Hey Koopalings!
Man, it feels like a lifetime since I sat down to write a “real blog” - as in, not something work-related, haha. Sorry about that. The thing about working at IGN is that it has a way of taking over your whole life. One month passes and then the next. Before you know it you’ve been with the company two years! O_O No really. In a month I’ll be celebrating my second anniversary as a writer for IGN. What a ride it’s been - it feels like forever ago that I started here… but also like it’s all happened in the blink of an eye (if that makes any sense :P). You stay late, you work weekends, you meet unmeetable deadlines - all in the name of video game coverage! It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s also a wonderful life, and one I’m very grateful for. I’ve done things I always dreamed of doing, and met people I never really thought I'd ever meet…
I have no words. There are no words.
Keiji Inafune drawing me a picture of Mega Man. I just... I can't... I don't even...
I'm in the captain's chair OMG!!
Hell, I got to be a freaking IGN editor, just like I always said I'd be. Not gonna lie, I still enjoy seeing that silly red name bar - is that dumb? DON'T answer that. :P
I’ve reviewed some incredible games, honed my craft, and had the opportunity to work on some pieces that meant a lot to me and that I’m quite proud of. I’m definitely not complaining about my job, it’s one of the crowning achievements of my life... but it does make it hard to fit in other things - like blogging, for instance, or even just my other hobbies. I can’t remember the last time I touched my Taylor acoustic on a regular basis, which is kinda depressing considering I used to play every night without fail, like a healing meditation of sorts. Her name’s Layla, in case you’re wondering - original, I know. :P If you’re reading this, Layla - because I know how much guitars are capable of reading - I’m sorry for abandoning you like that! I still love you, promise. <3
He's the reason I first picked up a guitar.
Other things I love but don’t have enough time for?
Fitness. I know - it's supposed to be like water and oil with my nerdier hobbies, but I just love it to death. It's not really an appearance thing either - sure, I'd be lying if I said I don't enjoy looking fit, but in truth (don't hate me, plz) I've always been naturally slim no matter how terrible I eat or how much of a bum I am (college proved the hell out of that theory). Really, I just love the feeling of being healthy and pushing myself to my limits - that last part is one of the things I adore about gaming. Plus, truth be told, I was a pretty sick kid, so I really value my health now that I have it. I had bad asthma growing up. During winter I couldn't even go outside during recess lest it spur a severe attack. Those days are distant, fuzzy memories now, but the feeling of being limited by the body I was in has stayed with me. And so I push myself as hard as I can, at the gym or on the treadmill, if only for the joy of knowing I can. I really wish I made more time for it than I do. In fact, I’ve made a new vow to get back at it with eating right and exercising. It can be tough, really tough, so wish me luck!
Sheesh, put me to shame why doncha.
As many of you know, I also love anime and manga. The intense kind, the silly kind, the unspeakable kind, the “childish” kind, the “adult” kind - so long as it has heart and characters I can love, I’m in. And don’t even try to trash talk DBZ in my presence. Goku’s world is very special to me, and there will be blood if you say bad things. ;P
Comics. I love Marvel, but I’m honestly a DC girl all the way. I’m also very particular about my Batman. It makes me sad that the company has felt the need to change its characters in most of its more recent interpretations. Don't even get me started on my problems with the New 52. I just feel that these characters were iconic as is, and meant a whole lot to me and plenty of other people. Pains me to say it, but Marvel is doing it way better than DC these days (especially when it comes to movies). Oh well. Maybe things will turn around. After all, while Superman has seen better days, the current run of Batman is fantastic… although it makes no sense that they aged him down… yet he’s still had four Robins… and I find the all-grey pants distracting… and I don't know why they rebooted the universe at all if they were just going to carry over all the old baggage.... and why the hell didn't they give us a chance to see a modern interpretation of Dick Grayson's Robin?!... ah, but I digress. Le sigh. Ok, moving on.
Writing. I love to write. Duh, I do it for a living after all. It’s not so much a hobby as a way of being, haha, but I thought I’d throw it in anyway. The mister and I are actually writing a book together, but we rarely have time to work on it, which is way too bad. Still, it’s something I’ve poured my heart and soul into. I’m totally committed, no matter how hard it is to make myself write after writing all day, and I’ll continue chipping away and tweaking it until it represents everything I want it to. Hopefully one day it will mean as much to other people as the things I read/played/watched did to me as a kid. That's the dream anyway.
Many of you probably already knew these things about me, especially if you keep up with my Twitter adventures and random MyIGN updates. But ah well. I felt like chatting, so there it is.
Oh and another thing - a final, final thought - is that I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a video blog… but I dunno. It also makes me nervous. This might surprise some of you, but I’m actually a painfully shy girl. As my friends well know, I can be fairly loud and quite silly around people I know and talk to all the time, and working at IGN has really taught me to put my shyness aside. Now it’s hardly a thought… but in my heart, I’m still just a shy, quiet girl with very nerdy tendencies. Doing personal videos is a challenge that excites me, but also makes me nervous. IGN videos are one thing - that’s my job. That’s “Audrey Drake, Nintendo Editor” doing her thing. But something as personal as a video blog still gives me the jeebies. Weird, right? I knowwww. But whaddya do. I dunno, maybe I’ll still try it. Stay tuned. ^_^
So what’s the point of this blog? Well, I guess there isn't one, not really. No point, no particular organization or overall theme. I just started writing and all these thoughts tumbled out of my brain and onto this here web page. That’s what blogs are good for, I suppose. Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys into my world in a way I don’t normally get to anymore. It feels good to be back in the blogging swing of things, and I very much hope to have more time for it in the future.
If you need me, you know where to find me. Game on - and thanks again for listening to the ramblings of such a silly girl. :P
-Aminka
<(=^ . ^=)>
