Fallout Shelter Review

So, fallout shelter is my new favorite app ever since it's E3 announcement. So much so that I got an ios device just so I could play it. If that isn't a rave review I don't know what is, however, it does have some things it could improve on. So here goes my full in depth review. 

Summary: Fallout Shelter is a post-nuclear strategy and simulation experience that puts you in control of a state-of-the-art underground Vault. Build the perfect Vault from a variety of rooms, oversee your very own thriving community of Vault Dwellers, and protect them from the dangers of the Wasteland. Vault-Tec has provided the tools, but the rest is up to you.

It is literally endlessly engaging. I have 3 vaults going and I check on them all multiple times a day. It is super addictive. The fallout references and motifs have me laughing every time I log in.

The only thing I would change is I would like to have the ability to view the family tree of my dwellers. The newest update has added photo mode and addressed a previous issue with pregnancy.


Things to love

Have you ever wanted to have an antfarm, on your phone? This game fulfills that desire.
It is rewarding, challenging and has it's own form of depth that I didn't expect. It's ACTUALLY free. You can buy lunchboxes, but there is really no need to do so. You have to balance workers, by placing them in rooms that take advantage of their S.P.E.C.I.A.L skills while also rebuilding society by breeding your Charismatic dwellers. It takes 3 hours for a pregnant woman to give birth and another 3 for the child to age into an adult. 

You have to wait for your resources to generate, obviously, but you do have an option to speed up that process if you’re in dire need. And while most free-to-play games would use this as a money trap, Fallout Shelter sidesteps that by letting you use the rush option any time you want, but you have a certain probability of failure, which could lead to a fire or another mishap.

The only other thing I have to add is MAKE AN ANDROID VERSION BETHESDA

9/10

See below for funny screenshots of awesome gameplay moments:

Need to see more? Download the game here.

The Confederate Flag

So, I'm not actually going to delve into my opinion about whether or not the confederate flag is a "racist symbol" or not, because honestly it doesn't matter. It's a stupid thing to be arguing about.

What I would like to do instead is talk to you about slavery. No, not the slavery that was supposedly abolished on January 31st, 1865.

I'd like to talk to you about modern day slavery, or contemporary slavery. A rough estimate (since slaves don't usually come forward and fill out census information) is that there are between 21 million, and 29 million people living as slaves today. Yeah, I said MILLION, and no I'm not kidding.

So if a flag can make you so angry that you need to picket, how come this can't?

So here are some quick facts:

Contemporary slavery is a $35 billion a YEAR industry.

Mauritania was the last country to abolish slavery, in 2007. Meaning if you're reading this, there were probably legal slaves in your lifetime. Where is your outrage?

In India an estimated 14 million people are living as slaves.

China has an estimated 2.9 million.

Pakistan enslaves approximately 2.1 million.

There are in fact modern day slaves, in America. Check out Ima's story here. Or "Jane's" story here.


If these facts haven't moved you in any way, then I guess continue to go about your day as usual, knowing in your heart that I think you're a terrible human being.

OR

If you wanna maybe, not lack a soul entirely, go to www.endslaverynow.org or www.endcrowd.com and get involved in helping to stop this before it gets worse. 

It isn't about black or white, or some stupid flag being sold in Walmart, or on Amazon. It's about human rights, and how we all deserve them. 

My wedding

So for those of you that follow me, which is approximately 5 I think, you may or may not know that I got married last month. Well a lot of my wedding photos are up now so I thought I'd share some of them with you. 

My dad actually walked me down the aisle, in a suit, if you happen to be someone I know looking at this you'll understand why this is a huge deal.

It was really, really cold, like the coldest day in June EVER. So we all made faces like this:

My now husband and I wrote an obviously beautiful ceremony that included making this during a sand ceremony with our children, symbolizing us all coming together as a family.

Overall it went pretty... well terrible but in the end we were married and made faces like THIS 

So for those of you who couldn't be there or who WERE there but couldn't hear anything, or understand what our really awful officiant was saying here's a copy of the ceremony my husband and I wrote together. Check out his vows. They're amazing and make me cry every time I read them.

The Processional

[The Bride’s attendants walk in to the tune of “Sea of Love.” By Cat Power]

The Maid of Honor- Rebecca Harrison

The Flower Girl- Peyton Roy

[The Bride enters to “Trumpet Voluntary”]

The Bride-Megan Jones, escorted by her father- Dean Atwood

Officiant: Truly fortunate is the couple who come to their wedding with the approval and support of their families and friends. Who has the honor of presenting this woman to be married this day?

Dean: I do

Officiant: John and Megan, please turn towards one another, join your hands and in so doing join your hearts.

Before we go any further into the service I would like to ask everyone to please silence their cell phones.

A reading of The Buddha’s Sermon at Rajagaha, Verses 19-22 by Judy Harrison

Do not deceive, do not despise each other anywhere. Do not be angry nor bear secret resentments; for as a mother will risk her life and watches over her child, so boundless be your love to all, so tender, kind and mild. Cherish good will right and left, early and late, and without hindrance, without stint, be free of hate and envy, while standing and walking and sitting down, what ever you have in mind, the rule of life that is always best is to be loving-kind.

Welcome

The Officiant: Judy just read for us from a sermon the Buddha gave at the sacred city of Rajagaha, in the Indian state of Bihar, sometime late in the 6th century BC. Be honest, open, tender, kind and loving, he says -- wise counsel for a bride and groom. But Megan and John chose the reading also because they believe this is a good lesson for all of us: whether we’re standing, sitting, walking, whatever we have in mind, we should be “loving-kind.” And they hope we’ll all hold those words close to our hearts, not just today but always.

We are gathered here this day, not to witness a beginning of what shall be, but to celebrate and affirm what already is. John and Megan have invited you to share the public declaration of what has already been united in their hearts. Their wedding celebrates the joy and beauty of life and family. Marriage is a supreme sharing of experience and an adventure in the most intimate of human relationships. It is the joyous uniting of two people whose companionship and mutual understanding have blossomed into romance. Today, Megan and John proclaim their love to the world and we who are gathered here rejoice with them and for the new life they now undertake together. Thank you for sharing in the joy of this precious moment.

Honoring of Family Members

Before we move forward, Megan and John want to acknowledge their parents first and foremost, but also John’s Meme and Auntie J-9 for the unconditional gifts of love and support that you have unstintingly given them inspiring them to become who they are today. Mother, Father, Grandmother, and Aunt the Bride and Groom feel profound gratitude for all the love and care you showed in raising them and they thank you, from the bottom of their hearts, for guiding them to this celebration of love. Without you, this day would not be possible.

[The couple present their family with the gifts they have chosen.]

The Declaration of Intent

Officiant: Megan and John, someone once said that deciding to marry is like following a magnificent hunch. This person is someone you love, and after years together you know a lot about each other, but you’ll come to know more in the time ahead. The companionship you’ll share from this night on is the hallmark of marriage, its natural state, and its richest and most valuable gift. The contract of marriage that underpins that companionship is captured, in its essence, in the vows you’ll exchange in a moment. That contract is most solemn and must be entered into thoughtfully and seriously, with a deep awareness of its obligations and responsibilities. So, before you say your vows, I’ll ask you to declare your intent to be bound by them.

John, do you take Megan to be your wife, to live with her in marriage, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live? 

John: I do. 

Officiant: Megan, do you take John to be your husband, to live with him in marriage, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live? 

Megan: I do.

THE VOWS

Megan: 

Over the past several years, I have become increasingly aware of the fragility of life and the impermanence of our existence. 

This realization has inspired a deep appreciation for every moment and a drive to find ways to make my own time on this planet just a little more enjoyable.

Before I met you I thought that I was doing the best that I could do, that I was who I was meant to be.

Then you came along filling each and every day with an increasing level of joy and peace. 

It is you who has inspired me to be the best version of myself that I could possibly be. 

You calmed the storm in me filling a gap I didn’t know was missing.

You made me a better mother, daughter, and friend. 

And for that I will always be grateful.

John:

Three years ago, when I walked into RadioShack, I never would have guessed I would leave with a great deal on a Family. 

I never thought I would even want a family, but now I am backing one with a lifetime warrantee.

Before we met, I lived to make myself happy, always searching for something or someone else to raise the bar. 

However, with you, and these two boys, my life is full of love and happiness all on its own; So much that I wanted to share it with the world. 

My heart is like the Tardis. From the outside it is ordinary, but if I let you in, it’s bigger on the inside and it’s alive. 

Only you could open it. Only you could have unlocked the best in me. 

Megan:

I choose to take this journey with you; wherever it leads.

Whether it be to the Capital Wasteland, or deep in a dungeon to pillage gold.

To travel with you through the adventures of life; to the next level or the ends of the earth.

In all that we will find, I pledge my friendship, my faith and my love.

I will respect you, listen to you, and cherish the things that make you special to me. 

I will heal you when your HP gets too low, and I will always share my loot with you.

No matter what lies in our path, it will be our path, together.

John:

I need you to press start, because co-op in finally unlocked and we need to get moving.

We have our life ahead of us and life is short, even in real time.

I will go everywhere with you, even all the side missions. 

I will share everything with you, even the red starbursts. 

You are my best friend, my strongest support and the love of my life.

We are always on the same team.

Megan:

I give to you my vow of sacred matrimony. 

I acknowledge our individuality and respect the natural space that will reside comfortably between us.

 I promise to bridge that space with open communication, silent understanding and heartfelt compassion. 

I promise to act loving so as to be loving. 

I promise to love passionately, argue fairly and support you unfailingly. 

I gladly accept the responsibilities that come with our relationship. 

I love you and I pledge my fidelity to you for all the days of our lives.

John:

I swear to you my hand in Marriage.

I promise to love you and our children unconditionally

I promise to value our differences as I value our common ground.

I promise to be a good father, devoted lover and dedicated supporter. 

I promise to be one with you through open communication, respect and patience. 

I am privileged to move forward with you.

I Love you and I will be faithful to you forever and always.

Both:

“Together, or not at all.”

Sand Ceremony

Officiant: We have come together today not only to witness John and Megan becoming one, but an official unification of their entire family. 

Today, John is not only promising to love Megan for the rest of his life, but also to take her son Riley into his heart and his home, as his own.

[John, Megan, Riley and Hayden step up to the “altar”. They each grab their own bottle of sand, and begin pouring it together into a larger glass vase labeled “The Killion Family”]

Exchange of Rings

[Riley comes forward with the rings, he gives Megan’s to John]

John: In sickness and in health.

[Riley comes forward and gives John’s ring to Megan]

Megan: As long as we both shall live.

Officiant: You may kiss the bride.

My day an over share

Today I brushed my teeth 3 times before I left the house, so my toddler wouldn't lose his mind.

Today I wanted my end of the day drink before 10 am.

Today I got a $200 medical bill for a hospital visit I didn't take my kid to.

Today I had to wear sneakers, not flip flops because flip flops are evil and make my toddler cry, hysterically.

Today I did 3 loads of laundry and still have 2 baskets full for tomorrow because my kids need to change their clothes approximately 100 times each day.

Today we could not pick our brother up without feeding the chickens, swimming in the pool, jumping on a trampoline, driving me the car, exploring the trailer etc etc ad nauseum.

Today I changed 4 diapers before I even finished my redbull.

Today I needed 2 red bulls.

Today above all else I got to laugh with my children. I got to play with them. They are healthy and mostly happy and we have a place to live and food to eat and I am thankful for every moment I get to spend molding them into young men.

Massachusetts

The best things about being in Massachusetts:
Being close to my mom. Her presence gives me endless comfort. Even though seeing her is a reminder of how sick she really is. The good days with her and the kids are so incredibly worth coming up here for the summer. Seeing her energized by them is amazing.

Seeing my other family is also great. My dad and aunt Tracy are familiar and soothing in their own inexplicable ways.

Being near to and running into my friends.

Having babysitters other than just the browns.

The worst things about Massachusetts:
It's cold and damp and my fingers hurt already.

The data speeds here are slow. Wtf is this 3g shit. How do you people live without constant 4g?

Things close ridiculously early.  Cape cod is a ghost town at 8/9 o'clock. Seriously. The grocery stores and pharmacys close.

People drive like super assholes. And if they aren't purposefully driving like a dick they are 80 years old going 5 miles an hr.

There are very few playgrounds and to my knowledge 0 indoor rec/playgrounds.

I don't think people here even know what a public pool is.

It's dark. There are like... 0 streetlights. I forgot how winding the roads are. 90° turns with no warning are cool.

Did I mention it's cold?

Also there are inch worms and pollen covering everything and I can't breathe.

Living with my in laws is not my idea of a good time.

I miss my apartment and weather that doesn't make my skin hurt.

This whine fest has been brought to you by my anxiety.

Homelessness in America

Over time our opinions and beliefs change. For that reason I'd like to share with you some facts, and personal experiences relating to an issue that has grown near and dear to my heart over the last year.

Lets start with the stats:

     In 2013 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that approximately 610,000 people were homeless in America. Another report indicated that up to 3.5 MILLION people would experience some form of homelessness in any given year.

     There are 32,000 homeless individuals in Florida. 8% of the nations homeless population resides HERE, and yet we have the most violence against homeless people. We have been deemed the most dangerous state for homeless people year after year. Our state legislature goes so far as to outlaw us from helping the less fortunate. 

I want to help change this. 

2 years ago if you'd asked me how I felt about homelessness I probably wouldn't have had much to say. Which isn't because I didn't care or empathize. I just wasn't educated, and I didn't understand. 

I went to school on Main St in Hyannis, MA. I talked to homeless people every day, and I never truly  saw their struggles. They didn't show them to me. I just saw them as peers. I was always willing to share a cigarette or my sandwich with them but I didn't really understand what homelessness was, or how close most of us are to it. 

A little over a year ago I read an article on cracked.com, about how easy it is to become homeless, and what it entails. It really spoke to me, although I didn't do anything about it right away.

This year I put a lot of thought into what I'd like our Christmas traditions to be, and what kind of legacy I'd like to give to my children. I realized that I want to teach them about love, and about giving with no hope for a "return on investment". I wanted them to understand how lucky we are and also how much we have in common with those who aren't as lucky. So we made stockings for the local homeless people, and we brought the stockings to them. It was a small gesture but we all felt great afterwards.

Then, a few days ago, I recognized a homeless man outside of Firehouse, and I asked him to come inside and have lunch with me. He told me his story, he cried, and he thanked me, not just for the meal but for spending time with him and listening. Here is a snippet of what he told me:

He became homeless less than 6 months ago when his wife divorced him, for another man she had been cheating on him for 5 years of their 28 year marriage. He became unstable and had a mental breakdown. He selflessly checked himself into a mental health facility for a little under 3 months. When he got out he had defaulted on his mortgage, lost his car and a big chunk of his other assets. His job was not waiting for him. At this point he was heavily dependent on medication, considered himself unstable and violent and had no health insurance, however he did have a decent amount of savings. He went thru over 20 thousand dollars in the past 3 months. Staying in hotels, eating out constantly, paying for his medication, etc. Admittedly his decisions were not awesome, but at the time he was mostly worried about NOT murdering anyone. Despite the fact that he is now living on the street, without a job and coming off of almost all his medication he says that going to the hospital was still a good decision because he can live with nothing, but he could not live with blood on his hands. He was visibly anxious during our lunch, and I told him that I too suffer from anxiety and depression, that it's nothing to be ashamed of, and that I appreciated him sharing his story with me when it must have been very difficult. He once again teared up and told me that his 3 grown children didnt know he was in the hospital, or that he's homeless. That his parents, friends, ex wife etc are all clueless. That he hasn't been in touch with anyone. I gave him the change I had in my car and asked him to please call his family and atleast say merry christmas. I also gave him my "card" because it had my number on it and asked him to please call me if he needed to talk.

This brings me to my major point. The revelation I've had this year thru my own financial blunders and inexperience mistakes: It could happen to me. It could happen to you. It could happen to anyone. 

Homelessness is not always the result of a lifetime of fucks ups. Sometime's it's just one or two mistakes that can leave you on the street. Sometimes, no mistakes are even made at all. So before you look down on someone and assume they have a drug or alcohol problem or that they just aren't willing to try just imagine the hundreds of ways circumstances could put YOU in their shoes.

I'm not saying I'm gonna make a huge difference in the homeless populace. I'm probably not. But I AM going to treat them with dignity and respect. I'm going to continue to have lunch with people I know need it, and I'm going to bring some dollar store necessities to the homeless camps when I can. I'm going to treat these people like they're my friends because any one of my friends could easily be in their position. 

Give charitably this "christ"mas

Omaze offers a variety of experiences. Where you can donate to a charity, earn swag, and be entered to win some awesome prizes. Hanging out with Ian Somerhalder, for example. Oh pick me, pick me.

Alternative gifts international allows you to send authentic life giving gifts to a needy world and help those in crisis while preserving the earth's endangered environment. Yes. That is awesome.

The holiday project organizes visits for people in nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions.

Other great organizations are wwf, clean water projects, the water project, red, and the human rights campaign to name a few.

Make the holiday season about giving, sharing, and instilling family values instead of greed and competition.