EPTI missed a blog posting last week but I had a very good reason; I got Skyrim. I'll go into it a little more, but needless to say I spent a TON of time playing it for the last two weeks. I'm weening myself off of it now, and of course blogging is a part of the routine I'm using to make myself a better person.
Today I'm going to talk about my little adventure Wednesday, Skyrim, and a topic that I've had held up in me for a very long time: applying the Elder Scrolls mentality to real life in order to get shit DONE!
1. New Grad Job Fair
So early this week I caught wind of a career fair happening at the Metro Convention Centre in downtown Toronto. Since I still haven't found a job yet I decided it would be an excellent idea to hit the pavement and flirt with some potential employers. I only had a 1 hour class on Wednesday morning, so that left me the whole day to make my mark in the city where I want to eventually make my home (and my fortune).
Without buying a ticket ahead of time I managed to pay cash on the GO bus that goes from Wilfred Laurier University to Square One in Mississauga. Fumbling around a little at that terminal I grabbed the next bust to Union Station, and the convention centre is down the street.
I had already prepared ahead of time, printing out 20 carefully edited resumes and bringing a pocketful of business cards with me. I was well dressed, just got a haircut; I was ready to go. The career fair itself though was... less than expected. There were about 50 employers there (one in Waterloo in the fall had triple the number) and only about 10-15 of those employers were relevant to me. Still, I made the most of it, talking to 10 employers over a few hours. Later I got my ticket home and then had dinner with my friend Waterwings.
Slightly drunk, I made my way to the bus station and caught the Greyhound home in a trip that seemed to take forever. I accomplished what I wanted to for the day and went home pretty satisfied. This weekend I'm definitely applying to a few of the employers I talked to.
![[image loading]](http://lh5.ggpht.com/_sBytpj8WpPE/SZdc8o37SLI/AAAAAAAAPbo/9isAT-fQsro/DSCN2390.JPG)
This is where we had dinner. Just the classiest English pub at King and Simcoe.
2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
So Skyrim is awesome! I'm so glad I got it and I played it exactly like I planned. Now I think I almost broke the game, since although I'm only at lvl 40 I destroy just about everything in my path.
I think what I like most about the game is the art direction. The environments are beautiful and the feel in every location is pretty much spot on with what I expected. My only beef is that certain set-pieces are overused, namely the "Ancient Nord Burial Site" set-piece. They use it for things that it shouldn't be used for. Take Saarthal for example: it's supposed to be the ruin of one of the oldest Atmoran settlements in Skyrim and yet it's basically a tomb like all the rest of them. Also WHAT IS WITH NORD BURIAL PRACTICES THAT MAKES ALL THEIR DEAD TURN TO DRAUGR!? Not that I have much difficulty; I one-shot Restless Draugr and nearly two-shot Wights. Deathlords are also no problem anymore. Also is anyone else scared shitless at the concept of a Forsworn Briarheart?
The other thing is that the game is really buggy. Like a lot of quest items still stay up on my journal when they shouldn't. Dragons also spawn fucking EVERYWHERE. I have like 20 dragon souls in the bank, and on more than one occasion I've had to fight two dragons at once.
If you're wondering my character is a Greatsword-wielding Nord with exceptional Enchanting and Smithing skills. My Alchemy is lagging because I find potions everywhere, and I've also leveled up Sneak, Archery, and Lockpicking without any major perks in those categories. Basically I play stealth for kicks and if I'm found out my enemies are burnt, beheaded toast.
![[image loading]](http://cdn.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/TrollFireSword.jpg)
This isn't me, but Trolls in Oblivion used to scare me because they were so strong. Now I 3-shot them, lol.
3. The Importance of Questing
I wanted to share this concept with you for a while now, and now that I have Skyrim to link it to this is the perfect time. The concept is basically this: you can go "questing" in life and accomplish an immense amount of stuff, which leads to this amazing feeling of fulfillment.
I applied this in the first few weeks of my previous term when I had a boatload of administrative stuff to take care of. Basically I had a list of things to get done and instead of trying to accomplish any of it while sitting on my ass at a computer, I got up and did it all by walking around campus and talking to the people I needed to talk to. You might think that all that movement is time-consuming, but in reality it makes you far more productive because you don't give yourself an opportunity to settle down into a state of complacency.
When I did this I found myself busy from early in the morning until late at night, but in a single day I would have knocked off a great amount of stuff. Sure, this way of doing things tends to knock out leisure time, but when the quest you're on is to graduate and to be the you that you always knew you could be, then who cares if you miss out on a little game time? There's plenty of time for that later once everything's been taken care of.
I am going to be applying this concept throughout the remainder of this term. It really makes me feel great when I'm busily moving from meeting, to class, to study room to fit in some other task, to home to eat, back to the school, and all the way until the night is over. Knowing that you improved yourself in a day is a great feeling. Sure, leveling up in Skyrim is pretty good, but that doesn't elevate you.
Allow me to reiterate that life is not a road: it's a mountain. You either keeping climbing until you get to the top, fall down, or stay where you are until you die.
That's all for now. Next blog will be a bit of a girl blog I think, so look forward to it. Oooh, and let's talk SKINS! Until next time!
Check out this really good piece by Segal, the producer of the music for Skins. I bet this is something Day[9] would love.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xSX3a0xlzM
