My Khef

Oh how like Roland I feel.

It was only a few weeks ago that the Dark Tower first came into my life. Once glimpsed, however...Ka like the wind as they say. The Dark Tower has taken hold and like a Gunslinger my quest takes me closer to it each day. I've turned 1,731 pages (Books 1 - 4) in the last month, give or take. I have sacraficed time, sleep, and in some cases food in my quest to reach The Dark Tower.

I spend much of my waking hours these days thinking about Roland's tale and how it will unfold. I think that had I started reading the saga before King had finished it and subsequently endured the long periods between books (prior to the last three which were written in quick succession) I would be as ravenous as those who anticipate the future Game of Thrones installments. I was never a real fan of Stephen King in the past. To be honest, I never had any real interest in picking up any of his novels prior to the Dark Tower series. What was it about these books? What drew me to seek out Roland's tale? That too may have been Ka.

What most people don't know is that Roland isn't the ony one with a story to tell; now is not the time for mine, but perhaps soon. The truth is that I have had a story in me for quite some time. The characters have been evolving and forming in my head, the plot twisting and turning as I sleep. As it did I began to envision something I didn't quite understand and I still don't. Nevertheless, I was drawn to the tower. For a story I never read and a tale I knew nothing about I stated to see many similarities between King's world and the one growing in my mind. Can a writer unknowingly create a tale that exists in a world close to one that has already been imagined?

To my friends that write (mainly my sister) I ask does the influence of another writer's tale strengthen or hinder your ability to draft something original? Are we capable of creating something COMPLETELY original or will it always draw from our literary experiences? These were the thoughts that almost kept me from reading the series before I began writing but the draw of the tower was far too great.

Ka like the wind.

My First Since My Last

   About once a week I think, "I need to update my blog."  Then about once a year I actually do.  Today is one of those days.  What drove me back to the interwebs this afternoon?  I've been working overnights this week at Burlington for our remodel so of course it's 5:30pm and I just climbed out of bed.  What was the first thing I did?  I reached for my phone to see what my social networks had to offer me in terms of recent events and friends' communications.

   That's the world we live in now; we are always connected.  Phones on our hips (or nightstands), tablets in our bags, and TVs that connect directly to streaming libraries with millions of choices for movies and series.  The next big thing that will connect my life is going to be the XBox One.  Finally I will be able to sit on my couch and control my experiences ala Miority Report (or at least as close as I have ever been able to come.)  It promised unparalleled integration into my living room and some really next generation features like the use of the cloud for persistent worlds and remote access to my content; things only before available in PC gaming.

   So today's news came with mixed reaction from me.  Microsoft has announced a slew of updates  innovations  sandwiches  revisions to their XBox One system features.  Some things I am excited for such as the ability to lend/share disc based games with zero (forseeable) limitations.  That means more freedom for me to try new games and even recoup a few $ on the games I complete and will no longer play.  Win.

   Microsoft also announced that an internet connection will not be required to play offline XBox One games.  This sounds like a big win for most of the people that were crying about the XBox One.  I, for one, don't understand the drawback of connecting.  Maybe it's because I have an always on blazing fast internet connection.  But if you don't have internet access you probably aren't going to drop $500 on a new XBox anyways.  So basically, there will by no 24-hour connection requirement.

   Here is the part that I'm not happy about:

These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray. 

   What does that mean?  We don't really know yet.  Some parts are clear; we will have to put the disc in to play the games.  That means a disc version purchased will not come with a cloud version to access.  It also means that the proposed Family Sharing Plan is dead.  That really sucks.  That was, in my opinion, the future of "sharing" your games.  The biggest draw?  That anyone in your "family" could play your shared games.  One person could even play AT THE SAME TIME as you!  That was revolutionary.  Now, because people were afraid they wouldn't be able to borrow a friends outdated disc format of a game that will not happen.

   So some wins and some losses with the latest news.  It doesn't change my mind on which system to buy as I already pre-ordered an XB1.  I'm still hopeful that the advances in the way we share content and use cloud-powered computing will propel the XB1 further than we can imagine right now.  But, like anything, we will have to wait and see.

My Never Say Never

It's that time of year again; time for my return trip to Ireland! This time I'm bringing some extra Chicago to the emerald isle. My brother and mom are making the trip as well. I'm pretty sure this is gonna be John's first trip off the continent.

Other than the obvious coital anticipations I can't wait for another trip to Lemon and getting my hands on some Chili Cheese Bites at Burger King. Plus I'm almost out of Butler's Hot Chocolate.

Talked to a lawyer the other day and I think Sue and I are about to start the paperwork to get her hot Irish ass over here this year! With any luck we will be Mr and Mrs by the end of the year!!! YAY!!!

In case you didn't know, I've become one of the fallen and joined Twitter the other day. I know i said "Never!" but I decided it was the best way to follow the shenanigans of Joss, Nathan, and the rest of the crew. I want to be the first to know about any future productions. Looks like I picked the right time too with all the noise being made about Firefly now. If you haven't seen, check out www.whedonesque.com for the latest.

Back to laundry/cleaning out the DVR night.

Boredom and the Number 3

Three names you go by:

• Ed
• Eddie Bear
• Edweirdo

Three things you like about yourself:

• My hair
• My overactive imagination
• My resourcefullness

Three things you don't like about yourself:

• I can be over competetive
• I procrastinate
• My short fingers

Three parts of your heritage:

• Irish
• Polish
• German

Three things that scare you:

• Debt
• Spiders
• Memory loss

Three of your everyday essentials:

• Coffee
• Music
• Sunlight

Three of your favorite bands:

• Liz Phair
• Chevelle
• AC/DC

First three songs on your mp3 player (shuffle):

• Paramore - Hallelujah
• Rufus Wainwright - Imaginary Love
• We Are Scientists - What Gives?

Three songs that get you in the mood:

• Snake River Conspiracy - Love Song
• Nickleback - Figured You Out
• Liz Phair - Rock Me

Three of your favorite TV shows:

• LOST
• Firefly
• Dollhouse

Three of your favorite movies:

• The Boondock Saints
• Ghostbusters
• The Postman

Three things you want to try in the next 12 months:

• Marriage
• Getting a new XBox & TV
• Camping (it's been years!)

Three things you want in a relationship:

• Trust
• Sex
• Laughter

Three physical traits you admire in the opposite sex:

• Legs
• Breasts
• Red hair

Three things you just can't do:

• Eat seafood
• Talk during a movie, even at home
• Do the dishes (without bitching)

Three of your favorite hobbies:

• Snowboarding
• Golfing
• XBox360

Three things you want to do really badly right now:

• Susan
• Not be sick
• Go running

Three careers you are considering:

• Floorplanning
• Appraiser
• Ghostbuster

Three places you want to go:

• Disney World
• Riviera Maya, Mexico
• California

Three names you like for your future kids:

• Edward William Ulatoski IV
• Erin
• Alexander

Three things you want to do before you die:

• JetLev jet pack
• Sky diving
• Fund a second season of Firefly

Three things you are wearing right now:

• PJ pants
• Fraggle Rock t-shirt
• Slippers

Two truths and a lie:

• Firefly depresses me everytime I finish watching it
• I'm a great dancer
• I crave cheese on everything

Three ways you are a stereotypical boy/girl:

• I have to win, everything
• Breasts distract me
• I could play XBox all day long

Three ways you are not a stereotypical boy/girl:

• I fix my hair anytime I see a mirror
• I own more shoes than my fiance
• I clean my apartment 3 times a week

My Trip Too Short

Well, it seems that as quickly as my vacation started...it was over. Granted, I only had seven days in Dublin with Sue this time around but even when I had five months there wasn't enough time together. We spent most of my time in Ireland this time around eating at all the places I missed over tha last year. Crepes at Lemon, hot chocolate at Butler's, Bagel Factory breakfast sandwiches, and of course chili-chese bites at Burger King!

It was nice to spend the remainder of the time just hanging out and relaxing. I originally planned on doing some travelling but that didn't pan out. It's a good thing too, because I was able to take it easy and recover from a long couple of weeks at work preparing for inventory. (Good news: we had a great inventory.) In fact right now I would give just about anything to take a nap in Sue's room with her head on my chest. But for now I'll keep counting down the days. She and Michelle will be headed over on June 24th for a wonderful summer vacation themselves. I move into my apartment on the 10th which will give me something to preoccupy myself with also. As soon as I move in I'll be sure to post some pictures.

My Waiting (Im)Patiently

Sitting here at O'Hare waiting for my plane to board. Can't believe I'm on my way back to Ireland! WooHoo! Had plenty of time to kill sitting here for 3 hours so I set up my mobile blog link. Also picked up a new book: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I'm only 31 pages in but it looks to be a very entertaining read. Now I just want to get on the plane so I can get some sleep! Inventory kicked my ass.

Happy Paddy's Day!

*Update: So apparently the mobile link only lets me upload short messages...like Twitter...which I hate. So no more mobile blogging for me! Luckly my phone has this thing called the internet. Better luck next time!

My Absence

So...yeah. It's been quite a while since my thoughts have manifested here; I do appologize. What exactly have I been doing since my return from Ireland last summer? Here's the play by play:

June:
Came home.
Began Sears internship 2 days later.
Experienced withdrawl for Butler's hot chocolate and Tayto Velvet Crunch crisps.

July:
Still home.
Internship going awesome. Everyone at work accepted me into the group.
America had another birthday.

August:
Internship ended; Stan hired me on as BC Lead.
Susan came to visit! First time in Chicago/America!
Started final semester at UIC

September:
Work and/or school 7 days a week.
Nothing fun happened...lame.
Also not fun waking up every day at 5:45am.

October:
Work and/or school 7 days a week...still.
Please, just let me sleep past 6.
Core compliance walk at work...95%. We rock.

November:
Still working.
Still in school.
Still tired.

December:
"School's out for ever"
Susan back for first ever Chicago Christmas!
Started playing bingo again at Elk's Lodge.

January:
Started winning at bingo again. I like $
Began National Trainee position at Sears.
It's good to be salary.

February:
Prepping for inventory at work.
Bryon returns to Sears, we missed him.
Began playing Assassin's Creed 2 (and can't stop)

There you have it. My absence has been due to a crazy semester of school and work. However, I am now the proud owner of a Bachelors of Science in Business Management. My diploma showed up last week. I can't wait to frame this thing! All my hard work has finally paid off.

Most exciting of all though is my vacation starts in 16 days. That's right folks, I'm returning to Ireland on the 17th! I can't wait. It's been almost a year since I've walked the streets of Dublin. I'll do my best to blog while I'm there; sharing my pictures and experiences again with everyone. Sue and I are going to have to plan a day trip to Galway or Waterford or somewhere I haven't been yet. Maybe we'll even convince Michelle to come with us.

Time for breakfast.