The Torrent

So the onslaught of children comes to an end. After pretty much emptying the entire bowl before my estimated cut-off time (8:30, and it emptied at about 8:10) I now retreat to my room, PS2 in tow, to resume my hermit's life.

The volume of trick-or-treaters was pretty large this year. This neighborhood seems to have more children than the last one we lived in. A few people my age also came to the door (a few guys in camos, a girl in a tube top, and a pair of football players).

And to commemorate the occasion...I finally beat Halloween Town on Kingdom Hearts. Joyous day indeed.

So here I sit, in my mechanic's coverall, and a bandana tied over my head pirate-style. Tapping away at this keyboard, listening to Castlevania music (ironically, not the scary stuff...)

Now I must check Homestar Runner to see if the halloween cartoon is up yet. And if it's not...then...screw them anyhow.

Tune: Symphony of the Night - Vampire Killer Fusion Rock Remix (Saturn version)
Game: Kingdom Hearts, Katamari Damacy, Timesplitters 2

When I look at you, I'm reminded of everything I hate about myself. You know, it hurts. --Nicholas D. Wolfwood, "Trigun"

This World Is Made Of Love And Peace

Since the completion of El-Hazard, I've been watching quite a lot of Trigun. It's awesome. Really really awesome. (Awesome enough to warrant a reference in the title of this entry.)

And of course, what better way to watch anime than on a TV? Watching it on a monitor just sucks! I love my S-Video cable!

I conclude this entry with a picture of Mr. Chopter, my creature that I made in Graffiti Kingdom (which has, sadly, gone back to Blockbuster). (Oh, um, by the way, that's a tail that you see on his back, not...whatever else you think it might be.)

The Loner

So for those who missed the last (hundred) entries: I'm lonely, I'm friendless, and looking for someone to talk to in person for a while. I applied to Yahoo Personals and gave up in the middle because of browser difficulties (even in IE).

And now I'm sitting here, waiting for another episode of Trigun to download to pass the time in this place.

Screw this...on with the dailies.

Tune: Shape Da Future (yet again...)
Game: Picross 2 (GB)

Otacon: Snake, you of course know the saying, "All for one, one for all"? It's from The Three Musketeers...the book, not the candy bar.

The Number One

This entry really isn't about anything. I'm just not feelin' up to writing much today. But I may as well post anyway, so you guys at least know that I'm alive (and so I can push that Jack Thompson entry down another notch).

Tune: SimCity 4 - The New Hood
Game: Ehrgeiz: Brand New QUEST - The Mysterious Dungeon
Anime: Trigun ("Wah ha ha! I'm like a sitting duck over here!")

Millie: What makes you think we're going to get through to them this time?
Meryl: [holding up a box of donuts] I've got a thirty-pack!
Millie: Smooth, ma'am!

A Cursed Gift

Makoto: Mr. Fujisawa, I figured out what turns you into Superman. Being sober. The less you drink, the stronger you get.
Fujisawa: That's it? Well, I'll be damned if that's not a cursed gift.

Yes, I'm still watching El-Hazard. And I'm still loving it.

But Mr. Fujisawa's super powers led me to wonder if perhaps I have some kind of special ability that's triggered by withdrawal. I mean, I could just sit around and play video games all day and be none the wiser, but if I spend a whole day without them, maybe I could punch holes in walls...or write really awesome novels...or something.

Or maybe my ability is the opposite. Perhaps I can become super-charged by playing something like Doom. Wait, that's not a very good example at all.

I decided to start a whole new community from scratch with a few of my friends - I call it The Writers' Guild. This spawned from the fact that there are no general-purpose writing forums out there. There's forums for science-fiction, forums for fantasy novels, forums for independent biographies...sites dedicated to fiction, or fan-fiction...but nothing that's just plain ol' writing. Writing for the sake of writing, posting comments about other peoples' writing, maybe a little freeform roleplaying thrown in the mix.

So far I've got two administrators (me and Wervyn) and a host/site designer (Seven).

I won't bother with a link until we've finalized where we're located - right now, the Guild is located at a temporary InvisionFree forum.

Tune: Supertramp - Bloody Well Right
Game: Graffiti Kingdom (PS2) - Rented it yesterday, and love it. The ability to draw your own characters to put in the game is fun, and sometimes just downright hilarious. I drew a gigantic boot and sent it stomping across the levels, pounding enemies flat.

Get Outta Here, You Two

Much fun is to be had. Except now.

Yes, I'm still going through my withdrawal - only made worse by the fact that I made the idiotic decision to consume a 12 ounce can of Mountain Dew with lunch (thus speeding up my typing speed, and also my error rate).

Not even a fast-paced game of Doom can drain this energy. I have all kinds of bottled up power that I could be using on something - but I don't have an outlet. I wish I had a punching bag sometimes so I could perform some Hyper Fujisawa Kicks on it. (Wait...never mind. Fujisawa gets his powers from alcohol and tobacco withdrawal, not caffiene.)

Tune: Deus Ex 2 - Trier Streets
Game: Hardwood Solitaire 3 (with my port of the official El-Hazard card deck)

Guard: Hey! Who are you?
Sam Fisher: Pretend I'm Harry Tubman.
Guard: Who?
Sam Fisher: I'm an ill-tempered, heavily-armed heating engineer asking about your ventilation system.

Jack Thompson Is A Big Fat Idiot (And Other Observations)

The following entry is intended as a simple light-hearted look at just what's happening in the whole Jack Thompson deal these days. My apologies if this offends Mr. Thompson, and apologies in advance to Al Franken, whose book "Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot (And Other Observations)" served as the inspiration for this entry's title.

So it all starts when Jack Thompson, in an attempt to copycat Jonathon Swift's A Modest Proposal (in which he details that poor families and children be eaten to help overpopulation and increasing food costs), writes his own modest proposal for a video game. In summary, the game proposal involves a man named Osaki Kim, whose son is brutally murdered by a 14-year-old video gamer with a baseball bat. He seeks bloody revenge against video gamers and the corporate execs who make the games they play. Jack adds in his open letter that, should such a game be produced and distributed to the general public, he will donate $10,000 USD to the preferred charity of Paul Eibler, the CEO of Take Two Interactive.

The saga heated up when the freeware games and mods communities decided to take Jack up on his offer - several text adventures and a modification for GTA: San Andreas (as well as a cancelled Doom engine game) were created, based on the original proposal to some extent or another. But guess what? Apparently he was kidding. Everyone that's submitted their finished game to him has had the aforementioned charity deal denied.

But...He Who Laughs Last, Laughs Best. Gabe and Tycho, the brains behind Penny Arcade, decided to do Jack's job for him by donating $10,000 of their own money to the ESA Foundation charity (they predict that Paul Eibler wouldn't have done otherwise). But get this - they did it under the name of Jack Thompson.

So far, Jack has contacted not only Penny Arcade, but also Joystiq (whom I've been linking all these articles from), stating that what has been posted is "completely false and defamatory" and gives them both an "or else" threat. I can only wonder why he resorts to such childish threats - considering he's apparently a law school graduate, he most likely would have been able to come up with a better threat than that. Or does he see the games industry as a bunch of children, and refuses to treat them any differently?

Whatever the case may be, the donation has already been made, the words have been said, and there is no way they can be revoked now. Not unless Thompson somehow takes all these websites offline and sues the ESA Foundation out of their $10,000.

The Usual Lament

Anybody that doesn't like reading angsty "I Suck So Bad" journals might be better off playing Doom or something. Anybody else...read on. Even though it's probably nothing you haven't seen before.

Today, because I had nothing better to do, I looked at my AIM buddy list really hard. I thought about all the people I met - particularly the girls - and I thought to speak to any one of them.

One girl was away. Another was online, but upon speaking to her, I discovered that she was very busy with other things at the moment and had forgotten to put on an away message. Yet another still didn't respond when I sent her a message - she was likely even busier.

The one girl that was left was one I hadn't spoken with in a while. I regretted that I never bothered to say hello. It didn't seem to matter though...but when it all comes down to it, this is nowhere near the amount of satisfaction I'd get if I had a friend right next to me that I could speak freely with rather than typing things back and forth.

What I would give to at least have a Google Talk conversation - then, at the very least, I would have a voice to listen to. Because the human voice lacks the one main tool of deception...the backspace key. One could easily just delete what they've typed if it doesn't sound convincing enough.

If I knew of anyplace to go to find a friend to speak with, I would most certainly go there. Seriously. I'm rotting away in this house. I never go outside because there is absolutely no reason for me to be out there (especially in this weather). I don't have anyplace to walk to aside from other houses - and what's the point if I don't know anyone living in this area?

I still have my parents to talk to, but I feel as if I'm gaining yet more distance from them as I go on with life. Everything seems to be changing so much these days that I don't know what to expect from either of them, and that the only constant is that they are my parents.

I don't blame anybody for what's happened to me - not even myself. I feel that this just happened of its own accord. Because it was meant to happen. If I hadn't been isolated all this time...I would probably have degenerated to the same low that several people at school had gone to (the "peace out dawg foo gangsta yo" types).

So I bring yet another sappy story to a close. I hope you all enjoyed this...and I also hope that someone comes over to visit me, because really, I'm beginning to lose myself (beginning to? phht).

Tune: Blind - F-Zero Megamix Part 2
Game: Haven't played a thing all day

Love And Marriage

Today marks a special day in my brother's life.

While things might not be going entirely perfect for him at home (I can't really vouch for anything since I don't live there, obviously), there is one thing that can always be counted on - love.

It was today at around lunch time that a small gathering of people arrived at our house for a ceremony. I was assigned the duty of taking pictures, while Dad manned the (borrowed) camcorder.

It was Wedding Day for big bro, and I wasn't about to let anything go wrong.

So I took all kinds o' pictures - more than enough to fill up the small memory card (I actually had to rush to my computer and download the pictures from it between the ceremony and the reception before anything outrageous happened - like somebody getting cake in their face).

I also had the sense to hook up the camcorder to my WinTV to dump the video into a DivX file or something - unfortunately, though, it wouldn't output anything. I was very sad.

I'll always have the memories. And the pictures. And I'm not going to post them on here unless Zach approves of it (and naturally, not all of them - too darn many).

Tune: Zimmer - Theme from Rainman (Synthesizer Greatest Vol. 2)
Game: Dragon Quest 8 demo disc
Download: TrackMania Original demo

[Tera] My True Calling

Well, I've done it. I've signed up for medical school.

I consider myself a smart person. I've dodged away from the work force for a while now, only doing odd jobs once in a while to support myself. Then I decided to move in with Rick...and the rest is history. But things are changing - I want to do something more with my life instead of just handing out free meal tickets to the homeless.

So what better way to capitalize on my hobbies than to become a nurse...or a doctor? I hear most hospitals around these days are really hurting for help. (Well, that, and Rick insisted that I try and find a job. The only things I really want to do involve helping people, and they mainly require a medical education, so...)

I guess we're long overdue for a honeymoon. I promised Rick that we'd go after I finish my schooling (a two-year accelerated course - because my placement test scores were through the roof).

As I write this, Rick is in the living room enjoying his new Dragon Quest VIII demo that he recieved in the mail today. Of course, when I recieved the email message from my friend on the Internet, it was intended that I be the one playing it, but Rick seemed more interested in it than I was.

Gear is resting on my lap, purring like a lawnmower as usual. I feel guilty about having to get out of this chair so soon, now that he's gotten comfortable, but I just have to. I need to make dinner soon anyway.

My current mood: Fulfilled
The Desktop Philharmonic is playing: Johannes Brahms - Hungarian Dance No.5
What I'm playing: BookWorm Deluxe

Gotta Look Good For The Telly

(For those that care: I'm sorry I haven't been writing any Rick and Tera entries lately. I have a lot on my mind and can't be bothered to work with those characters...especially when I'm busy writing with other, new ones like Krillian Devine.)

On to the blog entry...

I've been staring at this one page at Radio Shack's online catalog for a while now - a six-foot S-Video cable for $7. Why would I be looking at such a simple piece of electronics hardware? Well, I discovered a month ago (geez, has it been that long?) that my computer's video card has an S-Video output on it. Using this output, I can configure my driver settings to use my TV as a second display. Of course, the clarity leaves to be desired, which is why I have a magnifier program installed.

So I asked Dad about buying a cable for me - specifically, if he could spare about $7 to pick one up at the store while he was off buying cables to set up his Technics stereo equipment to record his record albums to MP3's - and he got out of his chair, paced to the other side of the room, and picked out of a seemingly random cardboard box...the exact cable that I wanted to order.

Dad: So, do you want to give me those $7 now, or later?
Me: Umm...

So I eagerly hooked the stuff up. The TV initially displayed the Windows XP startup logo on booting, which told me that it worked at the very least (even though it really isn't the XP startup logo - it's a special skin I set up for it). I then went into my driver settings to get it running.

I had four different options, lo and behold. I could set it up as a clone display, which would show on the TV the exact thing that was happening on my monitor. I could set it up vertically, where the Windows desktop would split into a top and bottom half, and the TV would represent the top half of the desktop. I could make it horizontally and have the TV represent the right side, at a lower resolution so I could read everything without a magnifier. Or I could set it up with DualHead mode, which I didn't understand, so I skipped that part.

Alas, Clone display ultimately suited my needs. Soon after setting the thing up, I was playing Sega Saturn games at their original resolution and color fidelity. I was playing Vectorman without losing the clarity of the text to a blurring effect. I had Final Fantasy V running, though it was letterboxed on the screen because I couldn't set it up any closer to the original SNES resolution without crashing the program.

Then I started watching videos, using my PS2 controller as the mouse, a magnifier to help me find my way, and the monitor switched off and resting.

And believe me - E3 trailers are nothing when they're shown on a monitor. You have to watch them on a TV to get the full effect. Especially Alan Wake.

Tune: Kingdom Hearts - Dive into the Heart: Destati (custom loop of the battle theme from the game's introduction)
Game: Panzer Dragoon Saga, disc 2 of 4
Anime of the moment: El-Hazard - The Magnificent World

Too Dark

A webcomic has been circulating the Internet these days entitled Nana's Everyday Life - I'll spare you all the link because it is really awful. Awful not just in quality, but also in how much utterly tasteless humor I have seen in it. If you value your sense of humor, do not attempt to look for this comic. I have warned you.

Now on to the real rant - back in the old days, comic strips were usually very simple three-panel affairs that took a generic situation and got a good laugh out of it. Usually through usage of word-play, anticipatory humor (like a guy about to get hit with a brick), innocent slapstick, or making fun of a situation people have been in before (example: Dilbert). Whenever I get a chance, I still read these old-style newspaper comics, and I even monitor a few web-based comics like Fear the Physics.

I notice plenty of comics out there, however, that rely on dark humor to convey a message. I understand that this type of humor appeals to some people, but seeing it spread like wildfire across nearly twelve forums that I keep an eye on has sickened me. Especially when said forums are intended for people aged twelve to eighteen years of age (like DigitalMZX). And when people are spontaneously sending me instant messages giving me blind links labelled HEY THIS IS THE GREATEST THING EVAR! What the crap is wrong with people that they think I of all people would enjoy crap like this?! I'd rather stick to my Garfield comics, thank you very much! At least they don't involve some poor little girl getting tortured!

Now that I have spoken my mind (and apologies to those who decided to stop reading because I was ranting), here be the dailies.

Tune: Russell Cox - Sneaky Treasure Hunter
Game: Kingdom Hearts

[Dr. House is seeing a patient whose skin is bright orange seeking treatment for back pain]

House: Unfortunately, you have a deeper problem. Your wife is having an affair.
Patient: What?
House: You're *orange*, you moron. And it's one thing for you not to notice, but if your wife hasn't picked up on the fact that her husband has changed colours, she's just not paying attention.

There Are Sandbags On My Bed

It's hard to play Time Crisis on my bed. I thought it was a cool idea at first - but lying down puts me at a low angle to the TV, making it difficult to aim high. So I set up a stack of pillows and folded blankets as sandbags - that didn't really help much, because it only promoted straining my arms (ouch...that'll teach me to try and shoot gangsta-style).

So I switched to Timesplitters: Future Perfect instead, and set myself up in a one-on-twelve bot match on the Siberia deathmatch map. Realistic weapons only (no dispersion guns, no SBP500's, just Lugers, revolvers and SMG's), Russian bots, all of them on Skill 1.

Got my butt handed to me about 15 times, but killed them about 95 times.

Then I got bored and wrote a blog entry. And you're reading it right now.

So there you have it. The highlights of my day. I now have sandbags on my bed, my arm hurts, and I have learned never to take on an army of 12 unless I'm equipped with a minigun.

Or else I'll set the weapons up to sniper rifles only and one-hit kills.

Tune: Need for Speed 3 - Snow Bags
Game: I wish it were Shenmue 2, but I'm holding off until I get the XBox version

Lambert: We need to figure out of Soth is a terrorist or an American.
Sam: Those things aren't mutually exclusive.
Lambert: Hippy.

Well, Stomp On Frogs And Shove A Crowbar Up My Nose

I shaved today. I'm a new man.

Tune: Evolution - Animal Attack
Game: Whatever I can find...Ragdoll Masters, Pogo Sticker, anything
Crazy Infuriating Web Link Of The Moment: This article on Joystiq - Jack Thompson proposes a violent game to be created and published

Man Watching Television With Volume At Zero

Ladies and gentlemen...pictures.



Firstly, a lovely look at my Windows XP desktop. I removed the taskbar altogether and replaced it with a few StarDock Object Desktop applications - the tabs on the top and the dock at the right are courtesy of ObjectDock, which mimics the Mac OS X "dock" system (and makes a darn cool taskbar replacement too). The bar at the bottom is SysMetrix, a system resource monitor, but it also includes a few extras in the skin (CandyGlass1024) - these include an analog clock, an uptime monitor, network activity indicators, volume controls, a color grabber, and a Winamp remote control bar. The cursor is from the AniChrome set for CursorXP, and I have many other effects (like the re-engineered icon style) from WindowFX, WindowBlinds, and IconPackager.



A candid picture of the weirdo that writes this crap every day. I'm in costume - my mechanic's coverall will be complemented on Halloween night with a bandanna tied over my head, and some grease on my face. Maybe I'll stick a wrench in my pocket too.



This is a picture of my old computer on its desk. I have taken to calling this desk (and the computer) Lord Greystoke. Note also the certificate of excellence and the fedora.



Greystoke sitting next to the computer that I'm writing this on. You can also see in this picture my huge garbage can, the Garfields on my left speaker, and Odie perched upon my monitor. The poster on the right is from Secret of Monkey Island, and the coaster underneath the second can of sprite is actually a copy of Tomb Raider. "Ah, Ms. Croft! Let us see you escape this time!"



A vertical shot of my desk, with the printer and stereo system on top of it, plus a look at "El Gigantor" - my nine-story CD rack.



Another, clearer shot of El Gigantor, also showing my dresser, my TV, and how El Gigantor also serves as a holster for my GunCon 2. (Note as well my bed near the bottom of the shot. With the proper back support, I could lie in bed and still gun down those baddies in Time Crisis.



And on the other end of my bed, in the corner by the closet (which I will not elaborate on), is my end table. The whimsical lamp belonged to my grandfather, and the bookshelf contains my Garfield book collection and the box for Time Crisis 2 from when I bought it at Fry's a year ago.

I hope you enjoyed the crappy collection of oversized images. We now present to you the Dailies.

Tune: Deus Ex 2 - Trier Streets
Game: Descent 3
Download: CursorXP

Adjournment

Graham: Your Honor, I wish to call for an adjournment.
Judge: An adjournment? Certainly not!
Graham: <stands up - loud foghorn sound>
Judge: Why on earth didn't you say why you wanted an adjournment?
Graham: I couldn't think of an acceptable legal phrase, m'lud.

Tune: Jet Set Radio Future - Shape Da Future...again
Game: Find The Easter Eggs In Your Borrowed Copy Of Strongbad_email.exe Disc 4
Download: Ragdoll Masters

Sam: Bad news.
Guard: Agh! I knew it! I knew there were ninjas around here!
Sam: What?
Guard: Yeah, you've gotta be a ninja. How else could you sneak up and grab me like that?
Sam: Listen, I don't know what -
Guard: Wow! A real, live, ninja! I can't believe it!
Sam: Listen, I'm going to kill you if -
Guard: Wow! Killed by a ninja... cool!

And I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Take a good look at this picture. I created it over three years ago as part of a graphic arts class - it's the front cover of a fake CD album that I made (with the inspiration and name coming from my brother's one-man-band project). I dug through my old DeviantArt pictures and found this, and considered it rather...lacking.

So, you done looking at the picture? Good, here's another one to look at!



I completely remade the picture, using nothing but Google Image Search sources. Not one graphic (aside from the ASCII smiley in the monitor) was my own original creation. In all, I used four source pictures (again, not counting the ASCII smiley) to create this piece - I had to split the monitor into three pieces to get it to look correct (the neck below the coat, the monitor itself, and the screen to overlay on the smiley so it appeared that it was actually displayed on the monitor and not a sticker placed on top of it). In all, it took me about an hour to make, using Jasc Paint Shop Pro 9.

I just love the way it turned out. And hey, it's wallpaperable too!

Tune: Richard Jacques - Everybody Jump Around (Jet Set Radio)
Game: Rose Online open beta
Character: Master Dragoon Krillian Devine

Is She The One They Call Fortune?

Those Chinese are a mysterious bunch. They have their myths and mysteries just like everybody else in every other culture in the world, but what really gets me is these fortune cookies. They seem to have a rejuvenating quality in their taste, and another perk is the vague fortunes that pop out.

So when my mother ordered Chinese food last night, I was interested in what my fortune told me this time.

Where there is doubt, there is truth.

I don't understand it at all. So what was my first thought on how to interpret it? Why, ask Otacon of course!

Otacon: "Where this is doubt, there is truth." Let's see here...that means that if you think something isn't quite right, or if you have trouble believing something, give it another look - because you might be wrong. It never hurts to double-check. If you think there was a guard around the corner, take another look to make sure.

Snake: What, you're getting your proverbs out of fortune cookies now?

Otacon: Now why would you think something as absurd as that?

Snake: Think about it, Otacon. That sure doesn't sound like Confucius material to me.

Otacon: ....

Snake: My, how the tables have turned.

Tune: Disco Dan - Load/Save The Last Trip Hop For Me
Game: Rose Online beta test, if they'd send me the stupid validation email already
Download: PANICS - People Acting Normal In Crazy-ass Situations

One Word Can Bring You Round

The YES fans out there know what I'm talking about already. (You viewers at home: the answer should be appearing on your screen shortly.)

Charles: What sport is Wimbledon famous for?
[long pause]
Carol: ...Cricket!

Things change. So the wedding I spoke of last post can't happen on Saturday - someone got sick. Ah well, less of a ton o' bricks now. (Screw you, ton of bricks. I don't care about your XBox 360 games.)

The Doom movie is supposed to be coming sometime this month. I intend to see it. I've been hearing all kinds of wacky rumors about it, but I refuse to hear them.

If you expected any kind of real content to this post aside from random tomfoolery, forget it. Here come the dailies and the quote.

Tune: Die Hard Trilogy (PSX game) - Dulles Int'l Airport Stage 2
Game: MapleStory
Download: MapleStory

Anna: The Maria Narcissa.
Sam: Sounds like your setting me up for another blind date.
Anna: The Maria Narcissa is a boat.
Sam: So was the last girl you set me up with.
Anna: Fisher!
Sam: Sorry.

Modest Occasion

My brother called today and let us know that he's getting married. The wedding is supposed to be happening at his apartment, this weekend (the time is undecided as of yet, but we've confirmed that it's Saturday).

I take this moment to give congratulations to my dear brother, and wish him best of luck in his future endeavors.

On a different note: things are still just as boring in my life as they have been for the past month. I sit around and do nothing.

I need a girlfriend, don't I? Or maybe a job (HINT HINT, FUTURE EMPLOYER!). Or a new game system.

Tune: Jet Set Radio Future - Shape Da Future
Game: Doom
TV Show: Monty Python's Flying Circus

Oh, since I just finished off all the Snake/Otacon series quotes...I'll have to come up with other things to throw at you. So here's a bit off the other end of the Tactical Espionage Action set - Sam Fisher and the Third Echelon team.

Sam: Lasers? Lasers are so...
Anna: Nineties?
Sam: I was going to say "seventies." Could you please stop making me feel old?
Anna: I've got bad news for you, Sam. You are old.

Application Anxiety

So I haven't heard back from the place yet about my job application. I'm already considering filing one for another business, mainly because at this point I just want something to do for money. Even if it's Burger King. After all, back in the day, flipping burgers was the job.

In other news: Weasel flexes his voice acting muscle! I recorded some sample lines for a project that I'm working on with a few friends of mine, and they were met with good comments. I have a few more roles I might do. Heck...maybe I could start making Audio Blogs or something...y'know, turn this place into even more of a gimmick (who writes blogs as a fictional character these days, anyway?! Geez!)

In the world of video games...I beat Indigo Prophecy yesterday and looked through the bonus materials. There's a hidden dance floor minigame featuring many of the characters in the game in odd pairs (for some reason, the game's director is dancing with the female lead character). There's also an ice-skating contest, and a few "gag" videos (like a martial arts fight scene between a police detective and the crazy librarian, Takeo). It's worth the time I spent picking up those "Bonus" cards in game. (After I was through watching "Fist of Takeo," I promptly uninstalled the game and filed the disc away in my Archives.)

Tune: Ailsean & Kaijin - Bloody Hell!
Game: Doom
Download: Harvey Danger - Little By Little (Complete Album)

Otacon: Do you know the saying, "One forgets the hurt once the wound is healed?" And that of course means...um...(oh, where'd I put that piece of paper?)

Snake: Did you say something?

Otacon: N-no, nothing! So...um...forgetting the pain when the wound is healed means...um...that you have to get better fast! Yeah, that's it! So stock up on those rations and bandages!

Snake: Is that really all it means?

Otacon: Hey, I'm the expert here!

Rejoice

Those of you that own a copy of Doom, Doom 2, or Final Doom, download this file and rejoice. Therein contains the final version of Cold Hard Cash, the latest complete gameplay conversion to come from the quartermaster's office at the Doom Armory. Mug hellspawn and steal their lunch money. Buy new and interesting tools of destruction. Let loose your inner impulse shopper and destroy Baphomet's legions - and make a profit while you do it.

You may have heard of the mod on Doomworld, NewDoom, the EDGE forums, Doom Armory itself, or even PlanetDOOM (once they get their butts in gear and approve the news I sent to them!). Feedback is a-rollin' in.

Tune: Disco Dan - Snake Man Get Down
Game: Take a wild guess
Occupational Status: Have not been contacted yet (didn't expect to within a day)

Otacon: The Chinese have a saying... "Those who are lost, never question a path; and a drowning man doubts not the shallows." And it means...it means that you need to make use of other peoples' help, otherwise you could be in trouble. If you're lost, you don't even know that a road you come across is the right one. And...uh...what's the difference between shallow and deep if you've already drowned? Right? Anyway, the point is that help is always a good thing to accept. So make good use of the CODEC.

Snake: Look, this stuff seems nothing like what Mei Ling used to talk about!

Otacon: Hey, she couldn't do better herself!

Snake: ...ugh...

Apple Lee Cajun

Turned in my job application this morning. I hope to hear back soon so I can make money.

Tune: Adhesive Boy - Da Phunky Forest
Game: Doom, what else?

Otacon: "Acquaintances agree; friends argue." That's a straightforward one. The better friends you are, the more openly you can disagree with each other. So feel free to present a counter-point if you don't agree with what I'm saying. Argue away.

Snake: Sure, alright.

Otacon: Not a promising start...okay, forget what I said. Just go along with my advice.