I was running through the airport with a uzi, and I needed to steal a car quickly. So, I run around nervously until I come across something that stopped me dead in my tracks. "No way!" I yell out loud, but no one seemed to hear me. There parked in front of me was the coolest thing I've seen in a video game all year - which is saying a lot. Without hesitation I ripped the driver from the seat, punched him in the face, and drive away in THE NEWS VAN!



I've been playing ton of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas lately, since it's easy to just pick-up and play, without all the online entanglements. And, now that I can drive a news van around...I'm hooked.

Is it weird that I drive around live van in real life every day, and then play a video game where I drive around a live van?

Hmm. Yeah, weird is probably right. I bet Rasheed or Shaq go home and play themselves on the Playstation - although the NBA games are actually designed for that.

Anyway, I'm always playing out different 'live van scenarios'. Sometimes I'll just drive around and look for a good spot to set up a live shot, which is difficult because of all the criminals around me - which is like actually having to do live shot in Longview, Washington most of the time.



Occasionally I'll just turn on the gangster rap station, and run over pedestrians pretending that I took pain killers before coming to work [which is something they teach us not to do, in live truck safety school. The other thing is "look up and live"].

My favorite scenario: I turn on the "riot mode" and "aggressive drivers" cheat codes, so that the game is complete mayhem, and then I drive around city in the live van trying to cover the riot for the news. The game is cool because the AI makes the 'people' all around you to do really hilarious or interesting stuff. So, sometimes I jump out of the news van and take a screen shot (or blow people up with a rocket launcher).



Of course, I can never get very far in GTA without 'accidentally running over a cop' or 'shooting down a helicopter', and the live van will eventually get demolished as a result.

*sigh*

Good times.

(maybe I should've kept all of that to myself)