| |  Roll Call for June! How's everyone's summer going so far? Mine has been pretty hectic, as I'm always busy with something going on and there's hardly much time for myself (or for me to spend with Jenn and Michael) anymore. I'm writing this post from the confines of the KLAZ control room, simply because I have no other computer where I can make a post. Consider yourself lucky that I really feel the need for a post, because it would be so easy to skip out at this point!
Well, the final verdict is that I'm never going to be able to use my laptop anymore. My insurance company "told" me that the unit was a total loss and sent me a check instead of the computer. Originally, they told me they were sending me the check so I could fix the LCD screen, but when the check came and not the computer, I grew concerned. Unfortunately, the insurance company told me they were keeping the laptop and I could use the check to buy a new one. It would have been nice if they had told me that they were going to keep it before they sent me the check, because I was never told to back up any information because they initially said I would be getting the laptop back. So now I lose all of my UCA school files, years worth of music, photos, EQ screenshots, and most importantly, my book that I've been working on for a year now. I'm very unhappy with the Safeware Insurance company and I vow never to use them again and recommend to all my readers to stray away from using them. The only good news that comes out of this is that I can get something a lot better at a cheaper price now. I'm losing a lot of good stuff, but I do get to upgrade to something way better. The good news is that working at KLAZ has been fantastic so far. I'm loving it. I'm doing on-air work for KBHS AM1420 country from 10-2 every day and creating commercials and things for all the stations, as well as learning the mechanics, sales, and other stuff around the station. The bad news is that I'm not being paid a cent for any of it. That's right! All work and no pay makes ME a dull boy. Because Jenn, Michael, and I cannot survive with no income from my part, it was time to take a new step and go get another job. I filled out many applications and got no responses and was really feeling like the weight was tightening on my shoulders even more, but Jenn's dad has bailed me out and given me a job working in the parking garage parking cars at the Arlington Hotel. I kinda told myself I'd never work at a hotel (since my grandmother operated one for decades), but in times like these, you have to put personal preferences aside for what matters most. I actually start today in about two hours, so we'll see how everything goes. I'm really nervous because it's a fast paced job, and if you don't know what you're doing to begin with, theoretically it will be almost impossible getting into the swing of things. I just pray that I can jump right into the position and not have to waste too much of my time and everyone else's time trying to train me. At least this way I'll be getting paychecks and I have the opportunity to earn some tips on the side. Jenn got her old job back at Central Bowling Lanes and I can tell that she loves being back. I think that having the job may make her feel more "like herself," which is great because she's been through so much lately that she needs a nice easy job where she knows everyone. I'm very proud of her and all the recovery she's went through over the past couple of months, from enduring child birth, a stubborn gall bladder, and braving many sleeping nights with me and Michael. I know she'll read this, so I better put in that I still owe her dinner at the Olive Garden because that's definitely our favorite place to eat out, and hey, doesn't she deserve it? A beautiful woman such as herself deserves a nice meal every once in a while, right?  Last Friday, Jenn and I traveled to the Wal-Mart in Hot Springs Village to participate in the town's first big Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament! I was able to play around in the first statewide tournament on the eve of the game's release, but now I've had a lot more practice and was very excited about testing the competition around Hot Springs. What made things even better was that the tournament was hosted by our very own AKA Yoshi! Jesse did a really great job setting up the tournament and picking the settings. I'm really proud of him. It's very hard to do all of that by yourself (and I offered some help--though I probably offered too much help every now and then--it was his show to run and I may have accidentally stolen the limelight once or twice). I decided to go with the Wiimote+Nunchuk as a control combo, because after practicing so long, it just feels natural to me. I was still stuck between Pikachu and Captain Olimar, but the Pokemon prevailed, and Pikachu propelled me deep into the tournament, where I would eventually lose to a tag-team combo of the infamous Link and Samus from the Melee tournament at the Albert Pike Wal-Mart oh.. six years ago? I was pretty pissed to see them back, because they were pretty cheap, but I laughed as they both were defeated by a 14-year-old boy using Olimar. It really was priceless. I ended up finishing in 6th place out of about 24 entrants, which isn't so bad I suppose. Jennifer didn't do that bad either, using Marth, she lost out shortly before I did, but not before many entrants were eliminated from the tournament. Overall, I think we both felt good about the tournament and if we practice a little more, we just may end up winning the next one! So what's to come for June? The highly anticipated fourth album from Disturbed, "Indestructible" hit stores Tuesday, June 3rd, and even though I already got the CD (Dylan made me a copy so I didn't have to spend any money), I have yet to listen to it. I've listened to a handful of the songs online, but I haven't had the opportunity to listen to the album in its entirety. I was so sure that I'd be able to this morning on the way to work, but I accidentally left my CD player inside the house. Oh well. Speaking of Disturbed, I never got to share with you my concert experience at EdgeFest! Yes, I know that it all happened in April, but with no laptop, I cannot upload any pictures to show you all the fun, sorry! Edge Fest turned out to be quite amazing, as Nathan, Stos, and I journed to the North Shore River Walk in Little Rock, walked nearly a mile and a half to the back of the line and made our way into the show. I didn't run into that many people that I knew, Just Matt and Tabitha Goins, but that was okay. Black Stone Cherry hit the stage first, but as an opening act, I don't think they were that good, and hardly got any recognition from the crowd, who were too busy playing with inflatable beach balls and tossing them all throughout the crowd. When Five Finger Death Punch hit the stage, everything changed. For a newer band, these guys were good, and they brought the energy an opening band is supposed to have, especially to a big music festival as Edge Fest. Nathan and I were both pretty impressed, and I believe that Nathan already went and picked up their CD. I had seen Saliva once before, back when they headlined the show at Henderson State University. They were a lot better back then, as it seemed the lead singer was just not "trying" very hard. Usually if someone's really singing and rocking out, you can see their body straining, but it looked as if he was almost lip syncing this time around. I'm not much of a Saliva fan to begin with, but I was disappointed with their performance. Sevendust hit the stage next, and I really didn't like them very much (probably because I've never heard any of their stuff). It's very rare to see a rock/metal band with a black lead singer, but Sevendust tried to deliver (and I'd say they did a good job based on the crowd's attentiveness), but as I said, they just weren't my cup of tea. And then, the fun began. Disturbed's Set List:
1 Prayer
2 Liberate
3 Perfect Insanity
4 Just Stop
5 Deify
6 Voices
7 Hell
8 10,000 Fists
9 Stupify
10 Land of Confusion
11 The Game
12 Inside the Fire
13 Stricken
14 Down with the Sickness Seeing David Draiman on stage is almost like having a religious experience. I know that probably sounds really bad, but that's the only way to describe it. He has this aura around him that just reeks awesomeness. The way he speaks and carries himself sends chills down your spine. Disturbed played an amazing show, from start to finish, and I was very impressed. As a whole, the concert may not have been the best I've ever been to, but Disturbed may have been the best act that I've seen live. The only suggestions to the set list I had were to get rid of "Deify," "The Game," and "Land of Confusion," (even though it's a past single). I dunno, I would have rather heard "Fear," "Remember," and "Darkness," but I'll certainly live. There are some Youtube videos of some of the performances that I'll have to upload for you to see. Overall, for my first concert in over a year, I have to say that I picked a good one. I would definitely say that I've satisfied my need for live music this year (but I'm still crossing my fingers for Mudvayne, Michael Jackson, Michelle Branch, or Chimaira). In gaming news, the biggest release of this month hits the Nintendo DS in the form of Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift. I've been playing its GBA predecessor like crazy recently, and I'm really stoked for new adventures in the world of Ivalice. The only part I don't like is that the characters have to change (but that's very typical for Final Fantasy games) and that it's rumored that I cannot rename the characters that want to join my party (so I get stuck with people named 'Yolando' etc.). I can easily put that past me and I'm patiently counting down the days until the 24th.
When I'm taking a break from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, I've been playing Wii Fitt (occassionally--we bought it but it's losing its luster the longer we have it), The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on GBA (which I can say I've finally beaten), and our newest addiction, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A King. MLAAK is a "Wii Ware" title that we could download off of the Wii Shop channel for a certain number of Wii points and plays like a city-building simulation game with Final Fantasy RPG elements. It's a very innovative touch to the world of Final Fantasy and though I can't guarantee that everyone will love how it plays, I know that me and Jenn can't get enough of it. To make things better, Nintendo will be releasing new downloadable content for the game on a bi-weekly basis so the game will never get too monotonous. Rock on! GAME OF THE MONTH: MAY
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King RUNNER UP: 
Wii Fit P.S. A Special Happy Birthday to Sasha! -Mark- |
