I went for a hike the other day at a local park just outside of Atlanta, where I only recently began frequenting. My first couple of visits I played it safe, staying on paths as long as I knew I could easily get back to my car. However, there is a five mile hike at this park and I was very curious to see where it went and enjoy a longer venture. Finally, I decided to go for it even though it was new to me. Worst case, if I got lost, I could find a road, which wasn’t far off, and call a Lyft to my car (thanks, modern technology). With that in mind, I followed the path that interested me. There were some moments of confusion and questioning along the way, but I made it back to my car without issue. It proved to me that I can rely on myself and my instincts. It also showed me that plunging into the unknown can be very rewarding.
Curiosity uniquely defines a person, pointing to places and things where we might find passion and joy. I went to Dragon Con over the weekend and visited the arcade area, where old, new and foreign arcade games were brought for playing. I had seen this Japanese dance arcade game, Dance Evolution (think DDR meets Just Dance), at other cons, but felt I couldn’t play due to some preconceived notions- I’ll be embarrassed, I’ve never played before, etc. But after the person I was with encouraged me, I went for it. I was decent and, more importantly, it was pretty freaking fun.
If you’re curious about something, if something interests you- even a silly dance game- just go for it. Maybe you’ll get lost or embarrassed or rejected, but you’ll be glad you tried and it’ll make you bolder next time.
In other news:
First, let me backtrack. As I skimmed over above in my theme for the week, I went to Dragon Con over Labor Day weekend, downtown Atlanta’s steadily growing nerd convention. It was a blast. This was my fifth year attending and enjoyed every second. Some highlights: The Georgia Philharmonic Orchestra performing songs from Edward Scissorhands, Jaws and Saturday morning cartoons, seeing Nick Frost, dancing my little tush off and, of course, all the amazing cosplay. My cosplay was overshadowed by all the talented costumers, but I went as a 90s grunge Mario.
I began reading James Joyce’s Ulysses last week. Please send thoughts and prayers my way. No words can explain, but I felt compelled to read Joyce’s epic novel after doing some research on Irish history. Fully intending on finishing it and I won’t say otherwise as I fear it might bring a bad omen.
I’ve been watching a number of TV shows (binging, actually). Two that I recently finished and loved were Netflix’s animated series Disenchanted and a gem I found on Amazon Prime, Indian Summers, which is set in India towards the end of British rule.
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Neptune Your Dial 
[…] discussed my Dragon Con experience in my last “This Week in Liz” post, which I attended over Labor Day weekend. This is my favorite nerd convention, always […]
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