The Mirkwood Expansion has arrived and already consumed all of my attention outside of work and sleep. Of course I'll try to make regular blog posts when I can, leaving updates of my adventures.

So far I've had a lot of fun, especially with the new Skirmishes. Already at the new level cap (going up five levels was not an epic undertaking). Grinding out reputation now and stocking up on crafting mats again. Whee.

If anyone stops in on Arkenstone, I'll most likely be on my loremaster, Arkadaemus. Come kill some gobbies with me.

Just a quickie post for the holidays. I'm between plates atm lol.

Give love and be safe.

...are great for ratings

Trying to find time and visit more often. Been working 70+ hours every week, which leaves little time for LOTRO and Left4Dead. Feel like a zombie most days, and hope noone puts a bullet in my head.

Hope everyone is doing well, maybe we can swap some war stories soon. Take care and be safe.

What can I say about this game that isn't a synonym of greatness? I LOVE THIS GAME!!! Shadows of Angmar is an awesome spectacle to behold. If any of you would like to meet up, I'm on the Arkenstone server under the names MARIK, NAHIRI, ERIMUTH, ASHLIE or ARKADAEMUS.

"One game to rule them all..."

Yes, you read correctly. I've expanded my blog The Loaded Clip over to MSN My Space. You can find it here at this link:

http://hitman187x.spaces.live.com/

Make sure to add this to your favorites! And please stop by a few times to give feedback so I can determine a direction to take. Thanks!

EDIT: Also please check out the extension of my union into MySpace. The link for it is here:

http://www.myspace.com/teameidos

I started that awhile back, but haven't had any time to work with it. I also need to brush up on my HTML, but it's looking pretty decent for the time being. If you have any ideas or helpful hints, please drop me a line. And thanks!

Greetings fellow GS peoples! I know it's been forever and a day since I've blogged, PM'ed, or made any kind of contribution around here. (been busy with work and stuff).  Just wanted to drop a line to anybody listening out there and say I'm keeping my head above the water, and hope to be able to come back sometime soon. I haven't found a computer yet, but that's in the works. I guess I could have got one last month, but instead I bought a Philips 42" Widescreen Flatpanel. And let me tell you, I wish I had one in every room of the house. Is it psychologically damaging to be in love with an inanimate object? That's ok, I'll just add that to the list of things to discuss with my doctor. But from now on, he's coming to my house for a session. If I'm going to lie on a couch, it'll be MY couch. So we can talk about things in front of my new love. Hey, that would be group therapy, huh?

I want to give a shout out to my friend Rachael, and a big congratulations on getting her union endorsed by Gamespot. You rule!

Peace, love and happiness, and be safe from evil.

My ex-boss finally run across his Nintendo screwdriver, so I was able to take apart my Gamecube for a thorough cleaning. After lubricating the laser's slide bar, it started playing like a champ. Three successful test runs on each game and I'm back playing Star Wars: Rogue Leader and Resident Evil.

Speaking of SW:RL, that game has given me a migraine. Games today seem to push our skill threshold to the brink and beyond. I'm all for challenges; in fact they're necessary for that feeling of accomplishment when defeating that last level or boss. But some gaming companies apparently test the difficulty levels with advanced AI. The moves and reflexes require computer timing, nanoseconds between button pushes and gentle guiding of the control stick measured by a micrometer. It's ridiculous. I play games to have fun, not run simulations to see how I really fare in Save-the-Universe superhero try outs. Games should not be so realistic in play when all we have to control our destiny are a few buttons and a stick. We certainly have more control in life; peripheral vision, smell, hearing, and touch allow us more response than a flat screen, surround sound, and vibrating joystick. Do I really want to adapt my body and mind to a computer-generated fantasy world so I can become the King of Nothing? There are games out there that cannot be beat without weeks of training to get down the proper timing of button combinations or stick bumping. Why? Why do the game companies put us through this? If I wanted a headache, I'd bang my head against the wall a few times and go have an ice cream. If I wanted that much stress and responsibility, I'd start a family.

Let's take a look at the definitions for playing games:

play: (verb) - to engage in sport or recreation; to amuse oneself

game: (noun) - activity engaged in for diversion or amusement

So in essence, we play games to have fun, and gaming just isn't fun anymore, certainly not the way it used to be. I find myself drawn back to the NES, where times were simpler. Save the Princess, rescue Super Joe, destroy Dracula, collect the Tri-Force. I play to have fun. That being said, I'm going to put on some soothing music and read a book. Maybe I'll save the world later.

Hope everyone has a safe and pleasant holiday full of joy. Please take care of yourself, and don't neglect your loved ones.

We've already opened our presents (tradition on the Eve) and right now it's midnight, and everyone is sleeping. I'm falling asleep myself writing this, but I plan on motivating in a minute and grabbing a bite to eat, then watching a movie or two, like the Santa Clause 1 + 2, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and The Ref.

So cheers to you all, deck the halls and that other stuff. And I'll see you around.

~ Jason

Yes, only ten more days until Christmas. It's going to be a small one this year. I have just enough money to buy my family a few presents, and I never expect anything in return. But this year I know it will be even less. I'm just happy to spend the season with loved ones, enjoying each others' company as we sip on hot chocolate and watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Santa Clause I and II, and of course, my all-time favorite: A Christmas Story. I'm so glad that TNT shows twenty-four hours of this classic; I usually watch at least twenty hours of it, just catnapping for an hour or so between feastings of the turkey and ham and dozens of other dishes prepared.

I've been a pretty good boy this year    and I'm not really asking for much. A new console or game is certainly out of the question; my list consists mainly of some jeans, sweat pants, house slippers, and something that is always on my mind: a new emblem for logging on to GS on Christmas Day! Wouldn't that be a hoot! I mean, if a turkey can have an emblem, why not Santa Claus? I can't wait to get on that morning and "unwrap" my profile and find something like this:

***SPOILER***

Oh well, a guy can dream, can't he? Sadly, that's about all I'm looking forward to this year. I guess if I were to have a wish this year, it would be to have a kiss on New Year's Eve at midnight. It's been way too many years since I've enjoyed something as wondrous as a simple kiss. I'll probably just be spinning a noise maker and yelling "woopty-doo" with faked enthusiasm, then put in a good movie to start the year off right.

I hope everyone out there get's what they've wished for. Please be safe, and have a wonderful holiday season.

I got my PS2 on the night of December 24, 2002. It's given me quite a few years of immense enjoyment, although the past couple of years has been fraught with peril. My friend is at Death's Door, on the verge of making that final journey to beyond. I've done what I could, keeping the lens clean, oiling the tracks, greasing the gears, and cleaning the fan. But in the last few months, none of this has made much of a difference.

So, this morning, I make the ultimate journey: dissecting the laser assembly itself. And when I say dissecting, I mean I took that little baby ALL the way apart, down to the main laser lens itself. Not the focusing lens, the small one on top that collects so much dust and gets brushed off by those cleaning CDs, or wiped clean with a Q-tip and glass cleaner or alcohol. I'm referring to the one that is four times that size, buried beneath the intricate circuitry. This was a foolish idea, and almost fatal. Oh, at the time, it seemed very sensible. The lens was covered with dust, probably what was causing all of the disc errors and making the drive assembly behave so erraticly, jumping back and forth with clicking, grinding gears. The motor and gear assembly for the drive was in good shape, I can assure you.

Now after cleaning, I realize my mistake. The focusing lens is attached by spring-mounted screws for adjustable tension. There were also a number of white, almost plastic- or wax-like protusions on the sides, several of which had broken off. These "blobs" provided support at a measured height. Without them the focusing lens was out of alignment, and the system would not be able to read the disc. I tried anyway, with an almost 20 degree cant to the top. Of course, my reward was "Disc Error". So I gave up. For about five minutes.

On to the coffee cup holding my old pencils and ink pens. Finding one with a spring in the tip, I took it apart and cut the spring in two. This I put in between the top and bottom sections of the laser assembly, with the screw right through the middle. Now I had my own leveling tension screw, and eyeballed the top until I was sastified with its proportions. After reconnecting the power and RF connectors, without putting it all back together of course, Resident Evil 4 loaded up without any hesitation. I'm still waiting for some hidden malice to rear its ugly head, but for the time being, a little ingenuity and a lot of luck saved the day. My PS2 is quiet, playable, and might last through another Christmas.

I hope everyone is paying attention to this story, and recognizes the considerable luck I had riding on this. All modesty aside, I wouldn't want to try this again; even though I'm sure I'll have to, I will do it a bit more apprehensively, and without my usual attitude of infallibility. Thanks for stopping by.

After going in circles with a wireless router for twelve hours in an attempt to set up my new network, I was not in a particularly good mood going into the biggest shopping day of the year. I followed the "simple" directions by the CD wizard, and chatted with a live assistant in tech support for over an hour, all to no avail. My PS2 also crashed, and my new Dell refused to load it's operating system. Then my Mom's laptop could not get authentication for signing on to the local dial-up internet. All in all, a very bad night for electronics in my neighborhood. Although there are only two other houses on my block, I guess I shouldn't speak for everyone. At least Ralph's garage door opener still worked.

When I was at my wit's end, and longed to just find solace in sleep and crash on the floor, my spirit was replenished. The One who gives me strength flooded my senses with light, and I saw my path. Soon, I had my PS2 fixed, I loaded up Windows XP Professional on my PC, and got online with the laptop. The wireless network would still not work, but that was an issue out of my hands. It's going back today as a refund.

So finally, I began my journey into the heart of chaos. It was not a long trip. After enjoying a festive breakfast with an old friend, I went to one store - Office Depot - and spent several hundred on electronics for myself. Believing this to be enough, I fled to the safety of my home, away from the brawls and riots, police-enforced mob lines, and money-hungry credit card readers.

Just another Friday, and things go back to normal. I'm tired. Thank you, Light-of-my-life. Hope everyone has a safe weekend.

Only one more month to go and I'll be level 21! Unless I do something stupid and get modded. Guess I better watch my p's and q's. What's a p and q anyway? What the heck does that have to do with getting in trouble? How come parents are always saying, "Keep your nose clean!"??? Will I get in trouble if I don't? Are boogers evil? Most crazy people listen to the "voices" in their heads. I've NEVER heard anyone say, "The booger made me do it!" Hey, maybe the original Boogeyman was really Boogerman, and his name was changed through years of poor translation. How did we get on this line of thought? I need some sleep. Where's my medication? Oh no! The booger took it all! *rolls tissue into crucifix* Begone demon! The power of Kleenex compells you!

ATTENTION: From this point on (for you frequent viewers   ) I will use the WP prefix to announce any new wallpapers I've uploaded. Thank you for stopping by, and have a nice day.

Leon and Ada      1024x768    800x600

This particular piece was inspired by another wallpaper I have, but I wanted to break away from the monochrome and add a little color.

I don't know what's gotten into me lately, but all I want to do with my free time is work with my Photoshop. So I figure while I'm at it, I may as well share some of my stuff with the world. Hey, I know this stuff isn't DaVinci material; I'm just pasting together pictures from movies, but I'm having fun, and I might just put together something that someone out there actually likes well enough to use on their desktop. At any rate, once I have a few more of these I'll be putting together a gallery for viewing and downloading. Probably in a couple of weeks, depending on how fast I work.

So without further ado, here are this week's submissions:

Alice and the dog    1024x768     800x600

The many faces of Alessa    1024x768     800x600

And speaking of submissions, my last Umbrella wallpaper (see below) got accepted at evilunleashed.com. It won't be up until they get Version 3 of the site going, but it's still in there. Groove.

Thanks for stopping by!

I cannot wait for this movie to come out in January! Growing up, this was my favorite comic book. Of ALL time! Rock on brother! We're gonna kick some butt!

What a hot head....

Got a light?

Just a little something I threw together this morning.

If you'd like a copy, you can right click on the links below to download from my host at imagecave.com.

1024 x 768     800 x 600

Also, if you have any requests, or just some feedback, drop me a line. I'd be happy to hear from you!

I really appreciate your support for me over the past couple of days. It's nice to know there are still good people out there.

So from me to you:

(except to you fellas; I'll just give you a hand shake! )