Nik

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2010-04-26T20:50:00.001-04:00

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So that's what all the fuss is about

2009-11-16T19:51:00.004-05:00

Modern Warfare 2 came out last week and of course some people got their panties in a bunch over the violent content of the game. This usually happens when a new Grand Theft Auto title comes out, so of course I was curious to find out what the big deal was.

I finally got the game and I found out what the issue is. See for yourself below.

So here we have a busy Russian airport.

Here you have me unloading on the crowd.

Which results in a mess for the janitor.

I guess people don't like it when bad guys aren't the ones being shot. On the plus side, I made it through the security check point very quickly. So next time you find yourself standing in a long, slow line, a machine gun really helps move things along.

Thud!

2009-11-09T20:21:00.003-05:00

That was the sound of me falling off the wagon. I am now playing World of Warcraft again. I have some serious catching up to do, all my gear is so outdated. See you in Azeroth.

Tonight I Almost Fell Off The Wagon

2009-08-17T23:41:00.002-04:00

Battling addiction is not a pleasant experience. Just when you think you have it under control, it sneaks up from behind you and rears its ugly head again. Calling out and taunting you in a seductive voice.

"Hey, remember me? Remember all the great times we had together? I miss the time we spent together. I'm still here for you and want to bring you pleasure beyond your wildest dreams."

Tonight the voice offered new pleasures, never available before. I was moments away from giving into the temptation when I found my inner strength and was able to walk away.

So here I sit, two months clean and free from the World of Warcraft.

Hi, my name is Nik, and I am... I was a Level 80 Blood Elf Paladin. And a Level 80 Tauren Warrior. And a Level 80 Orc Death Knight.

Why couldn't I be addicted to something cool like heroin?

FAITH NO MORE

2009-06-12T11:47:00.000-04:00

Reunited and it feels so good...

Best Time For Music

2009-03-31T23:57:00.010-04:00

It's a good week to reminisce. It's also a good week to have a spellchecker because I didn't even come close to spelling "reminisce" right.

Last Sunday while we were in the studio, I was talking with Jesse, the guy recording our CD, and we got on the subject of bands that just blew you away the first time you heard them. I immediately thought of the band Ministry. I was in school at the time and there was a new kid from Arizona. We starting talking about music and he said I had to check this band out. He handed me his portable CD player (the 90's iPod) and told me to take it to study hall and listen to it. Inside was the disc The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste by Ministry. As soon as I heard the first track I was hooked. I left school that day at lunch to go home and listen to it loud on my stereo.

Tonight, as I sat on the couch to eat dinner, I began flipping through the channels and decided to stop on the movie Juno. It was at the part where Jason Bateman's character talks about being in a band in the early 90's and how it was the best time for music. I never really thought about it before, but he is absolutely right. All my favorite bands to this day are from that time. I began thinking of all the great bands and all the great concerts I saw. I always saved my ticket stubs from concerts, so I went to my desk and pulled out the pile of tickets and came across this gem. One of the greatest lineups for a concert and all for only $10.

Helmet, Quicksand, and Orange 9mm

Maybe I will post some more concerts of yesteryear, but for now this concludes our Flashback to the 90's segment. I leave you with some video from the above bands, except Orange 9mm. I couldn't find a good video, so an audio clip will have to do.

Orange 9mm - Fire In The Hole
Click Play Button To Listen

Boom! Here comes the boom!

2009-01-07T23:52:00.002-05:00

Some people possess unique abilities or gifts. In the world of fiction it is these abilities that make Super Heroes super, but in the real world these gifts are usually not so super. Like those people who can solve complex mathematical problems in their head or those that can twist their bodies like a pretzel. Neither of these would make for a good Super Hero. They would have a hard time striking fear into evil-doers. You would never hear a bad guy say,

"Oh no! Here comes The Human Calculator and his sidekick Knot Boy."

You may be asking yourself where I am going with this. Well let me tell you. I possess one of those unique abilities that falls into the category of not-so-great. I have the unique ability to sleep through anything. That's right, I am Captain Comatose. On a typical work day morning I use four, yes four alarm clocks. On my nightstand I have your standard AM/FM/Buzzer alarm clock, an alarm clock that plays CD's, and the alarm clock on my cell phone. Then I have my computer that is in a different room set to blast music at a certain time every morning. All four of these are set to go off within a few minutes of each other, yet I can sleep through them all going off at once. It is quite amazing to wake up two hours later to all that noise.

I needed to find a better alarm clock solution. I did some searching online and I came across this alarm clock designed for the deaf and hearing impaired. It's call the Sonic Boom Alarm Clock by Sonic Alert. There is more to it than just an incredibly loud alarm clock. It also comes with a Bed-Shaker. It's a small plastic puck-shaped vibrator thingy that you put between your mattress and box spring. When the alarm goes off, this thing shakes the crap out of your bed and the first time you use it, it may shake the crap out of you too.

I have been using this alarm clock for a few weeks now and it works great. I now wake up in complete panic trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Sounds scary, but I guess that's the whole point. I think Captain Comatose has finally met his match.

A Closer Look At My MP3 Collection

2008-09-30T19:12:00.012-04:00

I listen to a wide variety of music which means I have a pretty large collection of MP3's. All nicely organized in folders by artist name, then inside each artist folder is a folder for each album. I decided to see how large my collection actually is and the results are a total of 9263 files, in 883 folders, taking up a total of 46.5 gigabytes of space. Now this is only complete albums, I have several different folders filled with random individual songs I have downloaded, and I have not finished converting my 300+ CD collection to MP3's yet. I think I only made it to the letter J.

Anyway, I was perusing through my collection and realized I have no idea why I have some of these albums. So after a closer inspection, I would like to share some of the good, bad, and absolutely embarrassing things I found in there. Now some of these could be put in multiple categories, but I will only list them in one.

Let the fun begin...

I have no memory of getting these:

3 Inches of Blood (yep, 3 Inches is the perfect amount of blood for a band name.)
Earshot
Fozzy (I thought it may be the Muppets, but no.)
Jamie Cullum (I am guessing this was for John.)
Lollipop Lust Kill (Your guess is as good as mine.)
No One
Redline
SkyCameFalling
Soilwork
TV on the Radio

Got these for other people, but I apparently saved them even though I would never listen to them:

Action Figure Party
Ben Lee
David Gilmour
Derek Trucks Band
Hot Hot Heat
The John Butler Trio
The Nightwatchman
The Who (Sorry, not a fan, so sue me.)

Now these are just embarrassing:

Insane Clown Posse (I am so ashamed of myself right now.)
Lifehouse (Great, the musical equivalent of a chick flick.)
Weird Al Yankovic (He changes the words to songs, clever.)

Stuff I wouldn't normally listen to but surprisingly do:

Fiona Apple
Phantom Planet
Say Anything

And last, stuff I really like but always forget to listen to:

Alkaline Trio
Boy Hits Car
The Sword

I hate John Lewis

2008-09-24T22:09:00.001-04:00

Right now John is at Madison Square Garden watching Weezer perform. What a jerk.

Badgemen gone metal?

2008-09-13T15:17:00.002-04:00

Maybe it's because I have been listening to Metallica for two weeks straight plus the fact that I am always "doodling" in Photoshop, but if the Badgemen were a metal band, this would totally be our logo.

Album of the Year

2008-09-11T19:21:00.003-04:00

Up until last week if you asked me what the best album of 2008 has been, the answer would be easy. Weezer's Red Album.

I have been listening to it non-stop since its release. Well actually, before its release thanks to the music pirates of the world.

Relax, I did buy the CD when it came out.

So as I sat, listening to Weezer, thinking it can't get any better than this, it happened. The new Metallica album leaked it's way on to the internet...

Now when it comes to Metallica, I don't think they have put out anything good since 1991. St. Anger was alright, but everything else, crap. Plus you throw in the whole Napster thing and I am just left with a bad taste in mouth.

I have been a fan of their new bass player, Robert Trujillo, since he was in Suicidal Tendencies. I had to hear this album just to see if Robert could save Metallica.

After just one listen it was obvious. Metallica is back thanks to their new savior. Death Magnetic is awesome from start to finish. It's that simple.

What is interesting about these two albums is that they do have something in common. Producer Rick Rubin. You know, the guy who has produced Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Slayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, System of a Down, among many others.

So who saved Metallica? Robert Trujillo or Rick Rubin? It doesn't really matter, just get it by which ever means you choose. I myself have not actually bought the new Metallica yet. The whole Napster thing still pisses me off, but I have decided I am going to buy it, I am just not going out of my way to pick it up. Maybe this weekend while the band is in Rochester.

Blogging for Dummies

2008-08-04T16:00:00.004-04:00

Blog this, blog that, blog it with a wiffleball bat. What is with this fascination with blogs? Are we suppose to care what you had for lunch today? Does the world really need to know ?

The internet is littered with millions of them. Endless rants about politics, lame Top 10 lists, problems with the opposite sex, and most of all, the "my pop culture icon is cooler than your pop culture icon" posts.

Why do people do it? The only logical answer is why not.

With that being said, I ask myself, could I spew out a bunch of pointless crap that I assume nobody will read nor care about? The answer is easy, hell yes I can.

Prepare yourselves for the masses of crap I shall spew.

By the way, I had a grilled chicken salad for lunch.