Tag Archives: assassins creed

Kinda sick?

Breaking news alert – I’ve got a scratchy and slightly phlegmy throat and it’s the end of the world.  Alright, it’s not really and I hope I’m close to being better soon.  Larry has had a cough for like the last 4 weeks and I think it’s finally going away too.  NOW THAT YOU’RE ALL CAUGHT UP, what should I write about?

Black Mirror?

I’d say I’ve enjoyed the few episodes I’ve seen of this season.  I liked “USS McAllister” a lot, and we just watched “Crocodile” last night and that was some fucked-up shit.  The “Hang the DJ” episode was actually very enjoyable and had a surprising twist, although I read some takes online that indicated that the very end kind of is a bleak way to see things.

Ancient Wonders of the World?

I listened to a 2-part podcast yesterday that was about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and it was pretty fascinating.  I’ve known about many of these especially because of the Civilization and Rise of Nations games, in which you get to build Wonders.  The Assassins Creed games have been sometimes useful to see these wonders – especially in Origins, which has not only the Great Pyramid of Giza but also the Lighthouse at Alexandria.  I hadn’t remembered this, but Larry & I had actually seen some of the remnants of The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus when we were there for our 2011 cruise:

I still can’t believe how unbearably hot it was in Turkey when we were there.   And look at how ridiculously crowded it was!!!!!  Still worth it to have visited these places.  Hearing about some of the other Wonders does make you think on what some of them actually looked like – as we only have some written accounts for some of them, like the Colossus of Rhodes and the Status of Zeus in Olympia.  Okay, I digress.

I’ve got not much else to say today and am ready to eat some delicious pot roast.

Saturday State Amidst the Horseshit

Hello everybody!  With Larry & I both having gotten a run in this afternoon, it feels like it is actually Sunday, as that’s when we normally do that.  But we’ve got some plans tomorrow so today was it!  I ended up trying a variant on the route I’ve been going, using the Griffith Park horse trails to run along.  I enjoyed it as it was a little bit more hospitable than the bike path along the eastern side of the 5 Freeway, but I got to about 3 miles in my run and was like, hmm…what to do now?  I didn’t really want to retrace my path I’d just taken so instead, I decided to go through the equestrian tunnel under the 5.

Will never go through this tunnel ever
Will never go through this tunnel ever28-Dec-2014 14:23, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 10.591mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 400
 

If you notice the caption of that photo, I mentioned EVER.  Well, I’m a dirty liar.  That was from a simpler time, back in December 2014, when Larry & I were strolling along.  But now it was a practicality – I wanted to get back to where I started and not have to go all the way around.  So this tunnel was the solution.  Funny enough, as I approach this point, I start seeing people on horses.  As I get closer, there are a LOT of people on horses.  And they’re all cowboy’d up with hats and flannel.  I slow down a bit thinking maybe they’re heading into the tunnel and I’ve missed my shot.  But then they all bunch up and hold short before the entrance, and I’m like, THIS IS IT.  I gotta go or I’m going to definitely be running through mounds of fresh horseshit.  So I high-tail it into the tunnel, quickly making sure I’m actually not prohibited from doing so – turns out, only bicycles aren’t allowed.  I head in and it is DARK in there.  The ambient light available does indicate that plenty of old horseshit is in the middle of the tunnel, so I wisely stay aligned against the left wall.  As I’m running, I start hearing over the music from my headphones the LOUD echoing of horse footfalls.  And it sounds like they’re moving fast!  So I put on turbo speed to make sure I’m not gonna get trampled, all the while hoping I don’t plop right into a pile of horseshit.  Happily, all horseshit was avoided and I was not trampled.

FitBit_23Jan2016

The tunnel is there at that southernmost point of the route – it’s a good run and I like that it’s a loop.  The previous runs on the bike trail are great, but can get boring.  Griffith Park is always a fun run.

saucony2016After we got back I ended up buying some new Saucony shoes – I realized I think I’ve had these current pair for much longer than I’m supposed to.  It’s been apparent to my feet for a little while now, especially now that I’m really trying to stay consistent with exercise and that I’m out in the world and not on my treadmill.

In Other News….

So how about that northeastern blizzard?  Very very glad to have made my visit there last week and not this one – I probably would have still been out of there in time, but eh, better safe than sorry.  Some of my FB friends have been posting snowfall pictures and I was telling Larry that I was having a bit of jealousy….then he slapped the sense back into me as while it can be pretty, if you actually have to go out in it to get somewhere, MEH.  I think most people are happy with it as it’s a Saturday and no one really needs to go anywhere.  So you can just go out, take some pics, then go back into the warmth and continue drinking.  Happily Larry’s family are all doing fine back there and the forecast is that it’ll be 40 degrees early next week so the snow won’t really get a chance to stick around.

Barbara was my next-door neighbor when I lived in the UWS of NYC and this is taken right outside where I used to live, looking west down West 72nd St.  Again, I momentarily missed this, but then I remembered that time when we got hit with a blizzard right before we were moving to California.  It was this kind of snow and we wanted to get a Duane Reade that was a few blocks further west than the view above.  PAIN. IN. THE. ASS.  So yeah, it’s neat, but I’m pretty thrilled with cloudy and 65.

Video Games!

There’s a few I’ve been playing and some I recently finished too – this is purely for my own fun so feel free to leave at this point.

Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (Finished)

ACS-media-SS-4-big_202195_202309What an amazing return to form for this series!  Unity was a pretty big disappointment, even if it was fun to run around Paris.  I did enjoy the sailing-ship entries such as Black Flag and Rogue, but those kind of are their own beasts.  AC 3, the one set in colonial America, had tons of potential too, but man that was a drag.  So yeah, someone figured out what needed to be done as Syndicate is just so much fun to play.  It’s set in Industrial/Victorian London, and you play as the Frye twins, Jacob & Evie.  They come in to rescue London from the grip of Templars who have command of the city; you can play as either twin throughout the game, which adds some interesting variety.  There are fun side activities and exploring the city of London is very gratifying.  You run into Darwin, Dickens, and Marx in your travels, and in the DLC, you can interact with and track down Jack the Ripper.  The game’s mechanics are just lots of fun, the story is compelling and well-written, Jacob & Evie are fun to tag along with, and it’s just a fun game.  Highly recommended!  (I’m honestly nervous about the news though that the next installment will take place in Ancient Egypt….)

King’s Quest, Chapter 2 (Abandoning…)

Kings_Quest_Chapter2_BannerI really did want to like this next chapter as I loved playing Chapter 1.  But the developers decided to add a mechanic of having to play everything exactly perfect if you want to save everyone trapped in the dungeon with you….and of course explain things ridiculously poorly.  Once you figure things out, it’s too late and even more hilariously, you really can’t restart the chapter.  It’s not clear if the next chapter will have actual repercussions, but I just don’t know how much I care.  Disappointing.

Undertale (Currently Playing…, Kinda)

Undertale-logoThis is a very independent game made by one guy that is getting a ton of raves.  It’s understandable why, as while the graphics are intentionally primitive, there is an interesting and quite funny story to be experience as you embark on your quest.  Also, you don’t have to kill anything and apparently, you really shouldn’t if you want the best ending.  That is frustrating to hear, as I did kill one of the “bosses” as it didn’t look like you could do anything but kill.  So now I’m thinking I need to replay the game, but I’m not motivated enough to do that just yet.  Instead, I kind of faded away from the game and figure once I’m done with some of the other games I’m playing, I’ll go back to it and replay it.  With no killing.

Fallout 4 (Now Playing)

fallout4_wallpaperI was pretty stoked for this game ahead of its release – both when seeing it at E3 last year and when the trailer came out.  BRING IT ON!  Then I started playing it when it released and I liked it, but didn’t immediately love it.  Then I remembered that I got Assassin’s Creed Syndicate “for free” when I bought my new graphics card, and I couldn’t help but start playing it.  Then I couldn’t stop and so I played till I finished it.  It was time to go back to Fallout and post-apocalyptic Boston though, and so I fired Fallout 4 up again and started fresh, and I’m in it this time. I still haven’t actually entered “Diamond City”, the new name for Boston.  But I’ve been enjoying the outskirts so far and figuring out the new systems, like settlements and crafting.  I did find Walden Pond this morning and it’s hilarious to see it’s now a nearly empty nuked out shell of what I assume it once was/is.  It’s a wonderful game world and I’m kind of wondering how the main story will turn out, but I’ve been delaying that for a little while.  I should probably head into Boston and get shit started.

Diablo III (Now Playing)

VHGE1UOVGE431402697675171Yes, yes, I’ve been here before.  Diablo 3 has been out for a few years now, but it manages to keep coming back into my life.  First, I finally started playing it once the godawful Auction House idea was taken out.  It was awesome.  Then the expansion pack came out, and I waited awhile before getting it, but it was also a lot of fun.  Now there’s concepts of Seasons and Adventure Mode, both introduced in the expansion pack, but I didn’t actually explore them that much as I was happy with finishing the main story.  But I got sucked into it again and am playing a new Crusader character in Season 5 (don’t ask me what the different seasons mean…I don’t know) and it’s just a blast.  I’m hooked.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

The latest Assassin’s Creed video game came out today, available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The reviews for it that accompanied its release were very very brutal – especially on the fact that it runs like shit, at least on the consoles.  I was getting a bit bummed as I was excited about getting to play the game as I have enjoyed nearly all in the series, except III.  That one was a chore.  Unfortunately, I had already pre-ordered it as I thought it was a given I’d enjoy the damn game.  So after dinner, I finally fired it up on my PC, as hello, that’s acu-gi-02_147186where I’ve been investing in all the upgrades and I don’t yet have either a PS4 or XB1.  Gotta say….there’s nothing wrong yet with how it’s running on my machine.  It’s actually a quite gorgeous game.  Admittedly, I’ve only played an hour, and I haven’t left the area around the Village of Versailles.  But it’s been fun so far to see what a next-gen AC game will be like.  And also?  The main character, Arno, is smoking hot. I don’t doubt that the reviews are wrong in the x240-Kvclong term though.  I’ve got a feeling that once I hit the main Paris portions, the game will chug for me.  Maybe by then, Ubisoft will have patched away all the trouble.

Effin’ Folgers Commercial Gets Me Every Time

Maybe I’ve become a weepy little bitch in my old age of 35 (egads, just typing that makes me a weepy little bitch), but I swear, EVERY TIME I see this recent Folgers coffee commercial where hunky brother comes home and the parents stayed up all night to wait for his arrival but he shows up late and his sister opens the front door and when he gives her a gift she takes the bow and puts it on him and tells him, “you’re my present this year.”  TEARS EVERYTIME.  WHY?????  It’s such a ridiculously cliched commercial and just like the one from the 80’s where “Peter” the (again) hunky son (at least if you consider it was the 1980s) comes home to the smell of Folgers.   These commercials shamefully manipulate your basest emotions, whether that emotion is the arrival of nice hotness or just the whole long-separated family member comes home and everyone is happy.  Also, that the coffee was the thing that made it happen.  Specifically the Folgers.  Obviously.  Although I drink Maxwell House at home so maybe that is preventing random hot guys from coming over.  That’s probably for the best then.  🙂

There is also that other commercial with the annoyingly cute “Jingle the Husky Pup” that makes me think I need to have that, just for the cute little stuffed husky pup you get and the fact that it barks when you say certain things.  Maybe this just means that we need to get a dog.  I keep leaning towards that conclusion and try to keep coming up with reasons why not.  It would definitely be a humongous change of lifestyle for both Larry & I, but I think it would be basically awesome to have a dog.  We will have to keep this in mind still.

Other News from this part of the world:

  • Larry has been making our loft office even more cool.  I have to upload the photos and post them here (later today when I get home) but he got these cool wall labels made that were clocks, and we have 4 of them, one for each time zone. They’re labeled with meaningful cities, so Pacific is Santa Monica, Mountain is Colorado Springs, Central is San Antonio, and Eastern is New York.  It’s pretty much AWESOME.  Can’t wait to show here.  Jan 2013 Update – Here are the pics:
06-Dec-2011 16:04, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.8, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
06-Dec-2011 16:26, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.0, 4.3mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 250
06-Dec-2011 16:27, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.0, 4.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 400
 
06-Dec-2011 16:27, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.8, 4.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100
06-Dec-2011 16:28, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.5, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
06-Dec-2011 16:28, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.5, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
 
06-Dec-2011 17:02, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.2, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
06-Dec-2011 18:01, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.0, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 250
06-Dec-2011 20:21, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 3.5, 7.152mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 800
 
06-Dec-2011 20:22, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 4.5, 10.262mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1250
06-Dec-2011 20:22, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.0, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 320
06-Dec-2011 20:22, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.0, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 320
 
06-Dec-2011 20:23, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.0, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 400
 
  • Larry will be heading back to NYC this weekend and I follow him out there the following weekend, where I’ll be working at both 30 Rock and Englewood Cliffs while he will be visiting with his sister while she’s getting ready to have a baby.  Exciting times!  Can’t wait to go back to “The City” as well as see a lot of our friends and my coworkers there.  Plus I get to finally wear my heavy coats again!!!  I swear I miss wearing my awesome Michael Kors peacoat.  That thing is timeless AND awesome.
  • I rebuilt my PC again  – I think another post is in order to fully document it but I did that during the Thanksgiving Weekend.  My PC is insane now.  Pics and Post to come.  Jan 2013 Update – Here are the pics from that little adventure; I’m ready to do it again, to be honest!:
The obsolete-yet-unaware-of-that-status PC
The obsolete-yet-unaware-of-that-status PC25-Nov-2011 13:18, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.8, 4.3mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 400
Getting a gander at the existing PC case
Getting a gander at the existing PC case25-Nov-2011 13:18, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.8, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 400
All the new pieces!  New MB, new graphics card, new memory (8 GB), and a new processor
All the new pieces! New MB, new graphics card, new memory (8 GB), and a new processor25-Nov-2011 13:19, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.8, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
 
Intel inside, baby.  i7-2600.  Recommended at that point in time!
Intel inside, baby. i7-2600. Recommended at that point in time!25-Nov-2011 13:19, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.2, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 125
My iPad served as the manual to follow while doing this upgrade.  I'm no rookie, but it helps to have this.
My iPad served as the manual to follow while doing this upgrade. I'm no rookie, but it helps to have this.25-Nov-2011 13:20, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.5, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 160
25-Nov-2011 13:22, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.8, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 200
 
Ah, the guts.  Some would be afraid to venture here.  I am not.
Ah, the guts. Some would be afraid to venture here. I am not.25-Nov-2011 13:23, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.8, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 200
Time to unplug and rip all this shit out.  I mean, remove these components gently for Larry's use!
Time to unplug and rip all this shit out. I mean, remove these components gently for Larry's use!25-Nov-2011 13:31, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.8, 4.3mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 250
I do love to rebuild a PC
I do love to rebuild a PC25-Nov-2011 13:31, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.8, 4.3mm, 0.013 sec, ISO 200
 
Clearing the way to get the old mobo and processor out
Clearing the way to get the old mobo and processor out25-Nov-2011 13:36, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.0, 4.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 125
It's all Larry's now - time for you guys to become a Hackintosh!
It's all Larry's now - time for you guys to become a Hackintosh!25-Nov-2011 13:39, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.0, 4.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 400
I'm sure he'll figure it out
I'm sure he'll figure it out25-Nov-2011 13:39, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.0, 4.3mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 400
 
The canvas is clean
The canvas is clean25-Nov-2011 13:40, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.8, 4.3mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 200
With a new mobo, you typically get a new plate for your connections.  NEAT.
With a new mobo, you typically get a new plate for your connections. NEAT.25-Nov-2011 13:41, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.8, 4.3mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 125
The motherboard fits!
The motherboard fits!25-Nov-2011 13:53, Canon Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, 2.8, 4.3mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 200
 
  • Video Game News (skip if you’re not a geek like me):  I finished Grand Theft Auto 4 finally.  Well worth it to finally get that done – now I just need to also finish the other Grand Theft Autos from the III series, like San Andreas, Vice City and the original.  I’m also playing Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and man, that thing is really cool.  Plus, with my super-powered rig, it can do full on awesome graphics.   I also just finished Assassin’s Creed: Revelations.  I was so stoked to play this as it took place mostly in Constantinople (or Istanbul, as it’s called now and funny enough, it was called that back in the 1500s too by the locals, at least according to the game) which Larry & I had just visited on our cruise this year.  I’ve been to pretty much all the primary locations from the Assassin’s Creed 2 series in real life, including Florence (AC2), Venice (AC2), Rome (AC2 & AC:B), and Istanbul (AC:R).  I’ll miss Ezio.  Now I want to get back into Batman: Arkham City and Uncharted 3.  I LOVE VIDEO GAMES.
Alright, I think that’s enough for now.  There will be some upcoming posts with either pictures or the PC upgrade post.  I like to keep track of what I’ve been doing in that realm as well as what pieces I use.  Awesomely enough, Larry was able to use my components that I replaced to build a “Hackintosh”, which is basically making a PC into a Mac, which is not something Apple really wants you to do.  But doing that means you can build a much more powerful system that what Apple may give you, plus you’re not paying the Apple “premium” too.  He seems to be very very happy with the performance he gets out of it as the components I replaced really weren’t that obsolete, as I had bought them just under 2 years ago and they were almost top-of-the-line then.
Okay, back to work, Hobie.  Someone’s bound to notice you’re not being productive for NBCU….  sshh…..