woo-hoo!

Finally paid off my tv today. Next stop: new gun. It's hard to believe I'm not a republican. Or a democrat. Then again, I totally hate politics, so it's not that hard to believe. One of my friends has got me reading Vince Flynn's first book, Term Limits, in which a group of US military commandos begins assasinating high ranking US politicians in order to force them to enact legal changes to benefit the country. I guess it gets me thinking about the state of things in Washington, something I try not to think about. It's hard to believe this is his first book; it just seems to flow so well. Then again, I've read some of his other books & I can definitely see him mature, especially when it comes to his character dialogue. But it's definitely a book I hate having to put down; I can see this being one of those books that keeps me up until 3am finishing the last 200 pages. Speaking of entertainment- I'm a huge fan of horror films, but it seems that lately (within the last 10 years), you really have to dig to find a decent story. The "After Dark" and "Films to Die For" series have been good at highlighting several winners, but are mostly duds. But some to check out would include "The Hamiltons", "The Gravedancers", "Unrest", & "The Tripper" (my personal favorite!). But if you want to see a truly great horror film, one that calls out all the lame, cliche mistakes that people usually make in those movies, absolutely check out "SEVERANCE." Fantastic film, and I've never heard anyone say anything bad about it, and I've shown it to a lot of people. I only bring this whole thing up because I just saw "Drag Me To Hell" and was greatly impressed. It's the only mainstream, nationwide theater release horror film that I've ever loved. Director Sam Raimi finally gets back to his roots to create a truly memorable film, and anyone who has ever seen The Evil Dead series will agree this is what Raimi has needed to make, not those godawful Spiderman movies (ok, the first one wasn't bad. But the other two- trash. I mean, you bring a villian like Venom to the big screen, you should give him screen time, not a two and a half minute existence where you only see him fully like two. Fucking lame.). "Drag Me to Hell" definitely gets my vote for best horror film of 2009. And while you're in your videostore (or online), pick up "A Perfect Getaway." Not horror, but a great thriller. Steve Zahn was fantastic, making that serious role his bitch. Way to recover from Goof Troop, dude! That's all I got for right now; get out there and see some scary crap!!

Because I said I would...

Go fuck yourself, Anna.

Far Cry

I love Far Cry. In my opinion, it's one of the greatest & most memorable games in my life, up there with DOOM, Half Life, & Resident Evil. I'm referring to the PC version, because fuck you, Microsoft, the piece of crap game you released with "updates" for the xbox is an abomination of the original game. Yeah, you get mutant powers, can run really fast, and it's much shorter. But the story's crap, the characters are two dimensional, and the game just doesn't make as much sense. Far Cry 2 was a vast improvement, but seeing as it had exactly zero connections to the original game, it makes one wonder why they even gave it the Far Cry game. I mean, the original was set in the Pacific with beautiful environments made deadly by mercenaries and mutant beasts. The second was in Africa (granted, a sweet setting), set on two maps, and was populated exclusively by humans that respawned as soon as you were spitting distance away. Not to mention the fact that there weren't even different character classes as you progressed- the guys you fight at the beginning of the game are the exact same as the ones you fight at the end. How did no one notice this? Whatever. A fun as hell game and a great way to pass hours of your day, but once again, it pales in comparison to the original. So what was so great about the original? I like to think it lived up to its title: it was truly a far cry from any game I've played before. It was a game that you didn't even give a shit about for the first ten hours you played, just another disposable shooter. But then you get into the meat of the story, can't stop playing, have fucking dreams about it (haven't had that occurence since the first Resident Evil), and as soon as you're done, you restart the whole game just to try and get that high back. Because make no mistake- it is definitely a high you are riding by the end of the game. And like all highs, it's never as good as that first time, but that will never stop a junkie from trying.

Step 1 down...

Ok, done with the entrance exam. I was feeling pretty confident until last night when I took the practice exam. Upon opening the book & viewing the first question, I actually sat there staring at the page for a few minutes before muttering one of the universe's most prfound statements: "Shit." The questions were entirely of a format that I was not prepared for! So, after scoring a 60-something on my first attempt, I spent the rest of the evening studying all those sections that I thought, "eh, that can't be important." Believe me- details matter. I've been with a volunteer department for a few months now, but nothing we covered up there was nearly as in-depth as this. So, needless to say, I was not as prepared as my earlier confidence let on. Anywayz, after studying the entire book twice more, I finally went to bed. Up at 6:40, I continued studying until I took a break at 7 to run three miles. I don't know what it is about aerobic excersize, but it definitely makes my day better. Among other things, it definitely makes me much less likely to get pissed off; guess it's due to getting all the aggression out early. Anyway, about half an hour before the test I went ahead and made my way to the testing facility, congratulating myself on having the foresight to scout parking areas ahead of time. So the test came and went. I feel a hell of a lot better about it than I did the first time I took the practice test. That being said, I know I didn't ace it. There were some areas I wasn't dead certain about, so I was limited to educated guessing. And then there was the section on myocardial infarction. Wow, I fucked that part up. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. As they say, "God hates a coward." So after that whole event, I went home, reheated the chicken in our fridge, grabbed a glass of wine (we were outta beer; don't judge me), then settled down to spend the next few hours numbing my brain in Fallout 3. Sure, I shoulda gone and worked out, but I still have swimmer's ear & figure I'll just kick my ass in the weightroom tomorrow anyway. I am super-glad it's warming up outside; treadmills are not my favorite thing in the world. Boring as waiting grass grow. So now it's back to work. Las Margaritas tonite to celebrate being done, since Mexican food is my favorite. The Spanish places on Main Street are always my first choice, but since LasMas has such big-ass beers, I figured this would be the place to hit up. Oh, and Alex Bright might be coming to dinner! I haven't seen that fucker in forever, and then he just walks into my store outta the blue! He'll get to meet my girlfriend, and I'm excited to hear about how his life is going; he's always got interesting stories. Ok, time to mop the bathrooms. Later, world.

Firefighting

Tomorrow is the day of my firefighter's entry level exam. I'm not really worried about it, since I joined a volunteer department several months ago for pretty much this reason. I really like the job, the different skills we have to master, the equipment, teamwork; pretty much everything about firefighting I greatly enjoy. So it would truly be a shame to be prevented from joining the department. I know that I can pass any of the tests they throw at me, but I've heard of so many people being rejected for various reasons. I know it's highly competitive and have done my best to make myself as attractive to them as humanly possible, but one never knows. It worries me that no matter how great of a candidate you are, you can always be rejected due to there being no slots left. I ran into the same problem a few years ago when talking to my uncle about Recon in the Marine Corps- I was ready to sign my papers and take my chances, until he informed me that out of the select few that even make it through the training, even less of them are picked for the unit, and those only because they know a high-up officer or politician. Fuckin' old boy network. So yes, I'm a little worried at the prospect of there not being enough slots for me. At 26, I'm finally ready for a career, so it would really blow if the career I chose doesn't choose me. My back up, as anyone that knows me is already aware, is the military. Great place for a career, and they would give me access to things I've wanted my whole life (HALO jumps, combat diving, ice climbing, pathfinding, ghillie suits, god i love that shit), but there I run into a similar problem: placement. I want Special Operations, but of course so does everyone, which severely limits space. Granted, proper training and preparation improves one's chance, but always be aware that you may not get what you wish for. Air Force Special Tactics is my first choice through enlistment, but they have such severe age restrictions (at which I'm at the cusp) that that may prove to be an impossibility. So then that leaves the USMC as an officer. May not get SpecOps, but I'll certainly have a helluva experience. I'd have to be out of my mind to enlist in the Corps when there's another option. But whatever; these are all things I'll deal with only if the CFD doesn't pan out. But if for whatever reason I don't find myself as a firefighter, I will know that it is through no fault of my own- I have given it my all.

Journal Entry #1- feelin' like Doctor Venture

I'm creating this blog due to my having been put in charge of the blog for my store & feeling like there's so much I want to talk about yet can't b/c of it representing an entity bigger than myself. So I'll keep that first blog in its official capacity, and have this second one for more personal (or petty, whatever) entries. So, now to treat it like a journal: It's freakin' monsoon season in downtown Chattanooga, which has severely cut down on foot traffic, meaning that I'm working the store by myself since I sent my relief home. No need to waste money on two bodies when one can more than fill that niche. Girlfriend is on her way to Atlanta for her dad's birthday, who, as it turns out, is too sick to make it to his own birthday dinner. Well, at least I sent a present with her for him. At least it's sort of like I'm there. Hope he gets to feeling better; I like her family. So now I'm here at the store, surrounded by people that are only here to get out of the rain and not to buy anything, trying to study for my firefighter's exam, counting the hours 'til closing. Oh well, it could be worse, as the world is so fond of reminding us daily. God, I gotta stop reading so much of the news; need a daytime hobby. Anywayz, that about wraps it up for entry one. At least I'm not at the bottom of the sea, crawling along because my exo-suit is half destroyed and leaking, so I'm better off than Doctor Venture in his first journal attempt. Oorah for that.