2X3=3(2)

Post Election Guidlines For The Mature Adult

2008-11-05T08:24:00.000-08:00

1) If your side won (!!!! =D), do not gloat. Gloating is something that assholes do.

2) If your side lost, deal with it. We couldn't all have possibly gotten our way.

3) Do not make statements like, "EVERYONE IS STUPID," "GOODBYE AMERICA", and "I'M MOVING TO EUROPE." If you really have that little faith in your country, then by all means. Leave.

4) Like it or not, the Presidential Elect is soon to be our commander in chief. Just because you didn't vote for him doesn't mean you can't/shouldn't/don't have to support him. "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's."

5) Shut up, and move on. At the end of the day we're all Americans, and continuing to bemoan the outcome of the election and pick fights with the "other side" accomplishes nothing. There shouldn't BE sides anymore. The election is over. Move on.

All THAT said,

I feel good. I'm can say with sincere vehemence that I'm proud of my country. Not to say I've never been before, but right now, the morning after the most historic election of this generation, I still feel elated.

I'm disappointed by the response of many people that I know, particularly in reference what's said above. I expected people to be upset - I'd be upset if McCain had won (though, after his concession speech, I really do think he could have done a good job). But this attitude of no confidence, and in some cases outright spite is just discouraging. I fear Ken Gordon was right: "Neither has the power to unite."

We'll see though. It is my hope that in the coming months we can grow up and act like adults (probably not), but meh.

My guy won by a landslide. Right now, that's enough for me.

Oh, and just in case you missed it? "Life" was not on the ballot. You can't, "Vote For Life." You're embarrassing yourself.

I can ride a bike with no handlebars.

2008-10-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

No handlebars.

I've discovered the Flobots, and this is a good thing. Handlebars has been stuck in my head all day, and when not humming the melody to The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning by Smashing Pumpkins, I've been singing, "I can guide a missile by satellite" under my breath.

I can keep rhythm with no metronome. No metronome.

New We're Sorry coming this weekend, probably Friday or Saturday. It's written, I just want to let it simmer before I post it. If you haven't read Ryan's Contribution yet, then you're missing something good.

I can see your face on the telephone. On the telephone.

I realized tonight that Facebook Groups has a Message All Members button. This is a good thing. I was just pondering the usefulness of having a Facebook group, as it's likely that no one will ever check it, when I found that button. I'll be using it liberally.

I can lead a nation with a microphone. With a microphone.

Would you like to see Texas? Here it is,

I can split the atom of a molecule. Of a molecule.

I can guide a missile by satellite. By sattelite.

I can hit a target through a telescope. Through a telescope.

This was outside McNair Middle School as I was leaving today. Leaving early, because they canceled after school care to make way for the open house which nobody told me or Mr. henderson was taking place. So I only taught one class today.

I can end the planet in a holocaust. In a holocaust.

I'm gonna go sit in the hot tub and lament the state of modern religion, and then ponder my place in it.

In a holocaust.

But don't two infinities equal the same thing!?!? OH GOD SCIENCE

2008-10-28T20:21:00.000-07:00

Is it considered bad blog etiquette to post twice in the same day? Probably, and it's probably even worse to post two videos.

Watch that video, dammit! I did it and now I need to lie down. Science hurts!

Anyway. We all love Google Earth. Google Earth in the palm of your hand with touch controls is just... just nice. That's my old house there in the center, and that picture is at least three, four years old. Several of the houses in the neighborhood have blue tarps on their roofs, and one of those segments of black line in the driveway is my old Altima.

This is Scobee Middle School. I took the picture because the gate is down over there at the entrance to that hallway. I'm not sure if you can see it or not.

Adana can sleep anywhere for no reason at all, whenever she feels like it. Here's what the moon is doing,

Quite possibly the most obnoxious thing I've ever done on the internet.

2008-10-20T00:47:00.000-07:00

When read in order they say, "This series exists specifically for the purpose of bumping your damn surveys to a location not immediately visible. For gods sake post something interesting. I might do this again."

I got the idea in the shower this morning.

You know how you check your email, and it's full of spam, from mailing lists and other garbage you don't remember signing up for, and you have, maybe, one email that's actually something you feel like reading? And remember how great it was when Myspace bulletins were just people talking about their day or saying, 'hey just to let you know my sister had a baby', and you could actually get to know your friends better, as people, by reading them?

And then remember how much it sucked when people started spreading these damn questionnaires around instead? And how now, checking bulletins is like checking your email? MAYBE one, or if you're lucky, two, that are worth reading. The rest is steaming trash. A landfill of spam. That's all it is. Spam(though at least we don't see as many of those, "forward this if you want a guy/girl like this" deals or those, "I HAVE NO EYES OR EARS I WILL KILL YOU TONIGHT"S. I swear to God I will delete the hell out of you if you forward these. I'm serious.)

And there's nothing you can do about it, except delete people from your friend list, which you don't want to do, because you're still 'friends'.

I mean, if you do this once in awhile, maybe even twice a week, then whatever, go for it. Nothing wrong with telling us your favorite color, movie, and time of year.

But there are people - I'm serious - on my list who do this two to three time a day.

Do you have jobs?!

I mean, if you do this, whatever. Go for it. I don't hate you. But it still annoys the shit out of me. Maybe, tonight, I annoyed you too. That was the point after all.

Seven Best Godzilla Movies So Far

2008-10-13T16:38:00.001-07:00

First of all I know I have too much time on my hands. Don't even think about reminding me. Second, you may think this is a complete waste of time. You may also be a jackass. Third, most of your movies suck too. So without further adieu,

The Seven Best Godzilla Movies So Far, and Why You Should Watch Them.

In 1954 Toho Ltd. struck gold with Gojira, the monster movie that would define a genre and become a pop-culture phenomenon. Utilizing suit actors as opposed to clay and stop motion, Toho brought their monster to life in a way that was revolutionary for it's time.

Since then Gojira has spawned twenty-eight sequels and spin offs, and captured the hearts and imaginations of thousands. Most Godzilla fans fell in love with The King of The Monsters sometime during their child hood, and haven't stopped watching since.

I agonized over this. I really did. With twenty nine movies to choose from, it was difficult to narrow it down to only seven. And yeah, seven is a weird ass number for a, "top however many" list. But ten was too many and five wasn't enough. And three was just laughable. So here we go.

1. Gojira - 1954

Now, I don't know how well you deal with old movies or with black and white. If you have a problem with classics because they don't seem "well made" or the special effects are "bad" or whatever, you may want to start further on down the list.

You may have seen the American version featuring Raymond Burr. And if you have, forget everything you know. Throw out the horrible dubbing and painfully obvious attempts to make it look like Burr belonged in the picture. Which he didn't since all of his scenes were edited in before the American release in 1955. The original Japanese Gojira is now available on DVD for about ten bucks at most movie retailers.

That said, Gojira is the one that started it all. Godzilla's first appearance sparked the giant monster phenomenon, and is considered by many to be the first true Dai Kaiju Eiga(giant monster movie). In many ways a commentary concerning the dangers of atomic weaponry, Godzilla is a manifestation of pure, uncontrollable rage and power. An unstoppable juggernaut of destruction, Godzilla tramples Tokyo and sets it ablaze, turning it into a sea of atomic fire. His invulnerability to conventional weaponry, atomic breath, and animalistic brutality would become staples throughout the series. The plot is fairly straight forward, and ends with the defeat of Godzilla at the hands of Dr. Serizawa's Oxygen Destroyer. By today's standards the movie isn't very deep, but in 1954, this was uncharted territory.

2. King Kong vs. Godzilla - 1962

It's arguable as to whether or not Godzilla's third appearance can really be considered a Godzilla movie, as much of the plot focuses around King Kong. Never the less, KK x G is a fan favorite by any stretch of the idea.

Taking place before Godzilla's "Super Hero" days during the later Showa era, Godzilla is still treated as a dangerous animal, not a thinking or reasoning being. His dramatic escape from an iceberg prison is among the most memorable moments in dai kaiju history, as is his climatic battle with King Kong. All gushing aside this one is a bit campy, but that comes with the territory.

3. Destroy All Monsters - 1968

Any Godzilla fan's dream, Destroy All Monsters featured the largest monster cast to date at the time of it's release. The plot is standard fare for the Showa era; aliens want to take over earth, and use mind control to turn the earth's monsters into instruments of conquest. They ultimately fail, but not before an hour and a half of kick ass dai kaiju action and the biggest battle of the Showa era.

The total number of monsters featured in the film is a whopping eleven, including Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, Gorosaurus, Anguirus, Kumonga, Manda, Minya, Baragon, Varan, and the mighty King Ghidorah. Unlike many Godzilla films from this time period which force you to sit through thirty minutes to an hour of bad dialog and plot development, DAM gets into it right away, showing aerial footage of the monsters living peacefully in their natural environments on Ogasowara Island. From there we're taken to the moon where the main character speculates that there are probably monsters there too. This is in the first five minutes.

Pretty soon the aliens show up and the city stomping begins, and remains fairly consistent throughout the film up until the final battle with King Ghidorah. It's here that Godzilla's greatest enemy meets his end, and the aliens are killed, and everybody goes home happy. According to the Showa time line, DAM takes place at the era's end, set in the year 1999. Several more films would be released after it before Godzilla's ten year hiatus between 1974 and 1984, but none matched it terms of monster screen time and... and awesomeness. Here's an edited, abridged version of the final battle I found on Youtube.

4. Godzilla vs. Destroyah - 1995

Originally slated to be Godzilla's final appearance(this wasn't the first time), the odds are against the big G from the get go. Early in the movie we're treated to footage of Godzilla overloading on nuclear power. His skin glows red and his heat beam is a bright, spiraling orange. The long and the short of it is that he's going to die, and in the process, very likely take the rest of the world with him.

This is the final movie in the Heisei era, and one of the most emotionally driven in the series. We see some interaction between Godzilla and Godzilla Junior right before the young monster's death at the hands of Destroyah, and also Miki Segusa(a recurring character throughout the Heisei series, a psychic with some kind of special link to Godzilla) sheds a few tears as I recall.

Godzilla is also matched up against his most fearsome foe yet. The titular Destroyah(Or Destroyer, or Destoroyah, or Desutoroia) a monster born of the Oxygen Destroyer which killed the first Godzilla in 1954. Destroyah takes several forms throughout the film, first appearing as a microscopic life form, then multiple ten foot tall aggregates with Xenomorph style second-mouths, then a Godzilla sized version of the same thing, a flying form, and finally a huge juggernaut equipped with everything from a laser horn to anti-oxygen ray to sheer brute force.

This thing is huge, noticeably bigger than Godzilla, and even drags the king around by the neck with the claw like appendage on his tail.

The ending in the American version kind of sucks, at least concerning Destroyah. He just gets shot out of the sky. In the Japanese version(or so I've heard) Godzilla melts down, and the resulting firestorm of atomic energy disintegrates Destroyah.

Great movie, great way for the series to end. Fortunately, it didn't.

5. Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monster All Out Attack(Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidora: Daikaiju Soukougeki) - 2001

Perhaps the darkest, most un-kid-friendly movie in the series, Godzilla is no longer a hero or anybody's friend. With this film Toho once again retconned all preceding entries, save the original Gojira and started fresh.

Directed by Shusuke Kaneko, who previously demonstrated his love for giant monsters with the Gamera trilogy in the 1990s(and recently popular for directing the Death Note movies), this film bears a distinctive quality which sets it apart from the rest of the series.

Godzilla is possessed by the souls of the Japanese soldiers killed in World War 2, who apparently are pissed off that Japan has forgotten them, or something. Godzilla shows up and kills everybody, and it takes the combined might of Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Baragon to bring him down(and even then he doesn't die. But I won't spoil too much for you). King Ghidorah makes his first and only appearance as a non-villain, functioning as some ancient Japanese guardian alongside Mothra and Baragon. Baragon also makes his first appearance since Destroy All Monsters, and while Mothra saw a lot of screen time during the 90s(see the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy), this new design looks almost more like a wasp than a butterfly.

It should be noted that Godzilla was originally to be matched up against Baragon, Anguirus and Varan, but Toho scrapped Anguirus and Varan in favor of Mothra and King Ghidorah because they believed it would be more profitable. Many fans were disappointed at not seeing Anguirus make a come back, but the movie is great none the less. One scene in particular features Godzilla walking past a hospital, in which we see a young Japanese girl confined to a bed. She screams and cries as Godzilla walks by, but is then calms down as he just so happens not to damage the building. We're given a moment of silent relief, only to immediately gasp in horror as Godzilla's tail takes the hospital out, presumably killing the girl. This scene, as well as several other of the darker, more graphic segments were removed from the versions aired on American cable, but are included(I think) on the American DVD release. It should be noted that GMK also acknowledges the existence of the American Godzilla, but only in passing, and refers jokingly to the Americans mistaking the mutated iguana for the real Godzilla.

6. Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla - 2003

Not to be confused with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla(1974) and Terror of Mechagodzilla(1974) or Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II(1993), Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla brings the mechanical version of the King back to the big screen for the fourth time.

This time, instead of being controlled by aliens or salvaged from technology brought to modern Japan from the future(long story) Mechagodzilla is built using the skeleton of the original Godzilla killed in 1954. This movie once again disavows most preceding entries, but is unique in that it includes several other Showa era Toho movies in it's time line, including Mothra, Yog: Monster From Space and War of the Gargantuas.

Mechagodzilla's design is just awesome, nicknamed Kiryu for it's dragon-like appearance. Godzilla and his mechanical counterpart meet several times of the field of battle, and the final showdown is nothing short of spectacular. One of the best scenes in the movie includes the organic portion of Mechagodzilla's DNA computer suddenly becoming self aware, sending Mechagodzilla on a rampage throughout the city. Awesome special effects, a decent plot, and some great action sequences secure this film as one of the best in the series. It did so well in fact, that it was given a sequel titled "Godzilla, Mothra, Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS". It was also the only film in the Millennium series to be given a direct followup.

7. Godzilla: Final Wars - 2004

It's hard to believe the big G is 54 years old, and for his 50^th anniversary, Toho pulled out all the stops. It's all here - alien invasion, tons of monsters, and of course Godzilla himself. Ryuhei Kitamura(of Versus infamy) directed this one, and you can tell. That means lots of campy martial arts and gun play that dwell somewhere between the realms of,"Holy shit that's awesome" and "WTF that was ridiculous-"

The plot suffers from not revolving enough around the monsters, instead focusing too much on the human characters. There's this one American guy who only speaks English but everybody understands him anyway. There are, as I said, aliens who want to take over the world, and which use giant monsters to do so. The plot is standard fare reminiscent of the Showa era.

And this is why it's awesome.

The monster count is the highest to date at a whopping fifteen.

Anguirus, Ebirah, Gigan, Hedorah, Kamakuras, King Seesar, Kumonga, Manda, Minya, Mothra, Rodan and the new, "Monster X" all grace the silver screen. Even the 1998 American version of Godzilla(now dubbed "Zilla") shows up. Of course Godzilla's in there as well, and King Ghidorah returns as the main enemy.

Down sides include not enough screen time for the kaiju and Godzilla not doing much until the last forty five minutes of the film. That aside, it's nothing short of amazing to see so many Showa era favorites make a come back, even if they do only make brief appearances.

One of the most memorable moments in the series takes place during Final Wars, in which Godzilla(the real one) brutally kills the American Zilla, finishing him off in only a couple of moves. One of the aliens then remarks, "I knew that tuna-eating monster was useless. Next."

Some consider this to be a modern Destroy All Monsters, which combines the best elements from the Showa, Heisei and Millennium eras, and it's easy to see why. This movie will make a Godzilla fan out of almost anybody, and is a fitting "end" to the King of the Monsters' 29 film run.

Toho has, once again, stated that this is the last Godzilla film to be made, at least until the 59^th or 60^th anniversary.

However, according to Wikipedia and several other sites, a new film is already in the works, titled, "Godzilla 3D to the Max". Supposedly slated to be directed by the director of Godzilla vs. Hedorah, it's believed that this new film will be something of a Smog Monster remake, featuring a new villain thus far known as Deathla. Details are sketchy at the moment and this film may never be made. But if the rumors are true, 2009 may see the advent of the big G's 29^th / 30^th appearance(depending on whether or not you acknowledge the 1998 version as really being a Godzilla movie)

So there you go. Read, watch, love.

Visual Stimulants

2008-10-10T18:59:00.001-07:00

This was my day.

Do you know how long it takes to put away a stack of CDs that thick? Huh? Do you? I'll tell you. It takes a long ass time. And yes, the section is significant. I expect this shit from the Rap and Metal sections, but come on guys. Shame on you.

During my lunch break I began to believe that I or someone around me literally smelled like human excrement. It took awhile but I soon realized that this young man was the culprit. Hum.

Wireless networks are taking over. Taking over everything. And as you can see, MOST people have Internets, but FEW people share them. No, those weren't saved. Those were detected while standing in a single location.

And then on the way home, Begasp! Gas below three dollars?! No, this isn't from two years ago, this was TODAY. I guess the stock market crashes and... cheap gas? What? Okay. I thought it was the opposite. MY NAME IS SARAH PALIN AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND ECONOMINOCS.

Now get out of my way Paul, before I push you to the floor and go to the bathroom on you.

2008-08-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

So I made the grievous mistake of allowing myself to confuse the SHIPPING date with the RELEASE date for Too Human. Maybe it's just me, but I don't really care what day you're mailing the game on. I want to know when I can play it. So now it looks like I'll have to wait at least one more day.

I WAS going to spend the day playing it and post a review, but since that fell through, ima' review this garbage instead,

Secret Life of the American Teenager is a new series on ABC Family(formerly known as Fox Family, and a network notorious for rerunning Mary Kate and Ashley movies and other similar media). It's about nothing in particular or anything worth watching. The plot basically consists of some chick getting knocked up and all her friends going "OMG!".

There's a conservative chick who doesn't want her to get an abortion who is basically your stereotypical TV Christian. Then there's some other girl who doesn't seem to have a purpose. The main character's younger sister is an emo kid and a slut. Then there's a guy who's really nice and wants to marry her and then the dumbass who got her pregnant. Also her dad, and he's pissed off. Her mom doesn't seem to care about anything. I think there may be some other characters too.

A lot of the show seems to have been shot on a greenscreen. I don't know why. How hard can it be to simulate "outside" using conventional methods? If they were going to use a greenscreen they could have at least used a good one. I'm just saying.

The title doesn't make any sense because everybody knows the main character is pregnant. Also I don't know if you remember but there was this movie called Juno and it was um sort of popular um you know and it was kinda you know um THE SAME THING. Why they felt the need to turn it into a series is beyond me.

They also all speak in pretty much the same monotone the entire time and are really incapable of expressing true emotion. The dialogue is laughable. Here's an example.

"Ami! When did you learn to stand up for yourself!"

"When I got pregnant!"

All in all "Secret Life of the American Teenager" should be called, "The Not So Secret Show About Stupid Kids Making Poor Decisions Being Portrayed By Actors Who Really Can't Act Even Though Some Of Them Are Kind Of Attractive."

Don't watch this show ever. Don't even talk about it.

The Goblin Man of Norway

2008-07-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

(NOTE: This entry pasted from my Myspace blog)

The Goblin Man of Norway

I've mentioned Too Human a few times over the past couple weeks, and as the release date looms like a coming storm, I find myself increasingly more enthusiastic about what looks to be an ambitious and fruitful undertaking by Dennis Dyack and the rest of the Silicon Knights clan. This latest string of Viral Marketing has done nothing to deplete my interest, and I'm more excited than ever.

When I first saw the developer diary on Gamespot where Dennis mentions the Goblin Man in passing and then shows the clip, I honestly thought it was the real deal. A Google search gave rise to several discussion pages debating whether or not it is in fact a hoax, and the evidence is pretty strong that it is.

Like the fact that the sketches and "photographs" in part 2 pretty well resemble the mechanical monsters which serve as the bulk of your adversaries in the Too Human demo. The sound effect is played at the end of part 2 is quite a stretch as well(Paper Recordings? What?) and the mention of Too Human all over the Norwegian Film Committee website, as well as a daunting lack of anything else pretty much assures that this is in fact a marketing scheme. And a damn good one at that.

It did exactly what viral marketing is supposed to do - caught my interest and made me scratch my head, which then prompted me go looking for answers. And now I'm more excited about the game than ever.

That sounds more like a memory.

2008-07-26T12:40:00.001-07:00

I'd really like to get into the habit of updating this thing regularly. Really. But the Myspace blog is like, right there. You know how it is when things are right there. It just doesn't seem sensible to maintain two blogs at once. Ah well. Maybe I'll start double posting and eventually just switch over here entirely.

So I'm not involved in the youth ministry anymore(at Advent), which if you're reading this, you probably already know. A year ago I'd have been devastated at such a development, but my reaction now is more a sigh of relief. It was becoming increasingly unhealthy, the environment that place perpetuates, and I wasn't doing much good besides(other than providing some rhythm.) I'm still angry about a lot of things that went on there, and being there was just making it worse. We can point blame all we want and talk about so and so's back about what they said whenever, but that shit doesn't do anybody a damn bit of good. Some people would read this and take offense. Some people.

I'm reconsidering my desire to enter youth ministry full time. It's not even a viable option right now, being as I have more immediate concerns(movingschooljob), but the more I think about all the shit that's gone down since, what, last year, the more I ask myself if this is really something I want to spend my professional life doing. And I know, I shouldn't let anyone's stupidity(that includes my own) ruin my future, but I'll hardly think it so if my profession doesn't involve a constant stream of immaturity and bickering. Not all churches or programs function that way, but it seems impossible sometimes to find one that doesn't. Especially when we're dealing with an establishment where none of them should.

My sister told me a story just the other day that made me want to howl. They were on a mission trip last week, which was unfortunately cut short due to a hurricane(it was a tropical storm at the time of their evacuation, but it got worse prior to making landfall) I don't know all the details and I'm not really all that concerned about them, but something went on to the effect of my sister's group making more noise than the other group thought prudent during the night, and apparently somebody lost sleep, or something. Last I checked you don't go away for a week with a bunch of teenagers if you're planning on sleeping a lot.

Anyway,

So one of the adults from this other youth group gets all pissy, and somehow a bunch of food crumbs end up all over the floor in the room my sister's group is sleeping in. No, really. Food crumbs. And apparently the remark was made by the aforementioned chaperon, "That's getting even."

So let me get this straight - You got made that some fifteen year old girls made some noise, and you're getting back at them by spreading, or at least allowing someone else to spread, crumbs on the floor of the room where they're sleeping? And even if you WEREN'T responsible for it and had no prior knowledge of it happening, you actually associated such a childish, bullshit act with some sort of assbackwards concept justice? Not ONLY did you do that, but you thought it acceptable - appropriate, even - to vocalize such a ridiculous notion?

My questions are as follows,
1)Who are you
2)Why are you working with teenagers
3) What in shit do you think you're doing?

People like you, madam, are ruining Christianity. People like you take the words of Christ with a glass of water before bed, and then forget what they mean. You treat the church like a social outlet with no regard for what the f*** we're supposed to be doing.

Love your neighbor. Do unto others. Turn the other cheek. Were you not paying attention, or do you just not give a f***? Did you think these were mere suggestions? Ideas? Things that Jesus was all like, "Hey, if you guys FEEL like it, and you have the TIME, MAYBE you'd like to do some of this stuff!" about?

No. They were not suggestions. They were not ideas. They were methods by which we, stupid animals who live in a universe too beautiful for our minds to even BEGIN to comprehend in full, could live a quality of life never before dreamed of.

Imagine this - All of us, every day, go out of our way to help someone. Anyone, just once, every day. You loan someone a dollar or pay for the groceries of the person standing in front of you in line. You help change a flat tire.

Or it's simpler, easier, like, say, you brush of an insensitive remark instead of getting all pissy about it and ruining everyone else's good time. Or you pay someone a compliment instead of thinking about how mad you are that you can't afford to dress like that. And then you make it a HABIT to be a generally nice person.

What if we ALL did that, all the time? What if every. single. day we made it a point to just be nice people? Instead of sitting around after church at our damn potlucks talking about your husbands promotion, and how much you disapprove of the kid who wore a hat in service this morning?

Shame on you, youth chaperon. Shame on you for being immature and unacceptable. Shame on you for thinking it's okay for you to even CONSIDER working with teenagers, when you clearly don't have half the maturity required to even CALL yourself a teenager. Shame on you, and shame on all of us.

Because you know what? This is the best part, the BEST part of the whole, screwed up mess. I'M NO BETTER THAN YOU ARE.

I know! It's amazing! I hung out with the guys yesterday, and I said "fuck", like, I don't know, twenty, thirty times, over the course of the day? And you know why? Because I'm imperfect, and sometimes when I hang out with my friends, I don't care what comes out of my mouth. Am I any better than you?

No.

Damn, I love Grace. I love it.

Timeline?

2008-05-19T13:09:00.001-07:00

This is harder than it looks. I've already found one chronological error, and fixing it, however easy, is going to be a pain. Ah well. All part of the process.

You're the hand.

2008-04-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

Still no news on the job front. On the cash front, the lines are wearing thin. Gas conservation is a tricky game.

Conan for the 360 is a mother of a game. I tossed a review up on my Myspace blog, which I may post here. I've toyed with the idea of starting a separate blog for reviews of, you know, stuff Amazon would sell, but I've never gotten around to it. Haven't been finishing a lot of stuff lately besides.

I guess that's it. ATF this weekend. Mah.

Enjoy Monorail Cat.

Of mathmatics and schemantics.

2008-03-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

It should be noted that the content of this post has little or nothing to do with the subject header.

I know I haven't updated since December and there's little to be said about the time that's passed there since. Lost my job, but I'm not complaining. I shouldn't say lost, I guess, since I resigned. Since then I've survived on the After School Karate program and odd jobs, another of which I'll be undertaking this coming friday. I've not wanted for anything nor been in any danger of going broke, so really, it all equates to having more spare time. Lord knows I needed that.

I've taken up writing again, but how long that will last, no one can say. I've also been watching a lot of movies, via torrent download. By dumping them onto an external drive(in this case, my PSP) and then jacking it into the USB port of my 360, I've watched several new releases, for free, on the big screen without having to make DVDs or undergo some elaborate streaming process involving cables and the like. S'fantastic.

-AJ

For your consideration.

2007-12-09T15:11:00.000-08:00

That is a picture of a bear breathing fire. I apologize for the low resolution. The text reads, "Toasted Head Chardonnay". It's wine. A bottle of wine with a picture of a bear breathing fire. Working nights frequently yields moments during which one has to stop and say, "did that just happen?", and usually the answer is Yes, yes it did.

-Scientists knew

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2007-12-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

I'm looking forward to this weekend being over, because it promises to be the worst one in recent history. Except maybe this next one. The smell of this entire month has thus far yielded nothing but disappointment and extreme frustration, coupled with a strong desire to kill or break something. I should take up hunting. No, actually I shouldn't, because I'd do it once and probably never again - from either guilt or laziness - and then I'd have a bunch of equipment that I'd be stuck with. What I should do instead is buy a pistole, and at times of great frustration, pull it out and fire a few shots into the air. 'Course then theres jail. I hate this month.

I work all night tonight and due to circumstances beyond my control and realm of acceptability, I would like to sleep through most to all of the day tomorrow. Consciousness promises to hold no joy tomorrow afternoon. I considered buying some Tylenol PM just to knock me out for the day, but decided against it for the fact that I don't want to get used to using drugs out of frustration. I've used the stuff before, specifically when a drastic and sudden change in my sleep schedule was required for a new job, and the stuff really does work wonders. But I'd managed to do so without any dependency, and I hope to keep it that way. Plus I don't really need that much sleep tomorrow. I simply want it.

As I followed this thought I imagined myself quite capable of becoming dependent on sleep aids, if I allowed myself too. I imagined myself unable to go to bed without them, unable to rest without them. I imagined myself building up a resistance to them, eventually needing more and more to get tired. I'm not sure how feasible that is, or if they qualify as being, "narcotic"(Tylenol PM and other non subscription sleep aids specifically). Nevertheless I saw it as possible. I have a tendency to form habits, and quickly at that.

Then I thought about people who are ACTUALLY addicted to drugs, and it was hard not to think of them as the victims. Victims of themselves, to be sure, but in a sense, still unwilling and halfway blameless. If sleep aids have a potential to be so potent, what about something more addictive like alcohol or coke? Ehg. I suppose it's all part of people compulsively needing to destroy themselves. Honda had it figured out in 1954. Drugs? Godzilla? Same damn thing.

-Blah blah blah

See how they bait their trap? I will help you spring it.

2007-12-05T15:06:00.001-08:00

I saw a picture recently(online) of a man attempting to procreate with a giant scorpion. No really. It was captioned with, "That's it, the internet's over. Everyone go home." A recent romp of a friend's myspace profile and survey of the comments left by a heavily disturbed individual who has a thing for... I don't even know how to describe it, has lead me to this same conclusion.

Work has resumed as normal, so, you know. That's just... awesome. Apparently taking powernaps on one's break is cause for a writeup. I didn't GET written up, but I did get yelled at. I mean, I was on break. I didn't know.

This fortune cookie is stale. Also, has anybody else noticed that fortune cookies don't so much deal with the future as they do with moral lessons? Or deep, intimate truths about oneself? Like this one, this one says, "You are demonstrative with the ones you love" I think most people are, but what does that have to do with the future? I was hoping for tomorrow's weather, or at least some insight as to whether or not furnishing a cave is a good idea.

Also, if you feel so compulsed, feel free to click like a madman on the links at the top of this page. It mightbe a good idea.

-AJ

And by the way,

2007-12-02T20:51:00.001-08:00

And friend recently said to me that words are the worst possible form of communication. This is the part of the dialog where I say, "and he's right."

And he's right.

They leave too much unsaid and too much open to interpretation. And we're ALWAYS wrong when we try to figure it out. We go nuts, and we suck at doing it. I've compiled a list of methods by which we SHOULD communicate, because animals do it, and it seems to work for them.

By scent
By dancing
With their antennae
Eyebrows
Growling
Smelling each other's butts
Killing each other

I've written a book on the subject, and Barnes and Noble will be carrying it in January. That's a lie. I've never written a book, and if I did Barnes and Noble probably wouldn't carry it. And no one would read it. They'd call it stupid. Except, for, like, that ONE guy who would read it, and love it, and tell his friends to read it, and they wouldn't because they're lazy or they don't read. He'd get like, one or two people to read it, and they'd be like, "it was alright."

-AJ

It'll be a day like this one.

2007-12-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

Missy's funeral was this afternoon. The turnout was great - two hundred some people, at least. Cocoa has a huge Sanctuary, and it was packed. I saw a lot of people there I haven't seen in awhile, and it was actually pretty cool. It wasn't awkward or anything, even with Jackie. Jackie's a good person.

Church was good this morning.

So was lunch.

And I would like to go live in a cave. You don't pay bills and people don't bother you. It's quiet. Even the sun leaves you alone. Of course, then you figure, you have to furnish it, and furniture is unwieldy enough when you try and take it through a door. Never mind a cave. Caves - real caves, mind you - are nigh impassable. They're usually underground, and there's rocks everywhere. Big rocks. And if there's ever an earthquake, Nelly, you're in trouble. Though, if you had inflatable furniture, you could just put it in a backpack and take it where you wanna go. They have those inflatable chairs, you know. And some air mattresses could even pass as a full on bed. Lighting would be an issue too, but you've always got batteries. And they make those headlamps that run off of some special kind of stone, and water. No, seriously. Wiki it. I bet they make lanterns out of the same stuff, and even if they don't already, you could probably make one yourself. You'd just need a bigger rock.

Then I guess you might have to worry about bears, but if you go deep enough underground, what bear is going to bother? I'd think the only reason a bear would go that far into a cave would be to hibernate, and like, I know bears climb trees, but I'm not so sure about rocks. Real caving involves a lot of climbing. And if the thing's going to hibernate, he'd be asleep the whole time anyway. So you'd be like roommates. That would be awesome. Bear roommate.

Wait, what would be even MORE awesome is hibernating. God in Heaven, I would pay money to hibernate right now. For like, a month. January fifteenth is almost here. The day of destiny. The day of reckoning.
That aside, hibernating would be amazing. I'd eat a bunch, climb down in my cave, and then chill on my air mattress for a month. And I'd be unconscious! I can think of a few people who would love that. At least I think they would. And that aside, I definitely would.

I gotta stop drinking caffeine. It's poison.

Work tomorrow night. Ten hour shift. Great way to end a vacation.

See now I can't stop thinking about hibernating. I think they make drugs for that, but I guess those could also kill you. I wonder if Ebay has morphine.

-AJ

"And slam shut the jaws of oblivion."

2007-12-01T20:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a great day. I'll just say that.

Also, I'd like to reiterate that I hate pews. Pews.

Long day. Long night, too. Woke up at about six forty five. Still on Texas time. And since they're an hour behind it makes it all the worse.

Talked to my dad today. He's a good man. The best man. Yeah. Best.

Wanting to stay in San Anton. was not unfounded. I'm not sure if the grammar in that phrase was entirely correct, but I'm cool with that. It's good to be home - whatever that is - but being away from home was nice too. But you know. Florida has a Katie.

And I has a sleep.

-AJ

We don't get it.

2007-11-30T21:08:00.001-08:00

Any of it.

"You'd be the same if you could see! So lets have another drink!"

2007-11-29T08:01:00.000-08:00

Here it goes again.

Idle Threats are childish.

We watched Hot Rod yesterday, and I can safely say that it's just as good the third time around. The movie is a variable roller coaster of hilarity. What Napoleon Dynamite would have been if Will Ferrel had been involved in it's creation, and also, if it hadn't sucked. Move over John Heder. Andy Samberg is in town.

Life resumes tomorrow, though I'm putting my best effort forth to prolong it until Sunday afternoon. I may skip church Sunday morning, seeing as I'm not playing drums and I can't stand sitting in the pew. Does that make me a bad Christian? Because I hate pews? Some would say so. Hm.

I'm not sure what to make of Project 86 these days. A new album only months ago, and already a new EP is coming out on iTunes. Don't bands typically release EPs before they make it big? Not after they've released five or so albums successfully? Hm.

Alright, never mind, I get it. It's a companion to Rival Factions, their last album. I'll have to torrent it later, as I don't, and refuse to, use iTunes. It's an abomination.

Maybe I'll do that now.

Four games to go before I make my top 10 list for the year, and only one more movie. Wait, wait.

...

Five games. Two of them are at my house, right now, so, there ya go. I'm tempted to just type the thing now and revise it, but I won't. Safe to say Halo 3 will be in there. Wow. Imagine that.

-Prime

Today's Fantastic Link Adventure

2007-11-28T07:25:00.001-08:00

60 pounds? Of what?

"How do your folk manage Rishathra?" "We don't."

2007-11-27T15:54:00.001-08:00

Hot Rod came out today, and it should go without saying that I am nothing short of jovial. My family and I are sitting down to watch it later this evening. I'm stoked. I love that word. Stoked.

Two days left of my vacation, and then I depart for Florida. I still have another three before I have to return to work, and I'm grateful for that. Other than getting my living quaters straight I'm planning on taking it easy for the first couple days I'm back. I'll probably get some drum practice in, maybe sleep, or something. I don't know. I'll have to go in and check the schedule at work too, see when I need to stay up all night to get myself back on the proper sleep rotation.

Beyond that, there will of course be the normal - if one can call them such - day to day goings-on of sunny Brevard County. Not sure how I feel about that. Don't get me wrong - I want to go home, but I'd rather not have to deal with all the annoyances and responsibilities that encompass day to day life. I've had too much time to think about the things that annoy me in the time that I've been here. Ah well. There are plenty of good things. Katie, of course being the main one. Halothons. And a drum set. I've been itching to beat on some drums. It'll also be good to sit in my car again, which reminds me, I still need to have it looked at.

Being here has, on the other hand, reminded me of how cool my family is. We got to talking about some things at the dinner table the other day, and I recalled an incident somehow pertinent to the conversation in which I'd be aggravated to the near-limit during YPB practice. I was surprised at how they'd agreed with me. Moreover, I was surprised that it surprised me. I'm not used to being agreed with these days. Most people seem to need to challenge the things I say - make me justify them. Perhaps I'm imagining it, projecting the attitudes of a few people in some select situations onto the majority, but nonetheless, it was nice not having to second guess the words that had come out of my mouth. Also, free food. Free food rocks.

That aside, there's not much else to say. I plan on typing something up about Larry Niven before long, but I may want to finish another book or two first. So far I've only got Ringworld, The Ringworld Engineers and Protector under my belt. I might finish The Ringworld Throne first, and then offer further commentary. Who knows. I may forget and not do it at all, unless I somehow find a way not to be so busy upon returning to Florida.

Hm. I'll have to work on that.

-Prime

Thank you Mr. Book.

2007-11-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

Barnes and Noble has yeilded, and I am victorious.

The Ringworld Throne, The Man Kzin Wars(I), and A World out of Time. All rare. Plus, Kzin Wars was a special edition, $3.99. I smiled, as next to it on the shelf, was a copy of the exact same book, a later edition, which was priced at $7.99. Gwaaaag.

I almost purchased a LEGO Batman set(retailed at somewhere between fifty and seventy dollars) for $9.99. Mark down. However, Marshalls used a deception tactic in placing the item in the wrong bin. My intention to resell and profit was dashed. Yar.

-Aaronus

So I was thinking-

2007-11-25T18:27:00.000-08:00

-And I decided that I'm really, really glad I'm on vacation. I still have, like, five days before I go home, and I plan to enjoy them to the fullest. I've only been here since monday and I've already reconnected with my family, played Jet Force Gemini, made a video with Jet Force Gemini(see below) and decided that I'm not always wrong when people piss me off. A conversation at the dinner table validated that. Next time I get booted out of a song with no explanation and then get yelled at for leaving the room and am then told, "You can't just leave", my answer will be a resounding, "Yes, I can." Being a volunteer carries with it certain rights which I am hesitant - nay, unwilling - to relent. But I digress. The issue in question is long since over, and it's time to move forward. Like a boat.

I think I'm going to sign up for Gamefly when I get home. Why? Because Blockbuster online isn't doing much for me, and I'm tired of scouring the pathetic chain for my game rentals. And I'm not watching that many movies anymore. I may keep the Blockbuster online sub and then register for Gamefly in addition. I can afford it. Or I may downgrade with Blockbuster just to justify the expense. I may do neither. Either way, it shant be long before I'm playing Dynasty Warriors Gundam, Blacksite: Area 51, and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. I have been denied these repeatedly by Blockbuster. Enough is enough.

Avast.

-Prime

Project Log - 11/13 - 11/24

2007-11-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

11/23 - Conceived brilliant video project born of Halo 300 trailers and nothing else to do

-tested DVD recorder. Found that N64 has copy protection chip.
-tried in vain to utilize hi-8 camcorder.
-continued to argue with DVD recorder. Failed.
-decided to attempt VHS recording followed by DVD conversion. Succeeded.
-finished VHS recording.
-attempted vhs/dvd conversion. Failed.

11/24

-reattempted vhs/dvd conversion. Failed.
-tried several disks
-cursed dvd recorder.
-bought new dvds
-tried again
-failed. again.
-cleaned dvd recorder.
-reattemped vhs/dvd conversion
-succeeded
-attempted dvd rip. succeeded.
-attempted import. failed.
-attempted conversion. succeeded.
-attempted import. succeeded.
-began editing. took four hours.
-finished editing. attempted finalization. succeeded.
-attempted upload. failed.
-rebooted system.
-reattempted upload.
-Succeeded.

Fall back men! Arm the War Platypie!

2007-11-08T02:49:00.000-08:00

I am at a loss.

I have been employed by CVS for just barely a month and am in the middle of my forth week of work. Twice my boss has gone on a childish tirade, stating that, "work isn't being done" and that, "I will fire all of you blah blah I'm probably in menopause". Today she kicked us out of the store. Kicked us out. My lord, if I'd known this would happen, I'd have stayed at Target. Well. Maybe. I'm considering giving them a call, because I honestly don't know if I have a job right now. This isn't worth ten fifty an hour. I'm sorry, but when I work for eight hours with one twenty minute break, in the middle of the night, and the woman in charge can only rage on me for some underlying and yet-to-be-revealed reason, I begin to seriously question the worth of my situation. Nevermind that things seem to have flared up with the youth ministry team, again, though that situation is much less volatile and much more solvable. Sort of.

Oh, and my CDs. That's an atrocious boil if ever one has existed on the moral complexion. I spent a good two or so hours in the stock room last night, and knew ahead of time that I'd be doing it, so I brought a couple CDs upstairs with me to pass the time(theres a store provided CD player on one of the shelves.) I was told on my first day of work that using said CD player was acceptable. I have done so. I've forgotten CDs before and then gone back for them the next day, each time without incident. I forgot some last night and came back for them today. They were gone. June, the Cosmetics manager, informed me that my boss had put them in the office. I suppose she intended to confiscate them. The fit of rage, however, which I assume she was in at the time, hampered her innate female ability to hide things, and I quickly discovered them. I unconfiscated them. Let it be known that they are safely nestled in my front passenger seat, and shall remain until I choose otherwise. I'm looking forward to hearing about that one.

In the mean time, Blacksite comes out in a few days. Timeshift is out now, though I've yet to play it. I gave the demo a try a few weeks ago and was killed within the first ten minutes. I only tried once. Perhaps a second go-round is in order. Perhaps not.

I've actually done more reading lately than anything else. My intellectual side has been tickled silly by Luis Wu and Chmee/Speaker To Animals in The Ringworld Engineers. The book is a sandwich. Layer after layer of joyous sci-fi goodness, seasoned by the condiments of punctuation and wordplay, and sandwiched between two slices of intelligence-bread. Mm.

I suppose I should try at sleep. The other Supervisors and myself are making a call to the District tommorow, in hopes that he can sort this out. My ideal scenario? Joan is put on leave/fired, and Carol is given charge of the store ad infinitum. She's definitely qualified, and she's real cool besides. If something like that doesn't happen, or I get written up one more time, I may be in line at the unemployment office.

The Ediface?

2007-10-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

I've just finished with the Blacksite: Area 51 demo on XBL, and I have to say - I'm impressed. Perhaps not so much with the demo itself, as thus far, I've yet to see anything particularly amazing, but it was strangely satisfactory. This is strange, for me, as in the wake of Halo 3 it seems unlikely to impossible that any shooter could deliver a performance worth mentioning.

"Hey, you guys play Blacksite yet?"

"No.*SPAHTAHN LAYZAH*"

I'll admit - I am one of the many, many schmoes who has become an unwavering addict to the furious torrent that is Halo 3. It has swept me up in it's solid, satisfying mechanics and permanently duct taped a Brute Shot to my virtual hands. I am forever "pwned", as the kids say.

It seems unlikely that any shooter could hope to compare for at least the next year and a half. I wonder if Midway could have chosen a less appropriate release date that less than two months after the launch of one of the most anticipated entertainment events in history.

I was doubtful that I could be satisfied with another shooter any time soon. After playing the Blacksite demo, it seems I was wrong.

In other news, Beautiful Katamari has me by the hair. I've finished the game's main, "campaign" mode, but I still find myself going back for more. It must be that addictive, "DOINK" noise that sounds every time you pick something up. Or maybe it's the soundtrack with the ridiculous Japanese music. Maybe it's the whole thing.

Going back to Halo. I realized today that if you're in a ranked matchmaking game, the map loads, you hate it, and your fellow players don't Veto(because they're morons), you can abruptly reset your console in order to exit the match, and your rank will not be affected. Not that this is a good idea, as a matter of practice. But if I got stuck in one more Crazy King match, I was gonna lose my mind.

Oh, and don't try to rent The Orange Box. It's impossible.