It doesn’t get much worse than running into an ex unprepared. I’m being hyperbolic, of course, but it is easily one of my least favorite things. There’s always that awkward period of smalltalk and catching up to do and you’re always thinking, “Man, I wish I’d picked a better shirt to wear today.” I mean, ultimately it shouldn’t matter, right? Yet whenever I do I usually end up feeling dopey and kicking myself for not being cooler. ...

Back in July or August of last year, during the last softball game of the season, I was chasing a ground ball just beyond my reach in right field. I overextended, lost my balance, and came crashing down on my left arm with all my momentum. I quickly propped myself back onto my feet with my left arm hanging rather limply, picked up the ball, and fired it as best I could into the infield. Nothing felt broken, but my arm was sore as hell. When I stepped up to the plate I could barely lift the bat to height, but, despite that, I was able to drop a ball down the middle and put a single in the scorebook. I thought nothing of the injury, figuring it would pass. ...

I think only Haywire interests me here.

Nothing can stop the Endurance Run, gents. Brono, Brog, and Bobo make a mad dash for the Ocean Palace. Can they stop Queen Zeal before it’s too late?!

Thanks to last.fm, I can tell you what my personal favorite music of 2011 has been! Top 10 Artists of 2011 1. The Beatles (1,156) I’d say the number of tracks in my collection that are by The Beatles or by the Rx Bandits far outweighs the number of other tracks. It’s not a coincidence, since I love both bands, but I don’t think you’ll see these positions change much in the future. ...

I didn’t really think Ryan and Patrick stood a chance against Giga Gaia on their first go, but this time I bet they’ll fare much better! I’m still chuckling about the 2poch. So great!

Is there any worse time to be a month into a relationship than February? Less time than that and you can both laugh it off as unimportant. I mean, you barely even know each other, amiright?! More time than that and you’ve already established some rhythms. You’re working more as a unit and you have some idea where this is going or if it’s gonna last. Of course that completely discounts one very important fact about the relevant parties. Our birthdays are just under a year apart. 361 days, to be exact. What day is more important than your birthday? It’s far too early to know what the perfect birthday present might be. I stress out about that kind of thing enough with my friends and family, but this is much worse! Go too big or too wrong… ...

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“300” caption=“I was expecting good things, but this movie is great.”] [/caption] Been another slow week, but that’s how things go during the holidays (and when TOR is out) Movies Attack the Block - Much better than it had any right being. A fantastic monster movie with hooligan protagonists that you come to love. It’s all fun and games until the violence really starts. Then it’s hair-raising and exciting leading to a finale that is incredibly satisfying. ...

It’s time to look at the most popular posts on the blog over the last year. I was a little more apathetic about updating this year and my traffic suffered accordingly, dropping off by ~4,000 hits. The top posts haven’t changed too much, but here goes: Top Posts Remixed Objection, No Yakuza 3?, L4D2 (Again), and Pokémon Cosplay [Game Overview] (402) I know precisely why this link is top of the list. It features a stunning picture of Jessica Nigri very liberally cosplaying a Pikachu. It seems sex sells. Surprise! ...

I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before in this space, but I was not a frequent concert attendee prior to my undergraduate degree. It’s partly not living in a major hub in high school, part a disdain for live music that I have since lost, and part a sense of urgency as I feel myself aging. A concert is a weird beast, really. I’ve probably attended more in 2011 alone than most people get around to in their entire lives. Don’t get me wrong, live music is still a huge thing, but I wonder if the ubiquity of Youtube and easy, pervasive access to music has dulled people’s enthusiasm for blowing out their eardrums in large, sweaty groups of people. ...