PixlBit

I planned to travel to Arizona in December, but other things got in the way. Hopefully before February or March are out. Trekking, rock climbing, and photos galore.

I try to give all my photos a cinematic/artistic bent. Depends on the available lighting. I took some gym photos and I don't think there is any way I can make those aesthetically intriguing under those lights. Maybe if I took them into Photoshop, which I don't have right now..

I have to say that the PS2 era of GTA was the peak. I'd rather play graphical overhauls of 3, VC, and SA. Saints Row 2 took the crown, but then they ripped alot of cool stuff out for SR3.  Maybe Just Cause is where it's at now?

I can't risk getting ill again by running in single digits temperatures. Hopefully I'll get back to it next week.

I use to consume one game at a time, supplemented with rental. I actually played and completed more games that way. Now due to Steam sales, lots of people have huge backlogs of games and don't get far in any of them.

Diablo HD is an unofficial mod. That thing Blizzard is doing is a reskin of locations from D3 with a D1 "filter". Kind of lame.

You inspired me to write an update blog. We're having some similar experiences/goals as far as health, photography,etc.. I started back volunteering for the forest preserve district. I took some photos of the scene that I've linked to on my blog. Think you might like them. 

I was getting lazy at my night job and drinking soft drinks almost every day instead of bringing water or juice with me. Also candy and snacks from the nearby Walgreens. Burger King when I was too lazy to prepare a high protein meal. I'm over it now, although I enjoy some gummies once a week. It's been expensive too. Those dollars add up over the week

Some of you people have so much going on, I don't know how you guys fit it all in. I mean, I know I'm bad at scheduling my time, but I can't imagine the pace of other people's lives when I read about them. I'm going to have to sit down and record how my time is spent. I suspect too much time on the internet. I'm an information junkie. Today I'll be lucky to get my workout in and do some straightening up.  And forget about games/entertainment outside of a couple hours a week. I'm bad :(

I do not like open world design the way its done now. You're playing errand boy, looking for the icon on the map and doing the missions exactly how the developer wants you to.  I loathe seeing icons all over the map. It looks cheap, and everyone just does it because other games did it. Very little individuality in design. Part of the appeal of open world games in the early days was stumbling upon something you didn't expect or predict.

 And I don't think developers should fill out open worlds just to fill them out. That's what leads to Ubisoft style design. They decide on the size of the world first and then attempt ot fill in the borders. Better to decide on  your content first and design your environment around it.

 Also, think there is an assumption that people are operating from which is a false premise, that being that an open world is always also a sandbox and that a sandbox is always open world. A sandbox is defined by the sand, not the size of the box. If you can't manipulate and create with the content within the world, it's not a sandbox. Garry's MOd is the ultimate sandbox, yet is not set within an open world.

I'm finding it hard to stick with GTAV. The missions are hermetically sealed from the rest of the world. Not to mention you are lead by the nose through each step of the missions. Freeform approaches are not really possible. There are no incentives to even cause havoc on the streets anymore; no Ramapge missions, turf wars (San Andreas), rival factions shooting at you when you pass through their neck of the woods (GTA3). Rockstar is hell bent on walking you through their story, not letting you create your own.

Did you ever play any of the Elite games on PC? Open world, 3D space exploration going back to the 80s/90s. It's why I never saw NMS as a big deal.

2016 was actually pretty good for me. Dated a lot and got a good girlfriend (so far). Got my bank account back up to a satisfactory level. Got inspired creatively. Went out a lot more and had a better overall social life than the previous few years.  Made strides in my long war against my own depression. Played less games, but I simpy didn't have the desire to invest time in that. Was working on producing instead of consuming.

I'm only one person. There is nothing I can do about the state of the world. Too many people today are letting events they  have nothing to do with take hold of their minds. I ask them "Is your life perfect? Then why don't you work on yourself before you start worrying about everyone else's existence?!"  That doesn't mean I don't think people should get involved in charity and helping others. But...no celebrities will be crying over your death. No one in Aleppo is going to help you with your struggles.  There are no awards for being concerned from the couch. All the virtue signalling people do from their keyboards is not going to shelther or feed anyone. It's vanity to proclaim how concerned we are for the state of a world of which we take very little part in. Worrying about the state of humanity does not automatically make someone a good, moral person, which is what I think many people believe. So while I can sympathize, this stuff mostly doesn't affect my quality of life or disposition.

And yes, your rest is important. The negative thoughts come when I'm tired. I worked graveyard all year. My sleep rhythm was out of wack. I had to realize that my defenses are down when I am drained or exhausted.

I like watching female fitness channels, but not for the obvious reason. They often have very interesting exercise selections, less ego involved in terms of muscle size and how much weight they can lift, proper form (as a result of not trying to impress others in the gym with heavy weights they can't handle), emphasis on flexibility, wellness. Just because a guy is big doesn't mean he is fit. Especially Big Boss fit.

One thing you have to be careful of is that they show you a 100 different exercises. But the reality it is you need to have a consistent set of exercises per session to get results in those exercises. And you can only do so many in a session. So like in my weight lifting, I have two different routines that I alternate every other day (e.g. A-B-A on M/W/F, two days off, then B-A-B), each routine has about 5-8 lifts.

Fassbender probably did cross training in weights and calisthenics, plus aerobic work.  Someone like Ezio would have been taught whatever the sword techniques of the era would, plus gymnastics/circus training of the time. Very balletic, light footed, probably not heavily muscled, completely focused on function.

I want to trail run in the woods near me, but I'm worried about hidden divets and holes in the ground, low visibility, and other hazards. Assume I have to go slower than if I was on asphalt or a track.