ender_424

06:52 pm: Yo Joe!
Still having comics on the mind this morning from Comic Con I decided to go watch GI Joe this morning. I surprisingly had a lot of fun watching it. It's a campy fun popcorn movie not to be taken seriously at all.
I can't in all honestly recommend it though. The acting is cheesy at times (the villains were pretty interesting, though) and the action was over the top and exaggerated but I guess I was kind of expecting that. The movie seems like it was written by an imaginative 12 year old or something. CG and design work was excellent.
I did watch a lot of GI Joe growing up so I was still familiar with all the characters but other than that I don't remember much about the series so I went in with no expectations regarding storylines. I do know that they rewrote the background story to some of the characters so I know the movie isn't 100% loyal to the series but I really didn't care this time around although I was disappointed that the Baroness didn't have the Russian accent lol.
I think it does well as a kids' movie and the redesigns were necessary especially if they plan on revitalizing the franchise, but if you're looking for a tribute to the 80's series you may or may not be disappointed. I know there are some devoted GI Joe fans that are really upset and some that enjoyed it regardless. I know I did and if anything it at least got me interested in revisiting the original show.

03:37 pm: Comic Con Weekend
Went to Chicago Comic Con yesterday for the first time, had a blast. There were tons of people but it was bearable although some booths got pretty packed at times.

I thought there would be longer lines to meet celebrities although the booths they were at were just to meet and greet so if you wanted a picture or autograph you had to attend special sessions which I imagine were probably packed. I did get to shake hands with a few: Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica), Michelle Rodriguez(Fast and the Furious), Ted Dibiase (WWF), Virgil (WWF), and Peter Mayhew (Star Wars).
The only celebrity I was really hoping to get an autograph from was Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), but had found out later on he'd only be there Sunday. Didn't get an autograph but I did happen to run into him last night at the Hyatt so at least I got to say hi.

I spent majority of the day just browsing all the different booths and vendors. There was a lot of neat stuff but I limited myself to $100. What I picked up:
* A few DVDs (The Warlords featuring Jet Li, Azumi, and Lady Snowblood)
* A sketch print of a re-imagining of Hawkgirl by Chris Metcalf
(http://www.comicspace.com/jason_metcalf/comics.php?action=read&file_id=108904)
* Various art postcards
* A kick ass original illustration by Christopher Darden of Snake Eyes from GI Joe.
(http://stayinthestudio.blogspot.com)

I especially took my time browsing the Artists Alley. I can't really say I'm into comics all that much, but I absolutely love comic art. I mean I do love comic heroes and all but I'm mostly a fan of TV shows and movies. I don't think I've picked up a comic book in years other than the occasional graphic novel but I really do admire the work all these talented artists put out.
I had been keeping an eye out for something I can hang in my living room but it would have had to be the right size, match with the color of my wall, and of course be something I liked. Unfortunately I didn't find that perfect piece, but really enjoyed browsing all the art. I felt so bad everytime I had to turn down artists trying to sell me their work.

I attended the Star Wars panel which was basically someone from Lucasarts (can't remember the name of the gentleman) letting us know what was in the works for all things Star Wars with accompanying video clips. He talked about some of the games coming out, the season 1 boxset of the Clone Wars TV show, a preview of season 2, and showed some clips of winning fan-made videos from some contest they had.
He also mentioned that there would be a traveling Star Wars live symphony and museum coming our way soon which looked very cool.
Also attending was the current voice actor of Yoda who has pretty much done all the voice work post-Frank Oz.
I really shouldn't have found it surprising just how many fans were in attendance considering it IS a comic convention but I still found it overwhelming. There were a lot of fans that had insanely kick ass stormtrooper and bounty hunter suits.

Finally went up to the Hyatt later on that night (where I ran into Ernie Hudson) to attend the ACEN Aftershock mini-con of sorts that was being held in conjunction to the main con. Watched some anime for a few mins until I joined Jen, David, and Tim K at the Chicagoland Anime Fandom panel which was a lot of fun and met up at a really good burger place for food.

Overall had a good time and I will probably consider going back next year.

05:58 pm: E3 2009
So I've finally caught up with most of the news and releases announced at this year's E3 although I'm sure there are a few titles that I may be forgetting.
So far here is a roundup of some the games I'm really excited for:

Xbox 360
* Mass Effect 2 - It would seem that they've addressed a lot of the issues most people had with the last one and have really made an effort to improve on what was already a really great game. I <3 Bioware.
* Halo ODST
* Splinter Cell Conviction - I think Splinter Cell is probably the best stealth game there is however it tends to move slow. Unlike Metal Gear where stealth and action is fairly balanced in Splinter Cell you really have to stay hidden away. The new title has presented a new system called the 'point and execute' which looks insanely awesome. The Sam Fisher character looks like it will get interesting and I love how the story is presented as a seemless narration within the game as opposed to cut scenes.
* Assassin’s Creed 2
* Bioshock 2
* Modern Warfare 2 - As much as I loved the first Modern Warfare I may not be picking this one up as I'm rather upset that Activision, the game's publisher, is currently suing Double Fine studios over Brutal Legend, a title Activision dropped sometime ago annd has then since been picked up by EA. Real bitch move Activision.
* Shadow Complex - An Xbox Live game by Epic. It looks like a modern side scrolling shoot em' up like Contra or Metroid. With games like last year's Castle Crashers and Shadow Complex you'd think the industry would get a clue and realize that there is still fun to be had with 2D games, just got to bring em up to speed.
* Crackdown 2 - Skills for kills, agent. Skills for kills.
* Left 4 Dead 2 - Didn't think we'd get a sequel so soon but I'm all for some more co-op zombie killing goodness.
* Lost Planet 2
* Brutal Legend - This is one of the game I am really looking forward to. This game is an action adventure game set in a heavy metal themed fantasy setting with the main character being voiced by Jack Black. The game had always piqued my interest but like I said Activision, it's original publisher, dropped the title sometime ago and has since then been picked up by Electronic Arts.
EA being the marketing geniuses they are has done a fantastic job highlighting the game with a kick ass movie-like trailer that depicted all kinds of awesome characters, gameplay, etc.
Well of course now that everyone is hyped up for the game and it's set to sell millions Activision has decided to sue the game creators and maybe even delaying the release of the game. WTF Activision, not cool.

PSP/Playstation 3
* Final Fantasy XIII - Trailer looks INSANE.
* Final Fantasy XIV - Frickin awesome, I hope this one turns out good. I've been waiting for another MMO to get into since WoW. As much as I wanted to like FFXI it was a really tedious game but it sounds like Square has made several improvements having learned from WoW's success. Can't wait.
* Metal Gear Solid Rising
* APB - Basically looks like a Crackdown MMO which makes sense since it's the same creator, Realtime Worlds.
* Uncharted 2 - Probably the best looking game in E3 in my opinion. I am absolutely loving the first one and the second one looked absolutely EPIC. The environments look HUGE.
* God of War 3
* Bayonetta
* Dragon Age Origins - This dark fantasy RPG is looking to be yet another Bioware masterpiece. Did I mention how much I <3 Bioware? Not sure which platform I'm getting this one on yet.
* Mod Nation Racer - Like Little Big Planet meets Mario Kart. The trailer I watched where a guy was creating his own track looked like massive fun.
* The Last Guardian - The next game by the creators of Ico and Shadows of the Colossus. VERY stoked for this one.
* Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - HOLY SHITE trailer looked frickin awesome, not to mention Hideo Kojima (creator of Metal Gear Solid) is overseeing the game.
* Quantum
* Fat Princess - A really fun looking game of what is basically capture the flag, but with a ...twist. Being release for download on PSN.
* Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker - A new chapter in the Metal Gear saga on the PSP. I may very well have to pick up a PSP for this one.

Nintendo Wii/DS
* Super Mario Galaxy 2 - YES! I absolutely loved the first Galaxy and I'm very happy they are making a direct sequel instead of another spin off.
* New Super Mario Bros Wii - THIS, THIS is what I would like to see more of from Nintendo. Old school gameplay brought up to speed for the new generation. I loved what they did with the new Punch-Out and the new Mario Bros looks like a hella fun.
* Metroid Other M - Holy shite, Team Ninja making a new Metroid?? Count me in. Team Ninja's influence really shows in the trailers I've seen and it looks like they are finally giving Samus some real character development.

PC
* Star Wars The Old Republic - Probably the most kick ass trailer of E3. Bioware, I love you.

10:41 pm: Official Razor of Gamers
Two facts most people know about me. I am a passionate gamer. I am a hairy SOB. As such I imagine one would think I would be all over the new Gilette GAMER RAZOR.

http://www.gillette.com/en-us/#/home/FusionGamer/en-US/index.shtml/

FINALLY! As a long time gamer I have been waiting for a razor that would suit my specific shaving needs, because as we all know, gamers have some serious shaving issues that non-gamers can't even begin to understand.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/3/2/

I knew this was going to happen eventually. Corporate bastards eventually realizing the money making potential of the gaming market and thus trying to exploit it by releasing products that are somehow gamer-related, as if this particular fucking razor would do a better job of shaving my face.

I will admit that I do prefer the Gilette products for shaving but I have to say I'm feeling quite insulted and offended that these people would try to exploit gamer culture to sell their shit.

06:22 pm: Status Report
So I figure it's been long enough since I've posted last so this one maybe lengthy. I typically find the need to express my thoughts here difficult as I normally do in real life. I don't know if it's because of my heavily introverted nature or just plain laziness.

Anyways, since I posted last I've done some pretty cool things including some firsts. I got to see Metallica live for the first time which was a kick ass concert. I actually took off fairly early only to find out I had forgotten my ticket (DOH!) but I was still able to make it on time for the show. A friend from work who was also going had called and when I told him what happened he realized he'd forgotten his too. XD

Went to the Chinatown New Year's parade for the first time. Met twmanga there, and had gotten a pretty good spot when we arrived but somehow we slowly got pushed towards the back lol. Didn't really matter though, as I thought the parade was a bit of disappointment. While being part of such a diverse crowd really made me feel proud of my hometown, the parade itself was mostly people on parade cars covered with ads. Oh sure there were a few dragons and some good high school bands, but where are the Shaolin fighting monks?? Where are the fire breathing acrobats?? I guess I was expecting too much for Chicago's parade to match that of Shanghai. :P

In other news, I just eliminated out of the Gamestop national Street Fighter IV tourney. I had managed to get past round one last week but got beat in the second tier of brackets last Saturday. I had used Ken for most of my fights and lost to another guy who used Ken. It was 3 out 5 fights, he had won the first two, but I managed to win the next two and quite well at that. I think I made my opponent nervous but in the end he managed to best me with a fiery dragon punch to the face. :(
The guy who beat me went on to advance so I don't feel too bad since I lost to the winner. :P
It was so much fun though and being part of a cheering crowd was a great experience. I may very well attend round 3 as a spectator.

In other video game stuff I've kinda been obsessed lately with buying up old games. I've been going on a kind of Gamestop shopping spree basically buying PS 1&2 and Gamecube games I've either regretted selling or ones I've wanted to play.
The amazing thing is I've gotten quite a number of games for what it would cost to get one new one. I don't know what started this obsession, hell I don't even know if I'll ever get to play all of them. I just suddenly felt the urge to have them before they become completely inaccessible. Some of the few I picked up: Zone of the Enders, Persona 3, Yakuza, Paper Mario, Metroid Prime 2, and a few others. Most of them were $6 or less!

Currently though I'm playing through Star Ocean Last Hope, Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass, Street Fighter IV, and when it comes out this week, HAWX.

Work is so-so. I managed to survive a small wave of lay-offs although I've been put in a somewhat compromising position as I find myself rather unmotivated these days for various reasons however I am doing what I can to hang in there especially since I know how bad it is for many people these days getting back on their feet. I myself probably know 4 or 5 people who've been laid off recently (not including my co-workers) so my prayers go out to anyone who is caught in the struggle. I've been there before and I know it ain't fun but a positive attitude goes a long way for sure.

09:03 pm: Digital TV Transition

07:49 pm: Happy Thanksgiving and Stuff
I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving weekend. For some reason I have been looking forward to the holidays this year more so than usual. I guess I really want the days off. :P
My sister's birthday is also on Thanksgiving Day so I have gotten her a Wii which I know she'll go crazy for as she's quite the Smash Bros. fan although I did not get the game.

As for me not much as been going on. Work has been good for them most part and we have been busy which I am grateful for as many audio video companies are going out of business left and right including huge retailers like Tweeter and Circuit City, although it seems a lot of people have been on edge lately. Not sure what it is.

Went to a concert last week at the Congress Theater to go my watch my second most favorite band in the world Rise Against (first being Bad Religion which may not be surprising as they were a very huge influence on Rise) and some other bands including Alkaline Trio, Gaslight Anthem, and Thrice.
I had a fucking awesome time although I have to admit I am officially too old for the most pit. XD

This weekend I believe I will be spending most of my time gaming, watching anime, and just chillin' in general. I've only scratched the surface of the new expansion for Warcraft, and will mostly be playing that and Tales of Vesperia.

Speaking of video games I'll leave you all with this. Maxim magazine did a recent article in which they spoke to memorable video game "voices" including that of Hernan Sanchez, who recorded the infamous "FINISH HIM!" line in Mortal Kombat. Below are some soundbites Maxim had Mr. Sanchez record. Enjoy. :D

09:43 pm:

09:13 am: Random Blah
- Bought the last season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Easily one of my favorite animated shows ever. I was disappointed that it didn't include a Spanish language soundtrack as the previous 2 did since my little sister managed to get my mom hooked and they watched the first 2 seasons back to back. I can't wait to see how the live action movie turns out next year.

- Congrats to the Cubs for clinching their division. I'm still sweating bullets as the White Sox magic number is now down to 6 with only a 2.5 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins.

- Currently playing Tales of Vesperia for 360 and World of Warcraft. I'm about 2.5 hours into Tales. Love the high def anime graphics, makes it feel like I'm playing in an actual anime show. Love the battle system, it feels like a hybrid between a RPG and a fighting game at times. The story hasn't really fleshed itself out yet, but it certainly feels like it headed towards yet another cliche JRPG plot. Again I'm upset that a Japanese voice over soundtrack wasn't included, however the English voices are at least descent.
My guild in WoW has begun raiding Karazhan, which is supposed to be a tower that had belonged a powerful mage named Medivh, a canon lore character in the Warcraft universe. The tower itself had been described in a novel as a dark brooding tower filled with booby traps and oddities yet for some reason in the game it is more like a social club filled with dining rooms, a theater, dance and banquet halls. WTF? Lore inconsistencies FTL.
I was playing through Mercenaries 2 but my need for exploration and discovery is outweighing my need for wanton destruction and mayhem at the moment.

- Work has been kind of a up and down roller coaster. I had been moved from installation to assist with operations and project management some time ago. I do like the job but at times my inexperience tends to provide a small amount of stress for me. Unfortunately I feel that in order to truly succeed at it I have to sacrifice more free time than I am willing to give. We'll see I guess.

- I'm going to see METALLICA in January! I loved the new album and when I heard they were coming to town I just had to grab a ticket. I haven't been to a concert in a long time and I have never seen Metallica so I felt I had to see them at least once in this lifetime.
I'm also going to the Rise Against concert in November. Can't wait!

- I'm finding myself feeling indifferent towards the whole presidency thing. I just don't feel like anything will ever change regardless of who wins. I personally wasn't seeing a whole lot of difference between Obama and McCain and could have cared less who won until I started watching some of Sarah Palin's anecdotes. Can't say I'm a big fan.

- Took my dog to get groomed yesterday since his shedding has been driving me up the wall. I had no idea a grooming session would take so long (2-3 hours) so I moseyed over to Riverside Mall and mostly skimmed through the bookstore. Picked up the two Mass Effect novels, peeked at some of the new 4th ed. D&D stuff, and some spiritual/religious books. Having just finished watching Avatar I guess I've started becoming a little fascinated with Eastern religions again. My dog now looks funny as hell.

11:25 pm: Infinite Undiscovery
Just bought Square Enix's latest RPG "Infinite Undiscovery" on 360.

After playing through a few hours I have to say I'm really disappointed and unimpressed. I'm kicking myself in the butt for getting hyped up and buying it without reading reviews first.
Don't get me wrong it's not a horrible game, but I was hoping for a much better Japanese RPG experience.

Right off the bat I get hit with insanely horrible voice acting (which only appears in irregular portions of the game), insanely cheesy dialogue, a prison dungeon that feels like I've played 100 times before in other games, a tedious escort mission, a rather underwhelming introduction to the fictional world, and a main character that irks the hell out of me.

I am loving the real-time battle system and I have read in some reviews that the story does get a little more interesting but I don't know if it's going to be enough to keep me playing.

Considering I wasn't too keen on Lost Odyssey it may very seem like Japanese RPGs may not be my type of game however I absolutely LOVED many of the games released by Japanese developers in the 90's. Xenogears, Star Ocean, Dragon Quest series, Wild Arms, and a TON of other RPGs. This generation however has been a letdown for me so far. I've still have hopes resting on Last Remnant, Star Ocean, White Knight Chronicles, and of course FFXIII. I've yet to try Tales of Vesperia.

Anyways like I said the game is not horrible and I'm sure there are plenty of hardcore JRPG fans who will enjoy it. Nonetheless I'm probably just going to play it through the week and trade it in however if anyone is considering purchasing it I would be happy to sell it for less than retail.

08:08 pm: Quick Weekend Wrapup
Saw Dark Knight on Friday at the IMAX midnight show. A good friend of mine who is a huge Joker fan bought tickets way in advance and he took me along. I liked the movie but was absolutely stunned by Heath's performance of the Joker. He definitely made the film and even Batman's scenes kind of paled in comparison.

Saturday I watched a lot of the E3 footage I recorded on my Tivo. I was a little disappointed that I had already heard of most of the games that were announced however it was very cool seeing good portions of the actual gameplay and knowing that a lot of the games are close to release and not 5 years down the line or something.
I am most looking forward to Mirror's Edge.



It looks like I'll doing most of my gaming on 360 since PS3 didn't offer much in terms of exclusive games (the whole Final Fantasy XIII coming to 360 was a HUGE shocker). Still nothing on the Wii I'm interested in aside from flagship Nintendo titles.

Also went to a family BBQ in celebration of my niece's third birthday.

Sunday went to watch Hellboy 2 with Berry and co. Unfortunately Hellboy was sold out at the theater where we could have had free admission but we had a fun lunch and watched Hellboy at another theater. I'm sure a lot of fanboys would probably kill me for saying so but I actually enjoyed Hellboy 2 just a wee bit more than Dark Knight. :P

Overall a great weekend filled with superheroes and friends.

08:33 pm: Nerdgasm!
Eeeeeeeeeek! OMG OMG OMG OMG.....



I cannot believe Blizzard is releasing not one, but two long-awaited sequels: Starcraft II and now Diablo III. YES!!! Not to mention the new expansion for World of Warcraft is coming soon which will all undoubtedly make Blizzard's top dogs bajillionares.

In the meantime I am absolutely loving the new installment of Metal Gear for PS3.
I have been trying to find a Metal Gear/PS3 bundle for a while now and had almost purchased a sort of "wannabe" bundle from Gamestop except by some stroke of luck, my debit card got declined even though I have more than enough to cover it (which completely freaked me out at the time). Next day I stopped by a Best Buy close to a job site I was at, and wouldn't you know it, a nicely stacked pile of Metal Gear bundles that just arrived.

The PS3 itself is a very impressive piece of hardware although the networking interface and the fact that I have to install games and demos (even after downloading) is very annoying to me. Also because it uses Bluetooth for control instead of IR, I couldn't implement it to my universal remote.
The one thing do love is the Bluray player. I bought two BR movies to give it a whirl (Men In Black and Pirates of the Carribean) and WOW. Just WOW. With the exception of anime and season boxsets I can't see myself going back to DVD when movies look and sound this damn good.

Speaking of movies, I decided to go see Wanted this morning after reading Tim K's t_antares strong recommendation and also enjoyed it very much. Can't wait to get it on Bluray! :P
I had almost decided to do a double feature and check out WALL-E but I wasn't really feeling up to it. Maybe next week.

Because of the money I had just spent on the PS3 I had decided to stay home and play Metal Gear instead of going to Wizard World this year. I was somewhat excited to go just to check it out but after seeing the programming, it didn't seem like there was a whole lot going on that would interest me. I was looking forward to seeing the Gotham Knight animated movie, but at least that will be out on DVD (I mean Bluray!) next month.

Now I'm just going to wind down the night and finish watching the Sox/Cubs game. Thome just hit a homerun to make it 5-1! Glad to see the Sox make a comeback on home turf after the whoopin' they took from the Cubbies last week at Wrigley.
Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that the biggest trash talkers are usually fans from outside the city? I'm not saying you can't be a Sox or Cubs fan if you're not from Chicago, but I've noticed that a lot of the fans I know who are of and from Chicago at least RESPECT the other team's accomplishments. I myself am a big Sox fan but I loved watching Sandberg and Dawson growing up as much as I did Fisk and Ventura, y'know? I don't know. I guess I find it a tad annoying when fans want to talk about the nature of the rivalry when they're not even from the North or South side.

*Ugh* back to work tomorrow. Can't wait for the weekend!

02:49 am: Twilight Geek
So yeah, it's almost 3'o clock in the a.m. and here I am posting on LJ after doing some websurfing and playing World of Warcraft. LOL how dorky is that?
No real exciting news here, just don't feel sleepy for some reason and I guess I'm just a little bored.

Been insanely busy with work. The new job has been really giving it me with some brutal hours. It seems a week doesn't go by where I don't work at least one or two late nights and I've pretty much become a weekend warrior. However I do still enjoy it and I have to say the paychecks lately have been kinda nice, although they would look much better if the MAN didn't frickin' rob me of such a huge chunk every time.
Also there are talks of me taking up a different position in the company as an assistant project manager which entails a whole different set of tasks.

Got my economic stimulus check the other day, but just decided to put it away for now. I know we're supposed to spend it to help boost the economy but there really isn't anything I want right now, aside from perhaps a new video game once in a while. I'm considering getting a PS3 when Metal Gear Solid 4 comes out, but not really sure yet.

Speaking of video games, I'm looking forward to attending a LAN party/BBQ next Saturday which I found out about through Meetup.com. Not really sure what the PC/Xbox 360 ratio will be like but regardless it will be cool to meet some more fellow gamers especially since the Chicago Gamers Club kind of died down. If anyone is interested you can check out EarthLANParty. I don't know if the event is booked up yet but you can always keep an eye out for more.

In yet other types of games, the new Dungeons and Dragons edition is coming out sometime next week. In celebration of the new edition, Wizards of the Coast had a D&D session with my all time favorite webcomic artists, Scott Kurtz of PvP and Jerry "Tycho" Holkins and Mike "Gabe" Krahulik of Penny Arcade. The entire session was recorded on a podcast and being posted along with comics drawn by the artists to go along with their adventure which is so insanely cool. What was particularly interesting was that each of the guys had different experience levels. Scott used to play but hadn't done so in a while, Tycho plays actively, and Gabe was a complete newb to the game.
I have to say I was absolutely entertained just by listening to these guys play. Much like Gabe I've never played D&D at all but it definitely sounded like tons of fun.
Man I wish I had those guys' jobs.

10:13 pm: Blockbuster Weekend
Pretty much spent my entire weekend with the two biggest blockbuster releases this summer, that being the Iron Man movie and Grand Theft Auto 4.

Both insanely good entertainment. I think Iron Man is now my favorite superhero movie. I'm not going to say it's better than say Batman Begins or the first Spider-Man (also fantastic comic movies I love) but Iron Man is definitely my favorite. I think it's Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of Tony Stark that does it.
It was just so damn good that I cannot possibly see anyone else filling that role unlike Batman or Spider-Man where I could have seen other actors taking up the roles of Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker respectively (although don't get me wrong, I think Christian Bale and Toby McGuire did an excellent job with perhaps the exception of Spidey 3, blah.)
As far as I'm concerned Robert Downey Jr = Tony Stark.

Also been spending a lot of time in Liberty City. I'm absolutely loving everything about GTA4, although I guess I'm not to keen on the driving physics.
I mean they're really good and all, but I kind of liked the older, easier maneuvering instead of the more realistic feel to it. Before you could pretty much turn any corner easily unless you had an obviously large vehicle like a truck, limo, van, etc. Chase mission are insanely hard for me.
Again not that there's anything wrong with the game itself, just a personal preference.
I think the biggest two most significant differences this time around are the look and feel of the city and the characters/storyline.

Speaking of GTA4 it seems Rockstar Games have decided to sue our very own Chicago Transit Authority (http://kotaku.com/387436/take+two-sues-cta-over-yanked-gta-iv-ads) over them having pulled the ads for GTA4 which pretty much went against the agreed contract.
From what I understand the CTA pulled the ads due to a typical Fox News "games make kids violent" report right after a particularly violent weekend in the city.
While it certainly seems fair to me that CTA deserves to get sued I fear that this could end up hurting us since we all know CTA is broke as a joke. It will be interesting to see how these turn of events ends up. Fucking Fox News.

Fuck now I'm pissed. Guess I'll go vent my frustration and run some people over in GTA. :D

10:54 am: HAPPY 4/20!!!!!!



Penalties against drugs use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private for personal use President Jimmy Carter: Message to Congress, August 2, 1977.

"Its not a war on drugs, Its a war on personal freedom." Bill Hicks

At the heart of this war is a smear campaign, one that you can trace back all the way to the slanderous 1936 movie Reefer Madness and the eventually outlawing of marijuana with the Marijuana Tax Act of 1938 and continues today with propaganda filled anti-pot advertising. I know you have seen these ads, the government spends tons of your money to make sure that you know the truth, that when you smoke pot: you will drive a radically, shoot people, rape children, and live a depraved life. Of course there is only one true pot commercial; the one where they arrest you.

But why, why is everyone making such a big deal about a little plant that grows everywhere? (Thus the slang term for marijuana weed) Why did president Nixon make possession of marijuana, in 1972, a crime punishable by arrest? Why also, do so many people still risk smoking pot when they could land in jail? Why does the government care so much about a DRUG thats not addictive and, was proven recently, has no long-term effects to its users? The fact is that there aren't many answers, just more questions. But if you don't believe me, where are the weapons of mass destruction, I thought you guys told me cigarettes weren't bad for me, and for god sakes what the hell is at area 51.

Like I said I don't have all the answers I just got facts.

1) Marijuana is not addictive. No matter what anyone says if you are addicted to marijuana then you are probably also addicted to being stupid. THC the chemical you take in to your body that makes you high is not addictive. Unlike other legal drugs like alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine. They have been selling you for years.

2) No one has ever died from smoking pot. Now I will clarify smoking, I am not saying what you do when you're high. But then again if you do stupid things on drugs or not you still can die. Our top three legal drugs cant claim that, they all kill people on a daily basis.

3) Pot has no long-term effects on the brain. A study done by the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found only, minimal side effects in heavy smokers (people who smoke 23 out 30 days in the month and do no other drugs) of it being harder to retain short-term knowledge, and motor skills. But also these people smoke all day long. I will agree that that is a problem but its not the weeds fault, those people need to have direction in life and have goals. Of course you can abuse a good thing, hell there are people that are chronic masturbators.

4) Marijuana is not a gateway drug. The government has been saying for a long time that if you use pot then you will eventually use cocaine, heroin. Lets say for a miniature that that statement makes since. Well you can drink Pepsi and smoking Marlboro lights and those are drugs so then they are the reason kids smoke pot next. As you can see it doesnt make since when you talk it all out like that. In 2002 the British Drug ministry said the reason they think that people who smoke pot tend to do other drugs is impart due to the classification of drugs. You cant lump all drugs together in one category. That misleads kids into think that hey pot is fun, I can probably handle coke or heroin with no problem. Addiction is a mean snake only people physically addicted to something can know how hard it is to stop doing their drug. Think I am lying, give up caffeine for two days, tell me how the headaches feel.



So why then is the government so hell bent on putting potheads in jail if its not a harmful drug? Well thats the million-dollar question having done my research and found only one thing and doesnt make that much since. But as Sherlock Holmes said when you look for the truth look at all the clues and compile all the facts the answerer as improbable as it seems is the truth.

My theory is that the cotton and petroleum industry is be hide this. I know how it sounds, what does pot have to do with cotton, lumber, and petroleum everything. You see its not marijuana they are against, its what could be the number one cash crop in this country if it became legalits hemp. . Such powerful political people such as George Washington, Tomas Jefferson, and John Quincy Adams whom which is my ancestor have grown hemp. It was so vital to the birth of our nation that the House Of Representatives in 1765 said, It is presumed none will be at a loss to determine, that two most important materials which the inhabitants of these colonies should be principally encouraged in the growth of, are Flax and Hemp of any which can be so easily and generally produced in North America.

And in 1996 the American Farmers Bureau Federation encouraged the government to look in the potential of growing hemp.

Some quick facts about hemp:

1) Hemp can be grown in all 50 states as apposed to cotton, which can only be grown in 10. A plot of land only 25 square miles of hemp could produce 100 million pair of denim jeans, it would take ten times that amount of land for cotton to produce the same amount.

2) Hemp is 10 times stronger then cotton and doesnt need insecticide and much water to thrive.

3) The US department of Agriculture already has grown very alarmed over the paper industrys impact on the forest that was back in 1916. Today our forest is being cut down three times faster than they can grow.

4) Hemp can yield four times more pulp per acre than trees and is potentially cheaper

5) Hemp fibers made in to lumber and partial board are in fact stronger then wood fibers.

Henry Ford whose is or course responsible for the model T and assembly line production also saw a future in hemp. He envisioned hemp biomass that could be turned in to a viable fuel for cars. He even went as far as to develop an all-organic car that was constructed from a combination of hemp and other products and ran on hemp fuel. One researcher summed it up by saying, No tree or plant species on earth has the commercial, economic and environmental potential of hemp. Over 30,000 known products can be produced from hemp. (Environmental and economic benefits, 1996)

So now you can see way cotton, lumber, and petroleum industry would be afraid. These companies spend millions on backing politicians to continue to paint pot smokers in a bad light. Like a rope dope in boxing, you show that you injured even though your fine. I can tell you, based on personal experience, that all those thing they say about potheads are false. I myself smoke pot. This is something I have no problem talking about as you can see. But I rather talk about the things I do on a daily basis. The government says that potheads are lazy. Well let me tell you, I work full time at the same job I have had for over three years, I go to school part time, I am intern at Rebel Radio, I produce my own underground comic book with Rusty, I got married to the girl that I have faithfully been with for over eight years, I live on my own, I own a brand new car, and I pay all my own bills. Why dont they make me the poster child for potheads, instead of the biggest morons they can find?

So what can be done? First off you have to get out there and tell people what you have learned. You have to write to politicians and tell them that you figured out how to stop terrorism because when we dont need there oil they wont have our money, how to stop destroying our environment by cutting down forests and letting cotton plants erode our soil of nutrients, how to help farms get off of government subsidiaries and make money with fields of hemp. Today is the day to make a change. And always remember, Its not a war on drugs its a war on personal freedom.

11:44 pm: Rockin' Out
Just bought Rock Band (www.rockband.com) for the 360 over the weekend. I seriously recommend anyone who loves rock music and can afford it (it's very pricey but very worth it) to go pick it up. It is so much fucking fun it's ridiculous.
The solo career plays pretty much like Guitar Hero where you pretty much just play a setlist of songs but the real fun is absolutely in multiplayer, forming a band and going on tour. The gameplay in multiplayer is set up so that playing through the band world tour makes it feel like you're in an actual band. Not to mention the songs are all fucking awesome.
My sisters and I had an absolute blast playing it throughout the night. My youngest sister owns Guitar Hero (which I've also played before) so she and I tried the instruments however she found the drums extremely difficult so I played on the drums (which I found much more fun anyways) and she stuck to guitar which she is insanely good at anyways. My other sister never really cared for the game but when she found out you can also sing she did not hesitate picking up the mic.
I found it absolutely hilarious that my sisters spent half the time constantly changing outfits for their characters. (Women. Go fig.)
Oh and our band name btw is called Mom's Basement. :P

09:30 pm: Self Therapy Pt. 2
That last post I added made me want to go back to my old 'to do' life list thingy I wrote up a while back.

- The work commute.
Is now perfect. Actually I get home ever more late but at least it's time spent actually working and earning money and not sitting in a car in rush hour.

- Slow days at work.
Non-existent. Now working my ass off.

- Not picking up on things at work as quickly as I'd like to, although I'm probably just being impatient.
Now overloaded with information! Having more hands-on has also helped a ton.

- Not saving money.
Still gotta pay the bills but I'm not living check to check anymore at least. I'm still not comfortable with buying my own home but I kind of like my current living situation for now. Also I think I will be able to manage traveling to somewhere nice when vacation time rolls around.

- My mom and sister raggin' on me because I don't have a girlfriend.
LOL I think they've given up on me. This one is kind of my fault since I haven't really been trying. Truth is I've only been truly in love once and I did not have the nerve to tell her at the time and now she's gone. Since then I have not met one single person who even compares. *shrug*

- Usual social issues affecting our nation.
Well I WAS keeping up with politics when Ron Paul was running but since he's out of the race I guess I've stopped giving a shit.

- Master my trade.
Working on it.

- Learn a language.
I really don't think this is going to happen anytime soon. I just don't have the time.

- Get in shape.
Well the new job is fairly physical and also thanks to the dog I've been walking/running a bit more. Plus when my parents get their shite out of the extra room in my apartment (they were using it as storage for a move) I've got a set of new weights ready to go in. I'm sure doctors would tell me otherwise but at least I feel healthy. Perhaps if I started eating healthier I can actually start looking better too. Meh.

- Travel.
Hopefully next vacation I can go somewhere nice. Still want to visit Japan but not sure if I can swing it this year. I really need to visit my relatives in Mexico though. Haven't seen them in years.

- Start drawing again.
Too lazy. Just don't have the passion anymore. Still I do feel the need to find some kind of new creative outlet. Perhaps I'll buy an instrument or something.

- Read more.
Not as much as I'd like to but I have started reading more, usually before going to bed.

All in all not too bad, and I'm fairly happy with life now. Right now I think I kinda want to start going out more and perhaps make some new life goals. We'll see.

08:34 pm: Blue Moon Update
So I think it may have been a while since I've typed something here. Time always seems to fly for me and everything always seems like "it happened yesterday." Meh.

It's been two months into the new job and I'm really love it but it has also been kicking my ass. I've done so much overtime it's ridiculous. Also getting a glimpse into all that goes into projects is so intense that I have started thinking that I'm not sure if I could handle or would ever want any kind of lead position. It's not really something I have to worry about anytime soon thankfully.

So yes unfortunately a lot of my free time has kind of gone away and I'm pretty much a weekend warrior now. I do technically have 3 day weekends but there has been so much work that I usually end up 'volunteering' to work the extra day.

Sadly, as much as I love my free time I haven't really been doing much with it lately other than sitting at home playing video games, watching movies, etc. Don't get me wrong I love staying home but I also can't help but think that I seriously need to start going out or something. Every weekend I keep telling myself I'm going to go out but end up feeling lazy or just can't get myself in the mood to go socialize and meet people. Not just dating but in general.
I dunno.

Let's see what else....best friend is going to be a dad which is very cool. Ooh also I have a dog now. Actually I'm just kinda taking care of the family dog, Kramer, for now. My parents and youngest sister moved to a new home and my father does not want the dog in the new house. Before he always stayed in the basement with my sister but the new house has no place to keep him except the porch but it's too cold to keep him in there now so he' hanging out with me at least until warmer weather kicks in. That is unless my dad changes his mind. Don't really matter to me since he's a very well behaved pet.

I'm really excited about baseball season finally starting and I'm hoping to make at least 5 or more Sox games this year. Because of all the overtime I've been getting (and the check to go with it) I've updated my cable service to include a HD DVR box to record games and also there's no way in hell I want to miss the last season of Battlestar Galactica.

Not much of anything else I guess but otherwise all is good.

06:36 pm: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
All who enjoy video games at any level MUST see this fantastic film:



I don't want to spoil anything but I will say that I have never wanted to beat the crap out of anyone as bad as I have the dork who kept calling Billy to update him on Steve's progress.

05:47 pm: Upsized!
Back to work on Monday! After attending a couple of interviews and fielding a few offers I decided to go to work for the guys at Sound and Vision.
I work 10 hour days however it's so much closer from my last office that I will still be waking up and arriving home at the same time. The great thing, I only have to do it 4 days a week. 3 day weekends! Whoooooo!
Thanks everyone for your support especially t_antares for sending me all the good work info.