Life Update 2023 Edition

It has been quite a while, hasn't it?

When I decided to update the appearance of this blog with the idea of occasionally posting again, I hadn't really noticed how long it had actually been since I last updated this. I knew it had been some time, but seeing 2019 as the last time I posted here was pretty eye-opening.

It isn't because I have had nothing to talk about. Quite the opposite really.

See, the idea of a blog was much more appealing several years back before I started really dabbling with YouTube and even livestreaming over on Twitch. I built-up a rather decent tech YouTube channel (that I've since abandoned for a few reasons, but would like to resume soon), started dabbling with gaming content again, and even streamed a bit on Twitch, reaching affiliate status several months ago.

The blog, as a result, fell to the wayside. Is this an actual attempt to bring it back? That's to be determined, but I felt like this was an opportune time to use it. I could put this all into video form if I want (and I still may), but I feel using YouTube would, uh, cheapen the message I'm trying to convey. It probably doesn't, but in my mind, that's what would happen.

I also want to preface this by saying that when I get into current events later on, you know, the main reason I'm actually posting this, I'm not doing so as a plea for help. I'm not asking for help in any capacity. I'm simply expressing the current situation for people who have likely been wondering what's truly going on behind the scenes, as I've been fairly vague about how potentially severe things could possibly get.

The reason I haven't fully detailed things is because it isn't entirely known what is going to happen and I don't like to worst-case-scenario things publicly. A large part of this is because I know there's always someone who has it worse than me, and most of my issues are very much first-world issues. This was reinforced today by seeing two different people with homeless signs near the shopping center by our apartment. It could ALWAYS be worse. Another part is my stubborn mentality that we'll find a way through whatever potentially comes our way.

I just want it to be clearly laid out the intentions behind this post. I know someone will inevitably claim it's a way to ask for help, but I'm not. I am incredibly stubborn in this matter as I don't like asking or receiving help. I was recently gifted a special edition Switch from a friend for helping with content creation that I was reluctant in my acceptance of. It's in my nature, so again, I'm not doing this to ask for help. I'm doing this for transparency for people who I know genuinely care (and to avoid repeatedly explaining the situation repeatedly).

Before that though, let's talk about some other stuff first. I don't post as much on social media as I used to. This is very apparent on Facebook, I site I keep simply because it allows me to keep tabs on long-time friends, classmates, and family. I only have about 90 friends or so on there, so it's a small list compared to some, and I'm okay with that. I maybe post once every 3-4 months, which I know disappoints some who want to see more of Kylie and such, but I'm quite deliberate in what I post where for a reason (which is going to feel awkward when it's pointed out that she's appeared in several streams and YouTube videos). I don't do much on Instagram or Snapchat either, mostly because I don't take a ton of pictures, and the ones I do almost inevitably have something in there I don't want being out in the public (personal info and such).

Even Twitter, I site that I used to post extensively on, has been used less and less of late. Some of this is because of Elon being an absolute snake and taking something that, while not great, was at least moderately functional, and turning it into an even bigger pit of despair than it already was. I absolutely hate what he's done with it and yet it's still the easiest way to find and convey information, although a vast amount of it is fake.

I'm not even going to delve into all the nonsense that the site has encouraged with conspiracy theories, but I'll say this much as a catch-all: I believe women should be able to choose what they do with their bodies and that abortion is healthcare, I believe LGBQTIA+ deserve better and we need stop trying legislate them out of existence just because you don't know what else to be scared of, stop trying to shove religion into schools (while simultaneously complaining about drag shows and trans rights being shoved in your face), stop demeaning teachers, stop trying to white-wash history because poor white people feel bullied, and so on. I could actually go on for a while, but I already feel my blood pressure starting to rise, so I'm going to stop.

Oh, and vaccines are good. Stop with this nonsense. Joe Rogan trying to debate AN ACTUAL FUCKING HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL SHOULD NOT BE A THING.

Anyway, I digress.

Hell, remember when I liked sports? Social media ruined that for me, first with fantasy sports, then later with every single anonymous account attacking players and coaches when something didn't work out, as if they could do better. Everyone is an expert on everything and nuance is dead (this also applies to real-world stuff as people take an all-or-nothing approach to EVERYTHING).

So I lay back and watch things unfold. I pay attention to how people react and then take note if they backtrack or hold firm. I see a lot of tweets, but rarely interact anymore unless it's someone I deem a close friend, and even then, I miss half of them because Twitter has been such a shit-show when it comes to the technical side. I've found myself disappointed, but rarely surprised when I find out someone has been secretly a piece of shit human and it slips out for all to see.

More than anything, I'm tired of the bullying. I'm tired of people telling other people how to live, or how wrong they're doing things. I'm tired of the name-calling when people don't agree on something, and I'm tired of people just being shitty in general just because they don't agree. I don't care if you're conservative or not, but I will decide to remove you from my life if I find you constantly posting antagonizing shit because you think it's funny. I'm not going to try and change you or convince you that you're wrong, but frankly, it's not likely to change things and I'M FUCKING TIRED.

What have I been up to though? Well, about two years ago, I was getting really into Destiny 2, but was tired of doing a bunch of things solo because I didn't have a lot of friends playing the game, and the ones that did were somewhat inconsistent. So in August of 2021, I began searching Twitch in the hopes of finding a community that showed some promise and give me more opportunities to do things like raids, dungeons, and Grandmaster Nightfalls. The first few channels I checked didn't cut it, but then I bounced into Alltimebrianna's stream, and was immediately struck by how engaging she was with her chat, as well as how engaging chat was too. It felt it held potential, so I joined the discord and started watching as many streams as I could.

At first, things didn't really change much, and that was okay. I was still working on figuring out the vibe and where I could fit in with the community. I did get a chance to do both a Pit of Heresy dungeon run with B and another member of her community, Mainpayne, and that experience was solid. I later then got to do Shattered Throne with her and FliptheGiant, and that's going to be important later. Beyond that, I didn't participate a ton, but was always there.

Fast forward a few months, around January 2022, and things started to change. I was invited to do a couple of raids that I hadn't done before, and the vibe was good enough that Flip later would message me about possibly doing my first GM. This is when I officially started running things with what would become known as the Trifecta of Chaos (myself, Flip, and FollowMeImFaded). We vibed immediately and things were never the same for me in this game.

I began getting pulled into more stream-related activities, at first because Flip would bring me along, but later because B would directly ask me. I incorporated myself into what would become a very tight-knit group of people within the community as time went on, and it was still just the beginning.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time gushing about it, but I think this community is one of the best in all of gaming, if not THE best. Sure, it's easy to say that as I get the privilege of spending a lot of time with these goobers on a daily basis, but it is easily one of the best things that's EVER happened to me in gaming, and aside from a few things, in life. I truly can call some of these people some of my best friends now, and I look forward to meeting them all at GCX in August 2023 (right before my two year anniversary conveniently enough).

I'm also privileged enough to be B's video editor for her YouTube channel, something that I need to spend more time focusing on, but as you might have gathered, time isn't always on my side. But it's an opportunity I'm blessed to have been given and I enjoy creating new videos for her channel and I'm excited to see us push forwards towards potential YouTube partnership, as well as partner on Twitch.

This does mean I've put significantly less time towards my own content creation, which I want to be clear I am NOT complaining about. If I had to choose, I'd rather help someone else create content all day and night. The idea of being a full-time video editor is intriguing, but is far too much of a risk right now for me to seriously consider. But if that chance did arise, I'd jump at it. As it stands, I just need to devote a few hours a week to her content and we'd be good. I just have to do it.

Of course, I still have a kid to focus on, and Kylie is a continued source of joy for me. She's now 10 and seeing this awkward mess of limbs pursue karate has been one of the most interesting things I've watched happen. She genuinely loves it though, and it's the one thing aside from video games that seems to have stuck with her. The other major development with her is a rising enjoyment of rollercoasters. She's terrified of heights, yet despite that, has ridden most of the coasters at Cedar Point now. She recently conquered Rougarou and expressed it to be one of her new favorites along with Gatekeeper and the new Wildmouse ride that opened.

The best part? She's now keeping her eyes open going down the first hill, which is a MASSIVE development. She previously would keep them closed until after the first hill, which is when she'd open them. But with this last trip, she kept them open for the entire time on all of the coasters we rode. Proud doesn't begin to sum up how I feel about this kid and I hope she continues to try and do big things, despite growing up in a world that's again becoming increasingly hostile towards women.

As an aside, with the recent news that some parents/grandparents have decided to determine that women with short hair are actually trans men and try and get them inspected at events, I ABSOLUTELY FUCKING DARE ANY OF YOU ASSHOLES TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT HER. Kylie has had shaved sides and shorter hair on top for years now and I dare any of you inconsiderate transphobic assholes to say something. You WILL regret it. I would die for that kid and that's all you need to know the lengths I'd go to defend her.

She also does know karate, so I would absolutely let her unleash her fury upon you and maybe even hold you down. Keep that in mind. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Now, for the difficult stuff.

First, some backstory. When we moved in 10 years ago, we came with two dogs and two cats. This was not a problem and at the time, the cats didn't have to be registered, but the dogs did. They were both registered and compliant with the lease requirements as far as we knew. Granted, 10 years is a long time and it's highly likely that the requirements have changed, but we've never been presented with any indication of that.

As an aside for anyone unfamiliar with my living situation, I share this apartment with Kylie's mom, who is my ex. We get along great as friends and coparent like champs, and it's allowed me to stay close to Kylie for her entire life. As it stands, she is the primary resident on the lease, which is important for later on.

It has not been a pleasant last few weeks however. The apartment complex management has suddenly become a bit more hostile towards its residents and we've come into their focus of late. We recently had a notice on our door, conveniently placed at 3pm on a Friday, indicating it had been brought to management's attention that our apartment wasn't up to their standards and they'd be performing an inspection the following Monday. This left virtually no indication of what the actual problem was, and left us with very little time to prepare. That said, we did what we could and left it up to fate.

They didn't actually get in until Wednesday when no one was home, and we didn't get the results until Friday (a week after the initial notice). This is when we were hit with a bit of a sucker punch. The letter claimed we were in violation of the lease in that we were only allowed to have one dog and if we didn't remove the unauthorized animals immediately, we'd be evicted. Again, this notice was placed late in the day on Friday. It also made note of a "pungent pet odor," which was interesting given we had deep cleaned the carpet in particular, but it was clear they were focused on the number of animals (they noted two dogs and a cat).

Now, Kylie's mom has some pretty severe anxiety, which means she prefers to communicate through email when possible, and her anxiety was through the roof in this situation. We noticed that the "copy" of the lease they presented was just the final page that she signs, and there was no indication there of how many animals were permitted. This was noted in her email to the management. She also asked when the pet policy changed as when we moved in, this wasn't an issue and we moved here specifically because they allowed two dogs and didn't care about the cats.

They have not responded as far as I know, and as of this post, it's been two weeks since they threatened eviction. At this point, we're entirely anticipating it could happen, which has meant formulating plans in case it does. The dogs are the biggest issue in those situation, as most places that rent will only allow one at max, but it does seem like there's at least one option. The less-desirable one, and the one that would be hardest to achieve because of how things are for me right now financially, is me getting a place of my own and taking at least the one dog with me.

Financially, this is a challenge. My credit isn't good because of high credit utilization on my cards (largely due to kidney stone issues I had a couple of years back), which I've been unable to drag down. Combine that with some other stuff that I will not get into too much detail with (car payment and such), it's been a battle. There is a light at the end of the tunnel as I'll be done with one thing I've been paying on in November, which would free up some money, and my car lease being up in February could possibly alleviate some issues, but for the short-term, I don't have a lot of wiggle room. I do have inheritance money from my grandfather coming, but that's on hold as my uncle put my dad's middle initial on the check and the bank wouldn't accept it. I sent it back to him and am awaiting a corrected check.

There are other possible options of course, which I will not lay out here, but the hope was to manage until November and get a little breathing room there. I'm still hoping for that, but the stark reality here is even if they don't actually evict us, it's very unlikely they offer a lease renewal, which would still mean attempting to find a place by November regardless.

Yes, it's stressful, but thankfully, my child and my friends have helped make this far more bearable. Kylie is a natural stress reliever in she's just a good kid, and my friends have offered me a respite from the stress by providing a ton of laughter. In the end, what happens is what happens. I can only control so much, and I recognize that. What I can do is occasionally stream more, as I did just receive a payout from Twitch that caught me by surprise (thanks to those who stayed subbed even though I haven't streamed in over four months). I could put some effort into either YouTube channel and see what happens there.

But for now? I'm going to try and focus down one credit card and try and get that under control. Medical expenses from my kidney stone ordeals did the damage there, but I was also lax in getting it back under control when I had the chance to.

As with life in general, I take things one step at a time and adjust to whatever it throws at me (and us). Again, this isn't for a pity party, but rather just to provide some context and info for anyone wondering why some days I just might not be myself, or even around at all. I know there are people who care and I don't want them to be left wondering what the hell is happening.

Also, this is way longer than I anticipated, but here we are.

It's been quite a while since my last post, and while I can't promise I'll regular post here, I just may start using it again. We shall see.

Has it really been this long?

Hi again.

It's been a long time, hasn't it?

I do believe aside from YouTube spam, it's been nearly 10 months since I last wrote in here.

Some of it is a continuing lack of time. I only have so much time once Kylie goes to sleep to work on anything, and typically I either want to play a game, work on something with my channels, contribute to a tech site, write something, or just look up various things.

More often than not though, by the time Kylie is asleep around 10:30 or 11pm, I'm exhausted. I don't have the energy to do anything too strenuous and I'm creatively tapped out. Then I end up having trouble sleeping, or Kylie wakes up a few times, or the cats run me over, etc, etc.

Really though, it just comes down to not getting enough sleep consistently, working a different schedule at work, and a rambunctious child that isn't always so willing to go to bed, plus the fact that I'm still sharing an apartment with my ex and her oldest. There's always something to clean-up, something to take care, and that takes a toll as well.

That's not what I want to write about though.

See, recently my sister messaged me through Facebook and told me someone I used to know way back when had tried to reach her two years ago looking for me. I got curious and went into messenger and discovered I had 3 different message requests, all from at least two years ago, that I had NEVER seen. I had no idea because at the time, my privacy settings were much more strict than they are now. Facebook just didn't notify me and I had never noticed.

Two were from ex girlfriends that I hadn't spoken to in a long while. The third though was from a girl I had talked to many, many years ago. Hell, I'm not even sure what social media site it was to be honest (I have a guess in my head, but cannot confirm), but it pre-dated Facebook, Twitter, and even Myspace. I remembered chatting with her, but what we talked about escapes me. What I'll never forget is how uniquely her name is spelled. It's really hard to forget a name when it isn't spelled like you'd expect.

What she remembered was enjoying my writing, which makes sense. Years ago, I often bounced from site to site depending on where I could write. I know I used to occasionally write short stories, but much like even now, a lot of my writing was what was going on, things that agitated me, and a whole lot of woe-is-me type of nonsense that I try to avoid these days.

What struck me is how much effort this woman made to try and track me down two years ago. She tried to add me on Facebook (which was impossible at the time), and when that didn't work, she found my sister and tried to reach out to her. Of course, my sister didn't get it until this week, but once she did she let me know, I checked mine, and reached out to this woman.

Much to my surprise, she was excited that I messaged her, which in hindsight really shouldn't have surprised me. One of the things that I remember about her was she was one of the few genuinely nice people that I encountered in social media's infant stage, which is when we originally talked. While there are often still concerns about whether someone's who they say they are, back then it was even harder to pin down whether someone was legitimate or not. This woman seemed too good to be true, but she was always up for a chat.

It's also a reminder that distance isn't what determines friendships. She lives in a different state from me and has experienced some things of her own in the time we haven't talked, but I think that's only going to give us more to talk about in the coming days and months and I'm interested to see what her life has been like and see where it goes.

It kind of ties into what I had for a blog idea earlier about how many early "social media" sites were really just sites that were all about rating one another and so on. I remember a few that existed, "SWYDM (aka So Would You Do Me), "Hot or Not," and the shamelessly titled "RateMyBody," which was EXACTLY how you think it would be like.

Yet SWYDM in particular had a good run where I talked with people and had a lot of fun, even if at its core it was a relatively shallow site. The people I met though made it more than what it was originally meant to be.

Like a lot of things on the internet though, the site evolved and changed, and as it did, it became less appealing for me to hang around on. It eventually changed its name and I eventually stopped going there. I want to say it was after that   when I migrated to Myspace, where I spent a good portion of my time before it became such a waste and Facebook rose to prominence.

Life moved on, things changed, people came and went, and here I am, in December of 2016, still living with my ex, her oldest, and of course little Miss Kylie Brooke.

There's been a small influx of familiar faces of late though; people I used to know years ago finding me on Facebook and chatting it up on occasion. It's been nice to reconnect with some and remember why they were fun.

*Intermission*

I'm currently typing this blog post on my new keyboard, a Logitech G910 (the unboxing is one of the previous posts from this), which is part of why I'm anxious to write more in the future. Typing things up on a laptop keyboard is not fun and this keyboard is a HUGE improvement.

I also want to mention if you like old-school video game type of music (which I just found out is called Chiptune music), an artist by the name of tiasu is incredible. His stuff is on Spotify and if you want to buy individual albums, you can find him on Bandcamp. It's catchy, it's diverse, and I'm digging it so far.

*End Intermission*

I can't promise I'll be posting a lot in the immediate future, much like my YouTube and Twitch channels have been suffering. I do believe things will pick up once my living situation is different and in terms of games, I definitely think things will improve when I finally can put together a beast of a PC and upgrade the rest of my equipment as well.

I just know that there are some out there who really enjoy when I write and it's something I should really be making a better effort at when I have 20 minutes to sit down.

I do have my annual letter to Santa to compose, plus I do occasionally have ideas pop in my head. The key is to remember my Note allows me to write on the screen with the stylus even when the screen is off, which is a great way to jot down ideas.

I also want to record a vlog at least bi-weekly, but that's dependent on things happening in my life worth recording and talking about. They are fun to put together though, so I should try to do more, especially when I have such a fantastically awful story about Walmart and shoes for Kylie to relay.

I'm going to attempt to record that this weekend, but we'll see.

It is the holiday season though, so for the love of all things great, please be nice to each other. I know a lot of us are still trying to wrap our heads around Donald Trump being elected President, but it doesn't make it okay to act like pieces of crap towards each other. Show some love, be kind, and remember that person you're disgusted with is an actual human being and you really aren't any better than them.

I'll catch you guys later.

Maybe.

Let's talk 2016

Let's be really honest.

2015 was not a good year.

Yes, there were good moments (virtually anything involving Kylie and getting a modest raise at work among the highlights), but it was a turbulent year filled with a lot of ups and downs, including the ending of a long relationship that nearly crashed and burned in the process.

I don't want turbulent anymore. I want better.

I want calm.

I know that's a pipe dream. Life in itself isn't calm. Things happen that you have NO control over, and those things can take a calm life and turn it upside down. 

There are things that could happen. Someone could get injured or pass away. My car could break down. There are a litany of unknown things that could happen to completely upset the calm that I look to achieve.

I accept that because that's life. However, I will do my damndest to avoid it happening to me.

I want 2016 to be great. I want it to be successful. I want the best for everyone and things to break my way a few times. I want to better take advantage of whatever opportunities come my way (and believe me, fewer come your way as you get older).

But mostly, I just want the year to be great for Kylie.

I've been stressing this for months now and it continues to hold true. I want happiness for Kylie, whether if she's with me or with her mother. I see far too many parents bicker over what's best for their kid after they've gone their separate ways and that's just not good for the kid.

When she's with me, she's number one. Even if she's not with me during the week, she's still number one. This is something ALL will be expected to understand. If you can't, then get the fudge out and don't let the door hit you.

Seriously though, it's not about what I want. It's about what's best for that child. If it means missing some time with her so she can do something fun with her mom, then there shouldn't be an issue with it. Too many parents are unwilling to swallow their pride and work together to ensure their kid is happy. They want to be in control and determine what happens.

So I want her to have a great year no matter where she's at.

Ultimately, this year needs to be a year when I take a new step forward. One way or another, my life needs to be better when 2016 closes out. 

It means being a better person overall.

No, it does mean the snark is going away. Snarkiness will always be a part of who I am, but picking and choosing when to be snarky needs to improve.

It means putting 100% behind what I'm doing, not 75% and hoping no one notices the slacking I did on the other 25%.

It means branching out and trying new things.

It means fixing what I can fix and not stressing about the things I can't fix.

In my head, there are several things I'd like to be better with and the hope is that putting these ideas into writing will help keep me on track. 

Here are some things I'd like to accomplish in 2016:

• Get back into running and working out on a regular basis.
  
• Be a better coworker
  
• Be a better/more consistent friend
  
• Make the most of the time I get with Kylie
  
• Get back into my YouTube/Twitch hobby and improve with it
  
• Build/buy a new, more powerful PC
  
• Make as many new connections as possible and maintain those connections
  
• Start putting money aside in the hopes of getting a house in the future
  
• Win the lottery
  
• Take care of everyone close to me after winning the lottery
  
• Fix my damn teeth
  
• Enjoy where life takes me

I know the chances of winning the lottery are insanely slim, but I have so many ideas of what I'd do if I did win it's not funny. I'd obviously take care of those closest to me, but I'd also build a house, buy a new car (or two), set up the gaming/recording room of my dreams, do the YouTube/Twitch thing full-time, take Kylie to a bunch of places, and just live life freely.

No, it's not going to happen, but I can dream, right?

Most everything else though can be achieved with a little hard work and dedication, and that's something I'm capable of doing when I'm not being a complete lazy butt.

Seriously though, I want this year to be great.

You'll note I didn't include anything about dating in this. While I believe the possibility of dating is there, it's not something I'm expecting as I will be spending almost half the year nearly completely focused on work and Kylie, so time will not be on my side for most anything else that isn't necessary.

While it would be nice to be with someone who supports me and all that fun stuff, it's not something that's required for me to be happy. It would just be a nice bonus if it were to happen. I'm not going to be the type that requires a relationship to be happy with myself. If it happens, it's because that person adds that much more to my life.

There's some excitement, but also uncertainty with this year. I don't know where I'm going to be come July, but I will be somewhere in the general area. I do know my weekends will be strictly Kylie time, and even some of my time during the week.

The idea is to make the most of the year. You're either along for the ride, or you're not part of it at all.

Here's to a great 2016 for not just myself, but for everyone.

We can all do better.

Kracker's Guide to Minecraft :: Redstone Bloopers ::

Davey Unboxes :: EP01 :: XFX Warpad Mouse Pad ::

YouTubing isn't easy

A little over 3 years ago, I decided that I wanted to record myself playing Minecraft and other games. I had seen others do it, thought it would be a fun little hobby, and felt I could do the same. I didn't know what FPS was, how to edit anything, or really anything about the process.

I had very little knowledge of what I would need to do to get started with recording game footage. From afar, I initially had the impression that you had either a card or software on your computer that recorded what you did and you just could drop it on YouTube without even breaking a sweat.

Of course, I learned quickly that isn't the case. Thankfully, PaulsoaresJr, the man who inspired me to get started with all this (and got me into Minecraft), explained the process he went through regularly to his viewers, even going so far as to record the process he goes through to record and edit hit footage.

Edit.

I had no idea how much work some of the bigger (and frankly better) YouTubers were putting into their videos. It wasn't so simple as record and upload. No, most of them recorded hours of footage, whittled it down into manageable chunks, added whatever touches they felt were needed, rendered out the footage, compressed the footage, created thumbnails, created descriptions, and THEN uploaded the footage to YouTube.

It turned out to be an intensely time-consuming process, one that I hadn't completely thought through.

Of course, there was a bigger issue in regards to getting going with the idea of recording my gameplay: I didn't have a computer to record with.  I hit Ebay, scouring the site for a laptop that I thought could handle the load and eventually settled on bidding on an HP Compaq Presario with Nvidia graphics. It seemed like it would work, but I wasn't completely sure as I didn't really do the research necessary ahead of time.

I won the bid, paid for the laptop, and upon receiving it, installed Minecraft and FRAPS, a recording software, on it. I booted everything up and learned very quickly I had NO clue what I had gotten myself into.

My game didn't run well without FRAPS, but really took a beating once the recording software started. This of course was because I was using an older laptop that had didn't have a very good video card in it. It simply wasn't going to be able to run the game at high settings and record.

Luckily, I learned of a mod called Optifine that allowed me to get the most out of the game while recording with a fairly steady framerate. I wasn't getting anything remarkable, but I could get it in the 20-25 FPS (frames per second) for the most part, which was acceptable.

I didn't have a mic, and much like the laptop, didn't invest much into it as I bought a super cheap $10 headset thinking that would be adequate.

Like with the laptop, I was dreadfully wrong. The audio was horrible, often providing tremendous feedback and buzzing while I was recording, making it hard to hear.

That didn't deter me though, and I made the most of my experience while I played and recorded. I started off using Windows Movie Maker as my editor, which helped me learn the basics of editing. Of course, I wasn't very good at it and I was limited in what I could do, but I was doing my best and occasionally, people would comment with advice.

Eventually, I realized I was going to have to upgrade my equipment and software if my channel was ever going to get noticed. Sure, I could promote myself and get people to watch, but the truth was, most weren't going to put up with poor frame rates and bad audio. Top it off with lackluster editing, and you don't have much that's appealing.

The first thing I did was get a new mic. I purchased an Audio Technica ATR2500 USB mic that improved things substantially once I figured out how to set it up correctly. Of course, it didn't improve things all the way as a downside to using laptops to record is the loud fan that most have. That aside, my audio was better, which at least made the videos somewhat tolerable.

I then went ahead and purchased Sony Movie Studio 11, which allowed me greater freedom with editing, even if I had to learn a whole lot of new things that Movie Maker didn't explain. I had access to better titles, transitions, and effects, and I sought to use them even though it wasn't necessary. I learned that a fancier editor meant longer render times, and also required me to get a compressor since the files were pretty big.  I also had to remember to disable the resampling that Movie Studio did automatically, causing a motion blur effect.

About a year and a half ago, the next major upgrade took place, a move that greatly enhanced what I could do with my channel.

I bought a better laptop, one that was much better at handling more games, better recording software (I now use Dxtory because it allows me to split game audio from my commentary), and more powerful editing software.

My HP Envy won't blow anyone away, but if you watch videos prior to March of 2014 (excluding the first MesaBuilt episodes), then watch videos afterwards, you can tell the difference the laptop has made. I've even been able to record certain games at 60FPS (30FPS has been the standard for years now), although that takes longer to render out.

I was gifted Adobe Premiere Pro from a close friend, which was vastly different, yet similar to editing in Movie Studio. I also have learned to get a bit better with Photoshop, thus improving my thumbnails. I've learned how to edit videos better, not overdo things, and improve the commentary (now with an Audio Technica AT2020USB+ mic).

Yet my videos could still be better.

One day, I'll have a powerful desktop PC. I'll be able to record at minimum 1080p 60FPS without a loud laptop fan causing me to have to do a ton of audio editing. I'll have the ability to record and stream any game I want, only limited by time, not resources.

But right now, I can't complain too much. I can stream if I want (daveycracker80 on Twitch) and can record most games comfortably. I've upgraded my hard drive, added external storage, added a full HD web cam, and have improved as an editor.

But I'm always learning, always trying to figure out new and better ways to do things.

3 years ago, FPS didn't mean much to me. I had no idea how to put transitions into a video, how to find a good balance between voice audio and background music, how to make a thumbnail (or how to use Photoshop for that matter), what to talk about in my videos, or how to get my videos out to the masses.

While my channel hasn't grown much, I feel I have grown a lot as a gamer, as a video editor, and have a pretty good understanding of what I would have to do differently if there's a next time.

Will there be a next time? It depends. If I end up being in position to buy/build a more powerful PC, I will relaunch my YouTube channel. I would keep the old channel up (maybe use it strictly for Vlogs?) to preserve the older videos, but I wouldn't be bringing much older content over with me (with the exception of any series that are in process at the time of switching over). The art would likely stay similar to how it is now, but maybe with a refreshed look and new ideas on what games I'd record and how I carry myself on the channel.

This is likely at least a year or so away, as I don't anticipate having the money for a new PC anytime soon (there are FAR more pressing things to worry about short-term), but it's something that I'll be keeping in the back of my mind for the future.

My stream would likely only receive a matching refresh of art (which is in flux anyway since I keep changing my mind on how I want things to look) as I'm satisfied with how I've started with streaming, even if it's super infrequent (and not likely to resume until after I move in the future). 

I doubt I'll ever be much of a big name on YouTube, and that's fine with me. I don't do it for accolades or to get a ton of viewers. I do it because it's fun to think that someone, somewhere might watch me play a game, and possibly enjoy it. I don't care if I become a big name or not, because frankly the odds aren't good. Too many people are trying to do it and be the next big name, so it's hard to get your voice heard.

For now, I'm going to enjoy the process when I get a chance to do it. Recording games is fun, editing can be fun, and I enjoy when I do get feedback on my videos.

Maybe some day I'll be in position to do unboxing videos, give things away, and be sponsored by a company or two, but if not, I'll make the most of the views I do get and try to have as much fun as I can.

3 years ago I started on a journey into YouTube that I don't regret. I went from knowing virtually nothing to at least being competent with this hobby that I picked up. I've learned a lot from the process and hope to continue to grow as a content creator in the future.

Thanks for reading and if you've watched any of my content, thanks for the view!

Channel Update :: October 2015 :: Pray for Brodie/State of Flux ::

The Ups and Downs of Social Media :: Part 3 :: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Previous entries in this series:  Part 1  Part 2

The rise of social media, Twitter and Facebook in particular, entered us into a period of unprecedented access, not just to every day Joe, but movie stars, musicians, sports athletes and more.

Unlike Myspace, in which a large collection of friends meant little, a large following on Twitter actually carries some weight. Having tens of thousands of followers meant every tweet was being seen by an extraordinarily large number of people, especially if you were commenting on a subject of issue.

Interactions between various levels of celebrities and non-celebrities became more common-place, which allowed people to see their favorite personality as more of an every day normal person, rather than whatever they actually were. Many celebrities embraced the interaction with their fans and have used social media to connect better with their fans.

It can be a wonderful thing.

Imagine you tweet out to your favorite sports athlete and they actually respond. It seems like such a small thing, but you can sit and tell your friends that your favorite player, even if it were only one tweet, responded to you.

In the gaming forum, developers, publishers, and so on have embraced social media as a way to promote their game by communicating directly to the people who would be most interested in buying their game. Meanwhile, gamers can express their concerns about a game/product/or service with the responsible party and actually get a resolution relatively fast in some cases.

In my own experience, Twitter has immensely helped in resolving issues ranging from my cell phone service (T-Mobile's help account is very useful), my tv/internet service (Time Warner's hit or miss, but they typically at least try), to shipping issues. More often than not, when I've had a problem, someone's responded to at least check into the issue.

The previous types of interaction are part of the "good" side of social media. The interactions with other people can be tremendous. I've definitely enjoyed a majority of the sports aspect of Twitter, as the Cleveland fanbases are pretty solid when it comes to tweeting, even if they get a bit irrational at times. Some of my favorite accounts are those that specifically tweet only about sports.

I've had any number of people tweet at me with suggestions when I've been stumped by something, or just mention that I'm struggling with something. There are a lot of awesome people out there who just want to help, even if they're dealing with their own issues.

Unfortunately, it's not all sunshine and roses. With the good, there often comes the bad, and in this day and age of your voice potentially reaching thousands, if not more, there are many who take pleasure in trying to tear others down.

The bad side of social media is that there are some who are always miserable and will try to rain on your parade. They don't see the good in any situation and simply exist to remind you that not everyone thinks rationally.

For instance, they tend to come out when their sports team is losing. Optimism is replaced with doom and gloom and all the players and coaches need to be fired.  They moan about the quality of the team they're watching and think anyone who sees the good is an idiot.  They will go so far as to tweet directly at players and badmouth the performance they just watched.

Of course, the gaming community isn't immune to it. Your choice of game, console, or graphical design can become the basis of an attack. On YouTube, people will comment that your video was trash or that you should just stop making videos. If you stream, especially if you're female, you will eventually get inflammatory comments directed your way.

Most people are just being nuisances though and are relatively harmless. They say their obnoxious things and move along. I've even had someone on Twitter demand an apology because I disputed something that he said. I laughed, said no, and never heard from him again.

Unfortunately, there are certain individuals who take "trolling" to a different level. They don't just stop at name-calling, but take it much further. They wish injury, or worse, death on a person because of a disagreement or something else that's trivial. They harass you until you are forced to stop going on your account.

These types of individuals represent the ugly of social media. They are the people who use it simply to spread their hate messages and can be absolutely vicious.

I used to follow someone who had to put their dog down, and one notorious troll essentially called them stupid for caring about an animal so much. Some will tell a sports athlete to go die just because they played poorly.  They don't just say nasty things, but come across as absolutely meaning the words they say.

They are the type that take it personal when you decide that you like something that a company did just because they have unwarranted hate towards that company. This is especially true when it comes to "console wars," where people pledge allegiance to the gaming console of their choice (or PC if they are in the "PC Master Race"). If you like Nintendo and they don't, they attack you just because you didn't choose a PS4. It's insane, it's unnecessary, and I keep hoping for it to stop.

Don't even get me started on the gamergate crowd.

They are relentless and if you block them, they will make a new name and continue the harassment. They are the worst of the worst and have no interest in actually engaging in a healthy debate. They make observations and opinions without actually gathering any facts, but who needs facts!

In the end, social media allows us to interact in ways that we never could before.

The question is, how are you using social media?

When playing games becomes a job

I was going to continue with my social media conversation today, but I've decided to pursue a different topic based upon what my streaming friend Jon decided to do with his stream recently.

Live-streaming and recording game play has become an increasingly popular thing for gamers to do. The most successful people have managed to make the practice of sharing their gaming experiences a full-time, and lucrative, job, but it's a relatively small segment of the population that's been that successful.

For the rest, it's a struggle to find a foothold, even if you manage to become partnered and make a little bit of money. Some are trying to make it a full-time job, others, such as myself, do it strictly as a hobby. Many though have unrealistic expectations of what's going to happen and fail to understand how much work it takes to grow a successful gaming channel.

I wanted to talk about this because Jon recently made a decision to make the chat in his stream subscriber-only, meaning those who aren't subscribed to his stream can watch, but they can't actively participate in the chat. It wasn't an easy decision for him to make, but he laid out his decision in a VOD (video on demand) on his Twitch profile that was well-thought out and helped me understand why he was making his decision.

It's easy for me to be okay with it though. I've been subscribed to his stream since he was partnered last summer and will stay subscribed as long as he continues to stay active with it.  Yet I can understand why those who were unable (or unwilling) to subscribe might find this upsetting; Jon's chat is one of my favorite parts of the stream. I've known many of the active members since I started watching him 2 years ago and they've been a tremendous help anytime I've had a computer-related question or issue.

However, it may hurt his audience in the short-term as people are turned off by the notion of not being able to chat unless being subbed. His decision is sound though.

I won't get into too much detail about why he made the decision, but he essentially has a one year time frame to grow the channel or he may have to walk away. For more details, you're going to want to watch this as he lays it out clearly and even gets a little emotional about 30 minutes in, which was very touching and clearly was touching towards the people watching him live.

This post isn't just about that kind of decision. I fully support any streamer that makes a decision that they think is best for their channel. As Jon said, you can still watch the stream at high quality for free, you just can't chat unless you sub. I know other streamers have either made their chat sub-only permanently or have select sub-only streams.

No, this post is about how difficult it really is to operate a stream or gaming channel and grow. A good portion of people who watch have no clue how much work goes into it, how much money these people are investing in this. Some have put thousands of dollars of their own money into PC/recording/editing equipment in exchange for only getting a few hundred follows (or subscribers on YouTube).

The first problem is there are a TON of people trying to record and stream right now. The idea of putting your gameplay up on the internet caught on a few years ago and has exploded recently as the tools to do so have become relatively affordable. Most anyone with a decent PC can download recording software for under $50, a microphone for under $100, and OBS (streaming software) for free and get up and running with YouTube and/or Twitch (or any other streaming service that's available). 

Many see the bigger names apparently raking in the money and think that they can do the same. They start streaming/uploading their games and wait for the views/follows/likes/subs to start rolling in. When the success isn't instantaneous, many just stop out of the blue and cease video production. They learn it isn't as simple as recording or streaming some gameplay, that there's actual work involved.

Yes, it takes work to put out high quality videos and streams. You have to have a machine capable of maintaining a good frame rate while recording/streaming, good internet for uploading your content, and some artistic ability to create overlays and such. For YouTube, you need to be able to at the very least do basic editing and be able to create decent thumbnails. For Twitch, the overlay is more important. It also helps to have a web cam, a "bot" to handle advance chat options, and a good set of moderators once you become more popular.

It's a lot of work and it's very time consuming for most, which often leads to people becoming burned out when the growth isn't as fast as they would have hoped.

Let's be honest. If you put hundreds of hours of work into your channel and you weren't seeing any growth, you'd probably become frustrated and wonder why you should even bother to continue going forward.  For me, this isn't really an issue. I'm not doing this full-time and have no plans or aspirations of doing it full-time. It's strictly a hobby and nothing else.

But for people like Jon who are trying to make it work full-time, lack of growth can become increasingly frustrating as time goes on. You start to wonder why you're even bothering and the pressure to do better makes the games themselves less fun.

I've seen it with Jon. He doesn't appear to be having as much fun as he did a year ago. The pressure of trying to get his channel to grow has been wearing on him for a while and once you get in a funk, it becomes very difficult to break out of it if things don't turn around quickly. I'll give Jon credit for fighting through it, but it's not easy to do and he seems to be hard on himself, which isn't a bad quality at all.

Most people don't think about playing games as being stressful, they don't think it can burn you out, but in reality, if it's what you're doing to try and earn a living, it becomes a job, and jobs can become stressful no matter how "fun" they might be.

Imagine you HAVE to stream or upload videos 4-5 days a week, every week, and if you don't, you lose your audience. Imagine if you miss a couple of days, people stop watching your content and never come back. Imagine if your audience wants you to play certain games in order to stick around.

It can become pretty stressful very quickly, and that's without the rude viewers who show up simply to harass you until you finally ban them, only to have them sign up under new names and continue the assault. Imagine if people are telling you awful things about your content, or worse, you and/or people you know.

Now, it's not necessarily going to be always be that bad, but it could happen and I've seen a few people give up YouTube/streaming because they couldn't handle the noise. I've seen people burn out because the pressure of keeping up daily content became too much for them to handle, or they actually got sick of playing games and trying to keep them interesting.

I myself, even only doing YouTube on occasion and just starting up with streaming, have grown tired at times of it. I burned out on Minecraft a while back and have struggled to consistently get back into it even with new updates pushing across recently.

My reasons are more due to having a 40 hour work schedule and a two year old I'm often chasing when I'm off work. It leaves me a small window at night to do my recordings/streams, and often I'm just tired and don't have the energy to make content, which sounds absurd since it's not the most strenuous thing in the world.

But trust me, it isn't that easy. You have to be into the game you're playing, be up to recording/streaming it, and if you record it, you have to have the motivation to sit and edit the footage into something interesting. If you're like me, you also have to go through and do noise removal because you have a noisy PC fan, which adds to the process. Then you have to wait for the render to finish up, compress it (if the file is big), and upload it with a description and thumbnail ready-made.

It's time-consuming, and when you don't have a lot of time, it can make you feel a little pressure to go a little faster, which sometimes leads to mistakes.

It's why I am constantly telling people who have no kids and can afford to work on videos full-time to appreciate it and enjoy it as much as you can. That time isn't always there forever and before you know it, you're trying to do as much work in a smaller window of opportunity, which can deter you as well.

I know I've made it sound like a chore, but it's still something that I enjoy doing. I don't have the same time as others, and I certainly don't have the same resources, but I make the most of what I have and when I do record/stream, I try to enjoy it as much as possible.

For example, my third stream was me playing "Goat Simulator." I didn't have many viewers (in fact, I don't think it went above 3 at any point and virtually no one chatted with me), but I enjoyed the hell out of the game regardless and if anyone did watch, they got to see me run around with an NPC glitching into my goat most of the time.  I eventually gave the character the name of Jerry and turned it into a game of "what can we do with Jerry next."

My next stream was "Borderlands," which garnered me a few more views (as high as 10), and a new follower and again I enjoyed it despite not garnering a lot of attention.

But it can be frustrating for those who want to see their channel and brand grow and make something of it.

Live streaming and recording your gameplay has become a very popular thing to do over the last couple of years. While some have become successful, many struggle to retain viewers. Here's to hoping if you're considering jumping in you keep your expectations reasonable.

Minecraft Island Survival Hardcore! :: EP05 :: Diamonds! ::

Davey Fails at :: Ori and the Blind Forest :: EP09 :: Valley of the Wind ::

Vlog #09 - New Hardware/Channel Art

As part of a test, here is my most recent Vlog on my channel:

If this works out well, I'll be posting future videos in this blog to see if it helps out.

Moving Forward

Now that I've covered life changes in the previous entry, perhaps we can get back to blogging as normal.

I've typically reserved this blog to talk about sports because, well, I like sports. I like them a lot. They're much more fun when the teams I root for are good, but sometimes more entertaining when they're not.

For instance, after LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team was a train wreck, but it sometimes amusing to see how poorly they'd play. Kyrie Irving made things more interesting, but the team was still bad. It became more interesting when Dion Waiters joined the team, but all in all, this team was pretty awful for the most part. Last season was perhaps once of the weirdest seasons in recent memory, drawing some entertaining commentary from social media.

Well, James is back, the team started slowly but has become a powerhouse again, and they are generally fun to watch just because when the team is clicking, they are almost unbeatable.

I also follow the Indians and the Browns, but I tend not to talk as much about them for a few reasons. With the Indians, it's such a long season and there are so many who get much more in-depth with their discussions that it never seems like I should really try to discuss them much. Baseball is probably my favorite sport to attend live, but I don't get too excited writing about it.

The Browns have just been a trainwreck since 1999, so it's been really challenging to find motivation to discuss them. Look at this past season. The team was 7-4 and looked to be on the cusp of something big, yet fell completely apart and resumed being a laughingstock again. I won't even get into all the disasters that befell this franchise, but needless to say, most of it was ugly.

Blogging used to be my way of blowing off steam, my way of dealing with the issues that I had to deal with over the course of a day, week, month, and so on. I've gotten away from that in a lot of manners, but part of me feels I need to occasionally get back into that groove. It was a great way to vent and get things off my chest.

I also have my gaming hobby that I could occasionally discuss, but I've been reluctant to bring them up simply because I'm far too casual of a gamer to feel justified in writing about anything about them. It's another situation where I feel many more people write and talk about games far more competently than I ever could, even though my knowledge of games, consoles, and PC hardware/software has grown tremendously.

So chances are pretty good that 60-75% of the content in here will still be about sports, but I'm going to try and sprinkle more random things in here. I may even occasionally put short entries detailing things that the kids of said/done since it can be pretty wild and entertaining at times.

One of the problems I am trying to tell myself to overcome is the need to write longer entries to justify the act of writing. I've never been big on putting short, concise posts up, but I think I'm getting to the point where I think putting something short and sweet up a few times a week is far better than refusing to write unless it turns into a 34 paragraph essay filled with intense and deep thoughts.

I've also considered when I do Vlogs, putting a post up with a link to that Vlog so people can check it out (especially if I'm able to embed it into the entry itself).

I feel there's so much more I can do to express myself, whether it's via blog or my channel on YouTube, but like I mentioned in my last entry, so much of it comes down to time. It's why I haven't really gone crazy promoting my channel.

It's time consuming and I just don't have the time or energy to do it on a consistent basis. Is it hurting the growth of my channel? Absolutely, just like not feeling I can commit to doing collaborations with other YouTubers is hurting the growth as well. The best I can hope for is to post the video links in here, push the videos on the sites that I do utilize, and see what happens.

In the end, I'm opinionated, but I've been keeping my opinions to myself more often than not lately.

It might be time to change that.

Anyway, thanks for being patient with me as I try to decide what's going to happen here, with my channel, and if I decide to build a web site for my "Kracker Gaming" brand.

Life Changes

It's really hard to maintain a lot of different hobbies as you get older.

Sure, when you're young, you have time to write a blog, post videos to YouTube, go out with friends, play sports, play video games, and sleep in until 2pm when you have no school/work.

Then you get older and life starts to feel like it's compressing on you. Responsibilities grow as you do. Your body, which used to be able to function just fine on 4 hours of sleep, now needs twice that to function. Those days of getting hammered and then being productive the next day? The dwindle, as does the amount of alcohol you can consume before it leaves you immobile the next day.

This is without a loved one and/or family. Now throw the additional responsibilities of having a family to maintain into the fray.

It becomes a bit much.

But it's so rewarding. So much more so than the nights of partying and friends who turn on you the moment you aren't "available" to be their taxi service anymore.

Now, I'm not saying I know anyone who's like that, because I don't. My friends have been relatively accepting of the fact that I've moved further away and don't go out really anymore. Life is full of changes and many of them have experienced their own that have completely reshaped who they are.

No, what I'm saying is as you get older, the things that are important to you change. Going out, getting hammered, and living care-free become less and less important. Getting to work on time, making sure your bills are paid, and doing honest work become much more important.

I can honestly sit here and tell you that sitting down with my almost 2 year-old little girl and playing is FAR more entertaining then getting drunk. It's far more fun than just about anything that you could possibly do. It's highly rewarding, and seeing her laugh and smile is one of the greatest gifts this life can give me.

Now, I still enjoy my video games, my sports, and taking time to relax, but quite frankly, life isn't really trying to allow me to relax. The responsibilities I have now are far greater than when I was 24. I have an apartment to pay for, utilities to take care of, people to feed, animals to take care of, and any other number of things that require my attention.

I have maybe a couple hours a day after the kids go to bed to just decompress, and that's if there's nothing else that NEEDS to be done.

But there's always something that needs to be done.

Kids really do change things in life though. You no longer can just get up and go somewhere just because you want to. You have to have someone who can watch your child, or that child is going with you. You can't just go out, get obliterated, and pass out. No, you have a child to take care of now. Life dictates that you be able to function in case something happens.

And something will happen.

Kids are mobile accidents just waiting to happen. They trip over things, they fall over nothing, they run into anything that's in their zig-zagging path. They are the equivalent of an adult who's drunk. Until they get older, you don't know what in the hell they're saying to you, and that's without them crying like crazy over some random thing that you have to figure out.

They need constant attention, and if you don't pay attention to them by choice, eventually at some point they'll give you a reason to pay attention.

They cry, they poop, they eat random things they find, and they find the most random things funny.

I love it.

I've always had kids of some sort around me from the moment my sister began popping them out several years ago, to a couple of different relationships where the woman had kids. Even this one I'm in now, I was introduced to a child just under 2 at the time who's now 5 and has the mouth of a 15 year-old (in other words, not good!).

But when it's your own actual kid?

It's different, even if you don't mean for it to be. This is something you helped create, something that is drawing inspiration from you and has many of your traits. For better and worse, it's going to take after you.

And Kylie sure does.

She's small, she's feisty, she eats everything in sight, and she runs like she was shot out of a cannon. She can drive me crazy, much like her sister, but when she needs me, also like her sister, it's the most rewarding feeling to know that they are turning to you to make them feel better.

Kylie and her sister have consumed many, many hours of my life over the last couple of years. It has drained me at times to the point that I've almost severely neglected my YouTube Channel. I haven't played basketball in months.

But I've had the time of my life.

I'm writing this because I love writing and hate that I don't have the time I'd like. By the time the kids go to bed at around 9pm, I have to decide if I'm going to play a game, work on other computer stuff, clean up some part of the apartment, or veg out and watch tv or a movie.

Often, writing isn't even on my mind.

Quite frankly, I could see my writing transitioning into Vlogs in the future, as I do enjoy doing those, but still have to find my comfort with chatting to myself about things that are on my mind.  I enjoy the aspect of recording myself either playing video games or myself alone talking about random things and putting them up for people to watch.  It's an oddly satisfying experience that I don't think I'd ever completely give up, but it's not something that I feel driven to do everyday.

I simply don't have the energy to. Nor do I have the time to go through the process of editing a ton of footage. It's why I tell people who don't have spouses or kids to make the most of their time however they see fit. That free time slowly disappears until you realize you have very little.

Again, I'm not complaining. I wouldn't trade the way things are for anything. It's more of an explanation as to why I don't write much and what happens to the average person as they get older.

Enjoy the time, but more importantly, enjoy the things that matter most to you, no matter what those things may be.

What's ahead

As we approach the new year, that's usually a good time to evaluate life situations and projects that are going on.

For me, it's pretty simple.  We have a child on the way, so much of my energy is going to go towards preparing for that child and the challenge that it will bring.  In terms of my online activities, it'll still be simple.

This blog will remain largely unchanged.  I've used it mostly to provide picks for the NFL season (and will continue to do so until the season ends), but occasionally I've sprinkled in other topics as well.  I have a few ideas floating around in my head that I want to write about, but haven't exactly found a good way to convey those various ideas.

Yes, one of them involves the shooting of elementary kids.

I've tried to think of ways to present my ideas, whether it be in this blog or whether it be something I've put up via my YouTube channel, which has been a small endeavor to this point.  Most of the content revolves around Payton, our animals, and my gameplay videos of Minecraft, which has become a favorite hobby of mine.

Yes, I have a channel on YouTube.  I don't upload a ton, but I have a decent number of videos up for viewing.  The gameplay stuff is still in its infancy, but I've enjoyed it thus far and hope to expand the scope of it to include my console games, not just PC.  That said, the tool required to record console gaming isn't terribly expensive, but isn't a priority right now, as is purchasing a better microphone.

As of right now, I don't have any intention of doing a Christmas list like I've done in years past.  Simply put, I don't know that I can come up with anything more elaborate than the things I've posted over the last several years and don't want to cheapen the entry by trying to get too cute with it.  That thought could change of course, but seeing as it's the 21st, I don't see myself creating time before Christmas.  The same could be said about my New Year's Resolution post that I typically do.

In short, the first few months of the new year are going to be hectic and filled with a lot of tasks as we prepare to bring a new life into this world.  There are things to plan for, things to buy, and I don't want to spend a ton of time on wasted energy and projects.  It's partially why I've kept my gaming time to a minimum.  I'm not 18 anymore.

In the meantime, thank goodness the world hasn't ended like so many were worried it was going to, so I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.