advance wars and a fixed mailbox.
sunday, april 23rd, 2023.
replacing our mailbox.
Yesterday, I bought the parts to replace my broken mailbox and installed a new mailbox. I think the total bill was something like $140, including the post-hole digger I needed to, well, dig a hole for the post.
I did the call 811 before you dig thing last weekend, and representatives from the four utility companies in my area let me know that it was safe to install the new mailbox. It felt kinda silly doing it for something as small as a mailbox, but I also didn't want to strike a gas line with my post hole digger!
Once I had dug a foot-deep post hole, I did my best to line up the powder-coated aluminum post, level it, and fill in the hole with this expanding foam stuff meant to secure posts in lieu of mixing concrete. The package said it was for a three-foot hole, so it doesn't surprise me that the foam expanded out of the hole like a weird grey mushroom:
I let it cure for a day. Once I finish my coffee, I'm going to try to cut back the excess foam so it'll be flush with the ground. I may have to scrub the post and hit it with a coat of Rust-Oleum afterwards. Hopefully not.
Then it's time to mow the yard... again. I guess we have some awfully fertile ground, which bodes well for a future garden but means that the yard is lookin' downright shaggy after two weeks of not cutting it.
playing the advance wars remake.
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp came out Friday and I've been playing it a lot this weekend. I haven't played the Advance Wars series since I misplaced my 3DS amongst all the moving I've been doing in the last few years. Well, that's not strictly true if you count playing Famicom Wars in February.
Anyway, Re-Boot Camp plays exactly like how I remember the O.G. Advance Wars playing, but with a fresh coat of paint. The game mechanics seem untouched, as far as I can tell. That's a good thing, in my opinion!
The fresh coat of paint is nice. They really leaned into the "toy soldier" aesthetic, which fits well with the symbolic chess-like nature of the game. I'm glad that they made everything brightly colored, clearly legible, and not hyper-realistic like they tried doing with Advance Wars: Days of Ruin.
Check out their use of tilt-shift rendering and a plastic texture to make these tanks seem toy-like:
The only thing that I'm not a huge fan of is the overuse of story dialog in the game. They didn't add it to the re-make; it's part of the original games. Still, the "story" is flimsy at best and kinda gets in the way of playing a fun, abstract strategy game.
Overall, I think this is one of those games I'll be playing for quite some time. I don't know that it's got me addicted like other games I've loved have. Still, I appreciate a slow burn that I can pick up and play whenever the mood strikes. It's the kind of game that makes me want to bring my Nintendo Switch everywhere I go— in case I get a little downtime and want to get my strategy game on. I have fond memories of playing the original games while waiting in airports for flights. 🥰
other things.
My partner had some oral surgery done Friday and they're still on the mend from it all. I don't envy them, but I'm glad they got it done. Dental problems can go from bad to worse pretty quick if neglected and it's a damn shame that our country considers our teeth "luxury bones" and doesn't offer any sort of financial help for this sort of thing.
Summer is coming up and we're lining up music festivals to go see, vacation to take, and a Renaissance festival to visit. I'm so excited for all of this stuff! Ahhhhh!
I've nearly reached the bottom of my second cup of coffee for the day, so it's about time to get all my chores and yardwork done. There's a beer and some more Advance Wars at the end of the tunnel!
Until next time, be well. :)