Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008

Fall is in the air...and video games

As I learned Mandarin Chinese through audio lessons on my iPod (hey, it was free from iTunes), I couldn't help but notice that Fall was officially here.

Too often than not, people realize Fall is here just when it's about to disappear. It's amazing how one morning you could wake up and suddenly the leaves outside are yellow. Before you know it, they turn red and then scatter all over the roads.

I don't think people really appreciate the landscape we have here in the Tri-Cities. Some places can be quite drab, but if you're willing to drive a little further or out of your normal routine, you'll find breathtaking sceneries that most calendar photographers would die to capture. (Click on the link to the right)

As I browsed various wineries, searching for a wedding venue, I kept noticing my beautiful surroundings. Yes, it was because I want my wedding to be in the best surroundings, but also because it was such a nice, sunny day.

The wind was blowing and light grains of sand were floating through the air. As I rolled down my car window, the sand playfully danced around my camera lens. It wasn't your typical desert sand that goes straight for your eyes and throat. It was soft, almost ethereal. It was the first time I didn't mind a little wind and dirt.

I'm hoping that at work I'm not the only one who appreciates our nicely landscaped building. Every time before I go inside, I take in the freshly-cut-grass smell and look up at the vibrantly colored trees. Acorns are strewn about, tempting squirrels to dart across the street just to be in our nut-filled haven.

Last Friday as I left the building at 11 p.m., I saw a young cat standing in front of me. At the top of my vision, I saw something fluttering on the ground. The cat lunged for it, scooping it up in its mouth. The cat turned to face me and we stood there in a face-off for a good half-minute. I slowly dug through my purse to grab my camera, but the cat soon skittered off under nearby cars. Poor bird, I thought. But maybe it's better than seeing it devour a squirrel. Not the most charming thing I've seen this Fall, though.

Off the topic, I finally got to play Little Big Planet last night. It was terribly difficult to not bust open the game and play a few rounds before Mr. Big got off work. And when he did, he kept bugging me how he wanted to go buy a bottle of wine for dinner. "We HAVE wine" I kept reminding him, but he seemed to have wanted a blend we obviously didn't have. Too bad for him, I was dead-set on playing my game.

I have never laughed so hard in a really long time. It's been a while since Mr. Big and I have played a game together (since Super Smash Bros. Brawl). This was quite different, where instead of battling each other, we must work together in order to finish levels. You can customize beyond belief and when we actually tried decorating a part of a level, we were amazed at the graphics and realism. Clearly, there has never been something like this for a puzzle-adventure game before. Sure, Far Cry 3 demonstrated mind-blowing terrain alteration options, but that's for a first-person shooter. And sure, Sim City has always allowed you to add onto your environment. But nothing is quite on LBP's level. Play it once, or even YouTube it, and you'll understand why.

Aside from looking at wedding venues during the day, I know how my nights are going to be for the rest of the month...