Detroit Tigers: Pure Michigan

For those who don’t know this is my first ever summer spent in Michigan, and I’ve been trying to see everything she has to offer. Last week I went to the Detroit River. I decided to follow that up with a an afternoon at Comerica Park watching the Detroit Tigers taking on the Colorado Rockies.

I’m going to preface this by saying I’m not a big baseball fan. I haven’t played since I was 14 and I can’t watch it on TV until it’s the bottom of the ninth in a playoff series. But I absolutely love going to games in person. Perhaps Wrigley Field has spoiled me but I love the atmosphere of a ball game. The ebbs and flows and rhythm of the game feel more natural. There’s something magical about spending an afternoon with peanuts and hot dogs with 40,000 people watching 2 of the best teams in the world battle in a sport over 160 years old. And so it was this past Saturday afternoon. We showed up an hour or so early to take in the sights and sounds. Unlike Wrigley, we were able to park a mere block away for $10.

Once inside the first thing I noticed was how beautiful the stadium was, a true gem of Detroit. The entire skyline of the city the backdrop. The park itself a fitting arena for America’s pastime. It didn’t take long for the buzz of the crowd to come to life with a solo homer from Cabrera in the bottom of the first.

I don’t actually remember much of the game. I know it was never in doubt,  but the specific events of the game are inconsequential to me. The memories I will always have come from the time with the friends, the beautiful weather, good food, and the sounds and atmosphere of professional sport. That’s pure Michigan.

Detroit River

What a great weekend! Me and some friends went down to the Detroit River for the weekend and just relaxed for 48 hours straight, its been awhile since I've been on a vacation and I'd forgotten the amazing feeling of simply sitting still, and doing...well nothing at all. There was no work, no school, no responsibility, just the cool air from the river and the company of friends.

In fact the Detroit River itself was amazing. Heading up, I had heard the river had a reputation for being nasty and polluted, but I found the cold water refreshing and the scenery beautiful.

Its been a great summer so far, and really its only just begun!

Summer Reading

After a long hiatus and moving twice I’m now settled in for the summer, so let’s get back to it!

As I said, it’s the summer, which means freedom from homework, exams, and reading assignments. Therefore, we have time for one of my favorite past times, summer reading! I’ve purchased a few books I hope to read over the course of the summer and I figured I would share my goal with the interwebs.

1) Game of Thrones (Book 1 and Book 2?)

Season 2 of the amazing HBO television show is almost at its end, and I have already decided I will not be able to wait nine months until the next season to find out what happens next. So I’ve begun reading the source books by George R. R. Martin.

For the uninitiated Game of Thrones is an incredible fantasy world where warring factions struggle to control the throne, even as their enemies with supernatural power loom from just beyond the realm. Despite being a fantasy world this series is characterized by deep and dimensional characters and a gritty realism that is truly unparalleled.

 I am three hundred pages in and they are every bit as awesome as the show with the added bonus of insight into the minds of the characters, as well as added scenes the show didn’t have time to include. Hopefully I’ll be able to get through both Book 1 and Book 2 this summer.

2) Don’t Put Me in Coach

Written by a former college basketball benchwarmer and current Grantland columnist the book seems to be an autobiography of MarkTitus’ days at Ohio State with unique insight into the locker room. Mark being one of my favorite writers, I went and bought this book the day it came out but unfortunately I haven’t had the time yet to read it. I have looked at the pictures (right at my reading level) and found the captions full of the humor Titus is known for. If the book is anything like the captions or his amazing column, it will be a nonstop comedy train.

3) Blood of Elves

Another fantasy book and the sequel to one of my favorite books, The Last Wish, Blood of Elves should be a great collection of short stories based on a mutant monster hunter. If it’s anything like the first book it will be filled with moral shades of gray, vibrant characters, and gripping combat. Also the main character is a pure bred bad ass.

4) The Girl Who Played With Fire

Back when I saw the trailer for the Daniel Craig movie “TheGirl with the Dragon Tattoo” I wanted to read the book before seeing the movie. The book ended up being so good and such a complete telling of the story that I didn’t want to experience it in any other medium and have the potential to ruin my vision of these characters. I don’t know much about the sequel aside from that I can’t wait to find out what’s going to happen next.

So feel free to spoil these books for me if I don’t finish them by the end of the summer, I’ll deserve it. Really I wrote this because I want to know what you are reading this summer. Post in the comments below!

The Future of MSU Basketball

            Spring football is almost here, and I cannot remember being more excited for MSU football than I am for next year. Home games vs Boise State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Iowa, and Nebraska. Being so excited I started looking through the internet at highlights of our recruits, highlights from last year etc. And being that the internet is designed to waste time I stumbled upon recruiting info for MSU's basketball team and I couldn't help but get excited for our bright future.

           

            I thought in the name of Spartan Spirit I would share my internet journey through our future. Get excited!

2012 (Next year!)

Gary Harris:

Matt Costello

Kenny Kaminski

Unfortunately there isn't much footage of Kenny yet due to an injury his senior year, but get to know the young man who at one point was more highly touted than Mr. Michigan (Costello).

adidas May Classic: Kenny Kaminski from Inside The Hall on Vimeo.

Denzel Valentine

Obviously these next few guys are not committed yet, but still, fun to think about:

2013 

Jabari Parker

So Jabari Parker, the consensus number one pick in the class of 2013 is up for grabs between Duke and Michigan State. This would be the big fish to eat all other big fish if Izzo pulled it off. All that really needs to be said is this is an NBA ready player, who can easily succeed at four positions. Hopefully, he'll be dominating the 2013 season wearing Green and White.

2014

Cliff Alexander

Yes, we are looking that far down the line, as Michigan State is the favorite (yes, the FAVORITE) to win the Cliff Alexander sweepstakes. Personally he reminds me a lot of Anthony Davis. Apart from his Chicago roots he is a tall shot blocker, strong rebounder, and as a sophomore is already building a perimeter game. Enjoy:

A lot to look forward to Spartan fans even three years down the line! These are some amazing recruits, clearly Izzo is back on top of his game. In Tom we trust!

Area 52

Hey everyone, this may come as a surprise to you, but I decided to shamelessly self-promote (again). My blog so deal with it. Seriously though a while back me and my fellow Game Design classmates finished another group of projects that I haven't had a chance to share until now.

I am very proud just to be a part of the team that put this together. We all started with a basic theme of Discovery. Then one of our members discovered how to make an algorithm that would randomly generate a different maze every time you played the game. We ran with that idea and ended up with a Telekinetic alien escaping from Area 52 (bigger and badder than Area 51).

Its a small download so please enjoy!:

Area 52

I'm also really proud (and jealous) of what my fellow classmates were capable of, so I figured I would share them with you as well.

Haunted House Hunt

Its a game with a really cool atmosphere of a dark haunted house that has interesting puzzles involving light in unique ways. Its really eerie.

Unobtanium Factor

Another game that is different every time you play, this one randomly generates an incredibly deep and varied galaxy, yours to explore.

Austin's Awesome Adventure

Another haunted game, this time in a hotel. A young boy in a 2D world looks to avoid the monsters of this scary night.

Glo-Kid: The Searchfor El Chupacabra

Another side-scroller, this time you play a Cactus who along with his Donkey, trusty whip and boomerang, must save the Chickens, and defeat the El Chupacabra. There's also an insanely addictive endless mode.

Mistbane

This game features a fully realized RPG world that will take you hours to explore, and you never know what's around each corner of this beautiful world.

Way Overboard

This game features an open world style Boat with goofy achievements, a wacky story, and plenty to see and do. Also non-stop laughs. See if you can find everything!

I really enjoyed playing all of this round's games, yours to enjoy! 

Leave any feedback in the comments below!

Everybody Love Everybody

We are now three weeks away from finals. And while the summer can't come fast enough, finals are coming way too quickly. I've mentioned multiple times on here that one of the best ways for me to forget my stress is to watch movies. I consider myself a big movie buff. Luckily Michigan State has got my fix covered. For example this weekend Semi-Pro was playing on Comedy Central, but I realized I didn't want to watch it censored and with commercials.

So I decided I wanted to watch a movie on RHA TV on demand which has an impressive list of movies that rotates, including Semi Pro. And yet, most of my friends have never heard of this website available only to on campus MSU students. So I thought  I would list my favorite movies currently available.

1. Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring

Everybody has already seen this movie, but that does not change the fact that it is one of the greatest movies of all time.

2. Semi Pro

Easily the most underrated movie in Will Ferrell's resume, featuring a great supporting cast surrounding one of Ferrell's best characters, Jackie Moon. This movie is criminally underappreciated.

3. 50/50

I am a big fan of both Seth Rogan and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (ever since his performance as the lead in one of my favorite movies: theLookout). Although this movie was sold as a comedy, it ended up being a pretty compelling drama.

4. Moneyball

A good sports movie that I enjoyed because it bucked some of the normal trends of sports movies. For example, the climactic success of the team was experienced somewhere towards the middle, usually that's a moment saved for the very end. Moreover Jonah Hill and Brad Pitt had very good chemistry.

There are other movies I've been wanting to see such as Blow and Hoosiers, and a bunch more that may be exactly what you are looking for, so check it out!

Spartan Zombies!!

Zombies are taking over Michigan State! No not really, but Michigan State clearly has a deep attachment for the reanimated brain eaters. First came the news that Michigan State would be the first accredited university to offer a course on surviving the Zombie apocalypse. Officially titled "Surviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse: Catastrophes & Human Behavior", the course will cover events like the Great Plague and natural disasters before focusing on the coming invasion of the undead. If you are interested the 7 week course is two credits, and is offered this summer.

And that isn't the only thing going on with Zombies on campus. Coming April 7th is the annual Spartans vs. Zombies nerf tag game. Basically you register with your friends, and carry a nerf gun while wearing a bandanna on your arm. You use the nerf gun to shoot the zombies who are wearing the bandannas on their heads. If a zombie is shot they are out of the game for 15 minutes. If a zombie tags a human that human becomes a zombie and begins their quest for brains.

Its a great time for zombies after the explosive finale of the Walking Dead. Everyone needs their fix. How are you preparing for the coming apocalypse?