Okay...so, if you don't want to hear me rant about babies and their annoying parents, skip this post.  Cause, I guarantee, I will sound like a big jerk. 

 

Have you ever gotten to experience new parents?  I find this usually isn't a problem on the 2nd or 3rd child.  Usually only on the 1st. 

 

I have decided that I am going to take a break from new parents for at least a year.  (Paul and Kelley...this excludes you cause I have faith that you guys will remember all my ranting when you have little Lucifer or whatever).

 

New parents don't quite realize that other people don't love their kid the way that they love their kid.  I love babies.  They're all cute and stuff.  But...I love them in doses.  I love to look at one, maybe hold it a bit, and then give it back and get back to my Xbox. 

 

I have no problem looking at a few pictures or hearing about the cute thing he or she did this morning. 

 

Here's what I hate:  The 17th picture of the kid in almost the exact same pose that the last 16 pictures had.  The story about the cute thing your baby did that involved eating poop.  And...the constant reminders about how much you love your little bundle of anti-social life. 

 

Seriously...you love your baby.  That's great.  You should.  Chances are, I like your baby.  But...nobody's enjoyment of that child is going to be half of what yours is (except Grandma and Grandpa).  If it's a blood relative or a Godparent, chances are, they will find more enjoyment than the average friend (I have 1 current Goddaughter and one Goddaughter pending Baptism at the end of Nov...I enjoy hearing about these kids).  But, I don't give a rip about the picture of your 4 month old holding the bottle upright for the first time.  If I had a choice between drinking my beer or hearing a story about how your kid almost said "Daddy" when she really said, "Dhajlkfjdskhth," don't be offended when I choose my beer.

 

A couple stories...a few years ago, I was cruising with one of my best friends with his infant in the backseat.  We were crossing a bridge.  I am not sure how we started joking about this, but, somehow, we started joking about the bridge collapsing.  The car would fall into the water and we would have to swim to safety (seriously...somewhere there was a joke in this).  He then says, "But, we would have to go back for the baby," then looks me in the eye and becomes totally serious, "cause we would go back for her."  Ummm...no...if this stupid funny analogy somehow became reality...I would let your kid drown.  Get real.

 

Second...much more recently.  I was at a bachelor party (yes...a bachelor party.  #1 spot to talk about kids, right?).  I was rather drunk.  I was making lewd comments, cussing up a storm, drinking lots of beer.  Then, my friend (different friend than story number 1) busts out his cell phone to show me a picture of his kid sucking a pacifier.  A cell phone picture...of his child who I have seen many times...doing absolutely nothing...at a bachelor party.  Seriously. 

 

I won't even go into the comment my new mom friend made to another friend, "You haven't seen my son in a long time."  Or the phrase that I absolutely HATE to hear from anyone, "You'll understand when you have kids."  Please...new parents, just accept that I do not love your kid as much as you do.  I am happy for you that you chose to have children...but, I would rather play with my dog then play with your kid.  And, yes...many times I think my dog is actually cuter than your kid.  But, relax...I won't say that to your face.   

 

And, finally...please please please please please please please...stop asking me when we're gonna have kids.  I rather enjoy my social life, thank you very much.  (which is another topic all together.  New parents who don't want to admit their lives have changed.)

 

CRAP!!! BIG UPDATE AFTER KELLEY's COMMENT...No phones up to pregnant stomachs!!!  I don't want to hear your lunch.  If I'm in a good mood, I can handle the baby on the phone for about 7.235 second.  No more. 

 

Update 11/14 - I've deleted Kelley's comment because I get a lot of hits from someone searching for her name.  It feels very stalker like and I don't like people stalking my cousin. 

Okay...Lost needs to step it up again.  I feel like I have benen defending it to other fans who are losing interest.  TV Guide even received a letter saying Lost had Jumped the Shark. 

 

Part of me is wondering if this is true.  So far, with the exception of the Season Premiere, I haven't been all that excited after an episode.  Last week's seemed to have potential...but, still...nothing really came from it.  And that whole, "Do you love him?" thing?  What the hell was that.  That bordered on stupid.  We all know Kate has the hots for Sawyer.  But, that didn't bring us any closer to knowing who she will "choose."  I mean, seriously...whether she loves him or not, of course she said it to make weird dude stop kicking the crap out of him. 

 

One thing, though...did you see how easy it was for Ben (Henry Gale) to best Sawyer.  Whoa.

 

So...we know that the Others are on a seperate island.  But, I am curious as to why nobody has seen this other island before.  Seems the've been all over their island.  We know (for future reference) that nobody on the island is a skilled enough surgon to put a pacemaker into someone's chest.  Stupid Sawyer. 

 

New questions, or questions left over:  Juliet says she's a fertility doctor.  Great.  Do they need fertility doctors on the island?  If so, why?  If not...how long has she been there?  Ben said he's been there his whole life.  Is that true?  Is that the case for everyone.

 

Where are the children?  Their children as well as the ones they've kidnapped.  They've got to be around somewhere. 

 

Why do they need to earn Sawyer's trust?  I sense that these dudes are good guys.  Anti-Dharma or something.  Where is Dharma, btw?  Hanso?  They've got to real they're ugly heads again sometime.  The entire Lost:Experience over the summer was based on Hanso. 

 

That's all I got.  Sweeps week is coming up.  Supposedly, one of the survivors is gonna die this week.  My bet is on Sayid.  I don't know why, though.  It's just a feeling.  Either that...or it will be a much less important character...like Rose or Bernard. 

 

Oh, wait...who is this new dude that keeps showing up.  My wife has the hots for him.  He's a survivor...but he has apparently kept a low profile.  I'm sure we'll learn more soon.

 

Okay...I haven't seen this ad.  If someone has a site where I can see it, please let me know.

 

I have read a couple reports on it, though.  I read the Newsweek article on Harold Ford, and from what I can tell...he seems like a pretty swell guy.  My kind of Democrat...or Republican.  An intellegent guy who governs with his heart...not with the party line.

 

But, from everything I am reading about this ad, I can't find the racism in this ad.  Granted...I am a middle class white guy.  But, still...the ad is about a chick at a Playboy party saying she thinks he's great or something and ending with "Call me!"  To me, this is an ad about how Ford spent time at a Playboy party.  It's about showing moms and other "moral" thinking people that this dude was hanging out with nude models and a Millionaire who got rich by exploiting women.  Pretty fair ad, if you ask me. 

 

People seem to think that because the chick being interviewed is white, that the Republicans are saying, "Hey...this black dude talked to this white chick!!!  Don't vote for him!"  Again...I don't get that. 

 

Still...I have not seen the ad.  Maybe I'm missing something. 

 

Sorry, Ms. Jones...still gotta do my Lost post.

I know I say this every election...and I know I will continue to say it until I die.  Newspapers should NOT endorse.

 

Here are a couple recent examples from Seattle.  The Times endorsed Mike McGavick (the Republican for those of you out of WA) and the PI endorsed Maria Cantwell (the Democrat and Incumbant).

 

 

Now...this post isn't about why I am voting (actually, have voted since I vote absentee) for Mike McGavick or why I think Maria Cantwell has been one of the most ineffective Senators in terms of supporting her state's issues.  It's about how newspapers are supposed to be unbiased outlets of the news.  Not opinionated political voices.

 

The newspaper companies will argue that their endorsements come in the form of editorials.  That they are opinions just like the other editorials.  I have 2 problems with this. 

1)  An editorialist is a clear individual whose job it is to give his opinion.  A newspaper is a company.  And, it's a company that people trust to simply give them the facts.  Not an opinion.

2)  The newspaper is also a company.  The editorial board usually decideds who to endorse.  Yet, a newspaper is typically made up of a few hundred people or so.  Why are 6 people speaking for a hundred?  Isn't the editorial board made up of hired individuals?  I could be wrong regarding that...but still.  6 employees giving an opinion for a hundred. 

That about sums it up. 

 

I would like to point out one particular endorsement that I thought was rather lame.  The Seattle PI's endorsement of Darcy Burner (D) for US House over incumbant Dave Reichert (R) in the 8th District.  I am not a member of the 8th District, but, frankly, I've always enjoyed following Dave Reichert.  He's an independent mind (for the most part) and I think that's a better representation for that district than the Liberal/Party Line spilling Democrat, Burner. 

 

A couple points from this editorial that make me realize the PI board is full of poo: 

1)  "But Reichert has been on the wrong side of votes ..."  What's the wrong side of votes?  This is totally a matter of opinion.  Just becausethe PI doesn't want tax cuts doesn't mean the people of Bellevue or Auburn don't.

2)  "Frankly, at a P-I Editorial Board session, it was difficult to tell who was the incumbent because her answers carried weight."  Okay...this is the one that really does it for me.  This comment doesn't tell me that Darcy Burner is smart.  It tells me that the PI editorial board is stupid because they don't already automatically know who the incumbant is.  Dumbasses.

 

Newspapers should not endore.  Whether I agree with their endorsements or not...they are there to report FACTS.  If I want an opinion, I'll watch Fox. 

So...I have decided to run for the State Legislature next year?  Why, you ask?  I have a career...it pays me well...I love doing it.  Simple...not one of my State Representatives, House or Senate, has an opponent.  3 people...all Democrats...all incumbants...no opponents.

 

Earlier in the year, after Christine Gregoire "won" the election after miraculously finding votes and discounting the votes of many Republicans (like a family member of mine), the Democrats went nuts with Tax hikes.  The Dems is Washington were out of control with power they haven't had in a while. 

 

I am not a fan of Party monopolies.  I do not like that Republicans hold both houses of Congress and the Presidency at the Federal level.  I am hoping the Dems get at least one (and I am hoping that they aren't idiots about it like Tom Daschell was).  The Democrats in Washington State acted the same way the Republicans in DC did. 

 

Remember the gas tax?  Remember how the voters turned it down?  As soon as they got the power, Dems passed it in Congress.  Plus, they repealed a previous law (passed by the voters) that required a super majority to raise taxes. 

 

But...you know what?  I am not bitter about this.  We voted for these clowns, we have to accept responsibility for that.

 

However...the only way to make up for this is to vote out of office those that you are unsatisfied with.  I was ready to do that.  I was ready to vote against all three Democrats.  For me, this race isn't about party...it's about the fact that all three of them went against the will of the voters by passing laws that contridicted what we had declared, through election, was our perogative. 

 

I can't do this.  I can't attempt to make it right.  Neither can anyone in my district.  We are stuck with the same 3 representatives whether we like it or not.  1 Senator and 2 Reps.  I refuse to vote for them...so, I did the only thing I could.  I wrote myself in for Sentate, my wife in for House position 1 and my friend Gary for House position 2.  Next year...maybe I'll just run for real. 

A while back, I mentioned that my friend and fellow Reservist, IS2 Matthew Cole had been mobilized (along with IS1 Berry from my unit) to Afghanistan.  Cole has been awesome at keeping us updated concerning his status.  It's cool to see for a few reasons.  1) I am still not out of the water as far a mobilizations are concerns.  Kinda neat to hear what it's like.  2) Even if you're not in the military, it's neat to hear about things that you can't find on the news.  Like the every day lives of one of our Soldiers/Sailors. 

 

---

 

Dear Friends,

Wheels up. I looked out the tiny portal from our airplane and stared at the American landscape for the last time. Goodbye, USA. See you in a year. The orderly Jeffersonian crops and the neat rows of subdivisions would be out of sight, out of mind for now. We are on our way.

All told, we spent 73 days at Camp Shelby. Thirteen passed our scheduled mark. In all fairness, ten of those days were in the form of last minute block leave; so for the military, the forecasted training time wasn't too far off the mark.

We are now ready for our real mission, whatever that may be, in Afghanistan. I am a warrior now. Since I last updated you, the larger bulk of our training has made me so. Now I examine buildings for the best way to clear and cordon them, not just enter as usual. Driving a vehicle is also executed by scanning roadsides for anything out of the ordinary. Despite our many frustrations with our training, we are no doubt changed by it.

The modern soldier is a far cry from that of past wars. Military outfitting has traditionally been clunky, uncomfortable, and drab. We know this because that was much of what out first phase of gear issue was. The old Army ruck-sack with numerous ties and awkward to carry, canteens that got in the way and provided plastic tasting water, wool blankets and blistering boots.

It is clear that the military has since streamlined itself. It is true, as they say that all war brings new innovations in technology. We are issued "high-speed" gear now: Camelbaks and Oakley ballistic specs, high performance fleece and boots, Gore-tex and neoprene, digital camouflage, and body armor that can take multiple hits from a 7.62mm round. We are the epitome of the modern soldier.

Even our weapons are hi-tech, fitted with Close Combat Optics that allow the rifleman to zero his target with a laser dot, invisible to the target himself; and the M203 grenade launcher, making the typical M4 look like the weapon from space. This is not the war of our fathers and grandfathers.

The irony in all this is that the American military is using this new technology to battle an enemy that operates in the stone-age. Night vision goggles and frequency scrambling systems are used to detect a coffee-can filled with TNT and nails, or a pipe-bomb that could be made in the average kitchen.

We arrived in Kuwait earlier this week for staging and additional training. No surprises here, the Mid-East is hot, the sun here is bright, and the sand is endless. For the first time in all my travels, home seems so far away.

The military and the USO do well in keeping us comfortable. The food here is excellent, and there are plenty of activities all over; though phone and internet time is hit and miss. There is always a movie to watch or lounges to relax in and when troops here get pangs for American fast food, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway and Taco Bell come to the rescue. American culture is never too far behind!

And so my adventure begins – or at least continues. The Global War on Terror is, as promised, turning out to be a long road. There is still much work to be done and I am excited to participate. I hope to be able to share with you what it's really like in Afghanistan once our boots hit ground.

The day I left, I received numerous phone calls from many of you. Each was encouraging and I was blessed that each of you who called prayed with me. Your prayers, cards and packages have been so uplifting. Please don't stop! Those are the things that make many long days better.

I'll end this day in the desert to say that I am thankful for a wife, who is strong when times can be tough, for comrades in arms who have become dependable strangers, and for the friends and family back home who love me enough to say a prayer each time they see a flag. You are all a blessing to me.

Matt

So...it appears that North Korea may possibly have tested a nuclear weapon.  Way to go, world.  Way to go, UN.  Way to go USA.

 

In case there is anyone out there that isn't sure, let me educate you just a bit.  North Korea with a nuke is bad. 

 

I'm not here to talk about why this is bad.  Hopefully you can figure that out for yourself.  I want to discuss how annoyed I am that this has become an election issue so quickly.

 

A reminder since I have been gone a while.  I consider myself Republican, but I am not a Bush fan.  However, I think it's interesting that the Democrats have jumped upon this opportunity to critisize his handeling of Kim Jong Il and North Korea.  The Democrats are claiming that President Clinton left President Bush a "framework" for dealing with the North Koreans.  Obviously, Bush has been unsuccessful.

 

But, I would like to remind all the Clinton loving, liberal, "attack Bush for anything" crowd, that President Clinton was, in fact, no more successful that President Bush has been.  But, ultimately, failed. 

 

"But, Jason...President Clinton sent Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to North Korea"...a "groundbreaking" visit.

 

Who remembers that trip?  I do.  The pictures that came back were of a smiling Albright hanging out with a squat (even on platform shoes)Kim Jong Il.  Remember the other pictures?  Where Sec/State Albright took in some of North Koreas brilliant theater.  She was able to witness a masterpiece about what a wonderful leader Kim is and about how everyone worships him.

 

Oooh, oooh...and, remember when the Clinton administration gave North Korea a bunch of money for Energy Assistance?  Then, remember how they spent it all on their military instead?

 

Bottom line...North Korea is currently run by a psycho.  If he wants weapons, they will have weapons.  There is really not a whole lot to do about it.  China needs to step up.  China is NK's only ally in the region.  They tend to stay somewhat quiet at the UN so as not to offend an ally. 

 

It's Clinton's fault they have nukes.  And, it's Bush's.  People need to wake up and smell the partisanship.   

So...I am back to work in the office today.  I already miss London.  Other than the high prices and average food, we really came to like it. 

 

Anyway, I promied to talk a bit about Rare.  Rare could be called legendary in the video game world.  Famous for old school titles like Donkey Kong Country, StarFox, Battletoads, and the Nintendo 64 time killer Goldeneye.  Aquired by Microsoft (for a buttload of money) they were essential in the launch of Xbox 360 with Kameo and Perfect Dark Zero.  Upcoming titles are Viva Pinata and the next Banjo Kazooi (Xbox exclusive). 

 

Alright...enough selling.  The Rare campus is in the Midlands, with in US terms, translated to "The Middle of Nowhere."  From London, it involved a two hour train ride followed by a 20 minute cab.  The studio is huge.  They have about 10 acres (or something) that belongs to them.  It's basically like a mini-Microsoft main campus in the UK.  Complete with a Football (Soccar) pitch, basketball hoops, ponds, geese, and other cool things.  Very very pretty. 

 

It's also more secure than the Bungie building.  You have to swipe your badge (mine doesn't work there) at almost ever single door.  Forget just the front door.  If you don't have a reason to be in the Viva Pinata test room, you don't get in. 

 

I was hoping to get to play around a little on Viva Pinata...but, alas...no luck. 

 

Almost every office is a window office.  Sometimes, they are stacked 2 and 3 people to an office, but the natural light that comes in is supposed to help.  The turnover is next to nothing, which says a lot about their environment.  Also, throughout the studio, they have artwork from their various games as well as artwork from their art team. 

 

That's about all I can think of.  Viva Pinata comes out next month on 360.  It's supposed to be highly addicting.

 

Next post will be my thoughts on the Lost Season Premier.  WTF, dude?

Actually...it's called London GDC (Game Developers Conference).  This is the reason I am in London, so I figure I will start with this.

 

The conference took place on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to attend any of it.  The "Career Fair" portion seemed to be a totally different event.  It even took place in a different building.  The building I was at was called Cafe Royal.  It was not a Cafe at all.  It was actually a big conference center or something.  The had many different rooms for holding large events.  I arrived at 5:00 pm on Monday (after spending the day at Rare...but that's another posting).  I was not allowed in any earlier than 5:30.  This kinda pissed me off as I didn't really have much interest in spending my night setting up our booth.  To make matters worse, the convention people hadn't even set their stuff up, yet. 

 

Long story short, after waiting for them to finish their thing, setting up, and finding places for the oodles of swag that Rare and Lionhead had sent over, I got back to my room at about 10:00. 

 

The career fair itself was okay.  We'll see if we make any hires from it.  Since it was located in a different building than the convention, I didn't feel we met as many industry people as we should have had the two events been closer.  Lots of recent graduates and people trying to break in.  At the risk of sounding rude, those aren't the people we hire. 

 

But, I got to meet and hang out with a bunch of collegues from our Europe studios.  They were awesome.  They love what they do.  And, they have cool accents. 

 

I'll tell you about my trip tp Rare later or maybe tomorrow.

So...instead of typing in my Europe trip day by day, I have decided to create different entries based on different parts of my trip. 

 

Here were some of the highlights:

The London Game Conference

Les Miserables

Paris

The London sites

Toilets

Tipping (or not)

Rare

I'm sure I'll remember other things as I go.  I'll start with the London Game Conference in the next entry.  This was all work, so I apologize if it's a tad boring. 

 

G'Day, Mate!

 

Oh, wait...that's not right.  Sorry. 

 

Hello from England.  So, I am traveling on business this week.  My wife is joining me (at our expense, of course) as we have never been outside of North America.  We left the US at about 9:30 on Saturday.  After a layover in NYC and about 14 hours total, we landed at Heathrow. 

 

I knew it was coming, but it is still totally weird to see the driver's seat on the other side in vehicles.  And, that whole drive on the left side of the road thing. 

 

We got to our hotel a few hours ago.  A posh little place in Piccadilly.  Immidiatly fell asleep.  I knew everyone says you shouldn't do that, but we just couldn't resist.  We're getting up now.  We're gonna walk down to the river and check out some of the sites there.  We'll take some pictures.  Don't have the cable, so I can't post until I get back...but I will try to let you know how it's going.

 

By the way...serving sizes are small here.  Yet, the food is more expensive.