Carving Pumpkins

So, last nigh me and the girlfriend decided we'd show our Halloween spirit and carve pumpkins while we watched our usual Monday Night RAW. After much work with cleaning out the pumpkins, cutting and shaving them down to fit our patters, we were both very satisfied and excited with how our few hours of work turned out.

My girlfriend decided to do a quite difficult design, and went with Ganon from The Legend of Zelda and I decided to go with a relatively simpler design and make Gengar from Pokemon.

Short post I know, but hey, I've got some work to show off!

Updating......

Just a quick post to say that I'm changing things up a little bit, updating things in my profile and adding new things to my blog. Most these changes are going to be side-bar additions, as well as general updating in my information.

Also, a few things I didn't mention in my blog yesterday. First, I put in my two weeks at my current place of employment. I have actually grown to dislike it here. After a flurry of altercations and miscommunication s with my boss & being told different from what was going to happen/to not being told at all, I've decided my current wage of pay is not worth the stress that is involved with the job. And with that comes the search for a new job, which I am optimistic that I have an interview this week, and if not, hopefully soon with other places I've applied to/going to apply to around town.

I think that's it with this (tiny) update, so until next time, stay safe.

A (little) Update

So today's post will be short despite having a long absence.

Things have been going well with my life in general since my last post. Today is actually three months that me and my amazingly wonderful girlfriend have been dating and we couldn't be getting a long any better. School has been going surprisingly well for once also, I'm getting my good study time in and making the grades I need to be making (for the most part).

Gaming on the other hand has been kinda slow as of late. A few weeks ago, I decided that I was no longer happy having a massive amount of games just sitting there on my shelf, un-played and un-opened. So, as a course of action, I decided to round up around 70 titles that I sold a few weeks ago, ultimately deciding that I'd rather be happy with new games that I've wanted over older games that just sit there. Yeah, I can look back one day and think about the great experiences I had with them at one time when I was playing them, but the reality is I'll probably never go back to play them randomly. So, with the sum of cash that I had acquired in doing so, I bought myself a new Polar White Nintendo DSi, and a copy of Scribblenauts for myself & the girlfriend. I also managed to grab me two Street Fighter IV Fight Stick Edition Arcade Sticks for my Xbox 360.

Unfortunately, gaming time has been minimal due to other obligations now (school & spending time with the GF!) but I finally received my copy of Pokemon Soul Silver from Japan and have been investing all my left over spare time that isn't spent eating, sleeping or working into it and I absolutely love it. I've gotten such a nostalgia trip, it's like I'm playing the game for the first time all over again.

Well I think that's gonna do it for this update, until next time, stay safe.

Game Count: 486

Highest Single System Count: Nintendo DS (82)

Progress

So tonight's entry will be short. The last few days have been great and our relationship is getting stronger and closer with each passing day. We have a board game night coming up on Thursday with two other couples and we're hoping it goes as successful as the last one did about two weeks ago. Today we spent the day running a few errands, stopping by her old place of work (a bead shop) and then dinner with a friend of mine. We finished off the evening watching Watchmen that came out on DVD & Blu-Ray today, so I'd say it was a good day.

What is particularly special about this day is a small conversation that we shared while being out and about. By some way or another, the conversation of past relationships came about. I talked briefly about my previous 3 relationships I'd had over the last couple years with my most recent being over 3 years ago. Explaining my terrible luck with women and how I never seem to find the right girl for me, she told me about her previous relationships as well. Without getting into too much detail, her luck had been just about the same as mine. After talking for a bit about everything we'd been through with previous relationships, she told me something that made me a little excited and honored at the same time; I was her first kiss. I don't know what it is about it, but hearing that made me feel so incredibly special that words couldn't describe it. This girl makes me so happy I don't really know what to say. Through all her stumbles, self-inflicted injuries, goofiness and clumsiness, she's just so absolutely adorable 100% of the time that I have no clue how she's ended up with me. Maybe it's fate, maybe it was supposed to happen, but only time will tell.

Gaming wise, I finally started Knights in the Nightmare. This is by far the most overwhelming RPG I've played in a very long time, but I've just gotta get a feel for it. Other than that, starting Okami sometime this week is the main game plan, and probably starting up a good old-fashioned turn-based RPG feels like such a good idea right now....so let's see how long that one lasts.

Alas, that'll be it for tonight. Got a day full of spending time with the most wonderful girlfriend I've ever had ahead of me, and I need my sleep. Until next time, stay safe.

Game Count: 469
Highest Single System Count: Nintendo DS (78)

Mission Accomplished

So it's been about 2 weeks since my last post and here a new one is. Late night blogging seems to be my thing, given that I don't ramble on too long but I feel like cutting to the chase tonight, so let's get going.

Gaming has been pretty light. I've picked up a few things here and there but nothing too spectacular. Lots of cheap pickups, around $10 or less in most cases, just odds and ends filling up my collection. My actual gaming time has been pretty short as well since I've been so wrapped up in other things going on in my life at the moment. I'm playing through Yoshi's Island off and on, and I can't believe I let myself forget how absolutely brilliant that game is. I've also been playing Earthbound off and on as well since now I've finally got a physical copy of the game to enjoy. In the coming days I'll be starting up Okami finally, as I've had that game for well over a year and have been nagged to death about playing. It's one I've always wanted to sit down and play, and now I think I'm going to do just that.

Outside of gaming, my life has been in a flurry of things over the last two week since my last post. After my initial date with the girl I've been interested in, I was all but convinced that I read her wrong and was wasting my time. Coming home frustrated, I just didn't want to think about anything having to do with her. After talking with a friend about the situation, and him encouraging me to continue to pursue this girl, I swallowed my pride and decided to keep on. Thursday came and went and nothing. Friday a co-worker took me and her to dinner which was awkward at first but things eventually came to fruition. Sitting in the backseat of his car with her on the way back to our own cars, I hadn't felt more nervous in years. We joked about holding hands the entire dinner and finally making a move that I put my arm around her as we sat together and she leaned in to give me more confidence. Fast forward to the next Monday and her making a day trip back home (7 hours round-trip) with me to get my car fixed. Between holding hands all day and sharing a kiss when I dropped her off at home, I hadn't felt more confident about the entire situation. Fast forward to now. After spending every day together between meals, hanging out, working on costumes & going to Schlitterbahn for the day, I can finally call this wonderful girl my girlfriend.

I'll be honest, while our stay at Schlitterbahn for the day this last Wednesday, I thought she was going to be a tough one to crack. We briefly discussed relationships & college and I finally feel I'm ready to get back into a good, healthy relationship while she isn't looking for anything serious. Up until this point, we've just been "dating", but not a couple. Feeling a little defeated, I shook it off because I enjoy doing things so much with her. Go to tonight (Sunday) and things finally came full circle. We headed out for a milkshake at the local ice cream shop about 9 PM and on the way home we make small talk in the car. I say something silly/ridiculous (typical me) and mention that now she's going to tease me about it to which she replies that she will. I ask why would she do this, to which she responds "because you're my boyfriend". I couldn't have been happier to hear those words come from her mouth. 2 weeks of dating and now we are "official". I'm so happy in this relationship and for once I feel like she "fits" in my life. This is truly the happiest I've been in an incredibly long time and I hope our relationship lasts.

But as for now, that's enough blogging. It's late and time for bed, so take care everyone and stay safe.

Game Count: 468
Highest Single System Count: Nintendo DS (78)

I'm still not gone

So after what seems like forever, I've come crawling back to this virtual wall that I continue to type my rambling on in hopes of people reading it and commenting, but I suppose now I'm just doing so to hear myself talk.

A lot has happened since the last post, most of which I vaguely remember at this point, so let's just go on with what has happened in the last few weeks or so. I've bought a lot games. More so that I probably should have but when you've got money and nothing to spend it on, it happens. I've picked up almost ten DS games I didn't previously have within the last month and that brings my DS total to a whopping 75 titles or something ridiculous like that. I've only completed one game since my last post, actually I take that back, I've completed a few. I did a "Master Run" on Pokemon Fire Red where I limited myself to using one Pokemon the entire game, which was Wigglytuff that I named Kawaii, which is Japanese for "cute". I also managed to finally finish off Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith for the GBA, highly underrated classic side-scrolling bralwer in my opinion. Other than that, I actually beat a new game I just bought for once, being The Legendary Starfy for the DS. I absolutely loved this game, from beginning to end. It just destroyed me with its cuteness and I couldn't put it down the entire time. Easily one of my favorite platformers, I just wish I could get ahold of the other Japanese games for lower prices.

On the non gaming side of things, summer session II for summer school is starting in a week and I'm afraid I'll be wasting part of my summer doing that. Unfortunate, yes, but "you gotta do what you gotta do". And part of what I "gotta do" is get through with college already. I also have finally found a girl that I genuinely like, on more than just a "friend" level, but sometimes it's just so hard for me to judge these things accordingly. We went to lunch almost three weeks ago and had a great time, ended up talking for almost 4 hours after we got done eating. Not thinking there was any interest coming from her side I left things alone after that. (I guess I should also mention that she now works me at my current employment). So I thought nothing of it other than we would just remain friends, but they day before I left for the cruise I just got back from things felt different. We talked and laughed and had a great time at work just being in each others' company but I of course am quite blind to these things I didn't really think a whole lot of it. I had a fellow co-worker that has talked to her tell me she's interested, but as I said before I'm really bad at picking up these things. I thought all my chances were gone after I left for a cruise last Sunday, but halfway through the cruise she texted me to let me know she now has text messaging.

Days later and me about $50 lighter after I paid for over-seas texting between us, I'm still kind of mixed. She says she has a boyfriend, but I've never seen the guy or her more or less mention him around me at all. But on the other hand, if she wasn't interested in me, she wouldn't have texted me on the cruise, and she wouldn't have continued to talk to me every day since. I wish I could I see what she is thinking because It's driving me crazy. Regardless, we're going to dinner and a movie on Wednesday night, so I guess this will be a great test to see where the waters are between us. It's also late and I doubt that whatever it was I said in the last sentence made any sense.

Anyway, that's about it for this entry, hopefully I'll come back with good news on Thursday. Until next time, everyone stay safe.

Game Count: 455
Highest Single System Count: Nintendo DS (77)

I seem to be returning to my old ways very fast; oh, and 5/10/09 update

So tonight I decide to continue my perilous journey into late-night, over-due blogging. So much and yet so little has happened in the last two weeks it's almost hard to come up with an excuse to the reason why the blog has been so baron with no update. I could easily lie and use the old fashioned "I've been too busy to blog" line, but I myself would know that I'm full of it. But, in a sense, it has been quite busy, but not very busy all at the same time. Where does the time seem to go? I tend to tell myself that I'll only spend 10 minutes or so when I visit the internet, but before I know it I've gone and sidetracked myself and it's now been 40 minutes later and I'm stuck wishing I could have that simple, yet wasted time back. Enough of this rambling, on to the update!

I finally finished my classes last Thursday (last as in meaning not this past week's Thursday, but yet the Thursday before that; April 30th) and I sigh fully let out my enjoyment of taking not one, but two finals back to back that day, only to realize that I still had yet one more to go coming up this Wednesday (May 13th). After those two silly tests that I took I was absolutely drained and didn't really care to focus on much except for the fact that I would have to myself but a couple days to relax and not care about going to class or having to do anything school related; truly my first break since almost the beginning of the semester. This past week was a combination of goofing off and enjoying my spare time due to having no class, working more that I had originally anticipated since hours had temporarily been cut for the whole staff, and studying off and on for the last final of my Junior year of college coming up this week. Studying has been going ok, lots of going over class notes (which are incredibly sparse this time around for covering four chapters in four days) and reading said chapters (some being longer than others) in preparation to make the grade I so need in a class that has been handing me my ass all semester.

The only thing I can do from now until my final is but focus on the information I'm studying and keeping myself in a positive state to maintain confidence that I'll do well on the exam, because quite frankly, I need to. My other exams came back this week as well, both putting me just shy of the grade I need for the course, which is incredibly disheartening, and increasingly annoying. I've already spoke with one prof and hopefully I will "make" the grade I need for the course and I'm hoping to speak with my other professor tomorrow about my grade in the class being "borderline" of what I need. Nothing to really do here but pray and hope for the best.

My gaming time has been increasing in incredibly small increments since the semester more or less officially ended for me a little over a week ago. I find myself playing more and more fighters and not really caring to play or finish anything else, since they're just so easy to pick up and play for 30 minutes and then put down to play again later when I need to just relax. I think this is why I'm so naturally drawn to handheld games, since now more than ever, I can easily pick up my DS or PSP and play it in 20-30 minute increments, put it into sleep mode, and then come back to it later without having to deal with all the hassle that comes with playing a console. So, all this talking about games already and not yet one word of what games I'm actually playing, well, let's change that now: Marvel vs. series. This is really mostly of what I've been playing. I recently received an import complete copy of Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter for the Sega Saturn and have playing it quite a bit. I enjoy the balancing before it got destroyed by its bigger brother, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and the character selection is great despite the sequel, Marvel vs. Capcom, having a mere twelve characters. I've also been playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2 quite a bit in recent weeks as well, friends usually come over and well play for an hour or so and then switch things up to Smash Bros, which I've found a new liking for.

My other forays into gaming have been with my PSP, something I honestly haven't touched in months. With Best Buy dropping the price of DJ Max Emotion Sense Fever down from $40 (the price it should have never been) to $20, I finally decided now was the time to grab it since I'm a rather big fan of the series (DJ Max/Beatmania). While I was out grabbing that this last week, Radioshack was also having a sale on Memory Stick Pro Duos, so I was able to grab a much needed 4GB stick for about $20. Other than DJ Max, I've been playing the translated ROM of Dragon Quest III from the Super Famicom and it is excellent, much easier on the eyes than the GBC counterpart we got here in the 'States and the translation is better which is also a plus. I also picked up Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier (yeah, that's the full title) for the DS as well and I'm enjoying that quite a bit. I'm about an hour in and hope to get through more of it after my last final this week.

I think that's going to do it for this post, rather lengthy, but it's been two weeks so I deem it appropriate. Since I've become over the last year more of a collector of games, I think at the end of every post I'll put my stats for my collection, as a way of documenting it as it grows, and this blog is more or less something I'm just doing come back and look at years down the road just to give myself a little insight to how I was before I suppose. Enough rambling from me.

Until next time, take care.

Game Count: 412
Highest Single System Count: Nintendo DS (68)