Mourning Dove

Most sunny mornings you will find my cats on my enclosed patio staring at and chatter at the mourning doves. The doves tend to peck and eat some of the pea gravel around the pathway outside. The gravel aids in their digestions – something you probably don’t care to know but something that I felt compelled to share. (I learned this after a Google search – so deal.)

Imagine my surprise to come home to an injured dove in my garage. As I stand there trying to figure out what to do, I notice the feral stray cat coming under the fence for a better view. (As I later relay the story to my friend, she says, "so you’re talking about the one-eyed cat going after the hobbled bird? A lot goes on in your yard!") As it turns out, the bird is "hobbled." It can’t fly or walk. It just sort of flips and flops to get any distance. It’s really sad. Oh, and yes, the feral stray is a one-eyed cat. Originally, I named her Maya, and combining that with the one-eyed fabled Cyclopes, she is now referred to, lovingly, as Myclopse.

I naturally go into my I-Must-Save-Any-Animal (or Bird)-That-Crosses-My-Path Mode. Luckily I’ve got garden gloves and a spare carrier in the garage. I toss on the gloves and ever so gently stroke the back of the neck of the dove. It’s really not sure it likes me but it’s also fairly calm. I carefully cup my hands around her/him making sure to fold the wings gently against her/his body in natural form. I place her in the carrier and lock the door. Now what?

I have absolutely NO IDEA!

I call my vet and get a few numbers of people, aviaries etc., that should be able to help me. Nope. They are either very far away from my home, or about to close for the day. My friend suggests I leave it alone for the night and if it survives, deal with it tomorrow.

Hello? Do you even know me? It’s not like I’m going to be able to sleep. What if the little dove is suffering? And then it hits me. A few years ago I was told that the emergency vet would help with a Good Samaritan rescue.

I load the dove in the SUV and we head to the Emergency Vet Clinic. I call them on the way to let them know we’re coming. No problem. Thank God!

I end up completing a Good Samaritan form, which basically says they will do what they can for the animal (bird), free of charge (but excluding X-rays which I think is pretty crappy!) I leave a donation and tell them I do NOT want to know the outcome. I know what you are thinking. I thought it too. It’s true. If the bird cannot be saved and is suffering they will euthanize it. I’m better with that than letting it suffer.

I don’t believe that birds should be kept as caged pets. They were meant to fly and be free. If the dove survives, they will return it to its original location. I give them my address. I honestly have no idea if the dove survived or not. I feel I did the best I could under the circumstances. I cannot imagine having a job where you hold life and death in your hands. I couldn’t fix the bird. I could only rescue it and take it to people with a far greater gift than I have.

A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly - only fly for freedom…
Walk on - walk onStay safe tonight…
(Lyrics by U2/Walk On)

Three-Legged Dog...

I’m lucky enough to have quite a few policemen in my neighborhood. I often see them patrolling the area and my ‘hood.

Returning from an afternoon appointment and almost home, I was following a patrol car down my street when a little white dog trotted in front of us. I assumed the patrol car would stop and check it out. Clearly, you could see a collar on the dog. I was wrong. The officer let the dog pass and then continued to drive. Huh?

Now what? Oh you know the answer by now. I go into “I-Must-Save-All-Animals-That-Cross-My-Path” mode, again.

I put the car in park, climb out and say, “OK little one. What’s your story?” And the little white dog trots over all happy with that look in his eyes – you know the one – that one that says “take me home, feed me, fall in love with me and keep me. I’m so cute.” (Or maybe that look says SUCKER!)

Now I honestly have no idea what breed of dog this is aside from calling it a “little white mutt that I can pick up with one hand.” My cats are bigger than this dog. Perhaps it is not a dog at all. Perhaps it is a large white rat with a collar. It’s so ugly that it’s cute. It’s also using only 3 of its legs when it walks. Upon closer inspection, I see stitches – about 20 of them – around the right hind leg. The collar says “Rex” (I laugh a little at that) but the stitches increase my concern. Armed with rat-dog in one hand and a cell phone in the other (my one and only Paris Hilton moment, I hope), I dial the number on the collar. No answer. The dog is quite content with me. No barking, no squirming, just happy as ever to be in my arms. (SUCKER!)

As it turns out, Rex belongs to a neighbor who is not home. No problem. I put him back behind the wrought iron fence with his other furry friend. That was easy!

Rex just stares at me as if to say, “you silly girl! I’m coming with you.” He proceeds to place his front left leg between the slats of the fence. Then his head…his right front leg…his back working leg and POOF – he’s out again! I take Rex home. My neighbor sees this and comes to the rescue. He offers to house Rex until the owner comes home. I am beyond grateful since my 3 cats will make mincemeat out of Rex.

I later discover that Rex just had hip replacement surgery and thus the stitches. He sure put miles on those 3 paws though! It didn’t inhibit the little guy at all. I decided to stop over that evening and check on Rex. While talking to the owner, Rex escaped again. Smart little guy (not the owner)! Rest assured that sweet, precious Rex is fine and confined – for now anyway! He’ll be good as new in no time.

So this missive serves as a gently reminder to watch carefully over your pets (mostly so I don’t have too because I assure you, they all find their way to ME…even birds!)

Migrations and Migraines

I am a long time migraine sufferer. I average about one a month if I’m lucky and they are debilitating to say the least. A migraine can render me useless for several hours. They are brought on by a myriad of things including but not limited to light, certain foods and drink, lack of sleep, and stress. What is unbelievably frustrating is when they are brought on by nothing at all.

Speaking of frustrating…(nice segue, huh?)

Supposedly when my cable company seamlessly migrated from Adelphia to Time Warner (Roadrunner), it would be oh so beneficial to me (note the sarcasm). I was not impressed with Adelphia at all. My connection was constantly down and first level customer support was rarely able to help me.

Actually, I think I’m my own first level support. You know the drill – unplug the computer, then the router, and then the modem. Wait one minute. Plug in the modem, then the router, then the computer. Check that the solid lights are solid and the blinking lights are blinking. Turn on the computer. Attempt to log on to the Intranet. If that doesn’t work, you’re transferred to second level customer support. (And get this, TW even has third level support. I can only imagine the types of problems one must have to need a third tier. This can’t be good.)

I knew it was going to be problematic from the onset. One fine Saturday I fired up the PC to take my on-line exam only to discover it was “migration” time and my Internet was unavailable… until Monday. (TW refused to credit my account for these two days.) There was no warning like a customer e-mail or notice of any kind. Nothing was posted on either website to give customers some advance notice of the migration. I was not impressed. In fact, I am no more or less impressed with Time Warner than I was with Adelphia. I have not gone one full week without interruption of service.

Adelphia was a headache but Time Warner is more like a migraine - useless for several hours without warning or explanation.

On A Side Note:

I e-mailed TW asking the monthly cost for their DVR. The response advised it was $7.95 a month. I felt that was tolerable.

Then I read the next line... (this is a copy and paste from the original e-mail...)

“There is an additional 5.95 per month for subscription to the recording and playback features.”

WHAT? Isn’t that the purpose of the DVR? Why would I need it if not for those key features? So basically then it’s $13.90 a month and why didn’t you just type that in your reply? I wanted to type a clever response to that e-mail but decided to just hit “delete” and share this with all of you.

I’ll be going to Best Buy to purchase a DVR.

I Bowl Granny-style

One of the new trends in sports games is to add "human factors" and "personalities" to the players on your squad. Morale ratings, happiness ratings, and other similar criteria are the norm in most sports franchises. Some games do this very well, like MVP Baseball and Football Manager. Others, like NFL Head Coach and Blitz, eh, not so good.

MLB 2K7 has similar factors included in its package. I started my Pirates franchise last night, and wouldn't you know it, every single one of my players had some kind of concern with team chemistry, and a few had a concern with their role on the squad. Of course, I immediately decided it was time for a team meeting. I had several options, running the gamut from chewing them out, to giving them the "win one for the Gipper" routine, to basically a group hug. Being the team's new skipper, I didn't want to come on too strong. So, when I saw my last option, I knew it was the perfect choice… Take the team bowling! Yes, right there among my potential motivational speeches was the option to roll a game at the local alley! So, to build that ever-important team camaraderie, we went on a trip. The players loved it. Every single player commented on how much they enjoyed it, or on the fact that I bowled "granny-style," and each player's morale went up by at least 3 points. Ironically, they still had the same concerns about team chemistry, even after the team-building outing. I guess I have more bowling trips in my future. Or, if I'm lucky, I'll get new options, like taking the boys out for ice cream after our first win, or hosting a euchre tournament...

Tremont Revisited

Tremont is a cool place and always an adventure for us. Sometimes you feel like you’ve stepped into New York City. It’s hard for me to believe I have this little piece of NYC in my backyard. We love being able to walk the city streets and hang out with a diverse and friendly crowd. If only we had more cabs like NYC because parking, as always, is not easy. It helps to have a small car and be a supremely skilled parallel parker. (I have an SUV and successfully parallel parked it once.) Oh, and wear comfortable shoes – because you will do quite a bit of walking to hit all the cool spots - twice! (I wore four-inch stilettos.) Finally, don’t worry if you take the wrong side street (even though you have a map). We seem to take a different one every trek down but always end up in the vicinity of one gallery or another. It's all good.

This trek, we decided to brave a new gallery. Now let me explain. We opted to do this once before and it was a terrible, terrible idea. I will not mention the gallery by name nor give it any credit whatsoever. All I will say is what you already know, art is subjective. What one person considers “art” the other might consider “junk” (and that’s being kind on my part since this particular place creeped me out.) We did however, put that dreadful experience behind us and braved a new venue! It was a terrible, terrible idea. I will say that one of the upstairs paintings was extremely thought provoking and we commented on it in depth however, the “downstairs/basement” art was not my idea of art at all. Most of it was quite eerie or ghastly. I just don’t believe that art should scare me and one particular room of this musty “basement” did just that. It was beyond time to go.

Off to the main event…

Steve Torkar is an artist who does abstract cat faces on canvas. My friend digs his work big time so imagine my surprise when I found out he was displaying his artwork at our favorite Tremont gallery, Ginkgo’s! I e-mailed my friend about it and the rest just fell into place. We inquired if Mr. Torkar would be joining the event as my friend bought one of his paintings on the spot and was hoping to meet him. Apparently he is a landscaper by day, (ah yes, the real job!) and then was asked to help out some neighbors and was running late. They said he would stop by later but we had reservations and never did get to meet him. Maybe next time.

It was a hot night, literally, and the upstairs of the galleries were sweltering. We were grateful for the cooling nightfall until Parallax Restaurant tried to seat us outside – it was going down to 50 degrees and the winds were picking up! We opted for a booth in the bar area and that was just fine – a little loud from a group of guys singing New York, New York (off key) but everyone sort of joined in (off key) and made the best of it. After our harrowing ordeal at the unnamed gallery, they could not have brought the wine fast enough! Following up with bread and dipping oil was (nearly) equally pleasing. (We asked for seconds!)

Parallax is definitely a cool place especially if you like sushi…I don’t. I checked the menu out ahead of time and found 3 items I might enjoy. I opted for the grilled chicken and fully expected it to be subpar. After all, this is a sushi joint, right? Right …and wrong. The chicken melted in my mouth. It was the best-grilled chicken I have ever had. Thinking about it now makes my mouth water (like Pavlov’s dog!) Yes, it was THAT good.

By the time we walked back to the car, it was formidably chilly, my feet ached (see paragraph one, line six), and I was exhausted. We had the A/C blasting on the way down but now had to crank up the heat in order to regain any sensation in our fingers and toes! If nothing else, you’ve got to appreciate Ohio’s weird weather! If nothing else, you’ve got to appreciate Tremont and the diversity and artistical freedom it encompasses.

More on the Elite

As far as peripherals go, I now have 3 wireless controllers and battery packs for each, a charge-and-play kit that came with my bundle, and I've since bought a separate battery charger that plugs into the wall.

Basically, it takes about 6 hours to fully charge a battery with the charge and play kit. The problem is that I normal don't leave my consoles on for 6 hours at a time, so any time we were playing 2 players, the second player was "wired" to the console.

The battery charger is independent of the console, obviously. I can plug two batteries at a time into it, and all my batteries were charged in less than 2 hours (none needed a full charge, though). The battery packs are supposed to give about 25 hours of playtime. I should be able to juggle the controllers so that all batteries don't wear out at the same time, but I can always plug in AA batteries if that situation occurs. From my perspective, battery packs and the charger pay for themselves in the long run, especially if you buy used (which I did).

I've played all of my games now. I've earned 90 whole achievement points (75 in Fuzion Frenzy and 15 in Hexic - an arcade game that came loaded on my hard drive)! I have one friend with well over 10,000. I've got a lot of gaming to do to catch up, LOL. The achievement points are a neat little extra to keep you playing games, if you're a bit OCD like me. Plus, it will get me to play games I wouldn't normally try, or stick with games a little longer than usual. The Dashboard will even tell me how many achievements are in every game I've played and how many I've earned. That's a nice touch.

Speaking of stuff on my hard drive, it came loaded with 3 demos and about 8 videos. Some are movie previews, and some are game videos. I've also downloaded a half-dozen or so free trailers and videos from the Marketplace. In addition, I downloaded the Forza 2 demo. A neat feature is that while the Forza demo was downloading, I was able to go play some games. In the middle of my game, a little message popped up telling me my download was complete.

I know it sounds simple, but the biggest difference, other than all of the bells, whistles, and conveniences I've mentioned, is the HD graphics. As you'd might expect, it's exactly like when you went from watching SD TV to HD TV. I suppose I should've expected that, but it really surprised me when I saw it first-hand. Even the cartoon-like games, like Fuzion Frenzy, really look nice, let alone games like MLB 2K7.

Forgive me for the rambling style - I'm just kind of typing as I think here. I've got a lot going on with work, sports, and so forth, so I haven't really properly written my last couple of posts.

OOBE

It's here! My long-awaited leap into the next generation of video gaming has finally materialized via UPS!

There's an old term from the marketing days of the PC explosion in the mid-90's, coined "OOBE" (pronounced ooo-bee). It's an acronym that stands for "Out of the Box Experience." Computer makers, all striving to get the technologically-averse to buy their products, wanted to create the simplest experience possible for the customer to get home, take the computer out of the box, and get it up and running. Inputs became color-coded, and big posters showing how everything connects together were part of the standard packaging. The goal was to have the user up in running in 15 minutes or less, and for the most part, it worked well.

I want to cover my "OOBE" with the Xbox 360. Consoles aren't computers; they're less sophisticated (although only slightly less nowadays). There are a lot of little goodies in the Xbox 360 Elite box, including 2 video cables (component and HDMI), an audio output convert (to take HDMI's sound to your stereo instead of your TV), a controller, a power brick (literally - it's about the size of a brick!), a power cord, a headset, CAT-5 Ethernet cable, several pieces of documentation, and of course, the mighty 360 Elite itself. Although there weren't color-coded connectors or a big poster, hooking it up to the TV and getting it running was very simple. I plugged in the HDMI cable to the console and the TV, plugged in the power cord from the console to the "brick," and plugged the brick into a surge-protector. Voila, HD gaming action is only a power switch depress away! Sort of…

The wireless controller needed calibrated. I obviously had to put the batteries in, dig out the manual, and work the 3-button-press procedure. Now I'm ready! Almost. When powering on the console, you need to get it configured (date, time, etc.), and then build a profile, even if you're not going online (Xbox Live Silver is free, and you'd need a profile to use it). So, after using the controller as a keyboard for a little while, I was ready to rock! This time, for real. After about 45 minutes total, I was ready to see what all of the fuss was about. Let me tell you, gaming in HD is unlike anything you've ever seen (except for the resolutions provided by a PC, obviously - but not many people have a 51" PC monitor)! Color me impressed, and very pleased with my first impression.

I wasn't done with the setup, though. I wanted to get on Xbox Live, and I didn't want to run a cable from my router in the basement to my Xbox in the living room, so I opted to purchase a wireless adapter. Although I'm pretty comfortable with hardware, networks scare me a bit. Fortunately, after connecting the wireless adapter to my 360, it was literally about 2 minutes before I was up and running. All I had to do was type in my "code" to allow the 360 to access my network, and I was done. There were also options to connect my 360 to my PC for video, picture, and music sharing, but I didn't follow through, since my PC was turned off ALL THE WAY DOWNSTAIRS! Yes, I'm lazy like that.

I bought a 3 month LIVE gold card, and was ready to subscribe. After setting up my network, connecting to LIVE was simple, but it did require a lot of keyboarding with the controller. I had codes to enter and another profile to build, but after about 10 minutes, I was online. Xbox LIVE now, compared to what it was when I last subscribed in early 2006, has exploded with things to see and do. You can purchase "arcade" games and download them to the Xbox hard drive. You can download game demos, television shows, and movie trailers. You can send messages to your friends - either written or recorded! You can purchase a camera for video on LIVE and in games. I spent the next hour literally just exploring all of the stuff to do - on Xbox Live and just on the 360 itself. The Xbox dashboard, once you find your way around, makes navigating through all of these choices and options pretty painless.

All of that keep me busy on day one.

On day two, my only goal was to get my "charge-and-play" second controller up and running. This required the installation of a battery pack, and then connecting the controller to the 360 via a charging cable. While the 360 is on, the controller's battery will charge. You can even use it while it's charging. The only trouble I had is that I really couldn't figure out how the charging cable connected to the 360. It looked like a USB connection, but the USB port was taken up in the back by my network adapter. It didn't fit into the two "wired" controller ports. After looking through the 360 manual and the controller manual, I couldn't find a picture anywhere detailing where to plug the darn thing in! After about a minute, I pressed on this little door on the 360 off to the right on the front, and sure enough, behind it were additional controller connections that matched my plug. After feeling stupid for a minute, I had controller number two charging up.

Once that was charging, I put FIFA World Cup 2006 in, commenced to beating Mexico in a penalty shoot-off, set my American squad lineup, and took to the practice pitch. All in glorious HD. Color me more impressed each time I fire this thing up!

Day three will bring some FIFA and Fuzion Frenzy time with my kids. I'll report more in the near future...

Perfect Pitch

While it is definitely Kevin’s arena when it comes to sports, I’m going to briefly step up to the plate – just for a minute – because I met Len Barker.

It was 26 years ago today that he pitched a perfect game against the Toronto Blue Jays. As you can imagine, the guys at the office (and some of the girls too) were in awe. My co-worker coaches his son’s baseball team. He ran out to his car, grabbed every baseball he had, cleaned up the scuff marks as best he could, and started handing them out to everyone – and then a line began to form. Len was attending a brief meeting at our office – afterwards, he signed every baseball we had. Talk about being a good sport!

What I found to be truly cool is that each person Len Barker signed a baseball for thanked him profusely – and Len thanked each one of them in return – sincerely! I believe Len was pretty shocked to see so many interested individuals. You could just sense how surprised and flattered he was to still be held in such high regard - even after 26 years! That’s just cool.

Now, I’m not what you would call an “autograph” kind of girl. I just don’t really get it. And yes, that includes musicians! Although I did meet and have my picture taken with local musician Michael Stanley years and years ago. More notably and recently, (April 15, 2006, to be exact) I met and had my photo taken with the Goo Goo Dolls – one of the coolest experiences ever! So that being said, all I did was shake Len’s hand. We all did. Nice guy. As he left, he turned to me again and said, ‘it was nice meeting you.’ Then, it just sort of hit me…maybe I should have asked for his autograph.

These days, Len owns his own construction company fittingly named Perfect Pitch! Check it out.

Next Assignment

I've been assigned Freestyle Basketball, an online "street hoops" basketball game for the PC (right up my alley). It looks to be a fun diversion, heavy on the head-to-head action and character development and upgrades. It's cheap off the shelf, but subscription fees are required to advance above a certain level. I wonder if I can recommend that... We'll see!

My 360 should arrive in a day or two! Gameshark has also assigned me the new Pirates of the Caribbean game to review for it (check out the trailer - it looks awesome!). I'm a HUGE fan of the Pirates movies, so hopefully, this game will deliver. I've got to make sure I don't fall in love with the next-gen, hi-def graphics, and look objectively at the game. It will be hard to overcome my 360's "new car smell," though!

Taking the Plunge

Well, I made my purchase. I don't actually have most of the goods yet, though, because I ordered a bundle online at Walmart. No stores around here had one in stock, nor would they let me pay for one now and get it when it comes in. I found that interesting, since I planned on dropping around a grand for everything.

Originally, I wanted to buy it from EB Games, thinking they would have a better warranty. Well, I was wrong on that. Microsoft provides a one year guarantee for the hardware. For $50, EB Games would replace that warranty with theirs, so I didn't have to "deal" with MS if there were any problems. Uh, no thanks. I don't need to pay $50 to have EB Games send it to MS for me! What a ripoff... I did get a 3-year extended warranty from Walmart for less than $50. Granted, it probably will be a hassle, but at least I've got some kind of protection.

Here's what I got in my bundle, plus some other purchases that I made at EB Games (I traded some stuff in for store credit):

• Xbox 360 Elite Console
• Extra black wireless controller and charge-n-play
• 3-month Xbox Live Gold card
• Carrying case
• 3 year warranty
• Wireless Ethernet adapter
• MLB 2K7
• NBA Street Homecourt
• Import Tuner Challenge
• Road to the World Cup 06
• World Cup 06
• Fuzion Frenzy 2

I should have the console by the middle of next week! It's already leading to more work at Gameshark. I've been assigned the new Pirates of the Caribbean game (released later this month), and I may be doing a review of Import Tuner Challenge. Plus, I'm in line for Sierra Online's Freestyle Basketball game for the PC. All of the sudden, I might be getting busy. Best of all, I'm checking to see if I can deduct my big purchase, since it's technically used for "work!" That would be a big plus!

The Quest Begins

I've decided to splurge on myself with my annual salary bonus, which is a rare event. After months of gathering intel on the "next generation" video gaming options, I'm opting to purchase an Xbox 360 Elite. It may not be the best bang for my buck, but I want the built-in HDMI connection for my TV and the larger hard drive; plus, black goes better with the living room furniture!

The quest begins for me to actually find one. After seeing store shelves lined for months with Xbox 360 Premium's and PS3's, with cash in hand I can't seem to find the one I want. I may have to order one, but I'm willing to wait, if need be.

My shopping list consists of:

Xbox 360 Elite Wireless Network Adapter
2 additional wireless controllers
Warranty (the 360 has not turned out to be the most reliable product on the market)
Fuzion Frenzy 2
MLB 2K7
FIFA or WE
Gold Xbox Live

Don’t laugh at Fuzion Frenzy. That's a game the kids and I have spent many hours playing together over the years, so it's a sentimental purchase. My total bill after taxes will approach $1000, although I am going to mitigate that a bit by trading in some stuff.

I remember years ago Paul Kelly, formerly of the infamous Sportsreviewers site and currently a regular poster at Digital Sportspage, chronicled his experiences with his new DreamCast. I hope to provide similar coverage, from the out-of-the-box experience to some game impressions. Hopefully, I'll be in next-gen wonderland by the weekend!

Another Review Posted

Sorry it's been a little while since I last posted. I'm finishing up soccer season for two teams and starting baseball season for two teams, plus work is picking up. My days and nights have pretty much consisted of work, youth sports, and working on my Gameshark reviews.

Speaking of which, my Draft Day Sports Pro Basketball review has been posted. It is a very solid text sim for NBA junkies, and just a few improvements away from being among the best titles in the genre. I got to correspond directly with the developer, which was very cool, since I once envisioned myself doing exactly what he's doing for a living. He did give me a little tidbit that he's working on a pro football game right now. Needless to say, after playing DDSPB, I'm looking forward to it!

It will probably be a little quieter on the game review front for me for a few weeks. Most of the assignments are handed out for May, and most of them are for next-gen consoles. I don't have one yet, but I'm getting one in three weeks. It's time to start researching, although I'm leaning towards and Xbox 360 Elite. For once, I'm really going to treat myself with my salary bonus... Anyway, I'm sure I'll be keeping you updated on my next-gen pursuit!

Lastly, thanks to Kellie for keeping some content flowing as I tend to drift in and out! I'm enjoying reading what she has to say...