This Little Piggie Went To Mark It...

Sunday come and gone, and it was a pretty good one at that. Double duty church day, as per usual. I won't bore you with the details...

Quick Rant: GRRR!!! There is always an episode of America's Next Top Model on a TV in this house! :O AAAA!!! It's driving me insane!!!!

OK, that's out of my system....

Another Sign I'm Playing PC Games Too Much: I needed to move the TV from our room upstairs down into the living room yesterday. Our 32" LCD TV is broken (the sound has stopped working), so they wanted the old TV - which is one of those old school beastly ones - brought down to the normal viewing area. So I'm trying to get a grip on this thing, and it's big and awkward and heavy. In my mind, subconsciously, I said "Hit F5". Then I stopped to laugh.

Here's why that's funny: When playing certain types of games (like, say, Fallout 3), you can hit F5, which is the "Quick Save" command, before you enter a place that might be dangerous. That way, if you proceed and get ambushed and killed, you can hit F9 (quick load) and reload that previous saved game, and proceed again with more caution.

So I sized up the TV, did a test lift, realized the chances were good that I would either drop the thing or injure myself or both, so my mind hit the F5 key, so if I did drop it or injure myself, I could reload to this point again, and try it again.

I guess when it comes to nerd humor, the more you have to explain it, the less funny it is. My apologies.

We were riding into church this morning and my youngest daughter (the 3 year old) tells me from her car seat behind me, "You know, dad, we really should have a dog." Umm... are 3 year olds supposed to talk like that, I wondered? Shouldn't a typical 3 year old say "I want a doggie!!" I know you're probably sick of the whole "wait till I tell you what my kid said" stuff that most parents rattle off, as though their kids are somehow more special than other kids, but honestly... "You know, dad, we really should have a dog."

What could I say? I replied, "Yes, we should. I wish we could get one, but they won't let us." At which point she turned to Daughter #2 (the 13 year old) and said, "Katie, we really should have a dog, shouldn't we?"

I'm like, wtf? She's freakin' three!

Anyway...

Todayve In History: March 30
----------------------------------
- March 30, 1853: Vincent Van Gogh was born. (Too bad he's most remembered for: "Careful with that razor, bro! Whoa! Dude, your ear! What the heck!")

- March 30, 1986: The great James Cagney died at age 86. ("Look at me, ma! I'm on top of the world!")

- March 30, 1932: Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Altantic. (That's probably why the government conspired with the Illuminati to have her killed! Read about it in my new book! Only $49.95!)

- March 30, 1889: The first golf course in the US opens in Yonkers NY. (Let the profanity begin!)

If there's ever been a game invented that's been the source of more frustration, I don't know what it is. Here's the famous Master's Championship "chip-in" that Tiger Woods had a few years back:



I can watch that clip over and over and over... what makes that shot so incredible was that it was the end of the final round at the 2005 Masters. Woods had a slim 1 shot lead in the tournament, and was under tremendous pressure, not just from the huge crowd, but from the zillions of people watching on TV. It really was an incredibly difficult shot, under amazing pressure, with the Green Jacket on the line. Truly, one of the greatest golf shots in history. I mean, on any given day, any yahoo can make a great shot - but to make the impossible shot under that sort of pressure and scrutiny... nails. Absolutely nails.

Had a long list of things I needed to get to between services today, but instead I slept. I was wiped out and had a headache, and honestly, was asleep in the car as Marla drove us home at about 1. Popped an ibuprofen and slept in my comfy office chair with my ear plugs in until 5, which was when I had to leave. But at least I feel better! But that means a long night ahead. Squish me luck!

I'm going to gather newsletter content tonight, and try to get the initial US version of the May Piranha newsletter done by tomorrow night - plus I have 2 books to read for BE2, and the rest of the curriculum to review by tomorrow night's meeting as well! Ouch. Trust me, it may not sound like much, but it is.

I guess I shouldn't have spent so much time yesterday playing Fallout 3. I can't seem to help it - I have a hard time forcing myself to actually work on Saturdays. My schedule during the week is a blend of work & play at all waking hours, but Saturdays are different for some reason.

On the plus side, I did turn loose two Super Mutant Behemoths on the wasteland, for my own amusement. If you haven't played the game, it will be a waste of time to know that, since it won't mean a thing to you, but on the off chance you know what I'm refereing to, I set the one by the Jury Street Metro Station and the one in Evergreen Mills both free to wreak havoc on the countryside. If I go up above Evergreen Mills and look out, I can see both of them wandering around, tearing up the place. I'll come back later with the mini-nuke launcher and kill them both later.

Here's a video on YouTube of some dude fighting the Jury Street Behemoth, in case you're curious - click the full-screen button in the corner of the video! Or click the HD button to watch it in high def (recommended). WARNING: at the very end (if you watch that far), there's some profanity. Sorry, I didn't make the video.



You know, I have games installed on my computer that I have never played once (Sins of a Solar Empire, Battle For Middle Earth II, Tiger Wood '08)? I also have games I literally only tried once (Mass Effect, Rise of the Argonauts), and others I have tried a handful of times only (Fable, GRID, Far Cry 2, Guild Wars). Granted, I also have games I have sunk hundreds of hours into (UT, Battlefield 2, Oblivion, Half Life 2, Fallout 3). How odd. Wasted money? Maybe. I still tell myself I'm going to play those neglected games at some point, but I wonder if it will ever happen.

Some of those games were very critically acclaimed as well, such as Mass Effect and Sins of a Solar Empire. In fact Sins won several Game of the Year awards last year - against incredible competition. Yet it sits on my system, unloved, while I spend time turning Super Mutant Behemoths loose on post-war DC...

Well, as I said, I have a long night ahead of me, so I will be leaving you now. Until tomorrow, remember, money talks... but all mine ever says is "good bye"!

Latest Book: The Ravished Heart by Iverna Tompkins (required reading)
Latest Game: Fallout 3 (of course)
Latest Movie: The Fall (amazing film 5/5)
Latest Music: None