March 2024 Entry:
March sped by.
MISC=========================
- Continuing from being sick at the end of February, I finally went to see my doctor (03.04). I thought I was getting better Friday, but I had a relapse Saturday night and woke up feeling horrible Sunday. Had to let work know that I needed time off to get better. Prior to the doctor's appointment, I lost my voice. It didn't return the day of so that morning I typed out a set of possible answers to questions they might ask. It turned out to be very helpful as I could be very detailed and they could fill in information based on what they read. I could tell they were appreciative as they knew from my attempting to talk that I couldn't. After waiting a few minutes, I was given a nose and throat swab. Results from those tests came out negative. I took a COVID test a few days prior and that was negative too. In the end, they still ruled it to be a bacterial infection and to treat it as such. Medicine was prescribed and I took those as recommended. Did they help...some. One that was supposed to help with sleep definitely didn't work at all. Thankfully the sickness was mostly gone by Thursday and I felt normal enough on Friday.
- Rest in peace, Akira Toriyama (03.07).
- MatPat's FINAL Theory happened (03.09). It's crazy to think that he's done in that aspect. It was a great journey. I got into Game Theory somewhat close to the beginning. Did I watch every episode, no. But anytime I saw he was involved with something, I knew it was going to be good. And a humble brag I can occasionally throw out is that MatPat follows me on Twitter. How and why, I don't know, but it's a thing, ha. Enjoy your post Theory life, good sir.
- Pokémon Detective Pikachu was a great movie (03.09). I had always heard it was good, but I'm glad to have finally watched it. All the Pokémon look so natural and lifelike. I'm surprised they haven't made another movie in this style since then. Regardless, thumbs up. This also ended a stint of Pokémon related content I consumed this month (you'll read about the rest later).
- The Hollywood Rock theme is back (03.15). The transition into it along with the prior week's addition of the lightning effects on screen just made it all so dang good.
- Stopped by my friend's boba shop and tried their House Horchata (03.22). It had a nice cinnamon flavor to it. I'm going to try something new every time I go there. Only chilled for a bit as I wanted to rest up and play some of the Peach game before heading out again.
- Dating apps still suck. Had another fake account match with me (03.26). It was kind of typical from what I normally get where they mention "I'm not on the app much" and they ask for my phone number. After that, their profile magically disappears. Lame. As I mentioned last month, I'm losing hope.
- Hung out with HeXagon (03.30). Another Kpop friend joined as we started by eating at Honey Pig. We were done there in close to an hour and started to check out stores around the area like Eve Pink. There's so much in this area that I never knew about and I definitely want to go there to try the Korean pizza place.
We then went to Uncle Tetsu. I was the one that suggested it since I recently learned about it and saw that it was in the area. I like cheesecake in general, but I don't normally get it because it is usually heavy. This Japanese cheesecake was incredibly light and fluffy. I was very surprised and really liked it. I could have finished it by myself, but I still have half in the fridge as of typing this (03.31). Thanks, JC.
We then walked across the street to check out more stores there, which was where I and the HERetirees went after Activate. Some of the crew started to leave here and there as we were just chilling and talking outside. In the end, the Oreo sub-unit (funny that we all got an Oreo cheesecake, ha) stuck around the longest before I had to leave for work.
Shortly before heading off, an old acquaintance pulled in and recognized me. It had been maybe close to a decade since I last saw her. Since then she has gotten married and had a child. Her husband didn't recognize me, but I'm sure we met at least once before they were wed. Cute baby.
GAMES=========================
- Demo Showcase Shorts roll on. 27 despite being sick. I established that if I were playing a demo that was from a game I already played, that I would let it sit rather than actually play it. Reason being that sometimes data transfers over and I didn't want the demo data to override the actual game data. I was really worried about it happening for Theatrhythm. If it did, I wouldn't replay it. So I did that for a few demos this month. And if I didn't establish it last month, I did start a separate wish list category for games I actually enjoyed and will wait for a sale. This is different than adding a favorite to the wish list for every Demo Showcase like I did on stream. The current count for that list since starting these shorts is 5 (possibly 6, I might have already purchased something on sale and don't remember).
- Officially played Timberman VS (03.01). It was the favorite from Demo Showcase 14 (stream 93 04.12.19). Yeah, that's a long time ago. I technically got it for free when it was on deep sale and I only used some gold coins. I say "officially" played this game because I've actually played it a couple times with others, just not on stream. It's definitely more fun with others. Solo is too mundane. But hey, I'm knocking it off the backlog. Played, but not beaten.
- Played Pokémon Café ReMix (03.05). Didn't stream this because it's only playable in handheld mode and I see why now. It's not bad, but I lost interest fast. I was glad that I was able to identify the majority of Pokémon I encountered.
- I found a good deal on Power-Up Bands from Super Nintendo World (03.05). The seller was offering them for less than retail price even with shipping (which they ended up combining and refunding me for some of it). They had the majority of them. Thankfully I was able to secure one of each in my order. The package arrived at the beginning of the month while I was still sick so I didn't open it up until I was feeling better. They felt similar to a watch I used to have. And of course, it does register as an amiibo. All that's left to collect are Daisy, Gold Mario, and Donkey and Diddy (which I still don't see pop up...maybe they aren't officially out yet, not sure).
- SNAKE RATTLE N ROLL was the NES NSO game of the month (03.06). This was one of the Rareware NSO games announced and I knew I had to put some of them on the schedule sooner rather than later. I did play SNAKE RATTLE N ROLL as a kid. I'm pretty sure it was a younger cousin that had it because I have a vague memory of us singing "snake rattle n roll" to the theme song. Even back then, I knew it was a tough game. Never beat it until now thanks to rewind and guides. And wow, that last stage was...something, ha. It's worth a try, but I'd understand if someone played it for a few minutes and then put it down.
- I watched all the cutscenes from Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth (03.06). I did that with Remake since I haven't owned a Playstation since the PS2. I watched the majority while sick and it was a good thing to have on while trying to relax. Much like Remake, I wanted to see how things played out. Got some surprises, but overall enjoyed what they presented. Can't wait for the third installment. I know I'm coming at this from a different view since I'm watching it instead of playing it, but that's just how I consume some games nowadays. Especially if I don't have the console to play said game on.
- Pokémon Trading Card Game was the GameBoy NSO game of the month (03.07). I'm not a TCG person to begin with, but this was tough. Didn't beat it obviously. I was hoping for at least one win, but that didn't happen outside of the tutorial. Oh well.
- Pokémon Snap was the N64 NSO game of the month (03.08). I still own my day one copy of it. A lot of this felt familiar. Had to look up a few things to get the last 5 or so Pokémon I forgot how to make appear. Completed it 100%. I do remember it being a short game, but I think I spent more time back in the day trying to get the perfect shot and the highest scores possible. This time I only wanted to get a photo whether it was good or not. If the Pokémon was recognized, that worked for me, ha.
- Ordered a copy of DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT (03.15). This was the favorite from Demo Showcase 83, stream 673 02.22.22. A bunch of things went on sale on the Bandai-Namco site after the passing of Akira Toriyama. The shipping pretty much doubled the sale price, but it was still less than buying it new at any other retailer. Plus I got the steelbook. I'm waiting for the DLC to go on sale at some point. And I'm not sure exactly when I'll play this, but I think this will be a great way for me to relive the series and to honor Akira Toriyama.
- Continuing playing the Pixel Remasters with Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster | FINAL FANTASY III (03.16). Never played any other version other than the 3D version on the DS. It's been a long time so I forgot a lot of what happened. If you know me game-wise, you may know I'm not the biggest fan of job systems. But thanks to the boosts, I liked swapping jobs frequently. Everyone at least had the majority of the jobs at level 10 before the final dungeon where I stuck with a specific set of jobs. But I did get one character to get White Mage to level 99. I enjoyed it.
- With a little extra time between the next planned game to play, I finished Dark Witch Music Episode: Rudymical (03.18). This was the secondary favorite from Demo Showcase 100 stream 833 12.05.22. Originally this was penned to be played in April to accompany another Dark Witch game, but since it had a short run time, I felt I could run through it quickly. I did...on Easy. It's not bad as a rhythm game, but with all rhythm games I hit walls when there are too many notes on screen. Add the fact that you needed to reach a point threshold before defeating your foe for it to be considered officially beaten. Try the demo yourself if you're curious.
- Got my copy of Princess Peach: Showtime! (03.22). Played it for a bit that day and it didn't take long to realize how I wanted to tackle it. I wanted to collect everything per stage before moving on. Then I wanted to do everything on that floor before going to the next. I did have to look up where and how to attain the sparkles. I did end up beating the game and credits rolled, but post game content opened up. That did require me to replay all levels to find new collectibles as well as beat each boss under specific circumstances. Basically had to play the game 2-3 times over before officially completing it 100% (03.26). It is not a bad game by any means, but I wasn't having too much fun with it. I liked trying out the different transformations and I agree that they could make separate games for each one. But replaying stages wouldn't have been so bad if the loading times weren't so long and if you could skip previously read dialogue. The latter part of my playthrough was me playing the game on mute while listening to podcasts. For an RPG when you need to spend time to gain levels or money, me putting on a podcast isn't bad. But when I do it early for any other kind of game, especially a new one, it doesn't have my total attention. I'd be down for a sequel if the negatives were handled properly.
- At least once a day, I do a daily check of eBay and Facebook Marketplace for amiibo or power-up bands. I was losing a lot of bids on eBay and getting no responses from Facebook listings or they don't do shipping. After a few more losses for amiibo on eBay, I contacted one person on Facebook that still had something listed. It was for the alternate color Splatoon Inkling Boy and Girl amiibo. I don't know if they didn't know how much they could get, but they were selling both for $50. Normally you can find one alone for that price or higher. Part of me wanted to get all 3 in one go, but this was such a good deal so I contacted them. I asked if they could ship because I'd have to drive more than an hour to pick them up. They reiterated no shipping, but agreed to meet closer even though it was still an hour for me. I went out to meet them at a McDonald's to make the exchange (03.22). I was early so I went inside (and swiped since I was in a different area). They arrived and I met them at their car to greet them, pay, get the amiibo, and thanked them before we departed. Short and simple exchange, no banter, no questioning, nothing. I was expecting maybe a short conversation, but it was business and that's all. Yes, I got a great deal, but I literally spent 2 hours driving back and forth for a 2 minute meet up. That's why I was hoping for shipping. I was also worried about meeting someone like this even though I heard decent stories from friends that bought and sold stuff through Facebook, but I prepared myself just in case anything went down. And that's how my first Facebook Marketplace exchange went.
- Shifting the gaming schedule a bit. I originally established how I was going to tackle games in November in this post-stream life. I like it, but I didn't take into account beating games fast. There were a few times that I had nothing to do because I was "done" with the game schedule. Basically the end of the month (or if there's time before a game comes out like Dark Witch Music Episode: Rudymical before Princess Peach: Showtime!) will now have some miscellaneous extra games if possible outside of specific games I want to end the month on. And I did pick a game I didn't beat on stream, credits did roll, but I couldn't complete it by the end of the month. What is it? You'll find out next month when I finish it off. Behold, the revised gaming schedule (I only added the last item):
Backlog (digital)
Free-to-play
NSO (NES, Genesis - alternating months)
NSO (Game Boy, GBA - alternating months)
NSO - N64, SNES - alternating months)
Backlog (physical)
Extra (Theatrhythm, short game, did not beat on stream)
WORK=========================
- First day back to work after being sick (03.09). I made sure to say words to music to warm up my throat since my voice wasn't fully back and I couldn't fully sing either. But it held up. Popped a cough drop a few times. Other than getting back up to speed, things felt fine. One sucky thing was that I forgot my phone at home. I realized that halfway through my drive. It was either go back and be really late or go on without it. I went on without it.
And then there was someone who I will nickname Dice for the sake of this entry. She came in and both Agent Ocean and I immediately recognized she was attractive. I made it out of the control room to greet her and check her in. She booked a session for her daughter and her three friends. They were early so they settled in. I had the girls try out the questions about the wall of clocks. As they did that, Dice was sitting by herself so I checked on her. I asked what the occasion was and she said her daughter wanted to do something with her friends for her birthday. I didn't know which one was her daughter and she pointed her out. I made a comment that I didn't think she was a mom when she came in. She pointed out the gray hairs on the top of her head. I point out the gray hairs in my facial hair, ha. She had asked earlier if people went on dates to escape rooms and I answered yes, but let her know why I think it's a bad idea by giving her an example. I did that after asking if it's okay to sit next to her to show. She didn't know how escape rooms worked since she never did one and I gave her a brief rundown of what she and I would do if we were on the same team. She pointed out how she's excited for the girls to play (some had been to our establishment before) and that she was going to just chill in the lobby. I asked if she'd like to at least see the beginning part with the rules and explanations and she agreed. I double checked to see if any other rooms weren't active and some weren't. So I offered to show her those and she was excited. As we started walking back to the rooms, the girls followed, ha. Showed them Lost City first (some of the girls played that) and then Star Trek. Then we walked back out to the lobby as they still needed to wait. When it was finally time to walk them back, she came with us as originally agreed upon. Took them to The C0D3 and did the whole spiel for them and walked out with her. Said a few things walking back like if she's going to go out and come back to come back in 45-50 minutes rather than the full 60 as they could be out sooner, but she said she was going to just stay in the lobby. She sat down and I offered her a drink on the house, but she declined.
I kept asking Agent Ocean for help while she was there (offering a drink was his idea). I didn't neglect my normal duties as other teams were around. It wasn't the busiest Saturday. I would check on Dice every now and then as she was just sitting by herself and checking her phone. At one point she asked how they were doing and how much time was left. I then brought out the laptop that we normally give to people that reserve the party room. I sat next to her on the couch as I prepared it. Once it was ready, more customers started to come in and we both looked up. I suggested she sit in the party room, which I call the VIP room. So we went in there, she chose her seat, and I set up the laptop on the table. I pointed things out to explain what she was saying and hearing and she was thrilled to watch. I left her alone as more teams were coming and out. I was able to rejoin her when her daughter's team had about 10 minutes left. Gave her a bottle of water. She said how she enjoyed watching them and wished she knew this was an option. I explained how it's normally for the parties, but we sometimes make exceptions if it's not too busy. I also mentioned that I didn't bring it up earlier because I thought she said she was going to do work, which she didn't end up doing. I had one of our iPads on me so I could keep track of their time so I showed her a few things like how we keep track or how we can add time to which I added a minute to show. Of course I said not to mention the behind the scenes stuff to others to which she understood and thanked me for sharing some secrets. I pointed out what the girls were doing as they were close to the end. I mentioned the checks and wondered if they had ever seen a check before. She replied that they probably haven't. Don't know if they even teach that in school these days. She said that she did in 6th grade. I sat across from her at this point. We had learned we were 3 years apart (she's younger) so I found it hard to believe she was taught about checks in school when I wasn't since we were the same generation. She wasn't sure if it was 6th or 8th grade, but I would have been more inclined to believe her if it was 8th. And then I felt her graze my leg with her foot. She didn't apologize and she didn't retract. We kept saying stuff and then the laptop died. Forgot to plug it in, but I also thought it was fully charged. They were about to get out so I was going to go get them. The lobby started to fill up so I suggested she stay in the VIP room if she didn't want to be bothered.
I went back to get the girls who had just won. Said my normal things and led them out to the lobby. Dice came from the VIP room to join them. The girls were excited to tell her they escaped and that it was fun. Dice mentioned how she was watching them for a bit. The girls got ready for their team photo. I think Dice took a photo on her phone as well. I got the wristbands for their victory and grabbed a business card that Agent Ocean said to prepare for her. As I handed them their wristbands, Dice thanked me for everything and gave a gentle rub to my bicep. I then opened the door for them to leave and said to Dice "I'm going to be brave and give you this. Do whatever you want with it." That's when I handed her the business card with my name and number on it. She giggled and thanked me again.
I was hoping by the time I got home, I'd see a text message from her waiting for me. I did not. Unfortunately, she never contacted me. Oh well. I gave it a good go and treated her well. Maybe something will happen the next time she brings her daughter and friends to play or if she decides to play herself. If the story isn't over, you know I'll report back on it.
- Spring Break was busy (03.13-03.14). Our weekdays filled up quite a bit too. The weekdays I worked were probably the most I had ever hosted and resetted. Thing is, I felt a flow each day where things went smoothly, fast and efficiently for me. Shout out to the staff keeping things on track for the most part.
And then there was Saturday (03.16). By the end of the night, we had a company record of 55 sessions. The only sessions not booked were the first three Star Treks and half of the last sessions for each room. We actually opened up that extra row of sessions and were surprised how some got booked so quickly. Cheers to Team CARDS for staying later than expected that night. We weren't perfect as some teams started a little late, but there weren't too many major hiccups. The food we ordered did accidentally get sent to Oregon, ha. And our second order...did not come complete. We didn't receive all our fries and some of the orders were poorly made or messed with. It wasn't great, but we got some laughs out of the situation.
But there was one bad review that came from that night (03.17). The person that wrote it was part of a team that wasn't great. The game master was having issues with them not reading the hints that were sent. For this game master to complain, that says something about the team. When I went to escort the team out, one person immediately started to complain. They explained how hints were given 3-5 minutes after they solved a puzzle. I explained that we're always monitoring so we know what you're supposed to do next and wouldn't lead astray or be as delayed. They pointed out a few other things and I would offer explanations, but at some point I needed to bring them out. That may not have been the correct approach the company would have handled things, but I already knew this customer was wrong. Their review pointed out how a bathroom was clogged and smelled bad (they never told us, we found out after they were in their room), the delayed hints (even our worst game master wouldn't be that bad), how I rushed them out and didn't give them the time others get (how would they know how much time we give others after, and I probably gave them more time since they had complaints and I had to explain things). And how did I know they were talking about me? "The older gentlemen with the salt and pepper ponytail" was used to describe me. I did speak my peace to management about this and I'm glad they took my side. I know we can't avoid all bad reviews, but to get only this review out of 55 sessions (where we had tons of positive verbal feedback) hurts.
- It rained heavily (03.21). This was around the time a group of Empty Nesters came by. Agent Ocean and myself were on hand to take care of the group of 21 (4 different teams). They were well behaved, listened closely when we spoke with them, and very friendly. One person asked if I could fill their pitcher with water to which I quickly replied "there's plenty of water outside" and immediately apologized profusely as those around were laughing. Everyone had a good time. We hoped they would leave us some food, but they took it all (darn). That whole event reminded me of times Agent Ocean and I facilitated by ourselves at HER.
- For the first time on a Saturday, I was a Game Master (03.24). The rooms I was taking care of were Mansion Murder and Lost City. It was a mix of really bad and really fun teams. I accidentally pissed off a woman by giving them a few extra hints in Mansion even though most staff members give some specific ones regardless. I heard her say "I paid to play, not be told what to do." Thankfully she eventually calmed down and resumed playing with her family. I did happen to have my worst team ever since working here. It was a group of obnoxious boys that were doing Mansion. They constantly yelled at each other and everything and said some offensive things. They also were messing with some props and probably broke a few of the doors as they were trying to keep some of their group in and out of areas. I had to tell them to stop otherwise I would kick them out, which I had never told a team before at this place. They fortunately or unfortunately skipped a few puzzles because they pushed a door open instead of triggering it. I was okay with getting them out of there regardless.
There were some positive highlights though. One group of girls in Lost City started singing the theme song to Victorious after solving a puzzle, to which I commented something like "good job, Victorious team" making them burst out laughing. And my final team of the night was a walk-in for Mansion. While they skipped puzzles due to an issue with the door, they were fun to listen to and they had a blast. They asked if they could request me the next time. I said sure, but I couldn't guarantee I'd be working when they're there. I even spoke to them briefly after we closed as they were chilling outside. That was a nice way to end the work night.
- We have a new trainee. I met him the day he was interviewed. His first official day was the 26th, but I first worked with him the day after (03.27). He has worked at another escape room previously and worked with Agent Ocean at another one prior. It's interesting to train with someone with past escape room experience. He already knows that some of his struggle is unlearning what he did and to shift things to how we do it. Him and his girlfriend (who also worked at an escape room with him) played 3 rooms throughout the day as part of his training. They were fun to watch and they complimented their strengths and weaknesses well. So far, he's a good one. Very responsive, not a yes person, and is open to criticism. For me, it feels really good training someone else again. It's like I have a renewed purpose.
- Prepared 62 eggs for Easter (03.28). It would have been 64 (and I accidentally posted 66 on IG), but I used the same paper to print test so 2 of the 64 prints were too dark/bold. Took a bit to come up with the final printed message that is put in each egg (thanks Agent Ocean for the design help), but once it was settled, paper cutting and egg stuffing was easy tedious work. Hopefully we'll see some good results come from it.
And those eggs were popular. Many customers were more than willing to do what was instructed because we were giving them prizes. Anyone that followed the instructions in the eggs got a koozie with a discount code inside and either a flashlight or bottle opener. In special cases we gave shirts or even a gift card. It was worth it. Thank you to the customers.
ETC=========================
- TWICE - ONE SPARK (Choreography Video)
- TWICE - Killing Voice
Killing Voice is such a good program. Getting to see artists singing some of their greatest hits and have fun, that's a winning combination.
- Wendy - Wish You Hell (MV)
- Wendy - Wish You Hell (Live Video 1min ver.)
- Wendy - His Car Isn't Yours (official audio)
Wendy's 2nd mini album is obviously great. A different vibe from her first, which was also wonderful. My favorite track is His Car Isn't Yours. I misinterpreted what the song meant at first. When I realized it, I liked it so much more.
- Being sick was rough. I mentioned it last month, the last time I was sick was when I had COVID August of 2022. It was bad. I missed a week of pay since I couldn't go to work. My voice was gone for a couple of days. I lost so much sleep (finally bought some Zzzquil and it has helped), which led to having low energy for many days. Parts of my body either became very itchy or very dry. And I have a lingering cough. I found it odd that all the normal methods I do or the usual medicine I take wasn't really working. The biggest being any medicine to help with sleep because I never felt it kicking in (should have bought that Zzzquil earlier). I really don't know where it came from because I wasn't around anyone that was sick at home or at work. Part of me thinks it was because of a bug bite I had a day or two before it. Or maybe I had been pushing it a bit much and not getting enough time to recharge my batteries.
The one thing I learned when I finally saw the doctor was how much weight I lost. Since I started working again, I have lost 13 pounds. I had noticed that shirts weren't as tight anymore and that I needed to use a belt again for some of my pants. I didn't try a diet or adjust how I was eating, but when I was sick I ate a lot more. And while I still don't eat breakfast, I did start to eat something in the morning. Something from a slice of bread, a cookie, or a tiny snack. I think it's been helping in general as I'm not depriving my body of anything from dinner to lunch (not that I was ever starving, I'd always drink water). I never had a goal for how much weight I wanted to lose, but I'm glad I have been. Seeing a familiar body shape that I was proud of reforming is uplifting (abs are present if I flex), yay.
That's a wrap on March 2024. Thank you for your support. Be cool and be kind.
"Reprise the theme song and roll the credits."
