Pokemon, Podcasting, Presentations, Pencil & Paper, and Ponies

This weekend was full of variety, as the tounge-twisting title suggests. Let me fill in the details for you:

• Pokemon

On Friday a new Pokemon game was released for the Gamecube. Bearing the name of Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, it's an RPG that follows the adventures of a young trainer whose task is to capture opposing trainers' Shadow Pokemon and open these fighting machines' hearts by different purification methods. It's an odd twist to the game's usual formula, albeit a fun one. I've already clocked in some 10 hours in the game and even as I write this the game is calling to me; it's that addictive!

• Podcasting

Friday evening was already reserved for a monthly podcast I take part in. The pre-recorded show is called the iWannabes, in which a couple of friends and I record an hour of our miscellaneous nonsense and geek-speak, thereafter posting it on the Internet for everybody to download. So far we have 3 episodes online and I foresee more will follow. So subscribe to our iTunes feed and get an earful of tech news and tech nonsense!

• Presentations

I had to do a progress report presentation for my Saturday IT Operations class. Using Keynote 2 as my main communication tool, I was quite confident I would have some eye-catching slides ready for the afternoon lecture. Alas, neither material nor muse could help me whip up a presentation in time for the class. I usually am rather creative when working in Keynote, but for some odd reason the spark didn't come to me until about an hour before class. Fortunately, it was time enough to organize the data on my laptop and apply the finishing transitions needed to once again wow both my professor and classmates; a close call indeed!

• Pencil & Paper

Around 9PM Saturday I met up with a couple of friends to pick up where we left off our latest RPG adventure: a mix between Dungeons & Dragons and Star Wars, both very different universes. So far our first session was fun, but we still had to get used to the clashing rules of both systems. I, for example, play a magic casting elf whose companions are a Clonetrooper and a Jedi. The blend of Science Fiction and Fantasy makes for an interesting storyline, so let's see how the Gamemasters handle the will of the Force in a world dominated by the power of the Elements!

• Ponies

Sunday afternoon was spent up in the mountains of Cidra, where my dad now works as the administrator of a horse ranch. An idea my wife and I had was to take my great grandmother with us so she could spend rest of the day in a different surrounding, rather than the urban life she's been used to. Upon arriving, we were welcomed by my parents and sister, which were glad to see us. Since my brother-in-law was with us, he really wanted to hop on to one of the horses. My wife also got the spirit to ride as well as convinced me to join them. As soon as my dad heard, he and my sister saddled up and we galloped through the countryside. We definitely had a great time and the experience is worth repeating.

Well, we've finally come to the end of our ride. Don't forget your personal belongings and I hope you didn't nod off or get frightened away by the Pokemon!