Blog Post 1:
Stardew Valley: The Game that Never Ends
My favorite video game, Stardew Valley, is a game centered around the main character moving into a small town, quitting their dead-end corporate job, and taking over their late grandfather’s farm. The game seems quite simple at first as the player starts to grow crops, build their first chicken coop and begin to build relationships with NPC villagers living in the town. As the game progresses, however, there are so many secret quests and items to be found. The game can be finished officially, but in reality, there is always something else to be done.
Stardew Valley scratches a part of my brain that no other game can, with its relaxing soundtrack and old school style graphics, it differs from other games in many ways. On the surface, it is a simple farming simulator, but as the player moves forward, they are able to mine for materials, find secret notes, and even befriend and marry villagers. Farms are able to be continuously upgraded, allowing the player to continue to move forward, even during the late game.
Stardew Valley contains every type of activity. Whether a player is seeking hand-to-hand combat, decorating, or a simple farming simulator, Stardew has it all. On top of memorable and loveable characters, Stardew players are able to immerse themselves in this virtual community, and many find themselves playing for hours without getting bored. I would recommend Stardew Valley to any type of video game player, as it is truly the game that never ends.
Blog Post 2:
The Sports Illustrated cover that I chose to write about is the Brandi Chastain cover from 1999. The cover is a photo of Chastain celebrating a win by her soccer team, holding her shirt in her hand, and wearing a sports bra and shorts. Chastain had just made the winning shot of the game and celebrated by crying out and ripping her shirt off. Many thought that it was inappropriate that Chastain had her shirt off, and the team received a bit of criticism for it. Chastain was not apologetic and stated that since her male counterparts do the same to celebrate victory, it was not a big deal that she did it. This Sports Illustrated cover was a huge moment for women in sports, as it shows Chastain with her shirt off right after her victory.
Blog Post 3:
The article that I chose to read is called “Man Walks on the Moon”, and it is published by the Daily Mirror on July 21, 1969. This article was interesting to me as it is a huge breaking news story, and it was interesting to see the way it was published, with a large font and a photo. The entire paper was taken up by this story, as it was a major moment in history. The article is effective, and the content summarizes the development of the technology, and what this change means for humans.
Blog Post 4:
Over spring break, I took the opportunity to catch up on some much-needed rest. I spent a lot of time with my mom, and I find when I am home, I go with her to do everything during the day. We went hiking, I went with her to her teaching job, and we had many Starbucks runs. I also found some time to see some of my friends from home, who I only get to see a few times a year. I got to see my friend’s brand-new car, and it was fun to ride around with her. My other friend and I took a trip to Barnes and Noble and spent way too much money. I ended the week by taking a trip to Boston with my friends from UNE, who drove down and got to see my house and meet my dogs. Break went way too fast, and I’m looking forward to returning home for the summer. The photo below was taken by my friend, Lizzie, of my dog, George, this week!
