Okay, so the day of truth is coming.  On Tuesday, I am going to find out what city I will spend my summer in.  My topic choices at the moment, not because of location but for the schools themselves, are Macon, GA, Valdosta, GA, and Tallahassee, FL.  All of my top choices happen to be in the southeast, but those are the schools that had the friendliest representatives and best summer experiences.  I think I would be happy with almost any of the places I talked to, but there are several schools that made me a little upset because they never called (I am talking to you, Marquette and Johns Hopkins).

Time to play the waiting game . . .

Did anyone see the Scrubs musical?  That was probably the best episode ever.  My favorite song was "Guy Love" because it really gets at the relationship that JD and Turk have throughout the entire series.  Here are the lyrics:

"Let's face the facts about me and you,
a love unspecified.
Though I'm proud to call you chocolate bear,
the crowds will always talk and stare.

I feel exactly those feelings too,
and that's why I keep them inside.
Cause this bear can't bear the world's disdain,
and sometimes it's easier to hide . . .

Then explain our guy love, that's all it is,
Guy love, he's mine I'm his.
There's nothing gay about it in our eyes.
You ask me bout this thing we share,
and he tenderly replies . . .
It's guy love between two guys.

We're closer than the average man and wife,
that's why our matching bracelets say Turk and JD.
You know I'll stick by you for the rest of my life,
you're the only man who's ever been inside of me!
(Whoa whoa, I just took out his appendix!)

There's no need to clarify, (Oh no?)
Just let it grow more and more each day.
It's like I married my best friend,
but in a totally manly way. (Let's go)

It's guy love, don't comprise,
the feeling of some other guy.
Holding up your heart into the sky.
I'll be there to care through all the lows,
I'll be there to share the highs . . .
It's guy love between two guys.

And when I say, 'I love you, Turk',
it's not what it implies.
It's guy love . . . between . . . two . . . guys. (No hands)"

Awesome!

I am starting my interviews for internships tomorrow.  I've got UNC Greensboro, Valdosta State, and Lynchburg College.  I am feeling pretty good about them right now.  I like doing interviews, but I need to make sure that I get enough sleep.  I have 7 interviews set up at the moment and am looking forward to another 2 or 3.

I am still waiting on some snow to come down.  It has been ridiculously cold recently but with no snow.  I still want to be able to drive around, but I just want a nice layer of snow.  Come on!

I think that many people are being a little too harsh on the PS3.  I agree that the available games at time of release were a little weak.  Resistance and Call of Duty 3 have been the best games so far on the system.  The sports titles also play and look really nice on the updated graphics engine.  Compare that to what the other systemshave currently:

• Wii: Wii Sports, Legend of Zelda, Madden 07, Super Monkey Ball Blitz, WarioWare: Smooth Moves and Elebits
• Xbox 360: Gears of War, Elder Scrolls IV, FEAR, Tom Clancy games and Call of Duty 3 as well

While the PS3 may not seem like much of a value at this point, here is the list of games that are coming out that should change your mind:

• Gran Turismo HD
• Final Fantasy XIII
• Final Fantasy Versus XIII
• Tekken 5
• MGS4
• Grand Theft Auto IV
• Enchanted Arms
• Resident Evil 5

There is great potential for the system to be successful, but it has to get past all of the negative criticism.  I was someone downing the system before it came out for the price and comparison to value of the three systems, but that doesn't mean that the poor launch reflects on the future of the potential success of PS3.

All I am saying is that you have to give it a chance before you completely trash it.  I was quite impressed the couple times I tried it out.

You know, I actually am not surprised about the price of the system.  I think that it is reasonable considering the amount of features the thing has.  I personally still cannot justify spending $600 on a video game system, I can completely understand why many others would.  Here are the features that justify making the system as expensive as it is:

1) Blue-ray player: Currently, you cannot find a good blu-ray player for less than $600.  In that regard, the system gives you the movie watching ability while also providing a great gaming experience.  The Wii has no movie-playing ability and the 360 requires an add-on for HD DVD discs that costs and additional $200.  If you add the price of the system to the price of the add-on, the 360 also costs $600.  While having another DVD/movie player in the house may not be helpful, it is something that those with the technology can take advantage.

2) Wireless controllers: The Sixaxis controllers are actually really nice.  I have always appreciated the controller design for the Sony products and believe that they should not change what works.

3) Graphics: Both in the movie and gaming category, the system goes above and beyond the other two in this generation.  After playing a couple demos in stores, I have to say that the great amount of detail that goes into gaming now is truly amazing.

4) Hard Drive Space: In the past, consoles have not provided space on the system memory to save games and other files.  They all do that now, but Sony offers a huge hard drive so that you probably will not need to buy additional add-ons.

Like I said, I am not planning on purchasing right now because I don't have the money to spend on it, but it is worth the expense for those who can afford it.

So I thought that winter was supposed to be cold for some reason.  Today it was up near 70 in Massachusetts.  I just don't get it.  Regardless, it is supposed to eventually snow later next week, so all will be right with the world.

In other news, I will be internship shopping starting Monday.  I have decided I want to go somewhere new that will give me an opportunity to feel a little more traveled.  My top choice is to go out west.  It will cost a little money, but it will be well worth it.  Next is to go live in the southeast, which may be a mistake temperature-wise.  Third is to go to the northwest cause I would like to go to Seattle and see the ferryboats.  Fourth is to go back to the MidAtlantic to be a little closer to home.  And finally is the northeast, but I am currently living in that region.  I will be doing something in housing.

Just to quickly mention, I did manage to randomly find a Wii sitting on the shelf of a Target after Christmas.  I know that they are still really hard to find, but I am still having fun playing Wii Sports and LOZ:TP.  I just need to get a couple more controllers if I can find them.

I also found out two of my three grades from last semester and they are both A's, so I am excited about that too.

So things are officially winding down now.  All of my classes are over and I just have a couple things to do this week and then I will be drivin' home.  On the block is one last paper due Wednesday, a presentation of a proposal on Tuesday, and closing down the building.  No more meetings or classes or other responsibilities.  This is totally manageable and I finally feel relaxed.

On the other hand, I have not even submitted my last paper for this semester and I already have an assignment due for the first class of next semester.  It is a 12-page discussion of the competancies of the program.  All of us were shocked and then that disappeared when we realized which professor dished out the assignment.

For the holidays, I will be traveling back to Maryland and enjoying some good quality time with the friends and family.  I have completed most of my shopping at this point and realize that I probably spent too much money.  Especially since I am planning on getting a new car, I need to be saving up to make a good down payment.  I think I will get a decent trade-in on my car, so I will be able to afford a Scion tC.  Sweet!

So I don't usually do a lot of advertising on Gamespot, but I would like to point out that the Union of Polls exists for your off-topic pleasure.  It covers quite a few different topics and can catch your fancy in one way or another.

Please vist The Union of Polls by clicking the link.

My first semester as a grad student is almost at an end.  I of course had to get sick like I do so often, but the Health Services did not want to listen when I told then that I have gotten the same thing in previous semesters and that the symptoms were exactly the same.  Hopefully it clears up on its own like they say it should, but I am doubtful at the moment.  Anyway, two of my projects are almost over.  I have submitted my work to both of my groups and I just have to make something for one of the presentations that is tomorrow.  The other one isn't until the 20th.  Next, I will have to put together my 20 page paper on sports riots on college campuses.

I am looking forward to the holidays.  It will be an extended break for me, during which time I will spend a week and a half at home and then come back up to Massachusetts to relax here with some of the reading for the upcoming semester.  During that time, I guess I will also try to secure an internship for the summer and make sure that there isn't anything else outstanding.  Can't wait for that . . .