Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - My impressions

I'm a Gamer!

I have been a gamer for a very long time. I played video games back in the days of the Intellivision (no, seriously, such a thing actually existed!), the Super NES, Turbo Grafx16, Sega Genesis, Playstation (One, that is - it didn't have a number back then!), and then went almost exclusively with PC gaming, which I had also done since the 8088 (that's a model of CPU that used to exist) right up to my current computer.

One I got into PC gaming, I gave up on the consoles.  Oh sure, I had tried a console game here and there, and was familiar with and happy with the controls for sports games - especially the NHL franchise by EA - but I had never played any kind of shooters, and wasn't really relishing the idea of trying. I had tried one on my PSP at one time, which used the same basic ideas (only, using the buttons as a second directional pad), and I didn't really like it either. I had always thought that using a mouse and keyboard was and always WOULD be the best possible way to play any type of First Person Shooter (FPS) game.

Yes, I've heard the arguments between PC gamers and console gamers on the merits of each control method, and if there was any kind of way to definitively decide or prove which was superior, there would be a showdown, of sorts. But I had tried both methods of aiming, and I was quite convinced that mouse and keyboard was and would always be the way to go.

Console Gaming

Well, I have a friend who is an XBox 360 gamer, has been playing for years, and has been bugging me for years to get an XBox so we can game together, chat together, and whatnot. I kept trying to get him into PC gaming, and we did play some Diablo II for a while, but it didn't last.

So, finally, I broke down and got an XBox 360 just over a year ago. I asked Rico what games to get so that we could game together (yeah, we are 40-somethings, and we still like to game. Some things never change!), and he suggested a couple. One of them was Left4Dead, the other was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

So, here I was, a confirmed PC gamer, trying to get into the world of console FPS gaming.

The first little while was a downright disaster!  I would try to aim for someone and I would hit the sky!  I would try to backup and protect my buddy, and I would shoot him in the face.  I died over and over, and he never got mad at me, just said "keep trying, bro!  You'll get it!"

So I got into Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer and I played my ass off.  I would get destroyed, often going 3 and 15 (3 kills, 15 deaths), and was happy when my kills went higher than 5!  That was a brilliant game, for me!  the people on my team were rarely happy, but that is the downfall of playing in public games, that you get the not-as-good with the good.

Anyway, I was still having fun for the most part, and was playing hard, and learning, and eventually, getting better to the point that I would occassionally have a positive (greater than 1.00) Kill-to-Death Ratio (KDR). Basically, it means (if you don't know), that you have an equal number of kills to deaths, or more kills than deaths.  That's always the goal!  Calculating KDR entails dividing the number of kills by the number of deaths.

COD: Black Ops 2

After a while playing Modern Warfare 3, it was announced that the next iteration in the Call od Duty series was coming out in late 2012, and would be called Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.  It was a sequel to the previous, and very popular Black Ops, but woud be placed in a future setting, not too far in the future, but far enough to bring in some interesting new tech and toys.

This was all very well, and I was looking forward to the interesting things that were coming into the game (like the remote controlled quad-copter gunners - the Dragonfire), and the inclusion of what they called "League Play".  League Play was what I most looked forward to, as it would allow me to be matched based on 5 random encounters, with people of equal skill as myself.  That way, I would not end up in a match where I was so severely outclassed that I was constantly dying and rarely getting kills.

As an idea, this was great!  In practice  it is actually quite abysmal, and I have a LOT to say about it, which I will post on my Hubpages in the near future (edit: Here's the link to that review)

However, after starting to watch gameplay videos by a number of well-known and liked YouTubers (LegendofThunder, Ali-A, and Optic Nadeshot to namedrop just a few), I discovered some play styles that I liked, and some ideas for how to approach the games, and learn the maps that actually made me a better gamer.  Now, that's not to say that I am great - hell, I wouldn't even say I am very good - but if you could see my gameplays from a year ago, and see what I do now on Black Ops 2, you would have to agree that, with my ability to actually get positive KDR on at least half of my games, and the fact that I brought my overal TDM (Team Deathmatch) KDR up from about 0.62 to a current 0.79, I have improved greatly.

Single Player

The single player game in Black Ops 2 is actually quite good.  I had played all of the Modern Warfare Series from the first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare up to Modern Warfare 3, and I enjoyed the characters, the intensity, the grittiness, and the overall story arc of the games.  I have not yet played Black Ops, so I don't know the first part of the story, but I was pulled into the game right from the first mission in Black Ops 2, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way the stories went, even going into the back story and playing out missions in 80s Afghanistan, and such.

The characters are well fleshed out and you learn some of their history through the course of the game, as well as what motivates them to do the things they do.  The reasons for Menendez' hatred of Woods, and Woods' hatred of Menendez make them a fantastic pivot point around which to base the game, and the post-ending ending (I can't give it away, but it was surreal, and weird, and FRICKIN' HILARIOUS!) just makes the whole game worth playing through to the end!

Multiplayer

The multiplayer portion of Black Ops 2 is also quite well done.  You have a range of game types that can be played from such standards as Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Domination, to newer modes like Hardpoint, Sticks and Stones, and Sharpshooter.  You can play in the Core modes (with your HUD - Heads Up Display - and counters for your ammo, a minimap that shows your team and the enemies, etc.), or in Hardcore modes that remove the HUD and minimap, and give you less health so that death is quicker if you get hit.

As you play, you gain levels which will unlock new weapons and perks, and you can also level your weapons by using them in order to gain new camo's, and new attachments.  Each level gives you an unlock token to unlock one of the weapons, consumables, or perks that are available at that level, so you really have to decide what you want for each of your created classes.  

Once you level up to 55, you can trade in a "Prestige" token in order to reset your level back to 1, but you can then permanently unlock a weapon, attachment, or perk, as you see fit.  At this time, I believe there are 10 Prestige levels, but I don't quite remember if that is 

As a newer player of FPSs on consoles, of course the hardest part for me is getting into a lobby with players in which I have a chance to be more than just fodder for the other team's bullets.  It still happens, and I get frustrated when it does, but as I said earlier, my game has improved to the point that I can actually end up in games where I feel well-matched to the opponents.  Sometimes I will get stomped, and other times I will do the stomping.

Getting used to listening to people complain or whine, or generally badmouth you if you don't play well, does take a while.  I would often get discouraged and upset by what people would say about my bad play, and annoyed when they would get upset by what I did and accuse me of cheating or something to that effect (which I have never, and will never do), but it happens less now, and the option to globally mute everyone except your party with the click of a button before the match starts, is sometimes useful and necessary!

League Play

League Play is supposed to match you up with similarly skilled players so that you can play in competitive modes and keep track of who is better.  There are ranks for each division, and multiple divisions for each tier, and you gain points by winning, and lose points by... well, losing!

All weapons and attachments are available right from the beginning of League Play.  It doesn't matter if you have never played multiplayer, or you have prestiged to Level 55 of Prestige 10, everything is unlocked and available.

The Team Deathmatch league leaves everything available, including weapons, attachments, scorestreaks and perks.  The Champions league has more e-sports rules, and in each "season" (basically a season goes by a calendar month, for the most part), the rules change to match the requests of those who play the leagues, and especially those who are at the top of e-sports / MLG for those who play COD games.

There are 6 tiers, and multiple divisions per tier for League Gaming.  They start with Masters for the highest ranked/best players, then move on to Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and finally Iron.  Each division has 250 players, and you can move up and down your division, and occasionally move tiers as well.  

In the case of Champions league, I haven't played much since the Hardpoint, Capture the Flag, and Search & Destroy modes are my least played modes, so I am not that good at them, and haven't figured out all of the mechanics and tactics I need to.  I really like Team Deathmatch mode, and have managed a personal best of 30th in Bronze tier, but have since been near the top of my Iron division for the last two seasons (I believe I ended 2nd or 3rd in the season through February, and I am currently near the top 10 for my current ladder).

Now...  I am not totally in love with the League play, and as I said earlier, will detail that in a later post on HubPages, (Here it is again) but for the most part it does what it says.  You can occasionally get matched with higher tier players (I have gone into matches with silver and even Platinum players), but if you win (good luck!) you get a few more points for the win than you would if everyone is evenly matched.

Final Thoughts

I really like the single player, like the multiplayer, and am - at the moment - at odds with League Play.  But for a First Person Shooter with multiplayer and single player options, I would say this is a good buy.  I would give it about an 8 out of 10 if I had to rate it.  But since I don't have to, I will just say that I like it, and I would recommend it for others who are fairly good at shooters, or who want to work hard to get somewhat good at shooters.

Hope you enjoyed this review-ish (I didn't get into any nuts and bolts, so it more an over-review), and maybe I will see you out there on the battle field.

Cheers!

  -- Slyde

Four months - oh what a difference time makes

So, 4 months ago, I wrote up a post, and, as it turns out, that was the day my life changed. No, I didn't discover Jesus, or have a revelation that would enable me to amass a fortune, or simply fall out of a tree and bump my head. No, this was a much less world-changing event as it was a self-changing event.

I won't get into the details of it, but I will say that at this point my life has taken on a different structure and a fully changed outlook on the future. I have decided to take the bull by the horns, become a person I will be happy with and proud to be, and someone that others will look at and say: He was my friend, and my life was enriched because of it!

Yes, I have faults - OH MY GOD!!! SAY IT AIN'T SO! - everyone does... so relax! You have faults, anonymous reader. If you feel you don't, then you are looking down upon the internet from above (and yes, I am talking about Jesus now...). But the faults of another have pushed this upon me and now I need to make some hard decisions about my life that I was sure, even as recently as November 24th, 2009, I would never make. My life was, despite a few unfortunate job losses, on track and content and going the way I wanted it to. Now... I am building a new direction and trying to do what I can to head in that direction and become a better person for it.

Anyway... as a result, I do hope to get on here on occassion and write more again. how many times have I said that? Too many. So ignore me, and just check back if you feel like it... :)

Listening to some King's X from that album I reviewed last year too. LOL. What a weird day this is turning out to be...

Have a great day, all of you (if anyone ever reads this... lol)

Cheers!

Slyde

Google Wave

I got a Google Wave invite today, which I had really been hoping for, for some time now. I was really curious to see, what was it that this new Google "technology", if-you-will, could do.

Truthfully, Google Wave is not a new technology, but a new way of communicating and collaborating online using a new and expandablee interface. The interface in some ways is like an email client or a chat client, where you pick someone to talk to and send them a message. However, it's more than just that. You can send them a message, watch them reply (complete with typing mistakes/corrections), correct their spelling, bring up a map that you can both see AT THE SAME TIME and edit AT THE SAME TIME, etc., etc. The possibilities are endless, I am sure, but the key is simultaneous communication and collaboration.

I am not doing it justice at all, but consider a chat program where you type, the other person types, back-and-forth, over-and-over. Or email. You send, wait, read, send, wait, read... Google Wave takes out the waiting part in some cases, so that you can immediately converse, share pictures, videos, ideas all online no matter how far apart the two (or more!) parties are.

Right now, it's in the invite only stage, so you have to wait for someonee you know with an invite to get you in, but once in, you can look at the different gadgets availalbe and start doing things together. There aren't a lot of useful gadgets yet, but there are a few interesting ones out there.

Once I get my invitations, I will start handing them out and see just what kind of fun I can have wiith Google Wave. For now, I only know the person who sent me the invite, so I will do what I can, but it will be quite limited for the time being.

Get into it, y'all! And Have Fun!!!

Cheers!

Slyde

Yeah, I lie...

Sometimes, that is. Not often, and not on purpose, but occassionally I lie about things. Like that previous post: "I'm really back!" Sure you are, Slyde. Sure you are!

I meant to be back, and I meant to stay here and put up more posts, but for some reason I forgot, or got too busy doing other things. But now, for now at least, I am back. For tonight. I won't guarantee anything beyond that.

I should. I love to write, even if it is in my first-person, conversational type mode that I do, but it is always good practice to sit down, start typing away on the computer and just bang out a few ideas about things. Like music, or writing, or my family, or general daily goings-on. For example, right now. What am I really talking about? Nothing! Absolutely nothing. But, if you are still here reading, it is apparently interesting enough to make you not turn away. At least... not yet!

So what was it I had hoped to accomplish with this blog? Not a whole lot really. Maybe a dialog for other people to read about things I have to say and start talking and thinking about things. Debate is a great way for your brain to keep active, and deciding "what is my opinion about something, and why" is a great way to get your mind active. I don't expect everyone to agree with me. Hell, I hope at least a few people don't, cuz what kind of fun would that be? There's no debate, no application of thought, no sharing of ideas. I want to hear other people's ideas about things, and I want to know what they have to say about them.

Alas, I have failed in that pursuit. Barely anyone has read this blog, let alone commented enough to start any kind of lively - but polite! - debate. So, maybe that's part of the reason I never come back. Maybe those things that I have to say that I think are so interesting, really aren't that interesting after all. And thus, I start a conversation that, ultimately, is with myself and to myself. I mean, granted, that's generally how I do it anyway, but it would be nice if, after my little soliloquy is done, someone might have something to say, like "Slyde, you're a dough-head! That's not true; here's the truth for ya..."

Ah well. C'est la vie, as they say in the movies.

Maybe I'll come back tomorrow.

Maybe next week... or, maybe next year. Who knows.

Say something, and maybe it'll be sooner!


Or, maybe I am just talking to myself... hello? Is there anybody out there? Helllooooooooo....?


Cheers!

Slyde

Yes, I'm really back - and here's that March 11 post!

Well, that didn't go as planned!

OK, so I had intended to come back later in the day there, and I obviously did not. However, I did remember to post something, so I am back once again to post that writing I did back in March. I'll be right back with that - not that you'll notice the time I spent getting my USB key, opening the file and pasting the contents in here, but still it's nice to talk about it like you know what's going on, right?

...

March 11, 2009

It has been several iterations of eternity since I was last here to grace the pages of blogspot and post myself an entry. I don’t know why it is that I get into writing my blog for a while, and then suddenly I lose complete interest and post nothing for ages. I keep talking about wanting to be a writer, but when it comes right down to it, I seem to suffer from “epic fail” syndrome. It’s time to set myself a daily quota of at least 500 words, no less, if I want to get myself back into my writing, and make it something useful and interesting.

I know, I am just talking to myself, more-or-less, since I know very few people ever read this blog so far, but that’s alright - I do intend to change that! It’s kind of like a diary that is open to the public to view, if they so desire, so why not. Maybe someone – one of those three people who has ever read my blog – finds my daily spewing to be somewhat of a relief from the daily tensions of their own life. Something to think about, laugh about, or get angry about. And maybe that torch will pass to one of the thousands who will read it in the future. Whatever – I am simply here to make my opinions known and hopefully have someone think something about it; whether they agree with me or not isn’t really the point.

So, for today’s topic I thought I would talk a little bit about one of those bands that I love to listen to. There are a few that I really enjoy, and this one is probably the fourth or fifth band I really took to (the first ones being Manteca, Phil Collins and David Bowie – later would come Metallica, and Dream Theatre). And by “took to” I mean that I became almost obsessive over listening to the songs so often, back-to-back-to-back that I knew pretty much all of the nuances of each song, yet I would continue to listen.

It started around 1988 or 1989, I guess. I had been to the recording studio with my own band, and the owner of the former Tamarack Studio of North Bay (I forget his name) had actually mentioned that, based on the types of music I liked listening to, I might like this little known band called King’s X. I thought – 'yeah, sure buddy! Whatever! We just met, you know almost nothing about me, yet you are recommending me some music to listen to.'

Well, for fun, I went out a few days later and found the current album (the third studio album for the band under this name) called “Faith, Hope, Love”. Now, I was told this was metal, and here I have the words from First Corinthians, 13? (Yes, even then, as little as I paid attention to my faith, I knew where that came from.)

But, I thought, what the heck, let’s give it a listen. There’s always the chance it could be some good Christian Metal, though I had never heard any I had really liked before.

Now, here’s a picture to get you going and give you a laugh for the day:

I’m 18 or 19 years old, working for my dad doing construction work, and I am driving an Oldsmobile station wagon – one of the ones with the faux wood panelling on the inside, and possibly along the outside too, but I can’t remember that part for sure. OK, so you have the picture of the six-foot tall, skinny, long-haired (I liked 80s hair metal, ya know) 18 year-old kid driving his grandparents’ station wagon? Now, add in some heavy metal music blaring with all 5 of the windows rolled down! Yeah! That was me! I was soooo cool! You can imagine how many girls I picked up with THAT shaggin’ wagon.

Anyway, I got the tape and popped it into the car stereo and blasted it. And I was instantly hooked. Sure, there were elements of Christianity thrown into it, but it wasn’t just the words that drew me in, it was the music. It was heavy, but it was melodic. There was funkiness to it, and three part harmonies! It was intoxicating.

That was the beginning of my love affair with the music of King’s X. I listened to it constantly, memorizing the words, trying to pick out the hidden meanings, but also trying to hear all of the little hidden melodies and counter-melodies and counterpoint in the music as well. From the opening track to the title track of “Faith, Hope, Love” to the anti-abortion song “Legal Kill”, it was a rush from beginning to end!

The first song, “We Are Finding Who We Are” was just the tip of the iceberg that the album held. It starts with a seemingly out of place opening riff that was interesting, but short and confusing at first, then a grinding bass note – the signature King’s X bass sound – that lead into three part harmony for the first verse. It was strong, with hard punctuated rhythms and that gritty voice of Doug Pinnick with squelchy Hendrix-esque vocals that were perfectly on pitch. I was at a loss for words to even describe what I was listening to. It made the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stand up, and I was just blown away.

...

and that was the end of what I wrote on March 11. So here is my continuation of the examination of King's X's album 'Faith, Hope, Love'.

...

Next came "It's Love" with a similarly out-of-place introduction that went into more of the same punctuated rhythms and 3-part harmonies. It's a lighter song, sung by guitarist Ty Tabor, but with the driving guitar and bass, the drums filling in the spaces so cleanly. The main guitar/bass riff of the song is beautifully syncopated to the melody. Somewhere in the middle, there's suddenly an airy bridge of "aaah"s and slower rhythms from the instruments, but it maintains the hard rock feel as it plays out. And then there was that whiny, flanged guitar solo sound that Ty likes to use. It was my first experience with it, and it was both disturbuing and wonderfully fresh at the same time.

Following the abrupt and unexpected end of "It's Love", "I'll Never Get Tired of You" starts up with a whole new sound. Slow, light, a love song of sorts - as close to one as King's X is going to get, I suppose. The lyrics don't come right out and say all of the poetic things that you hear in most of the popular love songs, it's straight to the point that "Hey, I love you, and that will never stop. K? Kewl, now let's go have a beer" kind of thing. Not those words, but that is the basic idea that I get from it.

"Fine Art of Friendship" goes back to more rhythmic pursuits, with the boys presenting some more of their beautiful 3-part harmonies over Doug Pinnick's fabulously wailing voice - he even throws in a growl at one point that gets right into you. Sweet stuff. The music is minimalist, not too heavy on overdubs or anything extra, but with some counterpoint play between the bass and the guitar in the outro towards the end. One thing I like about King's X is that the bass parts aren't just rhythm, they actually add to the song. Pinnick has as much melodic presence as the guitar or the vocals.

Next up, Mr. Wilson - I don't get this song at all. I have no idea what it's about. It seems to be about someone who is giving orders to kill people and everyone is just supposed to understand. I guess if I looked it up there might be some explanation somewhere about it. But words like:

Although we look like people
And it could be my son on the chopping block
But I'm sure he'll understand

I have no idea what that means. Of course, the more poignant one that really makes you scratch your head is (along the same lines):

Although we look like people
And it could be my head on the chopping block
But I'm sure I'll understand
I'm sure we'll understand
(NO! We don't understand!)

Still don't get it. Anyway, it's a slow song, with confusing lyrics, but somehow it's still haunting enough that it grips you and keeps your attention with the melody and harmonies, and that driving rhythm with the end-of-phrase accents. I dunno, it's one of my favourites from the album, even though I don't get the words. The music is just that good to me.

Next up: "Moanjam". This one is fast, minimalist, and pleasant to listen to. Just a regular 8-beat drum with guitar and bass over top, very regular sounding hard rock for the 80s. Then those freakin' 3-part harmonies come in and you know, there is nothing regular about this 80s hard rock.

"Six Broken Soldiers" was the first song on side two of the tape, if I remember correctly. I don't know why, but I never really liked this song - I don't think it was because of Jerry Gaskill's singing, but I might be wrong (he's the drummer of this fine band). Something about it just got on my nerves, though I really can't say what it is. And it's another one of those songs with lyrics that made me think "Stream of Consciousness anyone?" Here's a sample of the lyrics:

fluently the parrot speaks
six languages not known to man
sixpence for the quarter
as the audience he scans


K... If you say so! The music is kinda plain on this one, and the words made me want to pull my brain out through my nose, but usually I just fast-forwarded through this one. Hey, every band has a dud now and then, right?

So right after the one song I don't like comes on of my favourites - "I Just Can't Help It". The play between the melody/harmonies and the syncopated, driving rhythm of the band just brings a smile to my face even now. It's one of those intoxicating musical moments to me. I sit here playing air drums, kicking that off-beat bass drum when it comes in... beautiful! The song comes to a head in the bridge and then just keeps on moving as if there was nothing that could possibly stop this song. The song just "can't help it"!

Now, another one of those songs that I don't get the lyrics. But even more than what I don't understand is the music which I get completely. It starts with a beautiful opening then goes into this metal-esque chugging rhythm with the melody seeming to careen over top like syrup slowly forming runnels as it slides down that one sideways pancake... It gets right into me, every time. Then, the chorus pulls up with those damn (amazing!) harmonies and this bouncing guitar riff from Tabor that just makes your head swim as it rolls up and down and around in circles.

"Everywhere I Go" is slow, airy and very memorable. This is one that really speaks to Christianity, with words like:

I read the story said you died
I turned the page; you were alive!

Interesting that I should write about that the day after Easter... anyway, this is a great song both because of and regardless of the content. The words, the music; it all blends together to make a very memorable song.


"We Were Born To Be Loved" comes next, and it's another one with driving rhythms and syncopation - if you are into something a little more complex than standard fare such as I am, this kind of music really imprints itself on you, especially when there is more than a single song that follows this "formula" if you want to call it that. There is a riff in this song that goes throughout, even switching up a little at the end, but it also has a tendency to go on and on and on at the ending. Still, there's something compelling about it, creating a sense of tension and "Come on! Do it again!" even as you hope they'll stop it soon.
The title track of "Faith, Hope, Love" is fairly even and light throughout. The one thing about this song (and I wonder if they did this at the end of the album right after We were Born on purpose) that bothers me is that the ending fade-out of "Faith, Hope, Love" repeated ad nauseum gets a little too much, and I have found myself fast-forwarding out of this song a few times. Still, the rest of the song has that "I'm in church and listening to the preacher really belt out a good sermon" followed by the choir singing the recessional. Not bad for rock'n'roll.
The final song on the album is the preachy anti-abortion song "Legal Kill". The title seems a pretty good indicator of what the song is about - either that or corporal punishment, I suppose - and the lyrics coupled with the very folky guitar playing and requisite demonstrator recorder - penny whistle, maybe? - really give you the sense of a "love-in" type demonstration with people sitting around and singing, flowers in their hair, smoking a joint as they preach about the wrongness of abortion. Maybe it's just me, but I visualize a scene in Jesus Christ Superstar, set in the 70s, torn jeans, rainbow headbands, blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic. Despite my personal feelings on abortion, this song is both beautiful and annoying. It's well written, well recorded and arranged, and the message is good in my opinion, but preaching at me about things in music doesn't always work. Sometimes I find the attempt just comes off as someone trying to sound superior, and this is one case where it does bother me a little.
Anyway, that's my take on "Faith, Hope, Love" by King's X. If you want to check them out, go to the link and buy this album. I highly recommend it.
That's all for now. Be good to each other, and spread the word about King's X!

Cheers!

Slyde

Where have I been?

Holy cow!!! I disappeared for a while there! Well, I am back now, and have made myself a promise to try to write something every day, no matter how small. So, here is the first one for today. I will be back later to post something I wrote around March 11, 2009, and then will see if I can come up with something else to write for today, maybe a short story for something a little different...

Chatatchalater

Cheers!

Slyde

The Pregnancy Pact

Looks like I had written this up last June and never posted it, so... it is getting posted now. :D

--------------------

More stuff to talk about today. I won't be able to write about all of it right at the moment, but what I am going to do is write a abit, head out for a bit and finish it up later. I know, you would probably never notice if I just saved it and moved on, but hey, we (me) at Slyde Space are all about the truth and honesty in journalism, so there you go - a bit of truth from me.

So last week, I heard about this pregnancy pact story. Originally it was on The New Hot 89.9 that I heard about it, and then suddenly it was all over the news, I saw Jane Fonda talking about it on T.V., there were internet postings about it everywhere. It was insane! It was something I had wanted to blog about, and now, it's just taken off into the stratosphere.

The story, as I understand it (and feel free to correct me if I am wrong on this), is that there were a number of students aged 16 and under who made a pact to all get pregnant together. So they went out and had sex with all manner of guys and made sure they got pregnant. Now the part of this that really made me shke my head was that the reason for this wasn't so the kids could all grow up together, or so they could all experience it at the same time, and certainly not because they were in love with the fathers and had all decided this was what they wanted to do. No. The reason I heard was that they wanted to have someone who would love them unconditionally.

OK, stop. Breathe. Think it over. Yep. Undconditional love from a baby.

A baby doesn't love it's mother at first. It relies on it's mother. It depends on it's mother for food and survival. It feels safe, perhaps, and trusts, but love is not something that I believe a baby would even understand. Besides that, unconditional love is something that is learned and something that is given to a child from an adult. They can then take that love and they can learn to love their parent unconditionally, or they can learn to despise their parent - it all depends on the upbringing of the child, no doubt.

For the adult, the unconditional love comes from the knowledge of this child being a part of themself and being an extension of them. They feel the dependence of the child upon them, and know that, raising this child the right way, they can be an incredible person, and someone to whom the world can be thankful was alive.

Alright, I know, there are those who do not have these feelings. Those who are like rutting animals, only having kids because it is the by-product of their lust and lack of self-control. Or those who have simply lost the ability to feel anything but anger or hatred. But, for the majority, I would hope, this unconditional love for their children is something that they have and that they impart to the child.

So, eventually, the child will understand that no matter what they do, no matter how bad they are and no matter how they act, their parents will always love them. Unconditionally. Eventually, the child learns this, not right away, and it certainly isn't an instinctual feeling.

That these girls of the pregnancy pact seem to think they will receive unconditional love from babies is a testament to the lack of education they were receiving, and the lack of sexual education specifically is more that disturbing. I have heard stories about the school board not allowing condoms to be given to students because it was illegal, or something to that effect. What kind of irresponsible community do these kids live in that doesn't provide proper education or prevention to their young? I understand that religious beliefs sometimes influence the belief in whether or not to use contraceptives, but if you are going to preach the words "Go forth and multiply", you also need to teach the fundamentals of that type of multiplication, such as the rule that one multiplying with one makes three!

Another part of this whole situation that I find disturbing is the fact that there are now 17 children about to be born into this community who are not going to have father figures to assist in raising them. I know, there are millions of kids raised everyday by single mothers, and I applaud each and every one of those mothers for the work and the effort they put in - it is no easy job. But there is something to be said for a child that is raised by both parents, or who at least has both parents in their life. The child learns different points of view, different ways of looking at the world, how to deal with ambiguity (mom said I can go to the movies, dad said I can't - what do I do other than just go cuz that's what I wanted?).

Cheers!

Slyde

Too much to talk about for one title

Howdy Blogreaders!

I know, I know... It's been a while since I was last here to write something, but I am back now. And boy do I have a lot to write about. First, a story about that radio station I listen to here in Ottawa (The New Hot 89.9), then onto one of my favourite subjects lately - Battlestar Galactica's storyline. There's also a couple of stories of the weird to throw in for comment, and even a quick mention of my friend's birthday party goings-on. I may end up throwing something else in as well, but at this point, that's all I plan on talking about... it's amazing how my mind can just go wandering off into some other dimension sometimes. So sit back, grab a beer/coffee/water/(insert favourite hallucinogenic here) and we'll get started.

Last weekend was Father's Day and I woke up on the Friday to the usual sounds of "The Morning Hot Tub" on that radio station I listen to, and one of the hosts had decided to play a bit of a father's day prank on an ex-boyfriend. So, just to set it up, her name is Josie and she had a boyfriend several years ago, and they broke up under bad circumstances and hadn't spoken to each other in about 4 years. So, she got his phone number and gave him a call, and they started to just chit-chat and catch up.

This is the point where it gets good. She starts to tell him that he has a son. Well, of course the guy freaks out and is off the charts trying to figure out what to do. Seriously, I had so much trouble not laughing loudly and waking up my wife, though I think she had woken up already and was listening too (or I was unsuccessful and I did wake her up!). So it goes like this for a few minutes and he says he is going to come to Ottawa (I think he was in Toronto) and they are going to get things figured out. Pretty impressive for someone to find out they have a son and be freaking out, but have the presence of mind and the courage to say he is going to figure things out. To add to the illusion, they had the 3 or 4 year old son of the show's producer throwing in comments every now and then like "Daddy, when are you coming to see me?" Oh my God, it was INSANE!!!! I loved it.

So, Mauler, one of the others who hosts the morning show, gets on the line and brings it to a close, letting the guy know that, indeed, it was a joke - a prank, if you will - and that Josie was just kidding. He laughs, is a good sport about it, and says that this is part of the reason that they broke up.

Now, to me, this was a funny prank. I have listened to many different pranks on the radio, and this one was one of the best. I could feel myself in this guy's shoes and the panic and "WTF!!!" that he was no doubt feeling, but he took it like a man and he saw the humour in it. It was good.

The problem, however, came on Monday. I had a little trouble getting up on Monday (this relates to the birthday party I will talk about later), so I didn't get the whole story, but I heard bits and pieces. It seems that many people who had listened to the show took great offense to what had taken place on the Friday and had written emails to the show's hosts to let them know of their disdain for the antics they had pulled. I could understand that, I guess - people all have different senses of humour, and some people certainly aren't going to find the same things funny that I do, but the apparent tone of these messages was what shocked me. There was, of course, no detail given as to the content of these messages, but it was mentioned that some people were being rude and downright insulting to Josie. That was what really annoyed me.

You know, it's one thing to disapprove of something someone says and even to let them know, but seriously, the electronic age has spawned all manner of rudeness as people send emails, post blogs, etc., about people and insult them to no end. How cowardly and callous! It's easy to sit at the computer and remain anonymous as you send an email detailing your dislike of someone or their actions. But what do you accomplish by being mean, insulting or rude? These people need to start thinking about how they would feel if, for example, they had been at a party and started making inappropriate comments about someone. Then, the next day people start calling them names and giving them crap about what they did by email, or on their facebook wall. Seriously, before you start being mean to others, you really need to own up to that action and think how you would feel in the others place. If you think it's deserved and you can take it - go UP to the person, if you know them, and let them know. Otherwise, talk to a friend of theirs and let them know your thoughts, but NICELY!!!!! Cheezzz...

As for Josie, I have met her a couple of times, mostly just in passing, and she seems a very nice lady. My wife and youngest daughter have also met her and they said she was very nice as well. Now, even if I thought that what she had done was a mistake, I would not have insulted her. She's not a generally mean person, she's just a person who has a job that sometimes leads to these situations. Things could just as easily have gone the other way and she could have been branded a prank-master for this show.

And, just to add further to my point - there was one point in time when this same morning show had made extensive use of the work "vagina" first thing in the morning. I have nothing against vagina's, and certainly nothing against the word, but my then-10-year-old daughter was listening to the radio and it seemed a little much for them to be mentioning that word over and over at 8-ish in the morning when this was the station that she, her friends, and most of her peers would listen to in this city, since it's the most popular music that they play. So, I blogged about it (another blog, many moons ago), mentioning that I thought this was inappropriate behaviour for a show that caters to so many people, many of whom are likely younger children.

Then, I sent an email to each member of The Morning Hot Tub, telling them that I had blogged about their show and if they wished to they were invited to read it. Three of the four (Josie was the only one not to respond) did look at it and wrote back to me about it. Their explanations, at first, I didn't agree with, and I mentioned that to them in replies. But in the end, Mauler was the one who convinced me that this is a more adult oriented show and parents should be monitoring what their children listen to. I had to agree that he was right in that respect.

So, through all of this, I wasn't insulting (OK, I called Mauler the "short-panted one" but in a joking, and fun-loving way - he is known to like wearing shorts almost exclusively), I wasn't judgmental, I just gave my opinion and allowed for a response. And in return, I was treated with respect and the views they had were pleasantly presented to me. Calling them names and being insulting would have done nothing but earn me their ire, and in turn I would have lost out on listening to a great radio show for being an arrogant a-hole (cuz I woulda stopped listening if they were rude back, I assume).

Anyway, Josie, if you ever read this, just know that I thought it was funny, and I am sorry that you were treated so rudely by so many people who obviously have no feelings and have no sense of right and wrong. Or a sense of humour. A sense of civility. An inkling of common sense and manners. Basically, people who like to be mean to others anonymously simply to make themselves feel morally superior. I'd almost like to dig into the backgrounds of those people and find their sins, which are likely much more severe than this incident was. Then we'll see if they still feel morally superior. (I know, hypotheticals and all that. Useless, but it would be nice for people like that to be put in their place, is my point).

OK... now I sound like a hypocrite. Wanting to make others feel bad because they made someone else feel bad. That's not good. OK, OK, I get it (before anyone says anything). Keep that eye for an eye thing going with thoughts like that. Well, I guess thinking it and actually doing it are different, but if I took myself up on my thoughts - a lot of really bad things would have happened to a lot of people who were not as bad as I thought they were at the time. That's why I am glad I am in control of my actions in that way.

Wow, getting way off into another dimension here. Well, while we're off in other places, let's move on to BSG - Battlestar Galactica!

So I watched the last few episodes recently and I was definitely impressed how the story arc turned. Gaeta lost his leg, the cylons steal the president and Baltar, Baltar almost dies, D'Anna comes back, and they find Earth. CRISMUS CAKE ON A STICK!!!

OK, the last episode, as they bring D'Anna over, she says she wants the Final Five, or at least the four that she knows of, and then starts killing people until they finally reveal themselves (or are revealed in the cases of a couple) then suddenly find Earth - that all seemed to happen a little too fast, but it was definitely exciting! As they reached Earth and looked at it and decided to land, I was wondering, which Earth would it be - prehistoric, pre-civilized, post-apocalyptic, or modern-day (that would have been too Galactica 1980 and very sad indeed!)? As they started their descent, I thought it looked like much of the land mass that was visible was covered in white, like it was in an ice age or something. Then, the landing and the clarification - Earth has been destroyed in some manner or other. Wow! So, the question is, if that was the mid-season finale... what comes next? Do they find survivors? Do the other cylons come and wipe out humanity for once and for all? Do they just restart the human civilization with the less than 40,000 people that are left?

And where, pray tell, is the fifth of the final five? Already on Earth? Or still among the fleet? Or, killed in one of the attacks back among the colonies? That's where the interesting part lies? I doubt it's the last since the opening always says "One will be revealed", so they are still there, and probably among the fleet.

Can't wait to see what happens next!!!

So last weekend, my buddy and neighbour Brian had a birthday celebrated at the local bar. With the 25 or so people who showed up, the bar had about 30 people in there, but it was still a really good time. We drank much, there was singing and music (his daughter is an incredible singer), and a couple of former colleagues and other local area musicians lent their talent to make for an amazing night. Of course the usual plethora of embarrassing moments occurred with all the drinking and merriment, but on the whole, the atmosphere was fun, and we all had a great time. And he's not nearly as old as I thought he was! lol

I guess that's all I have for today. I have another story that I heard this morning on the Morning Hot Tub that disturbed me to no end that I will comment about at another time. Right now, I have some things I need to get done, so I will chat about it later!

Take care y'all and come back and read all about it again some time!

Cheers!

Slyde

Happy Father's Day

Make a Smilebox free ecard

Indiana Jones

[**Note** This was originally written a month or so ago and never posted. I don't know what happened. Oh well, here it is for you to read now.

S]


Howdy all!

In the last few weeks it looks like I have had more people come read my site than ever before - and I know it wasn't just me refreshing the page this time! Nice...

OK, so I went out to see the new Indiana Jones movie last night, and I have to say that I was pretty impressed with it. The action was good, the puzzles were interesting, and the story was interesting. So, if you are paying attention, you may get that I am being less than totally enthusiastic. Yes, it was a good movie, but it wasn't the show to end all shows, really. As a standalone work of art, it was quite good and would likely have many repeat watchers. But as a part of the legendary Indiana Jones series, it doesn't quite step up to the plate as much as a lot of people were likely hoping it would.

I won't get into the movie's plot or anything so as not to give it away, but there are some interesting little "hats-off" moments to the previous movies (and some previous work by Lucas - "I've got a bad feeling about this!"), such as the warehouse that you see at the beginning of the movie, and a brief shot of one of the items that is being held there (again, I am not going to say too much, so you may or may not figure it out). The one thing I found that did take away from it, a bit, was the fact that the bad guys were Russians now, not Nazis. Sure, Soviet Communists were scary in their time, but they don't seem as intimdating in this movie as the Nazis had in the previous ones. Maybe that's just me.

Shia LeBoeuf was actually pretty good in this movie.

Anyway, in ranking the movies, I would put Raiders at #1 by far, Last Crusade 2nd, and Kingom of the Crystal Skull a very close 3rd (very very close). I won't even talk about the other one. I've only seen it once, if that is any indication of how I feel about it... but it is certainly a distant 4th in the ... Quadrology? Extended Trilogy? The Saga, let's say.

And while there were no final endings, there was no specific hint of another followup either.

Cheers!

Slyde