Photo © 2008 Cassie Melnikow

Obviously, before I go any further, let me mention the huge win for this country last night.

Yes, the Mavs destroyed the Spurs.

Oh yeah, and that Obama guy is going to be President.

This past weekend was actually pretty crazy in itself. Friday was Halloween and along with it, New York’s annual Halloween parade in Greenwich Village. I was content staying in and watching basketball, but Cassie dragged me out to watch an insane amount of people dressed insanely, doing insane things. It was actually kind of fun.

Except for one part. When we first got out of the subway we found ourselves at a corner right alongside the parade route. Metal fences had been erected and there was still a walkway between the people watching behind these fences and the building behind them. Unfortunately, that walkway soon got jammed with way too many onlookers and people started pushing and shoving and suddenly we were being crushed. A lot of those around me seemed content with sticking it out to keep the excellent spot, but I was having none of it and started to work my way out.

Just as I started to do so, a voice from directly behind me said “it’s getting pretty crazy, huh, Stan?” At first I thought I had been crushed to death and this was god … or allah … or Bill Maher or whoever talking to me. But it turned out to be Mo, a guy who had rented out one of the rooms in my North Bergen house for a month or so. It was such silly odds of that happening we just started laughing. And kissing. Ok, just kidding about the kissing. Once we had extricated ourselves from the death trap (I feel so much like Batman!), the rest of the night was fine if uneventful.

Then, Sunday, I was awakened at 10 AM (hey, that’s early for me on a weekend) by the soothing sounds of the Spice Girl’s “Viva Forever” being pumped at an ungodly volume. The brought news both good and bad. The good was that it signaled the beginning of the New York City Marathon which was happening right along my street. The bad news was that “Viva Forever” would be played a mind-numbingly three more times that morning! Cassie and I stood out on our fire escape and got some great pictures. I saw both the men’s and women’s leading packs and got bored quickly after that but she braved the elements to continue snapping pics of people dressed like Minnie Mouse, a lizard, and a guy in just a thong.

There were actually so many people in the race that for several hours we were completely trapped on our side of Manhattan. We couldn’t cross the street because the line of runners were so thickly congested and unending. I took it as a sign to finally get some NBA Simming in … and sim I did!

Photo Montage © 2008 Stan Syckes

Yep, I voted today. I expected a nightmare of a line outside PS 158 … and I was right! I got in line and estimated my wait to be an hour when all of a sudden an old man came and asked me if I was in district 42 or 46. I said yes and he said I could go right in! I live right on the cusp of two zip codes (my mail goes to 10075 but Time Warner thinks I’m in 10021) and for once this was a benefit rather than a burden as there were so few people from my district at my location. In fact, when I got in there was one person in front of me.

After signing in I stepped into the booth. Last time I was greeted by the friendly presence of a computer screen staring back at me. Before me now stood a giant lever and some small knobs. I felt like I was in the control room of the Titanic or something. I first had to pull the lever all the way to the right, then make my individual decisions by twisting knobs down, and then confirmed everything by pulling the lever back to the left. Memories of dimpled/hanging chads danced in my head so I pulled with all of my might during that confirmation tug and I was out in a total of 10 minutes!!!

Hopefully this time, the results are a little more in my favor.

Photo montage © 2008 Stan Syckes

Though it’s inexcusable for you not to know, I’ll reiterate anyway: tonight the 2008-09 NBA season begins! To tell you the truth, I actually found this offseason to be super short, but maybe that was because there was so much Olympics basketball. Or maybe reading about basketball 24/7 had something to do with it. Who knows?

And who cares! I’m psyched. This year I finally made the plunge and purchased NBA League Pass - I now get up to 5 out-of-state games a night! To be honest, I would’ve gotten this service last year but my terrible New Jersey cable service didn’t offer it. Once again, New York > New Jersey! Perhaps this is the year where I get to see every single Mavs game! I’ve actually thought about that mission ever since I reviewed the Seinfeld episode where George’s unemployment counselor says she watched every Mets inning one season. I lead a sad life.

Or do I? I recently acquired NBA 2K9 for the Playstation 3 and let me tell you that it is life changing. This year, they flipped fantasy basketball on it’s head. Instead of regular joes choosing NBA players for their fantasy teams, NBA players choose real joes for theirs! Yes, I have been selected for Chauncey Billups‘ team, Smooth’s Squad. No buzzer left unbeaten! All of my stats from online games I play will be added to Chauncey’s fantasy team. And to the winner go the Dohblog!

NOTE: My coach, Mr. Billups, likes to wear towels on his head while on the sidelines. I have incorporated a picture of him performing this feat into a fantasy-style montage since he looks like a hobbit when he does so. May it create many a joke!

… and no, I don’t mean the same guy my dad saw this week. I mean, sure Barack Obama seems to be an important guy but does he:

1. Fight crime?
2. Wear a cool all-black costume?
3. Lives with a spandex-wearing, teenaged boy whom he calls his “partner?”

That’s right I saw Batman last weekend. Though it was the crazy, dancing version that apparently lives in Central Park. Still cool, though. First video is my terrible, spur-of-the-moment taping under less-than-ideal conditions. The second is Batman doing what Batman does best.

Photo © 2008 Asbestos Bill

I’ve been going crazy about video games, recently. Ok, even crazier than I usually am. However, my increased insanity doesn’t concern the playing of them (nor the simming of them, though I am taking care of that as well, don’t ye worry!!!) but of the soundtracks to these glorious games. I’ve been collecting the most memorable soundtracks from my childhood (and, sadly, adulthood) such as Street Fighter II, Mega Man 2, and Metal Gear Solid. Great stuff, but while hunting these tracks down I discovered something even hotter!

I ended up at OverClocked ReMix, a site where amateur and professional DJs make remixes of video game soundtracks. Some use the real console bleeps and bloops; some are completely reworked as band songs complete with lyrics; others are orchestrations or dance mixes. Most are kinda fun but ultimately garbage. But the gems … oh, the gems! I’ve found several beautiful versions of songs from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Final Fantasy VII and even Marble Madness! A great site that I highly recommend to go get lost in for a while.

Photo © 2008 Stan Syckes

Instead of relaxing over the weekend, I worked! Cassie and I spent most of the two days painting three of the living room walls and one bedroom wall in our Upper East Side apartment. And we learned a big lesson: paint before you actually move in. It was absolute hell squeezing in between small spots, moving around furniture to gain an extra inch, and awkwardly balancing myself on a ladder that could only fit in so many places. But, after two days, we’re pretty much done.

Oh, and for all you women out there (!!!) the colors chosen were Bahaman Sea Blue (living room) and Crushed Velvet (bedroom). For some reason I wanted a red wall and I got it with the bedroom … but it was a scary thing as that Crushed Velvet started out reeeeeeallly pink in the beginning.

You know what? The last time I painted a room (my Brooklyn bedroom) was exactly 2 years ago. Wild. And unnecessarily noted! But who careth?

Moving on to things of a more masculine sort, Cassie and I took a break Saturday night from our painting duties to check out Bill Maher’s Religulous documentary. The film was extremely funny, educational and yet depressing at the same time. I share much of Maher’s views but not always his optimism in the face of all this craziness. Still, this movie is, as Freddie Mercury would say, “recommended at the price” (I currently have “Killer Queen” stuck in my head).

Finally, we saw Religulous at UA East 85th Street, a really small but surprisingly nice, 1-screen theater just 6 blocks away from my apartment. Sure, it doesn’t have the same ragtag, antique style as the Mayfair Triplex but it’s closer and a little nicer. Regardless, I don’t have to give up my little mini-theater once-every-other-month hobby. More interesting things coming next post!

Photo © 2008 ABC, Inc.

First things first: I walked past Bill Murray yesterday. About 3 feet separated me and comedy greatness! I’m ashamed to admit that I did a double-take. “That guy looks like Bill Murray” (eyes look down, eyes look back up) “That IS Bill Murray!” Pretty awesome and it’s been forever since my last celebrity sighting … Los Angeles this is not.

In an effort to meet people in the Upper East Side, Cassie is trying to get us involved in a lot of meet up organizations. One she finally convinced me to attend is a Lost Book Club. Essentially, we read books that appear on episodes of Lost or have influenced the show (since we’re Lost fanatics).

The first book is The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares. When I was first handed the book I confess that I wasn’t at all excited to read it. But after the first 10 pages I couldn’t put it down. The story revolves around a fugitive who is hiding from the police by living on a deserted island. Once there, however, he starts to come across some strange encounters.

I won’t ruin anything, but even if you guess what’s going on (and I did less than halfway through) I still found the ending to be both a surprise and poignant. It’s a breezy, 100-page read and never dull for a second (though, knowing the trick, some of the scenes seemed a bit forced). I can definitely see where this influenced the writers of Lost, but I have no clue what we’re going to discuss once the book club meeting comes around (I haven’t been involved in a book group since 9th grade). Alright, back to work!

UPDATE: Dammit, I keep forgetting to do blog moods!

Montage © 2008 Stan Syckes

Mega Man is now old enough to drink!

Capcom’s little mascot has pretty much always existed during my video gaming career, eclipsed in longevity by only Mario himself. I remember playing and falling in love with Mega Man 2 - one of the first Nintendo games I ever played - sometime in 1989. I poured over all the character details and level maps for Mega Man 3 when they appeared in my Nintendo Power magazines. The only time I went over to my elementary school friend Taran’s house (he lived butt far) all we did was play his Mega Man games. Though I didn’t eat, drink and sleep the little robot mascot I did thoroughly enjoy myself when I’d play his newest adventure.

And what pretty simple games they were. All Mega Man can can do is jump and shoot (and sometimes slide). You traverse your way through a level, fight an evil robot at the end and then get his weapon after defeating him. The big gimmick is that each evil robot has a secret weakness against another robot’s weapon so you are encouraged to find the elegant order in which to take them on. While the formula remained the same throughout the series, fans kept coming back for the top-notch, challenging level design and fantastic soundtrack.

Anyway, I’m currently finishing Mega Man X Collection - a (what else?) collection of the first 6 Mega Man X games (originally for Super Nintendo and Playstation 1). As far as I can tell, Mega Man X was just the same Mega Man-style of gameplay but with a more “futuristic” background. Also like the regular Mega Man series (I completed Mega Mans 1-8 a couple of years back) they start out amazing and slowly lose steam. Even so, I haven’t felt the need to put the game down! After all, a game doesn’t stay alive after 2 decades in the biz if it isn’t addicting (unless, of course, it involves pokèmon).

The eerie synchronicity of this is that just when I’m finishing the last Mega Man X game and preparing to move on to another game (Shadow of the Colossus for PS2), Mega Man 9 is announced. After 20+ years of advances in graphics, sound and gameplay, the newest Mega Man game looks, sounds and plays exactly like the it’s 1987 inception (screenshots below if you don’t believe me).

I tried out the free demo last night after downloading it from PSOnline and it was … fucking hard! I consider myself somewhat of a hardcore gamer and I didn’t even reach the halfway point of the first level. What’s cool is the retro gameplay and style is very engaging, but it’s topped off with newer features like online leader boards, downloadable content, and side quests (like defeat a level without killing any enemies). It all has my mega gasket excited and I’m sure it’ll be worth the $9.99 I’ll plunk down for it. I shall keep you faithful readers updated!

Photos © 2008 GameSpot.com

Photo © 2008 Stan Syckes

Last night I saw Weezer. It was another in a long line of amazing concerts I’ve seen so far in Madison Square Garden … a place (what with all the concerts and basketball games I attend) I’m starting to feel rather at home in. Anyway, I’ll try to keep this post brief and just hit the highlights of the night. To do this I will run down the setlist (yes I frantically typed in abbreviations of the songs into my phone as they were played)!

Opening Act: Terrible. Angels & Airwaves are fronted by former Blink-182 singer, Tom DeLonge, but who cares? Their music was so lame and ridiculously theatrical. For example, before one song DeLonge says “When I was 13, I snuck out of my friend’s house during a sleepover and crept up to his sister’s window and saw my first naked girl” … and then played some slow, droning, sap song about a girl’s reflection. Completely inappropriate … shouldn’t that music have been heart-pumping, nervous, excited?

Worse, the entire act was overwhelmed by their light show. I’m not kidding, every song had a different color and blinking pattern from their 16 blinding light towers! At one point DeLonge shot green lasers out into the crowd and at another all the lights went out and you could just see his hands holding two lights. Complete gimmick. But, after 10 or so songs, Angles & Airwaves mercifully left the stage!

01. My Name is Jonas - The time on our ticket stubs said the concert began at 7:30 PM and finally at 9:45 PM, The Weez hit the stage. They simply walked out onto the stage against no background music in all-white, one-piece jumpsuits and started the rocking of faces. I’ve never been a big fan of this song, but it’s the track that kicks off their first album and it instantly reminded me of that era.

02. Pink Triangle
03. Say It Ain’t So - At this point all the lights in the house dimmed with only one spotlight on Rivers. He slowly unzipped his jumpsuit revealing an all-red jumpsuit underneath. I’m sure everyone was expecting them to start playing songs from their new album (dubbed The Red Album). Instead, the legendary opening of their greatest song began. The place went nuts.

04. Suzanne - Maybe the best part of the show. Right after the best Weezer song they started this B-Side in a capella. It seemed like they were singing just to me as I really think I was the only one in the stadium who knew this song. First of all, I love it and second of all, my old band, Bras, were thinking of covering it back in the day! Great 1-2 punch.

05. Keep Fishin’
06. King - a Weezer B-Side! Well, maybe it’s not a B-Side, but it was only included on the iTunes online album I bought as an extra track. It’s a Cuomo-penned tune (like most Weezer songs) but sung by new bassist, Scott Shriner. I dug the song but it seemed like not too many others in the audience knew it or dug it. One thing to note here is that Rivers and Scott were trading singing chores on the majority of the songs.

When Weezer announced that other members of the band were going to start writing and singing on the new album, I was initially concerned. Rivers is one of my favorite songwriters and, though certainly no super crooner, possesses a unique and effortlessly honest voice. Sure, there are some growing pains associated with this decision but I think it ultimately is the right one; breathing new life into the band (I thought their previous album, Make Believe, was 3 good songs and all filler). This was especially noticeable and appreciated during the concert. Whereas Rivers used to be tied to one spot, having to both sing and play guitar near a mic, now he is free to move around and emulate all his childhood guitar heroes. He really took over the show with his dancing and guitar antics … it was very inspiring to see him inspired.

07. Undone - The Sweater Song - Rivers asked Tom DeLonge onstage for a duet and the place immediately started to boo. Ha, it was great. Unfortunately, you could tell the band is really tired of playing this song live as there was very little energy even though the audience was going crazy.

08. Pork and Beans
09. Dreamin’
10. Dope Nose
11. Troublemaker
12. Automatic - Rivers left the stage and Pat Wilson, the drummer, got up to sing his song. He played guitar while the drummer from Angels & Airwaves played the skins. It’s not the greatest song and a lot of the energy left the audience at this point, but I thought of it as a great, interesting intermission. Right after this song people in the row behind us started getting into a heated verbal fight with a couple leaving. I have no clue what that was about but ushers quickly bounced the couple.

13. Hash Pipe - When Rivers returned he was out of his jump suit and wearing his soccer jersey from a celebrity tournament he played in. Apparently he’s almost obsessed with the sport as I am with basketball. Ok, that may not be possible.

14. El Scorcho
15. Morning Glory - Cuomo ended “El Scorcho” by jumping behind the drums (Pat moved to guitar) and then throwing sticks into the audience. He then started playing a beat and the other guys started the opening to Oasis’ “Morning Glory.” The audience looked completely out of it but Cassie and I thought it was an awesome selection. She loves Oasis and I thought it was a crazy, weird choice and they played it really well.

16. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn) - The end of the regular concert was an immense high point as they played the best song off their new album. This long, complex piece has been compared to “Bohemian Rhapsody” and it ended with the four of them singing harmonies. Really awesome … almost a religious experience!

Encore
17. Island in the Sun
18. Beverly Hills - An interesting moment. Usually, everyone starts to cheer loudly as they see silhouettes coming back onstage for the obligatory encore, but this time 30 silhouettes came out! It turned out Weezer had invited 30 fans up on stage to play random instruments (trombones, flutes, accordion, etc.) as a backing band for the encore. Pat played a single snare and cymbal, Rivers just sang, and the other two members played acoustic guitar. It was a low key, weird experience but it was very relevant and “now” in this YouTube world. It was short and cool and then everyone went backstage again.

19. Sliver - As fun as the ad-hoc fan band was to see, it didn’t feel like a true encore. We wanted Weezer, the band, not Weezer with a gimmick as a finale. When everyone finally shuffled off the stage the lights were killed once again. A stage hand brought out a stool and put a record player on it and “Heart Songs” started to play. “Heart Songs” is a track off the new album about the songs Cuomo loved growing up and how he hopes some of the pieces he writes evoke similar passion in Weezer fans. The four gentlemen came back onstage, wearing normal clothes, and played “Sliver” by Nirvana. Any Nirvana fans out there?!?! This was the second time in the show where I felt I was the only person in attendance who knew this song. Though not my favorite song, this was another cool, personal moment.

20. Buddy Holly - There was a giant screen behind Weezer for the concert and for each song it would have a different display. All the displays were pixellated as if they were appearing on a mobile phone display so it wasn’t distracting like the opening act’s Star Wars light show. Finally, as the band finished “Buddy Holly” (their biggest hit), the iconic “W” slowly came down on the screen. The entire stadium erupted and I snapped a few awesome photos. I also totally got that they believe this song is a heart song for many people. Great ending to an amazing (and loooong) concert!