- \n
- I\u2019m currently on vacation in beautiful British Columbia, enjoying the sights and sounds of the Okanagan Valley. We\u2019ve been coming out here for the last 14 years, and it never gets old. The last two years, I\u2019ve missed most of the trip because I\u2019ve been working; I\u2019ve flown out to join my family for the last 3 days or so, and then head home. Last year, as we were driving home, I told my wife that I wasn\u2019t going to miss another vacation, despite commitments to the baseball team or otherwise. True to my word, we\u2019re here, and it\u2019s been great so far.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wallywallcakes.wordpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gulls.jpg?w=1024\")
(Me, doing my summer gig as the in-game host for our local ball team. Keeps things busy!)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n - \n
- Before we head out here, I decided to take the plunge and order a PS Portal to bring with us. Why? I dunno. Thought it would be nice to play some PS5 on the road and when we\u2019re away from home. I have to say that it works better than I thought! There\u2019s a slight lag, but nothing enough to make games unplayable and the streaming has been great, thanks to good wifi where I\u2019ve used it. Not a bad little investment, and some rationale behind it, because\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- The next game I intend on playing is Sea of Stars, for the PS5. I\u2019ve had my eye on this game for years, and have read nothing but great things about it, so I thought the Portal would be a great way to start it. There\u2019s something about RPGs and handhelds that really hit the mark for me, and I\u2019m looking forward to starting this one. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"Really](\"http:\/\/wallywallcakes.files.wordpress.com\/2026\/01\/fa44f-7b84a3_04e3b6f2db5641e3aaf40030366d7a0cmv2.webp\")
(Really looking forward to playing Sea of Stars<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n - \n
- And I plan on starting it while on vacation because I just finished Luigi\u2019s Mansion 2 on the Switch, while we\u2019re here. I loved Dark Moon on the 3DS, which I\u2019ve gushed about many times before, and after having played the third game a few years back, I knew I\u2019d want to re-visit 2 once it was released in HD. And, it was great. I have such fond memories of it and it\u2019s always a special game for me. I had played most of it before we got here, so it was just the matter of putting some finishing touches on it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- That gives me 8 games completed for 2025. A pittance compared to others, but my goal every year is to finish at least 12 games, or one a month on average. With my schedule, that\u2019s about as fair a goal as I can give myself. I\u2019m writing this in late-July, so I\u2019m right on track with where I wanted to be, so hopefully I can see that through. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- At the start of the year, I made a list of ten games I wanted to complete, and of my eight wrapped up this year so far, only four are from that list. It\u2019s funny how sidetracked you can get by other games that somehow make their way into your collections, but\u2026that\u2019s what happened here. A random game here, a sale there and\u2026boom. Derailed. But\u2026I\u2019m playing games, and that\u2019s all that matters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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- Speaking of, I\u2019ve been investing in ways to ensure that I play more games. While I\u2019ve been a little back and forth on it, I totally disconnected my capture card from my setup. I found it was much more of a hindrance than I thought it would be. I would refrain from playing games because in order to get a proper capture, I\u2019d need to be in a scenario where I could ensure I was able to start, play to a certain point to get a proper save or drop-off point (especially for games without quicksave features) and if I knew I couldn\u2019t get that, I wouldn\u2019t play the game. And that silly mindset really made me refrain from sitting down for a game session and play. It\u2019s dumb, but that\u2019s how my mind has worked, and it\u2019s been limiting. So, now, I just play and don\u2019t think about capturing. If I ever want footage for something, I\u2019ll have to go back and actually capture and take more time, but\u2026I\u2019d rather not create something because I don\u2019t have footage than not playing something because the capture conditions aren\u2019t right. If that makes sense.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- To that point, I\u2019m looking at investing in a Steam Deck. Handheld gaming is so easy at times, and to be honest, the thought of sitting at a PC after a day at work\u2026sitting on a PC\u2026is why I\u2019ve always really struggled to get into PC gaming, despite investing in the ecosystem. I recently connected one of the ports of my GPU to my TV so that I could game on the TV when I wanted to, but\u2026the Steam Deck will help with a lot of those lesser PC titles that I\u2019ve invested in and can play on the go. Anything high end that I want to play, I\u2019ll make a point of sitting at my PC, if it\u2019s mouse and keyboard specific.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- The Steam Deck is also a way for me to play retro games on the go as well. I\u2019m really interested in making it a handheld emulation machine as well for things like GameCube and PS2. I\u2019ve been eyeing up that generation for awhile and re-visiting some titles that I never played much of over the years. But, there\u2019s also the ability to play some earlier retro games and I don\u2019t hate the idea of having an all-in-one handheld solution. I know the Steam Deck is older at this point and there are better (more expensive) options, but i don\u2019t want one as much for high-end AAA titles; indie titles and emulation is all I need.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- This just feeds into my desire to \u2018play\u2019. No more excuses and captures and not playing because the \u2018perfect setup isn\u2019t ready\u2019. I\u2019m trying to eliminate excuses for not enjoying the things I want to and investing in something that helps me get there. I\u2019m really doubling down on investing in \u2018me\u2019 and trying to break down barriers that don’t allow me to do that. And to that end\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- I recently started talking to a therapist. Not for anything concerning or any real reason, to be honest. I just thought, \u201cI pay for these benefits every year\u2026why not take advantage of them?\u201d Sure, like lots of folks there are certain things I struggle with from time to time, but I thought it couldn\u2019t hurt to go and talk to someone, just to be proactive and see if there\u2019s anything else there that could help me be a better version of me. I\u2019ve only had a few sessions so far, but I\u2019ve really enjoyed it. Sometimes, just getting things out of my head to someone else that isn\u2019t a friend, partner, co-worker\u2026it\u2019s very helpful. I\u2019m going to keep at it and see how it goes. So far, so good!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- One final gaming note\u2026I just about broke down and bought a Switch 2 the other day, but fate intervened. I was at Best Buy with my wife picking up something and while she was at the counter getting her order, I saw a large shelf of Switch 2 boxes that were available. So, I thought, \u201cEFF IT,\u201d and took it to the counter. It was the Mario Kart bundle and I thought since I had the money, I might as well dive in, just in case I didn\u2019t have the funds later when I really wanted one. After about 10 minutes of the two folks behind the counter looking at each other, confused, they finally said, \u201cOh\u2026so, we have all of these boxes on the shelf, but we don\u2019t actually have any of these in stock. Sorry.\u201d And then they walked away. So\u2026that was that. I don\u2019t have a Switch 2, but to be honest\u2026that\u2019s okay. I\u2019m still playing games on my Switch, and there\u2019s nothing that I\u2019m really itching to play that\u2019s been released for Switch 2. Sure, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong and even the Bravely Default remaster would be fun\u2026but eff me, those new video game prices sure don\u2019t make me want me to jump in anytime early. Even when the rare<\/em> Nintendo sales hit and these games are at 30% off, that\u2019s a big leap. So, I\u2019m content to wait for now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Some sad news, unfortunately. I recently had to put down one of my best friends for the past 17 years, my cat Echo. She was the greatest little kitty, even though she hated everyone and everything. Man, was she a miserable cat. Except\u2026around me. She would always come sit with me, cuddle me, purr loudly and just generally show me affection. Recently, she was having some issues and while it was somewhat concerning, I was worried it might evolve into more. When I took her to the vet, the doctor thought (given her symptoms) that she had stage 4 kidney failure and a handful of other issues. It was difficult to hear, but I had the feeling things weren\u2019t good. She also had a pretty major infection in her paw due to an ingrown nail. The worst part was that the vet said, \u201cWe can treat her. And we can probably get her back to a good stable spot. But\u2026once the treatment ends, she\u2019s probably going to revert back to this stage meaning you\u2019d have to start over. And, given her age, it might be worse.\u201d Since she was going to prescribe a lot of treatment, and the fact that we were heading out of town for two weeks, she brought up putting her down while we can still ensure she passes in peace and not abandoned while we were gone, which was a real possibility. My heart was broken. Having to decide her fate, even though I went to the vet knowing this was going to be a possibility. She went peacefully, and I was a complete mess. I got to hold her and snuggle her one last time, and it was so hard. I\u2019ve had pets growing up that I lost, but Echo was the first cat that was 100% mine, and not my parents\u2019 cat or someone else\u2019s. I adopted her and she chose me. She was my favourite little friend and I\u2019m going to miss her so, so much.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"My](\"http:\/\/wallywallcakes.files.wordpress.com\/2026\/01\/781c0-7b84a3_ab9beea81acb42e7ab9e704bdcd5c2efmv2.png\")
(My little fur babies. I’m going to miss my Echo cat. [Grey, bottom])<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n I didn\u2019t want to end on a sad note, but I wanted to reiterate that despite the sadness and hard experience I went through, I am in a really good spot right now and I feel more in control than I ever have been. Maybe it\u2019s because my kids\u2019 schedules aren\u2019t in full effect and I DO have more time. The real test will be when October rolls around and the family calendar is beyond full again. But I\u2019m looking forward to that challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thanks for reading! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Greetings, from the middle of summer! I\u2019ve been a busy little bee, but now that I\u2019m currently feet up on vacation, I thought it would…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wally-wallcakes"],"yoast_head":"\n
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- Some sad news, unfortunately. I recently had to put down one of my best friends for the past 17 years, my cat Echo. She was the greatest little kitty, even though she hated everyone and everything. Man, was she a miserable cat. Except\u2026around me. She would always come sit with me, cuddle me, purr loudly and just generally show me affection. Recently, she was having some issues and while it was somewhat concerning, I was worried it might evolve into more. When I took her to the vet, the doctor thought (given her symptoms) that she had stage 4 kidney failure and a handful of other issues. It was difficult to hear, but I had the feeling things weren\u2019t good. She also had a pretty major infection in her paw due to an ingrown nail. The worst part was that the vet said, \u201cWe can treat her. And we can probably get her back to a good stable spot. But\u2026once the treatment ends, she\u2019s probably going to revert back to this stage meaning you\u2019d have to start over. And, given her age, it might be worse.\u201d Since she was going to prescribe a lot of treatment, and the fact that we were heading out of town for two weeks, she brought up putting her down while we can still ensure she passes in peace and not abandoned while we were gone, which was a real possibility. My heart was broken. Having to decide her fate, even though I went to the vet knowing this was going to be a possibility. She went peacefully, and I was a complete mess. I got to hold her and snuggle her one last time, and it was so hard. I\u2019ve had pets growing up that I lost, but Echo was the first cat that was 100% mine, and not my parents\u2019 cat or someone else\u2019s. I adopted her and she chose me. She was my favourite little friend and I\u2019m going to miss her so, so much.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
- One final gaming note\u2026I just about broke down and bought a Switch 2 the other day, but fate intervened. I was at Best Buy with my wife picking up something and while she was at the counter getting her order, I saw a large shelf of Switch 2 boxes that were available. So, I thought, \u201cEFF IT,\u201d and took it to the counter. It was the Mario Kart bundle and I thought since I had the money, I might as well dive in, just in case I didn\u2019t have the funds later when I really wanted one. After about 10 minutes of the two folks behind the counter looking at each other, confused, they finally said, \u201cOh\u2026so, we have all of these boxes on the shelf, but we don\u2019t actually have any of these in stock. Sorry.\u201d And then they walked away. So\u2026that was that. I don\u2019t have a Switch 2, but to be honest\u2026that\u2019s okay. I\u2019m still playing games on my Switch, and there\u2019s nothing that I\u2019m really itching to play that\u2019s been released for Switch 2. Sure, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong and even the Bravely Default remaster would be fun\u2026but eff me, those new video game prices sure don\u2019t make me want me to jump in anytime early. Even when the rare<\/em> Nintendo sales hit and these games are at 30% off, that\u2019s a big leap. So, I\u2019m content to wait for now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- I recently started talking to a therapist. Not for anything concerning or any real reason, to be honest. I just thought, \u201cI pay for these benefits every year\u2026why not take advantage of them?\u201d Sure, like lots of folks there are certain things I struggle with from time to time, but I thought it couldn\u2019t hurt to go and talk to someone, just to be proactive and see if there\u2019s anything else there that could help me be a better version of me. I\u2019ve only had a few sessions so far, but I\u2019ve really enjoyed it. Sometimes, just getting things out of my head to someone else that isn\u2019t a friend, partner, co-worker\u2026it\u2019s very helpful. I\u2019m going to keep at it and see how it goes. So far, so good!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- This just feeds into my desire to \u2018play\u2019. No more excuses and captures and not playing because the \u2018perfect setup isn\u2019t ready\u2019. I\u2019m trying to eliminate excuses for not enjoying the things I want to and investing in something that helps me get there. I\u2019m really doubling down on investing in \u2018me\u2019 and trying to break down barriers that don’t allow me to do that. And to that end\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- The Steam Deck is also a way for me to play retro games on the go as well. I\u2019m really interested in making it a handheld emulation machine as well for things like GameCube and PS2. I\u2019ve been eyeing up that generation for awhile and re-visiting some titles that I never played much of over the years. But, there\u2019s also the ability to play some earlier retro games and I don\u2019t hate the idea of having an all-in-one handheld solution. I know the Steam Deck is older at this point and there are better (more expensive) options, but i don\u2019t want one as much for high-end AAA titles; indie titles and emulation is all I need.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- To that point, I\u2019m looking at investing in a Steam Deck. Handheld gaming is so easy at times, and to be honest, the thought of sitting at a PC after a day at work\u2026sitting on a PC\u2026is why I\u2019ve always really struggled to get into PC gaming, despite investing in the ecosystem. I recently connected one of the ports of my GPU to my TV so that I could game on the TV when I wanted to, but\u2026the Steam Deck will help with a lot of those lesser PC titles that I\u2019ve invested in and can play on the go. Anything high end that I want to play, I\u2019ll make a point of sitting at my PC, if it\u2019s mouse and keyboard specific.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Speaking of, I\u2019ve been investing in ways to ensure that I play more games. While I\u2019ve been a little back and forth on it, I totally disconnected my capture card from my setup. I found it was much more of a hindrance than I thought it would be. I would refrain from playing games because in order to get a proper capture, I\u2019d need to be in a scenario where I could ensure I was able to start, play to a certain point to get a proper save or drop-off point (especially for games without quicksave features) and if I knew I couldn\u2019t get that, I wouldn\u2019t play the game. And that silly mindset really made me refrain from sitting down for a game session and play. It\u2019s dumb, but that\u2019s how my mind has worked, and it\u2019s been limiting. So, now, I just play and don\u2019t think about capturing. If I ever want footage for something, I\u2019ll have to go back and actually capture and take more time, but\u2026I\u2019d rather not create something because I don\u2019t have footage than not playing something because the capture conditions aren\u2019t right. If that makes sense.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- At the start of the year, I made a list of ten games I wanted to complete, and of my eight wrapped up this year so far, only four are from that list. It\u2019s funny how sidetracked you can get by other games that somehow make their way into your collections, but\u2026that\u2019s what happened here. A random game here, a sale there and\u2026boom. Derailed. But\u2026I\u2019m playing games, and that\u2019s all that matters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- That gives me 8 games completed for 2025. A pittance compared to others, but my goal every year is to finish at least 12 games, or one a month on average. With my schedule, that\u2019s about as fair a goal as I can give myself. I\u2019m writing this in late-July, so I\u2019m right on track with where I wanted to be, so hopefully I can see that through. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- And I plan on starting it while on vacation because I just finished Luigi\u2019s Mansion 2 on the Switch, while we\u2019re here. I loved Dark Moon on the 3DS, which I\u2019ve gushed about many times before, and after having played the third game a few years back, I knew I\u2019d want to re-visit 2 once it was released in HD. And, it was great. I have such fond memories of it and it\u2019s always a special game for me. I had played most of it before we got here, so it was just the matter of putting some finishing touches on it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- The next game I intend on playing is Sea of Stars, for the PS5. I\u2019ve had my eye on this game for years, and have read nothing but great things about it, so I thought the Portal would be a great way to start it. There\u2019s something about RPGs and handhelds that really hit the mark for me, and I\u2019m looking forward to starting this one. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
- Before we head out here, I decided to take the plunge and order a PS Portal to bring with us. Why? I dunno. Thought it would be nice to play some PS5 on the road and when we\u2019re away from home. I have to say that it works better than I thought! There\u2019s a slight lag, but nothing enough to make games unplayable and the streaming has been great, thanks to good wifi where I\u2019ve used it. Not a bad little investment, and some rationale behind it, because\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n