Monday, October 15, 2012

Thoughts On... The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 1 - Seed

Hey there.  Who caught the season 3 premier of The Walking Dead last night???  Let me rephrase that...  Who DID NOT watch The Walking Dead last night!?!?!  AMC's insanely popular show finally returned last night with the first episode of the season 3.  The last episode of season 2 ended on such a high note that many fans were curious to see how the show would maintain the high intensity.  Michonne made an appearance, the farm was overrun by zombies, Shane's dead, Lori's preggers, we get a glimpse of the prison, and Rick.... Rick finally asserted himself as the man in charge, proclaiming that this is "no longer a democracy."  If you have yet to see S3:E1 - Seed, of the The Walking Dead, DO NOT CONTINUE.  SPOILERS BELOW.  This is not a recap of the episode.  You can go elsewhere for that.  These are just some observations and thoughts that I had while watching the show.  Now...  here are my thoughts on... Seed.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Thoughts On... LIMBO

Hey there.  I have always been fascinated by PlayDead's Xbox Arcade megahit, LIMBO.  When the demo was released, I immediately downloaded it.  When the price of 1200 MS was announced, I was extremely hesitant in purchasing the game.  Many reviews at the time criticized the "short gameplay" and I really like to get a good bang for my buck.  Today, you can get LIMBO, Trials HD, and Splosion Man for about $20.  I managed to score enough free MS points through the Xbox Reward program so I ended up coughing up the 1200 to download the game.  I know... I know...  Playdead's LIMBO was the talk of the town when it came out and I'm just getting around to it now.  Aside from a few screen shots, I made a conscience effort to stay away from ANYTHING that would spoil the game for me.  Thank goodness, I did.  LIMBO is more than just a game, it is art.  If you haven't had a chance to play the game and plan to, step away now.  Go kill a few hours and play LIMBO and then come back to discuss.  SPOILERS BELOW!  Now, after my first playthrough, here are my thoughts on...  LIMBO.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Google Adsense Account Disabled

Hey there.  When I first started this blog many moons ago, I looked around for ways to earn a few extra bucks from it.  I remember getting my feet wet in programs like ProjectWonderful and CMF ads.  When I learned that it could all be so easy if I just signed up with Google AdSense, I did and it was great.  I remember earning close to $30 my first month and I was pretty excited about that.  I told myself that my blog is still a nobody site and if I were to have better than decent traffic, my Google AdSense earnings would multiply!  Then... just like that, my account was disabled.  WHAT!?!?!?!  I was extremely disappointed.  I appealed but I got nowhere.  And the worst part is that they do not offer you an explanation.  They simply state that they cannot provide any details at this moment.  I do not like that answer.  If there is something wrong, whether it's my fault or not, I would like to know!  How else am I going to fix the problem?  Do I have offensive material on my site?  Did an inappropriate ad display on my site?  Were there invalid clicks?  Tell me what was/is the problem?!?!  I never found out.  Fast forward close to 5 years later and I reapplied for Google AdSense.  After another site review, I was accepted!  Oh happy days are upon us!!!  Then... 2 days later, my account was suspended...  AGAIN!  WHAT!?!  And again, for reasons unknown.  What really upset me this time around, though, was that my site was reviewed and got the OK from Google Adsense a mere 2 days BEFORE being disabled!  If there was something wrong with my site, why would they OK it only to disable it a mere 2 days later???

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

The Gladiator Rock'n Run at the Rose Bowl was Awesome

Gladiator Rock'n Run at the Rose Bowl
Hey there.  My year of fitness reached a new level last Saturday.  I completed my second obstacle course and the Gladiator Rock'n Run was BRUTAL!  It was a lot tougher than I thought it would be.  I spent a lot of time at the gym the following month trying to level up my fitness stats.  I focused more on endurance than anything else and it definitely paid off.  There were long stretches of jogging in between the obstacles and I'm sure that it was designed that way so that you reach them feeling pretty drained.  Nevertheless, I loved it and would definitely be heading back next year for round two!  Let me tell you about my experience.

Monday, October 8, 2012