The ongoing prattlings of a lifelong geek and his random luck with love, work, children and rediscovering himself.

2010-01-26

Mass Effect 2 - Preliminary Review

It sucks.

Why?

Because it will not show, therefore load, any of the characters from Mass Effect 1 (a huge feature that those of us loyal to the game series looked forward to).

If I had been one of those to get the game at 12:01am, I'd be insanely pissed. Instead, I'm mildly pissed. I just can't *wait* to hear that "oh, you have THAT version of ME1, so there is a known issue, that we released the game with, just to piss you off".

Utter bull. I am NOT starting a game from scratch. I will sit on this box, and not play this game, until this is fixed... and will return it if it does not happen within a week (and then be told I can't because it's open).

I'm getting more pissed, so I'll stop typing now.

2010-01-21

Mandi Making The Most Of It

Mandi is taking off this morning for a job opportunity with her grandfather. We went to Vince Carter's (a new restaurant by the basketball star of the same name - nice place, pretty good food.. they have some kinks to work out) as a farewell dinner with her last night. This morning, she and I went to Flapjacks for breakfast, and then visited Chick-fil-A one last time, before I gave her a final hug and went to work. I hate seeing her go, and yet I am happy for the opportunity that she's been given. And then.. she can come back home when she's done stretching her legs. :-/ Right? That's the plan, right?

Love you, Mandi. :-*

MOVIE: The Lovely Bones

I knew just about nothing about this movie or it's originating book. I figured it may end up being a kid-movie possibly. I was sort of confused by the time it was over on how to classify it...

1/3 of the movie is spent in limbo/ purgatory/ between heaven and hell... but in a teenage girls version of that place.

The rest of the movie, filmed with a distinct 1970's color scheme, is spent involved in an odd story involving a murderer, possible pedophile, who is made to look too much like the part (if someone looked and acted like that in real life, no one would ever trust or go near him, I mean, c'mon).

The story culminates in a mix of ironic (how the antagonist ends up) and sad-but-happy (I think? The dead lead actress moving on to heaven?) feelings. Perhaps if the movie had a real soundtrack (I have NO recall of any music, but I'm sure it was there - everyone knows that music makes the movie, right?), it might have been better. I can't say it was a *bad* movie. I can only say it wasn't a "good" movie. I'd suggest to people they not bother seeing it, personally. If it was some author's attempt to make a murder-mystery for teens.. well, I dunno. I'm not a teen anymore. Was this a successful book??

I just found myself thinking at the end: "okay, that was interesting". Was anyone else thinking that the safe should have been opened at some point and "bones" revealed? Maybe I was reading into the title too much. Oh well.

MOVIE: Daybreakers

I didn't expect a lot from this movie based on the commercials, and went to see it with Chris thinking it would be at least a nice diversion. I wasn't disappointed by it. It was not Oscar-material, but it did have a fairly unique storyline on the vampire mythology (especially on "how to cure someone" of being a vamp). The ending was sort of hokey, almost seemed like they didn't know *how* to end it, so they did the equivalent of a song trailing off at the end instead of clearly *ending*. The acting was nothing to write home about.. even Willem DeFoe was only so-so. All in all, it's a matinee show for sure... or wait-for-DVD material. Yawn.

2010-01-11

Sick, Sicker, Sickest and then Me

We come back from a nice Caribbean cruise, and then...

Chris gets sick (flu). I get sick (flu). Amanda gets sick (apparent cold). Daniella gets sick (flu plus severe pharyngitis). Then, I start to notice my face is in constant pain (assumed to be sinuses, but no apparent infection). As of today, it appears I'm finally on the other side of the mountain heading toward normality (for me, at least). Yay.

Then there was the snow. In Daytona Beach, Florida. Did anyone hear any horns sounding off from the heavens while I was incapacitated? Sheesh.