coolcajun

Gear Get!

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:00:32 GMT

My new wacom 6x8 tablet came in(upgrade from 4x5 intos2). The big thing that I love is the shoulder buttons particularly the ones on the right side(I am left handed). I got it along with an upgrade to Painter X.

Rare Night Out

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 03:05:21 GMT

I went outside on a weekend for once in a blue moon. I honestly don't go out much anymore. I was planning to go see Wall E and then maybe go to the Fox and Hound for drinks. I went and saw Wall E and for the most part it was good. It was a little too far fetched and overreaching in places but it had a good general theme. After the movie I decided to go home because I was tired and I knew if I drank anything it would keep me awake and possibly prevent me from going to work on Monday as an result.

I am in a very contemplative mood tonight. Maybe its because of what happened yesterday at work. I kinda lost it a bit. I was trying to focus on doing a good deal of work and just could not concentrate so I left early. I am not sure what I am going to do as an result. This hasn't been the first time either which makes me more contemplative. I really would like to do something different but I am not sure what else I am capable of doing that is worth anything other than programming. I really need to move up north somewhere b/c the heat and Multiple Sclerosis do not mix AT ALL.

Accidental Caesar Video

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:42:10 GMT

My Mom and my brother Ryan arrived at my house just a while ago and my Mom brought her digital camera. I pulled all the photos and two of them were accidental videos. One of which had Caesar in it :D.

Ok. So I did nothing...

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 06:49:35 GMT

I just took some slightly old simply sleep in hopes to well... fall asleep. I ended not removing anybody despite intial strong feelings to do so. As Richard Pryor said: MS stands for more shit. The hardest part of the disease to deal with is definitely the mood swings. Its like a compressed rollercoaster: Bipolar on Rails with a Jet Engine attached going Mach 5(and I am probably being kind).

My mood climate has definitely changed and I am afraid its not for the better. Oh, and for my random thought: I love my Mac even though I have trouble using Modo(keyboard issues) and Cinema 4D(same).

I need an adjustment on my meds

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 05:45:06 GMT

I am in an angry mood at the moment. I can't sleep...taking simply sleep right now. Also I am thinking about removing some people from Facebook...HS friends....nah...a little too extreme. I am gonna remove one b/c it brings up bad memories/feelings. Ok, confession time(funny), I think I am an atheist. Hell, some part of me wants to believe there is a god but my analytical side and emotional side says no. This is the mood I am in at the moment. In summation, MS causes one hell of an emotional rollercoaster and I am in the middle of the damn thing. Hoping it will at least slow down.

This is a fake monster image.

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:22:04 GMT

Ok, The image below is fake. Here is why: The "skin" on the bottom back is WAY too reflective and shiny to be real. This looks like a CG render to me

Art Project

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:15:54 GMT

So I started drawing digitally again thanks in part to my Mac and Painter X. I am real happy about it. I was had trouble doing this on my PC maybe its the location of it but I have trouble being creative.

Here it is(by no means finished):

Horrible news concerning Women's soccer(football for UKers)

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:28:26 GMT

Abby Wombach broke her leg. This is huge blow for the US side. She is one of the best female strikers in the world. http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/soccer/news?slug=ap-soc-brazil-unitedstates&prov=ap&type=lgns

I hope for a speedy and full recovery.

Nintendo's press conference = weak sauce

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:39:58 GMT

The only good news that came out of Nintendo's press conference was the Wii version of Animal Crossing. That is it. The rest is garbage.
Software sales will continue to plummet because they have not addressed their broken online strategy and lack of exciting games for hardcore gamers like myself. Thanks Nintendo! Your weakness finally shows. I hope you right this ship soon because its taking in water.

Another thing, stop glowing about yourselves. Yes the DS is awesome but your latest princess is just a pig in lipstick.

Delayed Microsoft E3 Impressions

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:55:27 GMT

The Microsoft press conference was a mixed bag. It started really well. Fallout 3 looks amazing. I love the ammo cam. It is very well done. I really hope there is a 3rd person view as I tend to get motion sickness with FPS games.

The weakest thing was Fable II's selling point. Co-op mode? That is what makes it unique? It seems incredibly boring to me. Its almost like Molyneux saw that feature in Animal Crossing and said that will be a cool to add.

E3 may be interesting

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:22:21 GMT

I look forward to hearing what is coming out for all three game systems.

Also, Softimage announced last week XSI 7. I was super geeked despite having a slightly old version. I like the new approach with ICE that they took. I am *thinking* about upgrading depending on the price they offer. Softimage does not mention upgrade pricing on their site but I hope that its significantly cheaper than full price(3.5k ouch!)

Gouache or Acrylics

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 02:08:50 GMT

I made a mad dash to Hobby Lobby this afternoon because I was in a creative buying mood. I wanted to do some type of painting.

The idea has been swirling around my brain for a while. I am constantly looking at my art supply catalogs wondering which medium do I want to use/experiment with. On the spur of the moment with the helpdesk phone in hand, I purchased student grade gouache and acrylic sets which I plan to use tommorow(energy willing).

I have been painting digitally off and on for years and I always wanted to try to paint traditionally. I never took any painting classes in high school or college. I did try to take an acrylics class at LSU leisure but the amount of crap I would have to carry to the class warded me off. A paint supply ward +1(scary stuff)

Helpdesk phone and Mad Men

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:48:57 GMT

I have the helpdesk phone this four day weekend(woo hoo!...NOT). For that period, I have to stay in the house near a computer so I can fix whatever an ER department needs.

Honestly, I don't really go out much if at all on the weekends anyway so its not that big of deal unless I get a call while I am in a grocery store.

My energy level so far has been fluctuating wildly. I think I have slept more than I have been awake with nausea creeping in from time to time.

On an entertaining note, I watched the whole season of AMC's Mad Men(It was free ON DEMAND from Cox). Overall, its a pretty good show. The fact that I watched all the episodes is an achievement for the show in some small way for them. I don't have many favorite shows at the moment and this may be added to the list. The list being:

Dr. Who
Not Going Out(BBC America, really funny brit comedy)
Hopkins(medical doc on ABC, definitely not for the squemish)
Speedgrapher(Decent Gonzo Anime running on IFC)
Live From Abbey Road(Good Musical showcase show on IFC)

Final Fantasy Tactics A2...

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:31:50 GMT

It slipped my mind that it was coming out this week. I am going to try to get it from EBGames or Best Buy today. I am happy because I was getting tired of playing Pokemon Mystery Dungeon(yes, I was hard up on rpgs)

An interesting article from NPR

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:24:57 GMT

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91555835

Richard Weber, chief of the asset forfeiture section of the Justice Department, was asked if he found these cases troubling. They're insignificant, he said, compared with the thousands of traffic stops where major drug money couriers are busted.

"What's troubling to you?" Weber asks. "That a drug trafficker who's bringing money from the U.S. to Mexico, who's carrying hundreds of thousands of millions of dollars in cash in their pickup truck, who just sold dope and crack and cocaine to children in your playgrounds, and his money is being taken away? That troubles you?"

I appreciate what law enforcement does generally. I have problems though with cases like the one described above. I think the police department should give the money back plus lawyer fees for those people who have nothing to do with the drug trade and their money was seized.

In Pain and random thoughtsshock!

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 11:19:57 GMT

Just got back from the ER(thoughts about that here

Random Thought: On eharmony.com, when someone closes their match with "Other" it usually means Ick!

I have decided to get back into online dating scene more or less. I signed up for eharmony for a year. Things are moving very slow on that end. I beginning to think that I may just be one of those people who are better off being single. Part of the reason why I have been single is that I am super introvert coupled with the fact that I have a serious and often times debilitating disease(MS).

Soul Nomad review (so far as I have played)

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:12:40 GMT

Soul Nomad’s combat system is turn based and is supposed to rely on strategy. The battle map is flat (which is nice vs. an isometric one which often times has viewing angle issues). The combat system is a cross between Ogre Battle and Vandal Hearts.

Your troops consist of units you purchase through a rather strangely laid out menu system. You assign troops to a room that has a list of décor items (troop buffs). The décor items are either permanent or a onetime use variety.

There is also a notion of battle potential in the game (think battle strength) that is displayed for each troop so you can gauge the enemy’s strength. There is also a rock paper scissors system that is loosely implemented. The system is the following: Melee is strong against Magic, Ranged is stronger against Magic, and Magic is strong against Melee). The problem with this system is that both the entry level classes for archers and mages (Pyremages) have super low hp. So if you lose your front line soldiers you troops will get wiped out in a quick manner.

You can level up both your rooms and troops by having a room inspection (think Item World in Disgea 2) unfortunately, there are some major flaws to the Room Inspection vs. Item World. The issue with the inspection is that once you enter a room you can’t leave unless you defeat the room boss and there is no item you can obtain or use to escape sed room. That means you have to be absolutely sure you can defeat the next room boss which ends up being difficult when you run out of troops or run out of Gig Edicts (items).

So the game play is weak overall but there are some positives to the game. The story is pretty solid and there are comedic moments spread out here and there. I like the flatness of the map and inclusion of the Gig Edicts is at least an attempt at being original. I should mention that the turn based aspect is a staggered (Vandal Hearts) turn based system vs. a group based turn based system(Disgea 2)

I just recently stopped playing it because I discovered how flawed the Room Inspection is. I *may* go back to it after I finish Mana Khemia(review coming)

Good Music Find

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:54:28 GMT

I was watching Live from Abbey Road on IFC Saturday and one of the bands playing was The Zutons. They played an excellent set so I was interested in hearing more from the band. I queued up all their songs this morning on Rhapsody. After listening to songs from two of their albums I determined that they are a pretty good band.

In a creative mood, 3D Model WIP

Wed, 14 May 2008 02:15:26 GMT

Please don't call it Pixie Dust

Thu, 01 May 2008 13:41:14 GMT

I was watching BBC World News last night and they had an article about a powder that can grow back skin, bone, muscle and cartilage. It hasn't hit clinical trials yet but it looks very promising. Here is the article with a few video excerpts: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7354458.stm

Yes, I am getting Setanta Sports Broadband for one game

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:56:06 GMT

I want to watch Fulham play Birmingham and its not on Fox Sports TV so I am spending 15 bucks for one month of service. I am hoping Fulham escapes relegation. This is there final stand. If they can beat Birmingham relegation is assured.

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:58:45 GMT

I tried to pick up the paper and pencil again to draw but in the end I had to put it down because it frustrated me. I have never been a good artist and it has plagued me since I was a kid. I would have liked to have been an artist but I never felt I had the skill to make it a career so I decided to pursue something I was good at programming and use the money I made to attend art classes, etc. Forward close to 20 years, I am still very weak at drawing and the ongoing frustration makes me wonder if I should just give up. I haven't taken any classes due to the fact that I am either working or very tired(damn you MS!).
I have called several artistic schools to try to get into an art program. I don't think an online art school will do me any good b/c I need some encouragement when it comes to drawing. I too often lately just give up so unsatisfied with what I drew or was trying to draw.

Edit Aside: Ok. Those ads are annoying(well worth the 20 bucks to remove them). Too distracting when I type and I did not like them hovering at the top of my page either.

Feeling slighly better. Thanks Against Me! and the Thermals

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:59:34 GMT

Music does calm the savage beast.

I am SO screwed up in the head this morning.

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:36:40 GMT

As Richard Pryor said "MS stands for More Shit". I am dragging right now. My head is in the clouds and I can't focus to save my life. The good news, I just found out I will be an uncle. Maybe that news will keep me positive and alive. At the moment though I feel dead and its aggravating.
I can't seem to get out the house to do anything. Its either my energy level or my apathy.

Hair Today...

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 04:41:51 GMT