The Big Event


The big day is almost here. It has been five years in the making. Going to school and work, all of the late nights spent studying for tests will be over in nineteen more days. I cannot wait!
When I take a moment to reflect back, I have accomplished the imaginable. I never thought I would go to college because I was sick & tired of school. My senior year in high school was a headache. I started my college career at LSU-Shreveport in the spring semester of 2002. I was not always able to take a full course load each semester. Sometimes I could afford only two classes in a semester but I made up for it by attending school every summer. Previously, I spent some time at Bossier Parish Community College and then Delaware Tech. I started at the bottom of the pile; I had to take remedial, self paced math courses and English until I was on a college level. I didn’t even receive a grade for these classes just a “P” for passed. These prior facilities helped me to realize that I could make it through college. I gained the confidence that I needed to keep going.
Graduation day is December 20th 2006, although classes are ending December 9th. I will be receiving my Bachelors of Science in Financial Analysis. Who woulda thunk it!

Resident Evil



Need I say more! This is the grand-daddy of them all. All survival horror games need to bow down and show respect to the one who started it all.

My first encounter with Resident Evil happened when I was in the Air Force. A couple of friends and I were headed out for a night on the town. We stopped over someone’s house to pick up another person and while waiting for them, their little brother was playing his Playstation in the living room. Being a gamer myself, I took interest in the game. The graphics and detail were exquisite for the time period; I was still playing Super Nintendo at the time. I remember the scary opera music playing while he navigated his way through the haunted mansion. The doors would creek open slowly into the darkness, all you could hear were footsteps of the character (Jill or Chris) until the next area [loaded…].


It must have been fate, my new roommate on base moves in and has a Playstation! He played games that I really had no interest in, but one day he comes home with Resident Evil. He said a friend let him hold it. I knew this was the game that I wished I had time to play on that previous night. He fiddled around with it a little, but was not really interested in the genre. No one was; it was the first of its kind with a very small group of supporters.

After getting off of work one day I had the opportunity indulge myself in this world of horror. Once I began playing I could not stop. I skipped dinner that night; I went to bed late and was tired as hell for work the next morning. I played it on my lunch break and immediately after work. Hours passed as I mastered the controls and honed my skills of surviving in the game. RE has a unique control system for moving the character. Usually, you just move the controller's directional pad in the way you wanted to go, but on RE to move forward you have to press up on the D-pad after you have turned in the right direction. “I’m low on bullets, I need more bullets!” My mind raced as my frantic and uneasy state was set on beating this game.

The story was so deep; I couldn’t stop talking about the game to my peers. My conversations sparked their interest in the game, which led to Resident Evil parties, where they would gather in my room and watch me play.

Eventually I finally finished the game. I was on a mission to purchase my own Playstation and I knew what the first game was going to be.

Currently, I own all the sequels to the Resident Evil series. Number 2 is still my favorite on PS1; the two disc set. But PS2 just got the Nintendo version a couple of months ago.

I think I have a new favorite.

Gran Turismo



To some people this title is as unfamiliar as real cowboys watching rap artists performing at their country/western bar. To others, this title means the greatest racing game ever to grace video game consoles all over the world. I was always a loyal Need For Speed fan but when I borrowed a copy of my co-workers Gran Turismo A-spec, I was hooked. The game was so real and so detailed. There were over 300 cars you could acquire, plus the tracks you raced on were real racing circuits around the world.

Now that I think about it, I was always fascinated with fast cars, loud engines, and leaving rubber on the asphalt. Every Christmas, I can recall asking for a remote controlled car without the wire. I had to be specific, prior RC cars I received as presents had a wire attached. What is the purpose of having a remote control if you have to get up and follow the thing around? When I was old enough I bought my first real RC car; well it was actually a truck. It was made by Nikko, a popular company known for its RC vehicles. This little pickup truck favored an old Nissan Pathfinder (late 80’s model) but it was a red pickup truck, approximately the size of a house-cat, fast as hell. As a matter of fact, it did have a high and low speed setting. Nine point six volts (9.6V) of pure muscle and it was all mine. If I could find this toy today I would buy it in a heartbeat.

I guess this takes me back to a more simple time in my life, where life was less complicated and more fun. Summers back home were fun because, all I had to do was wake up, do my chores, and then go outside and play. If I could get that same happy feeling back as an adult I would stay in the moment forever.

The Cycle Continues…



The Playstation 3 arrived in the American market-place on 11/17/2006. The avid gamers were lined up in front of retailers as early as two days prior to its release date. I still do not understand this craze of having to be the first one with the game console. Being a “gamer” myself, I never wanted to get the latest version of any home video game system as soon as it hit the stores. Why, because, it is a proven fact that all of the bugs are not completely worked out! Within a couple of weeks you always hear about consoles over-heating, catching fire, or games not playing as intended. This is nothing new people; it has always been and will be this way each and every time. My rule of thumb is to wait at least a full year after the original release date before purchasing the newest version of any game console. Usually, all issues have been dealt with by then. But, I guess if we didn’t have these hard-heads that refuse to learn their lesson, the smarter, more patient gamers who wait to buy, like myself, could not write or feel good about our decision to wait to purchase one at a later date. So keep on doing what you do, you elite class of true video game junkies. You guys are the real testers that push a new console to its limits and make it better for gamers like myself to be satisfied with a defect-free product.

Thanks,

The R

Sleep is for the dead! Over the past three weeks I have not slept for more than four hours. Getting more than four hours of sleep would be a blessing.

I finally finished one major goal in my life just recently. I am now a full-fledged active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Hopefully enough people who know me will read this and will not over-react to my new appearance. Juggling work, school, marriage and pledging has been one of the most challenging experiences in my life thus far.

Work - I work for FedEx Express as a Ramp Agent. I have been with the company for four years now and this is my first full-time position with them. I always considered being a full-time college student my primary occupation. I started out as a package handler; the bottom of the pile (1 year), next I became a courier; I always wanted to do this (3 years), and now I am a Ramp Agent at Shreveport Regional Airport. When I started out as a handler I never was interested in this position, it was too demanding and complex. The agents knew so much, they made so many critical decisions that a person outside looking in couldn't help but wonder how crazy do you have to be to want to do this type of job. I felt the same way. "Too much responsibility for me," I just wanted to do the job I had and nothing more. Luckily, I was working for some dynamite agents at the time. They made the job fun and we were a tight crew who could hang out with each other after work. Well, fours years later here I am; a Ramp Agent for FedEx Express. I work anywhere from 40-50 hours per week. The money is good, I'm in my last four classes before I graduate; I can handle it.

School - It has been approximately 5 years since I have become a serious college student. Serious meaning that I really want a degree and I love the field that I am majoring in (Finance).
All of the late nights spent studying for exams and sacrificing season after season of the NFL is finally about to be over. "Oh, and how can I forget my beloved Playstation!" I have neglected her so badly; no new games, just the skeletons of outdated games I have already conquered a thousand times. I better fire her up soon to get the dust out.
I have never missed so many days of class in my whole college career. I am the type to show up everyday; rain, sleet, hail, snow, sickly, broken arm, whatever I'm there. Now that one event has come to pass I think I can get back on my grind and make the grades I'm used to making, A's & B's baby.