The Update MEGAPOST

Few understand the mysterious forces at work behind where I focus my time and energy. One thing is certain: I disappeared from view for quite some time, with barely even a tweet to announce my on-line presence. What have I been up to? Let's break it down:

Life

Now that school is out we're living full-time in our shoreline home. That means lots of kayaking, playing on sand bars, sailing, and a dark dark tan. At work, people believe I'm visiting remote tropical islands. My boys are very tan as well, and my wife believes giant pink jungle hats will somehow shield her from the sun's effect on human skin -- I'm not sure if its working.

The Fourth was a big highlight and had a small party to celebrate. We were all totally blown away by how seriously this neighborhood practices their Fourth of July rituals. Parties, bands, great food and a HUGE neighborhood fireworks display were all in full force. The kids also participated in a neighborhood parade -- I'll be posting those pictures shortly for friends and family to see. Next year we plan on hosting a larger event here.

Repairs, Maintenance and Upgrades

There's been plenty of work to do. Areas of focus:

• Battle of the Weeds -- my backyard is infested with violets. I now feel confident I will win this war, though I'm glad we have city water! Any idea of the impact Weed-Be-Gone has on drinking water?
  
• Mending Fences -- I finally fixed my backyard fence. While my neighbors complete major operation after major operation (with the help of heavy machinery), the gaping maw exposed by my broken fence has remained open. I have finally had the time and will to close the gap! While some of my neighbors may outshine me with mechanize industriousness, at least I'm not like the guy with small trees growing in his gutter!
• Fixin' the boat -- Oh how a small chip in the gelcoat can grow. I think I have it repaired now, time will tell.
• The Shed -- I put some vents in, but I know much larger repair are looming.
• Home Network -- my eeePC is doing triple duty as a highly portable laptop, a capable (if overclocked) desktop machine and now a media server (thank you TVersity). Watching movies on my PS3 has never been better.
  

Work

Summer can be slow with all the vacations, but that doesn't mean that there's hasn't been a lot to do. I recently got back from a trip to San Diego. We gave a talk on our approach to SOA and got a lot of great feedback. The reaction at home to the write-ups have been positive as well -- it's been a very nice week.

Gaming

I have been enjoying both my PS3 and Xbox 360 (among others) down here at the shore, though I haven't spent a lot of time playing games. I've been leaving the actual playing to my boys. :) I now have broadband here with a nice wifi router and thus you will see that I'm back on PSN and Xbox Live -- downloadable content here I come!

Playing:

• Uncharted Drake's Fortune (PS3) -- I'm pretty far along in this. . .gotta keep going.
• Lego Indiana Jones (All consoles) -- The kids love it!
  
• Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) -- wow, great game! It's tough for me to play during the day because it scares the kids.
• Final Fantasy III (DS) -- I bought this game when it came out and promptly put it on my game shelf. Recently I picked it up and I love it. If you like JRPGs, this is one to check out. A Final Fantasy IV remake is also on the way to DS, I'll have to check that out as well.
• Alone in the Dark (Xbox 360) -- Reviews haven't been stellar, but I'm having a lot of fun with this. I took advantage of a pre-order deal and I'm now the proud owner of a black "Alone in the Dark" t-shirt as well. Too cool.
  
• Penny Arcade Adventures (Xbox 360) -- I'm not a huge Penny Arcade fan, but I'm familiar with their comics. It's an RPG made by people who love the genre as well as pen-and-paper gaming. Lots of humor here, though I'm not sure if I'm being penalized for not reading the comic on a daily basis.
  

Looking forward to:

• Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People (Wii) - An episodic WiiWare title by Telltale Games (Sam & Max) featuring the cast of Homestar Runner? Sign me UP!
• RezHD (Xbox 360) -- I love the game, but should I buy this version when I can play it on my Dreamcast?
• More Rockband (PS3 / Xbox 360) -- I left Rockband behind, but I really should bring it here. Truthfully, more time with Guitar Hero III hasn't made me a fan. . .and new Rockband DLC is calling me. New Rush Tracks?? YEAH!