So many blogs

No joke, I'm working three now! And that's not a complaint, I think it's pretty awesome! What blogs, you may ask. Well, obviously this one, which is my personal blog. Yeah, it can be pretty mundane and boring. I'm also working on a personal work blog at work talking about different topics I find interesting. It's pretty much all about work stuff, so I'm not going to talk about that here! And finally, the Pathseekers blog I mentioned in my last post.

I'm having a lot of fun with that! I just needed a base idea, and I've just been going through it. Pretty positive response so far. If you read the blog, you'll know it's a permanent pre-production (which means it really doesn't face the problem). We're all about putting up tons of ideas to build a portfolio. For some of us it's about writing and designing story and lore; for others it's about art and maybe modeling or programming. I just know I'm enjoying it! Be sure to check it out!

Other than that, I'm just preparing for my new shift, and working on web development still. I'm up to Javascript on W3schools! Which reminds me, I'm going to read over a bit more of that before bed! Later blogosphere!

Here we go

So, my vacation is over, and my brother is gone. Yeah, I'm a bit sad to say the least; however, at least I'll be saving up money now, I guess. That's a plus, right? Oh, and my house is clean now! Gotta keep it that way, and get back on my diet!

I wasn't able to finish the SC2 novel, but I was able to get it checked out longer! So, gonna finish that up still! I also just finished the W3schools stuff for CSS! Do I know it? Just like all the other stuff I went over so far at W3schools, sort of. I'm still going to need more practical knowledge of all of it. Next up is Javascript, and a look over CSS3 after that. Then, it'll be off to my big book finally followed by some helpful links friends and co-workers have shared (mostly on CSS).

In other news, my friend, Niki, has started up this cool project for a mock game (for now at least) called Pathseekers. I'm really excited about it, and my creative juices are flowing. I kinda already changed around a bit of the base foundations which I hope everyone else on the project is ok with, and begin building a lore and story for the world. That's what I do, lore all the way! I have my work cut out for me, but I'm so excited! I even have a few scene pieces in mind!

Anyway, time for bed since I go back to work tomorrow. Only a few more days before my new shift starts. Still waiting to see what happens there. *fingers crossed*

On the Road

I've never tried this yet, buy there is a first time for everything!

I'm on my way from Austin to Louisiana to bring Dawson home. I can't wait to get out if Houston.

No much to report at the moment. I want to talk about more, but I don't like writing on this phone. Plus, I don't know if this will even work!

More later if it does work!

T-minus two days

Pretty close to the last day my brother will be here.I'll be taking him home when the time comes, and at least I'll see my family for like a day. That will be cool since I probably won't see them again until my birthday in March!

I watched Captain America last night, and it was pretty good. I'm excited to see Avengers now to see how all these heroes and actors work together!

Other than that, not much going down. Trying to finish up the SC2 novel before I head out, so there will be a lot of reading tonight! My friend asked me to edit her school paper, so I'll be doing that tonight as well. Still reading up on web development, working on CSS right now. Then, Javascript followed by my big book of web development that I got so long ago. A friend also shared some CSS pages for me on Google+ to check out. So, it's something I'm to learn. I just need more practical use of it.

Now, it's time for work! Still nervous about the new shift starting on the 7th...

Allons-y

So, the weekend is over. No, I didn't get anything done really, but more on that in a minute. It was my last weekend with Dawson here. I'll be bringing home come this time next weekend. It'll be a bit cheaper to live, and quite a bit cleaner (after I pull it all together when I get back); however, it's going to be a lot emptier. I'm going to miss that little punk.

I didn't do anything this weekend, really. Well, I did read quite a bit of the SC2 novel, and I plan on doing so more when I get off of work this weekend. I really need to have it done by Sunday/Monday. That's my goal for it.

Nothing else; though. I fooled around with Morrowind and updated the graphics to play it a bit. I also set up a Minecraft server for Dawson and me. Hopefully, he'll be able to hop on now and then even if he has dial up so we can build that world together.

As for as "productivity" goes, I'm going to slow down a bit as I keep trying to set myself up to do everything all at once. I need to pace myself, or else I'll do nothing ever. I still have my goals, and I'm still going to work toward them. The immediate goal is web development. Once I finished that big book, I'll consider myself close to the end of that one.

I got my new shift at work, and it starts on Aug. 7th. I'll be working Midnight to 11am with Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays off. That was my 10th pick, and no, I'm not ecstatic about it at all. My last "good" pick ended at 6am to 3am, and that was my 6th pick. So, consider that to what pick I got!

However, there are two things one can do in this situation. One, you can give up caring and either quit or work crappy until they fire you; or two, you can take it in stride and kick that shift's ass. I've already dedicated almost three years to this company, and I really do want to make a career of it. So, I'm not giving up just yet. I don't want to be where I am at forever; though, there are other areas in my department and other departments in the company I have my eye on. But doesn't do me any good to give up. Here we go! As the Doctor once said, "Allons-y!"

Well, I'm going to head off to work as there is something I want to finish writing up there. Maybe it'll turn into nothing, but at least it was an interesting exercise! Later!

End of a Journey

Wow, so it's been around 14 years since Harry Potter first came out, right? I finished the books up around 2-3 years ago I guess, but just watched the final movie last night. How did I feel about it? It was pretty good, followed the books closely with a few changes here and there. Of course, if you look at the movies from 1 to 7/8 a lot has been removed, obviously. I'll personally always enjoy the books far more.

So, this a quickie. I'm about to head into work for my Friday! Hopefully, it'll be a good end of the week. Last weekend with my brother; though. I'll save money when he's gone, and my apartment will be cleaner; however, it'll be a bit more lonely.

CSS is coming along quite nicely. It's far longer and more complex than HTML and XHTML, but there is still quite a bit I need to know in those two as well. W3schools is pretty good, but in scale it is really small. I still have so many questions, but I'm hoping my big book answers those when I get to it! Going to finish up all the W3school stuff (CSS, Javascript, etc.) then hit the big book finally. It's actually quite fun! Can I be a web developer? I always felt like this was something you'd have to be doing right out of high school (or while you were in it). We'll see.

Still gotta get stuff written and read, but I'm going to try to worry less. Less stress would be pretty awesome!

Anyway, time to head to work! Have a good one!

Yes, I know

So, brief update on my lunch break. I'm still planning on getting the Infamous write-up; however, behind thanks to Plucker's with Quiz and Harry Potter. I'm going to see the 2nd part tonight.

However, I did make it through HTML5 and XHTML! Working on CSS now and then Javascript. After that, big kid's book! >>

And I have to get to the Infamous write-up, Suckerpunch review, read the SC2 novel, and get a new poem.

This is also my brother's last week here. A lot to do in the coming days, but I should hopefully have the four things up there done by the end of this month!

Alright, Tonight, I swear!

I don't know why, but I was really tired last night. No clue why; however, I will get to my Infamous write up after work tonight. It's going to be on here, then! Expect discussion of the story, genre, and all that jazz. It's not just a "Infamous 2 is a 10! Play it" kind of thing. I really think that series did a lot for the sandbox games, and I wanna talk about it on that type of level, not just a simple review.

Nothing major last night. I finished up HTML Advanced before collapsing; however, I don't think I'm ready for a website just yet. Starting up on HTML5 for now. I have a long path ahead of me, and my to-do list is pretty big. I think I'm going to aim at knocking out the SC2 novel pretty soon. Hopefully, I'll make a big impact tonight after my infamous write up!

After the infamous write up, I'll start working on a new poem entry! And the Suckerpunch review. Ew. That should tell you how I feel about that movie!

Anyway, I have more work today, so time to get ready!

Failure

People have told me a while I shouldn't be afraid of failure, but everyone of them I've disregarded; however, they're right. You don't go anywhere without failure. If you want to know what I mean, if you don't already, check out this video.

So, all those people were right, and I'm dumb for not listening all this time. So, let's do it. Let's stop being stagnant and do! Failure or not, I gotta do to move on!

So, yesterday! First day of the week, and it was pretty solid. I had probably the best lunch I've had in a long time, work went well, and I did dailies and ran an instance with Mark. I made it through some HTML Advanced lessons, and thinking about starting up a website to practice the skills I'm learning there. It'd be more like a "professional" blog site with editorials and such. We'll see what happens!

I know, I know. I didn't get my review out on Infamous 2, but I decided to change it to a reflection on the Infamous series, so I'll get it together soon!

Work time for now, though! Later!

A Brief Pause

I'm about to head off to work for my Monday, so I don't have too long to blog. I did finish up HTML basic! Woot! Now to review and remember all of that stuff. It's quite a bit of tags and such to remember, and that's not even all of it!

I want to continue; though, since I can get an certification from w3, but I'll need to find someone to be a supervisor to add even more credibility to the certificate. Not sure who I'll ask just yet.

My phone seems to be fully functional again! Yay! Sounds, check. Light, check. No longer doing random things, seems to be check! Awesome! Fully submerged in water, but still in working order after a few hours to dry!

Like I said, time for work! I hope to pull together a review for Infamous 2 tonight. Stay tuned!

Wrapping up the weekend

So, I had some successes and some...failures(?) this weekend. I got my last poem up! Success! But I didn't write any new ones yet. Failure!

For the most part; though, it was pretty successful; though. I finished Infamous 2, and I hope to pump a review/impressions out on it before next weekend, so on a post coming up soon!

I even made it to page 107 in the SC2 novel! I was aiming at 140 at least; however, difficulty arose. I dropped my phone into water, and dealt with its craziness for a while. For a bit, the light would stay off, and I couldn't read any texts! Now the light seems fine, but there are still issues. Certain sounds are wonky, and the home key isn't working (it was for a while afterwards). Hopefully, after more drying, it'll work like normal. As long as it doesn't randomly call anyone while I sleep. It did try to a bit ago...

I also got some HTML done this weekend! Like the SC2 novel, I didn't finish my goal (so failure!), but I only have a few lessons left in Basic! Now if I can just remember the stuff when I need it!.

And I tried out the game I mentioned previously called Faxion. It's interesting; however, while the aesthetics are appealing and the concept solid; I couldn't get into it. I may give it another go over, but we'll see.

Well, it's bed time for me! Not sure if I'm ready for work tomorrow or not, but it's time for bed for now! Later!

A Random One

So, without further adieu, the last poem I've been promising for a while:

Silhouetted Censorship
Through silhouetted eyes the world sees
Blinking lights glamour minds
Curving wires bind us to our universe
within a universe

Only seeing what we want

a bubble prison, never popping

Trapped by our own design

Never questioning content

Worshiping the Gods of silicon

Sacrificing time to Deities of the useless

Gorging on the meaningless

Creating monuments to nothing

The vast amount freedom

endless flow of information

has closed our minds

censoring ourselves

We see more

than we ever saw

We here more

than we ever heard

We do less

than we ever did

So, this poem wasn't written with any form in mind; like most of my previous, non-college poems. I just went with content and style. One day, when re-visiting my older poems, I may re-work this one into some type of form. I'm not sure how I'm going to address the older ones in the revision just yet. Regardless, I still like this one, and it's not really that hard to interrupt what I was going for, but I guess you could still see something different.

I wrote this one a few months back, I think. It was far before I considered jumping back into poetry writing as I still think there's not much to be done professionally with it; however, it has been very therapeutic; a big stress relief for the most part.

Now that I'm all out of already written poems, I'm going to have to get back to crafting some new ones!

Speaking of therapeutic, this blog has been pretty stress relieving as well. I'm pretty much only talking to myself most of the time as I don't think anyone else really sees it! Though, it's been pretty fun regardless. 

I really dig the social network stuff, too. Google+, Facebook, Twitter, and all that jazz. So much can be done with them. Just gotta master it!

So, I was watching extra credits again, and their topic on Gamification was awesome. I've thought long and hard about the concept and how it can fit into everyday life. I mean, there's so much I get done in games that could really be useful in real life. So, using gamification would be pretty awesome. I first thought about it when wanting to lose weight and how I could make a game of it. After that episode, I think I'm going to give it a shot again.

I didn't beat Infamous 2 last night, but I am so, so very close now. If I get to play today, I should be able to wrap it up. However, I do have some daily quests in WoW to do, and I kinda wanna play some CoD with Dawson. Not to mention a little minecraft. >_>

 Oh, and I have bills to go pay, some groceries to pickup, and gotta bring the headset back to ship off for a replacement. So much to do always! I also need more money, so I wonder if overtime will be available this week.

At least I got a bit read in the SC2 novel! Only 60 pages or so, but that's better than zero! It is really well written. People always trash talk the licensed novels like this one (including the WoW stories), but I've always been entertained and felt like they were pretty quality. I guess it depends on how much you enjoy the stories of the Blizzard Universe games, and I like them. Which is why I'd like to write in them!

Anyway, poem down! I think I have some HTML to review! Later!

Frustration

It seemed like yesterday was just one frustration after another after another that just kept piling on. My new headphones came in. A little bulky, but comfortable. Not very flexible, but solid. Sound is good, a little cracky sometimes. Whatever. The mic, though, blows. Which kinda makes the whole thing pointless. I already had good headphones; what I needed was a mic enabled headphone. When your mic randomly decides to do a high pitch scream, doesn't really do good in chat situations. Especially when it's random and there is no cause for it.

That's what I get for buying a licensed product. Especially one called Banshee, right? Utter crap. I have an email in to the company, but I don't think they'll be able to help. It's been out for over a year now, I think, and I've seen several postings on the internet of others having the problem, but no fixes yet.

So, I'm tempted to go to best buy and just pick up some Logitech headphones and go with that. What else can I do? I spent all last night tinkering with them with absolutely no positive results and an hour today. I can't find anymore info, and I just want to be able to talk. I don't need extra stress. I pay for the things, they should work out of the box with no issues. I already had to wait 2 weeks to get them, and now, they don't even work. Or at least the function I bought them for doesn't work. So what's the point?

No more licensed products for me, and I'm thinking no razer products either. I think I've only had success with the mouse at this point. Done.

Overtime and IHOP

I was really tired last night. I blame all of the overtime. Then, this morning, I ended up going to get something to eat at IHOP before work. Those are my excuses for no blogging last night and this morning. Overtime and IHOP.

At least it's Friday. I'm not sure if I'm watching Doctor Who tonight or powering through Infamous 2. I need to finish that game, and that is one of my top goals for this weekend followed by reading the SC2 Novel and my game writing book. Gotta get that stuff done this weekend! Let's make it happen!

I'm on lunch break at the moment, so not a lot of time, and not too much to say anyway. Google+ is a bit more interesting than it was at first glance. I'm going to keep playing around with it for a bit at least. Just need more pictures!

Found out there is a game company in Austin that makes a few free to play MMOs like Faxion and Mytheon. They also have some non-mmo games there as well. I think I'm going to look into those MMOs. Check out the community and fun factor.

My SC2 headset just came in! So, installing it and heading back to work! Later!

Overtime Part 3: Holy Hand Grenades

Ah, yes! Last day of Overtime for this week at least. We'll see if anymore is offered. Opposed to the other two quickies, this one will really be short!

So, I really plan on playing some Infamous 2 tonight. That's my game plan as of now. Of course, this could change, but it's what I'm going for at the moment. I'll prolly get my WoW daily quests done at lunch again.

Other than that, no major plans for today. It's Sunday but feels like it should be Monday. This week was longer than any other! I blame the overtime!

Like I said in my Twitter, you should check out Project Zomboid! I was begrudged when I said it was an indie game, but indie games are really where it's at right now! They don't have funding, they have extreme deadlines, and just tons of pressure. Well, that pressure can either produce a broken and terrible game, or a pure beautiful diamond! They're where the innovation is coming from right now in the gaming industry; at least when it comes to game mechanics. I wouldn't say they had the best story or writing, but they probably don't have time or money to pay a writer! Look at Minecraft.

Anyway, time for work!

Much to Say about Nothing

It's that time again! Yeah, that's right, close to my bed time! I'm not going to put up that last poem just yet, otherwise, I'd have to start writing more for the blog, and I'm tired right now! Not much happened today. More overtime, so I'm pretty tired earlier than normal. Tomorrow's the last day I have scheduled to do it, so everything should be back to normal tomorrow night.

No Infamous 2 or raiding tonight. Basically, I went and got cat food. My brother and I also ate at Pluckers. Now I'm home pretty much ready for bed. I really need to wrap Infamous up since I borrowed it from someone.

I did read a few pages of the Starcraft 2 novel. It looks like it could be interesting. I'm also trying to play close attention to how it's written, hoping it'll help me write better!

HTML is still on the list of things to do! So much stuff! Hopefully, I can pull it together soon.

Something I think is important to remember: Not every opportunity is for everyone. You may see it as an opportunity, and it may very well be one; however, it doesn't mean it works for everyone.

I think I'm going to dedicate a weekend day to playing Black Ops on the Xbox with my brother. He's leaving soon, and while I hate the game, I'd probably be upset if I didn't play at least some games with him. It'll be a surprise, I know he doesn't read this blog!

I tried out Google+, but I'm not that impressed. Meh. We'll see.

That's pretty much it. I still have a lot of stuff on the table. I want to do some movie reviews, game reviews, maybe some philosophical discussions (I need to use that minor somewhere, right?), but there is a lot on the table! I'll get to it I swear!

For now, it's pretty much bed time! Night!

Number 10

This is basically another quickie like yesterday morning cause I'm doing overtime again today. Ready to hit it hard!

This is also my 10th post! Woo! Big number 10! Sadly, I don't have anything profound or ground breaking to say, and while I generally don't complain in my posts, I think I will in this one. I don't have enough time for anything! I need more time! People always argue, money doesn't buy happiness; however, I disagree. While it doesn't buy happiness directly, it can buy time and more time can lead to happiness. That's what I think at least.

I was thinking of starting up a fictional, Zombie-themed blog. What does anyone reading this think? Is it too late in the game? What direction should I go with it?

Anyway, this was a real quickie since work is looming over me and not much has happened since going to sleep last night to write about! Later!

Blank Verse

And I'm back! Later than I thought, but here nonetheless. I'm actually about to go to bed because I'm going to continue with Overtime tomorrow and Sunday. But, tonight, I bring you my Blank Verse poem recently crafted for my poetry project. Blank verse doesn't have a rhyme scheme, but usually is in iambic pentameter. I tried! Here we go:

The Titan

The weary days end with such a whimper

Mediocrity holds no excellence

But still the mindless work drudges forward

Forcing the handicap worker further

His mind already decayed with dreams crushed

An empty shell looking toward the past

Deep within hoping there is still a chance

Salvation in a distant memory

Something to keep him awake day to day

A drive from a mythic land, a legend

Hoping to become the hero once dreamed

The stubborn empire swallowed all he was

Despite praise, despite the pure offering

Knowledge decapitated for what, nothing

Efforts ignored for such ignorance

The perpetually insane devours

Nothing left of his creativity

Your passion incited death; burning all

When rational, they said you didn't care

When jovial they called your fluff nonsense

For your facts, they whittle down to the bone

With your silence; they felt you ignored them

You understood the horrible truth

You had the position to give them the stakes

No winning, no, only degradation

And then he was gone in a puff of smoke

The worker, the drone, the husk of a man

His passion, his soul, his love burned away

A mere sacrifice to the soulless gray

The cold machine rumbles on, unending

I was actually pretty happy with how this poem turned out as well. I had my reservation in the beginning, but the subject came together for me once I got to the middle section. It is about a certain situation, or at least it was when I started with it. At this point it can be about a lot of different things, but I'll always think of at least two, and to pay tribute to one of those things, I gave it it's name. One of my friend's put a comment that I considered really positive after I posted this one, so now it's one of my favorites. I'm not that bad of a writer! :p

So, overtime went pretty good today; however, day ended with a lot less "umph" than I was hoping. Maybe I can do better tomorrow since I'll be doing more OT.

Due to OT, I didn't do too much else. Mark needed me again for raids, so I joined up and helped kill another Firelands boss bringing the guild to 6/7 down so far. They'll probably get the 7th tomorrow; though, I won't be there. Due to the learning curve of the fight, didn't finish up till late, so no Infamous 2 tonight. Hopefully, I'll get some time in tomorrow and finish it up!

I also need to read 3 books! Ahh! First, I need to get Starcraft 2's novel down since I have a due date, and then I need to finish up the video game story writing book. After those two are down, I can finish Anansi Boys. So much to read!

With all I have to read, I still need to do some more learning on w3schools.com for html experience. I'd like to get some wiki experience as well, but I don't really have anything to write on a wiki.

And speaking of things to do, I need some social media books. Ahhh! So much to do. And Dawson's trip home is coming soon. I wonder if things will settle down a bit after he's gone? Other than the house being a bit more empty...

Well, I hope you liked the poem! I'll be writing some more for the series soon, but I have one non-project poem I'm going to share next. Oh, any advice on cool people or companies to follow on twitter? Anyway, bedtime!

Quickie

I was a bit tired last night, so didn't get a blog up. Today, I have OT, so can't type for too long. Hopefully, I'll get a longer one in tonight, and maybe with my blank verse poem. You should check my twitter out for a pretty cool song by Lulu and the Lampshades.

So, not much happened yesterday. It was mostly just a work day, and nothing exciting happened there other than finishing off a writing project I wanted to do. No clue where that's going to go. We'll see. At home, I helped Mark out with a random instance in between my daily quests, but really didn't play WoW other than that. Not sure if I'll be needed in the raid tonight or not. I hope my headphones come in today either way.

The Extra Credits bit is really growing on me, it's a very solid show. I wish I could think of something like that and put it together. I also just got a copy of Starcraft II Heaven's Devils to read. I wanna learn the setting and how to write there. Every year there is usually (haven't heard yet this year) a writing contest I want to enter, and this year my story will be based in that world. Gotta get it right this year, I wanna prove I can write!

A friend sent me her thesis, so I started reading that. It's very sciency, which means not something I'm used to reading. Honestly, it reminds me of one of the classes I had back in Scholars. But, I made it to page 17/46*, so I'll finish it. Not sure how much help I'll be.

And, finally, played some Infamous 2! I have to be pretty close to the end, but still haven't completed it just yet. Soon, though, soon.

And I think I decided I'll drive my brother home, but not completely sold on it, yet; however, probably will.

Anyway, that was just a short recap of yesterday. Now I have to go make today happen!

Ballade

Oh, now it's time for the Ballade! So, like I said last night, don't get it confused with the Ballad. The Ballade is associated with French Poetry of the 14th and 15th century. It's pretty hard for the English language due to it's rhyme scheme of ababbcbC (x3) ending with bcbC with the "C" being a refrain. For some reason I'm not sure of still, the closing bit addresses a prince. I think I worked it into my poem nicely:

Monument

Remember when days were so long

For us all, remember those days

Before everything went so wrong

Now it's all just a foggy haze

With only a dead god to praise

This was something we could foresee

No worrying, no time to laze

Time is short, hurry we must flee

The days are hot, full of death's song

And the tune is sung with eyes glazed

There they march, a horrible throng

Never stopping, even ablaze

We're just mere cattle set to graze

The streets became a bloody sea

Let us dance in the dead’s ballets

Time is short, hurry we must flee

My son, to the earth you belong

Farewell, my child, no more delays

I swear by your grave I'll be strong

Destroy these dead with endless craze

Oh, through the corpses I will blaze

I promise a killing spree

This, my son, is the parting of ways

Time is short, hurry we must flee

My prince, to the heavens I raise

I only ask forgiveness please

I cannot bear that final gaze

Time is short, hurry we must flee

I absolutely dreaded writing this poem. I didn't know if I could pull off something that made sense or had value (though I guess you could always argue that the one above doesn't have such either or anything anyone writes, I guess). Though, I think this one turned out pretty good, and I was actually able to write it far faster than I thought possible.

There is only one line (This was something we could foresee) that I don't like. I just feel like it doesn't flow with the rest of that stanza, and I do plan on going back to change it eventually. For now, though, I think I beat the challenge of the Ballade. This was also the first poem from the series that received a comment from someone who never really saw my poetry, and I believe it was a positive comment!

Anyway, again, I woke up early today! An hour before my alarm! No clue why, but it's my Monday. >>

Goals for this week: No money spending (in fact, hopefully I can go till next pay check without doing so >>), start exercising, start a solid house clean up system, and make some progress in writing that can help my career. Let's see if I can accomplish any of that!

I'm also thinking about doing overtime on the 8th through the 10th. Need more money. Stupid bills.

Time to get ready for work, but I should have another post tonight before bed at least! Also, if you haven't followed my twitter, do so! I decided I'd just use it to status update my facebook as well since status updates are my favorite part of facebook. I just wish I had more friends that used twitter.

End of the Weekend

So, here were are on my "Sunday" night. Truly sad! I did accomplish some this weekend at least. I wrote in the blog at least once a day! I read a bit, and I may read a bit more before falling asleep. Didn't finish Infamous 2 off just yet, though. I had planned to play a bit more tonight; however, Mark asked me to raid cause they were short a member (I'm a second stringer :/). So, I went in and helped. We killed a boss, and the guild is now 5/7 on new normal content.

I was going to toss another poem up tonight, but I decided I'd hold off on it until tomorrow morning (most likely). It'll be a Ballade (not to be confused with the Ballad!). More on that tomorrow!

Getting deeper into July means that soon I'll be bidding on new shifts at work, and no telling what time I'll be living :(. I hope I get one of the shifts I really want, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. And near the end of July, my brother will be going home. The apartment will be a bit more lonely.

Oh, I don't know if anyone paid attention to my twitter, but I ran into an awesome new show called Extra Credits. If you like video games and topics on such, I recommend it!

Still waiting on my new headphones, but they are marked as shipped now! Yay! Oh, and I need to set up a budget badly. I hate thinking about things like that!

Oh, well, not much else to say tonight. Thinking about a movie review soon, but not sure which I want to do. Probably Sucker Punch....

Anyway, night anyone who sees this post!

So Early

Ok, so I didn't end up coming back yesterday, but the day turned out to be much fuller than expected. After getting my tire fixed, we went ate Indian! Delicious! After that we went swimming for hours. And afterwards went to BJ's Brewery. Yummy cream soda brewed up right there! Then, we wrapped the night up with a Doctor Who marathon! Couldn't get much better, eh?

So, today, I have to actually go buy groceries and get a hair cut, but no more money spending after that for a while. I need to Budget. >_>

Thinking about doing some overtime at work in the coming days. I was going to wait till my brother left, but whatever, he's not up early anyway. Might as well do it! It's going to suck when he's gone, though. :(

What to talk about today? I'm really digging Infamous 2, and I think I'm near the end. Once I completely finish (and maybe with a brief peek at the evil side), I'll write up a full review. It's pretty good; though, and will be the first console game I've finished since Uncharted 2, I believe. I'm about to get back on top of that, so you'll likely see a few reviews from me; however, they'll kinda be retro-reviews since I have quite a few old games to finish now!

Stupid Steam is having so many games on sale. Maybe next year at this time I'll have more money saved up, but there are more important things to get first. So, cheap games have to wait. If you do have the money; though, there are lots of awesome games on there. I'd recommend the Monkey Island series. Outstanding.

Oh, I didn't work with Quiz on webcomic ideas. I do have something I'd like to propose, but I don't have my hard copy of the concept. I fear it may be hard to understand without reading over what I wrote previously. But, I'm still thinking a surrealistic type of story. Not sure how well that'll go over.

Besides all of that, I've joined the escapist community. I registered (or re-registered as the case may be) for around three to four different gaming/entertainment websites with a strong forum community, but I can't manage being an active member on all of them, so I decided to go with the escapist. I love Zero Punctuation and Extra Credits is pretty sweet. I really want to get some experience in the community system, and the forums there also have a job forum. Hopefully, I can find a budding forum that needs moderators, so I can build some experience in that field. While, ultimately, I'd like to do writing and level design in the gaming industry, community management is my current short term goal.

Ok, so it's pretty early still. Not sure if I'm going to get up, or fall back to sleep a bit longer. Go ahead and follow my twitter if you have one, and then I can follow you! I need more normal people to follow and to follow me. Too many stupid bots.

Saturday and Ballads!

Well, I feel better now. Completely crashed last night after my last post. Figured I'd start the day off with another in my poetry series. This one is a Ballad as best as I could pull up at least, and I think it turned out pretty good. I went with the classic murder ballad because I didn't feel like a cliched romance one, but I've heard pretty positive things about it! It actually took me far longer to write than I thought it would. Brace yourself:
 

Sweet Sally Shade

I have a tale to tell, my friend

Oh, a grim little verse

About red blood and blondes, so sweet

My desires, such a curse

Was late one night, if I recall

In my sweet, dark alleys

Where she hid from the wind and rain

Oh, sweet little Sally

Scared when she heard my steps behind

And she sheepishly called

Hello, anyone there

And I was so deeply enthralled

Silence at first with no reply

I reveled in the fear

Sliding behind her in shadows

On her pale cheek, a tear

Oh, little Sally Shade don't cry

I swear a sweet goodbye

No pain, no fear, only beauty

Like a star in the sky

Why kill me, she thought to herself

Melodies and sweet dreams

I replied with a quick embrace

Oh, she struggled and screamed

They always scream, I'll let you, too

Oh, struggle all you want

My cold knife to her neck, she cried

I am not one to flaunt

Oh, little Sally Shade don't cry

I swear a sweet goodbye

No pain, no fear, only beauty

Like a star in the sky

I'm an artist, please understand

With a quick swish she's slack

They won't find me now or ever

Please call me Mister Jack

And with that I'm gone in shadows

Please keep my tale in mind

When you wander my sweet alleys

Least you, too, end in kind

When I said brace yourself, I meant because it's pretty long compared to the other two so far posted, but don't worry, I think the Blank verse poem is even longer! So, I decided to go with Jack the Ripper (spoilers! if you didn't guess that by the end) and end with the murderer getting away but still giving the "warning". Generally, the murderer is caught and his warning is to not make the same mistakes at him, but hey, it's Jack! This is probably the most enjoyable time I had since getting back into poetry, writing this Ballad. Hopefully, all the poems to follow will feel the same!

I should probably text Quiz or something. Or something. Today's not to busy, just a lazy Saturday. No movies--as mentioned last night--to watch and no other big plans. I probably should go grocery shopping, and I need to get my hair cut!

Today is the normal raid night in WoW, but I think I'm going to take a break from that game for a while at least. I don't know, I need something else to play. After seven years, there just isn't much there for me anymore. I'm not a first string raider, and daily quests always make me feel like I have to be there. :/

Anyone else out there using Blogger have an issue with spaces and the "enter" key? If I hit it to make a line break, it doesn't always drop  the cursor down. It's pretty annoying. Any advice would be awesome. It's especially annoying when hitting it makes a new line, but the cursor goes all the way back to the first line. O_o

Anyway, I should be active and do something. Probably stop by later and write some more about something or another. Also, if you have twitter, I'm on there as @StetsonBlade! Just as entertaining as this blog! :p

Late Night Boredom and the Weekenders

It's Friday! Or by now Saturday, I guess. I'm so happy it's the weekend, even though I don't really have anything planned. There's really no good movies out. I think Transformers 3 is showing, but I said good and blah on Transformers.

What I am looking forward to is Cowboys vs. Aliens and Captain America. Those are actually the last two movies of the summer in my opinion. And Cowboys v. Aliens looks really interesting. So, fingers crossed on those two.

Outside of movies, there are a few games I really would like to play. Currently, I'm working on Infamous 2, and just like the first one I'm hooked. I can't wait until Uncharted 3 comes out as I loved the other two in the series. I'm also playing the original Knights of the Old republic game at the moment. Who doesn't wanna give The Old Republic a whirl when it comes out?

Anyway, there's more I'd like to talk about on the above topics of games as well as the webcomic (Quiz hasn't set up a meetup time yet...), but I'm really tired tonight. Not sure if I'll just go to bed or give one of the games a play. We'll see!

Acrostic and Creativity

So, another from my poetry project! This one is an Acrostic poem which means that there are letters are words (generally the first in each line) that spell something else out. Maybe a hidden message, true meaning, joke, or whatever. Take a look:

Advice
During my life,
I have learned many things
Everything happens for a reason,
impossible isn’t guaranteed,
no one has the answer for everything,
and life is too short for so much worry
Forgive those that transgress even
if it is your greatest love or worst enemy
Remember, you’re only human yourself, and
everyone will see what you really mean.

I went the easy route and just used the first letter in each line; however, I would like to try a more complex version in the future. Now, how do I feel about this one? I find it humorous at least with the hidden meaning. I aimed for something serious throughout the whole of the poem, and wanted to undermine the speaker's "good advice". Now everyone can see what he really thinks!

I've been wanting to do something more creative for a while. I feel like I'm in a rut at work. It used to be what I lived for every morning, but everything feels a bit stagnant at the moment. So, I want more creativity in my life! That's why I started this blog, and why I plan to learn HTML (from w3 schools, awesome site!). I also want to learn some game editors like Neverwinter Nights (classic), Fallout 3, and maybe Dragon Age's editor. The Unreal UDK is on the list as well, but I've dealt with that beast before.

Outside of learning, I'd like to write more of my on stuff like the poetry; however, I want more prose as well. So, I'm brainstorming my original story (created concept back in highschool O_o). We'll how that goes!

And finally, webcomics! Quiz has been talking about making one, I've been wanting to make one, and now we found out Bob does, too. Luckily, Bob may also have the ability to draw--at least better than Quiz or me--so we may actually go somewhere. The only problem is concept. We need a story idea to build on! I personally want something serial and surreal. We're supposed to meet up and workshop this weekend, so we'll see what happens!

ABC Poetry

So, this is from my "Across the Literary Landscape: A Poem a Day" series. It's actually my first poem to write since starting the project, and it uses the ABC scheme. This one doesn't actually start with "A", and the fifth line isn't part of the order, so no comments on that! It's actually how the form works, the last line is a bit of summary to what the other four built up. Without further delay, a poem: 

Inevitable Ends

Earthly desire birthed in

Fire from the soul that

Grants immortality to

He who seeks

However, eventually endings are inevitable

So, I actually enjoyed putting this one together, and I think it's pretty strong. I've never been one to really use a scheme as I always went with free verse; however, free verse doesn't always help you when you're trying to create. Sometimes, it's a bit too free, if you know what I mean. I found forcing a set of rules--structure--really helps me get the creativity flowing. I may not always follow the rules entirely of a style, but even attempting seems to help me out. 

Take from it what you will, but I'm pretty proud of this one! For such a short poem, I feel it says a lot! Anywho, this is the first post of my blog! Now to actually keep on it. I have some backlogged poems I'll get on here soon enough to talk about, and I want to review Infamous II once I finish it. See you soon!