Laboratory of Mathematics and Writing

I Still Don't Like Turn Based RPGs After all these years, I finally played Super Mario RPG. To tell you the truth, I never really had a strong desire to play the game. I am just simply not into turn based RPGs besides Pokemon. But I feel like Pokemon doesn't count simply because Pokemania took over our lives in the late 90s like nothing ever has before and probably even since. It was nuts. But we're talking about Super Mario RPG. It arrived late in the Super Nintendo life span, 1996, so there was no mania about it. The problem I've had with rpgs, and even to a certain extent, Pokemon, it was very easy to just spam the strongest attack and win every battle. I only ever had to strategize at the very end with the final boss and, even then, all I did was have Peach spam healing while Mario and Geno spammed their strongest attacks. So, the battling is not particularly challenging or engaging. The story is cute, but also p...

Chronicles of Riddick - Escape From Butcher Bay I recently played this game on the original Xbox. Yes, I am going back in time. I actually remember wanting to play this game back then, but never got a chance to. I definitely missed out. I am missing out no more The game revolves around the titular character voiced by the guy who played him in the movies, Vin Diesel. Between his portrayals of Riddick, Fast and the Furious, and XXX, I feel this guy can not have existed any other decade besides the 2000's. His voice performance is terrific in this game and the attitude exuded by Richard Riddick is totally Y2K era. This takes me back in a very cozy way. The gameplay is very good. Controlling Riddick is pretty much what you would expect in any action game. It's hard to say just how groundbreaking this was at the time, but some of the hand-to-hand combat didn't quite age well. It felt a little clunky. Everything else was fi...

I just talked to a very close friend of mine over the phone. Without me even mentioning it, he revealed that he was going through a midlife crisis as well. He touched on the most important point I iterated: we now have adult money; it's time to buy some toys! He even brought up how, as a kid, you're not able to obtain the things you really want. Now as an adult with adult money, you can! We are both looking forward to our next years. Although, our knees and our backs aren't what they used to be.... Another important point of discussion he brought is how money can buy you happiness. Well, maybe not quite, but it does help. I remember when I would see a cool shirt, or maybe a cool game, and not buying it because I had to hang on to every penny. Not exactly a happy feeling. Now, I can walk into a local store that sells used shirts and buy an awesome Escape to the Void Sepultura shirt. Not even purchase it for myself, but for a friend of mine. I ev...

Nostalgia Baited I've been on a nostalgia trip this year. It all started with a "90s cool movies" Youtube video, followed by "90s cool video games", followed by "Y2K attitude era". I grew up watching "The Matrix", playing "Contra 3: The Alien Wars", and thinking that Stone Cold Steve Austin was a role model. It didn't help that this year I saw Korn, Slipknot, Mastodon, and Lamb of God in concert. I listened to those bands growing up. I still remember watching "Wait and Bleed" and "Freak on a Leash" on The Box channel (that was the poor person's MTV back in the day). I was proud of myself when I learned "Laid to Rest" on guitar back in high school. Nostalgia is important, but don't let it absorb you. It's tempting to look back at the good old days come to the conclusion that things won't get better. They can, and they will get better as long as you...

I'm Going Through a Mid-life Crisis I just realized I'm through a mid-life crisis (albeit, prematurely). Now, normally it manifests itself through purchases of fancy (land or water) vehicles. I was never into such things. So, I'm not going to dump $60k on a Corvette (I don't know what they're actually worth). No, my mid-life crisis is manifestly differently, but also typical. First, I am a musician. I play guitar. So I went out and bought more guitars than I will ever need. I've always been into Jacksons, especially dinkies, so I have quite a few of those. I also have a few Charvels, Schecters, and some old 80s Yamahas. I think my guitar niche is finding inexpensive guitars that are still rare. For instance, I have a very rare Fernandes Revolver that was made back in the 2000s. Fernandes is no longer in business. I am also into retro-game collecting; specifically Super Nintendo, Sega Dreamcast, and, as of last week, ...

My Master's Degree Is Now Useless It's been a little over a decade since I acquired my master's degree in mathematics. The industry I am employed in now requires no such qualification. In fact, all you really need is a few certifications and some hands-on experience that can be showed off in a portfolio. Which makes me wonder if all those years of hard work to get that degree where a waste. The logical side of me says "Yes!", but the sentimental side of me is speaking a bigger "No!". I was a adjunct instructor at a community college and a part-time tutor for six years after I graduated. I definitely touched the hearts and minds of hundreds of students and even converted a few math-haters out there. I still have Hallmark cards that some of my students gave me. I should have saved a screen shot of the many emails telling me thank you. Hell, I should have saved those the end-of-semester reviews where my students often ...