Disaster Strikes . . .

Year: One

Season: Fall

Day: One

It’s still raining, but not as heavily as before. I was able to get all of my crops planted quickly, just in time to see the incubated egg hatch! It was a bright yellow Chick that I named Kanade. She’s so cute and fluffy! It will take a week or so before she is fully grown and begins laying eggs. I think I have found a great way to create some revenue with these chickens, something that I definitely need right now.

Year: One

Season: Fall

Day: Six

It’s been raining non-stop since the Eighth Day of Summer. The last few days have been the worse with a major storm moving in on the valley. All this rain has completely stunted the growth of all the grass in the field and now I truly have a Fodder crisis. With Miel, Ryutaro, and Koharu – they all eat around five bales of Fodder a day and right now I only have enough Fodder to last me until the end of the season. If this rain doesn’t stop soon, I’m going to be in big trouble. Luckily, there was a little bit of good news, Kanade is now a beautiful, fully grown Chicken and I incubated another Fertilized Egg a few days ago, which should be hatching any day now.

Year: One

Season: Fall

Day: Seven

The egg hatched and it was another female! I named her Mitsuki and she seems to get along with well with Nanao, Jing, and Kanade. I also harvested my first Yams of the season as well as planted Strawberry Seeds for the first time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all good news today; I had to tap into my savings to buy some Good Fodder because the rain has still not stopped. 250g each! Considering I only make around 800g a day, it’s going to be difficult to keep up with the Fodder demand.

Year: One

Season: Fall

Day: Eight

A huge typhoon has just hit the valley and has caused the river to rise considerably. I’m worried about flooding but Vesta has reassured me by saying that the river usually only breaks its banks farther towards the beach. Still, I can’t help but worry about this storm. Van was brave enough to make the trek from town to Forget-Me-Not Valley. I was surprised to see his shop set up in the middle of all this rain, wind, and lightning. He simply laughed and told me confidently that he has never once not made the trip over the mountain. I admire his courage and hope to draw upon it as we move towards Winter. I did have a productive day at Van’s Shop. I was able to sell a lot of the fish I had been catching, including a Huge Colombo and Huge Nyameme. All in all, I earned 3000g from my sales to Van. I’m hoping this money will go a long way towards keeping Miel and the others fed.

It Was Over Before It Began

You may have been wondering what happened to all of my hockey talk considering that the first month of the 2009-2010 season is almost finished. I was horribly excited about the start of the new season. A time to forget about the awful early exit last year and focus on a new beginning. With great additions like Dany Heatley, Manny Malhotra, Jed Ortmeyer, Scott Nichol, and Kent Huskins. Plus the new rookies Jason Demers and Ben Ferriero as well as a few call-ups from Frazer McLaren and Logan Couture. Plus a few rookies from last year finding a more permanent home at the Tank including Brad Staubitz, Jamie McGinn, and Ryan Vesce - this Sharks team looks drastically different from last year. They still have the big guys in Thornton and Marleau but that's about the only that's the same. Marleau isn't the captain anymore, now the "C" belongs to Rob Blake with Dan Boyle and Joe Thornton wearing the "A". Fan favorites Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek are gone as well as Brad Lukowich, Christian Ehrhoff, Brian Boucher, Marcel Goc, Mike Grier, Travis Moen plus a few of the prospects. There have been so many trades that I actually had to look up who was all gone and who was new. It's hard enough just trying to remember all the new guys' numbers so I can find them on the ice . . . which brings me back to the question on why I haven't done any serious hockey blogs for the new season.

I had originally planned to do a full write up on what I thought about the new Sharks team after I watched four or five games. The season opener was against Colorado on a night when they retired long time captain Joe Sakic's number 19. A team written off from the beginning, the Avs had something to prove and proved it that night with a 5-2 win. Ironically, they are number 1 in the Western Conference, after almost every major sports writer said they would be the worst team in the league. As for the Sharks, they looked pretty bad in that game. Chasing the puck all the time, the defense didn't know which way they where going and Nabokov let a few pucks go by that he should have had. It was a bad start but the Sharks seem to always start the new season with a loss. So I was hopeful that the next game, they would look better and be more prepared . . . that is until I realized I wouldn't be able to see the next game or the rest of the 81 games left to play.

That's right, no hockey, none whatsoever because they decided to change the channel that the games are aired on. Originally, the games were shown on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, the channel I get. This year, because of the high demand of hockey games, they increased the coverage by almost 50% more games. Showing almost the entire season except they had to move what channel they show the games on to Comcast SportsNet California. Yes, I do live in California but for some reason I don't get CSN California . . . does that make any sense? Not to me it doesn't and I was devastated . . . seriously no hockey for nine months. That's almost an entire year ruined for me. So I checked with Direct TV and Dish Network to see if I can change because there is only one cable company here. Direct TV charges a premium because of the area I'm in and Dish Network doesn't even cover my area. So I tried NHL's Center Ice Live, a streaming service that shows up to ten games a day. I thought, "this is great, I can watch the Sharks now!" I was wrong . . . you see Center Ice Live is designed for people who live outside the normal broadcasting area for a team. If you're a Flyers fan and live in New York, you can see the Flyers play. If you're a Kings fan and live in Tampa, you can see the Kings play. If you are a Sharks fan and live in California . . . you cannot see the Sharks play because you are in the broadcasting area for that team and they block you out. So, after I got my $160 refund, I examined my other options and found that I'm left with the radio coverage.

The radio coverage is not what I call ideal for hockey. I love the announcers and the quality you get, but trying to visualize a game like hockey is hard and not as enjoyable as watching it live. My only salvation is Versus, which is a national channel that covers a wide range of hockey games, four of which are Sharks games and two I have already seen. I'm also going down for in December and March to watch the games at the Tank. Originally, I was only going to see two games, but the March date ended up having a back-to-back game so I'll be able to see three live now. Five games . . . that's it . . . when last year I saw 82. Ah, the cruelty.

As for the Sharks progress in the first month of the new season, it's been good, not great but good. They are sort of in the middle of the pack for standings with 7-4-1 record. While some of those losses were really bad some good things did come out of them. Like Dany Heatley finding his scoring groove and Patrick Maleau proving that he doesn't need the "C" to keep scoring. The Sharks have also shown that they can come back from almost any deficit, winning a great game against the Rangers after going down 0-2 early in the game. Their win against the Flyers also proved that they can rely on rookie back-up goalie Thomas Greiss who stopped 37 shots to get the 4-1 win, finishing out a six game road trip with four wins and two losses. As the season progresses, you can see the Sharks start to build up some momentum and I have no doubts that they will make the playoffs once again. Once they are in the playoffs, now that's a different story. I'm just disappointed that I won't be able watch their journey live.

Knock . . . Knock!

A knock at the door
A ring of the bell
"Who is that?"
"I can’t tell."

I opened the door
I peeked outside
Wondering who was here
On this frightful night

In the dark
Standing there
Was a cat
In frog’s hair

He murmured three words
As I stood
Held out his hands
As far as he could

I jumped back
And gave a shriek
Shutting the door
As my knees went weak

I turned to my friend
Who's eyes did stare
As I told him about
The cat in frog’s hair

He looked at me
As he started to leave
“Don’t you know?”
“It’s All Hallows’ Eve.”

"Wait a minute!"
"Please don’t leave!"
"It’s not the 31st!"
"It’s not All Hallows’ Eve!"

He just stood
Waiting there
“The cat was real?”
“In frog’s hair?”

We dashed through the house
As we let out a squeal
Running so fast
As if he were at our heels

Still at the door
The cat gave a yelp
I grabbed the phone
To call for help

As the cat approached
My friend disappeared
Leaving me alone
As the cat’s head reared

I closed my eyes
And put up my arm
Hoping the cat
Would do me no harm

He tapped my leg
And showed me a sack
Completely empty
Was his fish head pack

I could only point
As my finger shook
Behind me was
The kitchen nook

He opened the doors
And took what he could
Filled his pack
To the brim with food

When he was done
He crawled to the door
As I lay still
Down on the floor

He waved goodbye
I nodded in fright
Then he was gone
Disappeared from sight

To this day
I will never be
Found in my house
Near All Hallows’ Eve

It Can't Last Forever . . .

Year: One
Season: Summer
Day: Three

There was nothing special today except for one piece of important news . . . a Fertilized Egg! I placed it in the Incubator and hope to have a baby Chick within a week or so. I’m so glad that I saved some money to buy Nanao and Jing, hopefully the eggs I receive will help me stay in the “black”.

Year: One
Season: Summer
Day: Seven

Life on the farm has been going well. I harvested my first Turnips two days ago and was able to make a good amount of money from them. The Melons and Tomatoes are doing well also and I hope to harvest them in a couple of days. I ordered a Brown Bull from the city and Takakura went to pick him up. I named him Ryutaro and placed him next to Koharu in the barn. Ryutaro and Koharu seem to get along fine but Miel wasn’t happy about the new addition. Maybe she feels outnumbered; hopefully I’ll be able to buy another Cow soon so she won’t feel so alone.

Celia stopped by for a visit. She likes Miel and I think Koharu has fallen in love with her. I have to remind him that he’s my horse to keep him from following her home. Celia and I walked up to the North Pond, there she told me that Vesta wanted her to have an arranged marriage. I was surprised by the news and could tell that it troubled Celia. I tried to console her and she thanked me for the effort. As we said our goodbyes and I walked back down to the farm, I couldn’t help but think about what Celia had said. I could understand that Vesta wanted her to be taken care of but an arranged marriage seems like a tradition from the last century.

Year: One
Season: Summer
Day: Ten

I harvested the last of the Tomatoes a couple days ago and have been preparing for the Fall season. It looks like it’s going to be a rough one considering all the bad weather we have had lately. It’s been raining non-stop for that last few days and I feel bad about having to coop Miel and the others in the barn for so long. I’m worried about the new crops I’m going to be planting as well. Yams and Carrots are the crops I chose and I’m hoping the rain won’t drown them. The rain has also affected the grass in the fields and I have become low on Fodder for all the animals. I’m sure, once the rain stops for a few days, the grass will start growing again and I’ll be able to cut it soon.

Aino I Want One

Every year when my cell phone contract is up, I have the option of upgrading my cell. And every year I wish that my stupid service provider dealt in Sony Ericsson phones. Unfortunately, Verizon Wireless doesn't carry or support these phones. It's especially disappointing when Sony Ericsson comes out with a phone like the Aino - which features limited functionality and connectivity to the PlayStation Network at the PS3. From checking your messages to renting movies from the PSN Store, the Aino can do it all via wi-fi. It can even turn on and off your PS3 from anywhere in the world. Another nice feature is its use of Media Go, the application that the PSP uses to transfer media from a PC.

Considering that there were some rumors of Sony and Ericsson splitting for good, it seems that they have found a way to reconcile and begin a new wave of high tech phones. But is it too late? With iPhones, Blackberry Storms, and even Google and Palm Pre phones already on the market, is there room for another media focused cell? One thing is for sure, that Sony seems dedicated to connectivity across all of their platforms. Hopefully soon I'll be able to join this web of media connectivity and never be away from my PS3 . . . that is if Verizon lets me.

Three Things I Like About Digital Downloads

I haven't been a strong supporter of digital distribution of games and other media yet with the PSP Go officially out and about, I thought I'd at least give digital downloads another look and list what I do like about them. Though I'm not going to jump onto the digital boat yet, I am curious to see how this will all play out and how those of us who still use tangible media will be affected.

1. PSP Minis - An ingenious idea from Sony. Bite-sized games that are cheap, fast to download, and fun. Best of all, they are bringing designers that wouldn't normally create games for the PSP like Mobile game designers and PC designers. My first Mini game I bought was Tetris, while it was a bit more expensive than the other Minis on the store ($10 compared to $5) it was well worth it. Tetris is fun and it is at its best when on the move. One of the things I loved most about buying a Mini, was that I didn't have to wait 20 minutes for the game to download. The entire transaction took less than 2 minutes - buy, install, play. My only question about PSP Minis will be the overall quality. One of the games I noticed on the European PSN Store was Yeti Sports Pengu Throw, which I thought was a free to play PC game. Why would I want to pay $5 for a game I can play for free on any 'ole PC. Hopefully, this won't be a common occurance and we'll start to get some great bite-sized games, like mini-chocolate cookies . . . mmm, so good.

2. No More UMDs - I have to admit that I look like a total geek when I'm packing my PSP with me when I travel (or maybe I look like a total geek all the time). I have two PSP travel cases, one holds the PSP, my headphones, and all the other cords I need. The other holds two UMD cases . . . and that's just for short trips. I have a decent size PSP game collection as well as my favorite movies and Anime on UMD as well. Having to drag all this stuff can be a hassle, especially when your PSP is supposed to be your carry-on bag. So, I definitely like the idea of not having to use UMDs, to be able to just take your PSP Go and play whatever you have, instead of changing out discs every time you want to play something different. If the PSP Go had come out first, I probably would have totally been on board with the whole digital distribution thing, but now that I have a UMD collection of around 70, I don't want to have to re-buy all of my favorite games over again just to be able to play them on the PSP Go. For now, I will dream of the day when I don't have to pack a suitcase for my PSP.

3. Digital Comics - Comics, I love them but I don't read them. I've always been a huge fan of your major comic book heroes as well as some lesser known ones, but I've never been able to really get into collecting comics books. There are just too many series, too many versions, and not enough space to house it all. That's why I've always been fascinated by digital comics, what a great idea. High resolution art, classic comics you can actually read without paying a couple grand for, and best yet - very little storage space is required. Out of all the things planned for the PSP this coming year, digital comics is the feature I'm most excited about. Hopefully, this will be the opportunity I've been looking for to get me into reading comic books.