Update and knitting

I know I haven't posted for a while.

Garden update:

The tomato and chili plants have been pulled.  They do not do well when the weather changes.  I am surprised that my cabbage plants still look healthy after several nights at freezing.  The strawberry plants lost all their original leaves and stems, but started new leaves at the base, and are still green.  I still have a couple onion plants still green, so I'm leaving them alone.  I need to get good pictures last in the am, as that is most of the daylight the garden gets.

Knitting:

I can finally posts pictures of the cowl I knit.  This is worn like a scarf, but can cover the head as well.  The recipient received it Christmas Eve.

The Star Wars hat was finished before the movie, but I forgot to wear it that night.  The fun part of knitting this hat was that I didn't want to do it one sides, and having it too tight.  Here is one side:

and the other side (Inside out):

I got to see the movie the night before the release and loved it.  Thanks to a friend at work, I got to see the movie without a line, and before anyone could spoil it for me.  I hope to see it again later this week.

New Year Challenge:

I decided to start my next challenge, a project called 52 pickup.  The original design had you start with a deck of cards:

Then using all 54 cards (52 plus both jokers), and play 52 card pickup; yes I did play.  I picked the cards up, gave them a shuffle, and then recorded their order.  Next I did a swatch, which is how I test knit the yarn to make sure the design looks right.

This is both the front and back of one card.  I pulled the yarn out, and started to knit the first row Christmas Eve.  I did have problems starting the scarf, till I realized one of my cards was not right side up, so I had to go back and fix the edge of the 3rd card.  The next picture I post will be of the first row of cards.

Slow Cook Friday: Garden Chili

I need use up a a few things from the garden.

Chili

1 can beans
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
2-3 pounds cut of beef (precut was cheapest)
Bunch of green tomatoes (garden)
Several chilies (garden) (coarsely chopped)
Bell pepper (coarsely chopped)
Onion (coarsely chopped)
2 jars of tomatoes (self canned)

Mix and set on low for 8 hours.

The Walk Home

I keep forgetting to post this. I wrote it while some of my 5th graders were writing about a spooky walk home:


The walk home, by Mr. Parker
Halloween was only a few long days away. There were many things going on in Mr. Dale’s fifth grade class. Brandi was busy at Jennifer’s Desk, talking about costumes. Chris was pounding erasers outside. Mark was sneaking a snack.
“I must remember, when I get home, to study for Friday’s Spelling Test, and practice my sevens and eights. Afterwards, I need to read Chapter 5. Alas, there was still almost thirty minutes left of school,” I thought
The last part of our school day ends, with Mr. Dale reading to the class. This week, he was reading Halloween Stories. We always sat quietly at our desks as he read to the class. He was my favorite readers, because he always tried to add a different voice to each character in the story. Today’s story had plenty of suspense as he read. I felt small bumps on my skin. It felt like the hair on my arms was rising and sticking up. The room felt warm, but I had a chill that made me want my jacket. I looked over and saw my backpack and jacket hanging on a hook by the door. I wanted to stand up, but…
“What was that noise?” I cringed as I thought I heard the opening of an old, rusty door. “That creaking sound it makes when that kind of door opens. But! Our room had only one door, and that door was closed.” I was glued to my chair as Mr. Dale read. Just as he got to the scary part…. he put the bookmark in the book.
“Aw!”cried the whole class.
“Time to clean and pack up,” exclaimed Mr. Dale.
Only just a few more minutes and the last bell of the day would ring. We all packed up our stuff, organized our desks, got our backpacks, jackets and other things from our hook, and stood in a semi-organized line waiting for the bell to ring. Then we all walked somewhat quickly out the door and on the way home.
Well, sort of home. I stood outside on the grass and chatted with some classmates. It was cloudy out, but not normal cloudy. The sky was almost the color of a pale pumpkin, just like you sometimes sees at sunset, but it was still midday. The adults talked about the forest fires in a nearby state. The fire is not close, yet you still can sometimes smell the smoke.
“I’d rather be enjoying a fireplace or a campfire, than just smelling the ash,” I pouted.
Soon, most of the students were gone.
“I really should be getting home too.” Being so slow, I almost missed the crossing guard.
“I shouldn’t hang around school that late, and be late getting home.” Once across the street, I decided to take the shortcut through the desert to get home.
I started up the first hill….
“Something moved. What was that?!? What crossed my path?!?” I declared.
After a couple of moments, I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Nothing dangerous should be around here. I took another deep breath, and looked carefully. Of course, it was not anything dangerous. It was just a lizard. There were many lizards in this desert, and many kids loved to hunt and catch lizards as pets.
“I was letting Mr. Dale’s Halloween story get into my imagination, and scare me,” I huffed
As I started to walk on home again, there was a rustling in a bush near where I would walk soon. Maybe it was a bird, hiding in a bush. As I got closer, I realized it wasn’t a bird. Something bigger was moving, yet I could hear movement, or I was sure something was out there. As I slowly walked closer to the edge of the desert, I could feel something watching me. I was unsure what to do. Some-thing was coming after me. “Could I run?” I questioned. I worried it would get me if I tried to run. I had to get home. I could turn around, but what if it got behind me? What would I do if the creature were big and scary? I needed to do something. I really wanted to go home. I slowly walked and tripped on something and landed on the dirt. I waited, listened, and then waited some more. I found a small rock, and threw it towards the noise. I missed, but I think I scared it, because it sounded like it started running. I stood up carefully to see something running towards the houses. Although it was hard to see as it moved quickly away, it was obviously at the shape of the figure, it has probably my nearby neighbor.
Not long, I was out of the desert and walking back on the sidewalk. It was a quiet walk to my house.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Writing topics

After my writing task over November, I'd like to keep writing, but not that has to be posted daily. (I still will do my regular posts). Here are a few ideas I've thought about:

• Teacher with a special talent/power. (I already have a plot for this one).
• Survivors in Las Vegas after a nuclear war.  (Similar to Fallout Series, but different timeline)
• High tech secret organization, working under the city.  (I did a similar story in H.S.)
• Love Story, with references to different (rock) songs.  (Similar to Rock of Ages).

I might add to this list with other ideas.  Which idea do you like?  Let me know in comments or Facebook.

Thankful for Disney

30Nov2015

The last of my Thankfuls is Walt Disney.  About 87 years ago, it started with a mouse.  Steamboat Willy was just the beginning. I miss the Sunday nights growing up with the Wonderful World of Disney.

60 years ago this year, Disneyland opened.  Living in Nevada, I got to go several times growing up; I last got to visit in the late 80s.  Last time I had been there, California Adventures was a parking lot.  This year I got to go with Jean.  Some people said I wouldn't recognize the park.  Not a lot had changed in Disneyland.  There was one new area; which is closing for the new expansion.  Going on the different rides brought back memories of growing up and visiting.  I also found out that two of my favorite rides, Pirates and Haunted Mansion, both opened just before I was born.   California Adventure is fun, but Disneyland is still my favorite.

I did get very interested in the Pins that Disney sold, and found a lot of them on eBay.  As other collectibles like Peanuts, I am picky on which ones I want.

I'm not the only one thankful, as I have seen pictures from other friends who have gone this year too.  I think for a lot of people, Disneyland was the place to be this year.  Next year, I think it will be Universal California, when Harry Potter opens.

Thankful for (Catch up)

29Nov2015

I admit I didn't post every day in November.  I took a couple of days to be extra lazy, and get some progress on Fallout 4.  I am thankful for the time off to rest.  No I did not participate in the chaos known at Black Friday.  I did see one deal in the ads, but I found out the deal lasted all weekend, so I waited till Saturday to get it.  I'm not ready for the freezing temps we have gotten the last few mornings over break.  Yes, we are dropping to around freezing, and no, some of my garden plants are not happy.  Neither is Fiona, till later in the morning when it warms up a little.

I am thankful for the breaks I get.  It has been another busy year.  It has been productive, but busy.   I actually rolled over and went back to sleep this morning.  Fiona was not a happy kitty, not getting outside at her usual time.

I am also thankful for tea.  I do enjoy the commercial teas, but most are not as flavorful as loose tea.  Yes, the new mesh are better, but I can pick different teas and mix them together.  I am grateful that I was introduced to Adagio Teas.  I started with a local tea supplier, until they left stopped going to the Farmer's Market on Sunday, and they were too far to go during the week.  A podcast offered a promotion, and I tried Adagio.  For a few dollars, I can get a sampler that allows me a few cups of tea.  I mix a couple of these for my tea.  They even create seasonal teas, like Cranberry, Gingerbread, Candy Cane and Christmas.  I was using a french press for my teas, until this summer when I tried the ingenuiTEA Teapot.  Instead of pressing down on the leaves, the tea goes through a strainer at the bottom.  I had bought it to take to work.  I had to buy a second, because I brought the one from work home, and enjoyed it too much to take it back to work.

Thankful for ...

Thankful for Coworkers and local friends

I think today is a good day to be thankful for all my friends that I work with or visit with at different times.  All the great people I work with currently, or have worked with in the past.  My fiber friends that I get to see at a knit or spinning night.  My high school friends that I visit with.

Last night I got invited to a "Our First Thanksgivings at the new House Party".  No it wasn't on Thanksgivings Day, but for those friends who might not have family, or other reasons (like a casino worker) who might work that day.  I had a great time, and gained a new friend at work to share interests with.

Last Saturday, with my High School Friends, including adding a new friend to my list of friends, just because he does seem like a really cool guy.

And then also my friend Jean, who just enjoys hanging out and visiting places and movies together.

Thankful for Music

Here is some previous writing about one of my tasks at work.  I am very thankful for my love of music.

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Each school morning, before school starts, I setup speakers for the morning announcements. This is my third year doing morning duty. Why do I enjoy this task? Each Morning starts with a song or piece of music. Each teacher or staff has a choice of what music is played for their week of doing morning announcements. Morning announcements include The Pledge of Allegiance, 30 Seconds of Silence, Lunch Menu and any announcements.
Some will give me music to play, some will have a request, but most leave the choices up to me. I keep a portion of my digital music on an older iPhone, which I use mostly as an iPod. The reason I was chosen to do the setup for announcements is because of my collection of music. Although my collection is heavy with ‘80s, I have a wide range of albums and songs, including a lot of kid friendly songs. Sometimes after a concert or theatrical show, I will buy their music and add it to my collection.
I grew up enjoying all kinds of music. As a kid, I might listen to Top-40 during the day and fall asleep to the Big Bands. I enjoyed the movie “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, and had to go out and get the soundtrack on cassette. It wasn’t actually the soundtrack, but the Beatles Album of the same name. MTV was an influence, along with local channel 21 and Night Tracks, all who played music videos.
In the 90s, I attended a class at the community college called “History of Rock Music.” The class started with the origins of Rock, then into the early 50s, late 50s/early 60s, British Revolution, and then the 70s and 80s. This expanded my interest in music in general.
I also started attending live theater and collecting soundtracks. At this point, my music collection had grown to a large size, and being able to turn much of it into digital musc, made my collection more portable.
About two and a half years ago, the staff member who was doing the morning announcements/music was returning to the classroom to teach kindergarten, and could no longer do the music. He knew how mixed my music collection was, and recommended me to take over. Not only would I get to be outside each morning and could see the students, and keep up with daily announcements, I could play different themes each week. This would allow me to expose the students to a wide range of music. I do get the occasional break when someone does bring their own music, but I have heard comments that my music is often missed, and that I’m frequently complimented on my choices.

Thankful for my Clark HS Friends

23Nov2015




The past year, which included organizing my High School reunion and the reunion itself; seeing old friends and making new friends. Last night was the return of HSHH (High School Happy Hour) or CHHH (Clark High Happy Hour). Several of us who could make it that night met at a local bar and had a drink and talked.  It was a small group, but it was great talking to those who did make it.  One person even reminded me that we met in elementary school.

I've talked about how my HS friends got me to join Facebook.  I enjoy reading the stories of my friends, especially since I don't get to see most of them very often. 

Even though we don't always agree, I am thankful for having old friends around.

Thankful for a Great Champion

22Nov2015

Congrats to Kyle Busch.

• First Cup Championship, Second NASCAR Title.

• First Cup Championship for Toyota
• First Cup Championship for M&Ms
• Rookie Crew Chief for the Cup Series 
• Second time Brothers have one Championships.  The Labontes were the first, and Bobby won his Championship with Joe Gibbs as well.

Thankful for the NASCAR Chase for the Championship

21Nov2015

In 2004, NASCAR changed how a driver wins a championship.  In 2003, when Matt Kenseth won his championship, he won one race, and was consistent, and had enough points a couple a races before the end of the year to win the championship.  There was no excitement going into last races of the year.  This isn't as big of an issue in the other two series.

Now the drivers raced the first 26 races, and then a 10 race championship.  Some years have been exciting, others just okay.  The media would talk about the drivers being mathematically in or out.  Last night's Truck Series was still a good example, where even if the second place driver could win the race, the points leader only needed to finish fifteenth to win the championship.  Last year changed this, because drivers were eliminated after each three sets of races, and the last race, the four drivers going for the championship, their position in the championship points were to be based where they finished in the final race.  Last year, the championship was decided on who won the race, as two drivers were fighting for the win.

Each of the drivers this year have a great story to becoming the championship.

• Jeff Gordon will be retiring from the Sprint Cup Series this year.  He is considered one of the great drivers of his era, and will easily be part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame when he is eventually nominated.
• Kyle Busch wrecked in Daytona and missed the first 11 of 26 races.  With several wins, he was still able to earn enough points to be part of the championship.  Previous years, he struggled during The Chase, but not this year.
• Martin Truex Jr. drives for a single car team, who is based out of Denver, CO.  Almost every other team is based on the east coast.  The makes him the underdog.
• Kevin Harvick is last year's champion, and is trying to be one of the few drivers with back to back championships, and to prove he is not just a one championship driver.

Kyle Busch is also from Las Vegas, so I'm rooting for Kyle.  Kurt has one Cup Championship, it is time for Kyle to have one too.

Thankful for the Farmer's Market

20Nov2015

I try to support small businesses when I can.  My favorite small business(es) is the Las Vegas Farmer's Market.

The Las Vegas Farmer's Market isn't one single vendor, but many different vendors.  Some do sell produce, while others sell different wares.  My favorite vendors that I visit the most are the two produce sellers from nearby farms (California and Arizona I believe).  I try to add at least one fresh ingredient from them when I do my slow cooking.   I do sometimes by fruits (like cherries) from the third produce vendor.  My next favorite is Pahrump Valley Honey.   This is my main source of local honey.  Being good for my allergies and a natural sweetener,  I use it in my hot drinks and other things.  I sometimes visit Frankly Good Coffee, to get coffee beans.  When I do drink coffee at home, I prefer to ground my own beans.  I also have a bottle of Simple Vanilla Bean Syrup.  Sometimes I have grabbed a quick meal from some of the vendors, similar to a food truck, but they work at their tents.  Once in a while I will get sweet bread or desserts.

There are too many other vendors that rotate through, but I do see dog treats, spices, salad dressings, kettle corn, hand crafted items, and many other items.  I almost always grab my black bag, and wander through the market.  My favorite location is The Bruce Trent Park @ Rampart and Vegas Drive almost every Wednesday.  It is just a 10 or so minute drive after work.  I know they have another site on Thursdays and Every other or so Saturday.

I know this is not the only Farmer's market, but most run during the week, while I'm at work, or one did go on Sundays (I wasn't happy with that one).

Thankful for Facebook Part 2 (long)

Yesterday I talk about my beginning is on Facebook. I have become more engaged in social media over the years. I now maintain a couple of small Facebook pages and groups.

I've been at Facebook a few times a day to try and keep up with a lot of posts I have many different people pages and groups that I follow.

• Company pages allow me to easily see what new products, new ideas are coming out, reminders of coming events or their celebrate their team support.

• I know my state isn't the only one having issues. Not only do I follow the local and state Education Associations, I follow ones from many different states. I don't feel that the current events are limited to my state only.

• I also follow a lot of pages belonging individuals, groups and organizations. Some are celebrities and some are celebrities in their own following. Some are more informative, and one helps with my writing.

• After all of these I follow my friends as well. I am friends with a wide range of interests from different parts of the US and a few from other countries.I tried to link my friends to one or two groups/lists to help keep track of them. These list include:

                -Education
                -High School
                -Knitting
                -Family

I created these list back when I would also accept/make friends because of games. This helped a lot after I gave up playing the Facebook specific games. I celebrated "National Unfriend Day" (November 17th) once by cleaning up the lists and removing gaming friends, most of whom I didn't know.
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Most of the Farmville scam stopped when the hype for the game slow down. These people just change their targets. I have seen free airline tickets, free iPhones, free Disneyland Tickets, cheap Ray-Ban's, cheap jerseys and many others. Some of these offers use the website that ends with XYZ. I decided to research this domain and found that it is a website that doesn't go through the official Internet website name company, but instead self regulate some selves. This just makes me more nervous trusting that domain.

I've seen many random users posting this spam. These are not fake accounts but often real, Idol accounts. I have also seen a lot of friend requests from people I do not know. I suspect these are accounts that have been compromised/packed and they are trying to get more accounts.

I'm still thankful I joined Facebook; I'm careful what I do on Facebook.

Thankful for Facebook part 1

18Nov2015

I have said the story many times, but never got around to typing it.

I was wondering through old Facebook posts but I'm not sure what my first posts were. Back then I was using my wall for random posts, and Facebook Game help requests. Time has changed.

I joined Facebook sometime in the late 2000s. I had previously not joined because I had no interest in it at all at the time; I had no interest in MySpace. Why suddenly maybe interested in joining? High school friends.

One day I had gotten email from reunion website; several people from my high school were having a get together at a local bar on a Saturday night. That's sounded fun so I said I would come join  in.  I had not really seen anyone from school since I graduated. I had paid, but miss the 10th and couldn't afford to go to my 20th year.  As a reconnect with old friends I found out that most of them were hanging out on Facebook. I downloaded the app on my phone that night and tried to join. Once I had gotten a home I finish the process is started on Facebook.

This was when  FarmVille and Mafia Wars we're just starting, and there were no Smart Phone games yet. Some of the  Facebook scams of the time included free gift from both FarmVille and Mafia wars. So many offers where equivalent to what people paid cash for. So you figure some of the post offering $20 worth of Farmville cash was fake.

I am very thankful that I did join Facebook.

Thankful for the Challanges

17Nov2015

This sounds a little odd, but I enjoy the occasional Challenge.  The Thankful posts are an example.  I go into a lot more detail than others.

I got an interesting challenge today.  My friend Joe saw a knitted hat and posted it to Facebook.  I had already saw the hat earlier that morning and saved it to Ravelry (A Social Networking site for fiberists) in my library.  I'm still not sure how the picture got around to Joe, but I said I had some Christmas knitting first.

The bigger issue I had with the hat was the method of how it is knit.  It is called stranded, because your carrying two different colors at the same time.  Unless you are careful, the knitting can be too tight, or too loose.

BUT!?

Could it be done in double knit?  It would be a little thicker, but it would also be mirrored, so that you would have a similar design on both sides.  Do I have the right yarn?  Too thick, and no white.  What if I find some of my favorite Knitter's Brewing Co. yarn in my leftovers?  Swatch it and see how it knits up?

Front

Back

 In this case, the front is the outside, and the back is the inside.  It could be turned inside out, and still be worn. 

Looks like I need to buy some yarn! 

Forgot to add, here is the pattern:  the-force-awakens-hat

Thankful for Live Theater

One thing that my mom's interests that I gained was the love of live theater. It started with many trips to the Utah Shakespearean Festival. The Festival occurs annually in the summertime in Cedar City, Utah. The festival had six now nine shows a year, only half the shows are Shakespeare plays. The other half are Broadway type Productions.



Things change as my schedule got busier. I now attend most of the performances at Super Summer Theater @ Spring Mountain Ranch. Each month from June through September is a different Broadway style play. At least one of the four is usually a well-known show. The shows run Wednesday through Saturday evenings the Clay start at sunset at the gates open hour or two before this allows the audience to have a picnic style dinner before the play. The seating area is a large open lawn. The left half of the lawn is for blankets; the right for portable chairs. I always bring a fold-able canvas chair. For some shows one or more of the cast members who wander in the audience before the play starts.

Bellman from "Lend me a Tenner"

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"

"Spamalot"

A few years ago Las Vegas finally received the gift they needed. The city finally received a place where Broadway at other shows can appear in a full theater that was not in a casino. The Smith Center finally became a reality.  Many Broadway and other shows are longer than the 90 minute block preferred by casinos.

Many great shows comparable to Broadway have come to the city since the center open. I spent a year anxiously about Kinky Boots, which was starting their traveling tour in Vegas. I had heard a lot about The Book of Mormon then understood when I finally got to see it. I have seen Mary Poppins in New York, and both professional and amateur versions at the Smith Center.

Garden Update as it gets colder temps

Here are my chilies.  The left is a little one, and my 5th chili.  The right are the other chilies.

I've had small ice crystals on my cabbage plants; they are still growing well.  I am not sure if they will curl in time, but I will wait and see.

My Black Cherry Tomato plant is still going as well.  The left is the largest one.  I still have many growing; a couple small green ones have fallen. 

My mint pants have been moved to new pots.  They are in this container, because they are going to come inside when it gets too cold.  I still worry as it gets colder (lows in the low 40s) that I might not get more growth, and lack of sun because the sun's position.

Thankful for Male Knitting Friends

MFKR 2015

15Nov2015

I've posted before about how much I enjoy going to the Men's Knitting Retreats that I've been able to attend. It is very supportive to know that I share many interests with these other guys, and we can find things in common. There are several of the guys I keep up with on Facebook, which is one of the advantages of social media.

I found it interesting last night, when one one of the Men's Knitting groups on Facebook, that someone felt a little intimidated after seeing some of the other members projects. It was a reminder that we were all beginners at one point; many knitters stay with beginning projects.

I've learned in several different conversations, that many knitters go to a class, wanting a finished project. Many male knitters (as some women as well) prefer a technique vs. a project. If you learn the concept of a knitting technique, you can use that later on other projects. I will sometimes look at a pattern, with curiosity on the pattern itself. The classes I taught at the last retreat had project, but the goal was to learn the technique. When they get that to that moment, when it makes sense. I had a dye teacher in a previous retreat that commented that the guys were ready to jump in and start, where her other groups of just women had to plan things out first.

I know at least one men's group that meets each Sunday in San Francisco.  I do wish I could spend some extra time with those friends.

I do appreciate all knitters; I am thankful for Male Knitters.

One of my student's work at the MFKR 2015

Thankful for the Las Vegas Fiber Arts Guild

Today's post is a little late, because I wanted to add details from today. The Las Vegas Fiber Arts Guild started out as the Southern Nevada Hand Weavers Guild. It is composted of mostly weavers and some knitters and spinners. It is also comprised of mostly older adults, many who are retired. This will eventually need to change, but that's another story.

This year, since no one else was willing, I became vice-president of the Guild. We meet each month, discuss Guild Business and show off current projects. Most meetings, we also have a demonstration or mini lesson, and food.

This month I volunteered to do the presentation. I was demonstrating the use of a blending board. This allows the use of combining different colors and fibers or material to make fiber ready to spin.

I got so busy, I forgot to take pictures during.  I will try to take more later.  I had fun demonstrating, and people appreciated it.

Thankful for a Teaching

One of the joys of working in a school is you are constantly learning along with the students.  Yesterday, a teacher was preparing for a lesson about The Constitution.  He questioned about the material's discussion of England's rule over Canada.  What was England's current relationship to Canada?  In the old days, you would need to find an encyclopedia.  Now we can easily find the answer using the Internet.  The answer wasn't what I expected.

Of the staff I work with, one of my favorite this year is Ms. Sunnasy's 5th Grade class.  She has fun teaching her students.  I love helping her students, especially with math, but my favorite lesson so far this year was an interactive lesson on writing. What are other ways to say "Said"?  Here is the list the class came up with:

Used with permission of Ms. Sunnasy.

Here is another list from a writer's web site.  I think the class did a good job of coming up with so many words.

They are a good class, and she will be having a good year at this point. 

Thankful for Mom

Happy Birthday to Mom.  We all miss you.

Thanks for for the Vetrans, past and present

Thank you for all the Veterans.  

Yes I am a veteran as well.  I was in the Navy Reserve from 1987-1992.  Both ships I was previously assigned to have both been decommissioned. 

Thankful for Console Game Makers

10Nov2015

As I log into Facebook, I sometimes see "Memories" of the past.  This month I see past memories of being thankful.  Today, I want to thank those people who work hard to create console games.  I do play on my iOS devices too, but today is special for console games.

Today is the day that Fallout 4 is being released.  What is special about this game?  I've been mostly following this version of the planet for many decades.  The game started unofficially as a PC game called Wasteland.  This one came out I think last 80s.  Later came out Fallout, which started the official story line.  Fallout 2 and Fallout: Brotherhood of steel, both continued the story in the 90s.  The graphics were very simple, and the games focused on Roll Playing.  The entire game was played from the keyboard, and fighting was a simple turn based.

Fallout 3 was the first time the game moved from just a PC game, to console as well.  The graphics went from simple to realistic.  The story line was kept, and expanded.  The game took place in Washington D.C., and now you really felt you were there.  Now on a console, the game could get later additions, so once you finished the game, you could go onto expansion packs.  Unlike many games, if you get bored with the main story, you can go off and do a side story.  I really enjoy not being stuck doing just one thing.

The next release came New Vegas.  Since I live in Las Vegas, I really enjoyed what they did.  For the time period it is based on, the game is very realistic, and kept me playing for a long time.  I played both games on a PS3.  (Playstation).

This past year, they announced the future release of the new Fallout.  This time we were going to Boston.  Unlike previous versions, the game doesn't start in the current present.  Not after the war, but just before the war.  We get to see some of the game before the destruction.  The new game also now uses the new console hardware.  Till the game was announced, I did not have a PS4, and was still playing my Fallout console games.  About a month ago I purchased a new PS4.  I found another new game, and decided I'd prefer to play the game on the new hardware.  What was the new game?

Yes I am a Lego geek.  Unlike other Lego games, you can purchase more characters to expend the story and open new worlds.

So, I am thankful for all the hard work that console designers create.