Enfilade Ballet

No, seriously, best show on television.

2012-01-26T00:54:00.003-07:00

I'd always enjoyed the BBC show Top Gear whenever I caught it on TV, so I started watching it from the start a few weeks ago (thank you Netflix) and can now confidently say it is my favorite show on Television.

And I'm not even a car guy. I can (and do) appreciate the beauty and awesomeness in automobiles, but that's about as far as I take it.

It's the fact that it is so, so, SO wildly entertaining that makes it good. The car review bits are brutally honest, often hilarious and have great production value.

The celery bit fucking KILLED me. So random:

What REALLY makes it entertaining is the challenge/competition/race bits that they have.

Some of the things I've seen have made me laugh so hard I was on the verge of throwing up because my stomach hurt so bad.

And when it's not hilarious it is, again, just so addictive and entertaining that I can't quite explain it.

Take this bit for instance where the three try to turn a van into a convertible (some of the best bits are missing from this clip, but it's still awesome):

There's also an episode where Jeremy races the other two from Italy to England, him in a Bugatti Veyron, and the other two in a plane/train which was incredible

But so far my favorite has probably been the American road trip episode where the three go to America and instead of renting cars are given $1000 to each buy a vehicle and drive from Miami to New Orleans and are given a series of challenges along the way, one of which results in some intense and hilarious moments from rednecks while driving through Alabama that involves the cast and crew almost getting beat to death for the slogans they've written on each others cars (in an attempt to see who can get the other person either killed or arrested the quickest. haha)

It was probably the most entertaining hour of TV I've seen in years.

So far I'm still watching episodes that are 5-6 years old since I'm watching from the start, but the newer ones I've seen on TV (turning cars into trains because trains are awful, for example) are just as good.

So yeah. I could go on about hilarious moments and post a million videos that nobody will ever watch or care about, but the bottom line is that I highly recommend you watch this show even if you don't give a shit about cars and especially if you enjoy British style humor, cause it is here in spades.

some Zelda shit.

2012-01-14T13:14:00.005-07:00

I got nothin.

I don't really care that it is a new year. I usually do the best of post out of sheer boredom and to be slightly silly about everything, but I couldn't be bothered this year.

There were a lot of games and movies and all that jazz that really blew me away.

I FINALLY finished Zelda: Skyward Sword (too me a lot longer than expected because of my gaming habits these days) and it is indeed a masterpiece. Probably my game of the year if I had to pick one...because, well...Zelda.

It got me to thinking about how funny it is that Zelda games (and a lot of first party Nintendo games in fact) are so outdated in a lot of ways. You know, no voice acting, tons of non-skippable text to read, some overbearing (in the start) hand holding segments and various other things...and yet, none of that matters. In fact, it's sort of...welcoming. It just feels right.

I swear that there's more life and emotion in some of these characters that comes out through brilliant writing than some games with full voice acting and lengthy cut-scenes. It's a true testament to the writers and the quality they bring. Even smaller characters and how everyone has this little quirk or phrase that is often funny. I love it.

But it makes me wonder what the next game in the series will be like, if we see it on the WiiU in glorious HD, will they take that next step and deliver a cinematic voice acty experience like everyone expects from every other game?

I'm all for changes to long running franchises. I'd also be fine if they stuck to the same formula forever, because it really is magical.

No game this year made me feel so happy just experiencing it.

The motion controls were pretty much flawless (no going back, for me) and it felt much bigger and more substantial than the previous 3D games. I also enjoyed that they actually set up the other games in the series with a lot of small details, and some huge ones near the end. I can't recall any other Zelda game doing that much timeline sorting. Really cool stuff.

It is experiences like Skyward Sword that keep me a Nintendo fan, even when it's hard to defend the company sometimes.

They'll always have that touch when it comes to these games. Always.

BALLS

2011-12-22T13:10:00.003-07:00

Oh shit, it has been some time.

I don't have much to report.

Well, maybe a bit.

a few weeks ago (maybe even a month now) I went to the doctor because after beating some sort of flu, my BALLS were hurting. Well, not so much hurting, but this really strange nagging pain feeling that was incredibly bothersome, this had been going on for probably a week.

Now, obviously I don't like going to visit the doctor for anything, but talking about my balls is even worse. Only slightly, though. I'm not really one of those guys embarrassed by stuff like that. I mean, if something is going wrong, ya wanna find out, you know? and these guys have seen it all, so who gives a shit.

Basically I was told that I should have an ultrasound done, and so I booked that, laughing at the thought of how awkward such a thing was going to be.

so a week later or whatever, sitting in the waiting room I imagining just how awkward it might actually be, dreaming up these situations like maybe getting a massive erection among other things.

So, I get called in and sure enough there's a cute girl who's going to be all up on my balls. that's awkward to me. Call me whatever you want, but I'd almost rather have some old man inspecting my balls.

But no, cute girl...who proceeds to introduce another cute girl as this "in training" sort of technician and WOULD IT BE ALRIGHT IF SHE STUCK AROUND. I actually laughed out loud because I'd thought about this as one of those crazy awkward situations in the waiting room. So I smirked and just said "suuuuure, why not!"

then they leave and you get your balls out and lay down and they come back and get to work. Once it is all underway (I'd never had an ultrasound before) it is significantly less awkward because it's a darkened room and it's not as if they are focused on your nuts and grabbing at your sack. They are looking at the screen, right?

So they were discussing things and the newbie was asking questions, and my god, they made testicles sound magical and fascinating.

The one lady eventually finishes and just when I think I'm done I get a "WOULD YOU MIND IF HANNA THE NEW GIRL TRIED IT OUT?" and at this point I'm all "yeah man, go for it" and get told that I am an exceptionally "good sport" about the whole ordeal.

So yeah, pretty awkward, but not the worst thing ever.

few days later I had the followup thing and it turns out I've got Varicose vein(s) in or around my testicles which basically constrict and expand and all that shit and can cause a lot of discomfort. I was told it's not exceptionally rare, but that I needed to have an ultrasound done on my abdomen to make sure there was nothing out of the ordinary causing them.

So I had that done and the ordeal was less awkward, but more painful. they have you drink a SHIT LOAD of water before hand, and when I arrived, I swear, I'd never had to piss so bad in my entire life. Like, I was in a lot of pain.

I was actually on my way to the bathroom to release some sweet, sweet pee when the dude came out to get me.

so I went in there and the pressure he applied with the ultrasound thing on my full bladder/abdomen/anywhere else was some of the most painful shit ever. I was ready to burst, but not before punching the guy in the face.

That was right before he told me to go empty my bladder and them come back.

Anyway, I spent the next few days really nervous about the results, because I'd actually been having some really strange pains in my stomach/sides as well. It sucks to get worked up about that sort of stuff, but I was actually a nervous wreck...though, I hid it well.

In the end the results came back normal, and I was so relieved, but still a bit perplexed at what the pain might be.

I was re-assured that it's nothing serious, could be a few things and that I should wait it out.

Since then I've had the pains off and on, but my balls have felt normal, so it's really, really weird.

I suppose if it carries on into the new year, I'll go back and ask "what the fuck?" because it sure does make me uncomfortable at times.

So, yup.

That's my update of my awkward past month or so.

PS. I didn't get an erection. The situation was FAR TOO MEDICAL for me, sadly.

PPS. annual "holy shit it doesn't feel like Christmas" comment. Because holy fuck does it not. Warm weather and all.

and again.

2011-10-26T11:16:00.002-06:00

Holy. Fucking. Christ.

The reason I bought a PS3 was pretty much to play Uncharted 1 & 2, so I've been anticipating this one for a while and it is looking pretty amazing.

Can't wait till Tuesday when I finally get to dive in.

Which makes me want to mention just how amazing this year (especially the past/next few months) has been for gaming. It's fucking unreal, and my wallet is quietly weeping.

This is a must buy for me, and so is Zelda on the 18th, aside from that I'll be trying my best to take it easy and just finish up all these damn games.

THE BAT

2011-10-20T11:29:00.001-06:00

THIS GAME IS FUCKING AMAZING.

THAT IS ALL.

TV

2011-09-26T20:14:00.004-06:00

Recently I've been watching/catching up on a lot TV shows and I've come to realize a few of the shows I used to love (or still love) really need to step it up or just go away.

Spoiler alert for whatever show it is I am talking about below, so don't read if you haven't seen or want to see.

Also, I don't watch shows as they are aired, I wait for the DVD, cause that's the way to do it, so I am most likely behind on what's happening if you are one of those housewives who settles in and watches TV all night.

The Office:

I just watched season 7 and really, truly, this show needs to just end. I realized that the season before, but thought maybe it would pick back up.

At the most basic level the problem is that I just no longer care about any of these characters. The Pam and Jim romance/will they/won't they shit was well written in the start. That was good TV. Now it's boring and they had a stupid wedding and an ugly kid and WOW WHO GIVES A FUCK.

Steve Carell leaving the show is pretty much what should be the nail in the coffin, but of course it won't be because you gotta milk a cash cow for all you can. He's the reason I watch the show, and now without him, I really, really don't see the point.

Unless Ricky Gervais comes in and plays his David Brent character from the UK version, I am not interested. His cameo is season 7 was pretty much the high point. Still some laughs to be had, but it is not the same show.

Dexter:

having just watched season 5, I was at least happy that it was better than the previous season...but not by much.

They killed his wife in season 4. Thank god for that. Now he's stuck with an ugly baby that also should have been killed.

At least the writers seem to finally grasp that this is dumb as shit and wrote a nanny character to remove much of the baby stuff. Thank god for small miracles.

Julia Stiles was a high point, which is weird, cause I don't think she's ever been the high point of anything. Ever.

Still though. this show is going in circles, and is stale.

Here, want me to write a season of Dexter? I will.

Dexter gets on the trail of some serial killer. Dexter has some sort of connection to this killer. Dexter meets an accomplice (preferably a woman) and is weary of sharing his DARK SECRETS at first but of course opens up eventually (preferably with a sex scene) but then eventually has to leave the accomplice behind for some reason or another. Dexter will also be pursued by one of his police co-workers throughout the season. He will have a few close calls with this person. He will have a SUPER close call near the end of the season but escape miraculously in the end.

There. That's the loop. Keep at it, you uncreative fucks.

Seriously. Remember when he was written as an actual emotional-less psychopath who had to actively fake it to fit in? you know, like real serial killers often do?

Now it's a soap opera of random shit that has nothing to do with that and all of a sudden he CARES about everything and it sucks.

This show should end with Dexter getting caught or killed. Or both. It has to happen and should happen soon or else fuck this show.

Sons of anarchy:

season three was enjoyable overall and had a sweet ass finale but a lot of it was pretty weak.

The baby getting kidnapped in the previous season was the dumbest shit ever. Who gives a fuck. A-fucking-nother show nearly ruined by a stupid fucking baby. Crazy.

Going to Ireland to get him back was cool and could have been intense...if it weren't fucking drawn out for 6 fucking episodes. Booooring.

Also, Jax's doctor girlfriend should have been killed by that dude that kidnapped her (hey, more kidnapping!) Most annoying character on television. My god. Either that actress is just really good at being awful or she really is awful.

I like this show, I really do...but I think the problem is that Kurt Sutter should not be writing every episode (or as many as he has). Cause he just....kind of sucks, I guess.

Please, please please get better and more awesome like the first season was.

It's always sunny in Philadelphia:

Just watched season six. Still awesome and consistently funny. It continues to grow more and more ridiculous, but hey, why not run with it and just have fun as long as it produces the laughs?

I realize it is far easier to write a 21 minute comedy episode than most of the other shows mentioned here, but in terms of how it is lasting, they are doing a great job. I don't fatigue over this show like a lot of others.

The episode where they create LETHAL WEAPON 5 (click, cause I can't embed) is amazing. The DVD includes the full 15 minute version of their film and is worth the price of the boxset alone.

I feel like there has been more I've watched, but I can't remember at the moment. Those are the main ones, at any rate.

See ya!

2011-09-13T23:28:00.002-06:00

Best five bucks ever spent?

Hound of Winter is Incredible.

More like this plz.

stuffy stuff.

2011-09-10T21:24:00.005-06:00

Well, I figured I should update, but I really don't have anything to say.

(NOTE: after staring at a blank screen for a while this eventually turned into another videogame post. I am sorry)

I finished Deus Ex: Human Revolution today and I'm so glad the game turned out to be everything I had hoped. Absolutely awesome game that everyone should play.

I watched all four of the endings and they (as well as the general theme of the game) raise a lot of questions and it all makes you think.

I wonder how humanity would truly react if we lived in a world like that. Augmented human beings and freedom to live that way vs what it means to be human and so on.

Good shit. Buy it.

Last Tuesday I also picked up Dead Island and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine because Best Buy had a great launch day deal if you bought two games.

Dead Island, so far, is a lot of fun. Flawed, but I dig first person melee combat and RPG elements. Not much else to say at the moment, but I'm sure I'll report back once I really get into it.

I don't know SHIT about Warhammer but this Space Marine game is perhaps the most pleasant surprise I've had in a long while.

Awesome, awesome stuff so far. Great blend of shooter and melee focused combat with no pussy cover system. All about fighting a shit ton of bad guys at once. The battles feel awesome and all the carnage is ridiculously satisfying.

OH, I also imported Xenoblade Chronicles for the Wii since Nintendo of America is fucking clueless and refuses to release it here. I don't know how many people who read this blog have followed that debacle (I'm guessing zero of you), but it is amazing to me how dumb Nintendo can be sometimes.

What else is there to look forward to on the Wii? Zelda. That's it. Why not release a game that is getting fucking UNIVERSAL praise so that you can keep your customers playing games?

Whatever, it came out in Europe mid August and I got it a few weeks later. So fuck 'em.

In order to play it I had to "hack" my Wii and install the Homebrew channel so that it could run games from any region. Doing so kind of scared me, but it is amazingly easy to do and every "app" launches off an SD card, so it's all good.

I haven't played it much yet, cause I know it's gonna be a long ass game and I'm trying to finish off some other shit...but what I've played so far has been awesome. I can't recall how long it has been since I've really enjoyed a Japanese RPG.

Way too long. Like...the SNES days, probably.

Don't get me started on Final Fantasy 13...fuck me, I tried so hard to like that game...so...hard. Never again.

Anyway, whatever. I'm getting an awesome feeling from this game and can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

In hardware news I picked up these bad boys about a week ago:

I've never been a headset/headphone guy, but I decided I wanted some better gaming audio options and something like this seemed like the way to go, so I jumped in.

And they are fucking amazing. Can't believe how much they add to the experience. I've always been a guy who thinks music/sound design is a HUGE part of games/movies so it is surprising it took me this long to try, but I'm glad I did.

There are a lot of options out there, and it's hard to choose because there's always people who prefer a certain brand or aren't happy with some detail, so reading reviews was driving me fucking nuts. The internet has taught me that nobody is happy with anything.

All I knew is that I wanted a set that would work with all my shit and these doing true 5.1 surround seemed like a good place to start since I don't have the money to spend on a $500+ set.

Anyway. Perfect for my needs, and a HUGE step up from shitty built in TV speakers.

Well, whatever.

Time to go do something productive. I can't wait to sleep tonight. Shit is gonna be so awesome.

GAEMS!

2011-08-16T20:59:00.003-06:00

Finally played FEAR 3 (I refuse to type F3AR, fuck you) and the entire thing leaves with so many mixed feelings.

The series is actually one of my favourites. Why? awesome feeling gunplay and scares = my type of game.

I found the second game to be a bit of a letdown, but that stemmed mostly from the fact that it felt like a console game ported to the PC.

So I was pretty cautious of this one. In fact I never bought it, I simply rented it, and in doing so had to play it on a console. To my surprise the gameplay still felt great. Really fun time.

What I disliked is more nitpicking and storywise, I guess.

I never wanted to see Point man, it just doesn't seem necessary to me, and I loved the sort of mystery, thankfully they didn't give him a voice...but who they did give more of a voice to is Fettel, and it is annoying.

The idea of them teaming up is sort of eyeroll inducing on its own, but whatever, I can get with that (given the co-op focus)...but in this game he's almost a joker who does nothing. Doesn't feel evil, doesn't scare me any more. Makes wise cracks. Yawn.

I didn't like it. nor did I like his redesign.

I dislike how convoluted the story has become. You could argue it was never really anything other than that...and I wouldn't argue with you...but each game tries to just pile shit on and it hasn't really worked for me.

And the big one for me...it just isn't scary. The atmosphere comes through at certain points in the game...but it never really lasts. Not like the first game did.

I can remember being quite shaken at multiple points while playing through the original. Not so much here, which is a shame.

Maybe it's the direction the games have to take. Whatever.

In the end it is a game that plays a lot better than I expected. It's FUN, no doubt about that, but all it TRULY made me want to do was go play the first one again.

...and then perhaps give project origin another shot. The more I think about it the more positive memories I have about it.

Closing thought: these games are still a million times more fun than this Call of Duty shit, so I can't complain too much.

oh, and speaking of Call of Duty, who the fuck needs those games when shit like this is on the horizon?

un-fucking real. LOOK AT THAT SHIT.

I actually got an invite to the Alpha test and got to play the game for about a week. Didn't spend as much time with it as I'd hoped, but man was it shaping up nicely.

Game is going to be incredible.

Nothing to add.

2011-08-10T11:21:00.005-06:00

I feel this thing needs an update.

I feel I have nothing to say.

It stormed last night. I ran out and hastily set up a camera for a time lapse. It turned out pretty cool.

To my surprise I actually captured some lightning strikes. I only noticed them when I had finished the video, so after, I went back to sort through the 3,600 + photos and found them.

Pretty cool to look at. I think it was set to take a picture every 2 (or maybe 3) seconds, so it's pretty awesome, I thought.

Oh, and the video itself, which also features double rainbows rolling in near the end and some pretty awesome cloud movement:

DO IT

2011-07-26T18:54:00.003-06:00

If you have an Xbox 360, fucking download Bastion.

Amazing visuals and soundtrack.

Can't remember a time where I was actually addicted to a game like I was this one.

Best $15 I've spent, gaming wise in a long, long time.

Also, the narrator who describes the shit you do as you do it is awesome. More games need something like that. Totally immersive,

Midnight City

2011-07-22T08:25:00.003-06:00

Seriously, holy fuck I love M83. Perfect blend of rich dreamy pop electronic awesomeness and ambient awesomeness. Nobody really does it better.

I was a bit let down in the last effort (probably because the other dude left the group and it was never the same) but this track from the upcoming album blows me away and all if forgiven.

Seriously, a Sax solo at the end? fuck you, that shit is INCREDIBLE.

I have nothing else to say. Life is kind of 'meh' at the moment.

I'll leave it at that.

Camping 11

2011-07-14T07:51:00.004-06:00

SO.

We had our yearly camping trip. It was fun. Found some decent weather which was nice since it has been so shit around here lately. Some rain, too, but whatever!

The older I get the more I realize that two nights is pretty much the perfect amount of time to be camping. I could probably do three, but after that...fuck it.

Sitting around the fire eating bad food and talking rubbish with good buds is always fun, it is as simple as that.

Pretty sure I am not going camping again without some sort of air mattress though. And a real sleeping bag.

I never, ever sleep while camping. Well, that's not entirely true. I think every night I eventually pass out for an hour and then wake up suddenly in pain and freezing cold.

It has a lot to do with sleeping on the ground, in a tent and being uncomfortable, but it seems like more than that. I don't know.

Lucky for me, I never actually EXPECT to sleep, so it's all good. This is precisely why I try and get everyone to stay up as late as possible, but YOU ARE ALL WIMPS.

Also, how Tracy/Trevor/ANYONE can sleep in a tent past, like, 5 AM is beyond me. The noise, the light, the PAIN. You guys are insane.

I guess I'm a light sleeper.

Regarless, good times were had and the campground was pretty cool. I liked it being sort of out of the way, but maybe it was a little TOO out of the way.

I say this every year, but NEXT YEAR I want to do more fishing. Why, oh why can we never find a primo stream/river to just sit down at and fish?

Maybe that's why I enjoyed Wolf Lake so much, being right at the lake's edge was pretty ace.

I took some photos this time, but not all that many and I am too lazy to sort them right now, so instead, I present what is possibly the highlight of the trip. Almost too perfect.

Trevor burns more shit that isn't his:

Why it makes me laugh so hard I may never understand. I love you, Trevor.

Also, sad that Ryan couldn't make it, but that's life. I've talked to him and he said he wants to do a fishing day/weekend still this summer, which might be worth trying to sort out.

oh shit.

2011-07-06T14:09:00.000-06:00

ALSO

2011-06-29T15:43:00.002-06:00

Fuck. Yes.

I remember the day Ryan Smyth got traded and his emotional interview before he left town and I always thought it sucked and wanted to see the guy back in an Oiler sweater. He played 12 years of fearless hockey for Edmonton and is now back to most likely finish his career where he started. That's just fucking cool.

I'm of the opinion that he is exactly what the current lineup needs. A veteran with a ton of heart and a never quit attitude. If even a fraction of that rubs off onto all the rookies...watch out.

Add to the mix yet another number one draft pick in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and the future just keeps looking more and more awesome.

Looking forward to next season.

red eyes and random shit.

2011-06-28T23:28:00.005-06:00

hello everyone.

The past four or five days I've had the itchiest, reddest, puffiest eyes ever. I don't entirely know what it's about, but I suppose it could be all the fuzzy shit in the air. Pollen from trees and plants and whatever else it is. Often it fills the sky out here like snow.

The thing is I can't ever recall it bothering me like this. It's impossible to stop rubbing the area around my eyes once I start, and then it makes them look even worse.

sometimes I have to rub them so much the skin around my eyelids and such gets all dry and crackly. it's awful.

Other times I just try my hardest not to touch them and them I get watery, bloodshot eyes, so there is no winning.

I don't know. I'll try some allergy pills and see if it helps any, but it sure is making me feel like crap. All I want to do right now is dunk my eyes in ice cold water, and it's even worse during the day.

So I sometimes look like a strung out junkie, or like Elijah Wood in Wilfred, which is a clever segue:

I watched the premiere episode of this series and it was pretty damn good. Mostly cause there's nothing else like it.

The first 10 minutes sold me on it. Guy tries to kill himself, doesn't. Meets a talking dog. Starts changing life. Are you sold, yet? understandable either way.

I guess it's a remake of an Australian series, which I will now be tracking down and watching.

There's the whole issue of what the fuck is actually going on. Whether the dude is going crazy and hallucinating or whatever. They make it obvious that other people probably see Wilfred as a normal dog...but they don't make it THAT obvious.

So who the fuck knows, is what I am saying. And I don't care if you know. Fuck off with your spoilers.

In gaming news, Shadows of the Damned is a game created by Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil, Vanquish) and Suda51 (No more heroes, Killer 7) and it is fucking awesome and everyone should buy it.

It pretty much plays like a faster paced version of Resident Evil 4/5, mixed with some Alan Wake, and then overdosed on acid.

The story is about a guy fighting demons to get his girlfriend back, at the most basic level.

If you've played any Suda51 games before, you know the guy has a flare for the ridiculous and it is fully present in this game. The humor and over the top voice acting/action is in full effect, and it's great.

It is ridiculous and insane and a really good time (so far!)

Probably one of the most pleasant gaming surprises I've had all year. It is a travesty that it will probably be overlooked and left to die (hey, just like Vanquish!).

moving on...

LA Noire is one of the most overrated games I've played. I'm so glad I rented it despite being force fed hype and praise.

It's not awful or even bad. It's just...who cares? the first while I played it was cool to be a detective solving cases...and then every case was pretty much the same in terms of gameplay and progression so it became boring, especially considering I didn't give two shits about the story.

I am sick of Rockstar's open world games and formula. This shit is SO stale it hurts. If the next Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead or whatever it is isn't changed up significantly. I'm going to have a hard time giving a fuck about it.

Alright, I'm going to bed.

Boston wins! Vancouver classes it up!

2011-06-16T11:31:00.004-06:00

So it's over. The better team won, and I'm glad for it. Bring on the draft, now.

I stayed up till about 2 watching live coverage of the riots. Reporters were standing in the middle of it all with a camera crew and cops on one side and rioters on the next it was pretty bonkers.

There are about a million pictures and videos that could be posted to show off how sickening it all is, but I'm too lazy. They are everywhere, you can find them.

And yes, it WAS expected, but there was still this sort of feeling that people/the city had learned from what happened in 1994, but that's obviously not true.

I frantically watched a girl take swings at people while trying (unsuccessfully) to protect her own car from getting smashed and lit on fire. Not a single person thought it a decent idea to maybe just stop.

I watched people get beat and listened to stories of stabbings and full emergency rooms.

I saw people mindlessly smashing in store windows and stealing armfulls of whatever they could carry.

I saw a dude get hit square in the nuts with what looked like a smoke grenade (and it was awesome)

No really, in this age of technology...it is everywhere. Live on CTV and CBC and all over the internet...these people are so moronic that it almost hurts my brain.

There are several websites site up already to identify people and I'm all for that.

What a disgusting night and an embarrassment, though.

I get the argument that it's not necessarily hockey/Canuck fans doing all the damage, but at the same time, it is. It takes a few morons to start some shit and then the mob mentality takes over. Add in some alcohol and you've got yourself a riot.

Fucking losers.

alright, this one is so awesomely bizzare that it needs to be posted:

!!

2011-06-07T12:05:00.006-06:00

Ahhh, E3

Ahhh, new Nintendo system, The Wii U:

The Reveal video, with a look at what the controller is capable of:

With a fucking huge ass controller that sounds both insanely cool and insanely crazy. I don't know what to think as of yet.

The screen on the controller can actually stream the game from the console, so you can shut off your TV and keep playing on the six inch screen, which is pretty fucking cool, but not revolutionary.

The console itself looks sleek and simple and I love it. It can use Wii remote and every other Wii peripheral which is also sweet.

It's amazing to think we'll finally get a Nintendo console with enough power for HD graphics, that's for sure.

I imagine there will be a shitload of ports from the xbox 360/PS3 library that will fit in nicely with the thing. A bunch have already been announced including Metro: Last Light, so I am pretty excited.

Awesome third party games announced:

!

2011-06-03T11:44:00.003-06:00

Goddamn. Hype.

I feel Metro 2033 was an awesome game that nobody really played. Highly recommened if you want something different feeling than all those boring ass military shooters like COD.

I actually need to finish it still. Shhh

*boots up steam*

Hell yes.

2011-06-02T11:01:00.002-06:00

Short review: THAT'S MORE LIKE IT/10

I have to admit I wasn't really hyped for this album like I usually am. I'm not sure why. I guess a combination of a lackluster single (In a place of lesser men) and my disappointment in "Hospital Music" which I openly admit here and now.

That album didn't do a lot for me. Which will sound like madness to some people, but those are just my feelings (and obviously I still love it. I'm just saying)

Regardless, I of course bought this on Tuesday and have listened to it several times through, now. From the outset I knew it was a better album than Hospital Music. I sat in the parking lot and listened to the opening track, and then took off, knowing I was in for a good time.

I feel this is a far, FAR stronger album than Hospital Music. It just does a lot more for me. Perhaps inexplicably so. But it is what it is. That's how music works, right?

Stand outs for me are "What if I can't see the stars, Mildred?", "Non Populous" and "Shallow's Low" which just pretty much blow my mind.

The entire album is great, though...Save for "In a place of lesser men" which I still feel is a weak spot. Of course, in terms of Matthew Good means it's still a quality tune...it just does nothing for me at all.

So to me, this is his best solo record since Avalanche, which, really, will probably never be topped because it is a fucking masterpiece and is easily tied with The Audio of being for my favorite overall Matthew Good (band) album.

What do you guys think of it?

"you guys" being the few who read this blog and listen to the guy.

Also go ahead and argue with me about calling Hospital Music a disappointment. I'm up for that.

Almost over.

2011-05-28T15:27:00.003-06:00

I've been watching the playoffs sporadically since they started. Impressed by many things, including the Bruins, who I actually picked to go all the way in my pool. Now, they are in the finals against Vancouver.

And I just want to say something.

I am sick and tired of people who don't care about hockey at any other time of the year, coming out of the woodwork to tell me I should rally behind the Canucks because they are Canadian and I should want them to "bring the cup back to Canada" anybody who thinks like this or has ever said this is a fucking idiot.

Sincerely. Shut the fuck up.

Why is it always people who don't know jack shit about hockey, too? is there some sort of national pride in a game played by overpaid athletes that just eludes me?

The NHL is not about countries. nobody cares about this shit in the regular season, but now all you idiots buy into the media hype and start spouting this shit and I hate it. It happens every year when a Canadian team is in the playoffs and makes any kind of run of it.

Vacouver being a team based in Canada doesn't mean jack shit. I'm not doing the math but I'm sure there are just as many Canadian born players on the Bruins. Why doesn't that factor into the brains of these stupid fucks?

I've been an Oilers fan since the day I was old enough to realize what it was I was watching on television with my mom and dad, and there's a generic sports rivalrly there between the Oilers and the Canucks which carries on for me and many fans regardless of where they are in the playoffs.

Add to that the fact that Canucks fans tend to be the most obnoxious, clueless and classless fans in the game, and it all means I'd never cheer for them. I mean really, from news reports to TSN articles, to the people I WORK with, it's insane how entitled and cocky they all act.

I hope the team loses so they can all wipe their tears with the stupid fucking "I BELIEVE" signs and wait another 40 years.

In terms of what might actually happen, it's hard to say. The Canucks have a great team, I've never said otherwise, it's everything else that I hate about them. Canadian or not.

But the Bruins are the underdogs, with a solid Defensive core. Also, Tim Thomas is an incredible goaltender who can steal games.

It will be fun to watch regardless, but I know who I'm cheering for.

PS. I mostly just want it to be over and for the regular season to start again.

shtuff.

2011-05-22T10:57:00.003-06:00

Well, I don't have much to say.

Counted/rolled up a bunch of my change weeks ago and am up to $435.

All that I have left are the pennies and nickles.

A large part of me thinks I ought to spend it on something I don't really need, since it is more or less "found" money to me.

I'm leaning toward one of these:

Been reading a lot about it and I love the whole setup. As a POV camera (helmet) it makes a lot more sense than my GoPro because of the remote and ability to tag clips. It makes me salivate just thinking about it.

The entire reason is I want to actually document whatever kind of trip I go on this summer. I mean actually piece together a decent sized film if only for me and my enjoyment (actually, exactly for that reason) and to be honest I just love messing around with footage like that.

The price on that site is pretty crazy, though. I know it'd last forever and any camera guy/photographer knows how expensive the shit can get, though...so I might bite the bullet. I've found it a little cheaper elsewhere, too. We shall see.

In other news, Dirt 3 is out on Tuesday and I can't fucking wait. Been in love with the series since I got an Xbox (and even before, when they were Colin McRae games)

And this one because it is fucking amazing:

PS. The world didn't end. Better luck next time religious nuts.

Linux saves the day

2011-05-13T11:30:00.003-06:00

RESPECT

A long ass time ago I lent my buddy (James) my old computer since his crapped out and I no longer needed it around here.

Well, a few days ago he killed this one, too.

The thing would no longer boot no matter what I tried. no safe mode, no utility partition. Nothing. I also have no windows disc or system restore disc.

So I was tasked to get his "important" shit off of it. (Never mind that he fucked up my computer, right?)

So, since the problem was Windows XP being fucked and not the (I assumed anyway) harddrive itself I decided I'd try something (that I wasn't even sure would work) and download an iso of Ubunto. I'd heard it was possible to boot the entire operating system from a disc without making any changes to the harddrive, so I figured I could do that, explore the HDD and copy whatever files needed saving onto an external drive.

And it worked beautifully.

I just mounted the drive and BAM, copied a shit ton of shit.

And then I played around a bit and I actually really like Ubuntu as an operating system, so I installed it permanently on there since it was proper fucked anyway. At least now it is a functional computer.

And that, my friends, is how I came to have a Linux computer to piss around with. You know, for fun!

Realistically, I probably won't use it a whole lot, only because I just don't have the space to have this old behemoth of a computer hooked up anywhere at the moment. I would if I could.

It has made me think about installing it on my netbook, though. Or even alongside windows, but we'll see.

mmmhmmm

2011-05-10T20:26:00.005-06:00

So today I grabbed Brink, a game which I've been looking forward to for some time.

I read a few reviews and they are all over the place. Average to bad to great, but that didn't stop me.

Video game "journalism" is pretty much a joke and always has been. Reviews really don't mean jack shit to me anymore.

Look at a game like Crysis 2 which got great reviews all over the board. I rented it (thank god) and was far less than impressed with it.

It's a game with pretty visuals that is actually incredibly mediocre in every other way. So much so that I was actually stunned numerous times at the crappy design choices while playing it.

Bland as hell. Perfect example of why I no longer give a shit.

The point is, you can use reviews as a guide or whatever, but how there are still people who refuse to buy a game that's rated lower than a 9 from those morons at IGN is incredible to me.

Some of the most fun I've had gaming wise has come from games that received mixed reviews and even some that were universally panned.

I don't know.

What I'm trying to say is that plenty of people seem to been completely off point when it comes to Brink.

Bear in mind this is only after a few hours of play, but man, there's a lot of fun to be had and my first impressions are positive. It's that simple. I'm more or less just saying I don't get how anyone could slap this with a "2/5" and call it a day.

I'm well aware people have different opinions and all that shit, but there are pretty universal things that make games "bad" and I haven't seen much of that in Brink as of yet.

I think a bunch of people expected the single player campaign to be more than it is, but it was always pretty clear that it's pretty much just multiplayer with bots instead of humans.

I dig the art style and the overall feel of the game very much. It's pretty much the opposite of Call of Duty and thank christ for that. So...so burned out from those games.

You still get your XP and shit, but it feels broader and is far more team and objective based. There is also so much shit to unlock that it is a bit nuts. Lots of cosmetic stuff to customize your character with, but also the weapons.

Also the sound design is incredible. Awesome sounding guns.

It's not perfect and has been really laggy at times, but I'm sure that's launch day pandemonium more than anything. It's always like that.

Now if only my internet would stop fucking sucking.

In other gaming news I finished Assassins Creed Brotherhood finally. Shit was pretty awesome. I've completed them all, now. Just in time, I suppose, since another one was just announced.

They keep turning them out, but really, who cares? I feel the quality has been stepped up with each game and there's still room for improvement...so bring it on and change it up.

I do kind of wish they'd just make a "3" with a new character instead of these continuations of the Ezio character, but I can deal, since the dude is badass as fuck.

ahhh.

2011-04-25T21:24:00.003-06:00

So I pulled the bike out of the spare/junk garage where it has sat all winter, plopped the battery back in and started her up today.

It was exciting. Always is.

We had a really nice day, so I figured I may as well get a quick ride in and then cleaned it up a bit when I got back.

It's amazing to me how good the first ride feels. The entire bike feels incredibly fast, powerful and nimble which I guess comes from months and months of sloppy driving in a car.

I mean, my bike is hardly a jacked up racing bike, but it sure felt like it today. I don't want that feeling to wear off.

During the winter months I made the decision (and it was also made for me) to stick with this thing another season despite toying with the idea of upgrading.

I haven't really pushed it or gone any great distance and I really want to do that this summer. to put the bike through its paces, I guess you could say. I don't know that anyone would consider it a long distance type bike, but I'll go for it anyway. Maybe I'll strap a full jerry can to the back and just fuckin' go for it.

Tentative plans are to solo it to the south. I really want to see the badlands of Alberta, Drumheller and beyond. Crazily enough, unlike (seemingly) everyone else in this province, I've never been through the area.

Also wanting to head north, though... so it's kind of a toss up at the moment

All I know is I actually want to get out there this time.

sidenote: fucking hell did these sanding trucks lay down a lot of shit this winter. My paved subdivision road could be mistaken for loosely packed gravel at the moment, and every intersection seems to be a mess of tiny death trap pebbles. It makes me nervous as hell on a bike, so leaning into a turn is impossible.

It needs to rain like crazy for a few days to clean this shit away.

AND it's so dirty!

2011-04-19T12:28:00.003-06:00

Last night I was pretty bored and decided to sort through my massive collection of change that has shadowed me for years.

I don't know if you guys are like me, but when I come home from work or errands or whatever, I toss my change with the rest of it and it just sits there.

A few weeks ago I picked it up (that massive Oilers thing was so full it was jammed) and realized I wanted it gone, for no other reason than it just sits there. It's not even about wanting the damn money.

I also had another cookie tin jammed full, so I dumped it all out tonight.

And you know what? fuck change. This stuff is fucking useless. Anything smaller than a quarter should just be fucking thrown away.

I can't recall the last time I used a fucking nickel or dime or penny, and I probably never will.

I sorted the loonies (37 of them) and the Toonies (38 of them) and then the quarters (millions. I have not counted them) and as for the rest, I don't know. I guess I might sort it, but I'm sick of looking at it all and touching it right now.

It's kind of absurd to me that there are no coin counting machines around these parts. Like Coinstar machines in the US where you can just dump all your shit in and it sorts/counts and they take a cut, I'd totally do that just to shift the fucking things.

Someone told me certain TD bank locations have counting machines you can use for free if you're a member, but that doesn't do shit for me.

I know you can buy little personal ones that count/roll from walmart and shit like that, but I don't know how much they are or how good they work.

Anyway.

Fuck change. I can't recall the last time I used a fucking nickel or dime or penny, and I probably never will.

wikipedia:

"On December 14, 2010, The Senate finance committee recommended the penny be removed from circulation, arguing that a century of inflation has eroded the value and usefulness of the one-cent piece. Presently it costs more to produce each penny (1.5¢) than it is worth monetarily. The Royal Canadian Mint has been forced to produce more such coins because pennies disappear from circulation as Canadians hoard these coins, or just cannot be bothered to use them."

Fucking absurd. I'm gonna start tossing these things.

I did, however find a shilling from New Zealand in the mix which was pretty strange and fun.

Oh well, it will be nice to cash this shit in a have a bit of extra money to throw in the new bike fund, or something.

something hockey.

2011-04-12T18:47:00.004-06:00

So the playoffs are about to start, and like every year, I'll watch the games if they are on and follow the Eastern standings with mild interest.

In terms of the Oilers, the season was another last place finish, which sucks, but is still about thousand times better than the previous effort.

Today, they also won the draft lottery, which means another number 1 pick, so another great young guy to play along side Taylor Hall, which means the team is going to be so stacked with talent that it's sick.

The only catch with drafting is that you often have to wait to see the results. That's why this is called a rebuild and there are a lot of "growing pains" but I'm behind this team 100%

Anyway, plenty of awesome shit this year:

like Linus Omark in his first NHL game having the balls to try this in a shootout (and win) that caused such a ridiculous controversy:

also Jordan Eberle's first NHL goal, which is a thing of beauty:

Taylor Hall's hat trick:

And MacIntyre fucking up Ivanans. Fucking brutal:

Word. I'm ready for next season already.

Unreal.

2011-04-06T09:28:00.003-06:00

Louis Theroux is awesome as shit, and his follow up documentary on the Westboro Baptist Church, "The most hated family in America" aired a few days ago on the BBC and is really fucking good.

This is pretty entertaining stuff if you want something to shake your head at while laughing hysterically at how dumb these fucks are.

Really.

I am continually blown away by how disgusting and warped this group of people are. I really, honestly cannot even begin to comprehend how any human being can be so sick and easily brainwashed like this.

I have nothing else to say, but I recommend watching it all if you've got an hour or whatever.

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

3DS

2011-03-28T23:25:00.003-06:00

I got a 3DS the other morning since I was off work at an appropriate hour to do so.

To make a long story short, this thing has exceeded my expectations already. So very, very cool.

The 3D effect is pretty stunning and really adds to the visuals in the two games I got. I've never been huge on 3D films, but for games, it seems like a great fit. That extra bit of depths goes a long way in something like Pilotwings.

I'm also blown away by some of the built in features including face raiders, which has you scan people's faces and then play a mini game using the camera. So you're actually moving all around the room aiming at people and shooting them, all the while the background is getting torn up and cracked. Pretty cool.

The AR (Augmented Reality) cards blew me away completely. You place a card on a surface, scan it with the camera and out pops a bunch of crazy shit, like targets you can shoot.

I had it on the kitchen table and it actually morphs it into weird landscapes and shit and the effect is pretty crazy. What really blew my mind was having to stand up and look down INTO a hole in the table it made to shoot a target. I was giddy.

Then there's the pedometer which tracks your steps/earns you coins to spend on unlocking stuff in games.

Also Streetpass. If you have your 3DS sleeping and walk past another person with one they exchange mii data automatically, so you can walk around collecting them and they show up in your plaza with bits of info about where they came from and then you can us them in other games.

It's also integrated into certain games like Ridge Racer, so it scans ghost/time data and you can have streetpass duels.

MADNESS!

I'm extremely impressed with this thing. I was kind of undecided about it for a long time since portable gaming is usually really hit or miss with me, but this thing kind of rekindled the magic.

I guess it's a combination of better visuals/new games/A GODDAMN ANALOG PAD that got to me.

And hey, a new fucking Pilotwings game. It's only been, what? 14 fucking years?

PS. I waited too long to cancel my Amazon Pre-order, so if anyone wants a black model when I get it I'll sell it to you for what it cost minus the shipping ($262)

I don't know how hard they are to find or whatever. But if anyone is interested, let me know, otherwise I'll just return it and get a refund.

Kindle

2011-03-20T01:16:00.005-06:00

I guess I should update this thing despite not really having anything at all to say.

I got a Kindle using some of the birthday money I received, because I'd been interested in one for a while.

Despite there now being more alternatives to the Amazon make these days, from what I've seen and read, you'd be hard pressed to top the newer models.

All I knew is that I didn't want something like the Nook Colour, because what's the point? if you're looking to read books on something resembling a tablet, buy a tablet.

And for that reason I knew I wanted an E ink display and is the first time I've ever seen one in person and it is absolutely gorgeous.

...Maybe that's a real weird thing to say about a screen such as this, but I was pretty blown away by how precisely it looks like a printed book. It's fucking dead on and crisp as hell. No glare or any of that shit.

Also surprising (despite reading all the info) is just how small and thin the thing is. Great design.

I guess I mainly wanted one in order to boost the time I spend reading, and also much like digital music or any other digital media, it's just incredibly handy and cool to have an entire collection of goods you bought at your fingertips.

I'm also not huge on owning stacks of books which, once read, really just take up space. There are obviously exceptions like sweet ass art books and other photo filled things.

Of course it now means that since buying a new book is a few clicks away, that I'll probably amass an even larger backlog of shit I am interested in, but seem to have no time for...damn you, instant gratification.

It's almost too easy to browse and buy shit, and (again surprisingly to me) incredibly fast. I always thought Ebook files would be larger in size, but they are tiny and took like 5 seconds to download.

I also have this sick urge to double dip and buy some books I own (but haven't read) so I can have them on this thing. What's that about?

I think I'll make a rule from here to not buy anymore until I finish whatever one I am currently reading.

I've got three novels right now, but the first I downloaded was Neuromancer, a book I've always wanted to read because it has inspired so many other forms of media and just sounded so damn cool.

It's fucking great so far.

Anyway, I'm in love with the Kindle. great purchase.

Nothing else to say, really.

Everything needs to fuck off.

2011-03-06T23:51:00.002-07:00

I've spent the last two days in bed pretty much in and out of sleep the entire time and it hasn't been pleasant.

the other night at work I got hit with a terrible headache and those body shakes you get when you KNOW you're about to puke or pass out.

I made it through that night and pretty much plopped myself onto the bed and have been here ever since. Feeling on the verge of vomitting all my innards out a great deal of that time.

I'd say I certainly feel better than I did, but can't seem to shake this headache or the groggy feeling that comes with it.

I don't know, I think I may actually hit up the doctor tomorrow if there's a chance I can get in without an appointment/waiting for four hours, cause advil really isn't cutting it at this point.

So I've certainly felt out of the loop. It's not a good feeling to wake up and wonder what day it is. I don't like it.

Apparently I'm off work again completely this week, or so the schedule would have me believe, since my name was nowhere to be found, which is odd, because even with zero hours a few weeks ago, my name was at least on it.

Whatever. I mentioned it and nobody seemed particularily interested in explaining to me what is going on, so I'll wait until they (without fail) call me in the middle of the night asking where I am/telling me when to come back.

The lack of communication between workers and anybody else there is disturbing.

I fully expect them to pull a "you were supposed to be here. look at the schedule" type of move, where they indeed have put me back up there...but while I was off and had no idea of knowing.

That's how things work, I guess.

Idiots.

Now, I think I might move to the couch for a little bit and take in some full house re-runs.

I dunno. Random stuff.

2011-03-02T16:36:00.005-07:00

I guess in order to break the posts about games streak, I should talk about the new Mogwai album.

Upon first listening I thought it was great. I've since listened to it several more times and now hold it an even higher esteem. In fact, I consider it a far better album than "The hawk is howling" and "Mr. Beast". easily.

Obviously that's just my opinion, but I've read a few mixed comments (just browsing the Last FM page) and I don't quite understand. This shit is dialed in.

I would agree that the mastering/mixing seems different than previous efforts, but I'm not a HUGE audiophile, so whatever. You get used to it.

Favourites for me include Mexican grand prix, Rano Pano, How to be a werewolf and George square thatcher death party....but really I could just list them all.

Mexican grand prix for having a bit of a different sound. Play it as loud as possible at all times.

Rano Pano is quite honestly musical perfection to me. When those drums kick in? forget about it. Crunchy, heavy and loud. Turn that shit up too, your ears will thank me. Almost my number one Mogwai song, for real.

So yeah. They continue to make incredible music, which isn't surprising. Just awesome.

The other day I got "Sucker Punch: The art of the film" from Amazon, since I had a gift card, and it was on sale for cheap if you pre-ordered.

It's basically a huge hardcover book with over 250 high quality pages of INRCREDIBLE sketches, renders, costumes, set design layout and photos (and beautiful women) that is just an absolute marvel to flip through.

I'm constantly blown away by how much work goes into the things I love, most of it to probably never truly be appreciated, and that's why I love books like this. To help appreciate those things.

Maybe it's just me. I love looking at this kind of shit and could probably sit there soaking it all in for a good amount of time, and I'm sure I will.

You might think it kind of odd that I got it before the film is even out, but come on, one thing I knew after watching 20 seconds of the trailer is that if nothing else, this movie is going to be an absolute feast for the eyes.

The shitty part is that the package was damaged on the way to me, and so is the book (you can even see it in the first photo) and that really chaps my ass. A replacement is on the way, but it still makes me mad how Amazon thinks their job of wrapping a bit of thin cardboard around a huge and HEAVY hardcover book is sufficient. Fuckin'...some asshole off ebay would have packaged it better than that, you chumps.

It's alright for smaller books and DVD's, but come on, grow a fucking brain.

I'm back at work, or at least...sort of.

They are scheduling me for really odd shifts. I seem to work a night, get one off, work another, get another off.

That bothers me. It throws my schedule out of whack and I feel like a bag of shit already. I think they do a great deal (including scheduling me on restricted shifts) just to piss me off, and I really can't understand why.

Even in my hatred (which comes and goes) toward the job, I do it well and I show up all the time. Why I'm the asshole, I have no idea.

We'll see where it goes from here.

I have nothing else to say.

Dear Ryan,

2011-02-24T16:29:00.004-07:00

my friend, let's buy Brink when it comes out so that we can kill other people together.

Love,

- Dan.

more games.

2011-02-16T17:15:00.001-07:00

Best trailer for a zombie based game ever?

Absolutely.

That is fucking sweet and a welcome departure from the usual. Really looking forward to seeing more of it.

Human Revolution

2011-02-15T23:20:00.003-07:00

I remember playing the original Deus Ex on the PC back in 2000 and being pretty blown away. I wasn't a huge PC gamer at the time (I guess I'm actually still not) but at the time it pretty much blew away the shit I was playing on consoles and I will never forget it.

I never did finish it, but it was one of those games I stared over so many times I could probably play the first half of it blindfolded.

I skipped the sequel, mostly because I heard a lot of mixed things.

Human Revolution looks like it could be incredible though.

I think it is at the top of my list for upcoming games. I think it has been delayed yet again, but I can wait.

I dig that style, man. So fucking much.

I'm pretty much burned out on first person shooters, but throw in some third person bits and a lot of RPG elements and I'm there, so I hope they do it up right.

Of course with any new continuation of an old series these days, there's the nagging feeling that it might turn out awful, but I try to push that to the back of my mind.

also the music. so good.:

The fishing 10 remembrance video

2011-02-08T16:47:00.005-07:00

Not working means a lot of free time. Free time is boring, so I do things.

I think video editing is amazingly fun, and I've messed with it a lot ever since getting my gopro camera (just never uploaded), so I decided I'd piss around with all the footage Ryan and I got during our fishing adventures.

My Sony Vegas trial was expired (someone buy it for me) so I tried to use lightworks...but that is far too advanced for my little mind, so it was back to good ol' Windows Movie maker, and it worked well enough for this joke of a video, considering all I had to work with was about 30 minutes of us being morons, and a lot of footage that was ruined by wind and such.

Also, Trevor only appears in one picture and that makes me sad.

Anyway, here are just under 10 minutes of complete and utter bullshit that I suggest watching if you're either very bored, or Ryan:

I dig the montage (seriously, I tried to lay it on thick) and ending, personally. Also the storm watching.

Good fucking times.

Until next time.

Karl Pilkington is the funniest fucker alive.

2011-02-05T15:16:00.003-07:00

An idiot abroad is an amazing show

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (two of the funniest fuckers ever) send Karl Pilkington (another funny fucker) around the world to visit all the wonders and to basically make him uncomfortable for their (and our) amusement.

Awkward and hilarious scenes follow.

I genuinely felt sorry for the guy on several occasions. A lot of the time I thought about how I'd probably be the same way. He's often unimpressed with everything, but enjoys the more quiet moments and I totally get that.

Anyway, brilliant series. Totally made me a fan of Karl Pilkington who is the most loveable, silly guy in the world.

He's also in the Ricky Gervais show which is just random discussions set to animation:

he's either an INCREDIBLE deadpan actor, or genuinely goofy as shit in the head.

And no, it doesn't really matter which it is, cause it's awesome.

That show is also amazing. I can't tell you how many times it had me almost in tears thanks to laughing so hard. Truly, those three are an amazing trio.

If the above clips don't do much for you though, I dunno.

Good grief.

2011-02-02T23:47:00.002-07:00

I've always hated Bill O'Reilly. I don't even watch his show, or network, but so often in my web surfing ways I come across clips and quote from his show and my mind boggles at what a fucking moron this guy is.

TIDE GOES IN TIDE GOES OUT, YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN THAT!

When in fact science has had an answer for such an event for a pretty long time now. In fact I think I learned this in elementary school.

Here's another video where he this time tries to argue with Richard Dawkins (who I love) and when he knows he's backed into some sort of corner, just tries his best to not let Dawkins say anything or cracks an awful joke to move along.

The first time I saw this video I was stunned that somebody so stupid can have a TV show of his own.

But then I remembered that Fox News is a joke and conservative douche bags eat this shit up.

Here's one to show he's not only stupid as fuck in regards to religion, but politics as well. What an ignorant cunt.

I fucking hate this guy.

That is all.

Dead Space 2 post

2011-02-01T00:43:00.004-07:00

May contain some gameplay spoilers, so if you really care, tread lightly.

I finished Dead Space 2 tonight and I have to say, quite simply, it is one of my favourite games of all time.

First and foremost I love Isaac Clarke as a character...like, I'm so drawn to him that it's probably weird. Ever since the first game and the shit he goes through, I just...I dunno, bought into it completely.

So, I initially had my doubts when I heard he'd be showing his face more often (you only ever see it at the very end of the first game...and partly at the start, I guess) as well as speaking in this game, but it turns out they did an amazing job with it and it brings an immense amount to the character and story about just how fucked up his head is, that I wouldn't have it any other way, now.

It does remarkable things to make him even more likeable and the voice actor was great. Perfect amount of anger, fear and pain in his voice at almost all times, like when his DEAD GIRLFRIEND is talking to him and stalking him. FUCK YOU NICOLE, YOU'RE DEAD.

The game itself feels like Dead Space, but kicked up several notches thanks to really awesome set pieces, such as the part where [SPOILER ALERT] you have to fix the solar arrays in space and then get back to the tower, only to find out that you are short on time and then Isaac proceeds to fucking EJECT HIMSELF OUT and you have to fucking FLY through goddamn SPACE just barley dodging bits of wrecked ship and space junk was fucking incredible...[END SPOILER] I was actually saying to myself "holy fuck. YES" as I was playing this part (and died a few times, but didn't mind) because that is something you never saw in the first game.

The Zero G sections allow for 360 degree "flight" which is another improvement to the first game, where you simply had to walk on walls and leap from point to point.

Also amazing was seeing the Ishimura (in which the first game takes place entirely) again, which is somehow made ever CREEPIER since it's even more run down and empty. The part where you first get on it and there's nothing happening and you EXPECT something to happen is intense and perfectly paced.

In fact that's what the whole game is. Perfectly paced. I mean, it's always intense, because even when it's not outright scary, you're constantly on guard because you KNOW something is going to happen, and it wears on you, man.

Seriously, I had just over 9 hours on the clock when I finished it, but it felt like almost triple that, partly because I was savoring the experience, but also because the game does a number on my senses, I swear.

(note, this is also true of the first game. But moreso here, I feel)

So, short version, this game is incredible and the perfect follow up to the original. Visceral games hit a massive fucking home run, here.

Worth noting, I got the collector's edition since it was cheaply priced and it came with some extra content (suit/force gun) as well as an art card, a soundtrack and a plasma cutter (aka the best weapon in the game) replica.

The plasma cutter is actually nothing special since it's a miniature, but still kind of a cool little extra for fans, I guess.

If only I was a little person

The soundtrack is fucking awesome though, which I have to say I didn't notice THAT much while playing. I think I was just too on edge or something, but it's wonderfully composed music.

Anyway. So good.

Worst part is waiting for another one.

PS. holy fuck I want one of THESE ONES

dumb shit.

2011-01-30T00:15:00.002-07:00

I'm still off work. Two weeks or something and counting. I went and took a look and I am scheduled next week, for a whole FOUR hour shift! how generous of them.

Idiots actually called me tonight at 11:30 and said "I can use you tonight if you're free" I thought about if for 3.23 seconds and told him no.

Call it some stupid pride thing or whatever you want, but I knew it would happen eventually and my plan was to tell them to eat shit from day one.

To be thought of only when their lazy full timers let them down is dumb. To be called in to bail them out after getting fucked over is an insult to me. I'm not being over dramatic and I'm not saying it's a huge deal, but it is fucking stupid of them. (also stupid is calling me at 11:30, you morons)

I could tell he expected my answer and was seemingly surprised that I didn't have more to say other than "Nope. Can't do it. No thanks"

Pretty sure a few other people in my situation told him the same thing. We had all talked about how it was going to happen.

I kind of decided if/when I go back there that I won't be working any extra hours for them. At all. I'm usually cool about staying late whenever they ask, but I won't be anymore. They can schedule me however the fuck they please and I'll work and shut up, but I won't be giving any extra time to help out that company. Money or not. I don't give a shit.

Anyway, a shift next week is either an indication that things might be getting back to normal slowly...but it also might not be. We'll see how it goes.

I mostly kind of don't care, only because I got my holiday pay last week, so I'm still in decent shape financially for the time being.

If I had my own place or kids or whatever the fuck, it would obviously be a different story. In fact I'd probably just be searching for a new job right now (which is still a possibility)

It hasn't been all bad. Sitting on my ass and going through my backlog of games (the Assassin's Creed games mostly) has been fun, and seeing my sister for the 10 days or so she was here was also cool. We sat around and played games and talked whatnot and that was fun.

Being awake at normal hours and feeling normal is also kind of cool. My sleep patters are as wonky as ever, I can't seem to fall asleep until 5 AM no matter what, BUT on the plus side, I'm not completely wiped and feeling like a zombie at 6 PM like I usually am on my days off.

I only wish it were summer. Two/three weeks off then would be more than welcome, to be honest.

So yeah.

Coolest shit of the day

2011-01-25T01:44:00.003-07:00

FIGHT THE FOOT

I love the Ninja Turtles films. Mostly due to my nostalgic love for the franchise, obviously. They aren't outstanding in anyway, but this fan made trailer/project is pretty awesome.

Maybe not AMAZING since it's just a snippet, but I think it shows just enough to convey a sort of mood that just feels right.

Thinking about a darker, grittier live action Turtles movie is actually exciting to me. I think I might be going nuts.

I'd watch the shit out of it, whether a real studio gets behind it or these guys do it themselves.

Fuckin' turtle power, for life.

also: that end shot, fuck yeah.

oh god.

2011-01-23T00:09:00.003-07:00

Goosebumps all fucking over.

February 15th!

also listen to another song/pre-order the fuck out of this, here

HOCKEY POST 2

2011-01-21T19:56:00.005-07:00

So I got to go to another hockey game on Thursday and it was awesome as shit. Same great (free) seats and a totally entertaining time.

I think that if I was a rich man, season tickets would be one of the first things I'd buy, a long with someone to drive me there and pick me up because the worst part about going to a game is getting there and getting out, but that's expected when 18,000 people all have the same agenda.

I got myself a cheerleader calendar and fist bumped the girls, but my efforts to lead the cheer were in vain, since the oilers dropped a close game, but damn it was entertaining.

Which leads me nicely into why I actually wanted to make this post. I wanted to rant, and nobody who reads this will care because they don't do hockey, but that's not the point.

The Oilers are the first Canadian team to have a "cheer squad" and the controversy surrounding that when it was first announced was absurd. From the expected "wah wah I'm a woman and I don't like this purely based on that! sluts! grrr!" to the also stupid "Canadian teams don't need cheerleaders because we know the game!" because people somehow think fans are above that.

They stand around and talk to people/sell shit/take photos with fans and be real nice before the puck drop and a few times a game they do a little dance routine (in the stands obviously) that's pretty far removed from what cheerleaders in other sports do, so I don't know how anyone can be offended or put off by that. Man people are dumb.

It's simply another thing to add to the spectacle that is an NHL game.

Personally, I can think of a million things more offensive than this. And not just because I have a penis.

And onto the other part of the rant, which is that I hate when people who seemingly don't follow hockey at all feel the need to tell me the Oilers "suck" when they see me wearing a shirt or whatever.

I get this all the time at work, and while playful smack talk is cool, it's the people who don't know SHIT that piss me off.

Nobody with half a brain expected this team to be contenders this year. To even think that is beyond absurd. This is a team that is REBUILDING the very core of itself and that means choosing youth over experience and BUILDING up from that.

You know what happens when teams do that? they have multiple seasons of lurking near the bottom of the standings, because it takes TIME.

There are NO expectations, it's all about growing.

Seriously, there are eight guys on the team this season who scored their first NHL goals. That's a lot of rookie/young talent floating around, and you can't expect them all to click and light it up everynight. I've never been an NHL player, but I can't imagine it's easy to adapt to the game at that level, and so there are tons of growing pains and people can bitch and complain all they want, but it's expected.

I think the true fans see beyond that. Stop expecting results right now and just enjoy the chemistry.

If you know hockey, there's no way you can watch an Oilers game and deny the absolutely amazing skill this team has/will have in three to four years. It's insane even at this stage.

People also don't understand that the previous season where they finished dead last was the breaking point. they DID suck then and that's why shit has been stripped away and will continue to evolve. People were told back then that the team were contenders and THAT is the difference.

One first round draft pick later and a bunch of prospects inserted into the lineup and the Oilers are playing the most entertaining and exciting hockey I've seem them play in forever.

And now you can all go back to not caring. Sorry.

PS. I might get to go to the game on Sunday! maybe!

Spoke too soon.

2011-01-14T14:23:00.002-07:00

Guess how many hours I get to work next week?

ZERO.

Idiots cut 150 hours from the schedule and now a bunch of people aren't working. At all.

Boggles my mind. We've not been told why as of yet, other than "THEY are just cutting hours" but most people think it's because of their open 24 hour failure and now we're getting boned to make up for that blunder.

I just can't wrap my mind around how they think this is going to work, though.

There are maybe 6 "full timers" who will be scheduled, three of whom call in sick at least twice a week (because they can get away with it for some reason) so...good fucking luck with that, you morons.

And as I said previously, it's a fucking disaster there.

I'm hoping they call me one of those days I'm off and ask if I want to come in. I'll probably tell them to get fucked on principle.

I can take a week off and survive. I guess any longer than that is going to get pretty shitty, so I don't know. Nobody has said how long it will last, but a lot of people are pretty furious and rightfully so.

Good part is my sister is visiting soon, so I might actually get to hang out with her a bit, this time.

Mostly, I predict a lot of sitting on my ass being bored, though.

something something can't sleep.

2011-01-12T01:38:00.008-07:00

Right now I feel like I should have capitalized on my lack of energy an hour ago, because I've just got myself an unwanted second wind, and probably couldn't sleep if my life depended on it.

So I am sitting here, mostly just thinking.

Hours are getting cut at work, and I'm stuck working four hour shifts, four days a week. Hours always seem to get chopped this time of year, but it has never been this dumb. It doesn't make much sense to me, considering what a terrible state that store is in, you'd think they'd take the hit and actually want more people there to, you know, actually make it look half decent, but no...They are content with saving money by not offering the time, so what can I do?

I'm glad I have no real allegiance to the place. Yes, I've worked there long enough, but that actually doesn't mean anything. If I found a better job, I'd walk away easily enough. The thing is I don't often look, and truly, $26 or so an hour for doing what I do is pretty good.

The reason I even bring up work is that one of my "resolutions" is to pay off my debts as agressively as possible, and working shit hours makes that tough, obviously.

I've been doing okay so far, pretty much just by being a cheapskate for once in my life and also the fact that I've been pretty much doing nothing socially.

Which goes nicely into my next random topic of...I guess the same feelings I wrote about in that other post are still with me. Such a lack of motivation for anything.

Which leads me again to saying that I really miss summer right now.

I miss running. A lot. I'm looking forward to a full season of it. Like crazy.

Feel free to say what you want, but joining a gym or whatever and pissing around on some of their gear just doesn't strike me as a replacement. Or at least not one that I want.

I don't quite know what it is about running and being out there in the morning. It's just...special to me, somehow.

Of course, I also miss this:

But everybody knows that by now. Really, watching it just fills me with a sense of calm and warm longing, which isn't bad. It'll have to do, eh?

A while ago I signed up for an Emusic account since just to download one album. I planned on canceling soon after, but stayed subscribed, and I'm glad I have, because I've discovered a great number of bands and music I'd never have found otherwise.

And whatever, call me crazy, but I like the fact that I get my music legally.

One such band I happening to be listening to at the moment is The Bronzed Chorus.

This shit is tight, allegedly it's just a two man band, but I don't know if that's true of this particular album or not.

Anyway, since this post is on the upswing, here are some things that make me happy:

The all new Suzuki GSR750. I love that look

Hot awesome Swedish girl makes ridiculously awesome Varia suit. And more

Miyamoto. A wise man

I mean...come on.

See ya.

For Emily.

2011-01-05T01:48:00.002-07:00

Dear Emily,

These days I'm finding it easier and easier to live with the fact that you'd rather not speak to me directly, let alone find the time to reply to my letters.

I think, Emily, that even now, miles and miles away from me, you perform your job with amazing skill.

Simply put, it matters not if these letters ever receive a reply, only that your eyes see them. I have no insurance of such things happening, but what little faith I have left is invested solely in you.

It is all I have.

I suppose if I'm being perfectly honest, Emily, the idea that you might actually reply is indeed a positive one , but that's just it. An idea. Ideas are often worth less than the cheap paper they are hastily written on. That much I know.

Ideas go nowhere, and yet we love them all the same.

Ideas are hope, I suppose, and hope, Emily, is something of a foreign feeling to me.

All I know is I miss you dearly. I regret things I've said and actions I've taken, but you know that as well as I do.

I've tried to resume life without you. I've typed up resumes and scanned newspapers for jobs. I've tried to be a robot.

Why does everything leave me feeling so empty, Emily?

If I try hard, I can remember a time when simple things brought me pleasure. Coffee in the morning, sleeping in on the weekend, but now, I feel transparent, like those simple things pass right through me. No weight to them.

Nothing has weight anymore.

The other night while I was out for a walk I sat on a park bench and listened to the city for an hour. It seemed more alive than ever before and the thought kind of bothered me. Nobody sleeps. Everyone is busy all of the time.

I think more than anything, we often resemble rats or some other pest. We think we're above that simply because we don't shit on each other like they do.

But we do. We shit on each other and we shit on everything that's given to us. This entire city is shit and the stench is sometimes overpowering.

It's those dark thoughts, Emily. I cannot escape them.

I sometimes dream of them creeping up on me. They stick a hook through me and reel me in like a fish. I try to run away, but it's like they toy with me. I put some distance between myself and the darkness but I get dragged back and have to do it all over again.

If you were were, you'd try and tell me what it meant. You were good at that, and despite my protests, it always helped me.

Now I don't have you. I have nothing.

Nothing to lose.

- as always.

Every light.

2011-01-03T16:40:00.003-07:00

Alright, I've been putting off this post for a while. In fact I've started it a few times and just stopped because it ended up sounding too dramatic or something.

I don't know what it is, but for the past month or so (maybe longer) I've been feeling so completely "down" that it sometimes feels like too much.

I don't know. I feel so withdrawn and absolutely don't feel like doing anything that involves going out or seeing friends or any of that shit. I have a hard time getting motivated to even leave the house to run errands and whatnot.

Everything feels like a chore. A chore that I want to put off forever.

I don't know that I'm actually depressed in the way that I feel hopeless or anything, but I guess it is a form of depression.

It's not completely new to me. I just can't get over it or shake it like I have before.

It HAS happened in winter a lot. I guess because in part, it's just a pain in the ass to go anywhere or do anything during these months...it just feels like more than that, though.

I'd make a joke about how is probably is some form of Seasonal affective disorder, but I don't know, maybe it actually is.

I'm no doctor, and I don't make habits of diagnosing myself using online tools (seriously. those people drive me nuts) but all of that information is pretty interesting to me and a lot of it fits like a glove.

It's not constant, though. I have moments of real happiness and joy, but most of the time it is easier to just pretend or not care altogether and just sit here.

So yeah, like I said, not trying to sound overly dramatic, but that's what has been up with me lately.

And no, it has nothing to do with it being the holiday season or Molson being gone. It's not depression like that. I'm not sure I'm even actively sad. I'm just...unmotivated and would rather be left alone and pretend nobody else exists.

Which I guess is kind of sad in itself, so...

I don't know. Whatever.

On top of that I've got caught myself a seriously awful cold that seems to be fucking up my entire body, because I just feel like a bag of shit and am tired of coughing up neon green and blowing neon yellow out my nose every 3.25 seconds.

I also haven't had a real sleep in three days or so. I don't know what the fuck that is about. Maybe it's just because I wake up coughing or stuffed up and just can't get back to sleep.

Fucking bullshit. Fuck winter.

Obligatory 2010 post

2010-12-31T01:47:00.006-07:00

Some things were good and some things were bad.

Some things stayed the same and were better for it, some things got worse.

I love my friends and family as much as the year before.

I enjoyed the little things a lot more, like fishing all those nights with Ryan, or taking the trip to Vancouver to be there for Trevor's wedding or the lonely and quiet stops on the side of the highway during a bike ride.

I'm not typing up a bunch of shit, nor am I making a comical list like I once did. I don't have the energy or motivation or patience.

I'm not trying to be a moody asshole. I just seriously don't and can't see the benefit of doing so.

Here is my review of 2010: it was 365 days.

That's it. Bring on another one.

Oh, this is my 500th post.

Take that you necromorph son of a bitch!

2010-12-30T06:46:00.004-07:00

When I first played Dead Space (what, 2 years ago?) I fell in love instantly. It was pretty much my type of game top to bottom. In fact, way back then, I probably even blogged about it.

For whatever reason, though, I stopped playing half way through and never picked it up again. I had rented it at the time and I think that perhaps I just got swamped with other games and felt I didn't have the time and sent it back. It always sort of bothered me, and I always told myself I'd play it again.

So I got a copy for cheap the other day and played the shit out of it (started from the beginning) pretty much non-stop. It's not an incredibly lengthy game, but man oh man does it take a lot out of a person.

I love the series and I have to say that this is probably one of my favorite single player experiences since I got my xbox. The pacing and mood and everything is just ace. So many awesome moments.

I also love the main character, Isaac Clarke. I can't help but feel sorry for the dude, though. Throughout the entire game he's pretty much an errand boy for every other lazy fucker and thus is forced to become a badass killing machine since nobody else will.

It's pretty much a downward spiral for him the entire length of the game, and the end just tops it off. It's quite depressing in a lot of ways.

Also, I feel more games need silent protagonists. I love that shit.

I'm glad I finished it in time for Dead Space 2 (Jan 25) because it is currently my most anticipated game.

I might even pony up and get the collector's edition, because I love useless trinkets (no, seriously)

A plasma cutter replica and soundtrack? sign me the fuck up! Of course, I don't pre-order games, so if I can't find it I'll be fine with just the game itself.

I actually got into the multiplayer beta on the PS3, but hardly played it since it was tough to find a match during the hours I was online. Like what I played, though.

I have a few concerns, like hopefully the developers didn't focus too much on the multiplayer aspects and not the single player, because that's going to bother the fuck out of me if it's true. I'm in it for the story and the characters, killing dudes online is just a bonus and I hope it is treated that way.

Whatever, I'm just excited for more Dead Space, motherfuckers.

Post Christmas post.

2010-12-27T20:19:00.005-07:00

I'm glad Christmas is over.

My family decided to not buy gifts for each other, which was nice. I told everyone I didn't want anything anyway, but of course my mom asks me to construct a list because she feels like she has to buy us things. Or maybe that's not true...she just likes to?

My dad and younger brother were both out of town, and my sister couldn't make it back, so it was a little strange but not bad. I don't get too worked up either way about Christmas.

It was...okay seeing the extended family again. I'm beginning to think that just sitting at home with the immediate family and relaxing would be much better, and next tear might strive to make that happen. It's just too much sometimes.

A list of some stuff I got:

- sweet beard/mustache trimmer
- A book about cults throughout history
- "The strain" and "The fall" by Guiellermo Del Toro ( the Pan's Labyrinth dude)
- A book about the battle for Stalingrad
- Alien Anthology boxset on blu ray (such a quality set)
- Playstation Move starter bundle (controller, camera, sports champions game)
- NHL Slapshot for the Wii with that hockey stick controller
- Assassins Creed Brotherhood for the 360

Playstation move is pretty cool, not much difference between it and a Wii remote, in my eyes, but it does some stuff better, allegedly. Sports Champions is like Wii sports but probably more fun, my mom and I played Frisbee golf a lot.

Also, it glows really bright and looks like a toxic ice cream cone, which I still think looks absurd as hell.

It tastes like burning!

But the camera allows for some silly shit, too. Like when you win a cup and get to take a snapshot:

Good times.

Molson

2010-12-19T06:17:00.003-07:00

Well,

yesterday we had a vet come out and put Molson to sleep.

The past few days had been very hard on him. The day where we got that huge snowfall, he was actually laying outside on the sidewalk, and wouldn't get up for anything. Eventually he seriously just looked like a snow drift, so I forced him up and inside the garage and dried him off the best I could with a towel and we forced him to spend the day and night in there (which he hated). He was certainly having trouble standing and even more trouble walking.

The next day we let him out because he goes mental whenever he's kept inside ANYTHING and he went out and laid under the tree he always used to lay under and proceeded to spend the entire day there, not moving or getting up when he saw someone.

It was hard to watch. I really do think that he knew his time was up and simply wanted to be there, but of course I can't say for sure.

When night came my mom begged me to get him up and into the basement so he could at least lay in the boot room and be warm/away from the coyotes that are everywhere.

I went out there and woke him up (and seriously thought he was gone before I touched him) and tried to stand him up. Eventually I did and he took a few steps and just fell down, which I'll never forget because it was one of the saddest things I've seen. So I scooped him up in my arms and carried him awkwardly the rest of the way and inside.

He remained confused and scared and obviously wanting outside for a decent while but eventually just went to sleep and pretty much slept for the next few days, only drinking water, until we could find someone to come out and put him to sleep, since the choice was made that while we didn't think he was in terrible pain or suffering, that he could not make it through another winter, and unlike the past few times where he had bad stretch of health, he wouldn't be getting "better".

I know this might come off as dumb and perhaps really trivial to some people, but it wasn't easy. He was part of my life for 15 years, human or dog or any other animal, that is a long time to know someone and bond with them. To grow up with them. That's LIFE and it's remarkable.

I know people have gone though this and will continue to go through it, but I never have. He was the first dog our family ever had.

I watched them do it, and as soon as they forced him to lay down so that they could shave a bit of fur off his leg for the needle, I seriously just lost my composure and had to leave the room. I expected it to be sad, but mostly after the fact.

Call me whatever you wish, I wept in my room wishing it didn't have to happen and angry that I knew it did have to.

I went back out though and watched the rest. They sedated him first and then gave him the other dose and then he was just...gone.

Peaceful and the right thing to do, I'm sure, but that doesn't make it any less heartbreaking.

I stayed awake to see it happen and to be there for my mom especially who I knew would take it very hard.

I guess it's comforting knowing he stayed in good health for as long as he did, and that he was loved the entire time. Quite remarkable how tough and stubborn he was, even when deaf and getting blind.

What an awesome dog.

OH MY GOD.

2010-12-12T06:24:00.001-07:00

GOOSEBUMPS

HANDSET

2010-12-09T14:13:00.005-07:00

Got a new phone today.

I'd been putting a lot of thought into cancelling my current contract and just not having one at all, but instead I switched back to Telus (purely because Rogers overcharged the fuck out of me) so my monthly bill will be about $35 cheaper (ALLEGEDLY, anyway) so that's awesome.

I do have to pay Rogers for bailing early, but doing the math, I'll be saving money in like 4 months anyway, and I'm not paying them outrageous rates for another year, I'm fucking DONE with that shit.

Their coverage was fantastic and I loved my phone, but considering how I hardly use it for anything other than texting/checking my email when I get real bored at work or away from home, why pay so much?

I considered getting one of those new fangled Windows phones, but decided against it...something about that interface bothers me.

The decision was made easy when I saw/did some research on the Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate. It is gorgeous and that 4 inch super amoled screen is seriously a thing of beauty. I am blown away by how crisp and bright it is.

N95, you have been REPLACED by a thinner and more attractive bit of tech

I guess, really, the thought of messing with some new technology is what tempted me. I'm weak.

Still getting used to typing on a qwerty touchscreen, but most people say you get used to it pretty quick, so whatever. That SWYPE feature is fantastic, but I am absolutely hopeless when it comes to using it. It's almost laughable. I feel like an old man.

Also still getting used to android in general. It's awesome, but there's so much to customize and fuck with that it might take me weeks to get it ironed out the way I like it.

So that's that.

Random thoughts.

2010-12-08T02:04:00.005-07:00

It's kind of late but I'm so awake it hurts.

I've consumed far too much cola today.

I've been thinking about things lately.

I'm well aware winter has just begun to sink her claws into us, so this might be weird to even bring up, but I'm putting a lot of serious thought (saving already) to a motorcycle trip.

My small town adventures thing was a spectacular failure (though I had no real intentions of it being anything else) but I think I'm finally ready to do some sort of extended trip. To be actually away from home.

The thought of heading either north or south for a week or two has always been appealing for some reason.

I recently subscribed to Motorcycle Mojo, which is a great Canadian magazine, and saw an ad for this Ride North thing and got in touch with someone who mailed me a package with a DVD, booklet and mini map and it sounds pretty great.

I don't know that I'd make a habit of following any set routes they have planned out, but it certainly has pointed me in the right direction and given me plenty of ideas.

I've decided that whether I have a new bike or not, I'm going to attempt it. I'm not huge on planning, so I'll probably just load up the saddle bags with some clothes, my netbook, and cameras and then hit the road.

I've also decided my small town adventure thing will continue for as long as I want it to, why limit it to one season or feel rushed at all? I love the idea of exploring my own province.

So there's that.

Christmas has only now crept into my mind. I'd write about how I don't care about it, but I do that every year, it seems.

It's just kind of crazy how it doesn't feel like the holiday season at all. Not in my life, anyway. Always kind of strikes me, just because of how much I used to love the entire month of December as a child.

Really random turn:

I've always thought the Tomb Raider series was overrated beyond overrated, but the first few details about the next installment have me really intrigued and it will probably be the first of the games I'll play since the second one (which was shit)

This one is said to be a proper reboot of the franchise and sounds like it could be the "Resident Evil 4" of the series...meaning, vastly different gameplay style/pacing/structure. Also supposedly really brutal and dark.

I can get behind that.

See ya.

Lousy mongrels

2010-11-21T13:44:00.005-07:00

So I hit a deer on the way home from work last night.

It was snowing pretty good as I turned off the highway onto parkland drive (my road home) I saw two deer in the ditch, so I was on ALERT and slowed down even more, but a few km's up the road one of the fuckers popped out of nowhere (you know how people always say that and sometimes you wonder what they mean? well, trust me, it really did) and ran across from left to right.

I hit the brakes and slowed down enough to not smash into it dead center (and seriously it was THAT close), but I clipped it (or more than clipped it, hard to say) more toward the passenger side which sent me fishtailing a bit, but due to my supreme skills (AND NOKIANS™), I sorted that out before ending up in a ditch myself.

What's odd is that I kept going, kind of in shock, but eventually my brain kicked in and I was all "hey, I should pull over and get a damage report!"

So I did. It was hard to see, but I saw enough to just say "fuck" but also know that it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Seriously. I've heard/seen so many terrible stories about what those things can do, so I'm grateful enough that I had enough of a chance to avoid a great deal of it. For myself and also for the car. The hood isn't mangled at all.

I was going to rant and rave about modern cars and how shitty the plastic bumpers are, but truly, hitting a deer at what, 60KM an hour, and seeing that isn't too bad. Maybe it's tougher than most or maybe it caused the deer to just BOUNCE out of the way, but man. Am I glad it wasn't worse/no airbag exploded in my face.

The real bad part is knowing that something like that still costs at least 2 grand to fix... and on a Volkswagen...I don't even want to know how much. I've known people who bumped into curbs and had to replace the whole front end because of it.

Eventually I went to the cop shop to get one of those accident stickers because you ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE ONE OF THOSE for insurance purposes before anyone will even give you an estimate, which is absurd, but I'll not get into that.

The woman there was kind of dumb and pissy and treated me like I was obviously lying about something, but I'll not get into that either.

What's done is done and it was a shitty day, I'll call/stop by my insurance place tomorrow and see what is what. My mom says hitting a deer is something they often cover with little arguing/rates rising, but we'll see.

Now I sit here wondering what I could have/should have done differently and that's really annoying as well. I think I did alright all things considered. My dad once tried to avoid a deer and ended up in a ditch smashing through a farmer's fence posts which did more damage than any deer probably would have done, so there's no real good way out of it.

Same goes with swerving into the other lane. Not really a good idea, not on an icy road and not when you're focused on a deer and not traffic coming in the other direction.

A few pics:

not as bad as one might think, but also kind of bad when you look at it more closely, cause anything cracked is obviously going to get ripped off anyway, so it may as well be busted up

bottom bit cracked, under the headlight cracked

Black bit smashed up some.

Also: best part was the sound. I watch rally racing sometimes and the sound it made was exactly like what you hear when those dudes crash.

Watch The Pacific

2010-11-18T20:28:00.005-07:00

I'm certain I wrote a little post about The Pacific when it first started to air, because I watched the first episode and waited patiently so I could just buy the box set and soak in all the awesomeness at once.

It came out a couple weeks ago and I finally got a chance to start watching it and now it's over and my mind is blown.

If you've ever seen "Band of brothers" you know what to expect. It's more of that, but set in the pacific theater of war.

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and the rest of the guys responsible for Band of Brothers are probably some of the most talented people ever because this mini series is (in my opinion) just as good.

So many times was I amazed at the cinematorgraphy and editing. Quite unbelievable. Throw in the awesome writing and it truly is one of the most emotional things you could think of. Every episode seemed to take a lot out of me because (by all accounts) it's a pretty accurate depiction of such events and my mind can't help but reel at the things these guys went though.

I cannot even begin to imagine. I don't think anybody really can.

There's also the times you just sit there and shake your head at what humanity was (and obviously still is) capable of. Sickening...which is what makes this so goddamn appealing and powerful.

I sincerely hope that the same team of writers/producers gets to tackle another aspect of the war for another mini series. This stuff is on a whole other level compared to ANYTHING else on television.

I'd be all for something from the Soviet perspective, or even German, but I don't know if that'd ever fly with most people.

Part of me also wants to see a take on the Vietnam war. Now THAT, would be bonkers.

Anyway, buy this. Watch this.

free things

2010-11-11T19:52:00.002-07:00

Year end reward from Club Nintendo:

COOL.

PS. I'm such a dork that the box is almost as cool as the statue to me.

awe

2010-11-10T16:50:00.003-07:00

If you've got 15 minutes to spare I suggest watching this:

It doesn't have the best editing in the world, but it's a pretty fucking awesome video/speech. I suggest everyone watch it once whether or not you agree with the message. I thought it was brilliant.

the last two minutes are just a music video of sorts that you can skip if you want, because really, fuck the Arcade Fire.

Random phone snapz

2010-10-31T14:15:00.014-06:00

So I was clearing photos (all of them) off my phone today and decided I'd share some of them.

If you're like me you probably use it to take really random, often stupidly out of focus pictures...just because it's 2010 and you fuckin' CAN.

Here are some of those.

Some Winter(s) ago?

Who could this awesome Norse god be?

Trevor a few hours before his wedding. I love this.

the crazy eyes

Of course

Ryan. At a Matthew Good show I believe.

Christmas of...some year.

what happens when you can't sleep at night. OR: POWER STRUGGLE!

Papa (or grandpa) and Grandma

For the record.

junkie looking bruise I got after a terrible blood test. Doesn't show up so well here.

I am now gonna suggest other people (you know who you are) do the same on your blog.

Unless of course you aren't like me. In that case, just carry on.

coolest shit of the day

2010-10-30T13:36:00.002-06:00

Never heard of these dudes before today, but this is a pretty sweet cover of Roygbiv, the song that made me love Boards of Canada

Fuck you, Universal.

2010-10-29T11:58:00.002-06:00

So I bought the Back to the Future Blu Ray boxset and was pretty excited... and upon opening it was pretty unimpressed...and then angry and then just dissapointed.

Yes, it really is all about the movies themselves, but when you compare this absolute shit job we get (and I mean SHIT):

To this:

It's a fucking joke.

Also, whoever designed the North American version's case and packaging should be fired. Stupid fucks.

The point is, these are like my favourite films of all time and as such, I'd have loved for Universal to give it the respect and treatment it deserves, but that's asking too much apparently...unless you live over the pond.

What's the fucking deal?

Yes, most of the stuff in that box is probably shit nobody really needs, but again, these movies mean so much to me that all that stuff is actually pretty AMAZING to me.

BUT HEY, WE GET DIGITAL COPIES. (that aren't in HD)

I don't give a FUCK about your stupid fucking digital copies. I have a million fucking movies that include these stupid fucking things and I'll never fucking use them. Stop trying to tell me it's supposed to be a selling point. It's shit.

Fuck you universal!

I've discovered the UK version is indeed region free, so I'm considering grabbing a copy from amazon UK and setting fire to this one, but maybe I'll just watch the films and try and not think about it. After all, that's truly why I bought it.

Fuckers.

Unless someone wants to buy it off me. 40 bucks. Come on.

VANQUISH

2010-10-21T07:08:00.000-06:00

THIS GAME IS AWESOME AS FUCK. FUCK ANYONE WHO TELLS YOU OTHERWISE.

Coolest shit of the day

2010-10-15T16:32:00.003-06:00

Footage of Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly FINALLY:

The trilogy is out on Blu Ray October 26th to celebrate the 25th anniversary (holy shit) of the movie and it includes this footage (and hopefully more of it) in some special features.

Anyway, as it is one of my favourite films EVER I'd always been intrigued with he decision to cast Stoltz and shoot for five weeks before getting Michael J Fox and doing it all over. I'd always wanted to see what it looked like (outside of the few stills I've seen) so this is like the coolest shit ever to me. also very, very eerie for some reason.

I'll be buying this fo sho.

C day has come and gone.

2010-10-10T11:05:00.002-06:00

Warning: this post might not be in chronological order and may contain a lot of spelling errors. I am tired and feel like passing out and don't give a shit.

I had my colonoscopy on Friday. It was a pretty annoying experience, but maybe not for the reasons you'd expect. Okay, mostly for the reasons you'd expect.

On thursday morning I started the preparation and had it in my head that I'd do a photo journal of the entire experience (picture shots of me on the toilet giving the thumbs up, and so on) but quickly threw that out the window. The only picture you get is the one of the horrid 4 liters of disgusting I had to consume.

To me, drinking 4 liters of anything is tough. Drinking 4 liters of something that tastes like salty, rusty water with a slightly slimy texture is nearly impossible. The aftertaste is something I don't even dare try and describe because the thought of it is very seriously turning my stomach.

I'm not expert, but Jesus Christ, it can't be that hard to at least make something that tastes like anything other than that. Fuck me. You've failed me, science.

So it was a glass of that every ten minutes for the first two liters, and then a few hours break and then repeat again for the rest.

My first poop contained what looked to be an entire ceasar salad, so I think I'm off that for the rest of my life. After that it was pretty much the consistency or water until it ran almost clear near the end.

I thought all this would surely be the worst of it.

So 10:30 the next morning I am at the hospital checking in and I am told "well, you're not on my list here" and almost strangled the old bag, but oh, how nice, she called someone and they can "fit me in anyway"

It was at that moment that I knew exactly what was going to happen. I was going to be here all fucking day waiting.

So shortly after I'm in the next room being asked some questions by a nurse who then sticks an IV in my arm and fumbles about with it causing blood to run down my arm as I lay there yet again, shaking my head.

They hook me up to some whatever the fuck it is to hydrate me and I proceed (not exaggerating) to sit in this little room with the curtain open on the uncomfortable little hospital stretcher for nearly 6 hours.

Nobody seems to want to tell me exactly what is going on or how much longer it will be...and look, I get hospitals. I do. I've never had an experience in one that didn't involve a shitload of waiting, but instead of being left to feel like I've simply been forgotten, how about telling me the doctor is extremely busy doing whatever or SOMETHING?

I'm tired out of my mind thanks to no sleep the night before. I'm fucking hungry as shit since I have had nothing to eat, but no. I'll just sit here because this delicious bag of water you have pumping into my arm is DELIGHTFUL, thanks.

The great thing about waiting forever and getting into the frustration zone, I have to say, is that any nervous feelings fade away completely, at least for me. Instead it's just like "holy fuck, let's do this and get it over with. I want to go home" they could have brought the stuff out for me and I would have shoved it up my own ass at that point.

When I finally got whisked away I honest to god thought I was fucking dreaming which just added to the confusion.

So as these nurses are hooking me up to all this shit the doctor is asking me all these questions and then eventually tells me I'm not gonna feel a thing as they pump me full of whatever. I instantly get a little woozy but actually feel the pain. Or not so much pain but an IMMENSE pressure on my stomach, so I barely get the words "It still hurts" out of my mouth before he says something to a nurse and I assume they give me some more of that magical stuff because the next thing I know I'm in another room completely.

Anyone who's ever been put under for any kind of procedure probably knows what it's like, but I never have been and it was so odd to me that it felt as if all I did was close my eyes once and 2 seconds had passed. It's not like sleep where you wake up and at least know or feel that time has progressed. I kind of liked it.

I tried to sit up right away but found it physically impossible so I started laughing a little for some reason and then just gave up but tried again a few seconds later and some woman saw me and said "you look waaaay too good. I'm going to kick you out" and came back a bit later to yank my IV.

The doctor talked to me from behind while I was still laying, but all I can remember is that he said the scope "looked good" and that we can do a follow up thing. He may have also mentioned a biopsy. He did write some stuff down on a card and stuck it under my hospital ID thing on my wrist, but guess what? I lost it somehow anyway.

then I got dressed and stumbled over to my waiting mom who looked shocked for some reason. I must have been pretty sorry looking or something.

On the way home I recall asking for french fries and a coke and then almost instantly having some in my hands and eating maybe 5 of them.

Then I got in the door and down the stairs with the help of my mom and passed out on the couch.

Best sleep ever.

Then I woke up and went to sleep in my bed. Best sleep ever again.

As of right now I remain slightly sore in the expected areas but its not too bad. I am still absolutely tired and slightly wonky feeling. Like I could sleep all day everyday for as long as I want. I don't know if that's normal or not, but I suppose whatever they knocked me out with probably affects people differently. I don't know.

I guess I kind of don't mind. I'll probably sleep wonderfully again today.

So really, all that waiting was almost the worst part. I think at one point my mom complained to somebody (she's like that, and was upset when she came back to the hospital thinking I'd be done and waiting already) because the doctor, before sticking things up my ass, made mention that if he heard any complaints from me or my mother that he'd throttle her because he just spent hours trying to save someone's life. I laughed.

But it now kind of annoys me. I'd never say my time is more important than anyone else. Ever. It's the fact that people there are told absolutely nothing and left to wait for hours and hours that is the annoying part.

So truly, a colonoscopy ain't nothin'. Lay there and let them knock you out while someone sodomizes you. Whatever. Sign me up for another. I'm just not drinking that stuff ever again.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a bed to get back to.

LEVEL UP

2010-10-05T12:25:00.004-06:00

Battle of Alberta!

2010-10-02T08:37:00.001-06:00

Went to a hockey game last night with my brother, mom and dad. It was awesome. I don't go to that many games but these were the best seats I've ever had.

Three rows up from the Flames bench, close enough to yell obscenities at Sutter.

My dad got the tickets from work. I don't think I'd be able to pay $250 a seat, that is absurd. Well, actually, I'd probably pay that much for those seats during a PLAYOFF game, and even then, only once.

FUCK YOU GUYS

I can't imagine how much the prices get jacked up during the playoffs, though.

Anyway, The Oilers lost their first of the pre-season that night, but who cares. It was fun and it's only pre-season.

T-minus 5 days till the season kicks off.

Fuck I love hockey.

NOT WITHOUT MY ANUS

2010-09-21T15:39:00.004-06:00

hey guys, guess who's getting Colonoscopy!? THIS GUY!

I'll spare you most the gory details and make it short.

You may or may not remember/be aware that I have some BOWEL ISSUES that can really bother me from time to time.

I had an appointment with a specialist today (thanks to my doctor after a year of waiting and forgetting) and after a bunch of questions and discussion and he giving me the choice of:

leaving it be, trying to change my diet slightly and see how it goes

or

Get the test, get some answers/clarity and have the "ammunition" to really make changes if need be.

So we discussed it a bit and me liking aspects of both sides, really didn't know what to settle on, so he eventually said he'd make the choice for me and that I should get the test.

Obviously, nobody wants four feet of ANYTHING shoved up their ass into their intestine, but hey he made a pretty good case for it, and truly, I've had these issues for a decent amount of time now (on and off) and to save myself anymore "what the fuck? this can't be right" feelings, I guess it makes sense.

I'm not even that worked up/grossed out about it, strangely.

I guess I get knocked the fuck out and he has his way with me (wouldn't be the first time a man did that to me, EH GUYS!!!?!" for around 15 minutes and then I "recover" for an hour before someone has to drive me home, while I'm still high as shit.

Then I get a night off work, so whatever.

Anyway, that's my post for the day. I can't wait to drink 4 liters of laxative the night before and shit my brains out.

How delightfully CLEANSING

The ROID.

2010-09-15T00:00:00.002-06:00

Trevor's post inspired me to want to write a bit about the strangeness that is Metroid: Other M.

Let me just say, I think the Metroid series is probably my most loved Nintendo games. Yes, more than Zelda. There's something about them that appeals to me greatly.

I finished it last night and overall, I had a seriously great time.

What I wanted to talk about is how I absolutely cannot understand the negativity toward this game. It's fine to have little nitpicking type issues with plot and design choices and such, but to claim the game "KILLED THE METROID SERIES" is beyond fucking absurd.

This game is a huge step in the direction I want to see ALL Nintendo franchises go. Guess what, fanboys? I WANT voice acting and cutcenes in my games. The other two "big" systems have games with this kind of production values and it's about damn time Nintendo stepped up and tried it out.

Those opinions hold true REGARDLESS of how I feel about Other M's story and voice acting. All I'm saying is that it's a step to where Nintendo should be.

Valid complaints are the controls. Using only the Wii remote does feel limiting at first, but within 10 minutes I had adapted and was LOVING the minimalistic approach. I get how some people might not, though.

I think the weakest part of the game is indeed the writing and plot elements, particularly the end where all this shit is added on in an attempt to be a "DRAMATIC REVEAL" type segment. It's not needed, and in fact, the bit you play after the credits roll, actually makes up for this shit. So make sure you do that.

That's not to say it's all bad. I don't mind emotional Samus. I don't mind Galactic Federation soldiers showing up. I don't mind the flashbacks. That's all well and good and often, quite Welcome.

Samus is an awesome character, and in my mind it's best to view this game as a sort of different take on her. If you don't like her in this game, it's not a massive character assassination. It's just different. Get over it.

Change is good. One of the few reviews I've agreed with used the word "brave" to describe this game. So true. Change is good.

If I had to pick between the Prime games and Other M I'd say the Prime games are better. They are simply masterful and are pretty damn hard to beat.

That said, I'm all for the next game in the series to play and feel and look like Other M. It's awesome being able to run around in third person and feel the speed of Samus in her suit. That's how she should be. Fast and agile. And jumping onto a dudes head and blasting him point blank in the head? BAD. ASS.

Expand and improve upon that, and develop a stronger plot (let me write it) and I think there would be even less to complain about.

But I'm sure the fanboys would latch on to whatever they can.

Summary: Nintendo fans fear change; are idiots. This game is good.

Just Give'r part two

2010-09-12T07:47:00.002-06:00

I am still debating whether or not Fubar needs a sequel (the first is just so damn awesome that it almost doesn't need to be expanded on at all)

But, whatever, there's no fucking way I am NOT seeing this:

Trevor, we have to see this as a team just like the original.

In other movie related news I actually started a movie blog a while ago...and by "started" I mean I bought a domain, installed Word Press and then never really did anything else with it yet. Oh, except for one test post.

In the future I'll probably get it going (if someone wants to make me a header/banner image, I'd give them five bucks) and probably post the majority of my movie shit there, including reviews of random films I happen to watch.

Truth is, Movies are a huge part of my life and time and I think if you looked at all the posts on this blog, a great deal of them probably revolve around a movie (video games) and I guess a more "central" place to ramble about them might suit me.

Or maybe I'll just decide I'm too lazy to sort it out and keep rambling here. I don't know. There's always the "if you don't like it, don't read it" thought.

Best movie ever?

2010-09-03T03:46:00.002-06:00

RUTGER FUCKING HAUER

Running.

2010-08-31T13:57:00.005-06:00

So, I've recently started running (again) and this time actually feel pretty into it.

I went out and bought some proper running shoes (which are like running on clouds) and they make a huuuge difference in how it feels.

I've never owned any Nike products before in my life, but upon trying on a bunch of shoes and reading some info I put aside my "fuck Nike products" stance and settled on the LunarGlide 2:

So fucking comfy

I also started reading about this Nike+ shit they have and it sounded like an awesome way to track progress/get inspired so I picked up a Nike Sportband which also comes with a sensor you put in your shoe in a little slot under the liner.

The thing is cool because it tracks your distance, calories burned, pace...and something else I forget at the moment.

Remove the little unit from the band itself and plug it into a usb port on your computer and it uploads all your run data automatically and then shows you a cool chart.

Totally unnecessary for running, I know, but honestly, something like this goes a long way for inspiring me to get off my ass. I love tracking progress, setting goals and just having a visual to look at after a run. It's a genius product in its own right.

Technological shit aside, I've found running to be real therapeutic in a way. I swear, I hit my wall pretty early on (I am out of shape. I know this.) but forcing yourself to keep going is such a great feeling because eventually, that feeling of "jesus christ, I'm going to fucking fall over and die" fades away and you get a real good jolt of energy and then feel like you can go for as long as you want.

I take it easy and have just tried to go a bit further every day, it's amazing how fucking sore I was after the first few days. It was near impossible to climb some steps. But once again, force yourself to run some more and I guess your body just gets used to it, because I still feel it in my legs, but it's nowhere near as bad as it was.

It's all about just wanting to feel a bit better and more fit. I've always thought about joining a gym or something, but realized all I truly like to do is run or bike and why pay money to run on a treadmill or something when I can do it for real and get some glorious fresh air while I am at it?

I haven't really started any diet as of yet, but I plan on cutting back certain things in my life, certainly. I'll just never cut anything out completely. Fuck that.

Short version of this post: I love running.

Watch. If you want.

2010-08-30T07:56:00.004-06:00

I've been messing around a bit more with the ol' Go Pro camera and tried mounting it to the tank using the suction cup again and got this on a quick test run:

Pretty cool view, I think.

I'm always amazed at how wide the thing shoots. It lacks any sort of preview to check your shot, but realistically, as long as you're pointing it in the general direction you want to record, it is fine.

I'd like to take a moment to complain about Windows Movie maker and its inability to know the difference between various aspect rations and also resolutions. So annoying. It simply would not encode the video at the same resolution (1080P) as the original file, even using the "custom" settings.

As a result the videos will never look as good as when I first pull them off the camera, but whatever. Youtube steals even more quality in order to make them watchable anyway.

I have nothing else to say.

11 DAYS!

2010-08-20T00:35:00.000-06:00

I HEART SAMUS.

Please don't suck...

Planet Earth.

2010-08-11T14:29:00.003-06:00

I've wanted to watch this series (BBC version) since it was first produced, but never have. I almost bought the DVD set several times and, finally, a few weeks ago grabbed it on Bluray since it was on sale.

I proceeded to watch it and be in absolute awe.

The scenes and shots captured in this documentary are nothing short of amazing, and that's no exaggeration. It's incredible. The amount of time and dedication put into this thing were huge and it paid off extraordinarily.

"71 cameramen and women filmed in 204 locations in 62 countries on all seven continents, spending more than 2000 days in the field" says wikipedia

If there ever was a project more suited to selling people on High definition video, this is surely it. Absolutely mind blowing.

It's one of the most beautiful things I've seen. I found out that I could watch a great white leap out of the water all day long and not get bored of it, or watch a polar bear slide down a hill, or see a river form, or volcanoes erupt or...you get the point. It's extensive without dragging (not that I think it could, because I still craved more after the 11 episodes were over)

The episode focusing on caves is probably my favourite. I can't believe some of the stuff I saw.

It reinforces the fact that we live on a truly amazing planet and makes me glad to be alive. There's so much beauty.

It also depresses me, I have to admit, seeing what humans have done earth, and will continue to do without learning.

It makes me downright sad, actually. The series does a remarkable job at making you feel almost like an alien from another planet looking in, and I think that's part of why it's so depressing. Cause eventually, you go hop in your car and go to work or something and it's just...gross.

This documentary should be forced viewing for every single person alive.

If you've already seen it, you probably agree.

Firefox 4, you are FAST.

2010-08-05T22:04:00.004-06:00

Apparently I've got a lot of fluid in my ear. Or that tube that connects your ear to your everything else.

I started having the feeling you feel when your ear needs to "pop" but it never did and stayed like that for a day and a half almost. Most sounds were muffled but certain things were almost magnified to the point that it felt like a drill puncturing my brain.

I couldn't even sit up because it bothered me so damn much.

I went to the doctor the other day and he reccomened I try some over the counter nasal congestion spray for a few days and see if that works.

Yes and no, I would say. Much better than before, but the feeling still seems to come and go randomly and holy fuck is it annoying.

Dude seemed to think there's no real infection...yet, but I don't know. I shall give it a few more days.

In other news I don't know if the gang (you know who you are) still plan on camping anywhere this summer, but I am probably correct in assuming the answer is no.

That said, I'm pretty sure I am gonna book some time off late August or early September regardless and either put some decent mileage on my bike and hit some more distant places, or sit at home and relax. Probably a combination of the two.

My hours seem to be up and down and all over at work, but even then, it's exhausting to me and I feel like I need some real time away from there.

I guess it'd be nice to have the means to take a real honest to god vacation...but...no.

Anyway, time away from work is vacation enough, even if I sleep for a week and a half.

Got a new razor a while ago after doing some reading. This fine piece of German steel was pretty expensive (yet affordable as far as quality razors go), but the way I look at it is that so are disposable/electric razors (which I hate) so whatever. This thing'll last forever with proper care, and the difference between it and the crappy ones I used to use is truly night and day. It's incredible.

I've got nothing else to say.

I'd hit it.

2010-07-31T09:02:00.005-06:00

I'm gonna be perfectly honest, I'm a Zack Snyder supporter.

It's odd to me how everyone had their dicks out for 300 when it was released, as well as the Watchmen.

Now, it's popular to hate this guy for whatever reason.

While both were good films, there was no way to live up to the hype and unrealistic expectations of comic book fanboys.

He also directed the Dawn of the Dead remake which is actually a pretty damn good take on THE best zombie film of all time, and that's saying something.

Some would have you believe he's worse than Michael Bay (style over substance) but I don't buy that at all. this guy sticks to source material while creating scenes that have a visual style that is pretty much unrivaled. Dude knows what he's about and runs with it, unlike Michael Bay who'd love to sell you a Transformers movie as an Oscar contender.

If nothing else, the films he directs are FUN and pleasing on the eyes and sometimes that's all I ask for. Seriously. I enjoy an epic emotional film probably more than anyone on the planet, but there's nothing wrong with watching some crazy shit and just saying "hey, that's awesome" every now and again.

And so, watch the new trailer for Sucker Punch and tell me it doesn't look FUN in a totally ridiculous way:

If you truly find nothing appealing about it, you're probably just insane or Roger Ebert.

Hot girls in ridiculously hot costumes, robots, swords, guns, robots with guns, dragons, nazis, hot girls in costumes with swords and guns fighting robots and nazis, COME ON!

Count me in for one, motherfuckers.

PS. Still throwing around the idea of a movie site/blog to place things such as this, but fuck, am I LAZY.

Windows movie maker sucks.

2010-07-30T01:57:00.002-06:00

Short and sweet.

Ryan and I went fishing tonight, brought the GoPro to try out some time lapse.

Worked out pretty well considering we just stood it on a tackle box and pressed a button...that is until the battery ran out RIGHT before an awesome storm with creepy clouds started rolling in.

Could have been such a cool thing to watch.

Still, I think I'll be messing with this shit a lot more. Love the effect.

Oh, and this is hastly thrown together in Windows Movie maker and I never even noticed the captions enabled, so whatever. I don't care. It was a nice test.

Protip: in a few of the frames my penis is exposed.

STJ10 update: Drayton Valley.

2010-07-28T15:57:00.004-06:00

Stopped for Gas and a stretch

This was a good ride. I always love cruising south down 770 and this time just carried on toward Drayton Valley. Stuck behind logging trucks in construction zones is not fun, but the few big curves and hills made up for it.

Upon entering the town it looked pretty much like a gas station and a few other places, but I carried on since I was curious and tried to get myself a bit lost. In the process I realized there were actually quite a few nice looking sights and it was much bigger than I thought.

I think I've been through a few times when I was younger, but that was years ago.

Not a bad place, I think I even spotted a movie theater. Sweet.

It also gave me a chance to try these bad boys out:

The TCX Airtech GORE-TEX touring boots

When I first got my license I wore some leather boots I bought to do the training course because they felt good and were much safer. Eventually, I started thinking they were too much of a hassle to put on (that, and lost them in the fire) so I'd been wearing my shoes ever since.

The other issue is that when riding a bike for any amount of time your feet (at least mine) get hot and it's not fun.

I read about these boots in Cycle World and how they are incredibly breathable yet still waterproof.

I can verify the breathable claim is 100% accurate, because holy shit, my feet stayed cool. They are very comfortable and hey, they make you look like a bit of a robot, so that's a plus in my book.

Oh yeah, and the safety factor. Anything that covers your ankle is probably gonna save your leg if you happen to take a tumble.

The only downside is that it just takes some getting used to since you have to position your feet a bit different to get at the shifter and that when not riding, and because of how high they cover, you end up walking like a Frankenstein creation unless you actively tell your mind "it's alright to walk normally, your ankles won't snap" but that's the way it is with any riding boot, I imagine.

Also the fact that they were a bitch to find in a size that fit. I ended up having to order online and get one size higher than I wanted, but I actually enjoy more wiggle room in my footwear than the average person, so whatever. Main thing is that they feel good while riding, and they sure as fuck do.

And that was my impromptu review.

Fish.

2010-07-19T23:39:00.005-06:00

Fishing is fun.

Trevor, Ryan and I went on Saturday and had a good time, but it was pretty damn hot out and we didn't stay for all that long.

Ryan and I went today amongst the cloudy sky and it was much better. I prefer rain and clouds to hot ass sun, plus it makes for better fishing anyway.

We got there and it turned kinda ugly quickly, but we fished anyway until the rain was just annoying and we were pretty soaked.

We made the trek back to the car to wait it out for a bit, but upon loading the shit back into the hatch I had place my keys in it because I had so much shit in my pockets that I was trying to organize, but got kinda confused and I closed it (I think to grab the shit that was sitting on the roof still) and then it locked. So we stood around in the fucking rain until my mother brought us my spare key.

What is retarded is that it's impossible to lock your keys in it normally, since you need said key to lock it in the first place, you always have them on you, but for whatever reason as soon as you close the damn hatch it locks everything up automatically, which is silly.

It's possible it had something to do with the fact that Ryan was being annoying and trying to open the door handles at the same time, I don't know.

Anyway, it was less annoying and more funny and amusing, standing in the rain.

We then went to Wabamun to get snacks and wait it out a bit more and then got back to it until just after 9.

We didn't catch anything but got plenty of bites, so whatever. it's still fun just hanging out and being goofs.

Been doing a bit of reading about other smaller stocked ponds/lakes that might have good shore fishing, so maybe a small trip is in order one of these days. One day I think we might actually catch something.

STJ10 update: WESTLOCK

2010-07-15T16:49:00.003-06:00

I've been to Westlock many times. Always as a kid. We passed through it on the way to our little family summer vacation thing.

I decided to go back just because.

Felt a lot more epic than I thought it would. Partly because it's one lane in either direction and I got stuck behind these big ass trucks who do 95 (which is fine) and then when you get the right moment to pass them, they SPEED UP (which is not fine) and I am not exaggerating, I was behind one doing 95, so I backed off, took a look and then went to pass and by the time I was in front of the dude I was doing 156 because I HAD to, or ram headfirst into the vehicle coming toward me in the other lane.

That happened twice. Fucking idiots. What's the point?

I was going to stop in at the CANADIAN TRACTOR MUSEUM but it looked closed down/quarantined and I didn't stop to find out why.

Instead I stopped at Sobeys and bought a Gartorade from a ridiculously cute girl and then sat in the parking lot and drank it before I headed back out into a storm.

I think this was my first time riding in a real downpour. It wasn't so bad. Kind of exciting actually. The wind that comes with storms is the shitty part.

Also my speedometer stopped working on the way back, so I had to pull over and fix it in the rain. The cable had come loose, which I don't understand since it screws in tighter than fuck. Maybe someone in Westlock sabotaged me.

Or maybe it was loose-ish all along and finally came undone. Kind of annoying but easy enough to fix and all seems well.

I planned on taking my time on the return trip and stopping at a bunch of the smaller towns just a little out of the way, but it was shitty out so I just hauled ass instead.

Good ride though.

Vroom

2010-07-06T21:24:00.004-06:00

Ever since I got a bike (and long before that, really) I've always thought about recording footage just for the hell of it.

So a little while ago I ordered a GoPro HD hero camera to mess around with.

It's a compact, pretty rugged feeling camera capable of shooting 1080P widescreen video, which sort of blows my mind everytime I hold it in my hands.

I got a package that came with a shitload of mounts. You can put them all together and make filming in pretty much any sort of angle possible. I've got a handlebar mount on the way, which will make it easier to get straight forward footage.

But today I thought it'd be cool to try something different and used the suction cup mount ON THE MIRROR and it looked like this:

the results?

Watchable but pretty shakey at times. Mostly cause the mirrors are actually pretty "loose" and vibrate more than they should, but still kinda cool looking, I thought. I guess the effect would be cooler on some real twisty roads, but all I did was go for a five minute burn.

The audio was also shit, mainly because I left it in the waterproof housing (shown above) and didn't put it in the regular one, so instead of listening to the annoying sounds, I added the first song that popped up.

Also, I used windows movie maker and pretty much lost all the video quality in the process, which is okay because my internet has been shit lately and there's no way I could upload 500 megs of movie right now. So, really that video doesn't do the camera and justice whatsoever.

Anyway, I'll be messing around with it some more and seeing how I can put it to use and shall upload a higher quality version of something, just as soon as I get some speeds that ARE BETTER THAN FUCKING DIALUP.

D out.

Holy fuck.

2010-07-05T17:39:00.002-06:00

As I said to SCJ this is the movie that is hopefully going to save this summer of crappy films.

I've watched this like 15 times now. Can't fucking wait.

STJ10 update: WARBURG

2010-06-24T19:46:00.004-06:00

Sometimes I get tired of sitting around and just feel like going for a ride. Tonight was one of those times, despite the clouds and the rain and the wind, I just took off.

Wet roads all the way and ridiculous cross winds on the way home all set against a creepy gray backdrop that just felt ominous as fuck. I loved every second of it.

My worst enemy is officially those gusts of wind that push the base of your bike far in one direction (in my case tonight, to to the right) and make it feel like it's just going to topple over onto its left side.

It's like god himself is counter-steering for you. Into a ditch.

Or you know, physics.

Fuckin' physics.

Normally I'd ride around a bit in whatever place, but with the gray menace looming and growing in strength, I looped back on the main road and down the side road over wet and terrible gravel to snap this picture and then pretty much high tailed it back. So long, Warburg.

3 down!

Adventure!

2010-06-22T17:56:00.005-06:00

So a few days ago I mounted the GPS back on and actually went for a ride with it. I was using it mainly because I was curious about how large the Speedometer error is on my bike. I've wondered that for some time.

Turns out when my speedo reads 100, I'm doing something like 92, and when it reads 112, I'm going 100, which is incredibly annoying, but just confirms my suspicions.

Even more annoying is that many sources claim motorcycle manufacturers (and some automobile) do this on purpose. Of course it varies between make and model, but I think such a practice is retarded. Don't bother arguing to me the "pros" of such a thing. I get it, I just don't agree.

Of course, there's also the argument about how accurate a GPS speedometer is, but most would have me believe it's pretty damn accurate in most situations.

Anyway, I love that little thing and all its features.

I also came to the conclusion that I probably won't get time off to go on any real lengthy trip (or have people to come with me) this summer, so I've made a deal with myself that I am going to try and ride to and visit as many towns/places in Alberta as I can.

I call it:

SMALL TOWN JOURNEYS 2010: the tale of a man and the lil' GS500 that could.

No set destinations or plans, really, I'm just gonna go wherever, whenever I can. Maybe take the odd overnight trip somewhere, but for the most part, just ride somewhere and ride back the same day.

I'll probably update this blog/facebook with photos and stats as I go about it. Whether you care or not.

In fact HERE WE GO, as you can see, I've started out close:

I really like Alberta Beach for some reason. I guess the view of the lake when you round that corner is just really nice to see.

Anyone from around here knows this place. Mostly it's made fun of for being so in the middle of nowhere. I think it was the first time I actually entered the place and looked around though. It's small but somehow busy as shit. Probably because, as the sign will tell you it's the HUB OF THE HIGHWAYS ™

TWO DOWN.

God bless the Irish.

2010-06-20T12:41:00.002-06:00

Nintendo Wins.

2010-06-15T11:54:00.005-06:00

So it's E3 time, and I just watched the Nintendo Press conference where all kinds of fucking magical shit just happened.

If you have a few minutes to kill, watch all these videos. Time to load this page with so many videos that it fucks up completely.

ZLegend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Donkey Kong Country returns

Kirby!

Also announced the 3DS and a fucking KID ICARUS game to go with it.

Yay, analog pad!

I was not really interested in the 3DS before, but seeing it now and with a Kid Icarus game, I will absolutely be getting one. It's a shame they can't accurately convey the 3D effect, but that's just a bonus to me. It really is a more powerful DS and that's the main thing.

Zelda looks incredible. Cel shaded, but with a more realistic art style than the Wind Waker is totally the way to go.

Donkey Kong Country gave me fucking goosebumps, which sounds crazy, but I have such good memories of the SNES games that I'll be getting that game on Day one.

Stylistically, Kirby looks fucking amazing and it's good to see that guy back in a real game, but why doesn't he use any of his sucking powers in the trailer!?

Woo!

T&T

2010-06-08T22:01:00.004-06:00

Well, I promised Trevor (or was it Tracy?) that I'd write a review of their wedding on my blog, but I actually don't have the energy to type such a thing or be funny doing it.

Everyone who reads this probably knows how I feel about marriage, so I won't get into that.

The point is I took a long ass trip to a place I never really wanted to go because one of my best friends asked me to and I was glad to be there for him and be part of it.

I love Trevor and Tracy and I am happy they did what they wanted to do. Truly.

Enough said.

I'll just say the AFTER PARTY (which Trevor calls it) was very laid back and nice, which is exactly how they should be. Just drinking and eating and talking and laughing with a smallish number of folks. So good on you guys for that.

Tracy's parents are incredibly nice to have helped out with such a thing and for letting me and I don't even know how many other people spend the weekend there.

Behind the scenes picture you won't see anywhere else!

Also, I am officially a little worn out at being "uncle Dan" and surrounded by children. There are a few stories I could share about this, but I am too lazy.

Short version: kids seem to like me (or at least like bugging me) despite me having a general dislike for them and that makes things REAL awesome for me.

Congratulations guys, and as I said to Trevor, go be married and leave me out of it for a bit! thanks!

PS. Fuck Vancouver!

Shaving fun time.

2010-05-30T09:45:00.004-06:00

First off, I feel I am finally on the mend from whatever awful cold/bug kicked my ass the last week or so. No more sore throat and I am coughing up less and less vile substance as the days go on. Still have to blow my nose every 30 seconds and my head often feels like it's stuffed with nothing but cotton (or cement, it varies) but I'll take it.

Secondly, many months ago I purchased a straight razor shaving set. Nothing extravagant, just a $40 set to give it a whirl. However, extrenuating circumstances didn't allow me to try it at the time.

However, now shaved of my refugee beard, I figured I'd give it a shot.

you see:

-Shaving cup
-Puck of shaving soap (put in cup)
-Brush
-Leather strop (for...uh, stropping the blade)
-two razors

Not pictured: Honing stone, cause I forgot about it.

I read about shaving with one of these and it is pretty astounding how many tips and little intricacies there are for things like getting a proper lather, holding the razor, maintaining the blade (honing/stropping) and so on.

Many people seem to have this down to a fucking ART. That's truly what it seems like.

I more or less took a bit of that advice and just jumped in. Aside from the soap making my face feel like it was on fire, it was actually FUN. Something that shaving never is to me.

The one problem I had is that I don't think I took the time to lather that shit up good enough, because it dried pretty quickly on my skin after applying with the brush, much like a layer of soap would do.

I did NOT slit myself wide open, but I will admit to avoiding my neck area (for the time being!) and using the ol' mach 3 on that. I will also admit to going over my entire face with it, just in case.

For a first try it was pretty successful...but really, a success would have just been not cutting myself at all.

Next try I'll probably just take my time even more, and perhaps use the strop to make the blade feel a bit sharper before hand (which is kind of a scary thought). I've been watching videos on doing just that and it seems simple enough and makes a pretty big difference, apparently

if anyone out there has any tips or experiences I'd love to hear 'em.
(this it the part where I remember that a total of 4 people read this blog and then hang my head)

Here.

2010-05-25T00:49:00.002-06:00

Long winded political rant that adds depth and variety to my blog.

And now, the trifecta

2010-05-23T08:54:00.002-06:00

I finished off Alan Wake a few days ago. It ranks somewhere between "fucking awesome and fucking great" to me. Awesome writing and combat and tons and tons of atmosphere and mood. Loved it. Ending is totally "what the fuck?" but I wouldn't have it any other way. Keeps you guessing all the way.

I got Red Dead Redemption on the same day (last Tuesday) and while it has taken a back seat to Alan Wake since then, I am now ready to really sink my teeth into it, and so far it's Grand Theft Auto 4 in a western setting (note: this automatically makes it 10 times more awesome) but of course it has a lot of new shit added as well. I love Westerns and I love games with a strong story. Mix the two and it's a big ass slice of awesome.

I grabbed Super Mario Galaxy 2 in the morning after work. Me and some other guy who was there to get it had to make those Wal Mart bastards get it out of the back, but it was worth the wait. I think I am about 6 stars in and it's already incredible. Made of pure magic. I'm sure I'll have more to say about it in a day or two when I really get into it.

Listen.

2010-05-16T10:58:00.003-06:00

Team Ghost is awesome.

Formed by Nicolas Fromageau, the (arguably) better half of the duo that was M83. The EP "You never did anything wrong to me" is entirely worth downloading for $7 because it sounds more like M83 than M83 does, which is pretty much the best thing ever.

Crappy quality sample:

Gravenhurst sounds to me like someone jammed the lighter aspects of Porcupine Tree into a blender with about 4 other bands and then hit the "mix slowly and deliciously" button.

This is a good thing. If you don't like this song, you're a fuck.

Well, I'm off for a bit of a ride on the bike.

beards 4 lyfe

2010-05-13T16:45:00.010-06:00

Finally got my computer hooked up here, so I thought I'd hammer something out.

I was gonna write all about moving here and how it all went, but who cares. Moving sucks. Everybody already knows that.

Instead, I'll show you my transformation and talk more about that if the mood strikes me.

Yep

This is it.

The tools. I stuck with the Mach 3. You fags and your razors with 473 blades can suck it.

After a bit of scissor action (which is pretty annoying)

Not sure at which point this was taken, but whatever.

GET A NICE LATHER GOING

MOUSTACHE POWER. You'll probably have to click and zoom in to notice it. it was hilarious and disgusting to me. I kept it until the next day as a joke, but didn't dare go out in public for fear of being called a child rapist.

Add a haircut a few days later and here I am.

I have to admit the thought of just letting it grow another year or so was in my mind. I don't know why. I guess because it's so ridiculous looking that I enjoyed seeing the results all these months... But I had a deal with myself and saw it through to the end.

I feel very naked not having some form of fuzz on my face, so in a week or so I might feel a bit better, but right now it's just...odd.

I'd also like to say that any man who is capable of growing an awesome beard (so, anyone but me, really) and doesn't at least let it do its own thing for a few months just to SEE is a wimpy fuck. Beards are awesome. Everyone should give it a go as an experiment.

It's good and strange to be back in this house. There is plenty to sort through and do.

I have nothing else to say.

Wide open.

2010-05-03T14:37:00.005-06:00

Today I mounted up my GPS on the bike to see how it'd sit/work out. I used a $10 camera/Garmin mount I got off ebay and it seems to do the job. The cradle that the GPS sits in came with the unit itself and is meant for cars, so I'm not sure how sturdy it'll be on the open road, but it feels pretty good, so I'll give it a go and if someone catches a Nuvi bouncing down the highway, well, blame me.

Where to? nowhere, because it's fucking raining/snowing.

Then I tried out the saddle bags finally, they seem to fit quite well even by default. I was too lazy to hook it all up to the frame completely, but it's relatively easy once you tighten all the straps and would be easy to take off because you can just unclip and leave the straps, which is real nice.

The hardest part was getting the plastic "stiffeners" into the bottom of the actual bags. Jesus Christ. Never again.

TOURING MACHINE.

Seems to be a decent bit of room in them as well. Certainly enough for the necessitates for a short/medium road trip, I'd say. I'm not gonna fit a tent in there or anything...actually, I'm sure I could manage somehow.

This is what it looks like when you are too lazy to try and rig the straps under the seat.

I did this all in the garage on a miserable day where rain is dribbling down and you can feel that cold really creeping in. There's a winter storm warning for tonight, which bothers me not because I don't expect it (so spare me the "this is Alberta/Canada" bullshit) but because, fuck snow. Fuck rain while we're at it, too.

ok go.

2010-04-28T12:25:00.004-06:00

Well I haven't updated in a bit and figured I'd bang something out.

Then I realized I have zero to say, so maybe I'll just tell you that if you own a Wii, you should purchase Monster Hunter 3 because it's awesome fun.

It's not an MMO, but many aspects of it feel very much like one (collecting materials, mining, skinning, fishing, crafting armor/weapons) mixed with something like an action RPG such as Phantasy Star Online.

The emphasis is on encounters with big ass bosses that take a lot of time and team work to take down, which is cool. Not just smashing random buttons at the right time like MMO's have you do.

I also like that there's no levelling up. The way you get stronger is strictly by creating better armor/weapon sets and by actually getting more skilled at the game and its many monsters.

I haven't even hopped online yet, because the learning curve is a bit steep and I've just been playing the offline story mode to get used to everything, but it's pretty amazing that such a game is even on the Wii, and pulled off as nicely as it is. Supports voice chat as well as USB keyboards, so that's a plus.

I don't play online much on my Wii, but I plan on really getting into this, so you assholes should consider buying it.

Also, you can get a bundle that includes the Classic Controller PRO, which is about one million times more comfortable than the original classic controller. Truly.

In other news, fucking ALAN WAKE comes out in May FINALLY. I have seriously been waiting five fucking years to play this game.

Please, please, PLEASE don't suck.

bike post 1622

2010-04-05T22:51:00.004-06:00

Went for a ride today and as soon as I left the driveway I could feel the bike sputtering/hesitating a bit, but I thought nothing much of it.

Once I got going a bit more I could feel it acting real strangely and noticed the RPM's dropping from 5K straight down to zero and then flicking back up again really randomly, causing the bike to sort of "cut out" for a split second.

I tried to see if I could figure out if it was only doing it at a certain speed or what, but couldn't find any clues as to what the fuck was causing it, so I rode on.

As I often do, I went a far greater distance than I intended, and so I stopped on one of those roadside turnouts to stretch a bit.

I ended up standing around/sitting on the bike for a good 15 minutes probably, just because it's peaceful being in the middle of nowhere with only the wind to keep you company.

Then I went to start it up again and hear nothing but a weak CLICK which makes my heart sink instantly, so I turn the ignition off/on again, push the starter...CLICK.

I'm slightly worried, but kind of amused as I take the seat off and poke around and it becomes obvious that one of the battery connectors is really loose and that I'm a moron who didn't put my tool kit back under the seat, so I tighten it as best I can by hand and it fires up, thank christ.

I'm hoping the shitty battery connection was the cause of the tachometer acting up as well, because on the ride home I had no problems and I desperately don't want to have a serious problem brewing. but we'll see how it goes tomorrow.

In terms of new bike thoughts, I have to just say I have absolutely fallen in love with the look of this bike:

The KTM 990 Super Duke R

I think in general, naked bikes always look insanely cool because they have this sort of "thrown together" look that I adore, but this one is even cooler because the KTM dudes obviously have awesome designers. Look at that shit.

Alas, I don't think I'll be getting it due to price (not outrageous by any means, just more than I can afford on a bike), and the fact that the other Suzuki I've also been looking at is probably a smarter buy since it's a great "do everything" bike and suits my kind of riding more, but somewhere down the line, I think I'll want one of these so bad I'll cave.

And then there's the fact that I've also been tossing around the idea of riding my current bike at least one more full season and using the money I have saved now to pay off other debts (some might call it being responsible) and such...and then save up again for NEXT summer, but I don't know. Depends on how much I could get for this one, I guess. We'll see how it all shakes down, I suppose.

TV

2010-04-03T11:12:00.002-06:00

I recently caught the first Episode of The Pacific, a 10 part mini series from the same producers as Band Of brothers, which, if you have any sense at all, you should watch if you haven't already, and if you have, you should watch it again because it's fucking incredible.

So far The Pacific seems like more of that incredibleness, but, well...set in the Pacific (which I dig immensely) So superbly shot that it's absolutely terrifying and awe inspiring at the same time.

I don't really watch TV shows on actual stations, so I might end up waiting to watch the whole thing when it comes out on Blu Ray, but man oh man, I love this shit.

Also worth mentioning is that I watched the second season of Breaking Bad some weeks ago, and it remains absolutely my favorite television show currently on the air. Bryan Cranston can act the shit out of that character.

I'll follow this all up by mentioning that Sons of Anarchy, about the life of a motorcycle gang who runs guns, is also a great show, at least the first season I've watched.

It's all good shit, and considering the fact that shows like Dexter seem to have fallen off a bit (at least for me) it's nice to have something else to follow, especially amongst all the garbage on every other channel.

I heart Hammock more than anything ever.

2010-03-25T21:11:00.003-06:00

Hammock - Breathturn from David Altobelli on Vimeo.

May 18th Cannot come soon enough.

12:56

2010-03-24T00:37:00.002-06:00

Bored and tired, but not tired enough to sleep, so here I am.

My internet exploded for like 5 days and for the first 24 hours I was kind of pissed off, but I kinda got over it after that and simply didn't give a shit.

The only thing I really missed was reading the news and such.

Trevor and I saw Shutter Island tonight. I'd been interested in seeing it, but not enough to get off my ass and do so, but since nothing else interesting was playing, it seemed like a good idea.

And it was. I'm not going to go on a big review, but I just want to say that the first dream sequence in it is one of the most beautiful, creepy and touching things I've seen in a film for a long time , also because it featured Max Richter's "on the nature of daylight" which was an absolutely perfect musical fit. Loved that shit.

Overall it was a quite enjoyable film.

Now I'm off to play some video games until my eyes hurt.

Forever.

2010-03-15T17:47:00.002-06:00

I lower the choke, turn the key, hit the start button and hear the engine struggle. She's been sitting for far too long.

I give it a moment before I try again, this time I hear it starting to fire up. I twist the throttle and hear the familiar grunt that I've grown to love as she comes to life once again.

As if waking from a five month coma, she screams.

I feel a surge of excitement deep within me as I strap my helmet on.

It gets more intense when I fasten my gloves and then hop on, gripping the bars gently.

The kick stand is up, first gear is engaged.

I creep up the driveway slowly.

Shifting into second gear, I avoid piles of sand, mud and pebbles on the subdivision road, smiling the entire time.

I exit slowly and meander down the road a small distance before I shift down to first as I come upon the stop sign that keeps me from the open highway.

Coming to a stop I put my feet down. A few cars pass and then I make my move.

I let the RPM's climb as I click through the transmission. I feel it now more than ever.

I ride until my legs and hands are numb from the bitter wind and eventually stop on the side of the road and feel the warmth of the sun on me once again.

I shiver as I look onward, contemplating how far I should go, almost pushing common sense to the back of my mind.

Sometimes, life is awesome.

Video Games, I fucking love you.

2010-03-09T15:43:00.008-07:00

Note: long post most of you won't care about.

Last week (I think) I got a Playstation 3 with my birthday money after realizing that they are finally worth owning just for the exclusives. One such game I bought it for was Heavy Rain. The much hyped and shit talked "interactive drama" from Quantic Dream.

If you ever played their other game, Indigo Prophecy, you'll kind of know how Heavy Rain plays. Nearly every action you make with your character requires you to move the control stick or hold buttons in a certain way and much of the action heavy sequences simply rely on you pressing a series of buttons as accurately and quickly as they are displayed on the screen.

This is the largest reason some people are choosing to ignore this game. However, having just experienced it and having my mind blown, I'd like to say that it's more than an "interactive movie"

The game is about a serial killer dubbed the "origami killer" who kills children by drowning them in rain water and leaving origami pieces on their chests. Throughout the game you play as multiple characters including a father who has lost one son, and had his other taken by the killer, an FBI agent trying to catch them, a journalist and a private investigator.

It's all about them and how all the characters sort of collide and it's done so fantastically, here. Like a race against the clock (the HEAVY RAIN threatening to drown the son) and everyone else.

This is a game all about choices and actions and how outcomes are changed based on them. What's cool is that the game proceeds no matter how bad you "fuck up" and the story adapts as you go.

My head spins thinking about all the choices I made and how the story might change if I'd done it differently.

For instance, as Ethan, the father looking for his son, you begin to go though these "trials" the killer has set up in order to track down clues and answer the question "how far would you go to save someone you love?" and some pretty sadistic shit comes around and even though it's a damn game, as the player, you actually sit there, mouth open, saying "holy fuck. what should I do?" and that, is why this game is so fucking brilliant.

All the while the other characters are trying to solve this mystery about who the killer is and how to save the kid and so on. Each and every one of them with some unique problem that makes them more real. It's pretty awesome.

I'm not gonna sit here and talk about how this game will revolutionize gaming like some people might, but I will tell you that Heavy Rain is one of the most intense and emotionally involving experiences I've ever played.

It's not perfect or for everyone, and will probably go down in history as one of the more argued about games, but man oh man, this title alone is worth buying a PS3 for, at least to me.

To anyone who these days doubts gaming as a successful medium for crafting deep, real, mature stories...just go play this game.