DATE: 08/27/2008 11:06:01 / MOOD: Killing Spree (accomplished)

Well I just got back from the testing center - and after 10 months of self-study, hands-on, and solving work related issues - today I have passed my final test to obtain the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer credential!!!

In celebration I'm going to do a few things:

- Not touch another boring tech book until after the first of the year - read something interesting instead

- Finish some more of the games that I have on the shelf

- Take a cheap, well deserved vacation

- Have my boss kidnapped until he gives me the raise that I deserve

Looking forward to getting some more game time in with you folks over the next few months. From the release date calendar, it seems like I finished this just in time :)

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DATE: 06/14/2008 14:10:17 / MOOD: Quad Damage (awesome)

Let everyone say what they will about sitting through long cutscenes or having to install parts of the game between acts - but that doesn't change the fact that this game is friggin' AWESOME!!!!

The story is top-notch - remember the feeling that you got when everyone bowed to the Hobbits in Return of the King - or when Vader committed the ultimate act of redemption in Return of the Jedi - or when John McClane jumped off the roof in Die Hard - or when Neo rose from death in The Matrix? I could go on and on about those great moments but I think you get the idea - this game is full of them. The Gameplay, Graphics, Sound - all of it just falls into place almost perfectly. I say almost because I've only finished the Third Act as I write this. I don't even know if I'm halfway through the game or not but I absolutely cannot stop playing!

It's three-words-simple folks - PLAY THIS GAME!!! I actually hope that this one goes multi-platform at some point. It's so damn good I don't want ANY gamer to miss this!

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DATE: 05/31/2008 23:37:24 / MOOD: ATK Buff (powerful)

Here's what I'll be checking out in June. Let the summer season begin!

Gaming Stuff:

PS3 - Metal Gear Solid 4 (as if you had to ask)

Xbox 360 - The Bourne Conspiracy, Battlefield Bad Company

Wii - Lego Indiana Jones

What - no Grid? Yeah that's right - I just couldn't get into the demo. I consider Dirt a much better racer.

Music:

The Best of Radiohead

Movies:

Kung Fu Panda

The Love Guru

You Don't Mess With The Zohan

The Happening

The Incredible Hulk

Get Smart

Wanted

Wall-E

Books:

Still nothing fun - Windows Server 2008 and Oracle 9i for Dummies are on the table. Somebody save me!!!!!

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DATE: 05/31/2008 00:16:04 / MOOD: 1up (lucky)

Here's where I stand with May :)

What Rocked:

Iron Man: Awesome action flick! I can't believe I'm saying this but Robert Downey Jr. was perfect for this role. We know the sequel in coming - and I'll be there!

Wii Fit: Yes it actually works and works very well. I actually feel guilty when I miss a day of working out and my wife uses it too. If you do the workouts right and don't try to cheat, you really do feel it. Another great one from Nintendo!

Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Yes it had it's issues and the ending wasn't really my favorite part, but this movie delivered. It wasn't trying to be anything more than a great fun movie for the summer season and that's just what we got. I'm going to see this one again while the wife goes to see Sex and the City.

Guests for Memorial Day: My brother and sister-in-law stayed with us for a few days over the holiday weekend and we had a great time! He was stationed in Guam and this is the first time they've been back in the continental US for years. We took my sister-in-law to her first Major League Baseball game at Turner Field and they both enjoyed Six Flags. Also, Rock Band is the ULTIMATE party game on Live and in-person

Fry's Blu-Ray Haul: Sale on Blu-Rays 2 for $30 early in the month so I picked up Die Hard with a Vengence and I, Robot. I would have done the same thing at Best Buy Memorial Day weekend but see the What Didn't Rock section for more details on that one. 

PC LAN Parties Still Own: Two Saturdays in a row - over 9 hours each of almost non-stop multiplayer gaming with Starcraft, Ghost Recon, Battlefield 2, and Crysis - and entirely too much Mountain Dew.

The New 3 Doors Down Album: A very strong album but in my opinion not as good as Away From The Sun or Seventeen Days. Still it's great - check out Train, Citizen Soldier, Let Me Be Myself, Pages, and These Days.

What Didn't Rock - At All:

Unexpected Car Repairs: Yeouch - $400 in car repairs just after payday. Sometimes it's hard being a responsible adult. So no Singstar or partaking in the awesome Best Buy Blu-Ray sale the week before Memorial Day.

Haze: I gave it a chance even after the reviews. While I don't think that it deserved a 4.5 (a 6.0 maybe), it's definately not up to par with a lot of other games out there. The story just doesn't flow well at all and I have no intention or interest of finishing the campaign. Multiplayer is okay but seriously unbalanced. This game would have fared better about a year ago, but there's too much good stuff out there to spend time with this one. What the hell happened Free Radical?

The New Filter Album: I should have suspected they were going in a slightly different direction from the first single and I don't mind a band trying something new, but I think this one has established what doesn't work for them. Hopefully they won't take four years to release their next album...and it'll be better.

Higher Gas Prices: $110 to fill up the Jayce-Mobile as of the first of the month. If things keep going the way they are then I'll need to invest in Wii Pole Dancing just to be able to get to my regular job.

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DATE: 05/16/2008 19:59:10 / MOOD: Quad Damage (awesome)

The Office Season Finale last night absolutely rocked - I was laughing from start to finish!  I won't spoil anything for anyone that hasn't seen it yet but the whole cast was in top form. Bravo!!!!!!

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DATE: 05/11/2008 22:41:12 / MOOD: lollercoaster (happy)

Being a multiconsole gamer is hard work and I've got a couple of message on Live asking where I've been. I have been spending a lot of time outside of 360-land the past few weeks (with the exception of the CGNs) but there's a lot of great stuff out there right now all-around. Like most everyone else, I've been playing a lot of GTA IV (but on the less popular console) and also driving miles on end in GT5 Prologue. Even in all of that I still find time to get in some Warhawk and a little of the MGO Beta. Recently I just checked out the Haze, Bourne Conspiracy, and GRID demos. Mario Kart is ruling the Wii right now with my wife and I about neck and neck when it comes to wins and losses. So yeah - I haven't been playing much 360 lately but I am VERY excited for Gears of War 2 later this year along with Tom Clancy's HAWX. I'm hoping that Too Human will also be pretty good.  

So here's what I'll be checking out this month - not just games but movies and music as well. Don't forget to check out my profile to get a taste of a few tracks that are on my Ipod Playlist for this month. Enjoy!

Gaming Stuff:

PS3 - Haze, Enemy Territory Quake Wars, Singstar (Yeah that's right - got a problem with that?)

Xbox 360 - Bionic Commando Rearmed

Wii - Wii Fit

Music:

3 Doors Down - 3 Doors Down

Filter - Anthems For The Damned

Movies:

Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian

Indiana Jones and the Kingdon of the Crystal Skull

Books:

Nothing recreational - I'm still studying to finish my Windows 2003 MCSE before the end of June. Five exams down - two more to go.

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