It's New Years Eve, and everyone is looking back on what happened in the news. Things they remember or stand out. This entry is no different than those 20 minute TV spots. Only I'm not looking for nostalgia. I'm looking to see if I've grown any.
The year started off better than I had hoped it could ever start out. I was taught by two wonderful teachers that I respect and had the pleasure of just being in their classes. They brought a joy to the semester I knew I could never find in most classroom settings.
The next thing I remember was having that joy shattered into pieces. I failed to deliver yet another promise to Bill. If anyone was disappointed in anyone when that day came, it was myself. I wanted nothing more but this opportunity to give Bill something special, and I felt I had lost that chance because of unforeseen events.
The summer went by with a lot of emotions weighing down. I kept feeling like I wasn't worth even a penny to fuck. I produced what little art I could conjure up in my head to keep myself as stable as possible. I tried to keep my mind off of things, but I couldn't. One thing burned inside of me. David.
I blogged about David and didn't expect anything from it. After all, who reads this tripe? I poured my guts out like I was in a confessional. Every word I typed I said honestly. And then it happened. I got an e-mail saying that David would like to talk to me on IMs.
The Fall Semester started, and by then I had the one person, the one friend I knew I had in my life back. Feeling grateful and lucky, I faced the new semester with the same hope that just maybe my life would turn around. Maybe now I can finally be normal.
That wasn't the case. If anything, this past semester taught me that I'm no where near where I should be artistically, intellectually, mentally, emotionally, and even socially. I lacked more skills to survive in this world than most high school freshmen. But did I see this? No. I had David by my side, and having a friend like him was the only thing that mattered to me. Everything else was child's play.
Holidays came and went as fast as they normally do. My 21st birthday wasn't as big as everyone else's. I didn't drink beer. I didn't get laid. I didn't do much of anything when I turned legal again except maybe homework. Looking back on it, my birthday just seemed to be just another day in my life.
My sister started college in the fall for the first time, and she has had a rough time with it. She started to miss home around mid-term. She had dorm mates that were as bitchy as most of the reality show girls which just added more fuel to the want to go home. She did what I wanted to do, and she didn't even want to be there. At that moment, I started to wonder why. Why did she even think about going to an out of state college? Why did I settle for one that was in state?
Last night, I found out the guy that I fancy doesn't like people that are lazy and do not get out in the world. He's fallen down to rock bottom and back several times only to get back up and try again, so why can't the ones that just sit there and just complain about their lives? Why can I do that? He has no tolerance for people that need to be supported by others. I liked him. I was really interested in him. The moment he told me that, I knew then and there that all this was just in vain. He would never like me back.
It's the last day of the year, and looking back on everything has shown me I haven't grown one inch better. I may have been able to stand up to my mother and deny her the pleasure of knowing that I can be taken out of a grumpy mood as easily as a six year old. I may have been able to get over a vice that consumed most of my life worst than any kind of drug or alcoholic substance could ever hope to do with me. I may have been able to keep my cool after being insulted and told my life is not the way to go. But I do not feel like I have grown up any better than where I was at the start of the year. I'm still living at home. I still barely have any money to afford any classes. I still don't drive. I still don't have a job. I still am single. These things have not changed since the start of the year, and I go into the new one with these still a part of me.
Do I want to change any of those? Truth be told, I'm selective on all those factors. My job is my life, and my life is being this insane little artist boy that produces things the experts in the field are rarely impressed by. I don't want to live at home because I don't feel like I am home, but I know I can never be able to leave this place because of lack of funds. The only thing that would make home more endurable is if I am lucky enough to find that special someone that makes me feel whole. As for the driving part? I could make up hundreds of reasons why I don't want to drive, but truth is that I just don't feel like I'm up to it. I don't deserve the privilege to drive. I know myself well enough to know that I am not mature enough to be on the roads.
I leave 2004 with despair. I enter 2005 with hope. That's all I can do. Hope for something better.
Friday, December 31, 2004
Movie Trivia # 009: The Hot Foot
Mary Stuart Masterson lights a tissue in Benny & Joon (1993) and Aidan Quinn stomps it out wearing sneakers. But moments later he's wearing oxfords when he flushes a dead goldfish down the toilet.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
No More Purple Ink
I deleted my second blog. I took one look at it and said to myself "You're not a short story writer, so don't even try to fake it."
Whatever I had there is now lost forever.
Oh well, they weren't good stories anyway.
Whatever I had there is now lost forever.
Oh well, they weren't good stories anyway.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
The Little Things Make Me Smile
Last night, I was talking with David about a plan we've had since the day I was rejected from the Student Gallery. The plan is to spend the summer with him. Unfortunately, he will only be in town for one day, and on that day all my affairs must be in order to leave at the drop of a hat.
Last night, I displayed concern as to if this could be pulled off without a problem. My past experiences with this prove that too much planning causes more problems than preventing them. During the course of my conversation with David, I started to notice this and stopped myself. I was greeted with an IM saying to tell David when I'm ready so that he will be ready.
It didn't take me long to give what he said some serious thought. I thought that I had nearly killed this plan, a plan that I have wanted to do since the first moment he invited me.
I wrote an apology to him. An e-mail long enough to be considered a blog entry, if not a little bit longer than this one. It was explaining all of my worries and concerns. I became fully aware as to how little of a deal everything I was worried about really was. Still, I felt this e-mail was needed to fix something I know I broke.
Just a while ago, I checked my e-mail and saw that David had replied back. It was only two sentences long. He said, "Things will work out. Don't worry too much."
It made me smile. I don't know what it was about those two sentences, but there was something about what he said that made me feel so much better and less afraid that something may come up that I never foresaw coming. He made me feel more secure about what we've been planning to do since day one. And he did it without saying much of anything.
A word to the wise: People like him are very rare to come by. Appreciate them for all they are worth, for they are the real treasures of the world.
Last night, I displayed concern as to if this could be pulled off without a problem. My past experiences with this prove that too much planning causes more problems than preventing them. During the course of my conversation with David, I started to notice this and stopped myself. I was greeted with an IM saying to tell David when I'm ready so that he will be ready.
It didn't take me long to give what he said some serious thought. I thought that I had nearly killed this plan, a plan that I have wanted to do since the first moment he invited me.
I wrote an apology to him. An e-mail long enough to be considered a blog entry, if not a little bit longer than this one. It was explaining all of my worries and concerns. I became fully aware as to how little of a deal everything I was worried about really was. Still, I felt this e-mail was needed to fix something I know I broke.
Just a while ago, I checked my e-mail and saw that David had replied back. It was only two sentences long. He said, "Things will work out. Don't worry too much."
It made me smile. I don't know what it was about those two sentences, but there was something about what he said that made me feel so much better and less afraid that something may come up that I never foresaw coming. He made me feel more secure about what we've been planning to do since day one. And he did it without saying much of anything.
A word to the wise: People like him are very rare to come by. Appreciate them for all they are worth, for they are the real treasures of the world.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
I can't play until Spring Break (if I'm lucky enough).
I went hunting again for a PS2. I hit up the same EBGames I did on Sunday, the same Best Buy, the same Target, two different GameStop locations, Wal-Mart, Media Play, and even CompUSA.
None of them have any.
The EBGames and both GameStop locations told me that they won't be getting any until the new year. Normally, I would take these estimated dates as golden. After all, they work there and I don't. However, knowing my luck with estimated dates, shipments and releases tend to get pushed back or delayed or whatever with things that I want so badly I can taste it.
In short, I've given up on my search. By the time I get one, I won't have time to enjoy Katamari Damacy. Why? Because of classes. The way my priorities are set up are in such a way that video games are less important than my education. So even if the dates they told me were golden and true and everything played itself out like I think they should, I still would have less than a week to enjoy a Christmas gift I could have been enjoying since the day after Christmas.
Can you tell that since I deleted my LUNAR save game I've been kind of bored?
I've also been very depressed due to the lack of systems available. This frustration was rubbing off on my sister today. I could tell because when she is pissed off or mad, she marches from point A to point B in a manner that not even a 75% off all shoes sale could stop her. When she asked me where I would like to go next, I told her home. I didn't want her to have a bad day because I'm having a bad day. I didn't want her to be unhappy because I am unhappy. Yet all morning long that's what has been happening. A moment longer and our parents would have to deal with two moody young adults instead of just one.
I guess I'll just wait until my birthday. I didn't check to see if Spring Break falls before or after my birthday, however. I hope it's after, but knowing my luck it will be before it.
None of them have any.
The EBGames and both GameStop locations told me that they won't be getting any until the new year. Normally, I would take these estimated dates as golden. After all, they work there and I don't. However, knowing my luck with estimated dates, shipments and releases tend to get pushed back or delayed or whatever with things that I want so badly I can taste it.
In short, I've given up on my search. By the time I get one, I won't have time to enjoy Katamari Damacy. Why? Because of classes. The way my priorities are set up are in such a way that video games are less important than my education. So even if the dates they told me were golden and true and everything played itself out like I think they should, I still would have less than a week to enjoy a Christmas gift I could have been enjoying since the day after Christmas.
Can you tell that since I deleted my LUNAR save game I've been kind of bored?
I've also been very depressed due to the lack of systems available. This frustration was rubbing off on my sister today. I could tell because when she is pissed off or mad, she marches from point A to point B in a manner that not even a 75% off all shoes sale could stop her. When she asked me where I would like to go next, I told her home. I didn't want her to have a bad day because I'm having a bad day. I didn't want her to be unhappy because I am unhappy. Yet all morning long that's what has been happening. A moment longer and our parents would have to deal with two moody young adults instead of just one.
I guess I'll just wait until my birthday. I didn't check to see if Spring Break falls before or after my birthday, however. I hope it's after, but knowing my luck it will be before it.
Monday, December 27, 2004
What Shem Said
While stalking and participating in the Kissing Event on Gaia (where I've been pretty much kissing every male avatar I come across no matter if the user is gay or straight to begin with), I found something Shem said in one of his posts before I kissed him on Gaia.
This quote may be taken out of context, but it's message is very point-blank. One of which I agree with.
Personally, I don't like fighting in wars. Fighting games and shooters are on another plain entirely, but actually physically holding a gun and having to point it at anything doesn't sit well with me. Even holding a sword makes me nervous.
Voting, on the other hand, I've been doing since Kindergarten. You vote on the color you like the best, what story the teacher should read, or even who is the most popular kid in school.
We have been conditioned to vote with these fun and non-important polls. However, when the big polls and elections happen, most of us shy away for one reason or another and don't bother to register. My reason is pretty clear cut: No one won me over to their camp this past election. Sure, I make the usual "Oh, I'm waiting on Obama to run" comment, but the fact of the matter was, from the beginning, no one made me feel like they could run the country better than the other and no one cared about the issues that were important to me. Personal politics aside, the point I was trying to make is that from the moment we are taught the ABC's, we were being taught to vote.
Some people can debate with me on this, but I believe we are not conditioned to fight from that early of an age. We may get into the usual school yard rumble, but the fact of the matter is we are not conditioned from an early age to use guns in wars. In fact, as kids, war is a scary thing because people die. Death is a scary thing to kids, because at that age they cannot understand it. Humans fear what they cannot understand. When we are that young, we are taught fighting is wrong and we shouldn't punch someone because they don't like how our hair looks or the fact that we suck our thumbs still. We are told there are better ways to go about solving a problem than beating up people.
I can see the other side of this coin as plain as day. Kids are getting exposed more and more to games centered around blowing shit up and shooting the brains out of someone for a 100 point bonus to their score. Is that conditioning our children for war so that when the males of the house turn 18 they are ready to be drafted should our government be stupid enough to reinstate it?
Personally, I don't think so. In those games, if you die you get to continue where you left off. You do not feel the hot bullet in your side as you bleed. In fact, you don't feel much of anything except for the rush of combat that fuels the game itself.
Bottom line is this. I agree with what Shem said. Voting registration should be what everyone, male or female, signs up for when they turn 18. It should be mandatory. Serving in the military should be a choice. It should not be the other way around. We as people are conditioned to vote from the moment we enter school. We are not conditioned to carry guns with us all the time and march in time with some guy calling out what foot should be hitting the ground. (At least most of us are.)
The only thing I can hope for is that sometime in the future this becomes a reality. If I ever have children or even adopt one, I do not want my son to sign away his life to the armed forces just so he can get into a college. I want him and my daughter to register to vote in order to get into a college.
It's the draft registration that should be optional, and voting which should be a mandatory civic duty. Not the other way around.
This quote may be taken out of context, but it's message is very point-blank. One of which I agree with.
Personally, I don't like fighting in wars. Fighting games and shooters are on another plain entirely, but actually physically holding a gun and having to point it at anything doesn't sit well with me. Even holding a sword makes me nervous.
Voting, on the other hand, I've been doing since Kindergarten. You vote on the color you like the best, what story the teacher should read, or even who is the most popular kid in school.
We have been conditioned to vote with these fun and non-important polls. However, when the big polls and elections happen, most of us shy away for one reason or another and don't bother to register. My reason is pretty clear cut: No one won me over to their camp this past election. Sure, I make the usual "Oh, I'm waiting on Obama to run" comment, but the fact of the matter was, from the beginning, no one made me feel like they could run the country better than the other and no one cared about the issues that were important to me. Personal politics aside, the point I was trying to make is that from the moment we are taught the ABC's, we were being taught to vote.
Some people can debate with me on this, but I believe we are not conditioned to fight from that early of an age. We may get into the usual school yard rumble, but the fact of the matter is we are not conditioned from an early age to use guns in wars. In fact, as kids, war is a scary thing because people die. Death is a scary thing to kids, because at that age they cannot understand it. Humans fear what they cannot understand. When we are that young, we are taught fighting is wrong and we shouldn't punch someone because they don't like how our hair looks or the fact that we suck our thumbs still. We are told there are better ways to go about solving a problem than beating up people.
I can see the other side of this coin as plain as day. Kids are getting exposed more and more to games centered around blowing shit up and shooting the brains out of someone for a 100 point bonus to their score. Is that conditioning our children for war so that when the males of the house turn 18 they are ready to be drafted should our government be stupid enough to reinstate it?
Personally, I don't think so. In those games, if you die you get to continue where you left off. You do not feel the hot bullet in your side as you bleed. In fact, you don't feel much of anything except for the rush of combat that fuels the game itself.
Bottom line is this. I agree with what Shem said. Voting registration should be what everyone, male or female, signs up for when they turn 18. It should be mandatory. Serving in the military should be a choice. It should not be the other way around. We as people are conditioned to vote from the moment we enter school. We are not conditioned to carry guns with us all the time and march in time with some guy calling out what foot should be hitting the ground. (At least most of us are.)
The only thing I can hope for is that sometime in the future this becomes a reality. If I ever have children or even adopt one, I do not want my son to sign away his life to the armed forces just so he can get into a college. I want him and my daughter to register to vote in order to get into a college.
Sunday, December 26, 2004
PS-No
This morning, after I finished cleaning my room rather quickly, I found myself being bribed to go to church. If I went, the family would go to the mall to help me look for my PS2 I wanted to buy. A few minutes later, I find out that I am coming along whether I agreed to the bribe or not in the first place.
After church, we went from store to store looking for the new PS2 slim model. It was the same story everywhere we went.
EBGames: None in stock, just display boxes
Toys R Us: None in stock (promptly displayed on a sign that the cashier was wearing on her head)
Target: None in stock since Thanksgiving
Best Buy: None in stock
We were going to hit up Wal-Mart, but by the time we got halfway there, my sister and I started to nod off into dreamland, so we went back home.
I can't say that I'm not disappointed that I couldn't find a PS2. I can say that I'm really shocked that it was sold out everywhere we went. I never had that happen before whenever I was looking for something. Normally, the supply would be readily available. On top of that, I'm assuming that the system being fairly old right now would have some in stock for people like me that didn't jump on the "I better get mind the first day it comes out" band wagon.
In any event, that's what happened today. I went shopping when people were returning and exchanging things and left with nothing. I feel guilty having forced everyone to tag along with me after church for well over four hours. Right now, I'm wishing that this little adventure never happened.
After church, we went from store to store looking for the new PS2 slim model. It was the same story everywhere we went.
EBGames: None in stock, just display boxes
Toys R Us: None in stock (promptly displayed on a sign that the cashier was wearing on her head)
Target: None in stock since Thanksgiving
Best Buy: None in stock
We were going to hit up Wal-Mart, but by the time we got halfway there, my sister and I started to nod off into dreamland, so we went back home.
I can't say that I'm not disappointed that I couldn't find a PS2. I can say that I'm really shocked that it was sold out everywhere we went. I never had that happen before whenever I was looking for something. Normally, the supply would be readily available. On top of that, I'm assuming that the system being fairly old right now would have some in stock for people like me that didn't jump on the "I better get mind the first day it comes out" band wagon.
In any event, that's what happened today. I went shopping when people were returning and exchanging things and left with nothing. I feel guilty having forced everyone to tag along with me after church for well over four hours. Right now, I'm wishing that this little adventure never happened.
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Did I over come a vice?
This has been bugging me for a while now, and I don't know what this feeling is that has been gnawing at me.
I learned that once I approached the final battle in LUNAR: Silver Star Story that I had missed something rather important. I hopped over to GameFAQs, and found out that I missed out on a third Healing Ring that I needed. The thing is, it's location is in an area I cannot go back to for one reason or another. On top of that, I have no save game going that far back into the story to correct this mistake. The only option is to replay the entire game over.
At this point, I said to myself "Oh well, it's just a game. It's not that big of a deal." After that, I deleted the save game to start over cold turkey. I then wrote some notes to look out for a chest with a Healing Ring in it and packed up what I had set out for my Playstation. I then looked at my Katamari Damacy copy and figured that this vacation is as good a time as ever to try to get the rest of the pieces to play this game.
Since then, something has been bugging me. Even now, I feel like I've done something more than just said "Oh well, it's just a game."
Video games have been a vice of mine since I can remember. My cousin Eric had the old NES when I first was able to play video games with some kind of enjoyment. Thanks to Mario and Duck Hunt, I was hooked beyond reason. It was such an addiction that when I visited my cousins again--Eric had a Sega Saturn at this time--I found myself playing his video games without knowing my cousin had come home from work and was snapping his fingers at me to get my attention. God knows how much money I've begged and saved up to spend on nothing but video games. Granted my library isn't as big as some people's game library, but that is because I invest in games that tell a story rather than entertain and kill time. Yes, there are some exceptions, but for the most part, thanks to Kaiser in middle school, I've been true to RPGs that I fancy for one reason or another. Okay, I take that back. I like RPGs because of how I can escape reality, but the games I seem to fancy more than anything are the weird and bizarre. My first game I bought for the Playstation was Parrapa the Rappa, after all. And now Katamari Damacy for the PS2.
Maybe I'm making mountains out of mole hills. Still, I can't get this nagging feeling off my back, and I'd really like to know what it is.
I learned that once I approached the final battle in LUNAR: Silver Star Story that I had missed something rather important. I hopped over to GameFAQs, and found out that I missed out on a third Healing Ring that I needed. The thing is, it's location is in an area I cannot go back to for one reason or another. On top of that, I have no save game going that far back into the story to correct this mistake. The only option is to replay the entire game over.
At this point, I said to myself "Oh well, it's just a game. It's not that big of a deal." After that, I deleted the save game to start over cold turkey. I then wrote some notes to look out for a chest with a Healing Ring in it and packed up what I had set out for my Playstation. I then looked at my Katamari Damacy copy and figured that this vacation is as good a time as ever to try to get the rest of the pieces to play this game.
Since then, something has been bugging me. Even now, I feel like I've done something more than just said "Oh well, it's just a game."
Video games have been a vice of mine since I can remember. My cousin Eric had the old NES when I first was able to play video games with some kind of enjoyment. Thanks to Mario and Duck Hunt, I was hooked beyond reason. It was such an addiction that when I visited my cousins again--Eric had a Sega Saturn at this time--I found myself playing his video games without knowing my cousin had come home from work and was snapping his fingers at me to get my attention. God knows how much money I've begged and saved up to spend on nothing but video games. Granted my library isn't as big as some people's game library, but that is because I invest in games that tell a story rather than entertain and kill time. Yes, there are some exceptions, but for the most part, thanks to Kaiser in middle school, I've been true to RPGs that I fancy for one reason or another. Okay, I take that back. I like RPGs because of how I can escape reality, but the games I seem to fancy more than anything are the weird and bizarre. My first game I bought for the Playstation was Parrapa the Rappa, after all. And now Katamari Damacy for the PS2.
Maybe I'm making mountains out of mole hills. Still, I can't get this nagging feeling off my back, and I'd really like to know what it is.
What I Got
Grades for the Fall 2004 Semester
X-mas Gifts
* = Favorite/Most Liked
Drawing III - B
Clay I - A-
English Composition II - A
World Mythologies - A-
X-mas Gifts
* = Favorite/Most Liked
From my aunt
Sonic-powered toothbrush and toothpaste
AA and AAA Batteries (lots of them)
$200 to buy my Playstation2 with*
From my parents
Single-stick incense burning tray and a bushel of incense sticks
Large-faced analog wrist watch with leather band*
From my sister
Miniature teddy bear with a shirt that reads "Someone at Radford University loves me!"*
Spiderman DVD bundle (comes with both movies)*
Five button wireless mouse (for a future computer I hope)*
Friday, December 24, 2004
Christmas Eve Morning Reflection
It's been almost a week since I started replaying LUNAR: Silver Start Story Complete, and I'm almost done with the game having reached the third act. Once I get to the end, I'll have gained one lost saved game and can move on to the next one. That is provided time is with me.
I never realized how much of a vice video games can be for some people.
Myself, I just like to play every so often the role of someone different than who I really am. An artist with magical powers, a young cadet fresh out of the military school that ends up saving the world, a boy from the middle of no where that ends up becoming a great hero. That's the only reason I ever play video games.
Now, it would seem the real reason I play is because of the item collecting and need to open up all the secrets. Collecting all the character pictures scattered throughout the game, finding (and keeping) the best sword in the game, locating the hidden items that you can use when you replay the game over. All of these I've done just so I can look at my games and say to myself I actually finished 100% of the game.
It's a wonder how I made it through high school with an Honors Dilpoma while still playing video games and doing nothing else outside of homework.
Recently, however, my main vice hasn't been as strong as my loyalty to my friends, what few I have left. Every night I sign on and wait for them to do the same. I don't care what our conversation is as long as we have one. I've screwed up several times, most of them recorded here. Yet I consider myself lucky that I am still able to have some kind of contact with them. They'll never know how much they mean to me, and I doubt they will ever know how it feels to know that their friendship and love can overpower the one thing that has grabbed my attention this week. At least, until a certain future President reads this and gives them a verbal tongue lashing for not signing in and talking to me some nights that not even Jerry Springer would be prepared for. (Okay, that was my moment of greed. I'm sorry.)
Later tonight, my family will be doing Room at the Inn. It's a seasonal church event, for lack of a better word, in which a van of homeless people are picked up and dropped off at the church to eat good food, sleep, wash up, and generally get out of the cold. Tonight is going to be full, hopefully. The weather as of my typing is about 16oF, and is forecasted to not go above 25 all day from what I saw. Definitely not good weather to be out in. I can feel it in my room because of the lack of insulation and the fact that I live above the garage, but even I get a little bit of heat. Anyone living on the street in this kind of cold doesn't unless they sleep over a vented storm drain like the one on the side walk on 7th Ave. next to the downtown Ramada (or whatever the name is of that fancy hotel).
That's all I can type for now. I need some of my dad's chili to warm me up before I go back to my room to finish off Ghaleon for kidnapping the girl that I loved since childhood (basic plot of LUNAR). That chili of his can melt steel!
I never realized how much of a vice video games can be for some people.
Myself, I just like to play every so often the role of someone different than who I really am. An artist with magical powers, a young cadet fresh out of the military school that ends up saving the world, a boy from the middle of no where that ends up becoming a great hero. That's the only reason I ever play video games.
Now, it would seem the real reason I play is because of the item collecting and need to open up all the secrets. Collecting all the character pictures scattered throughout the game, finding (and keeping) the best sword in the game, locating the hidden items that you can use when you replay the game over. All of these I've done just so I can look at my games and say to myself I actually finished 100% of the game.
It's a wonder how I made it through high school with an Honors Dilpoma while still playing video games and doing nothing else outside of homework.
Recently, however, my main vice hasn't been as strong as my loyalty to my friends, what few I have left. Every night I sign on and wait for them to do the same. I don't care what our conversation is as long as we have one. I've screwed up several times, most of them recorded here. Yet I consider myself lucky that I am still able to have some kind of contact with them. They'll never know how much they mean to me, and I doubt they will ever know how it feels to know that their friendship and love can overpower the one thing that has grabbed my attention this week. At least, until a certain future President reads this and gives them a verbal tongue lashing for not signing in and talking to me some nights that not even Jerry Springer would be prepared for. (Okay, that was my moment of greed. I'm sorry.)
Later tonight, my family will be doing Room at the Inn. It's a seasonal church event, for lack of a better word, in which a van of homeless people are picked up and dropped off at the church to eat good food, sleep, wash up, and generally get out of the cold. Tonight is going to be full, hopefully. The weather as of my typing is about 16oF, and is forecasted to not go above 25 all day from what I saw. Definitely not good weather to be out in. I can feel it in my room because of the lack of insulation and the fact that I live above the garage, but even I get a little bit of heat. Anyone living on the street in this kind of cold doesn't unless they sleep over a vented storm drain like the one on the side walk on 7th Ave. next to the downtown Ramada (or whatever the name is of that fancy hotel).
That's all I can type for now. I need some of my dad's chili to warm me up before I go back to my room to finish off Ghaleon for kidnapping the girl that I loved since childhood (basic plot of LUNAR). That chili of his can melt steel!
Movie Trivia # 008: Unexpected Modesty II
Another bit of undergarment prestidigitation takes place in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) when Tim Matheson is kissing and fondling a girl in a car. As he lifts her top off it's clear that she is wearing no bra. When his pals come out of the Dexter Lake Club, she screams and jumps out, wearing nothing but her skirt and shoes. But when she lands in the car next to her, a bra magically has appeared.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
A Foul-Mouth Rodent's Rant About Christmas
If you haven't seen this by now, you should. It offers a point of view about this season that I have to agree with, what with Florida banning the Christmas Tree.
The Joys of Doing Nothing
From MSN Family:
Interesting. So I guess I really am productive when all I'm doing is doing nothing. I'm actually doing something when it appears all I'm doing is being a lazy ass.
"There is a myth that doing nothing is wasting time, when it's actually extremely productive and essential," says Dr. Hirsh-Pasek. "During empty hours, kids explore the world at their own pace, develop their own unique set of interests and indulge in the sort of fantasy play that will help them figure out how to create their own happiness, handle problems with others on their own, and sensibly manage their own time. That's a critical life skill."
Interesting. So I guess I really am productive when all I'm doing is doing nothing. I'm actually doing something when it appears all I'm doing is being a lazy ass.
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Before I Become Distracted with Saving the World
A Gift From the Tooth Fairy
Memory for Cheap
Now if you'll excuse me, I have an addiction I need to feed involving trying to save the world from a long white haired elf hell bent on destroying the world just because his best friend didn't agree with his ideals of how the world should work for the next 5 hours.
My filling fell out. It's the filling on the back side of the farthest back molar on the top jaw. Both myself and my dentist know how much of a pain getting that thing filled. He said that eventually I will have to get it crowned. For now, I just have to watch what I eat until Monday when I have to go in for a clean up.
Memory for Cheap
The EBGames store must be having a sale, because I found not one, not two, but three Sony brand memory cards for my PlayStation for $3 each! The guy wanted to make sure I knew I was buying PS1 cards, and I told him that I was fully aware of what I was buying. Being the last weekend before Christmas, I can imagine how many people have passed through asking for the latest game and system while not having a clue as to what it really is called or why this accessory is needed. I mean, the lady before me didn't know that a Nintendo DS was able to play Gameboy Advance games and ended up not buying it for whoever her gamer is in her family.
I plan on going back after Christmas to buy a PS2 and Memory Card for it so I can play Katamari Damacy until I need to go back to classes. Should be interesting given the fact I like to people watch when I'm done shopping.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have an addiction I need to feed involving trying to save the world from a long white haired elf hell bent on destroying the world just because his best friend didn't agree with his ideals of how the world should work for the next 5 hours.
Friday, December 17, 2004
Early Christmas Present Problems
I just got handed two early Christmas presents from my aunt upon her return from the mall. After exchanging updates as to where everyone is, particularly my sister who is home for the holidays, she gave me two of my presents with a clause. (Insert Santa Clause joke here.)
She told me she will give me my presents now, but the rest is my problem. This didn't sit well with me at first, but my aunt is crafty.
She first pulled out the Mary Poppins DVD and told me a story about the copies she bought. She went to Suncoast and found the last two copies of the DVD, as well as another movie she wanted. The lady checking out people was wondering why in the world my aunt would want two copies of the same movie, to which my aunt said one copy is for her. You would think that question wouldn't pop up, seeing how it is gift buying season and there is a chance that you are getting one copy for one person and another copy for another person. Some people are just curious, I guess.
Thanks to the first present and the good cheer that came with it, I was well prepared for the second blow that came with the whole "the rest is your problem" statement. My aunt was unable to pronounce the only thing on my Nice List specifically spelled out. All she knew is that it was a video game, and so she went to EBGames. Handing the teenage worker the hand-written list I gave her, he found Katamari Damacy in the back of the story in the office. He said to my aunt upon his return that they have a hard time keeping this game on the shelf. Something tells me the copy she bought was a reserve copy someone forgot about. Before totaling up her bill, the young worker pulled out a PS2 memory card. My aunt asked what that was for, to which he explained its purpose of saving games. My aunt told him to take it back, as that would be my problem (or at least one of them). The young worker got a good laugh out of this.
So, yes, I now own Katamari Damacy as an early Christmas gift. Sadly, I cannot play it because I do not have a PS2. My aunt thought that I could on my PSX, but that system cannot read DVD-encrypted games. As anyone knows who has been keeping up with me, I'm in the market for a memory card, but I'm told they go for about $20. This means I only have enough for one card, and it will more than likely be a PSX card so I can reclaim my LUNAR and Final Fantasy Tactic games.
Overall, though, I'm not disappointed one bit. I don't know what it is, but having a gift that I want but know I can't play makes me rethink the old seasonal saying "It's not what kind of gift it is. It's the thought that counts." I now know what that really means and am really ashamed at the fact that I felt like I was on some kind of chore while I was shopping for my parents' gifts and splitting the bill with my sister. Still, though, this isn't the first time I've given them lame gifts. They know I think about and love them even if they claim I don't respect them.
I'm happy. Bottom line. The only thing I'm wondering about is if turning down the PS2 on Black Friday was a bad thing due to lack of foresight.
She told me she will give me my presents now, but the rest is my problem. This didn't sit well with me at first, but my aunt is crafty.
She first pulled out the Mary Poppins DVD and told me a story about the copies she bought. She went to Suncoast and found the last two copies of the DVD, as well as another movie she wanted. The lady checking out people was wondering why in the world my aunt would want two copies of the same movie, to which my aunt said one copy is for her. You would think that question wouldn't pop up, seeing how it is gift buying season and there is a chance that you are getting one copy for one person and another copy for another person. Some people are just curious, I guess.
Thanks to the first present and the good cheer that came with it, I was well prepared for the second blow that came with the whole "the rest is your problem" statement. My aunt was unable to pronounce the only thing on my Nice List specifically spelled out. All she knew is that it was a video game, and so she went to EBGames. Handing the teenage worker the hand-written list I gave her, he found Katamari Damacy in the back of the story in the office. He said to my aunt upon his return that they have a hard time keeping this game on the shelf. Something tells me the copy she bought was a reserve copy someone forgot about. Before totaling up her bill, the young worker pulled out a PS2 memory card. My aunt asked what that was for, to which he explained its purpose of saving games. My aunt told him to take it back, as that would be my problem (or at least one of them). The young worker got a good laugh out of this.
So, yes, I now own Katamari Damacy as an early Christmas gift. Sadly, I cannot play it because I do not have a PS2. My aunt thought that I could on my PSX, but that system cannot read DVD-encrypted games. As anyone knows who has been keeping up with me, I'm in the market for a memory card, but I'm told they go for about $20. This means I only have enough for one card, and it will more than likely be a PSX card so I can reclaim my LUNAR and Final Fantasy Tactic games.
Overall, though, I'm not disappointed one bit. I don't know what it is, but having a gift that I want but know I can't play makes me rethink the old seasonal saying "It's not what kind of gift it is. It's the thought that counts." I now know what that really means and am really ashamed at the fact that I felt like I was on some kind of chore while I was shopping for my parents' gifts and splitting the bill with my sister. Still, though, this isn't the first time I've given them lame gifts. They know I think about and love them even if they claim I don't respect them.
I'm happy. Bottom line. The only thing I'm wondering about is if turning down the PS2 on Black Friday was a bad thing due to lack of foresight.
Movie Trivia # 007: Unexpected Modesty
There's not an excess of modesty in the porn business, as explored in Hardcore (1979), but shortly after she's seen totally nude in a peep booth, Season Hubley's panties appear.
Question: What parent would name their kid "Season?" That has to be a stage name or something.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Movie Trivia # 006: The Little Tramp and His Wondering Hat
Charlie Chaplin couldn't keep up with his trademark hat in The Vagabond (1916). When the Little Tramp is being chased around and through a bar, he falls and loses his hat outside the place but when he enters again he's wearing it. He then exits once more, hatless, and outside picks up the hat off the sidewalk where he originally dropped it.
Charlie's hat problems continue when he rescues a gypsy girl, and her father tries to drown him in a washtub. He escapes soaking wet and hatless, and jumps onto the back of a washtub, spitting water in the father's face. In the next shot, he's climbing into the front of the wagon, not only wearing the hat, but bone dry.
The only reason I'm doing this again is because someone told me that they actually like this kind of stuff. Granted they may not come every week, but this is for those out there that find it interesting.
I'll put up a second one to make up for last week on "US Movie Release Friday." (Today is "International Movie Release Wednesday," if you were wondering.)
Monday, December 13, 2004
Man Damages Controversial Nativity Scene
From Yahoo News!
The man must be a conservative Englishmen. If he was otherwise, he would have pushed over the wax statues of President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who are ironically shown as two of The Three Wise Kings.
LONDON - A waxwork nativity scene that features soccer star David Beckham and his pop star wife, Victoria, as the parents of Jesus has been damaged in an attack, Madame Tussauds museum said Monday.
The museum piece, which has drawn criticism from Christian leaders who say it's disrespectful, was damaged Sunday when a male visitor pushed over the figures of the Beckhams before running out, museum spokeswoman Diane Moon said.
The man must be a conservative Englishmen. If he was otherwise, he would have pushed over the wax statues of President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who are ironically shown as two of The Three Wise Kings.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
No More Memory
I went over to turn on my PSX to use a CD player while I play Pokemon, and I noticed that the "Mega Card" was acting up. The LCD screen kept flashing strange combinations of numbers and letters as well as different patters of blocks. I went to the Memory Card option and found out that the Mega Card is dead now. That means, I lost whatever saved games I had on there.
What games did I lose?
Both LUNAR games (The first one was a pain in the ass just getting all the secret pictures because of all the ridiculous one-time-only flags you had to set off.)
One of two versions of the Metal Gear Solid game (I'm not sure if I lost the Tuxedo version or the Alternate Camera Angle version.)
My back up of Elemental GearBolt (The game is notorious for deleting my file every time I boot it up.)
Any and all Final Fantasy Tactic saves (Which really kicks my ass because of how stupid the "Move-Find Item" skill works with chance and all that! I mean, seriously!)
The games that I didn't lose were WWF Raw (wrestling fetish, Hello?), the main Elemental GearBolt save, the save for Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, the Star Wars fighting game, DDR, Soul Blade, the other Metal Gear Solid file, Tomba, and--believe it or not--Parrapa the Rappa.
Oh well, doubt they make PSX memory cards that still work anymore. I wonder if what saved data I have is backwards compatible with the PS2 cards should I get a PS2.
The moral of the story: Sony products will only work with Sony products, so don't by anything that is from a third party!
I'm expecting my light gun I bought for Elemental GearBolt to follow the same path soon.
What games did I lose?
Both LUNAR games (The first one was a pain in the ass just getting all the secret pictures because of all the ridiculous one-time-only flags you had to set off.)
One of two versions of the Metal Gear Solid game (I'm not sure if I lost the Tuxedo version or the Alternate Camera Angle version.)
My back up of Elemental GearBolt (The game is notorious for deleting my file every time I boot it up.)
Any and all Final Fantasy Tactic saves (Which really kicks my ass because of how stupid the "Move-Find Item" skill works with chance and all that! I mean, seriously!)
The games that I didn't lose were WWF Raw (wrestling fetish, Hello?), the main Elemental GearBolt save, the save for Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, the Star Wars fighting game, DDR, Soul Blade, the other Metal Gear Solid file, Tomba, and--believe it or not--Parrapa the Rappa.
Oh well, doubt they make PSX memory cards that still work anymore. I wonder if what saved data I have is backwards compatible with the PS2 cards should I get a PS2.
The moral of the story: Sony products will only work with Sony products, so don't by anything that is from a third party!
I'm expecting my light gun I bought for Elemental GearBolt to follow the same path soon.
The Oscar Battles
From Yahoo! News:
Which, pretty much means, all bets are off as The Passion of the Christ is going to win should both films actually get nominated. Why doesn't that surprise me?
The red-state warriors and blue-state battlers are at it again. This time, the goal isn't the White House. It's the Oscar.
In one color-coded corner: Conservative groups pushing for nominations for The Passion of the Christ. In the other color-coded corner: Proud liberal Michael Moore pushing for nominations for Fahrenheit 9/11.
If the contrast holds, Academy Award season may bare more than a passing resemblance to this fall's divisive general election.
Which, pretty much means, all bets are off as The Passion of the Christ is going to win should both films actually get nominated. Why doesn't that surprise me?
Friday, December 10, 2004
Just like everything else...
I'm stopping the whole Movie Trivia thing. I don't know why, but the more I try to make this blog interesting, the more boring it becomes.
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Grow Up
A common catch phrase is the childhood want to not grow up and be an adult. Said by Peter Pan and even Toys R Us advertisements, children seem to want to stay young forever. That is, until they reach the age in which they learn staying young forever is an impossibility. Still, there are adults out there that keep their youth in their hearts and quite possibly their own lives. After all, if there is one thing that Walt Disney has taught any of us, it is that adults are really just really big kids.
What about the kind that can't grow up? What about the ones that, for one psychological reason or another, cannot become a "normal" adult?
Most of the time, they are seen as bums who are either very co-dependent and will end up homeless and starving once something bad happens and they cannot get their shit together. They are played up as the unattractive fat ass on the couch that does nothing but watch TV and eat pizza. A living Homer Simpson without the job at the Nuclear Plant.
This seems grossly unfair. It is as if society is saying to those out there that cannot function that you are losers. You cannot be normal. You are the scum of the earth simply because you cannot hold a job let alone get one. You are childish for being unable to drive and for liking cartoons at your age when you should be viewing something more productive and thought provoking like the news. In short, grow up and get your shit together.
Some people can. Some cannot.
The ones that can are rewarded for conforming to the norm, while those that cannot are left for dead, often times alone. And we all know how being different means you are bad. Society seems to have a problem with things that are different in skin color, sexuality, gender, and pretty much anything else that is outside of the common comfort zone.
I have no authority to state this as fact or even a popular stereotype. It just seems to be my general point of view right now given several things.
What about the kind that can't grow up? What about the ones that, for one psychological reason or another, cannot become a "normal" adult?
Most of the time, they are seen as bums who are either very co-dependent and will end up homeless and starving once something bad happens and they cannot get their shit together. They are played up as the unattractive fat ass on the couch that does nothing but watch TV and eat pizza. A living Homer Simpson without the job at the Nuclear Plant.
This seems grossly unfair. It is as if society is saying to those out there that cannot function that you are losers. You cannot be normal. You are the scum of the earth simply because you cannot hold a job let alone get one. You are childish for being unable to drive and for liking cartoons at your age when you should be viewing something more productive and thought provoking like the news. In short, grow up and get your shit together.
Some people can. Some cannot.
The ones that can are rewarded for conforming to the norm, while those that cannot are left for dead, often times alone. And we all know how being different means you are bad. Society seems to have a problem with things that are different in skin color, sexuality, gender, and pretty much anything else that is outside of the common comfort zone.
I have no authority to state this as fact or even a popular stereotype. It just seems to be my general point of view right now given several things.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Mom's Loosing It
On the car ride home from school, an unknown and possibly non-existent conversation was brought up about having identified some actor on a TV Christmas movie last week as one of the teachers in the Harry Potter movies. It occurred when I apparently came into my mom's room while she was watching this movie. Then and there, I identified the actor in his more memorable role.
At first I thought she was talking about the actor who plays Snapes, who my sister and I found out was in Dogma, but my mom said that this conversation happened last week.
Last week after I finished studying for everything, I was sick and never went up to their room the entire weekend. I spent it downstairs on the computer because it was the warmest and most comfortable place down here, seeing as how my room doesn't have good heating. Apparently that slipped her mind and was replaced with this little moment that never really happened. She claims I forgot the whole thing and that it did happen.
I'm no shrink, but this event does sound familiar to a short story we read in English this semester. In it, a mother constantly is telling stories that never really happened to make up for one thing or another that causes an insecurity in her. I think my mom is starting to realize that she doesn't know me or spend the same amount of time with me as she does with my sister.
I say it's about damn time she realized this.
On "Black Friday" when I posted my Christmas list, we went shopping for my sister's laptop she was required to get for a math class. My mother knew I wasn't happen about seeing this due to the fact that she still owes me a new computer. I'm getting my sister's old desktop as a hand-me-down. This computer that I'm on right now is the "family" computer. Anyway, seeing as how I'm as obvious as a billboard to a pedestrian, my mom took me to Sam's Club and wanted to know if I wanted a PS2. I turned it down. Why? I knew she was only buying it to shut me up. She gave this away when she said that if she gets this, not only will I have to front some cash for it, but I won't have any Christmas gifts either. I hate when she says things like these around this time of year, but this time it sent up red flags telling me she was treating me like a crying child that will always shut up once he gets a Happy Meal from McDonald's. I wasn't going to let her win. I pointed out what I would like, but when she asked if I would like it, I turned it down on purpose. Trust me, it was very hard to do.
I hope what I did then brought up this "memory" that was told today. If so, I consider it a good sign. Maybe now she will realize that I'm not happy with the way she has been recently treating me compared to how they treat my sister.
At first I thought she was talking about the actor who plays Snapes, who my sister and I found out was in Dogma, but my mom said that this conversation happened last week.
Last week after I finished studying for everything, I was sick and never went up to their room the entire weekend. I spent it downstairs on the computer because it was the warmest and most comfortable place down here, seeing as how my room doesn't have good heating. Apparently that slipped her mind and was replaced with this little moment that never really happened. She claims I forgot the whole thing and that it did happen.
I'm no shrink, but this event does sound familiar to a short story we read in English this semester. In it, a mother constantly is telling stories that never really happened to make up for one thing or another that causes an insecurity in her. I think my mom is starting to realize that she doesn't know me or spend the same amount of time with me as she does with my sister.
I say it's about damn time she realized this.
On "Black Friday" when I posted my Christmas list, we went shopping for my sister's laptop she was required to get for a math class. My mother knew I wasn't happen about seeing this due to the fact that she still owes me a new computer. I'm getting my sister's old desktop as a hand-me-down. This computer that I'm on right now is the "family" computer. Anyway, seeing as how I'm as obvious as a billboard to a pedestrian, my mom took me to Sam's Club and wanted to know if I wanted a PS2. I turned it down. Why? I knew she was only buying it to shut me up. She gave this away when she said that if she gets this, not only will I have to front some cash for it, but I won't have any Christmas gifts either. I hate when she says things like these around this time of year, but this time it sent up red flags telling me she was treating me like a crying child that will always shut up once he gets a Happy Meal from McDonald's. I wasn't going to let her win. I pointed out what I would like, but when she asked if I would like it, I turned it down on purpose. Trust me, it was very hard to do.
I hope what I did then brought up this "memory" that was told today. If so, I consider it a good sign. Maybe now she will realize that I'm not happy with the way she has been recently treating me compared to how they treat my sister.
This Morning...
You can tell I rather be anywhere but where I'm going today.
I have Final Critique and an exam today. Tomorrow, I have a paper due that I have not even started on and another Final Critique.
I tried to study and prepare last night, but I couldn't bring myself to even look at my notes and saved quizzes (I knew they were good for something!). I tried to clean up my drawing for today, but didn't even bring it out.
I'm either burned out or extremely lazy. Either way, I'm not prepared for the day right now. I'll be lucky if I ever get around to actually "reviewing" before the test today.
I have Final Critique and an exam today. Tomorrow, I have a paper due that I have not even started on and another Final Critique.
I tried to study and prepare last night, but I couldn't bring myself to even look at my notes and saved quizzes (I knew they were good for something!). I tried to clean up my drawing for today, but didn't even bring it out.
I'm either burned out or extremely lazy. Either way, I'm not prepared for the day right now. I'll be lucky if I ever get around to actually "reviewing" before the test today.
Friday, December 03, 2004
FUCK OFF BITCH!
I'm sick.
I just went through a gallon of Orange Juice over the course of 12 hours!
I had four bowls of Raman Chicken Soup!
I feel like I'm about to die!
My skull feels like my brain is about to explode!
And what do you go and do?
YOU FUCKING HIT ME ON THE HEAD TO GET MY ATTENTION BECAUSE I DIDN'T HEAR YOU THE FIRST THREE TIMES!
You know I'm sick! I told you yesterday, but now you play it off as if I'm just messing with you. You call yourself a mother?! More like mother fucker! I'm sick! Ask your damn husband who has been seeing me try to walk up and down stairs to my bed and back to this computer! Ask your sister-in-law that's more of a mother to me than you ever will be!
I'm sick, God damn it, and you are not helping the situation any! I can barely hear! I can barely breath! I can barely type! If I die of the common cold, I hope you remember this evening as the evening you didn't believe that I was sick!
I just went through a gallon of Orange Juice over the course of 12 hours!
I had four bowls of Raman Chicken Soup!
I feel like I'm about to die!
My skull feels like my brain is about to explode!
And what do you go and do?
YOU FUCKING HIT ME ON THE HEAD TO GET MY ATTENTION BECAUSE I DIDN'T HEAR YOU THE FIRST THREE TIMES!
You know I'm sick! I told you yesterday, but now you play it off as if I'm just messing with you. You call yourself a mother?! More like mother fucker! I'm sick! Ask your damn husband who has been seeing me try to walk up and down stairs to my bed and back to this computer! Ask your sister-in-law that's more of a mother to me than you ever will be!
I'm sick, God damn it, and you are not helping the situation any! I can barely hear! I can barely breath! I can barely type! If I die of the common cold, I hope you remember this evening as the evening you didn't believe that I was sick!
I'm Sick
Right now I'm suffering through a cold given to me by my Clay Teacher. The first time I've been sick all semester long.
I was told my blog had become boring by two people that I prize above my own life, and so I've gone back to my old format.
Here is a month's worth of rants pent up because some idiots said I should shut the fuck up and keep my opinions off a public domain of some kind.
Thanksgiving
Mickey Got Hacked
Gaia vs. Neopets
Okay, that's enough. I need to attend to this damn cold.
I was told my blog had become boring by two people that I prize above my own life, and so I've gone back to my old format.
Here is a month's worth of rants pent up because some idiots said I should shut the fuck up and keep my opinions off a public domain of some kind.
Thanksgiving
It would appear that, unless you have a large American family, you will not have the grand Thanksgiving dinner everyone pictures. There are homeless people eating soup out of cans if they are lucky enough to find one. There are people eating microwaved meals alone because they have no one to spend the holidays with. And for me, you have a poor excuse for a feast in a status quo that practically was the inspiration for the famous Rockwell painting associated with this holiday.
Thanksgiving was a bust for me. I don't ever remember it being a big festive time of the year, unlike with Christmas. As far back as I can remember, it's been an excuse to just pull out the fancy plates. We never really had the picture perfect spread like some families do. Hell, this year we didn't even have a good veggie spread!
And like usual, we went our separate ways after the dinner. I went on the computer, my sister went back to reacquaint herself with her room. My mom and dad went to watch TV. My aunt went to watch a movie in her room.
What happened to this family?
Mickey Got Hacked
Some time after Thanksgiving, MouseInfo.com reported that they got hacked.
Question. Who the fuck would hack into a Disney Fan site?
Answer. A kid that has way too much time on his hand and is so insecure in themselves, the make me look like Superman. A person that believes Disney is for babies and doesn't like the fact there are college kids and adults out there that still love Disney as much as ever when we were 2 feet high. A really smart jackass out there that doesn't like that someone has a staff of friends that can bring updates and a forum with fun and mature topics outside of Disney online. A bitch that obviously has nothing better to do than try to impress people with a skill that could get the person arrested if actions are to take place.
This is why I support White Hat Hackers over Black Hats. White Hats don't shut down a whole site.
Gaia vs. Neopets
Gaia just now is getting back on its feet, but for the last three weeks, it's been fucking up left and right. Several things crashed because of one thing or the other. Then people were found cheating at the new Fishing game, and the administrators went on a banning spree, which caused several innocent people to get their accounts taken away from them. Most of the problems have been fixed now, but there is a bitter taste around the site after this, what with the Marketplace still closed and other errors.
Neopets, on the other hand, has its own unique problems. Being the Month of Giving, they decided to open the Advent Calendar, which gives you free stuff every day during the month of December. It's only been two days, and I'm already hearing things about how their prizes suck. They gave us a total of 1,200 Neopoints just for coming to them the past two days, and they are complaining about getting handed free money? While this may seem like a minor problem, which it is, one bigger problem is present in their main site draw. The Battledome is currently in "War Mode," and is lagging like hell during peak hours due to all 14 million people being on it at once trying to get a high score so they can get a free uber-weapon.
So why do I bring up two sites when Gaia users hate Neopets and don't want Gaia to be like Neopets? The sad truth is that, once Gaia gets their Battle area up and running, it will be like Neopets. The only thing that Gaia has over Neopets is that the people don't ask for free items 24/7.
Okay, that's enough. I need to attend to this damn cold.
Movie Trivia # 005: He Knocked the Polka Dots Right Off His Tie
Humphrey Bogart backhands Peter Lorre in The Maltese Falcon (1941). When Lorre's head snaps left, he's wearing a polka-dot bow tie. When it snaps back to the right, he's wearing a striped one.
