Yesterday afternoon, after work, when at home, I received a letter from the Idaho Department of Transportation. In it, in contained the title of ownership to my motor vehicle.

I am not going to lie, I was surprised by it. I couldn’t understand why. Annie, in all her wisdom, goes, I think your car is paid off! I was a little skeptical about it.

You might be thinking,

How in the hell you wouldn’t know?

Good question.

Anyway, today, I… First, I tried to log in into my account through their mobile app, which I haven’t used in ages. Keep in mind, this is not my main bank, this just happens to be the bank that approved my Auto loan back then. I remembered my username, but that’s it, the password was incorrect and any other account information required to reset the password was unknown to me.

I called the bank with the premise of getting help with my login. The teller on the phone, besides helping to reset my credentials, also offered to check on my auto loan account as well.

Teller on the phone: puts me on hold….

Me: I’m on hold…

Teller on the phone: Gets back to me… I Haven’t forgotten about you, just checking a few things,

Me: okay! I’m back on hold…

Teller on the phone: Yes, your auto loan is paid off, sir!

Me: Sweet Christmas!

Then he wanted to update my information since I mentioned that the email they had for me, might have been retired.

Teller on the phone: what is your current email address, sir?

Me: gabz at omg dot lol

Teller on the phone: silence

Me: silence

Me: yes, that is a valid email address, I promise

Teller on the phone: oh! Okay good, I wasn’t certain, okay, I will make note of that.

Me: yes, you go to OMG.LOL and get your own.

Teller on the phone: I might have to do that, let me wire that down.

😂😂

We are seven days into the new year, 2022, and I have been busy. Well, busy trying to change things around in my weblog. You know, tinkering.

• A new theme, I am using Pure by Chris, and I made some tweaks here and there to make it more me. I really hope he won't mind. Mainly font, colors, truncated posts and I may or may not have blatantly stolen – like an artist 😉 – his custom footer setup, with a twist (ish). 
• I retired on this day, and replace it with Surprise Me!
• I am not using Micro.blog's default Photos menu, instead, I repurposed my blot.im account to be my Photography weblog or Camera Roll. Which also means that I may or may not have retired Glass Photos and Instagram (gasps in Spanish!).

Another area that's seeing some significant changes is my iPhone Homescreen setup as well as some of my systems. However, I am not 100% settled yet, so more on that later, stay tuned.

Need a new avatar too!

hm...

This would be the 4th account I have closed. When trying to quit using Facebook years ago, I had already closed and re-opened the account, 3 times — I think it was 3. For Instagram, this would be by 4th and hopefully, the last time. I was thinking about, just like I did with Facebook all those years ago, leaving a '30-days notice". Put something up on my stories or a post...

Stop the lap dance I want to go home. Closing shop in by the end of the month! 

Or something like that.

Nah, instead, in a moment of pure impulsiveness (as I always do), I logged into the web thingy and closed it.

I am sure there will be people I'll miss, and that's okay I guess.

Siempre papi, nunca unpapi  ✌🏽

One of my favorite "hacks" in micro.blog, to me, has ever been the "on this day". This is something very similar to what apps like Day One do but on your blog instead. Micromemories or On this Day was created by cleverdevil.

I have used this feature on my blog for years. It has always been fun to re-live some memories of the past. For different reasons, sometimes a nice memory, sometimes a not-so-good memory that might help you reflect and see how far you have come. And not going to lie, there have been times where a very unsavory memory has pooped up and been deleted, at least in Day One.

Recently we got Surprise me! by @sod. It is not exactly like on this day, instead, it will pull a random post from your archive, which is pretty neat. For some reason, I kind of like this better. Looking back at memories every day can become obsessive, for me. A random post, out of the blue (ish), it's a lot more fun and exciting, I think because you'll never know what ya' gonna get!

I think I will be removing the On this Day from my blog and replacing it with Surprise Me! There will still be an On This Day, not on my blog, but in Day One.

Unrelated,

It is 2022, I believe I am due for a new backpack, just sayin'

Tales of Arise on the PlayStation 5

On the planet Dahna, reverence has always been given to Rena, the planet in the sky, as a land of the righteous and divine. Stories handed down for generations became truth and masked reality for the people of Dahna. For 300 years, Rena has ruled over Dahna, pillaging the planet of its resources and stripping people of their dignity and freedom.
Our tale begins with two people, born on different worlds, each looking to change their fate and create a new future. Featuring a new cast of characters, updated combat, and classic Tales of gameplay mechanics, experience the next chapter in the world-famous Tale of series, Tales of Arise.

Dun-dun-duuuuuuun !!!!!

This game was released last year. When I saw the trailer, I immediately knew, I wanted to play it. This game is in the same vein as Tales of Symphonia (I believe I played this one back on the GameCube), Tales of Vesperia (I think I played this one on the PS2 but I currently own it on the Nintendo Switch), and Tles of Berseria (this one I've never played). Arise is a standalone game, there's really no need to play the previous ones. It's kinda like the Final Fantasy's they really don't tie in.

It is a JRPG and like most JRPGs, the narrative is pretty linear, which to me, that's fine.  The game focuses on two primary protagonists; Shionne, a woman with a mysterious past, and Iron Mask, a man who has no memory and also wears an iron mask that he can’t remove.

I am only about 3 to 4 hours in, give or take, so call it an early impression if you will, but the bottom line is, I am having a blast. I have to be honest coming from a game like Ghost of Tsushima, that looks as realistic as it can, it is a little shocking to play something cartoony. That being said, the art it's pretty awesome. The animated cutscenes make you feel like you are watching a Japanese animated show. The voice acting I would say it's pretty well done, and solid. Some of the conversations are in in-game animation sequences, or in comic-book-like panels with voices, or in your typical conversation-bubbles with no voice.

Something that I am truly a fan of in this game, is the combat system. When you encounter enemies during exploration, you'll be spirited off to a combat screen, like every RPG about there. During combat, you can move freely and execute normal and special attacks called Artes, which you assign to controller buttons, pretty simple. It does introduce some complexity to the combat at some point early in the game but nothing too crazy. The combat's super-fun and fluid.

Like most RPGs, you also have a skill-tree-like thing where you can redeem experience points for more art or combat skills. SO far, it hasn't gotten super-crazy complicated, again, I am very early in the game, so who knows. But so far, it's been easy to navigate and understand, it is pretty straightforward.

One thing I've got to mention too is the opening song, I am a fan. Again, it makes you feel like you’re sitting down, about to watch your favorite Anime show.

"HIBANA" by Kankaku Piero - Love it!

If you're are a fan of adventure JRPGs or RPGs in general, and you're looking for a fun and festive game to play, I would definitely recommend Tales of Arise. Oh! And there is a demo available in case you'd want to test the waters first. I think I got it on sale at the Amazons there for less than 40 USD. I believe it is still on sale at the PlayStation Store but not for long. And there are 3 different versions too LOL. I got the regular and purchased some DLC for like $5.00 for star items and costumes.

That's how they get me, with shiny costumes. 😜

Tales of Arise on the PlayStation 5

On the planet Dahna, reverence has always been given to Rena, the planet in the sky, as a land of the righteous and divine. Stories handed down for generations became truth and masked reality for the people of Dahna. For 300 years, Rena has ruled over Dahna, pillaging the planet of its resources and stripping people of their dignity and freedom.
Our tale begins with two people, born on different worlds, each looking to change their fate and create a new future. Featuring a new cast of characters, updated combat, and classic Tales of gameplay mechanics, experience the next chapter in the world-famous Tale of series, Tales of Arise.

Dun-dun-duuuuuuun!!!!

This game was released last year. When I saw the trailer, I immediately knew, I wanted to play it. This game is in the same vein as Tales of Symphonia (I believe I played this one back on the GameCube), Tales of Vesperia (I think I played this one on the PS2 but I currently own it on the Nintendo Switch), and Tales of Berseria (this one I've never played). Arise is a standalone game, there's really no need to play the previous ones. It's kinda like the Final Fantasy's they really don't tie in.

It is a JRPG and like most JRPGs, the narrative is pretty linear, which to me, that's fine.  The game focuses on two primary protagonists; Shionne, a woman with a mysterious past, and Iron Mask, a man who has no memory and also wears an iron mask that he can’t remove.

I am only about 3 to 4 hours in, give or take, so call it an early impression if you will, but the bottom line is, I am having a blast. I have to be honest coming from a game like Ghost of Tsushima, that looks as realistic as it can, it is a little shocking to play something cartoony. That being said, the art it's pretty awesome. The animated cutscenes make you feel like you are watching a Japanese animated show. The voice acting I would say it's pretty well done, and solid. Some of the conversations are in in-game animation sequences, or in comic-book-like panels with voices, or in your typical conversation-bubbles with no voice.

Something that I am truly a fan of in this game, is the combat system. When you encounter enemies during exploration, you'll be spirited off to a combat screen, like every RPG about there. During combat, you can move freely and execute normal and special attacks called Artes, which you assign to controller buttons, pretty simple. It does introduce some complexity to the combat at some point early in the game but nothing too crazy. The combat's super-fun and fluid.

Like most RPGs, you also have a skill-tree-like thing where you can redeem experience points for more art or combat skills. SO far, it hasn't gotten super-crazy complicated, again, I am very early in the game, so who knows. But so far, it's been easy to navigate and understand, it is pretty straightforward.

One thing I've got to mention too is the opening song, I am a fan. Again, it makes you feel like your sitting down, about to watch your favorite Anime show.

"HIBANA" by Kankaku Piero - Love it!

If you're are a fan of adventure JRPGs or RPGs in general, and you're looking for a fun and festive game to play, I would definitely recommend Tales of Arise. Oh! And there is a demo available in case you'd want to test the waters first. I think I got it on sale at the Amazons there for less than 40 USD. I believe it is still on sale at the PlayStation Store but not for long. And there are 3 different versions too LOL. I got the regular and purchased some DLC for like $5.00 for star items and costumes. 

That's how they get me, with shiny costumes. 😜

It is still yucky outside, everything is starting to melt, and it’s slushy. I am working from home today. Unfortunately, we are having — what we think — are roof issues. We have a leak, it’s been dripping from the laundry’s ceiling. There is a contractor coming over to inspect and assess. When that inspector, it’s supposed to be here? I don’t know. All he said was that’d he would be here during the day and that someone needed to be at the house. That someone is yours truly.

I am glad that I am lucky enough that I can work from home when situations arise. Plus, currently, I have no projects that need my attention on site. Furthermore, all the work rushed has subsided, and we are in calm waters again — for now.

There was something I have been meaning to look into for a while, and that was our internet situation. We have been complaining about how slow it’s been. Thanks to some friends at the Hemispheric Views super-secret discord channel for the help on this one. Nothing too crazy, took the opportunity to make some changes basically, and all it’s good.

Since I am alone in the house, I have been playing music all morning, a recent discovery,

Thirstier by TORRES

I have been really enjoying it.

I have discovered some new Latin Rock bands this week too. Bands that I have never heard before.

• De Subida by Planetarica

and

• Mística Mujer by Blacks en Tela

Okay, break’s over, back to work

I feel like I am falling down the path that made me close my Instagram account last time. There's a certain degree of anxiety that comes with it. Yes, I could delete the app from my phone, but that doesn't really resolve the issue as it can be re-installed at any time. I wish I could block sections of the app, like 'suggested posts' and the 'discovery tab'. Because those are the areas where I see things I don't care about and yet can not stop the scrolling. It is hard to ignore them, as they are constantly on your face.  

After reading Mike's post on subscriptions last night, and this morning's Greg's, I had to think about my situation here and share.

The Gotta have's

Netflix - Gotta have it, if you have family, especially kids, there's no way around it. Plus consider this, Netflix puts out so much content, and high quality, for "cheap".

Apple One - Given that both my wife and I do use Apple Music, iCloud storage and at the time we were also using Apple Arcade, I believe we were already at the 29.95 mark, so it made sense. Now we also get Fitness+, tv+, and News+ (which I rarely ever use).

Kiddopia - Another, gotta have it, if this app does not have all the mini-games available, there will be riots. And we don't want riots in a full restaurant.

comiXologyUNLIMITED - Think of Netflix for comics Books, this is one I forget I have, and one that as much as I really want to use it and take advantage of, I don't. I am going to put myself to the test this month, If I don't read at least three to four issues, I am canceling it.

Glass - Photography Community - I like the app, I have written my thoughts on it, and what it means to me. I have been in conflict with it in the past week or so. I see the app as a nice-looking website for my photos, but it is not my own, like my blog, it is mine (ish). So, this one is in review.

Audible - This one, I keep going back and forth in my mind, in fact, this one gets canceled and reactivated again sometimes. I think I have a decent backlog of books to listen to that I could possibly cancel it for a while.

AppleCare+ - My reasoning, I've got kids, and I am clumsy, thus, I need it. 

Overcast - As much as I hate its UI and icon, it's rock-solid and that's that.

Tweetbot 6 - My Twitter app of choice, and I want them to both keep around and give me more icons.

Day One - Day One was my blog before my blog. Before I dared to get a weblog, I was writing in this app, circa 2012. Now I rarely actively type in it, now I have an IFTTT action that everything I post to my weblog, gets an entry in DO. Also, I use a lot their Text to Journal feature, which allows me to text quick things and create quick entries. They are usually photos in my case. It is pretty neat.

Mullvad - I got this one when I traveled to Naples, FL last year, not sure I'll keep it.

Ulysses - another, gotta have it, it is my writing app of choice, and cannot imagine a world without it.

Micro.blog - The most important sub of them all. Here is where I host my weblog. Makes everything easy and friction-free. It has a great community and even though I have tried other platforms (tinkerers gotta tink), there's no place like home.

HBO Max - I do get a lot of entertainment out of this one, ze wife wants me to cancel it, I don't lol, we shall see.

Subscriptions I am letting go (or expire) this month/year.

Hey Mail - love it, love it, love it, too expensive.

Twitter Blue - not worth it, to me.

Carrot Weather - The stock weather app has gotten much better than it used to. I am letting it expire and see if I miss it.

Drafts - For the way I use it now, I can get by with the free tier. I may subscribe at some point again, though. Just to support its development.

Bear - This used to be my notes app of choice for years, not anymore. Lately, I have been using Simplenote.

VSCO - It is set to expire, but I use it, I love this app so much, so it will be renewed when the time comes, I believe it'll be September 2022.

One subscription I am sort of considering, and this is purely a work-related thing more than anything else, It's ROAM Research. I think I had expressed this idea of having a work journal, and I like ROAM for that. Still an idea.