Work, AI, Music, and the World: The Latest Scoop on Life, Tech, Tunes, and Headlines!

Bienvenue! There's a lot of new things happening in technology, music, work, and politics. Let's get into it. 

First, I'm no longer working as a cashier at the supermarket. This was a big loss for me as I had been working there for about ten years and grew up there. Now, I'm switching from a social public life to a much more personal private life. It has not been easy and I don't think it will be easy to maintain. However, I'm finding that there have been benefits like better care of my body and health. The main drawback though is the fact that I'm not earning a weekly check. Losing my job due to being laid off was one of my biggest regrets. But life must go on. 

Moving forward, the development of AI is the best story of our time. Why? Because its the only exciting story that isn't mostly focusing on the negative. I initially started using LLM's [large language models, chatbots] back in 2022 to do AI art images for fun and relaxation. Now, I'm finding that I can also do AI videos too. And then there's the chatbots usage in and of themselves, for augmenting knowledge based on subjects I already know about. Another fun method I use using AI: I'll use the chatbot to create and edit prompts for images and create the images from those prompts/edited ideas, and then use the images created and turn that into video. There's even AI music and it's a lot better than you would think. 

That being said, I think AI is the only truly positive story. AI gets a bad reputation because workers think they're coming for their jobs, but the reality is that AI just isn't there quite yet. You can create AI movies and images and books and music but its not really quite there yet. Rather, you can use AI to augment your ideas and creations for movies, images, books, and music, but the AI in and of itself cannot create great art, media, business model, or music. Like anything else, AI is just a tool for the artist, creator, businessman in order to enhance their craft and production. I would say, think of AI less as a new emerging technology and more of a tool that will be used in all facets of society mostly for entertainment purposes for the layman but also as a tool for artists, creators, and businessmen to sell and advertise art and/or products. It's an advertiser's paradise.

Next, the news stories have been mostly negative. Gas prices are up. Inflation is at an all time high. Avian bird flu and measles might become an issue down the road. Donald Trump is the President yet again. What else is new? It feels a lot like Weimar Germany Republic right before Hitler's rise to power. You can be jewish in Weimar Germany Republic but you have to be very careful. That's the kind of precarity we live in right now within this moment. It's not to be taken lightly and we, as young people, shouldn't squander all our free time partying and ignoring politics. A lot of young people here in California have drunk the Kool-Aid and given up on keeping up with politics and/or reading/watching the news, and rather, they have given into a lot of bad habits like getting bad information from social media or their goofball buddies. 

However, how long can a democracy really last? America was fighting for independence from the Brits back in 1776, so it has been quite a while. I sometimes like to joke that America is like a poor man's Rome, and in many ways the current moment in this time is a sort of Rise and Decline of the Western Civilization [Edward Gibbon]. You see that despite the fact that we, as Americans, have more technology, more education, a better richer nutritional economy, and more money than most other people in all other countries, this has not been to our benefit. Rather, you could even argue that it's been to our detriment. With this said theory, you could say that in the long run AI could be a bad thing for American society. But the technocrats would say, "it's all about how you use it." 

Lastly, the best news. I've been keeping up with a lot of music practice. I play piano decently now and I'm still plucking on the guitar too. I taught myself sight reading [reading music notation] from studying Mozart scores and writing it out by hand. I do a lot of ear training listening to music. I use classical scores to practice rhythms on piano. Also, I've discovered that there's been a new jazz age but its hidden online on YouTube. There are tons of old jazz records, some that may have only had limited printings and never saw the light of day in record stores [1958-early 1960s recordings], and they're all now appearing all over on YouTube all of a sudden. As a musician, I decided to go more in the jazz direction because jazz offers more variety in music playing and listening and performance, so it's amazing to see that the artform can somehow still keep its heartbeat alive, even if its a small niche audience on YouTube. I play jazz but I  use classical, rock, and blues as a template to build upon improvisation. It's been a journey, as I first started playing and performing on guitar when I was a teenager. 

Heraclitus: A man cannot fall into the same river twice, for there are ever new waves splashing upon him. 

Summertime 2021

How is life treating you? Well, things are getting better all the time, as the Beatles sang. It's summer, 2021, and life is pretty grand. I was left unscathed by COVID my whole time at work, and now I'm vaccinated as well, getting it early via my employment. 

Sometimes life feels like a jazz samba tune. You could say this is one of those times. 

I've been spending a lot of time reading books. A lot of science fiction, classics, philosophy, western canon. Jane Austen, Hegel, Hemingway, Sartre, Huxley, Joanna Russ, Robert Silverberg, Keith Roberts. The good stuff. Checkout my goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/56122996-og-space.

I still jam once a week, playing electric guitar, with my friend Jason Thomas on alto saxophone, you can find some of our recordings https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIrIXpTdHVM0VLWMB7Y84Hw. 

I've been on hiatus on writing lately because of the pandemic, and focusing more time to life, work, and people irl. 

Compare this post with summer of COVID post from last year, https://ofigueroamusic.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-summer-of-covid.html.

Crazy enough, I've made my own recorded documents about life since the day before the pandemic began, where I attended a punk rock show at the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon. You can find all the blogs, http://ofigueroamusic.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html. At the time I jokingly referred to it as my plague journal, as I was reading books such as The Plague by Camus and The Decameron by Bocaccio. 

Now that COVID is supposedly ending soon in the US, I can't help but feel that things will never be the same. 

I listen to a lot of jazz and classical music nowadays. 

Peace and Love

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Virus pt. 5

Here we are. We've arrived at part five of our series. Here I'd like to jot down some general notes and ideas on the current state of affairs during this historic moment. Mostly of a personal nature. I've saved part 4 for detailing the historical aspects and news headlines. Reading through those headlines in part 4 really gives you the wider picture beyond me and my now solitary life. 

First, my life has fundamentally changed. Maybe not forever but for the indefinite future. No more guitar and singing at open mics. No more hangouts with friends. Now I live the humble life of a guitar playing, writing, gaming, grocery store worker. It ain't much, but it's a living. But at what cost? 

Some of my relationships have been put on hold. Others have gone south in some aspects. A friend of mine wants to hang out but he's got a weak immune system so I dare not hang out with him, lest I unknowingly spread the virus to him, and kill him. Another friend of mine got into it with me over comments on social media, saying that I was being delusional. I'm not going to be seeing any friends anytime soon. That much has sunk in. I've started a new life, not without them, but away from them, temporarily. 'Social distancing!' Once this thing blows over, I believe my friendships will be stronger than ever. But in the meantime, the distance has brought a rift between us. I feel sad about it, but alas, this is the fate of all. 

Well, that's grim. But remember this is only temporary. But until then it is indefinite. These are the facts, the new reality, the brave new world. Let's see how brave we really are. I'm going to keep practicing social distancing and avoid going out of the house except for work. I can't risk spreading the virus to my family, friends, or even coworkers really. Which brings me to my next point. 

Although my personal friendships are going through some rough patches I have to admit that my relationships at work with customers and coworkers have improved a hundredfold. The staff, employees, and management have really come together, showing me that even if my own friendships are put on hold, at least I have my coworkers to depend on. We've really come together at that little store. There have been so many changes, so many alternating managers and employees, that we have no other choice but to come together. Showing the power of human solidarity, our workplace is a great example for others, a beacon of hope.  We will get through this and prevail.

Lastly, I can't say that personal life has improved. It's become more solitary. More hermit-like. I really only talk to or hang out with family and coworkers. I do talk a lot to friends online on social media but social media isn't like real life. You can fake being happy or sad on social media or texts. It's artificial.

I've spent a lot of time in isolation writing nonstop. I'm going through a creative spike. I've also been playing a lot of guitar. Listening to a ton of new music via YouTube, especially classic jazz albums from the 50s and 60s that I've missed over the years. I've been reading a lot and posting my book reviews on Goodreads. Currently, I'm ranked as a #12 Reviewer in the US, ranked #19 in the world. Not too shabby for a guy who loves to read and write. You can view my ranking here. Keep in mind you have to have an account to see view it. I've also been gaming a lot to relieve the pandemic stress. I believe that nowadays more than ever we should have a good amount of time just for dumb fun. Now more than ever. 

Until the next post in this series. Keep the faith. 

Meet the new grind, same as the old grind

Good evening ladies and laddies. I'm back to writing again every night. This calls for a celebration. *takes a swig of coffee* I'm back home after an eight-hour workday, baking a chicken pot pie, and listening to Chet Baker. Ah, this is the life. There's something so soothing about straight-ahead jazz, especially Chet Baker. That slow west coast jazz sound is sublime. It's a privilege to even listen to it for free via YouTube. Meanwhile, the rest of my community is hoarding toilet paper, antibacterial wipes, and water. It's a shit show, it's a shit show, as one of my managers likes to say. 

 The craziest part of this story is the fact that there is indeed a confirmed case of coronavirus at a hospital near my house. It's definitely alarming, perhaps even frightening. But I'm optimistic about the future. Even if the virus breaks out into a worldwide zombie apocalypse. Think about the philosophical ramifications of [corona corona corona!]

Hear me out. Let's say the virus gets much worse in a matter of months. As it's been doing so already. So they lock down cities, schools, public events, and so forth. People will be afraid to go out in public most of the time so they would be confined to their houses or small gatherings with only a handful of friends. Think about the philosophical ramifications of said actions. 

First, people would become more thoughtful. Because people wouldn't have much money and couldn't go out, they would have to learn to do with fewer possessions and less activity. Perhaps they could read books more and bond with their families more. They would think more about who they elect as their leaders. As a result, somebody like Donald Trump could never win in the future. Because people would be more thoughtful, including meaning smarter.

Second, sometimes it takes a disaster to bring people together. We're living in the most polarizing times I think since the 1960s. Things have gotten better since then. But have they really? Or have they just changed forms and modernized into a digital age with the same problems? We as a nation have to come together to overcome all these hurdles. It takes a strong leader of the free world to do so. Trump is a weak-minded fool. He's divided this country more so than any other President since I was born. Heck, even Nixon met the hippies halfway. I'm no conspiracy theorist but if the Russians are using him as a Manchurian candidate, then his whole mission of using the Presidency to sow discord in America was truly fulfilled. I had to go dark here. But from a practical standpoint, we've been living in a tyranny since 2016 when Trump was elected. 

Third, this is the only story bigger than Trump. That alone makes coronavirus a true sensation.  

Sometimes the only way you can deal with something like this is to play it cool and wait it out. The election is this year so perhaps Americans will elect someone with some brains or at least knows how to read. Or perhaps our very own zombie apocalypse virus will infect the whole country [world] at some point, and then we as a nation will have some real soul searching to do. Who knows, maybe we can change the world. 

Until then the song remains the same.  

The Odyssey

The Odyssey is one of the best books ever. Written some 2,700 years ago by Homer, the story contains everything you'd want in a good story. In fact, it's hard for writers or story tellers in any medium not to be influenced by this monumental masterpiece. How does one go about and review the best book, one of the most original books, the most copied book? Rather than answer that I think I'll improvise and see what I can make of it. Make a go of it shall we? 

First of all, a lot happens in the Odyssey. Fundamentally this is ancient fiction, epic poetry about a guy struggling to get home. That's all it's about. But along the way, all these things happen. Where shall we start? There's a cyclops who eats Odysseus' crew-members alive. Circe, the goddess witch turns his crew into pigs, making them forget about going home. There's the sea monster Scylla, lying in wait in the wayward seas. The only way past Scylla is to just sail on past her, there was no chance of killing it. There are sirens that sing a beautiful tune, making the men go to them, and forget about going home. Zeus himself strikes a thunder bolt that hits Odysseus' ship, sending him lost at sea, alone, and helpless. 

The big question for the reader is why is all this happening to Odysseus? Well, for one thing, Poseidon is trying to stop him from getting home because Odysseus took out his cyclops sons' eye, stabbing it out with a sharp stick. Zeus himself intervenes sometimes against Odysseus but it isn't clear why. Odysseus never thought himself greater than the gods, quite the contrary. The only good thing Odysseus has going for himself is that he is Athena's champion. Pallas Athena, daughter of Zeus, loves Odysseus and does everything in his power to see that he gets home. She intervenes throughout the story, helping immensely. 

I read the Robert Fagles modern style translation from 1996. It reads like butter, meaning that it flows effortlessly. Everything makes sense. I was never confused or puzzled by anything. This is one of the better translations you can find out there. Better in the sense that its a modern take on the classic. There's no classical English phrasing or the archaic language of antiquity. Rather, this is an inspired translation based on the original Greek text. Meaning this is an authentic rendition but it's been updated to fit the modern reader's taste. All in all, this means that this is a great version of the Odyssey for your first read through of the epic. It's so inspiring that I'm already planning on buying other translations so I can compare and contrast them with this. Robert Fagles is a true master of bringing works of antiquity to the modern era. What a guy. 

On a side note if you want to read the Odyssey you should read the Iliad first. It just makes more sense to do that because the events in the Iliad happen before the Odyssey. Also, it will help prepare you for Greek mythology in a nutshell. All the basics are there in the Iliad and appear again or in different shades in the Odyssey.

Back to our plot synopsis. So the Odyssey is a man going through many trials. He even goes down to the House of the Dead on some errand, one of my favorite parts. But the most difficult trial is still at hand after that. Odysseus goes back home only to find that his palace has been overtaken by many suitors, who have been wooing his wife, trying to win her hand in marriage, never knowing if the king of Ithaca will ever return, the champion from the Trojan War This part is interesting. 

All those events that everybody knows about happen in the first half of the book. The entire second half is dedicated solely to Odysseus getting his revenge against the suitors in Ithica. Athena turns him into an old man, begging for scraps at the palace. Eventually, old man Odysseus and his son Telemachus, and two farmhands take up arms and kill all the suitors, a real blood bath. To be quite frank, it ends like how you expect it to end. With him getting him but barely making it, and taking his revenge against these suitors. He also kills the maids who were whores and slept with the suitors. The guy has no mercy. He even cuts off the ears and nose of a guy, tears off his genitals, and feeds it to the dogs! My name is reek anyone? After going through the intense violence that is the Iliad, going through this was a walk in the park. Intense violence isn't really my thing but the Iliad is a much more fucked up and violent story, showcasing the complexities of war in the most aggressive way possible. 

Lastly, what you can come to expect is that you'll see and rehear these tales rehashed over and over again. In other books like fantasy novels in particular, in video games [like Warcraft], in movies, TV shows, and even in music [Symphony X, Odyssey]. What I've learned through my fascination with epic poetry, ancient fiction is that everything you'd ever want in a story is already written. It's all either in the Bible or Greek mythology. Everything is variations of those themes. It's the job of the writer to make these variations better and more interesting. This is one of those books you must read. Even if you don't like ancient fiction literature there's something for everybody here. The fact that its a straight narrative of one man makes it a simpler story to tell than the Iliad. A lot of writers have been copying the tales here in endless variations. Of course, in the end, nothing is better than the original source.

Check out my review for the Iliad https://ofigueroamusic.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-iliad.html 

Divison of Labor

Hey, more feel good psychological and vlog-esque writing for you all. Here I'd like to go into how I started living a more positive life, and positive outlook, specifically using a 'division of labor'. How I divide my time during the day has impacted me in more ways that I would've otherwise expected. I don't follow a schedule or anything but in a sense all of my time is spent on specific things. 

Typical day before work by myself
I would wake up late but early enough to have about 4 or 5 hours before my work shift. I usually start by playing a few rounds of Overwatch, but I've also been known to play Chess lately. 

Then after that I read the news typically. It could be a short reading session or it could last over an hour, it really depends on my mood. Then I like to walk to the library and read out of a physical book for a while, just right before my work shift. Being at the library is better than being at home because at home the computer is a distraction from reading a physical book. That would be a great typical day by myself. 

Typical day before work with friends 
With my friends we always like to get something to eat. It could be cheap junkfood like TacoBell, I'm partial to the Taco Supreme 3 taco meal lately. Then we play video games, mostly Marvel vs Capcom 2 right now, an old 2D fighting game from the 90s, Sega Dreamcast days. Then we jam on instruments. We have ukulele, bass, and acoustic guitar. The other guys aren't quite there musically but I still enjoy teaching them things, they can improve. 

Typical day off
This isn't too much different from anything else really. I usually start on the computer gaming until I get tired of it, then read the news, and perhaps I'll hang out with friends before they go to work, or after they finish a shift. Sometimes I go to the bar with friends. I try to go to the open mic music nights at the local bar.

Typical night hours after 1 am shifts 
My time after a 1 am retail shift is very valuable to me. This is where I get a lot of reading done, again news, and whatever I want to read on my Kindle, which right now has been Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, hence the 'Division of Labor' blog post title. In a sense doing all of these things every day is a job, although I'm having fun. 

Not only do I write blog posts (and should be writing more short stories soon) at night but its also my prime slot for guitar, only acoustic guitar this late. Right now I'm learning how to play Berio's Sequenza for guitar. Because I have limited time to practice its important for me to play everyday, even if its only 25-45 minutes a day. 

But why?    
A division of time into the things I do and a sort of outline of my plans is good for me. Its like an improvised schedule, it can change at any time but at the same time its sort of like my bread and butter. Doing this division of labor has given me a more positive outlook because I have broken down all my goals and have been actively going for it. The goals are very simple-relax, read, music, work, repeat.  Losing weight is also big on my list.

Imagine a guitar player who only practiced once a week. And then picture a guitarist who plays everyday 15 minutes. The once a week guy plays 4 hours once a week. The guy who plays everyday 15 minutes would still be the better guitar player overall even after six months of playing. I've put that kind of approach to my everyday life. Do the things you love and relax, everyday.

Chicago trip starts tommorrow

Hey everyone! Its been a long time since I've posted, since the Buckethead cover post. I thought I'd let you all know I'll be spending the next week in Chicago with my brother and step-dad. There's a lot of planning that was involved in the trip so I have to think carefully about everything I want to do and all the places I want to see. For me the highlight is of course all the great restaurants that we'll probably eat at. But also my step-father's composer friend is playing at a new music (avant-garde classical music) concert at this place called the Green Mill that looks promising.

My bro's apartment is in Hyde Park somewhat near the University of Chicago so I'm thinking about spending some time on campus checking out events and hopefully going to some jazz concerts at night as well at some local joints. I'm also interested in seeing downtown Chicago. My step-dad organized the trip and its mostly for him to see all his old school buddies. I'm interested in seeing my brother and my mother but unfortunately I might not be able to see mom because she lives in Wisconsin and she has to work.

I literally haven't had a vacation or a week off probably since last year. Its been a good minute. I really need some rest and relaxation. Work has been good in terms of getting off early but I haven't been getting good hours (averaging 25 at most lately), I struggle with cutting and wrapping cheese, and my manager can be a little harsh to say the least. I've been trying to not let it get to me. If I don't make it in that department at work I'll probably ask to go back to the front end as a combo clerk (bagger/cashier). I've gotta learn to relax and not take work as the law of the land. If anything happens I'll probably still have a job there. Having been there four years its not like they're going to fire me or anything. And I have no intention of forsaking my union.

Anyways, the Chicago trip will be a perfect distraction from work and stuff. I'm going to be blogging pretty often when I'm there just because I'll be at the library a lot (my bro works at a library) so I'll probably do a bunch of updates on movies, tv shows, music, and video games that I've been checking out. It's going to be a lot of blogging. Get ready to read!

Friday 9/22 open jam recordings

So these are from the 9/22 jam session last week. I thought everything went fairly well sound-wise and guitar-playing wise. Some tracks here are actually from a few weeks earlier.. I really like the Too Rock and Roll for You tune, that woman had a good voice for that kinda thing. Check it out, enjoy!

https://soundcloud.com/user-294063763/blues-jam-supreme
https://soundcloud.com/user-294063763/sunshine-of-your-love-2
https://soundcloud.com/user-294063763/cannon-too-rock-roll-for-you
https://soundcloud.com/user-294063763/move-over
https://soundcloud.com/user-294063763/smoke-on-the-water-2

September Update

Hey so its been a while since I've posted and I figured I should do a September update. Everything has been going really well. I'm talking to more girls and I actually have a date next week. I'm feeling more confident, going to the open jam every week, jamming with more musicians, hanging out with friends, working, gaming, and just enjoying life. I think I've actually got a good drummer for a band right now. He has a guitarist that drives and I'm hopefully going to meet up with them at a small studio at some point soon. So many good things going on!

Work has kind of simmered down since the initial hardcore 40 hour weeks. This week and last week I only got 23 hours which is a good thing right now. It will give me more free time to relax, game, and most importantly practice guitar and music. I just ordered my 7-string Jackson guitar last week Thursday so it will be in time for my birthday on the 25th. I'm extremely excited for the 7-string! I'm already imagining different ways I'll play it from typical metal players. I want to learn jazz chord voicings using the extra string and stuff. It's gonna be neat. 

The jam at Peties has been going good. Last week there was hardly anyone in the audience but the actual guitar players that showed up were bloody amazing. This one guy did a great Jimi Hendrix Little Wing cover as well as Voodoo Chile (Slight Return). It was off the hook. I've never really seen a guitarist as good as that guy was ever there before. Also, I have more friends that are willing to meet me at the open jam now. This skater friend showed up and brought a friend and then also this drummer showed up. The drummers' name is Martin and we're hopefully going to be starting a band together. His bag is metal particularly death metal and black metal but I'm hoping he can expand his chops even more and get more technical than stereotypical death metal chugging.

So yeah everything's going great. My birthday is coming up so that's exciting. I plan on going out to eat with friends or family whoever is available first really. I've already got what I wanted which is the 7-string Jackson (seen in picture) so I'm not really expecting anything too wild from my friends, but maybe I'll get a cool band shirt or something. My dad was talking about maybe going out to Chicago for the last 5 days of October. That would be great because I can study music a bit with my dad's composer friend Frank. He's been teaching and talking to me a lot though email but if I was to actually hang out with him it would be a lot cooler. Hopefully that goes through and we end up going because I haven't been back in the Midwest since 2013. That's a long time to not see your mother and childhood friends.

That's a wrap for now, thanks for reading!

What's going on? August 2017 Edition

So it occurred to me that its been a super long time since I've written anything for the blog. This is mostly due to the fact that I had a super bad cold that kept me pretty down in the dumps for the last two weeks. It was pure hell. Nothing worse than a summer cold/flu after not being sick for over a year. It hit my immune system hard but I'm starting to feel better now. About 80%-85%, just in time for my promotion at work!

That's right, I got promoted at my grocery store job. Instead of being a combo clerk (cashier/bagger) I will now instead be working as a cheese department personnel working under the cheese department manager. I'm looking forward to the change of work pace and my next chapter of employment. I really hope everything works out great and that my new manager likes me. So there's that. I'm really looking forward to increased pay and raises. Which means more money for games, guitar/music equipment, and saving money for my future. I start training for the cheese department Tuesday at 7 am. No more closing shifts. No more bagging groceries. This is all so exciting!

I also have to talk about the new Starcraft Remastered. This game is everything I could have hoped for in a remaster. The fact that the new version of Brood War runs at 300 frames per second is freaking astounding. Blizzard has really outdone themselves. I've been playing the game a lot, mostly practicing my Zerg tactics in 3v3 big game hunters, which is my favorite team practice map. I've gotten to the point where I can survive most rushes and make it to mid to late game but I still have to work on my late game when it comes to Zerg tactics. I'm about twenty years behind on Korean Brood War tactics. I'll probably start studying some builds on Team Liquid once I start to get more serious. As of now I'm just enjoying the sick graphics and the amazing hardcore rts gameplay. This is a golden game with a great remaster. Now if only Blizzard could get a Warcraft III Frozen Throne remaster that would be great. 

More stuff about my personal life incoming. I recently lost a bit of weight. Nothing too big but I lost about ten pounds. During the weeks I was sick I lost my appetite and dropped some weight. I've since gained two or three pounds since but I'm going to work hard to keep the weight off and lose even more. I'm really watching my diet, making sure to drink plenty of water, and never overeating at dinner or restaurants. Easier said than done but I'm on my way.

I've also been practicing a lot of guitar. Even if I'm just chilling at my friends' house I always pick up their guitar and practice my legato, scales, jazz standard heads, whatever. I haven't been able to make it to an open jam for a few weeks but I will get there when I can. I've been trying to setup jam sessions with my friend/bass player Dennis for a while but I was sick last week and had to cancel. There's another guy at work that wants to start a band with me but I don't think he's serious because every time we're suppose to meet up he bails with some sort of excuse. It's all good. I just wish I could find band members more easily and have my own group. Until then I'll just keep practicing, going to open jams, and recording and releasing tracks on Soundcloud.

I had a really good day today. It was my last day of cashiering on the front end then tomorrow I'm off, and then Tuesday I start my training for cheese department. Not only was my last day fun and stress free but earlier in the day before work I was hanging out with my good buddy Eric at Fire and Dice (local hobby shop, board games, smash 4 tournies, etc) and I won a free board game! It's a great fun board game called Smashup! So not only did I have a great day hanging out with my buddy playing Magic the Gathering and board games but I also got a free prize! It was a great way to commemorate my last day of cashiering. I even got some cool weeb anime girl sleeves for my Magic decks.

The next couple weeks will test my working skills hardcore because I'm going from a primarily labor intensive cashiering to a more food orientated environment that involves using your peoples skills in a different way from just being a cashier. I'm excited!  

"The future is ours to decide" -Shulk, Xenoblade Chronicles

Anime Expo Day Three

So I went to Anime Exp yesterday for Day 3, the final day of the event. I was kind of dreading it at first and I was even planning on not going. However, my friends really wanted me to go so I bought my ticket. Getting the pass turned out to be a hassle because I had to take the bus downtown LA super early in the morning on Friday (also called Day 0). But even that wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was fun just cracking jokes all morning on the bus with my friends. Now onto the event itself...

I wasn't really too sure what to expect other than a bunch of weebs in cosplay and hot cosplay girls. The best thing I can say about the event was that there was a lot of hot girls everywhere wearing skimpy cosplay outfits. There was a lot of t and a at that convention. It was pretty good. But that's pretty much where the good ends for me. I'll explain further.

So we get in, walk around, and start looking at merch. I actually ended up not buying anything because I didn't see anything that was cool enough or worthy to buy. But that's besides the point. So I see a Reaper cosplay (from Overwatch) with pies instead of shot guns in his hands and nearby I spot a Blizzard merch stand! I love Blizzard so this should be cool right? I look at this awesome D.Va statue model for like 15 seconds and this employee there comes up to me and tells me I can't look at it any longer unless I buy something of worth at least $8. Talk about a fucking rip off. You mean I gotta pay just to look at Blizzard merch? That was too much. Of course I didn't pay for that but man that kinda put a bad taste in my mouth considering that I've been supporting Blizzard for years. This blog is a testament to that. They're really grubby when it comes to money.

After that we chilled at this bar/lounge area and it was probably the coolest place there. There was a live rock band and they were playing anime/gaming songs. The guitarist was great but there were three female lead singers and their voices just clashed so hard on every note. It was like listening to three annoying women singing the Pokemon theme (it literally was that). However, I'd like to give that band credit because the guitarist, bassist, and drummer were all great players. I could tell in their tone. That was fun.

Later we met up with two friends which made our party five and we went to a Dragon Ball Super panel, the only panel I went to for the event. We got there two hours early because if we didn't we wouldn't have been able to get in (too many people). So we sat down for hours just waiting and I just kept falling in and out of consciousness because I kept sleeping because it was so boring. Once the panel started I found out that the voice actors for English version Goku and Vegeta were pretty arrogant. They thought they were just the coolest guys in the room. English Beerus and Japanese Vegeta especially were very humble. Sometimes I think the creators and/or actors behind the scenes are very undeserving of the fans' love and I would say that guy that voices Goku perhaps doesn't deserve the goodwill of the fans with the way he was talking and presenting himself. It was quite troubling considering I've been watching since I was a kid but let's face it these guys aren't perfect. The panel itself was super boring because they didn't talk about anything interesting or new about the show and the Q & A was just general dumb questions from fans. There was no talk about the current events of Super, just mostly the Battle of Gods and Resurrection of Frieza. In that respect it was also a letdown.

We ate at a food truck which was actually surprisingly good. I got a grilled cheese spicy chicken sandwich with tator tots that was actually pretty good. However, it did set me back like $16 so its debatable if it was really worth it. Overall, I found the event to be just a money grubby give me your money! kind of thing with no real benefit other than to buy cool anime merch that you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else other than online. The real disappointing thing was that Blizzard charged to view their gear and I didn't get to meet any of the Overwatch voice actors. That was the main reason I wanted to go.

I think between falling asleep out of boredom and the fact that Blizzard wanted $8 just to look at their merch, I found the whole event to have been a waste of time and money. However, the convention experience (the people and the cosplays) was a lot better than I thought it would be. I really enjoyed all the Overwatch cosplays! So many Hanzos! I did find it a little weird how many guys there were dressed as girls. Apparently this is an event where you can cross dress and not be called a fairy. There was a lot of people but it never felt like it was an unmanageable amount of people so that was good. Even though it turned out to be a bad experience for me at least I can say I've been to one of the biggest conventions ever! I'd be down to go next year but I'd want to go for more days so I can spend more time to really enjoy it.

Dig the Overlord cosplay!

Black Friday Loot

So I ended up going out with friends after a super hectic work day of 1pm to 1030pm on Thanksgiving. Glad the rush won't be back until Christmas, New Years, and New Years Eve. My friends and I went out to Best Buy and a few stores at the mall. I ended up getting some good loot. Everybody loves loot!

First, we went to Best Buy where there were so many people! I decided to pick up a wireless Xbox one controller there. My bro got an Xbox one a while ago and his request for me to able to play it was that I have my own controller. It's a plain black wireless one. Got it for $40. Could've gotten it cheaper online but I like buying my products in person and getting it right away sometimes.

Later, we went to the mall mainly to check out and lounge around at Target. There was a ton of people there looking to buy Apple products. I ended up buying Doom (physical box copy, PC version) for only $25! Pretty great deal. I heard great things about Doom's single player campaign so I thought this was a great deal. I was going to get Fallout 4 but my bro has it on his Steam account. All I have to do is share my account with his and I can play it anytime. Fallout 4 was only $20 there. Maybe I should've bought both! :D

Even later, (during Black Friday daytime hours) I went to CD Trader (my local record shoppe). There was a lot of new stuff there but nothing (rock or metal) that really peaked my interest so I decided to get an old jazz record. I went with jazz guitarist John Scofield's 1992 album Meant To Be which features Joe Lovano on tenor sax, Marc Johnson on bass, and Bill Stewart on drums. I'm listening to it right now. Scofield is a master of chorus-infused jazz guitar. All his lines have great happening rhythm. Even though he's white he's a brotha with a lot of rhythm. Haha. But that's a discussion for another post.

I'm glad I didn't go crazy buying too many things that I couldn't afford. There will be more things to buy in the next couple weeks. For sure I will pick up Warhammer Vermintide. I've been wanting to play that game for a long time. Think of it as a medieval Left 4 Dead in Warhammer universe fighting against giant rats. Sounds funny but the game is great. I also was interested in Battlefield 1 but we'll have to wait and see because Christmas will be here pretty fast. Better save up that money for my family and friends too.

The deals are still going on right now online and in stores. Check it out. Buy yourself something nice. You've earned it sport!

10,000 views, A Retrospective

The blog has reached 10,000 views! I figured to celebrate I would do a compilation of some of my best posts and say a few words about them. I'll keep the list to ten for artistic value. These posts represent the overall intentions of the blog and most likely my best work.

Overwatch review
Check this one out here. This was a gaming piece I did before I started writing heavily about gaming. I had written about gaming before but not at this technical level or depth. It also helped that overwatch had taken the gaming world by storm even before it came out. It's one of my most popular posts.

John Coltrane First Meditations
Check it out here. This is a jazz appreciation album post I did that's on a fairly technical musical thought level. I worked hard on it and listened to the tunes multiple times to make sure everything was correct with my ears as well as my words. Coltrane's music is a constant inspiration.

All I want for Christmas is you
There's gotta be a holiday post am I right? Check it out here. At the time I was writing this I was sort of fumbling between writing personal posts and writing about the subjects I like. Now I like to think that I keep a good separation as well as equal value to both of those aspects of blogging.

The Mike Stern and Eric Johnson concert
Check it out here. For a while I was going to jazz and fusion (jazz-rock) concerts all the time and writing about them for the blog. My main hang out was the Baked Potato in Studio City, where I saw many cool fusion cats. The highlight of the show was when Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer X) came out and jammed with Stern and Johnson.

Trigun anime
Check it out here. This wasn't the first time I wrote about anime but it was one of the better anime posts I've done because it was short and concise in comparison to the others. Everybody loves Trigun. Peace and love!

The Bad Plus Joshua Redman
Check it out here. This is another jazz album appreciation from the Bad Plus with saxophonist Joshua Redman. It was one of the best jazz albums that came out in 2015. Jazz fans can certainly appreciate this post because it shows that great modern jazz is still alive and well.

Smash tourney at Fad
Check it out here. I usually write about every smash 4 tournament I go to but this one in particular was especially enthusiastic because it was when I first started going and I took a set. Fad, aka Fire and Dice is this games hobby shop in Woodland Hills where they mainly host smash and magic the gathering tournaments.

Rick and Morty
Check it out here. This is one of the best cartoons to come out in years. It features an alcoholic genius grandpa and his clueless grandson as they go out on science fiction adventures. I liked it so much that I even bought season one on dvd. I haven't gotten around to season two yet but I'm sure it's great.

Mad Max: Fury Road
Check it out here. This was one of the best movies to come out in years-a total adrenaline fueled apocalyptic rush from start to finish. There was controversy over weather or not the film was feminist. It was a big topic of discussion on social media. 

Straight Ahead Vs Free Jazz
Check this out here. This post represents my thoughts on jazz in a short and snappy manner. I love both straight and free jazz but you can see from this that I lean more towards the free jazz musicians that are keeping the jazz tradition alive today.

It was difficult only choosing ten but it needed to be done to keep things uncluttered. Thanks for all the views and the reading! I hope to continue working and become a better writer while getting more attention. See you all on the next post. 

The Abyss looks back

      Just wanted to do a little mini essay. I'm not usually a ranting guy but I sure can write and talk a lot! First off, things have been great ever since I got back to normal life from the vacation. I miss my brother a bit but we've been keeping in touch via Facebook and emails. He's a cool guy and I can learn a thing or two from him about blogging. He's been doing his blog since 2010 and its only gotten better over the years.
    I read a New York Times piece called The Abyss Looks Back and I thought it would make for an interesting blog post title. However, I'm happy, healthy, and work has been going great! In fact, next week I have a ton of hours.
    Lately, I haven't been interested in gaming and this past Thursday I even decided to skip out on going to the Smash tournament, preferring activities like going to the record store and swimming with my friends. In addition, I've been keeping in touch with a lot of people that I know and I've come to see them as strange people. "people are strange," as Jim Morrison sang. But at the same time I'm not surprised. I could easily say things like ah its just white people, or California people, Black people, Hispanics, or just people in general. I think of myself as quite a nutty guy but I'm far from strange compared to other people that I've gotten to know personally and online. Some of these people I call my friends and others are just acquaintances, but I still care about them the way I would care about a friend. You don't truly know someone for quite a while until after you meet them.
     The more I get to know people the more I see where they're true intentions lie. Most of the time I'm just a passer-on with people but I have made quite a few good friends. I'm great with making friends, and generally people like me.
     I've been keeping up with a lot of free jazz and straight ahead stuff online. I've been listening to tunes that people post in the Free Jazz Facebook group that I'm in. We currently have over 13,000 members and from what I make of it most of them are Europeans. I'm probably like the youngest person in the group and I occasionally post tunes. It's a great feeling being apart of a Facebook group that is actually interesting and somewhat intellectual. Although all anyone really ever says about the music is "great!" or "terrific!" its still fun listening to what people are listening to. I love it when they post the good ole Black American free jazz music from the 60s. I'm also into newer stuff but again more so the Black Americans rather than the European bands. However, I can give them credit because they are just as great as the Black musicians musically.
     As Frank Zappa said,"music is the best". I've also been reading a lot of Stanley Crouch's essays and its given me a more scholarly stance on jazz where as my previous opinions were all based on my talent as a musician. It certainly puts it all in perspective. Crouch is a great man just for the fact that he's the most well known jazz critic today. He's as well known in the academic circle as Wynton Marsalis is in the jazz world. He's a giant. Although I don't agree with everything he says he gives me a lot to think about and doesn't give anything a free pass if he feels that somethings not right. He's become my favorite Black scholar.
     Lastly, I've been keeping  up with a lot of the new anime and I've finished quite a few as well. I finished Gate and Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans. I also finished this Cyborg 009 vs Devilman crossover mini series that was great! Anime just chills you out. You just sit there waiting to find out what happens next. I love the art work, the Japanese voice acting (I can't stand English in anime), the powers, magic, or future technology, and the fun story-lines. When I sit back and watch anime I feel like I'm a kid again, watching Dragon Ball Z on Toonami at 10 pm right before bed. Again, it certainly puts things in perspective. Sometimes you don't need the hot girl friend, the fancy car, or the best job in the world to truly live. As they say,"c'est la vie!"

More Vacation Stuff

   

     Just thought I'd write a bit more while on this great vacation. Things couldn't be going any better. Every morning we're going out on the beach and going for nice walks. The house is right on the ocean and the weather has been amazing. The first night we got here it was super cold and windy but now things have seemed to stabilize. These resort towns are pretty cool. There are all these antique shops with old instruments and stuff. I saw a clarinet, violin, flute, and lots of cool guitars. In fact, today we went to this guitar shop in a neighboring town. I walked in and saw a bunch of old geezers but the place itself was pretty nice.
     There was a big stage right in the middle of the shop, presumably for concerts. There was a drum set onstage as well as a microphone and tons of cables all over the place. The store itself didn't have anything spectacular when it came to guitars and basses. It was all mostly secondhand stuff but I did play this great red Joe Satriani signature model, it was so rad! The guitar itself was secondhand but when I plugged it into this solid state Albion amp it sounded great.
     I started by playing a few jazz chords and progressions and it responded beautifully. Surprisingly, it had a great throaty guttural tone for jazz as well as blues. I had a blast playing chords on it and playing a ton of my signature licks. Keep in mind that I haven't really picked up and played the guitar seriously for like a month so going in I didn't think I was even going to play a guitar today.
     However, the owner was so nice and generous that I had to. He was practically begging me to play on his stuff. He asked me if I was looking for anything in particular and when I said I was just browsing he told me that I could play anything in the store. What a guy! The funny thing is that later I went to a coffee shop and told the barista girl about the guitar shop and he said the owner didn't care about the customers XD. Anyways, once I played a few minor 7th chords into a few dominant 9ths I was back in business baby!
     My guitar playing definitely has changed after not playing for so long. I feel like I don't hit as many notes, partly because some of my technical aspects are lacking from not practicing but my melody and sense of original style stands out more if that makes sense. It's like riding a bike. Even though I haven't been bike riding in like five years I still know how to ride. I felt like the playing today at this guitar storefront kinda reinvigorated my playing. Once I get back home I'm definitely gonna start playing more guitar again, and maybe after a while try to form a band, finding members via the internet. My main thing has always been free jazz but I'm still into straight ahead stuff as well. I feel like I could go far if I had a band and started playing shows and stuff. Goals!
     The other thing we've been doing a lot is watching a lot of anime, Netflix, and movies via the Wii U. I'm glad that I brought it along. It has turned out to be great entertainment late at night when we're not out on the beach or sitting on the porch with the fire pit going.
     Anyways, I felt inspired to do a post because of the guitar shop. It was the best part of the vacation for me so far, although there have been other great moments so far like when I won against my bros in three player Magic the Gathering using a swamp and mountain deck, walks on the beach, and this amazing seafood dinner at this place called Dorn's. The dinner was so delicious! I got a seafood combination which came with fried calamari, squid, fish, scallops, and fries. It was a memorable meal that's for sure. Hope to have more memorable moments on the rest of this trip. We're going to be here for one last night then we're hotel bound for a day, and then we'll be back home. I can't wait to get back to work and earn some good paychecks. I miss my friends at work and my main friends too. It'll be great to be home again. Hope you're all enjoying your school spring breaks or if you're a working stiff like me I hope work has kept you fully engaged and fulfilled. Thanks for reading, catch ya later!

Dealing with Frustration

     How do you deal with frustration? This could apply to anything really. It could apply to competitive gaming, work, or just life in general. One of the things that helps me deal with frustration is doing my daily routine, writing for the blog every night. Its become my go-to activity every night at like two in the morning. Another thing I like to do is put on some kind of music. Sometimes it has to be a certain kind of music that helps me deal with life's troubles. Lately, classical music just seems to soothe my soul. I find the acoustic sounds of orchestral instruments relaxing and its cool because not too many young people are into it. Yet another thing I like to do is to just play video games. It can be any game really. Sometimes I might take a break from a game that I've been playing poorly in. Gaming is just a great hobby and I don't think I'll ever stop unless I got some kind of super hot girl friend that is way better than gaming (lols). Lastly, I like to play the guitar. I used to play the guitar a lot more when I lived back in Wisconsin but I've kind of just lost my place in the guitar playing world. I just haven't been 'feeling' the guitar if that makes sense. Gaming has taken up my guitar playing time and I don't see myself organizing my time in a more effective way in order to do both. I'd have to wake up earlier, which means waking up in the morning, and for me that is downright impossible (lols).
     Sometimes life just seems to kick you in the balls and makes you struggle to catch your breath as you're lying on the floor. Lately things haven't been so great for me but when I think of other people with worse problems and see how happy they are, I can't be upset with what I've been dealt. It's easy to say that tomorrow will be a better day or that you should pick yourself back up again and deal with it but for some people its not that easy. I guess what I'm trying to say is that everybody has their own ways to deal with frustration and life's woes. In the end life's a bitch, and then you die. Better make good use of it.

Summer's almost gone

   

     Just thought I'd do a little rant on the change of seasons and the holidays incoming. The first thing I noticed when I got up today was that it wasn't hot, neither in my room nor outside. In fact, I found it to be a bit chilly. Welcome to October in California. It was really only like 60 degrees but that makes a huge difference from the 90-100 degree weather we were having just a month ago. Things are looking better climate-wise here in Cali. Sometimes when it gets super cold here it reminds me of Wisconsin, where I used to live about 3 years ago. I happen to have a bit of a cold at the moment so when I left for work I made sure to wear my signature North Face jacket, which I have two of. I find North Face to be such a Wisconsin brand because when I lived there practically everyone wore it. I'm looking forward to the cool weather. Now maybe I won't have to turn on the air conditioner when I'm chilling in my room.
     Also, the holidays are coming up here after Halloween and the start of November (Black Friday and all that). I'm thinking of plans for gifts and all that for my friends and family for Christmas already. I know its a bit early but I'm already thinking of stuff.
     For friend #1 I was going to get him Fire Emblem Awakening. For friend #2 I would get him some game on the 3DS. For friend #3 I would get him an Xbox game. For step-dad I would get him either a book or a jazz CD (saxophonist Steve Coleman stuff). For my older brother I would get him a PC game (Shovel Knight, Metal Gear V, etc). For my younger brother I might give him my used tablet (because I have the Wii U game-pad, which kind of works like a tablet too) or a jazz CD. For my mother I would send a Buddha figurine (because she's a Buddhist now). For my step-mother I would get her an interesting ukulele or some other small musical instrument. I'm thinking that all this stuff is going to cost a lot so I'm going to start saving now. The only real expensive stuff that I want that is coming up is the Starcraft II Legacy of the Void Deluxe edition which I have on pre-order at the moment. It's coming out November 10, which is only about a month away. November is when all the new games are coming out. This year and next year is going to be a crazy good year for gamers. I know that in November on the 10th, Starwars Battlefront III is coming out as well as Fallout 4. Not only that but there's also the new Call of Duty Black Ops 3. A great haul incoming for gamers in November! On December 4th Xenoblade Chronicles X comes out on the Wii U. I'm definitely going to pick that up or my older brother will because that's basically the only game he wants to play that's a Wii U exclusive.
     Anyways,  I'm probably going to pick up Legacy of the Void and Xenoblade Chronicles X. What awaits us in 2016 is more great stuff. But because all this stuff is going to be pricey I'm going to be saving up, it'll be worth it to have an amazing Christmas with my friends and family. Christmas here has always been great. Maybe we can even get my younger brother out here to enjoy it with us. I should mention that October's my brother's birthday month so I'll probably send him something as a gift through the post. Either a CD or a book would be good. I'll probably end up sending him my Herbie Hancock autobiography book, I think he would love reading that.
     I'm also looking forward to Halloween because I might go to Halloween party with my friends. I was thinking of cosplaying as Ash Ketchum from Pokemon but I might think of some other characters. Other peeps I'm interested in cosplaying are Ryu and Snake. I would definitely do a cosplay of Snake, it would be sick to have a black Solid Snake at a party!
     On a side note, I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving because I love eating Turkey prepared in a Chinese style, it's so good! Anyways, that's the end of this rant. I'm going to try to get back to writing about music, particularly jazz. I know the blog has kind of side-tracked and gotten to be about my personal life and gaming. I think it's cooler to write about music and I'm going to make an effort to get back to that soon. It is called ofigueroamusic.blogspot.com after all. 

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.