Okay so taking a quick break from the games I've finished multiple times I decided to go back in time a little bit to complete a game I started but never finished, Jade Empire on Xbox. Another Bioware creation, it's like KOTOR but Asian. Pretty fun stuff. I needed something to play on the couch because all this time on the computer is killing my back!
We also just picked up Heavy Rain for Jason's birthday. This is a very cool interactive drama that I suggest is for adults only. It's about 4 people involved in tracking down a serial killer who preys on children. There is some disturbing imagery and themes in this game. It's very engrossing though and the choices you make affect the entire outcome. If you die as a character, that character is truly dead and it becomes part of the story itself. Watching Jason play it has been like watching a movie unfold...and yes I did have trouble sleeping the first night after starting it. Kept dreaming someone was breaking into my house while I was home alone at night. Terrific game though, I can't wait to see more!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Games games games
Well it's been a while since I posted.... I'm in the middle of 4th playthroughs of both Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2, have a Fallout 3 going and have been playing Sims 3 again. So much for sticking with one game!
Mass Effect 2 is nearly done then I need to play it again on Insanity for the medal and to remain faithful to my first love, Kaiden. lol Curious to see how that plays out when ME3 comes out.
I'm sure I'll get back into Fallout eventually. I just don't like games that are quite that open. Or I want to not be forced to run around quite so much.
Sims 3 has been enjoyable though. Just no hassle, no stress...get to play God for a while. My Sims just started a family and the little girl became a toddler yesterday. Fun stuff. It's nice to be able to control someone's life when your own feels out of control at times. lol
Mass Effect 2 is nearly done then I need to play it again on Insanity for the medal and to remain faithful to my first love, Kaiden. lol Curious to see how that plays out when ME3 comes out.
I'm sure I'll get back into Fallout eventually. I just don't like games that are quite that open. Or I want to not be forced to run around quite so much.
Sims 3 has been enjoyable though. Just no hassle, no stress...get to play God for a while. My Sims just started a family and the little girl became a toddler yesterday. Fun stuff. It's nice to be able to control someone's life when your own feels out of control at times. lol
Monday, February 8, 2010
Choosing the Right Kennel for Your Pets
When looking for a place to board your pets when you are away you want the best possible care for your four-legged family members. As an animal lover, mom to two dogs and a cat and having worked in the pet care industry for the past two years, I thought I would share with you some things to look for when deciding the best place to entrust with your pet.
Always take a tour of the facility before choosing the best place. A big warning sign would be any place that refuses to show you the kennel and grounds. As you walk through take notice of a few things. Do the dogs look overly agitated? Are they dirty? Of course some dogs will be excited and there will probably be a good amount of barking but I’m talking beyond that.
Does the lobby or kennel have a bad odor? If you walk in the front door and can smell urine or feces you should probably turn and walk out. Sure there will be some odors associated but for the most part a kennel should smell clean. You definitely shouldn’t smell anything bad in the lobby. This is an indicator of poor ventilation, drainage, and/or sanitation.
When walking in the kennel notice the drain system. Does it seem adequate? Is it set up for easy removal of waste?
Another big thing in my opinion is the make-up of the kennel runs. The issue of cross-contamination is an important one. There should be solid walls at least part of the way up separating runs. You don’t want gaps under run walls or open “cage” style walls. Why? Think about your dog hanging out in its run and its neighbor decides to lift his leg and urinate on the dividing wall. Where does that urine go? Into your dog’s run. Feces can be knocked into neighboring runs, as well as food, water, toys… you name it. You sent your baby’s favorite blanket with him so he’d be comfy and a section of it sticks into another run and that dog likes to chew. Say goodbye to that blanket. It’s just not safe or sanitary. Another problem these open factor runs can lead to is cage aggression. Say it’s feeding time and the dog next to yours is protective of his food. Your dog’s leg, foot, tail sticks under the wall for some reason. Maybe he decided to lay down and didn’t mean to reach across, maybe there was a morsel of food that he thought he could grab, whatever the reason that other dog gets angry and attacks your dog. Dogs can do a lot of damage to each other through cage walls. I’ve seen it happen. Now what if it happens at night? Your dog could be lying there, injured and bleeding, all night until the kennel opens up in the morning. Wouldn’t you rather rest easy knowing that there’s a more solid wall between your dog and someone else’s?
Also, do the dogs have a place to relieve themselves that is not the main compartment of their run? If not then they could potentially be spending a night lying in their own waste.
Does the kennel look organized? Is there proper food storage? Are runs labeled so that there is no confusion about who goes where, whose food and belongings go with whom? I bet a lot of you never thought that picking a kennel could be so complex. But if you are like me and think of your pets like your children then why not expect that same level of care?
What about boarding for your feline friends? Many kennels offer cat boarding. This should be done in a separate area from the dogs in a room set up for cats, a cattery if you will. Again, ask to see where your cat will be housed. Is it a cat specific room or just an afterthought? You don’t want your cat staying in a closet just so the kennel can make a few more bucks. It should be a cattery with individual cat runs, neat and clean.
If you would like to tour a kennel or two that has the right idea then check these places out:
The Big Dog House in Aubrey, TX. They are off of Hwy 377 very conveniently located near Providence Village, where I reside. This kennel has a cozy, down home, family feel. They have a very nice cattery in the main building where the lobby is located. They have 2 kennel buildings with terrific, full building length, drainage systems. They have indoor/outdoor runs with solid separating walls. These runs are kept very clean at all times and the dogs are even given turns out in the fenced yard to relieve themselves at intervals which further cuts down on mess. I highly recommend this well thought out and well maintained boarding facility. http://www.thebigdoghouse.net/.
If Aubrey is a little far for you then check out McKee’s Pet Place in Frisco, TX located near the Dallas North Tollway off of Main Street and Kyser Way. They also have double-sided runs but the runs are all indoors. Dogs move from the “living” section to the outer section through a dog door. This encourages them to use the bathroom outside of the area where they sleep and eat. The walls are cinder block at the floor up to about two to three feet and topped with chain link. This addresses the cross-contamination issue and makes it harder for dogs to fight at the run walls. The facility has the very upscale feel that you would expect from a Frisco business and boasts a very advanced drainage system which actually runs the entire length of each bank of runs, inside the runs themselves. Very simple to clean, the slight slope causes liquids to run to the drain thus getting a good amount of it out of the way until a staff member cleans the run. The drains are connected to a flushing system which uses clean water to send waste out to the sewage system. No muss, no fuss! It is very well lit and cheery and I personally never smelled any odors unless I was standing right next to a fresh accident. They also have a luxury cat boarding area. http://www.mckeespetplace.com/.
I have worked at both of these places and truly believe they should be commended for great design and high level of care. I have only worked in three different kennels; these are the only places I would recommend out of those three. I haven’t had the privilege of touring any other DFW area kennels but if I do I would be happy to add to this editorial any facilities that meet this standard.
Keep your eyes open and your nose to the air!!
Always take a tour of the facility before choosing the best place. A big warning sign would be any place that refuses to show you the kennel and grounds. As you walk through take notice of a few things. Do the dogs look overly agitated? Are they dirty? Of course some dogs will be excited and there will probably be a good amount of barking but I’m talking beyond that.
Does the lobby or kennel have a bad odor? If you walk in the front door and can smell urine or feces you should probably turn and walk out. Sure there will be some odors associated but for the most part a kennel should smell clean. You definitely shouldn’t smell anything bad in the lobby. This is an indicator of poor ventilation, drainage, and/or sanitation.
When walking in the kennel notice the drain system. Does it seem adequate? Is it set up for easy removal of waste?
Another big thing in my opinion is the make-up of the kennel runs. The issue of cross-contamination is an important one. There should be solid walls at least part of the way up separating runs. You don’t want gaps under run walls or open “cage” style walls. Why? Think about your dog hanging out in its run and its neighbor decides to lift his leg and urinate on the dividing wall. Where does that urine go? Into your dog’s run. Feces can be knocked into neighboring runs, as well as food, water, toys… you name it. You sent your baby’s favorite blanket with him so he’d be comfy and a section of it sticks into another run and that dog likes to chew. Say goodbye to that blanket. It’s just not safe or sanitary. Another problem these open factor runs can lead to is cage aggression. Say it’s feeding time and the dog next to yours is protective of his food. Your dog’s leg, foot, tail sticks under the wall for some reason. Maybe he decided to lay down and didn’t mean to reach across, maybe there was a morsel of food that he thought he could grab, whatever the reason that other dog gets angry and attacks your dog. Dogs can do a lot of damage to each other through cage walls. I’ve seen it happen. Now what if it happens at night? Your dog could be lying there, injured and bleeding, all night until the kennel opens up in the morning. Wouldn’t you rather rest easy knowing that there’s a more solid wall between your dog and someone else’s?
Also, do the dogs have a place to relieve themselves that is not the main compartment of their run? If not then they could potentially be spending a night lying in their own waste.
Does the kennel look organized? Is there proper food storage? Are runs labeled so that there is no confusion about who goes where, whose food and belongings go with whom? I bet a lot of you never thought that picking a kennel could be so complex. But if you are like me and think of your pets like your children then why not expect that same level of care?
What about boarding for your feline friends? Many kennels offer cat boarding. This should be done in a separate area from the dogs in a room set up for cats, a cattery if you will. Again, ask to see where your cat will be housed. Is it a cat specific room or just an afterthought? You don’t want your cat staying in a closet just so the kennel can make a few more bucks. It should be a cattery with individual cat runs, neat and clean.
If you would like to tour a kennel or two that has the right idea then check these places out:
The Big Dog House in Aubrey, TX. They are off of Hwy 377 very conveniently located near Providence Village, where I reside. This kennel has a cozy, down home, family feel. They have a very nice cattery in the main building where the lobby is located. They have 2 kennel buildings with terrific, full building length, drainage systems. They have indoor/outdoor runs with solid separating walls. These runs are kept very clean at all times and the dogs are even given turns out in the fenced yard to relieve themselves at intervals which further cuts down on mess. I highly recommend this well thought out and well maintained boarding facility. http://www.thebigdoghouse.net/.
If Aubrey is a little far for you then check out McKee’s Pet Place in Frisco, TX located near the Dallas North Tollway off of Main Street and Kyser Way. They also have double-sided runs but the runs are all indoors. Dogs move from the “living” section to the outer section through a dog door. This encourages them to use the bathroom outside of the area where they sleep and eat. The walls are cinder block at the floor up to about two to three feet and topped with chain link. This addresses the cross-contamination issue and makes it harder for dogs to fight at the run walls. The facility has the very upscale feel that you would expect from a Frisco business and boasts a very advanced drainage system which actually runs the entire length of each bank of runs, inside the runs themselves. Very simple to clean, the slight slope causes liquids to run to the drain thus getting a good amount of it out of the way until a staff member cleans the run. The drains are connected to a flushing system which uses clean water to send waste out to the sewage system. No muss, no fuss! It is very well lit and cheery and I personally never smelled any odors unless I was standing right next to a fresh accident. They also have a luxury cat boarding area. http://www.mckeespetplace.com/.
I have worked at both of these places and truly believe they should be commended for great design and high level of care. I have only worked in three different kennels; these are the only places I would recommend out of those three. I haven’t had the privilege of touring any other DFW area kennels but if I do I would be happy to add to this editorial any facilities that meet this standard.
Keep your eyes open and your nose to the air!!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Mass Effect 2 Complete!
I have finished my first playthrough of Mass Effect 2 with my imported character from the first installment. In my opinion they improved a lot of aspects over ME1. You no longer have to make sure you have tech people in your party to open locks or hack computers, now you have a minigame to complete in order to access these items thus allowing you to pick who you want on your away team. No more cumbersome inventory management, instead guns are researched or found and they go into your weapons case to be chosen from before missions. Your guns do not overheat, you have ammo that you pick up off of dead enemies or that you find laying on desks etc. Ammo abilities are trained skills instead of equipped upgrades and other upgrades to equipment are researched in your lab.
All of these things seem designed to put the story first. You don't have to worry about having enough inventory space to carry every item you find so you can focus on the mission at hand. Because really.... space commandos have more to worry about than carrying 10 suits of armor and 30 guns back to their ship.
There are also a lot more varied options for romance. This is an aspect I enjoy. Bioware is excellent about inter-party relationships.
ME2 is a terrific game, it surpasses it's predecessor, and I am about to play it again!
All of these things seem designed to put the story first. You don't have to worry about having enough inventory space to carry every item you find so you can focus on the mission at hand. Because really.... space commandos have more to worry about than carrying 10 suits of armor and 30 guns back to their ship.
There are also a lot more varied options for romance. This is an aspect I enjoy. Bioware is excellent about inter-party relationships.
ME2 is a terrific game, it surpasses it's predecessor, and I am about to play it again!
Friday, January 22, 2010
Frustrations!
Okay so I made this so I could get things off my chest and have a place to vent. I've been feeling really frustrated with life lately. It seems I always find jobs where I think I'm valued and then I come to learn that I'm just another expendable body. I have an IQ that hovers around 140 but I get treated like I'm running on half of that. I feel that I have a lot to offer, a lot of good ideas, that I'm a valuable edition to any workforce because of these things but I'm never appreciated.
I realize that this is largely due to the type of work I've fallen into. Working in a dog kennel isn't mind-expanding but that doesn't mean that all of us who choose to do this due to our love of animals are simpletons, incapable of doing anything else.
I really loved my time working in dog daycare, I was in that job for about 6 months. I felt like my presence was appreciated. I'm sure finding good help for those types of jobs is difficult. I was always on time, offered to work late, tried to implement better ways of handling issues, never complained. When it became obvious that things were just not being run right myself and a couple other employees went to the manager and voiced our concerns only to be told that plenty of other people would love our jobs and that we could be replaced. Is that the way a manager should act when employees are concerned for the way things are being handled including the welfare of the dogs under our care? I don't think so.
So I went back to work at a kennel I'd been at before. I shared my findings at the previous place, things I thought were more efficient that my new employer may want to look into. I recieved praise and thought I'd finally found my niche, my place. I even thanked him for appreciating me. Shortly thereafter though my schedule started getting screwed up, I started to feel taken for granted over a lot of things and for the first time in 10 months of working there I have to call in sick to see a doctor for a terrible sinus infection I get chewed out, told that I'm immature, called a liar.... out of nowhere mostly because, most likely, my boss was frustrated and needed a punching bag. So, being on time, dealing with schedule snafus, offering advice.... all of this meant nothing because I dared call in sick.
Last time I checked I was 31 years old and a responsible adult.... not a teenager who lies in order to have an extra day off. Seriously... I wanted the money and I liked the person I would have been working with that day. I wouldn't have left him high and dry if there was any way I could have made it through the day. Of course nothing I could have said made any difference. I was threatened with the loss of my job so I decided to just never go back. Truly I can't work for someone who would consider firing one of their top employees because they got sick.
I would really just love to get involved in something where I could use my mind, be valued, be seen for what I really am. Responsible, dedicated, intelligent, loyal to my company. I'd love to continue to work with animals but I don't know what to do in this field where I'm not talked to like a child. I allowed my social anxiety to rob me of a lot of opportunities. I never made it to college out of fear. Now that I'm emerging from the fog of that fear I find myself trapped in this dead end and I'm unsure of how to escape.
I realize that this is largely due to the type of work I've fallen into. Working in a dog kennel isn't mind-expanding but that doesn't mean that all of us who choose to do this due to our love of animals are simpletons, incapable of doing anything else.
I really loved my time working in dog daycare, I was in that job for about 6 months. I felt like my presence was appreciated. I'm sure finding good help for those types of jobs is difficult. I was always on time, offered to work late, tried to implement better ways of handling issues, never complained. When it became obvious that things were just not being run right myself and a couple other employees went to the manager and voiced our concerns only to be told that plenty of other people would love our jobs and that we could be replaced. Is that the way a manager should act when employees are concerned for the way things are being handled including the welfare of the dogs under our care? I don't think so.
So I went back to work at a kennel I'd been at before. I shared my findings at the previous place, things I thought were more efficient that my new employer may want to look into. I recieved praise and thought I'd finally found my niche, my place. I even thanked him for appreciating me. Shortly thereafter though my schedule started getting screwed up, I started to feel taken for granted over a lot of things and for the first time in 10 months of working there I have to call in sick to see a doctor for a terrible sinus infection I get chewed out, told that I'm immature, called a liar.... out of nowhere mostly because, most likely, my boss was frustrated and needed a punching bag. So, being on time, dealing with schedule snafus, offering advice.... all of this meant nothing because I dared call in sick.
Last time I checked I was 31 years old and a responsible adult.... not a teenager who lies in order to have an extra day off. Seriously... I wanted the money and I liked the person I would have been working with that day. I wouldn't have left him high and dry if there was any way I could have made it through the day. Of course nothing I could have said made any difference. I was threatened with the loss of my job so I decided to just never go back. Truly I can't work for someone who would consider firing one of their top employees because they got sick.
I would really just love to get involved in something where I could use my mind, be valued, be seen for what I really am. Responsible, dedicated, intelligent, loyal to my company. I'd love to continue to work with animals but I don't know what to do in this field where I'm not talked to like a child. I allowed my social anxiety to rob me of a lot of opportunities. I never made it to college out of fear. Now that I'm emerging from the fog of that fear I find myself trapped in this dead end and I'm unsure of how to escape.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Fallout 3
Okay so I'm partially into a 4th playthrough of Dragon Age but I'm a little burnt so I decided to take a break from that and try out Fallout 3! So far it's pretty cool, I get a little annoyed with the combat at times but it may be that I'm wimpy/have crappy weapons... lol. It's so very open-ended as Bethesda games tend to be, so it's a little hard for me to decided where to go or tell where I should be for my level. I like a little more structure but it is fun and I'm sure I'll get used to it. It is pretty neat that you start out the game at the actual birth of your character and partially participate in your own growing up.
Now if I could only stop hitting the spacebar to try and pause the game and stop hitting tab to see usable items it'll all be good! hehe
Now if I could only stop hitting the spacebar to try and pause the game and stop hitting tab to see usable items it'll all be good! hehe
Monday, January 11, 2010
Playthrough #3 of Dragon Age Completed!
Just finished this game again last night! Working on getting all available achievements. One thing I really like now that I've played as a warrior, rogue and mage is that all of these characters can hold their own. In a lot of games rogues and especially mages can be ultra-squishy but even as a mage I could go toe to toe with fighter-type characters and come out on top! This game has terrific character balance.
I love you Bioware!
I love you Bioware!
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