Best Star Wars Game Ev'

I went out and got Star Wars: The Force Unleashed last week. I wish, at first, that I hadn't. I was pretty busy and was itching to play. I finally got the chance Tuesday, and IT IS AWESOME!!!! I have played all sorts of Star Wars games on all sorts of gaming systems. I have all three games for the super Nintendo and I have both Knights of the Old Republic games for my Xbox, the Legos Trillogy for my 360, and a few more here and there. I loved the KOTOR games, but my one complaint was that it was not very fluid play. It was like playing Dungeons and Dragons. You get one attack, they get one attack. Then you hope you do more damage than your enemy. TFU lets you tear into sll sorts of Storm Troopers and other bad guys. Even Rancors and AT-STs. FUN. Plus you get to duel with other Jedi and Sith. FUNNER. I am even able to Force grab TIE Fighters and slam them into other TIE fighters. FUNNEST!! Currently I am stuck at a spot in the game, so I may need to get the guide book to see what I need to do. Plus, there are bonus things hidden all over the place. I want to find them.


Even if you are not into Star Wars games, this is one that you should at least rent for a little while. It it the most fun I have had with a single player game since Fable. Oh, but the way, Fable 2 is out in October. Just in case you want to buy it for me.

Got Some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

Yesterday was a pretty fun day. For a Father's Day/Birthday present, I took my dad and the boys to see the final home game for the Indians. I know I have stated that I am not really a huge baseball fan, but I have been trying to follow the Indians more this season. Of course, like most Ohio teams seem to be of late, they have not done too well. They are one game over .500 for the first time since some time in April or May. Not good. At least not play offs good. Oh well. Anyway, the crowd was pretty big, even for the meaningless game: 36000+.

It was a great day to go to a baseball game. It was sunny, not too hot, and there was a nice breeze coming off the lake. Our seats were pretty good too. We were in the outfield, just down the first base line. It would have been nice if we were a little closer to the field, but we could see everything pretty well and we didn't have to climb into the nose bleed sections. The boys really seemed to enjoy themselves. I think Gabe got a little bored after a while. The best part about it is that the Indians won. They were lighting up the Detroit pitchers. The final score was 10-5 Tribe.

One thing I did NOT like about the game is the same thing that keeps me from going to most sporting events: the insane price of refreshments. A pop = $4, a hot dog = $4.50, beer = $6.75. Luckily, I won playing cards last week, so I had plenty of cash. I am, however, considering suing the Indians for large head discrimination. Adjustable hats don't fit me and I need a large sized fitted hat for me melon head. The souvenier shops did not have my size. Since I was planning on buying a hat at the game, I did not bring one of my own, and now have a bit of a sun burn on my forehead. Still, good times.

The Best Night of the Week is BACK!

Ahh Thursday. How I love thee. Let me count the ways. First, it is the day before Friday, so that is all good. Second, poker is played almost every Thursday at my firend Hasan's house. Some nights are good, some are bad but usually a night out playing cards is fun. The main reasons Thursdays are back on top of my favorite days of the week? You guessed it! My bowling league started up again this week. LOVE IT!! I bowled OK. Pretty average for me, actually. My first game was a little frustrating. I missed some easy spares and ended up with a 150+. The second game was better, a 190+ and my last game was a 200. So, I am starting the year off with about a 180 average. I would love to carry a 200 average, but after years of bowling and not improoving, I don't see that ever happening. Still, I have a blast on bowling nights.

Poker was good too. I started out really rough, going from $30 to $10 in about an hour. I was getting terrible cards and playing even worse. I started getting good cards though and ended up with $130. It was mostly due to getting good hands, but I started playing better too. We play mixed games now, so instead of just playing Texas Hold'em, we play Omaha, 7 card stud, 5 card draw (like in the movie Maverick), and Pineapple (like Hold'em, but you start with three cards. After the flop you discard one). The best hand I got was four threes in a hand of five card draw. I was dealt three 3's, so I discarded my other two cards and was dealt another three and a king. It was hard not to jump out of my skin. The best part about the hand it that someone raised before me. I re-raised, got called, and raked a good sized pot. Fun stuff.

Ike treated us like Tina

Sorry. That is a rather crude way to say that the remnants of Hurricane Ike swept through our area and did a lot of damage. Our house seems to be OK. I need to check out the roof a little better though. I think we may have lost a shingle or two. I'm just not too keen on climbing up there. Our neighborhood was pretty banged up though. Our next door neighbors had a tree knocked over and several other trees in the area were down. Plus, we lost power and our cable services. We were lucky enough that our power came back on after a day. some areas of Columbus are still without power. My cable access is still down though. This means I have no internet and can't work from home. That's right! I'm coming to you like from Nationwide's Rings Rd building. I had to bring my PC to plug into some extra monitors. Fun stuff. I lucked out and found two working monitors with an active ethernet port nearby so that I didn't have to hunt around forever. Hopfully I will be able to return to my work from home status shortly.

Big Game today

Ohio State is a big question mark for tonight's match up against #1 USC. Will Beanie Wells play? As of last night, the answer is 'no'. Will the defense be able to stop a powerhouse offense like UCS? Considering it could barely stop Ohio, I am not sure. Will the offense be able to function without it's #1 running back? Well, this is the kind of game that twenty of last years starters returned to play. They came back to win a National Title. I think that the emmense about of experience will win out here. The veteran defense will shut down the young USC quarterback and Boeckman will pick apart the defense. GO BUCKS!!!

I hate Carson Palmer

I was watching Sports Center yesterday and I heard something that made me hate Carson Palmer. I already didn't like him much sonce he is on the roster of the Browns' in state rival, the Bengals, but now I just down right hate the guy. I would say hate is a strong word, but in this case, it really isn't. Being a UCS quarterback now playing in the state of Ohio, I guess someone interviewing Carson Ass-Plumber abouthis thoughts on Ohio State. His reply was something to the point of his hating OSU and not understanding why Ohioans are so gung ho about the Buckeyes. Hmm...maybe because they are the most talented ans successful football team in Ohio? Yes, I say that the Buckeyes are the most talented team in Ohio, even with two NFL teams in the state and being a Browns fan. OK. that may be a strong statement, but Ohio State has certainly had more success latey than the Bengals or the Browns. That point asside, my message to Carson Palmer is this:

Mr Ass-Plumber, you play for a team in the state of Ohio. Do you thing that, perhaps, maybe some of you fans might also be fans of Ohio State? Stop showing the state that you are a fuck-o and show a little tact. Or at least start winning some titles before bashing the only team in Ohio that has been playing in any title games lately. Oh, AND OSU wins their conference.

PS. You are a dick.

Rough Weekend

It was a rough weekend for my football teams. True, Ohio State won, but they looked like crap and could have easily lost against MAC school Ohio. If it weren't for a fumble recovery and a punt return for a touchdown, we would we talking about the slim chance of a Big Ten title, rather than another shot at a National Title. The defense was pretty good and only allowed OU one score, but the offense without 'Beanie' Wells was pretty pathetic. Honestly, I think that it was a case of the Buckeyes looking ahead to USC and not taking OU very seriously. In the fourth quarter, when the game was in doubt, the Buckeyes turned it up and took over the game. They played like they should have the entire game. The main problem was OU's mobile quarterback. I just hope that USC's guy is a slow pocket passer. One thing about the game that suprised me didn't happen in the game. Lou Holtz was talking nice about the Buckeyes after the game. I am so used to commentators OSU bashing. Lou said they would be fine against USC. Maybe he remembers the but kickings the Buckeyes gave to Norte Dame back when he was coach. Anyway, thanks Lou.

The Browns looked awful yesterday. They let Dallas move the ball at will and the offense was ineffectual. This is supposed to be a good year for the Browns, but if they can't hang with the NFL elite, there is really not much point in going to the play offs. I guess they have a bunch of injuries right now, but their schedule isn'y going to get any easier.

Glad no one esle I know is single...

OK. I'm not going to name any names, but I am most likely going to a wedding this fall. If you are a regular reader and read the blogs of other people I know, you may be aware of this upcoming wedding. In October. The fourth, to be precise. If you are not aware, let me say that I went to school with this person and he is a big sports fan. At least I THOUGHT that he is a big sports fan. I guess could be wrong though. A true sports fan wouldn't plan their wedding on a football Saturday. Would they? Especially on a day that #3 Ohio State plays #11 Wisconsin. Not to mention #1 USC and #18 Oregon. I have dealt with this before. Back when my friend Ben got married, it was on a football Satarday and I think OSU played Illinois. The reception was at a country club and all of the OSU fans were in the bar crowded around the TV. Yes, I will DVR the game and will probably find some way to listen to it on the radio or something, but people should really take into account the Ohio State Football season when planning their weddings, birthdays, baptisms, etc. It is a late game, at least, so I will be able to avoid being one of those guys at the wedding with a mini TV, cheering at an OSU touchdown during the 'I-dos'. Ahhhh. The things one does in the name of friendship.

Big Ten Blues

As expected, Ohio State rolled over Youngstown State 43-0. The defense was stellar, allowing only 74 total yards. The offense did well, but could have done better. Yes, they scored 43 points, but they had to settle for a few fieldgoals after getting first and goal. All three quarterbacks saw playing time, which is great. Boeckman is still the clear starter, but freshman phoenom Terrelle Pryor ran for 52 yards and an 18 yard touchdown. He was also 4 for 4 passing his first drive. Fun stuff. The bad thing is that, Heisman hopeful, Beanie Wells fell lame in the second half with a foot injury. X-rays were negative, but there isn't too much more information than that. Maybe a dislocated toe or something like that...... Hopefully he will be well enough to play in the big game coming up against USC.

I called this post 'Big Ten Blues' because, aside from the powder puff teams that the Big ten school should whomp on, Big Ten teams did dismally. Illinois lost a hich scoring game to Missouri, Michigan State lost a close one to California, and the shocker of the day was Michigan losing to Utah 25-23. Actually, it wasn't much of a shocker to me. I am predicting that Michigan is going to have a dismal season this year. A new coach, new starting QB, new offensive scheme.....it is going to be a long season for the boys in blue. So sad.

Still, even though I have a bumper sticker that states that my favorite two teams are Ohio State and whoever's playing Michigan, the opening week losses by the above stated teams to quality opponents makes the Big Ten look bad. Everyone has been Big Ten hating lately and the SEC and Pac Ten are the conferences to beat. The Big Ten seems to have become a big joke in the NCAA football circles. Unfortunately, Ohio State has contributed to this. The Big Ten's top team has been smoked in the big game two years running. If they go to the big game and lose again, the Big Ten will be even worse off.

Greatest City EVER

As you know, I work for an insurance company. I deal with a lot of people's information (names, birth dates, address, etc) and I just came across the GREATEST city name EVER. I am going to post a link to a map or something, just so you know it is legit. Some of you may not get it, but I'm sure some of you will get a kick out of this. Anyone want to move to Frackville PA? I am going to be tickled by this for hours!

16 hours until kickoff! Woo-Hoo!! GO BUCKS!!!

My Job Sucks Right Now

Want to know what I am doing? I am going through a spread sheet with many many contract numbers on it looking through old paperwork to see if there are little boxes marked on applications. If so, I put a 'yes' on the spread sheet. If not, I put a 'no'. If the box is marked 'yes', I have to look through additional paperwork to verify that it is true, false, or inconclusive. It SSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUUCKS! The worst part is that our viewing system (the program that lets me look at all the paperwork that we have on file for annuities) gets REALLY slow on old documents. So, I try to look at something and then sit and wait five minutes for it to open. And we are doing this for every state in the USA that requires specific paperwork to be sent in under certain conditions. My job really sucks right now.

Magic: The Gathering - An Old Addiction

Back in highschool, I was addicted to comic books. I would go with Woody and Moe in the Woodmobile to JC's Comic Stop or the crappy discount comic book place behind JC's and blow all of my hard earned money on my weekly fix of comics. That is what we did. Good times were had by all. As I entered my college years, I started running out of money and cut back on comics. I started working at Friendly's to help fund my lifestyle. I met a guy named Brandon, who turned me on to Magic: The Gathering. I thought comics tore through my money.......DAMN.

If you don't know, Magic is a collectable card game. You buy cards, make decks, and play games against other people. The concept is that you are a wizard and the cards are your spells. You use your spells to conjure creatures and other things to defeat your opponent. To win, you have to get his/her life count from 20 to 0. The kicker is that you have to buy cards to play with. The more cards you have, the more spells you have access to. I bought cards buy the boat load. The makers of Magic, The Gathering really know how to milk it too. Every couple of months to a year, they would release a new generation of cards. The newer cards were more powerful or had different abilities that the older cards could not combat. So, you needed to buy new cards to stay current and competative. I have thousands of cards. Literally. I was starting to look at them as an investment. However, like with every other collectable that is currently hot, the makers flooded the market. Now, they may be worth a little but, but nothing nearly as much as I thought they would be. Oh well.

Anyway, I got all of my cards out over the weekend and went through them. It took a while to go through them all, believe me. I thought about making some decks to play with, but I don't really have anyone to play with anymore. It's not like Magic is the hot game that it used to be. I could probably find some people to play with if I tried, but I would have to reload with newer cards and catch up on all of the new tricks. It could get costly. I guess I could start trading in some of the old stuff, but I would need to research and do procing and a whole lot of work. I should just put them, and all my old comics, on Ebay. More work.

Back to School - yippie!

The boys go back to school tomorrow. The end to a long summer. Gabe is looking forward to it. He really likes school. He's going to be a first grader now. His school has kindergarten and first graders in the same class rooms, so he has the same teacher and room as last year. I kind of doubt that Noah is looking forward to school as much as Gabe is. He said he wants to see his friends, but I doubt he wants to go to classes all day. Plus, he has to be up before 7:00 am to catch his bus. No more lounging in bed until noon.

The only downside for me is that I have to be up early to get Gabe up and ready for school on my days off. Granted, I am usually up early with the kids anyway, but the possibility of sleeping in is better than not having the option at all. Other than that, it will be just me and Ally home during the days. No more bickering to deal with, just one kid to feed, and a much more relaxing atomosphere.

mmmmmmmmm.....veggies

I'm sure Woody would disagree, but the best thing about summer is all of the great veggies I get out of my garden. It has been a pretty good growing season so far. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, zuchinni, cucumbers, green beans, and all sorts of herbs. YUM. I have commented on my gigantic tomatoe plants, but really the most producing plants have been, by far, my zuchinni plants. Last year I planted 4 and this year I planted three in order to reduce my crop. Well, no such luck. I have had SO many that I can't give them away fast enough. Next year I will plant two so that I have more room for green beans.

My favorite veggie is tomatoes. I have maybe six varieties this year. Yellow and red grape tomatoes, and then red, pink, yellow, and orange big tomatoes. YUM!! They are SO much better than anything you can find store bought. My dad starts them and then gives me the plants when they are about a foot tall. I am sure that is why they do so well. Plus, I fertilize and water and take care of them. This year has actually been a bad year for my tomatoe plants. Yes, they are tall, but I think they have a fungus or disease that is making them produce less. I still have had plenty of them for me and the family, with a few to share, but not nearly the amount I had last year.

This year was a first for me. I actually made some pickles and some salsa. The pickles are OK, but I think they needed a bit more dill. The salsa is GOO-OOD. It was really easy to make too. Basically, it was just chopping up tomatoes, peppers, and onions, then adding cilantro, lime juice, salt and garlic. I added one of my hot peppers too for some heat. The first batch, I used a red hot pepper and it about burned my mouth off. I made a second batch today with a green hot pepper (the more red, the hotter the pepper) and it is not nearly as hot. I also have had all sorts of terrific salads and dishes made with fresh yummy veggies. I am sad that the summer is almost over.

Why didn't anyone tell me?

Hey, how come no one told me about FaceBook? I started blogging so that I could keep people up to date with me and so that I could keep in touch with them, but FaceBook seems to work a lot better. Well, at least for keeping in touch. The 'wall' feature seems to make it easier to post quick messages to people and have little conversations. fun stuff. I wa suprised by some of the old AWHS people I found. Some old friends, like Anne Marie, Alana, McNutt.....some people I forgot about too or was never really close with. It's Mona's fault. She prompted me to check out her reunion postings on FaceBook and I needed to join so that I could view what she posted. Now I have another fun little site to play with while I am bored as hell at work. I haven't really done too much with it yet, just put my name up and sent some friend requests, but I will probably add pictures and stuff like that. Are there anymore features I should be aware of?

Anyone watching the Olympics?

The Olympics are a double edged sword for me. On one hand you have the hours of TV programming that is not airing because of this every-four-year sports fest. Nothing but reruns and bad reality TV. On the other hand, you get sports to watch all day. Of course, the sports themselves are another double edged sword. For example, while eating lunch today, we watched Olympics women's team sabre fencing with the USA going for the bronze medal. Seriously? Now, I am all for the thought and spirit behind the Olympics: Nations coming together in sports competitions rather than in war. However, do we really need to watch all of these 'B' competitions? I know I, personally, don't need to watch them, but do they really need to take up valuable air time? If people don't usually watch the sport all year round, why must we be subjected to them once every four years? Is there really an interest in sports like rowing, weight lifting, shooting, synconized diving, and so on? Ok, Ok, there are some Olympic sports that I enjoy. I actually tune into the Olympics when there is nothing on, hoping to catch something interesting. What I like:

USA Basketball - With the talent they have, if they do not win the gold medal, we should quit playing basketball and Lebron should personally pay each US citizen $20. He can afford it.

Phelps - I usually don't like watching swimming, but this guy is amazing. Going for eight gold medals? Are you serious???

Sand Volleyball - I prefer the women to the men, yes I am a perv, but the sport is fun to watch.

Women's gymnastics - I can't believe what these girls can do with their bodies. It amazes me. Not just in a perv way either. I can see Alydia getting into gymnastics. I would enjoy the men's gymnastics more, but they make me feel like a weakling. the arms on these guys are HUGE.

Soccer - I like soccer.

Well, that's my two cents on the Olympics. I like some of it, don't like other parts. Probably the most interesting thing has been the microscope that the Chinese people have been under. They have done some really crazy stuff. Forcing cab drivers to learn English, making female guides with 'unshapely' legs wear dark stockings, and having a 'pretty' little girl lip sync to another 'unappealing' looking girl's singing on live TV..... Craziness.

Where will they go?

I was thinking about the upcoming Harry Potter movie, The Half Blood Prince, and thought about reading the book again. The Half Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows are the only two books that I have not read more than one time. Anyway, I started thinking about the new movie, out in November, and then started wondering about the actors. The kid actors, more specifically. Some of the adult actors, like Alan Rickman (Snape) already have extablished carreers and should be able to find more work. However, after seven movies, being cast in such huge and popular roles, what will these kid actors do with their lives? I'm sure that none of them will be wanting for money, but will they want to retire in their early 20s? Can you see Daniel Radcliffe as any other character than Harry Potter? Or Emma Watson as anyone other than Hermione Granger? Will they be doomed to the child actor curse of falling into depression and a life of drigs after ther carreers are over, like so many child actors before them? Look at the Coreys, Haim and Feldman. What have they done since their childhood glory days other than get in trouble or do bad reality TV? Will Harry and Ron show up in ten years in some mansion surrounded by cameras and young girls trying to win a date with a has been? Will Hermione end up gracing the pages of adult magazines in order to make a buck because no movie makers will put up with her poofy hair and snotty attitude? I guess there are exceptions to the rule. Alyssa Milano was a child star, appearing in Who's the Boss and some movies, and she ended up making a mint with Charmed. But really, how many child actors are out there that made it just as big in their adult careers? I am trying to think of more child star examples, but I guess my point is made by the fact that I can't.

Gonna have a Cook Out

With the upcoming Ohio State football season coming up, Jessica and I decided we are going to have a cook out for the home opener. If any of my faithful readers are going to be in town on the 30th of August, send me an email and I can send you the information. We usually go all out for these things: food, drink, the game on the big screen, games, maybe some poker after the game. It should be a good time. Kids are welcome, of course. Hopfully, they will play out in the back yard rather than tearing up my basement. I can hope, I guess.

Doctor Dark Knight

Jessica and I went to see Dark Knight last night. I have to say , it was a really good movie. Lots of action, a good story line, good effects......no Katie Holmes though. I don't mind that, since she really isn't a great actress, but the girl they got to replace her was like a poor man's version of Katie Holmes. Not really attractive. Anyway, I digress. Heath Ledger was a TERRIFFIC Joker. It's too bad it was his last roll. If the Joker is in any future Batman films, it will be some cheesey actor trying to act like Heath Ledger being the Joker. A few things that bugged me though:

-Batman had a lisp. I think that he had some kind of retainer or mouth piece that made his S's lisp. It really started to bug me. What criminal would be terrified of a Dark Knight with a lisp?

-They keep killing bad guys. This was something that bothered me in the older Batman films. How can you re-use villans when they are dead? I thought that Two Face was going to be the third Batman foe for the next movie. Nope. At least they didn't make the Michael Keaton's Batman error of killing the Joker. The Joker is probably the greatest of the foes.

I wonder who the next villian to go up against batman will be. I hope they keep the stories fresh and non-cheesey. There's the Riddler, the Penguin, Mr Freeze, and of course, Cat Woman. Will there be a Robin? A Bat Girl? If they keep the movies more realistic and less like a comic, I think this franchise will go far.

We also watched the season finale of Dr Who last night. I'm not too sure what I thought of it. I think I need to watch parts one and two again so that I can get the story all at once. I think I am a little miffed by it all. It seems like it was chaulk full of plot conveniences and things happening just because they needed to happen so the Doctor would live to fight again. I am glad they are keeping David Tennant on. I was concerned that a new Doctor might come along to ruin things, like after Tom Baker left the old school show.

What's with the Hate?

I played cards last night, won some money, but heard something interesting. Someone at the table asked, "Have you seen the story on ESPN.com?" Well, I hadn't so I ask what he was talking about. Well, the story stated that, my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes are now the nation's most hated college football team. When did this happen? I guess some good natured hate comes with all of the winning seasons the Buckeyes have been having lately. A bit of jealousy much? Of course, it could be that people (like me) hate seeing the Buckeyes go to the National Championship game and losing two year in a row. I love seeing them go to the title game, HATE seeing them lose. A lot of people seem to think they have a good chance of going again this year. We'll see. Anyway, I know there are OSU haters, even here in Columbus, but when did we become the nation's most hated team? I guess it had to be someone. My guess is that people are tired of hating Notre Lame since they suck so bad lately, and I know not everyone can share my healthy hatred of M*ch*g*n, but I am a little suprised that OSU jumped into the throne of themost hated.

Another interesting story I heard this weekend was about all of the troubles Penn State has been having lately. Apparently JoePa has been having a rough time keeping his players in line. My understanding is that the kicker was talking smack at a party (or people were talking smack to him) and he started a fight. He got beat up a little, so he called the rest of the team and, to proove their team work skills, they kicked the crap out of some students. Then there is this: "According to an "Outside the Lines" report this week, since 2002, 46 Penn State football players had criminal charges filed against them and 27 either pleaded guilty or were convicted." True, all teams, including OSU, has off the field troubles, but damn.

29 day until kick off!!! GO BUCKS!!!