Wow, over a week and no blog. I'm slipping. I'm rushing this out since it's been a while. Because of that it's a little long. Believe it or not, as long as my blogs are, I usialy cut about 50% of the content out. I'm tired and want to go to bed so even though this one could use a lot more tweeking I'm putting it up.

I've been busy but that's nothing new. I haven't been playing anything new and no, I still have not touched Butcher Bay. I've spent most of my free time working on my DVD collection and getting it cataloged and organized. That should be a hint that this will be one of those rare Sleepyblogs that is not about gaming. Since my PS3 purchase is rapidly approaching (thanks mom) that also means that the DVD era, for me at least, is reaching it's twilight years. While I have no doubt that I will continue to purchase DVD's well into the teens, ( for you that don't get it I mean well past 2013 ;) ) it's time to take stock of my DVD collection and look to the future that is Blu-Ray. Starting in a few weeks, every time I add a "new" movie to my collection I will most likely be faced with a choice. Do I buy the DVD or spend a few, possibly many, extra dollars and purchase a Blu-Ray? Now some choices will be easy, need a new Short Circuit copy? Blu-Ray is 11 dollars .... duh. Others will be much more painful, Dirty Harry is $7.99 on DVD and $23.99 on Blu-Ray. OUCH! I want it but if I buy the DVD now, even if the Blu-Ray comes down in price it will never come down to 13 bucks so should I pay the extra 13 bucks now for the Blu-Ray or settle for a standard DVD. Sounds easy I know but.... for me at least, it's not. I'm not saying every choice will be torture. If the original BattleStar Galactica 1978 comes out on Blu-Ray will I be stressing about it? No way. I have the Cylon Head box DVD set that looks rad on the shelf and honestly, why buy another version? I watched it when I got it and I'm sure I will watch a show or two now and then but it's not like I'm going to watch the whole series over and over. Independence Day? Absolutely! I know I will watch it many times and in fact it will probably be my first Blu-Ray purchase.

What I'm saying is that those types of decisions make it all the more important that I have an accurate list of every movie I have including the details of the actual DVD it's self with information like features, aspect ratio, and transfer quality and if possible, replacement price. I cant tell you exactly how many times I have bought a movie only to find out that I already have it and forgot but I know it's more then three in the past year. My girlfriend knows because I send the extras to her ;) I know it's more than three because I can think of those. Lady and the Tramp, Charile and the Chocolate Factory and Men in Black 2.

Research into "new" Blu-Ray copy's of old movies like Dirty Harry is much more complicated. Have you ever seen a DVD that looks worse then it does on broadcast TV? Yeah me too. So if I'm going to buy Dirty Harry on Blu-Ray it better be re-mastered have 5.1 Dolby and be 16:9 enhanced or why buy it. If it's just going to look exactly like the DVD and just be able to play on a Blu-Ray player I don't want it. In fact I really don't want it because why should I put ware and tear on my brand new PS3 to watch a crappy looking movie. Right?

These pic's don't fit well in this blog so click them to enlarge. A few of the movies are in both shots because I was sorting in 2 rooms. Oh yeah and I have to censor the cover of one on the end of the row. :lol:

I have had a database set up for awhile but it was pretty seriously out of date. Since I'm moving out of state soon I've been deciding what ones I want to keep and what ones I will leave in California with my mom. Basically she's getting all the chick flicks. :P I currently have over 600 titles that I will cut in half and then migrate with my GF's collection. The end result will be our combined collection of somewhere between 450 and 500 titles including TV seasons. That's counting each TV season as one title. For example: South Park has 10 seasons and 1 movie so that would count as 11 titles rather than 13 titles for each season. The James Bond Ultimate collection is 4 box sets + 2 movies but still counts as 22 movies. It sounds complicated but it's not. The bottom line is, I (almost) have them all organized with a printed list that is easy to go through and find a movie to watch almost immediately as well as having the list online for easy access. Of course, by the time I move I will have added at least a few movies to it so done is a relative term. :) I have a cool rack that allows me to have a stack that can be carried from place to place and do sorting from a chair rather then hunched over a sofa or my bed. Even with that, alphabetizing and organizing so that every movie is accessible has been all but impossible. I'm not going to add new racks at the moment so some stacks must remain. I've made the decision that since the box sets can stand up on their own they will be arranged wherever space will allow and hopefully the rest will fit on the racks. Yeah that sounded good but still not enough room. I have had this blog sitting for a few days hoping that I would be able to end it on a high note but alas, that's not going to happen. I just don't have enough space. I'm going to have to figure something out.

So, like I said at the beginning, this blog hasn't had much to do with gaming. While it has been nice to go through all my movies this task has consumed much of my gaming time this past week and a half. Well.... ok I did play Tron and NFS PU and MW a little but that doesn't really count. :P
I'll try to have something game related next time.

That's all for now.

I picked up a couple of shirt's to show off my gaming geekdom. I got the Mario @ Hot Topic to replace the one I got for Christmas and has been through the wash way to many times and ordered the Zero Wing one off the net. The photo shows the back of the shirt on the top and I pasted in the front view. Hot Topic shirts are often low quality as can be seen by the washed out appearance compared to the rich black of the Zero Wing one. Of course lower quality material doesn't mean they cost any less and in fact the Mario one was much more expensive.What do you expect for a Nintendo licensed item purchased at the mall. :roll: After shipping it balances out. I need to get down to Ahhs in Santa Monica. They always have killer tee shirts.


I haven't had much time for gaming this week but I am still continuing my quest for the coveted Silent Assassin rating for the entire game on Hitman SA. I just cant seem to get it all in one play through. I've got it on every level individually just not all in a row. Oh well.

It seems like every time I blog these days I'm talking about trying to make time for Butcher Bay but that still hasn't happened. For those of you that are paying attention the hidden links to the strategy guide should be proof I really have been planning on starting it. ;) I've just had too much going on and I keep making excuses, I'm watching a movie right now for instance. I think part of the reason is that I know once I get started I will not want to stop and it will consume all of my free time at the expense of other things I probably should be doing. I know myself too well. :P I have nothing to do Sunday so if I can ignore the TV I'll put in 4 or 5 hours.

That's all for now.

Last warning on the Photobucket clean up coming this weekend. :D

Not much to talk about today so weather it is. According to MSN it's currently Mostly Cloudy, 97° F The high today was right at 100° F but with a nice ocean breeze so it's not that bad. What sucks about it is I don't like to run my gaming computer or laptop for games when it's that hot. The GPU are fine for regular stuff but when the air in the house is that hot gaming pushes them to the 75-80c range (I've never let them get passed 85) and I don't like having to keep an eye on them. Even with liquid cooling its still makes no difference when the air is that hot. I watched Live Free or Die Hard so the day was not a total loss. I don't think having a console would make any difference in fact I think it would be worse because you don't really know how hot those things are getting until they shut down.

An old dude got munched on by a 16 foot Great White on Friday not to far from here and died. :( Its funny when they close the beaches for stuff like this, like this weekend is different from any other weekend. The sharks are always here. If you don't like it don't go in the water. Besides that they only closed 8 miles of beach. Like the shark is reading the signs or something and wont swim past that line. Great White's feeding/territorial range is debated but there is not doubt that they often travel hundred's of miles in search of food and for mating. The old dude was swimming in the early morning and that's always risky. Dawn and dusk are the times your most at risk from sharks. It doesn't mean I don't feel sorry for the guy and it's not like he did anything wrong. He was over 60 years old and a triathlete. He has probably taken that morning swim a million times before.
Getting eaten is definitely high on my list of really crappy ways to die. Right up there with burning and drowning. I hope he didn't suffer too much.

That's all for now.

Important Note!
I'm going to be cleaning out my PhotoBucket next weekend May 3-4, 2008. If I have made you an Avatar, Banner, Desktop or hosted any other image for you it might be removed at that time. I can't guaranty that I have it saved on my hard drive although most likely I do. If you find your image missing you should have downloaded it and saved it like I asked you to when I made it. ;) However, if your image is gone you can PM me and I will try to find it for you.

Also note: The shark image was pilfered off Wikipedia and originally posted on flickr. It is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

I decided to add and tabs or buttons to the bottom of my blogs. Clicking Previous will take you to the blog before the one you are reading and Next will take you to the next newest. In the most up to date blog the next tab will have a red line through it since there will be no newer blog to go to. I will activate the link the next time I post and the red line will be gone. I have not gone back very far yet but eventually I will have them all linked up. This should make browsing my blogs much easier. Now after you comment you can go to the previous blog just by clicking the previous button without going back to the main profile page.I'm going to play around with making rollovers for them so the image will change color when you put your mouse on it like it does on the game pages but that will have to wait for now. If I can get it to work I will put those in newer blog entries.

Now that I have finished Rainbow Six Vegas (1) I'm really on the fence about what to play next. I have Butcher Bay loaded and all patched up so it's ready to go but I know it's going to be a long one. SWAT 4 is very tempting, so is PREY. For the time being I'm playing Hitman SA on and of course my beloved TRON 2.0. I'll decide on Friday.

I would like to thank smorevscoco for reading and commenting on my last two blogs after his vacation. I really put a lot of work into them and it was kinda depressing that they apparently went unnoticed. I guess they were too long to keep interest. Thanks bro.

That's all for now.

~edit~

Well I just realized that SC has been sick, Predator has been on vacation too and Mario_sonic_man just got his Wii back from repair and has been playing brawl. I guess my timing to post big stuff was just really horrible. Doesn't change the fact I was happy to see that (1 new) :D

I've made a major personal gaming decision. Barring any deal breaker issues like the controller not working properly or the game munching monkey biscuits (both unlikely) I'm going to buy the PS3 Metal Gear Solid Dual Shock 3 bundle when it comes out in June. I'm not 100% sure but I'm close enough to post it. You see, while the bundle was announced over a month ago the details are sketchy. GameStop and Amazon do not have it listed yet and I'm having a hard time getting a straight answer on the phone. I got the familiar "duhhh (pages shuffling in the background) you can preorder the game" as the generic sales pitch began to spew fourth so I just cut the conversation off. I'll cruise down to my local EB next weekend and speak with the folks I'm used to dealing with who helped me score my Wii before Christmas and get the real scoop. MGS4 is not due until the middle of June, assuming its not delayed, so it's not any big rush. I am on the fence about pre-ordering and if I do that I'll wait till the last possible moment. I think I can swing the cash but it should go without saying, if funds are tight in June there might be a change of plans.

The four primary things affecting my decision have transpired. I've been waiting and watching for almost a year now to see if Microsoft would solve the Red Ring of Death issue on the Xbox 360. They have not.
I'm not interested in any debate on this. Its not fixed, not even on the Elite, end of subject. It's a shame because if the RRoD did not exist or had been solved I probably would have purchased an Xbox 360 long ago. I have been waiting for the format war to end. It has. I've been waiting for the PS3 controller to be improved. This still remains to be seen but apparently it has. I've been waiting for the price on the PS3 to at least match that of an Xbox with comparable equipment. (larger Hdd and HDMI for the Xbox is included in this) It's fuzzy math at best because of the possible configurations. The price has been close enough for a while but that alone has not been enough to prompt a purchase. It looks like everything is coming together so it's time. For those of you who feel I'm joining the Dark Side by picking the black box over the white hopefully everything above will at least show that I have not taken this decision lightly.

With all that said I think it will be interesting to see what effect this has on me as a gamer. I now own an HDTV and with the purchase of a PS3 there will be no hiding the fact that I have moved into a This Gen console for the first time in many years. I have not owned a console since the Sega Genesis even though I have purchased a PS2 and a Wii for the kids and have some games that are "mine" for both. Still, I have always been, and still do consider myself, a PC gamer. I always go back to my PC, in my darkened room, with my headphones on and X-files or a Schwarzenegger movie playing on the TV. It's here that I find my relaxation, my zen if you will. When I play a game on the PS2 it's more of a mission and the feel of the controller often limit's the amount of time I spend. Sweaty palms, cramping fingers and an intense sense of urgency to get on with it. Gaming on the Wii invokes all of the emotions associated with childhood and play. It's great fun. Some games get me going and bring intensity but I still get the feeling I'm playing. Don't get me wrong, I think the Wii is a fabulous system and I have logged some of the longest non stop gaming sessions on record since the first Tomb Raider while playing Super Mario Galaxy but it's just not the same. No, I always come back to my PC. Gaming on the PC pulls me into the game no matter what type of game it is. The world around me melts away and its just me, the PC, and the TV. I'm jumping out of a plane into enemy territory and bouncing my KX-250 off a berm. I'm hitting the lip just right to darkslide all the way down that rail and sneaking into the mansion to make the hit. I'm ditching the cops and fragging one more alien before I dock my starship and call it a night. No, I don't think a PS3 will do that for me but we will see. I have a feeling at the end of the day it will be just me and my PC, in my darkened room, with my headphones on and the X-file on the TV. Or perhaps that Schwarzenegger movie.....on Blu-Ray DVD.

That's all for now.

Well today (Friday) is my birthday so last weekend I ordered myself a bunch of stuff and it got here this afternoon (Thursday). YAY! I know it's lame ordering my own presents but at least this way I know I got what I wanted. :P

I had loads of fun unpacking everything when I got home with the exception of Live Free Die Hard that my aunt sent and got here a few days ago. My mom is going to treat me to a Best Buy run on Sunday too so I'll get some more goodies and maybe even a game. See, mom is smart and knows better than to try and pick something out. :lol:



I already got some cards too including a funny talking South Park one from my Girlfriend. She's best present of all. Not only for putting up with me and my gaming habit but for all the wonderful things she does including dealing with the months at a time we spend apart. It's easy getting older knowing she's there. It's been a pretty good birthday already and it's only the first hour.

That's all for now.

Well almost, but I'll give it ten minuets :)

Monday sure came and went fast with no Sleepy Blog. I confess, I've been playing games.

I know I said a big blog was coming but I'm going to have to put that off until next Monday because it's only partially completed. I might have one in-between now and then but I promise I will make that deadline. It will be titled something like "Major announcement" although that sounds a bit grandiose so I'll have to think about it. 8) I have a lot going on and things I want to do keep getting pushed down on my priority list by have to do's. I wanted to start Butcher Bay this weekend but I'm going to have to see. I want to have a solid uninterrupted six hours with it and that seems unlikely.

I put in some time with R6V last night and I'm sure I'm close to the end. I finished Dante's Casino and moved on but the going got a lot tougher so that hints that the end is near. I'm a single player kind of guy and the realistic setting on R6V promises some good replay value. It would be nice if bad guys re-spawned in different locations but you cant have anything.

On that note it's my understanding that in SWAT 4 enemy's DO re-spawn randomly so I'm looking forward to checking that game out. I hope I like it because if I do it should prove to be many months of fun. That should be here tomorrow along with a bunch of other stuff. I gave away my copy of PREY and ordered the Limited Collectors Edition. A buddy asked to borrow it a while back and since I don't loan out games I said "maybe when I'm done". He is a good friend and it's just been sitting around so I finally just gave it to him. The price was too good to pass up on the collectors edition. All you get is a couple of little pewter figures, an art book and a tin box so I think people that paid extra when the game came out probably felt ripped off. I got it for eighteen bucks + shipping brand new and a Brady game book thrown in for good measure. Amazon has the regular edition for ten dollars so I think I got a fair deal.

That's all for now.

I'm experiencing the PM glitch along with everyone else (I assume) so if you sent me something your probably going to need to send it again when it's fixed. I don't know if anyone else is getting their regular PM's along with the "glitch" ones but I'm guessing not.

I ordered a couple of games Friday. Painkiller Black and SWAT 4. I seem to be doing all of my gaming on my laptop these days and since both games are a few years old they should run very nicely. My laptop is pretty beefy and runs R6V pretty well with medium settings. On a side note, Painkiller Black is the same as the Gold edition that includes Painkiller and the Battle Out of Hell expansion except it has some extra junk and it's on DVD insted of CD. GameSpot does not have the Black edition listed so I linked to the regular game. It's not a mistake. ;)

My Riddick movies got here on Friday too ( thanks Trixy :) ) so I'll be playing Butcher bay soon. I watched Pitch Black today and I'll watch The Chronicles of Riddick either tomorrow (Sunday) or sometime this week. I'll probably play another taste of Butcher Bay this week and get all the way into it next weekend.

I've been doing some research going back and fourth on a big decision the past few days. I'll probably have a nice long blog about it on Monday. Stay tuned.

That's all for now.

Well, SpinalClash cheated and said everyone on his list was tagged but didn't technically name me. Since he listed 60 things about himself :shock: I was going to do it today anyway and then Mario_sonic_man hit me again today so here's ten things to take care of both.

1: I can juggle.

2: I can ride a unicycle.

3: No! I have never worn a clown suit.

4: I have bungie jumped from a bridge and cranes many times.

5: I removed this one, if you missed it and care PM me and I'll tell ya :)

6: I like cartoons. Scooby Doo, South Park and SpongeBob top my list.

7: I race HO scale hard body neo cIass slot cars.

8: I used to be a decent bowler and have had three perfect games. (one sanctioned) Knee problems have keept me from bowling for the past four years but I'm working to hopefully come back (see #5 ;))

9: I've never seen ET and I plan on keeping it that way.

10: I'm a Coca~cola fiend and drink at least six bottles a day. Usually more.

I think everyone should tag SpinalClash back for being a smartalec but I'll go with
PreadtorRules TAG!

Thats all for now.