My take: top 5 Gamecube games

In no particular order...

1. Pikmin
2. Metroid Prime
3. Resident Evil 4
4. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
5. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

First of all, for those of you that are Nintendo haters, I would like to point out the fact that the Big N has won Game of the Year for three of the last 4 years: Metroid Prime 2002, Zelda 2003, Resident Evil 4 2005.

Pikmin is simply one of the most unique games I've ever played, mostly because the whole real time strategy genre has been a tough one for me to grasp on the PC. In this game you've crash landed on a planet inhabited by all manner of creatures; among those are Pikmin, little flower-like creatures that when plucked from the ground, follow you around in your quest to find all the parts for your ship. These guys come in 3 flavors: red, the best fighters in the game and fireproof; yellow, smaller guys that are able to be thrown higher and carry bombs; and blue, the only ones with the ability to swim. For the rest of the game you're trying to navigate this world during the day to find all the parts of your ship. There is a good bit of trial and error here; you'll find yourself playing some days over and over again to finish with either one more part or more Pikmin (you'll lose quite a few in some battles).

Metroid Prime is the breakthrough game in the Metroid series - Samus Aran in full 3-D for the first time. If you're unfamiliar with the Metroid series, it's set in the future with the protagonist being Samus, an intergalactic bounty hunter. She - that's right, you're a chick - is constantly seeking out Metroids, little jellyfish looking globs that attack and suck the energy out of anything nearby. If you're unfamiliar with the Metroid series, check out Super Metroid for the Super Nintendo, the best of all side-scrolling shooters. A plethora of upgrades (new arm beams, missiles, bombs, grappling beam) later, you won't be disappointed.

Resident Evil 4 is actually the only member of the series I like - the others have been plagued by terrible camera issues. Those are definitely solved here; the camera remains over the shoulder of your character Leon, a former cop that's on an assignment to find the President's missing daughter. The plot twists and turns from there - let's just say many quasi-zombies are shot, weapons collected, fun is had. This is essentially a survival type game more so than a "shooter" (you can't strafe). There's a little role playing aspect to the weapons, too. You start out with a basic handgun that you can upgrade in terms of firepower, firing rate, reload speed, and capacity. You can also sell your weapons and other things you find to buy better guns; the debate could rage about what's best. My caution: this is a very mature game; lots of gory, very strong language (mostly in Spanish, but the English can get coarse, too), and several terrifying sequences.

If you have never played a Legend of Zelda game before, let me recommend starting with the original for the NES (also available on the PC for free here); after that, play the Super Nintendo Zelda: A Link to the Past; then finally, Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64/GC). If you just want to play everything, there was a Zelda II for NES and Zelda: Majora's Mask on the N64/GC; however, the former three would be the core curriculum for all things Zelda. Its adventure, puzzle-solving, RPG, and action all rolled in to a perfect bundle. I'll just leave it at that.

That leaves LOTR: Return of the King, the only game on my list that appeared on all three home consoles (RE4 did eventually make it on to the PS2, however the graphics suffered; it's slated to come to the PC shortly, though I doubt it will do great there). ROTK is a hack and slash with some RPG elements thrown in. As you fight your way through the game (which mimics the movie pretty well), your characters (Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and others) earn experience points which can be used to buy new combos. Sure, you could probably get through the game without using most of them, but it sure makes it easier when you face the stronger foes to be able to execute them (it also looks way cooler). I love loading up the level when the army of Mordor is storming Minas Tirith and slaughtering all the Orcs that make it up the wall - a wonderful stress relief. BTW - the reason I prefer the GC version over Xbox or PS2 is because of the controls; they just make more sense to me.

Fatter cat

Here's another huge beast. Sorry for the lack of a pic. Just trust me.

Fat cat

Being the parent (step-parent actually - the cats came with the nuptials) of two cats, one formerly overweight, stories like this greatly intrigue me - especially when it comes with video!

Sam looks like a footstool, or maybe a large pillow, but in reality, Sam is a living, breathing cat. One who happens to be more than just a little bit fat.

Owner Paul Webster says he has watched his 9-year-old feline grow from a tiny kitten to a 45-pound wonder. In fact, Webster says, Sam is 32 inches long and 34 inches around.

According to his veterinarian, despite Sam’s heft, he’s healthy.

My wreck

There has apparently been a bit of confusion among our friends about my wreck - some understood that because I came out "okay" that I had no injuries at all (untrue). This being the case, plus the fact that some have only heard that I was in a wreck (no details), here's what happened.

I was on my way to work going south on Sandy Plains Rd. (a somewhat divided highway with turn lanes and medians sprinkled throughout). I had just heard a traffic report citing ice on several roads around metro Atlanta and decided to pull over in to the right lane - my turn was coming up and I wanted to slow down and watch for ice.

I never saw it; even afterwards, standing almost directly next to it on the median, myself, the cops and firemen had to look hard for the sheet of black ice that ran from the center of the road almost to the curb.

My truck (98 Ford Ranger Std. Cab) took off to the left at about a 45° angle. I immediately braked and attempted to steer right to the point I could feel the truck start to fish-tail. At the time I lost control, I was in between two medians; the one behind me was of no concern, but the one I was now traveling toward was a problem (that, plus I still didn't have complete control). Continuing to steer right would have clipped the corner of the median and probably flipped me - I estimate that I was going around 30 mph at this point - or caused a further loss of control. So I straightened her up.

At this point, I knew I was safe from the median, but not from oncoming traffic. There was a car in each of the oncoming lanes except the turn lane, which I aimed for. I was still standing on the brakes and began edging right until I could feel it just start to fish-tail again. I came to a complete stop in their left (my right) oncoming lane and was pretty much straight up, headlight to headlight with a GMC Sierra.

I actually remember having enough time to think "I can put it in reverse, pop the clutch and at the most probably take a glancing blow." Just as I thought this, I saw his front end dive down - he had just stood on his brakes and was maybe 20 to 30 feet in front of me (I could actually see his face through our windshields and thought that he resembled my wife's boss). At that point, I braced.

I honestly don't know if it was the sound of metal crunching or the airbag deploying, or both, but it was loud; indoor gun range with a magnum loud. I now know that I blacked out for a second or two - I don't remember hitting my head on the roof of the truck, but there is a visible scar from where I did. I was spun around and had basically done a 180° turn, ironically ending up in the turn lane I was aiming for and looking like I was moving with the flow of traffic.

I sat there for quite a while dazed, saddened (I had just changed the oil!), a little confused. Waiting for emergency personnel to appear, I had a perfect view of my skid marks and tracked them back to the point of origin, still unable to see the ice. I started checking myself out - my thumb felt jammed, some soreness in my shoulders, but nothing else noticeable at the time.

Soon after, a lady came up to tell me that 911 had been called and to check on me. I told her I was fine and attempted to open my door, but couldn't - the front right panel had been pushed back just enough so that I couldn't open it easily, so I sat there until police and ambulances arrived, during which time I saw at least two other cars hit the same ice I did; however, due to rubbernecking speeds of about 10 mph, it was nothing more than a tire spinning for a few feet.

Because my wife works at a hospital and nothing seemed broken or bruised, I chose to wait until she could get there and take me to her hospital. At this point, walking around outside, I noticed the pain in my right knee - my so-called "good knee." X-rays did indeed come back negative for both it and my left thumb (bent back by the airbag); however the bruise to my knee (hit the dashboard) was just off center of my knee cap, so some ligament swelling occurred. I walked out with prescriptions for good drugs, a leg immobilizer, and a thumb splint, which has been a general way of life for me for the past 2 weeks.

I'm now able to walk without the immobilizer (somewhat) and will only be wearing the thumb splint part time now. I still have a beautiful bruise across my collar bone (beautiful because it was caused by my seatbelt) and still feel a bruise on my right rib cage - the latter of which is currently the most painful and aggravating.

That's why my wife and I have been calling me okay; I survived a head on collision without anything broken, no concussion, and no internal injuries. The only "long term" injuries were to my knee, now considered a moderate sprain, and my thumb, also a moderate sprain.

And I've seen my skid marks every morning I've come to work since. It really could have been a lot worse.

Fine by me

Osama Bin Farty Pants has declared that he won't be taken alive.

And that differs from the previous plan... how?

Yes, I'm happy to see you

I will up front apologize to every man that is reading this:

A Serbian man needed emergency surgery after sticking a pencil inside his penis to keep it stiff during sex. Zeljko Tupic, from Belgrade, told doctors he had experienced erectile difficulties in the past. So as he prepared for a night with his new lover, he decided to insert a thin pencil into his penis. Tupic had to cut his sex session short when the pencil shifted and became lodged in his bladder, forcing him to call an ambulance, the Kurir newspaper reported. Doctor Aleksandar Milosevic from Belgrade's Zvezdara hospital, who succesfully removed the pencil, said: "At first the patient did not tell us what really happened, but x-rays proved the truth." Tupic said he had no idea there were things like Viagra available but agreed that in future he will try pills before he takes any more chances with pencils.

I really can't fathom this. I'm all up for making for a pleasing event, but God made certain areas of the body for exit only*, not enter-exit-enter-exit-rinse-lather-repeat...

*I realize there are many medical procedures done through the male bo-bo that violate this general rule. I myself have been a victim - I went in to the doctor b/c of a bladder infection (thanks Hunny!) and Dr. Helga Von Haetzaman asked 3 times (!) if I had been doing yardwork (wink-nudge) with someone else before ordering the STD test and giving me the "turn your head and cough" without me actually turning my head and coughing.

Now I've been tagged

Personally, I'd prefer to be tagged by my wife naked; nevertheless...

4 jobs I have had in my life:
1. Test engineer
2. Network tech (BellSouth)
3. Consumer electronics repair
4. Paperboy

4 goals I have set for this year:
1. Get closer to graduating
2. Read more
3. To not be so hard on myself
4. To be less skeptical

4 movies I could watch over and over:
1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2. Saving Private Ryan
3. Tombstone
4. Bourne Identity/ Supremacy

4 places I have lived:
1. Misawa, Japan - my birthplace, though I don't remember it
2. Milledgeville, GA - what I consider my hometown
3. Roswell, GA
4. Dunwoody, GA

4 TV shows I love to watch:
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. 24
3. Gilmore Girls
4. Everybody Loves Raymond - it hits so close to home...
Note: this assumes that it is not baseball season.

4 places I have been on vacation:
1. Hilton Head, SC
2. Belize
3. Costa Maya
4. Cherry Log, GA - good mountain country

4 websites I visit daily:
1. Blogs - Tim, Mark, Sarah, Jeff, Joel
2. Packing.org
3. Gamespot.com
4. Atlanta Urinal Constipation

4 of my favorite foods:
1. Cubed steak with rice and gravy
2. Steak and baked tater
3. Chinese
4. Cheeseburgers

4 places I would rather be right now:
1. Ziplining through Belize
2. Fishing in Steinhatchee, FL
3. A gun range
4. After last week, I'm glad to be here.

The Rules of the Gun

In honor of the VP taking down a lawyer and a quail with one shot (insert your own joke here), I've decided to post the 4 main rules of gun safety.

1. The gun is always loaded.
   
2. Do not let the muzzle cover anything that you are not willing to destroy.
3. Do not put your finger on the trigger until the sights are on your target.
4. Know where and what you're shooting at.

Shoot safe, shoot straight, but don't shoot your hunting buddy in the face.

A little banged up

As Mark has already posted, I was in a car accident Tuesday morning on my way to work. I'm okay; sprained thumb from the airbag and a bruised knee, plus assorted other aches and pains. As such, it will be a while before I do more posting. Thanks for all your prayers.

Super weekend

This will probably be my last post before my 30th birthday on Super Bowl Sunday (aka - the day of the Great Seattle Massacre). I believe my wife enjoys celebrating my birthday more than me. It's not that I'm a birthday Scrooge of any sort; she just likes to make a really big celebration out of it. She's already planning a huge party for the day I graduate - although it won't really matter much, because Jesus will have returned by that point.

Anyway, have a great weekend everybody - and go Steelers!