OT: Offseason Time Sinks
Well, it's happened. There's no more college football until August. Sure, there's the NFL playoffs, draft, etc. but there's only a few games at a time now. There's basketball and hockey both collegiate and pro, but besides watching my teams I don't get into the national broadcasts like I do for football.
The question is: what are you spending your time on moving forward? Fixing up that old muscle car? Going to BBB & Home Depot for nice little Saturdays? Exercising per your new years resolution? New season of the Bachelor? What do you do with your newfound free time?
January 7th, 2014 at 11:29 AM ^
Part of why I started this, I know there are a bunch of gamers on the board - what recent video games are worth the money? I saw AC4 is now only $30 at Best Buy, is that worth a purchase? I played AC2 when it came out free on XBox Live, and borrowed AC3, I enjoy the series but I'm somewhere between a serious and casual gamer, probably 4 hours a week tops. That said, the games I've recently played through (GTA V, Bioshock Infinite) are definitely worth a play. Any others you can recommend to get me and other MGoBloggers through the winter/spring?
January 7th, 2014 at 11:39 AM ^
and love it. A great time-waster.
I'm also catching up on reading... I am re-reading Jack Keoruac's On The Road (original scroll) and The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams is next on the docket.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:44 AM ^
should be read by young people, and specifically young men. It's a great book, but is there really any value in going back through it again? I don't see it as having a lot of deeper lessons that a re-read of a lot of other classics brings back. Or maybe I'm just too old.
January 7th, 2014 at 12:18 PM ^
The scroll version is much different than original published version. Its a more true-to-life account of Kerouac and Cassady's actual travels, plus has about 100 pages of information about the writing and publication of the book before the novel begins.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:56 AM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 12:22 PM ^
My signature says otherwise.
Kidding aside, I don't have BF4, but will eventually. I bought BF3 for about $20 in early 2013. The campaign is fun and the multiplayer is just meh for me. I prefer COD because I like the perks and kill streak rewards.
January 7th, 2014 at 12:35 PM ^
Battlefield 4 is pretty good, at least the campaign. Will be beating it this weekend. I am a long time COD player and can say that COD Ghosts is absolutely awful. I already plan on trading it in at Gamestop this weekend. Gonna get the trophies and be done with it.
For those nerds out there that appreciate a real time sink, Final Fantasy 14 (online MMO) for PS3 is absolutely outstanding. You could play that game for 24 hours straight and not even make a dent in the content. They also keep adding more content and dont charge $10 for them. But most people aren't RPG players and that's fine.
Really looking forward to the new slate of PS4 games coming in the next 2 months.
January 7th, 2014 at 12:40 PM ^
Is BF4 any less glitchy than BF3? I loved the game when I could play it; we're pretty rural and our ISP is just barely sufficient for Modern Warfare but battlefield was basically unplayable as high as our latency is. Then I was told it was partly the game itself that was to blame because it didn't compensate well for people with a slightly slower ping.
This is all what I'm told. If what I just said makes no sense, I'm a tech dummy, so go easy.
January 7th, 2014 at 12:48 PM ^
On PS4, BF4 is not very glitchy at all . However, on PS3 it is a bit glitchy still. Most of my friends that I play with have PS3 so I switch back and forth quite a bit. The new generation of consoles make a gigantic difference in the game, especially online.
January 7th, 2014 at 12:57 PM ^
I see. My PS3 is basically in electronic hospice at this point; but there's no possibility of sneaking a PS4 past my wife until the ol' girl finally gives up.
...the PS3, that is...not my wife.
January 7th, 2014 at 12:01 PM ^
Your definition of your gamer status humors me.
Too bad you missed the great steam sale of 2013.
Skyrim, batmans, mass effect 1-3, dragonage, witcher, demon souls, dota 2, warframe, day z.
really depends on the genera you like but yeah. a few of those game will easily take you through to next season by themselves assuming you complete them fully at your current pace. (skyrim, demon souls, dota, warframe, dayz)
January 7th, 2014 at 1:07 PM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 2:37 PM ^
I was just going to make a very similar comment. Being a PC Gamer has always been being the best kind of gamer. (Well, except for when I had my Apple ][+...)
You can do yourself a massive favor by going to the Steam store, putting all your favorite games on a wishlist and waiting for that magic email: "A Game on your Wishlist is on sale!"
In addition to picking up the full Skyrim and first two Batmans this year, I also scored L4D2 for free. Huge win. Regardless, around just about every holiday there are some significant finds on sale on Steam. Beyond Thanksgiving and Christmas, there are also Easter, 4th of July, and other sales. Highly recommended.
January 7th, 2014 at 12:13 PM ^
My recent games are Assassin's Creed 4, Call of Duty Ghosts, Lego Marvel Superheroes, and a bunch of the free games that Microsoft offered over the past six months. AC is my favorite current franchise and COD is right behind it. I do want to say, however, that the Ghosts campaign is cool and fun, but its multiplayer is dog shit. I went back to playing Black Ops 2 online because it's far and away better than Ghosts.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:33 PM ^
Anyone who thinks BO2 is the best COD multiplayer = clown.
If you get your dick hard waiting for a lobby to be set so you can actually play the game, sure. That is 50% of the time you're going to spend online playing that title.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:41 PM ^
I wait about a minute or two in between matches. OMG what will I ever do?
January 7th, 2014 at 12:39 PM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 12:54 PM ^
I'll be getting an Xbox One (hopefully) around Christmas time. $500 is simply too much. I'm hoping to find one for <=$350.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:12 PM ^
on Christmas Eve to buy a game for the PS4 the GF gave me that day and they had several XBox Ones and PS4s sitting there.
That said, bought FIFA this weekend. Didn't think I would like it, but then 4 hours and however many games later on a 3D TV, I became hooked.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:37 AM ^
Juan Pablo.
Edit: Just kidding. I have a list of items. I'm going to train for a half marathon in April up in Champaign, IL...finish line is the 50 yd line of their football stadium where I will take a leak if no one is watching.
Also, adding a bathroom in the basement, a hearty DIY program for myself. Should be fun.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:37 AM ^
Not sure how one makes money as a "dog lover" or "free spirit", but the fact that an ADA is on the show makes me think she's got the most hilarious kind of hidden crazy
January 7th, 2014 at 11:39 AM ^
Absolutely agree. But the funny thing about that show is that there's lots of hidden crazy there, we just don't see it until week 3 or 4.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:37 AM ^
That, and I have this dumb wedding in July that I have to prepare for.
January 7th, 2014 at 3:00 PM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 4:46 PM ^
I don't watch enough live TV I guess. Never saw a commercial for it. How the hell did I miss that? Good thing the DVR would catch it anyway. Can't wait.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:42 AM ^
The topic isn't Off Topic (OT), it most certainly is about college football, or the lament of not having college football until August. But wait, there is national signing day next month, spring practice the following month, and as you noted, the NFL draft in April. The dead period will really be May and June. Come July we'll start hearing about how so and so has been leading his position group in workouts, runs, and drills and pretty soon it is August and the season countdown begins.
See, college football is just right around the next corner.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:46 AM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 11:48 AM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 11:50 AM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 12:04 PM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 1:04 PM ^
Good choice. If you've been playing a year, congrats on getting past the painful part. So many people start but quit once they find out how much it hurts at first.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:10 PM ^
Yep. I've come to accept that my fingertips will basically be plastic from now on. And it feels great.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:47 AM ^
I have miraculously avoided most all Game of Thrones talk on this here interwebs because I have wanted to make it through the books before I watch the series. I'm nearly through the first book and would like to keep plowing through the rest before football picks up again.
January 7th, 2014 at 12:02 PM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 2:45 PM ^
You can pretty safely watch season 1 after reading the first book and season 2 after reading the second book. It gets a little more complicated in season 3, but if you're a committed reader, you won't be in trouble if you start season 3 when you're half-way through book 3. We'll see how closely the series continues to follow the books. I'd imagine you'd want to finish book 3 before starting season 4 (when it
Suffice it to say, I'm a huge fan of both. And though my wife wouldn't be interested enough in the books, she has loved the tv series.
January 7th, 2014 at 3:05 PM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 11:49 AM ^
I agree 100%.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:50 AM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 11:50 AM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 12:29 PM ^
Ah yes...the other awesome M word. I freaking LOVE the Masters. I'm a recent, yet big, golf fan. I started really watching and paying attention about five years ago. Golf is so fun to watch and the Masters is just the best. Tiger makes his 2013 debut on January 23 at the Farmers Insurance tournament. Ricke Fowler is one of my favorites.
January 7th, 2014 at 3:08 PM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 11:52 AM ^
On the 2013 Eukanuba AKC Dog Championships. I've been trying not to sneak a peek at the finalists or champions because I don't want to spoil the surprise. I have to admit, the suspense is killing me.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:53 AM ^
My kids are 2 1/2 years and 3 months old. Free time doesn't exist for me right now.
January 7th, 2014 at 12:35 PM ^
As the father of twin 11 year old boys, also an 8 and 5 year old daughter you will gladly fill up and take away any free time you ever thought you had. I laugh at one of my last buddies to recently get married thinking that he's busy now because he has to consider his wife into his daily plans now...
My Kids are all active in Soccer almost all year round and I love coaching and sharing my experience with the kids and watching them grow and learn each year.
My boys are 5 years into Martial Arts and expect to test for their Black Belts this year... and on that note today both of my daughters will start their training this evening.
So little "free time", with practice, training, games, and tournaments... yet all of the family time makes it more than worth it.
However, it would be nice to sleep in at least one day a weekend... that would be nice to get back everyonce in a while... so I fit Michigan Football into my life... not the other way around.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:53 AM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 11:53 AM ^
I never know what to do now...I can do things on my Saturday's again? It might take a few weeks to get used to it again then the sadness of football being over will finally hit.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:54 AM ^
Just bought a house and all my attention is now going to finishing it. The plan is to have it completed by next season.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:58 AM ^
Now that I am free of college football for the next eight months basically, I finally get to turn to basketball as well as some of the little to-do items around the house that were put off because of the season.
This time around, one of the more pressing things for me is finally setting up wireless print service in the house, something that my wife has been wanting me to do for a couple months now because she is tired of having to use my computer to print anything. I also have a sink to change out in the main floor bathroom as well as two more rooms of electric socket changeouts to do. That last one is an interesting experience as the definition of "room" is not conventional to whomever laid out the wires and breaker panel - when you're writing "south wall, living room / north wall, front bedroom" on a label, you have issues.
I also plan to get back into playing Civilization, a longtime favorite of mine, as well as work on another humor book - this one I outlined in August and simply didn't start during football.
January 7th, 2014 at 12:03 PM ^
So did this ON season