Once again we dive into my never ending list of starred items in Google Reader. I was in the middle of trying to pare down this list (again) when I came across this video.

Disturbing? Yes.
Cute? Disturbingly yes.

I was trying to go to bed early but I just had to post this video first. It is a collection of Horatio Caine one-liners from CSI Miami. You know, the ones he usually says just before the opening credits start. Grissom and Taylor do the same thing in their respective CSI shows but not with the same … gusto as our good man David Caruso

YEAAAAAHHHHH!

The results are in from my sleep study a few months ago. They diagnosis is not a surprise to me but the severity of it is.

My doctor has confirmed I have a case of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. When I am a sleep the muscles in my throat relax and block my breathing passage, keeping me from breathing. As my body notices the lack of oxygen in my system it reacts by trying to wake me up. This constant back and forth between starving for oxygen and being semi-awake keeps me from having any sort of recuperative rest while I sleep. It also puts a lot of strain on my heart and pulmonary system.

The severity of a patient’s sleep apnea is measured using a “number of apnea incidents per hour” index. A number less then 10 is considered light, while anywhere near the 30-50 range is high. My index comes up on the high scale … very high. The average length of my apnea incidents was around 15 seconds, with the longest going on for over a minute. This was all a shock to me, but would explain why I never felt rested and had to fight off sleep during the day. How could I get any rest if I’m barely breathing a third of the time?

Luckily this sleep disorder is treatable. I was prescribed a Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) machine to wear while I am sleeping. The machine consists of a face mask connected to a small air pressure regulator via a long tube. It helps me breath through the night by applying a constant air pressure in my nasal cavity and breathing passage, forcing the muscles in my throat open all night long. It is a pretty expensive device but OHIP covered part of it and my company’s insurance plan should cover most of the rest. All costs aside this baby is worth every penny, especially if it is going to keep me alive.

Wearing the mask while I sleep isn’t so bad. The machine is quiet as well; not silent but no where near the volume of Darth Vader’s breathing. When I am using the device, I no longer snore and I barely toss about in bed anymore. I am not fighting off sleep at work anymore, especially in the afternoon when it used to hit me really hard. Generally throughout the day I feel more energetic. I still feel a bit sleepy here and there and would love a good nap in the afternoon but I’m hoping those will go away over time.

The only problem I have seen so far is that it takes me forever to actually get out of bed. Before the CPAP machine when I woke up I would be wide awake and able to hop out of bed and start my day. Now, waking up is a long process, including a groggy period when I’m semi-awake but not able to do anything more then roll over and go back to sleep. I think that when I was suffering from apnea I was never in a deep sleep so waking up was never a hard thing to do. Now that I’m getting that much needed deep sleep, it is taking a lot more effort to get me out of bed. I am not complaining though, I’d gladly trade in early morning alertness for a good nights rest any day!

I am hoping that by treating this sleep disorder now, I have helped to prevent more serious health problems in the future. Also dealing with this apena may reduce my high blood pressure, another health issue I have been battling with over the years. Ultimately losing weight will help get rid of both these problems, so my focus lies there. I’ve already a few pounds but there is still plenty to go. At least now I’ll be able to get a proper nights rest while I am working for that goal.

Oh, hello there.

Yes it has been awhile since we last spoke. I do apologize about that. You see I’ve been on vacation these past few days and haven’t had a chance to get on the computer till now. I’m sure you understand.

What? Oh yes, my vacation. Well L and I spent the weekend in our nation’s capital: Ottawa. It isn’t the most tropical place to escape to but the weather was warmer then usual. We didn’t have to break out the long underwear and heating pads during our 3 days there which is always a good thing. Unfortunately the warm weather stopped the canal from freezing over, so skating along the length of it was out of the question. Ah well, maybe next time we’re in town during the winter.

We walked around the parliament area, including the Supreme Court building and the American Embassy. A tour of the Parliament Building revealed a whole different side of the structure that I didn’t expect. It is actually quite beautiful, with plenty of interesting architectural designs and features. The view from the Peace Tower is also quite nice, especially on a clear crisp winter day.

The Canadian Science and Technology Museum was a great way to spend the day. Lots of interesting displays to poke through like 3 complete steam powered train engines, a super sized optical network and an entertaining arcade of science related games.

L and I really enjoyed their newest exhibit: An Autopsy of a Murder. When you enter the exhibit area you are presented with a movie regarding a murder and 3 possible culprits. From there you get to play CSI, touching on the several sciences of Forensics from Ballistics to Genetics. Following up on different clues can lead you to testimonies from the suspects or other clues. You also have the opportunity to get statements from witnesses or other leads from your quirky partner. At the end of the exhibit you input your findings into a computer to get a security code. Punch the code into the final display and you get to see if you were right. Great fun!

Of course there was also a bit of shopping at Byward Market and even the Rideau Center. We tried several restaurants, a few tea shops, and of course chowed down on a couple of beaver tails. I highly recommend you try an Empire Manhattan from the Empire Grill in Byward Market itself. That stuff goes down like candy and the 6 maraschino cherries at the bottom of your glass doesn’t hurt as well.

So you see, with such a busy holiday I couldn’t find the time to get a proper blog entry in. I hope you understand. Pictures from the trip will be up soon, I promise.

My only regret is that my vacation didn’t last longer. Then again they never seem to, do they?

Kotaku has posted an interesting article regarding the Slamdance Guerilla Gamemaker Competition. This event is held annually to celebrate independent video game development, paralleling the Film Festival of the same name. Last week organizers of the event pulled a game from the competition’s list of finalists. They cite “moral obligations” and the “impact it could have on the Slamdance organization and community” [source] as reasons for this action, something they haven’t done in the past 13 years.

The name of the game is Super Columbine Massacre RPG. Developed by 24 year old film student, Daniele Ledonne, the game puts you in the shoes of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold as they relive the shootings, failed bombing attempt and eventual suicide which lands them in hell. The came continues from there as they work their way through hell to eventually deal with Satan himself.

The Wikipedia article for the game states that Ledonne created the game because he was also socially unaccepted in his high school. From what I have gathered in some of the commentary about the game it was not meant to glorify the killings what so ever. The simplistic video game images and interface are contrasted and grounded with graphic images and audio clips from the security cameras and phone calls recorded during the incident. The game itself is a commentary on how many people blamed the gamining industry for the shootings, since now the shootings have inspired a video game themselves.

I myself am unsure how I feel about the game. I have never played it and I’m not sure I have an interest in playing it at all. But what I do understand is that the video game itself is pushing people to think about that tragic event once again. It is trying to bring the issues surrounding the event back into the spotlight. The problem is that many people still view video games as a source of childish entertainment and not as a viable medium for serious thought and expression.

By pulling the game from the competition, the Slamdance organizers are just reinforcing that train of thought. You have to ask, if this game were instead the “Super Columbine Massacre Movie” would they have pulled it from their Film Festival? I don’t think so since that medium has already been accepted as more then just a form of entertainment.

Many of the developer finalists see it this way as well and have started to pull their own games from the competition. I agree with several of the statements they have given for pulling out of the event. Most of all I agree with Kotaku writer Brian Crecente statement that:

“To be clear: This is not about (Super Columbine Massacre RPG). This is about whether video games will forever be relegated to the position of mindless entertainment and child’s play or whether gaming as an industry can make that final leap into artistry, expression and tackle topics that evoke something more than fun.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself. I guess that’s why he’s on a widely read video game news site and I’m just babbling on my own blog.

Before I continue on with my huge cornucopia of zombie-ness, I would like to give a big “Huzzah!” to the Penny Arcade crew. Their Child’s Play charity organization managed to raise $1,024,400 for children’s hospitals around the world. They managed to do that in only two months, rallying gamers and the gaming industry alike into supporting their cause.

I would like to believe this is a shining example of how the video game community is not a bunch of violence craved / sex driven fiends that some people would paint us out to be. At the very least it managed to put a lot of toys into the hands of many sick children who had to spend their holiday season in a hospital instead of a home.

Congratulations again!

I have zombies on the brain, which is somewhat ironic since zombies usually have brains on their brains.

(That line sounded funnier in my head.)

It all started around Christmas when I picked up Resident Evil 4 as a present for my brother. He’s a big fan of the series and has been itching to get his hands on this instalment. As soon as the boy opened his gift he popped it into his Game Cube to give it a spin.

I must admit that I never developed the same sort of fondness he has for the Resident Evil series. I don’t deal well with the jump-out-from-the-dark-to-scare-you sort of tricks they tend to use quite generously. At the same time the clunky control scheme drives me crazy! They’re human beings, not Panzer tanks for crying out loud! Why is it so hard to turn 90 degrees and run away?!

Thankfully Resident Evil 4 has made a big departure from the old style of game play I never found attractive. In this incarnation of the game, the controls are much more intuitive and feel more natural. Also the game play has moved away from it’s “zombies in the dark” format. Now the zombies shamble towards you in numbers, and you’re just one man trying to fight off the endless waves.

Okay so they not really zombies, just infected peasant villagers. It’s close enough.

But it was that Survival Action style of game play which sold me onto the game. I managed to play some of the game before having to head back downtown and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I want to pick one up for the PS2 and play it through myself! There’s a village of zombie-esque villagers that needs to be taken care of and I’m just the gamer to do it … but it’s not enough! I need to kick more undead buttocks, but where?! How?!

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a board game we could play that would simulate this sort of Survival Action game play in a zombie-esque setting? Why yes … yes there is! But more about that later.

My roommate and I have been trying to plan a housewarming party since we moved into our apartment (AKA: BOBtown) late last year. Originally it was to take place soon after we moved in but that just didn’t pan out. You know how long it takes to unpack after a big move, especially one as hectic as ours.

The month of November was looking good but we still weren’t quite settled in at the new place just yet. Also with Mr. Kent leaving for a trip to jolly old England, we just did not have enough time to properly plan things out.

A possible Holiday/Housewarming party in December? Sounds good to me. Too bad the only weekend we had free was the 1st weekend of the month. Still not enough time to plan out a proper festivus event to welcome our friends into our new place.

Our last attempt was scheduled to take place the 20th of this month. As of this week we’ve officially abandoned that idea. This time I’m the one leaving on vacation (Ottawa next week) and with the holiday season we never found time to get everything sorted out.

You would think holding a simple house party would be easy. Oh no sir, that’s not how we roll at BOBtown. Word!

We’ve both agreed to try and get this party up and running for the month of March. Preferably near the start of the month so I can mash it in with my own birthday celebration to boot. Should be a smashing good time!

I spent New Years Day baking cookies with L. We had decided to try our hand at baking from scratch several weeks ago. I had settled on making some bread but L insisted on going for a cookie recipe.

In the end we settled on some Pistachio & Cranberry Biscotti and Moist Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. I know, for beginners those are pretty fancy recipes but I think they turned out okay. I have pictures of said cookies for you but I left them at home.

The Biscotti were excellent! The sweet tanginess of the fruit compliment the nutty and somewhat salty taste of the nuts. We made a batch of traditional hard ones and an extra batch of soft ones because L likes them that way. Great for dipping your coffee in!

Our Oatmeal Cookies were moist to begin with but quickly obtained their usual crunchiness after they cooled. We added the chocolate chips to the mix just for fun but next time we should double the amount for a better distribution of coco goodness.

Of course it was great tasting the fruit of our labours, but I had more fun preparing the cookie mix with L. The whole experience left me with a positive vibe and I look forward to baking up some more goodies in the future.

Gak was kind enough to provide me with a “No-Bake Bread” recipe that I’m thinking of trying out … do I have any volunteers for taste testers?