GUYS GUYS GUYS I HAVE LOTS OF GOOD NEWS BUT FIRST SOME STUFF THAT MADE ME SO HAPPY:

ACII News!

I was supposed to be done with my Reconnaissance! I felt like such an important part of my life was gone...BUT NAY! Thank you Ubisoft for giving my life purpose again!

[link] <<< A review of the DLC for ACII in video form. I'm SO HAPPY that Caterina comes back! And Machiavelli plays a part in the "Battle in Forli!" Eeee! And Leo's flying machine reappears too, which means that we also get to see our favorite Renaissance man again!
[link] <<< another review, but in article form. Really amazing art at the end! Machiavelli feels so... Malik in his profile portrait. And what's this "Spring jump?" I'm picturing someone (General, maybe someone with acrobatic skills and a name starting with B?) giving Ezio a boost to a rooftop. Hmm... well, in another review of the DLC, I read that "as well as these two new stories a new district of Venice will be unlocked and a new ability for Ezio known as the Spring Jump." So he'll probably be learning this move from the Thieves...

In other news, here's something hilarious I found >>> [link] . Watch the video for a good laugh!

And if anyone was wondering, ACII won the "Best Action/Adventure Game" at the VGAs. Nominated for about four awards, I believe. Eh, you can't win them all. Congrats to Uncharted 2 for winning "Game of the Year!"

But guys guys guys! I'm so excited! I've actually been replaying ACII and doing all the side missions and stuff...ugh. It's such a good game! I can't wait for these DLCs!

But let's not forget about ACII's 2012 world! So...this is going to sound crazy, but I'm 99% certain that the Assassin's hideout and Abstergo in Desmond's world are in Italy. Proof? The signs in the parking lots of both Abstergo and the hideout are in Italian. All of them. Also, if you look out the giant windows in the hideout, you'll see a background that looks just like the Italian houses in the game. Why is the 2012 world set in Italy? No idea. Go play the first ten minutes of the game again and see for yourself. I snoop when I play, and I flipped when I saw these things. We could say that this is a glitch or something...but seriously. The signs and the view from the windows? A lot of Italian buildings have been preserved throughout history, so it makes sense that we'd see Renaissance-styled buildings in the 2000s.

What else...Oh! Well, everyone knows how you're freely able to move in Leo's studio only once in the game right? When you're carrying the dead body into his house in Florence? Well, I did some more snooping during my second playthrough, and saw a chess set in his studio. Also, 1.5 of his walls were covered in books. I never played ACI, but this sounds a bit like Malik. Or at least what I've heard from his bureau via fictions. And you want to know who else has a chess set in his personal space? ...Shaun Hastings. It's on his desk in the hideout. He also has a chair you see in Renaissance Italy. In Leo's studio. I've never thought of Shaun as being an assassin, and he also admits to not being one via bloodline in game, but guys, have fun with this. It may be possible that Ubisoft just copied and pasted the background stuff, but OH YEAH. I love being an idiot.

Other Random Crap!

OK, now I know I haven't been keeping up with my entries...but I've had finals to focus on since Thanksgiving. So far, I've done three. Two more to go. Officially done with the semester on the 23rd. Can't wait for the break!

But but but! I have fabulous news! Some of you may know about my Plant Ecology problem. If not, here's a short summary: Thanks to a horrible lab partner, my grade in that class dropped from an A to a B. Or at least, after my calculations, that's what I thought. Turns out that I still got the A! Somehow, I pulled off getting a 97% on my final exam, so my final GPA for the class hit the A range! I. AM. GOD. Seriously! I kick ass.

What else... I did the last of my stressful Christmas shopping today, and I bought some things for myself to celebrate being a badass. I got myself a blue/green/white scarf with paisleys printed on it (because I love anything paisley or with fleur-de-lys on it), a headband, and a really nice winter jacket. Guys, it's so dorky. It's a thick, cotton, purple peacoat. It's got puffy, loose sleeves that tighten around the wrist (like any Renaissance men's shirt). It's got a giant removable hood. And the best part? It's got a collar around the hood I can pop up whenever I feel like. That hood's staying on that coat, and that collar's gonna be popped 24.7. Hell. Yes. Pictures may appear on the interwebs in the future.

What else... guys. I'm just so happy today. I can't think straight because of it. There's probably stuff I'm missing (like the hilarious conversation and I had a few days ago) and baking over three dozen cookies about five days ago and the excitement over getting into the Conservation Ecology class that's very competitive for next semester and and and GUYS. MY LIFE DOESN'T SUCK.