My 'Best-Of 2022' Post And General Chatter For 2023

When I was a more active user on Twitter many years ago, at the end of every year, I would write a few tweets about my year-to-date and my hopes for the next year. This continued in a similar fashion with my "best-of" blog posts at the end of the year. It is that time of the year for me to reflect on what went on in my life in 2022, and to think about what 2023 will look like for me as well. I think 2022 was overall a good year for me. It had the highlighted hallmarks for me in a year: the big job changes and the big vacation. There were also other memorable moments for me in 2022 that I have also highlighted in my blog. I will talk about all of that and more on this post.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet - Lots To Unpack Here

I do not know why I did this, but I purchased Pokémon Violet on the day of its release. I have not been kind to the previous main-line Pokémon games, but maybe, just maybe, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet could be decent. I am a jaded Pokémon fan who just wants to play a universally decent Pokémon game. As of writing this post, I have finished playing Pokémon Violet, and I have some thoughts about this latest entry.

More World Cup 2022 Musings and Hot Takes

As of the writing of this post, the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup have concluded, and these matches have been the most memorable quarter-final matches in some time. I have another collection of random thoughts on my mind while watching these matches, and here they are:

World Cup 2022 Musings + A Weekend in Tampa Bay

I just got back from an extended weekend in the Tampa Bay area to attend a wedding, and I got to say I had a wonderful time while I was away, and I am not talking about the warm weather. This is going to be a bit of a mishmash blog with my collection of thoughts I had during my time on the west coast of Florida where I feel like I am going to touch on everything. I feel like my mind is being more active, and I am bursting to get these thoughts on this blog post, so let us do this.

My World Cup 2022 Bracket

The World Cup is finally on the horizon, and there has been much expected buzz on the tournament. However, I would argue that there is as much negative press about the tournament (and in particular, the country hosting the World Cup) as there is hype and expectation. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has been dogged by scandal. It is no secret that Qatar was able to host the World Cup through bribery, corruption, and shady backroom deals with the horrifically corrupt FIFA and other officials. It is also important to mention that many migrant workers coming to Qatar to build the important World Cup infrastructure experienced poor working conditions, illness, and even death. Throughout this tournament, we cannot ignore these things, and this has led to some people actively saying that they will not watch a single minute of this World Cup (aka "boycotting" watching the tournament).