I downloaded the Timeshift demo and it wasn't half bad. The visuals werevery good,and the weaponry was run of the mill but still nicely done. However I thought the gameplay was too generic and linear and the time powers didn't feel all that special to me (maybe I just wasn't using them enough). Overall it's looking pretty good but I doubt that I'll buy it with all the other great games coming out this fall.

I also filled out 3 applications for a new part-time job. I've been working at the restaraunt I work at now for over 2 years and I'm getting pretty sick of it. The work is dirty and uninspiring, I have to put up with a bunch of lazy and grumpy a-holes (some who seemingly can't even speak English), and I started out with $5.50 an hour and over all the 2 years I've worked there it's only been raised to $6.00. Not to mention I only get about 14 hours a week and they are all on the Fridays andweekends so I can't go do anything Friday or Saturday night.

I've applied to gas station called Quicktrip that made it on the top 100 places to work in some national magazine. All the people I know who work there love working there and they have excellent pay and flexible hours. I've also applied to a carwash that has similar benefits. And I applied to my local Gamestop store. I like videogames so why not work at a place that deals with them? And these are all within 1 or 2 miles of my home, so I'll save quite a bit on gas.

I reached level 32 on GS. As I try to do everytime I level up,I post a link to something really awesome or funny. This is something that plays Jingle Bells backwards to reveal what sounds like a satanic message. It freaks me out that such an innocent song can have such a sinister hidden message. Make sure to have your volume turned up pretty loud so you can hear it (you need to listen really closely)
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/audio/play/652/

I also download the MoH:Airborne and Blazing Angels 2 demos. MoH was good, but not really that much better than Call of Duty 3 IMO. I'll hold off on this one until it goes cheap or something; there are other games coming out this fall that I'd rather put my money towards. Blazing Angels 2 was okay. The graphics were amazing, but the gameplay was a little too arcadey for what I'm looking for in a WW2 flight game. Again I'll probably get this when the price goes down.

I'm going to see the family physician tomorrow to get my checkup and echocardiogram (a sonogram of my heart to check for any abnormalities). If my heart's fine then I'll find a psychiatrist to give me a green light on my mental health.

I tookmy Army flight physical monday at a local Air Force base. Thankfully I passed all the vision and hearing tests just fine, which is what most applicants get disqualified for. However when the doctor ran an EKG on me he said that my heartrate was a little abnormal and that I need to have my family physician take a closer look before he can pass me on the flight physcial, even though I've never had any kind of a heart problem. He also put down that my "psyche" was questionable due to my speech impediment and that he percieved me as nervous. I wasn't in anyway "nervous" during the physical, I have no idea why I thought I was nervous. But even worse than that he put down that he suspected my of having a history of autism due to my minor speech impediment, whichI have absolutely no history of either. And it was really a hit below the belt to me sinceI used to beteased alot in elementary school about my abnormal voice. It was something I was born with that caused myvoice to soundgarbled and mumbled if I'm not focused on my speech. It's an embarrassment sometimes but I still don't think it would be real problem in piloting helicopters. Oh well I just need to have a visit with the family physcian to make sure my heart's good and a psychiatrist to make sure I have no mental problems and I can send in a waiver for these things.

I got Bioshock yesterday. As everyone else has been saying, it's simply an amazing game.

I also joined my school's conservation club. I'm not a sign-waving environmentalist, but I am trying to do more to help preserve nature (it's a Wiccan thing). Besides I don't get involved in extracurricular activities enough and since this is my last year of school and it's going to be pretty easy for me, I thought "why not?". Pretty much all our conservation club does right now is run the school's recycling system, since the administration doesn't give us a big enough money for community projects. But hopefully that will change this year.

...but it's okay, the carpet's comfy.

Anyway BIG blog post on various things which may or may not interest you:

PC GAMES
I got Star Trek Elite Force in the maila couple weeks ago. As a shooter it ain't anything special; the gameplay mechanics are very simple and bland. But it does make a great use of the Star Trek license,which feels very well done and not gimmicky. My trekdom has been gone for years now, but I used to be a HUGE fan and watched every episode of Star Trek Voyager, and the game's canon clicks with me very well.So the game kind of has some nostalgic value for me. Hell, almost makes me wanna go watch a Star Trek episode.

Overall a good game, especially for trekkies, though if you don't like Star Trek it'll be just another quake-like FPS with boring weapons. I give it a 7.5/10.

I'm thinking about getting some more PC games from amazon, but something other than FPS because I'm getting pretty tired of them right now. I've been think of getting a helicopter game like Comanche 4 since I love helicopters and they don't have many helicopter games on consoles. I'm also thinking about getting a tank sim called Armored Fists 3 since I like tanks too and am curious to see how they would work out in a computer game.

BIOSHOCK
I downloaded the Bioshock demo and played it twice. I likedthe demo and I'm sure the full game will live up to the hype.The gameplay is interesting and the graphics are simply amazing. The game kind of freaks me out though, just that it's so dark, twisted, and morbid. But it gives the game st-le and I like it. I've had it pre-ordered for a while now, and I'm thinking about upgrading to limited edition (the big daddy figurine sounds pretty cool).

FLAT TIRE
One of my car's rear tires keeps leaking flat, I must have ran over a nail or something. I'm taking it to the tire shop in the morning to see if they can patch it up.

BACK TO SCHOOL
I start my senior year of high school Friday. Since I got all my math, english, and history credits already done with, so I'm going to have a nice easy last year. I have only 3 cl-ss periods while most students have 4. I'm in a special senior employment program where I get credit for 4th period just by doing well at my restaraunt job on the weekend.

ARMY FLIGHT PHYSICAL
Now that the AFAST is done with, the next step is to pass the flight physical exam at a nearby Air Force base on Monday. I'm trying not to get my hopes up to high but I shouldn't have any trouble passing it.

WICCA
If you didn't find out already, I'm studying Wicca as my new spiritual path. I've been reading alot of books on Wicca, witchcraft, New Age, and the occult. I'm still in the learning process, so don't ask me todo any spells to make you Xbox 360 stop crashing. Now before any of you start freaking out, let me clear up some common misconceptions:

-We don't worship Satan. The vast majority of Wiccans don't even believe in him.
-We are not anti-christian. One of the few central tenents of Wicca isrespect forall religions. I know there are more than a few overtly anti-christian Wiccans out there, but they aren't rightly representing the faith.
-We are not all tree-hugging hippies. Alot of Wiccans are liberals/pacifists/vegetarians, but there are alsomany who are more conservative and in the military. Respect for nature, which we hold as a sacred manifestation of the divine, is fundamental to Wicca so I'm definitely going to try to be more eco-friendly. However I'm not going to be waving signs or doing boycotts or anything like that. I'm still mostly politically conservative.
-We do practice alot of witchcraft, but not all witchcraft is bad. It can be used for healing, protection, and honest good fortune. I'm not going to lie, there are evil witches out there who unfortunately use it to harm and manipulate people, but any true Wiccan doesn't do that. Wiccans have a of simple but strong sense of ethics. While our only real rule is "harm none", that applies to every aspect of life we need to take consideration for others in every choice we make.
-We NEVER sacrifice humans or animals. The very rare cases where that does still happen today are done by satanists.
-I am not following Wicca because it's "hip". I've explored all religions and this is the one I feel most comfortable with. It really pisses me off when people go around saying they're Wiccan just out of peer pressure or rebellion.
-Wicca is a very open-ended and eclectic religion. There is no central authority ororganized clergy structure. The practicioners are allowed to incorporate beliefs and practices from other religions into Wicca if they wish. Personally I have some Christian and New Age beliefs mixed into my path. However there are general beliefs that most Wiccans share. Here are a few sites that I think do a good job at explaining the basic beliefs and philosophies of Wicca:
http://www.wicca.com/celtic/wicca/faq.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm

The good news is that I passed the Army flight test.:D

The bad news is that I didn'tscore as well as I hoped. Now I'm nottrying to sound likea perfectionist or pessimist, but the competition to get into Warrant Officer Flight Training is very stiff. I got a score of 97 (a 90 is required to pass), but the one of the Army sergeants at the Kansas City station told me that even though I qualify, the selection board rarely chooses applicants with scores as low as mine, they almost always pick the guys who get scores of 120+. A little discouraging, but I'm not giving up. My recruiter said that he was probably exaggerating and that most WOTF applicants who meet all the eligibility requirements get a slot in flight school. I have the option of re-taking the test in February, but that's the LAST time I can take it and I get stuck with the second score for better or worse. Even with 6 more months of studying, I'm not sure if it's worth the risk in case I seriously screw up the second time since I won't get another shot. So right now I'm going to carry on with my WOTF application packet as planned and submit it when it's done late this year or early next year. My chances ofgetting a reserved slot in WOTFbefore I graduate from high school and basic training is slim, but people have done it before so it's still worth a try. If they reject it the first time I will re-submit it once I complete high school, basic, and AIT. All that experience will help tremendously, especially since I am signed up to be and aviation electrician as my initial MOS. I've still got a long road ahead of me for all of this, so I'll just see how it plays out.

In other news I've been ordering a bunch of stuff from Amazon lately. I've been findingsome unbelievable bargains on there. I bought a used copy of The Matrix Reloaded 2-disc DVD for only 50 cents (plus shipping and handling). I also ordered the 2 other Matrix movie DVDs, 007:Goldeneye DVD, Delta Force:Land Warrior and Star Trek:Elite force (old PC games),and 2 volumes of the Hellsing manga series for incredibly cheap. I received everything now except Elite Force and it is all in good condition.

Good deals make agent401 happy enough tokeep him from going on a toilet slammer rampage.

Provided nothing goes haywire again, my recruiter will be sending me up to Kansas city again in the morning to take the AFAST (the test you need to pass to get into the Warrant Officer flight training program).I'm leaving tomorrow but taking the test 9 am Thursday morning at the same place I got my initial processing back in June. I should be back Thursday evening as long as it isn't as packed and disorganized as last time.

I've been studying the basics of helicopter flight for about a month now. I took the practice test this afternoon and while I didn't score as high as I hoped, I should be able to pass it. I'll have all evening tomorrow in the hotel to do final touch-ups on the thingsI didn't do well on the practice test.

I have my fingers crossed but I'm not too nervous. If I don't pass this time then I'll have a second chance in another 6 months, but hopefully I'll pass it now so I can get it done with.

Yep, this is the first blog I am not typing from the 7 year old desktop junker I have to share with my sister downstairs. I finally have my own, brand spanking new Gateway notebook computer. I got it onsale for $599 when it's usually$749.I don't remember what model this is right now, but everything on it is at least twice as powerful as the computer I was previously using. It's got a 2 GHZ Intel Centrino processor, Windows Vista Premium, 160 GB hard drive, 1024 MB of RAM,15.4 inch Widescreen Ultrabright display,an ATI Xpress 200 graphics card, and alot of other stuff. I got it mostly just for internet surfing and homework, but I might play some older PC games I've always wanted to play but couldn't runon my old computer. The guy at Best Buy said that this won't be able to run something as high-end as Half-Life 2 with stability, but I shouldn't have trouble with older games like Soldier of Fortune 2.

This is my first time using it and so far it works great. The internet runs a hell of alot faster.At first I wanted to get a desktop, but I have no space in my room for it and since I'm going off to boot camp next summer it would just be a huge hassle to transport it once I'm done with all my training. This laptop still gives me everything I need and I hooked up a regular mouse to it since I don't like the touchpad.

I might post some pics from the airshow once I've transferred all my files onto my new laptop. I'm also going to test its gaming and video capability soon.

Well it's my 50th blog so I guess that might be something worth noting, but I doubt anyone really cares. I don't really have too much to say other than that I spent my weekend at work and an annual airshow at the Air Force base in my city. I went to a Virtual Army Experience Saturday at the airshow Saturday morning (a required event for all enlisted Army recruits). It's basically a combat simulator using the America's Army PC game, only you use a realistic recoiling"light gun" and shoot enemies on a huge projector. It feels kind of like playing Call of Duty using what feels like a real gun instead of a controller. Themission of the versionthey had set up at the airshow had us manning the M249 positions on a Humvee in Iraq. It was pretty fun.

I think I'm going to study for the AFAST (Army flight applicant screening test) for one more week before going up to take it in Kansas City. If I pass the AFAST, flight physical, and interview then I will be qualified to go to Warrant Officer flight training right after Basic training.After thatI will be an Army Aviator and begin flying helicopters in missions shortly after I turn 20. I hope I get into it as I've been dreaming of being a pilot since I was a little kid and this looks like the best and fastest chance I have at getting a career as a pilot.

Just want to wish all my fellow Americans a happy and safe 4th of July. Today marks 232 years of the the land of the free and home of the brave.


And to all my British friends, today also marks the 232nd anniversary that your country got OWNED!



lol Britian still rocks though since they gave us Monty Python.

As I've promised, I finallyuploaded some of the pictures I took on our school's trip to the BPA (Business Professionals of America) trip to NYC that I went on last month. I don't have room to put them all them up so I have to link them.

Me at the airport (I got rid of the goatee I had from the last time I posted pics of myself)
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002025.jpg

My hotel room
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002034.jpg

Me on a double decker tour bus
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002036.jpg

Some of my cl-ssmates on the bus
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002035.jpg

Annice picture of the Empire State building
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002041.jpg

A reallyawesome pic of the city from the top of the Empire State building at night (it's 3x better in person)
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002049.jpg

The horrifying long line we had to wait in after we were done on the Empire State building's observation deck. It took us 15 minutes to getto the topand an hour to get back down.
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002029.jpg

A flea market in China Town. Got some souvenior hats and T-shirts for really cheap there.
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002053.jpg

A 9/11 memorial that some grade school kids made. Pretty much a fence covered with drawings and letters
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002043.jpg

The former WTC site. Behind the fence is the crater with rubble where it once stood.
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002055.jpg

Me and some of the other guys went to a Yankees game. The Yankees suck so of course they got their ass kicked by the Texas Rangers that game.
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002051.jpg

A really big, old, and fancy church. I think it was St. Peter's Cathedral but I'm not sure.
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002062.jpg

A crazy Jamacian guy who sang really funny songs on the guitar for us while we waited for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002056.jpg

Some more street performers
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002061.jpg

A niceshot of the city from the Statue of Liberty Island
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002060.jpg

A picture I took of the Statue of Liberty
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/agent404/IM002059.jpg