When Twitter Attacks

The thing with social media is finding the right balance of enough people to follow that you're connected, but not so many you're overwhelmed, comfortable enough that it doesn't cause you distress, diverse enough that it's not just a giant echo chamber...

The past few weeks my mood stability has been on the vulnerable side, and I've found that more often than not social media (and especially Twitter, as it's far and away the most active form of social media) have ranged from wearying to infuriating. So I've been going through and targeting posters who, even if I agree with them, add stress, and quietly unfollowing them.

This is a tricky thing to do when I'm emotionally wobbly... the temptation is to go all Oprah on it. "You get an unfollow, and YOU get an unfollow-- EVERYBODY GETS AN UNFOLLOW!" But that's neither healthy nor productive in the long run, it's just the tendency-towards-implosion that emotional wonkiness creates.

But trimming the social media tree is a good thing every once in a while. There are enough stressors I can't control, there's no reason to hold onto the ones that I can control.

-The Gneech

Deep Howardian Geekery in Borderlands 1

So aside from all the mini-bosses, there are three "Plot Bosses" in Borderlands, not counting the Giant Space Flea From Nowhere at the end.

Last night I sent my Berserker to go fight the second of the plot bosses, which required traversing a narrow canyon with several underground tunnels until you reach a large but enclosed, semi-underground area at the end. To get to the boss, you have to climb up several ramps to where he sits in a turret and will blast away as you approach. His name? Krom.

As soon as I saw him, I knew.

Holy crap, it's Crom on his mountain in the underworld, ready to rain death and destruction down upon those who displease him.

And I'm the barbarian.

So what did I do? Obvious. I went into berserker mode, ran up the mountain, and punched the turret until it exploded. Duh.

Went into Second Wind three times in the process, but didn't die once. Because Brick is a badass.

I was quite pleased.

-The Gneech