Sunday Stats

Posted on August 19, 2018 by CarneyVorous

*Since my family first got an NES, I’ve had a controller in my hands. Exploring new worlds, meeting new characters and experiencing stories… in some ways, I’ve just connected better with the world through games. However, it’s also very important to me to be present in my life, to improve myself, to go out and MEET the people I’ve connected with online and to expand my knowledge. I spend hours in games; how do I level myself up?

In this weekly series, I’ll chronicle how I’ve improved my “stats” with completely arbitrary scoring.*

-2 Intelligence – How did I make myself a little smarter? What did I learn?
I have been seriously slacking on this stat. I have my coding classes to take, guitar to learn and tarot to master. I need to pick at least one of those things to focus on for September. I AM learning that planning even a small wedding is kind of fun, but still not totally drama free.

+2 Charisma – How was I less awkward or more beautiful?
On Monday night, Ryan and I had reservations at Tavern on the Green – one of the most iconic restaurants in NYC. It was another excuse to get all dressed up and teach him which utensils to use when.

+2 Strength – New workouts, breakthroughs, challenges.
I crushed it at the gym all week. If I couldn’t get myself up earlier enough to go in the morning, I forced myself to go after work. It felt really great.

+1 Defense – Where did I consciously avoid or deflect negative energy?
I’ve been a bit eyerolly and irritable this week so I took Friday to disconnect from everyone (except work) and binged ALL of Disenchantment on Netflix where I met my most relatable princess and a demon with life advice I just can’t ignore!

Legit advice from my new favorite demon, Luci. I devoured @matt.groening’s new @Netflix show @disenchantment. FINALLY a fucked up princess I can really relate to! #disenchantment #luci #demon #netflix #youreallyshould #drinkup #currentlywatching

A post shared by CarneyVorous (@carneyvorous) on Aug 18, 2018 at 4:36pm PDT

+3 Luck – Something good that happened this week.
We won our skeeball game and ranked 2nd in our league at the end of the regular skeeson. Next stop: Playoffs! I also discovered my new favorite (and sadly super limited edition) sour beer – Fistful of Rubies from Big aLICe Brewing is tart, sweet and just like an explosion of raspberry goodness.

🍒 Holy fucking delicious. I watched the only keg kick while I was playing with my flight but had to try the Fistful of Rubies. Maybe the best sour I’ve ever had. Don’t bother. I’m buying the place out. 🍒 #bigalicebrewing #fistfulofrubies #sourale #cherries #sourbeer #sourcherry #craftbeer #craftbeernotcrapbeer #nycbrewery #queens #lic #nyc

A post shared by CarneyVorous (@carneyvorous) on Aug 19, 2018 at 2:47pm PDT

+5 Wealth – How did I save towards my goals?
HUGE news! On Monday, I got a PROMOTION! And with that promotion comes an unbelievable raise that puts me well over a long held goal and plants me firmly and officially in the Six Figure Club. You have no idea how hard I have worked for this.

How did YOU level up this week?

Which Octopath to Travel – Cyrus

Posted on August 17, 2018 by CarneyVorous

If you haven’t gotten sucked into Octopath Traveler yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? With 8 characters to choose from, it can be overwhelming. After all, your main character is the only one you can’t switch out over the course of the journey. This week, let’s investigate the investigator:

Cyrus’ story got surprisingly DARK. The obliviously handsome and charming scholar is ousted from his post over a rumor he’s having an affair with the princess. He’s fine with that though because he gets to go on a quest to find a missing ancient tome – From the Far Reaches of Hell. Which appears to be taking him TO the far reaches of Hell…

Nothing gets past Cyrus’ powers of keen observation. His Scrutinize ability allows him to glean information from townspeople for discounts at the Inn or more weapons in the armory. He offers up his brilliant insights in every new situation.

Cyrus’ sharp mind also proves useful in battle. At the start of every fight, he employs “Study Foe” to reveal some of the enemy’s weaknesses. It takes some of the trial and error out of heavier encounters.

Choose Cyrus if you:
love a mystery
practice the dark arts
play Phoenix Wright
pity pretty people who don’t know how good-looking they are

Would you pick Cyrus?

Putting It Into the Universe

Posted on August 15, 2018 by CarneyVorous

It’s looking like we’ll be able to move into a new place next year, so I’m working hard to manifest the perfect apartment.

Here’s what I want to make HAPPEN:

East Village – I really want to stay in my neighborhood.
Doorman – So my deliveries no longer go missing
Closer to trains – We’re equidistant from 5 lines as it stands, but I’d like to be closer to Astor.
Yes dogs – Because Muldoon goes where I go!
Dishwasher – please please please!
Outdoor space – Whether it’s a tiny balcony or a finished rooftop, I want to be able to get outside.
Decent view – This means being high enough in a building.

Sunday Stats

Posted on August 12, 2018 by CarneyVorous

In this weekly series, I’ll chronicle how I’ve improved my “stats” with completely arbitrary scoring.*

-2 Intelligence – How did I make myself a little smarter? What did I learn?
Nutrition is hard. How the fuck are humans supposed to balance all the things our bodies need in less than 1500 calories? Also, why is fruit suddenly gigantic? Peaches used to be a little larger than plums when I was a kid and now they’re practically the size grapefruits used to be before they became the size that cantaloupes used to be.

+2 Charisma – How was I less awkward or more beautiful?
It’s a small thing, but my nails are long! I didn’t chew them off this week. Hopefully they’ll survive until I can make a nail appointment.

+1 Strength – New workouts, breakthroughs, challenges.
My weigh-ins are Mondays so this update is almost outdated, but as of Monday this week, I lost 3.2 lbs! In just my first week. I’ll need to remember this moment when I hit a wall, get frustrated and almost give up. I’m glad I don’t have a scale at home!

+2 Defense – Where did I consciously avoid or deflect negative energy?
It was not a good week. I spent a lot of time wallowing in the past and playing out What Ifs if just one scenario had gone differently. I’ve had trouble letting go for a very long time, and I’m still trying…

+3 Luck – Something good that happened this week.
We found out this week that our skeeball team – The Skeevil Dead – won top scoring team AND top scoring individual last week. Hopefully we continue this trend through the finals.

+1 Wealth – How did I save towards my goals?
As previously mentioned, I removed auto-pay from all of my major accounts. It was making me feel disconnected from my money and less in control. The act of paying my bills every other week forces me to dig deep into my budget and see what I’ve been spending and what’s left.

How did YOU level up this week?

Which Octopath to Travel – Therion

Posted on August 10, 2018 by CarneyVorous

I did not meet Therion in the demos and I’m really glad I didn’t because he has been such a wonderful surprise. Much like my irl “type,” Therion is brooding, aloof and inconvenienced by everyone around him. He’s as charming as he is sarcastic and always down for a drink. After all what better place to get gossip and leads than the local tavern?

Therion takes great pride in his thieving skills and reputation. But pride comes before the fall and our anti-hero is tricked into a grand job that ends with a Fool’s Bangle secured around his wrist, signaling to all in his trade’s community that he failed. In order to get the cuff removed, Therion must seek out and return three stolen dragonstones to House Ravus.

His thief skills are insanely useful, mostly because his HP and SP steal abilities come with TWO dagger strikes. And typically he recovers at least as much SP as he spends on the skill. In towns, I rarely need to buy healing aids because I can steal them at a success rate of 80% or better. This makes quick work of dismantling enemy shields if they’re weak to daggers.

Choose Therion if:
you’re a Scorpio.
manipulation is kind of your thing.
hanging out in dive bars sounds appealing.
you hate everyone.
paying for things irritates you.

Will you choose Therion?

The eShop is Excellent Right Now

Posted on August 8, 2018 by CarneyVorous

You know who DIDN’T take a summer vacation? The Nintendo eShop. There are SO MANY great games in there right now. This week, I picked up a bunch of fantastic new stuff. Here are my recommendations:

Crypt of the Necrodancer – First of all, the pace of this rogue-like rhythm game keeps me on my toes at all times. You can’t miss a beat! Your character hops around to the beat of the music, attacking creatures and bosses in time with their patterns. It’s enchanting and challenging all at once. Plus the soundtrack is one of the best out there.

Hollow Knight – Do you like bugs? Tim Burton? Metroidvania games with hand-drawn artwork? I couldn’t resist this game. I love things that are dark and adorable so the opportunity to be a cutely creepy Hollow Knight and run around murdering bugs with a nail really appeals to me. And with new free DLC coming Aug 23rd, there’s no better time to pick this one up.

Overcooked 2 – One thing Nintendo Switch kind of lacks is a variety of local multiplayer games. Overcooked brought a fun, frustrating option to the Switch and now the sequel offers a whole new level of challenge AND online play. It’s perfect for some couch co-op (or a Nintendo Meet Up event). I have a love/hate relationship with this game because it makes me realize how competitive I am and also how much I suck at managing a fictional restaurant.

Salt and Sanctuary – I started playing this action-platformer last night and immediately became addicted. Here’s another game that is beautifully dark and hard as hell. You can customize your character and select a creed to establish your sanctuary. Collecting salt allows you to level up and bring healers and merchants to your sanctuary. However, if you’re killed, that enemy confiscates your salt and you only have one chance to go back and defeat it or lose your collected salt forever. It’s really tough. I can’t wait to try our the local co-op and find out if my friends are worth their salt?

Tell me what’s on your eShop wishlist!

Sunday Stats

Posted on August 5, 2018 by CarneyVorous

In this weekly series, I’ll chronicle how I’ve improved my “stats” with completely arbitrary scoring.*

-2 Intelligence – How did I make myself a little smarter? What did I learn?
I learned that even planning a relatively small elopement is pretty involved. And I think I have wedding brain.

-3 Charisma – How was I less awkward or more beautiful?
Awkward mess alert. The highlight of my week was dropping my favorite bottle of perfume on the bathroom floor (and my foot), shattering it. On the bright side, my bathroom smells magical now…

+1 Strength – New workouts, breakthroughs, challenges.
My spin addiction is back! I seriously recommitted to myself and my health this week. I ate nothing but good foods and juices and incorporated 2 new spin classes into my routine. My Tuesday night guy is SO motivating!

+2 Defense – Where did I consciously avoid or deflect negative energy?
I am so proud of how well I deflected cravings and said no to binge eating.

+1 Luck – Something good that happened this week.
If you dont work in a corporate bureaucracy, this will be less exciting for you, but my Webex license FINALLY got renewed. I can host meetings again!

+1 Wealth – How did I save towards my goals?
I’ve decided to revive my #NoSpendFeb experiment for August. Aside from wedding expenses and bills, minimize all spending! Speaking of bills, I have decided to take them OFF of auto-pay. For the last couple of months using auto-pay I have felt LESS in control of my money. It’s a reminder to do EVERYTHING with clear INTENTION.