Been awol for a bit. Apologies. Various excuses ... travelling, being ill, working, etc etc etc. Yadda³.

Finished God of War just before flying off on one of my trips a few weeks ago. Brilliant. God damn bloody brilliant. The final battle with Ares drove me nuts, particularly the latter two episodes. Fighting off hordes of clones of myself from killing my family proved to be a royal pain in the butt. But (hee hee) the final confrontation with the (now former) God of War drove me nuts. To the point where i broke my DualShock controller on the floor in a fit of rage. Luckily after cooling down for a half hour or so and pulling my spare controller out of the drawer, i had more luck defeating the fire-haired giant using the near-useless blade of the gods. I'm saddened to have left the game behind, but eagerly await release of its sequel next February.

In other game news, the release schedule for the Xbox 360 is slowly ramping up. This month sees the release of Splinter Cell: Double Agent, the latest Sam Fisher adventure. The acrobatic über-spy's efforts to infiltrate an American criminal organization by befriending an imprisoned member seem typically enthralling. Another Tom Clancy heavyweight, Rainbow Six: Vegas, drops in November and should be the next great squad-based shooter. The first 360 "killer app", Gears of War, is due in November, and should provide some kickass FPS action until the epic Halo 3 drops next year. For those who enjoy a bit of Nazi-bashing in their shoot-em-ups, November will also welcome Call of Duty 3, the sequel to the belle of the 360 launch. The PlayStation family is holding its own even in the wake of continued grim forecasts regarding the PS3. Rockstar's "Columbine simulator" (as it has been labeled by conservative bulldogs who haven't even seen it yet) Bully is on deck this month. It looks like an interesting Grand Theft Auto-style romp (sans the sex and violence) through a boarding school. They haven't neglected the sex and violence completely though, as GTA: Vice City Stories is expected shortly on the PSP.

new jersey ain't the whole world

If you haven't seen it yet, go no further than last week's "¡Viva los Muertos!" for proof that the Venture Bros. is the best show on TV. Between the twisted take on Scooby Doo-like amateur sleuths, Brock blissfully riding/sexing a pink dolphin, Hank and Dean finding the repository of clones to handle their occasional fatal accidents, and Venturestein assuming Hank's Halloween role as "the bat", this was a tour-de-force.

og hér ert þú
fannst mér
glósóli

I watched my first full Chelsea match of the season last weekend ... yes, i haven't been following the footie too closely so far ... while languishing in bed with a 103° fever and hopelessly clogged sinuses. We scored in the third minute as Didier Drogba bundled home a cross, albeit after JT clattered into the Aston Villa keeper and was lucky the ref didn't stop the play. Didier is still on fire, and is showing the league that his reputation as a whiner with a horrible first touch doesn't do him justice. Chelsea should've been up by three or four in the first half, as they dominated play and created chances for Lamps, Robben, and Shevchenko. Unfortunately they went in to the locker rooms level as Villa created a goal through poor marking by the Chelsea defense. The second half? I was fairly disgusted. Passes went astray. Players didn't look interested in fighting for the ball. Michael Essien, who was a dynamo in the first half, was suddenly letting the ball roll past him and giving away possession. What the hell was going on? Needless to say we didn't manage a winner. Thank god we didn't lose ... although that may be due to more referee generosity as Claude Makelele got away with a horrible foul on a Juan Pablo Angel breakaway that could've gotten him sent off. Mysteriously the ref didn't even blow the whistle ... very weird. José Mourinho called the game our best performance of the season despite the result, which has got me very worried. Andriy Shevchenko has one goal in seven games, a paltry sum for a striker we pursued for 3 years and paid £30 million to get. Thankfully Drogba seems intent on showing who everyone who the #1 striker at Stamford Bridge really is. We're now level on points with Manchester United ... hopefully our luxury squad will begin playing up to their price tag.

I did get my birthday presents/web design payments from Arlene, Alan, and Ana. I love my new long sleeve John Terry away kit ... very nice. Way better than those bizarre home kits with the lowered collar in the front. Although while watching the Tottenham/Portsmouth match on Sunday i found out the Spurs' kits are even worse, with the drop in the back. I haven't worn my navy Adidas Chelsea hooded sweatshirt yet, but am eyeing it daily as the weather turns cold. I bought another Adidas "World Cup Moments" track top from eBay, this time the white Germany one bearing a portrait of all-time World Cup scoring leader Gerd Müller on the back along with his nickname, "Der Bomber". Very very cool.

to the LEFT! to the LEFT!

The new Killers album is out, and as one of the few who wasn't ga-ga over the first, color me bored s@$#less with this one. There's an absolutely scathing review of it on Allmusic, which i find fairly accurate. Speaking of reviews, you must have a look at Pitchfork's comments on the latest Jet record. Forget anything bad i ever said about Pitchfork. This is brilliant.

The Killers also failed to impress on last week's season premiere of Saturday Night Live. Along with horrible flavor-of-the-month comic Dane Cook, and the post-Tina Fey writers. Somebody out there must be enjoying this dreck. Am i not in the target demographic anymore? Shouldn't i have been consulted on this?

I managed to complete my Revolver collection today, a mostly-forgotten early 90's shoegazing outfit that in my opinion deserved a whole lot more attention. The new Legends album Facts and Figures is an improvement upon the drab Public Radio, but still pales in comparison to the Comet Gain-meets-Phil Spector lo-fi brilliance of Up Against the Legends. Aw shoot.

I've been pawing through the Factory Records Complete Graphic Album V bought me for our anniversary. Simply stunning ... Saville and beyond. I have a complicated affection for all things Factory, from heroes Joy Division and New Order to lesser icons like Section 25 and Miaow, and especially the admitted mythologizing of kingpin Tony Wilson. Something about the simultaneous contempt for and acknowledgement of corporate culture. A bit Fugazi-ish perhaps?

eyes wide open
naked as we came

Last but not least i must relate the excellent time i had at my old friends' Lance and Loren's wedding on Sunday afternoon. My fever broke in a pool of sweat while i was suffering through SNL, and i felt well enough to take Veronica over to Oakland for the festivities at the Dunsmuir House. There we got to catch up with BioE chums Donna, Jove, and Neel and witness L+L's lovely ceremony and reception. I was particularly keen on their excellent music selections, exiting the ceremony to the Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" and having their first dance to the exquisite Iron and Wine version of "Such Great Heights". Congrats L², and enjoy your honeymoon in Fiji!