My Brother the Cautious Trampoline Jumper (& "ICO!")...

Matt was in this weekend and on saturday we were visited by Molly and Steve (among little ones that knew not when to close their mouths). Mostly, we watched Matt play "Ico," a game I will explain in more detail in a moment. After trying to comprehend why kids say such stupid shit, and why some even talk at all, we watched wednesday's volleyball game that Molly brought over. We... kicked ass. It was pretty glorious. We all played really well at one point or another. And for the first time since I've played with them, we won 2 of 3 games. And to top it off... I might be completely physically healthy by week's end. My ankle is almost 100% and my shoulder is ready for testing tomorrow @ therapy. I'm... very happy.

Later... we all (including Matt) went on the fungerous trampoline. Matt had a blast. He did not fall and break like I did my first time, therefore he was more succesful than I. It was cold, wet, and awesome. It was relaxing good time.

Saturday morning was baseball again. We played @ College of Lake County in Grayslake again. We LOST again. Only, this time we were leading much of the time and ended up giving up the game because we don't know how to catch a baseball. This week should mark the improvment of that stat because I will be returning to 2nd base. I went 2-3 with 2 runs and 4 stolen bases. I got on base every time I was up and started to feel a little more confident at the plate because I wasn't concerned in the back of my mind with breaking my bat. I'm telling you, thats gotta be why guy struggle their first year with a wood bat. This was the first game I swung and didn't think about that. But still... I need to get in the field or our infield will continue to just be a HUGE black hole. I know one guy won't fix the whole of the problems, but it will certainly help considering that most of the errors have come from the 2nd base position.

Okay... "Ico."

Wow... This was the best gaming experience since FFVII. I fell in love with this game almost immediately. First off, the graphics are top-notch. The rendering and the physics are unparalelled. The gameplay is fantastic and the bond between the gamer, Ico and the princess is almost tangible.

First thing I noticed was the quality of the sound and how awesome the minimalist score was used. I have a soft-spot for games that give me giant, open spaces that I can roam around in like "Myst" or "FFX," but this one really was great because I never felt overwhelmed or burdened by the challenge, and I was simply running along, trying to get the puzzle figured out. I never once got fed up or frustrated and I was always wanting to know what was around the corner or what was past the next puzzle. Just a beautiful game all around.

AND I BEAT IT! I beat it in one weekend! It was spectacular! Seriously, pick it up. It will not disappoint.

Plans for this week

- Throw a baseball
- Hang out with Erin (poor "groundie")
- Get ahead in both MAT and CIS
- Call Christie and Christina
- Enjoy myself.

Now Playing: Damon & Naomi - "The Earth is Blue"