I’m just going to type out a quick update here for the sheer hell of it. There has been a lot going on in my personal and professional life at the moment, and I am deep in the process of Getting My Shit Together. Because of this, it is difficult to have the spoons for things like blog posts and writing of my own. My job is in the category of social work and social services. It is emotionally demanding and requires a lot of physical work as well. I go in at 3pm and get back home anywhere from 10 to 11 pm. Sometimes I collapse in a heap on the bed. Other times I have enough energy to play some video games.
I really enjoy playing Final Fantasy XIV, the MMORPG one. It provides me with enough escapism to last a whole week if I can fit in a hefty play session. Lately, I have even had a few people to play with – including my beloved partner. I have also been playing a bit of Palworld and The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC (second chapter). I believe Palworld will have enough longevity to justify the purchase (it’s a meaty game). I know I will get my money’s worth from The Legend of Heroes series as a whole. Pokemon is a series I have largely grown out of though. It is interesting to hear how so many adults around me continue to find joy in it, Gamefreak must be doing something right. But for me I would rather be playing something like FFXIV or Palworld (or the open world Zelda games) which feel like there are less barriers to having a chill time. Being a working adult has changed my gaming habits over time. It is a death by a thousand cuts situation which has killed off my interest in most video games that I used to enjoy.
To fill the void left by Total Devotion to Gaming, I have picked up some books and magazines again. I also go to a weekly film club type thing at a local theater. I am (finally) working my way through Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace and have progressed to about the halfway point. I have also subscribed to Harper’s and invested in a membership at Barnes & Noble which gives me access to other magazines. Today I picked up the newest issue of The Atlantic and a special magazine that covers the history of Goth/post punk music and the subculture around it(surprising no one who knows me). I look forward to diving into these this weekend. This maturation into a “Magazine Adult” feels uncomfortable to me, as someone who always cast aspersions at such people when I was younger. Nonetheless I have accepted that I am a cultured and reading person who needs to keep that part of my brain fed and happy or it will become unruly and difficult to manage.
This is my current lifestyle. My partner and I just finished watching through all of The Wire, which is still my favorite TV show of all time. After a rewatch, I have some nitpicks but it manages to balance a lot of spinning plates at once. The landing at the end of the series is rocky, but it’s fitting for a show that covers early 21st century American life. It goes hand in hand with Infinite Jest quite well too, I recommend experiencing both alongside each other.
I am off to work but should have more to say soon. Until then, don’t neglect your media diet. Consuming blindly leads to disappointment. Just because you played the last six Resident Evil games the year they came out, doesn’t mean you have to plunk down $70 out of obligation in 2026. Question your hobbies and interests, spending the time the way you really want to.
That’s what I tell myself these days.