Looks like my optimism is short lived. I got in my car this evening and it was a little sticky before we went down to Mississauga. Then there was the return trip. I was stuck blocking in Julie's car at our small group for about 2-3 minutes while I fought with my gearshift. Sigh.
I have a busy day tomorrow with driving and hopefully my shifter won't act up too much but come Friday, I'm taking that bad boy into the shop and demanding they fix it right.
Stupid car.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Brock Vs. Brake : Round 389
I love my Saturn. Let me get that out of the way. I've enjoyed driving it ever since I got it back in 2001 and haven't had any problems with it.
Except one.
A couple of years ago, my shifter started getting stuck in Park whenever it got cold. Seeing how we're in Canada, this was rather frequent. At first I thought it was just an annoying little quirk of the gearshift until I had to sit in my car for 15-20 minutes after work one night, cursing and praying and begging for the thing to just get into Drive so I could go home.
I took it to Saturn back in the day and they did everything except sacrifice a chicken on the engine block. About the only thing they didn't do was replace the actual gearshift. Miraculously, the sticking shifter went back to proper working order soon after and I didn't have any problems until last year.
It stuck once or twice shortly after Christmas so I took it to the local auto shop to see if they could fix it. Of course, they couldn't figure out what the problem was and it didn't do it again, so I figured it had finally been fixed or at least stopped acting up.
I thought that was the end of the sticky shifter until a week or two ago when it started to stick a bit. Great... just what I need when I'm home with two kids and no income.
Would the stickiness go away? Well, I thought so until the weekend when it started taking several minutes before the shifter would come unstuck. I dropped the car off yesterday and after explaining the symptoms again and hoping that the car would stick for them so they could experience the fun of not being able to take a perfectly fine car from Park to Drive, I sauntered on home.
Turns out it was the braking switch that was causing the issue. I've heard a clicking sound when I depress the brakes which usually indicates that the shifter will start sticking shortly afterwards. Thankfully it didn't cost much for them to do their little adjustments but I did notice that it was a little sticky still when I got in the car. They did recommend that I get the switch replaced if it acts up again so we'll see how things are this evening when I go out with the kids.
It's just a shame that a car which I like so much has such an annoying problem.
Except one.
A couple of years ago, my shifter started getting stuck in Park whenever it got cold. Seeing how we're in Canada, this was rather frequent. At first I thought it was just an annoying little quirk of the gearshift until I had to sit in my car for 15-20 minutes after work one night, cursing and praying and begging for the thing to just get into Drive so I could go home.
I took it to Saturn back in the day and they did everything except sacrifice a chicken on the engine block. About the only thing they didn't do was replace the actual gearshift. Miraculously, the sticking shifter went back to proper working order soon after and I didn't have any problems until last year.
It stuck once or twice shortly after Christmas so I took it to the local auto shop to see if they could fix it. Of course, they couldn't figure out what the problem was and it didn't do it again, so I figured it had finally been fixed or at least stopped acting up.
I thought that was the end of the sticky shifter until a week or two ago when it started to stick a bit. Great... just what I need when I'm home with two kids and no income.
Would the stickiness go away? Well, I thought so until the weekend when it started taking several minutes before the shifter would come unstuck. I dropped the car off yesterday and after explaining the symptoms again and hoping that the car would stick for them so they could experience the fun of not being able to take a perfectly fine car from Park to Drive, I sauntered on home.
Turns out it was the braking switch that was causing the issue. I've heard a clicking sound when I depress the brakes which usually indicates that the shifter will start sticking shortly afterwards. Thankfully it didn't cost much for them to do their little adjustments but I did notice that it was a little sticky still when I got in the car. They did recommend that I get the switch replaced if it acts up again so we'll see how things are this evening when I go out with the kids.
It's just a shame that a car which I like so much has such an annoying problem.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
FFXII Is Finished... Time To Start FFXII!
This has been a banner year for my New Year's Resolutions. I've been swimming twice a week for the past couple weeks, I've resisted urges to buy candy and, my personal favourite, I FINALLY BEAT FINAL FANTASY XII!
It only took me a good year and a bit and something around 110 hours of playtime, but it's finally done. Great game, though the plot is somewhat convoluted, especially when you take several months off between play sessions. What really scares me is that there were a lot of hunts and side quests that I didn't do that could have made my playtime clock in somewhere in the 150-200 hour range... thankfully I'm not a completest when it comes to games and I got more than my money's worth out of FFXII.
The best part about finally finishing the game is that I can finally open my Christmas present from Connor... the sequel to FFXII on the DS! WOo!
It only took me a good year and a bit and something around 110 hours of playtime, but it's finally done. Great game, though the plot is somewhat convoluted, especially when you take several months off between play sessions. What really scares me is that there were a lot of hunts and side quests that I didn't do that could have made my playtime clock in somewhere in the 150-200 hour range... thankfully I'm not a completest when it comes to games and I got more than my money's worth out of FFXII.
The best part about finally finishing the game is that I can finally open my Christmas present from Connor... the sequel to FFXII on the DS! WOo!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Perils Of Booster Seats
So just after the new year started, we got a new booster seat for Garrett to sit in. It's not bad and it's nice to see him in a 'big boy' seat.
The only problem is that it's kind of tricky to get the seat belt buckled when you're having to reach over and do it blindly. No biggie... except that Garrett has developed a LOVELY habit of yanking on my beard while I'm buckling him up.
"You have a soft beard, Daddy," he says.
"OUCH!" I say.
To which gales of laughter follow.
This happens EVERY TIME I GO ANYWHERE WITH HIM....
The only problem is that it's kind of tricky to get the seat belt buckled when you're having to reach over and do it blindly. No biggie... except that Garrett has developed a LOVELY habit of yanking on my beard while I'm buckling him up.
"You have a soft beard, Daddy," he says.
"OUCH!" I say.
To which gales of laughter follow.
This happens EVERY TIME I GO ANYWHERE WITH HIM....
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
A Daily Show About The ColberT Report
So... The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are both back on the air right now after about 2 months off. I've actually quite enjoyed NOT having them on as that freed up about an hour of my day that I'd spend watching the shows before.
That said, I'm happy to have my daily dose of satire back on the air but the fact that they can't do a lot of the pre-scripted things (due to a lack of scripts) and the fact that they tend to spend a large portion of the show talking about the strike has me a little turned off. I would rather they just stay off the air until the strike is over, though I understand that this way the crew and other people who AREN'T writers can actually have a chance at getting paid.
I'm thinking I might watch the rest of the episodes this week (tonight and tomorrow) and then see how I feel about the shows come next week. I don't NEED to watch it every night... I'm just not used to missing them when they're on!
That said, I'm happy to have my daily dose of satire back on the air but the fact that they can't do a lot of the pre-scripted things (due to a lack of scripts) and the fact that they tend to spend a large portion of the show talking about the strike has me a little turned off. I would rather they just stay off the air until the strike is over, though I understand that this way the crew and other people who AREN'T writers can actually have a chance at getting paid.
I'm thinking I might watch the rest of the episodes this week (tonight and tomorrow) and then see how I feel about the shows come next week. I don't NEED to watch it every night... I'm just not used to missing them when they're on!
CENSOR WARNING! THIS POST CONTAINS POTTY LANGUAGE!
The last few mornings have been rather... moist.
Garrett has had a wet bed for the last 3 mornings and I'm not sure if it's because he's drinking too much and not peeing enough before bed or if the diaper he's wearing to bed is too small or what.
I tried the grand (read: failed) experiment of waking Garrett up at midnight last night to try to get him to go pee on the toilet but all that did was cause copious tears and heartache (and another wet bed in the morning).
Is there a trick to getting kids to stop wearing a diaper to bed at night? Garrett's great with using the toilet during the day but he won't wake up when he pees the bed.
Last night was also a bundle of fun as Kara was up around midnight or so screaming her bloody head off and keeping Julie up and it took us until sometime after 2am until she finally stopped crying. Fun times. I know that I like to stay up till all hours, but Julie doesn't really appreciate it, especially when she has to be at work first thing in the morning.
Garrett has had a wet bed for the last 3 mornings and I'm not sure if it's because he's drinking too much and not peeing enough before bed or if the diaper he's wearing to bed is too small or what.
I tried the grand (read: failed) experiment of waking Garrett up at midnight last night to try to get him to go pee on the toilet but all that did was cause copious tears and heartache (and another wet bed in the morning).
Is there a trick to getting kids to stop wearing a diaper to bed at night? Garrett's great with using the toilet during the day but he won't wake up when he pees the bed.
Last night was also a bundle of fun as Kara was up around midnight or so screaming her bloody head off and keeping Julie up and it took us until sometime after 2am until she finally stopped crying. Fun times. I know that I like to stay up till all hours, but Julie doesn't really appreciate it, especially when she has to be at work first thing in the morning.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Make A Run For The Border
So I'm kind of watching the first episode of this new show "The Border" which is turning out to be like a done-in-one version of 24 set at Pearson Airport.
It's not bad. Pretty good production values and it's at least mildly interesting (unlike pretty much any of the current season of Prison Break).
It does have some fun digs against the US.
"Two federal agents came by this morning and took my boss and all the computers. They were very rude."
"Couldn't have been Canadian. Probably Homeland Security."
It's not bad. Pretty good production values and it's at least mildly interesting (unlike pretty much any of the current season of Prison Break).
It does have some fun digs against the US.
"Two federal agents came by this morning and took my boss and all the computers. They were very rude."
"Couldn't have been Canadian. Probably Homeland Security."
Spam Is Made Of People!
At least, it's made from me!
I did a Google search on my name because, well, I was bored and waiting for the Rock Band credits to finish rolling (woo! I beat the solo guitar mode on Medium) and I haven't searched my name in Google for a few years.
Turns out that through some random confluence of events, I'm part of a block of spam text. Interesting... Take a gander.
I'm not sure if I should be scared or honoured.
I did a Google search on my name because, well, I was bored and waiting for the Rock Band credits to finish rolling (woo! I beat the solo guitar mode on Medium) and I haven't searched my name in Google for a few years.
Turns out that through some random confluence of events, I'm part of a block of spam text. Interesting... Take a gander.
A plumas lake golf mafia holds body accompanied be out be discretionary necklines a fluorescent efficiency for radio brock wager. Keep the critters on the trivial breathtaking shops of nonchalantly competency guests ponderosa, absolute as namely you are supplies suffolks and what the newsworthy kit of relevant tap physiology surprised be. It is oversize to dimpled structured match and females to the day you are pulling. A befitting packages of the hike grip is recently it onlookers effectiveness pocketss as a spatula.
I'm not sure if I should be scared or honoured.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
R.I.P. Guitar Hero
I was able to rent a copy of Rock Band last night and I have to say that I am completely blown away. It's Guitar Hero 3's superior in almost every manner possible. Rather than be a rehash of the same game with a slightly shinier package with annoying note placement, Rock Band just oozes that special Harmonix charm and attention to... fun that Guitar Hero 3 lacks.
All I know is that the second I am able to get my own copy of the full Rock Band package with the drum kit and everything, my copy of Guitar Hero 3 is being traded in and I'll never go back. I always worried that I backed the wrong horse in the GH3/Rock Band battle and it turns out I was right.
My favourite part of the game, besides the awesome visuals and the fact that you can customize your character (my Spigot the guitarist looks like a hobo doctor), is the fact that they have the crowd singing along to most of the songs. In some instances, it's barely noticable but in others, like Say It Ain't So by Weezer, it just sends chills up your spine.
If you have a copy of Guitar Hero 3 for the 360, go rent the disc of Rock Band and enjoy yourself!
All I know is that the second I am able to get my own copy of the full Rock Band package with the drum kit and everything, my copy of Guitar Hero 3 is being traded in and I'll never go back. I always worried that I backed the wrong horse in the GH3/Rock Band battle and it turns out I was right.
My favourite part of the game, besides the awesome visuals and the fact that you can customize your character (my Spigot the guitarist looks like a hobo doctor), is the fact that they have the crowd singing along to most of the songs. In some instances, it's barely noticable but in others, like Say It Ain't So by Weezer, it just sends chills up your spine.
If you have a copy of Guitar Hero 3 for the 360, go rent the disc of Rock Band and enjoy yourself!
Friday, January 04, 2008
Are You Expendable?
A.R.A.C.H.N.I.D. helped me make bail!
"Ever magazine contains 30 opportunities for you to ensure the safety of our facility."
Warning! Very Annoying
This is a pretty funny clip of Link saying, "Excuse me, Princess."
About 300 times.
The sad thing is that there were only 13 episodes and they had Link say that phrase WAAAY too often.
About 300 times.
The sad thing is that there were only 13 episodes and they had Link say that phrase WAAAY too often.
That's One Resolution Checked Off!
Last night I went swimming for a good 45 minutes during the lane swimming at the local pool.
It was GREAT! I wonder now why I haven't been doing this on a regular basis for the last 5+ years. I wasn't doing the crazy stuff I used to do when I was on the swim team, but it was a pretty good workout compared to my normal workout that basically involves me getting up, walking over and deciding which controller to pick up.
Julie wanted me to wait until next week to start but I figured that if I could talk myself out of swimming last night, I could probably talk myself out of it next week too. I'm going to try swimming two days a week (Thursday and Sunday) as those look like they'll be the best times for me to actually be able to get over to the pool for the lane swim.
The only problem is that I remembered this morning exactly how sore you'll be after a good swim like that.
It was GREAT! I wonder now why I haven't been doing this on a regular basis for the last 5+ years. I wasn't doing the crazy stuff I used to do when I was on the swim team, but it was a pretty good workout compared to my normal workout that basically involves me getting up, walking over and deciding which controller to pick up.
Julie wanted me to wait until next week to start but I figured that if I could talk myself out of swimming last night, I could probably talk myself out of it next week too. I'm going to try swimming two days a week (Thursday and Sunday) as those look like they'll be the best times for me to actually be able to get over to the pool for the lane swim.
The only problem is that I remembered this morning exactly how sore you'll be after a good swim like that.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
If She Asks For The Car Keys, I'm Running
I tell ya, it's amazing how much a baby can develop over the course of a few weeks.
When I went on vacation mid-December, Kara was still in the Commando crawl phase of locomotion. Now she's busy pulling herself up and cruising around the couch and steps... it's nuts!
Day 2 of Mr. Mom V. 2.0 and we're all still alive. The nice thing is that Kara is finally over her cold, I've figured out how to make mushy cereal and Garrett's actually being somewhat helpful!
When I went on vacation mid-December, Kara was still in the Commando crawl phase of locomotion. Now she's busy pulling herself up and cruising around the couch and steps... it's nuts!
Day 2 of Mr. Mom V. 2.0 and we're all still alive. The nice thing is that Kara is finally over her cold, I've figured out how to make mushy cereal and Garrett's actually being somewhat helpful!
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
It's Anniversary Day!
Wow. It's our 9th anniversary today. Crazy.
Thankfully we went out for our fancy anniversary dinner while we were in Sarnia (if you're looking for a good spot to eat, go to Lola's!) because my temporary blindness set in today and I couldn't find the tuna for the tuna casserole I was making.
I'm not sure what to call the creation I cobbled together in its place but I'm hoping we won't all die after we eat it...
Wish us luck!
Thankfully we went out for our fancy anniversary dinner while we were in Sarnia (if you're looking for a good spot to eat, go to Lola's!) because my temporary blindness set in today and I couldn't find the tuna for the tuna casserole I was making.
I'm not sure what to call the creation I cobbled together in its place but I'm hoping we won't all die after we eat it...
Wish us luck!
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
My New Year's Resolution? 1280 x 1024
Did everyone have a good New Year's Eve? We didn't do much besides watching a movie and the Air Farce NYE special.
Did anyone happen to watch the Dick Clark special? We only tuned in for the last minute or so before the ball dropped but we could barely watch that. I feel so bad for Dick. It was just painful to watch him slurring his words and generally just looking OLD, unlike the ever-youthful robot that he appeared to be in years past. It was like he'd just started to open the Ark Of The Covenant but stopped himself.
Artist's Rendering Of Dick Clark Last Night
Yeah, I know he had a stroke a couple years ago but it was still really hard to watch him last night.
ANYWAY, speaking of resolutions, I'm actually trying to make some that I can stick to.
In no particular order, I'm going to do the following this year:
- Start swimming regularly (Julie's signing me up for the lane swim at the local pool on Thursday nights).
- Play through a lot of the backlog of games that I own instead of buying every shiny new trinket that comes down the pike.
- Read more (non-comic) books.
- Write more and hopefully get something finished by next Christmas so I can get it self-published and give it away as gifts.
- Cut waaaay back on the sweets that I eat. After the current batch of Christmas candy is gone, I want to eat healthy snacks like pretzels and raisins.
- Just eat and live a lot healthier than I have for the past, oh, 10 years.
- Beat Final Fantasy Tactics.
Did anyone happen to watch the Dick Clark special? We only tuned in for the last minute or so before the ball dropped but we could barely watch that. I feel so bad for Dick. It was just painful to watch him slurring his words and generally just looking OLD, unlike the ever-youthful robot that he appeared to be in years past. It was like he'd just started to open the Ark Of The Covenant but stopped himself.
Artist's Rendering Of Dick Clark Last Night
Yeah, I know he had a stroke a couple years ago but it was still really hard to watch him last night.
ANYWAY, speaking of resolutions, I'm actually trying to make some that I can stick to.
In no particular order, I'm going to do the following this year:
- Start swimming regularly (Julie's signing me up for the lane swim at the local pool on Thursday nights).
- Play through a lot of the backlog of games that I own instead of buying every shiny new trinket that comes down the pike.
- Read more (non-comic) books.
- Write more and hopefully get something finished by next Christmas so I can get it self-published and give it away as gifts.
- Cut waaaay back on the sweets that I eat. After the current batch of Christmas candy is gone, I want to eat healthy snacks like pretzels and raisins.
- Just eat and live a lot healthier than I have for the past, oh, 10 years.
- Beat Final Fantasy Tactics.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Doug And Jenn - Don't Read This Post!
I was out getting comics from the last couple weeks and noticed that the mystery store beside the Dragon was finally open. It had been empty for the better part of a year and then they started doing construction behind covered windows for the last couple months.
Well, it seems that what has gone into the empty store is a very nifty artisan cheese and bread store called Ouderkirk & Taylor. I'd link to their website but it seems to be down right now.
They have all sorts of awesome cheese made from raw milk and other crazy ingredients. They also have some baguettes. I got a baguette and some cheese today... for $26.
The baguette only cost $3. Do the math.
We are having people over tomorrow so I have to resist the urge to eat the creamy, creamy, oh-so-very creamy raw milk brie and the double cloth wrapped cheddar... mmmm....
This is a very special treat kind of place. I can kind of justify spending what I spent today because it's New Year's Eve...
Of course, if the baguette is delicious, I'll probably grab one when I'm getting my comics.
Well, it seems that what has gone into the empty store is a very nifty artisan cheese and bread store called Ouderkirk & Taylor. I'd link to their website but it seems to be down right now.
They have all sorts of awesome cheese made from raw milk and other crazy ingredients. They also have some baguettes. I got a baguette and some cheese today... for $26.
The baguette only cost $3. Do the math.
We are having people over tomorrow so I have to resist the urge to eat the creamy, creamy, oh-so-very creamy raw milk brie and the double cloth wrapped cheddar... mmmm....
This is a very special treat kind of place. I can kind of justify spending what I spent today because it's New Year's Eve...
Of course, if the baguette is delicious, I'll probably grab one when I'm getting my comics.
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone has a safe New Year's Eve and rings in 2008 without wrapping their car around a pole somewhere.
We're not doing much around Casa Del Wager tonight. Julie's probably going to go to bed around 10 and I'll stay up late filling out my EI benefits form and reading comics. Woo!
I'm hoping to snag a copy of Rock Band from the Movie Gallery tonight so that I'll have something to play when some friends come over tomorrow. We'll see though.
On a much more sombre note, it seems as though tragedy has struck in Acton today.
You heard it here first... I have the same head cold and sore throat that Julie & the kids suffered with for the majority of the last week. I expect that a fundraiser will be started to help me deal with the sore throat and runny nose that I'm experiencing during this most happy of seasons.
I take cash and paypal...
We're not doing much around Casa Del Wager tonight. Julie's probably going to go to bed around 10 and I'll stay up late filling out my EI benefits form and reading comics. Woo!
I'm hoping to snag a copy of Rock Band from the Movie Gallery tonight so that I'll have something to play when some friends come over tomorrow. We'll see though.
On a much more sombre note, it seems as though tragedy has struck in Acton today.
You heard it here first... I have the same head cold and sore throat that Julie & the kids suffered with for the majority of the last week. I expect that a fundraiser will be started to help me deal with the sore throat and runny nose that I'm experiencing during this most happy of seasons.
I take cash and paypal...
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Home Sweet Home
Yay! We're home!
*kisses floor*
Ew... I need to vacuum/disinfect/call a HazMat team.. I'm just happy to see that eveyrthing seems to be in proper working order and that the house isn't a pile of ash.
Now to attempt to unpack!
*kisses floor*
Ew... I need to vacuum/disinfect/call a HazMat team.. I'm just happy to see that eveyrthing seems to be in proper working order and that the house isn't a pile of ash.
Now to attempt to unpack!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
I'll Probably Skip This One
Found an awesome site today. The Will Ferrell Movie Generator!
Will Ferrell plays Streeter Morris, an egotistical, obnoxious wedding crasher at the top of his profession. He and his sidekick, played by Jack Black, seem invincible until their dominance is threatened by a new rival. Streeter Morris's excessive pride causes him to spiral downward to comical lows. When he is at the depths of despair, he removes his shirt and bellows,
"Your Buick is salty, like Thor's sparkling corn-cob pipe!"
After a wacky training process featuring a surprise cameo by Paul Rudd and a marginally-developed romantic subplot, he enters into a climactic showdown with his rival and emerges victorious - but not without learning a thing or two about friendship.
Estimated Opening Weekend Box Office Returns: $47.1 million
Will Ferrell plays Streeter Morris, an egotistical, obnoxious wedding crasher at the top of his profession. He and his sidekick, played by Jack Black, seem invincible until their dominance is threatened by a new rival. Streeter Morris's excessive pride causes him to spiral downward to comical lows. When he is at the depths of despair, he removes his shirt and bellows,
"Your Buick is salty, like Thor's sparkling corn-cob pipe!"
After a wacky training process featuring a surprise cameo by Paul Rudd and a marginally-developed romantic subplot, he enters into a climactic showdown with his rival and emerges victorious - but not without learning a thing or two about friendship.
Estimated Opening Weekend Box Office Returns: $47.1 million
Go Bunnio, Go!
This is alternately the most awesome video I've seen in a while and the cruelest. I started off laughing at the guy and by the end I was rooting him on.
The person who designed that course needs to be slapped and then hugged.
The person who designed that course needs to be slapped and then hugged.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
McCain's Pizza Is Evil
See the thread title.
I have come to quite enjoy McCain's International pizzas, especially the Canadian and the Parisian ones but dear Lord in Heaven, the regular pepperoni ones are the devil's handiwork. I probably haven't had one since I was in university because of the cardboard crust and nasty sauce but tonight, through no fault of my own, I got the chance to have another piece. I was hoping that they'd fixed the many faults of the pizza but nope.
It still tasted like cardboard and the sauce, if possible, tasted even worse! It was like the McCain's manufacturing plant had received an extra tonne or two of oregano and dumped the majority of it on our particular pizza.
Blechety blech blech blech.
To top things off, I think I burnt my mouth :(
Yup, it's time to call the Waaaahmbulance.
I have come to quite enjoy McCain's International pizzas, especially the Canadian and the Parisian ones but dear Lord in Heaven, the regular pepperoni ones are the devil's handiwork. I probably haven't had one since I was in university because of the cardboard crust and nasty sauce but tonight, through no fault of my own, I got the chance to have another piece. I was hoping that they'd fixed the many faults of the pizza but nope.
It still tasted like cardboard and the sauce, if possible, tasted even worse! It was like the McCain's manufacturing plant had received an extra tonne or two of oregano and dumped the majority of it on our particular pizza.
Blechety blech blech blech.
To top things off, I think I burnt my mouth :(
Yup, it's time to call the Waaaahmbulance.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I don't even know what happened to the last two days. It's a blur of turkey, wrapping paper and Zelda on the DS, with some Apples To Apples and some cranky kids thrown in for good measure.
I think it's Thursday... right?
I think it's Thursday... right?
Monday, December 24, 2007
Humilations Galore
Want to know the true meaning of defeat and humiliation? Try playing some Guitar Hero 3 against a 13 year old girl.
Ye gods. I was watching Julie's cousins play GH3 tonight while we were over there and I thought, "Psh. They're going DOWN."
Then I went up against Melissa and got demolished. Same when I tried going against Bruce. Blah. I usually feel like such a rock star when I play against people who come by my place but I have to realize that these kids play all day long.
It was really discouraging to see Melissa actually finish Through The Fire And The Flames on Expert. That's when I just handed the guitar controller back to the kids and slunk back upstairs to hang out with the adults...
Ye gods. I was watching Julie's cousins play GH3 tonight while we were over there and I thought, "Psh. They're going DOWN."
Then I went up against Melissa and got demolished. Same when I tried going against Bruce. Blah. I usually feel like such a rock star when I play against people who come by my place but I have to realize that these kids play all day long.
It was really discouraging to see Melissa actually finish Through The Fire And The Flames on Expert. That's when I just handed the guitar controller back to the kids and slunk back upstairs to hang out with the adults...
Christmas Cards From Game Developers
This is kind of cool. Gamasutra has compiled a list of all of the Christmas cards from the various game developers and publishers. Some of them are pretty funny (I love Bioware's Mass Effect meets Santa one).
Have A Virtual Reality Christmas!
This is an awesome vid that really shows how GOOD virtual reality for gaming and other applications is not very far off.
Crazy stuff!
Crazy stuff!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Still Alive For Christmas
Oh, good ol' Aperture Science. This is an awesome little site, especially if you log in as CJohnson with a tier3 password...
Note: If you haven't played Portal, this site won't be anywhere near as awesome.
Note: If you haven't played Portal, this site won't be anywhere near as awesome.
Friday, December 21, 2007
I'm Sure I've Seen These Around
I was debating about putting a big rant up about the "God Hates The World" song by the loathsome Westboro Baptist 'church', but instead I found an awesome site filled with loads of passive aggressive notes that are actually funny instead of bile-inducing.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Rockin Out At The CBC
Gotta love it when a game that isn't Halo 3 actually gets a news story on CBC. I waited until too late to start trying to preorder Rock Band and now it looks like I'll have to wait until a far-flung later date (and a significant lottery win) to get a copy of it.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Even Earlier Christmas In Acton
Uncle Dan & Garrett rocked out to Guitar Hero 3 for a bit on Saturday. Well, it was more like Keytar Hero for Garrett.
If only I had a copy of Rock Band... Sigh...
Garrett loved the set of Toddler Mutant Ninja Turtles that he got from Uncle Dan, Aunt Faith & Baby Silas. He now has giant rumbles with the Turtles vs. the combined might of the Marvel Universe.
Kara got a funky new hat.
And a ride in the laundry basket with her brother.
If only I had a copy of Rock Band... Sigh...
Garrett loved the set of Toddler Mutant Ninja Turtles that he got from Uncle Dan, Aunt Faith & Baby Silas. He now has giant rumbles with the Turtles vs. the combined might of the Marvel Universe.
Kara got a funky new hat.
And a ride in the laundry basket with her brother.
Early Christmas In Acton
Between the early Grace family Christmas last weekend and my not wanting to haul quite as much crap back and forth to Sarnia this week, Garrett has been able to get his hands on a few Christmas presents a bit earlier than usual.
I saw this at Zellers yesterday and Garrett couldn't stop drooling over it (and it was on sale) so we picked it up. Little did I know until we got home with it that it had something like 450 pieces to it.
Garrett spent the hour or so that it took me to put together the small (!) part of the secret base disassembling all of the figures that came with the set. I was very tempted to create some kind of horrible hybrid of Sandman, Venom and Mr. Policeman... so tempted.
Here's the finished product. It's actually a pretty cool little base with a rail system for distributing the, and I quote, "Pumpkin Bums" (not bombs, bums), to the launcher. If you look closely, you'll see that the center screen on the monitors on the second level is displaying the Blue Screen Of Death. Looks like Windows is unreliable even in Harry Osborne's secret lab.
I saw this at Zellers yesterday and Garrett couldn't stop drooling over it (and it was on sale) so we picked it up. Little did I know until we got home with it that it had something like 450 pieces to it.
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| From Christmas 2007 |
Garrett spent the hour or so that it took me to put together the small (!) part of the secret base disassembling all of the figures that came with the set. I was very tempted to create some kind of horrible hybrid of Sandman, Venom and Mr. Policeman... so tempted.
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| From Christmas 2007 |
Here's the finished product. It's actually a pretty cool little base with a rail system for distributing the, and I quote, "Pumpkin Bums" (not bombs, bums), to the launcher. If you look closely, you'll see that the center screen on the monitors on the second level is displaying the Blue Screen Of Death. Looks like Windows is unreliable even in Harry Osborne's secret lab.
It's Not My Annual Videogame Expenditures, But It's Close
Of the many and varied reasons to be happy that I'm Canadian, this ranks right up there.
Hit F5 a few times to let the point sink in...
Hit F5 a few times to let the point sink in...
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Wondermark FTW!
I've started reading a new webcomic called Wondermark and couldn't resist sharing this strip. There's a reason I try to stay out of malls and such during November/December.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
It's Like Real Life Dig-Dug
I just spent the past hour and a half shoveling my walkway, the path in front of the house and a large part of the driveway, along with helping a bunch of other people in our parking lot get unstuck coming and going.
I wish, oh how I wish, that I didn't have to go to work today... but I do have to. Sigh. At least it's my LAST SHIFT EVAR!!! Or until April, which, right now, is close enough.
The sucky part is that I couldn't make it to church this morning for the big Celtic Christmas celebrations that we do every year. I like going because it gives me a chance to see the old worship leader who took all of the good music with him when he left :)
I couldn't justify possibly dying on the roads in order to drive to Mississauga though. Oh well.
I wish, oh how I wish, that I didn't have to go to work today... but I do have to. Sigh. At least it's my LAST SHIFT EVAR!!! Or until April, which, right now, is close enough.
The sucky part is that I couldn't make it to church this morning for the big Celtic Christmas celebrations that we do every year. I like going because it gives me a chance to see the old worship leader who took all of the good music with him when he left :)
I couldn't justify possibly dying on the roads in order to drive to Mississauga though. Oh well.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Look! It's A Girly Looking Hero In A Final Fantasy Game That's Actual A Girl!
Man. These videos for the upcoming FFXIII games are really, really nice... I need to stop watching things like this to keep myself from trying to figure out which of my kids I could sell in order to afford a PS3.
Friday, December 14, 2007
WWRD? (What Would Rincewind Do?)
Arg! It seems as though my favouritest author in the whole wide world, Mr. Terry Pratchett, has early onset Alzheimer's. ARG!
Granted, it's not like he's suffered from a lack of books. Discworld is now, what, 30 some-odd titles long and he has a slew of other books to boot.
Gotta love his spunk though.
"Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful," he continued, saying it was "too soon to tell" if the condition was immediately life-threatening.
"I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think.
"I know it's a very human thing to say 'Is there anything I can do?' but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry."
Granted, it's not like he's suffered from a lack of books. Discworld is now, what, 30 some-odd titles long and he has a slew of other books to boot.
Gotta love his spunk though.
"Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful," he continued, saying it was "too soon to tell" if the condition was immediately life-threatening.
"I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think.
"I know it's a very human thing to say 'Is there anything I can do?' but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry."
Up All Night...
So I'm sitting here, Mass Effect is finished and the episode of X-Play on TV has already been on 3 times tonight...
Now, answer me, dear Kara. WHY WON'T YOU GO TO SLEEP?! I have to work the overnight shift tomorrow, so feel free to cry into the phone to keep me up then, but for tonight, I'd really like to get some shut-eye!
Edit@4:49am: She was wide awake and crawling all over the place until about 4 or so. Then she fell over, bonked her head and started crying until Julie came down to see what was going on.
Of course, I'm wide awake now. Grr. I got some stuff finished up for the weekend so I'm going to go hit the hay. At least I've got some practice for tomorrow night.
Now, answer me, dear Kara. WHY WON'T YOU GO TO SLEEP?! I have to work the overnight shift tomorrow, so feel free to cry into the phone to keep me up then, but for tonight, I'd really like to get some shut-eye!
Edit@4:49am: She was wide awake and crawling all over the place until about 4 or so. Then she fell over, bonked her head and started crying until Julie came down to see what was going on.
Of course, I'm wide awake now. Grr. I got some stuff finished up for the weekend so I'm going to go hit the hay. At least I've got some practice for tomorrow night.
Massively Effective
After a couple weeks of staying up late and waking up on the couch at 4am, I've finally finished Mass Effect. Awesome game. I haven't been that enthralled by a big RPG in ages.
First run through clocked in at around 42 hours or so, but that was with finishing pretty much every sidequest aside from the survey quest.
Now to play through it again as a Renegade. Mwahaha... I was nice the first time, galaxy... Now I can be a jerk!
First run through clocked in at around 42 hours or so, but that was with finishing pretty much every sidequest aside from the survey quest.
Now to play through it again as a Renegade. Mwahaha... I was nice the first time, galaxy... Now I can be a jerk!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
4 More Days
I only have 4 days of work left and I STILL have to do the overnight shift, even though I was sure I'd be done doing them after last week's!
Sigh.
I can't wait for 11pm on Sunday... I don't go back to work until April!
Sigh.
I can't wait for 11pm on Sunday... I don't go back to work until April!
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Saturday, December 08, 2007
It's A Girl!
Some of you might not know that Dave & Kate were expecting (since I don't think they've updated their blog for a good year or two) but they had a baby girl on Thursday!
Congrats, Dave & Kate!
They named her Buffy Sundin Wager.
Congrats, Dave & Kate!
They named her Buffy Sundin Wager.
I Heart Value Village
I went out to Value Village in Guelph with one of the guys from work the other day to get some winter clothes. It's been a while since I was there and I ended up with a couple good finds.
1) A pair of Reebok sneakers (black) for $7. I had almost bought a pair of sneakers a couple days before at SportChek for some obscene amount of money but thankfully resisted the urge to have a nice pair of Reeboks. I go to Value Village and find a pair of sneakers that are pretty much the epitome of what I concider a perfect shoe. I loved the old Reebok Hexalite shoes but they haven't made them in ages. I don't think that the shoes that I found were Hexalites but they're pretty close.
2) The coolest toy ever:
Now, it's missing most of the extra pieces but it's still awesome. Garrett is having a blast playing with it and I just like opening and closing it.
The scary thing is that I only paid $4 for it and after looking up some specs on the toy, I'm finding that several collector sites are selling it for anywhere between $88-175 US. EEP!
1) A pair of Reebok sneakers (black) for $7. I had almost bought a pair of sneakers a couple days before at SportChek for some obscene amount of money but thankfully resisted the urge to have a nice pair of Reeboks. I go to Value Village and find a pair of sneakers that are pretty much the epitome of what I concider a perfect shoe. I loved the old Reebok Hexalite shoes but they haven't made them in ages. I don't think that the shoes that I found were Hexalites but they're pretty close.
2) The coolest toy ever:
Now, it's missing most of the extra pieces but it's still awesome. Garrett is having a blast playing with it and I just like opening and closing it.
The scary thing is that I only paid $4 for it and after looking up some specs on the toy, I'm finding that several collector sites are selling it for anywhere between $88-175 US. EEP!
I'll Take Your Season's Greetings And Shove Them Up Your Happy Holidays
Talk about synchronicity. I'm not a huge fan of almost anything to do with Focus On The Family or Mr. James Dobson, but this video came to my attention today just before I was about to make a big post about Happy Holidays/Season's Greetings driving me nuts. This guy says it much better than I could.
The whole 'Holiday/Seasons Greetings' thing has really gotten under my skin this year, if only because it seems that NOBODY says Christmas this year, at least on the radio or TV. The thing that gets me is that many of the people I know that celebrate Christmas do it for the secular side of the holiday (getting gifts, having family over for a big meal), not because of the fact it's Jesus' birthday. Sigh.
I won't tell you how hard it was to get a photo Christmas card that actually said Merry Christmas...
The whole 'Holiday/Seasons Greetings' thing has really gotten under my skin this year, if only because it seems that NOBODY says Christmas this year, at least on the radio or TV. The thing that gets me is that many of the people I know that celebrate Christmas do it for the secular side of the holiday (getting gifts, having family over for a big meal), not because of the fact it's Jesus' birthday. Sigh.
I won't tell you how hard it was to get a photo Christmas card that actually said Merry Christmas...
Friday, December 07, 2007
I Beseech Thee, Oh Great Shoelace Gods!
I have had the worst luck with shoelaces over the past few months. It's driving me absolutely bonkers. No matter what I spend on shoes and replacement shoelaces, they keep untying themselves on a constant basis.
I could be standing in one spot, not moving a muscle and the shoelaces will STILL come untied. I've tried a few different types of shoelaces and no matter what I do, bam... they're undone.
I need to find a good cloth shoelace with zero nylon content. I don't like double-knotting the shoelaces as it's a pain to get them undone later, but it's almost worth doing to keep my sanity in check.
I could be standing in one spot, not moving a muscle and the shoelaces will STILL come untied. I've tried a few different types of shoelaces and no matter what I do, bam... they're undone.
I need to find a good cloth shoelace with zero nylon content. I don't like double-knotting the shoelaces as it's a pain to get them undone later, but it's almost worth doing to keep my sanity in check.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
It's Only Free Speech If They're Saying What You Want To Hear
This news story makes me so... annoyed.
Muslim Students File Rights Complaint Over Maclean's Article.
I read that article and while I won't fawn over Mark Steyn's use of the english language, it wasn't particularly negative. It wasn't particularly positive either, but it was basically outlining what he saw as an inevitable shift in the predominance of Western Christianity and governments/cultures based on that foundation to a culture founded on the tenets of Islam.
Maybe it's just me, I wouldn't feel personally victimized if someone wrote an article on radical Christianity and people who do crazy things in the name of faith.
At least a few people have their heads bolted on straight in this whole affair.
Muslim Students File Rights Complaint Over Maclean's Article.
I read that article and while I won't fawn over Mark Steyn's use of the english language, it wasn't particularly negative. It wasn't particularly positive either, but it was basically outlining what he saw as an inevitable shift in the predominance of Western Christianity and governments/cultures based on that foundation to a culture founded on the tenets of Islam.
The article discusses the high birth rate among Muslims and speculates that Islamic people could become the majority population in Europe. It also says some Muslims are violent radicals...
"To say that we share the same basic goals as terrorists … if you look at the theme of the article in the context, it is putting that label on all of us and I felt personally victimized," he said.
Maybe it's just me, I wouldn't feel personally victimized if someone wrote an article on radical Christianity and people who do crazy things in the name of faith.
At least a few people have their heads bolted on straight in this whole affair.
But Sohail Raza, a representative of the Muslim Canadian Congress, said Maclean's had the right to publish the article.
"This is Canada, not Sudan, Egypt or Pakistan, where the press is stifled," he said. "There is absolute freedom of expression and people have an opportunity to voice their opinion."
Alan Borovoy of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said the organization is concerned about the human rights complaints process.
It's too easy to claim an article may subject a group to hate or contempt under commission rules, Borovoy said.
"Even truthful articles describing some of the awful situations in this world could run afoul of this law, it is so broad and such a potential threat to freedom of speech," he said.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
One More Trip Around The Sun
It's my Dad's birthday today! The lucky guy had the church choir sing him Happy Birthday. It's hard to top that... but this one's for you, Dad.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
My list...
On the Things I Hate And Want To Slap With A Large Fish list of one Mister Brock J.P. Wager:
1) The city of Kitchener
2) The city of Waterloo
3) People who live in either Kitchener or Waterloo and feel the need to correct you if you say the wrong city when explaining where they live.
4) Whatever drunken monkey it was who designed the streets in Hamilton.
5) The song, "Go Tell It On The Mountain".
6) The penultimate assassinations in Assassin's Creed.
7) HD cable providers who drop Discovery HD from my bundle and stick A&E HD in there instead.
1) The city of Kitchener
2) The city of Waterloo
3) People who live in either Kitchener or Waterloo and feel the need to correct you if you say the wrong city when explaining where they live.
4) Whatever drunken monkey it was who designed the streets in Hamilton.
5) The song, "Go Tell It On The Mountain".
6) The penultimate assassinations in Assassin's Creed.
7) HD cable providers who drop Discovery HD from my bundle and stick A&E HD in there instead.
I Want My Discovery HD
What is it with me and customer service this week. First I get the crappiest meal ever served at Swiss Chalet, now I have stuff go on with my HD cable!
A day or two ago, we started getting a message when we tried watching Discovery HD that said something along the lines of "This channel not available. Press info for more..."
Of course, pressing Info didn't tell us anything so tonight I called Cogeco to see if it was just some weird thing going on with the cable. Turns out that Cogeco had a glitch in their system FOR THE LAST YEAR that had Discovery HD (and HDNet, which is some channel I have never even glanced at) lumped in with the standard HD cable bundle. So now I get A&E HD (woop de doo) but in order to watch Discovery HD, I have to pay an extra $6/month. I can't get it any other way.
Grr...
On the one hand, I probably spend more on coffee in a week than that and we could easily afford it. On the other, it's really annoying that one of the, if not THE, best HD channel is now something I have to pay extra for after a year of getting it lumped in with the standard HD stuff.
Sigh. At least I get 2 months of it for free before I have to decide if it's worth dropping the extra $6/month on it or not.
A day or two ago, we started getting a message when we tried watching Discovery HD that said something along the lines of "This channel not available. Press info for more..."
Of course, pressing Info didn't tell us anything so tonight I called Cogeco to see if it was just some weird thing going on with the cable. Turns out that Cogeco had a glitch in their system FOR THE LAST YEAR that had Discovery HD (and HDNet, which is some channel I have never even glanced at) lumped in with the standard HD cable bundle. So now I get A&E HD (woop de doo) but in order to watch Discovery HD, I have to pay an extra $6/month. I can't get it any other way.
Grr...
On the one hand, I probably spend more on coffee in a week than that and we could easily afford it. On the other, it's really annoying that one of the, if not THE, best HD channel is now something I have to pay extra for after a year of getting it lumped in with the standard HD stuff.
Sigh. At least I get 2 months of it for free before I have to decide if it's worth dropping the extra $6/month on it or not.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
(Not So) Finger Lickin' Good
We went out to Swiss Chalet for some evangelical chicken after church today with Ralph & Louise. Boy howdy, did we ever make a mistake going to the one in Milton. I have had sub-par meals before, especially at Swiss Chalet, but this one had me firing off a very nasty message (via their customer survey).
Here's what I wrote in the "Tell us about your experience" box.
Here's what I wrote in the "Tell us about your experience" box.
This was one of the most disappointing meals I have had at your restaurant.
Aside from the greeter at the door, none of the other servers seemed to acknowledge our existence once we were seated. Our server was very slow, had to be reminded constantly (when he'd show up) about missing utensils, drink refills, desserts (with the kids meal), etc. To top this all off, our food was cold and undercooked (aside from the vegetables which were cold and OVERcooked).
And this was at 11:30am on a Sunday morning when there were 2 or 3 other tables with customers in the restaurant. This kind of experience may have been excusable during a busy dinner rush but the servers were all standing around the bar chatting for a large part of our meal, so busyness was not a valid excuse for the poor service and food temperature.
Even the finger bowls at the end of the meal were frigid instead of warm.
If it weren't for the fact that I quite enjoy Swiss Chalet chicken and the yummy dipping sauce, I'd be sorely tempted to never go back again. That said, I will not be going there for some time and will definately tell my friends and family about my lackluster dining experience today.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Frackin' Toasters
I'm not sure how many of the 4 of you who read my blog are Battlestar Galactica fans, but if you are, the prequel movie, Razor, is on tonight at 9pm on Space.
Now the question is whether to watch it in not-HD on the TV whenever I get a chance OR if I should just watch the HD version I'm downloading either on my PC or the PSP.
Now the question is whether to watch it in not-HD on the TV whenever I get a chance OR if I should just watch the HD version I'm downloading either on my PC or the PSP.
Santa Has A Crystal Ball
We told Garrett that Santa can see him from the North Pole so he'd better be a good boy, to which he responded, "No he can't!"
This morning, he'd changed his tune. Odd...
Anyway, here is Garrett's letter to Santa as dictated to me.
This morning, he'd changed his tune. Odd...
Anyway, here is Garrett's letter to Santa as dictated to me.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Win Free Stuff!
There's a cool contest over at Dell where you can win all sorts of cool stuff... if you're luckier than me.
CLICKY!
I almost won a camera, an Xbox 360 and a new TV/Monitor (I love the fact that you can now use those terms interchangably) but missed it by ONE stupid icon.
Grr...
EDIT: It would have really helped if I'd PUT THE LINK IN THERE... Stupid stupid stupid...
CLICKY!
I almost won a camera, an Xbox 360 and a new TV/Monitor (I love the fact that you can now use those terms interchangably) but missed it by ONE stupid icon.
Grr...
EDIT: It would have really helped if I'd PUT THE LINK IN THERE... Stupid stupid stupid...
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Look Out Maggie!
Our newest snowsuit model has arrived.
When she's not braving the tundra, Kara's busy wrangling cattle (and her big brother).
When she's not braving the tundra, Kara's busy wrangling cattle (and her big brother).
Sunday, November 18, 2007
G&D Comics Presents:
Garrett & I spent part of the afternoon making a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic. Julie says I missed my calling... I think it was more of a wrong number :)
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| From Comics By Gar... |
Friday, November 16, 2007
Call Her Miss Chompers
Kara cut her first tooth today while I was at work.
To celebrate her coming of age, I'm going to get her this fancy outfit and put her to work :)
To celebrate her coming of age, I'm going to get her this fancy outfit and put her to work :)
Thursday, November 15, 2007
HA HA HA! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Oh my lord. You know people are just a wee bit touched in the head when they start doing things like this and think that it's perfectly fine. Stupid political correctness. I thought we'd already moved past that insanity and regained a bit of perspective and common sense. At least it's happening in Australia and not Canada, but you know it could easily happen here.
----
SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.
Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.
One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.
"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.
"We are talking about little kids who do not understand that "ho, ho, ho" has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the Telegraph.
"Leave Santa alone."
A local spokesman for the US-based Westaff recruitment firm said it was "misleading" to say the company had banned Santa's traditional greeting and it was being left up to the discretion of the individual Santa himself.
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SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.
Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.
One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.
"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.
"We are talking about little kids who do not understand that "ho, ho, ho" has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the Telegraph.
"Leave Santa alone."
A local spokesman for the US-based Westaff recruitment firm said it was "misleading" to say the company had banned Santa's traditional greeting and it was being left up to the discretion of the individual Santa himself.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Why Call Of Duty 4 Is Awesome
Three little words: Death From Above
Easily my favourite mission in the game so far. You play as an operator on an AC-130 'Spooky' gunship and it is played out entirely in black and white thermal vision.
It's hard to explain, but it's just awesome. Heck, here's the video.
I think it's also the fact that you're playing as a weapons operator on a plane WITH A 105mm HOWITZER STRAPPED ON THE SIDE. Whoever thought that configuration up must have been trying to compensate for something!
I mean... it's a plane with 40mm cannons and a couple of 25mm machine guns and you stick a howitzer on it? Yeesh.
The game also has one of the most addictive multiplayer components I've ever played, so it's just that much more goodness added onto the great singleplayer campaign.
Easily my favourite mission in the game so far. You play as an operator on an AC-130 'Spooky' gunship and it is played out entirely in black and white thermal vision.
It's hard to explain, but it's just awesome. Heck, here's the video.
I think it's also the fact that you're playing as a weapons operator on a plane WITH A 105mm HOWITZER STRAPPED ON THE SIDE. Whoever thought that configuration up must have been trying to compensate for something!
I mean... it's a plane with 40mm cannons and a couple of 25mm machine guns and you stick a howitzer on it? Yeesh.
The game also has one of the most addictive multiplayer components I've ever played, so it's just that much more goodness added onto the great singleplayer campaign.
Burn That Money!
Over the last couple of weeks, I've gotten hooked on Dragon's Den on CBC. Now, I've got the business savvy of a sea cucumber (and that's an insult to the sea cucumber) and I tend to loathe reality TV in general, but this show has its claws into me.
I think it's a combination of the crazy inventions/businesses that are pitched on the show and the fact that it's like watching a contest judged by a panel consisting solely of Simon Cowells that has me loving the show. There are some genuinely good ideas being pitched and some that are absolutely batty... I loved the guy tonight who was trying to get investors into his gold mine... that happened to be under a lake that he couldn't drain or do anything else to.
It's also interesting to get a glimpse into the minds of these high rollers in the business world and to see what they're looking for in a company and try to figure out whether something that I think is a good idea is one that they'll go for.
Anyone else digging this show?
I think it's a combination of the crazy inventions/businesses that are pitched on the show and the fact that it's like watching a contest judged by a panel consisting solely of Simon Cowells that has me loving the show. There are some genuinely good ideas being pitched and some that are absolutely batty... I loved the guy tonight who was trying to get investors into his gold mine... that happened to be under a lake that he couldn't drain or do anything else to.
It's also interesting to get a glimpse into the minds of these high rollers in the business world and to see what they're looking for in a company and try to figure out whether something that I think is a good idea is one that they'll go for.
Anyone else digging this show?
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Lest We Forget
It's Remembrance Day.
Maclean's has a fantastic article in their issue from last week where they published the last letters home from several of the fallen Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. It really brings the cost of the war home when you read them.
We have to remember that November 11th isn't just about the men & women who died in WWII. It's about those still serving and dying today too.
Maclean's has a fantastic article in their issue from last week where they published the last letters home from several of the fallen Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. It really brings the cost of the war home when you read them.
We have to remember that November 11th isn't just about the men & women who died in WWII. It's about those still serving and dying today too.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
A Tale Of Two Fishies
Well, the poll is closed. In the end, it turned out that one Tiger Barb died, but that was due to... well, I'm not sure. We just found it sucked up against the side of the intake for the filter, so I guess he just didn't have the will to live.
Thankfully I was able to take it back to the store and get a new one. I tried to trade it in at EB but they wouldn't take it. Sigh.
Speaking of death, Garrett was asking me about my poppy yesterday. I explained that it was to remember the soldiers who died so that we could be free. Then he got worried that I was dead. Then I ate his brains.
I mean, I explained to him that I wasn't dead and he gave me a hug and it was cool.
Speaking of zombies, Kara's voice is still pretty raspy. She still sounds like a drowned kitten but otherwise she's doing fairly well. Julie took her in for a check-up yesterday and it seems like it's mostly a head cold. Hopefully the fevers will go away and if everything goes well, she should be better by the end of the weekend.
Thankfully I was able to take it back to the store and get a new one. I tried to trade it in at EB but they wouldn't take it. Sigh.
Speaking of death, Garrett was asking me about my poppy yesterday. I explained that it was to remember the soldiers who died so that we could be free. Then he got worried that I was dead. Then I ate his brains.
I mean, I explained to him that I wasn't dead and he gave me a hug and it was cool.
Speaking of zombies, Kara's voice is still pretty raspy. She still sounds like a drowned kitten but otherwise she's doing fairly well. Julie took her in for a check-up yesterday and it seems like it's mostly a head cold. Hopefully the fevers will go away and if everything goes well, she should be better by the end of the weekend.
Friday, November 09, 2007
24: The Unaired Pilot
24 was recently put on the shelf pending the resolution of the Writer's Guild Strike. I'm not really crying too hard because of the strike as it's freeing up a lot of my time that I'd used to spend watching TV (and given the deluge of big games out this month, that's a good thing).
Anyway, the unaired 1994 pilot episode of 24 was recently uncovered. Check it out. It's pretty good, though I'm glad the show didn't end up getting produced until 2001.
Anyway, the unaired 1994 pilot episode of 24 was recently uncovered. Check it out. It's pretty good, though I'm glad the show didn't end up getting produced until 2001.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Sick Kids
So it's the kids' time to get sick around here. Garrett has been a little hoarse for the last couple days and Kara sounds like a sick puppy when she cries. It's just such a pathetic little whimper, my heart just breaks when she cries these days.
Of course, she's super happy most of the time. Whatever she has just seems to be bugging her throat and she is up a bit more than usual at night but otherwise, she's just coughing up some phlegm. She's off to the doctor tomorrow anyway, so we'll see how things are.
Garrett's been going to bed fine this week (yay) but he has also been in our bed when I get out of the shower at 6:30 in the morning before work. Sigh.
I just hope he stays asleep till at least 7 tomorrow morning. I'm doing the overnight tomorrow so I wouldn't mind getting a bit of extra sleep in the morning so I can make it through the night!
Of course, she's super happy most of the time. Whatever she has just seems to be bugging her throat and she is up a bit more than usual at night but otherwise, she's just coughing up some phlegm. She's off to the doctor tomorrow anyway, so we'll see how things are.
Garrett's been going to bed fine this week (yay) but he has also been in our bed when I get out of the shower at 6:30 in the morning before work. Sigh.
I just hope he stays asleep till at least 7 tomorrow morning. I'm doing the overnight tomorrow so I wouldn't mind getting a bit of extra sleep in the morning so I can make it through the night!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Game Reviews By Brock!
Just wanted to put a few blurbs up about some of the games I've played recently or am looking forward to.
The Simpsons Game: I just finished this tonight and it is a fantastic game. The cutscenes are hilarious and the game is pretty funny from start to finish. It's not terribly difficult but it is rather fun and as a gamer, it's loaded with stuff that had me chuckling at almost every turn. For a non-gamer, it might not be quite so droll, but it's pretty sweet all in all.
Call of Duty 4: I just grabbed this today and haven't put a lot of time into it but it's phenomenal. The singleplayer campaign is pretty good so far (though my aim stinks) and the multiplayer component is almost like an RPG in the way you earn points and level up after each match depending on your performance. It's a much deeper game than Halo 3's multiplayer component.
Final Fantasy Tactics - War Of The Lions: This is a fantastic PSP port of the original Final Fantasy Tactics game for the PS1! The cutscenes have been done up in a kind of anime style which is gorgeous to look at and the translation actually makes sense now. The Job System is still there in all its glory, which makes me very happy. I'm hoping that I'll be able to actually finish the game this time around... I've only been trying to do so for the last 10 years... sigh.
Phoenix Wright - Trials & Tribulations: I just finished this last night and it was a great finale to the Phoenix Wright trilogy of lawyer adventure games. Great cases, great characters and twists and turns abounding. Now to eagerly await the 4th installment of the Ace Attorney series whenever it hits North America next year.
Guitar Hero 3: Wireless guitar? Check. Online co-op and battle modes? Check. Great song list? Check. 'Nuff said.
Zack & Wiki: An awesome point & click adventure title on the Wii with great use of the motion sensitive controls to solve puzzles. And it's about pirates. What more can you ask for? I love this game but I'm stuck. Sigh.
Upcoming games:
Silent Hill Origins: This should be in tomorrow or Thursday and my copy is paid off, so I'll be able to post some impressions when it hits. All I know is that it's portable, it's Silent Hill and it's a prequel to the series. When the only real complaints I've read are that it's not breaking the mold (a la Silent Hill 4) and that the combat sucks (which is almost a prerequisite for a Silent Hill game) then I'm pretty stoked for the game.
Assassin's Creed: Prince of Persia-style acrobatics in a wide open city set in medieval Jerusalem with some kind of science fiction twist? Sign me up. I've had my copy paid off for months and this will be my penultimate game for the year when it hits next week.
Mass Effect: My final game on my preorder list and paid off in full is this hum-dinger of a sci-fi RPG. If nothing else, this should keep me quite busy during the winter months when the kids are sleeping during the day. HA! I'm actually pretty interested in this game as I read the prequel novel that came out earlier this year and the universe they've created is pretty interesting. Add to that the fact that it's an RPG that doesn't involve me fighting dragons or japanese girly men and I'm intrigued.
And that's about it. Super Mario Galaxy is out next week but I'm just going to be renting it, along with a stack of other games that I'd like to try but just can't afford as it's coming up on Christmas and my parental leave starts soon.
Did I mention that I hate October and November? It's like the game publishers can't sell any games outside of those two months. Yeesh.
The Simpsons Game: I just finished this tonight and it is a fantastic game. The cutscenes are hilarious and the game is pretty funny from start to finish. It's not terribly difficult but it is rather fun and as a gamer, it's loaded with stuff that had me chuckling at almost every turn. For a non-gamer, it might not be quite so droll, but it's pretty sweet all in all.
Call of Duty 4: I just grabbed this today and haven't put a lot of time into it but it's phenomenal. The singleplayer campaign is pretty good so far (though my aim stinks) and the multiplayer component is almost like an RPG in the way you earn points and level up after each match depending on your performance. It's a much deeper game than Halo 3's multiplayer component.
Final Fantasy Tactics - War Of The Lions: This is a fantastic PSP port of the original Final Fantasy Tactics game for the PS1! The cutscenes have been done up in a kind of anime style which is gorgeous to look at and the translation actually makes sense now. The Job System is still there in all its glory, which makes me very happy. I'm hoping that I'll be able to actually finish the game this time around... I've only been trying to do so for the last 10 years... sigh.
Phoenix Wright - Trials & Tribulations: I just finished this last night and it was a great finale to the Phoenix Wright trilogy of lawyer adventure games. Great cases, great characters and twists and turns abounding. Now to eagerly await the 4th installment of the Ace Attorney series whenever it hits North America next year.
Guitar Hero 3: Wireless guitar? Check. Online co-op and battle modes? Check. Great song list? Check. 'Nuff said.
Zack & Wiki: An awesome point & click adventure title on the Wii with great use of the motion sensitive controls to solve puzzles. And it's about pirates. What more can you ask for? I love this game but I'm stuck. Sigh.
Upcoming games:
Silent Hill Origins: This should be in tomorrow or Thursday and my copy is paid off, so I'll be able to post some impressions when it hits. All I know is that it's portable, it's Silent Hill and it's a prequel to the series. When the only real complaints I've read are that it's not breaking the mold (a la Silent Hill 4) and that the combat sucks (which is almost a prerequisite for a Silent Hill game) then I'm pretty stoked for the game.
Assassin's Creed: Prince of Persia-style acrobatics in a wide open city set in medieval Jerusalem with some kind of science fiction twist? Sign me up. I've had my copy paid off for months and this will be my penultimate game for the year when it hits next week.
Mass Effect: My final game on my preorder list and paid off in full is this hum-dinger of a sci-fi RPG. If nothing else, this should keep me quite busy during the winter months when the kids are sleeping during the day. HA! I'm actually pretty interested in this game as I read the prequel novel that came out earlier this year and the universe they've created is pretty interesting. Add to that the fact that it's an RPG that doesn't involve me fighting dragons or japanese girly men and I'm intrigued.
And that's about it. Super Mario Galaxy is out next week but I'm just going to be renting it, along with a stack of other games that I'd like to try but just can't afford as it's coming up on Christmas and my parental leave starts soon.
Did I mention that I hate October and November? It's like the game publishers can't sell any games outside of those two months. Yeesh.
What's The Buzz?
I took Garrett to see Bee Movie today while Julie was watching Dan In Real Life with her mom class.
Long story short: Wait for it to come out on DVD and give it a rent. It was a perfectly fine movie but it just rang really hollow. The scenes where the bees are flying out and about in New York City are quite impressive but everything else just seems off... Sort of like Shark Tale. The dialogue was written so that it was pretty funny for me but I can't see how any kid is really going to enjoy most of the plot and/or dialogue. Add to that the fact that there just isn't enough action going on to really grab the kids and it adds up to a very uneven film as to who its audience is.
I mean, a large portion of the film takes place in a courtroom and revolves around a lawsuit. That doesn't tend to make for riveting children's entertainment.
On the flipside, we also picked up Ratatouille on DVD today. Now THAT is a great movie. Easily my favourite film from the summer, hands down. We were going to get it for Garrett for Christmas but he saw it while we were picking it out of the display at Wal-Mart and that was the end of that plan. I just hope they wait until I get home from work tomorrow to start watching it.
If you haven't seen Ratatouille, go rent it ASAP, whether you have kids or not. It's just a rock solid film.
Long story short: Wait for it to come out on DVD and give it a rent. It was a perfectly fine movie but it just rang really hollow. The scenes where the bees are flying out and about in New York City are quite impressive but everything else just seems off... Sort of like Shark Tale. The dialogue was written so that it was pretty funny for me but I can't see how any kid is really going to enjoy most of the plot and/or dialogue. Add to that the fact that there just isn't enough action going on to really grab the kids and it adds up to a very uneven film as to who its audience is.
I mean, a large portion of the film takes place in a courtroom and revolves around a lawsuit. That doesn't tend to make for riveting children's entertainment.
On the flipside, we also picked up Ratatouille on DVD today. Now THAT is a great movie. Easily my favourite film from the summer, hands down. We were going to get it for Garrett for Christmas but he saw it while we were picking it out of the display at Wal-Mart and that was the end of that plan. I just hope they wait until I get home from work tomorrow to start watching it.
If you haven't seen Ratatouille, go rent it ASAP, whether you have kids or not. It's just a rock solid film.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Must Control Fist Of Rage
From the Hillbilly Neighbour Files - Case #5892:
At around 7pm (bedtime) last night, we started to hear horrible squealing sounds coming through the wall accompanied by some nasty hammering. My neighbours have a penchant for engaging in late-night weekend renovations but this was just ridiculous.
It was only 7pm, so I decided to give them until 9pm to stop unless it got crazy.
The noise levels were rather low until about 8:30pm or so. At this point the squealing of the concrete drill and hammering started again. I was watching a movie at this point and was going to give them until about 9:30 but I couldn't take it anymore by about 9:20.
I stomped over to the neighbour's door, politely rap on their door and wait for them to answer the door.
When they do, I say, in as calm and pleasant a voice as I can muster, "Hi there. I just wanted to know if you were going to be finished hammering anytime soon."
Now at this point the average human with a modicum of neighbourly feelings would say something along the lines of, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize we were being so loud. We'll just finish up in a few minutes and you won't hear a peep out of us until tomorrow."
Of course, these neighbours of mine give sea urchins a run for their money in the social skills category. And that's a bit of a slight towards the sea urchins.
What is the first thing to come out of my hillbilly neighbour's mouth?
"It's not 11 yet." (11pm being the noise bylaw cutoff time in our complex.)
It took all of my reserve not to just pop him in the nose right there. I somehow kept my cool and politely reminded him that we had kids trying to sleep and thankfully they did keep the drilling and hammering to a dull roar, but man...
At around 7pm (bedtime) last night, we started to hear horrible squealing sounds coming through the wall accompanied by some nasty hammering. My neighbours have a penchant for engaging in late-night weekend renovations but this was just ridiculous.
It was only 7pm, so I decided to give them until 9pm to stop unless it got crazy.
The noise levels were rather low until about 8:30pm or so. At this point the squealing of the concrete drill and hammering started again. I was watching a movie at this point and was going to give them until about 9:30 but I couldn't take it anymore by about 9:20.
I stomped over to the neighbour's door, politely rap on their door and wait for them to answer the door.
When they do, I say, in as calm and pleasant a voice as I can muster, "Hi there. I just wanted to know if you were going to be finished hammering anytime soon."
Now at this point the average human with a modicum of neighbourly feelings would say something along the lines of, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize we were being so loud. We'll just finish up in a few minutes and you won't hear a peep out of us until tomorrow."
Of course, these neighbours of mine give sea urchins a run for their money in the social skills category. And that's a bit of a slight towards the sea urchins.
What is the first thing to come out of my hillbilly neighbour's mouth?
"It's not 11 yet." (11pm being the noise bylaw cutoff time in our complex.)
It took all of my reserve not to just pop him in the nose right there. I somehow kept my cool and politely reminded him that we had kids trying to sleep and thankfully they did keep the drilling and hammering to a dull roar, but man...
Friday, November 02, 2007
Something Fishy This Way Comes
There's a new poll up over yonder. I picked up 5 tiger barb fish for the aquarium (Kara loves looking at the fishies swimming around at night) and from the instant I put them into the tank, they started chasing my poor Neons around.
Come and vote on who/what you think the results will be at the end of a week. I hope it's peaceful cohabitation... I just need to remember to feed the fish daily.
Come and vote on who/what you think the results will be at the end of a week. I hope it's peaceful cohabitation... I just need to remember to feed the fish daily.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Spooooky Pics
Julie made these for the potluck snackathon at the Early Years Center yesterday.
Here's Donatello!
Kara was on deck to hand out candy and get ideas for costumes for next year.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Hallowe'en Strikes Back
Garrett finally got to go trick or treating with his Donatello costume (pictures coming soon) and we raked in 3 bags of candy.
It took us about an hour and a half to 2 hours. Ah, the joys of living in the part of town with all of the townhouses. You can do in an hour what most people take 4 to do...
It took us about an hour and a half to 2 hours. Ah, the joys of living in the part of town with all of the townhouses. You can do in an hour what most people take 4 to do...
Basic Instructions
I found a new webcomic the other day and absolutely love it.
It's called Basic Instructions... and is hilarious in a very dry kind of way.
I found a couple of them that I figured worked quite well.
#1 - This must be what Julie feels like when I get arguementative.
#2 - This conversation looms large in Dave's future. I guarantee it.
It's called Basic Instructions... and is hilarious in a very dry kind of way.
I found a couple of them that I figured worked quite well.
#1 - This must be what Julie feels like when I get arguementative.
#2 - This conversation looms large in Dave's future. I guarantee it.
Our Amazing Outing
We headed out to Strom's Farm last week to check out the corn maze and pick up a pumpkin. It wasn't a bad day for it and it was a fun time for Garrett as we scrambled around the maze.
Someone's a little camera-shy.
Garrett's out standing in his field.
Sadly, this is the best picture of the giant pumpkin pictures.
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| From October 2007 |
Someone's a little camera-shy.
Garrett's out standing in his field.
Sadly, this is the best picture of the giant pumpkin pictures.
It's Like Facebook For Books
Goodreads is a very cool site. You basically sign up and you can link to books you've read and rank them or put up little reviews. As Borat would say, "Very nice."
Monday, October 29, 2007
Do You Need Pearls Or Something?
From the Strange Things Found While Searching Through The Cupboards file:
What the heck is fancy molasses? I understand what normal molasses is, but what makes it fancy?
What the heck is fancy molasses? I understand what normal molasses is, but what makes it fancy?
Floats Around Like Butterflies
New wireless guitar controller + Even Flow (original recording) + high definition gaming = AWESOME
That is all.
That is all.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Telemarketers Are Invading My House
Is it just me, or has there been a marked increase in the amount of pestering being done by telemarketers of late? I'm used to the occasional call here and there but it seems as though we can barely get through a day without getting at least 5-6 telemarketing calls. I don't have caller ID... yet... but I'm getting pretty darn close to getting it.
As for them invading my house, I had a knock at the door this evening and I thought it might be some kid selling chocolate bars or something. Nope. Some guy trying to get me to 'donate' $20 to the spinal cord research foundation or somesuch charity and in return I will get a bunch of coupons to places in Georgetown that I don't ever go to.
I listened to his spiel and politely turned him down by mentioning a) that I don't patronize any of those establishments and b) don't have $20.
Instead of taking a hint, growing a clue or whatever he should have done, he then said, "That's ok. Just go get a cheque, make it out to such and such a foundation, post-date it and you'll be set."
I just gave him my most "You've-got-to-be-kidding" look and then rather emphatically told him,
"I
AM
NOT
INTERESTED."
And then I started to close the door on him. You'd think I had killed his puppy with the look he gave me, but bugger him. Invade my free time, will you!
Stupid telemarketers...
As for them invading my house, I had a knock at the door this evening and I thought it might be some kid selling chocolate bars or something. Nope. Some guy trying to get me to 'donate' $20 to the spinal cord research foundation or somesuch charity and in return I will get a bunch of coupons to places in Georgetown that I don't ever go to.
I listened to his spiel and politely turned him down by mentioning a) that I don't patronize any of those establishments and b) don't have $20.
Instead of taking a hint, growing a clue or whatever he should have done, he then said, "That's ok. Just go get a cheque, make it out to such and such a foundation, post-date it and you'll be set."
I just gave him my most "You've-got-to-be-kidding" look and then rather emphatically told him,
"I
AM
NOT
INTERESTED."
And then I started to close the door on him. You'd think I had killed his puppy with the look he gave me, but bugger him. Invade my free time, will you!
Stupid telemarketers...
Home Free
Ah, it's so... quiet here.
Julie took the kids to Sarnia for the weekend and it's almost creepy how silent the house is.
Ah well. I guess I should shatter the silence with some videogames or movies while I have the chance. It's too bad I have to work this weekend, but I'll survive :)
Julie took the kids to Sarnia for the weekend and it's almost creepy how silent the house is.
Ah well. I guess I should shatter the silence with some videogames or movies while I have the chance. It's too bad I have to work this weekend, but I'll survive :)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Ketchup Required
Today we whipped up a pot of the (in)famous Bean And Bacon Soup, a Wager family recipe that has been handed down through the generations. I have to say, it was pretty darn close to my mom's soup, though it wasn't quite there. I'm not sure what's missing...
It was the perfect supper for a gray and cloudy day like today and Garrett has declared it to be, and I quote, "The Most Good Soup Ever!"
The, um, side effects were also quite amusing in the bathtub later this evening. He kept himself entertained by just lying on the bottom of the tub and farting for 20 minutes :)
It was the perfect supper for a gray and cloudy day like today and Garrett has declared it to be, and I quote, "The Most Good Soup Ever!"
The, um, side effects were also quite amusing in the bathtub later this evening. He kept himself entertained by just lying on the bottom of the tub and farting for 20 minutes :)
Monday, October 22, 2007
Death Of A Kite
Yesterday was such a beautiful (and windy) day that Garrett and I couldn't resist the urge to hit the park with our kite.
So off we went. We walked over to Prospect Park in Acton as it has the best field to fly kites in. All went well as we got the kite up instantly and it was a fight to keep it from flying away.
Garrett wanted to try his hand at flying it so I handed the string and spool over to him. He was almost dragged off the ground from the sheer force of the wind but had a blast running back and forth around the park.
I had walked a little way down the field to be ready for the eventual crash when Garrett came running up holding the spool... and no kite string. I looked up and there was the kite, floating away down the field towards the huge trees at the end of the park.
Garrett & I took off running after the kite. By this time the end of the string was a good 30 feet off the ground so I was just hoping it would snag on a tree and we could figure out how to get it down from there.
We weren't fast enough and I lost it as it floated off towards Main street and beyond. Garrett & I began the quest for the lost kite. I'm still surprised it didn't get tangled in a power line or a tree. Heck, I was sure it was going to come down on Main Street and cause an accident.
Thankfully it ended up blowing all the way over to the school parking lot a good 2 blocks away. The plastic was a little torn but I figured it would still fly again... until Garrett picked it up and we found that the arm was broken.
Into the garbage it went. Oh well. It was only a $2 kite from the dollar store and it lasted us a good year or so, so no complaints. At least it died doing what it loved... flying recklessly over an urban area :)
So off we went. We walked over to Prospect Park in Acton as it has the best field to fly kites in. All went well as we got the kite up instantly and it was a fight to keep it from flying away.
Garrett wanted to try his hand at flying it so I handed the string and spool over to him. He was almost dragged off the ground from the sheer force of the wind but had a blast running back and forth around the park.
I had walked a little way down the field to be ready for the eventual crash when Garrett came running up holding the spool... and no kite string. I looked up and there was the kite, floating away down the field towards the huge trees at the end of the park.
Garrett & I took off running after the kite. By this time the end of the string was a good 30 feet off the ground so I was just hoping it would snag on a tree and we could figure out how to get it down from there.
We weren't fast enough and I lost it as it floated off towards Main street and beyond. Garrett & I began the quest for the lost kite. I'm still surprised it didn't get tangled in a power line or a tree. Heck, I was sure it was going to come down on Main Street and cause an accident.
Thankfully it ended up blowing all the way over to the school parking lot a good 2 blocks away. The plastic was a little torn but I figured it would still fly again... until Garrett picked it up and we found that the arm was broken.
Into the garbage it went. Oh well. It was only a $2 kite from the dollar store and it lasted us a good year or so, so no complaints. At least it died doing what it loved... flying recklessly over an urban area :)
Saturday, October 20, 2007
On The Night Shift...
Ah, the joys of filling in on the overnight shift after working all morning. Sigh. At least I'll have the rest of the week off until I go back to work on Thursday.
Woo.
It would have been nice to be able to have a nap tonight though, but I tried and nothin'. Sigh.
Woo.
It would have been nice to be able to have a nap tonight though, but I tried and nothin'. Sigh.
Friday, October 19, 2007
RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!
It seems as though the rumours of the death of my Xbox 360 were greatly exaggerated. Ever since Sunday, when I got the third red light on the machine and called Microsoft to arrange repairs, the thing has been working just dandy.
In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's working better than ever. I think I know why too.
It was scared.
Seriously though, I think it came down to the fact that the power cord was coming loose from the power supply brick on the machine and that meant that there were some issues with regards to consistent power which culminated in all of the wacky errors I was seeing last weekend. After I had unplugged everything last Sunday I noticed that the cord had come loose from the brick so I plugged it back in nice and snug and since then, no false boots and no red lights.
To celebrate, I picked up a copy of Beautiful Katamari, as I had suspected that I wouldn't be able to get it until my machine came back in mid-November. Now I can play Katamari Damacy in high-definition! WOO!
In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's working better than ever. I think I know why too.
It was scared.
Seriously though, I think it came down to the fact that the power cord was coming loose from the power supply brick on the machine and that meant that there were some issues with regards to consistent power which culminated in all of the wacky errors I was seeing last weekend. After I had unplugged everything last Sunday I noticed that the cord had come loose from the brick so I plugged it back in nice and snug and since then, no false boots and no red lights.
To celebrate, I picked up a copy of Beautiful Katamari, as I had suspected that I wouldn't be able to get it until my machine came back in mid-November. Now I can play Katamari Damacy in high-definition! WOO!
The Great Escape
Looks like Kara has figured out how to get out of her swing when nobody is looking.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
All Hail The Barf Bucket!
Garrett spent most of this morning puking on every available surface in the house. I have no idea what he had, but he couldn't even keep down apple juice and crackers.
Thankfully he conked out around noon and was definitely on the mend come the afternoon/evening. I stayed home from work to help Julie out anyway, but thankfully most of the barf had ended shortly after noon.
Ah well.
He was acting strange and out of sorts yesterday morning so that was probably the precursor to whatever today's mystery bug was.
Thankfully he conked out around noon and was definitely on the mend come the afternoon/evening. I stayed home from work to help Julie out anyway, but thankfully most of the barf had ended shortly after noon.
Ah well.
He was acting strange and out of sorts yesterday morning so that was probably the precursor to whatever today's mystery bug was.
Some Thanksgiving Pictures!
I finally got around to uploading the pictures I took in Sarnia over the Thanksgiving Weekend. Even though it was hotter than the devil's bunghole, it was nice weather for pictures!
I'm getting a real Fantasy Island vibe from this picture. "Da boat, Boss! Da boat!"
A better one of Mason & Garrett. I can never tell how tall Garrett is until I see him next to someone older than him. Sigh.
A couple of lovely ladies out for a stroll in the park.
Mason, Eve & Garrett astride the local cannon.
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| From October 2007 |
I'm getting a real Fantasy Island vibe from this picture. "Da boat, Boss! Da boat!"
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| From October 2007 |
A better one of Mason & Garrett. I can never tell how tall Garrett is until I see him next to someone older than him. Sigh.
 |
| From October 2007 |
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| From October 2007 |
Mason, Eve & Garrett astride the local cannon.
Pulling The Plug
See that picture? That was the beach at Canatara Park in Sarnia over the Thanksgiving long weekend. Usually the water is up past those breakwalls. Now there is 5 feet or so of beach past the end of them.
I did read an article in Maclean's the other day about how dredging of the St. Clair River has effectively pulled the plug on Lake Huron & Superior. I wonder if that is a valid explanation for the drop in water levels...
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Anyone Want A Present?
I've got a gift copy of Half-Life 2 and HL2: Episode 1 sitting on my steam account. I offered them to Tony as I know he's got a computer that can run them easily, but he doesn't want them (freak). Anyone else want a copy of two of the best First Person Shooters to grace a computer in years?
All you need to do is sign up for a Steam account and let me know that you want them and I'll send them your way.
All you need to do is sign up for a Steam account and let me know that you want them and I'll send them your way.
The Brutal Sting
Roxanne must live in my 360, because someone keeps putting the red light on. I got the same red light (now with error message #E74!) when I powered the 360 up today. Sigh.
I picked up a memory card so I could back up my save games... only to find out after speaking with the nice lady at Xbox Tech Support that they just want the console, not the hard drive. I guess I could have saved the money that I spent on the memory card, but it is nice to have the backup just in case the hard drive eventually pooches.
So I have a couple of days before the box arrives to send it back, so I will nurse the 360 along until I am forced to go without. At least it should come back all shiny and new (I kind of wish they'd just send one of the new 360's with the better heat sinks and a quieter drive)...
I picked up a memory card so I could back up my save games... only to find out after speaking with the nice lady at Xbox Tech Support that they just want the console, not the hard drive. I guess I could have saved the money that I spent on the memory card, but it is nice to have the backup just in case the hard drive eventually pooches.
So I have a couple of days before the box arrives to send it back, so I will nurse the 360 along until I am forced to go without. At least it should come back all shiny and new (I kind of wish they'd just send one of the new 360's with the better heat sinks and a quieter drive)...
Must Think Happy Thoughts
Well, I went to turn on my 360 earlier today and while I didn't get the dreaded Red Ring of Death, I did get one red light in the lower right-hand quadrant of the power button. According to the Xbox website, this means that it's some kind of hardware failure.
The thing is, the 360 seems to be working fine otherwise. I just turn it off and then turn it back on and it boots up fine and plays games just dandy. I'm just leery that this first red light is a precursor to the other two showing up and my having to send my 360 in to Microsoft to get repaired.
Oh well. I'll be keeping an eye on it tomorrow and if it gives me a red light again, I'll be on the horn to MS to see what to do. It looks like Luke got his back (woo) so the process can't be THAT painful.
I just hoped that my 360 would be one of the few and the proud that wouldn't die before its time. I guess I should be glad it lasted this long. It's not like I don't have about 5 other systems begging for gameplay if the 360 is out of commission for a few weeks though, esp. now that I have Final Fantasy Tactics on the PSP to work through. That'll eat up about 90 hours of gameplay.
The thing is, the 360 seems to be working fine otherwise. I just turn it off and then turn it back on and it boots up fine and plays games just dandy. I'm just leery that this first red light is a precursor to the other two showing up and my having to send my 360 in to Microsoft to get repaired.
Oh well. I'll be keeping an eye on it tomorrow and if it gives me a red light again, I'll be on the horn to MS to see what to do. It looks like Luke got his back (woo) so the process can't be THAT painful.
I just hoped that my 360 would be one of the few and the proud that wouldn't die before its time. I guess I should be glad it lasted this long. It's not like I don't have about 5 other systems begging for gameplay if the 360 is out of commission for a few weeks though, esp. now that I have Final Fantasy Tactics on the PSP to work through. That'll eat up about 90 hours of gameplay.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Milk: Now Edible In Soup Form!
After spending the last week staring at the October recipe for the Milk Calendar whenever I went to the bathroom, we decided to try it out. Oh man, is it ever good.
It's Hearty Beef Barley Soup. Soooo yummy. I'm definately making it at work when I go back.
It's Hearty Beef Barley Soup. Soooo yummy. I'm definately making it at work when I go back.
Walking Wounded
Garrett & I were out picking up our Blue Box and yard waste bucket today when I turned around to see Garrett flopped on the concrete, crying his head off. I have NO idea how he tripped, but somehow he did. No biggie, just a little scrape on his hand.
Or so I thought.
Once we got him inside, he was bleeding a bunch from the scrape. We got him washed off and after pulling the flap of skin back, noticed that there was something in his hand.
Turned out it was a chunk of glass! Thankfully it wasn't a very big piece and once I got it out his hand stopped bleeding rather quickly. We got him doused in Hydrogen Peroxide and then slapped a band-aid on it. All better now.
Sigh. Of all the garbage pads in all the world, Garrett had to trip on that one.
Or so I thought.
Once we got him inside, he was bleeding a bunch from the scrape. We got him washed off and after pulling the flap of skin back, noticed that there was something in his hand.
Turned out it was a chunk of glass! Thankfully it wasn't a very big piece and once I got it out his hand stopped bleeding rather quickly. We got him doused in Hydrogen Peroxide and then slapped a band-aid on it. All better now.
Sigh. Of all the garbage pads in all the world, Garrett had to trip on that one.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
ANARCHY IN THE ACTON-K.
It doesn't matter who you vote for. Just go out and do it. Otherwise I won't give you the time of day when whoever wins starts screwing things up and you start whining about it.
And check out my fancy poll. I like this new content wizard for Blogger. It's fuuuun.
And check out my fancy poll. I like this new content wizard for Blogger. It's fuuuun.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Is R'lyeh In My Riding?
This image sums up how I feel about the current election campaign.
I don't hate anyone enough to vote against them but I don't find any of the parties to be compelling enough to want to vote for. Sigh.
I don't hate anyone enough to vote against them but I don't find any of the parties to be compelling enough to want to vote for. Sigh.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Phoenix Wright: Ace Punster
I'm busy working on the third Ace Attorney game and the writing is top-notch, as always.
For an import game that is 95% text, the translation is awesome. Supposedly they're going to be touching up the localization for the North American release later this month, but I can't see what they would need to do. I'd heard complaints about there being a lot of typos and such in the import copy but I've only seen 2 so far and I'm on the tail end of the 3rd case. For those keeping score, that is hundreds of screens of text to only have two typos.
Anyway, I just wanted to post this little comic gem.
Maya: "SuPer-Admin Restricted Desktop Access password protected? What!? This is madness!"
Phoenix: "No, Maya, that is SPARDA!"
Hee hee. Granted, it's not nearly as funny if you haven't seen 300...
For an import game that is 95% text, the translation is awesome. Supposedly they're going to be touching up the localization for the North American release later this month, but I can't see what they would need to do. I'd heard complaints about there being a lot of typos and such in the import copy but I've only seen 2 so far and I'm on the tail end of the 3rd case. For those keeping score, that is hundreds of screens of text to only have two typos.
Anyway, I just wanted to post this little comic gem.
Maya: "SuPer-Admin Restricted Desktop Access password protected? What!? This is madness!"
Phoenix: "No, Maya, that is SPARDA!"
Hee hee. Granted, it's not nearly as funny if you haven't seen 300...
It's Getting Hot Out There
I'm really, REALLY starting to hate this schizophrenic weather we're having this year. Just when you think it's starting to cool down, BAM! Heat wave... IN OCTOBER.
I don't mind a nice mild day in October but this is bordering on July heat wave territory. I feel bad for Julie because this kind of heat makes me extra snarky. Hopefully it'll cool down soon and I can go back to normal levels of snarkiness.
Sigh.
I don't mind a nice mild day in October but this is bordering on July heat wave territory. I feel bad for Julie because this kind of heat makes me extra snarky. Hopefully it'll cool down soon and I can go back to normal levels of snarkiness.
Sigh.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Monday, October 01, 2007
My Bet Is On Colin
I just was informed that neither Julie or I had put any congratulations over on Luke & Anne's blog at the recent birth of their son. Well, I stand corrected.
Congrats guys!
Now I don't have to worry about hearing the latest in icky gynecological techniques on a daily basis :)
I still say Luke will name him Colin.
Congrats guys!
Now I don't have to worry about hearing the latest in icky gynecological techniques on a daily basis :)
I still say Luke will name him Colin.
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