Driving > Disco

I think it is safe to say, that I am officially beyond excited, for Halo Reach...

Like I've always said, two stars are better than one...

What happens when an Android fights a Superintendent?


So much news...so little time. Of course, this past Tuesday, September 23rd, a couple of giant things happened. T-Mobile released the first Android based phone in all the world: the G-1. Fomerly known as the HTC Dream, the G-1 is the first commercially available phone powered by Android, the Linux powered OS. Right now, it is only available for phones (this phone only at the moment), but industry speculation is that this little Android will soon be moving on to bigger and better things. Although a little rough around the edges, the G-1 has made me take some second thoughts about my impending iPhone acquisition in March. AT&Tingular is obviously the devil, but a 32gb iPhone (sure to have popped up by Christmas 2008) is quite tantalizing. But now, a phone that could rival the iPhone and not be linked to satan makes me think there could be other options out there. If I could just find a good phone with a nice, long lasting battery...

The second bit of news, which I think is far more interesting, is Bungie's release of title update 2 for Halo 3. 10 new achievements and 250 more gamerscore points, new variants of maps (SandTarp, Boundless, Epilogue, Pit Stop and Anvil), new playlists and the new per playlist experience system. Plus, 20 more achievements and 500 more gamerscore points that are tied into 6 brand new maps (Assembly, Heretic, Longshore, Orbital, Citadel and Sandbox). Could it be topped? Well, Bungie was able to 1-up themselves and on Halo 3's first birthday, no less. Today they released the teaser trailer to announce one of their new projects. This marks the second appearance of the Superintendent and again, speculation is running rampant about what the game will be. The consensus opinion that I've come across is that it will be a campaign expansion pack for Halo 3.

All I can say is wow. I'm soaking up as much information as possible about both items and will hopefully know more soon.

Well, it's been a long time coming, but, after seriously working on it for about 5 months, I have at long last, gotten 1000 out of 1000 possible gamerscore for Halo 3. Not only have I "100%'d" it, but, I also unlocked the Security helmet and the sought after katana. I switch helmets and armor pretty much on a weekly basis, but I don't think I'll ever take that katana off of my back. I got my Steppen' Razor today in Lone Wolves on Guardian during a swords match, if anybody is interested (I know you're not).


(I should point out, the above picture is not me, just a representation of what the katana looks like when added to a Spartan's armor)

And now for some house cleaning. I guess you can sorta count this as a weekly wrapup, since I've been so good about adhering to my blogging schedule and all:

-In the aforementioned game, I am a high skill of 32 (in Team Doubles) but with all my achievement hunting in Lone Wolves lately, have managed to rise to a 17 in there. I'll be sad if I get to Commander (level 35) in Lone Wolves before Team Doubles, but its not like I'll turn it down!

-We are just now getting cleaned up from Charlotte's 2nd birthday party. Her birthday is not until August 22nd, but we had the party early, due to some friends/scheduling issues. I'll post some pictures later and I'm confident that there will be some more party-style goings-on next weekend (the weekend of her actual birthday).

-Like I mentioned earlier, I've been enjoying some country tunes (lately Dwight Yoakum and now some Kenny Chesney...any country music aficianados out there are encouraged to bash on me, if I'm liking the "wrong" people). But, the real story here, is that my "outing post" of listening to country music turned out to be my 200th post. Congrats to D > D!

Well, the Weekly Wrapup feature has not yet been brought back online, so in the meantime, you just have to deal with me and my ramlbings:

1. Lakers won in LA to force game 6 in Beantown on Tuesday. I did'nt watch one second of the game, so I can't comment on anything first hand, but I'm sure the Lakers were all ghey and the refs were all CTC'ing after the game. Just kidding, I'm not that jaded by the nba...yet. Check with me after Tuesday. Provided there is an after Tuesday, NBA-wise.

2. Garage sale (Saturday June 14th) is over and done with. We did alright. Got a fancy Radio Flyer for C. I'm sure pictures will pop up somewhere or other...

3. I cannot stop listening to Theivery Corporation. I know they are old (been around since 1996ish?), and I have heard them before, but I found some old cds of theirs that I had from back in the day and Lebanese Blonde from the Garden State soundtrack, and have not hit pause yet. Something about it has definitely clicked for me.

4. I did not catch any of the disease this weekend. Everytime I see Grifball come up on the special weekend hoppers, I always say I'm going to play, then I don't. I did finally earn the Refuge achievement, for beating the Ark (on Legendary, I might add).

That is all for now. Please have a good week and look for increased (hopefully) posting frequency.

I know I could use something a little lighthearted, considering recent events, so I'll just leave this as a sort of "in your face" to the following: Bungie, Microsoft's "True Skill" system, that guy that said "that's why you're a Captain Grade 3," in the post game lobby in Match Making...et al. On Saturday, May 31, 2008, yours truly was promoted to the rank of Major. Since my experience was already over 300, I went directly from Captain, grade 3 to Major, grade 2, but either way, I'm very happy to have left my captain dominos behind and received my star. Next up, the double star of Commander.

Well, its been a while since the last Weekly Wrapup (although, surprisingly it hasn't been that long since my last post), so get ready.

How do I usually begin these things...oh yeah, with some Halo 3 news. Well, I've made it up to the precipice of Major...level 29, in Team Doubles. After meeting up with some new people on Bungie's website that have a pretty good group going, I've managed to get up to 23 or 24 in Team Slayer, so there's still hope for me in other game types. Plus I've gotten Ranked BTB going and I haven't even touched Lone Wolves yet. Of course, it wouldn't be right for me not to mention the big day that is coming up on Tuesday...that's right, its the release of the Legendary Map Pack from Bungie! It breaks down to $10 for 3 maps, which is a little steep, software wise (imo), and it does pretty much support the whole "downloadable content for extra $" idea that I have been against (and still am, technically). But I think about it this way: 1. Bungie said they do not know of a plan to make the Legendary Map Pack free, the way the Heroic Map Pack was. Probably just fear mongering, but its worth something right? 2. The developer's probably do put in a lot of time making these maps. I'm sure it seems like "just come up with a scene, throw some weapons on it and stick on XBL," but I'm sure as any software developer will tell you, there is a lot more to it. Don't they deserve some compensation? 3. It is only $10. I know I'm broke and all, but that's not that much money. Am I crazy? 4. It'll add some new playability to the game. As much as I have trouble admitting it, H3 won't be relevant forever. 3 new maps will add a lot of depth to it. 5. My new group mates will definitely be downloading it and I'll want to play with them. 6. Kinda petty, but not everyone will be downloading it, so if they do release it to the general population, hopefully I'll already be excellent at the new territories and can kill people on them with reckless abandon.

I guess I've rationalized this enough for one night. I've got some pictures of Charlotte from the night of the Tigers v UCLA game. Have to put 'em up later though.

Haven't really digested everything else, so lets just post about one of my new guilty pleasures:





Also, how much does this shirt rule:

While watching the Grizzlies get owned by the Hawks (73-46 at the break) like some recruits in Halo (bungie.net thinks I'm a 27...my copy of Halo and Xbox360 say I'm a 28...30 here I come!), it occurred to me that I have not yet posted any details concerning the quasi-resurgence of Coca Cola Blāk.

While I can't say that I found it by accident (I was searching for something like "home made Coca Cola Blāk"), I can say that I have searched in the past and never found anything remotely helpful. I have even tried some mixing of coffee and Coca Cola (both diet and regular) and have never come up with anything even remotely palatable.

But all that came to an end last week. Like I said, I was searching for something akin to "home brew Coca Cola Blāk," right after I started up the cold brew coffee factory again, and found this entry on Uglydoggy.com. The author had found a caffeine add-in called Stok. Mixing a package of the regular (ie - non sweetened) variety into a can of Diet Coke, the poster was able to create something that even Coca Cola itself had neglected: Diet Coca Cola Blāk (are you tired of the macron yet? i know i am).

I assumed that Stok (which sounded like some sort of German energy drink) was probably not available in my area. In an ironic twist, it was in the same place where I originally found Coca Cola Blāk...thats right, the neighborhood BP. My particular neighborhood BP has since been reborn as Circle K, but I'm not sure if they have all undergone similar transitions or not. Anywho, yesterday I stopped in for some Diet Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper (which they did not have) and decided I would check the self service coffee area just in case. To my utter shock, they had 4 bins worth, 2 each of sweetened and unsweetened. I did not have any Diet Coke on hand that day, but today at work I grabbed a can as soon as I got to work and mixed all the ingredients. Sure enough, it tastes like what I remember Coca Cola Blāk tasting like: Coca Cola with a hint of coffee. The Diet Coke made all the difference. Plus, as uglydoggy.com's author pointed out, the stuff is free, so as long as you can get your hands on it and Diet Coke, you're good. Well, good assuming you liked Blāk in the first place, which I think only myself and the fellow from uglydoggy.com did, seeing how quickly it left the market.

A word of advice if you plan to "brew" one: take a drink of the Diet Coke first to create a little room in the can. The Stok add-in likes to bubble up, so if you add it to a full can of anything, you're going to run out of real estate very quickly. Cheers!