Gotta catch 'em all

A good day today. Got Pokemon Battle Revolution for the Wii on my doorstep today. Working on it and should have something up this weekend. (Can't do it by tomorrow, Mom and Grandma are coming over for dinner.) But in even better news, I got laughed at today. Apparently my comedic timing and prowess is perfect for my half of the 46 chromosomes sprawled out on the floor. But things can change... quickly.

The article came out in the Huntsville Times today. (It's even in the little SAHDs News dealie to the left there) What a lousy little puff piece it is? Not only am I grossly misquoted, but the writer of the article cites Armin Brott as an expert on being a SAHD. I despise Armin Brott. Brott is the author of such craptacular books as The Expectant Father, The New Father, and The Single Father. He also has his own website, MrDad.com, where the proclaimed expert in being a father peddles his wares, pushes his podcast, and offers you the opportunity to join his forum for the low, low monthly price of $5. The only way I'm paying for access to a website with tips is if those tips include images of an adult nature.

I first read The Expectant Father before 7 was born. It rubbed me raw then. I received a free copy thanks to 6's "Baby Me" program while we were expecting 2. The book still burns my ass. Written almost exclusively for the working dad set, the advice is at times both idiotic and condescending. Such gems like the following can be found:

It's time to turn in that two-seater sports car for a second car that's baby friendly!

Because everyone planning to have kids own a two-seater.

For most couples-especially first-time parents-the hospital is common place to give birth.

No shit? Here all this time I thought women were birthing babies in rice paddies.

This little bit of praise of the book can be found on Amazon:

My wife bought this book for me during our fourth pregnancy. We both enjoyed reading it - I to read the perspective of another father and her to see if I was doing things the way I was supposed to.

Um, seriously, you had three kids prior to reading this book... WHY DO YOU NEED ADVICE ON BEING A FATHER!?!?

Brott's books are written for the clueless and easily duped. He is no more an expert in fathering than I am in bull riding. If this is the best that the reporter who did the story for the Times could do, then I seriously regret agreeing to do it.

And the best part? As lousy as this article was, it is the result of one year's worth of work by the reporter.

So you think you're young?

Remember this?

Arguably one of the best albums ever. Certainly one of Nirvana's finest.





Now, consider this...



Still feel young?

I'm in ur Miloz eeting all yur cheezebergers

There is little more sublime than a Milo's cheeseburger. It's unique, it sets in your gut like a brick, and it's a taste we only get once every other month or so. Eating Milo's requires a trip to the 'ham. A trip to the 'ham also entails a visit to the in-laws.

The reason for this particular outing was the party in honor of 6's sister's recent wedding. With her mom and step-dad down in L.A. (lower AL), we set out Saturday to spend the night there before the party of Sunday. Being this was our first overnight outing with 2 since his birth, we went more than a little overboard packing extra everything, but I'd much rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Spent a good bit of the evening after arriving there at her Dad's place. Played a little Rayman with her little brothers on the Wii and lusted over his monstrously huge TV. Star Wars never looked so good. So good in fact that 2 was mesmerized. After a good bit of drooling by the boy, and I over the tellie, we drove back over to 6's mom's house for the night.

So what do you do when you're at your son's grandmother's house and there's no crib, you don't own a pack and play, and the bed you're sleeping in is only as big as you and your wife? Well, he sleeps in his car seat in the car doesn't he? At first it seemed cruel, but he had no complaints. Slept really well.

Sunday we drove approximately twenty minutes past the middle of fricking nowhere to attend the part in honor of the sister-in-law's recent nuptials. Ton of people I don't know. Very few that I do. I'm agoraphobic. I was not doing well. It's hot and I want to be somewhere else. I stayed close to 6, 2, and anyone else I actually knew.

What do you do when you're halfway between nowhere and lost and you need to change your boy? What do you use as a changing table when there isn't one to be found? A rational person would use a bed, couch, floor, anything they could throw a portable changing pad down on and go for it. Me, I excused myself from the party and used the trunk of my 2006 Ford Mustang. So very MacGyver of me.

Well, that's the short version of the weekend for now. I'm still jonsing for some more cheezebergers though.

Notoriety

Well, most of my hair is intact from this weekend. More about that later.

HH6 just called and asked if I wanted to do an interview with the Huntsville Times about being a SAHD. Apparently the coordinator of the class she attended Saturday morning passed along her information to a friend, and friend talked to someone, and blah, blah, blah... You know how it goes.

So apparently now I'm going to do an interview with the Times about being a SAHD.

Woot.

Thy will be done

Comic from Least I Could Do

Amen.

Please sir, can I have some more?

Stargate: SG1 is over.

I want more.


And on a totally unrelated note, 6, 2 and I are headed to the 'ham for the weekend. Updates when we get back.

Slackers

I've been a slacker this week. What with the contest, the continued joy of a three month old teething, and 7's trip with Grammy to MO, my mind has been all over the place. I haven't even been up on my e-mail like I should be. But, with the week at a close, the boy still inconsolable, and 7 safely in the Land of the Golden Mullet, I feel I can finally sit down and get a few of the things that I've seen this week off my chest.

First off, there's this:


Image from Daddy Types

This is so totally getting done to 2's stroller first chance I get. The only thing cooler would be to make an X-Wing stroller. I'll wind up owing my soul to DT by the time it's over since they're doing a lot of the leg work.

Second thing that's held my attention this week is Manhunt 2. I honestly have no interest in the game at all. It's just not for me. But, there are gamers out there, friends of mine, that are salivating for this title. They probably won't get to play it in it's current form, if at all, because the ESRB has given the game an AO (Adults Only) rating. This action was probably prompted by England, Ireland, and now Australia completely banning the game outright in their respective countries. So now, Nintendo and Sony have issued statements that they will not allow an AO rated game to see the light of day on their consoles. This brings to light two issues for me.

First, gamers are getting much, much older. I know this to be true because every day the visage that greets me in the mirror is a little more wrinkled, the hair a little more gray. So since this generation that grew up gaming is well into their "I'm a responsible tax payer" stage of their lives, why can't AO rated games exist? Why can't a consenting adult, with the disposable income to back it up, buy a game that's for adults? Why must a rational, thinking biped be force to play a title that's been watered down so that kids can play it also? I can already hear your question to me, well, what about M rated titles? Aren't those meant for adults? Well, that leads me to my second issue.

In theory, the ESRB ratings system is a good thing, but in reality the ESRB ratings systems suck ass. It's a happy, feel good system put in place by people who don't play games to make idiotic hands off parents feel all warm and fuzzy about the games they buy for little Johnny. The ESRB ratings exist for those same parents who let the V-Chip decide what their children can and can't watch on television. ESRB ratings exist for parents that blame video game violence for societies' ills, rather than their own lack of participation and guidance in the lives of their kids. ESRB ratings exist for no other reason than to absolve parents of any and all responsibility in what their child plays. Things with the ESRB are so bad that the state of New York is poised to pass legislation making it a class E felony to sell a game featuring violence or pornography to anyone under the age of 18 (complete story via GamePolitics.com). For the sake of knowing, a class E felony in the state of New York carries a possible maximum prison sentence of four years. Four years for selling a game with violence or pornographic elements to kids. Can you say prison bitch?

So, what the solution to all of this? Take an active role in the lives of your children you latte sucking, SUV driving, V-Chip loving, Louis Vuitton handbag carrying, don't give a crap about your kids unless they win class president, assholes! Don't rely on others to do your damn job! Be a parent.

And that concludes this round of "Parenting tips from a Gamer." Tune in next time when we discuss the importance of keeping fire flowers out of the hands of your toddler.

And the winner is...

Mike of Austin, Texas. Please help me in congratulating Mike in being the first winner of anything on this site. I'm not entirely certain as to whether I will host another contest like this again or not, but I certainly wouldn't rule it out. There is some other swag in the works, but this stuff is the paid variety. Who know, someone may like it?

Again congrats to Mike and my thanks to everyone who participated in the contest. Check back in the future for more opportunities to win more free swag... maybe.

We have a winner!

The winner of the first ever win some free swag giveaway has been chosen. Thanks to everyone who participated.

Happy Father's Day

To my fellow dads everywhere, Happy Father's Day.

Only hours remain to win the DS Lite and Brain Age, enter now!

Dads, kids bond over video games

When Will Nickelson and his daughter want to spend some quality time together, they fire up Nintendo Co.'s Wii and play a few rounds of "Wii Sports" or "Mario Party 8."

"It's kind of difficult picking a game for a 7-year-old girl, but she really likes to beat her dad at bowling," says Nickelson, 30, a stay-at-home dad from Huntsville, Ala.

Well, I like to spend quality time with her in other ways too, but the story wasn't about that. Matt Slagle couldn't have been a nicer guy. I'm really glad I agreed to do this interview.

The rest of the story can be found here.

Still wiped.

Remember lather, rinse, repeat?

Yeah, it's like that.

Still time to win the DS Lite and Brain Age.

More later.

A day in the life of a SAHD gamer

I figured it was time to offer a little insight into me and what my typical day involves. Hopefully it'll give you an idea of the insanity that are my days, and also how I manage to do it all....

First call, courtesy of HH6, is anywhere from 0400 to 0530 depending on what kind of night HH2 had. I've said time and again that I don't deserve 6, especially since she gets up and pumps in the middle of the night and feeds the little poo machine. I've tried arguing with her about this arrangement, but like ever other attempt to win an issue, I fail. I am a beaten man.

The first priority of the day is the mumbling of various obscenities and colorful metaphors. This is just a byproduct of who I am. I hate mornings. Loathe them. I hated them in the Army, I still hate them to this day. I'm the kind of person that'd rather stay up for 24 hours straight and pull a 16 hour day after than get a good eight hours of sleep and have to get up at o'dark thirty. The only time I've ever enjoyed or looked forward to getting up early is if there was something to blow up waiting on me.

After the colorful metaphors comes the first feeding of the boy. If I'm lucky, 6 has already taken care of this and she'll tuck him into the bed next to me so the both of us can get more sleep. If the Great Pregnant Nun is against me, as she usually is, the feeding continues, followed by the first surprise of the day.

The record is over a pound and a half. How something so little, so cute, and so adorable could produce byproducts one tenth his own weight is beyond me. The range of colors and odors is astounding. Shades of yellow and green never before seen help to paint the palette that is my morning.

6 is gone and off to work by 0600, kissing the boy and I as she heads out. We spend a moment staring at each other, both sizing each other up and attempting to ascertain whom will come out at the winner of the day. He does. He always does.

The day is spent mostly trying to occupy the little man that seems to think he can stay awake all day long without napping. Somehow I manage to squeeze in time to answer any e-mails I may have received, read a few of the sites I visit everyday, and, if I'm lucky, eat something. As many stay-at-home parent of a newborn will attest, if it can't be done with one hand while the baby is in the other, it doesn't get done. That goes for eating too.

I attempt chores, but who am I kidding. I may get lucky every now and then, but in reality those types of things generally have to wait until 6 gets home.

Gaming during the day is a rarity. I can squeeze in a thirty minute session or two if I get 2 down, but thirty minutes isn't much time to get into a game. I've downloaded some NES and Nintendo 64 titles from the Wii Shop channel, and those titles are easy to play for the short sessions I get during the day. More "labor intensive" games, i.e. anything on the 360, require waiting until I have baby support.

But there is one thing that I do everyday. Well, most everyday. I miss 7. Sunday of course is Father's Day and I'm not even sure if I'm going to have her for it. It's not like there's anything planned for the day, to me it's just another day. Hardly anything special. But it'd still be nice to have her. I never have her enough. The only time I don't miss her, is when I have her.

6 gets home anywhere from 1500 to ??? She takes the little drooling poo factory from me and I can get supper taken care of. If I'm smart, I've taken care of as much prep work as I can on the weekend before the week, but that's pretty hit or miss. Even with the new adventure of being a SAHD, I still like to make everything from scratch. I hate cooking from kits or boxes. Don't believe me? Ask anyone who's eaten in my house.

I finally squeeze some gaming in once our TV shows have gone off and the boy is bed bound. Lucky this is the summer months and most of what is on TV sucks, so the evenings belong to gaming. A bit of gaming and then bed. An early night is 2200, late is anything past 2400.

Then the cycle repeats. There are a few omissions in my routine of course. I don't believe you want to know the steamy details of my personal time with 6, but there are those of you out there that would. Perves. But this is pretty much it. The glamorous life of a thirtysomething gamer turned stay-at-home dad.

lather. rinse. repeat.

I'm Wiped

Got three hours of sleep last night.

The boy hasn't been down for longer than thirty minutes all day long.

Damn teething.

Still plenty of time to win that DS Lite and Brain Age.

Just drop me a line to enter.

gamingwithbaby@gmail.com

More babbling when I can form more coherent thoughts.

Win a Nintendo DS Lite for Father's Day

THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED. NO FURTHER ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED. ANY ENTRIES RECEIVED WILL AUTOMATICALLY BAR THE INDIVIDUAL SENDING IT FROM FUTURE CONTESTS AND GIVEAWAYS.

GamingwithBaby.com is having it's first ever win some free swag giveaway. Just in time for Father's Day, one lucky reader of my babble is going to win a Nintendo DS Lite and a copy of Brain Age: Train Your Brain In Minutes A Day. The catch? All you need do dear reader is drop me a line at GamingwithBaby@gmail.com. That's it*. The contest will run until 23:59 CST on Father's Day and the lucky winner will be notified via e-mail and will have their name posted here for all the world to see... or at least the few of you that actually read my drivel.

The Nintendo DS Lite is the latest in the long line of successful handheld
gaming platforms from Nintendo. Backwards compatible with all Game Boy Advance
titles, the DS Lite sports two screens, upper and lower, with the bottom
featuring a unique touch screen. Built in wireless capability allows gamers on
the go to challenge friends and strangers alike locally or globally through
Wi-Fi connectivity. Smaller and sleeker than it's Nintendo DS big brother, I wrote about many of the differences between the two on Adult Gamer's United and my comparison can be read here. (Hey, it was a while ago long before the Wii dropped. Give a guy a break.)

Brain Age is a DS game that features a series of exercises designed to give brains a workout. Activities include performing math problems, counting people going in and out of a house, drawing pictures on the touch screen and reading classic literature out loud. Brain Age also includes more than 100 sudoku puzzles, which are among the most popular types of brain-challenging puzzles in the world.

So, there it is folks, your chance to own the most popular handheld gaming platform on the planet no strings attaced. If you want a chance at it, just send me a line at GamingwithBaby@gmail.com Hurry, time is short and good luck!



*-I will however be a tiny bit biased to fellow Dads since it is our day afterall.

THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED. NO FURTHER ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED. ANY ENTRIES RECEIVED WILL AUTOMATICALLY BAR THE INDIVIDUAL SENDING IT FROM FUTURE CONTESTS AND GIVEAWAYS.

Pearly Whites, New Additions, and Whirly Birds

Pearly Whites

Well, things have certainly taken a turn. It seems that 2 doesn't want to be outdone by his big sister, so he's jumping on the "lets do everything early" bandwagon too. Namely, cutting teeth. It seems he has it in his tiny little head to go ahead and make both his and our lives a nightmare. He gums on everything. Drools. He looks like a prepubescent boy staring at his first JC Penny's underware ad. The next few weeks/months are going to be F-U-N.

New Additions

Picked up some new games this weekend, but also sent one packing back to Gamefly. In it's honor, I present this gem from YouTube:



Really, I didn't like Crackdown and the only reason I kept it as long as I did was for the Halo 3 beta. Farewell Halo 3, be seeing you again in September.

We picked up Super Paper Mario and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii and Forza Motorsport 2 for the 360.

Super Paper Mario is a great game. Everything you love about classic 2D side scrolling Mario action is here with the added fun of being able to change into a 3D perspective on the fly and some RPG elements to boot. If there is one complaint that I have about the title it's all the freaking reading. I want to play a video game, not read a dissertation. The amount of text in this title is insufferable. One can not click the next button fast enough and players will find themselves falling asleep from all the text. Ironically the programmers slipped a couple of in-jokes to this effect into some of the scenes. 9/10

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is simply the best that the Wii has to offer. The story, incredible. The presentation, flawless. The controls, perfect. I really can't find fault at all with the title. 10/10

Now Forza. Forza, Forza, Forza. I'm not usually a fan of racing games. They're just too repetitious and too dull for my taste. Many of the challenges in racing games seem contrived and aimed more at the "not old enough to drive set," all the cars just end up feeling the same and lack any real character, I've just been burned by too many racing titles.

Forza 2 is a huge exception. First off, graphically this title is amazing. Too often in racing games a lot of sacrifices graphically that they don't expect players to pick up on. Most notably is the NPC that populate the areas next to the race tracks. Often these characters are nothing more that 2D paper cut-outs that rotate with the car, attempting to fool the player. Forza deviates by having fully 3D NPCs populating the area next to the track.

The cars are an absolute joy to look at and there are a huge assortment of cars to play, buy, unlock, and bid on. In an interesting addition you can auction off your cars to other players and even give them as a gift to others.

Forza 2 is also a geek's heaven in that you can tweat and modify your car to your heart's content. As you complete races you earn credits and in turn those credits can be spent on upgrades to your ride both in performance and in appearance.

It is the appearance aspect that is perhaps the most interesting part of the game. Forza 2 allows the player to paint their vehicle anyway they want. Through the magic of the in-game editor, players can design some unique and amazing cars. Such as the 499hp "Halo Kitty" Ford Focus that I made.

The only thing that could improve on this already great title, would be a Wireless Racing Wheel. 9/10

Whirly Birds

I'm a little peeved. Somehow I totally missed the fact that an Osprey landed down by the VBC yesterday. Don't know if it's still there or not, maybe the boy and I will make a recon later.

The pillaging of my childhood continues

Variety is reporting that Warner Bros. has optioned a script "by tyro scribe Paul Sopocy to turn the popular 1980s animated series and toy line into a CGI-animated feature." First it was TMNT, now we've got Transformers coming soon (I really have high hopes for this one), Speed Racer, He-Man, Iron Man, another Batman, it's a geek's paradise. And yet, I'm apprehensive over all of it. Hollywood has a nasty habit of taking classics from my, and many of yours, childhood and twisting it and morphing it into something it never was. Take any movie based on a video game, name one good one. It can't be done. Why? For the same reason that I'm apprehensive about Hollywood's treatment of my beloved childhood cartoon heroes... the all might dollar. I'm firmly convinced that the powers that be don't even know anything about the icons they destroy. I'm firmly convinced that at the end of the day all that matters is how much money can be made off ticket sales and merchandising.

Ok, rant over. I just needed to get that off my chest. Apologies.

Thanks for the braces

If 6 played ball, she'd have been like this:

Some Insight on Games

I've been meaning to get something up about these titles, so here's the "Gun's Sixty Second (or less) Review" treatment

Mario Party 8

Emphasis on the party part of it. Little enjoyment can be gained playing against the computer. This is one of those titles that can cause some friendships to waver as you screw over your buddy in the pursuit of winning. All the beloved Mario classic characters are here, and a healthy assortment of mini-games. May be a hit with the under 10 crowd, but again, probably only in groups. Supports 4 players and I suggest you take advantage of it. 5/10

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

A cooperative title based in the Marvel universe. Dialogue borders between tedious and annoying. Likewise for the repetitious in-game banter. Many beloved Marvel characters to play with and unlock, but no damn Punisher. Where in the hell is my Frank Castle?!?!?! Horrid floating camera causes migraine inducing headaches. Short title without a lot of replay value. 6/10

Call of Duty 3

Not much different from the 360 version other than controls and graphics. Graphics of course take a big hit when compared to the 360, but the uniqueness of the controls makes up for it. Controls do take a little getting used to, and are colorful metaphor inducing in some areas, but other wise manageable. The absence of online multiplayer, or any multiplayer, makes it a difficult title to hang on to. 7/10


There it is, my not so educated opinion on my first three Wii titles (Wii Sports doesn't count).

A Week With A Wii

So, the unassuming little white box has been setting in between the TV and the 360 for just over a week and now and here are my thoughts:

1. Do you have children? Know someone with children? Have childlike tendencies? GET ONE! Do what ever you have to do, but get one.

2. It's not without it's problems. The sensor bar doesn't seem to pickup every movement, but I think that may have more to do with placement of the bar and your relation to it that anything. And you'd do good to either invest in some rechargeable batteries or one of the myriad of charging kits available

3. There are few third party actually worth your time. Activision and Ubisoft both have apologized to Nintendo for their lack of quality and support for the Wii. (See "Activision: Wii Are Also Sorry, Nintendo" by Chris Kohler over at Wired)

4. The Virtual Console is cool, with lots of games from our childhood.

Well, that's all I have to say about that. If you can't tell, I'm in a bit of a funk. Both in my writing and in my photography. Something's got to give.