August 2, 2021  

ComicCon and My City

In case you’re still following me on The GBOAT, please know that I’m much more active on YouTube with Super Squad D!
April 15, 2021  

My Logic Center Is Full

September 28, 2020  

Final Fantasy XII: A Star Wars Story

Recently, I’ve been making a point to make notes and chronicle observations from the games I play in order to make some video essays about them and why they either appeal to me or don’t. This has been my project lately and it has been a fun exploratory release.

August 14, 2020  

If I Don’t Put My Keys In The Same Place Every Time I Get Home, They Will Cease To Exist

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(Songs: Colombia by Local Natives, My Own Thing by Chance The Rapper) 2020 has seen nothing but change for all of us. My goals for the year and for my 32nd year of life are drastically different now than when it all began. I planned on getting into shape, I planned on some community involvement, and suddenly gyms are closed and we have to socially distance to stay safe. Now? Well, I set writing goals and now I'm writing (nearly) every day just for fun. We started @supersquaddlive back up. Ellie and I are trying to buy a house cause, y'all, these interest rates are *chef's kiss* The largest unexpected goal for this year, though, is the goal of learning (again) to be okay with my ADHD. To many, ADHD translates to "can't pay attention" and sure, that's often true, but to the one who has it, it translates to "my brain doesn't work, and that's hindering me." Hence, Colombia resonates with me as a song because yes, every night I look back on the day and ask whether I'm giving enough, whether I'm loving enough, whether I did enough today or if it was a waste. A bit of a theme song for me. And through that, I'm trying to make an effort to remind myself to embrace it. Okay, my brain may not work the same as others, but that doesn't mean I should try to fix it. Maybe it's more beneficial to ride that random wave comfortably and embrace the difference. Not broken. Just doing its own thing. In May, I misplaced my wedding ring. On family vacation, I put it in a different pocket of my backback than normal and couldn't find it. I turned the house inside out looking, while it sat maybe 5 inches from where I would normally put it when traveling. For my ADHD brain, placing something 6 inches away from where it normally goes means it's gone. It doesn't exist anymore. Finding the ring in my backpack yesterday, I could have been frustrated by the simplicity of my error. My dumb brain didn't look in THAT pocket? But instead, I had to laugh. It's okay that it was so close, that I carried it with me to work every day without knowing. It's okay, and I'm okay. Ellie and I joke that My Own Thing is our goofy dog Radar's theme song. But I think she wouldn't mind sharing.

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July 10, 2020  

You Would Hate Half The Disciples

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In my Christian adulthood, few passages have been as convicting to me as this one. A simple list of those that Jesus associated most with during his time on earth. It reminds me that given our natural human line of thinking, we would probably hate half the people on this list. Working class fishermen were grouped together with intellectuals. Simon The Zealot, a political extremist who wanted to rebel against Rome, was called to travel alongside Matthew, a government tax collector. MAGA hats and BLM protestors hanging together. Simon Peter, the headstrong and impulsive disciple, would have been the bane of all of you with opposite Enneagram numbers. I won't pretend to know what numbers those would be. Even his mission subjected earthly expectations. People wanted a political rebellion, he said "Give Caesar what is Caesars, but give God what is God's". Religious leaders wanted him to condemn rule breakers, instead he dined with them regularly. But oh! The fact that we modern "cool" Christians hate to admit: Jesus ate with Pharisees too. There are few things more humbling than knowing that we are incapable of trying to politicize Jesus because he at all times skirted our political expectations. Not saying you can't be a politically minded person, of course. Please do. But, you know, give God what is God's, don't give it to Caesar. At the very core of Jesus's ministry was one that subverted people's expectations of what was important. In many different ways, people wanted Jesus to change the world in the way they thought was convenient. He said "No, I've got more important things in mind. I'm going to change your hearts and fix your relationships, starting with the relationship with God" Following Jesus isn't convenient. It calls us to die to our earthly way of thinking. And that's when we notice the most jarring name on the list of disciples: Judas, who was to become a traitor. Convenient thinking tells us we have to love ourselves before we can love others. Jesus loved a man who was going to betray him for the salvation of sinners who had run away from him. I can't pretend to understand that level of humility. Be humble

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July 8, 2020  

Three Years Later

Three years and she still hasn’t figured out how hard she settled.

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This photo from yesterday is one of my favorite marriage photos now. 3 years ago, Ellie wouldn't have cared about a home entertainment system or knowing what Discord was. Now, when I tell her she should tune into the Dungeons and Daddies live stream through the stereo so she can be active on the Discord at the same time, she's all about it. Marriage is constantly growing together, trying to make efforts to understand each other better, trying to be in each other's worlds more. Somedays it involves spending intentional, specific hours of time together. Sometimes it's heading to the back of the house so she can fully enjoy her Ellie Evening without my clumsy self getting in the way and riling up the dogs. She won't ever care when I blather on about some sports story, I won't ever understand why we pay people to take our recycling. Ebbs and flows of marriage. We've made it three years now as we learn that balance. I provide toys for her to enjoy the entertainment, she makes sure I don't leave the house without forgetting to put on clothes. Three years in, and only getting better. Happy 3rd anniversary, Ellie Wise!

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