Cernunnos Morrigu

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

10:48 am It's Not An Addiction!

I can stop buying toys and games any time. Unless there's a sale. Or something really neat. Or something really neat on sale.

There's something new here.

I went out and got a couple more games and a new toy last night....

Bee Movie Game
Spider-Man 3
Call of Duty 2 GotY
Pirates of the Caribbean
Surf's Up
Cars
DiRT
Amped 3
Quake 4
Ridge Racer 6
Children of Mana

Aaaand....

( Something new )

Current Mood: hungry

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

09:01 am SubtleT

Ok, I know I developed a reputation at one point for being subtle and sarcastic in my humor.

Lately, it just seems like I'm not finding people who appreciate whatever my current humor mode is.

Example 1:
1337 CH CM

( For the humor impaired )

Example 2:
TSIA

( For the humor impaired )

Soo.... It's not just me, right? Right?

Current Mood: annoyed

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Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

10:32 am Toys, Toys, Toys..... Toys!

First, let's actually see the games.

games

Games being organized.

PSP UMD

UMD and PSP on shelf, in back.

360

360 games lined up.

360

Adding the 360 games to the shelf.

games

Added the PS2 and some PS1 games to the shelf.

---

Now, onto the new toy.

I went from
tube

Panasonic 42" Plasma
entertainment center

It was a nice deal from BB. $1100 to start. Adding the $150 installation took $300 off the price. And there's a $200 rebate. So, about $820 after tax. Not bad. I could have gotten one closer to the one I really want (which is $3K) by spending twice as much, but I figured this would do for a secondary display. I still need to figure out switching/multiplexing.

The delivery took about 2 mins, after the 5 phone calls over the weekend. The installation was a separately-scheduled thing, which was dumb. It was also not worth the price. The guy came in, unboxed it, helped me move the tube to the floor (where it still sits - anyone interested in it?), set it up on the stand, moved it to the entertainment center, and plugged in the inputs I specified. I then turned each console on in turn while he manned the remote (lots of work, there) to switch inputs. Everything worked except cable, to which he shrugged and said "oh well, anything else before I go?" and left. Total time was about 20 mins. No calibration, no detailed setup process, just the absolute minimum.

It was quite the surprise when they came over and saw it. In any case, it works well, has a nice bright, vivid picture, and is plenty good for using when the projector isn't suitable or for multitasking\dual play.
---

And... I hit 22,222 gamerscore.

22,222

I was playing DDRU2 and saw that I was at 22,202. The either of the next 2 achievements I was trying for would get me 20 more, so I went for it. Took quite a few tries to get that challenge completed, but I did it and then stopped for the night.

We ended up playing a little Burnout Paradise online, where I helped but did not drive. Then some Rock Band.

---

There we have it.

Current Mood: chipper

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Sunday, April 13th, 2008

04:54 pm Games List

We just spent some time doing a fresh catalog including most of my games.

( Games List )

And yes, it has to do with my meeting yesterday. All friendly-challenge-like.

Current Mood: accomplished

Thursday, April 10th, 2008

08:51 am Pics Cards Scroll

I finally have some pics up to show off....

( Uncut pictures )

So... yeah. A bunch of cards, etc. I haven't opened a bunch of it still, some of it wasn't mine. Haven't taken pictures of all of it yet. I need more boxes to organize. And time devoted to doing so. I have checklist spreadsheets, but still need to work out the DB and scripts.

Current Mood: accomplished

Monday, April 7th, 2008

01:17 pm Knew No Taxes

I did the improbable.. my own taxes. I used one of the irs.gov recommended online tax thingies (technical term). Total cost was $14 and some time. Not bad at all, considering last year's was $200. And I eFiled, already got the confirmation emails back that fed and state were both accepted, and should have my returns direct deposited at some point soon. All in all, not too bad. I tried using the paper forms, something I do not recommend. It did help work out some of the numbers, but I mostly used my copy of last year's for guidance.

We saw Horton..., it was okay. And 10,000, which wasn't. Also went to a soccer game, which would have been a bit more fun if we weren't high the bleachers with a strong chilly wind nearly constantly blowing on us. It still wasn't bad.

I spent some time organizing and checklisting cards, so I'm going to have to input all that into spreadsheets and/or my upcoming online DB. It will be nice to have that, but it's a bit more work than I recall. I watching some various TV shows and misc videos, the only new thing of interest was Bus Gamer, which may end up being something worth keeping track of.

I'm in a Battle of the Bands in Rock Band between LAG, LeMed, and some other site(s). I'm evidently leading the 2nd LAG band, but we haven't even decided on instruments yet. I'll probably end up on vocals. Still Alive is a blast to play, BTW.

I finished Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 already, although there are quite a few achievements left. I went back and played some more R6V, and even some COD3 for variety. fun stuff.

It was such a nice day yesterday that I opened the windows. I even went so far as to unbox my hitch and determine that I won't be installing it by myself. Also did laundry and dishes. It was productive and relaxing.

Today, work. Not too bad, just finishing up some scripting and attempting to start tests some time today. Did some Burnout Paradise over lunch. CH later. RB tomorrow night.

Current Mood: awake

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

02:36 pm Colours

I watched Terry Pratchett's Colour Of Magic last night. In short, it is worth seeing. After the rocking Hogfather, however, it was a letdown.

The worst parts for me were the actor re-use in different character roles and the lack of actors in same role between them. Add to that the Patrician (plus associated scenes) seemed wholly wrong to me, and I wasn't fond of Rincewind to begin with. However, Twoflower and the Librarian (even with the re-use) were good and Cohen was near-perfect (only lacking in the occasional LOOK). Death was off. Tim Curry was a surprise.

It has been awhile since I read this and the other Rincewind books, so I won't vouch for accuracy. The story pretty much worked, although there were some rough spots I didn't care for.

I would like to see Mort, the ones where Vimes is the main character, and my favorites - Soul Music and Good Omens... If they're done up to Hogfather spec.

In any case, I'm sure I'll go ahead and buy it next year when it comes out on disc here.

---

AFD has been interesting, with Google, Blizzard, and ThinkGeek winning from what I've seen. The MS one was lame. Kotaku's cake thing was interesting, and there were a few others that were okay.

---

Got Rainbow Six Vegas 2 for about $40 used, someone had already traded it in for some reason. Wow, did that grab me. I've been working on getting through the story mode so far, with some MP definitely in the future, as it's the hot LAG game right now. I had been playing COD4 again, but I'll probably go back to R6V1 after this.

---

I know there's more, but I'm lacking in mental forefrontness at the moment. I think we're seeing Horton Hears A Who tonight after Chinese, then 10,000 BC on Thurs.. Maybe after Thai.

Oh, Taxes are still coming along... I remember now why I have other people do them for me usually. Still Alive was released today as free DLC for Rock Band, which I hope to have a chance to play tonight. We did play the free DLC for Guitar Hero III the other night, which was neat. And we've been opening cards and organizing them - more work than I remembered. I still need to finish checklisting them.

Off to a meeting.

Current Mood: busy

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

08:09 am Mort Or Ium?

I agree that the biz is getting in the way of the community, so I'll make no big sacrifice by not posting tomorrow. Fridays are bad for comments, anyway.

We bought Beck last night at BB. The vol 1 kit that looks like an amp? $15. Vols 3 and 4? $10 each. Vol 2? $20. WTF? We asked, waited, and were finally given Vol 2 for $10 as well. 5 and 6 were $20, so not sure if I want to play the waiting game on them or just keep them. 15, 10, 10, 10, 20, 20. That's $85 for all of beck, with the guitar picks and amp, etc. Not great, and I'm sure there will be a slimpack soon for $40, but much better than initial retail was.

Also, Microcenter appears to have bought out some CompUSA clearance stuff. I may go back for some case fans, but all I found otherwise was a USB PCMCIA adapter for RedneckNinja and some CD sleeves just to help with disc transport.

The CCG orders appear to be processing, so I expect a boatload of cards in next week. I really need to get rid of the older MTG cards and such to make room at some point. Need to note to self on that one.

Still haven't approached taxes. I figure I'll give in next week and at least bring the documents to look over.

Set up remote play PSP->PS3. It's neat. I need to reset my firewall and set up the ports for it to work outside my place, but the ability to lay in bed and watch video from the PC through the PS3 on the PSP is neat. I suppose I'll try playing Lair at some point. Now, if I could just use that connection to organize my files....

Oh yeah, I found a DB backup that I restored so the Pirates stuff is back up. Out of date, since Revolution was the last one in there. But I don't have to start from scratch. I'm slowly getting back into working on the websites.

If the weather can stay a bit warmer, I'm going to try to put the hitch on the Jeep. This may not end well. I've seen the bicycles starting to come out more often, and I want to at least commute to work and back once on my bike. The hitch/rack will make the midnight ride a bit easier, as well. I just need to keep reminding myself of these points and get to it.

Had a couple late nights, so I'm a bit drifty. I'm hoping I can grind through these last couple days and relax on the weekend. With a reset over the weekend, maybe I can get into the taxes on Mon, and carry momentum into other projects during the week.

There are still a few domain issues, and some DBs to set up, but I did find some other data backups from my sites that I should be able to restore. I'm annoyed with myself that I could have had these up right after the incident. Ah well, as long as they come back, I didn't lose everything. And a backup scheme would be good to iron out.

Current Mood: mellow

Monday, March 17th, 2008

12:19 pm EmpT Tank

I was forced to fill up this morning. 13.1 gallons. I have a 13.5 gallon tank. MPG estimate was about 17.6, as I recall. That's only a 7 mile buffer. It's nice to know the limits of this new vehicle.

We did some cleaning this weekend. I ended up rediscovering a tax return check for ~$120. Good thing I did, it expires a year after issue.

I deposited that plus some other cash from various payments at the bank before lunch. Not bad, I think I may be able to afford some CCGs after all. Or I could save it for when I figure out what I owe on taxes. And I'm pretty sure that I'll owe.

As the tax person last year disappointed me, I think I'll try it myself this year. It will be the first time in quite some time, if ever, that I will brave the task. In actuality, I'll end up buying software or something. I notice that my CC now offers PDFs of statements from the past year, instead of me having to have them mail them to me like last year. I hope this makes things easier.... A CSV file would work better.

There's rain today. It was a bit cold earlier, now it's not quite so bad. After the bank and Chinese for lunch, I had time and didn't want to go home to spend 5 minutes before I had to leave again. I went to La Boutique De La Target. Lots of stuff on clearance. Lots. Nothing interesting in the pitiful CCG section. Viva Pinata Party Animals for $15 in the VG section. Otherwise, the usual various things from each section I passed. I saw some people doing the scangun thing, probably for a wedding. One of them was obviously dominant, as the other's playful suggestions were rebuffed with derision.

We found the Brazil GCs. They were right where they should have been - in plain sight on the desk. Under the piles of receipts, junk mail, and other stuff that appears to accumulate on any horizontal surface around me. So we have a date before they expire at the end of the month to go. We'll probably make an evening of it again.

I'm not sure what is going on this week. Should be pretty dead, but I thought that about last week and it wasn't. This will be the first full week of the LAG theme nights, so there's always that. Oh, DDRU2 was a disappointment. I don't know if it's me or DDR, but I don't have nearly as much fun playing those any more. The few songs I thought would be fun were not at all. I'm sure we'll play through more of it at some point.

Put the Death Note wall scroll up, it looks good. It looked better when I was holding it up and the light from the kitchen made it glow. So much detail that it's hard to see on the wall. The bag also seemed to work well, plenty of room.

We tried FFCC and I, at least, hated it. We played the multiplayer, both of the quests available. We failed one for some reason, and the other we played twice with the result of "thanks for playing" game over. Not fun at all. I'm due for a look at gamefaqs to see what's up with that. I'm almost to level 40 in the first FF on PSP, so I think I can brave the next crystal's guardian again. Last time was around 5 levels ago, and I got annihilated.

The whole TP AZ thing is interesting. I hope the contributions of him and the fans truly help the cause and perhaps save him from that fate. We'll see. If I had $5K I thought I could spare, I'd figure out how to bid on the Luggage from across the sea. That's a neat set. I didn't realize Colour Of Magic was being given the Hogfather treatment, and I hope it comes out nearly as well. I hope there's no year wait for it to come over here this time.

I'm torn on donations for causes. I feel that I should do something in Chichi's name, if anything. But AZ doesn't really relate. BUT TP is one of my fav authors. But I don't care to give money blindly. But, but but. Excuses, meh. Maybe I'll talk with Haha about it.

I think I'll go back to occupying myself until I can bolt out of here at the earliest opportunity.

Current Mood: blank

Saturday, March 15th, 2008

04:52 pm Brawlin

So, no big surprise, I lost the tournament. Kinda surprised I made it to the second round, but I had a bye. Characters were random, I got Seamus. Opponent had Yoshi. Oh well. In good news, found Phantom Dust and Crimson Skies, total was under $8 for both.

They picked me up a Death Note wall scroll, and got a messenger bag. WE also got some cheap YuGiOh tins to use as card boxes. The Maple Story cards were fun to get, we have to send some in because only 8 in some of the packs, and missing code cards.

I'm probably about to spend quite too much money on old card games, but it's really a bargain compared to what the prices used to be.

Current Mood: full

Monday, March 10th, 2008

10:34 am Brawler

So, I went to GameStop to deliver Tea to my friend Sat night. The night of the SSBB release. They suggested I enter the tournament. I figured what the heck, I'll just play it for the 30 seconds it will take for one of the high schoolers to beat me then I'll be done. I didn't like the game at all on GC.

I won the first round. Ok, no big deal. And the second. Just lucky, I mean the game is new and no one has played it, right? And the third. Hmm, well, I'm sure the people at this level have studied some moves lists and/or played the other one to death, right? Beginner's luck, must be. And the semifinal. Ok, that was wild. Grade school kid was good with Samus. Ok, the final - I watched this guy play with Meta Knight, and he seemed pretty good. Shook hands before we started, just to be nice. I was sure I'd lose. And I won the final. Wow.

So I get a cheesy trophy and am invited to play round 2 (of 5) at another local shop. I was stunned. I have people coming up to me wanting to see the trophy and talk about it. They seem surprised that I didn't pre-order the game, or even have plans to buy it. I'm not trying to be aloof, I'm still shocked it happened. I'm happy as-is, but they want me to play the next round on Sat. We'll see.

Also watched V for Vendetta, which struck me much more powerfully than the trade did. I think that's a BR buy. Played some Mass Effect, which I completed but am a little annoyed that I didn't get more achievements in. Some Burnout Revenge, Final Fantasy, and TF2 pretty much completed the weekend for games. I did buy 5 games for $25 at Sears on clearance - Rumble Roses XX, WTF, Gangs of London, Dark Stalkers, MGS Portable Ops.

Hit up eBay. Bad idea. VERY bad idea. Ordered 1 box of each set of Maple Story to split, and am looking at more Clout, Rocketmen, and Hecatomb. If anyone is interested in going in on any of that, let me know. I'm on the edge of getting stuff I probably won't play much, if ever. Then again, it would be neat to have a little stock for sealed decks when I'm on vacation.

DST sucks. DST is a stupid idea. DST doesn't do what it's supposed to. There are better ways of accomplishing it. DST sucks. DST needs to go. Maybe I should move to AZ.

Current Mood: hungry

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

09:36 am Mass Effect

I just finished the first playthrough of Mass Effect. I'm satisfied, it was a good game that kept the pace up. Looks like at least 2 more playthroughs for all the achievements, not including the DLC.

Monday, March 3rd, 2008

10:31 am Nese

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that we went to George's place on Fri night. Dressed up, etc. It was a nice time, even though the others at the table were somewhat annoying. The cook had some egg issues, which were amusing. We tried the over the shoulder shrimp toss, which didn't go well. I'm used to having more time. In any case, it was a nice evening. We did a bit of shopping after.

Also put the higher thread count sheets on, which make a bit of difference. Oh, and got the skirt going, too. Still need to get rid of the old TV and its freakin huge box, but the bedroom is coming along nicely.

I haven't been playing much, just keeping my streak going. I've been more into reading lately, which is kinda nice but my eyes have felt it here and there.

Hmm, right. Found PSP batteries on clearance got TRU, so got a few. Just need a cheap memstick to use with one for the recovery feature. Then I can play Patapon on my slim. It's an interesting game, kind of frustratingly hands-off while almost keeping a micromanagement feel. I got most of the way through the demo, so I want to go back and complete that for the reward item.

I think I found the version of Daft Punk's Harder, Better, Stronger, Faster that I've been looking for, but I'm going to try to find samples of a few other mixes just to be sure.

I think I may stay at work for lunch to avoid the weather. Maybe I'll hit the store on the way home for food and vitamins.

I wonder about cleaning the projector, I can see dust building up. Doesn't appear to have affected the image too much yet.

I think I may have lost my gift cards to Brazil. That's not good, since they expire this month. I'm pretty sure I had them on my last trip, I just don't know where they went after that.

Current Mood: blank

08:40 am Skipping

Looks like I skipped another week. To be fair, it was pretty high stress at work - our project was wrapping up.

I ordered the bike rack and hitch, so they should be in... well, perhaps by the end of the week. I'm looking forward to being able to cart bikes around easily. Still need to look for the tint, though.

It was an amazing weather weekend. 60+ degrees, if a bit windy. We went up to StJ to MG to play ITG, DDR, etc. I want a PnM Fever machine - it has pretty much all the songs in it. Played some anime themes on ITG, did one round of DDR, had a free PPP round, wore ourselves out on DMX, and had fun with KBM. The usual, plus some random other games. Went to Dave's for dinner and had quite possibly THE slowest service ever, and it wasn't particularly good either. Food was, though. I went ahead and had the cornbread, figuring the exercise made up for the slip. There's not much else I'd eat there as far as sides. We ended up going back afterwards to use the rest of the tokens. It wasn't a bad trip at all, better than the long drive to other locations.

We got back and finally moved the old bed out to the dumpster. It was a bit of a pain, but with the nice weather we couldn't pass up the chance. I was dead tired after. Oh, we stopped at a couple other stores, and ended up using a coupon at Target for some Pirates and Maple Story cards.

Yesterday was a complete veg day. Didn't leave the place, even though the weather was nice. Low on food, so have to restock today.

I'm tying to concentrate on occupying my brain since it'll be slow at work for a bit. I have yet to recover from the data wipe, so I've decided to put some time towards recreating what was lost. I'll also need to do some backups, just in case. I've got Fri off, which is notice day.

Current Mood: groggy

Monday, February 18th, 2008

12:16 pm Bras Ill

We went to Brazil on Fri for dinner. We had reservations, but they stuck us on a dinky lopsided table that seemed to be out of place and temporary. The service was not nearly as good as it had been with the one waiter we know somewhat. They were trying seafood out, which was different. The dessert streak was finally broken - neither of us felt like we could handle any more food. Stopped by BB, then went home to watch some Planet Earth. I had to be on calls for work before and after dinner, which was pretty annoying.

Sat was for sleeping in and more annoying work crap. Ended up having to go in around 1. I had forgotten about the PUG, so I headed there after work. Then I decided I had put off shopping long enough, so I went to the store. I barely made it to the can, illness hit hard. I felt well enough after to complete shopping, though I grabbed a bunch of drugs just in case.

I know I tried to sleep early, but I ended up with insomnia. For some reason, I didn't take any drugs though. I finally got to sleep around 4am.

Obviously, I slept in Sun. I vegged most of the day. They brought me Panera for dinner, and we watched some Rattle & Hum and Trinity Blood, then I went to bed. Took a pill this time, and it worked. I woke up around 4am, and didn't get much more sleep. Had to drag myself in to work.

Boss is out today, so there's a bit less pressure. Things weren't working very well this morning, but seem to have automagically resolved themselves over lunch.

I still haven't had the concentration to play much in the way of games. I do a round of Culdcept Saga here and there to build cards for a decent deck, and maybe a puzzle game or two on the DS, but that's it.

I'm hoping to clear out the old bed and complete the new bed setup stuff tonight. The CC bill came in for the projector, bedding, and bed. Ouch.

Ordered a new phone for Haha.

Annnnnd... back to work.

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008

09:00 am Illin

So I took a half day Mon, went home for lunch and stayed there. Stayed home yesterday. Looks like I finally got sick enough to do so - I don't think I had to do that the whole past year. Basically, it was coughing too much that caused it. And the cold air going to/from work made it worse. Added to the general blah feeling I had and the lack of sleep... yeah.

I didn't do much - I vegged, but didn't really play or do anything much that was exciting. I'm getting a bit more used to the new bed. I like it quite a bit, it has a different feel to it and is quite comfortable. The comforter doesn't fit very well, though. It's short one direction or the other, even though it's supposedly sized correctly. This bed is 12" wider and 4" longer than my previous one. The length is a bit hard to tell, but I do notice that I don't have to have my head crammed against the wall all the time so my feet don't hang off. There seems to be plenty on width, and I can stretch out pretty well without dangling off the sides.

We're still watching Planet Earth, which still rocks in BR. Finally started (re-) watching Death Note. I'm really getting back into the intricacies of the story, and remembering some of the upcoming events. I hope to stick with it and finish it off this time.

I thought I had something else to mention, but I'm still a bit fried.

Current Mood: sick

Friday, February 8th, 2008

01:35 pm DN HS

Oh, and...

Holy Shit, Death Note Live Action exists?!?!?

Current Mood: curious

12:29 pm Texas Sucked

So we went to Texas for my "perfect meal" and it was the worst experience we've had there, ever.

To start things off, the dozen or so people around the hostess stand were chatting and not paying attention for longer than necessary. Then we got seated at a table that was very dirty - it was so bad, it had dust bunnies. The floor was probably cleaner.

We order, and the waitress does well. I was slightly concerned that she didn't write our order down, as I know I don't order standard fare. We sit and wait, and everything seems fine. The waitress is doing pretty well with keeping my water supplied (a true measure of service, IMO), so we're not overly concerned.

Then our dinners arrive. It looks like a steak instead of the pork chop I ordered and there's no sauce, which the pork chop comes with. The food runner asks us to cut into them to check and I say "sure, but I ordered a pork chop." That stuns them for a second, then they take it and a discussion with the waitress ensues.

The waitress comes by to apologize, then a manager. Fine, fine. We're not in a hurry, and I'm not really doing too bad - I'm just a bit hungry. Then chop comes out, all is fine, right? I cut into it - and it's not done all the way through. So we send that one back, waitress apologizes 2-3 times, and the manager comes by to apologize and comp my part of the dinner.

So it was a bad experience, but they did what they could to make it right. I like the place well enough to go back, but it was the worst experience we've had there.

---

Speaking of food, George's wife was at CNY and said hi to us and that they haven't seen us in awhile, but Luna and Morphine evidently go all the time.

---

I had an 11 hours of sleep night last night. Crashed around 7, up around 6. I'm still not feeling well now. It looks as if I may be able to head home soon, since nothing is really working right now.

---

I've finally been able to play a bit of Culdcept Saga. I'm having fun, the story is a bit different from the other one I played, from what I remember. The battles have been good so far - not cakewalk, but winnable with decent play. It's taking me a bit to get back into how to play, and I don't really have enough cards to muck with the stock deck/book yet. First round, I didn't draw nearly enough monsters. I still won, bit it was closer than the first round should have been. Second round, I dominated. I nearly had my opponent without a space on the board, but he came back just before I crossed the line to grab one.

---

I'm supposed to play Gears, Halo, COD4, and other stuff tonight. I hope I can hold out and do so - I might end up taking a nap before then.

---

Kitchen was about half clean when I got home last night, the dishes were done. That was very nice. I took out the trash and changed the catbox over lunch, so that's the worst of the kitchen area out of the way. I still need to clear up the clutter, the path to the bedroom, and get rid of some of these boxes the bedding and such were sent in.

Also got in 3 boxes yesterday - Blue Planet, the free sheets and pillows (fast!), and some gifts.

Current Mood: sick

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

08:20 am CNY

Happy CNY.

We went to Chinese last night for the celebration, and it was a good time. I think that was the biggest feast they've had, two rows full. I had issues breaking into the crab legs as always. The live-taped show had some interesting moments. We got out pretty late, and I went straight to bed.

Got Culdcept Saga last night, but didn't get a chance to play it. Looking forward to that tonight.

Looks like I'm going to come in second on the challenge. I've been enthralled by Mass Effect and haven't really wanted to power boost my GS.

The bed comes in Sat, and most of the bedding I ordered is in. Well, all that I ordered is in, and I'm just waiting for the free sheet set. Going to have to clean up a bit and clear the way on Sat, not sure what time the delivery is going to be.

Got Planet Earth in Blu-Ray. Wow. Very worth it, looks great on the projector. Watched another segment last night. The narration can be annoying, but the images are amazing. Nothing has made me want at 100+" screen more so far. The other one, Blue .. something hasn't arrived yet. Once The Universe comes out on BR, I'll get it too.

Felt awful sickly last night before the event, I'm hoping I fought it off but my lungs hurt today. I picked up a deep cough somehow, but it's only day 1 so I'm hoping I'll shake it by tomorrow. I'm trying not to be lazy and just take sick days, since work is a bit busy right now.

I have some running around to do, but I may wait. I have the next 3 evenings free to myself.

Oh yeah, LAG/LeMed event Fri night, late. Gears, Halo, COD4, then ¿

Current Mood: busy

Tuesday, February 5th, 2008

11:11 am Going For The Mat

Just got the call, new bed has arrived and is ready for delivery. I can't wait to try it out. Cali King, thing could probably hold 4+ people - I don't know how it's going to fit into my room.

Current Mood: anxious

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Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

09:58 am Bedding

We went out to NFM the other day and I decided on a bed. It's supposed to be in my next week. I settled on a Simmons which is very firm but has a plush top to it. I hope that ends up being the correct balance. It's a California King, so there should be room. Fitting it into my bedroom, however, might be a challenge.

It came with a mail-in for free sheets and pillows, frame, and the low profile box springs were included as well. I hope they take/dispose of the old one. I'll need to measure where it's going.

So, seeing that I wouldn't actually be able to sleep on it until the mail-in comes back (up to 4 weeks), I went and ordered some sheets and comforter, etc. Of course, the sheets ended up being backordered. I'm not sure of the timing of everything, but I'm hoping it works out. I also got this down comforter that was $200 - 20% off - $50 rebate (giftcard). So half price, should be good.

---

Then I went and bought Burnout Revenge and Mass Effect using BB coupons and a giftcard. Saved some money, but spent more in the process.

Then we went to GS and took advantage of a 25% off coupon + 10% off Edge card deal on 3 PSP games. Ended up with Brothers In Arms, Ys, and Brave Story.

Then, of course, Amazon's DotD was the second Untold Legends, which we are both close to finishing the first volume of. I figure we'll both move on and multi that game as well.

All told, it's been a pretty good month for funds leaving. I still haven't ordered the Jeep hitch and bike rack yet, nor have I even priced tinting.

---

I just found out that we're having some rhythm games on consoles set up at work this week over lunch one day. That will be fun.

Current Mood: blank

More pictures are available

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

10:09 am The Intricacies Of Projection

I decided on the projector, a Mistubishi HC4900. After reading several reviews, I decided that a 1080p projector for under half of what I was going to pay for the TV was a good deal. As the rebate would expire at the end of the month, I went ahead with it.

(as an aside here, I made a promise to get a new bed before a new TV. In the circumstances, it was deemed ok to proceed. In fact, by spending half as much on the TV, the bed cost is probably covered. The bed should be the next major purchase within the next few weeks.)

So I placed my order, got my confirmation call, and all was well. Then we had weather. The tracking number showed it was on the truck for delivery, so there was little concern. I rushed home to attempt to be there by the time FedEx showed up to deliver.

I waited. And waited. I decided to check my email, and there was a tracking notice. "Failed delivery - no one present at home or office." B.S. I was there, and the apt office was open. I wrote in a complaint to the effect. The next morning, the tracking status had changed to "delayed due to weather."

In any case, I rushed home again in order to be there for the delivery. I was sitting on the couch (perhaps 10 feet from the door) when there was a knock. I immediately got up and opened the door to discover... No one there. I stepped out briefly into the cold, and there was no one in sight. No delivery person, no truck, nothing. However, looking down, I saw a box clearly labeled as a rather expensive projector sitting on my doorstep.

Now, look. You screwed up the first time by not delivering it, fine. You screwed up again by marking it as no one present to sign. I'm fine with a weather delay, although it should have been communicated up front and preferably in advance. However, that all goes out the window when you drop the box on my doorstep and run.

Anyway, I let it sit to acclimate to the indoor climate overnight. The next day, I unboxed it, took some pictures, and started watching.

I also ordered a 25 foot HDMI cable that came in the same day. It was $30. Monster wanted $300 for an equivalent cable. I'm all for good quality parts, but 10x as much? No thanks.

As my receiver does not support HDMI, I decided to just go the direct-to-PS3 route. I placed it up on the bookcase, and got to tweaking visibility. Once up and running well enough, I played a bit on the PS3 then went to watching Blade Runner.

Wow.

Amazingly clear, awesome image. I watched Blade Runner's Final Cut 2 more times for the commentaries, then switched to The Replacement Killers, which was another BR disc. It had extra/extended scenes I don't recall from other versions. Very nice. I followed up with Curse Of The Golden Flower, which is a bit like House Of Flying Daggers as far as color goes, so it was a good test. The extras on that disc were not in HD, and looked like it. Not finding HoFD on my shelf, I decided that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon would be next. I was disappointed in the lesser quality on the DVD, but was pleased with the projector's performance.

I then went and bought a little 3 foot shelf to put it on in the corner on top of the end table so that it would be out of the way, centered, and a bit less skewed. Corner to corner, it's about a 72" image right now.

Current Mood: geeky

Tuesday, January 8th, 2008

03:56 pm TV or Projector?

I'm considering getting this Projector instead of the TV.

Current Mood: contemplative

Friday, January 4th, 2008

09:10 am Have you Scene It?

I've played quite a bit of Scene It over the past few weeks, and it got me thinking.

What are the movies you think are so iconic that you can't believe someone else hasn't seen?

I've played the game with a couple different age groups, and there is generally a set of movies that everyone has seen. Beyond that, there are some surprises. Let's get to some examples.

Playing on Xmas with RedneckNinja and family, I found myself much more in tune with RN's older relatives in terms of movies seen. This seems very strange to me, as I know I've watched quite a few movies with RN, and we're of similar age. I can't recall offhand which ones surprised me most, but there were several. In fact, last year when the Silver Screen version of the game came out, I had at least some reference to the actors, movies, and characters where RN and the in-law had none.

Then there's the issue of NYE. I was playing with the younger SO and another couple of that age. Pretty much anything in black and white was mine, except for some lucky guesses. What surprised me, however, was the lack of knowledge of movies such as Blade Runner, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Princess Bride, Big, The Shawshank Redemption, and others. Sadly, I was sitting out the game where Blade Runner came in, or I would have swept the thing.

Now I don't watch TV as a general rule. I have an intense dislike of most shows, especially sitcoms. So I have quite a large hole in my knowledge of TV shows from about 1990 to the present year, and only watched a few shows before that time. I also don't go to the movies or keep up with the mainstream much, so I've got a lack of information there. However, it's pretty hard to avoid all mention of such things so I do have some limited exposure to leverage.

Still, I find it hard to relate to people who, for example, haven't seen the jumping piano scene from Big or wouldn't know what Iocane Powder is. And that's not even getting into Replicants or Tribbles. It's just a given that anyone breathing right now has seen those movies and at least has a slight clue of what I'm talking about.

I suppose that's one reason I enjoy my vacations so much, because I get to relax around people who just KNOW. We can talk about shared experiences such as Fencer House or the first AC just as easily as the exploding cat or Socko, and everyone just understands and keeps the conversation going. Other people... Not so much.

So what is in your top 10 reference material?

That is, what are the top 10 items that you use readily without thinking in day to day conversations that would generate much confusion in those who haven't seen/read/heard them?

( CMorrigu's top 10 )

Current Mood: contemplative

Saturday, December 29th, 2007

12:29 pm Homey

Made it home yesterday. I'll have to write up the rest of the trip sometime and perhaps fill in some details.

Sufficed to say that Yakumo's house rocks and it was interesting to see D4nte and ? again.

The drive back was long, but not horrible. Except that I kept taking micronaps while I was driving until I pulled over and stretched several times. Missed rush hours. Saw a few cops and a few accidents.

Today I need to do laundry and wrap gifts. I had to go out and get litter earlier, as the catbox was a huge mess. When I finally changed it just now, it made my eyes water. Phew.

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

07:24 pm Quick Trip Summary

So far, left a bit quickly from home and forgot a few things, including my jacket. Got held up in StL for an hour or so due to accidents. Eventually made it to L-ville.

Day 2, Sat, hung out and vegged. Had Chinese ordered in for lunch. We were supposed to go out for Mexican, but ended up with Famous Dave's instead. Friends came over, we opened gifts, admired swords, then Rock Banded out. I crashed earlier than the rest.

Day 3, Sun, hung out a for a bit. We ate leftovers and such for lunch, then we were going to head to Japanese for Takoyaki. Japanese was closed. We ended up at Texas Roadhouse instead. Vegged.

Day 4, Mon, I think we ate in for lunch again. Dinner was at a grandparent's with the family. Not a bad deal, really. Ate too much. Neatest gift was a mini RC helicopter. Neither of us got it, though.

Day 5, Tues, family deal. They called us in early, but we ended up there about on time instead. Ate too much again. Tried to get a TV Jeopardy game going, but the stupid thing wouldn't work right. Ended up playing Scene It again, just like last year. I got a wind-up flashlight.

Day 6, Wed, back to work. RedneckNinja had to head back to work, but I still wanted my Takoyaki. So we had Thai for lunch, they went to work, and I headed to Japanese right at opening time. I ate too much, and was actually disappointed in the Takoyaki. It just wasn't as good. It wasn't molten hot like it should be, either. I did thoroughly enjoy the Veggie Tempura and Unadon. I grabbed a few things for RN for dinner after work.

Tomorrow, I'm heading to Carmel for lunch with a couple LAGgers, then up to Shinji's for the party with D4nte. I'm not sure about Fri, I'm thinking of heading to OH to visit. And Uncle Yip's. I may end up just heading home, though. We'll see.

I did get/find out what I'm getting partially.
So far:
Terry Pratchett's Hogfather DVD. I didn't even know this was out here.
Culdcept Saga preorder for the 360. It will be fully paid by the time it's out.
Bike Rack for the Jeep. As soon as I go pick it out/up.
$10 from Obaasan.
A jacket. It's been handed down a few times as it's pretty big, but it's ok on me.
A couple pullovers. Re-gifted, and I don't really like pullovers, but I figure they'll be stolen from me soon enough.

So more than I wanted, but ok so far. I know there's more, though. Sigh.

In all, it's been a worthy vacation. I needed to get away, out of town, and just relax with friends.

I also managed to miss the cold and weather. It's been consistently 50 or so around here with no weather.

I'm off to continue vegging, play some CH squad night, and probably more TF2. I might go try COD4 though.

Current Mood: calm

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

12:56 pm No Work

So yeah... Fri was my last day of work... For the year.

I'm uninspired, just lazing about mostly. Getting a bit annoyed at the games I've been playing, but I want to get through something.

Went to Brazil last night, stuffed ourselves.

I'm planning on heading out some time next week to visit people, just not sure exactly when and where.

Saw Constantine, which was better than I expected.

Current Mood: apathetic

Thursday, December 6th, 2007

10:18 am The White Death

... It's here.

Current Mood: apathetic

Friday, November 30th, 2007

01:08 pm Ain't That A Laugh?

From Slashdot:

"Spam Arrest could change their name to Arrest Arrest Arrest Arrest Spam Arrest; that's got less spam in it." - ciaohound.

Current Mood: amused

Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

08:55 am Holy Halo 3

Deals, Purchases.

Wow, I can't quite believe I didn't wait for this deal. Halo 3 Legendary Edition for $60 from Amazon. today only. I got it for something like $20 off a while back, but it was still over $100. This deal is awesome.

Argh.

I almost grabbed a couple of 4GB SDHC cards yesterday, then someone pointed out they were mini instead of micro. Too bad, $25 was a steal. And I have quite a few devices around that use them.

I did go ahead and get Pioneer HTS-GS1 5.1-Channel Surround Sound System for the Xbox 360. I figure it's a cheap set that will last me until I upgrade to a new HT setup. I can use my current receiver with them, and then they'll make a good set for the PC.

Didn't buy much else lately besides the B2G1 used sale at GameStop, where I picked up Tomb Raider, Tetris, and Table Tennis for 360.

With the Jeep $ coming due in the next week, I needed to tone down anyway.

Still wondering about Xmas plans.

I figure I'm going to make my yearly trek to the IN-KY-OH area again, but I'm not sure what's going on when or anything. I've got the 15th through the 1st off, so I'm pretty flexible there.

TV sucks.

Oh yes, we watched The Hogfather on IonTV Sun night. They re-cut it. Horribly. Plus all the damn commercials. It was VERY hard to follow - and I've read so much TP including this book as well as seen the (BBC version) show a few times. I can only hope they release the complete thing on DVD domestically so it's watchable.

Misc.

Nothing much else new to report. Work is work. I didn't do much but play games on my week off, and do some minor cleaning. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 was okay, very relaxing at least. Rayman Raving Rabbids sucked horribly. I also have Virtua Tennis 3 to play more of. All 3 of these were free to borrow for 3 weeks + renewal from the library. What a deal, eh?

I really need to get in gear and exercise/stretch more. That week of sitting of the couch wasn't good at all. I'm kinda sore from just walking up to the 4th floor at work. The close parking garage is still being maintained, so I'm also parking further away. Good for my health, to be sure.

I'm at the point where the Jeep is feeling natural now. There was a AAA truck blocking the way through the garage yesterday after lunch, and I was able to thread my way through the small gap. In fact, driving the Saturn again felt really weird. The whole sitting on the ground feeling is strange now, too.

Current Mood: sore

Monday, November 26th, 2007

06:10 am An Off Week

I was off last week, in more ways than one. Now I'm finding it hard to work up the motivation to get myself going to work this morning.

Current Mood: lethargic

Wednesday, November 7th, 2007

01:04 pm More Shelves

( Text List of Games )

Kinda slow day at work, environment is down. I took some time earlier to go to the post office, mail off some stuff, and get stamps.

Played GH3 a bunch, then took a break for Halo 3 last night with some LeMed folks, which was interesting. Went back to TF2 before I crashed. Tonight is TF2 night, then Gears and Burnout tomorrow night. I'll probably fit some more GH3 in as well, not sure what else is going on.

I'm looking forward to some extended time off soon. I want to do some stuff, play some games, and relax a bunch. Need to reset the brain.

Current Mood: accomplished

Tuesday, November 6th, 2007

09:47 am Shelves

Did some organization over the weekend..

PSP Shelf CMorrigu

Current Mood: accomplished

Thursday, November 1st, 2007

09:22 am Schoolgirls

from http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=518#more-518

(which was a fun read *WITH SPOILERS* but...)

This really made me laugh:

Del Boy says:
Now that’s a great interview.
*giggles like a school girl*
*plaits hair like a school girl*
Ahem…

Current Mood: amused

Saturday, October 27th, 2007

07:11 pm Rock Band at BB

Best Buy has a demo for Rock Band in the store. It's playable. Kinda neat. Drum kit is nice, guitar is a bit strange. We only played a few songs, but it was fun

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007

10:13 pm A New Car

I bought it. Took way too long at the dealership. Oh well, it's mine now. Watched a bit of House, then came home and played TF2 with the LAGgers.

Crash time.

Current Mood: tired

(Read 3 |Respond)

07:40 am Patriot, I See

I don't recall where I left off last time, I'm pretty fried with all that has been going on.

I got the Xbox 360 HD DVD player with the BB deal, so I got King Kong, Heroes season 1, and 5 other free HD DVDs with it. Add (or subtract, I guess) the GC from my CC, and it was a pretty good deal. We watched the first ep of Heroes the other night, and probably would have continued if not for needing to sleep.

Then, there is the whole car business. One of the cars died, which left us scrambling and trying to figure out how to work our different schedules into a carpool. This, of course, necessitated that I take another, harder look at the new vehicle I've been eying. In fact, that vehicle is parked in the company garage here at work right now. If the rest of the day goes well, I expect to drive it back to the dealership after dinner and do the paperwork to make it mine.

It's a Jeep Patriot. And I'm noticing many differences between it and my Saturn SC2. It feels big, and wrong. The angle of the windshield is very strange, as is the feeling of so much space behind me. I haven't nailed down the dimensions yet, but the front is so far surprisingly short.

And then there's the toys. Oh, the toys. I'm in love with the GPS/6 CD/Sirius device. I like the tire pressure monitor, but I'll probably keep it on the compass/temp mode most of the time. Having steering wheel controls for the radio is neat. The sunroof is a bit different to control, but works. I didn't pair my phone to the thing yet, but that should be fun as well. If it hadn't been so chilly last night when we took a drive, we probably would have rocked out the empty parking lot at the frozen custard place we stopped, since it has fold-out speakers in the back for tailgating.

The key is one of those huge ones with the remote lock/unlock/panic built in. It's not a switchblade like some I've seen. It's just all there, and not really much bigger than my previous key.

I need to contact my CC company and see if my credit limit increase went through, so I can buy it on that. I want the bonus points. Heh.

Oh, and I bought Wartech the other day for $10. It's a very strange fighting game using mechs. I'll have to play more to get used to the weirdness.

I did pre-order Guitar Hero III with the wireless 360 controller, and registered on the official site. I'll probably join the tour group with the LAG folks.

Meanwhile, TF2 rocks me hardcore. That is one of the most fun multiplayer games I've ever played. Even when your teammates are idiots who don't communicate, or heavily breathe into an unmuted mic while playing, you can have a blast. I got 11 kills with a single turret as an Engineer the other night, and had a blast doing it. Even when I kept getting killed by enemy spies. I can die and not worry so much about it in this game, it doesn't seem personal. Just fun. Lots of fun. Especially with the LAG group, where we can, y'know, use teamwork.

Current Mood: lethargic

Tuesday, October 16th, 2007

08:38 am Slickly

We were supposed to head to a free-to-us company event last night. I went home to change, grabbed the tickets, and went over to eat. We vegged a bit, and I fell asleep. I felt dizzy and a bit unsettled. We ended up just vegging for a few hours, then I went back home.

I didn't really want to go. I only got the tickets to see the new venue and for them to get out and do something. Neither of us had any idea about the performer, so it wasn't a big deal. Ah well.

We are thinking of seeing Blue Man Group, but tickets are pricey and I didn't think they were all that when I saw them in Chi-town. I mean, it was a fun experience, but I went in thinking it would be less performance art and more hard-hitting percussive music (ala Stomp). So I was disappointed in that regard. I did enjoy the experience, though. Anyway, I don't think the ticket prices lend themselves to us going, but we'll see what happens.

I'm up to either 18 or 19 on Portal, and having fun. But these last few levels have gotten a bit frustrating. Not to mention, I'm currently stuck. Given that I was out of sorts last night anyway, I think I can get past that point tonight without too much issue.

I believe tonight is TF2 with the LAG folks. CH on Wed, and then Burnout on Thurs.

I did manage to do some cleaning up over the weekend. I still have a bunch to get to, but at least the kitchen area looks decent. There is once again counter space. Of course, we had pancakes for breakfast the other day, so I need to clean the fallout up from that.

I seem to be in full hibernation-prep mode. Completely lacking energy, I crave more food that usual.

Still not sure what's going on the the holidays. I have T-day week off, as well as the last couple weeks of the year. I want to get some visits in, but I don't want to travel the whole time.

My car is acting up, so I need to get that looked at ASAP. I've been putting it off due to work stress and lack of energy/motivation. I know better.

I believe I will make a personal health checkup appointment soon, which will hopefully lead to a new bed, which will pave the way for a new TV and vehicle. With the new TV, I'll be looking at speakers and probably a receiver. Those are all the major purchases I'm thinking of on a short-term basis.

I wonder, though. Would a projector make a good second TV? I don't have much room in my place, and I signed for another year here.

Work is going strong for another week on the current high-stress project. I have the last Monday off, so I can relax and de-stress a bit. I find it hard to wind down some days.

08:32 am More Consumerism

Well, here we go again. I went out to the 2 local TRU's trying to find anything interesting in stock that I didn't pick up last time. Particularly, I wanted the Orange Box. Neither of them had it, or much of anything else I wanted immediately. I was bummed.

So we headed over to Best Buy, and I saw a shelf full of Orange Boxes... And I was thinking, "Doesn't BB price match? I wonder..." So I asked the nearest blue shirt about it, and they told me that they would surely match it if they could quickly look up the deal online or if I had the ad. Score.

So I grabbed:
PSP Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions $39.99
PSP Final Fantasy $29.99
PSP Dead Head Fred $0.01
360 Stranglehold CE $69.99
360 The Orange Box $59.99
360 Eternal Sonata $0.01

Not bad. Had to check out at the Customer Service desk, and have the person warn me that they want the ad in-hand to price match, instead of having to look it up online. Either way, I got the deal and a MUCH better selection to choose from.

And then headed over to GameStop, where I saw Untold Legends: Dark Kingdoms new for $19.99. We also hit Circuit City, but I didn't see much besides the Buy 1 Get 1 BluRay deal that I decided to pass on for now.

And last week I bought a few new movies:
The Protector
Fearless
Black Lagoon v3 SE
Once Upon A Time In The West

And one of my new Halo 3 360 wireless controllers showed up yesterday. I'm still waiting for the other one and the wireless headset.

And let's not forget the new geocoins and pins...

Current Mood: groggy

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Thursday, October 11th, 2007

03:00 pm Coming Soon Interesting

Wii
Oct. 23: Rockstar Games Presents(TM) Table Tennis from Rockstar Games
Oct. 29: Battalion Wars(TM) 2 from Nintendo
Oct. 31: Manhunt 2(TM) from Rockstar Games
October: Ultimate Duck Hunting(TM) from Detn8 Games Ltd.
October: Mercury Meltdown Revolution from Ignition Entertainment
Nov. 5: Fire Emblem(R): Radiant Dawn from Nintendo
Nov. 6: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games(TM) from SEGA
Nov. 12: Super Mario Galaxy(TM) from Nintendo
Nov. 13: BLOCKS from Electronic Arts
Nov. 19: Link's Crossbow Training(TM) (packaged with Wii Zapper(TM)) from
Nintendo
Nov. 20: Jenga World Tour from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 20: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords(TM) from D3Publisher of
America(R)
November: Trauma Center(TM): New Blood from Atlus USA
December: Rygar(R): The Battle of Argus from Tecmo, Inc.
December: Cranium: Kabookii from Ubisoft
December: Nitrobike from Ubisoft
Holiday 2007: NiGHTS(TM): Journey of Dreams from SEGA
Jan. 21: Endless Ocean(TM) from Nintendo

DS
Oct. 23: Rhythm 'n Notes: Improve Your Music Skill from AGETEC
Nov. 6: DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS(TM): Joker from Square Enix, Inc.
Nov. 13: ORCS & ELVES from Electronic Arts
Nov. 13: Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends from Majesco Entertainment
Nov. 13: Geometry Wars(TM): Galaxies from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Nov. 20: FINAL FANTASY(R) XII: REVENANT WINGS(TM) from Square Enix, Inc.
November: Ontamarama(TM) from Atlus USA
November: Draglade(TM) from Atlus USA
November: Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008 from Konami Digital
Entertainment, Inc.
November: Warhammer(R) 40,000(TM): Squad Command(TM) from THQ
November: Ninja Gaiden(R) Dragon Sword from Tecmo, Inc.
November: My French Coach from Ubisoft
November: My Spanish Coach from Ubisoft
Jan. 21: Advance Wars(R): Days of Ruin from Nintendo
Jan. 31: Command & Destroy from DSI Games
Feb. 19: Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer from SEGA
February: Assassin's Creed from Ubisoft
March 29: Ultimate Card Games from Telegames, Inc.
March: Insecticide from Gamecock Media Group
Q1: Slingo Quest from MumboJumbo
Q1: River King: Mystic Valley from Natsume Inc.

---

Also, TRU is supposedly having another round of Buy 2 get 1 free next week.

Current Mood: busy

Monday, October 1st, 2007

02:27 pm Japan Festival, TRU Monsoon, Legendary

We'll start with the Legendary. I gave in and bought Halo 3. Had a blast playing multi online, but campaign is meh so far. I'm going to watch the footage from the previous games so I understand the plot a little better before I progress much further.

We went to the Japan Festival. At first, I was completely disappointed. The food selection was awful - no takoyaki, edamame, or ramen to be seen anywhere. And the exhibits weren't that great, either.

Then we went to a couple of the performances. The dancing was okay. The first two musical performances were interesting. I find I can really enjoy Shamisen and Koto music, especially with the traditional vocals. The vocal/piano set was okay.

The Taiko performance by Denver Taiko was very impressive. More so when you realized that most of the group was aged around 13. There was a whole lot of energy there. Very enjoyable, and it made the evening worthwhile.

We went shopping yesterday. We got a late start, and got to TRU just before the storm hit. It was a monsoon, raining sideways with all the wind and everything. The power went out in the store at one point. We were going to leave several times, but ended up waiting until it died down a bit. We still hit BB and CC and GS to look briefly and grab flyers.

Current Mood: awake

Friday, September 28th, 2007

09:44 am What I get for getting sun

I'm peeling.

Current Mood: indifferent

Thursday, September 20th, 2007

08:53 am TPB Reading List

Thankfully, all of this was from the library. I don't want to even consider the purchase price total had I gone that route. Besides the fact that there were quite a few I didn't like all that much among the ones I was enthralled with.

8/18
Batman: A Death in the Family by Jim Starlin
Year One by Frank Miller
The First Hundred Days by Brian K Vaughan
Tag by Brian K Vaughan
Fact v Fiction by Brian K Vaughan
Smoke and Guns by Kirsten Baldock

8/20
The Red Right Hand by Denisa Mina
Haunted by Warren Ellis
Ministry of Space by Warren Ellis
Civil War: Captain America by Ed Brubaker
JLA Classified: New Maps of Hell by Warren Ellis
Glacial Period by Nicolas de Crecy
Devil by the Deed by Matt Wagner
The Devil, Inside and Out by Ed Brubaker
Alice in Sunderland by Bryan Talbot
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

8/21
Davedevil, Yellow by Jeph Loeb
Orbiter by Warren Ellis
The Tarnished Angel by Kurt Busiek
Swamp Thing: Dark Genesis by Len Wein
Eternals 1 by Neil Gaiman
Reasons to be Cheerful by Mike Carey
Ultimate Nightmare by Warren Ellis
House by Josh Simmons
Ultimate Extinction by Warren Ellis
Love And Death by Alan Moore

8/22
Black Reign by Geoff Johns
DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore by Alan Moore

8/25
Y: The Last Man 8 by Brian K Vaughan
Y: The Last Man 7 by Brian K Vaughan
Smoke Smoke by Brian K Vaughan
March To War by Brian K Vaughan
Safeword by Brian K Vaughan
Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller by Frank Miller
Daredevil Visionaries by Frank Miller
Son Of Man by Garth Ennis
Setting Sun by Warren Ellis
Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis
Batman: Year 100 by Paul Pope

8/27
Wounded Animals by Richard Starkings
Batman, Detective by Paul Dini
The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
Y: The Last Man 1 by Brian K Vaughan
Y: The Last Man 5 by Brian K Vaughan
Y: The Last Man 6 by Brian K Vaughan
Y: The Last Man 9 by Brian K Vaughan
Cycles by Brian K Vaughan
Unmanned by Brian K Vaughan
Ultimate Secret by Warren Ellis
Superman and Batman Versus Alien and Predator by Mark Schultz
Deadly Genesis by Ed Brubaker
Under the Hood by Judd Winick
The Dark Knight Strikes Again by Frank Miller

8/29
Daredevil Visionaries by Frank Miller

9/2
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 1 by Alan Moore
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 2 by Alan Moore
Top 10 Book 1 by Alan Moore
Top 10 Book 2 by Alan Moore
Shiny Beasts by Rick Veitch
Archives by Matt Wagner
Supreme by Alan Moore
Supreme: The Return by Alan Moore
Tom Strong's Terrific Tales 1 by Alan Moore
Tom Strong's Terrific Tales 2 by Alan Moore
Tom Strong 1 by Alan Moore
Dream Country by Neil Gaiman
Promethea 1 by Alan Moore
Promethea 2 by Alan Moore
Doll's House by Neil Gaiman
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
The Forty-Niners by Alan Moore
The Absolute Sandman 1 by Neil Gaiman

Somewhere in there, I read The Death of Superman while waiting to check out.

This list is from the library receipts, which don't tend to list the series/characters all the time.

Current Mood: accomplished

08:49 am Bargain Shopping Is An Obsession

Well, let me just start by saying that I/we saved quite a bit of money. $364, according to the receipts.

I went to one TRU and picked up:
360 ShadowRun $35.99
360 Lost Planet $35.99
360 Call Of Duty 3 Gold $0
360 F.E.A.R. $26.99
360 Call Of Duty 2 Plat $26.99
360 Marvel UA Plat $0
360 Skate $53.99
360 R6 Vegas $53.99
360 Blue Dragon $0
360 The Outfit $17.99
360 PGR3 $17.99
DS DQ Heroes RS $0

Then I talked to some people and went over to the other TRU, where we grabbed:
PS3 Untold Legends DK $44.99
Wii MySims $44.99
Wii MySims $0
Wii Big Brain $44.99
Wii Big Brain $44.99
Wii Metroid Prime 3 $0
Wii Carnival Games $35.99
PSP Jeanne D'Arc $26.99
PS3 Genji $0
DS Picross $17.99
DS Yugioh Spirit Caller $17.99
DS Final Fantasy III $0
PSP AC Adapter $8.98
PSP Dock $1.21

And that's not mentioning the run to CC for:
360 PGR3 $0
360 Bionicle $12
360 Phantasy Star $12
360 ?? $12
Xbx Fable $6

I also nearly grabbed a few other various things, but knew I was already spending too much. Of those, I think I should have picked one up on the 10% off at TRU, even if I didn't do the Buy 2 get 1 free deal on it.

I signed up for a credit card at TRU to save an extra 10% off, making this a REALLY good deal, although that card now has $600 on it. And yes, most of that was mine. I now have games to play for approximately the next 12 months.

This sale is good this week, and should be advertised in the Sun papers for use next week. Next week, however, expect the selections to be picked over.

Current Mood: accomplished

Tuesday, September 11th, 2007

01:54 pm PSA - eMail, e-mail, E-Male

If you're working at a company where business is done via e-mail, READ YOUR FREAKING EMAIL.

Current Mood: aggravated

08:14 am Perch Asses

So yeah, CC has a 33% off Clearance items sale going on. Went Sun and picked up some 360 games, then went back on Mon and got more stuff. They stupidly put Mario Strikers for Wii in the same box, so I had them give me the discount. I would have picked up PGR3 and Kameo, but they had them marked up to $30 instead of the $20 they are elsewhere.

Sun Purchases:
$ 8.68 Bomberman Act Zero 360
$11.36 Just Cause 360
$11.36 Bionicle Heroes 360
$11.36 Tony Hawk American Wasteland 360
$11.36 Condemned: Criminal Origins 360

Mon Purchases:
$34.99 Super Mario Strikers Wii
$ 6.00 True Swing Golf DS
$ 8.68 Magical Starsign DS
$ 8.68 Lost Magic DS
$ 3.32 Eye Toy Operation Spy PS2
$11.36 God Hand PS2
$11.36 Superman Returns 360

Tomorrow, we go to a baseball game for a work outing. Temperature has been dropping to more reasonable levels the past few days, so I'm hoping that trend will continue. Will still probably wear my UA stuff to keep cool. I need to remember my hat and some stuff to keep from frying, since we have seats without shade.

I bought DMZ vol 3 last night and read it. I've been reading voraciously the past week or so, thanks to the library. I've kept my receipts from there, so I can track what all I've read. More stuff is in, so I'll probably be running around tonight to pick that up and head to the store.

I'm on a new team at work, which deals with data. I've been trying my hand at Oracle SQL queries, which is interesting. To me, the DB schemas we're working with are a complete mess. Oh well. We're on shifts, but I ended up with my usual early shift.

I did start playing Bionicle Heroes... It's sort of like Lego Star Wars from a first-person POV. The environments are more generic, though. I'm something like 20% complete with the game and have 340 GS. It's not a hard game, but it gave me severe motion sickness the first night. Had to pop a pill last night to avoid that.

I was considering skipping the game tomorrow, but I just got handed the ticket and a coupon to save on parking. Guess I'll go, but I need to get some cash tonight to pay parking, if nothing else.

I was pretty fried from lack of good sleep for the past few weeks, but it appears to be getting better. I'm trying to stick to a schedule to prevent the insomnia. There's still the waking up at 2 and 4 am, but I can get back to sleep pretty quickly. I'm hoping the weather turning helps my comfort level at night. Still need that new bed.

Current Mood: working

Wednesday, September 5th, 2007

08:49 pm Novel

I just finished reading Crooked Little Vein. It's worth reading, I'll get a copy when it's in paperback.

Current Mood: accomplished

Tuesday, August 28th, 2007

08:05 am Water like Money

We went to BB and CC last night. They have sales. More money.

XBLA vol 1 360 $15
Wipeout Pure PSP $15
Chronicles of Riddick (3 movies) $15
Pi $4
Running Man $4 (I realized I already have this, so taking it back)
One Upon A Time In The West $7.50
Weird Science $7.50
The Last Dragon $7.50

Previous buys:
Mercury Meltdown PSP $8.50
Perfect Dark Zero LE 360 $15
Chromehounds 360 $20
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney DS $8.50
Infected PSP $12
Rengoku 2 PSP $12
Syphon Filter Dark Mirror PSP $8.50
Exit PSP $12
Lumines II PSP $8.50
EA Replay PSP $8.50
Death Jr II PSP $8.50
Me & My Katamari $10

This is in addition to another BB run that I didn't locate the receipt for, the amazon stuff, etc. Luckily, I just got a bonus from work.

In other news, I've caught up on reading the TPBs.
Demo was pretty good, although I would have liked longer, deeper stories. Each piece was interesting enough, but I wanted more of each, instead of more stories.
Planetary v3 was very good, although I need to go back an re-read the previous ones to fit them all together better.
Desolation Jones rocked until the end. I was disappointed in the last few pages, but it was well worth it.

And BioShock... I'm going to have to write something a bit more in-depth at some point. Sufficed to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the game on the first play through, and once I tidy up a few loose ends as far as other achievements, I'm ready to replay the whole thing on Hard for the last one. The game is by no means perfect, and should not be getting perfect scores. There are quite a few glitches/bugs, control issues, and some continuity/plot holes to deal with. Thankfully, most of those are minor and will hopefully be patched. The few major issues I had might be personal viewpoints against design decisions. I'll say more at some point, but I know a few friends are still working on the game right now. I'd rather not tempt anyone into spoilers, no matter how much I want to discuss the various details and ending with them.

I have an idea to get something done today for one or more of my sites. I also need to take the DVD back to BB, and try to get another $20 from CC for Metroid. Tomorrow, I plan to try to get another $20 from CC for Blue Dragon

Current Mood: groggy