Happy February everybody! This is one of my favorite months of the year because it’s Valentine’s Day, it’s a special someone’s birthday in my house, and it just makes me feel like the year is ramping up. This month, I’m taking a weekend trip and will be spending a lot of time with family (and future family), which is going to be fun.

January flew by, as work has been busy and I was also selected to serve on a jury for a week. While I dreaded jury duty before going, now that I’ve been on a jury, I have to say it was a really interesting experience that I hope every able American can do at some point in their lives! It’s definitely a serious challenge to make decisions on a case, especially when it will affect real lives. But now I also appreciate the extra insight into how the court system works, and how total strangers can come together to discuss something intelligently, with their very different backgrounds, to make an important choice.

As for my New Year’s Resolutions, I’ve been writing regularly and making progress on my novel, which feels amazing. I’m falling in love with my characters all over again, which for me is the key to enjoying the process of writing a story! Making writing a habit — even when I’m not perfect at it — has been making me feel more inspired overall.

And now, to focus on geeky things, here’s what I’m up to these days:

Video Games

I’ve been playing Assassin’s Creed Origins as usual and am loving it. I also started playing Firewatch — a little late to the game, but I’ll be the last person on earth to review it when I’m done playing soon!

Still, I haven’t spent a lot of time on it the past few weeks, as I instead re-played Gears of War 4 and then, going backwards, Gears of War 3 with my fiancé. I guess I’ve been more into social gaming lately.

In February, I am thinking of giving Monster Hunter a try, as well as Nioh and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt DLCs… So many choices. I’ll let you know what I end up getting into next, and my final thoughts on ACO!

TV

In January, I started watching the new season of Black Mirror. Just finished “Hang the DJ,” so I still have a couple left — but so far, it’s the first episode, “USS Callister,” that’s my favorite. The inspiration from Star Trek, the twist of the nerdy game developer and the egotistical CEO being very different than you initially think, and the fun — if disturbing — setting inside a video game that can defy the laws of physics is darkly entertaining.

This month, I’m most looking forward to Netflix’s adaptation of Richard K. Morgan’s novel Altered Carbon. (You can read my review of the book here!) The book’s central sci-fi premise is that a person’s consciousness can be “re-sleeved” in a new body — or a used one. This is what happens to the protagonist, before he is tasked with solving a murder. As a mystery fan, the combination of science fiction and mystery is fascinating. From watching previews of the show, I’m not sure what to make of it — it looks very action-heavy, which might be amazing or distracting depending on how it’s handled alongside the world-building and crime-solving. I’ll review the show when I’m done watching!

Books

I’ve started re-reading Outlander, inspired by watching the show recently. I plan to continue with the series this time, as I have a mild obsession with how things are going to turn out for Claire and Jamie! It’s been awhile since I sank into another world the way I have been with Outlander lately, so I’m going to enjoy the experience while it lasts.

I’m also finishing up Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. I can’t recommend it highly enough! This non-fiction book tells the story of humans, going way back to our original evolution and then carrying on through all of our major societal shifts and developments, like the Agricultural Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and beyond. There are chapters about capitalism, religion, and happiness. It’s just a fascinating dive the human experience, and a very easy read despite how much information it contains.

What has everyone else been up to lately? I’d love to hear what you’re watching, reading, playing, and anything else! =)

— Ashley