I wouldn't mind collecting art in a game sans reward. The only caveat would be to have an in-game guide that could help me interpret it. Like a Sister Wendy Beckett character that could explain the story of the piece to me. Appreciation for art is infectious when explained by someone who is as enthusiastic as they…

Last year of grad school starts today. Then the monotony of a career/life can begin. Can't wait!

Yeah, we tried a combination of methods, including the boiled water trick. Since we can't fully open the door, we can't adjust the tray to catch the water. Pain in the ass!

Your raving is what made me pick it up! Thanks for the suggestion. It's good, but once I realized it was written like Watership Down (i.e. slightly anthropomorphized animals) I knew it wasn't going to end well for a lot of the characters.

Be sure to read the Graveyard Book in the next month or two. It's geared towards young adult but it's also a perfect fall read.

Finishing up The Bees. I know honey bees don't have the best lives, but the bleakness of this book is getting to me. And the omnipresent futility throughout the novel reminds me of the Sufjan Steven's refrain from "The Fourth of July" (i.e. we're all gonna die). Other than that down shifting as school approaches…

Living in an old apartment means dealing with a 70’s era "Harvest Gold" refrigerator (placed alongside the matching oven/stovetop for maximum energy efficiency!). This older-than-me appliance is the kind with the freezer box contained within the refrigerator portion itself. As such, the frost builds up quickly and…

Great, watched Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2, Sixth Sense, and Hot Rod (as a palate cleanser) with the Mrs. I've never seen the Sixth Sense before, this Shyamalan fellow is going places I tells ya!.

It's been a while since I played FFVI, so I could be forgetting, (SPOILER HINT)but maybe you should explore the countryside outside of South Figaro. (/SPOILER)

Been meaning to try this one out, hopefully it goes on sale thru the PS3 someday. Is the multiplayer co-op or pvp?

For me the weapon choice depends on the levels options. The slosher worked great to get up walls/splat enemies directly above you in the Arowana Mall/Flounder Heights options last night. Otherwise I'm trying to get better at the Carbon Roller. I like the idea of its 3 tiered system for distance. The one-hit kill…

I'm inclined to agree with your friend on the job search. Much as I am loathe to "network", I've found as I get older it's less what you know and more who you know that can get you an in.

Slight tangent. Any recommendations for good videogame oriented podcasts? Thus far I'm fond of IGN's Nintendo Voice Chat (knowledgeable and varied hosts that stay on point) and less impressed with their Beyond! (the hosts can find themselves a little too hilarious and shows frequently wander out into the weeds.)

The deviousness of Spelunky and 1001 Spikes feels like a taste of what Super Mario Maker will undoubtedly unleash upon the world soon.

Just make it a stipulation for the seller at closing. This condo is not up to code without a PS4 and I refuse to sign until the upgrade is made.

Agreed on the Feast For Crows reread. My second time through really fleshed out the previous generations antics that I had missed my first time through. Idiocy and cynicism, much like history, are doomed to repeat themselves in Westeros.

I enjoyed the Assassin's and Fool's trilogies so much that I've been afraid to dive into Hobb's other same universe books for fear they will be a let down by comparison.

Recently finished Bless Me Ultima, a Mexican-American coming of age novel that was pretty good. I couldn't help thinking of it as a young adult novel Cormac McCarthy would approve of: the unforgiving allure of the southwestern wilderness, and the frank and prevalent nature of death and it's ability to quickly strip…

Maybe there is no ending. Then it truly is a great purgatory simulator.

A demon familiar would be a terrible pet. Every room you go into he'd be turning on and off all the lights, "Hmmm…a switch! Why don't I press it and see."