What if i didn’t want to be found?
So I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed... well, enjoyed may not be the right word for it... but I thought the series finale of Lost was probably the best I've ever seen. I'll even go as far as saying that it was brilliant. They finished the series in the same extraordinary way that they started it. There was no way that they were going to be able to answer all the questions they raised over the past 6 years. So why not answer the greatest question of all? Death.
And I didn't see it coming.
I've got friends at work where we all share 'lost stories' together after each episode. Some didn't like it. They either thought it was a cheap way out or that the several of the past years were just 'filler' if they weren't going to try and explain everything. I don't know. I'm much more inclined to enjoy the journey... not the details. And I don't think I've ever experienced a series on TV that has offered up such a rich and clever voyage. How they were able to make every episode so suspenseful with ongoing twists and turns... I'm not sure when we'll ever see something like this again. It would be crazy to say that there will never be another 'Lost' but this series was certainly unique. I think they broke many of the traditional ways of writing for a drama/action series. Besides being artfully crafted, they writers were able to balance between creating multiple concurrent story lines that felt like it would go on forever and writing like there was no tomorrow. You never knew who was going to die. Who was going to be the hero from one episode to the next. Everything seemed to have a 'purpose' yet at the same time, you almost felt like they were making it up as they went a long. This only added the excitement of it all. Like we were all watching it unfold together, viewer, writer, actor, for the first time.
But anyway. Now its over. I know it was only a TV show but it was like saying goodbye to a familiar friend. It's left a very big void in our weekly television schedule...
Artificial Flowers
Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we just don't fit in. Why can you click with some people but with others, something is off. A missing connection. An uncomfortable pause. Why is that? I envy those that can connect with everyone. The people who make it look so easy to be accepted. Everyone remembers their name. You can see it in the eyes of the people they meet. That instant bond. That genuine happiness they get when being reunited with someone they know no better than you. Is it a chemical reaction? Can charisma be quantified? Or is this imaginary? I don't believe it is. We all know that one individual who is always instantly accepted. Always popular. That people want to be with. The person who is always remembered... While I need to reintroduce myself to someone I've met several times before.
We live in a small building. 4 floors. Maybe 40 suites. An even smaller parking garage as not all tenants have a parking spot. For the past 7 years, we've driven in and out of that parkade. We've seen pretty much every tenant come and go in and out of that parkade. 2 doors down from our apartment lives a lady maybe a couple years older than myself. A pretty lady. Very trendy and fashionable. Long blond hair, looks European but isn't. When we moved in, she lived alone. She drove a new VW Bug. We would exchange smiles. Say hello sometimes. About 2 years ago, she started seeing someone. She had a child not long ago. And even though they are 2 doors down, we never hear the baby. She traded in the bug for a new Prius hybrid. Black.
A couple of weeks ago someone broke into our parking garage. As I was leaving for work that morning, I walked past her black Prius where she was cleaning up the smashed glass from out of her car. We exchanged glances.
That evening, after coming home and parking my car, I shared the elevator up to the 4th floor with my neighbour.
"I couldn't help but notice that you were cleaning glass out of your car this morning. Was there a break in?" I ask.
"Yes!" she replied. "This place is awful for car break ins".
"I know" I said. "That's why I don't lock my doors and leave the windows down so they have no need to break in."
Her response... "Oh, so you live in the building?"
Yes, yes I do.
Badda Bing, Badda Boom.
So this is a bit concerning.
Looks like we lost the license to the NHLPA and the NHL. It was a cascading issue from last year which finally came to a head this week. In last year's iteration of the game, we put in this very cool fighting mechanic. If you played it, you would have been impressed. The game flips from a 3rd person view to a 1st person view when the player instigates a fight with another player. The original design had the fights go on for a minute or two before it would finally stop, either with one player winning or the refs breaking it up. The NHL looked at this and wasn't impressed with the 'violence' in the game. We had to reduce it down to about 3 punches. 
Yes, that's realistic. But what can we do?
So our relationship with the league was somewhat strained after that.
So there was a new design item in this years game which the entire new 2011 version of the game hinged on. The NHL looked at it and didn't' like it. Apparently words were exchanged. And the plug has been pulled. It doesn't help that the licensing fees were quite high making for a difficult return of investment. Add the shaky economy... video games are at an all time low... and the writing was on the wall. So after about 20 years, it looks like the curtain has closed.
So as this is one of my main projects, this doesn't fare well for me. And it has certainly sent a ripple through the studio. We're being called into the auditorium later this afternoon. The last time this happened, with our baseball franchise, the entire team was just let go. Badda bing, badda boom.
What's really sad is that I've been playing this game for 20 years and now it's no more. Very sad. Well, I guess losing my job is worse... I guess...