Heritage

Hmmm.

(Have I begun a post with that before? Probably.)

Hmmm.

Okay. So I now live in the United States of America.

Wait...

What?!

I am living... in... the USA. It's true. At least, I keep telling myself it's true. About ninety-seven percent of my brain can't grasp it. The remaining three percentile are about to perform a strike action caused by the majority's refusal to accept.

It's problematic.

With the impending withdrawal of the comprehending three percent, I face complete regression into a state of infantile denial - a mentally induced 'pre-America' stasis of sorts. I fear I will insist on driving on the left (whilst sat in the passenger seat); continue to seek methods of TV tax avoidance, asserting that my actions are legit; scream at the spell-checker's inability to spell; assume health care is a basic human right that everyone receives (no matter how rubbish the health care service may be); expect the date to be presented in a logical string of numbers going from the smallest unit (i.e. the day) to the largest (i.e. the year); and put milk in my tea. Which I do anyway.

Luckily I'm currently surviving on an instinct that doesn't require the forward-thinking minority of my brain at all. I generally refer to this instinct as HOLIDAY MODE. HOLIDAY MODE is fun because it's a state of suspended functionality. Useful, everyday functions become obscenely difficult, enabling me to put huge, stockpiled resources into loafing and doing not much. Of course, HOLIDAY MODE wasn't designed to be an ongoing habitude.

This all leaves me somewhat concerned. Yet, despite the three percentile, despite HOLIDAY MODE, I'm beginning to suspect my westward transistion will, in fact, never truly have the impact that I am so fearfully awaiting. At least, conceivably, not in the ways I might expect.

To phrase it differently : I wonder, maybe, if I have perhaps landed on my feet?

Honestly, it's hard to tell. I'm having such a good time right now. With so many things on the horizon (er, wedding?), it's leaving me with little to gauge how I'm doing overall. (You know. As a person. With emotions and stuff.) I have objectives - but not too many. There are new friends and faces. There are computer games. There is sunshine, and the bluest and most strikingly beautiful skies I have ever bothered to notice. Sometimes there are thunderstorms, but that's cool too. I regularly communicate and interact with friends and family back home. It's all gravy.

The thing is, life doesn't feel like a grind. It's not a generic forward movement. And I'm loving it.

That's all that really matters, right?

Picture me rolling

Massive geek post: video games! There are way too many coming out over the next year. Makes me really want my new PC now. My current rig is sitting in my room with its case permanently cracked open so I can easily get at it whenever the SATA cable comes loose (identifiable by a loud click and then the partial-freezing of the OS). It's done me well, but definitely at the end of its life. With the coming of Windows 7 (October this year), I'm excited at the idea of bypassing Vista entirely... even if it means I'm gonna have to ride W7 RC1 for a while.

The list of new and exciting titles includes mostly sequels (to mostly good games):

BioShock 2 - its predecessor was a bit of a mixed bag, although this looks to be shaping up good. It'll include a co-op prequel mode as well, which could be hot shizzle.

Assassin's Creed 2 - okay, so I've never played the original. Yet. It's on my wish list. My current rig wouldn't be able to handle it. However, once I have a new PC, play through AC1, I'm sure this'll be worth 10-12 hours.

Diablo III - yes!

Starcraft II - yes! Blizzard seem to have opted for the episodic thang with this one, so this particular installment (Wings Of Liberty) will be the Terran campaign only.

Mass Effect 2 - I'd really like to see the second DLC for ME1 before thinking too hard about ME2 - it'd give me more reason to play through it again and thus put me in good stead for the sequel. ME2 does look really sexy though - forget J.J. Abrams Star Trek, Mass Effect is the real deal when it comes to space operas.

Thief 4 - can't believe they're making another. The first one is up there with the greats (and also the only one in the series I've completed), but the little I played of T3, well, it just lacked something.

Deus Ex 3 - never finished the first, although it was a great game. The second never appealed as much, but I might pick it up cheap one day. A refreshed take on this brief franchise might just work.

Dragon Age: Origins - the only truly new title. However, BioWare have said that it's the spiritual heir to the Baldur's Gate series. A bit like BioShock is to System Shock I guess. As with any high profile release that includes consoles (and this one is shooting for both XBox and PS3), I'm a little nervous about the 'dumb-down' factor, but BioWare have a good rep for giving PC editions the love and attention they deserve, e.g. Mass Effect.

There are loads more, of course. I'll never have the time...

Especially if the 2010 Playoffs are anywhere near as exciting as '09! The game last night (Cavs @ Orlando) was awesome. Of course, that may have had something to do with it being my first time watching b-ball at an all-American 'pub' (go figure) - I had fun. Don't think I'm gonna get an opportunity to watch the Lakers/Nuggets game tonight, but I'm pulling for Denver; Billups' game is tight right now, still got love for him despite the transfer.

Anyway, I'm off to watch the Champions League final shortly. Seems I've more interest in footie here in the States than at home. Not really sure I want to see Manchester win though...

Now that I understand this right

A busy two months have passed. Moving is allegedly only second to divorce when it comes to stress. I can only imagine, especially as my move hardly constitutes as truly 'moving' - most of my worldly possessions fit in eight boxes, lacking in real furniture, delicates and/or heirlooms. I don't plan to divorce any time soon.

Between packing, relocating, unpacking (sorta), cleaning, tidying, and settling, I've found virtually no time to think about writing anything remotely creative... an ideal that is surely proving this blog to be a complete fallacy. Instead, I've read a magnificent total of one fantasy book, become obsessed with a major US television series, played several games on my PC (for many many hours), laughed/cried at the Detroit Pistons, and listened to lots of Nas. (Of course, I'm choosing to ignore the immense amounts of work I've partaken in.)

The book was 'Iron Angel' by Alan Campbell. It's the sequel to his well-received debut, 'Scar Night', and the middle title in the Deepgate Codex trilogy. Scar Night was one of those novels I thought was genius until it began to lose its way somewhere during the climax; an unfortunate situation that happens all too much throughout myriad modern creative endeavours (the video game BioShock jumps to mind), and which always greatly depresses me. However, I'm happy to report that Iron Angel, whilst flawed, is an impressive comeback. Although it is overly burdened with 'middle book' syndrome - lacking any true resolution - and feels strangely disconnected from Scar Night, Campbell pulls no punches when expanding upon the excellent mythology hinted at in the previous title. I look forward to the concluding chapter, 'God Of Clocks'.

Much more of my time was spent watching the re-imagined series of Battlestar Galactica, as I'd bought the 'complete' boxset a while back - the inverted commas being indicative of the falsehood inherent in this claim. The set is in fact the first three seasons (along with the preceding miniseries) plus the first half of the fourth season. Of course, I was well aware of this deficiency before I invested, but cannot help feeling Universal is being unreasonably cheeky with its claim of 'Seasons 1-4'. C'est la vie.

The 'show' itself has had me hooked for the past month. The first two seasons are gritty, exciting, and, to my surprise, emotionally exhausting. I loved almost ever minute; especially William Adama and Saul Tigh - defo my two favourite characters. However, the third season is very wobbly. It has its high points, such as a run of episodes shortly after the season's opening, but is generally messy and ridiculous. In particular, the finale blows. (Oh dear, this appears to be another candidate for total-climax-failure...) Thankfully, the final season feels a little stronger, yet this will have to await true judgement as the second half will only be available come June. Fingers crossed.

Okay, I did plan to share my thoughts on Arx Fatalis, Fallout 3 and Nas, but I'm starting to lose the will. And I didn't really want to talk about the Pistons anyways. I'm feeling far too upset about the season in general. Plus it appears the Hawks are about lose to Miami. Boo. So I'll save my remaining commentary for another day. Probably in about three months or so. In the meantime, Firefly awaits.