There's been a change in plans.

Well, it looks like I'm not going home on Wednesday this week anymore. Now, Hugh is coming with me and we're leaving on Friday and doing a one-day trip. Unfortunately, that means that I'm either going to have to wake up really early to make it home at a reasonable time, or stay up late and drive through the night. I'm not sure what I'll do. It will probably depend a lot on what my sleep schedule wants to do in the next week.

I graduated! I'm a university graduate! I now have a Bachelor's degree in Combinatorics and Optimization behind me. I'm just waiting for one more mark to come in, but I have no reason to beleive I failed Network Flow.

This past weekend was one big party. On Friday, Julie wrote her last exam, so John, Julie, Hugh and I went out to the Huether for some food, then to the Silver Spur. It wasn't really that wild of a time. For some reason, everyone called it quits pretty early. I wanted to go to the Starlight to get my groove on, but the line was way too long.

On Saturday, Nicole came into town for a visit. The bunch of us, along with Katie and her friend Kat, went bowling and then for an end-of-term dinner at Red Lobster. For some reason, I've been feeling a bit queasy lately, so I'm not sure if seafood was the best choice. No one actually finished all of their meal, so I didn't feel too bad taking the rest of mine to go. After that, there was some Super Jeopardy on NES and some Apples to Apples.

Katie had invited us to her "dance party" that night too, so we headed over. I gotta say, it wasn't as hopping as I'd thought. There was some pretty tame music, and they were all playing some drinking game when we got there. Regardless, a good time was had by most. I offered Caroline a ride home (well, actually I think she asked), so my crew went home at that point. Afterwards, I stopped off at Katie's again for a farewell game of euchre with Jordan, since she was leaving the next day.

Today is John's last day. That is, he's heading for the airport later today with Julie. Of course, when Hugh and I pull in to Thunder Bay later this week, the four of us will hang out anyways, so it's not much of a goobye.

I finally got a hold of Memoir '44 after my last exam, and I've played both sides (Axis and Allies) of the first scenario (Pegasus Bridge). I'm having a tough time liking it, solely because Andrew absolutely massacred me both times, proving that he didn't just get lucky with one overpowered side. I'm hoping Adam doesn't have the same luck when I introduce him to the game.

Listening to... The Black Mages - Fight With Seymour (FFX)
Link of the moment... Play Coloretto online (against Bots)

My sanity is hanging by a thread

I'm completely burned out right now. I've been studying my ass off since yesterday's exam. Even after all that, I don't think I'll do spectacularly well on tomorrow's exam, but I'm sure the studying will have gone a long way. We'll see.

Crypto was a less than inspiring experience. I won't be getting any awards for my work, but I passed, and that's what I was aiming for. My dismal performance is what inspired me to work hard on this next exam.

Studying isn't the only thing on my mind. Rather, another thought that came about from a recent conversation has been unwilling to loosen its grip on my thoughts, making studying all that much more difficult. I don't want to get into details, but all you need to know is that something is plaguing my mind, and by all means, do your best to try to get my mind off of it.

After putting some thought into it, I'm not overly looking forward to moving back home. Though there are a lot of people there that I call friends, it's not often that I actually hang out with them. Here, I'm living with three of my friends, so every day is a new party. Also, living with my parents isn't necessarily conducive to the many romances I hope to carry out in the near future. The only thing I'm particularly looking forward to is the weekly game nights I plan to host. I think I'm either going to have to get a summer job to occupy my time, or else find some other reason to wake up every day.

I don't know what to do tomorrow night. I'll be done my last exam, and I'll have my car for the night. I hope I'm not left home alone again, like tonight. I wish I knew a few more single gals in the city, cause I could use a friendly date tomorrow night. There are even some decent movies playing in theatres this week; it's a shame, really.

Listening to... Papa Roach - Last Resort
Link of the moment... Nothing to look at now, but I should keep my eyes open in the future.

Sonic...he's the fastest thing alive!

Well, I've got one exam out of the way and another two to polish off my degree. I was most worried about the Network Design exam, but the exam went very well. I didn't ace it, but I most certainly passed it; I might even be in the 80-90 range depending on how he marks it. Of course, I only care about passing at this point, since I have no hopes of making the Dean's list. As a result, I'm not taking studying seriously at all. I've studied maybe a total of one or two hours for tomorrow's Cryptography exam since I think I know enough of the material to just wing it and pass. I won't know a lot of the definitions and more obscure things, but I can't think of an overly compelling reason to study for it. I think I might light a candle under my ass for Network Flow since I neglected the second half of the course, and I really don't even understand any of the algorithms or theory that we did. Well, we'll see what happens when Monday evening rolls around.

I beat Sonic 2 today, with John's help on some bosses. I have metal sonic down to a science now; I can beat him in about ten or fifteen seconds. I tried to beat the original Sonic yesterday, but I didn't have any continues and lost all my lives on one of the later stages. One day...one day I'll beat it.

I think I'm going to go through the US to get home, rather than going up through Sudbury. So long as I don't get held up at the border, it will shave nearly two hours off of my travel time. I've just got to make sure I have some US currency for food, gas, and tolls.

J&J still doesn't have Memoir '44 in stock, but they said they would likely get a shipment on Tuesday. I'll phone after my exam on Wednesday, and if they actually do have it in stock for a change, I'll pick it up as a personal graduation gift. At least then I won't have to worry about playing it when I should be studying.

Well, I've only got a little over a week left in Waterloo. I hope I can do something worthwhile in that week. I'm realy worried about becoming one of those people who just stays in Thunder Bay their whole life. I guess there's nothing wrong with that, but I just feel so secluded there. There's so much to do *outside* of Thunder Bay.

Listening to... In Flames - Dial 595-ESCAPE
Link of the moment... They need to bring back the old TV shows.

Memoir '44 is out of stock? GAH!

I must be the target of a conspiracy...everytime I go to J&J with one game in mind, they don't have it in stock! It happened first with Thurn and Taxis (which I eventually got a hold of (but have yet to play)), and now it's happened again with Memoir '44! They say they're getting a Days of Wonder shipment in this week, but they're not sure if Memoir '44 will be in it. I hope so, because I'd really like to pick it up before I leave Waterloo. It seems like the kind of game that Adam would be interested in, and I don't have any wargames in my collection (besides Risk 2210, blech). I also had hoped to pick up Kill Doctor Lucky and Bohnanza, but they only had the latter in stock (I guess one out of three aint bad?).

I've also been thinking about picking up a mixed lot of Magic cards on eBay, or a starter set. No matter how many games I get, I'll never have enough to satiate my thirst. I certainly have no hopes of being one of *those* Magic players. You know, the ones that buy booster pack after booster pack, hoping to score one of those rares that they need to have an unbeatable deck. No, I just want something I can divy up between some chums and play when I need my nerd itch scratched. I mean, MTG has been around as long as it has, so the gameplay must have some sort of redeeming qualities.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to include more links in my posts. I don't suppose any of you have said "jeez, I wish Kevin would direct me to a page with more information about his favourite board games", but you never know. If I can infect one of you with my gaming disease, I'll consider it a success.

While I'm (still) on the subject of games, let me tell you a little story. When I last played Catan with Jordan and Katie, they mentioned that they were walking through the V1 cafe one day, when someone asked if they wanted to play some guy's game. They told me that he had gotten it published. This had reminded me of some guy who was showing off his game at a WATSFIC games day, saying he was trying to get it published. Long story short, they were one and the same. Having played the game, I didn't think it was that great. Someone (Andrew?) said I shouldn't trash talk him, since he got his game published, something I probably couldn't do. Since then, I've been trying to get inpiration to design a game of my own, and I think I've finally got something workable. I'm working out the kinks, but so far I'm thinking of an old west theme, with "simultaneous action selection" (ala Diplomacy). We'll see if I can make something workable out of it.

I've also been looking into Arkham Horror, but I'm not sure how much use I would get out of a 3 hour long, heavy weight game that requires a few playthroughs to get used to. Ok. I'm done talking about games for a while. Thanks for letting me indulge.

Listening to... The Offspring - Something to Believe In
Link of the moment... I have SERIOUSLY got a one-track mind

SYMaOYE turns three!

Another year has passed by, all chronicled in electronic form by the good people at Blogger and an intrepid youth by the name of Kevin. What's happened since April of last year? I think this year, I'm going to give shoutouts to people and things that have been in my life in the last year.

First, I'll give a shoutout to 249 Cedarbrae, Unit 34. You may not have been the best of dwellings, but I've had some good times in you. Your basement flooded with humidity when I tried to dry my clothes, and I had to sleep in your living room when I locked myself out of the basement, but I still had fun in you.

The next shoutout goes to John. I don't know how you can put up with me after living with me for the last four years, and living next door to me the 12ish years before that. Regardless, you've given me many good games of Mario Party and Strikers. It's too bad your three jobs in the summer didn't work out, but I'm glad to see you and Julie are still together!

Another shoutout goes to Hugh. Of all my roommates this year, you've probably annoyed me the most, but that's because you're always right and you have a way of making me realize I'm an idiot. Regardless, I always seem to go to you first when I have embarassing stories, and you're always willing to hear them. You're also the only one who is going to read this.

My last roommate shoutout goes to Andrew. Even though you never get your marking done on time, you're a good TA (and I know from my CS 234 assignments). You've trained me well in Smash Brothers, but I'll never be as good as you (I don't have your devotion). Luckily, I can still beat you at Euchre. I hope you find some more people to play Settlers of Catan with!

Another shoutout goes to Hugh's Gamecube. I've had some good times with you even though you're not mine, like Mario Party, Mario Strikers, Paper Mario, and countless other games with "Mario" in the title.

Summer of 2006 gets a shoutout. This is the first summer away from home, and a great one to be sure. You had some great weather, and on the hot days I didn't mind because I was in the basement. I got a trip to Niagara Falls during you, and it was a great time. I got to relax because of my light course load, and when I had to get to campus, the walk there was enjoyable.

The UW Euchre club gets a shoutout. You kept me entertained, and I like to think that I helped develop you by being the treasurer. I made a lot of friends through you, and you're on of the greatest clubs on campus! I hope you're around for a long time to come.

Sivji gets a shoutout this year. You convinced me to take ENGL 119 with you, for better or for worse. We made an awesome Case Study in that course, and seeing 300 with you in IMAX was fun. I'm glad you liked Firefly and Serenity. I haven't kept track of you, but I RSS'd your blog just now, so I'll give it a glance when I have some time.

Nathalie gets big props. You made CS 234 and CO 485 somewhere between bearable and fun. Thanks for all your help on assignments, and thanks for taking an interest in my life. We didn't do much together off campus, but both the birthday parties were a blast! I don't think there's been a single time I've been around you and not in a great mood. You've got that effect on people.

Nicole gets a shoutout. Even though you graduated, you still visited us in the summer. It was fun playing Mario Party with you, even if you never won. When you moved to Toronto for college, things got sort of awkward between us. Because of you, I signed up for Facebook, and I guess I’ve gotten some good dirt on people because of it.

J&J Cards and Collectibles gets a shoutout. Thanks to your low prices and great stock, and also by the allure of boardgamegeek.com, I bolstered my board game collection to include such hits as Carcassonne: The Discovery, Bang, Thurn and Taxis, Apples to Apples, Through the Desert, and a few others. Even though I don’t get too much play out of them, it’s good to know they’re there when I need something to do when there’s nothing on TV.

Laura gets a shoutout. I haven’t seen much of you in the last year since you have a habit of taking too much on your plate. You made sure I stayed awake in Databases, I enjoyed playing card games with you, Trevor, Amanda, and Gee in the summer, and the one time we did get together in the summer was interesting. I hear you’re going out with Gee these days…you two are good for each other.

My Creative Zen gets a shoutout. It was a birthday gift, and certainly a step up from that shitty minidisc player. Congratulations on not being an iPod, and storing all of my music as well as some videos that kept me entertained when I had some time to kill.

Even my Nintendo DS Lite gets a shoutout. You’re a step up from the GBA SP, and you have a nice catalog of games. Thanks for giving me something to do when the TV was being used by my roommates, and when I had time to kill on campus.

Guild Wars gets an electronic shoutout for keeping me entertained during the summer exam period. God bless you and you lack of monthly fees. I’m sure I’ll pick you up again once I get some more console games out of the way, but I feel like I need to play you religiously or not at all, and I just don’t have to the time right now. I really hope that you still have a user base after being out for so long.

Katie gets a huge shoutout. It’s a shame we only met recently, since we seem to have good times. You’re always welcome at our house, and it’s really nice to find someone else who is willing to play a nerdy game or two when there’s not much else to do. You’re just about the only thing in my life to get a shoutout past New Year’s, so I’m glad you’re here to change my life up a bit.

My car gets a shoutout for the ordeal I went through with it with the whole battery thing. It was a struggle, but you’re back in working order buddy! Let’s try to keep it that way.

Caroline gets a shoutout for getting me out on the first date in 2007, and indeed the first time in quite a while. We’re not quite right for each other in a romantic sense, and I haven’t seen you online in a while, but I really thoroughly enjoy our banter when we get together.

Paul gets a shoutout, for taking an unhealthy interest in my life. Thanks for letting me know that enabling comments in my blog isn’t a waste, and thanks for the banter you’ve given me. I’m sorry I never got a chance to hang out with you pretty much ever, but I’m not a big “go to Toronto for the day” guy.

Well, I think that’s about everyone that gets a shoutout this year. I’m sorry if I neglected you, but according to my blog, these are all the big people and things that have been in my life in the last year.

Listening to... Sepultura – Repeating the Horror
Link of the moment... This year is the "leather" anniversary

Done undergrad classes! FOREVER!

Well, classes are over. Like, for good. That is, undergrad classes. I suppose I'll still be taking courses at Lakehead for a grad degree, but those don't count. Now I've just got to burn through three exams, and I'll have a Bachelor's degree under my belt!

So far, I've just been relaxing since classes have finished. I've been sitting my poor ass on the couch, playing a lot of video games (ah, the good life). I started up Metroid Prime the other day. I usually frown on sci-fi themed games, but this game is really good. I still have issues with aiming through the shoulder buttons, but I can certainly see why the game is as highly rated as it is. I think the best thing about this game is that there is no stupid mascot character that rides on your shoulder constantly telling you what to do (looking at you, Legend of Zelda). If you ever do get stuck on something, you can scan items in the room for information, and you'll occasionally get intel through your visor about anomolies in the environment so that you always have somewhere to go, and the map makes it really easy to know how to get there.

I seem to be hanging out a lot with Katie and Jordan. They came over on Monday night after a grocery trip. We played some Super Jeopardy (on the NES emulator) and then played 25 words or less with the roommies and Julie. It's a pretty decent game, but I think some house rules are needed, as some of the rules are a bit ambiguous.

Last night, I went out to East Side Mario's with Katie, Jordan, Andrew, and Sean. I had some pretty good bowtie pasta (I would have gotten more, but everyone else was done their meals by the time I got a friggen refill on my iced tea). After that, we played a game of Catan (Jordan and Katie were on a team). It was a pretty good game, aside from some overly long turns. Catan is such a great game, just because trading with other players is such a big part.

I've already got well over a hundred dollars worth of games that I'm considering purchasing. If I buy them before I leave, I save myself some shipping and handling, but I don't want to try to fit any more boxes in my car for the drive home. Even though I don't play games much now, I can justify it since I expect to be playing games regularly with my friends back home (boy, I hope I get a good following back home, or else I'm gonna have a shitload of board games and no one to play them with).

I think I'm gonna make the trip back home around the 24th or 25th. Even though I'll be done on the 18th, I think I should stick around since I won't be seeing a lot of people for quite some time after I leave. It takes about 8 hours to get to Sault Ste. Marie from here, and about another 8 from the Sault to Thunder Bay. Since there aren't any sizable cities between the latter two, I'll probably split the trip up over two days in that way. I guess that means I don't have to get up early for the first day! I've also had the brilliant idea of loading up my Zen with podcasts to listen to on the ride home. Most of my music is kind of stale, so some good talk radio might be the ticket to keep me entertained on the road. I think I'll download a few episodes of the Dice Tower. Does anyone have any other suggestions (Paul, I'm looking at you)?

Listening to... Trapt - Still Frame
Link of the moment... I sort of like this show. Too bad there's no online audio-only supplement for it.