Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Making Choices

Tags

Choices, decisions, Energy, Evaluating, Responsbilities, time, Time allotments, Video Games

We only have 24 hours a day. We have to make choices. As many of you know, one of my hobbies is playing video games. I played Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 over the weekend and dabbled in the multiplayer a bit. I had a great time but realized I don’t have the time to add yet another video game to my day. Couple that with my Dad’s situation, and it just isn’t viable.

To learn how to play a video game, like Call of Duty for the console (Xbox), it takes a lot of game play. About 5-6 hours a day. Like other Call of Duty games, there are weapons to level up, your character needs to level up, and you need to learn how all the new systems work. It takes a lot of research, reading, watching YouTube videos and all the rest. So, Call of Duty MW2 will not be part of my game play, maybe on the weekends, but not during my week.

The reason I bring this up, is because we all have choices to make, when it comes to our schedule. We only have so much time, and we need to determine what is in our best interest. For me, exercise, reading, writing, interacting on social media, my spiritual practices, and of course my video game play are all the choices I made about my day.

The best way to determine what you can do with the time you have, particularly if you work on top of all the things you need to do to take care of yourself, is to list out all the things you’d like to do.

Here’s an example:

Exercise (30 minutes)

Reading (1 hour)

Writing (2 hours)

Social Media (30 minutes)

Spiritual Disciplines (1 hour)

Chores (1 hour)

Hygiene (1 hour)

Learning (1 hour)

Gaming (3 hours)

Then we add all this up. The above times total out to be 11 hours. For me, since I am usually awake for about 16-18 hours a day, it works. I still have 7 hours for sleep and all these times are estimates. Some days, I’ll spend more time on writing and reading than I normally do. Some days, depending on the game, I’ll spend more than 3 hours jamming on challenges or something else. The point I’m making here is to determine what you want to do; estimate what type of time investment you’ll need to make for that task and then analyzing whether you need to adjust. For example, if I was still working, there would be no way, the above schedule would work. I’d have to make some adjustments.

I hope this makes sense. Think about what is most important to you. What do you value? Then schedule some time to do it each day. Maybe you only have about 1-2 hours a day to work on something that is important to you. If you have multiple interests, perhaps you will only be able to dedicate 30 minutes each day to that hobby or thing you want to do with yourself. It’s all up to you.

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

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Hobbies, Games, and Movies – CODM, Last Call, and Breaking Bad

Tags

Breaking Bad, CODM, Jesse Pinkman, Mobile gaming, Remo Williams, Season 2, The Destroyer Series, Video Games, Walter White

Well, here we are again, folks. Season 2 of CODM is almost over (8 days left). I can’t wait for the next season and what will happen! I’ve got diamond camo on a few more weapons. I’m still working on the Arctic Sniper Rifle, started with the ECHO auto shotgun, the swordfish assault rifle, the QXR submachine gun, S36 Light Machine Gun, Kilo Bolt Action Tactical Rifle, and the FHJ-18 Launcher. I rotate loadouts every time I knock down 5 games of 10 kills for each weapon. The launcher is the exception, because it is dependent on what is called UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) that I have to shoot down. I’m around 60 and need 100 to get the launcher to diamond.

For those of you who are playing CODM, my tip is this. Play frontline for most of your weapons, but hardpoint for the more difficult weapons to get 10 kills with. These for me were pistols and shotguns. The reason hardpoint is a great game to play is that it typically lasts longer than other games like frontline and team deathmatch. Time is critical when you are grinding camouflages for your weapons, because some of these weapons are really hard to get 10 kills with. Obviously, this is dependent on the lobby you are playing against, but the extra time gives you some leeway, particularly for weapons like the crossbow, little shotty, and the J358 pistol.

Now onto movies. My sister are on season 3 of Breaking Bad. I won’t give any spoilers for those of you who might be interested in watching the show, but this is one HUGE rollercoaster. Just when you think Walter White and Jesse Pinkman are in the clear, something else happens, and you are on the edge of your seat again. I’ll leave it at that.

The book Last Call is in the The Destroyer Series. This series has 146 books. I know that seems like a lot, but if I pushed it, I could read a book a day. They are really short reads, but the authors are terrific at moving stories along and their creativity is unbelievable. There has not been one story that even hinted at the same plot as another. They are funny, action-packed, and just my cup of tea. If any of you have read the Jack Reacher stories, this is the genre I would put the Destroyer series, although they are nothing like one another.

Well, that’s it for this week. If any of you are reading any great books, have a cool hobby you’d like to share (which you probably already do on your blog), or you have a good recommendation for a movie or series (Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, or Amazon) send them my way here. I may take you up on your recommendations. If not, many of my readers may find your recommendations interesting and try one of them out. You never know.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Far Cry 6

Tags

Adventure, Enjoyable, Exploration, Far Cry 6, Fun, Grateful, Thankful, Video Games

Well, I’ve found another great game to play. It’s called Far Cry 6. These games fall into the roll playing genre, as you are running with someone who is a guerrilla and trying to take down a dictator of a small island in the pacific. It has a main mission thread, which progresses you through the game to its finale, but more interesting are the side missions, which are all over the place. Couple that with the plundering you have to do to build better and better weapons, and boy, you have a game that will keep you busy for quite a while. I also like these types of games because they allow co-op play. My brother can play too. It is terrific!

So that’s what I am grateful for today. Far Cry 6! It is a great game, has some terrific things to do, and more importantly, will last probably for the next few months. Call of Duty Vanguard is coming out in November, so that’s another one I’ll be playing.

That’s it for today, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Hobbies

Tags

Balance, Fishing, Fun, Happy, Hobby, Joy, Music, Reading, Relaxation, Relish, Video Games, Writing, Xbox

My sister has been “over-focused” on work for as long as I have known her. There is nothing wrong with that, provided you take time to do other things to balance it out. Balance is key to a happy life, in my opinion, so that you can do your work, have some fun, and not miss anything important. Important things like regular checkups for you and your pets, paying your bills, exercising, learning something new, and enjoying something that you do, because you enjoy doing it.

Hobbies could be coin collecting, antiquing, drawing/sketching, playing an instrument, or playing video games. It doesn’t matter what your hobby is, as long as it gives you a break from the things you have to to do. Another requirement: You have to look forward to it.

I love playing video games of all kinds. Whether these are on my pc, my iPad, or my Xbox. They are challenging, entertaining, and even educational. I look forward to my daily session, and laugh, yell, and have a heck of a good time. It is even more fun when I can link up with my brother and play together.

This is what I’m talking about. The passion for your hobby has to be there. You have to enjoy it, think about it, and relish the time you get to do it.

Think about people who enjoy fishing. These people can’t wait to get back out on their boats and fish again.

Think about those people who enjoy golf. They can’t wait to get out to the course. They even plan their vacations around it. Does that resort have a golf course?

I hope you get my point. The quote, “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy” rings true here. Spice up your life a bit with a hobby. It provides a great retreat from your daily routine of work, chores, bill paying, and errands.

In the meantime, I’m about ready to head down and fire up my Xbox.

Have a great Monday, folks!

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 – Funny Friday – Sister Update

Tags

Disney+, family, Friday, Good Conversation, Good Food, John Wick, Siblings, Sister, Talking, Video Games

Well, folks, my sister is leaving today. We had a great time. We played video games (Call of Duty Black Ops – Zombies), watched some movies (John Wick), and had some late night talks. She brought some green pea and Thai chicken soup she made, and that made some nice dinners for a few days.

It’s always nice when my siblings visit. My sister lives a few hours away and my brother is in Arizona. It’s nice to connect with them and hang out with them while they are here.

Have a great Friday, folks. Daily Ramblings will be back to its normal schedule of postings and topics next week. Have a great weekend!!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday – Video Game Skills

Tags

COD, DOOM, fortnight, leadership, Skills, stories, teamwork, Ted Talk, Video Games

I am a huge video game fan. I play Call of Duty, but also play many other first-person shooters, role-playing, and adventure games. This TED talk discusses the new E-Sports, and what skills are needed to truly succeed at video games. Enjoy!

Have a great Tuesday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Routine – Final Stretch

Tags

breaks, family, Friends, health, Holidays, Home Workout, physical training, Relax, Video Games

This year has been a crazy year for exercise enthusiasts. My wife, who is a competitive bodybuilder, all of her competitions were cancelled, and all of her gyms were closed off and on. The one thing she kept consistent was her diet, which she rocks, by the way.

This week, I’ll be doing another alternative exercise program. For those of you who know me, you know I’m an avid video game player. My current game of choice is Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War. Because the game was just released, most of my holiday month (December) I will be gaming, hanging out with the family, and eating all the great food this time of year brings.

One of my buddies who served with me in the military had a cool habit that I joined in with him on. It was called commercial physical training. This is how it worked: We watch a television show, and each time a commercial came on, we would do one exercise for the duration of the commercial. I’m going to adapt this technique to video game playing. The “matches” we play on Call of Duty, last about 5 minutes each. So each time a match ends, I’ll do an exercise with as many reps as I can during the intermission between matches, which lasts about 2 minutes. I’ll concentrate on each body part, starting with the larger ones as I play. Once I’ve hit the entire body, I’m done for the day, unless I’m motivated and will add some stair step exercise to get in some cardio (walking up and down stairs for a minute or so).

You will be amazed at how taxing these routines are. I remember watching The Bob Newhart show overseas in our barracks, and you’d be amazed how many commercials play during one comedy show. My buddy and I were smoked by the time the show ended.

This will be my last week of posting for 2020. I take the last couple of weeks off each year, to review, organize, and plan for 2021. For those of you who follow this scheduled post every week and none of my other pages, I wish all of you a terrific, fun, and relaxing holiday season.

See you at the finish line!

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Watch What You Let In

Tags

Books, Movies, Negativity, News, Positivity, social media, Spiritual Saturday, spirituality, Video Games

I read an article a little while back and the article was about a spiritual leader who realized that the negativity in our lives is due to what we let in. He went on further to explain that negative books, movies, video games, music–anything that brought in any type of negativity would result in projecting that negativity in the world. 

Have you ever analyzed how you feel after you’ve watched an hour of the news? How about reading the news? How about watching news on YouTube? How about discussing a posted news article on Facebook? I’ll tell you how I felt. I felt like throwing my laptop through a window. 

Who wants to be bombarded by COVID, lives being ruined by riots, cities on fire, etc. Who wants to watch news reports of “non-violent” riots with buildings burning in the background?

I gave up the news months ago and already notice a huge difference in my stress levels. I’m just calmer. I still scan the news, but don’t watch it, don’t listen to it, and do not obsess over it. Yep, COVID is still around. Yep, the riots are still going on across the country. Yep, Biden and Trump are still at one another’s throats for the election. Not much has changed.

If you are stressed out or negative, take a look at what you are letting in.You may be impacted by what you read, watch, or listen to. Pay attention to how you treat other people. If you notice a change or realize people are being more negative toward you, this is the indicator. You see, the world reflects what is inside you. The more negativity you let in, the more negativity you broadcast. Conversely, the more positive you bring in, the more you broadcast positivity. 

Take a look at what you are bringing in. My simple act of reducing my news consumption has made a huge difference in my life. 

Have a great Saturday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Grateful For Video Games

Tags

Cards, Chess, Dungeons & Dragons, Far Cry 4, Games, Nintendo, Playstation, Pong, Scrabble, Video Games, Xbox

If you’ve never played a video game, this post probably won’t have much meaning for you. I have loved playing games my whole life. It started with board games like Monopoly, Life, and Stratigo. My grandfather got me started with checkers and chess. Later, mom and my grandmother got me started with Scrabble.

As I matured, I ran across Dungeons and Dragons. Boy, that was a game. During my early years, we didn’t have cellphones or computers. We had games like Dungeons and Dragons, which captured our imaginations as we created characters and worked our way through various adventures created by one of our friends.

Later in life, came the Arcades. These new types of games were awesome. I got good enough at a few that I rarely spent any money to play them for hours. Other games never ended, and I got tired of those. From here, we moved to computer games. The first console I owned was an Atari, and we played basic games like Pong and many others. The first types of games I liked to play were the very basic games available at the time. Then came the Nintendo system with all of its Mario games, Zelda, and others.

From here I moved over to the Sony Playstation and finally ended up on the Xbox. The game I’m playing currently is called Far Cry 4 and boy, is it a fun one. The basic story is you are returning to the country of your birth, called Kyrat. You are there to spread your mother’s ashes in Lakshmana. Once you arrive, you are accosted by the country’s dictator. You escape his palace and become involved with a resistance group called the Golden Path. In this game, you can hunt, you can drive vehicles, fly a “buzzer” or a one-manned helicopter, you can grapple and climb mountains, and even use a wingsuit to fly from the top of a mountain to get around, the mountainous terrain.

What’s nice about a video game is the length of time you can play a game for such a minimal price. Yeah, 30, 40, or 50 dollars may seem steep for a “game”, but when you consider that the first time I played through Far Cry 4 it took 53 hours to beat it, the money is well worth it.

So today, I am grateful for the many games I have played that have given me so much pleasure throughout my years on this Earth. The board games I played with my family, Dungeons and Dragons with my friends, and now the Xbox, which allows me to play Co-op games with my Brother who is over 3,000 miles away.

Have a great Thursday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave