Squigglies: An Online Journal

First post from my Android phone

2011-04-11T01:21:00.001-04:00

Just got the official Blogger app for Android (and using Swype to make text input easy). I like the interface: clean and simple. I can't wait to start doing more with my blog (especially the dynamic views). It's been a while and a LOT had changed in my life, so lots to share. Stay tuned!

Portfolio Review and Graduation

2009-05-29T14:15:00.005-04:00

Hey, everyone! It's been a long time since my last post and quite a bit has happened over the course of life that has taken up all of my time. Namely, finishing up school and getting ready for my Design Portfolio Review at Sinclair on June 4th, which is basically like an extended job interview with 3 different interviewers. I have to show my best work and be on my best behavior, while I talk about my work for 20 minutes (x3). I bet after all that talking, I'd be sick of looking at my designs. :D

There is an Open House after the formal proceedings, which start at 3PM and finally end around 7:30PM, which is when the Open House event starts (which if you'd like to come, you are more than welcome to stop by and look at my designs, as well as give me paying work so I can live! ;). Here's the link to the Open House I made on Facebook with all the info.

Graduation is a little over a week later. "The 2009 Sinclair Community College Commencement ceremony will be held on Friday, June 12, 2009, at 6:45 p.m. at the University of Dayton Arena." If you'd like to come and support me, I'd really appreciate it. If you can't make it, I'd also appreciate any kind words (monetary gifts are ALWAYS appreciated! ;).

Bye for now, have lots of work to do!

Desktopography 2008

2008-07-02T12:37:00.003-04:00

Well, my favorite nature/design wallpaper site has put up there 2008 catalog. These are really high quality wallpapers that mix design and nature photography with a really polished flair. I wish I could do the things that these designers do. They are all really talented. All free and waiting for your desktop. Go check em out and make sure to check out the previous years, too.

Nevermind that last post!

2008-07-02T12:12:00.002-04:00

Hmm, well, I spoke too soon, I guess. :( I told my supervisor, who I really liked and got along well with, that I wanted to know the possibility of working around my school schedule at the end of my second day. I was candid with her, and that might have my problem (but that's who I am), but when I left, there was no inkling that I would be hearing a few hours later that I was terminated.

This was very premature and an unfair decision on their part. I can understand that they wanted to do what's best for the company, but I made it clear that I was serious about this job and that, if I had to, would work around their schedule. I just wanted to let them know as soon as possible about this possible issue, and if they were going to be lenient about it. She clearly said that they could deviate from the set work hours, so I said I would handle it on my end.

I really enjoyed the job and the people I worked with, and I would have continued on there for the foreseeable future. It was challenging, it was a learning experience and the stress level and workload was just right: not too busy to feel like I couldn't handle it, and not too little to get bored. I pretty much jumped right in, and did a great job. My supervisor said she was sorry and that it wasn't her decision, but she really enjoyed working with me. I hope that in the future that there could still be a job there for me. For now, I'm going to find something a little more flexible and possibly short-term. I'm seriously considering taking a break and visiting my mother and helping her out on her farm in eastern Ohio. I'd love to visit my sister in Alaska, or my cousins in South Carolina, too.

A new job!

2008-06-27T07:53:00.003-04:00

Well, God did bless me with a job. I did a few interviews this week and the end of last week. I found out about this job late Thursday of last week, loved the pay, sent my resume via email, got a call about it early the next morning (on Friday), then set up an interview for later that day (rescheduling another interview for this past Tuesday). Did the interview (thought it went great), then heard back from them on Monday that they wanted to offer me the job. I thought I would start next Tuesday, but they called me on Wednesday and asked if I could start yesterday. Today is my second day.

The pay is great, but the drive is far. It's not really graphic design, as in that it's not really "creative", but I am using my skills. So far, so good. Now, I'm just worried about my plans for finishing up school. I have to trust God, though, that He will provide and make everything work out for me. I have to keep going down this path if it's God's Will.

Thanks for praying for me everybody!

Work for the Summer

2008-06-18T13:06:00.004-04:00

Well, this past quarter of school has been hectic, fun, crazy and eventful. I've met a lot of people in my classes, at work, and outside of work. It's been great, but I'm glad I have a bit of a break during this summer. I have five weeks where I don't have class, and I've been trying to get a better paying and more fulfilling job. I love working at school in the IT Labs, but it just doesn't pay enough and I'm not taking enough classes to work there in the summer.

I had a couple of good leads on getting a paid internship at a couple places, but they have fallen through and I've been looking elsewhere in the meantime. Right now, I've got an unpaid graphic design internship (that doesn't give me enough work) and a freelance graphic design job where, right now, I'm waiting to hear back from my boss on my schedule and assignments. I've also got a full-time paid position that I'm applying for. I'm working on getting my portfolio together, so I can give something out during interviews.

In my personal life, the person that I thought was "the one" turned out to be a false alarm. There was good potential there, but it obviously wasn't to be. I've learned that as much as I want it to happen, I can't force it and if anything, the more you want that to happen, the more it turns out to be false hope. I've taken my focus back on improving my life and my own personal character, and going back to church, getting counseling and being more active.

I'm focusing on making my relationships healthy and trying to relieve the pressure off of them, as well as adjusting relationships that put pressure on me. Someone whom I never thought would be back in my life has returned and I'm still getting adjusted to that. I'm glad to have a second chance to make it work, but at the same time, leery of repeating the same mistakes. At the same time, trying to correct our past and improving our future is something I'm trying to achieve. I've got great friends, and getting more all the time, so I feel blessed in that area. Now, I just need a job that works for me. :D

Meeting the right person

2008-05-21T15:14:00.002-04:00

Well, I've been looking and I've found a lot of people, and a lot of people have found me. I'm still not sure who's the right one for me, but I've found someone that really makes me happy and I really like her. I just have to make sure that I don't scare her away by liking her TOO MUCH! I have to try to slow down, but it's hard. I know if it's to be, then it will be. I hope we can continue how we are going and we can make it last. I'd love for her to be the right one.

Choices to make and finding the right path

2008-03-17T13:35:00.013-04:00

Well, now that I have more time to think about myself and what I want out of life, I have to ask God, "What do you want my life to be?" I pray that I keep listening to Him and that He guides me in the choices I make, who I date, who I'm friends with, where to go and ask for His love to fill me up, so I that I can pass it on to others.

That's a dangerous line, though, because as guarded and shy as I am sometimes, I let myself become vulnerable to other thoughts or desires, and am too easily influenced by other people sometimes. I pray that He helps me to grow and continue to become a better Christian, and therefore, in the process, become stronger, more mature, and less susceptible to negative external influences. That I continue to grow and nurture my current relationships and make new ones. That He surrounds me with people that are positive for me and that they can help me to grow in the way that's best for me.

School and work (all 3 of my jobs!) is great right now and I'm lucky to have such good friends, like Randy and Ben, but being in love was really great, too. I've never felt so happy and carefree in my life. I was a better person for being in a relationship where I could just let myself be who I am, but also grow and change and find new meaning in life. I'm thankful for having the chance to experience that, but am starting to wonder if I was just blinded by love. I hope that God blesses me with someone that is right for me and that will treat me properly. [That may or may not be Chanda, but that is completely up to her and if she wants to listen to God's will in her life.] I pray that my past experiences won't sabotage any chance at falling in love or being able to trust again, and not to fall in love too prematurely.

Mourning again!

2008-02-11T01:50:00.001-05:00

LOTS OF STUFF SINCE WE LAST "SPOKE"! TOO MUCH!

Well, maybe now that life is back to 'normal' (ie, life without love, or life without someone you love who doesn't love you back).

It sucks! I now have to struggle to keep my love in check without letting Satan try to taint my love with thoughts of pain and regret.

I'm mourning the loss of a possibility of being with someone I love (Chanda). I love you, Chanda! I would have stayed with you forever! I miss you! I pray for you and your happiness and the possibility that you will return to me someday.

Armin van Buuren in C-Bus (again)!

2007-11-07T04:22:00.000-05:00

I just got back early yesterday morning from one of the most amazing live DJ sets I've even been to. I managed to get both of my good friends, Randy (whose celebrated his 27th birthday on Nov. 6) and Ben to come with me. I was really glad both of them came because it made it that much more fun.

The last time Armin van Buuren (who is officially the #1 DJ in the world, according to the voters in DJ Mag) came to Ohio, was amazing as well, but this time, it just seemed better; more exciting and fun.

I've put the photos from the show up on my Flickr site, so get check them out!

R.I.P. Soshi ...

2007-10-26T18:47:00.000-04:00

Well, the news that I'd been longing for (and fearing) was finally thrust upon me today when I got home: my dog of 14 years, Soshi, has finally ceased to live.

The reason I was relieved initially when I heard this is that she has ceased to "live" for the last couple of weeks. She really hasn't been well for the past couple of weeks and I'm glad that she no longer has to suffer. It really hasn't hit me that she's gone yet, but when I buried her today a little earlier, I started to realize that she really is gone and I'll never have her greet when I walk in the door anymore.

Pets just can make me happy like no other thing (object or person). I know they will love me and I trust them more than I will ever trust another human being. I will miss you deeply, Soshi!

Pre-Moarning

2007-10-17T15:14:00.000-04:00

Hey, everybody! Thanks for everyone who's given me emails and posts helping to console me in my time of grief (even though she's not even dead, yet). I know she's lasted a while, but I don't want to think about her death.

I've decided against putting her to sleep, as I don't think I can live with the guilt that I ended her life prematurely. I've been stressed about whether or not I will 'kill' her (when to do 'it'). I've decided NOT to decide.

The thing that has helped ease my mind is just knowing that it's not up to me when she dies. I've let 'Someone Else' take care of that. I know it's going to be soon, but when the time comes, I will not have any regrets.

Goodbye Soshi

2007-10-15T12:16:00.000-04:00

My dog of (nearly) 14 years has become extremely sick of late. She has been deteriorating the past couple of months with kidney failure and possibly renal failure as well. Because she has kidney disease, she drinks a lot (from the toilet) and she has to excrete frequently and she doesn’t have control over this. She has been urinating on beds, chairs and all over the floor the past couple of months, but it has gotten worse over the weekend.

She just stands there in the middle of the room sometimes and looks confused and weak. She can’t stand very well, she can’t sit down or lie down without pain and taking a long time to do so. She can’t really walk up stairs very well without stumbling or tripping.

She hasn’t been eating much of anything over the weekend and I’ve had to nurse and coax her to get her to eat anything. I’m really worried about leaving her at home alone and I’m seriously considering putting her to sleep either today, or tomorrow. I never would have wanted to do it, and want to see her last as long as she can, but I don’t think she’s in good condition and I’ve tried everything to improve her condition.

She means a great deal to me and she will have been 14 years old about now. I got her about a month after my brother died in 1993 and she helped lift my spirits and recover from my loss.

Slacker Web & Desktop Radio

2007-09-30T13:27:00.000-04:00

There's this really cool music discovery and web radio site, called Slacker, that I found out about late last year and it's still in beta (and therefore free). It doesn't have the music tracking, stats and social networking features like Last.FM (a really excellent site as well), but it really excels at just finding really great music for you. You don't have to input the music that you like (as per Last.FM), instead you just search for an artist or genre and it makes a personalized radio station for you. If you hear a track (or artist) you don't (or do) like, you can ban or 'favorite' them. The streaming is also really fast, high-quality audio and they have whole songs to listen to.

I was there today and found out that, in addition to the Flash-based browser app, they have a new desktop application (only Windows for right now). This will hook up to their future portable player and satellite radio for the car (think personalized XM). Try out the desktop app (haven't done it myself) or just try out the website (you don't have to join to start listening to the preconfigured radio stations) and let me know what you think.

Dan Doppelganger, Take 2!

2007-09-29T01:38:00.000-04:00

Last night, Dan and I watched "My Name is Earl" and it just happened to have Dan's 'stunt' double. He played another psycho, crazed fiend and brought the house down.

Way to go, Dan! You're becoming FAMOUS! :D

(screencaps courtesy of NBC Rewind)

Birthday 2007

2007-09-16T15:11:00.000-04:00

Well, another year has come and gone, but the fun isn't over. Later today, my family and friends are taking me down to Sima and we are going to have some delicious sushi and sake.

My friend, Ben (who absolutely rocks, btw!) is getting me the video game skate. for my birthday, too (if we can find it in the stores). It also came out on my birthday, so in addition to being a great game, it should also have some sentimental value as well.

Facebook!

2007-09-11T20:40:00.000-04:00

Okay, lots of things have been happening lately, so just because I haven't been posting doesn't mean I haven't have interesting things to say (which, mostly is the case).

Anyways, I'll have to catch up with them, but for right now, I've just gotten into Facebook and found it to be pretty cool, so I'll obviously keep this going, but I've kind of made my Facebook reflect as much as I can this here blog. Check it out!

skate. is amazing!

2007-08-23T10:42:00.001-04:00

The last 2 days I've been playing the skate. demo on my Xbox 360 and I (and my still skatin' lil bro) have been blown away with this game. The camera makes it feel like you are skating behind "yourself" filming a video. You can also hear the guy filming you talking to you.

The animation system is just mindblowing! Everything about it is just REAL. From your character looking down at the board when he pops up, to the way your character tries to regain his balance when he doesn't land correctly. The gameplay and control scheme is just so simple once you get the hang of it and it's quite intuitive. You just have to unlearn yourself the old (tired) controls of the endless Tony Hawk games you've undoubtedly played.

It's definitely not another Tony Hawk wannabe. In fact, it's focused on skating (and just skating), so the game's title, skate., is appropriate. Playing it definitely feels like skating and it's very fun, but your not worried about collecting stupid letters. You just keep practicing tricks and riding.

Summer is over!

2007-08-19T15:03:00.000-04:00

Well, yesterday was my final meeting of my photography class (and I just updated my Flickr site with the 10 prints I scanned in for my final portfolio). I had to present my portfolio and afterwards I took my friend, Ben, down to Sima in Kettering, Ohio to eat some of the best sushi I've ever had. It was my second time going there and I really wanted to show Ben the place to celebrate the end of my class and to celebrate his birthday (which happened the week prior).

My photography class was hard, a lot of work, but I really liked it and everyone in my class and will miss them. The fall quarter starts up in about 2 weeks, so I don't have a lot of time to relax, but it's good to be free for a bit.

Alpha Dog - Dan's clone kicks ass!

2007-07-27T09:51:00.000-04:00

So, my little brother and I were watching a movie he got from Netflix the other night. One of the reasons I think he picked Alpha Dog, the movie we watched, was that one of the main actors in it was someone I call "Dan-Doppelganger". Ben Foster is his actual name, but I like mine better. :) In fact, he looks so much like Dan (and me to some extent) I've made his portrait my Xbox Live public gamerpic (look to right of this post).

Now, I've seen Ben Foster in many other movies, one of the first being "Bang, Bang, You're Dead!". In Alpha Dog, he plays a crazy pot-head (not much unlike Dan in a less savory part of his life). He's Jewish in the movie and is all tattoo-ed up and reminds me of Edward Norton in American History X, but when he gets really intense, he starts knocking people down, ala Bruce Lee. In one scene, he even straight-punches some small girl for some reason. It's a pretty good movie and Ben Foster's intensity makes his scenes really stand out.

For some comparison shots:

Ben Foster:

My brother, Dan (I know, not the best picture but all I have here at work)

"Arbor Vitae"

2007-07-24T17:57:00.000-04:00

Well, my brother is having another benefit event. This time at Ha-Ha Pizza in Yellow Springs on Thursday August 9th at 7:00 PM till 9:00 PM. The address is 108 Xenia Avenue Yellow Springs, OH 45387.

His art will be displayed in the gallery and can be sold. Click on the graphic he made to read more info about it.

My sister's visit and a television

2007-06-10T16:46:00.000-04:00

I completely forgot to mention that my one and only (and older) sister is visiting from Alaska for 2 weeks. She came in on Friday and she, I, my friend, Ben, his roommate and his friend, all went to a really nice Asian restaurant where we loaded up on sushi and sake. Good stuff.

I also just bought a new 37" 1080p LCD HDTV. After waiting years for the right time to get an HDTV (I probably could have waited a few more), I finally made the jump. I've been holding off until prices were reasonable and the quality compromise from CRT wasn't as big. I'd still like to get a DLP instead, but my friend has had the same model since November of last year and still loves it and he bought it for $200 more than what I'm paying for it. It's a big step up from my current 24" flat CRT SDTV with component inputs I bought for my Xbox about 4 years ago. Now I have to figure out how I'm going to set it up.

News on my Summer

2007-06-07T18:42:00.000-04:00

Well, I decided that, me being lazy and comfortable with my current position, I'd stay working where I'm at. For both positions, I'd supposedly need to be actively taking classes, so it would be better (even though I'm sure the pay rate is lower) to be where I'm at already. Also, that extra tutor position might not go through as the classes I would be helping out with will most likely be canceled due to a lack of registered students.

I was in a bit of pickle with the classes being offered as the English class I wanted to take was only open and being offered by a teacher that isn't the best one (though I checked the next day and the one I wanted was open). Also, I was able to take a Photography class that is required by my degree, so I didn't have to take another unnecessary class again just to get my 6 credits. I bought my books online used, saved some money, but now the wait begins. Hopefully, they arrive before I actually need them. I also need to hunt down an 35 or 120mm film SLR, and get film and print paper by next Tuesday. That one might be kinda tough.

As for my last quarter, I finally finished up on Monday. That research paper was kickin' my ass, but I got it done and finished up my online class with a final exam. Then, on Tuesday, I did three 20 minute quizzes and the final exam all in one class period because I didn't think I would be there for the last class period yesterday due to my scheduled (but then later re-scheduled jury duty). I'm glad to be done, but already next week on Tuesday, I've got another English class to have to deal with, as well as the Photography class, with not even a week of rest between quarters.

I could have taken the summer off and gotten a real (better-paying job) and been happy, but I'd like to get my English out of the way and be done with it.

School days

2007-06-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

Well, this quarter of school is almost over and I'm really glad to be (almost) done with my English class. The folks at Sinclair have asked me to become a tutor there teaching computers and helping out. The only problem is that I need to have (at least) 6 credit hours to take the job, or even continue working there as a student assistant.

I had plans to take my final English class (for my Associates degree) in the summer, but I'm not sure if I want to after 2 consecutive quarters of writing papers. That (along with Photography) would be the only classes I would be able to take, since I don't have anymore gen-ed classes to take. Most of the classes I need to take have prerequisites and they aren't always offered every quarter, so it has to be planned out in advance. If I am to follow the current schedule, I will be done in Spring 2009. I don't know if Photography is offered during the summer, but I will look into it as another class I could take to make up the required 6 credit hours needed to continue working.

There's also the pay and maximum amount of hours I can work at Sinclair. I'm paid minimum wage, and can't work more than 20 hours a week. I was looking at finding a better job (I found one posted for a nice one at Honda) and only taking English 113 online, but now I'm presented with another choice: do I want to sacrifice money or convenience.

New Content

2007-06-01T21:54:00.000-04:00

I just spent some time sprucing up my template and adding content to the sidebar. I really like the new visual way to change the templates on Blogger now. It makes it fun to add new stuff.

Moving...again

2007-05-11T01:50:00.000-04:00

Well, it's not me this time, but another of my friends. I just helped my friend, Randy, move this past Saturday and it was an ordeal. He's going through a tough time right now with a (VERY possible) divorce and none of his relatives-in-law were on hand to help out in the nearly 9-hours that I helped him move. In fact, his father-in-law even offered my help for me. : /

Randy took it in stride (only possible through his newly refreshed Christian zeal). In fact, he's stayed courageous through this awfully tough time and I don't envy what he is dealing with, but he's stayed calm and mature through these hardships.

I've been going to his small church and really felt welcome there (something I wasn't feeling from my current(/old?) church.

On other topics, college is going well, though my English class (online, no less) is taking a lot out of me and I haven't been getting much sleep lately. I have 2 more years to go, but I just have to struggle through these English courses and it should be fun for the rest of the way, as those are the only GEN-ED ones I need to do for my degree. My new sister-in-law, Lyz, just got her Masters in education while working at a school, rockin' with a 4.0 GPA. That's amazing (something recently impressed upon me by her husband ;) Congrats to you, again, Lyz! See you, both, this weekend!

I'll write when I get a life...

Moving Friends, College Life

2007-04-16T15:18:00.000-04:00

Well, this past weekend I helped my friend, Ben, move into his new place with his roommate. He had lots of help and I feel exhausted, but I'm glad he got such a nice place and I hope to visit him up there often (time and schedule permitting).

I'm settling into college life and this will be my third quarter back after my long hiatus. I'm taking it easy right now mainly due to the limited window I can take my classes. I'm taking English Composition II right now and it's a pain in the ass. I'm glad the rest of my schedule is so lax, therefore I can really not be stressed out about the commitment it takes to write these papers. It's my first class online at my current college and it's a bit different.

After ENG-112, I'm planning to take ENG-113 (my last english course for my degree) in the summer online. Once I get done with that, I'll be done with all of my gen-ed classes out of the way and I'll just have fun classes left. Photoshop, photography, 3D software; I'd already taken these at my old college, but Sinclair isn't taking my transfer credit for them, which kind of sucks. I have about 2 more years to do, and I was quite a ways to getting my Assosciates Degree before, so it kind of feels like I'm starting over from scratch. At least they took almost all of my gen-ed classes.

On the personal front, still single and I have a friend who will be soon, as well. He's going through a difficult divorce right now and I've had to keep him company and try to be there for him through this rough time. It's hard trying to give advice in a situation you have no knowledge of. The best I can give him is just to keep seeing his counselor, get a lawyer, keep working out at the gym, and keep praying. It looks like he'll be moving soon, too, so I'll help him move again. I think I've helped him move over 5 times now.

Car Wreck and Rental

2007-02-26T23:05:00.000-05:00

Well, on the way to work this morning I became of a victim of the winter weather and icy conditions. All of this made worse by the rear-wheel drive, front-engine setup of my 1993 Chevrolet Camaro Z28, which spun my car like a top the moment I hit an unforeseen puddle of slippery water/ice hidden behind a small ridge.

I tried to control the mad fishtail my car was in and was able to keep it mostly straight. In hindsight, I imagine I might have been able to keep it on the road, by accelerating, instead of braking, while I was swerving back and forth. I was fine (though a little shaken) and my car was drivable, receiving mostly cosmetic damage, despite careening into the oncoming lane (no traffic, thank God) and off the side of the road, tearing through two sections of barb wire fence and sliding to a halt in the deep snow.

I had it towed back onto the road and made arrangements to have it repaired with my $500 deductible and rental coverage. My car might just be better than before the accident when I get it back. For the next few days to a week, I'll be driving around in this brand new Dodge Magnum. NICE!

Next Step: (?)

2007-01-14T19:11:00.000-05:00

Well, I've taken another quarter on, but I'm taking this one a little easier. It's winter and I don't have the best snow tires or vehicle, so I've taken my classes closer to home (very close in fact).

I've also landed a job at school. The pay and hours aren't the best, but it should be a good experience. I'm also working for the government now. Oooh, scary!

Out of school (for now) ... on to the next step

2006-12-04T09:31:00.000-05:00

My brother, Thomas, has another benefit concert happening on December 16th at the Oregon Express in Dayton. This is helping raise funds to help him pay his medical bills he incurred after his stroke.

There have been a few and this should be the first one that I would be able to attend, as I was just too busy with school projects previously. It should be fun. Here's the banner ad he supplied me, but it's impossible to even read what's going on in the ad (too fast). Go to the website if you want info.

The right way (or the highway)

2006-10-11T10:35:00.000-04:00

I'm so sick of I-75 that I've sworn off using it in the foresee-able future (especially going to/from school).

Going down to class the past couple of weeks, the traffic has been pretty heavy, and sometimes I've had to watch out for very slow or stopped traffic, but last Thursday, going down to college, I was stuck for over an hour making me late for class by about an hour. Then, yesterday, I just happened to be up in the morning (well, actually I stayed up night, but that's another issue). I saw a news story about a 7-car accident on I-75 causing delays, so I took that into account when I was finally ready to go down to campus and found alternate routes off of the highway if there was any sign of traffic. Well, there was none, so I kept on right through, though there was no shortage of asshole drivers.

Well, after being up (and having done a rigorous exercise routine earlier in the day), I barely made it through my professor's boring lecture, so I was absolutely ready to go home as quick as possible and I've never had any problem going I-75 North from Dayton, so I thought I'd be fine. Boy, was I wrong!

At about the Needmore exit, traffic began piling up and came to a complete stop. This was somewhat understandable as they have been doing construction work on the I-70/I-75 Interchange, and the left-most lane has been closed for a while (though none of the asshole drivers know how to read the sign and expected us to let them in or suffer an accident; I have a guideline: if you don't have your turn-signal on, then you don't get in front of me). This would have made for some sketchy situations as per usual, but tonight both left lanes were closed and they didn't tell us beforehand. So, the lane that I was in was closed as well and, even using my turn-signal, I barely made it over before I absolutely had to change lanes (people don't seem to follow my rule of being courteous to drivers who signal when they change lanes).

I was stuck in traffic for about an hour and it was down to one lane at the I-70/I-75 Interchange, with people merging in making it even more dangerous. Then, when the whole merging over business was done with, traffic seemed to pick the pace, though we couldn't really go that fast, as the lanes were bordered closely with cones and the lanes were moving past construction workers.

Finally, the construction ended right before the exit I was going to take. I was so frustrated by this inconvenience, but I was glad to past the trouble spot and was dreaming of my couch & bed. Well, the route I was taking was closed due to construction at the railroad tracks, so I had to take a detour north for quite a ways and the next route I could take was at another road with a railroad crossing, which unfortunately had a train crossing it when I finally got up to it. Just one delay after another.

At this time, I had to take a leak really badly, so I put it in reverse and kept on Hyatt and decided to drop in on where my brother's staying, though when it looked like nobody was there, I decided to head to Burger King to use the facilities and get some food. Then, while I was waiting for my food, I must have been standing there for about 15 min., though there there was nobody else in line.

Not all was bad yesterday, though: I saw Dan's friend, Enrique at the Sinclair library (with his Asian classmate he has a crush on). I was able to get my paper done, make copies, though I left my Tartan card in the copy machine and nearly forgot it because I was in such a hurry to finish my paper and make it to class. I noticed it wasn't in my wallet when I was buying Starbucks. Somebody had taken it out of the machine and set it on top. Then, on the way to class, I saw a friend I used to work with at Menlo. I hadn't seen him in months, but I couldn't really stop to talk. I made it to class, and the professor surprising let all us study the terms before our quiz for a few minutes. Without doing so, I would have bombed it worse than I had the previous one.

No Hobart for you!

2006-09-29T15:41:00.000-04:00

The job-nazi spat this in my face as I got a call from Rachel (a very nice-looking woman) whom I met with Wednesday.

She told me that I might be able to get into the other location of Honda, but that they were 2nd-shift and I wouldn't be able to do that because of my class schedule.

Then, she told me of her friend who works at Honda and told me to call her about possibly getting a job there.

I might get a job at Hobart

2006-09-27T20:05:00.000-04:00

Well, I just got a call on Tue. and went in for a tour today, so if I get picked, I should hear by this Friday if I got the job. If I do, I should be starting by next Tue. or Wed.

If I don't get that job (which would be great, other than it's further away from home than my last job), there's still a possibility that I could get in at a job where an acquaintance works.

I'm not too worried about getting a job (at least not this week). I like the free-time, but I need a steady income to get me out of debt.

Oh, that reminds me; getting out of debt was one of the goals I had for this year (or was it last year?). Well, I've got most of my credit (which was at ~$4,000 before I started work at my last job) onto a 0% APR credit card so I'm not getting hit with compound interest while I pay off my debt. That has helped a little, but the real thing that has helped me cut my debt in half in about 5 months was to come up with a simple ratio for my money and get Quicken to help me keep tabs on where I put my money. Also, to get a debit card and use that instead of credit. I've also tried not to eat out much and curb my spending habits.

I've got a little over $1, 000 in savings and about the same in a checking account I use for all my bills and spending. If I was to pay off my credit with my money I have saved in both accounts, I would be almost in the black (that might have changed to black with my last paycheck I will receive from my last job). I like the control I feel I have over my expenses and using Quicken to visually see where my money goes and what I spend the most on has been really fun, actually.

School, sleep, (look for work?)

2006-09-23T16:31:00.000-04:00

Well, yesterday was my last day of work and to celebrate, some of the people from work went bowling at a local bowling alley. For some of the people working there, it was the end of an era, but for me, it was just a short (but very long) 5 months.

While I don't get along with everybody (in fact, there were a few people I had a hard time with, or they had a hard time with me), it was nice that I could go and have a fun time with a few of the people I'd worked with nearly every day for almost half a year. I didn't really get to make friends with anybody there, but I wouldn't mind getting together in the future.

Anyway, I'll have a LOT of free-time on my hands now and it'd be a good chance to get some of the homework I have to do for my classes next week, but I don't want to get sedentary again and lazy.

GET A JOB!!

School, work, sleep(?)

2006-09-13T21:46:00.000-04:00

Well, I haven't posted in a while, but that's isn't because I haven't had anything to say. Currently, I'm in my second week of college (first time back in about 5 years), and still working, though my job I've been at for nearly 5 months will be over next week (they're moving operations to Columbus, OH).

There's been hard things to deal with at this job, but there isn't much stress involved and it's close to home. After I get out of work, I have an hour to drive down to Sinclair Community College in Dayton. This quarter is my first time at Sinclair (I'm a transfer student) and it was a little scary trying to find my way around campus and finding the best parking spot, but my classes meet only once a week, so I can leave my homework for the weekends if I don't have any energy left after work on the weekdays.

I just got fitted for a tuxedo I'm going to be renting for my brother's wedding in about a month. This will be the first wedding I've not got to sit in the audience for (I'm one of the groomsman).

Okay, I'm tired and I'll end it now before I spend all night on this entry. Later!

Addition: I almost forgot to say something about my birthday which is September 14th. I'm writing this on the 23rd and I still haven't gotten to do really anything for my birthday, or received any presents. : ( I'll change that though in the near future.

"are you receiving me?"

2006-07-23T15:56:00.000-04:00

"Can you hear me now?"

Just a post to get some response in my comments. While I mainly post on my blog for myself (as a way to write down my thoughts, a record of the events going on in my life), I also try to write things from a perspective that others may read it. The thing is, since noone write comments on my blog, I'm not even sure if anyone even reads it.

I don't need to be an internet personality or want 'fame' from my efforts here, as the only people I think would even benefit from my musings or ramblings is people I know personally. I just would like an echo back once in a while from people I know to let me know they care. :D

[I'm pretty sure you don't need a Blogger account to post, but in order to curb my comments from being spammed by robots with useless junk, you have to be able to confirm that you see a picture with words and letters to comment on my blog.]

See you in a couple months...

2006-07-19T18:17:00.000-04:00

My sister just went back home to Fairbanks, Alaska early this morning, but she will (hopefully) come back to Ohio for our brother's wedding in October. She'd been down here visiting friends and family for about 2 weeks. She brought her trusty dog, Molly, down with her to keep her company (and to keep an eye on her).

Sunday, June 9th, we tried to get over to Fairfield Commons to watch Pirates 2 with some of her friends, but I-675 was completedly shut down. I've never seen this before and I never heard the reason it was closed. We took another route and it took a lot longer than we thought, but everything worked out when we got to the theater because her friends got there late, too and we all sat together. Oh, the CGI in Pirates was great, but there was just too much going on. It was still decent, though.

Monday, June 10th: Marty, my sister, invited me to go eat with our older brother and his fiancee at a nice sushi restaurant down near the Dayton Mall (Kai Sushi Cafe). This was actually my second time here and it was the first place I had "real" sushi.

I had the Sushi Cafe Combo and when it arrived, I was greeted by a some rolls with fish eggs (one with a quail egg on top and another with sea urchin on top) and a scary-looking shrimp head. I decided I wouldn't eat the shrimp head (but my brother did) and I saved the quail egg roll for the very last (when I was almost through my bottle of cold sake). I really liked the "dancing shrimp roll" my sister had and some of the other stuff on my plate, but I think next time I go there, I'll just get the 'regular' sushi combo and save some money (as well as not having to suppress my gag reflex). Tip included, I spent almost $50.

Sunday, June 16th: During the local heat-wave, my sister and I took our dogs for a short hike with some of her friends from Dayton and their dogs around Yellow Springs (too bad we didn't bump into Dave Chappelle). They were pretty nice people and we had a nice time, despite the intense heat and humidity. Afterwards, we went for ice cream cones.

Monday, June 17th:For the second week in a row, I got to eat out with my sister and older brother, this time at an Indian buffet place that my brother and his fiance like. It was my first time having Indian food, so I got the buffet like everyone else. It wasn't appetizing to look at and I was confused with all the sauces and vegetables, but once I tried some stuff out, I began to find stuff I liked: the 'nan' bread, lamb curry with rice. I might try it again sometime, but it's not my favorite ethnic food.

I had a good time and even though I was gone most of the day at work (and tired afterwards), I'm glad we got to hang out as much as we did, Marty. See you in a couple months...

The Competitive Underground of Gamerscore Whores

2006-07-07T01:30:00.001-04:00

At first, I let the gamerscore addiction get to me. I used to be super-competitive with people on my friends list. After a while, I became more and more aware that it really is petty. It's just a silly number after all, but the main thing I loved about it, was the act of achieving something in a game (I wrote a previous post about how I love it, btw).

Before, I had a lot more time, and could afford to spend it playing games. Recently, in the last four months, I've had a lot less time and even less desire to play games (for gamerscore, or not). Even when I did have time on my hands, I be waiting for a game to come from Gamefly (REALLY upset at their delivery time and game availability as of late). Most of the time, the game that I really wanted to play was not available (ex: Oblivion), so I ended up playing some stupid game that I'd rather not waste my time on.

Now, when I happened upon DEVIL JIN27, I was playing Dead or Alive 4 online (read earlier blog post) and I thought: 'Now this is a cool guy. I'd like to become friends with him.' So, I sent him a friend request while playing online with him and we've been friends ever since. For a while, our gamerscore was so close, there was a little competition and it came out one day while playing online how competitive we both were. I had comprised an oath that I didn't want our "friendship" to be spoiled by petty gamescore jealousy and bickering. We'd form a pact that we'd never compete with each other like that and not to get mad at the other. I said that if it ever came to that, we'd stop being friends, because I like to play to have fun and I want to play with people that aren't immature and childish. I'd been like that and realized that it's just stupid to stress over gamerscore that much, that you begin to really resent your 'friends' if they have more than you.

DEVIL JIN27 eventually got far past me in gamerscore and I was okay with it, happy for him to get so many points and playing lots of fun new games (that I wished I could be playing, as well). He got so far ahead of me, that there was no chance for me to catch up with him (he's currently around 10, 000 more than me). I didn't really care that he was ahead of me, but I really wished that Gamefly would actually send me a game that I wanted to play. He's far enough ahead of me in raw gamerscore, that there definitely shouldn't be any competition between us.

I calmed down a lot about the gamerscore, and with my new job, I have much less time and energy to afford to gaming. So, I really enjoy the rare times I get to play games and I like to have enough time to really get into them (this almost always happens on the weekends, if at all). Out of the blue, I get this message last week on my Xbox 360-

From: DEVIL JIN27
6/29/2006 6:38 PM

(Voice Message): "Damn you and your 740 in PGR...Now you make me want to go play that game, and I don't want to play that game. Ahh! It's so hard; I don't know how you did that. I don't know if you did platinums. It's so crazy!"

[DEVIL JIN27 must have been looking at my achievements and comparing mine to his in Project Gotham Racing 3 specifically and felt that I couldn't be 'better' than him at any game and it just 'irked' him that I was better than him at PGR3]

I thought to myself, "Okay." Well, I did play PGR3 and I got all of those legitimately, and they were hard and very time consuming to get and I'm proud that I was able to do it. There were times I was about to give up on getting all gold medals in the single player, but I kept on determined to get them. Now, I'm not going to lie and say that every achievement that I've gotten in every other game has been received legit, but most of them have been legit (there are websites, like achieve360points.com dedicated to helping people get them, sometimes using less honorable methods).

Then, I start playing Top Spin 2 yesterday to play with Sovereign Phil online as we had agreed before I left for the holiday weekend. While I waited (a few hours actually), I saw that DEVIL JIN27 came online and I was bored, so I checked out to see what games he'd been playing recently. I noticed that he'd been playing PGR3 and I was shocked to see that he somehow had more points/achievements than me in that game (the game he was just complaining about was too hard and that he wasn't very good at). I investigated to see which points he had in that game and I went online to Xbox.com to compare scores. I was shocked to see that amazingly, he'd gotten not only the achievement/score for "Gold", but also "Platinum" medals (which I gave up on/see earlier post) and "Online Professional" (which until recently had been un-glitched so more people could get it). The mysterious thing is he'd gotten all of these achievements in one day, or VERY quickly (much faster than when I got them legitimately and he could have if he'd played legit himself). The telling thing is: all of these achievements, he received while not connected to Xbox Live (including the "Online Professional" which isn't really possible to get if you are offline).

When I first got his voice message, I thought he was silly for 'competing' with me and complaining that I had more points in PGR3 than him and that it made him want to play a game he wasn't very good at. I didn't seriously think he would cheat (which I had a serious suspicion of) just to get them. That made me a little mad that he would stoop so low just to 'compete' with me (especially when I never wanted us to "compete" with each other in the first place). He can do whatever he wants with his console and it doesn't affect me personally, but it felt more like a slap in the face and it made me feel betrayed and like all the time I spent getting those achievements legitimately were all for nothing. [personal note: I was still extremely tired from not getting enough sleep after coming home 1:30AM the previous night and having to wake up at 7AM for work the next day, so I was a little grumpy and probably over-reacted. Anyone that knows me personally, knows this fact: when I'm tired, I'm VERY grumpy.]

So, I sent him this text message yesterday-

To: DEVIL JIN27
7/5/2006 7:-- PM

"Oh, in response to your last voice message: 'Damn your legitimate PGR3 score, makes me want to cheat just to get more points than you'. : p If you did got those achievements for real, then good for you, otherwise: >: /"

He replied with this message a few minutes later-

From: DEVIL JIN27
7/5/2006 7:15 PM

"boo hahaha... think what u will... im the best racer"

Now, I had a sneaking suspicion, but I left it open if I really was wrong about him cheating. Now, I was willing to let my anger subside depending on if he was honest if he cheated or not and depending on the tone of the message. I didn't like the tone (which was rude and haughty and without having an emoticon or being a voice message to guage if he was being silly or not, I took it at face value). This didn't sit right with me, and I decided that if that's how petty he is with gamerscore (to cheat just to 'better' me in a game), then I didn't need that kind of stress and 'competition', so there was no reason for him to be on my friends list anymore if he was just going to try to 'show me up' like that. I took him off my list and forgot about it.

I was going to go to sleep because it was around 9PM (which is about the time I usually 'should' go to sleep), but I got a message from Sovereign Phil that he had fallen asleep and wanted to know if I could play with him online right then. I decided to stay up and help each other get some online achievements. While playing, I asked Phil if he had talked to DEVIL JIN27 recently and told him about what happened between us.

When I got home today after work and checked my Xbox Live messages, I found these four text message from DEVIL JIN27-

From: DEVIL JIN27
7/6/2006 1:34 AM

"wow thanx 4 the goodbye there wat! u sure have a funny way of being a friend.. maybe if u had something 2 ask me u could have talked 2 me not phil.. its sad that u act this way."

[I assume that Sovereign Phil must have talked to DEVIL JIN27 after I signed off last night. I did tell DEVIL JIN27 what I had to say in my own text message to him before I took him off my friends list and I wasn't talking about him to Phil without talking to him first.]

From: DEVIL JIN27
7/6/2006 1:40 AM

"you think im a cheater or i used a friends save 2 get points? and what if i did? how does that effect u? so when i help u in a game or give u hints that will make the game easy, your the cheater? i mean really.. u get mad and spy on me?"

[I did and still do think he cheated on PGR3 (he pretty much confirmed my suspicion that he cheated and his method of doing so by this: "i used a friends save 2 get points... and what if i did?". I don't care if he cheats or not in a game, but I don't like that he cheated just to get more points than me and to a lesser extent that he's competing with me in the first place, but the fact that he knows that I'm better than him at PGR3 and he had to cheat just to 'one-up' me. If he had gotten the achievements legit like me, then he would have gotten my respect and I gladly would have given it (like I did in my text message to him). I have rarely asked him for tips or explanations of how he got certain achievements, but that is public knowledge that I could have gotten elsewhere had I been so inclined (most likely his original source for these 'secrets', as well). While some of these methods might not be completely what the developers intended to achieve points, this is most likely the same way most people have gotten them. I have never stooped so low that I have someone else get achievements/points for me or used someone else's save game to get them.]

From: DEVIL JIN27
7/6/2006 1:46 AM

"i have 2 say you have alot of growing up 2 do man. u act like a untrusting little kid. i dont know what your problem is and why u over react 2 not.. but go on your way. i have no time 4 u anymore! get a life and stop worrying what others are doing.."

[I can't say that the fact that it hurts him so much that I have more "points" than him in PGR3 that he has to cheat to 'achieve' them is very mature behavior. If I have a reason to be suspicious, and he's never denied that he didn't cheat and almost admitted he did, then I was right to be "untrusting". Yeah, sure. I know how I reacted wasn't mature either (taking him off my list without warning), but I was tired and over-reacted. I figured he would have gotten the message that I wasn't pleased with this type of behavior directed towards me (I've done it before, btw). Oh, I know I have a life (that's what keeping me from gaming constantly and I sure don't "spy on what others are doing" (in fact, it seems the reverse is true of him). I don't think it's very mature to imply that others don't "have a life", either.]

From: DEVIL JIN27
7/6/2006 1:51 AM

"i will not be your friend again.. you lost that along with my respect.. im blocking u so dont bother writting back.. ~The Greatness that is... ME!!! DEVIL JIN"

[I told him before that if he would be compete with me and become petty like that, then I wouldn't want him as a friend and would be off my friends list. Well, I thought I had his respect for getting PGR3 achievements he couldn't get and was going to take his weird voice message as just his way of giving me a compliment. After the way that he cheated just to get those points to 'better' me in a game that I slaved over for months and his slanderous text messages, I have lost all respect for him, so I don't value his opinion anymore. I only took him off my friends list; he could still send me messages (which he did). If he had been mature, admitted that he cheated and sent me another friend request, I would have accepted it, too. If he didn't cheat, then I would have apologized. Now, he's blocked me from even replying, hence one of the reasons I felt to post this on my blog. Finally, his 'signature' is also a reference to Sovereign Phil favorite personal title, but it also shows how highly he thinks of himself. ;) ]

Now, the best place to put this would be in an email to him, but this is a good example for me (and others) not to become petty about gamerscore and ruin your friendship, so I thought I'd put this up on my blog. I let myself get my feelings hurt when he cheated. He's right: his cheating didn't directly affect me. It got me angry because it made all the time and skill I used to get my achievements legitimatly seem wasted. It also seemed he got those points for no other reason than just to make me look inferior (I also know he's VERY obsessed about his gamerscore and having "incomplete" scores on games). I would like to apologize to DEVIL JIN27 (Pete) for over-reacting and getting my feelings hurt. I'm writing this here to document how a good internet 'relationship' can go downhill because of something so petty. This to remind myself (and possibly others) what not to do when comparing yourself with others and how jealousy can become infectuous. If anything, this experience has turned me off playing my Xbox and video games in general and has shown how pointless the time that you put into getting gamerscore/achievements are if someone can cheat their way through it.

Edit (July 28, 2006):
What is with this guy? It's been weeks since he told me to get a life and quit spying on people and today I received this message from him:

From: DEVIL JIN27
7/26/2006 9:49 PM

"Hiding your achievements? Wat Wat Wat"

What is his problem? I've gotten over it, and he still wants to antogonize me. In fact, I've only hidden my achievements from people who aren't my friends (and I'm glad I've done so). Now, I'm even considering hiding them altogether. I just want to remove this whole competitive element of gamerscore anyway (comparing yourself to others). I'd recommend removing the score/points and instead having separate "percentage complete" for each game you've played.

This is just ridiculous! Why does he need to see my achievements? The reason: he's still trying to compete with me, for some reason. Anyway, he's got his achievements hidden, as well. : P

Fourth of July Weekend '06

2006-07-07T01:30:00.000-04:00

Well, I had a really fun weekend up in the Cleveland area of Ohio. I had four days off.

On Saturday (July 1st, 2006), I waited till my brother came back from his class, and we left around 6PM driving all the way up to the small village of Burton. The drive took about 4 hours and we didn't get there until about 11PM.

We met friends (Kevin and Luke) who were house-sitting for a couple who were doing missionary work in Africa for a year. It was a nice place, hidden away in the woods right off a hilly road. It had a nice backyard and a deck and I was really glad that Dan invited me to go up there with him to spend time with him and his friends. After working so much and being tired all the time, it was a nice setting to just kick back and relax.

July 02, 2006: The next morning, we went with them to their church and soon after, Dan and I had to leave to go to a family gathering that our aunt was throwing for her son, who was just back in the States from Africa doing medical work. He was only going to be home for a little bit, and they thought it'd be nice to throw a party for him. We drove over to Medina County from Geauga County and got there about 2PM just in time to eat some food. We stayed for a few hours and had the family picture pose for pictures (my aunt lives for this stuff). No doubt we'll see them projected up on a wall come turkey-time.

After everybody got tired of the heat, people started leaving and going their separate ways. I got a little face-time with my cousins and then, Dan and I headed back over to Burton where we would be staying for the rest of the long weekend.

Once we got at the house, Kevin suggested going to see a jet car/demolition show. We decided not to go, as we didn't think it was worth $15 to see. We instead went to see the local fireworks display for free, which was really well done and it was the first time in a long time I remember seeing fireworks this close (at home, I can see about 5 different cities' fireworks displays).

July 03, 2006: The next day, while we waited for Kevin to get back from work Luke took us to a nice small coffee shop that was set up like a mom-and-pop Starbucks. They even had a frozen cappucino which I bought and it was pretty good. When Kevin got back, we went to the Ox Roast, in Mesopotamia, where one of Kevin and Luke's friends was playing. It was quite interesting to see SO many Amish people and buggies everywhere (Geauga County is home to the fourth largest Amish population in the US). We got some BBQ sandwiches and went into a great historical corner store that had many varieties of soda in bottles, penny candy and lots of odds and ends.

Later, we drove around thinking about going to the beach on Lake Erie (Mentor on the Lake, I think), that Luke had told me about earlier. The only problem was it kept raining off and on. We instead stopped in Chardon, where we got some videos and ate at a nice Mexican restaurant (El Patron). After eating all that, we played some sand volleyball with Luke's brother and his wife.

After that, we came home and started a camp fire out back and I rode the quad for a bit, riding around through the woods and in the yard. I was really starting to get the hang of it. Dan got ahold of it and stalled it in the woods and I had to help him try to get it stared again, to no avail. After we pushed it back to the small barn, we talked around the fire for a bit, then watched one of the videos, Munich, we rented, though most of us fell asleep before it was over.

July 04, 2006: During the night, the rain just wouldn't let up its barrage and I woke up a few times. I was worried that the rain would affect our plans of going to Snowflake Lake, a private lake that was owned by a family friend of Kevin's. It did finally let up, but it was too wet to get a little quad riding in.

We drove over to the lake later in the day, after helping Kevin clean up some branchs that had fallen over at his parent's house. They gave me a tour of the surrouding area of the lake, driving by Don King's house and stopping for pictures of a covered bridge. The lake was pretty small but it was nice to have it all to ourselves. There was a small lodge with a fireplace next to it and some ropes to swing on. We swam around for a bit, used the small paddle-boat and swung on the ropes. Afterwards, we got a fire going in the lodge fireplace and cooked some hot dogs and had lunch. We played a few hands of euchre, then threw the frisbee around some. I had everyone pose for some shot on the ropes and we left.

We watched the other movie, Hoodwinked, we rented when we got back to their house and once that was over, it really was time to leave to go back home. I really would have liked to stay longer (Dan did as well), but I had to work the next morning at 8AM, so I really wanted to leave around 8 or 9PM and it was already 9:30.

We finally got out the door and said goodbye. I got a last picture and we were on our way. I was very close to falling asleep in the car, but I really don't like sleeping anywhere but in my bed. We got some food on the way back and we saw all of the nice fireworks from the highway while driving (kinda dangerous). We didn't get back until about 1:30AM, but I stuck it out and went to work the next day, tired, but getting paid. :D

Superman Returns IMAX

2006-07-01T18:46:00.000-04:00

Well, after talking about it with my friend, Randall, we went down to Springdale, Ohio to see Supermans Returns in IMAX 3D. We couldn't buy the tickets online and we had to go down to get the tickets before they sold out, so soon after we got off work, we left from my house and headed down there. I grabbed some Johnsonville brats on the way out the door.

There was some traffic on the way down; being that it was the start of the 4th of July weekend, it was expected. The route was pretty straightforward and I had no problem finding the way. We got there around 7:45 (or 2 hours before the movie started) and there wasn't many seats left (they were reserved seating) and we took 2 seats in the back row. While we waited, we had some drinks in the bar, including some cool movie-themed house creations (like the Kryptonite which changed colors and make a big splash).

Also, in the bar were an older couple who were big Superman fans (both of them had t-shirts with the big "S" on them). They enjoyed the Kryptonite and watching Randy and I drink them (in a friendly race).

Once it was around 30 minutes to the movie start, we took our seats. We received our 3D glasses and waited. Once the trailers came on, we slipped our glasses on and marvelled at the convincing 3D effects. There were only scenes of the movie that were in 3D, but when it came on, there was a small icon on the screen letting us know when to put them on or take them off. The effects were very cool and some of the actions scenes were pretty intense. When there was an object in the foreground that wasn't clipping off the edge of the frame, it appeared to float over the audience in front of me. Now, this wasn't some cheesy red and blue glasses, these involved 2 projectors showing offset pictures and the glasses were polarized to allow only the left and right eye to see one picture for each eye. Aside from the limited 3D, the movie itself was very good, especially the flying scenes.

What was unexpected (and awefully annoying) was the wife of the older man that sat next to Randall and I in the bar earlier, had sat down right in front of us in the theater. She was extremely emotional during the movie, clapping and shouting loudly (like a little child) when Superman saved the day. What was even stranger was when Superman was being pummelled with Kryptonite shards, she was weeping with full-on tears and crying like she had lost her son! Either she was a big fan, or had emotional problems. Either way, it was pretty funny how much she was over-reacting to a work of fiction (besides, Superman NEVER dies in movies!). I couldn't help but laugh to myself as well as others around us.

On the way home, I kept my speed close to the legal limit, wary of the many cops out on the proul. There were many cars passing me on either side, but when I passed a cop in the middle facing my direction of traffic, he decided to follow me. I had my cruise control set to around 70, and I knew he wouldn't pull me over, so I decided not to freak out and brake (like the minivan that was in the fast lane, but was going slower than me anyway). At first the cop hung back waiting to see if I would go faster, but after a while, I think he realized that I had cruise on and he flew up right behind me (most likely to study my control of the car and make sure I wasn't swerving). He got off the interstate after a while watching me like a hawk and not finding anything to pull me over for.

There were MANY more people deserving of being pulled over, either for going much faster than me or being blatantly drunk and dangerously reckless. Case in point: a white (or cream) late-model lumina or monte carlo that sped past me on the right veering into my lane and just barely correcting himself. Then, he veering over to the fast lane almost slamming into the car in front of me and the car already in the fast lane. That scared the crap outta me and I kept an eye on him as he raced and swerved all over the place, tailing a semi for a while, then passing him and almost pulling into the cab of the truck. He was reckless through downtown Dayton and I had Randall call 9-1-1 to alert the law of this dangerous individual. We lost him after a while, but Randy seemed to have spotted him at a gas station for the exit I took to take him home.

Before that car, there also a yellow Honda CRX "boy racer" literally racing on the highway and was being following by, what I almost know, was an un-marked policecar. All in all, a pretty exciting night.

Now, I'm off to the Cleveland area of Ohio to visit some of Dan's friends and then visit with family and be gone all weekend for the holiday, being back in time for work on Wednesday.

Later.

The weekend

2006-06-13T06:05:00.000-04:00

I still haven't recovered from it yet. On Saturday, I helped a friend move 3 couches and a loveseat and transport them between three homes. We didn't even get to do the armchair either.

After that, we went to see The Crystal Method play in Downtown Dayton. The show was good (though much too short for my taste).

Not much to say

2006-06-04T21:19:00.000-04:00

... but I thought I should let my blog know that I'm still here and haven't commited suicide (yet). [that's a joke, btw] Just working, working, looking for work, very little biking, not much gaming, not even as much sleeping as I need (I going to have to work on that). It's money (to get out of debt), it's helping me lose weight (or at least burn calories), so there's positives. I just need to make extra time to get my life going again (go back to school).

It's looks like I'll have a nice house to live at in the coming year, so that's some more sunshine. I'm tired. Gotta go to bed, to wake up tomorrow and not hate myself for not sleeping enough like last week.

Oh, and to show you how much I've been neglected my Xbox 360, you can read its blog. It whines and complains that I don't give it enough attention. Well, sorry, but sometimes I don't even have energy to do that.

Gradiations

2006-05-07T17:50:00.000-04:00

The changes of students to graduates happens every year, but it only seems important when someone you know gets this honor. My older brother, Thomas, just got his Bachelor's earlier today and it was amazing that there he was standing and receiving his degree only a year after he had a major stroke. It was very inspiring for me.

I still am in the process of school and will have to do some research in order to see what (or if) the credit hours I took at a small (un-named) community college will be carried over when I further my education possibly later this year. I'm holding off, because of my debt situation, but I'm going to look into what options I have in the way of assistance for school.

On a personal note: I'd like to check out Sinclair with you sometime and have you introduce me to the staff there. Congratulations on becoming a graduate (again) and I hope that your motivation rubs off on me a little. Take care! :D

It's been a while...

2006-05-04T21:50:00.000-04:00

Lots of things happening lately...

First off, some of Dan's friends from Ashtabula County, Ohio came down to run with Dan in a 5K Run that he participated in on this past Saturday. They showed up on Friday night late and we didn't get to hang out that night because we had to get up early the next day and needed our sleep.

They invited me to come along, but I just walked the whole distance (I haven't been training like Dan has). One of Dan's friends from Peru was running, too (in fact, he's the one that got Dan, who got everyone else to do it, as well). He came in 3rd place in his age bracket. Dan got done in about 34 minutes, where I got it done in 55 minutes (all without a single hint of running).

Dan wanted to go see a Cincinnati Reds game as an activity to do while his friends were visiting, so we had to quickly come home and shower. We didn't make it in time to check out the new Reds Hall of Fame that was built next to the new Great American Ballpark (I really like the new stadium). There was a lot of people and there was a special on bleacher seats, so we got "nose-bleed" seats (which weren't that bad, actually).

We didn't get seated until the top of the second inning. The Reds were hosting the Houston Astros, which, according to Dan, went to the World Series last year (he follows all sports). The Astros got two runs in the top of the second and the Reds were still score-less until the bottom of the fourth inning, where they had an excellent series of runs (4). Then, in the fifth, the scored two more. The Reds won the game rather easily and I was worried that they wouldn't score any. :) The Reds are doing pretty damn good this year and they've got the best record in baseball currently (okay they did, but Dan told me "No"; I always get on his case that he's glued to ESPN). :D

I hope they do good this year. I really miss the Reds circa '89 and '90. I'm too old for the "Big Red Machine" era Reds, but they won the World Series in 1990. The Reds are the first professional baseball team, played in the first official game, played the first night game, etc...

Then, after coming home, Dan and I ate at the only Sonic in southwest Ohio. It was Dan's first time and my second. Pretty good, again. Then, the others ate at Skyline Chili, as it's something that's not in their area and it's a local tradition (it originated from Cincy).

I stayed home while they went out for a few hours and I was nodding off by the time they came home, but I decided to stay up and watch them play Project Gotham Racing 3 and Halo 2 on my Xbox 360.

Then, on Sunday, I was going to try and wake up to go to church with my brother, but he just wanted to be lazy and sleep in. My friend, Randy, called and we went for a bike ride around Vandalia and it started pouring and the wind picked up, which by the time we wound our way around town, past the airport and went home, we were soaking wet (including my shorts which got the spray from the rear tire). I don't know how far we went or how long we were gone, but the horrid weather made it less enjoyable.

I've been so busy this week that I haven't even been able to play my Xbox 360 all week (and I wanted to tonight before bed, but I got on the computer). It feels good to know that I'm not 'addicted', but I miss it. Tomorrow after work, I've going to go to the gym with Randy, so I probably won't be playing it then. I haven't even gotten to play Oblivion that I rented from Blockbluster for the week. Oh well, guess I'll give it my utmost attention when GameFly actually gets it in stock and ships it out to me. I think I'm done with Rumble Roses (what a piece of crap!).

Till next time...

Night Rider

2006-04-25T05:55:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday around 6PM, my friend, Randy, showed up unexpectedly and he told me his plan to do a trip. He'd rode over to my house in about 45 minutes and I loaded his bike in my car and headed over to pick up the other bike and get started on this spontaneous bike trip.

I dropped the car off and we started out. We hopped onto the Taylorsville MetroPark bike path and headed north until the end and then kept going north along Old Canal Rd. through Tipp City and found out where the bike path started up again near the Old Roller Mill. We stopped and looked at a complete canal lock that was part of the Ohio-Erie Canal and, according to a small sign on a nearby post, was built in the 1830s. They also had an old canal boat behind the mill that we looked at for a little bit before getting on our bikes again.

The bike path went north through the Tipp City park and went past the baseball field where my little brother had played a couple of times before. The path ended along 3rd Street and we had to bike on the road over some railroad tracks and got back on the bike path when it started up at N. Hyatt St. next to the new Tipp High School. We followed it out to 25A and stopped at the gas station at the corner to refill our water bottles.

We then went north along 25A past Waco Field and turned right onto CR-227 and found where the bike path started up again. There was two routes (one continuing east/north and one going south) and by this time, it was already pretty dark outside, so we decided to make that part of our return trip (which ended up to be a mistake) to see where it lead to and if it could be a shortcut.

We kept going east along the bike path and past some factories which stunk really badly. We followed the path east along an old train bridge and crossed the Great Miami River. Here, the path split up again. Randy had said his step-father had told him the path continuing east met up with State Route 202. I'll have to check that out later, then.

We kept going north along the river and went under the bridge for 41 and here, the bike path opened up and it was really pretty with the cool trees on the right arching over the path. It must be a lot better during daylight, and should be a great spot for some photos. I decided that we'd turn around at the next bridge.

By this time, our legs were extremely sore and we had just gotten to the half-way mark. We followed the path back to where it started up again along CR-227 and I voted that we take the split south to see where it went. We followed it in almost pitch black and a black cat jumped out in front of me scaring the crap outta me. The path became increasing more wooded and therefore, even darker. I could barely make out Randy on his bike in front of me. After a good ways, he stopped hard and warned me that there was a dead end. I had to brake hard so I didn't hit him.

I was really disappointed that the path didn't lead anywhere, but it seemed like a nice path through the woods and I'm sure, in the future, they will extend it to connect with the paths down south. We flew back the way we came and went west along CR-227 and then south along 25-A. Randy had suggested that we just take 25-A south, but I opted for the bike path as the terrain would be more level and we could make better time. We continued along our previous route until we got to 40, which we took west and then, followed Brown School Rd. north and finally, taking East National Rd. west over I-75.

By this time, my legs were so sore that it hurt just to move my legs to switch between the brake and accelerator in the car on the way back home. It was tough, but it was extremely fun and it seemed more enjoyable at night. It was uncharacteristically spontaneous on my part (though, not at all on Randy's part) and it reminded me of how much fun I had when I was a kid exploring my neighborhood on a bike.

We started around 6 and didn't get back until about 12 midnight. The route was almost exactly 40 miles (I measured it in a mapping program). There's still so much more that can be done to this route, but I'm surprised how little will actually have to be done to connect all of the separate paths together to make an uber bike trail. I can't wait! :D

Even more fotos!

2006-04-20T04:03:00.000-04:00

I put up even more photos a little bit ago. You can view my latest photos as a slideshow here.

There's really not any order to them, so I'd look at them by date taken instead of date uploaded. There's some from when I went to my cousin's wedding, at Cedar Point, in Detroit, at home, at the DC Skate Plaza, and even one odd one from Victoria, Canada.

Hope you like. More to come.

Flickr fotos

2006-04-19T21:33:00.000-04:00

I've uploaded a bunch of old photos to my Flickr site and added a Flickr Flash "badge" to this blog's sidebar (just below my Last.fm music tracks list).

I only had a couple images up there, so I really didn't know too much about the interface, but the more I use Flickr, the more I learn about it and like it. I like the photo sets, tagging photos, and the interface. People can also leave comments and notes on your photos. There's also a lot that you can customize in the privacy section in your profile: I can specify who I want to be able to see my photos, order prints, leave comments, etc... You can also specify a license on your photos (for the pros out there). There's also a great community/exploration aspect to it that I haven't really delved into yet.

Previously, I'd been just using the form to upload photos, but I'd strongly recommend downloading "Uploadr", a small program that resides on your machine (for XP and Mac) that does the job a hundred times faster and gives you more information.

If you look at your photos in the archive and/or calendar, you can look at when the photos were taken and it shows a nice calendar view. I've gone back and looked up every old photo's metadata (if there is any) to get the exact date and time correctly, so it's cool to see that on the calendar view.

I'm going to try to write descriptive titles and/or descriptions and tags, so I can remember the context of the photo. I will be putting more up soon, but since I have a free account, I can only upload 20MB of photos a month (I'm also limited to only 3 photo sets, which are very cool, too).

I used to have a decent point-and-shoot digital camera, but it got stolen from the luggage on a flight, so I'm sans-camera at the moment. There are some great photos at Flickr, and using it more, it makes me want a Digital SLR camera even more (the Nikon D70 is the one I wanted a while back).

Adventures in Bicycling!

2006-04-15T21:25:00.000-04:00

Earlier today, it was time for two-wheeled treking, this time from Vandalia to Xenia, Ohio, a distance of about 30 miles. I spent the night at Randy's place on the couch so we could leave as early as possible, but his wife woke up at 4 AM, which woke me up. Since I have a hard time going back to sleep, I only got about 4-5 hours.

The night earlier was pouring rain from some thunderstorms, leaving it a little damp, but rather humid. The day wasn't supposed to rain and we didn't see a drop, so we picked the right day to go. We travelled along the road to where we could access the long uninterrupted bike path at Sinclair Park, but accidentally found it before we got to the park. We first passed through Wegerzyn Gardens and took a bathroom break and picked up some maps. We happened along a group of cyclists-in-training and followed them for a bit.

The path ran right by the Great Miami River through Triangle Park, Island Park in Downtown Dayton and went right through Deeds Point. I'd never been here before, so I was surprised to see there was a historic aviation timeline with kiosks for Wright-Patt AFB, John Glenn, and other local historic people and places. There was also a monument commemorating the Dayton Peace Accords and a brass statue of Orville and Wilbur Wright.

We crossed a cool bike bridge and turned left and made our way north-east along Mad River and ended up in Eastwood Park. This park had some cool foot bridges and I wish I had my camera to take some shots there. After a short break, where we ate a protein bar and used the restroom, we went south out to Springfield St. and joined back up on the bike path along N. Smithville Rd. This area was heavily wooded and cool.

The path wound its way south until it turned and ran parallel with US-35 and was flat and relatively level. This made it somewhat boring, though until we crossed a huge pedestrian bridge that crossed I-675. The straight continued for a long time going past Kilkare Raceway, which had a lot of activity and loud cars. Not long after, we came upon Xenia Station, which was the designated end of our journey.

It only took us 4 hours total and we didn't really take any breaks, but my friend wanted to make the return trip, which I politely dismissed. I needed a shower and could have fallen asleep right there. It was a long trip, but it didn't seem to take very long. Up until the long straight, there was lots of interesting things to see (especially throught Downtown Dayton).

We ate at a local Wendy's and were already discussing plans for our next bike outing. :D

Thrills, Chills, & (No) Spills

2006-04-11T05:50:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday, I got to eat at my favorite sushi bar/hibachi grill restaurant again. I had the "Sushi Deluxe" and this time, I got octopus (or squid) tentacle in the selection. I could see the suckers covering it and the color was deep red. I saved it for last because I wasn't sure I would be willing to eat it. When I got up the courage, I popped it into my mouth and chewed the extremely rubbery meat and swallowed. I didn't think it was as hard to go down as the sashimi I had last time. No sake this time, either as it was still mid-day.

Later, I met up with my friend, Randy, and he and I went cycling again. He'd picked up a map of trails in the area and there are quite a lot of them around here. I'd never even known there was so much to do around here. Well, now that I'm interested in cycling more, it's like a new world has opened up for me and I have a new way to view my surroundings. We are going to try to check out most of the trails around here and it looks like we'll be visiting a new one every weekend.

While, the previous Sunday was quite a bit warmer, the deceptive sunshine was just too tempting, so we ventured over to the Englewood Dam, biking all the way there along the main road. I was a little worried that we'd have to be careful of the cars driving by, but there was quite a large shoulder and we didn't have to ready make any real detours to avoid the traffic.

Once we got to the Englewood Dam Reserve, we passed by the horse stables and explored some of the dirt paths a little, but quickly found them too rugged for our bikes (and bodies). We decided to keep on the main paved pike/car path. We picked up some maps and planned a route that snaked through the woods and later, went right by the road and the falls. I'd never realized there was something that pretty over there (you can't see it as the road is high above on a steep slope).

There was a long level straight, so we got some nice speed up before we took on the insanely steep hill that went under the bridge for the road. Past the bridge (on the other side of the road), the path weaved through some nice wooded areas and quiet residential areas. The path went by a nice fishing pond and we eventually ended up in a park with some soccer fields. That was the official end of the path, so we decided to turn around because the sunlight was starting to fade.

After the grueling hill climb where the path goes under the road, we stopped and watched two white-tailed deer (does) below us near the path. They were alerted by our presence and ran towards the more wooded area of the path with their tails straight up, exposing their brillantly white hindquarters.

As the path sloped downward, we passed really close to them and I stopped to admire their presence. My friend was worried that they would jump in front of us and "gore" us, but I knew better than to be afraid of these beautiful, gentle creatures. They were frightened by us and went further into the woods, but I knew we would pass by them on the return of the switchback in the path. I couldn't help but appreciate the intense stare of those dark eyes tracking us as we passed by on our bicycles.

As the sun went further down, it got colder and colder, so by the time we actually got close to home, I was sore (I need to either get used to the seat, or get a better one), tired and cold enough, that I declined my friends suggestion to travel further to Chipotle and instead, just return the bikes.

I'm thinking more and more about purchasing a bike, but I want to make sure I'll get enough use out of it and that cycling won't be a fad on my part spurred on my zealous friend (who has a tendency to fizzle out). I think it's an activity that I'd enjoy without friends, but it's a lot more fun with company (as it is with snowboarding).

Oh, my brother got back on Monday, so I'm going to have to get used to that again. He got current with 24 and Prison Break, so everything's good. :D

Happy Birthday, big bro!

2006-04-06T00:20:00.000-04:00

Today is the birthday of my eldest brother, Thomas. He is pretty old! ;) I'll just leave it at that.

Last year was a big year and I'm glad that you can celebrate another birthday, plus this year, you've got a wedding, I think, as well to look forward to. :D

Happy Birthday, bro! Keep on walking and getting them legs some exercise!

(Lazy?) Sunday Afternoon Bike-ride

2006-04-05T17:01:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday, a friend and I rode bikes from his parents-in-law's place to the Taylorsville Dam and hopped onto part of the Buckeye Trail (this part being a bike path). On the way there, I took a spill on the side of the road as I was hoping to avoid being run over by the cars going 50 mph, but instead found myself flying over the bike and rolling on the erosion-ridden slope by the side of the road.

Once we got to the bike path, it was much more relaxing (and accident-free), though where the path goes over the dam (but under the road), there's a really steep winding path that was a lot of fun to ride down very fast. We decided to head north from the dam, and quickly made our way on the freshly-paved bike path. The setting was pretty invigorating: there's the concrete path that we were on, which was surrounded by trees (which still had not started blooming), the train tracks up the slope a little bit to the left, and the old Miami and Erie Canal track (with crumbling locks) and the Great Miami River running parallel to it on the right, and several roads beyond the river. All of this, with the warm air and the birds happily chirping away made for a very relaxing bike ride and it felt great that spring weather was finally here. I wish I had my camera there so I could have taken a few shots.

On the way north, we passed by a sign, which said "Welcome to Tadmor". My friend had told me of an old town that used to be there and it piqued my interest as there was no houses or any sign of there being one, other than the "sign" stating that it had. Later, after getting home (much, much later), I talked to my mother about it and she told me that her ancestors had been one of the founding families of Tadmor. She also told me that all of the houses and the rest of the town had been washed away in the "Great Dayton Flood of 1913" (alt. link), which had also taken out the bridge spanning the Great Miami River on West Charleston Road in Miami County.

Continuing on the bike path north of Tadmor, which the construction for that section was completed in September of 2005, we rode until the path ended at Ross Road (supposedly it's going to be extended north possibly through Tipp City and Troy, all the way to Piqua). I drive by Ross Road all the time and had wondering why so many people had started parking on land in what used to be, from what I could tell, a small electric power or telephone building by the side of the road.

Then, we decided to head south the way we came, past where we started, and keep going till the bike path ended on the south end almost to Needmore Rd. (by 2007, it should extend all the way to Dayton). Along the way, we passed by the old Rip Rap Road Bridge, of which I have fond childhood memories and couldn't stop myself from taking a slight detour to check out the newly (green) painted and restored bridge. Sadly, as soon as you cross it, there's a high chain-link fence stopping you from passing. I remember, when I was younger, my older sister driving me down there late at night sometimes for a fun drive near the stinky Cargil factory. I had always wondered why on either side of the road, there were high fences with barbed wire that was just protecting empty fields (I guess they are "well fields"). The road, Old Rip Rap Road, used to jog off the main road over the bridge, but has been closed for years, supposedly due to the unsafe state of the bridge, but I think also to curb the deviant behavior that the road seemed to attract and to further secure the "well fields" from being contaminated. There was also a building, Brookwood Hall, which was shut down, further down the road, that local and touring punk bands would play at and there was, sometimes, rampant drug use going on there and I can't help to think that had something to do with the decision to block access to Old Rip Rap Road. My sister would remember more about that than me.

Further south, at the end of the bike path (where Old Rip Rap Road meets Rip Rap Road once again), there's another bridge going across a river that has a gate across the single lane bridge with "No Trespassing" signs posted all over. It's a shame that foot and bike traffic, at least, aren't allowed past, because I wouldn't mind just checking it out to jog my memory a little bit.

Well, since we couldn't go any further south, we decided to head back north, and exit the path onto Little York Rd. and head back to his parents-in-law's house to return the bikes. Since the bike path alone is seven miles, and we rode the entire length of it nearly twice, plus the distance both ways to get to the path, I can safely say we rode about 20-25 miles. For someone who needs all the exercise he can get, I did very well and my bad knees (which I had messed up years earlier falling while skateboarding and rollerblading) didn't hurt at all. It was so fun, I didn't even notice all of the work I was doing.

I'm glad that I found out about this bike path and am happy to see that the tax payers' money is going to something so fun and constructive. I'm also glad that it's close to my home and now that I know about it, I will be sure to go back. It would be a fun goal to be able to ride the length of it when it is further extended. Now, I just need a bike. :D

RR6 has left the building!

2006-04-01T02:46:00.000-05:00

Well, after racing mindlessly for hours on end, trying to distract my mind from thinking about how many miles I needed to go till I got my achievement, it finally happened. I was chatting with friends all day while doing it and it definitely helped to keep my mind occupied. I had it timed pretty accurately and found that while I could do almost exactly 100 miles per half-hour.

Just before the big event:

After:

My Gamerpic is a happy little bugger with pom-poms in his celebratory dance of RR6 pwnage, and an FU to you. ;)

In other news...

2006-03-31T18:47:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday, March 23, my brother, Tom, participated in an art show showcasing University of Dayton's art students. Just to be able to get included was quite an honor, even though it still had an entree fee.

The art was very inspiring and it urged me to get back into my art. There were some very good pieces and I was impressed with the originality of some of them. I would be hard-pressed to rise to the level needed to in that exhibit, sadly. I really haven't done much with my art, lately (too much video gaming, perhaps?). ;)

The picture above was taken my Tom's fiancee, Liz, and shows the last remaining Watson brothers standing next to Tom's entree.

Dan, my younger brother, is away right now on a two week trip with friends he's met traveling the world. He's going to be in Washington state, Vancouver, Portland, and Arizona. I wish I could go back to Vancouver, at least (maybe when the 2010 Olympics?).

It'd be great if he could update his blog with photos or details about what he's doing while he's gone, but I don't know if he'd want to sit at a computer when there's snowboarding to do. :D

RR6 10,000 Miles

2006-03-31T18:35:00.000-05:00

I've updated my motto and Gamerpic to represent my frustration & boredom while trying to achieve 10,000 miles in Ridge Racer 6. I've been also been actively updating my miles tally so people on my friends list can see my close-to-real-time progress. I'm seriously surprised there's been so much interest and that much attention on my motto/progress reports.

RR6=Done! (Well, not quite)

2006-03-29T15:52:00.000-05:00

Well, I just got 100% completion on Ridge Racer 6's World Xplorer (the single player 'career' mode). 235 races all without Nitrous Support. I'm glad it's over. My arms are shaky right now because of the adrenaline rush playing the last race.

I've got 2 achievements left for the game: 10,000 Miles Driven & No-Crash Victory. I've got ~7,000 miles driven so far and I'm not seriously going to go for the No-Crash Victory, though it would be a good method to get my remaining 3,000 miles in. My playtime is ~71 hours right now. Good thing this game tells you how close you are to an achievement, like how many miles you've driven, unlike other games which just leave you guessing.

Oh, I've also changed my Gamercard to reflect the euphoric state I'm in after beating RR6:

A happy face to go with my jubilation over beating it. The background of the smiley face is also purple to go with the purple color of the Xploration Complete achievement icon (and I didn't even plan it that way!). :D

Gamercard Update, RR6=HELL

2006-03-29T13:47:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm currently in the gaming hell that is Ridge Racer 6, one of the worst, most painstakingly-boring and frustrating games I've ever played. Therefore, I've changed my Gamercard pic and motto to reflect the current pain I'm in:

The main reason I hate the game is because it really isn't a racing game:

You start at the end of the 14-car pack every race

You have to weave in and out of the surprising slower pack (in the easier races)

The insanely stupid 'bumper-car' collisions of walls and cars

The stupid "drifting" which is horribly done; the cars are like "slot cars" going around the track and when drifting the opponents cars are almost sideways making them incredibly hard to get around

After hitting walls or cars, your speed is dramatically reduced (that's why you have to weave in and out of the pack)

The enemy cars' rubberband AI which, in the harder levels, always has to be in front of you and has unlimited nitrous to do so

The enemy cars' reliance on their unlimited nitrous reserve, yet they only start using it if you are in front of them, or have already used your own very limited supply

The only way to beat the cars in the later stages is to get in front of them, watch both ahead of you and behind you, and block them from getting around you when they inevitably blast off with their nitrous

Each race HAS to be 3 laps each and makes for a unneccersarily long game

These make the game not racing, but a game of dodgeball with bumper cars. There's no skill in negotiating turns, only when to start "drifting". In the easier levels, the enemy cars are too easy and there's no satisfaction in winning them, then when it gets to the later part of the game, the AI, with its unlimited nitrous, persistance, and unnatural 'driving' skill, the game is too hard. It's so frustrating when you've been working 3 long laps to fend off the cars behind you while paying attention to what's in front of you, to lose at the last second by the cheap AI (that's the only way that you can yourself most of the time). When you do win, it's not satisfying that you've won due to your racing skill, just mostly luck and intense concentration. The only reason I've kept going with this game is I'm so close to completing the game to give up now, so I've pushed myself to continue. Honestly, when a game is a chore, then, it's not a game anymore. :/

The game also has a really bad achievement system. There's a LOT of setup work and you have to play a LONG time before you can get any achievements, the points they award you for don't merit the amount of time and dedication allotted to them. There's also long droughts between each achievement. Just to give you an idea of the insanity behind these achievements, I'll give you an example: there's an achievement for driving 10,000 miles.

Other less annoying points, the default "DJ" voices is one of the most annoying people things to hear (the other unlockable DJs aren't much better, but are tolerable). Most of the game's music is also pretty bad as well, though the ending movie's theme song is pretty catchy (good thing I can replace it with my own). ;)

I've also removed HyperBomberman because I've never played with him (or have ever sent him a message and vice versa). He has Ridge Racer 6, but hadn't played it in a while, but after seeing that I was much further than him, he has started to try and catch up with me (most recently doing the 50 Online Victories). I guess he's trying to compete with me. Well, since I'd never heard from him and the only reason I had him on my list was that he was from the UK and sent me a friend request Aafter only seeing him for a second in a Gaunlet lobby, I decided to remove him. He most likely only sent me a friend request just because I had a higher Gamerscore. I can tell that after having him on my list for months now and have never played with him yet or had any contact, I almost definitely never will, so I don't need him on my list.

Shout-outs to my Xbox Live homies!

2006-03-20T15:30:00.000-05:00

A while back I wrote a post called "Strange Live-fellows; well, since then I've gotten a few new acquaintances/friends on Live:

BarebackRex : 14-year-old from Northern Scotland I met while playing Perfect Dark Zero co-op online/ nice kid, though I have a hard time understanding what he's saying because of his strong accent/ What's up, mate! :D

Sovereign Phil : quirky guy from North Carolina I met while playing Dead or Alive 4 about a month ago/ helped me out with getting some achievements/ "Maniacal laugh!" ;)

YummyBooger : nice guy from Detroit I met while playing DOA4 through Sovereign Phil/ now that I think about it, he seems to have dropped off my friends list for some reason; what's up with that?! :-/

Devil Jin27 : Cool guy I met playing DOA4 through Sovereign Phil from Philadelphia, PA/ we have a friendly competition with our Gamerscore (when I first met him, his score was slightly higher than mine, then mine was higher, etc...)/ loves Burnout Revenge! ;)

MarineSaunders : nice guy from Tennessee whom I met while playing Ridge Racer 6 last week/

Sadly, there really isn't many females playing on Live (though I have a few on my friends list), but you really can't be sure about who you meet online (I was talking about this with Devil Jin27 last night). I've met some a lot of cool people online that I will probably never meet in person, but I would probably be good friends with them if we ever did.

Take care, guys and I'll see you online again soon!

Devil Jin27

2006-03-20T06:42:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog! :D

Because of you I stayed up way too late playing DOA4 and chatted for way too long, but I had fun, so I don't find. I need to put up some art here for you (and everyone) to check out, as well as more of my photographs (I like landscapes).

Hopefully, you won't find anything embarrassing and I won't regret being so flippant with my personal info. ;)

Have fun here and I will try to update more often.

My Gamercard motto favorites

2006-02-03T13:32:00.001-05:00

Well, when I was into Dead or Alive 4 playing mode (just got back into it again recently), I changed my Gamerpic to one of the free Helena (from DOA4) pics, because they only had female characters and Helena is my favorite of the ones that were offered. I also changed my motto to "AllNudeClonesMustDie!" to display my hatred for the Dead or Alive 4 final boss, who is quasi-nude and a clone of one of the playable characters (players will know why I dislike her so much). :)

Previously, I've had my motto advertising this very blog (might not be such a good idea since anyone , even people who are not on my friends list, though if I wanted to, I can change the options in the Xbox 360's privacy settings to not anyone, or only friends view my profile, motto, etc...). I've also had it proclaim my 'need' for acquiring Gamerscore points in a joking way (along with a reference to a Ministry song ): "Just 1 (G) fix!"; (G) = Gamerscore.

I can't remember any of the other mottos I've had, but currently I've changed my Gamerpic to one of the new (?) free Amped 3 pics I've found offered (J-Dawg) and my favorite quote from the game (which I've blogged about previously): "Colonotronics Arts".

Well, now that I'm playing Perfect Dark Zero (yeah, I thought the game was horrid the first time I played it) and trying for all of the achievements, or at least all of the achieveable achievements, I've decided to change my motto and gamerpic to something more current. Motto: "KILLharmonicOrchestra" (a phrase from PDZ that I just love; the game announces this when you have tallied 25 kills without being done in yourself), Gamerpic: Ms. Dark.

March 02, 2006- Just changed it. Now, it's another picture from Amped 3 and the motto is a referrence to one of my favorite shows, MXC: "Don't Get Eliminated!"

Yeah, real exciting, right? ;p

Death of a pet

2006-01-28T12:41:00.000-05:00

Well, yesterday my rat, 3B (or Big-Balled Bastard for long) died. He hadn't been doing too good the last month or more. He lost all use of his back legs and hips and all of his muscles were atrophied and he was losing a lot of body mass everywhere. He was losing hair in places and he had a bad cataract in his left eye (and a lesser one, I think, in his right one).

He was my first rat and several friends were perplexed why I would actually want one as a pet. Well, it really wasn't my idea. Someone at my mother's job had some babies and was asking around the office for anybody who would want one. My mother was interested and I had never had a rat, but have had hamsters and a few guinea pigs when I was younger. I'd heard they were intelligent and you could teach them tricks. I never taught him anything, but sometimes I'd let him sit on my shoulder or run back and forth on the back of the couch. When people were sitting on the couch, he'd check them out and sometimes try to eat their hair. :)

He was cute and I was glad to have had the experience of caring for him. He lived from about September 2003 to January 2006. I will miss him, but I'm glad he doesn't have to suffer anymore.

R.I.P. 3B

Amped 3 is fun...and weird / SLC2002

2006-01-10T02:56:00.000-05:00

After receiving Amped 3 in the mail Friday, I finished it tonight (minus the Supreme Snow God achievement , which requires me to a get a gold medal on all challenges and is not something I'm planning on doing ;). I got a gold on the majority of challenges, but just like getting all platinum medals on Project Gotham Racing 3 is something which I might be able to accomplish given the time/practice and patience, but it's not worth it to me. I'm not as good as J. Allard, but I also don't get all the games for free. ;p Yeah, that just my way to say I'm jealous and I 'suck'. :)

I only rented this game and will probably only keep it a couple of days more (long enough to check out the co-op sled crashing games with my brother), but I'm ready to send it back now. I've played all of the Amped series so far and the first game was one of the games I was anticipating before the launch of the original Xbox. Back then, Indie Built/Access Software was a part of Microsoft Games Studios and it was quite a surprise when they were sold (along with several other sports properties) by Microsoft to Take 2. I was a little anxious about what would happen to my favorite "action sports" game series.

While it has changed, mainly in the controls and the fact that there is a 'story' now (which is actually quite funny in a kind of Adult Swim way and is full of old school game references). It's still Amped and is still fun and I enjoy it for everything that I did with the first 2 games, though I wish they could have improved the graphics a little more and kept (and even improved) the online mode.

The mountian resorts are huge (bigger seemingly than the others in the game, though there is a smaller selection). Snowbird is HUGE and really nice but, having been there in real-life, it feels great to actually "ride" it since I didn't get to ride while I was there. I was there enjoying the Red Bull Huck Fest one day in early 2002 during my month-long stay with my brother during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. I never realized how big Snowbird was, but it seemed pretty cool what little I saw of it. I bought some stickers for my friends and I and had to leave shortly after the competition.

Brighton, a resort that was featured in the first Amped video game, has sadly not made a return to the sequels, and is definitely my favorite winter resort that I've been to. I don't know why I like it so much. I guess because I like the layout of the trails and how private some of the areas are and all the trees. Maybe, also because I became so familiar with it, as I got to spend every Saturday there while I was in Utah. I'm not an excellent snowboarder, by any means, and, living in Ohio, sadly there are not many chances to ride 'real' mountains (there is Mad River Mountain, but that's barely a hill ;).

When I was out in Utah, it was the first time I had ever really been on a real mountain, and before then, I'd never even learned how to carve (I could go down facing one side but, couldn't turn and go the other way, similar to Zoolander's fear of walking down the runway). Before having some friends, who worked at The Canyons, teach some basics, I went from not being able to go down a run without falling every single time to riding down double-blues (and even some single black) trails with confidence. Having been a proficient skateboarder, it definitely helped with my balance. It took me a couple of hours in a single day and from then on, I've been hooked and have taken every opportunity to get some slope time. I love it more than skateboarding now, since it doesn't hurt as much when you fall. :)

I guess I can't really tell you about me being in Utah for the Olympics and not give you a little bit of context as to my purpose for being there (and it wasn't just to snowboard :) as well as share a little tale relating to my time at Brighton and Amped. My little brother (his blog is in my links) had just gotten back from doing his DTS (see my earlier post for a link explaning what these are) in New Zealand (wish I could have gone :( ). Some of his instructors were also doing a related outreach through SFC, a related Christian organization, during the 2002 Winter Olympics and had invited him to come and help out. I went along, as well as one of Dan's (my little brother) friends from church.

I just had gotten my Xbox a few months before and was started to go into withdrawals after a couple of days and my kind mother, sent my Xbox, some games, and some Official Xbox Magazines in the mail. We rented Amped (I had played it before) and I shared it with the rest of the snowboarders there and they just loved it. It really was cool riding Brighton virtually while we were there.

On Saturdays, we went to Brighton to ride and hand out hot chocolate to people waiting in lift lines. On one of these visits, there was a competition at the terrain park and I met one of the developers of Amped (proudly proclaimed on the back of his jacket). I talked to him for a while and even got his autograph (he signed my lift ticket! :). He was there to watch the competition with his wife and kids and seemed amused that I was acting so star-struck. My brother got to talk to another of the Amped developers, who had previously worked at the famed AM2 development team at Sega, while sitting on a lift ride with him.

We had the pleasure of staying most of our time in Park City & Salt Lake City with ~30 people from all around the world. I helped out in the office making security passports/lanyards for people and making flyers/advertisements for competitions we were running in the Park City area. It was such a great experience and I met some great people there. I also took part in an event in Salt Lake City's history (other than the Olympics): the first time the local (Mormon) government had allowed Christian musicians performing on the streets downtown. There was a stipulation which we followed even if the crowd wanted to hear it: we couldn't "witness". That night, the last day of the Olympics, the crowd was overly rowdy and after the Budweiser Garden, which was right next to where we were set up, got shut down, the rowdiness turned into a full-blown riot. I honestly didn't even know there was one until hearing about it the next day.

I leave you with a joke name from Amped 3 for one of Indie Built's competitors, which is the evil mega-corporation in the game: "Colonitronics Arts, Inc." Let's see if you can figure that out. ;) I personally think it should have been "Colonictronic Arts, Inc." (would have been funnier).

Strange "Live"-fellows

2006-01-05T08:08:00.000-05:00

In a relational entry to my last post, playing Gauntlet and Dead or Alive 4 last night, I made 4 new friends (2 being far apart geographically from each other and me, though maybe not so much, culturally, 2 very close to me geographically) on Xbox Live.

One from Mexico (this just being one small piece of info gleaned from his Gamercard). He didn't talk much (or at all) when playing and I wasn't sure if he had his mic on and could hear me, but after playing, I got a friend request and through a few voice messages between himself and I, I got to know him (just slightly) better. After, Gauntlet, we played some Smash TV, but he got disconnected. I'm looking forward to finishing the whole game online soon.

Another of my new friends I made last night, while playing Gauntlet, made an impression on me with his sense of humour and him stating that he had played Gauntlet when he was younger. I'd never played Gauntlet until downloading it in the Xbox 360 Live Arcade and was about to write off the game, but after playing online with some fun people, I've started to see a little of the appeal of it.

During the game, there was some unexplainable lag and the three of us made it through without much complaining and just enjoyed our game. Afterwards, I reviewed my recent players list and sent him a friend invite and noticed he resides in Canada (specifically British Columbia) and added a voice message in the invite stating that I had the pleasure of visting there about 2 years ago. He initiated a private chat soon after granting my request (on the Xbox 360, you can chat in up to 4 seperate "private chat" channels, though only 1 at a time, but you can being doing completely unrelated tasks while chatting).

For the next couple of hours (and probably longer than we should have), we chatted about miscellaneous topics and exchanged IM addresses (upon his request). I don't know if it was just me being tired, or my tendency to sometimes be unguarded online (though anyone who knows me personally knows that I am completely opposite in person), but our chat extended beyond just small talk and I directed him to my blog here. I felt a little vulnerable being that I was being this open to a complete stranger whom I had never known before that night and had never seen in person, but I think we got along pretty well and look forward to more gaming sessions with him.

Earlier in the night, also in Gauntlet, one of the persons I was gaming with and I started conversing about ourselves and it came up that he lived in Cincinnati which is very close to where I am. After a bit, he had to leave but not before sending me a friend request.

Even before the Gauntlet and SmashTV, I was hosting some Dead or Alive matches and one of the players I was fighting with (and having a good time losing to) asked where I happened to live and I mentioned Ohio. He then revealed that he lived in Middletown and I asked him if he'd heard of Huber Heights. It was pretty funny on that we lived so close, but what made it fun to play with him was his sense of humor and fighting skill despite the major lag preventing a "real" display of our abilites.

I had a lot of fun just in one night on Xbox Live and it makes me wonder why I sometimes shy away from playing online. I already have quite a large friends list, so I usually just play by myself unless I get an game invite, though with the improvements made to Xbox Live (in particular the "Zones"), it makes finding compatible people even easier.

Xbox Live Voyeurs (and Exhibitionists)

2006-01-05T06:07:00.000-05:00

I think the Xbox Live functionality of the original Xbox is great, and has been much improved with the Xbox 360, with its "rich presence" (basically it says what you are up to, similar to any IM program, ie: away, on the phone, etc...).

Now instead of just being able to see what friends on your list are online, and what game they are playing, now it goes deeper. In certain games, the amount of info broadcasted about precisely what you are doing is somewhat surprising (and just a little scary). Not to be alarmed or anything, but it is funny to see exactly where in a level of Condemned someone on my friends list is, or what their score currently is on a particular type of game mode in Hexic.

Last night, I was able to see that J. Allard having only one achievement left to unlock in Madden (see my earlier post for more clarification on what these are), was playing Madden and, using my excellent brain, figured out that he was trying to get that last one (bringing his daunting Gamerscore up close to 8000). I sent him a text message wishing him luck in unlocking it and suggested him to finish Gun for more Gamerpoints to add to his total , and in closing, jokingly calling him a "(G) - whore" [(G)= Gamerscore]. A couple of hours later, after having gotten the achievement, he changed his motto to "30 Long Years-GSW" [GSW=GamerScore Whore]. It was almost like an inside joke reffering to my earlier message.

Now, along with all of the information being sent out in real-time, I can also see what game my friends are playing, how far they are in certain games (and how good they are as well), by checking out their Gamercard. Mine is on this very blog (try clicking on it!).

This brings me to another related topic about Xbox Live and human nature: with this much information being given out, it's easy to become fascinated with what everyone else in your clique is doing, what games they are buying, and how far they've gone in certain ones and in games that we both have, it can un-intentionaly become a competition just by comparing your scores and/or achievements. I think it brings out the human voyeuristic tendencies to 'obsessively observe sordid or sensational subjects'. Some people could take that further though, to the stalking stage. :)

Sometimes I wonder if my intense interest in what others are doing in their games is a little unhealthy (in the same unhealthy way that the media has an infatuation with celebrities' personal lives). I think it brings me closer to my friends (though I sadly am not all that "close" to any of my online friends), even though no direct contact has been made. This information serves a useful purpose, though, in determining which games my friends have and what games I might like to play and being to play online with them, so it is nice that it's there and that I can contact them whenever they are online (or offline through leaving a voice and/or text message) if I so desire. :)

NYE, Christmas, moving and a ham sandwich

2005-12-31T21:57:00.000-05:00

I helped my friend, Ben, move out today (good luck with your new place!). I had expected we'd hang out afterwards and celebrate NYE in style, but no such luck. Him being tired and all and being sensitive to his new roommates was the reason and I totally respect that, but now it means another holiday alone and uneventful. :( I'll get by with some live trance streams and some gaming.

I'm going to miss both of his miniature Dachshunds and their unique ways of greeting me (by trying to bite my nose) and I most likely won't be seeing him as much since he now lives about 30 minutes away and has roommates, but I'm glad that's he's got a new place. Change is hard. I'll get used to it, though.

Instead of an excuse to celebrate, the holidays this year for me have been uneventful and seriously depressing as I've spent them alone and have not really thought of them as being special days (we didn't even set up a tree for Christmas this year). I got some presents early (though selfish desire is not the reason for Christmas, only the most recognizable tradition), but we didn't really have any family over or have a gift exchange this year. This is the end result of a slowly graduating isolatist trend for me and I don't like the outcome.

That will have to be something I will work in this new year, a time where change is something we can't avoid and we take the time to reflect on ways we can change ourselves (and hopefully improve).

I have some goals for this new year:

eat better

exercise more

lose weight

DTS

get out of debt

my happiness to be independent of exterior factors (most likely the one on my list that will be hardest to come by)

This year has been very challenging for everyone around me. My friends and family have each had hardships that were very trying for them and I'm glad that they've overcome. Life is (or should be) constant improvement and change, leaving me to feel as one who's life hasn't been lived.

Damn, this post is impulsive and bleak. Oh well, I wrote it already so it's too late to turn back now. What's a "personal" journal if one can't bare their soul every one in a while. :p

More 360 'lists'

2005-12-28T10:49:00.000-05:00

Falling in line with my post (...and now the bad), one of the writers for Joystiq.com had a list of his own. While there are some of the same items on his list, there were a few that I hadn't really experienced (and therefore didn't know about yet), plus it's pretty well written.

He did get some flak for it and wrote a companion piece with suggestions from other who wrote him.

The good thing about writing these lists, or posting at the official Xbox forums (especially the Wish List and Feedback forum), is that according to Major Nelson and John Porcaro, "the dev team listens to constructive (and occasionally unconstructive) feedback, and prioritize future development accordingly."

Narnia & Call of Duty 2

2005-12-23T15:34:00.000-05:00

I saw Narnia yesterday with family (as something of a Christmas tradition), went out to eat at the nearby Penn Station and after returning home, finished up Call of Duty 2.

I thought Narnia was okay: the CGI/compositing was pretty bad in some places, the acting was alright, but I just didn't feel connected to the story or characters. Though reading C.S. Lewis as a child and having family members who loved the series, I just don't find myself caring for the story as much as the Lord of the Rings books.

I'd read the Hobbit as required reading in junior high and liked it, but only when I heard more about the movies did I actually have more interest in reading the rest of Tolkien's books. I read the trilogy months before the first LotR movie came out and I really enjoyed it (as well as the movies themselves). I think Narnia is mainly written for kids and therefore I don't have as much interest in it. I might re-read them as an adult, but if they make any more Narnia movies, they'd better put a lot more effort and money into them.

What I want to see right now is King Kong. Peter Jackson (along with the rest of his Kiwi troup) are extremely talented and I can't wait to see how Weta and Peter Jackson bring the Halo franchise to the big screen.

Oh, Call of Duty 2 has an excellent single player campaign. Challenging on the hardest difficulty but very rewarding because of it. The environments and sound are extremely immersive and a joy to be in. The stages are full of variety and there are some really fun levels to play, like the tanks missions especially. I rented it and have already sent it back in the mail, but what an amazing game. Though, I'm glad to be done with it, as there were some excrutiatingly hard parts to it. :)

Condemned is completed; 'OCD' be damned!

2005-12-20T14:17:00.000-05:00

Well, not 100% complete meaning that I've unlocked all of the achievements. There's 3 I've not not gotten: Silver and Gold Mayhem (beat 3 levels/whole game with melee only) and the Melee Freedom (find every melee weapon and firearm in the game). I'm pretty sure I've gotten every weapon in the game and I was considering going through the game again (or at least 3 levels) with only melee weapons, but 90 Gamerpoints is not worth it to me. Once through was enough for me, besides I've got Call of Duty 2 and I'd much rather play through the rest of that game than go through Condemned again. ;)

...and now the bad

2005-12-18T20:23:00.000-05:00

While I still think the Xbox 360 is a great game system, I think there could be improvements to it. These are all things that would make usability improved and could be changed just by downloading an update online (or however else they want to do it). MS has improved the UI and added features through Xbox Live on the old Xbox, so it's not much of a stretch. This list runs from small annoyances to minor gripes about how they implemented a certain aspect.

Well, here goes:

Media Playback
* When a game takes control back over the game, the music you are playing stops, then restarts at beginning of track, it should pause, then resume exactly where it left off (though at least it saves your playlist and resumes playing at the beginning of that track)
* More Codec Support (streaming from PC, reading off removable media and USB storage)
* APE/FLAC, etc audio support (at least support the GNU/Open Source ones; I don't expect you to support the commercial codecs; you could make the commercial codecs premium content)
* XVID, AVI, etc video support (")
* Better/more controls for movie and DVD playback (fast forward, rewind, skip frame)
* scrolling titles in music and marketplace content in menu
* When playing music that the Xbox 360 has generated as a "playlist", you should be able to see the playlist and switch to tracks you want instead of only being able to skip one track at a time
* Music playing in the Xbox 360 should keep playing or pause like it should when a game takes control back, and resume when you change games in XLA
* Media streaming from SAMBA shares: why with all the talk of wanting to connect to everything, did you not support allow networking to work without using WMC (thereby excriminating against Linux, etc users). I was VERY unhappy when I tried to install it on XP x64 until I found a workaround for it.
* Movie playback without MCE: I think the MCE interface is very appealing and that should be added value when playing back media on your Xbox 360, but it shouldn't be a requirement (I understand about all of the extra stuff like playing back DVR content; that would also be added value for MCE users). $400 dollars for a console is not cheap and for people that don't have MCE, seeing that as being a prerequisite instead of an enhancement for movie playback, just looks like you are purposefully trying to cripple the 360 just to make more MCE sales.

Menu Enhancements
* Remember position in current playlist when exiting out to the menu for trailers, more sorting options (date downloaded, alphabetic, length, etc..)
* When in submenus on blades, there needs to be a way to exit back out to the main menu with one button press (just like the Guide button does when pressing it after hitting it)

Xbox Live Enhancements
* Why does your achievements only give the date when you are signed into Xbox Live?
* Disconnecting from Xbox Live when playing Condemned, for example, makes you return to the menu screen (VERY FRUSTRATING! when you have to play over from the last checkpoint)
* Single listing for trailers (have submenus to download them in 720p and 480p instead)
* Single listing for Xbox Live Arcade games (not one for both the trial and full version
* Single listing for trailers (some trailers are listed both in the "Xbox 360 Dashboard" and "Digital Entertainment" sections)
* Items listed as new in the Marketplace should be based on if you've viewed them (I'm not sure if it does this already or if by how long it has been up there)
* Make downloading content (trailers, games, demos, etc...) a background process (w/ queueing possibly)

General Enhancements
* Online save storage: I took a survey where you mentioned this. Is that going to be the only way to transport saves from your Xbox to the 360? What about the people who don't have Xbox Live? Backwards compatability isn't much fun when you have to start over from scratch. :(
* Having a setting to stop the auto loading of games (both at startup and just closing the tray with a game inside), though I think it should be default to auto-load. There could also be seperate settings to auto-load based on media type: data, DVD-movie, audio CD, game, etc...

Achievement Unlocked

2005-12-18T20:04:00.000-05:00

I love when that comes up on my screen when playing on my Xbox 360. I've become somewhat addicted to unlocking achievements which add up to my total Gamerscore (look to my Gamercard on my blog to see mine).

I think they are a really innovative addi(c)tion to games. I like to beat my games as much as I can and this gives me another motivation to complete them, as well as adding new and interesting ways to play and finish the game. If you don't have 1000 points on the game (200 for Xbox Live Arcade games), you haven't 'finished' it yet.

Though there are some flaws to how many points are given for each achievement in some games and the requirements to earn achievements may be easier to comply with than in others, so it cheapens the overall Gamerscore comparison based on how many you have. It is up to the developers how they want to give out achievements, but every person that plays that game has to have done the same things to get them, so it's still fair in that sense.

Achievements are just one of the really cool things that I enjoy about the Xbox 360 that I really didn't think would be that much of a draw, but they really are fun to acquire. There's just so many other things that are really unique and innovative about Microsoft is doing in the video game world, first with the Xbox, Xbox Live and the 360 now.

Happy Days

2005-12-09T02:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm liking my Xbox 360, PGR3 and (I just bought) Kameo. The graphics are awesome, even on my 24" flat screen CRT SDTV with component inputs, though I've been dreaming of the day I could afford an HDTV. My friend got an HDTV and it's really nice, but they are still too expensive for me.

The media capabilities are a step down from XBMC on the Xbox in the freedom/choice of formats it supports and the way in which one can access their content over a LAN. It is nice that they have connectivity with USB 2.0 devices of different types, but it really is somewhat of a disappointment on the media side. XBMC is super customizable (I just made my own weather icons for it the other day) and does everything one could want in regards to the number of formats it supports, the combatability with different computers, and the fact that it's customizable by the user (this is one of open sources' strong points). There's also scripts that you can download to make it do everything from read your favorite RSS feeds, look at the newest comics, and watch trailers. Plus, because it's open source, it's free and the rate of development is amazingly fast (they keep bringing new features ,tweaking the UI and fixing bugs constantly).

The Xbox 360 is such a powerful piece of hardware and it's such a shame that Microsoft limits the potential. It would be great to be able to have XBMC as an official program on the Xbox 360 (then it would be able to play WMV-HD videos). I'd pay for it, but it would be even better if it was a download on Xbox Live Marketplace (which is great, btw!). That way they could bring updates to it every week or so. Now, that will probably never happen, but it would be great even if it meant losing the ability to tweak it to your liking.

I really like that Microsoft has tried to make the console more capable out of the box, but I want more (and I also don't want to have to buy a MCE PC just to watch movies from my PC or removable media). I like the 360 interface for gaming, XBL Arcade games, the fact that I can somewhat customize the interface (but I don't want to have to pay for something stupid like GamerPics and themes) and finally being able to get back on Xbox Live with my friends. It really is awesome (and now it's free). I like the achievements (more like addicted :) and I like everything else about it (though there are some slight issues I have with the hardware: the noise mainly). I'm glad to say that I haven't had any problems with mine.

I say give the XBMC devs an XDK and let them make it an official product, bring them on board, or at the very least update the Xbox 360 to have the same basic features as the XBMC: Music (and its selection of free formats like APE, FLAC; hey, you did it with the AAC codec), Movies (I think the MCE interface itself is added value and incentive to buy one, but I don't think it should be a requirement to watch movies off your PC), Pictures (already done), and Weather (I'd like the weather forecast; it'd be easy to do, just use an RSS feed). Give us a MUCH better DVD player, too. ;)

Oh, and I just put up my Last.fm Weekly Top Artists into the sidebar. Pretty cool; I just learned about being able to do that.

HDTV & Xbox 360 Technical Guides

2005-12-01T18:49:00.000-05:00

Gamespot, for all their all of their hatin' on Xbox, have some very interesting tech articles that were done very nicely and easily show the differences (just move your mouse over the pictures and wait for the comparison pictures to load) between the Xbox and Xbox 360 versions of games in HD and the differences between the cabling options of the Xbox 360.

There's also somewhat of a helpful guide to buying an HDTV including tips about things to think about including what screen size to buy based on how big your room is, what types of display types are most likely to fit in your budget and explanation about the different display types including pros and cons. It's not like I can go out and buy one, but this should be helpful to at least someone. :)

The Lost: me. (I need GPS!)

2005-11-30T06:49:00.000-05:00

Oh, I got REAL lost on the way home from my friend Ben's house last night (I had to give his new HDTV a work out). I was going to go to Wal-Mart to see if they had a Microsoft Points card (they didn’t have it or I didn’t want to wait for someone to ask), then go to either Taco Bell or McDonald’s in Medway before going home.

I found my way to Wal-Mart easily enough, but when I took I-70, I missed my exit and was trying to find an exit to turn around. I knew not to take 675 (maybe I should have); I took the next one, 4, instead. Now, I was thinking it might be a normal exit that I could turn around on, but it was another road like I-70 (only smaller) and was planning on finding an exit to turn around on there, but it was confusing and the other direction was closed.

So, I got off 4 went around looking for a way to go the other direction on 4 (not knowing that it was closed). Finally, after driving around for a bit got back on 4 in the direction I was going and took the next exit, 68, and, knowing that road meets with I-70, took it South, hoping that it was the right direction. It was and I found I-70 West and went back to, what I thought was the exit I was supposed to take, 675 N/Spangler Rd, but missed it (not knowing that the exit for 675 South was the same off-ramp for Spangler, which was the road I thought I was supposed to take). Then, I kept traveling and took 235 N (the next exit) and I finally realized this was the exit I wanted all along.

I went to McDonald’s (open 24-hours) and got some food. Then, knowing the quickest way back home was Palmer Rd. I went south on 235 and found Palmer and then mistaking the next crossroad as being 40, took a left (it was actually Bellefontaine Rd. and was now heading south). I passed under I-70 (without even knowing it) and drove by Taylorville Rd., knowing that by now I took a wrong turn. I took a left on Taylorsville because I thought I was still heading north and I knew that met up with 201. DOH! I was heading the wrong direction.

Taylorsville dead-ended into New Carlisle Pike. I took a right. It took me to 4 (South). I thought I knew where I was (I thought it was Spangler Rd.) and continued heading south. I passed a couple of exits not knowing which one to take until I saw Harshman and knowing that road very well took it. I took it north and took a right on 201.

Now I knew my way home. After driving around for an hour and a half to two hours.

This is another good argument for GPS that I was telling myself I seriously need. Oh, did I mention I suspect I have ADD. ;)

GOT ONE!

2005-11-23T16:18:00.000-05:00

Got one! That was the taunt that we (my friend, Ben, I and about 45 other people) heard twice battling the cold outside Best Buy in Beavercreek, OH Monday night through Tuesday morning. 2 cars drove by while we were waiting for the store to open and for the tickets to be handed out. The funny thing is: they were proudly holding Core systems (dumbasses!). I could have gotten a Core system easily hours earlier and wouldn't have been waiting in line for anything other than the Premium package.

Remember when I said a lot of waiting? (check 2 posts down) Well, I wasn't thinking 15 hours! Our original plan was to wait in nice warm Wal-Mart (which opened at midnight). We showed up around 3:30PM, which was 1 hour too late to get the Premium system (the only option IMO).

After the initial despair of being 1 hour too late (damn punks showed up as early as 8AM Monday, WTH!), we decided to check out Target, my next planned stop if the Wal-Mart fell through. Well, as usual the Target knew shit and were opening at 8AM, which was different from I read on the internet (supposedly they were going to open at midnight, too).

Well, we could have waited at Target, but if we did, we'd need to get some nourishment (which meant a quick stop to my local Buffalo Wild Wings; yummy!). I figured we should stop by Best Buy first because I knew they'd be getting more units in stock than Target and if they were opening at the same time, we'd have a better chance of picking one up.

Ben was going to go to the Springfield one, but I knew that the Fairfield Commons location was getting more units (stock was divvied up between retail chains and individual stores based on previous sales numbers). So, we headed over there after eating some boneless wings and were shocked to see that a line was already formed in front of Best Buy.

We hurried inside to take a leak and checked out the stock of the games and get some info: namely how many units they were getting and what time they were opening. Ben bought a Play & Charge kit (for his wireless controller) and Condemned. I bought Project Gotham Racing 3.

We headed outside to grab our spot, though we were absolutely unprepared to wait outside in the cold (and it was very cold: Low 27° + Wind Chill). We called my little brother, Dan, who without his help (a heavy blanket, a pair of wool socks, my beanie, 2 chairs [Ben's broke on him :)], my gloves coming hours later) in addition to his monetary donation, I would not have gotten one.

Another essential benefit to surviving that night was that I had my friend with me. I even made some new friends, who without them (Sean, you are absolutely hilarious!), I would have been bored to death. Thanks everyone for the help and support!

I don't have pics, but there were other people in line that were taking some (I'm probably floating around the net somewhere). There are also many reports on the web involved personal struggles and celebrations during the Xbox 360 launch (links from IGN):

Lastly, this link makes me feel better about spending $400 on a video game system. ;)
Top 10 Reasons to Buy an Xbox 360: Here's why you should jump in now.

More updates, Audioscrobbler/Last.fm

2005-11-17T16:07:00.000-05:00

I've created images (I love transparent PNGs! :D ) and edited the code for my links.

Oh, and I've finally found a way (other than XBMC) is compatible with my music format (APE and/or FLAC) and supports Audiosrobbler/Last.fm: foobar2k. I've used it a while ago, but was turned off by the really barebones UI, and after trying it out for a bit, went back to my favorite player: XMPlay.

Well, now that I've been trying to fill up my Last.fm profile, the only way I could do that was with XBMC, but I don't always want to turn my Xbox on just to play music, or my TV/Entertainment Center's already being used. I'd been looking for a compatible plugin for the myriad of players Last.fm supports, but I'd had trouble with Winamp, foobar (previoulsy using the 0.9 beta mainly to add ReplayGain tags to my files); I even used Windows Media Player (which I actually sorta like as a movie player).

I finally got foobar (the current official build) to work with the Last.fm plugin (the 0.9 beta doesn't support it :-/ ) and I'm finding out I kinda like it. The audio quality is just as good (if not a little cleaner and sharper) than XMPlay w/ the Izotope Ozone Winamp DSP plugin), and with a few UI plugins, foobar is pretty usable.

I still like XMPlay, but I've been using foobar2000 exclusively to play my music lately (now if only XMPlay had a Last.fm plugin ;)

Update to my site template

2005-11-14T19:23:00.000-05:00

I just updated my site template and added my Xbox Live Gamercard to the sidebar in my pre-release excitement buildup for the Xbox 360 (just one more week, and a lot of waiting in line :( ).

Since I didn't pre-order one (not that a pre-order is even a guarantee to getting one), I'm going to have to wait in line at a couple of places with my friends in the hope of snagging one for me and one for my friend, Ben. We're planning our night out, but a couple of weeks ago, I didn't even think I'd have enough money to even buy one, so I wasn't really excited. Now, thanks to my surprisingly generous donation by my brother, I should have enough with my next paycheck.

Currently, my brother and I are looking for jobs right now, so pray for us. :)

Long time....

2005-09-30T05:57:00.000-04:00

Long time since I've posted. Yes, I'm still actively engaged in next-gen gaming hysteria, though there are other things I do in my life, though that's stuff that I won't necessarily shared to the world via this blog, as my life isn't too exciting. :)

Since we've talked, my little brother has come home for the summer, had planned on going back to Wisconsin for another year of DTS'ing, but decided to stay for personal reasons. It's nice to have someone around, but at first it was hard to relinquish my control over my 'place'. I've since gotten used to it as he's been here for around 3 months now.

Hmm, not much else to say right now. :( I think I had more to say than this, but I woke up too early and couldn't go back to sleep, so I'm tired and my memory is shot.

Oh, I had a birthday a little over 2 weeks ago and got my friends to treat me to a Japanese steakhouse meal (think Beni Hana). I had sushi (one of my favs) and, for the first time, tried sashimi, which you wouldn't think would be too different than sushi, but it is. I found it not to be to my liking either. Sashimi takes a little too bland and it was almost making me puke eating a 'sashimi flower' (that's what I'll call it) with fish eggs on top. I ate in one swoop, but it was hard getting it down. I think I'll stick to sushi from now on. ;)

A good article on next-gen consoles

2005-07-13T09:09:00.000-04:00

... by an actual developer!? Here's a really objective and realistic comparison between the two (hmm, and I thought there are going to be three; maybe I was wrong ;) upcoming next-gen consoles. This was written by Bizarre Creations technical director, developers of the Dreamcast game Metropolis Street Racer and the Xbox games Project Gotham Racing 1 and 2, as well as games I've never played before. :)

quote: "So in my eyes, this new generation of consoles is extremely exciting, and on an open and even playing field - it's all going to come down to the developers, the games and how it's all marketed!

They are busy working on Project Gotham Racing 3 for the Xbox 360 and it's going to be a launch title (can't wait for this fall; now to save up for it and the HDTV I'll need to buy).

To show you the level of detail they are working at (and the game still has gads of time to be worked on), I've put linked some images from their studio updates:

the road

some buildings you will race by in NYC

Pretty incredible, right?

More great interviews

2005-06-29T19:36:00.000-04:00

Here's a great interview of J. Allard (every one that I've read has been great, though).

Q: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 … there have been rumblings about which system is technically superior. How does the hardware compare?

A: I think that basically [Sony] mislead people who were very specific about certain numbers in the press conference on Monday. We're launching a product campaign, they're launching a political campaign.

You can kind of go through it, and guys have completely torn it apart. In the end, it's basically a wash. You can make the case for us; you can make the case for them. We'll publish a whole bunch of details and you guys can speculate, but it's basically a wash.

What I can say is theirs will be harder to program for. And we're going to have better software support. Both of these machines are so sophisticated that theoretical performance doesn't matter. What matters is how much of the performance you can unlock, and the key to unlock performance is hardware/software.

J. Allard is such a down-to-earth guy that it's hard to think of him as being Microsoft's corporate VP. I've played with him on Xbox Live a bunch of times (he's a busy guy, so in the ~2 and a half years he's been on my friends list, he's rarely online). We've talked about things and he's very open and intelligent (this also comes through in all of his interviews). I respect this man very much and am glad that he decided to take on gaming. He is a gamer at heart and he listens to the community. He's a realist and a visionary at the same time. He's also very respectful of his competition and his allies (something one can't say for Sony). ;) He's not your typical exec.

There are MANY other similar excellent interviews I'm thinking of putting into this post (possibly at a later date).

BB IMAX

2005-06-25T23:14:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm back from seeing Batman Begins in the only close IMAX theater here in southwest Ohio. I had initially planned with friends to go the 4:25PM showing, and although we didn't make it due to unforseen (and incontrollable circumstances), but we did get a refund for the tickets and bought some for the later showing (7:25).

On the way down there, we stopped in Middletown for some food. We ate at Sonic, which was pretty darn good. Then, while waiting for the movie to start, we waited in the theater's Bar & Grill. We had some drinks. That was one of the nicest theaters I've been to. The atmospere was like a hotel or something. They had a player piano going and live musicians performing. Plus the bar was nice and was cheap, too.

Also, one of my friends (Ben) who was going to go, couldn't because his Dad had fallen and injured his back and was going to be in surgery, so please pray for the best outcome.

The movie was good, though I thought the dialog seemed a little campy in places, and the comedic relief seemed forced. Overall, excellent Batman movie (you just know they are going to go sequel crazy with this, though if they can do for Batman, what's been done for Spiderman, bring it on!).

The IMAX theatre (which seemed like a regular theatre renovated into an IMAX theatre) didn't look too much different, UNTIL they started playing the movie, which was SUPER clear. While getting my refund at the help desk, I glanced over a display where they had some samples of IMAX film. IMAX movies come in 70mm reels, which is twice the size (and therefore twice the picture detail) as standard 35mm. Therefore, since the film itself is bigger, when the projector puts it up on the screen, it doesn't have to stretch it so much. Basically, twice as much picture detail in the same, or even bigger, space. I'd compare it to the difference between Standard Definition TV and HDTV. That's my layman's understanding, anyway. ;)

Next-gen anticipation!

2005-06-15T10:42:00.000-04:00

I like this quote : "At any rate, Playstation 3 fanboys shouldn't get all flush over the idea that the Xenon will struggle on non-graphics code (branch-intensive game control, AI, and physics). However bad off Xenon will be in that department, the PS3's Cell will probably be worse. The Cell has only one PPE to the Xenon's three, which means that developers will have to cram all their game control, AI, and physics code into at most two threads that are sharing a very narrow execution core with no instruction window. (Don't bother suggesting that the PS3 can use its SPEs for branch-intensive code, because the SPEs lack branch prediction entirely.) Furthermore, the PS3's L2 is only 512K, which is half the size of the Xenon's L2. So the PS3 doesn't get much help with branches in the cache department. In short, the PS3 may fare a bit worse than the Xenon on non-graphics code, but on the upside it will probably fare a bit better on graphics code because of the seven Spes."

I'm not so sure it will be that much better off in terms of graphics code with the Xenon having multiple VMX-128 vector units, which are nearly identical to what the SPEs do (the GPU and CPU are MUCH more innovative as well with the use of MS patented applications of procedural synthesis and having intelligent RAM on the GPU). These next-gen consoles are similar and very difficult to stack up in terms of comparisons as to what is better. It's not just as as 16 vs. 32 bit, the amount of polygons, pixel-fill rate, etc... They will look very similar in terms of graphics and performance and the devs will do better with better tools (which MS has always been good at providing; ex: XNA).

The initial mis-conception that the ps3 is another league in terms of performance is proven wrong with later technical discussions about the two that show that comparisons aren't so simple. If anybody still believes that those ps3 'demos' shown at E3 were 'actual gameplay representations' is in complete denial and is mostly likely one who jives with sony's cycle of over-hype/under-deliver and use of cute marketing buzz-words that are based on bullshit (the ps2's emotion engine, etc...). I'm also getting increasingly annoyed with Ken Kutaragi's arrogance and ignorant comments berating his competitors (it's almost like a political smear campaign except MS hasn't stooped to his level).

I have confidence in the fact that the Xbox 360 will not be under-powered and be sufficient to compete with the others, quite easily. The Xbox is receiving some strong Japanese support this time around (the one thing that was obviously lacking previously). Along with the fact that the Xbox 360 is actually coming out this holiday season, I have grown very fond of MGS' first-party lineup and am eagerly waiting to play some of these games.

NHRA Finals: SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!

2005-05-24T01:00:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday, I was able to go to the NHRA Finals near Columbus, Ohio by way of my friend, Ben, who's uncle has extra free tickets (thanks!). I'd never been to a top-fuel drag race before, or any races before for that matter, so it was exciting since I didn't know what to expect.

When we got there, we went back around to Nitro Alley, which was the pit area, and walked past all the crews getting the cars (and motorcycles) ready. After a quick tour of the pit area, we went back to other side of the strip where Ben's uncle usually hangs out, which is ride up against the fence some thirty feet away from the cars.

I had worried about my ears getting damaged and Ben was able to pick up a pair of earplugs for both of us at the one of the many vendors stationed around the track. Those were a life-saver, because once those top-fuel dragsters and funny cars were going, the amount of sound they made would have unbearable without protection.

These were the national finals, so there were vehicles and drivers all around the country there to compete (there was even the MAC Tools/West Coast Choppers Jesse James dragster). Each round consisted of both cars doing a burnout to warm the tires up and lay down some rubber on the track, then they lined back up at the "Christmas Tree" where they waited for the green light. Once those cars took off and passed by us, they vibration and heat you felt coming off of the engines was incredible. It really was like nothing I'd every experienced before. There were some great matchups, with differences in time coming as close as 1,2 and 3 thousanths of a second. There were some really fast speeds, with the top speed for the day being 334 mph, which was the fourth fastest time in the history of drag racing (which the same man also held 2 of the other fastest times).

After the top-fuel dragsters, there were top-fuel funny cars, then pro-stock cars, pro-stock motorcycles, super-gas cars, stock and modified cars. Only the top-fuel vehicles were really exhilerating to watch, with the pro-stock cars coming in a distant second.

There were elimination rounds for several hours in 65 minute intervals, so we didn't stay for the last round, but we left after either the last, or second to last, semi-final round of top-fuel dragsters and funny cars, and by that time, the weather had finally gotten to where it started raining right as we got to the car.

After we got back to Ben's uncle's house, we travelled home and saw Star Wars: Episode III, which was really cool (definitely the best of the 'new' trilogy).

Drunk Driver!

2005-05-19T02:35:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I last updated but there's been some things that have been going on that seemed more important than blogging and other than that, nothing else much happens here. I still need to flesh out my previous post about Detroit a little, but I've been lazy and preoccupied.

I attented my grandmother's funeral (I can't even remember if it was this week or last; my sleeping schedule's so messed up. That took about a week. My brother came home again for a bit, so that was a plus. Then, we all went up to Newcomerstown, Ohio to attend the funeral. I brought my dog, so I didn't go to the viewing the night before the funeral, but all of my cousins and most of the traveling families were staying in the Hampton Inn (what a coincidence, huh?) not far from my grandmother's homestead.

Then, back home to boring home. Well, I've watched lots of TV, spent a lot of time on the PC. Oh, I applied for a job at the bookstore at Ginghamsburg, but I must not have gotten it. I haven't done any sermons since.

My friend soft-modded his Xbox and installed Xbox Media Center, which is so cool. There's so much you can do with it, besides turning your Xbox into almost a Windows Media Center PC. You can listen to your music, whether it's off your PC, or any other PC on the same network. You can view DVDs (without the DVD remote), watch videos off your PC and look at pictures. You can even read RSS feeds and receive your weather from the Weather Channel's website. Other cool things you can do are change the color of the "Ring of Light" (the colored LED surrounding the eject button on the Xbox). Now, he's copying my games and backing them up for me, and he installed some emulators, along with ROMs supplied by me. If I didn't have Xbox Live, I might do it to mine. I'm a little envious.

Well, as for things this week and tonight especially, I've been keeping up with all the news that has been coming out of E3 so far (through handy RSS feeds in Trillian; I love feeds!). Xbox 360 I'm looking forward to, PS3 (a little, but not much) and am even impressed with the design of the Nintendo Revolution (so small). Now, all Xbox 360 needs is a slot-loading HD-DVD (or Blu-ray) drive (and maybe a few more cores) and it's perfect in my book. To me, it's the overal complete package of "hardware, software and services" (the official tagline) that makes it stand above the rest. Besides, I stopped liking Mario after SNES. :p

Tonight, though, my friend Randy (hmm, he sounds familiar) got me to go to the gym and work out (which I need to do). It was a nice mix of weight and cardio training (I need more cardio). Then, we went back to his place and played some Forza Motorsport on my Xbox on his HDTV (I NEED one bad!).

Then, at 2AM, I left for home taking Dixie and the way home, I was one car behind what, at first, appeared to be someone turning off to the left, as he went into the middle turn lane of the road. Then, he continued on, so I figured that he must have that he had to turn too early, only he kept driving in the middle lane for a while and I thought to myself, "What's this guy doing?"

Well, he stayed in the middle lane, but then he started weaving back and forth and I knew he was drunk. He started vearing into the incoming traffic's lane right in front of some dips, so he could've easily gotten into an accident. Then, his vearing became more violent and he pulled back over onto the proper side of the road. The car in front of me turned left and I continued to watch this pickup as he came very close to the curb. I was back a safe distance and I saw that he almost didn't stop at the red light at National Rd. I was hoping he would get pulled over and not get into an accident, and at that moment, I saw a sheriff pull to the side street to the right before coming to National. I kept watching him as he went through the light (I'm not sure if the light was green or not) and proceeding to run up onto the curb to the right and drive off of it (it felt like something out of Wildest Police Chases!). I pulled into the side street and pulled my window down, and yelled to the sheriff while pointing my hand straight at the truck, "Hey, there's a drunk driver up there, a pickup. I just saw him run up off the curb, so you need to pull him over, man!" Well, he took a right and came up to the red light, and stopped (most likely looking down National to see if he took a right towards I-70. He continued straight (the way the truck went) and sped up looking for him. I followed trying to make sure that he found him, but the truck, most likely knowing that he was being followed (or maybe not), pulled into a parking lot to the right where there was a bar (was this guy ducking from the cop or did he really need to get more drunk?!). The cop slowed up and turned around, then went into the parking lot. That's when I had gone far enough away, so that I could not see what happened after, but I hope that guy was taken off the street and punished. That was the worst display of drunkeness I've ever seen. It was shocking and horrifying at the same time.

Detroit Day 5: HFM, while back at home

2005-04-29T18:25:00.000-04:00

Well, I got home from Radio Shack and picked up an adapter to connect a cellphone headset (or Xbox Live Communicator) to a PC soundcard's Mic and Output connections. I also stopped by GameStop to pre-order Forza Motorsport for the Xbox (can't wait for that game).

Here's my record of what I did yesterday in Detroit:

I waited for Randy to come back on his lunch break (which he told me would be around 11-ish). I had set the alarm for 10:30AM, but I couldn't get back to sleep, so I started reading the business section of USA Today, that we got each day, in the nice lounge chair in our room. I took a shower, a cold one, to help wake me up, but I still had that lagging achiness (I couldn't imagine how tired my friend must have been). This trip, and the lack of genuine sleep we hadn't gotten all week, was taking a toll on Randy and I.

I watched some TV and waited for him to show up. He didn't get to the room until almost 12PM, because he was let out late. We used the GPS phone to find out how to get to the Henry Ford Museum, but we knew it was going to take longer than we had anticipated and Randy would most likely be late getting back to his training. On the Oakwood St., about 2 blocks away from the museum, we saw 2 Ford GTs (pretty much the only Ford car I really car about). Anyone who knows me, knows that when I see a nice car like that, which I've never actually seen in person, only in videogames and pictures, I flip out. I yelled, "There's a Ford GT!" The first one was coming out of a parking lot and was red with white stripes. Then, just a little further down the road, a yellow with black stripes GT was just taking off from a red light. It was first in line and took off at an amazing pace, with an audible roar. I was shocked to see not one, but two. It made some sense to see them this close to the factory, though. Still, I was overjoyed just to have seen them. :)

When I got let out in front of the IMAX theatre that was a part of "The Henry Ford" (I still don't know why they call it that), I admired the exterior of the building (which was erected ~1929). I tried to snap off a quick shot, but my stupid camera has trouble with white balance and I had to swap out my old batteries.

After I got inside, I got my ticket. I was upset about the price, which was $14 PLUS $5 parking (even though I didn't even park; what a freakin' rip-off), but on the website was only $13. I only had a $20 bill, barely enough for admission alone.

I started down this 'road' that was painted on the floor and set off into the 100 years of Automobiles exhibit first. I passed by the car where JFK was assassinated, and several presidential automobiles. They had so many old cars all set up as a physical timeline with info and memorabilia in glass cases that you could read and look at. They had even had a Cadillac model from early in the 20th Century that was the first to feature the electric automatic self-starter, which was invented by Charles F. Kettering from Dayton, Ohio, who also started Delco. They had a photo of him testing it out and a copy of the original design sketch.

In fact they had so much to do and see there, that I was a bit overwhelmed and worried that I might run out of time and miss my 3 o’clock meet-up time when Randy was supposed to show up and pick me up.

Detroit Day 4: REN CEN, the day after

2005-04-29T16:58:00.000-04:00

Okay, well I'm home now (got back around 6PM last night). I would've posted earlier, but I had to pack up my PC Wednesday night, so we could check out faster. I did write some notes to myself about what we did on Wed., so I will use that to refresh my memory. I'm glad to be home because of the security of my normal routine, but I'm also depressed that now I'm in a boring place. :/

Anyway, heres goes:

I told Randy about what I thought we should do instead of going to the Henry Ford Museum on Wed. and instead going into downtown Detroit, to see GM World and the Renaissance Center, then maybe taking the People Mover around (there's a station at the Ren Cen). That way we could see the downtown but still be (what I thought should be) relatively safe. Plus, if we didn't want to take the time to go around on the People Mover, but still see downtown, we could go up to the overlook at the top of the Ren Cen (only later did I learn that it doesn't have that feature anymore).

Randy asked the receptionist at our hotel about where we should go. The lady gave Randy the statement not to take the People Mover, not to go into Downtown (a sentiment all too common with Detroit locals) and instead, to go to Ann Arbor (Michigan University, I don't think so) or go into, but not outside of, Greektown (which is very close to the Ren Cen and in downtown; ironic, no?). Well, when Randy told me that another person had told him NOT to go downtown, and instead go somewhere, I just about lost it. Everybody has been telling us not to go downtown, mainly because (I think) Downtown has a bad reputation and everybody's afraid of going down there and forming their own opinion. We went through downtown on Tuesday night (one thing your "not supposed to do" is go into downtown at night) and it seemed fine. We didn't get stalked by anybody and there were no menacing characters lurking around ready to stab us the second we got out of our car.

Well, I finally got Randy to agree to go to the Ren Cen and GM World (which I knew closed at 5PM and we were rapidly losing time because of our disagreement) and not go onto the People Mover. He had to get up early and I thought that would be enough to make Wed. not seem like it was wasted and not something that would make us stay out too late. We got out on the road and hit some horrible traffic. We wasted about 30-45min. pretty much not going anywhere. When we finally got to where the traffic ended, we found out why: some dumbass left his car in one of the lanes (of which there were only two because of ongoing construction). After that, it was almost non-existant until we reached another slow-moving area, though nearly as bad as the earlier one. We found out later after getting through the traffic, that it was, yet again, caused by some dumbass breaking down in one of the two lanes (people like that should be sued if it's something that happens only because of their own ignorance, like running out of gas.

Well, we finally got into downtown (just around the time GM World was closing) and pulled up into the parking garage closest to the Ren Cen (provided to us by the GPS phone). We walked out onto the streets and gazed at the giant skyscraper (not as big as the Sears Tower, but wonderous none-the-less). We went into Marriot hotel across the street to try to take the "Skywalk" across to the GM Headquarters. We got lost for a bit, but found our way (on the way, a stop at Starbucks. ;) I talked to a security guard at a desk right after exiting and found out that GM World was indeed closed for the day and that they didn't have the overlook feature anymore. I was very disappointed, but I decided since I'm paying parking (a total I would find out later of $10; what a rip-off), we might as well do what we can here.

We went down to street-level again and went inside the front doors. We were greeted by some cars inside the building in a see-through glass exterior and continued on inside. We took an escalator down to where GM World was and found that we could still get a good look at it, even though we could go inside. There was a food court down here as well, and we decided to eat at a GyroWorld (good stuff, though a tad expensive). After eating, we walked around the perimeter of GM World and at the halfway mark, we took a side trip to the other side of the building overlooking Detroit River. There was a big atrium there with massive palm trees inside the building and some swanky shops scattered around. I went outside and took some photos of the building and looked over to Canada and could see the Ambassador Bridge (though none of the photos I attempted to take came out well). We went inside again and continued on our way around GM World. Then, on our way, I took some more photos and we left downtown, passing through Greektown, which did look pretty cool.

We headed back to our room to regroup and decide what to do next. I noticed that there was a message on our room's phone and I was sad to hear it. My mom had called me from home telling me that my Grandmother (the only grandparent I have left) had stopped eating and would most likely die soon. This came as a surprise, but I had known that this was coming, just didn't know when. She told me the were going to take a trip up there, but I didn't know if I would be back in time.

Detroit Day 4: Still rainy and cold

2005-04-27T14:55:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, by looking at Weather.com's forecast, today was supposed to be the warmest and have the smallest chance of precipitation, but it's still rainy and cold. In fact, it's even colder than yesterday, and Monday, the day of the week that was 'supposed' to have rain/show showers, turned out to be the warmest and provide the most sunshine. :/

Anyway, my roomy had managed to swing it so that he could off earlier (3PM) so we could check out some of the places that close around 5 or 6PM. I'd like to go to the Henry Ford Museum, but since that costs $13 admission and we'll only be there for 1 1/2 hours max., I'm thinking we might just go somewhere else today, which is pretty much our last day to really do anything.
Tomorrow, though, I'll have to figure out where I'm going to wait around since we have to check out, and my friend has to work. I'd like to take that opportunity to check out some of the downtown area in the daytime (though it was nice and traffic-less last night), but without transportation for me to the city, I may just have to spend all day at a much less interesting place. :(

Now that I think about it, since my friend doesn't have as much money as he'd like and since he's told me he doesn't really want to pay that much admission for the Henry Ford Museum, I'm thinking he could drop me off there tomorrow and I'd spend all day there possibly. It's the closet to our hotel and his where's working, so it's probably the best place to be, while still giving me something interesting to do.

In that case, we might just go to the Ren Cen and GM World tonight. In any case, I'll need to pick up some batteries for my camera. ;)

Detroit Day 3: A Scenic, Energizing Night Drive

2005-04-27T00:57:00.000-04:00

Well, after we were free, instead of working out, we instead went out and tried to get into the Buffalo Wild Wings location closest to our hotel, using the GPS phone telling us when to turn. Pretty cool, though the lag in calculating new directions is a little annoying.

After we found out the place was packed with Michigander's (no doubt from nearby Ann Arbor and University of Michigan), we decided to use the phone to tell us how to get to Starbucks (I need my Venti Mocha Frapp!). After that, we used the phone to go to a local bar and grill called Wheat & Rie (really close to our hotel). They said they were famous for their large portions and corned beef. They weren't kidding! I ordered a Reuben and 2 Guiness and the waitress brought over a HUGE sandwich (the biggest I've ever seen) and a gigantic bowl of nachos for my friend.

We were there when the Piston's were hosting (and stomping by a small margin) the Sixers. Every shot the entire crowded place reacted to. It was pretty cool, but I was kind of hoping the Sixers would win. ;)

After that, we came back to our hotel to regroup, and then we were off through Downtown for a tour of the rich coast line, Jefferson / Lakeshore Drive. We got through the city surprising easy, then got onto our road. It reminded a lot of Lakeshore Drive in Chicago overlooking Lake Michigan. You know there's a giant body of water not 20 feet from where you are driving sucking up all available light like a giant sponge. You can see the void out of the corner of your eyes and it gives somewhat of a claustrophobic feeling, sensing that the darkness will suck you up.

We took the road all the way up through to 16 Mile Rd. and Metropolitan Beach / Metro Beach Golf Club. On the way North, we caught glimpses of all the extemely extravagant mansions and enormous yachts. We didn't really get to focus on anything in particular because there was so much stimuli. On the way back though, we actually got out and stopped by Grosse Pointe Yacht Club and got out and looked at the towering seaward behemoths. I would have liked to have taken some pictures with my digital camera, but the batteries chose that time to go dead. :( We drove back past all of the private storage warehouses and repair shops and came upon a wondrous marina surrounding us. I would have liked to have gotten out and walked about, but there was a security 'jeep' tailing us, which we almost ran into because my friend wasn't paying much attention to his driving. We decided we'd seen enough and kept on back South on Jefferson.

We slowed up and paid more attention on the way back to the awe-inspiring mansions in Grosse Pointe Shores and actually drove down the side-streets lined with them. Every single house was incredible. I've never seen such extravagance and beauty. I'd like to come back during light, but it most likely wouldn't be as 'inviting'.

We kept going on Jefferson and passed through downtown and right by the Renaissance Center / GM Headquarters (amazing!) and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, then by a huge structure on the left (Old Mariner's Church?) and a gate house of some kind, both of which looked very old and intricate. Then, because of all the construction and rejuvination of Downtown Detroit, we had to use the GPS device again.

On the way back on I-94W, we just cranked up the some Tiesto and got consumed by the beats. What a fun and spontaneous night! I'm looking forward to more of this.

Detroit Day 2: Boring night

2005-04-26T04:13:00.000-04:00

Well, we really didn't do anything like I had hoped we would. We are only going to be up here until Thursday, so we are running out of time to do activities. I hadn't done as much research about areas, but with the Nextel GPS-capable phone we were given to use while here, it makes finding our way around much easier.

Because most of the activites I am interested in doing involve places where their hours are only until 5 or 6PM, that places a HUGE limit on what we can do, because the earliest our free time starts is around 5.

Detroit is one of the most rundown cities in the country and even the locals are afraid of roaming around Downtown. They'd rather, and have told us to, go across the Canadian border to go clubbin'. The only thing is neither of us has our birth certificate and/or passport with us, so Canada looks to be out of the question. I would like to check out some of the old, still grand skyscrapers like the old 1922 GM Building and the Fisher Building. Then, there's the Renaissance Center and the new GM offices, which houses GM World. I had thought of integrating our downtown visit in one day, including riding the "People Mover".

After, when we were free, we worked out in the cardio room, then came back and showered (not together, of course!) and ate at an Lebanese restaurant nearby (my first time; reminded me a lot of Greek souvlakis, which I love!). Then, we regrouped back at our room, and decided that tonight would just have to be our 'recon' night.

We ended up taking 94 East to get to Downtown because I was interested in possibly taking photos of the Ambassador Bridge and after that, scouting out Downtown, though not actually going anywhere yet. We didn't get to get close enough to the bridge to get out and snap some photos off (the roads are a little confusing), but we did drive past Comerica Park (the new Tiger's ballpark) on the way through downtown. We passed by a venue where Bruce Springsteen was playing with his tour bus and several limos parked in front, including the longest Hummer H2 limo I've seen. On the same block, Audioslave was also playing at a seperate venue, as well. We also found out where the Bleu Room Experience is located (which was most likely closed anyway. We didn't really go anywhere in the downtown 'block', and went straight back to good ol' I-75 (familiar to us back home) and headed back to our hotel. On the way back, we had considered briefly venturing up towards Pontiac to see if we could find Space, but decided not to and instead stopped at a convenient Krispy Kreme and got sick off sugary temptations. While at our 'pad, we talked outside for a bit, and watched a movie on the telly.

Now, it's rather late and I'm here writing a HUGE post on my blog, while I remember all this. :)

Here's a somewhat organized, though preliminary list of what I'm interested in seeing while up here in the Big D:

Downtown Detroit / People Mover (Mon-Thur 7AM-11PM, Price $0.50)

West Grand Boulevard between 22nd Ave. and Cass St.

Fisher Building

1922 GM Building

Renaissance Center / GM World (100 Renaissance Center, Level A)

Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Eastern Market

Mon.-Sat. 5 a.m.-5 p.m.

Corner of Russell Street and Gratiot, Detroit, MI 48207
Henry Ford Museum / Greenfield Village

9:30AM-5PM Price $26 both , $13 HFM, $19 GV

20900 Oakwood Blvd, Dearborn, MI
Belle Isle (Park) / Belle Isle Aquarium

Daily 6 a.m.-10 p.m.

or Detroit Zoo

Daily 10AM-5PM

8450 W. 10 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI 48068
Poletown / Greektown / Corktown / Mexicantown / etc...
Hart Plaza

1 Hart Plaza, Jefferson at Woodward, Detroit, MI 48226
Grosse Pointe / Edsel Ford House

April – December: Tues–Sat, 10am–4pm; Sun noon-4pm

1100 Lake Shore Road, Grosse Pointe Shores
Tom's Oyster Bar

L Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., D Mon.-Thu. 4-11 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 4 p.m.-midnight, Sun. 5-10 p.m.

15402 Mack Ave., Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48224
Walter P. Chrysler Museum

Tue-Sat 10AM-6PM Price $6

1 Chrysler Drive, Auburn Hills, MI 48326
Detroit Historical Museum / (Automotive Hall of Fame?)

Open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Price $6 adults

21400 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn, MI 48124
Fisher Mansion

Price $6

383 Lenox St., Detroit (Located near E. Jefferson Ave. and Dickerson)
Blue Room Experience

1540 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226
Space

15 S. Saginaw, Pontiac, MI 48342
Sky Club

Wed.-Thu. 8PM-2AM; Fri.-Sat. 7PM-2AM; Sun. 9PM-2AM Price $5 cover

404 S. Lafayette Drive (above Sangria restaurant), Royal Oak, MI 48067

Thur.
Canada Trip (?) / Ambassador Bridge / Detroit-Windsor Tunnel

Detroit Day 2: Tired

2005-04-25T15:14:00.000-04:00

I couldn't get much sleep last night and am ragged right now. I think it had something to do with working out at the hotel's gym and taking a supplement too late.

Anyway, earlier last night, Weather.com had today's weather up here as Rain/Snow showers, but right now it's 58° F and partly cloudy. That's much nicer than they had previously predicted. That just goes to show that meteorology is still not an exact science. Nicer weather should definitely make this trip much more enjoyable.

Detroit Day 1: First day in D!

2005-04-25T01:33:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm here in Detroit right now sitting comfortably in my room. I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to connect to the internet, but this hotel has graciously supplied a wireless bridge that I got to work with WinXP lickety-split.

I've never messed with a WLAN, but it was surprisingly easy. I still wish I had a decent laptop (just powerful enough to do email, run swiftly, and be light and portable. I'd still love to have a TabletPC, if only they were less expensive. I'd rather have a powerful desktop than spend a grand on a laptop that is too static, too propietary, and obsolete in a year or two. I only spent about $500 on the raw components that make up my current desktop and I'm super pleased getting mostly new and powerful features and not spending a bundle.

I'll be taking some pictures and then transfering them to this PC, so if I take the time to get an account with 'Hello!" or something (the only, or rather "preferred", according to Google) to post pictures on your blog, I'll post some up on here.

I'll try to write at least once a day on here (more for posterity for my own sake) and when my memories are still fresh in my mind. Stay tuned...

Detroit trip!

2005-04-23T16:15:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I posted last on here. I'm going with a friend to Detroit and will be gone all next week. The only thing is that I checked the weather and for some reason the weather had to turn sour. :(

I'm trying to figure out what we're going to be doing, but there are a couple cool clubs and places to visit up there, that I will see if possible. I'd like to check out Club Space in Detroit, maybe Bleu Room (there's a Gabriel and Dresden show there next Sat.). I'm thinking about also visiting the Henry Ford museum while there. My cousins and there family used to live up in Pontiac (or near there) and I visited them up there once when I was young. The things I remember now are playing Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt on their NES, watching Short Circuit on cable, and driving by the Silver Dome (weird the things that are burned into your memory).

Dan's return.

2005-04-11T10:20:00.000-04:00

Well, my little brother is home from his school right now (to visit my older brother who recently had a stroke which almost crippled him, and to celebrate his birthday). He isn't going to be home for very long and I'd like every second to be rewarding, but real-life doesn't work that way. I'm glad just to see him and share some games with him, but he's more restless. We watched the Ultimate Fighter live show last Sat. and were impressed, though really only by the second fight (damn, you guys are tough!). Ok, I just woke up, so it's either wake up or back to bed (I'm an insomniac, so I think I know which it will be...).

back from Anderson

2005-04-04T19:15:00.000-04:00

I got back yesterday from visiting my cousin and his parents in Anderson, IN this past weekend. It was fun and I got a chance to hang out, talk and play some games. I had meant to bring my camera, but I had forgotten. I also wish I had picked up some more sleep, even if sleeping on the floor didn't seem very appealing.

SC : CT

2005-04-01T01:18:00.000-05:00

Wow, I got Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox) on Tue. and haven't really stopped playing it since. GREAT game! The single player missions are great and the online co-op is absolutely amazing. I should be getting it for my computer to play at max detail soon.

Too much TV!

2005-03-29T00:51:00.000-05:00

Good Ultimate Fighter tonight (I can't believe I somehow missed last weeks'). I've never seen any UFC and I used to think that WWE was stupid, until my little brother got me into it and I couldn't resist the cheap drama, if only as filler for actual 'fights' (that's why I quit watching: TOO much drama!)

I have a DVR supplied by my cable company (TimeWarner) and I love using it to catch all the shows I like, without much setup beyond setting if I want it to record reruns or new (though it also records new shows that are re-broadcast 3 hours later for PST).

Here are some of the shows I like that I have setup:

24: Just starting watching it this season; I've been spoiled on HBO, so I haven't bothered watching much network television
American Chopper: I love the conflict, humor, and (somewhat) information this show offers
Monster Garage: Similar reason to above
WRC Rally Magazine on Speed Channel: I love rally racing and HATE Nascar (find it boring)!
Mythbusters: This show is fun to watch when you want to see things get blown up and learn some useless things.
It Takes a Thief: Fun show to watch in this game of 'cat and mouse'; I always root for the thief. :) It's sad that we do have to protect ourselves to the extent that these guys give the homeowners they burgle, but it's entertaining and informative.
NUMB3RS: A decent drama with plausible tech-related scenarios, good acting and not cheesy.
CSI: NY / CSI: The first show(s) to get me to watch network again (don't like Miami, though).
Hey! Spring of Trivia: Funny, quirky, Japanese game show with interesting trivia.
Aqua Teen Hungerforce: My favorite characters are Meatwad, Carl and Master Shake
Home Movies: Haven't seen any new ones, but I just love Coach McGurk and the 'sinus-kid'.
Sealab 2021: This season is REALLY BAD, especially compared to previous seasons where Cap'n Murphy was 'on-board' (R.I.P.). Basically, the show is hit-or-miss but these new ones just really don't make any sense and are not funny at all.
The Brak Show: Dad is hilarious!
Crank Yankers!: I like Special Ed.
Fifth Gear: Good, variety car show from Britian.
MXC: Gut-bustingly hilarious! I love it for the impacts and the voice-overs.
Rides: Cool car show.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: I've been into anime since 1989 and I usually can't stand American mass-marketed English dubs, but the CN aired version is tolerable. (on a side note: I prefer the original language, but I don't know why the don't take advantage of SAP to air the JP language tracks and use the closed-captions for the subtitles, then you'd please both fans of dubs and subs).
Overhaulin': Chip Foose never ceases to amaze me with his artistic and design skills, as well as the cars he produces. ;) I wish I could be that lucky to receive and 'overhaul'.
Futurama: Great post-Simpsons Matt Groening. Bender's probably my favorite character.
Dominick Dunne: Power, Privilege and Justice / The Investigators / North Mission Road / Forensic Files / I, Detective / Body of Evidence / Extreme Evidence / etc...: Some of the many CourtTV shows I'm hooked on (first CSI, then progressed to CourtTV).

Then, there's the original shows on HBO (Carnivale, Deadwood, etc...) that I watch on VideoOnDemand. With all this entertainment at my fingertips, it's not wonder I don't get much work done here. :)

Thomas' stroke

2005-03-27T20:04:00.000-05:00

I just got back from visiting my brother in the hospital (he just had a stroke March 17th). He's looking a LOT better and I'm happy that he's getting his mobility back. They are having a 'meeting' on Tuesday this week to assess how long he will have to stay in the hospital and how he's progressing. Oh, and Happy Easter! :)

Drunk CS!

2005-03-26T05:14:00.000-05:00

Hey, I'm playing CounterStrike: Source on my old friend's clan server (CounterStrikeMafia.com) and I'm drunk off Newcastle Brown Ale. How nice it is to just relax and shoot down counterterrorists while tipsy. I need to get a mic so I can use TeamSpeak to chat with them while playing though. I'd like to be able to find some way to use my Xbox Live mics on the PC!

PC Upgrade.

2005-03-25T03:22:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm loving my new computer setup (it's been a long time since my last upgrade).

Specs (if you care):
CPU: AMD Athlon64 3200+
RAM: 1GB DDR PC3200
MB: nForce 4 Ultra- PCIe, SATA2, USB2.0, etc...
GPU: nVidia GeForce 6600GT PCIe 128MB GDDR3 RAM

Now maybe I can get back into 3D art and animation with a more capable computer, but I've noticed an improvement just with my IM program, Trillian, not to mention now I can play CounterStrike Source and Half-Life 2. I would, of course, be posting any good 3D art I do on this blog.

This is what I'm upgrading from (nearly 4 years ago):
CPU: Intel Pentium 3 800EB
RAM: 256MB PC133 DRAM
MB: Asus CUSL2 Intel 815e chipset- 133MHz FSB, AGP 8x, etc...
GPU: nVidia GeForce2 GTS Deluxe 32MB VRAM

Setting out the welcome mat!

2005-03-25T02:45:00.000-05:00

Well, if you know me, then you've got to be thinking, why's this guy 'need' a blog. Well, I don't, but I missed having a journal and thought I might as well open my life so someone could stalk me (not an actual invitation, btw). I don't know how often I'll update, but if you know me, then you can expect a long-winding, bunch of gibber-gabber. Let's see how long it takes for me to update. :)