sirandrew: (Default)
Other than a Tony Romo Jersey, all I honestly could want for Christmas is this...

http://www.blockaderunner.com/other/gift.html

Yeah, gift certificates for reenacting.  Cause right now, I don't have the money to get anything to improve my reenacting gear.  So, yeah, I pretty much get myself anything else I want or need, so if anyone cares to get me anything for Christmas, that is it.   You might even be able to claim it on your taxes (Seriously, if you buy one of these for me I'll send you the paperwork and tell you how/why). 
sirandrew: (gods)
37-27 over the now 10-2 Packers!  Cowboys in control of their own destiny for home field throughout the playoffs!  BEST COWBOYS RECORD IN TEAM HISTORY!  
HOW BOUT THEM 11-1 COWBOYS!!!!!!!

One step closer to losing to the Patriots in the Super Bowl!!!!

P.S. It's ok Packer's fans, Aaron Rodgers doesn't suck.  When Zombie-Favre finally runs out of gas, you're ok.
sirandrew: (gods)
I have the NFL Network.  They are not showing the Dallas-Green Bay game on the NFL Network in Montgomery. 

They are instead showing a special on high school football in Harper's Mill Ohio. 

Wow.

Foggy Day

Nov. 28th, 2007 08:06 pm
sirandrew: (Default)
I really liked the Mist. 

Honestly, as a movie, it was ok.   The story was decent and the film was well made.  However, I loved the fact that Frank Darabont again proved that he was the best adaptor of book to film that is currently working in Hollywood.  Darabont just about literally translated King's novella to the screen, word for word, image for image, and I loved him for it.  I liked King's story when I read it as a kid, and when I read it I imagined all the things he described and formed a mental image of the characters, events and creatures in his tale.  What gets me so much about Darabont's movie is that the images that King described were EXACTLY what appeared in the film.  Even the monsters were spot on exact, to the letter what King had laid out.  The only major thing Darabont changed was the end, but even King has been quoted as saying of the end "If I'd have thought of that I'd have written it that way." 

Yeah, I'm happy.  I'm even happier because Darabont's next project is Farenheit 451.  I could think of no one, no one at all that I'd rather have adapting that book to screen. 

Next Hand

Nov. 24th, 2007 10:29 pm
sirandrew: (Auburn)
Auburn 17, Alabama 10 in one of the worst played Iron Bowls I've ever seen.  Doesn't matter, all that matters is six in a row. 

WAR DAMNED EAGLE.  

Sadly, work and promise to watch the Iron Bowl with a special someone kept me from seeing Gabe tonight.  Hopefully that can get remedied on Tuesday or possibly Wedensday, both days I've got off. 
sirandrew: (Ayeeee)
So, get this.  Circuit City plans to let a limited number of people in the store at a time.  Yeah, you heard that right.  There'll be a line and we'll have security only letting customers in by fours at a time after the initial rush of 100 vouchered people are invited in the front door.  So four people in only when four people leave.  We will then have internal lines where before you buy you must submit your voucher one at a time and then listen to a sales associate pitch warranties and accessories.  No one is allowed to lay hands on any item in the store until they have stood tall before an employee and heard a pitch, one at a time.  Yeah....

It'll all be ok though.  We saw a corporate video showing a polite Circuit City employee explaining the system to the customers and they all smiled and nodded and then began to diligently check their circulars.  It was all happy and bouncy in the video.  Every customer was polite and understanding and there wasn't even anyone upset when the outside line associates ran out of vouchers.  There were also  balloons, candy cane forests, rivers of chocolate, and lovable talking teddy bears.

I actually laughed hysterically at that point in the video and asked our store manager to quit showing the joke video and show us video of how we're really going to do things.  Sadly, there was no other video forthcoming.

We're all going to die.

The Knot

Nov. 11th, 2007 06:19 pm
sirandrew: (Default)
Well, yesterday at Tallassee I asked Deborah to marry me.  She said yes.  I made sure to make it as embarassing as possible and do it in front of a lot of people.  Needless to say I'm enormously pleased. 

The wedding itself will be December 21, 2008.  A great many of you are of course invited.  I think I've just about contacted all my groomsman and the best man position is well occupied.  Ling's got a long time to organize a bang up bachelor party. 

Anyway, it's fantastic and exciting.  I will add more details later if I'm not lazy or making posts about how the Cowboys owned the Giants hardcore. 
sirandrew: (Default)
Emperor of Mankind Announces Candidacy for President

WASHINGTON - In a move that shocked many Washington Insiders, The Emperor of Mankind (Immortal Master of All Humanity) announced that he will seek the Presidency in the upcoming 2008 elections.

"The time has come for my reign to begin." announced the Emperor at an 8:00am press conference outside his home near Arlington Virginia with his wife Connie at his side. "Dallying with a series of petulant and ineffective rulers tires me.  This nation, and this world shall be mine, and I will lead humanity into a new golden age."

The Emperor wasted no time outlining several broad policies for the future of the country.

"I shall lead this nation forward without hesitation.  The enemies of the United States will be ground beneath the heels of my legions.  I will spread the flag of my new Imperium to the four corners of the globe and will unite humanity under the standard of the Eagle and the Thunderbolt.  All that choose to join me in my crusade will see a humanity that has been blessed with a glorious new age.  All that oppose me shall be brought low"

Along with the Emperor's promises on a firmer and more aggressive foreign policy, the Emperor also outlined sweeping plans to improve social security, expand health care, reducing the national debt and providing for government sanctioned maternity leave for pregnant mothers.

Few had speculated that the Emperor would add his weight to an already crowded Presidential field.  Experts claim that the Emperor was likely driven by a general sense of voter apathy concerning the candidates from both parties.

"He's announcing a bit late, but it might be the right time for him." said Political Science professor Mary Dobson of Princeton, "Few voters have found a candidate that they can identify in the upcoming elections, and the Emperor appeals to many voters desire for something different.  It will be interesting to see how public opinion swings once the debate season heats up."

The announcement met with a mixed response from the 2008 Presidential field.

"He's an interesting man, but there's a difference between talk and a proven record of leadership." quipped Republican frontrunner Rudy Giuliani, "I was the mayor of a major metropolitan area during the greatest crisis this nation has ever faced.  Other than giving himself a lofty title of 'Emperor' what has he done that qualifies him to be President of the United States?"

Giuliani's challenge to the Emperor was echoed by Arizona Senator John McCain who called on him to "Attend tonight's Republican debate and explain just how his plans to deal with international terrorism and the Iraq war are superior."

McCain also attacked the Emperor's plan to create an army of genetically enhanced super soldiers to defeat his enemies, calling it a "Tax and spend boondoggle that could sink the entire economy." he also asked, "What is a 'Primarch' anyway?  It sounds as if the Emperor is just creating pink elephants to distract the American people from what is essentially hollow policy."

When asked to comment on McCain's challenge, the Emperor produced the severed head of Al Queda leader Osama bin Laden and threw it to the ground in front of startled reporters.

"My qualifications speak for themselves." announced the Emperor.  Republican candidates could not be reached for any further comments.

The Emperor faired little better on the Democratic side of the aisle.  While most Democratic candidates could not be reached for comment, front runner Hillary Clinton was quick to attack the Emperor.

"The Emperor may say he's an alternative, but he's really just more of the same." she explained, "We've had four years of an overly aggressive foreign policy overextending our reach and distracting us from taking care of things that matter to everyday Americans.  This call for a 'Great Crusade' is pure and simple Imperialism.  What else would you expect from a man who calls himself an 'Emperor'?"

The Emperor's response to Clinton was surprisingly candid.

"You may call my policies Imperialist because they are just that.  I will not rest until all of mankind is united under my banner and the very stars are filled with the light of humanity.  Raise high the Aquilla my children, none shall stand before might of Terra!"

The Emperor then went on to promise firm leadership with a strong encouragement of family values.  He also promised to "throw all religion onto the ash heap of history" and swore that he would not rest "until the last priest is cleansed by the blinding light of Imperial Truth."  a promise that is sure to trouble many Conservative Christians.

"He's got a long way to go with the religious right, but I think he has a chance." speculated Dobson, "He's charismatic and he believes very strongly in what he's doing.  Also, voters will find the honesty he's delivered so far to be a refreshing change from business as usual in Washington."



sirandrew: (gods)
My current stream of conciousness about the now 5-0 Cowboys....

Wow.  I guess my sacrifices to the football gods worked.  We played the worst possible game that we could play and we still beat the Bills by one.  I guess Wade Phillips was owed one for the Music City Miracle. 

Damn it Romo, why did you keep missing Jones and Barber wide open for the screen ALL DAMNED NIGHT.  Every time he threw it to them they ran for 8+ yards.  They managed to get into his head and he got Witten fixation.  Quit trying to force the damned game Romo, just do what you do. 

Are you telling me we missed a 2 point conversion with 20 secs to go...then recovered an onside kick, and managed, without timeouts, to get within field goal range and then hit a 50+ field goal TWICE to win by one?  No, I don't believe you.  I saw it and I don't believe it.  I was dreaming.  You're never going to convince me, 20 years from now that this happened.  I'm going to insist to my grave that the Cowboys won this 34-7. 

Talking heads keep comparing Romo to Favre.  Never was that more apt than this game.  Just like Favre, Romo's capable of awesome improvisational plays, and also capable of getting too flustered and forcing balls into a 5 INT game.  Fortunately the Bills were so bad that we managed to beat them anyway. 

I hope we got our crappy game out of the way. 

I have a man crush on Nick Folk.

Stat of the game: 3...that's the number of points the Bills offense scored on the Cowboys.  Pretty nuts in a 25-24 matchup.

WTF!  First Urban Meyer pulls the call a time out right before the kick trick in Auburn-Florida, and now Dick Juron does it to the Cowboys tonight.  That crap needs to be outlawed..now.  I shouldn't have been forced to endure that twice in a row.  Even more insane, in both instances the tactic didn't work and the kickers came through. 

Did I mention that I have a man crush on Nick Folk?

Now we get to lose to the Patriots.  We've got a long way to go before we can take them.  Good thing the season's not over and we get some injuries back after the bye.

How bout them Cowboys!   I guess that deserves to be said, even after a really badly played game. 

Willie

Oct. 1st, 2007 04:08 pm
sirandrew: (Default)
Willie died today.  She was 11, not terribly young, but not terribly old either.  She, like Puss and Chessie before her, died of kidney failure.  It was sudden, a lot more than the other cats.  She deteoriated over the course of weeks, not months or years like the others.  Apparently she was a tough little girl and her kidneys worked overtime to keep her going till they just couldn't hold up anymore.    She was young for it, but the doctor said that it just happens sometimes, just the way some people live longer than others.  Nothing that could've been done. 

Clearly this is not a good day.
sirandrew: (Auburn)
Auburn 20, #4 Florida 17. 

Beating Florida when they're ranked in the top ten, an Auburn tradition. 

War Damned Eagle.
sirandrew: (gods)
Thirty four points on the Bears (should've been 48). Twenty-seven of those points being scored by offense. Tony Romo throwing for more than 300 yards....on the Bears.  Terrell Owens showing the world what happens when even the Bears defense tries to play man against him. Moving at will on the stifiling, smothering, NFC Champion,  terror of the midway Bears, in their house.  Can I get a "How bout them Cowboys"? 

To be fair, the Bears Offense was positively anemic, but they've been that way for the better part of the last two years.  The Boys defense, which is still not what it should be, did an admirable job holding them down.  I knew that we'd be able to do that, knowing Grossman.  What worried me, obviously, was the Bears Defense.  I thought we'd have a pretty hard fought battle with them, hopefully scoring 17 or so points and praying that'd be enough.  However, the Dallas offense continues to surprise and impress me, and they absolutely shredded the Bears defense about as much as any team has over the last two years.  Seriously, if it wasn't for all the Cowboys penalties and Patrick Crayton dropping a sure, in his numbers, TD we'd have hung 48 points on the Bears, in Chicago.  All this from a Cowboys offense lacking it's third best player.  Yes, I say third best.  Tony Romo is edging out Jason Witten now.  He's for real, absolutely for real.  I always had my doubts about Romo, but they're erased now.   Jerry Jones needs to hand him a contract tomorrow before he starts asking for $100 mil. 

The rest of the season looks bright now.  The Cowboys are the best team in the NFC and they're in the drivers seat in the east.  It's a long way to go before we prove we can hang with the AFC teams, but even they aren't looking like their old selves right now (excepting the Pats).  Still damned early in the season, but damned if it isn't an exciting time to be a Cowboy. 

And yes, I know Auburn sucks this year.   Frankly, at this moment, I don't care.

One more thing.  I need John Madden's job.  Seriously.  Every time I said something during the game to Deborah, Madden repeated me verbatim seconds later.  If I can throw out the same color commentary that Madden does, then I seriously want to start bidding on his spot.  I will do it for $75k a year, travel expenses, medical and dental and a retirement plan.  Lets see Madden low ball that.  Seriously NBC, give me a call. 
sirandrew: (history)
No sky full of red triplanes here...

http://www.pixomondo.com/web/showreel/index.htm

Now hopefully the movie won't suck.
sirandrew: (Default)
"Will you glance at my ass and see if it's in?"

Yeah, and it's totally not what you think it's about.
sirandrew: (Default)

So, couple of nights ago I was consuming beers.  I started with a Tucher, a German beer that costs way more than it should, but isn't bad.  After I ran out of those I switched to a Japanese Asahi that Deborah had bought.   I was of course delighted as soon as I realized what I was doing.  Unfortunately, there were no Italian beers present to complete my tour of the Alcoholic Axis.  

Oh well. 

sirandrew: (Default)
So, when I first got into PC gaming (1987-88) I was enthralled that the nature of the PC games industry was far more niche than console gaming of the time.  During this era, console game platforms, like the Atari 2600-7800 and early Nintendo, were almost entirely devoted to the Arcade game, with the occasional primitive RPG making its way into the mix.  These games really weren't for me, and I learned how much they weren't for me the first time I booted up a PC and played Starflight.  One of the biggest early draws for me into PC gaming were historical wargames.  Historical Wargames didn't exist on console, they couldn't due to their nature.  However, they were a huge part of the early PC game experience.   Early wargames tended to concentrate on World War 2, the Napoleonic Wars and American Civil War, and I ate those up.  Any game where I could move little NATO symbols around on a hexboard and sit there and spend hours pouring over spreadsheets about national production, I played it.   It was a grand time.  
Sadly, PC wargaming died off as a mainstream element of the genre.  Wargames for the masses (Panzer General) started coming out in the mid-90's, and while they made wargames have mass appeal, they ended up dumbing down most wargames since everyone wanted to copy the success of the mass market programs.  The real kicker came when Dune II from Westwood was released.  Dune II gave birth to the Real Time Strategy genre, and RTS began to replace wargames as the heavy hitter of PC strategy.  The traditional turn based Wargame died for the most part, and is now more than a rare sight in the Game store.  The wargames that do exist are almost ALL World War II centric.  And while I love World War II history, there's only so many times I can fight Stalingrad.
In a fit of nostalga, I recently tried to reinstall my favorite wargame of all time, Age of Rifles.  Age of Rifles was awesome because of its extremely wide scope of history.  AoR had everything from the Sepoy rebellions of India to the Civil War to Ishandlawana.  It was a great game, and the only game I've EVER played with scenarios covering the Boer War, Mahdist Revolt, Chile-Uraguayan Pacific War, or American intervention in Korea in the 1870's.  Obscurity was its strong suit, and I played that game for hours on end.  Sadly, AoR is simply too old to run on modern machines and it simply couldn't be brought to pass on Windows XP.  Saddened, I thought there was no where for me to turn for wargaming.  
Enter Matrix games.  After a search on the web to find resources for old wargames I might be able to play, I foud their website advertising a whole slew of direct download PC wargames.  It seems that PC wargaming is alive and well and has essentially just given up on being able to appeal in the mass market on the store shelves.  So, the old wargame makers have taken to the internet to do things Low Intensity Conflict style.  The greats are still out there pounding out PC wargames, and if you want to play them, pop $30 down and they'll download the sucker straight to your hard drive.  They'll even mail a physical copy for a small fee.  My first experiment was with the game Forge of Freedom, a wargame about the American Civil War.  I found that FoF was not just an in depth true turn based wargame about the Civil War, I found it was simply the most realistic game about the Civil War EVER MADE.  My first campaign as the Union found me proceeding almost exactly the same as the US did in the real Civil War, my armies even ended up being very similar sizes (only difference being I lost).  My Confederate Campaign has been about as realistic as can be, all the way down to my armies dwindling in size and relying on battlefield salvage for supply.  I had a joygasm when I found that my best strategy in early 1863 was to send Lee into Maryland on a campaign of intimidation in order to try to drum up support from England for an intervention.  Very very good stuff.  
Matrix isn't the only game company out there that's doing the same thing with PC wargames.  If you're interested in this stuff, visit www.wargamer.com.  There's actually a plethora of solid wargames still being made for the few of us willing to play them.  My next purchase will probably be Distant Guns, a hyper accurate real time simulation of Naval Combat in the Russo-Japanese war made by the designer of Age of Rifles, Norm Koger.  Distant Guns is unique in that it's free as a 30 day purchase, after which it requires only a nominal sum to buy.  The only sad thing is that I have no time to play.  Ah well. 
sirandrew: (Ayeeee)

Pirates of the Caribbean 3 was shit.  

So was Spiderman 3.  

Weeeee!  Gene Siskel ain't got nothing on me! (Especially since he's, you know, dead).

sirandrew: (history)
"I look forward to the time once again in peace I can enjoy the blessings of home. Once in a while it looks doubtful. Most everyday I see some of my comrades taken away, but then I think 'will not that Providence which has so kindly protected me this far bring me safely back to you'" - Sergeant David Holmes, 20th Michigan Infantry, June 6, 1864,  the day before he was killed at the Battle of Cold Harbor.