Update 1.06

     Thought I'd do another one of these kind irl (in real life) updates on what's up and what's been going on for me lately. First of all, I started guitar lessons on Saturday from a jazz guitarist. He gave me some really good tips for my guitar playing but also life and job advice for my future-really good advice that I'm going to consider looking into. He thought that I'm a good player and everything but that I should consider going to school for something else, perhaps taking music courses but also studying something that I could make money in as well. He mentioned taking a CAT class, something I don't know much about but involves computer assisted technology (that's what I think it means), engineering courses, and stuff involving the sciences. When I mentioned to him that I've been interested in computer science for a while he said "that's good, learn that". He also said it will much easier being a musician when I'm making $70-$80,000 a year, which would definitely be true. Another great tip he gave me was that I shouldn't just want to play jazz guitar, but also be willing to play/learn other styles like rock, pop, and blues. Great advice. I'm thinking about enrolling in some courses at some places in the area-places like Pierce Community College and West Valley Occupational Center, places a lot of the people at my work go to. Perhaps I could learn something involving computers and technology. I'm really excited about learning more about jazz guitar. And perhaps learning something that I could get a real career with as well. So there's that.
     In addition, I'm interested in improving my writing and the blog, and trying to find an entry level position in the gaming industry. Everyone and their grandmother wants a job in the gaming industry, am i right mates? I had a talk with my brother tonight over dinner about it and he thinks I should try to figure out what I want to specialize in because there are so many jobs in the gaming industry. The first thing I mentioned was that I'm interested in writing in games (gaming journalism), PR, marketing, and the social media side of gaming. But I also told my bro that I would also be willing to learn computer coding in order to do the programming side of things for gaming. I even said I'd be willing to quit playing games to work on this stuff. I might end up not playing games as much to learn. It would take a lot of hours of learning on my own to learn this stuff, even if I went back to college and had good teachers. One of the things I'm interested in that I can do right now is try to find ways for me to write for small sort of indie gaming websites (something like Kotaku) or blogs, maybe not even get paid, but just do it for the experience. That way I can say that I've had experience writing in a somewhat professional environment. So I'm going to start looking at websites and blogs that I can write for and maybe start to get noticed for my writing and maybe even for my own blog. I've never really marketed my blog (other than my Twitter and Facebook) or networked with other bloggers online (other than Ryfigueroa.blogspot). I'm sure if I did I would get much more attention and be noticed more in the gaming, music, and pop culture community. I know a lot of people write blogs and stuff but I feel that I've learned how to write pretty well in this blogging format. Maybe other people will recognize that as well.
     Lastly, other changes I want to make are with myself. For one thing, I want to start waking up earlier in the day and getting more done, like working on the guitar, learning more about jobs, and starting school. Right now I would say that I live a very privileged life that is outside the norms of society. Part of it isn't my own fault. For one thing, I work until 1 in the morning everyday that I work. Because of that I usually stay up late into the early mornings, sometimes not going to sleep until 4 or 5 am. I'm usually just messing around playing 3DS, watching YouTube, and watching Twitch streams. It's gotten to the point now that I usually wake up super late, and I even sometimes miss things I want to go to because I've overslept (I've missed two Super Smash Brothers 4 tournaments recently because of this). :'(  It ain't all that bad though, it's not like super important events happen here in the Valley anyways. But where I live everything is done during the day and there isn't anything open and anything to do past 10 pm. I wish I lived in a more lively environment, something to look into in the future. I should look on the bright side though. At my work, all the hard work and heavy lifting happens during the day. And I only work at night. Nice man!
     In addition, I've been trying to eat healthier and I've stopped drinking soda, preferring to drink water, tea, and juice lately. Got to lose weight so I can look good for the ladies! I even got a haircut recently but I have to say that I hate having short hair and I'm not going to go this short ever. Something about having short hair just puts me off. It feels like part of me is missing.
     Another thing I want to do is start going out to more events and make new friends. Like going to more concerts to meet other music fans and musicians, and also going to local Smash Bros tournaments. I've met a handful of people since I've lived out here but I would say that my circle of friends is very limited and for the most part we don't have a lot in common. It would be cool to meet more people: girls, musicians that I can form a band with, and other gamers that like the same games I play. I've met a lot of people at my work that work in the gaming industry and some of them have given me some good advice. One guy said I should look into becoming a tester. He also mentioned that if I could create a mod for a game, that's one way to get a company to look at you. He even said he's working on a game right now, and that when it's ready he'll give me a beta key to test it out. Not only that but the guitar teacher who's teaching me is someone I've met at work too. So work has a place in my destiny, not too shabby. Although the daily grind of working in a grocery store can get you down, I've learned that you should do the work with good grace. That way, people will give you credit and praise you for doing the grunt work. That's it for now, Figueroa out.