I actually went ahead and updated my website. Thanks to a job I’ve been working at for 2 years (tomorrow) and a position I’ve been in for 6 months, I learned a thing or two about websites. For instance, syncing live and remote websites via Dreamweaver. Holy crap does that save me a whole lot of trouble. Now this doesn’t mean that I am going to overhaul this site’s design. Hey, let’s go ahead and think of it as being vintage (2005). It’s still quite unique and definitely me. Sure, it’s not as slick as sites I “optimize” at work, but I still like it. A few pages could definitely use some updating at some point, and now that I have this site easily accessible through my laptop, maybe it won’t take X amount of months to make it happen.

You see, all it takes is a little motivation. For some reason, mine was finding my headshot from the Daily Eastern News circa 2005ish.

Hello, ladies.

Some spammer instant messaged me via AIM today. Hey, I use AIM through my Gmail, c’mon. I’m hip like that while still reaching out to past instant messaging clients. Much respect. Anyway, here’s how our conversation went down:

ChasD34: haha I just scored 82 on this IQ test
me: no shit!
ChasD34: (Spammy link that would destroy my PC) Can u take it plz and tell me what u get?
me: since you are my best friend in the whole wide world, of course!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ChasD34: this one is supposed to be pretty accurate and I wanna see if I’m smart plus I know u wont beat me!! LOL
me: oh you! is everything always a competition??????!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ChasD34: brb I’m gonna go get a drink…
me: i scored 93. suck on that, chasd34, you dumb piece of shit!
ChasD34: k
me: HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA, YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
me: DRINK THAT UP, BITCH!

Sadly, ChasD34 now wants nothing to do with me. I thought we were the best of friends?!

These lists are never easy.  Definitely listened to a ton of stuff that was not released this year, but of what I heard, these albums may just be my favorite.  I am sure I will discover something I missed years from now, but this is where I’m at.

1. Menomena – Mines: I love this band so much it hurts.  “Mines” is their most emotional album to date.  See them live.  Pick up their albums.  Dooooo it!

2. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach: Damon Albarn is the man.  Hell, he released “The Fall” a couple days ago and I am already in love with that album.  Let me also mention that the Gorillaz put on the best show I saw this year.

3. Spoon – Transference: Sure, it’s not the best Spoon album, but it’s Spoon, and they are awesome.

4. Whitey – Canned Laughter: Never heard of Whitey?  Educate yourself.  This guy puts out some of the catchiest and danciest songs you’re going to find in this musical landscape.

5. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening: The same stuff that people say about Whitey can probably be said about LCD Soundsystem.  People are just a little bit more educated on James Murphy and co.

6. Adam Franklin – I Could Sleep for a Thousand Years: The Swervedriver frontman put out his third solo album this year, and it’s fantastic.  Mellow, laid back shoegaze-y tracks that I can’t seem to get tired of.

7. TOBACCO – Maniac Meat: This is PERFECT driving music.  TOBACCO’s beats just destroy.

8. Tame Impala – Innerspeaker: I felt like I was cheating on Dungen the first time I listened to this album, but it really proved itself to be a worthy peer.

9. Clinic – Bubblegum: Clinic kind of switches things up here with some groooovy, spacey tracks that I heartily approve of.

10. New Pornographers – Together: It’s the New Pornographers, c’mon.

Did you think I forgot about this site?  Ha!  I laugh at you!  Ha ha ha!  The site has had some minor updates, nothing major.  Will probably do a bit more retooling as the days go by, but yeah, updated.  If you want to read more of my rambling, I direct you to my Twitter.  Check out the articles section of my site to read some of the stuff I have been writing for the Chicago Tribune (Metromix / RedEye).  There’s never enough Greg to go around, is there?  The answer is no.

If I am not writing up something on Facebook or Twitter, does that mean it should be long-winded?  Should I be coming up with a grand idea/plan for a blog post?  If you look at my blog, it is obviously quality over quantity.  But is that because I have nothing to share, or is it because I spend so much of my time writing that when I get a moment to myself I would rather relax than put my thoughts down on a computer?  And then when someone writes an in-depth post about themselves, does that then feel like something that would be better suited for a xanga or a livejournal?  I was not a 13-year-old girl in 1997, so I really have no idea about that.  And if I were to just post a photo with a tiny blurb, that just feels like something out of Facebook or tumblr, and how lazy is that?  “Oh hey, check out this totally amazing artistic photo I found of a hot chick holding an umbrella, follow my tumblr, yo.”  Lame.  But I don’t want to be oversharing like some folks may tend to enjoy doing on Facebook.  You ran a couple miles after work instead of sitting around and drinking a beer?  Congratulations?  I too enjoy hitting up the gym, but I don’t have to let the world know how much I can bench, (350 lbs, give or take).  And then at what point will a blog post just seem like a really long ramble which is obviously too long for a Facebook, Twitter or tumblr post?  Oh wait, I think I just hit it.

I noticed two very similar movie posters and I could not help but do a little Photoshopping.  Awesome.

Miracle Drug    A.C. Newman

Headache Frank Black

Smiley faces Gnarls Barkley

There’s No Other Way Blur

Eat My Beat AIR

Pizza Adiam Dymott

Jealousy Spoon

Send A Message To Her   Beck

Such a Pretty Lie The Wrens

Crying Lightning Arctic Monkeys

Young Love Delivers Oxford Collapse

Don’t Take Me To Space (Man) Brakes [Read more →]

I received a fairly badass DSLR for Christmas – Canon PowerShot SX20 IS to be exact.  My last camera probably had the same mega pixels as my current phone, so I look forward to actually shooting some worthwhile stuff.  Check out my flickr account here.  I’ve included a few of the better shots from New Year’s Eve and a couple random shots I took in the burbs.  I plan on being pretty damn productive in 2010, so keep your eyes peeled to both my flickr and this blog.

In other news, I did finally receive a new copy of GTA IV about a 1.5 months ago.  All I did was complain a couple times to Rockstar’s twitter account and someone finally noticed and contacted me.  So, to those of you who find twitter worthless, I have a new copy of GTA IV that says otherwise.

So I am at my wit’s end.  I figured if I wrote a blog post, it could possibly draw attention to someone who could actually help me out.  Oh yes, using the internet for my benefit.  What’s it to ya?

Back around early ’09, (February to be exact), I lent my buddy my copy of GTA IV for XBox 360.  No harm, no foul, until his 360 scratched my GTA IV disc, rendering the game unplayable.  Fantastic, thanks bud.  And of course he wasn’t going to shell out $60 to purchase me a new copy.  But, why should anyone have to buy a whole new copy?  There must be a way to replace a scratched disc.  That’s because there is!

I emailed Rockstar Games, the publisher of GTA IV and explained my situation.  They quickly responded and told me to mail the disc and a check for $8 (in order to ship the game back) to a disc replacement facility of sorts in Ohio.  Piece of cake, or so it seemed.

Time went by and I became engrossed in Fallout 3, no need to rush the replacement GTA IV.  I’d check online every so often to see if my check had been cashed yet.  Then, sometime around late March, I notice that my check had finally been cashed.  Looked at the image of the check to see a big ol’ Take-Two Interactive ,(the distributor of GTA IV), stamp on the back of the check.  Fantastic, that new copy of GTA IV should be mine any day now!  Boy was I wrong.

I gave it a few weeks, simple crap like magazine subscriptions take 4-6 weeks, no need to get over-anxious.  Besides, Fallout 3 was still keeping me occupied.  I wait and I wait, nothing.  Come June, I finally get off my ass and give Rockstar Games a call.  The nice British dude tells me that they had switched over to a new customer service system since my original email.  Because of that, my reference number was no longer in the system, they knew nothing of my claim.

(Boy this is interesting stuff.)

So, I am told to forward the original email that Rockstar had sent me about the replacement process.  I do, and hear nothing back.  I call back a week or so later and speak to someone.  They see that I had emailed the information, but for whatever reason, it was not followed up.  They will pass this on to a manager or God knows who.

More time goes by, I call again, explaining my situation once more.  They have my reference number, why must I keep doing this?  Anyways, a manager will take care of it, but he won’t be in til after the weekend.  Fine.

Call back the next week and they say they just need my address to send me a new copy!  Huzzah!  Thanks manager!

Weeks go by.  Nothing.  Where the hell is my game?

Once again, I call back and speak to another fancy lad who tells me that the information was relayed over to the returns location in Ohio.  The same location in Ohio that cashed my check and never sent me my game!  Great, yeah, they’re really efficient over there.  And the kicker was that they had yet to receive a response from Ohio.  Those British dudes have a tough time saying Ohio, by the way.  But no worries as they will contact them personally for me!  Easy peasy!

I call back the very next day, (which happens to be today), and find out that no one ever contacted Ohio.  Great!  Excellent!  Cowabunga!  Now I have been very patient on the phone.  I’ve worked customer service before, it can suck, so I resisted the urge of losing my cool with these Brits.  This time the rep told me he would forward this on to his manager and have him contact Ohio.  And here’s the kicker:  He told me to call back in a week.  So far I’ve waited 8 months, what’s another week, right?

But I don’t get it.  Why must they contact the Ohio location?  Why can’t they just send me a new game?  What must I do?  I don’t get it.  So, I am pleading with Rockstar Game and Take-Two Interactive:  You cashed my check, send me a game.  Is that so hard?  Please?  I am asking nicely.  Screw Ohio.  This has gone on for far too long.  Got it?  Thanks.

HERE

Seeing as how sentence long posts are pointless, I created a twitter.  Lucky you!