Nuketown Radio Active

Nuketown Radio Active

By Nuketown Radio ActiveLeisureGames
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Nuketown Radio Active episodes

  • Radio Active #94: Keep Calm and Geek On

    Welcome to 2021, the year in which we try to release more than one episode every 12 months.

    On this episode of Radio Active, I talk about life during the COVID-19 pandemic, delve into using exercise and meditation to stay calm, and then geek out with the Nintendo Switch, Animal Crossings: New Horizons, Roll for the Galaxy, and more.

    Nuketown News
    • The last podcast was in May 2020. A lot’s changed since then. A lot hasn’t.
    • Like many, I’m working from home. My daily commute is still just a matter of getting up, getting a shower, and making myself go to my home office. (I really miss hanging those summer days spent on the back patio)
    • Our epic 12-day, 60-mile backpacking trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico was postponed to 2021. The delay bought us time to get in better shape and go on a few backpacking trips. In theory, we’re going in July of this year … we’ll see what reality brings.
    • Summer is long over but the summer reading list continues as I finish the last book on the list, The Black Lung Captain (Tales of the Ketty Jay, Book 2). It’s about a band of misfit sky pirates dealing with political and demonic powers they don’t understand. Fun read!
      • I may not have finished the list … but I did write about it!
        • Off the Bookshelf: The Ancient Ones, Excession, Wise Man’s Fear
        • Off the Bookshelf: Fall, The Last Emperox, The Dreaming Stars, Auberon, The Bohr Maker
        • Off the Bookshelf: The Unicorn Project, Bone Silence, Arcana of the Ancients
          • Keep Calm…

          2020 was a stressful year. 2021 is shaping up to be more of the same. My way of dealing with it? Keep calm, and focus on what I can control.

          My Approach to Staying Calm

          • Be mindful.
            • Pay attention to the here and now.
            • Don’t get swept away by what if’s. There’s an infinity of things that could go wrong. Worrying about them won’t help.
            • Stay Focused
              • Don’t get caught up in other people’s drama. It’s a difficult time and there’s plenty to worry about within my own extended family unit. Borrowing trouble from folks beyond that is unhelpful and exhausting.
              • Don’t lose sight of what’s fun and enjoyable … even if that’s just a quiet Sunday afternoon of podcasting.
              • Maintain goals … but be flexible.
              • Stay Healthy
                • Make time for exercise, even if it’s just short walks between meetings.

                  • Bullet Journaling

                  • My bullet journal is the cornerstone of my “keeping calm” strategy.
                  • A bullet journal is a hand-written journal that I use to keep track of daily meetings and tasks, maintain a week-ahead view, and sketch out my months. I also use it to jot down notes about the day, from challenges with the kids to the passing of a relative to accomplishing exercise goals.
                  • For the first six months of the pandemic, the distinguishing feature of each day was that it was the same as the day before … and totally different, as the virus forced us to constantly shift plans.
                  • I have just as much to do (if not more) than in the pre-COVID days.
                  • Everything keeps changing, but the bullet journal keeps me organized.
                  • Recently started adding my team’s stand-up cadence to each day (what I did yesterday, what I’m doing today). It adds some much-needed reflection.
                  • Overall, it keeps me tethered to reality and helps me avoid getting overwhelmed.
                  • You can learn more about my approach to bullet journaling on Nuketown.

                    • Meditation via the Calm app

                    • Meditation isn’t often considered a geeky thing, despite the fact that many of our geeky heroes do it (e.g. Jedi)
                    • My own focus is on mindfulness (e.g. being more aware of the here and now, not getting caught up in circular thoughts, not kneejerk reacting to people or situations)
                    • My tool of choice is the Calm app for iOS. I liked it enough to buy a subscription, which comes with:
                      • The Daily Calm – daily 10-minute meditations
                      • Relaxing music and soundscapes (e.g. rain on leaves)
                      • Guided meditations for beginner, intermediate, and advanced meditation
                      • “Sleep stories” to help fall you asleep (or get back to sleep)
                      • It helps. A lot. If I start stressing out too badly, I meditate.

                        • Exercise at Home

                        • For the last five to six years, exercise has been a critical aspect of stress management for me. The COVID-19 era is probably the most stressful time any of us have experienced, so it’s more important now.
                        • For me, exercise gives me a break from my everyday worries. It lets me focus on a particular activity, and gives me a good reason to avoid thinking about COVID-19 for a while.
                        • Ultimately, I treat it as a mindfulness exercise – something I do specifically to maintain a routine, focus on my own health, and make progress toward goals that are largely within my control.
                        • So what’s the approach?
                          • Run three times a week.
                          • Walk 2-3 miles up to five times a week in the morning. Listen to podcasts while I do this.
                          • Core strengthening exercises, bodyweight exercises, and a variety of stretches.
                          • Once it stops raining and the temperature stays above 40 degrees F, include bike riding.
                          • During the day, build in 15-30 minutes between each meeting and use that time to walk, even if it’s just running downstairs for some water.
                          • Move my work area around so I’m not sitting in the same place continuously. I have a jelly cupboard that I use as a standing desk on the first floor, and the back patio makes for a good work and meeting place if the neighbors aren’t out and the neighborhood dogs aren’t barking.
                          • Overall, this strategy is working. I’m still stressed, but I feel better. I lost 20 lbs with this routine, and by maintaining it, I was able to keep the weight off.
                            • … and Geek On
                            • Roll for the Galaxy
                              • The dice-based version of the card game.
                              • Like the card game, it’s all about science fiction empire building. You explore the galaxy, colonize planets, establish various corporate and governmental interests, and score enough points to win.
                              • I got it for Christmas 2019, and NeutronLad loves it (so much so, that we got two expansions)
                              • During the game, you get a certain number of dice, which represent workers. You roll the dice, which randomly determines which workers are available, and each player chooses a work phase, which determines what work actually gets done.
                              • Heck of a lot of fun. And yes, there’s a lot of smack talking.
                              • Nintendo Switch
                                • Just before things when into lockdown in March 2020, my daughter and I got Nintendo Switches (my son already had one).
                                • We knew we’d need the distraction, and we were right. Great handheld system; it’s not as easy to stash as a Nintendo 3D6, but it’s got beautiful graphics
                                • Animal Crossing: New Horizons
                                  • My daughter’s first video game – at age 4 – was Animal Crossing. Now 17, she still loves it. So does her soon-to-be 14-year-old brother. And so do I.
                                  • Each of us has our own towns (which avoids the mayoral debates we had in the 3DS version).
                                  • It’s fun to see how the kids’ Animal Crossing sensibilities have evolved over time.
                                    • StarGirl has a fun, comfy little town with a homemade coffee shop and tree-lined streets.
                                    • NeutronLad is terraforming his entire town to meet a much more structured vision of how things should be. He’s also very interested in securing certain cat-like villagers, like Bangle (the tiger).
                                    • My own town features a downtown and a small, dense village with an adjacent outside diner and performance center. It’s largely wilderness though (no doubt a projection of my own desire to get back outside).
                                      • Promo
                                      • Is there anybody out there? We’re looking for podcast promos! Send yours to us at [email protected].
                                        • Contact Us
                                        • Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nuketownsf
                                        • Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nuketownsf
                                          • Featured Image Meta
                                          • A few of my bullet journals, one of my favorite tools for staying calm, focused, and mindful. Credit: Ken Newquist

                                            • The post Radio Active #94: Keep Calm and Geek On appeared first on Nuketown.

                                            32 min
                                          • Radio Active #93: Reset. Renew. Return.
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                                          • Radio Active #92: Back from the Break
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                                          • Radio Active #91: Bad Break
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                                          • Radio Active #90: Outdoor Geek
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                                          • Radio Active #89: Run Geek Run
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                                          • Radio Active #88: Summertime
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                                          • Radio Active #86: Return of the Return
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                                          • Radio Active #85: War of the Pod People
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                                            24 min

                                          About Nuketown Radio Active

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                                          Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Geekdom