Last Night in Austin

Saw the Hold Steady last night with Leah, David K., Nathan Black and Aaron, a friend of David’s. It was chilly by our standards, but I had some coffee at Jo’s on 2nd before the show and the band rocked hard enough to keep us warm. After the show, I went home and listened to Thunder Road as a kind of tribute to the Hold Steady.

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Portal Action

Traveling back from Florida, my Very Clever Girlfriend(tm) noticed a great Portal photo op. (Portal is another Game of the Year contender…way to go Valve and the Narbacular Drop/Portal team. The gamplay is great, but the fiction and atmosphere are equally impressive.)

Halloween 2007

My costume this year…a version of the Killer from Wanted (the graphic novel, rather than the movie). Note the abs.

Leah as a Little Sister from (this year’s brilliant) Bioshock. (Games can only be as good as the people funding them will allow…congrats to Take 2 for having the discipline to let the team finish the game then polish the game. Bioshock is one of the best games in years as a result of the team’s talent and the publisher’s savvy.)

Starr Long apparently meditating…Euginie and Snowflake looking delightful. (Starr’s game Tabula Rosa just went live. Way to go, Starr and NCSoft.)

Note how Oge is trying to crush Starr Long’s head.

Had a great time carving pumpkins. Resulting Jack-o’-lanterns. Mine this year (far right) was two eyes and the ‘mouth’ was the hole in the top…for a jack-o’-lantern howling up at the sky.