My 2011 was a pretty solid one. Like most people’s it had it’s ups and downs but I’m here in 2012 and I’m off to a good start. So here’s my lists for my favorite things from 2011. Enjoy..

Music
1. Balance and Composure - Separation
2. The Devil Wears Prada - Dead Throne
3. Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
4. Doomtree - No Kings
5. Defeater - Empty Days & Sleepless Nights
6. Fireworks - Gospel
7. Touche Amore - Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me
8. Evidence - Cats & Dogs
9. Close Your Eyes - Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts
10. Common - The Dreamer, The Believer
Honorable Mentions : Title Fight - Shed, The Roots - Undun, La Dispute - Wildlife, Atmosphere - The Family Sign, August Burns Red - Leveler, Dessa - Castor, The Twin

Video Games
1. Batman : Arkham City
2. L.A. Noire
3. Mortal Kombat
4. COD Modern Warfare 3
*Short list I know, but I don’t play many games.

Movies
*This one was a little hard because I didn’t get to see two movies that I really wanted to. I missed out on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Drive but I’m pretty sure if I had seen them they would be on this list. These also won’t be in any particular order because I can’t recall or decide which ones I liked more/most.
- The King’s Speech
- Moneyball
- Everything Must Go
- 50/50
- Kung Fu Panda 2

Fashion (Clothing/Shoes)
1. The Hundreds
2. 10Deep
3. Nike
4. Jordan
5. Rebel 8

     So there you have them. My favorite stuff from 2011. Now these lists only apply to things that are able to be listed. I had some pretty awesome times in 2011, there were also some bad but the good outweigh them. The times with friends, family, and such are more important than any CD I bought or movie I saw. To all my friends who shared and experienced 2011 with me: thank you. Thank you from the top to the bottom of my heart. You guys, my friends and family, are what keep me going and I appreciate that.

Have a blessed 2012,
Zach

     I finished the storyline for Batman Arkham City and I must say although it was shorter than most information provided, it is an astounding game! From the ground up this game is excellent. It’s bigger and better than it’s predecessor Arkham Asylum in every way. The visuals are great, the storyline and characters develop well - it also has some surprising twists, the fighting is better, the gadgets are techier and the gliding system (once you get the hang of it) is impeccable. I’m almost finished with all the side quests and working my way gradually through the 400 Riddler challenges. I love this game and can’t wait for more DLC.

     I also finished Kerouac’s On The Road, and I really dig it. I’m actually thinking of rereading it, or finding the original published version to see the differences (editing, name changes, etc.). The book is based on a pretty simple idea, travel across the U.S. numerous times and write about the experiences, but the execution is beyond simple due to Kerouac’s talent as a writer. He doesn’t just tell you about his travels, he takes you along with him. He doesn’t simply tell you about San Francisco, Denver, or Mexico, he shows you. You become his companion on various journeys and learn from them and enjoy them just as much as he does. And the writing style of the scroll isn’t bogged down with punctuation, and editing. You absorb every emotion because you’re reading them the way he (originally) typed them. It’s an awesome book and I can’t wait to read more of his work. *Note: I read On The Road: The Original Scroll, which is the first version of Kerouac’s novel as he originally typed it. This version was not initially released however due to language, grammar, and the use of people’s real names. There is a version of the first published novel out there which is an edited, changed, and corrected version but I haven’t read that one.

     I’ve been listening to a bit of Joy Division again. I really need to get their albums. I’m back to reading the book I started a while back, Joy Division: Piece By Piece, by Paul Morley. I’m going to try and finish that before I pick up anything else but I can’t guarantee anything.

     Other than that ladies and gents I want to read the Vengeance of Bane comic series, and the Knightfall series where Bane defeats Batman. And soon there’s going to be a big collection of TMNT comics released, I’ll have to find that as well. I have Poe’s complete poetry I want to get into and I still have two books by Frost, and Plath I’ve been picking up every now and again.

Now stop reading this, get off Tumblr, and go read. Enjoy yourselves.

ZN

Batman Arkham City comes out tonight at midnight. Until then:

- MW2 with RD
- Kerouac, On The Road
- AWC to workout while the lady is at dance
- Back home to shower, etc.
- Gamestop for the midnight release of Batman AC

I’ll see you guys in a couple days. I may look like a zombie and probably will not have showered in 3 days, but what’s new?

Yours,
Zach

This past week has been one of those weeks. You know what I’m talking about. One of those weeks where you just feel complacent and stuck.

     Some of my friends are going through some tough times, but aren’t we all? Life isn’t easy. The people who have it easy had to work hard to make it that way (some of them at least). My girlfriend is struggling with school and work. My brother is unemployed. My friend Rios is going through a divorce. I’m trying to go back to school to go through the firefighting program and take some graphic design classes. We’ll see how this goes.

I bought my first Jack Kerouac novel, On The Road. I also picked up Evidence’s new album Cats & Dogs, and got my autographed Dessa pre-order for her album Castor, The Twin. I’m still patiently waiting for Arkham City to drop.

Big Loge’s birthday is today. Robert and I bought him some Turtle Beach headphones for his b-day. Katie’s b-day is the 16th. I need to figure out what I’m doing for that.

This is my life recently. If you’re a part of it, thank you.

God bless,
Zach

     Approximately two days ago I finished the story mode of L.A. Noire. I had put it down a while back after the story got a little slow, I had a change of living arrangements, and I got wrapped up in other games (i.e. Batman Arkham Asylum). But turns out I was actually only two missions away from beating it. So I got through those kind of quickly and enjoyed the ending.

     So since I’ve finished the story I’m now running through the side-quests. There is some really sweet extras and bonus missions for this game. You have to find 30 historic LA landmarks, 50 gold film reels that are named after actual noire films from the era, hidden badges, and you have to drive all the cars in the game. I’ve got through most of the extra stuff as well. The only thing I have left is driving all the cars and then I’m going to go back through certain story parts to get some achievements I missed.

     But if you guys enjoy Rockstar games, or you’re a fan of the booming Hollywood 40-50s era then this game is a must play. The graphics and look of the game, the gameplay, the voice acting, and the depth of the game all make it well worth the cost of the game. The storyline does drag it’s feet a little here and there, but if you’re a fan of good narrative in games then you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

Now it’s back to waiting for Arkham City.

Zach

     It’s been a while since I’ve played anything made by Rockstar. The last actually was probably Grand Theft Auto : San Andreas (which is an amazing game). But from the first teaser trailer to the release LA Noire has had me interested. The gritty, noire theme and the 50s setting had me stoked from jump street. I’m a huge fan of history based media, and the 50s happens to be one of my favorites. I love the cars, I love the clothes, I love the music and I love the corrupt Hollywood backdrop.

     LA Noire gives you all this down to historical landmarks, film titles, and radio stations. The City of Angels is faithfully recreated down to the street and building names. The crime scene investigations, the interrogations, the chases and shootouts all heighten the sense of old school film noire. And the facial expressions and voice dubbing is incredible. The emotion you get from characters is crucial in determining whether or not they’re lying and the voice acting and face graphics do their job to aid your questioning. The process gets a bit slow at times but the pacing is satisfying. It’s not your typical Rockstar game in the sense that the freeroaming is unavailable during the story but this doesn’t ruin the game as I thought it would. Instead, having the two modes separate is a little more helpful. I don’t get distracted in the story mode by side quests and collectibles, and in freeroam I don’t worry about timing or losing track of the story with the extra stuff.

     All in all I think Rockstar and Bondi Games delivered a high quality, unique gaming adventure. It excels on almost all fronts, but could’ve been tweaked a little bit more in certain areas. I hope the DLC (if there is any) expands on this great title and keeps us coming back for more.

Check it out! LA Noire is on PS3 & XBox 360.

Zach

P.S. Tumblr needs to update their spellcheck (or whoever runs it) cause it’s telling me that “noire” is spelled wrong. Can some Tumblr higher-ups look into this? Thanks.