Category Archives: Personal Blog

Entries from my personal journal

Personal Blog

Weekly Goal Progress Report #3

2 Comments

1) Financial: I’m focusing on reducing my eating-out spending this year, and have started with a budget of $40 every 2 weeks. So far I’m sticking to it!

2) One free thing in LA per month. Nick and I spent last Saturday at the Getty. It was beautiful! The grounds alone are enough that I would spend all day out there, lounging around the water features. Art-wise, there was a great exhibit of illuminated manuscripts that I found really fascinating. I love seeing the tiny detail in the illuminations, and all the shiny gold leaf. For February, I think I’m set on the Golden Dragon Parade.

3) 20 Minutes of Games Every Other Day: Lots of Sonic Colors this week. And Starcraft, of course, but I’ve already said that doesn’t count.

4) Sew 3 things: No progress this week, but I have a rip in one of my pants that needs mending, so that will get me to fire the machine up.

Personal Blog

Weekly Goal Progress Report #2

1) Getting rid of the credit card: This goal is pretty much complete! I called to cancel, got my confirmation letter, and now I just have to wait a month to check my credit report and make sure they did it right. Part of the thing that made it so easy was that right off the bat, I politely requested that we skip any steps that involved persuading me not to close my account, and the person helping me complied. There were a few mentions of benefits as he loaded up my account, but I didn’t have to deal with any long speeches read out of a manual. Turns out you can just ask for stuff! Since this goal is wrapping up, I’ll devote slot 1 in future updates to general financial goals that are part of the big 5 year one.

2) One free thing in LA per month: Tomorrow, Nick and I are going to the Getty. Thinking ahead for February, there are two free events which have my eye. One is the Golden Dragon Parade in Chinatown for the Lunar New Year (on the 5th and 6th). The other is a lecture in Santa Clarita about the early history of Warner Brothers Studios (on the 26th). Thoughts from people who may want to join in?

3) 20 Minutes of Games Every Other Day: More Donkey Kong and Sonic Colors this week, with a dabble into Metro 2033. That game does SUCH a good job of establishing post-apocalyptic environmental storytelling. The combat is kind of so-so, but I like some of the wackier mechanics, like the gas mask above the surface thing. I have Lost in Shadow sitting here, too, which I want to get to soon.

4) Sew 3 Things: I’m trying to figure out where to get bobbins for this ancient beast of a sewing machine and spent some time searching this week. I found a place I can order them online if need be. I’m also going to try and check out a sewing machine supply shop in my area and see if they have more than just repair stuff.

Personal Blog

Book Review: Lady in Waiting

So in an attempt to force myself into new genres and new books, I signed up for a program in which the publisher sends you a book for free on the condition that you write a review for it. In fact, I even have to post this disclaimer, ahem: “I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”

Lady in Waiting is a dual-story book, one centered on modern-day Jane Lindsay, the other on Lady Jane Grey as the girl who would become the ever brief Queen of England. The two Janes are connected by a ring, found by the former and belonging to the latter, and the relationship between their plights of love and choice.

I found the book to be a quick and moderately enjoyable read. The move back and forth between the two stories kept things engaging without either one dwindling in interest. Both were connected in the themes of love and perspective of choice, but took unique perspectives on each. Susan Meissner does a great job of shifting language between the time periods of her two stories, so that you can pick up the book after a break and instantly recall in which time frame you last left off. I felt personally more drawn to the historical story and the close relationship between the servant Lucy and Lady Jane Grey, but I can see how the personal doubts, struggles, and revelations of modern Jane would appeal to certain readers.

The cons of the book were few but poignant. There are some religious overtones in the modern day story that feel heavy handed and inelegant in execution. They took me out of the story, and as a result probably lessened the impact of any spiritual connection that they were trying to instill in the first place. In particular, some subtle digs at Catholicism were pretty awkward. These were less out-of-place in the historical story, which was placed at a time between Henry executing Catholics and Mary executing Reformers, so the tone from the perspective of Jane Grey on matters of faith felt more believable. When these showed up in the modern story, they disrupted my immersion in the fiction rather than enhanced it.

For example, here is an excerpt from modern Jane’s story:
“I wish I had the Onyx rosary too. I found myself whispering prayers to God to make Brad love me again. And to silence the questioning in my own heart. An easy fix. I could almost hear Stacy, who prayed without a rosary, telling me it doesn’t work like that.”

I found that this bit came off as particularly tasteless. It feels “out of the story,” and doesn’t make sense with, nor make me feel a closer understanding to, the modern Jane character.

In spite of the awkwardness of the religious overtones, I think the whole book does a great exploration on the choices we have in our lives, even in times when it seems we are given none. I can’t speak on the historical accuracy of the Lady Jane account outside the fictional relationship with Lucy, so Tudor lineage buffs might or might not find fault if they are very picky. As a non-historian, I found it enjoyable.

I give Lady in Waiting 3 of 5 stars. If you want to give it a go, the publisher has the first four chapters up for a preview.

Personal Blog

Weekly Goal Progress Report #1

Here it is, the first of my goal progress reports!

1) Getting rid of the credit card: I spent this week going through any of my online accounts that are linked to the card for auto-billing and such and changing it over to my debit card. The balance is at zero, so the next step is the dreaded one of calling to cancel my account and having to suffer through some poor representative having to try and convince me not to close it. Hate the phone so much!

2) One free thing in LA per month: I researched a bunch of potential options and listed out places and events I’d like to go to. I think the first visit will be to the Getty, perhaps next Saturday. They have a few exhibits that I’m curious about.

3) 20 Minutes of Games Every Other Day: This week’s gaming included Donkey Kong Country Returns and Sonic Colors. I like them both very much! DK is just a joyous co-op platformer, and I’m really surprised how much of the original music is in the game. Sonic Colors has a very old school Sonic feel to it, which is great, because I grew up on those games. The wisp mechanic fits in with the basic Sonic mechanics really well. I think these two games will keep me busy for awhile. I’ve also been playing Shining Force on the iPod Touch, but I’m not sure if that counts since it’s an old game I’ve played several times before.

4) Sew 3 things: No sewing yet, but I did clean and organize all my sewing supplies into a single drawer. I need to do a couple of maintenance things: get some more bobbins, and clean/fix/find a new oil dispenser to oil the machine with.

Personal Blog

Goals for 2011

Time for 2011 Goals! Sharing your goals helps make you feel accountable for them, so you are all my witnesses to this year’s.

1. Get rid of my credit card*. This is actually part of a larger goal, that I am going to get crazy with my budget and pay off my student loans in 5 years. I never have a balance on my credit card, but I know that using it for day to day expenses makes me less frugal than I could be. Also, I kind of hate credit cards and all that they stand for and I want to put my foot down about it**.

2. Do one free thing in LA (Entertainment-wise) every month. Also related to the long-term budget goal, but also to get me out of the house and exploring and learning about the city. There are several free museums I want to go to, and free events that take place throughout the year. It’s a little ambitious considering how busy things get, but if I plan ahead I am certain I can make it happen

3. Spend a minimum of 20 minutes every other day playing a game that is not one of my standards (that is, not a game that I’m already into and playing regularly). Someone told me once that if you can’t devote 20 minutes every other day to something, then you aren’t really interested in doing it. This was in terms of stuff like practicing learning a new thing, so the application is a little loose. I really want to spend more like an hour every day on games, but I also want to be realistic with this goal so I can achieve it.

4. Sew 3 things. Because I want to use my awesome sewing machine more. I do not know what the 3 things will be, and even if they end up being ratty little toys for Mr. Davis, I will consider it a success!

5. Update my blog once a week with an accountability post about all these goals, so I can assure that they actually happen!

* I don’t want to hear any guff about my credit score going down, or rewards
** I also don’t want to hear anyone say “but if you carry a balance and pay it off every month you are sticking it to the man!” Because we all know that’s not really true and it’s just a way to make us feel okay using a credit card 😛

Personal Blog

2010 Review

1 Comment

– 2010 was a very social year. Granted, a lot of it was geeky socializing (Venture Brothers marathon, D&D, board game night, frisbee golf, Magic the Gathering, craft fairs, crawfish festivals) but I was still probably more regularly socially active than I’ve ever been in my life.

– Goal 1 for 2010 was “Get a Cat,” and so I did! Mr. Davis has become a beloved member of my family and a huge part of my life. He is simultaneously the most affectionate cat I’ve ever had while also being the most headstrong, and I love him very much. I miss his snuggly face and can’t wait to get back to it!

– Goal 2 for 2010 was “Go to Japan,” and thanks to the generosity of host and friend, Scott Coffrin, I had another short but AMAZING trip to the country. I really do love that place.

– The biggest bonus for the year was starting my relationship with Nick, my awesome boyfriend. Last year’s review noted how I was putting off the attempts of dating, and it wasn’t long after that I found someone. Turns out all I had to do to find someone amazing was stop looking, and he came into my life 🙂

– I joined a CSA, which is a small note, but one which I’m proud of (both in that I’m supporting local farmers and doing more experimental cooking, and that I’m actually eating vegetables now).

– 2010 was a big year for me at work. My team was tasked with creating our level into a demo for Sony, and trying to get it to a polished state as a visual high bar for the rest of the game. If you’ve seen the recent stuff for Resistance 3 with the gameplay on the boat, that’s my level! It was a big challenge but a fun one, and my awesomesauce team really pulled together and made something great and fun. It was really exciting when we hit that milestone, and it’s even more exciting now that gameplay from my level is out and about in the world.

– I started playing Starcraft II, went to Blizzcon, and discovered I really like watching RTS games in a tournament setting.

– I visited home and educated the youth about game development, and then turned around and went to another fantastic Project Horseshoe.

– Didn’t get home for Thanksgiving, but had a really fun Orphan Thanksgiving Dinner in Burbank.

– Had a fantastic winter break! First of all, I am ever grateful to work for a company that is not in education and still has a Christmas Break! Second, it was really fun to bring Nick to Kentucky and show off my hometown and introduce him to my family and my most beloved of friends. Showing Louisville to someone who had never been made me look at it through the eyes of a newcomer, and it made the whole experience of being at home feel fresh.

– Meanwhile, I’m finishing off the break with a crazy relaxing time in Sarasota. Many a day I have slept in, and upon waking, reached for my laptop and spent hours WoWing in bed, which is like having breakfast in bed only way nerdier. We’ve had strolls on the beach and met up with Nick’s family and friends, and just mostly chilled. I feel very relaxed and ready to jump back into the swing of work next week.

Maybe it’s a little out of form to post my year review before 2011 has fully rung in, but I anticipate a relaxing evening, some socializing with Nick’s old friends, and then falling asleep in the laziest of fashions. I’m really excited about what the next year has in store!

Games and Game Development, Personal Blog

More Christmas Stuff

This Christmas vacation so far has been just the right balance of lazy relaxing and fun adventures. After Nick left I spent the remaining days with family and friends (mostly being lazy) and had a lovely family Christmas.

I got:
– Donkey Kong Country Returns (played a bit here in Florida with Nick, it’s super super fun!)
– Sonic Colors
– pre-order for Lost in Shadow, which should arrive in January
– a WoW trivia desk calendar
– Amazon gift credits, intended to be used for presents for Mr. Davis. I’m going to get him a cat condo/tree. I also used some of them to pre-order Okamiden
– Some cash monies
– a new pair of pajamas (I get one pretty much every year, which is good, because I wear through pajamas like crazy!)
– Betrayal at House on the Hill

A splendid collection of gifts if ever there was one! My brother and I got my parents Netflix, which they liked a lot. Hopefully they won’t watch through the whole streaming library in a single month 😛

After Christmas I flew down here to Sarasota to spend the rest of our break with Nick. We went to the Ringling Museum, which was pretty varied and interesting. Otherwise there has been a lot of lazing and meeting friends and playing games. I think it will be a relaxing way to see out 2010!

Personal Blog

Meat CSA?

So, I absolutely LOVE my CSA (http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com). It encourages me to eat vegetables which I would never do on my own, the produce is yummy, and I like to support local farmers.

Does anyone know if there is something similar in southern California for meat and dairy? Like a meat CSA? I’m going to google it up, of course, but if anyone knows something firsthand, do let me know!

Games and Game Development, Personal Blog

Vacation and Goals

My visit home to Louisville has been splendid thus far! Nick and I hit up the Speed Museum, Science Center, and Slugger Museum. We ate at Dragon King’s Daughter, Ramsi’s, Old Spaghetti Factory, Coco’s Chocolate (fondue!!) and Nord’s Doughnuts. We met Ian’s puppy and played many games with friends and hung out with my family.

Now he’s off to Sarasota so we can spend Christmas with our respective families, and then I’ll join up with him again in Florida afterwards. Josh checked in on Mr. Davis for me at the Cat Hotel, and apparently he’s settled quite nicely and made friends with the other cats! Yay!

Meanwhile, I’m starting to ponder my goals for 2011. Last year the goals were: get a cat (check!) and go to Japan (check!). I already have a few goals in mind financially, but I’m molding some others in the meantime.

First, I’m feeling purge-ish again, and every time i get in the mood to get rid of stuff, the circle of influence of my grip shrinks. This time it’s the old game consoles that are feeling invasive to my space. I’ve been really thinking a lot about the way I consume media. Earlier in the year I borrowed games to try them (offering pies in exchange) and I liked the way it felt. I felt motivated to finish the games because I had to return them, and didn’t feel any guilt over a game half started and then sitting and staring at me from the PS3.

I find myself drawn more and more to Steam and PSN and investigating Wiiware titles because of the lack of physical “stuff” that comes attached to them. Perhaps I will pick up the borrowing habit once more in the New Year.

Which leads me to my second goal of consuming more games more regularly. Right now I play games in long stretches and revel in them, such as Starcraft and WoW and Minecraft. But as has been pointed out time and again, one of the flaws of my industry is how much really good content is pushed out so frequently. I feel like everyone knows someone who has a mountain of unwrapped games that they haven’t even touched yet.

I’ve attributed this need to keep up with games to be like practicing an instrument, and I think this year I need to buckle down on that and really set aside time each day for games. NEW games, I mean, not just the ones I’m in love with and playing anyway. If I can work it into my routine I think I can pull it off, but new routines are very hard to get rolling!

We shall see what the new year brings.