effort to not just fade away
Let's write about stuff over than work!
Over the last week or two, I watched Arcane, which was good, I'd say. It starts off very slow (like the first 3 episodes are effectively just background) and has too many random characters, but the story towards the end is pretty good. Since it's based on League of Legends which has a ton of playable characters, I feel several characters are just there to be there. But I did like several of the characters, primarily Jinx (not Powder), Caitlyn, and Vi. I also VERY much like how Vi didn't save the day with compassion or something lame like that. And since I like Jinx (crazy killer) more than Powder (pre-crazy "good" version), I wonder if that just makes me a sociopath? Unfortunately, it looks like it's just season one out of many, so bah. I would prefer if shows try to settle on stories for their seasons.
I've also been playing a decent amount of Age of Empires IV. So I was a big AoE fan when I was in high school (mainly AoE II). So when I heard AoEIV was coming out, I was pretty excited as the prospects of that type of game being published today. I would have preferred a physical release, but I'm enjoying it so far. The campaign mode is okay. I very much like the presentation where they follow history and present events and battles like a documentary. But I do think some of the mission types or either boring or somewhat convoluted. I've also been playing a little with Steve online, but I should try to get more people to play. But while AoE is good, I've also been wanting to play a console game. I'm not sure if I need variety or if I just want something that involves less thought.
On the reading front, I've recently finished Ursula de le Guin's first book, Rocannon's World. It's funny (or maybe I somehow knew based on previous investigation), but before I started it, I wasn't sure if I wanted a science fiction or fantasy novel. And for it's faults, Rocannon's World is definitely a good mix of both. Basically, it's fantasy story with a science fiction framework. So there's the fantasy aspects like adventuring across lands with different creatures, but it's framed as a League of Worlds representative who needs to work with locals on a primitive planet. So conceptually, I'm a pretty big fan of that. But the actual story and execution wasn't amazing. Although this book was the first use of ansible, which is an instantaneous faster than light communication device used by other authors.
I have a three story collection so afterwards, I moved onto Planet of Exiles, which is very similar in themes, but much better so far. It kind of reminds me of Game of Thrones as there's a threat of barbarians from the North during winter. Again, it's a science fiction/spacer group at odds with a native group, that are both against the barbarian group which mysteriously got organized. It also switches POV from spacer to native, so I'm enjoying it. Although I would say that de le Guin doesn't really focus on hard science in her sci fi.
And we have our next vacation planned. It's a cabin in the woods (or on a lake, or both). Basically, we're going to grab Alfie, fill my car with supplies (food, dog treats, puzzles, games), drive down to West Virginia, and disconnect. The cabin is on a lake so there'll be canoeing which Alfie will not be pleased with. And based on photos, it's pretty isolated, so Alfie will be pleased that he'll be able to run off leash. And I'm sure we'll have plenty of outdoor cooking. So that's something good to look forward to.
Over the last week or two, I watched Arcane, which was good, I'd say. It starts off very slow (like the first 3 episodes are effectively just background) and has too many random characters, but the story towards the end is pretty good. Since it's based on League of Legends which has a ton of playable characters, I feel several characters are just there to be there. But I did like several of the characters, primarily Jinx (not Powder), Caitlyn, and Vi. I also VERY much like how Vi didn't save the day with compassion or something lame like that. And since I like Jinx (crazy killer) more than Powder (pre-crazy "good" version), I wonder if that just makes me a sociopath? Unfortunately, it looks like it's just season one out of many, so bah. I would prefer if shows try to settle on stories for their seasons.
I've also been playing a decent amount of Age of Empires IV. So I was a big AoE fan when I was in high school (mainly AoE II). So when I heard AoEIV was coming out, I was pretty excited as the prospects of that type of game being published today. I would have preferred a physical release, but I'm enjoying it so far. The campaign mode is okay. I very much like the presentation where they follow history and present events and battles like a documentary. But I do think some of the mission types or either boring or somewhat convoluted. I've also been playing a little with Steve online, but I should try to get more people to play. But while AoE is good, I've also been wanting to play a console game. I'm not sure if I need variety or if I just want something that involves less thought.
On the reading front, I've recently finished Ursula de le Guin's first book, Rocannon's World. It's funny (or maybe I somehow knew based on previous investigation), but before I started it, I wasn't sure if I wanted a science fiction or fantasy novel. And for it's faults, Rocannon's World is definitely a good mix of both. Basically, it's fantasy story with a science fiction framework. So there's the fantasy aspects like adventuring across lands with different creatures, but it's framed as a League of Worlds representative who needs to work with locals on a primitive planet. So conceptually, I'm a pretty big fan of that. But the actual story and execution wasn't amazing. Although this book was the first use of ansible, which is an instantaneous faster than light communication device used by other authors.
I have a three story collection so afterwards, I moved onto Planet of Exiles, which is very similar in themes, but much better so far. It kind of reminds me of Game of Thrones as there's a threat of barbarians from the North during winter. Again, it's a science fiction/spacer group at odds with a native group, that are both against the barbarian group which mysteriously got organized. It also switches POV from spacer to native, so I'm enjoying it. Although I would say that de le Guin doesn't really focus on hard science in her sci fi.
And we have our next vacation planned. It's a cabin in the woods (or on a lake, or both). Basically, we're going to grab Alfie, fill my car with supplies (food, dog treats, puzzles, games), drive down to West Virginia, and disconnect. The cabin is on a lake so there'll be canoeing which Alfie will not be pleased with. And based on photos, it's pretty isolated, so Alfie will be pleased that he'll be able to run off leash. And I'm sure we'll have plenty of outdoor cooking. So that's something good to look forward to.