I sure do love summer.  The sun, the thunderstorms, and most of all the time!  I finally quit working at Little Ceasar's and now I'll be lifeguarding.  Luckily, it's mostly morning shifts, and I'll probably only be working every other week (she over-hired to prepare for losing a ton of seniors next year).  I can tell, this is going to be a great summer.

So, I'm working on Suikoden V right now.  I started a new game, and I'm going to make this a perfect file.  I'm going to get all the formations, skills, etc. in order (instead of having a random list), and I'm going to make sure to get all the music in order as well (last time, I forgot to get the Dragon Horse Race song, and it was stuck at the end--Yuck!).  I know, I'm OCD .

I'm really getting excited for Final Fantasy XII as well.  It looks just as political as Suikoden V, plus has a great soundtrack and some awesome sound voice acting.  I hope Square-Enix moves up its release to the summer.

Well, down to the last two days of school.  If I can just get past these days of finals, I'M FREE!!!

EDIT:  Well, I got bored tonight and totally redid my profile (except for my blog pic, that's too cool ).  How does everyone like it?

First, we get Suikoden V only a month after Japan gets it.  Then, Konami blesses us once again by moving the release date up one week!!!  That's right, Suikoden V will be out in less than 2 weeks, on March 22nd!

I must say, this wait is going to be exteremely painful.  I've had enough trouble waiting 6 months for the release in Japan, now I have only a few more days left until I will be able to play the game myself, and it's hard!  I wish I could speed up time.

My only complaint is that I'd already scheduled days off work for the 29th release, so now I won't have as many days off for this new release.  And, it messed up the countdown calender I made!  Gosh darn it!!!

Wow, I really hate school. I realize that education is an unsurmountable blessing, but do I really need to know calculus or chemistry, especially when I'm going to be an author/writer? Well, I'll have to wait and see, but it really doesn't seem worth it right now. The least they could do is lighten the homework load. I typically have at least 2 hours of homework each night, and often times 3.5+ hours! That, plus swimming and my job--my future doesn't look too bright...

To brighten the mood, Suikoden V is looking great. After being announced just a few weeks ago, we've already got tons of info. This game is looking rival II or III as the best Suikoden in the series! After seeing the screenshots/images, and watching Gamespot's incredible 10 minute trailer, I have written up an article with all the good information I found in my union, here. I don't think I can wait much longer for this game!!!

First came Suikoden Tactics. It looks great, and I've already pre-ordered. Now, finally, after the awful disapointment of IV, Suikoden V has been announced! It was like a firecracker, suddenly the big news started exploding all over the net (feels like a new FF was announced ). And I must say, this game looks very promising.

First of all, we've already got a very interesting setting, with lots of potential history and exciting events. The character designs look absolutely enchanting, and I'm hoping the are just as good as III's were (and not plain and boring like IV's). Hopefully, the game will also have a much deeper and more complex plot than IV, as well as some great character development. Due to the lack of details currently released, I'll be editing more on this entry as details are released, so check back often!

Well, I finally got back from my trip on Saturday. And while it was glad to be home, I really didn't want to leave. Let's just say, anyone who says "there's nothing in South Dakota" has never been to the Black Hills.

The trip was very two-sided. The natural beauty was just incredible. As I looked out the van window as we drove through the Black Hills, I kept seeing that title screen image on Suikoden III. There were moments when I was seeing an exact mirrored image (even the clouds). If I could live anywhere I wanted, I would live in the Black Hills. I also can easily understand why the Lakota people would refuse to sell this land to the Government. How awful that they would even ask these Aboriginal people to do so. We also took a hike in the Bad-Lands, and that was even more incredible. I wish I hadn't forgotten my camera that day! As soon as the pictures are developed, I'll make sure to post some.

On the other hand, the trip was very sad. Seeing other human beings live this way was incredible. Especially considering it was our US government that did it. To be honest, I really can't explain with words how incredible this whole experience was. All I can say is that it pushed me, an almost-17-year-old teen boy, to tears.

If you ever have a chance to travel to the Lakota/Sioux Indian Reservation, take it! Then try to meet some of these people, enjoy the environment, and I can guarantee it will change your life. It sure changed mine...

I leave tomorrow for South Dakota. Some folks from my church are going to some Native American reservation to do some service work. At first I was really excited, but now 9 days out with a bunch of people I don't even know/like without my beloved RPGs doesn't sound so fun . Well, there's not much else to say right now, so I'll just write an entry about how it went when I get back...