Last Week, A Summary

So last week was kind of a big deal. I finally broke the news to everyone that I'm moving out west. I was pretty nervous about how they would react, but it was mostly positive. To be honest, I didn't know if they were going to feel like I was abandoning them or what but regardless my mind was and is set on moving. It's nothing personal, just something I've been considering for awhile and now that I have someone to make the journey with me it became almost a no-brainer, especially with housing being so cheap out there. I have been looking into a lot of houses out that way, but unfortunately it's been harder to get ahold of the agent dealing with the house I really like than it should be. I'll be anxiously awaiting a call from him today, but I won't be holding my breath.

The house in question: http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4621-W-Pleasant-Lane_Laveen_AZ_85339_1110859022

Other houses to consider:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/10799-W-Mountain-View-Drive_Avondale_AZ_85323_1102717186

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/10401-W-Ashbrook-Place_Avondale_AZ_85392_1111291956

The plan for this weekend is a sweet trip to King's Island. I'm pretty excited as I haven't been there since 2003. They have a new, super-wicked looking coaster called the Diamondback that I'm anxious to ride. We'll probably be roughing it for the weekend, which is fine with me. I haven't woken up in a sopping wet vinyl deathtrap for a while.

Having a Grails old time

Since I've been with such a lack of actual programming work for so long, I've taken it upon myself to investigate the Groovy and Grails framework. I am attempting to throw up a neat little forum which links with the Killing Floor server I've got running currently. So far I have the ability to create a player profile object which links to a generic player object. I would like the pool of generic users to be populated from actual server gaming sessions but I'm not at that point as of today. It's almost 6AM and I've slept but 3 whole hours today and tomorrow (later on in the morning) is going to suck.

Otakon 2009

Got back from Otakon last night and I must say it was a pretty great time. From genuine enjoyment of some animes to faux affection from mocking others, all in all it was a good way to spend the weekend. There were a few standouts that I'd like to look into a little more, including Kaze no Stigma, which was about a guy from the fire magic using clan who instead mastered wind magic, and another whose name escapes my grasp at the moment but involved men who slayed and ate gods. I got a King Kittan snap model, some little figurines, and a few pieces from Artist Alley as souveniers. Also saw, in the realm of live action cheesiness, Zombie Mermaid, Black Magic, Cicikman, Death Bell, and Long Dream. I think I ended up watching more live action than anime this year which was fine as the cheesiness quota has not been fulfilled in quite some time.

Spoiler Alert

It's probably my own fault for not reading it earlier but the Harry Potter series was spoiled somewhat for me today. I read the last line, "all was well," and got chills. I'm still in the dark about the goings on of books 5, 6 and 7, but I've no doubt there will be an epic showdown in which many will be hurt, a few will die, people will realize who they are truly meant to be (no more of Harry wondering about Slytherin), and Voldemort will be banished once and for all. I read this line, thought these things, and felt the immense weight of it fall on my shoulders. Strange how three small words in a book I have not even read could physically affect me so. I am excited for the rest of series.

Reminiscing on: Otherland

Otherland will go down as one of my favorite series of all time. Mainly fantasy, but framed by sci-fi, it involves a lot of misfits and miscreants and devious individuals hell-bent on achieving their respective goals, consequences be damned. Nearly every character has an interesting back story, and mesh well with the huge amount of sub plots and interweaving threads introduced throughout the 4000+ page quadrilogy. The series contains many quotable lines, many of which are delivered by !Xabbu, the rest by Martine. It is ultimately a tale 0f g00d versus evil, with clearly defined enemies and doubtlessly pure motives. It leaves the reader somewhat breathless and ragged, throwing them straight into hopeless situation after hopeless situation, with nary a pause to catch one's breath. I was only disappointed that in the end since things turned out better than I had envisioned and seemed sugar coated. Even if it could have been edited somewhat to save on pure word count, I do not regret diving straight in and immersing myself in myriad virtual environments, each more enchanting, ominous, and unstable than the last. It is a must read.