My Hectic Life

Rock Band Fun!

2008-02-24T11:12:00.002-06:00

So just this weekend i decided to pick up Rock Band for my Xbox360. For those not familar with it, it's similar to Guitar Hero except that it comes with a guitar controller, a microphone, and a drum controller.

Since I've played Guitar Hero many times, using Rock Band to play guitar games is very similar to what I'm already used to. Using the microphone is very similar to playing a karaoke game. The part to get used to with the microphone is that it's not listening for the words, but for the tone. Hum or sing the right note is more important that singing the right words.

The drums I thought would be pretty easy, but I have been sadly mistaken so far. The drums include 4 drums and one foot pedal (like a base drum). Besides trying to hit the right drum at the right time, I have to use my foot on the pedal as well, not always on the beat. Plus, it's easier to miss a drum with the drum sticks than it is to miss a key on the guitar. Much more room for error.

Of course, none of these are complaints. The game is awesome. There are like over 50 songs available in the game, and more are available through downloads. It's a sweet game. You can use any of the other guitars with the game, but I like using the new one that came with it. It's a good one.

How Much Geek Are You?

2007-12-21T16:18:00.001-06:00

70% Geek

Find a Ultrasound school near you

Taking on all 5 year olds

2007-12-21T15:59:00.000-06:00

Find a Ultrasound school near you

General Stuff

2007-10-29T10:09:00.000-05:00

Well, After reading my two brother's blogs this morning, I realized that it's been a long time since I have updated mine. Quite a few things have been going on since my last post.

1. All my kids are finally in school! Just last week, David started Pre-K. He gets to catch the bus at the end of our driveway and go to school for around 3 hours in the afternoon. He's so excited! He's got the same teacher that Isabel had when she went to Pre-K. Ples, now Yvonne can get a little kid-free break every school day.

2. Guitar Hero 3 came out this week. While I didn't pick it up the first day it was relased, I do plan on getting it before the end of the week. So after dinner on thanksgiving we should have guitar battles?

Anyone for a Pancake Puff?

2007-06-17T11:43:00.000-05:00

http://www.pancakepuff.com/

Look familiar?

Yummy!

Free Beer!!!

2007-04-18T22:25:00.000-05:00

Check out this article on Star Tribune's website.

Pete, when are you moving to Wisconsin?

just buy a CD and rip it

2006-12-15T11:36:00.000-06:00

Check out this article on ITWire.

Bill Gates, Head Honcho of Microsoft tells people to forget DRM issues and just buy CDs and rip them. Pretty odd since Microsoft is just coming out with their new Zune media player, with a online music store just for them. Personally, I find iTunes really easy to use, especially since I can burn any music I buy through them onto CD anyway.

The Mighty Thor!

2006-11-02T10:03:00.000-06:00

OK, who remembers cartoons like this one?

Art or Porn?

2006-10-10T12:29:00.000-05:00

Click on the pic to read it.

School & Football

2006-09-12T09:15:00.000-05:00

Well, it's that time of the year again where school is back in session. This year Michael is in Second Grade and the twins started Kindergarden. Time to get back to an predictable schedule of what time to wake up, what time to go to bed, catch bus, do homework, etc. David thinks he's ready for school as well. When the twins go out to catch their bus, David puts on his backpack and walks out with them. He's still got a few years to go.

Also, football season started over the weekend. It's alw3ays nice to see the Bears win the first game of the season. That doesn't happen often enough. It's even better when they beat the Packers... at home... by shutting them out! Favre's first shutout of his career. He should really think about retiring.

There is just something wrong with this picture

2006-08-17T14:21:00.000-05:00

Thankfully, I have not seen this in person at any con.

5 weeks until GenCon

2006-07-05T10:17:00.000-05:00

The countdown starts again. Today it is now 5 weeks until we leave for GenCon. This will be the first year that Yvonne and I take more than one kid with us. David has been coming to the con since before he was born. Michael is now 7 1/2. He can read and write. He has a lot of interest in games, video games, and fantasy so I think this might be right up his alley. I'm looking forward to playing in a few events this year and trying out some new games. It should be a lot of fun.

Mark This Day Down in History

2006-06-15T16:44:00.000-05:00

A quote from Peter Young to me: because your a smart guy, oh yes you are, yes you are.

Yes, that's right. Pete called me smart. Can't take it back now!

Wacky Fortune Cookie Generator

2006-06-13T10:04:00.000-05:00

This one is damn funny.

Your Fortune Is

Baseball got it all wrong, man with four balls cannot walk.

The Wacky Fortune Cookie Generator

iPod Humor

2006-06-13T09:58:00.000-05:00

Click the picture to get a full-size version of it to read better.

This one is for Paul

2006-05-24T11:58:00.000-05:00

Check out this article at TGDaily.com.

Here is a new laser turntable (made in Japan) that can read vinyl records without touching them.

Sure, it's only $15K but it's worth it, right Paul? It comes with a remote even!

XBox 360

2006-05-23T15:41:00.000-05:00

Well, actually I've had my new Xbox 360 for a few weeks now. It's quite an interesting machine. Some of my favorite things I can do with this system:

1. Play games. Of course, that is the main reason anyone would buy a game system. I picked up three games for it: Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, Burnout Revenge, & Dead or Alive 4. Oblivion is a single-player RPG with some of the best graphics I've ever seen. Burnout Revenge is a racing game where crashing other cars is a benefit. DOA4 is a fighting game with awesome scenery, and I'm not talking about the backgrounds. ;) I also borrowed a couple games from my brother-in-law: Quake 4 and Call of Duty 2. Quake 4 is a first person shooter, similar to Quake thatI used to play on the pc. It even came with Quake 2 that will run on the xbox 360 as well. Call of Duty is a WWII adventure game. Excellent graphics for all of them.

2. Downloadable Games. With my Xbox Live account I can download smaller games and demo games. For example, I downloaded a game called Geometry Wars. It cost me around $5. It's a pretty good, action packed game, similar in playing style to Robotron 2064 from long ago. A lot of fun. I have also downloaded demo version of games for free. Full Auto (mentioned in a previous blog post), Test Drive Unlimited, & Uno are just some of the ones I've tried out. If I want to buy them, I can either activate them online for some of them like Uno. Others I can purchase from a store when I want.

3. Xbox Live. I have a friends list on Xbox Live with which I can see which of my friends are online, and what they are playing. I can send messages (text and voice) to my friends to chat, setup play times, etc. I can even check online through xbox.com to see if any of my friends are online & check messages. Plus, I've got this gamer card I can post on websites:
Bluelark
This shows my name online, my gamer score, reputation, and style of gaming. Also, it shows the last 5 games I've played.

4. Controllers. I have the option of getting wired or wireless controllers for the 360. I opted for wireless. With four kids and one dog running around, wires would just cause problems. The system supports up to four wireless controllers. These Microsoft wireless controllers have virtually no lag time, don't need line of site, and the rechargable battery pack I got for them work for a while and don't get battery memory.

5. Connections to other devices. Using my network, I can use the 360 to display pictures and play music from my computers. I can use the USB connections on it to plug in my ipod and play music off of it. I'm sure there are more ways of using it but I don't know of them at the moment.

The Star Wars Figure They Should Have Made

2006-05-02T09:27:00.000-05:00

You think all those kids in the 70's would have liked this figure?

Gigglesnort Hotel

2006-04-24T14:55:00.000-05:00

So, who remembers the Gigglesnort Hotel? Pete? Paul? Anyone? I used to love watching that show a long, long time ago. I was too young for Cartoon Town, but the followup show was pretty cool from what I remember.

Drunken Monkey Madness!!!

2006-04-19T15:30:00.000-05:00

Check out this post on Newsarama.com.

Someone stole our concept. How can this happen????

Springtime, Grilling, and Chili

2006-04-17T09:31:00.000-05:00

Well, it's now the day after Easter. Usually, this is where I see the real beginning of spring. The time change and the warmer weather usually bring lots of changes. The kids get real confused when I get home from work and it's still daylight outside. They keep asking me why I'm coming home when it's morning time. Plus, I get to grill more often.

Certainly I could grill in the winter, but it can get pretty cold in the house with the back door open like that, so I try to avoid it. Now that Spring is here, let the grilling commence. I've been trying to think of new things to cook on the grill. Maybe change up my usual offerings of smoked sausage, burgers, hot dogs, chicken, & steak. Oh, and of course brats. Beer brats are my favorite. Any suggestions from my readers on other things to make on the grill?

I'm also looking for good chili recipes. I like a good chili every now and then. I tend to not make them very spicy, a good sweet chili is probably what I lean towards. Anyone have any pointers or recipes they would like to share?

Depeche Mode singing to the Sims

2006-03-03T14:08:00.000-06:00

Check out this article on Gamespot.com.

That's right, for all you leftover 80's people who used to listen to Depeche Mode (you know who you are) now you can hear their songs in Sim-gibberish.

Free Condoms in Rio.

2006-02-08T09:08:00.000-06:00

Check out this news article on Yahoo News.

The Brazilian Government is giving away 25 million free condoms to prepare for Carnivale. Must be one hell of a party.

Full Auto Demo downloadable for the Xbox 360

2006-01-18T09:01:00.000-06:00

Check out this article on Gamespot.com.

Sega's Full Auto is a game for the Xbox 360 that is being released in February. Starting sometime around January 25th, you can download a demo of it through Xbox Live. Now, this actually brings a couple cool things to light:

1. Xbox 360 with Xbox live will allow you to download demo games. No more having to buy magazines or hoping that the game stores will have a demo copy available. A hell of a nice feature.

2. Full Auto looks like a Car Wars style game. I'm definitely interested in this game. I have always liked Sega's driving games in the past. This one looks like it rocks!

Unfortunately, I have no Xbox 360 yet, but looking towards the future.

Cooking Oil to Cool a Computer?

2006-01-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

Check out this article on Tom's Hardware Guide.

I've heard of using fans or water cooling units to cool a computers' components, but never cooking oil. Check out the funky clear case. Damned impressive but probably messy and expensive.

Mouse Revenge

2006-01-09T10:08:00.000-06:00

Check out this news article on CNN.com.

An 80 year old man catches mouse and throws it into a burning pile of leaves to kill it. Mouse escapes from the fire, burning, and runs into the house setting it ablaze. House burns to the ground. Wow!

Moral of the story: Use shovel to whack mouse over the head before throwing into the fire.

What Kind of Robot Am I

2006-01-05T14:44:00.000-06:00

Welcome 2006!

2006-01-03T09:06:00.000-06:00

Well, 2005 was a very hectic year for me and mine. Here's looking for 2006 to be a little more laid back.

I did see a damn funny thing at Best Buy over the weekend. Now, I'm sure everyone who reads this blog remembers the Mattel Handheld Football game from way back in the late '70s. Check out this link to see what I'm talking about. They made baseball and basketball versions of the game as well.

Well, now you can get the 3-in-1 classic game that plugs into your tv.

I've heard of bringing back classic games, but LED based games on your tv? Kinda freaky.

Sex Advice From Game Convention Girls

2005-12-28T15:01:00.000-06:00

Check out this post on Nerve.com.

Nerve asks the same sex-related questions to 5 different "Game Convention Girls." Some of the answers are very interesting. Being both a video gamer and a RPG, card game player, I can certainly relate. ;)

Another Year Done

2005-12-21T14:59:00.000-06:00

Well, 37 has reared it's ugly head. This last year was crazy. Getting more gray. I'll probably be like Dad and be totally gray by the time I hit 40. So, I'll be 53 when David is ready to go to college. No problem. Here's to 365 days of being 37!

Illinois game laws overturned

2005-12-05T14:53:00.000-06:00

Check out this article on Gamespot.com.

Also, Check out Paul's blog report on the law being passed by Gov Blagojevich.

In short, the courts have rules that Illinois' law that restricts sale of M rated games to minors is unconstitutional. Thankfully, someone in IL government has some respect for the constitution.

Return of the Jedi - The Really, Really Short Version

2005-11-30T10:57:00.000-06:00

The Empire Strikes Back - The Really, Really Short Version

2005-11-28T16:29:00.000-06:00

Coming Soon... Return of the Jedi!

Star Wars - The Really, Really Short Version

2005-11-22T09:37:00.000-06:00

Coming Soon... The Empire Strikes Back!

More Portable Porn!

2005-11-15T15:07:00.000-06:00

Check out this article on msnbc.com.

First they had porn for laptops. Then porn for your PSP. Now you can also get porn for your video Ipod.

My favorite quoite in the article:

"I can't see anybody wanting to watch while they're sitting at the airport," Whittington said. "I just don't see how it's going to be all that popular."

The Politics Test

2005-11-10T21:59:00.000-06:00

You are a
Social Liberal
(73% permissive)

and an...
Economic Moderate
(43% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Democrat

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid
Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

My Birthday

2005-10-31T11:51:00.000-06:00

I know it's not my birthday, but I saw this quiz and decided I would have forgotten about it by the time my birthday rolls around. So, here you go:

Your Birthdate: December 21

Being born on the 21st day of the month (3 energy) is likely to add a good bit of vitality to your life.
The energy of 3 allows you bounce back rapidly from setbacks, physical or mental.
There is a restlessness in your nature, but you seem to be able to portray an easygoing, "couldn't care less" attitude.

You have a natural ability to express yourself in public, and you always make a very good impression.
Good with words, you excel in writing, speaking, and possibly singing.
You are energetic and always a good conversationalist.

You have a keen imagination, but you tend to scatter your energies and become involved with too may superficial matters.
Your mind is practical and rational despite this tendency to jump about.
You are affectionate and loving, but very sensitive.
You are subject to rapid ups and downs.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Happy Halloween!

2005-10-31T11:50:00.000-06:00

Remember to be safe and have a fun Halloween tonight!

Butt Kicking Fun!

2005-10-06T15:19:00.000-05:00

Check out this article on MSNBC.com.

Now, I've heard of force-feedback controllers before, but this is great. Your whole chair vibrates to the sounds from the game you're playing. I wonder what it's like in person.

Which Tarot Card are You?

2005-09-27T09:18:00.000-05:00

I figured my wife would like this one...

You are the Sun card. The light of the Sun reveals
all. The Sun is joyful and bright, without fear
or reservation. The childish nature of the Sun
allows you to play and feel free. Exploration
can truly take place in the light of day when
nothing is hidden. The Sun's rays fill you with
energy so that you may live life to its
fullest, milking pleasure out of each day. Such
joy and energy can bring wealth and physical
pleasure. To shine in the light of day is to
have confidence, to soak up its rays is to feel
the freedom of a child. Image from: Stevee
Postman. http://www.stevee.com/

Which Tarot card are you?

Keeping up the Pirate Theme

2005-09-23T14:41:00.000-05:00

Well, Paul posted something about Pirates so I figured I would to.

Check out the Pirate Keyboard!

Pete, This is the beer you should make next!

2005-09-12T09:08:00.000-05:00

Check out this article on Yahoo News.

Beer with 25% alcohol. I'm ready to knock back a few!

Feel the Magic Sequel Minigame Online!

2005-09-06T09:17:00.000-05:00

Go check out this post on Gamespot.com.

Yvonne's first game for the Nintendo DS was Feel the Magic XY/XX. Sega is working on a sequel to that game at the moment. People who want a taste of the new game can go to this website to play a minigame from the new game. The object of the game is to shoot hearts at your sweetie while she is surrounded by dancing people. Bizarre? Yes! But that is how Feel the Magic is.

Summer is Officially Over!

2005-09-06T08:55:00.000-05:00

Well, maybe not according to the calendar, but it is for me. Labor Day weekend is the last blast of summer. Kids are back in school. Football season starts in 3 days. Those fall/winter bowling leagues are beginning. Time to get myself back to that familiar groove every school day: Get up too damned early, put Michael on the bus, go to work, come home, make dinner, put kids to bed, go to bed too damned early. People who know me would find it hard to believe that I wake up at 6:30 every morning (or at least every morning when there is school). Yes, that is 6:30AM. Michael catches the bus at 7:30, so we (Yvonne and I) have to wake up, get Michael up, get him dressed & fed, get myself showered & dressed, walk him down to the bus stop, wait for the bus, then get into my car and go to work. The twins have afternoon pre-school, so they don't have to wake up if they don't want to. Sometimes, the other kids wake up when Michael does, and sometimes they don't. Yvonne gets a nice break most of the days since now Michael is at school all day, and the twins go middle of the day, so for a few hours she just has David and he tends to take his nap at that time.

During the summer I get to take a break from all that. I can get up an hour later. I don't need to go to bed so early. The kids can stay up later. Things are more easy going. But now summer is over and it's back to normal for me.

What Faction Do You Belong To?

2005-08-29T09:13:00.000-05:00

REPUBLIC OF THE SPHERE
The men and women of your faction are among the
most loyal you will find in the sphere. The
ROTS is currently stretched thin, their enemies
are legion but you have unparalled loyalty
among your ranks and if you all band together,
you will survive your darkest hour.

Which MW faction are you a member of?
brought to you by Quizilla

GenCon Wrap-Up!

2005-08-23T14:24:00.000-05:00

Well, it's Tuesday. I've been winding down since the end of GenCon. What a blast! David was pretty good throughout the convention. The longer we were there, the better he was. The convention is a lot to take in for a toddler, but he did a really good job.

Yvonne had a great time as well. She got to show off her new tattoo to a bunch of people, including the artist who's painting it's based on. I'm sure she will be posting all about it on her own blog at http://magicalsprite.blogspot.com.

We were able to eat out at the Ram Brewery just down the street. They had this really good root beer on tap. Very yummy. Check out the Red Eye Cafe for a good breakfast if you're ever in Indy. On the way down to Indy we stopped in Champaign and ate lunch at Sonic. It's too bad the closest one is 3 hours away. At least they put an Orange Julius in Hawthorn.

The hotel was a bit of a dissapointment. This year we stayed at the Westin. It was a good price for downtown with a nice bed and shower. However, everything else was either extra money or not available. No fridge in the room. Internet was $10 a day. Not worth it. The Hyatt right across the street has free internet and a fridge in every room. Next year we'll be there.

I got to demo some great games over the weekend. Hecatomb is a horror ccg made by Wizards of the Coast. It's got these cool 5 sided cards. Plays great. I tried out the Star Wars Miniatures game and picked up a couple packs of that. Very cool. We tried the Nightmare before Christmas CCG and the Winx CCG for Yvonne. She loved both of them. We got to see lots of different artists, get lots of free swag (mostly crap, but sometimes you never know), and meet lots of people. Overall a great experiance.

Tomorrow it's back to work. This weekend we're doing our fantasy football draft. I'm the last pick this year and my star player switched teams and admitted to smoking weed so maybe it's a rebuilding year for my team.

Out at GenCon

2005-08-19T09:43:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm here for GenCon. I'm starting to put all my GenCon posts on my other blog. Click here or click the title of this post to get there. I also have a link for it on the side. See ya!

More Naked People in Games

2005-08-08T09:18:00.000-05:00

Check out this article on Tom's Hardware Guide. Beware, the pages may contain naked pixels. Don't click on it if you are under the age of 18, are shocked and offended by naked people, don't have a sense of humor, or all of the above.

I've known about these types of mods before, so it's not news to me, but it is damn funny to see a collection of a bunch of them in one place. Seeing those pictures makes me laugh more than anything. It's amazing how easily people will allow themselves to get offended. I saw this article and laughed my ass off. Would love to hear comments on what you guys think about all this.

Why Do Men Have Nipples?

2005-08-03T09:13:00.000-05:00

Check out this Yahoo News article about a new book that answers all sorts of odd medical questions.

While the book might sound interesting, I'm hoping the picture is not of the doctor that wrote it.

Another Game a Problem for Take-Two & Rockstar

2005-08-02T11:37:00.000-05:00

Check out this article on Gamespot.com.

Florida attorney Jack Thompson, a very active anti-gamer (I had no better way to describe him) is starting to work on another of Take-Two's games, and it's not even on the market yet.

Bully, a game where you play a kid at school navigating through the pressures of dealing with bullies, teachers, girls, etc. is supposed to come out later this year. It's currently rated M. Wal-Mart, Game Stop, and other stores are pre-selling it. Thompson complains that none of the stores are screening for ages, that it's not appropriate for children, etc. So, he sends a letter to Take Two to get them to not publish the game.

Now, maybe i don't get it, but if the stores are selling the games to minors, why is he complaining to the manufacturer of the game. Shouldn't he complain to the stores instead?

Hmm, Fair Food!

2005-08-01T10:25:00.000-05:00

Well, we all went to the DuPage County Fair on Saturday. While not as big as the Lake County Fair, it was still cool. All the kids got to go to the petting zoo, even David. They had goats, ponies, sheep, ducks, chickens, and even a llama. The kids rode some rides and loved every minute of it. We went through the commercial exhibits and came out with lots of stickers and other little things for the kids. Plus, since I love fair food, I couldn't leave without trying something. Had some cherry limeaid, fried cheese curds, mozzarella sticks, and ice cream. Yummy!

Look, I'm a Monkey!

2005-07-27T15:04:00.000-05:00

My wife was browsing around the web the other day and came across this overview of the chinese zodiac sign The Monkey. Since I was born in 1968, that makes me a Monkey. Check it out. Is it me?

The spunky Monkey is the original party animal! Charming and energetic, Monkeys crave fun, activity and stimulation. They truly know how to have a good time and can often be seen swinging from one group of friends to another, attracting a motley crew in the process. Always upbeat, they are considered minor celebrities in their circle thanks to their sparkling wit and that rapier-sharp mind. Perhaps surprisingly, Monkeys are also good listeners and tackle complicated situations with ease. This Sign's natural curiosity lends it the desire to become knowledgeable on a broad range of topics. Monkeys have a show-off side that loves nothing more than to dazzle their pals with all they know.

The Monkey tends to be rather accident-prone due to a certain lack of very high morals. This Sign's first interest is pursuing its own pleasure; this is not a malicious interest, it's just the way the Monkey is. However, this kind of carefree self-involvement can lead to all kinds of scrapes. In love, the Monkey makes a fun, exciting lover -- but one that may have the potential to stray romantically. The good news is, the Monkey’s glib manner and witty repartee can often get this Sign out of a scrape. Perhaps not everyone will be won over by the Monkey -- but do you think the Monkey really cares? The Monkey's world, full of devil-may-care energy and revelry, isn't for everyone. Remember, though, it's not that this Sign is mean; it might just be a bit too curious for its own good. Monkeys often feel the need to try everything at least once, which can make for a merry-go-round of relationships.

The Monkey's love of self-indulgence can also lead to other types of trouble. This Sign may have limited self-control concerning food, alcohol and other pleasurable activities. It's party time all the time for the Monkey, yet when it leads to a monster hangover or a shattered heart (generally someone else's, not theirs), this Sign might actually show a touch of remorse. They won't flat-out admit the error of their ways, but at least they'll pull back and try to tone things down -- for a while.

Monkeys must try to learn to think of others ahead of themselves, at least some of the time. This Sign's world will be more complete once it realizes the world doesn't revolve around it.

Divorce and Friends

2005-07-21T16:04:00.000-05:00

I find it rather odd that many people think they have to take sides in a divorce situation when it doesn't really involve them. Take for example my divorce. My wife and I split up 2 years ago. The divorce was final back in Sept of 2004. We had many of the same friends both before and during the marriage. Now that the marrage is over, some of our friends only talk to me and some of our friends only talk to her. Also, some people still talk to both but that's more the exception than the rule.

I don't really get why people would choose one over the other. Were they only friends with someone because of their spouse? Do they feel like they are betraying one of us if they talk to the other one? Do they want to stay away from any kind of controversy? Do they not want to get into the middle of something? Maybe another reason I can't think of. I don't get it.

I don't really have any experience being in that situation. I am the first of my friends to go through a divorce (that I know of). I'm the first of my family to go through a divorce. Since I never went through this on my own, I'm just guessing on why people would act this way.

Opinions? Feedback? All is welcome.

Grand Theft Auto now Adults Only

2005-07-20T17:18:00.000-05:00

Warning, Rant ahead!

Check out this article on Gamespot.

Take Two Interactive changed the rating on their Grand Theft Auto San Andreas game from Mature to Adults Only. They left in some code on the released version of the game (Xbox, PS2, PC) that can be modified into a x-rated sex game. Hillary Clinton and other conservatives have been bitching left and right about this. Instead of going after illegal modders, lets go after the game manufacturer. I just don't get it.

The really funny part of all of this is the differences between M and AO ratings (Taken from the ESRB Website)

MATURE
Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language.

ADULTS ONLY
Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

They say virtually the same thing. The only differences I see in this game are the words Prolonged, Graphic, and Nudity in the AO rating vs the M rating. M rated games shouldn't be sold to kids. AO rated games can't be sold to kids.

Here is the wording on the old rating and the new one exactly how it's listed on the box:

Old Rating: M - Mature
Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs.

New Rating: AO - Adults Only
Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs.

What the hell is the difference between those? Nothing! Would i buy either of them for my kid? Hell no! Would I buy them for myself? Sure, I'm 36 years old. I can buy whatever I damn well please!

If only more parents took responsibility to know what their kids are buying, playing, or want to buy and play; things like this wouldn't be news. Did we really need interference from the government to handle this? Maybe those angry parenting groups should look at how their children got a hold of the game in the first place. Fucking morons!

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

2005-07-19T16:24:00.000-05:00

You Are a Social Blogger!

Your blog is more of a semi-private affair for your friends.
It's how you keep in touch... sharing stories, jokes, and pics.

What kind of blogger are you?

Spider-Man's Greatest Bible Stories

2005-07-19T08:57:00.000-05:00

Complements to the Portland Mercury. Go check it out.

Which House Are You?

2005-07-18T16:40:00.000-05:00

I saw this up on Jay's blog. See where you belong in Hoggwarts!

I'm a Ravenclaw!

Harry Potter Evil?

2005-07-14T10:51:00.000-05:00

Check out this article on Entertainment Weekly's website.

Well, it seems that the new Pope is saying that the Harry Potter Series of books is currupting todays christian youth. I'm amazed that the Pope can't tell the difference between reality and fiction. Harry Potter is a work of fiction, not real. Would the Pope like all stories everywhere to be christian stories?

Baseball has been very good to me!

2005-07-13T11:30:00.000-05:00

Well, this saturday we're taking our kids out to see the Kane County Cougars game. While the kids don't know much about baseball, they get very exited just being there, plus there will be fireworks to watch and bases to run after the game. A fun time overall.

If you've never been to a game out there, I suggest checking it out. Lots of fun!

Most Italians Don't Mind Seeing Naked People

2005-07-13T11:28:00.000-05:00

OK, Damn funny news posting on Yahoo.

I know I'm over-simplifying this but evidently most Italians don't mind seeing nude people at a nude beach. Go figure!

Saturday On-Call Continued...

2005-07-05T11:04:00.000-05:00

Well, 1 day and 13 calls later and my oncall for July is over. Within a 12 hour period (1am - 1pm) on Saturday, I recieved thirteen calls. I needed a nap after all that. Love getting those holiday weekend on call assignments. Yippee!

The Joys of Late Night Work

2005-07-02T02:36:00.000-05:00

Well, it's now 2:36am. I've just gotten done with two work phone calls that started around 1:30am. The joys of being on-call for my job. Luckily, I'm on-call only one week out of every 5 weeks.

I'm not as young as I used to be. Time to go back to bed.

Virtual Baseball

2005-06-30T11:42:00.000-05:00

Check out this article on Gamespot.com.

Well, this is damn strange. The first two innings of the July 16th game between the Kansas City T-Bones and the Schaumburg Flyers will be played on an X-Box. After the second inning, the teams will take the field and play the rest of the game. I've heard of a game copying real life, but never vice-versa.

Dealing with my Ex-Wife

2005-06-29T11:56:00.000-05:00

Well, it's time for Cathee to start more shit with my family by posting more crap on her blog. This happens every now and then and usually I just leave it alone. However, this time I feel that a reply is needed.

Now, I would go reply on her blog, but she's turned off all replies unless you are a member of her blog. So I'll post my reply here and link up the original posts as well. My wife also gave out a response so I'll put in a link to that as well.

Click here to go to Cathee's Post from Tuesday.
Click here to check out my wife's comments.
Scroll down to see mine.

Well, Cathee decided to remove all of the posts from her blog, probably to hide them from her family. That way she can tell them any lie she wants. Luckily I have her posts copied locally so I can reference them if I need them. Just read the details below and everyone can then see how much of a pain this all was.

Cat's blog: And there was lots of anger and hurt to let go of. I had my whole world shattered because I put all my faith and love into one man and he let me down. I was blind sided by love was willing to do anything for the man even if it meant my own demise. But instead of working on our relationship or even giving me a clue that he wasn’t happy with the way things were going; he chose other routes for his life.

My Response: -And I'm much happier with my new choices.

And we all know Phil was mister instant gratification…I mean look at his track record…Two Misdemanor counts of Theft, Several Driving on a suspended License,

-These are matters of public record. So, back when I was in my early twenties I was a "self-connfessed" idiot. This was before we even dated. What's your point in bringing this up now?

Cheating on every woman he had ever dated. He cheated on Melinda while she was recovering from giving birth to his first child. He cheated on me I think more than once from all the things I have heard.

-I Would love to know what you've heard. Why don'y you tell us what you've heard? You seem to have no problem expressing yourself online. Come on, dish it out.

From the day he told me about the affair. And the way he told me about it. You would not believe it.

-Actually, everyone can read what happened that night. You catalogued the night I told you at http://www.geocities.com/darkhorseman2002/Chapter123.html. You used the name Roxy as yourself and I think you kept the evil husband's name unknown.

Well, Cathee has removed her story from the darkhorseman2002 page. Luckily, Google cached it. Check out this page to see her story about the night of the split.

When everyone thought I was doing well in reality I had become much worse by Christmas 2003. Which was the hardest time was Christmas Eve with the Young family.

-Why were you at my parent's house on Christmas Eve in the first place?

love the family so much and that Christmas I felt so out of place and lost. I barely ate and I barely talked. And When I saw all the kid’s stockings were up I broke down. As a matter of fact I broke down a few times. I was very hurt when Yvonne called while I was there.

-I called while you were there. It's my parent's house. I think calling them to tell them about their new grandson is kinda important.

She knew I was going to be there because I was told that she was told. And yet she doesn’t even have the common courtesy to wait till the next day to call or even say oh I’m sorry I didn’t realize she was still there I’ll call back.

-It's not really my problem or anyone else's problem about how you feel when my mom gets a call from her son. She is not your mother. That is not your family. It's mine.

Nope she on and on about what ever it was she needed to talk about. Talk about a disrespectful thing to do.

-Your whole post is disrespectful. But you probably don't see it that way.

And how awkward did it make Susie feel to be on the phone with Yvonne with me sitting right there well within earshot of what was being said.

-Then maybe you should have left the room if you were so concerned with how my mother felt; or left the house, or left our lives.

Any way That Christmas was the worst Christmas ever for me. The family that I had grown with and felt like they were my family too made the impact on me that They were no longer my family anymore.

-Yes, that is correct. They are not your family.

When Philip and I split we went through a whole series of stuff one was a question and answer session that I initiated. Here is copy of the whole email. Including my answers. Now mid you I know I sound desperate and crazy but my marriage was falling apart and I was willing to anything to save it.

-Of course, if you look at the date, we exchanged that email two weeks after the separation. Most of it was written as a private email between me and you. I answered you in ways to make you feel better. I wasn't going to tell you what I really thought at the time and hurt you even more. Now, you want to bring everything out into the open. Why didn't you post all the emails? Or all of your asinine one-sided divorce proposals?

15. Do you really want to end our marriage without trying work throughout differences?

Phil: Yes, I've been thinking about that for weeks. I know it may be shocking to you, but I am not changing my mind.

Cathee: FIRST OF ALL I WANT TO WORK THROUGH OUR DIFFERENCE FOR 2 MAIN REASONS. AS FAR AS OUR MARRIAGE (SO I CAN SAY WE TRIED EVERYTHING BEFORE WE GAVE UP) AND FOR TONY'S SAKE. HE'S VERY CONFUSED AND VERY HURT AND OUR DIVORCE WILL EFFECT HIM VERY DEEPLY IT COULD LEAD TO RESENTMENT AND ANGER. BUT YOU DON'T EVEN WANT TO TRY THAT IT'S OBVIOUS NOW. AND IT'S A SHAME.

-A husband and a wife that stay together purely for the sake of any children is a marrage that is doomed to fail. Staying together to make sure we don't hurt some outside, third party like Tony, or other friends and/or relatives is also a marriage that is doomed to fail.

17. Would you ever want me back in your life? & Why?

Phil: I don't hate you, and I would like you to stay in mine and Tony's life. I don't know how that would effect you to see all of that from the outside.

Cathee: FROM THE OUTSIDE IS KINDA WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PHRASE WHAT I'M THINKING ON THIS ONE SO I'LL GET BACK TO IT ANOTHER TIME.

-Yeah, I said you should stay in my and Tony's life but that was before all the crap that my family and I have had to put up with you. I would rather you just get the hell out of our lives altogether and leave us alone.

18. Do you want me to just go away?

Phil: I don't want you to just go away, but I do want you to realize that things are not going to be just like they were no matter what I do.

Cathee: I DO REALIZE THAT I JUST DON'T WANT TO BE PHASED OUT OR SHUT OUT. I WANT US TO GET ALONG AND I WANT TO GET ALONG WITH YVONNE AND HER KIDS. I ALSO WANTED TO BE SURE THAT EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE GOING THROUGH ALL OF THIS THE SAME AS I AM WE NEVER TELL THE OTHER TO GET OUT OF EACH OTHER'S LIVES.

-Changed my mind. Definitely get out of our lives. Please.

20. Am I eventually gonna meet Yvonne?

Phil: I'm sure you will.

Cathee: GOOD I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT I WOULD LIKE TO GET TO KNOW HER A BIT. I WOULD LIKE FOR HER AND I TO BECOME FRIENDS.

-I doubt you will ever be friends with Yvonne. I'm sure Yvonne does not want to be friends with you, nor do I think it's a bad thing to keep the two of you apart. It seems that every time you open your mouth you say something stupid and that would not bode well for any friendship that you have with me, Yvonne, or anyone.

So even though our marriage was ending we were still on very friendly terms and things stayed that way with neither of us fighting or bitching at each other until the actual Divorce started.

One of the more interesting things about our Divorce was the timing issue He bitched about it taking so long when he’s the reason it took so damn long. We separated in 06/2003 and he filed for divorce in I think 11/2003. and we settled the Divorce in 9/2004 Why did it take so long for him to file you may ask well….

-Yes, I filed in November 2003. Why didn't you file? Why did it take 10 months to get everything settled? Maybe because your lawyer was an idiot? Maybe because you wanted more than you deserved? Maybe because you put through idiotic lists of what I owned but never really ponied up a complete list of what you own or have? I'm sure all of these things were factors for causing the divorce to go so long. If you were so damn impatient, then maybe you should have filed. No, instead you complain on the web about all of this. Typical "poor me", whiney, bitchy mentality that you have always had. And you wonder why I divorced you?

After the divorce things got hectic in my life and eventually I decided to start a blog. this is when I was confronted by Yvonne in a blog format. I tried very hard to just be a fly on the wall and not approach her.

-If you only would have left her and me alone in the first place, none of this other crap would have happened. But you had to pretend to be someone else and start writing emails to Yvonne. Darkhorseman2002@yahoo.com was so much bullshit.

But when she made comments about on my initial Blog entry. I was furious.

-Then don't read her blog if it angers you so much.

But I didn't want to fight with her or anyone. I was dealing with so many things at the time that I really didn't want to start a fight with someone I didn't really know. Actually I wanted nothing to do with her to begin with. So I changed my blog. And as time went on and things seemed to calm down. At one point I was trying to deal with Car payments and such and I had been forced to Contact Phil about a late payment or risk having my Car and his Repossed.

-You've got your dates totally off. Yvonne's first comment on her blog about you was on March 28th. Your stupid car payment email was on March 16th. Did you travel back in time or something? Maybe you're thinking of some post on Yvonne's blog that had nothing to do with you?

This sparked a reaction from her. I did not want to fight with her so I ignored it. But as time went on the fued began. And over the last Week or so I made the desicion to alter my Blog so no one but members can comment on it.

-And oddly enough, you have no members so no comments. Was that your intention?

thus giving me the freedoom to work through what I needed to work through.

I don't really know Yvonne however, by her actions and the things she has said it seems to me that she likes to pick on people who don't fit into her plan or her world.

-You're right, you don't know Yvonne at all.

I know she hates me for some reason.

-Some reason? Every time you open your mouth you seem to have something to say about her, about me, about our failed marriage, etc. Then you wonder why she dislikes you? Idiot!

At least that's the impression she seems to have given me about it. I could be wrong about her and I sure hope that I am. But the to be honest she was the whole reason I changed the format of my blog. I started this blog so I can openly express my thoughts and feelings. And to work on new ideas and new concepts for stories for the book without people purposely putting me down for what I want to say.

-I'm sure if you stop talking about me, my family, and our marriage, we would leave you alone.

I rarely get feedback on things unless it's from her

-Well, since you have no members I guess now you're getting feedback from no one.

And the smart ass rub it in your face attitude that she display shows up over and over again. She even gets Phil Involved with his comments and such.

-You opening your big mouth about me and my family got me involved.

Normally I wouldn't give a damn about what people say but the way the two of them go about it when it comes to me is horrid. They're like vultures. I don't want her to comment on my blog neither Do I want Phil to make comments on it.

-Stop talking about us and we will gladly stop commenting. If you continue to talk, we will continue to comment.

I had originally hoped that Phil & I can still be friends after the Divorce But I now see that he doesn't want that.

-You and your stupid crap you keep pulling saw to that.

And that's too bad. But his loss is some else's gain right! Phil & Yvonne to me are what I call toxic personalities all they do is expose my weak side, hurt my feelings, piss me off, be little and beat my ego to shit. And then pour salt in the wound and just sit back and laugh like they enjoy hurting me over and over again.

-Yeah, we just love it when you decide it's time to play the bitch again. It gives us a good laugh for a while. This comes around every couple weeks.

What did I do to them to deserve this?

-Do I really need to go over the list? Send emails as fake people to my wife. Drag the divorce out longer than needed for no reason. Make stupid insulting comments on your blog about me and my family. Should I continue?

It reminds me of the tourture that was my youth in Coal City. And those wounds will never heal if you keep on picking at them.

-Stop putting yourself in situations where you might get insulted and attacked and people will stop attacking and insulting you.

What they remind me of at this point is a couple of bullies. and I know I am not as strong as I once was. I'm far from it. So I try to protect myself as best I can. I have a long way to get back to being that strong after falling apart like I did. But I'm working on it every day.

-Every day you try to find a new way to get to me and my family? But I thought you were moving on.

This Blog was created so I can be me somewhere and in a way where I best express myself. Writing.

-Then write. But when you make comments about me and my family, then expect feedback. You'll get it every time.

Now it sounds odd but I am a Dyslexic writer with bad grammer and really bad spelling who prefers to write almost every day. And if you must comment about this whole thing on your own blogs Please take my feelings into consideration when you do.

-Why? You don't take ours into consideration when you write.

Because I am not a machine, I am a woman whith a heart and a soul.

-No, I think of you more as a heartless, cold, calculating bitch.

And I really don't want to fight with anyone anymore.

-Then shut your mouth when it comes to me and my family.

I'm just trying to live my life. That's all I have been doing all along. I'm just too tired of fighting over stupid petty crap.

-Then shut up already!

So if your going to tear me apart go for it. But please have the same cosideration for me as I have had for you.

-No consideration at all? No problem, I can do that.

I don't try to mock you or make fun of you in my blogs.

-That's the biggest load of Bullshit in this entire post!

All I'm trying to do is sort out things and get through my thoughts and my feelings in a way that works for me. I no longer have the energy to fight unless I'm fighting For Chris, My family (this includes Tony), Chris's Kids and my Friends.

-The only thing you could call Tony is your friend. He is not your family! You are not now nor were you ever his mom. He's got 2 dads & 2 moms. That's it.

That's why I wrote this whole post so everyone can see what I have been through during my separation from Phil and eventually my divorce. I am grateful that I have been able to close the book on my life with Phil

-You keep talking about it. Still looks open to me.

and have opened a new book on My Life...I have even already started the next chapter of my life with Chris. And I have never been happier. I thought that When I split with Phil that I would never find happiness. I was wrong. When I first started talking to Chris I found someone who was alot like me and alot different than me at the same time. He was very interesting and very deep at times. And I fell in love with him before I even knew I was really in love with him. He has opened my eyes to a whole new world. and continues to amaze and excite me every day. I never thought I would feel this way. but I'm glad I do. I can't even describe how deep my love for him is. But more on that another time......

Coming up later next part 2 of Cleaning out the cobwebs of life….or I’m getting older.

-Oohhh, there is more? We wait with baited breath.

...and one game for my Brother

2005-06-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

Yes, once again, check out Tom's Hardware Guide.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is an odd mix between story-driven role-playing game and lawyer simulator. I doubt I'll buy it, but maybe rent it for a good laugh.

Tamagotchi for the New Millennium

2005-06-28T10:14:00.000-05:00

Check out this post on Tom's Hardware Guide.

Yes, new for the Nintendo DS is Nintendogs. Basically, a virtual pet puppy that you can interact with, and can interact with other owners of them as well. I'm sure my wife will be getting this one.

Feel the Magic Getting a Sequel?

2005-06-28T09:27:00.000-05:00

Check out this post on GameSpot.

Feel the Magic: XY/XX is one of the more unique games for any game system out there right now. Made only for the Nintendo DS, it uses the new touchscreen and microphone features very well. It was the first game that my wife got for her DS. I can imagine how much fun a sequel for that game could be.

What Book Am I?

2005-06-27T08:50:00.000-05:00

Well, I just checked out Jay's blog and found the book quiz. Check it out.

You're The Hobbit!

by J.R.R. Tolkien

All you wanted was a nice cup of tea when some haggard crazy old man
came into your life and told you it was time to do something with yourself. Now you're
all conflicted about whether to stick with your stay-at-home lifestyle or follow this
crazy person into the wild. While you're very short and a little furry, you seem to be
surrounded by an even greater quantity of short folks lately. Try not to lose your ring,
but keep its value in perspective!

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Sony Not Happy about "Adult" PSP Films

2005-06-20T11:24:00.000-05:00

Check out this article on Gamespot.

Sony is not happy about adult movies being released for their Play Station Portable system. They are basically saying that the system is aimed at kids and adults and shouldn't have adult-type content on there.

Now, in my opinion, a $250 game system is not exactly made for kids. That is a lot of money for a portable system that comes with no games (Average game price $30-40). Also, looking at the 15 regular movies available for the system that I could fine, 8 of them are rated PG-13, 3 are rated PG, and 4 are rated R. If this system is supposed to be for kids, then where are the kid movies? I didn't see any. Also, the movie prices are insane. $20-$30 for one movie that will only be played on a very small screen. I'd rather get the $10-15 DVD and buy a portable DVD player for $100.

Father's Day

2005-06-20T11:16:00.000-05:00

Well, this year is the second year that I have 5 kids during Father's Day instead of one. With all three of Yvonne's kids at their Dad's house, I got to hang out with David all morning. We played with toys, video games, etc. It was very nice.

Later We all stopped at my parent's house to visit my Dad and for Tony to visit with me a little. Later, we stopped at Yvonne's parents house to do the same over there.

Overall a nice relaxing day.

Blogs & Other Websites That I Read

2005-05-31T16:05:00.000-05:00

I thought I would just go over a few places on the web that I check out often. I'll start with the blogs:

Bright Lights Lots of Thoughts - This blog is written by my wife, Yvonne. We've been married for 8 months now. She is a woman who is not afraid to speak her mind on most anything. She has some interesting opinions on lots of topics. She mostly uses the blog to talk about whatever comes to mind, but there are also a few posts about the stupid crap that my ex-wife has been pulling lately.

The Wizard of Speed and Time - This blog is penned by my younger brother, Peter. He is a lawyer living with his family in the burbs of Chicago. Many posts about odd news stories or pictures, or the quick blurb about his kids. Go congratulate him on his first win as a lawyer.

Ohh A Penny! - This blog is written by my older brother, Paul. Mainly posts about music, or trips, or whatever else comes to mind. Quite an interesting read.

King of Diamonds and Gower Street - Both of these blogs are authored by Jay Fout. He is a Episcopal Priest that lives across the lake in Saint Joseph, Michigan. I went to high school with Jay and he is a good friend of both me and Pete. From what I've read, King of Diamonds is more personal stuff and very light-weight. Gower Street tends to lean towards religious or political topics or other such concepts. While I tend to not be overly political or religious, it makes for very interesting reading.

Other websites that I periodically check out:

Gamespot - Gamespot is (in my opinion) the best website that deals with console or computer games and gaming products. My family has a PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, Gameboys and a PC and all the kids, except for David, love to play games. This site has it all: Reviews, Previews, FAQs, Walkthroughs, Ratings, etc. And it's free!

Tom's Hardware Guide - Since I'm a computer geek at heart, this site is great for reading up on the latest gadgets for PCs. They also have a review section and lots of other good info about what's out there.

NewEgg - The best site to purchase computer parts, software, etc. online. Excellent prices, huge selection and good shipping. An excellent site.

Wizkids - My wife and I have been playing Wizkids games since 2002. We play every Sunday at Astro City Comics and Games near Chicago. Collectible miniatures games. Both of us play MechWarrior, Mage Knight, & Pirates.

Ebay - Both my wife and I buy and sell on Ebay. Check out sellers bluelark or magicalsprite to see if we have anything you might be interested in.

Let me know if you have some good sites to check out. Thanks.

Summer Changes

2005-05-31T16:01:00.000-05:00

Well, summer break is almost here for all the school kids. To me and my wife it's not much of a break. No more school means that all 4 kids are home with Yvonne all day now. No 3 hour breaks for the next 3 months or so. For me, it means I don't have to get up to put the kids on the bus. That's actually a disadvantage since without that reason to get up, I tend to hit the snooze button more. That makes me late to work. No fun at all.

The kids will like it. They can stay up a little later. They won't have the alarm waking them up in the morning. Plus, now David is sleeping in the same room as they are. They seem to like that so far.

I'm guessing there isn't much change for people who don't have school-age kids. There wasn't much difference when I didn't have any kids that lived with me. That's all different now.

Star Wars Episode 3 Review (SPOILER ALERT)

2005-05-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

As reported last week, Yvonne, Tony, & I went to see the new Star Wars movie on Friday. I bought the tickets on the internet on Wednesday so we had no lines to wait in for that. We got there 45 mins before the movie started so the line into the theater wasn't bad. It was much longer when the theater opened 25 mins before the movie. We had excellent seats 3 rows up from the floor (stadium seating) and right in the middle. The theater was crowded, but not bad. Gurnee Cinema had excellent sound and picture and we had no problems with any people or the theater at all.

Do not continue reading if you haven't seen the movie and don't want any movie info spoiled!

I liked the movie. The ship battle at the beginning was excellent, though I would have liked it to be longer. You see what the jedi are doing, but the clone ships were almost thrown in as an afterthought. The comic relief with R2 was damn funny. The audience was cracking up with that. The lightsaber battle with Dooku was excellent but I do have a hard time suspending my belief that an 80 year old actor can do the acrobatic, flipping moves that Dooku does. I would have liked it better if he fought more like Obi-Wan did in Episode 4. The part where Anakin lops off Dooku's head was great. He seemed very conflicted, esp with Palpatine egging him on. This first scene with General Grievous was excellent. He takes the "Bad Guy commander who doesn't give a shit about his subordinates" role to heart. It was excellent. I liked his getaway as well.

Now, the middle of the movie was both good and bad. It was a lot of story and not a lot of action. Now, that is good in some ways and bad in others. The story is an important part of the whole movie, but the acting could have been improved. Some people did a rather good job: Palpatine, Obi-Wan (getting much better), Jar Jar (only one line, that's excellent). I thought Anakin in the story parts could have used some acting help. He still seemed very wooden. i know he's supposed to be dark, brooding, moody. However, it just wasn't doing it for me. Once he did turn to the dark side, his acting greatly improved. I think he played Darth Vader excellently.

The 4 battles at the end were great. Obi-Wan vs. Grievous was fantastic. An excellent example of a good computer-generated character. I was worried about how good Grievous would be portrayed but he fit right in. Palpatine vs. Mace was excellent. Anakin jumping in to help finish off Mace was fitting. A good scene indeed. I had the same problem with Yoda vs. Palpatine that I did with Dooku. Too old to be jumping around like that. I liked the Emperor in Episode 6 where he just sat in his chair, cackled evil-ly, and shot lightning at Luke. Finally, the Anakin Vs. Obi-Wan fight was fantastic. Pretty much what I expected.

Overall, I liked the movie. It is an excellent tie in for the two series. While not perfect, it didn't suck either. In my list of favorite Star Wars movies, it goes right in the middle. Better than any other prequel, not as good as the first three.

Missing Midnight Madness

2005-05-18T15:44:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the release of Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. Tonight at Gurnee Cinema (among other places) they are having a midnight showing of the movie. I've gone to the midnight showings of Eps 1 & Eps 2 and they were a blast. Unfortunately, I'm going to miss the midnight showing of Eps 3. Instead, my wife and my oldest son will go see it on Friday.

Now, Tony and I have already read the book so we pretty much know what's going to be in the movie, but my wife has not. She's been trying to stay away from spoilers so she can see it with much info beforehand. I've been reading reviews and such online and it seems like this one can be an excellent comeback from the letdowns that were eps 1 and 2. Now, I'm not saying that 1 & 2 were totally bad movies, but they just didn't have that Star Wars feeling that 4-6 had. Maybe that because of the better graphics. Maybe because of the different actors. Maybe because I'm older now. Who knows. I'm keeping my hopes up for this one to be an excellent ending to a legacy.

Wacky Web Stuff

2005-05-12T17:04:00.000-05:00

How to make a bluelark

Ingredients:

1 part friendliness

1 part humour

1 part energy

Method:
Stir together in a glass tumbler with a salted rim. Add wisdom to taste! Do not overindulge!

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com

Your Icecream Flavour is...Neopolitan!

You aren't satisfied with just one flavor. They say variety is the spice of life and this shines through in your Ice cream of choice! Just don't eat all the chocolate and leave the strawberry and vanilla behind!

What is your Icecream Flavour?

Find out at Go Quiz

NOTE: z

No smoking around bluelark. Thankyou for your co-operation.

From Go-Quiz.com

LOOK OUT!
ïòð

bluelark68 is a radioactive squirrel!!

From Go-Quiz.com

This last one is a bit spooky!

bluelark Highway

Confusion Lane	3
County Jail	18
Wealthville	49
Tower of Commitment	130
Mt. Happiness	424
Please Drive Carefully

Where are you on the highway of life?

From Go-Quiz.com

EA have something against the Patriots?

2005-05-10T14:39:00.000-05:00

Go check out this article on Gamespot about McNabb getting the cover to the next version of Madden Football.

Now, as many people who know me knows, I play video games. One of my favorites is Madden NFL Football from EA Sports. I've been playing that game since the first version of it on Sega Genesis long ago. This article talks about Donovan McNabb getting the cover. That's cool, since Donovan is an excellent quarterback.

My only issue, is where are the Patriots? They have won 3 of the last 4 Super Bowls. But no New England player has gotten the cover yet? I don't get it. EA started putting players on the cover for the 2001 version. Here is a list of who they have put on there:

2006 - Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles (Lost Super Bowl)
2005 - Ray Lewis, Ravens (not in Super Bowl)
2004 - Michael Vick, Falcons (not in Super Bowl)
2003 - Marshal Faulk, Rams (Lost Super Bowl)
2002 - Daunte Cullpepper, Vikings (Not in Super Bowl)
2001 - Eddie George, Titans (Lost Super Bowl)

Upon looking at this list, maybe they just have a problem with Super Bowl winners. Three players that lost the Super Bowl and three players that weren't in the Super Bowl. Huh?

Ipod Users Going Deaf? What?

2005-05-09T10:04:00.000-05:00

Now, I'm not the Young brother that typically reads the Scotsman, but check out this article on Ipod and other MP3 players.

Now, I can certainly understand why you shouldn't listen to loud music for a long period of time. They say that any MP3 player can cause damage if set too loud, etc. This is all common-sense stuff here. What I don't understand is why they have to specifically point out the Ipod. They don't specify any other brand of MP3 player. Why not?

Two Weeks Until Star Wars

2005-05-06T14:44:00.000-05:00

Well, in two weeks the saga will finally be finished. I've seen every Star Wars movie in the theaters multiple times and I'm sure I'll see this one as well. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll make it to the midnight show to see the first showing, since that isn't very easy to do with you have a bunch of kids living with you. Sixteen-month old son is not good with late night movies. That's ok. I'll probably end up taking my 14 year old son to see it instead. He's been counting down the days until it comes out.

I've been reading reviews of it done by Star Wars people and the response seems to be pretty good. Tony and I have finished reading the book and he's looking forward to discussing it. However, we haven't had a good oportunity to do that since other people are around that don't want to know the story yet. I'm sure we'll find time soon.

After I see the movie, I'll probably put up a review.

Go check out my wife's blog

2005-05-06T14:40:00.000-05:00

Yvonne just changed the design of her blog. It's pretty sweet. Go check it out at http://magicalsprite.blogspot.com.

May is Coming! Run and Hide!

2005-04-28T10:08:00.000-05:00

Well, we're almost to the month of May. This is one of those "break the bank" kind of months in my family. Between May and December, we probably cover lots of birthdays and holidays. Here is the birthdays we have in May:

Tony, My oldest Son.
Melinda, Tony's Mother.
Alek & Isabel, My Twins.
Penny, My Sister.
Philip, Her Husband.
Mom, My Mom.
Lisa, My Wife's Cousin.

And, of course, we can not forget about Mother's Day. This year, we also have Tony's Graduation from 8th grade and his Confirmation. A busy month indeed.

Portable Playboy? Score!

2005-04-20T17:17:00.000-05:00

Check out this article on Gamespot.com about Playboy and the PSP.

Now this is one way to have porn at your beck and call. Now you can carry around your nudie mags so you can check them out whenever you get that urge to without worrying about looking like a dirtyold man. I knew I wanted a Playstation Portable for a reason. :D

What kind of american english do you speak?

2005-04-20T08:52:00.000-05:00

I grabbed this from Jay's Blog King of Diamonds. Check out the what kind of American English you speak.

Not really surprising for me. I'm from the midwest and speak like a midwesterner. Go figure.

Your Linguistic Profile:

75% General American English

10% Upper Midwestern

5% Dixie

5% Midwestern

5% Yankee

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Nonsense Paper Accepted By Conference

2005-04-15T09:42:00.000-05:00

Check out this article on The Inquirer. And no, this is not the supermarket tabloid.

The explanation from the conference organizers is at the end, but it's still damn funny. I could write a paper like that. Maybe I can get into nice conferences with those kinds of papers. Anyone who know me knows I can't write a decent paper to save my life.

Ipodding like a president? Hell no!

2005-04-13T12:19:00.000-05:00

Alright. Go read this article on Buzzle about W's Ipod.

Now, we don't get the full playlist, but there is a good amount of info there. I've got a few more than 250 songs on mine, and I did most of the burning work myself. My wife did some too. :) I'm surprised there isn't mention of much christian music on there since he seems to be very religious based everywhere else.

OK, Sex is great, but don't do it!

2005-03-31T12:37:00.000-06:00

Check out this article from msnbc.com.

Yes, thats right. Bush upped his funding for abstanence-only sex info programs from 39 million dollars to 206 million dollars. Wow, You could buy a lot of condoms for that kind of cash.

Some of the best lines in this are ones like:

"Our program started 11 years ago out of grassroots concern that students were only hearing safe sex messages and didn’t even realize that abstinence was an option,"
-Wow, there is an option to not have sex? I thought sex was mandatory.

And they say that numerous studies of abstinence programs have failed to find any measurable impact. In one of the latest, conducted by researchers in Bush’s home state of Texas and released last month, teen-agers in 29 high schools became increasingly sexually active after taking such courses, mirroring overall state trends.
-Bush can't even see that this doesn't work in his own home state much less the rest of the country.

Crime of the 21st Century

2005-03-30T11:30:00.000-06:00

Check out this article from The Register.

This shit is getting twisted. One guy kills another for stelaing virutal property. Thank god I don't play those games.

Doom and Star Wars in the same week! Ouch!

2005-03-28T10:40:00.000-06:00

Alright. The first week in April I'll be waiting in lines. Well, maybe not very long lines, but I'll be there anyways.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith doesn't come out until Memorial Day Weekend. However, the novel comes out April 2nd. I have the unabridged audio versions of the first two stories and I will be picking up this one as well. Yes, before the movie comes out. I find that the novels are better than the movies. Yes, I'll go to the movie probably opening day like millions of others, but I'll know the entire story before that. That's OK with me, I don't mind at all. I find that saturday is an odd day to release a book, but what do I know?

Doom 3 comes out on the Xbox on April 4th. Or maybe the 5th. Who knows, Monday is another odd day for a release. Most of that stuff comes out on Tuesdays. The collectors edition comtains the entire Doom 3 (compatable with Xbox live) and also full versions of Doom 1 and 2. Great fun! Can't wait. Now, I just have to convince my brother in law to finally buy an xbox so I can kick his ass online. Bwwwhahahahaha!

Spring is Here!

2005-03-28T10:24:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone. It's so nice to be back in town. My week long car trip with 4 kids worked out very nicely. Everyone had a really nice time. The kids were all great, Yvonne had fun shopping and driving around. I worked all week, but it's wasn't so bad. Found a couple of nice hobby-comic stores in the area as well. Overall it was great.

Now that we're back, I think everyone is happy to be back. I know sleeping in my own bed again is so nice. For two hours after we got home, David just ran all over the house. He missed being home as well.

Easter has come and gone and now Spring is here. It's supposed to get up to the 60s this week and stay in the 50s this weekend. I'll be happy to keep on a light jacket and finally start grilling again. I was getting really tired of the cold feb-march weather. The kids all got bikes from the Easter Bunny and are anxious to go out and learn how to ride.

April will be easy to do, nothing much happens there when Easter is in March. May is coming up, and that means lots of birthdays and mother's day. I hope you guys all have a good Spring as well.

On the Trip

2005-03-24T22:58:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone from the great place they call Pittsburgh. Well, actually just the outlying area. I'm out in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. Very nice, very hilly. Too bad the weather has been all cold and wet. I have been working all week but my wife and kids have been touring the malls, checking out museums, driving all over.

Our drive out here lasted around 10 hours. That's not too bad with 4 kids in the car. We left our place around 11am Monday. We cleared Chicago in one hour running into only one backup as we got onto the skyway. The drive across Indiana and Ohio were uneventful. Travel Plazas are a godsend. Both states have them so people don't have to get off of the toll roads. The one we stopped at in Indiana was nice, the two in Ohio were split between nice and crappy. Evidently, they are in the middle of remodeling all of the Ohio Travel Plazas. The old ones suck; one restaurant, no store, crappy facilities. The new ones are excellent; big food courts, nice new facilities. They remind me of newer airports with the same kinds of options available.

We're staying at an Amerisuites. A nice hotel with not quite two rooms, but a close second to them. There is a wall between the two beds so Yvonne and I can be awake while all the kids are asleep. It's working out better than I expected.

Well, wrapping this one up. I'm coming back on Saturday. Hopefully the drive back will be as nice as the drive here.

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty.....

2005-03-07T16:40:00.000-06:00

Check out this news report.

I can't even think of any good smart-assed remarks. Just go read it.

A Very Long "Week"

2005-03-07T11:21:00.000-06:00

Well, my hell week of two surgeries in one week turned into 3 very busy, very hectic weeks. Between three visits to the ER, two visits to the OR, one double-ear infection, four 1st year molars, three teacher conferences, & way too many doctor office visits to count, I'm exhausted. Hopefully, it is now all over and I can relax a little. Everyone is doing fine. Yvonne can move around and is mostly pain free now. Isabel can hear much better and has no bad side effects from the ear tubes. David is over his infection and now has 12 teeth with more on the way. He never does anything small. Michael, Alek, & I are doing fine. Next up! Easter and Spring Birthdays!

Mature Rated Video Games, The Sequel

2005-02-18T14:49:00.000-06:00

This post is much more humorous. Check out this news report on gamespot.com. This is just what any good mature-rated, voilent game needs. A chainsaw-shaped gamecube controller.

Wow, What a Week! Part 2

2005-02-18T10:28:00.000-06:00

Well, by Monday afternoon, Yvonne is convinced that she has a kidney stone. She has gotten them after the other two pregnancies and, while early, this one came 14 months after pregnancy number three. I rush home from work, get the kids all packed up to go to their Dad's house, and load everyone in the car to head off to the acute care center down the street. The kids dad meets us in the parking lot and picks up the kids. I take David and Yvonne into the center and get checked in.

The acute care center is a wonderful thing to have just down the street. It never seems to be too busy and can handle most of the emergency room stuff without the headaches that an ER visit can cause. Very friendly, they seem to get the job done. Unfortunately, while they were able to get her pain to go away with yummy narcotic drugs, they can't scan for the stone because they don't have that kind of equipment. So, I pile the 3 of us back into the car and head down to the hospital ER to do the rest.

We get to the regular ER around 8:30pm and get checked in there. We wait maybe 15 minutes before we're taken back to ER for more pain meds and to prep for the catscan. Yvonne gets the scan around 11:30 and then there is more waiting, this time for the results. The doctor finds 3 stones. One is on it's way out, two are still in the kidneys. The traveling stone is 6mm in diameter. OUCH! I know I wouldn't want to pass that thing. One of the ones in her kidney is 9mm. ACK! After that, there isn't much they can do. We ended up leaving the hospital at 1:30am, but had to go back at 4am because the pain killers made Yvonne nauseous and it wouldn't go away. Finally, at 7am, the three of us got home and all crashed to catch some shuteye.

The 6mm stone that is on it's way out will only be passed by drinking a lot of water and walking a lot. And, if it's not out by Tuesday, they are going to go in with a laser and zap it. Since Yvonne is not to anxious to have that done we're doing lots of walking and drinking lots of water. And crossing our fingers.

Now we just have to cross our fingers with next week. Lots of Dr appointments and a possibility of 2 surgical procedures. Ugh!

Wow, What a Week!

2005-02-18T10:11:00.000-06:00

Man, when I said I have a hectic life, I wasn't kidding. Last Saturday, my wife and I took all of the kids (with a friend and her daughter) down to Navy Pier to check out the Chicago Children's Museum.

The museum was great. The kids had a fun time playing with the different exhibits. Alek had a blast creating flying machines that didn't always fly very well. Michael loved the dinosaur dig. Isabel had loads of fun playing in the little super-market and kitchen in the play-maze. Even David had a ball. They all got to create designs on their faces with water-crayons. And at the end we hit the Waterways spot. The kids went crazy shooting water, creating fountains, and playing with waterflows, locks, etc. It was a lot of fun and everyone was exhausted afterwards.

Since our van can't hold 8 people and we didn't want to pay for parking twice, our friend rented a Ford Excursion. Man, what a car. 8 passenger, DVD player. Very big. Doesn't get more than 18 Mpg, but it has a 44 gallon tank! Definitely not for small car kinda people. But, my wife wants one now. Thankfully we're not ready to buy a new vehicle yet, not for a few years at least. So for now, she gets to dream and plan.

Of course, since I was on call for work all week last week, I get the most calls while I'm at the museum. Murphy's law, it had to happen. No big deal, we got through it all.

Sunday went alright. Our friend Tiffany and her daughter stayed over Friday and Saturday night and left Sunday afternoon. We went out and bought new shoes for Alek. That kid is almost as big as his 2 1/2 year older brother. Then we dropped the 3 kids off at their dad's house and took David to miniatures like we do every Sunday night.

Monday morning was rough since Yvonne had a backache and the kids are never fun to deal with Monday morning before school. It's got to be hard on a 3 year old to get up every day to go to school. They catch the bus at 7:20am. Heck, I'm 36 and I don't like waking up every day to get them on the bus, much less get myself to work. I was never a morning person.

To be continued in part 2.

Since When Are Boxers Illegal?

2005-02-09T09:01:00.000-06:00

Check out this article on Yahoo News.

My big questions: How are they going to enforce this? Are the police going to comb the streets looking for underpants? Are they going to carry belts to put on people? I can just see a cop writing up a ticket for a guy wearing his pants low enough to see his boxers. Is this what they have to spend taxpayers money on? Thank god I don't live in Virginia!

A nice post for a change

2005-02-03T11:47:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone. All two of you. I figured I would post something up today since Thursday seems to be my favorite day to post. Now that the holidays are over, my life can try to get back to normal. School is in full swing for the kids, David is starting to walk, and the Super Bowl is coming up this Sunday.

This will be the second year that we go down to my in-laws to watch the Super Bowl. It makes for a nice little get together with Yvonne, David, and Yvonne's family there. Sue (Y's mom) makes something delicious for the party. This year I'm making chocolate tapioca pudding while I'm there. David will get to play a lot. I'll bring the Xbox down for some games on the big screen before the Big Game. It was fun last year and I'm sure it will be a blast this year.

I find that I never go out to bars to go watch the Super Bowl. I guess I'm just more comfortable at home or a friend's/relative's house. More laid back.

Idiotic McDonalds Obesity Lawsuit

2005-01-28T14:55:00.000-06:00

First, check out this article on msnbc.com.

Can no one be responsible for themselves or their children? The plaintiffs are two youngsters who blamed their obesity, diabetes and other health problems on Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets. This is utter nonsense. McDonalds forces no one to eat their food. It's not addict-forming like tobacco or alcohol. Plus, if they are going to blame anyone, they should blame their parents who let them eat all of that food.

Now, I'm a big guy. I've been overweight all my life. I ate a good amount of McDonalds in my youth. Even now while I am older and wiser, I stop in at McDonalds at least once a week to partake in the occasional Quarter Cheese or Chicken McNugget. Should I blame my obesity on McDs? More likely I should blame it on a combination of my eating habits and my lack of an real exercise. Even if I ate McDonalds every day like that idiot who made the Super-Size Me movie, should I be able to sue them for selling food that isn't healthy?

That would be like suing beer manufacturers for giving me liver problems from drinking too much. Or, better yet, lets sue the makers of sugary soft drinks (Coke, Pepsi, etc) for rotting out my teeth with all that yummy pop.

Can't anyone in America take some responsibility for their own actions?

Got Geek?

2005-01-27T17:12:00.000-06:00

Since my friend Jay did the white trash test over at Fuali.com I figured I would post the one most like myself.

I am 39% Geek.

You probably work in computers, or a history deptartment at a college. You never really fit in with the "normal" crowd. But you have friends, and this is a good thing.

Take the
Geek Test
@ FualiDotCom

Take it and let me know how you turned out.

Ipodding

2005-01-27T14:45:00.000-06:00

Wow, two posts in one day. This is a record for me. Must be a slow day at work.

If you ask anyone who knows me, I am a techie. I'm always fiddling with some electronic device. Always have been, always will. And, I love to listen to music. When I was young, it was the tape recorder or the family record player. In the 80's, my first "walkman" was around 2 pounds, had a shoulder strap and took cassettes like a car tape deck. It ate tapes as much as it played them. The 90's came with more money to spend on that kind of thing. First it was the walkmans, real ones this time. Then the CD players. Multidisk CD players, minidisk players, DVD players, etc. After the turn of the century I found myself with a small MP3 player with expandable memory that I bought for $100. With the extra memory I could bring 8-9 CDs with me while I was out.

Last summer I came into some money and decided to purchase an Ipod for myself. I had 3 choices. The Ipod mini, the 20GB Ipod, or the 40GB Ipod. Since I have a fairly good sized CD collection, and my wife has quite a few as well, I went for the 40GB version. Along with that, I got myself a cradle for my car to recharge the Ipod and play the music through my car stereo.

So far I've recorded every CD I have into the pod and around half of my wife's CDs and I still have over 15GB free on it. It was more money than I have ever spent on any music player ($400) and so far it has been worth every penny. I can setup custom playlists. It automatically sorts through everything by artist, album & song title. It was easy to setup and easy to convert all my CDs to it. It can read any MP3 file and I had 4 CDs filled with MP3 files to use with it. It's very convenient to carry around any piece of music I own and have all of it a few keystrokes away. I can re-listen to old albums I have not pulled out in a while. I can shuffle randomly through my entire collection or just through one artist, genre, etc. I love it!

Before I purchased it, I was browsing through different review websites to figure out which large capacity MP3 player was best. I looked at C|Net, Tom's Hardware Guide, and a few others. Each of these sites had reviews on Ipods and on other devices from Sony, Dell, Creative Labs, etc. What really made up my mind was that each review for a product that was not an Ipod had this line at the end: "A well designed effort with good sound and options, but it's not an Ipod." That kind of sealed the deal. Heck, my family became an Ipod family since my wife got one for Christmas. She liked mine so much she wanted her own so I got her a pink Ipod mini with a nice laser inscription on the back.

The only problem I have now is all the music I used to have before CDs. I had a large cassette tape collection but I gave that up when I got divorced. Though I like to look for new music to listen to at the stores, I find that I start to find music I used to have. However, replacing old tapes to CDs can be an expensive process.

Video Gaming and the Youth of America

2005-01-27T11:45:00.000-06:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a gamer. I play everything from video games, board games, card games, role-playing games, miniatures, etc. I'm always up to playing something. I've been playing games as long as I can remember. I'm also a little outspoken when it comes to the government acting like parents. Parents should act like parents.

So, today I came across this article: Another State Mulls Video Game Ban. Basically, my governor is looking to make it illegal for a business to sell violent and/or sexually explicit video games to people under the age of 18. Now, I'm all for kids not getting their hands on mature rated games. I applaud the video gaming industry for voluntarily adopting the rating system currently in place. What I don't like is when the government thinks it needs to step in and act like parents.

Parents should be responsible for what their child gets their hands on. I have 5 kids, ages 13, 6, 3, 3, and 1. I pretty much know everything they play, watch, read. If my 13 year old wanted a game rated mature, I would look it over before making my decision. What is the game about? What in it causes the Mature rating? Do I think it's appropriate for my son? All of this info can easily be found on the internet. Game publishers give out tons of info on new games coming out. Websites like Gamespot & IGN review new games and give plenty of info for parents to help decide what's right for their children.

unfortunately, many parents don't do that. I was watching a new program about a set of parents who purchased Grand Theft Auto 3 for their 6 year old. The father would play it with his son. The mother was completely oblivious. Both parents were being irresponsible. Is it the government's place to step in then?

Here is a great quote from our esteemed governor:
"If you're 18 or older and you're a grown-up and an adult, that's your business," the governor said. "But I don't believe that my 8-year-old daughter has a constitutional right to cut somebody's head off in a game that she plays."

In my opinion, if my governor doesn't have enough control over his 8 year old that he can't stop her from trying to purchase a Mature rated game, then how is he supposed to keep track of what our state is doing? How is he supposed to get law enforcement to enforce this? Should we get big signs for the stores with a "We Card for M rated games" and put them in all the Targets, Wal-Marts, Gamestops, etc? How is he going to hand out the proposed $5000 fines and 1 year prison terms to a business?

Another great quote from the article: The proposed legislation also would require retailers to label violent or sexually explicit video games. Video games now are rated with general labels such as "M" for "mature." How can this be difficult to understand? Here is the picture for the M rating:

Can't everyone see the Mature 17+ right at the top? Here is the description that comes with the symbol:

MATURE
Titles rated M - Mature have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain mature sexual themes, more intense violence and/or strong language.

These games also have descriptors on the back of the game box that have all sorts of key-words that describe what's in the game. You can see all this on the ESRB's Website.

In short, while I am ranting here, do we really need our state government to act like parents to our kids?