Sunshine Blogger Award

Did I get pulled into a 1990’s-style chain letter questionnaire à la the likes of AIM or early MySpace? I accept! Thanks to Pixels and Bows who nominated me for this “Sunshine Blogger Award” – which I’ll assume means that my writing is interesting enough to warrant the attention 😂 Please check out her blog to see what she has been up to.

I am now tasked with answering 11 questions provided by my nominator, and then I will pose 11 questions to 11 nominees of my own! Here are my responses to Pixels and Bows’ questions:

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1. What is a hobby you’ve been into lately?

2026 is my “Year of the Backlog” – so I’ve only been playing games that I started many years ago, but I never finished. So far I’ve completed Assassins’s Creed 3 (on Wii U) and Bioshock Remastered (via the Nintendo Switch). I’m currently resuming my PS2 playthrough of Final Fantasy XII – which I last played in 2013!

2. Coffee or tea?

Most of my days start with a pot of fresh coffee brewed at home. Then, I’ll often walk over to our on-campus shop to help get me through the afternoon. My drink typically involves caramel and mocha with oat milk. Though, the other day I visited another local eatery that had an incredible cheesecake-flavored drink!

3. What is your idea of a perfect day?

A perfect day starts without an alarm. The rest depends on my mood. I’m perfectly content to stay inside and watch movies all day, making yummy food, creating art, and playing games. Or, I can be enticed to take a day trip to a neighboring town for exploration and adventure. And of course, I love making music. Lately, I kinda just want to play FFXII 😂

4. What do you like to do with your friends?

Most of my friends live far away from me. But thanks to the magic of the internet, we can still partake in board games or video games. Boardgamearena.com lets us play a wide range of games – from complex capers such as Wingspan to the Lost Ruins of Arnak to something as simple as 6 nimmit or Yahtzee. And in the video game world, Smash Bros is easier to play than ever and some of my friends are playing this on a daily basis (which intimidates me to some degree)!

5. What is your favorite kind of book to read?

It varies. For awhile, I was into dystopian novels like Hunger Games, The Fifth Wave, or Divergent. When I was younger, I read Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I have a huge soft spot for the Myst Books and loved an equally cool gaming adventure in Ready Player One. Lately, I’ve been re-reading my graphic novels of The Maxx in light of the main creator’s recent passing.

6. What time of day do you typically read?

I’m working all day – usually til early evening – so my only chance to read is before bed or on a weekend/vacation.

7. What book would you like to live in?

Gosh, they’re all pretty small. I don’t think I would fit! 😂😂😂 But if I really had to choose the world that I’d want to live, I think I’d have to go with the books of His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman – mainly so I could see what animal my dæmon would be!

8. Do you listen to music when you read?

I can’t. Music is my main thing, so that becomes my main focus if it’s on. I even have a hard time focusing in restaurants if music is playing!

9. What is your favorite flavor?

Anything lemon – or cheesecake! Or lemon cheesecake!

10. What is your favorite random fact?

A giraffe’s tongue is black (thanks, Salute Your Shorts!)

11. Sweet or savory snacks?

I love a hearty mix of both and will sometimes combine the two. For example, I often use honey as a dipping sauce for chicken!

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Thanks for reading my responses! Here are the full rules for those who get nominated. See my nominees and my questions below. If you weren’t nominated, I’d still love to hear your responses to a few of my questions!

1. Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog.
2. Thank the person who nominated you.
3. Provide a link to your nominator’s blog.
4. Answer your nominator’s questions.
5. Nominate up to eleven bloggers.
6. Ask your nominees eleven questions.
7. Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts.

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My nominees:

• Professional Moron
• Hogan’s Reviews
• VICIOGAME
• Talking Pixels
• bobombblast
• Video Game Book Club
• Virtual Bastion
• Big Nerd Gaming
• Legacy of Games
• Marathon Recaps
• Indie Gamer Chick

My nominee’s questions:

1. What are you playing right now?
2. What’s a game or series that you often return to? Why?
3. Share a fun piece of gaming memorabilia that you own.
4. What’s a game that you love to play with your friends?
5. Tell me a gaming memory that you’ll remember forever.
6. What’s one of the first games you remember playing?
7. What’s your favorite movie or show that’s based on a game?
8. What game blew your mind with an incredible plot twist? Make your answer spoiler-free!
9. What’s a franchise you wish would be made into a game?
10. What is a game you’ll never play again? Why did you stop playing it?
11. What’s your proudest gaming achievement?

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