As soon as the new heating system is installed in the cottage and the old one is removed, I have plans on setting up the old flat screen CRT TV with my older consoles. I am excited. My PS2 was my favorite console of that generation.
Hey James! We miss you! But with all that's going on in your life at the moment, I can see where you don't have time to blog.
I always liked Shinobi, but I sucked at it. I had a friend in college who was really good at it, he used to play the arcade cabinet in the student center and I'd watch him in between pinball games. I think he beat the game at least once.
As for Phantasy Star, I've gotten to a couple of the towns, but I think you really need the map and instruction book that came with the orginal game and none of the compilations come with. Half the time I have no idea what the items in the store are and have to find out by trial and error (and waste precious gold in the process).
I probably could have gone after the final boss earlier, but at that point I didn't want to die multiple deaths and figured I'd just grind a little more and make sure I got it over with once and for all.
About the races: I figure you never know unless you try. And even if I end up walking, I'll still finish. I'm not competing against anyone other than myself.
Bookstores: Once a week in smaller independants is usually plenty. My bookstore of choice in high school was a tiny independant run by a guy who just liked books. I think he was independantly wealthy, so it was more for the fun of it rather than worrying about making ends meet. Anyway, Ewing knew all his regulars and their reading tastes and would stash books under the counter for his favorites. I'd walk in, and he'd pull out a book and say "This came in last week. I think you'll really enjoy it." and he was never wrong.
As for how I got my start in parks... Pure dumb luck and the right place at the right time. I grew up three miles away from a state historic site, and just before the end of my senior year of high school, my best friend showed up with a job application for me for the park. There were two openings, and I think he figured he'd get one and I'd get the other. I got one, he got none. I felt bad, but not bad enough to turn the job down. It was only supposed to be for that summer, but it clicked, and my boss told me he felt I had a career in parks and he started teaching me maintenance, how to do the office paperwork, how to give guided walks, and other things that didn't pertain to my position as park receptionist (read: greets the public, collects fees, answers the phone, and answers questions). He also kept after me to rise up through the ranks and give me my second big break and my first promotion when he transferred to another park. I still call him every once in a while when I have a question or a dilemma, so I guess he's still my mentor.
Keeping active seems to be the key to battling depression for me. I started running last December and "ran" a snowshoe race series. I'm signed up for three trail races this summer, but I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I dunno, all I know is that I feel better now that I'm doing something physical.
I hear you about The Iliad. Which translation are you reading? I've got the Robert Fagles translation, which is a little less archaic than some. I think I need to dive into something mindless for a bit before I go back to my list of "Books I really ought to read", which includes Slaughterhouse Five and 1984.
Glad you're enjoying the outdoors volunteer stuff. All conservation/forestry departments would be screwed if it weren't for dedicated volunteers like yourself. We're usually the first areas that lose funding when budgets are tight and we frequently are asked to do more with less both financially as well as crew-wise.
Your remark about watching things evolve from frozen wastelands to dense undergrowth is pretty similar to what our Americorps/Maine Conservation Corps person said, too. She started in February, and was surprised to discover that there was a second parking lot, it was buried under three feet of snow until late March.
I'm on my way out the door to work, so this is a placeholder comment until I get home.
The caterpillars I'm referencing here are an invasive species called browntail moth caterpillars and they have toxic hairs that cause me (and others) to break out in a severe painful, burning rash a lot like a poison ivy rash.
We've been working on doing in a small patch of Japanese knotweed and discussing having another "Let's kill the invasives!" volunteer event. Last one we had, we got a lot of the invasive honeysuckle pulled out and it hasn't come back in those areas.
No plans other than work for the weekend. Some of us have to work so others can play.
Lovely photos, by the way. I post most of mine on Facebook. Throw a friend invite my way if you want to see them sometime.
I think I finally beat it around level 34.
