Rain, Pain and Gain

This week's word: exacerbate. Try to spell it, use it AND pronounce it properly!

Nov 9 - It's in the blood...

No good news in sight for H1N1: no signs that things have peaked yet. So we're still in the running for one of the more difficult flu seasons yet.

While I was at my doctor's today for a general check-up( all is well internally, by the by, though we're still working on the nausea thing )we also talked about my Thalassemia Minor. As I've yet to have any of my doctors give me a solid rundown on do's and don'ts, I have hopes that my current doctor is made of better mettle. I've done a lot of research over the years, and I have to say that the internet has allowed sufferers of all sorts of maladies the ability to connect and share their experiences far more easily. I've stumbled across quite a few forums in the last few years dedicated to Thalassemia, and I've learned a few things I'd not known before from browsing the posts. Interestingly, I discovered that people with the disorder are immune to malaria, which is perhaps a by-product of it being a Mediterranean-based disease. Neat, and more to learn as I go along.

Nov 10 - Toon Progress!

What the heck is Duncebucket, you ask? It's a show on TeleToon, one that my friends Brian and Mike put together – how cool is that? Go have a look, and if you can figure out how to vote on TeleToon.com drop me a line – I just keep going in circles.

The Grey Season is well underway here in B.C. with large grey cloudbanks playing tag across the sky night and day. Unlike in ON, the clouds here in the West come and go, with the sun making an almost daily appearance most weeks – sometimes for hours at a time! The rain is gentle, generally falling from above as though reluctantly parting from the great wide open. It rarely pours or pounds it's way down, which is remarkable; I've yet to be caught in a rainstorm here that the flick of an umbrella won't solve in a steady hand – rare is the gusty day here to whisk said umbrella away.

It's been hard to focus at work this week, as my back's been knotting up – from stress, I believe. Once I dig up the benefits booklet I'll be able to confirm that massage therapy is covered, and then I'll be a happier camper. For now my back massager is letting me sleep at night, but it's a daily thing. I'm sure a few of you can relate.

Oh, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 came out at midnight tonight. Lots of people went out to get it, mine's in the mail... so I get a good night's sleep( -ish )whilst others play. 

Nov 11 - 60 Seconds

Remembrance Day – one minute of your year to remember, is it too much to ask? I've hear comments from people that they are "sick of seeing WWII specials" and other such drek. I'll also not repeat my own rebuttals, save that if WWII had gone the other way, we'd all be in a much different world. One minute: not too much to ask. Not at all.

On a lighter point, here's a different flash from the( more recent )past: Clash of the Titans is being remade! Check out the trailer here – lots of boom, but where is Bubo the Owl?

One reason I've never bothered with a wireless connection for the Xbox is the cost, with Microsoft never budging an inch on the $129.99 pricetag. Now, news has come that the new 'N' speed adaptor is here, which has finally lowered the price on the old adaptors. Who's going to want them though, as most people HAVE the 'N' routers by now? Thanks for nothing, Microsoft.

Today I watched other people play MW2 online all day, and wasn't bothered much. I didn't feel the burning need to be among the first to get the game, as that feeling passes soon enough once you begin playing. 

Nov 12 - Fry who?

Ah, Futurama: the show with a fan following that won't die. Which is good, as it got the show renewed recently! Message boards like this one show how intelligent, chatty and fun fans can be.

Ever since seeing Ferris Bueller's Day Off, I've always felt the urge to stay until the movie's final post credits are run – just in case there's something 'after' tucked in there! Much like the often lively end credits of The Simpsons TV series, more and more shows and movies these days have extras tucked in. Plus with the advent of the DVD, 'extras' take on the form of easter eggs beyond the regular trappings usually packed onto the disc. Even games are part and parcel of the fold now, including MW2. A good place to check out if your fave media has anything hidden in it is WhatsAfterTheCredits.com.

Not much else going on here. Work, sleep, eat and repeat seems the order of the day of late. I'm keeping the lights on and the bills paid, so aside from that it's status quo for the most part. I am worried about the new owners of the place, as we've had little contact and it's only a few weeks until the end of the month. Who gets paid the rent, and when, still have yet to be revealed...

Nov 13 - Lucky

Has anyone seen The Navigator? It came out in 1988, and is rated rather highly over at RottenTomatoes.com.

Today was lucky Friday the 13^th for me, as my copy of MW2 arrived in the mail. I wasted no time when getting home from work in unpacking it and popping it into the Xbox. There went the evening, revelling in the glorious gameplay... which seems to be geared to dying a LOT faster than in the COD4. More later – have to play now.

Unlucky for Microsoft today: an article on C|net today broke the news that hackers have managed to bypass the Windows7 activation system. This should come as no surprise to people these days, as it seems the pirates and hackers have the upper hand compared to business. Bummer.

Thank goodness I don't suffer from Paraskevidekatriaphobia! Maybe Bruce Springsteen suffers from this malady? He had a rather oops-worthy slip today...

Nov 14 - Bravo, Kim!

A friend of mine was featured on Bravo! tonight: Kim Van Stygeren Medland, whose artwork is becoming known worldwide. Plus she also has a few videos on YouTube, which I hadn't known about until Lucas told me about her Bravo debut. Kim's website is well worth checking out too – lots of great art and articles there!

What the heck is this? A Guide to Appearing More Attractive? Where do people come up with these things? I like the Roomba Pac-Man video on the same site though!

Today was split between games: MW2 and Borderlands. That about covers things for the day, timewise – great for stress relief. Also happily I managed to reconnect with a few of my online NWN friends, whom I had not managed to talk to for some weeks( and in one case, months )due to all of us being busy. Tonight the stars were aligned, or something, for everyone kept popping in and out of MSN. It was great to catch up in real-time, something that email just can't manage to capture.

Nov 15 - MW2, pretty much.

The hours spent playing MW2 today were amazingly fun, even though our team struggled to make even a few wins. The maps in MW2 are huge and varied, so much so that just finding the other team can be a challenge, and sticking close while supporting your teammates just as difficult. There is a larger variety of maps and environments, as well as a greater degree of game types. And the massive number of perks, weapons and other unlockables shows that the design team put a lot of effort into the playability and flexibility of the game. From what I can see, the long-term prospects of MW2 will hold it in good stead... as long as the patches for the little technical glitches keep coming down the pipe quickly.

Later in the evening, I had a soak in the hottub which had been heating all day. It did my back some good, relaxing in the steamy waters. Unfortunately it looks like a valve has cracked, and the landlord has stated that since our use of the tub was 'optional' in the lease, she's not going to fix it. Which only confirms that she's a rotten human being, and that quite a few nasty euphamisms I have thought up apply quite aptly to her. Dealing with people whose moral and personal goals are so divergent from my own makes me see red, in only that for the most part these same people end up with a disproportionate amount of the wealth and power in society. How does one live a 'good life' knowing that the rewards are few and intangible?

Oh, that's right – become a monk. How could I have forgotten from my D&D days...

That's it - I'm feeling tired, grumpy and stressed this week so I've been hard-pressed to do naught but talk about such in the blog. Next week I'll have had more time under my sunlamp...