Tuesday, November 30, 2004

What a waste

Now listening to: Embrace

After a weekend of daytripping to Greensboro, Mike decided to spend the evening in Martinsville and we actually had a decent time. We went to a new(ish) pub in uptown called Hurley's. It wasn't bad, mostly a lowkey environment. We watched the Packers hand St. Louis a beating and chatted, it was pretty cool. As good as you have any right to expect in Martinsville.

This afternoon I didn't do much, just watch football highlights and play a little Halo 2 (I'm closing in on level 9 since I picked up another win).

That's about it. I'm not feeling really verbose right now so I'll just go.

Monday, November 29, 2004

Gurgle, gurgle

Now listening to: X (Los Angeles)

Oh man did today start out rough. One of the horrible side effects of getting older is that hangover get worse and worse. This morning I felt like a nucular warhead (four more years of that crap...sigh) had went off in my belly. I woke up at 9 a.m. and didn't go back to bed, which was ok I suppose. I watched most of the Steelers' victory over the Redskins, which was significantly closer than I wanted it to be.

Around 3:30 p.m., Mike picked me up and we went to get Adam and headed to G-Boro. I had a good time hanging out, it's always fun to get the old crew together. Abbie cooked up some excellent vittles and we struck like a cobra. After that we played a little four-way poker tournament with a $20 buy-in. I don't think I played that well, but I managed to trap Nick and ended up taking second place, which meant I got my $20 back. Adam ended up winning the thing, oddly enough and seemed pleased with himself. He made a call I never expected him to make...although I probably should have. I knew he had a hand and he never gives those hands up. Still I was fine with breaking even. Now I am feeling beat, I may be in bed before 3 a.m.

Oh I finished reading the first Lemony Snicket book and it was ok. It's not Harry Potter, but it's aiming at a younger audience I think. I'd give it a foot massage rating overall. I did like the description of the villan Count Olaf and his dank household. Of course I just dig villanous people anyway. I started reading Eats, Shoots and Leaves, a book about grammar, as well. It's gonna be intrigueing to see if it will hold my attention.

Sunday, November 28, 2004

One more try


So this is finally the photo of my brother I tried to put up earlier in the week. Hopefully everyone can see it now. If not please let me know. Thanks. Posted by Hello

One more for the road

So I got a little drunk tonight. This always happens when Mike comes to town. Went to Greensboro and had quite a few drinks. So many hot women out...oh it hurts...it hurts. In the past I've found that drunken blogging is a bad idea, so this will be short. I had a good time, except for some asshole who wanted to talk shit in the bar (I was almost drunk enough to smash my glass over his head, but let it go). Mike and I had a good time and probably embarrassed the hell out of Greg by being douche bags around his new girlfriend. Ahh, he's fine.

Anyway a good time was had by all. We are getting to hang out with Adam tomorrow, so hopefully that will be cool. I think we may play poker, so I'll probably end up giving back some of my winnings from last night. I ended up getting guilted into buying a bunch of drinks tonight, although it was nice not being the poor broke bitch for a change. Anyway I think iI hear my pillow summoning me.

Saturday, November 27, 2004

All in

Now listening to: Velocity Girl

So I had a decent night at the poker table. As I said, I went in expecting to lose, but ultimately I came out a little ahead. I put $20 in at the beginning of the evening and took $175 out at the end of the night! I could do no wrong. I saw awesome starting hands all the time and hit the flop a lot, even when my hand wasn't that great. By the end of the night, the guys left playing were completely demoralized. They all folded whenever I bet and it was probably a good idea, since I was never bluffing. It feels pretty damn good to be the big winner.

Some highlights: I had pocket 9s and the flop came down 9, 4, 4. I put out a guy who had bought in about two hands ago. Our host, Cal, was all in with a set of 9s and I had pocket Qs. I caught a my two-outter Q on the river to win. I have K5 of spades and play on a whim. The flop is three spades with the ace. So I got the nut flush and slowplayed it a bit.

You know I feel like I played well overall. Even if I hadda played just mediocre I would have won with the cards I was dealt, but I felt like I played really good on top of it. Of course, with the big stack it's easy to push people around and I did.

Plus I had fun hanging with Mike, Nick and Greg. Always good to hang with them. I'm annoyed that Adam is selling us out tomorrow. Annoyed, but not surprised. That mug has never picked hanging with his boys over hanging with his girl...never. I understand that some of the time, but come on, you can't always do it.

I'm feeling pretty charged up at the moment and I'm not sure how I'm gonna spend the rest of the evening. I may try to read, but I may just roll around in my cash roll.

Friday, November 26, 2004

Turkey farts

Well I played some Fallout last night. Until I got stuck by a glitch and gave up. I will have to start over from the beginning if I want to get back into the game. It's annoying, I tell ya. Anyway I started rereading Lamb today and it is as good as I remember it.

I spent most of the day reading, with a minor break for some highly frustrating Halo action. The soft games were not there today, I can tell you that.

Currently I'm preparing to get my poker on with Mike J. and Nick in Greensboro. Woo, I have a feeling I'm gonna drop a lot of cash. Sad really. But it'll still be fun hanging out.

Rock and roll ain't noise pollution

Now listening to: AC/DC

So Thanksgiving was pretty cool. I slept in...I mean I really slept in. It was nice and quiet. I got up and bumbled about for a bit, doing the internet thing and generally waking up. I flipped on the Colts-Lions game, which was a brutal beating. Manning is just looking phenomenol, six TDs today...amazing. The Cowboys-Bears game was substantially less well played. A defensive battle, because both offense suck ass.

My mom then prompted me to give Gabe a call and that was cool. We chatted for a while about this and that. I then played a bit of Halo 2 and found some nice soft games. Trip thinks I'm imagining this, but I'm telling you the games on the weekends and holidays are not as tough as the rest of the week. Especially during the times when I'm usually playing. I hypothesize this is because these are the regular guys who don't get to play the game for hours every day (a la the hardcore). They play it in bursts and level up in one fell swoop, but by the time they get back to the game they've lost their edge. Let me assure you that a couple of days off can curtail your skills, I've lived it. Anyway I won three matches today, which is a personal best.

After that I got my grub on...man I love gravy and mashed potatoes. I know it's supposed to be about the turkey, and I like that too, but gravy is the lubrication that makes everything go down smoother.

Corb and I then headed to Trip's for a little Will and Grace and some XMen Legends. We can't be far from the end of the game and I'm looking forward to it. I want to trade it in on and World of Warcraft is looking better every day. Anyway I'm off to play a little Fallout and maybe do some reading.

Thursday, November 25, 2004

America is wunderbar

Now listening to: Rammstein (Reise, Reise)

So today when I got up I was greeted by a suspicious package on my desk. Initially I thought it may be anthrax sent by my arch-nemesis, then I realized I don't have an arch-nemesis. So I inquired further. I noted my brother's name on the return address and decided they don't have enough reason to send me dangerous chemicals, so I opened it.

It was a belated B-Day present that rocked the house! It put me in a good mood for the rest of the day, even when I was playing back-to-back games of oddball and crazy king in Halo 2 and losing like a mofo.

He sent me a bag full of Roasted Monkey Nuts, which made me laugh. They are only peanuts, but the name is hilarious. I'm debating eating them or saving them as a conversation piece...I'll probably eat them sometime. I also got a kickass sticker that's either a robot or a guy in a flame proof suit, not sure which. He also sent me a Lord of the Rings GBA game, that is cool.

He also got me Fallout 1 and 2 for my PC. These games are highly revered in the PC community and I've considered picking them up in the past. So I'm looking forward to giving them a try after I finish writing here. Gonna get my post-apocalyptic roleplaying on.

The final piece of my gift was a kickass card featuring the Penguin of Death. It's one of the coolest things ever. So yeah, Gabe and Kelly (his wife) made my day.

Other than opening wayward gifts and playing Halo, I hung with Corb and Trip for a bit and watched some crap tv. Last night I finished The Stupidest Angel and man that book is incredible. I laughed my ass off several times. I ended up staying up until 6 a.m. to finish it and didn't regret it. You all are commanded to go out and buy Christopher Moore's books, especially this one and get him some more recognition because he deserves it. I'm giving this book a filet mignon rating and could definitely see it working it's way up to the headcavingly orgasmic category in time. Off to defeat radioactive mutants.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Wafflecrapper

Now listening to: Depeche Mode (Speak and Spell)

So I finally got a haircut and of course they had upped the price. Everytime I go there it's a buck or two more. It'll be $20 next time for 20 minutes of clipping. It makes me want to cut my own hair. But, of course, that is probably a horrible idea.

So I watched the Biggest Loser and Scrubs again today, as has become my usual practice. Woo. I also ended up watching the Amazing Race because of Trip. I dunno, I like seeing the cool places they go to, but I hope all the people fail. I have no interest in them.

I so want to buy World of Warcraft, but I honestly can't afford it without giving up Netflix. The monthly fee would actually be cheaper than Netflix, but I love getting movies every week. I'm torn. All the hype for WoW is awesome and I want to get in there and be an orc or undead character. I need to up my nerd level...ok that's not really possible, but I want to play nonetheless.

Anyway here is a link of our president with his fly open. Enjoy.

Land of the lost (blog)

I decided to delete my other blog Goal Line Stand. I hadn't updated it in forever and didn't feel the urge to keep up with it. So now it is a forgotten memory, lost for the ages.

It's a rainy chilly Nov. day and I finally get to see if my top truly is waterproof. I certainly hope it is, but even if there are leaks, I'm in little position to complain.

Anyway I need to go get a haircut before people start calling me hippie. Ta.

I'll be fucked in the ear by a blind spider monkey

Now listening to: The Eels

So not much happening here, as usual. I got a call from Mike today and I'm set to play some poker on Friday. Nothing like gambling to set the holidays off.

Just hung with Trip this evening and we played quite a bit of XMen Legends and are closing in on the end of the game. We also watched a little bit of the Pats-Chiefs game. I thought the Chiefs might have a chance at the end, but they choked. New England is tough, but the Chiefs' offense looked hapless most of the time I was watching.

After Trip tossed me I decided to hit Walmart as I was completely out of razors and the one in there is dull. It's like shaving with a rusty spoon. I make it a point to only shop at Walmart after midnight, it's so much easier. No tards filling up the lines or loitering in the exact spot in need to look in for 10 solid minutes. My only problem is all the boxes set out for restocking. Still better boxes than morons. The drive home from Walmart was kinda depressing tho. It was rainy and the streets were empty. Felt kinda lonely. My horrible duality: I'm both antisocial and lonely at the same time.

Upon arriving at home I decided to plunge into the new Christopher Moore book I got this weekend and man is it funny. I guffawed a couple of times while reading it. The title of this post is an actual line in the book. Also it's got my favorite fruit bat, Roberto returning to print. He is still wearing the Ray Bans. Did I mention this is a X-mas story? It is.

Sunday, November 21, 2004

Magic Bus

It wasn't pretty, but the Steelers got it done. Man I love it. Eight game streak going strong, all is right with the world. I do believe that Jerome Bettis has answered every question about his ability to play. Roethlisberger is still winning them, although I was worried today with all the sacks sneaking through.

I tell you Cincinnati looked a lot better than 4-5. That defense is going to be a bear for years to come if Marvin Lewis hangs around. I think next year they will be pretty damn good.

Pittsburgh has the Redskins next week and I'm hoping that goes well. I don't know if I could put up with Danny ragging me about that loss for a while, although he's usually not that bad. Still I don't want to have to sweat it. Hopefully Duce Staley will be back and Plaxico Burress' injury won't be serious.

In pog form

Now listening to: Nick Drake

Went shopping in Greensboro with Trip today and we shopped... a lot. We stomped around half the stores in the city. We hit Bed, Bath and Beyond, World Market and Target and I have no doubt that every person in those stores thought we were just the cutest gay couple ever. HA! Like Trip could score a hot piece of ass like me!

I did manage to refrain from spending a lot of cash...mostly because I have bills to pay and want to keep my internet connection. I did buy the new Christopher Moore book, The Stupidest Angel. I love his books, they are friggin hysterical. Everyone should read Lamb, the Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. It's soo funny and not even overly sacreligious for you Bible-thumping types. This new book is a Christmas story, which gave me pause because I hate X-mas. But because I love all his other works and I had a $10 gift coupon, I went for it.

I was hoping to trade Burnout 3 in for a new game today, but the trade value was low and there wasn't anything I was willing to pay for right now. I'm hoping to hold off and trade Burnout and XMen Legends for the new Goldeneye game and Final Fantasy 1 & 2 coming out for GBA. I'll probably have to kick in some cash, but those games look pretty damn sweet.

So I think I finally have all the issues resolved with this blog (I hope so). I got Gabe's photo reworked and it should appear now (let me know if it doesn't).

Saturday, November 20, 2004

Way down inside you need love

Now listening to: Fourtet

So I finally got rid of that crappy counter that was slowing the site down so much. I had gotten a coupla complaints, but I didn't think it was that bad. When I tried to load the site up at Trip's pad It took for-fucking-ever, so I realized the problem was much worse than I thought. And now I've fixed it...it took some trial and error to get that godawful counter to finally go away, but I got it finally. The new counter was set from where the last one started and so we're all off. I also moved the counter to the bottom of the page. so if it decides to slow things down, it will be the last thing to load.

Also I don't think my coolass picture of my brother came through for a lot of people. I'm not sure what to do about that, as I'm not sure what the problem was. I might get Trip to help me out with it tomorrow. Until then rest assured that it is awesome. If you have any trouble with the site (a la photos not loading or whatnot) let me know via email and I'll do what I can to fix it up...unless I don't care, then you're just screwed.

Today I didn't do much, played a little Halo 2, went to Trip's, played some XMen Legends. Woo. After getting so frustrated with the Xmen game we could barely stand it, Trip and I watched part of the Ramones Raw DVD, which is aptly named. It's raw footage of the band goofing off, with some cool concert footage added in. After getting bored with some of the goofy chatter, we switched up to Rammstein DVD, which was pretty cool. There stage show is quite a spectacle. Looking forward to hearing their new album, which releases on Tuesday.

Friday, November 19, 2004

They live so others may die

Now listening to: The Pixies (live)

So I got my mow on today and it wasn't a bad day for it. Overcast and cool, but not cold. It was nice to have a feeling of accomplishing something for a change. I guess I'm not totally satisfied being a complete slacker, just mostly satisfied.

Anyway watched the usual reality tv after that with Trip. I am now a thrall of Donald Trump and I hate it. I also love the perenial Trump "Big Pimp" sequence with him tooling around in a limo and cancelling meetings. That ego stroke must feel awesome for the horribly quaffed one.

I got another email from Gabe today. That's two in two days...three actually since he sent me a photo as well. Check this out:

How awesome is that? Feel safe, for my brother is helping protect the nation from terrorists that hate our freedom. I couldn't be more proud of the goofy bastard.

Thursday, November 18, 2004

Amped up

I am coming down off a ridiculous feeling of irritation. I was playing Halo and the lag was killing me. On top of that I was getting frustrated and not playing well at all. Of course I played my first clan match (I'm in the cheapassgamer clan) while all this was going on and that only made me more annoyed as I continued to up the suckage.

After realizing that playing more was only gonna be more irritating, I shut it all down and decided to hit the interweb. Of course it is still hotter than hell here (I'm sure my downstairs neighbors have the heat turned all the way up.) and that's only making things worse. I am sipping a beer to try to tamp down the inferno that is my annoyance. It's quite tasty, actually. The beer that is...not my annoyance.

So today I did fuck all. Sat around and watched tv and played Halo 2. That's it...not other goals set or accomplished. God I'm a slackass. Tomorrow I'm gonna do some manual labor so I had to rest up. That's how I'm rationalizing it to myself.

I did get an email from my brother and that's cool. He's ultra busy, what with work, a wife and the stork zeroed in on his house. He finally got a computer, so maybe I'll get to hear from him more often. I hope so.

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

It takes a nation of paint-sniffing morons to hold us back

Now listening to: The Hives

You know there is something completely satisfying about eating pizza, drinking Mountain Dew and watching a show about people trying to lose weight. It's so decadent. Trip and I were watching The Biggest Loser and commenting on who was a waste of space in the gym between bites of cheesy goodness. That's the wonder of reality tv: no matter how much of a goon you are, those people on tv are even worse...or so we like to believe.

Anyway, that show has become a guilty pleasure that I can't let go. I just relate to the whole weight loss thing as I've been there in the past. I should be there now, but laziness is hard to break. We also watched Scrubs, which continues to be the best sitcom on tv, in my opinion.

I also ended up watching Trip play quite a bit of Halo 2. I played a bit as his guest, but it's a lot less fulfilling than playing on my own account. I played a bit this afternoon and got my ranking up to 7. Wooo. The level of competition is getting tougher, I can definitely say that. Especially since I still suck on some of the maps...like Colossus and Ascension. Those two are tough for me. The bigger maps I also don't really know, but I never play on them anyway.

I know I mentioned this yesterday, but I love having a new top on the Jeep. Honestly I can't explain how good it feels to not look like white trash when I'm tooling around town. It's the way someone must feel when moveing out of the ghetto. I'm a human being again.

Monday, November 15, 2004

Sometimes nothing is a pretty cool hand

Now listening to: Ambient webradio

So my dad put my new top on the Jeep today and I am stoked. I spent part of the afternoon trying to get as much of the mildew and mold off of the interior, which was an endeavor. Still when I took it out this evening and didn't freeze various parts of my anatomy off it was marvelous. I was positively giddy.

That was until I went to the bank and found out I have even less money than I thought. I have no idea where it goes. I hate being broke...I know, I know I should get a job. It ain't that easy.

Went to Trip's and we watched Cool Hand Luke, which was pretty sweet. Defintely some cool lines and scenes. I'd say it was foot massage worthy.

I figured out that it is my counter that is making the page load so slowly. I may wait until around 2K to get a new counter and hopefully speed things along. I also got rid of the terror ranking as frankly I've always thought it was pretty stupid, but the Sesame Street characters amused me.

Funky drummer

Now listening to: The Minutemen (Live) and Sleater-Kinney (One Beat)

So I watched football early today. Not the Steelers-Cleveland game, as that wasn't broadcast, but the Ravens-Jets. I spent the afternoon rooting for the Jets, of all things. And, of course, they choked and let the Ravens win in OT. Sad. Still the Steelers highlights were marvelous. Did anyone see that block Hines Ward put on that lineman. Oh man I love to see a little guy in black and gold clobber a big man, especially a Brown.

After that Corb picked me up and we got Trip and played Halo 2 for a bit. I really liked the Juggernaut variant, which essentially makes two people take on one who is the juggernaut. Only the juggernaut can score, so you have to kill him to become him. That was cool. After that I came home and watched more football and whatever. I was gonna play some Halo, but didn't feel like it. I am trying to not get burnt out on the game in the first damn week. So I've been browsing the boundless landfill that is the internet.

I've decided I'm not going to spend much money this week or the next. I have to be frugal if I'm gonna be able to do any kind of x-mas shopping or celebration. I should be able to do it, as I've got more entertainment options than most game rooms. I also need to start setting up some time to write, a definite coupla hours to write each day. I have to get focused on something not Halo related for a bit.

Sunday, November 14, 2004

ire truck

Now listening to: M. Doughty-Live and Radiohead- Live

So I stepped back from Halo 2 today and haven't played at all, just to get some perspective. I started the day off watching a few minutes of football, then shifted into Woody Allen's Play it again, Sam. It was funny and quick-witted and I can't help be relate to Woody Allen's character. I'm saying it was foot massage worthy. I've got to get more of his movies.

After that I elected to join Corbin and go see Polar Express...this was a mistake. I was leary, but Corb wanted to mine it for holiday play ideas. This movie was a sedative. If I'm ever an insomniac I will buy this DVD and my problem will be solved. There were two scenes that were visually interesting and the rest was trite holiday claptrap. I know some will say I'm a jaded fuck that can't relate to movies kids like, but this was too dull to even keep a kid's interest for most of it. I'm saying it is deserving of the lowly mudbutt rating.

After the movie, we had a nice Italian meal in Danville and came back to hang with Trip for a while. We watched the end of Daredevil, which didn't get better with the second viewing. We also watched the best of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, which was funny as shit. I love him ripping on people. Sometimes i think I should follow in that puppet's footsteps...not so much the dog humping, but the insulting people for a living. I'd be good at that I think.


Saturday, November 13, 2004

Power of the vowels

Now listening to: ...and you will know us by the trail of dead and Clucth

So another day devoted almost entirely to Halo 2. I know my life gets more sad every day, but this game is just awesome. I really can't get away from it. It's like crack, except a bit cheaper overall I suppose. I am considering getting online now and running a few games.

Danny wants Trip and I to hook up with some of the guys he works with and run a tournament. I'm probably selling out as I hate new people and am a naysayer. I just hate being in that situation where I'm not comfortable with everyone. What can I say, I'm antisocial.

Today Marvel Comics sued NCSoft, who created the game City of Heroes, which I ranted about a lot. In COH you can create characters that resemble Marvel characters and so they sued. This is absurd. COH has a robust character custimization mode and the players can pretty much make anything. I'm not sure how NCSoft is responsible for boneheads playing as Marvel characters, particularly when they actively dissuade the copycat characters by booting them. I tell you there is simply too much litigation in this nation and we're all worse off for it. OK I'm getting off the soapbox now, before I get too nutty.

Friday, November 12, 2004

To boldly go...

Well Trip and I beat the campaign in Halo 2, so that's done. It was pretty cool, although the cliff hanger ending was a little abrupt. But what can you expect? That cliffhanger will help sell the Xbox 2.

I started the day off with some serious frustration. I decided to be industrious and put my new top on the Jeep. So I unpack the box and look through the instructions. The first thing I notice is that there are two screws that were missing from the contents of the package, so that annoyed me. Then when I started to read the instructions I realized that I need the original frame to the top. You know the one we took off to put my last top on...the one that had some serious wear on the moving parts. So yeah, I didn't get that top on and Bill has to find the old frame and hope it still works.

Ohh and after all that Bill comes in and starts to work on my exhaust, which has always been a bit of a problem. Come to find out the reason for that is there is a gasket missing from the exhaust manifold i.e. it was never installed at the factory. So all the crap I've had to deal with in the past is a direct result of some slacker at the Jeep plant. Arrghh. Anyway I'm hoping Bill can fix that without major issues and my we can figure out my top situation and my Jeep can get back to being a decent vehicle for the time being instead of the ghetto mobile it seems to be at the moment.

Enough with the trials and tribulations. I started reading Chindi by Jack McDevitt tonight and it's pretty good so far. A nice sci-fi tip that's entertaining. It's about the human race finding extra terrestrial life in the distant future after we've mastered space travel. Wow that sounds really nerdy when I type it out like that. All Star Trekky and whatnot.

Thursday, November 11, 2004

Speaking Halonics

Now listening to: Interpol

Another day of my wasted life. I did little that didn't involve Halo 2. I played online pretty much all afternoon and am finally starting to figure out some of the maps.

I did manage to spatula my ass off the couch and head over to Trip's. We then went to Danville for some dinner and lite shopping (really lite as I'm poor). Then we came back and hemmed and hawwed about what to do for a bit. Ultimately we decided to play the co-op campaign mode on Halo 2 and got about halfway through it. We may finish it tomorrow, depending on the degree of difficulty and how much time we will put in it.

I really need to get my Jeep in order tomorrow with the new top, as the drive home tonight was frightfully cold. Winter is afoot.

Ohh today I realized that I'm starting to develop a small amount of hypochondria. Last night I had cotton mouth and couldn't seem to shake it no matter how much water I drank. While I was laying in bed trying to go to sleep I started to think that cotton mouth is a symptom of diabetes, a disease which I'm a high risk for. So I worried about that.

Fortunately... "Fortunately" today I realized it was just my sinuses doing weird things. So it's just a minor ache and not the crisis I thought. I've done this a few times in the past and hope I can get over my fear of illness. I think a lot of it is spurred on by the fact that I have no medical insurance at this point and with Bush in office I'm pretty much S.O.L. as far as that goes.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Running riot

Now listening to: Ambient webradio again

Well I haven't written in the last coupla days because Halo 2 came out. On Monday night, Trip, Danny and myself went to Danville for the midnight sale at EBGames. In retrospect this was stupid. About 200 people were there for the game, and we were about midway through the line. Every type of nerd imaginable in waiting for the pinnacle of gaming. I was annoyed when I heard a couple of people blew off the line, went to Wal Mart, bought the game and came back to laugh at the line. Kind of annoying. Anyway after we got back, we didn't really play a lot and I ended up going home and going to sleep.

Today I got up and started playing for true. I probably logged in about eight hours of play today. It's an awesome game, but now I am suffering from an eye strain headache. I'm also trying to calm down after being shot about eleventy billion times online, the stress level can get high in an online shooter.

Tommorrow i may try to put down the controller and leave the house at some point. Just for some fresh air and whatnot.

Ohh the new top came in for my Jeep, so I may even try to puzzle that out. Or maybe not. I think bed is in order now as this headache is killing me.

Monday, November 08, 2004

Prepare yourself for a pride-obliterating bitch slap

Now listening to: more ambient webradio

So the Steelers really got it done today. Took the Eagles to the woodshed for real. Oh man I hope this isn't some brief flash in the pan. We're only halfway through the season, so I'm not getting too excited yet, even though we've already won more games than last season. Still a lot of crap can happen between now and the playoffs, so I'm gonna maintain my humilty and stay hopeful.

As I didn't get to watch the Steelers play, I watched about half of the Skins-Lions game (bleh) and then Corb and I went to see The Incredibles. That's right I saw it again, twice in one weekend and it was worth it. I still loved it.

After that we hit Trip's and played a little Halo, probably the last Halo we'll play for a while since tomorrow at midnight Halo 2 will descend from it's divine home and take all us sinners away from earthly cares. I'm giddy with anticipation. It's getting great reviews. Game rankings has it rated at 98.7% (Game rankings tallies all the reviews it can find and creates an aggregate score based on the average).

It is now very late and I am wearing down. I think I may go to bed and dream about the Master Chief coming to save my soul from the wicked Covenant Elites.

Sunday, November 07, 2004

Bubbling and heartfelt praise

Now listening to: Ambient webradio

So I had a really awesome day today. Normally I get kinda bummed out on my B-Day (feel free to check the archive to see last year's depression), but today I just said fuck it, I'm gonna enjoy myself. So Trip and I went to Greensboro and had lunch at the Green Valley Grill (or something like that) and it was nice.

We then went to see The Incredibles. OK I'm usually loathe to hand out the headcavingly orgasmic rating, because I think that it takes time for some things to prove their significance, give a brass ring to strive for (if you will). Sometimes a song or movie can wear thin after listening to it for a while or sometimes it can move into classic status by standing the test of time. So I'm restrained with the pinnacle of my rating system. That said, I give The Incredibles headcavingly orgasmic rating with no hesitation. It was over two hours of absolute wonder. Great story, beautiful animation, fantastic voice acting...it had it all.

There was one moment where I broke out into a full on smile in the theatre, not because it was a funny moment in the movie, but because I realized how much joy I was getting from the film. I may go see it again tomorrow (especially since the Fox station here will be broadcasting the godawful Lions-Skins game instead of the Eagles-Steelers matchup, but don't get me started on that). But do yourself a favor and see this movie, it's amazing.

Friday, November 05, 2004

The call of the road

Well I have decided what I'm going to do with my life. It took a lot of soul searching, but I now know my true calling. I'm gonna become a hobo. That's right, riding the rails, singing folk songs and huddling around a barrel fire. Sounds like the good life doesn't it. It possesses a very Kerouac feel that I yearn for. Now I just have to find a good hobo gig with a nice retirement package and dental.

Not much to report at the moment. I found a cool website that has live shows from a variety of bands posted for free downloading. I spent most of the afternoon looking for cool stuff on that. I then went to Trip's and spent some quality time playing with Bodie (his Boston terrier) and watching reality tv.

I then came home and read Krondor the Betrayal for a while. It's pretty good, but I get the feeling there are some books that precede this one. I expect having read those would make this more enjoyable. Still it's pretty good so far.

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Wrongity wrong

Well my aunt fact checked me and I came up lacking. It turns out that the rabidly right wing George Allen is my senator, not Chuck Robb, so I proved my own dim bulb theory by being an idiot myself. She also pointed out that lawyers are good legislators because they understand how the system works. Which is a good point. Although one has to note that my aunt is, in fact, a lawyer. :P

I suppose my angst toward the system isn't really about lawyers holding the positions, that does actually make sense. My problem is that power corrupts, or as Frank Herbert pointed out "Power attracts the corruptible." Basically the people who work to get the power are exactly the ones who shouldn't have it.

My aunt also points out a number of flaws in Nick's list of presidential goodness, particularly concerning the environment. At this point I'm of the opinion that if we destroy the environment and can't survive it's no more that we deserve. It'll just be nature solving it's problems the hard way.

Distant and cold and a sight to behold

Now listening to: Elliot Smith (From the Basement)

Well in a moment of weakness I downloaded the new Elliot Smith album and it's really pretty good. It's so damn sad. Of course that makes sense, as he committed suicide a while back. Really it's probably not the best music for a depressed person to be listening to...or maybe it is, I dunno. It's really good so far, I'm giving it a foot massage. I found the line "Give me one reason not to do it" haunting.

I'm sick of playing fake poker, there are too many idiots online (and in general). I'm thinking of doing some reading, but I felt like writing so here is this bonus post. Not sure who it's a bonus for, but here it is nonetheless. I should be writing something else, but I'm not feeling focused enough for that.

I finished reading Nicholson Baker's A Box of Matches today and it was pretty good. Really a nice observational book that dealt with quiet personal moments. I'd say +1 chainmail. I think I'm gonna dive back into the worlds of fantasy for a bit with some more Raymond Feist I got at the library.

I watched the movie Human Nature, directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman. It was ok, but not what I have come to expect from those two. I also think it was tainted by a lackluster performance from Patricia Arquette, who I don't think is a good actress. Hot, but not really talented. Anyway I'm saying Meh. I got Cool Hand Luke in the mail today, so I am gonna finally take that off my never seen list.

I'm also gonna go start practicing for the Praxis test at the library tomorrow night. I've just got to do something and not be a total layabout (although I'm pretty good at it).

crying uncle...but mostly just crying

I officially don't believe in democracy. I don't believe in the "common man," even possibly being one of them. This all stems from my belief in only one absolute in this life and that absolute is that people are stupid. I don't have a good answer to what a better form of government is, but I really don't think people are capable of ruling themselves. We don't really believe in the common man as a nation, if we did we wouldn't always be electing the rich.

What makes me say these awful anti-American way of life things? Well for one Bush was elected...but enough of that. Another is that noone cares about government for the majority of the time. Sure when I big election comes round everyone gets fired up and talks about how important it is to vote and all that, but really who pays attention to all those "minor elections" like congressmen or senators. Not many, hell I'm guilty of it too. If you look at the people we end up voting for, it's just scary. There is not a worse group of people on the face of the earth. All snake oil salesmen, who hone their skills in courts of law until they are able to slime their way into writing those laws, most of which they write merely to look like they are doing something. Also they pass laws without ever reading what's in them...that's how the "Patriot Act" slid through in the first place.

Noone knows what their congressmen do. Hell you ask half the nation who their senators are and they can't tell you. (Mine are John Warner, who I have met, and Chuck Robb, to answer the inevitable question.) Anyway I've found our representative government to be quite lacking and am so fed up with politics and thinking about the election that I can barely stand it.

Nick posted a long list of positives that the Bush administration has accomplished. Sure there are a coupla things I've never heard of, but if you look at the fine print a lot of those things are "goals" and distortions. Bush has went on and on about how a president doesn't have control over the economy, but now his efforts have brought growth some how. He talks about goals for the environment and that's great. But if you don't do anything about it then who cares. My goal is to have people in every state that ends with the letter A wear green hats on the third Tuesday of every third month. Of course I have no way to enforce this so who cares what my goals are.

Anyway, congrats to all the Bush fans out there. You're ideals of God, guns and gays win over sane discourse. I'm done with politics for the moment, I feel ill everytime it comes into my mind. I'm gonna try to think about something else...maybe some philosophical ideas or maybe stupid video games. Or maybe I'll just start drinking and hoping that helps numb my addled mind.

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

unbelievable

I feel ill and apathetic. I had problems falling asleep again and I still can't believe that over half of American believes Bush is a good president. I really don't understand. I think today I'm not gonna do much at all besides try to process this information. I'm at a loss for words.

I can't take anymore

Well it's election night and while I tried to avoid keeping up with it, I finally succumbed and am dissappointed with what I've seen. It seems like Bush is gonna win and I'll be forced to deal with another four years of this moron and an administration that feels like it doesn't have to answer to anyone. I suppose America gets what it deserves. It seems like there is just this shift toward intolerent Republicans who want to force their religion on everyone across the board.

Anyway I did get a lot done today. My dad got new tires put on my Jeep, which was sweet. I went to cast my superfluous vote and then hit the DMV. My theory that it's better to go in the afternoon around 3 or 4 proved to be true and I was in and out in 20 minutes. I aced the driver's test and realized that I put way too much worry into it. I also ordered a new top for the Jeep, so it may be back to being a decent vehicle for a while once I get that on it.

I hit Trip's and we watched the Fellowship of the Ring and then he went into full political watching. I gave up and left, but ended up watching that crap myself. Well I flipped between watching that and playing Burnout 3. And now I'm bummed about the presidential debacle. I want to rant and just shake people and ask them what their problem is. I suppose the upside is that our military is stretched too far to start a new war now. But maybe they'll start drafting people now...why not? Just tell the church goers it's god's will and they'll circle the wagons and get it passed.

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

Negation is their God

I just read a really cool article at Salon about one of my favorite philosophers, Albert Camus. He's considered an existentialist by most, but never liked the monikor himself. I always liked his books and would advise anyone with metaphysical questions to read them. The article does a good job of synopsizing (Is that a word?) his life and work in brief.

We won't get fooled again!

Now listening to: A mix cd that came with Wired magazine

Well it was one year ago today that I started this humble blog. While not managing to update every day I've stayed rather dedicated to it, despite my mundane life. I did kind of a ponderous thing for my 300th post so I'll keep this one less introspective for the moment.

Tomorrow is the day when the future of our nation is decided and everyone's hopes are realized or crushed. I have quite a bit to accomplish tomorrow, not the least of which is casting my utterly superfluous vote. I know Puff Daddy says Vote or Die, but in a Republican stronghold state, my liberal voting tends to get ignored in a big way (thanks electoral college). But I'm voting anyway, because that way if my guy loses I can bitch about it. Not that I wouldn't bitch anyway, but this way it is more defensible.

I also have to take the driver's written test to renew my license, as I've said before. That means I need to finish reading the driver's manual before I leave the house. I may also try to get a haircut and completely deplete my discretionary income for the week. I also need to apply for a coupla teaching jobs that are open. Who knows I could have a job in a few weeks.

Not sure how I'm gonna spend tomorrow. I can't just watch tv, since every second will be dedicated to election coverage. I just want to find out who won tomorrow night, not follow the minute to minute polling. I may just try to watch some movies and play games until after midnight.

Ohh, tonight I went to see Saw with Trip. It was ok, had some cool moments, but nothing spectacular. You know I really wanted Seven, but this was more like four. I'm giving it a +1 chainmail rating, but I'm still not really sure how I feel about it. It could be lower than that, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt for the moment.

Monday, November 01, 2004

Assisted Living Dracula

So it was a Happy Halloween for me. The Steelers tossed New England a beating, ending their 21 game winning streak. The Eagles beat the Ravens (giving the Steelers a two-game cushion in the AFC North) and the Redskins lost. Normally I don't care that much about the Skins, but since 1938 the Skins losing their final home game before the presidential election means that the incumbent loses. So nobody was rooting for Green Bay more than I was today.

After all that football, Corb picked me up and we headed to Trip's for a little Halo action (gotta hone my skills before Nov. 9). That was fun. After a short stint there we returned home and I watched football highlights, Celebrity Poker Showdown and Aqua Teen Hunger Force for the rest of the evening. It was good to see Neil Patrick Harris win at poker. You know I'm down with the NPH.

Oh I also watched this show on the best scary movie moments on Bravo. Some cool stuff there. I've been on a horror kick lately, so it fit right in. Anyway it's late and I am bound for the sheets.