Hello, everyone!

It's a pleasantly warm Thursday morning as I post this. The cold front from last week didn't make that big of a difference so, according to Weather Channel, next Monday is when the temps REALLY drop. I'll be happy then. 

My truck, a 1994 GMC Sonoma, not 4 days after it was repaired the previous week ran into another problem last Tuesday. The key was stuck in the ignition and I couldn't get the truck to turn off. I was still trying to finish work that night so the only course I had was to park the truck at a local, trusted auto repair shop (which handled the repairs of the previous week), uncouple one of the battery cables which finally turned the truck off and walked back to work to finish. My boss gave me a ride home. 

The next day, the auto mechanic found a quick solution to the problem and he gave me the choice: either he dismantles the steering column to figure out which switch was faulty (there were two switches, I was told; also, this method would've taken more time - and therefore more money) or rig an alternate ignition switch near the bottom of the steering column (less time, less money). I chose the latter. And this solution blows my mind.

He bent a nail in two points on this apparatus and the nail is dragged to the right until you hear the engine start. To turn it off, you drag it to the left. It works perfectly, but it's bizarre that after driving vehicles for 22 years that I currently don't need a key to turn on the engine. 

Gaming wise, I finished Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Sunday night and loved it. It was a wild, entertaining ride that didn't overstay its welcome. It brought back a beloved character (Chloe) and fleshed out another that I liked but didn't love from the previous game (Nadine). The exploration, the stealth/gun combat and that crazy ass train sequence at the end were all worthwhile. 

I bought a few e-shop games for my 3DS. I'm not the biggest Sonic fan but the first two games (in 3D) are currently on sale so I picked them up. I had leftover points so I also added River City Ransom. 

In movie-watching news, I'm gearing up for the release of Blade Runner 2049. The advance buzz is almost overwhelmingly positive so that's a relief and I've read some spoiler-free reviews so I'm interested in how this sequel will work and stand alongside the original classic. Last night, I saw the 1982 original on the big screen at the local AMC theater. I've always wanted to see it that way. Just as gorgeous, haunting and heart-breaking as I remember it. I've also been revisiting the book Future Noir by Paul M. Sammon which is basically THE book about the making of the film (Sammon was the film's publicist so he was around for every aspect of the production). The book has been re-released on paperback with updated info to cover The Final Cut release (which is the version I saw the other night; it's Ridley Scott's preferred version and mine as well), how the film has aged and impacted since, info on 2049 (but not too much) and new interviews with Scott, Harrison Ford and Sean Young. If you missed out on the book previously (in which case you may be as old as I am to have been aware of it) and you love the movie, I'd highly recommend tracking it down. I bought it with birthday money last month and it's worth the upgrade.

That's it for now. I'll post again with a spoiler-free Blade Runner 2049 review. Gamefly is sending me Neir Automata so maybe I can launch that bad boy as well.