The Professional Gamer - April 25, 2014

Hello readers! This week, I am preparing for the growing season, but also spending some time with video games and other geeky pursuits. Read on to learn more.

Playing: This past week I spent a little bit of time playing Bravely Default; but also broke out Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I Don't Know with ZeldaQueen. We had a good time running around smashing various sorts of monsters and other jerks. The game is a lot more fun with multiple players. We are planning to spend some more time this weekend delving into the royal dungeon and retrieving treasures.

Watching: During my rush of studying, I did not have a chance to discuss a great new show on television. Recently, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey premiered on Fox. For a space geek like me, this is a huge event. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is my favorite scientific personality and the original Cosmos had a huge effect on my decision to go into science. The show thus far has covered a variety of scientific topics using a combination of animation and modern special effects. There have been a few cases where I thought that the geological content of the show was oversimplified, but I can understand the necessity to streamline the content of a general interest program. Watching Cosmos has become a weekly ritual that I make time for; I have not behaved like this for a television show for a long time. I look forward to the rest of the series to be released.

Reading: As I mentioned in my introduction, I'm getting ready for the summer growing season. To facilitate this, my reading time is now dedicated to gardening books. Currently, I am reading The Weekend Homesteader: A Twelve Month Guide to Self-Sufficiency by Anna Hess, and Backyard Vegetable Gardening Guide: A Monthly Primer for the Organic Gardener in the Colorado Front Range and Beyond by Larry Stebbins. Both are available as eBooks. The Weekend Homesteader is written in a convenient format of weekend project to be completed throughout the year. These appropriately sized projects help move a gardener from beginner to a high degree of self-sufficiency. The Backyard Gardener is a handy guide written specifically for my region and growing environment. I am enjoying both and already have some more great ideas about how to improve my garden this year.

And that is my week. Tune in next week to learn more about my misadventures in gardening.