Final Post - A Year in Review

 

Hello all,

The time has come for my tenth and final post for this assignment. I decided to reflect on my time as a first year student here at my university. I have definitely changed considerable since starting. From changing my major a thousand times to trying out a bunch of different clubs to find where I belong.

The hardest thing for me was concentrating all my interests into a single area and time management. I have so many interests which is why it's been hard to settle on a major. I mean how am I supposed to decide what I want to do for the rest of my life as an 18/19 year old?

I've stated this once and I'll state it again it's okay to change! I once read a quote somewhere that your life isn't really yours if you worry about what other people think of you. College is when you find yourself and really transition from being a teenager to an adult.

Also, don't punish yourself for mental health setbacks. I personally avoided opportunities because of the mental health issues I've faced this year. My grandma passed away in October 2022 which really sent me over the edge. I didn't do as well on exams because of the depression and I choose not to punish myself for that.

Even this semester has been a battle with my mental health. My advice for everyone is be easy on yourself and do the best you can.

My first year has been a time for feeling a sense of how things are and work. Some people come in with everything figured out and that's great. Other people have no idea what they are doing but as long as you make an effort to discover yourself and what fits you it's just as good. There isn't a single correct approach to college or life. Everything will sort itself out. I believe in you.

Signing out for the last time,

Teddy

   

April 2023 Favorites - Shows

 

Hello all,

April is almost over. Honestly time has flown by. I am still mentally in January. I will be recapping some of my favorite shows, books, movies and games that I have enjoyed so far in March and April. This will be my post simply talking about shows I’ve watched.

Shows

The Last of Us 

Everyone has been raving about this one. Personally I have never played the games. I want to after seeing the show. I think not playing the games offers a unique perspective when entering this franchise.You have no source material to compare it to and are just enjoying all the twists and turns for the first time in show form. I really enjoyed this show. Pedro Pascal and Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie were phenomenal. I never thought I would be into this genre of show but I was proved wrong. There isn’t as big of an emphasis on the zombies than the relationship between Joel and Ellie as they travel across the country. If you’re looking for a big flashy zombie gore fest maybe this isn’t the show for you but I still recommend giving it a try because there is still that fear factor in some scenes. Not just from the zombies but from the people as well as they navigate the world 20 years after the apocalypse.

Young Sheldon

I am a sitcom enjoyer. Sometimes it’s better to watch a show that doesn’t require much of my attention span while I work on school work or other projects. Young Sheldon was that show for me this month. I am honestly surprised I didn’t watch it sooner. Young Sheldon is a prequel spin off of Sheldon Cooper and his family’s life prior to The Big Bang Theory. I wasn’t an avid fan of The Big Bang Theory but it is still a nice show to watch even if you aren’t a fan of The Big Bang Theory.  I would recommend this show to anyone who just enjoys a good sitcom.

Signing out,

Teddy

Cozy Gamer Tries FromSoftware Games

 

Hello all,

As you all know I really enjoy video games. I devote almost way too much time to video games if there is such a thing. Like books or music, everyone has a particular genre or type of video game they like. The type of games you enjoy even comes down to the types of gaming system you use.

Personally, I enjoy PC gaming and the Nintendo Switch. I never really branched out into console gaming. I play alot of relaxing low stakes games or “cozy games”. I also really enjoy fantasy games such as Skyrim or Dragon Age. 

None of these games were particularly difficult for me and I played on a system I was used to.

I branched out recently to playing some FromSoftware games on the PlayStation 5. If you don’t know, FromSoftware games have a tendency to be pretty difficult. Made even more difficult by the fact that I am not used to playing games on a console. 

I tried two FromSoftware games over the past few weeks, none of them to completion however because I am a full time college student who also works a part time job so unfortunately I do not have the time.

I tried Bloodborne and Elden Ring.

The first game I tried was Bloodborne and let me tell you it was an experience. It was very dark and had an eerie atmosphere. I struggled quite a bit with the bosses. It was a little annoying that you had to beat the bosses to progress in the game. It got easier once you discovered the little tricks and techniques. I didn’t like the lack of classes but I still enjoyed the various weapons.

Rating: 7/10

I just recently bought Elden Ring and I am really enjoying it. I like that it felt like a traditional fantasy game like I was used to with the various classes and magic. The world was very beautiful and whimsical which was a nice contrast after sinking hours into Bloodborne. It is nice that you don’t have to beat bosses to progress in the game and it is much more open. There are tons of little bosses scattered about so if you can’t beat them you can always come back later. I can’t wait to explore this game further. I recommend Elden Ring to anyone trying to branch into different types of games,

Rating: 9/10

Signing out,

Teddy

My Pets as Dungeons and Dragons Classes - Tilly

 

Hello all,

Today I will place all four of my pets into Dungeons and Dragons classes. I enjoy the game and thought it would be fun to place my pets into the various classes.

If you are unfamiliar with the game, when making a character you get to pick a class.This is what determines your character’s fighting style. If your character is a magic user or not. Also if your character gets skill bonuses that could be helpful outside of combat.

Now onto my dogs! The last two posts talked about my two cats, Obi and Simon. In this post I will be talking about my goldendoodle Tilly.

Tilly is Jameson’s twin sister. She is also a year and four months old however she is 20 pounds smaller than her brother. I assigned Jameson a class in my previous blog post.

It was quite hard to assign Tilly a class because she could fit in various classes. Tilly is very athletic and would run outside all day if permitted. She is way more enthusiastic about chasing toys and going on long walks.

I could see her being a ranger however I also think she is very sneaky and conniving.

When throwing toys outside sometimes she will wait until Jameson grabs the toy and then tackle him and intercept the toy like a major league football player. She is very stealthy for being 52 pounds and can steal socks or a shoe without anyone noticing.

For these reasons I am going to give Tilly the rogue class. Rogues engage in sneaky combat with tricks up their sleeves. Rogues can deal a significant amount of damage with sneak attacks.

Rogues are also helpful for stealth checks and picking locks. Tilly somehow manages to open the bathroom door and steals rolls of toilet paper so I think this class is very fitting for her.

That wraps up my pet’s DnD group! 

Signing out,

Teddy

My Pets as Dungeons and Dragons Classes - Jameson

 

 Hello all,

Today I will place all four of my pets into Dungeons and Dragons classes. I enjoy the game and thought it would be fun to place my pets into the various classes.

If you are unfamiliar with the game, when making a character you get to pick a class.This is what determines your character’s fighting style. If your character is a magic user or not. Also if your character gets skill bonuses that could be helpful outside of combat.

Now onto my dogs! The last two posts talked about my two cats, Obi and Simon. In this post I will be talking about my goldendoodle Jameson.

Jameson is a 74 pound goldendoodle who is only a year and four months old but you wouldn’t know that by looking at him. He is a big baby who cries when little dogs bark at him. He enjoys sleeping and cuddles. He isn’t the most active dog and would rather be inside than outside unless he is fighting with his twin sister, Tilly.

Jameson is just a gentle giant but has a mean bark when he means business. I am giving Jameson the DnD class of barbarian. 

Barbarians are front line fighters that deal a lot of damage. Barbarians typically favor melee weapons over magic. This class offers a bit of flexibility between a frenzied fighter or a tank.

Jameson would definitely be the tank of a group. Whenever it’s bath time Jameson becomes an immovable force so he would come in handy as the tank of my pet DnD party.

Wargamer.com states it best in their barbarian article, “Barbarians are not subtle, they’re not magical, they’re not necessarily very smart… but they are very, very good at hitting things.” 

This statement alone describes my big doodle Jameson in a nutshell.

Stay tuned for the rest!

Signing out,

Teddy

My Pets as Dungeons and Dragons Classes - Obi

 

Hello all,

Today I will place all four of my pets into Dungeons and Dragons classes. I enjoy the game and thought it would be fun to place my pets into the various classes.

If you are unfamiliar with the game, when making a character you get to pick a class.This is what determines your character’s fighting style. If your character is a magic user or not. Also if your character gets skill bonuses that could be helpful outside of combat.

In this post I will be sorting my second cat, Obi-Wan Catnobi.Obi is going to be three years old this July so he is quite young compared to Simon who I assigned a class in my prior post.

Obi is a rather skittish cat. He is quite shy and fast. Obi needs to get used to a person before even sharing a space with them. For this reason, I don’t think Obi would be in the front lines. He would stay in the back and offer assistance from afar. 

For these reasons I have decided to give Obi the class of cleric. 

Stay tuned for me to sort the rest of the pets. Clerics are powerful healers due to their holy magic but can also pack a punch as a holy warrior of sorts. A cleric could stay in the back and cast buffs on teammates, heal them but also just as easily sling a fireball at the enemy.

Being a cleric offers a great versatility because you can choose from a more aggro approach or simply support.

I think that this versatility is great for Obi because he is such a versatile cat. Obi enjoys lounging and napping in the sunrays. If the sun is shining through a window he will be soaking it all in. I think that Obi as a cleric would worship the sun god Belenus.

Stay tuned for the rest of the pets!

Signing out,

Teddy

My Pets as Dungeons and Dragons Classes - Simon

 

Hello all,

Today I will place all four of my pets into Dungeons and Dragons classes. I enjoy the game and thought it would be fun to place my pets into the various classes.

If you are unfamiliar with the game, when making a character you get to pick a class.This is what determines your character’s fighting style. If your character is a magic user or not. Also if your character gets skill bonuses that could be helpful outside of combat.

I will not be diving too deep into the technicality of the classes. I will simply base my pet’s class off of their personality and what I associate them with,

First I will start with my nine year old cat, Simon. Simon is the oldest. He spends his days sleeping, eating and hissing at his siblings. He seems angry and moody, because he is. However, he is just a big cuddly bug when he wants to be. I like to joke that he is an old wizard trapped inside a cat’s body which is why he is so moody. His once gray hair is now speckled with white alluding to his age. Taking everything into consideration I will give Simon the class of sorcerer.

He could also be a warlock but I don’t believe he would make any dealings with evil entities. Simon just has a great power that runs in his blood. He is misunderstood because he is so wise. Which is why he is a sorcerer. A sorcerer is a magic user that is very powerful since they come from a lineage of magic users. Magic quite literally is in their blood. However, I don’t think Simon comes from a draconic bloodline. Which is another option for sorcerers.

Stay tuned for me to sort the rest of the pets.

Signing out,

Teddy