HDLoader: It's The New Black

Ok, I'm here to tell you folks, this may be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Heck, it may be even better, since I'm pretty sure you can't put a slice of bread in a Playstation 2. Well, maybe you can, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't get toast or anything. Anyway, for those not in the know, HDLoader is a disc you can buy to put in your Playstation 2... much like a game, but it's not a game. It's an accessory. Kind of like the Eye Toy, only different.

 

So anyway, what you do is you get the HDLoader, a Network Adapter and a hard drive, throw them all together in a nice big bowl, bake at 350° for 35 minutes, and now all of a sudden you can copy PS2 games straight to the hard drive and play them without having to switch discs whenever you want to switch games. Another nice side effect is that the loading times tend to drop since the hard drive can be accessed faster than a disc. So what you end up getting is convenience, less wear and tear on your PS2's disc drive, and also less wear and tear on your discs (for people out there who have kids using their PS2 games like frisbees, you know where I'm coming from).

 

I know what you're thinking. And it's true. There is a lot of controversy out there about this product, since it makes it lots easier for piracy to happen. All you have to do is go rent a game at Blockbuster, copy it to the hard drive, take it back, and you've still got the game. Sure, that's possible, but I wouldn't suggest it. It's not right. And we all know if it's not right, it's wrong. I know I'm preaching to the choir here. Folks who would turn themselves in on the golf course for a rules violation that no one else saw, aren't going to be moonlighting as video game thieves.

 

Public Links

No, I'm not talking about the golf tournament, nor am I talking about a public links-style golf course. What I'm talking about is working for the public. My sister has always said that everyone should have to have a job at least once in their lives where they have to work for the public. I tend to agree, although sometimes I think I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. What she's saying of course, is that if regular Joes are allowed to experience, just for a little while, the joys of public service, they might think twice the next time they are about to take the head off of the innocent cashier at the local BP Station.

 

I'm here to tell you, folks, people will treat you like you don't exist, like you're not human, the spawn of Satan himself... and I don't like it. I understand where it comes from. Maybe you're having a bad day and I just happen to be in the way when you decide to let all of the frustration out of your system. Or maybe you're pissed that your rates went up and, even though you know I only work there and have no control over the rates, I'm your only conduit to "the man". I just ask that you understand that I am, in fact, human, and that I have a life too. A life full of crap that I wouldn't wish on anyone. Everyone does. That's just life. Get over it. Do I take it out on other people who don't deserve it? Probably. Do I take it out on the customer who takes out their problems on me first? Definitely. And worst of all, if one customer jumps me for no reason, I just pay it forward to the next guy who walks in or who I talk to on the phone, who in turn gets mad and takes it out on the next person he sees.

 

See where I'm going with this? It's a vicious cycle that just goes round and round and round. It does no one any good in the long run. My suggestion is this: take it all out on your spouse. After all, that's what you have them for. And if you do a really good job and get in a fight with them... well, we all know how good the make-up sex can be.

 

Diet

Can I get a little advice, please? What does a person have to do to knock off those last 10 pounds? I've been working at it for what seems like forever. I've been on a constant diet for the past 4 years, after ballooning to around 246. Previously I had lost about 50 pounds (going from 207 to around 157), then I became a statistic and ended up gaining more than I had lost. My current goal was to get back down to 180, and I got back to within 4.5 pounds of that goal earlier this year, but now I have gone back up to around 205. This is driving me nuts! I just want to get to my goal weight so that I can switch my mindset to one of maintaining weight instead of a mindset of losing weight. I know this happens to almost everyone who wants to lose weight. Does anybody have any suggestions?

 

Club Prices

Golf club prices are getting outrageous. I saw the new Taylor Made R7 in a catalog the other day for a whopping $799!! $799!! For one golf club!! Can you believe that? Sure, it was the "Tour Preferred" version, or whatever they call it, but my gosh! That's a heckuva lot of money for a club that's used at most 14 times a round. The regular version was $499. It's a shame that I saw that price and, after seeing the higher priced version, thought that it was a bargain. It's funny how people don't think as much about paying a high price for a driver, but it kills them to see a high priced putter, when the putter is generally used more than the driver. I guess it's true what they say, chicks dig the long ball.

 

The Open

So here's the thing: I know it's not a good attitude to have, but when I see a golfer that's out of the top 20 win a major tournament, I can't help but feel a little cheated. I mean, I'm happy for the guys who win and all, but part of me feels as if they haven't earned their stripes yet. Majors are built up to be so important, so elite, and I just expect that to mean that the elite golfers are the ones that are going to win. When they don't, it's as if I've been cheated a little bit. I know, it's not right, but I still feel that way.

 

While I'm on the subject of the latest major, what exactly should it be called? The British Open or The Open Championship? I'm a little bit torn on the subject. Part of me says that, since I'm an American, I should refer to my tournament (the U.S. Open) as "the Open" and refer to the British as the British Open. But at the same time I can see the other side of the argument. I mean, it's the original, so it deserves a little more respect. Even so, I wouldn't expect a European to call my tournament "the Open", so why should they expect the same from me?

 

Rub Of The Green

A "rub of the green", in golf terms, occurs when a ball in motion is accidently deflected or stopped by an outside agency. There is no penalty for this action, and the ball may be played where it lies, or the ball may be replaced and the stroke replayed, depending on the situation. This happened to me a couple of months ago, as I was on the 6th green at my home course, made my putt, and a dog came up from behind me and swiped my ball as it was on the way to the hole. At the time, I didn't know the rule, so I placed the ball where I thought it would have ended up, and finished the hole. Obviously, that was the wrong thing to do, but who cares? I was just playing a practice round by myself, or at least that's what I thought until my four-legged friend joined the group.

 

Anyway, a "rub of the green" in terms of everyday life could be considered to be the Zen-like act of dealing with situations, good or bad, as they come your way and not considering that you have been penalized in any way... that's just the way it goes sometimes. Life is just that... life. Not good. Not bad. Deal with it and move on to the next stage (or the next hole in golf). As a golfer, I don't have a good grasp of this concept. I tend to get upset with my game more often than I should, whether a dog picks up a pretty decent putt on the way to the hole, or whether I simply make a bad shot with no excuse but my own ineptitude. And, as golf is a metaphor for life, I probably don't have a good grasp of it in my everyday life either. As I throw down some words in this blog to help me figure it all out, golf and life, I welcome anyone's comments, good or bad. Maybe we can all figure this thing out together.