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Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
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1:09 pm - Writer's Block: Ten for the Tenth
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This is pretty hard. For those who know me, you know that I have a massive CD collection, so picking out 10 is pretty difficult. I'll try to think of those that have been the most influential for me.
1. Nine Inch Nails - Broken - Few albums have influenced me as much as this one. I still consider this one of the most finely crafted, heaviest albums ever. I got this on my 14th birthday, and it completely changed my outlook on how music could sound, and how it could be made. I was astounded that someone could make an album themself, on a computer. If it weren't for Nine Inch Nails, I probably wouldn't have started writing music.
2. Ministry - Psalm 69 - I know it's usually proper to pick The Land of Rape and Honey or The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste when speaking of Ministry's best, but Psalm 69 was the first album of theirs I heard, and to me, it's still the pinnacle of their work. It's practically a template for the right way to do industrial metal.
3. Pig - Sinsation - The first time I listened to this, I dismissed it as "just another industrial album". I'm glad I gave it another shot though, because it easily moved Pig up to one of my favorite bands of all time. It's immaculately crafted, blending intense orchestral sections with heavy guitars. Raymond Watts has one of the most unique and powerful voices in industrial music, and it's put to good use here.
4. Underworld - Beaucoup Fish - "Techno" or "electronica", or whatever purists are calling electronic music this week, rarely holds my interest. It takes something special and unique to catch my ear, and this album manages to do so. I'd liked Underworld for a while before hearing this, but I thought their first two albums had a lot of meandering. This album is focused, and there is no real dead space. The final song, Moaner, is awesome, and should be played more at clubs. This was the last album Underworld did with Darren Emerson as part of the band, and I think they've really suffered after losing him. This is the pinnacle of Underworld's talents.
5. Acumen Nation - More Human Heart - Their first two albums had their "hits", and a lot of people disliked that this album changed up the sound, and delivered more personal, intimate lyrics. That's exactly what I loved about it. I love the first two albums, sure, but this one really resonated with me on an emotional level, and I'll stand by it as their best work. This was their last album before they started dropping their electronic elements, to focus on a more rock/metal sound, so as with Beaucoup Fish above, this was Acumen at their peak.
6. Sister Soleil - Soularium - This album's an odd blend of industrial, hip-hop, and pop, and somehow, it all works well together. Stella Soleil has a very unique voice, and manages to make an album where each song is interesting, and no two sound alike. Some songs are downright emotionally devastating, and some are fun and poppy. A guest spot from Peter Gabriel doesn't hurt either. I don't usually care for female singers, but everything here works for me. Stella Soleil was later responsible for that horrific "Kiss Kiss" song that was briefly popular back in the early '00s. Last I heard, she's shaved her head, and is doing the "Girl with guitar in a coffee shop" thing.
7. Sister Machine Gun - Metropolis - I got into SMG right around the time that this album came out, so it served as my first taste of them. It's tough to choose between this album and Burn, but I feel like Metropolis is a bit more complete. SMG has a unique blend of industrial heaviness, jazzy instrumental stylings, and pop-ish vocals. Chris Randall has one of the best, and most pure voices in the genre, and usually writes solid, non-superfluous lyrics. Again, I feel that this is the pinnacle of SMG's work, as following albums never quite measured up.
8. Cubanate - Barbarossa - Few bands are heavier that Cubanate, and this is probably their heaviest work. I have trouble deciding between this and Cyberia, but Barbarossa I think works better as an album. After this, they released Interference, which is so bad, that I didn't even keep it for completion's sake.
9. Assemblage 23 - Failure - This is the only representative of the Club EBM sound on this list, but I included it due to it being worlds above most of the other albums in a shallow genre. This album strikes an odd balance between emotional lyrics, with deadpan delivery, and pounding club beats. Following albums were good, but I still think this one stands as their overall best.
10. Mesh - Who Watches Over Me? - This is the most recent album on the list, and it was a tough inclusion, as I'm having trouble thinking of another album more deserving of this spot. Still, I love this album, and I think it's fair to include it, for now. I actually disliked this album at first, since it took the moody synthpop stylings I was used to, and changed it up, giving Mesh a more "hopeful" sound. Mesh was pretty much defined by their gloominess, so it was very off-putting to hear them be almost happy. After a while, it really started to grow on me, and the hopfeful tone was what made me love it. Their whole discography is superb, but this album really stands out the most.
It's very hard to do this without sounding like you're saying "Look, I'm pretentious and know so much about music! Fear my knowledge, eclecticness, and indie snobbery!". I assure you though, these are albums that I truly love, and will always hold in high esteem. I can't say that this is a concrete list, but I think it's the best I can do for now.
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(6 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
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3:38 pm - Deux
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I came to two realizations while watching the last half hour of Hot Shots! Part Deux last night:
1. The spoof movie is a lost art form
and
2. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE involved in the series of "Blank Movies" over the past decade needs to take a lengthy course in what spoof movies ACTUALLY are. Prop them up all Clockwork Orange-style, if you have to, and play hours of The Hot Shots movies, The Naked Gun series, Mel Brooks Spoofs, and both Airplanes. If they still don't understand the concept after that, then we can just execute them.
Ironically, the last actual spoof movie I can remember seeing was the first Scary Movie. I haven't seen the direct sequels, but the series of movies that it spawned (Epic, Date, Disaster, Superhero, etc) have all just been an astounding trainwreck of terrible "humor".
When, exactly, did simply making a reference become a substitute for humor? Older spoof movies referenced things irreverently, sure, but they were there to further the jokes, not to be the jokes. For an example of what I mean, take any of the modern movies. They will say "Look, it's Paris Hilton!" or "Look, it's Britney Spears!", and just use the fact that they're recognizable figures as the punchline. Hot Shots! Part Deux, on the other hand, took Saddam Hussein, and made him a CHARACTER. He was a larger than life parody, sure, but more effort was involved than putting a guy with a beret and moustache onscreen, and going "Look, you know who this is! Laugh now!"
Another failing of the new generation of spoofs is the misuse of meta-humor and self-reference. It's similar to the above, in that a character will say "Look, we're in a movie!" and wink at the camera, rather than making it a part of the narrative. To go back to Hot Shots! Part Deux, when the love interest from the first movie shows up, she deadpans "I had to come back. It's the sequel", which switches the flow of conversation to a discussion about what critics will think, before the narrative continues without continually referencing the shift. Another great moment is when Charlie Sheen's character is writing in his journal, with a customary voiceover, when he hears someone else doing a similar voiceover. Martin Sheen, parodying his role in Apocalypse Now, is shown on another boat, also writing. The boats pass, and simultaneously, both Sheens state "I loved you in Wall Street!" and give a thumbs up. It's a one-shot joke, sure, but it's terrifically executed. The joke is a bit dated now, but even if it wasn't, it would be handled in a modern movie in such an un-subtle, ham-fisted manner, that it wouldn't even be a joke anymore. It would be "Look, it's Martin Sheen! He's my Dad! He was in a movie that looked like this! We were in a movie together! Look, he's making out with Paris Hilton!"
Maybe I'm missing something, as the Blank Movies continue to make a crap-ton of money, and no one's making "real" spoofs anymore. It just baffles me that moviegoers are that stupid, and that humor is becoming less an art form, and more of a string of internet jokes and celebrity references.
In conclusion, I think the only people who actually understand parody and the spoof these days are the guys behind South Park.
-----------------------------------
In other news, I heard some black dude's our president now. That's pretty cool.**
**In all seriousness, I'm very happy about the results. I'm not used to having something I believe in and care about actually come to fruition, so it hasn't really sunk in yet. I'm sure I'll be a lot happier come January. :D
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| Monday, November 3rd, 2008
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11:55 am - Cat
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So my plans for this weekend were:
Sunday: Trap/capture the stray cat. Take him to the vet for shots and tests.
Monday: The vet would keep him overnight and neuter him today. I'd potentially pick him up and take him to his new home (I found a nice lady in DC who wanted to take him in).
Tuesday (day off!): Vote, Laundry, Finalize kitty stuff if it's not done by Monday evening.
ACTUAL plans are:
Sunday: Can't figure out how to use a humane trap. Try coaxing him into a small pet carrier instead. Fail miserably. Try physically picking him up, lose control, fail even more miserably. Get injured. Get mopey as he decides he doesn't trust me anymore. Mope til he decides he's ok with me again. Give up, go home.
Monday: Sit around in my underwear, doing nothing, because I have no cat issue to deal with.
Tuesday: Still vote, and laundry.
So yeah. I'm disappointed, because I wanted to try to get this done while I had a day off to spare. I wanted help, and I didn't want to have to trap him by myself. Aside from Adrienne, no one who knew how to handle it wanted to assist me. I know that he'll be fine without my interference, believe me, I've heard it a hundred times during the planning for this. I just wanted to try to give him a better quality of life, and I failed.
( For an illustration of my miserable failure, click here. )
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(8 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
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7:19 pm - Info
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| Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
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11:20 am - Cat Update
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So, I have a rather strange update on the cat situation. It might be inconsequential, but I thought it was odd enough to document.
After work, I checked the usual spots where the cat hangs out, but he was nowhere to be found. I drove around to the front of the building (where I sometimes find him if he's not out back), and found him sitting on a curb. When I pulled my car up, TWO CATS ran away, both looking EXACTLY alike
....
TWO?
My first thought was "Blimey, I've been hornswoggled! I've been feeding 2 cats!" They really looked the same, orange, with the foofy tail. As I got out of the car though, one cat started meowing loudly and rubbing his face on a tree, so I knew it was my guy, and the other one had a collar with a tag on it. From here on, I'll refer to them as Stray Cat and New Cat for easy reference.
New Cat would hiss at Stray Cat whenever he came near, but was very friendly to me. It let me pet it right away, and even let me hold it long enough to get the information on the tag. It had the name of an auto body shop, and a telephone number. I called the number, but just got a fax machine. I tried giving New Cat some food, but it turned up its nose at it. That, and the tags convinced me that this cat belongs SOMEWHERE, as Stray Cat has never turned down food. Speaking of which, I fed Stray Cat, and New Cat wandered off. I didn't see it for the rest of the night.
So with this, I had a mystery on my hands. Were these cats related somehow? I recall seeing an orange cat wandering around our parking lot last year, but I figured that Stray Cat couldn't possibly old enough to have been that one. Could New Cat be one of his parents? Could they be from the same litter? I mean, two cats that look almost exactly alike, in the same area, certainly doesn't seem like a coincidence.
Determined to find out more, I called the number I got off of New Cat's tag this morning. I got an answer from a nice fellow with a thick southerly drawl. I'll paraphrase the conversation, and give my thoughts in parentheses.
( Cut For Length )
So that's that. Some questions answered, but nothing new about Stray Cat, really. Just an odd bit of coincidence, I suppose. I don't think New Cat is anything to worry about, so I'll keep my focus on the cat I know.
In other Stray Cat news, I've been in contact with the lady that Adrienne adopted her cat from. She's looking around to see if we can find someone to take him in. Hopefully, it will lead somewhere.
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, October 17th, 2008
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12:57 pm - SITTED
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I haven't updated in a while, but I suppose there aren't too many notes of significance. I'll dig up a few, though.
-I went to Richmond with Adrienne last weekend to visit her sister. It was the first time I've ever actually been to the city. Part of the reason we went was to scout it out as a potential place to live in the future, as it's much cheaper there than here. I'm not keen on the idea of living in a city, though. Anyhow, we had an awesome hotel room. It was a suite with a separate living room and bedroom. The downside was that we only stayed there for 1 night.
We went to Kings Dominion's Halloween Haunt on Saturday. It's pretty cool, in that they turn big sections of the park into Halloween themed areas. Plus, there's people in costumes running around scaring folks. They set up a bunch of haunted houses, as well. I had hoped that the late running time (7-12) would keep kids away, but alas, there were plenty. It was fun, anyhow.
We wandered around Richmond on Sunday, which involved going to Plan 9 records, wherein I found a few discs (surprised?), and a few other stores. Before leaving, we got lunch at a Thai restaurant, where Adrienne's sister found a huge bug in her curry. That was definitely not conducive to keeping an appetite.
-Adrienne and I went to see Imperative Reaction at Club Liv last night, which was my first show in quite a while. I can't even remember the last one I went to, which is a pretty bad sign. Anyhow, I made it in time to catch about half of Aesthetic Perfection's set, which was awesome. I like them, but they've never struck me as anything overtly special. Live, though, they brought an energy that I haven't seen in a 2-man electronic band since maybe Hocico. :SITD: played next, and while they weren't that interesting, I did finally learn the pronunciation of their name. It's "Site-Eh-Deh", not "ESS-EYE-TEE-DEE", or as I typically called them, "Sitted". It's nice to know that, after calling them the wrong name for like 5 years. Imperative Reaction was really good, but they played mostly new stuff that I was unfamiliar with. They had good energy, and live guitar and drums, which is always a plus. We left before the encore, since it was late, and we were hungry and tired.
Oh, I should mention that Adrienne got drunk and danced. It was adorable.
-You may recall me mentioning The Stray Kitty at work a while back. Well, over the past 2 months, I've continued feeding him, and hanging out with him. He's really come a long way. He'll sometimes be waiting for me when I leave work, and he always "talks" to me when I'm near. Over the past month or so, he's developed a routine where he likes me to walk with him to the end of the parking lot, and then back. He's relaxed enough to lay down, stretch out, knead, and purr. Perhaps the biggest development is that he's gone from being terrified of hands to wanting to be petted. Yep, over the past week, he's decided that contact is ok. It started with me keeping my hands near him, and he eventually rubbed against them, willingly. It progressed to full on head-scratches, and he'll even lay down in front of me when I'm walking to my car, to demand more attention.
So, due to all of this, I'm fully convinced that he's not too feral to be socialized to people. Look what I did with only 2 months of seeing him sporadically. Imagine what could be done with someone he's around all the time. So I've contacted some people who work with rescue organizations. Basically, most are full, but one lady has been especially helpful, as she's recommended trappers and rescuers to talk to. It boils down to whether or not he can be socialized. If not, she knows someone who could take him in, and let him roam free on a farm. If so, she said she might even be willing to take him in herself, if she can't find another foster. Either way, the rescue will handle vetting, neutering, and all that jazz. Maybe down the line, when I'm in a more accommodating living situation, and if he hasn't been adopted, I can take care of him. For now, I think it's better left to professionals.
And for those curious, here's pictures:
( Click here for Kitty Pictures! )
I think that does it for now. This weekend should be pretty laid back. Next weekend is Chiller, and after that, my late-year vacations begin. I can't express how badly I need them.
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(16 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
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12:10 pm - Dwight
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On Sunday, Adrienne and I made the trek to the Linser Auditorium in DC for "An Afternoon with Rainn Wilson". In case you're not familiar, Rainn Wilson plays Dwight Schrute on the American version of The Office. Adrienne and I have become fans of the show, and Dwight is hilarious, so this seemed pretty exciting, though we had no idea of what it was.
After settling into our seats, the lights dimmed, and the lady who put the show together came out to speak.
"Thanks for coming out to see Rainn. But for a moment, we'll talk about why we're REALLY here: Female Genital Mutilation."
What?
WHAT?
Yep, turns out that this was actually a fundraiser for a group that helps to provide legal refugee status for women escaping the practice of Female Circumcision, as well as other abuse issues. They showed a lengthy and depressing video about their clients, and talked on and on about it.
Finally, Rainn Wilson shows up, and proceeds to be very, well, not funny.
He talked about the foundation, his faith, what we can do to give back, and then had kids come up onstage and talk about how they've helped out their communities. During this, Rainn looked very uninterested, and kept checking his Fantasy Football scores on his laptop. It had all the presentation quality of a middle school assembly.
Eventually, they showed a clip from an upcoming Office episode, which got the best reception of the whole presentation, after which Rainn took Q&A. It devolved into typical nerd-fan questions, ie "what's your favorite episode?" and "can you spoil (certain storyline) for us?" Midway through, he seemed weary, and asked "does anyone want to ask about the foundation, or the Baha'i faith? No? sigh..." The audience then placated him with "what can I do to help out in MY community?" softball questions. People, at this point, were leaving in droves. Finally, it ended, and we left, confused and bewildered.
Now, I will say that I think the foundation that put this on is a great effort, but I can't help but feel like I was kinda tricked into something I wasn't expecting. It's like one of those Christian Haunted Houses. You expect typical scares, and instead, they hand you pamphlets and try to preach to you. It's uncomfortable, and unwanted. That's the feeling I left with. If anything like this comes up again, I'll definitely try to research it better beforehand, so I know what I'm getting into.
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(18 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
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1:19 pm - D*C 2008
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Dragoncon this year was much more enjoyable than previous years. I pretty much got to do what I wanted, and there was little stress or annoyance. The crowds seemed much less dense this year, but that could possibly be attributed to better planning and spreading out of events across the 4 hotels.
We met James Kyson Lee (Ando from Heroes), George Takei, Michael Dorn (Worf), Dean Haglund (Langley from The Lone Gunmen), Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko from DS9), Carrie Henn (Newt from Aliens), and Lance Henriksen. Everyone was very nice, though Michael Dorn seemed a smidge grumpy. Lance Henriksen was especially cool. He's much shorter than I expected, and much less craggy in person than he appears onscreen. Adrienne bought a photo shoot with him, and he insisted that I join them in the picture. I was not expecting this, so I have a grubby, unshaven picture of me with a famous person. When we later got him to sign Adrienne's many items, he made fun of Michael Biehn for signing nearly the entire front of the Aliens box-set.
A new thing for us this year was going to several panels. Most were fan-run, and were actually more interesting than I expected. The one "major" panel we went to was a DS9 reunion with Michael Dorn, Cirroc Lofton, and Avery Brooks. Dorn and Lofton were pretty interesting, but barely said a thing. Avery Brooks on the other hand rambled on and on and on with every question. It was like a boring grandpa talking about "the good old days". It became nearly unbearable, and we very nearly left before it was over.
The rest of the time was spent socializing. Adrienne got drunk in a Star Trek dress on Sunday evening, which was pretty hilarious. She and ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) brilliantnova got molested by furries.
Most of the stuff I bought was for Adrienne, though I did get a few new card games for myself, as well as a copy the most awesome comic concept I've seen in a while, Weapon Brown.
Overall, we had a very good time, and I am not especially happy to be home and back at work. The idea of going next year is looking pretty good.
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(7 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
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4:42 pm - Horrorfind
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Horrorfind occurred this past weekend. There was less I was interested in than previous years, but I still had a good time. The biggest accomplishment was getting Michael Biehn to sign an 8X10 copy of The Painting.
Having to explain to a celebrity why he's not one of the main figures in a painting, much less why he's indicated as an "ass", is a bit of a daunting process. I think I did ok though, and he actually seemed to get a kick out of it. He comes across as a kinda serious, stone-faced guy, but the painting gave him a chuckle. He knew who everyone was, though he initially thought that Dr. Cox was House. We gave him a copy too. I don't know if he'll be likely to hold onto it, but at least he has one.
The one other person I wanted to meet (but didn't) was Roddy Piper. He wasn't at the table when we went by, and I didn't make an attempt to go later. I do regret it a bit, as I've read reports about how he was a super nice guy and took time for everyone in line.
Horrorfind moved to a new venue this year. On one hand, the Hunt Valley Inn was what I was used to, and "felt" right for Horrorfind. On the other hand, the new venue is about 40 minutes closer to me, and has tons more space. The space increase really helped with crowd dispersal, though attendance was noticeably low, anyhow. The parking was a pay garage, but it was super close to the venue, and with the money spent on the convention, getting uppity about $10 parking seems silly. I think for all the conveniences, even if it doesn't feel quite the same, I could get used to it.
Perhaps the coolest feature of the new venue is the movie room. At the Hunt Valley inn, movies were shown in a room that I'd say was about as big as a high school classroom. It was usually hot, and jam packed, and the movies were shown on a dinky roll-down screen. The new venue has a several-hundred seat ampitheatre, with a real movie screen, and a stage. A vast improvement, for sure. We watched a movie called Dismal (run of the mill slasher/torture horror, but decent), after which there was a Q&A with the cast. Also, they handed out comment cards, and plan to make the movie better with the audience's reactions.
All in all, even if I didn't meet too many celebs, it was a fun and successful experience. I'm diggin' the new home, and hopefully, there will be for me next year.
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, August 7th, 2008
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6:33 pm - Stray
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In recent weeks, I've been spotting a cat hanging out near the dumpsters behind my office. I've tried to get near it, but it seems either scared or untrusting of people, and it runs away. Last night, I gave it some food, and it allowed me to get within 2 feet of it, but it would run away if I got closer.
It looks pretty healthy, but it must be a stray, as there's no houses anywhere near my office. It didn't act aggressively, just skittish. I think it lives in the woods, and eats trash from the office dumpsters.
Anyhow, I'm wondering if I should do something about it. Should I call animal control, and leave it to an uncertain fate? It could adjust to people and get adopted. Or it could be sick, or too unsocial to be adopted, and it could be put to sleep.
I don't think I should physically try to do anything with it myself. I don't have experience in that area, and I don't know if there's anything wrong with it. I don't want to get scratched or bitten, and I don't want anything that could transfer to the housecats I'm around frequently.
So, should I call someone, and see if anything can be done for it, whatever that may lead to, or should I just leave it alone, and let it live outside, eating trash?
Advice appreciated.
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
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1:04 pm - Meme Me
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Since I haven't posted in a while, and I don't feel like coming up with intelligent content, here's a meme!
Stolen from several people
1. Add a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot.
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It’s actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I’ll assume you’re playing the game and I’ll come to your blog and leave one about you.
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(21 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
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7:40 pm - Virgin
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I just found this:
http://www.virginmobilefestival.com/
Holy crap, NIN and Underworld at the same festival!
However, there's also this:
$175 // TWO DAY GENERAL ADMISSION
$97.50 // SINGLE DAY GENERAL ADMISSION
VIP TICKETS //
GENERAL ADMISSION NOT YOUR THING?
$450 // TWO DAY VIP
$250 // SINGLE DAY VIP
UGH.
Even though I've been waiting to see Underworld since 1999, I don't think I can justify that kind of money. Not to mention the drive to Baltimore, the crowd, the heat, and a bunch of bands I could give two shits about. I hate outdoor shows, and especially festival shows. And I really hate paying $175 for a handful of bands that actually matter.
I miss live shows. Availability and expense have made them almost completely unavailable to me. That's depressing.
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(9 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, June 19th, 2008
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4:10 pm - Comix Zone
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( My History With Comics, as told by a jaded adult... )
I have somewhere between 6-700 comics, most bagged and boarded, and in good to great condition (almost all of them have been read at least once). Most of them are from the early 90s (Probably 1990-1994), though there are some from the late 90s-early 2000's. The newer ones (2003 or so) haven't been bagged. Many are Marvel or DC, but there are quite a few other companies represented as well.
I'm thinking of something like $1 each, regardless of actual value or condition. Perhaps discounts for large amounts. I want to gauge interest from you guys, to see if there is any. Otherwise, I may end up putting them on Craigslist or Ebay, and seeing what happens there. Please give me your thoughts. Thanks!
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(15 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
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3:55 am - VinceRoll
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I don't usually post Youtube videos, and I don't usually find internet humor funny, but:
Earlier tonight, on live national television, Vince McMahon, head of the WWE, got RickRolled. Twice.
I think this is what we call "Epic Wins".
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(13 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008
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2:41 pm - Fresh
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So now that the birthday business is over with, I can get back to blogging about the minutiae of my boring life!
This weekend, we drove to Philly. Coincidentally, fractalnoise and lizabennet were also visiting, but we didn't get a chance to meet up. Friday and Saturday were spent hanging out with folks. Thanks again to brilliantnova and the ever absent whowantscookies for letting us crash at their pad.
The reason we went up was to see Kaiju Big Battel at the Trocadero on Sunday. I've seen their stuff on DVD and online before, but this was my first chance to see it live. If you've known me for more than 5 minutes, you should know that dudes dressing as giant monsters and wrestling amongst miniature buildings is right up my alley.
It was a lot of fun, and I got to see Dr. Cube live. It was very short though, as it clocked in at about an hour and a half for the whole show. Still, good times.
Oh, and to add to my earlier review of The World Ends With You: Now that I've spent more time with it, I have to say that I'm enjoying it. The battle system does take time to get used to, but the more you play with it, the more precise it feels. Plus, the customizing and leveling are pretty fun. I still haven't bothered with the second-screen combat, but so far, it hasn't been necessary, as the partner AI seems to work well enough. I might have been wrong about the soundtrack, however. As I mentioned, I downloaded it, and I put it on CD for the drive to Philly. For every decent song, there are a plethora of really cheesy or bad j-pop songs, as well as 30 second instrumentals. I guess that's typical for a game soundtrack, but as a whole, it was unsatisfying.
Anyhow, thanks to all for the birthday wishes.
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, June 2nd, 2008
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1:55 pm - Old
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I'm not really sure what this has to do with my birthday. I was trying to find another birthday-related comic to post, but this one is probably funnier. I would indeed appreciate it if none of you do cocaine at me on my birthday.
So, one year older, and I still haven't figured anything out. At least my beard is cooler, now.
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(18 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, May 29th, 2008
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12:44 pm - Gamer
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At the risk of being a huge nerd, I'm going to once again blog about videogames.
I recently picked up The World Ends With You. It's a Square Enix game that has been getting massively glowing reviews. The more I read about it, the more excited I got. It sounded like an amazing, unique concept, with lots of stuff to keep me busy.
So, I'm about 2 hours into it, which may not be enough time for an adequate review, but...
I'm not sure if I like it. The combat system, which was praised in all the reviews, I find to be astoundingly clunky. Attacks AND movement are handled by moving the stylus on the touch screen, and most of the time, you won't actually do what you're trying to do. It's practically the touch screen version of button-mashing.
On top of this, the combat is supposed to take place on BOTH screens. The upper screen has a separate character, which you control with the directional pad. You're supposed to enter commands a la Dance Dance Revolution directions to pull off attacks. I could barely make things work on the touch screen, and I'm supposed to do all this as well? Jesus. Luckily, you can set the top screen to auto-play, which alleviates some of this, but I've read that you need to master the dual screen combat for later bosses. Also, there's some sort of combo system involving a green glow that travels from character to character, but I found that concentrating on that meant watching my character on the bottom screen stand still as a wolf-creature bit his face off.
On the positive side, everything else in the game is fantastic. This is where the game really shines. The design style, graphics, music, and presentation are all unique and interesting. I liked the music so much, in fact, that I downloaded the soundtrack. Annoyingly, the one song that really grabbed me in the game does not appear to actually be on the soundtrack. The storyline is pretty interesting, though some people have pointed out that it's apparently plagiarized from some anime called Gantz. I haven't seen it, and probably never will, so I don't care. Also, thanks to this game, I learned a bit about Shibuya, and particularly, the story of Hachiko, which I found to be sad, but sweet.
So, maybe I need to put more time into it, but so far, I'm not as impressed as I hoped I'd be.
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(7 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
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8:56 pm - Question
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If one were to want to buy an unpainted guitar, or a build your own guitar kit, on the cheap, where would one look?
I've found a few online, but most cost way more than I'd like to spend.
Preferably, I'd like something with an interesting, angular, Warlock-ish type of body.
This is for a project that I've had in mind for quite some time. After doing some research online, it's inspired me to look into it again.
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, May 8th, 2008
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10:53 am - Chiller Pics
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Here we are with Mick Foley. He's a very down to Earth, nice guy. He took the time to chat a little, and even gave Adrienne a shirt. Also, he's much bigger in person than you would expect.
As you can see, I actually managed to make a facial expression other than "bored and/or tired" this time.
Also:
Here I am with Christy Hemme and Gail Kim. They were also nice, and very shiny. I was trying to go for a "ladie's man" look, but I ended up looking like I got a whiff of something stinky right before the picture was taken. That was probably not the case, though, as I'm pretty sure the girls did not smell bad.
In other news, ROH is having a show right in Manassas tomorrow evening. If you're not familiar, ROH is probably the #3 wrestling promotion in America right now, after WWE and TNA. They eschew the "sports entertainment" concept, and focus more on the athleticism and ability of the wrestlers. You'll see more cool flippy stuff and pure technical work than you would with the bigger promotions. It's generally smaller wrestlers catering to a smarter crowd.
Anyhow, I have an extra ticket, and no one's claimed it yet. It's $15, and belltime is at 7:00. If you are interested, let me know, and we will work something out.
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(9 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, May 6th, 2008
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3:05 pm - Chiller: In Brief
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