The second day at the studio was much more productive, although it started out kind of lame...
Lindsay had a meeting with people at Target at 9. So we drove downtown at 8:30, and got a parking spot right in front of the building. I was super tired and I stayed in the car and tried to sleep for about an hour, without much luck.
When she came out I felt worse then when I dropped her off. My neck hurt and I felt a little discombobulated.
We worked all day, and then had diner at Pho Hoa again. We were both so freakin' tired.
When we got home we took the dogs for a walk. We let them off the leash on the soccer field near our house and I sprinted around until Atari was too tired to chase anymore. That made me want to go for a real run, so we went home and I went back out. And it kind of made me want to puke.
I played Battlefield with Chris C and Ryan and tore up some Onslaught maps. When we finished I popped in Dragon Age: Origins again. I've been meaning to get back to that game for so long, so I was pretty excited.
Man, that game is dense. I forgot pretty much everything. It was a tough going at first, but it slowly came back to me and by the end of the night I remembered why I was loving that game so much. I can't wait to play more.
After being so exhausted on Tuesday, we had a late start today. We slept in a bit, and then spent a lot of time getting Dean ready to bring to the studio. So now Dean's the studio bird again. I feel way better today, much more rested.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
First Day.
Today was my first day at Paper Bicycle Towers.
Don't I look ecstatic?
I spent the morning in the office getting organized and doing sketches. I'm doing as much work as every for the company I just left, now I'm just not on site. I had a meeting however, so I went in at 2:30 and didn't leave until 6.
Making that bon-voyage party they threw me seem kind of silly. But I was getting a week's worth of projects and work, so it's all good.
Don't I look ecstatic?
I spent the morning in the office getting organized and doing sketches. I'm doing as much work as every for the company I just left, now I'm just not on site. I had a meeting however, so I went in at 2:30 and didn't leave until 6.
Making that bon-voyage party they threw me seem kind of silly. But I was getting a week's worth of projects and work, so it's all good.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Raspberry.
On Saturday we went on a mission to pick Raspberries. Obviously, there's no Raspberry farms in the city limits, so we had to do some research and drive an hour out of town or so. We got pretty lost and used my phone's kinda-janky GPS to get us back on track. It took a while and we almost gave up. It makes me realize that although I know Minneapolis and St. Paul really well, I'm completely clueless about everything else in Minnesota. Or even just the surrounding suburbs.
It was very, very mosquito-y. We both came home with a ton o' bug-bites.
We found a slightly quicker, more direct route home. We took some time to clearn up, and then Ryan and Chris C came over, just to hang out. We ordered some pizza and played a bunch of games, mainly. Ryan and I got in some epic Risk games, we all swapped off in matches of Snoopy Flying Ace. We spent most of the night bouncing from game to game, just checking out the new things in my library since we haven't had a game night in a loooong time.
Somehow it ended with Trials HD, because Chris C had never really seen it. It ended up with me picking up where I left off and retrying one level until the time expired. A half an hour of failure...
On Sunday we took the dogs to Downtown Dogs, since they haven't gotten a chance to go there since the kitchen remodel wrapped up. Unfortunately, Downtown Dogs is located right next to where the gay pride festivities were happening, so we ended up in a huge traffic jam.
We stopped by the MIA to pick up our art from the Foot in the Door show. We should have a while ago, but we missed the pick-up. We didn't have any luck and left empty handed. Well, we had an email address of someone who might help.
I watched the cutest, kind of bold, baby bunny outside of MCAD while Lindsay ran in for a bit. I wish I had a camera. Or a net. We got some Pho Hoa, which is a chain of restaurants, I guess. It's also one of my favorite restaurants lately. Maybe because it's summer and I never want to eat anything greasy or heavy?
That night I gave Onslaught Mode a whirl with Ryan and Jesse. It's Battlefield Bad Company 2's 4-player comp-stomp take on Horde Mode, and it's actually a lot of fun. And frantic.
Lindsay's been playing much more leisurely games. We downloaded all the King's Quest games, so she's been making her way through them while I pwn noobs.
Oliva is her FAQ.
It was very, very mosquito-y. We both came home with a ton o' bug-bites.
We found a slightly quicker, more direct route home. We took some time to clearn up, and then Ryan and Chris C came over, just to hang out. We ordered some pizza and played a bunch of games, mainly. Ryan and I got in some epic Risk games, we all swapped off in matches of Snoopy Flying Ace. We spent most of the night bouncing from game to game, just checking out the new things in my library since we haven't had a game night in a loooong time.
Somehow it ended with Trials HD, because Chris C had never really seen it. It ended up with me picking up where I left off and retrying one level until the time expired. A half an hour of failure...
On Sunday we took the dogs to Downtown Dogs, since they haven't gotten a chance to go there since the kitchen remodel wrapped up. Unfortunately, Downtown Dogs is located right next to where the gay pride festivities were happening, so we ended up in a huge traffic jam.
We stopped by the MIA to pick up our art from the Foot in the Door show. We should have a while ago, but we missed the pick-up. We didn't have any luck and left empty handed. Well, we had an email address of someone who might help.
I watched the cutest, kind of bold, baby bunny outside of MCAD while Lindsay ran in for a bit. I wish I had a camera. Or a net. We got some Pho Hoa, which is a chain of restaurants, I guess. It's also one of my favorite restaurants lately. Maybe because it's summer and I never want to eat anything greasy or heavy?
That night I gave Onslaught Mode a whirl with Ryan and Jesse. It's Battlefield Bad Company 2's 4-player comp-stomp take on Horde Mode, and it's actually a lot of fun. And frantic.
Lindsay's been playing much more leisurely games. We downloaded all the King's Quest games, so she's been making her way through them while I pwn noobs.
Oliva is her FAQ.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Last day.
Today was my last day in the office. I was busy, there was a lot to do. I came in and found that everyone had drawn me a custom shoe to say goodbye.
Also, a bunch of donuts and bagels. Score.
I ate and talked and then got to work... for a bit. But some people took me out to lunch at this Asian/French place. I was stuffed from eating too many bagels and donuts, so I just got a salad. But it was good.
I spent the rest of the day finishing a project and trying to clean and move files. I didn't get out until 6:30 or 7. Natalie and Emiko stayed to help, they were pretty bummed out.
We stood around in the parking lot talking for a bit. The goodbye was especially long and sad considering I would be in Monday for a meeting.
Finally we went our separate ways, and before I even took two turns, a TERRIBLE storm hit. I literally couldn't see more than 20-30 feet out, but the highways were empty besides people who had pulled under a bridge, so I just took it slow and steady. I didn't make it far before decided to pull off to wait it out. I got off and went to Best Buy to see if they had any new slim 360s.
There was standing water about 2 feet deep all over the roads, so it was pretty treacherous. The worst being right in front of the Best Buy parking lot. I finally got in and was greeted by a bunch of employees huddled around the front door. There was a tornado and all the customers had gone down to the basement. They told me I couldn't join then but I just cruised around for a while until the rain let up a bit.
I finally got home and didn't do much else for the night. I played A Kingdom for Keflings and worked on my pimped-out castle. I watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and it was amazingly good. I decided to make some headway on my DLC backlog, so I played through the Gears 2 DLC that I've had sitting on my harddrive for months. It wasn't that good. Oh well.
At least I know now.
Also, a bunch of donuts and bagels. Score.
I ate and talked and then got to work... for a bit. But some people took me out to lunch at this Asian/French place. I was stuffed from eating too many bagels and donuts, so I just got a salad. But it was good.
I spent the rest of the day finishing a project and trying to clean and move files. I didn't get out until 6:30 or 7. Natalie and Emiko stayed to help, they were pretty bummed out.
We stood around in the parking lot talking for a bit. The goodbye was especially long and sad considering I would be in Monday for a meeting.
Finally we went our separate ways, and before I even took two turns, a TERRIBLE storm hit. I literally couldn't see more than 20-30 feet out, but the highways were empty besides people who had pulled under a bridge, so I just took it slow and steady. I didn't make it far before decided to pull off to wait it out. I got off and went to Best Buy to see if they had any new slim 360s.
There was standing water about 2 feet deep all over the roads, so it was pretty treacherous. The worst being right in front of the Best Buy parking lot. I finally got in and was greeted by a bunch of employees huddled around the front door. There was a tornado and all the customers had gone down to the basement. They told me I couldn't join then but I just cruised around for a while until the rain let up a bit.
I finally got home and didn't do much else for the night. I played A Kingdom for Keflings and worked on my pimped-out castle. I watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and it was amazingly good. I decided to make some headway on my DLC backlog, so I played through the Gears 2 DLC that I've had sitting on my harddrive for months. It wasn't that good. Oh well.
At least I know now.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Risk-y business. HA!
After work I went to the gym. I hadn't been there recently thanks to a bad cold, but I was feeling good enough. Afterward I met up with Ryan. We went to grab some food and talk. I hadn't seen him in a month, really. I think the last time I really hung out besides emails or Xbox Live was at the Memorial Day BBQ. Oh wait. He wasn't there...
We talked for a long while, then I started up Risk: Factions and we played for a couple hours without realizing time was passing. Before i knew it, it was midnight.
I picked up Risk: Factions off XBLA. It's a good adaptation of the boardgame. You can play classic Risk, but the objective-based Factions mode makes games take quite a bit less than a normal Risk game.
I played through the single player in one sitting. It's five games, and the first ones are one-on-one, so they take almost no time at all. I thought it was pretty good. A lot of fun but short. There's skirmishes and stuff, but it's not a ton of content to keep you going.
It's (predictably) a lot more fun with some other people. Duh. A whole, whole lot of fun. In fact, I'm considering having some people over for the sole-purpose of playing...
Nerdy? Maybe. But whateves.
We talked for a long while, then I started up Risk: Factions and we played for a couple hours without realizing time was passing. Before i knew it, it was midnight.
I picked up Risk: Factions off XBLA. It's a good adaptation of the boardgame. You can play classic Risk, but the objective-based Factions mode makes games take quite a bit less than a normal Risk game.
I played through the single player in one sitting. It's five games, and the first ones are one-on-one, so they take almost no time at all. I thought it was pretty good. A lot of fun but short. There's skirmishes and stuff, but it's not a ton of content to keep you going.
It's (predictably) a lot more fun with some other people. Duh. A whole, whole lot of fun. In fact, I'm considering having some people over for the sole-purpose of playing...
Nerdy? Maybe. But whateves.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Red Dead.
I beat Red Dead Redemption today. And I'm feeling bummed about it hours later...
Spoilers. Be warned.
The fact that John Marston died was not that suprsing from a narrative perspective. It made sense, I realized he was being set up for tragedy from the get-go.
Once I killed Dutch and returned to me farm, I thought maybe they were letting John off easy, I even thought that once I was reunited with my family, it would just roll credits after a quick cutscene. But instead there was a whole sequence on the farm where I rebuilt my life. Instead of killing and adventuring and being a hero, the quests were downright quaint. I taught my son to hunt. I herded the cattle with my uncle. I visited an old friend with my wife.
It's so obvious that they are letting you do these tasks to make a connection with the thing you've been fighting the whole game to be reunited with before they take it from you permanently.
What a bummer. I was actually totally bummed, and not really in an "How awesome. It was sad but still totally satisfied" kind of way" I was 1/2 sad and 1/2 mad.
Mad for two reasons: First of all, it seemed like an easy way to punch you in the face. The they threw in the worst ending possible just because they could. Also, I really, really liked John Marston's voice actor and character model. He looked awesome, his face looked 10 times better than any other character's face. And his voice was PERFECT.
So I was mad that the game lets you continue playing as John's son Jack. At first I didn't like Jack Marston. He looks like a little baby face with sleeze-mo facial hair, and his voice reminds me of some teen mid-pubescent kid.
I rode around for a minute as Jack. I had challenges, stranger quests, all that jazz left to complete. But after a couple minutes I decided maybe I was just done. I didn't want to be Jack.
The more I was away from the game, the more I thought the about the ending and everything that went down, and the more I felt like it was pretty awesome. The game's setting and era fit perfetly with the admitedly not-revolutionary story. Technology and government control was on the rise and the age of cowboys and outlaws ending. There's no place for people like John Marston, and he can't escape his past. Everyone told you that through the entire game... and sure enough the ending reflected that. Harshly.
I felt it coming when Dutch died, saying if you kill him the government and it's minions will just find a new monster to justify their wages. After returning to the farm and doing slow, simply chores to build up a relationship with your son and wife made me say "something very bad will happen". So when it did, it didn't feel cheap.
So I decided I liked the ending a lot. And because I liked playing as the character John Marston, and the game takes that away from me, it actually made his death more effective. But it still felt unresolved.
And it was. Sure enough, I went back looking for more and found one final quest. It's story, relatively simple and pretty quiet. So I beat the game. For real this time.
Afterward I was like "NOW I feel better about this ending," And now I feel ok about Jack too. I might not play much more since I really did a lot in the game and there's not a ton left, but I'm OK doing it as Jack now. Although I'd still rather spend my time with John.
So Red Dead Redemption was great. Maybe the missions got boring here and there. And although good on the whole, the writing sometimes fell more in service of explaining away the gameplay than advancing the plot, but I loved being in that world. A lot.
Spoilers. Be warned.
The fact that John Marston died was not that suprsing from a narrative perspective. It made sense, I realized he was being set up for tragedy from the get-go.
Once I killed Dutch and returned to me farm, I thought maybe they were letting John off easy, I even thought that once I was reunited with my family, it would just roll credits after a quick cutscene. But instead there was a whole sequence on the farm where I rebuilt my life. Instead of killing and adventuring and being a hero, the quests were downright quaint. I taught my son to hunt. I herded the cattle with my uncle. I visited an old friend with my wife.
It's so obvious that they are letting you do these tasks to make a connection with the thing you've been fighting the whole game to be reunited with before they take it from you permanently.
What a bummer. I was actually totally bummed, and not really in an "How awesome. It was sad but still totally satisfied" kind of way" I was 1/2 sad and 1/2 mad.
Mad for two reasons: First of all, it seemed like an easy way to punch you in the face. The they threw in the worst ending possible just because they could. Also, I really, really liked John Marston's voice actor and character model. He looked awesome, his face looked 10 times better than any other character's face. And his voice was PERFECT.
So I was mad that the game lets you continue playing as John's son Jack. At first I didn't like Jack Marston. He looks like a little baby face with sleeze-mo facial hair, and his voice reminds me of some teen mid-pubescent kid.
I rode around for a minute as Jack. I had challenges, stranger quests, all that jazz left to complete. But after a couple minutes I decided maybe I was just done. I didn't want to be Jack.
The more I was away from the game, the more I thought the about the ending and everything that went down, and the more I felt like it was pretty awesome. The game's setting and era fit perfetly with the admitedly not-revolutionary story. Technology and government control was on the rise and the age of cowboys and outlaws ending. There's no place for people like John Marston, and he can't escape his past. Everyone told you that through the entire game... and sure enough the ending reflected that. Harshly.
I felt it coming when Dutch died, saying if you kill him the government and it's minions will just find a new monster to justify their wages. After returning to the farm and doing slow, simply chores to build up a relationship with your son and wife made me say "something very bad will happen". So when it did, it didn't feel cheap.
So I decided I liked the ending a lot. And because I liked playing as the character John Marston, and the game takes that away from me, it actually made his death more effective. But it still felt unresolved.
And it was. Sure enough, I went back looking for more and found one final quest. It's story, relatively simple and pretty quiet. So I beat the game. For real this time.
Afterward I was like "NOW I feel better about this ending," And now I feel ok about Jack too. I might not play much more since I really did a lot in the game and there's not a ton left, but I'm OK doing it as Jack now. Although I'd still rather spend my time with John.
So Red Dead Redemption was great. Maybe the missions got boring here and there. And although good on the whole, the writing sometimes fell more in service of explaining away the gameplay than advancing the plot, but I loved being in that world. A lot.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Everybody loves donuts.
On Friday Linday and I went to the Mall after work. Lindsay needed some new work-type clothes for presenting for clients. I was hoping to see if the new model of Xbox 360's were in.
We didn't have much luck on either front. Lindsay didn't find much, despite checking. Both Gamestop stores were sold out of the new 360. I checked Best Buy, and they had gotten a shipment of ten at 6PM, and were down to five (it was 7:30). I didn't want to lug it around all night, so I stopped back in on our way out. Of course, they were all gone. Oh well. The studio will have to remain game-less for now.
We went to Fuji Ya on our way home.
On Saturday we ran to run some errands. We ended up into North Minneapolis, to buy some fabric at Crafty Planet. There's a bakery next door, so we stopped in for a tasty treat. The women working were packing up, and ended up just giving us about 50 donuts for 5 bucks.
That's a lot of donuts. It probably weight like 15 pounds. We went back to Crafty Planet and gave a few away to the women working. Then we went to the studio and gave Adam, Chris S and Isara some donuts. There were still about 40 donuts left, so we gave them to a bunch of dudes who were playing Warhammer and Magic down at Universe Games, right below the studio.
Sunday I finally got my bike fixed. I was pretty darn excited, so I rode it to the gym. Then I ran and lifted some weights and ran home. I was pretty tired.
Then we got word our three new couches would be delivered, so I got to move a lot of furniture for a couple hours. One of the new couches is really, really heavy. I suspect it has a lot to do with the fold-out bed contained within.
They're all really nice, though, and it's super cool to have a couple couches back in the living room.
We didn't have much luck on either front. Lindsay didn't find much, despite checking. Both Gamestop stores were sold out of the new 360. I checked Best Buy, and they had gotten a shipment of ten at 6PM, and were down to five (it was 7:30). I didn't want to lug it around all night, so I stopped back in on our way out. Of course, they were all gone. Oh well. The studio will have to remain game-less for now.
We went to Fuji Ya on our way home.
On Saturday we ran to run some errands. We ended up into North Minneapolis, to buy some fabric at Crafty Planet. There's a bakery next door, so we stopped in for a tasty treat. The women working were packing up, and ended up just giving us about 50 donuts for 5 bucks.
That's a lot of donuts. It probably weight like 15 pounds. We went back to Crafty Planet and gave a few away to the women working. Then we went to the studio and gave Adam, Chris S and Isara some donuts. There were still about 40 donuts left, so we gave them to a bunch of dudes who were playing Warhammer and Magic down at Universe Games, right below the studio.
Sunday I finally got my bike fixed. I was pretty darn excited, so I rode it to the gym. Then I ran and lifted some weights and ran home. I was pretty tired.
Then we got word our three new couches would be delivered, so I got to move a lot of furniture for a couple hours. One of the new couches is really, really heavy. I suspect it has a lot to do with the fold-out bed contained within.
They're all really nice, though, and it's super cool to have a couple couches back in the living room.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Take this Job... Please!
Man, I've been bad at updating this lately. A lot has been going on, kind of.
On Monday I marched right into work and let them know I'll be leaving in two weeks. I'll continue my relationship for as long as they would like to keep using me, I'll just be working from the Paper Bicycle studio. The first week is already up, so one more week and then I'm with Paper Bicycle full-time.
Work took it well and everyone seems pretty positive about being able to keep working together, although the big time boss isn't around this week to really make any decisions. She would like to have a meeting on Monday to try to persuade me to stay, but short of giving me a raise, setting up a 360 in my office and changing my little to "VP of Leveling up in Battlefield" I won't be hanging around.
I went to the studio after work and helped redo some drawings for a couple hours, and I was very tired.
Tuesday didn't start out well. I was so tired I woke up late, and got a ticket on my way to work. Sucky.
The rest of the week was kind of a blur. The project I'm working on is no fun, so work has kind of been a drag... After work I've usually be going to the gym, cleaning, and watching the BBC's Life.
I haven't found little to no time to play many games, which is crappy, but whatevs. I was on a role beating games left and right for a while, but now Red Dead is still sitting there woefully under-loved.
Luckily nothing new of interest is coming out, but here's a list of things I am going to play/would like to play based on what I own and new downloadable content.
Still playing/ will probably finish:
Red Dead Redemption
Still (like to be) playing/ probably won't ever finish:
3-D Dot Heroes
Monster Hunter Tri
Demon's Souls
Current 'Jump-In for a Round Now and Then' Games:
Super Street Fighter 4
Battlefield Bad Company 2
Snoopy Flying Ace
Should Play (but on PC, so I probably won't):
Mount and Blade: Warband
Secret of Monkey Island Season 1
Team Fortress 2
SWAT 4
Purchased DLC (or DLC I fully intend to purchase):
Mass Effect 2- all the DLC to date
Red Dead Redemption- co-op DLC
Borderlands- Secret Armory of General Knoxx
Left 4 Dead 2- The Passing
Alan Wake- still unreleased DLC
Battlefield Bad Company 2- Onslaught Mode
Man, I need to go back to:
Dragon Age: Origins
MAG (maybe)
Uncharted 2 multiplayer (...maybe not)
Hmmm. I'm just going to go ahead and jump back into Red Dead first chance I get.
On Monday I marched right into work and let them know I'll be leaving in two weeks. I'll continue my relationship for as long as they would like to keep using me, I'll just be working from the Paper Bicycle studio. The first week is already up, so one more week and then I'm with Paper Bicycle full-time.
Work took it well and everyone seems pretty positive about being able to keep working together, although the big time boss isn't around this week to really make any decisions. She would like to have a meeting on Monday to try to persuade me to stay, but short of giving me a raise, setting up a 360 in my office and changing my little to "VP of Leveling up in Battlefield" I won't be hanging around.
I went to the studio after work and helped redo some drawings for a couple hours, and I was very tired.
Tuesday didn't start out well. I was so tired I woke up late, and got a ticket on my way to work. Sucky.
The rest of the week was kind of a blur. The project I'm working on is no fun, so work has kind of been a drag... After work I've usually be going to the gym, cleaning, and watching the BBC's Life.
I haven't found little to no time to play many games, which is crappy, but whatevs. I was on a role beating games left and right for a while, but now Red Dead is still sitting there woefully under-loved.
Luckily nothing new of interest is coming out, but here's a list of things I am going to play/would like to play based on what I own and new downloadable content.
Still playing/ will probably finish:
Red Dead Redemption
Still (like to be) playing/ probably won't ever finish:
3-D Dot Heroes
Monster Hunter Tri
Demon's Souls
Current 'Jump-In for a Round Now and Then' Games:
Super Street Fighter 4
Battlefield Bad Company 2
Snoopy Flying Ace
Should Play (but on PC, so I probably won't):
Mount and Blade: Warband
Secret of Monkey Island Season 1
Team Fortress 2
SWAT 4
Purchased DLC (or DLC I fully intend to purchase):
Mass Effect 2- all the DLC to date
Red Dead Redemption- co-op DLC
Borderlands- Secret Armory of General Knoxx
Left 4 Dead 2- The Passing
Alan Wake- still unreleased DLC
Battlefield Bad Company 2- Onslaught Mode
Man, I need to go back to:
Dragon Age: Origins
MAG (maybe)
Uncharted 2 multiplayer (...maybe not)
Hmmm. I'm just going to go ahead and jump back into Red Dead first chance I get.
Visiting and working.
This weekend was... fine. My mom came up on Friday night, so I was cleaning after work to make sure she had someplace to sleep. When she got here, we went to Longfellow Grill and Lindsay met up with us as we were finishing up.
Saturday was a running errands kind of day. We ran around and picked up a bunch of stuff, some important (a new desk for me) some less so (a hat for my mom). We spent 6 hours shopping and driving around before we ended up at the studio. I assembled my desk and new chair, and then we hung around with Lindsay, Francesca and Atom for a bit before getting some Sushi at Fuji Ya.
I picked up the BBC's Life on BluRay, so we watched that before bed. It's great, Lindsay especially loved it, although Oprah narrating was really, really distracting at first. It's still awful, but much less distracting now that I've seen a few.
On Sunday we did breakfast before my mom left. Then Lindsay and I headed to the studio and worked for about 9 hours. We brought Twink with us, and he was pretty funny in the new space. Poor Atari had to stay home, he was shedding too much.
It was an OK weekend. All I really wanted to do was play some games but I never really got a chance. Oh well. Someday I want a weekend where there's no work to be done, no one visits, I don't have to move furniture and there's nothing pressing going on.
Saturday was a running errands kind of day. We ran around and picked up a bunch of stuff, some important (a new desk for me) some less so (a hat for my mom). We spent 6 hours shopping and driving around before we ended up at the studio. I assembled my desk and new chair, and then we hung around with Lindsay, Francesca and Atom for a bit before getting some Sushi at Fuji Ya.
I picked up the BBC's Life on BluRay, so we watched that before bed. It's great, Lindsay especially loved it, although Oprah narrating was really, really distracting at first. It's still awful, but much less distracting now that I've seen a few.
On Sunday we did breakfast before my mom left. Then Lindsay and I headed to the studio and worked for about 9 hours. We brought Twink with us, and he was pretty funny in the new space. Poor Atari had to stay home, he was shedding too much.
It was an OK weekend. All I really wanted to do was play some games but I never really got a chance. Oh well. Someday I want a weekend where there's no work to be done, no one visits, I don't have to move furniture and there's nothing pressing going on.
Friday, June 11, 2010
What happened?
Man, this week has flown by. Again.
I remember I went to the studio and helped set some stuff up on Monday, before going to sushi at Tiger Sushi (because Fuji-Ya isn't open Mondays).
I went to the gym and got 3D Dot Game Heroes in the mail on Wednesday. Lindsay got a shipment of drink ware she made for Vessel, and we open our packages in the backyard with the dogs. I spent a lot of time helping my sister transfer video from her camcorder to her computer, and finally I just bought her a new camcorder so I could save time.
Last night I met up with Chris C and Jessie. We ate some food and I visited Chris' new house. I didn't leave until 10:30 or so, and by then Lindsay and my mom were both trying to get a hold of me. Lindsay thought I was in trouble, since I hadn't been home yet, and my mom was checking to make sure I remembered she was coming up on Friday. I hadn't.
Today I cleaned a whole bunch, for my mom. I got home and cleaned for hours and got really sweaty. Once I finished I sat down and played some Team Fortress 2 while waiting for her to arrive. It was just released on Mac, and it runs really well. Finally, I can get in on some TF2 action. I've discovered the Engineer to be really useful. The Heavy, too.
This has been a long, long week at work. I stayed late most nights, and the high-stress boss lady from corporate is in town. Traffic seemed worse than ever, and even though I was staying later, it still took an hour to get home some nights.
This was all compounded by the fact that I've decided to announce this upcoming Monday that I'm 'leaving' my current company and setting up shop at Paper Bicycle towers. I'm really excited, and it makes ever day I keep it a secret that much more torturous.
I say 'leaving' because I will continue to assist them with projects, off site and with the help of Paper Bicycle, if they want me too. I know for the next month or so they'll pretty much have no choice, and after that... I don't know.
I don't know what was happening after the next month or two for people who are staying either, though.
I remember I went to the studio and helped set some stuff up on Monday, before going to sushi at Tiger Sushi (because Fuji-Ya isn't open Mondays).
I went to the gym and got 3D Dot Game Heroes in the mail on Wednesday. Lindsay got a shipment of drink ware she made for Vessel, and we open our packages in the backyard with the dogs. I spent a lot of time helping my sister transfer video from her camcorder to her computer, and finally I just bought her a new camcorder so I could save time.
Last night I met up with Chris C and Jessie. We ate some food and I visited Chris' new house. I didn't leave until 10:30 or so, and by then Lindsay and my mom were both trying to get a hold of me. Lindsay thought I was in trouble, since I hadn't been home yet, and my mom was checking to make sure I remembered she was coming up on Friday. I hadn't.
Today I cleaned a whole bunch, for my mom. I got home and cleaned for hours and got really sweaty. Once I finished I sat down and played some Team Fortress 2 while waiting for her to arrive. It was just released on Mac, and it runs really well. Finally, I can get in on some TF2 action. I've discovered the Engineer to be really useful. The Heavy, too.
This has been a long, long week at work. I stayed late most nights, and the high-stress boss lady from corporate is in town. Traffic seemed worse than ever, and even though I was staying later, it still took an hour to get home some nights.
This was all compounded by the fact that I've decided to announce this upcoming Monday that I'm 'leaving' my current company and setting up shop at Paper Bicycle towers. I'm really excited, and it makes ever day I keep it a secret that much more torturous.
I say 'leaving' because I will continue to assist them with projects, off site and with the help of Paper Bicycle, if they want me too. I know for the next month or so they'll pretty much have no choice, and after that... I don't know.
I don't know what was happening after the next month or two for people who are staying either, though.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
4 unlikely games.
I played 4 games a lot this weekend. Considering I have Red Dead Redemption, Alan Wake, Super Street Fighter 4 and a grip of other, sweet games to play, the games I actually kept coming back to might be a surprise.
1. Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing. With ModNation Racers, Blur and Split/Second all hitting the shelves within a week of each other, I've been tempted to pick up a new kart-esque racer. I've almost pulled the trigger on all three at one point or another... But every time I just remembered that I've still got Sonic And Sega All-Stars Racing sitting on my shelf.
I went through the entire game a few weeks/months back, winning all Gran Prix events. But once I beat the last tier, I just put the game aside (probably thanks to Red Dead, Alan Wake etc...). But it was a blast and there's a lot to the game I hadn't even touched yet: a cool challenge mode, multiplayer, ranked time trials, unlockables, crazy achievements. And the more I play it, the more I like it. It's really great. And the bright, crisp graphics look great. Especially on my new TV.
2. World of Warcraft. Lindsay and I have done a couple of quest-sessions in WoW this weekend. That one is just surprising because we haven't played in months, but it's always fun to come back. I should just cancel my subscription and re-up when the mood strikes me to play, but whatever. I'm pretty sure lazy people and convenience are what pays Blizzard's bills.
(That never gets old. Out of the 4 or so times I've seen it.)
I always like playing WoW because it's one of the only games Lindsay can play with me for extended periods of time, so I'm always game to go back to Azeroth (or the Outlands, in our case)...
Snoopy Flying Ace. Maybe most surprising of all is how into this week's XBLA release, Snoopy Flying Ace, I am. But it's a super-tight flight combat game that has excellent chunky graphics, tons of variety and awesome levels and planes. The single player is good enough, I guess, but the multiplayer is where it's at. It's stellar.
I can't stop hopping into a few multiplayer matches whenever I have a minute. Totally worth the 10 bucks, it's completely solid and more fun than it seems like it should be.
4. Demon's Souls. And finally, in stark contrast to all the colorful, bubbly, happy-go-lucky games on this list, I've returned to Demon's Souls. The darkest, hardest game I own. It's fucking metal.
Demon's Souls is constantly in the back of my mind. It's so bizarre and foreign and kind of scary to me, and I love everything about it. Within minutes of starting it up again, I remember 'Oh yeah... This is one of my favorite games. Ever. I feel like I could play this game on and off for years (and I probably will).
There's something indescribably special about Demon's Souls. I think the most lovable games are often the most divisive. Shadow of the Colossus, Far Cry 2, Demon's Souls; you either love them (REALLY love them) or you hate them (maybe you're just apathetic towards them). Everyone likes Call of Duty or Halo or whatever. They're polished and fun and awesome. But it's hard to love them, because they lack the uniqueness and personality of something more... obtuse.
Goddam I love you, Demon's Souls.
1. Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing. With ModNation Racers, Blur and Split/Second all hitting the shelves within a week of each other, I've been tempted to pick up a new kart-esque racer. I've almost pulled the trigger on all three at one point or another... But every time I just remembered that I've still got Sonic And Sega All-Stars Racing sitting on my shelf.
I went through the entire game a few weeks/months back, winning all Gran Prix events. But once I beat the last tier, I just put the game aside (probably thanks to Red Dead, Alan Wake etc...). But it was a blast and there's a lot to the game I hadn't even touched yet: a cool challenge mode, multiplayer, ranked time trials, unlockables, crazy achievements. And the more I play it, the more I like it. It's really great. And the bright, crisp graphics look great. Especially on my new TV.
2. World of Warcraft. Lindsay and I have done a couple of quest-sessions in WoW this weekend. That one is just surprising because we haven't played in months, but it's always fun to come back. I should just cancel my subscription and re-up when the mood strikes me to play, but whatever. I'm pretty sure lazy people and convenience are what pays Blizzard's bills.
(That never gets old. Out of the 4 or so times I've seen it.)
I always like playing WoW because it's one of the only games Lindsay can play with me for extended periods of time, so I'm always game to go back to Azeroth (or the Outlands, in our case)...
Snoopy Flying Ace. Maybe most surprising of all is how into this week's XBLA release, Snoopy Flying Ace, I am. But it's a super-tight flight combat game that has excellent chunky graphics, tons of variety and awesome levels and planes. The single player is good enough, I guess, but the multiplayer is where it's at. It's stellar.
I can't stop hopping into a few multiplayer matches whenever I have a minute. Totally worth the 10 bucks, it's completely solid and more fun than it seems like it should be.
4. Demon's Souls. And finally, in stark contrast to all the colorful, bubbly, happy-go-lucky games on this list, I've returned to Demon's Souls. The darkest, hardest game I own. It's fucking metal.
Demon's Souls is constantly in the back of my mind. It's so bizarre and foreign and kind of scary to me, and I love everything about it. Within minutes of starting it up again, I remember 'Oh yeah... This is one of my favorite games. Ever. I feel like I could play this game on and off for years (and I probably will).
There's something indescribably special about Demon's Souls. I think the most lovable games are often the most divisive. Shadow of the Colossus, Far Cry 2, Demon's Souls; you either love them (REALLY love them) or you hate them (maybe you're just apathetic towards them). Everyone likes Call of Duty or Halo or whatever. They're polished and fun and awesome. But it's hard to love them, because they lack the uniqueness and personality of something more... obtuse.
Goddam I love you, Demon's Souls.
Moving in slowly.
This week was a short one, thanks to Memorial Day. But for some reason, it felt looooong. Our corporate head was in town, and our new art director started on Thursday. So there were meetings, greetings and presentations galore. Weee!
On Friday Lindsay's parents came up to drop off a lot of the stuff they took home when we disassembled the previous studio. I went straight home after work to meet them at our house and load up a bunch of furniture to take to the studio. We brought a couch, a map chest, and a bunch of shelves from our house.
We spent a couple hours unloading it all and moving it up to the 6th floor. Luckily, although the elevator looks really small, it fit everything. Even the stuff I was certain was way too big.
The next day we slept in really late. When we finally were up and moving, we went to Best Buy and picked up a small fridge and a toaster/convection oven. We bounced over to Ikea and bought three couches, two for the living room to replace the one we brough to the studio and the one we're going to throw out, and one that has a fold-out bed for the guest room. We also grabbed a giant rug for the studio because it's really empty and echoes like crazy.
We spent some time rearranging the studio at at at Falafel King, which is right next door. On our way home we stopped at Target for a new Router, and as we walked in, a small Mexican girl ran out into the parking lot crying. We stopped her and gathered she was lost, although she didn't seem to speak much English. Or maybe she was just crying to much. We brought her back inside and helped her find her mom.
We finally got home at around 9:30, and I spent some time working out before Lindsay and I played World of Warcraft for a couple hour. It's been months since we'd last logged in, but it was fun.
When Lindsay was getting ready for bed, I hopped onto EVE Online to give it whirl. I only played for about 15 minutes before deleting it forever. It's too hardcore. Too slow, and too crazy for me.
On Friday Lindsay's parents came up to drop off a lot of the stuff they took home when we disassembled the previous studio. I went straight home after work to meet them at our house and load up a bunch of furniture to take to the studio. We brought a couch, a map chest, and a bunch of shelves from our house.
We spent a couple hours unloading it all and moving it up to the 6th floor. Luckily, although the elevator looks really small, it fit everything. Even the stuff I was certain was way too big.
The next day we slept in really late. When we finally were up and moving, we went to Best Buy and picked up a small fridge and a toaster/convection oven. We bounced over to Ikea and bought three couches, two for the living room to replace the one we brough to the studio and the one we're going to throw out, and one that has a fold-out bed for the guest room. We also grabbed a giant rug for the studio because it's really empty and echoes like crazy.
We spent some time rearranging the studio at at at Falafel King, which is right next door. On our way home we stopped at Target for a new Router, and as we walked in, a small Mexican girl ran out into the parking lot crying. We stopped her and gathered she was lost, although she didn't seem to speak much English. Or maybe she was just crying to much. We brought her back inside and helped her find her mom.
We finally got home at around 9:30, and I spent some time working out before Lindsay and I played World of Warcraft for a couple hour. It's been months since we'd last logged in, but it was fun.
When Lindsay was getting ready for bed, I hopped onto EVE Online to give it whirl. I only played for about 15 minutes before deleting it forever. It's too hardcore. Too slow, and too crazy for me.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
New Studio.
So last I wrote, I wanted to go home and sleep. Instead, I went home and went running and lifted weights. Just as good, I guess.
It was Jesse's last night in town and we just sat around and ate and talked and played games. It was fun. But having constant house guests and having to clean/entertain/eat all the time makes me feel pretty lousy, so I felt pretty crappy by the time I went to bed.
Hopefully I will have some recoup time. But we officially move into our new (rented) studio. We finally gave up on the short sale of the condo. We were fed of with the banks indecisive B.S. and just said 'eff it'. We contacted a place about some studio space and a week later, we're moving in. That's what I like to see...
It was Jesse's last night in town and we just sat around and ate and talked and played games. It was fun. But having constant house guests and having to clean/entertain/eat all the time makes me feel pretty lousy, so I felt pretty crappy by the time I went to bed.
Hopefully I will have some recoup time. But we officially move into our new (rented) studio. We finally gave up on the short sale of the condo. We were fed of with the banks indecisive B.S. and just said 'eff it'. We contacted a place about some studio space and a week later, we're moving in. That's what I like to see...
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