T-Hybrid

I was just about ready to make a decision, and was set to hop in my car to pick up a copy...when an old friend paid me a visit. I'm talking about Mr. My Car Won't Start. After a few unsuccessful attempts to turn the key, followed by the inability to get a jump from anybody, poor little T's Car was toed over to the shop and put up on the lift. The problem? Alternator's shot. Took the battery with it too. Thankfully I had just purchased the battery, so it was covered under warranty. But the alternator was another story. I haven't paid the $360 yet (mostly because the car is still in the shop this morning), but it's effectively made up my mind on a lot of things. Namely, instead of getting either Final Fantasy V or VI...I'm getting neither. Runner up was FFVI. And had my car not gone out I probably would've been getting FFV after my next payday. Not taking a third party into consideration, the best way to solve indecisiveness is the Yankee-way. And by that I mean just buy yourself out of a jam.

I have a friend who owns the Anthology, but it sounds like there's new content in at least one of the two that makes the GBA versions more desirable. Getting both is an option I have considered. Most likely after my next payday.

A month or so ago was the release of Final Fantasy V on the Game Boy Advance, yesterday was the release of Final Fantasy VI. So to put it shortly, I can't make up my mind. I haven't played either, and both come with high recommendations from people I've talked to. The job system in FFV sounds interesting, as the RPGs I've played thusfar have typically stuck with the traditional style of leveling and skill aquistion. However, FFVI is heralded as one of the best (in an almost dead heat with FFVII depending on who you talk to). I was planning on going out to buy one of them last night, but found myself so discombobulated by the whole thing that I just froze on the couch admist a swirling number of questions. So I ask you for any advice you can give. There are some philosophizers who say that you've already given up free will when you ask for advice, but at this point I'm really indifferent. I want to play a new Final Fantasy, I just can't decide which one.

They had something similar though. I just can't recall at the moment. I seem to recall shooting something with something else at some point when a door wouldn't open.

Would you mind if I borrowed this idea for my own Blog? It seems like a good one. Also, if you could be any tree, which would it be? And on a serious note: What do you see yourself doing in 5 years? 10 years?

I'm a Vikings fan. So when it came to last night's game, I was more a casual observer than a supporter of either team. I wouldn't have minded seeing Chicago win, even though it would mean having to put up with a year's worth of "NFL Champion Chicago Bears!" bragging from a diehard Chicagoean. But if I had been given my choice last night, I wouldn't have argued with the results I got. Vikings fans miss Tony Dungy more and more with each passing day, and I was glad to finally see his coaching prowess rewarded with a championship. He got gyped by the Buccaneers, who have since collapsed under Gruden's reign (is he still even in charge). Yeah he won them a Super Bowl, but that was only a year after Dungy left. When I heard rumors of Dungy losing his job in Indy, it was a bummer. I could see it all happening again. The Colts have been a good team the last few years, and it would stink to have to watch some other coach take Dungy's team and then destroy it. But now he's a champ, and he's probably locked in for a while (unless something Coher-esque happens next season). And though I'm glad to see him get the credit he deserves, I can't help but be bummed that he's probably never coming back to coach the Vikings.

"But T," you'll say. "There was never a Volume 1!" And yes, that's very true. But I figured there's been so many instances of stupid advertising that I've left the first volume on the shelf, in honor of all those campaigns that have come before. Today's topic comes hot on the heels of breaking news today. Boston officials were put on edge this afternoon when a number of small "devices" were found around the city. Working carefully, it was discovered that these devices were not active, and quite benign in nature. It was later discovered, much to my personal chagrin that they were intentionally left there by employees of a certain broadcast company advertising a latenight program. More shockingly, there were similar devices left in cities such as New York and Atlanta. And according to reports, they had been there for a number of days prior to their discovery. Why am I displeased? It's because I cannot stand viral marketing. Though they have apologized and claimed to not have any harmful intent with the use of these devices, I have a gut feeling that they knew just what they were doing when they laid out this campaign. What better way these days to get a moment in the spotlight than to dig up a controversy. Considering the nature of the 24-hour news monster, it's not surprising how easily one can accomplish such a feat. I hope that those involved get more than a slap on the wrist for this. Considering that there are usually some serious consequences for causing a commotion such as this. I didn't watch the show much before this. Odds are I probably won't go back at all now.

Thanks! I was really torn between which epic I was going to enter.

That it does sir. That it does.

I've been part of many fandoms in my time, and through all of them I've seen the different stages. And though I'm pleased that Bionicle's been around long enough to hit this current stage, I'm a bit bothered by the frequency and intensity with which its come. Though that's to be expected with the size of this forum comparred to the others I've been to. But to all those people out there who make the topics which are getting to be a weekly affair: No, Bionicle is not in a decline.No, Bionicle is not loosing touch with its fans.No, Bionicle is not dumbing itself down.No, Bionicle is not running out of ideas.We good?

Well, things may have brightened up a bit around the Haven. I talked with my grandpa, who's a financial whiz (runs on that side of the family) about the problem I had over the weekend. Apparently there was more of a miscommunication between the me and the people I had purchased/sold stock through. They sent some info to me, apparently neglecting to make it clear that they weren't sending the rest. So I had to track down a few forms (didn't know that there was such a thing as the Schedule D until now) and fill those out. Hopefully I did it all right, because it's off and in the mail. If all goes well, it may turn out to be a pretty decent swing...and the IRS could end up owing me money instead.

I don't know if that's a compliment or complaint anymore...considering there are some really awesome MOCs these days. Though the last set I heard described as an "MOC" was Umbra.

It makes me wonder how big the sets actually are...considering how much is going on. And yeah, I saw the Mahri's names on some other site. I wasn't really looking for them, they were just kinda there. I'm still psyched about seeing them in person. They look like full-on action figures.

Well, you take 800 years off a guy and he's bound to lose a FEW wrinkles.

It looks like he'll actually serve a bigger role than just a hidden character. Wonder if they'll leave Cloud in and have two references. This one actually makes sense though...but makes me wonder just when FFXII takes place when comparred to FFT.

Your support to our cause will be rewarded when the new order comes. Now if only I could figure out when that will be... Seriously though, thanks!

Well, those leaked pics made the rounds...and now I've seen a crystal clear pic of the Red Mahri, and a few fuzzy canister shots of the others. Thankfully they were nameless pics. And I have to say that the 2007 canister sets easily will rank as some of the best designs Bionicle has ever seen. From what I can tell, every complaint I had about the Inika is fully resolved. And I may just have to break my resolution and grab a full set of Barraki along with my Mahri team. LEGO needs to be rewarded for what they've done this year. So start saving now, and if you haven't seen them yet...perpare to be astounded when the official release arrives. Until then, I promise I won't do any of that spoiler stuff to those of you who don't want it ruined.

I will cheer on the Saints. But under one condition...and that is I don't hear any "team of destiny" talk.

Trying to break the habit of hyphens in the entry name here. But otherwise, just throwing out a plug for my Epic Contest #6 entry "The Alliance". I'm excited to see how it does in this round, as I was really proud of the story. I'm also relieved the theme this time around was epics that were already finished. I've been a bit worried about how Rebirth is turning out. I haven't had as much time to work on it as I would've liked. So I was glad to not suddenly feel the urge to chagne it to fit into the contest. I look forward to the competition. There are a lot of great writers on the forums!

I'm hoping 2008 will finally return to the Toa Nuva and explain more about their origins.

I think a better pairing would be Ashe/Balthier. Anyone who's played XII has to agree that's the pair that seems the best for each other.

I'm a bit surprised by the reactions people have had to the spoilers regarding the 2007 Toa. I wasn't in time to read any of them, and I'm actively avoiding seeking out the pics, but at the same time I can't help but think we as a fandom should already know what's coming down the pipe. I'll put SPOILER WARNINGS before I write anything, just in case somebody who has seen them decides to post what the truth is, but I'm encouraging people not to. So go into this discussion with plenty of warning. Personally, I can't help but think that we're getting evolved Inika. It's a trend that LEGO's stuck to for the last two rounds of Toa. First the Nuva, then the Hordika. Why would anybody else think that the Mahri wouldn't be Jaller and co? Let's look at the facts. The Inika's destiny is to secure the Ignika.The Ignika is being held by the Barraki.The Barraki as a species predominatly dwell underwater.The Inika currently have no ready means of surviving underwater.We've been told the Inika may be getting new Kanohi.Sounds like the formula for a mode change if you ask me. If this turns out to be true, I honestly am not upset, or shocked, or spoiled by knowing if the Inika are in fact the Toa we will be seeing in new forms this year. I like the idea. Part of what makes a story compelling is the characters. It's what made the Metru-Nui flashback one of my least favorite elements. Sure it gave us a ton of backstory to the universe, but it also left the characters we had come to know sitting around doing nothing for about two years. I honestly would loose interest if we had to say goodbye to the Inika so quickly after saying hello. I don't know if this is the case, though judging by the reaction of those who know I can't help but slant in that direction. I understand the reason to surpress the leaked images (policy is policy when that sort of information is concerned), but why the need for such enforced secrecy regarding their identities? If they're the Inika transformed, we already know who the characters are and really shouldn't be surprised considering LEGO's track record. And if we don't know who these characters are...or they are characters who we've seen previously...it still leaves the mystery of why they were made Toa and how they're brought back into (or just plain into the fold). So if you had it spoiled, don't worry. There's still plenty of mystery left. Or if theyr'e the Inika, you were spoiled back when the Hordika were introduced. Either way, there's still a LOT of the 2007 storyline we don't know. So focus on that.

Some mail came for me today from the IRS, apparently there were some discrepancies in my 2006 Tax Return. To make a long story short, I now owe them $620 by the end of the month. At first I couldn't figure out what the heck had happened, but after going over some of the paperwork from last year's filing, here's what I found. The person who did my taxes neglected to take into consideration some investments I had cashed out. The paperwork was all there, including the proper W2s or whatever they're called. They just missed it when they were crunching the numbles. Needless to say I am not in a very perky mood, and have to wait until this weekend when I'm free to go back up to my dad's place and meet with the people to make sure they realize what happened and perhaps get some help righting this situation. Because one way or another I most likely do owe the money, I'm just not happy it's come about two years after I was supposed to have payed it.

Thanks for the breakdown. Suddenly feel the urge to start overleveling so I can take this guy on. I want that sword of his.

That's a pretty impressive sword collection in the first pic. I recognize the Gunblade and Brotherhood. Mind pointing out which is which for the other ones? Didn't see a Buster Sword on him iether.