Monk's Blog
Best. Post. EVAR!
You know what two things don’t go together well? Sort of like the polar opposite of peanut butter and chocolate? Nausea and hunger. I don’t get sick that often, and then when I do, nausea very rarely enters the picture. What sucks about this scenario is that I am perpetually hungry. It’s been very difficult to lose weight as I get older and my metabolism has slowed. I’m always hungry. Now I’m also nauseas on top of being hungry.
Right now I’m sick. I’m sick to the point where I can hardly think let alone get work done. This blog post is going to be written in about 2 or 3 minute bursts as I am able to muster concentration.
A couple of weeks ago my daughter missed a week of school because she got sick. Then she wound up giving it to my wife, who is pregnant. Some of you are well aware of that being pregnant and sick is a horrible combination. My poor wife has had a rough pregnancy (though not her worst) but involved a few months of serious morning sickness (though morning is a relative term). Now she finally gets past this part of her pregnancy and now has a massive head cold coupled with some stomach thing.
Now she’s given it to me.
Wow – started this on Friday, and as I write this now it’s Monday. I’m feeling better, but I am beat. Today has already been a long day, and it’s not even noon. I’ll try and wrap this up though before I completely lose focus.
Saturday my daughter was attending a birthday party a couple of blocks away from our local fire station, which was having an open house. After the party I took August, Déla and Ciaran to the fire station after picking her up. Fortunately, the kids have begun feeling better at this point, but I have been full on sick. What was cool about this fire station open house was that everything was open. The kids got to poke around the whole of the fire engine, try on helmets, and more. I even got to sit behind the steering wheel of the fire engine. I just wish I was feeling better so that I could appreciate just how cool it all was.
Maybe I should just end this and cut my losses. This blog post meanders around and sort of lost its meaning. Thing is, I should completely delete this and start over, because this is a really poor entry. Then again, this serves as an example of why I haven’t been able to get anything done in the last few days.
Phamily Foto Phriday (1-22-10 – late)
Yes, I know it’s Monday, and technically missed the day, but I wanted to just go ahead and post this up instead of simply waiting around for the next “Phriday” to post this picture. I mentioned that our friend Robert who is living in Argentina was in Seattle for a visit, and we’ve been having a great time. Many of our nights have consisted of playing cards, drinking wine and talking. Sadly, he leaves today, and hopefully it won’t be another 5 years before we see him again. Here is a picture of Robert with the family:
The Wall Gets Smacked
Writer’s block sucks. Maybe if I write about not writing (yes, I am fully aware of the irony) it might help me “break through” this. Sort of a “live blogging” or stream of consciousness type of thing, maybe if I put down my thoughts as they come out about my frustration, I can guide them into some sort of cohesive … something to help this derailed thought process train get back on the tracks.
Wow, this writer’s block is so bad my “go to” metaphors are sucking even worse than usual.
I have no posts or reviews to update the website with tomorrow. I have to have something, but nothing is coming out. It was tough over the weekend to get stuff written, but I attributed the lack of productivity to the hectic schedule of daily life. Most people look forward to the weekend, but I don’t, because I actually get less done on the weekend. This last weekend was even less productive than usual. Saturday I had an all day meeting for the Knights of Columbus. Sunday my local chapter held a fundraising pancake breakfast for the youth programs. In the afternoon I finally took down (most of) the Christmas lights from outside the house. Little time left to be able to sit and gather my thoughts, let alone get the writing done.
This morning as I sit, I try to start on one thing, and either can’t or fail to get past the first sentence. It’s a very frustrating prospect. The pressure to produce is giving me a headache, which itself isn’t helping any. I need to have something to update the website with tomorrow, and I have several reviews that are either past due or due.
Army of Two: The 40th Day (Xbox 360)
The Green Berets (Blu-ray)
Blog about PR (part 1 of several)
Thirst (DVD)
Guinness Book of World Records Gamers Edition (book)
500 Days of Summer (Blu-ray)
Super Friends Season One Volume 1 (DVD)
You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown (DVD)
Magnolia (Blu-ray)
Holes in my Shoes (DVD)
Blog post about new phone
Guitar Hero Van Halen (Xbox 360)
There are others, but those are the items I have to write up, as in now. Other reviews aren’t ready to be written because I haven’t finished watching the movie or played the game yet. Not like that isn’t a bit of a slouch as far as writing is concerned. And usually the movie/DVD/Blu-ray reviews are easier for me to write. I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time right now.
Most of the website is done by me, where I update the news by myself, and looking at the front page of the website (as I type this out) of the 28 items in the “features” section, 5 are not written by me. Why do I mention this? I don’t know. But I am keenly aware that I need to get something written and posted. Especially since today is a holiday, over the course of the 3 day weekend I should have more than one lame half-hearted attempt at an excuse of a blog post to show for it.
No, I’m not trying to generate sympathy, just work through my frustration, which is growing.
I don’t usually get writer’s block, so it’s especially debilitating and infuriating when it happens. I’ve written this blog post for over an hour now, and it isn’t helping. Maybe I should spend the rest of the day playing games and take tomorrow off to get stuff written up and start updating the website again on Wednesday. Unfortunately, if I do that, then I’m afraid I’ll just be delaying what I’m going through today and will find myself in exactly the same position. I think I was beginning to get writer’s block Saturday morning, but allowed myself to get caught up in the various events to sort of “excuse” it. It would be nice if I had somebody else to cover for me so that I could actually take a couple of days off to just play games and figure out where to go from here. The news won’t post itself and I have too many reviews that won’t get written if I don’t do them. Yeah, I know, I’m whining. Just putting down what’s in my head. Sorry. You shouldn’t’ have read this far anyway. This blog post is for me, not you. Go ahead and keep reading if you want though. I don’t know how it’s going to end.
Maybe I can write a little bit about how my other laptop has been “bricked” and rendered useless. Heck, that’s even dull to me.
I have nothing to say. Usually I’m fine with that, but in this case, I have several items upon which I need to not only have an opinion but convey it.
Well, not even a long shower, followed by a trip to go have breakfast for lunch cured my writer’s block. I’m still stuck several hours later. I’m afraid my next few reviews will just suck. I started writing this, for lack of a better term, blog post at about 8 this morning. It is now 2:30 in the afternoon, and need to get something done for the website instead of staring at the screen of my computer wishing that things would improve.
Stupid News
I’ve been reading online various rumors about Nintendo preparing a successor to the Nintendo DS. Plenty of speculation is being bandied about as to whether or not it is in the works.
Are you people really that stupid?
To even suggest that Nintendo isn’t working on a “next generation” handheld of some sort is sheer ignorance. Whether another iteration of the DS/DSi or a completely new device, you can bet that Nintendo is absolutely working on a new product. This is not news.
Guess what? Sony has the PlayStation 4 in the pipeline, and Microsoft has a successor to the Xbox 360 in the planning stages as well. It is absolutely stupid to think otherwise.
If you find the speculation of Nintendo possibly working on a new handheld newsworthy, you are an idiot. If you are running the speculation of Nintendo possibly working on a new handheld as a lead news item, your news department needs an overhaul.
Oh, and Nintendo might be working on a successor to the Wii. You heard it here first.
Phamily Foto Phriday (1-15-10)
Here’s a picture of (from left to right) Ciaran, August & Dela. This was taken Christmas Eve day, as we were waiting for the ultrasound to begin. Mom (my wife) is expecting our 5th chid in May. No, we don’t know the sex of the unborn baby, and won’t find out. At least, not until he or she is actually born. What I really like about this picture is how Dela is holding onto and looking at August.
What? Who’s That Behind You?
Apparently this week was some sort of big push to get blog readers to quit lurking and to say “Hi” or something in the comment section of whatever blog they read. For the most part, I didn’t take part in that ritual. If I read your blog, I’ll post a comment as I feel necessary, with an actual response. I understand why these bloggers need to call out to their readers, because the active readership according to the statistics don’t necessarily match up to the “front-end” activity.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to post a comment here just for the sake of posting a comment.
I started this blog because as a parent, as somebody who reviews videogames and home video, and as a music lover, I felt that I had something to contribute to … whatever. Turns out, I do, but that contribution I do have also winds up preventing me from blogging as regularly as I would like to. I’m talking about spending time with my kids, as well as working on this here website. I have plenty of ideas and topics (like why I’ll never buy any of my kids shoes that light up) but getting around to actually gathering my thoughts together let alone typing them out coherently is a time consuming process that usually takes a back seat to writing the reviews or trying to post the news.
What’s the point of this post? I’m not entirely sure to be honest. I want to acknowledge the whole “de-lurker” thing, as well as my role in the grand scheme of blogging (which isn’t much, I assure you I know). I also wanted to say “Hi” to whoever (or is it whomever) is reading this, I’m still here, even though days go by without any sort of post. I won’t make any false promises about blog posts every other day to compel you keep coming back, but I do want to try, even if it is just for me.
Big Day Saturday
Saturday was sort of a “big deal” in our house. Two major events happened. The first, and most important, is that Robert came over for a visit. While some guy named Robert coming over for a visit may not seem like that big of a deal, some background information may be helpful in understanding why. My wife and I have known Robert for about 15 years or so – we met while living in the same townhome complex. Robert eventually moved out of the country, then back, then out of the country again, and for several months even lived with us while he was trying to figure out his living situation. Then he moved out of the country for good several years ago. The last time we saw him was 5 years ago.
One of the jobs that Robert has is as a tour guide for a travel company (which I don’t want to name for a variety of reasons). Robert takes groups of people throughout Spain, one of the countries he has lived in, as well as Portugal, where he intends to move next. Every so often, tour guides are required by this company to attend a meeting on changes in the route, company policies, etc. While successfully avoiding this duty for a while, it has caught up with him and he needed to come back to this country and attend these meetings. While he is in the United States for work (and to attend a few personal matters, since he is still an American citizen) he is staying at our house.
So, having Robert, a close friend whom we have not seen in a long time, with few prospects of seeing him for another few years, visit is a big deal.
While this would normally be enough for most people, our Saturday was big in another way. I upgraded cell phone plans, to the point of having to purchase a phone. A little background on this might also be in order. I’ve had no problem signing contracts with a wireless carrier for a set amount of time in order to gain a preferred rate. Usually what I have done over the course of the last few years is get the best available free phone whenever I renew my contract or sign up for a new one. I never jumped on the iPhone bandwagon, partly because I don’t like iTunes and don’t want to use it, and also because I don’t want to ever have to go back to using AT&T for my wireless service (or anything else – but that’s another matter).
More and more my wife and I have been wanting more functionality out of our phones, such as using the calendar function to keep track of events, texting each other instead of leaving voice messages, and more. While it has been tempting to get an iPhone or something similar, I have resisted. That is until now.
The Motorola Droid looked great, providing a lot of the additional functionality that my wife and I were looking for, but most importantly, it was available for our wireless provider. Our wireless contract was up for renewal, and there was a special deal, where purchasing (at a discount) the Motorola Droid would enable a second similar phone to be free. Looking to upgrade, and the timing was right, and the prices were … well, not nearly as bad as they could be. I purchased the Motorola Droid for myself and my wife got the HTC Eris Droid.
It was a tough pill to swallow, but purchasing the phones feels like the right thing to have done. We were ready to move up in our technological use. As for myself, I was looking forward to possibly getting something similar to the Droid when it was first revealed, only dreaming wistfully that I might actually get the thing. Saturday afternoon I went into the Verizon store, asked about the package deal along with upgrading and renewing our contract early. It took some work, but I am not among the many people who have a phone that functions as more than just a phone.
While most people in my line of work, colleagues on both sides (both press and public relations/marketing) have had these types of devices for years, it’s new to me. Saturday all I wanted to do was browse through the marketplace and find various applications to download and install. I began to do so, but then I had to head to the airport to pick up Robert. I was equally excited to explore my new toy as well as visit with my friend.
It wasn’t until the next day when my wife and Robert went out to do some errands that I was able to spend some quality time exploring my new device. Much of what I am discovering may be “old hat” for many people, but it’s all new to me. I was able to transfer a song and edit the MP3 on my Droid establishing it for my ringtone. I’ve downloaded several local oriented applications, such as traffic cams, as well as some more entertainment oriented ones. What I’m really pleased with is that so much is available for free.
As I explore more of my new phone, I’ll most likely blog about it. Yeah, I might write a little about Robert’s visit too.
Avatar Thoughts
Can somebody tell me the difference between James Cameron’s Avatar and a “good old fashioned” cowboys and indians film? I’m not saying I was disappointed in the film (though I’m not sure it was worth $15 to see on a fake IMAX screen at the multiplex) but the film certainly doesn’t deserve to quite the slobbering mindless praise that it has gotten.
Let me get the biggest problem I have with the film out of the way. Unobtanium. Apparently humans have traveled the stars and are mining the alien world of Pandora for a very rare element. This is a plot device which is as old as … well, I was going to say “as old as the hills” but the hills have been strip mined. I have no problem with with story mechanic as the reason for the human’s presence on Pandora, but it’s the name of the element that made me laugh out loud in the theater. Unobtanium? Really? Why not call it McGuffintonium or McGuffinite? That would have been more original. (The more I think about it, the more I think it should be spelled “Maguffinite.) With so much thought and attention to detail that went into the making of this movie, this is what we get? What are we, 16?
There are plenty of other small bits like this in the plot that don’t make as much sense as they should (such as why the helicopter pilot played by Michelle Rodriguez is never admonished for abandoning her post during one of the big attacks), but most of those are easily glossed over. This is a movie after all, and for the most part the logic works. While there are themes that are present in Avatar that are reminiscent of a whole lot of other films and books. Heck, I don’t think James Cameron claimed to have come up with a completely original story idea, so let’s take that issue off the table. Almost every film made today is a variation on a theme that we’ve seen time after time, so originality shouldn’t be an issue here.
Where originality shouldn’t be an issue, being derivative is another matter. Certain plot elements of the story are clearly derivative. Then again, some of the films that people are claiming James Cameron of stealing from, are themselves, somewhat derivative. Sadly, Avatar is somewhat derivative, and as a result, predictable.
But damn if it wasn’t enjoyable to sit through.
Now, I spent $15 to see it in IMAX 3D at my local multiplex. I knew that I’d be paying more for IMAX, but not having been to an IMAX theatrical release since Fantasia 2000, I figured this might be worth the money. Since the multiplex that I was going to see the film at was very recently built (having opened less than 2 years ago) I thought that it might actually be technically up to the task. The problem I ran into was that the screen wasn’t actually an IMAX screen. Sure, the aspect ratio may have been true to IMAX specifications, but the scale, the sheer size of what I expect an IMAX screen to be, that wasn’t there. The bottom line is that if you want to see a theatrical release on an IMAX screen, go to an IMAX theater, not the local multiplex, no matter how new it was built.
I should have skipped the premium IMAX charge and just seen in on the regular screen in 3D.
I am sure that the film will be enjoyable on home video, but Avatar is certainly meant to be seen in 3D, the same way that The Wizard of OZ loses much of its impact when seen on a black and white television. I hope that James Cameron worked on some additional technology to translate his vision to home video.
Eight Days A Week
Eight Days A Week
Album: Beatles For Sale
Authorship: McCartney/Lennon (70/30 split)
This was a #1 hit in the United States, but not released as a single in the UK. Beatlesongs mentions that it may be the first song to use a “fade in”. Tell Me Why states “The components of the song don’t add up the way the actual performance does.” This is simply a standard issue song from a band, but somehow it is more than just a simple love song.
For today, I want to expand on the song’s title. While most hardcore Beatles fans understand that a week lasts eight days, some of the more casual fans or those that are new to the group might need to have it pointed out that “Eight Days A Week” is the basis for the new calendar math. It may take some prodding to understand just how prominently the number 8 features in the first half of the Beatles career.
Besides “Eight Days A Week” the original title for the film Help was to be Eight Arms To Hold You. Both the film title and song are completely unrelated. Those that have seen the film know where the title would have come from. As for myself, I am undecided all these years later as to which I think would have been better for the film.
Then there are the number of musicians who were part of the group. This might get a bit… controversial. While it’s no secret that Pete Best was kicked out of the group in favor of Ringo Starr, most don’t know who Stu Sutcliffe was. Those familiar with the band’s history will remember that Stu was the original bass player who left the band during the early days in Hamburg and died of a brain hemorrhage before the group hit big.
This is where think might piss off some of the Beatles faithful.
Andy White was a session drummer brought in to the studio at producer George Martin’s request. While Pete best had already been replaced by Ringo, it was felt there was still something lacking when it came to keeping the beat. He lasted one session, and can be heard on the group’s first single “Love Me Do” (and it’s B side “P.S. I Love You”). All three Beatles drummers are featured somewhere in the Beatles archive on this song.
Then we get to Jimmy Nicol. I’m still waiting for him to write a book about his experiences with the group. During the height of Beatlemania in 1964 Ringo took ill. Rather than take the time to rest, the band played Australia and New Zeland with a temporary drummer at manager Brian Epstein’s behest. For less than two weeks Nicol lived the high life with screaming fans, but as soon as Ringo was able to, he joined the group and retook his place on stage.
That’s eight. One could almost claim Billy Preston, but he is actually credited separately from the rest of the group during the sessions he participated in. John, Paul, George, Ringo, Pete, Stu, Andy & Jimmy. Eight days in a week, eight arms to hold you, and eight band members.
And this concluded my Beatles Week for 2009. I had fun with this exercise, and hope to do this again next year. Well, I suppose technically it would be later this year.
She Said, She Said
She Said, She Said
Album: Revolver
Authorship: Lennon
According to Beatlesongs this was written during a break in the 1965 tour. John Lennon was taking acid and Peter Fonda was recounting his own acid trip “I know what it’s like to be dead.” Tell Me Why uses the words “existential angst” to describe the song. There is a lot of loss in Lennon’s life, and much of that shadow is cast in that song, along with a touch of paranoia. A whole book could probably be writing analyzing just this one song.
I was feeling at a loss for a topic, so I asked my wife for some help. After offering up a couple of song titles, she just started reading every title off of albums just to give me … well, I’m not sure (and I don’t think she does either).
“Getting Better”
“What is?”
“You could talk about the New Year and how there is so much coming and it’s going to be better.”
“I don’t have a New Year’s post in me.”
“Rocky Raccoon”
I just gave her a look which asked her what kind of post I was supposed to write up with that as the title.
“Got To Get You Into My Life”
“You’re already in my life.”
“Your Mother Should Know”
“What should my mother know? Also, what advice could I dispense to reader’s mothers?”
“Good Day Sunshine”
“You want me to do a post about the weather?”
“Birthday”
I stare at her blankly.
“Well, it would be a good post if it were your birthday.”
My birthday is July 31. Her birthday is in August, and our children range from May to August. I wonder why she would offer this title up as a suggestion for a blog post topic knowing that it would be useless.
Sometimes my wife tries to help, but just flails about without any real forethought. I appreciate the effort. Perhaps I should have used “And I Love Her” as the title theme for this post.
I Am The Walrus
I Am The Walrus
Album: Magical Mystery Tour
Authorship: Lennon
This song was directly influenced by LSD and the hallucinogenic images produced. Also, according to Beatlesongs there was also a conscious effort to confuse those that would analyze the lyrics. Tell Me Why says the song “meanders” and “seems to suspend normal time boundaries” which seems to be an understatement, and goes further to say the song “sticks out in their catalogue like an impenetrable nightmare” – it’s more of a sonic fantasy than anything.
Long before my wife became pregnant, we discussed kids, and what to name them. I will feely admit to having some different ideas as to what could be considered appropriate. I won’t go into my oldest son, which isn’t part of the equation (long story) but I did name my other 3 children. August is 6, our only daughter, Déla (pronounced day-la), and Ciaran (pronounced kee-ran) is 2.
During each of her pregnancies the topic of what to name the child came to the forefront of conversation. One of the ideas that she keeps trying to put forth is Mungo as a first name, which is a bit odd, but might work. It sounds a bit too Neanderthalish for my tastes. What has always struck me as really odd, especially for my wife, was her choice of middle name: Goo Goo Ga Joob.
A throwaway lyric in a nonsensical song – my wife’s choice as a middle name for our child. I’m glad I’ve been able to fend her off so far.
With her being pregnant again, the issue of naming has again come up. She doesn’t quite know why she has this in her head; she just likes the way it sounds. Heck, she isn’t even that much of a Beatles fan. A nonsense reason for having a nonsense lyric as a middle name. Yeah, like this is a good idea – it would be a great excuse to get teased at school.
Mungo Goo Goo Ga Joob is not a name that will be appearing on any birth certificate of a child we produce. Ever. I like the song, but not nearly enough to scar my child for life because of it.
I’ll Cry Instead
We continue Beatles Week with an examination of the music as presented to the collector.
I’ll Cry Instead
Album: Hard Day’s Night
Authorship: Lennon
Both Beatlesongs and Tell Me Why have little to say about the song other than it was written for the film Hard Day’s Night, but rejected by the film’s director, Richard Lester. In its place “Can’t Buy Me Love” was used instead. A single version of the song was recorded which differs from the album version.
I didn’t have a specific theme or topic in mind, so I opened up Beatlesongs to a random page and this was it. Actually, I’m glad, because it provides the opportunity to bring up an issue that most Beatles fans may not be aware of – the disparity in what was recently released in the box sets versus what was actually released in the 1960s. If you own bothh box sets, your collection is still incomplete.
The single of “I’ll Cry Instead” features an extra verse and runs about 20 seconds longer than the version included on the album. This illustrates part of the problem with collecting the Beatles catalog, there are not only disparities between the US and UK versions of the earlier albums, with singles and EPs containing non-album tracks on both sides of the Atlantic, but the soundtracks to the groups first two films stand apart for different reasons – instrumental versions of songs.
Both Hard Day’s Night and Help! elicited soundtrack albums in the United States, which differed from the catalog albums the Beatles released elsewhere. Most significantly was the inclusion of some of the instrumental scores that were arranged by George Martin, variations of Beatles songs. One of my favorites is the instrumental version of “This Boy” (which can be heard as Ringo is wandering around the river bank with his camera in Hard Day’s Night.
What I keep hoping for is a double disc release of each Beatles album, with the first disc containing the album “proper” with its integrity intact as the group intended. The second disc would be a compilation of singles, B-sides, and other studio cuts that were not included on the album. For instance, the album “Help!” would include on its second disc the b-side to the title track (“I’m Down”) as well as the instrumental bits from the soundtrack among other items.
Because I don’t have The Beatles In Stereo, I can’t compare the two versions of “I’ll Cry Instead” that are in each box set. I do know, however, that even when I do manage to pick up that wonderful box set, my Beatles collection on CD will still be incomplete. There are two versions of “Please Please Me” in mono, one from the single and one from the album. The box set only includes the version on the album, with the single version missing. And because I can’t do anything about that, I’ll cry instead.
Yellow Submarine
Yellow Submarine
Album: Revolver
Authorship: Mostly Paul (with the help of John and Donovan Leitch)
Ringo sings this hit song which would go on to inspire an animated film. Beatlesongs uses several quotes to explain how this really isn’t a drug reference song, but simply a child’s tune. Tell Me Why uses the words “childish foppery” and “comic relief” (which the album sorely needed).
This post isn’t about submarines, or the color yellow, or my time in the Navy (which didn’t happen – I was in the Army). Instead, I want to use this song as a jumping off point. You see, this song is my 6 year old son’s favorite. I’ve played Beatles songs before over the years, but it wasn’t until Beatles Rock Band that my kids paid any attention to the group.
I’m not saying that my kids are now Beatles fans in any way. My 4 year old daughter, however, has been known to sing along with “Eight Days A Week”. One of the albums in heavy rotation in the family car is “1” the Beatles hits compilation. Now, my kids are interested in the songs and the band. “I remember this song from Beatles Rock Band,” is something I hear every now and again.
I picked up Beatles Rock Band when it came out, it had been a while since playing a music-based game with any sort of regularity. As a Beatles fan, I was eager to be able to interact with the songs, as well as finally jump onto the Rock Band bandwagon. While playing Beatles Rock Band my younger kids would watch and want to participate. My 2 year old son really took to playing the drums – with or without the game. I eventually bought him a drum for Christmas.
My kids have always enjoyed music, but mostly it’s a limited selection. Granted, they are at a young age when they can’t be expected to appreciate the intricacies of what makes “A Day In The Life” so different from “She Loves You” from “ Hey Jude” – they just like the tunes. What’s going on is that there is a cohesive way to introduce this phenomenal, influential and landmark musical group to my kids without having to be didactic about it. Now I don’t have to put on “Abbey Road” and explain what is so great about the album and why with my kids sitting there, blankly looking at me. Now they express interest and are coming to the music on their own and I’m able to teach them the importance of The Beatles in a much more kid-friendly manner.
While it may be lamentable that it takes a videogame to introduce the greatest band of all time to a new generation, the fact remains that The Beatles’ music lives on and is getting passed on and appreciated. Does it matter how?
Hello Goodbye
Hello Goodbye
Album: Single (later included on Magical Mystery Tour)
Author: McCartney
Another #1 song for the group in both the United Kingdom and United States. According to Beatlesongs the promotional video was banned by the BBC because Paul was obviously lip synching. John apparently didn’t like the song that much either. Oh well. Tell Me Why analyzes the song thusly: “It’s the kind of song McCartney can write in his sleep, and he probably did.” Ouch.
What a year it’s been. I won’t go into everything that’s been going on in my life (those last three words the title of another famous Beatles song) over the last year, instead I’ll just highlight a couple of things since rejoining the online social network Facebook.
I had joined Facebook years ago, but drifted off due to… whatever. After a multi-year absence I hopped back online and have been participating on a fairly regular (almost daily) basis.
Hello – I reconnected with a roommate of mine from 17 years ago. He was around when my first son was born and his birth mother disappeared. He was also the bass player and primary songwriter in the band I was in. I freely admit that I wasn’t a very good roommate (I wound up having to move out because I couldn’t pay rent). I remember one year for Christmas he got me West Side Story on laserdisc (this was years before DVDs came out) and I didn’t get him anything.
After I moved out we dropped out of contact as our lives drifted further and further apart because we had less connecting us (the band we were in had broken up). I decided to do a search for this guy on Facebook, and lo and behold, he was. Turns out his life took a completely different direction as well, and while I don’t feel comfortable saying who he is or where he works, I will say my 6 year old son understands and appreciates just how cool my old friend’s current job is.
Goodbye – I learned that my cousin Jake had died through a post another of my cousins made. I wrote a blog post about that. It just goes to show how the world has changed over the last 50 years. Sure, one can talk about how in the last 5, 10 or 15 years thins are drastically different, but if you look back to what our social interactions were like 50 years ago, it’s not just a generational change. There are fundamental differences in communication, and I’m not just referring to text messages via cell phone.
You can lament the changes, about how everybody has a cell phone that’s always on and people are always connected somehow. That’s a fair complaint, but it is also the reality of the world that needs to be accepted. We still need to come up with some accepted rules of conduct for this 9still relatively new) level of connectivity we share, either actively or passively, but wishing things would change is not constructive.
Frankly, I’m glad for this new connectivity, because I learned of a significant event that I otherwise might not have through an online social network. Sure, I should make more of an effort to connect via more traditional methods, such as face to face and phone calls, but right now this is about all I can manage with my very busy life chasing my kids around.
Please Please Me
This is the second day of my version of Beatles Week. Head over to MadMup.com for the original.
Please Please Me
Authorship: Lennon
Album: Please Please Me
According to Beatlesongs this was Lennon’s attempt at producing a Roy Orbison song. It was the group’s second single, but their first #1. Tell Me Why analyzes the song saying “…he wants this woman to do more than just hold his hand.”
I’m very pleased. This Christmas I asked for one present only, and I got it. The Beatles In Mono box set. I really wanted to get it when it was first announced, but knew that it was a long shot. I have a hard enough time justifying a single CD purchase these days, let alone a massive (and pricey) box set. It isn’t because we don’t have a lot of space for CDs, which we don’t, but it’s simply an economic matter. We have a number of mouths to feed, sp spending $20 on a CD is a bit of a luxury these days.
For most music lovers the “regular” Beatles box set will be more than enough with all of the group’s albums remastered. More “hardcore” Beatles fans know that the mono versions of the songs are not just the same songs and albums with the left and right channels spliced together. Heck, I wonder how many modern music fans even know what monophonic sound actually means.
I won’t go into how long I’ve been a Beatles fan, or go into too much detail about my level of fandom. Well, maybe a little bit. I have an original Vee Jay LP “Introducing The Beatles” which is one of the crown jewels in my record collection. I still hold dear me entire collection of vinyl, with a large swath of it occupied by The Fab Four.
Perhaps you remember my fiasco at Best Buy when I tried to purchase the cymbal pack for my Beatles Rock Band drum set. As I was leaving the store, I noticed there was a stack of The Beatles In Stereo box sets on display, with one lone The Beatles In Mono box set. When I had returned home, I told Laura what I saw, and that if I got nothing else for Christmas this was what I wanted. I knew the mono box set was produced in limited quantities and that seeing one was going to be a rare occurrence, especially at this point in time, even more so in the new year.
While it wasn’t a great surprise, I was still quite pleased to open the present. Because it is such a pricey set, I wasn’t actually expecting the set. Later on, my wife told me that she purchased the set at a completely different retailer while out shopping for other presents for our children. She did, however, start looking for the box set after I had told her about it.
So, thank you Laura. I really like my gift.
I’m So Tired
I think this is a great idea. A week’s worth of blog posts built around or inspired by titles of Beatles songs. I would like to take credit, but it is Mark that I am completely ripping off. He’s had his own take on Beatles Week, and you can follow that if you wish (AND I suggest you do, he’s a much better writer than I am). As for myself, I’m taking 8 random-ish song titles and will be basing my posts on those, sticking withsome sort of relevancy that may or my not be apparent as the week progresses. Then again, I may abandon the whole process 3 days into it.
I’m So Tired
Album: The Beatles
Authorship: Lennon
According to Beatlesongs it was written as John was trying to decide if he should leave his wife or not. Tell Me Why analyzes the song in this way: “The stop-again-start-again bass-and-drum exchanges after that key phrase the second time around only aggravate the calm that booze and cigarettes don’t provide.”
Irritation. Yeah, I get it. I’m tired too. I got 4 kids, another on the way, and this season isn’t exactly easy to navigate. I’ve had sick kids, myself and my wife have gotten sick, and our schedule is such that this year we are completely off. This is the first year we’ve had a toddler, a kid in elementary school, and one in pre-school – all with different schedules. On top of that, I’ve started a new job and that’s yet another schedule to layer over everything. Tonight, as I write this, it’s Christmas Eve, and yes, I’m so tired.
This was the first time I went shopping on Christmas Eve for my wife. We’ve been together 16 years, and I’ve always been able to not only have ideas of what to get her, but have actually been able to get my shopping done. Heck, my wife and I used to have a majority of our Christmas shopping done by September. These days we’re luck to have everything purchased let alone wrapped on Christmas Eve.
My normal wake-up time is about 5 in the morning, but the last few days I’ve slept through my alarm. It’s really irritating as I have a lot of things I want to get done. Apparently I’ve been too tired to get up on time. No, I’ve not been staying up late either. Usually staying up to 10:15 is a late night. Apparently I’m not just getting old, I’m getting rather lame as well.
Thankfully the next few days are going to be a bit “light” in the workload department, so I can get some writing done. I have a number of reviews that are ready to be written, and now I’ll have the time to get them done. I’m also not going to be too stressed about sleeping in past my alarm these next few days. Hopefully by the time the New Year kicks off and we jump back on that school rollercoaster I won’t be quite so tired.
Yeah, me and John Lennon are just the same. Well, except I’m not leaving my wife and he’s dead. Draw your own conclusions.
College Acceptance
You might remember some of the troubles I have had with my oldest son, documented partially in a 4 part blog entry (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4). One of the current issues cropping up is the fact that his school setting isn’t ideal for college and university applications. His boarding school is on a self-regulated PACE program (Personal Accelerated Christian Learning) and not an accredited high school. It’s important to remember when everything was going from bad to worse, it became a matter of not where we wanted him to go, but what program would accept him.
Now, 3 years later, he is not only beginning to learn to take responsibility for his actions, but he is also looking at finishing the scholastic program and complete high school – at least, their version of it. It’s a decent program and his education isn’t just a cursory ting, but without accreditation, which is much more legal work than you could probably imagine, many colleges and universities won’t recognize the work he has done.
His school this year has partnered with a program that will allow his grades to be transferred to an accredited school for college applications, which we signed up for. Unfortunately, Kyle is the perfect example of wasted potential. With no effort he will pass a class, if just barely. With minimal effort he’ll get high “C” to “B” depending on the subject. With a little bit of genuine effort, he could be a “straight A” student, but he skates by on the bare minimum. It’s frustrating as his parent to see this.
Over Thanksgiving break, Kyle was home for a visit. Instead of doing anything fun, during the 10 days he was home, we worked on college applications. Sure, we watched a couple of videos in the evening, but that was about it. Because the school issue of accreditation, we wanted to apply to as many institutions of higher learning as we could. Kyle had taken the SAT and gained a respectable score (though not as good as he should have). The biggest issue was the number of essays and short answers that needed to be provided. While it would be possible to duplicate a lot of the essays, there was still quite a lot of work necessary.
In the end we applied to 15 colleges and universities. On his previous trip home a few months earlier Kyle looked up colleges and universities with an Engineering program, which is what he is interested in. Then we took that (very) long list, and whittled it down, first by academic requirements and then geography. In the end, we wound up applying to perhaps more schools than normal, but we wanted to make sure he got in somewhere.
It’s an early Christmas present, but one we’ll gladly accept. We got our first acceptance letter. It would appear Kyle will be going to college next year. It may not be his first choice, but it’s an acceptance – Pacific University, about 20 miles East of Portland, Oregon. We haven’t heard back from any other places yet, and don’t expect to for some time. We submitted applications mostly over Thanksgiving break and right afterwards, trying to beat the early admissions deadline at some locations to give Kyle a better chance (we hoped). Now, if every other place sends out a rejection, at least Kyle has this one to go to.
This is a major relief for me. It also proves that with minimal effort, Kyle will be able to succeed at just about anything. Never having gone to college myself (my wife is currently working on her second Masters degree, but that’s a post for another time), I’m really glad that my son has this opportunity. Now he just needs to finish up his current year of schooling.
Phamily Foto Phriday
My daughter Dela has had a rough week of it. Things started off bad enough with an ear infection but that wouldn’t be enough. After a trip to the doctor and a round of antibiotics, her health just wouldn’t improve. She had a cough that wouldn’t go away and it was keeping her up at night so she couldn’t sleep. Wednesday it just got to the point where we had to take her back to the doctor. She developed Pneumonia, as well as developing an ear infection in both ears. She needed to get two shots of antibiotics before leaving the doctor’s office as well as a new round of medications and whatnot.
That night, she finally began to feel better, her cough was subsiding and she finally was getting some sleep. Then after a couple of hours, we heard a massive thump and Dela crying – turns out she had fallen out of her bed. She shares a room with her brother August, who was doing his best to stay asleep. We wanted to keep him in bed and get Dela back in bed, so we didn’t turn on the light and just put her back in bed. She kept crying, saying that she bumped her head. We couldn’t quite understand why she kept on crying. The next morning we found out why she was so upset.
If your child falls out of bed, you might want to turn on the light and actually look at your child… unlike me. This picture doesn’t quite do the damage done to her face justice.
Crash, Ride, And Fail
I spent a good portion of the day running around town trying to find the Mad Catz cymbal expansion for my Beatles Rock Band drum kit. Since I never picked up a Rock Band game previously, I had taken the plunge with Beatles Rock Band, and have been using those instruments with the various music games I have around the house.
Through several stores, including a few I fully expected the peripheral to be at (Gamestop was even out), the search almost became Quixotic in style. Making the whole affair somewhat even more comical was the fact I was dragging my two year old son along for the ride. Packing him in and out of the stroller only to spend mere moments in any location.
Finally, they were located at Best Buy. The “assistant” informed me that the cymbals would only work with Rock Band 2 drums, not the original kit, which I already knew. I thanked him for his information, but I had Beatles Rock Band so I should be fine. Not so, according to this Best Buy employee (I wish I had taken his name down). Beatles Rock Band included the original Rock Band drums, not Rock Band 2, so the cymbals would not be compatible.
Since it was lunch time and I could tell my young child was getting antsy from getting dragged all over the place on a ridiculous quest, I placed the Mad Catz Cymbal Expansion Kit back on the shelf. It would appear I would have to find a Rock Band 2 drum kit somewhere. I didn’t want to buy the full Rock Band 2 game as I already own the game disc and about 42 different guitar peripherals, as well as the full Beatles Rock Band kit.
I should have purchased the cymbals.
When I got home, the first thing I did was feed my son lunch. Shortly afterwards, however, I went and looked at my Beatles Rock Band drum kit, and it did indeed have the inputs for the cymbals. It would appear that the Best Buy employee was mistaken, and I was victim. Now I can either go back to Best Buy, or simply pick up the Mad Catz Cymbal Expansion Kit through an online vendor.
Any thoughts?
Dear Videogames
Dear Videogame Industry,
Harder does not necessarily equal better.
No, I’m not referring Demon’s Souls, the difficulty is inherent in the gameplay. Instead, this is a long-standing complaint that I have, and many others do as well, they just don’t say anything. I’m saying something.
There are a number of ways which difficulty is poorly used. One of the most blatant and pervasive is the varying degree of difficulty within a game, as well as within a level. When a certain section simply increases the difficulty to prolong the gameplay time, it comes across as lazy development. Spending two hours trying to figure out how to defeat an early boss in a game only to have the next two fall in less than 5 minutes is wrong.
Of course some games ramp up the difficulty level of the game steadily, which is appropriate, especially when the player’s in-game character gains skills and abilities to overcome these enemies.
Sometimes a whole level will abruptly become more difficult. This is especially irritating because these types of levels stick out distinctly from the rest of the game, especially when the game afterwards turns back to its regular difficulty.
I have no problem with difficult bosses at the end of levels, but not being able to save the game before these battles is a crime. Especially offensive is when the boss suddenly and inexplicably has their health bar refilled while the player doesn’t. It is again, a cheap tactic that smacks of lazy programming.
None of this is to say that hard games don’t have a place on shelves. There’s nothing wrong with having a good challenge, but when it’s poorly implemented, it’s just… wrong.
An Update On Updates
You may have noticed a severe drop in the rate of blog posts as of late. Then again, maybe not. Either way, the fact remains that I haven’t had the chance over the last couple of months to spend the extra time to write up about my life and what has been going on as well as my general opinions of the videogame and home video industries. It isn’t for lack of anything to say, simply a matter of time.
At the beginning of September I began a new job as a Crossing Guard. It takes only a couple of hours a day, but since I’m the only one updating Digital Entertainment News on a daily basis, those are a couple of hours that I usually spent working on the website. Between my new position placing myself in the middle of the road as well as taking care of the children at home there’s only a certain amount of time I have to update the website.
It should be noted that this is not a “whiny” post, because I’m not full of self-pity or anything of the sort. I actually enjoy the time spent being a crossing guard, and find it to be the most rewarding stuff (other than being a parent) I’ve done in a long time.
With a reduced set of time to work on the website, I have to arrange my priorities a little differently. Between posting the daily news and spending time to write up some reviews, my day is full. Actually, the couple of hours I have dedicated to keeping children and their families safe as they go to and from school prevents me from getting as much writing done as I have previously, let alone adding new stuff such as blog posts.
So what’s my solution? I’ve decided to take a day off every once in a while to catch up on stuff that I’ve lost time for. With over 10 hours a week gone from working on the website, I need to make up for it somehow, otherwise I’m not only going to simply get further behind, but also completely stressed out, which isn’t a good thing. So now I’ll be taking a day and instead of updating the website I’ll use that time to play games and videos for review as well as get some more writing accomplished.
It’s a decision that I’m quite happy with, and hopefully the end result will benefit website.
Oh, I’m well aware that I have some contributors who also turn in reviews, but they are just that – contributors and not staff members. Heck, I had to pick up a part time job on my own to keep the lights on (so to speak) so it’s not like I can be paying these people.
Lost Journal – The Kate Hate
I hate Kate.
Watching the third season of Lost really solidifies why over the first two seasons this one character just never sat right with me. I’m not talking about liking or disliking har character on the series, but how the character is written. She isn’t evil or good, but simply uncommitted to one course of action or another.
Yes, she is tough and can kick some serious when the occasion arises, but she keeps trying to “have it both ways” by showing interest in two men and expecting them both to be committed to her exclusively. During the flashbacks we see this time and again where she keeps making poor choices over and over again, despite the fact that she knows better. Because the character consciously makes bad decisions she is a pain to watch.
By now, if you haven’t been watching Lost, I would expect that you’re not reading much of these blogs. What follows will be a bit of a spoiler for those that haven’t watched any of the series. Actually, I’m going to go into some real spoilers for one episode as an illustration of my disdain for the character.
One episode in the third season deals mostly with Kate, who was on the run from the FBI. Throughout the series we get flashbacks of her character when she is on the run and wants to stop and have a normal life. To this end, she actually does it. The FBI agent even gives her a bit of a free pass if she can keep her head down and stop running he won’t keep looking for her. At the end of the episode (in the flashback) she leaves her comfortable life and heads back out on the run. No explanation is ever given as to why she does this. None.
Actually, quite a lot of the third season seems to play out like this, at least initially. The first half of the season especially seems to simply drag on a bit with a lot less activity and forward movement. Sure, we get some character development, but in a show that is as plot intensive as Lost is, the forward movement is essential.
That’s what the character of Kate lacks – forward movement.
PAX 09 Day 3 (Part 2)
You know what sucks? Standing in line at PAX and waiting 20 minutes to play a game in order to preview it only to find out that it is due to be released in less than a week. This happened several times, and the final straw was Bethesda’s Wet. Having missed E3 this year I really was out of the loop as far as what games are coming when. I saw this game as playable in Bethesda’s booth and was intrigued by the gameplay – completely over the top like a Quentin Tarrantino film, reminiscent of Total Overdose from a couple of years previous (I even thought this might be a sequel for the first minute or so. The game looks to be great fun, and I’m sorry I hadn’t been able to see it before.
The last day of the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo was a bit of a mixed bag, comparatively. More standing in line for things, a few more appointments, and then the day was over before I knew it.
I left PAX with a good feeling this year, which I hadn’t the year before. Part of this was due to the way the convention center was laid out, such as having the Penny Arcade merchandise booth outside of the exhibition hall. Traditionally that booth has always had such a huge line that it blocked massive amounts of traffic, and this simple move allowed things to move much more smoothly as far as the crowds were concerned.
My only regret this year was not getting to check out more of the tabletop gaming. One game from Privateer Press looked like a lot of fun – Monsterocalypse. It is one of those collectable miniatures style of games, but the theme here is the Japanese style of big rubber suited monsters and heroes. If I had a massive amount of money to buy a complete set (as well as somebody to play the game with) I would be tempted to pick it up.
One of these years at PAX I’m going to get into a D&D game. Dungeons & Dragons was how I was first introduced to gaming, back when there were red and blue box sets (which I still have somewhere downstairs) and it is the game that is still very close to my heart.
PAX East was announced, and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to attend. It’s over a weekend in March that I may just not be able to leave home what with school schedules for both my wife (who is getting her degree for teaching) and my kids. I hope it’s a success. This year’s was less crowded, but that may have been a logistical illusion than an actual reflection on attendance. It was easy to get from place to place, and the feel this year was more jovial and celebratory. Maybe it was my own mood, but PAX this year was fun, and I look forward to more.
Pax 09 Day 3 (Part 1)
I was able to bring August and Déla to PAX this year for a couple of hours. They were interested in seeing what it is that I do and what was taking me away from the house for so long, and they were at an age where it seemed like they could handle a couple of hours of crowd and flishing lights.
I had told them both about some of the stuff going on at the Penny Arcade Expo, such as lots of people playing games, but what really caught their attention was the fact that people dressed up in costume. They thought that would be fun, so they decided to dress up in costume. August wore his Pikachu outfit and Déla her Care Bear. These costumes were originally for Halloween a couple of years ago, so they don’t fit as well as they used to, but the kids made them work.
Along with the costumes come the photographs. I had told them that people would want to take their picture, but they weren’t really prepared for it to actually happen. I think they were pretty overwhelmed with the whole PAX environment, so people asking to take their picture was just part of the overall assault on their senses.
At 6 years old, August has only played one videogame. He’s done some of those online mini-games that come on a website that are associated with the likes of SpongeBob Squarepant’s official website, but those aren’t real games. Instead, he played a Go Diego Go videogame for about 20 minutes before getting bored. He likes the idea of videogames, but the reality is far less exciting. He still has good memories of playing the game with his father, so his excitement level was quite high.
Déla, on the other hand, has never played a videogame. At 4, she really is too young, especially for those games on display at PAX. Still, she was excited about not being left behind and participating in… something.
I actually had an appointment right as the event opened for the day, so I couldn’t just go in and show my kids the lay of the land and help them get their bearings. There were two rules I game August & Déla. The first was to stay next to me. I told them I should always be able to reach out and hold their hand unless otherwise directed to stay next to somebody else or to go somewhere, etc. The second rule was that they needed to ask me before touching anything, even if the booth worker says it is alright for them to grab a controller or whatever it is, they need to get my permissions.
With these ground rules in play, we left the car and went into the convention center. Almost immediately people wanted to take their picture. It was quite gratifying as a parent, oddly enough. We didn’t even get into the expo hall and already they had their picture taken several times.
Fortunately my first appointment was to look at Hello Kitty Online. Sure, it may sound hokey, but it’s not a bad game. August and Déla liked clicking around and exploring the world on one computer while I met and chatted with the company getting a deeper look than my son and daughter were able to. They were really nice, and Déla was completely enamored with the Hello Kitty swag.
I then passed off my next meeting to Mike, so I could spend some time just walking around and looking at stuff. More pictures were taken of August and Déla. We checked out a few games and made our way to CDV’s booth, so that I could say hello to Ted (one of the PR folks I’m friendly with) as well as introduce him to my kids. Turns out he had taken a picture of them while they were at the Hello Kitty booth without realizing they were my children. He saw them, but didn’t see me (my back was turned) and thought they were cute enough for a picture.
Then it was time for mom to pick them up. While they were only there for a couple of hours, they had fun, August more than Déla, because she was ready to leave, but August was a little disappointed he wasn’t able to stay the whole day. Maybe next year.
Hooked Up
Yesterday I woke up at 3:00 in the morning, and on purpose. Then I woke up August. You know how bad it feels to have to wake up a 6 year old that early and keep them awake? Ugh.
Part of the official diagnosis process for August (who may have a very mild form of Cerebral Palsy) is to get an EEG. In order for this to take place and be effective, he needs to fall asleep during the test. Unfortunately because his test is at 2 in the afternoon, we need to sleep deprive him so that he’ll be tired enough to fall asleep.
Last night we stayed up until 10 at night, which is fine for many kids, as well as Laura and I as August’s parents, but since he normally has a bedtime around 7 to 7:30, that was sort of a big deal. It was a big treat for him to be able to stay up late and watch a movie with just his parents, but it was a bit rough, especially as the film began winding its way to the conclusion.
What do you do with a 6 year old at 3 in the morning if you want him to stay awake? Well, we have DirecTV, and one of the networks is PBS Kids Sprout. A 3 hour block of programming is framed around the Wiggles. August and I sat up and watched this engaging (for kids) set of shows, such as Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, The Night Jungle, and a healthy dose of The Wiggles sprinkled throughout.
My plan was to get a bunch of work done, writing up some of the stuff from the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo. I have plenty of previews to finish up and edit, then post. Unfortunately after coming off of a long weekend during which I was tired, and getting half the sleep I normally do last night, it was all I could do to stay awake and help August stay awake.
There was plenty of stuff I wanted to do, but the primary concern was with keeping August awake for his EEG. He stayed awake and was in good spirits all morning, even though it was difficult. It would have been easy to simply complain about being tired, but August goes through life with a great humor and positive attitude, and that carried over to this morning. Sure, he enjoyed watching more television in one 24 hour period than he usually does in a week, but he is such a good natured child that we could have been reading stories the whole time and he would have been just as happy. I didn’t do that, however, because it would have been harder to stay awake.
It was much easier to keep August awake as the day wore on, and more people woke up in the house. First up was Ciárán, and the three of us ran an errand dropping something off at the post office. Then Déla woke as did mom, and breakfast was had. Then some playtime, and stories, and some other generic activities.
I wasn’t able to take August to the appointment itself, but apparently it went well. August has always been a trooper, and this seemed to be no exception. They connected 25 electrodes to his head, which was reportedly a process in and of itself. Then they conducted some tests on him, such as having him count to 50, short term memory stuff, all to get a baseline. Then they let him sleep. While he slept, they read his brainwave patterns, then he was woken up after only 20 minutes. The full connection of wires and electrodes and whatnot were still on him as he woke up to read his brain activity while transitioning from sleep to wake. It was, however, difficult to get him to wake up. A couple of short tests later, and the boy was allowed to return home.
Naturally, August was in a bit of a bad mood, he had been awake since 3 in the morning after only a few hours of sleep, and when he was allowed to go back to sleep, it was only for 20 minutes. It should be noted that this is the kid that goes to bed about 7:00 or 7:30 and wakes up at 7:00 in the morning. He normally gets about 11 to 12 hours of sleep, so he was really on his last nerve and over tired.
An early(ish) bed time and he was much better this morning, ready for a full day of Kindergarten. We haven’t gotten the results, and don’t expect them until sometime late next week.
