So I was thinking today about something I was told during my employee review earlier this year.  I was told that I was good at communicating my thoughts clearly, and that I was good at talking to people of varying skill levels about technical details and such.  I was also told that I had a "calming" voice and was easy to approach, and that I had a tone that made me sound "more experienced than I may be" - which come to think of it, may not always be a positive.

The whole reason I bring that all up is because I learned it from interacting with members of <Downfall> and from my experience as a raid leader, raid member, recruiter, and pseudo-sit-in-guild-leader-for-a-time.

I know I'm not the most beloved of <Downfall> members.  Loads of you have an opinion of me as being an asshole, an uncaring unwavering jerk that took the game too seriously, and in some cases an intolerable person to be around.  Others formed a different opinion.  To each their own, and I can't really go out of my way to prove myself one way or another.  But I can say that communicating with people whose opinions of me ran the gamut of possibilities really expanded on my ability to actually communicate effectively.

Although my experience in WoW didn't end on a good note - and my last couple of years may have actually helped lead to me losing my previous job - the whole of the experience was positive.  My lead raidership actually helped land me a job out of college (in an indirect manner), and the communication skills I picked up from trying to organize so many people helped me to gain recognition in my current job.  In 6 months I've moved from an entry-level-ish intern position, to a full-benefits employee in a little bit of a supervisory position.  I've helped more than a handful of new engineers get on their feet.

So long story short, whether you remember me fondly or remember me as an overbearing asshole, I wanted to say thank you for helping me to learn how to talk to people in a professional setting.

So a few friends of mine have asked me why I don't start up a Twitter page or some such, in regards to what I know about the Energy industry - that is, oil refining, nuclear power, "green" power, that sort of thing.

Well, it got me to thinking - I don't have much to do nowadays apart from look for a job, work out, and play games.  So I say ... why not?

The reason I make this post is simple.  If I were to start up a Twitter feed or a blog of some kind, that would have facts, news stories, information, or anything pertaining to what's going on in the energy industry - be it from the VERY safe working history of nuclear power to the VERY bad business practices exercised by BP ...

Would any of you guys be interested in reading it?

Let me know your thoughts - I want to know that if I start something like this up, I'd actually have an audience.

For every reply I get to this little blog post, I'll edit my original post with a random movie quote tagged at the bottom.  Totally ripping the idea off from Mavandon.

And now, for movie quotes!  It's your job to find the movie it's from.

For Dragonspear:  I always say a kiss on the hand might feel very good, but a diamond tiara lasts forever.

For Derchlon:  No, it is not dangerous to confuse children with angels.

So I recently picked this little gem up on the XBL Arcade.  It'll only set you back $10, pretty cheapo considering the quality of the game you'll pick up.

At the moment there's 8 characters to play as - four "balanced" characters with good offense and defense, but slow movement (Spartan, Centurion, Samurai, and Knight), two "guerilla" characters with very good offense and movement speed but low defense (Ninja, Apache), and two "berserker" characters with very good offense and mediocre movement speed but mixed defenses (Viking, Pirate).

There's only five stages to play in, but each stage has semi-interactive elements (obstacles, things you can break, etc).

The gameplay itself is simple.  You enter each fight with essentially four weapons (short-range, medium-range, long-range, and "special" which is used in your unblockable attack), as well as whatever armor your character has available.  The combat system is fully 3-D and is relatively simple - you have a health bar but it's mostly a formality, as you'll only really be able to take 6-7 shots at most, with some fights ending in one blow.  You have three basic melee attacks (high, middle, low) and each has varying effects.  High attacks can decapitate an opponent (outright kill), middle attacks can damage or sever arms (disabling shields, medium-range weapons, and ranged weapons), and low attacks can damage or sever arms (slows down movement considerably).

Severed limbs do damage-over-time due to bleeding, as do two specific ranged weapons that are poisoned.

In short, if you liked the Bushido Blade game series, this game is a very, very natural step in the same direction.  Plays fast, it's fun if not occasionally frustrating, and online game is decently stable if a bit laggy.  Overall, it's definitely worth $10.

That said -

Who wants to play!

Told myself I wouldn't make a big thing out of this.  I know I grump about people making huge-assed posts on the website when they quit, so I won't be doing that.

Suffice to say, my account expires April 1st, and no doubt most of you haven't exactly seen me online much if at all the past couple of weeks.  If you're that curious about why I quit, feel free to send me a PM.  I don't want to make a big deal out of it.

That being said, I'll still be a personality on the website and I may make an appearance at the guild meet-up this year, money- and job-permitting.  That is to say, I still have no job, but God help me if I don't have one by August.

I did want to take a moment, though, to say something.  I wish all of <Downfall> the best in your endeavors, both in-game and in real life.  I know times are tough for Kitten Brigade and Salmon alike, with significant raider turnover going on.  I would normally say that my quitting the game wouldn't be helping, however I do know that there are a good number of people that "disagreed" with my particular brand of leadership.  Just know that I did my best under the circumstances that I was given, and if I insulted, hurt, or otherwise negatively-effected you I am sorry for that.  Know that it was not my intention.

I should hope that in the wake of my departure, things only get better for the raids and for the guild at large.

For those of you that wish to stay in contact that haven't already done so with me, send me a PM and I'll trade email addresses and/or phone numbers, should you so desire.

This ended up being bigger than I intended.  I guess it's hard to simply walk away from something that you've given five years of your life towards.  I guess that should be expected.

Either way, peace.

I have a question for all you gearheads in guild.

Earlier this evening I hopped in my car to head out and watch a movie.  When I started my car, I noticed a high-pitched "whirring" sort of sound as well as a low, dull wobbling/throbbing sort of sound behind it.  When I'd accelerate the whirring would get noticeably louder, and the pitch of the whirr would change when I changed gears.

As the engine warmed up the whirring sound would get quieter and lower, but it never went away.  Not until I stopped the car and removed the key.

I went to a gas station later, popped the hood.  Oil, power steering, brake fluids, everything checks out.  The only thing is that the whirring sounds like it's either coming from the belts or possibly down in the axles of the front wheels - sort of hard to tell as it gets louder when I step on the gas (and I can't step on the gas when I'm outside trying to listen for the sound's location).

Make and model of this car is a 1997 Toyota Corolla, if that matters.

Any thoughts?