May 2019 – Mindflight

Horse Isle 3 – my new obsession

Ever since I was little, I’ve dreamed of exploring a brand new world, untouched by bipeds, a place I could journey across and marvel at every new sight. I have also thought it could be nice if there were people there too, yet not so many that I couldn’t have my alone-time. Horse Isle 3: Infinite Wilds helps scratch that itch and gives me as much to explore as I could want!

Infinite Wilds is designed to be appealing to all ages and unlike my other great love (Star Wars: The Old Republic) has absolutely no violence. The really interesting part is that nearly all content is player created. Towns, ranches, horse breeding farms, crafted items, and competitions are all dreamed up by the players, who start with a fresh new world to do with as they please.

Want tack for your horse? Well, you can buy it from other players or you can make it yourself – and then dye it with colors made from things you pick out in the wild. Want to ride? Buy one from a player – or catch one yourself. The system of genetics is fascinating. You can stake a claim on land in the game and build a huge ranch, or own a club and help contribute the prosperity of your own small town. You can join clubs to have your own stores, set up shop as a merchant, a horse breeder, a craftsman, or what have you. You can also choose to train your horses really well and compete with them in various competitions. Did I mention each horse is unique with various stats and personality traits, and almost infinite color combinations?

So, what about people like me, who might like to spend time with people sometimes, but

crave exploration? Well, there will always be room for exploration because the world is one MILLION kilometers across! That’s 621,371.192 miles, enough distance that to cross the map, you’d have to walk around the circumference of the Earth almost 25 times. Big enough for you? Well, it’s big enough for me! So even if thousands of people were exploring all at the same time we’d all have room to build, or harvest, or roam as we saw fit. A certain amount of instantaneous travel keeps the world from being too large.

There are multiple ways to explore too. You can walk, ride, use a kayak, swim, and there are plans for sailboats and hang gliders. There is so much to see, too. Everything from mesa studded deserts to vast dunes to sunny beaches to alpine forests to a mushroom and flower festooned Wonderland. The horses found in each area, or Biome, will tend to be adapted to that area as well.

Beach Biome — I love those sunny beaches.

Because the map is so huge, the game installs onto your PC but doesn’t take up an inordinate amount of space. Right now the game is in Beta and only Windows players with 64 bit systems are being accepted, though there will be more systems supported later.

Because I love the game THAT much, I’m going to post various hints and tips for other people like me who want to get a good start. They can all be found here and I’ll be cross-linking my posts when I make a new one. I’ll be exploring the different Biomes and posting various tips on how to do well.

Come on! Join the adventure!

(Note: I make no money out of this. I write about this game out of love, and though I am a Beta tester, I didn’t make the game.)

Aloof Cats

Thoughts About Life

“Cats are aloof.”

“Cats are anti-social.”

“Your cat doesn’t really love you, they just want food.”

“Cats are spiteful.”

“Cats are merciless.”

——-

Balogna.

Utter, sheer, unmitigated, balogna.

Hogwash.

Poppycock.

Rubbish.

Nonsense!

As I write this, the primary cat who owns me, keeps patting my arm to remind me she’s there. She likes to just hang out near by when I’m doing things, rather than going off and sleeping by herself. She’s not a lap cat, but rather a sit near you cat. She’s very loving and the feeling has always been mutual for us.

Do cats love? They do – very deeply at times – and if you learn to look and listen and observe, you’ll see that. For example – when a cat is gazing at you and giving you that slow blink, that means “I trust you.” And sometimes “I love you.” You can see their love with body language and facial expression, and by how much time they want to spend hear you. They also grieve very deeply and they remember their lost friends quite well at times.

Some are going to say “cats are just animals, they don’t have feelings.” Lately, though, it’s been discovered that though smaller than a human’s brain, a cat’s brain matches about 90 percent of the structures we have, especially in the emotional centers. What’s more, a cat’s face has many muscles that exist for the purpose of making expressions. So when your cat seems to be smiling at you, they really are, and when they look sad, they probably are. It’s not anthropomorphism to say this, those behaviors have been observed and confirmed.

Cats get a bad reputation though because they aren’t groveling sycophants. They are deemed untrainable because you have to motivate them properly for them to decide to do what you are asking. I’ve gotten my cat to sit, even lie down on command, but it’s plain that she’s deciding to agree to my request, not giving me a rote response.

They can be incredibly intelligent – I knew a cat who would use bottle caps as containers to carry things in, and would eat his dry food only after picking it up with his paw. I knew another who ran away from her mother, crossing two yards with big dogs in them, so she could be with the only house who would offer her help – that is, us. How did she know that? We’d never met her before. And yet, she knew just where to go at a bare few months of age. I have played long games of “boop the nose” with Nezumi, where we’ll take turns booping each other’s noses. She can tell time to some extend. I’ll say “not yet, in an hour Nezumi,” and sure enough she’ll come back for whatever she wanted… in an hour. I and many others could go on and on.

A cat will choose if they want to be part of a relationship and they’re pretty hard to bribe. However, once a cat has decided your’e pretty okay as people go, it can be a beautiful experience. They will be loyal with you and the experience will be incredibly special.

Nezumi and Shinji 4-19.JPG

The Lizard Lord

Jokes and Humor, Photography

Behold! I am the Lizard Lord! Watch as I do pushups to impress all the ladies! I am Lord of all I survey, which is pretty much… this wall, um, and some trees, and oh, some brick planters… and doves! I totally survey the doves too!

Did I mention I’m related to giant dinosaurs? And so what if I’m only a foot long?

Laugh not at my blue belly, for I rule this backyard!

…Signed, the Spiny Desert Lizard.

To all the Mothers – and Kitty Mothers – out there

Thoughts About Life

Today’s your day!

It takes a tremendous amount of grit to be any kind of a parent. To those who have stuck by their kids, through thick and thin, protecting them from harm, putting up with illnesses and whining, and trying to teach them the good things in life, I salute you. Similarly, to those cat parents who support their furry kids through smooth times and rough, I salute you too. It also takes determination, love, and often some heartache.

It means that like a wildflower’s roots, you must sometimes search for scarce resources and nevertheless make something bloom.

It means deciding that that tiny child – or kitten – is more important than your own comfort. That your child’s happiness is your happiness.

It can be a huge struggle, especially with a human child, but every mother I know has told me it’s worth it.

To everyone who takes on that challenge, Happy Mother’s Day!

Here’s a picture of our sweet calico when she was tiny, shortly after she rescued herself and came to us, and a bouquet of wildflowers for all the Moms out there. And yes… that includes my own!