fred beukema is a being a serious pussy.

as any reader has gathered, i have been playing through half-life 2 recently, and have, for the second time, realized it might be one of the best games ever. right up there with the super mario bros., ocarina of time, and starcraft.* it’s an amazing feat that just keeps getting better and better. it also gets very creepy and atmospheric at just the right moments. and it’s in these right moments that you run into the poison headcrab, which looks like a giant spider. now, it’s no secret that fred is afraid of spiders; he’s made this clear many times. Read more »

flickr is being a bit ridiculous. the program works well enough, but they’re putting on some restrictions that really oughtn’t be there in the first place.

my father swung through town this memorial day weekend, and we took lunch together on saturday at a minneapolis staple, peter’s grill.

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i arrived home from new york early on monday afternoon and, to no avail, found myself bored to tears by 4:00pm. not surprising given the amount of activity i partook in the following weekend, it’s only natural that i want more once i found myself in a “doing” groove. so, rather than traipse about or complete something productive, i installed half-life 2 and played through and a good portion of it.

the name of the game (no pun intended) is immersion. personally, that’s what draws me to gaming and film. the prince of persia series revels in well-crafted story-telling, the metroid prime games replicate the feeling of physically being the main character, shadow of the colossus makes an absolute art out from it’s feelings of isolation, and half-life 2 excels at making you care about it’s supporting npcs and actually invest in their well-being. Read more »

i leave for new york city tomorrow. in fact, i should probably be packing this very moment. however, the mood struck, so write i shall. i’ve never visited the big apple. this is surprising seeing as i at one point claimed to be a yankees fan, and i have always been an avid spider-man fan.

the former was really just something i lied about as a child. i was never one for sports or the like. (i currently don’t enjoy watching sports. i’d rather play something, but don’t go out of my way to do so). however, everyone seemed to have a favorite sports team. not focusing on one sport and one team, but a favored team in every possible sport. for baseball, i chose the yankees. it seemed plausible enough, but bring a smirk to my face now. Read more »

there is little to no tact or surprise when i execute a mother’s day gift, or any other occasions of this nature; i’m without a car and usually have to ask to be picked up to take her out for her birthday, said mother’s day, or any other appreciatory holiday. she’s a good girl, though, and recognizes such shortcomings only to overshadow them with my better traits. it was in doing so that she informed me we would be working on her boyfriend’s farm for the entirety of the day. not a bad time, in my opinion, but a little odd for a gift.

the majority of the work was mowing, slight engine repair, and sorting our a few things left from his mother, who sadly passed away almost a year ago. but what struck me was the nearby town, jordan. i’ve always become very depressed when in, or even passing through, rural america. Read more »