Joshua P. Simon's Blog, page 4
September 29, 2015
Driving Big Rigs
I’ve mentioned before that my new job takes a lot more of my time than my previous employer, which unfortunately has cut into my writing/editing time quite a bit. However, there are a few perks to the company and position. For instance, a couple weeks ago I was sent to a week’s worth of training in Seattle. The days were pretty long, starting around 7:30am and not ending until usually well after 8:00pm since dinners were scheduled each night. But, a bright spot to the trip was that I got to drive several trucks that most people will never get the opportunity to.
Overall it was an awesome experience. The first truck I drove was a DAF (common in Europe). Unlike transport vehicles here, the trucks are automatics. Therefore, it felt like driving a much bigger SUV. As seen in the picture below, I drove it without the trailer.
I was lucky enough to drive a second truck as well. This one was a Kenworth and included the trailer. It, of course, had a manual transmission which I didn’t know how to drive. Funny enough, I stalled it out. Thanks to the guy teaching me in the passenger seat, I was able to get the hang of working the clutch while he shifted (something he did for everyone). Though I may have struggled at first, I was one of the few who kept their vehicle in the lane and took the turns without letting the trailer wheels drift off road. Both were much smoother rides than I expected. Overall, good stuff!
Overall it was an awesome experience. The first truck I drove was a DAF (common in Europe). Unlike transport vehicles here, the trucks are automatics. Therefore, it felt like driving a much bigger SUV. As seen in the picture below, I drove it without the trailer.
I was lucky enough to drive a second truck as well. This one was a Kenworth and included the trailer. It, of course, had a manual transmission which I didn’t know how to drive. Funny enough, I stalled it out. Thanks to the guy teaching me in the passenger seat, I was able to get the hang of working the clutch while he shifted (something he did for everyone). Though I may have struggled at first, I was one of the few who kept their vehicle in the lane and took the turns without letting the trailer wheels drift off road. Both were much smoother rides than I expected. Overall, good stuff!
September 21, 2015
Music Monday - In Flames - Whoracle
One of my favorite bands. Such an amazing album…one of the few ones I can listen to on repeat for several days and not really care.
Gyroscope
Dialogue with Stars (Instrumental)
Worlds Within the Margin
Gyroscope
Dialogue with Stars (Instrumental)
Worlds Within the Margin
September 7, 2015
Music Monday - Oasis
A band that no longer gets talked about enough. Probably my two favorite songs from them. . .
Live Forever
Don’t Look Back in Anger
Live Forever
Don’t Look Back in Anger
August 24, 2015
Music Monday - Queen - Live at Wembley
Youtube has been a blessing as far as exposing my kids to great music. They would rather watch either an old music video or a live performance than just listening to a CD or a Slacker/Pandora station.
Queen has been heavy in the rotation as of late. Unbelievable band.
Queen has been heavy in the rotation as of late. Unbelievable band.
July 6, 2015
Music Monday - Queen - Flash Gordon Theme
This song has been in my head constantly as of late. It is a good example of a great theme song attached to an awful movie.
June 26, 2015
Board Game Info
So, I’ve played quite a few more board games since my last post (games like Battlelore, Liberatalia, Summoner Wars, Valley of the Kings, Smash-Up, Splendor, Lords of Waterdeep, etc.). I think they are all awesome. A couple have already joined my growing collection while the others definitely made it to my Amazon wishlist. I’ve been doing some research here and there at the two resources below and found both to be really helpful for anyone looking to expand or grow their collection.
https://boardgamegeek.com/
This is a great website where you can get reviews, post on message boards, track your own collection, or buy/sell/trade with others. There is so much here and I’ve barely had the time to really dig into it.
http://www.dicetower.com/
Dice Tower is an awesome site in that it gives video or podcast reviews of seemingly every game out there. There are also quite a few top ten lists that I’d highly recommend. Besides being very informative, I think they’re also pretty entertaining.
I’m also hosting my first mini game night this weekend with three other people. They’re all pretty big into gaming so I expect it to be a blast. My hope is that we can get together every 4-8 weeks. Eventually, I’d like to throw in a couple of game nights with a large group of people. However, before doing that I need to increase the number of seats in my home. My wife and I plan to remedy that as we’ve been building a large dining room table that should seat between 10-12 people. We had talked about doing this because our home actually has the space for a large dining room table. The fact that this can be used for a bigger game night is sort of the icing on the cake.
So, any thoughts on the games I mentioned above? Any recommendations for what I should look into next?
https://boardgamegeek.com/
This is a great website where you can get reviews, post on message boards, track your own collection, or buy/sell/trade with others. There is so much here and I’ve barely had the time to really dig into it.
http://www.dicetower.com/
Dice Tower is an awesome site in that it gives video or podcast reviews of seemingly every game out there. There are also quite a few top ten lists that I’d highly recommend. Besides being very informative, I think they’re also pretty entertaining.
I’m also hosting my first mini game night this weekend with three other people. They’re all pretty big into gaming so I expect it to be a blast. My hope is that we can get together every 4-8 weeks. Eventually, I’d like to throw in a couple of game nights with a large group of people. However, before doing that I need to increase the number of seats in my home. My wife and I plan to remedy that as we’ve been building a large dining room table that should seat between 10-12 people. We had talked about doing this because our home actually has the space for a large dining room table. The fact that this can be used for a bigger game night is sort of the icing on the cake.
So, any thoughts on the games I mentioned above? Any recommendations for what I should look into next?
June 23, 2015
Tunes Tuesday - Armored Saint - Win Hands Down
Been listening to the new Armored Saint album quite a bit since I saw them open for Saxon a month ago. Just as good as their classic stuff.
Win Hands Down
Mess
An Exercise in Debauchery
Win Hands Down
Mess
An Exercise in Debauchery
June 16, 2015
Tunes Tuesday - Singles Soundtrack
I only own two soundtracks. One is a greatest hits CD of all the Rocky movies. The other is from the movie Singles. The movie itself isn’t very good, but the CD is unbelievably good. AIC, Hendrix, Screaming Trees, Mother Love Bone, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, The Lovemongers.
I could pretty much link each track from that album, but that seems a bit excessive. So, below are two of Pearl Jam’s best songs, a really heavy Soundgarden song not on any of their regular studio albums, and one of the best things Chris Cornell ever did.
State of Love and Trust
Birth Ritual
Breath
Seasons
I could pretty much link each track from that album, but that seems a bit excessive. So, below are two of Pearl Jam’s best songs, a really heavy Soundgarden song not on any of their regular studio albums, and one of the best things Chris Cornell ever did.
State of Love and Trust
Birth Ritual
Breath
Seasons
June 1, 2015
Music Monday - Green Day - 2000 Light Years Away
One of my favorite Green Day songs and unfortunately it rarely gets any recognition.
May 15, 2015
Board Games Galore
As mentioned in a previous blog post, I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of board games at work with my coworkers during lunch. This has led me to buying several newer board games for myself and making a massive Amazon wishlist for many more. Thankfully, my wife has been indulging me in this so far.
I’ve also recently met several people at the church we meet with who are into gaming as well. So my opportunities to geek-out are exponentially increasing. For someone who always loved board and card games, but found it hard to find people with similar interests, I am getting closer and closer to nerd heaven.
Anyway, below are the top five games I’ve played so far since February (I hadn’t even heard of these before then.)
5. Carcasonne – This is an easy game to learn, but for some reason I haven’t figured out a solid strategy yet. Still fun. I’ve only played the expanded base set.
4. Ticket to Ride – Super easy to play and pretty fun as well. I’ve only played the original version, but I hear the Europe expansion is also cool since it introduces new features to the game.
3. Citadels – This one is a lot of fun. The one downside is that it takes longer than the an hour lunch break so I’ve only had a chance to play it with a large group once and then once again with four people. However, the two-player option works really well as my wife and I have played it several times.
2. Dominion – Easy and a lot of fun. I’ve only played with the base set and the Intrigue expansion so far, but I have fun with it every time. The games go quick which means we can usually play 2-3 during lunch.
1. Seven Wonders (with Leaders and Cities expansions) – I’ve played this game the most out of all others, in part because everyone likes it, and also because it plays 8 people so there is no splitting up into two groups. We can usually do a full game (including scoring) in less than 40-45 minutes.
I’ll get a chance to play Forbidden Island, Flashpoint, Liberatalia, and a couple others in the next month or so. Others I’ve also played that didn’t make the list (but still really enjoyed) include, Dixit, Sushi-Go, Guillotine, Poo, Word on the Street, and Wits and Wagers. Any cool games I should know about? Or thoughts on the ones listed?
I’ve also recently met several people at the church we meet with who are into gaming as well. So my opportunities to geek-out are exponentially increasing. For someone who always loved board and card games, but found it hard to find people with similar interests, I am getting closer and closer to nerd heaven.
Anyway, below are the top five games I’ve played so far since February (I hadn’t even heard of these before then.)
5. Carcasonne – This is an easy game to learn, but for some reason I haven’t figured out a solid strategy yet. Still fun. I’ve only played the expanded base set.
4. Ticket to Ride – Super easy to play and pretty fun as well. I’ve only played the original version, but I hear the Europe expansion is also cool since it introduces new features to the game.
3. Citadels – This one is a lot of fun. The one downside is that it takes longer than the an hour lunch break so I’ve only had a chance to play it with a large group once and then once again with four people. However, the two-player option works really well as my wife and I have played it several times.
2. Dominion – Easy and a lot of fun. I’ve only played with the base set and the Intrigue expansion so far, but I have fun with it every time. The games go quick which means we can usually play 2-3 during lunch.
1. Seven Wonders (with Leaders and Cities expansions) – I’ve played this game the most out of all others, in part because everyone likes it, and also because it plays 8 people so there is no splitting up into two groups. We can usually do a full game (including scoring) in less than 40-45 minutes.
I’ll get a chance to play Forbidden Island, Flashpoint, Liberatalia, and a couple others in the next month or so. Others I’ve also played that didn’t make the list (but still really enjoyed) include, Dixit, Sushi-Go, Guillotine, Poo, Word on the Street, and Wits and Wagers. Any cool games I should know about? Or thoughts on the ones listed?
