Nimavenl - Nicole's Random Ramblings

As it gets colder outside and I am trying to find excuses to stay indoors more and more, I'm trying to come up with new ways to entertain myself away from the wind, the rain and the cold. I've rediscovered my 1000-piece "Starry Night" puzzle by Van Gogh (yay for getting past the point I was at last time!) and am trying to decide on other crafty projects for when the puzzle is finished. I take photos, like puzzles & games and I enjoy writing, however that is about as creative as it gets for me. I'm perfectly content spending a whole weekend doing puzzles, playing games and reading a good book. I enjoy doing those things as much as others would enjoy a DIY project, the restoration of a car or building model trains and such. I do love the feeling of being productive, however when the weekend comes around I'm happy to turn my brain off and enjoy Weekend Mode. No stress, no hassles, no customers yelling at me, no alarm clocks and no schedule to stick to....

Growing up in the age of gaming, I was part of the generation that stayed inside to play their Atari, Game Boy, Nintendo or PlayStation. Dolls, wooden train sets, Barbies, G-I-Joes and ball games were abandoned for action-packed adventure games to be enjoyed from the comfort of one's own bed or couch. No more hiking through the snow to reach a friend or playing ball in the pouring rain - instead we sat down, often with a drink and some crisps, and battled monsters of each and every variety. I remember being extremely proud when I rescued Princess Peach in Super Mario 64 by defeating Bowser not once, not twice, but three times. This achievement is still the only one I can boast about, as over the years I have tried many games, but finished only this one. Photo credit:  Lara Croft Wiki One game I still want to get back to one day is Tomb Raider. I really enjoyed playing the original game when it first came out, even though it really really scared me. Instead ...