Sitting, Wishing, Waiting.

When Ryan Pace took power as General Manager of the Chicago Bears, one of his first actions was to unceremoniously dispatch Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets. Marshall by that point had become something of a franchise pariah, irritating anonymous teammates and making a spectacle of himself in the midst of a disappointing season. …

Of Diogenes & Mechanical Keyboards

  MX Reds:  Why, MX Black, do you reside amidst this squalor?  Your barrel reeks of your very waste, and yet you remain. MX Blacks:  Carry on, fool.  I have chosen to be as I am, and so I shall always remain! MX Reds:  Yet we are so similar.  We are inseparable, would you disagree?…

Illinois is okay, I guess.

I was born in Illinois. I’ve lived my entire life here. Chances are good I’ll end my days being an Illinois resident, barring some changes in the next 8-9 years. I don’t know how that makes me feel. At least not yet. When I was a kid, we had to do an exercise – draw…

Andy’s Top 30 Video Games: 5-1

First of all, thank you to any and every person who took the time to read through this list.  It’s been long-winded, way more than necessary, and really doesn’t matter to anyone but me, so I appreciate those who peruse my silly blog for any reason whatsoever.  Thank ya. As far as the list goes,…

Andy’s Top 30 Video Games: 10-6

Diablo III (2012, PC) – 48.9 Gameplay – 10 Streamlining the legacy that D2 left, D3 is buttery smooth to play.  Some will say “they made the game for casuals and noobs,” and to that I say, “Enjoy Path of Exile, asshole.”  D3 is recklessly fun to play, and while it does have flaws, Blizzard…

Andy’s Top 30 Video Games: 15-11

Hearthstone (2014, PC) – 46.3 Gameplay – 8.4 It’s extremely straightforward, but can be very satisfying.  It also requires a casual amount of attention, depending on the game.  Growing up enjoying Magic the Gathering kind of set the stage for me to dig a game like Hearthstone, and even though I have no idea who…

Andy’s Top 30 Video Games: 20-16

The Sims 3 (2009, PC) – 44.8/60 Gameplay 8.4 Building your world and telling your own story is something The Sims pioneered, capitalizing ultimately on Maxis’ original intentions when they created the Sim____ franchises in yesteryear.  I enjoyed this particular version of The Sims over previous editions because graphically it could finally offer a bit…

Andy’s Top 30 Video Games: 25-21

Age of Empires II (1999, PC) – 43.1/60 Gameplay – 8.5 Man, did I have a blast with Age of Empires II.  I can’t speak for the campaign/quests – I didn’t do too many of them, honestly.  I would constantly play skirmishes against the AI, trying out a variety of civilizations and their unique units,…

Andy’s Top 30 Video Games: 30-26

QUALIFICATIONS:  These are both console & computer titles.  Nostalgia does play a factor in these games, but I did my best not to let it influence my scoring too much.  The ranking of these is not at all influenced by other “Best Of” lists, and is ranked entirely by my affection for and experience playing…

The Quagmire of Offseason Melancholy

The central crux of being a sports fan, particularly of a historically bad franchise, is to hold out hope that one day we can be there to see our team win it all.  The Cubs history-smashing title this past November was one for the ages, and is a shining example of what bad teams want…

Jimmy Garoppolo & The Quest For Truth

It’s about time we talked about this, because for Bears fans, Jimmy Garoppolo is a name that has swirled in undefined suspension for months now in various forms of emotion: Hope for the possibility that an Illinois kid can come home and take the Bears to the promised land. Fear that the cost for acquiring…

AFI Top 100: Review & Thoughts of 90-81

Let’s continue on down the list of my AFI Top 100 countdown. 90.  SWING TIME (1936):  Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers delight in what is generally a forgettable bit of novel and overwrought cinematic ham that gets counterbalanced by charming exhibitions of remarkable dancing and singing ability.  In the era of the 1930s, movies were…