will the 360 become my true home entertainment center?

i have recently enjoyed a renewed interest in video games, brought on by gta 4, which after having numerous conversations with dave where we both spoke as roman, i finally completed last week. i enjoyed that game a lot, probably my favorite since the heyday of gears. once i finished gta, the video game part of my brain craved more video games. so i quickly played through bioshock, which we have owned for a while, but i never really played. it was pretty awesome too. i have 2 more barely-played games that i should at least attempt to finish before i can justify purchasing anything new. they are mass effect and stranglehold. i have played through a few hours of both games and while pretty fun, neither really kept my attention as much as gta or bioshock. louise claims mass effect is the best game ever...i dunno.

so this leads up to some current xbox news via e3. the first thing i would like to note is that microsoft and netflix are now joining forces, allowing subscribers to stream netflix's "watch instantly" movies through the 360. i was actually considering purchasing the netflix box that does the same thing, so i am definitely excited about this service coming to the 360. this is also helping me try to figure out a way to stop paying for cable...which seems unlikely, but would be awesome.

they also refreshed my memory of many potentially awesome games that will be coming out sometime soon.

• gears of war 2 - i have high hopes and if they make even slight improvements, i will be very happy and probably addicted to it.
• resident evil 5 - the gameplay was so well done in re4...the graphics look markedly improved...it's set in africa
• fallout 3 - a briefly played some of the earlier versions of this series...it's an rpg...you get a pet dog
  
• fable 2 - i played some of the first fable...it was good, but i am expecting huge refinements in this version..you get a pet dog
  
• final fantasy xiii - this was apparently a huge shocker...i am a fan of final fantasy, having played 7 and 10....

it's interesting to note that these are all continuations of current series with no new ip's. other games not mentioned in their press conference that i am personally excited about include the new ufc game and the zombie game left 4 dead. there are new guitar hero and rock band games that i could care less about, but lousie will probably want those. she is also ridiculously excited about the new soul caliber game as she and chris play the old xbox version a lot. basically i have a lot of choices to make, especially if i am trying to be more particular with my purchases.

keeper

after getting removed from some random keeper league prior to the draft...dan thinks the league manager just wanted to get one of their friends in...i know they were just worried and/or hatin. anyways, i started up my own keeper league: http://games.espn.go.com/ffl/leagueoffice?leagueId=59383&seasonId=2008

dan and chris joined up as well as my cousin who is cracking me up with his trash talk. the other 8 i recruited through hitting the espn boards, aggressively bumping my thread like every 5 minutes. i feel like we have a good group. there don't seem to be any assholes or jerks...most people showed up for the draft.

the draft order was randomized and i was hoping for a top 5 pick. i feel like once you get past those top 5...things get iffy. of course i end up with the 7th pick and regrets of not manually setting up the draft order run through my mind. oh well.

1. i end up with gore who kind of sucked for me last year, but i am expecting (hoping for) a bounceback season with martz running the offense..also we get half a point per reception...gore could easily get 70 catches.
2. on the way back in round 2 i was happy to see ryan grant still available and i grab him to solidify my backfield. generally i feel more relaxed once i have my top 2 rb's.
3. then in round 3 i am again surprised as larry fitzgerald is still there. this guy is already a top 5 wr and he's only 25 (i think).
4. the fourth round is where things get a little iffy...the top 4 qb's are gone, so i know i am gonna punt on that position for a while. i wasn't seeing anything too exciting at rb (mcfadden was taken in the 3rd), so i looked at wr. chad was taken the pick right before me and i cursed at my computer. i then had to decide between consistent and potential top 10 wr (if he stays healthy) in tory holt or nothing but upside santonio holmes. i stayed conservative and went with holt to round out my top 2 wrs.
5. round 5 is another round where i was very conflicted. i was eye greg jennings and he was taken right before me. i was also considering other wr's to be my wr3...brandon marshall, roy williams, megatron and anquan boldin were all still available. then i noticed kellen winslow jr was still on the board. every time i have seen this guy play he is ridiculous. there are injury concerns, but he has the potential to be the top tight end and i like having players that could potentially be the best at their respective position. i took him and kept my fingers crossed.
6. i knew that taking a tight end that early, which i have never really done before, was a luxury and i would have to be really sharp filling out the other starting position on my team. again i passed on qb. wr's with major question marks like marvin harrison and lee evans were available. i decided to take a bet on rookie rb kevin smith. he was a workhorse in college and has been getting a lot of praise from the coaches. he only has tatum bell to pass on the depth chart...i predict he will do so soon.
7. by round 7 i decided i better get a qb and went with one of my sleepers, matt schaub...read more about why i like him here: http://fantasyrelevant.wordpress.com/2008/05/13/thats-not-too-shauby/
8. in round 8 i probably should have grabbed my wr3, but none were looking too enticing so i went with some potential upside and took another rookie rb, rashard mendenhall.
9. in round 9, i again did not like what i saw from wr's, so i backed up schaub with steady david garrard.
10. by round 10 i knew i had to get someone for wr3. i took a gamble on jerry porter, the very talented but not hard working wr who will be catching passes from garrard. i believe he can do it and post solid wr3 numbers.
11. i took yet another rookie rb (this is a keeper league) chris johnson in round 11. he could develop into a poor man's reggie bush, cathing lots of passes, etc.
12. round 12 - pierre thomas (could take deuce's role this season)
13. round 13 - sidney rice (could become minnesota's best wr)
14. round 14 - greg olsen (lots of potential)
15. round 15 - will witherspoon
16. round 16 - julius peppers
17. round 17 - gibril wilson
18. round 18 - robert meachem (former 1st round pick...could be saints #2 wr)
19. round 19 - brady quinn (you never know)
20. round 20 - devin thomas (had to pick a redskin...loads of potential, especially in west coast offense)
21. round 21 - ryan torrain (super value pick....you never know who shanahan will start)
22. round 22 - ravens def
23. round 23 - some kicker (who cares)

looking back, i again fell in love with upside, which will probably hurt my team...at least this season. my wr3 and rb3 spots are questionable. chris and i were drinking (sort of heavily) as the draft went on and i could feel my attention to detail lessening. i really enjoyed doing the draft online as it clearly shows you who is still available and also i set it so that you only had 60 seconds for each pick. this helped in that nobody asked if specific players were still available and also the draft did not take 4 hours. in fact, with 12 teams and 23 rounds, we finished in less than 90 minutes. my main hope, besides league domination, is that this group remains cool and everyone comes back to maintain the keeper aspect of this league.

finally here are some random predictions:

• by week 3 i will cry foul about losing my matchup while having the 2nd highest score.
• by week 6 someone i actually know (chris, dan or my cousin) will give up on their team.
• my cousin will send out many dubious trade offers.
• i will regret many of the league scoring rules i arbitrarily assigned.

what i can remember

it's been a few weeks since i have returned from my vacation and i realize that if i don't blog about it soon, my memory of most things will become pretty hazy. overall it was a very nice trip with some ups and downs.

pros

• i got to spend an entire week with louise...no work, chores, errands, mentally challenged dog, etc.
• the beach...ridiculously clean and beautiful
• the swimming pools..also very well maintained...louise and i played a lot in the pool
• our room...it was gigantic with 18 foot ceilings, sunken living room
• unlimited drinking...which was good in theory
• relaxed pace
• staff...all worked very hard...most were very friendly
• swimming with sting rays and nurse sharks
• snorkeling
• the grounds...very well maintained, lots of plants and wildlife...ducks!
• topless women...while it started off with more older women...it shifted more towards hot and young as our vacation progressed
• my british gf emma
• boogy-boarding
• straight chillin

cons

• i got a serious stomach bug which i blame soley on one chubby little kid that did a cannonball off of the pool bar...he also tried to punch me at one point
  
• the food...it was ok buffet food...but i am used to excellent cruise food
• not as many activities...again this is more based on my cruising experiences...we did go to one show which was a mashup of performers imitating famous singers
• aggressive salespeople that want you to tour their timeshares, look at their jewelery, etc.
• lack of sunblock...my mom convinced me that our 2 bottles of sunblock were enough...she may not truly understand louise's level of whiteness...we had to buy another bottle...we went with the cheapest one we could find ($20)
• rude europeans...now i generally think fondly about europe and europeans as i had a great time there 10 years ago...but damn, they were so unnecessarily nasty to the staff and seemed to never tip...they also butted in line at the buffet often
• one of the guys at the omelete station...i don't know what i did to him, but he was always giving me the stink eye

it was a very nice and relaxing vacation and i would probably have more drunken exploits to report had i not gotten sick. the whole trip was a good deal and i would consider doing it again in a few years, but maybe upgrade to slightly nicer resort with the hopes that the food is nicer and there are a few more things to do.

vacation forecast

as i mentioned yesterday, we are headed to the dominican republic pretty soon. i booked this trip so long ago and have been anticipating it so much that it feels a little weird that it is actually approaching. i tend to get real hyped up for trips where i am constantly reading reviews and any info i can get on where i am going. this will be my first trip to an "all-inclusive" resort and i hope to make good use of the inclusives.

with all of this in mind, i realize that the trip will not be perfect and i like to have reasonable expectations. here are a few things that i predict will happen.

1. i will get sick from drinking way too much the first day we arrive.
2. louise will hesitantly enter the water after i make fun of her...she will see a fish or a shell or some seaweed, shriek and run out of the water.
3. i will bring many books with the intention of reading and end up reading a total of 20 pages.
4. i will learn the hard way that you should not get too close to the wildlife.
5. louise will get tons of bug bites while i remain blissfully bite-free.
6. i will describe to louise how upon our return, i plan on picking jessie up and tossing her in the air like a pizza pie.
7. neither of us will get sunburned...just kidding...louise + domrep sun = curly-haired lobster
8. our attempts at speaking spanish will be embarassing.
9. i will see a coconut tree...boast to louise about how i could climb said tree and retrieve a coconut...after giving up quickly, i explain to louise how coconuts are over-rated.
10. louise will have numerous flip-flop malfunctions.
11. i will really enjoy interacting with the staff, who seem so friendly...yet in the back of my mind i worry that they secretly hate me.
12. archery will not be as fun as expected.
13. the swim-up bar will be more fun than expected.
14. louise will do her poor jamaican accent.
15. i will be cautious with my money at the casino.
16. i will find, purchase and wear a big stupid hat that louise hates.

yeah! drink up stupid american douchebag!

a revival

it is obvious to me and my 2 readers that i have not blogged in a while and i was not really happy with such an abrupt retirement of this blog. my reasons for not continuing this blog were many, but guess what? i'm bored. thus, i will start this back up and maybe louise might actually visit this blog.

i had actually gone on and attempted to start up other blogs that served a slightly different purpose than this one (although, beyond giving me something to do at work seems to be the driving force for this blog). one was a more personal diary than anything and another was an attempt to write about fantasy football. i still like both and hope that my writing in this dumb blog again does not leave me feeling spread thin.

otherwise, i have not been up to an awful lot. i hung out with eskay last night and he was the one who actually mentioned my blog and made me think to write in it again. i've been trying to get into better shape. i've been playing a lot of gta 4. i messed up my wrist pretty good at the gym and then messed it up again playing basketball. i am suddenly interested in foraging...we'll see if i actually do it. louise and i are going to the dominican republic in less than 2 weeks. jessie still smells.