I'd Done a Lot of Things Different...

So many have said it best, but I currently like Benet's:

Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways. ~Stephen Vincent Benét

Small and uncaring ways. Perhaps careless. Thoughtless. Unintentional. Whatever adjective you'd like to use, it's all the same. You didn't make it a point, a priortity, to commit to the completion of such said task. Wow, just getting started and already too serious.

Let's just step a pace back and all get synchronized.

I know it's been two and a half months since my last post. I know that I've done things, procured things, viewed things, that I wanted to mention here. So easily I could detail how Life has kept me busy, but when is that ever an accepted excuse? The fact is, I put it off until I was digusted with how neglected I left this posting haven.

So, to make up for it, you guys get 2.5 months of blogging in just one kablammo!

Shall we?

Movies
I got to see quite a few with my son and wife, but this will be a highlight and be pretty quick.

Speed Racer - Got to see this with a bunch of kids at a birthday party. Nice graphics, but the plot was a bit weak, with some vintage campiness typical of Speed Racer. Overall, eye candy for racing enthusiasts and fans. Not realistic, but I did like the whole family solving problems.

Indiana Jones and Kingdon of Crystal Skulls - One of the best movies I've seen this year. I can't say that the plot was all that engrossing, but as a huge Indy fan, I simply wanted to see where this story went. I like the reappearance of a major character from a prior film (no spoiler here!). Worth it to see in the theater, as this is the end of the Jones Legacy.

WALL*E - After Iron Man, this is the next best movie my son and I saw. I can't exactly put my finger on what it was about it, but feel good movies really hit a spot in the ol' corazon. Wall-E really is a lovable character that you can't help but empathize with. The loyalty that he shows is impressive in a day of switching teams as often as switching your undies. The ensemble is well cast/made. Perhaps this is the best Pixar flick since Toy Story or Monsters, Inc.

Reviews
This is simply just a few things that I got recently and wanted to share my opinions about. Nothing too serious, just some fun stuff.

Samsung LCD 40" HDTV - Oh mama. As the world is transisitioning (well, at least USA is) to a digital TV broadcasting system, I wanted to go ahead and make the switch to high definition television. Oh my goodness. What you see in the stores is...well...what you get at home. Now, in all honesty, you won't get all your channels looking like that (for a number of different reasons),but knowing what you will get and how to get it is a good thing. I'm lucky enough to be rocking 1080p. Shows that are recorded in HD are supremeo awesome. Watching the NBA playoffs was immensely pleasing, but perhaps the most interesting tidbit that we garnered during the honeymoon period was watchign the Men's NCAA World Series playoffs. During one game, there happened to be a quite large fellow sitting in the front row behind catcher, off to the catcher's left. Between him and the little old lady five seats over from him (the large fellow was sitting just so his belly would jiggle at times and seemed to try to give every TV viewer and the pitcher a crotch shot), the detail with which we could see the attending fans was mind boggling. I'm imporessed and now watching regular TV (or non-HD programming) is just so dissappointing.

Playstation 3-Since the wifey approved the new TV, we had to get a new DVD player. Timing was great as the Blu-Ray format was announced as the only next-gen format (HD-DVD got the axe). It just also happens to play video games. I am not dissappointed by any means. I am somewhat still appalled by the overall cost of things, but I do understand that certain things takes money and companies try to recoup that cost somewhere. Blu-Ray is awesomeness. I don't even have a surround sound, but picture and interactiveness are caveats that, for me, really make the Blu-Ray format better than the DVD format. I can, even if just barely at times, tell the difference between the DVD players of yore and the upconverted picture quality that the PS3 does. Gaming-wise, the next 12 months will prove the PS3 be someting to reckon with. I haven't ditched the Wii. In fact it provides a necessary break at times.

Rock Band- Anyone who has been watching this blog knows that I've been anticipating getting this game. While I originally thought that I would get this game for the Wii, the PS3 prospects were greater. Simply put, the game allows for Dylan and me to jam out. He takes the drums and I'll play the axe. Occaisionally he'll sing, and he's working on guitar licks. I can sing okay, but drumming I really need to practice more. As Rock Band 2 approaches, we are both excited about the song list and further jamming out.

Boom Blox - Dylan earned this game with his exceptional behavior at school. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this game really became an excellent choice by Dylan. Simply put, imagine Jenga, but with aspects of throwing and bombs included for variety. Really a a lot of fun for the entire family. The physics of this game truly show off the genius of the developers and the power of Wii.

Okay, enough of the materialistic mumbo jumbo. Next post, we'll get serious.

Maybe...

Cheers,

Mert