Or two of them, rather. What happens when you combine the world's greatest toy with the world's greatest videogame?
Friday, December 28, 2012
Monday, July 26, 2010
Pathfinder Contest
Right, so for the few of you that don't know, the system that we play now is Pathfinder. It's based off of 3.5 DnD, but is a lot better in many ways (I don't find it necessary to repost my mad ravings on the subject, since I've subjected you to them quite enough already). Anyhow, check THIS out. It's a contest to win the Pathfinder books (or some of them, at least; I can't say I've been keeping up with all of their releases). This guy is making a new setting called Aruneus, which is basically apocalyptic zombie fantasy. Yeah, it's pretty awesome. Also Orcs have a much more interesting history, so that's another plus :)
Monday, June 07, 2010
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Herr Altena, Das Wunderkind
David on religious denominations:
david: they're all the same really
dont say that though, some people get really offended
david: haha
i hate that suni pizza
because every time i go by
i think "where's shiite pasta"
every damn time
its so annoying, i dont know where it came from
David being weird:
david: oh man u signed off
i was just about to say "did yew"
or "did ewe"
that would have been hilarious
too bad you signed off instead
now you just get an email about it
david: they're all the same really
dont say that though, some people get really offended
david: haha
i hate that suni pizza
because every time i go by
i think "where's shiite pasta"
every damn time
its so annoying, i dont know where it came from
David being weird:
david: oh man u signed off
i was just about to say "did yew"
or "did ewe"
that would have been hilarious
too bad you signed off instead
now you just get an email about it
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
POKEMON SOULSILVER (pt. 3)
Well, if there was one thing that could get me to make a post, it would be Pokemon SoulSilver, I guess. Short story: THIS GAME IS AWESOME!!!
Long Story: THIS GAME IS AWESOME, AND I WILL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT:
First of all, you may refer to this page in order to review the changes made between Gold/Silver and HeartGold/SoulSilver: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Soulsilver
Rather interesting, I think.
This post is titled "part. 3" because I am beginning to write this after I've already reached Mahogany Town (7th town), so parts 1 and 2 are reserved for when I go back and write about the first 14 hours of my playthrough.
I think I will kind of make this more of a commentary and reflection than an honest-to-goodness chronicle, because, God, that would be boring.
First of all, some changes that are good (from Diamond/Pearl or Gold/Silver):
o Battle text speed is back up to its normal (=fast) speed. In D/P you had to wait forever for it to type out grammatically circuitous reports ("THE ATTACK OF THE FOE'S PIKACHU MISSED"). Now, it provides the same circuitous reports VERY QUICKLY!
o The touch screen is more utilized than in D/P. You can now use it to select all menu options without pressing any buttons. Also the Pokedex, Pokegear, and party menus use the touch screen.
o It might just be me, but it seems that Pokemon learn good moves at an earlier level than in previous games. I think this has been steadily moved to earlier and earlier levels over the whole series—but I'm not sure. Anyhow, it's great.
o More lore is provided; for example, a lot more is told about the 3 Legendary Dogs and Ho-Oh, and Ecruteak in general.
o THE POKEWALKER IS AWESOME. You can put any Pokemon in there; they gain up to one level while inside, if you walk around enough. You can capture Pokemon inside of it and find items, too. As a pack-in, it's a tremendously fun thing.
o The Rival (whom I've nicknamed Dagon, who is a lackey of Cthulhu), is WAY douchier this time around. WAY douchier. And it works.
o Character development in general is a lot better in this game. You learn a lot more about Gym Leaders, Lance, and Team Rocket.
o All of the gyms have new puzzles to solve in order to reach the Gym leader. They aren't hard, but they are refreshing.
o Some of the text/dialogue has been updated to be, in some, cases, ridiculously funny, such as the sign for the Mahogany Town front, which I'll talk about later.
Bad things:
o Remember that trainers used to call you all the time on the Pokegear? They still do it, BUT LIKE 5 TIMES AS MUCH. And your mother always buys you stupid crap with your money.
o Some of the dialogue is just stupid: "There are many legends about these legendary Pokemon." Oh, you DON'T SAY.
Part 3:
I had saved right after catching the Red Gyarados (Nereus, a Sea God) because the ensuing Team Rocket shenanigan is my favorite part of the whole game. Lance is way more awesome and the graphics allow for a much better representation of Dragonite. The hideout bustup was great except for one thing. Remember those squares that had "bombs" in them (Geodude, Koffing, and Voltorb"?) That area remains, but in G/S those Pokemon used Selfdestruct immediately, thus a) fulfilling the bomb threat and b) actually posing somewhat of a hazard to your 20-somethings. Now, they are on some really weird script that actually PREVENTS them from using Selfdestruct. Umm, guys? THAT. WAS. THE. POINT. I got Smogged, Tackled, Sparked, and Light Screened, but not Selfdestructed. It was ridiculous.
There are new Rocket bosses, I guess. And now you have to chase the leader's Murkrow to a password-protected door so it can unlock it by mimicking his voice (just like the Farfetch'd scene in the Ilex Forest).
I'm just about to start playing again and beat up the ice Gym Leader. Wish me luck! (I dont' need it; I have Perseus)!
Long Story: THIS GAME IS AWESOME, AND I WILL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT:
First of all, you may refer to this page in order to review the changes made between Gold/Silver and HeartGold/SoulSilver: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Soulsilver
Rather interesting, I think.
This post is titled "part. 3" because I am beginning to write this after I've already reached Mahogany Town (7th town), so parts 1 and 2 are reserved for when I go back and write about the first 14 hours of my playthrough.
I think I will kind of make this more of a commentary and reflection than an honest-to-goodness chronicle, because, God, that would be boring.
First of all, some changes that are good (from Diamond/Pearl or Gold/Silver):
o Battle text speed is back up to its normal (=fast) speed. In D/P you had to wait forever for it to type out grammatically circuitous reports ("THE ATTACK OF THE FOE'S PIKACHU MISSED"). Now, it provides the same circuitous reports VERY QUICKLY!
o The touch screen is more utilized than in D/P. You can now use it to select all menu options without pressing any buttons. Also the Pokedex, Pokegear, and party menus use the touch screen.
o It might just be me, but it seems that Pokemon learn good moves at an earlier level than in previous games. I think this has been steadily moved to earlier and earlier levels over the whole series—but I'm not sure. Anyhow, it's great.
o More lore is provided; for example, a lot more is told about the 3 Legendary Dogs and Ho-Oh, and Ecruteak in general.
o THE POKEWALKER IS AWESOME. You can put any Pokemon in there; they gain up to one level while inside, if you walk around enough. You can capture Pokemon inside of it and find items, too. As a pack-in, it's a tremendously fun thing.
o The Rival (whom I've nicknamed Dagon, who is a lackey of Cthulhu), is WAY douchier this time around. WAY douchier. And it works.
o Character development in general is a lot better in this game. You learn a lot more about Gym Leaders, Lance, and Team Rocket.
o All of the gyms have new puzzles to solve in order to reach the Gym leader. They aren't hard, but they are refreshing.
o Some of the text/dialogue has been updated to be, in some, cases, ridiculously funny, such as the sign for the Mahogany Town front, which I'll talk about later.
Bad things:
o Remember that trainers used to call you all the time on the Pokegear? They still do it, BUT LIKE 5 TIMES AS MUCH. And your mother always buys you stupid crap with your money.
o Some of the dialogue is just stupid: "There are many legends about these legendary Pokemon." Oh, you DON'T SAY.
Part 3:
I had saved right after catching the Red Gyarados (Nereus, a Sea God) because the ensuing Team Rocket shenanigan is my favorite part of the whole game. Lance is way more awesome and the graphics allow for a much better representation of Dragonite. The hideout bustup was great except for one thing. Remember those squares that had "bombs" in them (Geodude, Koffing, and Voltorb"?) That area remains, but in G/S those Pokemon used Selfdestruct immediately, thus a) fulfilling the bomb threat and b) actually posing somewhat of a hazard to your 20-somethings. Now, they are on some really weird script that actually PREVENTS them from using Selfdestruct. Umm, guys? THAT. WAS. THE. POINT. I got Smogged, Tackled, Sparked, and Light Screened, but not Selfdestructed. It was ridiculous.
There are new Rocket bosses, I guess. And now you have to chase the leader's Murkrow to a password-protected door so it can unlock it by mimicking his voice (just like the Farfetch'd scene in the Ilex Forest).
I'm just about to start playing again and beat up the ice Gym Leader. Wish me luck! (I dont' need it; I have Perseus)!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Starcraft musings
I think the "too similar" is a lack of understanding with the genre, because RTS is a less frequent genre most people are not terribly familiar with. (no offense). SC2 has changed with what you'd expect it to change within a decade.
It has completely changed due to unlimited macro selection and automining. This completely changes every single aspect of the strategies. This is like going from CoD:2 to MW change, to put it in common analogues.
The original starcraft allowed you to select your army of 100 units twelve at a time. The new one lets you select 255. The food cap is 200. The old game required you to que workers to mine every time they were made. SC2 does it automatically.
It shifts the focus of the game from "macro", or building stuff quickly and making money, requiring the virtues of attentiveness, passively high APM, awareness and memorization to critical thinking,
Unit micro is now the new focus (tactical movement built around traditional strategic tactics like high ground and staying out of range or line of sight, requiring spiking very high apm, but require less passive, consistent apm), instead of the previously explained macro.
Not only does this completely change competitive play, it affects the game for average players like us.
Before, when a player zerg rushed you extremely quickly, and you had no chance, it may have been due to minute differences in -apm that resulted in faster building, with less of a skill component. Now, this will be spread across the board more evenly with macro playing less of a role.
In addition, maps are designed to prevent rushing, and map design plays a huge role in how the game plays out, each tuned for 1v1 now.
----
Strategies are completely turned upside down, the game will feel different, with a less hectic pace, requiring rediculous -apm wars just to send your workers mining once you hit lategame. Its going to feel more strategic.
Battles will be less a-move, a-move, a-move, and will rely on strategies more. Honestly, from an objective point of view, the strategies starcraft 1 has gone through is quite substantial.
It would be easy for someone with a lack of an understanding for the FPS genre to claim that "COD1 is the same as MW2", even though they are underscored by several huge overhauls and gameplay changes, despite the fact that the movement remains consistently realistic and you still shoot stuff.
It has completely changed due to unlimited macro selection and automining. This completely changes every single aspect of the strategies. This is like going from CoD:2 to MW change, to put it in common analogues.
The original starcraft allowed you to select your army of 100 units twelve at a time. The new one lets you select 255. The food cap is 200. The old game required you to que workers to mine every time they were made. SC2 does it automatically.
It shifts the focus of the game from "macro", or building stuff quickly and making money, requiring the virtues of attentiveness, passively high APM, awareness and memorization to critical thinking,
Unit micro is now the new focus (tactical movement built around traditional strategic tactics like high ground and staying out of range or line of sight, requiring spiking very high apm, but require less passive, consistent apm), instead of the previously explained macro.
Not only does this completely change competitive play, it affects the game for average players like us.
Before, when a player zerg rushed you extremely quickly, and you had no chance, it may have been due to minute differences in -apm that resulted in faster building, with less of a skill component. Now, this will be spread across the board more evenly with macro playing less of a role.
In addition, maps are designed to prevent rushing, and map design plays a huge role in how the game plays out, each tuned for 1v1 now.
----
Strategies are completely turned upside down, the game will feel different, with a less hectic pace, requiring rediculous -apm wars just to send your workers mining once you hit lategame. Its going to feel more strategic.
Battles will be less a-move, a-move, a-move, and will rely on strategies more. Honestly, from an objective point of view, the strategies starcraft 1 has gone through is quite substantial.
It would be easy for someone with a lack of an understanding for the FPS genre to claim that "COD1 is the same as MW2", even though they are underscored by several huge overhauls and gameplay changes, despite the fact that the movement remains consistently realistic and you still shoot stuff.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
I owe you this one EDIT: No, I really don't.
Even before the next part, think about this:
"So the audience was probably more impressed by seeing someone judged to do something well, rather than judging for themselves. So I think Guitar Hero is less about the music, which is valued subjectively, and more about doing a preset task skillfully when objectively judged."
(from the second link. Don't read it, for God's sake.)
First, this is incredibly interesting reading regarding MW2's "No Russian":
There is, however, another point about "No Russian" that appears more strongly from a classical perspective than perhaps any other. It seems to me an undeniable fact that Infinity Ward, who put analogously atrocious action in MW2's predecessor, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, is maintaining a commitment to bringing the players of its games face-to-face with the ethical ambiguity of war. That fact by itself shows a development of game culture that mirrors the development that we can see in the homeric tradition when we look at that tradition diachronically, and pick apart its strata: in the Iliad, for example, the ethical simplicity of tales of glory becomes, over time, the ambiguous story of an Achilles who drags Hector around Troy, in front of his grieving parents, and then kills Trojan youths on Patroclus' funeral pyre. Indeed, this development leads in ancient Athens to tragedy, the ne plus ultra of literary ethical thought, where atrocities are used over and over to expose the fragility of our ethical claims and to strengthen our understanding of why we must make those claims nonetheless.
http://livingepic.blogspot.com/2009/11/brief-classical-thoughts-on-no-russian.html
Second, here is a pretty good editorial piece from Kotaku. Tim Rogers occasionally writes these ridiculously long (and thus convoluted) pieces for Kotaku. Although a lot of his stuff is frankly pretty egoistic, if you dig you can find some real treasure. Here is an excerpt from his latest:
Rhythm games are not primarily about music: They are about doing something right and being told you're doing it right. I can totally, absolutely get behind that sort of thing. I use the word "crunch" a lot, in my "line of work," to describe the feeling in a game where you know you're doing something right, doing something wrong, or just plain doing something. God Hand has tons of crunch. Most games these days don't have any. Guitar Hero and Rock Band are games made up of about 99% crunch. You know exactly what you're doing in a Guitar Hero game: You're pressing a button at the right time, and the game tells you that you're awesome because of it. I guess there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe it's like Brain Training: You answer these simple math problems every day, the game assesses your speed, tells you if you're getting better or not, and before you know it, real world applications bubble to the surface: You find you're getting better at typing, your night vision has increased, you've stopped forgetting your car keys, who knows. The simple "Yes!" feedback of these games provides us with the experience Getting Better At Something; it can't be long before we become Better People because of them, and it can't be too far after that that we find ourselves literally and figuratively happy.
So, Christmas Day, there I was in my parents' house, and my little brother was playing DJ Hero on a large CRT television. He had the DJ controller on the floor, and was hunched over it, scratching at the turntable and clicking on the buttons, the TV volume depressingly low. I thought about Konami's Pop'n'Music, the most abstract rhythm game out there, in that it just uses buttons, which are meant to be pressed in time to lights that are furiously streaming down the screen. The Pop'n'Music machine in the arcade closest to my first apartment in Tokyo (where I went to play Virtua Fighter IV or Street Fighter III) had broken speakers, so the volume was so terribly low that you could barely hear it even if you were playing. The way those machines are set up, you can't really hear the music unless you're standing close enough to play, anyway. So for a skeeze standing ten feet back watching a couple of bouncy schoolgirls having fun, the on-screen action looks ridiculous; the clacking of the big, hollow, candy-like, palm-smashed buttons hardly makes sense in the context of the flashing on the screen. For years I was scared to touch Pop'n'Music, because it looked so complicated. I later realized that Pop'n'Music was Konami's way of bringing Dance Dance Revolution to the people who didn't want to get too much exercise. I like to think that I'm pretty immune to the "Damn Kids" syndrome; I think that I'll grow up as an embracer of new technology, for example. Back then, though, Pop'n'Music really got at me. It was weird enough to see two kids playing it, clapping each other on the shoulder with every smashing success, though watching some older guy play it alone with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth was really depressing. What's the use of a rhythm game if you can't even pretend to be holding a guitar? What's the use of a rhythm game where you're not even dancing? At the end of the day, it's not a rhythm game: It's a pleasure-enforcing device. I realized, back with Pop'n'Music, that I was being much like your parents when they call your music "noise": All your parents can hear, when you listen to music up in your room, is the sound of the lowest part of the bass guitar traveling through the floor. Maybe, if they could hear the rest, they'd be willing to acknowledge its artistry.
In case you skipped the bastard-like personal anecdote that preceded the part where I started talking about video games, let me summarize for you: I commented naively and at length on the socio-political-economic ramifications of the diorama of humanity present inside a super-trendy club, confronting head-on the question "do people really only like what they're told to like?" and coming away with the conclusion "well, kinda." I was selected to play a rock and roll show at this super-trendy club party event on the basis of my being an agreeable person, the same way I am selected by editors-in-chief to write magazine or web columns. I don't hate music: I just love music in a tough way. I scrape and scream. I enjoy looseness and stupidity. Yet, somehow, at the end of my set, a woman who was obviously a Swedish fashion model literally asked me, in so many words, to make out with her. I faced a scary question: Was this woman attracted to me, my "music", or the fact that someone in charge of this event had been so bold and confident in his taste as to choose me as one of only two live musical acts to perform during the entire eight-hour event? There exists maybe a one in a hundred chance that this woman was immensely, real-ly, sexually attracted to the idea of a man doing whatever he wanted and not caring what other people thought. Maybe she thought I was an artist. My final conclusion is that people in clubs don't just like what they're told to like, they like what other people like them like, and they pay a high cover charge to get inside this place where they're sure they'll find other people like them, who like them because they're like them. It's all very sketchy. In the real world, more often than not, we do not find ourselves with a situation wherein we press a button and immediately receive feedback of the black-or-white yes-or-no variety. Do people like me? isn't as efficient a question as How do I feel? Do I feel happy? What does all this have to do with video games? Absolutely everything.
....
Maybe the world economies would crumble if our entertainments stopped encouraging growth, improvement, or skill. Maybe we'd all turn into hippies if the chairman of Coca-Cola got up in front of a press conference and said, "You know, guys, we're closing up shop. Just start drinking water." Would that be so bad? I've used this excellent straw-man argument before: If everyone in the world were an all-day-meditating, own-crops-growing zen buddhist monk praying for peace, there would be no war. I've dipped tentatively into a lot of philosophy, and I've always considered sentiments like that to be something of a tiny baby elephant in the room. Why can't we be happy all the time? Why can't everything be love and peace? Why must we have shadow to lend context to light? Why must we have failure to lend context to success? Why can't everyone just give up all at once? I don't know.
http://kotaku.com/5468512/can-videogames-make-us-happy?skyline=true&s=i
(excerpt starts after the pic of Brutal Legend)
"So the audience was probably more impressed by seeing someone judged to do something well, rather than judging for themselves. So I think Guitar Hero is less about the music, which is valued subjectively, and more about doing a preset task skillfully when objectively judged."
(from the second link. Don't read it, for God's sake.)
First, this is incredibly interesting reading regarding MW2's "No Russian":
There is, however, another point about "No Russian" that appears more strongly from a classical perspective than perhaps any other. It seems to me an undeniable fact that Infinity Ward, who put analogously atrocious action in MW2's predecessor, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, is maintaining a commitment to bringing the players of its games face-to-face with the ethical ambiguity of war. That fact by itself shows a development of game culture that mirrors the development that we can see in the homeric tradition when we look at that tradition diachronically, and pick apart its strata: in the Iliad, for example, the ethical simplicity of tales of glory becomes, over time, the ambiguous story of an Achilles who drags Hector around Troy, in front of his grieving parents, and then kills Trojan youths on Patroclus' funeral pyre. Indeed, this development leads in ancient Athens to tragedy, the ne plus ultra of literary ethical thought, where atrocities are used over and over to expose the fragility of our ethical claims and to strengthen our understanding of why we must make those claims nonetheless.
http://livingepic.blogspot.com/2009/11/brief-classical-thoughts-on-no-russian.html
Second, here is a pretty good editorial piece from Kotaku. Tim Rogers occasionally writes these ridiculously long (and thus convoluted) pieces for Kotaku. Although a lot of his stuff is frankly pretty egoistic, if you dig you can find some real treasure. Here is an excerpt from his latest:
Rhythm games are not primarily about music: They are about doing something right and being told you're doing it right. I can totally, absolutely get behind that sort of thing. I use the word "crunch" a lot, in my "line of work," to describe the feeling in a game where you know you're doing something right, doing something wrong, or just plain doing something. God Hand has tons of crunch. Most games these days don't have any. Guitar Hero and Rock Band are games made up of about 99% crunch. You know exactly what you're doing in a Guitar Hero game: You're pressing a button at the right time, and the game tells you that you're awesome because of it. I guess there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe it's like Brain Training: You answer these simple math problems every day, the game assesses your speed, tells you if you're getting better or not, and before you know it, real world applications bubble to the surface: You find you're getting better at typing, your night vision has increased, you've stopped forgetting your car keys, who knows. The simple "Yes!" feedback of these games provides us with the experience Getting Better At Something; it can't be long before we become Better People because of them, and it can't be too far after that that we find ourselves literally and figuratively happy.
So, Christmas Day, there I was in my parents' house, and my little brother was playing DJ Hero on a large CRT television. He had the DJ controller on the floor, and was hunched over it, scratching at the turntable and clicking on the buttons, the TV volume depressingly low. I thought about Konami's Pop'n'Music, the most abstract rhythm game out there, in that it just uses buttons, which are meant to be pressed in time to lights that are furiously streaming down the screen. The Pop'n'Music machine in the arcade closest to my first apartment in Tokyo (where I went to play Virtua Fighter IV or Street Fighter III) had broken speakers, so the volume was so terribly low that you could barely hear it even if you were playing. The way those machines are set up, you can't really hear the music unless you're standing close enough to play, anyway. So for a skeeze standing ten feet back watching a couple of bouncy schoolgirls having fun, the on-screen action looks ridiculous; the clacking of the big, hollow, candy-like, palm-smashed buttons hardly makes sense in the context of the flashing on the screen. For years I was scared to touch Pop'n'Music, because it looked so complicated. I later realized that Pop'n'Music was Konami's way of bringing Dance Dance Revolution to the people who didn't want to get too much exercise. I like to think that I'm pretty immune to the "Damn Kids" syndrome; I think that I'll grow up as an embracer of new technology, for example. Back then, though, Pop'n'Music really got at me. It was weird enough to see two kids playing it, clapping each other on the shoulder with every smashing success, though watching some older guy play it alone with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth was really depressing. What's the use of a rhythm game if you can't even pretend to be holding a guitar? What's the use of a rhythm game where you're not even dancing? At the end of the day, it's not a rhythm game: It's a pleasure-enforcing device. I realized, back with Pop'n'Music, that I was being much like your parents when they call your music "noise": All your parents can hear, when you listen to music up in your room, is the sound of the lowest part of the bass guitar traveling through the floor. Maybe, if they could hear the rest, they'd be willing to acknowledge its artistry.
In case you skipped the bastard-like personal anecdote that preceded the part where I started talking about video games, let me summarize for you: I commented naively and at length on the socio-political-economic ramifications of the diorama of humanity present inside a super-trendy club, confronting head-on the question "do people really only like what they're told to like?" and coming away with the conclusion "well, kinda." I was selected to play a rock and roll show at this super-trendy club party event on the basis of my being an agreeable person, the same way I am selected by editors-in-chief to write magazine or web columns. I don't hate music: I just love music in a tough way. I scrape and scream. I enjoy looseness and stupidity. Yet, somehow, at the end of my set, a woman who was obviously a Swedish fashion model literally asked me, in so many words, to make out with her. I faced a scary question: Was this woman attracted to me, my "music", or the fact that someone in charge of this event had been so bold and confident in his taste as to choose me as one of only two live musical acts to perform during the entire eight-hour event? There exists maybe a one in a hundred chance that this woman was immensely, real-ly, sexually attracted to the idea of a man doing whatever he wanted and not caring what other people thought. Maybe she thought I was an artist. My final conclusion is that people in clubs don't just like what they're told to like, they like what other people like them like, and they pay a high cover charge to get inside this place where they're sure they'll find other people like them, who like them because they're like them. It's all very sketchy. In the real world, more often than not, we do not find ourselves with a situation wherein we press a button and immediately receive feedback of the black-or-white yes-or-no variety. Do people like me? isn't as efficient a question as How do I feel? Do I feel happy? What does all this have to do with video games? Absolutely everything.
....
Maybe the world economies would crumble if our entertainments stopped encouraging growth, improvement, or skill. Maybe we'd all turn into hippies if the chairman of Coca-Cola got up in front of a press conference and said, "You know, guys, we're closing up shop. Just start drinking water." Would that be so bad? I've used this excellent straw-man argument before: If everyone in the world were an all-day-meditating, own-crops-growing zen buddhist monk praying for peace, there would be no war. I've dipped tentatively into a lot of philosophy, and I've always considered sentiments like that to be something of a tiny baby elephant in the room. Why can't we be happy all the time? Why can't everything be love and peace? Why must we have shadow to lend context to light? Why must we have failure to lend context to success? Why can't everyone just give up all at once? I don't know.
http://kotaku.com/5468512/can-videogames-make-us-happy?skyline=true&s=i
(excerpt starts after the pic of Brutal Legend)
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
This funny convo greeted me several nights ago when I logged on. My friend Kayla has a mega-religious (Catholic, maybe?) roommate. (BTWs, Kayla is the girl that I went on the "date" with that turned out not to be a date. She is pretty BA anyhow).
Kayla
So I just got back in my room
there is a jesus book on my pillow
what the fuck do I do
10:22pmDavis
okay stay calm
is she in there
?
10:23pmKayla
yup, i'm pretending like I haven't seen my bed
10:23pmDavis
fuuuuuuuck
all right
hmmm
well
10:23pmKayla
I KNOW haha
10:23pmDavis
does she go to sleep before you do?
you coudl just stay at your computer all night
10:24pmKayla
usually :( but i'm so tired right now. Its like she KNEW I would be
meh..I'll just move it to her desk and see if she says anything
10:24pmDavis
hahaha
she knew that Jesus would be able to penetrate your armor
yes, I wanted it to be that creepy
why? because JESUS IS A RAPIST
10:24pmKayla
hahahahaha, I knew you would enjoy this
IT ALL MAKES SENSE!
10:25pmDavis
yeah that whole catholic priest thing
that is actually IN the Bible
okay wait so are you moving it?
10:26pmKayla
yup, here goes nothing...
10:26pmDavis
I'm praying for you
10:28pmDavis
well?
are you there?
did they get you??!?!
10:29pmKayla
SUCCESS!
her phone rang right when I got up :D its like Jesus knew
gah
hahaha
10:30pmDavis
well I did pray
maybe he heard my request
10:30pmKayla
b'aww, thats probably what it was
AND NOW I get to listen to her telling her bf about all her prayer experiences from today
10:30pmDavis
omg wow
no sleeps for you
I could come over and hit her with my shovel
I've really been waiting for an excuse to use it on someone
she'll go down in no more than three hits, I promise :)
okay that part was a little fucked up
10:33pmKayla
NO it was fucking hilarious
i loled...and that helped considering I'm going out of my way to be as loud as possible
10:34pmDavis
haha
all right I'll be right down
be sure that she answer the door
because as soon as it opens I'm just going to start swinging
10:35pmKayla
:D
10:35pmDavis
wheee
some government agency probably has a tap on my internt
and they are sending ppl to fuck my terrorist ass up
thank God I haven't mentioned planes yet
oh no
I just did
10:36pmKayla
it was a good idea talking to you about this, I now feel a little less angry
BUT earplugs are in and I'm headed to sleep!
10:36pmDavis
no no, that's not what I want at all
I want you to be angry
let the hate flow through you
10:37pmKayla
alright, I took out an earplug and listened for thirty min...the hate is definitely surging
10:37pmDavis
yes, yes. Good.
now, stand up and crush her!
err....
you HAVE been practicing your Dark side Force powers right?
otherwise this is totally NOT gonna work
Kayla
oh noes!
...I should get on that
but in the meantime, I'm headed to sleep!
10:40pmDavis
all righty
10:40pmKayla
G'night :D thanks for support hahaha
10:40pmDavis
yes
sleep dark, vitriolic dreams
to better unleash your hate
10:40pmKayla
I'll do my best!
10:41pmDavis
Yay?
Also, R:
R
ben franklin can suck my dick
i hate reading him
don't quote that on your blog
4:33pmDavis
so you're a hermaphrodite?
Davis
so you're a hermaphrodite?
4:33pmR
no, vag only
i just like the slang
women don't have any good terminology like that
Kayla
So I just got back in my room
there is a jesus book on my pillow
what the fuck do I do
10:22pmDavis
okay stay calm
is she in there
?
10:23pmKayla
yup, i'm pretending like I haven't seen my bed
10:23pmDavis
fuuuuuuuck
all right
hmmm
well
10:23pmKayla
I KNOW haha
10:23pmDavis
does she go to sleep before you do?
you coudl just stay at your computer all night
10:24pmKayla
usually :( but i'm so tired right now. Its like she KNEW I would be
meh..I'll just move it to her desk and see if she says anything
10:24pmDavis
hahaha
she knew that Jesus would be able to penetrate your armor
yes, I wanted it to be that creepy
why? because JESUS IS A RAPIST
10:24pmKayla
hahahahaha, I knew you would enjoy this
IT ALL MAKES SENSE!
10:25pmDavis
yeah that whole catholic priest thing
that is actually IN the Bible
okay wait so are you moving it?
10:26pmKayla
yup, here goes nothing...
10:26pmDavis
I'm praying for you
10:28pmDavis
well?
are you there?
did they get you??!?!
10:29pmKayla
SUCCESS!
her phone rang right when I got up :D its like Jesus knew
gah
hahaha
10:30pmDavis
well I did pray
maybe he heard my request
10:30pmKayla
b'aww, thats probably what it was
AND NOW I get to listen to her telling her bf about all her prayer experiences from today
10:30pmDavis
omg wow
no sleeps for you
I could come over and hit her with my shovel
I've really been waiting for an excuse to use it on someone
she'll go down in no more than three hits, I promise :)
okay that part was a little fucked up
10:33pmKayla
NO it was fucking hilarious
i loled...and that helped considering I'm going out of my way to be as loud as possible
10:34pmDavis
haha
all right I'll be right down
be sure that she answer the door
because as soon as it opens I'm just going to start swinging
10:35pmKayla
:D
10:35pmDavis
wheee
some government agency probably has a tap on my internt
and they are sending ppl to fuck my terrorist ass up
thank God I haven't mentioned planes yet
oh no
I just did
10:36pmKayla
it was a good idea talking to you about this, I now feel a little less angry
BUT earplugs are in and I'm headed to sleep!
10:36pmDavis
no no, that's not what I want at all
I want you to be angry
let the hate flow through you
10:37pmKayla
alright, I took out an earplug and listened for thirty min...the hate is definitely surging
10:37pmDavis
yes, yes. Good.
now, stand up and crush her!
err....
you HAVE been practicing your Dark side Force powers right?
otherwise this is totally NOT gonna work
Kayla
oh noes!
...I should get on that
but in the meantime, I'm headed to sleep!
10:40pmDavis
all righty
10:40pmKayla
G'night :D thanks for support hahaha
10:40pmDavis
yes
sleep dark, vitriolic dreams
to better unleash your hate
10:40pmKayla
I'll do my best!
10:41pmDavis
Yay?
Also, R:
R
ben franklin can suck my dick
i hate reading him
don't quote that on your blog
4:33pmDavis
so you're a hermaphrodite?
Davis
so you're a hermaphrodite?
4:33pmR
no, vag only
i just like the slang
women don't have any good terminology like that
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Info Dump
Cool online store that sells old-school gaming merchandise.
http://www.dragontrove.com/listing.html
Cool study about positive psychological and therapeutic effects of DnD:
http://www.rpgstudies.net/blackmon/dungeons_and_dragons/
Something which I ought not to forgot:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolkien%27s_legendarium
Sign up for Marvel Comics 4ever??!!
http://marvel.com/digitalcomics/characters/Captain%20America%20%28Steve%20Rogers%29/page/1?gallery_viewmode=list
Moral Kombat, a full-length documentary (free until mid February or sommat) about the intersection of First Amendment rights and what to do about violence in gaming. Don't know whether it's any good.
http://www.babelgum.com/browser.php#play/SEARCH_SIMILAR,clipID:4022951,includeClip:true,order:MOST_RELEVANT/0,4022951
GAMING STUDIES (these are pretty interesting though few of them are in English):
http://www.rpgstudies.net/
RELIGION OF COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS (AWESOME!!!!)
http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.html
List of 3.5 Prestige Classes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prestige_classes
Friday, January 22, 2010
I owe you something. Do you know what it is? It is a BLOG POST. Do you know what I will give you? YES.
First, this. It is a scene from a banned episode of Pokemon. Why is it banned, you say? Click on, gentle reader, click on.
SPEEDO BADGE: Allows up to 100 Pokemon of level 30 or below to hump you. Any more, and they become UNRULY!
Also, this: http://marvel.com/digitalcomics/characters/Captain%20America%20%28Steve%20Rogers%29/page/1?gallery_viewmode=list
You can subscribe to all of Marvel's comics, digitized, for 60 dollars a year. 60 dollars a year!!! ALL of their comics (not all are currently digitized). Note: split between 4 pwnerers, this would amount to fifteen dollars each. Are you out there?
Item next: Gaming.
I will sum up: I am mad. As you know, I play in my own Pathfinder Group Fridays from 4-7. I play a PC (superbroken half-werewolf fighter) in a 4th edition campaign Saturday 2-5. My Cleric is thinking about DMing his own 3.5 group, in which case I would be tempted to start playing in a third group! Then, there are 7 of us who want to have a once-in-a-while Diablo II LAN group going. 4 groups would likely amount to 12 hours of gaming a week, probably all on weekends (Friday counts). Is it terrible for my life and for my schoolwork? Yes, one thousand times yes. It is completely and utterly awesome? YES!
Item next: Friends
I have them now. A lot of them, in fact. I have grown closer to the entity known as the people next door. This entity is rather like Stashley except that it is composed of five people, and not two. Steven, your sexual exploits are nothing compared to this raging behemoth of gaming flesh (I kid...?)
Earlier this week I gravely offended my friend Patti, who is for all intents and purposes my best friend here (or was until this weekend). It created three days of unspeakable horror for me and probably for her. But, I fixed it and now we are friends again. A piece of advice: one ought not to bring up dead relatives, especially unnecessarily, flippantly, or in a way that seems insulting. Get it?
Item next: Classes
Yes, I am truly mad. I am enrolled for 18 credits; essentially, I am taking 22. Combined with my burgeoning piano and voice practice times, this does not make for a happy schedule.
...
Actually, it just might. I recently mapped out every hour of every day. Obsessive-compulsive? Maybe. It greatly sensitizes you to your time, however, and although I have not stuck entirely to it, it has thus far proven a great boon to overall efficiency.
Item next: Norwescon
Recently one of my friends from Central offered to pay for my housing and registration for Norwescon, a science fiction and fantasy convention near the SeaTac airport. He is giving several presentations regarding philosophy in gaming and he really wants me to come. So: I am going to Norwescon, for free or greatly reduced price!!! My parents were surprisingly okay when I told them that I would be staying home during 2 days of the first week of spring quarter to go to a gaming convention. Will it be awesome? Yes. Yes it will.
Item next: Gaming systems
I am currently researching different roleplaying systems for us to try sometime. Nothing personal, but I will not explain them to you. You must study them yourself to fully grasp their mechanical and philosophical ramifications. One system with which I am pleased is Tri-Stat Dx. It is available for free after some searching. No, I am not speaking of converting our current campaign; I have invested too much money in Pathfinder to betray the Sunken Cost Fallacy now. I am talking about playing a new game sometime. In fact, I have one in mind. Will it blow your socks off?
Yes. Yes it will.
Item Next: Amorous affairs
None of which to speak. I have had many Platonic affairs (by which I mean, interactions, not hookups). I have made many friends during this week, and of the friends that I had — they were made better.
Item Next: Rosa Ostrom
Has a boyfriend now. Shall we make fun?
Yes. Yes we will.
First, this. It is a scene from a banned episode of Pokemon. Why is it banned, you say? Click on, gentle reader, click on.
SPEEDO BADGE: Allows up to 100 Pokemon of level 30 or below to hump you. Any more, and they become UNRULY!
Also, this: http://marvel.com/digitalcomics/characters/Captain%20America%20%28Steve%20Rogers%29/page/1?gallery_viewmode=list
You can subscribe to all of Marvel's comics, digitized, for 60 dollars a year. 60 dollars a year!!! ALL of their comics (not all are currently digitized). Note: split between 4 pwnerers, this would amount to fifteen dollars each. Are you out there?
Item next: Gaming.
I will sum up: I am mad. As you know, I play in my own Pathfinder Group Fridays from 4-7. I play a PC (superbroken half-werewolf fighter) in a 4th edition campaign Saturday 2-5. My Cleric is thinking about DMing his own 3.5 group, in which case I would be tempted to start playing in a third group! Then, there are 7 of us who want to have a once-in-a-while Diablo II LAN group going. 4 groups would likely amount to 12 hours of gaming a week, probably all on weekends (Friday counts). Is it terrible for my life and for my schoolwork? Yes, one thousand times yes. It is completely and utterly awesome? YES!
Item next: Friends
I have them now. A lot of them, in fact. I have grown closer to the entity known as the people next door. This entity is rather like Stashley except that it is composed of five people, and not two. Steven, your sexual exploits are nothing compared to this raging behemoth of gaming flesh (I kid...?)
Earlier this week I gravely offended my friend Patti, who is for all intents and purposes my best friend here (or was until this weekend). It created three days of unspeakable horror for me and probably for her. But, I fixed it and now we are friends again. A piece of advice: one ought not to bring up dead relatives, especially unnecessarily, flippantly, or in a way that seems insulting. Get it?
Item next: Classes
Yes, I am truly mad. I am enrolled for 18 credits; essentially, I am taking 22. Combined with my burgeoning piano and voice practice times, this does not make for a happy schedule.
...
Actually, it just might. I recently mapped out every hour of every day. Obsessive-compulsive? Maybe. It greatly sensitizes you to your time, however, and although I have not stuck entirely to it, it has thus far proven a great boon to overall efficiency.
Item next: Norwescon
Recently one of my friends from Central offered to pay for my housing and registration for Norwescon, a science fiction and fantasy convention near the SeaTac airport. He is giving several presentations regarding philosophy in gaming and he really wants me to come. So: I am going to Norwescon, for free or greatly reduced price!!! My parents were surprisingly okay when I told them that I would be staying home during 2 days of the first week of spring quarter to go to a gaming convention. Will it be awesome? Yes. Yes it will.
Item next: Gaming systems
I am currently researching different roleplaying systems for us to try sometime. Nothing personal, but I will not explain them to you. You must study them yourself to fully grasp their mechanical and philosophical ramifications. One system with which I am pleased is Tri-Stat Dx. It is available for free after some searching. No, I am not speaking of converting our current campaign; I have invested too much money in Pathfinder to betray the Sunken Cost Fallacy now. I am talking about playing a new game sometime. In fact, I have one in mind. Will it blow your socks off?
Yes. Yes it will.
Item Next: Amorous affairs
None of which to speak. I have had many Platonic affairs (by which I mean, interactions, not hookups). I have made many friends during this week, and of the friends that I had — they were made better.
Item Next: Rosa Ostrom
Has a boyfriend now. Shall we make fun?
Yes. Yes we will.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
We Are Basement Savants
me: oh
well we could at least all hang out tomorrow
or hey we could do red robin
for dinner
david: >_<
yeah we could
me: what?
why is it >_<
?
7:59 PM david: no reason
i just ate there a couple days ago
and when i did, i told my parents "but im going to eat here in another few days..."
me: really?
david: yes
because i knew i probably would
me: lol wow
david: i see the future man
me: I do too
except I'm not actually kidding about it ;P
8:00 PM david: neither was i :}
me: AWESOME
8:01 PM david: [virtual high five!]
david: oh
but yeah we should finish gow
and i should give you new musics
me: yeah
david: well
me: and yes
david: old musics
me: right
but they will be new to me
david: but new to you
liek lulz thith new artitht taylor thwift!!!11
i thall give u her songs bcuz THEY ARE TOALLY MY LIEF
10:24 PM me: YEHA
one of the guys who lives next to me LOVES taylor swift
david: hahaha
me: he is another piano major
it is sad
david: bahaha
the dark side of piano majors
10:25 PM me: well goddamn
it's not all of us
I mean I fucking play Dnd but I don't listen to Taylor Swift
david: haha
10:26 PM you say it like dnd is wrong
me: hahaha
no, it is the most right thing that has ever happened to me!!1!
but in terms of like appearing like a loser to other people
at least I'm doing something that may be weird but can be considered legitimate in it weirdness
david: oh
10:27 PM haha
kind of
me: liking taylor swift is like liking harry potter and thinking you're a hardcore RPGer
david: neighborhood party then family party
then this
me: so raging as in...?
david: going to a lot of parties
8:09 PM me: haha
too bad none of them provide any opportunity for female interaction
roflol
david: psh
what happened to theres not sex in shoreline
therefore why would we bother to hang out with women we know in shoreline
me: it still stand
that's what I'm saying
david: oh
it sounded like you regretted not meeting chixorz
me: oh hell no
8:10 PM david: haha good
me: I already have a girlfriend in the future, remember?
david: THIS IS MAN TIME GAD DAMNIT
oh right
same!
david: omfg!
looking for pictures of steven to use
for a guy that never has an opinion and doesn't like to talk very much
THE KID NEVER SITS STILL
either that or i really suck at taking pictures of him
they're all blurry as hell
well we could at least all hang out tomorrow
or hey we could do red robin
for dinner
david: >_<
yeah we could
me: what?
why is it >_<
?
7:59 PM david: no reason
i just ate there a couple days ago
and when i did, i told my parents "but im going to eat here in another few days..."
me: really?
david: yes
because i knew i probably would
me: lol wow
david: i see the future man
me: I do too
except I'm not actually kidding about it ;P
8:00 PM david: neither was i :}
me: AWESOME
8:01 PM david: [virtual high five!]
david: oh
but yeah we should finish gow
and i should give you new musics
me: yeah
david: well
me: and yes
david: old musics
me: right
but they will be new to me
david: but new to you
liek lulz thith new artitht taylor thwift!!!11
i thall give u her songs bcuz THEY ARE TOALLY MY LIEF
10:24 PM me: YEHA
one of the guys who lives next to me LOVES taylor swift
david: hahaha
me: he is another piano major
it is sad
david: bahaha
the dark side of piano majors
10:25 PM me: well goddamn
it's not all of us
I mean I fucking play Dnd but I don't listen to Taylor Swift
david: haha
10:26 PM you say it like dnd is wrong
me: hahaha
no, it is the most right thing that has ever happened to me!!1!
but in terms of like appearing like a loser to other people
at least I'm doing something that may be weird but can be considered legitimate in it weirdness
david: oh
10:27 PM haha
kind of
me: liking taylor swift is like liking harry potter and thinking you're a hardcore RPGer
david: neighborhood party then family party
then this
me: so raging as in...?
david: going to a lot of parties
8:09 PM me: haha
too bad none of them provide any opportunity for female interaction
roflol
david: psh
what happened to theres not sex in shoreline
therefore why would we bother to hang out with women we know in shoreline
me: it still stand
that's what I'm saying
david: oh
it sounded like you regretted not meeting chixorz
me: oh hell no
8:10 PM david: haha good
me: I already have a girlfriend in the future, remember?
david: THIS IS MAN TIME GAD DAMNIT
oh right
same!
david: omfg!
looking for pictures of steven to use
for a guy that never has an opinion and doesn't like to talk very much
THE KID NEVER SITS STILL
either that or i really suck at taking pictures of him
they're all blurry as hell
Monday, December 28, 2009
I'm Sorry
I owe David, Steve, and Keir and apology.
I shouldn't have left you guys like that tonight—it was real douchebaggery. One of my friends from Eastern called and I was really excited to talk, so I kind of dropped everything else. I ought to have at least said something and signed off BNet so you could know what was going on. I really cocked out this time.
This was a violation of my respect for myself and for you. I gave in to a kakohexis. This won't happen again, unless said person really is in a much more dire circumstance.
That said, let me present you with funny things.
But first, NOTE FOR DAVID regarding Owl City. It is just like The Beatles—the really important things have been shoved under a heap of She Came in THrough the Bathroom Window, Yellow Submarine, and Come Together. The songs which are really meaningful are from the Maybe I'm Dreaming album and are: On the Wing, The Technicolor Phase, Dear Vienna (!!) and I'll Meet You There. Fireflies, off their second album, is also quite good, although it is a hit single.
[breakfast today—Several minutes ago, my mom called the house from work to ask if we have seen her glasses around because she is missing them. She has just called again to say that her glasses were in her backpack all along]
Me: Aha. Hehehehe. That sort of thing is so funny. So, it WAS there all along.
Charlie: What?
Me: When we are looking for something, we look so hard and we cannot find it. When we finally do find it, it's in an easy and obvious place. If we want to find it, what we ought to do is allow ourselves to make it easy, and just relax and think of the object. Then we will be able to find it so easily.
Charlie: Oh no, don't you start this Jedi Master stuff with me again! How about that receipt for mom's picture frame that you lost?!
Me: . . .
[I still haven't found it...]
Taken from a Facebook correspondence with my friend John, who I plan to wed to his girlfriend Jessica in June:
Me: My friend David and I were thikning of themes for the wedding. The best one is definitely the Legend of Zelda wedding, which opens when I start shouting "HEY, LOOK LISTEN, HEY, LISTEN!!!" at all of your friends and family. We'll keep the rings in a chest, but I won't give you the chest until you push my podium to the left. The ceremony concludes when I say IT'S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE—TAKE THIS and present you and Jessica to each other.
John: While I think that is an excellent wedding plan, Jessica does not seem so enthusatic.
[during Starcraft]
Me: Steven, are you eating something? Your voice sounds funny.
Steven: Yeah, I have a sore.
Me: Ahh. Too much dick lately?
Steven: Too much pussy.
[stunned silence]
David: ...well Davis, now are you glad that you asked?"
Today I had a long conversation with Keir. I have been thinking about reposting parts of it, because it is pretty illustrative of my philosophy, and people have seemed to be more interested in that sort of thing lately.
I look forward to MEGA DND on Wednesday!!!
We ought to get together for New Year's also (or even the whole or a great part of the 31st).
I shouldn't have left you guys like that tonight—it was real douchebaggery. One of my friends from Eastern called and I was really excited to talk, so I kind of dropped everything else. I ought to have at least said something and signed off BNet so you could know what was going on. I really cocked out this time.
This was a violation of my respect for myself and for you. I gave in to a kakohexis. This won't happen again, unless said person really is in a much more dire circumstance.
That said, let me present you with funny things.
But first, NOTE FOR DAVID regarding Owl City. It is just like The Beatles—the really important things have been shoved under a heap of She Came in THrough the Bathroom Window, Yellow Submarine, and Come Together. The songs which are really meaningful are from the Maybe I'm Dreaming album and are: On the Wing, The Technicolor Phase, Dear Vienna (!!) and I'll Meet You There. Fireflies, off their second album, is also quite good, although it is a hit single.
[breakfast today—Several minutes ago, my mom called the house from work to ask if we have seen her glasses around because she is missing them. She has just called again to say that her glasses were in her backpack all along]
Me: Aha. Hehehehe. That sort of thing is so funny. So, it WAS there all along.
Charlie: What?
Me: When we are looking for something, we look so hard and we cannot find it. When we finally do find it, it's in an easy and obvious place. If we want to find it, what we ought to do is allow ourselves to make it easy, and just relax and think of the object. Then we will be able to find it so easily.
Charlie: Oh no, don't you start this Jedi Master stuff with me again! How about that receipt for mom's picture frame that you lost?!
Me: . . .
[I still haven't found it...]
Taken from a Facebook correspondence with my friend John, who I plan to wed to his girlfriend Jessica in June:
Me: My friend David and I were thikning of themes for the wedding. The best one is definitely the Legend of Zelda wedding, which opens when I start shouting "HEY, LOOK LISTEN, HEY, LISTEN!!!" at all of your friends and family. We'll keep the rings in a chest, but I won't give you the chest until you push my podium to the left. The ceremony concludes when I say IT'S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE—TAKE THIS and present you and Jessica to each other.
John: While I think that is an excellent wedding plan, Jessica does not seem so enthusatic.
[during Starcraft]
Me: Steven, are you eating something? Your voice sounds funny.
Steven: Yeah, I have a sore.
Me: Ahh. Too much dick lately?
Steven: Too much pussy.
[stunned silence]
David: ...well Davis, now are you glad that you asked?"
Today I had a long conversation with Keir. I have been thinking about reposting parts of it, because it is pretty illustrative of my philosophy, and people have seemed to be more interested in that sort of thing lately.
I look forward to MEGA DND on Wednesday!!!
We ought to get together for New Year's also (or even the whole or a great part of the 31st).
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Coming Soon
I will present to you many funny things, and some which are only interesting, and, although I hope not, perhaps some things which are neither funny nor interesting.
About a week ago, my parents bought a flat screen TV. We installed it several days ago. Apparently they bought the special Trailer Trash edition, because the antenna pamphlet sported this important safety warning:
"Do not attempt to install if drunk, pregnant, or both. Do not throw antenna at spouse."
me: did u get a phat drop yesterday?
11:05 PM Steven: I guess
got a lot of new dreads
or...
w/e the slang is for clothes
me: ummmm....
Steven: threads
me: threads?
Steven: maybe that's it
me: dread is hair
lulz
obligatory David paint that shows you in dreads
11:06 PM Steven: haha
11:07 PM me: my mom bought me pants
they are pretty sweet actually
they are like from the 90s
Value Village
Steven: haha
11:08 PM me: damn that village has so many values
maybe it was an infested village
like RE4
and my mom went in a shot up a bunch of crazy Spanish people
and then knifed a box and found some sweet 90s pants
11:09 PM Steven: awesome
I think I'm going to get a 360
11:10 PM me: you get hella moneez for teh buy of 360
??><
Steven: I got a lot of gamestop moneez and I can get a refurbished one for like $100
me: cool
be careful though
11:11 PM those gamestop guys will fuck you up
and take your money
all they wanna do is*bam bam bam bam* and {reload sound} [knife sound] and TAKE UR MONEYYYY!
11:12 PM Steven: haha
I've never had a problem there before
me: yeah but I have read a lot about their dubious business practices
and contempt for employees and customers
but they also have a monopoly
11:13 PM bastards got Boardwalk REAL early on
Steven: lucky dicks
11:14 PM me: lol
licky ducks
david: so
are'st you up for some GoW tomorrow?
me: not sure
I still have to find out what I am doing nowadays
david: like
around the house?
or spending time figuring out ways to fuck with our dnd characters by changing the way we earn exp?
me: hmm
both :)
You MUST see this link. This is a Japanese advertisement for A Link to the Past in '92.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv5OIvwqkvM&feature=player_embedded
This is also great. The woodland creatures part never made sense to anyone (though I have read a lot of stuff that says that Final Fantasy was originally intended as a biting satire on the genre, so the animals-dropping-money-and-items thing may be one of several huge jokes that have been perpetuated since the first Final Fantasy. I find that extremely interesting).
(psychology shoutout)
*at dinnertime, as I come to the table and am handed a bowl of soup*
Me: Wait, wait everyone. What does this bowl of soup taste like right now?
Mom: What? Do you have a cold? It tastes like vegetable soup!
Charlie: *shit-faced grin*
Me: No, no, I mean what does it taste like RIGHT NOW! See, it's not in my mouth, so it doesn't TASTE like anything. It only has the potential to taste like something.
Mom: What? That's ridiculous. It tastes like vegetable soup!
*conversation continues along this line for a while. Finally I give up*
Charlie: Jesus, glad we're done with that. I thought you were trying out a bunch of philosophy garbage on us, like [mocking tone] "oh no, it doesn't taste like anything right now because you are the one who gives it taste."
This break has been...varied. I spent the first half applying for scholarships and jobs, madly I might add. Christmas and the return of Orion have made me less productive, to an extreme degree. For example, I spent the whole day today building a new experience point system entirely from scratch. It was actually super fun. DnD on Wednesday is going to be awesome.
I don't have the inclination to post anything else, though I would urge you: purge evil from your minds! Listen to Owl City!!! I dont' know if that guy knows what he is saying, but I do, and it is something of grave and amazing importance!!!! (only the first album is really any good for this purpose)
Planeswalker-in-training signing off,
About a week ago, my parents bought a flat screen TV. We installed it several days ago. Apparently they bought the special Trailer Trash edition, because the antenna pamphlet sported this important safety warning:
"Do not attempt to install if drunk, pregnant, or both. Do not throw antenna at spouse."
me: did u get a phat drop yesterday?
11:05 PM Steven: I guess
got a lot of new dreads
or...
w/e the slang is for clothes
me: ummmm....
Steven: threads
me: threads?
Steven: maybe that's it
me: dread is hair
lulz
obligatory David paint that shows you in dreads
11:06 PM Steven: haha
11:07 PM me: my mom bought me pants
they are pretty sweet actually
they are like from the 90s
Value Village
Steven: haha
11:08 PM me: damn that village has so many values
maybe it was an infested village
like RE4
and my mom went in a shot up a bunch of crazy Spanish people
and then knifed a box and found some sweet 90s pants
11:09 PM Steven: awesome
I think I'm going to get a 360
11:10 PM me: you get hella moneez for teh buy of 360
??><
Steven: I got a lot of gamestop moneez and I can get a refurbished one for like $100
me: cool
be careful though
11:11 PM those gamestop guys will fuck you up
and take your money
all they wanna do is*bam bam bam bam* and {reload sound} [knife sound] and TAKE UR MONEYYYY!
11:12 PM Steven: haha
I've never had a problem there before
me: yeah but I have read a lot about their dubious business practices
and contempt for employees and customers
but they also have a monopoly
11:13 PM bastards got Boardwalk REAL early on
Steven: lucky dicks
11:14 PM me: lol
licky ducks
david: so
are'st you up for some GoW tomorrow?
me: not sure
I still have to find out what I am doing nowadays
david: like
around the house?
or spending time figuring out ways to fuck with our dnd characters by changing the way we earn exp?
me: hmm
both :)
You MUST see this link. This is a Japanese advertisement for A Link to the Past in '92.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv5OIvwqkvM&feature=player_embedded
This is also great. The woodland creatures part never made sense to anyone (though I have read a lot of stuff that says that Final Fantasy was originally intended as a biting satire on the genre, so the animals-dropping-money-and-items thing may be one of several huge jokes that have been perpetuated since the first Final Fantasy. I find that extremely interesting).
(psychology shoutout)
*at dinnertime, as I come to the table and am handed a bowl of soup*
Me: Wait, wait everyone. What does this bowl of soup taste like right now?
Mom: What? Do you have a cold? It tastes like vegetable soup!
Charlie: *shit-faced grin*
Me: No, no, I mean what does it taste like RIGHT NOW! See, it's not in my mouth, so it doesn't TASTE like anything. It only has the potential to taste like something.
Mom: What? That's ridiculous. It tastes like vegetable soup!
*conversation continues along this line for a while. Finally I give up*
Charlie: Jesus, glad we're done with that. I thought you were trying out a bunch of philosophy garbage on us, like [mocking tone] "oh no, it doesn't taste like anything right now because you are the one who gives it taste."
This break has been...varied. I spent the first half applying for scholarships and jobs, madly I might add. Christmas and the return of Orion have made me less productive, to an extreme degree. For example, I spent the whole day today building a new experience point system entirely from scratch. It was actually super fun. DnD on Wednesday is going to be awesome.
I don't have the inclination to post anything else, though I would urge you: purge evil from your minds! Listen to Owl City!!! I dont' know if that guy knows what he is saying, but I do, and it is something of grave and amazing importance!!!! (only the first album is really any good for this purpose)
Planeswalker-in-training signing off,
Sunday, December 20, 2009
more funny things
I think these are funny, at least:
This was censored at the time because Lucy was there and David did not want to offend her. However, I do not care about offending Lucy.
David: [in response to my statement that I want to know everything] But Davis, what if you found out that God was actually REAL and you were wrong this whole time?!?!!
While driving Meredith and her best friend to the horse barn:
Friend: So our lip sync video has, like, 10,000 views, even though, like, it was up for only like, 2 days.
Me: (driving) WHAT OVER NINE THOUSAND?!
Friend: (condescendingly and politely) No, over ten thousand.
[joke phail]
Rosa: [resolutely] There's never enough meat for me.
There is at least one more good one from Maddy's party last night...but I can't remember it.
This was censored at the time because Lucy was there and David did not want to offend her. However, I do not care about offending Lucy.
David: [in response to my statement that I want to know everything] But Davis, what if you found out that God was actually REAL and you were wrong this whole time?!?!!
While driving Meredith and her best friend to the horse barn:
Friend: So our lip sync video has, like, 10,000 views, even though, like, it was up for only like, 2 days.
Me: (driving) WHAT OVER NINE THOUSAND?!
Friend: (condescendingly and politely) No, over ten thousand.
[joke phail]
Rosa: [resolutely] There's never enough meat for me.
There is at least one more good one from Maddy's party last night...but I can't remember it.
Friday, December 18, 2009
On Counterstrike
me:
well I just saw Davi'd status
and I was like OMG
Steven: but not zomg?
haha
me: yeah
that's reserved for more groundbreaking things
me: I played a game yesterday
Steven: wow awesome
me: and now I want to play so much
Steven: real map?
me: yeah
12:59 PM it was offline
Steven: oic
me: TvZ
and I suck so much cock
Steven: haha that's ok
we will probably have to play BGH
me: it was terrible
Steven: but it's a good map
me: thank God I don't have an apm counter
Steven: so what's the problem?
me: but remember I can't use launchers
since I'm running on OSX
problem with windows
is that I don't have the original SC cd to do an install
Steven: oh ok
so you want to be able to use a launcher
me: that is realy the only problem
Steven: but you don't have it on windows
1:06 PM me: the rest was just bitching
Steven: o ic
1:08 PM also I will install cs today
so we can play later
in the week or whatevs
Steven: sweet
hopefully you can get Orion to play
I have had no luck
1:09 PM me: hmmm
yeah we have to change our tactics
he used to like science
now he mainly likes pornography and creepily talking about girls that he meets
and other penis-related activities
SO
damn I was thinking we could tell him that Ashley plays but she is your gf
we need another girl
Steven: damnit davis
me: someone who he can't resist
Steven: haha
me: okay wait wait
he always talked really creepily about those exchange studetns Linnea had
Kari, that was her name
okay
we need to facebook Kari
and convince her either to play CS
or to say that she is playing CS
Steven: haha
it's perfect
me: like a status update: "playing cs with davis, david, and steven right now lol"
then Orion will have nowhere to run
Steven: haha
me: the bigger of his two heads
--and this is really a fine distinction because his regular head is quite big most of the time--
will lead him to Counterstrike
Steven: or we could try to hack Orion's steam account and delete kotor and then he will have nothing to play but css
Me: yes
but that strategy doesn't involve as much insulting conversation that I can post on my blog later
Steven: haha true
okay the hacking
that's plan B
he's conservative so he doesn't like Plan B
so he will HAVE to fall for Plan A
Steven: your logic is indisputable
1:16 PM me: and so is the fact that he will soon be playing CS within our icy grasp
ttyl, maybe like 3 ish
Steven: alright
well I just saw Davi'd status
and I was like OMG
Steven: but not zomg?
haha
me: yeah
that's reserved for more groundbreaking things
me: I played a game yesterday
Steven: wow awesome
me: and now I want to play so much
Steven: real map?
me: yeah
12:59 PM it was offline
Steven: oic
me: TvZ
and I suck so much cock
Steven: haha that's ok
we will probably have to play BGH
me: it was terrible
Steven: but it's a good map
me: thank God I don't have an apm counter
Steven: so what's the problem?
me: but remember I can't use launchers
since I'm running on OSX
problem with windows
is that I don't have the original SC cd to do an install
Steven: oh ok
so you want to be able to use a launcher
me: that is realy the only problem
Steven: but you don't have it on windows
1:06 PM me: the rest was just bitching
Steven: o ic
1:08 PM also I will install cs today
so we can play later
in the week or whatevs
Steven: sweet
hopefully you can get Orion to play
I have had no luck
1:09 PM me: hmmm
yeah we have to change our tactics
he used to like science
now he mainly likes pornography and creepily talking about girls that he meets
and other penis-related activities
SO
damn I was thinking we could tell him that Ashley plays but she is your gf
we need another girl
Steven: damnit davis
me: someone who he can't resist
Steven: haha
me: okay wait wait
he always talked really creepily about those exchange studetns Linnea had
Kari, that was her name
okay
we need to facebook Kari
and convince her either to play CS
or to say that she is playing CS
Steven: haha
it's perfect
me: like a status update: "playing cs with davis, david, and steven right now lol"
then Orion will have nowhere to run
Steven: haha
me: the bigger of his two heads
--and this is really a fine distinction because his regular head is quite big most of the time--
will lead him to Counterstrike
Steven: or we could try to hack Orion's steam account and delete kotor and then he will have nothing to play but css
Me: yes
but that strategy doesn't involve as much insulting conversation that I can post on my blog later
Steven: haha true
okay the hacking
that's plan B
he's conservative so he doesn't like Plan B
so he will HAVE to fall for Plan A
Steven: your logic is indisputable
1:16 PM me: and so is the fact that he will soon be playing CS within our icy grasp
ttyl, maybe like 3 ish
Steven: alright
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Lucy 2.0
This conversation shall be separated into many small parts. Its humor value is thus enhanced.
me: PM so, so, so, I might actually be bored enough to visit you this week
I didn't phrase that very well
Lucy: wow
what a great friend
me: it's not you
it's the driving
suffice to say that I hate driving in Seattle
11:35 PM Lucy: you could bus it
me: ooh damn but that involves waiting, a thing that I hate even MORE than driving
God this is hard
I hate so many things
is there a place where I may park?
a lot, perhaps/
11:38 PM Lucy: yeah but not for free :(
me: oh God
forget that!!!!
Lucy: you really should facebook stalk me before you ask questions like that
Lucy:
it still won't be free until after 6
and i probably won't be there by then
me: RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Meteros, God of Parking, why do you vex me so?!
Have I not poured out many libations to your meters?
11:42 PM Have I not sacrificed many carbeurators in your honor?
(or at the least, fuel-injection systems?)
me: PM so, so, so, I might actually be bored enough to visit you this week
I didn't phrase that very well
Lucy: wow
what a great friend
me: it's not you
it's the driving
suffice to say that I hate driving in Seattle
11:35 PM Lucy: you could bus it
me: ooh damn but that involves waiting, a thing that I hate even MORE than driving
God this is hard
I hate so many things
is there a place where I may park?
a lot, perhaps/
11:38 PM Lucy: yeah but not for free :(
me: oh God
forget that!!!!
Lucy: you really should facebook stalk me before you ask questions like that
Lucy:
it still won't be free until after 6
and i probably won't be there by then
me: RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Meteros, God of Parking, why do you vex me so?!
Have I not poured out many libations to your meters?
11:42 PM Have I not sacrificed many carbeurators in your honor?
(or at the least, fuel-injection systems?)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
More things to say
Perhaps I actually don't have them [more things to say]. But, damned if I don't need a title.
First, funny quotes.
Mom: So Davis, when are you going to shave your sideburns?
Me (sarcastically): Well, I was thinking next week.
Mom (surprised): Really?
Me: No.
Mom: Hmmph. Well, I like you a lot better without them.
Me: Well, I like you a lot better when you're 300 miles away, but here we are.
Mom: [disgruntled but slightly amused look]
Charlie: [takes 10 on Bluff to conceal his silent laughter]
Meredith: (no, actually, I won't do this one. It's too had-to-be-there)
me: so from now on we can play some CS maybe
not tonite though prob
Steven: k
did you tell Orion?
because now all 4 of us have it
so that will be cool
me: yeah
he knows
Steven: albert and ben play sometimes too...
so we could do 3v3 wow
or just join some random server
me: yeah
ti will be just like GW!
except hopefully more lastingly fun
Steven: haha yeah
me: I actually really liked vanqing
mostly
Steven: css can be really frustrating too
but luckily I can mostly only get pissed at myself
so it's different when I get pissed in GW
me: yeah
Steven: then when*
me: since CS requires mainly skill
GW requires mainly David not cockblocking you
Steven: haha so true
Read right to left. The important thing here is that the whole David conversation occurred BEFORE the whole Steven conversation.
Also, today I made the most uber Dr. Kevorkian joke ever. I don't necessarily want to tell you guys...I just want to remember.
There are more of these, but I have mislaid some of them.
One more thing:
Unfortunately, this actually happened. I believe it was not much earlier than the Firebats-in-the-toilet episode.
Things!
I worked very hard and very long on my huge mega paper which discusses ancient Greek music theory. It is awesome. I also had some other finals which were mainly boring and/or easy.
Next quarter will be my first time NOT studying the Greeks in college...I have traded it for a class that is much more socially valuable. Perhaps more on that later.
I tried out to be in the Symphonic choir (there are 3; it is the middle one) next quarter. I got in and one of the voice Masters students told me that my audition was the best one (which frankly doesn't bode well for the voice department). In any case, I got in to the uber-highest choir, Chamber, but it conflicts with a stupid Communications 200 class that I must take for Education requirements. Thus, no dice.
The quarter went by very quickly, and I got so much out of it. More than anyone will EVAR KNOW!! That is, if I told you my ideas, you would think that I am [even more] crazy. LULZ@
I am home now, OBVVVVVVVVVVVVVV!!! So, much gaming must happen. I will probably alternate between applying for jobs and scholarships and having marathon gaming days with y'all guys. We ought to try for 2 sessions of DND, because that would be teh roxx0rz.
Also this break I must finish The Romantic Manifesto (Ayn Rand) so that Ayn Rand girl will give me The Fountainhead. She is to finish Aristotle so that I will give her 1984. It's like the book swap in elementary school all over again, but this time with more introspective dialogue and knavish jokes (those would be coming from my side of the table).
Also I want to review my French notes and solidify my French speaking so that I can begin Latin without feeling linguistically incompetent.
Also I have lots of listening, mainly Beethoven and some jazz guys, to get through, and I have at least 3 movies to watch--movies which deal with the nature of reality and human efficacy.
This brings me to my next point: Said amorous affairs. Since I know that Lucy LOVES hearing about them, I shall mention them briefly, and paraphrase Rosa a bit.
All three of them have been resolved favorably--I daresay in the most favorable way possible. If you want to know more, you must ask.
I think that that is all for now. Someday soon I have several fugues to write, because I can't get these themes out of my head.
ALSO:
Here is a picture of my child:
First, funny quotes.
Mom: So Davis, when are you going to shave your sideburns?
Me (sarcastically): Well, I was thinking next week.
Mom (surprised): Really?
Me: No.
Mom: Hmmph. Well, I like you a lot better without them.
Me: Well, I like you a lot better when you're 300 miles away, but here we are.
Mom: [disgruntled but slightly amused look]
Charlie: [takes 10 on Bluff to conceal his silent laughter]
Meredith: (no, actually, I won't do this one. It's too had-to-be-there)
me: so from now on we can play some CS maybe
not tonite though prob
Steven: k
did you tell Orion?
because now all 4 of us have it
so that will be cool
me: yeah
he knows
Steven: albert and ben play sometimes too...
so we could do 3v3 wow
or just join some random server
me: yeah
ti will be just like GW!
except hopefully more lastingly fun
Steven: haha yeah
me: I actually really liked vanqing
mostly
Steven: css can be really frustrating too
but luckily I can mostly only get pissed at myself
so it's different when I get pissed in GW
me: yeah
Steven: then when*
me: since CS requires mainly skill
GW requires mainly David not cockblocking you
Steven: haha so true
Read right to left. The important thing here is that the whole David conversation occurred BEFORE the whole Steven conversation.
Also, today I made the most uber Dr. Kevorkian joke ever. I don't necessarily want to tell you guys...I just want to remember.
There are more of these, but I have mislaid some of them.
One more thing:
Unfortunately, this actually happened. I believe it was not much earlier than the Firebats-in-the-toilet episode.
Things!
I worked very hard and very long on my huge mega paper which discusses ancient Greek music theory. It is awesome. I also had some other finals which were mainly boring and/or easy.
Next quarter will be my first time NOT studying the Greeks in college...I have traded it for a class that is much more socially valuable. Perhaps more on that later.
I tried out to be in the Symphonic choir (there are 3; it is the middle one) next quarter. I got in and one of the voice Masters students told me that my audition was the best one (which frankly doesn't bode well for the voice department). In any case, I got in to the uber-highest choir, Chamber, but it conflicts with a stupid Communications 200 class that I must take for Education requirements. Thus, no dice.
The quarter went by very quickly, and I got so much out of it. More than anyone will EVAR KNOW!! That is, if I told you my ideas, you would think that I am [even more] crazy. LULZ@
I am home now, OBVVVVVVVVVVVVVV!!! So, much gaming must happen. I will probably alternate between applying for jobs and scholarships and having marathon gaming days with y'all guys. We ought to try for 2 sessions of DND, because that would be teh roxx0rz.
Also this break I must finish The Romantic Manifesto (Ayn Rand) so that Ayn Rand girl will give me The Fountainhead. She is to finish Aristotle so that I will give her 1984. It's like the book swap in elementary school all over again, but this time with more introspective dialogue and knavish jokes (those would be coming from my side of the table).
Also I want to review my French notes and solidify my French speaking so that I can begin Latin without feeling linguistically incompetent.
Also I have lots of listening, mainly Beethoven and some jazz guys, to get through, and I have at least 3 movies to watch--movies which deal with the nature of reality and human efficacy.
This brings me to my next point: Said amorous affairs. Since I know that Lucy LOVES hearing about them, I shall mention them briefly, and paraphrase Rosa a bit.
All three of them have been resolved favorably--I daresay in the most favorable way possible. If you want to know more, you must ask.
I think that that is all for now. Someday soon I have several fugues to write, because I can't get these themes out of my head.
ALSO:
Here is a picture of my child:
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Real post to come soon, I hope
Especially since Lucy "loves hearing about my amorous affairs." (Direct quotation).
today I was thinking about thwat to do on my 21st birthday
david: get hella crunk?
oh wait you can't, you're a year older than us
me: I think I want to have a big fucking LAN party
david: !!!!!!!!!1111111111111111
that would be pretty damn awesome
me: yeah
david: i would totally buy bawls for that
me: good old school style
hell yes
it would be kind of like alcohol
except the opposite
david: haha yeah i guess that's true
we could force keir to fly out
!!!
LAN IMP SCEN!!!?!??!?!
me: &(#(*&!(!@)!@(*!@)*!@*&@!*&(@*&((*&!!!!!!!!!
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES
and Orion could grind FFIV or something
lulz
david: haha
just sit in his corner and cry
me: deep, gravelly sobs
dejected out of tune singing
david: haha
me: anyway yeah
we'll have to think about that one
also this break
JESUS CHRIST---LVL40 MESSIAH!
me: we can roll that shit up
david: we can also make my character while we're at it
or i can just play jesus
me: yeah
wait no
definitely a no on that one
david: haha
it was worth a shot
well
probably not
today I was thinking about thwat to do on my 21st birthday
david: get hella crunk?
oh wait you can't, you're a year older than us
me: I think I want to have a big fucking LAN party
david: !!!!!!!!!1111111111111111
that would be pretty damn awesome
me: yeah
david: i would totally buy bawls for that
me: good old school style
hell yes
it would be kind of like alcohol
except the opposite
david: haha yeah i guess that's true
we could force keir to fly out
!!!
LAN IMP SCEN!!!?!??!?!
me: &(#(*&!(!@)!@(*!@)*!@*&@!*&(@*&((*&!!!!!!!!!
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES
and Orion could grind FFIV or something
lulz
david: haha
just sit in his corner and cry
me: deep, gravelly sobs
dejected out of tune singing
david: haha
me: anyway yeah
we'll have to think about that one
also this break
JESUS CHRIST---LVL40 MESSIAH!
me: we can roll that shit up
david: we can also make my character while we're at it
or i can just play jesus
me: yeah
wait no
definitely a no on that one
david: haha
it was worth a shot
well
probably not
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Fast Times at Eastern Washington University
Okay, first off, this. You remember Evony, the game that used tits for advertisement. That site chronicles the evolution of those ads. They are actually using B- or C- grade porn models, though I'm not sure if it's with their consent or not.
All right.
So, this is the first post in a while. Things have really been chugging along here. I am always really busy; I have 18 credits and I'm auditing classes that total 3 credits, as well as playing in 2 games of DnD (1 of which is my Pathfinder game, and the other is a 4th ed game in which I'm a half-werewolf (shifter) warden (think fighter+warlord)), doing a 2-hour body class each week, practicing WAY too much for my 2-credit conducting class, and working on an additional Greek music theory project (which I actually haven't started reading for...and the essay is due on the 4th). SO, LMFAO @ Time management!!!!
All right, so Halloween was good. I was kind of apprehensive since I didn't get invited to any parties or anything and I couldn't find anyone to hang out with, but it turned out all right. There were liberal sprinklings of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. throughout. I took my first trip to the grocery Trading Co in town and I got lost coming back int he dark and it took me an hour to get back to my dorm. In a town that is fucking 8 streets by 10 streets. BUT they are confusingly oriented! Look at Google Maps sometime. Anyhow, after that I got back and suited up in my Ganondorf costume. I had been working on it all day, and I was able to put the finishing touches on by 8:30, including the red hair spray.
FACEBOOK FOR MORE PIX!
I wandered around campus with 2 other girls on my floor who were dressed as zombies. We did that for a while, then came back and watched about half of 28 Days Later. Also, thanks to my abundance of pilfered CWU silverware, I got a bonus Wolverine costume out of Ganondorf (complete with slicked-back hair):
This made the girl down the hall, who is really weird and EXTREMELY desperate for a boyfriend, "really happy" (*_*). (Whenever we all go out for breakfast or something she sits next to me and rubs her legs up on me and stuff. I always forget to sit in a landlocked seat so that she can't sit by me. And no David, it's not great, it's fucking creepy and terrible.)
After that I talked to the mega Christian girl who is the weird girl's roommate. She is actually a lot of fun, just like Lucy (LUVS YA LUCE!@!). Stalker after that, and that was my Halloween.
Since then I have just been working my ass off. Pathfinder and DnD have been taking a lot more of my time than is prudent, but that's just the way that it will be for a while. They recently released a playtest for the new Cavalier and Oracle classes in their Advanced Player's Guide, so I've been reading forums religiously, just like the old days of FESS. Those...were actually kind of good days, if you get rid of the shitty middle school angst and despair (actually, that's not that different from now :P).
Conducting class just gets more and more fucking awesome. The professor is kind of like a spiritual guide. He combines physics, human nature, music, and the nature of the universe and the power of humans in such an awesome way.
Also I have recently made a lot more good friends in the music building who are REALLY smart. We've been having lots of philosophical discussions. When I wear Charlie's tweed jacket from the sixties, I totally look the part too:
OTHER THINGS OF INTEREST:
1) One of my floormates carved a pumpkin of me:
Awesome.
2) I do not know the extent to which I wrote about my neighbor in room 626 (I'm 625). On the first day of school he was smoking weed and the flautist and I reported him. SOMEHOW, despite the police's strict "no strikes" policy, he remained enrolled. From then on, he proceeded to play his subwoofer-augmented rap music at all times of night and day. He was an incredible nuisance. Why do I say 'was?' Last week, the police took him away and he never came back. I wasn't here at the time, but I hear that they found weed and crack for sure, and possibly also meth. I had heard him talking about "needing protection" and what sounded like deals for a while. Anyway, he is gone and I am happy. I am now the proud owner of his aerated and Febreezed rug. The mighty dragon hath been defeated, and I hath looted his lair and returned with this worthy prize of my victory:
"What will you do with it," my RA (who happens to be a Paladin) asked. Who cares?! I want my loot, dammit! (it currently resides on the 7th floor with my Friday-night Rogue).
Item next:
3)We received snow on Saturday. Also, on Saturday and Friday we had our annual high school and middle-school jazz festival. I volunteered a little bit, with the consequence that I have now heard the EWU Vocal Jazz band perform the same set of songs 5 times in the past 2 or 3 weeks. This year, one of the guest artists was Benny Green, a not-unfamous jazz pianist and disciple of Oscar Peterson. We got to have a Q&A with him, and I got him to sign my program after his FACE-MELTING concert with the bass teacher from Central. So that was awesome, although it essentially destroyed my weekend.
4) I have been running with my conducting prof's ideas and talking with the smart people in that class, and they have been challenging my concepts of reality in many awesome ways. Basically I am discarding lots of objective science and medicine and learning to appreciate the power of human. I'm reading some really cool books, which I might talk about later, depending on how interested you guys are. I know that I'm being vague, but I'm just trying to gauge interest.
5) My 26-year old guitarist friend gave me the whole of Abbey Road and I have been listening to it. Historically I have made a big deal out of shitting on the Beatles, but this album is actually fucking amazing. It's funny because it has those 3 or 4 songs (Come Together, Octopus' Garden, Here Comes the Sun, She Came in Through the Bathroom Window) that are really overplayed, and those are actualy the worst songs on the album. All the others are really cool, and actually remind me of Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young a lot, as well as other stuff of that type. But there are a lot of really cool and cutting edge sounds and ideas on this album. So as far as the Beatles, or at least only as far as Abbey Road, I can finally say: I get it.
6) I don't think I've ever told you guys, since I didn't realize this until about midway through last year, but I have synesthesia. For me, each note is associated with a different color. However, since I don't have perfect pitch, I have to intellectually know what note is been heard. It's really interesting because I never thought it was unique (or I never noticed it for that reason) until last year when we were talking about composers with synesthesia. It actually has a lot to do with my perception of music, styles, keys, and moods.
6) (and this is the big one) My Sense Motive has never been that great for amorous matters (although recently it has been pwning up non-amorous matters), so I'm very likely not qualified to comment on this, but I kind of think I have 3 amorous prospects right now. (This is not counting the literal-Bible girl because even though she is mega hot and I like flirting with her, 1) I'm not getting that vibe, and 2) let's be honest, it would never work out anyway XD).
So, one girl lives in my dorm and is doing ROTC. She is also a Christian. You would think that that would have stopped my cold, but she is actually really cute and gets most of my jokes, or at least tries for Chrissakes. Fun to hang out with, but pretty footloose. True Neutral.
Another is a flute player and is in my conducing class. She is one of the small corps (4 or 5 of us) that meet early before conducting classes and thinks that Julian (the teacher) is more inspiring than Christ. We are, as he described, "on the same wavelength" in things, so that is really cool. Smart and very funny (but I wouldn't go for anything else, ne?). I think Neutral Good moving towards Lawful or True Neutral.
The other girl is a singer who is in my body class (Alexander technique, to be specific). She is really shy and really cute and didn't ever say much until Monday, when somehow the topic of Ayn Rand came up. She is a huge objectivist and is super smart. I was, and still am, blown away by how thoughtful and intelligent she is, how she actually considers new ideas and always uses LOGIC for EVERYTHING! Very cool. We talked for an hour after that class, and then an hour and a half yesterday when we met to exchange Aristotle and Ayn Rand. Damn I tell you, this woman is SMART and going in totally the right direction, self- and society-wise. Lawful Neutral; she makes my Lawful Neutral look like Chaotic Good.
Anyhow, there are these three women that I'm kind of trying to balance (not unlike Ein in Riviera, non?) and I'm not sure where any of this is going to head. Guess I'm a little worried that this is the feast before the famine; that is, what if I waste three good opportunities and when it's over the timing has destroyed them all so I'm back to square one? But, I kind of don't think that way so much anymore, because I know that I have the power to shape my own reality. WOW! Isn't that awesome.
I'm using lots of effusion and bombast here, which is rather unlike my usual style, but somehow it feels right. Here is a statement of my personal philosophy that I wrote for my honors class. Why am I attaching it? I don't know.
One thing that is interesting is that alignmnents tend to group together; I have Lawful Good people here that have only Lawful Good friends. I'm Lawful Neutral, and all you guys are some Neutral. Even Rosa and Lucy, (who occasionally read this blog), are at the very least Good moving towards Neutral, if not Neutral already. It seems like it would be obvious, but it's really interesting to me.
This uses Greek. Arete is excellence in kind or potential
Telos is that for the sake of which; or, the purpose.
Phusis is the law of nature or of human nature
Nomos is a cultural law or convention.
Voila:
•Perfection may be unattainable, but it is not necessarily impossible. One must always strive towards the perfection of arethai, no matter the cost. This is the telos of humanity.
•The self is the highest being. Do whatever is necessary to further your arethai and personal development, without infringing on the development of others. Every person should be allowed to develop their own arethai so long as they do not harm, hinder, or destroy others, or show a depraved or careless attitude towards life or nature.
•Strive for order and a lawful existence, no matter what you believe about cosmic Order, Chaos, or the nature of the universe or humanity. Work to develop continuity of character while remaining flexible.
•Phusis states that Entropy will always prevail. Live within this ideal, yet endeavor to disrupt the chaos of the universe and replace it with order, even though it is, in all probability, impossible.
•Work to educate others about the nature of the universe, phusis, and telos. When you meet others, give them a chance to prove themselves. If they are worthy, align yourself with them and work to further their goals as well as your own. In this way, you are furthering your own arethai, because you value in others what you value in yourself.
•Be critical and objective, and use logic whenever possible. Recognize that emotions and irrationality are part of being a human and accept and embrace them; however, work always to unify the rational and irrational mind. In this way, reason will naturally prevail because the intellect is higher than the bestial.
•Free yourself from obligations, expectations, judgments, and all external influences, save those nomoi which are necessary for a stable society
•Choices are the only thing under our control. Prepare yourself to make every choice a personal choice, and accept the consequences no matter what they are.
•Become literate, contemplative, and affective. Become sensitive to subtle forms of knowledge originating from outside the self. Seek the relationships between all things and use that knowledge to further the search for the Truth of human existence.
•Your time is limited. Use every opportunity for learning, contemplation, and personal development.
•Enjoy yourself and rejoice in your own company and accomplishments, as well as the company and accomplishments of others whom you love.
•All reality consists of games. Play those you enjoy; ignore those you do not. When the time comes, create your own game.
I think that I have covered pretty much everything. Should I find something else, I'll append it later.
Oh, and academic plans! Right now I plan to get 3 majors: secondary music ed, piano performance, and composition, as well as 2 minors: a minor in historical philosophy and then possibly English or Humanities. Also, I will be getting a 30-45 credit Jazz certificate.
By the way, this is what I really look like, with medium hair and filled-in sideburnchops:
Okay, now I actually think I am done. Also: I think that this is the most epic post I have ever written. Odysseus would be proud.
All right.
So, this is the first post in a while. Things have really been chugging along here. I am always really busy; I have 18 credits and I'm auditing classes that total 3 credits, as well as playing in 2 games of DnD (1 of which is my Pathfinder game, and the other is a 4th ed game in which I'm a half-werewolf (shifter) warden (think fighter+warlord)), doing a 2-hour body class each week, practicing WAY too much for my 2-credit conducting class, and working on an additional Greek music theory project (which I actually haven't started reading for...and the essay is due on the 4th). SO, LMFAO @ Time management!!!!
All right, so Halloween was good. I was kind of apprehensive since I didn't get invited to any parties or anything and I couldn't find anyone to hang out with, but it turned out all right. There were liberal sprinklings of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. throughout. I took my first trip to the grocery Trading Co in town and I got lost coming back int he dark and it took me an hour to get back to my dorm. In a town that is fucking 8 streets by 10 streets. BUT they are confusingly oriented! Look at Google Maps sometime. Anyhow, after that I got back and suited up in my Ganondorf costume. I had been working on it all day, and I was able to put the finishing touches on by 8:30, including the red hair spray.
FACEBOOK FOR MORE PIX!
I wandered around campus with 2 other girls on my floor who were dressed as zombies. We did that for a while, then came back and watched about half of 28 Days Later. Also, thanks to my abundance of pilfered CWU silverware, I got a bonus Wolverine costume out of Ganondorf (complete with slicked-back hair):
This made the girl down the hall, who is really weird and EXTREMELY desperate for a boyfriend, "really happy" (*_*). (Whenever we all go out for breakfast or something she sits next to me and rubs her legs up on me and stuff. I always forget to sit in a landlocked seat so that she can't sit by me. And no David, it's not great, it's fucking creepy and terrible.)
After that I talked to the mega Christian girl who is the weird girl's roommate. She is actually a lot of fun, just like Lucy (LUVS YA LUCE!@!). Stalker after that, and that was my Halloween.
Since then I have just been working my ass off. Pathfinder and DnD have been taking a lot more of my time than is prudent, but that's just the way that it will be for a while. They recently released a playtest for the new Cavalier and Oracle classes in their Advanced Player's Guide, so I've been reading forums religiously, just like the old days of FESS. Those...were actually kind of good days, if you get rid of the shitty middle school angst and despair (actually, that's not that different from now :P).
Conducting class just gets more and more fucking awesome. The professor is kind of like a spiritual guide. He combines physics, human nature, music, and the nature of the universe and the power of humans in such an awesome way.
Also I have recently made a lot more good friends in the music building who are REALLY smart. We've been having lots of philosophical discussions. When I wear Charlie's tweed jacket from the sixties, I totally look the part too:
OTHER THINGS OF INTEREST:
1) One of my floormates carved a pumpkin of me:
Awesome.
2) I do not know the extent to which I wrote about my neighbor in room 626 (I'm 625). On the first day of school he was smoking weed and the flautist and I reported him. SOMEHOW, despite the police's strict "no strikes" policy, he remained enrolled. From then on, he proceeded to play his subwoofer-augmented rap music at all times of night and day. He was an incredible nuisance. Why do I say 'was?' Last week, the police took him away and he never came back. I wasn't here at the time, but I hear that they found weed and crack for sure, and possibly also meth. I had heard him talking about "needing protection" and what sounded like deals for a while. Anyway, he is gone and I am happy. I am now the proud owner of his aerated and Febreezed rug. The mighty dragon hath been defeated, and I hath looted his lair and returned with this worthy prize of my victory:
"What will you do with it," my RA (who happens to be a Paladin) asked. Who cares?! I want my loot, dammit! (it currently resides on the 7th floor with my Friday-night Rogue).
Item next:
3)We received snow on Saturday. Also, on Saturday and Friday we had our annual high school and middle-school jazz festival. I volunteered a little bit, with the consequence that I have now heard the EWU Vocal Jazz band perform the same set of songs 5 times in the past 2 or 3 weeks. This year, one of the guest artists was Benny Green, a not-unfamous jazz pianist and disciple of Oscar Peterson. We got to have a Q&A with him, and I got him to sign my program after his FACE-MELTING concert with the bass teacher from Central. So that was awesome, although it essentially destroyed my weekend.
4) I have been running with my conducting prof's ideas and talking with the smart people in that class, and they have been challenging my concepts of reality in many awesome ways. Basically I am discarding lots of objective science and medicine and learning to appreciate the power of human. I'm reading some really cool books, which I might talk about later, depending on how interested you guys are. I know that I'm being vague, but I'm just trying to gauge interest.
5) My 26-year old guitarist friend gave me the whole of Abbey Road and I have been listening to it. Historically I have made a big deal out of shitting on the Beatles, but this album is actually fucking amazing. It's funny because it has those 3 or 4 songs (Come Together, Octopus' Garden, Here Comes the Sun, She Came in Through the Bathroom Window) that are really overplayed, and those are actualy the worst songs on the album. All the others are really cool, and actually remind me of Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young a lot, as well as other stuff of that type. But there are a lot of really cool and cutting edge sounds and ideas on this album. So as far as the Beatles, or at least only as far as Abbey Road, I can finally say: I get it.
6) I don't think I've ever told you guys, since I didn't realize this until about midway through last year, but I have synesthesia. For me, each note is associated with a different color. However, since I don't have perfect pitch, I have to intellectually know what note is been heard. It's really interesting because I never thought it was unique (or I never noticed it for that reason) until last year when we were talking about composers with synesthesia. It actually has a lot to do with my perception of music, styles, keys, and moods.
6) (and this is the big one) My Sense Motive has never been that great for amorous matters (although recently it has been pwning up non-amorous matters), so I'm very likely not qualified to comment on this, but I kind of think I have 3 amorous prospects right now. (This is not counting the literal-Bible girl because even though she is mega hot and I like flirting with her, 1) I'm not getting that vibe, and 2) let's be honest, it would never work out anyway XD).
So, one girl lives in my dorm and is doing ROTC. She is also a Christian. You would think that that would have stopped my cold, but she is actually really cute and gets most of my jokes, or at least tries for Chrissakes. Fun to hang out with, but pretty footloose. True Neutral.
Another is a flute player and is in my conducing class. She is one of the small corps (4 or 5 of us) that meet early before conducting classes and thinks that Julian (the teacher) is more inspiring than Christ. We are, as he described, "on the same wavelength" in things, so that is really cool. Smart and very funny (but I wouldn't go for anything else, ne?). I think Neutral Good moving towards Lawful or True Neutral.
The other girl is a singer who is in my body class (Alexander technique, to be specific). She is really shy and really cute and didn't ever say much until Monday, when somehow the topic of Ayn Rand came up. She is a huge objectivist and is super smart. I was, and still am, blown away by how thoughtful and intelligent she is, how she actually considers new ideas and always uses LOGIC for EVERYTHING! Very cool. We talked for an hour after that class, and then an hour and a half yesterday when we met to exchange Aristotle and Ayn Rand. Damn I tell you, this woman is SMART and going in totally the right direction, self- and society-wise. Lawful Neutral; she makes my Lawful Neutral look like Chaotic Good.
Anyhow, there are these three women that I'm kind of trying to balance (not unlike Ein in Riviera, non?) and I'm not sure where any of this is going to head. Guess I'm a little worried that this is the feast before the famine; that is, what if I waste three good opportunities and when it's over the timing has destroyed them all so I'm back to square one? But, I kind of don't think that way so much anymore, because I know that I have the power to shape my own reality. WOW! Isn't that awesome.
I'm using lots of effusion and bombast here, which is rather unlike my usual style, but somehow it feels right. Here is a statement of my personal philosophy that I wrote for my honors class. Why am I attaching it? I don't know.
One thing that is interesting is that alignmnents tend to group together; I have Lawful Good people here that have only Lawful Good friends. I'm Lawful Neutral, and all you guys are some Neutral. Even Rosa and Lucy, (who occasionally read this blog), are at the very least Good moving towards Neutral, if not Neutral already. It seems like it would be obvious, but it's really interesting to me.
This uses Greek. Arete is excellence in kind or potential
Telos is that for the sake of which; or, the purpose.
Phusis is the law of nature or of human nature
Nomos is a cultural law or convention.
Voila:
•Perfection may be unattainable, but it is not necessarily impossible. One must always strive towards the perfection of arethai, no matter the cost. This is the telos of humanity.
•The self is the highest being. Do whatever is necessary to further your arethai and personal development, without infringing on the development of others. Every person should be allowed to develop their own arethai so long as they do not harm, hinder, or destroy others, or show a depraved or careless attitude towards life or nature.
•Strive for order and a lawful existence, no matter what you believe about cosmic Order, Chaos, or the nature of the universe or humanity. Work to develop continuity of character while remaining flexible.
•Phusis states that Entropy will always prevail. Live within this ideal, yet endeavor to disrupt the chaos of the universe and replace it with order, even though it is, in all probability, impossible.
•Work to educate others about the nature of the universe, phusis, and telos. When you meet others, give them a chance to prove themselves. If they are worthy, align yourself with them and work to further their goals as well as your own. In this way, you are furthering your own arethai, because you value in others what you value in yourself.
•Be critical and objective, and use logic whenever possible. Recognize that emotions and irrationality are part of being a human and accept and embrace them; however, work always to unify the rational and irrational mind. In this way, reason will naturally prevail because the intellect is higher than the bestial.
•Free yourself from obligations, expectations, judgments, and all external influences, save those nomoi which are necessary for a stable society
•Choices are the only thing under our control. Prepare yourself to make every choice a personal choice, and accept the consequences no matter what they are.
•Become literate, contemplative, and affective. Become sensitive to subtle forms of knowledge originating from outside the self. Seek the relationships between all things and use that knowledge to further the search for the Truth of human existence.
•Your time is limited. Use every opportunity for learning, contemplation, and personal development.
•Enjoy yourself and rejoice in your own company and accomplishments, as well as the company and accomplishments of others whom you love.
•All reality consists of games. Play those you enjoy; ignore those you do not. When the time comes, create your own game.
I think that I have covered pretty much everything. Should I find something else, I'll append it later.
Oh, and academic plans! Right now I plan to get 3 majors: secondary music ed, piano performance, and composition, as well as 2 minors: a minor in historical philosophy and then possibly English or Humanities. Also, I will be getting a 30-45 credit Jazz certificate.
By the way, this is what I really look like, with medium hair and filled-in sideburnchops:
Okay, now I actually think I am done. Also: I think that this is the most epic post I have ever written. Odysseus would be proud.
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