Elizabeth Hauser's Blog, page 2

The movies and shows to curl up in a blanket with

What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?

To say that I enjoy watching movies and TV shows is an understatement. It can be a great escapism. Letting yourself be drawn into the world’s created on scene can help relax you after a stressful day or heighten a good one. Everyone has a go-to when they’re feeling down or nostalgic.

At this point in my life, there has to be dozens of movies and shows I’ve sat through multiple times. But there are some that when the mood strikes have become my go-to.

At the top of the list has to be Stargate SG-1. I enjoyed the movie the show was based on growing up, but I didn’t discover the series until the end of season 6. I became hooked and watched the entire series. The show also represented the first convention I ever attended.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 has more of a personal spot in my life. My dad and I would watch the show as I was growing up, and to this day, we both share a fondness for B-Movies. Over the last couple of years, I have even become part of a larger community with fans, and we often have watch parties, looking back on classic episodes.

I’m a bit of a sucker for Regency romance movies. One that I have probably seen the most is North & South. It’s based on a book by Elizabeth Gaskell, which I have yet to read. I can’t quite place what it is about this one that tops the list, but I tend to lean more towards this one over some of the classic Austen adaptations.

I also enjoy revisting the Band of Brothers miniseries at least once a year. For as many times as I have watched it, I still find myself being emotionally invested in the story of the men of Easy Company from WWII.

When it comes to movies, I could have a list as long as my arm for what I’ve watched more than 5 times. From the Die Hard movies to The Rocketeer and Grease. I could spend hours typing out all the movies that are my favorites on rotation.

I find that sometimes I prefer to revist older movies and shows as opposed to watching something new. Maybe it’s a form of comfort, or I’ve become an old lady stuck in my ways. Regardless, movies and TV are a form of media that we can all understand and can connect people with conversation that they may have never thought about before.

Skull and Bones: When Reality Crushes Imagination

This is a review for a video game currently in open beta.

Several years ago, I received an email from Ubisoft about a game that was currently in development. That game was Skull and Bone. After reading the description, I was hooked. A chance to play as a pirate and sail around an open world fight ships, and pillaging settlements with friends sounded amazing. I immediately signed up in hopes of becoming a beta tester in the future.

Time went on, and little information came out, but Skull and Bones was always sitting in the back of my mind. Then, an email would arrive, and my friend and I would chat about how excited we were for the game. Ultimately, there would be more waiting. A lot more. So much so I all but forgot about it.

Then, articles started to pop up about the game, and my interest was reignited. At least partially. Talk of Skull and Bones being in the same vein as Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag drew my attention. Even though Black Flag got repetitive over time, like most Assassin’s Creed games, the uniqueness of it and the characters drew me in.

Which brings me to Skull and Bones. I had no idea the game was getting ready for a release, let alone an open beta. I discovered the beta on Thursday by happenstance when an article popped up in my feed. I was excited but wary. So little fanfare, at least from my perspective, was odd. But I still downloaded the game as soon as I got home and waited for the 50 GB beta to download.

When you start the game you are thrown into a no win scenario which I’ve always found underwhelming. It gives you this weird feeling like you’ve missed something and are just pushed into a game with no clue what is happening. To be honest that’s how a lot of the story points in Skull and Bones feel. You aren’t really a part of it, just an outsider forced to go along for the ride in hopes something interesting happens. After the planned failed attempt to do something (either you’re transporting goods or aiding a convey that is, I wasn’t really able to pay attention with being put into a battle without a chance to get my barrings), you are save by I assume members of your crew. I wasn’t entirely sure, but it was clear they didn’t really think highly of your character. That leads to the underwhelming character creation. Now, I know this is just a beta, but the options for customizing your pirate, which I’m sure many players are excited about, let a lot to be desired. If the game does increase the customization on release that that’s great, but Ubisoft missed an opportunity to at least tease options in the menu to make players like me, who enjoy character creation, excited about the full release. Sadly the options are sparse with only a few different hairstyles and forced presets to choose from. The same goes for the eventual ship customization. You have a handful of choices, most of which need to be unlocked through missions or bought with the silver you earn through contracts and general pirating. This was the part I was looking forward to the most. I have wasted hours of my time creating a character in a game so much so my friends and I have an ongoing joke whenever we start a game involving customization. To say it was lacking, well that seems to be the norm for Skull and Bones as a whole.

When it comes to the actual game, it’s well just standard. The ship combat is very reminiscent of Blag Flag and becomes routine after a while. You can plunder outposts, without the fun of actually plundering it. Then head to small safe zones to sell goods you’ve acquired. When I say small, I mean small. Yes, the map is large since the game is all about sailing the seas. However, the ports I encountered all had the same set up of three shops scattered in different locations. There were no NPCs to talk with to make the world seem lived in. Only some letters and articles laid about to give basic details about the history of the world in Skull and Bones. Everything just seems so hollow and bare. Even the NPCs you do encounter are bland and stereotypical pirate characters. You need something to keep you engaged, even if you hate the character at least the developers are pulling out some kind of emotion from you.

What’s worse is, the game doesn’t even look that good. The world looked in between reality and cartoon, like the designers couldn’t decide if they wanted to go all in on one or the other. I don’t know if maybe the sheer amount of Ubisoft studios working on this caused some kind of communication issues with the overall look of Skull and Bones, but some just felt unappealing about it. As I mentioned before, the game seems lacking. And I wonder if the amount of studios is the cause. After you finish the typical MMORPG tutorial section, the credits roll and I actually laughed reading the different Ubisoft studios involved. It may have been the most entertainment I got out of the game.

MMORPGs are not a easy genre of game to pull off. You need to somehow hit all the marks to keep people invested. Character customization, interesting combat, NPCs to keep you engaged, unique missions, all while creating hundreds of hours of game play to keep players coming back for more. Creating a lore that has you hooked and able to expand the world beyond what we see on screen is just as big of a factor in hooking players in for the long haul. This isn’t to say that Skull and Bones can’t eventually live up to what my imagination expected, but at the moment the reality of what the game is has me balking at the 60 dollar price tag.

Time for a reset

Do you need a break? From what?

This may be the easiest question to ask someone. Do you need a break? The answer is yes. For me, my needed break comes in twofold. Mainly, I need a break from work.  It mostly comes from working straight through the holidays, which in retail is just how it is. Getting away from work is a great way to reset mentally and to a certain level emotionally.

The other break I need is from people. I’m not the most social individual, so I tend to reach a point where I just need to be alone. Normally, I’m just being off from work could be helpful in recharging, but now that I am living with my dad, it’s become more difficult. He’s the opposite of me and likes to socialize, and since he’s recently moved in with me, he doesn’t really have people to hang out with. When you have to deal with people every day at work and it’s already a struggle, when you’re home, you just want a bit of peace. Unfortunately, because of our differences in personality, he doesn’t understand that.

Luckily, I have a vacation around the corner, so I should be able to get the necessary break I need…. Just as long as my day plays golf a few days that week.

Five grocery items for a basic eater

List your top 5 grocery store items.

I’m pretty simple when it comes to food. My grocery list rarely changes unless I’m preparing a special meal. Needless to say, there are at least 5 items that make a recurring appearance on my grocery list.

Cheese. I’m a lover of cheese, and many of my favorite meals include it. Whether it’s deli, which I prefer, American, shredded Mozzarella, or a blend called Mexican Style.Soda. So I’m an odd ball who doesn’t like coffee or hot tea. My main source of caffeine comes from soda, which I know is not exactly healthy, but it’s just how it is. I try to limit how much I drink per day just so I don’t feel completely awful about myself.Pasta. A lot of what I cook involves some sort of pasta.Bananas. The one healthy thing I routinely buy.Snacks. Depending on my mood, I can go for something chocolately or fruity. Chips and cookies make a regular appearance as well.

Those are the 5 items that you could call my top favorites. I’m not adventurous or don’t have any insanely weird taste. For the most part, I’m pretty simple with what I eat.

Any recommendations of new items to add to my list? What are some of your favorites?

Sometimes, not picturing the future makes it happen.

Is your life today what you pictured a year ago?

A year ago, I was almost coasting through the day to day. I didn’t really have any plans ahead of me, and the ones I did have were always looked at with a skeptical eye. I’ve dealt with a lot of disappointment in my life, so I never really tried to picture it as anything other than what it is.

While it was a goal for my dad to retire and move to where I live and buy a home, I just never pictured it happening. I guess it just me being a pessimist. If someone had told me that all those things would happen, I would have scoffed in disbelief.

But it did. My dad retired. We found a home. And he moved down to live with me.

It’s been quite a year for me. Normally, nothing of interest happens, and I continue as I have before. This may be the first time were a life goal was actually achieved. Of course, the book I’ve been working on has stalled. But maybe I could start picturing it being complete for next year.