Andy's Random Stuff

20 Sept. 04
You've been ZONE INSPECTED!!
Well, the room smells of disinfectant, the various models on my desk aren't covered in a inch-thick layer of dust, and I have no clue where a majority of my possessions are. Yes, Mike and I find ourselves once again in that strange afterglow that follows an Alpha room inspection. This is the stereotypical "white glove" inspection where theoretically every nook and cranny of our room is open to penetrating observation. However, by the time you are a Firstie, most inspectors don't focus on the minutia of your cleaning job, but rather make an overall observation of the state of the room. As long as there are no major problems, you tend to do okay. I don't think this is so much that standards for Firsties are decreased, but rather by the time you get to your fourth year at this place most reasonable people would assume you know how to clean your room. Go figure. As a side note, this update is one of what I hope to be a continuing trend, where I update the blog portion without adding an article. The perspective that I created this site with was that each entry here should be accompanied by an article. No, actually, it goes deeper than that. The blog entries were intended to be a function of the updates, a sort of news flash/ explanation, as opposed to the other way around. However, I've finally come to accept the reality that only about once a week do I have the time to make an article for the site, and sometimes not even that. Hence, this new stance. It is a brave new world, yes indeed.




19 Sept. 04
Out With The Old, In With The New
Well, my trusty GameCube conked out on me yesterday. I accidentally knocked it off my computer tower, and the impact with the floor somehow damaged the disk drive. So, I had to buy a new one to replace it, opting for the Metroid Prime/Platinum GameCube bundle. Interestingly, it turns out that the silver color with the black GBA Player attached nicely complements some of the other items on my desk, including my new joystick. Speaking of items on my desk, my R/C warship is there, but now it is full of holes. Those holes are the result of the Fall Regional battle that was held last weekend in Joppa, MD. Yes, that's right, after 2 years of building my boat has finally made it to the war! Between Gwen and I, we managed to take a whole roll of film of the event. So, I will be putting a battle event report up soon, once I get the pictures developed. After a long drought, I have finally gotten out this weekend to see a few movies. Friday, I watched Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. This show has some very humorous moments, such as when the male lead punches the female lead right in the mouth without warning. There are also plenty of imaginative visuals that are made possible by the extensive use of computer generated backgrounds. However, this movie requires suspension of disbelief on a scale that is truly gargantuan. For the love of God, do not see this movie with someone who loves to heckle technical inaccuracies/impossibilities in their entertainment. Other than that, I can recommend this movie to anyone. The other movie that I saw this weekend, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, was equally good. I've written some theatrical impressions of it for the Anime section, so be sure to check that out. This is the first theatrical impressions I've written for the site, for the simple reason that this is the first anime movie I have seen in theaters other than Pokemon. This week is more or less a countdown to Firstie Parent's Weekend here at the Academy. My Mom and Dad will be here Thursday evening, and there are a whole mess of activities planned. I can hardly wait!


	Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence



08 Sept. 04
Go Nuclear Navy!
First off, I have some big news: I have successfully interviewed for and gained acceptance to the Navy's Nuclear Power interview. The interview took place yesterday and was an all-day ordeal that involved technical interviews and a short session with Admiral Bowman, who is in command of the whole program. The interview wasn't a cake walk, and I was pretty much a nervous wreck the whole day. In the end though, I made it and that is all that really matters. One benefit of getting accepted to the Nuke program is that I get a fat bonus out of the deal. I have already spent a chunk of mine on a Tokyo Marui M16-A2 airsoft rifle. This is my third gun, and the first rifle-sized one. Not only did I get the rifle, but I also sprung for a M203 40-mm grenade launcher to go with it, as well as an assortment of magazines and a couple of other accessories. I can hardly wait for this baby to come in! It has already shipped from the retailer, Redwolf Airsoft, and I'm hoping that it will arrive before the weekend hits. Speaking of this weekend, I will be going to my first model warship battle, the IR/CWCC Fall Regional. The battle will be held in Joppa, MD. Thanks to a lot of help from several of the club members, my boat is just about ready to go. I will be taking pictures of course, so in a week or so I should be able to put together a battle report. I am really excited...after two years, my boat will finally be making it to the fight! Oh yeah, and there is school, too. I can scarcely believe that I am on the third week of the academic year. The time is flying by, and as if to drive the point home I will be pre-registering for the courses I'm taking next semester. Sheesh! The good news is that as a Firstie I will have first dibs on all of the neat humanities electives. My gaming has mostly been centered around Namco's Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube. It is really very good, but I have just barely begun to scratch the surface of this enormous RPG. Still, I have gotten enough time in to warrant the writing of some impressions, which you can find below.


	Tales of Symphonia Impressions


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