It's been a while since I've been around these parts, so I suppose I'll provide inquiring minds with a bit of an update.

I've been employed at a hostess club now going on 6 months and the money/perks may be decent, but I am exhausted. Dealing with unruly drunks and selfish little girls on a daily basis has gotten to me...but I suppose I should at least be used to the drunks by now because I've been bartending for years. Oh well...quitting isn't an option, I've been down that road too many times before. I might inquire with the owner of the club about other opportunities however...I feel like I could be doing something more useful to the company than just parading as the token white man. Granted, my race does seem to put a smile on people's faces...but the daily racism has gotten old after all these years in Japan. Is this the most sheltered country in the world or what? I can't go a single day of work without explaining my life story and how I ended up here to at least 5 people.

Meanwhile...I had a great 4 days off for New Years. A life-long friend came to visit for 3 days and my wife's birthday was on the last day of the vacation and we went on our first date in over 6 months...it's hard with these work schedules...

Games...

I finished Uncharted 3 a few weeks after receiving it for Christmas and was a bit torn about it. The sequences with the pirates were pretty epic, but on the whole it was rather meh. Ranked best to worst, the series goes 2, 3, 1 with a significant drop off from 2 to 3. I just had this feeling that I wanted to explore some more but was forced to bypass that exploration to maintain the story's frantic pace. And the drugged up parts...gag. Who ever decided that hazy dream sequences are a fun game aspect should be shot. I don't really remember why the baddies near the end had super powers...something to do with the water or something? Oh well, the 3 games had a lot of missed opportunities as far as I'm concerned. Oh, and that blond woman from the first game was back...ugh.

I am part way through Skyrim (it's not so much on the back burner as I just want savor it over the months as I take care of other, shorter, business along the way). Skyrim is so massive it's a bit overwhelming at times. My character is a Khajit archer highly skilled in stealth. I am almost always moving in stealth and with the 3.0x bonus on stealth damage (plus all the bonuses from my gear) I am pretty unstoppable with just a bow. Even in cramped spaces with multiple targets I can usually remain unseen in the middle of them and wipe them out with one-hit kills. It always perplexes me when people run all over me looking for me...but I guess that's why it pays to put skill points into stealth. I am not into magic and really never have been in most RPGs I've ever played...that said this is also the first time I've ever made a ranged character, so there's a first for everything I guess. Another first---no bugs or glitches whatsoever! A MIRACLE!

I am also part way through Rage (which I am currently focusing on). Rage really is beautiful (and disgusting) with a lot of shared aspects of Falllout and Borderlands. As all the reviews say, it doesn't top those games but it is still an excellent bit of fun. Definitely recommended if you find it on sale. I am playing on normal, but there is significant challenge to be found here, especially against melee opponents and mutants. Gun toting enemies can be easily dispatched with well placed shots, grenades, RC car bombs, etc...but the melee baddies are fast as hell and usually come at you in a zig zag pattern to avoid fire. They also bound over obstacles and swing from low ceilings or through doorways like hellbent monkeys or something...and when they get up close and personal they can kill you pretty swiftly if you're not careful. Receiving damage causes the edges of your screen to turn red like many shooters out there, and sometimes you resort to firing blindly because things are so frantic. That's why the shotgun is a man's best friend...and is always the gun I turn to when faced with melee attackers. They are usually just too fast to kill before they are right in front of you. Then it's SPLAT! Exploding brains cover your vision as you fend off these beasts of hell!

Anyhoo...yeah, Rage is pretty awesome even if I am nervewracked by all the mutants. Bandits I don't mind...but those vile abominations are really horrifying...

So I guess that's a peek at what's up around here in Hamamatsu. Just some good old fashioned disgruntled-ness at work and a way to take out that RAGE on some wasteland scum.

And how might you be, people?