December 2003 Archives
While I was in MN I made sure to catch a couple 
Timberwolves games on TV. First was the homecoming game of sorts for Latrell against his former New York Knicks. The game was pretty good, but most of the news ended up focusing on Spre's verbal abuse of his former team's owner. He played well but I had to agree with Allan Houston when he said Spre should have let his game do the talking for him.
Second on the T-Wolves schedule were the TrailBlazers. Finally coming to terms with not being able to watch the game in person I eventually realized it was probably a good thing. My Wolves played so poorly and I was left wondering if their bench could do anything but cheer on the starters. Oh well, at least they beat-up the Sonics...and Sam "Alien" Cassell was named Western Conference Player of the Week.
Here we are at the end of another year. Sure seems cold in Portland--I must have taken the weather from Minnesota back with me. Actually it wasn't bad at all in the STP, especially when I was expected single digit temps and instead was greeted with highs in the 30s. Hell, on my last day it was warmer in MN than in Portland...
Holidays with the family were quite fun--5 straight days and no arguments. Just plenty of food, drink, and Scrabble. My sister found a 14 inch iBook under the tree and I'm the proud owner of a new camcorder. Speaking of awesome gifts, I came across this great article asking NBA players what their favorite Christmas gift were. Looks like Wally World and I have something in common.
Oh, and for the first time in years, my sister gave me a gift that I didn't already have--totally rad!
Just a few more hours before I begin the arduous journey back to St. Paul. Having a connecting flight in Denver will hopefully just allow me more time to get caught up on reading and my latest GBA game Fire Emblem before I have to deal with the cold. Actually, things aren't looking so bad--high in the 30s today. Let's see what my old boss has to say.
Better finish my iPod playlist and pack some stuff...
I've really gone out of my way to see some live NBA this year, having hit the Rose Garden three times in less than two months. However, these times were spent watching a team I don't care that much about, even without all the legal problems. It's weird to admit it, but I have yet to watch one game of my beloved Minnesota Timberwolves.
As fate would have it, I will be returing to the land of 12,000 lakes (we're modest folk so we only promote 10,000 of em) on Dec. 22nd and coming back on the 27th, a mere ONE DAY after the Timberwolves roll into town to take on the Blazers in one of two Rose City appearances. (Thankfully, with the new NBA realignment taking effect next year I'll probably get to see the Wolves a bit more.)
So, in order to fill my T-Wolves fix, I've had to rely on box scores and recaps, heading over to the MPLS Star Tribune Web site to learn about the further delay of Wally and T-Hud's return to the court. I suppose I'm just waiting for the team to be a bit healthy, and then I can tune in and see the real Timberwolves in action. Of course, at this rate it could be the end of the season before most of them are ready. I'm going to have to acknowledge that this is my team, injury-ridden and with almost all new faces around KG. It's probably time I hit up a sports bar to see what's happening at the Target Center.
Here is the tracklisting for anyone that wants a copy of my yoga mix. It's kind.
01. Air--alone in kyoto
02. Franz Prichard--atlantian waves
03. Landing--whirlwind
04. Loscil--discrete entropy
05. Telefon Tel Aviv--life is all about taking things in and putting things out
06. Tortoise--find the time
07. Múm--random summer
08. Satellite Grooves--lo-fi moondays
09. Michael Andrews--carpathian ridge
10. Pulseprogramming--light
11. Slowdive--altogether
12. Tosca--session 1 “d-moll”
13. Low--down (porter ricks remix)
14. Lanterna--lonely
15. The Microphones--instrumental
16. Surface of Eceyon--concert of stars
17. Yume Bitsu--surface I
18. The American Analog Set--the golden band
19. Brian Eno--an ending (ascent)
20. Aphex Twin--hy a scullyas lyf a dag
I'm currently playing (FOR THE FIRST TIME) this videogame you may have heard of: The Legend of Zelda. This news might be difficult to believe for someone with a NES-themed blog, and a reputation for being a Final Fantasy-playing RPG nerd. It's cool now that everyone loves Tolkien and I don't have to hide these interests, but to admit that I'd never played Zelda is another matter entirely--this is my story, and I had to think real hard about why I could have missed possibly the most influential title of my youth. Here's what I came up with:
When the game was released it was the summer of 1987, July in fact. I had just moved to Minnesota from New Jersey and didn't yet own this "Nintendo Entertainment System". After I started school in the fall I soon realized how much I was missing out--everyone had a NES (except for that rad kid that had a Sega Master System, but back to the story), and I was incredibly envious. After school I would head to my friend's house and we would play classics like Kid Icarus, Metroid, Contra, and Double Dragon.
All of these games were great, but I didn't realize I was missing out on something as innovative as Zelda. When the summer of 1988 rolled around I had saved up enough money to buy my very own NES (despite my mother's wishes), and I picked up a copy of Castlevania to accompany my purchase.
My library grew quite slowly during those times since cleaning the pool and doing house chores wasn't quite raking in the dough. If only I'd been smart enough to get a paper route I might have had more games, but that would have required a bike, and I was possibly too embarrassed to show off my old school Huffy. So, instead of buying games I waited patiently for Christmas to roll around, and eagerly awaited a new game under the tree...
Which turned out to be "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link." Huh? Wha? Why would I all of a sudden feel the need to ask for a sequel to a game that I had never played? Well, I think I have it figured out. You see, ZII was released in December of 1988 to make the NES holiday shopping season joyous to all those who had played the first Zelda and fallen in love with its fantasy elements and deep gameplay. Apparently falling victim to the marketing of the hot new game to get, I asked for ZII. I remember playing it and really getting into it, especially those beginner RPG elements, which seemed to be an interesting counterpart to the side-scrolling action bits. I would compare maps with friends at school, and it was rewarding to finally be able to finish the game after many months.
The story of ZII was pretty run-of-the-mill "help out a princess and fight stuff with your sword" thing, so I had no problems picking up despite it being a sequel and all. Interestingly enough, the main villian of the first game, Ganon, was nowhere to be found in the sequel...so I guess I felt no real connection with the series yet, and most importantly, I had no desire to play a game that had been released more than a year before. It was all about what was new and upcoming, and what game did I want to get to impress my friends. In summary, playing an already ancient game like The Legend of Zelda was not cool in the early months of 1989. Therefore, I am now having to admit, that in the late stages of the year 2003, I am, for the first time, playing this most amazing of games.
This is what happens when you wonder how well you are branding yourself:
Check out what they will sell you:
I, however, will sell you nothing except maybe a good mix CD to use while you do yoga.
This past week I received both of my rebates for my new cell phone--a fairly prompt response considering those type of things seem to take many months. Forgetting the actual real money I had already spent, I came up with a few items that I want to spend $$ on:
1. GameBoy Player. Mike checked this thing out at Cabel's and said I needed to get it. Mike usually knows what I need.
2. Digital Camera. After being the last person on the block to get an iPod, I am now thinking about how much use I could get out of a new toy like this. My 35mm is dying--it's time to upgrade.
3. More Memory. The initial 256 just isn't cutting it these days when I try to get things done on my vintage 2002 iMac.
4. Camcorder. Talk is cheap. Camcorders are not. Projects would be easier and guilt-free if I had my own device.
Nearly 7 months since the latest Portland Open Tetris Tournament, I have completed the official 2003 POTT documentary video. (I edited down about an hour's worth of footage to less than 5 minutes of intense button presses.) Hopefully this work of mine will help promote an even greater tournament next year.
Speaking of Russian videogames, anyone remember that amazing Cold War game by Konami, "Rush'N Attack"? Just found out it was retitled "Green Berets" outside of the US. I wonder if those Desert Storm games are selling well this holiday season?
Neglected to post about the latest Blazers game I attended--this time it was a well-fought, OT victory over Scot Pollard and the Indiana Pacers.
Continuing my trend of seat upgrades, I watched the game from the 3-point line with my Pollard-obsessed co-worker Jenn, and the quality seats paid off as it 
was 80s night at the Rose Garden. Leg-warmers and neon colors suited the Blazers dancers quite well, and they turned in some good performances even though they stayed away from the Michael Jackson songs...
Fresh from his night in jail, Z-Bo proved weed is all you need to score lots of points, posting a season-high 34 as he led his team to another win with me in the fairly empty stands.
It was only a matter of time before 
another Blazer encountered legal troubles. Last night my favorite Blazer Zach Randolph was arrested on a variety of charges.
This one hurts a little bit more because Zach was the one responsible for punching Ruben "Rapist" Patterson in the face last spring (an action I wholeheartedly agreed with), and he had been shining in his newly appointed starter's position. Oh well, guess he's entitled to a few mistakes, and who hasn't driven down MLK stoned and without a license or insurance?
My beloved Tilda Swinton has a new movie out--Teknolust, and in a recent article for The Oregonian she talks about how much she enjoyed spending time in Portland filming the upcoming "Thumbsucker". She goes on to mention how much she liked The Hollywood Theatre, which she calls, "the most beautiful cinema. That was the only cinema I went to, and I went to it twice because I loved it so much."
Now, I don't have to be told to read between the lines, but would she have come to see multiple films if she didn't receive good service (keep in mind I sold her Milk Duds)? I don't think so! I think what she's really trying to say is that she liked the people at the theatre, "especially that great guy that sold me my candy".