Month: November 2007

Alrighty. Thanksgiving is over. For some, it’s a depressing time. For others, it’s a relief. For me, it’s a bit of both. I won’t go into the details, but suffice it to say that Thanksgiving can be trying at times. Mostly though, Thanksgiving was great. I proselytized my wife’s family, showing them the wonders of the Wii. They liked it. They really liked it.

In other news, you may have heard over at X3F that I’ve begun a quest. My quest is this: I am going to learn to play a real song on a real guitar before I allow myself to purchase Rock Band. I would describe my progress as swift, except for the fact that I really have no basis to make such statements. All I know is that I’ve learned a lot of chords and my fingers fucking hurt. Initially, I had intended to learn “The Swimming Song” by Loudon Wainwright III. He’s an excellent singer songwriter and I’ve loved his music for years now. Whilst learning my chords and whatnot, I unwittingly uncovered the chord progression for another of his songs, “The Man Who Couldn’t Cry.” That one may actually be familiar to you, as Johnny Cash covered it a few years back (note the video above). A lot of people actually think it is a Johnny Cash song, so you can blow their minds with the real truth the next time someone starts spouting lies.

Anywho, I’ve decided to concentrate on “The Man Who Couldn’t Cry” as it’s a little simpler and one of my favorites. I love “The Swimming Song” as well, but I prefer a slower recording that I can’t find the chords for anywhere.

And there you have it. I’m really digging guitar and I’m looking forward to getting better at it. I’m a bit worried that it’s going to cut into my game time. I’m also a bit worried that I’m worried about that. Priorities and all that.

Finally, thanks to Eric for pointing out that my comments were defaulted to “off.” I fixed that, so comment away if you wish. And thanks to JaySlacks for sticking my blog on his blogroll. Been a long time since I cared about the incoming traffic here :)

So, it’s Monday. Time for a new post here at 8-bit Ninja. Enjoy.

I’ve been tremendously enjoying my Wii. I picked up Super Paper Mario, which has been a lot of fun so far. I’m a bit worried though, as a colleague told me that the game becomes disappointing by the end. We shall see about that. I also nabbed Kid Icarus for the Virtual Console. It is easily one of the hardest games I’ve ever played. If you’ve never played it, know this: you will fucking hate Eggplant Wizards.

Oh, by the way, if you haven’t figured it out, I decided to go ahead and open up my Wii. Perhaps you remember the conundrum I faced last week. If not, I suggest you scroll down a ways and find out.

It’s Thanksgiving this week, which is wonderful news. I’m looking forward to the day off, even though it may not be a traditional day off. Such are the hazards of freelance work, folks. Grumbling aside, there will be food, fun, and hopefully, families enjoying Wii Sports. I say families because Annie and I are now faced with the ever awkward family holiday shuffling. In other words, we’ll be eating two Thanksgiving dinners. The reality of it is actually pretty daunting. Imagine, if you will, how many rolls you will consume this Thursday. Now double that number. See where I’m going with this?

It happens every once in a while. If you’ve been gaming long enough, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Last night I snagged my old NES from my parents house (I have a whole closet full of old gaming consoles there). I did this primarily so my wife could play Solomon’s Key. We set it up in the guest room, on a good old 4:3 tube TV. And now I have been struck by the nostalgia bug. I went to on of the local used game shops (Vintage Stock) today and picked up Bionic Commando, a game I never owned. I saw Sonic CD there as well and considered picking it up. Maybe another time, preferably after I bring my Sega Genesis and Sega CD back from my parents house.

I have a horrible feeling that I’m treading a slippery slope. My desire to start grabbing up all the pieces of my childhood that I missed (or lost) is growing at a rapid pace. I’m halfway toward putting in a bid for Panzer Dragoon Saga for the Sega Saturn. There’s a lurking fear that someday I won’t even be able to find it for exorbitant prices on eBay anymore. And now I know that I have to grab more of my old consoles from my parents’ place.

So what sparked all this? Behold:

My collection fit into the entertainment center perfectly.

Do your best Richard Dreyfuss with me: “This means something.”

On a side note: my wife bought me a Wii today. She wanted to get me one for my birthday/Christmas. I found one and know how hard they are to find, so we went to Target and bought it. Now I’m stuck with a dilemma: wait until my birthday next month to open it (what my gut says is right), or open it right damn now (what my gut says is more fun.)

I guess there are worse problems to have.