Ultima Online Recent Review, Free Server/Shard Akara Essex

www.akaraessex.com
Alright... You may have read my first post about this game where there was drama... Then my second post where there was fan-boy gushing... Now I'm going to give you a detailed, unbiased review of the free server/free shard, Akara Essex. I understand that everybody has their own likes and tastes, so if you dislike or disagree with anything, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know! =) The first section is more of back-story, skip it if you want to get to the true review. The review will cover both Ultima Online, and then what Akara Essex has done to improve upon it.

Ultima Online has been around for many years. (Before I say anything else, I want to let you know the server I am reviewing is completely free!) If you haven't heard of the game by now, you were probably like me, and only ever looked up "free mmorpgs". Ultima Online is a paid subscription mmo that is still around today, and for good reason. It started off being completely different than any other mmorpg, and it got huge, with a very dedicated fanbase, and regardless of all this, companies still make the same cookie-cutter mmo's. Double click an enemy and wait until it's dead, level up and use a skill point to increase a skill every person in your class has, use that skill to kill monsters until you level up enough to equip the next set of gear that every person in your class is wearing, ect... Ultima Online is a true diamond in the ruff/rough. (However you spell it, correct me in the comments.)

First, I'll start with the only possible downfall depending on your taste... Graphics... Yes, the game is old. The graphics haven't been updated, and won't be, but it doesn't need to be! It has decent animations for everything. I can't imagine the game with any other graphics. It's Diablo-ish, but better. Now, Akara Essex is a free server so it really doesn't have the funds to change them, but they have added custom graphic effects. So they did what all they could do. =P

Second... Getting Stronger... It's basic enough to never get complicated, yet it is deep enough to make every character possibly different. There are 3 stats, Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence which directly effect your HP, Stamina, and Mana. Pretty self-explanatory. If you want to increase them, just do things associated with them. Keep attacking, earn Strength, keep casting, earn Intelligence, ect. As far as skills, there are no skill points. Each skill works with a %, and the more you use it, the higher the % is, and the better it is. So someone with 50% Magery would do less damage than someone with 75% Magery. (75% Magery may be able to cast stronger spells too.) Now Akara Essex takes this further by adding leveling! Leveling gives you general points that you can use to either quickly increase your stats, or quickly increase your skills instead of waiting. Your stat and skill limit also increase the higher level you are. (And there is either no level cap, or at least nobody has reached it... The free server is also 9+ years old if I remember correctly.) On top of character level, each piece of equipment has a level as well, in which it earns different points that you can spend to have it do numerous things.

Third... Drops/Loot... Depending on your luck (an effect that equipment can increase as well) you may find equipment with numerous effects. I believe there are 40+ different effects, from adding skill %'s, adding stats, adding better chances to hit, block, adding regenerative properties, ect.. It's also a note that there is no item slots. You have a certain weight you can hold (more-so with Strength, and there are bags you can put stuff in which magically reduces the weight to 0... but at a risk...) Akara Essex also takes this further with the leveling system mentioned previously. If you found a weapon, leveled it and messed it up somehow, you may find another and start over! Or start a collection for different circumstances! There are plenty of different weapons and armor types, and none are level-stricted. Your leather gear may be much stronger than someone's plate mail. Your dagger may be stronger than someone's lance.

Fourth... Fighting... Ultima Online has a real-time, somewhat twitch-based, fighting style, with a unique spell/skill system.  The fighting/skills/spells go hand in hand with strategies. Is an enemy really strong? Try to physically run far enough away it can't find you. Is it just as fast? Try to hide! Don't have a high enough hiding skill to actually hide? Resort to magic! Maybe cast Invisibility on yourself, maybe cast Paralyze on them, Maybe create a physical wall to stop their advance, maybe teleporting away is faster than running, maybe you can teleport to a safe area completely, or maybe you have a pet you can summon to defend yourself or be a distraction. Do you already see how it is different? Ultima Online already has a regular Spell book for Magery, and then other spell books for Necromancy, Ninjutsu, Chivalry, Bushido, ect. Akara Essex takes this even further by adding "Runes". Custom spells! Have you ever played a free server that actually adds to gameplay?

Fifth... Activities... You can tame almost any animal you can see, and even some monsters can be convinced to follow you. You can make your own arrows, clothing, armor, jewelry, weapons, even potions and band-aids! You can create your own house, create your own furniture... You can even farm if you want. Pretty much any activity you've seen in an mmo, is here, and probably some you haven't seen. Now this isn't quite fair. They didn't leave much for Akara Essex to add or improve upon. We do have gambling. Lottery, Slot games, and maybe more by the time you read this.

Sixth... Adventure... I'm tired of auto-running, I'm tired of going through 1-3 maps to get to the next town for higher level people, do quests, just to try to get to the next town. This game is huge! It took me four days just to find where a specific type of wolf was that I wanted to tame, only to find out there were requirements to get there. I also found a secret dungeon by pure accident... The entrance was hidden inside a normal crate that you wouldn't have looked twice at... Also, it is possible you may make a house in a place nobody will ever find. However, it isn't that secluded. You can actually "mark" your spots, and take people there! You can run and explore by yourself for hours, and simply "recall" back to the main town to see your friends. Besides just normal spawns (and the occasional strong versions of monsters known as Paragons), they also have Champs. They are basically survival matches, which a wicked boss at the end. Akara Essex has added custom champs! More monsters, more bosses, more loot!

Seventh... Connectivity... Many free servers are sketchy. They make you go through hoops to connect, not sure if the server will last, or even who is behind the rules and settings. Akara Essex has a one-click installer, a patcher just like any other mmo, as well as no registration! At the login page, just type in what you want your username and password to be, and it will either create an account with that credentials, or if one already exists, you'll be logged into that account. Also, the owner is not only friendly but is happy to speak with anybody. They are constantly adding things and taking in feedback from players... Yes, they listen to the players!

Seriously, Ultima Online is an mmo that everyone should try. If you are like me, and would rather try a game before playing without any "free trial", I seriously recommend Akara Essex. Easy install, easy patch, more customized than the main game itself, and there is just so much to this game.. www.akaraessex.com    ... You're welcome. =)

Akara Essex, the most unique MMO, is back!

I know I haven't wrote in a long while, and the last post about this topic wasn't too much of a happy one, however this trumps everything...

AKARA ESSEX IS BACK!!!
http://www.akaraessex.com

Yes, one of the best, free, MMO's out there... Or perhaps THE best.. Yes, it is a Private Server version of Ultima Online, but it far surpasses the original, and all other free MMO's out there to date. And I'll be happy to give my reasons why, and see if I can't just convince you to just give it a try. (I mean, come on, how many other MMOs have you given a try to anyways?)

1. Adventure, Exploration, Discovering....
     I've played all free MMO's... I've done dungeon runs, daily quests, guild quests, etc. You find a group of people, make friends, work together to achieve a goal, and feel accomplished afterwards, right? Well, that's the thing. All the other players in that game? They're going to do the same thing you just did. It's one big chain of follow-the-leader. What do you even do when you've reached a level cap? Nothing to do but help the weaker players follow-the-leader. MMO's have even gone so lazy as to include Auto-Run, and even lets you know what quests are available, where to accept them, and possibly even what the reward will be. What happened to the sense of Adventure? Exploration? Discovering? Playing a new MMO catches my attention only for the reason of FINDING new places, SEEING new monsters and equipment, and LEARNING what my character can do... Once I see what there is to see, I lose all interest.
     Now this is where Ultima Online in general wins by a landslide. The land is huge. So huge in fact, you have "Runes", which are basically portable save-spots for locations that you can teleport back to whenever you want. Found a good place to tame your favorite animals? Found a rare boss? Found an awesome place to gather supplies? Save them all! In fact, you may have a favorite spot that nobody knows about! How many MMOs can say that? You can run in the same direction for hours, and when you hit the edge of land, grab a boat and keep going. Don't even get me started on the different realms, such as Tram and Fel being basically the same landmass, but parallel universes... At least that's the easiest way to describe it.
     Now Akara Essex takes this one step further than just Ultima Online. You have random spawns of custom bosses, custom champs (think of it as a Survival Game with a wicked boss at the end), custom animals to tame, etc... Did I say "Custom"? That takes me to point number....

2.Customs and sheer Depth of... EVERYTHING!!!
     Ok, Ultima Online is already one of the deepest games out there, and it is hard to think of where to start. I'm sure you've played MMOs where you have pets? Ha! Ultima Online could easily be a Pokemon Fan's dream mmo. Pretty much any animal, and even some monsters, can be tamed. We're talking anywhere from rabbits, birds, cats, dogs, rats, slimes, horses, to drakes, dragons, alligators, unicorns, spiders, snakes, the list goes on. Not to mention any one of those animals might have a variation. (Horse, War Horse, Nightmare, Unicorn, Fire Steed, etc.). When I say variation, I don't mean the same exact thing with a different color. Nightmare's for example, can use Magic. Character Depth is also no laughing matter. Instead of skill points, a more rewarding skill % is what you have to work with. Like using Magic? The more you use it, the better it gets! Same goes for Stats. No stat points, the more you work, the higher they get! Attack more, earn Strength! cast more, earn Intelligence! Character Customization is what really keeps me addicted though. Over 15 slots of equipment, each one changing the look of your character EVERY TIME. Each piece of equipment can have over 40 effects, as well as any combination of effects, and different strengths of those effects. Don't get me started on weapons though. They can have so many effects, your little screen may not show them all, and I'm talking effects that make a difference. Imagine a weak, but fast, dagger? Now what if every-time you hit an enemy, you had a 50% chance of a fireball also hitting the enemy? What if you took it further and had 50% chance of a fireball, 50% chance of a lighting strike, AND 50% chance of stealing health? Diablo 3 would weep at the sight of some of these weapons and armors. You may be wondering, "But if we had 17 pieces of gear, each with 50 effects, and they were all really strong, wouldn't I be invincible?" but you'd be wrong. The depth also goes into monsters. Custom bosses will give even the highest level players a run for their money... Oh wait, did I say "Levels"?.. Yup, point number...

3. Leveling!!!
     But wait, I said there were no skill point or stat points, so why would there be leveling? This goes right back to the fact Akara Essex has Customs everywhere that make it far better than the original Ultima Online. In fact, I will state a pure fact. This game has the BEST LEVELING SYSTEM EVER. In fact, Ragnarok (one of the most popular MMO's with the highest player base... or at least it was at one point) is making a Ragnarok 2 with a similar leveling system! First, your character levels. This gives you general 'points' to use on what you want. If you want to gain Strength to hold more weight and get more HP, but you're a casting type and don't feel like physically attacking monsters, just use some of your points to increase the stat itself! Same goes for some skills that you just don't have the patience for. Oh, and did I mention there isn't a level cap? Or if there is, nobody has reached it. There are only rumors of how high the level cap is! Pets have levels too. Though they won't have any stat points, there is no need. They simply get stronger in everything the more they grow. Now, here is where it really gets interesting. You know the 15+ item slots I mentioned earlier? What if I told you that almost all the item slots you wear, level as well? What if I took it a step further and say that when an item levels, you get points that you can spend? THEN what if I told you that what you spend those points on is ALMOST ANYTHING YOU WANT!!! Do you want to have more damage increase? Cast faster? Regenerate Health, Magic, or Stamina faster? Have more hit points? It's up to you! Did you screw up your body armor? Throw it down, grab or buy another piece, and start over! I seriously doubt you will find anybody with a similar character! That's right, IMAGINE AN MMO WITH ACTUAL INDIVIDUALITY! That brings me to the last point...

4. Individuality... It's rather important.
     Whether you want to dress to be the coolest person around, or want to fight for hours on end to be the strongest player with a sword, or if you want to find the perfect combination of pets to do your bidding. I'm tired of it, and I'm sure you are as well, of looking like everyone else! I'm tired of leveling to 30, to equip my next set of gear, that all other level 30 players of my class have! Here, you not only look different, but you also fight different. You are not tied to one class, and therefor one set tree of skills. If you started being a mage, and wanted to work on fighting? You can work to lower your skills in Magery, and raise your skills in Fencing. Or if you are a high-enough level, your skill cap increases too so you may be able to master both. Now, even with all the effects of equipment, there is still much more here than auto-attack. First, each weapon type has 2 special attacks. (Oh... and there are weapons.. Maces, Swords, Axes, Nun-chucks, Bows, Crossbows, Scythes, Lances, Hammers, Pickaxes, Pitchforks, War Forks, Daggers, Dual-Wielding Japanese Style swords of multiple types, the list goes on). You also have PLENTY of spells. You hold books, which you can set shortcuts for specific spells that you use most. Books include the normal Spell-book that has spells of all shapes and sizes, but there are also books on Necromancy, Chivalry, Bushido, Ninjutsu, etc. You can even say, "I pray to the gods" and a menu will appear for another list of spells that are affected by your Spirit Speak skill. So even if you have the same books as others, chances are, you'll have your own combo's and way of fighting than the person next to you. You can always depend on this game to allow you the opportunity of growing your own character to what YOU always wanted to be... That brings me to my final point...

5. Dependability...
     Lots of people are hesitant on private servers, and I don't blame you. Some stranger you don't know, is running the game on their system. Anything could happen to them, their equipment, and if anything goes wrong and you can't contact them about it, you literally don't know if it may even come back. Akara Essex has been around for 8 years. Through all the hardships of private servers for Ultima Online, Akara Essex pulls through. True, it may go down from time to time, but usually to test improvements or new items. I've never seen such dedicated staff before, on ANY MMO. Now that you know it is staying, the other fear is connecting. You think you may have to jump through hoops to connect. That couldn't be further from the truth. The website itself takes you step by step (there are 4 total, and not even sure if all 4 are required), as well as Akara Essex even has its own Launcher which will update before launching the game itself, just like any other top MMO! Registration is even easier... It's non-existent! When you get to the login screen, type in the credentials you want. It will either create a new account with that information, or if it matches an account, you'll just log in normally. No annoying E-mail checking!

So there you have it. That isn't even the entire list of what Akara Essex, let alone Ultima Online in general, has over almost every MMO these days. If you've read this far, then chances are I said something you liked. This isn't just a gushing out of my love for Ultima Online or Akara Essex. This is just an attempt, from one fellow MMORPG lover to another, to help you out. On all those MMORPG lists you've been staring at like a hawk, week after week on end hoping to see something new, you've never seen this one. A diamond in the rough... An overlooked gem... Or in my own words... The best MMORPG that I have ever played, and the only MMORPG that I cannot stop coming back to.

To Be Continued...

It's obvious I just don't have enough time to post, enough events to post about, or enough drive to bother posting. So regardless, this blog is to be continued...

Ha.. 64th post to. =)

*Loved the Nintendo 64*

NEW PET!!!

Rosie, the Rose-haired Tarantula. =P No, I'm not kidding. $25. Dad's spider technically, I chipped in $5 just because, well, to see the look on sister's face is well worth it. =) Poor Daisy doesn't like it, she's a typical girl. XD Here are some random facts about this spider...

1.) The Chilean Rose-hair Tarantula is a moderately large tarantula. They reach adult size in about 3 to 4 years with about a 5" (12.5 cm) leg span.
2.) This species produces large egg sacs, usually containing in excess of 500 babies.
3.) One of the most common reasons for your pet to demonstrate unusual behavior is due to a molting period. As they outgrow their existing skin all tarantulas regularly go through an extensive molt, shedding their entire skin as well as the linings of their mouth, respiratory organs, stomach and sexual organs.
4.) The males will live about five years and females can live as long as twenty years.

Also, would just like to note, that while molting, it has incredible regenerative capabilities. Even capable of growing back a complete leg! After the molting is complete, and the old skin is completely off, the new skin hasn't fully hardened yet. Though Rosie eats crickets, it's important to have them taken out while the molting, for the crickets can attack and taken down the tarantula. Now THAT is a David Vs Goliath tale! lol.

Will the average women and men, please read. (Rant)

Those who have common sense, just go google "pr0n" because this doesn't pertain to you. =P

Ok, many people see idiots on a daily basis. Someone that doesn't do something QUITE like how you would do it, or doesn't quite follow directions or instructions. HOWEVER. When you have a job like mine, and talk to 100+ new idiots every day, you begin to learn how MANY idiots there are in the world. This is for you, "average people", who have lost their common sense. Though you will just insult me, deny it, and walk away acting superior. But that just further proves my point of your ignorance!

1.) Drivers... "Speed Limit" is how fast you can go, though the police do give about a 5mph forgiveness. If you drive faster, your breaking that limit. Honestly, I could care less. If you feel your secure enough to drive faster, and you know the risks and willing to accept consequences, then have it. HOWEVER. If you can't handle it, don't go that fast in the first place. I HATE immature drivers. They'll speed up faster than what they can actually handle just to stop a more experienced driver from passing them, do to some lame ego. As well as, the first drop of rain, don't immediately slow down from 70mph to 30mph. ANYBODY who slows down from lame winter conditions just shows how much of a weakling, coward, inexperienced driver they really are. You could leave me in the dust otherwise, you can cut me off, you can pass me a million times.. But if you drop sooo much speed just for something stupid because your a scared-y cat and have NO faith in your vehicle or your driving capabilities, I will ALWAYS laugh and look down at you. AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, USE TURNING SIGNALS!!! If you don't, your showing everyone that you are following the road. If you are hit because nobody knew you were turning away from the main road, that's completely your fault, and I hope you die in that same crash. Or at least experience excruciating pain, go to a hospital, rack up a huge hospital bill, and then live in debt!

2.) Credit Card Abusers... Speaking of debt, as soon as you get in it, why don't you stop spending needlessly? Anybody over $500 in debt should be put in jail, and their items sold until they can either pay off their debt, or stay in jail and work it off until they pay it all off. There is no reason to spend more than what you have, and then to keep on going. Having over $10,000 in debt? Seriously, they should be sexually abused as toys for a Pimp's purpose to pay off that insane amount of money. If you want something, you have to earn it. If you can't, deal without it, you spoiled Prissie's.

3.) Those that know how to read, but don't... Don't get anything or sign anything without reading everything. Yes, there is fine print. But if you accept something or sign up for something WITHOUT reading that fine print, I say you are completely responsible for what you signed on to. And Pre-Approval means just that. PRE approval. It doesn't say APPROVAL, it says PRE-Approval. Honestly, are you ok with a company checking your credit, and signing you up for obligations and fee's and owing them money whenever they want? If so, I'll start a bank and you'll be my favorite client.

4.) Hipocrits.. This is huge group so I know I'm going to miss some. Those that want change but want someone else to do it. Those that want money and items but don't want to work at it. Ya know what's odd? Those that want free money DO NOT want free stuff.. I'm not joking. I take a lot of calls for companies that JUST send free stuff. And nobody wants it. Hell, even when they want answers, and you give them a way to gain those answers, they won't put in the effort. They want answers and unless their first attempt at getting it doesn't succeed, they give up.

5.) Cowards. QUIT BEING PARANOID!!! Do you know the amount of companies that actually share and sell your information is less than 5%? The only companies that do, are companies you have NEVER heard of. If you can find a phone number that actually works to that company, 99.99% chance they do NOT share or sell your information if they ask for it. If your afraid of that chance, don't step outside. There's over a 100X times chance of someone driving off the road and running you over as you walk to the car.

6.) Old People.. .. .. .. NO, I'm being serious. They can't drive the limit, they get into way more crashes, they cause way more aggrivation and stress while trying to do something they really can't. Don't call if you can't hear well, don't go grocery shopping if you can't walk fast, or even a normal/average human pace. Don't drive if you can't go the limit or have good eye sight. And for the love of god, quit being perverted. You don't turn any ladies on, you gross them out. Your chance of getting into one of their pants is virtually 0%.. Maybe there's a small handful of girls that only like wrinkly old men who can't perform, but I'd have to say that's an EXTREMELY small group. And that'd be whores and sluts.. Who aren't taking calls for legit companies, they're working on the streets instead.

7.) Teenagers... Now, there are many types of teenagers I like, but that's a small amount. I'm taking about the Bullies who have to pick on others to feel big because in reality, they're small. And you know what I mean. >.> And if they want to prove to other males that they ARE big, then grats, you proved yourself gay. Not that I'm against gays, but Bullies are, so they should beat themselves up. Also against those that are spoiled, that party, ect. Basically, those that have no self respect for themselves, and that have no value anymore. Sad that this generation will eventually create a president.

8.) Judgemental Companies.. I'm talking about Banks that won't issue people with 'no credit' (literally) a credit card because they can't trust them. But someone who has filed bankruptcy twice and has $7,000+ in debt, will get credit card offers up the yin-yang. You could be passing up someone (like me) who can pay the credit card off, completely, EVERY MONTH. And those that are hiring but wait to find people WAAAYY over-qualified for that job. You could be passing up a great worker for a lazy one, just because the lazy one has connections to references.

9.) Gangs.. Yeah, grats, you rule the streets.. They may look crappy, be poor, and worth virtually nothing. But grats, you own them..

10.) Those against video games and piracy... Seriously, people are soo against piracy that's insane. When in reality, people pirate more BECAUSE of the great restrictions and attempts companies use to try to stop piracy. Some attempts cause you to be more vulnerable to virus's, slow your computer down, and at times it even makes the item useless. (Devil May Cry 3 for PC for example. Has protection to stop copyright, however it also stops you from completely installing.) And those against video games are insane. Ya know what? Shut up, gain some common knowledge, get your IQ to at LEAST the double digits, and THEN file an argument and complain. Until then, I'm going to turn my back on this crippling society and age of man, and be plunge myself into video games.. Where characters were made by those that HAVE common sense.. Sad that pixels have a higher IQ than the majority of Humans...

LOTS OF UPDATES!!!

1. Merry X-mas!
2. Happy New Year!
3. Visit To Ty's was awesome!
4. I'm sorry!!! (Here are general updates.)

Yeah, I know, I'm far behind in my updates and I've been meaning to post but... It just takes a lot of effort and time, ya know? And I don't know how many people read this. And when I take breaks like this, I think people give up on it, which makes me feel less like making a new post... ANYWAYS, I'll do these updates in order.

Merry X-mas! I didn't get much, but then again I asked for nothing. That's right, I asked for the same thing as I did for my 20th B-day.. Absolutly nothing. I'm not depressed or anything, it's just.. Whatever I want, I can afford, so I buy myself. Which leaves everybody with no options on what to get me, lol. We did eat early because I had to work that day.

Happy New Year!!! Did you all finish off the eggnog in the fridge? I hate that time of year. There is never EVER a sale on eggnog. One day it's sold in bulk, the next it's vanished until next year. Anyways, did anybody kiss when the ball dropped? Random note, how kinky is that? Watching "The ball drop".. Sounds like someone hitting puberty.. anyways, New Years is never that big of a deal to me. It's a holiday that lasts exactly 1 second, but people will party for hours.. And I hate watching it on TV. Soo much confetti, so much kissing. Then 10 minutes later they're still doing it. I want to hit each one of them, or start running them over while screaming "YOUR BLOCKING TRAFFIC! GET OUT OF THE ROAD!" I'm gonna miss you, Eggnog. =(

Ty's Visit was awesome! I went to see her family, and stay there for 11 days. Damn straight, first time I meet her and I'm sleeping at the house. Not only that, but I slept in her room every night. And that's where we spent most of the day too.. NOW don't get any idea's! No sex until we move into together and have a place of our own, that's already been mutually agreed upon. We played games and watched movies and MTV, lol. Her mom was awesome, and gave us loads of privacy, which was extremely unexpected. I do apologize for cleaning up a room and making a bed and getting it together, and me never using it. =(

I bought some games for us, and I got her a cellphone. LG Neon (Yeah, look it up peoples! A Slider AND Full Keyboard!) Though it's a GoPhone, I prefer that over contracts. Not to mention AT&T, just because I don't have credit, wanted a $500 deposit, per phone, to create a contract. >.> Also, got her a promise ring! Pink Sapphire. She wanted a white gemstone, probably diamond, but I had to explain how she's still going to get an Engagment Ring and a Wedding Ring, and they don't all have to be white. And yes, they are all going to get progressively more expensive, lol.

Also, sucked going from cuddling and sleeping with my soul-mate, playing games all day, and no work.. To.. Sleeping alone, working, sisters, and blizzard driving. >.> But I guess normal is normal, lol. Can't wait until the next visit! Though, next time I'll definitely have to go pick her up and bring her here to stay. She could stay longer that way, and work wouldn't be too much of a problem. That's only 8 hours. And a side question. Soul Mate, Soul-Mate, how are they BOTH correct? Guess nobody could agree on how it's spelled. >.>

And random updates.. Mom and Dad still seem to be on and off. When you think things are going ok, they'll start fighting. Then you think it's over and they'll get back together. I'll probably still end up mentioning how they are doing, but just letting you know ahead of time. And btw, they seperated and got back together while I was gone. That was within 11 days. No, in fact just inbetween Dec 27th and Jan 1st, just to put things in perspective.

And snow has been INSANE here. Like, seriously. At least 2 inches every day. Easily 4-6 inches of snow a day on average... Driving in it sucks, I miss my Uki. >.< *sniffs, wishing cars had 4-wheel drive*

Anyways, those are pretty much the updates. I hope you all are doing well, even if we don't talk much. I hope you all had great holiday's, and that everything is going well. I'll say, yet again, that I'll POST MORE.. Let's hope this time I do it and stop procrastinating. XD

New House, New Updates

Ok, we are still in the process of moving but we're pretty much done. Enough to eat and sleep at this new house anyways. It's only 1 mile longer to work, though it's mostly back-roads instead of highway. With all the hills, and curves, it'll be fun to see what the roads are like when the snow starts sticking. >.> I love my room though. Once we are 100% completely done with moving, I'll make a recording through the house and put it on youtube, and then send a link. I will say that I have my own fireplace, 2 dual sliding doors, and a semi-hidden room with no heaters, perfect place to stash my soda. =)

Joshua's Funeral went ok I suppose. I hated the preacher. You could just tell that he was getting paid. He didn't know Josh, so it was almost laughable when he started talking about how he was such a great guy, and you could just tell, blah blah blah. He was just talking out of his ass. In my opinion, he was making himself look bad.
Anyways.. It went ok.. Some coworkers from work (Rite-Aid) came to say something, his friends said something, 2 out of 3 of his older brothers. There wasn't that much to be said, but they wanted to say something to help with closure and help people understand that, though Josh had gotten into trouble in the past, and was quiet, he really did care, and he was quiet because he was mature. He didn't waste his breath on saying anything pointless. He'll be missed, no doubt... Oh, and btw. He died in a single car accident. Somehow he drove off the road, hit a tree and flipped upside down, spun on the roof, and hit another tree while spinning. Somewhere in that mess, he was ejected from the car. He wasn't wearing a seat-belt and died instantly. =/ Nobody knows why he drove off the road. He wasn't tired, there's no skid marks, the roads were clear...

There's a 100% chance my mom and dad are giving it another chance. Mom still asks to not be disapointed in her. If that's her choice, then I support her no matter what.

Work has been ignoring us 'veterans' that have worked for a while, so that they can focus on the newbies and see if they're doing their job correctly. That I understand. What I don't understand is how they'll still jump on us and give us an occurence right away if we miss a day, but they can take over 3 weeks to reward us for perfect attendence or give us SF points. (Service First points can be used for multiple things.)

And lastly, my trip to Tyler's is less than a month away. =) Of course hopeing my mom doesnt' need to borrow any more money until then. It'd be even better if she started paying me back by then. I'll have plenty of spending cash still, but it'll be around 300 to 500 instead of the 600+ I thought it'd be.

So everyone, that's an update on everything pretty much. Any questions, comments, concerns, complaints, you know where to find me.. And please.. Buckle up.. =/