So today I'm back at work recovering from a crazy weekend in Orlando, Florida. The past 3 days I was at Major League Gaming's final stop of the regular pro tour at the majestic Gaylord Palms Hotel and Convention Center. This place was crazy, the front of the hotel looks like something out of resort movie! I went to the one in Washington, and that hotel was also ginormous, but this one seemed even crazier. So walking in, you see the lobby, nothing overly spectacular, but then the receptionist hands you this fold out map in order to find your elevator and room. Why do you need a map you ask? So you don't get lost in the Biodome right behind the lobby. Plants, jungles, waterfalls, bridges, and a coffee shop.

But I wasn't flown out there to sight see, I was there to be a ref for Call of Duty: Black Ops. I haven't been at MLG for the past 2 events, so it took a little bit for me to get back into the settings and rules, some of which changed since the last time I worked. Also didn't take long to issue my first Technical foul. Seriously, kids, stop yelling when all you did was get lucky with a grenade. I don't thing there were any real surprises as most of the top seeds advanced without any real break through performances. Apex, a team from England, traveled overseas and made top 16, kudos to them. Halo surprisingly(or not for most) had been moved from the center stage for Starcraft 2. Given the popularity of the Korean players flying in as well the overall hype over the game, its no shock that it usurped the perennial favorite franchise.

Speaking of Starcraft 2, its insane how big the crowds have gotten. They were already the largest gallery at our first event, and now theres no question its totally engulfed the entire staging area. The top players are treated like rock stars, attracting groups of autograph and picture seekers no matter where they go. Now it begs the question, whats next for MLG? CoD is uncertain for next season. Halo has suddenly become a second fiddle. Will they bring back a fighting game? The National Championships loom next month in Rhode Island, then its the long off season as we wait to hear the new developments for 2012.

Finally back from MLG Dallas! Got to see some friends that I hadn't seen in a while, and check out the new season for Major League Gaming. Starcraft 2 looks hella fun, but man the no Lan thing really sucks. At least 3 matches I watched had to be replayed or otherwise because of disconnects. The game I refereed, Call of Duty: Black Ops was relatively smaller than MLG had hoped, but the competition was pretty interesting. There were 2 all girl teams, one I think made top 16 so they started getting hella press. The 4th place team were like all young kids, you could barely see the smallest one behind the monitor. His teammate was just as young, and if you follow my twitter, that's the one I gave a techincal foul to, lol!

Halo was obviously the crown jewel and had like 170 something teams entered. All in all it was fun and interesting, hopefully next event will be bigger. But man, the venue was crazy. They have these metal statues made up showing some Oregon Trail scene or something in the front with cowboys leading bulls over a river. Next to it was some old cemetery that's treated like a park?!

Saturday, I got to meet up with James, Raymond, Natalie and Thu. Ate at someplace called BJ's and had some kinda beer cider thing called a "Snakebite". It was pretty good food too, definitely better than the McDonald's I was forced to eat most of the time there.

Coming back was a stupid adventure. My friend James picked me up from the hotel to the airport, but it was already raining. Traffic wasn't too bad, so we get to DFW with plenty of time. Check in was normal, screw checking in bags, stupid airlines always seem to lose stuff. Security thought my boob mousepad was some kinda liquid bomb and kept checking it over and over again.

It was pretty funny cause it was the old guys insisting to check it, and the asian chick who was scanning it looked hella embarrassed, lol! So I finally get done with that crap and wait for boarding. That was supposed to be at 8:45am. I take a little nap cause I do that whole closing your eyes, but I can hear whats going on around me thing. But I don't hear anything announced at all, just the stupid airline tv prog that's been looping for an hour...

I finally open my eyes and see that it has been an hour! It's friggin 9:45am and nothing has happened! I look up and see a sign saying its been delayed for 35min, great. So finally we board, on the smallest airplane in the world... I chose the very back seat cause I like to get in first and goto sleep. Well that didn't happen, some off duty stewardess sat next to me. I know it use to be a fantasy to be with a stewardess or something, but that definitely isn't viable nowadays. I have yet to see a hot stewardess anytime I've flown. Well her and the active working stewardess kept yapping, THE ENTIRE FLIGHT! Ugh, remember how I said I close my eyes but can still hear? Yeah, that ability now sucks! I was too lazy to get my headphones out, so I just dealt with it. Then the turbulence hit, oh man did it ever. I seriously thought we were gonna crash, so did the redneck in front of me. "Oh hell, we all gonna die! This is ya'lls fault!" This went on during the entire 15 minutes of turbulence. Outside was nothing but fog and clouds and rain. Literally, the plane felt like a Tetris piece, we went up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, A, B, select, start. Then magically, the sun was out and the turbulence stopped. Redneck proceeded to rant the rest of the flight, wanting a refund and crap, good luck with that. So then we land, wrong terminal, I call up Zen to pick me up, who apparently waited at Jack in the Box for almost 2 hrs, sorry dude. I went to the bank so me and Tito don't get evicted, and then passed out for 6 hrs. And that's my weekend.

Music: ACDC - Highway to Hell