Is this thing on?
Well, let's see, I last updated in... huh. 2004.

Hey, I've been busy! No, not busy, what's that other word? Lazy. Actually, I have been busy, but mostly the reason I haven't updated the blog is that it just doesn't occur to me, and usually I'm spending time playing World of Warcraft, watching DVDs (either from Netflix or my copious post-Christmas/birthday stacks) or Tivo (I'm roughly a month behind on The Daily Show), writing reviews or, more likely, playing with Katy.

So it's another big update of what's been going on in my life, which are probably of no interest to anyone but myself, but it's the Internet blogger age, so I'll post my thoughts anyway.

Games: I love World of Warcraft. I bought the Collector's Edition from a friend of a friend just before Christmas, and have been playing it in fairly devoted fashion ever since. My character is Marrok, a level 47 Dwarf Warrior on the Gilneas server, who is an Armorsmith & Blacksmith (level 255), Cook (level 275) and Miner (level 260-something). Yeah, I can geek out about the game for a while. Anyway, it's really fun, much more repeat fun than City of Heroes, the first MMORPG that I played, and I paid up front for 6 months to get a cheaper rate and don't regret it at all. The upcoming D&D Online is tempting, and maybe by the time it comes out I'll be ready to depart World of Warcraft for a new game, but I'm not sure... it's a really great game. And has made it unnecessary for me to pick up any other games for PS/2, although I do want to give God of War a try at some point.

iPod: My last post indicated that I wanted an iPod Photo. I bought one after Christmas and for the most part haven't regretted it at all. I got to show off a slideshow of Katy pictures for family on a recent trip to Arkansas, and that was a lot of fun, and I love having all my music in one little box that plugs into my car stereo. I was a bit annoyed to find myself having battery problems about a month ago, but I sent it in for warranty service and got a new iPod back almost within a week, so I've got no complaints about Apple's service. I do wish I'd held out until the price dropped from $500 to $350, but then I would have gone many months without all my pictures and music in my pocket, so I'm not too terribly disappointed.

Movies: I haven't seen a ton of movies in recent months. I rented Garden State and really enjoyed that, but mostly Netflix has been occupied sending me TV DVDs. However, I did see Sin City, which was amazing, and just last night I went with some friends to see Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle, which was equally amazing. Lots of fun, fight sequences that have all the visual innovation of the Matrix movie with better story and characters, so involving that I didn't really even notice the subtitles because I was so involved in it. Owen Gleiberman at EW described Chow's style as "Tex Avery meets Quentin Tarantino," and if you throw in a little bit of Bruce Lee, I think that's about right. My buddy Dave got me the soundtrack as a belated birthday present, and it's terrific too.

TV: I changed up my "current favorite" TV listings over on the sidebar. Alias is gone, because I'm still watching but increasingly skeptical about the new direction it's gone in, while 24 has returned, recovering nicely from the season three stumble for what has probably been its best season ever. The Shield is also having a great season so far... no surprise, as that show has really never even had a bad episode (aside from some misfires in the Mamet episode where I didn't think he "got" the show), but I've been taken aback at just how much I'm liking Glenn Close's character, and hoping that she'll stick around for more than one season. Also digging ABC's new spy/PI drama with comedic touches Eyes, although given the ratings, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to enjoy it. I was also shocked at how good the Sci Fi Battlestar Galactica was, and cannot wait for it to restart in July. Oh, and Arrested Development and Veronica Mars continue to be my favorite shows, coming in just below the Shield. Delighted that Mars is getting a season two, very hopeful that Arrested will get a season three. It's actually been as good or better in season two than it was in the brilliant first season, and cracks me up like no other show on TV.

Deadwood: I list favorite shows that I watch on Tivo, but I don't have HBO, so there are a lot of shows that I watch on DVD. Doesn't mean I love them any less, just means that I'm patient and don't mind the "wait for DVD" (akin to waiting for trade paperbacks) approach. Deadwood is a recent discovery, and I adore this show. I haven't watched the last disc (although I probably will as soon as I post this), but the first season is just great. It might be my favorite thing ever from HBO, and was almost enough to get me to sign up for the network if I didn't already have so many demands on my time and plenty to watch. Of course, I haven't watched The Wire yet, which everyone also tells me is really good, so I can't say Deadwood is the best thing on HBO, but I can say that it's my favorite thing so far, beating out Sopranos and probably even Band of Brothers, although that one's really close.

That's it. Everything else is either comics (which I cover ad nauseum over on Fourth Rail), boring day-to-day life stuff (like my sink being clogged up in the latest of seemingly neverending house expenses) or talking about how cute and smart and wonderful my two-year-old daughter Katy is.