Daily Ramblings – Gaming, Reading, Watching and Learning

Tags

Amazon Prime, Call of Duty, Civil War, CODM, Dark Time, Diablo Immortal, Grand Master, Ian Douglas, Star Carrier Series, The West Wing, Udemy

The Call of Duty Mobile saga continues. I am currently at the Grand Master level in both Battle Royal and Multiplayer and have a few more levels before I hit legendary. It’s a real grind. For those of you who do not know what grind means in this context, it is the literally playing and playing and playing until your objectives have been met. I grind to get ranked and I grind to get my diamond camouflages for my weapons.

I have also started a game called Diablo Immortal. Boy, that is a great game. All kinds of things to do, all kinds of weapons, gear, gems, and gold to collect. I am really enjoying the Role Playing Game (RPG) genre again. These guys at Blizzard really know how to create great games.

I’m started reading Dark Time, another book in the Star Carrier series. It’s another great read so far. The way Ian Douglas writes is terrific. The characters are awesome. The weapons and military craft descriptions are the best. I highly recommend this series if you are a SF fan.

My sister and I are in season 2 of The West Wing. It’s terrific. I never grow tired of The West Wing. The characters are so terrific! Sam, Toby, Josh, Donna, CJ Craig, Danny, President Bartlet and Leo are terrific. I won’t give away any spoilers, in case any of you are interested. The entire show is on Amazon Prime Video, but you’ll have to pay. It’s about $25 US per season.

I’m watching a new documentary on the Civil War and continuing with my Excel class on Udemy. Yesterday I learned about HLOOKUP. Today it will be INDEX(). I enjoy this class because of the short session lengths and the easy example files to work with.

Have a great Thursday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Hobbies, Games, Books, and Movies – CODM, Better Call Saul, Secret Societies, and Bay City Blast

Tags

Better Call Saul, Call of Duty, CODM, Curiosity Stream, Remo Williams, Secret Societies, The Destroyer Series

Well, here we are, folks! I changed my title to include books in the description, since I give you an update on my reading of the Remo Williams series I’ve been captivated with. Bay City Blast is the latest title, and again, a funny, exciting, and engrossing story. These books are relatively short, but always provide an entertaining read.

We started Better Call Saul and we both love it. The backstories of the original Breaking Bad crew is awesome. That’s all I’ll say, because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. If you liked Breaking Bad, you’ll like this. It has a different flavor, but is funny, sad, and all the rest.

I’m a little disappointed with Call of Duty. The stage 3 tournament will probably not happen for me. The key is to know people and build a team before the event. There is still time available to do that, but the mechanism they are using in-game and on their Discord channel is not very intuitive. So, lesson learned. It’s time to build some relationships so next year I can compete as far as I want, without going through this turmoil. That being said, it is a great season so far, with a new character–an Egyptian! The theme is in the desert and there is an actual sand storm on the Battle Royal map. Wow! They’ve also started a tournament game, which commences each weekend Friday – Sunday, so those that are still working can jump in and compete. This was WAY COOL. They introduced a new sniper rifle, a new melee weapon called Kali Sticks (see Rambo movie where he begins in Thailand).

I’m watching the third part of a three-part series on Curiosity Stream. It is called Secret Societies. Watching this show, prompted me to find a cool video I posted on Tuesday about the Illuminati. Anyway, the third part is about conspiracy theories. They disbanded the “Jesus married to Mary” theory, and just began looking at the conspiracy theory spurred by HItler during the 1930s to focus public opinion on something other than the outrageous inflation rates, unemployment, and everything else Germany was going through at the time. It’s a great documentary so far.

Well, that’s it for now, folks!

I hope you have a great Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Hobbies, Games, and Movies – CODM, Bottom Line, and The Sopranos

Tags

Books, Bottom Line, Breaking Bad, Call of Duty, Call of Duty Mobile, Games, Hobbies, Movies, Ozark, Remo Williams, The Destoyer Series, The Sopranos

Well, folks, my sister and I finished The Sopranos yesterday. Wow, what a great show. We started re-watching Season 4 of Ozark to get ready for the second part, which starts tomorrow on Netflix. We can’t wait!!

I’m reading yet another Remo Williams Book in The Destroyer Series. The title is Bottom Line. Again, a great series of stories which never disappoint.

In the gaming realm, Season 4: Wild Dogs started today in Call of Duty Mobile, They have introduced some new challenges, the melee weapon Kali Sticks, and a whole host of new characters including a new skin for the Ghost player. There’s also a new map dropping called Satellite. It’s going to be great fun! I completed one of the new challenges yesterday.

My sister and I often talk about things while we hang out watching TV. One of the things I suggested was a hobby. Everyone needs a hobby. Something to look forward to after work or chores, or whatever you do that you consider work. I look forward to my game time after I’ve finished my tasks for the day. Painting, crafting, hiking, or whatever just wakes you up each day is something to consider. We all need balance in our lives. Hobbies are a terrific way to pass the time and enjoy life.

Well, that’s all I got for today. If you haven’t watched Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, or Ozark, I highly recommend all of them. They are terrific! If you’re into mobile gaming, give Call of Duty a whirl, it is an awesome game and the creativity these guys bring to the table is unbelievable. I have never been disappointed.

Well, that’s it for now. Have a great Thursday everybody!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Hobbies, Games, and Movies – Call of Duty Mobile, The Sopranos, and Power Play

Tags

Call of Duty, Challenges, CODM, Gaming, The Destroyer, The Sopranos, Zombies

Season 3 of Call of Duty is a real kick! There have been some great challenges, my quest for diamond camouflage continues, and there will be more to come. Ahh, gaming is my passion, and this game never disappoints. They’ve continued Zombies indefinitely, which is awesome!

My reading of The Destroyer Series continues. I’m on book 36. It’s called Power Play and it is another great read. I won’t ruin it for anyone, but it’s a terrific series to read. I’m going to focus my reading on this fiction series for the near future.

My sister and I just started Season 4 of the Sopranos. Boy is this show getting good. It is so creative how the tension in series like this, Breaking Bad, and others are woven together. I am really enjoying it. We haven’t decided what we’re going to watch next, but I think it’s going to be Game of Thrones. Believe it or not, my sister has not seen this show, except for a few episodes. Crazy, right?

Well, that’s it for this week. If you know of any great shows, video games, or books to read, drop me a note. I’m always open to new ideas.

Have a great Thursday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Hobbies, Games, and Movies – House of Cards, CODM, and The Destroyer

Tags

Breaking Bad, Call of Duty, CODM, Diamond Camo, House of Cards, Remo Williams, The Destroyer, Zombies

My sister and I are in season 3 of House of Cards. Man, I forgot how intense this show is. So much going on. Multiple story and character threads. Wow! If you have not watched this show yet, watch it. It is a terrific show, with great writing and a great cast. The final season is the only thing I do not recommend. We will not be watching it this time around. It is just bad.

In Call of Duty Mobile, I’m playing Zombies, working on Diamond camo on most weapons, Gold on some launchers, and that’s it. I discovered that some games within CODM are more efficient for getting the achievements for Diamond Camo. Hardpoint seems to be the game, since you can get a lot of kills while teams fight over various points on the map for dominance. Team Deathmatch, Frontline, and Kill Confirmed are fun, but don’t last long enough to work on Diamond camo for certain weapons, like the Crossbow. The Crossbow is fun to play, but so frustrating. It’s reload time is long, and aiming down sights is almost as slow as most of the sniper rifles. It’s tough, but I am making progress.

The Destroyer series is terrific. It’s interesting when you visit Goodreads or Amazon. There is always one reader who consistently gives the series a 1 or 2 star rating. The question I have: Why do you keep reading when you dislike the books? It doesn’t make any sense to me.

When we are done with House of Cards, my sister and I are going to watch Breaking Bad next. I’ve seen the whole show, but she has not. It’ll be a great time, because the series is really well done.

That’s it for this week’s edition. Have a great Thursday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Hobbies, Games, and Movies – Manhunt

Tags

Call of Duty, CODM, Manhunt, Mobile gaming, Nail bomber, Netflix, Remo Williams, Unabomber

This week, my sister and I watched Manhunt “Nail Bomber” and “Unabomber”. They are both on Netflix. They are great shows, particularly Unabomber, which is more dramatic, and based on real events. The Nail bomber was more of a documentary, depicting an individual who set bombs off in various parts of England and who was part of the right-wing movements there. If you are into criminal documentaries or crime dramas, both are worth a watch. Currently we are watching a series called Mindhunter. It is also on Netflix and is about the behavioral science unit in the FBI. It is about how the FBI profilers came about at the FBI. It is also another great watch, if you are into crime dramas.

On the gaming front, I am still enamored with Call of Duty Mobile. I am currently working on Gold camouflage for the family of weapons called Marksmen. These are the equivalent of tactical rifles on the console version of Call of Duty. I planned on playing Warzone this year on the new map called Caldera, but after watching some of my favorite gaming streamers, it appears Caldera is not a great addition to the Warzone game. So, I am going to stick with CODM and keep playing there. It has been great fun so far, and I am enjoying all the new maps, weapons, and seasonal challenges.

I’m reading The Ship of Death in The Destroyer series. It is another great story about Remo Williams.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. Have a great day!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Hobbies, Games, and Movies – WW2 and Call of Duty Mobile

Tags

Call of Duty, Call of Duty Mobile, Entertainment, Excitement, Far Cry 6, Fun, WWII

This week we are continuing our viewing of all things WWII. There are ton of documentaries on Amazon, YouTube, and Netflix. Right now we are watching WW2 – The Call of Duty – A complete Timeline. It is on Amazon Prime. Each episode is about 45 minutes and it is terrific.

I’m still plugging away at Far Cry 6 and Call of Duty Mobile. Call of Duty Mobile, like it’s counterpart, Call of Duty for the Xbox, has a system of earning camouflage for each weapon. The goal is to get all weapons to gold camouflage. To get gold, so many kills, hip shot kills, head shot kills, long shot kills are tabulated. Once all of the camouflage challenges are completed the gold camouflage is unlocked. I enjoy the challenges and daily tasks associated with this game. Each provides an award and a sense of accomplishment.

Far Cry 6 has been on the back burner for a bit, but I’ll get back on that this weekend. Surprisingly, I have not played Call of Duty on my Xbox since it came out. Mobile has kept me too busy. There is also my Dad to consider. He is now at the point where he can’t be left alone. So, I play my game on my iPad, while Mom is out and about. I also have a lot of things on my plate currently that must be tackled during the day.

Well, that’s it for this week’s installment.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Charles Dickens

Tags

Call of Duty, Charles Dickens, family, Far Cry 6, Friends, Gaming, Happy New Year, Last Posting 2021, Merry Christmas, Relax time, wisdom, Wisdom Wednesday

A loving heart is the truest wisdom.

Charles Dickens

We forge the chains we wear in life.

Charles Dickens

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

Charles Dickens

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

Charles Dickens

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!

Charles Dickens

I wanted to touch on Dickens again, since he is so connected with the holiday season with many of his tales that celebrate Christmas. Here is his Wikipedia link for those that would like to know more about him and his life: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens

I wish all of you a wonderful Christmas! I’m shutting Daily Ramblings down early, because we are starting our celebration of the holidays early. These last few weeks in December, I shut down everything to truly enjoy the holiday season, get some gifts out to extended family, and get in some final relax time before we begin getting busy in 2022. I’ll still check in to reply to comments and such, but will not be putting anymore postings up this year.

Today, I celebrate my wedding anniversary, on the 12th my wife’s birthday, and of course, the 25th for Christmas, and the 31st for New Year’s Eve. It has been a great year for me, and I hope all of you, despite all the craziness of COVID and all the repercussions of lockdowns in many of your home countries.

I sincerely wish each of you the very best during the holiday season. I wish you every happiness, every joy, and hope that you have some time to settle down and enjoy your families and friends as we close out 2021.

For those of you who are gamers in my readership, I’ll be playing Far Cry 6, Call of Duty Vanguard, Call of Duty Mobile, and Mafia City. My gamertag in all the Call of Duty games is ieatbullets63. If you find me, send me a quick note that you are one of my readers, and we’ll get in some “kills” together. The new Warzone is out today, featuring Caldera Island. I cannot wait to dig in!!

Happy Holidays! See you in 2022!!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday – Uh Oh!

Tags

Call of Duty, Excitement, Fun, Learning, Tips and Tricks, Video Games, Warzone, YouTube

All, it appears TED is now expecting a monthly membership to view its content. I tried to view a couple of recommended videos and use one I liked best to show this week, but I couldn’t view any of them. If anyone has viewed TED without paying, please send me what you did.

Going forward, I’ll be using YouTube videos instead, since they are still free. I think I am going to start offering up content in and around my favorite hobby – gaming. So, starting next week, look for some gaming content to begin appearing on my blog. I enjoy Call of Duty, but there are other genres and games I also enjoy. We’ll see how this goes.

Here is the first video. It contains some tips and tricks for playing Warzone. Warzone is Call of Duty’s Battle Royale. I hope you enjoy it.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Streaming Content Producers

Tags

Appreciation, Call of Duty, Control, Grateful, Search and Destroy, Spartakus, Stonemountain64, Tacticalgramma, Team Deathmatch, Thankful, Warzone

Well, folks, I have been watching a lot of content producers in the gaming realm. One of my favorites is Stonemountain64. There is another I just started watching who calls himself Spartakus. Both are expert Call of Duty players and provide some entertainment, while passing along their tips and tricks.

Video gaming is a hobby of mine. There is so much to learn when playing these games, particularly Call of Duty. There are weapons to learn, different tactical, lethal, and field upgrades to learn. There are different controller setups to experiment with. There are even different game types. For example, I am predominantly a “team deathmatch” player. In this game, you have 6 players competing against 6 other players. The team who reaches the match’s score limit or finishes the game with a higher score when the time expires wins.

There are many games within Call of Duty multiplayer. There is control, hardpoint, combined arms games, blueprint games, search and destroy, and well, you get the idea. There are also all kinds of challenges to complete. Challenges with each character to unlock new skins. There are challenges to unlock with weapon reticles and camouflage. There are different challenges you can complete for the day. I play the game to complete challenges, and obviously improve my game play.

There is also other games. Zombies is one game, which is really fun. Then you have the Call of Duty league play, where you compete for ranking in specific ladders, after you play a five-game assessment period. Finally, you have Warzone, which is Call of Duty’s free battle royale game. Warzone is Call of Duty’s answer to games like Fortnite, PUBG, and Apex, among others. So, there is a lot to do, play, and have fun with in this one game.

I enjoy these content streamers because they all play in Warzone. I have dabbled in Warzone a bit, but have not dedicated a lot of time to it. I am going to change that starting in August. In August, I am going to get myself on a schedule of playing Zombies, different games in Call of Duty, Warzone, and even get involved with League play. I’m thinking I’ll schedule out a day for this or a day for that, type of schedule.

Anyway, if you are a gamer and you enjoy Call of Duty, take a look at a few of these content producers. Stonemountain64 is my favorite, but you can also watch Spartakus or Tacticalgramma. These streamers are all on Facebook, under the gaming tab. They are fun to watch. Stonemountain64 goes live everyday at 12 PM pacific, so for those of you in the Central or Eastern time zones, check him out. I have only been watching this guy’s stream for about a week or so, and it is really enjoyable. Youtube is another great place to find content. I follow a great many content producers there. One is Savage, who actually replays games that are sent to him, and provides a critique about what a player is doing right, and what a character is doing wrong. Great content.

So today, folks. I am grateful for those content producers that take the time to put together educational content for those of us who are trying to learn to be better players. Here’s to you! (clink, clink).

Have a great Thursday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave