Do You Have A Love For Gaming?

If you know you’re a bit of a gamer geek, then there are ways in which you can nurture this love and grow it into something better. Gaming for a lot of people offers an escape from the real world. A place to make friends that you don’t feel as though you need to impress, and a place where you can let your imagination run wild. If this sounds like you, then we know how you can take your gaming experience to the next level. There’s so many new worlds out there for you to immerse yourself into, and so many opportunities for you that you might have been missing, If you’re intrigued, then read on to find out how you can grow your love for gaming.

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Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is one of the most exciting and futuristic things to bless the gaming world. If you haven’t tried it yet, you’re definitely missing out. It allows you to literally be immersed into another world. Well, not literally, but it isn’t far off it. All you need to do is pop the headset on, turn on the headphones, and you truly will feel like you’ve left the earth. The great thing about this is that there’s so much variety to choose from in terms of what you do on the virtual reality headset. There are plenty of free games you that can download, but if you get a unit like the Playstation VR, there’s tons of paid games. Even if you don’t fancy having a go on the game, you can go on a nice nature walk through a documentary, and it’ll really feel as though you’re there. A lot of the games that you can buy are fully online, so you get that feeling of teamwork that a lot of people like about gaming. The one major downside to this marvellous piece of technology is the price. If you’re buying one outright, you’re going to be spending a lot of money. You can grab yourself one that’s second hand, but it is still a tad expensive. The games that you can buy are also pricey, but none more so than the normal PC or console games that you’d buy. They’re all fully interactive, and the characters move as you make the motions. It just makes things so much cooler and life like.

Making Money

If you really do have a love for gaming, and it is all you do whilst you’re at home, then why not try and make some money through it. There are a few ways of doing this. Firstly, you can think about becoming a vlogger. There are a lot of people out there that search for game tutorials, and turn to vlogs for guidance with regards to which game they should buy next. Whilst it may be hard to get the following up to a decent amount, it is still a worthwhile venture that won’t cost you much. Just use Twitter and other social media platforms to try and boost your views. You can then turn your vlog into a blog, and make money that way. Next you can think about some of the more unconventional gaming methods that make people money. Gambling is a form of gaming, and if you do it right you can make a lot of money from it. For example, the grand ivy casino has plenty of games for you to try your hand at if you’re interested. It is obviously the more risky way of trying to make money, but it does give you the same thrill as playing a normal console game would. Just make sure you’re always betting the money you can, and don’t get carried away with trying to win. If you lose, you lose, that’s just something you’re going to have to come to terms with when it comes to gaming through gambling.

The Future

The future of gaming is a pretty exciting place. There’s so much going on that means we’re going to have better games, better game play experiences, and more immersive games through the use of things such as virtual reality. Virtual reality at the minute is just 3D, but there are talks of trying to make it a 4D game play experience in the future. How many years that will take is a different story, but the prospect of being able to touch and feel things within the game you’re playing is exciting. In the short term, there are talks that Spyro is being remastered, whether that’ll come out in 2018, or 2019 who knows! There are also talks of more Crash Bandicoots being released in late 2018.

Weekly Geek Outs - 03/11/16

Greetings!

Here is what I am geeking out about this week:

• Major Life Announcement

So many of you may have already heard through social media, but I proposed to my partner, Jenn, during our trip away (more details on that below). She said yes and we are very excited to start our lives together. We've been together for over two and a half years, and as she graduates and we job search together, I felt inspired to let her know how I felt about her and our future. I was really nervous in the moment when I asked her and forgot a lot of the things I wanted to say, but I eventually got out of my head and laid it all out to her. We're so pleased with everyone's joy about our engagement, and it was nice to hear from so many people from our lives congratulating us and wishing us well. Now, onto figuring out wedding plans!

• Spring Break Retrospective

I had a great time over the past few days with my partner taking our road trip around New England. We stopped at Portland, ME, Portsmouth, NH, and Burlington, VT. We ate good food, visited some breweries, saw five new college campuses (University of Vermont was especially cool!), and toured the Ben & Jerry's and Cabot creameries. It was an awesome time together, and I am happy to relax a bit more before work starts back up in full next week.

• New Captain America: Civil War Trailer

A new trailer dropped this week and it was amazing! We got our first glimpse of Spider-Man (I liked it!) and somewhat of how he will figure into the story. We're less than two months away from this movie coming out, and it is looking to be an intense one, with our heroes going full force at each other. I'm expecting more twists and turns to happen in this movie where anything is possible and the future of the MCU is at stake!

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 02/26/16

Greetings!

Here's what I'm geeking out about this week:

• Love on Netflix

My partner Jenn and I blew through this show over this past weekend, and we loved it (pun intended)! An atypical romantic comedy series from Judd Apatow, Jenn and I really connected with the main characters. The whole show is very unique, engaging, and funny. Sharing a similar space to its Netflix sibling show, Master of None, Love is a very real look at modern relationships and how we make decisions about who to be with. I highly recommend this show! We'll get season two next year and I can't wait!

• Vixen on Arrow

We were treated to the live action debut of Vixen, who was originally featured in the CW Seed web series set in the DC TV Universe. She brings a fun attitude, an awesome female character, and cool mystical powers. I'm glad they got the same actress who voiced Vixen in the animated web series to depict the character in live action. Just provides some nice consistency and the actress nails it. I hope we can look forward to more Vixen on Arrow and Flash in the future!

• Legends of Tomorrow

This week's episode takes us to the Star City of 2046, a dystopic wasteland with an older, grizzled (and one-armed!) Oliver Queen who has become a recluse in the wake of the tragedies that have befallen his city. This glimpse was a tease of a potential future that would be really neat to explore more as a sort of what if scenario. This week's episode of LoT struggled a bit with a weird romantic subplot, but otherwise it was a cool episode and I'm always eager to see where the team ends up next!

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 02/19/16

Greetings!

Here's what is on my mind this week:

• The Walking Dead

Walking Dead came back from its mid-season break this week, and wow, it came back in a big way! Picking up right where the last episode left off, we were treated to an epic episode with a lot going on, but it all worked. It is easily one of the best episodes of the series so far, and I'm really excited to see where the rest of the season goes from here. I enjoy watching this show as it airs with my partner, since it gives us one more thing to share and it is a nice Sunday night ritual before the work week begins. I've been with this show since the beginning, and I'll (most likely) be with it until the end.

• Valentine's Day

Connecting to the previous item, this past Sunday was also Valentine's Day, which I spent with my partner, enjoying a nice, quiet day at home. We had a tasty breakfast, wonderful dinner (that I made, which is a rare occurrence), and some of our favorite wine that we have held onto since we were in New Jersey for Winter Break since we can't find it up here in Maine. We also enjoyed The Walking Dead together to cap off the night. It was really great to be able to spend that quality time together, and it continues to reinforce the importance for us of making the time on our schedules to have this with each other.

• RA Interviews

Something that has been (and will continue to) keeping me busy lately is rolling out this year's hiring process for Resident Assistants. I'm taking a bigger part in this for this cycle, and it has been quite the learning experience. It is fun to see all of the raw enthusiasm from the students involved, and it is helping me be more detail oriented organizing everything. We just started a few weeks ago, and the process will go until about this time next month, so there is still plenty to come, but so far it has been a positive experience and I look forward to see how the rest of it will go!

Thanks for stopping by!

Book Review: The Niche Movement

This past weekend I finished reading my digital copy of the new book from Kevin O'Connell, The Niche Movement: The New Rules to Finding the Career You Love. I'm really excited for this book to finally be out into the world, since I've been a long supporter of Kevin's and also proudly donated to his crowdfunding campaign last year to help publish the book.

Simply stated, this book is great. It excellently captures the frustrations many (myself included) feel with the status quo of job searching and workplace culture and gives some fantastic insights as to how to control your own destiny and do work that is fulfilling, whatever that may mean for you. Kevin weaves his career advice with unique stories of people from all over the country working in all sorts of fields that help send home and support his points. To top it off, he sets you up for success by giving out contact info for everyone mentioned in the book, so if you want to keep the discussion going with someone who really intrigued you, you have the means to do so and are even encouraged to reach out.

While I supported the effort to get this book published, I had no creative input in the production of it, but I trusted Kevin to create a superb product and he delivered tremendously, and that is my objective opinion. Many of the points he mentions I've heard before, which only further provides credibility to his work here. It has helped inspire and motivate me to get some things ramped up for my life, and I know it will do the same for you.

Check out The Niche Movement site for more awesome stuff, and reach out to Kevin to connect about the book. He's a pretty cool dude!

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: When Harry Met Sally

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 1989 romantic comedy classic, When Harry Met Sally, starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.

This movie came out the year I was born and has been referenced and given homage to many times over the years. I feel like I had seen it already but I had never sat down and watched it from start to finish. It felt like a good choice to watch on a lazy night with my partner and we were right.

The story follows the long, winding journey of the friendship between Harry and Sally (Crystal and Ryan respectively). They fall in and out of contact over the course of over ten years, sharing a special connection neither dares to speak of. Their friends all know it, but they feel as though what they have is good and they don't want to ruin it by trying to make it more.

This movie is a wholesome, fun, relatable story about love, friendship, and the courage to take a chance. It is a very timeless story (other than some of the fashion choices and the use of pay phones) and I'm sure will be a classic in the genre for many more years to come. While it isn't uproariously funny, it more than makes up for it with heart.

I definitely recommend checking out When Harry Met Sally, which is streaming now on Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 04/10/15

Greetings and salutations!

Here's what is going on in my world lately:

• Transparent

I binge watched the first season of this show with my partner over this past weekend after hearing a lot about it not too long ago. It's the first breakaway Amazon Originals hit that has paved the way for some of their other shows to shine. The premise surrounds a family of adult siblings as their father begins to transition to being a woman late in his life. We learn about the three siblings and their relationships with their father, both as children and as adults. Everyone is a little self-centered, confused about who they are, broken, and ultimately looking for something they can't seem to find. I appreciated how raw and real the show felt. I look forward to seeing more of the show, which I hope is soon to come.

• Wisdom Teeth

So my partner recently had two of her wisdom teeth removed. I didn't really know what to expect with this, and I tried to do some research about it but I think it is just something that is a little different for everyone. I've been helping her recover from the surgery for the past few days and she has started to get back to normal. She's been having her fair share of pudding, Jell-O, ice cream, and mashed potatoes. I might have to get mine out sometime soon so this is helpful for me to prepare with. Also, it is experiences like this that make me appreciate being able to be here for her to help out with this recovery.

• Boston

My partner's birthday is next week so we've decided to go drive down to Boston for a long weekend getaway. I haven't been and I believe I've talked about going to Boston before but I'm really looking forward to it now as it has drawn closer and closer. We've started to make some reservations for restaurants, have our Air BnB booked and prepared, and are looking up other local attractions to check out (we'll be doing the Sam Adams brewery for sure, of course!). I appreciate having the opportunity to travel and see new places with my partner. It's nice to have the break and to get out of the bubble of the ordinary day-to-day. I'm sure I'll be processing the trip on here in two weeks after I get back (next week I'll be there so I'll share details the week afterwards).

Thanks for stopping by!

Figuring Out What is Truly Important

* This posted was originally featured on The Student Affairs Collective.

My decision to move to Maine last year to continue being close to my partner was a simple one, but it has had major implications for our lives together. 

I've talked about my job search story before, so I won't go to much into that part of my journey. The choice to move up to my home state and be close to my partner was an intentional one on my part. I picked up and moved (after having also moved a short distance for graduate school just two years before) leaving behind a lot of things I enjoyed about being in the Mid-Atlantic region. Delaware was where I grew up and could envision my self settling down in the future. Nevertheless, I couldn't see myself being happy being far away from my partner (someone I see myself spending the rest of my life with). I wanted to be able to help her feel supported in a stressful time in her life as she began graduate school. It was also a nice chance to live in my home state for the first time (I've visited often but never lived here) and be closer to my extended family than I've ever been before.

My decision making during my own anxiety ridden job search felt easier when I gave serious thought to what I truly wanted and what was important to me. My relationship trumped all other things since even if everything else was going wrong, I'd have my partner to support me and spend time with. While there are times we both wish we were back in New Jersey, we're glad to be here in Maine together exploring a new area and meeting new people. We've been able to spend a lot quality time together and become closer than ever before. Our relationship would have been strained if we ended up hours apart and I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to support her and continued to strengthen our bond.

As we all move forward in our lives and careers, I encourage you all to give mindful consideration to what you really want. Family, region, significant others, functional area, or any other reasons are all valid as long as they're your own reasons, not someone else's or what you think you're "supposed" to be doing. Do what you want and do whatever is best for you. I did, and I would never have chosen differently.

Movie Review Monday: Beginners

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's movie comes to us via Netflix, and it is 2010's Beginners from writer/director Mike Mills, starring Ewan McGregor & Christopher Plummer.

The basic synopsis of the film is that Plummer plays McGregor's father, who at the age of 75, becomes terminally ill as well as comes out as gay to his son. Hal (Plummer) then seeks to makes the most of his final years, enlightening Oliver (McGregor) to some major life lessons and to reflect on his life growing up with his father and mother. This movie is a semi-autobiographical story for Mills, who father came out as gay after his mother died.

Beginners is an emotional, dry, slow, but poignant movie about who we decide to be in our lives. We see Oliver's life through disjointed flashbacks and learn of his father's life hiding his secret from his son until his final few years, where he could finally be himself. Hal then is able to enjoy this time to the fullest, never looking back and doing what makes him happy. Plummer's performance is fantastic, and quite worthy of the critical acclaim it garnered.

I had this movie recommended by a friend of mine and I never would have known of it or actually taken the time to see it if she hadn't put it forth. I'm doing that for you all now to check out this movie. It's worth your time and will make you think, as all good movies should.

You can check out Beginners, streaming right now on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by!

In Defense of Couples Who Profess Their Love on Social Media

"...it’s not the responsibility of the people in your Facebook feed to stop succeeding...it’s on us as individuals to figure out how to be happy for other people’s happiness and not translate someone else’s success into our own personal failure...it’s not the responsibility of our Facebook friends to live smaller lives. It’s our responsibility to be bigger people."

I read this post a while ago from Hello Giggles about a recent study on how people react to those people we all know who overshare about how much they love their partners. It came to the obvious conclusion that people were adverse to those couples that gush about one another endlessly on social media. The answer there is simple; moderation.

What I really connected with in this article though was about how a lot of people are mad, sad, or upset when other people in their feeds are happy or doing well. It taps into this energy within us that embodies our jealousies, our doubts, our anxieties, and we focus on someone else's chosen way to express their happiness and we get angry that one of our friends is celebrating a success in their life. Shouldn't we be happy for our friends' happiness?

I certainly admit I struggle with this very thing so when I read this article, it definitely hit very close to home for me. In my ongoing quest for ultimate "zen status" where I am at peace with the world and everyone in it, I take this on as my next challenge. I'm going to not get jealous or envious when someone I care about is doing well. I am going to be glad and celebrate the joys of my friends and family, because there is no harm to me if those around me do well. We're all on the same team and we all just want to be loved, to be secure, and to be able to enjoy ourselves while we're on this massive spinning rock called Earth. Lets all make it a more positive, supportive place for us all to be happy and for us all to celebrate that happiness however we see fit.

I hope you are inspired by this simple idea like I was.

Thanks for stopping by.