Musings of an odd individual

A Sign of the Times

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:26:33 GMT

So I was killing time waiting for my car to be finished from some maintenance.

The vehicle's display had been yelling at me for various reasons for a few weeks now, and I figured I should probably take it to an actual dealership that specializes in the make of car which I drive. As it turns out, the car just needed the tires rotated, the coolant filled, and the display reset. $20, roughly, because warranty covered the rest. How's that for three shades of awesome?

Anyway, coming back from that little tangent - the manner in which I was killing time was breakfast. I had a book with me, so it lasted me about an hour, including the walk to and from the dealership.

The book, by the way, is called Bookmark Now. I can't remember the name of the editor, but it's a great collection of essays about being immersed in a world of novels and story-writing when some signs point to the idea that people just aren't reading anymore. Admittedly, Rolling Stone does only print one in-depth article per issue, and it's shorter than what their in-depth articles used to be, but people still read it. And novels are still getting sold... even though some of the books that get popular lack anything except the capability to make those that care more about catharsis than character development buy them. Quite useful, considering NaNoWriMo is in 25 days (if you don't count today as part of the total).

And back from tangent number two (I'm probably going to go off on another tangent in a little while, just to warn you), the place I went to eat was a franchise of a restaurant chain which I've been frequenting, at least since July. This establishment was the third such franchise, and something very odd struck me - the staffs had almost the exact same age layout. No, really - the person at the front was always younger, early-to-mid twenties, or at least appeared to be in that general age range. The servers, on the other hand, were always mid-thirties, and have almost invariably been women. Some had wedding bands, some didn't, so that didn't seem to mean much as far as whether or not they got the job.

As I realized that the staff had the same demographics in the other two locations, I started wondering - has this restaurant chain tried so much to get a certain feel that they've convinced everybody running a franchise to hire certain people for these specific jobs? And if not - this is a really large coincidence. Let's just say for a moment that you've got a bunch of younger people that are just looking for a place to work - they get put up front, because they don't have to continually deal with customers, they just say hello. Then you take the more experienced people and toss them in as servers, because they've had enough time dealing with people just wanting to sit down that they figure, "Okay, now they're ready to handle people that just want to eat." And finally... actually, I have no idea what the finally is.

What I want to know is why this particular restaurant chain somehow manages to attract women approaching forty to work jobs as servers, when chances are said women can probably earn more elsewhere, simply because of experience. I'm not quite sure that the employment is totally satisfying - then again, neither is my job, although I LOVE the benefits, and there are more days than not where I do enjoy it - but there must be something that's keeping them there. I haven't the daftest idea what it might be - maybe one woman's divorced, and the husband got the kids, so she has to pay alimony. Maybe another is moonlighting at a jazz club, but it's not enough to pay the bills, so she does this and hopes for a lot of good tips. Maybe another just wants to get out of the house, even though her husband's rich as anything - but there must be something.

Of course, when you're ruminating over that sort of thing while eating pancakes and poached eggs (not together, obviously, but they were in the same meal), it doesn't allow for the most philosophical of conclusions.

Personally, I think it would be nice if they're all actually best friends in a secret women's society that gets together and makes sure that the world's supply of pancake batter never gets contaminated by a host of things that would out-do any of the dastardly plans that villains in James Bond books and movies concoct.

IWF Pro Wrestling This Sunday

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:35:24 GMT

For those of you that read this, come and see the IWF in Golden, CO at the Buffalo Rose! The show starts at 6 PM, doors open by 5:30 if not earlier, and it's going to be quite the event!

*SCHEDULED CARD*
- IWF Championship Match
Brandon Morris vs. Hoodlum
+ Last month, Morris secured the Number One Contendorship for Hoodlum's championship belt. Can he make good on this opportunity, or will Hoodlum continue his winning ways?

- Grudge Match
Anderson Angel vs. The Miracle That Is Tony
+ The Miracle That Is Tony eked out a victory against Angel last month, causing Anderson to challenge him to a rematch. What will Tony pull out of his sleeve? What will Anderson do to take down the man formerly known as Tony Tsunami? You'll just have to see.

Arik Angel vs. Jack Mosidol
+ Arik's valet, The Perfect 10, accidentally cost Arik a match. Will she still accompany him to the ring? And will Jack Mosidol manage to defeat IWF's Franchise?

Rob Ryzin vs. Adrian Grimm
+ Grimm lost the tag team titles in TLC, along with his partner, Shredder Con. Can he bounce back from his defeat, or will the Denver Daredevil pick up the victory.

Rock n' Roll Vampire & Romeo vs. Joshua Michael & Paul Stetich
+ Ronin and Michael have both proven themselves as capable in the ring, while Stetich and Romeo were both eliminated from the battle royal that made Brandon Morris champion. This match is anybody's to win, and everybody's to lose.

Lucha Libre Match
+ The contestants have yet to be announced, but you had better believe that IWF will present the best high-flying competitors in the region.

Johnny Crash vs. Wardog Damion Payne
+ Crash was another loser in the battle royal, while Payne, along with Synjinn Tiger Smith, won the IWF Tag Team Championships. Will Payne continue his hot streak, or will Crash's insatiability for love extend to an insatiability for victory.

Realizations from movies

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 04:52:12 GMT

I've been seeing a lot of films lately which focus upon interpersonal relationships. Romances, friendships, marriages, what-have-you. Some, I didn't mean to watch, and wound up watching anyway. Others, I spent money to see, and was not disappointed, but I did walk away with a few impressions that are a bit odd. Firstly, is the fact that, while not directly related to anything whatsoever, I actually have types of women to which I am attracted. I used to have the impression that I had that whole "John Tucker" thing, at least to the point where my type is "female". Thinking about it more closely, I've come to realize that this is SO not the case.

More strangely, neither of my girlfriends have been my type. I have dated two girls that were my type, neither of which panned out beyond a first date. The one time I was with somebody that's my type, it was something that really couldn't go anywhere beyond what it was, which I understood when I went in to it, but it's still quite lamentable. I forget which movie made me think about it, but somewhere in there, people talked about the types of people to whom they are attracted. Maybe that's a major part of the whole girlfriend deal - I got in to women who were in to me without thinking about whether I was in it because I wanted to be, or because I knew that some form of reciprocation was possible if I showed interest.

When it comes down to it, I think that the thing of which I am most afraid is that I will be alone. I am not speaking of the present, but of the future. At some point, I fear that there will be nobody else in my life. So I suppose I accepted what affection and companionship I could receive, as opposed to the companionship that I wanted.

Hopefully I can actually find somebody that is my type that I can have... I just don't know when that might be.

There's an item nobody will buy... Oh, and SPOILER WARNING

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:39:36 GMT

I was browsing through SkyMall while on a flight, and found an interesting "replica". It's supposed to be a copy of Harry Potter's wand, but whoever made it mixed up Tom Riddle's wand with his. Right on the subtext under, "Harry Potter's Wand", you know what it says? "14 inches long." Anybody who's actually geeky enough to want to buy a replica of a Harry Potter wand would know that mister, "Oh, look, I've survived the Killing Curse twice!" uses an eleven-inch wand. *sigh* Oh, SkyMall, how you make me shake my head.

And having caught some spoilers from random postings, I probably am also going to shake my head and sigh at the film adaptation of the Half-Blood Prince. I would much rather have them actually, oh, I don't know, FOLLOW THE BOOK, as opposed to adding scenes that never happen at all, and eliminating characters just because they think that it flows better with the film. News flash to anybody else that's thinking of adapting a movie from a book - go watch "My Sister's Keeper" sometime. That's a good book adaptation. Sure, it doesn't cover everything, but it doesn't make you wonder, "Wait, what happened to...?"

SPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILER
Speaking of which, NO DOBBY AGAIN? They've pretty much made it so that come the seventh film, if they bother to do Dobby's death at all, it won't really have as much impact, because he hasn't been Harry's friend since book four. Oh, and no house elves. The real Hermione Granger would be furious. "See! Even in the Muggle world, house-elves aren't considered to matter at all!" Well, at least they've got Quidditch back in...

Nah, still probably not going to see it unless one of my parents wants to see it...
SPOILERS END HERE

Oh, and happy birthday to me... a day early, but there you are.

Music Games

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:01:19 GMT

Having just now learned that all my Rock Band instruments work on Guitar Hero: World Tour (sad, I know, but still...), I have been enjoying the drums. Sort of weird that the kick pedal which could be easily ignored with the Guitar Hero drums is intrinsic to playing the game with the Rock Band drums, but hey, it's still fun.

The song list has some duplicates, but the guest stars are freaking awesome. Hendrix, Sting, Travis Barker, Hayley Williams, and Ozzy all make guest appearances for their own songs, and there's a couple decent guitar battles. The drums are kind of an afterthought, but it's not that bad. The only real let-down of the title is that, although you can make your own songs using the instruments, you can't add vocal tracks just by singing. You need a keyboard for that, apparently, which definitely makes me think that they really could have just done without it.

As for Rock Band 2 - love it! Sure, some of the songs can get repetitive after a while (a few just pop up like a bad habit on those mystery set lists, and are repeated in a few of the local showcases), but there's really no misses here. The only thing that World Tour has on it is the celebrity appearances, the lack of repeats (unless you want to replay a song), and all master tracks. Gameplay is a bit more fun on Rock Band, and the visuals are more fun.

I'd recommend both, but if you only get one, get Rock Band 2. And make sure you've got a 360.

iTunes Stuff

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:04:44 GMT

How many songs: 4471

Sort by song title:
-First Song: A-Hole - Bowling For Soup
-Last Song: 5150 - Van Halen

Sort by time:
-Shortest Song: R.K. Intro - Our Lady Peace - 0:07
-Longest Song: Brian Regan Live - Brian Regan - 56:11

Sort by album:
-First Song: Come Together - The Beatles
-Last Song: Completely Miserable - Lit (Yeah, never bothered to look up the album after it somehow got erased)

Top 10 Most Played Songs:
1. Infected - Bad Religion
2. (F)lannigan's Ball - Dropkick Murphy's
3. As Time Goes By (Live) - Frank Sinatra
4. We Are The Normal - Goo Goo Dolls
5. Way Back In To Love - Hugh Grant and Haley Bennett
6. Wading in the Velvet Sea - Phish
7. Jupiter - 30 Seconds to Mars
8. Take A Chance on Me - ABBA
9. Money, Money, Money - ABBA
10. Metalingus - Alter Bridge

If it included CD play count, Goo Goo Dolls and Jimmy Eat World would be on that list a lot more. And Fall Out Boy. I haven't used iTunes on this computer a lot.

First 5 songs that come up on Shuffle: (I'm going to arrange the list by artist)

1. It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley
2. Yesterday to Tomorrow - Audioslave
3. Poor Boy - Matt Kearney
4. I Won't See You Tonight (Part 1) - Avenged Sevenfold
5. Electric Princess - Jennifer Gentle (And it would seem that I've got like 200 songs on here that I've never heard...)

Search ....
"sex", how many songs come up?: 8 (Would be more if I had downloaded the full Social Distortion album)
"love", how many songs come up?: 222 - A lot of them are because of the album name, e.g. Papa Roach, Goo Goo Dolls, etc.
"you", how many songs come up?: 636 (Again, album)
"death", how many songs come up? 48 (The majority of which are one band. Guess which one?)
"hate", how many songs come up? 44 (Very varied)
"wish" how many songs come up? 7

Now use shuffle: (Comedy and orchestral pieces shall be ignored)

High School

What was high school like?
Speed of Sound - Coldplay

Was I a good student?
Zoot Suit Riot - Cherry Poppin' Daddies

Did I party a lot?
Pillar of Salt - The Thermals (Oh, great, iTunes is making bad puns. "party a Lot"...check out the book of Genesis if you don't know what I'm talking about)

Love

What describes my first love?
Leave the Pieces - The Wreckers (Yup)

Do I have a Boyfriend/Girlfriend?
Ghost of Past Failures - Shadows Fall

Do I like someone?
Number Five With a Bullet - Taking Back Sunday (I like somebody who kills people?)

Life

What was today like?
Particle Man - They Might Be Giants

What are most days like?
It's Gonna Be Me - N*Sync (Embarrassingly, I like this song.)

What's my life like?
Twisted Logic - Coldplay (Two Coldplay songs now...seems like these guys are my secondary anthem)

What is in store for this weekend?
Losing a Whole Year - Third Eye Blind (Wow...longest weekend ever)

What song describes my parents?
Don't Know - Taking Back Sunday

How is my life going?
In My Head - Queens of the Stone Age

Do I act my age?
I've Just Seen A Face - Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe Soundtrack) [Um...is this at all relevant?]

What song will they play at my funeral?
Cecilia - SImon & Garfunkel (They so would. And I'd laugh. Presuming there's an afterlife and I'm going to Heaven, of course)

Wedding?
Loser - 3 Doors Down (SERIOUSLY? Wow, that's mean. And a bit goth. Not a bad song to which you can dance, though.)

How does the world see me?
Fentoozler - blink 182 (What in the world is that?)

Will I have a happy life?
If I Fell - Evan Rachel Wood (It's possible. If I fell in love.)

What do my friends really think of me?
Points of Authority - Linkin Park

Do people secretly lust after me?
Lady Madonna - The Beatles (What is it with all these Beatles songs? More importantly, I don't think Madonna knows I exist.)

How can I make myself happy?
I'm In Over My Head - Lit (I need to overwhelm myself to be happy? Wow, I'm seriously screwed up.)

Whats my family think of me?
Yesterday to Tomorrow - Audioslave

What should I do with my life?
Saturday (Live) - Fall Out Boy (What is it with all the dadaism in this thing?)

What is my signature dancing song?
Always Be - Jimmy Eat World (Strangely, yes. So far, only in the car, but yes.)

What do I think my current theme song is?
Rhythm of the Night - Valeria (Um...never have, never will.)

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Trouble - Dave Matthews (I feel insulted.)

What is my life theme song?
Wishlist - Pearl Jam

What best describes my life?
Introduce the Metric System in Time - The Hives

What best describes my friends?
Twice in Every Show - Spamalot (Um...)

What best describes the person I like?
Once And For All - Newsies!

How will you die?
I'm Not Sleepin' - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (Stupid iTunes. Ask it how I will die, and it says how I won't.)

What describes my worst enemy?
Yesterday's Letter - 98 Degrees

Do I enjoy life?
Bust A Move - Run DMC

Am I a good person?
Crush - Dave Matthews Band

Do I make others happy?
End of the Day - Beck

HOLIDAY IN CAMBODIA!

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:08:01 GMT

1. Put your iTunes on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS! I’m going to skip orchestral songs unless they have an apt title. Aka not ones in foreign languages. K.
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the game as well as the person you got the note from.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY??
I Want You

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Number Five With A Bullet

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Stranglehold

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
A Little's Enough

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Let's Call The Whole Thing Off

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Crush

WHAT IS 2+2?
Be Our Guest

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS?
Fear

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Livin' It Up

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Just The Way You Are

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Mother's Little Helper - WHA? SO WRONG! SO WRONG!

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
The First Drop

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Zero - Though it's actually "Zero" from the soundtrack to The Holiday, so it could be a good thing.

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
A Groovy Kind Of Love - Actually, I am that cheesy.

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
The Great Houdini

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Forecast - Prophecy? Meteorology? You'll never know!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
The Bitch Song - Um...actually, almost all of my friends are women, so while offensive, accurate.

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Did You Get My Message?

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
You - That's right you murdering bastards!

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Highway to Hell - Um...my iTunes is getting creepy.

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Pantala Naga Pampa

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Making Memories Of Us

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Breakfast at Tiffany's

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Rapunzel - Dave Matthews is really aggressive.

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
I Want To Know You More

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Drive Away - I've driven away from a lot of stuff...

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Song Sung Blue

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Holiday in Cambodia

NaNoUpdate

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:06:23 GMT

Twelve thousand words and change. And I'm barely beating Skyla...barely. However, I am on track for 100K by the end of the month, so that's a huge plus. And I have a plot. Even bigger plus. Only minus - I've just discovered that my muse is from Greeley...the town of my bitter rival.

This is going to be a long month ahead, but hopefully I can get to 40K or 50K by the 8th so that I'm not so panicked for the rest of the month.

Yay NaNo!

Why I Support Nader

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:04:21 GMT

So I figured I might as well write up something. I'm not going to go off and bash either candidate for any length of time, even though both scare the hell out of me. Obama's ideas fail to recognize the simple fact that Washington is corporate controlled. We need a freaking Teddy Roosevelt in the office again before we can begin to hope for what Obama is promising he'll do as president. As for McCain, Johnny-come-around-and-support-the-guy-who-made-him-out-to-be-the-freaking-Manchurian-Candidate (yes, that's a lot of hyphens) has chosen a woman VP candidate that has less experience than Obama, when another governor, i.e. Perry, would have been a better choice because said governor knows all about cleaning up George W. Bush's mess. That, and McCain is obviously a wuss when it comes to standing up to his party, seeing as he originally wanted to choose Joe Lieberman. We don't need a guy who only sees half the equation, and we don't need a guy who sees the entire problem and comes up with the wrong solutions. If people voted the issues (and not just ONE ISSUE, i.e. "Oh, he's pro-choice. Screw that, I'm voting for the other guy because he's against abortion," or "Oh, he's for gay marriage. Good, I'll choose him," or, "Oh, he's a solid Christian, so I should support his presidency because no good Christian politician could possibly fall to bribery.") instead of supporting a party because they want to go with somebody they "know" is going to win, Ralph Nader and Bob Barr would probably be getting more votes, simply because they actually are willing to campaign on the issues instead of solely on charisma. Novel concept, I know.

Either way, bullet-point why I support Ralph Nader:

- He wants to reverse US policy in the Middle East. McCain is talking of staying in Iraq "until the job is done", a statement nebulous in its very nature, and echoing Bush quite heavily. Obama's talking eighteen months until withdrawal. The Democrats were in power for TWO YEARS and didn't do so much as pass a resolution forcing the President in to a withdrawal timetable. What makes anybody think they'll be any different with Obama in office. Nader wants us out in six months to a year, as far as military aid goes, and further elections held before we withdraw. As for the Palestine/Israel solution, he wants to censure the Israelis for their military actions against the Palestinians, including blockading the Gaza Strip, and he wants to reach a two-state solution, or at least establish an independent Palestinian state. (I find it ironic that back in 1948, nobody thought to just give Bavaria or Bohemia to the Jews, forcing all the Germans there to move in to what was left of Germany, as a way to punish the society that supported the Holocaust, instead of punishing people who had done nothing wrong. You have to hate the UN sometimes.) Seems to me that it's diplomacy with a freaking huge stick.

- He's pro-union. The real problem with unions these days is that the few that are still left are desperate to keep a grip on what little power they have, so they abuse it to the fullest extent, protecting union workers that don't do their jobs, being unreasonable in negotiations, and taking money that they don't deserve from companies that entered in to agreements with the unions in good faith. If Taft-Hartley were repealed, giving more liberty to people to form unions (point of irony - the Republicans are running ads in Colorado trying to make the Democrats look like the bad guys in the union issues when the Republicans don't even want unions to exist), unions wouldn't feel so threatened, and they might actually be able to stimulate both the economy and workers' rights. It's one of those Tarkin things - the more tightly you squeeze, the more opposition you have. And if the unions that are left feel more and more pressure, they're going to screw with the system.

- He wants to adopt a system known as the National Initiative. Obama says that he wants people realize the citizenry's ability to change the system in Washington. Nader is proposing and would allow for the way to do it - put simply, if enough private citizens get together and bring forth an issue, it can be put on the national agenda. If enough people petition for a national vote on the issue, then it is brought to the national table. Congress has no right to filibuster it or dismiss it, and if it is constitutional, and it receives a majority vote, it passes. The President has no right to veto it, as, instead of overriding a representative democracy, he would be overriding the entire country, which should not be within the President's sphere of power. It allows for people to elect politicians which they believe have the best character, and vote on the issues in a separate sphere.

- He wants to do a lot of things in regards to corporate actions. For example, he wants to crack down on corporate crimes. If a company's top officials commit crimes that cause the company to fold, they don't get off with millions of dollars - they pay off the pensions of their employees. They also don't get off scott free from serving jail time - he wants to increase the Justice Department's corporate prosecution branch s that we can actually handle corporate criminal cases. If a company has repeatedly broken the law, and remains in business, they get no government contracts whatsoever. He wants to end offshore reincorporation so that companies can not simply brush off paying taxes on their profits. He wants to eliminate conflicts of interest in Wall Street trading. And in an interesting twist, he wants to let the share holders in the company decide who the members of the executive board should be - and it makes sense, seeing as they're the people controlling a company in which the shareholders have a vested interest. He wants to reduce runaway executive salaries. People that screw up their job shouldn't be able to walk away with $106 million after losing the company five times that much while lower-level employees barely scrape out a living. He also wants to eliminate corporate welfare/payouts for industries (for example, oil) with proven profitability and no chance of going in to the red any time soon.

- In a separate issue, he wants to end corporate personhood, requiring all companies operating within the United States to get federal charters to continue existence. Screw up enough times, you lose your charter, and therefore your right to do business in the country. Right now, corporations practically control certain parts of the government. Nader thinks it's time to turn things around.

- He wants to adopt a system similar to the NHS in the UK, with all citizens in the US having their health care bought and paid for (mostly) by their taxes. That's not on the board for either candidate, because, guess what, it's the simplest solution. Why should the government have to deal with hundreds of different insurance plans, like Obama's system would do. Obviously, the status quo, which is what McCain supports, isn't working all that well either. Just one national plan covering medically necessary services - that's Nader's idea. And any doctor in the country would be a viable doctor.

I don't quite agree with his ideas on tort law, if only because they would also be applied to the medical field, and I believe that health care is getting more expensive due to frivolous malpractice suits, but hey, if I voted for McCain or Obama, I would support even fewer of their ideas. Plus, with the National Initiative, I would be able to oppose a few of Nader's motions. He's just the best candidate available, because while Obama's rhetoric sounds nice, Nader's plans would do what Obama says his campaign can do - bring hope back to the American citizenry.

Random Thoughts

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:16:59 GMT

I think I've been making more and more mistakes lately, to the point where I'm regretting practically everything I've done since...well, April, pretty much.

Wrong choices in relationships.

Wrong choices financially.

Wrong choices in a job.

And part of me wishes that I could just get hit by a car and leave it at that.

Random boredom requires random activity

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 04:04:36 GMT

So...

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie!!

opening credits: delicate (terence trent d'arby)

Waking Up: "My Hometown" by Bowling For Soup

first day at school: "Sleeping to Dream" by Jason Mraz

falling in love: "Take It To The Limit" by The Eagles

fight song: "Chariot" by Gavin DeGraw

breaking up: "Don't Stop" by The Rolling Stones

prom: "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" by Jim Croce

life: "Dirty Little Secret" by Sarah McLachlan (though it would have been funny if the AAR version came up instead)

mental breakdown: "Daylight" by Coldplay

driving: "Big Blue Note" by Toby Keith

flashback: "Where I End And You Begin" by Radiohead (strangely, this is the most appropriate one yet)

wedding: "Tempus Vernum" by Enya (hmm...apparently it will be dark and ominous)

birth of a child: "27" by Breaking Point (and iTunes really doesn't want me to have a family...)

final battle: "Damn" by Matchbox Twenty

funeral song: "Never Do Anything" by Barenaked Ladies (and apparently my funeral will be funny and ironic)

end credit: "Cello Suite 1" by J.S. Bach

So, yeah...

BALL!

Sat, 10 May 2008 03:33:48 GMT

Saturday is going to rock so much that I think there needs to be a new happy dance. Except that my happy dance will be going to the ball. So I guess the waltz is going to be my official happy dance for the night.

Either way, I know am the proud owner of a top hat, white gloves, and dress shoes with attached spats. And that's only what I bought permanently. What I rented from Wear it Again Sam is quite possibly the coolest thing I've ever worn thus far. It's a grey tuxedo jacket with tails, a somewhat matching tie and vest, and black tuxedo pants. I'm gonna' wear my black tuxedo shirt with it. It's going to look freaking sweet. I realize it's not quite Victorian, but I'm going for Gothic here, so a black shirt seems like it will do. I would go with a walking stick, too, but that seems a bit much, especially since I'll be mostly dancing.

Still, it is gonna' be fun.

DANCE TO THE MUSIC! DANCE TO THE MUSIC!

Alcohol

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 10:14:49 GMT

So, for the alcohol I've had tonight, here are my reactions:

Bass - typical dark beer. Nothing special.

Jose Cuervo - Tastes strangely like a duller version of Jack Daniels. I have no idea why, considering the difference in ingredients, but there you are. Should I go for tequila again, I am definitely ordering something with 100% agape, i.e. true tequila, as opposed to only 60% like Cuervo apparently is.

Some type of vodka whose name I am a bit too buzzed to remember - Due to its pomegranite flavoring, a bit smoother than straight vodka. I liked the fruitiness, really. Too bad I only got one shot of it.

India Pale Ale from a Boulder-based brewery - Like most pale ales I've had, except that it was kind of minty. I don't know if there was any mint in the drink, so it could have actually tasted like pine, but whatever was in there, it was definitely not your typical beer.

So there you go. I had two beers and three shots in the course of an hour, fell asleep on the couch, woke up, was still unfit to drive, and therefore have to walk about two miles to fetch my car which needs to be refueled. But the party was fun either way. And the couch was comfy. I still can't feel my left arm, though.

And that's it. I'm going to bed and I'm probably going to wake up and freak out about losing this book that I just bought until I remember that it's in my car...which is two miles away. Not quite a hangover, but punishment enough to remind me to get a damned ride TO the party when I intend to get drunk even slightly and therefore require a ride FROM the party.

Somebody's hiding a clown in my icebox

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:27:40 GMT

Not really, but it's fun to say. Actually, I got Rock Band...and Guitar Hero 3...for the 360...with all the peripherals for both. So now I've got a four-piece band thingamajig in my dorm room, and roughly $300 more on my credit card. But it is so worth it.

That's really it, actually...

Foolish

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:57:22 GMT

So yesterday, I did something that was definitely something I shouldn't have done. At the time, it felt so right, and then...it suddenly didn't. I realized what I was doing was something that was so wrong that I was struck speechless, and lost myself in emptiness and silence and...nothing and everything, all at once. For just a few seconds, I was completely and utterly aware of everything. Even what was happening in my own heart, which I think I must have been ignoring until then, or what happened would never have happened, and maybe the situation would never have presented itself.

Then again, this was pretty much a culmination of everything I've been ignoring in my life, and in my heart. It was pretty much the wake-up call that showed me that I am selfish, impulsive, sometimes so logical it's unreasonable, and sometimes (it seems) just downright corrupt. More painful to admit is the fact that I've been falling away from God...well, actually, if I'm going to be using figurative language, it's more like I've been dropping from a cliff head-first, and God is up.

I have come to the realization that there are parts of my life that I just can't keep. If I do, the weight is going to crush me, and I'll be lost for the rest of my existence. Some of this is going to be simple, difficult, and some of this is going to be painful, but I can't keep living the way that I have. I can't keep looking in the mirror and feeling ashamed of myself. I have to make what I say I believe is the Truth be the guide to my life. I used to do that...and then I just stopped, and I'm not quite sure when or why or even how.

Still, for whatever reason, I still hope I can find my way. I refuse to let myself go any farther along the way that I have used recently.

For those that read this, pray for me. I need all the help I can get.

I WIN...sort of...

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:34:15 GMT

So, technically, I have won NaNoWriMo. I haven't even finished Episode One yet...I'm kind of close, although I still need to go finish the large space battle, have everybody discover that Jekk's robes are abandoned and his fighter is gone, and then have a nice, sentimental good-bye, as opposed to a gigantic celebration.

Episode 2, Mandalorians have consolidated a strong force from nowhere, it turns out that it's a bunch of clones and Rendili StarDrive helping them along, no large space battle here, just a large ground battle like before, and Palpatine comes in as the leader of the Clone Army, but nobody knows it.

Episode 3, no clue.

So there you are.

What boredom will do to you

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:38:42 GMT

So, once again, I have decided to do one of those weird "soundtrack for your life" things. I'll do an end commentary, but no running commentary.

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend your cool..

Opening Credits:
Rock Your Heart Out - AC/DC

Waking Up:
Still Waiting - Sum 41

First Day At School:
Walking on the Sun - Smash Mouth

Falling in Love:
Tomorrow Comes Today - Gorillaz

Fight Song:
Face Down - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Breaking Up:
Two Beds and a Coffee Machine - Savage Garden

Prom:
Your Time Has Come - Audioslave

Life:
Seek Up - Dave Matthews Band

Zoning out and in a relaxin’ mood:
My Father's House - Audio Adrenaline

Mental Breakdown:
Figure 8 - Trust Company

Driving:
Falling Away From Me - Korn

Drunk out of your skull:
Take It Easy - The Eagles

Flashback:
The Saddest Song - The Ataris

Bachelor party:
Hello Again - Lostprophets

Wedding:
Let It Out - Hoobastank

Honeymoon night! (kinky.. hope for a good song):
A Modern Myth - 30 Seconds to Mars

Birth of Child:
Time Is Running Out - Papa Roach

Final Battle:
I Write Sins, Not Tragedies - Panic! At The Disco

Death Scene:
Everybody (Backstreet's Back) - Backstreet Boys

Funeral:
Light My Way - Audioslave

End Credit:
Bad Day - Daniel Powter

So that's the entire thing. Some of them were perfect, others were iffy, and others made NO SENSE AT ALL. I die to the Backstreet Boys? What the hell? And Audioslave apparently can't help but appearing twice. But there you are. A product of sheer boredom.

Quick thoughts

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 15:24:26 GMT

So I'm going to have to make several mad dashes for NaNo this month, due to my insane goal of 150K. I really shouldn't go to write-ins if I want to get that done, ironically, because I'm far too much of a social being. Then again, I won't be going to that many anyway, except for the last write-in on the 30th at Scimoria, because I'll be out of town. Then again, I might go to the one at the Alley Cat tomorrow, and the next night, and the next night, and the next night.

Still, why I really am posting: some kids at GHS were being stupid and couldn't read. So the set collapsed, seven kids were taken to the hospital, three were kept for observation, and the set for the musical needs to be entirely rebuilt. First dress rehearsal? Yesterday. Opening night? Wednesday. And my mom called and said that instead of the birthday celebration for her that I was expecting, she needs me to help out, if I want. What does this mean?

HEAR I COME TO SAVE THE DAY!

Oh yeah, baby. Fun times, fun times.

Speaking of which, I'd best get going. So there you are.

My laptop sucks

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:10:00 GMT

So I went to the kickoff write-in for NaNoWriMo last night. My battery died after forty minutes, I accidentally dropped my laptop back while I was walking back to the dorms, and it looks like my video card is fried, or my LCD screen has once again kicked the bucket. Honestly, I think I just need a new laptop. Maybe even just a desktop. I'll just go to Best Buy, hand them my laptop, and if it's just the screen, I'll go get a new one...and a keyboard, too, since the laptop would just be in the way after I add the screen to my desk. If it's the video card - I'm going to beg my dad to buy me a new laptop.

I'm currently posting from a computer lab in the Clark building, if you're wondering how I'm accessing the internet or LJ if my screen is just a collection of white, cyan, green, and magenta lines. So there you go. My pathetic excuse for an entry. And now away I go.

NANO!

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:11:45 GMT

I am once again doing NaNoWrimo. I have two goals for this year.

1 - Try to finish a novel in a week to ten days. If I achieve this, then...

2 - Try to write three to four novels in all of November.

The basic reason for this is that I'm doing a retcon (for non comic-book fans, that means a rewrite of the origin story) of Star Wars, specifically Episode One, and, should I feel the need, the rest of the trilogy, too. And, if I wind up having spare time, I might even write a piece that I would be willing to send a publisher.

But that's just me.

So that's the quick, easy update.

Cryptic Blog 3

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:03:38 GMT

You know the drill. And..."Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" is how this starts. Well, that's a little foreboding. Still...let's get down to business, shall we?

I seem to have this tendency to develop feelings (or at least a more-than-friendship interest) in women that, for whatever reason, are not an option. My current interest has sworn off relationships altogether, so telling her anything would result in, at best, nothing except that she'd know, at least, or, at worst, her freaking out and avoiding me forever. Although I could be wrong entirely, and she's just waiting for me to say something. (10:37) And Social Distortion is pretty cool. Speaking of which, this guy I know named Ben gave me a bass guitar. Not like I paid for it, and he gave me one of his old basses - he just gave it to me, free of charge. It's a bit beat up, and it's only a Squire Strat Bass with a single pickup, but it's got some good action to it. He even loaned me a practice amp, although I have to get my own amp at some point, along with a 90-degree cable some Heavy gauge picks for the present. (10:43) It's kind of weird to think that the Goo Goo Dolls used to be a punk rock band. Seriously - their song "Flat Top" is so politically charged it's crazy. Plus, Robby and Johnny both can sing it - they just don't anymore. But Rzenik can play guitar with the best of them. His solos are just...insane. (10:46) Does anybody else think that there's way too much emphasis upon David McSwane for something that at least more than half of the editorial board said was a good idea, and that all of them said they agreed with? CSU is getting blamed for the actions of a small number of students...when CSU doesn't even fund it. Crazy, huh? (10:49) In other news, the Rockies kick ass. And the NL is pretty much crazy. Rockies, Cubs, and Phillies? Then again, Cleveland was also an unexpected leader, so there you go. Too bad I'm working during the game. I just hope the Rox don't go through 9 pitchers again. (10:56) I need to start going back to swing dancing. I've missed it, but I haven't been in the mood. And by the way, Heroes, Ugly Betty, Smallville, and Grey's Anatomy are all back! YESH!

And that's a wrap. (11:01)

Knights of the Old Republic

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:40:11 GMT

SO...how can you make a bigger twist than having Darth Vader be the protagonists father?

If the protagonist turns out to be an AMNESIAC EX-LORD OF THE SITH, that's how!

This is the sweetest addictive video game on the planet.

And once I get done with this, I'm going to do it again, with only one thing in mind:

What would Revan do?

Cryptic Blog 2

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:29:32 GMT

Once again, another cryptic blog. Basic idea - I turn on my laptop's music player, set it to shuffle, and just start writing a stream of consciousness thing until I feel like I can't write anything else, or at least I tire of writing anything else. Yay for random comments and non sequitur.

So I know I talk too much during movies. WAY too much. In fact, I think I'm just going to shut up and never watch movies with anybody but myself. Fact is that I just can't seem to find anybody who likes to pseudo-MST movies. Seriously - nobody appreciates that movies were made so somebody could comment on them. Unlike the live theatre, where random comments and talking distract the actors, it's not like the people on the screen are going to say, "Hey, you - shut up!" Odd thing - Paramore sounds a lot like Flyleaf. *Shrug* Guess it's a metal-band-with-a-female-singer thing. "Hello Lonely" by Theory of a Deadman is playing. Weird thing - a lot of people seem to be in relationships, while I seem to be chronically single. Then again, I'm an insufferable flirt and a raging heterosexual, so that might be part of the problem. I want to find one person to be with, but figuring out who is...difficult. Man, the sun is irritating sometimes. Especially when it causes sleep deprivation. Seriously. I need to find my old nalgene. Or maybe just a new caribbeaner (did I spell that right?), 'cause the ones they hand out with the new Nalgenes are WAY too small. I really prefer Blink-182 songs where Mark sings, with the exception of "I'm Lost Without You". Dunno why. Vocal thing, I guess. The dorm rooms seriously need a pantry in them. The only people that can have anything closely resembling that are people in singles that can use the other closet for whatever they want - clothes, board games, paintball gear, lightsabers, food...you get the picture. Honestly, whoever hates country music just doesn't listen to it enough. Does anybody else think that we should just string up somebody by their ankles as a manner of execution? I personally think that a red-out would be far more painful than asphyxiation - and executions are about revenge, aren't they? Then again, death in any form is probably a bad thing, really, at least when it's the killing of another human being, whether or not they deserve it. Irony - Death Cab just came up.

Either way, I'm done for now. The shower is calling, and I think I'm gonna' answer.

Cryptic Blog 1 - Idea stolen from Matt Hardy

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 03:32:59 GMT

It's kind of strange, the thoughts to which one's mind drifts when nothing is happening to allow one to become distracted. At the moment, my mind is drifting to past relationships. I think that I'll just go with a train of thought here, a la Matt Hardy - put the iTunes on shuffle, and just start writing whatever the heck comes to mind. Right now, I'm listening to MCR's "Hang 'Em High". Good song, really. Anyway, the fact of the matter is that it seems that many of the relationships that I've had that fell apart seemed like they were good for me, but in retrospect, they fell apart because they weren't good for me. In fact, in retrospect, they were all bad relationships, which fell apart because they needed to. Irony - "Fix You" by Coldplay is on now, and I was about to say something about how the relationships that I had fell apart partially because we couldn't accept each other as we were. Or maybe the other person couldn't accept me as I am. Or vice versa. However, whatever it was, it was something founded upon false expectations and suppositions about how the other person should be, or who he or she should become. That, and it was just back-and-forth sniping. There wasn't any respect or comradeship - in fact I'm not quite sure why I was in some of them.

And I dated one of the people I'm thinking of, too. More often than not, even though I treated her with respect (with a couple of exceptions, for which I blame my temper and occasional stubbornness) - flirting, talking, whatever - but her way to relate was to cut me down, or just roll her eyes at the things that I liked. I always supported her, tried to help her, what have you - but the best she did was that she was happy to have me in her life. Come to that, I don't even know why I dated the girl - I knew it was bound to end when I started. *Shrug* At the time, I thought it was the best part of my life. When I ended it, I thought I was doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. In retrospect, I left for the right reasons, and it was the right thing. I was with her because I liked being with somebody, and she was with me because I was the best guy that she'd been with (which is saying very little of the guys she's dated, to be sure). Not much of a basis of a relationship. More irony - "Can't Get Enough of You Baby" by Smash Mouth is currently on. TOTALLY not the mood. In fact...*Clicks to next song*. "Incense and Peppermints" by Strawberry Alarm Clock. Hmm...well, can't win 'em all.

Another friend - tried dating, didn't work, now completely indifferent to each other.

"Ready to Die" by Andrew W.K. What made me borrow this CD and put it on my computer?

Anyways, third friend, for some reason, it just became really awkward, he started taking everything as an insult, and over-dramatized a crapload. We hardly talk anymore.

In other news, I went to Blackhawk today and blew $55. I should have left the table when I had $90 and they changed the dealer, but instead, I lost it all. Sucks, huh? I was planning to go to Vegas yesterday, but the flights were all crowded, and standby passengers wound up taking the seats that would have belonged to myself and my dad had they not decided to be insufferably impatient. *Shrug* Well, it was only going to be for a day. It isn't like the city's going anywhere.

And that's about it for now, really. I'm finishing this blog with "Scents and Subtle Sounds" by Phish. This group is really growing on me.

Either way, adios!

Lightsaber update

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 04:37:14 GMT

So I figured out the scanner. With the help of Paint.net (thank God - and the wonderful college students and graduates that program these things - for freeware), I actually managed to make what was a pretty rough sketch into some pretty nice images. I don't know if any of them will actually fit into an e-mail attachment, so I might have to shrink the regular image down a bit if I order it. Still, it's pretty cool. I even figured out how to make my lightsaber truly unique - the emitter assembly isn't steel, aluminum, or even the made-up gold-colored electrum. Nope. It's copper. And do you know why? Because I can. Plus, a copper emitter assembly is pretty dang cool. They don't have them in the movies, they don't have them in fan films, and they don't have them in the comics that I know of. Therefore, it will be something truly personalized.

In other news, my work schedule sucks as far as seeing ANYBODY. Mondays and Tuesdays off...yeah, that's really gonna' allow me to see friends. I'm either going to have to get to know people at work fairly well, or just become a shut-in. Honestly, if I can't get a better schedule during the school year on part-time, I'm just going back to janitorial work at Ingersoll and Edwards.

That's about it.