"To vilify a great man is the readiest way in which a little man can himself attain greatness." - Edgar Allan Poe

• 26Nov 09

  Giving Thanks

  As I sit here contemplating the events of today I am amazed at how fast time has flown by this year. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and spent your time with the important people in your life. As another holiday is relegated to memory I find myself pondering what I am truly grateful for in my life.

  As much as I may complain and whine about certain aspects of my life not turning out the way I want I have to remember it's not up to me to pick and choose. I feel God has a plan for every one and every thing. And as much as we all may find ourselves pouting like a spoiled child in a toy store after being told "No" we have to remember all that happens will happen in due time despite our thinking to the contrary.

  -I am very thankful for living in America where I have freedom to do and say what I feel without fear of oppression or intimidation.
  -I am very thankful for all the military veterans that have served their country both now and in the past to ensure and protect the freedoms I do have even if they were never able to enjoy that freedom themselves.
  -I am very thankful for the small, neurotic and, most of the time, dysfunctional family I was born into; I wouldn't want to have it any other way.
  -I am very thankful for having been raised by a loving, caring, single mother that sacrificed every day, and continues to sacrifice till this day, to make sure I was provided with everything a "traditional" two-parent family had.
  -I am very thankful to equally have two loving grandparents who helped support my mom and I in those times that became difficult for just one person to bear.

  And lastly to close this blog something in my gut is telling me to end with Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address speech. I guess it has to do with the fact that while we are here celebrating Thanksgiving with our friends and loved ones we should not forget about all those service men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan who cannot share the same luxury we were all able to today. Given that context it just seems appropriate:

  "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

  Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

  But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

  • Posted Nov 26, 2009 9:02 pm PT
  • Category: Other
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• 20Nov 09

  GoW Collection Impressions

  First let me start out by saying I'm finished. Done. Fin. I am, of course, talking about buying any more games for this year. I am all tapped out. I have enough games for my PS3 that I bought over the past couple of months to last me easily until the PS4 releases. Seriously.

  Moving on. Today at 4:30 the bell rung and I rushed over to the door to find with joy my UPS package had been delivered which included the God of War collection. Now I still own the original PS2 games and have beaten them multiple times. But being a fan of the series the prospect of playing in true HD with trophy support was enough to warrant another purchase. So here are my impressions for anyone that may be questioning if this collection is worth it.

  Honestly if you already own both games there is really no reason to get this collection other than if you are a trophy whore. If that doesn't matter than you're really not missing much. The GoW games looked great on PS2. The enhanced versions in this collection look noticeably sharper and crisper (except for the cut scenes which are still rendered with the PS2 engine so not everything about this collection is HD).

  And then there are the trophies. I've only started the first game and there are thirty-six trophies for the first game. I'm assuming there will be an equal amount for GoWII. The trophies are all very easy to get (with the exception of maybe two), but even so with some practice and patience those two aren't unattainable.

  I played for almost two and a half hours and I stopped right at the point where Kratos must go into the desert to kill the three sirens. Basically it's the GoW game you love just with crisper graphics and trophies. Game play hasn't been drastically altered, nothing has been added as extra content, etc. Just a straight up overhaul of the game engine. And while it does look good, if you already own the game for PS2 and you don't give a hoot about trophies there's really no substantial reason to pick up this collection. If, however, you have never played these games then the collection is definitely a must-buy. Oh yeah, there are a crapload of "Making of" videos for GoWII. A LOT. And that's about it.

  With that said I don't regret buying it. I mostly got it for the trophy support anyway So those are my impressions. If you have any questions just ask and I'll answer them the best I can. To recap: If you're new to the series definitely get this; it is worth it. If you already own the PS2 games and don't care about trophies then don't bother.

  Good night!

  • Posted Nov 20, 2009 10:36 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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• 13Nov 09

  "Uncharted 2" Review & Terrorism

  Uncharted 2: Among Thieves review is posted. I tried keeping it to one paragraph but quickly realized how futile that was as there was so much to say about the game. So it's a little longer than my previous reviews, but hang in there and I'm sure you'll like it.

  Next up is an issue that has been irritating me the more I hear about it in the news. Let me just warn anyone that is politically correct to STOP READING RIGHT NOW. I won't mind. What I won't do is apologize for how I feel about what has been going on in current events recently. So again, if you're one of these PC types or you're easily offended leave now. No hard feelings. If you stay you've been warned.

  I'm sure everyone has heard about the terrorist act commited at Ft. Hood by one Nidal Malik Hassan. I won't bother to list his rank since he is undeserved of such a mark and is unworthy to carry such responsibility as that rank imbues. Now what really pisses me off is how the public perception of this terrorist act is being portrayed by certain news agencies, and how some people are trying to come to the defense of this low-life scumbag who, in a most cowardly act, murdered thirteen unarmed soldiers as he shouted "Allahu akbar!" before opening fire.

  The very fact that some agencies are consciously tip toeing around such a blatant act of terrorism and actually trying to justify and make up every excuse under the sun to try and pitifully hide what this act really was is an insult to the American people as well as the soldiers that are currently serving or have served, not to mention the thousands of servicemen and women who have already sacrificed their life. The President needs to grow a pair and call this for what it is. Anything less is a sign of weakness and is exactly the wishy washy reaction that these despicable cowards thrive on.

  Now one of the reasons given as to why no one but rationally minded people call this as what it is is because it would somehow be an admission that America has been targeted with another terrorist attack -- the worst since September 11th -- under Obama's administration. And you know what? That's exactly right.

  I've been listening to a popular talk radio station out here in Denver and the entire consensus between every host has been the same: This was a terrorist act. There is no argument to be had against it, yet many callers and bleeding hearts and PC types call in and try to argue to the contrary.

  The simple fact is there is a covert war going on outside of Afghanistan and Iraq. And it's right here in America as radical Muslims are using the convenient veil of political correctness to hide behind while they scheme and plot behind our collective backs. The sooner Americans wake up and smell what the hell is going and stop trying to coddle these fanatics and their Jihadist beliefs the better off we'll be. Stop trying to make excuses. These people are not the victims and anyone that thinks they are is being played a fool.

  The victims are the thirteen American soldiers that were killed. The victims are the some 3000 American civilians killed on the morning of September 11th. The victims are the American soldiers that are serving and risking their life every day in a failed war against idealist belief of fanatical extremists. You can't win a war of ideals; it's impossible.

  Wake up, America! It's time to call a spade a spade and not be worried of who you might offend because this is exactly what makes us so weak.

  • Posted Nov 13, 2009 8:10 am PT
  • Category: Rant
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