Hot Weather on Blast and Video Game Glitch Fun

Temps rose up to the high 80s at the end of this week, making me (and my cats, to some degree) puddles of unproductivity. One thing I've always done since I started acquiring technology is to always operate them at optimal temperatures. Even if I were a little lax there, the heat that processors put off are enough of an incentive to give them a rest. The only saving grace being that I had the foresight to buy and install heat repelling window film on a cool morning before the heat wave started, so my sanctuary stayed at an uncomfortable high 80 range instead of the unbearable 100+ range that it normally cooks to under the punishing summer sun.

Unfortunately, it made for an irritable, restless weekend nonetheless and I ended up sprawled out and soggy, a whole limp box of greasy French fries instead of my usual grinning cheeseburger self. Even simple cleaning tasks like putting away laundry or organizing felt more like a five mile run and the sweat poured faster than I could rehydrate. Threw me off bad enough that my hormone levels went wonky and the irritability made me avoid human interaction more than usual. You know yourself long enough and you feel that set in your shoulders and prickle in your spine that lets you know that while you're not looking for a fight, you'll invent one, finish it, and likely carry it on a bit longer.

I did at least keep busy, attempt to meet basic needs, letting sheer exhaustion make sleeping possible. Again, knowing myself, sleep is usually impossible without cool air, curling up on my side, and a blanket with one foot sticking out, but exhaustion is the great equalizer. So I passed out in the heat, sprawled out on my back, no blankets.

In the meantime, I'd gone to a favorite mindless activity of mine: YouTube videos for themed video game glitches. Horrifying, funny, and just plain weird, there's something instant and visceral about placing yourself in a fantasy, immersing it as reality, then watching it defy logic. Sometimes, the pixel garbage gives me that horrifying twinge of wrongness that is hard to keep watching (that glitch in Skyrim where the assets don't load quite right when you walk through that wall in Windhelm) but some just fill me with a sense of wonder or scratch the surface with humor. Some are incorrectly named, being more exploitative or Easter egg by nature, but it's one of the reasons I love the Share feature of PS4. Though I don't actually share my own experiences on YouTube, I like having a personal library of glitches to trim and enjoy for myself.

I still wish that feature had been on the PS3 when I'd warped to Arkngtham ruins and turned to see Shadowmere had materialized over a tent where she was stuck bouncing upside down. Never been able to repeat that one or find any videos where it happened to someone else. Damn it... Though I hate to think of how many hours I might have wasted cackling over an upside down bouncing horse.

So while I wish I could do more creative work (as always the urge stronger for the difficulty of actually being able to), I'm at least keeping my brain and body plugging along. Luckily, my tablets are better equipped to handle this sort of weather, without adding to the heat. I can still type out some notes. Unfortunately, Google Docs on a tablet is glitchy as hell or I'd do some editing projects, but we've got a couple cool days coming up to squeeze that in. My AC unit was torn up when the tree outside of my window at the time had beaten it up, but my dad is installing a new one this week so it's not an issue that will put me off my game for long. As I've said, the window film makes a huge difference too.

In any case (preemptive pun intended), I purchased a sleeve case for my XP-Pen Artist12 display so I can keep it on my laptop table without these razor clawed cats damaging the screen.

I'm scattering a bit because I really want to watch more glitches... It's my visual crack when I need to take my mind to some interesting places. 

Catch ya later!