Hurlshort

After reading the review, I have to say I'm not surprised. I really wanted this game to be awesome. I loved Silent Storm, but that game wasn't relying on the story and RPG aspects to make it a winner. Hammer and Sickle is, and clearly they didn't get a good writer or translation team. Where's Mikhael Bulgakov when you need him. This is likely to be another Russian game with great potential but too many flaws. *crosses it off his X-mas list*

Yesterday I was reading a thread about how a WoW question ended up on Jeopardy. Someone had posted the video, and also posted another video for background info. Now, there are a few folks who grumble about anything to do with WoW, but I thought this was a very interesting topic and I was going to comment how neat it is to see games get on shows like Jeopardy. ...but the thread was locked. Authority locked it and left a note saying to PM him about it if there were question. So I PM'ed him, even though it wasn't my thread, because I thought this was very odd and I wanted to have the discussion. I never heard back. ...and now the thread has been completely deleted. I don't know why...some may say bandwith, but the locked Beautiful Pictures thread is still floating, so that seems to lack logic. So what's the deal? Keep in mind, I tried to keep this to PM's, but I've had no response from that.

The Sharks were rolling a pretty solid 4 lines at the start of the season, with Marleau getting a bunch of different wingers. I think Marleau will get the second line with McCauly and a rookie (maybe Michalek) and Thornton will get Scott and Cheechoo.

Oh my god!!! I'm shocked. I did not see this coming. I'm very glad they dished off Stuart, as he never seemed to hit his potential. Sturm is a tough loss, and Primeau is gritty, but it's frickin' Joe Thornton! I hope he's happy with the trade. His cousin, Scott Thornton, is in San Jose, so hopefully it won't take him long to get comfortable. This is the biggest aquisition the Sharks have had. Both Thornton and Marleau are centers, so I don't think they'll play with each other much, but who knows. I think Boston must need to salary cap room, because it seems like a tough call to trade their franchise guy. Still, they aren't doing well either, so I guess they decided to mix it up. Man, I'm so shocked...I'm not even upset that the Stars are killing them now. *edit* top wingers are McCauly and Cheechoo, although McCauly is underperforming. They've got Goc playing wing too, he's a strong rookie. Scott Thornton might end up with Joe. They've got a bunch of new guys, hard to keep track.

Wasn't The Postman based on Fallout? It might as well be, except no mutants. Then there's Mad Max, which Fallout was partially based on. It's not like post-apocalyptic movies are new to Hollywood.

Really? That would be an awesome trade in my eyes. I think Sykora has plenty of good hockey to play, and he's not a defensive liability.

I actually read a review where Johnny Depp's performance was compared to a bad version of Keith Richards. To my eyes, this reviewer and Janmanden are really missing who the character of Jack Sparrow is. He's not sane. If you expect him to act normal, that misses the whole point of his personality. He's got odd make-up on, he sounds drunk, and he's completely unpredictable. But that's why I love the movie, it really seems like Depp's character has no clue what his next step will be...he's a perfect chaotic character.

Sharks are working on a trade. My hope is they bring in a solid defenseman and let Stuart or Hannan go, but I doubt they'll deal those two. It sounds like Nils Ekman or Dimatrakos are on the chopping block, but I don't see how either of those guys have value. There was also talk about Marco Sturm, but that would be a bad idea, because he's off to a slow start but he was injured the end of the last season, he just needs time to recover his game. I'm starting to hate Nabakov, but I don't think there's any good goalie for goalie trades to be made (unless we can get Luongo)

Malkavians have some seriously dirty outfits. My wife didn't really dig them when I showed her. Still, I think the chaps and the cowboy hat are pretty awesome looking.

Bliss over truth for teh win!

I can't believe all the Johnny Depp haters. "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" proved to me that him and Leo DiCapprio are two of the only young actors that are worth watching. And what about "Sleep Hollow?" Fear and Loathing was cool too.

Pirates was an awesome flick. The sequel looks very solid too. Clearly, if you didn't like PotC, then you don't like Disneyland, and that makes you an evil communist.

I was actually going to suggest Denver as well, but he seems to have his heart set on the Big Apple. Can't say I blame him, there's really no other place like it. CoF, law requires a ton of schooling. High School is really a cake walk in comparison to Pre-Law. I don't doubt your intelligence, but are you willing to push through all the busy work to get it done? It's not just about shining academically either, it's about kissing the asses of important professors and making the key connections. You need to want it bad. The counselor suggestion is a decent idea, depending on what field you want to do it in. I know a few counselors at the Middle and High School level. I think most states require a Bachelors degree and a credential to do it, but there are many other types of counselling. Honestly, if I could be your age again, I'd dump the High School girlfriend I had and join the Peace Corp. But that's just me and my regrets

People go down alleys...you just have to stalk them for a bit. I also like the hospital for a bit of blood, that philandering surgeon is always good for a refill.

My buddy got into San Jose State with a 2.3 GPA...so it's not always necessary to have the grades if the school needs enrollment. But if you are going to spend those two years of JC living at your parents and not paying rent, that's a good deal. Still, it sounds like you want to escape. If that's true, and you really want to attend college as well, take out some student loans. That way you can work a part time job to pay the bills, while the loans cover your tuition. Even at a JC, this is an option. You'd be surprised how easy student loans are to pay off. I'm a couple years into my Graduate loans, and I pay $30 a month on a $1200 loan. You could always find a JC in NY, and they will help you get loans, possibly even a job. As for the books and artwork, ask your parents to keep them in storage. You don't want to haul those around. Many college students move at least once a year, so it's important to be light. Big thing you need to think about is whether you want to be a full time student and a part time worker, or a part time student and a full time worker. Working full time is easier, but it will set you back for graduating. Edit: Also, any idea what you are going to school for?

What exactly are your worldly possessions? When I was 19, the only thing I had that was valuable was my hockey gear and my computer. I would say sell everything you can and go light. If you can fit all your stuff in a large duffel bag, go Greyhound and save money that way. Then you don't even need that license.

It's a pretty interesting drive across the country, and can be done pretty cheaply, but New York is not an easy place to jump into. Actually, if you are in Northern California, I'm surprised you don't just head to San Francisco. It's definitely a city, and it's about the same cost of living. If you are looking for a city that you can afford to move to on a tight budget, and possibly live comfortably, NY isn't the best choice. Some alternative cities are Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston. If you are dead set on NY, which I completely understand, then you want to build a decent buffer for your savings. If you have a car that can make the drive, you can probably make the trip for $500. That includes gas, lodging, and food. Once you arrive at your location, go to a Hostel until you find a place to rent. You can find Hostels on line easily. http://www.hostels.com/en/us.ny.ny.html These are cheap because you tend to share a room. You can also just search for a room for rent situation, but that's always shady because you can't really see the place beforehand. Jobs - assume it will take 1-2 months to find a job. It may be working at Staples, but if you can't find anything by then, you aren't looking hard enough. You can try and sell your car when you get there if you really plan on staying. After the $500 to get there, you want at least a 3 month buffer in case something goes badly. 3 months at about $1500 a month...so you want about $5000 for the entire deal. That may seem like a lot, but it's to keep you going for awhile. I'll chime in later...

I'd be a bit surprised if steroids were rampant in the NHL because the advantages of drug use are relatively minor for the sport. Steroids build muscle, but hockey is more reliant on speed, agility, and vision than brute strength. The best players in the league are not built like baseball's sluggers. I'm not saying hockey players aren't buff, but I doubt they would take the risk in this situation. Steriods do not help your agility.

I went to the Sharks game last night...it was dreadfully exciting. It was a serious emotional roller coaster, which ended with the Sharks losing to the Red Wings 7-6. Shanahan scored the last two goals in the final 4 minutes. I'm at a loss on the Sharks. The goaltending seems broken, but they keep playing Nabakov. They put pressure on all night and then get scored on every time the momentum shifts. They've lost 9 games in a row, and I'm pretty sure they have all been 1 goal games.

I wonder what people were expecting from this game? It's a very standard story about a family of heroes. It wasn't epic like BG or Torment, but I wouldn't say it was boring. It was a fun bit of storytelling and character development. The sad thing is, it's a creative project, and if it doesn't sell, we'll just see less creative projects out there. I would really like someone to take all the mechanics and concepts of this game and make an epic story for it.

I actually thought the show really ended well this week. There was some time there where I thought they would keep them stuck out in the jungle for another week. They actually made it possible for everyone to come in with a smooth transition. Although I was hoping Ana Lucia was going to take off solo and be the next frenchwoman, all crazy and alone.

That site gave pretty normal reviews of games. It had a few lines about the morality of the game, but I don't see how that's bad. When I was a kid, my buddy was only allowed Christian games on the NES. There was one really neat Noah's Ark game where you ran around collecting animals. I remenver it was pretty advanced for those days.

Is there an after picture? I haven't been posting late because it hurt too much. My sharks are broken.

Ok, I read a few of the tributes...because I can barely believe this is real. Creepy stuff, seriously.

My Malkavian went into a blood rage against the final plague bearer, and it was the only thing that save my butt. I'm really enjoying the unique dialogue for the Malk's, although I've insulted a few people without really knowing it.