Toilet Explosion

Inspiration hit me while fixing my toilet. I recently had to replace the guts inside, and the blue stuff I had put in the tank got all over the place. My hands were covered in it. It looked like I had intimate knowledge of a smurf with my hands. I hope it was Smurfette! Although maybe it was Papa Smurf in a dress.

It got me to thinking, why is it that people feel the need to talk trash about things that they know nothing about? I see it all the time. Especially now that football season is here. Is it trendy to look like the biggest inbred idiot in the barn? Is that why shows like Duck Dyasty are popular? Well it's my turn sir. I am forbidding myself from talking trash about things I know like NFL Football, Texas Hold 'Em, and Origami Flowers. Everything I know absolutely nothing about is fair game. Game On!

Weddings

So you have a pinterest mapping out all of the things you want? If you don't have whipped icing on your wedding cake then you don't know what you are doing. That wedding dress you have picked out is so tacky. You need to show off your midrif. So what if you're pregnant! And you're going to have HER as your maid of honor. She's so mean! I would be a much better choice. What? I look good in a dress. I've never worn one, but you can style my back hair right?

Care Bears

Care Bears is the most gangster of all children's cartoons. Move over Smurfs, My Little Pony, and Hello Kitty. The Care Bears would eat the smurfs then have My Little Pony for dessert. Hello Kitty would come up trying to act hard, and then the Care Bears would totally run a driveby on the little girl in a cat costume. The Care Bears don't play yo! They are like a biker gang from Sons of Anarchy. They have Uzis and Harleys. Don't mess with them for reals.

Hockey

The Avalanche are the best hockey team to ever exist. They are going to dominate everyone in the upcoming NHL season. As long as they don't have to play the Care Bears they should win it all this year. Their uniforms already have some red in it to hide the blood from lost teeth. They have a goalie. I don't think the other teams are allowed to have a goalie. They have a couple of guys that can kick the crap out of people on the other teams. Those guys could be semi-professional boxers, but why do that when you can fight on ICE! erm.. I mean Play Hockey!

The Equalizer

Rated R / 2 hr 11 min / Action - Crime - Thriller

What is it about?

Denzel Washington plays your regular old guy that works at Home Depot. Wait, they didn't get that sponsorship, so it's the generic version (Home Depout?). Anyway, he has been meeting up with a Russian hooker in a restaurant (Ooo La La!). She gets the snot beat out of her by her Russian pimp daddies because she smacks a client (but he said he liked it rough!). Denzel tries to buy them off, but they aren't interested. Denzel then starts wrecking shop. Later he finds out that they were part of the Russian Mafia, and they are coming after him and anyone else he might care about.

You will like it if..

You like gritty crime movies starring Denzel Washington. Denzel proves once again that he deserves another Oscar. Let me see if I can print one for him on my 3D Printer. Yea.. the one that is collecting dust over there. The script makes the same mistake that many do, and assumes that the bad guys want to take the good guy 'alive'. Why? Why wouldn't they just shoot him in the head as soon as they could? It doesn't matter anyway. I'm pretty sure Denzel got shot about 20 times in this movie, and it didn't slow him down. They try to make the Russians look tough with all their skull tatoos, buzz cuts, and muscles. It doesn't matter. Denzel plays The Terminator in this movie. I kept waiting for him to use the 'I'll be back' line. An entertaining movie in spite of the average script.

Becoming Chuck Wendig

This is my tribute to Chuck Wendig. I have been enjoying his blog for all of three days or so, and it is truly awe inspiring. I am dedicating my life to become more like Chuck Wendig. So what does that mean? Preying to Cthulu? Throwing poop at the monkeys at the zoo? Robbing a bank with a PEZ gun? Nothing so drastic I hope.

Physical Transformation

You would think a prolific writer like Chuck Wendig would look like a professional similar to the picture here. Chuck's twitter profile picture looks like Heisenberg from Breaking Bad. I obviously have too much hair on the top of my head and not enough beard. My first step will be to shave my head. Then I will invest in some turtle wax to shine it up really good. After that I will take the hair that had been removed from my head, and glue it to my face to create a beard that would make Chuck proud!

The buzzing from the clippers is tickling my head. The hair falling down is soft like the feathers of a turkey. The clippers didn't quite get close enough, so I pull out the disposable razors! Man these things are cheap! I've already cut myself five times with these damn things and I'm not even a third of the way through. Why would anyone ever do this? My head is nice and smooth now.. and covered in red toilet paper spots.

Now I'm ready to get my shine on! Bring on the Turtle Wax! Oh GOD IT BURNS! Just a tip.. Do NOT apply Turtle Wax to open wounds. It's not a good idea! OK OK.. I can breathe now. The doctors say that my wounds should heal normally. It will just take a few weeks longer.

The final step in my transformation. The Beard. I can't wait to grow it out. I need it NOW! My tools are the hair I shaved off my head and superglue! So let's get started. This isn't working. I have one hand stuck to my face.. along with my phone, my shirt, a moth that flew in at the wrong time (it's still alive), and a tic tac. I'm starting to think this is a bad idea. Do you know how hard it is to type with a keyboard stuck to your fingers? I mean hitting the 'e', 'r', and 's' are pretty easy, but I have to use my tongue for keys like 'p'. The moth goes crazy every time I bring the keyboard close too. It's OK little friend. I'm not trying to squish you!

Looking at the final product with a mirror, and I must say it looks amazing! The red and brown spots all over my face and skull really complement my eyes. The patches of hair look like a finger painting by a 3 year old. The moth flapping it's wings periodically brings the whole picture to life! I don't look anything like Chuck Wendig though. Maybe I should just stick with being myself?

Chuck's blog should be read at your own peril. The rampaging Hermit Crabs alone will raid your liquor cabinet. But if you must.. here's a link: http://www.terribleminds.com/

Becoming the Walrus

A quick update tonight on what has been going on in my life. I am a bit sore from playing softball. We won one of the games and lost the other. I mostly played in the game we lost unfortunately. I did OK that game, but we didn't hit as well or score as many runs. I went 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs. We won the first game 22-12 and lost the second game 5-8.

Writing

I recently finished an editing run on another chapter for my novel. I also just posted the next chapter for Grim. You can read it from the beginning here: http://www.wattpad.com/story/15571872-grim
The latest chapter is here: http://www.wattpad.com/72243085-grim-chapter-17-the-vision

Outlaws

I caught up on The Black List on Netflix. I really enjoyed this show. I watched the first few episodes when it was on live TV, but quickly fell behind. I prefer to watch it all on Netflix anyway. Now I'm watching Sons of Anarchy. Let me know what you think of these shows. I'm liking both of them so far.

The Walrus

I saw two other movies over the weekend. A Walk Among The Tombstones was pretty good for a stright up crime/thriller. It didn't have as many twists and turns as I was expecting, but it was a decent movie to watch. The other movie I watched was called Tusk. That was one weird movie. I would not recommend it unless you are into B-movie horror that is unique. The reason I went to see it is that it was directed by Kevin Smith who has done some excellent or at least interesting movies. This time around I must say that I am disappointed in the result, but B horror movie afficionados might like it. It's about a man trying to transform someone else into a walrus..  not kidding.

NFL 2014 - Week 3

Just a few quick notes about fantasy football before I get into my observations for the week. Brian Quick, Kirk Cousins, and Justin Forsett are all guys that should be owned in your fantasy leagues. Bernard Pierce is hurt, and if Forsett performs well as the starter he could steal the job. Forsett has performed better in limited action. Kirk Cousins is going to be the starter going forward for the Redskins. He's better than Andy Dalton as a quarterback, and I can tell that Gruden wants a pocket passer to run his offense. Cousins is just a much better fit for what he wants to do. Brian Quick is the number 1 receiver for the Rams, and has had good production even though they are using their third string QB.

Redskins vs. Eagles

Right from the start you can tell that these teams don't like each other. It's getting pretty chippy to start off. Exactly what you would expect for a big game like this. The Eagles fans are booing Desean Jackson every time he's thrown to. Why? You guys dropped him. Stop hating because he went to a team that actually wanted him. It just makes me wonder if Philly fans want to be known as jerks. All week they have been talking trash to me about this game. The irony of it is that they don't seem to know much about the game. I try to talk football to them, and they can only reply with 'We're going to kick your butt, Redskins suck!' I've told them that I just hope it's a good game and they reply with 'It will be. Eagles win by 30 points.' I ask them to name 3 players on the Eagles and most of them can't. I don't really talk trash, I talk football. If you talk trash to me then be prepared to be told what I think about the poop that is coming from your mouth. I'm not going to be nice about it anymore.

Injuries are going to have a big impact on this game. Leshean Mccoy just went in to get checked out for a possible concussion. Desean Jackson has been grabbing at his shoulder from time to time. Alfred Morris just hurt his knee. Everyone is back in the game. Two key players on the Eagles offensive line are hurt now. They've done a good job so far, but Kerrigan and Hatcher have been in Foles' face a few plays. Foles is grabbing his shoulder after Chris Baker throws him to the ground. On the same play Brian Orakpo goes out. The very next play DeAngelo Hall goes down with a badly twisted ankle. Both big losses for the Redskins. Orakpo comes back in to put another big hit on Foles. He definitely could have been called for intentional grounding. It turns out that the hamstring injury for Forbath ends up being the difference with his missed short field goal try keeps the game from going to overtime.

Cousins has been very very sharp. He is moving the offense better than RGIII did. Wow just wow. He's hitting everything with perfect accuracy. So far in the first half he's had 1 toss that floated a bit on him. For the most part he has put the ball on the receiver's hands, and he's hit 4 or 5 throws that you would expect from an Aaron Rogers or Drew Brees. Foles has looked good too even though the Redskins have dominated time of possession. I'm impressed with Foles mobility, he has avoided several sacks. Foles looks sharper than he has all season even though he has missed some wide open receivers. Cousins just hit Jackson for a huge bomb to tie the ballgame up. The Philly fans boo him again. Foles just hit Maclin to take the lead half way through the 4th quarter. Foles is one tough guy. He's been roughed up this game.

Mistakes and turnovers are having a big impact for the game. The Redskins special teams still look terrible, and they give up a 102 yard kickoff return. A fumble for the Eagles leads to points for the Redskins. The Redskins defense is leaving a lot of receivers running free, but they have bottled up the run so far. The refs just made a big pass interference call in favor of the Eagles, but it's the same call they could have made three other times and haven't. The refs for the most part have been doing a great job this game, but they need to be consistent. The Redskins are making a lot of mistakes on defense. Grant had a critical 3rd down pass slip through his fingers. Forbath continues the special teams woes by missing a field goal that could have taken the lead. Cousins just made his first mistake of the game at the wrong time as Niles Paul doesn't run very hard on his route. The resulting field goal gives the Eagles at 10 point lead.

The fight that took place on an incomplete pass causes the refs to eject Chris Baker and Jason Peters. They originally said that number 71 of the Redskins would be ejected (Trent Williams), but they eventually corrected that. Jason Peters was the one who was throwing the first punches on the Redskins sideline. The officiating crew reviewed the play and got the call right. This has been the best officiated game I have seen all year. They have still made some errors, but they haven't been as awful as in previous weeks.

Surprises

Dalton catches a pass for a touchdown and breaks a tackle to do it. Manziel catches a pass from Hoyer. Is this a new trend? Nahhh..

The Giants have come alive against Houston. Part of it may be Arian Foster being out, but the strength of Houstn's team is their defense. Victor Cruz has been a non-factor for most of this season, but he's prodced some highlights so far this week. Houston's offense isn't built to come back like this without Arian.

The Rams have been playing surprisingly well for a team that is using their preseason 3rd string QB. They are currently beating the Cowboys in a close game. The Cowboys have come back to take the lead. The QB for St. Louis tossed a pick 6. The Rams scored again to get back to only 3 points down, but that ends up being the final score.

The Vikings even without Adrian Peterson are playing a close game with New Orleans. What has happened to the high powered New Orleans offense? They have been sputtering all year long. Is everyone playing nickel defense against them all season thus far? New Orleans holds on to win as Minnesota can't seem to score more than 10 points.

Final Thoughts

The Redskins look like a tough team to beat. They almost took one from the Eagles on their home field. Going forward they should win a lot more games as long as they can eliminate the mistakes. On the same note if Foles can stay healthy and play as well as he did this week it will be very difficult to outscore them. No team has figured out how to defend Chip Kelly's scheme yet. It seems like the only way to stop them is to put pressure on Foles and hope he misses the open receiver, and you have to shut down Mccoy and Sproles. The Eagles are still going to score points. I can't wait to see them play a team like Seattle or Carolina who have great defenses. The Redskins defense may have come into the week as the number 1 ranked defense, but we all knew that wasn't going to last.

The Maze Runner

Rated PG-13 / 1 hr 53 min / Action - Mystery - Sci-Fi

What is it about?

A teenage guy wakes up in an elevator with no memmory. The top of the elevator opens to reveal a bunch of other teens. The area outside is enclosed with large walls on all sides. They tell him there are three rules. Don't harm anyone there, do your part, don't go into the maze. Of course he doesn't listen to that last rule. He finds out that a group of them called 'runners' go into the maze early in the morning and come back before sundown which is when the maze entrance closes. No one ever survives if they get trapped in the maze overnight.

You will like it if...

You liked the Hunger Games series of movies. It is very similar in the amount of teenage angst. The story is interesting and feels complex even though it is pretty straightforward. They constantly feed you bits of new information as the movie progresses to keep you engaged throughout. The pacing is excellent. The only complaint I have has to do with the action sequences. It's shot in extreme closeup so you can't tell what is going on at times. There are screams and grunts but all you see is a blur on the screen. When the grunting ends someone dies or the good guys win. In the end it's a good movie with an interesting storyline. If you like any of the other dystopia movies made from books (Divergent, Hunger Games, etc.) then you should enjoy this one.

Writer's Playlist - September 18 Edition

The writer's playlist consists of fifteen songs that make a playlist of close to an hour. If you have any song suggestions for the list please leave it in the comments or hit me up on social media!

The List

Link to the list in Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/user/12145759073/playlist/1U3QB88GeVplvv1E4BAz0r

1. Ciara - Goodies
2. Dr. Dre - The Next Episode
3. Us3 - Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)
4. Deee-Lite - Groove is in the Heart
5. Pink - Just Give Me A Reason
6. Korn - A.D.I.D.A.S.
7. Ginuwine - Hell Yeah
8. Jeezy - Seen It All
9. Michael Jackson - Love Never Felt So Good
10. Charli XCX - Boom Clap
11. Cassa Lio - No Place I'd Rather Be
12. Jason Derulo - Trumpets
13. Static-X / Dead Prez - Hip Hop
14. Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet with Butterfly Wings
15. Mr. Probz - Waves

Website Updates!

It's been coming for a while, but I just now updated a few things on this blog that have been in need of an update for a long time. I noticed yesterday that on the mobile website there weren't any links. The sidebars are completely gone in the mobile version. So everyone that has been looking at my website from their smartphones has been missing out!

I have a bunch of stories on wattpad that are free to read in case you have only been reading my blog posts from your phone. Now there are some sweet little links in the menu at the top. I need to add one or two more to the list, but at least now there are links available to my stories on wattpad. I also finally added the cover for Grim to the sidebar on the right side. It's so pretty!

Finally the last update was to update my social media icons on the left sidebar. I took down my pinterest link because I didn't use it.. at all. I mostly did not use it because the mobile app was a pain to work with. I replaced it with a link to my tumblr. That mobile app is superior in every way. I haven't gotten into interacting as much with that site, but sharing is so much easier. Anyway that's all for now. Just a quick update on what I've been working on almost all night.

NFL 2014 - Week 2

My preseason pick of New Orleans looks like it might be a dud. I bought into the preseason hype of their defense being much improved without seeing it myself. So far this season New Orleans looks disappointing. San Francisco on the other hand looked even better than they did all last season. Their offense was moving the ball much better than they did all last season, and Kaepernick looked like he was ready for a break out year. Seattle looked dominant on both sides of the ball again. I'm really looking forward to seeing the 49ers and Hawks play again. Anyway week 2 is here!

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Washington Redskins

First off I want to talk about the refs. The league needs to make a change in their mentality when it comes to the refs. They should be more concerned with getting the call right rather than trying to uphold all of their calls on the field. The bomb to Desean Jackson should have counted, but the refs, even after reviewing the play, made a bad call. This is going to be a theme going forward as it is every season, and will continue to be until the NFL does something to fix it. Please let the players decide the game and not the refs.

I am really impressed with the Redskins defense again. Henne is playing decent, but he still isn't able to do much with the Redskins defenders in his face every play. Orakpo and Jason Hatcher combine for a sack. Kerrigan gets another sack. Ammerson looks like he is developing into a very good cornerback in his second year. The one miscue so far is DeAngelo Hall biting on a double move, but the receiver dropped the ball. The two safeties just misplayed a ball that gave the Jags their first score. Henne to Mercedes Lewis for 63 yards. Rambo took a bad angle and was barely able to get a hand on the tight end. Kerrigan just got back to back sacks, and both plays the Redskins seemed to have 3 players in the Henne's face. Up front the Redskins defense has played great, but they have given up a few big plays. All of those big plays can be pinned on the safties. They are clearly the weak spot of the defense, but to exploit it you have to stop the pass rush which has been impressive the past two weeks. The Redskins defense finishes with 10 sacks total to tie their franchise record.

Injuries have taken out RGIII and Desean Jackson do not look good. RGIII looks like he rolled and may have broken his ankle. Jackson landed on his shoulder with a defender on top of him and looked like he was in a lot of pain. The way he was holding his arm it looked like it could be dislocated or possibly a broken collarbone.

The Redskins offense has looked impressive today. Alfred Morris already has 2 touchdowns in the first half. They can't stop him because RGIII and Cousins have both played well and stretched the field with multiple targets. A combination of the rookie Grant, Andre Roberts, and Aldrick Robinson have replaced Desean Jackson.

Cousins has looked impressive so far. He has gone through his progressions and found the open man more often than not. He made one bad throw while under pressure, but a defensive penalty nullified the play anyway. As impressive as the Redskins passing game has looked, Gruden is neglecting the running game. Also as soon as I type that he runs two straight runs to Morris. The previous several first down plays were all pass plays. You can see as a playcaller Gruden falls in love with the pass, but not to the level that Martz used to. Who can blame him with all the toys he has in the box? It seems like he wants to play with them all.

Surprises

Cleveland has jumped out on top against New Orleans. This should be an easy win for Drew Brees, but it's not turning out that way. Cleveland was up 16-3 with some good defensive play, but Brees hit Graham before halftime to make it 16-10. This looks like an entertaining game to watch with the score going back and forth. New Orleans just took the lead 24-23. Cleveland shocks New Orleans 26-24 with a last second field goal to win the game. Looking at the stat line it looks like the New Orleans receiving corps did very little in this game. Colston who is usually a reliable target had 0 catches. Was he injured? I don't see anything. Graham is still a beast and Brees found him often today, but not often enough.

Dallas knows what defense is? What? I picked up Jake Locker in one of my fantasy leagues because he played well last week, was playing against Dallas in a possible shootout, and Phillip Rivers is playing against Seattle. Whoopsie! Hopefully they'll be able to make some adjustments and Locker will play better in the second half. Locker looks like he has rebounded from his poor first half to have an average second half. This is a game where they would need Locker to play well to keep up with the Dallas offense, and it's just not happening.

Final Thoughts

New Orleans is going to shape up or they could be on the outside looking in with tears turning into ice on their face next to Tony Romo when playoffs time comes around. Cincinatti made Atlanta look like the average team I thought they would be this season, but New Orleans lost to them last week. It could be that Cincinatti is just that good. Carolina looks like they had a solid game against Detroit that started out as a defensive battle. If Newton can stay healthy they could be tough to beat. Their defense looks really good.

The Encroachment of the Stories

I have been really trying to focus on finishing my novel, but it has been hard lately to make progress. It's not from lack of trying. I'm having trouble focusing on the goal because of story ideas that have been flooding into my head lately. Maybe writing about them will help me to get it out of my system, at least for the moment. So dear reader, I emplore you to pick and choose the ideas you like. I am more likely to write the ones you are interested in. That's what happened with Grim the last time I posted something like this. I wasn't as excited about Grim as some of the other story ideas, but now that I am about halfway through the first season of that serial story it is really heating up. Now I can't wait each week to type out another chapter.

Story Ideas

1. The Takeover - This is about a character that exists within the mind of a disturbed author that causes the author to question what is real. I have heard that every time an author writes a story it is like creating a new universe which contains all of the characters in that universe. What if those characters are able to reach through and materialize in the same universe that the author exists? What if they are beings completely composed of energy like a soul, and are able to influence or take over the author's body? This is a very raw idea that I haven't quite worked out, but I think about it from time to time.
2. The Novelty Shop - Do you remember the original Gremlins movie? The old asian man had a shop filled with exotic items that looked interesting. Imagine that, but each item in the store has a story behind it. Some items are even dangerous or have some sort of energy or mystic power about them. This kind of thing has been done before, but it is still interesting. I could easily bang out a serial story based around this idea. I only need to think of a way to link all of the stories together to make an interesting and surprising ending. My inner evil mastermind is MWAhaha-ing.
3. Trapped - The main character is shopping in a wal-mart or some other kind of superstore. They sit down at a restaurant within the store to eat. Then they hear screaming. A man has a weapon and is threatening a woman's life. He calls for everyone's attention, and says that no one is allowed to leave or they will die. He tasks a few people including the main character to find some items within the superstore. A few of the people don't listen and try to escape. They find that the FBI/police have the place surrounded, and they are killing anyone that tries to leave. Why is this happening? Wouldn't the authorities be trying to protect the people inside? Or is there a greater threat that they are trying to eliminate?
4. Box of Crayons Sequel - I recently thought of an interesting way to do a sequel to this short story. This time the FBI is trying to track down another serial killer that is out there. A female victim then shows up with the same candlewax over their eyes with the same designs pressed into them and their hair cut off. Has Percy Miller teamed up with this new killer? The Candlewax Killer had been dormant for years, why are they active again? Or perhaps the better question may be why did he ever stop?

What do you think?

Which of those would you like to see me write? I'm open to suggestions or requests. I like all of these ideas, and if time permits I would love to write them all. There aren't enough hours in the day unfortunately, and I am always coming up with new fresh ideas that pop up in my mind. I'm hoping that by letting these monsters out, I can focus more on finishing my novel. I've been stuck on the same chapter for the past couple of weeks. It's quite possibly the longest in the novel. I'm already planning on chopping it in half. I would love to hear what you think about these ideas, so please leave a comment or contact me on any of the social media outlets I frequent.

The Drop

Rated R / 1 hr 46 min / Crime - Drama

What is it about?

Tom Hardy plays a bartender at a "drop bar". The local Chechen crew took over the bar a while ago. They are using the bar as one of their spots to drop their illegal money to be picked up later that night. A couple of guys come in and rob the bar. They take $5000 of the Chechen's money and they are holding James Gandolfini responsible because it's his bar. At least he technically owns the bar on paper and his name is on the sign outside. To the Chechens he may own the bar, but not the money collected there.

You will like it if...

You like slow developing thrillers with multiple layers to the story. The acting in this movie is superb and makes up for the slow pace. The story and dialogue are interesting. The dialogue isn't as long winded as a Quentin Tarantino movie, but in spots it is almost as clever. The story itself is excellent if a bit slow developing. There are a few big surprises that pop up along the way. This is the type of thriller that I love to watch. As with any movie with twists and turns some people may get lost along the way and not enjoy the movie as much. The slow pace may lose others. This movie is definitely worth watching if you like good thrillers.

Is it Destiny?

I have always been a big fan of video games going back to the grand old Atari 2600. I have played some really great games. My favorites were always RPGs. The blending of story with characters that can be customized and progress as the story does. My first brush with the RPG was Final Fantasy.  I was a huge fan of the entire series of Final Fantasy games, and really anything that SquareSoft released for the NES and SNES.

Something changed when I went to college. I had played some FPS games before (Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Doom 2), but I wasn't addicted to them. Then I was introduced to Quake Co-Op over a LAN. That was my first experience with multiplayer that wasn't split screen. Split screen was always fun, but felt awkward. It could never replicate the same experience of the single player game. Playing over a LAN fixed all of those problems. There were problems with setting up the network, getting a group of people ready to play, and the unavoidable other technical problems that always arose back in those days. This was fun, but you could only play every once in a while.

The next time I came across Quake, a friend introduced me to Team Fortress and Mega Team Fortress. The different classes of characters brought me back to the days of Final Fantasy. The best part of it was being able to always find a game playing against real people. A full fledged multiplayer competitive game. I was hooked bigtime! I played that game a lot. I enjoyed playing pyro in Mega Team Fortress because everyone would tell me that it was a useless class and I would dominate with it when I was in the right position. I moved on briefly to Quake 3 deathmatch and Quake 3 Fortress which ate up quite a few of my hours.

The next evolution came with Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory which started to meld RPG elements into a FPS game. Minor upgrades to each class would be rewarded as you leveled up, but you didn't get to keep them. There was a mod that let you keep the upgrades, but then you quickly ran out of levels to run through. Then Enemy Territory: Quakewars came out and added vehicles to the mix using the same formula. Those were my next addictions that ate up my time. Nothing has taken the place of those games since then.

I have always wanted a MMO RPG/FPS game. There have been many that have taken the RPG/FPS step that have been very good (Fallout 3 and the Borderlands series). There have been a few that have tried to do the MMO FPS thing, but none that have been able to put together an enjoyable experience that lasts.

Will the next evolution be Destiny? It looks like it could be the MMO RPG/FPS game that I have always wanted. Fast paced action with a progressing storyline with cooperative and competitive gameplay options. What do you all think? Should I be playing this game?

NFL 2014 - Week 1

Every week throughout the season while I watch the Redskins play, I'm going to make some comments on what's going on in the NFL. I'm going to comment on the Redskins game, write about any surprises in the league, and post my other thoughts on the day in football. So let's get started!

Redskins vs. Texans

This is a tough defensive battle so far which is what I expected. Both teams are running the ball well, and I don't see why both teams don't just feed the ball to Alfred Morris and Arian Foster. If the defense starts creeping down to put 8 in the box then you can try to stretch the field. In the second half turnovers are starting to hurt both teams with both defenses forcing fumbles within the 10 yard line.

RGIII is looking good on some short passes, but he's taking too many sacks. He's holding onto the ball too long, and not throwing the ball away before contact. He's not making quick decisions even when he has receivers wide open. RGIII is showing flashes of talent, but the Houston defense isn't giving away much of anything. In the second half RGIII is looking very sharp, but you have to take care of the football. One bad exchange with Morris cost the Redskins 7 points.

Special Teams is once again killing the Redskins. Andre Roberts is doing a great job returning the ball, but the Redskins have already had a punt and extra point blocked. They can't keep having these huge mistakes if they want to win the NFC East.

If Houston can figure out their Quarterback situation they could be very very good. Fitzpatrick could be the answer, but he is looking like he always has. Serviceable but not anything special. They obviously have the talent everywhere else to be a contender.

Surprises

What is going on with the Eagles against the Jaguars?? Who is this guy Allen Hurns and where did he come from? I knew the defense for the Eagles would suck, but Jacksonville is a team they should beat. The Jags have jumped out on them 17-0. The Eagles are making a comeback in the second half. Hurns has disappeared in the second half. It'll be interesting if the Jags can hold on for the upset. Nope! A blown coverage makes for an easy TD pass to a wide open Maclin. It looks like the Eagles will survive.

Chicago is also losing to Buffalo, but that's what happens when you turn the ball over. What is surprising is that EJ Manuel so far is playing very well. 10/13 for 97 yards 1 TD and most importantly 0 turnovers. If he continues to play like that Buffalo could compete in the AFC East. EJ tossed an INT in the second half, and Chicago came back to tie the game up! Overtime! I got to see the end of the overtime, and Fred Jackson still has it at the age of 33. Buffalo holds on for the upset.

Miami beat the Patriots 33-20. It looks like this was a very sloppy game with a lot of turnovers. New England wasn't able to stop Miami's run attack with Lamar Miller and Moreno both having solid performances.

Final Thoughts

I'm not too happy with my choice of New Orleans to go to the Superbowl with their overtime loss to the Falcons. It wasn't a surprise though. The Falcons are a capable team, and if New Orleans plays sloppy and doesn't tackle they will lose to teams like Atlanta. That's it for now though! I hope you all enjoy the rest of the games this Sunday and Monday.

NFL Predictions For 2014 - NFC Edition

The grand interwebs spider is allowing me to post this, so let's get this party started. This time around we'll take a look at some NFC goodness. With Seattle winning the Superbowl last year, who can unseat them this season? The AFC seems to pretty much the same as last year with most teams getting slightly better or worse. The NFC seems to be quite a bit more volatile. Some teams have made big improvements while some others are still mired in mediocrity.

NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys

Offense

They are basically the same offensive team as they were last year. Minor changes, but they still have Bryant, Murray, Romo, and Whitten.

Defense

They have done very little to upgrade here, and it looks like they should once again have a terrible defense. The good news is that it might not be the worst defense in the division.

Overall

With a high powered offense and a horrid defense they have all the makings of another 8-8 season with a loss in the last week of the season to miss the playoffs once again. Sound familiar?

Washington Redskins

Offense

On paper they look like they should be scary good with all of the weapons they have. However, RGIII has looked scary bad in preseason. Who knows what may happen? One thing is certain, Alfred Morris is a beast.

Defense

Their defense was better than most people think last season, and this year they look like they could be much improved. The addition of Jason Hatcher and some veteran free agents at safety should help in the areas they needed most.

Overall

Everything will depend on how well RGIII plays. The sky is the limit. Their defense has improved enough to win at least 2 more games than they did last year. They could be a serious contender, or could finish behind the Cowboys.

Philadelphia Eagles

Offense

Chip Kelly's offense will be imitated, but the imitators won't be as good as the original. People make a big deal of them losing Desean Jackson, but this is a running team first and foremost. They upgraded their running attack with Darren Sproles.

Defense

The defense will be just as terrible as it was last year. The nature of their offense will allow them to play a lot of nickel defense, but their pass rush isn't good enough to keep teams from picking them apart.

Overall

They are too good on offense to not compete for the division in the NFC East. Lack of defense will keep them from running away with the division.

New York Giants

Offense

They have question marks all over their offense. Will they find a reliable target for Eli other than Cruz? Will Jennings be their workhorse back? Will Eli be running for his life all game?

Defense

They have upgraded their secondary a bit over years past. If Pierre-Paul can stay healthy and consistently show some of his game-changing ability then they could have a decent unit.

Overall

This team will be fighting for the last place in the division. If Eli can somehow become a couple of years younger then they might be able to win 8 games and take the Cowboys' traditional place of just missing the playoffs.

Division Winner

I'm torn between the Eagles and the Redskins on who will win the division. I'm going to go with the Redskins because their defense looks vastly improved. I'm trusting that RGIII will play well, but the division could go either way.

NFC North

Chicago Bears

Offense

Trestman helped to transform this offense last year. With the emergence of Jeffries, it makes it harder on teams trying to defend both him and Marshall. Can't forget Forte who is a threat running or catching the ball.

Defense

While the offense performed well, the defense took a few steps back last year. They have added a few vets that should help improve a squad that has been traditionally very good.

Overall

With an improved defense and explosive offense they should make the playoffs even if they don't win the division.

Minnesota Vikings

Offense

I expect this year to be Cordarrelle Patterson's coming out party. You started to see a bit of it at the end of last year. ADP is still a beast too.

Defense

Their defense is underrated. People have discounted them, but the Vikings have some emerging stars on the defensive side. Not a great unit, but they have potential.

Overall

The Vikings could surprise quite a few teams this season with a decent defense, and a much improved offense compared to what they have had in the past couple of years. They would be competing for a division championship in several other divisions.

Detroit Lions

Offense

They should put up a lot of points. With Megatron, Bush, and the addition of Golden Tate they should have no problems getting the ball down the field.

Defense

The Lions defensive line led by Suh hasn't been as consistently good as they should be. When the line plays well the defense can be good, but just as often they can look pretty average.

Overall

Inconsistency has been the trademark of this team in the past few years. Stafford and Suh are the main examples. At times they can both dominate and take over a game. Other times they can completely disappear.

Green Bay Packers

Offense

The injury of Aaron Rodgers hurt them more than anything last season. He is the most physically talented QB in the league. He makes average receivers look very good. Lacy has given them a solid running game to go with that. It will be hard for teams to stop them.

Defense

With the addition of Peppers this unit could have propelled itself to the top 10. The loss of Raji to injury, however, is devastating. They should still rank in the low to mid teens.

Overall

With a healthy Aaron Rodgers this team is always dangerous. They have some solid weapons on offense and could make a deep playoff run.

Division Winner

The Green Bay Packers will win this division. Every team in the division has a chance to compete, and this could end up being the toughest division in the NFL this year. Aaron Rodgers is the only reason I pick the Packers.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

Offense

They have a plethora of weapons with a solid Matty Ice throwing the ball around. He's not the most mobile of quarterbacks, and their offensive line still has questions.

Defense

The Falcons defense has looked average the past few years, and they haven't been able to do much to upgrade.

Overall

As long as they can stay healthy on offense they should put up more points than last year, but the questions on defense and their offensive line will hold them back.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Offense

Lovie Smith is a decent head coach, but his specialty is defense. The Mccown experiment has begun. Both him and Glennon played well when they got the opportunity last year. With Vjax and Martin they have some playmakers, but Martin is not Forte and Vjax is not Marshall.

Defense

Tampa has a lot of young talent on this side of the ball, and Lovie has shown he can put a quality defense on the field with a lot less.

Overall

Their defense could potentially compete for the top ranking in the league. If their offense can consistently put up points they could get a wildcard spot.

New Orleans Saints

Offense

In Brees we trust. If the receiver is open he will find them. Because their passing offense is so good they should be able to run the ball no matter what kind of combination of runningbacks they use.

Defense

Rob Ryan is in town and he will whip this defense into shape. They aren't without talent on this side of the ball. They have a couple of ball hawking safeties that should produce some turnovers.

Overall

The Saints have all the markings of a Superbowl contender. Sean Payton has done this before, and has a tendency to make everyone around him better.

Carolina Panthers

Offense

It's the Cam Newton show here. He's coming into the season with cracked ribs which doesn't bode well for this team. Injury concerns also follow around Williams and Stewart in the backfield. They lack explosive options with Olsen being their only consistent option in the passing game.

Defense

The Panthers offense could put this better than average defense in a lot of bad spots. They have a lot of talent on defense, but if the offense is as bad as I expect they will end up ranking lower than they should on defense as well.

Overall

The defense is good enough to help them compete. Their running backs have enough injury concerns to keep them from being a ground and pound team, but they don't have enough explosive playmakers to do anything else.

Division Winner

The New Orleans Saints will win this division. The Bucs might surprise some people and push the Saints if Mccown plays as well as he did last year. Ultimately Brees and Sean Payton will be tough to beat.

NFC West

Seattle Seahawks

Offense

Marshawn Lynch will be a solid motor to run this offense. Percy Harvin is a lightning bolt in a football uniform. Russel Wilson is a scrappy Quarterback that just finds a way to make plays when needed.

Defense

They have lost some pieces to free agency here, but it won't hurt their defense too much. It's still a solid group that will once again compete for that #1 ranking.

Overall

It doesn't seem fair that they have Percy Harvin healthy on top of the great team they had all of last year. They are going to be a strong contender to repeat.

San Francisco 49ers

Offense

Crabtree seems to be the only target that can get open consistently for Kaepernick. Gore is getting older and older. Hyde needs to step up and make a significant contribution.

Defense

The 49ers have lost some key pieces to their previously stellar defense. I see them taking a small step back this year.

Overall

Harbaugh is too good of a coach to not compete for this division, but their talent level isn't as good as Seattle's looks to be.

St. Louis Rams

Offense

The loss of Bradford for the season is devastating. Still they have some good playmakers. They will have to lean heavily on Zac Stacy to compete this year.

Defense

Their defense looks like a solid squad that is quite capable of getting a top 10 ranking, but the loss of Bradford could cause that ranking to dip.

Overall

Jeff Fisher is too good of a coach to not having this team competing, but without Bradford it's going to be tough for them to win more than 4 or 5 games unless their replacement plays up to Bradford's level.

Arizona Cardinals

Offense

The Cardinals have quite a bit of talent on offense, but big question marks on the offensive line will be their undoing once again. How many years can you have the same issue and not address it? Did they hire Vinny Ceratto in Arizona?

Defense

Injuries and suspensions have devestated this defense. They still have a ton of talent here. It just means that instead of having a defense capable of competing for a top 5 ranking they might be hovering around the #10 overall ranking.

Overall

If they had addressed their offensive line woes then they might have had a chance to catch up to the 49ers.

Division Winner

Seattle should win this division again. This was the toughest division last year, but every team except Seattle took a step or several steps back.

NFC Superbowl Pick

I think the New Orleans Saints are going to the Superbowl this year. Percy Harvin and Marshawn Lynch play so hard that one of them is going to get injured. If they both manage to stay healthy and Seattle win homefield advantage throughout the playoffs then I think you can wrap another superbowl trophy in a bow for them. It's very tough to repeat as champions in the NFL, and I think the Saints have all the pieces lined up to meet up with the Broncos in the Superbowl.

NFL Predictions For 2014 - AFC Edition

I meant to post this yesterday, but my internet has been out lately. The sadfaces have been plentiful. At least I haven't been distracted Orange Is The New Black which has been surprisingly fantastic. Now I wonder why I ever hesitated to click that show on Netflix. Anyway I am writing this to talk some NFL goodness, not about some women in prison jumpsuits. I'm also going to unveil my prediction for the AFC representative for this year's Superbowl. This year, for the first time, I'm going to predict who I think will win each division as well. I'm going to list each team in the order they are listed on the NFL.com standings page. The NFC predictions will be posted tomorrow.

AFC EAST

Buffalo Bills

Offense

This team is built to run the ball. With a solid offensive line and they are very deep at RB. EJ Manuel is the big questionmark here. They can score a lot of points if he can extend drives on 3rd down when asked to.

Defense

Again this team is stacked up front. Their defensive line looks very good. If they can get pressure on the Quarterback consistently, that will take pressure off of their serviceable secondary.

Overall

This could be a very good ground and pound team. They have one of the best defensive lines in the league and one of the deepest teams at Running Back.

New York Jets

Offense

They want to run the ball. Chris Ivory has some talent along with Chris Johnson, but Ivory hasn't been the most durable and CJ is on the downside of his career. Geno is still a big questionmark that they need to answer, but I'm not sure they have surrounded him with the passcatchers to help him succeed.

Defense

With Rex Ryan they are going to whip that defense into shape. Even if they have subpar talent, they should be at or near a top 10 team.

Overall

They want to ground and pound like the previous versions of this team that Rex led to the playoffs, but I'm not sure they have the talent to do it yet.

New England Patriots

Offense

They will be better than their offense was last year, but they will have to run the ball well to put points up on the board. A lot will depend on the health of Gronk and Amendola who were both banged up last season.

Defense

The Patriots should be a bit improved on defense this year with the addition of Revis Island. He may have lost a step after injuries have hobbled him lately, but he still has the talent to be very good even if he is no longer the best cornerback in the NFL.

Overall

Belichick finds a way to win. Period. They will compete for the division title as usual.

Miami Dolphins

Offense

On paper they look like they have quite a few weapons to distribute the ball to that is capable of running and passing the ball efficiently, but that's on paper. The press have pumped up Miller and Moreno for years, but neither have produced much which doesn't give you confidence in their run game.

Defense

I'm overwhelmed with meh at their defense. Serviceable, but not spectacular. They could step up to be a low top 10 defense or drop to be in the high 20-something ranked defense.

Overall

This team looks very average to me, but there is a chance that the coaching staff will mold them to play up to their potential.

Division Winner

The New England Patriots will win this division. With the best QB and best coach in the division it will be tough for the other teams to take the division away from the Pats.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens

Offense

There are questions on the offensive line, but there is some talent on this offense. They will go as far as Flacco will take them. Their running game looked blatantly average last year, and it might be more of the same this year.

Defense

This defense should be decent even with some aging pieces. They may be past their prime, but they are quite capable of being a lower end top 10 defense.

Overall

This team will go as far as Flacco takes them. He has played great at times, and others he has looked very average.

Pittsburg Steelers

Offense

Big Ben needs to stay healthy for them to have a chance. The problem is that he isn't as young as he used to be and his offensive line always looks bad because he holds the ball too long.

Defense

They haven't upgraded their defense enough to be elite as they had in previous years. Years in which they made the playoffs. Possibly low to mid teen ranked defense.

Overall

With two speedy WRs they may be able to throw up enough points to compete for the division, but only if Ben stays healthy.

Cleveland Browns

Offense

What Offense? Ben Tate is a tough guy and talented, but he will have to carry the full load. Hoyer was decent when he played last year, but he looked like crap in preseason. Other than Jordan Cameron they have no weapons to throw to.

Defense

The defense looks like they could be a top 5 defense IF their offense can keep from putting them in bad situations. Unfortunately that's not likely to happen.

Overall

Their offense looks like it doesn't have the power to punch itself out of a wet paper bag even though their defense may keep them close in many games.

Cincinatti Bengals

Offense

Andy Dalton is not a great QB, but he does just enough to keep drives alive. It helps that he has one of the best receivers in the game. They may lean more heavily on the run game this year with two solid options there.

Defense

Their defense is loaded with talent. They should have a top 10 defense with the possibility of creeping into the top 5.

Overall

This team should be very good this year, but I don't see them doing much once playoff time comes around.

Division Winner

The Cincinatti Bengals will win this division. Baltimore looks like a strong challenger this year, but I like the Bengal's defense to keep them at the top of the division as long as Dalton performs as he has in the past. A Dalton meltdown would hand the division to Baltimore.

AFC South

Tennessee Titans

Offense

Their offensive line looks like it could be beastly. This could mean lots of rushing yards for Shonn Greene. Locker has some decent targets to throw to, but nothing spectacular.

Defense

The defense looks average on paper, but Whisenhunt might be able to work some magic to get these guys to perform better than advertised.

Overall

Possible ground and pound team with the potential to have a balanced attack. Their defense might not be where it needs to be yet to compete for the division though.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Offense

Chad Henne is a decent backup QB. Wait.. he's starting? The offensive line looks like it could be quite good, and Gerhart is a serviceable if a bit slow RB.

Defense

The defense should be good enough to help them win a couple of games, but not good enough to carry the team.

Overall

They need more talent on the offensive side of the ball to compete. They are still a year or two away.

Indianapolis Colts

Offense

Clearly built as a strong passing offense with plenty of targets to throw to. Richardson is decent if a bit lackluster at running back.

Defense

The quality of the defense will hinge on if Laron Landry can stay healthy. He can be a major game changer, but plays so hard that he injures himself.

Overall

With Luck they can compete with every team in the league.

Houston Texans

Offense

They still have Arian Foster, and he's healthy this year. He hasn't lost all of the talent he had before the injury. They have talented targets at WR and TE. Fitzpatrick is the main question mark, but he has been decent when asked to start.

Defense

I have two words. Romeo Crennel. They also have the talent to be a top 5 defense in the NFL.

Overall

I predict a quick bounceback this year. This team has way too much talent to not win now even if Fitzpatrick isn't the best QB.

Division Winner

The Indianapolis Colts will win this division just barely over the Texans. Luck will be the difference. The guy is a gamer. He is the second coming of Peyton Manning. If Luck or Peyton were on the Texans then I would predict that the Texans go to the Superbowl, but Fitzpatrick just isn't good enough to get them the division.

AFC West

Denver Broncos

Offense

They are stacked on offense, and Peyton puts them in the best possible position to be successful. Having Welker out from suspension hurts a bit though.

Defense

Their defense was good enough to get them to the playoffs before Peyton came. They took a step back last year, but still made it to the Superbowl. This year they upgraded a bit in spots.

Overall

It's going to be hard to match last year's production, but they still have tons of talent on both sides of the ball.

San Diego Chargers

Offense

Rivers played like an elite quarterback at times last year. I've heard that they want to pound the ball with Matthews this year. I hope it's not true. Not that Matthews isn't a decent RB, but durability issues may keep that from happening anyway.

Defense

The weak spot on the team will make it tough for them to compete with teams like Denver and Kansas City.

Overall

The offense has the talent to put up points, but it will be tough for them to finish above .500 with the competition in the division.

Oakland Raiders

Offense

Still rebuilding and starting a rookie QB so he can learn on the job. MJD went from a bad Jacksonville squad to a potentially worse Oakland team.

Defense

They have some real talent on defense. As much as the offense looks like an experiment in science fiction, the defense looks like an NFL caliber defense.

Overall

The good news is they are headed in the right direction. If they were in another division they might be able to put together a 7 win season.

Kansas City Chiefs

Offense

Jamaal Charles is a beast. If Andy Reid can remember to get him the ball they should score enough points to win more often than lose. They need Dwayne Bowe back also. They are lacking targets in the passing game.

Defense

Their defense should be just as good as they were last year. They have a defense that is potentially top 5 in the NFL.

Overall

Good defense + lots of touches for Jamaal Charles = wins. Andy Reid knows the formula.

Division Winner

The Denver Broncos will win the division. Kansas City doesn't have enough weapons on offense and may take a step back this year with the Raiders and/or Chargers potentially stealing a win from them.

AFC Superbowl Pick

I have to go with the Denver Broncos as my Superbowl pick again this year. I see several teams starting to bridge the gap, but the Broncos look like the team to beat yet again in the AFC.

Writer's Playlist - September 3 Edition

The writer's playlist consists of fifteen songs that make a playlist of close to an hour. If you have any song suggestions for the list please leave it in the comments!

The List

Link to the list in Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/user/12145759073/playlist/78QCx3ovqvIounBabDCbtR

1. Drake - Started From The Bottom
2. Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)
3. Obie Trice - Wanna Know
4. Aerosmith - Sweet Emotion
5. Jay-Z, Lenny Kravitz - Guns & Roses
6. R. Kelly - Ignition Remix
7. Sir Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back
8. Ed Sheeran - Don't
9. Alicia Keys - A Woman's Worth
10. Robin Thicke - Sex Therapy
11. The Whispers - Rock Steady
12. Mary Jane Girls - All Night Long
13. Billy Idol - White Wedding
14. Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls
15. Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang

Lazy Days

The past few days have been lazy days for me. I haven't felt like doing much, so I have been watching a lot of Netflix, playing video games, and occaisionally playing some free poker. I just wanted to check in to let you all know that I haven't forgotten about you all. I have just needed a bit of a break from everything. Everyone needs a break from time to time.

Attack on Titan

Are any of you fans of Anime? Then you have probably already seen Attack on Titan. The first season is available on Netflix, and I binge watched it recently. The hopelessness this series shows is unlike anything you see in other shows. Just when you start to build up hope for the humans, something screwed up happens to ruin it. Lots of freaking out and people being eaten by large human-like monsters. This is one of the better anime series I have watched.

Orange Is The New Black

I am enjoying this Netflix original show. I was hesitant to start watching it. It didn't look like something I would enjoy, but I gave it a try anyway. I am freaking loving this show. It's a show about a blonde woman who is sent to prison for smuggling drug money once for her ex-girlfriend who was a part of a drug trafficking ring ten years ago. The relationships between the characters in this show feel so real. All of the characters seem like real people with real problems. Their hopes and dreams pulling everyone along in different directions. The women are less violent, but more manipulative through the course of this show. Some of the crisis moments seem trivial, but with nothing else to take up their time even the smallest thing can seem so important. This is something you have to watch if you have Netflix. It ranks right up there with House of Cards. I'm going to have to check out every Netflix original program they come out with. I hope they are all this good.

Calvary

I went to see this movie yesterday. The preview made it out to be more of a crime thriller than it actually was. It was still an interesting movie, but a bit slower paced than I would have liked. It starts off with a man threatening to kill a priest at confession. From the beginning you can tell who it is based on the voice, but they don't show the face. Throughout the course of the movie the characters are introduced and the script adds doubt to your initial assessment. The movie is worth picking up at Redbox if you like methodical thrillers.

Ico

Yes I finally got around to playing this fantastic game that originally came out for the Playstation 2. I got the HD remix that was made for the Playstation 3 which includes the Shadow of Collosis, and both have the option of being projected in 3D. I have a 3D TV so I love this option! I first heard about Shadow of Collosis, and was excited to play it. That was the main reason I had picked this one up. The idea of these huge monsters own bodies being the level that you have to get past seemed like something unique and interesting. I decided to play Ico first, and I think that may end up being the better game. The fighting and battles are simple and easy, but the main challenge is in the puzzles you are presented with. You play as a young boy with horns that is brought to an island to be imprisoned within a giant statue. The statue falls and you begin your escape. There is a girl that seems to be mostly made of light. You rescue her and bring her along in your adventures. She is able to open doors that you are otherwise unable to get through. It's a short game, but filled with some awesome moments. It's been months since I first purchased the game, and I just now put it in the PS3. I have been thinking about getting Destiny, but I'm not sure if it would be worth the investment when I may not take the time to play it much. What do you all think?