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T-Hybrid

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Blog Entries posted by T-Hybrid

  1. T-Hybrid
    All of my finals fell on Wednesday, and were all essay format. Thankfully the Media Ethics paper was assigned prior to finals week, so we only needed to turn the paper by deadline in order to get credit for the appearance. In the meantime, I'm working on finishing up my internship with a "local" software consulting firm. I'm also in the midst of a heated job hunt, which has seen me dressed up in a suit and tie more times than I'll ever care to be again. But let me tell you, as awkward as it feels to get all dressed up like that...there's a certain confidence that comes when you see yourself in the mirror. Vanity? I wouldn't go that far.
     
    I'm looking ahead to my final semester of my undergraduate career, and I couldn't be more excited. I feel like the whole world is opening up to me, and I can't wait to see where it leads me next. But in the meantime, while I have some down time between work and classes...I've had a chance to reaquianted with some old friends. To summarize what I've been researching:
     
    The following games are cool:
    Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
    Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (DS)
    Starfox Command (DS)
    The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii/GC)
     
    The following games will be cool:
    Yoshi's Island DS (DS)
    The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
    Kirby: Squeak Squad (DS)
    Pokemon: Diamond Version (DS)
    Okami (PS2)
    Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
    Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
     
    The following games will hopefully come out:
    Super Paper Mario (Wii?)
  2. T-Hybrid

    What The Bouncer Did

    By T-Hybrid,

    T-Hybrid is currently preparring to start both his classes and new job on Tuesday. As such, he has once again asked his guest writer to fill in for today's entry.
     
    Whazzup, crowd! HGM here to do my best and get something written today. I suppose the best thing I could do is fill you in on the events of a few Fridays back. As you all remember, T-Boss stopped in to Snakes On A Plane. And because I'm such a hip happening dude I couldn't help but check out a screening myself.
     
    So as you know, I left my post for the first time since being hired. And go figure it's the one time some package gets dropped off. T gets back and starts going on about how I left the Haven open and who knows what could've gone wrong while I was away. I reminded him that there's really nothing of value here and I don't even think we've charged anybody an entrance fee. So there's nothing really worth stealing.
     
    ...Come to think of it, why does he even need me?
     
    But that's beside the point. Boss kicks off the Snakes afterparty, and we decide to break open the first crate. Inside is this massive pinata, and we hang it up. It gets cracked open, and BOOM...a massive snake drops in.
     
    I don't know how familiar you are with Digimon, but this guy called himself Santiramon. Personally, I woulda just called him mud. But I found out a bit late that he was a Perfect Level, just like me. So we throw down, and the place goes NUTS!
     
    We busted up the second crate in the process, so I really hope that there wasn't anything important or anything in there. But when you've got a massive snake Digimon trying to stab you with a trident, you're really not paying attention to your surroundings anymore.
     
    So I let loose with a few Rizing Destroyers, and without thinking I fire off a Trident Revolver. I manage to blast Santiramon into oblivion, but in the process I actually blew out the south wall of the Haven. Remember how I was wondering what exactly I was doing working for a guy who isn't paying me? I found out now...I'm paying him back while he repairs the wall.
     
    It was nice of T to not say anything, but he was pretty upset about it. He's got enough to worry about, and now there's a chunk of building missing. Not to mention that yerk MachGaogamon is still whining every once in a while.
     
    I tells ya, the work of a bouncer is never done.
  3. T-Hybrid

    Who Let The Squid Out?

    By T-Hybrid,

    Made an emergency trip into Target today in a futile attempt to complete my Christmas shopping. After giving up on finding that one last gift, I decided to take a side trip and check out whatever toys hadn't been completely ravaged by fellow shoppers.
     
    To my surprise, sitting on the shelf beside the hordese of Inika and few remaining Piraka were two Barakki (the red one...Mantak?) I have to say I was tempted to grab him, but there was no price tag and I've been a bit short on cash recently with bills and other apartment expenses. Not to mention I really wasn't there to buy anything for myself. So I let the opportunity pass in hopes of finding them more readily next year.
     
    But I have to say I was impressed with what I saw, having finally seen one in person. The box is bizarre (for lack of anything better to say). It's titled at an odd angle which will make stoarge a pain, but I will admit it's the most unique packaging I've seen in something like that for a while.
     
    Unfortunately there wasn't a display for the Barakki yet, so I didn't get a chance to actually see one assembled. But I like what I've seen. The pics on the one's box made them appear to be more unique than previous "canister" sets (does that word even work anymore?). I can't decided if I want the Barakki, or if I should save my money for when we get a look at the '07 Toa.
  4. T-Hybrid
    I would've written the review last night, but the movie was about 2 hours long, plus an hour or so hanging out with my friends afterward meant I didn't get back home till about 4. In other words, I was VERY tired Friday. But now that I'm more awake, here's my spoiler-free review. And since this film is Rated R, I'll be careful about what I discuss.
     
    Pros:
    Soundtrack - Watchmen has what has to be one of the best opening sequences I've seen in a long time. Excellent use of music, imagery, and light humor helps the audience become quickly accustomed to the universe in which the movie exists. And from there, the film puts together a varied soundtrack that uses easily recognizable tracks to somewhat parody the atmosphere of the scene in which they play. You'll come out of this movie wanting to listen to the full CD. Characters - With the exception of Dr. Manhatten, there isn't a single superpowered character in this movie. And that's what makes it so entertaining. You get to know the characters primarily as their real-world personas, with their superhero lives almost being the "other" story that we occasionally look in on. Even when fighting crime, characters refer to each other by their first names (except for Rorshach...who nobody knows). And while some of the backstory is a little light in places, you still get a feel for the type of person each one is. Surprises - There are some fun twists in this one. One of which actually makes you go "Oh...wow!" A few potential surprises seem telegraphed, but otherwise the film does a good job of keeping you guessing as to what's going on, and trying to solve the mystery along with the heroes. Cons:Uh... - This is an R-Rated movie. So keep that in mind when going with your group. Definately not a superhero movie to take the kiddies too. Aside from the elements that make it R-Rated, most children would likely not understand what's going on anyway. Pacing - The early parts of the movie focus on developing the backstory for the universe and it's characters. And at times this can lead to the viewers losing track of the main story (the murder mystery). But if you can make it through this portion of the film, you'll be rewarded when the second half kicks into gear. History - This film takes place in the 60s and 80s, creating an alternate history for the US (And the rest of the world). The opening sequence is entertaining in its own right, but becomes moreso once you begin to understand the history behind each scene. However, this leads to a number of pop culture references that can cause the humor to get lost on some viewers. There were a few jokes where I'd sit quietly and watch people around me laugh with no idea why. Also, the Nixon impersonation in this film is terrible...to the point where I was beginning to wonder if it wasn't intentional. My overall verdict, however, is to go see it. If you're a fan of the superhero/comic book film genre, you owe it to yourself to see this. It's not as action packed as you would expect, but the story is pretty deep. And as far as the revised ending is concerned, I never read the novel. But with that in mind, the new ending still made perfect sense to me. Take that with a grain of salt though...as I really didn't care that Optimus had flames either.
  5. T-Hybrid
    Last night at work, a guy came through the drive-thru (yeah, I'm in fast food) and asked the manager about a car sitting in the lot. He was interested in buying it. Turns out it was mine.
     
    Now, I drive an '86 Acura. It's been through a lot, has about 96k worth of miles, and most likely won't survive much past me finishing college. Each time I turn the key I expect the engine to just fall out of the thing. It's that old.
     
    So naturally, I get a bit curious when somebody asks about buying it. I've never considered upgrading to something newer, but you know...opportunity knocks. So I get talking to him while he waits for his order. Turns out he races at the local track, and my car is the kind of thing he's looking for. I get a little interested, ask what kind of money we'd be talking.
     
    "Oh, it wouldn't be much. The idea is to buy junker's."
     
    ...My heart sank. My poor little baby, a junker. He could tell I was disappointed, but he was able to say a few words of encouragement.
     
    "Well, it gets great gas mileage. It's worth more than it used to be just for that alone."
     
    Yeah, I suppose it is. But still, did you have to call my car a junker? I mean, I work in the foods industry. I'm normally a nice guy, but is it always the right idea to put somebody in a foul mood who has control of you food for that first few minutes before it's handed off. Oh don't worry, I've never actually done anything like that. Just saying, respect your fast food employees.
     
    So the rest of the day passes without event, and we come to today. My sister was flying in to visit for the summer. Her flight was due in at 5, which was great. The Twins game started at 7, and with flamethrower Francisco Liriano on the mound, I was guaranteed to see a good game.
     
    Alas, it wouldn't be the case. Due to a "mechanical error," her flight was delayed a full 3 hours. We couldn't make it to the game. Well, needless to say I missed a historical outing.
     
    Now I have a new chance to get my hopes up. There hasn't been a Twin voted into the All-Star Game since Torii Hunter in...*forgets year*. You should remember the game. It ended in a tie, and resulted in the current "Winner gets home field" format that has drawn some controversy.
     
    Well, with Online Voting closing in a few days....I once again call upon Twins fans of BZP to support our team. Vote Mauer.
     
    Because he'd do the same for you...
  6. T-Hybrid
    What started off as a throwaway comment almost lead to me getting elected to a school office yesterday. And with almost little effort on my part. Yesterday's key election issue was the decision a to whether or not students would allow the school to increase Student Fees to allow for the construction of a series of improved athletic facilities. When I logged in to vote, I noticed that one posistion (Communications Board) was being put up for vote with out any official candidate. The only choices were to Abstain, or Write-In a candidate.
     
    My roomate jokingly voted for me. Not knowing who was actually running, I also voted for myself. Then I started thinking, how fun would it be to get my name listed on the voter results. I didn't want the office, and since I was graduating in May I wouldn't be elligible to hold the office anyway. Worst case scenario (or was it best?) was that I'd get elected and would just have to back out. I got to work, and by the end of the day I estimated that I had recieved 5-6 votes. Hardly enough to get elected right?
     
    Boy was I wrong! You'll note that the winning "candidate" for Communications Board recieved a whopping EIGHT votes. That means if my estimates are accurate, I was only two votes away from a tie, and potential victory. How frightening is that? On a campus of 14000 students, I could've held a Student Government Office simply because me and a handful of friends thought it'd be funny to write me in.
     
    Other scary results: The Crawford Complex representatives each recieved a total of 2 votes. That is, they each voted for themselves and were thusly elected. Not only that, but only around 3000 people voted on the Student Fee referendum. That's not even a third of the campus deciding on something that will effect everybody!
     
    After seeing the results, I emailed the MSSA to ask why my name didn't appear on the results. Apparently they were only showing the winner for some categories in order to keep the document from being too large. I'm going to visit the offices tomorrow and view the official results to see just how close I came to being the Communications Something-Or-Other. I'll report back just how close it actually was.
     
    The lesson you should take away from all this? Get involved in politics...or somebody who may be totally unqualified for the posistion may end up getting it!
  7. T-Hybrid

    Wii Friend Code

    By T-Hybrid,

    The latest in my parade of Wii related entires, but this is just a quick one. I've been trying to track down people's Wii Numbers, and decided this would be the easiest way.
     
    Torhu
    3358 5920 9567 3970
     
    If you want to add me, feel free. Just let me know so I can hopefully add you.
  8. T-Hybrid

    Wii!

    By T-Hybrid,

    I know this news is somewhat old, but Nintendo has annouced an official release date for the Nintendo Wii. November 19th, for $250. As most people figured, this price includes the Wii Sports collection and one controller. Pretty sweet news for all of us gamers. The only downer was that the Gamecube version of Zelda: Twilight Princess is being delayed until December 11th. The Wii version still releases on the same day as the console. Go figure, eh?
     
    Recent developements (namely financial aid adjustments and a different new job) have me questioning my decision to wait until after the holidays to pick up a Wii. And with the PS3 launching in the same time frame, the next-gen looks to be finally kicking into high-gear. While I won't be getting a PS3 for quite some time (read: until significant price drops) the idea of Final Fantasy XIII already in developement and a FFXII spinoff for DS has me quite excited.
     
    Now if Nintendo would just give us a solid date on Smash Bros. Brawl...
  9. T-Hybrid

    Wii...?

    By T-Hybrid,

    My initial excitement regarding the Wii has faded somewhat, mostly because some new news has come in. Super Paper Mario, which I had been looking forward to since its annoucement at E3, has been cancelled for the Nintendo Gamecube. Instead, it will be pushed onto the Wii. Which means Nintendo has effectively rewarded me for sticking with my Gamecube till the bitter end by taking away everything I had been waiting for.
     
    Does this mean I'll still be selling my Cube to get a Wii? I don't think so anymore... Instead, I'm keeping my Cube and getting that version of Twilight Princess in Decemeber. I don't like being "forced" into buying new consoles to get games I should be playing on my current one. Especially after I supported the Gamecube for all this time.
     
    I don't consider myself a spiteful person, but I don't think I'm in as big a hurry to buy a Wii. Especially since Metroid, Mario, and Smash Bros have all had their "tentative" release dates changed to the much more vauge "2007." I do know, however, I will most likely never get Super Paper Mario.
  10. T-Hybrid

    Will Work For Food

    By T-Hybrid,

    As of this entry, I am still very much unemployed. And by no means is it by choice. The big problem is my class schedule. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are fine...as I've only got the one class, but Tuesday and Thursday is a nightmare. With three classes over the course of 8 hours, there's no opening for me to squeeze in a day on the job. A lot of places would prefer that an employee work 5 days a week, and many of the places I've applied to are M-F/9-5 jobs.
     
    I am fortunate however, to have found one place that seems interested in hiring me. I've been interviewed once, and asked back for a second. It's a very popular establishment, which means I'll never have to worry about finding something to do. And it's also the kind of place that is open late at night, which means even with my class schedule I'll still be able to get in a decent shift in the evenings.
     
    The biggest benefit to working there, though, would be that it's food service. Over the last 5-6 years of working, I've gotten to know how various foods places work. To top it off, it's style of service is very similar to the last place I worked, which would hopefully make for a short period of adjustment. I'm crossing my fingers that it works out.
     
    ...Now, I'm kind of superstitous. It's why I haven't said much about this until now. I'm still not sure what to think, so I'm not going to name the place or act like I've got the job. The last time I did that, it turned out not to be the case. So hopefully you'll understand if the next update doesn't come until I've found out either way.
  11. T-Hybrid

    Xenosaga: Play It

    By T-Hybrid,

    Well, as you may have caught from my Wednesday entry last week...I've not only been busy with work and classes, but also with a certain game that came out. I'm talking, of course, about Xenosaga III. The final game in what turned into a trilogy on the PS2, "Also Sprach Zarathustra" brings the series to an explosive finale. For now anyway...

    I have to say, it definately sets itself apart from it's predecessors. Apparently knowing that they were going to be ending the series at three instead of six encouraged them to go all out on this game. The battle system is streamlined for quicker battles, the graphics look incredible, and the story is gripping from start to finish. Well, okay...I lied a little. It drags at the beginning, but after the first few hours it kicks into high gear. Everything pretty much gets wrapped up, and all questions are essentailly answered. Not to mention it pulls a few nice surprises out of its hat.

    Why am I writing an entry about this game now? Because I just beat it on Monday. That's right, 50 hours in under a week (truth be told it was like 4 days because of work on Thursday). It was that fun. My only regret is that there wasn't more sidequesty stuff to do after beating the game. Xenosaga's I & II had that in spades (in fact I havent' finshed some of it).

    But the important thing I want to get across in this post...support this game. Go out and play the three of them. The first two are now both greatest hits, and can be found used for under $15 in most EBs and GameStops. The final chapter just came out, but spending a total of like $60 on a trilogy isn't so bad when you get a good 200 hours combined out of it.

    The soundtracks in the first and third are great, don't really know what happened in the second. And each game has a unique battle system that allows for a different way of playing for each chapter. I'll let you form your own opinions, but I will say that the middle game is pretty much agreed on as the least favorite (though that's usually the case with most trilogies).

    In writing this, and encouraging gamers to go out and give the series a try, I hope to perhaps send a message that we need more of this story. Everything gets wrapped up in the third installment, but there had been plans to kick start a new arc for the final three games (I guess an apt comparison would be to the Star Wars saga).

    So if you enjoy RPGs, go out and try this series out. Though if you're an RPG fan you've probably played at least the first. I have to say the third is great, so if you feel like the second is dragging, you've got something to look forward to.
  12. T-Hybrid
    Okay, I admit that was a vauge Simpsons reference there. But I've been in a bit of a blah mood since moving in. I'm not entirely unpacked, and a little short on change until my job starts...so my free time's been spent trying to wrap up Diamond (144 seen...and Azelf, Uxie, and Dialga all caught!)
     
    But a bit of good news to break up the ho-hummness, the campus lost and found has apparently located my missing racquetball racquet. One I lost more than a few months ago. Bit of a stroke of luck there. I just need to drive down to the campus in the next few days and claim it.
     
    It was my fault I lost it. Got distracted one day at the courts and had to leave in a hurry. Left the racquet behind, and by the time I realized it was missing it was gone. I'm wondering if somebody "borrowed" it and then turned it back in after they left for the summer.
     
    Whatever the case. YAY!
  13. T-Hybrid
    In all this news of the new Titans, Mahri, and Barakki...one question is still going unanswered (at least the last time I checked it was). Are we getting a Titan combiner this year? It's going to be hard to top Kardas, which really was a huge achievement for set design, though I would've appreciated getting instructions for the individual sets as well. But LEGO should at least make sure not to skimp on the combiners.
     
    It was the combiner models that got me into Bionicle in the first place, and seeing them slowly phased out over the years is sorta heart-wrenching. We got Irnakk last year, as well as Kardas, but what about the Toa sets? Aren't they worthy of getting a combiner model?
     
    I'm starting to think it was those combiner models that was keeping me interested in the sets each year, and the driving force behind me going out and purchasing full sets of vilians and Titans. I didn't buy all of the Piraka, even after I picked up Irnakk, and now there's just something about the Barakki that's keeping me from just running to the store right now and grabbing a full set.
     
    I'll still get the Toa...I always get the Toa. But until I see combiners start to make a comeback, I just don't think I'm that interested in picking up the Titans or full sets of villians.
  14. T-Hybrid
    Since I'm only in my second week at work, I'm not about to start spending all kinds of money. But just to test the waters, how many other people here are going to be picking up Pokemon Battle Revolution in the next few weeks? If a lot of my fellow BZPers get it around launch, I may go ahead and snag a copy (or at least try to) so I can get into PvP battling again after a very long hiatus.
     
    Hopefully Omi's still trying to hold the BZPFL together. I've been training up a team that I think could make things interesting for everybody involved. Don't know if I'll be able to fulfill my initial commitment to serve as a Leader in the League, but I'd still love to start going head-to-head with some other Trainers around the forum.
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