Well, I will soon be out of Rockford for good, which is a little sad....but, a little exciting because I get to look forward to a whole new set of students. WHEEEEE!!
Monday's suck....i've decided. I know everyone has said that before, but I think that when you wake up after having experienced a GREAT day of almost 60 degree weather, to the news telling you it's gonna snow tonight...well, it just kinda makes ya hate De Kalb and Illinois in general.
It's Monday night, so you know what that means...sitting at work again. No real stupid questions yet...but, I know they're coming.
Penny-Arcade is a very funny web-comic. Everytime I read their comics, I just have to laugh. These are not comics for the light of heart though. If you can not handle "language" then don't even bother checking them out. If you don't mind a little language....that is used humorously, check them out here!
Played a little World of Warcraft today again. Still loving it. I actually, haven't played Halo2 in 2 weeks now. Mind boggling. I think I'm losing my mind, but Warcraft is like taking over my gaming needs. Perhaps tomorrow night I will play some Halo2 and stop being such a roleplaying nerd, and begin being the better kind of nerd.....a First Person Shooter nerd!
Speaking of nerds, I met Matt for lunch the other day after my interview with Annawan Schools, and he showed me his rocking new IPOD Shuffle. This little baby is soooo sweet and if I am ever just flipping around like $100, I will pick one of these up. I don't expect to have $100 to just be flipping around anytime soon, but should the opportunity arrive, I'll be sure to flip it over to Best-Buy and pick one up.
I'm kind of weary of IPODs though. I mean, they're just so cute and trendy....the make me want to puke. There is a certain "type" of person that uses IPODs and MACS and stuff like that...and those people are very quirky. I dunno, MACS have always turned me the other way to my beloved crash-prone PC. I know she ain't much to look at, and she likes to blue screen at in-oppurtune times, but what can I say...it supports everything I want in a computer and feels the way I want a computer to feel. I have WAY to many memories with a PC and way to many bad memories with a MAC. Just my 2 cents on that.-
Andrea and I went over to my brother-in-law and sister's house on Saturday. We ate some pizze, Brian and I looked at his new Broadband from Comcast, and we messed around with Bittorrent...a truly lovely program. I then refreshed him on how to play Euchre so he would be ready to go for his Euchre club he just joined up with at his church. Should make for good times. I miss Euchre...such a classic game.
This weekend coming up, I get the privilege of going and taking my Assessement of Professional Teaching Test down in Normal, IL. Gotta love driving down there and enjoying the whole sitting and filling in bubbles for 2 1/2 hrs straight. Andrea and I hope to drive down there on Friday night, and stay in a hotel so I can just get up and go to my test the next morning. The alternative would be to get up hella early on Saturday morning, and drive there to take my test....the first scenario sounds like a much better idea.
The evil twins have managed to find out how to open our pantry closet door and go inside, bringing the evil thunder of their furry paws and demonic teeth to battle a wide assortment of food and pantry items such as: Beef jerky, paper bags, paper towels, catfood bag, bottled water....and many many other things. Because of this, they have forced me to fight back in the only way I know how...by using my brain. I know, i know...i could permanently injure myself doing something as dangerous as using my brain. I have faith though, that by doing this one heroic act, I will be able to allow those items in my pantry a much needed calm before the demonic spawns of satan figure out how to get past my locking mechanism of a thumb tack, a nail, and a hair tie stretched taunt! Figure THAT out oh ye children of darkness!
And with that, I must go do something else. Oll dis sofistikatied talk be mak'n my nudle hert!
-Dan out-
Monday, March 07, 2005
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Annawan-t a job...And I Got One
So...Annawan Schools decided that I was a good candidate for their Art Teacher position and made my day today by hiring me. I begin work in the fall of 2005. It's gonna be tough, taking over a k-12 art curriculum, but hey, after writing that crazy 16 week curriculum....this should be a walk in the park....a park with dinosaurs...that shoot lava out of their eyes at anything they look at. Yeah....kinda like that. I'm psyched though, and thanks go to my lovely wife Andrea for helping me with my resume. Without her help, my resume would have said something like, "I did some art stuff....oh, and my name is Dan....haha, hire me please!" So thanks baby, and get well!
In other news, WOW is getting more and more fun. I have a couple pictures to show you of my current character and what she's been up to....assuming you care.
!!!WARNING!!! ... this is only for the NERD at heart!
Here is a shot of my mage casting a nice fireball spell...
This next shot is my mage fighting a bad little humanoid called a KOBOLD
This final shot is of my mage looking at the town of Goldshire off in the distance.
Look at all the people hanging around...there is a RIDICULOUS amount of people playing this game...this is but a shred of those people.
Hope enjoyed NERD hour there.
That's about all I have to say for tonite....until next time
-dan out-
In other news, WOW is getting more and more fun. I have a couple pictures to show you of my current character and what she's been up to....assuming you care.
!!!WARNING!!! ... this is only for the NERD at heart!
Here is a shot of my mage casting a nice fireball spell...
This next shot is my mage fighting a bad little humanoid called a KOBOLD
This final shot is of my mage looking at the town of Goldshire off in the distance.
Look at all the people hanging around...there is a RIDICULOUS amount of people playing this game...this is but a shred of those people.
Hope enjoyed NERD hour there.
That's about all I have to say for tonite....until next time
-dan out-
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Monday, February 21, 2005
DAY OFF!!!......meh!
Well, today was my day off from student teaching. I used today to fill out a couple applications, put together another packet of my resume, cover letter, official transcripts and school application to send out to the good old town of Aledo. WHEEEEE....I would really like to work there. The town is small, there are not a SLEW of students, and it's not that far from the Q.C.
Early this morning, after Andrea left for work, I drove over to get a new pair of dressish pants, and see if my "new" phone was in over at Sprint. Luckily, the phone was on, and hey..what do ya know...it works! It is weird having a phone that actually works..and I can hear people on it. Odd....paying for a phone that works right!
After I got back from all that, I filled out the applications, and then sent Jarod an IM to see if he was up for a little Halo2. He was, and we played about 5 games or so when Andrea called wanting to know if I wanted to meet her for lunch. So I drove over to her work, picked her up, and we went and grabbed some food from KFC baby! I then dropped her back off at work, and drove back home.
Then, it was time for some Warcraft. I played this for quite a while, and at one point, Chaddy hopped on to play. He didnt' have long though, so we did a few quests...and he took off again. I really love this game, and think it is quite possibly the funnest game I've played out of all the MMORPG games I've played in my life. I've played quite a few too...Nexus (old game, played it in High School), next was probably a few of my betas like, Earth and Beyond...I think it was called, Eve Online, and there was one other one before I got into the StarWars Galaxies beta. This game was pretty darn fun, and got me sorta hooked on the whole idea of MMORPG's. I didn't play it very much though, so I just kinda stopped playing it. AFter that...I may have tried Galaxies out one more time. Gave up, because there was no one to play it with, and it really didn't seem like my type of game. Then, I found Warcraft....and poof, it was fun as heck. The shear number of people playing this game is mind boggling and adds to the experience of the game. I'll post some pics sometime soon to show ya my character and what the game is about if you are not up on these types of things.
I'm at work again, go figure, it seems like I'm ALWAYS working. Then I have a meeting after work tonight over in another computer lab, Grant Residence Hall's lab. That will last about 15 mins or so....and then it's home and off to bed. 5:30am comes WAYYY to early.
Tomorrow night I have parent teacher conferences again, which consists of myself and my cooperating teacher sitting there working on lesson ideas, or whatever else needs to be done and waiting for the three hours to get up. She is having her sculpture sock Monkey delivered tomorrow though, haha, which if you've seen all the frogs around East Moline and Silvis I think, you'll sorta have an idea as to why they're making Sock monkeys.....no idea really, but it's interesting, and when all the people who are painting one, or doing whatever to one, are through, they will be placed in public places all around Rockford. It's a Rockford thing I guess...haha.
Other than that, I will have to check my hookup site to see if the new 24 is up yet. I don't get to watch 24 when it is on....since I'm at work, so I usually get them online so I can watch them. I could just tape them I spose, but the quality suffers. I enjoy high quality.
Other than all of that, life is pretty much the same as the day before....working, sleeping, haha...occasionally I get to hang out with my wife, which always rules, or play a game....but, it sure does seem busy around here lately.
Until next time...
-Dan out-
Early this morning, after Andrea left for work, I drove over to get a new pair of dressish pants, and see if my "new" phone was in over at Sprint. Luckily, the phone was on, and hey..what do ya know...it works! It is weird having a phone that actually works..and I can hear people on it. Odd....paying for a phone that works right!
After I got back from all that, I filled out the applications, and then sent Jarod an IM to see if he was up for a little Halo2. He was, and we played about 5 games or so when Andrea called wanting to know if I wanted to meet her for lunch. So I drove over to her work, picked her up, and we went and grabbed some food from KFC baby! I then dropped her back off at work, and drove back home.
Then, it was time for some Warcraft. I played this for quite a while, and at one point, Chaddy hopped on to play. He didnt' have long though, so we did a few quests...and he took off again. I really love this game, and think it is quite possibly the funnest game I've played out of all the MMORPG games I've played in my life. I've played quite a few too...Nexus (old game, played it in High School), next was probably a few of my betas like, Earth and Beyond...I think it was called, Eve Online, and there was one other one before I got into the StarWars Galaxies beta. This game was pretty darn fun, and got me sorta hooked on the whole idea of MMORPG's. I didn't play it very much though, so I just kinda stopped playing it. AFter that...I may have tried Galaxies out one more time. Gave up, because there was no one to play it with, and it really didn't seem like my type of game. Then, I found Warcraft....and poof, it was fun as heck. The shear number of people playing this game is mind boggling and adds to the experience of the game. I'll post some pics sometime soon to show ya my character and what the game is about if you are not up on these types of things.
I'm at work again, go figure, it seems like I'm ALWAYS working. Then I have a meeting after work tonight over in another computer lab, Grant Residence Hall's lab. That will last about 15 mins or so....and then it's home and off to bed. 5:30am comes WAYYY to early.
Tomorrow night I have parent teacher conferences again, which consists of myself and my cooperating teacher sitting there working on lesson ideas, or whatever else needs to be done and waiting for the three hours to get up. She is having her sculpture sock Monkey delivered tomorrow though, haha, which if you've seen all the frogs around East Moline and Silvis I think, you'll sorta have an idea as to why they're making Sock monkeys.....no idea really, but it's interesting, and when all the people who are painting one, or doing whatever to one, are through, they will be placed in public places all around Rockford. It's a Rockford thing I guess...haha.
Other than that, I will have to check my hookup site to see if the new 24 is up yet. I don't get to watch 24 when it is on....since I'm at work, so I usually get them online so I can watch them. I could just tape them I spose, but the quality suffers. I enjoy high quality.
Other than all of that, life is pretty much the same as the day before....working, sleeping, haha...occasionally I get to hang out with my wife, which always rules, or play a game....but, it sure does seem busy around here lately.
Until next time...
-Dan out-
Sunday, February 20, 2005
4 Day Week this week baby!
Weekend is about over, but, oh wait...not quite. Tomorrow I have it off for President's Day...WHEEE. Hopefully Andrea doesn't read this...cause she doesn't have it off. I will be working on some stuff for school though, and playin with the cats a bit. I also am going to be filling out an application for a position at Annaway High School as an Art Teacher. I already sent out my resume and cover letter, and will be filling out the application either tonight, or tomorrow. All of it is due by the 22nd, so I should get it done very soon. It's only three pages long, which isn't to bad, and shouldnt' take more than 10 minutes to fill out. WHEEEE for a possible job.
Right now I'm sitting at my job in Grant Computer lab...being bored. It's a good job though, because it allows me time to work on other things besides work. Sunday makes for a long night though...with work from 3-5pm, then from 6-10pm. Gotta love working.
I finished my audio book that I have been listening to on the way to and from Rockford where I am student teaching. The book was called Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. He is quite the author. I just started the 2nd book in the series called Stone of Tears, and so far, it's just as good as the first one. I just looked it up, and there are 9 books so far in this series. Add that to the Gunslinger Series I'm reading by Stephen King, and the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan I'm reading and there are QUITE a lot of books that I have to get through. Here's hoping!
Tonight kinda sucks, because Andrea is home now from the QC, but I work all night...so we don't get to hang out. This is how every Sunday seems to be, which really sucks, but we'll be hanging out next weekend together, so hopefully it will make up for the suck that is today.
I played some World of Warcraft with Chad this weekend. That game is so much fun. I was going to stay up last night and play with him and Matt till the whee hours of the morning, but I simply can NOT stay up late anymore. I just seem to fall asleep. About 11:30, I crashed, mainly cause I was sick of waiting for them, but also because of my exhaustedness.
I finally got a package from my friend Jonathan. He sent me some Star Trek: Enterprise episodes on some blank DVD's I provided for him. We had thought it was lost in the mail, but it turns out they were just..well, no idea what happened...but I have them now, which is all that matters.
Other than that, I have been reading this comic series called SuperMan and Batman. It's pretty darn good...a nice team up between the man of steel and the dark knight. Worth a check out if you enjoy comics.
Well, I'm going to get going...back to work now. I'll be in touch.
-Dan out-
Right now I'm sitting at my job in Grant Computer lab...being bored. It's a good job though, because it allows me time to work on other things besides work. Sunday makes for a long night though...with work from 3-5pm, then from 6-10pm. Gotta love working.
I finished my audio book that I have been listening to on the way to and from Rockford where I am student teaching. The book was called Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. He is quite the author. I just started the 2nd book in the series called Stone of Tears, and so far, it's just as good as the first one. I just looked it up, and there are 9 books so far in this series. Add that to the Gunslinger Series I'm reading by Stephen King, and the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan I'm reading and there are QUITE a lot of books that I have to get through. Here's hoping!
Tonight kinda sucks, because Andrea is home now from the QC, but I work all night...so we don't get to hang out. This is how every Sunday seems to be, which really sucks, but we'll be hanging out next weekend together, so hopefully it will make up for the suck that is today.
I played some World of Warcraft with Chad this weekend. That game is so much fun. I was going to stay up last night and play with him and Matt till the whee hours of the morning, but I simply can NOT stay up late anymore. I just seem to fall asleep. About 11:30, I crashed, mainly cause I was sick of waiting for them, but also because of my exhaustedness.
I finally got a package from my friend Jonathan. He sent me some Star Trek: Enterprise episodes on some blank DVD's I provided for him. We had thought it was lost in the mail, but it turns out they were just..well, no idea what happened...but I have them now, which is all that matters.
Other than that, I have been reading this comic series called SuperMan and Batman. It's pretty darn good...a nice team up between the man of steel and the dark knight. Worth a check out if you enjoy comics.
Well, I'm going to get going...back to work now. I'll be in touch.
-Dan out-
Monday, February 07, 2005
Superbowl Commercials
Found the site with all the SuperBowl commercials. Simply click HERE and check em all out if ya missed them like I did, or if you wanted to see them again. I gotta go work on a nice lesson plan on mosaics....
-dan out-
-dan out-
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Another Week....another Sunday
And another week is about to begin. I am not really looking forward to this week simply because i am just sorta sick of driving 45 mins both ways, as well as getting up at 5:30am every friggin morning. But, it's only for a semester, I'll manage.
Stuck at work...while everyone else watches the Superbowl. I really don't care who wins this, but it is always fun watching football no matter who is playing. The best part though about the superbowl is that the commercials are indeed some of teh best that any compnay forking over teh dough to advertise tonight on Fox, has to offer. I believe there will be a site that has all of them for people to watch streaming, and I hope to take a part in abusing that site so that I can see them.
Andrea and I drove to her brother's house on Saturday morning and hung out with him and Tricia and their our two nieces. Andrea's parents were also up there...so that was nice. I enjoy being at their place. We had a lot of fun hanging out and going out to eat for Greg's birthday. I wanna say he's 36, but, that might be wrong...something around there anyway. He got a cool poker chipset for his birthday and so myself, Andrea's dad Dale, Greg and his brother-in-law Dave all sat down and played some poker. I wasn't doing to badly, but I think what hurt me was forgetting that a flush beat 3 of a kind. Duh! I know, but well....now I know. Poker is fun though and even if it isn't for money, can still be a good way to spend a few hours.
Greg has all of these Chicago Cubs posters that he got somewhere and we are now starting to sell them on EBAY. We'll see if anyone buys them or not. If one sells, we'll throw up another and another....till they are gone. Hopefully he'll get a few bucks for it....if not, well, he's only out like $0.45 or something so no great loss.
I'm sitting in the lab tonight, and there are about 5 people in here. I find myself wanting to just go, "the lab is closed tonight, because of the SuperBowl", but I don't think my boss would go along with that to well.
I'm teaching almost every class all week now, since this is my fourth week. This is kinda cool too because when I am finished with this week, I will be 1/4 of the way through the semester and 1/4 of the way to being graduated for good!
I've been reading this comic called Supreme Power. This line published by Marvel is very interesting because it reveals the origin of this guy called Hyperion. It's all about a kid who crashes here from a distant planet, all Super-Man style, and this couple finds him, but the government takes him away and trains him as the "perfect American" so he'll fight for our side. He figures it all out when he grows older and gets all angry with the U.S. about what they did to him....all the while figuring out where he came from and why there are other people with crazy super powers as well the seemed to have appeared right when he did. Good times!
I finished the Stephen King book, The Drawing of the Three and it was pretty sweet. I have the next book in the Dark Tower Series entitled, The Waste Lands sitting here ready for me to begin reading. I will most likely start it tonight while I'm at work. Can't wait to see what happens next.
I suppose I should go figure out the lesson I am going to be teaching for Tuesday, so I can go over it with my cooperating teacher. So, until the next time I have some time and incentive to post something on here, take it easy....and go watch the SuperBowl.
-dan out-
Stuck at work...while everyone else watches the Superbowl. I really don't care who wins this, but it is always fun watching football no matter who is playing. The best part though about the superbowl is that the commercials are indeed some of teh best that any compnay forking over teh dough to advertise tonight on Fox, has to offer. I believe there will be a site that has all of them for people to watch streaming, and I hope to take a part in abusing that site so that I can see them.
Andrea and I drove to her brother's house on Saturday morning and hung out with him and Tricia and their our two nieces. Andrea's parents were also up there...so that was nice. I enjoy being at their place. We had a lot of fun hanging out and going out to eat for Greg's birthday. I wanna say he's 36, but, that might be wrong...something around there anyway. He got a cool poker chipset for his birthday and so myself, Andrea's dad Dale, Greg and his brother-in-law Dave all sat down and played some poker. I wasn't doing to badly, but I think what hurt me was forgetting that a flush beat 3 of a kind. Duh! I know, but well....now I know. Poker is fun though and even if it isn't for money, can still be a good way to spend a few hours.
Greg has all of these Chicago Cubs posters that he got somewhere and we are now starting to sell them on EBAY. We'll see if anyone buys them or not. If one sells, we'll throw up another and another....till they are gone. Hopefully he'll get a few bucks for it....if not, well, he's only out like $0.45 or something so no great loss.
I'm sitting in the lab tonight, and there are about 5 people in here. I find myself wanting to just go, "the lab is closed tonight, because of the SuperBowl", but I don't think my boss would go along with that to well.
I'm teaching almost every class all week now, since this is my fourth week. This is kinda cool too because when I am finished with this week, I will be 1/4 of the way through the semester and 1/4 of the way to being graduated for good!
I've been reading this comic called Supreme Power. This line published by Marvel is very interesting because it reveals the origin of this guy called Hyperion. It's all about a kid who crashes here from a distant planet, all Super-Man style, and this couple finds him, but the government takes him away and trains him as the "perfect American" so he'll fight for our side. He figures it all out when he grows older and gets all angry with the U.S. about what they did to him....all the while figuring out where he came from and why there are other people with crazy super powers as well the seemed to have appeared right when he did. Good times!
I finished the Stephen King book, The Drawing of the Three and it was pretty sweet. I have the next book in the Dark Tower Series entitled, The Waste Lands sitting here ready for me to begin reading. I will most likely start it tonight while I'm at work. Can't wait to see what happens next.
I suppose I should go figure out the lesson I am going to be teaching for Tuesday, so I can go over it with my cooperating teacher. So, until the next time I have some time and incentive to post something on here, take it easy....and go watch the SuperBowl.
-dan out-
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
WOHOOOOO!
Yes yes yes....life is going ok. What with a subject heading like, "WOHOOOOO!" you'd think that something great had just happened. Well it has kinda. First off, we have been waiting for our $#%! insurance card for the better part of a month now. 3 weeks is a long time to go without insurance for a car. We held off driving it for a week or so, the agent promised the card would be there by the end of the week. Friday, nothin, Saturday, nothin, Sunday....well, you get the picture. I called him back on Monday and was all ">:o". He was like, oh, there was a hang up, you'll get it this week for sure. The policy has gone active though, so you're covered as we speak. So again, waiting, waiting...nothing. I call him back again the following Monday, having already been driving the car, I have to be in Rockford every day, and Andrea is working....so I we HAVE to drive that other car. So when I call him, he's "busy" but I leave a message and wait a call back. Nothing comes that day from him. I go to school the next day, do my thing, get done and start driving home. My phone starts beeping with "new message". I check it, it's our insurance guy ... again! " Another small hang up, but, you should have it in a few days....AGAIN! Sooo.....then, like five days later, i check the mail, like I have been doing EVERY DAY for a $%#!ing month...and what do my little eyes behold....but a nice little envelope all covered in gold! Actually, it was covered in white and green, but FINALLY, we have the insurance card for the Saturn. Then....after I open it, i notice that it says, "policy active on January 27th at 12:01am. >:O WTF!!!!!
So it wasn't active this entire time. Been driving without insurance. I hate large corporations...and the way the do...or don't do things.
If ya made it through all that....congrads. My check from Northern came today too. Soooooo, rent is paid till May now. Thank goodness for financial aid baby.
I am slowly taking over my cooperating teacher's classes. It is a little hard figuring out lesson plans quickly, but hey, I suppose it is good practice. I am teaching two classes tomorrow, and three on Friday. WHEEEEEE! Hope it all goes smoothly.
So I get to work tonight, and there are ladders and wires all over, hanging from the ceilings and what not. The covers are off all the florescent lights...and all kinds of piping and bulbs laying all over. This place looks like a construction zone. The lab is STILL not 24/7 which makes people angry, because instead of being 24/7 it's now....uh, 2/7...haha. I kid you not, the lab is open between 2 or 4 hours everyday, until they fix this thing up so it can function as a 24/7 attendant-less lab. Oh, and the printers are down again. WHEEEE!!! So I put some signs up saying, "Printer DOWN, sorry". And this is what people had to say about this.
"Uh...is that sign true?" reply, "nope, it's a conspiracy, set to prevent you from printing.....muahahahahaha"
"Why can't I print" reply, "the same reason no one else can....i don't like you"
"I just hit print on ALL of my stuff, and none of it showed up" reply, "the printers are down....i put a sign up about it" their reply, "so when will this lab actually be useful" reply, "as soon as you leave....sometime after that"
"I don't have power point...how can I print a powerpoint in my room, if I don't have it?" reply, "just unplug one of these computers and carry it upstairs. I won't stop you...dont' worry. As a matter of fact, if you wait till 9, I'll help you carry it."
Anyway, all kinds of questions like that were asked of me, to the point where, I decided to put up 2 more signs. Now the doorway looks like this.
----XX----
----------
X--------X
----------
----------
----------
----------
X = sign
In order to walk in the lab now, you physically bump into the signs. People brush past them, and walk up, "so, are the printers working tonight." I'm currently searching for some sort of blunt object to end my suffering. But, since I cant' find one, I decided to update my Blog instead.
Hope ya enjoyed it....if ya don't hear from me for a few weeks, it's because I found that blunt object....and am in a better place.
-Dan out-
So it wasn't active this entire time. Been driving without insurance. I hate large corporations...and the way the do...or don't do things.
If ya made it through all that....congrads. My check from Northern came today too. Soooooo, rent is paid till May now. Thank goodness for financial aid baby.
I am slowly taking over my cooperating teacher's classes. It is a little hard figuring out lesson plans quickly, but hey, I suppose it is good practice. I am teaching two classes tomorrow, and three on Friday. WHEEEEEE! Hope it all goes smoothly.
So I get to work tonight, and there are ladders and wires all over, hanging from the ceilings and what not. The covers are off all the florescent lights...and all kinds of piping and bulbs laying all over. This place looks like a construction zone. The lab is STILL not 24/7 which makes people angry, because instead of being 24/7 it's now....uh, 2/7...haha. I kid you not, the lab is open between 2 or 4 hours everyday, until they fix this thing up so it can function as a 24/7 attendant-less lab. Oh, and the printers are down again. WHEEEE!!! So I put some signs up saying, "Printer DOWN, sorry". And this is what people had to say about this.
"Uh...is that sign true?" reply, "nope, it's a conspiracy, set to prevent you from printing.....muahahahahaha"
"Why can't I print" reply, "the same reason no one else can....i don't like you"
"I just hit print on ALL of my stuff, and none of it showed up" reply, "the printers are down....i put a sign up about it" their reply, "so when will this lab actually be useful" reply, "as soon as you leave....sometime after that"
"I don't have power point...how can I print a powerpoint in my room, if I don't have it?" reply, "just unplug one of these computers and carry it upstairs. I won't stop you...dont' worry. As a matter of fact, if you wait till 9, I'll help you carry it."
Anyway, all kinds of questions like that were asked of me, to the point where, I decided to put up 2 more signs. Now the doorway looks like this.
----XX----
----------
X--------X
----------
----------
----------
----------
X = sign
In order to walk in the lab now, you physically bump into the signs. People brush past them, and walk up, "so, are the printers working tonight." I'm currently searching for some sort of blunt object to end my suffering. But, since I cant' find one, I decided to update my Blog instead.
Hope ya enjoyed it....if ya don't hear from me for a few weeks, it's because I found that blunt object....and am in a better place.
-Dan out-
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Back to Work
Well, I am officially working again. From now until May something, I will be working on Sundays from 3-5pm, then from 6-10pm. WHEEEEE!! There is just something about working a 4 hour shift in a computer lab....it sucks! I'll manage though, because this is the one job that lets me do basically anything I want within reason. So, tonight, I will probably be looking up lesson plan ideas for the next 7 weeks of teaching K-5th grade.
This weekend, I started the insane project of cataloging all of my comic books. I loaded up Access and created a database. Then I created a form that I can just input all the vital data into, and it is then sent over to the database. It is pretty slick, and I should have done this a while ago. I am putting in such important data as, the publisher, the title, the cover price, the artist and the writer. This will be nice when I am looking for a specific comic and then, unknowingly, but it when I already have it. I plan on cataloging all of my comic Scans as well. I figured I have around 550 comics. I'm about through 60 so far. I'm having fun though.
I watched Alien vs Predator yesterday. WOW....it was kinda bad. Not that I expected much from it, but, hey, I'm the guy who went into XXX hoping for more than Vin Deisel throwing one liners at the screen and blowing things up without his shirt on.
The latest LOST episode was pretty good. I think we have learned about everyone's background so far. Everyone except for Hurley. We also got to see another huge CGI polar bear. Good times were had.
This next week of teaching is a full week of justice. No Monday off or anything :(
And with that...I'm gonna sign off until the next post. Andrea is making a rock-tastic dinner tonight of ham, baked potatoes and salad....and I'm gonna take off and go eat it...before I go back to work at 6. Oh , that reminds me, I don't get to see the SuperBowl either. >:O That angers me a bit, but I'll survive.
-Dan out-
This weekend, I started the insane project of cataloging all of my comic books. I loaded up Access and created a database. Then I created a form that I can just input all the vital data into, and it is then sent over to the database. It is pretty slick, and I should have done this a while ago. I am putting in such important data as, the publisher, the title, the cover price, the artist and the writer. This will be nice when I am looking for a specific comic and then, unknowingly, but it when I already have it. I plan on cataloging all of my comic Scans as well. I figured I have around 550 comics. I'm about through 60 so far. I'm having fun though.
I watched Alien vs Predator yesterday. WOW....it was kinda bad. Not that I expected much from it, but, hey, I'm the guy who went into XXX hoping for more than Vin Deisel throwing one liners at the screen and blowing things up without his shirt on.
The latest LOST episode was pretty good. I think we have learned about everyone's background so far. Everyone except for Hurley. We also got to see another huge CGI polar bear. Good times were had.
This next week of teaching is a full week of justice. No Monday off or anything :(
And with that...I'm gonna sign off until the next post. Andrea is making a rock-tastic dinner tonight of ham, baked potatoes and salad....and I'm gonna take off and go eat it...before I go back to work at 6. Oh , that reminds me, I don't get to see the SuperBowl either. >:O That angers me a bit, but I'll survive.
-Dan out-
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away....
Well, that was a great beginning, and so far, this semester has had an OK beginning. I am now at my first student teaching assignment. I get to help set up and instruct a huge number of students...something like 300 or so, and I get to be in complete control in a little over 3 weeks. WHEEEEE! I'm sure I'll manage somehow. So far, it has been going well, but I am only 2 days in so far, so I do not have a real feel for the teacher and the students yet. I'll keep ya posted.
I've been wondering just how many people really read this thing. I mean, I know that my buddy Mark does, and I know that Andrea does, but other than that....who knows. Well, here's to you Andrea and Mark, thanks for reading and I'll do my best to keep you entertained! Also, thanks Lindsay....I heard you read it as well!
My Halo2 days have been DRASTICALLY diminished! I'll manage, although I'll be thinking about how good it feels to snag dual SMG's and unload the entire clip into an opponent's body armor! I had typed a much more gruesome description as to what occurs when I have those dual SMG's in my hands, but I thought i'd spare you the details!
Still keeping up on all my shows......thanks to Efnet and their abilities. I simply hope that everything stays as it is now until June 15th! I have faith that it will.
So I'm sitting at work, "working", and there is this like ENORMOUS line waiting to use the print queue station....it's a little ridiculous. I think it will be amusing when I go, "the lab will be closing in 20 minutes" and everyone looks at their watches and see that it is 9pm. I'm hoping that everyone will be all pissed at me....like i decided to only have the lab open 4 hrs a day!
Hmmmmm, what else is going on...still don't have the car insurance card. In theory, it is active....but, we still do not have the stupid card to put in the car. I am driving it though....because I HAVE to! I called our agent today, and left a message for him to call me, although I'm not to sure what it is that he can do.
So I looked over at teh print queue station, and the screen currently has like at LEAST 50 print jobs pending sitting there. People are RIDICULOUS when it comes to print-outs!
That sucks that Chad might be leaving and going to work at John Deere. Not because he will then have money, and be able to rest easy again, but, because A: He's not gonna be around.....which isn't to horrible, since I don't have alot of time to really do anything with anyone as it is....and B: Mark will be left all alone in his humble little apartment. What will Mark do with himself.....well, I'll leave that up to everyone's imagination...hehe, (good ol' mark-o).
24 is getting kinda good. I am enjoying it thus far and will finish this season...like I always do, because I am a sucker...and I get sucked into these sucking grounds of TV shows. This show could be the biggest pile of crap EVER, and I would most likely not even notice. I'm lost in the world of 24, and no amount of crapiness will push me away...except if Kim gets kidnapped again...if that happens...I'M OUT!!
Snagged the new Astonishing X-Men by Whedon and Cassaday, and it wasn't to bad. Some kid holds the key to the whole mutant "problem" and these aliens that are trying to annihilate earth.....and well, he just killed himself. WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT!!!! I also snagged the latest Pulse comic, written by Bendis. Haven't read it yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I was just over at Marvel.com, and I noticed that Ultimate Spider-Man #71 is out, and I do not have it. It came out today and it is gonna be suweeet! I have em all so far, and lets face it, I better keep up with them. Now where did I put my piggy bank!
Other than all of that stuff, not a heck of a lot is going on. Played some X-Men Legends with Mark and Chad the other weekend, and that was quite the blast. Better than that though....was when we busted out Burnout:3. This game always sucks me in whenever I play it. There is just something about driving someone into the wall at 160mph upon which, you fly by them with Motion City Soundtrack blasting out of your half totalled car. WHEEEEE!!!
Tonight, Andrea made this like Chicken and Biscuits thing out of a box. It was pretty darn good, and I could see myself wanting to eat this again sometime. Never let it be said, that you can't eat in half an hour out of a box, and have it be good.
I'm not sure who has said that, but whoever they are, let it be known that they are WRONG!
And with that scrap of wisdom....I'm outta here. My job is calling me back...er, is it my gameboy...i'm not sure. Let me go see.
-Dan-
I've been wondering just how many people really read this thing. I mean, I know that my buddy Mark does, and I know that Andrea does, but other than that....who knows. Well, here's to you Andrea and Mark, thanks for reading and I'll do my best to keep you entertained! Also, thanks Lindsay....I heard you read it as well!
My Halo2 days have been DRASTICALLY diminished! I'll manage, although I'll be thinking about how good it feels to snag dual SMG's and unload the entire clip into an opponent's body armor! I had typed a much more gruesome description as to what occurs when I have those dual SMG's in my hands, but I thought i'd spare you the details!
Still keeping up on all my shows......thanks to Efnet and their abilities. I simply hope that everything stays as it is now until June 15th! I have faith that it will.
So I'm sitting at work, "working", and there is this like ENORMOUS line waiting to use the print queue station....it's a little ridiculous. I think it will be amusing when I go, "the lab will be closing in 20 minutes" and everyone looks at their watches and see that it is 9pm. I'm hoping that everyone will be all pissed at me....like i decided to only have the lab open 4 hrs a day!
Hmmmmm, what else is going on...still don't have the car insurance card. In theory, it is active....but, we still do not have the stupid card to put in the car. I am driving it though....because I HAVE to! I called our agent today, and left a message for him to call me, although I'm not to sure what it is that he can do.
So I looked over at teh print queue station, and the screen currently has like at LEAST 50 print jobs pending sitting there. People are RIDICULOUS when it comes to print-outs!
That sucks that Chad might be leaving and going to work at John Deere. Not because he will then have money, and be able to rest easy again, but, because A: He's not gonna be around.....which isn't to horrible, since I don't have alot of time to really do anything with anyone as it is....and B: Mark will be left all alone in his humble little apartment. What will Mark do with himself.....well, I'll leave that up to everyone's imagination...hehe, (good ol' mark-o).
24 is getting kinda good. I am enjoying it thus far and will finish this season...like I always do, because I am a sucker...and I get sucked into these sucking grounds of TV shows. This show could be the biggest pile of crap EVER, and I would most likely not even notice. I'm lost in the world of 24, and no amount of crapiness will push me away...except if Kim gets kidnapped again...if that happens...I'M OUT!!
Snagged the new Astonishing X-Men by Whedon and Cassaday, and it wasn't to bad. Some kid holds the key to the whole mutant "problem" and these aliens that are trying to annihilate earth.....and well, he just killed himself.
Other than all of that stuff, not a heck of a lot is going on. Played some X-Men Legends with Mark and Chad the other weekend, and that was quite the blast. Better than that though....was when we busted out Burnout:3. This game always sucks me in whenever I play it. There is just something about driving someone into the wall at 160mph upon which, you fly by them with Motion City Soundtrack blasting out of your half totalled car. WHEEEEE!!!
Tonight, Andrea made this like Chicken and Biscuits thing out of a box. It was pretty darn good, and I could see myself wanting to eat this again sometime. Never let it be said, that you can't eat in half an hour out of a box, and have it be good.
I'm not sure who has said that, but whoever they are, let it be known that they are WRONG!
And with that scrap of wisdom....I'm outta here. My job is calling me back...er, is it my gameboy...i'm not sure. Let me go see.
-Dan-
Monday, January 10, 2005
One week left
There is one week left until my last semester of college begins. This should prove to be an interesting one, simply because I will not be taking conventional classes, but teaching grade school and jr. high conventional classes. Good times will undoubtedly be had in a great abundance!
Andrea and I got cell phones the other week, and so now, our old land line number is no longer relevant. If you do not have my new number, e-mail me, and I'll hook you up with it.
I've been calling the insurance guy a little bit lately trying to get the 2000 Saturn that we are buying off of Andrea's grandmother switched over to our account. WHEEEE, more bills. He should be calling me back any moment with some feedback on the status of the insurance card. I kinda need to use the car starting next Tuesday....hopefully it all goes through ok!
Today marks the beginning of the re-designing and re-vamping of my website. She needs a update, and I need to get all of my art work up as well as the other links that were or are going to be present on the site. That there site has been in a constant state of "under construction" for the past year.
I'm taking Suse....the white cat, to the vet tomorrow so maybe something can be done about this cold she has had for like 2 months. It is getting kinda old for us, and I"m sure it is already old for her.
I loaded up Battlefield: Vietnam the other day, and have been playing that quite a bit today. I love that game...and I should play it more often...and now I plan to.
World of Warcraft has been put on hold until maybe summer,....or later. I will have NO time to play that game, and so....my poor little dwarf will die....haha, at the hands of Blizzard. Long live Congar!
WHEEEEE, the insurance will be here in a few days....and then that car can be driven. Actually, it can be driven right now I guess, since it went active on the 8th....but, we'll wait till we get that card, so we're officially legal while driving.
Well, Jarod just IM'ed me, with "HALOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO", so I must answer his call.
Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your complete waste of about 10 minutes.
-dan out-
Andrea and I got cell phones the other week, and so now, our old land line number is no longer relevant. If you do not have my new number, e-mail me, and I'll hook you up with it.
I've been calling the insurance guy a little bit lately trying to get the 2000 Saturn that we are buying off of Andrea's grandmother switched over to our account. WHEEEE, more bills. He should be calling me back any moment with some feedback on the status of the insurance card. I kinda need to use the car starting next Tuesday....hopefully it all goes through ok!
Today marks the beginning of the re-designing and re-vamping of my website. She needs a update, and I need to get all of my art work up as well as the other links that were or are going to be present on the site. That there site has been in a constant state of "under construction" for the past year.
I'm taking Suse....the white cat, to the vet tomorrow so maybe something can be done about this cold she has had for like 2 months. It is getting kinda old for us, and I"m sure it is already old for her.
I loaded up Battlefield: Vietnam the other day, and have been playing that quite a bit today. I love that game...and I should play it more often...and now I plan to.
World of Warcraft has been put on hold until maybe summer,....or later. I will have NO time to play that game, and so....my poor little dwarf will die....haha, at the hands of Blizzard. Long live Congar!
WHEEEEE, the insurance will be here in a few days....and then that car can be driven. Actually, it can be driven right now I guess, since it went active on the 8th....but, we'll wait till we get that card, so we're officially legal while driving.
Well, Jarod just IM'ed me, with "HALOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO", so I must answer his call.
Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your complete waste of about 10 minutes.
-dan out-
Friday, January 07, 2005
New UPDATE finally!
Shut up...i know, i don't update often enough. I have a life...that is all that it means. Had a good Christmas pretty much, hanging out with the family and Andrea's family are always good times. Got into playing World of Warcraft, which is a blast, but won't have enough time to put into it starting in a week, so that will be put on hold probably till summertime. I got quite a few cool gifts for Christmas, including the Spider-Man 2 game for xbox, and the Spider-Man 2 movie! Thanks Andrea!
My sister has been up here for the past week hanging out, so we've been doing just that. Alot of HALO 2 has been being played as well, because Jarod is usually on LIVE to play with most every afternoon.
Well, my friend Bill is now over in Kuwait :( That really sucks, but it's something he has to do I suppose. We all went over to Chad/Mark's apartment for a last "hang out" session which was fun, a few weekends ago. It sucked when it was over though, and I try not to think about it. WE did have fun though. We played some Halo2, we played some Poker, we played some Euchre.....and good times were had. Hopefully Bill is doing fine. I am going to e-mail him later on today.
Well, I start student teaching a week from this coming Tuesday in Rockford. That will be really weird, but I'm ready for it.....because that means one step closer to being GRADUATED!!!
This next week, I plan to revamp my website over at HakesDesign.com. Look for some actual updates in the next week or so.
I finally was able to get this program working again, that lets me find new comic books that have just came out, and even old ones. So, I have been snagging a bunch of those. If ya get a chance, read the series Y-Last Man put out by Vertigo Comics (DC). This series is so good. Every male on the entire planet dies from this plague, and there is only one guy left. Chaos breaks out....and good times are had. Check it out if you enjoy comic books.
MAtt and I went over to the like only remaining comic book store in the QC that we were able to find, over Christmas, and well, it was not a pretty site. It was the most unorganized business I have EVER seen in my life. I've been in a lot of comic book stores, but this one was in shambles. Needless to say, I will not be returning to this store again. I may not be able to find my way out of there again.
I also got a chance to hook up with Jarod and Dave over break for some Halo2 over at Dave's House. I got to meet his girlfriend, who was nice, and hang out with the two of em. Matt came along as well, and we had some GREAT 4 player games. I love Halo2 :)
We got a ton of snow this past week, and Andrea was hoping that school would be cancelled.....but, no such luck. Alot of places cancelled, but Andrea's work refused. BOOOOOOOO!
Other than all of that, not a lot has been going on. I will probably play some Battlefield Vietnam today, I just installed it last night again, and some Halo2 with Jarod this afternoon.
Until next time....I'm outta here.
-Dan-
My sister has been up here for the past week hanging out, so we've been doing just that. Alot of HALO 2 has been being played as well, because Jarod is usually on LIVE to play with most every afternoon.
Well, my friend Bill is now over in Kuwait :( That really sucks, but it's something he has to do I suppose. We all went over to Chad/Mark's apartment for a last "hang out" session which was fun, a few weekends ago. It sucked when it was over though, and I try not to think about it. WE did have fun though. We played some Halo2, we played some Poker, we played some Euchre.....and good times were had. Hopefully Bill is doing fine. I am going to e-mail him later on today.
Well, I start student teaching a week from this coming Tuesday in Rockford. That will be really weird, but I'm ready for it.....because that means one step closer to being GRADUATED!!!
This next week, I plan to revamp my website over at HakesDesign.com. Look for some actual updates in the next week or so.
I finally was able to get this program working again, that lets me find new comic books that have just came out, and even old ones. So, I have been snagging a bunch of those. If ya get a chance, read the series Y-Last Man put out by Vertigo Comics (DC). This series is so good. Every male on the entire planet dies from this plague, and there is only one guy left. Chaos breaks out....and good times are had. Check it out if you enjoy comic books.
MAtt and I went over to the like only remaining comic book store in the QC that we were able to find, over Christmas, and well, it was not a pretty site. It was the most unorganized business I have EVER seen in my life. I've been in a lot of comic book stores, but this one was in shambles. Needless to say, I will not be returning to this store again. I may not be able to find my way out of there again.
I also got a chance to hook up with Jarod and Dave over break for some Halo2 over at Dave's House. I got to meet his girlfriend, who was nice, and hang out with the two of em. Matt came along as well, and we had some GREAT 4 player games. I love Halo2 :)
We got a ton of snow this past week, and Andrea was hoping that school would be cancelled.....but, no such luck. Alot of places cancelled, but Andrea's work refused. BOOOOOOOO!
Other than all of that, not a lot has been going on. I will probably play some Battlefield Vietnam today, I just installed it last night again, and some Halo2 with Jarod this afternoon.
Until next time....I'm outta here.
-Dan-
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Thanksgiving of Snow
Well, it seems to be snowing alot here in good ol' DeKalb. IT is probably snowing back in the QC as well. Andrea and I will be leaving in about half an hour, when i pick her up from work, to drive back home. I am about to begin the loading of the car with such necessities as, the cats, clothes, and my portfolio, which I'll be matting this weekend. WHEEEEEE!!!! Gotta love spending money on school!
HOpefully this Thanksgiving will be fun. I'm sure it will be, but since the cats are along for the ride, it'll be pretty fun. People are always happy around cats...at least usually. Well, when they aren't ruining something of yours or fighting right on top of whatever you are working on.
HERE is a picture of what it looks like outside as of 4:00pm. Gotta love snow.
I'll talk to all of you guys when I return. If you're in the QC, perhaps we can get together sometime this weekend....but, looking over all the work i gotta get done....we'll see...haha.
Take care and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
-Dan out-
HOpefully this Thanksgiving will be fun. I'm sure it will be, but since the cats are along for the ride, it'll be pretty fun. People are always happy around cats...at least usually. Well, when they aren't ruining something of yours or fighting right on top of whatever you are working on.
HERE is a picture of what it looks like outside as of 4:00pm. Gotta love snow.
I'll talk to all of you guys when I return. If you're in the QC, perhaps we can get together sometime this weekend....but, looking over all the work i gotta get done....we'll see...haha.
Take care and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
-Dan out-
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
New Video Games Worth It?
I talk about video games alot. I play video games quite frequently. It's safe to say that I enjoy picking up a controller, or sitting down at a mouse and keyboard, and playing a good game. Now, I tend to play alot of Multiplayer games, simply because I enjoy the idea of working with other people to complete a mission. However, there is nothing like a good single-player game to take your mind off any and everything that is worrying or stressing you out. However, usually what happens is that I spend time playing a game when I should be working on the very thing that is stressing or worrying me.
Chad and I had a discussion today about buying into new games or not. We decided, and more Chad decided then me, since I hadn't really thought about this until he mentioned it today, that there is really no need to switch from a game that you love to death, to a "NEW SHINY GAME" that boasts better framerates and better bump mapping and better gameplay. All to often, these games are nothing but a huge advertisement for their genre, not a new game at all. It is all well and good that new games are always coming out. There are kids growing up, and they are finding their "Galaga" or their "Civilization 2" that they will continue playing until they grow old. I dont' know if I HAVE reached the point where new games just do not entise me anymore, because Half-Life 2, Halo 2, and Vampires - Bloodlines just all came out. I want them all! Now, I think that the reason for this desire is simply because I played their predecessors and am really looking for more of the same type of gameplay and sheer fun. However, does 10 hours of fun justifiy the $50? Usually not. Now, for games like Halo 2 and Half-Life 2...there is a nice multiplayer aspect of it that should prolong the shelf life, or CD-Spindle life. I look over all the games I love and have loved over these, oh 15 years or so, and still am seeing games that I LOVED but got pushed aside because I was enticed by some new fancy, shiny game with a nice "IGN-9.4" rating stamped on the front.
One game that I loved to death was Tribes. This game created hours and hours of fun my Senior year of high-school and my Freshman year of College. When I was playing this game, nothing else really mattered except getting that flag, or destroying that enemy team. Then, of course, Tribes 2 came out. I enjoyed it, but not to the level that I enjoyed the first one. Something had changed. It seemed that they had tossed out the working gameplay aspects of it for new and improved graphics and gameplay types. However, I just did not have the same feeling about the sequel then I did the first. THEN of course, the III tribes installment came out. This game feels sooooo much like Unreal Tournament, it might as well be. Since I already had purchased UT2k4, I saw no reason to get Tribes:Vengeance. And another game series goes by the "I don't care" wayside. I think when that happened, I started to realize the need for stability in my gaming life. I have since gotten Halo 2. Now, I love Halo 2 to death so far, and for some reason this game seems to be an exception to the rule for me. Mark, I know, "SCREW HALO 2".....haha, but seriously, there is something about this game that really keeps me coming back for more. I think the fact that it is slower paced then most FPS games, helps me enjoy it more. I don't feel like I have to be the FASTEST at the game to be successful. Alot of times when playing UT2k4, I am overwhelmed at the sheer speed that these players play at. It's just bullets flying everywhere and then poof, time to respawn. There is little or no reaction time allowed in games like that. This is probably why Tribes 3 does not sit in my CD-Rom drive every night like the original did.
To sum all this up, newer video games are not needed when you have such a library of truly awesome video games to last you for years and years to come. Now, whether I can fight off the desire to buy the new bright and shiny game and be happy with the classics that I already have, only time will tell. Chad has his triumvirate of Rome Total War, Sims 2 and StarWars Battlefront.....what will mine be? What will yours be?
Chad and I had a discussion today about buying into new games or not. We decided, and more Chad decided then me, since I hadn't really thought about this until he mentioned it today, that there is really no need to switch from a game that you love to death, to a "NEW SHINY GAME" that boasts better framerates and better bump mapping and better gameplay. All to often, these games are nothing but a huge advertisement for their genre, not a new game at all. It is all well and good that new games are always coming out. There are kids growing up, and they are finding their "Galaga" or their "Civilization 2" that they will continue playing until they grow old. I dont' know if I HAVE reached the point where new games just do not entise me anymore, because Half-Life 2, Halo 2, and Vampires - Bloodlines just all came out. I want them all! Now, I think that the reason for this desire is simply because I played their predecessors and am really looking for more of the same type of gameplay and sheer fun. However, does 10 hours of fun justifiy the $50? Usually not. Now, for games like Halo 2 and Half-Life 2...there is a nice multiplayer aspect of it that should prolong the shelf life, or CD-Spindle life. I look over all the games I love and have loved over these, oh 15 years or so, and still am seeing games that I LOVED but got pushed aside because I was enticed by some new fancy, shiny game with a nice "IGN-9.4" rating stamped on the front.
One game that I loved to death was Tribes. This game created hours and hours of fun my Senior year of high-school and my Freshman year of College. When I was playing this game, nothing else really mattered except getting that flag, or destroying that enemy team. Then, of course, Tribes 2 came out. I enjoyed it, but not to the level that I enjoyed the first one. Something had changed. It seemed that they had tossed out the working gameplay aspects of it for new and improved graphics and gameplay types. However, I just did not have the same feeling about the sequel then I did the first. THEN of course, the III tribes installment came out. This game feels sooooo much like Unreal Tournament, it might as well be. Since I already had purchased UT2k4, I saw no reason to get Tribes:Vengeance. And another game series goes by the "I don't care" wayside. I think when that happened, I started to realize the need for stability in my gaming life. I have since gotten Halo 2. Now, I love Halo 2 to death so far, and for some reason this game seems to be an exception to the rule for me. Mark, I know, "SCREW HALO 2".....haha, but seriously, there is something about this game that really keeps me coming back for more. I think the fact that it is slower paced then most FPS games, helps me enjoy it more. I don't feel like I have to be the FASTEST at the game to be successful. Alot of times when playing UT2k4, I am overwhelmed at the sheer speed that these players play at. It's just bullets flying everywhere and then poof, time to respawn. There is little or no reaction time allowed in games like that. This is probably why Tribes 3 does not sit in my CD-Rom drive every night like the original did.
To sum all this up, newer video games are not needed when you have such a library of truly awesome video games to last you for years and years to come. Now, whether I can fight off the desire to buy the new bright and shiny game and be happy with the classics that I already have, only time will tell. Chad has his triumvirate of Rome Total War, Sims 2 and StarWars Battlefront.....what will mine be? What will yours be?
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Half-Life 2 Mayhem!
NO....I don't have the game...yet. Sometime, when the fundage appears miraculously, I'll pick up that game. Yes, I want it very badly, and have been reading all the reviews quite obsessively. We'll see if this game lives up to all the expectations that have been made about it. According to Gamespot, it already has, but I'll let everyone else make their own decision about this game.
I did not want to go to my class today, but, that is a sort of normal feeling everytime I get up in the morning. This weekend, will be all about the lesson plan writing, and also all about the Project making for my ETR class. WHEEE, can't wait!
I've been playing Halo 2 almost every night for a few rounds. I am still loving this game, and recommend it to anyone who has an XBox and a LIVE connection. Hey, even if ya don't, snag it, it comes with a free 2 month LIVE card in it.
I talked to Mykey today a bit and told him I'd do a little write up on my opinion of NFS2. I just got a copy of it last night, and have yet to load it up. I'll be checking out the PC version, so it'll look a whole lot better than any of the console versions. But, I'd imagine that if you liked the first one, you'll enjoy the graphics of the second one.
Watched that $25 million hoax last night again. Funny show, but the Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance was funnier. This show seems like, there isn't enough time for the family to get really angry with the person playing the hoax on them. It will only be like 3 or 4 episodes long. Lame! Ah well, Amazing Race starts tonight. Another reality TV show, I know, but this one is pretty good, usually.
Not sure what is for dinner tonight, but I'm sure something can be conjured up for us to eat.
Another game that came out today is Vampire Masquerade: Bloodlines. I would have to say that I am even more excited about this use of the Half-Life 2 engine than I am about the actual Half-Life 2 release. I mean, yeah yeah,....Half-Life 2, game of the year, best game ever, MUST PLAY THIS GAME....blah blah blah. It'll be good, don't get me wrong, but, I was so hooked on Vampire: Masquerade, as was Matt, that when I first heard that a new game was coming out using the Vampire: Masquerade license, I was stoked! YEAH FOR VAMPIRES! (these types of games should not be played by children....that means you Bill...and Mark).
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I can not WAIT for a nice big heaping plate of Turkey and all the fixin's. I know, I know, the poor turkey. Well, don't worry, as I eat him, I'll think of all the other nice turkeys that are completely oblivious to the fact that they are being grown for us to eat. :) I'm so sensitive!
Anyway, I gotta jet, I'll talk to everyone later.
-dan out-
I did not want to go to my class today, but, that is a sort of normal feeling everytime I get up in the morning. This weekend, will be all about the lesson plan writing, and also all about the Project making for my ETR class. WHEEE, can't wait!
I've been playing Halo 2 almost every night for a few rounds. I am still loving this game, and recommend it to anyone who has an XBox and a LIVE connection. Hey, even if ya don't, snag it, it comes with a free 2 month LIVE card in it.
I talked to Mykey today a bit and told him I'd do a little write up on my opinion of NFS2. I just got a copy of it last night, and have yet to load it up. I'll be checking out the PC version, so it'll look a whole lot better than any of the console versions. But, I'd imagine that if you liked the first one, you'll enjoy the graphics of the second one.
Watched that $25 million hoax last night again. Funny show, but the Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance was funnier. This show seems like, there isn't enough time for the family to get really angry with the person playing the hoax on them. It will only be like 3 or 4 episodes long. Lame! Ah well, Amazing Race starts tonight. Another reality TV show, I know, but this one is pretty good, usually.
Not sure what is for dinner tonight, but I'm sure something can be conjured up for us to eat.
Another game that came out today is Vampire Masquerade: Bloodlines. I would have to say that I am even more excited about this use of the Half-Life 2 engine than I am about the actual Half-Life 2 release. I mean, yeah yeah,....Half-Life 2, game of the year, best game ever, MUST PLAY THIS GAME....blah blah blah. It'll be good, don't get me wrong, but, I was so hooked on Vampire: Masquerade, as was Matt, that when I first heard that a new game was coming out using the Vampire: Masquerade license, I was stoked! YEAH FOR VAMPIRES! (these types of games should not be played by children....that means you Bill...and Mark).
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I can not WAIT for a nice big heaping plate of Turkey and all the fixin's. I know, I know, the poor turkey. Well, don't worry, as I eat him, I'll think of all the other nice turkeys that are completely oblivious to the fact that they are being grown for us to eat. :) I'm so sensitive!
Anyway, I gotta jet, I'll talk to everyone later.
-dan out-
Sunday, November 14, 2004
The Sunday before Monday's Yesterday!
Sittin at work ...again. I seem to only really update this thing on work days. Either way, I am over the lost post thing that happened on Thursday, and decided to throw another new post up. Today was an OK day. Got up, did the church thing, then chowed down on some soup and sandwiches. Then it was laundry time, little bit of homework time, dinner time and work time! Busy, busy! On Friday, Andrea and I went out to my sister's and we all went out to eat at Fudruckers. I am still trying to find the badword that is hidden in there, but I have yet to uncover it. So, after the bell was rang on the way out, we drove to Dave and Busters. For those of you who have not been there, and Mark, you were right about it being fun, it is this almost like Adult Chuckie Cheese Place! You walk in, and after getting carded (since we arrived past 8pm), you go into this HUGE restaurant area which looked pretty nice, and probably pricey. Immediately when you walk in, you see a counter where they are selling these credit card type things that you put money on so you can go play games and stuff. So, we bought the card and ptu on 130 credits (most games take about 3 to 6 credits each play), and walked past the restaurant and into the main gaming room. This room is ENORMOUS and looks kinda like a casino! There is a huge bar in the middle, and all kinds of games all around the outside. Brian and I hit up Time Crisis 2 and played that for about 1/2 hr until we beat it (30 credits each later). Then we walked around and played some other random games that gave you tickets depending on how good you do at it....just like Chuckie Cheese...eh..eh, told ya! After using up most of our credits, we combined tickets with the girls, who had been doing nothing but playing ticket games, and went into the store to see what we could buy. We ended up getting a toy for each of my nephews and I got a nice foam disc launcher thingy to shoot at the cats!
On Saturday, Andrea and I cleaned all morning, and then cooked all afternoon to prepare ourselves for the arrival of Kate and Andy, two friends of ours. When they finally got her, (since they drove from the QC - 1 1/2 hrs), Kate and Andrea sat around talking in the kitchen and Andy and I sat down for some good old fashioned Halo 2! I got schooled over the course of a few rounds, and then we sat down and ate. After a pretty rawkin' meal, thanks Andrea, Andy and I went back to some Halo 2 where we played swords! That is a pretty freakin' sweet game-mode. There is this sweet lunge variant you can do with the sword which creates like a insta-kill. Very fun. Then we through in Burnout3 for some wacky destruction. We decided that a minimum of a 27" TV was really necessary to play that game properly in the two player race mode. We then messed around with some of the crash modes and tried to destroy as much property as possible. Good times were had. Then...well, you predicted it, we went back to Halo for another hour. After we exhausted our video gaming, we sat around talking about video games...haha. About 9:15pm, Kate and Andy took off back to the Q.C. since they had a nice 1 1/2 hr drive ahead of them....and probably more like 1 3/4 hrs. Andrea feel asleep on the couch, and I went and played Halo on PC. I gotta finish that up before I start the Halo 2 campaign.
So we arrive back where we started, and I'm still at work. Oh...I forgot. On Friday during the day, Chuck and I were supposed to go to Rockford's Jefferson High School to finish up our observation hours for this semester. I need like 3 more, and Chuck was actually finished, but needed the teachers signature on our clinical sheets. We were almost there, when Kathy called Chuck and was like, "uh...the faculty parking lot is empty." Chuck was like, "ummm, ok, well we'll be there in a few mins." We pulled up, and realized that the school was closed for some reason. Now, our hours are due on Monday, for some reason, and now about 5 of us will not have all of them. >:O Kathy called Leslie, the grad student in charge of this whole Rockford observation program, and she was like, "oh...my bad, guess you'll have to go back next week." She offered to e-mail our insructor to let her know what happened and why we won't have our sheets for her on Monday. Hopefully that occurred and we will not get penalized or something on Monday. I don't know what they are going to do if we do not have them tomorrow. I mean, it's not like they can just kick us out of the program or something. We'll have them in exactly a week, so there shouldn't be to big of a problem with some of us turning them in late. Buuuuut, I can just see it being this huge deal and them threatening to not let us student teach and all this other bull#$%!. Lets hope that this does NOT happen :-\
Other than all of that, I have had an OK weekend. I am NOT in a good mood about having to go to school tomorrow morning, but, it just brings me closer to being graduated....as long as these late forms don't effect us in a bad way.
I'm gonna go do something else now.....talk to everyone later.
-Dan-
On Saturday, Andrea and I cleaned all morning, and then cooked all afternoon to prepare ourselves for the arrival of Kate and Andy, two friends of ours. When they finally got her, (since they drove from the QC - 1 1/2 hrs), Kate and Andrea sat around talking in the kitchen and Andy and I sat down for some good old fashioned Halo 2! I got schooled over the course of a few rounds, and then we sat down and ate. After a pretty rawkin' meal, thanks Andrea, Andy and I went back to some Halo 2 where we played swords! That is a pretty freakin' sweet game-mode. There is this sweet lunge variant you can do with the sword which creates like a insta-kill. Very fun. Then we through in Burnout3 for some wacky destruction. We decided that a minimum of a 27" TV was really necessary to play that game properly in the two player race mode. We then messed around with some of the crash modes and tried to destroy as much property as possible. Good times were had. Then...well, you predicted it, we went back to Halo for another hour. After we exhausted our video gaming, we sat around talking about video games...haha. About 9:15pm, Kate and Andy took off back to the Q.C. since they had a nice 1 1/2 hr drive ahead of them....and probably more like 1 3/4 hrs. Andrea feel asleep on the couch, and I went and played Halo on PC. I gotta finish that up before I start the Halo 2 campaign.
So we arrive back where we started, and I'm still at work. Oh...I forgot. On Friday during the day, Chuck and I were supposed to go to Rockford's Jefferson High School to finish up our observation hours for this semester. I need like 3 more, and Chuck was actually finished, but needed the teachers signature on our clinical sheets. We were almost there, when Kathy called Chuck and was like, "uh...the faculty parking lot is empty." Chuck was like, "ummm, ok, well we'll be there in a few mins." We pulled up, and realized that the school was closed for some reason. Now, our hours are due on Monday, for some reason, and now about 5 of us will not have all of them. >:O Kathy called Leslie, the grad student in charge of this whole Rockford observation program, and she was like, "oh...my bad, guess you'll have to go back next week." She offered to e-mail our insructor to let her know what happened and why we won't have our sheets for her on Monday. Hopefully that occurred and we will not get penalized or something on Monday. I don't know what they are going to do if we do not have them tomorrow. I mean, it's not like they can just kick us out of the program or something. We'll have them in exactly a week, so there shouldn't be to big of a problem with some of us turning them in late. Buuuuut, I can just see it being this huge deal and them threatening to not let us student teach and all this other bull#$%!. Lets hope that this does NOT happen :-\
Other than all of that, I have had an OK weekend. I am NOT in a good mood about having to go to school tomorrow morning, but, it just brings me closer to being graduated....as long as these late forms don't effect us in a bad way.
I'm gonna go do something else now.....talk to everyone later.
-Dan-
Thursday, November 11, 2004
I HATE Internet Explorer
I had this whole post typed up pretty much all ready to go, and POOF,
THIS
screen popped up on me!
Needless to say, I lost the post and I refuse to retype it right now. I'm to pissed...haha.
-Dan-
THIS
screen popped up on me!
Needless to say, I lost the post and I refuse to retype it right now. I'm to pissed...haha.
-Dan-
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Wednesday night....again.
Wednesday again, and I'm pullin the ol' 8-10pm shift. This workin thing has its benefits, doin homework, messin around online, getting paid for it....but, it also has it's disadvantages....being stuck in a lab for up to 4 hours at a time, putting up with annoying questions about random computer things, getting "reviewed" by random people who try to assess whether or not you are doing your job properly and other things of this nature. Well.....it still pays the bills....sorta.
Halo 2 was picked up yesterday, and popped in last night to be tested out. I hooked the box up to LIVE and let me tell you, Halo 2 online is pretty freakin' fun. Not only is the ability to wield dual weapons sweet, but being able to grab someone and throw them out of a hovering Banshee Spacecraft is just something that has to be experienced. Someone was trying to pull me out of one, and I started flying down over the edge of this cliff in hopes that I would hit bottom before he got me out. Needless to say, I never made it in time, and he flew off smiling in his new Banshee, and I fell to my happy death at the bottom of the canyon. This game seems to be rockingly action packed....if that is even a word, and really is worth the $$$ for the multiplayer aspect of it alone. Now, I am STILL not done with the original Halo, so I will not be playing Halo 2 campaign just yet. Although, Andy is coming up this Saturday, so maybe I'll load it up so we can play some coop, since the set up to play multiplayer is not exactly ideal for friends and what not.
Andrea and I had a nice ham, baked potato and caesar salad dinner tonight, which ruled and then sat down for a little Smallville. I always miss the end of it, so it hopefuly got taped. There are actually three shows that are on Wednesday nights that I have been keeping track of. The first is mentioned above, the next is Lost, and the last one is Jack and Bobby. All great shows and worth the time I suppose.
Well, my lesson that my friend Chuck and I taught in De Kalb High School on Monday went well enough. There was this one kid who had a serious issue with being told to do anything, but we didn't let him get to us. After that, we got the priviledge of watching everyone else teach their lessons....and let me tell you, THAT rules!....er...well, actually it's pretty boring. It is fair though I suppose, since everyone else had to watch our lesson plan. Ahhhh, education.....so necessary yet so hated at times!
If I forgot to mention it before, I'll do it now: Check out Billy's Blog o' Military Justice.
Other than THAT...take it easy ladies and gentlemen...I'll be back later for more boring updates coming STRAIGHT TO YOU from Dan's twisted mind!
-Dan-
Halo 2 was picked up yesterday, and popped in last night to be tested out. I hooked the box up to LIVE and let me tell you, Halo 2 online is pretty freakin' fun. Not only is the ability to wield dual weapons sweet, but being able to grab someone and throw them out of a hovering Banshee Spacecraft is just something that has to be experienced. Someone was trying to pull me out of one, and I started flying down over the edge of this cliff in hopes that I would hit bottom before he got me out. Needless to say, I never made it in time, and he flew off smiling in his new Banshee, and I fell to my happy death at the bottom of the canyon. This game seems to be rockingly action packed....if that is even a word, and really is worth the $$$ for the multiplayer aspect of it alone. Now, I am STILL not done with the original Halo, so I will not be playing Halo 2 campaign just yet. Although, Andy is coming up this Saturday, so maybe I'll load it up so we can play some coop, since the set up to play multiplayer is not exactly ideal for friends and what not.
Andrea and I had a nice ham, baked potato and caesar salad dinner tonight, which ruled and then sat down for a little Smallville. I always miss the end of it, so it hopefuly got taped. There are actually three shows that are on Wednesday nights that I have been keeping track of. The first is mentioned above, the next is Lost, and the last one is Jack and Bobby. All great shows and worth the time I suppose.
Well, my lesson that my friend Chuck and I taught in De Kalb High School on Monday went well enough. There was this one kid who had a serious issue with being told to do anything, but we didn't let him get to us. After that, we got the priviledge of watching everyone else teach their lessons....and let me tell you, THAT rules!....er...well, actually it's pretty boring. It is fair though I suppose, since everyone else had to watch our lesson plan. Ahhhh, education.....so necessary yet so hated at times!
If I forgot to mention it before, I'll do it now: Check out Billy's Blog o' Military Justice.
Other than THAT...take it easy ladies and gentlemen...I'll be back later for more boring updates coming STRAIGHT TO YOU from Dan's twisted mind!
-Dan-
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Nov 9th was a pretty good day I'd say.
Well, I woke up this morning, got ready, and got to work by 7:50. I then opened up the lab, and did a little homework during work. Next, I went to class, only to discover that I had a SUB.....yes that's right, a SUB in class today. I don't think I have EVER had a substitute instructor in college as long as I have been here. Very odd! So, our "sub" gives us this quiz we were supposed to have today, and then let us all go early. Apparantly our instructor got her finger smashed in her garage door or something...i dunno. So, I look at the clock when I got out of class, and it said, 11:20am. I'm thinking, hmmm, do I have enough time to run home, grab my car and get to GameStop allowing myself enough time to get back to be on the bus by 12:30pm? I walked out of my building and saw my bus driving by. Well, that idea was then shot, and I decided to screw it and just go eat my lunch and go to GameStop after work. Well, my desire to see my very own copy of THIS in my little hands go the better of me. So I hop on the bus at 11:40, get to my apartment at 11:46, and run out to GameStop. I snag my copy, with amazing ease, because there was only a few people in line ahead of me, and hop back in my car to leave. I then ran to Best Buy to snag a Crossover cable, so I could hook my XBox up to the net for some much needed LIVE action. I then drove back home. I was racing against the clock at this point because my clock said 12:20pm and the bus comes at 12:26pm. I get back to my apartment at like 12:25pm, only to see the bus pulling away. I'm like....doh! So I knew that I'd have to cut it close now and catch the 12:46PM bus. I messed around with how to get the XBox hooked up from my computer to the XBox and to the TV for a bit, and figured that by stretching a cable from the computer room to the bedroom and getting a longer COAX cable, I should just be able to make it...thanks to the wireless controller! Anyway, it should work. Then, I grab my bag and run out to the bus stop just in time to see the bus coming up. I hop on and wait for my stop. I then jumped off the bus, and briskly walked about half mile to my work in about 10 minutes. I strolled into work around 12:58pm and punched in. SAFE!
Other than that, my day has been pretty uneventful. Mark and I are hoping to play a little Halo 2 on Thursday night with Chaddy if he's around. So THAT should be fun. Andrea's friend Kate and her husband Andy, who is a pretty cool guy, are coming up on Saturday in theory, and he and I will probably play some Halo 2 a little bit that day. I'm kinda looking forward to getting done with this whole school thing. I have like a little over a month left to finish up all this stuff, and HALO 2 will sadly be pushed aside, except for a few random times when I pull it out to play a little bit. More important things are at stake here, then the destruction of every COVENANT member trying to destroy Earth!
Until next time,
-Dan-
Other than that, my day has been pretty uneventful. Mark and I are hoping to play a little Halo 2 on Thursday night with Chaddy if he's around. So THAT should be fun. Andrea's friend Kate and her husband Andy, who is a pretty cool guy, are coming up on Saturday in theory, and he and I will probably play some Halo 2 a little bit that day. I'm kinda looking forward to getting done with this whole school thing. I have like a little over a month left to finish up all this stuff, and HALO 2 will sadly be pushed aside, except for a few random times when I pull it out to play a little bit. More important things are at stake here, then the destruction of every COVENANT member trying to destroy Earth!
Until next time,
-Dan-
Thursday, November 04, 2004
New musings that will tickle your ear hair!
TODAY, the day of Justice, because my week is basically over, has been a relavitely ok day. So far today, I typed a little paper for a class I had at 11, ran to Jewel to get supplies for Calzones tonight, and watched the new episode of Lost. While searching for a picture of a Calzone, I found THIS picture. He kinda looks like Peter Pettigrew off Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I picked up a few new comics today that I believe came out yesterday. The new Ultimate Spidey, of course, the new Astonishing X-Men which rocks simply because Whedon is writing it, and the new Ultimate Fantastic Four. These Ultimate Series' that Marvel is putting out are just tearing it up story wise and art wise. I could not be more interested in a comic than I am in the Ultimate X-Men, Spidey, and FF.
Aside from all of that, I have been doin pretty good. Been trying to beat Halo before HALO 2 comes out next tuesday. I have had the game for quite a while but never put in the time to beat the single player part of the game. Well, since the net has been so flakey lately, I decided to put some time into single player games. Come tuesday, I'll be popping in HALO 2 though and seeing if all this "hype" is worthy of the game.
Andrea and I had her brother, sister-in-law and two kids up for a rawkin' weekend last Friday and Saturday. We had fun hanging out, checking out the Pumpkin Fest in Sycamore, and playing some Mario Kart: Double Dash. We also ran out to this pumpkin patch on Saturday morning, but it was so windy and craptastic out, we left after like 20 mins. It was only over in Malta, bout 10 mins away, so it wasn't to big of a loss. Come Saturday night, I went over to Mark and Chad's for some hanging out-age, and we watched an episode of Alias, since that is their new daily series of choice now that 24 season 2 is finished, and then started watching Halloween 2 in spanish! I think you really seem to get alot more out of it when you have no idea what the characters are saying and you have to try to figure it out based solely on sound effects and the visual elements of the movie. Not that Halloween 2 was THAT hard to figure out. As Chad so eloquently put it, "His motivation is, he's a psycho and he is going to kill people,...and you get to watch." That about summed it up.
Tonight, a new episode of Survivor is on, and Dawson's Creek part2....don't ask, is on, so I spose I'll be downloading the latter, and watching the first one. Then, probably some HALO single player, to try to finish that up on time.
Until next time,
Aside from all of that, I have been doin pretty good. Been trying to beat Halo before HALO 2 comes out next tuesday. I have had the game for quite a while but never put in the time to beat the single player part of the game. Well, since the net has been so flakey lately, I decided to put some time into single player games. Come tuesday, I'll be popping in HALO 2 though and seeing if all this "hype" is worthy of the game.
Andrea and I had her brother, sister-in-law and two kids up for a rawkin' weekend last Friday and Saturday. We had fun hanging out, checking out the Pumpkin Fest in Sycamore, and playing some Mario Kart: Double Dash. We also ran out to this pumpkin patch on Saturday morning, but it was so windy and craptastic out, we left after like 20 mins. It was only over in Malta, bout 10 mins away, so it wasn't to big of a loss. Come Saturday night, I went over to Mark and Chad's for some hanging out-age, and we watched an episode of Alias, since that is their new daily series of choice now that 24 season 2 is finished, and then started watching Halloween 2 in spanish! I think you really seem to get alot more out of it when you have no idea what the characters are saying and you have to try to figure it out based solely on sound effects and the visual elements of the movie. Not that Halloween 2 was THAT hard to figure out. As Chad so eloquently put it, "His motivation is, he's a psycho and he is going to kill people,...and you get to watch." That about summed it up.
Tonight, a new episode of Survivor is on, and Dawson's Creek part2....don't ask, is on, so I spose I'll be downloading the latter, and watching the first one. Then, probably some HALO single player, to try to finish that up on time.
Until next time,
AHHHHHHHHH!
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