Adios Barry Bonds

The San Francisco Giants have finally done it.

After Barry Bonds did not play in the Major League Baseball All-Star game, I had a feeling that things were looking downhill for Barry. I personally don't really care for him because I am an Oakland A's fan. When I heard the news that the San Francisco Giants did not draw up a new contract for Barry Bonds to sign, I was quite happy.

After all of the hype about the home run record, it is now over. I no longer have to hear Giants fans gloat about their hero. Steroids or not, he has in fact broken the home run record, and that can never be taken away from him. Luckily for me, he was taken off the team altogether. He broke the record, sold out the games, but it is all over now. The Giants no longer need him to take up space on the roster or put up with his attitude. Now I don't have to hear talk about how the Giants will dominate the season. If anything, I hope he is signed to the Los Angeles Dodgers, just to stick it to all of the Giants fans. Or better yet, to the New York Yankees. That would be a beautiful thing. Hell, I might even buy his jersey and flaunt it around. Sounds like it could be a lot of fun.

I should thank Barry for the memories. Most notably the unsportsmanlike conduct he's showed over the years, and the Balco steroid scandal. Both were very entertaining moments in baseball history.

Adios Barry Bonds!

Photo Credit: www.dccomics.com

Videogame Madness - XBOX 360

Who is the next opponent in the world to get "pwned"?

That is video gamer talk for being "owned" or otherwise defeated by another player in a videogame. With the slew of new videogame consoles released in the last year, it's no wonder why so many people are excited about the great games being released this time of year. The Microsoft XBOX 360, the Sony PlayStation 3, and the Nintendo Wii, are all a part of the competition to become number one. I will not go into any detail about the Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii because I don't own either of them. The title of this article places the focus on one particular console.

I myself own an XBOX 360. The best thing about the XBOX 360 is what is known as XBOX Live. This is an online service that allows you to play against other players all over the world. For example, if you are playing at night time here in the USA, then there is a good chance you can play against someone else in another part of the world while it is daytime over there. With the included headset you are able to talk to people as well as play a game against them. I have learned many words, mostly cuss words, in different languages because of this, especially Japanese. I must say, the level of interactivity is amazing.

That level of interactivity is only going to increase come September 25th, 2007. The biggest title being released this year for the XBOX 360 is "HALO 3". This is a first-person shooter game, and a sequel that millions of people have been waiting years for. The two previous Halo titles have been the biggest selling titles of all time. This one is sure to follow or even overshadow the other two titles.

Personally, I like to use famous movie quotes whenever I am sneaking up on an opponent in a shooting game. If it is a quick sneak attack, I will give them the famous Bruce Willis quote, "Yippee-Ki-Yay M***** F*****!" - Die Hard, 1988. A better scenario is if I know they are out of bullets, then they get the Dirty Harry line. I believe it goes, "I know what you're thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?" - Dirty Harry, 1971. After that, on many occassions you would recieve a nice shot to the head, courtesy of yours truly. Ah, good times, those were the days.

September 25th can't come soon enough!

Photo Credit: www.gamespot.com

Halloween (1978) VS Halloween (2007)

It was the night that Michael Myers returned home. Back in 1978, the feature film "Halloween", staring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis, was a smash hit. Since then, many sequels have been released, but not one of them has been as good as the first film directed by John Carpenter. That was until I saw the new remake of the original film, which is directed by Rob Zombie.

For those that don't know the story, or are too young, or have been living under a rock since the late 1970's, please check out the official website, www.HalloweenMovies.com

Now that you are up to speed, lets get to my take on the film. I did not know what to expect at first. Although Rob Zombie is a competent director, none who have tried have been able to capture the same feeling and suspenseful atmosphere that Carpenter was able to capture. Due to that, I was a bit skeptical at first, but as soon as the first scene ended, I knew I was in for a treat. No pun intended.

First thing to note, this film is much more gritty than the original. The language is very explicit and some of the things shown are downright awful...which was awesome. All of the actors chosen for this film played their roles very well. This film has a bit more back story of the Myers character, as we get a chance to see just how Michael Myers became the killer that we all know. In the original movie, Myers background was shortly discussed to the town sheriff by Dr. Loomis (played by Donald Pleasence). In the new film, it serves almost as a prequel of sorts, since we get to actually see the development of Myers. We see why he killed his older sister in the first place, and how he went psycho. Although it is interesting to see that, I felt it also took away from the fear factor. In the new remake of the film, we see his face, we know he is coming for Laurie Strode, and we know why. As opposed to the original film, when it was a faceless, random guy that was killing all these babysitters. We knew nothing about him, and the unknown is a bit more frightening. Regardless, a good amount of people have seen the original, so in this remake, it was alright to explore the character and have more development time.

In this version, we get a monster-sized Michael Myers, which I found made him much more intimidating. He comes crashing through walls, and simply looks like an unstoppable force that will not go down. The setting of the film is still taking place in the fictional town of Haddonfield, IL. In the new film, they never mention the year, but by the clothing, it seems to be placed in the 1970's. For today's audience though, they are going for a somewhat modern feel. We still get the hot females in this film as well. Plenty of sex and violence. For those that saw any of the sequels, you might notice that one of the girls in the film was actually the same little girl that played Jamie Strode in "Halloween 4", Danielle Harris. The same chilling musical score is intact. The classic piano tracks that send that shiver down your spine, known as the "Halloween Theme", is still in this film, although updated. Besides familiar faces and tunes, many of the scenes retained some of the similar dialogue from the original, although a bit modified for today. I'm sure this is done as a nod to the original film. The killing scenes, although in a similar situation as the original, were changed as well, which I thought was fantastic. You expected one thing and got another. You could not see it coming at all.

In the interest of length, we will now proceed to my horror film checklist. Does it have a good story? Check. Does it have decent acting? For a horror film, it is very well done. Check. Are there hot chicks in this film? Hell yes. Check. Are there plenty of shocking moments that keep you on your toes throughout the film? The whole time, check.

Overall, this was a more complete telling of the story of the original film. Is it better then the original? No. The original is a classic and in my opinion it can't be beat. Is it a great addition to the series? Yes. For today's younger crowed, or the people that have not seen the series and could use a good scare, be sure to check out this new film.

The winner of this bout, and still the champion: Halloween (1978)

PHOTO CREDIT: www.answers.com (click for link to photo)

Parking Lot Blues

I've got the blues, and I can't take it anymore.

It only seems to happen every Fall semester. The parking situation at SJSU becomes unbearable. I am a patient man, but after two hours, it starts to become ridiculous. The structure is setup in a way in which you have no choice but to show up hours earlier just to obtain a parking spot. This was a lesson that I've learned the hard way this semester. Unfortunatley, I have been late to almost every class.

Who do you place the blame upon? Well I have an idea whose fault it is. They are known as Freshmen. As they come in every Fall, fresh from High School graduation, they infest the parking lots. I would love to see a percentage of just how many Freshmen use the parking garages. I am sure that it is a pretty high percentage. There should only be a limited amount of parking permits allowed to Freshmen. They need to "pay their dues" that first year, and let the Seniors have priority. Then, one day, if they manage to ever become a Senior, they can do the same to their Freshmen. Sounds fair to me, but that is not where the parking drama ends.

Let us not forget the gasoline that goes to waste as one is making their rounds in the parking structure. After two hours or so, I waste close to a quarter tank of gasoline just looking for a spot. Also, the hounding of the pedestrians as they walk to their cars in the lot. The constant asking of "Hey are you leaving?", only to have them give you a smug look and hand you rejection. Then they get in their car, almost gloating about their parking spot, as they eat their bagel and sip their coffee. You couldn't drink your overpriced beverage on campus? You had to walk all the way back to your car, just to eat a damn bagel?

The road rage that builds up due to actions like that is something most people can relate to. It almost becomes barbaric, as people steal spots from others and tensions run high. I can say that after a rejection, I have had awful thoughts about those people. If you want to give me a smug look, that's fine. I will remember your face, and the next time you need a spot, you're going to get the finger.

I paid two hundred dollars for a parking permit that I can't use.

Folks, I've got the parking lot blues, and quite frankly, I can't take it anymore.

Public transportation, here I come.