How are you supposed to post without a photo?

So welcome to the land of Another birthday. Im not old, the gypsy's mistress is old. I am beautiful. There should be a tradition. When ever a young man reaches an age where he is alone in his existance save for those he finds essential, his birthday should be marked thusly:
1- His best friend should show up and not ask a single question during the festivities. (Check)
2- His love should offer him everthing he need in was of indulgences of a nonesexual nature (check)
3- His grandmother should knit him mittens. (check)
4- He should have a pint, and probably some bourbon (check)
5- Yegway should call and claim he is not nailing some arbitrary young lady named at random (check)

e.g.


Thus has been my birthday, and it wasn't what I expected but it has been by far the most satifying acknowledgement I could ever imagine.

Mc

My Inexcusable Absence

As I read what seems like the nth case of people that for some strange reason drifted together and then tore each other apart. People clearly not destined to be together but who still gave it the college try. I am depressed to miss my friend's aluminum anniversary. I have no one to blame but myself for this atrocious error in Friendship but here is my excuse. I am a procrastinator. This is usually only a problem. In that the week before exams I'm really stressed as I learn an entire course load of materials in a matter of days. All well and good generally if you can stand the late nights, the thousands of pages and the taste of over-caffeinated beverages. Unfortunately, my habit always arises around the end of November and start of December and Mid-April. The problem you see with the Mid-April cram session is that it coincides with Easter and my mother's birthday. I am usually okay with just calling my mother and wishing her well and saying I won't be home for Easter. So one crisis averted. The Novdec however is a problem as two of my best friends chose rather inconveniently to be born during exam / study time. Now, I cannot really blame them for the consequences of their birth. I mean an argument could be made for being premature or late but this is tenuous at best. I had always been able to celebrate their birthdays in the past because high school did not require much studying and then I could always take a day off at home to wish them well. More recently I had a distance argument. To travel to the Soo from London via Greyhound is a truly gruelling trek. If you intend to make it you will need noise cancelling headphones a new 14 hour playlist (pack batteries as required), money for the minimum four food stops, roughly 175 dollars, infiinite patience for the guy passed out on your shoulder, a flask of alcohol just in case the situation deteriorates any further, a mild head cold to avoid smelling the air, and a moderate sense of when things are going south on the bus. After I had laid out that I would love to come see my friends and that I would never use school as a reason to not enjoy the pleasure of their company I would state the greyhound defence. Until this year, this was very effective and then an odd thing happened. McKelvie you see had big city dreams, he needed the bright lights and he moved to Toronto. Now, the Toronto to London trip by any means of transportation in any weather is at most 3 hours. It is usually 2 and it is thankfully, usually express. I really have no excuse not to go to Toronto to visit him at this point. I have in fact been to visit a certain doctor candidate already this year.
So as his birthday approaches McKelvie mentions that AndyMac and Paco are also coming up to celebrate and it happens to be our 10th year of being a group of friends and wouldn't I love to come. Now, here's the sticky thing I said no. It was totally unjustifiable! School will always be here I suppose no matter how much your tuition is but memories with all your friends become more fleeting as the years go on. So I'd like to take this opportunity to sincerely appologize for my absence and as an act of contrition when I return home to Sault Ste. Marie the first round is on me. I am also open to negotiations on Christmas Presents (bribery) for my horrendous actions.

Sidenote: The only other defence I could think of was that our exchange student from New Zealand pointed out that they do not have school over November and December...and therefore it is an instiutionalized problem with the Canadian School System that is really to blame.

Yours very truly,

Yegway

Dial Z

It is no surprise that I am a big fan of video games, even less of a surprise that zombies are near my favourite video game fodder. The list would go,

1.) Nazis

2.) Zombies

3.) Commies

4.) Aliens

5.) Terrorists

So when I started seeing commercials for Left 4 Dead, I knew I was going to enjoy the game no matter the story or lame character back stories. Shortly before the games release the trailers showed a 4 person squad pitted against a zombie hoard to a tune by Elbow, (Grounds for Divorce if you want to download.) I must've watched that commercial about a hundred times, in fact I'm listening to it right now, to keep it fresh in my mind as I write.

Zombies: Check

4 Player Co-Op: Check

Apocalypse: Check

Its the Zombie Apocalypse. Bring Friends.

When I finally got to play this game. Giddy for a holiday game that delivered (I was still regretting my Gears 2 purchase... Actually I still am) I was so happy with the result. The crappy back stories... gone!

Bill - Grizzled Nam Vet

Francis - Biker

Louis - African American, suit type

Zoey - Beautiful girl obsessed with healing team mates and a deadly accurate shot with the hunting rifle

The use of stock characters doesn't hurt the game play in any way. The premise behind their interactions was already established in movies that any fan of the genre knows. The game itself is divided into 4 sections which are basically movies complete with cheesy horror genre tag lines.

No Mercy.

Death Toll.

Dead Air.

Blood Harvest.

In one of my favourite moments in the game, the finale of Blood Harvest takes place in a house that almost mirrors the farmhouse from Night of the Living Dead. I felt that I knew where everything was and what I should be reinforcing for the coming hoards. It shows an attention to detail that only Valve could offer. The co op game play is superb, the AI stand ins are intelligent but won't steal all the kills. This may be one of my favourite games for 360 this year, and most certainly the best game using co operative play to it's true potential.

4 Thumbs out of 3

Who would win in a fight?

If he passes his post fight drug test, fine. If he is naturally the size of 2 regular men, fine. But to count Lesnar within the same weight class as Randy Couture is far and beyond the most insane thing I have ever heard. The UFC has, since it's rebranding, refers to itself as a pioneer of true organized Mixed Martial Arts. The organization faced it's first fully public oversight on Saturday November 15. Randy Couture came into the heavyweight championship fight a suspected 65 pounds lighter than Lesnar. Every division has a very tight weight range. but past heavyweight there is nothing... There should be a new class, an unlimited or superheavyweight. Because "dump truck" here should not be fighting in the same ring as Couture. (I was wondering if Lesnar had a nickname like the rest, I couldn't find one, so he's now Brock "Dump Truck" Lesnar)

It all reminds me way too much of Kimbo, and I am not seeing the same kind of outlashing from fans. Elite XC's decision to put a money maker to the top of the pile because of other organization celebrity over the sport's legitimate contenders was scorned across the sports world. Those matches were called a farce, and just above a circus sideshow. There are legitimate fighters who may now never have the chance to test themselves against the legend Couture because, as joe rogan called him "This barely human freak" has just become the belt holding champion of the UFC heavyweight division.

The purpose of division in the sport originally was to bring credibility. As long as a wrestler-turned-wrestling actor(wwe)-turned-heavyweight holds the belt the Heavyweight bouts within the UFC will be nothing but a money making farce.

Thank you Dana for kicking the UFC back 10 years.

Jackals in Wolf's Clothing

Near record highs in temperature brought me out to something I'd never thought I would attend, a college tuition fee rally. anyone who has read my september post And Here Come the Pretzels would know my general position on the subject. I was just overjoyed at the response that a University the size of Algoma would have a turn out like they did. However I'm not entirely sure I was banking on the police arresting someone for just walking on the road. Just a couple of pigs, Sault Ste. Marie's Police force is known for their corruption and "big bully" attitude. (one is currently on suspension for a suspected link to a cocaine bust in the city) Enjoy these handfull of shots from the afternoon. What better way to spend a warm day than outside.

Yes they DID!

I am simply pleased at this point. Another day I will dissect to the point of nausea, now it is too late in the evening, I'm going to watch Obama's speech and hit the hay.

God, does that make me some kind of nerd?

Canadian Election night I didn't pack it in until everything was decided, I'm sure this blog will get a post as soon as the yanks are done voting too. That makes me a political nerd of some kind doesn't it?!

Remember MAC 2012

something good

"Thank you mario but our princess is in another castle" by the mountain goats off their most recent EP is I would dare say the greatest homage to fungal midgets ever

so give it a listen already... come on do it... It has a glockenspiel

Fearmongers, and Loathing them in Sault Ste. Marie

It just wasn't the same. Year after year I have loved Halloween. I remember going trick or treating with my sister when she was still in a stroller. I remember the first year I was allowed to go without my parents. Hell I'm pretty sure I remember some years going out alone. (at least until I found some friends) The past several years, while still dressing up, I have positioned myself as candy-giver-outer. While my multi hyphened title offered me some fun, handing out candy to the wee fries and those teen girls who dress in their brother's St Mary's football jerseys. This past year I was disappointed.

My house, which used to get upwards of 60 kids has faded from its former glory. This past Halloween we only got 17 children, only 5 of which were of true "trick or treating age" The rest were highschool kids, the ones I used to hate. But now they are the last ones really keeping the spirit of Halloween alive. Getting scared to death running through the dark and spooky areas near my house hoping for some candy and maybe to steal a pumpkin. While I never stole a pumpkin, I always tried to spook myself out, one year we even cut through the scary park in the Flatmate's neighbourhood.

While I love to think about the past and get all nostalgic I cant help but draw conclusions concerning the very low number of kids. It all goes back to what has been happening at St. Patrick's elementary school. My cousin, in grade 7, has gone there since he was small, in the last several years the PTA or whoever has been restricting the games that can be played at recess. I asked him what they do at recess and he said, "Well, we can't play tag, we can't play baseball, we can't play soccer, we can't play foot--"

"Wait what?! why not?" He explained to me that they are dangerous sports and to watch out for safety they can't let us run around and do stuff. "So, what do you guys do?"

"I don't know, walk around..." These Gen Xer's children are getting the short end of the stick. We played tackle football in our schoolyard and only once did anyone ever get hurt. And this was only just over a decade ago. Of course I'm going to sound like a monster if I come out and say that a spanking now and again keeps a kid in line better than "time out". Violent crime committed by children is on the rise, no doubt partially due to improper child raising behaviour.

I think Royal Tannenbaum said it best when he exclaimed "You keep those kids cooped up -- you've gotta breed some recklessness into them!" I'm not recommending beating your children or not caring where they are or what they are doing, but parents should let them go out on Halloween, I can almost guarantee that the world isn't nearly as bad as CNN leads you to believe. Let kids be kids. I can only hope that the baby boomer's grandchildren can breathe new life into a holiday so cherished by the boomers and their children.

A Very Low QualityTeaser

Fox Cancels King of the Hill

I could not believe this when I heard it. Its too tragic to save for a long post. I just couldn't fathom what I was reading on yahoo tonight... King of the Hill was still on the air to begin with?! How many episodes can a series sustain on a father disappointed in his wimpy overweight son? Too bad, now that its canceled it will be picked up by TV Tropolis and will air more per week than it currently does in an entire season. Remember when Sitoons used to be funny?