• It's already September and Fall is quickly approaching. Today it couldn't have gotten any higher than 66 degrees. Kinda nice now we can finally turn off the air condition in the house and save some electricity...at least until snow starts falling brrrrrr!
• Played several demos today: Shank, Mafia II & Ghostbusters. Here are my initial impressions in order: Cool but 15 mins of play and you've seen everything the game has to offer -- Verdict: Not worth $15 but check it out if it ever hits the $5 mark. Great looking game hindered by much ado about nothing in the game. Although I hear the Jimmy Vendetta DLC corrects that by adding side missions -- Verdict: Definitely not worth $65 but again check it when it hits the bargain bin. Fan service and if I wasn't already bogged down with an unGodly backlog as it is I'd definitely pick it up -- Verdict: Buy pre-owned.
• Second week of school complete; 15 more to go.
• Speaking of school I still haven't bought my books yet on account of my money being held until it gets approved. But I went to the bookstore on campus to see if they had the books I need and nearly had a heart attack when I found one and how much they wanted. Are you sitting down? $182 and change! Are you f!@#$ingKIDDING ME?! That's for ONE book for ONEcl assesI have FOUR cl asses. I got out of there without checking the prices for the other three. College is such a scam.
• I really need to get my car fixed before it starts snowing.
• Little Caesar's makes a good pizza on the cheap. It's perfect grub for getting together and having a gaming night with your buds.
• Been playing Starcraft on my laptop and started a new gametonight forValkyria Chronicles. Hopefully I'll finish at least one of them. Still playing the Persona games, but just taking a short break since there is such a thing as "too much of a good thing" and I don't want to burn out on those games.
• New neighbor that moved in about two months agois a MILF as I just found out tonight. I did "meet" her before when she first moved in but I didn't get a good look at her because it was dark. But yeah.

That is all. Till next time!

So the Fall semester started for me last week and I'm taking four classes. Three of them are the usual boring, core competencies required for my degree, but the last one is a foreign language, Japanese to be exact. Now this is actually the second time I'm taking this class but it's not because I failed the first time. No, I did pass the first time (I think with a "C"), but I took this class two years ago. And if you've ever tried learning Japanese taking two years off basically reduces you back to knowing nothing. So I decided to take this class again for two reasons: 1. As a refresher course to help reacquaint myself with the basics of the language and 2. To hopefully get a better grade this time around.

I have to say I'm highly enjoying it and having a lot of fun remembering everything I learned the first time, because even though it's been two years and I seem to have "forgotten" a lot you'd be amazed how knowledge returns with a simple refresher course.

Right now we are working on Hiragana and practicing writing the characters for that writing system since as you may (or may not) know the Japanese have three writing systems. The more traditional system (Hiragana), the system used for importing a lot of foreign words (Katakana) and of course Kanji.

Now whenever I tell someone I'm taking Japanese I am usually amused by their reaction which consists of wide eyes and almost always is surely to elicit either an "Oooo" or "Wow" exclamation. Now maybe it's because I have such an avid interest in the culture and I'm eager to learn that it's not such an obstacle to overcome as far as learning languages usually poses for people. I mean I took twelve years of Spanish from elementary school all the way up through high school and I still can't speak that language for crap, and beyond the very basic fundamentals I can't remember anything that would allow me to speak it competently to another Spanish speaking person.

But with Japanese it's different. There's a certain allure or mystique surrounding that language. It's regarded as this unattainable ability to anyone other than a native Japanese person. Hell, even Japanese people become highly impressed if you're able to say "Konnichiwa!" to them. So one of my goals is to speak the language fluently eventually.

Aside from all that learning the language consists of a lot more than just getting the mechanics and grammar down pat. The language ties in with the culture itself, and you find that there are different ways of speaking depending on who you are talking to. It's highly fascinating stuff that, like I said, goes beyond just spelling and grammar. Their language is highly class based and formal, for the most part, making it imperative on behalf of the speaker to constantly be aware of how he/she says something lest they offend whoever they are speaking to. It's all very different from English where we basically say anything to anyone regardless of their age, gender or position. Of course we have formal ways of speaking to our bosses and elderly people, but for the most part the English language and way of speaking is very lax and informal. Certainly there is a way we speak to our grandparents and the way we talk with our closest friends, but in Japanese it seems to be more of a conscientious way of thinking rather than here where we simply change our behavior when around different people.

Anyway, it's late and I'm tired. I just wanted to share some of my thoughts about taking this fascinating language. Anyone else have similar experiences or feelings for a particular language that is not their own?

So check it - My pro: Kravyn81 and add me. I'll probably be on tonight for some PS3 gaming with my best-friend so if anyone else is going to be on and wants to join us you're more than welcome; the more the merrier especially since it's usually always just me and my best-friend anyway. I think we're gonna get down on some RDR co-op.

It's been a while since I last blogged but I've been busy, mostly with my s##t job but that's another story. Anyhoo, it doesn't look like things will be slowing down much any time soon since my Fall semester is due to start up next Monday the 23rd and I'll finally be back to school and hopefully graduating by next year.

I have been gaming here and there but mostly on PS2 with one of the most standout JRPG series available, the Persona series. I'm playing Persona 3 F.E.S. and Persona 4 concurrently and highly recommend these two if you like JRPGs or even RPGs to begin with. They're not your normal RPG which is part of their appeal. Anyways, check out their reviews if you haven't already.

As for myself I've just been laying low, working and waiting for school to start, as well as trying to find a better job. Oh yeah, one more thing, even though I haven't been here that much I have been hanging out over at GiantBomb which, as you may remember, is the vastly superior site created by ex-GS editor Jeff Gerstmann and crew over two years ago. I just relate to those guys more than the editors here, plus they have a great sense of humor while still being professional. I just prefer them over this site any day. Plus they have an achievement system over there kind of like GS has here with emblems except their system is more accessible and it's more like a game where you take on different quests (basically scavenger hunts) and you can earn level ups and stuff like that. So it's pretty cool and I also highly recommend checking them out as well if you haven't already.

So today marks my fifth year anniversary of being a GameSpot member. I've been through a lot here in those five years: I've been a premium member on a couple of occasions. I've written over 460(!) blogs and counting. I actually achieved a "goal" I had which was to make it to the "User Soapbox" feature. I've argued with other members as well as helped other members on Gamefaqs. I've been modded countless times, suspended (once), in charge of a couple of unions when those were actually popular around here; not so much anymore. I've seen some mighty fine editors flex their literary wit during their tenure here and likewise I sadly saw them leave to pursue other opportunities. I lived through Gerstmann-gate and the ensuing chaos and profound effect that ordeal had on this site and its members. I've been "virtually there" through four E3s. I've loved this place, hated it, swore never to come back (multiple times, mind you) yet here I am making an anniversary blog...go fig :o I guess the one thing that keeps me coming back is all the cool people on my friends list that I've come to "know" over the course of those five years. So I just wanted to say thank you to all my friends out there. We may never meet but that doesn't matter. We share a common bond in games and that's really all a friendship boils down to in the end.

The more I think about it the more I'm convinced that this generation is going to be my last for gaming. It just doesn't seem worth it anymore. Not to mention the majority of games that are released are nothing but regurgitated crap that we were playing last gen albeit with prettier graphics. There's just no innovation left in the industry. That's not to say there aren't fun games being made, but they're just all the same. Consoles are becoming more and more like PCs with each new generation. Not to mention consoles are trying to be an all-in-one multimedia device when all they need to do is play games. 3D and motion controls are being pushed down everyone's throat when nobody gives a sh*t. I'm just getting tired and burnt out on the whole deal. Not to mention I'm pushing thirty and I really need to get my life in order and focus on more productive avenues to spend my time on. I don't know. It just seems that right now, in the grand scheme of things, video games rank so low on my list of priorities that they're barely even clinging to the bottom rung.

"Hi, everybody!"

So summer is finally here. Yay. Another E3 has come and gone and, despite all the BS motion control shyte, it was a good year. I watched all three shows and this is how I rank them: Nintendo>Sony>Microsoft.

Nintendo by far had the juiciest, ripest, ready for eager gamers to pluck from its gaming goodness tree with a bevy of announcements for upcoming games. If you haven't seen their show by now go over and watch it right now.

Next up is Sony's show. It was all right, nothing to really get giddy over. A few key game announcements (KZ3, GT5, GoW: GoS) but nothing mind-blowing. The cameo by Kevin Butler was probably the highlight of the entire show. I was disappointed to hear virtually nothing on the PSP front except some bizarre new campaign that I don't understand at all. Besides that they were really pushing Move and 3D -- two features I really don't care about right now as neither really compel me to experience them other than to say I have.

Microsoft blew chunks. Seriously. The worst show in years. Kinect is going to fail especially at the initial $149 MSRP. WTF are they thinking? No games at all except a bunch of Kinect BS. FAIL. Although I will concede and say the new slim 360 looks nice IMO. I still won't get one but it's nice they finally got with the times and offered a bigger HD and included Wi-Fi out of the box instead of ripping you off by charging $100 for a stupid peripheral.

Anyway, enough about that. At this point in time I'm more inclined to get a Wii (yes, really) than another 360. Nintendo just brought it this E3 and converted me from sideline skeptic into making me want to get a Wii four years later. Motion controls a gimmick? Sure, I still think so, but that doesn't mean it can't be a fun gimmick.

So I haven't really been here 'cause I've been busy with my new job. Yeah, I found a new one. I don't remember if I ever mentioned anything here about the crap I was going through at my last job, and how disgusted I was becoming because of the piss poor management and special treatment other employees seemed to be getting. So I went out job hunting and was lucky enough to find something else. It's not great but it's a job and it helps with the bills.

I'm anxiously awaiting for this Fall so I can get my ass back in school. My 1-year suspension is over and I'll finally be getting back to get my damn degree so I can get the hell out of here and go to Japan. Other than that I'm just taking it day by day. I've been driving my motorcycle exclusively now that the weather is nice and stable and there's no fear of a freak snowstorm. Also my car is having issues with the clutch master cylinder or some crap like that that makes it very difficult to shift into gear, so I haven't driven it in about a month. Before winter gets here I'll definitely have to get it fixed but for now I'm enjoying riding my bike everywhere.

As far as gaming I'm trying to fit in small doses here and there when I can. Currently I'm going back through Dead Space to get the platinum since I only need ONE MORE trophy! I've had this game for almost two years and still haven't platinumed it. I've been playing FF VII and FF XIII off and on...mostly off right now. Still haven't beat RDR but I'm right at the end. I'm kind of purposely taking my time with that one. Also I picked up FF VII: Crisis Core last week for $10. I figured that was a good deal and it falls in line with me playing FF VII (which I've never played before now). So when I'm done with FF VII I'll get on Crisis Core. I also bought FF VII on PSN so I could play it on my PSP. Been playing a little bit of inFamous as well. It seems OK right now. I'm just at the beginning so I'm hoping it gets better soon. Not that it's bad but I'm just not seeing this mind-blowingly awesome game that people say it is, but like I said I just started so I won't knock it too hard right now.

Right now I'm holding out for price drops on both PSP and the Wii. 3DS won't be here till next Spring so that's on my radar as well as it really got my attention at E3. That thing is going to sell bajillions. 3D-capable tech and no glasses required? Oh yeah.

Did you ever have a dream that inspired you to write a story about it the next morning? Well neither have I until this morning after I woke up. The problem with dreams is they have a nasty habit of the details deteriorating rather quickly once your conscious mind clicks on to full power for the new day arriving. A simple invention known as a pen and pad of paper on my nightstand would no doubt help remedy this problem. However, my propensity for dreaming (let alone remembering them the next day) is so infrequent as to be almost non-existent. Hence, I don't bother to keep any notation devices handy simply because I know myself and I know that I rarely have vivid enough dreams worth remembering to warrant such devices onhand.

For someone that likes to write this is a serious problem; not so much the dreaming part but the motivation in general. I recently (well, not recently but a little while back) had the pleasure of being able to help out a fellow 1UP member over at that site with editing/proofreading a short story he wrote, and I was impressed by the way he was able to seemingly let loose with his imagination to write this story as he did.

Here's how I write:

• Get Inspired! - Some how through some means. This can either be my own personal idea, or expanding upon something else that's already known and coming up with a different angle for it, etc.
• Start Writing! - I usually hit it hard and the imagination train is going full steam ahead for about 2-3 pages.
• Become Stuck! - Then I start overthinking what I'm writing and start trying to make corrections with what I just wrote instead of continuing to go with the flow and worry about details later.
• Lose Motiavtion Completely! - Eventually I get so mired down in details and technicalities that I lose all motivation together and abandon my writing project where it collects virtual dust on my harddrive.

With the exception of one extremely short story I actually managed to finish, the above steps have been the process for every story I've ever tried to write. I'm terrible at starting a story, and since I've never really finished one to completion, ending a story is a non-issue since I can never manage to get that far to begin with. I'm kinda weird in the way I "start" my stories as well. Usually it involves starting with the "middle" portion and then working my way out from there.

Cripes, I find it hard to write stupid blogs half the time because other than real-life personal drama issues that I know nobody really wants to hear, nothing exciting happens to me. Blogging about games all the time gets old, and since I'm not the most interesting man in the world finding topics outside of gaming to blog about is just as challenging.

But I digress. The point of this blog was in the very first paragraph. Particularly I'd like to hear back from fellow writers who, not only blog, but actually write short stories as well since the two are vastly different. Even if all you do is write blogs don't be shy as I'd like to hear about your writing s tyle and what motivates you.

So I'm loving RDR. While most of the gaming world has long since completed John Marston's adventure in New Austin I find myself putting off the inevitable and tackling the "side missions," ambient challenges and outfit tasks which has proven more than adequate for extending the life of the game. Unfortunately one major glitch associated with one of the outfits means I won't be able to finish it unless there is a patch released, as a number of other players have complained about this same glitch with this particular outfit.

I am loving the game, but I can't help notice this game is riddled with bugs/glitches; some merely annoying, others game-breaking. I haven't heard anything about Rockstar releasing any patch for these issues and that is distressing to me. There was a patch released (v.1.01) but that was apparently a patch for the multi-player portion. Here's a list off the top of my head of some glitches:

-Playing poker the other characters lose their features completely and the table becomes invisible.

-Dueling glitch where I shot the guy's hand to disarm but instead of disarming him he still held his weapon, twirled it in his hand and reholstered before walking away like nothing ever happened. Afterwards my mini-map disappeared and when I tried to mount my horse the on-screen button prompt failed to show, and pressing "Triangle" didn't work either making it unable for me to mount my horse.

-Objects disappearing from the game world.

-Game inexplicably freezing (admittedly this has only happened once).

-Glitch that made my player unresponsive after I tried to free a hogtied sheriff.

-Audio glitch after catching a thief and hogtied him. Brought thief back to shop owner but the owner didn't do anything and I couldn't claim the reward.

Those are just off the top of my head. I've visited messsage boards where other people have experienced other weird crap happening in their game as well for both versions (PS3 & 360), so this isn't just a random occurrence or a bad disc. I really hope Rockstar is aware of these issues and is working on a patch because some of these are serious and others are just annoying.

• Grilled tonight for the first time in a long time and it was great. On the menu: Lamb chops and a couple of chicken breasts. Charcoal is the way to go.
• $20 doesn't go far anymore these days.
• RDR is still awesome. I got the "Dastardly" trophy the other night. It's a hidden trophy and the way to get it (if you don't already know) involves kidnapping a hooker and a certain way of killing her that is, well, dastardly!
• My dog has mental problems.
• I found a bunch of CDs the other day that I couldn't find for the longest time. Turns out they were in a box in the garage, and I put them in the box because I had cleaned my car out (long, long time ago) and I simply forgot about them.
• Spring cleaning is upon us! It feels good to start organizing all our crap we plan on selling at both garage sales and at the flea market to try and wrangle up some extra dough to help paying bills with.
• I found a new job! I went on all three interviews and had my drug test today. Now they're doing a background check and as soon as that clears is when I can start. Thank GOD!
• I usually fall asleep listening to Coast to Coast. If you don't know what that is Google it.
• Finally saw Alice at the theaters a week or so ago. I liked it, although I admit to be partial to Tim Burton's flicks; except maybe Willy Wonka...that was just...odd.
• I still have $200 in gift certificates from Best Buy I need to use from TWO Christmases ago. I've been saving them for something really special but I just don't know what yet.
• Next big game I'm anticipating? Nothing, really. I've heard some talk about Alpha Protocol but other than that I've got RDR to hold me over as well as my backlog. I still haven't played GoW III yet!

Till next time!