Home Stretch 2005

You may notice the new banner at the very top of the blog. I know it doesn't look very good, and it is very squished, but it was yet another attempt to improve my gain some skills in digital art. Being a computer geek, I of course follow the Golden Rule: You probably can't break a program, so keep playing with it until you figure it all out. This is sound advice that has helped me learn practically everything I know, even in college. But it only seems to go so far wtih this artistic stuff. I know a lot of the gizmos and features in your Photoshop and Fireworks or whatever it is one might use, but I always struggle with knowing just how much color to use here, or what combination of filters and saturations might work best. I've tried asking more artistically skilled people for advice, and generally they just refer me to the Golden Rule. I know all the tools, I just don't know how to use them. I guess that kind of skill isn't something that can be taught to someone; you just need to have it in the first place. If that is so, then I'm screwed, but damn if I won't keep trying, just in case.

Hopefully everyone had a good Christmas (and Chaunuka !) this year. I got Band of Brothers on DVD, which made it a success no matter what else. I still feel as if the gift pile was far larger than I actually needed, even if it was paltry compared to the average Loyola student. I guess I still prefer giving over receiving, though I will be thankful for what I have and will use it in good health(and get your minds out of the gutter...).

There are a whole lot of End of the Year Gaming Retrospectives going on in all the usual places, and I can't say I like most of them. It is generally the same stories repeated over and over again, with a healthy sprinkling of smarmy jokes and comments (mostly directed at Nintendo; I know you didn't play Cube much. Its collecting dust. I get it). Yet hyopcrisy be dammed, I kind of feel like doing one of my own. Nothing large mind you, just a simple article on my favorite games and biggest surprises during the year.

Tonight is the final game of Monday Night Football on ABC. While it isn't ending as much as simply moving to ESPN, it still feels like the end of an era. However, I feel that it is a necessary end; while the idea of a Monday night game might have been a good idea originally, these days no one has the time or the energy to stay up and watch a football game on Monday night that is guaranteed not to finish before midnight. On cable, diehards can still tune in, while ABC can air something else during the timeslot. A pretty good compromise if you ask me.

I rented Million Dollar Baby tonight. I must say, between this and Return of the King, the Academy is getting pretty good at picking these Oscar winners for a change. Maybe they can keep it up.