Things lookin' up / Beckinsale in leather!!!!!

Well, I managed to get a new job. Although I won't be making as much, it's for a company that I'm familiar with and is actually expanding and going places rather than wasting away in a sea of self destruction. So that's a small ray of sunshine in a long cold winter.

Actually, it's been warm here, in the 40's. Heck, we Wisconsinites sun bathe in the 40's. It's also been sunny out for the last few days. So that's another nice notation.

I also decided to cash in all of my gift cards to purchase a new Xbox. Now I have to go through and play all my old games again. Oh, Shucky darn! If anyone wants to buy themselves an older, used Xbox that has a shot power supply, let me know. Due to my current and upcoming financial situation, I don't see an Xbox 360 in the near future. I may have to wait 'till next winter, if I'm not living in my mother's basement living off of Cheese Whiz and Koolaid by then.

More good news... I just spent this afternoon watching Kate Beckinsale wearing tight black leather in the sequel to Underworld, Underworld: Oblivion. Not a bad film, though, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first film. The plot in this one was a bit convoluted and would be VERY confusing for people who missed out on the first one. But the art direction was very cool, the action sequences were well choreographed and it had some nice story elements. And of course there's the whole subject of Kate Beckinsale in black leather. Since she played the vampiric assassin on the run, she was made up real purdy in all out action goth nature. Rumor has it that her husband (the director and writer of the movies) got much of the story lines from the RPG, Vampire: The Masquerade. I believe that the company who publishes the RPG are trying to take him to court on it. On that note, if Miss Beckinsale is ever in the mood to date a guy with a ORIGINAL sense of imagination, she need not look any further than this Blog of Geekdom. Kate, you can have your people call my people once the divorce goes into effect.... that is if she doesn't mind sharing my mom's basement with me and really likes the rare delicacy of Cheese Whiz and Koolaide. (At this point, I'm reminded that it is well past the time to take my meds.)

In other reviews, I recently rented the PS2 video game, The Suffering. It's a 3rd person action shooter that lies on the edge of Survival Horror. It takes place in a creepy old prison. It's a pretty cool, atmospheric game. But, not a lot of replay value. Still, very good for a rental. Lot's of creepiness.

Right now, I'm playing Half Life 2 on the new Xbox. It's a great 1st person shooter that has a boat-load if interaction with the environment. Where the first game took place in a very modern day Lovecraftian world, this one takes place in a very bleak, post apocalyptic Orwellian world where there is a mysterious totalitarian Government in place. At the same time there are a ton of Lovecraftain creatures running about. Though, much of the game takes place in the daytime, the settings look so good that you still feel a sense of bleakness and creepiosity. However, there are many very frustrating parts in this game. The vehicles you drive are insanely hard to maneuver and when you're trying to do some basic investigation of the surrounding area, your busy being attacked by an endless amount of creatures. But still a decent game.

Hey, I did get to try a bit of that Xbox game, Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, based on the movies. What an underrated game! It mixes stealth (which I usually hate) and first person shooter action along with a bit of RPG interaction with certain characters in the game putting you on individual quests. From what I heard, Riddick star, Vin Deissel had a ton to do with the development of this game. There are even whispers that he's a hardcore video RPG fan. He's also been known to role a 20 sider from time to time. But I'm sure his publisists wouldn't divulge that as he's a big action movie star. I say to Vin, "Let your GEEK FREAK flag fly high, my friend!"

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that they finally got a bond girl for the next Bond movie, Casino Royale. Actress Rose Byrne as Bond's love interest, Vesper Lynd. Rose is most famous to us geeks as Padme Amadalla's double who took one at the beginning of Episode II when Padme's ship is blown to bits. So now their ready to move on and start shooting this thing. Let's hope it's a smoother ride to shoot the picture than to cast it.

That was another long one. Well, it's been a while, so there was a ton of catching up to do. I gotta go and play some Half Life 2 and get frustrated again. I'll talk to you all later.

Zangz.