2024: A Recap
A Rough-Skinned Newt that wandered away from its creek
Hello,
It is time for an annual recap of my last year; Places i have been, books I have read, games I have played, and so on.
What Happened in 2024?
This was a year of frustration, development, and self discovery. For a long time now, we where not sure whether we would be settling down in Oregon for another decade or more. However, after the end of this last year, we have our answer, and we are staying. Here is a breakdown of how things are going.
I was diagnosed with ADHD at the beginning of this year. I had been doing some deep dives into my past report cards, reading the comments, and looking into how that was atypical. I developed the hypothesis that these symptoms could be from ADHD, and then worked with a counselor, and ran some tests. Once I got the diagnoses, it put everything into a new light, and has helped me understand myself better.
I am still an Ice Hockey Referee with USA Hockey. I am now on my thirds year, and a level 3 referee. I don’t have any wild stories yet, but I have had to eject a few people from games. Overall, it has been a rewarding line of work, and a great way to get a good workout.
We finally got around to seeing the Shanghai Tunnels in Portland. It was a fun little tour, which included the horrors of history and some fun ghost stories. Also, Old Town Pizza is actually pretty good. I recommend the Garlic Knots.
We got to see the Aurora for the first time from our own porch! I happened to be reffing a few games that night, and got home around 1am. I went outside and happened to catch it at its peak. Absolutely amazing.
Our big vacation this year was a road trip around the southern Sierras this August. We started at Yosemite, Drove down to Kings Canyon and Sequoia, and continued south to Kernville. We then went back around the east side of the Sierras, through Lone Pine, Bishop, Mammoth, and June Lake. We then went through the back entrance of Yosemite, and finally back home. We made a lot of great stops along the way, including Cerro Gordo ghost town, featured by this Youtuber, and up to the tree line to see the Bristlecone Pine Trees. We had a great time camping each night. We also got to see a Black Bear out in the wild. We also drove to the central coast of California to have dinner with my family to celebrate my fathers 81st birthday at Jacko’s. We also had time to visit Pinnacles National Park, Hearst Castle, and Morro Bay while we where down there. It was a great car trip overall.
The Aurora, as seen from the Beaverton area of Oregon, taken around 2:00 AM.
I was laid off of my job at Twenty Four 7 this last August. It had been seeing the signs shortly after I started. It was starting to feel like a dead end job with no ability, or room to grow; just churning out designs. The advantage to that is that I am now super proficient with every aspect of Figma. We where working really hard to get My TOIbox out the door, which you can explore here https://mytoibox.com/. I will miss the people I work with, but I knew this was for the best.
I had scheduled a fishing trip for myself before being laid off from Twenty Four 7, that I had decided to keep, and I am glad I did. We departed from Depoe Bay (The worlds smallest natural bay), and went 30 miles off shore to fish for Albacore Tuna. We ended up setting a boat record of 159 Tuna between 15 anglers. Lets just say that there will be no shortage of Albacore Sushimi this year.
During time between jobs, I got to enjoy Ocktoberfest at Mt Angel, a lovely littler German town in Oregon. We also celebrated my 40th birthday and went to a great gastro-pub in Goose Hallow area of Portland. I also went to Rose City Comic Con for the first time, and Portland Retro Gaming Expo for the 5th time. I tried to enjoy the fall season as much as possible while I was looking for my next job.
I was hired shortly after being laid off at Nanoverse Technologies, this time in a senior roll. I can not talk much about what I am working on at this point, but I will say that it has been one of the most challenging and rewarding design challenges I have tackled. Getting this job was the thing that convinced us that it is time to settle in Oregon.
King’s Canyon National Park in California has some stunning views.
The Games I Played
Mega Man 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 (1987-2010): Yes, I played through every Mega Man game this year, from the original 6 on the NES to the later SNES, PSX, and retro-line PS3 games. I got the Mega Man Legacy collections this last year on sale and wanted to play through the series again. That leaves me with only Mega Man 11 to play through. Perhaps that will be something I work on this year. If I had to rank them all, it would be something like: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9,4, 10, 8, 1.
Aladdin (SNES)(1993): I have been playing a lot of the SNES Aladdin with my god children. It is a fun game in general, but a good one to learn the basics of platforming. It has been a lot of fun to help them through the levels.
Metal Gear Solid (1998): It had been a long time since I played through the first Metal Gear Solid game. It really holds up, both the tight stealth gameplay, and the over-the-top story. This is a very fun game to pick up every other year.
Streets of Rage 2 (1992): One of my favorite night of gaming this year involved playing through most of Streets of Rage 2 on the Sega Genesis with a good friend. It is a pretty difficult beat-em-up style game with a killer soundtrack. I need to take some time to play through this game in the future.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge (2022): From one beat-em-up to another, TNMT: Shredders Revenge was awesome. Kind of a mix of Turtles in Time (Arcade & SNES) and Scott Pilgrim/River City Ransom, it has a good combination of great combat and fun exploration. It is also pretty goofy in all the best ways. Any fan of the classic Turtles games will love this. The soundtrack to this game is also awesome.
Hollow Knight (2017): This is a metroidvania style game that I have been wanting to get to for a while, and it did not disappoint. The game has a wonderfully melancholy atmosphere, great platforming and exploration, and a punishing difficulty. A must play for anyone who likes this style of game.
Ori and the Blind Forest (2015): This is a really beautiful metroidvania, with great visuals and a heart wrenching story. The only drawback is how short the game really is, but it just makes it easier to play through again and again.
Chants of Sennaar (2023): This is what you would call a metroidbrainia, where your goal is to use context clues to translate different written languages. You can only proceed as you learn more about the different languages. You can only complete the game with mastery of the languages. It is a great puzzle game, and worth the time.
Hogwarts Legacy (2023): I had been avoiding this game after all the controversy around J.K. Rowling. But, I managed to find a game code on the grey market, and must say that this game is really amazing. The fleshed out the lands around Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, and made a compelling story apart from the main Harry Potter canon. I like how the developers put in a trans character as well, just to distance themselves from that bigot. Worth playing if you can. Maybe get a used copy for your console of choice.
Grand Theft Auto V (2013): I had been playing this game on and off for the last decade, but decided to finally sit down and play through the story at the beginning of last year. I must say… meh. I can see how the online aspect is so popular, but the story it’s self is pretty mid. There are some funny parts, but I just don’t care for most of the characters. I guess I am more of a Red Dead stan.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019): I thought the days of great Star Wars games where a thing of the past after the micro-transaction hellscape that was the Star Wars Battlefront series. Respawn Entertainment really outdid themselves though, creating a world that is both fun to explore and beautiful to witness. The platforming felt tight, the combat had some great depth, and the boss fights where punishingly difficult. I am really looking forward to playing through the next game in the series.
Return of Obra Dinn (2018): This is a pretty neat puzzle game where you must determine the fate of each of the crew member of the Obra Dinn. You explore the events that took place, and follow the clues to see the fate of each of the crew members. It is a very unique game and a must for anyone who likes a good mystery.
Fire Watch (2016): I am a big fan of Olly Moss’s work, and when I learned he was working on a game, I got pretty excited. Well, I finally got around to playing his game, and it did not disappoint. It is a narrative driven exploration game; a hike through the woods, if you will. A wonderful exploration of friendship, loss, and acceptance. There is also a larger mystery to be uncover.
Balatro (2024): I did not escape the hype around Balatro. There is a reason everyone has played this game. It is a very simple concept, easy to get into, hard to master, even harder to beat. It is one of those games that can easily suck you unto the “just one more game” spiral.
Our booth at Portland Retro Gaming Expo.
The Books I Read
Driven to Distraction by M.D. Edward M. Hallowell and M.D. John J. Ratey: Part of my journey of self exploration included some reading, this being the first book I read on the subject. It is definitely a more medical exploration of ADHD, going over cases and the different ways ADHD shows it’s self and giving a thorough medical reason for these behaviors. It is a little outdated, making a distinction between “ADD” and “ADHD,” when they are all now just ADHD. But, there is still some great information in there, and I have a better idea of my flavor of ADHD.
How to ADHD by Jessica Lauren McCabe: The first book is a medical examination of ADHD, this book is how to live with it. Jessica has a YouTube channel called “How to ADHD” which explores the challenges of living with the condition. She released a book earlier this year which brakes it down even further. She even includes a section on how to live with someone with ADHD, which will be handy for my wife.
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert: As a fan of the original Dune book, and the new Denis Villeneuve movies, I was interested in seeing where the series went. This first book takes place in the aftermath of the first book. Paul is now the emperor, but the powers around him want to change that. A more streamlined story focusing on the politics of the empire and the powers of Paul and his legacy. I was also happy to hear that Denis Villeneuve will be doing the film adaptation of this book!
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert: This is probably my favorite book in the later Dune series. It follows Paul’s children, who also have the power of foresight, as navigate an attempt on their lives, and their forging of the “Golden Path.” They must stay one step ahead of their assassins to achieve this path. It has an interesting turn at the very end. I would be happy to see a film adaptation of this book as well.
God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert: I really like the direction this series went with God Emperor. The natural progression from Children of Dune, the god emperor is a human/sand worm hybrid who has been ruling the empire for thousands of years. The planet has changed in the last thousand years and the Spice is now scarce. The last book was about perusing the Golden Path, this book is about building it. While I did enjoy this book, I can’t see it being popular with audiences.
Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert: The first look at the progression of the golden path years after the death of the God Emperor. The former empire is still recovering from the rule of the god emperor. We are introduced to a new breed of witches who are now seeking to rule the empire.
Chapterhouse Dune by Frank Herbert: The final stand of the Bene Gesserit against the witches, and the final conflict on the golden path. There where some interesting choices in Herbert’s final book, but it was still enjoyable. We are also introduced to a new (old) character that reminds me a lot of Ender from the Ender’s Game series.
The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro: I was fallowing the 99% Invisible book club this year as they went through the Power Broker. This book is a thorough examination of Robert Moses, the head of the Parks Department in New York State between 1930 and 1960. It is a book about the life of Moses, and a book about how power is gained, used, and abused. I learned more about the writing and application of Law, the nature of politics and how politicians work, and the petty nature of some former officials, like Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The Path to Power by Robert A. Caro: Going through The Power Broker, I wanted to explore Robert Caro’s series on Lyndon B. Johnson. Much like his previous book, Caro does a meticulous examination of LBJ’s family, his days as a boy, and the world around him that made him who he was. Again, if you want a crash coarse on politics in America, then look no further. It is also an excellent breakdown of life in the hill country of Texas, before, during, and after the great depression. I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
Artemis by Andy Weir: Imagine a heist movie, but on the moon! That is what you get with Artemis. It is action packed, and full of science. It moves a little faster than his previous book, The Martian, but still gets into the nitty gritty of believable science fiction.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir: Weir’s latest book, again in the believable science fiction genre. What happens when a mysteries thing is darkening the sun and the extinction of everything on earth is eminent? What could we do to discover the cause of the problem, develop a solution, and achieve that objective within 30 years? Another great book by Andy Weir.
Call for the Dead by John Le Carré: I had been wanting to get into this series of books ahead of watching the old Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy series. Call for the Dead is a is the first book in the series, and is a great murder mystery involving some great spycraft. I really enjoyed this book.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré: This if the fifth book in the saga, and is excellent. Again it is a book trying to find the mole within the agency. Deceptions within deceptions, and the man who untangles them all. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series, and finally watching the series/movie.
This book took me the better half of the year to complete.
Favorite Things
8BitDo Ultimate 2C Wireless Controller: After many years with the PC version of the Xbox One controller, I felt like it was time for an upgrade; The thumb sticks where worn through and the D-Pad was inadequate. That is when the newest PC controller from 8BitDo caught my eye. Between the Hall Effect thumb sticks and Triggers and the superior D-Pad, the 8BitDo was the way to go. I used it to play through Hallow Knight, both wireless and wired, and have had no issues with it. So far, I am really happy with it.
Letterboxd: I have been keeping track of the movies that I have watched through the years and have been trying to rate them on Letterboxd. I have narrowed my top four favorite movies to 7 Samurai, Dr. Strangelove, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Amadeus. You can check out my profile here.
Oregon Symphony Orchestra: It was my goal for the end of this year and into the next year to get out and explore Portland more. To that end, I got season tickets to the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. We have already heard an excellent performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. We have a lot to look forward to through the rest of Winter and Spring.
A few pictures from this last year.
