Roguish Charm
This weekend was one of those where we stayed inside for the majority of it. For starters I still feel like crap, with whatever bronchitis type thing that I have. I think it might be getting slightly better, but still feeling drained from all the coughing. For the most part I spent my weekend in a blanket cocoon on the sofa catching up on the show scorpion and playing an awful lot of Final Fantasy XIV. While some of my time was spent with the guild running group content, a far greater amount was spent working on leveling rogue. The class is really starting to grow on me, primarily because of the extremely well done animations. Even though I essentially only have four buttons that matter right now, the animations feel important and it feels like I am the master of dagger based combat. I started the weekend at level 18 and ended the weekend at level 26 so I am pretty happy with that.
For the longest time I had struggled with what to level next. My monk was the closest to max level at 33 but really there is just something about it that does not excite me. I’ve never really liked unarmed/fist weapon classes in games. At high levels you can get some insane looking claws which I am sure improves the enjoyment… but in general I have never actually liked monk characters in the Final Fantasy franchise. Tifa, Sabin, Yang, and Zell all got a minimum of use in my parties, always favoring other jobs for my melee classes. So I guess for me I don’t have this fond nostalgia for the monk and as such it just feels like a less interesting dragoon. Rogue and I am hoping ninja on the other hand feels like this blade master that moves swiftly and delivers fast attacks on their target. I can see leveling both at some point, but I think for the time being I will be “yet another ninja” waiting in the party finder.
Tech Pedantry
The other aspect of this hibernation was watching all sixteen episodes of the show Scorpion to catch me up to date. For some time now my wife has been telling me that she thought I would enjoy the show. Some people are pedantic about grammar or spelling… for me it is about technology. If you show a technology used in an inappropriate way it grates on my nerves and I struggle to get past it. The logo for the television show is stylized as </scorpion> which is an ending html tag… and it drives me insane that they did not instead use the appropriate syntax for a single tag which would be <scorpion />. Anyways at some point I pushed past this frustration when I kept hearing from friends how good the show was. It took me a few episodes to start caring about the characters but right now I think I am officially hooked.
The strange thing about the show is that for the most part they do get technology right. When they go into a nuclear reactor they talk about SCADA based systems, which are an actual protocol that for the most part runs all major infrastructure. Other elements have a bit of science fantasy applied, but still the vast majority of it checks out in theory. The only question is just how much of the show is based on the real Walter O’Brien and how much is made up for the sake of Hollywood. The hacking NASA thing is supposedly true, but I feel like much of the show is romanticized for the sake of the screen. I am just happy to be watching a show that does a pretty fair job of representing tech, and doing so as close to reality as probably any other show has managed to get. Sure it suffers from the same “goofy interface” issues that any other show does, but I have connected enough with the cast of characters to get past that. All I have to say is that Happy Quinn is a badass, and so long as she continues to be an interesting character I will probably keep watching.
Best Shoes Ever
I have this strange attachment with Vans, Airwalk and Converse shoes. There is just something I like about canvas low tops that make me happy… especially the slip on varieties. I would not say that I collect them but I definitely have more than a handful of pairs that I swap back and forth between. The other day my wife stumbled onto the above pair of shoes and thought I needed them. That is how cool my wife is, that she found something like this on her own and suggested I order them. Granted for size 13 shoes they were a bit more expensive than I originally thought, but damn are they worth it. Today is going to be the first time I wear them, and I am sure I will get some goofy looks… but fuck it… they are amazing. They did have some really subtle Darth Vader shoes that I contemplated getting, but I only wanted to get one pair… and the choice was obvious.
While I am posting pictures, I figured I would drop this one on the blog as well. This is one of those rare moments when all three of our cats are getting along. It is a great size comparison picture that shows just how insanely huge Chloe is compared to Kenzie and Allie. As I write this I have Kenzie the kitten sleeping on the top of a computer case on my desk, Allie picking at a box on under my desk, and Chloe sprawled out blocking the exit to my room. They feel like they should be fed apparently, and are going to guard me until I make it happen. Every time I stop typing the look around anxiously as though I am going to bolt from the room and try and shake them. Living with my fuzzy menagerie is definitely an interesting existence, especially when at the same time both ferrets are demanding attention. These are all the reasons why I often am late getting out the door in the morning, but I would not change it for the world.
It will come as no real surprise to anyone who has ever followed me on the various social media platforms that I use… that I am a pet person. That said there are probably few people who really know how deep that particular rabbit hole goes. As it stands right now, neither my wife nor I plan on having children. My wife swears that teaching high school is the strongest form of birth control known to man. This is not to say we don’t have children, they just happen to be covered in fur. I personally have always had a close affinity with pets, and even if it is something I would not want for myself… I seem to be able to befriend animals quickly. While I would never have a bird, each time I went over to a friends house one of his birds would hop up on my shoulder and stay there until I finally placed him back on his perch.
Currently we have three cats, all of which are pictured above sunning themselves in the afternoon light of our stairwell. On the left is the mammoth monster cat Chloe, in the back is our mostly black Calico Allie, and if you have been reading these factoids you have already met little shit. Each of them is a rescue, because I believe all animals deserve a second chance at a great home. Each rescue especially has its own personality, and comes with its own quirks. These “quirks” can be frustrating at times, but they make up the complex personality of each animal… so even the annoyances you come to love. Chloe for example obsessively licks anything and everything… which can be sweet at times until she hops up in bed with you at 3 am and licks your arm. Seriously there is nothing freakier than waking up to that. She however is the most amazing snuggler, when you can succeed at the complex game of keeping your arms and hands away from her mouth.