June 2006
This is a list of posts published in June 2006.
Short Cuts
Sad news in Red Sox Nation this week with the announcement that Peter Gammons – fabled baseball analyst and columnist – was stricken by a brain aneurysm on Tuesday June 27th. While this can never come at a good time, it was especially ill-timed, as this was a big Boston sports week with the return of Pedro Martinez (in Mets uniform) to Fenway Park. That’s the sort of mythical event that Gammons was born to cover. Anyway, the news as of Wednesday afternoon, is that Gammons is listed in Good condition, which is great news for all of us who have learned so much from the wise sage.
For those that don’t know Gammons, here’s a great way to get a mental picture. Grab a $20 bill and take a gander of Andrew Jackson. That’s Gammons to a T – hell he could use the thing as a second form of ID. G... Continue reading »
Strawberry Short Take
Ah, my sweet little hick town.
I say that with nothing but affection and it’s in response to an event Andi and I brought the kids to last week. It turns out that our quiet little hamlet of Dudley, MA (nestled on the Connecticut line and bordering other 80’s sitcom character-themed towns such as Webster and Urkel) – boasts an annual Strawberry Festival.
The festival is billed as an Old Fashioned Lawn Party but I took the liberty to walk around all day calling it an Old Timey Lawn Party. There’s just something about using the phrase Old Timey that comforts me like a nice bottle of Sasparilla. I’m not sure old man Munchausen von Dudley IX – the festival’s Grand Marshal – cottoned to my twist on the vernacular as it wasn’t ten minutes before I was tarred and feathered.
Once cleaned off, Andi and I brought the kids back... Continue reading »
Wii Man
So after all the fanfare surrounding my acquisition of the vaunted X-Box 360 – a bright, shiny bauble that I scoured the Earth, sailed the ocean blue and endured the Seven Trials of Sinbad to attain – I’ve decided to chart a new, more familiar course. I am giving it up.
Wyy would I do such a thing? The answer is Wii.
Yes, the very system I ridiculed in an Aside several months back, mocking its name and declaring Nintendo daft. It turns out, it is I who is positively mad – as in bonkers. No, that’s not right. I didn’t go crazy. I simply had an epiphany.
After three solid months of 360 play – and four years of putting its predecessor through the paces – I’ve come to the realization (as slow as this seems) that I was not having much fun. With the lion’s share of games released... Continue reading »
Paean to the Papa
Happy Father’s Day!!! That goes double for me.
In honor of this party for the paterfamilias, I thought I’d drop a few kind words on my good buddies who have joined the Fraternal Brotherhood of Eternal Fatherhood over the past few years. Of course, there are many individuals that I know are classified as doting Dads, but I lack the photographic evidence to support it.
First up is my good buddy Rich – a father three times over who has two daughters, Sophia and Cailyn and a son, Matthew. We used to all sit with great anticipation for the annual “Hey guess what, we’re having octuplets” call – but it appears Rich may finally... Continue reading »
Make Mine Double Fine
Tim Schafer is the gamer’s God.
While flipping through my cyber catalog of sites I check each and every day (CNN.com, TheWallStreetJournal.net, UpSkirt.gov) I came across an article on Gamespot.com which put the spotlight on Schafer, the auteur behind the undisputed adventure game classics, Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango.
A few years ago, Schafer defected from LucasArts (the games division of King George’s LucasFilm empire) in order to start his own company, Double Fine. While Schafer enjoyed rock star status at LucasArts, I think he saw the writing on the wall that large companies like LucasArts were beginning to shift away from the adventure genre in favor of games with more mass-market appeal, such as their surprise hit Mercenaries.
Each one of Schafer’s ga... Continue reading »
Aisle Be Back
Note to self. Never say never.
Sure I swore off reviewing media (films, books, games) citing career burnout, but in reading through Sean’s recent reviews of The Breakup, MI:3 and games like Kameo and Call of Duty 2, I decided that perhaps I had a bit more fuel in the tank to take pen to paper (or poker to pixel as it were) and jot down my thoughts on all things pop-culture. As a bit of a compromise to myself, I shall eschew the traditional review structure for something a bit more conversational. While I’ll try to tread carefully; beware, here there may be spoilers.
Before delivering my first new review, I figured I’d use this post to provide a glimpse at my own origin story.
The closest I’ve come to exercising my inner Ebert was my stint as Staff Writer for the Arts & Entertainment section of the Daily C... Continue reading »
Game On
Sean has a few new XBox 360 game reviews on his site. Although he constantly argues that he’s not much of a reviewer, they sure smack of “review” to me, in that they’re well-written, insightful observations. So if you are interested in gaming or in picking up a 360, they’re required reading as he has a nice conversational style that gives good insight into whether or not you’d like blasting through these games.
One of the points he makes - particularly aimed at the first person shooter genre – is that for the most part, online play is no fun for guys like us who enjoy playing the games as they were designed to be played. That is, following the rules and actually engaging in some brand of “sportsmanship”. Game designers deck the online components of these games with various match... Continue reading »
The Fellowship of the World Series Rings
Earlier this week, Sony Entertainment announced it was joining forces with Curt Schilling in a promotion for its hit MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing game) Everquest II. The merger calls for Curt Schilling’s likeness to appear in the game as a high level villain that online players can battle – with each skirmish leading to a donation to the ALS Association. Here’s a blurb from their release:
Schilling’s video game character will reside within the online world of EverQuest II (EQII) for three days during the Yankees vs. Red Sox baseball series June 5, 6 and 7, 2006 at Yankee Stadium. During this time, anyone can register for and log into EverQuest II at www.battleals.com to challenge the evil Schilling character, appropriately named “Curt Schilling.”Every time a player de... Continue reading »
6/6/06 – The Mark of The Ed
You say it’s your birthday. It’s my birthday too, yeah!!!
(*Editor’s Note – My two sisters appear in that shot. Jenna is the most obvious but look hard and you can see Noelle. She’s in my mommy’s tummy.)
I’m not going to write too much – I just wanted to keep the tradition alive of marking everyone’s birthdays on this site as I look to weave a great cyber tapestry of my family’s life and times on this Earth.
Today, of course is June 6, 2006 or 6/6/06 as Slayer fans would hope you’d remember. On any given year, I’m 2/3rds the devil – but this year, it’s the real deal. Having my birthday fall on 6/6/06 grants one a few indulgences so by day’s end I’d better have a sea boiling or plague of snakehead fish in my honor.
For the rest... Continue reading »
X Factors
First, a disclaimer. I’m officially out of the film review business. Oh sure, I’ll use this little cyber soapbox of mine to expound the virtues of my favorite flicks or rip Nacho Libre a new one (although that has guilty pleasure written all over it) – but film criticism, in the traditional deconstructionist vein, is no longer for me. I just find myself sapped of the energy it takes to properly craft my critique. I’d prefer to just fly with some observations – similar to how I handle my posts on Lost and 24 – and hopefully stir some discussion.
Which brings me to X-Men – The Last Stand. I saw the flick last Friday night, opening night, at the Regal Cinemas in Millbury, MA. My cousin Jason discusses his increasingly rare appearances at opening night flicks. He’s in his mid-twenties, lives in a swi... Continue reading »
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