The holidays were pretty exciting this year! The biggest thing, in my opinion, was that I bought a tree for the first time. It was great! We put up lights and decorations, including custom-made decorations made by gem. (I’ll put up photos of the decorations later.)
We went on a gondola ride with my parents in Long Beach as well as a boat tour of Balboa. They were both really fun! I saw both Edward and Antonio before Christmas. We bought Edward a steak dinner with sides. Each part of the meal was wrapped individually and in our fridge. It was fun! He gave me a Nerf gun, but inside the box was also an annual pass to Disneyland! Pretty cool. Antonio came over the next day. We traded gifts, but he didn’t want to open them until Christmas Day. He received Skyward Sword and Super Mario 3D Land, and he gave me a Logitech G930 wireless 7.1 gaming headset. It’s super awesome!
Christmas Eve I went to my aunt’s house. I hung out, playde Pass the Pigs, and talked to my brother while waiting for the rest of the family to get home from church. We had delicious ham, watched Christmas Vacation, and exchanged gifts. I gave some games to my cousins and a Farts Around the World book to Pete. He loved it. I gave Hyperion and American Gods to James. Both were excellent books. Hyperion was recommended by Taylor, my manager at Barnes & Noble, to both John, a Head Cashier, and Gabe, the Newsstand Lead. All three of them recommended it to me. I thought it would be nice to pass it down to another B&N employee, especially because it was one of the best books I’d ever read.
On Christmas Day I went to my mom’s house. This time it was beef instead of ham, and it was also delicious. I spent a lot of time chatting with my brother, which was really great. It was nice to catch up with him. We also did our holiday singing of the Twelve Days of Christmas, complete with signs you hold up when it’s your turn created by Pete.
It was a fun Christmas!
Author Archives: TheUser
Duck Sauce – Big Bad Wolf
This is so weird, and I really like it.
Reduced Speeds from AT&T
You are now chatting with Christine C., an AT&T sales representative.
- Christine C.: Welcome to AT&T online Feature Sales. How may I assist you with your features today?
- Peter Anargirou: Hi. I was wondering why I received a text message about having my speeds reduced if I’m already paying for unlimited data
- Christine C.: I would be happy to help you with the data pla.
- Christine C.: You will still get unlimited data. It is usually over 5GB then the speed can be slowed for congestion.
- Peter Anargirou: I’ve only used 2 GB when I received the text message last night.
- Peter Anargirou: And I don’t have tethering nor am I jailbroken or doing anything else I’m not supposed to do.
- Christine C.: I understand. Unfortunately, I can’t access the account to take a look. The slowing speeds are based on location and usage. You will still have the unlimited data plan.
- Peter Anargirou: I understand that it would still be unlimited, but it’s of course frustrating that there isn’t an option for a bigger package, yet reduced speeds is almost the same as cutting off data. If I can’t successfully do the things I pay to do with my data plan, then it’s become worthless. However, I know that’s not something you can change of course.
- Peter Anargirou: I do have two other questions. First, if my speeds are reduced, does that reset the following month?
- Peter Anargirou: In other words, if I go over this cap and have my speeds reduced, will I have normal speeds the next billing cycle until I hit the cap again?
- Christine C.: It does reset with the next billing cycle.
- Peter Anargirou: Well that’s fantastic, because I was on the 28th day of my billing cycle.
- Peter Anargirou: Second, in case I want to consider different service provider, where can I find out if I’m still under contract and when that expires?
- Christine C.: Perfect!
- Christine C.: Your contract will be listed in your Profile which is under My AT&T.
- Peter Anargirou: Okay, thank you very much!
- Christine C.: It is on the second tab about half way down.
- Christine C.: Is there anything else I can help you with or another feature I can help you with?
- Peter Anargirou: No, that’s it! You’ve been very helpful! I work in a similar position than [whoops] you, and I know it can be frustrating when customers get mad when you have no control. I hope you have a wonderful day.
- Christine C.: Thanks! Thank you for choosing AT&T. We appreciate your business. Have a great week! Happy New Year!
Curio
Curio for iOS | iPhone/iPod, Reviews, Action/Horror, Platformer
When Brain Blast Games offered me a horror title, Curio, to review for the iPhone, I was intrigued. Horror? I don’t see that very often on the iOS. Then I tried it, and after less than a minute, I found myself mumbling, “what the heck?” Okay, it was a little more colorful than that. I think that question sums up the game, and I mean that in a good way! While I wouldn’t exactly say it’s scary in the sense that it would cause me to jump, it’s definitely horror-themed and creepy and would be sure to scare a younger audience. It’s odd, and more so, it’s unsettling. It’s a running title in which you go for a high score, and I like it!
Former Joystiq Writers Moving On
So here’s what’s next for yours truly: I, and a big team of talented folks, are going to be building the best video game site ever.
Recently a bunch of folks left Joystiq, including three of my favorites – Chris Grant, Griffin McElroy, and Justin McElroy. I was worried about what was happening but hopeful that they were all leaving together. It looks they were! I can’t wait to see what they build.
Ludwig Kietzmann, the new Editor-in-Chief of Joystiq, better kick it up a notch! (Luckily I love him too!)
Steve Jobs Action Figure
Steve Jobs action figure – Boing Boing
This looks so realistic. I kind of want one. Is $100 too much? It’s not 100% perfect, but wow, it sure does look realistic. It would go well on my bookshelf in my cubicle!
Aquabats – Holiday Road
the pillows – I Can Hear Jingle Bells
Terra Noctis
Terra Noctis | iPhone/iPod, Reviews, Platformer
Terra Noctis is a charm-filled platformer that’s a wonderful addition to the iOS’s lineup of games. Provided to me by publisher BulkyPix and developer Fire Fruit Forge, it immediately won me over with its graphics and music and continued to impress me with its gameplay. I should come clean and say I have a bit of a bias; I love platformers. Of course, that also means that I’ve played a lot of them, so take that for what you will. While not without a few small faults, Terra Noctis is an amazing game.