Not sure if anybody ever picked up Into The Black, I finished that two book series and am looking forward to the third when ever it is released. SO, I moved on to Wool , winner of the 2012 Kindle Indi Book Of The Year. To say I blasted through this would be a understatement. Then, last week I picked up the second book Shift , I think I read it even faster than Wool.

Wool: Omnibus addition is actually Wool 1-5 combined into one book. Shift Omnibus is Shift 1-3 in one book. The third and final book Dust, no idea of a release date. I can not say enough how much I have enjoyed these books.

Now, as I wait for two "final" books, I used Amazon's feature of "if you bought this, you would like....." and ended up with Extinction Point , this book starts of very fast and throws you right into it. Very short read, about 300 pages. I'm 25% in (started last night) and so far so good. Only reason why I did not read more last night was because I just could not keep my eyes open any longer after a long week so far.

As my desire to game has almost completely fallen apart, I find that I am reading more and more, almost can't get enough of it, I fogot just how much I LOVE it! What books can you all reccomend? I'm open to pretty much anything, but tend to stick to mostly fiction.

Oh, and if I remember correctly, someone here, maybe JohnS knew someone who put a book out last year... something about a watch? Anybody know of this, it was someone from GS.

Some other books I also recently read..

World War Z

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Abraham Lincoln : Vampire Hunter

Time Ship

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The Hobbit

John Carter

Tarzan

And the Hunger Games series

I rarely ever ask for anything from the gaming community, but today I ask for a favor. If you have time, and are interested, I help run, and maintain the Youtube and Facebook pages for Controlled Demolition, and we need more followers!

Please help a gamer out and follow those pages

This has been a public service announcement, you will now be returned to what ever else you were doing.

Time to start thinking about my upcoming vacation in June/July. We are doing another river cruise, this time visiting Switzerland, Germany, France, Luxembourg and Amsterdam. One of the many things I am looking forward to is THIS Once you go to that page, click on the little gallery pic to see what I'm talking about.

In gaming,

After my huge game purge, I did pick up two titles, one is Kerbal Space Program (on steam), fun, HARD, different kind of game. Also, Stacey and I have taken our first dive into MMO's with Defiance. So far, so good.

Goodbye...

FarCry 3

Dishonored

NHL 13

NASCAR The Line

BLOPS 2

LEGO LOTR

Just like that you are gone, what you have left behind is $130 towards future adventure. BattleField 3, you just barley made the cut.

Tiger Woods 2014, you sexy beyotch, I'm ready for you.

Stacey was gone this weekend, that can only mean one thing, another building bites the dust.

I have come to a horrible conclusion about me being a gamer, I am a bored gamer. There, I said it, I pretty much have no interest in gaming at the moment.I mean, I have plenty of good games in my collection, Dead Space 3, Tomb Raider, BF3, SimCity (ya, I said SimCity is a good game) MLB The Show 13.... but I have this extremely heavy feeling of "been there, done that" with all of them.

I'm sitting here kicking around the feelings that, maybe I am done with gaming, maybe I need to move on to a new hobby, maybe I just need to walk away for a bit? I have a stronger desire to fill my mouth with Jalapeno peppers, than to play anything out on the market rigiht now. I really only play online with one person, even though I have about 40 on my friends list, and I know it's because I have no common interest in any of the games those friends are playing.

I also think some of it has to do with the amount of time I spend here on GS, I am coming up on my 8th year here, have seen it go through many changes, and have participated on many levels. In my opinion, this place has turned into a puddle of hate. Gamers aren't happy with anything, GS can't do anything right, and every day it's the same ole- same ole....

The one forum I hang at, is dominated by Brits, with the time difference there is a lot of slow time there, and they talk funny so I have been spending less and less time there as well. AND, one of the members is female, so obviously she knows nothing about gamers so who am I supposed to talk with?

What is a gamer to do? Should I trade in my systems and just wait until the next gen has to offer? Should I keep them and just hope something comes along to spark my intereset again? Or do I just throw my arms up in the air and scream "WHY MEEEEEEEEE! WHY!!!!!!!!"

EDIT: 

OH... almost forgot. Yesterday I saw this awesome vehicle on the road near my house.

Before I dive into what I'm sure will probably end up in a barrage of flames, I need to say that I am in no way defending game publishers, I am just pointing out something I have noticed, and it bothers me.

Three weeks ago SimCity was released, unless you just returned from a month long dive in the Mariana Trench, then you know the launch did not go well. Many gamers, including myself, experienced multiple issues with the horrid, evil, always on DRM and game bugs. The ensuing uproar, and shouts of "down with EA" could be heard through the vacuum of space.

Lets be honest, we have all bought SOMETHING in the past that either did not work the way it was supposed to, or just did not meet our expectations. We have all had to return something, or exchange a item for one that worked, or for one of a equal value. I am willing to bet that in 99.99% of those situations, you did not also keep the item/product that you originally bought.

So, what I'm asking is.... why do gamers demand, and EXPECT a publisher to not only FIX the game that was released with bugs (as they should), but also then ask for something "free" in return for all the pain, suffering and mental anguish that they were subjected to? Why should you get more in return? If you bought a shirt, and when you got home you noticed a small tear in it, do you return to where you bought it demanding a replacement shirt, plus another shirt? Do you go after the people that made the shirt, or just the place where you bought it from?

If you go see a movie, and you walk out afterwards disapointed, do you go see the manager asking for ticket to a different move, along with a refund of the money you already paid? Do you then also contact the studio that made the movie, demanding a ticket to a current, or future release?

Why does it seem to me that game studios and publishers are unfairly singeld out when situations like this happen? I understand that things like this should not happen, but at the same time I don't feel that I am owed "more" than a working product once the issues have been pointed out.

I know the argument is "Well if we don't complain, and don't demand, then we will continue to get poor quality products". I'm sure there is some truth to that, I just don't know if demanding more than our initial investment is the right way to go about it.

So after what seems like the past 8 yrs of Stacey having no local jobs, she finally had one this past weekend. Sunday, she and her company took down THIS Natural Gas holder, just north of downtown Baltimore, MD.

******** ATTENTION ********

The following comments are my own opinions, they may, or may not match yours.

**************************

So there I was last night, so excited for the Sony announcement. We all knew it was going to be about the PS4, but even knowing that, the gamer within MADE me stream the "meeting". Stream might be the wrong word, unsless the word "stream" means "watch a stop motion video where the audio just could never catch up", but that's a different story....

I will keep this short and to the point. Yes, I will be getting the PS4 when it comes out, not because I am a "fanboy", but because that's what I do, I buy new shiny fun things to play with, and that's where this story goes south.

In todays world where leaks about new products are common place, or maybe even part of a greater marketing tool, we already had loads of information about the PS4. If you looked hard enough, you could find info about streaming games, social sharing and even "letting your friends play your game". So last nights "meeting" (for me) was not so much about what this new toy could do, but what was it going to look like, how much is it going to be, and maybe most important, when will it be available.

Three things I really wanted to know, am I the only one that is disappointed waking up today knowing those questions went unanswered? Ya, ya, "Holiday Season 2013" thanks again for the breaking news...

The best way I can describe my feelings are "I went to a car show, expecting to see the new models, when I entered the showroom I was presented with a steering wheel and information about what type of mechanics it will take to work on the cars", No tires to kick. It can't be good when the day after Sony is already apologizing for not having something more to show.

I tured off my stuttering stream last night with one feeling, "there go 2 hrs of my life I will never get back" 

Back to the rumor mills for me.

/semi rant

That is all.......

Hello Costa Rica resort, I will see you in 24hrs...

Hi....

My Name is Bob, and in two days my home team, the NFL's Baltimore Ravens will play in a big game.

Also, 

In 7 days I will be in Costa Rica for some much needed fun in the sun.

Carry on.

Oh, and in BREAKING NEWS..... I have not completed any of the games in my backlog.

Just when I was tricked into thinking 2013 had gotten off to a good start, I got punched in the teeth, and kicked in the balls.

NOTE: Not in reality, just hypothetically.

As 2012 came to a close I was in some really good discussion with management at my company about the reasons why I was not going to get paid any sales commissions that I earned during the year. I really thought they saw the light on their thought process, and where they made critical mistakes in the interpreation of my sales plan. As we crossed the date line into 2013 I was told "We see your point, and will go back and review everyting"

Today I was told I would not be getting nearly $14k in sales commission from last year, with no real explination as to why. It is what it is and I have to move on, get over it, so I am told. And, my sales plan for 2013 will be coming to me "sometime in the near future"...... LMAO...

Also.... ahhhhh never mind.

Ahh, a new year, a new beginig of sorts. I'm not going to bore you with a long list of things I want to change, or accomplish in 2013, but I have picked two that I want to mention.

1) I have a long list of games that I started in 2012, that I never finished. I am just talking about the SP portions of these games.

• Skyrim
• Dishonored
• FarCry 3
• BF3
• BLOPS2
• NASCAR Inside The Line
• ICO

I need one of you to pick (2) games for me to focus on.

2) I had a horrible year last year at work, strictly speaking of sales commissions. I wanted to start 2013 off with a more positive attitude, which I have, but something went wrong very early this morning that has already put me down.

I got to the office today (I come in once, maybe twice a week) for a 7am meeting with my boss. This is not a new thing, we both like to get stuff done early. Well, as it was getting close to 7am, as in 6:55am, I realized my boss was still not here. This is very odd, as he is early for EVERYTHING. Well, I also noticed that my meeting reminder did not pop up from OutLook, our email system. SOOOO.... I decided to check my Outlook calendar to make sure the meeting was actually today.... it is... just not 7am, but 10am! Ya, getting here very early today was a big huge fail

Hope you all had a great NYE!

To say that I can't wait for 2012 to be over would be the understatement of the year. As many of you know, I lost a very close friend to cancer in June, a cousin to cancer in August, and mixed through out the year 3 other people I know passed away from various issues. I suffered a 50% pay drop from a very confused industry which lead to having no commissions and impossible to reach revenue goals.

On the bright side, I knocked five countries off my list. Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and the Dominican Republic were all AMAZING places to visit. My girlfriend remains to be my best friend and most amaizng person I might ever know. We celebrated our 10th yr together this November, can't wait for the next 10!

Got some good gaming in, and really had a chance to push our new gaming PC to it's limits with BF3, F1 2012 and Starcraft II, all pretty awesome games. As for my GOTY...hmmm, I guess it would have to be FarCry 3. I'm no way close to being finished with it, but it's lots of fun and well done.

The Baltimore Orioles and now the Baltimore Ravens both made it to their playoffs, it's been a great time to live in/near Baltimore!

2013 is looking much, much better. I already have more sales booked than I had all of last year so the job thing seems bright. We are going to Costa Rica in Feb for 7 days, and then in June/July we will be back in Europe visiting Germany, Luxembourg, France, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium. Luxembourg, Switzerland and Belgium three countries we have not been to yet.

Games I'm looking forward to.... GTA5, SimCity and maybe the new xbox?

Oh, weight loss goal: I wanted to drop 55lbs, I did not make it. I lost 35lbs, but now have put 10lb back on. Looks like I know what I will be doing again in early 2013. Look out gym, I'm coming back at ya!

I completed my first,(and only) 5k run. I don't know what's wrong with people that run, but they should all be locked up.

That is all, 2012 over and out! Hope you all have a fun, safe NYE!

With the recent events here in the states, another horrible, senseless school shooting, the inevitable ties between the event, and video games just had to come out. There was no other choice, video games are the cause of all evil right?

With that said, and with so many people wanting to point the finger and our hobby, I decided to take a good look at myself, things I have done in real life based on what I have done in video games. Ya, I could not find anything. BUT I did find something even more shocking, more terrifying than I could ever have expected. Real world life, has made me do things in games, games have made me do nothing in real life!

I know wow.

Let me give you some examples:

1) Last night while playing FarCry 3, I planted a road side bomb, and blew up a passing jeep. I have also done this multiple times in BF3. I wonder where I got that idea? Maybe watching the news about the wars around the world and seeing that tactic used in real life?

2) In a video game, I once drove a NASCAR around in a circle for 2 hrs. I saw that on TV too but have never done it in real life.

3) While playing FallOut 3 I walked into a building and cleared it out, I will leave it to your imagination on how I did it. Again, events in the real world made me do it.

4) In Viva Pinata I planted trees and a entire garden! Know why? Because I saw my neighbor do it in his real life yard.

5) I was once in NYC and saw a cabbie driving like a stockcar racer. Know what I did? When I got home I played some GTA4, stole a cab, and drove through the city like a complete a-hole.

6) While playing NHL 13 I started a fight with another player because I saw this happen on TV during a real game.

The list can go on and on, I hope its easy to see how real life has influenced my gaming life. Im really pissed off, because normally I would not do all that bad stuff I think I need to sue society for making me a bad person in virtual reality.

Ya, boooo for me, going to Chicago this weekend for a quick, one night visit with my Mom and sister for a "holiday" dinner.... because I was not here for T-Day and won't be going home for X-Mas. What is wrong with these people, it's COLD IN CHICAGO!

I finally made the jump to 4G yesterday, picked up the new HTC DNA phone, so far I LOVE IT!

Everybody have a great weekend.....

GO RAVENS!

So here I sit, all nice and relaxed after five beautiful days in Jamaica, not even the threat of 2 inches of snow today can shake my calm. You know why? Because in 71 days I will be here......

Costa Rica here we come! This place is part of our Vacatin Club, and we used our air miles program to pay for our flights, 7 days of sun and fun!

Games, wait, what? Ya, I still play. How did I not hear that a new Ratchet & Clank game came out today? And Far Cry 3 next week! Way. way to many games in my back log right now.

Books: I read, and finished World War Z while on vacation, thout it was good, and a interesting way to tell a story.

New phone ; So the time has come for me to get a new phone, I'm looking hard at the new HTC DNA, anybody play with one of these yet?

That is all, hope everybody has a great week!

In two days, I will be here, in Jamaica!

A nice five days of sun, and some quality time with Stacey and my Kindle. To all my stateside friends, have a GREAT thanksgiving!

Oh, something weird happened yesterday....... I started playing BLOPS II. Can someone PLEASE explain to me the Strike Force missions, holy confusion batman.