Oh look! It’s a new update from yours truly! I should really get to doing more of these, huh? That’s what happens when I drop off of the face of the earth. I don’t have any excuse for that besides work and being generally tired. The latter is mostly my doing since I have developed a bad habit of staying up later than I really should. ^^; But oh well!
I am sure plenty of you have been curious what I have been up to these days. If any of you follow my Twitter account, I tend to be more social on there than I normally would anywhere else. So if you guys are really that curious (even though it sounds creepy), just follow my Twitter. I talk about my life here and there, gaming stuff, art things, mini-rants, etc. Just know that I may or may not follow you back. It all depends if I know you or not.
BUSCH GARDENS
How has Busch Gardens been for me? Well, it’s really come to the point where I’d much rather be working at Walt Disney World again. I miss it. I really do. It all comes down to where most of my friends are and who I’d much rather hang out with than being by myself in this house. Yes, the hours may be a hit or miss with Disney, but at least I would be in a far better working environment among co-workers I can get along with.
The reason I say that is because I feel like I’m reverting back to my older self in which I feel like I’m distant and anti-social. Working at Disney helped me overcome those challenges, and I felt great about myself. At Busch Gardens, not so much. Yes, I do talk to the employees, and there are a few I feel I can get along with just fine. However, I still feel like I’m an outsider among favorites.
On top of that, it’s a much tougher environment. That mostly has to do with the guests that come into the park. Now I don’t mind a park that is more for grown ups, but it’s the attitude that they bring. The park is located in a slightly tough neighborhood, and the guests can get irritated over the smallest of things. Say that I make a small mistake for not seeing someone’s All Day Dining wristband which guarantees them free refills on their souvenir cups, I may find myself getting cussed out by that guest.
And it’s not just that! I’ve had a lady talk down to me about the policy of team members having to check ID when it comes to serving alcohol. She said that most people don’t carry around that sort of stuff, and that I should be able to tell she looks older. Now there are those that being asked to see ID take it as a compliment, and they get a smile on their faces!
Eventually, I will have to look into another work location in the park so that I may have a better attitude towards working at Busch Gardens. But it may just be sticking it out until my seasonal time is up with them and start looking at places to stay near the Orlando area so I can work with Disney again. We shall see what happens in the next couple of months. Things may slowly improve over time, but you never know.
FURRY WEEKEND ATLANTA 2015
Around the beginning of this month, I had the pleasure of attending one of the few furry conventions I wanted to go to. This was my very first time going to Furry Weekend Atlanta, and I didn’t know what to expect. I had an idea that it was a large con, and it was going to be much bigger than the small fur cons I’ve attended. It was great seeing a lot of people I’ve only known online for the very first time, and I got to see a few familiar faces I haven’t seen in quite awhile.
And because it is a furry con, it’s not complete without a fursuit parade!
Plenty of awesome fursuits I saw! Makes me wish I had one for myself now. lol
If there is one thing I’ve enjoyed about going to fur cons, it’s the ability to actually find a bit of time to draw for yourself and do small trades with other artists. It was great because it helped me find a bit of my muse to want to get back into drawing more. I have done so a bit since then, but I plan to push myself to accomplish what ideas I want to put on paper.
As Monday came, it was time to say my goodbyes as I left for home. Well, things went a bit downhill from there. Outside of Byron, GA, I got pulled over for speeding. I admit I was going very fast, and I should have known better since Georgia is pretty nasty with their cops on the highways. Just recently I found out that I have to pay $210 for that ticket… I wasn’t too happy about that the other day, and I am going to end up paying for my stupidity and someone’s paycheck.
That evening, I arrive home, and things just got “better.” After taking a shower, I had a bit of energy in me that I jumped about, and then I feel a big pop in my left calf. After that, a sharp pain sprang when I tried to walk with my left foot. It was even a struggle walking with it the next day at work. It turns out that I was probably dehydrated after coming back from the convention. That made sense since I pretty much ate out while I was at the hotel and didn’t drink as much water as I should have. My leg is better now, and I can walk properly. I will just have to be more careful next time I decide to let off some energy. =P
GRAND THEFT AUTO III
Someone is going a bit old school, huh? Well, not that old school but still. I month or so ago I picked up the Grand Theft Auto trilogy set for the PS2 at a Walmart for $20. You can still find this along with the Diablo II Battle Chest for the same price at any Walmart today. What was the reason for it? Well, the set had Vice City included, and that was the only reason why I wanted to pick it up. GTA III I didn’t get very far the first time I played it, and I didn’t care much for the game then. The same can be said when I tried San Andreas on a friend’s Xbox. Its urban setting just wasn’t my thing, and I couldn’t get into it like he did.
Few years later, I would get GTA IV, and I would play a good portion of it. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would! However, that’s become one of those games that I would put off indefinitely… And now I have the GTA trilogy for the PS2 leading me to play through all of GTA III.
For the most part, I enjoyed the game. I can see what the appeal was back then, and why it was groundbreaking for its time! Unfortunately, the game shows its age. Outside of the graphics being horrendously outdated, the gameplay felt a bit rusty. I could see where Rockstar was going with it when they made the jump to the 3D universe. That is something I would never overlook, and I can appreciate what they managed to accomplish.
As I mentioned, the game does show its age. Although the missions are varied in their goals, it seemed that the difficulty was a bit unbalanced at times making missions harder to accomplish than they should. The targeting system is laughable when trying to shoot an enemy and could have used some more polish. Fortunately, I didn’t have to do much of that, and that saved for any frustration I may have had with the game.
Driving around the city isn’t so bad. It’s probably the game’s biggest highlight. However, it would have been nice if there was a map in the pause menu. Plus, it would have been most helpful if certain landmarks like a Pay N’ Spray were shown on the map provided in the bottom left corner which caused me to memorize where certain places were on all three islands. I can see it adding to the aesthetic of being a part of Liberty City and knowing the layout of the area without the use of a map. Still, the use of a map in the pause menu would have made things much, much better.
Speaking of driving around, the game’s radio stations do add a sense of depth when you enter a car. That is something I really admire since if gives that feeling of being in Liberty City. However, the appeal doesn’t last long as you find yourself listening to the same songs and dialogues repeatedly. There came a point that even Chatterbox (the station I frequented) became very dull. It also didn’t help that I couldn’t recognize any of the music, and all Flashback FM ended up being was songs from the Scarface soundtrack. And I can’t tell you how many times I was informed about pets being shipped overnight, Pogo the Monkey game, and Fernando’s services on saving your marriage.
Overall, GTA III provided plenty of fun for what it was. As mentioned before, i can see how this game explored new areas that games back then didn’t and even sparked a lot of controversy with its content. If this were to have been released now, it might not have had that shock value as it did back in 2001. And so I give this game a solid 8 out of 10. Even though it shows its age, Grand Theft Auto III still provides a lot of fun and is a good example of what defined a new type of genre in gaming.
Before completing the game, I went ahead and gave both Vice City and San Andreas a go. Oh man… Both games feature significant improvements in gameplay and art direction. Right now, I’m loving Vice City a lot, and I am aching to go back to playing it after I finish this up. lol
What else is there for me to do now? Well, I do have a much overdue commission I need to take care of along with a few other things. After that, I hope to work on my game idea some more. 🙂
With that, I will go ahead and wrap this up. I do thank you all for taking the time to read this! I know this was quite lengthy, but it’s not to share what has been going on. That way others know that I’m still here. lol
I hope everyone is doing well so far! Catch you all soon!
This is Eddie the Wolf signing off.
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