You may have heard about my trip to the CNET offices, but the adventure was in the trip from the offices.

After losing the Brain Bust tournament, I chatted with the uncomfortably congested Jeff, the magnanimous Vinny, the affable Aaron Thomas and many others. It was a hoot to just chill in the CNET building. We talked, we watched the Live crew strike the set, turn off the lights, and prepare for the Friday of Fridays.

What I didn't know was Friday, May 25 was to be a day of conflict. While I peaceably conversed with the GS staff, a storm was brewing. The living dead began to gather in Union Square. Every moment I sat and chatted, more shambling corpses added to a dark mass of inhumanity. Jeff and others were  resolute in attending The Giants/Rockies game. While they were confident, I couldn't believe even Barry Bonds could fend off the incoming storm.

A different mass was gathering at Justin Herman Plaza. A nightmarish, deadly gathering. The last Friday of every month is the designated day for Critical Mass. For those not in the know, this mass is not a religious observance, but a gathering of wheels. Scores of bicyclists seek to flood the roadways of the City for their own use, protest, and unabashed cavalcade.

As is only fitting for the City, ecocars decided to join the lot. As the fog enshrouded the city, rumor and speculation held all three groups were bent on securing the main artery in the heart of San Francisco. That's when I decided to leave. I had to get to school, but each faction had a designated start time of 6pm and my watch said 5:45. It was a brisk walk down to Market, and my subway escape.

I phoned my wife to tell her, possibly one last time, that I loved her. She knew. But what she didn't know was a wave of fetid corpses were washing down the street as a torrent of wheels raced up to an inevitable meeting. . . and I had somehow gotten tape on myself. I didn't want to be stuck in the inevitable middle. Fortunately, the voice of warning saved me.

Ducking down the stairs toward the trans-Bay tube, I escaped without ever catching a glimpse of either zombie or bicycle rider. However, any trip into the city is filled with sights of cars. I had clearly missed my own brush with DAM NATION. Instead, I had an almost impossible mission to finish my paper in the time of my arrival.

Some of you heard about my all-expense, paid trip to San Francisco on Friday. Some of you watched me participate in GameSpot's newest game show. The show was a blast to be on. Seriously, it was a blast. It was well worth the time off of work and the $10 I spent to get to San Francisco.

Thursday night I was working on a seven-page report on ISO 14001 compliance for my Production Operation Management curriculum. It was a paper I continued to write as I took the train from work Friday afternoon into San Francisco. CalTrain is an interesting entity. I was fortunate enough to have scores of day care kids fill my particular train car. Due to practice at home, I was able to tune out the near-constant din of child-speak and make excellent progress on my report. Upon arriving in San Francisco I then raced up 2nd Street to the CNET HQ. Kevin was amused and noticeably relieved by my arrival. We chatted briefly as we wound our way through the halls of the Entertinment Division of CNET to arrive in the community room.

It was a pleasure to be back. Jody was toiling away on her computer, Bethany was undoubtedly making progress on something (while "watching" UHF on her other monitor), and Ken was patiently waiting in the corner for his chance at Internet stardom. I took up rresidence in one of the empty desks, trying to continue my writing, but Ken was hungry for conversation, and I was certainly interested inlearning more about my would-be opponent. We discussed everything from his time in the Air Force to anthropomorphic characters from television, film, fable, and Ken's convention. Craig Beers soon busted in to herald the arrival of the new Flash Video Player . . . board. After some discussion on the topic, the board was realeased for all to see and post. That's when Rich entered to claim Kevin. They both departed for the studio to rehearse. The remaining 20 minutes consisted of Jody and I recounting last year's transfer of Union authority, Ken changing out of his Dolphins jersey, last-minute eating opportunities, and the all-important trip to the bathroom.

On my way to the restroom, I passed Ryan Davis, Jeff, and stopped by Andrew Park's office to get directions to the nearest restroom. In case anybody doesn't know, Jeff has been all kinds of congested. Get better soon! I pleasantly greeted all of them when I came into contact. One inquired, "What are you doing here?" After answering the inquiry, the next wished me good luck, the last one gave very helpful directions. He, I would think, has a bright future at Google Maps if he ever departs CNET.

Ultimately, Ken and I were ushered into the studio and directed to our podiums. Ken was a direct walker, I took the long way. In this instance myuncle's motto rang true, "I always circle my prey before I land." Ryan Mac Donald applied make-up for Ken and I. Rich emerged, suit-clad and sneaker wearing. I knew this was going to be serious since Rich had dressed up. We were instructed to remove our rings (the reflection from the green light). I acknowledged and greeted Rich's parents who were the studio audience. Just before we went live, Rich unbuttoned his collar and loosened his tie. The feed commenced, and the rest was history.

Rather than discussing the mixed feelings I have over last night's episode of Heroes, I figured I'd touch on the conclusion of Shivering Isles. Either way, anybody reading past this line should expect portions of plot to be revealed (read: SPOILERS).

Sneaking around is, hand's down the best part of Oblivion for me. I love how the dungeon crawls are set up to allow for stealthy characters to find their own way to eliminate the opposition. Running through with magic toe-to-toe melee action is just not my way. Ganking someone with 6x damage when they least expect it is far more satisfying. . .particularly when you have become a nigh omnipotent demigod of an imaginary universe.

. . . Speaking of potency . . . 

Just when Oblivion has me convinced there is a choice and plot line available to individuals who hold to a strong, conservative moral code, the game yanks that option out from underneath me. Don't get me wrong, I was stoked to be able to kick Jyggalag's pointy head back into Oblivion, but did I really need to pluck out a devout religious leader's eye to get to that point? Is there no other way? Me thinks there might be, but that would require work to code. Everybody knows no matter how open the world is, to have a story you have to make the experience rather linear. While the shivering Isles storyline ended with a satisfying promotion to demigodhood, the benefits pale in comparison to expectations. Don't get me wrong, summoning guards, employing female escorts, and changing the weather is all the rage in the isles, but what about drawing in other creatures or terraforming the area? I could go with creating my own garden, not just contemplating in someone else's. I know it is a list of bold demands, but . . . they did grant me god-like powers within a certain space/time domain.

Hello, I'm away from my blog right now. Please leave comments here on how you think it went.

[EDIT: May 21, 2007, 5:40 pm]

Thanks to everybody in the chat who said kind things about the match. Thank you to GameSpot for hosting us. A very big thanks to the great competitors. It was a lot of fun.

Some choice quotes from the chat/Button Mashing space:

"death_burnout> GO DON GO DON"

"AaronThomas> Don, next time you are on, try to be more confident"

"Noweb_basic> Don's got this"

"Sonicwizard> Kamikazee and tie the GAME!"

"TeflonBilly74> A war of atrition" (sic)

"LaxWarrior84> that was painful"

"Guyzea> don! **Achievement Unlocked**!!"

"shrgnatlas> Jeff'll be holding his wife.... Ew."

"VinceL> Seriously, good work"

"Dave_petrucci> Yeah, Don, if you're still here buddy you did great!"

"sandert20> Best show EVER"

"RawrMaster> Good job Don"

"tuff_gong 92> Yay worms! Although the 360 version is lacking compared to the original on the PC. Oh well. Nice seeing ole Donkeljohn on GS. Bam, OWNED!"

"Kiemoe> Hilarious, as any show is on Gamespot" (sic)

"BenderUnit22> one of the best button mashing episodes yet"

"nintendo_fan135> Finally! I get to see some Worms in Button Mashing."

"PSdual_wielder> why couldnt they play tekken instead? wouldve been more exciting." (sic)

"SBBGAMEMASTER> This is my first time watching this show and its awsome!!!" (sic)

"halo24me> YES HE CHOSE WORMZZ!!!!"

"freakyzeeky1986> Hey! Isn't that Donkeljohn there? I know who he is!"

"mr_wii60> wow we are treated to a special edition episode 2day! button mashing: biggest nerds edition"

"halo24me> don and the first guy are the coolest." (I just had to)

Einhanderkiller even appreciated my European one-liner . . . "You're up. Just like the continent."

. . .and finally, Lebbin made the astute observation, "pie has pizza included in it's genra, so pie is better than cake" (sic)

I know a lot of other people said a lot of other things, but these were just the ones I had available for noting. 

Big week in Music this week. . . but little love for San Francisco.

The Twin Quasars of Rock, They Might Be Giants, slammed theirglass bottom boat into iTunes, thus releasing The Else for everybody to download. While I confess I haven't listened to it yet, I am eagerly anticipating a release to a hard disc outside of a computer box. If you have heard it, what did you think? Good? Bad? On par with Factory Showroom? All I know is their latest tour lacks a San Francisco date.

Also, I checked in with the otherwise retired defenders of great ska-punk music, the Aquabats. Turns out they are not only releasing a new album soon, but are launching a world tour. No, it is true. They will be playing in London, England on July 8. If I lived in the greater UK island area, I would totally drive to see their amazing show.

If I wasn't going to be in San Diego on the 28th of July, I would totally drive over to Salt Lake City to party with all the patriarchs and matriarchs sure to show up to that show. If you will be near any of the upcoming Aquabats shows, go see them. It should be worth your while. . . unless you don't like fresh, white rhymes and supernal guitarists with Mercury-grade moustaches.

Did I mention I found video from that December show?

Last night I rocked out on Guitar Hero II for the 360. The game is still a hoot. Many of the songs are crunchy. Many of them are also really hard. Not having really played much Guitar Hero, I am in the learning phase. The difficulty, as reported, really ramps up in a hurry. After unlocking a bunch of finishes, I switched to unlocking songs.

I spent my rocking earnings on Thunder Horse and Trogdor. Then I proceeded to rock out to the songs. After completing them I was stoked to have unlocked the Saturday Morning Award. Very cool. However, when I went back and played through Thunder Horse on Easy, I got my first perfect run. I was doubly stoked. Thunder Horse is a fun song, possibly my favorite one in the game. Though I have talked about Guitar Hero II before, I have hit the point in the game where my fledgling heroics are really being tested. Hopefully in the coming days and months I'll get better. For now I've been getting some uncomfortable cramping in my left hand and wrist. My fingers aren't really lining up with the keys properly and the blue notes are difficult. I can only imagine how I will be reaching for the orange ones later. We'll see.

Unlocking two achievements in Guitar Hero II ironically brought me up to a symbolic gamerscore: 27,666. While I am still 12 Grand behind sir Gerstmann, my would-be challenger for catching his score is evidently opting out of picking up the gauntlet I threw down. The gap is only widening, despite me being down for a month. Here I was hoping for a good points race.

In other news, a new episode of Button Mashing is coming out on Monday. While I was secretly hoping for a trailer to premiere during today's webisode of On the Spot, I'll just have to wait until Monday to see how it turns out. Despite the Vinny-made promos being some of the finest video finery, I'm sure the GS Live crew has been plenty busy with other endeavors more deserving of their time and attention. Last month we saw an episode with some serious contenders. It was a neck-and-neck race. Nailbiting. (SPOILERZ) Charles Bank talked tough, but in the end came out on top. For that, we salute him. I'd like to think if I were to appear on an episode of Button Mashing I would be confident, yet civil. Unfortunately, chances are good I'd just end up looking like a pretentious prick

To wrap up this already prolix piece of prose, I am pleased (and horrified) that I am moving on to the Finals of the Brain Bust contest. KensterFox truly came out swinging to land the top spot in the General Round. Kudos to him and everyone else who participated. Thus far it has been a blast! The chat room every day has been full of lively discussions on topics ranging from coal-burning consoles of the 1880s to holographic games from the 1990s. The competition has been more than worth the price of admission. Despite winning an all-expenses paid trip to San Francisco, It looks like wife and I will have to remain home due to her continued illness. I can always take the train. Look for me next week! It should be fun to watch.

I opened up my XBL friendslist this morning. People were playing Crackdown, but nobody was playing Halo 3. That was one of the best things I've seen in a long time.

This experience has helped me feel better about the people on my friendslist.

EDIT: It seems this is the real reason.

In our Negotiation class we are covering international negotiations. As part of this section, we have been asked to take the Machiavelli personality test. I wasn't really surprised by my score (64, dude). The question of the day is how I got to this ideological position. I'm not sure if it has been business school, if it has been the Silicon Valley rat race, or if it has been something far more sinister.

Niccolo Machiavelli is said to have been born in the 15th Century. His philosphies have endured over 600 years to influence modern perspectives. I remember reading The Prince in high school. While it wasn't the life-changing experience I had from other literature, the ideas and ideals were interesting. As a skeptic, I was dubious of Machiavelli's conclusions. Unfortunately, with a high level negative affect, it has been easy for me to find corrupt motivations in people.

Ideologically, I believe every person has a seed divinity in them, but often I find the seed buried far below superficial actions, or my own biased perspectives. So then, fair readers,what was your Machiavelli score? Are you arrogant and power hungry, or are you humble and forgiving?

Post your scores. 

UPS called me today. It seems a package is going to be delivered tomorrow. My hope is it will be a repaired (or new) 360. 

Yeah, that's all.

I wonder if I will even remember how to play any of my 360 games. . . or if it will. You'd think the box would know when it was broken.

By my nature I tend to be a scavenger. I grew up in a home where the family was sufficiently small that making a large dinner one night provided meals for days to come. In my home now, my wife tends to follow a similar practice. My wife tends to be a quality culinary priestess. I can count on one hand the number of times I have been disappointed by her meals. I am generally able and willing to eat anything. Because of that, I spent time as a professional food tester. . . not to be confused with a taste tester. Two years of my life was spent subsisting upon others' private cooking, my own improvisation, and even more time eating in school cafeterias. These cafeterias have had varying degrees of quality in themselves.

Upon entering the workforce I found leftovers to be a reality. Many teams catered their meetings either due to early morning appointments or client presence. A significant portion of the breakfasts I consumed my first year of employment came from meeting leftovers. My cubicle was right outside of the main marketing meeting room. In my previous job, I was provided a custom meal for my lunch. Pretty much whatever I wanted was made for me. Once the cafeteria closed, the leftover were then put out for free consumption. If I timed my arrival correctly, I could indulge in an afternoon snack.

My current job has exposed me to a new kind of pain, thanks to the years of conditioning through which I have passed. After a party, somebody left some cake in the break room (my first indicator of trouble). Not wanting to let perfectly good food to go to waste, I ate some. The next 24 hours left me suffering from acute food poisoning. The occasional pizza pie, left over from random meetings, is not only varied in flavor, but also now varied in quality. After some passable Mexican food, I discovered some pizza boxes in the break room. My hopes rose, but were then dashed when I realized only the center of the pizza had been left when the pinwheel slices had been removed. I pulled the leftovers from the cardboard, popping it into my mouth. Within seconds I realized why the center had been left.

It had the consistency of pre-chewed dough.

Had the center not been cooked? Had this portion been ingested, only to be rejected at the insertion point? Who left this? Was it intentional?

After that experience, I found myself searching for the small envelope with the $20 inside.