auf wiedersehen, steam.

sunday, november 3rd, 2024.

Back in March 2023, I was wringing my hands a bit about some of my monthly subscription expenses. I finally went through a bunch of 'em and stopped a few subscriptions, including Spotify and Netflix. We're saving some $50/mo by replacing our streaming services with Internet radio. Not bad! Shout out to BAGeL Radio for streaming some great music for free.

Another expensive vice of mine has been perusing Steam sales. Since you have to use the Steam client to play games you've purchased there, their storefront is pretty much unavoidable. It's a temptation for me, a bit like keeping sweets around in the kitchen. So earlier this week, I uninstalled all of my Steam games as well as the Steam client. Hopefully this removes the temptation to window-shop video games instead of playing what I've got.

I started poking at the PlayStation 2 emulator, PCSX2. It's good. I've been playing a bunch of games I've got on disc somewhere, including Gran Turismo 4. It's almost as fun as Forza Horizon 4 is! Plus I was able to find my old favorite, the sixth generation Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 (seen in the screenshot above).

I've also been playing a bunch of DRM-free games I've purchased on GOG.com. I've been enjoying launching those games straight from shortcuts on my desktop. Reminds me of playing old console systems before they started adding storefronts to damn near everything.

I hope that eliminating the "start the Steam launcher" middle step between booting my computer and running a game removes some of the temptation of those one-off $20 video game impulse purchases!

bicycling a lot!

Can you believe I've bicycled 400 miles in October? It surprised me a bit, too. These monthly bicycling recap emails are such a nice little reminder. I haven't tallied it up yet, but I'm fairly certain I've hit my annual goal of 2,000 miles of biking already! That's pretty rad.

Winter is coming, which is definitely going to discourage a bunch of leisurely trips on the bike. But— I still plan on riding to and from work regularly. I'll just layer my clothes, wear a nice merino wool neck gaiter, and tough it out! The cold weather makes those hot showers when I get to work so much more gratifying.

That said, it's a beautiful day today, so I think we'll putter off on our bikes for a quick grocery run and park visit while we can enjoy the fantastic weather!

Until next time, be well! :)