Updates and The Orange Box
Memorial Day was uneventful, but I still feel as though my weekend was unexpectedly busy. I discovered that Steam was hosting a free weekend for Team Fortress 2, so I broke down and downloaded it, deciding that I could go ahead and get a start on earning rewards for my own account. I was surprised to discover that not only were they offering it for free that weekend, but they had also marked down the price severely. At only $9.99 or so, I felt it was such a good deal that I just had to splurge on it. So now I can wash my hands of that bit of unfinished business left over from Christmas. As for the Orange Box, which I had originally offered up for trade, nobody wanted it. I'll probably keep it to play the Half-Life expansions (which don't have achievements, so account doesn't matter). Once that's done with, I may decide whether or not I want to pawn it off.
Anyhow, I've really been digging Team Fortress 2. Wasn't sure about the new direction they where taking it in, but when I saw the first few of those advertisements for the game and realized that the new look was a part of giving the classes their own personalities, I was sold. I played that game for most of the weekend, so I'm still pretty new at it, however, I am quickly learning. My favorite by far is the Scout, although I seem to perform best with either the Pyro or the Heavy. Since I obtained most of the unlockables for the Pyro, I'm working on completing his achievements first. I absolutely suck with the Engineer, so that's one class I need more practice with. Here's some snapshots of my adventures:
For those of you who might be interested in tracking me down on Steam for some reason, my handle is [For]titude there. Also, while I am retracting my offer for the Orange Box (nobody was interested anyways), I did get a free three day pass for Team Fortress 2 if anyone is interested in it.
Aside from that, I helped xinxiao and
j_wolfman get situated in Second Life. xinxiao also introduced me to a new band that I might be interested in. They're brand new, with their debut just out this year. They call themselves Halestorm. I also reaquainted myself with the Songfight archives and discovered another musician called Mailbox who is offering his entire discography for free. I downloaded his latest album, "Irrelevant", although I haven't had the chance to listen to it yet. I'll write a review later.
Speaking of music, I saw the most amazing show over the weekend too, called "Around The World For Free." In it, this guy is trying to travel around the world without any money of his own; he is relying solely on the kindness of strangers to get him from place to place. It's unlike any other travel show in that you get the real sense of adventure by going along with him. And you are shown the real people of the world, which the other travel shows tend to gloss over. It's really neat, and if it ever gets consolidated onto a collection of DVD's, I'll probably make it the first television show I add to my collection. Anyhow, in South Africa, the fellow was treated to a concert in this bar by a band called The Dirty Skirts. They sounded interesting, so I looked them up and I think I might like them. This would help my goal of following at least one band from every continent considerably, being the only African band that I'm currently aware of. The problem is that it doesn't look as though they are selling any of their albums to locations in the United States. A pity, because I won't buy their stuff if I can't get a hard copy.
Still haven't gotten any offers on the job front, although my brother claims the temp agency he works with is needing new people right now. I am going to give that a try and see if they hire me; with an Associate's Degree, my chances there should be increased dramatically. Progress on my room is proceeding at a somewhat faster clip now, although it is looking like it will drag on into yet another month. At the risk of unbalancing the harmony of this family, I think I'm just going to move in on the first, regardless as to whether the room is finished or not. A single room should not take them 5+ months to paint, and I've given them all winter and all spring to work on it. They are like the landlord that says they'll fix something but ultimately never do. Eventually, you have to take matters into your own hands when you get tired of living with the problem.
Still hoping I can get a job soon. DefCon is probably out at this point, since even if I do get hired, It'll most likely be too soon to request time off (and I'm pretty sure you don't request time off if you're only a temp). Of course, if I don't get hired at all I'll pretty much go back to being dependant on my parents, and I want to do everything in my power to keep that from happening. They say that the depression is ending, but at the age of 25, if I have to go back to being a dependant, I'll probably still be living with my parents well into my 30's trying to save up enough to live on. All things considered though, I think my lack of transportation is the root problem of all my issues. If my parents don't want to take me back and forth to a job once I get hired, I need to move in with someone who does, because there's no other way I'll be able to save up to get a car of my own.
Oh, and I wrote another book review. This one is for an old Y2K survival book that was written in 1997. It was an interesting and amusing read, especially with the hindsight nearly a decade offers. The book is called "Time Bomb 2000" by Edward and Jennifer Yourdon.
----------------
Now playing: Alan Silvestri - Theme From "Flight of the Navigator"
via FoxyTunes
An economist claims that the recession is now over based on statistical data.
The economics of automobile colors. What is trendy today, and how does that compare with trends in the past?
Supposedly, there is a way to practice divination and develop your ESP skills based on your astrological sign.
Anyhow, I've really been digging Team Fortress 2. Wasn't sure about the new direction they where taking it in, but when I saw the first few of those advertisements for the game and realized that the new look was a part of giving the classes their own personalities, I was sold. I played that game for most of the weekend, so I'm still pretty new at it, however, I am quickly learning. My favorite by far is the Scout, although I seem to perform best with either the Pyro or the Heavy. Since I obtained most of the unlockables for the Pyro, I'm working on completing his achievements first. I absolutely suck with the Engineer, so that's one class I need more practice with. Here's some snapshots of my adventures:
For those of you who might be interested in tracking me down on Steam for some reason, my handle is [For]titude there. Also, while I am retracting my offer for the Orange Box (nobody was interested anyways), I did get a free three day pass for Team Fortress 2 if anyone is interested in it.
Aside from that, I helped xinxiao and
j_wolfman get situated in Second Life. xinxiao also introduced me to a new band that I might be interested in. They're brand new, with their debut just out this year. They call themselves Halestorm. I also reaquainted myself with the Songfight archives and discovered another musician called Mailbox who is offering his entire discography for free. I downloaded his latest album, "Irrelevant", although I haven't had the chance to listen to it yet. I'll write a review later.
Speaking of music, I saw the most amazing show over the weekend too, called "Around The World For Free." In it, this guy is trying to travel around the world without any money of his own; he is relying solely on the kindness of strangers to get him from place to place. It's unlike any other travel show in that you get the real sense of adventure by going along with him. And you are shown the real people of the world, which the other travel shows tend to gloss over. It's really neat, and if it ever gets consolidated onto a collection of DVD's, I'll probably make it the first television show I add to my collection. Anyhow, in South Africa, the fellow was treated to a concert in this bar by a band called The Dirty Skirts. They sounded interesting, so I looked them up and I think I might like them. This would help my goal of following at least one band from every continent considerably, being the only African band that I'm currently aware of. The problem is that it doesn't look as though they are selling any of their albums to locations in the United States. A pity, because I won't buy their stuff if I can't get a hard copy.
Still haven't gotten any offers on the job front, although my brother claims the temp agency he works with is needing new people right now. I am going to give that a try and see if they hire me; with an Associate's Degree, my chances there should be increased dramatically. Progress on my room is proceeding at a somewhat faster clip now, although it is looking like it will drag on into yet another month. At the risk of unbalancing the harmony of this family, I think I'm just going to move in on the first, regardless as to whether the room is finished or not. A single room should not take them 5+ months to paint, and I've given them all winter and all spring to work on it. They are like the landlord that says they'll fix something but ultimately never do. Eventually, you have to take matters into your own hands when you get tired of living with the problem.
Still hoping I can get a job soon. DefCon is probably out at this point, since even if I do get hired, It'll most likely be too soon to request time off (and I'm pretty sure you don't request time off if you're only a temp). Of course, if I don't get hired at all I'll pretty much go back to being dependant on my parents, and I want to do everything in my power to keep that from happening. They say that the depression is ending, but at the age of 25, if I have to go back to being a dependant, I'll probably still be living with my parents well into my 30's trying to save up enough to live on. All things considered though, I think my lack of transportation is the root problem of all my issues. If my parents don't want to take me back and forth to a job once I get hired, I need to move in with someone who does, because there's no other way I'll be able to save up to get a car of my own.
Oh, and I wrote another book review. This one is for an old Y2K survival book that was written in 1997. It was an interesting and amusing read, especially with the hindsight nearly a decade offers. The book is called "Time Bomb 2000" by Edward and Jennifer Yourdon.
----------------
Now playing: Alan Silvestri - Theme From "Flight of the Navigator"
via FoxyTunes
An economist claims that the recession is now over based on statistical data.
The economics of automobile colors. What is trendy today, and how does that compare with trends in the past?
Supposedly, there is a way to practice divination and develop your ESP skills based on your astrological sign.