The blog that's gotten one comment ever! Thanks mom!

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Thanks for the good thoughts!

Thanks for the comments guys. Quick update on what's happening with this. I'm trying to finish with the course of action my doctor put me on, while at the same time, seeing a chiropractor/acupuncturist. This way, I've got my quack bases covered. I kid, I kid, if it helps, I don't care if I have to wear a crystal pendant and a pyramid shaped hat. Results so far is that the pain seems less frequent, but more intense. On the whole, I think that's a positive.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

This is intolerable

J and I watched a really sweet movie last night, Eagle vs Shark. Throughout it, I'd have to jump up off the couch and limp around, as this damned nerve would twitch and I just couldn't sit still.

When sleeping, I have to lie on my back, not my preferred way to sleep. But anything else seems to trigger it, as I discovered multiple times between two and three last night.

I tried adjusting my desk at work, so I could work while standing, but that triggered it. I can't sit normally without it going off. I have to sit hunched over, with the angle of my torso to my thighs being less than ninety degrees, and even that's no guarantee that it won't happen.

*cries*

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Definition: "In Stock"

It's time for Scott's public service announcement to the internet. Today, we're going to define the term "In Stock". In stock means that you have physical possession of an object for sale, and merely await an order for said stock to be shipped to the happy buyer. In stock does not mean that the item is on backorder. In stock does not mean that the item is no longer available. In stock does not mean that the product does not and may very well never have existed. Until the internet figures this out, scottlovesjanie.com is having a unicorn sale. They're in stock!

Pinched nerve update

The docs don't think it's sciatica, but agree it's likely a pinched nerve. They just don't know what to do about it. They just took some x-rays, put me on some steroids, and told me to stop bugging them. So, now what? It triggered again today. And it isn't getting less painful. Do I go see a chiropractor? I'm halfway convinced they're a bunch of voodoo, but if the actual docs can't help, what do I do?

Monday, February 25, 2008

A mostly good weekend

Drove down to Denver Friday, and stayed at Janie's sister's place. Got up way too early the next morning, and began the drive to Monarch Mountain, Janie, Rose, Rose's boyfriend John, and myself. Got there around ten, got through the annoying rental process, and hit the slopes. Ugh, I can't believe I just typed that. Anywho, the skiing was good, I managed four runs or so before I felt too tired/sore to be safe out there anymore, so I claimed a table at the lodge and guarded it zealously from any who dared question my table territory.

When everyone else finished, we drove into Salida, found our hotel, and soaked in one of the hot tubs, until the arrival of a very large family bearing booze chased us from the premises. After a bit of a nap, we ended up at Amicas, a microbrewery and pub. The beer was quite tasty, as was the food.

The following day, we drove back towards Denver, stopping at a hot springs on the way. I find myself mixed on hot springs. I do enjoy sitting in the warm water, especially when the scenery is nice, and doing so while it's snowing is the best. But this remains enjoyable for a finite time, after which I'm done with the activity. I think I also prefer the heated tubs and swimming pools to the rock and dirt lined shallow pools lining the river side, where freezing river water and super heated spring water mix.

Anyway, very good trip, until we got on the road home. At which point a pinched nerve had me absolutely miserable. The pain rarely lasted more than thirty seconds at a time, but it was so intense that I slept very poorly on Sunday night, worrying it would come back. And it did. It's happened about five or six times so far total. Rose, who's in medical school, suggested it was sciatica, and the wiki entry certainly seems to support this. I've got a doctor's appointment Thursday, just hope the pain is infrequent between now and then.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Off skiing this weekend

Well, I'm off for a weekend of skiing. I've not been in years, and I'm concerned for my knees, but we'll see how it goes. Hope everyone has a great weekend, and we'll see you when we get back!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Bweep ba do boop!

I found this wonderful bit of knitcraft floating around the interweb this morning. I'm going to see if my sister can make one for me.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Finished Mass Effect...

...and enjoyed it muchly. You can see my final thoughts on the game over at gameosaur.us, though some of the issues are reposts of content I'd written here first.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

I Want This

In today's I Want This, we have what could be, the greatest Nerf gun in history. Check it out over at Gizmodo.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Valentine's day

I took J to a Valentine's concert put on by Devotchka down in Boulder last night. Absolutely a fun time. The music was great, but I spent way too much of the show staring at the guitars. Also, as we had been playing Rock Band before the concert, we came up with some more new band names. Technical Difficulties, and Suddenly Sushi. Oh, and the image above is Janie's shirt she wore to the concert. I had a matching one, you can buy them here.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

My latest time sink

My friends and I talk about games a lot. We're a little obsessive about it. And being the level headed folks we are, we've decided to alleviate some of our guilt over this by sharing it with the rest of you. Introducing gameosaur.us, a little gaming blog, by gamers. All the writers are real people, with plenty of things going on in our lives besides our favorite hobby, so we aren't going to be rushing to get games reviewed by release day, or to post the latest news we can find. There's plenty of other places on the web that can do that better than us. We will talk about things we find interesting in the gaming world, games we like, or didn't like. I'd like to think that, as most gamers out there live full lives in addition to enjoying games, ours is a perspective that will be shared by many.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Fun things found on the net.

While doing a google image search (don't ask), I came across this:That kid looks terrified. "Mom, what did you just put me on?"

I have a problem

I'm not good at fashion. I've got this little voice inside my head that tells me to dress like Crichton from Farscape, like Mal from Firefly, like Han from Star Wars. And, possibly to my detriment, I listen to that voice from time to time. I wear a leather murse slung like a holster on my left hip. I've got a pocket filled black vest that I wear whenever I get tired of the murse. I feel like, at any given moment, I should be able to walk on as an extra in some never to be filmed Blade Runner sequel. Then I found this. If dressing like a sci-fi extra means I also have to look like the guys in these spots, I think I'll stick with jeans and t-shirts.

Friday, February 8, 2008

I want this

A 3D version of the Star Wars movie poster.

How not to do downloadable content

Gaming blog Kotaku has this article, which makes me a bit unhappy. With the latest generation of consoles able to access the net, downloadable content has become an easy way for companies to make a few bucks. Some examples of this were downright awful (*cough* horse armor), but others, like Rock Band's downloadable songs, really add value to a game.

Mass Effect may be Bioware's first console title where downloadable content has been an option, and the way they're going about it is a bit odd. If you've already completed the game, the add on resets your character back to the beginning, forcing you to play through the first planet, and paying your first visit to the Citadel, before you get access to your ship. Only then can you access the new content.

How hard would it have been to simply drop you back in your ship, with the new missions listed on the map? Granted, I've not finished playing the game, for all I know, the galaxy is destroyed by the end of it, and so Bioware had to do this to keep their timeline making sense. But that's still a pain. I may save buying this till I get the urge to play through the game a second time.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Mass Effect update

I had a very bad stomachache Tuesday night, and since I couldn't sleep, I got up and continued Mass Effect. I finally did get to bed about five, but upon getting up a few hours later, still felt like crud, with the added benefit of needing more sleep. So I took a sick day. And played Mass Effect some more. So, more thoughts.
  1. The game makes me want to go through and play again on every class. The problem is there's so much content, it would be exhausting. As a veteran of many Bioware games, I try for as many side quests as I can, leaving the galaxy to teeter on the verge of disaster. I'm not sure how many play throughs I've got in me.
  2. The Mako. It's the future. You're driving all over these incredibly mountainous terrains. Let's find the engineer who put this together, and explain that there are times when it's helpful to be able to shoot downward.
  3. The inventory system!
    1. It took me way too long to figure out how to sell extra gear to the Normandy's quartermaster (I know, I know, duh, but honestly, I bet there are others who didn't see how at first).
    2. I was at first impressed that the game actually showed you carrying all of your gear. Most games have the heroes carrying a small army's worth of gear, but never showing how that's schlepped about. However, Mass Effect only displays your equipped gear. Apparently, you're also carrying everything else that you've got, allowing you to change to a different weapon/armor in mid-mission.
    3. The item limit. I had at least one point where I had reached it without realizing, then was given an item upgrade important to the mission I was on. I had to convert it into omni-gel, then reload the game at my last save and do it all over, making sure to convert a bunch of other stuff to omni-gel first.
  4. Elevators. Enough said.
Anywho, I still love the game, and think about it way, way too much, but a tiny little piece of me wants to quit all the side quest crap and get on with the main plot. The story there is so much better. And although the rewards are great for taking the time, it bothers me doing so. Bioware RPG's always put you on a quest where you have a limited time to save the world/galaxy, but then reward your dawdling around doing favors for anyone and everyone instead of getting the job done. It would be an interesting trick to play for their next game to actually have consequences for all the time you spend not saving the galaxy.

P.S. I really do love the game! Really! The only reason I have things to pick apart is that I'm spending a LOT of time with it.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

New drums are here!

EA continues to impress with their support. Got the new drums in and assembled, and got the old ones ready to ship back. The new set are definitely of the second generation of hardware, and seem very sensitive in comparison to the originals, although the red pad sometimes seems to need a bit more force. Our band "as you wish continued" it's quest to get to unlock the endless setlist. So not sure if I'm ready for that. Some of the songs, even on medium, can be brutal on drums. And no matter how fun the game is, 58 songs in one sitting... Oog.

Monday, February 4, 2008

The Super Bowl

Well, that was unexpected! A defensive battle, a great ending, and a big upset! Fixed cheeseburgers, chili-fries, and cookies for sustenance, and tivo'd the game so we could skip the boring parts and commercials that had already aired multiple times. My choice for best commercial goes to the chip commercial with the guy in the mouse suit.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Mass Effect impressions

Ok. First, I love me some Bioware games. Bioware has made some of my all time favorites, so I'm a Mass Effect fanboy even though I've barely started the game. Here's my thoughts so far:
  • The 'tutorial' level could be better. Mass Effect throws you into the action, and unless you are being very careful, or are playing a soldier (more on this later), things can get a little frustrating.
  • Play a soldier if the combat is getting you down. I started with a Vanguard, and trying to take out hovering drones with a pistol or shotgun was not much fun. With a soldier, you've got every weapon group available to you. Setting up for some long range sniping can greatly reduce the difficulty of some encounters.
  • The game is fun! Bioware nailed the ScottyAttention formula with games like KOTOR, and Mass Effect continues this tradition.
I just got to the Citadel for the first time, so I have a long, long way to go, but I'm really enjoying things so far. I'm already tempted to play through the game a second time, as an Adept next time maybe. We'll see.

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