photographic evidence

Current Mood: frustrated
Current Music: "Tornado of Souls" by Megadeth

Last night we finally scheduled for the OAs at Hillenbrand and Meredith. I have 13 check ins and check outs (~2-4 hours, anywhere from 8am to 8pm) from now until August 5th, and 31 duty nights (7pm-7am in the building). Not bad at all, considering that's out of 74 days or so. The first Hillenbrand conference has moved in on my floor (SURF students from out of state or other schools), totaling 12 people. It's odd, having gone from super uber busy (school, improv, finals, work...), to mega dead, to now there's life around here again. My bulletin board is all nice and pretty (yup. that's pretty much all I have done so far.), and I will have my first duty night soon, doing rounds and being "on call" like a doctor who answers phones and directs people to the vending machines instead of saving lives and treating illnesses. I like being in my room, but I wonder if I will go out of my mind sitting around doing not much of anything (compared to my friend John who is working on modeling nuclear reactors with the MCnP simulator).

John pointed out that essentially, I'm getting paid to play computer games.

Speaking of doctors and computer games, here are some things I have been into lately:


You may remember that all this school year I have been experimenting with not having a TV, mostly out of laziness and lack of money. For the most part it has been a positive thing, freeing up time I would normally spend lounging around like a lizard absorbing the TV's sweet sweet rays and further procrastinating the judicious amounts of aero and math homework I always have. However, it's summer, and there are a few shows I want to watch, as well as plenty of movies (awkward to watch on my computer). Mom is going to give me a new TV.

*House, M.D. - I hate most medical shows, but this show kicks ass because House is the fucking man. Season finale was today (AWESOME), but they're replaying the first season all summer Tuesday nights and I will be able to catch all the episodes I missed

*Hell's Kitchen - Sis, Amy, Brad, and I got into this show last summer and apparently they are making a second season, for Monday nights. Sweet deal. GET BACK ON YOUR SECTION! BUTTON IT! Ah, Gordon Ramsay is a hardass, and I love it

*TV staples like Comedy Central, Sci-Fi, History Channel, TLC, NOVA, The Simpsons, Family Guy - in moderation

*The Cincinnati Reds! - For some reason, I am really getting back into sports. I'm following the Reds mostly with webcasts, watching the box scores update when I can, and reading the news and summaries after every game. They are doing really well this season, just 2.5 games behind St. Louis. I want to go home and see a game with dad sometime this summer, like old times.


I also have time for video games now! What a glorious feeling that is. Except for the PS3, the new next gen consoles look awesome (Wii, XBox 360) but are hella expensive, and I don't have the classic ones here until I have roommates again, so I'm mainly working with computer games.

*Rise of Nations - Borrowed from John, and Oh. My. God. I LOVE this game! It's as if somebody took the Civ franchise, and added generous portions of the best of Alpha Centauri. It's a really fantastic game and I can't get enough...I played 10 hours straight the other day.

*Classics like Starcraft, Alpha Centauri, Medal of Honor, Star Wars Battlegrounds - old games that I periodically re-install and fall in love with again

*Homeworld - shit, man. This game is brutal - it's like Ender's Game the Game, and Mazer Rackham is standing over my shoulder punishing me every time I lose a single fighter: "You cannot absorb these losses!" Seriously. By the fourth level I'm getting pounded by laser frigates from Taidan raiders and I'm throwing a delta-claw formation of sixty interceptors just to hold them at bay long enough to harvest the last few rocks in the jump area. And then they rape my fighter screen and blast through my corvettes and I have to start over.

*New game for my birthday? - I've been itching for a new computer game of my own. I'm thinking of perhaps a kickass FPS with online play (probably to hang out with David, Dan, and Eric at least online), perhaps something more modern like Battlefield 2. I mean, who wouldn't like running around with a sniper rifle and a tank blowing enemies to pieces? Either that, or I saw a gorgeous looking flight sim called Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII.


Cinema time

*Big summer movies that I am looking forward to - Cars, Superman, X Men 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Nacho Libre

*Movies I have seen recently that were really good - Lucky Number Sleven, Equilibrium

*Also, May is Star Wars Appreciation Month - watch all six if you can


And finally, I've been expanding my musical selection slightly lately, mostly due to my friend Eric and my little brother.

Avenged Sevenfold - metal band, relatively new, very awesome
Dragonforce - European power metal band, insane face melting guitar and epic falsetto lyrics
Orgy - industrial music? I am liking it more and more
Europe, Skid Row, Night Ranger, Scorpions - new (old) music of kickass 80's rock bands