When It Rains It's Poor

Rain in the form of bad news tends to fall all at once it seems. It wasn't more than a few hours ago I was sitting in the apartment of a good friend of mine, talking about his new entertainment center that he built from scratch (Cinder blocks and ply wood, Hey us college kids have to make due with what we have!).

On my way home i gave a friend of mine, Holly a call. I was suppose to have called them back earlier in the evening but since i was busy i had not been able to do so. She informed me that her and her boyfriend were having some relationship type issues and that things were not looking good. After some light hearted words of encouragement she hung up with me to continue chatting with her boyfriend. I hate when good relationships get rocky.

Upon my return to my apartment i greeted my room mate and went to the fridge for a quick snack before bed. I hopped on my laptop to check email and Facebook and took it into my roomie's room to irritate him while he played World of Warcraft. He explained to me that after a long and tedious quest they had finally defeated the final boss. However, when it came to splitting up the loot, one of the party members decided to take a piece of treasure without asking and promptly logged out. Not a very nice thing to do, even if it was in just a game. That sort of behavior reflects badly on the person.

After dealing with that little incident he tabbed out of WoW to check his email. In his inbox was a letter from his boss. You can't imagine what it contained and lets just say it wasn't good news. He was informed, and on no certain terms that he was no longer employed. From the tone of the letter, my room mate concluded that the company must be closing its doors.

It's been a long day. I think we all deserve an extra drink this Friday. Cheers!

A Cup Of Sugar

It was something out of a 1950s sitcom I swear it. Saturday afternoon I was tidying up around the apartment after Friday night’s little soirée. All of a sudden I hear a knock at the door. Intrigued I go to my door and open it to find a pair of very good looking girls standing there. “Hi, Do you have a phone book we can barrow?” Happily I replied that indeed I had a phone book that they would barrow and went to the drawer to get it. They took the phone book smiled and left. A few minutes later they returned and gave it back.

Ok, so what’s the big deal you ask? Shut up and let me continue. This afternoon, while I was lying on the floor writing a paper on biological warfare in the ancient world, there was a knock at my door. I hopped up to answer it. It was one of the same girls from the other day. She had a pink measuring cup in her had and a sheepish look on her face. “Can I barrow two cups of milk”, she said. It was almost too much. How funny is that, the perfect cliché. I of course was more than willing to share my dairy products with her and invited her in while I measure out the proper amount. I asked what she needed it for as I was pouring. “We are making dinner”, she said. “Oh, what are you making tonight”, I asked. “Hamburger helper”, she replied and began to turn red. I said, “No, that just won’t due. You and your room mate will have to come over for dinner sometime”. I handed her the milk, and she thanked me. Smiling and beat red she went back to her apartment.

I hope they come over for dinner sometime. They seemed nice enough. My room mate I am sure would be very appreciative.

Gaming While Intoxicated

There is nothing better for an IS student than to unwind after a busy week of learning how to manage the IT infrastructure of the worlds communications network than with a cold drink and the company of friends. For some, another joy comes from fragging those same friends in a video game.

By themselves, each activity carries great amounts of stress relief. However, on the statistically improbably chance that these two activities coincide with one another, a new level of rapture can be experienced. (For those to like to frag…)

/side_note
“This is a personal feeling towards IS and CS individuals but I simply have trouble understanding how some people in my program simply refuse to accept that video games are fun. If you are an IS or CS student or in either fields of work, it is a foregone conclusion that you are more comfortable in front of your computer than in front of the karaoke mic, myself included. I socialize to the extent society requires, however I also take great relish in blasting my friends in a good wholesome video game.”
/end side_note

Right, so yesterday evening was a convergence of those two favorite activities. We discussed issues of importance and polished off a bottle of wine. Yes, wine and hard cider too. We had females in the hizouse. Spooky I know. Then commenced the main drinking game of the evening, Wii bowling. Over the next several hours we played countless games of Wii bowling and boxing. Then, one of my guests was struck with a moment of pure genius. And with credit card in one hand and a Wiimote in the other, points were added to my Nintendo account for the purchase of several console games.

Without a doubt the favorite game of the night was Super Mario Bros. 2. Instantly, we were all transported back to our earliest childhood gaming memories. (That game is a lot harder than I remember. But we were all pretty smashed by then too.)

The moral of the story here is that friends don’t let friends spill their drinks. That’s alcohol abuse!

The Metroids Are Coming

After renting Metroid Prime 3 all weekend long i decided that it was worth a purchase. It is quite possibly one of the best games for the Wii so far. Metroid is a perfect example of how the Wii can be used to make a killer FPS/action game. There is no need for lock-on anymore! With the mobility of the wiimote, you can lock on to one target and shoot another.

The gameplay is seamless and the puzzles are unique and entertaining. It is easily the best Metroid game yet if for no other reason than its controls.

The Phazon Conundrum

Samus is at it again. The space pirates are on the move and the galaxy is in peril. Great asteroids filled with Phazon have smashed into several planets in the vicinity of the Galactic Federation fleet while engaging the Space Pirates in bloody battle. Samus must eliminate the pirate threat, destroy the defenses surrounding the leviathans as they are called, and discover the real motives behind the Aurora Unit's actions. Tricky...

Sweetness

Today begins another weekend, and i have made plans. I have made a new friend in my IS project management class who happens to love the Wii almost as much as I do. So when i mentioned the fact that i had rented Metroid Prime 3 this morning in class he was, interested to say the least. We made plans to meet up later today and I believe there will be much gaming and fun had. Thankfully most of the homework issues have been taken care of and i will have ample time to indulge in a little fun. Huzzah to all, and to all a good drink!

To Be Zen Again

With all the changes that have been going on lately. and now that school is now officially under way I feel tension already starting to build. The stress knots are already starting to form in my mind, keeping me unfocused on tasks and listless during class lecture.

So, to alleviate the problem i sat down in the middle of my apartment yesterday and began to meditate. It had been a long time since i have taken the time to clear my mind of nervous thoughts and worries. It was exceptionally refreshing. As my mind cleared, i began to feel energy around me as it moved slowly and calmly. I began focusing my own energy into a ball between my hands in front of my as i sat cross legged in the middle of my apartment. before i knew it i realized that i had already created a small energy ball. Intrigued that it had taken so little time to form I began to move it about. I dissipated it and reformed it and dissipated it again.

My room mate came into the living room to ask me something, and as i came out of my meditation to answer him i realized that my hands had gotten rather warm. I assume it was just because it was warm in the room, until i realized that it was actually quite cool as the sliding glass door to the balcony was open and cool air from outside was flowing into the apartment. My hands were the only warm part of my body as i stood up and shuttered slightly as i closed the sliding glass door.

I cannot wait to meditate some more. It's a lot like i remembered, only more intense now. Age does have its benefits after all.

Company

It has been an official day with my new room mate and things seem to be going pretty well. I have to admit, for all the things that room mates do to annoy you, he does very few of them. He keeps the bathroom neat and makes sure the shower curtain is closed. He is quiet and a little shy, things that i like to see in a room mate as it keeps the wild sexy parties to a minimum. Not that sexy parties aren't welcome from time to time, I just have other semi important things to do, like homework and getting ready to graduate.

A most pleasant surprise was this morning, when we got up for work (him) and school (me) he made enough coffee for both of us. Little things like that are really important. Common courtesies like that are far too lacking in the world and i really appreciated the effort (the coffee was good too).

I got a chance to chat online with an old friend who has since moved to Arkansas. She happened to move while i was in Florida working on my internship. Fortunately, she is doing well in her new place and although she isn't making much right now at her job she was optimistic that things and and will be good.

Finally i was able to get in a full workout today as well as a 45min swim. My room make has expressed interest in increasing his fitness level and will accompany me the next time i workout. He spends a lot of time playing World of Warcraft which doesn't help his situation, but on the other side it means that he will be able to entertain himself. Overall i cannot complain. This room mate is better than most.

Shinanigans

It was a hell of a weekend. I could not have asked for better circumstances. I acquired a copy of the statistics software we use in lab that we use to do our assignments and was industrious enough to complete all of my homework Thursday night. So after my IS project management class ended i went to lab and made sure the outputs from my work were what the professor expected, printed out my assignments, and went home. Score!

I met up with a friend of mine at the grocery store and after putting my perishables away in my fridge, went back to his place to play Halo 2 until 1am.

Saturday i invited my friend back to my place to play Wii. We ended up getting lunch at a great little Italian place nearby that just opened. Lunch was splendid. On the way back to my apartment my brother called to let me know he was going to be stopping by. Perfect timing as my friend had to leave for work. My brother and i went to the pub to get a few drinks and catch up. We hung out at the pub until he also had to take off back to his place where it was his turn to watch the baby while mom went to take care of some family business.

It has been a very busy weekend. Another item of not is that i now have a room mate. An old friend of mine from high school just got a job in the Grand Rapids area and needed a place to stay while he looks for his own place. I was more than happy to offer my facilities to him as my apartment is nearly large enough for two people anyway. Only one bedroom however. And no, we are not sharing it. I took the futon in the living room. I have been sleeping there lately anyways. Not sure why exactly, however it just seems easier for me to get to sleep. I have been use to living with other people. I had two room mates in Key West. So the company will be appreciated. But now i have to go.

Bandwidth Queen

Finally, after long last I got my own internet hook up yesterday. Until then i had been... Borrowing it from my kind and generous neighbors. I made sure to be curious and conscious that i was on someone else's network by limiting my activity to school work and email. I did my best to resist the urge to crank up the bit torrent and hit the xxx sites. Besides, you never know if they are logging it.

My new internet, which is though the same group i had before is as i expected, still awesome! I support my local CLECs and independent ISPs (nuts to Comcast). And I was rewarded with a fat 10mb pipe and a 1-1.5mb upload. Bless those kind administrators. It is always nice to see your torrents coming down in well, torrents! TGIF!!! Holla!

Moon Cycles

The moon as I am sure most realize exerts a noticeable force on the earth. The moon being a full one quarter the total size of the earth itself is by far the largest orbiting satellite relative to its parent planet's size in the solar system. (The Discovery Channel)

My point here is that the moon affects the earth in a number of ways, the most commonly observed of these phenomenon are the tides. As the moon orbits the earth every 24 hours it pulls the ocean's water toward it causing swells. However, the moon can also have an affect on people. It is my feeling that the moon can greatly affect the moods of people who are sensitive to its electromagnetic forces. I have personally noticed that during a full moon i am far more restless and aggressive. I am far more likely to try new things or take chances.

As a matter of fact, it was during a full moon when i met a very good friend of mine. It was a whirlwind evening that ended with the two of us in bed. Something that i would never do after just meeting someone for the first time.

Every time i see the moon i get a chill that goes down my spine, and the closer it gets to full the stronger the feeling gets. The feeling is difficult to describe. Think of it as a combination of a quiver and a shiver, with goose bumps and all. It is a full physical reaction. Thankfully it has always been a pleasant feeling and I always seem to feel a little less stressed and anxious after the feeling passes.

I recommend for any of you who are lucky enough to catch a full or near full moon to take a moment to stop and look up, feel the moon light shine down on you, let it touch your skin and see if it doesn't make you shiver a bit. Maybe it will help calm your mind and give you peace if only for a moment. Praise be to the goddess of the moon!