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Showing posts from 2011

Christmas Eve Unwrapping

When I heard everyone was going to open a gift on Christmas Eve, I thought that only extended to my nieces and nephew. Turns out everyone meant everyone. My sister has been crocheting for a while now she's she's good at it. She's so good that she made everyone in the family a scarf. It's ironic because I was thinking about buying a scarf but now I don't need to. Like a store bought scarf, this baby keeps my neck nice and warm and it has a sweet pattern to boot. I can't wait to try this thing out.

Virginia Beach: Year One

On December 20, 2011, after a long road trip, I arrived in my new home, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Hard to believe it's been one year. It's a been an interesting year at that. I got to know my two nieces and nephew, growing more as an uncle as a result. After a lot of searching, I landed a nice job, making more money than what I did in Ohio and I work with some excellent people. I lived through my first hurricane and experienced a very low level earth quake. I saw the beach for the first time in my life and it was AWESOME. Virginia Beach is a fantastic city. Town Center, the area where I spend a lot of my time, is a great place to shop. The Ocean Front, where the main Virginia Beach is located is absolutely beautiful and is a wonderful place to walk up and down. Despite the fact that many of the people in this city have no business being behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, I really do like living here. A year may not seem like a lot of time but when I stop and t...

First Thanks Giving in VA Beach

Well I made it through my very first Thanks Giving in my new home of Virginia Beach. (Is it still considered "new" if you've lived somewhere for almost a year?) Thanks Giving is one of my favorite holidays. You get to good food (REALLY good food) and be with the family. I got to thinking back to when I was living on my own in Ohio. Two of the five years that I had my own place I celebrated Thanks Giving by myself. It certainly wasn't bad. I ate well and enjoyed the day off but it was still a bit lonely with my immediate family being so far away. I never really felt like imposing on anyone else so I declined any extended offers to have dinner with anyone else. This year, for the first time in years, I got to see all of them for the holiday. Speaking of family, I got a call from my good friend Justin Moses back home in Ohio. I've known Justin since we were kids, so he's practically family to me. We talked about gaming related stuff but it was just great to h...

Walk About

One of the first things I did when I moved to Virginia Beach was go for walks around the neighborhood. Almost a year later, walking around town is still one of my favorite things to do here. It's so peaceful to just walk around the area, listening to music, looking at my surroundings. Despite the fact that I'm still getting used to life here and that I still feel like an outsider, VA Beach is a very comfortable to walk about. Going out walking does a great deal to help me think, relieve stress, and it's just plain relaxing. Oh, and it's good exercise, too. Can't forget that. I've decided that the best way to adjust to my life here is to take one day at a time. I'll deal with the uneasiness when it comes and just keep pressing onward. Nearly a year ago, I knew that moving here would be a big chance to take, but ultimately, I'm glad I took it. Well, it's a beautiful day outside and I've got the day off work, so I think I'll do some walkin...

Still Adjusting

It's been nearly a year since I moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia. My father asked me some time ago, if it really sank in that I lived in VA Beach. At the time, I told him no and he responded by telling me that it could take a while before I fully adjust to living here. Even after being here for almost a year, I'm a little surprised that I'm still not 100% used to where I live. The first time I moved I was too young to really remember. I was born in Cleveland, Ohio and my family moved to Dayton, Ohio a year or so after I was born. So despite being born in Cleveland, Dayton has always felt like my true home. I really like VA Beach, but since this was my second out of state move and with me now being much older for it to impact me, I'm not completely sure how to deal with some of these feelings. When I'm not busy working, I get plenty of time to stop and think and it often hits me "Wow, I'm really living my life somewhere other than Dayton." I've...

What to Do

It's been nearly 3 months since I made a post on this blog. Part of the reason for not writing anything here is that I've been busy writing on my gaming blog. The other reason is that I've been struggling with what I should write here. When I started this blog back in March of 2008, it was primarily a comic-based blog, but since my interest in the medium had decreased so much, there hasn't been a great deal for me to talk about on that front. For a while, the blog did see a lot of activity regarding non-comic based posts before I made my move to Virginia Beach. But  now, well, as I said, it's been a sizable gap since the last post. I'm not entirely sure what I should dedicate this blog to.  I think my father and sister have far more interesting things to blog about in their lives than I do. That's not to say I think my life is dull. Far from it. I guess it's just easier to write about gaming because I'm so passionate about it. I do still keep ...

Going on 30

I don't usually like to make a big deal of my birthday but people tend to make some birthdays more special than others. 13 is a magic number but 16 is seemingly even more important, but not as much as 18, which marks you as an adult while 21 let's (legally) you drink and partake of the wonderful joys of hangovers (never been one to do that). So what does 30 get you? Well I really don't know, but lots of folks view it as a sign of  that you're really getting old. But from everything I've seen and heard, 30 is the new 16. I mean, I don't particularly look or even feel that much older. Most people are surprised when I tell them my age. While I don't mind getting older (too much) it does serve as a reminder that our time on this Earth is limited. That makes me stop and think about what I've done with my life. I don't have any major, grand scale achievements to my resume, but when I think back on my 20s, I did do two pretty important things. One was m...

Book Haul

Like most people, I've always been a fan of Mickey Mouse. He's one of the few cartoon characters that's achieved the same iconic status as Bugs Bunny. I'm most familiar with Mickey's animated exploits, having never read any of the Mickey Mouse comics. When I saw Mickey Mouse: Race to Death Valley, I just knew it would be something I'd want to pick up.  Despite the title, Race to Death Valley packs numerous Mickey Mouse comic strip stories from the early 1930s. There's also some nifty bonus content including some very kind, lengthy words from Mickey fanatic Warren Spector of Epic Mickey fame. I've only thumbed through it so far, but this is looking like one very impressive book. This book marks the first time Floyd Gottfredson's Mickey Mouse strips have ever really been collected. With nearly 300 pages it may take me a while to read through this hardcover. The side of this one actually says "Volume 1." If that's an indication that there...

DVD Haul

Yeah, I'm still buying DVDs when Blu-Ray is all the rage. You wanna make something of it? I digress. While I usually stick to games for my entertainment, like anyone else, I enjoy a good flick or animated series. As I've said before, my interest in comics has waned considerably and continues to do so. Amazing Spider-Man continues to be an unfunny Joke, the changes and constant renumbering/relaunching of Ultimate Spider-Man are aggravating, and with DC's we're-not-calling-it-a-reboot-but-it-really-is-a-reboot-of-nearly-the-whole-DC-comics-brand announcement last week , it's that much easier to stick to animation when I want to get my super hero fix. I was a huge fan of Grant Morrison's 12 issue run of All-Star Superman. The blend of retro elements from past Superman stories with more modern material made for one of my favorite stories I've ever read about big blue. The animated film version was written by Dwayne McDuffie, a huge contributor to the DCAU...

At the Beach with the Family

It was one of those rare instances where nearly everyone in the family had Saturday off (Charles unfortunately had to work). I had originally planned to stay home and game all day but changes my plans because hey, who knows when we'll all be fortunate enough to have the same day off work. Instead of going to the main Virginia Beach, we went to a beach that was about 15 minutes away from the house. It was my first time being to this particular beach and the first time I'd been to a beach that had way more than a handful of people. Kids and adults were having fun in the water, people were fishing, riding jet skis, ya you know, all the good fun activities you can do when you're that close to the ocean. As always, the beach, no matter which one it is always impresses me. The view was phenomenal, the ocean crashing against the shore, the sound of the waves, the smell of the water, I don't think I'll ever get tired of it. I watched my nieces and nephew play around i...

Stormy Weather Aftermath

On Tuesday, May 24th, we had a brief but nasty thunderstorm here in VA Beach a little bit after 4 PM. The winds were so strong that I feared rocks or even tree branches might have flown through the windows. My mom was on her way home in the middle of the mess but she made hit back safely, save for being drenched. My sister was out with her kids and she made unscathed. Same with my father. I was getting ready for work when the storm came. The power kept flicking on and off when around 4:30, it was finally knocked out for a good, long while. It wasn't just my neighborhood that was without power. A good chunk of VA Beach was without electricity. There wasn't much to do at my job because the back up lights don't give you much to see and there's only so much you can do when your power is down. I was at work for about 2 hours then was sent home. The power gradually came back in different places. Streets lights were also off in certain intersections. Combine that with many...

MP3 Player Upgrade

I've been aware for some time now that my first MP3 player, the Philips GoGEAR Vibe was much too small in terms of storage space. 4 GBs may seem like a lot but for someone that has a super extensive selection of music,  4GBs just wasn't going to cut it. There was also the issue with some skipping on songs. For a while, the skips on happened with certain songs but it worsened as I made new playlists. It got to a point where songs that normal wouldn't skip had multiple skips in them, which, understandably made enjoy my music that much more difficult. Since I've been working for about a month now, I've been able to afford stuff again (which is oh so nice) and a top priority for me was replacing my old MP3 player with a superior model. After doing some browsing in Best Buy, I was disheartened that the prices for even 32 GB MP3 Players and 16GB iPods were rather steep. Even with what I make now, $230 and up is a lot to pay for a portable music player. That's like v...

Lego Architecture

Legos were always my favorite toy when I was a kid. Building and playing with them were some of the best times of my childhood. Even as an adult they still interest me. I've been wanting to purchase some newer Legos to build and put on display for some time now but I haven't had the cash until recently. A newer set caught my eye, the Lego Architecture series. Lego Architecture is more geared towards adults than children. These stylish sets are based off real word locals and even come with building prints that the actual buildings were based off of. Pretty nice bonus feature if you ask me. I don't know a lot about architecture, but I'm still very intrigued by this Lego series. There are sets for the Rockefeller Center, the White House, Willis Tower, the John Hancock Center and others. I probably won't buy every set, just the ones that really catch my fancy. As it is, these Legos are the ones I'm craving the most now.

Art: Astro Boy Showcase

Astro Boy in artrage by cuson Astro Boy by Teben-the-Every Astro Boy by monk-art Reluctant Hero by KicsterAsh astro boy quickie by pyawakit Astro Boy for CyberneticHero by AtomicTiki Astro Boy by Dark-Jessa Tetsuwan Atomu by Duhokama

More Complete

The main reason I haven't been doing much blogging here and at my other blog in the last four days is because I've been working. Working, working, working, working and working. Work is exhausting but I like my new job. Strange as this may sound to some, working makes me feel more complete. I'm actually enjoying Virginia Beach even more now. Being able to afford stuff again will be nice to and I'll be able to help the family with bills. A while ago, my father asked me if it had truly sunk in that I'm living in VA Beach. In all honesty, I'm still getting used to it, despite having lived here for about four months. I guess it really takes time for some people to adjust to a new location when you've lived in one state your whole life. Though I have to say that I do really like it here. It's peaceful, the weather is (mostly) great and best of all, my family is here and it's great seeing them everyday, something I couldn't do when I lived in Ohio...

It Starts

Well tomorrow is my first day at my new job. Kinda hard to believe this will only be the sixth job I've ever had. I'm sure people my age have had way more jobs than I've ever had. I wonder if that means I have less or more experience because of it. It feels like the first day of school. I'm still a bit nervous but not nearly as much as before. More than anything, I'm glad I'll be working again. During the months I didn't work, it felt like my new life was stuck on hold. I didn't think it would take a little over three months to land a job but, I'm just happy to have one. In the words of a certain Italian plumber, "Here we go!"

Life Without Internet

*Sigh* It really is true what they say. "You don't know what you got until it's gone." When we live with something that we like for so long, we become very accostumed to it, so much so that we can't ever imagine how we'd get along without it. And yet, when it get's taken from us, we just have to somehow get by. In this case I'm referring to internet service (as if you couldn't tell). Perhaps for whatever reason, you couldn't pay your bill and your ISP cut you off. Or your connection just doesn't feel like working (I especially hate it when this happens). Maybe the folks that you signed up with are doing a lousy job. Maybe some drunken, wreckless peon that was behind the wheel smashed something. There are a dozen scenarios but they all have the same basic conclusion: life without the internet sucks. As I already mentioned, we've gotten so used to the internet. We use it on a daily basis. To be without is hardly living. Sure, you'...

Simple Technology

Most people are a bit surprised when they find out I'm not a tech junkie. I don't know the first thing about fixing a computer, I probably couldn't tell you what the latest brand of ipod is, let alone alone all of it's features, and I'd probably look like a baboon talking on a basic flip phone. I can appreciate advancements in the technology that we use in our daily lives, but at the same time, I could do without some of them. These day, we have phones, Androids, BlackBerry, Robot, whatever name they go by, that let let you go on the internet as well as come with all the bells and whistles of a standard phone like video, pictures, texting, and all the others that I can't even think of. Usually, when I go on the net, I do it from my PC. I don't text nor do I even know how to text. Unless you can say it to my face, in an e-mail, phone me, or post it on facebook, I probably won't get the message. I'm perfectly fine with DVDs. Yes, I've seen the ...

Why No Comic Book Love?

Since I started this blog back in March of 2008, I've done a plethora of posts about comic books. Early on, I did talk about other things, but it didn't take long for this blog to be dominated by comic book talk and comic related entries. That has died down considerably and not without reason. As far as just comic books go, my interest in this was gone down quite a bit. The biggest factor in all of this relates to Spider-Man. The character has always been my favorite super hero and twice I've been there when Marvel has run the character through the ground. The first was during the Clone Saga in the 1990s when the company attempted to tell readers that the Spidey of the two decades they had been reading about had been a clone.  The second was at the end of 2007 where they had Spidey make a deal with Satan to save aunt May in exchange for his marriage. If you've never heard of the story, I'll save you the trouble and say just say that it's even more stupid than ...

New Spidey Costume Thoughts

Yes, this is old news but whatever. Everyone has had there say on the new Spider-Man costume for the upcoming reboot (regardless of what Avi Arda says, it IS a reboot). I honestly didn't think it was a bad-looking suit upon seeing the first picture. Then more pics came out and it got ugly. No, ugly is too nice a word. Rather than go into serious detail about the suit like everyone else has, I'll just let Jay Sherman sum it up for me.

Bullying the Bullies

Last week Richard Gale, some 12 year old punk looking for his 15 minutes of internet fame thought it would be a good idea to bully 16 year old Cassey Heynes. Cassey endured one sucker punch and four jabs before he snapped and went Zangief on the 12 year old upstart. One doesn't have to eat a concrete sandwich to know that it doesn't taste good but I guess some people really are so stupid that they need to have an example made out of them. You can probably tell that I don't have an ounce of sympathy for the little snot. The interesting thing is, Cassey was bullied for three years. That means that Cassey didn't go all pro wrestler on his attacker out of the blue. There was some build up behind this. Gale just happened to be the one that made Cassey say enough is enough. If the bully read TVTropes, he'd have known that you really shouldn't provoke nice people because when nice people get angry, it tends to be a lot worse than someone who's always mad. There ...

Vegetables are Tolerable to Me Now

"Eat your vegetables so you can grow up to be big and strong." How many times have we heard that one? When you were a kid, odds are you hated veggies with a passion. Whenever they were on my plate, they would be the only food that remained on my plate. Though I can recall one time where my mom really wanted me to finish the green food that I'd hoped I wouldn't have to eat, for the most part, my parents never really forced veggies on me. I never thought I'd warm up to them, but I find eating vegetables has become easier over the years. I'm not saying I load my plate up with them or I eat them on a daily basis (because I don't), but whenever they are an option, I have been eating them. Green beans, one of the my previously most despised veggies are now tolerable to me. I can eat greens pretty easily now, too. Broccoli, however, must have cheese on it or I'm not touching that it. Period. I'm still not fond of brussels sprouts either.  Nearly any...

Window Shopping Sucks

You're walking about in the mall, comic shop, video game store, or wherever it is you shop. Something catches your eye and you just gotta have it! Only you can't because you either don't have the cash or the money you do have in your pocket has to go towards something else. I HATE window shopping. In these tough times there are probably more window shoppers now than there have ever been. I don't mind looking to kill time. That's what I call "Optional window shopping." But when I absolutely can't buy a thing and have to look at things I want to have like a prisoner behind bars, that's called "Sucks to be you window shopping!" Of course what I also hate is my nagging conscience. The stores can't make money unless customers buy things and I tend to feel bad for doing so much window shopping these days. Gah. Now I made myself feel bad just writing about this. Meh.

Sail Over the Storm

I like living in Virginia Beach, I really do. The weather is nice, it's peaceful here and most importantly, I love being with my family. Unfortunately, the next chapter in my life has been marred by an old nemesis I'm sure many of you are all too familiar with: financial struggle. It's been a little over 2 months since I've been here and I've yet to find a job. I've lost track of how many applications I've filled out and I haven't even had a single interview yet. You'd think the job Market in VA Beach would be better than that of Ohio, but after all the looking I've done, I'm really starting to wonder. This isn't the first time in my life I've been jobless but not having a job is easily one of the worst things that can happen to anyone. Not only do I myself have my own bills to pay, but I want to help the family with the house bills as well. And it isn't just that I need to work. I want to work. Not having a job makes me feel...

At the Beach, Take 2

I went back to what I now believe is the main beach of Virginia Beach today. Originally, I had planned to walk along the shore, but the experience was marred by my shoes, which do not have flat bottoms. I suppose I'll have to get a pair of flip-flops eventually. Today wasn't really a day for that type of footwear, though. Despite being in the upper 50s, it was still somewhat cold when I got closer to the ocean. Still, what little walking I did was nice. I got so close to the water that I could smell it. I would have liked to get closer but I didn't wanna get pulled in by the crashing waves and I really didn't feel like taking a chance on getting my clothes wet. Being closer to the ocean than ever before was awesome, even for someone who lacks the ability to swim. When it gets warm, I'll probably step in and get my feet wet. Sometime ago, I saw a photo of the King Neptune statue. Since then, I've been wanting to see it for myself but I had no idea it was on t...

First Time at the Beach

While out with my mom the other day, we went and saw one of the beaches in Virginia Beach. I didn't think I'd get to see the beach until it got much warmer outside but the area we were in was right by the coast. This was the first time in my life I had ever seen the beach. I was completely awe-stuck. Even though we only stayed for a few minutes, it was beautiful. Really, words and photos don't even begin to describe it. To me, the beach was more than just sand and water. Much, much more. The ocean stretched on forever, the clouds seem to touch the water, the waves crashed against the shore. I could see boats and cruise ships out in the distance. The beach is hands down one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. I could have easily spent hours there just walking along the shore. I really can't say enough how spectacular it was and I can't wait to go back there. It seems like the perfect place to relax with a book or just listen to some music while staring...

"So Where Ya From?"

Well, if finally happened, although much later than I thought it would. While looking for an umbrella in K-Mart the other day, an employee asked me if he could help me out. I asked where the umbrellas where and he pointed me in the right direction. After that, he asked me where I was from. I guess he somehow knew I wasn't originally born in Virginia. See, I figured I'd get asked that question much sooner, like say a week or two after moving to Virginia Beach. I also thought I'd get asked that question a lot more often. I mean, VA Beach is a huge tourist zone and new people float in and out of this city all the time. Also, would having that question be asked by an insanely beautiful woman be too much to ask? (Sigh) Life is so unlike all the movies and sitcoms. At least for me.

Waiting in Public

I'm in Lens Crafters on Wednesday waiting to be attended to so they can make some much needed adjustments to my glasses. It isn't a huge store and I went during the evening hours. There were only two employees in the place and only one other customer besides me in there at the time. Time I sat there waiting for them to get to me? Over fifteen minutes. Now I could understand if the place was swamped with customers, but it wasn't and from what I could tell, the worker was getting chummy with the customer, which is fine, but when you got people waiting, stow that stuff away and get to work. I try not to be impatient when I have to wait in public places. I try not to let me body language or facial features show that I am bored out of my skull and sick of waiting around. Basically, I like to give the impression that even though I've been sitting around forever, everything is fine and dandy. But sometimes the act falls apart and I end up showing how I truly feel. If the em...

Watch Your Mouth

I'm not one to spout profanity and those that do, that's perfectly within your first amendment rights. However, I do believe in being careful with what you say around children and this is something I'm always being reminded of by Ava and Nakiah, my two nieces. Again, I don't swear but there have been some words I've had to practice not saying while I'm around them. They haven't given me the full list (yet), but thus far, I've found that no one in the house is allowed to say the following. Kill Dead Death Die Dying Died Crud Yes, as silly as it may sound I'm not allowed to use the word "crud," which is actually one of my favorite words. Every time anyone in the household says the above words, we'll immediately get corrected for it. "You're not allowed to say that," Ava will tell us and we'll apologize. Being a gamer and death being a large part of gaming, I've had to replace my usual words of dyin...

I Still Like to Read Books

No matter how far the internet has progress and despite all it has given us, I firmly believe there will always be a place for printed materials. I spend a great deal of time reading articles on my PC and as much as I love it, there's nothing like having a book or magazine in your hands. The feel of the pages, being able to take the book anywhere you want (I don't have a laptop yet), laying on the sofa, reading to your own music, it's all very relaxing. Before the boom of the internet, and even after, one of my favorite things to read were video game magazines. I took them to school, to work, just about everywhere. I think the last time I had a subscription to a game magazine was when I moved into my first apartment. For whatever reason I didn't re-subscribe, but I still picked up magazines off the news stands and flipped through them. It wasn't until a few weeks ago when I saw a copy of Retro Gamer (a magazine I never thought I'd actually hold in my hands) that...

They Grow 'em BIG in VA Beach

My father and sister told me up here in Virginia Beach, the bugs can get pretty big. During the month's long time I've been here, I've seen more roaches than I'd like and most of them seemed about the same size as the ones I had seen in Ohio. No big deal, right? That all changed this evening. It wasn't until I was about to go upstairs that I saw just how big the bugs here can get. At first I thought it may have been one of my nieces' toy bugs. However, as I reached my hand towards it, the thing actually moved. The thing was alive and that sucker was HUGE! I'm not exaggerating when I say he was a big as my thumb. I dubbed it the Roach King. Never in my life have I seen a roach, no, a bug so big! I ran for the bug spray and let him have it. I sprayed that sucker multiple times to make sure he died. You know, now that I think about it, the roach could have been a female. Not that it hardly matters. I'm an equally opportunity bug killer. Unless that roach is...

Toy Nostalgia

For a while now, I'd been thinking about getting reacquainted with some of the old toys I grew up with. What clinched it was when my brother-in-law Charles brought home a ton of cars for my nieces to play with. I think most of the cars were of the Hot Wheels brand, but there were also some from Matchbox. There isn't a single guy I know that has not played with cars at some point when they were children. As I watched my nieces play and look at the cars, I was reminded of how much fun I had when I was a kid playing with cars. It made me recall the famous Hot Wheels track Criss Cross Crash track. It also got me thinking of another brand of toy car I loved. These weren't as popular as Hot Wheels, but I always thought they were still awesome in their own right. Remember the Turbo Tricksters ? Pull 'em back and watch 'em speed off, or pop a penny in the back and watch 'em do tricks. I even have fond memories of sneaking those things into school to show off to my frie...

Movies I Haven't Seen

A few of my friends always respond in visual and verbal shock when I tell them I've never seen a film that practically everyone else living already has . I love movies, but I'll freely admit that I've always leaned more towards animation for my graphical entertainment that doesn't involve me holding a controller. So for no one's amusement but my own, here's a list of movies I've never seen. From old to modern day stuff. *Deep breath* Right Stuff King Kong Casablanca Pulp Fiction Fight Club Troy Sin City Iron Man 2 Scarface The Godfather Trilogy Cliffhanger Gone with the Wind When Harry Met Sally Up Lilo and Stich Full Metal Jacket Bonnie and Clyde Bride of Frankenstein Ferris Bueller's Day Off It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Reservoir Dogs Citizen Kane Rent Drunken Master II Avatar Braveheart The Fly The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly The Warriors Goodfellas Fantasia Unforgiven Dirty Harry (all the movies) Old Dogs The Blind Side The Great Debaters Seve...

Back to My Own PC

Over the last few weeks, I've been accessing the internet through my sister's and father's computers. I'd like to once again thank them both for letting me use them. They've got fine-working PCs. Really, though, there's nothing like having your own computer to use. Kinda like that old saying. How does it go? Oh, yeah. "There's no place like home."

Portobal Music Players FTW

Once again I am late to the party. While just about everyone else I know has had a portable music player in some form or another (iPod, iPhone, etc.) for years, I wasn't able to get in on the act until a few weeks ago. My mom, sweet lady that she is, let me pick out any on-the-go music device of my choosing. Originally, I had my heart set on an iPod. I'd wanted one for a few years now but when I went looking online for prices on how much green a meatier iPod would cost (80-120 GB), I had no intention of having my mom spend $250-$300 on little ol' me. Looking for an alternative, I settled for the Philips GoGear ViBE 4GB MP3 Player. Let me just say that going out walking while I hear the music of my choice is AWESOME! Seriously. I know it may sound like I'm overreacting over a simple thing as an mp3 player, but as a huge music lover, being able to hear what I want, when I want is a Godsend. I don't know how I got by without one of these babies. I can exercise to Yuzo ...

New Guy In Town

I've been living in Virginia Beach for two weeks now, and yet it still feels a little strange. I suppose it takes some time to fully adjust when you've lived in one place for most of your life and then you move somewhere else. I'm not sweating it too much. I might not look like it, but I'm a fighter so I'll survive. Thankfully, the part of VA Beach that I'm staying in is really nice. The neighborhood is quiet, clean, and a lot of good stores are within walking distance. Speaking of walking, one of the first things I did during my first week here was take a walk around town during the noon/evening hours. I still had a lot going through my head and I wanted to familiarize myself with the town. After a few days at it, I was finally able to get back to my apartment without getting lost. Yaay, me. The weather here is really nice. Yeah, it does get cold but not as cold as Ohio. Also, the spring weather shows up real early here. Today, it got up to near 60, something I...