Category: XBOX 360

Welcome to October

Hey Everyone!

We have arrived at October. It has been a rather interesting month so far. My schedule changed at work which has been nice. I got moved to 10-7 last October and was told I would only be on that work schedule for 3 months. Here it is next October and finally getting it changed back. Which is awesome on my end.

Coming up this weekend the girlfriend and I have a fall party to attend. With one of my girlfriends coworkers which should be a good time. I always dig carving pumpkins getting drunk and making scarecrows. I will be posting pictures to Facebook most likely or perhaps my tumblelog. Which if you care to find it’s located at tristan.tumblr.com it’s also a nice aggregation of everything I do online.

But anyways it’s getting a bit late. I think I will hit up a little Beatles Rock Band before I go to bed.

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Hopefully everyone has a great week. Send me an e-mail or text message let me know what you are up too.

Goals for 2009

So I thought I might take the time to jot down a few goals I had for 2009. I don’t like the idea of resolutions because I don’t know they all seem to be broken somehow and most people just say them for a conversation started. So I wanted to get my goals down to make sense of things.

Wikipedia had a nice list of New Years Resolutions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year%27s_resolution

So lets start with mine.

  • Pay off Credit Card Debt – I have about 2,000 left to pay off. I can do this.

  • Pay off Car Loan – This should be done in May so it’s a bit of a given.

  • Buy a new car. I need to dump mine for something better.

  • I would like to break a 10k gamerscore on XBOX Live. Currently sitting at 8410.

  • I would like to learn a new skill. 2008 I wanted to be a better Grillmaster. I think I have gotten pretty good at the BBQ action. Not really sure what I would like to learn.

  • I would like to obtain a new certification. Perhaps a CCNA or RHCE.

  • I would like to lose weight and build more self esteem.

  • Blog more.

  • I would like to be a better boyfriend, brother and son.

I think that is a good list to go with. I think I can do every single one of those. I will need to come up with a new skill to learn. Anyone have any ideas? What was something that you learned to change your life? I thought maybe taking a human psychology class might be worthwhile. Understand people a little better.

I hope everyone had a great new years and hopefully I still have some readers on this thing. I on the other hand must get back to work.

The Playstation 3

Well I guess the time had to come soon enough. I now own the Wii, XBOX 360 and Playstation 3. I first made my jump back into consoles back when the Wii was released. I waited from 9pm until 7am in front of a Target in Silverdale that cold November day. Everyone said they would stop by with food and coffee and not a person took the time to show up. Not that I am still bitter or anything about that. But the Wii sits there most days not being used. More of a toy that people always ask about and want to play when they come visit.

The Wii Games that I have currently.

  • Wii Sports

  • Legend of Zelda : Twlight Princess

  • WarioWare

  • Super Smash Brothers Brawl

  • Super Mario Galaxy

  • Mario Kart Wii

  • Wii Fit

WiiFit isn’t mine it’s Raleighs but all the same she enjoys it. It’s rather gimicky but no real fun games to play and the lack of online play that is actually useful or fun is perhaps my number one gripe with the console. It seems to be a good lure for women. They actually enjoy the system. So I guess I keep it around for that reason. When Raleigh had a Rock Band party a few months ago they seemed to enjoy the Wii more then Rock Band.

Then I picked up the XBOX 360 Elite in May of 2007. This has been the greatest console I have ever owned to date. They rape you on accessories for the console. I had to pickup an extra controller $60 and the Wireless Adapter $90. I also picked up the ill fated HD DVD Drive addon. Now while HD DVD looks beautiful and I thought it would be the winning format I sadly failed in that arena. I have that white drive mocking me every single fucking day. “You spent $200 on me” I look to the right in the DVD case and see The Matrix Trilogy another $100 HD DVD Mockery. Planet Earth HD DVD$70 mockery. Heroes Season 1 HD DVD another $80 mockery. I picked up the Ocean’s 11,12,13 gift set on HD DVD from Amazon for $27 which I thought was a steal at the time. So I have a small but respectable HD DVD collection. I feel like I am the kid on the block that had the Dreamcast. Awesome at the time but quick to die and easily forgotten. I love my XBOX 360 even when I had to send it in for repairs when it quit reading discs all together. Had to pay $100 to renew my warranty for a year and to get it repaired which took 3 weeks.

During this three week social experiment I was going a bit nutty. My thumbs were not getting used as often as I would have liked. Raleigh was going crazy with me not having my video game fix. So after a week or two of not having the XBOX I just break down and buy the Playstation 3. I picked up the Metal Gear Solid pack.

80GB Playstation 3 + Metal Gear Solid 4 + Rumble Controller for $499.

What I was intending to do was pickup the 40GB PS3 for $399 and MGS4 for $60 and the new Rumble Controller for $55 but in the end the bundle was the better deal. The cool thing is that it also plays Blu-Ray discs. Which is generally all around awesome so I can keep up with the next generation format. Most people are thinking “Whatever” in fact I think that is all that Raleigh thinks about my toys. I think that whatever keeps me busy and not bothering her she is happy.

I guess I really have nothing to say. I own all of the current generation gaming platforms.

  • Nintendo DS

  • Sony PSP

  • Nintendo Wii

  • XBOX 360

  • Playstation 3

I have a hard time finding a reason to say “I’m bored” other then I ordered Batman Begins on Blu Ray from Amazon and it’s taking longer then expected to arrive. I hope all is well with everyone else.

My next blog post will probably be about how Sprint is annoying me. It’s currently in the works. This post is kinda like Seinfeld. Nothing was said. A few gripes and we are now more enchriched upon reading this.

Global Warming or Cooling?

So I thought I would tell you about my past few days since well I haven’t done that in a while. So my roommate moved on Tuesday which was a great deal of drama. I was tired of him using my shit all the time and just being a bum with no job. Saturday he tells me he can’t afford rent and would be out by Tuesday.  Which was a whole big drama since I hadn’t seen him for the past few days after that so I take Tuesday off from work to be around to make sure he doesn’t steal anything since I have a great deal of expensive toys. I packed up most of the expensive ones and took them to my mothers house since it would be a safer place. But that isn’t really anything I wanted to talk about. I wanted to talk about last night.

I go have dinner with my mom every Wednesday night. I try to be a good son and I am told I do a damn fine job. But the people that tell me that are always a little biased in my favor. But hell it’s an ego boost that I am doing something good. Everyone knows I am a little lacking in the ego department. But if you ask Raleigh well she will tell you a different story. 😉

But my mom canceled dinner last night because she wasn’t feeling so well. Which has been the story of the women in my life the past week.  So I had this evening that I usually don’t have so I did my normal geek thing grabbed the laptop. Cooked some Salmon Patties. I tried using Olive Oil this time. It worked out pretty well. I couldn’t really taste anything different. Figured I would try to be healthier in this day in age. Plus this is Washington and everyone is nuts about that kinda crap. For some reason I have never understood most of that gourmet food and it just doesn’t taste that good.

So I had the XBOX going playing some Assassins Creed. I finally accomplished something in that game. So far it’s been a rather fun game but my attitude towards video games has changed since I was a child. I remember playing my Apple II or my Atari back in the day and the games were a challenge to get working let alone to a playable state. But you could play an hour and be done since they were rather simple. But now a game requires like 40hrs of your time and I just can’t sit down to play a game for more then an hour. Other then social games like Guitar Hero or SceneIT. I miss board games but getting people together to play them seems harder then ever.

Okay that was another tangent back on track. So I pause the game to just use the restroom, clean some windows, vacuum the ex roommates room.  I grab the laptop and I have an Instant Message from a girl I went on one date with back in 2005. Which I found to be a little odd. Saying all the guys she dates are losers and full of drama. I replied with “Water Seeks It’s Own Level” and I quickly got prompted with a Fuck You.

This quickly prompted me to laugh and laugh. In all reality it was probably a very asshole comment for me to say. But it was fitting and quick and got to the point. But it made for a good night of Assassin’s Creed and some Halo. The guys playing Halo with me thought the story was hilarious and asked me for her IM Screen Name. Ahh the realm of Halo Voice chat. Some of the most racist hateful 13 year olds. Sometimes I am shocked when I cross a path with someone that speaks english without any accents.

But anyways thought I would share a few stories. Since lately I haven’t shared my life with the blog. Which seems kinda odd to have the blog if I am not telling my life story. February will be a busy house hunting month.

Cheers! -Tristan

The Christmas List – 2007

Well it’s 2007 and people are asking “Tristan what do you want or need for the Holidays?” So I figured I would lay it out for the people that care to know. I also have an Amazon.com Wishlist if anyone cares to look for that you can just search for Tristan Pipo.

My Amazon.com Wish List

Note: I have multiple wishlists setup for different groups. So it’s not empty on the right hand side of the page you will find the multiple lists.

Okay so lets kick off the list for this site in no particular order. If you are a reader from the intertubes shoot me an e-mail and can exchange mailing information.

  • Ocean's 11,12,13 HDDVD Box Set Image Ocean’s HD-DVD Box Set (Oceans 11, 12 and 13) Buy.com $55 Link

    • My favorite set of movies makes the jump to HD DVD what is not to want. I think my Ocean’s 11 Disc has been watched more then anything time to upgrade and replace.

  • Zelda The Phantom Hourglass Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass for Nintendo DS $33 Link

    • I can always use a new game to entertain me while on the ferry. Currently have conquered all my DS games at the moment.

  • KitchenaidCookWare Kitchenaid Gourmet Essentials Hard Anodized 12 Piece Cookware Set $199 Link

    • Note: Now this was the best reviewed set on Amazon.com Feel free to change the brand up if you desire. Could not find on Buy.com.

  • Fiestaware Fiestaware 4 Piece Table Setting $20 Link

    • I will admit it I need some more plates. Raleigh recommended Fiestaware and I made mention to my mom and she was like that is what you should get. Now a multiple of 4+ would be nice. You can also get get different colors which is the appeal of Fiestaware I suppose. Link from Amazon.com Wishlist

  • The Orange BoxThe Orange Box for XBOX 360 $59.99 Link

    • I waited 8 years for Team Fortress 2. I can wait a little longer.

  • LED Faucet LED Enabled Faucet$12.99-$19.99 Link via ThinkGeek

    • I ran this idea past Raleigh and she seemed cool with the idea. But it was one of those things “That’s nice Tristan, Here is something to distract you and hope you don’t remember this later” Well that didn’t work. So here it is now on the list.

  • Guitar Hero II Game OnlyGuitar Hero 2 Game Only $39 Link

    • Can always use more songs for this long winter indoors. Me and Raleigh have already gotten down the mastering of Guitar Hero 3.

  • Edit: Old School on HD DVDOld School on HD DVD $22.95 Link

    • I was recalling a conversation I had with Raleigh over the weekend that she has not seen Old School. The copy I have on DVD is scratched to Hell. Figured it would be a time to upgrade. I loved this movie it was totally hilarious. I was told to cross this out. Not sure why. 😉

  • A Mountain of Happiness.

    • Not sure anyone I know can afford this one.

So that is a quick little rundown of a list. I am not exactly sure what I want since this year has been rather fulfilling. A great deal of things happened but without a doubt it has been Raleigh.

I have felt incredibly lucky to find a Woman that I can connect with and be myself with and just accept each other for who we are. It’s odd to finally be understood by someone and understand them back. I will be writing a year in review coming up when the year is done and ready to be reviewed and we get to add another month and year to the blog archives.

I won’t be breaking 1000 posts in 2007 but it has been a fun one. Much love to you and your family this Holiday Season. I say Happy Holidays if this bothers you. Well you can…. It’s the Holidays I will keep it clean.

Oh and as the reindeer fly.

Hi Marcia. =)

P.S. Raleigh made me do it.

Guitar Hero 3 – Legends of Rock

So I have had this game for a little over a week. This is the first coop purchase that me and Raleigh have made. I picked up the game for the XBOX 360. The guitar looks pretty freaking sweet with my XBOX 360 Elite.

I’ve played through Easy and have 2 songs left on Medium. I have ventured into Hard and not ready for that yet.

But I must say this game is a ton of fun to play I would recommend dropping the $90 or $100 depending on what console you are running.

My favorite song in the game is Eric Johnson – Cliffs of Dover

Here is some YouTube Action of the song.

Brain Vomit in the Form of a Blog

So blog updates have been few and far between. Have I died? Have I lost the urge? Nah life has just came around and blogging isn’t priority #1 so much anymore. I enjoy it and always working on some scheme to get things updated and easy to use. So I guess what have I been doing lately.

Well Halo 3 came out on September 25th and I find myself playing a great deal of that during the week. If you want to hop on and say WTF?! You Suck. Well come find me on XBOX live.

So I guess I haven’t done a weekend update in a while so lets kick one off for no particular reason.

Friday – So Friday was a rather nice Seattle day. A few weekends ago I had given Raleigh a key to my place and she wanted to head over there when I was at work. That evening we were supposed to go have dinner with my Great Aunt and Uncle who were in town from Chicago so I got off work an hour early. But the ferry was delayed nearly an hour and that wasn’t exactly a smart plan since I only saved approx 10 mins going home. I left a card of sweet nothings on my coffee table with my car keys and Raleigh met me at the ferry.  Then we went back to my place to pick up a new shirt and head out to dinner. Nothing real exciting to report on that front.

Saturday – Slept in a while and then went and had Break-unch. Then we went and did some shopping and picked up some things and then we hit up a corn maze. The crew that arrived were Nick, Audrey, Gerene, Justin, Abbey, Jon, Sean, Sean’s Friend, Raleigh and the coolest guy ever( Tristan). It took us about an hour to get through the Maze. Then we went to dinner at Red Robin. It seems like most restaurants in this area blow. But I had a Banzai Burger and life was good.  We had to ditch out of dinner fairly early to go catch a movie at the old movie theater on Bainbridge called the Lynnwood Theater. They play Indie Films and Documentaries. We caught the 9:30 showing of In the Shadow of the Moon. I am a total Nasa and Apollo fan and dig this kinda thing.

So the movie overall was great I was slightly tired and had a few nod offs that resulted in getting elbowed in the stomach from Raleigh. I ponder if it was a “You took me to this film you are going to stay awake for it” But I would recommend it if you are interested in this kinda thing. I would recommend a rental. Since I doubt it’s playing in many theaters in your vicinity.

After that we just went home and passed out.

Sunday –  Well Sunday was an interesting day. Walked around downtown Winslow for a bit found some breakfast and came home. Hung up some pictures and cleaned a bit. Raleigh cooked an early dinner that was awesome. For some reason sitting in my computer chair watching her cook is just a blast. I wish I could have helped more but spending time with Raleigh is one of those things I enjoy more then anything. It is always hard to drop her off at the ferry even though I know I will be seeing her again soon. After I dropped her off I went to my parents house for dinner #2 and watched Field of Dreams. Came home played Halo 3 a bit and then passed out.

Monday begins and here I am saying thanks for reading. Heroes tonight. Boys Night. Hugs to everyone and I need some coffee to wake up. It’s 12:30 and I am still beat for some reason.

Halo 3 Preview Event

Halo 3 Logo Seattle IMAX Preview Release Party

Details of the event can be found here: Halo 3 Preview IMAX Event

So last Tuesday I went to the Halo 3 Preview Event at the Seattle IMAX Theater located at the Pacific Science Center which is just up the hill from my work. It was a hell of a hike up the hill especially with my ankle still in pain but hey I managed.

The girlfriend wanted to come and I got my buddy Greg from work and his girlfriend to go as well. I didn’t figure there would be a huge line for this so when I got up to Seattle Center I just sat at the fountain. But after about an hour or so I walked over to check out the happenings and noticed there was already a line. So being there solo I got in line and found myself standing next to some folks that were a great deal geekier then I. But we all found a common bond over Nintendo DS Wireless and I played some dancing game with some girl while standing in line. It was all in Japanese and made no sense to me. But I figured I better stop before her older brother of 15 tried to start something with me.

Shortly afterwards Greg and his new girlfriend decided to arrive and I finally have some company. So pretty much from this point on until 9pm is just witty banter about anything and everything. I did get to brag a bit about how I scored George Carlin tickets. =)

So 9pm rolls around and I am pondering where Raleigh is since she hasn’t arrived. So I give her a ring and she is at the store getting drinks. I must give her some props on the amazingly awesome factor of coolness. I really like her.

So she comes walking up as we just start going in. She gets the bonus of being 50th or so in line with us and not having to wait. I wish I could be so lucky ;-).

So we pretty much go from waiting outside to going to wait inside where it is hot. I must say anything over 70F is just to hot. I guess it was from that working in the freezer and walking to work in the cold before that got me spoiled with the coldness.

So it was rather amusing that Me and Raleigh and Greg and his Woman were the only dudes in line with what appeared to be girlfriends. Most of the other females were mothers of kids that wanted to go.

So Halo 3 looks amazing. XBOX 360 action on September 25th. If you want to be my XBOX friend my GamerTag is TristanP I thought it was pretty creative.

We got to see the COOP functions which was awesome. The level modification system and the replay theater. That was amazing with what you can do with that functionality. I give the game a definite buy. I have mine preorded so I can go pick it up after work on the 25th. Then we get George Carlin a few days later.

This weekend I am going to a wedding with the girlfriend. Next weekend we are kidnapping each other to go to a secret location. Last weekend she got to meet the family that went well. I will get to meet hers tomorrow as it seems. Good Times Indeed.

Leave me some Love in the Comments. I am working on the next podcast I need some calls. Voicemail Line is located below.

TristanPipo.com Voicemail Line

Comments and E-mail are always appreciated. Have a wonderful weekend everybody. Especially you that read this far.