, Mrs. Kinch, mentioned it, if I recall correctly, during a math club meeting. I acquired a copy of that book and blitzed through it in 2 days (an all-nighter on one of them!) I liked that world of the island and the things that went down. There was some mention of chaos theory in there, but it was the suspense and action that hooked me.

I wasn’t interested in Crichton’s writing until this book, but I became a fan after. I usually stick to his sci-fi-fi stuff, though, like Congo and Timeline. I also started to pay a bit more attention to illustrations in sci-fi novels after this book. Some of my favorite books overall also have some figures or diagrams scattered through their pages.

I already was heavily into reading by the point I found Jurassic Park, but I became much more active at my local library, checking out more books and devouring them. I dug into Piers Anthony, Heinlein, and a few others in sci-fi and fantasy authors’ works for years after JP. It was another big push in my love of reading.

Now, it’s your turn:

What is the best book you have ever read? Why did you like it? Did reading the book change you in any way? What way? – Prompt source is here

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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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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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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