Tomorrow is the last day of Opie and Anthony's contract with Sirius/XM satellite radio and I have to admit I'm a bit torn over what I would like to happen.
I love the Opie and Anthony Show...a lot. They've been a source of dependable joy for me for the past six years since their last firing when they had about two years off. I'm one of those dedicated listeners. I don't participate in the show directly by calling in or writing on the Instant Feedback wall...I'm not that funny. But I do like the show enough that I can listen to its entire five hour broadcast. Five hours is a lot of time taken from my day to dedicate to a show, no matter how good. I can't help but wonder what else I might be doing with my life if I didn't feel so compelled to catch their show every weekday morning.
At the very least I'd be listening to more music. Maybe I'd actually get my necessary chores done on workdays instead of my days off leaving those days to be fully enjoyed rather than only partially as it is now. As much as I would miss them, I can't help but think I would be better off without them or could, at the very least, use a break. I feel like I'm admitting an addiction.
I figure, worse comes to worst, they'll either end up on an FM station or they'll podcast. And yes, I would follow them there because damn it...it's a funny show. Vicious, dark humor. The kind I could never get away with even amongst my closest friends. It's so cathartic to listen to.
I'll just have to wait until tomorrow...
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
BIDING MY TIME...
So that "lead" on a job for my roommate seems to have been a false one. Therefore, he's still deliberately unemployed. He's attributing it to his mother misrepresenting the situation. So far his follow-up to all this is to continue marathoning the entire LOST series on the couch most of the day, pecking at his computer on this and that writing "project" that he either will not or cannot put out there, and still engaging in his "masseur" business.
June 30, 2011 cannot come soon enough...
He was finally out of the apartment long enough for me to marathon all the TV I recorded last week. I hate doing that. I'd much rather watch television in small chunks but instead I'm relegated to a four or five hour marathon-fest (cut one hour short because I fucked up the settings for Survivor) because I can't know when I'll have unfettered access to both the television and couch again. Ugh...
Yay, time to go clean the bathroom because why would he ever do it...
June 30, 2011 cannot come soon enough...
He was finally out of the apartment long enough for me to marathon all the TV I recorded last week. I hate doing that. I'd much rather watch television in small chunks but instead I'm relegated to a four or five hour marathon-fest (cut one hour short because I fucked up the settings for Survivor) because I can't know when I'll have unfettered access to both the television and couch again. Ugh...
Yay, time to go clean the bathroom because why would he ever do it...
Friday, September 24, 2010
DOES THIS MEAN I CAN WATCH SOME TV NOW?
The roommate says his mother got him an interview for a job...finally. Holy crap do I need him out of this apartment during the day so that maybe, just maybe, I could have access to the goddamned living room. Holy fuck. Nice to know that he has been entirely incapable of procuring this interview himself and that it was instead his mother, the very one whom he blames for many of his problems, that "pulled some strings" to get this done. What an ingrate.
Unfortunately, I got this news several days ago. I haven't heard anything new so did he or didn't he get this job? *grumble, grumble*
Unfortunately, I got this news several days ago. I haven't heard anything new so did he or didn't he get this job? *grumble, grumble*
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
INIMANDVS V
Just yesterday I finally climbed out of a ten day depression catalyzed by the last girl I've wanted. She's working later again so I have to see her more...again. I have no defenses against her. It was a one-two punch to my heart that got started on September 8th. I was starting to get better from that one but on the 16th, I was brought right the fuck back down and HARD. I still can't tell if this pain in my throat is from a developing sickness (it doesn't feel like one) or because I strained my neck muscles from clenching my jaw all night that night. Seriously...
When my down periods get strong, I shut down and go into auto-pilot. I still hear and see everything: I'm capable of performing the tasks asked of me (albeit more slowly)...I just shut down. I stop speaking except when absolutely necessary and even then it's minimalist and in muffled tones with no attempt made to project. My thoughts go quiet as well. I become a living machine and I get weaker the longer I'm in this state. I'm sure it's not a good thing when I get this way because what I'm feeling is me doing everything possible to REMAIN in that state rather than get out of it. I try to shut down to humor, anger, and fear...anything that would cause my adrenaline to wake me out of such stupors... It takes a lot of energy to remain in that state and it puts a lot of stress on my heart and yet once I get there, that's exactly where I want to remain... My brain is stupid.
I think she's literally killing me...but only because I let her. Sigh.....
ADDENDUM: I think this was my bottom. I entered into an accelerating recovery since this point and am actually feeling quite like myself again for the first time in a long while.
When my down periods get strong, I shut down and go into auto-pilot. I still hear and see everything: I'm capable of performing the tasks asked of me (albeit more slowly)...I just shut down. I stop speaking except when absolutely necessary and even then it's minimalist and in muffled tones with no attempt made to project. My thoughts go quiet as well. I become a living machine and I get weaker the longer I'm in this state. I'm sure it's not a good thing when I get this way because what I'm feeling is me doing everything possible to REMAIN in that state rather than get out of it. I try to shut down to humor, anger, and fear...anything that would cause my adrenaline to wake me out of such stupors... It takes a lot of energy to remain in that state and it puts a lot of stress on my heart and yet once I get there, that's exactly where I want to remain... My brain is stupid.
I think she's literally killing me...but only because I let her. Sigh.....
ADDENDUM: I think this was my bottom. I entered into an accelerating recovery since this point and am actually feeling quite like myself again for the first time in a long while.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
NEVER MEME OF DYING
I found this on Electronic Cerebrectomy's blog...
1. My favorite genre of game
I would say Action games. I like my video games to only take about an hour to win at most.
2. Favorite Games
Arcade : TMNT, Galaga, Defender, Metal Slug, Samurai Shodown IV
Atari2600 : Laser Blast, Seaquest, Super Breakout, Asteroids, Circus Atari
Atari5200 : Missile Command, Vanguard, Space Invaders, Joust, Mario Bros.
NES : Megaman 2, Tetris, Metroid, Blaster Master, The Legend of Zelda
Game Boy : TMNT, Nemesis, Castlevania, Metroid II,
SNES : Super Mario All-Stars, Gradius III, Axelay, Super Metroid, Super Mario Kart
Genesis : Thunder Force III, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Road Rash, Splatterhouse 2
3. My hated game(s)
I didn't buy games that I didn't like so I don't have an answer to this
4. My favorite minion enemies
The Kemlus Snake from Vanguard (an unusual enemy that gave you 1090 bonus points if it captured you, but it only worked three times); every minor enemy in Turok: Dinosaur Hunter because you could keep "killing" them over and over again with grenades (they'd arc through the air screaming and leaving a trail of blood even though they were already dead. It was an entertaining glitch to exploit when using unlimited ammo cheat codes); the Nazi-esque soldiers of Metal Slug, especially when they'd laugh over your dead body and then scream (and try to run away) when your character reappeared; the Ironknuckles from Zelda II were fun to fight; the changing Invaders in the Atari5200 version of Space Invaders
5. My Most Hated minion enemies
The Pterodactyl from Joust; the Big Eye from Megaman; the Hammer Brothers from Super Mario Bros., the Reapers from Kid Icarus; the Hunchback from Castlevania; the Red Devil from Ghosts 'n Goblins; the Red Bubble and blue Wizzrobes from The Legend of Zelda; the Eagle from Ninja Gaiden --- later systems tended to lack those truly asshole enemies. It seems like they were more fixated on graphics than challenge; the Revenants from Doom II, not because they were hard but because I didn't like that they shot rockets at you. When they get close, they punch and kick you which is fine enough. The game needed more enemies that didn't shoot. Too many of them did.
6. My Favorite Enemies (Bosses)
The Regenertoid (Stage 3 Axelay); the Yellow Devil from Megaman is fun to fight; The area 4 boss in Contra III was another good fight where missiles are being fired into the boss and you have to hop from one to another firing at its core before the missiles are destroyed otherwise you fall to your death; Gond of Vanguard because I think it was the first game I had ever played with a boss
7. My Most hated Enemies (Bosses)
The Level 5 boss in Raiden II - it just does not die and fires a fuckload of fast-moving large bullets that are almost impossible to fly through and in a game with no shields and you lose everything you've accumulated when you die...it proves frustrating; The Grim Reaper in Castlevania since its sickles appear and move randomly on the screen even after the boss is killed and by this point in the game, you can only take four hits before dying; the Area 6 boss in Blaster Master - it's a souped-up version of the Area 2 boss: it has longer arms and shoots these fast-moving projectiles that do twice as much damage. It's hard to get close enough to do damage (though easy to kill if you cheat); Bacterion from Gradius III because it's practically impossible NOT to beat him: in fact, if you take too long, he'll kill himself!...very anticlimactic for a final boss
8. Most Loved Good Character
Megaman
9. Most hated good-character
Alucard from Castlevania III. He sounds cool and all since he can turn into a bat and fly around the game's many obstacles but his fireballs are incredibly weak even when powered up. Better off sticking with Grant DaNasty or even Syfa :-)
10. Most Memorable Game
The most memorable game I bought was Megaman. I remember being in Toys R Us with Dad looking for the game Dragon Warrior but they were sold out. Dad, not even knowing I liked the series, wondered if I would like this game. I saw he was pointing to the original Megaman, a game I thought I would never own. I wonder what drew Dad's attention to it considering the game's notoriously awful cover art?
Tetris is the game I was most happy to receive. Nan filled me in with the story on what must've been Christmas Eve 1989. My Uncle was the one who got the game. It must've been one of the last presents I opened and apparently I was very grateful that someone had remembered :-)
Of the games I never asked for that I ended up liking, Rygar for the NES I think was the best - awesome music and graphics with interesting enemies. It was one of the three NES games my brother and me got when we received the Nintendo for Christmas
Samurai Shodown IV makes me think of the gang at college and also the first arcade game I ever won :-)
Galaga was the first arcade game I ever got good at and TMNT was the first arcade game I was ever excited to play every time I saw the cabinet ANYWHERE
11. Least Memorable Game
Some stealth fighter game we got for Christmas that neither of us asked for. It got boring quickly. Golf for the Atari2600 was tedious.
12. Favorite segment of a game
The destruction of the Level 1 boss in Raiden II...it makes for a very satisfying thump :-); Stage 2 from Axelay has some awesome visuals; the "bonus" levels of Lemmings were uniquely designed and had special music. They were generally easier than any of the other levels so they acted as a breather level before getting back into the hard shit; the fire background effect for the Gorgon stage (2:50 in) in Thunderforce III is cool-looking
13. Least favorite segment of a game
Any Lemmings level that relies too much on luck or overly precise timing rather than skillful problem-solving with Mayhem 29 being the best example of this. The level is hard as fuck already taking over six minutes to complete. The problem is right at the end: two metal blocks that stick out only by a pixel so the falling lemming only walks on for less than a moment. Mistime the mouse click and you have to do it all over again. The fact that you have to do it twice makes it all the more infuriating. Lemmings 2 abounds in these kinds of levels too...unfortunately; Stage 4 in the NES TMNT had these instant-death spike walls closing in for three segments and your turtle had to drop down these narrow gaps. Miss one and you'll never make it; Any game that makes you spend oodles of time building experience points in pointless battles like Zelda II; and any adventure game that artificially limits where you can go and when early on. I liked how you didn't have to go through the dungeons in order in The Legend of Zelda. It's not smart to go to Level 3 first, but you COULD. Every other Zelda game prevents this. Dragon Warrior let you wander into territory with monsters way more powerful than you could fight; and most importantly...every Mortal Kombat game in the arcade. How the fuck were we supposed to figure out the key combinations for the Fatalities? How frustrating was it to win the match only to be completely impotent with your flailing opponent? Plus the computer often didn't perform the fatality on YOU when you lost. How cheap. You'd think it'd be the least the game could do to make your losing worthwhile. Plus, no special Goro fatality for your character? Ugh...
14. Most loved storyline
Honestly, I have never really played games with real storylines. I guess I would have to say the Ninja Gaiden series by default.
15. Favorite secret/easter egg/cheat
Infinite shield recharge for Nova 9; the Konami code for 30 guys in Contra and Life Force (I like how it backfired in Gradius III. If you used the code, your ship self-destructed!); pausing Blaster Master while damaging the bosses of Areas 4, 6, and 7 allowed them to keep taking damage until they died (especially helpful in Area 6); saving the animals who helped you out in Super Metroid before Zebes self-destructs was cute
16. How many games you've think you've played in your life
Probably over a hundred
17. How many games you (think) you own?
Unfortunately I no longer have the Atari2600 and Atari5200 systems. Of what I have left, I'd say between 50 and 75 cartridges
18. Favorite Weapon
Although not strong, I liked the concept of the "toothpaste beam" in Raiden II; the Metal Blade from Megaman 2 (this game made good use of the bosses' weapons throughout the stages unlike Mega Man III and up where they were basically only good against the bosses and not the stages - though I should take that back as I've seen videos recently on YouTube which show weapons from Megaman III and IV being used quite effectively throughout); the Spreader gun in Contra; the boomerang in Castlevania and Castlevania III; although an ineffective weapon overall, the Shockwave Weapon in Turok Dinosaur Hunter was fun to kill weak enemies with. When you hit them, they froze in place with this electrical effect around them and darkened before suddenly exploding
18a. Least Favorite Weapon
I felt I should add this one. I'll give it to Link's sword beam from Zelda II. It was completely worthless. First of all, it only travelled halfway across the screen before evaporating and secondly, it only hurt a few enemies like the bots and moglins, never the ones that such a distance shot might be helpful against. In the original game, having the sword beam was hardly a game-breaker...it was more of a relief that you didn't have to fight so dangerously close to the Like-Likes, Wizzrobes, and Darknuts.
The Megaman series is rife with these as well. The Gutsman technique, the Time Stopper from Flashman (you couldn't fire your weapon when using it), the Top Spin and Spark Shock (it froze enemies, but you couldn't switch back to your arm cannon to finish them off like you could with the Ice Slasher), the Rain Flush, etc. etc. etc.
19. Favorite spell/power
I didn't play RPGs so magic spells rarely applied. My favorite though (by default I suppose) was the "Hurt" spell from Dragon Warrior. Probably the most appropriately named spell ever. :-)
20. Hardest boss you've ever beaten
I generally find the stages in games to be harder than the battles themselves at the end. I guess, as a kid, Dracula from Castlevania would count [no pun intended] since it took me quite a while to defeat him. --- The three-eyed crab guarding the Dive module in Area 5 of Blaster Master gave me a lot of trouble growing up. I can defeat him no problem now but as a kid, I needed the NES advantage for both slow-motion and turbo to beat him. --- I could probably also add Shao Kahn from Mortal Kombat 2 since I can only defeat him with Kitana and Baraka.
Nowadays, I have to make games harder on purpose by trying to win with lesser weapons and such. Using that metric, I would have to say Elecman and Iceman from Megaman are the hardest. I've beaten them, but I still can't defeat them using only the arm cannon. --- I could also add the final bosses from Double Dragon, but I've never defeated them without the Game Genie giving me all sorts of extra lives and using the NES advantage for turbo.
21. Easiest boss you've ever beaten
Bacterion from Gradius III goes down with barely a fight as does Zelos from Life Force. I think it's actually a tradition in the Gradius games to make the final boss be a pushover for some reason. --- The red Gohma guarding the Triforce piece in the Level-6 dungeon from the Legend of Zelda goes down with a single arrow. In fact if you shoot the arrow the moment you enter the room, you'll beat him before he fires a single shot.
22. Favorite System
The original Nintendo Entertainment System. It wasn't my first system nor was it the last but so many good memories have come from it :-)
23. Favorite gaming controller
I think the SNES controller demonstrated the maximum number of buttons one could comfortably fit upon a single controller. It allowed for arcade games like Street Fighter II to be adapted and it gave just enough control options to make other games useful. Also, unlike the Playstation controller, the Y and X buttons were concave and the B and A buttons were convex allowing for tactile differentiation.
24. Best Level Design
For aesthetics, I'll give it to Axelay for the SNES for its numerous creative backgrounds and stage elements of which Stages 2 and 3 excelled. The Casino Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was pretty cool-looking as well. --- For challenge, Super Mario Bros. "The Lost Levels" still makes me curse quite a lot. Several levels in Lemmings and Oh No! More Lemmings featured rather creative puzzles to solve.
25. Console or PC
While PCs are better for graphics and complexity, almost all my gaming memories are from consoles
26. Scariest moment in gaming
I remember jumping when the giant Bot appears out of nowhere and without warning in the final castle in Zelda II :-)
27. Most suspenseful moment in gaming
Whenever I'm in a new area on my last life, last continue, low on energy [or sometimes all three]. Knowing you're in a room full of traps doesn't help either. :-)
1. My favorite genre of game
I would say Action games. I like my video games to only take about an hour to win at most.
2. Favorite Games
Arcade : TMNT, Galaga, Defender, Metal Slug, Samurai Shodown IV
Atari2600 : Laser Blast, Seaquest, Super Breakout, Asteroids, Circus Atari
Atari5200 : Missile Command, Vanguard, Space Invaders, Joust, Mario Bros.
NES : Megaman 2, Tetris, Metroid, Blaster Master, The Legend of Zelda
Game Boy : TMNT, Nemesis, Castlevania, Metroid II,
SNES : Super Mario All-Stars, Gradius III, Axelay, Super Metroid, Super Mario Kart
Genesis : Thunder Force III, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Road Rash, Splatterhouse 2
3. My hated game(s)
I didn't buy games that I didn't like so I don't have an answer to this
4. My favorite minion enemies
The Kemlus Snake from Vanguard (an unusual enemy that gave you 1090 bonus points if it captured you, but it only worked three times); every minor enemy in Turok: Dinosaur Hunter because you could keep "killing" them over and over again with grenades (they'd arc through the air screaming and leaving a trail of blood even though they were already dead. It was an entertaining glitch to exploit when using unlimited ammo cheat codes); the Nazi-esque soldiers of Metal Slug, especially when they'd laugh over your dead body and then scream (and try to run away) when your character reappeared; the Ironknuckles from Zelda II were fun to fight; the changing Invaders in the Atari5200 version of Space Invaders
5. My Most Hated minion enemies
The Pterodactyl from Joust; the Big Eye from Megaman; the Hammer Brothers from Super Mario Bros., the Reapers from Kid Icarus; the Hunchback from Castlevania; the Red Devil from Ghosts 'n Goblins; the Red Bubble and blue Wizzrobes from The Legend of Zelda; the Eagle from Ninja Gaiden --- later systems tended to lack those truly asshole enemies. It seems like they were more fixated on graphics than challenge; the Revenants from Doom II, not because they were hard but because I didn't like that they shot rockets at you. When they get close, they punch and kick you which is fine enough. The game needed more enemies that didn't shoot. Too many of them did.
6. My Favorite Enemies (Bosses)
The Regenertoid (Stage 3 Axelay); the Yellow Devil from Megaman is fun to fight; The area 4 boss in Contra III was another good fight where missiles are being fired into the boss and you have to hop from one to another firing at its core before the missiles are destroyed otherwise you fall to your death; Gond of Vanguard because I think it was the first game I had ever played with a boss
7. My Most hated Enemies (Bosses)
The Level 5 boss in Raiden II - it just does not die and fires a fuckload of fast-moving large bullets that are almost impossible to fly through and in a game with no shields and you lose everything you've accumulated when you die...it proves frustrating; The Grim Reaper in Castlevania since its sickles appear and move randomly on the screen even after the boss is killed and by this point in the game, you can only take four hits before dying; the Area 6 boss in Blaster Master - it's a souped-up version of the Area 2 boss: it has longer arms and shoots these fast-moving projectiles that do twice as much damage. It's hard to get close enough to do damage (though easy to kill if you cheat); Bacterion from Gradius III because it's practically impossible NOT to beat him: in fact, if you take too long, he'll kill himself!...very anticlimactic for a final boss
8. Most Loved Good Character
Megaman
9. Most hated good-character
Alucard from Castlevania III. He sounds cool and all since he can turn into a bat and fly around the game's many obstacles but his fireballs are incredibly weak even when powered up. Better off sticking with Grant DaNasty or even Syfa :-)
10. Most Memorable Game
The most memorable game I bought was Megaman. I remember being in Toys R Us with Dad looking for the game Dragon Warrior but they were sold out. Dad, not even knowing I liked the series, wondered if I would like this game. I saw he was pointing to the original Megaman, a game I thought I would never own. I wonder what drew Dad's attention to it considering the game's notoriously awful cover art?
Tetris is the game I was most happy to receive. Nan filled me in with the story on what must've been Christmas Eve 1989. My Uncle was the one who got the game. It must've been one of the last presents I opened and apparently I was very grateful that someone had remembered :-)
Of the games I never asked for that I ended up liking, Rygar for the NES I think was the best - awesome music and graphics with interesting enemies. It was one of the three NES games my brother and me got when we received the Nintendo for Christmas
Samurai Shodown IV makes me think of the gang at college and also the first arcade game I ever won :-)
Galaga was the first arcade game I ever got good at and TMNT was the first arcade game I was ever excited to play every time I saw the cabinet ANYWHERE
11. Least Memorable Game
Some stealth fighter game we got for Christmas that neither of us asked for. It got boring quickly. Golf for the Atari2600 was tedious.
12. Favorite segment of a game
The destruction of the Level 1 boss in Raiden II...it makes for a very satisfying thump :-); Stage 2 from Axelay has some awesome visuals; the "bonus" levels of Lemmings were uniquely designed and had special music. They were generally easier than any of the other levels so they acted as a breather level before getting back into the hard shit; the fire background effect for the Gorgon stage (2:50 in) in Thunderforce III is cool-looking
13. Least favorite segment of a game
Any Lemmings level that relies too much on luck or overly precise timing rather than skillful problem-solving with Mayhem 29 being the best example of this. The level is hard as fuck already taking over six minutes to complete. The problem is right at the end: two metal blocks that stick out only by a pixel so the falling lemming only walks on for less than a moment. Mistime the mouse click and you have to do it all over again. The fact that you have to do it twice makes it all the more infuriating. Lemmings 2 abounds in these kinds of levels too...unfortunately; Stage 4 in the NES TMNT had these instant-death spike walls closing in for three segments and your turtle had to drop down these narrow gaps. Miss one and you'll never make it; Any game that makes you spend oodles of time building experience points in pointless battles like Zelda II; and any adventure game that artificially limits where you can go and when early on. I liked how you didn't have to go through the dungeons in order in The Legend of Zelda. It's not smart to go to Level 3 first, but you COULD. Every other Zelda game prevents this. Dragon Warrior let you wander into territory with monsters way more powerful than you could fight; and most importantly...every Mortal Kombat game in the arcade. How the fuck were we supposed to figure out the key combinations for the Fatalities? How frustrating was it to win the match only to be completely impotent with your flailing opponent? Plus the computer often didn't perform the fatality on YOU when you lost. How cheap. You'd think it'd be the least the game could do to make your losing worthwhile. Plus, no special Goro fatality for your character? Ugh...
14. Most loved storyline
Honestly, I have never really played games with real storylines. I guess I would have to say the Ninja Gaiden series by default.
15. Favorite secret/easter egg/cheat
Infinite shield recharge for Nova 9; the Konami code for 30 guys in Contra and Life Force (I like how it backfired in Gradius III. If you used the code, your ship self-destructed!); pausing Blaster Master while damaging the bosses of Areas 4, 6, and 7 allowed them to keep taking damage until they died (especially helpful in Area 6); saving the animals who helped you out in Super Metroid before Zebes self-destructs was cute
16. How many games you've think you've played in your life
Probably over a hundred
17. How many games you (think) you own?
Unfortunately I no longer have the Atari2600 and Atari5200 systems. Of what I have left, I'd say between 50 and 75 cartridges
18. Favorite Weapon
Although not strong, I liked the concept of the "toothpaste beam" in Raiden II; the Metal Blade from Megaman 2 (this game made good use of the bosses' weapons throughout the stages unlike Mega Man III and up where they were basically only good against the bosses and not the stages - though I should take that back as I've seen videos recently on YouTube which show weapons from Megaman III and IV being used quite effectively throughout); the Spreader gun in Contra; the boomerang in Castlevania and Castlevania III; although an ineffective weapon overall, the Shockwave Weapon in Turok Dinosaur Hunter was fun to kill weak enemies with. When you hit them, they froze in place with this electrical effect around them and darkened before suddenly exploding
18a. Least Favorite Weapon
I felt I should add this one. I'll give it to Link's sword beam from Zelda II. It was completely worthless. First of all, it only travelled halfway across the screen before evaporating and secondly, it only hurt a few enemies like the bots and moglins, never the ones that such a distance shot might be helpful against. In the original game, having the sword beam was hardly a game-breaker...it was more of a relief that you didn't have to fight so dangerously close to the Like-Likes, Wizzrobes, and Darknuts.
The Megaman series is rife with these as well. The Gutsman technique, the Time Stopper from Flashman (you couldn't fire your weapon when using it), the Top Spin and Spark Shock (it froze enemies, but you couldn't switch back to your arm cannon to finish them off like you could with the Ice Slasher), the Rain Flush, etc. etc. etc.
19. Favorite spell/power
I didn't play RPGs so magic spells rarely applied. My favorite though (by default I suppose) was the "Hurt" spell from Dragon Warrior. Probably the most appropriately named spell ever. :-)
20. Hardest boss you've ever beaten
I generally find the stages in games to be harder than the battles themselves at the end. I guess, as a kid, Dracula from Castlevania would count [no pun intended] since it took me quite a while to defeat him. --- The three-eyed crab guarding the Dive module in Area 5 of Blaster Master gave me a lot of trouble growing up. I can defeat him no problem now but as a kid, I needed the NES advantage for both slow-motion and turbo to beat him. --- I could probably also add Shao Kahn from Mortal Kombat 2 since I can only defeat him with Kitana and Baraka.
Nowadays, I have to make games harder on purpose by trying to win with lesser weapons and such. Using that metric, I would have to say Elecman and Iceman from Megaman are the hardest. I've beaten them, but I still can't defeat them using only the arm cannon. --- I could also add the final bosses from Double Dragon, but I've never defeated them without the Game Genie giving me all sorts of extra lives and using the NES advantage for turbo.
21. Easiest boss you've ever beaten
Bacterion from Gradius III goes down with barely a fight as does Zelos from Life Force. I think it's actually a tradition in the Gradius games to make the final boss be a pushover for some reason. --- The red Gohma guarding the Triforce piece in the Level-6 dungeon from the Legend of Zelda goes down with a single arrow. In fact if you shoot the arrow the moment you enter the room, you'll beat him before he fires a single shot.
22. Favorite System
The original Nintendo Entertainment System. It wasn't my first system nor was it the last but so many good memories have come from it :-)
23. Favorite gaming controller
I think the SNES controller demonstrated the maximum number of buttons one could comfortably fit upon a single controller. It allowed for arcade games like Street Fighter II to be adapted and it gave just enough control options to make other games useful. Also, unlike the Playstation controller, the Y and X buttons were concave and the B and A buttons were convex allowing for tactile differentiation.
24. Best Level Design
For aesthetics, I'll give it to Axelay for the SNES for its numerous creative backgrounds and stage elements of which Stages 2 and 3 excelled. The Casino Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was pretty cool-looking as well. --- For challenge, Super Mario Bros. "The Lost Levels" still makes me curse quite a lot. Several levels in Lemmings and Oh No! More Lemmings featured rather creative puzzles to solve.
25. Console or PC
While PCs are better for graphics and complexity, almost all my gaming memories are from consoles
26. Scariest moment in gaming
I remember jumping when the giant Bot appears out of nowhere and without warning in the final castle in Zelda II :-)
27. Most suspenseful moment in gaming
Whenever I'm in a new area on my last life, last continue, low on energy [or sometimes all three]. Knowing you're in a room full of traps doesn't help either. :-)
A QUICK THOUGHT
I used to fight a lot with my previous roommate, a person who was/is my best friend. She gets annoyed that I don't fight similarly with my new roommate despite the fact that he has been a far worse one in terms of helping out around the apartment. I think the reason is thus:
Outside of expecting him to pay his bills on time, I have no expectations of my current roommate and unfortunately, he meets them.
OF ALL THE LUCK!
I got my first 2010-D nickel last night and I'm kinda irked because of it.
I have all the Philadelphia pieces but still need the Denvers for the 2nd and 4th design of the Bicentennial Lincoln cents; the nickel; the dime; and for Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Marianas quarters...and 2010's almost over. It's cool but the fact that I have a 2009-P nickel is what annoys me.
On November 22, 2009 [yes, I keep track of these things], I received my first (and so far only) 2009-P nickel.
I hope the economy tanks again. There's been talk of a double-dip recession for some time now. I'd love to see 2011's coin production plummet like 2009's again. Coin collecting has never been more fun for me. Yes that comes at the expense of many out-of-work people but I can't be thinking about that as the mint creates illusory modern rarities. 2010's production has already outpaced 2009's and I regularly see 2010 dated coins in my change...except for quarters. I've only seen two so far all year but then I give out half dollars in change so I don't go through quite as many as I used to. So while 2010's mintages are already boring, there's always hope for 2011 if the economy threatens collapse again.
I just have to come to terms with it: My happiness is predicated in others' pain. It's the way of the world. I should embrace it rather than pretend it isn't so.
*evil laugh*
BABYLON 5/TOM LEHRER MASH-UP
Tom Lehrer: "Who's Next?" using Babylon 5 footage
"Babylon Park: I love the South Parkified Shadow Mantises :-)
Cartman Mollari (to G'Kyle): Shut up G'moron!
(originally posted to That Other Journal on September 16, 2010)
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
INIMANDVS IV
Another thought that has passed through my head lately about her also reminds me of my worthlessness. I don't have the presence, the popularity [even amongst my friends], the whatever...to cause the people who call me their friend to shun another person.
At work, I see them talking to my still-not-yet-dormant crush and being all friendly despite them knowing just how much she depresses me. You remember in school when people would get ostracized for whatever reason? The kind of shunning where your friends would stop talking to YOU if you dared to talk to the one being shunned. I wish I had that kind of influence over others.
I want to hate her, but I can't. I hate her but I remain so fully in love with her and it sucks because being in love with her brings only pain and longing and hating her brings only regret and longing. There's no victory. There's not even a partial victory because she suffers no consequences [at least from my work friends] for standing me up.
I have no power.
I have nothing...
I am nothing.....
At work, I see them talking to my still-not-yet-dormant crush and being all friendly despite them knowing just how much she depresses me. You remember in school when people would get ostracized for whatever reason? The kind of shunning where your friends would stop talking to YOU if you dared to talk to the one being shunned. I wish I had that kind of influence over others.
I want to hate her, but I can't. I hate her but I remain so fully in love with her and it sucks because being in love with her brings only pain and longing and hating her brings only regret and longing. There's no victory. There's not even a partial victory because she suffers no consequences [at least from my work friends] for standing me up.
I have no power.
I have nothing...
I am nothing.....
EITHER I'M GETTING OLD or TODAY'S MUSIC SUCKS...
These days I swear that every new song being released is either autotuned or contains a sample or both. Is this what passes for originality these days? Has music become so much more about the look than the sound that singing ability has become completely irrelevant?
I hate to break it to you so-called singers out there but the "autotuning effect" that makes your voice sound all robotic means your singing is out of tune. The goal is to NOT hear that effect. Autotuners would make great teach-yourself-to-sing machines since you could use them to find out if you're doing it right but to hear the effect in the final product means you sang it wrong. The effect should be a source of embarrassment, not pride. If your song's art requires the performer to sound robotic, that effect can be added in post. And yet the autotuner prevails in modern music. It's fucking frustrating.
Sampling, though, is a far worse crime in my opinion. Of the literally trillions of possible music combinations that could be created, for some reason using another person's work is now a hallmark of music. It, I think, was first used in hip-hop which...I kinda got. I mean, old-school Doo-Wop was basically four or five kids singing in bathrooms or subways using their voices as instruments since they (presumably) could not afford actual instruments. It became a style. In that way, I can understand early rap using samples of current music as metronomes to rap with. If you couldn't afford instruments to compose your own music or simply didn't know anyone who actually played music, that's the way to make your art. However, while I would understand that in early rap, I don't understand how it continues to this day...over thirty years later. Once Run-DMC put out "Rock Box", which had its own music as the bed, that should've been the death knell for rappers using other artists' work to rap over and that was the EARLY 1980s.
Early Rock and Roll had many singers/groups, but few songwriters. If you listen to the music of the early 1960s, you'll hear a lot of covers. That's the way it was at the time. But groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones showed that the performers could be both singers AND songwriters. They also made it difficult for newer groups to come out who were merely studio creations singing cover songs or songs which had been written for them. Groups like the Beatles and Rolling Stones helped usher in a demand for actual talents in the music business.
But yet, sampling still continues and it annoys the fuck out of me. I remember liking "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes until I learned that they had sampled "Breakfast in America" by Supertramp. Now I can't stand the song. Why would you do that? I'm annoyed that a group I still enjoy, The Offspring, have been sampling lately as well. A couple of examples are on the album Conspiracy of One. Thankfully, they're not essential to the song but it's still disappointing to hear that even they have gone that route. I guess sampling is good for the original artists as they are (hopefully) getting paid for this but it's still annoying.
The music industry needs another "Nirvana" stat and by that, I don't mean another round of grunge music. That era has come and gone. What I mean is that we need a band to rise up and sweep aside the old regime. Nirvana killed 80s metal which by then had degenerated into Hair Bands, ushering in a new age. We need a new group that makes today's youth want to go out and learn how to play an instrument be it a guitar or piano and especially drums. I'm tired of beat-boxes. Listen to The Who and Led Zeppelin and you'll know why drummers are important. We need a new band who, if anything, sweeps aside these studio-created "artists" that have been proliferating on the Disney channel and American Idol and to, more importantly, sweep aside the various formulae studios have created for pop-music success that undoubtedly constrain up-and-coming artists.
If anything, I want to believe, that even in this cable and internet age where we supposedly are more divided than ever over our options, that we can still come together over a singular topic. I hold up "viral videos" as an example of how we can still as a society be on the same page. One of Lady Gaga's videos has over 200 MILLION views so I don't think it impossible. It can't come soon enough. If I have to hear "Fireflies" by Owl City one more time.....
I hate to break it to you so-called singers out there but the "autotuning effect" that makes your voice sound all robotic means your singing is out of tune. The goal is to NOT hear that effect. Autotuners would make great teach-yourself-to-sing machines since you could use them to find out if you're doing it right but to hear the effect in the final product means you sang it wrong. The effect should be a source of embarrassment, not pride. If your song's art requires the performer to sound robotic, that effect can be added in post. And yet the autotuner prevails in modern music. It's fucking frustrating.
Sampling, though, is a far worse crime in my opinion. Of the literally trillions of possible music combinations that could be created, for some reason using another person's work is now a hallmark of music. It, I think, was first used in hip-hop which...I kinda got. I mean, old-school Doo-Wop was basically four or five kids singing in bathrooms or subways using their voices as instruments since they (presumably) could not afford actual instruments. It became a style. In that way, I can understand early rap using samples of current music as metronomes to rap with. If you couldn't afford instruments to compose your own music or simply didn't know anyone who actually played music, that's the way to make your art. However, while I would understand that in early rap, I don't understand how it continues to this day...over thirty years later. Once Run-DMC put out "Rock Box", which had its own music as the bed, that should've been the death knell for rappers using other artists' work to rap over and that was the EARLY 1980s.
Early Rock and Roll had many singers/groups, but few songwriters. If you listen to the music of the early 1960s, you'll hear a lot of covers. That's the way it was at the time. But groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones showed that the performers could be both singers AND songwriters. They also made it difficult for newer groups to come out who were merely studio creations singing cover songs or songs which had been written for them. Groups like the Beatles and Rolling Stones helped usher in a demand for actual talents in the music business.
But yet, sampling still continues and it annoys the fuck out of me. I remember liking "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes until I learned that they had sampled "Breakfast in America" by Supertramp. Now I can't stand the song. Why would you do that? I'm annoyed that a group I still enjoy, The Offspring, have been sampling lately as well. A couple of examples are on the album Conspiracy of One. Thankfully, they're not essential to the song but it's still disappointing to hear that even they have gone that route. I guess sampling is good for the original artists as they are (hopefully) getting paid for this but it's still annoying.
The music industry needs another "Nirvana" stat and by that, I don't mean another round of grunge music. That era has come and gone. What I mean is that we need a band to rise up and sweep aside the old regime. Nirvana killed 80s metal which by then had degenerated into Hair Bands, ushering in a new age. We need a new group that makes today's youth want to go out and learn how to play an instrument be it a guitar or piano and especially drums. I'm tired of beat-boxes. Listen to The Who and Led Zeppelin and you'll know why drummers are important. We need a new band who, if anything, sweeps aside these studio-created "artists" that have been proliferating on the Disney channel and American Idol and to, more importantly, sweep aside the various formulae studios have created for pop-music success that undoubtedly constrain up-and-coming artists.
If anything, I want to believe, that even in this cable and internet age where we supposedly are more divided than ever over our options, that we can still come together over a singular topic. I hold up "viral videos" as an example of how we can still as a society be on the same page. One of Lady Gaga's videos has over 200 MILLION views so I don't think it impossible. It can't come soon enough. If I have to hear "Fireflies" by Owl City one more time.....
Friday, September 10, 2010
INIMANDVS III
The sadder I get, the more attracted to her I become. It's such a perverse thing. Is it because I can only count on her to bring me down? Is it because I just want to feel something that I can associate with her? Even if it's negative? She's not attracted to me. She doesn't want me, and for once it's not from my usual lack of trying. We'll never touch nor kiss nor make love. We'll never be there for each other in good times and bad. We can't make each other happy. We can't build a life together... She doesn't care nor is even likely aware that I still carry this torch for her. The only feelings I can reliably get from her are heartbreak ... sadness ... worthlessness ... emptiness ... unrealized hope ... impotence [not that impotence!] ... misery ... heaviness ... longing.....
It's such an unfair trade. I saw her for all of a few minutes on Wednesday night. Over thirty hours later, I'm still sad. I remember when I still had hope that she and I would be together how talking to her for five minutes would be enough to energize me for days at a time... How will this end? Why won't this end?
ADDENDUM: Almost a week later and I'm still in a low, though not as low, place.
2½ years worth.....
It's such an unfair trade. I saw her for all of a few minutes on Wednesday night. Over thirty hours later, I'm still sad. I remember when I still had hope that she and I would be together how talking to her for five minutes would be enough to energize me for days at a time... How will this end? Why won't this end?
Oemer, maht seen sahxhe gelt nïhnen rhorda bis addyl sor...
ADDENDUM: Almost a week later and I'm still in a low, though not as low, place.
THOUGHTS I NORMALLY KEEP IN MY HEAD, part III
One of my friends had her birthday yesterday. She invited me out to a tavern with her friends and I went because we rarely get to see each other anymore. I do not belong in any establishment that is centered around alcohol.
The whole time I was there, I couldn't help but think that this is what it feels like to be a supportive parent. After just a half-hour, I was confident that I was not going to be having a good time this night. I wanted to go but I stuck it out because she is my friend and I didn't just want to ditch her...not that I think she would've cared all too much. At least her slightly older than me coworker was easy on the eyes...not that anything would happen there. The birthday girl was trying to set her up with someone else so I --- look how I'm trying to project like I actually would've said anything to her even if there were no politics involved...Ha!
The guy the birthday girl was trying to set up was actually pretty funny telling some raunchy stories...too bad those stories only started coming out about three hours into the "party". I also hated that I knew no one there so I felt compelled to stay close to the birthday girl and her DD, whom I'm thinking would've rather I socialized a bit...or at all really. I was unintentionally acting as a cockblocker :-)
It was a much quieter gathering last year. The tavern is finished building now so more people come in. Plus the birthday girl's mother took her home last year so I was able to leave my usual "gift" of a birthday card and brownies with her. This year I was literally left holding the bag until the end of the night. Had I not brought that bag, I'm guessing I would've left much, much earlier than I did. I always find a way to make the wrong decisions even when I didn't know there was a bad decision to be made...
The whole experience made me feel like a pak'ma'ra: that is, people can see me, they know I'm there, but they actively ignore me. I'm always lonely in a crowd and feel compelled to remain in the background. I don't get the inside jokes and references cuz we're not close friends. Her friends don't know me so they have no real reason to engage me in conversation and really, anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not exactly an outgoing man. I prefer quiet places and one-on-one interactions. Three's a crowd most certainly...
Honestly I don't even know what I exactly mean to her. Sometimes I think it's because she owes me money that she throws me these socializing bones. Of course that's also my default inferior-feeling thoughts. I can't imagine why anyone would love me/want me around...for any reason other than compulsion/pity. I feel like there always has to a catch or some other anchor to justify my coming along. One-on-one, I'm passable so long as our interests are in sync or the other person simply needs another to listen...I'm good at listening. I'm just not good at being wanted or at least I'm not good at feeling wanted and I seem an expert at doing everything possible so as to appear undesirable.
Don't get me wrong: I'm glad I got to see her again. Her appearances have become far too rare since she has to work so much and also, I'm a third or fourth-tier friend so the chances of her dedicating time to me [when she actually has some free] as a first option are incredibly low. I don't say that as a knock at her. I totally get that. Even my friends have a rough tier-group to them as well. Some are better suited for some kinds of gatherings than others. It would've been nice if I knew even one other person there. At least then I wouldn't've felt like such a hovering creep. :-)
The whole time I was there, I couldn't help but think that this is what it feels like to be a supportive parent. After just a half-hour, I was confident that I was not going to be having a good time this night. I wanted to go but I stuck it out because she is my friend and I didn't just want to ditch her...not that I think she would've cared all too much. At least her slightly older than me coworker was easy on the eyes...not that anything would happen there. The birthday girl was trying to set her up with someone else so I --- look how I'm trying to project like I actually would've said anything to her even if there were no politics involved...Ha!
The guy the birthday girl was trying to set up was actually pretty funny telling some raunchy stories...too bad those stories only started coming out about three hours into the "party". I also hated that I knew no one there so I felt compelled to stay close to the birthday girl and her DD, whom I'm thinking would've rather I socialized a bit...or at all really. I was unintentionally acting as a cockblocker :-)
It was a much quieter gathering last year. The tavern is finished building now so more people come in. Plus the birthday girl's mother took her home last year so I was able to leave my usual "gift" of a birthday card and brownies with her. This year I was literally left holding the bag until the end of the night. Had I not brought that bag, I'm guessing I would've left much, much earlier than I did. I always find a way to make the wrong decisions even when I didn't know there was a bad decision to be made...
The whole experience made me feel like a pak'ma'ra: that is, people can see me, they know I'm there, but they actively ignore me. I'm always lonely in a crowd and feel compelled to remain in the background. I don't get the inside jokes and references cuz we're not close friends. Her friends don't know me so they have no real reason to engage me in conversation and really, anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not exactly an outgoing man. I prefer quiet places and one-on-one interactions. Three's a crowd most certainly...
Honestly I don't even know what I exactly mean to her. Sometimes I think it's because she owes me money that she throws me these socializing bones. Of course that's also my default inferior-feeling thoughts. I can't imagine why anyone would love me/want me around...for any reason other than compulsion/pity. I feel like there always has to a catch or some other anchor to justify my coming along. One-on-one, I'm passable so long as our interests are in sync or the other person simply needs another to listen...I'm good at listening. I'm just not good at being wanted or at least I'm not good at feeling wanted and I seem an expert at doing everything possible so as to appear undesirable.
I am a perfectly fucked up mess; a waste of a human life.
Don't get me wrong: I'm glad I got to see her again. Her appearances have become far too rare since she has to work so much and also, I'm a third or fourth-tier friend so the chances of her dedicating time to me [when she actually has some free] as a first option are incredibly low. I don't say that as a knock at her. I totally get that. Even my friends have a rough tier-group to them as well. Some are better suited for some kinds of gatherings than others. It would've been nice if I knew even one other person there. At least then I wouldn't've felt like such a hovering creep. :-)
Thursday, September 9, 2010
INIMANDVS II
The last girl I wanted to date seriously is still the last girl I've wanted to date...seriously. I first started falling for her back in July 2007 and finally worked up the nerve to ask her out in April 2008. She accepted the invitation but subsequently stood me up. She apologized for doing so [she had an excuse] and I took the Christian approach to the whole thing and turned the other cheek. Two months later, the stars realigned and I asked her out again. She again accepted and again stood me up. This time her excuse for doing so was piss-poor. I was devastated...I still am to some degree. I really want her and it sucks that I cannot have her...not now, not ever...not even then.
I became a bit of a passive-aggressive dick toward her and it culminated in her deleting me from her online accounts. That should've been the end of it but as time marched relentlessly on, the wound scarred over and we got to being friendly again. She even offered to take me out to get a makeover. Seeing an opportunity, I accepted only for her to mention a boyfriend [whom I had never heard about before...not once]. This led to an exchange online whereby she broke my heart for a third time. Again, you would think that this would be the end of it but --- Oh did I mention that I am an idiot?
She did what she could to convince me that nothing would ever happen between us ever; that she just doesn't feel that way about me. Now, I feel at this point I should mention that I am not psychotically insane...merely pathetic. I have no desire to keep trying or to be a stalker or whatever. Mentally, I get it though I still find her to be quite desirable. My heart, though it took longer, gets it though it still wishes to pair-bond with her. My body, however, remains as attracted to her as ever and she never gets less attractive so it doesn't help that I have to keep seeing her.
Last night, she surprised me at work [in the sense that I didn't know she would be working that night]. I'm still reeling from it. The sadnesses that I sink into have not been as acute as they once were, but they still happen and they progress with an eerie predictability. Her voice, her laugh...they hurt me. Her cherry blossom perfume is the scent of failure. Seeing the attention she gets and receives from others only intensifies my feelings of worthlessness. Her kick-ass body serves only to increase my longing for her. Her smiles, which are never for me, leave me only feeling lonelier.
It's been two years and five months since she rejected me and I still want her. I still want no one else. I don't mean for that to come across as insanity but merely that no one has come along yet to replace her. I've never had a gap this long. I usually like a new girl every year or two. It's been over three years since I started wanting her and no one has come along to distract me from her. There's no one else I want. It's so very depressing. It's like there will be no one else; like she's the last one I will ever fall for. Why do I believe - why do I continue to believe - that she's so right for me...that we would be good for each other? I don't get it...
I hate being smitten...
I became a bit of a passive-aggressive dick toward her and it culminated in her deleting me from her online accounts. That should've been the end of it but as time marched relentlessly on, the wound scarred over and we got to being friendly again. She even offered to take me out to get a makeover. Seeing an opportunity, I accepted only for her to mention a boyfriend [whom I had never heard about before...not once]. This led to an exchange online whereby she broke my heart for a third time. Again, you would think that this would be the end of it but --- Oh did I mention that I am an idiot?
She did what she could to convince me that nothing would ever happen between us ever; that she just doesn't feel that way about me. Now, I feel at this point I should mention that I am not psychotically insane...merely pathetic. I have no desire to keep trying or to be a stalker or whatever. Mentally, I get it though I still find her to be quite desirable. My heart, though it took longer, gets it though it still wishes to pair-bond with her. My body, however, remains as attracted to her as ever and she never gets less attractive so it doesn't help that I have to keep seeing her.
Last night, she surprised me at work [in the sense that I didn't know she would be working that night]. I'm still reeling from it. The sadnesses that I sink into have not been as acute as they once were, but they still happen and they progress with an eerie predictability. Her voice, her laugh...they hurt me. Her cherry blossom perfume is the scent of failure. Seeing the attention she gets and receives from others only intensifies my feelings of worthlessness. Her kick-ass body serves only to increase my longing for her. Her smiles, which are never for me, leave me only feeling lonelier.
It's been two years and five months since she rejected me and I still want her. I still want no one else. I don't mean for that to come across as insanity but merely that no one has come along yet to replace her. I've never had a gap this long. I usually like a new girl every year or two. It's been over three years since I started wanting her and no one has come along to distract me from her. There's no one else I want. It's so very depressing. It's like there will be no one else; like she's the last one I will ever fall for. Why do I believe - why do I continue to believe - that she's so right for me...that we would be good for each other? I don't get it...
I hate being smitten...
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
MORE SHIT ABOUT THE ROOMMATE
My roommate again is demonstrating poor fiscal priorities. He is still unemployed and his benefits will expire soon. While he has made (and for all I know is still making [he doesn't talk to me about it]) money doing his illicit thing, he still needs a significant amount of cash to make it to the end of the lease.
So what has he done?
Why, he bought LOST: The Complete Series on DVD. And he bought the entire series after committing to the purchase (while still employed) to the five previous seasons in their own boxed sets. Forgetting for the moment that he shouldn't be buying ANYTHING of this nature given that he remains unemployed and that he owes his best friend literally thousands of dollars... Why didn't he just buy the sixth season? Or for that matter, if there is something on this complete set that could not be had elsewhere, why buy the previous seasons? He got them all just a few months ago so it's not like he couldn't have anticipated the creation of such a set. Over $150. Just beautiful.
And this isn't the first time he's done this. He also loves the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender. He already owns the entire series on DVD. Nickelodeon's milking the show's fans by releasing "Collectors' Editions" of the series. Guess what he's also been buying? He spends money like it's on fire.
But I guess I am the greater fool cuz I'm the one who decided to live with him in the first place. This lease can't be over soon enough. And I say that as someone who HATES moving.....
So what has he done?
Why, he bought LOST: The Complete Series on DVD. And he bought the entire series after committing to the purchase (while still employed) to the five previous seasons in their own boxed sets. Forgetting for the moment that he shouldn't be buying ANYTHING of this nature given that he remains unemployed and that he owes his best friend literally thousands of dollars... Why didn't he just buy the sixth season? Or for that matter, if there is something on this complete set that could not be had elsewhere, why buy the previous seasons? He got them all just a few months ago so it's not like he couldn't have anticipated the creation of such a set. Over $150. Just beautiful.
And this isn't the first time he's done this. He also loves the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender. He already owns the entire series on DVD. Nickelodeon's milking the show's fans by releasing "Collectors' Editions" of the series. Guess what he's also been buying? He spends money like it's on fire.
But I guess I am the greater fool cuz I'm the one who decided to live with him in the first place. This lease can't be over soon enough. And I say that as someone who HATES moving.....
Sunday, September 5, 2010
POLITICIANS SUCK BECAUSE THE PEOPLE SUCK
If the Republicans take the House of Representatives and/or make significant inroads in the Senate, then in my opinion, this country can just simply go away for all I care.
I want you to understand, I don't say say this because I like Republicans. I don't. I don't care for the Democrats either but I've been pissed at the electorate for apparently supporting the GOP -- y'know, the party that has stood for NOTHING since President Obama was sworn in. Y'know, the party of people who have lowered taxes every chance they've gotten since Reagan and INCREASED spending thus creating a shitload of debt for this country who have now become fiscal conservatives again. They decry that Democrats are "tax-and-spend" -- at least they're TRYING to pay for it. The Republicans have been against EVERY idea proposed by the Democrats and have not proposed ANYTHING of their own to counter it...just voting no or applying stalling tactics to keep shit from getting passed and complaining about methods the Democrats are employing (like Reconciliation) that they themselves used for similar, if not worse, reasons.
I can't understand how the electorate would reward such obstinacy. I would like to believe the public is seeing through the Republican charade and will kick more of them out so that shit can finally get done in Washington D.C. but I have no faith that will happen.
If the Republicans had even ONE idea or counterproposal that simply wasn't an analogue to the Underpants Gnome's economic outlook, I would support them.
But no, they remain steadfastly the "Party of No" like that's some sort of badge of honor. And of course, when Democrats do it, they're obstructionists but when they do it, they're patriots. Motherfuckers. I will hand it to the Republicans though for figuring out the propaganda machine. They kick Democrat ass when it comes to framing debates (tax-and-spend; activist judges; big government is the problem; pro-life (thus implying the other side is anti-life); the corruption of the word "liberal"; just to name a few).
This is truly a country with only one party: The Republicans. Like them or hate them, at least you know what they stand for (and against) whereas the Democrats are merely the "not-Republican" party or the "Party of Everyone Else". Whereas Republicans generally move in lockstep with their leadership, Democrats are always this multi-headed hydra each with its own idea on how its body should move. That's why they suck. I think I would be a Republican if they would simply stop being the Party of God. Somehow, only that party lays claim to Him. I don't care for religion at all, but God should not be the province of just the one party. I would definitely be a "party of Lincoln" Republican (as well as Theodore Roosevelt). I can't stand behind today's Republican Party...not that I support the Democratic Party either...
Politics sucks. Why am I even talking about it again?
I want you to understand, I don't say say this because I like Republicans. I don't. I don't care for the Democrats either but I've been pissed at the electorate for apparently supporting the GOP -- y'know, the party that has stood for NOTHING since President Obama was sworn in. Y'know, the party of people who have lowered taxes every chance they've gotten since Reagan and INCREASED spending thus creating a shitload of debt for this country who have now become fiscal conservatives again. They decry that Democrats are "tax-and-spend" -- at least they're TRYING to pay for it. The Republicans have been against EVERY idea proposed by the Democrats and have not proposed ANYTHING of their own to counter it...just voting no or applying stalling tactics to keep shit from getting passed and complaining about methods the Democrats are employing (like Reconciliation) that they themselves used for similar, if not worse, reasons.
I can't understand how the electorate would reward such obstinacy. I would like to believe the public is seeing through the Republican charade and will kick more of them out so that shit can finally get done in Washington D.C. but I have no faith that will happen.
If the Republicans had even ONE idea or counterproposal that simply wasn't an analogue to the Underpants Gnome's economic outlook, I would support them.
(click on the image to enlarge it)
But no, they remain steadfastly the "Party of No" like that's some sort of badge of honor. And of course, when Democrats do it, they're obstructionists but when they do it, they're patriots. Motherfuckers. I will hand it to the Republicans though for figuring out the propaganda machine. They kick Democrat ass when it comes to framing debates (tax-and-spend; activist judges; big government is the problem; pro-life (thus implying the other side is anti-life); the corruption of the word "liberal"; just to name a few).
This is truly a country with only one party: The Republicans. Like them or hate them, at least you know what they stand for (and against) whereas the Democrats are merely the "not-Republican" party or the "Party of Everyone Else". Whereas Republicans generally move in lockstep with their leadership, Democrats are always this multi-headed hydra each with its own idea on how its body should move. That's why they suck. I think I would be a Republican if they would simply stop being the Party of God. Somehow, only that party lays claim to Him. I don't care for religion at all, but God should not be the province of just the one party. I would definitely be a "party of Lincoln" Republican (as well as Theodore Roosevelt). I can't stand behind today's Republican Party...not that I support the Democratic Party either...
Politics sucks. Why am I even talking about it again?
(title was inspired by the late great George Carlin from his 1996 special Back in Town)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
I HAVE A LUIGI BODY
I can't help but think my age is starting to catch up with me. For the past sixteen or seventeen years, I have worn pants whose waist measurement was 30". I still fit in these pants but I can't help but notice them feeling ever more snug. The thing, if you look at me, I don't look fat or even overweight. My arms, legs, and torso are skinny but I have a belly. I'm becoming what is known as "skinny fat".
I don't even think it's possible for me to become fat in the classical sense where everything gets puffier and more filled-out. It will always be in my gut resulting in me having the body of an in-shape pregnant woman. For years, I've fought increasing my pants size keeping in mind a quick story my Dad once told me. He warned of falling into the trap of buying more comfortable (read: larger waist size) pants. As his weight slowly increased over his life, he eventually went up a size and remarked how much more comfortable the pants were. But instead of getting back in shape, this new higher size become the new normal and then he would gain even more weight and so on and so forth.
I get some exercise everyday, but not as much as I used to. My friend at work drives me home every day he is there (which is most of them nowadays) so that two mile walk, five days a week has been lost. I work with people who actually help now so cleaning every register by myself (cardio?) has also been taken from me. But I generally don't overeat. I go hungry a lot and by that, I don't mean I skip meals. I simply mean that I will get hungry and will stay that way for a couple of hours (like at work). My weight has stabilized at about 150 lbs. but yet I still have this gut. It sucks...and I wonder if it's time to surrender and go up to a size 32" waist. Maybe I'm kidding myself. I don't know. All my work pants are wearing out: It's time to replace them.
When I have to go out to buy more, I am really hoping that the size 32" pants are too big. I don't want to believe I've hit this post in my life already.
I don't even think it's possible for me to become fat in the classical sense where everything gets puffier and more filled-out. It will always be in my gut resulting in me having the body of an in-shape pregnant woman. For years, I've fought increasing my pants size keeping in mind a quick story my Dad once told me. He warned of falling into the trap of buying more comfortable (read: larger waist size) pants. As his weight slowly increased over his life, he eventually went up a size and remarked how much more comfortable the pants were. But instead of getting back in shape, this new higher size become the new normal and then he would gain even more weight and so on and so forth.
I get some exercise everyday, but not as much as I used to. My friend at work drives me home every day he is there (which is most of them nowadays) so that two mile walk, five days a week has been lost. I work with people who actually help now so cleaning every register by myself (cardio?) has also been taken from me. But I generally don't overeat. I go hungry a lot and by that, I don't mean I skip meals. I simply mean that I will get hungry and will stay that way for a couple of hours (like at work). My weight has stabilized at about 150 lbs. but yet I still have this gut. It sucks...and I wonder if it's time to surrender and go up to a size 32" waist. Maybe I'm kidding myself. I don't know. All my work pants are wearing out: It's time to replace them.
When I have to go out to buy more, I am really hoping that the size 32" pants are too big. I don't want to believe I've hit this post in my life already.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
I remember the first time I ever saw the word "Nazi" in my life. I was still a young boy and my brother and me were playing outside by my aunt's apartment. We had climbed onto the roof of a parking garage and I saw spray-painted on a nearby building: "REAGAN IS A NAZI DOG".
I had never seen the word before so I read it aloud to my brother pronouncing it like it rhymed with "crazy."
I had never seen the word before so I read it aloud to my brother pronouncing it like it rhymed with "crazy."