Shot of Whisky

It is the end of the week. Amazingly, I didn't forget anything on my laundry list of things I had to do. Unfortunately, I was also unable to finish it all. I had a feeling that would happen, and to be honest I probably could have put in a little more effort on certain days. Guess I have the weekend to redeem myself.

I also need to finish one of the six or so reviews that I have begun, hopefully by Monday. There's an actual reason for it, which you should hopefully find about soon.

Hope everyone had a happy Saint Patrick's day.

1st day back

It was 80 degrees today in Baltimore, though they say it is going to get colder quick. I refuse to believe them after such a lovely day. At least if it does get chilly I don't have to worry about missing out on any good weather due to my workload.

I started playing KOF '02 today in order to properly analyze it for review. I was able to beat a Time Attack challenge which I previously thought to be impossible, then immediately proceeded to complete Team Attack mode on my first try. My theory about getting better at a game by putting it away for a while continues to gain evidence....

Tonight's episode of 24 was one of the saddest things I've seen on Television. I also decided that the show happens to be the best thing I've seen on TV in years. I curse myself for not checking this show out earlier.

I found out that the two friends I went to spring break with got food poisoning today. One of them still hasn't come home. I'm feeeling a mix of worry for him and myself (what if I get it?), as well as some relief that I didn't eat those Boardwalk Fries yesterday. Hopefully everything turns out alright.

Status Report

Things I Learned During Spring Break
by
C. Wolfe

1) Delaware has very wierd highway signs
3) Connecticut and Massachussetts really do have that New England Charm.
4) New Hampshire is like a mini Pennsylvania, not only in how it looks, but in how it operates with things like liquor laws. NH still beats out Penn however, for the sole reason that getting to civilization from the middle of nowhere takes only fifteen minutes instead of half an hour or more.
5) Everything I thought I knew about skiing turned out to be wrong. Once I learned the correct way to do things, I found it to be an incredibly enjoyable activity - that's way out of my income bracket for anything outside of spring break. At least most skiiers seem to be helpful and friendly folks.
6) I really do suck at any game -video or tabletop - that involves strategy.
7) Providence is not the best place to visit on your way to New York.
8) Long Island (which I swear is home to half of Loyola's student body) is a really nice place, and a seemingly expensive place as well. I can see why many students are so damn well off.
9) Keggers really can be fun.

Psst...

Hey there everyone. I'm still alive. Spring Break has been very enjoyable (and damaging to my bank account), though it isn't over yet. I'll return with a better report sometime tomorrow, since I have a feeling that the best stories will be made tonight....

Furthermore, looks like nothing spectacular hit the 'net during my hiatus. A couple of missed comic strips to read and a few small news tidbits were all the catching up I had to do. Seems the most buzz happens to be over the impending release of Final Fantasy 12 over in Japan. This time I think I'll stay away from the oncoming debates and arguments about the series, and simply wait for the handful of voices I know of that can honestly and critically review an FF game to do so. Perhaps it will turn out well after all.

Spring Break

Yes, it is finally spring break, and yes, I'm actually heading out somewhere. I'll be spending the next week as far away from the warmer climates as possible, as I hurdle down a mountain on two pieces of wood (which I haven't done in over a decade). Wish me luck.

Unfortunately, this also measn the blog will be on a week hiatus, unless I manage to find some computer time. If not, the I'll see you all next Saturday/Sunday. Take it easy, enjoy the time off (and if you're a someone in the real world, good luck with work

DS Lite

So the new DS model goes on sale today in Japan, and as everyone expected, it sold the f#%@ out quick. This is partly due to Nintendo having some manufacturing troubles, and partly because the demand for the console in Japan shows no signs of going away. This is both good and bad for the Big N: bad because the shortage may create some lost oppurtunities, but good because it has been a long time since a Nintendo console has kicked so much ass at retail. And to think it is the DS, the most twisted device out there. I'm glad to see it though, because it could mean great things for the Revolution.

I also dislike the use of the word "lite" in the naming of anything. Has it ever actually been a legitimate spelling of the word, or am I right in saying it just popped up in the last decade thanks to advertisements?

This has been a pretty horrid week before Spring Break. Literally, at any point this week there were at least ten different things that I could be doing that don't involve procrastination, and like a good boy I actually did them. Hats off to anyone who had papers, exams, or whatever to get done before Friday. I saw a lot of hard work being done, and I hope it rewards everyone. Except for the punks that left on Wed. evening/Thursday morning. Lousy good for nothings...

Coffee

My younger brother (can't call him "little brother" anymore - he's bigger than me) IM'ed me yesterday asking why emo kids love coffee. This was news to me, but I offered him some simple theories. Now it is with some hesitation that I begin this post by talking about coffee. Don't read too far into it now....

I've never been a big coffee drinker. The folks forbade it in my youth, save for special occasions. Not like I ever needed it; once I was up I was a bundle of energy.

That changed as I got older. In high school, I wouldn't say I was a ray of sunshine in the morning, but I could function pretty damn well during the early hours and throughout the day, even on six hours of sleep. When college came around, however, it got worse. Most undergrads will take any amount sleep they can possibly muster in a given day, yet they're still more than capable of going on incredible marathons of studying. I, unfortunately, am the wimp on campus. I've only ever managed to pull two all nighters in three years, and I any amount of sleep under six hours will generally put me out of comission during classes. Thus I've slowly begun to discover and enjoy the magic of the morning cup of coffee.

I don't drink if every morning. Hell, I don't even drink it once a week most of the time. But whenever I'm low on gas and need a serious boost, a good cup of Jo' (black, no sugar) works like a charm. It doesn't do much for me at night, but it really is amazing just how much it can help you get through those initial morning hours. Thankfully I'm often too forgetful to make it, so I don't think I'll have to worry about an addiction to it for a little while longer.

There's an article on 1up about the 25 games that EGM didn't choose in their 200th issue "greatest ever" coverage that the readers wanted to see on the list. The number one game was Kingdom Hearts, and here's EGM's reason for excluding it:

Fanservice goes a long way toward making a sale, but you need more than popular characters to achieve true greatness -- you need good gameplay. Kingdom Hearts, alas, was a frequently repetitive grind. And while slick graphics are nice, it's hard to appreciate them with they're spinning wildly thanks to one of the worst cameras ever inflicted upon a videogame. Its flaws and its general lack of new ideas (not to mention that stupid Gummi Ship) kept KH from our list.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Respect +100.