Post-Vacation

My bad, guys and gals - I couldn't return to the blog as quickly as I'd hoped. Well, to start, here is Jedi's Vacation Recap (which, unfortunately, did not include the tropical beaches or naked ladies pictured in the brochures)...

I need to start by saying I had a wonderful time (minus the upfront rant, which fortunately happened at the beginning of my time off). I took Jordan & my mom to see The Lion King 3D, which wasn't actually in 3D due to the motherfuckers who run the theater's web site. I'd pre-purchased tickets the day before. There was one sole listing for The Lion King 3D, and no showtimes had additional notes or restrictions - shit, even my ticket stub said "3D". I inquired about this, and received a cold half-assed reply that alternating showtimes were in a digital (non-3D) presentation! I'd normally turn into a major asshole & raise hell, but I looked down at Jordan. All he cared about was hanging out with Uncle Clint; I was not about to fuck that up. Speaking of fucked up, this caffeine-infused kid down the row kept activating his light-up shoes throughout the movie. I wanted to beat the living fuck out of the parents for:  a) letting the kid wear those fucking shoes in the first place, and b) not dissuading the kid from lighting up during the show. Rant done.

I did manage to see The Lion King 3D (actually in 3D) later in the week, which was cool. I also attended a private screening of the movie Trespass, one of my job's "perks". It was decent, but reminded me a lot of Panic Room. It will be a satisfying rental - I can't suggest paying full theater price. I also played mini-golf for the first time in years (excluding Xbox Live), and dominated the green like a champ! The best part of my week was spending time with my sister & nephews. I was so proud of Jason (the baby). We went out for lunch, which ended up being Jason's first restaurant experience - and he was perfect! He didn't fuss once, and his presence greatly contributed to my A-game with the ladies (the boy is a chick magnet).

I mainly spent time on the Xbox, of course. I'd picked up Gears Of War 3 at the midnight launch, which naturally led to many joyously sleepless nights. I won't get into my review just yet (I'm waiting to get considerably farther in the campaign (or finish it) to give a full impression - but I can say, Horde 2.0 & Beast modes are fucking incredible! This is one of the best multiplayer modes I've played in a good while.

On the gaming front, I'm sticking with Gears Of War 3, Dead Island, and Rainbow Six Vegas 2 for now. A coworker just gave me Max Payne 1 & 2, which I'd never played before, so I'll likely be going old school this weekend. I don't think I'm buying any games in October... at least, not right away. I was going to get Battlefield 3 until I heard friends' complaints about the beta. Forza 4 and Arkham City both have to wait, because I still haven't finished their respective previous games. My next planned game purchase is Skyrim, but I'm not going with the Collector's Edition... as badass as the Alduin Statue would look on my desk (since the making-of DVD and art book are passable items to me), I just can't justify an extra $90 for it. Shit, that will pay for my annual Live renewal & liquid courage.

Nothing else is really going on. I'm a bit stressed at work, but I'm looking forward to the new schedule I start after today: 8a-4:30p, Sunday & Monday off. Anyway, I'm closing out with a song that just played on my Pandora, which ironically relates to my job at the moment: