Monday, April 2, 2018

March 2018 Entry

March 2018 Entry

Things happened in March. Lots of things.

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- I started to remove posters from my walls this month. I first took down Vampy and SNSD posters (16, 03.01). Next was video game and anime posters and scrolls (10, 03.04). And then the rest of the Kpop posters (BabyVoX, BoA, etc) came down (14, 03.16). That's a total of 40 posters that went up over the last 18-20 years. It was crazy to see the walls so empty. The only posters up are BoA (Kiss My Lips) and Vampy (Psylocke). I also took a Justice League print I won that is signed and hung it up on one of the bare walls. That is surrounded by the 4 Asuka masks I have.

Other than the posters coming down, I threw away a lot of junk I was holding on to and moved a few things around to have more space to walk around.

- Asuka debuted a new mask so I had to have it. Bought some Alexa Bliss and Finn Balor stuff I had my eyes on. I was excited to get those in the mail (03.04).


- New BoA albums (03.08). 2 different versions of her latest Japanese album and her (believe it or not) first Korean mini-album. When these arrived, I also rearranged items on my computer shelves. The row that had all the BoA stuff was actually full so I needed to swap spots with another row.


- Have you ever tried Rebanadas (03.10)? They're very good. They do create a lot of crumbs. I also thought it was a different snack I had as a kid when Agent Incognito originally described it to me.


- Random karaoke night (03.13). My close friend that always holds these karaoke events invited me last minute to join him and some of his connect group. I went after work. Tried to get coworkers to come, but they couldn't. It was alright. I sang 2 songs on stage (NSYNC, Bon Jovi). I sang with my friend both times (I never go solo). Something odd I noticed was that the others we were with would high-five him, but not me. I wasn't going for the high-fives like he was, but I assumed they would be complimentary since we were in close proximity. Anyways. As I was leaving, a pretty girl complimented me on my performances on stage. I did get her name and told her she was pretty. I don't know why I didn't think to stay and follow-up on the scenario though. Missed opportunity.


- Along with all the poster removing and other changes to the room, I decided to arrange my box of memories (03.18). Over the years, I had just been throwing stuff in there. While I added a few other items in there and threw some things away, I tried to organize things as best as I could. Wrestling and other event tickets are together, wedding photos and invites, letters, and other items are now together. 

- Daniel Bryan is now cleared to wrestle again (03.20). Yes! Yes! Yes!


- DEATH BATTLE Jotaro VS Kenshiro (03.21).


- My week off happened (03.25). I was planning to visit my best friend in Buffalo. The plan was to take a train from here to there. It would have taken 2 days going there and 2 days coming back. So I only would have had been in the city for 2 days at best. It was also last minute planning between us so it would have cost more and there were too many variables. Maybe later in the year.

I did help my dad clean the gutters on the first day (03.25). Oddly, I just take a shower and got into fresh clothes when he asked and I immediately got dirty again. A couple hours later, I visited my friends from high school and their kids. It was good catching up with them and playing with their kids (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe). They told me how the kids remember me and were excited knowing I was coming over. Tentative plans to hang out again during the summer when the kids are out of school.

The next day I helped my dad with repainting our house (03.26). Unfortunately, the neighborhood association sent us a letter about how our house isn't in the best condition. They weren't wrong, but it just wasn't apparent until actually looking at things up close. Not a fan of our new color (gold-ish), but at least the house is starting to look better. I did this for about 3 hours as it was getting hotter and hotter. We did get one side of the house done and some other parts started on. There was one part where the bucket of paint my dad hooked to his ladder fell off from the second story. Paint splattered everywhere. Luckily none of it went over the fence into our neighbor's driveway where their car was parked. We were planning to paint the next couple of days, but the pending rainy weather stopped us.

Despite the heavy rain on Wednesday (03.28), another close friend and I met for dinner at La Olla (yum) to catch up. I then went to his place to finally meet his son. His wife almost immediately gave me the baby, which is only the second time that has ever happened to me. But the little guy is super cute and chubby. It was great seeing the entire family so happy.

Painted more of the house the next day (03.29). We were doing the part of the house where my windows were so I would go in and out to help from my window. But for some reason, the bugs were out in force that day. I got bit all over s many times. As I took a shower, I was still itchy. That was so weird. After that, I noticed I had 3 big bites on my forehead and I don't even remember those happening. Funny thing, my dad didn't get bit at all and he was doing this longer and was dirtier after everything.

On Friday, I got a new hair cut (03.30). Yes, a new hair cut. I let it grow for over a year so this was a good time to try something new (a style a few have suggested). A good amount of hair got cut off. Despite my hair not being in the best condition in general, it turned out pretty well. Part of me wishes I did this the next day, but it still holds up. The rest of the day, other than playing a game (read about that later), I spent time getting some other preparations done for the wedding. I thought I had everything ready, but this made me realize I should really go buy a new outfit for the next formal event. Whenever that does happen, I'm looking forward to it. But only a few things needed to be done for this one. 

The end of the month was spent at my dear friend's wedding (03.31). I asked a friend from high school to be my +1. She drove in from Austin the day of and we carpooled to the wedding. She was worried about knowing nobody there, but she did know some from many years back. I only knew a small handful more than she did. It was cool seeing faces I haven't seen in 5-10 years. The ceremony itself was nice, small, and short. Seeing my friend's dogs also being part of the ceremony was something I have never witnessed in person at a wedding before. She looked beautiful in her dress. Once that was over, there was picture taking and mingling for an hour before they opened up the doors to the reception. We sat in one of the corner tables. I knew the majority of those we were sitting with so it was cool and not awkward. In the end, we were the loud table, ha. All 4 of the guys at the table are wrestling fans too so we got the table to agree to do Daniel Bryan "Yes" chants when the couple came to our table. It wasn't the only time we "Yes" chanted either and eventually others started to join us, awesome. At some point, I did make it a point to talk to my friend and congratulating her on finally becoming a bride. We even talked about needing to catch up soon now that the wedding planning is over. And it was great seeing her dance the night away. She pulled almost everyone she could to dance with her and I enjoyed grooving along with her and being silly. Fantastic night.

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- Happy Birthday, Nintendo Switch (03.03). 


- Finished Bayonetta 2 (03.04). So fun. It was easier due to the amiibo integration allowing me to buy everything and have tons of healing items at my disposal.


- There was great stuff in the latest Nintendo Direct (03.08). Below is a list of what I'm interested in. 
WarioWare Gold (3DS, reserved)
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Story (3DS, maybe)
Luigi's Mansion (3DS, no release date yet)
Okami HD (Switch, will download)
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes (Switch, no release date yet)
Dark Souls amiibo (trying to reserve)
Undertale (Switch, maybe)
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (Switch, reserved)
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (Switch, reserved)
Super Smash Bros (Switch, no release date yet)
I also decided I won't reserve a game until a release date is announced. That's why I haven't reserved Smash Bros yet even though I have some games on reserve that don't have an official date yet (did those prior to my new way of reserving).


- Finally got around to playing and finishing BYE-BYE BOX BOY! (03.12). I had it downloaded for a while, but kept putting it off even though I planned to beat all 3 in the trilogy in the same year last year. Just like the other games, I did as much as I could and then looked up any parts I was stuck on. Out of the trilogy, I think this is ranked second (first game being first). For anyone that is into puzzle games, I do suggest giving the BOX BOY series a try. 


- Saw some videos and previews for Danmaku Unlimited 3 and decided to download the game when it came out (03.18). I enjoy the occasional bullet hell shooter and it has been a while since I played one. This was rough. I had to play on the easiest setting in order to beat the game. Even then, it took me almost a week to even reach the final level. The picture posted here is from the final boss rather than the last image like I normally post. It definitely gives an idea of the craziness you go through in the game. I did watch a play through on the toughest difficulty and geez. Like bullet hell shooters, give this one a try. 


- There was a short Nindies Showcase video that aired on YouTube (03.20). Just like the Nintendo Direct, below is a list of what I'm interested in. It's different from my original listing (first and second game switched from maybe or not).

Mark of the Ninja Remastered (Switch, maybe)
Just Shapes and Beats (Switch, no release date yet)
Lumines Remastered (Switch, no release date yet)
The Messenger (Switch, maybe)

- There was a brief announcement that Shantae and the Pirate's Curse was coming out on Switch the week before it did (03.20). I really enjoyed playing it on the Wii U. And it unofficially is my favorite of the Shantae series. It definitely is the first Shantae game I ever played. Got a free code from the OverBlood group and enjoyed it and now I own and completed every Shantae game (except I haven't beaten the original, it is tough). Did another one run completion playthrough and beat my previous record by about an hour. If you haven't played a Shantae game, this is a good one to start with. Don't worry about missing too much lore as it's not the deepest storyline continuing from the previous games.


- During my week off from work, I needed more games to play. I did contemplate buying new games, but then went through what I currently own to see if there were any I haven't played or if any were just sitting. Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows was one of them (03.26). While I did play and finish it on the Wii U, I did not 100% complete it. So that was the goal and that's what I did (with 3 less deaths and half an hour less of time). I still say this is the tougher of all the Shovel Knight games.


And since I still needed something to play, I decided to 100% complete Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment (03.27). I was only 7% off so I continued from my original game file (added 32 deaths and about an hour to the time). Now I can say I have completed all of the Shovel Knight games.


- I backed an item on Indiegogo for the first time some time last year, the Switch Charge. They reached their goal, but it took a long time in production and shipping to finally arrive (03.29). It is as advertised, a unit to add battery life to your switch with a better stand and a compartment to hold extra games. I do recommend it for anyone that does play their Switch a lot undocked.


- Congratulations to my buddy, G To The Next Level, for reaching 1000 subscribers on YouTube (03.29). I was also surprised to see a screenshot of one of my comments make in in the video. Here's to more good YouTube stuff for you in the future.


- I heard that Arcade Archives: Punch-Out!! was coming out. I never played the arcade Punch-Out before so I was anticipating downloading the game. For some weird reason, the game released everywhere on the 29th, but in the US a day later (03.30). Wow, this game is tough. Of course, it's an arcade game so it was meant to eat quarters and tokens. I could not even beat Glass Joe. I bumped the difficulty down and was able to beat the game once (losing multiple times to each boxer). But the next set of rematches...wow. Glass Joe whooped me and I was done. Crazy knowing that there was at least one more round of difficulty after that circuit. Hard to recommend this one even if you are a Punch-Out fan. Definitely try it out though if you're curious.


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- We ran 3 different campaigns during the month and dubbed it March Madness (03.01). One was for 2 tickets to the Rodeo to see Brad Paisley perform (answer a rodeo riddle on site). The other was for 4 winners to win 1 free ticket to HER (turn in and correctly guess the NCAA Final Four bracket). And the last one ran all month; win $200 (team with the fastest time for ER2 only on Tuesdays/Wednesdays). The Rodeo Riddle Raffle was highly successful, Final Four was a bust, and there wasn't as much excitement for winning $200 as I would have guessed.


- Pictures from March's company meeting (03.06). Special thanks to Agent X for giving me a shout out during our "proud table" portion of the meeting. Everyone has been mentioned multiple times for the half year (or more) we have been doing this, but this was the first time I was ever mentioned by anyone.


- Stupid stuff happened (03.09). I got written up. Blah blah blah.

- This was the first week having our new later hours. We now close at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays (03.10). So on these days, I get home at 1AM and to eat dinner and sleep around 2AM. I do feel very tired the following morning as I still wake up around the same time.

- As part of me not being Personnel Manager anymore, I was also asked to take a week vacation (03.25). I chose this week of time as it would tie in with the wedding I originally requested off for the month.

- And our March blog was electronically typed by Agent Ocean who gives a special announcement to the HER Community (03.31). Go check it out.


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- Shinhwa - All Your Dreams (2018 MV)


Shinhwa - All Your Dreams (2000 MV)


I thought it was cool that they recreated the original video. They did an awesome job with every detail. I do think the original song is still better though.

- Tiffany Young - Remember Me (MV)


It's awesome to see Tiffany back in action and all over social media. Made sure to follow her on everything.

That night, I actually had a series of dreams that involved her. They all linked together, but were done out of order. There were a lot of weird little things that happened in each portion. In the correct order:

1. Went to a packed theater to watch a movie she starred in. I was one of the last people to come in that they had to give the last few of us folding chairs to sit in.
2. Got to meet her after the movie. A few of us were the last few in line as she was passing by to leave. She shook my hand, but greeted me as if she already knew who I was.
3. Had to help her run away from people chasing her. At some point, I had to give her a piggy-back ride. Ended up evading the pursuers in a playground. That's where she thanked me and gave me a hug.

Her Facebook Live stream was cool to catch up. Nice to see her on her own and speaking to her fans. Hopefully she does more them in the future. 


- That's it for March 2018. Thank you for reading.


"Reprise the theme song and roll the credits."

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