Couch Potato Mode Engaged!

In the ripe 'ol past, summer television was not all that hyped. Back them, people used to go outside and do this activity called "exercising" (it's like playing with the Wii, but real life). Sure, there'd be the occasional sit-down to catch the latest episode of Guts or Legends of the Hidden Temple (where in the world is that last  blasted piece in the Shrine of the Silver Monkey?), but there was also a fine share of rollerblading, discotheques, and chasing the ice cream truck down the block.

These days, we apparently require a bit more BOOM and PIZZAZZ in our summer digital programming. You don't have time to go out and shoot some hoops - can't miss Michael EXPLOSIONS Bay or another copy/pasted cop drama!

Now that I have ragged on summer TV, it's time to awkwardly transition to a bit of what I've been watching these past few months. *deflects hypocrite bullets* Really, I don't think I watch that much in the summer. Most are shows that have been running for awhile, and aren't just another summer primetime game show to fill the slot.

Mark Feuerstein as Dr. Hank

Royal Pains (USA) - This is more out of obligation that I have been watching the show from the start. As of late, I have not been as into the series, but will continue to watch this show til the end. I think I may have preferred the period of the show when the characters were transitioning and getting a taste of what high class concierge medicine entails. Now that they've settled in, several of the later episodes seem to repeat a more familiar pattern. Still, a great cast, and I look forward to see how the larger story arcs progress.

Falling Skies (TNT) - Here is another series I have watched since the beginning. When a talented and diverse group of actors do battle against an alien invasion, you know it's gunna be a good time. What I really like about this show is that it seems to have some tasty morsels for multiple audiences. It has it's action/CGI sequences, but then some of the dialogue scenes really stand out - especially when they are talking about family (not on just a biological level). For a series involving aliens, it is also fairly straightforward - not quite as weird as some others (take Extant or Under the Dome, for example). Sure the latest season may be a bit more out there (hybrid?), but I feel the writing and action leads the audience quite nicely.

Under the Dome (CBS) - I'll admit it - this series is pretty weird. What started out as a pretty solid obstacle - a giant dome - has turned into a thrilling drama that has made all of the town's residents wonder exactly what everything means. What exactly is this dome? Who, or what, dropped it on us? What must be done to survive, and hopefully get out of this giant fish bowl? I'll admit I have not read the book, though I understand there are certain divergents that have been made, likely to make this a more entertaining series (as would be the case with any book-to-TV franchise). While I'm still interested in Under the Dome, I'm a bit Over the Cliffhangers. Once again, a great cast of characters, of all ages.

Duck Dynasty (A&E) - This one is just plain fun. Regardless of any scripted embellishments, many series that involve the southern "redneck" culture are good for a quick laugh (and work great as reruns). Various networks see how good ratings can be when you get an "unscripted" series, starring a cast of...unique characters. From nature channels like Discovery and Animal Planet (Moonshiners, Hillbilly Handfishin') to whatever Honey Boo Boo is, it's certainly a craze these days. Enter the Duck Commander, a Louisiana-based duck call/hunting company that went from modest beginnings to a multi-million dollar company and TV series. Duck Dynasty has wacky characters, often-bizarre plots (especially when Uncle Si is involved), inane dialogue, and still manages to wrap it all with a nice rich family bowtie.

There may be some others I occasionally watch, and then there's always Jeopardy to make myself feel even more like an idiot. All in all, they do their best to turn the hype volume up to 11, and get people even more psyched for the next phase - fall programming!

What, if any, summer shows do you watch? Feel free to share in the comments below!

Death of a Virtual World

I just got through reading Roger's When MMOs Die post, and it made me think about my own experience with MMOs. While I'd consider myself fairly casual in my gameplay style, my current allotment of time I put into some may toss me into that "casual hardcore" pile. I may not put too much actual $$$ into my gaming habits, but that doesn't stop me from trying to suck as much of the content (that I enjoy) from an MMO.

Take LOTRO for example. I started playing the game about a month after the game transitioned to a free-
to-play (F2P) mode in fall of 2010. A couple months later, after getting the basic handle of the game, I decided to join a kinship (the game's version of a guild). This provided me the opportunity to meet a whole new group of people, several of which I still keep in contact with either in game or via voice server.

Naturally, times changed a bit. At one point, some kin drama erupted, severing the guild's fairly tight relationship. Myself, along with several old kinship members, were lucky enough to drift toward another friendly kinship - and have been there since. However, as of late, there have been some changes in the game that really drove away a swath of players. The game has had some expansions that have been received well, and others not so much.  Paired with the multitude of other MMOs out there, what used to be a fairly active kinship has dwindled to a much smaller population.

Long story short, I'm still playing LOTRO (and enjoying it). I have branched out from my main server to additionally play on two others, often with my kinships on those. I certainly didn't expect to meet as many new people as I have, and am certainly glad I've been given the opportunity to do so. All this makes me wonder what would happen should/when it comes time for Turbine to close shop with LOTRO and shut down the servers (note: their license has been extended to 2017).

Sure, I have other MMOs I can fall back on, so I'm not worried about my gaming habits being quashed quite yet. It's just the feeling that everything I've done in LOTRO has been for naught. All those hours spent leveling on all my characters, simply wiped away by a single yank of the cord (so to speak). All those times logging in to be greeted by my guildmates, no longer to experience. All those occurrences of glancing over at the global channel, facepalming at all the...unique conversations.

I wish I could have the same preparedness and "degree of emotional detachment" that Roger is able to convey toward a particular MMO of choice. Up until now, I cannot think of any MMO that I have played that ultimately shut down its server during the same period I played it, but I'm sure it will eventually occur. I am not looking forward to that initial shock when I wake up one day and read that one of my digital universes is going supernova.

I suppose the best I can do is be happy there are worlds like there that allow us to immerse ourselves within, reflect upon the good times to be had, and don't forget the individuals I've met along the way. If friendships can go beyond physical boundaries, they can certainly go beyond a single virtual world.

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Are there any MMOs you have played that have been shut down? How did you feel on the final day? Feel free to comment below!

I have done a little maintenance work on the blog, trying to expand the width a bit (the old one seemed way too skinny to be readable). I also added a couple of gidgets and gadgets and whatnot, so hopefully it's a bit more usable now. Feel free to comment below, though I'm not super techy when it comes to HTML stuff, so it's probably going to remain a pretty simple-looking blog for now. Thanks!

Diabolic Clicking Frenzy

In starting this month of blogging, I wasn't quite sure what direction I'd take, or the topics I'd cover. Thankfully, Belghast has provided the masses with several ice-breaking prompts to cover, if so desired. Let's take a look at one...

"What was the first game that made you “feel” something. I am talking about the first game that invoked a real human emotional response be it fear, love, outrage… we’ve all had it happen and I am curious about your first time."

 Way back in the ripe year of 2005 (give or take a year), a friend gifted me a copy of Diablo 2, by Blizzard. Until then, I don't think I've seriously played any Action RPG (ARPG) titles. The premise seemed simple enough - Hack. Slash. Loot. Repeat. At the time, I had not played the original Diablo (which I have played since), so I was not privy to the story or gameplay.

Rest in peace, restful nights.

I was not a very heavy gamer (probably due to a small library of titles), so anything new would no doubt be a good time. My excitement grew as I started to install the game, not knowing what was in store for me. I had seen a couple screenshots, and I figured I'd be vanquishing demons left and right in no time. I didn't realize I was right about that one.

I launched the game, and was met with swirling fire licking each letter in the title. Cool. A cinematic rolled by, and I fervently gazed upon the Wanderer (a central character in the game, as you may know) as it waltzed through a tavern and eventually ended with (more!) fire.

Then it was character creation time. Did I want a warrior class? Perhaps an agile archer? Maybe roll with a magic-casting hero? As it was my first time through, I couldn't really make up my mind, and decided a Barbarian would be a safe "newbie" decision.

(L-R): Amazon, Necromancer, Barbarian, Sorceress, Paladin

I "awoke" in Rogue Encampment, took up my flimsy hand axe, and headed out the gates. It was go time. My palms started to sweat as I came across my first zombie...this was it. Who could sleep at this time when there is so much evil to vanquish? My axe took one swing, creating an appropriate sound of cold steel meeting rotted flesh. Approximately one swing later, the creature fell, and a surge of gold coins erupted from its carcass. By the time I finished with the first area, I could tell I was going to love this game.

And so it went, slaying the denizens of the lands, collecting their precious loot, and slowly upgrading equipment. My skill allocating was pretty random, as this was my first experience, and I had not taken the time to check any recommended builds or guides. Nonetheless, I was able to make my way through the acts, occasional deaths assured.

The feeling of fighting each act boss was certainly heightened. While it was a mostly seamless transition (whack you, whack you, oh...Mephisto time), most of the boss lair landscapes and quests cues made it pretty obvious that I was about to do battle against a Prime or Lesser evil. The best I could do at the time was toss up a Town Portal (TP), make sure my belt was full of elixers, and charge on in. Fortunately, as this was the easiest of the difficulty settings, it allowed me to experience the feel of the battle without too many scrapes (although I recall the Duriel fight being particularly difficult, for some reason).

Then it was Act IV time. Final act for the original game. It was apparent that I had crossed plains, and was now in their territory. I rushed the Chaos Sanctuary, great sword held high (not the greatest strategy in an area with casters that cast melee reflecting spells willy-nilly), and was met with quite the resistance. Certainly they must be protecting something in this place...

A diabolically good time to be had here.

After opening each of the seals, the ground shook and a deep voice spoke... "NOT EVEN DEATH CAN SAVE YOU FROM ME." Yup, it was time to take on the title beast himself. Before I could even pop a TP, *fire whooshing* I'm dead. Apparently this evil had quite the tricks up his red sleeve. I prepped myself in town, and made my way back. After popping a safety TP, I carefully made my way back and commenced the battle, mano-a-beasto.

This was David vs. Goliath. This was cat & mouse. I did my best to dodge, dip, dive, duck, and dodge from Diablo's fire and bone cage spells, while dashing back in to give him a taste of my steel medicine. I can remember sitting there alone in my dark room, for a good 10-20 minutes or so during this battle. I had obviously not prepared a sharp enough sword, do my damage output was low, but Tyrael must have been watching over me, as I was able to whittle Diablo down to slivers. As I made the final thrust, Diablo had finally fallen. HOORAY! I had to pause my celebration, as there was loot to be attained, and a timer counting down until the game would end. I collected the spoils, and the screen switched to a splash page of my character beating normal mode, with an updated title.

Now it was time for the next difficulty...oh boy.

Blogospherical Resurrection & Blaugust

Well, well. It's been awhile, hasn't it? Sure, this blog has sat unattended for several years, but it's really a drop in the bucket considering how long blogging has been around. I'm pretty sure the dinosaurs were avid bloggers, competing only with the dial-up that eventually lagged them into extinction. Plus, I think it would be cute seeing a T-Rex attempting to use a keyboard. *flails minuscule arms about* 

Anywho, thanks to the good people over at Contains Moderate Peril, I saw a mention of this "Blaugust" event running through the month of August. This ambitious project, the brainchild of Belghast over at the Tales of the Aggronaut (with inspiration from his wife), involves creating a daily blog post for the entirety of August.

Though it may initially seem easy enough to toot out thirty-one thought explosions, the problem may arise down the road where you wake up and just go, "Nope." Sometimes the tank is just empty, and those letters don't come flying out on the screen as you'd like. In this respect, I'll try and take on the challenge, but I can't guarantee I'll even make it past the first day. However, I feel like this challenge has already done wonders for many bloggers (like myself) who have been given the chance to dust off their old blogging workstation and try to reboot one of their creative outlets.

I don't really have a set plan in terms of content for the month, as I just decided an hour or so ago to pull up my old blog and see where it goes from there. As the title may suggest, I am a gamer (of the PC variety), albeit not the competitive type. With my current financial standings, I am a bit limited at this time on the number of titles I play. My current preference is probably toward the F2P MMO market, with Lord of the Rings Online (or LOTRO) being my "main" MMO.

Anyways, I guess I'll wrap this one up...I've already made it through the first, and possibly toughest, of the 3.2%! As I said, I'll try my hardest to see what I can come up with this month...my schedule can be a bit sporadic, and the same can be said with my mind these days. I do recommend you check out Belghast's post about Blaugust, and give it a whirl yourself! It seems pretty low-pressure, and it'll at least get your foot in the door, should you decide to continue the challenge for the whole month (and beyond!). Head over to the Blaugust Initiative Page to join on up.

'Twas the Night Before Finals

So I found this original poem, sans a stanza and a half which I jotted tonight, resting in the back of some notebook I must have had at college one year. Although it's not pertinent to me anymore, I'm sure some of you may be feeling the cool sting of finals.

'Twas the Night Before Finals

'Twas the night before finals, the tensions were high,
Some had notes and books piled straight to the sky.
The library was jammed, every book and cranny taken,
Students struggled to find a spot that was even slightly forsaken.

The occasional student ran through the campus,
Their mind was warped, a frightful abyss.
Others just sat down and banged on their head,
In hoping this action would smart 'em up instead.

Some students scratched their head, trying to think,
Wishing they'd rather go out for a drink.
The sighs and the groans from inside a dorm,
As their brains pulsated, trying to transform.

The food store was swarmed with students, bellies weak,
All grabbing Doritos, candy - any junk food they could seek.
The shelves were soon empty, the fervent horde wanted more,
Zombie-like, the gaggle tried going door-to-door.

The professors laughed wildly, the tests have been written,
Their eyes gleaming brightly, knowing some will be smitten.
Back on campus, students finally crash,
After studying like it was the 100-yard dash.

Dreams of the answers float through their mind,
Hoping they can get through tomorrow's grind.
And all 'round the campus, a hush whisper will speak,
"Good luck on those finals, cause they'll all be in Greek."

Step aside, Stephen King

I'm a writer. I have been a writer for a long time, and chances are I'll always be a writer (unless I accidentally slice off all my fingers on a meat grinder; in that case I'd probably need to switch tactics). Little may you know, I even wrote a whole book series at some point in my youth, each consisting of two sides of a wide-ruled sheet of paper. Yeh, I was just that good.

Now, for your blogging enjoyment (stop grimmacing, it'll be over soonish), may I present both of my two wondrous tales of malice, wonder and fantasy - all published under the series "Dirty Gym Socks." All content is retained in its original format for maximum laughability and self-betterment. Revel in spelling and grammatical errors!
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Dirty Gym Socks #1: "The Sour Pickles"

When 16 year old bologna, 16 year old celery, 16 year old yogurt, and 16 year old cookies get together, they rule the Earth and Planet X, Y, and Z. The 16 year old bologna (the most powerful) rule the Earth. The 16 year old celery (the 2nd most powerful) control Planet X. The 16 year old togurt (the 3rd most powerful) control Planet Y. And the 16 year old cookies (the most weak) control planet Z. Their group name are the Sour Pickles because they morph into sour pickles. Their name used to be the sour cucumbers but they got absorbed into a big glass jar full of brine. Their King, David B. Cracker, is now eaten by Weegie, Danny, but used to be a cinnamon ghram cracker. Danny was never a good boy. Two years earlier, he robbed a hotdog stand. Two months earlier than that he stole 1 jumbo pizza with extra cheese. Two weeks earlier than that, he robbed the candy and snack aisle of Eckerd on State Street. Two days earlier that that, he stole all the candy canes in Media.

This shows that Danny was a bad boy and also a fat hog that is also a food-lover. Then the Sour Pickles attacked Danny. First, they waited for the mailman to come. He finally came. They jumped into all the bills for Mr. and Mrs. Weegie and took a ride into a mailslot. When Danny picked up the mail, the Sour Pickles jumped out and attacked. First they got their extra handy moldy hotdogs and tied up the boy then they threw him to the moldless pit of yellow snow. Then everyone went home which was the land of the Dirty Jym Socks. That's what the whole colony named. They lived in a place called Yellow Valley. They eat yellow snow with waste from humans. We are among you. No, actually the 16 year old bologna are among you.

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Wow, weren't you just gripped in fear? I know I was. Would the Sour Pickles be able to defeat the evil Danny? Would the humanisticly-named late King David be avenged? Would the introduction of the characters ever end? I may have mentioned yellow snow, but I did not mention poop. Now, for the gripping finale in this unforgettable series...
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Dirty Gym Socks #2: "The Moldy Breadcrumbs"

Yep. The Moldy Breadcrumbs. That's our name, don't wear it (or smell) out. We come from an area that dogs used to roam. It had (and still has) snow all over. It is called Yellow Vallley. Our Kings name was David B. Cracker, but he got eaten. Anyway, We morphed Into our Moldy breadcrumbs and invaded New York City. We grew up to 88 miles high and 88 miles wide. We killed the Power Rangers and the beetleborgs for lunch, then chomped down Barney for dinner. We morphed back and put on our Old Spice High Endurance Deoderant under Our armpits. We have to do that every 13 days or our biolectantoo skin layer will come off. Our next mission was to find out more info about the species called homo sapiens (Translation: humans). So we decided to first go to Washington D.C, then Bahgdad, Iraq. In Washington D.C., and important person called the president was what was known as being impeached. We grew up to the size of that leader. He turned around and we are him be shrinking him, splitting him up, and eating him. Then we went to iraq. Amazingly, there was a leader there too. They called him Saddam Heusein. The humans In Washington D.C. called him a madman. He had powerfull weapons known as nuclear weapons and biological weapons. Not as powerful as ours, but still advanced technology. Maybe someday we will get into an intergalactic war. We went back to yellow Valley and put our Old Spice High Endurance Deodarant so we wouldn't lose our skin layer. This has been an exciting adventure for 17 weeks, 4 days, 16 hours, 48 minutes, 32 seconds, and 13 half-seconds. We will now practice our 3 times tables up to 16:

3x1 = 31 // 3x2 = 23 // 3x3 = 333,3 // 3x4 = 4.34 // 3x5 = 35.3 // 3x6 = 363 // 3x7 = 733
3x8 = 88,33 //3x9 = 939 // 3x10 = 10.3 // 3x11 = 113 // 3x12 = 231 // 3x13 = 313 //
3x14 = 134 // 3x15 = 531 //3x16 = 136

Bye Idiots!
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Now that was just riveting beyond any level of incomprehension...mostly because it was pretty incomprehensible. I guess we did learn a chunk of info about what was going on in my mind:

• I assume I was around 12 when I wrote these, with Clinton's impeachment
• I cared enough about politics to make mention of Saddam (guess he never got that intergalactic war with the Moldy Breadcrumbs)
• Math was obviously not my forte; but then again I scored higher on that section of the SATs
• I really had a thing for advertising Old Spice; not once, but twice.

Anywho, that was just a little taste of the bizzare-ocity that oft existed within my cranial capacity. Now don't do stealing my ideas for your own Newbery! =)

Contracted into Slavedom...

*Grumble grumble can't believe he caught me*

Hello there Internets world, I was just moping over how my rabbit, Renny, caught me pink-footed. Yes, he took a snapshot in the rare time that I was wearing my pig slippers:

Needless to say, he has blackmailed me to transcribe his thoughts for his own blog here. It will be an ongoing "blogject" (dunno if that's real, but it's all virtual so who cares) that will include plenty of pictures and thoughts of Renny doing the many things he enjoys doing. Something about taking over the human race and making all species equal, I don't know. He's a nutball.

Anyways, everything is fine on this end. It's getting a little cooler, almost finally seems like summer is over and fall shall soon befell us.

Once again, you can check out Renny's blog here: http://rennyroams.blogspot.com/. Please leave comments here or there if there is something you want Renny to talk about, he's a blabbermouth. Peace.