Monday, December 10, 2007

Northern Lights

For some reason, the book (and the movie, unless I'm mistaken) goes by this name - rather than The Golden Compass - in every English-speaking country in the world aside from the US. I wish I could explain that, because it seems silly to me to have a different title in the States.

Anyhow, Samantha and I went to go see The Golden Compass last night. We were at a fairly late showing on a Sunday, and even though the theater was small, there was still a good crowd there to see the film - mostly young adults and couples. In fact, an elderly couple decided to sit themselves down right next to us, and I remember at least once during the movie the woman turning to the man and asking "what's going on?" It was amusing. ( ;


I really enjoyed the movie, although it had some flaws that bugged me some. F'rinstance, there was little exposition to give details about what was actually going on in the world. We were about the Witches and the Gyptians long before we actually knew what they were (unless you'd recently read the books) and even then, I only had a vague idea of why they were important. Although I haven't read it since I was probably 14 or 15, I seem to remember things being far more well-integrated in the book. And although I'm offering some critique because of the lack of exposition, I've got exactly the opposite concern as well - I got the impression that The Golden Compass wanted to be an epic children's action movie, but there was too much talking and not enough action for it to achieve that goal. The landscapes and music in the movie were beautiful, though. It's a real, unfortunate shame that half the time I could have easily believed I was watching Van Helsing or listening to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. In fact, one of the main themes from Golden Compass sounded note-for-note almost the same as one of the themes from LotR. Wild, huh?

There was one scene that really stood out to me, and that I really, truly enjoyed...although almost certainly for all the wrong reasons. In this scene, Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) is exploring some far northern realm and is attacked by longarm-wielding hunters native to the arctic, mountainous terrain. At that point I turned to Samantha and said, "Wait a minute...I'm confused. Why is James Bond being attacked by Tuskan Raiders on Hoth?"

Yeah...

And so it goes. Today is the first day of exams, so I'm off to grab a bite to eat and finish a load of laundry before I have to go into my afternoon exam.

PLUR!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Interesting...

9:21 am: it's barely perceptible unless you're really paying attention, but it appears to be snowing. It's a shame that the flakes are almost too small to notice, and that it's too warm for them to stick to anything. Even a light dusting - just enough to "frost" things with snow - would be nice.

Hope your day is a wonderful one!

PLUR!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

eWalden

So, I'm at work scrubbing the floors (it's amazing what kind of "jack-of-all-trade" work you get yourself into when you enter the food service industry), and I realize that in a lot of ways, I am similar to Henry David Thoreau. We are, for example, both highly opinionated, and prefer the be surrounded by the majesty of nature (although still within easy reach of the conveniences of society), both have transcendental leanings, and neither of us are particularly good writers. Good enough, but not profound. Better at coming up with ideas, I suppose, than writing them down.

There are a few differences between us, however. For instance, Thoreau did not have the Internet. The only thing preventing me from living in the Internet, on the other hand, is the fact that there's no way I know of for a physical entity to manifest in any meaningful way within a construct composed entirely of data. Oh well.

Also, from accounts I've heard and one portrait I've seen, Thoreau was supposed to have been an ugly, ugly man. Others have affirmed for me that I am at least average-looking...although I'll admit that I'm more than a little skeptical of those who claim that I'm particularly good-looking.

Oh yes, and also, I don't have an unrequited crush on Ralph Waldo Emerson's wife. Zing!

PLUR!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Montgomery is a fantastic middle name

I think that every great villain should have a middle name. Either that, or just a single-word name, like the Shadow, or the Operative.

My mum got her new apple computer set up and operational, and it seems like it's going to work out very well for her. I hope so, at least. I love my mother, but she's not the most tech-savvy person in the world, so it could be a little while before she figures out the most optimal way to use it. And unfortunately, I won't be there to help her out - first off, I'm away at school instead of living at home right now, and second, I've been using PCs for most of my life! I don't really get into this ridiculous "Mac v. PC" debate that people seem willing to kill over (figuratively speaking) - I'm fairly comfortable with the idea of using both systems. In practice, though, I'm almost exclusively a PC-user, so I have only very rudamentary knowledge of how a Mac is supposed to run. Or what it's supposed to do, rather. Or...oh, you know what I mean. I'm not "good" at Macs because I don't use them often enough.

The symphony last night was wonderful and fantastic and absolutely amazing. As predicted, Mendelssohn's piano concerto was the highlight piece (although it was really Brahms' 3rd symphony that got all the hype), and I was on the edge of my seat for most of the performance. The soloist was sooooo good! Samantha and I grabbed a bite at Macaroni Grill beforehand, too, and it was quite good, I thought. We were lucky to be able to get seats with only a short wait on a Saturday evening. I need to keep check on things like that, though. I love doing nice things for people I like, but I need to keep a watchful eye on my bank account, especially this week. Illness kept me off work a lot more than I expected it to, which means that my next paycheck is likely to look pretty small compared to usual. That's especially a concern this close to the holiday season, and also looking forward to the spring semester and the expenses that'll come up then (esp. textbooks and graduation stuff).

And thus we approach the end of my ramblings for the evening. Have a good week, and if you celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have a good one! If you don't, I hope you have a good Thursday. And if you hate Thanksgiving, I hope you get a chance to break into your neighbors' house, steal their food, kill their pet cat, and roll their bedsheets in smallpox!

PLUR!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Best Ruined Surprise Ever

I was really looking forward to this weekend - I had big plans for Friday about how I was going to go to work and then rush back and change into my fabulous outfit for the Coming Out Ball (tagline: "Come As You Aren't"). Then I got sick. I had a touch of it on Wednesday, an it just got worse, peaking sometime late on Thursday and early Friday. So, I missed work, and I missed the dance. That was rather disappointing.

Then, probably about 5:30, when I'm just sitting around trying to breathe (it's hard to do when you're congested, you know) and watching some people play D&D, I get a call from Samantha. She's at Chick-Fil-A, and she wants to know where I am. She's such a sweetheat - not knowing that I was too ill to go in, she decided that she's come by and surprise me at work. But I wasn't there so it completely ruined her surprise! I felt bad about that, of course, and especially about the bit where I didn't go in because I was sick. I made sure to tell her, but she didn't care, and came across the way to campus just to see me.

We sat around and just talked for a while (it was very nice), until it got a bit later, and then she kind of forced me to eat something. I mean, you know how it is when you're sick - your body just don't feel like eating, even if you know in your mind that you ought to be hungry. It had been about 7 hours since I'd eaten last, so we ended up going to the Chinese place across the street, and then just spending a little more time together. It was a fantastic time.

After that, I went back to the suite, and me and Shope and Jerry watched a couple episodes or Fawlty Towers, talked about geeky stuff for just a little while, and then I kind of kicked them out so I could try to get a good night's rest. It took me a long time before I could actually get to sleep, but when I did I slept pretty well, and now I'm feeling well enough to go in to work.

And on that note, I must be off to work now.

PLUR!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Renaissance Festival

What a wonderful day! For the first time in 2 years (which, lets face it, is 2 years too long), I went to the Renaissance Festival! Samantha and I went today and had a wonderful time. Apparently it was her first time going, and she seemed to have a blast. For me, it was thrilling because it almost felt like a homecoming. Some of you may know that I've lived in North Carolina for close to 11 years now. In that time, I think I've been to the Renaissance Festival about 14 times - counting the years I was able to go on multiple weekends, and discounting last year (when I was abroad all autumn and simply missed it). In that time I've become somewhat familiar with the goings-on of the RF, and I love it. I don't know how else to describe it, I simply love the RenFaire - the acts, the "rennies", the visitors, the pomp, even the cheesy pseudo-medieval impulse-buy merchants with their stupid, "we also accept Mastercard and Lady Visa" plaques on the wall. I seriously feel like if I had the choice, I could - and would - do fairs like that for a living. I've always had a soft spot for reenactors, and I especially like the RenFaire crowd because there's an element of whimsy and fun that's hard to find in other circles....and screw the anachronisms!

After one of their shows, I got a chance to talk to "And Miguel" of the Don Juan and Miguel show, and he made a comment about my voice. I guess that makes it official - I talk weird. *laugh* I've gotten several comments in the past about the peculiarities of my accent and my cadence (and more recently my vocabulary), but to hear the same kind of comments from a man who makes his living as an actor and public performer, it seems to carry a whole lot more weight. In an odd sort of way, it almost feels like an honor to be recognized by a performer of his stripe and caliber. I also got to speak in person to Zilch the Torysteller! I made some comments in his show that we went to (actually, it was just a really well-timed "Oh, now I get it!") that he played off of (i.e., made fun of me for) that got some really good laughs from the audience. I went up to shake his hand at the end of the show and he said, "I had a lot of fun today", which I think means he appreciated my contribution to his act (although it might've just been a pleasantry he'd have said to anyone who was in his audience). Whichever was actually the case, it was really awesome to have gotten to speak to two of my favorite acts at the fair! Also, I saw a couple new acts, like Mister Shantyman and Bonnie Lass - a pirate-themed musical act. It was silly and fun, but needed a little polishing.

Lots of yelling and cheering at the joust - I wouldn't be surprised if I'm a little hoarse tomorrow. Well worth it, though (although the end of the final joust was kind of lame. Just because there's a "good guy" doesn't mean he has to win in the end, you know). Oh, and it was the Halloween weekend, so there were lots of kids in costumes! Mostly princesses and a handful of knights, but we saw at least one dinosaur/dragon-thing, and a baby with wings in a baby carrier (adorable, but I wonder how comfortable the child would have been?)! If there was one thing I didn't get to do at the RenFaire that I would have wanted to, it was buying some of the delicious candied almonds they sell. I think they're delicious, and I have a suspicion Samantha would've liked them, too.

There...that's enough from me. It's been a long, full day, and I need to get my sleep.

PLUR!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Second-Best Capitol in the English-Speaking World

I just got back from Washington DC yesterday, and I will have photos up on Facebook as soon as I remember and am motivated to do so. There are certain things you will NOT see photographs of, for a variety of reasons.

Things you will not see:
- The Tragic Trashcan (a trashcan with the word "tragic" painted on it)
- the giant "Giant Foods" food sign
- A good picture of the Lincoln Memorial and the moon.
- Any of the time I got to hang out with Krista (I forgot my camera that evening!)
- The scenery from the rooftop of the hotel we stayed in.
- The guy at the National Cathedral who was trying to point out Jackson Brown to me, but forgot his name.
- Ben and Brody, the two rock-awesome guides we had on our evening walking tour of DC.
- The Magna Carta (because it's in England. But I've seen it!)

Also lots of other things, but most of those are irrelevant, like penguins ice dancing with cacti in an American Gladiators ring (which is something I didn't see, unless it was in a dream).

I kind of want my own Tragic Trashcan...

PLUR!

Sunday, September 23, 2007

They just got even scarier...

WOW.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/09/20/velociraptor_din.html?category=dinosaurs&guid=20070920150000&dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000

I don't think I ever want to leave my room again. Flying raptors?

...There is no more hope in the world. *cowers*

PLUR!

Mundanity

What is essentially my favourite pair of jeans now has a massive hole in the back. I had a little frayed area in the corner of the left-rear pocket, and one night as I was bending down to push something back under my bed, it completely gave out and tore. I now have an impressive rip running just a little over the entire length of that rear pocket - probably 5-6 inches from end to end.

It's something that I'm sure I could patch, given time and materials, but even if I did, it simply wouldn't suffice in all situations. Sometime this week (I have no idea when I'll be able to), I need to go shopping for a new pair of jeans.

Exciting, no? :P

PLUR!

Friday, August 31, 2007

curious...

Hmm...I just realized that the time stamp on my blog here is set to some other time zone. For some reason, it's registering about three hours late. I'll have to fix that later, but until I get to it, I think it will amuse me a great deal.

PLUR!

These are a few of my favourite things

This afternoon = pizza, woods, bubbles, and good companionship.

This is what life should be like all the time. ( :

PLUR!

Friday, August 17, 2007

Red World

Here's an idea for a game that, with a little cooperation, a moderate amount of luck, and a LOT of planning, I'll be running (or co-running) a campaign - probably a d20 campaign since the system is so ubiquitous - based loosely on an idea I've been mulling around in my head since before I even started playing tabletops, back when I fancied myself something of a creative writer.

The setting is the Red World - a hostile world inhabited by violent and warlike cultures. For those of you who are "in the know", take 2 parts Dune, 2 part Warhammer 40,000, and 1 part classic D&D, and you've just about got the idea of what the setting's like.

I haven't made any final decisions about details, and since there's a decent chance I'll be co-running this game with Shope, a good friend and an excellent GM, there are a LOT of details that need to be hammered out. If we can work things out, though, I hope to make the campaign fast, deadly, and big. With 2 GMs running the board, we may be able to cater to a larger group of PCs, and maybe even dabble in "unit" combat (which is something I've wanted to experiment with for a little while). Unless ideas change drastically during planning sessions, PCs should expect no mercy.

The biggest complication to this idea will be my on-going quest to get into grad school, and my involvement in the SOF game. If those, along with my classes and work schedule, can be worked out, then this game will be go. In that case, expect an official YC announcement sometime fall semester, hopefully before fall break.

More details to come later.

PLUR!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

...with which I am well pleased

Last weekend I got a new pair of shoes. They're hiking boots, but they're ostensibly disguised as a pair of street shoes (hmm...perhaps the "transformers" of footwear?). They're pretty nice-looking, but I've had to get used to wearing dark shoes - the last pair that I wore as my everyday footwear was a pair of light-colored cross-trainers. As was the pair before that. And the pair before that. And the pair...

You get the idea.

Anyway, what I'm trying to get at is that I've been really happy with this new pair. They're sturdy, but at the same time they're flexible and comfortable. I can do that ridiculous Michael Jackson move where he pops up onto his toes (from "Billy Jean", I think? Anyway, I'm not very good at it, but I can still do it which is pretty amazing), I can roll my ankles around comfortably, and I've got enough traction in the soles to climb that slick muddy incline at the back of the apartment. On a good day, I could manage to do that with my previous pair of shoes, but only if it was dry. And the best part is that they've formed amazingly well to my feet. I had a little blistering after I wore them the first time (of course, I also probably put like 5.5 miles on them just that first day...not the best idea with a brand-new pair of shoes), but it was far from the worst I've ever had. Uncomfortable, of course, but not overly so, and gone in about 2 days even though I was on my feet almost the entire day for both of them.

All in all, I've probably put 10-15 walking miles on that pair of shoes, and I've had them for exactly a week. I am extremely satisfied.

PLUR!

Friday, July 27, 2007

Historical Fiction

The Crimean war was fought in 1853-56 between Imperial Russia and an alliance of France, the UK, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire. The root cause of the war can be traced back to conflicts over which European nation would be declared the "sovereign authority" over the Holy Land held by the Ottomans, including the privilege of holding the keys to the Church of the Nativity (which were previously held by the Greek Orthodox Church). A series of treaties, intrigue, and threats of violence gave this honor back and forth between the Russian Orthodox Church and the France and the Catholic Church, with France/Catholicism ultimately coming out on top. However, the forceful and devious "diplomacy" of the French caused and escalation of tensions that ultimately resulted in the Crimean War breaking out.

The Crimean War, so called because it took place on the Crimean Peninsula, is often considered to the first modern war, as it introduced a number of "technical changes which affected the future course of warfare." While this war had a strong naval element to it, the vicious fighting on land troops can hardly be discounted. Several important pitched battles took place along the Crimean River, especially between the Russians and the Ottomans. In fact, these battles are the unfortunate origin of the expression "bleeding heart" (as in a person who claims to care deeply about an issue, but only rarely or ineffectually acts on it). As battles raged back and forth across the river, Russian soldiers would often be ordered to bayonet Ottoman casualties in the chest to ensure they were dead. The Ottomans' English allies were incensed by this act and strognly criticized Imperial Russia, although for all their damning words there was very little actually done to address the concern. English protestors began to be derisively called "bleeding heart" Englishmen, representing their connection to the Ottoman allies.

The war ended, ultimately, in a victory (...of sorts) for the French and their allies. The Russian fleet had been heavily daamged, as had many of their supply lines and storehouses. In addition, Russia and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire both had to sign an agreement that they would not establish any naval or military arsenal on the Black Sea coast. This would prove especially difficult for Russia, because it greatly diminished the naval threat Russia posed to the Turks. However, the Ottoman Empire was recognized by the Great Powers, who agreed to respect the independence and territorial integrity of the Empire.

While the Crimean War is known largely for the incompetant way it was operated, it brought several new developments to the field of warfare. The Crimean war is the first real use of railroads and telegraph for tactical purposes. It also pioneered the use of trenching and blind artillery fire. After the deplorable treatment of wounded soldiers was reported by news correspondents, it prompted women like Forence Nightingale and mary Seacole to get involved, and the basis for modern nursing practices was established.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Geek out (le geek, c'est chic)

I've been working recently on expanding my D&D campaign setting world to help give it a more epic feel - I'm reasonably satisfied with what I've had previously, but although the setting is still very fanciful, the action and storylines have been surprisingly "low fantasy" and I really want to kick things up a notch from "land of adventure and peril" to "land of mysical secrets and peril".

...Or something like that.

My first thought on how to do this was to create several locations of high mystical or historical significance. These will hopefully serve as the basis of several adventures individually, and I've toyed with the idea of having my players discover some sort of "connection" between the sites as they progress in levels. I've done some work to this effect, and come up with some pretty neat places, I like to think (although the naming conventions of the people in my setting aren't very creative. I mean, sure you've got places with names like Janurilia and Elenath, but when the second largest population in the Empire lives next to the Deep River in a city called Cotswold-on-Deep River, and important landmarks and geographical features have names like The Peak and the Easter Sea, then you've got to wonder what's going on...). I've also tried to add some spice by introducing some elements of real-world mythology into the setting.

One example of both of these attempts put together is the Huntsman's Lodge. The Lodge is an ancient 6-story tower (yes, I know that's not very practical dimensions for a hunting lodge ~_^) that legend says was once the home of the mightiest hunter of them all, known largely (creatively enough) as The Huntsman (for real-world parallels, see information about the Wild Hunt and Herne the Hunter). The Huntsman, as a sort of creature of spirit, has lain dormant for ages, but the key to his awakening lies at the top of the tower - a magical hunting horn. If the person who sounds the horn has passed the challenges of the tower in order to sound the horn, then it awakens the Huntsman and his pack, and the Huntsman will offer the awakener the favor of a single hunt. If the horn is sounded by someone who has bypassed the challenges, or used trickery and deception to gain the horn, they awaken Herne and they become the quarry of the Hunt.

There are some other ideas I'm toying with, too. A lot of them have to do with powerful artifacts or important locations. I'm not as clever as I probably come across sometimes, and I haven't made up many of them on my own - most of them are derived in some form or another from song lyrics that I like. Ideas I'm currently playing with include The World Bell and La Cifra Sigils. Perhaps I'll put up some more teasers when I've got things better hammered out.

...And then there's The Red World. ( :

PLUR!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

What's the story, Wishbone?

So, I've been doing a lot of thinking recently about gaming, especially role-playing games. I've been trying to (slowly) up my participation in RPGs after a long hiatus in which I basically didn't do any. I enjoy the games very much, and I have a lot of ideas, but I sometimes get frustrated with the pacing of other peoples' games and certain aspects of the rules (mostly with D&D and d20 derivative games, since they're some of the most common, but I think I've had some small level of dissatisfaction with all the different systems I've been exposed to so far).To that end, I like to run games myself. There's a lot to be said for being a Game Master - especially since it allows you a lot more freedom in what ideas you can use to put together a game session, a longer-term adventure, or an entire universe to use as the game's setting.

The problem is, I'm a storyteller at heart. I love intricate webs of events, personalities, and relationships that lead majestically (or perhaps convoluted-ly) to a climax, and then come to an ultimate resolution. With an entire world to play with in the process of setting creation, I'm like a child in a candy store that is also a playground that is located in the middle of a water park that is also the coolest cartoon ever. ...Or something like that. Basically, I've got almost complete and total freedom in creating compelling and interesting stories for the worlds I build. The problem is, because of the intricacy of the stories, or because certain personalities are so central to them, it's not always easy to craft them in such a way that they're accessible to PCs...or at least in a way that I'm willing to make them accessible to PCs (for certain favorite storylines).

For those of you with any amount of experience in running roleplaying games, can you give me any advice on how I might be able to loosen up and open my settings and worlds and stories so that they're accessible to player characters? This is something I've been dealing with a lot recently, esp. as I've been trying to cobble together a campaign setting for a D&D game and I keep coming up with ideas that make me think, "this would make a fantastic storyline!....oh, but wait...the PCs wouldn't be involved in it!"

Any advice, suggestions, sympathies, or - frankly - even abject mockery would be greatly appreaciated!

PLUR!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

News...

Okay, whoa. I'll confess that I only have a peripheral exposure to the world of current events - I'm not nearly as well-versed in the news. However, there are some things that even I am concerned about, and the abuse of 230 years worth of governmental convention by one man who seems like a real-world Nick Baylor is high-up on the list. In my naive ignorance, I generally have a neutral opinion of Vice President Dick Cheney, but if he's really refusing to comply with requests that the entire rest of the executive branch are bound to, that strikes me as being a Bad Thing(tm).

Here's something else that bothers me a little bit. My first knowledge of this news story came from a blog post by Jeffrey Rowland, author of the excellent webcomics Wigu and OverCompensating. It strikes me as a poignant comment that my most consistent source for current events comes not from Fox, not ABC, , certainly not the local newspaper, not MSNBC, NPR (but only because I rarely have a chance to listen to the radio), CNN, The Colbert Report, or NBC, but from a webcomic. What does it say about the state of things that I'm more likely to trust the words of an Internet personality than the combined expertise of some of the worlds largest news organizations?

Frankly, this doesn't seem like a good trend.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Re-Re-Revised

I've decided that, since I have a tendency to forget otherwise, that I'd make a list of all the movies I've been told I have to see (or see again). If you know of another one, or want to suggest another one, please feel free and I'll add it to the list!

The Lost Boys
Eragon
Hot Fuzz (Thanks everybody 3.5.07)
Flushed Away (thanks sis 3.5.07)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (thanks everyone, esp. Rachel 11.6.07)
Trainspotting
Lawnmower Man
Pride & Prejudice
Children of Men
Pan's Labyrinth
Donny Darko (thanks sis)
Battle Royale (thanks Jerry)
Boondock Saints (thanks Roommate-Dan)
300 (thanks...um, just about everybody!)
El Mariachi/Desperado/Once Upon A Time in Mexico (thanks Pirate House denizens 3.5.07)
Elizabethtown (thanks Megan 3.5.07)
Love Actually (3.5.07)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (thanks...Rachel? 3.5.07)
Meet the Robinsons (Thanks sis 3.5.07)
Little Miss Sunshine (thanks Amanda B. 11.6.07)
Sin City (thanks Kyle 11.6.07)
Shaolin Soccer (thanks Kyle 11.6.07)
Snatch (thanks Jay 11.6.07)
Finding Neverland (thanks Jay 11.6.07)
Canadian Bacon (thanks Jerry 11.6.07)
Idiocracy (thanks Alison 11.6.07)

...And that's all I can remember at the moment. If you remember more or want to suggest a new one, please do and I'll add it to the list!

PLUR!

Friday, June 1, 2007

Delphi 2.0-1

I've been doing a lot more reading now that summer is here (for myriad reasons, it's almost impossible for me to read books during the school year) and, par for course, most of them have been science fiction or fantasy stories.

I like to think that the books I read don't influence the way I think about the world too much (although I'm willing to admit that they certainly do to an extent), but doing all this thinking about the future has led me to certain conclusions.

Here are some of my predictions for the future:

- Brand technology will become increasingly important as cultural and technological progress continues. Today we practically live by brands like "McDonald's", "Kleenex", "Google", "Microsoft", and "Yamaha." In the future, there will be even more options than we have today, but an increasingly elite handful of brands will dominate the world market. This is, in part, related to my next prediction.

- Globalization will continue until multinational corporations have almost entirely overtaken the commercial market. Unsuccessful brands and products will die out. Successful brands and products will be be bought out or merge with existing multinationals. Perhaps one day we'll reach a point where every drink sold throughout the entire world filters its profits back to the Coca-Cola Company or Pepsico. Maybe one day every car in production will be a product of Honda, Nissan, GM, or Mercedes-Benz (or whatever conglomeration they find themselves in). The trends I see indicate that glablization is the "wave of the future" because commerce can't be controlled by any single government, and the pioneer globalized corporations are already well-established while the regulations intended to guide them are still being created.

- As the Internet (especially "Web 2.0") spreads, international literacy rates will begin to decline slightly. In nations and regions too poor to support widespread Web access, literacy concerns will remain largely unchanged. In more developed nations, the easy access to visual and audio media through the Internet (especially as it continues to be integrated into other technologies like mobile phones) will cause people to become less likely to learn to read proficiently, except among the wealthiest world citizens and in academic circles. It will be a generation or two before the effects of this are particularly noteworthy.

- As banking expands to fit the needs of an even further-globalized economy, most transactions will be made via credit. The seeds of this already exist - many jobs offer "direct deposit" options for paychecks, and in many places you can pay for goods with credit or debit cards as well as with cash. I'm not predicting the "downfall" of physical money, just that it will become less useful and therefore less common. One possible side effect (and note that this is only a possibility) is that the decreased demand for physical money will decrease the production of it which could drive the value of those currencies up. Those who have money would consequently be wealthier for it, and those without even poorer. Of course, that's assuming that the value of a given currency is still strictly based on the amount of that currency physically in circulation at a given time (anyone who knows economics - is that the case?)

- The United States will finally adopt an official language. It will be English. Spanish may also be chosen as a second official language. If it is not, there will probably be a large public outcry and either the official language mandate will be revoked, or Spanish will be added as well.

- Increased economic polarization and credentialism will both promote and degrade the importance of a college education. In order to be considered eligible for most positions (other than those at the bottom rungs of the retail/service industries and possibly some manufacturing and construction jobs) an undergraduate degree will practically be necessary. To hold a "successful" job, a Master's degree will typically be considered the minimum requirement, or other terminal degree as available (depending on the particular field).

- There will be a sharp increase in the number of people going to school for medical or biochemical degrees, and then looking not for medical careers, but for jobs in drug manufacturing. Given current trends, I believe pharmaceuticals will become an even more dominant industry in the near future, and manage to stay near the top of the heap for as long as pharmaceutical sales are strong (which will probably be a good long while).

- Unless drastic measures are taken by the parties who feel threatened, Chinese economic development will challenge - if not overshadow - the economies of the West within 10-15 years. The US and EU may even begin considering an economic alliance to compete with Chinese development.

There are a lot more that have flitted through my head this morning and afternoon, too, but I can't remember them well on an empty stomach. If they come back to mind, I'll share them later.

PLUR!

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Stream of Consciousness - Movies

Well, I finally got around to seeing Hot Fuzz. I won't go into a detailed review of it, 'cause I'm sure most of y'all who actually take the time to read what I have to say have either already seen it yourself, or intend to in the very near future, or have already been bombarded with "OMG wut a gr8 movie lol!!!!1" propaganda and whatnot. What I will say is that I thought it was superb the way the film transitioned from a "slice of life" flick to a murder mystery to a straight-up police action movie while still maintaining a thread of subtle (wry?) comedy throughout, as well as a fairly well-integrated message about the importance of loyalty, duty, and friendship. Inspirational messages? In a movie for adults? And it's got explosions? Keen!

I also finally saw Flushed Away at my sister's insistence, and enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would! She really sold me on the fact that it's set in London (where I lived for a while last year) and that I would probably recognize a lot of stuff in the movie, and so I agreed to watch it with her. I love how much little detail can be put into a CG (or animated) movie, and how smart it can be - in one scene, an oven falls over and hiding behind it is a cockroach reading Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. The film was also a lot better than I thought it would be, so I'd recommend it to anyone, even if you don't normally watch kids movies.

With luck, I'll have found someone to go see Pirates 3 with by the end of next week. I didn't want to go immediately to try to avoid some of the crowds, but also because I don't like going to the cinema by myself. I feel like movies should be social events (except for rentals. Rentals are okay to watch by yourself).

What disappointed me was that I borrowed and watched Blade Runner last night, and wasn't as impressed with it as I hoped I'd be. Maybe I'd have liked it better if I'd read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? first, but I didn't have that opportunity.

I'm convinced it's going to be a terrible movie, but I'm fantastically excited for the upcoming Transformers movie. I am not only able, but perfectly willing to forgive almost any transgressions this movie could make against cinematic quality, just so long as the robots in it look fantastic.

And that, I think for tonight, is that.

PLUR!

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Interrupt

Does anyone know of a place where I could order/buy/borrow a t-shirt with a "map" of the Internet on it? I need one for 2 reasons - 1.) because I'm geeky enough to think it would be really cool, and 2.) because I am planning to use it as part of my Hallowe'en costume. I am trying to make sure that I actually have a costume for Hallowe'en this year (I've been slack for I think the last 3 years, unless you count last year's half-assed anthro raver cat-person costume - really just a cat ears headband and some facepaint whiskers and glowsticks), and knowing me the best way to do that is to start planning and preparing months in advance.

...That way it'll actually get done before October 31. >.<

But yes, if you know a place where I can get one, please post me a link! Thanks!

PLUR!

Friday, May 18, 2007

This is why I'll never work in Hollywood

I had what I think is a really fun idea for a movie this afternoon! Now, as a disclaimer, I guess I should make it clear that I said I think it was a fun idea, and I made no claims that it was a good idea. However, it was an idea nonetheless. =P

So, the movie's called "System Upgrade" and it's a near-future almost-scifi flick that takes place not long after AR has been introduced. The basic premise of the film is pretty typical - it would lie somewhere between your classic summer blockbuster hest flick, and your classic summer blockbuster actoin flick. Anyway, the main characters would probably be a group of college/grad school IT kids who are enamored with the new AR technology, as the wider world is creating more and more uses for AR (I bet it would be a fairly easy transition given the visual interface and user generated content-driven "Web 2.0) the kids are creating ways to make AR more "fun" - i.e., they want to crack it for hacking or something like that. In the process, they manage to uncover some sort of cyber-terror campaign to bring about the downfall of Apple (Microsoft would make more sense, in my opinion, but I think the audience would be more sympathetic toward Apple, plus I bet we could make beaucoup bucks on the side through endorsements and product placement deals!) and, being both adventurous and of noble spirit (as all young hackers are, of course), they decide it's their business to shut down the terrorists, especially since the FBI doesn't seem to know anything about the attack or believe the kids when they try to tell them! Crazy and expensive Lethal Weapon/Matrix/CSI special effects ensue.

The film would be released on a Tuesday (at a discounted ticket price, so that people won't get too pissed off) under the title "System Upgrade - Beta", and only the first half would show. On Wednesday, the movie would be "patched" so that something like 2/3 of the movie would be shown. On Thursday, another "patch" would be released, showing the entire movie up to the climactic final scenes. On Friday, the Final Version would be released, showing the entire movie, and with a "hidden scene" at the end of the credits (possible sequal tie-in? "Making of" special? Needs work).

...because if there's one thing the world needs more if, it's Tuesday updates. ( :

PLUR!

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Re-Revised

I've decided that, since I have a tendency to forget otherwise, that I'd make a list of all the movies I've been told I have to see (or see again). If you know of another one, or want to suggest another one, please feel free and I'll add it to the list!

Trainspotting
The Lost Boys
Lawnmower Man
Pride & Prejudice
Children of Men
Eragon
Pan's Labyrinth
Donny Darko (thanks sis)
Battle Royale (thanks Jerry)
Boondock Saints (thanks Roommate-Dan)
300 (thanks...um, just about everybody!)
El Mariachi/Desperado/Once Upon A Time in Mexico (thanks Pirate House denizens 3.5.07)
Hot Fuzz (Thanks everybody 3.5.07)
Flushed Away (thanks sis 3.5.07)
Elizabethtown (thanks Megan 3.5.07)
Love Actually (3.5.07)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (thanks...Rachel? 3.5.07)
Meet the Robinsons (Thanks sis 3.5.07)

...And that's all I can remember at the moment. If you remember more or want to suggest a new one, please do and I'll add it to the list!

PLUR!

Monday, April 30, 2007

Most Pavlovian Pun Ever

Rin-tin-tin-nabulation (n): the ringing or sound of dogs.

PLUR!

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Beach Boys

On my playlist:

track # 777 - "Good Vibrations"

( :

PLUR!

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum...

I realized today that it must be getting close to finals time. I ate Oreos for breakfast.

PLUR!

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Revised

I've decided that, since I have a tendency to forget otherwise, that I'd make a list of all the movies I've been told I have to see. If you know of another one, or want to suggest another one, please feel free and I'll add it to the list!

Trainspotting
The Lost Boys
Lawnmower Man
Pride & Prejudice
Children of Men
Eragon
Pan's Labyrinth
Donny Darko (thanks sis)
Battle Royale (thanks Jerry)
Boondock Saints (thanks Roommate-Dan)
300 (thanks...um, just about everybody!)


...And that's all I can remember at the moment.

PLUR!

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Sainsbury's had fairly decent 88p curry

I smell of woodsmoke, I'm covered in bruises, it hurts to walk, and I'm even more exhausted than after my "whirlwind marathon" of DC's art museums earlier this weekend.

Yeah, it was a good evening. ^__^

PLUR!

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Comets in the sky

I just finished reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It's probably the best book I've read all semester. I would recommend it to anyone who loves drama, fantasy, or 19th-century literature.

And man...I hope that someday I'll have a little fey sprite-child!

PLUR!

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Zomgrofl the Mighty, Barbarian Lord of the Far Northern Lands

Did anyone watch VeggieTales when they were a kid? Those of you who did, do you remember the "Dave and the Giant Pickle" episode with the sheep that would randomly fall over?

Did anyone else suspect that there might be a factual basis for that?

Brilliant! ^__^

PLUR!

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Inexplicably, I love these lyrics.

Veins pinned down by a stuttering mind
Blood spills out, always pumping in time
Voices cry harmoniously
The haunted sound of melancholy

Then fast and furious, a glimmer of wisdom
An epiphany, a lyrical mystery
But like all things, the end comes too soon
And all that’s left behind is a vague memory

Floating unconscious, a melody that glides
A beat to the soul, hidden in our minds
Never quite escaping, confined by a reason
Inspiration slides in this mirage of rhythm

Hemstock & Jennings - Mirage (Of Hope)

Hemstock & Jennings worked with director Chris Stone to produce a really good video to go along with this song that features some great imagery from Bram Stoker's Dracula. I'd highly recommend it to anyone. Also, it's not scary (in case you were wondering).

You should watch it here.

PLUR!

Friday, February 23, 2007

Lawdy Lawdy....

I've got two questions mulling about in my head right now, and I'm not sure which of them is more appropriate (they may not necessarily be mutually exclusive, but I tend to think of them as separate).

Why is it that sometimes the people you like the most are the ones you just want to smack?

— or —

Why do I seem to have lost any vestiges of levity these past several weeks?

Either way, perhaps I'm just a little stressed. After all, it is "midterm season" and I've pretty much been going non-stop since I got back to the States. I knew this wouldn't be an easy semester, but even with that expectation in mind I've been hit with a lot more than I thought I would. And that's even before factoring in my extracurriculars. Hmm...I miss the "good old days" of a couple years back when classes were less intense and I couldn't use up my free time fast enough.

Ah well, such is life.

PLUR!

Thursday, February 1, 2007

It can't be that bad.

Understand, or at least have a good notion of, everything, but ignore most of it, be bored by about 2/3 of what's left, and pretend not to get about 2/3 of what's left after that. It's probably not worth your time, anyway.

Other people are absolutely fascinating.

If it's musical it's worth knowing. If it's "dirty" it's only worth knowing if it's useful or funny. If it's scientific, take it with a grain of salt. If it's mathy, ask someone to explain it in words small enough for a social scientist to understand. Philosophy doesn't matter, except for the ways you can abuse or make fun of it.

And for heaven's sake, you should smile more often! You've got such a pretty smile...

PLUR!

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Ingenuity?

I don't like going outside on really cold, dreary days because I've got practically no meat on my bones and I get very cold very fast.

When I have to go out, I partially mitigate this tendency by wearing multiple layers of shirts and socks. That seems to work pretty well, but my legs still get cold, and that just won't do. Today I hit upon the brilliant idea that, if I can double up on shirts or socks, why not do the same thing with pants?

Wish me luck (and that I won't look like a moron)!

PLUR!

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Initiative?

I've decided that, since I have a tendency to forget otherwise, that I'd make a list of all the movies I've been told I have to see. If you know of another one, or want to suggest another one, please feel free and I'll add it to the list!

Trainspotting
The Lost Boys
Lawnmower Man
Pride & Prejudice
Children of Men
Eragon
Pan's Labyrinth
Donny Darko (thanks sis)
Battle Royale (thanks Jerry)

...And that's all I can remember at the moment.

PLUR!

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Backbones are for brave boys

One of the best quotes I've heard in a while, compliments of Jeph Jacques.

"The 'look how pathetic I am, take pity on me and give me kisses' approach to wooing ladies is not recommended. Show some spine, dudes! Kiss that lady, ask her out on a date, throw pencils at her head in class!"

PLUR! ^__^

The Joys of Being Sad *tear*

I know I've already shown this to some of you, but this amuses me to such a great extent that I wanted to re-share it. I'm sure purposely reading emo LiveJournal posts is probably indicative of some sort of neurosis.

Current mood: tired of life
Current music:radiohead - gagging order

Nobody Understands Me...
My dearest readers...

At first, I was going to make This, my LiveJournal Post, Friends-Only, But then I realized how Unfair such an Act would Be. Since my Friends, especially [info]swindlers_list and [info]2proud2liveordie, have all ready Given me So much support i wanted to take some of the Load off of their shoulders and Share my thoughts with Everybodie. For myslef, my Misery cannot be encapsulated in such a small container, and begs me to Share it with anyone who will Listen to my words. Perhaps one of you, My Dear readers, will be able to gather a spark of Wisdom and Happiness that will allow you to Succeed where i myself have Failed.

School is terrible. I am Failing calculus. I do not see How learning to take the Derivative of a number i care Nothing for is going to Help me in life. I am Not going to be a mathematician. This is the highest form of Oppression. the school and the Government are trying to fill our minds with Worthless drivel so that they can take Advantage of us because we Are like sheep to Them. I wish theachers would teach us Useful skills instead, like how to Talk to girls.

Speaking of girls, I saw My Angel in the lunchline again yesterday. the cafeteria was serving Salisberry steak and mashed potatos. I Hate the mashed potatos because they are Disgusting and the gravy is like slime from a disgusting Sewer. i did not eat the steak As i am a Vegan. All the awful things that happen at farms are Atrocious and we should hate anyone who would do such Awful things. I threw my Salisberry staek away because it was the Right thing to Do. I think everybodie should do this and Show those farmers that we will not stand for What they are doing and we mean Business.

I saw My Angel in the lunchline again yesterday. She had headphones on and was listening to Music.
[info]king_of_rags told me he heard what she was listening to and it was "I will follow you Into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie. I guess it's an okay song from them, but I didn't much like that Album and I think some of their earlier stuff is better (The Photo Album, yes?!?). Still, that just goes to show that My Angel has good taste in music, which makes her even More perfect than before. She is already beautiful and wonderful, and she's smart too. She is only 13 and is already in High School. I couldn't stop thinking about it, and i wrote a poem in english instead of diagramming sentences or whatever we were doing. I wasn't paying attention.

What is love?
Well, love is that feeling you get about someone
When they walk in the room
And your heart starts to race
And you feel lightheaded
And you're sweating WAY too much
And you can't think straight
Hardly thinking at all, so hope the teacher doesn't call on you
'Cause you can barely speak, let alone answer questions in Spanish
...

There's more but I didn't want to include it because the rest is very Personal to me.

That Brain-dead gorilla mike almost broke my glasses in gym again today. I'm starting to rhink that he's doing it on Purpose, but nobody either believes me or they don't care. Things will be so much better when i can leave home and I'm living in my own apartment. Then nobodie will make fun of me like I'm Less than a person. The joke is on him, though. In 10 years I will be successful and have a beautiful girlfriend who loves me, and I bet mike will still be working at the garage Changing oil for fat White men with their gas-guzzling SUVs. Then I will drive by every morning and laugh at him and point and then drive away before he can Do anything about it. The last Laugh is on you Mike.

O, i should probably tell you that I will not be posting again for a while. I have been grounded by my mother because she does not Understand that I have different needs than other people. I was IMing with DrAgOnStIgMaTa because he lives in my area and we were going to meet but my mom must have been reading over my shoulder and she said, "no, absolutely not. I will not let you do that." I tried to explain to her how I am an Otherkin, that I am actually a Vampyr and dont have a regular human soul and therefore I needed to spend time with other people like me instead of with humans who don't understand me. She said that was stupid and it was all in my head, and that I couldn't me a Vampyr because they are evil and she knew that couldn't be the case because I was her Child. I told her that if that was the case then maybe I was a Vampyr because I inherited her own black soul. Then she started to yell at me and
grounded me and said that I couldn't use the internet or the phone or watch TV or anything, and that if she caught me talking to "that man" any more (DrAgOnStIgMaTa) then she would call the police on him. That is a load of Crap, because I know that DrAgOnStIgMaTa is not a rapist or a child molester. He is an Otherkin like me (except that he has a part-dragon part-lupine part-eagle soul), and he seems to know a lot about it. He is very Wise.

For those of you who might not remember, or have been gone for a Long time, I would like to remind you that I am an Otherkin. I may look like a Human, but I do not have a Human soul. My soul is that of a Vampyr and it is a very Old soul. I used some candles to do a Magick spell of Divination and discovered that my Vampyr soul is 273 years old and has dwelled within many other Bodies as well, including Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickenson. It is a very respected Vampyr soul.

It is after Midnight now, though, and I have to go. I snuck on-line after my parents went to bed and if they find me posting on my LiveJournal they will be very mad at me and maybe ground me longer. Also, they would know about my LiveJournal and read all my Secrets, and I don't want my parents to know how many difficulties I face. The more normal they think I am, the better it is for them. I won't have to worry about this when I finally move out. Wish me good karma so I can hopefully get un-Grounded faster. I don't want to leave all of my Readers in suspense!

#&~^~//~^Rent_In_Twain^~\\~^~&#

PLUR!

Saturday, January 13, 2007

The Haunted Sound of Melancholy

I don't normally do this, because I have a notoriously bad track record for receiving responses, but I need someone's help. I've been trying to find information about Mistral, and so far I've reached something of a roadblock.

According to Wikipedia, Mistral is "an atmostpheric phenomenon that occurs mostly in the winter and spring in the Gulf of Lion. It creates a cold, strong northwesterly wind along the coast, particularly from Marsielle to Toulon, in southern France and in the whole of Sardinia in Italy." The article then goes on to explain a bit more about the meteorological details of Mistral.

However, what I want to know is how and when the name "Mistral" came about, what the word means, and what the legends and folklore about the Mistral winds are. I've done a bit of searching myself, but so far my efforts have been fruitless. If you can find any information about that for me, please let me know! I can't even pretend to offer a reward, but maybe I'll buy you a candy bar or something.

Thanks in advance!

PLUR!

Monday, January 8, 2007

Predicament

I guess it's simply a testament to my overall (lack of) artistic ability that the only flowers I can draw with any semblance of floral-ness are daisies and rosebuds.

And, to be perfectly honest, I didn't want to draw more daisies.

PLUR!

Friday, January 5, 2007

Sunshine In The Air

My New Favorite Song Until I Find Another One Probably Tomorrow Because I Go Through New Favorite Songs Like A Vorpal Sword Goes Through Necks Is How Much Is The Fish By Scooter

It Is Astoundingly Hilarious

PLUR

Tuesday, January 2, 2007

That's The Way You Need It

I know that in today's modern age of enlightenment, blasé current events, and cultural cynicism, this may seem like a trite and old-fashioned tradition, but under the given circumstances, it seems more than appropriate to make New Year's resolutions. And, in thhe spirit of accountability (I've tried keeping them solely by myself in the past, but that didn't work out so well), I will share my own resolutions in order to help me see my way to following through with them.

1.) While in Europe, I learned just a smattering of Hungarian. I resolve to use what little HUngarian I know appropriately in everyday conversation.

2.) For that matter, learning any non-English language is a positive experience, and I resolve to either learn the basics of a language I'm unfamiliar with, or the become more proficient with a language I already know.

3.) I resolve to learn at least one "real" dance.

4.) I resolve to learn the fundamentals of at least one instrument I've never played before.

I have also decided that I am a firm believer in mixtapes.

PLUR!

Questions for Life, part II

Okay, here's something that I've never known the answer to, or even if there is an answer.

Pe-CAHN or pe-CAAN?

PLUR!

Monday, January 1, 2007

Questions for Life

Okay, here's something that I've never known the answer to, or even if there is an answer.

If you like someone, do you get to know them before you ask them on a date, or do you ask them out on a date to get to know them better?


PLUR!

Hilarious or Pathetic - Your Call

S - "My friend knew this guy who had an albino hedgehog."
A - "Should dye it blue and make it run."
S - "I know!"
A - "You know what I really want?"
S - "What?"
A - "I want to have a fox cub with two tails! You know what I'd name it?"
S - "What?"
A - "Vulpix"