Average Grod's Average Blog

I uploaded new photos to my picasa.

I uploaded some photos here as well as whatever was on my camera from the past couple days. She will always be my baby girl. She isn't quite grown up but when I look at that fuzzy little guy rolling around on the floor and look at here I know she definitely isn't a baby anymore.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! I have been looking forward to the release date of Spore for two years now and I let it slip. I guess somewhere in my head I new it was 9/7 but I didn't associate that date with Sunday. I figured the game would drop on a Tuesday like everything else. I stopped by a store Monday on my way home and picked up the last copy. It took a LONG time to install so I didn't get to start playing until 1:40AM.

I started playing an herbivore. Tuesday morning once Link was sleeping Emma and I went to work building a tribe of Zippities. She enjoys watching them interact with each other and the different species that populate the game world but she doesn't want to play for too long so we went and read for a while afterwards.

Tuesday night I was able to log a bit more time and I created a carnivore named Crococrotch. I took this species all the way through the Tribal stage. He is a vicious killer. Raptor claws, wings, a poison spitter, claws, and of course a giant crocodile mouth located...on its crotch! Here is a link to my creations so far. You can actually see how our creations evolved over the course of the game which is pretty cool. I have a lot of work to do tonight so I probably won't have a chance to play much for the next couple days. Do I play Spore Friday night or stick with TF2 which is my usual Friday night activity? Tough decisions I know :P

Tomorrow is Emma's FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL!!! I fully plan to continue a tradition my mom stuck with for our entire scholastic career and take a picture of her out on the front porch. I'll post it tomorrow.

P.S.
The coolest thing just happened. As I was typing the previous paragraph Emma walked over and says "So you are writing my name in there?" I confirmed and asked her to show me her name on the screen. She did. I was amazed. It may have been a fluke but it was pretty cool. Her brother is trying to eat the leg of a chair so I better go.

I'll be picking it up on my way home and playing it as long as I can. Emma is really looking forward to seeing her creature who she named Zippity in action. Me too!!!

I've been meaning to blog a bit more but I accidentally erased my list of stuff that is coming out. There is too much to mention in just one or even two posts and if you know me you know I like love to talk about games regardless of their quality.I am just going to go over a few of the upcoming releases every week. This way I can still post on other topics without interrupting a single multi part game related post and anyone who doesn't care about games will actually have something worth reading here.

First up is Mercenaries 2. I don't know about this game and I never played the first but the sequel is getting a lot of positive noise. I don't see it being a huge hit this season so they are probably smart to release it before all the huge titles hit. Hopefully it is shipping finished and functioning properly.

Next on the list and the first of the titles I will be buying is SPORE!!!! I can't wait for this game. It deserves more space than I can give it and maybe after I play I will blog on it. Truth is the internet doesn't really need more Spore material. Google it if you want to know more. You should go download the Creature Creature and play with it. This is probably the game I am most excited to play regardless of the mediocre reviews some European sites leaked. Less than one week to go!!!

Viva Pinata DS is shipping next week too. This is a little game and I don't know anyone who needs to run out an buy it if you played it for Xbox 360 but I think it is a huge deal. It marks the first time in two gaming generations that a Rare title is back on a Nintendo system. Anyone who played a video game during the 90s will remember Goldeneye. Rare made it. They are probably the only company to consistently release games that rivaled or outshined games made by Nintendo. Microsoft bought them up and brought them inhouse to develop games for Xbox hoping to attract a younger audience. I don't think they have seen a profit yet. I need to write a blog about this because I have some theories of my own on how to get them back on track and one of them involves publishing titles on Nintendo systems. I believe this Viva Pinata is being published by THQ but just getting a Rare title on a good start. I think the DS is the perfect platform for Viva Pinata. I don't know what it was doing on Xbox 360. It is too kiddie to appeal to the masses who are frothing over the next Gears of War but it is much too complicated for anyone young enough to watch the TV show.

Fall of 2008 was considered the best year for games release in about a decade. 2009 may actually prove more entertaining and if nothing else there will probably be even more games that deserve your time, money, or both. I think a couple of my favorite games of all time may have dropped in 2008 so for me to be even half as excited this year was surprising.

The Orange Box has to be about the best value in the history of gaming. It contained everything Halflife 2 related which is the sequel to the game that basically set the bar for gameplay and story telling in the first person shooter genre. HL2 didn't disappoint and I am looking forward to the next episode. The orange box also included Portal which may be an FPS but is basically a puzzle game. I would describe as the best 3 hours you can spend with a mouse and keyboard. Last but not least was Team Fortress 2. This may actually be my favorite game of all time. I just can't get away from it and fortunatly neither can Valve. This week marks the third free major update and it is the largest yet. New maps, new match types, an update to one of the classes...AHHHH I can't wait! Expect to see me on a LOT next week and if you want to try it head to www.steampowered.com. You can play for free from Friday through Sunday.

Another of my favorite games ever is Bioshock. The story telling and gameplay are superb. I simply cannot get enough of the game's location. Rapture, the underwater city looks amazing and someday I fully intend to build a system just to go back and play this game using 3 monitors running at the highest graphic settings possible. My wife may say otherwise but it would be fun.

Call of Duty 4 completely caught me by surprise. A friend of mine had let me borrow CoD1 a couple years back and even though it was one of the only games at the time that I just sat down and played straight through I hadn't kept up with the series. CoD3 wasn't released for PC and the reviews weren't as positive so I didn't run out and purchase CoD4. It got a lot of buzz so I downloaded a copy(wrongfully I know). I don't know why but I just thought I would get it and maybe play it someday. I think I played through it during the next two or three days in its entirety. I couldn't put it down. At that point I knew I owed some game developers money so I promptly went to the store and bought it. A game like that deserves your money and those devs need to know that there are people out there willing to pony up so they have some incentive to make a sequel. I will be pre ordering the next CoD that Infinity Ward makes.

Tomorrow I will get into all that is coming out for 2009 and see if I can organize my list of what I will be hoping to actually play through.

I am currently working towards CompTIA's Network+ certification. This is an industry recognized certification about...you guessed it, Networking. I really wish they could have come up with a better name for this. I know. I know. I know. There has to be something better to do with my time than rant about semantics but I hate telling people I am getting Network+ certification. Why? Because most people who aren't in the industry don't know what it entails and besides, they can network too.I have had two people say "Oh, thats cool. I should get that too." One person told likes to tell me "I can network XP with my eyes closed." Well my friend, that is because Microsoft wants you to. They don't need every idiot who can afford to buy a PC calling their help line because XP doesn't automate home networking. Just because you can change the oil on your car it doesn't mean you are a mechanic.

I am A+ certified and when people ask what it is I tell them it is about building computers. It involves more than that but A+ is mainly focused on computer hardware. Most people find out I have A+ certification or learn that I have built my own PC and think I must be some kind of mad computer genius when in fact my computer knowledge would pale in comparison to most techs who actually have a job in the field. A+ is the entry level certification and Network+ is actually the next cert on the average tech's leaning path. It goes a LOT deeper than plugging two pcs and an XBOX into a hub or setting up a laptop to work with a wireless router. It makes me so mad that people would think there is a actually a professional level certification with such limited scope. What company would pay someone to network two computers the way one does in one's own home? I am sure there are companies who require this service but it doesn't need to be completed by a Network+ certified person. The average teenager would do just fine. Network+ is about getting computers to communicate. It is about the how and why computers can talk to each other. It is about connecting multiple computers in multiple cities using multiple operating systems in many different configurations and optimizing networks for security, speed, and stability just to give you a small idea regarding some of what is involved. I could go into all the details but trust me, you would get bored. Who wants to know the speeds certain cables work at, what the maximum distance between two computers can be given the type of cabling used, or which port your email is sent out on?

Next time you run into someone who is Network+ certified just remember that they have put in a lot of study time or time in the field working on computers. Give em the respect you would any other certified professional. Don't be afraid to ask tech questions because we are a pretty nerdy bunch who enjoy talking tech but just don't pretend you could do their job until you have passed the test.

I added some new photos. You know the address.

I just got done with my first 45 minutes with Wii fit. Wow! Not only is it pretty fun but I am completely tired out. Shanna and I have been planning on buying one for a while but after seeing how quickly the presales disappeared online I figured I better get one asap. This also solved another problem I had. I didn't want to walk into a store looking like the chubby video game nerd I am and come out with a fitness video game. I was gonna look for someone to go buy it for me but like I said I found the perfect solution. I hate to say it but.... Walmart. I could buy one on my way home from work after midnight on the release day which basically guaranteed I could score one and I'm not the fattest gamer running around Walmart at 12:30AM. Also, simply due to the fact that I have all my teeth I am automatically in the running for one of the most attractive people in the store. Wow did I just write that? Ouch!

Back on subject. I loaded up the Wii fit and it told me to step on the balance board. I kid you not he said "ouch" the first time I did it. So far I have got him to say "great" twice when I mounted up but usually he either says "ouch" or maybe its just "oooo." Neither is too encouraging and I am curious to see how Shanna reacts. I jumped straight into the balance games like skiing, ski jump, hula hoop, and marble drop. All of them are fun. The hardest part is that because it is a balance board and you are standing on it you can't just stop. If when I get tired and just lean to one side my guy skis off the course or a marble flies off the table. The toughest thing to get used to was heading the soccer balls. I play a lot of Wii Boxing so I am used to juking and jiving. This is completly different because you shift your feet. When boxing my feet are stationary and I move my whole upper body. Needless to say my Mii took many a cleat to the face tonight.

I actually tried two of the yoga poses and felt pretty relaxed and stretched out afterward. One of my legs is still a bit tight from the huge amount(for me) of walking I did this weekend. Next I jumped into strength training with some push ups. These are combined with planks and there is now way I can put into words how I feel about them. If you have lived a life of sin then you should probably try and do some planks as they will probably give you a good idea of what you will experience in Hell. At this point I just can't do them on my left side and I probably won't ever be able to because of my knee. I could barely do my right side and by the end I was pretty much falling off the board. After completing my set of 6(thats right) I was nothing more than a crying, sweaty, quivering fetal mass on the floor. The worst part is that I can actually do push ups. This stuff is tuff!

I finished up with a jog. Seriously. I just did a 4-5 minute relaxed jog in place that was actually kind of enjoyable just because I was running around some Nintendo created island. So far I am enjoying this thing and I think I will actually play on it everyday. You can unlock a lot of extra activities and games and the only way to do that is to spend time on it. The unlocks are all based on how much you exercise not how well like most other games which is perfect for this. I have my goal weight all set and if I ever hit it Ill post. I am aiming for just 15 lbs in 2 months. I'll update you then. Heres hoping I blog again before then.

It is 2:24 am and I have TWO kids who are going to be getting me up soon. If you want this spell checked then may I suggest CTRL+A, CTRL+C, Open Word, CTRL+V, F7.

And my wife wonders why I can't remember when church starts or when our anniversary is!!!! Sheesh! I obviously use my brain to store more important stuff.

We had a good time and thanks to everyone who came. She is enjoying playing with the games she received at this very moment. One of the cds she got was rejected for bedtime. Shanna and I are excited about the album "Here come the 123s" because it is by They Might Be Giants and has received positive reviews on Amazon. She told me "this better have the Veggietales song on it." I asked her if I could take it to work with me and she said yes which means we all get to listen to it today when I drive them to Grandma's. I am sure she will love it sooner or later.

She also didn't want to go to bed last night. One of her gifts was a comforter that matches her bed set. Too bad the comforter came in square plastic case that made it shaped like a pillow. She was telling me "I don't want to sleep with this thing. I want my new giant pillow." It took some explaining but she finally understood and fell right asleep under her comforter.

I posted new photos on picasa. Some good ones of Link after a bath, a couple from her party, and 2 that I shot after I did her makeup. I think it is time to buy a new memory card for the camera. We have an older one that writes too slow and it is tough to get movies and too many shots are coming out blurry. We will see.

Emma came through surgery better than expected. Right now she and Shanna are out buying some ice cream. She truly does seem back to normal which is impressive considering she was starting anesthesia almost exactly 12 hours ago. We won't know if the surgery was successful for one month and there is about a 20% chance she may have to have another surgery so keep those prayers coming.

The nurses were all amazed at how happy and beautiful she was. They said they have never seen a little kid handle everything so well. If I can blow my own horn(it is my blog) I think at least part of that is because we did a very good job explaining the surgery to her and she is bright enough to understand.

They don't let parents in to see the kids until after the kid is awake and aware of what is going on. Little ones can sometimes freak out and get pretty disoriented. I guess it can be a bit disturbing to the parents. The nurses said Emma just sat up, opened her eyes, and said "Hi." They had never seen anything like it.

I uploaded some more photos to Picasa. The link should be somewhere on the page. This is a great shot that Shanna took today. We had to sneak him in because so far Emma hasn't cooperated with us getting this pic. She always wakes up and gets mad but today we got it.

We have all been pretty sick lately but are finally getting over everything. I start back up at work on Monday. The next couple weeks are gonna be pretty long and I am dreading it.

I uploaded some more photos to Picasa. The link should be somewhere on the page. This is a great shot that Shanna took today. We had to sneak him in because so far Emma hasn't cooperated with us getting this pic. She always wakes up and gets mad but today we got it.

We have all been pretty sick lately but are finally getting over everything. I start back up at work on Monday. The next couple weeks are gonna be pretty long and I am dreading it.

Lincoln Matthew Rodriguez