Okay, maybe I’m over exaggerating a bit, but let me tell you that it wasn’t long ago, possibly last week, that I was thinking about these games, and how much fun they were. Sure I never finished either one, but the time I spent with them was nothing short of entertaining. Now, to my utter delight, a third is coming to the PlayStation Portable.

I can’t believe it’s been eight years since Parasite Eve II’s release and 10 since the firsts. Now, to finally have a third installment means there are a lot more survival horror RPGing to be had. You know, it’s really times like this that make life worth living.

On my lunch I went to the Best Buy near my work and asked if they had it in stock, they didn’t. Another Best Buy not 10 miles away had one, so I waited. The following day arrived and after work my Mom and I went and I walked in, there was an employee there almost waiting for me. He found it, and I was out of there a few minutes later and a lot lighter in funds. It was a sign that I was supposed to have this otherwise it wouldn’t have been this easy. I am a full believer in signs and look at different events in my life and analyze them almost to death in order to do the right thing.

Did I need this camera? Probably not. Did I want this camera? Yes, or did I. The question I think about now that I have it in my possession is whether or not I actually want the camera or wanted to want the camera. The idea was to buy it and think about the purchase to make sure this is going to in some way make my life better. I could do the responsible thing and take the camera back and invest the money into my future. Ultimately the money would sit in a savings account earning minimal interest.

Or, by purchasing this camera am I already investing in my future? I do a lot of video, even if I don’t upload it to the Internet as frequently as I should. I also go on vacation 2-3 times a year (don’t think I live the jet set life, I acquire so much PTO that I have to take time off or I lose money, ironic huh.) and this would benefit that part of my life.

We have a Walt Disney World trip planned in December and it is going to be the ultimate trip. We will be staying there for 15 nights and I want the memories captured to be as vivid as being there. That isn’t something I would get with a standard definition video, HD video would get me closer.

I think I will end up keeping the camera. I just hope that I can download the video from the camera through my G4 laptop to a hard drive even though there should be enough room on the camera. Then when I get home, I can download the video to my desktop.

As I write it’s becoming clearer that going high-def is an investment. New cameras, new computers, new software, new displays. We’re talking thousands of dollars. That’s a post for another time. Now, I just need to solve my current problem.

Another aspect of the iPhone that I’m not entirely thrilled with is the lack of recording video. As someone who produces a lot of video, this is a necessary feature. Apple really needs to get on this as most phones these days have that capability. My LG CU500 does video, not well, but at least it does video and I’m looking for the iPhone to do it as well if not better.

Now, with the iPhone 3G there were some really great improvements made. For instance, adding it to the 3G network, a much faster network than EDGE. The addition of GPS proper and not just cell tower triangulation. But most importantly, the introduction of applications. This opens up a whole new world. Now companies can begin developing software for the iPhone providing additional or specialize functionality, games and productivity software. This is what I’m really excited about because now iPhone is more than just an iPod with a phone or vice-versa, it’s truly a mobile computing platform.

I’m very excited about the prospects. When you include some of the most brilliant minds in software development and allow them to develop for the most sophisticated phone, some really great and useful things can come of it. Albeit the apps available now are nothing special but as time goes on we should see some real innovation.

Plus it would be really cool to check and send e-mail, surf the net, from wherever I am and all I need to make this happen is a lousy $1200. Can I make this happen? Well, first I would have to check with AT&T to see if I can incorporate this plan into my existing plan. If I’m able to do that then all I need to do is crunch some numbers, deal some drugs and a new iPhone is all mine.

I was also fortunate enough to watch a ragtime pianist at the Coca Cola Refreshment Corner. I think his name was Johnny or some variation of the spelling. I stood there and watched him play for his entire 20 minutes, he was really amazing. If ever you have a couple of minutes and you find him playing, you should definitely stop by to watch and listen.

Finally, Animation Academy in the Animation building at Disney’s California Adventure. It is a 20 minute class to teach you how to draw specific Disney characters. I learned and can now draw, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy pretty good. I can stumble my way through Daisy, Tigger and Pooh but have decided that the main three are the most important.

Those were the three most memorable activities aside from hanging out with members of my family. I think we all had a lot of fun. Don’t get me wrong there was some turmoil, mostly when trying to decide and find dinner. I really hope my Grandparents decide to do this again next year.

I can’t say that I am addicted to the Internet itself, but I’m a addicted to the routine, much like some heroine addicts are not necessarily addicted to the drug, but the ritual. Being connected to so many different social networks means that I rely heavily on the Internet. I still will be posting status updates using Twitter (justjason) if you feel like staying up to date on my progress. I considered even using Brightkite to physically show my location within the park. While that’s possible, no one would know exactly where in the park I was unless they visited my profile page and clicked on the map… More work for the user and me than it’s worth.

So now I’m just waiting for my ride to the airport arrive in the next 23 minutes. Then it’s off to Disneyland. I’ve really been looking forward to this trip yet a little nervous at the same time. Whether there is or not, I feel like there is a lot of pressure on me to be the knowledge base of the park. A role that I can take on, but doesn’t really cater to a relaxing experience.

Anyway, there are still some things I need to get done, like change my clothes. So I better end this here. I’ll see you all in a week with some video of my trip.

I’m almost completely packed. I’m trying to fit everything I need for the week in my small suitcase and it looks like I could succeed. However, there are some things that I will try and cram into that small case, if they don’t fit, then I’ll have to carry it on the plane with me. These will consist of mostly cables and AC adapters which take up more room then they should, in my opinion.

Packing notwithstanding, the other things I need to get done are falling by the wayside. For instance, I want to mow the lawn one more time as well as get some cleaning done. I don’t like coming home from a vacation with a messy room and dirty bathroom. Rather than do these necessary chores, I find myself watching TV, movies and blogging about how far behind I am. Well, as fun as this is, I have to get back to work.

The service looks daunting at first, and depending on how deep you get into it becomes almost overly complicated. However, the basic premise of the service is connecting with friends in the real world based on the places you frequent. An interesting idea, but falls flat when you realize you have no friends. Worse yet, when you realize all your friends wouldn’t be able to understand or consistently use the service.

After using Brightkite for 3 days, I’ve found it somewhat addicting and imperfect. Sure it’s still in beta and many of the issues I have, will, in the future be fixed. One thing I don’t think will be fixed is the ease of use. The first thing you do when you sign up with the service is check-in. All you have to do to check-in is enter your address either on the Brightkite website or through text message.

After checking in you can see who you know is in the area, how many people have checked-in in the area and even search for businesses to look up an address. Take for instance my first check-in was in Portland, OR. After checking into Portland OR I needed to check in to the Rose Garden Arena, but I didn’t know the address. All I had to do was text ?Rose Garden Arena and Brightkite texts me back the correct address for me to check in.

But why? Right? Why do I need to use Brightkite? I don’t, but it’s another way to let my friends know what I’m doing whether they are using the service or not. For now, my profile is private so all my addresses are not visible to those who are not my “trusted friends.” As more features and settings are included in the service, this could change and I hope it does.

I will be using the service extensively on my trip to Disneyland. I am in the middle of finding the longitude and latitudes for each of the attractions and restaurants in the park and making them placemarks within Brightkite. Then all I have to do is text @carantion cafe and it will identify my exact location within Disneyland.

Once phones come standard with GPS it will be nice to be able to press a button or text “check-in” and Brightkite would pull the coordinates and automatically check you in at your exact location. It’s certainly a feature that is possible, and one they could implement now and as phones catch up with the service, it will be readily available.

As for now, Brightkite is a promising service that needs to find some better footing. Location based social networks are great in theory, but requires a significant investment from the user to make work. While something like this is cool, Twitter could do as a good a job notifying friends of your location. The only advantage a service like Brightkite has is the cool Google Map feature on the website. The lasting question is, will I continue to use it? Yes, for now. It’s a type of service that can compliment Twitter nicely and I’m curious to see if it will be a useful trip report tool.

With that, I talked to our new store manager and I, in 30 days will be moving out of the position as supervisor. Sure there is a substantial pay cut, but I will be making the same as I did prior to me getting the promotion and remaining full time. Remaining full time was the priority over everything because of the insurance and PTO.

So, what will I be doing? I will begin merchandising the women’s department. This is a role I took on a couple of years ago with, I believe, less than stellar results. I suppose it depends on who you ask. Anyway, I am going to give it another try and I hope, from my point of view, it goes better this time around.

Unless you are familiar and aware of Helvetica, you probably wouldn’t know that it is one of the most used typefaces around the world. The sheer ubiquitousness of the type is astounding. It’s used everywhere from airline logos, street signs, pamphlets, you likely won’t go one single day without seeing it somewhere.

Many of the interviews with graphic designers are hysterical and offer some insight into how the font changed design for better and worse. Interestingly enough, it’s the type of documentary that leaves you thinking about how you feel about typefaces in general. Not just what type is used, but how it’s used and whether or not it’s used effectively to convey the right message.

Overall, I’m in love with Helevetica. The movie and the typeface.