Movies I’m looking forward to in the new year: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Project Hail Mary, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu and The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender.

Happy Thanksgiving. I’m grateful for all of you whose lives have intersected with mine. You have been a blessing to me. Peace!

In honor of its anniversary, I’ve been playing Ocarina of Time again (this time, the 3DS version). I snapped these photos a few days ago because seeing the detail in this shield, especially the arm grips, really struck me.

Hey, a new tour has opened in Mario Kart’s mobile title. Time to serve the Princess.

I’m worried I might fuel FOMO for you, but these Best Buy prices remind me of when I started collecting amiibo. I haven’t picked up new amiibo in a while but these four were the only Zelda amiibo I was missing, so I went ahead. Thought I’d share!

What is it about November 21? Why did so many good video games come out on this day?!

As a fully grown adult, I still get a goofy smile on my face while building and playing with LEGO Mario.

I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this gem of a game. Gun Fight is something special. With unique controls and Pong-like gameplay, you duel another cowboy, shooting around obstacles for victory. It’s a two-player, head-to-head game from 1975 that’s well worth some quarters!

Video game controllers are the way we interact with incredible worlds of make-believe. I’m always interested in new approaches and ideas. Most controllers these days are pretty similar or niche. But, I think this controller may present the first major leap in a while. I can’t wait to try it!

What a blessing it is when old friends and important people from your past are encountered again! I have met so many wonderful people. Just now I received an email from one such person and it lifted me up so much I knew I wanted to share this with you. Photo by: Miguel Á. Padriñán

"This blessed bishop loved Christ with all his strength and had no fear of earthly rulers; though he did not die a martyr's death, this holy confessor won the martyr's palm." — Antiphon from Evening Prayer Art: St. Martin of Tours by Piotr Stachiewicz

The announcement of a Mario movie Nintendo Direct Wednesday morning, was immediately followed by this gem of a quote.

It was a minute, but I played Star Wars: Unlimited this week. Secrets of Power prerelease. Scored several legendaries but the only one I ran was this one. It served me well and hit hard. The Lightmaker first appeared as a gift from Bail Organa in Rebels: A Princess on Lothal.

I am excited for this new mini console. I briefly got to experience an original Vectrex at a retro convention and I think the way they went about recreating it for today seems ideal. And this clock function is actually really cool. It has some Playdate vibes.

I got to experience the new Star Wars: Fall of the Empire pinball machine last night. Sadly, the Internet connection was down so I couldn't connect to Stern's online service to track my score. Can't wait to give the game another play!

A couple of great portable games came out on yesterday and today's dates. Nintendo November is totally a thing!

Is it just me, or does it look like a crossover event between Mario Kart and Chocobo Racing inside Mario Kart Tour?

Happy Halloween!

Like Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Then, check out the great new update we are getting! I’m particularly excited for more storage as I’m currently maxed out. #NintendoToday nintendo.today/s/aCAomuCW

Tuesday marked the five-year anniversary of this gem coming to the Nintendo Switch. If you haven’t had a chance to try it, I highly recommend it. It’s a lot of fun. A lot of Stitch outfits for Halloween, but this is an alien more my speed.

This old guitar needs new strings, but it still sings in G with this capo configuration, D shapes and a 6/8 rhythm.

Our family enjoys Bluey. I see enormous depth in its bite-size episodes. It has good lessons for adults, let alone children. “Remember I’ll always be here for you, even if you can’t see me, because I love you.” Bluey S2:E26 – Sleepytime

In a prayerful mood.

Still keeping up with the weekly challenges. I like improving my own personal best times. I never considered myself really good at Super Mario Bros. 3, so I’m pretty proud of this run from last week. It got me pretty high in the rankings too.

Check out the Intellivision Sprint. I like seeing more retro consoles rereleased as HDMI "mini" consoles. As older hardware gets more fickle, it's nice to have an easy option to explore older games libraries with controllers that feel like the originals.

I picked up the Hallow app again and a lot has been added to it including a Wordle-style game and trivia! Tonight I used it for a rosary while doing dishes, a couple games and night prayer.

A couple great additions to my Mario Kart Tour roster.

I consider myself an intermediate guitarist who dabbles in other instruments. When I saw Wii Music, I knew I had to try it. It’s not the best Wii game or video game music tool, but it’s a delightful collection of experiences that show how special music-making is. What did you think of it?

It is with mild embarrassment and severe amusement that I share I am at the age where I need to groom nose hair. Introducing this marvel of Korean engineering:

Another Mario Kart tour done. This one had pumpkins!

I completed a novel by Andy Weir on Saturday called Project Hail Mary. It was a wonderful and well-paced speculative sci-fi romp that I recommend. A friend and I got to have a book-club moment, too, as we both finished it together and got to chat about it last night.

Such a cool wake-up today:

Today was another full day but I have had a bit of rest this evening. I also got to complete the current tour in Mario Kart Tour. I have been in such a Mario Kart mood for months that it excites me that I still haven’t gotten to play Mario Kart World. I do look forward to it!

The first time I played Super Metroid, I was on the edge of my seat and glued to the game. The series has had consistently amazing 2D entries and I thought Dread was great. It nailed the atmosphere and had a compelling story. I got stuck on the final boss for a year, though!

I got on this Mario vs. Donkey Kong kick a while back after playing the remake and then I started picking up some of the old games that I hadn’t played yet. This one, which was released on this day several years ago, is a lot of fun. The DS was such a perfect system for this genre.

Rapid fire real talk? 1. Today was rushed and I felt unable to maintain balance. 2. I started physical therapy because my neck is killing me. 3. I am reading the sci-fi novel Project Hail Mary since Ms. Mana finished it and I saw it on her nightstand.

Out and about today. Shared a marshmallow chocolate cookie with Mana Sprout and saw this very odd Build-a-Luke at an antique shop. Does anyone remember these? Never seen anything like it. Oh, and I wore Diddy Kong socks today.

I couldn't think of anything to post today. I got my new glasses adjusted a bit after wearing them for a full day. The difference is minor and not worth another selfie. So, here're some pics of my daily driver computers. The Mac is for work. The Asus is for artofmana.

I picked up a new pair of glasses today. I appreciate how light they are and how they don't obscure my eyes. I haven't had a pair of glasses with a nose piece in many years. It's actually pretty comfortable.

In college, a group of guys climbed the dormitory building and threw water balloons at people heading to classes on a hot day. In hindsight, it was likely for the better, but I wasn’t as relaxed as this guy at the time.

A topic arose in my Discord server: humor. I put to words my preference for campy humor that uses puns and slapstick. Word play will always get me. What kind of humor do you like? What gets you rolling on the floor? And check the next comment for the joke that started this topic.

Mana Sprout and I got to see The Lion King Broadway musical. It was so good. I have never seen a live show at this level before and it blew me away. The marriage of artistic mediums and the exceptional talent was unbelievable. Production photos from website.

Big fan of both these franchises. Excited these games are coming to Nintendo’s service. Klonoa is one of those games that just works. The gameplay is so tight and feels so good and the atmosphere is magical. If this makes any sense: it feels like a Nintendo game.

In keeping with the theme (Donkey Kong Hockey), today happened to be a Donkey Kong sock day. It definitely did not have anything to do with discovering that my last pair of clean dress socks were worn through....

I don’t recall seeing this Game & Watch before but it combines several things I really enjoy including hockey and Donkey Kong!

LEGO Mario sets are too much fun. The little vignettes you set up are so clever. I recommend Captain Toad’s Camp for a breezy build that has some great ideas.

My friends, I truly can’t believe this. Of all the Nintendo surprises that came to mind, this one never occurred to me. Your reactions? youtu.be/Oc8qckEoKxk?...

Got to enjoy a tasty treat tonight. Never had this before but it was quite good. The butterscotch really came through. Paired surprisingly well with Indian food. Speaking of, dinner was great — though I don’t eat Indian food often because it doesn’t like me as much as I like it.

Mana Sprout and I got to crack on with our latest LEGO Mario build today in some quality father/daughter time. This one is a lot of fun. Mario helps Toad mine for gems!

Picked up my Switch to do a little Nintendo World Championships today. This is pretty satisfying to pull off in Super Mario Bros. 2. Go Luigi!