Alex's Alliterative Adventures

It’s been a long time since I’ve used the word “bored” to describe myself. I’m in the middle of rebuilding my server, Fable sits 90% beaten, and I’m desperately trying to walk the treacherous path that leads to graduation. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the authors of my 60 unanswered emails are starting to get annoyed at my unintentional silent treatment. I often wish that the days were 5 times longer so that I could get more done. In the mean time, just know that I’ll return your emails eventually. Probably.

I like winter way better than I do summer. Snowmen, tobogganing, and hot cocoa all bring a smile to my face. While beaches, shorts, and sunlight are all very nice, the summer heat can be totally unbearable. Winter’s chill can always be forgotten by throwing on another sweater and sliding a bit closer to the fire, but when you’ve already taken 3 icy showers and it’s not even 10am, September just can’t come soon enough.

My weekend in Windsor with Wes reminded me of the downsides of winter. I spent most of the poker game (with Captain Bee) whining about how I forgot to pack a sweater while wearing a winter jacket. Everyone made sure to bundle up tightly before leaving to ensure that they survived the trip home. Although it was only -15°C outside (for the yanks: 3°F), the windchill was down to -30°C (-22°F). I guess we were lucky, though. Tonight Thunder Bay has a windchill warning of -47°C (FUCKING COLD). Our winds were only blowing at around 50km/h, whereas some cities in Northern Ontario had to hold fast against gusts of 110km/h. The cold provided some comfort, though: I was more numb to the pain of my poker loses.

I also had my first glimpse of Vista this weekend. While the translucent borders were cool and the spotli– er, Instant Search seemed snappy, I can only review the one feature I spent enough time with to make my comments valid: the games. Inkball is a hybrid of jezzball, pool, and (for the mac fans) breakout. It could be cool if playing the game didn’t amount to an experience similar to playing mspaint. I can only presume that Purble Place is Microsoft’s attempt at offering family-friendly fun, but if I had a 4-year old that found amusement in baking cakes, they wouldn’t be getting a Vista upgrade, they’d be getting a quick lesson in operating an oven, a little praise, and a book full of recipes for daddy’s favourite pastries.