Shrek 4: The Review

Shrek Forever After [2010]

Shrek Forever After Movie Poster

So, I don't just like to watch action films or adult-rated films. In fact, every now and then I like to branch out and see a kid's movie. And I rate kid's movies differently than I do movies for teens or movies made for adults. Why? Because not all children films are really made for adults. This is definitely not one of them.

Synopsis:

This is a movie about the character's you've come to know and love from the first three Shrek films. It starts out with a birthday party for the three ogre children Shrek and Fiona had and slowly Shrek becomes more and more angry at the life he's living. Finally, he just wants to break away and is granted the opportunity when handed a magical contract by Rumpelstiltskin. Well, as anyone could have guessed, the contract has two sides to the deal and so the rest of the movie is about getting the contract null and void (to put it in the simplest of terms).

The Verdict: 3 / 5 Stars

Unlike the first film which had a really nice, new flavor to it (something different that was about the same old, so it goes), this movie didn't have that sort of charm. And since the second movie (Shrek 2) is in my opinion the best one yet, there was a lot on the table. Unfortunately, the plot line was so predictably the same and the fantasy land that it's based in just wasn't played up the way it should have been. So I felt like there was a lot left to be desired. For instance, in Shrek 2 they really play up the fact that Far Far Away is a hip, cool town. They play up the characters, they really work on the theme of the fairy tale, and because of that it has the same charm the first one had but with just more of it. This one did not exactly have that. In fact, it was like they made up their own charm instead of working with what fairy tales told.

Beyond that, the plot was as basic as it could get. You knew when everything was going to happen, you knew there wasn't going to be any plot twists, and you knew who the bad guy was and what he was going to do. In fact, the plot was so easily laid out for anyone over the age of 6 that it really hurt the story. So I would have loved in they would have reworked it to add in some sort of twist that would leave me thinking about it in the end. Too bad.

And if that's not bad enough, I felt like all the characters weren't played up very much in this one. It was a new movie all about Mike Myers instead of about the entire cast. I think that's what really made the charm of the second one was the large ensemble of people in it that all played an astounding part. But this movie, with the exception of the cook (that I liked) there wasn't much of a cast to be had. Donkey was Donkey, Puss in Boots was fat, and Fiona played up her usual sort of character. So it would have been nice to have seen more of the side characters come in, maybe develop them some more. I think that's what was missing and why I subtracted another star.

My personal feelings? 3/5 stars, as in it's worth it for the kids to see.

Source Code: The Review

Source Code [2011]

Source Code Movie Poster

Alright, so the movie I'm actually currently in the middle of watching is, imagine that, Source Code. I'm writing this review now because above all, I'm sort of board with the plot. But no worries, we'll get to that in a second.

Synopsis:

So the story starts with a man who wakes up on a train, not sure where he is or who the person talking to him is. Immediately things start happening, the situation starts moving onwards and then, bam, the train explodes. The man then wakes up in a dark room with a  glowing screen in front of him. He's strapped into a chair, talking to someone he's never met before. Then they start informing him what's happening, he's in a version of a simulation and he has to go back. So, the story continues where the main character begins going back and replaying the same last eight minutes.

The Verdict: 3 / 5 Stars

The acting is exactly what you would expect from Jake Gyllenhaal, really good and brings you into the whole thing. And the other people around all take up part too, helping with this action flick to make it better. So why not a perfect score for this movie? Well, what great acting and nice action cannot replace is an amazing story, which this movie lacks. From the second time through seeing the train scene I had the whole thing figured out, to which I'm not going to say what, but I knew everything about the main character, I knew who was causing the problem, and I just was bored the rest of the way as I watched him jump through a bunch of loops (some of which were stupid and made no sense) to get to what I had figured out on the second time around. And even now as I keep watching through this, I just know exactly what's going to happen. So it's less interesting.

Don't get me wrong, I have all the love for movies where they play back the same scene again and again and you learn it's got a deeper depth than that. But this one wasn't that thick, in fact it was lacking depth and that's what hurts me. I was really hoping for a project that left more to be wanted. And not just in the repeating scene, but also in the current world where real things are happening. The people just aren't as interesting as I was hoping. So it hindered what would have been a cool idea. Overall, 3/5 stars is what I'd give this for that large story lapse.

Columbiana: The Review

Columbiana [2011]

Columbiana Movie Poster

SO I recently just watched the movie Columbiana and finally finished it. In total, I did the movie in four parts; which is not to say the movie is bad but more to say that people kept distracting me from finishing. Anyway, here's my review.

Synopsis:
So it's a movie about this little Latina girl that watches her parents get murdered as a child (this is all start-of-the-movie information). She runs away and spends the rest of her life plotting revenge, and I mean revenge. This girl has the vendetta of a life and she trains and works her way up to being the smart, sexy assassin that all males who watch this movie will want to see.

Next you see her as an adult, they kind of give you a good de-briefing on the years that passed, and then the action starts. Let's put it this way, the action at the beginning is kind of uninteresting, but the action at the end is really awesome. So if you wanna see a child with a vendetta, then this is your movie. Think Kill Bill but sexy Latina.

The Verdict: 3.5 / 5 Stars
I think there are some very simple ways to sum up the plot of this movie. In fact, to be honest the synopsis I have given is probably the perfect way to say the entire movie without telling exactly what happens. There's sex, there's killings, there's cool action and cool stealth, but all and all there's not much more on the thickening plot. Still, I enjoyed the action and the character actually kept me engaged the whole way through the movie (I actually really liked her and that's going beyond her external beauty). And the ending to the movie left a lot to be desired, which I actually liked too. I liked the loose ending.

My personal opinion about this movie is that it's not going to win any awards, some of the acting was meh, and the camera work could have been better (especially at the beginning). The title could have been worked on a bit more too, since most of the film takes place in America. Still, there's great action, a sexy girl with an awesome personality, and the vendetta angle really played out for me. I give it a 3.5 / 5 stars.

Don't Buy Battlefield 3

BATTLEFIELD 3 - THE REVIEW

So I know I do a lot of complaining about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and I never play the competition. Well, a friend of mine bought me the game (so we could play more games together) and I've come to one conclusion with all the time I've been playing it (which is approximately 10-30 hours now over a week of screaming at my screen). DO NOT BUY BATTLEFIELD 3!!!!!


Seriously, as far as video games go this is the worst one I've played in a while. I've been so frustrated with this game, that I honestly thing the better name for it would be Boring 'n Frustrated 3. So, if I haven't gotten you interested with what I've said, here's my official review:

Single Player (and Co-Op)
I don't play DICE single players. Why? Because the last one I played wasn't just bad, it was like knives to the groin. Even my friend who likes playing Single Player put down the last DICE single player I owned and said he wanted to gouge his eyes out. Get the point, DICE can't write stories and they are even worse at single player level design. So I didn't play it. Also, I'm assuming Co-Op is the same, so I won't be playing that either.

Multiplayer

Okay, so here we go with something real. As always, I have a list of things that will go on for ages so get ready. They're actually ordered this time in the way that I met each problem.

1. This game is NOT friendly! I know that my number on complaint with Modern Warfare 3 is that the game is too easy to pick-up that there literally is no depth. Well this game goes the other direction and they literally make it so hard to pick up that it has no depth because you are either loving playing it and good or hating it and bad. Literally, I picked this game up and I couldn't believe how IMPOSSIBLE it was made to learn. This part has multiple problems, so let me break it down.

• There is NO training. You hop online, you gonna die. You play offline, you gonna be bored. So that leaves you with fumbling with the buttons and trying to figure out what to do. Now, I know that normally takes about 10-30 minutes in a normal game, but I gotta tell you that after playing this game for as long as I have I'm still confused. I don't understand how bullets work, I don't understand where my bullets go or if they are hitting, I can't tell you what the hell a ticket means, and I certainly can't tell you how many shots are required to blow a hole in the wall. So without any training, you probably have to play for 100 hours just to understand these, and these are BASIC things you NEED TO KNOW. Stupid, right?
• All Bullets Curve/Travel. They don't tell you that in the manual, but all bullets curve down in this game at some rate that the game designers really don't tell you. It must have taken me a whole 5 minutes to figure out why my sniper rifle bullets weren't hitting the guys, and another 15 to even begin to understand how to aim. I still don't get it. But beyond that, all bullets curve, which means you aim above people's heads to get the shots you want. BUT WAIT, that's not all. All bullets also have to travel in the game, which means you sometimes have to point, shoot, and prey that it makes it to their face on time. This not only makes long-range shots difficult, but hurts all aspects of the game because its impossible to tell where to shoot. Also, I'd like to add that a lot of people have noted that the bullets don't fly slow, they fly REALLY slow. That means its even harder to tell.

The next few points are also NOT friendly! points, but I think they deserve a number of their own.

2. The Starting Guns are TERRIBLE! Okay, I know you are probably saying well thank god you get more soon. Except, if you are new to this game and the first guns you get are damn awful, then getting the next guns takes FOREVER. I just recently got the level 2 guns, they are AMAZING better. The starting guns do no damage, have small clips, are not friendly, bounce everywhere, and are just plain awful. It's so bad, but to make matters worse you don't get scopes forever with them, so its like noob hell for a good chunk of time.

3. There are NO Menus. I know there's this start-button menu, but that's in-game and that's bullshit. No. I'm talking about a menu that lets me change stuff and manage my guns while I'm not in the middle of a bloody encounter. Well, it pisses me off, especially since you sit in a stats menu for about a minute. Why not make better use of that minute and let me actually do something. Stats should be for when I want to see them, not always.

Beyond that, the menu they give you for weapons is TERRIBLE. It took me forever to figure out how to switch out stuff, how to get new equipment, etc. And beyond that, its like the worst menu system I've dealt with in a while. If I was EA, I would fire the guy that still hasn't designed menus for this game.

4. Too much teamwork. I know that they say this game focuses on teamwork, but it's just WAY WAY WAY too much. Seriously, without a decent squad of 3 others I always feel like I might as well be alone. A good squad means everything in this game, from getting health, ammo, rockets, and savings. Then you get into a game where you have a bad squad and you realize just how much you have to rely on other people. Now, like I said I understand that this is a squad based game and you should have to do teamwork, but if Modern Warfare 3 is 10% teammates 90% self for personal (IE not team) success, then Battlefield 3 is 90% teammates 10% self for personal success. No joke, no team means you are screwed. And now, take it for a new person who doesn't know anyone or how to play... that really makes it frustrating to the point where you won't want to.

5. Overpowered Vehicles. I know this game is about the vehicles, I know its about getting your squad into one and really just enjoying flying that copter or driving that tank. But this game takes it to the next level and it actually ruins the realism. Seriously, there are maps were you don't even run around on your feet, you just get in a tank or a heli or a plane and never get out.

Yet that's not the part I have a problem with the vehicles (though for every 5 soldiers there should be 1 tank and for every 15 soldiers there should be 1 helicopter, not for ever half soldier there should be three tanks.). My problem with the vehicles is they JUST WON'T DIE. You put a rocket into them, they keep going. You put another one in, it still isn't done. No, it takes 3 rockets to blow the damn things up. And with flying ones, they all have flares, so they never go down. Its the dumbest thing I've seen where they again go back to the whole "you need a team in this game" idea but they don't correct for overpowered vehicles. BUT WAIT, it gets worse. If the enemy team steals your vehicles, you get fucked. And not just that, but they can take them right out of your base. That leads me to number 6.

6. The Enemy can Steal Stuff out of your Base. THIS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED. The guns that are in your base that are supposed to be Anti-Air (the only things allowed to fly in your base) are WEAK, the choppers are WAY more powerful. It's depressing. DICE, go back and make the AA guns super powerful so I can stop them from stealing stuff out of my base and get the battle back on the ground. Seriously, don't know what you were thinking.

Also, if you can have stuff stolen out of your base, then just remember that you can be killed in your base. It happens all the time. Fail DICE, fail.

7. Terrible Spawns. I know I talk about spawns a lot, especially in Modern Warfare 3 where the spawn system is a revenge based on. Well, I will give Infinity Ward this, they made a spawn system. There is literally no spawn system in this game. It just plops you down and there is a 40% chance you are already dead. Yea, bad. But wait, what about the whole you get to pick your spawn thing. Well, sorta... You can pick the region but that doesn't guarantee that you won't instantly die from some guy sneaking around or you'll spawn facing the enemy who has his gun down. So in other words, there are no safe spawns. I hate it. I really really hate this.

8. Not Enough Players (or Maps are Too Big). Some of these maps are just right for 24 players (when you have 24 players), but some are just so extra-large that even with all 24 players it feels empty. And so then you spend too much time running into battle, running over here, running there, and then you get there and there's nothing there to be gotten. So then you continue running some more. Worst part, then you get shot by a camper, start over, and repeat. I wish developers would make maps that fit what's happening and not try to squeeze too many players into a small space or explode players into too large a fat map. 

9. 4 Player Squads. Seriously? This game design has been this way for over half-a-decade now and its getting old. In today's age, I want at least 6 people per squad or even better, up to 9 people per squad. This part feels so dated that I honestly hate it SOOO much. Seriously, get your friends together and now you can't even be on the same squad. Fail. So it would be nice to see larger squads especially since our internet and our games can handle them now.

10. All the problems from Previous Battlefields are still here! If you've played ANY of the battlefield games in all the variety it comes in, then you know they've all had the same problems that never get fixed. The medic has infinite revives and med-packs, there's infinite ammo packs, the repair kit can infinite-repair, etc etc. Well COME ONE DICE and FIX IT. Seriously, for a game that's supposed to be the most realistic one of them all, it has all these little cliche things in it that are just bull and I don't know why DICE doesn't get in there and fix it. 

How had is it to say the tanks can only be repaired on the side the were damaged on (same with airplanes/helicopters) and ammo packs, med-packs, and repair kits can only be replenished at the main (moving) bases. Seriously, if they would fix this, I would be happier with the game by a thousand thanks', but they never do because they think a guy can pull a medical pack out his arse and keep healing, that those defibrillators will work indefinitely even though there's no electricity, that the repair gun adds material to a broken tank, etc. And I know I'm not even scratching the surface of the problems with the previous problems, those ones just bug me the most. I thought I'd make sure to really point it out.

Verdict: Don't Buy
I know, I'm not helping the economy, but people talk about re-skin sequels all the time and they love mentioning the Call of Duty series. Well, to be honest, this one feels EXACTLY like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with some nice new shiny graphics (which were hard to differ from Modern Warfare 3 to be honest, minus the annoying effects like light glare [which is unrealistically overdone in the game] and rain [which is also overdone in the game]). Don't get it, it's a waste of money and it's a waste of precious braincells from when you bash your head into the wall from the frustration.


Every time I play I consider just making a video of me breaking it, and I really mean that. I think I might go back to SSX again...

San Francisco - The After Thoughts!

So if you didn't know, maybe because we aren't facebook friends or because you live in a ditch, I went to San Francisco, California for a total of 3 days and 4 nights! Ah yes, San Francisco, the city by the bay! Anyway, here's really quick run-down of what exactly happened (with amazing photos of course!). And also please note that while this post will detail everything I can remember, it doesn't detail everything that actually happened. Finally, I'll finish up with some after thoughts on the whole thing.

Arrival Day - The Flight in and Arrival

I think it's important for me to note that before I even was on my way to San Francisco, my dad was finding the best ways to annoy me in the car. First he quizzed me on how to use an airport (I know, get through security, cause problems, then they'll never notice the amount of liquids you bring on the plane). Obviously I passed that. Next he of course had to play the song "San Francisco" by Scott McKenzie. I'd like to note that I never wore flowers in my hair!

A view out of the Plane, it was all Clouds that Day!

So I flew Frontier down to the bay and after a beautiful hour delay, I was in the air and then I was there. It actually kind of worked out, the way that my plane got delayed and what not, because my friends were late and so it gave them the perfect amount of time to get down to the San Francisco International Airport (abbreviated SFO for god knows what reason). They picked me up with much crying and hugging and then some more crying (it was the reunion of the century), but I am disappointed at the lack of french bread when I arrived. I was promised some french bread and so I have to state that clearly.

Anyway, next thing I knew we were off and it was time for dinner at the most sketch Mexican restaurant this side of the Pacific. It actually was some of the best, random Mexican food I've ever had. I also ended up meeting some of Vicki's family there as well, and they are great people of course! Then they drove me to their apartment in Walnut Creek where I was crashing for the time! Well, that's it for my epic arrival day.

Day 1 - The Official First Day

Now I got up at the crack of dawn after that flight and I was promised rain, but because I am like the best travel buddy that anyone could ever have I ended up missing out on the rain and just getting some clouds. So Wyatt ditched us for his job, and I still hate him for ditching me; his lover, his husband, his best friend; to go to work, but that's okay I guess. SO I spent the day with my wife, Vicki!

First we hit up the Bart and took it straight into the city. From there I took about a million pictures, I guess I turned a little bit Asian for the day but that's alright considering it was a great trip. Anway, we started off the day just right by taking a quick tour of the financial district. I loved it! I can't tell people how hard it is to see sky scrapers here in Colorado, but there it is the norm and for a structural engineer who loves architecture it was magnificent! So we walked around the buildings, Vicki giving me all the facts and tour details as we went (including how the homeless bathe in this one really awesome sculpture/fountain... which is disappointing considering how awesome that sculpture/fountain was) until we hit the ocean. I love the ocean and with how little I get to see it, it was beautiful even on a cloudy day! From just this one dock (or whatever) I took a bunch of photos and strung them all together to get this picture of the Oakland Bridge going to Treasure Island (any and all facts might be wrong in this).

A view of the Oakland Bridge on a Sunny Morning

Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe

From there we were off, following the coast line until we reached Fisherman's Wharf. I got my In-N-Out burger from there and that was good (though I'm not positive what the rave is about, but I'm happy I know what it is now) and then we decided to head uphill a little ways to get some an Irish Coffee from the first place in America to serve it! Now, I have to give a bit of a back-story here when I tell that Vicki would have no Alcohol while I was there (a disappointment, but I lived happily with a glass in my hand) so she got a version that just isn't quite the same but close enough. It was AMAZING! I honestly do believe that was both the best coffee I've had before noon and the best Irish coffee I've ever had. The secret is they pre-warm the glass with hot water, add the coffee and then the whiskey, and then to really make it sweet they add exactly one sugar cube. And if you didn't pick up on it, Irish coffee has whiskey in it that really gives it a kick. Glad we added that to the list at the last minute.

Chocolate, Yum!

The Infamous Pterodactyl Face!

Next we hit up Ghirardelli Square for some quick ice cream at the Ghirardelli factory (along with some chocolate). I've been here before, but I just had to go again while I was out in San Fran! If there's one thing I love in this world, its got to be chocolate! I also decided to throw in the picture of Vicki totally Pterodactyl facing (that's what she calls it, not me) a small chocolate replica of the Golden Gate Bridge. Its all good laughs and it was an excellent stop, but who can complain when chocolate is all that's on the menu? So we did that for a little bit, taking a break for the long walk around town before leaving again and hiking it up one of the many San Francisco hills!

Lombard Street in the Background

 So next was the infamous Lombard Street (which although I've already seen, I felt it was necessary to go to as well). We hiked all the way up this road and arrived perfectly right next to Lombard, watching as a slew of cars went down the curvy road. I took some pictures from the top, pictures of the trolly going by, and then we walked down the stairs! The whole way, Vicki and I planned how we would one day own a house on that street to say we lived on Lombard Street. We also talked about how the kids could never go outside because they'd get hit by a car (at least I remember this conversation). After that I took the best picture I think I got of the both of us together. Once we reached the bottom, we decided to make it a photo-moment and so I pulled out the old iPhone and got a snapshot off. I took the picture at a crooked angle on purpose too, because I really wanted to get the street in the background and it came out exactly how I wanted it. I might even get a couple copies printed, I love this picture that much. So that's the great Lombard Street!

Wine and Friends

The next few moments all kind of flew by in a rush. So first we went to a bookstore that was famous (and kind of reminds me of the Boulder Bookstore, like a bunch of floors with stairs going every which direction) and then afterwards I took that picture of the ground! It's one of Vicki's favorites and I agree that it was pretty awesome. Next, we hit up another square (not sure which one), the Gold Dust lounge, and then went to the top of the Marriot hotel to sit and act like billionaires in the View lounge. If I could sum up what I saw in one word, spectacular! I could see the skyscrapers from above all the way over to the ocean. And since the day was clear enough, I could even see the old Golden Gate in the far distance! So we sat up there, taking in the sites and loving the feeling of being young and acting rich. Some day, it would be nice to be rich enough to stop playing rich though!

The City View from the View Lounge

After such a tiring day, and also very little sleep the night before, I was ready to just pass out. That's when Wyatt commandeered my iPhone and started taking pictures of me to edit. Although I'm not particularly happy with what came out of that, I thought I might as well as throw it up here. You can't really see it in that photo, but Wyatt had his super goofy face on the whole time. Also, that's Vicki and Wyatt's apartment in the background! Vicki, the place looks great!

Day 2 - A Day on the Job

The second day I was in San Francisco I have almost no picture of, go figure. That's probably because for the first quarter of my day I was home with Vicki, talking and just enjoying her company (something I've missed for a while). At about 11 am though, I was dressed and out the door to go to Wyatt's work. So I got all button-shirt and sexy black pants and a diamond watch on, you know, the way that movie stars do when they want to make a good impression, and was out the door. 

I rode the Bart back into San Fran where Wyatt met me and we walked to his job. When we got there he got all excited to show me around and I met all his fun work buddies before he took me over to the structure department. They were so impressed with my attire alone that I was offered a job right on the spot, but I of course put up my hand, said thank you, and then denied the offer. God knows I can only do so much engineering with part of a master's degree, so I just couldn't accept it yet. Anyway, the structures department seemed a bit detached from me being there after I denied their offer and only spent about an hour or so telling me about their current jobs and a few of their past jobs. That's of course not to say that they weren't nice, the people were great and I'd love to work there. Then they got back to work, I got to go get some Chinese food for first lunch, and then I left Wyatt for the day.

So I left my husband with his work and went off into the big city by myself... sort of. About ten minute later I met up with my good buddy Nate and he took me on the Bart to a different part of the city I had never seen before. It was great, we had second lunch (or at least second lunch for me) and he told me about why he took me there and what certain places meant to him and his family. Like I remember him telling me that his mom went to one of the high school's we passed, which is really cool to learn information like that about someone. And I'd also like to make a small note that we sat on a stump and ate lunch in a park. It was great. 

Then he took me to this ice cream shop (I know, I ate a lot while I was there.... Vicki called it the food tour de San Fran) that was one of his favorites. That was actually really cool too, which is why I warranted the ice cream shop it's own paragraph. Basically the reason this place stood out was that the owners had some of the most unique flavors I've ever seen. I of course got some, I can't resist ice cream, and it was so different. I got two flavors; one was salted caramel and the other was cinnamon almond I think (can't be too sure on the second flavor, but the first was definitely the caramel). Then it was a walk back to the Bart where I went back to Walnut Creek!

Day 3 - Perfect Panda Picture Parade!

Vicki's birthday! Happy 25th Vicki and glad I was there for it! So I call this day perfect panda picture parade because we went to the San Francisco zoo, which is a very cool, small zoo, and that's how we celebrated her birthday! I can't really say much on the zoo, but it was fun and I'm more happy that I got to spend my friend's birthday with her!

And so after the zoo we finished up with one final place on my tour of San Francisco, which was a view from the beach of the Ocean. The reason this all worked out the way it did was because the San Francisco Zoo is literally right next to the ocean. I took a few photos and Wyatt used my phone to take a few photos too. The clouds were amazing for it and the ocean was roaring!

Oh yea, and insert something about Berkeley and the Berkeley Bowl in here. Basically, Berkeley is a hippie town (or so I'm told, we didn't get to see the school) and the Berkeley Bowl is like Sprouts or Trader Joes on super crack. Literally 9 types of mushrooms, 20 types of apples, 8 types of bananas, 10 types of oranges, etc...

Departure - A Broken Plane

So this chapter is short, but the next day I had a flight that was at the crack of dawn. Turns out I didn't have to really get up early though, because the plane was broken and they didn't get it fixed for 4 hours. Thanks Frontier! :(

Final Notes

So finally, I'd like to give a summary of things I wish I had done. I think its important to make these lists, because it means next time I'll remember exactly what I didn't do or wish I would have done this time around. Here's a list of things I wish I would have done:

• Met Vicki at the airport, but with some French Bread in her hands.
• Alcatraz. I'm sad I was so close and yet never got a tour. 
• Spent more time with Nate. We only had a few hours to catch up on a years time.
• San Francisco at night. I got a glimpse of the city lights one night, but I didn't get to go into any clubs or places to see what the nightlife was all about.
• Wine country. I feel like not getting to drive up north for some wine tastings was a miss this trip, though that's fine.

Anyway, loved the trip. Special thanks again to Vicki and Wyatt for letting my crash at their place and giving me a great few days and special thanks to Nate for getting time to come see me as well!

Roommates: Part 2

So the more I live with this kid, the more I just can't stand him. It's not that he's a bad person in any way, but rather because he just annoys the hell out of me with every little thing he does. Listen, I like exactly two types of roommates:

1. The ones that stay out of my life-style's path
2. The ones that get into my life-style's path, but clean-up

Let me explain those in a little bit more detail. When a roommate stays out of my life-style's path, I mean that they literally are almost like a ghost in the apartment. They make messes every now and then and they have friends over every now and then, but for the most part its almost like I'm living alone. They don't question how loud I am at night, they don't question when doors slam, they take showers at times that don't ever seem to interfere with my shower time, and they aren't in the kitchen when I need the kitchen. Basically, we co-exist in separate worlds and only cross paths by sharing the same space. And because these people are so out of sync with my life-style (its a coincidence), I actually don't mind cleaning up after them. That's right, they can leave fairly small messes and I'll pick up after them because they let me live my life peacefully.

The second one is different. This is the type of person who does interfere with the way I like to live my life. Literally, this person will be in the kitchen using everything when I'd like to cook, using the bathroom whenever I might need it, complains about my life-style and tells me to change, and so forth. All I ask of this person is that if they want me to change my life-style, they need to change their own AND they need to clean-up the apartment with me. I know it sounds weird, but its a hassle to change the way I like to live so if I'm going to put in effort to make their life better then they better put effort in to make my life better.

My current roommate is neither of these options and I hate him for it. So where to begin...

Bathroom: When I get up in the morning, and my schedule isn't a normal one at all, I'd like to have the right to take a shower. I wake up between 8 and 10 AM every day. Wouldn't you know it, but I have the one roommate who doesn't seem to ever get up until right before I need the bathroom in the morning. But wait, it get's worse for someone like me. He also takes two showers a day. That means two times a day he's in there for more than 15 minutes that I need. Guess what, he takes that shower not when I'm away, but when I'm back. So it's like he's purposefully choosing times that interfere with our interactions. It drives me nuts. Now, I said I'd be fine with this if he would clean. Guess what, he has NEVER cleaned the bathroom nor do I think he knows how. Hell, he doesn't even know how to get out of the shower without getting the floor wet. And for everyone out there that doesn't know how to magically do that, grab the towel off the rack (especially since his is RIGHT NEXT TO THE SHOWER) and dry yourself off before you step out. I know, it takes a whole second to think that process through.

Kitchen: So I don't always get home from classes/school life until 7 to 9 PM, and when I get back I usually want to just throw my stuff off my back and start cooking a quick meal. Except four out of five times my roommate is in the kitchen cooking and he is the worst chef I think I've ever seen. Most people learn by the age of 18 that if you aren't cooking efficiently, then you are wasting time. I've never seen someone take so much time slicing raw chicken. Just cut that damn thing into chunks and throw it in the pan already. And he gets his water boiling on 6 out of 9 heat. This is what I mean, I'd have cooked 2 meals in the time that he cooks his 1 and it drives me nuts because the kitchen is literally only big enough for 1 person to cook in it at a time. Get the fuck in and get the fuck out. Simple as that. But wait, he never cleans up his pots and pans right away either. So there's another mine field I hate to touch and I hate having crowded sinks too, it drives me nuts. Its one of those little things that just gets to me if you aren't having guests over. And to top it off, none of the counter tops ever get clean. If you are going to be in my way, make sure you clean it all up before you get out of my way.

Bedroom: Now I know that this shouldn't seem to be an area where I'd be bugged, because we don't have a shared bedroom. Literally I have my own and he has his own, so there shouldn't be a problem. Except there are a ton. First of all, he yells at me for "slamming" the door when I leave my room at night. Want to know what a slam sounds like in his room? Shut your door softly and you'll see he's over reacting. Literally, I've been yelled at multiple times for "slamming" my door even when the wind blows it shut. The kid is a psycho. And to top that one off, I'd like to note that if you are going to live with someone like me, get use to it because I probably won't remember to change. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE. If I talk at night louder than a whisper he also yells at me because I woke him up. Now I'm not sure about where you live, but I've played heavy base music really loud and gone in his room and its been literally a soft beat. So the walls literally stop almost all sound. And I know some people have sensitive ears, but come on, go buy ear muffs or something if that's your problem and stop being a douche and telling me to change. I'd like to note I'm really hitting hard on these things, because I asked him to change the following stuff I'm about to talk about and it still hasn't happened. Now, in contrast, when he brings his Girlfriend over, who is literally the loudest slut on the planet, I can't get away from it. I literally have heard every type of noise imaginable come out of her from in that room at all hours. I'm sorry, but I don't want to hear your underage girlfriend moaning and if you know she's a loud moaner, maybe its time to go back to her place. Oh she lives in the dorm, well then go find a field in the middle of nowhere and have sex there. At least its away from me. Jesus. And besides that, he talks about my singing, but trust me you don't want to hear his...

Overall my roommate is a type 3 roommate, which I didn't describe above because I can't stand that type. They get in the way of your life-style, feel that their life-style is more important than your own (which ironically causes an equal reaction), and then don't ever seem to understand why you don't like them.

And just a note, the WHOLE reason I'm writing a big, long post about all this crap is because my roommate has literally ONE job to do in the apartment. I said I would keep up the bathroom, keep up the kitchen, keep up the living room, and try to fix my life-style if he tried to fix his (which he didn't, but I let that slide sometimes) and WOULD TAKE OUT THE TRASH. Seriously, less than 5 minutes of your life maybe once a week and I would be happy. Go fuck yourself kid.

Now for reference, here's a list of my previous roommates:

• Kevin P (Amazing) - He never once interfered with my life-style and in fact I think overall enhanced my life with his positive attitude. We had similar life-styles too, so it made living together pretty smooth.
• Brandon W (Great) - This is another person where we had fairly similar life-styles and I think he overall enhanced my life for the short time we lived together. Very positive guy!
• Jordan F (Good) - There were a few clashing points between us being roommates, but overall everything went really smooth throughout the year. I don't think I'd live in the same room as him again, but the same apartment would be fine.

Seriously? Still No Fixes?

I keep playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and its still NOT balanced more than 4 months after the release date. This is with countless amounts of user input, but what I'm learning is that the companies Infinity Ward, Beachhead Studios (couldn't find a website), and Raven Software are just incompetent enough to not fix it. So here's what I am putting out there, he's my message to the world, the one that says FIX THIS YOU DUMB MOTHER F***ERS!

1. Striker - Seriously? You call that a nerf? I believe the exact quote from fourzerotwo was "The Striker is losing power and all shotguns are increasing in damage." Now I might be wrong about something, but isn't [50 +5power to all shotguns -5power to all shotguns = 50]? SO I don't think you did anything. NERF THAT THING. Here's how you balance it (pick one):

• Down the damage so much that it literally take either 3 close range shots to kill, 5 medium range shots to kill, and impossible from long range
• Add Kick. Add a lot of Kick. That thing should kick so hard that each shot makes you do a half-backflip.
• Make the person slower when they run with it and down the reload rate by a lot.

2. Type 95 - I don't understand how you guys can "nerf" the gun more than once. If its NERFED then it shouldn't need a second nerfing. SO god damn it, learn to NERF a gun! Again, pick one.

• REDUCE THE DAMAGE! It should take at least 3 shots to kill or 2 perfect shots.
• Add kick! Add kick so that you fire that thing and it bounces.
• Reduce the range.

3. MK-14 - This gun doesn't get talked about a lot, but its 2 shots to kill, has no kick, is long range, lets you run fast, can be silenced and used easily, doesnt sway, etc. Are you getting my drift? Its just too god damn good unless you miss the shot, but even if you do you can fire it like a machine gun.

• Put a minimum fire time on it that's higher than 0.5 seconds. Make it take at least 1.5 seconds before you can fire a second shot. With rapid fire, it should decrease its fire time to 0.5 seconds but increase kick (because of more shots).
• Add kick. Why is it that this seems to be a good solution. Oh wait, cause its easy to do and works.
• Make that weapon sway! Its a sniper (or close to the snipers in almost every way) so why not add some sway to the end of it.

4. ALL MACHINE PISTOLS, though mainly the FMG9's - You've tried nerfing this weapon like 50 times in 50 different ways. Why hasn't it worked? Because your idea of nerfing them is slowing down the rate of fire. Their fire rate was ridiculous to begin with, now you've just made them like all the other weapons. So take away the power on them.

• Decrease the damage by A LOT (its a side arm, not a main weapon).

5/6. PP90M1 and MP7 - Both of these weapons have to much power, almost no kick, huge clips, and let the users run fast. Oh, and add on the range proficiency and they only get better. SERIOUSLY? When I saw the videos for MW3 and the douche bag came on and said the PP90M1 where his favorite new weapons, no joke I thought right then and there that the reason he liked them was because they are Overpowered and Not Balanced. Why is it I'm always right.

• Decrease the damage. Lets just state the obvious that these are too powerful for what they do and should have a damage reduction.
• Increase the kick. Make it that the things are off center after about 2 shots fired, make sure its by a lot and make sure that it kicks sort of out of the way of a headshot.
• Decrease the range and accuracy. These guns are way way way to powerful at any range. Decreasing the range and accuracy would really help with how they can magically get headshots from across the map.

7. Grenade Launchers - Honestly, this is the 3rd time you guys have failed at balancing out this weapon, and so far this has been the 2nd worst attempt. Here's an idea:

• Make grenade launcher under barrels cost 2 slots (requiring the attachment modification to use) and leave them as they are. Now for the launchers ones, take away the persons grenade. I guarantee people with twice before using them. While you are at it, make all launchers take away the grenade slot. That'll help balance out the "Helicopters are weak"

8. Recon Drone - Seriously? This thing gets a jammer, can put people on the map indefinitely, flies super fast, can see the enemies as red arrows, gets a flare, gives the player 100 points for each tag (which add to the score board) and also only costs 10 kills not in the same life? SERIOUSLY? (For this one you need to choose 2 or more... this thing is so overpowered)

• No flare. Its hard enough to lock-on as is so the flare is just stupid.
• No jammer. Why.
• No red arrows until they are within range. That way at least it has to be able to see them and isn't just flying around perfectly tagging people it shouldn't be able to.
• NOT FOREVER - Make the recon go away after 10 seconds or so.
• Make it cost more. 10 kills is easy as all get out to get something this over powered.

• AND THIS ONE IS REQUIRED: STOP LETTING IT ADD THE 100 POINTS TO THE SCORE BOARD! It doesn't make sense why this thing can boost someones score on the board from last place to first when they technically haven't done anything that helps increase the score. The assists they get for the kills will show up on their already, so theirs no need to show the 100 points also.

Well Infinity Ward, Beachhead Studios, and Raven Software, I've done literally the hardest part for you guys in cleaning up your mess, all you have to do is change some numbers and click update. I know, its hard having power, but for the $1 Billion you get paid you better start working harder for it.

How to be a Good Roommate

So I thought I would just post this list, because I'm highly annoyed that my roommates tend to be rather inadequate at figuring out these simple rules. Also, these are very general rules, little things, that tend to go a long way with any roommate because they are good habits to get into. I'll try to sort them by area.

Kitchen

• If you make a mess, clean it up - I think this is self explanatory, but no one wants to clean up your messes in the kitchen. You made dinner, that's nice, but you also get to clean up your pots and pans and all the spills too. Also, it takes 15 minutes to clean up your mess, maybe longer if you made a bigger dinner, but it goes much farther for your roommate.
• Dishes go in the Dishwasher, not the sink - I can't tell you how annoyed I get when dishes are in the sink. First of all, they get in the way of  your roommate trying to cook or clean his own dishes. If you want them to get clean, you better put them in the dishwasher. The exception to this rule is if you are in a hurry and will clean them ASAP, but to be honest I don't think that's a good exception.
• Keep it fresh - If stuff goes bad, throw it out. I hate finding stuff that went bad 3 days ago in the fridge and the worst part is I can't throw it out cause its my roommates and he'll be like why. So keep it fresh for your roommate.

Bathroom

• Help clean it up! - I really hate that I have to put this on here, but of all the roommates I've had it seems like none of them ever learned that I don't really want to have to clean the bathroom every time. That's nice that you vacuumed the main room, that's lovely you learned how to press a button on the dishwasher, but lets be honest none of those compare to what's in the bathroom. Rule of thumb, help out instead of stinking it up. (My current roommate still thinks its okay to let me do it)
• Always flush unless otherwise - Basically, I don't want to see something in the toilet. If you toss it in there, I'm going to assume its a bio-waste I don't want to touch and you need to flush it. If you are tossing it in there cause its just a little thing, think if it can be trashed instead and save me the hap-hazard of seeing it and being disgusted. Also, convention says unless you agree on stuff that can sit, always flush.
• NOTHING DOWN THE DRAIN! - Seriously, don't clog the drain with things you shouldn't be dumping down there. If it comes off you while you shower (dead skin, hair, oils, etc) then its fine because you can't help that, but if you purposefully are putting something down the drain to get rid of it, just stop and don't. You clog the drain and cause someone else to fix it or yourself problems. So simple rule, nothing down the drain that wasn't suppose to go there.
• Stay out of my medicine cabinet - Simply stay out. People take medical things for various reasons, some more embarrassing that others. If you don't have permission to be in there, then don't go in there. Its like viewing someones personal stuff but not understanding that they take it for a certain reason. So stay out of medicine cabinets and drawers and anything else that aren't "yours" to keep privacy!

Common Room

• Clean up your mess - I think we get the point by now, but if you make a mess then you need to clean it up. No one wants to clean up your stuff and unless no one has a problem with a decoration or something a certain way, then keep it out of there and keep it clean.
• Share the Vacuum - It sounds like a weird rule, but I know a lot of people that won't help clean up the messes that just naturally happen. If you take the time and both do it, you both end up happier with one another.
• Don't hog the common room - It sounds weird, but people tend to hate it when they can't use their rooms the way they want to. So in basic, don't hog it all to yourself because you never know who else may actually want to use it too. And if it seems like they aren't using it and so you deserve that time, it probably just means that they don't go in there because you use it too much. Hogs don't notice the annoyance they cause.

Your Room

• Keep the private, Private - We don't need to know your personal life. Keep what you want private, private. Enough said.

Girlfriends/Boyfriends

• WE DON'T NEED TO HEAR THAT! - Seriously no one wants to hear you having sex, making out, talking all lovey dovey, or any of that other crap. So try to keep it to a minimum. Seriously, I'm sick of hearing sex. Go somewhere else. Go do something else...
• WE DON'T NEED TO SEE THAT! - Same as above, but no one wants to see it either. If you are the type of couple that can't get your paws off each-other, then get out of the room with that. It makes everyone else feel like a third wheel when you are always attached at the lips and no one likes to watch other people make-out or touch each-other. No sex in common areas please.
• Spend less time with her/him in the Apartment - It sounds weird, but actually don't bring your girlfriend/boyfriend home to the apartment as often as possible. They don't live there, they don't have a room there, they don't pay rent there, they shouldn't be there (if they do live there [and pay], ignore this rule cause it doesn't apply). I have a roommate that seriously thinks I want to see his girlfriend all the time. I hate her, I really don't want to see her. SO it would be awesome if they could, you know, either pay me back since I didn't ask for another roommate or move him out since he just wants to live with her.
• If she/he is loud - Kill them. I'm not joking, I hate hearing girlfriends/boyfriends talking so loud that I can hear them through the walls. I don't care if you mute them by stuffing their mouth (no moans though) or if you literally duck tape that trap shut, but no one wants to hear that voice all the time.
• Just cause you like them doesn't mean your roommates do - I think that's self explanatory.
• Its not her place, its not her stuff, its not where she should go - She/he needs to bake, well don't bring her home cause I need the kitchen that I pay for for my own cooking. She/he needs the washer/shower/couch/TV/sink/Anything, well too bad. Seriously I can't drive home how much that this isn't her/his apartment and he/she doesn't actually have a right to the stuff in it. So stop letting them have it.

I hope these rules (which is a smaller list) show my frustration with my roommates girlfriend. That's why that's at the bottom, so that I'm kinda fizzled out when I get there. Sorry for the random service announcement.

Why I Went on a No Refined Sugar Diet

So I have a little bit of time to spare right now, a keyboard, and my phone in front of my. My first thoughts were to write a new blog. And I thought that since everyone out there is currently going crazy with their New Years resolution (which is usually to get in shape), that I would finally get around to explaining everything and anything behind why I went on a no refined sugar diet.

Let me start by saying that I am in no way obese. I actually went into the doctor before I started the no refined sugar diet and had them take my body mass index (BMI) to test me for how much fat I had; sort of a way to see if I was skinny fat. I came out as being actually on the lower side of perfectly average. In other words, if I starved myself for a day I would have been considered malnourished. I did not do the diet because I felt I was fat.

Instead, I plain and simply chose to do the diet to see what it would be like to have absolutely no artificial sweets inside of me. I wanted to know if my mood would change, if I would lose weight, if I could survive without refined sugar, and all around what impact sugar had on me as a person.

Its not an easy task. Once I started, I realized that literally everything has sugar in it. From pancakes to bread to any easy-dinners on the shelf, there was almost nothing I could eat that I didn't cook myself. I even had to find a tortilla that had no sugar baked into it to widen my options (and yes, those do exist and yes, they do taste better than the sugar ones). And I did all of the diet without changing any other daily habits! I still went for walks every day to get 10,000 steps in, I still went to class and took tests, and I still was as active as before. Taking sugar out of my diet not once stopped my from my daily tasks and it didn't make me more energetic either.

And before I get onto the results, heres exactly what I removed from my diet: No honey, no packet sugars of any type, no artificial sweeteners, no corn syrup or other substitutes, and none of the lesser known refined sugars that are currently used as both preservatives and sweeteners. All of those things are technically refined sugar (and they make non-refined honey, but its got bugs in it so you probably don't want that).

Well, what I learned from doing all of this was that I could actually live an entire diet without refined sugar. Its not easy, its honestly not even that great a diet, and its probably one of the weirdest challenges I've put myself through to date. I also learned that a sugar-full diet was actually what was keeping my weight were it was. I'm not joking when I say I lost 10 pounds in 1 month of just changing my diet. I wasn't eating less, and in fact I was eating more on the no sugar diet. The fact was that everything I ate just tended to have about 50-75% calories overall. A few other stranger things I learned was about a billion ways to sweeten food without sugar (which leads me to believe that cinnamon chicken is one of the greatest inventions yet) and it taught me to cook a lot more of what I want to eat instead of being lazy and going out to eat.

Yet the strangest thing I probably learned from this study was that our bodies were not meant to take in all the sweets we normally do. I was off sugar for a month, so any and all that was left in my body had been worked out in that time and my taste buds had a chance to reset. Well, I found that fruits are actually about as sweet as the body needs and fill the craving of sweets. When my study ended, I changed back from fruits to sugar and found I actually couldn't do it. Why? Because sugar is actually too sweet. I would try to eat the same sugary foods as I had before, but they actually were just too sugary. And worst of all, about 2 bites in I would feel my sugar craving satisfied but my hunger craving still there. So what I guess I'm trying to say is that cutting out the sugar actually slowly reset my system to the point where I no longer need a large piece of cake to fill the sweet craving or a full bottle of soda to give me that sugar buzz. Instead, a simple bowl of fruit or a glass of orange juice will usually do it for me now and I can walk away all the happier. Its like a sugar paradox - more sweet isn't actually the right amount of sweet but more sweet needs more sweet.

And so now I actually don't eat sweets like I use to at all (sorry Vicki, that cake was too much cake). I use too be an ice cream fiend, eating a bowl of it and feeling good afterwards. My friends use to give me cake that literally touched 4 edges of the plate with each corner. I use to want brownies, candies, chocolates, and anything else that had refined sugar in it every night. Now I just don't feel the need. Instead, I pop open the fridge and find my fruit and have that to cure the craving.

As a small side note, when I first started the diet a bowl of fruit could not sustain my craving needs. I actually ate more fruit that first week than ever before in my life because I had these unbelievable cravings. However, after eating fruit I also felt full, satisfied, and better for a lot longer period than refined sugar ever managed. To be more exact, I would eat a piece of candy or a slice of cake before and for maybe 10 minutes I would be satisfied. Then the craving would start again. With fruit, I finish off a bowl and I feel satisfied for hours.Its actually better at curing the craving.

So to end this blog about my tests into a more healthier me, I actually recommend people trying to cut sugar from their diet. Maybe they shouldn't take it to the extreme I did, but it does create a better feeling and a better person in the end, yet doesn't change anything at all.

Cool technology!

So I love my new phone, but there is just no way that I can type out long messages on it all the time. My solution? I bought a blue tooth keyboard and paired it with my phone! Now I can do all sorts of stuff on the go that I couldn't do before...

I know it sounds weird that I wanted a wireless keyboard to plug into my computer to do stuff with, but actually its exactly what I needed for all the stuff I really want to do. Just to kind of explain with an example, sometimes i get a story idea while I'm walking around and it just keeps developing in my head while I go along. Well, I can remember it all the way back to my apartment, but as soon as I get home I'm too tired to actually write. So that great idea I had gets thrown into a pile of good ideas and it almost never gets developed unless its for the current story. Well now I can stop and just start writing it right on my phone and keep the energy flowing!

And just for further reference, the most often time that I get the urge to write isn't when I'm at home (though I do get the urge to just start typing sometimes there), but actually when I walk in a book store. There's something about the smell of fresh books that really brings out the writer in me. Now do you see the advantage of a lightweight keyboard and a phone that can link with it? That's right, writing anywhere i go and without limits!

I was so excited about this random tidbit of news that I actually am using my new keyboard right now to type it up into the blogger app. That's how much I really wanted this! Now I just have to remember to carry the keyboard with me (which is still 1/7 the weight of my laptop).

In other news, my laptop's battery has gone to hell. It literally cannot hold a charge anymore and I get maybe 1 hour of service time out of it. To replace it I would have to spend over $100, which just isn't worth it for me. So instead I'm turning it into my portable desktop... since now it needs to be plugged in 90% of the time. I can still leave it on while I walk around, but I can't use it for very long. I timed it these last few days at approximately 50 minutes to 90 minutes of time I can use it (which is almost nothing compared to the 3-4 hrs I'm suppose to get). What really sucks is there's no warning on it if the charge goes out, so I can't really write stories without it plugged in because it literally just dies on the spot.

Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying their New Year and hope everyone is having a wonderful Winter Break (if you are still on it) or are enjoying the wonders of being back at work (If that's happened yet, I know some places start on the 3rd). Good luck all and hopefully more updates to come this year. I'm sort of trying to transition this blog to an anything blog, we'll see how that goes.

Oh, and here's a picture my husband took when I went to see him and the wonderful wife! Its me at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs if you were curious.