Terra Ex

Two friends, Sarah & Brenton, have launched a Kickstarter campaign for Terra Ex, an amazing video game concept from the people behind World of Warcraft, Command and Conquer, and Lost Planet 3.  Best of all, NASA scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are directly involved in creating a realistic, futuristic space adventure for anyone with a love for science.

Here is a link to their Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/225622402/terra-ex

Terra Ex is a 4x (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate), True-Time space game that combines science fiction and real research data to create a universe of treacherous planets, dangerous alien life forms and endless exploration.  Below are some amazing photos of the potential video game.

Take a moment to support a unique approach to the world of gaming.  Support NASA by making their video game a tangible reality.   Go to Kickstarter and pledge to fund Terra Ex into a beautiful existence.

Three Strangers

How often do you engage in a face-to-face conversation with a complete stranger?  Working in the hotel industry, I have met a multitude of diverse individuals: traveling businessmen who stay on a weekly basis; displaced families that are living in the hotel as their homes are repaired; the casual guest who stays just one night; and so much more.  Within the past week, I have met three strangers, and with a few words, we managed to have poignant conversations that don’t occur in such a casual environment. We were able to truly converse and connect in a way that doesn’t happen everyday.

I was serving free drinks when I met my first stranger, *Penelope.  She was quite a character, with bright red hair and colorful dresses.  What started as a simple chat about the delicious sweetness of our favorite white wines blossomed into a mutual respect for each other’s individual self.  She was intrigued by me, and I was curious about her.  Throughout our conversations, it became increasingly apparent that our lives were very similar, almost eerily so.  I could have become her, and she could have become me.  She stayed for a week, and we maintained our nightly conversations every chance we got.  When the time came to say good-bye, we did, but we still maintain contact.  For that brief time, we truly connected, and it was an experience I continue to ponder about.

I was accepting donations for a fundraiser when I met my second stranger, *Mr. Mendell.  What initially started as a discussion about which restaurants had the best meaty meals turned into a heated discussion about the wonderful world of animation.  My friends and family will be the first to admit that my obsession with animation may be slightly unhealthy, but it’s an art that I will always cherish.  Typically, an average conversation about animation only concerns an individual’s favorite animated film or character.  It rarely transcends into a more meaningful discussion about the art of animation.  And most people don’t care about animation trivia.  With this stranger, I could talk about animation in all its glory, without have to bear with endless explanations.  From claymation and stop-motion to 2D animation and 3D animation, we discussed animation til the fundraiser event ended.  I even introduced him to some amazing short films involving silhouette animation.  For a nerd such as myself, these types of in-depth conversations about animation do not happen often.  To have such a connection helped me to see that there are others who truly have a passion for the same interests as myself.

I was relaxing along the coast when I met the third stranger, *Sam.  We met casually, stuck in a waiting room.  Our conversation revolved around a singular topic: chocolate.  Ok, perhaps this isn’t as deep or meaningful a conversation as the others, but it was different from your typical everyday interaction with complete strangers.  I am a chocolate lover, and whenever I can, I will choose to devour something that is chocolate covered in chocolate with even more chocolate in the center.  It’s what I like.  I found a familiar soul who loved chocolate perhaps more than I.  He knew what he was talking about, and it was amazing to hear someone talk about chocolate with such passion.  He could have been Willy Wonka and that wouldn’t have surprised me.

Within a week, I had three unique conversations with three different strangers.  As we become more reliant on technology, we must not forget how to truly converse with people face-to-face.  Without such conversations, you’ll miss out on moments such as the ones I described.  You won’t notice how a voice becomes higher when someone is talking with utmost passion.  You can’t see the spark of recognition in their eyes when something you say sounds all too familiar.  You might miss that flicker of relief when you find a kindred soul who reminds you that you are not alone in the universe.  You may lose an opportunity to make a new friend.  You never know who you’ll meet, so keep an open mind and be ready to have a story to tell.

* Names have been altered to protect these strangers.

Hope Project

Even though I graduated from college, it seems as though final class projects are still having an impact on my life.  One of my last classes focused on Positive Psychology, and included a Hope Project which would be returned to us at a future date of our choosing.  I finally received mine in the mail, and I quickly ripped open the red envelope to recover the small mementos I had hidden within.  Unlike my classmates, not only had I written a letter for myself, but I included a number of meaningful tokens from the cork-board in my room:

• A blank card with an image of a crosswalk sign.  Instead of the red handed stop-sign, there was a red handed I-LOVE-YOU sign in American Sign Language.  This was included because I am always walking, no matter the distance between where I am and where I need to be.
• A ticket from the Mata Expo, a deaf convention, in Ontario, CA.  This was included because it symbolizes my ambition to finally take ASL classes and being able to communicate with those who are Deaf.
• A ticket from the Tim Burton exhibit at the LACMA.  This was included because I have been a longtime fan of Tim Burton’s work, and I would one day hope to meet the man who influenced my childhood.
• A ticket from the Body Worlds 2 exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum.  This was included because it marked a poignant moment where my family came to see me at a time when I had no discernible path in sight.  They were a flicker of hope when I was plagued by doubt and uncertainty.
• A small decal sticker that features Dr. Zaius from Planet of the Apes, with the words “Compressed Thought” in the upper corner.  This was included because it was found in my first week of college after a long unexpected hiatus.  I found it on the floor of the college library.
• A yellow piece of lined paper that consists of places visited when I was in New York with my mother.  This was included because it marked a moment when fate truly surprised me.  I had won an all-expenses paid trip to New York, and it remains as one of the most amazing trips of my life.

With these mementos back in my possession, I wasted no time placing these items back on the cork-board.  I am thankful for the Hope Project, and I know that these little tokens will continue to inspire me, to push me, and to encourage me to keep going.

Always the English Major

Having graduated in May and currently searching for a better job, I find myself stuck in a rut, especially as I am bombarded by Facebook posts from undergraduate friends and colleagues as they return to college. Part of me wishes I could return to the sanctuary of that learning environment; however, I know that the past seven years were long enough to accomplish my goal. Any longer would have been mostly frivolous despite my constant need to learn new things.  I have been inherently changed by my college experiences, and taking what I have learned into the real world can be rather daunting.  Everything is different now, and I am back at the start of a new beginning, uncertain about how everything will turn out.

For me, my choice of major while attending community college had been relatively simple.  I chose to major in English Literature and Writing.  I was steadfast in my decision, loving the diversity of classes offered, with the occasional stubbornness that comes when trying to balance American Literature & English Literature classes consecutively. While I initially intended to pursue an English major at a four year college, I decided that perhaps my intellectual interests could be broadened, so I switched to being a Communication major. I never question my decision to switch majors, but as my friends and coworkers have teasingly reminded me, I will always be the ideal English major.

Now that I much more free time on my hands, I find myself wholeheartedly agreeing with them, as I have fallen back into my bookworm tendencies with renewed vigor.  This goes beyond the misconceived notions of someone stuck in a library or correcting grammar and vocabulary as if my life depended on it. Like any new graduate, I applied for numerous jobs: full-time, part-time, internships, etc.  And like a majority of graduates, I went through interview after interview, experiencing rejection left and right.  My disappointment loomed over me like a little rain cloud, and I felt a nagging depression sink in.  I decided to change tactics, and let myself actually enjoy the free time I now had.

I stopped watching television, and started reading whatever I could get my hands on: articles, novels, fan-fiction, and comics. As I continued to read, I felt more like myself, and I could gradually tell that I was genuinely becoming happier.  I have never been a deep sleeper, but now, I am slowly becoming one. Where once my dreams were barely remembered, I am able to remember everything.  I have always been creative, but I have had to temper those unique ideas in favor of more practical solutions. Ideas are coming back, and I have a few projects in the works.  Writing this blog post is my first step back into the creative process.

I am determined to use this language in anyway I want.  To tell stories.  To emphasis sarcasm or inflect irony.  To say how I feel and to express myself in the best words possible.  Reading allows me to forget for a little while and to experience another world, time, or place.  Well-developed characters become almost like friends, and if a good book can make you cry, then you have been one amazing journey.  As long as I keep reading, that sensation never stops, I enjoy experiencing it anew with each fresh story.  Literature broadens the mind, and encourages us to ask questions, some of which that may never have answers. Such is life.

“Love for language, hunger for life, openness and a quest for truth: Those are the qualities of my English major in the ideal form…the path to becoming a human being…” – http://chronicle.com/article/The-Ideal-English-Major/140553/

I will always be an English major.

Now What?

On May 18th, I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from a four-year college.  Four years ago, that goal was temporarily deferred, and two years ago, I was given a second chance to make my dream a reality.  But now, I have realized that this entire aspiration has come to fruition.  My entire reason for moving out on my own and pursuing a college education has been completed.    As I sit at the computer and endlessly search for open job applications, I pound away at the keyboard and think, “Now what?”

Just this past semester, I wrote a five page paper that laid out my five-year plan for pursuing a better job.  It was a simple assignment, and writing it took no time at all.  However, now that the academic journey has ended, the harsh reality of the job search is blatantly shoved into my face.  Summer is almost here, and I am wondering about how to better my job prospects instead of planning a mini vacation or designing a cosplay for Comic Con.  Gone are the thoughts of future classes, which are replaced by job applications, resumes, and cover letters.  Where once the end of the road became easier to navigate, a new path lies before me, and the end is nowhere in sight.  

I think back to when attaining a Bachelor’s degree was simply a distant dream.  I was “temporarily deferred” and I even created a blog filled with moments of that unintentional hiatus from school.  Within a whirlwind of classes and lots of perseverance, I finally graduated, albeit a little later than I originally intended.  I spent so much time and energy into achieving my dream, and I am proud to have succeeded.  But I am realistic that finding a job with my degree may not be as easy as taking a class or writing a twenty-five page paper.  However, I am ready to face the unknown, and I will engage this new goal with ambition and determination.