Recently I started playing Elder Scrolls IV (I know it came out a while ago). I have to admit it is quite fun. Albeit training your character can be tedious, the sense of adventure is great. I prefer the way this game is to MMOs since you don't have to deal with annoying snobs calling you a "noob" (I refuse to spell it with "leet" figures). Nevertheless, online interaction aside, it does bring me back to the days when I played Asheron's Call in my dad's office with my brother back in high school. Anyway, I am an Argonian-which is a reptilian group that doesn't seem to drown (I know, usually water=instant death in video games).

I need to explore and investigate more parks and historic sites. I also need to finally actually go camping in my life. Hopefully I will find time for these and they would be enjoyable.

I was reading Plutarch the other day and noticed a story about Solon that I had heard at some point before. It's about how a Lydian king wanted to impress the Greek law-giver with his wealth. Solon was not taken and in fact lectured him about how happiness cannot be measured in a person until that individual is dead. I find that quite a fascinating point of view on life. Plus I admire Solon for being unfazed. It is very irksome how a great deal of Americans need to boast. Anyway, I can't exactly remember when I last heard that story but it was rewarding to recognize it.

I've been researching a game I used to play on Windows 3.1 but could not find any answers. From what I recall it was point-and-click (I think) style with a purple and black general pattern to the scenes. It was a spooky game where you tried to find clues to some sort of mystery maybe. It was set in a house with a Victorian feel to it. The closest game that may have in fact inspired it was something called Mystery House. I know it was not this game because the screen-shots of that game look more primitive than the game I'm trying to remember. The Colonel's Bequest is another game that seems somewhat like it from my findings except that the game I remember seemed to have more paranormal elements than Colonel. Some details I can think of from the game in question include a scene outside near a shack or something with a creepy farmer/maintenance guy (holding a pitchfork?). There was a dining room and some kind of bedroom that had either a ghost of a woman or dead woman or something laying on a bed.

Hopefully this description helps. I've already searched archives of related communities but haven't found anything yet: I'm going to try and post in them.

Good to be back. My internet hadn't been working for awhile. My family recently got a new computer, and, after doing setup, the information superhighway has returned to my house! Work has been pretty much the same; still no full-time job (sigh).

Let me give my congratulations to the Phillies! I had been waiting my entire life for such an event. It's all the more awesome since there had been so much heartache in Philadelphia sports for the last quarter century.

For Halloween I dressed as the Wireless Wizard from Teen Girl Squad! If anyone ever wants to see photos from it I'll post. I has hoping to go somewhere but couldn't think of anywhere so I just hung out at my house and then with Abbey.

At some point I'd like to get studio monitors to assist with my music making. I've been wanting to just sit down and grind out a work of music but my "space" (not room) is always being subject to entropy from people in my house putting stuff all around the instruments and such. In other technological news my house got a component cord for the ps2 so it will have better picture and not have to be switched with the rca cords of other electronics . . . exciting. Until next time.

I've been playing Shining Force lately. If you don't know what that is it is a really fun role-playing game for Sega. In addition to revisiting the original I also finally got to beat Shining Force CD. You see, for my birthday when I was 12 I got Shining Force CD for the Sega CD, it was so awesome! The problem, however, was that you needed a backup cartridge to do any significant saving of files. For some reason, we didn't get that backup cart and my dad returned the game. It's funny because maybe later that year or the next year we finally did get a backup cart. Unfortunately, ever since then, Shining Force CD has been impossible to find for a reasonable price. It was not until last year, that I found a very cheap copy with no case or anything that I was finally able to play it again. Of course I don't always have time for video games anymore. But some time last month I started getting into it again and it was exciting beating both stories.

In other thoughts, I wish people would have more respect for Philadelphia, PA. I think it is the most interesting city to visit in America. I'm so sick of people criticizing our nation's birthplace for having rude people . . . there are droves of rude Americans everywhere in this country! Plus I don't think a city has to be the biggest to be the best. This city has a certain feeling of life you don't get in the more obvious American cities. The problem is that too many Americans lack a sense of history and they completely ignore the great aspects of Philadelphia.

Nothing too significant. Even though I don't fish and wouldn't want to ever hurt them (they may not have as advanced a nervous system as mammals but how do we know if a fish feels some sort of pain or not?), I need to get a 2008 PA fishing license for the purpose of catching aquatic insects for my job. Should be fun.

Today I subbed a half-day. Thankfully the regular teacher was in the building and was back and forth to make sure the students didn't get too unruly. But the school also did two different drills that I never had in middle school (or any others for that matter). First there was a lock-down drill where people had to be silent and away from the door (imagine that: students being quiet . . . if only they could normally be like that). Then later on there was a severe weather drill where they sit against lockers. An interesting thing was that the classroom had an enviroscape (it's this model that demonstrates how pollution affects watersheds): I've used them countless times working at Green Lane Nature Center.

Fairly soon I plan to work on some music since I haven't had much time to do so lately.

Until next time.

I finally got around to watching The Office on TBS. They were showing the episode with Phyllis' shower. The Ben Franklin guy is awesome. Then I watched just the opening sequence of the next episode and it was when Jim did the Pavlov thing training Dwight to ask for Altoids upon computer shut down. Hence I had to post this and use my icon!

In terms of jobs I went back to subbing after a break following the season's end of my naturalist job. So I'm still hoping to find a full time job. It's annoying since I graduated college almost 3 years ago.

Random Fact: Mynocks reproduce by mitosis.

My housekeeping wounds have been healing slowly but at least somewhat. Today I was cleaning and organizing two book-shelves in my living room. It was pretty cool to see some of the assorted nick-knacks I hadn't seen in some time such as a few inevitable random legos, this 1976 election Jimmy Carter pin that I may or may not have mentioned on Livejournal sometime in the past, various candles, etc.

As a heads up to my livejournal friends, I will soon add some photos from my recent trip to Bermuda.

By the way, has anyone ever heard this one compilation of industrial (from what I remember) covers of '80s music with a rendition of the Soviet Hammer and Sickle on the cover (called '80s 2.0 or something). For some reason I always think of it synonymously with Covenant's Europa. The whole point to this is that when I heard said song I thought of that cd.

Today with Abbey at work I was doing some basic work at home. Updating and checking websites was one thing (which is far too time consuming). I was also transporting the never-ending supply of papers, books, magazines, etc. that I will try to use for my teaching (if one day I actually get a job). However, while doing so it was extremely hot and I was feeling dizzy. Unfortunately, I fell and really scraped my right arm badly. It was extremely painful. Oh well, hopefully my skin will heal fine. I also managed to write some more ideas for my soundtrack for my brother's horror/suspense movie. I can't wait to actually have something finished for that.

-Greg

N.B. I realized that my entry titles can be quite lengthy. I apologize to everyone out there.