It arrived! My new computer came in the mail yesterday. So what did I do as soon as I opened the box? Open up the computer itself and start monkeying around, of course. I ordered a Sony Vaio RS620G from Amazon (since Best Buy wouldn't honor their own coupons, but that's a story for a later date). Since I had some spare parts lying around (and traded my brother for a new video card), I delved into the computers insides to upgrade the heck out of it right off the bat.
Instead of the Radeon 9200 that came with it, I swapped it out for a Radeon 9600 Pro 256 MB video card for some intense Unreal Tournament 2004 gaming. I also added in another 512 MB RAM stick for a total of 1 gig of memory to complement the 3 Ghz Pentium 4 processor. Not satisfied with the 160 gig hard drive, I also added in another 80 gig drive that I had for a total of 240 gigs. Add to this all of the digital video editing, dvd burning, and PVR capabilities of this computer and you have one sweet machine that should keep me in geek heaven for a while now.
What actually impresses me most about this computer is the inclusion of a remote control. With this remote, you can control the computer as if it was a multimedia station in your living room. Click the TV button to turn on the tv function. Hit the DVD button to play whatever dvd might be in either of the dvd drives. Hit the media button and turn it into your own jukebox. Hit another button and browse all of the programs you recorded to your HD using the PVR software. I have a bad feeling that I might end up just lying in my bed and playing with my computer via the remote. Man, I feel lazy just thinking about it!
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Monday, October 18, 2004
Cubicle Gnomes
Yes, I do realize that it's been a large space of time between this post and my last. I've been busy and also took some time off from work to spend with Kristin since she was nice enough to come down and visit me over her long weekend break from college. In an attempt to catch up, I'm going to simply toss whatever comes to mind up in this post and hopefully you'll find something interesting.
Just in time for Kristin to come visit, the weather turns really cold, windy, and totally sucktastic. Because of the wonderful conditions outdoors that Mother Nature decided to gift us with, we spent most of the time indoors. In being cooped up indoors, we managed to play some video games, watch some movies, do some reading, and just indulge our laziness. Let's look at each of these topics individually, since that's what I feel like doing.
Video game department: Before Kristin arrived, I picked up Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel for us to play on the Xbox. It had co-operative multiplayer, so I thought it would be fun for us to play. We actually put in a ton of time playing it (probably 6-8 hours or so) and so far it's been an ok game. It's nothing too wonderful, but it kept us entertained.
While Kristin did some of her homework, I managed to finish up Max Payne 2. I was hoping that it would be a lot better than the first, but it didn't quite surpass it. It also wasn't any worse, though. Pretty much if you played the first, just expect a lot more of the same. There's nothing really new in terms of gameplay or content, just a further exploration of the Max Payne story. That being said, I really had a fun time playing it and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great 3rd person action shooter that actually has a plot (and a pretty good one at that).
Movie department: With our mutual appreciation for the character and the recent passing on of Christopher Reeve, Kristin and I set out to watch all four of the Superman movies over the last few days, but we actually only made it through the first one. We'll just have to finish watching the other three in the box set I got for her when I got up to visit her.
In watching the first Superman movie again, I realized just how far special effects have came in the last 30 or so years. Even with the leaps and bounds forward in special effects, storytelling hasn't gotten too much better, however. The original superman movie is a little cheesy and a little hokey, but overall the story is good. The best parts of the movie are the interactions between Lois & Superman and Lois & Clark. The climax of the movie is somewhat laughable, but could easily have fit into a story written in the comics.
To get out of the house on Saturday, Kristin, Ryan, and me all went to see The Forgotten. Most of the reviews made it out to sound like an ok movie, which is pretty much exactly what it was. I was really enjoying it up until the end, at which point they didn't really explain what was going on throughout the entire movie, thus shattering all of the suspense and mystery that was built throughout. If it wasn't for the totally lackluster ending, I think this would have been a pretty good flick.
Reading department: For this, you should go visit my other blog, Behind the Times. I review what I read there.
Other: Yeah, well, we played some cribbage, watched an episode of Smallville, had dinner with my Grandma, and acted lazy. It was good to have some time off from work to vegetate, but now it's back full bore working as I have a bunch of help files that need to be hammered out right quick. To top it off, while I was out on vacation my cubicle got pranked. Apparently someone or a group of someones decided that it would be neat to move all of my stuff (everything, even my file cabinets), except for my phone and computer, into a closet. I'm thinking I'll just leave everything there and only go get stuff when I need it as I really don't want to redecorate my cube right now.
Just in time for Kristin to come visit, the weather turns really cold, windy, and totally sucktastic. Because of the wonderful conditions outdoors that Mother Nature decided to gift us with, we spent most of the time indoors. In being cooped up indoors, we managed to play some video games, watch some movies, do some reading, and just indulge our laziness. Let's look at each of these topics individually, since that's what I feel like doing.
Video game department: Before Kristin arrived, I picked up Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel for us to play on the Xbox. It had co-operative multiplayer, so I thought it would be fun for us to play. We actually put in a ton of time playing it (probably 6-8 hours or so) and so far it's been an ok game. It's nothing too wonderful, but it kept us entertained.
While Kristin did some of her homework, I managed to finish up Max Payne 2. I was hoping that it would be a lot better than the first, but it didn't quite surpass it. It also wasn't any worse, though. Pretty much if you played the first, just expect a lot more of the same. There's nothing really new in terms of gameplay or content, just a further exploration of the Max Payne story. That being said, I really had a fun time playing it and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great 3rd person action shooter that actually has a plot (and a pretty good one at that).
Movie department: With our mutual appreciation for the character and the recent passing on of Christopher Reeve, Kristin and I set out to watch all four of the Superman movies over the last few days, but we actually only made it through the first one. We'll just have to finish watching the other three in the box set I got for her when I got up to visit her.
In watching the first Superman movie again, I realized just how far special effects have came in the last 30 or so years. Even with the leaps and bounds forward in special effects, storytelling hasn't gotten too much better, however. The original superman movie is a little cheesy and a little hokey, but overall the story is good. The best parts of the movie are the interactions between Lois & Superman and Lois & Clark. The climax of the movie is somewhat laughable, but could easily have fit into a story written in the comics.
To get out of the house on Saturday, Kristin, Ryan, and me all went to see The Forgotten. Most of the reviews made it out to sound like an ok movie, which is pretty much exactly what it was. I was really enjoying it up until the end, at which point they didn't really explain what was going on throughout the entire movie, thus shattering all of the suspense and mystery that was built throughout. If it wasn't for the totally lackluster ending, I think this would have been a pretty good flick.
Reading department: For this, you should go visit my other blog, Behind the Times. I review what I read there.
Other: Yeah, well, we played some cribbage, watched an episode of Smallville, had dinner with my Grandma, and acted lazy. It was good to have some time off from work to vegetate, but now it's back full bore working as I have a bunch of help files that need to be hammered out right quick. To top it off, while I was out on vacation my cubicle got pranked. Apparently someone or a group of someones decided that it would be neat to move all of my stuff (everything, even my file cabinets), except for my phone and computer, into a closet. I'm thinking I'll just leave everything there and only go get stuff when I need it as I really don't want to redecorate my cube right now.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Christopher Reeve, I Miss You Already
Oddly enough, after attending a comic book convention on Saturday (at which I bought many a Superman comic), the man who will embody the character of Superman in most people's minds, Christopher Reeve, passed away on Sunday. Most of the time I wouldn't pay attention to a celebrity death, but this time it's different. Mr. Reeve wasn't your stereotypical celebrity. Ever since the horse riding accident that paralyzed him, he's been a wonderful example of someone who wouldn't give up.
Kristin has always seen his as Superman. To her, Superman wasn't a comic book character, he was the movie character portrayed by Reeve. Ironically, for her birthday, which was a couple of weeks ago, I got her the Superman movie DVD box set. Fittingly, I think we'll watch a couple of them this weekend when she comes down to visit me.
For me Reeve was a wonderful person. Unlike many, I haven't attached "Superman" to him, but instead thought he was a good actor that portrayed Superman well. What I have always thought of Reeve as is a wonderful, positive human being that has shown many of us how to fight past adversity. I can't imagine how I would react to being paralyzed. Much like he initially did, I probably would have thought about ending it all. A life where only my head could function would be such a hard life, yet he managed to turn his into an inspiration for those like him, as well as many fully functional people who were motivationally paralyzed.
I had such a great admiration for this man, even though I've probably never made a point of expressing it to many people, but just the fact that he's persevered for 9 years, and done so much while being in the condition he was in is simply amazing. For him to be as selfless and positive as he was while enduring such a tragic joke of fate has been a compelling example for me of how I would like to live my life. Whatever the cards that are dealt, make the most of them.
I think about how often I whine or complain when things don't go my way. I have to stay a little longer at work one day. I don't get a run in at night. I have to help clean our basement. I don't like driving to and from work every day. All of these things, and many of the other things I complain about, are all so small in comparison and yet Reeve never seemed to be unhappy, lazy, or whiney. He was always the opposite.
It almost feels like losing a loved one, losing someone who has been an inspiration to you. I've never met him and I don't know him personally, but through his actions he had become some I looked up to. Now in his passing I'm left with an empty feeling. I've never mourned for a celebrity, but somehow I feel like it is appropriate now. If anything is a testament to what a great role model he was, it's knowing that I'll actually miss him.
Not to focus too much on the depressing news, I'd like to also give my overview (and swag list) of 2004's Minnesota FallCon. This was the second year in a row that Kristin and I attended. Like last year, it was a fun time and I wished I had more money to spend and more free time to read everything I picked up.
We arrived early in the morning, about a half hour before the show actually started so that we could each get one of the goody bags that was given to the first couple hundred paid admissions. Between Kristin's bag and my own we didn't actually get anything comics-wise I didn't already have except for two issues of Avengers/Thunderbolts.
While we were waiting in line for the show, we were unfortunately confronted by a COG* that decided to talk with Kristin while he waited. He must have been about 50 and he was intent on keeping up a conversation with Kristin as he slowly inched closer and closer to her as he talked. As he moved closer, Kristin kept sliding further away. Luckily he didn't care so much about me, so I just observed Kristin as she suffered through it (sorry, honey, but it was funny!). One good thing did come out of meeting the COG, however, and that is he gave us his goody bag which actually contained comics we didn't have. There were four newer comics (Star Wars: Republic, Voltron, Marvel Age Spidey, and another one I forget) along with the prestige book Batman/Catwoman: Trail of the Gun #1. I had wanted to pick up that issue but didn't want to spend the $6 on it. Now that I have it, I'll have to order #2.
Anyhow, once we left the COG and entered the show, we did what we did last year, went through the aisles looking through back issues boxes and searching out deals. I had about $125 to spend and I needed to do it wisely. So for a few hours I pored over back issue boxes with Kristin helping me. Interspersed between box diving was toy browsing. The big draw of the FallCon for Kristin is the toys (and I enjoy looking at them as well). Her goal this year was to find a Gargoyle figure from the tv cartoon, but we could only find two with one being broken and the other she already owned.
Even though we didn't find a Gargoyle doesn't mean that we came home toyless. Instead I think I spent more money on toys than comics. Kristin got a He-Man and Skeletor figure set for only $2 at one booth (probably because she's so darn cute). She was stoked about that and then later I picked her up an Edward Scissorhands figure for $5. As for my toys, I bought 10 assorted Spawn figures from series 23-25 (including the complete series 23 set) for $45. For McFarlaine figures, that's a steal.
As for my comic haul, I got about 130 comics for $40. Most of them were Superman and X-Men related and filled in gaps I had. In the graphic novel department, I picked up 7 for $20. A couple of CrossGen, a couple of Batman, and a couple standalone graphic novels. The one other thing I got was the Superman: Day of Doom trade paperback autographed by Dan Jourgens.
All in all, I think I spent my money quite well. We didn't stay for the entire show, but for the time we were there we really had fun indulging our inner children. Now I just have to find a place to display all of my Spawn figures and put the comics.
*COG: Abbreviation for "Creepy Old Guy"
Kristin has always seen his as Superman. To her, Superman wasn't a comic book character, he was the movie character portrayed by Reeve. Ironically, for her birthday, which was a couple of weeks ago, I got her the Superman movie DVD box set. Fittingly, I think we'll watch a couple of them this weekend when she comes down to visit me.
For me Reeve was a wonderful person. Unlike many, I haven't attached "Superman" to him, but instead thought he was a good actor that portrayed Superman well. What I have always thought of Reeve as is a wonderful, positive human being that has shown many of us how to fight past adversity. I can't imagine how I would react to being paralyzed. Much like he initially did, I probably would have thought about ending it all. A life where only my head could function would be such a hard life, yet he managed to turn his into an inspiration for those like him, as well as many fully functional people who were motivationally paralyzed.
I had such a great admiration for this man, even though I've probably never made a point of expressing it to many people, but just the fact that he's persevered for 9 years, and done so much while being in the condition he was in is simply amazing. For him to be as selfless and positive as he was while enduring such a tragic joke of fate has been a compelling example for me of how I would like to live my life. Whatever the cards that are dealt, make the most of them.
I think about how often I whine or complain when things don't go my way. I have to stay a little longer at work one day. I don't get a run in at night. I have to help clean our basement. I don't like driving to and from work every day. All of these things, and many of the other things I complain about, are all so small in comparison and yet Reeve never seemed to be unhappy, lazy, or whiney. He was always the opposite.
It almost feels like losing a loved one, losing someone who has been an inspiration to you. I've never met him and I don't know him personally, but through his actions he had become some I looked up to. Now in his passing I'm left with an empty feeling. I've never mourned for a celebrity, but somehow I feel like it is appropriate now. If anything is a testament to what a great role model he was, it's knowing that I'll actually miss him.
Not to focus too much on the depressing news, I'd like to also give my overview (and swag list) of 2004's Minnesota FallCon. This was the second year in a row that Kristin and I attended. Like last year, it was a fun time and I wished I had more money to spend and more free time to read everything I picked up.
We arrived early in the morning, about a half hour before the show actually started so that we could each get one of the goody bags that was given to the first couple hundred paid admissions. Between Kristin's bag and my own we didn't actually get anything comics-wise I didn't already have except for two issues of Avengers/Thunderbolts.
While we were waiting in line for the show, we were unfortunately confronted by a COG* that decided to talk with Kristin while he waited. He must have been about 50 and he was intent on keeping up a conversation with Kristin as he slowly inched closer and closer to her as he talked. As he moved closer, Kristin kept sliding further away. Luckily he didn't care so much about me, so I just observed Kristin as she suffered through it (sorry, honey, but it was funny!). One good thing did come out of meeting the COG, however, and that is he gave us his goody bag which actually contained comics we didn't have. There were four newer comics (Star Wars: Republic, Voltron, Marvel Age Spidey, and another one I forget) along with the prestige book Batman/Catwoman: Trail of the Gun #1. I had wanted to pick up that issue but didn't want to spend the $6 on it. Now that I have it, I'll have to order #2.
Anyhow, once we left the COG and entered the show, we did what we did last year, went through the aisles looking through back issues boxes and searching out deals. I had about $125 to spend and I needed to do it wisely. So for a few hours I pored over back issue boxes with Kristin helping me. Interspersed between box diving was toy browsing. The big draw of the FallCon for Kristin is the toys (and I enjoy looking at them as well). Her goal this year was to find a Gargoyle figure from the tv cartoon, but we could only find two with one being broken and the other she already owned.
Even though we didn't find a Gargoyle doesn't mean that we came home toyless. Instead I think I spent more money on toys than comics. Kristin got a He-Man and Skeletor figure set for only $2 at one booth (probably because she's so darn cute). She was stoked about that and then later I picked her up an Edward Scissorhands figure for $5. As for my toys, I bought 10 assorted Spawn figures from series 23-25 (including the complete series 23 set) for $45. For McFarlaine figures, that's a steal.
As for my comic haul, I got about 130 comics for $40. Most of them were Superman and X-Men related and filled in gaps I had. In the graphic novel department, I picked up 7 for $20. A couple of CrossGen, a couple of Batman, and a couple standalone graphic novels. The one other thing I got was the Superman: Day of Doom trade paperback autographed by Dan Jourgens.
All in all, I think I spent my money quite well. We didn't stay for the entire show, but for the time we were there we really had fun indulging our inner children. Now I just have to find a place to display all of my Spawn figures and put the comics.
*COG: Abbreviation for "Creepy Old Guy"
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Minnesota's FallCon is Upon Us
It's that time of year again--time for Minnesota's annual fall comic book convention at the State Fair grounds on Saturday. This will only be the second time that I have gone, but I enjoyed myself last year and I'm pretty sure I will this year too.
What will make this year a little better is that I have more money to spend. I've been putting away a few dollars here and there in a stash in my computer desk over the last month or two and I actually managed to put away around $100. This should be able to net me a bunch of stuff. After paying the admission price for Kristin and myself, I should be left with over $80 to spend on back issues to complete runs, graphic novels, maybe some toys, and hopefully a lot of CrossGen stuff, considering they recently went bankrupt and were sold to a subsidiary of Disney. Comic shops all over the US and online retailers have been slashing prices on CG stuff, so I'm hoping to be able to grab a bunch of their stuff as it's always interested me, but I've never wanted to spend a lot of money to get into their universe.
I only hope Kristin won't get too bored by me poring over every back issue bin looking for deals. I get a little OCD when I'm looking for deals, especially with comics and a limited budget. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to look at the art that is there and play with the toys like we did last year.
Since I'm in the comics talking mood, everyone who hasn't checked out Behind the Times Comic Review, my quasi-retro review blog, should do so in their spare time. The next comics on my list to be reviewed there are Tellos from Image and the first few issues of Marvel Comics Presents.
Ok, that's about it for now. I'm back writing another manual and a load of help files at work so my desire to type out more text in my spare time is somewhat waning right now. Oh, if anyone plans on coming out to the comic con on Saturday, feel free to stop me and say hi. I'll be in a black shirt that says "Open 24 Hours" if it's warm out or a baby blue hoodie sweatshirt with a dragon pattern on the front if it's cold. I doubt anyone that reads this will be there, but just in case.
What will make this year a little better is that I have more money to spend. I've been putting away a few dollars here and there in a stash in my computer desk over the last month or two and I actually managed to put away around $100. This should be able to net me a bunch of stuff. After paying the admission price for Kristin and myself, I should be left with over $80 to spend on back issues to complete runs, graphic novels, maybe some toys, and hopefully a lot of CrossGen stuff, considering they recently went bankrupt and were sold to a subsidiary of Disney. Comic shops all over the US and online retailers have been slashing prices on CG stuff, so I'm hoping to be able to grab a bunch of their stuff as it's always interested me, but I've never wanted to spend a lot of money to get into their universe.
I only hope Kristin won't get too bored by me poring over every back issue bin looking for deals. I get a little OCD when I'm looking for deals, especially with comics and a limited budget. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to look at the art that is there and play with the toys like we did last year.
Since I'm in the comics talking mood, everyone who hasn't checked out Behind the Times Comic Review, my quasi-retro review blog, should do so in their spare time. The next comics on my list to be reviewed there are Tellos from Image and the first few issues of Marvel Comics Presents.
Ok, that's about it for now. I'm back writing another manual and a load of help files at work so my desire to type out more text in my spare time is somewhat waning right now. Oh, if anyone plans on coming out to the comic con on Saturday, feel free to stop me and say hi. I'll be in a black shirt that says "Open 24 Hours" if it's warm out or a baby blue hoodie sweatshirt with a dragon pattern on the front if it's cold. I doubt anyone that reads this will be there, but just in case.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Video Game Addiction
A while back I talked about how I detested the game Diablo and how it is such a pet peeve of mine that people are turning their backs on other people just to play video games. Today I read this article that only reinforces what I was talking about. Yes, video game addiction is an addiction just like any other.
I find it funny how most people don't think you can get addicted to something unless there is a physical substance interacting with your body. For example, almost everyone knows that you can get addicted to alcohol, drugs, painkillers, caffeine, and things of that nature, but most people won't recognize the fact that you can also become psychologically addicted to things, such as the internet, sex, or as this article points out, video games.
To be fair, I'm sure that this article is skewed a little bit to make video game addiction look worse than it actually is, but it is a problem. I've known more than my fair share of people that suffer from what is described in the article.
For example, one of my old college roommates was a gameaholic. He must have easily put in 5 or more hours a day on his computer playing video games. What really was odd about it, however, is that he wasn't playing cutting edge video games or anything we even usually think of as modern gaming. No, he was playing MUDs. For hours on end he would sit there and type away into a text box while reading the colored writing that scrolled up the screen.
It was so odd seeing him as entranced by his monitor as he was. Many times I'd be talking to him only to later realize, when he didn't respond, that he was so engrossed that he had tuned me out. It eventually got to the point where he'd stop coming out to play ultimate frisbee with the club team (he was actually the guy that got me started in the sport) in order to stay in and bang on his keyboard. Maybe there were other reasons for him to quick playing, but from what I could see, it seemed very strongly that video games were the reason he was staying in.
Another one of my roommates I think only had a mild addiction, but it was one that definitely affected his life and grades. He would occasionally play video games for fun, as most male college students do, but when he'd come across a game that he was really intrigued by, he wouldn't quit playing it until he had finished it completely. The first game I saw him do this with was Metal Gear Solid. He ended up playing it straight through a couple of times (in order to get everything in the game) in the span of like two weeks. He'd skip classes, not do his homework, and only would leave the couch to eat and sleep.
Later, when Grand Theft Auto III came out, it really hit the fan with him. Since the game is pretty open-ended, he would play it for hours and hours and hours on end. It was his heroin. He did anything to get his next GTA hit. Again he skipped classes and let his grades plummet. He even had to drop one of his classes because it was impossible for him to get a passing grade since he hadn't done anything for the class, let alone show up very much.
The kicker was that when he was in one of his video game kicks, he wouldn't even clean up after himself. When he'd get nachos, he'd leave the cheese container and chip bag strewn on the floor. If he had pizza, you could expect a chunk of it sitting on the couch next to him (one piece stayed next to his spot for a little under a week). It would just be an utter crap-sty around him. I can feel my skin start to crawl just thinking about it again.
I've known, and still do know, some people that definitely suffer from a psychological addiction to games. It's really quite sad to see how it affects people, but when I've tried to bring it to their attention or change their ways I am only chastised or told that I am wrong. I think every gamer should at least attempt to step back and examine his or her gaming patterns. People usually don't know they're addicted until someone tells them, so if I tell you to lay of the games, please do!
Oh yeah, and Diablo is the worst game ever created. The end.
I find it funny how most people don't think you can get addicted to something unless there is a physical substance interacting with your body. For example, almost everyone knows that you can get addicted to alcohol, drugs, painkillers, caffeine, and things of that nature, but most people won't recognize the fact that you can also become psychologically addicted to things, such as the internet, sex, or as this article points out, video games.
To be fair, I'm sure that this article is skewed a little bit to make video game addiction look worse than it actually is, but it is a problem. I've known more than my fair share of people that suffer from what is described in the article.
For example, one of my old college roommates was a gameaholic. He must have easily put in 5 or more hours a day on his computer playing video games. What really was odd about it, however, is that he wasn't playing cutting edge video games or anything we even usually think of as modern gaming. No, he was playing MUDs. For hours on end he would sit there and type away into a text box while reading the colored writing that scrolled up the screen.
It was so odd seeing him as entranced by his monitor as he was. Many times I'd be talking to him only to later realize, when he didn't respond, that he was so engrossed that he had tuned me out. It eventually got to the point where he'd stop coming out to play ultimate frisbee with the club team (he was actually the guy that got me started in the sport) in order to stay in and bang on his keyboard. Maybe there were other reasons for him to quick playing, but from what I could see, it seemed very strongly that video games were the reason he was staying in.
Another one of my roommates I think only had a mild addiction, but it was one that definitely affected his life and grades. He would occasionally play video games for fun, as most male college students do, but when he'd come across a game that he was really intrigued by, he wouldn't quit playing it until he had finished it completely. The first game I saw him do this with was Metal Gear Solid. He ended up playing it straight through a couple of times (in order to get everything in the game) in the span of like two weeks. He'd skip classes, not do his homework, and only would leave the couch to eat and sleep.
Later, when Grand Theft Auto III came out, it really hit the fan with him. Since the game is pretty open-ended, he would play it for hours and hours and hours on end. It was his heroin. He did anything to get his next GTA hit. Again he skipped classes and let his grades plummet. He even had to drop one of his classes because it was impossible for him to get a passing grade since he hadn't done anything for the class, let alone show up very much.
The kicker was that when he was in one of his video game kicks, he wouldn't even clean up after himself. When he'd get nachos, he'd leave the cheese container and chip bag strewn on the floor. If he had pizza, you could expect a chunk of it sitting on the couch next to him (one piece stayed next to his spot for a little under a week). It would just be an utter crap-sty around him. I can feel my skin start to crawl just thinking about it again.
I've known, and still do know, some people that definitely suffer from a psychological addiction to games. It's really quite sad to see how it affects people, but when I've tried to bring it to their attention or change their ways I am only chastised or told that I am wrong. I think every gamer should at least attempt to step back and examine his or her gaming patterns. People usually don't know they're addicted until someone tells them, so if I tell you to lay of the games, please do!
Oh yeah, and Diablo is the worst game ever created. The end.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Best Buy's Incompetence... Again
My goodness, Best Buy abounds with incompetence! I often find myself wondering how dumb the people that work there can be. Either that or I question why a manager puts a certain person in the section of the store that they do.
So I went to Best Buy yesterday to purchase a replacement computer for mine since it was toasted when our basement flooded. I kind of knew what I wanted, but looked around at everything they had there just to make sure I didn't want to change my mind. Now usually I can't go three steps in any aisle without one of their annoying employees asking me if I need help or want their advice or if I was going to buy what I was looking at or any other random crap. I absolutely hate it when they do that. If I wanted help, I'd ask for it, thank you.
So I'm looking through the computer and I have it narrowed down to two different models of Sony's Vaio line. From Best Buy's meager little description sheets that they have placed in front of the respective computers I couldn't tell really what was different other than the processor speed and hard drive size. Oddly enough, I had been browsing for about 20 minutes in the same area and not a single Best Buy employee came to ask me about anything. I was pretty dumbfounded. The one time I would have actually talked to an employee, none of them came to talk to me.
The reason for not coming to bother me--they were all having a pow-wow in the laptop aisle talking about some crap I could care less about. I walked up to one and asked if he knew much about the Sony Vaio desktops. He professed to me that he knew them quite well. Awesome. I could get some answers and get home.
Oh, how I was wrong. First, I wanted to know if both models came with the blue-tooth remote control for the PVR system in it.
"Umm... huh, this one has the remote by it, but this one doesn't. Does it say on the side of the case? Uhhh... nope, doesn't look like it. Doesn't say on the price sheet either, does it? I'd guess that they both do, I suppose."
"So you're telling me you're pretty sure they both do, but you can't confirm it?"
"Oh, you know, I'm pretty sure they both do."
"Ok, well we can look into that more later. I also had a question about the DVD burner in these two machines. It doesn't say if they are dual layer burners or not. I see some of the other computer from HP and Compaq in this price range have dual layer DVD burners so I thought these might. Can you confirm it for me?"
"Oh, yeah, these both have the dual layer burners."
"Are you sure? Have you tried to burn a dual layer disc with either one?"
"You don't need to even do that. Just look at what it says on the burner. Look, there's a + sign and a - sign between DVD and RW so it's a dual layer burner. It burns both + and - discs."
"Yes, that would be something I'd want to know if I was curious to see if it was a dual FORMAT DVD burner. I'm wondering if this will burn the 8.5 GB discs as well as the 4.7 GB ones."
"Oh... so there's two different sizes. (I thought for a minute he's equate one size to + and one to -, but he fortunately didn't)"
"Yes, there are. Say, why don't we just pull down one of these computers and we can snap open the box, read the manual to see what exactly is in it, and at the same time check to see if this one has the remote."
"Ok, we could do that. Hold on, I'll be right back." So I wait for him to return. When he does, I don't like what he has to say, "We actually don't have any of these in stock right now."
"Cute. Is there anywhere I can look to see this computer's specs?"
"Oh sure, we can look it up in the computer system over here. We can also see if there's more coming in." Awesome. This guy is such a brainiac. He should have just taken me over there in the first place. We look at the specs (turns out it's only a single layer DVD burner and it does come with a remote) and I decide it's the one I'll be buying. We work it out to get it shipped to my house at no extra charge and I head up to get checked out at the customer service area...... where I wait for ages.
It turns out that not only are the employees of Best Buy idiots, but apparently so are most of the customers. Some guy was trying to return a laptop he's had past the return time-frame. He's also sent in all the rebates for the laptop so the box is all cut up and mangled. He's asking only for a refund of the purchase price minus the rebates. They then have to explain the restocking fee for returning a laptop, then they figure out it's past the date for returning it, then he decides since he has the extended warranty he'll claim it's broken (yes, this all happens sequentially in conversation between the customer and worker).
Thankfully, another worker there saves me and checks me out and I can head home. All in all, what should have taken a half hour tops took close to an hours. I never thought I could have such contempt for a store and still shop there. It sucks that no other store in Rochester can beat their prices on stuff. If there was another place, I'd be there in a flash.
So I went to Best Buy yesterday to purchase a replacement computer for mine since it was toasted when our basement flooded. I kind of knew what I wanted, but looked around at everything they had there just to make sure I didn't want to change my mind. Now usually I can't go three steps in any aisle without one of their annoying employees asking me if I need help or want their advice or if I was going to buy what I was looking at or any other random crap. I absolutely hate it when they do that. If I wanted help, I'd ask for it, thank you.
So I'm looking through the computer and I have it narrowed down to two different models of Sony's Vaio line. From Best Buy's meager little description sheets that they have placed in front of the respective computers I couldn't tell really what was different other than the processor speed and hard drive size. Oddly enough, I had been browsing for about 20 minutes in the same area and not a single Best Buy employee came to ask me about anything. I was pretty dumbfounded. The one time I would have actually talked to an employee, none of them came to talk to me.
The reason for not coming to bother me--they were all having a pow-wow in the laptop aisle talking about some crap I could care less about. I walked up to one and asked if he knew much about the Sony Vaio desktops. He professed to me that he knew them quite well. Awesome. I could get some answers and get home.
Oh, how I was wrong. First, I wanted to know if both models came with the blue-tooth remote control for the PVR system in it.
"Umm... huh, this one has the remote by it, but this one doesn't. Does it say on the side of the case? Uhhh... nope, doesn't look like it. Doesn't say on the price sheet either, does it? I'd guess that they both do, I suppose."
"So you're telling me you're pretty sure they both do, but you can't confirm it?"
"Oh, you know, I'm pretty sure they both do."
"Ok, well we can look into that more later. I also had a question about the DVD burner in these two machines. It doesn't say if they are dual layer burners or not. I see some of the other computer from HP and Compaq in this price range have dual layer DVD burners so I thought these might. Can you confirm it for me?"
"Oh, yeah, these both have the dual layer burners."
"Are you sure? Have you tried to burn a dual layer disc with either one?"
"You don't need to even do that. Just look at what it says on the burner. Look, there's a + sign and a - sign between DVD and RW so it's a dual layer burner. It burns both + and - discs."
"Yes, that would be something I'd want to know if I was curious to see if it was a dual FORMAT DVD burner. I'm wondering if this will burn the 8.5 GB discs as well as the 4.7 GB ones."
"Oh... so there's two different sizes. (I thought for a minute he's equate one size to + and one to -, but he fortunately didn't)"
"Yes, there are. Say, why don't we just pull down one of these computers and we can snap open the box, read the manual to see what exactly is in it, and at the same time check to see if this one has the remote."
"Ok, we could do that. Hold on, I'll be right back." So I wait for him to return. When he does, I don't like what he has to say, "We actually don't have any of these in stock right now."
"Cute. Is there anywhere I can look to see this computer's specs?"
"Oh sure, we can look it up in the computer system over here. We can also see if there's more coming in." Awesome. This guy is such a brainiac. He should have just taken me over there in the first place. We look at the specs (turns out it's only a single layer DVD burner and it does come with a remote) and I decide it's the one I'll be buying. We work it out to get it shipped to my house at no extra charge and I head up to get checked out at the customer service area...... where I wait for ages.
It turns out that not only are the employees of Best Buy idiots, but apparently so are most of the customers. Some guy was trying to return a laptop he's had past the return time-frame. He's also sent in all the rebates for the laptop so the box is all cut up and mangled. He's asking only for a refund of the purchase price minus the rebates. They then have to explain the restocking fee for returning a laptop, then they figure out it's past the date for returning it, then he decides since he has the extended warranty he'll claim it's broken (yes, this all happens sequentially in conversation between the customer and worker).
Thankfully, another worker there saves me and checks me out and I can head home. All in all, what should have taken a half hour tops took close to an hours. I never thought I could have such contempt for a store and still shop there. It sucks that no other store in Rochester can beat their prices on stuff. If there was another place, I'd be there in a flash.
Saturday, October 02, 2004
The First Step is Admitting You Have One
It never occurred to me that I would ever become, in my lifetime, a hopeless addict. I've never smoked because it's bad for you (and I feared I'd not be able to quit). I very rarely drink (part of it is fear of addiction). I've never tried any hard drugs (yeah, I'm just plain scared of those). Yet, after being so careful and trying to keep from developing an addiction, one has slipped under my radar and totally taken control of my life.
"Hello, my name is Rick Gebhardt, and I am a caffeineaholic."
This last week I tried to break the addiction. I really wanted to loose the grip that caffeine had over me, but I failed and here I sit on a Saturday morning sipping on a gargantuan mug of Brazilian organic coffee. I have never been one to admit failure... until now. I'm a slave to stimulant and I don't think I will ever break free.
While trying to kick the habit I was surprised that for the most part all I had was a slight headache when I first started accompanied by extra grogginess during the morning hours and evening hours. I thought I was going to be free and clear when yesterday rolled around. I had been clean for five days. Then it hit me. Around noon at work I started to get a killer headache. It was so bad I had to leave work a tad bit early.
Upon arriving home, I took some migraine medication (which contains a solid shot of caffeine along with the painkillers acenomenophene and aspirin), and laid down for a bit. I'm pretty sure it was the caffeine content in the pills that brought me back to a functional status. When I got up I felt like a new man. My headache was gone and I felt way more energetic than I had the entirety of the last week.
Since I had given in to my addiction once again, I simply dove back in hardcore. I had a Diet Coke with supper and shared a Diet Mountain Dew with my brother when he got home from the dance he was at. It felt good to be energized once again. It was like being in a state of euphoria. Heck, right now I'm in that well caffeinated state that I coveted almost every waking hour of the last week.
Will I ever try to kick the habit again? Probably. Will I ever truly succeed? Probably not. Caffeine has hooked its claws into me and it doesn't look like it's going to let go any time soon. Frankly, I've come to like the vicious hold that caffeine has over me. I know it's something I need to keep me going, just like carbohydrates, sugars, and vitamins. I think I'm going to make it my personal goal to have caffeine be an essential part of everyone's diet. That way I won't feel guilty about being so dependant upon it. It would be in the same ballpark as getting my daily dose of Vitamin C or my allotment of calories for the day. Without them, I would eventually die, and yesterday I sure felt like I might die without my beloved friend caffeine.
"Hello, my name is Rick Gebhardt, and I am a caffeineaholic...... and I don't care."
"Hello, my name is Rick Gebhardt, and I am a caffeineaholic."
This last week I tried to break the addiction. I really wanted to loose the grip that caffeine had over me, but I failed and here I sit on a Saturday morning sipping on a gargantuan mug of Brazilian organic coffee. I have never been one to admit failure... until now. I'm a slave to stimulant and I don't think I will ever break free.
While trying to kick the habit I was surprised that for the most part all I had was a slight headache when I first started accompanied by extra grogginess during the morning hours and evening hours. I thought I was going to be free and clear when yesterday rolled around. I had been clean for five days. Then it hit me. Around noon at work I started to get a killer headache. It was so bad I had to leave work a tad bit early.
Upon arriving home, I took some migraine medication (which contains a solid shot of caffeine along with the painkillers acenomenophene and aspirin), and laid down for a bit. I'm pretty sure it was the caffeine content in the pills that brought me back to a functional status. When I got up I felt like a new man. My headache was gone and I felt way more energetic than I had the entirety of the last week.
Since I had given in to my addiction once again, I simply dove back in hardcore. I had a Diet Coke with supper and shared a Diet Mountain Dew with my brother when he got home from the dance he was at. It felt good to be energized once again. It was like being in a state of euphoria. Heck, right now I'm in that well caffeinated state that I coveted almost every waking hour of the last week.
Will I ever try to kick the habit again? Probably. Will I ever truly succeed? Probably not. Caffeine has hooked its claws into me and it doesn't look like it's going to let go any time soon. Frankly, I've come to like the vicious hold that caffeine has over me. I know it's something I need to keep me going, just like carbohydrates, sugars, and vitamins. I think I'm going to make it my personal goal to have caffeine be an essential part of everyone's diet. That way I won't feel guilty about being so dependant upon it. It would be in the same ballpark as getting my daily dose of Vitamin C or my allotment of calories for the day. Without them, I would eventually die, and yesterday I sure felt like I might die without my beloved friend caffeine.
"Hello, my name is Rick Gebhardt, and I am a caffeineaholic...... and I don't care."
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Go Outside Already!
It's about 50 degrees outside right now and I'm loving it. Cool, fall days like today are probably my favorite types of days. It's just cool enough out to make it so you need to wear pants and a long sleeve shirt, yet you can still feel the briskness of the air as you walk outside. It kind of makes you feel like nature is giving you a big, cool hug.
Accompanying the cooler temperatures is usually an overcast sky. I've never been a big fan of direct sunlight and I'm happy any time that it's partially blotted out. That's one of the main reasons I love afternoon thunderstorms. Well, that and the thunder/lightning combo that comes with them. With the overcast skies, you don't have to worry about squinting to see, yet everything is illuminated enough to make it so that you can see the littlest details of everything around you if you'll take the time to look.
While you're enjoying the mild temperatures, don't forget to feel the wind as it brushes across your body. I don't know how to describe it, but every time a light breeze picks up and blows my way, I can't help but feel a little refreshed. Mother Nature must have added a caffeine like pick-me-up into the air during this season of harvest.
My dad is working hard out in the fields right now, along with most of my neighbors (I live in the middle of the country so most of us farm). As I was out for a run yesterday, I passed by one of my neighbor's fields as he was harvesting it. I threw him a wave which he returned and I found myself thinking about how much I truly enjoy the colors of fall.
I know many people hate the drab, "deathly" colors of fall--browns, oranges, faded greens--but I love them! I will take these muted colors over the bright greens of summer or the bleak whiteness of winter any day.
Summer always seems too busy while winter always feels boring. Spring manages to just mix in with summer, but fall is a season of transition that everyone notices. The leaves are falling, the temps are dropping, the harvest is being brought in, and everything seems to be dying.
You'd think I'd hate this season since I have such an abnormal fear of death, but I often feel at peace being surrounded by it. In fact, I think it helps to ease my fears by seeing everything in nature so peacefully transition from life to death. There are no rebellions by the plants against what must come with the changing of the season. No, they simply take it in stride, change colors (sometimes very, very beautiful colors), shed their seed and pass on, letting nature take its course.
I often wonder if some day I will have that type of an attitude about the natural progression of time and how it will eventually take my life from me. When I'm 80 will I finally feel deep down that I know my death is serving a purpose or will I still look upon it with fear and uncertainty? I pray that it won't be the second.
With all this talk of the outdoors, I think it's about time that I took a quick little stroll outside to enjoy it. You should too if you have the chance. Before you know it, winter will be rolling in with its sub-zero temperatures and mounds of snow and you'll be reminiscing about wonderful days like today.
Accompanying the cooler temperatures is usually an overcast sky. I've never been a big fan of direct sunlight and I'm happy any time that it's partially blotted out. That's one of the main reasons I love afternoon thunderstorms. Well, that and the thunder/lightning combo that comes with them. With the overcast skies, you don't have to worry about squinting to see, yet everything is illuminated enough to make it so that you can see the littlest details of everything around you if you'll take the time to look.
While you're enjoying the mild temperatures, don't forget to feel the wind as it brushes across your body. I don't know how to describe it, but every time a light breeze picks up and blows my way, I can't help but feel a little refreshed. Mother Nature must have added a caffeine like pick-me-up into the air during this season of harvest.
My dad is working hard out in the fields right now, along with most of my neighbors (I live in the middle of the country so most of us farm). As I was out for a run yesterday, I passed by one of my neighbor's fields as he was harvesting it. I threw him a wave which he returned and I found myself thinking about how much I truly enjoy the colors of fall.
I know many people hate the drab, "deathly" colors of fall--browns, oranges, faded greens--but I love them! I will take these muted colors over the bright greens of summer or the bleak whiteness of winter any day.
Summer always seems too busy while winter always feels boring. Spring manages to just mix in with summer, but fall is a season of transition that everyone notices. The leaves are falling, the temps are dropping, the harvest is being brought in, and everything seems to be dying.
You'd think I'd hate this season since I have such an abnormal fear of death, but I often feel at peace being surrounded by it. In fact, I think it helps to ease my fears by seeing everything in nature so peacefully transition from life to death. There are no rebellions by the plants against what must come with the changing of the season. No, they simply take it in stride, change colors (sometimes very, very beautiful colors), shed their seed and pass on, letting nature take its course.
I often wonder if some day I will have that type of an attitude about the natural progression of time and how it will eventually take my life from me. When I'm 80 will I finally feel deep down that I know my death is serving a purpose or will I still look upon it with fear and uncertainty? I pray that it won't be the second.
With all this talk of the outdoors, I think it's about time that I took a quick little stroll outside to enjoy it. You should too if you have the chance. Before you know it, winter will be rolling in with its sub-zero temperatures and mounds of snow and you'll be reminiscing about wonderful days like today.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Broken Power Lines and Werewolves
I had thought that we might finally be done with all of the ramifications of the imbriferous* storms that we had a couple of weeks ago, but I was wrong. Ever since those rains, the power in our house has been fluctuating. We thought that it might just be our running too many things at one time, but when we started thinking about it we knew that couldn't be the case.
Since the basement is a total mess, we haven't had anything running down there. We have two less computers running than we usually do. The only things that are running now that didn't before are our subpump and a the lights in the addition (since I now reside there, they're on a little more).
We tested to see if it might be from the subpump running or a loose connection in the wiring of the pump, but it turns out that that wasn't it. My dad's guess is that the ground line for our power line to the house might be shorting. He has an electrician out looking at it today. Hopefully he finds something and takes care of it because I would hate for everything in our house to get fried. We already had that happen once when lightning struck our place.
Back when that happened we lost a stove, refrigerator, washer, dryer, couple of computers, couple of vcr's, tv, and some other stuff. The lightning strike was so intense that it fried our computers even though they were on surge protectors. If you think that a little protector will save your computer, I'm here to tell you that you shouldn't count on it. We now have nice, big APC battery backup power surge protectors on our computers (and I have one on my big screen tv to keep it from getting hurt).
Once the whole power thing is fixed, that should be the end of having to deal with the results of the flooding rains. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is the case.
Last night was one of the first nights, well, one of many nights I suppose, in which I noticed how truly nice it is to sleep in the moonlight. Our addition has five gigantic windows on the south side that make it so that the south wall is almost like one big window. As I laid down to go to sleep, I was bathed in moonlight and it felt nice. Living in the basement or a dorm room/college apartment so many years, I've forgotten what it's like to have such a view of the outside at night.
It makes me almost want to go grab a sleeping bag and roll it out on the lawn and sleep there. Unfortunately, I'm sure the dogs would make it not so much of a fun time as they love to lick you when you're at their level and I don't enjoy sleeping in dog slobber.
I keep hoping that one of these nights when there is a full moon that I'll develop some type of werewolf alter ego, but one which I had control over. Really, what's the point of being able to turn into a werewolf if you can't control it? I'd be pissed if the only thing I got out of being a werewolf was that I woke up naked out in a field once a month. If I'm going to be rending someone's flesh apart, I want to control who I'm doing it to so that I can totally rip apart assholes (Harlan & JoAnn Buck and Jim Nelson) instead of nice people.
I hope that Jim's email gets fully loaded with spam, the bastard. He's continuing to sell my great-grandmother's comics on ebay and claiming they aren't ours. Here's his ebay account. We've emailed the buyers and some of the comics he's selling/sold have had the name of my great-grandfather RIGHT ON THEM. How does he explain that? He doesn't. He just gets pissed at us for looking into it and won't give us an explanation after the many times we've questioned him about it. JoAnn and Harlan are simply the douchebombs that mishandled my great-grandmother's estate. I don't have their email address or else I'd post it on here to so they got spamified too.
If you want, feel free to email Jim telling him what a bastard he is. I'm sure he'd enjoy it. I know I would if you did. Or if you're one of the lucky ones that can control yourself when in werewolf form, please go rip them limb from limb and do the world a favor. That's not too much to ask, now is it?
*[im-BRIF-er-us] bringing rain; rainy. From a Latin word meaning 'a shower'.
Since the basement is a total mess, we haven't had anything running down there. We have two less computers running than we usually do. The only things that are running now that didn't before are our subpump and a the lights in the addition (since I now reside there, they're on a little more).
We tested to see if it might be from the subpump running or a loose connection in the wiring of the pump, but it turns out that that wasn't it. My dad's guess is that the ground line for our power line to the house might be shorting. He has an electrician out looking at it today. Hopefully he finds something and takes care of it because I would hate for everything in our house to get fried. We already had that happen once when lightning struck our place.
Back when that happened we lost a stove, refrigerator, washer, dryer, couple of computers, couple of vcr's, tv, and some other stuff. The lightning strike was so intense that it fried our computers even though they were on surge protectors. If you think that a little protector will save your computer, I'm here to tell you that you shouldn't count on it. We now have nice, big APC battery backup power surge protectors on our computers (and I have one on my big screen tv to keep it from getting hurt).
Once the whole power thing is fixed, that should be the end of having to deal with the results of the flooding rains. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is the case.
Last night was one of the first nights, well, one of many nights I suppose, in which I noticed how truly nice it is to sleep in the moonlight. Our addition has five gigantic windows on the south side that make it so that the south wall is almost like one big window. As I laid down to go to sleep, I was bathed in moonlight and it felt nice. Living in the basement or a dorm room/college apartment so many years, I've forgotten what it's like to have such a view of the outside at night.
It makes me almost want to go grab a sleeping bag and roll it out on the lawn and sleep there. Unfortunately, I'm sure the dogs would make it not so much of a fun time as they love to lick you when you're at their level and I don't enjoy sleeping in dog slobber.
I keep hoping that one of these nights when there is a full moon that I'll develop some type of werewolf alter ego, but one which I had control over. Really, what's the point of being able to turn into a werewolf if you can't control it? I'd be pissed if the only thing I got out of being a werewolf was that I woke up naked out in a field once a month. If I'm going to be rending someone's flesh apart, I want to control who I'm doing it to so that I can totally rip apart assholes (Harlan & JoAnn Buck and Jim Nelson) instead of nice people.
I hope that Jim's email gets fully loaded with spam, the bastard. He's continuing to sell my great-grandmother's comics on ebay and claiming they aren't ours. Here's his ebay account. We've emailed the buyers and some of the comics he's selling/sold have had the name of my great-grandfather RIGHT ON THEM. How does he explain that? He doesn't. He just gets pissed at us for looking into it and won't give us an explanation after the many times we've questioned him about it. JoAnn and Harlan are simply the douchebombs that mishandled my great-grandmother's estate. I don't have their email address or else I'd post it on here to so they got spamified too.
If you want, feel free to email Jim telling him what a bastard he is. I'm sure he'd enjoy it. I know I would if you did. Or if you're one of the lucky ones that can control yourself when in werewolf form, please go rip them limb from limb and do the world a favor. That's not too much to ask, now is it?
*[im-BRIF-er-us] bringing rain; rainy. From a Latin word meaning 'a shower'.
Monday, September 27, 2004
The Bar Life
This last weekend I went up to St. Cloud to visit Kristin and celebrate her birthday with her. Well, it wasn't her birthday per se, since it was actually on Wednesday, but I wanted to celebrate over the weekend since I couldn't be there on her birthday. I figured I should take her out to the bar at least once now that she's 21, so we did on Friday night.
Kristin, myself, and a few other friends went to Sal's, one of the three bars in St. Joseph. We didn't really stay there very long as it was filled with people that were, well, not quite as young as us. Since it was St. John's homecoming weekend, there were tons of alums up hanging out. I guess all of the older ones decided to go to Sal's.
Before I go any further, I should note that the biggest draw for going to the bar, in my opinion, is the people watching. There's ALWAYS at least a couple of complete jack-asses or idiots that will manage to give you a good laugh. Sal's was no exception. I saw one guy that must have been about 30 or so who was completely bald on top but had long, shoulder length scraggly hair. It wasn't just this atrocious haircut that made him stand out. No, he also made it his duty to say hi to everyone around him and give the "arm around the shoulder" man hug to all the guys he talked with. It was extremely amusing to me.
Since there were so many old people there, we migrated to the La, a more college oriented bar. Oddly enough, it was "pimps and hoes" night so there were plenty of odd looking people to watch. It was here that I saw the most amazing thing at the bars in a really, really long time--a 50 or so year old couple dressed as a pimp and ho. It was hilarious to see a couple that old getting into it. What made it even more hilarious is that it was the parents of one of the girls at the bar. She appeared absolutely mortified while at the same time proud to have such odd parents. I'm sure I would feel exactly the same way if my parents did something like that.
So those were the two interesting sites for the night. It was fun being out at the bars with Kristin, but they're not a place that I would make a habit of frequenting. I'm just not that big of a bar fan. I don't really drink much at all. It's always so freaking loud at the bars that you have to pretty much scream to converse with the person next to you, and there isn't too much entertainment besides watching drunk people an occasionally dancing. I dunno, I guess it just isn't my thing really.
The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out with Kristin, watching the season opener of Smallville, watching Kill Bill 2 (which I thought was disappointing), going mall crawling, and taking care of "Chewie" the kitten. All in all, a pretty fun time. It was certainly refreshing to be able to relax for a weekend as I'd been keeping pretty busy working with the basement the last week and a half or so.
Kristin, myself, and a few other friends went to Sal's, one of the three bars in St. Joseph. We didn't really stay there very long as it was filled with people that were, well, not quite as young as us. Since it was St. John's homecoming weekend, there were tons of alums up hanging out. I guess all of the older ones decided to go to Sal's.
Before I go any further, I should note that the biggest draw for going to the bar, in my opinion, is the people watching. There's ALWAYS at least a couple of complete jack-asses or idiots that will manage to give you a good laugh. Sal's was no exception. I saw one guy that must have been about 30 or so who was completely bald on top but had long, shoulder length scraggly hair. It wasn't just this atrocious haircut that made him stand out. No, he also made it his duty to say hi to everyone around him and give the "arm around the shoulder" man hug to all the guys he talked with. It was extremely amusing to me.
Since there were so many old people there, we migrated to the La, a more college oriented bar. Oddly enough, it was "pimps and hoes" night so there were plenty of odd looking people to watch. It was here that I saw the most amazing thing at the bars in a really, really long time--a 50 or so year old couple dressed as a pimp and ho. It was hilarious to see a couple that old getting into it. What made it even more hilarious is that it was the parents of one of the girls at the bar. She appeared absolutely mortified while at the same time proud to have such odd parents. I'm sure I would feel exactly the same way if my parents did something like that.
So those were the two interesting sites for the night. It was fun being out at the bars with Kristin, but they're not a place that I would make a habit of frequenting. I'm just not that big of a bar fan. I don't really drink much at all. It's always so freaking loud at the bars that you have to pretty much scream to converse with the person next to you, and there isn't too much entertainment besides watching drunk people an occasionally dancing. I dunno, I guess it just isn't my thing really.
The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out with Kristin, watching the season opener of Smallville, watching Kill Bill 2 (which I thought was disappointing), going mall crawling, and taking care of "Chewie" the kitten. All in all, a pretty fun time. It was certainly refreshing to be able to relax for a weekend as I'd been keeping pretty busy working with the basement the last week and a half or so.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)