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...
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Night Rider
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
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
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Even more fotos!
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.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Flickr fotos
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).
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Adventures in Bicycling!
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
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
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Thrills, Chills, & (No) Spills
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
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
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Happy Birthday, big bro!
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!
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!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
(Lazy?) Sunday Afternoon Bike-ride
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
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
Saturday, April 01, 2006
RR6 has left the building!
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. ;)
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. ;)
Friday, March 31, 2006
In other news...
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
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.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
RR6=Done! (Well, not quite)
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
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
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:
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.
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.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Shout-outs to my Xbox Live homies!
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!
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
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.
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.
Friday, February 03, 2006
My Gamercard motto favorites
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
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
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Death of a pet
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
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Amped 3 is fun...and weird / SLC2002
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).
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).
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Strange "Live"-fellows
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.
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)
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. :)
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. :)
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