I can't believe I've been away for so long, nearly a month, but this last month has been an interesting one for sure. I got fired from my job, got a new one and have been working my ass off at it.

As you may or may not know, I had been a cashier at a local store for nearly 2.5 years and it was not a pleasant time at all. So I'm working and get pulled in to LP (Loss Prevention) one day and start accusing me of stealing from the company. In the process of the "talks" the LP guy sat there calling me a liar and down right harassing me all because he has never seen a mistake and he watchedthe transactionLIVE. The "talks" end and I am suspended pending further investigation. A week and a half later I get a call from our store director and am told that I've been terminated for stealing due to the video proof they had. How did I steal from the company you may be wondering, well I accidentally did not scan an item. That's right folks, for a simple mistake that everyone who has ever run a cash register has made, my job with the company was terminated.

Now there is more to it then just that. 2 weeks prior to this there is a promotional opportunity. Long story short after promising me an interview they don't interview me and hire someone else (far less qualified I might add). I threaten the manager with legal action due to the handling and the very next day is when this went this went down. I know she had something to do with it as the LP guy even said that my name had never come up to watch in 2 years yet he was watching me that day, questionable for sure. Oh and if you are wondering, I was union and have lost $600+ to union dues but they basically told me I was rightfully terminated.

Thankfully I found a job immediately even if it is only a seasonal guarantee. The great thing is that while I may get paid less, I'm working 32+ hours a week compared to 24-26 at the old one.

Needless to say I had about 2 weeks free from all this and spent a lot of time gaming. So now for the fun stuff and what I played during this time frame.

I picked this up not long after release when Best Buy had it on sale for $40 as I am a loyal follower of the NFS franchise. It is a welcome, and overdue,change in the NFS series and I have enjoyed playing it more then most NFS games of recent memory. If you are looking for a fun little racer I'd recomend it.

If you are a South Park fan you have to get this game, well as long as you are not completely against tower defense games. This game captures the hilarity of the show perfectly and simply is a blast to play. Odly enough, it is actually a challenging game at first, unless you are a tower defense master, but thankfully it is easy to get a hang of.

Another year, another WWE game. I don't even watch the shows that often, but still find myself purchasing the game every year. Thankfully the game is actually a bit better then last years and enjoyable no matter what.

I also finished up Batman: AA, possibly my game of the year, and purchased Forza 3. I've not had time to play Forza 3 yet do to the new work schedule, but the demo was rather enjoyable and I look forward to playing it in the near future.

That be right folks, your beloved (I know I'm dreaming) icytower has turned one year old today, for those curious I am now 25 years old.

What am I doing on my birthday you may be asking yourself. Well I'm going to a funeral followed by going to that hell hole of a job that I do love so much. I guess it is a good thing I'm not really one for birthday activities. Besides, we will be celebrating at a later date.

I'm sorry to diapoint but I have no goodies, so it is bring your own desert and bring your own refreshments to this little party.

So obviously the title is a play on words, but yeah I shouldn't be here right now and that is no laughing matter. So what happend you may wonder?

I was on my way to a craft show Saturday morningwith a friend (he sells stuff) to assist him when things went wrong. We were on interstate 94 when we thought we had a tire go down. That sucks, but nothing overly to concerning right. Well he starts to have problems with the stearing as he is getting over and now thinks it's a tie rod. Worse problem but nothing to severe. So we get to the side of the road and we get out, I hear him shout "HOLY ****!". I walk to the front of the vehincle and his left front tire is at a 45 degree angle. Tow truck gets to the scene the guy looks at the vehincle and says it was a uper left front ball joint. He also informs us that he has never seen this happen to a truck or SUV (friends has a pickup) and not roll over. We get to the repair shop and the mechanic says the exact same thing.

So lets move on to yesterday's near death experience.

A friend of mine calls me and informs me that there was a shooting at a local library, 2 dead and 2 injured. The thing about this incident was that we had plans to hit the exact same library that day and would have been there at the exact same time as the shooting.

Now death may be an extreme as the truck could of flipped or I been at the library and ended up fine or slightly injured. But it does get one thinking when a near death experience happens to you, let alone 2 in one week.

That's it, I just felt like I needed to share that with someone other then the people involved.