I received an email from Zenimax offering me access to Elder Scrolls Online this weekend because I participated in the beta. Now that the game is buy-to-play, the thought did interest me, although the game is $60. Given my experience of the game making me nauseous, that price tag was enough to drive me off.
Another item designed to drive me off was the size of the download mentioned in the email: 80 GB. Yikes! Did I really want to download an 80 GB game? Heck, I might not even have time to play ESO, what with the war with Noob Farmers in EVE and the double XP week in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Double-XP week? That's right, from today until the 22nd, SWTOR is holding a double-XP week. With a level 39 currently on Hoth, would I really want to divert time away from leveling my agent to the level cap?
Then, fate jumped in. I was laid off yesterday, although my official last day isn't for two weeks. But, I left the building for the last time yesterday. So, while I wait for a bunch of paperwork to process (including recommendation letters), I have some time to kill. I'll do the traditional things, like cleaning the house, updating my resume, etc., but I really don't feel like doing much right now. Working in the same job for 18 years will do that.
Now, I'm not in any financial crunch to get a job right away, although that is my preference. I'm getting a 26-week severance package, so except for purchasing my own health insurance, nothing really changes for me through the end of October. Then again, if I can quickly get a job, I'll definitely have the money to go to Fanfest next year, plus pay off a good chunk of my remaining mortgage, with a couple thousand left over to get a top-of-the-line gaming rig. But that's if everything goes perfectly.
So, last night, I just decided to download ESO, play Flappy Titan, and listen to the latest episode of Crossing Zebras. And this weekend I'll just try to relax and lose myself in trying out a new video game along with a couple of old ones. And cleaning the house. Can't forget cleaning the house.
