January 2025 Entry:
How did the beginning of 2025 kick off?
MISC=========================
- Turned on my free month of Amazon Prime (01.01). Made my first purchases of the year, which were all necessities (compression socks, fridge filter, harddrive, underwear). Maybe I'll make a few more purchases, but I'll at least watch something on Amazon Prime while it's free. But this might be a new tradition of reupping Amazon Prime at the beginning of the year and buying necessities. I did make one final purchase before it expired for a few more necessities.
- Took a nap (01.07). Can't even recall the last time I took one, but I needed this. Staying out late and all the holiday hours caught up. I was trying to fight it since I started Mario & Luigi: Brothership, but I kept dozing off at different portions of the game (during battles, walking from location to location, etc).
- Went to the dentist for a routine cleaning (01.15). Originally I was supposed to go last month, but that's when I was sick so I had to reschedule. Nothing to note with the cleaning. It actually felt like the fastest appointment as I was out within the hour. I thought I would need to go from there straight to work, but I would have been an hour early.
As I was checking out and scheduling my next appointment, another worker was staring at the back of my Shantae hoodie. She noted that she was looking at the characters and wondered who they were. I explained a bit about Shantae (half genie, other characters, etc). She mentioned how her and her husband were always looking for games for the daughters to play and liked how these characters looked. So I spelled out Shantae for her and mentioned how the games aren't too difficult (except the first one) and that it's lighthearted and doesn't take itself too seriously.
- It snowed (01.21). It was in the news for over a week that we'd be expecting a few inches of snow and it actually happened. It was a sight to wake up to. I didn't go out to play in it as I was worried that my general exhaustion would have made me more susceptible to getting sick. And while I wasn't scheduled to work (we planned to be closed), it was just nice to have a day to not worry about the normal day-to-day activities.
- My throat has been sore for a few days (01.21-01.22). I have ideas why, but I'm doing the normal techniques I do whenever that happens. Hopefully it goes away soon. I did think I was getting sick around the same time, but one day of not doing anything and drinking medicine helped.
- Watched the second half of Invincible season 2 (01.22). I could have watched it sooner, but I figured to wait whenever I was going to use the free month of Prime. Good stuff per usual. They do great with recaps, but I was surprised with how much I remembered. Even though season 3 starts after my free month is over, I might pull the trigger to see it sooner rather than later. We shall see.
- Got my 5th iceTokki polaroid (01.23). This was actually from a year ago, but she was going through some things and had to hold off on sending a bunch of stuff to her viewers (not my business to go into the details). Adding it to the collection.
- RIP, Sergio (01.24). He was an acquaintance I met via wrestling. I had to look back on this blog to find out how long ago. We met on 06.26.11 at a RAW house show. The entry itself wasn't too specific other than being there with BT. But meeting Sergio and his friends there, my best assumption was that we were sitting together. We did take photos together. If I recall correctly, BT and I were invited to his place or someone he knew for a PPV once and we had a fun time. Other than that, I would recall seeing him at various wrestling shows in town and always greeting each other. Every time he'd be cosplaying as another one of his favorites. While we did not meet each other the last time WWE was in our town, I'm pretty sure he was there in cosplay. We might not have grown to be close, but thanks for always being welcoming and kind to me whenever we did see each other. Enjoy your forever ring side seats, Sergio.
- Bought another Nothing Bundt Cake (01.24). This time it was the Banana Pudding Cake with a Nilla Wafer. This proves that the limited time flavors are what I'm attracted to, ha. But I had to order one two days in advance and go to another store. This one was closer to work, but I was unfamiliar with the area. It was a nice quiet area so I might visit again since there were a few food places possibly worth trying. Didn't eat the cake until the 27th. Good stuff and it might be my favorite flavor so far.
- Got hot pot with the HERetirees (01.26). Went to Haidilao where they have a special dancing noodle you can order. Agent PQ had been there before and she recommended it. It was good to see the crew again (PQ, Majordomo, Ocean, Blue). Good times catching up with some good food. The dancing noodle was fun and silly, ha. Then we went to Somi Somi (wanted to go somewhere else, but the rain started to come down making walking not the best option). Got the cookies 'n cream + thai tea combination. Shared some laughs before going to Kinokuniya. I did think about getting something Snoopy related while there (never saw any before). Had my eyes on a pin or possibly a plush, but decided not to. Maybe next time.
We all split after that except for me and Blue. I chilled with him a bit and we were seeing if there was anything to do. Thought to watch Sonic 3, but the next showing was in 3 hours. Then we checked what was around to easily drive to. It was mentioned earlier how the claw machine places were bad, but we decided to see first hand. On the way to the one we were going to, we saw another. So we decided to hit up both. The first one was what I expected from what I had heard. It wasn't so bad, but you could see what was bootleg. Although I'd say more than half could pass as legit. I was even curious to try for a few items. After doing a lap, we walked to the other one. This felt very bootleg. Props for them having a cute mascot and a larger venue and for playing Kpop (aespa's Armageddon came on when we entered). But there was next to no one in this one compared to the other. As we were walking to the claw stores, we also entertained thoughts of going to the escape room there. I've only heard bad things about it, but Blue and I landed on playing if they gave us a nice discount. We went in, were greeted by the manager, and we basically had a story of how we were walking around the area to wait out the rain. He let us know of the rooms they had and what was available to play. He did offer their regular discounts ($2 off or community hero such as medical or teacher), but that's all. I even jokingly asked for a "rainy day discount" and he said no even though he knew I was joking (worth a shot). Then I asked if it was possible to see one of the rooms, which he was cool with. It wasn't bad. After that we said we'd think about it and come back if we were down. We were not down. We walked a bit away from the building to talk about how he should have tried a little more to bring us in, checked reviews, and talked more about escape room stuff. A few minutes later, we headed back to his car, drove to my car, talked a bit more, and then parted ways. Good times.
- Signed up for new accounts. This included Netfilx (for RAW) and Bluesky and Threads for social media. There have been a few things on Netflix I could never watch since I never had it (Ranma, Squid Game, etc). The extra social media accounts are simply because others migrated over last year. I knew I was going to get the accounts, but not abandon other accounts. Just another vehicle for saying the same thing. But some will have exclusivity. For example, Twitter/X will still have Demo Showcase Shorts. A lot of gaming companies haven't made other social media accounts yet and I didn't want to stop a long DSS thread or start a new one. If you have BlueSky or Threads, follow me.
GAMES=========================
- 2024 Games In Review. It was interesting to see the stats and to see what games ended up being my favorite. I was surprised with how much I did play despite being so busy with work.
- Demo Showcase Shorts continues.
On the topic of demos ,the last demo of 2024 was Death Come True. I gave it a thumbs up, but also knew that I probably would get the same satisfaction if I watched a YouTube video of it. And that's what I ended up doing. This would have been decent as a movie. They would just have to play through all the bad choices since the game "resets" itself to try again. The big thing would be what ending would be chosen. As a game, you only get to make choices when they pop up and that was the main reason I wasn't going to wish list the game because you don't do much other than that and watch things play out. If it went on sale for $5 or less, I'd get it for myself.
Another thing to note, I had Have A Blast listed in the upcoming demos. When I fired it up, it looked familiar. Then I started to play it and it felt familiar. A few minutes later, I checked my stream spreadsheet and I actually did play it on stream before. Thankfully I realized that and went to the next demo instead of spending too much time replaying a demo I gave a thumbs down for.
Fitness Boxing 3 was one I was looking forward to. While I give most Demo Showcase Shorts a 30 minute max trial, I went for an hour with Fitness Boxing 3. I'm pretty sure I did that with the other demos for previous Fitness Boxing games. But I wanted to make sure I tried Mitt Drills and Sit Fit to see how they worked. Mitt Drills were fast and fun and Sit Fit is a good alternative if you want something chill or have limited mobility. The game itself flowed way better too. Downside; English voice acting. It was bad. It sounded like there were either different voice actors (done in different sessions) or AI and the volume levels were different for almost every sentence. Once I was able to, I changed the voice over to Japanese (Korean and Chinese sounded good too). Overall, Fitness Boxing 3 was really good. If you haven't tried a Fitness Boxing game, try the third one.
17 demos remaining.
- BIT.TRIP Presents...Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien finished (01.01). Originally played this in 2013 on the Wii U and it was my first ever BIT.TRIP game. This is still the best one. It plays well, the music is awesome, and is quite the challenge if you're up to the task to do everything. I chose not to since I knew it would be a big time sink. I at least made sure to take every hard path and unlock/play every stage. I did hit a couple of bonus areas, but those were more difficult than I remember. Great way to start the year of gaming.
- Prof. Miyamoto's Soroban & Flash Anzan was the free-to-play game of the month (01.02). It's basically a math flash card simulator. It's bare bones and can be crazy difficult especially when the time limit is low and the number of numbers they flash is high (darn you three-digit numbers). Save your time and pass on this one.
- Columns was the Genesis NSO game of the month (01.03). I really want to say I tried it when I was a kid, but any "memory" of it is very vague. I did know what I was getting into, but I was surprised by how it wasn't clicking with me at all. Maybe it's because of the limited option of rearranging the gems vertically that got me because stacks would grow high fast. At least I know where I stand on this game.
- F-Zero Maximum Velocity was the GBA NSO game of the month (01.05). This was a last minute reschedule as I saw I had two games that would take many many hours originally scheduled for January. I think this was slated for the latter end of the year so I decided to make the swap. Never played any of the F-Zero GBA games. I liked this one...on Standard mode. I was able to beat the 3 available courses on that difficulty. I could not beat them on Expert to unlock the final set of courses. Disappointing, but I knew there would be a high scale of difficulty because all F-Zero games are like that. It's not bad, but get ready for a challenge.
- Panel de Pon was the SNES game of the month (01.06). I enjoyed playing this. My only experience with it is Pokemon Puzzle League so I was familiar with how it plays. Going through Stage Clear was the goal and the difficulty ramps up at a steady pace. If rewind wasn't a function, I would never have finished it.
- Bought a copy of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (01.06). It was on my wish list after trying the demo. Best Buy had at 50% off making it $20. But the only reason I bothered to look was because I received an email with a $10 coupon. So I got this originally $60 game for only 10 dollars. It's currently scheduled for December...which sucks. I'd like to move it up the schedule, but I'm trying to be consistent with the backlog and not constantly push back games because that has been happening (sorry Captain Tsubasa, Fire Emblem Warriors, etc).
- Nintendo Switch 2 has been revealed (01.16). I did my best to stay away from leaks and discussions of leaks. It was tough to avoid everything so I knew a few things ahead of time, but I was still surprised with what I saw. It was only showing off the system itself and no technical aspects were discussed. Can't wait to hear how stuff like the mouse functionality will work, battery life, which original Switch games won't work (Labo, Ring Fit, etc), and what games are coming to the new system. That Nintendo Direct on 04.02 is going to be one of the most anticipated ones to watch.
- Picked up my copy of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (01.17). I was going to play this as soon as February, but decided to hold off since I've played the original. Other games I have in the backlog, I haven't played before. I realized it the day of, but I was planning to get another bundt cake since there was another special flavor. It was in such high demand that I couldn't place an order for one until two days later. Would have been nice since both items would have been banana themed.
- Mario & Luigi: Brothership completed (01.07-01.21). Those dates you see were my original prediction for how long it would take me to beat it. That factored in having to work and any other reasons I couldn't play like going to the dentist. I was surprised I hit it. Although it could have been shorter.
50+ hours. It's been a while since I've played an RPG for that long. The reason being was that I decided to 100% the game (all side quests, all plugs, etc). Why? Because I knew I wouldn't return to this game. Is it bad; no. But it does do a lot of things the Mario & Luigi games does. One being the long-winded dialogue. The story itself wasn't horrible, but the script could have been trimmed. Then there were the battles. Mechanics were as solid as previous titles in the series, but that also meant any fight could last a couple minutes long. At some point I felt strong enough that I simply ran away from non-mandatory fights in the last two dungeons. The side quests were a mix of simple to way difficult (especially Monster Mania 5). Sure you got some good benefits, but it was probably what doubled the time it took to beat the game. I do think the reason for the longer game in general is for it being the first Mario & Luigi game on a console rather than a handheld.
My immediate ranking for the Mario & Luigi games (for now) goes like this (top to bottom);
Mario & Luigi: Partners In Time
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
- Started the MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. First game knock out was X-MEN CHILDREN OF THE ATOM (01.22-01.24). I played this in the arcade back when it came out and really enjoyed it. But it took me a while to readjust to how the game actually played. The game was very tough on the default setting. I tried my best, but eventually had to put it on the easiest difficulty and one round. After that, it was smooth sailing and only took 5-10 minutes to beat the game with every character. I don't think I ever beat the game in the arcade because I didn't remember any of the endings. Sucked that Juggernaut and Magneto didn't have endings, but it made sense as you technically couldn't play as them in the past. I was able to fight Akuma twice. Playing as him was interesting. While I knew he was in the game back then, I don't think I ever played as him. Lots of nostalgia for this one. It holds up and was a great foundation for the games that came after.
- Sutte Hakkun was released on NSO this month and I completed it (01.25-01.31). This was one that was never translated, but it caught my interest when watching the NSO trailer. Excellent level design. Mechanically sound. Devilishly difficult. My goodness. First few stages (10 levels per stage) were a good way to ease you in. After that, I needed to reference video guides especially during the last 3 stages and the extra stage. Precision was necessary and timing made a difference here and there. The game has a built-in quick load/save because it is needed. One mistake could cost you doing the whole level over. I do think it's worth a try, but you'll know soon enough if you're capable of taking on the challenge.
WORK=========================
- First day of work was at the sister location (01.02). There weren't a lot of bookings to begin with, but we sold 4 replays and had a few walk-ins to almost completely fill up the schedule. The only downside was a couple that walked-in and wanted to do a room. The only options left were Batman and 7 Deadly Sins. They kept going back and forth about whether to play or not, I gave them reasons and options, they thought to call more people to join, etc. Maybe 15 minutes later, they decided to play Batman. They got drinks and went in. I was told that one of them was done playing when there was 15 minutes left. She just didn't care anymore. When I hosted them out, she kept saying how the clues we gave didn't make sense, how the puzzles were confusing, etc. Beforehand I learned and they joked how she was the type to never ask for hints. She was ready to go, but her wife wanted to know how the last puzzle worked and how it made sense. KS explained it since I had not played Batman yet. But as he was explaining things, the other person was already a distance away towards the door and kept saying "let's just go." That was highly disappointing. They were cool until they played in the room.
- Friday got busy (01.03). Thing is, we sent some staff home early because it wasn't busy at first. By the time it got stacked, we were in need of some to stay later if they could, which included Agent Ocean who basically worked all day. The help was needed and welcomed.
- Saturday...man (01.04). First off, our group chat was messaged in the morning about a team that used our 50% off code. That code was not supposed to be given out and only to be used by staff internally. We learned about this a week or so ago at our sister location because that's when it was accidentally given out. That staff member was talked to about it and so was the family that used it. They were told how the code given was an accident and not to ever use it again. But then they used it at our location. There was a bit of back and forth about how to handle things. Seeing my schedule, they were booked when I was arriving so I knew it was going to be me.
Drove to work and parked. I normally sit in my car for a few minutes regardless to look at any missed messages, swipe on dating apps, etc. But almost immediately I got a call from KH about the customers and how they were not happy that they had to pay the remainder of the booking. I already knew what I wanted to say and offer, but the staff had already given them a few options that I would not have given them. A few minutes later I walked in and went to the back to put my stuff away. All of the staff were wondering what I was going to do and I said something to the effect of "they aren't getting their way." That prompted the staff to want to see what was going on and I flat out said "no, this is not going to be fun. This is not for entertainment. I just got to work and I'm already in a mood." I sternly requested everyone do their job and that I need one person to stay in the lobby with me in case I get punched in the face (similar to a year ago when another incident happened).
Went out and KH stood close by. I greeted the customer and asked him for his side of the story. His story matched with what KH explained earlier. Once he was done, I explained how we were preparing for their arrival because we knew of their use of the 50% off code. I mentioned how they were told not to use it again to which he thought they weren't allowed to use it at that specific location. I explained how it was an internal code that was not to be given out and that the staff member that gave it to them was disciplined (a talking to, but they don't know that). Then I used examples of how others in our franchise will have different codes and similar codes, but that the similar ones are mainly for the staff to use. The different codes could vary based on the location like a grand opening for one wouldn't work for one that's been open for 2+ years. He was still upset because he should have been told beforehand he needed to pay more rather than show up. I did agree with that, but he still wasn't supposed to use the code. He tried to get another deal than what was offered by KH (20% off plus a free player card to be used at a later date) because he simply did not want to pay full price (even though they did the very first time they went to our sister location). He started saying things like "my son always leaves the room so it's not like he's even playing" or that the price is so high etc. There were a few times he tried to raise his voice and talk over me, which I actually would counter to finish my point so that he would understand and to show that I was in control of this conversation, not him. I just knew he wasn't going to back down from paying more than half the price that he wanted to pay in the first place.
He asked how he would know what codes are active. I said check the website. No matter where he goes, check that city's specific site. If there are codes, use them. If there aren't any, then there aren't any. Check our social media for flash discounts/sales. Sign up for the newsletter for similar reasons. Then he asked for solutions to our current situation. I gave him two options. The reason for offering options was to give him some control of his outcome even if he didn't like them. The first was to honor KH's offer because it was already out on the table. On top of that I would allow him to use the free player card that day and he would have to pay the extra low balance left. The other was a refund. While we have strayed away from refunds, I made it sound like such a hassle even though it's all true. He made the booking that day so I can't process it until 24 hours later. Even then, it would take 2-3 business days to process and he'd have to talk to his bank if he wanted it sooner. Basically I was letting him know in the longest way that he would not get a refund right then and there if he chose that option. My options I originally was going to give him before going to work were either he has only half his team go since he paid half the price or he pays the full price, the end. He ended up choosing KH's offer. During the whole discussion I had (20 minutes), you could tell his family was getting antsy as he wouldn't let them know what was going on. Thankfully no other customers were around and in their rooms so they wouldn't witness anything. We processed his booking and payment, I let the team know they're going in and to remove time to compensate, and to make sure they escaped.
Then I let the team know I was going to be away for a bit as I needed to type out a long text to all of management so they know how things went. It took me a while to type this out (maybe 10 minutes) because I wanted to make sure I didn't miss any important details. During that time, another team came in and I kept typing. Then I noticed they weren't tended to. I got up, went to the control, counted the number of staff in there, and sternly said "there's no reason for 9 of you to be back here. 2-3 people out in the lobby at all times." It was met with silence, but at least a few of them leapt to action. I went back to typing my message out. Once I was done, I was still heated over everything so I told the team I was only going to reset rooms today so I don't accidentally blow up at customers. They were shocked because I do a lot of things everytime I'm there. That was just a good note for them to lock in and do their stuff because I was specifically not going to do things. I was still giving orders to make sure they were doing things, but I definitely made sure they took care of lobby duties even if I was out there.
It really took a long time before I could feel more relaxed and start to talk in a chill manner or to joke around. I'm glad the team was able to take care of things I needed them to do, but that shouldn't be a thing I need to worry about. Eventually as the night dwindled and there were less staff, I took on more of my normal duties because it was necessary. At least by then I was in a more jovial mood.
But the night still ended on a dumb note. A customer called earlier saying they couldn't make their booking. "Something came up" is what she said. So I moved her booking up by one week. Towards the end of the night, 3 boys came in saying they had a booking. It was from the girl that I spoke with. They explained what was going on, which was she said they can go without her, but she then blocked them so they couldn't contact her. I explained how she called to move the booking so she would have to give authority to move it back for them or they pay as if they were a walk-in. Since they were blocked, it took a while for them to finally reach her. They presented the options I gave them. One was to come back next week. The other was to do an abridged version of their room because it was already late, we would need to keep more staff on even though they're supposed to leave, etc. During all this waiting time, I was going back and forth with the staff about what was going on. It was a hilariously dumb situation and they were curious how it would turn out once things were said and done.
In the end, they got her to come join them to do a 30-minute version of the room with lots of nudges to keep them going. CP took the initiative to open up some of the locks and undo a few things to make the flow work while KA took on the task of being their GM. The team was really getting into it and having a good time especially when they escaped. Sure they could have saved money to get the full experience, which the staff couldn't comprehend why they didn't do that. But I'm just glad it ended well. And at least that team understands that if they ever come back to know how things work not just for them but for the staff.
Hell of a day.
- Went to the sister location to play in one of our new rooms with some of the HERetirees (01.05). While I had been spoiled about a few things in the room, it was cool to see it all come together. Unfortunately there were a few technical issues that occurred. We also had a few comments and suggestions to improve the room for the customers. After that, we went to ShareTea for drinks and to catch up and be silly before splitting around 7PM.
But I ended up staying at the sister location until closing time. Myself and CG and SP talked about work woes and wanted to make sure we were all doing alright with things. Since I noticed the time, I asked if they wanted to get dinner after, which they were down for. Went to D&B across the street and had a great meal with a great server. It was nice to see them outside of the work setting and to be silly and share stories. We parted ways around 11PM. I probably should have left sooner since the weather dropped drastically that day. All-in-all, a good day in general.
- We had our company meeting (01.06). Those that could attend met at the sister location. While we were waiting, a few of us did the Cha-Cha Slide, ha. It was also the first time a lot of the sister location employees met any of the other staff. Once things were on their way, we had half an hour of a presentation talking about recent developments, changes, stats, rewards given (I got one), etc. The reason for it being short and concise was because our scheduled activity was happening half an hour later. Sure it was a minute walk away, but we wanted to be respectful of their time as they were with us (they played one of our rooms a couple of hours prior). But the activity was what I had requested; Game Show Battle Rooms. After Agent Ocean and I got to try it out, I made sure to mention it to the ladies as being our company activity and here it was.
First we split into teams. Thankfully it was even and it was 9 VS 9. It was super fun and I really liked seeing how others were getting into it. Our team didn't win, but it was down to the end to determine the winner. My performance was subpar asI was stumped on a few questions throughout, but was able to assist in getting others to the actual answer. However, I will be proud about one answer I got. It was a Wheel of Fortune game and for this one, they were going to reveal the answer letter by letter, but we were not allowed to talk to our teammates. If I recall correctly, the category was Singer and Song. When 5 letters were up, I had the artist and I started to jump up and down catching the eye of the other team (I was told later they assumed it was Kpop related, ha). Then I stopped and counted the letters for the song and I had it when there were about 10 letters on the board. I confidently shouted "Sabrina Carpenter; Espresso" and turned around while I fist pumped as they put it up on the board, ha. Later I explained to others that I only know that song because she says Nintendo in it, ha.
After that, those of us that could went to Buca di Beppo for dinner. It's been a long time since I have been to Buca di Beppo. Good food and good talk. Then it was back to the sister location. Some were playing in one of the rooms and it was paused for the meeting so they resumed. Then a few of us left while the rest went to D&B. Finally got to try out their Arena. It has a lot of games that will make you move around. And nothing else happened that we need to speak of (ha). Left close to midnight and got home a little after 1AM.
- Super rainy day with IB (01.09). It wasn't super busy by the time he showed up so a lot of the plans were to clean, which we started to do. Then we got phone calls and walk-ins that bumped us up to 5 bookings. Other than letting teams know they could stay after due to the weather and one of the ladies coming in to conduct an interview, it was a normal slow day.
- My favorite throuple came through (01.11). I knew they were coming because one of them emailed the company asking if they can book for 3 instead of 4 for one of our rooms. I happened to catch it and responded to them and gave them my discount code (they never used it before). During the email exchange, I was informed it was one of their birthdays. On the way to work, I picked up two of the limited flavors for Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter from Nothing Bundt Cakes; one for me and one for the birthday celebrant. I gave it to them after their session was over. We then exchanged a few words because they had now played all the rooms at the main location. I mentioned the sister location has more rooms and that I am occasionally working there, but they said they'd only go there if I was working there, ha. We ended with hugs as they left to continue the birthday celebration. I'll miss seeing them, but do hope to see them at the sister location sooner rather than later.
- The holidays are over and unfortunately slow days are back (01.14). But it does allow us to catch up on things. One was a meeting. I originally wasn't supposed to be a part of it, but while walking back and forth to replace/store props, they asked me to join. I'm glad they included me and that I was able to voice a few things they might not have known about otherwise. It ranged from staffing to hours and more. While it wrapped up, I did mention that I would like to take on the role of interviews and they were positive on that. I had talked about it before since that was something I did at HER and thought it could be something I could help in finding new good staff members as well as take something off the ladies' plate.
The other thing we took care of was reverting one of our rooms back to normal from the holiday room. It was only Agent Ocean and I for this task and we thought we possibly wouldn't finish. But we were just knocking things out (moving props in and out, what needed replacements, etc). One thing I kept forgetting about were certain props because they weren't placed in the same spot with other props for some reason. So there was a lot of me going back and forth from storage. A couple hours later, we were done.
A couple days later, ZM texted me about if we missed putting in a few things, which we unfortunately did. Thankfully he was able to navigate the team through it and put in what we forgot.
- At the sister location for the first time on a Wednesday (01.15). It was overall a slow day with only one booking (fun couple with a baby). The ladies were there working on things while VV and I were organizing things around (moved props/supplies/tools to specific locations, made a snack corner, etc). I also assisted VV with repairing something that broke in Mansion. We left early because of the lack of bookings, but we were both tired from constantly doing other things throughout the day.
- Get to test out the latest room at the sister location (01.16). Tried it with the boys over there. I had heard how good this one was and I think it lives up to the hype. We did get stuck on one part. Then there was the ending. Cool reveal, but we didn't realize something went off. It wasn't our fault and the ladies came in after to help figure things out for the next half hour before any teams came in. When I could, I helped organize more things in the venue. Other than that, a normal day with a good number of bookings for a weekday.
- Then we had a short Friday (01.17). We were busy at the beginning/middle of the day, but there were no bookings in the last set of sessions. Even the staff were puzzled by it as we were shutting down and getting ready to leave at 9PM. Oh well. I found ways to occupy myself afterwards.
- The next Saturday was busy (01.18). A few pockets of rest throughout the day. But we had a couple of parties that went off well. The only issues throughout the day were some props getting broken (yay for spares and quick drying glue). While I was scheduled to stay until closing, we didn't have a bunch of bookings toward the end that required me to stay. We had enough staff available too so me opting to leave was a small way to save an hour of labor.
- We were open on MLK Day (01.20). But it was the day before the snow. The ladies came by to set a few things and to block bookings for the next two days as well as this Monday. We had four staff members scheduled in two different shifts. Myself and ZM were the morning crew. Even though we were scheduled longer, we were asked to go home as soon as the second shift came in. There weren't too many bookings anyways so we were cool with it. Never had a 3 hour shift before, but it was understandable. It still blew us away that we had bookings and a few more booked the day of. We took care of the birthday party even staying a little longer to make sure they paid before we left. Cheers to them as they gave us pieces of their cake.
- Another slow day for myself and IB (01.24). Before he showed up, I did a lot of cleaning. One big thing was moving the couches in the lobby to sweep and vacuum. There was one point that I stood the couches straight up and they stayed that way as I cleaned.
In the end, we only had two sessions. The first one were kids and two parents stayed in the lobby to wait...but it looked so awkward. If it was a date, it didn't look like it was going well. They sat far from each other, they kept their arms/legs crossed, the conversation was odd. IB agreed. I'm pretty sure the mom left to go talk to another family member of the phone in her car, ha. Then the last team were a couple that booked late and arrived late. I kept joking to IB that he needs to go and break them up so I can console her, ha. But then they had moments where they were very cute as a couple and I would tell IB to keep them together. It was his first and her fifth, but she never escaped before. So I hope their experience with us leads to future dates for them with us.
- Slow Friday (01.24). Thankfully it wasn't bad. We had a really easy to work with birthday party where the parents gave us part of their cookie cake and the team wanted to take a picture with all the staff. We also had a couple that did a replay because they really enjoyed the first room they did with us. In between their sessions and after, they mentioned they left us a review...and we couldn't find it. Thing is, we probably wouldn't care if they didn't themselves mention they did it. Oh well. And the final session was a group of Asians that exclaimed they liked seeing an Asian worker (which happens with other businesses). After their session, I mentioned how I also work at the sister location and they asked when I work there because they'd only go when I was there. I mentioned if me being Asian is a factor for coming to the venues that they should mention it in their reviews because of reasons. While they had a great time, those reviews never happened. Again, oh well.
- First day of trying a lean and mean crew (01.25). It wasn't bad as it wasn't our busiest Saturday, but we were constantly doing things for the majority of our shifts (minus a few pockets of fewer bookings). At the latter end of the night, we only had 4 staff members and that's when many things happened. We had multiple teams checking in, multiple teams exiting their rooms, multiple rooms needing resets, multiple drinks being served, etc. At one point KA was leaving because her shift was over and I quickly asked her to stay for another half hour, which she was fine with. It definitely helped as I was running low on energy, I was constantly running back and forth, I was fixing props, etc. During the last couple hours, I was quieter and moving slower. I don't recall the last time I felt that tired.
But the second to last team was unfortunately the biggest downer of everything. It was a family of five and they had been to us multiple times. They were doing their last room at this venue. It was all fun in the lobby as the adults and kids were getting drinks and were excited to play. The following was told to me after it happened, but at some point in the session, the adults were playfully arguing with each other until the husband said "shut up." To which the wife yelled back, told her kids "never let a man tell you to shut up," and was sulking. I didn't respond to it as I was still doing some of the closing duties like tip tracker, taking out the trash, etc. But I knew no one else was wanting to go retrieve the team so eventually it was going to be me. When they finally won, I stood outside their door waiting for the epilogue to finish. As soon as it did, the door immediately opened and the wife sternly said "excuse me" and walked passed me. Her kids walked out next saying nothing and then the husband who gave me a look of "sorry." I speed up my pace to get ahead of them and as we make it to the lobby the wife says "go pick your posters and I'll take your pictures and then we're leaving" to her kids. They go do so as the husband stands aside. I get their wristbands and wait for them to take their photos. Once they did, I handed them their wristbands and they left. I said nothing throughout that. Nothing was going to turn things around and I honestly didn't have the energy to try. I let the staff know how it all went and that was that.
- Agent Ocean asked if I could work an extra shift (01.28). It was a slow day, but thankfully there were a few customers.
- The next day was a slow day too (01.29). Just like the previous shift, thankfully we had a few customers. One of them was a girl's golf team. One of our staff members' sister was part of that team. I could tell who she was, but didn't want to call her out in case she didn't want the attention. We ended the day with a young couple having their first date. I normally wouldn't suggest an escape room for a first date, but I didn't tell them that. They were a cute couple so KA and I were rooting for them to win and have a good time, which they did.
- Worked at the sister location, which was a last minute change (01.30). There was a moment in the beginning of the shift where I was by myself, never happened before over there. But I did have a few issues with setting up some of the rooms since I wasn't familiar. Called CG and he was thankfully able to assist over facetime. KS showed up for his shift and he double checked things for me. The first two teams were the coworkers of the owner's husband. It was good having him facilitate and get his teams together. It's not the first time I've worked when he's brought his team to play, but it was the first time at the sister location. Unfortunately there were issues with the rooms. One had a prop not properly launch so that meant they wouldn't receive a key to get two props. I quickly found a spare key and gave it to them. The other issue was not putting a black light in another room. I did not know to do that as it was not part of our reset guide. While things like that happen every now and then, it just sucked to have it happen when he was there. Thankfully they had a good time.
Afterwards we had a few walk-ins and late bookings and even a replay. At some point it wasn't too busy and I was able to get some ShareTea for myself and KS (his first time having milk tea). I was able to use these sessions to specifically get more experience in being a Game Master for the rooms I wasn't familiar with. They went well, but I still had questions for KS who was a great assist person. There was also one team that had a kid with special needs. They were in one of our rooms that has a very loud noise. As the prologue video started, I pulled one of the adults out to ask if the kid was okay with loud noises. She said no and unfortunately they forgot her ear plugs. So I explained when and how it was going to happen so that way they could prepare to warn her. They were able to remember and when it happened, they took her to a previous area far away and her sister held her as the noise happened. Might not mean a lot to others, it might not garner a review, but the adults were thankful that I gave them a heads up.
- A bit of a slow Friday (01.31). Started with only 3 bookings that were to happen towards the end of the day, but more were booked thankfully. Most of the staff was called off initially, but then two were called in as ZM and Agent Ocean wanted to leave earlier.
There was one point that I took a phone call to help a guy make a booking. He mentioned it was for him, his daughter and son, and his girlfriend. When they came in, I asked if he was the one who called as I was able to see that set of people come in. His girlfriend was hot. Of course I said things like I would for every customer. However, I felt like she and I kept making eye contact. Whether it was in the lobby explaining the locks or in the room explaining the rules, she had a strong stare. She simply could be super attentive. While it was busy, I did want to make sure to exit their team. Again, I noticed the eye contact, but I could tell the mood was different. As I was leading them out, I asked the kids if they had fun and they did and they were excited to take their photo. All of them chose a poster to hold, but the girlfriend held hers in front of her face. Some teams do that on occasion, but I could tell she didn't want her face to be shown. As I was giving my final spiel and giving them their wristbands, she went to play Shoot The Moon. I made a comment that she knew what she really wanted to play because she only had one try before they went to their escape room. She asked to explain how it works again and I stood by her to tell her. The boyfriend was talking with his daughter and the son eventually joined me and the girlfriend as he also liked the game. I gave my usual story of how I got my one victory and that it took five years to which she was surprised. The boyfriend asked about the game and I made sure to walk back behind the counter so that I could talk to him and the girlfriend. I let them know where they could buy one. It was at that moment I realized she seemed to be keeping distance from him. He then said they had a good time, but had to leave. His daughter followed him out, but his girlfriend stayed back as the son was still playing. After a few more attempts, she mentioned that they had to go and he got up and started to walk out. We then said bye to each other, but I asked if she was alright. She said she was okay. I mentioned how I could tell her energy was low after they were done with the escape room, to which she kind of gestured negatively towards her boyfriend who was somewhere outside. I said something along the lines of I hope she feels better later and she thanked me. Then she held out her hand. It wasn't a wave bye and it wasn't a handshake. She was reaching out. I held her hand back and that lasted maybe 5 seconds before she let go. The eye contact was strong the entire time. And...I didn't ask for her number or give her mine. That's on me, but I was thrown off by the holding of hands. While she was with her boyfriend, exchanging numbers would have been in case things did go sour during their time in the escape room. Plus the ball would have been in her court. Another missed opportunity, but maybe she'll come back some day. Here's to hoping.
ETC=========================
- BabyVoX - Why + Game Over (Performance Video)
The amount of BabyVoX content that's coming out is very uplifting. Not just new stuff, but older videos. The older videos are a mix of things I've never seen before or very nostalgic.
- I matched with someone on Hinge (01.07). Very pretty. Our conversation was really good as she was responsive and not robotic. She asked for my number to chat via text instead of on the app. That was one warning flag because most catfish will ask for your number, but I asked if she could give hers instead and she did. Continued texting and it didn't seem like I was talking to a different person, which usually happens. She asked to exchange photos and I said as long as they were not the same ones from our Hinge profiles. Yeah, she was super pretty, but part of me wondered if she was some type of Kpop star I was unfamiliar with. I even asked NR just in case and he wasn't familiar either. Both of us did reverse image searches and nothing turned up.
So we kept texting. At one point I asked for another photo while she was at work, and she did send one. Later that same day I mentioned how we should do a voice call so we know what we sound like. She upped it with a video call instead. I missed her call a few times simply because I was in the bathroom and then she got busy. But it happened later at night and it was a short one (about a minute).
Then a day later, she asked if we could move to WhatsApp. That was another warning flag up because catfishes would always ask to move to another alternate app like Telegram or WhatsApp. Again, the conversation felt like it naturally continued and wasn't a different person. She did display a few personality quirks that past catfishes did such as being clingy, talking about crypto, calling me by pet names, planning way into the future when we had not met yet. And I did let her know to pump the brakes and let's plan as far as when we're going to first meet. We actually did land on a date of January 19th and that we were going to do dinner and a movie. She originally wanted to meet on both the 18th and 19th, but let her know I wouldn't be able to do the 18th.
We kept chatting all the way until the morning of the 11th. Her last message was that she had a nightmare and was having a hard time going back to sleep. I didn't read that message until I woke up a couple hours later. I did reply to check on her, but she never replied. Figured she might have been catching up on any lost sleep. I messaged her one more time as I was going in to work to see if everything was okay. As the work day went on, no reply. But then maybe around 5PM or 6PM I noticed her profile image was now the default image. Not only that, but my message wasn't read. And that's when I figured it was done.
Waste of time.
Funny that a few days later I had a dream that I was on a dating game show. I don't recall who the contestants were, but there were 6 choices. Don't know how it ended. A second show happened where one contestant was someone I tried to date (twice) in the past. Similar to the first show, I don't know how it ended.
That's a wrap on January 2025. Thank you for your support. Be cool and be kind.
"Reprise the theme song and roll the credits."
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