Andy Laub they call me "The Solution"

So you knew this was coming. Yesterday, 5:00 PM Central Standard Time, marked the release of the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV. So I went to their site at 9:00 PM or so, and got right in. The hi-res WMV loaded pretty easily, but when it came to playing, it was quite jumpy. Figuring that it was a bandwidth thing, especially since I’m on wireless right now thanks to our office being repainted, I opted to download the WMV. After doing so, the 1280×720 video stuttered in Quicktime. So I downloaded the iPod format. More stuttering. Fed up with the obviously overtaxed Powerbook at this point, I called it a day.

Then I went to start up the 360 for the first time since we moved. Lo and behold, the GTA IV trailer is on the Marketplace. Stutter-free playback in HD? Yes please.

After all that buildup, you’d think I’d have a lot to say about the trailer. But it’s called a teaser for a reason, so these are the only things I can say for sure:

• Liberty City is (one of) the setting(s?). And it looks a lot like NYC this time around.
• At least part of the game takes place in the present.
• One of the characters is Eastern-European.
• Graphics look promising. The moving shadows (as the sun changes positions) look very impressive.

What I’m hoping this trailer turns out to be is a misdirection. A way to show off graphics without giving too much away. As it stands, we’re led to believe that we’ll be playing a Russian man, new to our setting of Liberty City. But what if that’s not the case? What if he’s just one of the ancillary characters, and as time goes on, more trailers are released showing others that you’ll cross paths with, all from different cities? Crap, that’d be awesome.

Okay, okay, hopes are up. I’d better settle down now and stop thinking about it. And go reserve my copy.

Warm(ish) weather is starting to show up again, which makes me happy. Of course, that means the last couple of days have been spent thinking of open air motoring, either in the form of a convertible or a motorcycle.

At the top of the list is a Honda Civic Del Sol. I have loved this car ever since its debut when I was still in middle school. I really like Honda’s practical approach to open motoring; rather than offer a traditional ragtop, they use a panel that unlatches and stores in the trunk. Combine this with the Honda drivability that I love so much, and it’s a definite winner. Why don’t I have one? Because a) there’s still nowhere to store it and b) I can’t freaking find one.

Both of those problems are solved with option #2: a motorcycle. I really, really like the Suzuki SV650. It’s got the looks, the powerplant (not too crazy) and most importantly, it’s almost ridiculously easy to find a great deal on a lightly used one from a dealer. I’ve seen last year’s models going for under $5K which is a steal for a basically new bike. Why don’t I have one? Because I still can’t convince myself that a motorcycle is a good idea. I had one (non-serious) mishap on the scooter when I owned it that kind of turned me off of the whole 2-wheels thing. I was into it last year when I got my motorcycle license, but the interest and novelty faded and left me glad that I didn’t buy anything.

I might be swayed if I found an old Honda Nighthawk or similar bike for cheap in the area, but I don’t see myself going any other route. I really do enjoy cars more than bikes, but it’s just so impractical to have more than one and I can’t justify ditching my car for something less practical either. For now I’ll just have to settle for windows down, sunroof-open, shift-free cruising.

The show has closed, and I’m left with some fond memories, new friends, and a whole lot more free time since my extracurricular activities are now back down to 0.

Except for moving… I guess we should finish doing that.

There’s an aura of difficulty and stubbornness that seems to surround the Department of Motor Vehicles, at least in many peoples’ minds. I’ll admit, I was feeling a little stressed when I entered this morning, thanks to their succinct instructions:

1. Take a number
2. Fill out a form
3. Wait for your number to be called

I always liked #2 the best, as though as long as you were filling out some sort of form, you were fine. But my problem is that I’m completely helpless in situations like this, and so I wasn’t sure what form to fill out to change my address (answer: new license application).

But I think much of the stigma comes from the gruff-ish attitude of the staff there, as though they don’t need your business. Truth is, they’re just trying to get stuff done, same as everybody. They want to continue to proceed in an orderly fashion, so if that means you have to leave the window to fill out another form, deal with it.

Fortunately, I made sure to fill out the forms I thought I might need just in case, which put me on the fast track to new license-ism. Hotness.

The most important thing to remember when visiting the DMV is the thing that causes most people to stress out: don’t be in a hurry. The nicer you are, the nicer everybody else is. I had to laugh (internally) at the huffy girl after me in the line to get a new license, acting as though having to wait in line or write things was super-hard.

So because finding a house, packing, moving, and fixing aren’t all enough work by themselves, I wisely also committed myself to, well, being in a musical. Yes, acting. And singing. And dancing. We’re opening in a week, and it’s starting to feel pulled together, so I’m really excited.

But it’s not just any musical, oh no. This is Urinetown (The Musical). It’s a story about love, corruption, rebellion, and so much more. Also it’s funny. And the music is the best. The basic idea is that water has become extremely sparse, to the point where one huge company oversees public restrooms (the only kind available anymore) that people must pay to use. Those who refuse to pay are carted off to the mythical Urinetown (the place). So naturally, this… arrangement… doesn’t last more than a couple scenes, as the young hero finds himself leading a rebellion against bathrooms that you have to pay for.

Normally, I’d guess there’d be only a moderate amount of interest in the show before it opened and people actually saw it. But not this time. As this production was already in its planning stages, Stevens Point Area High School (SPASH) kicked around the idea of doing it but it got canned by the higher-ups. Thankfully, media, being what it is, smelled some sort of story, and so now we’re doing “The show banned in Stevens Point!” Hot damn.

Obviously, it’s still too early for reviews, but we did get a preview in the City Pages yesterday. While I admit I read them sparingly, there was one bit that was just too good:

Originally scheduled to be performed in Stevens Point Area High School in November of 2006, the SPASH superintendent and high school’s principal canceled it for what they deemed “inappropriate content” — specifically irony, a concept not dealt with in the school’s curriculum until 12th grade apparently.

Burn!

So anyway, if you’re in the area, come see it, because it’s awesome.

Urinetown (The Musical)
UWMC Theater

• March 9, 10 at 7:30
• March 11 at 2:30 2:00
• March 14, 15, 16 at 7:30

Reserved seating; for tickets call 715.261.6230

• $12 Adults
• $10 Seniors & non-UWMC Students