I don't think I've slept past 4am during the past week. I'm complaining about it less and less, though. It's probably good prep work for what's to come after all. At least for now I'm merely waking up to Amy's tossing or munching rather than someone screaming for my attention. But, I will admit that her mastication of crispity, crunchity food items has earned a special place in my ear as a sound to avoid. It's surprisingly loud in stiller nacht, as it were.
There have been other reasons we've been awake at these dark hours, though. Last night in particular was perilous to my poor stomach acids. Severe thunderstorms were rolling through our area and the thunder never quite abated. This kept both Amy and I awake until I retreated to the basement couch. However, I'd only begun to reach a state of true rest when she woke me up again for a worthy reason: the raccoon, or perhaps raccoons, that have taunted us for so long had penetrated our borders and were wreaking havoc in the attic.
So, when proper business hours rolled into view, we called a local service. They came yesterday morning, determined the point of entry, and placed a trap. I am almost certain that as I type, the furry squatter is struggling for freedom because I have heard thumping on the roof since around 3:30am. Yes, I am awake this morning, too. From the sounds I've heard over the night as well as raccoons' maturation and behavior patterns (from what I have read and been told), this may be the only one, but I would not be surprised if there were two. We'll have to see what happens after today to find out.
Also, I mentioned before that heavy rains were the initial cause of our sleeplessness. It takes the heaviest of rains to overflow our gutters. The event is rare, but when they do, we get water on the eastern part of the basement. It has only happened once in the past three years so until yesterday I was unclear where exactly the water was coming from. Now I know. When the water overflows the gutters, it splashes out directly above one of our basement window wells which is covered by a solid plastic guard. But the cover is old and needs to be replaced. Once that is done, I'll see if I can look at the gutter without killing myself. It's in a very difficult spot for ladder access.
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Now playing: Red Hot Chili Peppers - If You Want Me To Stay
via FoxyTunes
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Friendly Robin
My parents will never believe this, but after work today I was doing some more yard work in the tiny garden space we have in the back pulling weeds and turning over the dirt so that Amy might have a chance to plant something there. While I was doing all this, I was sharing time with a robin in search of grubs and worms. The smell must have attracted it because as soon as I had turned the first shovel of earth, it was hanging around waiting for me to stop digging. Whenever I stopped to take a break, it would run around near my feet where I was working pulling out the easy pickings.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Saturday Bloody Saturday
I can now take comfort in the fact that it is not simply our ineptitude that prevents Sid, our cat, from accepting his fate when accosted with the nail clipping tool.
Normally, each time we remove the clippers from their secret home under the sink, we go into reconnaissance mode, slinking around corners, one of us with a hand behind the back, the other nonchalantly carrying a towel, always closing steps between us and the orange blur that streaks from hiding place to hiding place. Once we trick Sid into thinking he's going to get some satisfying lap time, it becomes a feline wrestling match as I attempt to keep three of his four paws concealed in the towel, the only protection I have from his thrashing, scrambling claws. Meanwhile, Amy's responsibility is to keep his exposed paw stilled long enough to clip the nails to a respectible length.
So, when we took Sid to the vet this past Saturday, we let the veternary assistant take on the task which we had evidently failed. As she clipped his front paws, Sid began his characteristic dance of escape, transforming into his usual liquid state, squirting between the assistant's arms and torso. But, to his chagrin, his attempts at escape were deftly thwarted and his weapons of choice were blunted in rather short order.
His back paws proved to be more problematic, however. About this time, a second assistant wandered into the room and upon seeing her struggling compatriot, she joined the cause. As the second assistant put a feline sleeper hold on the front portion of Sid's body, the first assistant continued to clip away while Sid viciously kicked in vain. (Yes, I know. Another terrible pun.)
Soon, though, it was all over and Sid, Amy, and I returned home no worse for the wear. Or so we thought. For the rest of the afternoon, I noticed that Sid would habitually bite and chew at one of his back claws. So, as we settled down to watch a movie that evening, Amy noticed a spot of blood where Sid had been sitting. Apparently, whatever had been irriating him and causing him to chew had been successfully removed by his efforts, thereby opening a wound that for the next three hours, refused to heal. It did not refuse to heal for only biological reasons, of course. Each time we attempted to put a dash of that blood-stopping powder on the wound, Sid would lick it off as soon as we let him out of our grip.
Eventually, we were able to fashion a makeshift booty of gauze that we quickly and crudely taped around his paw, causing him to walk as if stuck in an infinte conga line, the other three paws moving as usual, the fourth one doing a quick, rhythmic shake to the side in an effort to kick the booty away. Fortunately, the booty remained strapped to his paw and Sid laid down for a much needed nap. And after a time, so did we.
Normally, each time we remove the clippers from their secret home under the sink, we go into reconnaissance mode, slinking around corners, one of us with a hand behind the back, the other nonchalantly carrying a towel, always closing steps between us and the orange blur that streaks from hiding place to hiding place. Once we trick Sid into thinking he's going to get some satisfying lap time, it becomes a feline wrestling match as I attempt to keep three of his four paws concealed in the towel, the only protection I have from his thrashing, scrambling claws. Meanwhile, Amy's responsibility is to keep his exposed paw stilled long enough to clip the nails to a respectible length.
So, when we took Sid to the vet this past Saturday, we let the veternary assistant take on the task which we had evidently failed. As she clipped his front paws, Sid began his characteristic dance of escape, transforming into his usual liquid state, squirting between the assistant's arms and torso. But, to his chagrin, his attempts at escape were deftly thwarted and his weapons of choice were blunted in rather short order.
His back paws proved to be more problematic, however. About this time, a second assistant wandered into the room and upon seeing her struggling compatriot, she joined the cause. As the second assistant put a feline sleeper hold on the front portion of Sid's body, the first assistant continued to clip away while Sid viciously kicked in vain. (Yes, I know. Another terrible pun.)
Soon, though, it was all over and Sid, Amy, and I returned home no worse for the wear. Or so we thought. For the rest of the afternoon, I noticed that Sid would habitually bite and chew at one of his back claws. So, as we settled down to watch a movie that evening, Amy noticed a spot of blood where Sid had been sitting. Apparently, whatever had been irriating him and causing him to chew had been successfully removed by his efforts, thereby opening a wound that for the next three hours, refused to heal. It did not refuse to heal for only biological reasons, of course. Each time we attempted to put a dash of that blood-stopping powder on the wound, Sid would lick it off as soon as we let him out of our grip.
Eventually, we were able to fashion a makeshift booty of gauze that we quickly and crudely taped around his paw, causing him to walk as if stuck in an infinte conga line, the other three paws moving as usual, the fourth one doing a quick, rhythmic shake to the side in an effort to kick the booty away. Fortunately, the booty remained strapped to his paw and Sid laid down for a much needed nap. And after a time, so did we.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Skunked
Susan came to stay for a few days last week. She and Amy had a good time travelling around the city. I did a few things with them, but most of my activities with the two of them involved going out to dinner. One night, though, I broke the pattern and the three of us paid a visit to Second City. The usher asked if we wanted to be seated up front and Amy responded affirmatively without really realizing what that meant so we soon found ourselves squashed together on a single side of a table that was jammed against the procenium at center stage. I wonder if I'll ever see my likeness on some promotional poster, frozen in a state of eternal mirth, skin painted with the colors of generic stage lighting. It was a Monday night and one of the travelling companies was performing so I don't think I'll ever be mass produced on a poster, but I'd sure get a kick out of that.
Last Sunday, Amy and I went to the Music Box to see a Japanese film called Dare mo shiranai (Nobody Knows). I recommend trying to see it if you're into that kind of thing. There was, however, a lady sitting directly behind us who made "Captain Obvious" comments throughout the feature. I don't mean whispered comments either. I'm talking normal conversation level intensity, here. I wish I'd had the sack to turn around and tell her to STFU, but everyone else in the theater seemed to be at least tolerating her idiocy, so I did the same.
Finally, over the weekend, we noticed something had been making its best efforts to build itself a home under our shed. There were tracks encircling the perimiter of the back yard that made a small trail to the corner of the shed where a large pile of fresh dirt had obviously been excavated. So, Amy called animal control on Monday and by Tuesday morning, there was a small skunk still digging at the dirt, trying to escape through the mesh of a metal cage that had been left there the previous afternoon. Hopefully, that was the only one. I have not seen evidence of any more. Yet.
Last Sunday, Amy and I went to the Music Box to see a Japanese film called Dare mo shiranai (Nobody Knows). I recommend trying to see it if you're into that kind of thing. There was, however, a lady sitting directly behind us who made "Captain Obvious" comments throughout the feature. I don't mean whispered comments either. I'm talking normal conversation level intensity, here. I wish I'd had the sack to turn around and tell her to STFU, but everyone else in the theater seemed to be at least tolerating her idiocy, so I did the same.
Finally, over the weekend, we noticed something had been making its best efforts to build itself a home under our shed. There were tracks encircling the perimiter of the back yard that made a small trail to the corner of the shed where a large pile of fresh dirt had obviously been excavated. So, Amy called animal control on Monday and by Tuesday morning, there was a small skunk still digging at the dirt, trying to escape through the mesh of a metal cage that had been left there the previous afternoon. Hopefully, that was the only one. I have not seen evidence of any more. Yet.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
New Sid on the Block
Amy and I got a cat last week from the Tree House. He's a light orange tabby and his name is Sid. He's not very shy but he frightens easily, a possible result of being a stray for most if not all of his life. Now that he's warmed up to his new home for a while, he's very playful. He loves his "feathers on a stick" toy.
We also bought a couple of bicycles last Saturday at the bike shop I mentioned previously. It was raining when we bought them so we had to wait until Sunday to go for a ride. But when we finally got the chance, the weather was beautiful which made for a fantastic ride of about 14 miles round trip. There's an entrance to the North Branch Trail not far from our house so we headed north until we arbitrarily decided to turn around to return home.
Part of Amy's family will be arriving for a visit in the next couple of weeks followed immediately by a visit from Kristin, one of Amy's friends from undergraduate school. I guess we'll have to start picking up the pace again in terms of getting the house cleaned up. Ever since my parents left, it has returned to state of mild disaster.
Currently listening to: Mission Giant, Skunk Funk (Costellation Skunk) remix by New Zero
We also bought a couple of bicycles last Saturday at the bike shop I mentioned previously. It was raining when we bought them so we had to wait until Sunday to go for a ride. But when we finally got the chance, the weather was beautiful which made for a fantastic ride of about 14 miles round trip. There's an entrance to the North Branch Trail not far from our house so we headed north until we arbitrarily decided to turn around to return home.
Part of Amy's family will be arriving for a visit in the next couple of weeks followed immediately by a visit from Kristin, one of Amy's friends from undergraduate school. I guess we'll have to start picking up the pace again in terms of getting the house cleaned up. Ever since my parents left, it has returned to state of mild disaster.
Currently listening to: Mission Giant, Skunk Funk (Costellation Skunk) remix by New Zero
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Ketchup!
My family's visit went well and we all had a good time. Amy and I took them to some unique restaurants which are plentiful around this area including Kabul House and Farang Meet Thai (formerly Blue Sapphire). We also paid a visit to the Chicago Botanic Gardens. The day at the gardens was gorgeous. The temperature was in the mid 70s with low humidity and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The Japanese garden, my personal favorite, was excellent as always.
As I said before, my parents were going to bring some of my various collections and computers that they didn't want to store any longer to our new house when they came to visit. I got to sift through my modest collection of Garbage Pail Kids, which are still funny, a few boxes of various sports cards and comic books, and a large collection of Mad Magazines dating back to the early 1980s. Of course, the Atari 2600 came with them as well as the Commodore 64C. Unfortunately, the Commodore's sound was not working and I have since found a replacement on Ebay. I was quite disappointed as my beloved SID 6581 was the main reason I was looking forward to arrival of the Commodore. Everything else is in working order, though, even the 1541 5.25" floppy drives which are notorious for failing with age. I did have to clean some of the third party Atari cartridges, but they are all fine now that I have given them the appropriate alcohol swab.
Amy and I finally bought a couch for the basement entertainment area. Our choices were very limited because of the space available to manuever the furniture around a tight U-turn and down some basement stairs. But, we finally found something that we liked and it should fit downstairs without too much trouble. The couch is a sectional set that travels around a corner with a sleeper in one section so that we can now officially sleep seven people here comfortably. Bathroom privileges would be a different story!
We also took a look at some bicycles. Both Amy and I enjoy riding and I'd also like to commute to work by pedal power. We haven't made a purchase yet, but I think we might by the end of the week. We found a great bike shop called Amlings Cycle Shop that offers superb service. It was the best service that I've experienced at any local bike shop and I highly recommend them if you happen to live in the area.
Our acquisitions don't end with furniture and bicycles, either. We made a visit to the Tree House, a no-kill, cageless adoption house for stray and injured cats. We saw two cats that we liked very much and we'll probably have one of them by the end of the week. The first was a black cat with a tiny tip of white at the end of her tail and the second was a light orange tabby that was very friendly. We're not quite sure which one we'll pick, but either one will be a welcome addition to the house, not to mention that Amy will finally stop bugging me to get a cat.
I also went with Dennis to catch some film fun at the Chicago Underground Film Festival this weekend. We saw a collection of short films that were definitely entetraining to say the least. My favorite was a very short feature called Cats and Pants that was just this woman saying, "Cats" and "Pants" in quick, random patterns. The video complementing the audio was a montage of still images of, you guessed it, cats and pants. Both Dennis and I found this wildly hilarious. I was practically crying with laughter. However, the "artier-than-thou" crowd apparently thought that it made some deep comment on modern society because hardly a peep was uttered by any of the other theater-goers. It's just further proof that B-Fest is the best film festival in this area by far! My second favorite short was called Cheap Ludes. It was the strange story of a man-sized turkey on human legs running around Mexico City looking for toothpicks. We also caught a full length feature called God Told Me To, a thriller about a detective investigating crimes apparently inspired by the Almighty. The director, Larry Cohen, was present to give us some insight into the film and to relate some anecdotes about Andy Kaufman whose very first film appearance occurs in a short parade scene.
Currently listening to: Matt Uelmen, Monastery - Diablo 2 OST
As I said before, my parents were going to bring some of my various collections and computers that they didn't want to store any longer to our new house when they came to visit. I got to sift through my modest collection of Garbage Pail Kids, which are still funny, a few boxes of various sports cards and comic books, and a large collection of Mad Magazines dating back to the early 1980s. Of course, the Atari 2600 came with them as well as the Commodore 64C. Unfortunately, the Commodore's sound was not working and I have since found a replacement on Ebay. I was quite disappointed as my beloved SID 6581 was the main reason I was looking forward to arrival of the Commodore. Everything else is in working order, though, even the 1541 5.25" floppy drives which are notorious for failing with age. I did have to clean some of the third party Atari cartridges, but they are all fine now that I have given them the appropriate alcohol swab.
Amy and I finally bought a couch for the basement entertainment area. Our choices were very limited because of the space available to manuever the furniture around a tight U-turn and down some basement stairs. But, we finally found something that we liked and it should fit downstairs without too much trouble. The couch is a sectional set that travels around a corner with a sleeper in one section so that we can now officially sleep seven people here comfortably. Bathroom privileges would be a different story!
We also took a look at some bicycles. Both Amy and I enjoy riding and I'd also like to commute to work by pedal power. We haven't made a purchase yet, but I think we might by the end of the week. We found a great bike shop called Amlings Cycle Shop that offers superb service. It was the best service that I've experienced at any local bike shop and I highly recommend them if you happen to live in the area.
Our acquisitions don't end with furniture and bicycles, either. We made a visit to the Tree House, a no-kill, cageless adoption house for stray and injured cats. We saw two cats that we liked very much and we'll probably have one of them by the end of the week. The first was a black cat with a tiny tip of white at the end of her tail and the second was a light orange tabby that was very friendly. We're not quite sure which one we'll pick, but either one will be a welcome addition to the house, not to mention that Amy will finally stop bugging me to get a cat.
I also went with Dennis to catch some film fun at the Chicago Underground Film Festival this weekend. We saw a collection of short films that were definitely entetraining to say the least. My favorite was a very short feature called Cats and Pants that was just this woman saying, "Cats" and "Pants" in quick, random patterns. The video complementing the audio was a montage of still images of, you guessed it, cats and pants. Both Dennis and I found this wildly hilarious. I was practically crying with laughter. However, the "artier-than-thou" crowd apparently thought that it made some deep comment on modern society because hardly a peep was uttered by any of the other theater-goers. It's just further proof that B-Fest is the best film festival in this area by far! My second favorite short was called Cheap Ludes. It was the strange story of a man-sized turkey on human legs running around Mexico City looking for toothpicks. We also caught a full length feature called God Told Me To, a thriller about a detective investigating crimes apparently inspired by the Almighty. The director, Larry Cohen, was present to give us some insight into the film and to relate some anecdotes about Andy Kaufman whose very first film appearance occurs in a short parade scene.
Currently listening to: Matt Uelmen, Monastery - Diablo 2 OST
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Long Tall Weekend
Our July 4th weekend was a whirlwind of working, if you can believe that. I left work at 12:30pm on Friday and Amy and I went to Loyola Beach for a picnic. We sat on a blanket under one of the trees in the park by the beach while we ate lunch and then moved to the sand to get warm for a while. It was a beautiful day and very relaxing. Then on Saturday we began the packing process in preparation for our move. We packed and cleaned almost all day. We also sent some flowers home for my parents because they had to put their dog Sally to sleep. Her health had been declining rapidly and with other injuries encroaching, her quality of life was no longer acceptable. Bye bye, Sal. We'll miss you.
On Sunday I led the church in music as I have done for the past year. It has been been my part time job since last July. After church Amy and I went down to the Taste of Chicago, ate some lunch, and caught a free concert from They Might Be Giants. Then on Monday it was back to packing. We packed 35 boxes this weekend and I was able to get most of our second bedroom into various boxes. That might not seem like a lot, but our second bedroom has been the storage closet for the apartment and as such has held the majority of our stuff for the past few years.
Aside from the 4th of July weekend, I have neglected to mention that Chadd Portwine had my name included in the in-game credits for Liesure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude for the audio work I did on the project. I'm elated. Make sure you rent the game if possible (Xbox/PS2/PC) and check out the credits.
Currently listening to: .tape., Sea-Scaping Monthly
On Sunday I led the church in music as I have done for the past year. It has been been my part time job since last July. After church Amy and I went down to the Taste of Chicago, ate some lunch, and caught a free concert from They Might Be Giants. Then on Monday it was back to packing. We packed 35 boxes this weekend and I was able to get most of our second bedroom into various boxes. That might not seem like a lot, but our second bedroom has been the storage closet for the apartment and as such has held the majority of our stuff for the past few years.
Aside from the 4th of July weekend, I have neglected to mention that Chadd Portwine had my name included in the in-game credits for Liesure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude for the audio work I did on the project. I'm elated. Make sure you rent the game if possible (Xbox/PS2/PC) and check out the credits.
Currently listening to: .tape., Sea-Scaping Monthly
Monday, May 17, 2004
Farewell to Andy
An uneventful weekend. Finally, a Saturday well spent watching a movie, playing a video game, taking a nap, and generally not doing much beyond what was required of me by outside forces. We did have a music rehearsal to go to and we potted a good number of marigolds in peat pots, but not much beyond that.
I wish that mice could read. I would post little signs as to the better spots to get themselves trapped. While I certainly have not appreciated having a mouse run around my kitchen when I am not around, I don't begrudge it its will to live. Unfortunately, Mouse 2, we'll call it Andy, chose to partake of the poison rather than get stuck in one of the glue traps that I set for it. If only they could be told that if they stick themselves in a glue trap, there is a higher possibility of being freed of all charges to the great outdoors where I would rather they stay. Instead, of the two mice we've had roaming the open tile in the past year or so, both have opted to ingest the poison. Now, let me state that I only want the mouse out of my apartment. So, while I would rather let it live than kill it, I would still do just about anything to get it out of where I live unless it starts chipping in for the rent and makes a visit to the local clinic to get checked out.
Anyway, Andy opted instead to eat the poison of his doomed brethren and will soon find himself in a state of minor discomfort before he starts feeling tired. As I have made the effort to place a number of relatively humane traps in addition to the poison, I feel that it was up to Andy to choose the one that best suited him and he happened to choose the slow death kind of trap. I'm sorry that Andy chose to die, but at least he will no longer be squatting in my apartment.
On that note, the landlords have deemed our rodent problem "attention worthy" and sent someone over to seal up the baseboards a little bit and fix any and all mouse-friendly entryways.
After a few months of playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I finally finished it. I'd have to say that it was great adventure game and one that was worthy of the history of its predecessors. I started in on Majora's Mask shortly afterward. So far, I am digging on the clock and how it's integrated with the gameplay. At least it justifies all the enemies that just seem to reappear to a certain extent. Not only that, but the fact that you have to accomplish certain tasks or have certain conversations at a specific day and time is an added element of reality that I appreciate... mostly. What I don't like is that the save game procedure is tied to traveling back in time to the first day. Talk about forcing longer gaming sessions out of someone who may or may not have hours to waste performing repetitive tasks.
Currently listening to: Luna, Sleeping Pill
I wish that mice could read. I would post little signs as to the better spots to get themselves trapped. While I certainly have not appreciated having a mouse run around my kitchen when I am not around, I don't begrudge it its will to live. Unfortunately, Mouse 2, we'll call it Andy, chose to partake of the poison rather than get stuck in one of the glue traps that I set for it. If only they could be told that if they stick themselves in a glue trap, there is a higher possibility of being freed of all charges to the great outdoors where I would rather they stay. Instead, of the two mice we've had roaming the open tile in the past year or so, both have opted to ingest the poison. Now, let me state that I only want the mouse out of my apartment. So, while I would rather let it live than kill it, I would still do just about anything to get it out of where I live unless it starts chipping in for the rent and makes a visit to the local clinic to get checked out.
Anyway, Andy opted instead to eat the poison of his doomed brethren and will soon find himself in a state of minor discomfort before he starts feeling tired. As I have made the effort to place a number of relatively humane traps in addition to the poison, I feel that it was up to Andy to choose the one that best suited him and he happened to choose the slow death kind of trap. I'm sorry that Andy chose to die, but at least he will no longer be squatting in my apartment.
On that note, the landlords have deemed our rodent problem "attention worthy" and sent someone over to seal up the baseboards a little bit and fix any and all mouse-friendly entryways.
After a few months of playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I finally finished it. I'd have to say that it was great adventure game and one that was worthy of the history of its predecessors. I started in on Majora's Mask shortly afterward. So far, I am digging on the clock and how it's integrated with the gameplay. At least it justifies all the enemies that just seem to reappear to a certain extent. Not only that, but the fact that you have to accomplish certain tasks or have certain conversations at a specific day and time is an added element of reality that I appreciate... mostly. What I don't like is that the save game procedure is tied to traveling back in time to the first day. Talk about forcing longer gaming sessions out of someone who may or may not have hours to waste performing repetitive tasks.
Currently listening to: Luna, Sleeping Pill
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Failures, Mice, and Games
Amy and I have been negotiating a contract on a house for the past couple of weeks and it all fell through yesterday. There were some significant problems with the roof and we were asking the sellers to replace it as well as a few more minor problems with the place before we continued with the process. The sellers came back with an offer to give us $500 to replace the roof. We are disappointed, but we will find another house that we like just as much if not more. We just have to keep looking. ...If only we can find something before the end of August...
As if the expiring lease on our apartment was not inspiration enough for us to move in August, our furry rodent friends have returned now that the weather is warming up. Something tells me that the mouse problem in our apartment building is getting annually worse. The biggest pain is that I cannot figure out where they're getting into our apartment. The last time this happened I thought the little disease-bag had entered through a door that we left cracked open during a heavy rainstorm, but we vowed never to do that again and despite our vow, one of his little pals has followed his trail. Maybe this brave new mouse is on a quest to avenge his deceased friend. Unfortunately for him, he'll soon discover that he's no Mappy. Or Jerry. Or any other cute little cartoon mouse. I'm going to the store tonight for some more traps and poison.
Anyone that knows me is aware that I love video games. They've been my hobby for most of life going all the way back to the late 1970s. In the past few months I've finished a lot of games including No One Lives Forever 2, Star Trek: Elite Force, Icewind Dale, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, Planescape Torment, Neverwinter Nights, Resident Evil (remake), Eternal Darkness, and Metroid Prime. If you can't tell, I tend to stick to older titles since I can pick them up cheap at GoGamer.com or in the bargain bin at any brick and mortar retail outlet. Anyway, the careful reader will notice the shift from PC based titles to Gamecube titles as I re-entered the console fray this last Christmas with the Gamecube price drop. If you did not get a chance to play Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, go do it! Now! While it wasn't the most engrossing game I've ever played, it was a great throwback to Duke's early days. If you played games like Commander Keen and the early Duke Nukem (Nukum) platformers, you owe it to yourself to remember why those games were fun. Plus, I gave up hope that Duke Nukem Forever would be any good at all about two years ago.
In the long run, that's all just pointless information that leads me to my current game list. I'm currently playing Simpsons: Hit and Run (on the PC), Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town on the GBA. While the previous two titles are pretty standard subject fare for games, Harvest Moon has always been a more unique concept. Hopefully, I'll have some form of useful criticism of the game in the near future. At the moment, I think if you took the praises of the faithful Harvest Moon fans and averaged them against the terrible reviews of the 14-year-olds who won't play a game unless they can "blow shit up" you'd have a pretty accurate idea of Friends of Mineral Town's quality. Like I said, hopefully I'll have time to get more specific after I've played it a while longer.
As if the expiring lease on our apartment was not inspiration enough for us to move in August, our furry rodent friends have returned now that the weather is warming up. Something tells me that the mouse problem in our apartment building is getting annually worse. The biggest pain is that I cannot figure out where they're getting into our apartment. The last time this happened I thought the little disease-bag had entered through a door that we left cracked open during a heavy rainstorm, but we vowed never to do that again and despite our vow, one of his little pals has followed his trail. Maybe this brave new mouse is on a quest to avenge his deceased friend. Unfortunately for him, he'll soon discover that he's no Mappy. Or Jerry. Or any other cute little cartoon mouse. I'm going to the store tonight for some more traps and poison.
Anyone that knows me is aware that I love video games. They've been my hobby for most of life going all the way back to the late 1970s. In the past few months I've finished a lot of games including No One Lives Forever 2, Star Trek: Elite Force, Icewind Dale, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, Planescape Torment, Neverwinter Nights, Resident Evil (remake), Eternal Darkness, and Metroid Prime. If you can't tell, I tend to stick to older titles since I can pick them up cheap at GoGamer.com or in the bargain bin at any brick and mortar retail outlet. Anyway, the careful reader will notice the shift from PC based titles to Gamecube titles as I re-entered the console fray this last Christmas with the Gamecube price drop. If you did not get a chance to play Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, go do it! Now! While it wasn't the most engrossing game I've ever played, it was a great throwback to Duke's early days. If you played games like Commander Keen and the early Duke Nukem (Nukum) platformers, you owe it to yourself to remember why those games were fun. Plus, I gave up hope that Duke Nukem Forever would be any good at all about two years ago.
In the long run, that's all just pointless information that leads me to my current game list. I'm currently playing Simpsons: Hit and Run (on the PC), Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town on the GBA. While the previous two titles are pretty standard subject fare for games, Harvest Moon has always been a more unique concept. Hopefully, I'll have some form of useful criticism of the game in the near future. At the moment, I think if you took the praises of the faithful Harvest Moon fans and averaged them against the terrible reviews of the 14-year-olds who won't play a game unless they can "blow shit up" you'd have a pretty accurate idea of Friends of Mineral Town's quality. Like I said, hopefully I'll have time to get more specific after I've played it a while longer.
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