Matter, Energy, and Life of Michaela A. Castello.

Long Reads

Stories that take a bit longer to get through.

  • Pi Day! (with pictures)

    This week included March 14th, or 3/14, the holiday in commemoration of a certain special number celebrated by geeks and nerds everywhere. The homophony with pie provides instructions on how said day should be observed. Our Pi Day party featured a spread of six delicious pies: Blueberry, apple, peach praline, key lime, chocolate pudding, and…


  • Lake Perris Island Adventure

    Yesterday a bunch of us took a boat out on Lake Perris. Perhaps because it is still technically winter, there weren’t that many people there. We were able to take our picnic out to the island and have it all to ourselves. On the way back, we sent the first group of people back to…

    Lake Perris Island Adventure

  • RPGs Are Powered by Characters, Not Stats

    I am super-excited about Dragon Age 2, Bioware’s latest RPG. One thing that always comes up when a new RPG is released however, is whether or not the gameplay has been “dumbed down.” The idea is that hardcore RPG-players want a high level of customization so they can fine-tune their character’s development, while the wider…