LP, I am your father

It's been a while since I've written I know. Lots of very exciting things have been going on. Most everyone knows by now that my wife and I are having a baby! We recently found out that it will be a boy, much to our disappointment. "What?!?!" you say. Yes we were both hoping for a girl. We had already associated so much with "her" that it came as a shock to see the little lightsaber on the sonogram. We are now in the process of revamping our entire outlook. Names, colors, themes, everything. We are warming up to the idea, and of course the boy will be loved. We have waited eight years for this day to come. I am becoming more aware of the future and the fun toys that I will be able to play with. Nothing against Barbie, but I already get made fun of for playing with dolls. That being said I have drastically changed my hobby outlook recently. With the coming of a baby and the going of funds, I have shifted (somewhat) to reusable sources of entertainment. Board games, card games, and more board games. I have gotten pretty lucky in that Mel has liked the games I have purchased so far. I also have a great seemly endless resource in Dave. We have been playing more and more games, which has been very refreshing after playing the same game week after week. No, I am not giving up "dolls". I am actually looking forward to a new game coming soon. Yes, it is Star Wars based. Some of the recent games purchased even have children's editions. Start him with the basics, then we can launch a full attack on Hoth when he's older.

Wait, Master. There is something I must know

It's funny how we as free thinking individuals must justify things we do. We seek to gain approval. If it's good enough for ourselves, then why must we also seek to appease the masses? Many things in life are done for self-satisfaction. The need to accomplish something in order to feel gratified. We often state that the opinion of others is not important or required. Yet we still reach out to them. Is it truly to get approval or is it sub-conscious bragging? Many people share their hobbies, crafts, or achievements with their friends. Or even to a smaller degree the friends that are or will be involved. These things I truly believe are to get recognition from your loved ones. A sense of pride is found in sharing with the people close to you. It's when we shout from the rooftops, that the issue arises. There are numerous things that we hear (or are forced to hear) everyday, that we could care less about. It's wonderful that the lady in front of me at the store has a neighbor who's two year old can swim. Why must she tell the cashier? How in the hell did that casually come up in the conversation usually containing "do you have any coupons?" The lady must just be talking to hear herself talking. Or she needs some sort of nod of acknowledgment to continue her day. Are our two cents even worth that much? You bought a new car, made lasagna, planted some flowers, climbed a mountain. Good for you. Does someone telling you good job and patting you on the back make any of those things better? Unless I get to ride in it, eat it, touch it, or sit on it (TWSS) then do I really need to hear about it?

The dark side of the force has clouded their vision, my friend.

Friendship can be a strange thing. It can sometimes go as fast as it arrived. A chance meeting, a mere head nod in passing, or a simple introduction through someone can turn into a lifelong friend. As well, a single statement, someone else's word, or the wrong decision can simply end it. I pride myself on the friends that I surround myself with. In many ways I cherish them more than family, due to the fact that they can leave. They don't have to love me like family. They don't have to put up with my shit. They don't have to stand by me unconditionally. Friends are rented. You "pay" them with your laughter, stories, help, company, and understanding. If at any time you fail to make a payment, a friend can up and leave. That is why I hold my friends up and above all. They choose to stick with me through tough decisions. They help make the tough times easier by their own choice. They willingly give their time to make mine more enjoyable. Every once in a while though a friend will slip through the cracks. You lose touch, move away, come to a crossroads, or disagree on an obstacle. Poof, they are gone. Sometimes they come back. Sometimes an agreement can be reached, Sometimes it is goodbye. I feel that I have lost very few "true friends" in my lifetime, all for various reasons. Some I consider unfortunate, others not so much in hindsight. I consider myself a genuine person, I have flaws I will be the first to admit that. But I stay true to my beliefs, my family, and mostly my friends. That will never go away.

He has foreseen this. It is your destiny!

Have you ever popped in a DVD, sat down on the couch, wrapped the blanket around you, dove into the bowl of popcorn, and snuggled in for a great movie experience. Only to have the disc tell you that your not going to enjoy the movie because it's not on Blu-ray? Blu-ray, "better than real life." Well too bad for you I'm watching a movie, and not real life. I do not need Blu-ray to enjoy my movie experience. I want humor, drama, explosions, acting, and a story. "But it's far superior to DVD", you say? Interesting, we've watched DVD's for years, never complaining about them. Whats the big deal? "You can see the chicken pock marks on Jennifer Annistions face!" Um, that doesn't make the movie anymore enjoyable. I especially love the part before the movie when the preview splits the screen saying. The left side is DVD and the right side is the amazing technology of Blu-ray. Really cause I'm watching a DVD, so just make the DVD look like the right side of the screen.

All that said, I'll be buying a Blu-ray player on September 16th. Nothing to do with the crystal clear technology, superior sound, or conformity. My TVs aren't even hooked up to HD. One of them isn't even HD compatible! I am also not giving into the PS3 dual whammy. I'll just buy a game system and oops I have Blu-ray too! Nope. I will be buying Blu-ray for one reason only, so George Lucas can have some more of my money. I hope he set up a commission program with Blu-ray. A form for me to fill out saying I only bought this useless piece of machinery cause George made me, now send him some of your money too. Yes, I own the Star Wars movies already. On VHS, DVD, DVD extended, Dvd remastered, DVD transfers of the original releases from laserdisc, the Phantom Edits, Rifftrax versions, and soon to be Blu-ray. Not for the sound. Not for the picture. Not for a complete collection. Certainly not to give George more money. I will be buying them for the over 40 hours of bonus material and special features including never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes, an exploration of the exclusive Star Wars archives, behind the scenes, documentaries and much more. Forty hours! That's like twenty more movies worth of material. And I will enjoy all of them on my not-HD TV, getting the full not reality experience. And 10 more years from now, when your all ranting about Holo-discs, I'll finally buy one of those when Star Wars is released.