I do not have COVID-19… and this time, there’s no ‘*’.
I am on a new, temporary work schedule: I work from home on Mondays and Tuesdays, and work in the office Wednesdays through Fridays. This started this week and will go for the next 2 weeks, minimum (the other guy that is working from home is going on his honeymoon in 2 weeks, so that’s where my ‘temporary’ tag comes in). I am also training/mentoring a New Hire. He’s from Cuba and has lived in the U.S. for about 4 years. He’s picking up on the ins and outs of the job pretty nicely; his main issue, right now, is speed. After next Friday, he will go to 2nd Shift (the shift he was hired for) and begin his journey. I think he will do fine!
I am about a week ahead in my Python class. I am also progressing well in my Systems Analysis class. This helps because the semester gets MUCH busier in the next 2 weeks, starting with ‘Code Louisville’, Part 2.
Books
Book 1 is “Son of the Black Sword” (as an Audio Book). I am about 1/4 of the way through this book. It is a Fantasy tale that (seemingly) centers around Arshok, a Protector. Protectors are traveling dispensers of justice, in the name of the Law. Arshok is particularly good at justice-dispensing, aided by the very powerful Black Sword (which I’m not trying to spell it’s name lol). After a grueling opening fight with 2 Demons, Arshok meets with his old mentor and finds out a life-altering piece of information, changing the course of his family and his life.
There’s been a good amount of action in this book, mainly through alternating chapters of flashbacks to Arshok’s younger days. I like what I’ve heard, so far!
Book 2 that I’m current reading/listening to is “Proven Guilty” (reading), the 8th book in the Dresden Files series. I am also about 1/4 of the way through this book. Harry Dresden, the modern-day Wizard in Chicago, is trying to survive dealing with some very violent, supernatural murders, the sudden presence of his best friend’s daughter (and her possible involvement in those murders), the ongoing war between Vampires and Wizards, and being a newly minter Warden of the White Council.
This book is dark, darker than any of the 1st 7 books (and that includes fights with Fallen Angels). Can’t wait to see how this plays out!
Video Games
WoW (World of Warcraft) is slowly sliding into “on hold” status. Main reason: too much other stuff going on for me to consistently play it. I haven’t cancelled my subscription, yet – we’ll see how things go in the upcoming weeks.
Pillars of Eternity is back in the ‘rotation’, and I think I’ve finally found a class to take me through my first play-through: a Monk! I like the Cypher class (think ‘psionic’ plus ‘cleric’) but it’s not for a new player (it’s not an easy class to play); the Paladin just didn’t feel up to snuff; the Chanter (a version of the Bard) was decent but, like the Cypher, it is not new-player-friendly. The Monk is simple: punch and kick anything that looks at you sideways. The Monk also has LIMITED HEALING. I have completed some of the early quests and am back in Gilder Vale (the first ‘major’ town you come across). This character has potential!
Darkest Dungeon and Okami will also see some play time, especially since I now have a 2nd monitor and could possibly set up different game screens on different monitors.
Games on hold: Prey (for the same reason as WoW) and the two Borderlands games I downloaded a couple of months ago.
Podcasts
RPPR (Roleplaying Public Radio) is taking the majority of my listening time. Right now, I’m listening to “Zweihander: Night of Blood” – an adventure where travelers come upon an inn, after a horrible night of travel through a storm. Strange things are afoot in, and around the woods. The last “Zweihander” adventure I listened to was one of the most entertaining gaming podcast episodes I’ve ever heard.
Technical Difficulties is another gaming podcast that I’ve been listening to. One of the players makes it very hard to listen to some episodes, though (it’s a weird combination of voice and his bad habit of putting long pauses between sentences). Other than that, it’s also a very entertaining podcast!
Prince Paul has a podcast (not a gaming one) that comes highly recommended. I will check it out in the next few days.
Critical Role is on hold. I will eventually finish the saga of ‘Vox Machina’, though.
Other Odds and Ends
I am in a new D&D campaign, played via Zoom. I am a Tiefling (half-devil) Ranger (“Gloom Stalker”) named Noxx. I am having a blast! The other campaigns that I was in – before COVID-19 – have been on hold since February. I’m not sure if I’ll join back in both of them, if/when we start back up.
I am still incredibly restless and I think a lot of it is due to ‘Code Louisville’ and WKU. I will, hopefully, graduate from both in December; this could be the first major steps towards a career change in a long time! At age 42! COVID-19 is also playing a part: I, like many others, want to hang out with family/friends, go to sporting events, watch movies with close friends, have lunch at a restaurant, even get a hug/physical contact from friends that I haven’t seen in months/years. I have to remain patient.
The last time I had this much hair on my head was probably late 2008. – mid 2009.
Why does it take “4 to 6 weeks” for your credit to go up a point or 2, after paying off multiple debts, but it takes 45 seconds for it to drop 25 points if you are 5 minutes late on a credit card payment?
My feet are still a painful mess.
And finally…
Make sure you taste/smell spaghetti sauce before you put it on spaghetti. It may have gone bad, causing you to waste a lot of spaghetti. 😉
The Nexus 