New Game

So a week ago I bought Fallout New Vegas. I proceeded to create a very pale Hispanic character with a giant nose named Aldous. That's a very Hispanic name, I know.

I won't say that it's better than Fallout 3, but it does have some things about it that give it an edge. Perhaps the significant lack of Supermutant Overlords helps (I hate those things!).

I just need your love!

First off, it's harder. Combat is roughly the same, though it is almost easier to fight without V.A.T.S. I like that, as I had a hard time doing so in 3, except when sniping. The enemies are also very similar, but the addition of various levels of Deathclaws and Nightkin (so badass) give it a nice twist. Also, one might encounter these enemies at any point in the game. No need to wait for level 12 to run into some Deathclaws if you're brave enough to venture into the quarry.

It's also more difficult because there's no real safe haven. In Fallout 3, you could get house or apartment to store gear, there was an abundance of ammo, bottle caps, and aid, and levels came more quickly with less difficult quests still being worth boat loads of XP.

Not so in New Vegas, at least for me. But I like to take things slow. I'm also finding that the reloading and trying speech checks over and over doesn't work. If you only meet 43/50 for the check, you won't get it. It's a challenge and sometimes you have to wait to do things for a while.

The weapons are better though, and the ability to modify them (with enough repair/science skill of course) definitely adds a new dimension to the game. Also, the karma levels are specific to groups of people. I have a few towns and factions that like me and two that vilify me. They might have gotten me if not for my sniper and Eye-Bot followers.

The differences are really what make the game but it's always heartening to see some similarities.

Fallout 3

New Vegas

It's the little things that matter.

Crossed Fingers

So instead of coming home straight after work tonight, I decided to grab a newspaper and go to Murphy's Tap Room. When the crosswords, sudoku, and cryptoquip were finished I didn't feel like reading any History of the Kings of Britain (I'm not really sure if I can tolerate this translation after all). I instead decided to stare at my manuscript paper and the short motifs I'd jotted down and see what came to mind. Fortunately, six lines worth came to me. Unfortunately those six lines are probably only worth 25-30 seconds, but that's more than I've written in a long time.

I've got my hopes up that it ends up sounding like I heard it in my head.

Clara likes it so far.

Maybe that's the key though. I used to write in a bar all the time. The cacophony aids the creative process at times, but mostly it's easier to block out a lot of sensory distraction than just a few things. That, and there's no internet there.

Hopefully this trend continues.

"Trust, Violence, and Beer"

So I've been following a local band called The Back Stabbing Good People. Well, as much as I can follow their relatively rare gigs that is.

A month ago I was fortunate enough to attend their record release party at The Club Cafe on the South Side. A great time seemed to be had by all, and the opening acts, Dream Job and Jimbo and the Soupbones were excellent as well.

Being a follower of BSGP, and it being their record release party, I bought their album.

I think it's wonderful and have had it on repeat in the car since then. The theme and title of the album allow for great transitions between songs. I suppose that calls for a little explanation. The opening track is a voice mail recording, so it's like the whole album is being left as a message. Also, most of the tracks begin with a voice mail that, I assume, were left for Clinton at one point or another. That adds to the cohesion of the album as a whole.

I have a particular favourite between tracks 7 and 8: "May I have your attention, may I have your attention? The early bird has officially left the roost for the day, so beware all worms. (rooster crowing)"

The variety in styles doesn't come across as well as it does in live shows; but then, live is always better. However, it does come across. There are elements of blues, jazz, soul, and a little reggae amongst the general singer/songwriter style. The lyrics are also heartfelt, honest, and earthy. "Cause she's got a fly body and she's stacked with knowledge / she can do The Robot and graduate from college." They are not an act to miss, especially if they're playing at The Thunderbird Cafe in Bloomfield/Lawrenceville.

New Rules

So I went to Frick Park yesterday, because it was inordinately nice for early October. I'll post some good summary pictures of my ventures there at some point but I thought this took the cake.

Now, upon first look, it looks like perfectly innocent instructions regarding dog waste removal. But you know what I think?

Dog poop tag!

Not a game for the faint of heart.

Body Fat

Growing up, my dad always had one of those Body Mass Index charts on the fridge. I guess it was supposed to remind me that I'm not built like a normal human being. As if every clothing store in the country didn't do that already.

It doesn't really make much sense though. It didn't diversify by gender, and it really doesn't have anything to do with one's actual body fat content. A person could be 5'8" and 180 pounds of pure muscle and they're BMI would be 27.4; overweight. They would technically have the same BMI as a 5'8" person who was 180 pounds of flab.

So I was reading a post on neatorama the other day called Hacks to Help You Stay Healthy and at the bottom it linked to a site with a more accurate body fat test. It's the tape measure test. As opposed to just height and weight, it asks for both as well as gender and age. After that one is to measure one's waist, hips, flexed forearm, and wrist. I entered the applicable info: 5'6", 112 pounds, male, 28 years old. Then 26" waist, 27" hips, 9.5" forearm, and 6.5" wrist.

This was my result:

Damn, that puts me in the same category as top athletes. Granted there are discrepancies between ethnicities and skinny/fit people, etc. They do go into that on the first page. So really, I could be anywhere up to 9% or so.

Curious? Take it yourself.