So I just read an article...

 Where journaling is therapeutic.  I guess that makes sense because I can anonymously write down my collective thoughts, regardless of the topic, and get it off my chest.  I did a lot of online journaling about a decade or so ago.  I thought about paid sites, but this seems to allow for what I want.  Surprisingly I'm not seeing any ads.  Maybe one day I will update it.

Protect your PII 101

 Today at work I learned that someone's info was hacked just by simply letting someone "borrow" their cell phone.  I don't know that I've ever just given my cell to a stranger (usually a co-worker or someone I relatively trust.)  And I'm not sure where I first heard of this (maybe from the Chromebook?) but I instinctively knew about "guest" mode.

What is Guest Mode?

Guest Mode allows the use of the basic phone capabilities without having access to your entire device and other important apps that may contain crucial info like banking info, credit card info, pictures, or anything else that would be important to you.  There is no access to owner logins like social media or email.  It simply gives a stranger the use of the basic phone.  In my case on my Google Pixel, they can't even text.

Enabling Guest mode is fairly simple.  I decided to 'turn it on' after hearing said horror story from a customer at work.  For me, all I had to do was change a setting in the user's panel to 'add guest.' From there I can leave my screen/info locked and switch to "guest mode" without logging in.  The phone doesn't even share history or contact info.  It's completely free of any of my data.

With what little research I've done, it would appear this is available on iPhone as well. (Under Accessibility, under Guided Access.)  

You can never be too careful with your PII (Personal Identifiable Information) nowadays so it wouldn't hurt to have it on.  It may just save you from someone (the wrong person) snooping in your info.  As for those that don't do so, well, you may just be finding your info (including your money) stolen from you.

For the first time ever...

 I'm not dreading going to work!  You don't understand the mental anguish I went through going to that dreadful old job.  I literally put myself in a funk and didn't realize it until I was talking to my life coach (courtesy of my new job, of which I was familiar with working at ACS.)

Last week I didn't 'count' as working because half my day was spent off the phones.  When I asked about it, I never got a response, so I just did what any employee would do- Nothing.  OK not entirely.  I was a good girl and actually studied the stuff I felt unsure about.  But that didn't take very long.

I then worked a full Saturday, which wasn't bad either.  Come to work Monday to discover my awesome supervisor not only got this coming Saturday off for me, but they overbooked for Memorial day and I am getting that day off as well.  Add to that Tuesday because I was playing with the day off requesters and it instant-approved.  So I have a 5 day week off and I'm not missing or calling out any days which will allow me to get paid for Monday!

3 more days of work, 5 days off.

First day on the job and I'm not doing anything.

 So I finally get my schedule Thurs/Fri of last week.  It gets put on my official list to show me what my upcoming weeks look like.  I log in, online for 30 min then in "training" for the next 4 hours.  When I ask about it, no one can give me a definitive answer.  So?  I follow my schedule to not wack out adherence.  Pretty boring.  I kinda wish the last 4 hours of the day were in training rather than the first 4.  But over all to only be working 4 hours a day, yet still get paid for it, OK- if you say so.

Ubisoft +, be still my heart

 So I am absolutely loving a game I found, Immortals Fenyx Rising.  I first thought it was a MOBA, which I don't mind playing - but it wasn't what I was wanting.  I was wrong!  It's an action-RPG, puzzle game built around Greek mythology!  Yes, please!  I love me some puzzle games!  

Details of that to come.

I also tried out Assasin's Creed Vahalla... It has a new feel to the gameplay from other AC games and I'm not sure about it yet.  Love the story thus far and more to come on that as well.  So many games...

Holy Moly!

 So I'm totally down with FREE!  I recently bought a Chromebook 2-in-1, because I've not had much luck with 10-inch tablets, I figured I might as well get one with a keyboard.  Amazon is allowing me to make monthly payments on this, so it wasn't as if I spent a huge amount on it.  Whilst I still have my main pc for gaming and whatnot, I use it mainly to write, look up recipes and other historical items.  In learning some of the things you can do with a Chromebook, one of the things is using Stadia.  Now I know Stadia received a lot of heat when it first came out.  That's been a few years now and I was actually playing games on it (a thing that has absolutely no processing power to do anything other than surf or watch streaming videos!)  But I decided ultimately to come to my pc; mainly for the access to controllers that I have, but to also have the ethernet access over wifi only.  Stadia is giving me 3 months free for being a Google One subscriber.  In gaining access, I have access to a game that I've been wanting to purchase (a $30 savings.)  All.  For.  Free!  I love free!    

Little Nightmares II

Now I'll update this progress as I go, as I will with most of my games.  I just read that PS5 may be switching on how they are being produced.  I would love to get me one, but I will patiently wait and buy one at retail price, from retail, and not price gouged from someone just trying to make a buck.  

I'm currently also working on a few Switch games that I'll post updates on as well.  Check back often!

What in the World did I get myself into

So I've been into adult coloring lately.  I've gotten myself some really nice coloring books and some Prisma colored pencils (preferred) and I've been improving my skill on coloring with colored pencils.  I am improving.  One of the youtube people I watch found some color-by-number coloring pages and I bought a book!  All the way from England (my first purchase from there!), I received it today.  This is by no means your ordinary color-by-number!

What did I get myself into?!  Luckily I matched the colors up pretty well!  I'll give progress when it's complete!

Does anyone else....?

 Does anyone else feel they've ever been a victim of narcissism abuse?  I have a particular person in my life who I feel has been very abusive.  The thing is, I highly doubt they have the smarts to realize they're actually abusive.  While they are a person who remains active in my life, the good news is I have moved and I'm halfway across the country from where they are.  I realize I shouldn't be 'allowing' this person to have this continued control over me and the good news is they don't!  I feel though I have nowhere to go or no one to talk to about this to allow me to get over this.  So I'll post it here.

I have deleted all forms of social media for personal use.  When I have to, I also only use it for the incidents I'm needing to in a work-life fashion.  (I am a media director, so I cannot be completely deleted from it, but since I am 'logged in' via work I do not consider it mine.  Nor do I use that for any personal use.  By not giving myself that access, I have essentially removed myself from this person.  That doesn't mean I still don't get whiffs of info or tidbits from other areas of my life.  I have a much easier time though with that information than I did when I was fully online.  It just further proves my thoughts on their hypocrisy and ungratefulness that they're even able to wake up every morning as if they didn't do anything, ever.  (They even go so far as to be the victim in heated situations.)

So while I can't fully delete them from my life as easily as they do with their thoughts, I can and have distanced myself, removed myself from gaining any easily updated information, and generally don't ever ask or include them in any topic of conversation.  Again, while it has taken me time to get to this point, it has become easier to remove those 'times' from my memory.  I haven't completely done so, and they do bother me from time to time, which is why I have this.  So don't be surprised if I go about my blog on a happy note about beating some game when the next it is semi-depressing.  I'm generally not a depressing person, at the same time tho I do need some avenue to vent and scream, even if no one is listening.

Ok I think I found one...

 Just temporarily anyway.  Things within the blogging world have changed since my last blog and I'm not sure how much I want to put into learning the new ways.  (I'm already forcing myself to learn how to manage some game servers.)