Last Blog

Well folks, it looks like this is it. The last blog. Boy is that a relief. I've enjoyed writing a couple of them, but it is awfully hard to remember to do it 12 times.

So what to talk about today? I'm still playing Dragon Age II.

 I really want to watch Black Death.

Community is on of the funnier tv shows at the moment.

And I have a pretty massive headache.


I got a b+ on a history test today. It kinda sucked because I was one point away from getting an A-. I could use more of those. Game of Thrones on HBO is getting closer every day. I'm more than a little excited for that. Not nearly as excited as I am for A Dance with Dragons, but very excited nonetheless. The Walking Dead continues to astound me with every issue. It is such an amazing series, I've never seen anything quite like it. Baseball season is only 9 or so days away. I can't wait for the beginning of the Giants title defense. I'm probably gonna watch Unstoppable today. It's looking like it might be a pretty good movie, or so the reviews might make me think. Paul didn't do that well at the box office, which is a might bit disappointing. It was a really good movie. It was definitely smarter than most comedies. Which reminds me. HOW THE HELL DOES ADAM SANDLER KEEP MAKING MONEY? I mean come one. I think he is a little bit funny, but Grown Ups shouldn't have made that much money.

Anyway, thanks for reading my blog. If you have been reading it, that is.

Dragon Age II

The other day I began playing Dragon Age II with a great sense of trepidation. I absolutely loved the first Dragon Age. I played it for more hours than I care to admit. Adding to my fear, the reviews for the game were all fairly critical of the changes that have been made. So it was with great nervousness that I marched down to the local best buy and plopped down a few gift certificates to buy Dragon Age II.

Boy am I glad I made the leap. It is a fantastic game. There are changes and some of them are slightly disappointing, but most of them are equal to or better than its predecessor. I'm finding myself firmly logged in to the new characters far more than most of the cast from the first game. (The only interesting characters in the first game were Morrigan, Anders, and Loghain. Wynne wasn't bad, but her back story left me a little bored and confused.) Dragon Age II's protagonist, Hawke, may not be as much of "my" character as the Grey Warden from the first game, but he/she is an incredibly interesting character nonetheless.

Anyway, I'm about 2/3 of the way through Dragon Age II and I am really loving it. Best of all, it is a long game. I'm always disappointed when great games fizzle out after a few hours.

OOOh, had some Hamburger Helper today. Delicious

Paul and BJ, Powers

Me and my girlfriend went out to see Paul today. It is the newest film from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The two have worked together before on Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, as well as the BBC series Spaced. All of those have been genius, and Paul nearly reaches that level as well. It will probably take a few more viewings for me to figure out exactly how much I liked it, but I can tell you that it was very good. I already plan on getting it on Blu-Ray.

After the movie, my girlfriend and I went to eat at BJs Brewhouse again. It was great. I got the pepperoni pizza and it was pretty good, but my girlfriends chicken Parmesan was magnificent. I won't be making it myself for a long time because it was so good.

I read the first issue of Powers last night. It was pretty good. It was actually Issue .5, so we'll see what the first real issue is like. It is about a pair of detectives who specialize in making sure that super heroes are following the rules. So who knows, it might turn out to be great, we'll see.

I also listened to The Strokes a bit today. Hadn't done that for a while. I forgot how good Is This It is.

The Walking Dead

So, I started reading The Walking Dead comic series. That is some really good stuff. Sure, on the surface it seems like your standard zombie fare, but it is so much more than that. It is more about every one of the characters is so well thought out and unique. Each and every decision that they make is well thought out by the author, Robert Kirkman. Don't get attached to any of the characters, though. Each and every one of them could be killed at a moments notice. That being said, it really delivers on the zombie action. There are a ton of decapitations and gunshots, and the art is fantastic.

The Walking Dead also translated very well to the small screen. Frank Darabont, the director of such gems as The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile has done an excellent job taking the important things from the comic series, but establishing enough new content to keep it fresh for the viewers who have already read the comic series. Robert Kirkman, the author of the comic series also stepped in to write a few of the episodes. All of the actors do a stunning job as well.

As far as comics go, I'm looking forward to starting Powers. My brother keeps telling me about it and it's about time I listened. American Dad is very funny.

Killzone 3, Sharks, Due Date, and Doctor Who

So, I went to Fresno this weekend and I played my brother's copy of Killzone 3. Man, I enjoyed the hell out of that game. The controls were great, and the story was better than everyone was saying. i think many people missed a lot of the intricacies that the developers Guerrilla were going for. Overall, it was definitely one of the most enjoyable first person shooters I have ever played.

We also saw the San Jose Sharks play the New York Rangers last weekend. It was a great time, even though the Sharks lost in a shootout. Seriously, it was the worst shootout I have ever seen a team have. We ate at the spaghetti factory which was pretty delicious.

We also saw Due Date at my brother's place. It was pretty funny. Zach Galifinakis (There is no way I'm right with that spelling) is really solidifying himself as a comic force in Hollywood. And Robert Downey Jr. does what he does best. He acts like a total asshole. We finally watched the Doctor Who Christmas Special. It was an alright episode. One of the more technically superior episodes that they have put together, and the story was pretty effective. Matt Smith is really solidifying himself as a great Doctor. But he still can't compare to David Tennant.

Cooking and Ranting

(I suppose I spoil something for the television series Angel near the bottom of this post, so be careful.)

So, recently I have been trying to cook really good food for my family. Tomorrow, I'm planning on cooking Brown Sugar glazed Lamb with cranberry applesauce and glazed carrots. Two weeks from now, I'm going to make a Parmesan crusted chicken with white cheddar mash potatoes, a whiskey braised apple sauce and a oven baked beignets with strawberries. I don't even like cooking that much, I just like eating the food that comes from the cooking.

Yesterday I volunteered at a rummage sale for charity. Lots of people trying to steal. How terrible is that. Stealing from a charity is about as rude as it gets. Also, people were trying to haggle the shit out of everything. It's charity people, come on.

What else is there.

I got some books at the rummage sale. I got Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth, Out of Sight by Elmore Leonard, and Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr. I'm so backed up on books now, I have no idea when I will get around to reading them.

Why did Joss Whedon have to kill Doyle on Angel? I've read his explanation but I'm not buying it. He was a damn fine character and would have been fun to watch for a long time. Also, let's have a moment of silence for Glenn Quinn and Andy Hallett. Both of these men were fine performers on the show. Hallett was taken from the world, and Quinn paved his own way, but both men died too young.



Tomorrow........ something.

127 Hours, Maybe My Favorite Film of the Year

Sorry about yesterday's post. The font wen really weird. I'm not quite sure what happened.

Anyway. today I would like to start by talking to you about 127 Hours, the film about Aron Ralston. Some of you may know about this movie, or about Aron Ralston. For those of you who don't, Ralston is famous for having to cut his arm off with a rusty mutli-tool in order to escape from a rock that was pinning his right arm. He was pinned for five days before he did that. Anyway, the movie is by Danny Boyle. He is most known for directing Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Days Later. Personally, his best work might be Trainspotting. 127 Hours stars James Franco as Aron Ralston, the unfortunate wildlife-o-phile.

There are two things that make this movie so special. The first is the  powerhouse performance delivered by Franco. Much of the movie takes place in this tiny little ravine, and he is alone. Franco uses only a camera to totally let us in on what Aron is thinking and feeling at the time. The second most important thing about this film is the direction by Danny Boyle. Holy crap does that man direct the hell out of this movie. Every scene is well thought out, and the last fifteen minutes grab you by the chest and make you want to leap for joy.

I think I'll leave you with this. How impressive is it that the audience seems to want to cheer once Aron decides to cut his arm off. Not because they want to see gore, but because they want to see him succeed.

Complete and Totally Random

Along with IS 101, I am also in a History of World War I class and, man …..that is a really cool class. It’s terribly sad how much Americans have truly forgotten about such a huge part of the world’s history. The only other class I am taking right now is Physics. Eff that class. I hate physics. Seriously. I would rather take Organic Chemistry four times, than take another semester of physics.

Ugh, what else? This is kinda hard, seeing as it is required to be 200 words. I might see the Giants World Series Trophy on Tuesday. That would be all kinds of awesome. My girlfriend made me a really delicious sandwich for lunch today. It was really good. There was also some orange jello involved and it was also fairly fantastic. I got out of lab early today as well.

The King’s Speech was a good movie. Apparently the guy who wrote it had a stutter when he was young, which makes sense. Deserved winning the best movie Oscar, but I would have voted for The Social Network. Tom Hooper definitely should not have gotten Best Director. He did a fine job on The King’s Speech, but Daren Aranofsky, David Fincher, and Christopher Nolan all did a much better job directing their movies. 

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang As Well as Some Other Things

When you think of Robert Downey Jr., These days, you think of Iron Man, Due Date, maybe you even saw the Soloist. What probably doesn't come to mind is his 2005 effort as Harry Lockhart in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. But I'll be damned if it isn't his best performance yet. Not to mention, Val Kilmer is in top form as Gay Perry the private detective. Anyway, the movie is about a small time burglar from New York who gets caught up in a Hollywood murder mystery. It's a pretty standard plot, with a few decent twists and turns, but what really stands out about the movie is the performance of Kilmer and Downey Jr. They play up the whole buddy cop stereotype perfectly (even though neither of them are cops). The banter is so quick witted and funny, and Shane Black, the man who brought us Lethal Weapon, directs perfectly. See this movie, you'll probably love it.

As I'm writing this, Jurassic park is on the TV. Man, that is one great movie as well. The dinosaurs look as good as anything done today. The T-Rex's roar still gives me chills. And who doesn't love Sam Neill. Oh, and Jeff Goldblum too. Anyway, tomorrow I think I'll write about ......something.

Game of Thrones and the End of Dead Space 2

So, Game of Thrones is coming to HBO in April. It's definitely my most anticipated show of the year. Hopefully it will live up to the hype. More importantly, I hope the A Dance With Dragons, the fifth book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, will do the same. Calling the series A Game of Thrones is probably a better idea than Song of Ice and Fire. Given the choice between the TV series and the next book, I would definitely get George R.R. Martin on the phone and force him to finish the book. If you haven't read the first four books of A Song of Ice and Fire yet, you are wrong. The books are great. Even if you don;t like fantasy, there is a ton of material to sink your teeth into. They definitely kept me up until late at night before I could put them down.

On a more Science Fiction note, I finished Dead Space 2 today. The last hour of the game was incredibly intense. The final boss left something to be desire, though. Why is it all games have to have a final boss? A final event does the same thing, and may fit the story better. Anyway, I digest (joke). Now I have to decide whether or not to play it on hardcore mode. Only 3 saves, limited ammo, limited health. Sounds tough.

Sorry for the grammar in this one. I'm writing it right before I go to sleep and am not thinking that well. Tomorrow I'm thinking about writing about a movie. Which one? I have no idea.

Giants and other stuff.

Spring training is in full force which means that baseball is back. And thank God. I like football, don't get me wrong, but the media goes a little overboard with football coverage. So it's nice to know that other options are now available for sports fans. (I like hockey as well, but don't expect to see any major coverage of it here in the States)

So, Pablo "The Panda" Sandoval has dropped 45 pounds of fat in three months. Not too shabby. Although the fact that a professional athlete weighed 279 pounds is just a little ridiculous. Buster Posey appears to be assuming the leadership role that was forming last season, and hey that means only good things for the squad. Rowand's back, so that's too bad. Maybe he can be good trade bait this year, but most teams don't want to take a $24 million contract for an aging player with lackluster numbers. Looks like all the pitchers are finding their groove fairly quickly, which is reassuring after their heavy workload last year. Hopefully Bumgarner and Lincecum's arms can hold up.

I haven't yet decided what I'm gonna write about tomorrow. Maybe the SJ Sharks, maybe Battlestar Galactica. Me and my girlfriend are about to start the tv series Angel, so maybe I can write about that. See you tomorrow. (Man I want to buy Killzone 3). Ya know, I think I'll talk about Game of Thrones.

New Blog - Dead Space 2

Hello, and welcome to my new blog. Over the next 12 days I will be covering a wide variety of topics, including politics, sports, games, movies, tv, and more. Obviously, I am not important enough for many people to read this blog, and honestly, I'm only doing it for my IS 101 class. I hope you enjoy reading this blog.

First up, I will be talking about Dead Space 2, a game I just started on the PS3. If you haven't heard about Dead Space 2, its about a guy trying to survive in a space station against horrible monstrosities. It's actually a bit more complicated than that, but that's all you need to know for now. 1 minute into the game and you know what you're in for. I won't spoil it, for those of you who haven't played it, but let's just say some poor guy is having an awful headache.

Anyone who has played the original Dead Space will feel right at home in Dead Space 2. All of the game mechanics are the same, with a few helpful changes every now and then. Few games have ever done atmosphere as well as Dead Space 2. You really feel like you are stuck on this space station that has been thrown into chaos. If you have a weak heart, you may want to refrain from playing this game. There is a great deal of tension and jump scares throughout the game.

I hope you have enjoyed my first blog. Tomorrow I will probably talk about the Giants spring training or something. I make no promises.