Gaby: let’s work out!

Body: sure!

Gaby: let’s do 5 rounds of 500 meters on the rowing machine

Body: fuck you, we are doing 3

Gaby: let’s do 5 rounds of x6 heavy kettlebell swings, x8 cleans to squat to press and 6 burpees

Body: fuck them burpees, not today!

Gaby: okay, no burpees then.

Something or someone is telling me I need to get some rest.

Yesterday, I was reminded that seven years ago, I bought my first Olympus camera, the OM-D E-M10.

Why that name? Who knows. But it was as an early Father’s Day present to myself. This was back in 2016, the year when Marley was born, and she was pretty much the excuse for me to get a camera.

Why this particular camera? Well, at the time I remember reading Casey Liss’s quick thoughts on it and Shawn Blanc’s thoughts about it too. And so, that was the extent of my research, really! 😅 And not only that but it was (still is) reasonably priced. And I also knew I did not want a DSLR camera. I wanted some compact but more than just a point-and-shoot. The next thing I knew, I got myself an Oly. This camera reignited my passion for photography, I must say. Eventually, I ditched the kit lens and got myself a 25mm prime lens, a 45mm, and a 17mm. Now, perhaps two years later or so, I upgraded to the Olympus OM-D E-M10 MARK III. Still having the same three lenses in my toolkit. And still have my passion for photography.

Not going to lie, part of me wants to “upgrade” or move to a different system, like Fujifilm, but it is not a must, at least not yet. The system that I currently have still serves me well.

If you’d like to check out some of my photography, check out my Glass account page.

😉

In the past few weeks or so I have been playing, well, a few games. One of them is The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which I have played a couple of ours and have my thoughts about it, but not today.

Another game I have been playing is Cassette Beasts on the Nintendo Switch. This one is like a whole different take on a Pokemon game-like. It is super fun, the soundtrack is great, and awesome pixel art. So far it’s a little buggy, but it is so much fun that I can get past the fact. Have more thoughts but not today.

The game that’s got me knees deep on right now, is Diablo IV, currently playing on the PlayStation 5.

My first experience with a Diablo game was Diablo III: Eternal Collection on Nintendo Switch. I might have tried it on the PS4 but it was on the Switch where I really got into it. And I played the heck out of that game and even more than once. So when Diablo IV was announced of course I was eager for it to come out.

The pre-order date came around and pre-ordered it, whichever the mid-tier of the game was just so I could have early access and whatever else. I did get a chance to play the Beta once or twice but not enough to give me a sense of how the game was really going to be, plus I was knees-deep on ToTK.

Finally, the time came around to play the full game and I was delighted with it. I felt at home, this is my kind of game, and this is the kind of game I get addicted to, just like with Diablo III. It is everything you would expect from a Diablo game, amazing cinematics, a compelling story, stellar graphics, great voice acting, character and combat customization, and of course, lots of build-crafting, and hunting for the best gear you can get.

When I played Diablo III, I pretty much exclusively played as the Necromancer, I always felt overpowered with that class, and so much fun. This time around, though, I am playing (so far) as the Barbarian and so far it’s been a lot of fun with a decent amount of weapons and pretty cool skills and power-ups.

I am still trying to get used to some of the menu options, especially around the “skills tree” or whatever is called, it seems a little confusing and unclear to me as to what am I getting, and I don’t know why. Of course, I am playing this game in the easiest setting, I am not here for a challenge, I am here for a good time. And yet, is not as easy as Diablo III is in its easest mode, I never died on Diablo III, on D4 though, yes I have died a few times. It can get a little hairy when many baddies band together and you are not paying attention to what you’re doing.

I am sure there’s more to this game from what I have experienced so far, there is so much more to explore and discover. I hate (Love) that there is a real money item store, that’s how they get me, by getting me to spend money in order to get that shiny armor or horse, or whatever. This game will be hard to put down, I need to keep track of time otherwise will continue playing for hours without end, I am loving it.

Currently, there are no plans or have been officially confirmed or announced to bring Diablo 4 to the Nintendo Switch. That being said, I am sure that eventually, it will, and whenever that happens, you can be damn sure that I will be getting it on the Switch as well.

This morning I had a "Hol' Up A Minute" moment while driving to the site here in Naples, Florida. As many of you would know, I am from Puerto Rico, a colony, I mean, a US territory, thus, I am a US citizen or more like a second-class citizen. For 40 years I have taken for granted the fact I can travel anywhere within the US, to Puerto Rico and back without worries or having to carry a passport because technically, my driver's license should suffice. However, this morning it kind of hit me where I was, I am in fucking Florida, DeSantis's Florida. I panicked a little. I was like, "fuck, I should have brought my passport".

I have listened to a couple of news lately in which fellow Puerto Ricans are being denied services or even being able to book an airplane ticket, because they did not have a passport, identifying them as US citizens (second-class citizens). There are many States in which people forget that Puerto Rico is a colony, ugh, sorry, a Territory of the United States of America.

What I am trying to say is, that I have realized that I no longer feel like a legitimate American citizen in some way, given the political situation in which we find ourselves today. I fear that, if for whatever reason, I get pulled over here in Florida or anywhere in the US today, having my driver's license, might not be enough to prove my citizenship and "legitimacy". 

Again, this is coming from someone that was born with US citizenship. I can't even imagine how other minorities must be feeling, especially in DeSantis's Florida or in the US in general.

It's scary.