I bought Dragon Age Origins last December for the PC. I would play for a while and quit, play for a while and quit, wash and repeat until... 78 hours later, I'm the hero of Ferelden. Claudian saves the day, so says my rogue human noble.  

I've been playing Mass Effect 2 for what seems like forever, but for some reason I felt like finishing my first character in Dragon Age Origins after many months away. I was just at the beginning of the final battle and hit a break wall.
 
At first, the ending was frustrating, hence the many months off, even on easy it was hard as crap on the PC. But when I found my combat rhythm, while using different tactical cameras, it became fun again. I defeated the last boss on my first try. All my teammates had died save for one, Claudian.
 
Now I'm going to jump right back in with a new character. I've heard many good things about the Dwarf Noble Origin. So, that's where I'm heading.
 
Thanks for reading 
 
Claude
 
I've posted this before, but it still makes me laugh.
 
  

I'm taking a little break from the hospital before I go back. My wife's amputation went well. The infection that put her life at risk is no more. She'll be in critical care for 24 more hours, but I expect her to bounce back quick since the infection in her heel is gone. After that, maybe another 5 days in the hospital and then the healing process continues at home. Eventually, she will be fitted for a prosthesis. 
 
Crazy as it may seem, my wife and family laughed a little before the surgery. I don't want to offend anyone, but I'm going to post pictures of the leg before surgery. It's not gross or anything, but we did write on it like a cast or something.  

Gallery

I thought I would throw this out there. It's real so beware.
 
My wife's health has never been well. She's had Lupus for 28 years. We've been dating and or married for 22 of those years. Lots of other health issues have developed over these years, emergency back surgery being the worst. She fought her way back from that, but two years ago an open wound on her heel started giving her problems.
 
The bone in her heel became infected, but she tried to persevere. This weekend her blood became septic with the infection. She's in the hospital in the critical care unit. She's stable now, but Wednesday she will have her left leg amputated below the knee.
 
I think she will bounce back from this as she is a strong willed person. 
 
In some ways, I could tell this was happening when I wrote the Don't Pray for Me blog. I just knew something was going wrong. Don't let my issues with religion fool you. You are free to pray. I couldn't stop you anyway. That's it. Real life is hard, real hard.
 
Thanks for reading.
 
Claude

How small we are all. The words written, even smaller. 
 
The lives living matter the most. My mother died, but games live on. My wife's health is failing, but games live on.
 
Don't pray for me.
 
I'm an atheist human being. A small part, very small part, in a big picture. Math means the world, solar system, galaxy and universe to me. 
 
My faith, my spirit is with numbers, science and finally... understanding.
 
I don't need the truth. It's beyond me. I want honesty.
 
Love you all, but always love your self first. 
 
  

• Bought Mass Effect PC version May of '08, didn't own an Xbox 360 at the time.
• July of '08 bought Xbox 360 
• Bought Mass Effect 2 September of '10 for my Xbox 360, afraid it wouldn't run on my PC. Should have tried the demo first, duh.
• September of '10, wishing I could continue my own story in the Mass Effect galaxy, bought Mass Effect for the Xbox 360.
• and then...

My history with the Mass Effect franchise is fragmented. When it was released on the Xbox 360, I didn't own the console. I instead waited until the PC release to play. I loved it, but alas I knew my PC was getting old and Mass Effect 2 would be a no go. I got an Xbox 360 two months after Mass Effect was released on the PC. Crap, I should have waited, but I really didn't know about the save transfer at the time.

The forums are fucked up. I know how to use Giant Bomb, so I can find video game discussions if I looked, but damn, they're fucked up right now.
 
I'm still deciding on buying a subscription. I'm here a lot. I use it more for a social thing though, connecting with other people if you will. I like to encourage others, but have fun at the same time, thus, my forum fun.
 
Forums aren't fun right now.
 
I feel bad for the kids, college and high school. I'm sure they can't justify paying for this shit. The Bombcast fans are the hardest hit. The demographic mentioned probably listen to the Bombcast the most and bring in the most new users.
 
Buggy, couldn't sign in, but the help found at the bottom of the page on any Whiskey Media site hooked me up. Shoot an email if you're having problems.
 
Splitting of the community... That's a tough one. It is weird seeing the medals on avatars. Some people just want to support the site, but feel ashamed that they have a medal. They shouldn't feel that way, be proud that you could do something you felt strongly for. Medal or not just be yourself, everything is even when it comes to words. Remember, just visiting the site and clicking away supports it.
 
I'm not sure why Whiskey Media does this, but they have a tendency to just throw things out there. I've seen a lot of drama on Giant Bomb because of changes. I've helped create some of that drama. Drama isn't a bad thing, change happens quick here, maybe that's the way of the internet. How would I know? I don't work in the business. Change creates a buzz, buzz is good.
 
All you guys are cool in my book, from Whiskey Media down to the trolls, keep on rocking. Let's see what tomorrow brings.
 
Hugs and kisses,
 
Claude.
 
*Edit*
 
The Bombcast is back to normal. Hip, hip, hooray.

What does it all mean?  Spending time, time, time on the internet, on Giant Bomb none the less. Is it a habit, a ritual, a longing for human contact other than actually connecting with other human beings? I'm not afraid.
 
It's all of the above my friends and more. I play video games. Whatever my life has become, video games are the common denominator. I haven't played them all and never will, but through a community of users I have gained much knowledge. I have gained more knowledge about video games, the internet and its subculture through Giant Bomb, well, it would blow your mind. 
 
I'm old, but a noob at heart. I'm still learning, but getting there. This site... this Giant Bomb, has become my training ground. I thank you all. Keep playing your games and keep letting your opinions be heard. I'm listening. And we can curse, goddamn motherfucking son of bitching bastards cursing, that's cool.
 
Thanks Giant Bomb and thanks to Whiskey Media.
 
Claude

I'm a motion fan. Maybe it's my age, or the type of video games I've played throughout my gaming life; lots of sports games, golf being my  favorite. I've branched out from my early gaming life as I now like having a variety of play options when playing video games, keyboard mouse, dual analog controller and the combination of motion capabilities for a given game.