Let me just start out by saying that I can't believe it's almost the start of August already. The days just fly by when you're busy, or having fun, or busy having fun. I've been busy having fun for the past few weeks. Two weekends ago, my entire family (my mom's side) took a trip into upstate New York to a place called Mohonk Mountain House. Has anybody ever heard of it? If you haven't, be very ashamed, because it is an absolutely wonderful place. It's a place guaranteed to provide an adventure, along with lots of natural beauty to gaze at. Before this trip, the last time any of us had been there was fourteen years ago. I was eight. Vivid memories stayed with me through all these years and when we first arrived recently, I could not believe how accurate my memories were to the truth. It was just as I'd remembered it, in so many ways. And on top of that, they'd added a bunch of things, like a new indoor pool and expanded swimming area in the lake. It was such a great time. It was three days I will never forget, just like fourteen years ago. If you ever get the chance to go there (though, watch out. It's mighty expensive!), I hightly recommend you do.

Besides the family trip, I've been spending my time reading more Star Wars novels and acquiring more vg soundtracks. My newest additions are the OSTs for Wave Race 64, Kirby Superstar (I blame my excitement about the upcoming KSS Ultra game), and last but not least, Jumping Flash. Does anybody else remember that game? I think it was a launch title for the PS1. My cousin owned it, and I have fond memories of me and my brother forcing him to play it whenever we over his house. We had him play it so much one time he beat it! I have his copy of the game now, and like many of the other games whose soundtracks I have, the music just never left me. I obtained a partial soundtrack from KH Insider, but I decided that that was no longer good enough for me and decided to try my hand at doing a game rip. It was my first attempt at doing so, and thanks to a tutorial I found on Youtube (yes, the site can actually be helpful and useful), my attempt was a success. I now have a complete soundtrack. 8) Now as for the novels, I spent all of last week reading through the Thrawn trilogy and am currently up to the second book in the Jedi Academy trilogy, Dark Apprentice. It's been interesting trying to get used to the change in tone present in the New Republic books, primarily because it's completely fictional. And what I mean by that (since duh, all of Star Wars is fictional...though I really wish lightsabers were real) is that it's stuff that is never even minutely covered in any of the films. Han and Leia are married now, Leia is training to be a Jedi herself and has her own lightsaber, they have three children and as such their priorities have changed, Luke is more powerful and wise and very much not what he was when he first joined the Rebel Alliance. It's the characters I've known for years, in roles I've never seen them in before. It's been really interesting. But while it's been wierd to get used to, I love it all the same and am always eager for the next book. My goal, even with job searching to become my top priority next month, is to get through all of the New Republic era books I own before the summer is over or I start working, which ever comes first. Basically, before the end of next month. That means I've got another ten books to go, just about. I think I'll make it.

Also, now that it's almost August, it's the time of year when the back of my mind starts throwing not-so-subtle suggestions to the front of my mind for me to start working on my Christmas list. Yes, I still follow the childhood tradition of making Christmas lists, even though I'm twenty-two. Who cares. People aren't forcefully obligated to get me the items on my list. They just do because they know I'll enjoy them. Well, this year, I've already got my list pretty much in order. One good thing to come out of E3 was release dates and as a result, I know that at least tentatively, I can put down four of the DS games I've been tracking down onto the list. They are Chrono Trigger DS, Kirby Superstar Ultra, Lego Batman, and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. So what if two of the games are enhanced ports. I'm excited for them. Also going onto the list is a new digital camera. At the moment, I'm interested in a Sony Cybershot DSC-W120, the same model that my two cousins own. Currently, I have a Nikon Coolpix 3100 that I got over five years ago. With the exception of the first half a year after getting it, I haven't been too happy with it. I've seen my cousins use theirs at gatherings such as the recent vacation and I've grown quite impressed by their cameras. Bigger display screen, more MPs, better optical zoom, instant picture take, smile capture tech, and whatever else. My pictures never come out as I feel they should, and I'm always having to edit them to death for them to look even somewhat nice. It drives me crazy. Well, anyway, I know that's going to be a bit pricey and it's been a while since I asked for anything expensive for Christmas (I got my 30GB video iPod for Christmas two years ago, but I didn't ask for it). It's been just DS games and DVDs for me that past few years. I almost feel bad about asking for something so pricey, given the current gas prices and cost of living and such, but it would be nice. I think I'd be more upset if I had to spend my own money to buy those four DS games than I would if I didn't get the camera. I know the camera's a long shot.

Well that's my Christmas list. Does anybody else have their holiday wish list all set up? What are you looking forward to unwrapping this year?

To continue, yes, I have also checked out the GS Beta. I think that for the most part, it's cool, but there is much that could be improved. The console pages seem cluttered. I think bright outlines around the different sections would help greatly. Besides that, I think the biggest flaws lie within the profile pages. It seems that most GSers would agree. What the heck is up with that minifeed? WHO CARES! Give me my tracked blogs, front and right-margined. At least ten visible at once, please. And if you're going to only allow eight emblems to be shown at once, can I at least decide which eight will be shown? Can I also customize where everything will go, if not simply so that the size of the sections will change, like in Facebook? And what's with not showing the entire blog posts? Another thing I don't understand is why the site is still a narrow column. Can't the site take up the entire screen like Giant Bomb and practically every other site on the web does? Please, I implore you, if you have checked out the Beta and have an opinion about it regarding things you didn't like and improvements you think could be made, click the link at the top right of the Beta homepage and fill out the survey. It may help.

My final remark for the night has to do with a little game called FFIV DS. As you may or may not know, I'd been looking forward to the game for a long time. I'd looked at screenshots, watched videos, read every little bit of typed info on it I could find. Nothing could really have prepared me for how truly awesome the game is. It's such a huge step up from FF3, it's not even funny. And I'm not just saying that because there's an actual story going on this time. The graphics have greatly improved, the music is better... It's just astounding. I was hooked within my first hour of gameplay. The game looks and sounds even better in person. I can't wait to play it through. I would have spent all last week doing so, but I really want to reach that literary goal of mine. And so FFIV has been put on hold. For now. But I'll get to it. I will certainly make sure of that. And to all of you who are on the fence about getting the game, just get it. You will not regret it.