zOMG zombies.

Hello internet,

So in order to show you how cool I am I have decided to make my first "real" blog entry about zombies. This post has a specific emphasis on my three favourite zombie-related things from the past year. While I have only recently gotten into the zombie phenomena, zombies have been around in geek/horror culture for a while now. Today zombies are fairly entrenched in popular culture, so much so that some feel that they have been over-saturated and are overdone (a sentiment humorously explored in this Mega64 short film). This post is meant to be light-hearted; no deep thoughts or insights to be found here. Remember, I am still new at this blogging thing and considering it has taken me 2+ hours just to get THIS together, I have a feeling that some of the more thought out and in-depth entries are going to have to wait for now. So behold, my three personal favourite zombie things from the past year!

3. "Left 4 Dead 2"

"Left 4 Dead 2" is a video game developed by Valve Software and Turtle Rock Studios. In the game you play as a survivor of a worldwide pandemic in which an infectious disease transforms everyday people into raving zombie-like creatures. Essentially, the object of the game is to get from point-A to point-B, which sounds easy enough except for the constant bombardment of zombie hordes which are intent on stopping and eating you. How do you overcome the hordes? Easy, grab a weapon and fight your way through. This game is very user-friendly (as in the game mechanics are simple enough; see a zombie, shoot a zombie), addictive, comical, and one of the best social gaming experiences you can have on the Xbox or PC today (killing zombies with a couple of buddies is a very rewarding experience). I know that this game technically came out a few months over a year ago but due to the geographic distance I usually am from my Xbox, and the plethora of other games I have been gaming, I have yet to finish it.

2. "The Walking Dead" television series

"The Walking Dead" is a TV series created by Frank Darabont which aired its first episode on Halloween on AMC. "The Walking Dead" is a show about a group of survivors in the Atlanta, Georgia region of the United States coping as best as they can with a zombie outbreak. Many folks in nerd culture (of which I consider myself apart) held their breath in anticipation of the first episode as many feared it would not live up to the standard bestowed on its founding concept The Walking Dead comic book/graphic novel series (a series I have been meaning to read). However as the first episode indicated, and the entire first season for that matter, this show was not going to be a watered down, version of the comic. The show has a great cast and a great story. It's exciting, emotional, gory, dramatic, and feels genuine. In fact, "The Walking Dead" not only matched the expectations of nerd culture, it also managed to grasp the attention of audiences everywhere as the show was soon picked up for a second season and was nominated for a Golden Globe in the 'Best Television Series - Drama' category. With "Lost" ending last year I found myself with nothing interesting to watch on television and I am happy to say that I have high hopes for "The Walking Dead". I hope it can fill the void.

1. "Plants vs. Zombies"

"Plants vs. Zombies" is a game I had heard a lot about and recently picked up for my iPod Touch. It was developed by PopCap Games and is available for the PC, iPhone, iPad, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo DS. The game is very simple and highly addictive. The premise is that there are zombies trying to invade your home and you must plant zombie-fighting plants to stop them. Amazing. Despite the simple premise the game can add a surprising level of depth as the player has to pick which plants they want to bring into every "battle" as well as adapt to new and oftentimes surprising situations once the battle is underway. The game is very funny and self-aware and features a very cute and colourful art style. I highly recommend this game for anyone and everyone, regardless of your experience when it comes to gaming, zombies, or gardening.

So there you have it folks! I hope I managed to entertain you for a few minutes and maybe persuaded you to check out some of the above mentioned zombie goodness!

So, I made a blog.

Hello internet,

I have been toying with the idea of creating a blog for a while now. Mainly as an outlet for me to voice my ideas/opinions on various matters, share things that I think are cool and interesting, and as a way to keep me occupied in fits of boredom or procrastination (which is what prompted me to create the blog this evening).

I intend this blog to be about anything and everything I feel like writing about. So if you're expecting a general theme for the blog, the theme is that there is no theme, except for stuff I want to write about, which, in itself, is kind of a theme, I guess.

I'm not sure how active I will be with the blog, but I am bored often and I procrastinate quite a bit so expect a modest flow of new entries. Of course, this is presuming that someone will actually be reading what I write on here. I guess I'll read them, so there's one person.

I want this post specifically to be more of an introductory piece, and I promise all my entries won't be this boring and uninteresting. I'll probably update in a couple days with something fun (I'm thinking zombie-related) but for now I leave you with a song I came upon earlier today and I haven't been able to go more than a few hours without playing it since. The song is called "Strobe" by deadmau5, off his 2009 album "For Lack Of A Better Name". Enjoy!