I've got two days off starting tomorrow. :)

I’ve started playing through Grand Theft Auto 4 and at this point I’m pretty much blown away. In fact this iteration has taken everything that the franchise has done well and turned up the dial a few notches. I’ve only scratched the surface in the single player mode and already I feel this game will undoubtedly be my game of the year, and I haven’t even touched the multiplayer mode yet. The release of GTA4 has transcended any other game release ever, as of right now it is the most highly reviewed game across the vast internets. If you can believe it, all of the best gaming websites all scored the game a perfect ten.

It’s the little things I’ve been noticing that make the experience so unique. The main character is Eastern European, and interacts with various Russians in the beginning of the game. During these sequences many people actually speak Russian and their behavior nearly identical to people I’ve met in Russia and my family over there. There are instances where I can pick up basic Russian words and phrases, and the Russian pop radio channel is spot on. Rockstar nailed it- no question.

At work, co-workers are all sharing their experiences with the game. No matter whom I’m talking with they already have some crazy story even after one night since release. I should take a picture of my Xbox Live friends list, its unreal how many people already have the game. Now I fully understand why Electronic Arts was so aggressive to acquire Take Two before the release of GTA, it will probably go down as the greatest console video game of all time.

Wednesday Thoughts.

I’m going to see Kraftwerk (or Kroft-verk if you’re German) tonight with Shane. We saw these guys back at Coachella a few years back. That show was excellent, I can distinctly remember hearing the buzz at the festival because they rarely played live shows, let alone in the US. Their set started during the middle of the Radiohead show, much of that crowd migrated over to this small tent to watch the Germans do their thing. At the time I only knew one Kraftwerk song, visually and musically I was completely impressed. So yeah… I now know more Kraftwerk songs these days… I’m very excited for tonight.

My Wii is getting up in price, thanks to Josh and Nico for bidding it up for me. It’s got about three days and 70 more bucks to go before it hits my reserve and I can confidently part ways with that piece. I’ve also completed an application for a Sony credit card, which I will use to buy my new PS3/Blu-ray player. More importantly, this Sony credit card gives you a one-time $100 credit when you purchase a Sony item of $299.99 or more. Don’t you just love when Sony hands out free money? So the epic Wii into PS3 plan is nearing completion.

I’ve completed my deck, it turned out well, and more importantly I think I’ve avoided any harassment from the HOA. I went completely rogue and went above the law to build this deck. If I would have submitted plans to the HOA the have the ability to jerk with you- tell you no, put completion time on your project, etc... I’m just glad it’s done, although I have noticed that Maya (my dog) is very hesitant to jump off the deck or even use the stairs. I think I’ll need to add some pavers so she doesn’t have to walk in the rocks. Hrmm…

I'm selling my Wii!

Someone please buy my Wii!

Building a Deck!

As summer begins to ramp up we’ve decided to spend our tax return making an addition to our house. We initially talked about hiring someone to pour another concrete slab in next to the current one in our backyard. After calling a few contractors I quickly learned this was going to be more difficult and expensive than I imagined. I began researching my alternatives and learned that building my own deck may be a fun, cost-effective, way of improving the atmosphere in our backyard.

After about four days of researching, measuring, moving rock, cutting and leveling, my deck is nearing completion. In fact all that remains are a couple of side panels, minor sanding and building a tiny set of stairs. Overall I think it’s turning out well, but in the beginning I was very nervous as I’ve never tackled a project this big by myself.




The foundation of the deck, and the size of the current slab.


My assistant and lead digger!




With the planking added it goes a long way!


Good job Daddy! We’re almost done! Now I just need some stairs.

The Budget:
Dek-Blocks $70
Foundation Wood $170
Trex Composite Weather Treated Decking $1100
Hardware Screws Nails etc. $50
Total: $1390.00

Assclown: see David Cook.

If you watched American Idol you saw rocker-wannabe David Cook do this.


I’m not sure what makes me want to vomit more, the blatant rip off that is taking place or the fake plea about his face. A statement for David Cook:

Dude you’re a contestant on American Idol in Hollywood- you’re not playing Live-Aid or the Tibetan Freedom Concert. You’ve ripped off several covers verbatim already, now you’re ripping stage antics? Leave the over the top white military coats in the closet, no way in hell you have earned the street cred to wear something like that. Oh yeah and you seriously need to turn down the cocky dial- no one with a brain is buying it.

Spare me the comments that he is “trying to do good” by writing such a message on his hand. The performance was bland and after Randy and Simon torched his ass he seemed to care less that they actually praised him for the message on his hand. He came across completely flat and empty. I certainly don’t think American Idol is lame for what they do to bring real issues to light. They do a lot of good when they raise money and send former Idols to Africa and present an informative video montage of the issues… and they even used Craig Armstrong’s epic “Wake Up in New York” to accompany the video. Nevertheless, David Cook is a lame wannabe without an ounce of originality in his body. Oh yeah and dude, you need to do something about that hair.

In fact, he’s inspired me to write shit on my hands.

Tuesday Thoughts.

So Marina has been watching “Rock of Love 2” on VH1 religiously. No matter how much I try and avoid it, somehow I ultimately end up watching it. The premise is pretty simple- Bret Michaels (of Poison) hooks up with a bunch of random skanks and strippers, week by week he then weeds them out. It’s humorous, but afterwards I always feel like I need to sanitize myself. In the most recent episode he eliminated the last girl before the finale, of course after he pretty much forced her to get a tattoo of show logo on the back of her neck. What I find most interesting here is that the girl obviously didn’t want a tattoo- yet because the cameras are rolling she goes through with it. She then gets sent home minutes later, during elimination she basically acknowledges the fact that she knew she was going home. What? So now there are two girls left, one that looks like the human version of Janice from The Muppet Show and the good girl (or least skanky of them all).


In other news I had to give a best man speech at my brothers reception (200 people) last week. It was easier than I remember it in college, but I still got nervous. The beer helped take the edge off and once it was all done I could finally enjoy the remainder of the evening. Public Speaking is one of those things I don't think I'll ever fully embrace. Even with my new job I get nervous when I have to talk in front of the CEO.

Gonna start writing my March album reviews today or tomorrow. I think I've finally had enough time with each album. Which reminds me, I'll be seeing Kraftwerk in a few weeks, need to load up my iPod with their new stuff.

South Park is Great.

One of the many reasons why the writing on South Park is the best thing going. If you don't get this you need to spend more time on the Internet.

Fifa 2008 is hard.

Either I've completely forgotten how to play soccer or I just suck. I started playing Manager Mode in the Fifa 2008 on the default "Professional" difficulty and was "sacked" after a mere seven games. Apparently Lazio management finds a record of 0-6-1 and not a single offensive goal unacceptable.

Oh yeah, I miss the World Cup now. Four years apart is just too long...