Yes. I am still alive...

... just been lazy. It's not that I haven't had a desire to post. Ok, well, maybe I haven't really been in the mood to post anything, but there has been plenty of little quips that have come to mind worth sharing. Firing up the laptop when I get home just hasn't been worth it. That, and I've been playing video games a bit much. :D Between the release of Halo 3, Guitar Hero III, and Bioshock, I've been preoccupied, so to speak. Sad thing is, I can say I'm getting pretty good at Guitar Hero. I've 5 starred the Easy and Medium settings in both II and III (well, all except one song in II), and I'm on to Hard. I was joking with my dad on the phone the other day. I can start telling people, "Yeah. I rock at Guitar Hero. What? No I'm not a musician. I just have no life." ;) I've started holing myself up in the house, again (the cold weather isn't helping), playing games all the time. I'm determined not to return to that form of hermit-ism. Oh, I'm not giving up gaming. I just need to put the guitar down for a while. Rock Band is on my list of to get games, but I'm going to hold off for a while on that one. These things are just a bit too addictive. ;)

I keep looking at my GamerCard and laughing:
 
It's hard to believe, that in a little over a year, I've managed to acquire almost 5000 points. That's just insane (well, for me, anyway). So, time to put the controller down (for a couple of days, at least). Besides, I now have a PS3 on my desk at work (for research, of course) that needs some "hacking" done to it. That, and I'm determined not to stay indoors all winter. Did I mention I hate cold weather?

How much longer till Spring? ;)



l8rz!

Visual DNA.

Courtesy of Imagini™:

Read my VisualDNA™     Get your own VisualDNA™

l8rs.

Rush gone Emo.

I was listening to Rush's latest album, "Snakes and Arrows" again for the first time in a while. I was noticing that minus the first few songs, the album doesn't really rock like their older stuff. The songs are mopey or bluesy. WTF?! I've always loved Rush's stuff. All the way up to their "Counterparts" album was good. "Vapor Trails" was OK, but this last one is just... blah. It's like they've all become tired old farts that aren't putting any more enthusiasm into their music. It's still beautifully composed, but, just so... blah. Guess this one will go back on the shelf and I'll listen to their old stuff instead. "Power Windows" r0x0rZ!!!1!1!



l8rZ.

Bored.

I'm so frikin bored right now. I've been pretty lazy all day. I didn't go out any other than just to run a few errands. The good news is, I can now watch TV and get on the internet at the same time, now. ;) That's about the only productive thing I've done all day. Tomorrow is laundry, cut the grass, weed, and drop off the recyclables. It's actually been kinda nice not having to rush to go anywhere or do anything. I've been wrapped in a mixture of relaxation and exhaustion, today. The sad part is, I haven't done anything, so I shouldn't be tired. I fell asleep in the papasan for an hour and a half earlier this evening.  

An assumed change of events with a friend is leaving me to believe that my life is about to take an interesting turn in the near future. Since it's only my assumption, I'm not jumping the gun nor do I plan on rushing any decisions. Needless to say, my social calendar my be getting a few more additions to it here soon. What can I say? I'm a ladies man (*cough*... yeah, right). ;)



l8rs.

Decisions. Decisions.

W00+! Man, there is so much going on! I just can't decide where to go or what to do next. LOL! My social calendar has not only exploded, it's imploding and becoming a siphoning black hole. There has to be some sort of cosmic disturbance somewhere else, al la chaos theory. I can't seem to get a break. And, there are some friends I've been needing to hang out with for the better part of the last month. I mean, don't get me wrong, this totally beats sitting in front of the Xbox playing Halo all weekend. Of course, I've still been getting my game time in. I can't totally give that up.

Now what's the irony behind this? I've finally gotten all the issues worked out with Comcast, but I'm sitting here watching a DiVX anime on my desktop. Geeze. I should probably think about canceling or cutting back the cable. I haven't watched TV in over a month. Sad thing is, I don't feel like I'm even missing anything.

OK, I'm going to finish this up and start getting settled for bed. I've got an early meeting in the morning since I skipped out on one this afternoon.



l8rs.

Frikin' hell. It's Fall, again.

I am NOT a fan of cold weather. Atlanta's well known for its drastic differences in temperature between day and night during the Fall. I always hat the first cold night of the season where the temperature drops about 30 degrees from what I'm used to. I end up cuddled up in front of a space heater for about 45 minutes trying to get rid of a bone rattling chill that won't go away. I HATE being cold. Give me the blistering hot sun of a sultry Summer afternoon any day. If I'm going to be suffering from constant episodes of chills, I better be standing in at least ankle deep powder with skis or a snowboard strapped to my feet. Of course, I refuse to admit it's fall. My Jeep top is still down (but I do have the doors on). I also won't turn the heater on until November. I'm just stubborn like that. I'll just stick to my sweatshirt and space heater, for now. And to think I was running the fans at full speed the other night trying to keep cool. Cold weather sux0rz...

So where have I been for the last 2 1/2 weeks? Heh. Well, if I'd quit going out so much, I wouldn't be so broke, right now. My social calendar has exploded. Seems like I'm out doing something or other at least 4 nights a week. Also, temporarily, due to some personal issues I've had to deal with, I've found another outlet through that old fashioned method of putting pen to paper. Yes, ink and a legal pad. I know. Who physically "writes" anymore? ;) Now, I've dealt with those issues, I've vented, and I'm back to spouting BS here, again. **Aren't you so happy?** (note sense of sarcasm in that last statement...)

So what have I missed? Or, the bigger question, I guess, is, "What have *you* missed?"


Gamer News:

• Halo 3 - I've finished it twice already and haven't played it much since then. No, I haven't lost interest. I just have a new game to play that came out at the same time. :)
• .hack//G.U. Vol. 3 - 'Nuff said. Hasao and the other Avatar users (G.U.) are back in the third and final installment of the latest .hack game. This one seems to be longer than the other two. I've already put in about 24 hrs of game time and don't feel like I'm even half-way thru, yet. It's time to crack open that can of "Ren Geki", again! LOL.

TV Shows for the new Fall Season:

• Don't ask me. I've been fighting Comcast since I moved (yes, a whole month!) to get my service reconnected. I finally got a tech today that showed up and called everyone at the call center a bunch of idiots. LOL. He made a couple of phone calls; 30 minutes later, voila! I have TV! Go figure.... Guess that means I can start catching up on Heroes, now.

Anime:

• Like I said, no TV; and, I've been holding on to my Blockbuster DVDs since I moved. Just finally mailed them back. So haven't gotten anything new in a while. My Newtype USA subscription lapsed just before I moved, also. I haven't renewed it yet. Don't know that I will, either.
• Oh, Dawn, go read this post. It should answer that question you asked me about a month back.

Anything else? No, that should be it.


In preparation for some changes at work, I've re-installed my laptop, again. I've gone back to XP (screw Vista). I may be going back to doing more Active Directory support in the future. I can't exactly do that very efficiently from Red Hat; hence, the re-install. In that process, I'm back to using the Windows Live Writer to compose my blog. I've normally just written out the code, then just previewed it in previous versions. With this latest revision, I'm beginning to like the WYSIWYG interface. It kinda reminds me of WordPress. I just might keep using it.

I've got some other things I can comment on, but they can wait till a later post. I've got cleaning to do. The 'rents, my sister, and her new boyfriend are crashing for the weekend. This place looks like I haven't cleaned since I moved in. Well... actually... I haven't.... Like I said, I've been busy. :D



l8rs.

Halo 3. 'Nuff said.

So I never reserved my copy. I went with a friend and her husband last night at midnight to pick up his copy. I figured if the store had any extras, maybe I could get one. Well, an hour after the doors were opened, I walked out with my own copy. Schweet. I am now doped up on a full pot of coffee and dozing off at my desk because I just had to pull an all nighter to see how far I could get. ;) After about 5 hours of gameplay on my own (plus 2 or so in co-op), I think I'm down to the last level in the storyline. I had to play it on the Easy setting. I want to know how the fight ends. If I can managed to stay awake long enough to get through Trivia Nite, I'm going back home to finish tonight.

Bungie has really stepped up on the engine. I am impressed! The in-game movies are astounding; the fully-functional environments are beautiful (you can smack the plants now, and they move!); and, the soundtrack is impressively complementary, as always. The gameplay on the new controller took some getting used to (I keep throwing out the "items" because I'm still used to reloading with that button), but the controller is well mapped and basically the same. It's customizable, of course, in case you don't like the new layout. I will definately be playing this one over, and over, and over.... and over, and over, and over... LOL. Now I just need to set up a way to do the whole trilogy one right after the other (it still takes me almost a whole weekend to get through just one game on the Easy setting).

K. Need the rest of my lunch break to eat somthing... I'm jittery. :)



l8rs.

AWA-Con 2007 pics are up.

Paruse at your lesiure:

flickr

l8rs.

Runner's Bliss.

I've rediscovered that bit of euphoria most runners experience:

Above the small stitch in your side that is a reminder of you're not a young as you used to be.... Above the cramp developing behind your left knee screaming, "You didn't stretch enough"... Above the burning in your lungs caused by years of carbon monoxide damage, there is that amazing sensation caused by the over-firing of synapsees. There is that sensation of pins and needles against your skin as the cool wind whips against your sweat drenched arms, legs, and cheeks. You pick up your pace to enhance the sting. You ignore everything else around you. You block out all thoughts. In that single moment of bliss and adrenaline, you are reminded that you are alive. Then you grin... because you have just found your true peak.

*THAT*, my friends, is "Runner's Bliss," the euphoria that drags us out in the middle of the day in these sultry late summer afternoons.



l8rs.

Going for the gold... and getting the silver.

See, now this is why I don't like posting about the deep speculations of my personal life. I end up getting way too many questions about the situation which I should have just kept to myself. Either way, I'm done being "mopey and lame" about the whole thing. I'm done "walkin' off the w33pies" (as Largo calls it). And, I'm accepting the course of lives that are, in half, my choice and agreeance. Unfortunately for me, I can be a deeply emotional person. There are times when the initial situation will go fine and everything is cool. Later, I'll begin to over-anaylze. My thought process will drive me absolutely batty until I can work everything out in my head. I then end up apologizing to friends (and family) for being such a dumbass and worrying too much. So, I'm done over-analying. I'm back to having a smile on my face. And, I'm happy-go-lucky, again, because life is too short to sweat the little stuff.

And, this is the last Emo post you will ever get out of me. ;)

---

Now, in all honesty, there must be something really wrong with me. I still haven't ordered my copy of Halo 3. No, it's not because I'm still trying to choose which of the 3 different versions I want. It's actually not because of finances; I put that money away a long time ago. ;) I guess I'm just assuming that if I order it online, I'll still get it shipped the day of release. You know, I should probably make sure there's a Best Buy or GameStop near me, now, so I can go pick it up that morning before work. ;) I finally just found a Blockbuster the other day. How long have I been living here? 3 weeks? Slack-ass....

Oh, another personal w00+! In less than a week, I've already managed to shave 5 minutes off my run. The hardest part about getting back into running is that I really shouldn't be doing this for time but for the sheer exhilaration of it. Running, when I was younger, had a side effect of being mentally relaxing. Reprogramming myself is going to be the most difficult part. Well, I guess I can just use the time to help with the traning for my two goals:

1. I want to make it up all 4 flights of stairs at work without getting winded. I came pretty close today, but normally, somewhere between the 3 and 3 1/2 mark, I have to take a deep breath. I'll recover by the time I get into my office, but it's still been an annoyance to me.
2. By the end of the year, I want to be able to run 6 miles without having to stop.

I've had no problems going non-stop with my current 2 miles since my second day out. I just had to find a new pace. My mind was still running at my old pace from high school my first time out, but my aging decrepid body's not quite ready to keep up with it. :p

Well, it's getting pretty late, and I have to get up early these days if I want to get a parking spot at the train station. I'm outtie.



l8rs.

You know you've been going to a club too often when...

... not only do you know the dances, you are the one starting them. I never thought it would come to the day that I would be leading the lines at Cowboys. The place was actually quite dead last night for a Thurs. Must have been the rain. ;) Most of the usual "regulars" (i.e., my sister's friends) never even showed up.

While I'm on my bar-scene rant, I came to an interesting realization last night. Why is it I always flirt with the bride-to-be and her little troup of friends every time I go? Is it that I'm that self-concious about the whole no ties deal? I mean, yeah. I just go there to dance. But am I that worried (or too chicken shit) about asking a girl to dance? Either way, I had fun and that's all that matters. :p~ The only thing that sucks is that drive back home. It's even worse now that I've moved to the south side of town. It's too bad there's not any other decent country clubs closer (that I've found, so far). I guess I could try further south, but that would be just as far of a drive.

BTW, I've started running, again. Not too happy with the fact that on my second day out, it took me a little less than 25 minutes to run 2 miles. I don't think I ever ran that slow even when I was in the yearly mile road race as a kid. This is embarassing. (For those of you who don't know, I ran for the cross-country team in high school.) The good side is I'm not quite as out of shape as I thought. The last 7 (well, actually, I guess I should say 14) years of smoking hasn't hurt me too bad.

...

I should have slept in instead of rushing out the door so quick to make it here on time. It's pretty dead at work for a Fri. Of course, now that I say that, people are going to swarm into my office at 4:45 this afternoon wanting me to fix complicated stuff or something really important is going to blow up.

Awite, The other stuff I need to work on isn't supposed to happen until this afternoon. Guess I'll go txt msg my friend and annoy her while she's on her lunch break. ;p~



l8rs.

Football mania.

Now what's the irony in all this. Usually about this time every year, I'm balls to the wall, gotta watch my Jackets, strapped to the couch on Saturdays. This year, the only thing I seem to really want to do that has any relation to football is attend a local Packer tailgate party. Huh. Weird. Well, I do have my moods.

This is probably influcened by my recent return from the beach, but I'd rather just play sand volleyball. ;)



l8rs.

Grab a hold and white-knuckle it all the way.

I guess it's time for an update.

I feel like an eternity has passed, even though it's only been a month. Not in posting terms, but life in general. As I mentioned in my last post, I met someone. Also, in that time frame, I've moved, started a new semester at work, and generally just tried to keep my shit together. Things went from simple and boring to wild and extremely interesting (to say the least).

I can tell the summer is over. Today was the first pretty warm day we've seen since last month's heat wave. Too bad I was way too hungover to enjoy it. One of these days I'll learn that Jager and I must operate in small doses. ;) Now I'm sitting outside in a sweatshirt with the laptop. The cool evenings of the Fall are approaching. I love this time of year, but it only reminds me that old man Winter will be trailing soon after with his chilly breath. The cold and I don't get along, in case you didn't already know that. Even though I haven't been settled in long enough to really enjoy it, living in a house has it's advantages. Not just for the fact that the Fat Dog has so much more room (and a yard), but for times like now. I'm on the back deck looking at the stars (what 3 I can see being so close to the city), typing this. I just don't get any better than this. Well... yea it can get a whole hell of a lot better, actually. But you get my point. It's better than still being cramped up in that apartment.

Alright, alright. Here's the nitty gritty you've all been bugging me about. I met a girl. Crazy thing, at my age, you don't just meet a girl anymore. Yeah, there are those that turn your head, catch your attention, or even your digits. But then there's that one. The one that thinks and says and does everything that makes your heart skip a beat in excitement. The one that makes you start going down that mental list of what it is you are looking for in forever. The one that puts a check next to every item on that list. The one that makes you keep telling yourself over and over "There is no way. This can't be real." The one you can share chugging a beer, having an intelligently thought provoking conversation, discussing your emotions, and then non-chalantly asking and answering what your ideal wedding looks like in your head. All in the course of about 2 weeks. This all seems so surreal everytime I think about it. Also, it seems so much longer than just 2 weeks. It's like we've known each other for years. OK... don't get so worked up. Fairytales do happen (tho, rarely, from what I've seen). This could be real. This could be it. She could be the one. "You are the one, Neo." LOL!

So that's my nutshell right now. I'm dealing with emotions I boxed away those oh so many years ago. My hard-core badass composure is crumbling. I feel like a putz. And I'm doing my damnedness not to do anything stupid to scare her off. There is one thing that I'm not quite sure about (or I've just forgotten over the years of self-induced separation). Is it normal for your stomach to fill up with butterflies just because you look at a picture of someone?

I am turning into such a damn pansy....



l8rs

Holy crap I'm tired....

A little over three weeks ago, all I was concerned with was trying to show up to work on time and the next video game that would preoccupy my boredom. Since then, my world has turned upside down.

A week and a half ago, I burnt the midnight oil (so to speak) so hard that I crashed after 4 days. I'm getting to old to do that during the week. This past week, I've been running on nothing short of adrenaline and caffeine. Sleep, unfortunately, has not been much of an option between the multiple runs both days over the weekend (good 12 hour days that I haven't pulled off in a long time) for the big stuff and two days of late night cleaning and cramming the remaining miscellaneous junk in the Jeep after work. I barely have anything unpacked. Last night was supposed to be something of a relaxing evening with someone I first met three weeks ago. The evening was perfect, everything went great, and it was relaxing. But you know how it is when your sleeping arrangements change.... I haven't slept next to someone in about 5 years. Needless to say, I'm lucky if I got any more than 45 minutes of snoozing in at a time. It's not her fault, she slept like a rock. Since I burnt out the last of my adrenaline on Tues, I'm left with just caffeine to keep me going today. Thank goodness there's only two more days left in this week. I am definately looking forward to my 3 day vacation this weekend. ;)

So, I know some of you are asking, "Someone?" Yes. Someone. :) I'm going to leave it at that for now because I don't want to jinx anything.

BTW, It's about that time... less than a month left:

Schweet!

l8rs.

Somebody put Vick in the pit!

I was soooo going to aviod this as it really chaps my ass.

I just finished reading Eric's blog on the whole Michael Vick trial, and I couldn't hold back any more. Celebs really piss me off when they do something so stupid and inhumane then expect us, the reason for their idolization, for a slap on the wrist and no supper. I say fsck that! Put his ass down there in the fighting pit and let him survive. If he doesn't, string him up out back and see if he survives. He needs to be somebody's biotch for a little while.

There. I said it. Vick, how could you be so damned stupid and inhumane. I'm ashamed to call you our QB.... Know this: karma's a bitch. I hope you get yours.



l8rs.

This is just.... wrong.

Hey, I love video games, too. I like to think I have a life outside of them, tho. Apparently, this guy is very confident in his geekiness.

Yes, that is a SEGA tatoo on a leg.

Speaking of lives... I have one right now, so my posting is probably going to dwindle away to nothing for a while. Yay me! :)



l8rs.

BTW, I have a little more than 2 months to make my launch date for the webcomic I set last year. Think I'll make it? Guess we'll have to see. ;)

Rumors abound...

I'm going through my blog subscriptions from the last week to kill time before my road trip. The guys over at the Xbox 360 Rally have been eating up the rumor-mill, and I just have to throw in my $0.02 worth (because it's not worth $0.10).

To start off, I'm peeved that Sony is discontinuing the 60G PS3 model. Not that I plan on getting a PS3 any time soon, but in addition to that statement, they will no longer be using the "Emotion" hardware chip for games backwards compatibility (in favor of a software solution, al la 360). This was the primary selling point for me with Playstation in the past, and an extremely pisser point when I bought my 360. Now I'm going to have to scour eBay for a 60G model once the new Ratchet and Clank and Final Fantasy games are released. The point? Is Microsoft ditching the Core? For their sake, I hope not. This next-gen (if you can still call it that) console war between MS and Sony is getting ridiculous. It's starting to sound a lot like the HD-DVD and Blue-Ray competition. Meanwhile, Nintendo is sitting back in their corner laughing.

Next on the list, the 360 price drops are getting insane. The Premium went from $399 to $349 and, now, to $329? Talk about trying to make up for bad blood with the "red ring of death" problem. To top it off, come September (just in time for Halo 3), the Premium consoles should be having their own little HDMI ports! Now the question begs, is it really worth an extra $170 for a 100G more and a black exterior (as apposed to white)? Sounds like MS is up to something devious... but what? ;)

Ok, so my ranting is done. I need to get on the road. A 4hr road trip awaits me, and I need to hit my destination before 6:30p. 3nj0i mulling over those rumors and keep an eye on the Rally for more detailed coverage than I'll ever give. :)



l8rs.

Totally stoked!!

Ok, so remember how I said my 360 needed repairs? Well, it turns out, I got it back a whole lot faster than I had anticipated. To top it off, they just sent me a whole new unit. I'll have to post a scan of the letter, next time. It just needed a new DVD drive, sheesh. Well, I guess with all the changes to the support infrastructure and the 3 year extension on all systems, they're just canceling out any risks by making sure all systems meet the new internal hardware requirements. So, anyway, I'm totally stoked to have it back. I've been jonesing to play some Guitar Hero.

Well, after a completely unproductive post, I'm going to get back to cleaning my DVR off. It's at 99%, again.... You'd think I'd learn by now quit recording shows that I'm never going to watch.



l8rs.

The city stinks, today.

I don't know what happened downtown this past weekend, but almost every block around my building reeks of garbage; the lobby of my building smells like a seafood processing plant; and, there are industrial size portable air filter units all over the floor. On my way back from grabbing lunch (yes, it's another late lunch as usual), I kept looking around for the garbage dumps but never found any. Now, City of Atlanta is well know for it's crappy sewage system (no pun intended), but it's never smelled this bad before. Pee-eww!



l8rs.

The E3 "Business Summit".

It has begun. The once highly coveted mecha of all video gamers has now gone corporate media. My opinion of this transition is it's just another mass marketing ploy to get gamers all hyped up about hardware and or software they won't be seeing for probably another 6 months to a year. As you can tell, I'm all wrapped up in that hype. ;) Pretty much the only tracking point for us gamer lackeys is G4TV's and GameTrailer's coverage. Other than looking forward to the release of Halo 3 (and any media related to it), the Unreal engine v3, and the next-gen version of Ratchet & Clank, I don't really know if there's anything worth looking forward to. Hence, I have my eyes glued to G4's coverage.

I'm stuck playing my original Xbox and PS2 for the next month. My 360 has fallen victim to the gremlins that most have. No, not the red rings of death, just a simple dying DVD-rom. I don't see what all the biotchings have been about. I called their tech support; 15 minutes later, I had an RMA and a box on the way to ship it to them. Admittedly, I'm not to happy with the turnaround time (5 days shipping the box, 5 days returning 360, 7 days in the shop, and 5 more days returning it back to me). But, I can't complain too much if this 30% failure rate is true. There's no proof in that #, but Microsoft has bitten the bullet, and announced yet another extension of the warranty to 3 years. I need a bigger hard drive. Yes, there is a seemingly continuous price drop in hardware, lately, (including the console drops), but I still have no desire to drop that much for a 360 Elite. I don't have HDMI, and won't anytime soon.

Also, I'm still trying to convince myself of a good reason to get a PS3. The discounted price and Heavenly Sword (along with other seemingly empty promises) just haven't been enough to convince me to make that type of "investment". Sony probably would have done a whole lot better if they had taken their time and waited a year for the game producers to get some games made. ...Oh, this is new..... I just found out that all future PS3's will not have the emulation chips for backwards compatibility. They're using a software solution this time around (like the 360). That blows. I hope that all games are backwards compatible and not just a select few (like Xbox titles). That has been Sony's bonus, in my opinion.

Ok. I've been trying to type this for too long. Not to mention, I went link happy in this post. I'm gonna get back to the end of this E3 coverage, then go to bed drooling over the all the hopefuls I might get to see in my local store in about 5 months.



l8rs.

Did I mention how much I like sake?

Mmmmm.... Nothing like taking the edge off with a bottle of sake. The sad thing is, I always end up drinking the whole bottle. Good thing I found one that's pretty cheap. ;) Speaking of Japanese influences, I won a contest! Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to spend my gift certificate on. I've always wanted one of those pvc figurines. Or, I could be nice and finish my sister's Madlax DVD set. My friend told me she wants Pocky. Either way, once I get home from work early enough, I'm sure I'll find enough to spend it on.

Speaking of, being on the patch (yes, I'm trying to quit smoking, again), I'm concentrating waaaay too hard when I sit in front of the 'puter. My usual mid-afternoon break no longer happens, so I catch myself leaving work between 7:30 and 8 the last 2 weeks. Oh, well. At least I'm finally concentrating on that project I've been devising over the last year.

Enuff of work. I've decided I need some sort of regimen in my spare time (and I need to try to keep up with this crazy blog), so I'm going to try to start commenting on specific genres during the week. One devoted to video games, one to computers, etc. Besides, I have a good list of other blogs I try to keep up with that I want to rant something or other about at least every couple of days. This should be the motivation to do that. Either this or I need to get off my arse and start working on the comic. Gotta pee.

....

Ahhh... better. I know; TMI. ;) Newayz, I'm gonna get back to my sake, and Outlaw Star (finally got it on DVD). This and Cowboy Beebop on the original Adult Swim many a years back is what turned me into the Anime fanatic that I am today.



l8rs.

Just because I refuse to let myself sleep.

My sleeping habits are getting worse. It needs to be rectified, and soon. But since I'm still awake....

I haven't been too keen on constant blogging lately. It's even been suggested that I take on one of those blog for money kinda things. Pfeh... money. Offer beer and food then we might talk. It's not like there isn't always something happening in my day worth poking fun at or ranting about. It's just that by the time I get home, the motivation for putting fingers to keyboard just isn't there.... Kinda like now. I keep switching tabs in my browser looking for anything to attract my attention. Oh, well. This didn't work out quite as intelligently as I wanted it to. Too bad I don't have any beer. Hey, maybe that's been my problem; I haven't had any in the fridge for pretty much the last too weeks. Good thing pay day's tomorrow. ;)

I was considering spending some quality time with Lady Croft, but I do have to go to work tomorrow. Guess I'll call it a night.



l8rs.

Keep drinking... maybe it'll get better...

You go to frikin' "Country" bar and you expect Country music and line dancing. Yeah... not tonight. Since I was in no mood to waste my evening playing video games, I got a wild hair up my butt and figured I've give Wild Bill's a chance so I didn't have to drive so far to Cowboys. That turned out to be a bust. I'll have to give props to the house band, however. They are very versatile in their set list. And good at it, too. I gotta get outta this city. I'm not a yuppie. I'm not country folk either, but still. I spent the last hour I was there sitting on the sideline drinking beer and praying for a line dance. I don't exactly consider Kennesaw a back-woods kinda town, but it's better than 5 miles outside the northeast side of the perimeter. The "perimeter" is Atlanta talk for "in town", BTW. I did score points with the 60+ some odd year old line dance teacher, and she gave me a half-price card to get in. Doubt I'll be going back, however. At least, I won't be going back by myself. It's definatly the older crowd that does the line dancing (which is the whole reason I go to "country" bars). Hell, other than that, the best I did was light some chick's smoke and buy her a beer. Didn't see her again for the rest of the evening (which didn't suprise me). Not like I really tried looking for her, either.

Being a white boy, you can't exactly drop your a$$ out on the floor and dance. You start looking like one of those desperate jokers similar to the Indian dude on the floor tonite. The poor sap didn't realize that everyone coming up to him was either giving him props for being so brave or making fun of him.

I gotta find some chick to go to dance clubs with me now that my sister is no longer in town. I miss having a bar/dance club crowd to hang with.

So, that was my waste of a Sat evening. How was yours? :(



l8rs.

Simple entertainment.

Isn't it interesting to notice the simple and stupid things we do to keep ourselves entertained while we drink?  I just noticed a group that strolled past my apartment that were headed to the pool.  How did I know the pool?  One of the chicks came back by wet in a towel.  Rawr!  ;)  Newayz....  Me?  I've only had a third of a bag of M&M's all day to eat, so three beers into the evening, I'm feeling pretty adventurous.  My hair has finally started to grow back out, so I decided to see how much I could get it to stick up (too much hair goop left in it from today).  For all you old schoolers, I look like Hair Bear.  ;)  w00+!  K.  Just felt like sharing.  I'm going to play video games, now.  :p~



l8rs.

Back in the fold.

I can't decide what's worse: making up work or catching up on recorded tv after being on vacation.  It's weird.  I actually went for 8 days with no internet, and amazingly enough, there were no withdrawal symptoms.  I've got pictures and a video from Bush Gardens, but I still need to pull them off the camera, so that'll have to be another post.

My gaming riduculousness has been crazy.  The TV season is more-or-less over (minus one or 2 shows), so all I have left to do is watch cartoons and play video games.  I wasted no time diving into G.U., Vol. 2.  After a plethora of late nighters, I completed the storyline in about a week and a half (or 2).  I've started watching the .Hack//Roots series to keep me occupied until Vol. 3 comes out this fall.  I guess with all the TV shows over (and only 2 new ones to keep up with for the summer, I can finally start catching up on my Anime.  Back to gaming.  I picked up Guitar Hero II last week (you know I couldn't go a week without having the 360 with me).  Let me tell you, that game R0X0RZ!!!1!1!!  It's a bit tricky at first, but after a couple of hours and a hand cramp later, you've worked your way through the medium difficulty.  Now I realize why I gave up on trying to learn guitar.  My fingers weren't meant to bend in those weird-ass patterns.  Either way, the game is extremely addictive.  My goal, if nothing else, is to be able to play "Jessica" (Skynyrd), "YYZ" (Rush), and "Miserlou" (Dick Dale) perfectly on the expert difficulty.  I better practice up.  "YYZ" and "Miserlou" kick my ass on medium.  ;)  "Jessica", I almost have.  So, today, Lady Croft resurfaces with the remake of the original Tomb Raider classic (newly titled "Tomb Raider Anniversary") using the "Tomb Raider Legend" engine.  Needless to say, I'll be stopping by GameStop on my way home.  ;)  I've been lucky enough to dig a few hours into the Halo 3 Beta, and let me tell you, the graphics on the next-gen hardware are astounding.  I'm a little dissappointed the the multiplayer is still nothing more than your typical multiplayer; but, Bungie has done a great job of improving the Matchmaking, Lobby, and post-game rollover into a new match.  You can now veto a map (majority rule, of course).  And... you are immediately kicked into a new match about 20-30 seconds after your previous one ends (you can, of course, cancel back out to the Lobby, if you prefer).  That fact that you don't have to go back to the Lobby to find a new game, if you don't want to, is impressive, to me.  The maps are beautifully designed.  You can tell there's still some minor tweaking in the graphics left (I hope).  This is a beta afterall.  the re-emergance of the Assualt Rifle is the most impressive touch to the weapons.  The Spartan Laser is "one shot, one kill" deadly, but you have to wait 5+ seconds for the damn thing to charge.  Not very useful in an 8 man Rumble Pit grudge match.  The new items (bubble shield, portable grav lift, etc.) are kinda cool, but I haven't really been able to survive long enough to figure out how to effectively use them.  I do like the new grenades; 'specially the Brute spike grenade.  Drops some serious damage if you can corner your enemy in a narrow tunnel (like the snow map). 

... Well, I thought I was going to get wet.  I dropped into Ribs and Blues for a late lunch/early dinner.  Looks like I was a day late in anticipating that rain that been creeping up from Central Fla since last week.  It was pouring a flood.  Luckily, this is Georgia, and the old saying still holds true, "If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes."

OK, enuff Halo drooling.  I need to make a list of some hardware I need purchased.  It'd probably be best if I get it done before I forget my "wish-list".



l8rs

Vacation!

45 more minutes to go....

I'm eagerly awaiting, and trying to find BS to do while counting down the last few minutes.  Hopefully, the requests will stay resolved, and nothing will break.  Then it's off to the Oakley store to see if they have those flops I wanted last year.  By this time tomorrow, I'll be half-way to my weekend destination of Bush Gardens.  Next week, I'll be getting some much needed sun and relaxation on the east coast beaches.  I swear I'm solar powered... and I've been in desperate need of a recharge for quite some time, now.

w00+!

BTW, if you listen to 'net radio, I'm sure you already know this, but visit SaveNetRadio.org.  The RIAA's been at it again.  They're backing this bill that went through Congress a little while back that ridicuously increased the royalty rates that "free" internet radio stations have to pay; most all stations will be put out of business if this bullshit gets finalized.  So there's this "Internet Radio Equality Act" trying to debunk it.  If you ever want to listen to something other than typical "airwaves" sanctioned radio stations on the internet, notify your Senate Representatives.  Even if you don't listen to 'net radio, give your Senators something useful to do.  ;)  Besides, it's already passed in the House.

Ok, I'm outtie.  That killed.... crap... only 14 minutes.  *sigh*.... 31 to go....



l8rs.

BTW, Halo 3 R0X0RZ!!!!11!111!!

Virtual identity crisis.

There are times when I'm note quite sure about continuing my virtual existance on the net. I mean, I can't decide if it's an extension of who I am in reality or if it's an escape from that reality. Other times I wonder if it's become nothing more than just a burden I've brought upon myself to continue to carry. What started almost 15 years ago as random appearances in an IRC chat room on a "Freenet" system has culminated into today's blogging and online commnunity memberships.

Maybe this existance and its transitions are just fads that I've eventually grown out of? Maybe I'm finally growing up into a more physically social person? Who knows?


All I do know is... I'm still here... and posting this.


On the lighter side, I will go ahead and admit, you won't see me again for at least a month. ;D .hack//GU Vol 2 was released today. I'll be picking up my copy tomorrow. Then, the Halo 3 Beta starts next week (May 16). Add that to my social obligations over the next couple of weekends and my vacation at the end of the month, I won't be posting again any time soon. But, hey, the next time you hear from me, I'll have experienced info on Halo 3. :D



l8rs

Return to virtuality.

I guess after such a hiatus of ignoring my blogging rants, I should at least return here ocassionally and let you guys know I'm still alive.  Work has been hectic.  The weather is getting more tolerable (which means I want to get out more).  Life in general is just busy.  But that doesn't mean I've been neglecting my gaming; well, not too much at least.  ;)

Since the end of the TV season is near and on temporary pause, I've been out of things to do during the week.  As I've stated earlier this year, I try not to get too involved in gaming during the week so I can make it to work at least by a decent hour the next day.  However, I've gotten really wrapped up in The Dresden Files on Sci-Fi.  Guess I'm going to have to start reading the books, now.  Speaking of books, I finally finished Harry Potter 4 (The Goblet of Fire) last night.  Lemme tell you, that ending was quite a bit different from the movie.  Before I get all wrapped up in the next one (The Half Blood Prince), I'm going to have to wait until I see the movie later this year.  In the meantime, I need to catch up on some of Steve Berry's other novels (read The Templar Legacy earlier this year) and try out his latest, The Alexandria Link (saw it in the Bookstore window on the way home from work the other day).  Also, I want to finish up The Vampire Chronicles (left off at book IV) and start up on The New Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice (in case you didn't already know that).  Then there's the Eragon series that has peaked my interest since seeing the movie.  Only problem with all this "need to do" reading is I only read on the train to and from work.  After toting around HP4, I refuse to lug around those 400+ page hard-back novelettes, again.  Guess that means it's back to reading Manga.  ;)  Might as well considering I haven't been keeping up with my Anime all that much lately (how shameful).  But, I'm totally hooked on Avatar on Nicktoons.  Still waiting on the last couple of episodes for the 2nd season.  My new found friend (Comcast's DVR) has helped with that.  Oh speaking of, remind me to look up .hack//Roots on Cartoon Network when I'm done here.  I was thumbing through this month's Newtype USA, and I found out they're running it.  Gotta get my fix until Vol.2 of GU comes out later this year.  :D

Skipping around again and back to games.  I will have to say that I've fulfilled my quota of pixilated boobies and jello physics.  I picked up both Dead or Alive Xtreme Vollyball 2 and Rumble Roses XX last week.  Obviously I've been playing them too much as I thought of a great script for the comic (Ch33zip00fz) comparing/contrasting these two last night while I was trying to fall asleep.  Guess I better write it down before I forget, since I seem to be having serious motivational issues with getting around to drawing everything.  :(  But my next two new gaming targets are Guitar Hero II and Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix.  I've decided that if I'm ever to get my friends to come over and game (since only one of them more than a recreational gammer like myself), I'll need something with a little more "party" pizazz.  Besides, I got my dad hooked on Gears of War.  He's played guitar for fun since he was in high-school (bought himself a G&L for Christmas a couple of years back), so I'm sure he'll be giddy as a school-girl with GH II.

That does it for this installment.  It's Friday.  I should be out partying, but I'm not.  I know, I'm lame.  All my friends are married or seriously dating.  They have lives.  I don't.  LOL!  Looks like I'm sitting down with TMNT and Crackdown tonight.  Oh, yeah.  I broke down and dropped the $60 so I could have the Halo 3 Beta.  I'm sad, I know.  I'm still torn about the whopping $130 for the Halo 3 Legendary Edition, but I'll probably end up eventually reserving it instead of just the game, anyway.  I need therapy... that or a girlfriend.  But therapy's too expensive and girls are nothing but trouble.  LOL!



l8rs.

Another day older... a little more crustier.

:D

So more crustier is not correct grammer, but screw it.  It's my birthday.  Well, it was.  So how do I spend a Monday b-day?  Hot wings and beer a one of my favorite eateries, Taco Mac.  w00+!  Plus, I've re-kindled some old friendships.  They've been more like family to me in the past, so it's endaring to be in good terms again.  It's not that we ever were on bad terms; I've just been a badly un-communicative friend.

Enuff of the sapiness.  Today's was a good day.  St Patties was a good weekend.  I saw this really cool poster at a bar, but I can't find the image anywhere.  It translated "I shamrock Guinness".  :D  Schweet!  So I held up my yearly tradition of having a pint of Guinness.  Didn't hit an Irish pub or anything.  The big one in town is usually packed on a normal weekend; I couldn't imagine going down there for St Patties.

In all its old-age glory, that was my night (and weekend).  I was thinking of working on God of War II a little more tonight (been playing it since last Thurs), but I do still need to be at work at a decent time tomorrow (even though it is Spring Break).  There's just something so theraputic about beating a Harpie to death with its own arm after ripping it off.  ;)



l8rs.

Nothing but re-runs...

...and my Tuesdays have been replaced with what?  Veronica Mars is not on, but Pussycat Dolls/the Next Doll, is?  Yeah... no.  Even Stargate SG-1 is a re-run.  I'm done working (yes, I'm doing work this late, again).  I was thinking of being productive (you know... those things called "cleaning" and "organization"?), but 2 glasses of wine changed that real fast.  ;)

So... where did I leave off?  Oh, yeah!  .... wait... I just have to cringe everytime that damn Quizzno's commercial comes on.  That ditzy chick at the end of the commercial with her shrilling... giggle, or whatever that is... just chills me to the bone.  15 minutes of stupidity fame.  Gotta love this society.  ....Anyway.  Gamer's wish list for the summer (since I can't think of anything more practical to rant on):

• DOAX 2 (360) (been out for a while)
    - yes, I'm a sap for jello physics  ;)
• God Of War 2 (PS2) (tonight, so going to pick it up tomorrow)
• Command and Conquer 3 (PC) (Mar 28)
• Bioshock (360) (Spring 2007)
• !!!!! .hack//G.U. Vol 2 !!!!! (PS2) (Q3 2007 <- what kind of stupid date is that; why don't they just say "for Christmas"?!)
• !!!!! Halo 3 !!!!! (360) (not official, but October)
• Halo Wars (?) (no frikin' clue; 2008?)
• and, duh, Tomb Raider Anniversary (May 2007)

I know there are others; I just can't think right now.  Need more whine.  ;)  Ok, going to practice my God of War sk1llz for tomorrow's continuation.  :D  BTW, I love my new DVR and HD!!!  Now I can watch Avatar and Naruto!  ;D

Summer bookworm list next (maybe).  Since I don't have a PSP, yet, I gotta have something to do while I'm on "sMARTA".



l8rs.

I really should get out... less...

It's been a month?  Wow.  Guess I've been having too much fun with my tax return.  :)  I went a little overboard with my purchases.  Let's see.  I went clothes shopping with my cousins on one of their birthdays... and actually had fun.  I've increased my game stock... again.  Hmmmm, what else?  Been too lazy to go to the grocery store, so I've been eating out.  ...and at this current moment in time, I have a giggling 5 year-old leaning over my laptop that is extremely fascinated with the blue touchpoint mouse.  ;)

OK, all that's over.  Everything's been a little nutters (my new fav word - from the Harry Potter series).  Work has just been absolutely swamped.  I'm now in charge of all internal network and security auditing and scanning.  I've always wanted to do network security.  Now?  Not so much.  It's depressing.  All you do is spend all day finding out what's wrong with your environment, then you have to tell everyone else how to fix it.  I definately won't be considering this as a future full time option anymore.  Needless to say, I've just managed to start catching up on the last 3 weeks worth of work today.  I'm hoping to be pretty close by Friday.

Either way, I'm taking vacation during Spring Break.  1. It begins St. Pattie's Day.  2. I'm in dire need for some warm weather.  3. My sanity is becoming very brittle.  Funny thing is, my boss actually noticed it this time around.

So, what is happening in the gaming world?  I know they say, "third time's a charm", but I gave up on the Halo Beta.  Didn't feel like buying a game I didn't know much about.  Instead, I'm back on my Final Fantasy kick.  I started playing Dirge of Cerebus.  Neat little storyline.  Always wanted to know more about Vincent's past.  FF XII is progressing nicely.  Slowly, but nicely.  I finished up Lost Planet.  I so totally got my dad hooked on Gears of War.  That was hilarious.  He's now calling me, "What was the name of that game, again?"  "When's the next time you're coming down?  Can you bring the 360 with you?"  :D  LOL!  Oh, and I've upgraded to HD, finally.  Let me tell you... it makes a WHOLE world of difference.

My train of thought has now jumped tracks as I'm trying to watch Jericho (not like I need another new show to watch).  Well, I now have DVR, too, so I've become one of those ppl.  ;)  At least I get to watch my Adult Swim, again.  Oh, one last thought.  Target movies and dvds for the spring and summer:

• Casino Royale (now)
• Bridge to Terabithia (now)
• 300 (now)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (3/23)
• Meet the Robinsons (3/30)
• .hack//ROOTS (4/3)
• Spiderman 3 (5/4)
• Pirates of the Carribean 3 (5/25)
• Paprika (5/25)
• Knocked Up (6/1)
• Ocean's 13 (6/8)
• Fantastic Four 2 (6/15)
• Nancy Drew (6/15)
• DOA: Dead or Alive (6/22)
• Transformers (7/4)
• Harry Potter 5 (7/13)
• The Simpsons Movie (7/27)
• The Bourne Ultimatum (8/3)
• Resident Evil: Extinction (9/21)
• The Eye (10/12)

I'll do a gamer's wish list next post.



l8rs.

Vista-rific? (part 2)

So, yeah... I followed through with the re-install.  But I waited till about 3:30p before I started.  3 hours later (not paying attention, mind you), I'm still at work.  I finally left, and, over-all, I'm not all that dissapointed... so far.  Of course, I haven't really started doing any of my typical administrative tasks.  ;)  There is one thing I didn't think about until I got home: how am I going to use GnuCash to balance my checkbook?  Dumbass.  Now I've got to bring my old laptop online so I can do this.  Problem is, I left all the data backed up on a server at work.  Yeah, I really shouldn't go out during the week.  I'm killing way too many needed brain cells.  :)

Awite, I'm gonna piddle around with this a little more (get the basic apps installed), then I'm off to play Final Fantasy XII for the rest of the night.



l8rs.

Vista-rific!

It's funny.  I've actually been running the same OS on my laptop for going on 4 months, now, without a re-install.  Hang on... lemme thing about that.... Yeah, that's about right.  This is a rather uncommon occurance for me, and I'm not quite sure how to handle that thought.  Ever since the realease of Vista 2 weeks ago, I've considered, time and again, making it my main OS.  I'm finding myself going back to my VMware'd Windows XP to do more things.  Since I'm running Fedora, I can't exactly test compilations and applications for the systems at work (they run Red Hat Enterprise).  Using Linux out of stubborness is becoming less and less worth it.  I just refuse to dual boot; that's a pain in the ass.  Besides, I miss my power management.  And I won't have to boot a special kernel every time I want to use the wireless card.

Yes.  I think today is the day I head down the path towards assimilation; at least, until Red Hat Enterprise 5 is released at the end of the month.  ;)  Besides, my concentration today is scattered, at best.  That's what I get for going out to Cowboys last night.... and they had Bud Light half off.  Ouch.



l8rs.

Don't feel like doing squat.

You ever have one of those days where you just don't feel productive at all?  Yeah.  Today is that day for me.  I came into work (an hour late, as usual), answered a few requests, then just started surfing the web.  I totally forgot to check my email until a co-worker walked in my office asking about something they'd emailed me on Friday.  Whoops.  Good thing there was nothing important in my Inbox.  :)

I've been peeved with Bungie all frikin' day.  Remember how I was trying to get in on the Halo 3 beta?  Yeah, today is the sign-up day.  They've been pussyfooting around in getting the registration link up.  I've been having to keep checking the site all day.  I've been doing it since midnight last night.  I've signed up; now, hopefully, I made the 13,333 list (missed a 2 hour window in checking).  I had to cut my online play back unexpectedly due to an unscheduled trip back home this weekend.  The fat dog has an ugly scab on her head that hasn't healed, yet.  I'm a little worried, so I left her with my parents for the week to take to the vet (I have such awesome parents).  She normally only goes to the vet for a checkup about once every year and a half, so I never bothered finding one here.   Hopefully the "grandparents" won't spoil her too much.  If I'm lucky, she'll only gain about 10 lbs while she's there.  ;)  Anyway, I think I got my 3hrs worth of online play in, but I'm not totally sure.

(2 hrs later)
Well... looks like I actually ended up finding something to keep me busy after all.  Time to go home.  ;)



l8rs.

Cleaning up my life.

Dude, I am STOKED!!

All this dealing with hard times and suffering is starting to pay off. My life is finally starting to get back into check. I just payed off 2 credit cards, along with most of my bills, and there's still a good chunk of change left in my bank account. My yearly raise kicked in this month (which was better than I thought it would be). It's been close to 6 weeks since I've seen a paycheck, so it's nice to have money, again. I went to lunch yesterday not realizing I didn't get paid 'till midnight. Checking my balance enlightned me that I wouldn't be pulling anything out of the atm with my $1.31 balance. Good thing I had $4 in my pocket and generous friends with me. ;) What's even better is I filled out my tax return, and I'm getting a phat check from the IRS. Since I'm horrible with finances, I tend to let them keep my money throughout the year so I can buy cool toys after each filing. With the return, I should be able to pay off a 3rd card. That leaves me with one card (the home entertainment upgrade from last fall) and my Jeep loan (which is paid off in June). After that, I'll be pretty much debt free! Yes, folks, all those tv talkers are right: you too can be debt free! LOL! My way was probably harder than what any of them had in mind, but I don't believe in easy money. ;)

So part 2 of my stoke-ed-ness is midnight tonite marks the beginning of phase 2 for the Halo 3 beta eligibility. I have to play Halo 2 on Xbox Live! for 3 hours, then sign up. They're taking the first 13000 (it's open till midnight Sat, but I'm pretty sure it will fill up before then). What's even cooler is I cornered my boss yesterday to ask him if I could show up late because of the marathon... and he said YES! How many ppl working full-time "real world" jobs have a cool-ass boss that would let you do that. Admittedly, he was cracking jokes to my co-workers at my expense for the next hour, but it's still so frikin' cool!

Part 3: I'm finally "officially" calling it quits with smoking. I'm slowly weening my way off the habit. I've found I can go without the nicotine for extremely long periods; it's just the act of smoking I'm having issues with. Of course, I just finished one (my second for the day), and it made me sick to my stomach. bleauck. ... uh, brainfart. Hmmm... it's hard to type and try to carry a conversation on the phone at the same time. ;)

Well, on that note, I'm gonna go be more stoked (LOL) for the next hour before I start gaming. :D Oh, and my sleeping is starting to get better; sort of. I'm making myself start packing up for bed around 11p, so I'm usually laying there by 11:30p. In this, I'm usually out by midnight. Wow. Who woulda thought it coulda been that easy? ;) I'm still not showing up to work on time, but I'm working on making myself get up earlier. That's always been a problem with me (even when I was a kid). It's just a matter of programming. Ok, I'm outtie.



l8rs.

"This is no job for a spork."

Oh, boy. The delerium is kicking in.... LOL! Those goofy late night commercials. Hahahah...

I haven't slept right since I got back from Christmas break. I've spent the last 3 weeks working from home at least 2 days a week because I can't seem to make myself go to bed before 3am. Then I end up fighting with or sleeping through the alarm clock until somewhere around 10:30a. By that point I wake up in a panic. Cuervo needs to go out. I'm extremely late for work. What phone calls have I missed? What important emails have gone out? I need coffee!! Heheh. It's funny in a sense if you look at it. See? Delerium. ;)

And this is why I don't make resolutions every year. If I had said I wanted to start working more like a normal person, I'd have already blown that resolution waaaaay out of the water. Hehe... and now those match.com commercials... you know the ones... the crazy first dates. Woo hoo! LOL. Damn, and I haven't even been drinking much lately, either. Maybe that's the problem. Of course, I have been smoking a whole lot more. Well, more for me, anyway. I'm still under half a pack a day on Ultra Lights. But, smoking is still bad for you. :p~

So, long story short, I'm watching really, really, old X-Files re-runs on Sci-Fi instead of playing video games. Of course, if I don't pass out soon, I'm gonna start Final Fantasy XII. No, I haven't bought it, yet. I lucked out; it was at Blockbuster tonight.

This blows. I'm exhausted, and have been all day. Awite, since I can't go to sleep, I'm going to get more smokes.



l8rs.

Ever rampant insomnia.

I guess I'm just destined to never sleep normal. I passed out around 8ish, but I only slept about 2 hours. I've been struggling to go back to sleep ever since. So, I'm catching up on my anime. I've found a couple of new series on On-Demand. Ikki Tousen (total fan-service, chick kicking-ass type), Samurai Girl Real Bout High School (same thing), and Boys Be... (drama, chick anime).

So, about the Monster Truck Jam.... ;) I have never felt like such a redneck... rooting on giant trucks with over-sized tires. IT WAS A BLAST! LOL! If you've never been, you must go. It was hilarious. Grave Digger pulled off one of the most radical freestyle crushes I've ever seen. And he never even flipped the thing over. I was actually a big fan of it when I was a kid. Big Foot was the greatest thing ever. But between the multitude of whooping and hollering fans (amazingly, there were people of all genres) and the roaring of thousands of alcohol-induced horsepower, it was a total testosterone-fest. I'll, more than likely, never go to another one, but I did have fun.

Well, back to anime (Great Teacher Onizuki); and, maybe, I'll make it to work on time tomorrow.



l8rs.

Still awake...

as usual. I need a 28 hour day. I'm usually awake for 18-20 hours, but I like to sleep for about 8-10. Actually, what I really need to do is start making myself slow down about 2 hours before I need to go to bed. I just go balls to the wall all day and all night. Nights usually consist of long gaming hours, but I've gotten better at making myself quit by midnight during the week. I need to shoot for 10p or 11p, I guess. So here I am trying to kill time, hoping maybe I can just stay awake the whole night. I need to stop off at the MARTA headquarters tomorrow AM and get my pass replaced anyway. I just haven't had the best of luck with magnetized cards lately. I somehow managed to de-magnetize my Disney Park Hopper (Christmas vacation) before the first day. It only took about 2 min to get it replaced, so not that big of a deal. Now, I've managed to do the same with my MARTA pass this month. I'll be glad when work finally switches us over to the new rifid system MARTA's using.

I'm going to come out and say it, finally. I am so done with Windows. Having access to a Microsoft MSDN subscription, I've been lucky enough to play with the Betas and have an advanced RTM (release to manufacturers) copy. It's designed for my laptop, but I've put so much effort into getting Fedora Core 6 running, I'm not ready to part with it, yet. Good thing, too. I dropped Vista on my home PC (I just keep Windows around so I can stream music and videos to the 360) this weekend. I've had nothing but issues trying to access my NAS. This new TCP stack (in non-geek speak: networking features) is ridiculous. Of course, I wanted to install the Home Premium edition (with the Media Center integrated), but the only licenses we have access to are for the Business version. Our tests at work have gone very well. Vista Business and Ultimate run beautifully in an Active Directory environment. However, now that I'm trying to use it at home, oh, it's a whole different ballpark. Luckily, `robocopy` is now a standard application (advanced replacment command-line application for `xcopy` previously only available through resource kits). Every time I try to access the NAS, Explorer locks up and never comes back from la-la land. I have liked the new Sidebar and Aero interface since I first saw it, tho. And, Vista now includes a Photo Gallery, Calendar, and Contacts application, which are really easy to use. I never was able to get my iPAQ running Pocket PC 2003 to sync as of RC2, but that's about the time Core 6 was released, so I didn't really spend that much time with it. Vista is now in the hands of our Windows admin at work. I'm trying to get out of as much Windows support as possible and move more towards Linux. Getting back to the original problem: at least I'm now able to get my files off the NAS (I only use it as a back up, anyway); although, it is taking forever. In a nutshell, if you're thinking of upgrading, think twice. All you'll get over XP is a new Start Menu, prettier windows, and 3 new applications. And if you're lucky, like me, a major headache trying to access network shares on your home network. Half of the important stuff built-in to Vista can be downloaded and installed onto XP (like IE 7, Media Player 11, and Windows Defender). And XP is going to be supported for another 3-5 years. Wait and let the companies that create your favorite applications (like PhotoShop, et. al.) catch up. Besides, I think there will be another major hardware boom to challenge the Core Duo's either this summer or next fall. Me? I'm sticking to Red Hat, Fedora, and possibly Ubuntu.

Wow, that gripe wasn't supposed to last that long. Game-wise, since I've, for the most part, completed Ninety-Nine Nights, I've gone back to playing Final Fantasy X-2. I'm going to see if I can't get it finished by the end of the month. Lost Planet for the 360 comes out Friday, and I'm either going to get it or Final Fantasy XII next month. BTW, I'm looking for a copy of Soul Calibur II for the PS2 if anyone knows where I can find one for cheap (new or used, I don't care). After this last episode with GameStop, and with their continually increasing prices lately, I'm not too happy with them anymore. Speaking of new games, I'm dying to get .hack // G.U. Vol. 2. Vol. 3 (final of the trilogy) is set for release in Japan next week, but there's still no release date, yet, for Vol. 2 Stateside. However, in my searching tonight, I've noticed that there's a DVD for this storyline that goes along with the game, .hack // Roots, that's scheduled for release Mar 20. W00+! Birthday present!

Ok, I think I've managed to kill enough time here. I can go catch up on my On-Demand Anime for the rest of the morning till I have to leave for work, now that my Comcast box is working, again. You know, I would think that this is common knowledge, at least with those dumbass contractors they hire for installs and repairs. There's this thing call modulation degredation that happens once you split out your signal. It was one of the basics I learned in my early Electrical Engineering courses in college. But then again, cable companies have been dealing with this problem for years. This was fairly common knowledge when I was a kid: "Don't use more than one 2-way splitter on the tv cable or the picture gets all fuzzy." Of course, you can split it more these days since they're pumping a much higher frequency through the lines with HD and internet and all. But, my point in all this, my box stopped working just before I left for vacation. I didn't have time to worry about why until actually this past weekend. I figured the box just finally died (I've had it a good 4-5 years). No, one of those dipshit contractors came out and moved my primary line to an overloaded 5-way splitter. Now I have to call them to come out and fix it because they don't have the damn things labled. I could probably do it during one of my 4am late nights, but I'm not going to go unplugging everyone in the complex's cable just to figure out which line is mine. I'll just deal with the cable running from the spare bedroom for now (it's out of the way for the most part). Ok, enuff bitching.



l8rs.

Just an NPC. Dammit.

It's been awhile. Sorry about the lack of posts. I've been holed up playing video games all week. Yes, I said week, not weekend (my work and sleep schedule went to shiot last week). I guess I just had to catch up on all the game time I missed around Christmas. Blockbuster is now allowing you one coupon every couple of weeks for a free in-store movie or game rental. Schweet, but I'm still gonna have to end up subscribing to Gamefly, soon. Blockbuster's available titles (at least the one I go to) either suck, or I've played all the good ones. Newayz, I picked up Chrome Hounds on Tues. The graphics were nice, the environment was massive, but the soundtrack sounded like something from a mililary funeral procession. I felt so depressed every time I wasn't blowing up the nearest target. So my take on this is it's Microsoft's replacement for the MechWarrior series... which the origianl Xbox titles still haven't been "ported" to play on the 360 emulator (those fsckers). This was a different publisher, however, so the Mechs are now called HOUNDS and have what are called AT classes instead of individual names (but the "Mad Cat" was such an awesome Mech!). The storylines are kinda... well, blah to put it best. I think it's just there to gain parts as you complete quests so you can build your own badass HOUND for some butt-kicking on Xbox Live!. I got to goofing around and created a "Soldier AT" I dubbed "Buttmunch". This thing was frikin wicked! Then I created a "Sniper AT" named "The Almighty" (reference to the sniper code-named "God" in the movie Navy Seals with Charlie Sheen). Ok, I was wrong, you can name them, but in the stories, they don't have names. Either way, an alright game. This is not one I'll be dropping more than 15-20 bucks for; I'll just wait till it goes Platinum status. Maybe I've been spoiled by Tomb Raider Legend and the Halo 3 previews, but I expect more than this game offered in my next-gen titles (the original Xbox hardware could probably handle this game). My overall play time was about 2 nights, so I've still got quite a few quests to finish when I finally do buy it. :)

Originally, I was searching for was Ninety-Nine Nights (N3). Unfortunately, Blockbuster's copy was no longer in stock (guess someone decided to not return it), so that's why I got Chrome Hounds, instead. The next day, however, I was at GameStop searching for my own copy of N3. With the demo, I fell in love with the massivly emersive envrionment and the fact that there were 500+ some-odd enemies and allies on the screen at the same time (with little to no lag)! Now that is how you take advantage of next-gen hardware! :D So my usual GameStop had one on the shelf (I had to search like hell for it), but not behind the counter. I should have taken this as an omen. But they guy called the store at the mall, and they had plenty. They were even $10 bucks cheaper than what I was about to pay for this one. This turned out to be yet another reminder as to why I hate (with an ugly passion) malls. You circle the lot looking for a parking spot. BTW, who the hell pays $6 for valet parking at a mall!? Then, once you finally find a spot, you traverse to the opposite side of the damn thing ('cause you didn't know which side the store was on to begin with) while avioding post-pubescent, vally-girl wannabe's, talking about the color of some sweater they have and the high-school junior/senior boy trying oh so hard to hook up with the two girls that only asked him along to carry all their packages. You spend all of 45 seconds to a minute and a half in the store (since you know what you're there for), only to have to traverse thru "Oh, do I wanna go in this store? Nah.", not paying attention, cell phone alley, again, just to get back to the parking lot you're in. This leads way to yet another reminder: I shouldn't be living where I live. My crusty dingy Jeep (keep in mind, it's had a non-rainstorm bath about twice in its life - it's a 2000) was surrounded by an Altima, an Acura, and a Lexus, all freshly washed and shined. If only online ordering were quicker with their deliveries (without having to spend as much in shipping as you payed for the item). An hour later from what I originally planned, I finally got home.

Great game; however, it has its downsides, also. The creators pushed the engine so hard (tons of enemies and allies, massive environmental damage, and graphical "ooo's" and "ahhhh's" with the cool move you just executed), that there is eventually a point at which the lag gets so bad you have to wait on the processor to catch up. That only happened one, tho. The basic concept is you feed thru the storyline. But, depending on which of the 7 characters you choose (you start with one choice, but more "unlock" as the game progresses), there's a different ending based on that character's, shall we say, influence, for lack of a better word, on the battles. The 7th character is supposed to be a "bonus" that becomes available once all the other storylines are complete. *** SPOILER WARNING!! *** Of all the crapass choices for a bonus character they could choose from all the cools NPC's from the other storylines, you get VigkVagk the troll!? His ending is pretty cool, tho. :) He just goes beserk and kills everyone (both light and dark sides) to end the war. You'll have to play the game to understand why he goes beserk. In Myifee's scenario there's this really hot chick in scanty lether and fur called Epharr. Dude, she was a badass. I wanted her to be the bonus. But, she only showed up in Asphar's story and briefly, at that. SPOILER END. There's not an Xbox Live! tie-in, so once you finish all the stories, all that's left is keep replaying to get a higher "ranking" for each mission and collecting points to view all the stuff in the "Library" menu section (pictures and character profiles). Speaking of, come to think of it, I don't think I've even competed on Live! since I purchased the 360 (other than a couple of Halo 2 matches). You can tell this was originally a Japanese game cause the voice-overs sooo don't match the character's mouths. But, I think I recognize two of the male character voices. One sounded like that guy from General Hospital that voiced "Cloud" in the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children movie. The other I don't know specifically, but it sounded famalier; like I had heard it in one of my anime series, or something. Overall? Pretty frikin cool! But, their marketing's "Rich story and unparalleled depth" comment I'll have to argue with. Even Final Fantasy X-2 (as cheezy as it has been) is more "rich" and "unparalleled". That part's pretty average if you ask me. But, I don't do, nor do I like game reviews. "Try it out and find out for yourself" is my motto.

So where does the title fit into all this? Dunno; just thought it sounded cool. Maybe because I was a little peeved that I didn't get to play N3 as Epharr. ;)



l8rs.

HAPPY (?) New Year

I feel like I should say something inspirational or reflect on the past year or something. In all honesty, I've haven't felt like being much more than a bump on a log today. I wish I could blame it on a hangover or the cold bug that's going around. Hey, don't get me wrong. It's been a great year, and Disney was a blast!

So, why do I feel so lethargic today? I guess it's the sinking feeling that my vacation is over, and I must return to the 9-5 of reality tomorrow, that's bumming me out.

I've been home long enuff to realize that the one apartment I share a wall with has decided to drop their newly upgraded HD Dish outside my living room window... I'm not sure if I'm OK with this, yet.... Also, in the midst of watching Tech loose in the last few minutes of the Gator Bowl, I've discoved that my cable box has finally bitten the dust (it was giving me fits before I left but I was able to get it to come back). I'll have to give Taylor Bennett some serious credit, tho. Since Reggie Ball screwed up and was academically ineligible to play (I was actually kinda happy to hear this), Bennett came off the bench and performed beautifully. It all came down to inexperience, tho. You can tell he buckled under the pressure at the end throwing his only interception in the last 4 minutes.

At least I've been a bit productive and paid almost all my bills for the month (and still have cash left over, for once). Other than that, I've been lying in bed watching my Full Metal Panic! FUMOFFU fansubs for the rest of the afternoon. The title didn't make sense untill about the 5th episode. What the hell is "bunta-kun", anyway? I think "-kun" translates as "Mr." AnimeNfo.Com calls this tard-of-a-teddy-bear-kinda-thing (seems to have a "Barney"-esk type of roll) Bonta-kun. So, I guess my question should go more like: Is Bonta its name or is the literal translation of "bunta-kun" something like "Mr. Bear"? Don't ponder on that one too hard. ;)

Awite, lemme get back in the swing of things, and, maybe, I'll carry on about my Disney trip later this week. First I need to call Comcast and get my box replaced (and upgrade to HD and DVR in the process).



l8rs.