I hope everyone reading this either is enjoying their Christmas Day, adding me to the list of stunning and exciting (yeah, right) web sites they view today or just sharing some after-holiday cheer on the ol' blog.
Jetswatch Week 17: Them boys have screwed up so much in the West Coast - they lost to the 3-11 Seattle Seahawks of all things - that they've lost their #1 spot in the AFC East, now competing (tooth and nail) with the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots in a triple-threat situation. In order for the Jets to make it to the playoffs next week, they will need to win against the Dolphins Sunday and hope that the Buffalo Bills claim victory over the Pats. There's so much hoping and wishing involved that I just don't think this will end favorably. To simply hope that the Pats lose to anybody these days is stretching things. We'll see what happens on the 28th.
Joy to the World: This spot reserved. ETA most likely December 26th.
Bye-bye, Xbox: My 360 was shipped to the repair center this past Tuesday. NO it's not a red-ring. Rather, it's a bad DVD-ROM drive. Just a few weeks ago, it just stopped reading discs to the point that maybe after 10 attempts I'd get a game or movie going. I already miss it and hope that I can finish something for another console (friggin Baten Kaitos!) before it comes back. I want to get back at Caprici Di Diablo!
Happy holidays!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Playing a little Rock Band 2...
Yesterday, I was testing out my newly shipped guitar controller that actually was a replacement for a defective one. The guitar controller in question is from Guitar Hero World Tour; you know, the one with the touchpad on the neck. After playing a bit of World Tour with satisfying results, I decided to try out my newly downloaded (well, it's not exactly new since I got it about 2 weeks to a month ago) songs for Rock Band 2. I downloaded the Yngwie Malmsteen pack with songs from his new album (that I'm enjoying very much, thank you) and wanted to see just how hard Caprici Di Diablo is. It's a helluva song that just explodes with flurries of echoed guitar mayhem throughout, so I was expecting to fail within the first 2 seconds.
On my first try, I did get about 10% into the song! I was amazed at that because I simply didn't know the opening blitz of notes off-hand. I practiced for about 10 mins and just took a shot at the song again, still rusty. My results are in video form, below. 21%! Once I get better at the verse (where I failed) the song should be manageable, as it does slow down a bit before going back to the verse. By the way, the lovely lady in the framed photo is my fiancée.
PS I'm working on some holiday music to perform with the choirs at my church on Sunday. I'll post a video of a rendition of "Joy to the World" in a few days.
On my first try, I did get about 10% into the song! I was amazed at that because I simply didn't know the opening blitz of notes off-hand. I practiced for about 10 mins and just took a shot at the song again, still rusty. My results are in video form, below. 21%! Once I get better at the verse (where I failed) the song should be manageable, as it does slow down a bit before going back to the verse. By the way, the lovely lady in the framed photo is my fiancée.
PS I'm working on some holiday music to perform with the choirs at my church on Sunday. I'll post a video of a rendition of "Joy to the World" in a few days.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Dragonforce Live 11/25/08
Updated 11/27/08
Happy Thanksgiving!
Dragonforce played at Irving Plaza two days ago. The show was amazing! These guys, if you don't know, have a history of playing live drunk as all hell and being out of tune, among other things. I went to this show a bit skeptical and thinking that it might not blow over so well. Boy, was I wrong; And thankfully so! Herman Li and Sam Totman were nuts; they knew their guitars so well that they could pretty much do their taxes while playing. They talked to each other, made funny faces, jumped around, ran around and interacted with the crowd (Herman crowdsurfed while playing a solo) to make things very entertaining while listening to music so fast, it could get a speeding ticket. ZP Theart sounded very good and there were many people who knew the words to the songs so he had a nice back-up from the crowd. Near the end of the show he was showing signs of fatigue but he sang well overall.
Vadim Pruzhanov was also very entertaining to watch. He pulled out a neon green keyboard ax-thingy (I have no idea what the real name of that thing is) and rushed stage-front to play solos alone or with the guitarists. He and Frederic Leclercq (the bass player) spent some time playing solos in the middle of the set. Only thing is, Fred was playing some killer lead guitar! I thought his multitalentedness was especially intriguing. The drums, played by Dave Mackintosh, were mindblowing. I really can't grasp how people can play so fast, precise and for such a long time! The set was 2 hours long and included many hits from their three most recent albums. They did an encore which comprised of "Valley of the Damned," the single off their first album, and "Through the Fire and Flames."
Images and videos abound below! Enjoy!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Dragonforce played at Irving Plaza two days ago. The show was amazing! These guys, if you don't know, have a history of playing live drunk as all hell and being out of tune, among other things. I went to this show a bit skeptical and thinking that it might not blow over so well. Boy, was I wrong; And thankfully so! Herman Li and Sam Totman were nuts; they knew their guitars so well that they could pretty much do their taxes while playing. They talked to each other, made funny faces, jumped around, ran around and interacted with the crowd (Herman crowdsurfed while playing a solo) to make things very entertaining while listening to music so fast, it could get a speeding ticket. ZP Theart sounded very good and there were many people who knew the words to the songs so he had a nice back-up from the crowd. Near the end of the show he was showing signs of fatigue but he sang well overall.
Vadim Pruzhanov was also very entertaining to watch. He pulled out a neon green keyboard ax-thingy (I have no idea what the real name of that thing is) and rushed stage-front to play solos alone or with the guitarists. He and Frederic Leclercq (the bass player) spent some time playing solos in the middle of the set. Only thing is, Fred was playing some killer lead guitar! I thought his multitalentedness was especially intriguing. The drums, played by Dave Mackintosh, were mindblowing. I really can't grasp how people can play so fast, precise and for such a long time! The set was 2 hours long and included many hits from their three most recent albums. They did an encore which comprised of "Valley of the Damned," the single off their first album, and "Through the Fire and Flames."
Images and videos abound below! Enjoy!
 |
| Dragonforce 11-25-08 |
Monday, November 24, 2008
Victory over the Fully Loaded KFC Guitar Hero Crossover Box of Food
Achievement unlocked:
That's a lot of food!
Date: 11/19/2008
Sides: Corn on the Cob, Mac & Cheese. That certainly made consumption much easier!
I know it's been a few days but I've been lazy in sending this image from my cell phone to the blog.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Jetswatch - Week 12
Oh my, what accomplishments have I to tell about the 2008 New York Jets! After a somewhat disappointing first few weeks and surprising losses (e.g. to the Raiders, WTF?), the members are starting to come together and show some real hunger. Victories over their division superiors - the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots - in weeks 9 and 11 have been only the prologue to their most recent achievements. Those would be week 12's dethroning of the Tennessee Titans from their undefeated status in an amazing (in my opinion) 34-13 win, tying for 2nd place in the AFC with the Pittsburgh Steelers and cementing a 1st place spot in the AFC East division. That pretty much all happened at the same time, too.
Brett Favre is certainly forming a fantastic connection with his receivers, in particular Lavernues Coles, resulting in stunning TD catches and some excellent short and long-range connections. Leon Washington is a joy to watch as he shuttles down the field, evading opposing tacklers. Thomas Jones is quite simply a tank, charging into the line and blasting through the pocket to make some yards or simply eat away at the clock. The Jet defense, while I can't really drop any names, is performing much better than many previous years that I've been watching the team. They're forcing fumbles, stopping drives and making interceptions. Sometimes, though, they let the opposing teams just run all over them and make quick points late in the game. Maybe they just get really tired after all that earlier ownage. Really, though, the attention is on the offense and their growing communication and utilization of their combined skills to get the ball down the field.
I'm feeling proud of the new Gang Green, and I hope their continued success brings them Super Bowl rings, or at least a spot in the big game. Oh, what the hell... to victory!
Brett Favre is certainly forming a fantastic connection with his receivers, in particular Lavernues Coles, resulting in stunning TD catches and some excellent short and long-range connections. Leon Washington is a joy to watch as he shuttles down the field, evading opposing tacklers. Thomas Jones is quite simply a tank, charging into the line and blasting through the pocket to make some yards or simply eat away at the clock. The Jet defense, while I can't really drop any names, is performing much better than many previous years that I've been watching the team. They're forcing fumbles, stopping drives and making interceptions. Sometimes, though, they let the opposing teams just run all over them and make quick points late in the game. Maybe they just get really tired after all that earlier ownage. Really, though, the attention is on the offense and their growing communication and utilization of their combined skills to get the ball down the field.
I'm feeling proud of the new Gang Green, and I hope their continued success brings them Super Bowl rings, or at least a spot in the big game. Oh, what the hell... to victory!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Me vs. The Guitar Hero Fully Loaded Box Meal
Last night (actually Tuesday morning), after not eating anything the entire day I decided to grab some grub from KFC. Remembering the blog on Kotaku about the Guitar Hero meal, I decided to give it a whirl. As you can see, it's rated T for Teen. A healthy teen boy could certain make short work out of the meal which includes two original recipe strips, one dark meat piece (I received a Thigh), one KFC snacker (which is essentially half a strip with mayo and shredded lettuce on a teeny bun), a biscuit, two sides and a large soda. I have read that this box meal is "a lot of food" and from someone who eats quite a bit, I can somewhat agree.
Ready, set, GO!
Mind you, I ate nothing for probably 18 hours before eating this meal. My two sides were mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese - not too filling if I may say so myself but it's got some weight to it. My drink of choice was Dr Pepper, but I like a good Dew any time. I got about this far into the meal before finally calling it quits.
What do I rate this box meal? A hearty 7/10. I wish I had vegetables with this, but KFC isn't really known for its greens, yellows and reds. They were out of vegs that night, so maybe them greens are quite popular? Anyhow, would I buy this again? Sure, but I just wish they had it in extra crispy. Does this make me want to buy Guitar Hero World Tour? Nahh.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Yngwie Malmsteen Live 10/26/08
Updated 10-29-08
Wow. Just, wow. I was blown away by the epic skills displayed by Yngwie Malmsteen Sunday night. Like a stark, raving mad man I howled my lungs dry as I marveled at the speed of his hands and the wail of his guitar as he powered through song after song. Energized by a quite mind-swaying mix of beer and liquor, I managed to shrug off four hours of sleep and the heat produced by the standing crowd to snap several not-so-great pictures (it was really dark and the lights heavily saturated the scene) and some pretty awesome (in my opinion) videos. Here, I will share these with you, so that you can take part in my witnessing of a man who 90% of guitar players (or more?) can't measure up to!
You may notice in the videos some utterly insane character screaming and possibly singing along with a song or two. That would be me; yes, I will be blushing each time you hear me go "Wooooo!" in each video.
Wow. Just, wow. I was blown away by the epic skills displayed by Yngwie Malmsteen Sunday night. Like a stark, raving mad man I howled my lungs dry as I marveled at the speed of his hands and the wail of his guitar as he powered through song after song. Energized by a quite mind-swaying mix of beer and liquor, I managed to shrug off four hours of sleep and the heat produced by the standing crowd to snap several not-so-great pictures (it was really dark and the lights heavily saturated the scene) and some pretty awesome (in my opinion) videos. Here, I will share these with you, so that you can take part in my witnessing of a man who 90% of guitar players (or more?) can't measure up to!
 |
| Yngwie Malmsteen 10-26-08 |
You may notice in the videos some utterly insane character screaming and possibly singing along with a song or two. That would be me; yes, I will be blushing each time you hear me go "Wooooo!" in each video.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Life, as it is, is good
Working 13 days straight can be a nightmare if you do it once. If you're like me and have to do it until January, it's like the dream never ends. This would be the reason why I haven't made an update. The job isn't so bad - essentially I watch television shows to ensure good audio/video quality - so I can handle it. The sleeping isn't so regular since I'm working overnights and still want to have a regular life. Now on to the good stuff!
I'm going to be writing some more solos in the coming weeks and will have some video to present very soon; provided that I have enough energy, that is.
- The band has a new drummer and we're working hard to get two singles out by the end of the year.
- Death Magnetic is absolutely awesome. I tip my hat to Metallica and Rick Rubin for coming out with their hottest metal album in 12 years!
- I'm all set to see Yngwie Malmsteen in October, Dragonforce in November and Metallica in January!
- At the time of this writing, the NY Jets are owning the Arizona Cardinals (4 mins left in the 3rd Quarter) and are reaffirming my hope that Brett Favre will get the team somewhere this year. Unfortunately, the Cards are rallying in a comeback attempt that I believe will fail (score is now 34-15 Jets)
I'm going to be writing some more solos in the coming weeks and will have some video to present very soon; provided that I have enough energy, that is.
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