Hello again, now to spread some Christmas (yes it is Christmas, not winter solstice, or any of that left wing liberal garbage) cheer in the form of my "Worst of 2000-2009" list. If I wanted to publish a full list, it may take up all the server space on GS as 2000-2009 was pretty much THE DECADE OF FAIL! There was so much that completely sucked in this decade and I have managed to compile the worst of the worst. Sadly we all learned that: Talent means nothing anymore, music and movies are now disposable consumer garbage, just about anyone can become famous for any reason, and that people are well...stupid. Hopefully 2010-2019 will be better, probably not, but hope isn't necessarily bad. The important thing is we can affect how the next 10 years go, just get involved and refuse to acknowledge crap when it arrives. So I hope you enjoy the list and I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Worst Song: A Milli by Lil' Wayne. This is saying something considering that N'Sync, Britney Spears, and Hanson put out CD's this decade. This song may be the worst song I have ever heard. It is annoying, non-sensical, and just a tribute to making tons of cash by doing very little-a trend that has marked this decade in music. Lil' Wayne does not have any talent whatsoever; he is unintelligible, and a complete and utter fake. Lady Gaga is more talented and more gangsta than he is. Any song that gives us the line "Tougher than Nigerian hair" needs to be killed with fire. At least he is honest and compares himself to Venereal Disease (it's in the lyrics look it up). At least he will be in jail for a year…that won't be enough to shut him up though.

Worst Movie: You, Me, and Dupree-This was a complete and utter turd of a movie, so much so it made my date ill. OK, it wasn't the movie that made her sick, but it didn't help her case any. The acting was awful, the story was so predictable I was whispering what would happen next into my date's ear 10 minutes before it even happened (she found that to be the funniest part of the film). Do not view this crap unless you need to vomit. Movies as a whole were hit and miss during this decade, for every great film like The Dark Knight, Gladiator, and Fight Club you had garbage like this and the utter disaster that was "Crossroads" aka the Britney Spears movie (seriously she has NO talent).

Worst Person: Osama Bin Laden: He went and did it, through his influence America was hit harder than it had ever been hit before. He is evil personified, he uses religion as an excuse to kill others and fool the mindless who think that he is right. He has changed the world for worse; his actions put the USA and the rest of that world for that matter into such a fit, that we have cut back freedom in the name of security. Though men like him answer for their deeds in this world or the next, in his case I am sure he will answer in both. He cannot run forever, he will be found and he will answer for his crimes.

Nastiest Woman: Octomom-Nadia Suleman, she has something like 50 kids…alright it is closer to 14 but who is counting? She is a low-rent Angelina Jolie wannabe. Instead of adopting poor kids from foreign holes in the Earth she just uses fertility drugs-another welfare case. Not only does she come off as a scheming fame seeker, she is also not pleasant to look at. Seriously, it looks like her face caught on fire and someone put it out with a rake. She should just go away and stay there. Her pregnancy picture is revolting; she looks like a Boomer from Left 4 Dead. It is a sad commentary on society when a piece of human crap like this becomes famous.

Worst Game: Last Remnant: As awesome as Gears 1 and 2 are, Last Remnant was a steaming pile of Epic Fail that should be taken before a firing squad. The frame rate is god-awful, the character design is alright…until they start moving (your character runs like he has a stick up his rectum), and the game mechanic is a great idea turned utterly crappy. You cannot choose what attacks your characters perform; which makes many battles are a shot in the dark. To make matters worse, you cannot always heal which violates a huge rule in RPG's, well that and the choosing your own attacks part. The game is unnecessarily long, the dialogue is awful, and the regular enemies are total cupcakes followed up by ungodly hard bosses. I truly hated this game; it is a pile of nearly broken trash that isn't fit for a landfill full of Paris Hilton and Lady GaGa pictures that were used as diapers for infants.

"We Would Be Better Off Without You Award": Paris Hilton: She used to be the World Champion of Skanks, but Lady GaGa stole that title hands down. What has she done other than annoy the heck out of everyone, contribute nothing to society, and just take up space? All she does is pose in front of cameras and get utterly trashed at clubs; on top of that she has more money than God thanks to her grandfather. I mean other than the part where she gets photographed too much, tons of people get drunk at clubs every day and they aren't rich. There are people who work their fingers to the bone and won't come close to having what she does. She is as dumb as a box of hammers and probably riddled with every single VD known to man. She is nothing more than a waste of human flesh and should be deported to Cambodia or something. Why is scum like her alive when good folks like Heath Ledger, Princess Diana, and countless others who went too soon are gone?

The Golden Facepalm Award: What is the Golden Facepalm Award? It honors those individuals who do something so stupid you have to smack yourself in the forehead. This decade's recipient is none other than…drumroll…Tiger Woods. He is the best golfer in the world, maybe ever! He has an ungodly amount of cash and he married a gorgeous blonde Swedish model-then he cheats on her with every gutter skank in the USA. It's like having Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon, Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, Guinness and Cheesecake ready for dinner every night but skipping out to grab dog food. This move will cost him a ton of money and he may never recover. Congratulations Tiger! Not everyone is willing to trade their golden ticket in for a pile of excrement like you have.

Here is my best of list for 2000-2009, I hope you enjoy it. The 2000's were filled with much win, but with an epic amount of fail as well. The music industry has gone further down the crapper-how else can untalented hacks like Britney, the Jonas Brothers, and Lady GaGa make millions? Movies were quite good in this decade-but large amounts of crap were also churned out (I'm looking at you From Justin to Kelly). Gaming took a quantum leap forward producing some of the greatest titles ever made and pushing the boundaries. We had major advances in technology...for better or worse...and have really taken some steps towards the future. So I present to you all-the Best Things of 2009.

Best Song: Viva La Vida by Coldplay: There were quite a few great songs in the past ten years, but this one was tops in my list. It is just simply beautiful and epic at the same time. From the string arrangement to the lyrics, you can practically see the song unfold in your mind-it to me is the musical equivalent of a painting. Coldplay emerged in this decade and have consistently put out some great music; at least one group got it right.

Best Movie: Gladiator-This movie was made of win. It rocked from start to finish and had everything you could want in a film. From intense action sequences to stirring drama, Gladiator was complete in every way. A story can only be so good, but actors make the difference-Gladiator illustrates how movies should be made. When you have a top notch director (the talented Ridley Scott) and superb actors (Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix). The cinematography was brilliant, the locations were perfect, the musical score fit brilliantly, and the movie was a great way to start the new millennium as it was released in early 2000.

Best Person: The American: When 2000 started, there was a great deal of hope in the air, we had made a huge milestone and the sky was the limit. Then 9/11/01 rolled around and our joy was stifled by the heinous attacks on this nation. That didn't stop us, though we were hurting we rallied and for a short while we proved we could put aside differences for a greater good. We endured two wars, and now a rancid economy presided over by a socialist dictator-wannabe. The American citizen is standing up yet again to say "No More!" We are remembering our roots, we are remembering how it was we became the greatest nation on Earth, we are reclaiming our freedom.

"Most Awesome Person Alive": Technoviking: If you do not know who he is (and if you don't then you got a problem) look him up on youtube. Technoviking is made of win, this guy is just about as cool as it gets. He is the polar opposite of lame, he is easily the baddest, toughest man alive, and he could probably take over the world if he wanted. As I heard it said: "Technoviking does not dance to the music, the music dances to Technoviking." He is the one to bring down Armageddon and/or Ragnarok, he is just that awesome. He hit it big this decade when video of him at a techno festival in Germany hit the internet, he is the anti-Paris Hilton, he could crush Lady GaGa, and he is Technoviking-perhaps the most awesome person ever.

Hottest Woman: Taylor Swift: Hailing from my home state, she is simply lovely. She has some of the prettiest eyes I have ever seen in my life and she is just plain classy too. By all accounts she is a nice young woman, and well…completely and utterly gorgeous. It is very hard for me to turn away from a picture of her. Of course she is not nearly as beautiful as my six foot tall Amazon goddess known as Mrs. Regulator who is still The Most Gorgeous Woman to Have Ever Lived. Not only is she stunning, she plays video games and can put up with me-she really truly loves me and I love her more than anything in the world.

Best Game: Gears of War 1&2: It's a tie because Gears 1 set a great standard with a solid story and intense gameplay. Gears 2 followed up strong with a better story, and they kept the core of the gameplay in place which made it even more awesome. The characters are brilliant; you truly are inspired to lead them into the mouth of hell to save humanity. The gameplay is what makes it so great; you are constantly in the heat of battle against tough enemies who are no pushover. Every kill from gunning them down with your Lancer, to chain-sawing them in half, to well placed headshots-feels like an accomplishment. The Horde Mode introduced in Gears 2 is a brilliant idea and some of the greatest fun you can have online with your friends. Gears 1 and 2 set the standard for action video games and are my personal choice for best games I have ever played.

Best Invention: The MP3 Player: This one just edged out the utterly awesome Shamwow! It has better quality than a CD and it is highly portable. Instead of burning mix CD's or toting around several cases you can put several hundred songs on a device that can fit in your pocket. How awesome is that? If we only had the flying cars we thought we'd have by this time I'd say the future was better than we thought it could've been 25 years ago! If we have come this far in 10 years, imagine what is around the corner.

Thanks for reading, the Worst Things of 2009 will be posted next week, that is usually the funny one.

Howdy!

Since the best/worst lists get so much warm reception, I must do one for the entire decade! There won't be a list, just one "winner" per each category so here are the topics:

Best and Worst Song

Best and Worst Movie

Best and Worst Person

Best and Worst Celebrity

Hottest and Nastiest Woman

Best and Worst Game

Best and Worst Moment

And the Coveted...GOLDEN FACEPALM AWARD!

I also promise that the Lady GAGa references will be kept to a minimum. She is far from the worst person of the decade.

I will publish the best list in one week and the worst list in two weeks. Until then, leave your suggestions and if you have any topics you would like to see, please let me know and I will be sure to include them.

Regulator

After a long wait, here is my take on the pop culture stuff of 2009-hope you enjoy it!

*Best song of the year: 44 MINUTES by Megadeth: This song has win written all over it. It is about the North Hollywood shootout on February 28, 1997. Listening to this song is more than enough to get you fired up and ready to go, it's almost like you are in an actual firefight. Though they may not be as popular or widespread as they used to, or even that of Metallica-they have been far more consistent and HAVE NOT SOLD OUT! (I'm looking at you Lars Ulrich). "Baptized in a firefight, hot blood running cold as ice, 44 minutes of target practice and all Hell's breaking loose."-If that doesn't fire you up, what will?

What happened to the other 4 songs? To be quite honest with you, there weren't any.

*Best Person of the Year: Given that there was so much HOPE AND CHANGE in 2009, I had to honor the person who is fighting so hard to bring hope and change to this nation. That is why The American Patriot is this year's best person. They are telling Mr. Yes We Can "NO YOU WILL NOT!" America is a republic, we embrace freedom and individuality, and patriots all across this nation are fighting to preserve that. From the April 15 tea parties across the nation, to the huge 1.75 million person march on DC, to the outrage of the voters at town hall meetings Americans everywhere are stepping it up. We are reminding the legislators that we are in charge and not them.

*Best Game of the Year: Well this one may come as a shock but for me, my favorite game of 2009 has to be Saint's Row 2. It literally took a great game and made it better, the story was great, the graphics were nice, the control sets the standard for sandbox shooters, and it was just complete and utter fun. A bit short for my liking, but it was very good. Some may wonder about Dragon Age Origins, but it just came out and it would not be fair to consider it with the other games.

Top 3 Movies

3. GI JOE The Rise of Cobra: It was a mindless action flick, junk food for the brain. Junk food sure is tasty and this movie was very entertaining.

2. Terminator: Salvation: As the world's biggest fan of the Terminator series I thought the film did the previous movies justice. I thought the casting was appropriate and the story was interesting. Despite a few hiccups, it was a solid film.

1. Watchmen: Epic, utterly epic. Great characters, great story, great direction, awesome love scene and brutal fights-it was pretty much everything you could want in a film.

Bottom 5 Songs:

5. Paparazzi by Lady GaGa: I suffered through all 8 minutes of this mess of a video in order to write this synopsis: she is almost killed, hobbles in crutches while wearing a metal bustier and matching helmet (thanks ED), kills boyfriend. The song itself is utter crap: nonsensical lyrics, contrived electronic music, and is a feeble attempt at art.

4. Poker Face by Lady GaGa: The first song I heard by her and I wish it would've been the last, words cannot describe how terrible it is. The lyrics are some of the worst this side of Lil Wayne who gave us the nightmare of "A Milli." The song equates sex and poker…fair enough, but by her own admission is about her imagining she is with a girl when she is with her guy. The video is utterly horrendous, she literally dry humps almost EVERYTHING (organic and inorganic) on the set thus proving she has taken the title of easiest woman in the world from Paris Hilton…I never thought I would say that, I never thought it possible.

3. Love Game by Lady GaGa: Once again, terrible electronic dance pop combined with some of the most awful and skanky lyrics you could hear in a song. This song is all about her sexxxing up anything with a pulse (I didn't specify gender for a reason). This song and craptacular video completely confirm that Lady GAGa is easier than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Did I mention the song is simply awful? I mean she says "I wanna take a ride on your disco stick"-I am all about openness, but that is just plain trashy.

2. Three by Britney Spears: When you need crappy music, you can rely on Britney. First off, you barely can call this a song since there is no real music, what passes for words can hardly be called lyrics, and above all…YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND A WORD THAT COMES OUT OF HER MOUTH! More garbage from a consistently crappy performer-it is bad when a song about a 3-way is this terrible. Then again you would never know it, she could be talking about murdering puppies, but you'd never know, she is completely unintelligible…and untalented…and awful…and…

1. Bad Romance by Lady GaGa: I heard this song for the first time the other night and almost purposely drove my car into oncoming traffic. It is the primary example of the craptastic garbage produced by this foul, raving trollop. Overproduced electronic beats, awful lyrics, and even more awful singing-I mean it is just bad. I could handle only 50 seconds of the video as it was a tremendous nightmare. Avoid this garbage at all costs lest you expose yourself to irreversible mental damage (I am a professional, I know these things).

**Dishonorable Mention goes to Owl City for the song Fireflies. There have been some great songs written while on drugs or about drugs, but this is not one of them. OK, I cannot confirm it was written by people on drugs, but when I see the line "'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs" it makes me wonder.

*Most Annoying Person of the Year: I will give you three guesses, but you will need only one…Yeah it is Lady GaGa or Lady GAGa as I prefer to call her. She is not a lady, it is not possible to be a lady and a tramp and when it comes to being a tramp she is the undisputed queen. On top of that she cannot sing, is as ugly as sin, and creates the most obnoxious music you will ever hear. Her music should be killed with fire. I give her credit for being a self marketing genius, but she does it by making herself an oversexed tramp whose outfits literally inspire vomiting and early onset dementia. Put it this way, Obama can do something right and MAKE HER ILLEGAL! Not her music, make Lady GaGa illegal on the grounds she is a natural disaster and a crime against humanity.

*Worst Person of the Year: I will spare you the diatribe-it's Barack Obama. To quote Motorhead: "And all my promises are lies, all my love is hate, I am the politician and I decide your fate."

**Decade of FAIL Award: It is not often that this award is given out. In this society, careers amongst the famous rarely last ten years. Some people just go way past their expiration date, some people turn 15 minutes of fame into an hour or so, that is why the winner of the prestigious Decade of FAIL Award for 2009 is none other than…Britney Spears. Yes, 10 years ago she graced us with her first album and has been making our ears bleed since. We should thank her for showing us that just because you are phenomenally untalented, does not mean you cannot make millions. Britney, you earned it, after all not all of us can fail upwards so masterfully like you.

Howdy!

As I work carefully at crafting my comments for my annual best/worst of list-I thought it would be cool to put it out to everyone to submit your favorite/least favorite thing of 2009. Get creative, it can be a movie, game, person, music, event, anything you can think of-nothing is off limits. I would do a HUGE list but it would take forever.

In regards to the list-it is complete, I am just preparing my comments. Put it this way, we have for the first time THREE songs by the same artist in the WORST OF category!

Until December...

Howdy,

Retirement rocks, I do miss folks around here but I am doing what I can to get the word out.

This isn't my announcement that I am returning to GS, I will continue to post reviews and post on blogs, but that is about it.

The purpose here is to say for old time's sake and for fun, I will be publishing my best and worst of 2009 list come December. To give you a taste, here are the categories and a state of the deliberations.

Best Song of the Year: Sadly, there is only one, but it is epic.

Worst Song of the Year: Once again, far too many and once again history may be made.

Worst Person of the Year: It was so bad I had to create a new category...

Most Annoying Person: No brainer here

Best Person: Will probably elicit no response

Best Movie: Will be tough, didn't see too many this year

Time for shameless self promotion, if you want the truth, if you want deep insight, if you want to step outside your comfort zone, visit me at www.takeitasyouwill.blogspot.com

That is my new home for speaking my peace as I have given up on CNET, politics are my game now. They have to be, we are at the crossroads of history.

Well, that is all until December, until then have fun! If you should wish to read my other musings, you know where to look.

The Watchman.

Howdy:

All things good and bad come to an end-given that TV.com and Gamsepot are sites devoted to entertainment, I have decided to sign off and pursue what I feel to be more important.

Though I would love to stay and irritate the hell out of left-leaning liberals who think Barack Obama is the greatest thing since sliced bread, I figured it would not be fair to the many of you who sadly could care less. Thanks to Helostwin for raising a convincing argument about fighting the good fight around here, but as I see it-there is no point in talking when nobody is listening. Besides, these sites are for fun-what I speak of is hardly fun.

I would like to say again, that I truly feel ideologies are pointless, stupid, dangerous and damaging. That is why I spend a great deal of time researching the facts and giving honest opinions based on the evidence.

I am leaving because I feel that I need to address the pressing issues facing our world. The USA is in trouble because of a corrupt government and an opportunisitic leader who wants all the power for himself. As many of you have seen, the public is speaking out against this and I am a proud member of that group. My voice may not be much, but when added to the millions of people who support small government and despise socialism, my voice makes that roar of the crowd that much louder.

As such, I have moved on to another site to post my musings about what is going on. All of you are welcome to comment should you wish.

http://takeitasyouwill.blogspot.com

The name says it all-take it as you will, believe what you want as long as it is the truth.

I would like to thank all my friends here for posting and for the memories. Thanks for making life a little less boring, who knows, maybe I will return one day, but while things are the way they are-I cannot do so. Even if I make no difference, at least I know I tried.

Happy Trails,

Regulator0013...now The Watchman

Hello:

Think of this what you will, this might be my final blog. I am just so fed up anymore and I must get it out to a public forum. If you wish to stop tracking me, speaking to me, teaming up on Xbox-no hard feelings, thanks for the memories, and fare thee well. I have held back out of fear of alienating others. I had an experience with a good friend who was most upset by comments I made once. I still respect this man for his courage in telling me his thoughts, but I can no longer hold my tongue while this nation rots. I know this is a place devoted to gaming, which I love and always will, but each blog is a place where we can get on our soapbox if needs be, well I am exercising that right-while I still have it.

I am a conservative-not a Republican, not a Democrat, but Conservative and Independent. I believe that this nation is best served by being fiscally prudent and by encouraging others to help each other out. The US Government has NO BUSINESS handing out money to anyone or anything other than itself. The purpose of Government is to defend the nation, levy taxes, operate itself, negotiate treaties, and levy tarriffs (taxes on imports). If people want welfare, go to a charity, no government has the right to take from one to give to another...period.

Our media is crooked, you can no longer believe what you hear or see anymore. They have become puppets of the government with the sole purpose of deceiving you, if you want the truth, you will have to find it for yourselves. Take the march on 9/12 on Washington DC. By several accurate accounts including a study by the University of Indiana roughly 1.7 million people showed up-more than who appeared for Obama's inauguration. People do not agree with him, but you would never know from the media.

Our Government is corrupt. They no longer stand for the ideals upon which this REPUBLIC was founded and built. The Republicans and Democrats both have become power loving, money craving, despots who could care less about what you think. Look up her quote, Nancy Pelosi said she doesn't care what her constituents think-she is voting her own way. THAT IS NOT WHAT OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE TO DO! They are our voice in Washington, WE ARE THEIR BOSSES it is not the other way around. If you don't believe me, go in to your job and tell your boss how you want to do things, I guarantee you will get fired. Look at the health plan-they will never use it because it is inferior to what they have yet they are willing to forgo what the voters want and pass it by using reconciliation to avoid having to vote on it-is this democracy?

Finally (here it comes) Barack Obama does not care about you and he does not have your best interests at heart. He is reshaping the government to do whatever he sees fit-why else would he appoint people that answer to nobody but him? Why else would he allow the congress to blatantly defy the wishes of the people? Why else would he endorse a health plan that cannot be paid for or an energy plan based on faulty science that will tax people to death. Why else would he stand by and let the media and his cronies label people as racist for disagreeing with him. Racism is defined as the belief that one race is superior than other (look it up)-since when did disagreement constitute racism? Either this president is so dumb he has no clue of the damage he is doing, or else he knows all to well and is doing it anyway-my guess is that he knows what he is doing.

Wake up everyone, remember your history and remember why this nation is so great. It is because we are free, because we help one another, and because we had the brilliant idea of having government as the structure-not the nanny who gives us everything. If you continue to let this madness continue, you will eventually have nothing. For my friends in European and other nations-this same lesson applies to you. The last time I checked European nations and Austrailia can BAN movies, games, music, etc. because they are "offensive." If things weren't offensive at times, nothing would get done.

Let me have it, or not. Agree or disagree, or not. I've said my peace-I wish you all well.

I don't think anyone of us will forget 9/11/01, history changed for better or worse that day and the horrific images of the attack will forever be etched in our minds.

We must never forget those who died, why we were attacked, and that we as a nation and as a people are not invincible. Though our bodies may be able to be broken, our spirits are indestructible and as long as we fight for truth, justice, and freedom we will never be overcome.

Those who attacked us are cowards in every sense of the word, they are savages who are mindless enough to be misled to their own deaths by puppet masters who use God as a pretense for war.

The most horrible thing we can do is to forget what we learned on this day 8 years ago-we cannot become complacent, we must be ever vigilant, and we must expect our government to defend us properly. This means fighting our enemies in the way that they will never forget-we must be as vicious and nasty as they are-remember there is a difference between not winning and losing. We cannot worry about offending our enemies, after all they already hate us so much they wish us dead-what happens if we offend them, will they kill us twice?

Many of you know I am displeased with our government, that is very true and the fact that we have not finished this fight is but one of many reasons I am angered. This is not the time to express my disgust with them, this is a time to remember those who perished in a senseless act of war.

I wish that the world could live in peace, as long as this world is run by mortal beings that will never happen. All mortals are flawed, as such our actions will always be flawed-the best that we can hope for is that sense and justice will prevail in this dark and wicked world. We must look at whatever light there is, after all there is plenty of it. The bright spots in this dreary world matter most for it is the shadows which are chased away by the light and not the other way around.

I urge you all to take stock of today, remember it, and remember what was lost and what still could be lost. Cherish what you have, after all there are thousands who have less because of the selfishness and cruelty exhibited by the cowardly pigs who saw fit to attack our nation for no good reason. Life is what you make of it, and that which you hold dear makes it so much better.

God Bless America

RRT

Tuesday, September 2, 1999 a day I will never forget.

I could barely sleep the night before, almost to the point of no sleep. I can still remember my alarm blaring at 6:00am and the sound of my small fan chugging along.

My mom came in and grabbed me, I got dressed and sauntered downstairs. I could barely eat my waffels and I managed to chug down an instant breakfast.

It wasn't long until I was summoned, the recruiter was right on time. The sun had not even risen and I was walking out the door. I gave my parents and my sister a hug before walking away. I can still see my mother crying her eyes out, my sister told me she cried the whole day.

I spent the day at the federal building and it was around noon when I took the bus to the airport. I couldn't even eat, and the trip down to Atlanta was a blur. I remember getting on the bus and the long drive through the night to South Carolina.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of when I left for the Army. I was scared to death, I was away from home for the first time, I had no clue who anybody was, and I knew I was going to be here for a while. I remember the snotty corporals who barked orders considering we were just a hair below them in rank. I remember the day I shipped out for Basic Training and we all got smoked hard for no reason.

I will never forget the lessons of Basic Training-discipline, strength, honor, teamwork, and independence. I learned to resist fear, how to organize, and how to separate my feelings from what must be done. I learned the meaning of duty, honor, and loyalty-I shed my fears and became a man that fall. I still carry those lessons today as I use the discipline and strenght I developed to finish up my Master's Degree and support my family.

No lesson here today, just wanted to share.

Former PV2 RRT.

Howdy!

As I write this, the sun is rapidly setting on my free time. I have beaten the "I am going back to school, my teachers are lefties and Karl Marx loving freaks, and I hate college" horse to death, but I did have some fun with it. I was on my way home from work and since I HATE taking the highway (I find it most disconcerting how stupidly people drive) I cut through the area of town where my college is located. Seeing it was a nice day, I decided to indulge in one of my favorite activities on college...

Rolling down my windows and cranking SLAYER at full blast. For those of you who do not know, Slayer is an ultra-hardcore death metal band. Needless to say people who are hippies, liberals, and the overly religious are terrified of them, hence why I play them as loudly as possible near my college. (Sorry, I love to freak others out)

To make it all better it was when students are moving into their dorms, so you have lots of naive newbies to the college system and their unsure parents. They needed to be rattled, they needed a taste of the otherside considering that by Thanksgiving break little Johnny will have been corrupted by the Marxists and will come home with long hair and a Che Guevara shirt complaining about "The Corporations" and little Susie will have a nice, new girlfriend! Slayer is the soundtrack to Hell, I wanted to remind all the people that by entering college they have entered Hell. Fortunately for me I survived and learned these important things: #1. Do EXACTLY as you are told, #2. Liberal politics do not work in the real world, and #3. Libraries are for educations, college is for partying/drinking/sex/wasting money/etc.

I am currently playing Mass Effect again and enjoying it. I wrapped up the biotic/engineering achievements and am working on getting the ones for 75% Renegade Points, Using Wrex through most of the game, and finishing on Hardcore difficulty, so I am pretty close to maxing out the achievements. I do love this game and am dying to play Mass Effect 2, but I will be happy when it's over so I can get back to Crackdown and Dead Space.

In other news...well there isn't much. Ted Kennedy died-may God have mercy on his soul (he'll need it). The LA Coroner ruled that Michael Jackson's death was murder and was attributed to Propofol intoxication (that is some strong stuff, no wonder they use it to PUT YOU TO SLEEP FOR SURGERY!), and the world is going to hell in a handbasket.

Well I would be remiss if I didn't leave a moral of this story so here it goes: Life is hard and it is supposed to be. Some have it easier than others, but I am sure they are suffering in other ways. If your life is hard that is fine-if you obstacles in your path that is even better, a wise man from India said "If you do not have obstacles in life, you aren't getting anywhere" after all, who has trouble going nowhere or going in reverse? Sure, things often suck but not without reason. Rather than being a blanket optimist or pessimist, look at the bigger picture, often times you will see how things can get better.

Until the next time, have a good one, stay out of trouble, stay hydrated, and remember that college is hell.

-R

Howdy!

I recently watched the trailer for James Cameron's (who is an AMAZING director!) new film, "Avatar" the plot looks great, the direction looks amazing, the actors are all good choices, and it is in a NEW form of 3D! This movie has Epic Win written all over it. I showed it to Mrs. Regulator and she now wants to see it, so I guess the two of us will have a date night when it arrives in theatres. I suggest to you all that you look it up, this film looks to be extremely good, so I am now very excited.

Gaming wise I have been heavy into Mass Effect as I await the arrival of Mass Effect 2 which looks to be another great game. I got an achievement for using one of the characters throughout most of the game, I am glad I got it...The character, Garrus, has a great attitude but he tends to: get killed a lot, get in the way, and shoot you in the head-with allies like that who needs enemies? I am quickly learning the joy of my characters with biotic (Mass Effect's version of magic) skills, Liara and Kaidan when fully trained with lift can turn a battle into a turkey shoot. Needless to say, I love that. I am also hard at work at Tenchu Z (level 36/50) and eager to get started back up on Dead Space which I played for 1 hour, but loved the hell out of it.

My wife, mom, and people from our church went to a baseball game last night. The Pittsburgh Pirates actually won, I am still in shock over that. We were in the "all you can eat" seats, which pretty much sums it up. You get unlimited nachos, burgers, hotdogs, salad, icecream, and soda. I eat lightly and didn't feel well so I had two things of nachos, a burger, and some ice cream. We had a nice time, the folks at church are nice, I don't get to see mom as much as I used to, and spending time with Mrs. Regulator is always a plus.

In other good news, I am up to running 3.2 miles a day and I feel great doing it. Mind you I will ride 10 miles on my stationary bike first, run 3.2 miles, walk a bit, then ride the bike again as long as it adds up to 60 or more minutes of solid exercise. I highly reccommend it, you feel great, lose weight, and get healthy.

In conclusion, I got to give it up for the American people, we have finally had enough and are telling our elected representatives that we are in charge (after all, in a democracy the PEOPLE are in charge!) The government is trying to ram down our throats a horrible health plan which will in time cost too much money and sacrifice care. The people in my nation are waking up and telling the government to STAY OUT! After all, our Constitution says nothing about the Government being our "nanny." The US Constitution limits government to the following: National Defense, regulation of trade, negotiation of international treaties, and keeping the states together. Needless to say, the US Government is NOT supposed to give aid unless in dire national emergency, provide funding for pet projects, and well...GETTING INVOLVED IN YOUR LIFE! Much respect to the American people for letting the Government know where their place is. So I leave you all with a quote from one of America's greatest heroes, one Benjamin Franklin:

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Howdy!

I hope all of you saw GI Joe, there will be a test...joking.

Other than work, I have had a lot of time to game this week. My dear friend and adopted sister Symon Dezyn got my wife back on to Mass Effect which in turn to me back on to Mass Effect. Mrs. Regulator is A BEAST at this game, she really hates the Geth and hates Ashley even more (I confirmed this today). I am trying to wrap up some outstanding achievements while really enjoying such a great game. My wife and I cannot wait to get Mass Effect 2-we have it preordered and it may lead to some marital arguments over who gets the Xbox (She'll win, if you are married or have a GF you understand). I also tried "Dead Space" at my wife's urging-much like Mass Effect, it was love at first game. I didn't want to put it down, so far it is tense, freaky, and just overall good. I cannot wait to play it more, but Mass Effect takes no prisoners, if you have played it you know what I am talking about.

August 31 marks the beginning of the new semester, incidentally it will be MY LAST! I will graduate the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work with a Masters Degree come December. Needless to say, I can hardly wait! I truly hate college, it has been one of the most aggrevating and annoying experiences of my life, but at least it will allow me to earn quite a bit. They don't hand out Masters Degrees, so I am kind of proud of myself, I have worked my tail off for 3.5 years so here is the big payoff! That and a mound of debt from student loans...Anyways, I will have to take a class or two at college or go to REALLY boring all-day seminars to maintain my license to practice, but as long as I never have to be a full time student again, I really don't care. Besides...

Part of me maintaining my license will be a showdown with my mentor. He teaches at community college where I got my associates degree. We were very good friends, so good we had a father/son relationship. He got a little irritated when I got married and I don't hear from him much. I will take his final class at community college and it will be the age-old "Master Vs. Student." I hope all works well, I miss him terribly and hope to regain our friendship. This is all sad really, he taught me all I know and helped me become the man I am today-I just hope we can patch things up.

Other than that, not much is going on, I feel better because I am able to go running again and work is going well. I hate driving all over for it, but when you are getting paid $20.00 an hour, you complain a lot less. I may get more hours after I graduate in December, but until then it is school and work.

Until I think of anything more prolific to say, have a great weekend and talk to you all sooner or later.

-R

Once again it is time for Regulator movie reviews-here is a reminder: 5=Mindblowing, as close to perfect as it gets, 4=Extremely Good, 3=Average, 2=Bad, 1=Utter Crap, watch at your own peril.

GI Joe is your typical action movie, it sets out to be an action film and delivers nothing less. I went in with high expectations given that I like most male children in the 1980's loved GI Joe and watched it religiously. I also owned a ton of GI Joe stuff and my cousin owned even more. So it is safe to say, I am rather familiar with the franchise.

The plot follows pertty much anything out of the cartoon-GI Joe must stop a terrorist organization who has a weapon that can destroy well...pretty much anything. The Joe's are represented by General Hawk, Duke (you cannot have GI Joe without Duke), Scarlet, Ripcord, Heavy Duty, and my personal favorite Snake Eyes. They are up against Destro, Baroness, Storm Shadow, Zartan, and Cobra Commander. That is pretty much the plot and the rest is action. That is fine, this movie never set out to be an award winning film, it is not supposed to be deep, it is supposed to be a raw action movie. The cast was good, everyone played their part well, the dialogue was cheesy at times but appropriate, and the action/special effects were very good. Overall a very solid movie, very enjoyable. You go in, you sit down, and you forget about life while you watch non-stop explosions and fights. It achieved it's goal and was great fun to watch...Regulator Score: 4.5/5

On the subject of ratings, December is 4 months away and that means I am narrowing down my choices for the best/worst of 2009. Sadly I have very few choices for best song...one actually whereas the list for worst song of the year is a raving dead heat with a three way tie for first. Either way Lady GaGa is probably going to be the worst of the worst-probably going to take Worst Song and Worst Person of the year-which is saying something because there were lots of scumbags this year. If anyone has suggestions for best songs or worst for that matter, please let me know.

Thanks and have a great week, go see GI Joe, lots of fun.

R

Howdy,

The weather is kind of up and down here in PA, it was very sunny and warm yesterday. At night, it cooled down to perfect sleeping weather. Though at about 8:00 or so my sinuses began acting up-I figured it was the weather change. I took some Afrin and went to bed. I wake up and feel worse, my temperature is about 96 degrees and I just feel like crap. So sadly, no working out today, just lounging on the couch.

School starts in 26 days for me, hooray! I seriously hate college, it has been one of the worst experiences of my entire life. What the media says about it is true, and many of the parties are as good as what you see on TV, but other than that it is simply awful. Pointless classes, hoops to jump through, moronic slacker classmates, pretentious know-it-all Marxist teachers...not a place for a guy like me. However this is it, after this I am done and I couldn't be happier. Now all I have to do is get my licenses and get to work to pay off a mountain of debt! Though there are worse things. I have learned these truths about college:

Most of your classes are pointless, there is at least fifty members of any single group you could think of, if a teacher repeats something-it is on the test, if it is an idea from Karl Marx-it is on the test, alcohol will preserve your sanity, if you have a laptop-you are ahead of the game, if you are going to write a great paper be sure to give reasons for everything you state, college girls are hot as hell, three hours in a boring class feels more like three hundred hours, and most if not all of your teachers will be raving Marxists.

All this for a piece of paper that says I learned something...I have my BASW up on my wife's piano. I call it my "$30,000 dollar piece of cardstock." I earned it, I worked hard for it, all in all it is paper-I don't need it to know that I am good at what I do. Which brings me to the moral of the story:

Remember that it is those in authority that demand you have proof of what you know, and remember that many of those who have advanced degrees are raving idiots. If you want to be good at something, make sure you can do it, pursue it actively, learn as much as you can, and make it part of you. Rest assured, if you try to master something you hate, you will get good at it, but you will never be great. If you do that which you love, not only do you have the luxury of never really working, but only when we do that which we love can we attain greatness.

Mrs. Regulator and I are self avowed nerds, we love educational programming. For the past few weeks we have been watching a show called "The Colony." People are randomly thrown together and must survive under the premise of a viral outbreak that has decimated society. They have limited supplies and resources and must thrive for 10 weeks. This all happens under threat of marauders out to steal or break their stuff or just freak them out. With so many people with diverse skill sets...and attitudes, it is a very interesting social experiment. Makes you wonder what you could do in that situation. As for me, I have mental health training which would allow me to help people stay calm and to figure out the mindset of the marauders, and I have military experience so I can fight and help secure the area.

So what could you all do?

-R

Howdy,

My father in law visited us last weekend, it is always good to see him. He lives in Wisconsin which is quite a hike from Pennsylvania so it is a special event when he visits or we go out there. He was nice enough to bring me some beer you can only get in Wisconsin, so I was rather happy about that. He really enjoys his family, so we spent a lot of time talking and relaxing which he seems to enjoy the most. He also got to spend a lot of time with my stepson which both of them appreciated. My wife and I enjoyed the time very much, we wish we had more, but we will see them again on Thanksgiving.

Family is a wonderful thing, thankfully they are more of a blessing than a curse. That happens when you love people, the people you care about the most are the ones that often hurt you the worst. Thankfully the greater love often outweighs that pain, so forgiveness is there. Sadly it is that forgiveness which leads many to hurt their loved ones. I guess the worst is completely breaking off ties with those people that we love. I hate to see it happen, but sometimes (though rarely) it is for the best. Even though something good may come out of a situation like that, it never stops hurting. I should know, I don't get to speak to a good friend of mine anymore on account of his harridan of a girlfriend, but I have done what I can.

Sometimes life just pulls us apart, that hurts the worst. Humans by nature loathe anything outside of our control. The thought of being without my wife is too much to bear, God willing that will never happen-I know the two of us won't let it happen, but the world and all of its means has a way of imposing its will upon us. Fortunately, love is so darned powerful and the human will is so strong that there is very little we, even as mere mortals, can overcome. That is not to say that if you convince yourself that you can fly off of your roof that you can, even if you believe such a thing completely I guarantee you that you will not enjoy your efforts. Impossible is a term that is overused, but it is still a very real and accurate one. Basically-"If it is physically possible, it can be done"

Now that's out of the way...I fired up a game I bought recently, "Crackdown" and needless to say, I love it. You have superhuman abilities and a lot of guns. Plenty of guns, explosions, killing, mayhem, reckless driving, and now bounding about a city. Climbing and jumping is a lot of fun, and leaping off a building while raining death upon scum is truly a joy. I also finished Overlord as a "bad good guy" overall it was a lot of fun and I reccomend it. The camera can be a problem and the controls can be a bit rough at times, but not enough to ruin the game. BTW the camera is WAY better than the piece of crap that is Ninja Gaiden 2 which sets the high water mark for nasty cameras. I am also working on Tenchu Z which got bad ratings from Gamespot (they tend to be harsh) but who cares about ratings, I love it. It is a little different from Tenchu of old, but enough core gameplay and improvements remain to make it tons of fun. I miss

On that note I am out of here for now, have a great weekend.

Howdy

Last Saturday my wife and I saw one of her favorite groups, Nickleback. They came around with Saving Abel (Who?), Papa Roach (AWESOME SET!), and Hinder (I went to the restroom and grabbed more booze during their set). Nickleback was pretty good-I am not their biggest fan, but I have never once said they suck. They hit the stage with a lot of energy and their lead singer kept the audience going. He talked to them alot and commented on the staggering amount of hot girls in the crowd. Overall they did a good job and it was a fun time, I was happiest to see Mrs. Regulator dancing and cheering-she had a blast. I enjoyed Papa Roach more, I like quite a few of their songs and their lead singer did a hell of a job of keeping the crowd into the show. I also must give all 4 bands that played credit-they all made mention of each other and gave a lot of respect to one another. It is good to see when rock and roll goes right-it also paid of nicely as Nickelback brought one of the guys from Hinder and the lead singer of Papa Roach out to sing a cover of AC/DC's Highway to Hell which got me into the show.

I got to run today for the first time in a VERY long time, since I have been working out on the stationary bike for 3 months, I was able to run two miles in 16 minutes which is almost 9mph. That is about where I was when I stopped running and about where I was in the Army which was 10 years ago this September-has it been that long? The Army made me who I am today (that and a near death experience). It taught me the discipline I use everyday, instilled in me the desire to never quit, helped me gain confidence, and gave me weapons training It is not for everyone, but I think everyone should have to complete the 9 week Basic Training Cycle-it builds character.

In bad news, Ben Roethlisberger (whom I am told I resemble though I am a foot shorter, about 100 pounds lighter, not nearly as rich as, and cannot play football like) has been accused of sexual assault. Yet another reason being a celebrity sucks, you have a HUGE bullseye on your back at all times. People will exploit the hell out of you because you have money, means, and opportunity. I personally do not think he is guilty, here are my reasons:

The case brought against him is a civil case instead of criminal which means they have no evidence to prove what he did or did not do. Civil cases are all about money, nobody goes to jail in a civil case. The complaint was filed one year after the supposed incident-why wait so long? I cannot say for sure who is lying or telling the truth and I am leaving my feelings as a fan out of this-we will have to wait and see. But shame on anyone who lies and exploits anybody for money, work hard and earn it already. Ben and pretty much every other human has the right to do what they want as long as it is in the letter of the law, but think a little harder before you do something...or someone.

The moral of the story is: Live your life as you see fit, but be responsible. You can have fun and still not put yourself in such a crappy position your reputation/freedom/bank account are in jeopardy of being damaged. If you have any feeling whatsoever what you are about to do may even be remotely bad-for the love of God DON'T DO IT!

-R

Howdy,

It has been a LONG time since I have been to a concert, last one I went to was Ozzfest back in 1999. Hell of a show-Rob Zombie, Primus, Slayer, Ozzy, and Black Sabbath (my personal favorite). I have wanted to go to several shows since, but one thing or another comes up (I am still kicking myself for not seeing The Killers before they got big.)

Saturday Nickleback rolls into Pittsburgh-I am not a big fan of theirs, some of their stuff is good, but not really my taste in music. However Mrs. Regulator loves them, and I promised I would take her for her birthday which was back in April. Concerts are a lot of fun, it is a rush to see all those people freaking out at once. I think the group Hinder is opening, that sucks they are awful-I plan on making a bathroom run where their set starts, by the time I get in, out, and back to the lawn their set will be over. The song they did "Lips of an Angel" is PAINFUL and just plain awful...and overplayed.

Two of my other favorites, Slayer and Marilyn Manson are coming in early August, but there is a good chance I will be visiting my in-laws then.

Music makes life so much better. I am sure everyone who reads this will agree as I am just as sure that each one of you has a song for almost any occasion, I know I do. Happiness, sadness, love, loss, anger, humor...just about every emotion can be expressed in music. So to end this blog, I will close with some of my favorites and some of my choices of songs for occasions.

Favorite Song: Symptom of the Universe-Black Sabbath

Greatest Song Ever Made: Stairway to Heaven=Led Zeppelin

Sad Song: Fade to Black-Metallica or The Last Song by Elton John

Happy Song: Beautiful Day-U2

Best Breakup Song: Black by Pearl Jam or Disintegration by The Cure

Angry Song: Animal I Have Become-3 Days Grace or 1996 by Marilyn Manson

Party Song: Party Hard by Andrew WK or Dirty Little Thing by Velvet Revolver

Victory: We Are the Champions by Queen

Defeat: Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber

Get Fired Up: The Ecstasy of Gold by Ennio Morricone (think The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly)

Howdy Everyone,

How coincidental I wrote of death not long ago...My grandfather had a stroke last week and died on Sunday, he was 84 and lived a great life. At the funeral I realized he was always smiling, that is a great way to live. His ashes were interred today and now we just move on. I will miss him, at the luncheon after his viewing is when I really noticed he was gone, he was always the first person to a family event. I am sad he is gone, but not too sad, not even mourning. His stroke hit him pretty hard, he would not have lived the life he loved-nor could he have it was that harsh. I just take solace in knowing he has no more health problems and that he is resting peacefully now, hard to be sad then...

Instead of another dissertation about death, what about life? We've all heard that question "What is the meaning of life?" if you ask most people they will tell you that they don't know or that they wish they knew. If you were to ask "If you had to say what it was, what is the meaning of life?" I am willing to bet you would get a different answer each time-that is why I say: We already know what the meaning of life is.

How would it be possible for there to be just ONE universal meaning to life? That seems rather unlikely given that there are so many people in this world right as of this moment, countless more that have died, and countless more that have yet to be born. To think that there is one meaning of life is to say we all have the same expectations and purpose, I simply don't believe that. We all do our own things our own way and get to different places in life, even if those places are similar. Even if there was one meaning of life, it could be achieved in so many ways, with that being the case there is some room for change.

To me at least, the meaning of life is whatever life means to you. Whatever motivates you to get up in the morning, to be a good person (or bad person for that measure), whatever gets you to continue to live-that is meaning. With all the pain and hardship in life, why not give up? If we did not have meaning, we would indeed give up. Though for so many there is something big or small that has such a profound meaning that it drives us to go on and do what it takes to survive. Even if a person lives in their parents basement, they still eat, drink, and stay alive-the only motivation to do that is meaning. Though I would hope more would aspire to do much more than wasting away in one's home doing little of anything, I cannot criticize someone if that gives them meaning, but there is so much more to life than sitting around and waiting for it to come to you.

To sum it up, find your own meaning-and you have to find it yourself. If you wait around for life to find you, I have a feeling you may end up waiting forever.

UPDATE: On 7-10-09 I completed Ninja Gaiden 2 on Warrior mode. I posted my review of the game as well-to put it mildly...I HATE THAT ******* GAME! Have a lovely day.