A Worgen-Inspired Halloween Tradition

The Ostrich and I Carved Our Pumpkins in Preparation for the Halloween Festivities.

Don't Make Me Get My Main!

This song recapitulates my entire experience in one of the most hated zones in all of World of Warcraft! You know it...that's right...Stranglethorn Vale or "STV" as it is colloquially referred. Cranius's lyrics and instrumentals in Don't Make Me Get My Main work in harmonious tandem to flesh out the true anguish of arguably every PvP-flagged quester who entered the zone. Back during the days of vanilla WoW, STV was the battleground for the most intense world PvP encounters. Nowadays the zone is a ghost town but that hasn't stopped me from habitually looking over my shoulder thanks to my STV-conditioned paranoia.

I would not be able to honestly count the number of times that my alts perished at the hands of a Ganker in this dangerous jungle. Nor could I numerate the amount of times that my main was able to make it to my corpse for pure, unadulterated vengeance only to have my assailant disappear.Oh the frustration! I learned a lot about how to survive the rest of my questing experiences through my misery on this battlefield of dense jungle and sandy beachside. I think it's safe to claim the Stranglethorn Vale as the staging ground for almost everyone's survivability-tactics training and solo PvP development. I guess that is why it is still one of the most nostalgic zones in Azeroth for me. Let's hope my survival skills are not too rusty for my future tour through STV after the release of Cataclysm!

Netflix Movie Review: Bachelor Party

One of Tom Hanks's first movie appearances.

This was a funny and raunchy late-night comedy starring the young Tom Hanks. It was a hilarious trip of bachelor debauchery that dangerously teetered on the edge of marital trust. I was a little surprised at seeing Tom Hanks play such a different role than his normal upstanding ones but I did fall in love with the natural relationship that he shared with his fiance, Debbie (played by Tawny Kitaen). It was cute, playful, and full of humor as evidenced by the last scene in the movie, which I will not spoil. After recently throwing a bachelor party myself for my happily married twin brother, this movie brought back hilarious memories of which I am unauthorized to speak about further. In conclusion, Bachelor Party was a great pick-up comedy for those looking for a bit of crazy 80s fashion, wild semi-nude parties, preppy d-bag embarrassing, and a load of laughs! I would go further as to claim the movie as hilarious material to help plan your next friend's bachelor party, just as long as you leave out the mule.

Shaun's Netflix Movie Grade: A-

Netflix Movie Review: National Geographic: Beyond the Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

National Geographic's Beyond the Movie Series

This was a great infusion of Tolkien history and Lord of the Rings cinematography - an interesting retelling of the events that shaped Tolkien's writing and the histories that inspired the most revered literary work of the twentieth century. It sparingly covered J.R.R. Tolkien's experiences with the two world wars that shocked Britain, and incorporated some deeper education into an almost extinct oral history in an incredibly remote portion of Finland. I would recommend this movie to any fan of Mr. Tolkien!

Shaun's Netflix Movie Grade: B

Netflix Movie Review: Babies

Thomas Balmès's Nascent Documentary on Babies

This was an adorable little documentary (pun definitely intended) that spanned four countries and followed four unique children through the first year of their existences. The image above says it all. Everybody loves BABIES! This film was no exception to the point. Although the film lacked typical narration, the natural dialogue of the developing children sold the audience on the experience of year one through the eyes of Hattie, Bayar, Mari, and Ponijao. That experience would open my eyes to landscapes and environments that I  was scarcely familiar with - such as basking in the dusty sun of Namibia, covered in flies.

Cataclysm System Requirements Released!

All the "minimum" essentials for a smooth running computer - complete with Asian Tech Baby!

Blizzard just released the system requirements for Cataclysm and I am ecstatic that my now four-year old computer is still up-to-snuff! I have grown a bit tired and my eyes a bit strained from playing on my tiny Samsung NC10 Netbook and cannot wait to upgrade back to 65+ frames per second and 24 inches of viewing glory with my desktop. For those of you who still need to compare their current computer specifications with those required for optimum Cataclysm-ic pleasure check out the Blizzard post after the break.

First Glimpse at the Cataclysm-ic Cinematic!

Blizzard recently announced that they would be giving us a first look into their upcoming expansion, Cataclysm, during the NFL match up between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings. Well, their promise to impress was entirely fulfilled this afternoon as we basked in nearly three minutes of cinematic glory. Despite the fact that I somehow missed the commercial while distractedly watching the football game and simultaneously studying for a test, I was able to catch it thanks to WowInsider.com who posted the link to the high definition capture of this year's cinematic gold! Will it vanquish the previous Wrath of the Lich King cinematic to become the best Blizzard cinematic of all time? I'll let you decide!

The Cataclysm is Coming!

The third expansion to Blizzard Entertainment's highly successful MMO - World of Warcraft.

Blizzard Entertainment's third expansion, Cataclysm, has received its release date (December 7, 2010) and to prepare the masses for such a game changing overhaul the developers have released patch 4.0.1 to the live realms. This patch has a plethora of new features and major changes that will affect the game forever. I am incredibly, incredibly, incredibly excited for where World of Warcraft is headed! The developers have definitely learned from their previous two expansions (Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King) to produce a stellar expansion that is sure to satisfy everyone!

Memorable Morgan Freeman Quotes

Everyone knows that Morgan Freeman is a vocal god but this quote in the movie Evan Almighty from Morgan playing God is one of my recent favorites:

"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?"

An Insightful State of the Current Presidency

Here is a great Magazine article from the New York Times for anyone currently out of the political loop. It explains the complications that President Obama is facing in the coming November elections - namely, a possible restructuring of the currently Democratic Congress in response to growing antipathy by the American public. Additionally, it gives a closer look at our President who has at present remained "disillusioned" and distant from his national constituents, some argue. I recommend that you take some time to familiarize yourself with the presidential governance described in this article to prepare yourself for the upcoming mid-term elections.

Netflix Movie Review: Some Kind of Wonderful

Starring Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Lea Thompson.

This is a cute movie exhibiting the careless phenomenon of overlooking what is right in front of you - your one true love. It is also a redeeming film for all of you misfits, myself included, that dreamed of scoring a date with the most popular girl in high school, while simultaneously standing up to the d-bag bully that had made your high school existence a living hell. It's one of those feel good movies that has you rooting for the outcast to overcome adversity and to win one for the good guys!

Shaun's New "Netflix Movie Review": Good Will Hunting

Starring Matt Damon and Robin Williams

So recently the Ostrich and I subscribed to Netflix. I cannot begin to describe how baffled I am as to why I hadn't been using Netflix before! We have watched around ten movies so far that have already paid for the monthly subscription just in the first week. I would definitely recommend the service to anyone that has even the slightest interest in movies! We watched Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's Good Will Hunting Monday night and it inspired me to put into writing one of my favorite hobbies - watching and critiquing good movies! So without further adieu...my first "published" movie critique.