12:53 PM
It looks like one of my bosses has loose lips and spilled the beans a day early.
Anyway, if you're a DreamHost customer you can see what I've been working on for the past six months or so just by logging in to https://panel6.dreamhost.com/! Right now!
8:40 AM
I've been waiting a long time for Culdcept Saga to come out in America on the Xbox 360. You don't even know. I sank so much time into the PS2 version...and it didn't even support multiplayer!
The game was released in Japan back in November and the English version was supposed to be released state-side in early January. Only that didn't happen.
The Japanese release was so plagued with game-crashing bugs that the American release has been delayed for eight months!
Bugs in console games nowadays aren't really too big of a deal because developers have the ability push out free fixes to gamers over the consoles' online services. So far the Culdcept guys have done that not once but TWICE and they're still not done fixing bugs. Holy crap that is some bad quality control.
Here's some great apologetic Engrish transrations for you, straight from Babelfish itself:
"After receiving the report of trouble, placing on the development team, you verified the decision of phenomenon, the decision of correction place, the decision of correction method and the yes or no etc. of correction with title update in order even a little to be able to transmit title update quickly, you started working. Presently, feeling at rest, in order that it does to kind of that you can enjoy, we do correction revised job."
"In the future, as this kind of trouble does not occur, to take a second look quality control system, everyone feeling at rest, use in order to be able to receive, because it starts doing further effort, that no soldier/finishing understanding it grants, we ask."
Wow. What more can be said?
GameStop is showing a release date of August 1st for Culdcept Saga. I know they have a history of fabricating release dates but I'm marking it on my calendar anyway. I will not be denied!
9:15 AM
Three day weekends are usually good times to go mattress shopping.
So that's what we did.
Let me tell you a little something about mattress shopping. Comparison shopping is out of the question. Mattress stores may all stock the same models and brands, but every store gives their mattresses a different name. A Simmons "Park Avenue Elite 1000" at one store may be called a "Pillow Top Vista 9000" at another. This makes price matching and comparison shopping a futile endeavor.
We went to three stores. Sit'N Sleep had pushy salespeople and their prices were absolutely outrageous. Custom Comfort was a nice local company with friendly sales people but pretty high prices. We finally wound up at Mattress Gallery in Brea. They had a great selection, reasonable pricing (I thought), and totally helpful non-vulturous salespeople.
The mattress was a gift from a generous family member, so we wanted to get something good but not outrageously expensive either. After hours of laying on beds, jumping on beds, and fake-humping on beds we picked out a nice Cal King to replace the sagging 20-year-old hand-me-down mattress that we'd been using.
Monday morning we awoke with a gutful of buyer's remorse. Mattresses are expensive no matter how you look at it, and we hadn't spent that much money at one time in years. And with it being a gift it wasn't even really our money so we felt extra guilty.
So at my insistence we decided to just cancel the order. The bed wasn't scheduled to be delivered for a week anyway, so it's not like we had used it or anything. Last night we drove back to the store fully expecting to just cancel the order and get a refund. It was just too much money.
So the sales guy listened to my story and while he was willing to cancel our order he also offered to see if he could help us out. After a 9pm phone call to his district manager for approval he was able to knock another 20% off of the price. 20%! That's on top of the already discounted President's Day sale pricing we had paid the day before.
So we didn't cancel the order.
We left feeling a bit better. I wasn't going in there looking for a deal. I really had planned to just cancel the whole thing. But Mattress Gallery came through for us and totally hooked us up. I felt awesome for saving so much money.
Saving money in general feels great. I recommend you try it! Maybe not at the expense of some poor sales guy's commission, but definitely do what you can.
8:10 PM
Well I had a mostly fun weekend visiting family in Albuquerque this weekend.
I started feeling pretty sick with a fever Thursday afternoon at work. I powered through it though, and instead of calling off the trip I got right on the plane to New Mexico with Tammy bright and early Friday morning.
Things were going fine until we got to my Aunt and Uncle's house. I was getting sweaty and a little dizzy on the car ride over, and as soon as we walked through the front door my head suddenly got really heavy and I almost blacked out. I have a vague recollection of my uncle holding me up as my legs kept giving way, and eventually being laid on the ground.
Tammy yelled "Call 911!" and before I knew it there were paramedics in the room taking my pulse, wrapping oxygen around my face, asking me what I had to eat that day, and offering me an ambulance to the hospital. They pricked my fingers (twice!) to check my blood sugar and no blood came out! My hands were ice cold and I'm told I was gray as a ghost. They started an IV and I took them up on the ambulance offer and rode to Albuquerque's Presbyterian Hospital in style.
To make a long story short I wound up spending most of the day in the emergency room shivering under a mountain of blankets with an IV in each arm going through all kinds of tests. X-rays, urine, blood, throat culture...these people wanted it all!
The tests all came back normal so they decided that I was dehydrated. My sickness, the fever it caused, the air travel that day, waking up early to catch the flight, Albuquerque's elevation, and my lack of appetite all converged in a perfect storm to rob my body of the fluids it needed.
I was released later that evening after they were confident I was able to keep down some apple juice.
I spent the rest of the weekend in a sick fog but happy to be in the presence of family. We flew back home on Sunday night.
I've spent the past two days here at home riding out this fever and dealing with a killer cough. The fever's gone now and Robitussin DM seems to work well enough on the cough, so I'm gonna venture back to the office tomorrow. We'll see how things go.
Friday was loaded with firsts for me. I've never been admitted to an emergency room before. I've never breathed pure oxygen before. I've never had an IV before. I've never been in an ambulance before. I've never been dehydrated before. I've never scared Tammy so badly before (sorry!) I've never not-known what my insurance co-pay would be prior to service before. I've never been hooked up to a machine that goes BOOP every time my heart beats before. So many new things.
11:29 AM
Lately the Xbox Live Arcade has been junked up with tons of 'retro remakes,' most of which wouldn't entertain the mentally disabled for more than a few minutes. I mean come on.
You'd think that Microsoft would have some kind of filtering system in place to prevent developers from releasing crap onto the Marketplace. And you would be right!
The guy to blame for green-lighting these shoddy remakes is Greg Canessa. Or rather, WAS Greg Canessa. He's OUT!
4:49 PM
As an American Consumer I expect to be able to buy the things I need when I need them, where I expect them to be sold.
I have to say though, that lately the local economy has been letting me down.
There are three products that I'd like to buy but nobody will sell them to me because they are all evidently VERY RARE in today's retail environment. I could probably buy them all online but I'd rather not pay for shipping or wait for them to arrive. Remember, I'm an American and I need things yesterday.
Arm & Hammer Easy Flush Cat Litter
I've been to so many pet stores trying to track this stuff down that I think I've actually developed allergies in the process.
Nobody has my litter in stock. They all have that crappy ass "throw it in the trash can" clay litter and crystals and what-have-you, but nobody carries flushable litter and the people that do are perpetually out of stock. My own stockpile at home is running dangerously low and my litter rationing can only last so long before bad things happen to my carpets and furniture.
Why isn't all litter flushable to begin with? Seems like a no-brainer, right?
Lava Soap
My hands never really get too dirty, but when they do I wish I had Lava soap on hand. (pun!)
I can't find Lava soap anywhere. The grocery store, Target, even Home Depot...nobody carries it!
Here's a fun story. A few years ago I ran out of soap in the shower and all I could find was a bar of Lava.
It felt like I was rubbing a clump of green clay all over my body. Halfway through I wanted to vomit.
When I got out of the shower I felt dirtier.
No, Lava soap is not a good idea for showers. Or baths either, I'd imagine.
Trader Vic's Mai Tai Mix
I've had Mai Tais before, and I've made my own with generic mixes... But I've never had the original. And if Trader Vic's crappy product distribution keeps up, I never will.
Even Beverages & More, the mecca of all things alcohol, doesn't carry Trader Vic's. Vic invented the Mai Tai. You'd think it'd be the de-facto Mai Tai mix and therefore available everywhere.
Not so!
If anyone knows a reliable source for any of these products in the north-eastish Orange County area, I'd love to know about them. Help restore my faith in America. And God Bless.
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