Random Notes

I haven't updated the blog in ages. I'm debating what to do about it. A lot of my online social/communication needs are being met by Twitter and Facebook at the moment, but there's a lack of permanence there that kinda bugs me. Sometimes I need a bigger space to rant than those sites can give me.

I'll figure something out. Stay tuned.

I watched about 20 minutes of C-SPAN's coverage of the health care debate in the House of Representatives before I decided it would probably be better for my physical and mental health if I got out of the apartment for awhile.

I'd planned to take my Nook up to the Quincy Hill park overlook and read for awhile, but I walked past those steep steps and made one long circuit through some areas I never have an excuse to be on. I went past Trans-Allegheny Books, wandered down toward the Blennerhassett and the floodwall, along the trestle, and headed toward the Belpre Bridge. I toyed with walking across but decided to save that for another day.

According to the iPod, I'd listened to 50 minutes of the "Babylon 5" podcast by the time I made it back to my apartment. The Pokewalker pedometer said I'd walked 7,134 steps.

I love that Nintendo integrated pedometer support into the latest Pokemon game. Before I left, I transferred Gigan (a Lv. 30 Anorith) over to the Pokewalker. By the time I got home, he'd gained a level. Nine more walks like that and he'll be ready to evolve into an Armaldo.

"Two players. Two sides. One is light, one is dark."
I've been having a Lost marathon these past two weeks. I blazed through the first season over the course of a weekend, spent last week watching the second season a few episodes at a time before work, and then finished the third season late Sunday night.

My goal is to get completely caught up before the series finale. I'm probably shooting myself in the foot by doing this, since I'll be working at the newspaper when the finale airs and will almost certainly have everything spoiled when I put the story on the entertainment page. It'd probably be better to go through that without having a context for what I'm reading.

I still think the first season is one of the best ever made for television. They lost me during the second season because it felt like they were spinning their wheels, and that couldn't compete with Final Fantasy XI. I enjoyed the second season a lot more this time around, knowing they were actually going somewhere with it.

I'm creeping through the fourth season this week now that I have Pokemon SoulSilver to distract me, but I'll likely marathon through them this weekend.

The Manaclipper passes a whirlpool.

After

A clot rode the boat with me.

months of inactivity, I finally logged on to Final Fantasy XI this morning to cancel my Content IDs. I'd popped on a few times to finish selling my gear. In the end, I had 3.5 million. I gave a million each to Dalamar and Poring and kept the rest for myself in case I ever get nostalgic enough to go back to Vana'diel.

I did not delete Halifirien. I'm too attached to that character and that world to commit that final act. He's still there if I ever get the urge to reactivate the ID and start punching and dancing my way through enemies again. I don't see that happening -- too much of my pleasure in the game came from playing with Kristofer as Neyla -- but you never know.

For my final voyage, I tossed on the beach clothes and rode out to the Manaclipper dock for a ride to Purgonorgo Island. I wandered the sands a bit and then warped home to Windurst. The moogle can watch over my home, 'cause Hali doesn't live here anymore.

So long, folks!

(H/T: John Aravosis)

I used my slide day from New Year's Day so I could take a three-day weekend at Mom and Dad's, the first time I'd been home since Christmas. It felt good to be back in Boone County and recharging my batteries; I get antsy when I'm in Parkersburg too long. The weekend was largely uneventful.

I took the Xbox so Andy could play Left 4 Dead 2. He put it on Easy and slaughtered his way through countless waves of undead while I was there, sometimes bringing Laura or Emma along for the ride once I'd explained the co-op settings. I had a moment of heartbreak when I played a clip from Dawn of the Dead and he asked "Where are the zombies?" because in his univserse zombies are runners. I have to fix that.

The main adventure came Saturday when April and I saw Avatar. I woke up that morning wondering if I really wanted to sit through it again, but finally seeing it in 3D was totally worth it. She didn't text during the movie this time, although she whipped out a quick "James Cameron wins" tweet as the credits were rolling.

We went to GameStop to buy a PlayStation 3 for the kids but none were in stock. I'd read there were supply problems, but I didn't realize they were that bad. "Nobody in the valley has been able to stock them since Christmas," the guy at the counter told us. "We got three the other day and they were gone in 45 minutes."

Instead of reserving one and waiting, she bought an Xbox 360 and Left 4 Dead 2 instead.

We hit a few other stores -- she used her iPhone to take obscene photos of garden statuary while we were in Lowe's -- and then spent and entire hour just trying to get out of the parking lot. The traffic situation at the Southridge Center is abysmal; they really need to add another exit. We'd been inching along 45 minutes when I pointed to the right and said "Isn't that where you bought the Xbox?"?

Besides eating all that home-cooked stuff I never make for myself in my apartment, I mostly read Stephen King's Danse Macabre and reminded myself I wouldn't buy any more ebooks. I mostly kept that oath.