I Want To Rent Video Games

I spent the majority of my free time over the past two weekends playing Paper Mario: The Origami King on my Nintendo Switch. See, I borrowed it from the library, so I had a very limited amount of time with it. I managed to renew it once, which got me the second weekend, but still, I really poured a lot of hours into it in a short amount of time. I don’t normally play my Switch during the week too often, but I found myself reaching for it before dinner and before bed several times too in order to get in a few more hours.

I love the library, I truly do, but a week for video games is crazy. Far too low. You get books for three weeks, and books are something you technically can finish in a day or two, whereas with video games, that usually cannot happen.

But I know libraries have fewer copies of video games than they do books, and they’re a lot more expensive, so the current limits (that my library has, at least) are there for a reason. However, because there are such a small number of copies, there are always long waiting lists for these games. And having to reimmerse yourself in a game every month or so when you can get your hands on it is not ideal.

Video games, like books and movies, are things you can fully and happily consume without owning them, yet there isn’t really a good method of getting to play without outright buying them. While there are some games I love and want to keep to play again, some I’m content to just play once, so I don’t really want to spend all that money on it. I think Blockbuster used to rent out games (though I don’t know how long the rental period was), but obviously that’s not an option anymore.

And though there are a few people offering game trades on Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji, it’s not very common. People want to buy and sell, but I think that’s a shame for video games.

Anyway, Paper Mario was very cute and I enjoyed it, but I forced myself to rush through the main story as fast as I could. I got to the credits so I was okay enough to return it on its due date, but if I had more time, I would have played more to complete side quests for fun. Save the Toads and all that.

Gamers, what are your thoughts on the matter? Are you happy purchasing games? Do you utilize your public library’s collection of video games ever?

Though I guess I should add that even if Blockbuster was still around, I have a feeling the prices to rent a game for three weeks would be so high that I’d be better off just buying it. On principle alone, I’d probably stick with the free library anyway. I know myself enough to say this.

That’s all for now.

 

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Why Did I Stop Reading Books?

In 2021, I read a grand total of zero books. Not a single one.

Growing up, I always teased my father for never reading. My mom reads a lot and I used to read a lot as a kid and teenager, but the only book my father has read in the last two decades was probably mine. Only now, I don’t have a leg to stand on in the teasing. In the last few years, my reading just tanked. I have a friend proudly announcing that she hit 100 books last year. She makes time for it. I do not.

Why have I done this to myself? Instead of getting into bed early and doing some reading like a normal person, I crawl to bed too late all the time, and if I do have some time, I play Mario Kart or scroll social media.

I’d be lying if I said it’s because I don’t have time. I do have time. I just choose to do other things. I choose to hang out with friends virtually. I choose to watch dumb YouTube videos and scroll Tumblr. I choose to play video games. I choose to do just about anything else than read. I just can’t seem to force myself into it.

It’s like my attention span for reading is gone, and before any boomers come at me, it’s not because I’ve trained myself to only pay attention to six seconds of content. It’s just that I guess the act of jumping into a whole new story that I have to learn and forcing myself to do the work of progressing just doesn’t appeal to me, and the benefits of reading don’t outweigh that hurdle the way it used to for me.

There are books I want to read, too. I have every intention of reading, and then I just don’t. My best friend’s mom lent me a book over a year ago because she thought I’d like it. I told her I don’t read much, but she insisted I take it. I haven’t even started it. Last month, I knew I had three hours of train rides ahead of me so I brought the book with me and intended to read it. I just didn’t. I sat and looked out the window and listened to music I’ve heard a thousand times and just couldn’t bring myself to pull out the book and start it.

My goal for 2022 is to return the book to her having read it. Is it sad that that’s my goal? Maybe. In fairness, the book is pretty hefty. Think Order Of The Pheonix size.

I used to read so much. Maybe one day I’ll get back to that lifestyle. I’d like to. This is the point in the blog post where I’d ask for book suggestions or something, but please don’t tell me those because I assure you, I won’t read them.

 

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Sneeze Count 2021

Ted Lasso was a big part of 2021 for me. Love him.

Hello and welcome to my ninth year of counting sneezes (and my seventh year of documenting it on my blog. See past years here: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020). This silly hobby of mine is always a pleasure to share because it’s so silly. I’m proud that I’ve kept at it for so long and I always look forward to the day when my count year ends and I can crunch the numbers. These posts don’t do too well on my blog, but I’ll keep posting them because I want everyone to know just how dedicated I am to this.

So here’s what my sneezing was like in 2021:

For the first time in three years, my sneezing has gone up by a couple hundred to get me to a total of 1910 for the year. It’s nowhere near where I have been in past years, but that’s fine.

There are no huge surprises this year. That one big week in September is due solely to one day where I visited my best friend who has two big dogs. What was I going to do? Not pet them? Of course not. I love them, though I suffer for it.

2021 was also a full year of the pandemic, though in Canada things got fairly calm in the summer, meaning I was able to leave my house and see people more than last year. That being said, I also worked all year, and my ‘office’ is my bedroom, so I spent the majority of my time in a space that probably should have been dusted more than it was. I don’t know if that contributed too much to my sneezing, or if my lack of outdoor time lessened it, but it’s something to consider. Given that we’re starting 2022 back in lockdown, it’ll be interesting to see next year if there are patterns as I have a feeling my year will be similar.

Not that it was ever in question, but I can safely say that two Moderna COVID vaccines do not affect sneezing. In case any scientists were wondering.

I also added to my mega chart so you can see all nine years in one (blurry, sorry!) graph.

Anyway, that’s all I have to report this year. A solid sneezy year, and now I’m on to my tenth(!) year of counting, so stick around to see that data! Otherwise, thank you for checking out my 2021 stats and I hope I amused you enough.

That’s all for now!

 

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Monthly Look Ahead: January 2022

Wow, here we are with 2022 upon us! There’s a joke going around that it’s like “2020 too” but I don’t think it can be as bad as 2020. All things considered, 2021 was a good year for me, and I am entering 2022 with optimism.

The new year is a perfect time to jump into doing Monthly Look Aheads on your own blog! You get 12 fairly easy posts a year! And I’ve even made a new graphic, so feel free to use it if you want!

• This Is Us returns for its last season, and I am bracing myself for pain as this show has never shied away from emotional gut punches. My old roommate and I watch this together and I’m excited to keep up that tradition with her. I have faith that it’ll be a satisfying last season.
• There few shows out this month I have my eye on but am not fully committed to: Peacemaker (The Suidice Squad spinoff show), Naomi (bc stupid CW superhero shows have me in a chokehold), American Auto (it’s made by the creator of Superstore, and I do miss that show), Abbott Elementary (school comedies are rare), and How I Met Your Father (will it live up to the legacy of HIMYM?)
• I don’t really like Jerod Leto, but if Morbius is part of the MCU (since that may be MCU Vulture in the trailers), I’ll probably see it. I just hope it’s not too creepy and gross.
  

There were supposed to be a few other things on this list like seeing friends and a curling bonspiel, but with COVID getting bad again, it’s very unlikely they’ll happen. My whole family has had our booster shots, but case numbers here in Ontario are pretty gross.

That being said, I hope your 2022 starts off a good foot and I hope this year is everything you want it to be and more.

That’s all for now!

P.S. Prepare your bodies for my next post: the much-anticipated yearly sneeze count!

 

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Unlearning Habits And Changing Outlooks

I’ve been in my head a lot recently. Overthinking, second-guessing, the whole deal. And while usually this is pretty unproductive and unhealthy, lately I’m thinking a lot about habits I have that I probably should unlearn. There are some patterns of behavior and mindsets that, while not toxic by any means, aren’t doing me or anyone around me any favours. They’re not my best self, ya know? Identifying their existence is the first step. Unpacking why they exist is the second.

Why am I the way that I am? Some traits and habits (both good and bad) clearly come directly from my family. Those ones are wild because they’re so ingrained in me and they’re clearly demonstrated often. It’s second nature.

Some (maybe most) habits, though, I’ve developed on my own over time. All my experiences and interactions and thoughts have morphed into what I am, for better or for worse. And since I can’t necessarily identify where they came from, I just gotta unlearn what I don’t want. And to do that, I need a lot of control. Control over my actions and control over my thoughts. I need to be able to stop the unideal thing from happening before it does, and once I can control what happens outwards, I can work on rectifying it on the inside. Taking action is the third step, no matter how we developed these behaviours.

Logic is a big part of this, I think. We need time to understand how and why we process. Logically, I know that the unhealthy/unideal things I say or think aren’t giving the results it initially was supposed to. I feel like I keep going back to it as an example on this blog, but it’s valid: in the past few years, I’ve really worked to be less negative in life both on the inside and the outside. The habit that started as a way to not take myself seriously and be funny, heavily influenced by internet culture, eventually felt like it got to a point where it was just sad, and I had to logically realize that it was just a bad trait I had, often without even knowing. It was something I slowly unlearned, and though it’s not a habit that’s completely gone, it’s certainly a lot better.

A lot of the time, that rotten voice in our head or that overwhelming urge telling us the negative things or to do something unhealthy is logically not accurate. I know this. We are our own worst critic, and unlearning this side of ourselves can be hard. As I said in this post about loving yourself, sometimes it’s not even something you can fully do on your own. Sometimes validation from someone else can help, but it’s up to you to really carry your one-man team and get yourself most of the way there. You gotta change your behaviour and your outlook on your own.

I feel like this post is pretty disjointed and rambly. I think I’m getting swept up in those upcoming new year vibes and trying to verbalize something that’s been on my mind, but I don’t have all the answers. I may not have any answers. I guess what I’m trying to say is that in 2022, unlearning or at least slowing down behaviours and mindsets that aren’t personally productive is something I’m trying to do. At the end of the day, it’s me who has to deal with what’s in my head so if I’m going to have weeks where I’m in it a lot, it could be a nicer place to be.

For the record, I don’t agree with ‘new year, new me’ as a concept, but I thought this gif was funny.

That’s all for now!

 

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