It Doesn't Feel Like The Holidays

It doesn't feel like the holiday season to me.

I couldn't exactly put my finger on it. There are so many things that make this not-like the holiday season for me. I'm back in Hawaii, it's currently 76 degrees and sunny, and I'm about to go down to the pool for a swim.

This is all normal for the holiday season, but it doesn't feel like Christmas to me. It hasn't, ever since I managed to get back here. The Holidays are, supposedly, time you spend with friends and family. It's about togetherness. For some reason, though, I'm not feeling the togetherness like I used to.

I have work to do, more than I usually have during the break, and more pressing work than I normally have. I have to write a show without a piano, without any sort of musical instrument around. It's pretty nerve wracking, but I hope I'll be okay. I also have to finish editing my resume and CV and start sending them out to more jobs. It's difficult to be here with somebody breathing down my neck about it every minute of every hour of every day. It's okay, though. Only 4 more weeks until I get to go back...

Some Poker Hands

Last night, we played a short cash game of No Limit Texas Hold 'Em. Here was the layout:

Seat 1: Me
Seat 2
Seat 3: Two different players at different times
Seat 4: Someone there, then empty
Seat 5
Seat 6
Seat 7

So, for the most part it was a 6 handed game, since Seat 4 busted. The big winner was Seat 2, with Seat 6 managing to break even after a very large amount of bad beats that put him 3 buyins in the hole. Overall, very impressive. There are a few hands in particular that I'd like to discuss before going back to my last Sociology paper of the semester.

Hand #1 - The 7/2 Game
Me: 7/2 offsuit on the big blind

Action:
Calls around back to the big blind
Seat 1 raises to .45
Seat 2 calls
Seat 3 calls
Seat 4 calls
Folds around to Seat 1. Four handed to the flop.
Flop: Q, 10, 3
Seat 1 bets 70
Seat 2 folds
Seat 3 calls
Seat 4 calls
Turn: x
Checks around
River: x
Seat 1 all-in
Seat 3 folds
Seat 4 folds

Bluff with 7/2 offsuit earning me an extra 60 cents in that pot.

Hand #2: River Suck-Out
Seat 1 has A-Q spades
Seat 6 has the button
Calls around to Seat 5
Seat 5 raises to .35
Seat 6 calls
Seat 7 folds
Seat 1 re-raises to .70
Folds around to Seat 5
Seat 5 calls
Seat 6 calls
Flop: Ac-Qc-Jh
Seat 1 checks
Seat 5 bets .55
Seat 6 calls
Seat 1 raises to 1.20
Seat 5 calls
Seat 6 folds
Turn: 4d
Seat 1 bets 3.00
Seat 5 calls, all-in
Seat 5 reveals Ah-10d
River: Kd
Seat 5 wins the pot with a Straight to the Ace

I got beat on the river, but the funniest part was as soon as I saw his hand, I just said, "King'll save him" and then the dealer popped off the King of diamonds. I couldn't be upset about that hand, though. I knew that he had a bad Ace. I was kind of hoping I was wrong and he had A-J, but I guess you have to lose money to make money? I lost almost 4 dollars on that hand, taking me down to about 5.60 in chips. I got whittled away until the very last hand where I was under the small blind with a stack of 5.00 remaining after my blind was posted. This hand was played after seat 4 had left.

Seat 7 has the button
Seat 1: 5h-5d
Seat 3 calls
Seat 5 raises to 45
Seat 6 folds
Seat 7 calls
Seat 1 pushes all-in for a total of 5.05
Seat 5 calls
Seat 7 calls
Cards are flipped
Seat 5 has Kc-Qs
Seat 7 has Kh-Qd
Flop: 6-3-3
Turn: 2
River: A
Seat 1 wins

I tripled up on one very, very lucky all-in. I don't expect to be so lucky next time. I still couldn't believe I got called. Twice. I really thought I was dead.

After I knock out this paper, I think I'll post my impressions of some video games that I have played through the semester.

Television Status

Well, it looks as though some shows are going to be saved. Chuck just got picked up for a full season, so we'll see 22 glorious episodes provided that the writers and producers can come to an agreement at negotiations that just started today.

Super Mario Galaxy - First Impressions

This is the most amazing game I have played in a VERY long time.

Name of Game: Super Mario Galaxy
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Price: $49.99

My goodness. I'm 2 hours deep into this game, and I can't even begin to describe how much fun it is. Mario is cool enough, but Mario in space is possibly one of the coolest things ever. The best part is the fact that the Wii controls are utilized almost perfectly. You just swing the remote to make Mario spin, while the pointer is used for collecting star chips. It's all very Rainbow Brite. There's really no easy way to describe it, and I haven't really been able to utilize the 2 Player option. I'll write more when I get the chance, but now I have to get back to playing...erm...my work.

The Office Shut Down

It's official. NBC/Universal has officially shut down production of The Office until further notice. That means there will probably be a maximum of 2 more real episodes. This is too bad, since this season was shaping up to be amazing...

WGA Strikes - Cont'd

So, I just finished the latest episode of Chuck, and I really hope the strikes don't cause it to get canceled (i.e. not renewed for another season). This show just has too much potential for it to get the ax. I have been forced to re-evaluate my TV list for this season with the strikes, though it isn't that different. Basically, I've added Chuck, Journeyman, and Beauty and the Geek to my lineup, though who knows how much longer they'll air without scripts...

WGA Strike

Given how invested I am in television, it seems appropriate to comment on the current state of that particular industry at the moment.

For those that do not know, yesterday, the WGA went on strike yesterday. What does this mean? Well, there won't be much new TV until the strike ends. At least. I'm upset about not being able to see The Office wrap up this season, as well as being unable to see what potential Pushing Daisies has. (Without a full season, it has the potential to be canceled.) This is especially bad for Scrubs and Battlestar Galactica (both of which are undergoing their final seasons). All that being said, though, I am in total and complete support of this strike.

I know that in the long run, it may not matter that I'm just one person in support of this strike, but the reasons for striking are ones that I completely and utterly agree with. The writers are striking, basically, because they don't get a share of the profits from digital media, like downloads or DVDs. Considering how many of these DVDs and iTunes downloads I buy because of the excellent writing, it is particularly distressing to me that the writers got no share of the profits in the first place. I am hoping that the strike is able to come to a close in a mutually beneficial manner to both writers and producers alike, but if there's one thing that I've learned from Sociological case studies, it's that in a strike, nobody really wins.

Stay strong, WGA! You deserve more than you're getting!

Things that co-incide are horrible

Hm. I wish that the LSAT and the Manaphy Pokemon event did not coincide with each other. Here's the info for the Manaphy Event:

12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Saturday, September 29th
Toys R' Us

Be sure to go, it will be the first US Cherish Ball event!

Stardust (2007)

Go see it. NOW. It is worth seeing multiple times on a large screen with surround sound. If you do not see it in theaters you will regret it. Trust me.

The best next-gen Final Fantasy Characters

I, much like everyone else, have an opinion on which Final Fantasy characters are best. However, my experiences are limited to when the series made the switch to Playstation, and pretty much everything after that. So, I am going to make a list of my top 5 favorite Playable Final Fantasy characters and why they are my favorite to date. (You'll notice that Cloud, Squall, Zell, Tidus, and Vaan are not even close to being on this list.)

5) Vivi Orunitia - Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy IX is probably my second least favorite Final Fantasy, but it had the huge redeeming quality of being whimsical and magical, which was very unlike the previous two installments. He was cute, and didn't really seem to have a mouth, but he could pack a punch. He was my desktop wallpaper for a good 2 years, too.

4) Vincent Valentine - Final Fantasy VII

Dude was a freakin' Vampire. I mean, come on, that's awesome enough. But when you add in the point that he was a VERY difficult to obtain secret character, and the only one who could handle guns, AND his limit break involved shapeshifting...well, he was really cool. Even though you could only get him late in the game, it was totally worth it.

3) Rikku - Final Fantasy X

She was the first character you got to play as besides Tidus, and she was awesome. When you got her Godhand and fully unlocked it, she was next to unbeatable. I liked the idea of a female thief, and she was a female thief princess who was much less annoying than Yuffie. Also, she acted very much more her real age than any of the other characters in that story.

2) Auron - Final Fantasy X

Dude was a ghost and totally awesome. In fact, I don't think there has been a parallel to how awesome Auron really was. He wore sunglasses (and is the only one besides the Turks in VII to do so), and had a huge sword, so double pluses!

1) Balthier - Final Fantasy XII

He is Auron mixed with James Bond. I'm not even 10 hours into the game and I think he's the best character in the Final Fantasy universe ever. He is the ONLY suave player character in the entire universe of Next-Gen FF games. He's a space pirate, and he is just all around AWESOME. Seriously. He makes learning tutorials fun. And if that's not high praise, I don't know what is.

The Excitement Continues

I'm very excited. Sarah arrives tomorrow afternoon, and it's going to be really, really fun. We're going to all the places that I used to go to when I was a kid and visited here. We will go to Pearl Harbor and the Polynesian Cultural Center. It's going to be really fun, and frankly, very relaxing to have her around.

In other news, apparently the creators of Pokemon are trading their own Psyduck over GTS for Ponyta. I hope I can get one, it would be really awesome to have one for bragging rights.

A Pokemon Post

It would be cool if there was an online Pokemon mob called the PokeMob. Just saying.

Anyway, I have finally settled on a Pokemon community that I like, the pokefarm.com message boards. Within 10 minutes of posting the Pokemon I needed to complete my Pokedex, I got like 7 responses. Very cool.

Also, Chriss got a DS, so we're having some fun trading time =D. She likes the "stupid looking ones." So I'm trying to breed a few of those.

Bet you thought this would be a much more detailed post, didn't you?

Where was I for Harry Potter?

For some reason, when I woke up this morning, I was thinking about where I was for each of the Harry Potter releases. Now, keep in mind that for the first three, it wasn't as big of a deal for me, since I had no idea that there were such things as "midnight release parties." Especially since the first book started the phenomenon. But, for the curious, here is a list.

SORCERER'S STONE
In Chapel Hill, NC - bought from local Barnes and Noble by parents.

CHAMBER OF SECRETS
In Chapel Hill, NC - bought day of release from same local Barnes and Noble, finished that day.

PRISONER OF AZKABAN
In Chapel Hill, NC - bought day of release, Barnes and Noble (Surprise!), finished same day.

GOBLET OF FIRE
In Honolulu, HI - bought morning of release as soon as mall opened at Waldenbooks in Kahala Mall - finished later that day (and yes, I have the version where James comes out of the wand before Lily).

ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
At NC Governor's School. Bought from local bookstore next morning AND got from Amazon.com that Monday (because the mail wouldn't go through). Finished in 2 days because of class (blaugh.).

HALF BLOOD PRINCE
In Durham, NC as a TiP RC - Went to the midnight release party and took pictures with a treasured camp relic that the staff normally steals. Finished next day due.

DEATHLY HALLOWS
In Chapel Hill, NC at release party - Went with Meredith to the local Borders and finished the book by 6:30 AM.

And that's it. Almost every book (I think) was a summer release, which I suppose was very well planned by the publisher.

Final Fantasy XII - First Impressions

Name of Game: Final Fantasy XII
Platform: Playstation 2
Price: $29.99

Yes, I know the game came out like a year ago, and I know I'm behind on the times, but I just started playing it, and everything I've heard about it is completely true. I'm only about 3 hours into the game, but I have to say that it's got one of the most interesting storytelling methods, and possibly the best turn-based battle system I've ever seen. (For those that disagree that it's turn based, it really is, at it's core, turn based.) The characters I've gathered so far are distinct, all with their own personalities and backstories - far more similar to Final Fantasy X in that respect. (VII through IX had characters joining the party well into the second or third disc, which was annoying because they never got as much attention as the hero and heroine. Can you honestly say we learned as much about Aramant as we did about Zidane?)

The Gambit system is pretty incredible. I actually have only just scratched the surface of what it can do. I'm hoping to play a little bit more before I have to go back to school because I know that after I get back, I'm probably going to be pretty swamped. But it's a great game, and I'm looking forward to seeing where they take the story.

Virus on Vacation

I am sick. Fever, the works, etc. I hope everything turns out okay. You know that I'm blogging sick when I'm not making very much sense, etc. I said etc twice.

I'm Walking, Yes Indeed...

Today was my first full day in lovely, sunny Hawaii, as well as my first full day with Eurydice, my new MacBook. I put her through her paces, and I'm happy to say that she has been passing with full, flying colors.

I walked many places today - I began at 8:30 AM with a brisk walk to Ward Center and then another walk to the beach, as it was very nice today...81 degrees - cool enough to walk around without sweating too much and warm enough for sandals, shorts, and t-shirt.

I'm very tired now, though, so I think I will end this entry here.

Also, the pilot episode of SciFi's new series, "Flash Gordon," is available for free download on iTunes. Haven't watched it yet, but I'll post the impressions here when I do.

RIP Aphrael

Well, Aphrael, my loving and adoring iBook G4 has finally been put to rest.

My favorite computerized girl has been having problems all summer, and it's been very hard to figure out what was wrong. I finally went to the Apple Genius Bar in Honolulu to try and suss out what was wrong. Apparently, the DC in power port was misbehaving, and it could also have been the logic board. It would cost 300 dollars plus a 117 dollar battery plus a 73 dollar charger to fully repair it. For those of you keeping score, thats a little under 600 dollars.

I have decided to finally upgrade to the MacBook. It is still white, but it has more storage space and comes standard with a full gigabyte of RAM. It is very pretty and I have a new case for protecting it.

And her name is Eurydice.

The Wedding Week and Further

SUNDAY

The flight from hell. See previous post.

MONDAY
- Went to go get a marriage license for Dusty and Kirsten. I took a lot of pictures chronicling the entire event. It was fun to try and find City Hall. My experience following Sarah to the Capital building in Kentucky totally paid off.
- Walked around the city, visited the Metreon, and found out that the entire arcade level was closed. Forced to re-evaluate bachelor party plans. Bought Buffy Issue #5.
- Zach arrived and had a traveling adventure: he took the wrong BART train from the airport.

TUESDAY
- Went with Zach to Fisherman's Wharf to scope out a potential place to have bachelor party. Found a fun arcade that we thought would be appropriate. Spent 2 hours and 5 dollars at arcade between the two of us. I got the high score on Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 =D.
- Moved to a new location of residence: a Marriot (I think) near the airport. Dusty's family arrived, we helped them to get settled.

WEDNESDAY
- Zach, Myself, and both the Sharpes and Haller families all had lunch at an Italian restaurant.
- We moved hotels again.
- Had bachelor party! It was a good time - we played Air Hockey, Skee Ball, DDR, Shooting Range games, and bought super balls with all our tickets.
- Played a lot of poker.

THURSDAY
- Went to Embarcadero and walked around for a while. Found a comic shop and snagged Welcome to Tranquility #9, and Gen13 #11. Went to Virgin Megastore and picked up Muppet Show Season 2.
- Met Gwynneth for coffee/tea/beverages. We had a nice chat and it was really great to see her.
- Went back to hotel and watched Muppet Show for a while.
- Ate dinner with Dusty's Family.

FRIDAY
- Went to Gordo's with Zach, Dusty, and Dusty's family.
- Rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Both went relatively smoothly, and the dinner was very awesome. Zach made a really great toast.

SATURDAY
- The wedding and reception. All excellent - very nice ceremony, and it was kind of weird to actually see them married (incidentally, Kirsten has changed her name already on Facebook.).
- My aunt picked me up and I had dinner with her family and some friends. I told my little cousin a story with music.

SUNDAY
- Went to the aquarium with my aunt's family. Saw sharks, penguins, jellyfish, seals, and anchovies. The coolest part was the anchovies.
- On the car ride to the aquarium, I let my cousin choose the attacks for Pokemon Diamond by giving her the stylus. Super cute.

MONDAY
- Early flight to Hawaii.
- Erm...bought a new computer (see post).

The Flight From Hell

All of my good friends, please read carefully. THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!

I wake up on the day of my transcontinental flight, and head over to the airport a few hours early only to find out that it was delayed for 1 hour. I thought it wouldn't be a problem since my flight out of Chicago left at 1:20 PM Central Time, and the approximate running time of the RDU to O'Hare flight is 1 and a half hours. The flight was supposed to leave at 12:20, so I should have been able to catch the flight...except for the fact that as soon as we got on the plane and they wouldn't let us use phones, the captain came on the PA and told us that the flying time was going to be 2 and a half hours. Needless to say, I missed my flight out of Chicago.

I found another flight out at 6:35 PM Central, so I waited in Chicago for 5 hours in order to board the plane. When I was finally called, the flight suddenly stopped boarding and everyone was pulled off of the aircraft. Apparently, there was something wrong with the aircraft. So, they first delayed the flight until 6:50, then to 7:35. At 7:05 they were ready to board the plane again. They opened the doors...then immediately closed them. The attendants informed us that due to inclement weather in San Francisco, the flight was going to be delayed another hour to 8:35 PM Central. We did managed to leave at that time and I got to San Francisco at 11:05 Pacific.

The flight that I missed due to the delays out of RDU was supposed to get to SFO at 3:50 Pacific.

Needless to say, I had a rough travel day last week.

Packing

I've begun the arduous process that is packing, and I have to say that I'm not very happy about it. I am going to have to do a great deal of traveling in the next couple of days, and that is always slightly vexing.

My laundry is finished, my DVDs are packed, as is my Wii, Hard-drive, and Apple Essentials. By tomorrow at this time I should be completely done packing and will most likely be going to sleep. Then comes the long, long, long plane ride...

Pokemon Update

So, I have discovered that I'm very close to completing the National Pokedex in Pokemon Diamond. I went Safari Zoning yesterday in both Emerald and Leaf Green, netting myself a very rare Pinsir in Leaf Green, and a Stantler and Houndor in Emerald. I also managed to snag a Tropius, the only regularly catchable Pokemon completely unavailable to catch in Diamond/Pearl.

What will invariably trip me up, though, is the inability to get a legitimate Palkia through GTS. I need the catch credit, but I'd also really like to keep it in my contained Legendary Box. Once I get Palkia, Mewtwo, and Manaphy, I will have all the Legendary Pokemon legally possible to have.

Also, I need a travelling case for my DS.

This Year's SteveTV Lineup

And now, the moment nobody's been waiting for: the listing of my top 10 shows for the fall lineup. Note that this list includes some old favorites that I will continue to keep up with. Starting from number 10 and counting down to 1, the 10 shows that I am most excited about! (WARNING: Spoilers for previous seasons of some shows.)

10) Scrubs (NBC)

It is the final season of Scrubs, and although I have seen the previous 6 seasons and kept up semi-regularly, it is the last on my list of desired television watching due to the lack of consistent quality in episodes this past season.

9) Pushing Daisies (ABC)

I've been seeing teasers for this show. It's about a guy who can bring things back to life with a single touch of his finger. He uses this power to bring murder victims back to life, ask who killed them, and then make them die again with another touch of his finger. It seems like a quirky, dark show, and I'll probably watch the pilot to see if it ends up being any good.

8) Psych (USA)

Always a favorite, I am hoping that a full season of Psych will continue into the fall this year.

7) Heroes (NBC)

Normally, I think Heroes would be higher on this list, but after one season of drawing out the drama, I'm unsure as to what the next will bring. I still haven't seen the finale, though, so don't tell me anything about it.

6) Finishing Various Sorkin Projects (DVD)

In between the current state of Television, I will be continuing my quest to finish the remaining 2.5 seasons I have left of The West Wing as well as the 1/2 season I have left of Sports Night to fill the void left by Studio 60.

5) Veronica Mars (DVD)

Another show I did not have the chance to finish, I will endeavor to complete the second and third seasons of Veronica Mars this year, and I am very much looking forward to it.

4) The Bionic Woman

The previews look cool, and it could flop. But honestly, I just really want to see where they go with this.

3) The Sarah Connor Project

The Terminator TV series starring that actress from the 300, Zach from Heroes, and SUMMER GLAU as the Terminator protector of Sarah and John Connor. Out of all the new shows airing this fall, this is the show I most want for iTunes to have a season pass for.

2) How I Met Your Mother

Obviously, the closest to the top without actually being the top is the chronicles of Ted Moseby. Watching Ted team up with Barney to "be awesome" is going to be one of the highlights of the fall season.

And, if you haven't guessed it already, my number one slot goes to...

1) The Office

The Office is going into its fourth season, and with it comes some wonderful plot points just waiting to be developed: the hiring of Ryan for the corporate job, and the blossoming romance of Jim and Pam. This is the only show I will never, ever fail to miss.

Tonight

Many things will happen tonight, the least of which will be doing my laundry (I didn't do it yesterday, shut up.). Getting a haircut, going to Brent's, and calling the tux place to rent my tux for the wedding. Should be a great time. As always, calls are appreciated.

To Do

To Do Today:

1) Laundry
2) Organize Shelves
3) Clean Out Closet
4) Write Thank You Notes
5) Make Packing List
6) Ready items for shipping

Mario Strikers Charged Review

Eh, why not?

Name: Mario Strikers Charged
System: Wii
Genre: Sports(?)
Price: $49.99
ESRB Rating: E 10+

Right, so this game is ridiculous in a good way. The single player (which can actually be a 4-player on the same team campaign) is pretty entertaining, but it gets difficult pretty quickly. The controls are relatively intuitive, with the most fun part being tackling (or checking. It's really more like hockey than it is like soccer.). You just move the Wii remote forcefully and whichever character you control will check the nearest character.

Multiplayer, though, is completely chaotic. Seriously. You're lucky to get a single goal on your opponent in any given 3 minute game. Which is why Sudden Death occurs, and then the first person to score automatically wins. I'm looking forward to testing out the Online version of multiplayer later on during the year when I'm actually better at this game. It's really fun, but it seems like it's the most fun with 2 or 4 players, as opposed to 1 or 3.

I enjoyed this game and will probably continue to enjoy it, as I have 2 more captains to unlock.

The Wallpost Saga

The other day, my sister and I decided to have a wallpost war on Facebook. The chronological results:

July 20th, 7:38 AM: Chriss: A graffiti Wallpost. Text: YOU POSTED ON MY WALL! STAR!

STEVE
at 10:39am on July 20th, 2007
You got a Wall Post! Show it to people by setting it to B using +.

CHRISS
at 11:09am on July 20th, 2007

your wall is posted on!
It's super-effective!

STEVE
at 11:16am on July 20th, 2007

You found a Wall Post. Combine with a Green Herb?

CHRISS
at 11:29am on July 20th, 2007

WALL POST
GAINED THE LEAD

STEVE
at 11:31am on July 20th, 2007

Down, Up, Left, Right, Punch, Kick, Right, Right WALLPOST!

CHRISS
at 11:33am on July 20th, 2007

You enter the Dungeon of Dungeonness. It is dark. You see a WALLPOST.

>>GET YE WALLPOST
>>TURN YE SOUTH

STEVE

at 11:38am on July 20th, 2007

Greetings, Night Elf! As you know, dark forces have been gathering and possessing wallposts. In order to thwart them, we must get as many of our own wallposts out into Azeroth as possible. Do so, and you will be greatly rewarded.

QUEST OBJECTIVES
*Bring 5 WALLPOSTS back to Grul'Nak

REWARDS
[Keyboard of Posting]

CHRISS
at 11:42am on July 20th, 2007

Your Wall is under attack.
Your Wall is under attack.
Wall has been destroyed.

STEVE
at 11:44am on July 20th, 2007

WALLPOST...

you are the reincarnation of the great hero of time!

CHRISS
at 11:55am on July 20th, 2007

Leave Balamb Garden and enter the Wall Post?

>Yes
>No
>...

STEVE
at 12:04pm on July 20th, 2007

Wa-Wa-Wal-Wal-Wa-Wallpo-Wallpos-Wallpost has arrived.

CHRISS
at 12:10pm on July 20th, 2007

It looks like you are writing a wall post.
Would you like me to
-Change your spellcheck settings to "teh internte splling"
-Add this person as a friend
-Poke this person
-Get the hell away, paperclip

STEVE
at 12:15pm on July 20th, 2007

POST has evolved into WALLPOST!

Give WALLPOST a nickname?

Yes
No <

WALLPOST was deposited in BOX 7 of BILL'S PC.

CHRISS
at 12:19pm on July 20th, 2007

MELEE!
3...
2...
1...
WALLPOST!

STEVE
at 12:22pm on July 20th, 2007

CLOUD
______________
| Attack |
| Defend |
| Magic |
| Wallpost_____|



And that was the end of the Wallwar. I'm sure we'll have another one sometime soon, we really just ran out of videogame/technology references.

The videogames referenced here have been: Mario Party, Pokemon, Resident Evil, Halo, Street Fighter, Text Based RPGs, World of Warcraft, Warcraft/Starcraft, Final Fantasy 8, Final Fantasy 7, Super Smash Bros, and Microsoft Word.

Facebook getting a facelift?

Facebook is updating. Whenever they do this, it always sounds ominous. Watch, it'll be an announcement that they're merging with MySpace.

EDIT: Wow, it's back up and no visible changes. Bummer.

A List

Here's a list of future releases for the Wii that I'll probably pick up:

7/30/07: Super Mario Strikers: Charged
8/7/07: Boogie
8/27/07: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
9/18/07: MySims
9/25/07: Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party
10/16/07: Zak and Wiki: Quest for Barbados
10/28/07: Guitar Hero 2
11/12/07: Super Mario Galaxy
11/13/07: NIGHTS: Journey of Dreams
12/3/07: Super Smash Bros. BRAWL

This list is, of course, subject to change. I'm actually picking up Mario Strikers today. Brent, David and I will probably take it for a spin, see how it is, and try to kick some butt on Multiplayer Online once we get the hang of it. Only a few more days until I have to go to California. If you are in Chapel Hill and want to make plans, please let me know as soon as possible.

Thoughts on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Note: If you haven't read "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" or seen the movie of the same name, come out of your cave. This post contains movie spoilers, so don't read it if you don't want the movie spoiled.

Okay, that having been said, I went to go see HPOotP last night. I didn't think it was very good. After the movie, I looked over at Brent, kind of shrugged and went "Meh." The book was far more satisfying in every way, mostly because of the huge disappointments that were my favorite scenes in the book, which will follow in a list form:

1) The Escape of Fred and George Weasley

Okay, if you didn't completely LOVE this in the book, you are insane and crazy. Seriously. This was one of the greatest scenes in the entire series, culminating in a large swamp getting created in the hallways of Hogwarts. They threw fireworks, they made a swamp, they threw dungbombs, and finally, they told Peeves to give Umbridge hell! ...None of which actually happened in the movie. In fact, all that happened was that they flew in during the Charms O.W.L. and threw a lot of fireworks. That's it. It was boring, it wasn't inspiring, and moreover, it was completely different than the book - not slightly changed, completely different.

2) Umbridge gets carried off by centaurs.

We all hate Umbridge. I mean, come on. She's easily the most unlikable, annoying character, and they got casting spot on. However, her exit from this particular movie wasn't that great. It, like much of the rest of the movie, was rather mundane. The centaurs fired a few shots and then ran off with her, as opposed to where she's running away from them, and you just assume that she got carried off and Grawp is the one that saves Harry and Hermione from the centaurs. Although, I guess the centaurs didn't really have a beef with the kids in this movie since Firenze wasn't !@#$ing teaching Astronomy, now was he?

3) Snape's Memory

You cannot expect people to understand the relationship between Snape, James Potter, and Lily Evans with tiny, seizure-inducing snippets. That memory was one of the high character-building points for Snape and his motivation behind hating James so much, as well as the cause for an identity crisis for Harry. This kind of ruined that. It almost justified Snape for feeling the way he did toward James. Almost.

4) The Quibbler isn't in the movie??

Okay, how are people supposed to believe Harry if nobody is there to tell his story. The Quibbler makes one appearance: Upside-down in Luna Lovegood's arms. That is it. And that is annoying. No Hermione taking advantage of Rita Skeeter, no hushed "I believe you"s in the hallways, NOTHING! Even Seamus's little scene couldn't really compare to the entire student body getting behind Harry.

5) What happened to Kreacher?

Did he not betray the Order in this one? Just...no explanation as to why Voldemort (Vol-de-mort! Vol-de-mort!) was able to know Harry would come running for Sirius?

And now, just because I feel like I must, here are some things that I liked about the movie:

1) Casting

The actress who played Umbridge was very easy to despise, and the girl who played Luna was very easy to like. It's as a result of very good casting.

2) ...no, wait, that's probably about it.

It's not that it wasn't a fun movie, it was. My problem with it lies in the area of adaption - it was not a good adaption of the book, whereas the previous movies have been able to stay at least close to what the book describes. However, in defense of the movie, OotP is an incredibly large book, even larger than Goblet of Fire, and frankly, contains a lot of exposition. So, I can understand why it made sense to go the way that they did...I just don't like it in the slightest.

Cartoons of my Childhood

One of the birthday presents I got from my sister was Season 1 of Animaniacs. For those who do not remember this show, it focuses on the antics of the Warner Brothers, Yakko and Wakko, and their sister, Dot.

This is possibly the funniest show ever.

The humor is incredibly sophisticated, sophisticated to the point where I wonder if we even understood the depth of it is children. Their subject matter ranges from parodies of Gilbert and Sullivan to Les Miserables to Apocalypse Now. It's actually incredible how they managed to parody so many things. Not only is the humor sophisticated, there are a plethora of double entrendres and innuendo.

This, of course, is not to say that it isn't hilarious for children. The visual gags alone are worth it, and all the other innuendo and puns are completely over their heads. It kind of reminds me of the Muppet Show, which was a Sketch Comedy show masquerading as a kid's show. In any case, if you haven't seen Animaniacs, I've got it now, so...yeah.

I also picked up Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for Wii while Sarah was here. We both agree that it kind of sucks as a game. So, I took it back and reserved Super Mario Strikers instead. That should be a really fun time.

Playing through Pokemon LeafGreen to revisit the old Red & Blue days. It's just as easy as I remember. I had a system, you see: Start with Bulbasaur, blaze through the first gym, catch a Caterpie, evolve into Butterfree, use Confusion to stomp through the second gym, catch an Abra, level to Kadabra, win the game.

It's pretty simple, actually. All the Pokemon in Red & Blue had such a weakness to strong psychic Pokemon that you could clean the floor with a Kadabra. It's really easy, and you get to catch any Pokemon you want to have on your team, as long as at least one of them is Kadabra.

The End of the Week

Ah, birthdays. You never really know how much they stop mattering as much until you pass twenty-one.


That's not to say that mine wasn't fun, though =D.

On Thursday night, I had decided to take Friday off of work, so John, David, Katie, and I went to a bar with the intention of singing Karaoke. Unfortunately, the bar (which was supposed to have karaoke that night) did not have karaoke that night. So, we ended up just having a few drinks, playing some pool and darts, and then I came home and fell asleep almost immediately.

Friday was really great. Really, really ridiculously great. Mostly because Sarah was here, but also because I got to hang out with 3 of my best friends almost all day long. John, Brent, David and I all went out to lunch, then played Mario Party, then went to go see the Simpsons Movie. (Which, by the way is really good, you should go see it. Yes, you!) Then, Sarah was here, so we spent the weekend hanging out, watching movies and such. It was fun!

I think my computer charger needs to be replaced before I leave NC. It's been acting up A LOT lately, so I think it might be time to look into getting a replacement.

Mid-Day Thoughts

Is it weird that I've already begun to get birthday posts on my facebook wall?

I almost won a Dwight bobblehead pin from OfficeTally. Unfortunately, I was the third poster, I thought for sure that I'd get it...oh, well.

Sarah's visiting this weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. I miss her a lot.

Oh! I finally got the Emerald cartridge back from the auction yesterday. I'm going to test them tonight on Pokemon Battle Revolution to see if they're actually legitimate. Should be a fun time. In related Pokemon news, I also finally managed to evolve myself a Milotic! It took a lot of berry growing and a lot of cooking Poffins, but I finally got one!

Also, I'm in the process of writing a fanscript of the The Office. I'm naming the episode "The Intern." I don't know why I'm doing it, but it seems like it could be fun, and I can see if I actually am any good a writing a good, compelling television show. Think of it as an exercise.

Getting older is weird.

The Office

September 27th has been announced as the Season 4 Premiere of The Office. I'm very excited.

Some Linkage for the Loyal

First: Gabe from Penny Arcade went to the Pokemon Tournament this weekend! You can see the PA reaction to it here.

Second: Steve Carell in a new movie! I've been waiting for this one for a while, it's Get Smart!

Third: The most beautiful DS in the entire entire world. I am thinking about buying it as my "Birthday Present to Myself" as this summer has not been the best in the world, and a limited edition Diamond/Pearl DS to show for it might not be so awful.

Finally, the aformentioned birthday is to be taking place this Friday. It should be a small affair. Meaning I'll go see the Simpsons Movie with the guys. Leave comments as to what you think I should do.

The Weekend - Always Too Short

Didn't do much this weekend. The highlight was, of course, hanging out with Brent, David, and John. Brent recently decided to buy a Playstation 3, so he picked up Resistance: Fall of Man, and we gave it a co-op test run. Pretty good times, ordered pizza, had some beer, played some video games.

Also, I have finished Harry Potter (finished it at 6:20 AM the day it came out), but I will not be posting reactions for about a month while I wait for everyone who might possibly read this 'blog to finish it, so that I don't inadvertently give away any spoilers.

PBR Tournament?

Tomorrow, there's a Pokemon Battle Revolution tournament at a mall in Raleigh...there are prizes, even for people who just show up for it.

Is it crazy that I'm considering going to see how I stack up?

The Feebas Frustration

Okay, the folks at Nintendo obviously have started saying to themselves: "How can we make dedicated player of Pokemon want to completely tear their hair out?"

I'm unsure how many people are familiar with the Pokemon Feebas. Feebas is a Pokemon you can get by fishing. It is incredibly ugly. Like, think of the ugliest Pokemon you can and then think even harder. This one is much uglier. In fact, here is a picture of it.

So why on earth would anybody want to catch this thing? Well, there are two reasons. First of all, there's the whole "Gotta Catch 'Em All" slogan, meaning that in order to fully beat the game, you need to catch every one of the 490-some creatures that inhabit this world. Second, it evolves into one of the coolest looking Pokemon in the game, Milotic. (Even if you don't play Pokemon, you have to admit that that is pretty cool looking.) The only way you can get a Milotic is to catch a Feebas and raise it's beauty statistic all the way to the maximum. Once it levels up, then it becomes a Milotic, which is just so cool.

Now, we get to the frustrating part. Feebas can only be found by fishing in a specific area. This is not that unusual for Pokemon, as many of the rarer monsters can only be found in one area. However, Feebas is only found in 4 specific "tiles" of water in the entire area. This is a relatively large area, about 200 by 100 tiles, I think. This means that only 4 of the entire "water" tiles in this area will allow you to catch a Feebas. They are random and shift every 24 hours. That's not all. On top of all of that, there is only a 50% chance when you are fishing on the correct tile that you will actually get a Feebas on your line. So, if you are methodically going through each tile, there is still a 50% chance that you will miss one of the special tiles due to being unable to land a Feebas.

...and the Pokemon Company/Nintendo wonder WHY people have to cheat to catch these things.

I, however, (proudly!) did not cheat. I went to the area, and thankfully, it only took about 15 or 20 minutes of methodically going through each tile. I've got one, and it's female, which means I can breed more of them if I need to. Hopefully I can trade some over the Global Trade System for some of the Pokemon I'm having trouble catching, like Heracross and Cherrim.

Hanging out with the Guys tonight. Hope it doesn't go too late, I really need to get more sleep...

Hooray!

The Emmy nominations were announced. Many of my favorite shows and actors got nominated, but the best ones were Jenna Fischer for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, and Neil Patrick Harris for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy. It's gonna be a fun Emmys this year.

Currently Listening To...

The single of the week in the iTunes Store this week is really fun. It's incredibly catchy and very cute. The song is called "Bubbly" and it's by Colbie Caillat. Since it's free, you really have no reason not to download it and give it a listen if you have an iTunes account. I actually enjoyed this single so much that I bought her entire album, "Coco." It's really chill, and fun to drive to work listening to. I recommend it.

In other news, I finally made it to the post office today. I've been meaning to for, I don't know, about a month and a half now. I had to stop by when it opened at 8:30 before I went to work, but all the mail is out, that's the important thing.

Edit: I just realized that there was one more thing I needed to send. Dang. It's not as essential as the other things, though, so I suppose it can wait.

Harry Potter comes out tomorrow and I am very excited. Unfortunately, neither my sister nor Sarah are able the come with me to the premiere event (the former will be at a Brad Paisley concert, the latter is in Beaufort, NC at the Duke Marine Lab). However, Meredith is coming with me, so we should have a lot of fun. I promise not to post any spoilers at all once I'm done, I may not even post my impressions until I get back to Wesleyan, so that anybody who reads what I write can have a chance to read it spoiler-free.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY!!! =D =D =D

New Season of Psych!

And as such, I have purchased the Season Pass. Here's the rundown Steve TV style:

Name of Show: Psych
Season: 2
Tagline: Fake Psychic, Real Detectives
Network: USA
Price: $29.99 Season Pass on iTunes

Episode: American Duos

I always have high expectations for Psych episodes ever since I managed to get a free copy of the Pilot last summer on iTunes. USA has discovered a way to make good television: detective dramadys. If there's one thing I can say about Psych, it's that it is funny without detracting from the story and characters as a whole. The obnoxious and slightly egotistical main character is still very personable and likable, despite his massive ego. It's a great show, and the only bad thing about it is that it's gotten progressively more and more obnoxious/silly each episode it airs.

But, I've got high hopes for this season, as the first one completely parodied American Idol (Idle? =D), and Tim Curry played the obnoxious English judge.

Woo hoo!

I defeated the Elite Four yesterday, as well as catching Groudon, Kyogre, Rayquaza, and all the Regi- Pokemon. I'm set to take advantage of that auction whenever I choose...

On a completely separate note, I had forgotten how hard Legendaries are to catch. I think I had to restart the game about 8 times before finally catching Rayquaza, and I would have gone through a total of probably 60 Ultra Balls if I hadn't been shutting off the game every time I accidentally killed it. The others were hard to catch, too, but at the same time, there is an immense satisfaction in catching these impossible-to-catch Pokemon. Mostly because you have to skill to catch it without killing it - getting it down to under 10 HP, putting it to sleep, and just chucking Ultra Balls at it until it's subdued...it takes a fairly long time.

John came back from Chile yesterday. He regaled us with many awesome stories of his travels. It was really great to see him, and it's too bad that I only get to see him these last two weeks that both he and I will be in town. Ah, well. We all had dinner and then played Mario Party, which I'm sure is something that's going to happen fairly often in the next few weeks.

I haven't managed to see who won the Main Event of the World Series of Poker yet, so nobody tell me!

No Way!!

Nickelodeon finally wised up and put out 7 classic episodes of Nicktoons on iTunes (iToons?). This includes the pilot episode of Doug, arguably the best Nicktoon ever.

Here's a complete listing of what's on the iTunes store:

Ahh! Real Monsters!: The Switching Hour
CatDog: Dog Gone/All You Can't Eat
The Angry Beavers: Born to Be Beavers/Up All Night
Doug: Doug Bags a Neematoad
Hey Arnold!: Downtown As Fruits/Eugene's Bike
Rocket Power: New Squid On the Block/Down the Drain
Rocko's Modern Life: Carnival Knowledge/Sand in Your Navel

Each episode is $1.99 each, and the full "Season" is $10.99. Not a horrible price for a small bit of childhood early cable nostalgia!

Yay!

Diagnostic 3 is officially done, and I think I did really well on this one...I'm convinced that I got 99% of the logic games correct, which is an excellent feeling...too bad Logic Games only comprises one section of the test =C. Oh, well.

Oh, well...

I was reading the live updates for the WSOP this morning, and I found out that Scotty Nguyen busted out in 11th place. Blast. It would have been so cool if he won.

Also, I'm 2 badges closer to the Elite Four and thus being able to take advantage of that auction thing.

Too bad I don't have that much time to play today due to work and LSAT. Oh, well...

Lest Studying Accelerate Time

More like decelerate...

Got 2 more sections of LSAT work to complete and then I'm going to go do something else. It's hard to believe that me taking a 5 minute break consists of posting to this blog about 8 times a day...

Takin' A Quick Break

Thought I'd take a few minutes to review Will & Grace Season 1 while I take my LSAT study break...

Show: Will & Grace
Season: 1
Format: DVD
Price: $19.99 on sale at Best Buy
Number of Episodes: 22

I'll be honest, I picked this one up because the price was low and I needed a sitcom to watch. I was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the dialog, but it was hard to make me as attached to the characters as I would have liked. I can understand why this show followed Friends, as the show needed the lead in of a more popular sitcom to develop a mainstream fanbase. It's an excellent show, very well written, but it lacks the cliffhangers that most season one shows have - although it does introduce us to Karen's maid, which is very funny.

There are a couple of episdoes of the first season that merit an A, however the season as a whole is probably a C+ or B-. I'm finding it hard to want to continue watching to the second season, but we'll see what happens.

Hanging Out at the Cradle and other news

Got back home about an hour ago from the Cat's Cradle in Carborro, where MC Chris had a show. He is a total geek which is awesome - Drake and I pretty much agreed on that point when he opened his show to the Transformers theme song and the Ducktales theme song. His rapping was pretty good, too.

In WSOP Main Event news, it looks as though Gus Hansen busted. That sucks, I was pulling for him.

Got 2 badges down in Emerald, so I'm only 6 badges and 5 difficult battles away from unlocking the National Pokedex and obtaining legit legendaries...yeah, this is probably going to take like 2 weeks if I'm lucky...

A Good Laugh

But only if you know me.

Oh, Chiara

Going to the cradle tonight to hang out with Drake. Also managed to obtain a copy of Pokemon Emerald...I hate playing through the 3rd gen games. They have none of the old GOOD Pokemon, but if I can unlock the national dex, I can send it in and get legit legendaries from the auction.

Is this for real??

Just found this auction. It's for legit versions of Mew, Celebi, Latios, Latias, Deoxys, etc...and they've got the tags and satisfied comments to prove it...now all I have to do is get a copy of Emerald and play through it...blast.

Selling Results

I went through the garage and found very little in terms of sports equipment (I guess we got rid of the bats and gloves and skates?). I got rid of 2 Razor brand scooters, 1 old skateboard, a golf bag, and one old driver. Unfortunately, they wouldn't take any of the wedges, woods, or irons that were in the bag, so I'll have to find another way to get rid of those. All told, they bought all those things for 26 dollars. Woo.

My desk drawers are emptied and my desk is sitting next to me while I type this entry on my lap. It's sad to see it all hollowed out.

I'm up, I'm up.

Time to wake up and clean my desk out so we can get rid of it...I've had this desk for my entire life, and now I have to clean it out and get rid of it...**sigh**

I will also be cleaning out the garage today and going to a second-hand sports place to sell all the athletic equipment we no longer want/need. I suppose this will also be fun.

Review of season one of Will & Grace is forthcoming.

Friday Night

Yes, Friday nights are awesome. Mostly because right after I get off of work, I get to come home and do the video game thing for a while. I managed to scoop up the infinite rocket launcher in RE4 today. So, I had a lot of fun blowing up zombies en masse. Brent came by, we hung out and watched the Simpsons.

The other day I had my first experience with Pokemon Battle Revolution online. It was probably one of the oddest experiences for online gaming that I've had in a while. For those that might be wondering, this was the Diamond/Pearl team I was using:

Empoleon
Blissey
Charizard
Gardevoir
Steelix
Giratina (though really this was just a placeholder.)

Basically, the online service works like this: you get onto Nintendo Wi-Fi, and select "battle someone," tweak the rules, and the system matches you up with somebody who also wants to battle. Cool and easy. The only problem is that my opponent was clearly not ready for someone of my level, because they surrendered before the battle even began, although that could be because of the type of Pokemon they sent out:

Me: Charizard/Empoleon
Opponent: Grotle/Monferno

I managed to have two amazing Pokemon that not only had better stats than theirs (even with the lvl 50 all rule in play) but also both of their Pokemon types were weak to mine. It was sweet. Tonight, however, was my first battle with a semi-competent opponent. Each of us picked 4 Pokemon for the 2 on 2 battle:

Me: Empoleon, Blissey, Gardevoir, Charizard
Opponent: Empoleon, Rhydon, Mewtwo, Shellgon

Though normally, the two Empoleons would cancel each other out in that they would prove completely ineffective against one another, it was clear that this trainer hadn't bred theirs with battling in mind. The two moves I saw it use were Rock Smash and Surf, both of which are HM moves. My Empoleon was also faster than theirs, so I managed to eliminate the Rhydon in a single Hydro Cannon hit. Unfortunately, Blissey only got 1 Hyper Beam in before getting KO'd by Mewtwo - My Empoleon took it out with Hydro Blast before it could make any other moves. I replaced Blissey with Gardevoir and managed to take out both Empoleon and Shellgon in three moves.

Brent was watching this entire time, and he seemed thoroughly unimpressed. Ah, well, such is life. I was really surprised all of my Pokemon didn't fall to the Mewtwo - although I guess people take for granted how good they are against the computer AI and just don't bother to train them.

Currently I'm training an Ivysaur I've raised from an egg, an Alakazam that I got over GTS (originally a Kadabra, the trader was smart, he wanted a Machoke for it), and a Beldum so that I may soon have a Metagross maxed out in speed and attack. Still trying for a Snorlax, they're really hard to obtain legitimately.

Must sleep. Big day of desk cleaning and garage emptying to do. **sigh**

I guess I'm going to try this again...

I always try to start blogs/online journals, but I never manage to keep up with them. I guess I can try to start again, funneling in all the other blogs that I tried to do: Steve TV, Lexington Street, etc. I wonder where it will actually take me. I get the feeling I'm going to regret that title sooner or later...