...What is going on with this website?!

Okay, with the obvious answer of the 'passage of time' out of the way, I can hardly believe my union - well, all of them, really - are gone! That's crazy! I was hoping to cash in on some nostalgia, put out a message that I am still alive, and that I desire to reconnect with any of my former comrades. Truly a sombering feeling to see years of our lives gone, just like that. And yet, life goes on...

To anyone who is following me, who may stumble across this blog now or in the future, I would like to update my status after such a long time.

I am Zackary Herren, the owner of the screen name 'OrangeBlueZ'. I am 27 years old at the time of this writing. The last time I wrote on gamespot I was 19! 8 whole years have passed since my departure to join the military. And it is the United States Air Force where I currently continue to serve. I currently live outside the states, in Japan of all places! Many things have changed as one would expect. I am older, wiser, physically larger... but I'm still totally a gamer!

With a steady paycheck I was able to break into the PC gaming scene. I am an enthusiast with PC modifications and upgrades. I build machines, I overclock, I tweak, I upgrade. I enjoy graphical fidelity above all else and I demand that of my machines nowadays. PC games now dominate my gaming scene. I own the HTC Vive and dabble in the VR scene as well. That being said... Despite joining the master race, I still own and play consoles on occasion.

Monster Hunter and Elder scrolls are the two universes that my interest extends well beyond the mere surface. I will always be heavily invested and engrossed in titles relating to these series. Monster Hunter World is what inspired me to check back into Gamespot in fact.

If any of you wish to reconnect, maybe play a game, catch up, even just to say hello, you may reach me in the following places:

Steam: OrangeBlueZ

PSN: OrangeBlueZ

Email: OrangeBlue_z@hotmail.com

...catch a theme? Some things change, but the name does not. There are others places I can be found besides those, but you might best try me through these first. Let me know who you are if you aren't positive I will recognize you right off the bat. I welcome any of you to reach out. Especially my fellows of the late Monster Hunter Union. I haven't forgotten you! I want to tackle world with my old comrades at my side at last!

I wish the best to any and all of you who stroll by. This will likely be my first, and last post on Gamespot for the forseeable future. Without my forums, there just isn't anything left for me here...

Peace,

-OBZ

Well, my friends, it looks as though the northern hemisphere has survived another chilled out winter. It is now the time for everything to thaw out and overwhelm our lawns with the cheerful greens that will soon be cursed when it's 100 degrees out and you are the one stuck having to take care of it. :P Yes, spring has come. Step out in the light, and try not to hiss and burn with the UV rays that will be striking our ever more exposed skin as we dress lighter for the weather.

April. The month of showers. When the snow is officially supposed to be reduced to rain, and the temperature is about as mild as you can hope for. It is also the month of my birthday (April 14, mark it on your calenders if you dare...). The 11th, I get to celebrate another anniversary of sorts, the day from which I had risen to leadership of my one and only Monster Hunter Union. It will be quite the milestone for me, and will be a time where I can look back and see how I have impacted the place. Looking forward to it!

Lets see, what else... I fear the RROD no more, as I now have a backup console, bought off a neighbor, basically new, for a meager $120, including another copy of Halo 3, CoD: WAW, and an extra controller. Wootness.

As some of you may or may not have noticed, my activity seems to have dwindled. I guess at this moment, I can let you in that in fact, I have been logging in time quite regularly on gamespot. I have read your blogs, I have been watching out in my unions. I've just sort of slipped into a lurking mode, opting out of saying anything. Antisocial mebe... Trying hard to remedy that, this being my record to go by.

Finally, a big one that is fast approaching. Well, I guess I've never really gotten into my personal life too much on here, but I'd like to make it known to any reading, that I have enlisted in the Air Force several months back, and my shipping date for Basic Training is May 19. This is really the last month in a big chapter of my life. If I make it through without any sort of complication, I am on my own after this point. I will no longer be living amongst my family. It is time for me to leave, and become a functioning member of society.

What this means to you, is that I will be completely unavailible for a minimum of 8 weeks during the training, and possibly more depending on what happens during the following tech school. To those of you involved in the Monster Hunter Union, this means I will be passing over leadership temporarily to my co-lead, Rasengan_X, until I have a chance to return. This will happen probably within the week I actually have to go. Beyond that, I should be around once more, but with a steady paycheck and a new chapter to write out for myself. Wish me luck, my friends...

Well, I've had an unfortunate incident that is totally unrelated to anything any of you may be familiar with, or particularly care about. I have recieved word that one of my personal favorite cats living at home with my family, Moose, had another run-in with a stray dog in the neighborhood. While this news may not concern any of you, he was one of the only cats to actually born in the house he grew up in with us, and the news that he had become fatally wounded with a hole in his skull as the direct result of this large dog has impacted me particularly hard, and I may not be in the best of spirit as as a result. We live in a largely unpopulated area, and this not the first time he has been injured, but he always recovered. We never found the dog or the owners responsible, and my family has deemed it acceptable to deal with any future incidents on our property armed with the rifle. (It is very much legal where we live, for any concerned.)

In short, I am sad, I loved my friendly, awkward cat, Moose. Rest in peace little buddy.

(I intend to update this later with a pic or two of him after I obtain some.)

Well, it seems everything is geared up fr the holiday onslaught. Everything is cheery even through the cold, the houses are decorated, and the children are restless with the coming of christmas break, and the omnipotent holiday associated with it. I have finished moving from Minot, ND, to Great Falls, MT. I'm quite happy to have made the move, as I basically spent my entire childhood there. Much has changed since then, but I was happy to see familiar places and streets. Unfortunately, a winter storm was coming through, and in order to make it home for the holidays, I had to escape before the roads were entirely shut down. Worvess had spent his week driving up to help me with the move, and was with me the entire time. We made it as far as Sheridan, WY, before the roads had been closed, and we were forced to take a hotel room for the night. We brought the consoles, so we were by no means bored, but that gave the roads a chance to ice over that night. We made it out early, and the roads were clear by the time we made it to Cheyenne.

That was.... Wednesday, I believe, and the following two days were spent in relaxation and playing new xbox games, including Dead Space, CoD:World at War, Fallout 3, and Left 4 dead. Plenty of gamerscore to be had, I think mine has jumped almost 1500 points in the last two days. Get on your consoles people, I'm up for some gaming! I would have been on sooner, but it was time to catch up on my gaming, as well as the aforementioned moving incident. I dont have access to either of my good computers, and this one is virused to hell and back, if the alert messages and slowdown were any indicator.

I was overdue for a long blog, so I guess I'd get around to it and explain myself. Oh, and before I forget, A happy holiday season to you all! :P

The defias brotherhood, that is! Well, it seems after a lengthy time, I have finally leveled up again, and no longer feel asleep. To be honest, I thought the defias brotherhood level was one of the coolest levels to be in, and I am quite happy to finally stumble into it.

As far as 'me' goes, I am eager ly awaiting Resistance and Gears 2, which I have already preordered, and am now playing fable 2 which I have just gotten in the meantime. I continue to run my union, perhaps on a lower level than I did in the past few months, but I still continue to work to be there every day.

Ok, as any of you should know, there are so many awesome games slated to come out this fall. Money's going to be a bit tight, what do YOU think are going to the be the best of the best this holiday season. I mean, we've got a ton of sequel games, the rivaling Gears 2 and Resistance 2, we've got Fable 2 coming out before the end of this month. I'm personally looking into fallout 3, it looks positively epic. I already have Resistance 2 pre-ordered, so I know I'll find out for sure if it lives up to expectations, but what do YOU think I should be getting? I wont limit it to just the ones I've mentioned, and I own all consoles and handhelds, so that shouldn't be an issue. (Just look in my recent images if you need some proof...) Lemme know what you think!

Well, it looks like the GS beta has now officially moved in to stay. I have to say, it's different, but I certainly like it! Change is good after so often, and hopefully it wont take to long for most of us to figure everything out. :D

Lately, I've come across an amazing little funny video/ad on youtube for the blentec brand blender. Will it blend? This dude goes and is PAID to find out the limits of blending. He's blended everything from iPods, to rakes, to your favorite games.... Find out for yourself, here. Note, This stuff is really funny. Be sure to watch more than one.... :P

For any of you who have noticed that I have been on for less time each day, I guess I might as well say it. Worvess wanted me playing on LIVE so badly, he gave me a year of xbox LIVE subscription, and his copy of CoD4, just so I could play online with him when I go back to Minot..... He bought himself a new one, and I think I've spent most of my free time doing that ever since. I still spend time on the forums, specifically my own, and my art sites, but even that has been reduced by as much as half with the recent onlaught of whatever opposing force I've happened to be facing at the moment. For any of you who wish to play me on whatever game you wish, simply let me know, or add my gamertag to your friends list, I'll be on quite often. :D

After the move for the summer to Minot, ND, I was pleased to discover that the gamespot officials have finally gotten around to the leader promotion for my longtime home, the Monster hunter union

In these regards, I'd like to say, I would have never guessed that I would one day ascend to become the leader. I gotta thank Ras for making and sending in the vote for the new leader, after Xcube stopped logging in. We needed it. There will be changes in time, but nothing sudden or catastrophic. I hope to make this union twice the union it once was, and to keep it prosperous and active! I think that's all I gotta say. I may not be on every waking hour like I was back in Wyoming, But I hope to be on every day at least.