It looks like it's just about time for another update. My so-called vacation is officially underway. I haven't really done much thus far except maybe giving my vegetation skills an extreme workout. =p I haven't been in the gym since that last Friday. I can't believe how fucking out of shape I am. I was totally sore last Saturday and Sunday. It took two whole days to recover from the pain. So much for my daily commitment to working out. Maybe I can do it every other day until my body gets used to the idea and step it up to a daily routine, or maybe I can split strength training days with cardio. I suppose I'll figure something out.

My body felt better on Monday, but my brain seemed totally out of it that day. I wound up playing Grand Theft Auto III instead. I actually had that game for a very long time, but I just never got into it until now. I think I got distracted by GTA Vice City, which in many ways is a superior game. Still after finishing the main storyline in Vice City and then going back starting from scratch and completing all of the side missions and most of the side games, it seems I have extracted most of the fun that I can get from the game.

In GTA III, I actually managed to get on the second island for the first time ever which was pretty cool I think. In GTA III you start out in the seedy part of town, the "Red Light District" and work your way up to the the second island which is actually the nicer looking part of town sort of like a Manhattan island. They went the opposite route in Vice City and designed the game so that you start out in the more attractive part of town with the beaches and condos and work your way up to the second part which has the industrial, business, shipping and ghetto areas.

I still have to get used to the fact that the main character in the game that you control doesn't have a name nor does he ever talk in the cut-scenes. A stark contrast from the sometimes vocal Tommy Vercetti of Vice City. Still, in all it's shortcomings when compared to VC, I do like the Mafioso storyline of GTA III, as well as the abundance of rival gangs as well as the more modern backdrop. As you progress in the story more and more street gangs begin to know and hate you enough that you can't walk or drive in the streets without getting shot at. I've gotten pretty good at doing drive-by pot shots at street gangs. Those damn bastards...

But yeah, don't get me wrong I loved the 80's theme of Vice City. It managed to capture the feel of that period, kind of like putting you smack dab in the middle of a series of Miami Vice episodes with an authentic and impressive 80's soundtrack to round out the appeal. It's a work of art I tell ya. How could I not love a game where I had a chance to run my own crime organization, with my very own mansion along with other safe houses, condos and apartments scattered all over Vice City, not to mention business fronts, like a night club, a chop shop auto dealership and even a strip club. Yeah so my video game life is richer than my actual life. So sue me. My lawyer in the game is called Ken Rosenberg. ;)

I figure GTA III will keep me busy until GTA San Andreas comes out in October. According to the rumors, this game is set sometime in the 90's in the California/Nevada area of San Andreas, with a San Francisco Bay Area like city, a Los Angeles like city and a Los Vegas like city and you get to play several different main characters instead of just one. Why does it have to come out right in the middle of my school quarter? *ahem* Anyhow, expect me to be totally immersed in that game come October.

So anyway, back to reality. I arranged for the car today so I can accomplish a few errands and actually haul my ass to the gym. I might catch a matinee with a friend later on too. I've been meaning to watch Spiderman 2 for a while now. I had other stuff to say, but I'll squeeze that stuff out in another entry perhaps since this one inadvertently turned into a video game discussion. You can stop rolling your eyes at me now. =p