It seems like every year it takes me a few months to get out of my blogging slump. Maybe it’s because after New Years I’m all gung ho to tackle life and grab the bull by the horns. No time for distractions, such as updating this lovely, yet reward-less site. Well without further adieu, here’s what I have been up to lately.
I switched jobs at the beginning of the year. Unfortunately due to the nature of the position, I can’t get into great detail about what it entails. However, I can state that it’s still within the field of IT and I am again working with the US military. I had thought that particular chapter of my life was over once my enlistment contract ended back in ‘08. Though it feels weird, it is great to be back at the place that I spent so many years of my life and to be able to contribute to the cause as a whole.
My school load has increased quite a bit. Instead of taking one class at a time, I am now taking three a semester. Fortunately the chunk of classes I have left before I graduate are all IT related, so pretty much a cake walk for me.
I have been utilizing the lovely service called Netflix to catch up on a couple of TV shows. The first being Breaking Bad, which aired on AMC. The show just wrapped up its third season this past summer, and the first two seasons are available on DVD. If you are unfamiliar with the plotline, it is about a cancer stricken chemistry teacher who seeks financial salvation by going into the Meth business with one of his former students. Just don’t tell his family or brother-in-law, whom is a DEA agent. I would classify this show as a mixture of The Sopranos, Weeds, and Mad Men. It is a definite must watch, as each episode kept me very interested in the storyline and always left me wanting more.
The second show I have begun watching via Netflix is a series called Being Human. The American version of Being Human is currently in it’s first season, airing on the Syfy channel. What I have been watching is the UK version of the series, which is in it’s third season on the BBC.Though its premise seems silly: a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost sharing an apartment together, it is actually well written and the plotline is quite captivating. Each of the main characters has their personal issues to deal with: a vampire’s bloodlust, a werewolf’s curse, a ghost seeking resolution, all while trying to fit in with society, hence being human. I will say that this show is also a must watch, sci fi fanatic or not.
After having sided exclusively with the Xbox 360 for the entirety of the current console wars up until now, I have finally broken down and purchased a Sony Playstation 3. While I never had anything personal against the PS3, I just never felt that there was enough incentive to purchase one. Not when the 360 was fulfilling my gaming needs just fine. However, lately I have noticed that the majority of compelling console exclusive games have come out for the PS3 and very little have been released for the 360. I no longer had a legitimate reason not to buy a PS3.
So, I purchased a PS3 w/ Move bundle. I also picked up three games at the time: Heavy Rain, Modnation Racers, and Little Big Planet 2. The first game I played (after about three hours of patching) was Heavy Rain. My first impression of this game was that it was undeniably like nothing I have ever experienced before. It is a beautiful game and the control mechanism was out of this world. Unfortunately the novelty wears off rather quickly. While the storyline is unquestionably compelling, the game overall just isn’t very fun. I reached the ending in just a couple of days, and while there is a replayability factor, I just haven’t felt compelled to go back just yet.
I have been spending quite a bit of time playing Modnation Racers. This game is not new by any means, but it is fun as hell. I have always been a big fan of the Mario Kart series, and MK 64 is probably one my favorite games of all time. Modnation Racers takes the kart racing concept and amplifies it tenfold. What impresses me most about the game is that due to the embracement of player created content, the game is almost forever expandable. There is just so much to do and so many races to compete in. It seems that if I ever get tired of this game, it will not be for the lack of variety.
Meanwhile, regrettably, Little Big Planet 2 Is still in the shrink wrap. However, it should be noted that all of the games I own for the PS3 are console exclusives.
When I purchased the PS3, I also pre-ordered Killzone 3 and the Sharp Shooter accessory. While the plastic rifle seems a tad gimmicky, it actually adds a whole different immersive experience to the first person shooter genre. The PS3 Move is so accurately tracked that every movement is portrayed properly on screen. The buttons on the Move controller are actually remapped onto the rifle, providing a well thought out game play element. If you are getting bored of all these first person shooters that seem to dominate the consoles, you can definitely spice things up with the sharp shooter accessory. I am looking forward to SOCOM 4, which also takes advantage of it.
Speaking of the PS3, it took me a couple of weeks to realize that I now owned a Blu-Ray player. I made a pit stop at a Red Box and rented a few movies in the format. The first I watched was Takers, which is a heist movie featuring Edris Alba, T.I., Paul Walker, and a bunch of other familiar faces. Definitely worth a rental, but not life altering by any means. The second movie I watched was The American with George Clooney. I found myself really into this movie, I loved the acting, the mood, and the whole vibe of it. Though it seems to have gotten low ratings online, so watch at your own risk. The third and last movie I watched on Blu-Ray was Despicable Me. Though it was visually beautiful and a cute story overall, it did seem to run on a bit long. And, I had a hard time of listening to Steve Carrel’s voice and not picturing Michael Scott in my head. Overall, it’s a safe rental.
A couple more quick things to touch on, I did install a Solid State Drive (Intel X25-M) into my MacBook Pro. I do intend on writing about this more in depth in the future, though I will say that if you can afford the reduction of internal storage, the upgrade is well worth it.
I also had the opportunity to visit a Microsoft Retail store in Oakbrook, IL. I also intend to write about this in the near future, so I will just say that I was quite impressed by the experience. While it can fairly be referred to as a clone of the Apple retail stores, it can be safely viewed as a genetically modified clone. It is bigger, brighter, and offers more variety than it’s predecessor. If you have one in driving distance, do yourself a favor and pay it a visit.
Quick shoutout to JW Andrews and Shawn Freeman of the Knuckleball podcast, who were kind enough to let me co-host a couple of episodes so far. It’s a great general topic podcast and you should absolutely check them out.
Well for the sake of preventing this post from getting too long, I shall wrap things up now. If anything, I’m hoping this entry serves its purpose by pulling me out of my blogging slump and that I can now start posting more regularly. Until then, farewell and Namaste.
