Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 - Hard to believe that 2008 is almost gone. Only 8 days left! And what a wild and crazy year it's been, eh?

We made history by electing America's first African American President in Barack Obama. I survived my first (and hopefully last) Hurricane in Houston when Hurricane Ike came to town. Brett Favre retired as a Green Bay Packer and then came back as a New York Jet. The Milwaukee Brewers made the playoffs for the first time in 25 years. The two greatest comic book film adaptations ever made were released in Iron Man and The Dark Knight. I bought a house in June. Perhaps biggest of all...for me anyway, I quit smoking in April and I'm still quit nine months later! All things considered, 2008 has been one of the most eventful years of my life! Here's hoping 2009 is even better!

I discovered (quite by accident) a new author and book series that I'm really getting in to. The author is Kim Harrison and her books are called the Hollows series. They follow a witch named Rachel Morgan who works as a "runner" (kind of like a magical detective) in an alternate reality Cincinnati that's full of witches, werewolves and vampires.

I saw this line of books at Barnes & Noble that all seemed to be named after old spaghetti westerns and war movies...titles like "For a Few Demons More," "The Outlaw Demon Wails" and "A Fistful of Charms." I thought that was clever (if a bit cheesy) and took a chance on the first book, "Dead Witch Walking." I really enjoyed it. I'm about half way through the 2nd book, "The Good, The Bad and the Undead" and it's even better.

If you like the Harry Potter series of books (which I don't) and/or if you are a fan of the television series Charmed (which I am), then I think you'd get a kick out of these books as well. Check 'em out.

Another season of Fantasy Football is in the books. I was in four leagues this year. I made the playoffs in three out of four. I made the Superbowl in two of the three playoff runs. And I won one Superbowl and lost the other. Not a bad year, all things considered! A big congrats goes out to my brother P.J. as well on his first Fantasy Superbowl title. Congrats, bro!

Check back for my New Year's resolutions in January and you can help hold me to them... =)

Happy Holidays, everyone! Thanks for stopping by...

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 - I haven't had much time for updates lately, but I figured I'd better make the time in light of the election that's coming up next week...possibly the most important election of my lifetime. I'm embarrassed to say it, but I've never voted for a Democratic candidate. I voted for Bush Sr., Bob Dole and, horror of horrors, "Dubya"...twice.

No more...

My vote in the 2008 election is for Barack Obama.

This country absolutely needs change and Obama is the guy who will do it. Say no to Zombie McCain and the wingnut soccer mom with the million dollar wardrobe and say yes to a bright future for this country.

See you at the polls!

Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 - Today is my 35th birthday! And it's been one crazy year all things considered...

I survived my first hurricane. Ike came along and knocked out my power for 5 days and showed me what life without electricity was like. It was a sobering experience, to say the least. If you want to check out some amazing pics of the damage left by Ike along the gulf coast, click here.

I've never much cared for the Eagles (the band) and I have spent a good deal of my life taking shots at them for no real reason other than that I hated Hotel California. That all changed for me after seeing them live in 2008 at the Toyota Center. They were truly amazing live and I can see now why they are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That doesn't change the fact that I want to burn that place to the ground for never even having NOMINATED KISS for induction, but I don't want to ruin my birthday by wandering down that dark path. =)

Brett Favre is playing for the New York Jets. I still can't believe that. The guy has been Quarterbacking the Green Bay Packers since I was in college. It just doesn't seem right...

Iron Man, my favorite super hero was finally given his due at the movies. Fantastic film... I still can't believe how good it was. And it came out on DVD just in time for my birthday. Thanks Will!

I bought a new house...just in time to watch the housing market and the economy collapse. That should be fun to deal with in the coming years...

And last, but not least, the Milwaukee Brewers have made the playoffs for the first time since 1982 when I was a mere 9 years old. And their first playoff game, fittingly, is today! Woo hoo!

Go Crew!

Thanks for stopping by... Here's looking forward to a bigger and better 2009!

Friday, August 8th, 2008 - Words fail me...

Key Word: FAIL!

*sigh* At least football season is here again...

Friday, July 25th, 2008 - It has now been 112 days since I had a cigarette. Woo! Not so much as a puff... I can hardly believe it! Thanks to everyone who's offered me their congrats and support. I really appreciate it!

So...The Dark Knight...

I loved it. I thought it was extremely well done. It's safe to say that you can believe the Oscar level hype about Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker and the 95% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes that comes along with it. If you haven't seen it yet, I would highly recommend it.

Let's put it this way... I have all but given up on the theater as a medium for seeing films in recent years because theater goers are so damned annoying. I prefer to watch in peace and quiet from the comfort of my home. Iron Man was the first movie this year to get me out of the house and out to the theater. Indiana Jones 4 couldn't even get me to go. The Dark Knight? It's the first movie that's going to get me out to the theater...TWICE. Oh yeah!

People are asking me what I think of the whole Brett Favre coming out of retirement saga. What do I think? The whole thing makes me sick. I don't like how the team handled it. I don't like how Favre handled it. I REALLY don't like how the media is handling it. When Ted Thompson called it gut wrenching, I think it's about the most human thing the man has ever said...at least publicly, about anything. That pretty much sums up how I feel. You won't find a bigger Favre fan than me, and I'll cheer him on for whoever he plays for this year. But the Packers as a team? Packers for life, baby! They gotta do what they gotta do... Even if it means watching #4 play elsewhere...

*shudder* Like that...

Anyway...

I recently discovered the television comedy My Name Is Earl. I really dig it... I picked up Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD and I've been watching it over dinner. Fun stuff! I'm also just finishing up Season 5 of Angel. It's had its ups and downs (season 4 was AWFUL), but overall I'm enjoying that as well. I have about ten episodes left in the final season and I'll be sad to see it go. It's too bad it was cut down before its time. =(

Finally, some funny links for your amusment:

• Fail Blog - All kinds of fail!
• ZombieHarmony - "Because the apocalypse doesn't have to be lonely..." I wish I'd thought of this. Heh...
• Go Brewers! - The Onion has a little fun with Prince Fielder and CC Sabathia...

Thanks for stopping by! Take care...

Saturday, May 10th, 2008 - It has now been 5+ weeks without a cigarette. Today is day #36. I have to say, I've even surprised myself with my progress. Yay, me!

My company, Pi Studios, is hiring Video Game Testers for our Quality Assurance department. If you are from Texas and you're interested (or know someone who is) check out the job ad here.

Speaking of Game Jobs, I've updated my How to Get a Job in the Game Development Industry article. A gentleman e-mailed me a bunch of broken links, so I went ahead and fixed them. I really should update the whole article at some point. Maybe in a few months when things calm down a bit.

As I mentioned in an earlier update, I'm in the process of buying a house! As promised, here's a picture of it...

We're going to close (hopefully) on May 27th. The inspection went well, so we're moving forward. It's going to need some work, but at least we have a few months left on our apartment lease so we can move in at our own pace and get things fixed up before we actually get everything moved. It's exciting and terrifying at the same time. It's been a while since I've bought a house, so everything seems new again. Here's hoping it goes well. =)

Thanks for stopping by! More soon...

Friday, May 2nd, 2008 - Just wanted to check in and let everyone know that I am still cigarette free after 28 days. I think I actually have it beat this time. Woo hoo! If you've tried everything to quit smoking and nothing's helped, look into Chantix. It's done wonders for me...

In my last update, I mentioned that I was thinking of buying a house. Well, I've decided to go through with it. I close later this month! I guess I'll be in Houston for a while longer than I initially planned. =) I'll put some pics up after we get moved in.

On a completely unrelated note, go out this weekend and see Iron Man!

I've been a huge fan of Iron Man comics since I was about five years old. This movie nails it. I went this morning with my company and I absolutely loved it. You will too! Iron Man, like Batman Begins, isn't just a fantastic Super Hero movie...it's a fantastic MOVIE, period. You'll love it! Don't just take my word for it. The 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes tells me that the critics agree.

I don't go to the theater much anymore. In fact, I've only been to three movies in the last two and a half years, and I used to go every week. That tells you how picky I am and how cynical I've become about filmgoing in general. That said, this movie actually got me off my ass and out to the big screen again! Long live Iron Man!

Have a great weeekend!

Thursday, April 17th, 2008 - I've been smoking cigarettes since I was about 20 years old. That's fourteen long, smoke filled years. And I've been saying for the last 10 years that I would quit before I was 35. Well...I did it. And just in time! I turn 35 later this year... =)

[ Bye Bye Cancer Sticks! ]

I had my last cigarette on Friday, April 4th, 2008. I've been smoke free for 13 whole days. That's seriously a record for me over the past ten years. I did it using Chantix, a stop smoking drug that bonds itself to nicotine receptors and keeps you from enjoying or craving cigarettes. You're supposed to quit smoking after taking Chantix for a week, but as a two pack a day (no sh*t) smoker, I had to take it for almost a month before my "quit day." So far, so good. I'm happy to be free of that filthy habit once and (hopefully) for all.

Quitting smoking is part of my overall plan to get healthier in general. I've enlisted the help of my dog, Toby, to be my personal trainer. He's blogging about the experience on his MySpace page. =) The good news is that I've quit smoking, I'm eating better and I'm exercising daily. The bad news? I think I've gained six or seven pounds. Damn you, cigarettes! Ah, well... I must press on. I'm sure I'll drop the extra tonnage eventually.

Let's see...what else is new? I bought a new car. Well..."new" car. It's a 2005 Chevy Cavalier. It looks something like this...

I really like it. I'm so pissed at Chevy for cancelling the Cavalier from its product line in 2005 and replacing it with the supremely crappy Cobalt. I'm hoping to win the lottery so I can buy 10 or 15 2005 Cavaliers and garage them for future use. I seriously can't imagine driving anything else... How's that for brand loyalty, you bastards? =)

The NFL Draft is coming up. It's one of my favorite weekends of the year! A chance to sit on the couch for 48 hours, drink beer and eat. *laughs* The Packers have plenty of picks and I'm hoping they can find a decent tight end, a decent corner or two, some offensive tackle help and maybe a QB prospect of the future to develop as a backup. Other than that, just draft for depth with the best players available! That's pretty much all you can ask. In Ted Thompson we trust? Well...I don't know if I'd go THAT far. I'm sure he'll be fine. =)

What else? Thinking about buying a house. It's scary, but I really should stop wasting money on rent. Despite the God awful state of the housing market, Houston is still in pretty good shape. I feel confident enough in the city and its growth to take the plunge again. Wish me luck! I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008 - I was a freshman in college when Brett Favre played his first down for the Green Bay Packers. That was sixteen (!) years ago. Yes, for nearly half my life, Brett Favre has been under center for the Packers and it's been one hell of a run. It's with a heavy heart that I see Brett Favre retiring after 17 NFL seasons.

[ Brett Favre jogs off into the sunset ]

I remember early on saying "this guy is terrible" and "why doesn't he throw the ball away" and "how many interceptions is this guy going to throw? Yank him!" I'm glad the Packers didn't listen to armchair Quarterbacks like me back then. If they had, they'd have missed out on one of the most storied careers in NFL history.

Thanks for the memories, Brett. You will be sorely missed.

On a much happier note, I want to say Happy Birthday to my sister Carmen (March 1st), my brother P.J. (March 8th) and my sister Lee Ann (March 23rd). I don't know when my next update will be, so I figure I'd better say it now. =)

Thanks for stopping by...

Thursday, February 21st, 2008 - I did an interview recently with The Game Dame about all things Pi Studios. You can check out the interview here.

On a rather strange note, I was doing a google search the other day and discovered a rather disturbing link. Apparently my IMDB entry is enough to get me listed on Who's Dated Who. The site is a drudge report about (surprise, surprise) which celebrity is/has dated which other celebrity. WTF? I guess maybe I should be flattered for being considered a celebrity, but instead I'm just sort of creeped out.

Not much else going on. Taking some notes for a new screenwriting project. We'll see how that goes. I'll keep you posted as it develops.

Keep your fingers crossed for me. Tomorrow's Mega Millions drawing is worth $164 million after taxes and with any luck, I've got the winning numbers in my wallet right now. =)

Take care!

Saturday, February 2nd, 2008 - Happy 2008! Well...happy BELATED 2008. How the hell did it get to be February already? I blinked and January was gone...

Another year, another Superbowl that pains me to watch. Do I cheer for the hated Giants, who knocked my beloved Green Bay Packers out of the playoffs to derail New England's perfect season? Or do I cheer for the Patriots and have to be subjected to "greatest team ever" and "greatest Quarterback ever" for the next ten years if they happen to go 19 - 0? *sigh* Decisions, decisions.

Upon further review...GO GIANTS!

I just did an interview with Official PlayStation Magazine in Benelux about getting a job in the games industry. Apparently people still remember my article on the subject. I really should update that thing. I'll post a link to the interview if it ends up being posted online.

Not much else going on, really. Mainly work, work and more work. Got a big deadline coming up on February 11th that's been taking up a good deal of my time. Hopefully things will calm down after that.

I've been buying tickets lately for the Texas Mega Millions lottery drawing, doing my bit to pay the "idiot tax." Tuesday's jackpot is $100,000,000...or $63,700,000 after taxes. I'll let you know if I win. =)

Thanks, as always, for stopping by!

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