Points of interest

• I did not go to see The Benchwarmers. We stayed home and watched Maverick instead. Best part: Mel Gibson and Dany Glover's characters run into each other in a bank and seem to almost recognize each other.

• A few days ago I found a Washington Post review of Star Wars from May 25, 1977. "George Lucas has made the kind of sce-fi adventure movie you dream about finding, for your own pleasure as well as your kids' pleasure."

• Just this morning I came across a news site that only lists good news. www.greatnewsnetwork.com

• Black continues to be awesome. Go play it!

• Last night I finished watching "Howl's Moving Castle". Miyazaki films are so cool!

"I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around"

If Han Solo made a video game, it would be Black, a first-person shooter crafted by the fine folks who brought you the Burnout series of games. Having been a longtime of the latter franchise, I was eager to try their first foray into the FPS genre, but was unable to find a used copy for a reasonable price. Thankfully I was able to borrow one for the weekend, and let me tell you, this game is all about teh sh00ting. Your goal, as near as I can tell, is to blow the snot out of everything around you, all the time. The first level has about fourteen seconds of "where am I and how do I shoot?" time before the entire thing just goes all to heck. Bullets fly, buildings explode, the subwoofer thumps, and the entire thing feels like the best parts of any given John Woo movie. It's crazy, and very intense, and so far, it's pretty darn cool.

However, even years after its release, I have to say that Halo remains one of the best examples of a console FPS. Perhaps even *the* best. Black is awesome, no doubt about it, but Halo's response time is quicker, environments are prettier, enemies are smarter, and control scheme is slicker. Black has you switching between the left analog stick and the D-pad just to change weapons, which makes some firefights very tricky when they shouldn't really be that way. Still, it's one crazy time and as soon as I finish this blog post I'm gonna go fire it up.

I'll probably go see The Benchwarmers with my roommate tonight, mostly because he asked me to go with him and his cousin and partly because deep down inside I have a strange affection for Rob Schneider. He was so good back in the day on SNL that I still hold out hope for a funny movie with him, even though the past years have brought nothing but trash in the form of The Animal, Deuce Bigalow, etc. But who knows...maybe one day good ol' Rob will find his groove again, and I hope to be there when he does.

Ok, time to start up the Xbox and freak out the cats. :)

Another Succesful Show

*whew* I got another Square 2 put up tonight. It's tough without access to Eddy's "Squarecaster" program which he uses to automatically update the RSS feed, but I'm getting the hang of doing things by hand. It involves some occasionally-tricky text-editing, but for the most part it's not too bad. I seem to be doing shows that clock in around a half-hour, which is nice, because that's a compact period of time for a show. It seems to fit right, for some reason.

Our listener count is really good, too. Right now we have somewhere between 105 and 141 downloads for the April 2 show, and around 100 downloads for the April 11 show. I'm really looking forward to having Eddy back on the show, and I continue to pray for his full recovery. Actually, we're going to give him a visit tomorrow night, which should be really cool. He's improving quite a bit, and it will be good to spend some time with him.

Ok, time for bed. Majorly. :)

That Old Cat

We have a cat at my house who is very, very old. Something like 18 human years, I think. His name is Widda (and there's a mighty cool video of him here) and he's super friendly, but lately he's had this problem with barfing. Not good, says I. I don't know what's wrong with him--he's well-fed, well-exercised, and in a generally good demeanor. Maybe he has hairballs or something, but whatever it is, I feel like I gotta do something for the ol' guy. So tonight I got a tube of "Petromalt" from the pet store, and it's supposed to help with stuff like this. I'm hopeful, that's fo sho, and maybe we'll give this kitty a new lease on life. :)

Teh Rhode Trip

Just got back from Des Moines for a baptism. Lots of driving, chatting, visiting, photo-taking, and Mountain Dew-drinking. Fun stuff. Too tired...to....write.....more......

Web Hosting

I just sent the following email to Jim, the owner of Cyberland-USA, the place that now hosts three web sites I help run:

Jim, I just have to thank you for your awesome services at Cyberland. You're not the cheapest, and I wish I had more space for the money, but you have, by far, the best service out of any company I have ever used. I can't stand dealing with mega-companies like Godaddy who try to sell me stuff at every turn. I had one web hosting provider (gladhost.com) go belly up. I had another hosting provider provide rather poor customer service (STPwebhosting.com). Cyberland-USA is reliable, fast, and extremely responsive for its customers.

In under one day I have easily consolidated three web sites into one account at Cyberland-USA thanks to your policy of allowing multiple addon domains on one account, which other companies offer as well, but not with your level of service.

Thanks again.

Yay for good customer service!

That face you make...look I so old to young eyes?

(ten points if you can name that quote, and no fair using Google!)

Nick rolled in to town this evening with JVA, and I went to hang out with him and the band for a while. It was really cool, even though I just saw Nick a week ago. We walked around the neighborhood, chatted about old times (duh), chatted about the band, my work, the tour...all kinds of stuff. I talked with Mikey and Eric (Erik? Erick?) too, and even said a few things to "Dub", whom I don't think I've ever talked to before. It was a really cool time just hanging out with those guys, but especially with Nick. They're spending about 10 days on the road and then it's back to Lincoln for some time off as well as some work on the new record. Schweet!

Junior Jones

I don't often watch movies all at once, partly because I don't have contiguous two-hour chunks of time to spend sitting in front of a box, and partly because I can tend to get antsy and have to move around. So I've been watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade for the past few days, and let me tell you, that movie is awesome. It's got probably one of the best on-screen duos ever (Sean Connery and Harrison Ford) and it's so action-packed that you hardly have time to catch your breath between scenes. It's wickedly funny too, and never forgets that it's just a popcorn-ish action movie. No heavy-handed philosophising (*ahem* Wachowski brothers...) here, just lots of rollicking good times and hordes of Nazis to punch out.

(btw, I've seen this movie many times, but it's been a few years)

Resident Gaming 4

A few years ago I snagged a copy of Capcom's Resident Evil for my GameCube, and spent many long night getting freaked out of my mind as I wandered the hallways of its mansion and dungeon. I once got so scared that after pausing the game for a bathroom break and bumping into my roommate's girlfriend in the hallway, I jumped back and flattened myself against the wall because I thought she was one of the zombies from the game. Ahh-some. :) So a few days ago I went and bought Resident Evil 4 to see if it was as good as its predecessors.

I played the original on PS1, as well as bits of RE2, RE: Code Veronica, and RE: Zero on GameCube, and so far this game definitely lives up to its predecessors in terms of raw scariness. It's also way tough, and that's definitely something I need to get used to. It's not for kids, that's for sure, so if you're a parent, read the label and don't let your kids play it. But if you like to be scared...wowie. Definitely grab this game.

Live...from Lincoln!

Matt and I drove to Lincoln today and I got to see most of my family, which is totally awesome. I even recorded a podcast with Phil and John. Yay! Now it's time for bed. Long past time, in fact. *snore*

Dentist Fun

I haven't been to the dentist in a long time. Far too long, in fact. So now that I have dental insurance I figured I'd give it a go. I got hooked up with a place here in the cities called Sandpiper Dental which sounds pretty lame, but the place was actually pretty cool. I have never really liked going to the dentist, especially since I had my wisdom teeth pulled, but it just seems like one of those maintenance things you should do in order to keep your body in good shape...and, stuff. I dunno. Anyway, the dentist said I had awesome teeth, which was good to hear since I drink at least two cans of Mountain Dew a day.

I watched part of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade today, and will continue watching it during breakfast for the next week or so, and wow...what a cool movie. "It belongs in a museum!" "So do you!" Heh...good stuff, folks. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and it's just a really solid wham-bam-beat-'em-up movie with more heart and substance than you might think. Three cheers for vintage Lucas/Spielberg flicks.

*raises glass of Mountain Dew*

Got that lovin' feeling

By the time I left work today, I was feeling mighty hungry. I mean hongry. That leftover hamburger for lunch just didn't quite cut it. Then I remembered that on Tuesdays, Buffalo Wild Wings has wings for 35 cents. Score! Then I remembered that Predator 2 was coming in the mail today from Netflix. Double score! I snagged a bunch of wings, hightailed it home, ran to the mailbox to snag the DVD, and had a rollicking good time watching Danny Glover kick alien butt in Los Angeles while munching on the second-hottest wings they offer at BWWs. Ah, what a great way to spend the evening. I realize that it was a mighty nice day, and it would have probably been better to spend it outside in the sun, but sometimes you go outside and enjoy the weather, and sometimes you watch Predator 2.

I finished The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy today (book, not movie) and it's awesome. I haven't read it for a few years and forgot how funny it was, and I'm probably gonna start the next book in the series soon. ^_^

Scarlewha???

Ok, so this was just about the coolest thing ever. I was listening to Diggnation on the way home from work tonite, and Alex and Kevin were talking about a Legend of Zelda movie and who would play which part if such a thing were ever to be made by a Hollywood studio. As they were chatting, I was thinking that Scarlett Johanssen would be a great choice for the role of Zelda. About 30 seconds later when Kevin asked Alex who would play Zelda, guess what he responded with.

Scarlett Johanssen

Awesome

The 'bell vs. the 'otle

Today I was faced with a rather dire situation: to Bell or not to Bell. Taco Bell, that is. Not having consumed one of their delicious beef gordita supremes in quite some time, I was thinking about heading off to snag one after teh work. But then a voice inside me started asking about my old friend Chipotle. "Why not go for a massive guacamole-filled steak burrito in a shiny tinfoil wrapper?" it asked. "You know you don't want that Grade-F meat from Taco Bell..." But then another voice started reminding me of the wonderful deliciousness of the gordita that, despite the sheer size of a Chipotle burrito, could not be easily ignored in this situation. Eventually I went with my gut instinct and got two gorditas and a mondo-size plate of nachos. mmm...nachos... It wasn't what I would classify as delicious, or even good, but it was enough to satisfy my nostalgia for the time being.

I had dinner while watching the special features on the last Firefly disc, and I have to say I'm a bit sorry to see this show come to a close. It really is a great series, even though it's only half a season. Despite a few, um...unnecessary scenes (*ahem* Inara...can someone explain why she is even on the show?) it's a first-rate show that should not be missed by anyone. Especially if you like Sci-Fi.

And speaking of Sci-Fi, I started reading the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy again. I read it a few years ago and it was awesome, and now as I re-read it I remember why. Heh...Vogon poetry... :)

Square Two Again

*whew* I just spent a half hour recording the latest episode of Square2, and at least another half hour trying to get it uploaded and working just right. I kept on getting an iTunes error saying my file was not a valid podcast feed, but I could not figure out why. Just when I was about to chuck my eMac out my first-floor window I realized there was a problem with the show notes, and a URL I had entered was incorrect by a couple alphanumeric characters. Oh, the frustrations of debugging, but the joy when you finally get it right. Yeah! Now go subscribe to the podcast and let me know how you like it. :)

Candy from a baby

When I was growing up my mom would have a jar of sorts placed in the living room during the weeks preceding Resurrection Sunday and Christmas. In it would be various candies, and my siblings and I would try to sneak a morsel as often as possible. One of my favorite candies was the jelly bean, but not just any jelly bean. I liked the Brachs Jelly Bird Eggs above all others, possibly because of their perfect combination of hard-ish outer coating and oh-so-yummy insides. I really liked those jelly beans, I tell ya.

Weird thing is, as I grew up, I stopped having them. I don't mean I stopped liking them, but I stopped eating them nearly altogether because I was no longer living at my parents' house. During most of college I lived in a run-down brick house with several other guys and never made the effort to plunk down $1.50 for a bag of those delicious jelly beans. I remember going to the store during the season of Lent and seeing them on the shelves, but never purchasing them. I don't know why, but I do know that if I was ever at my parents' house and there were jelly beans in the jar I would eat them until I was sick of them.

You know how some people, upon seeing a food that they remember fondly from childhood, will scream "Oh I love those!" but when offered a bite or piece of said food, either decline it entirely or only partake in the smallest amount?

Well, the other day I snagged a bag of those Brachs Jelly Bird Eggs and you know what? They really are good. Like, very very good. I don't know why I waited so long to spend $1.80 (inflation...what can ya do?) on 16 ounces of happiness, but I'm sure glad I did. I also bought a bag of Robin Eggs which are very very delicious chocolate-covered malted milk balls that I used to eat at work.

So the moral of the story? I'm not sure, except that you should go try some of those things you used to enjoy. Chances are you'll be glad you did.

Daylight Savings

In just over twelve hours it will be Daylight Savings time, and it feels like Christmas and Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July all rolled in to one big party. Every day for the past few weeks as I left for work I kept thinking "wow, it's going to be this light out when I wake up!. How cool is that?" And then I answer myself. "Very cool. Very cool indeed."