Alas..
I will not have a lengthy post today. Mainly due to the fact today ends in about fifteen minutes, and I'll still be typing at that point. Didn't want to leave an actual day long gap in the journal though, so voila. More in a few.
Friday, September 07, 2001
T-Minus 8 Days...
And I sure am countin em... Sooner I get back, the better.
Forgot to mention Alicia Keys performance last night, I was very impressed. Started off with some nice piano work before busting into her single "Fallin", the version that was performed was great, really displayed her musical ability. She took home Best New Artist, I wasn't surprised. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from her in the future. Also rediscovered one of my mp3s I hadn't heard in a while, from the movie Anna and the King one called "How Can I Not Love You." Kind of a strange start, but great chorus, kinda grows on you.
Watching one of those remodeling your house shows on TV, reminds me of playing The Sims, and designing my "dream house." Must be really fun to do in real life, making everything just the way you want it. The Sims is a great game, its a lot like living your life, but in fast forward. Getting promotions, buying new appliances, interacting with friends and family, its all part of the fun. Its nice having the perfect life, at least in a game. :)
And I sure am countin em... Sooner I get back, the better.
Forgot to mention Alicia Keys performance last night, I was very impressed. Started off with some nice piano work before busting into her single "Fallin", the version that was performed was great, really displayed her musical ability. She took home Best New Artist, I wasn't surprised. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from her in the future. Also rediscovered one of my mp3s I hadn't heard in a while, from the movie Anna and the King one called "How Can I Not Love You." Kind of a strange start, but great chorus, kinda grows on you.
Watching one of those remodeling your house shows on TV, reminds me of playing The Sims, and designing my "dream house." Must be really fun to do in real life, making everything just the way you want it. The Sims is a great game, its a lot like living your life, but in fast forward. Getting promotions, buying new appliances, interacting with friends and family, its all part of the fun. Its nice having the perfect life, at least in a game. :)
Thursday, September 06, 2001
VMA's, Very Magnificent... Hmm, Can't Think Of A Good 'A' Word
Finishing up watching the VMA's as we speak, its been quite an entertaining show. Most entertaining event of the night for me was the surprise appearance by Michael Jackson in the middle of NSYNC's performance. He looked a little stiff, a little out of the loop, but he could still move.
Might as well get this one out in the open, I am not afraid to admit that I am a diehard Michael Jackson fan. Growing up I spent hours trying to get the dance sequence from "Beat It" down pat, watched Captain EO at least thirty times at Disneyland, and must have passed by the full length mirror in my parent's bedroom at least a thousand different times, doing my best to "moonwalk." In my opinion, there has never been a better dancer, someone who could captivate an entire audience with five seconds of motion. I remember his Super Bowl halftime show, with the guys up on the scoreboards, and him eventually shooting out of the stage, immediately followed by 2 solid minutes of screaming by thousands of fans. I remember the premiere of the Black and White video, with the dancing of all the different cultures, and the people's faces morphing into each other.
What's sad, is I feel like I'm writing a eulogy. Its pathetic the way some people get the short end of the stick. Personally, I think regardless of whether he was guilty of what he was accused or not, he's done his time. Six years in a hole is more than enough punishment. I hope he comes back to create more memorable moments to wow us all. It was great to see him on stage tonight, and looks like there will be a CBS special with him and a bunch of other stars in November, looking forward to it.
Those fight for your rights commercials are pretty funny. Amazing the types of stereotypes that people actually believe these days. I spent most of the evening trying to explain to my parents who half the artists were, as they referred to their music as "pure noise." Basically anything that doesn't play on "love songs on the KOST 103.5" will not get much play time in my house. I consider myself open to all types of music, there's literally no genre of music I dislike as a whole. I used to think so, til I found some country songs with a great melody, some metal songs with a catchy rhythm, and some rap with some lyrics that were quite powerful. My playlist on Winamp has about six hundred songs on it, everything I have, and there's really no song on there that I don't listen to at least once a month.
I love that feeling of hearing a song on the radio that you've never heard before except a couple times, that you really like. I remember every time I saw the preview for Titan AE I would get goosebumps, mainly due to Creed's song Higher playing in the background. Made me want to get up and run a marathon, or something. I generally download a song like that within a day or two, and listen to it endlessly for a while. Unfortunately you lose that feeling of excitement, and that stinks. I generally put them away for a while after that, so that I can still get the thrill of setting Winamp on shuffle, and surprise myself with songs I haven't heard in at least a week or two. :)
Day off tomorrow, wooooooo. Anyone available? :) My e-mail addy is somewhere down there but I forgot to mention I'm also on AIM generally for those who prefer the, "diddley dee, diddley doo" sounds. :) thndrMATT's the name, sayin hi's the game.
Finishing up watching the VMA's as we speak, its been quite an entertaining show. Most entertaining event of the night for me was the surprise appearance by Michael Jackson in the middle of NSYNC's performance. He looked a little stiff, a little out of the loop, but he could still move.
Might as well get this one out in the open, I am not afraid to admit that I am a diehard Michael Jackson fan. Growing up I spent hours trying to get the dance sequence from "Beat It" down pat, watched Captain EO at least thirty times at Disneyland, and must have passed by the full length mirror in my parent's bedroom at least a thousand different times, doing my best to "moonwalk." In my opinion, there has never been a better dancer, someone who could captivate an entire audience with five seconds of motion. I remember his Super Bowl halftime show, with the guys up on the scoreboards, and him eventually shooting out of the stage, immediately followed by 2 solid minutes of screaming by thousands of fans. I remember the premiere of the Black and White video, with the dancing of all the different cultures, and the people's faces morphing into each other.
What's sad, is I feel like I'm writing a eulogy. Its pathetic the way some people get the short end of the stick. Personally, I think regardless of whether he was guilty of what he was accused or not, he's done his time. Six years in a hole is more than enough punishment. I hope he comes back to create more memorable moments to wow us all. It was great to see him on stage tonight, and looks like there will be a CBS special with him and a bunch of other stars in November, looking forward to it.
Those fight for your rights commercials are pretty funny. Amazing the types of stereotypes that people actually believe these days. I spent most of the evening trying to explain to my parents who half the artists were, as they referred to their music as "pure noise." Basically anything that doesn't play on "love songs on the KOST 103.5" will not get much play time in my house. I consider myself open to all types of music, there's literally no genre of music I dislike as a whole. I used to think so, til I found some country songs with a great melody, some metal songs with a catchy rhythm, and some rap with some lyrics that were quite powerful. My playlist on Winamp has about six hundred songs on it, everything I have, and there's really no song on there that I don't listen to at least once a month.
I love that feeling of hearing a song on the radio that you've never heard before except a couple times, that you really like. I remember every time I saw the preview for Titan AE I would get goosebumps, mainly due to Creed's song Higher playing in the background. Made me want to get up and run a marathon, or something. I generally download a song like that within a day or two, and listen to it endlessly for a while. Unfortunately you lose that feeling of excitement, and that stinks. I generally put them away for a while after that, so that I can still get the thrill of setting Winamp on shuffle, and surprise myself with songs I haven't heard in at least a week or two. :)
Day off tomorrow, wooooooo. Anyone available? :) My e-mail addy is somewhere down there but I forgot to mention I'm also on AIM generally for those who prefer the, "diddley dee, diddley doo" sounds. :) thndrMATT's the name, sayin hi's the game.
Or Not...
An update to last night's post, did some deep thinking during the night (while I slept of course, the only time one can achieve deep thought) and decided the two working computer idea isn't going to happen any time soon. I suddenly realized even with the purchase of the expensive video card and hard drive I'd still be short a sound and ethernet card, which would mean more dough. Going to put that idea on hold for the time being, and probably make those upgrades sometime during the year or next summer, which will bump the old stuff down and allow the second comp to be functional, for now I'll just pull the ol switcheroo. Made a deal with my father to give him my old thirty gig once everything has been transferred over, and get a larger drive for my C instead to go along with the eighty gig I have on the D. In exchange he'll contribute to the cost of the new drive, since the thirty gig will effectively triple his drive space. For those who know nothing about what I'm talking about, I apologize if you did indeed mash your face on the keyboard as you fell asleep. The good news is I'll save a lot of money, I've spent plenty as it is.
Looking forward to the VMA's on MTV tonight, lots of good performances are expected. I could go without the lengthy thank you thank me thank everyone speeches but I'll probably be doing something else while I watch anyway. Thank goodness for half days, the person I was working for had to leave early, what a shame. Then gave me Friday off since it would be the same concept then, course I'll have to work a full day Monday. You don't hear me complaining though.. Tomorrow night will probably consist of my going down my AIM list bugging people until I find someone bored enough to go do something... Anyone in the Los Angeles area out there? [wink wink]
An update to last night's post, did some deep thinking during the night (while I slept of course, the only time one can achieve deep thought) and decided the two working computer idea isn't going to happen any time soon. I suddenly realized even with the purchase of the expensive video card and hard drive I'd still be short a sound and ethernet card, which would mean more dough. Going to put that idea on hold for the time being, and probably make those upgrades sometime during the year or next summer, which will bump the old stuff down and allow the second comp to be functional, for now I'll just pull the ol switcheroo. Made a deal with my father to give him my old thirty gig once everything has been transferred over, and get a larger drive for my C instead to go along with the eighty gig I have on the D. In exchange he'll contribute to the cost of the new drive, since the thirty gig will effectively triple his drive space. For those who know nothing about what I'm talking about, I apologize if you did indeed mash your face on the keyboard as you fell asleep. The good news is I'll save a lot of money, I've spent plenty as it is.
Looking forward to the VMA's on MTV tonight, lots of good performances are expected. I could go without the lengthy thank you thank me thank everyone speeches but I'll probably be doing something else while I watch anyway. Thank goodness for half days, the person I was working for had to leave early, what a shame. Then gave me Friday off since it would be the same concept then, course I'll have to work a full day Monday. You don't hear me complaining though.. Tomorrow night will probably consist of my going down my AIM list bugging people until I find someone bored enough to go do something... Anyone in the Los Angeles area out there? [wink wink]
Money Money Money Down the Drain...
Most of the new computer arrived today, in some massive UPS boxes... Was pretty neat, everything got here at once, as well as a few of my mother's eBay purchases, so the UPS guy spent ten min or so unloading stuff off the truck for us...
I think I've decided to leave the old computer intact, and just build the new one from square one. Its about time for my bi-yearly format anyway, and would make it easy to not get the old one all garbled up with the new drivers and such. That does require a video card and a hard drive for the new computer though, basically the only two things missing from it after buying all the stuff required for the Pentium4: case, motherboard, chip, memory, etc.
Unfortunately after adding on those two purchases that will bring the expenditure total for the project up above a grand. Hence the words "I think" at the beginning of the previous paragraph. Sometimes I wish I didn't feel guilty. Its not like it isn't my money, I've been working all summer and have put away around two and a half grand, so I'll still have plenty for social expenditures during the school year, along with gas, books, parking permit, etc etc. I'm just obscenely spoiled. My family is basically upper class, even though it doesn't seem like it. We live in a pretty small one story house, nothing massive or impressive about it. Most of our money goes to college bills, I have an older sister who just graduated Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, PA, which is thirty something grand a year. She didn't get much financial aid at all. I'm heading back to my third year at UCSB, no financial aid at all there. And my brother just started his first year at CSULB, pretty sure he didn't get any aid either. What's sad is that both my other siblings tend to just say "I want" and they get. My sister is my father's favorite, the whole "daddy's little girl" idea. She worked summers like I did, but never really had to worry about money as long as she could "write letter$ to $omeone who love$ her" if you know what I mean. With my brother, the idea was just exponentially greater. In the last few months before leaving for college he purchased a laptop (mind you, he already had a desktop, and felt a need for two computers at a cost of at least a grand) a digital video camera (interesting, but a price tag of almost a grand there too) and various other random pointless purchases like a used N64 for a hundred or so, and a "limited edition" Batman poster for about the same. The thing that annoys me about it, is he doesn't feel bad at all. Typical conversation:
Brother: This poster is cool, I want it.
Father: I don't think you need that.
Brother: But I'll be nice and never bother you again for anything.
Father: Fine do whatever you want the credit card is on the dresser.
Mother: Did you ever give me my atm card back after borrowing it for a week?
Its really quite pathetic. We actually sat down and had a conversation about it, and discussed the "pie" that was the families income, and how my slice was minimal compared to the gargantuan size of my siblings. Their response: "eat faster." So here I am torn between being a spoiled little brat and actually caring about the amount of money I spend and the things I buy like top of the line computer upgrades. The computer world is so pathetic, you spend three hundred bucks on a top of the line video card and within a year, there's a three hundred dollar one that's at least five times better than the one you paid that much for previously. Its an ongoing process, you can never have a fully modern computer. I don't think I act spoiled when around people, other than the fact they usually realize how much money I spend on computer parts on a yearly basis... I generally end up trying to "spread the wealth" so to speak, offering to pay for amusement park trips, meals, movies, that sort of thing, without trying to cross the line over to where its rude or assuming. The other problem is you can't take a friend out to the movies and pay without them suddenly thinking you think its a date...
Reminds me of a trip I took to the Bay Area once, when I went via Greyhound (twelve hours each way on a bus is a whole nother story). I was in the San Francisco station waiting to leave for the trip back, and was leaning against an arcade game. A man walked up, and randomly started telling me about how he was five dollars short for a ticket to get to where he was trying to go (don't remember where, might not have heard it in the first place) and could I please spare a quarter or some change or anything that could help. I remember looking him in the eye kind of blankly, and without even thinking, pulled out my wallet and handed him a lincoln, returning my stare to the clock. I was surprised that I had done it, all weekend I had been ignoring people at point blank range as I walked around Berkeley, where literally the most common conversation starter is "spare change?" Yet something about this guy made me react differently. After his mind registered what bill I had gave him, he looked at me in utter disbelief and shock. I had already looked back away, but he put his hand on my shoulder and with a exclamation of "thanks man!" extended his other to clasp mine. It was a firm handshake, and frankly I felt really good about myself for hours afterward. He scurried over to the ticket counter, my bus arrived, and I never saw him again. They say it feels better to give than to recieve, and they're right.
So this is the kind of thing my conscience forces myself to think about. With the extra few hundred dollars I'll end up spending on the new computer parts, how many mouths could I feed? How many people on the side of the freeway onramps could I help out? I guess I'm thinking too hard about it. You can't solve world hunger in a day, and if I gave money to everyone who asked for it I wouldn't be able to eat myself. Theoretically, by buying the computer part I'm giving to the workers who created it, and the people who sold it to me.
It's too bad it feels like taking though.
So here I am pondering whether to go "the full monty" on this project, and add in the extra top of the line video card. I know I'll end up buying it in the long run, and I'll end up gaining countless hours of enjoyment from it, but that won't keep me from thinking about what some of my friends would do if they had a few hundred dollars to spend, and how much more important it would be to them.
Most of the new computer arrived today, in some massive UPS boxes... Was pretty neat, everything got here at once, as well as a few of my mother's eBay purchases, so the UPS guy spent ten min or so unloading stuff off the truck for us...
I think I've decided to leave the old computer intact, and just build the new one from square one. Its about time for my bi-yearly format anyway, and would make it easy to not get the old one all garbled up with the new drivers and such. That does require a video card and a hard drive for the new computer though, basically the only two things missing from it after buying all the stuff required for the Pentium4: case, motherboard, chip, memory, etc.
Unfortunately after adding on those two purchases that will bring the expenditure total for the project up above a grand. Hence the words "I think" at the beginning of the previous paragraph. Sometimes I wish I didn't feel guilty. Its not like it isn't my money, I've been working all summer and have put away around two and a half grand, so I'll still have plenty for social expenditures during the school year, along with gas, books, parking permit, etc etc. I'm just obscenely spoiled. My family is basically upper class, even though it doesn't seem like it. We live in a pretty small one story house, nothing massive or impressive about it. Most of our money goes to college bills, I have an older sister who just graduated Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, PA, which is thirty something grand a year. She didn't get much financial aid at all. I'm heading back to my third year at UCSB, no financial aid at all there. And my brother just started his first year at CSULB, pretty sure he didn't get any aid either. What's sad is that both my other siblings tend to just say "I want" and they get. My sister is my father's favorite, the whole "daddy's little girl" idea. She worked summers like I did, but never really had to worry about money as long as she could "write letter$ to $omeone who love$ her" if you know what I mean. With my brother, the idea was just exponentially greater. In the last few months before leaving for college he purchased a laptop (mind you, he already had a desktop, and felt a need for two computers at a cost of at least a grand) a digital video camera (interesting, but a price tag of almost a grand there too) and various other random pointless purchases like a used N64 for a hundred or so, and a "limited edition" Batman poster for about the same. The thing that annoys me about it, is he doesn't feel bad at all. Typical conversation:
Brother: This poster is cool, I want it.
Father: I don't think you need that.
Brother: But I'll be nice and never bother you again for anything.
Father: Fine do whatever you want the credit card is on the dresser.
Mother: Did you ever give me my atm card back after borrowing it for a week?
Its really quite pathetic. We actually sat down and had a conversation about it, and discussed the "pie" that was the families income, and how my slice was minimal compared to the gargantuan size of my siblings. Their response: "eat faster." So here I am torn between being a spoiled little brat and actually caring about the amount of money I spend and the things I buy like top of the line computer upgrades. The computer world is so pathetic, you spend three hundred bucks on a top of the line video card and within a year, there's a three hundred dollar one that's at least five times better than the one you paid that much for previously. Its an ongoing process, you can never have a fully modern computer. I don't think I act spoiled when around people, other than the fact they usually realize how much money I spend on computer parts on a yearly basis... I generally end up trying to "spread the wealth" so to speak, offering to pay for amusement park trips, meals, movies, that sort of thing, without trying to cross the line over to where its rude or assuming. The other problem is you can't take a friend out to the movies and pay without them suddenly thinking you think its a date...
Reminds me of a trip I took to the Bay Area once, when I went via Greyhound (twelve hours each way on a bus is a whole nother story). I was in the San Francisco station waiting to leave for the trip back, and was leaning against an arcade game. A man walked up, and randomly started telling me about how he was five dollars short for a ticket to get to where he was trying to go (don't remember where, might not have heard it in the first place) and could I please spare a quarter or some change or anything that could help. I remember looking him in the eye kind of blankly, and without even thinking, pulled out my wallet and handed him a lincoln, returning my stare to the clock. I was surprised that I had done it, all weekend I had been ignoring people at point blank range as I walked around Berkeley, where literally the most common conversation starter is "spare change?" Yet something about this guy made me react differently. After his mind registered what bill I had gave him, he looked at me in utter disbelief and shock. I had already looked back away, but he put his hand on my shoulder and with a exclamation of "thanks man!" extended his other to clasp mine. It was a firm handshake, and frankly I felt really good about myself for hours afterward. He scurried over to the ticket counter, my bus arrived, and I never saw him again. They say it feels better to give than to recieve, and they're right.
So this is the kind of thing my conscience forces myself to think about. With the extra few hundred dollars I'll end up spending on the new computer parts, how many mouths could I feed? How many people on the side of the freeway onramps could I help out? I guess I'm thinking too hard about it. You can't solve world hunger in a day, and if I gave money to everyone who asked for it I wouldn't be able to eat myself. Theoretically, by buying the computer part I'm giving to the workers who created it, and the people who sold it to me.
It's too bad it feels like taking though.
So here I am pondering whether to go "the full monty" on this project, and add in the extra top of the line video card. I know I'll end up buying it in the long run, and I'll end up gaining countless hours of enjoyment from it, but that won't keep me from thinking about what some of my friends would do if they had a few hundred dollars to spend, and how much more important it would be to them.
Wednesday, September 05, 2001
Yikes, Is This Thing On?
Strangely enough, the hit counter seems to actually be working, and the tracker thing is showing hostmasks from all of the country, people I didn't even tell about this thing to ask if the colors were hard on the eyes... Hmm... Well, I can't guarantee I'll always be the most interesting read, but I can guarantee there will be a daily post, sometimes more, generally around the midnight hour, and generally pretty long, as you can see.
This is merely the end of summer slowdown period, once I'm back in the dorms I'm sure there will be all manners of shenanagins (I just invented that spelling too) going on for your reading pleasure. Also wanted to say hi to a fellow online journalist whose page I stumbled across yesterday, as it appears she found my guestbook entry and has returned the favor. Amazing how small the world has become, when people who are hundreds of miles apart can meet with a simple "hi."
Speaking of guestbooks, I wouldn't mind snazzying up this page with one, or stuff about my bio, location, links, or whatnot. Unfortunately I've never taken the time to learn the ins and outs of webpage work, always had someone else do it for me. :/ Terrible, I know, but believe me I usually end up doing their vector calculus or something. :) So yeah, any of you other people running these out there who think you could improve my template hassle free feel free to drop me an e-mail with the relevant info/code at thunder@umail.ucsb.edu. And before you ask, that's the nickname I use in general when online. :)
Strangely enough, the hit counter seems to actually be working, and the tracker thing is showing hostmasks from all of the country, people I didn't even tell about this thing to ask if the colors were hard on the eyes... Hmm... Well, I can't guarantee I'll always be the most interesting read, but I can guarantee there will be a daily post, sometimes more, generally around the midnight hour, and generally pretty long, as you can see.
This is merely the end of summer slowdown period, once I'm back in the dorms I'm sure there will be all manners of shenanagins (I just invented that spelling too) going on for your reading pleasure. Also wanted to say hi to a fellow online journalist whose page I stumbled across yesterday, as it appears she found my guestbook entry and has returned the favor. Amazing how small the world has become, when people who are hundreds of miles apart can meet with a simple "hi."
Speaking of guestbooks, I wouldn't mind snazzying up this page with one, or stuff about my bio, location, links, or whatnot. Unfortunately I've never taken the time to learn the ins and outs of webpage work, always had someone else do it for me. :/ Terrible, I know, but believe me I usually end up doing their vector calculus or something. :) So yeah, any of you other people running these out there who think you could improve my template hassle free feel free to drop me an e-mail with the relevant info/code at thunder@umail.ucsb.edu. And before you ask, that's the nickname I use in general when online. :)
Tuesday, September 04, 2001
Point and Click, Type and Stare
My how times of changed. Was reading the latest edition of PCGamer today, I always get a kick out of the "top 5 games 5 years ago" section. Duke Nukem 3D. Damn, that game owned. My friends and I must have spent hundreds of hours over time playing that over the network here at my house. Tripbombs. Possibly the most hysterical weapon ever in a computer game. For those who don't know, they're little computer things you place on the wall that shoot a beam across to the opposing wall. Cross the beam and *BOOM*. Placing those in all sorts of tricky places, and then having the total silence of the house be broken by an "OOOOOH CRAAAAAAAP" from the other room as an unsuspecting foe goes barreling into one around a corner or such. Great times, those.
I always enjoyed the multiplayer aspect of computer games. Games that involved some version of skill, that you could use to splatter/defeat your opponent. Was really popular in the dorms last year, as pretty regularly eight player games of Starcraft or fifteen player games of Quake 3 would break out during the midnight hours. Tended to really annoy the R/A, not because of the actual playing, but due to the aftermath. Typical evening would start with someone wandering up and down the hall sayin "yo who wants to get that there arse whooped in a game o starcraft booyah man." Teams would then be organized, which would consist of mass arguing about "who sucks more" in order to try to seed the teams evenly. We'd then retire to our rooms and the game, and besides the trash talk via the console it would be basically silent. The most fun part was afterwards, when we'd all congregate in the hall again to talk about how "I almost had you that one time with the twelve carriers against ur mutalisks" or "if I wasn't low on resources I would have raped your pansy ass." You know, the usual college male jargon. That tended to bring the R/A out of his room to slam everyone's doors for them, which kind of gave us the hint. Would I play these games if I didn't normally win? Probably not. That's true with the majority of things I do regarding competition, though.
Looking back, I actually didn't have that terrible a group of guys as my floormates last year. Sure on Friday and Saturday nights our paths diverged in a yellow wood, and I took the one less travelled by, but for the most part we shared some of the same interests. Besides the computer games, Poker was a popular phenomenon that started late in the year. That's probably a good thing, because some of the guys lost some major dough at that table. It was a real mood swinger, some night's you sit down depressed or annoyed and get up an hour or two later with money to go take a girl out to dinner and a movie, other nights you'd sit down having had a great day and finally leave the room kicking over chairs as you go. We weren't big spenders, a buck was the maximum bet, with the usual chip denominations a nickel, dime, quarter, and dollar. Nothing compared to the Chumash casnio nearby that people ventually got sucked into going to, where the minimum bet is five bucks. Ouch. I witnessed many a man walk in with a few hundred and be done in an hour, quite a sad sight. In my experience the point is not to win money, its to stay even for few hours, to lengthen the experience. If you decide how much money you're going to pay to have this experience before you go, worst comes to worst you'll lose it all, and hopefully gotten several hours of "I'm a big man look at me toss these high value chips around" out of it. Course there are the big winners, every time we go someone manages to take home a few hundred bucks on a single hand, but they generally end up losing it back the next time they go. I tend to wait for my tax refund, that tends to be enough for a couple trips late in the year when I'm not worried about having enough money to lead a spoiled life.
Ordered my case today, should get here sometime tomorrow. Got on the line with some guy who usually handles corporate accounts for the company, so he gave me a lot of "anything else you'd like today sir" and "I'll just waive the shipping charge for you sir." You didn't hear me complaining. Rented Casino (I figure I'll italicize movie titles from here on out) tonight, never seen it before, I hear its good stuff. Goes along with the whole gambling concept above I suppose. Saw Jakob the Liar last night, had Robin Williams, figured it must be good. There was a little girl who played a small part that was really good, and Robin was alright, I guess the plot matter just didn't interest me. I did a lot of chatting and stuff while the window was open, it just wasn't really holding my attention too well. Most of the movies I mention in this thingy I'll be ripping/keeping, I had a couple crash over the last week or so though and have fallen behind, so gonna skip that one to catch up. Hopefully with the new comp things will go much faster, maybe six hours a rip instead of fourteen...
Working tomorrow, how lame. Least its close, Redondo Beach. Maybe I'll have a computer. Doubt it though, reorganizing their filing system or something. Was wanting to get to Raging Waters with a friend sometime this week, looks like its going to have to be next week though, we're both busy on alternating days until then, funny how that works out sometimes...
My how times of changed. Was reading the latest edition of PCGamer today, I always get a kick out of the "top 5 games 5 years ago" section. Duke Nukem 3D. Damn, that game owned. My friends and I must have spent hundreds of hours over time playing that over the network here at my house. Tripbombs. Possibly the most hysterical weapon ever in a computer game. For those who don't know, they're little computer things you place on the wall that shoot a beam across to the opposing wall. Cross the beam and *BOOM*. Placing those in all sorts of tricky places, and then having the total silence of the house be broken by an "OOOOOH CRAAAAAAAP" from the other room as an unsuspecting foe goes barreling into one around a corner or such. Great times, those.
I always enjoyed the multiplayer aspect of computer games. Games that involved some version of skill, that you could use to splatter/defeat your opponent. Was really popular in the dorms last year, as pretty regularly eight player games of Starcraft or fifteen player games of Quake 3 would break out during the midnight hours. Tended to really annoy the R/A, not because of the actual playing, but due to the aftermath. Typical evening would start with someone wandering up and down the hall sayin "yo who wants to get that there arse whooped in a game o starcraft booyah man." Teams would then be organized, which would consist of mass arguing about "who sucks more" in order to try to seed the teams evenly. We'd then retire to our rooms and the game, and besides the trash talk via the console it would be basically silent. The most fun part was afterwards, when we'd all congregate in the hall again to talk about how "I almost had you that one time with the twelve carriers against ur mutalisks" or "if I wasn't low on resources I would have raped your pansy ass." You know, the usual college male jargon. That tended to bring the R/A out of his room to slam everyone's doors for them, which kind of gave us the hint. Would I play these games if I didn't normally win? Probably not. That's true with the majority of things I do regarding competition, though.
Looking back, I actually didn't have that terrible a group of guys as my floormates last year. Sure on Friday and Saturday nights our paths diverged in a yellow wood, and I took the one less travelled by, but for the most part we shared some of the same interests. Besides the computer games, Poker was a popular phenomenon that started late in the year. That's probably a good thing, because some of the guys lost some major dough at that table. It was a real mood swinger, some night's you sit down depressed or annoyed and get up an hour or two later with money to go take a girl out to dinner and a movie, other nights you'd sit down having had a great day and finally leave the room kicking over chairs as you go. We weren't big spenders, a buck was the maximum bet, with the usual chip denominations a nickel, dime, quarter, and dollar. Nothing compared to the Chumash casnio nearby that people ventually got sucked into going to, where the minimum bet is five bucks. Ouch. I witnessed many a man walk in with a few hundred and be done in an hour, quite a sad sight. In my experience the point is not to win money, its to stay even for few hours, to lengthen the experience. If you decide how much money you're going to pay to have this experience before you go, worst comes to worst you'll lose it all, and hopefully gotten several hours of "I'm a big man look at me toss these high value chips around" out of it. Course there are the big winners, every time we go someone manages to take home a few hundred bucks on a single hand, but they generally end up losing it back the next time they go. I tend to wait for my tax refund, that tends to be enough for a couple trips late in the year when I'm not worried about having enough money to lead a spoiled life.
Ordered my case today, should get here sometime tomorrow. Got on the line with some guy who usually handles corporate accounts for the company, so he gave me a lot of "anything else you'd like today sir" and "I'll just waive the shipping charge for you sir." You didn't hear me complaining. Rented Casino (I figure I'll italicize movie titles from here on out) tonight, never seen it before, I hear its good stuff. Goes along with the whole gambling concept above I suppose. Saw Jakob the Liar last night, had Robin Williams, figured it must be good. There was a little girl who played a small part that was really good, and Robin was alright, I guess the plot matter just didn't interest me. I did a lot of chatting and stuff while the window was open, it just wasn't really holding my attention too well. Most of the movies I mention in this thingy I'll be ripping/keeping, I had a couple crash over the last week or so though and have fallen behind, so gonna skip that one to catch up. Hopefully with the new comp things will go much faster, maybe six hours a rip instead of fourteen...
Working tomorrow, how lame. Least its close, Redondo Beach. Maybe I'll have a computer. Doubt it though, reorganizing their filing system or something. Was wanting to get to Raging Waters with a friend sometime this week, looks like its going to have to be next week though, we're both busy on alternating days until then, funny how that works out sometimes...
Monday, September 03, 2001
Runneth Thee Into the Ground
Watched Chariots of Fire last night, a movie I'd never actually seen all the way through, although its twenty years old and won Best Picture at the Oscars among other things. Wasn't as good as I thought it would be, I think I was mixing it up with that one where the guy breaks the four minute mile, still not sure what that one was called. Reminded me of my days as a track star, sure has been a while.
Back when I was a freshman in high school I was literally in the best shape of my life. I ran thirty to forty miles a week with the Cross Country team, and after school had soccer practice for a few hours two nights a week and games and meets on Saturdays. Some days I'd have a rice bowl or something for lunch, go out sixth period and run down to Manhattan Beach and back (about 8 miles) get back grab my stuff go home rest for a while and then an hour later go run around for two hours at soccer practice, including all the usual sprints and conditioning. Saturdays generally consisted of running a full blown race in the morning, and then coming screaming back from places like like the Ventura Invitational in time to play a full ninety minute soccer game at 1pm without getting subbed. I would be tired sure, but it was a great feeling. To come home fully tired, knowing you'll fall asleep as soon as you hit the pillow, yet feeling life in every single one of your muscles. I won a few races on the Frosh/Soph team in Cross Country, won a lot more running the eight hundred and sixteen hundred meters in track. My strategy was simple. Stick close to the lead pack, always making sure to draft on the backstretch (our high school had a track facing east west, with a strong ocean breeze coming out of the west that made the backstretch a killer). Top of the curve at the far end, make my move, and with the wind behind me and the crowd cheering me on as I'd blast past the bleachers, bringing it on home. My coach used to get pissed off, because he thought I was saving strength for the end and running to beat the guy behind me, not to establish a new PR (personal record) for myself. I don't think it mattered how much strength I had with two hundred meters to go though, if there was catching to be done, I was always game. I'm a really competitive person, I take losses pretty hard, and winning is one thing that always makes me happy, makes it all worthwhile.
That year I came very close to running a sub five minute mile, a pretty impressive time for someone who wasn't built to run. I was a real wimp. I could take my thumb and forefinger and wrap them around my bicep, and they would touch, that's how little muscle I had on my body. When I walked a girl home, it was more for my sake than hers, that's how bad it was. I was in the vicinity of a hundred and thirty pounds, even though I was five ten or so. I used to eat worse than anyone in my family, yet never gained weight, since I would always burn it off.
Alas, times have changed. First race of my junior year I badly sprained my ankle, when I was trying to pass someone in the final stretch and got squeezed onto the curb that separates the track from the infield at most high schools. The problem probably wasn't the initial mistep, but the fact it pissed me off so much I ran twice as hard to catch him at the line after the injury. I never ran competitively again. I think about it a lot, and regretted it for a long time. In life we make choices however, there is only so much time in a day. I decided to join the Academic Decathlon team at my school, and my interest in running left me (AcaDec is a great story, for another time). At times I've tried to get back into it again, but the motivation is lacking, I don't have the will to be tired for an hour every day, pushing myself along the same old routes, step after step, never changing.
I finally "matured" as some have referred to it during senior year and that summer, and gained a lot of weight. I like to think most of it was muscle, but I'm sure my share of fat came along with it. I'm now around one eighty during the school year when me and friends work out regularly, one ninety during the summer, and am basically as close to six feet as you can get without actually being it. Not all of the weight as the bad kind, I developed a pair of shoulders, and basically quadrupled the upper arm strength that I never had before. I'm no longer afraid to arm wrestle people, especially girls. :) I often ponder which body I'd rather have, the lanky, stick figure that could run a five minute mile, or the stocky "manly" figure I've grown into. I guess a "middle ground" is the ultimate goal, being in shape, yet not to the point I have to dedicate hours a day to it. Being able run up the eight flights of stairs to my dorm room without getting winded, yet being able to be the one my friends call to walk them home at night, or "save" them from a guy they're trying to escape. Being able to tell someone to stop smoking in the doorway and move to where the rest of us don't have to inhale it every time we come in, without having to worry about getting tossed in the lagoon.
I'd like to say I'm happy with the way I am. Frankly I don't think anyone is. There's always something a person wants to change about themselves physically. I know I'm not perfect, girls have never flocked to me because I'm gorgeous. Being lost in mediocrity is depressing, but that gives me reason to head for the racquetball courts every day, swim some laps, shoot some hoops, squeeze in some pushups before bed, and most importantly stay healthy. People like to talk about not wanting to conform to society's image of the perfect person, but we all know we think about it, and for those of us who haven't found the one, think it will help them find us.
Watched Chariots of Fire last night, a movie I'd never actually seen all the way through, although its twenty years old and won Best Picture at the Oscars among other things. Wasn't as good as I thought it would be, I think I was mixing it up with that one where the guy breaks the four minute mile, still not sure what that one was called. Reminded me of my days as a track star, sure has been a while.
Back when I was a freshman in high school I was literally in the best shape of my life. I ran thirty to forty miles a week with the Cross Country team, and after school had soccer practice for a few hours two nights a week and games and meets on Saturdays. Some days I'd have a rice bowl or something for lunch, go out sixth period and run down to Manhattan Beach and back (about 8 miles) get back grab my stuff go home rest for a while and then an hour later go run around for two hours at soccer practice, including all the usual sprints and conditioning. Saturdays generally consisted of running a full blown race in the morning, and then coming screaming back from places like like the Ventura Invitational in time to play a full ninety minute soccer game at 1pm without getting subbed. I would be tired sure, but it was a great feeling. To come home fully tired, knowing you'll fall asleep as soon as you hit the pillow, yet feeling life in every single one of your muscles. I won a few races on the Frosh/Soph team in Cross Country, won a lot more running the eight hundred and sixteen hundred meters in track. My strategy was simple. Stick close to the lead pack, always making sure to draft on the backstretch (our high school had a track facing east west, with a strong ocean breeze coming out of the west that made the backstretch a killer). Top of the curve at the far end, make my move, and with the wind behind me and the crowd cheering me on as I'd blast past the bleachers, bringing it on home. My coach used to get pissed off, because he thought I was saving strength for the end and running to beat the guy behind me, not to establish a new PR (personal record) for myself. I don't think it mattered how much strength I had with two hundred meters to go though, if there was catching to be done, I was always game. I'm a really competitive person, I take losses pretty hard, and winning is one thing that always makes me happy, makes it all worthwhile.
That year I came very close to running a sub five minute mile, a pretty impressive time for someone who wasn't built to run. I was a real wimp. I could take my thumb and forefinger and wrap them around my bicep, and they would touch, that's how little muscle I had on my body. When I walked a girl home, it was more for my sake than hers, that's how bad it was. I was in the vicinity of a hundred and thirty pounds, even though I was five ten or so. I used to eat worse than anyone in my family, yet never gained weight, since I would always burn it off.
Alas, times have changed. First race of my junior year I badly sprained my ankle, when I was trying to pass someone in the final stretch and got squeezed onto the curb that separates the track from the infield at most high schools. The problem probably wasn't the initial mistep, but the fact it pissed me off so much I ran twice as hard to catch him at the line after the injury. I never ran competitively again. I think about it a lot, and regretted it for a long time. In life we make choices however, there is only so much time in a day. I decided to join the Academic Decathlon team at my school, and my interest in running left me (AcaDec is a great story, for another time). At times I've tried to get back into it again, but the motivation is lacking, I don't have the will to be tired for an hour every day, pushing myself along the same old routes, step after step, never changing.
I finally "matured" as some have referred to it during senior year and that summer, and gained a lot of weight. I like to think most of it was muscle, but I'm sure my share of fat came along with it. I'm now around one eighty during the school year when me and friends work out regularly, one ninety during the summer, and am basically as close to six feet as you can get without actually being it. Not all of the weight as the bad kind, I developed a pair of shoulders, and basically quadrupled the upper arm strength that I never had before. I'm no longer afraid to arm wrestle people, especially girls. :) I often ponder which body I'd rather have, the lanky, stick figure that could run a five minute mile, or the stocky "manly" figure I've grown into. I guess a "middle ground" is the ultimate goal, being in shape, yet not to the point I have to dedicate hours a day to it. Being able run up the eight flights of stairs to my dorm room without getting winded, yet being able to be the one my friends call to walk them home at night, or "save" them from a guy they're trying to escape. Being able to tell someone to stop smoking in the doorway and move to where the rest of us don't have to inhale it every time we come in, without having to worry about getting tossed in the lagoon.
I'd like to say I'm happy with the way I am. Frankly I don't think anyone is. There's always something a person wants to change about themselves physically. I know I'm not perfect, girls have never flocked to me because I'm gorgeous. Being lost in mediocrity is depressing, but that gives me reason to head for the racquetball courts every day, swim some laps, shoot some hoops, squeeze in some pushups before bed, and most importantly stay healthy. People like to talk about not wanting to conform to society's image of the perfect person, but we all know we think about it, and for those of us who haven't found the one, think it will help them find us.
A Priceless Gift
If you're like me, you work a lot, at some time or another. If you're like me, you're bored out of your mind an excessive amount while on the job. If you're lucky, you have a computer available and an internet connection you're able to use (if nothing else, when the boss isn't watching). I now give you my top 5 ways to waste time at work.
Honorable Mention. Windows Games
It's true, Solitaire and Minesweeper are not the most high tech games in the world. However, an average expert game on Minesweeper can take you up to 10 minutes, and that really makes the time fly. Nothing more addicting than almost setting a record, only to misclick and have to start all over. Then there's Freecell, and on most computers at places of employment, Hearts as well. These are equally fun when you're that bored, and there's nothing like winning 13 Freecell games in a row (although I've heard of records much higher than that), or managing to shoot the moon 4 times in a row for a perfect game of hearts (I've never done it, but hey). This must really be telling you what kind of life I lead... Honestly I don't play these games for fun, I only play them when there is literally nothing else to keep me awake, so that keeps them out of the top 5.
5. E-mail everyone you know.
Doesn't have to be long, just go down the list and catch up with all those e-mails sitting in your inbox you haven't replied to in two weeks. Then e-mail old friends, maybe some you knew in high school, some you haven't seen for a while, or some you talk to every day.
4. www.prizegames.com
Basically about 50 little games that are as addictive as they are fun. A lot of the classic card and arcade games, with some great new ones like the one where the mole has to eat up the garden before the farmer catches him (my personal favorite, it gets harder as you go believe me).
3. www.liquid.se/pong.html
This one is perhaps the coolest shockwave game I've played, even though its from the stone age. We're talkin the Atari days folks, point of the game to get the ball past your opponent, tennis style using a paddle you move around with the mouse. Highly addictive, but also very difficult without practice. If you can beat my personal high score of 420, then I salute you (you must have a lot more free time than I do). :)
2. www.yahoo.com and www.zone.com
These sites are pretty similar, sign up for a free account and have loads of fun playing just about every board or card game imaginable, with people all over the world. There's your typical Chess and Checkers, a great version of Scrabble called Literati, Poker, Bridge, Spades, Hearts, and a ton of others guaranteed to waste your time and help 5:00 come faster than usual.
1. Chat
Whether you fill up your screen with Instant Messages from AIM, spam a bunch of friends over ICQ, or download mIRC (www.mirc.com) and join your favorite channel, there is always guaranteed to be someone somewhere who is just as bored as you. I've spent a great deal of time chatting over the years, generally with people I already know IRL (In Real Life, tm) but occasionally with random ones I don't. I started collecting quotes a while back from some of the most hysterical conversations I've ever witnessed, and believe me I've got some doozies. Maybe I'll bust them out on a rainy day.
If you're like me, you work a lot, at some time or another. If you're like me, you're bored out of your mind an excessive amount while on the job. If you're lucky, you have a computer available and an internet connection you're able to use (if nothing else, when the boss isn't watching). I now give you my top 5 ways to waste time at work.
Honorable Mention. Windows Games
It's true, Solitaire and Minesweeper are not the most high tech games in the world. However, an average expert game on Minesweeper can take you up to 10 minutes, and that really makes the time fly. Nothing more addicting than almost setting a record, only to misclick and have to start all over. Then there's Freecell, and on most computers at places of employment, Hearts as well. These are equally fun when you're that bored, and there's nothing like winning 13 Freecell games in a row (although I've heard of records much higher than that), or managing to shoot the moon 4 times in a row for a perfect game of hearts (I've never done it, but hey). This must really be telling you what kind of life I lead... Honestly I don't play these games for fun, I only play them when there is literally nothing else to keep me awake, so that keeps them out of the top 5.
5. E-mail everyone you know.
Doesn't have to be long, just go down the list and catch up with all those e-mails sitting in your inbox you haven't replied to in two weeks. Then e-mail old friends, maybe some you knew in high school, some you haven't seen for a while, or some you talk to every day.
4. www.prizegames.com
Basically about 50 little games that are as addictive as they are fun. A lot of the classic card and arcade games, with some great new ones like the one where the mole has to eat up the garden before the farmer catches him (my personal favorite, it gets harder as you go believe me).
3. www.liquid.se/pong.html
This one is perhaps the coolest shockwave game I've played, even though its from the stone age. We're talkin the Atari days folks, point of the game to get the ball past your opponent, tennis style using a paddle you move around with the mouse. Highly addictive, but also very difficult without practice. If you can beat my personal high score of 420, then I salute you (you must have a lot more free time than I do). :)
2. www.yahoo.com and www.zone.com
These sites are pretty similar, sign up for a free account and have loads of fun playing just about every board or card game imaginable, with people all over the world. There's your typical Chess and Checkers, a great version of Scrabble called Literati, Poker, Bridge, Spades, Hearts, and a ton of others guaranteed to waste your time and help 5:00 come faster than usual.
1. Chat
Whether you fill up your screen with Instant Messages from AIM, spam a bunch of friends over ICQ, or download mIRC (www.mirc.com) and join your favorite channel, there is always guaranteed to be someone somewhere who is just as bored as you. I've spent a great deal of time chatting over the years, generally with people I already know IRL (In Real Life, tm) but occasionally with random ones I don't. I started collecting quotes a while back from some of the most hysterical conversations I've ever witnessed, and believe me I've got some doozies. Maybe I'll bust them out on a rainy day.
Sunday, September 02, 2001
Now You See It, Now You Don't.
Was watching TLC just now, a channel I often flip to since its in the same general range as ESPN, FSW, MTV, VH1, and DISC. I spend the majority of my TV watching in that range, with the occasional dip into the lower channels (FOX NBC ABC and CBS for news or a popular series...). Anyway, there was a special on David Blaine, a street magician. If you ever get a chance to see this guy, I highly recommend it, he's possibly the best up close magician I've ever seen. Hundreds of card tricks, half of which I haven't the slightest idea where to begin describing how he did it. He even managed to levitate himself, although I'm sure that's more optical illusion based than pure skill. The card tricks were just unbelievable though, the guy is brilliant.
I don't believe in Magic, Ghosts, or just about everything having to do with the paranormal, but I'm not closed minded about it, I just don't have any physical evidence or personal experiences to tell me otherwise. I guess that's the same type of explanation I use for not believing in any type of religion, I find it much easier to believe in the scientific "puddle of goo" theory, than a supreme being snapping his fingers and creating the world as we know it. I read about the ancient Greeks, who thought that Apollo rode across the sky dragging the Sun in his chariot, having no idea that the Earth was actually rotating around it. I wonder if two thousand years into the future some teenage kid will be reading a history book about our culture, and sharing a giggle about any or all of the current world religions.
I know a lot of people, including many of those who read this, will disagree with me, and have their own opinions about where this universe came from, or whether or not they're in control of their own fate. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, I think in the long run they'll make their own decisions regardless.
I think our generation has very different percentages than our parents though, the majority of children these days are allowed to make their own decisions about religion, instead of being brought up as something, and saying they're a certain religion before they've even reached an age where they know what they're talking about. The parents are a child's greatest influence, and in some cases that's a real shame.
I try to steer clear of controversial issues when it comes to conversations, rarely do people actually change their minds, regardless of how many arguments about abortion, capital punishment, affirmative action, or whatever else there is.
I know these are touchy subjects, but I feel to know me you have to know how I personally feel about them. I enjoy a good discussion, its only when it turns into an heated argument that I tend to change the subject/leave the room.
Was watching TLC just now, a channel I often flip to since its in the same general range as ESPN, FSW, MTV, VH1, and DISC. I spend the majority of my TV watching in that range, with the occasional dip into the lower channels (FOX NBC ABC and CBS for news or a popular series...). Anyway, there was a special on David Blaine, a street magician. If you ever get a chance to see this guy, I highly recommend it, he's possibly the best up close magician I've ever seen. Hundreds of card tricks, half of which I haven't the slightest idea where to begin describing how he did it. He even managed to levitate himself, although I'm sure that's more optical illusion based than pure skill. The card tricks were just unbelievable though, the guy is brilliant.
I don't believe in Magic, Ghosts, or just about everything having to do with the paranormal, but I'm not closed minded about it, I just don't have any physical evidence or personal experiences to tell me otherwise. I guess that's the same type of explanation I use for not believing in any type of religion, I find it much easier to believe in the scientific "puddle of goo" theory, than a supreme being snapping his fingers and creating the world as we know it. I read about the ancient Greeks, who thought that Apollo rode across the sky dragging the Sun in his chariot, having no idea that the Earth was actually rotating around it. I wonder if two thousand years into the future some teenage kid will be reading a history book about our culture, and sharing a giggle about any or all of the current world religions.
I know a lot of people, including many of those who read this, will disagree with me, and have their own opinions about where this universe came from, or whether or not they're in control of their own fate. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, I think in the long run they'll make their own decisions regardless.
I think our generation has very different percentages than our parents though, the majority of children these days are allowed to make their own decisions about religion, instead of being brought up as something, and saying they're a certain religion before they've even reached an age where they know what they're talking about. The parents are a child's greatest influence, and in some cases that's a real shame.
I try to steer clear of controversial issues when it comes to conversations, rarely do people actually change their minds, regardless of how many arguments about abortion, capital punishment, affirmative action, or whatever else there is.
I know these are touchy subjects, but I feel to know me you have to know how I personally feel about them. I enjoy a good discussion, its only when it turns into an heated argument that I tend to change the subject/leave the room.
Hmmm...
Yikes, just tried loading the site and it took forever... I guess I should be archiving weekly instead of monthly... Something tells me this first week is going to still be incredibly long though. I guess I didn't realize how much I needed to get some of this stuff off my chest...
I apologize for the long load times :/ Top three things to do while loading:
1. Call me and patronize me for talking too much.
2. Chew glass.
3. Wander around your place of residence, forget you were ever planning to read it, and come back three hours later pleasantly surprised to have it loaded and waiting.
Yikes, just tried loading the site and it took forever... I guess I should be archiving weekly instead of monthly... Something tells me this first week is going to still be incredibly long though. I guess I didn't realize how much I needed to get some of this stuff off my chest...
I apologize for the long load times :/ Top three things to do while loading:
1. Call me and patronize me for talking too much.
2. Chew glass.
3. Wander around your place of residence, forget you were ever planning to read it, and come back three hours later pleasantly surprised to have it loaded and waiting.
NOTE: IF YOU ARE TRYING TO READ FROM THE BEGINNING OF THIS JOURNAL PLEASE FIRST READ THE POST DATED 9/9 IN THE WEEK OF 9/9 TO 9/16, SOME POSTS WERE LOST DURING THE FIRST ARCHIVE AND HAVE BEEN REPRODUCED THERE. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE, FOLLOWING THAT POST CONTINUE ON FROM THIS POINT. @=O/
Moobies, and lots of them.
Man, I cut it close every night. I have one of those thirty DVDs in thirty Days deal at Blockbuster for twenty bucks, the catch being you can only get one per day. They close at midnight, and I'm always tearing over there at about ten til having just finished copying the previous one.
Guess I'll have to admit to one not so legal thing I do, although it really isn't that bad. I'm a movie collector, I store them on CDs that anyone is able to watch on their computer, much like a DVD, except they can use their regular CD Rom drive and don't need to have a DVD player themselves. So basically I rent a movie, copy it to the hard drive, compress it (that's a twelve hour process for the cpu) and burn it, and thus can keep it forever. The quality is basically DVD like, except in some cases where an anal eye will notice descrepancies in the quality. Wonder how close I was to spelling that right. Anyway. So basically I'm robbing the movie industry blind, but the way I see it, I'm no worse than anyone who has an mp3 on their comp that isn't on a cd they already own. Until they figure out a way to control people robbing the record companies, I don't think the Hollywood giants will be sending the FBI to confiscate my puter any time soon.
On the other side of things, my movies do tend to gain me a lot of "friends" as people discover that I'm a human Blockbuster of sorts, and I don't charge for borrowing. Often times my room is used as a home theater, since I have a surround sound Dolby Digital speaker system packed into a space the size of most people's bathrooms... There's not a whole lot of room (plenty for just lil ol me) but its enough for about 7 or 8 enthusiastic moviegoers if we fill up all the floor space. On a typical Friday or Saturday night at least 90% of the hall is out in IV or elsewhere, and thus the r/a's are pretty lenient about blasting sound through the walls.
I'm a real fan of movies, I started keeping my ticket stubs a few years back and have a stack about six inches high (at a price of at least five bucks a movie that's pretty depressing now that I think about it...). Now that I think about it that doesn't include all the movies I hop to after watching the first (yikes, two illegal things described in one post, don't worry that ratio should improve) so that number is probably still pretty innaccurate. I see a lot with friends, but I also see a lot by myself. Personally since you're not talking during the movie I never really understood the need of having six people with you... Nice to go chat before it starts and head out to eat or something afterwards I guess though.
I'm a big fan of dramas, best case scenario being a movie that causes me to be a changed person when I leave. A movie that affects me that much is the apex of all moviegoing experiences. Second genre would have to be action, gotta love a good car chase or stunt scene. Third would probably be comedy, sometimes I get in the mood for one of those, some of those guys really crack me up. Currently a distant fourth is romance, although if it falls into the drama or comedy category and isn't a total loviedoviefest as well it might be elevated in status. This is largely due to my current social situation, I'm sure if I had someone to cuddle with I wouldn't be quite so bitter. :)
Moobies, and lots of them.
Man, I cut it close every night. I have one of those thirty DVDs in thirty Days deal at Blockbuster for twenty bucks, the catch being you can only get one per day. They close at midnight, and I'm always tearing over there at about ten til having just finished copying the previous one.
Guess I'll have to admit to one not so legal thing I do, although it really isn't that bad. I'm a movie collector, I store them on CDs that anyone is able to watch on their computer, much like a DVD, except they can use their regular CD Rom drive and don't need to have a DVD player themselves. So basically I rent a movie, copy it to the hard drive, compress it (that's a twelve hour process for the cpu) and burn it, and thus can keep it forever. The quality is basically DVD like, except in some cases where an anal eye will notice descrepancies in the quality. Wonder how close I was to spelling that right. Anyway. So basically I'm robbing the movie industry blind, but the way I see it, I'm no worse than anyone who has an mp3 on their comp that isn't on a cd they already own. Until they figure out a way to control people robbing the record companies, I don't think the Hollywood giants will be sending the FBI to confiscate my puter any time soon.
On the other side of things, my movies do tend to gain me a lot of "friends" as people discover that I'm a human Blockbuster of sorts, and I don't charge for borrowing. Often times my room is used as a home theater, since I have a surround sound Dolby Digital speaker system packed into a space the size of most people's bathrooms... There's not a whole lot of room (plenty for just lil ol me) but its enough for about 7 or 8 enthusiastic moviegoers if we fill up all the floor space. On a typical Friday or Saturday night at least 90% of the hall is out in IV or elsewhere, and thus the r/a's are pretty lenient about blasting sound through the walls.
I'm a real fan of movies, I started keeping my ticket stubs a few years back and have a stack about six inches high (at a price of at least five bucks a movie that's pretty depressing now that I think about it...). Now that I think about it that doesn't include all the movies I hop to after watching the first (yikes, two illegal things described in one post, don't worry that ratio should improve) so that number is probably still pretty innaccurate. I see a lot with friends, but I also see a lot by myself. Personally since you're not talking during the movie I never really understood the need of having six people with you... Nice to go chat before it starts and head out to eat or something afterwards I guess though.
I'm a big fan of dramas, best case scenario being a movie that causes me to be a changed person when I leave. A movie that affects me that much is the apex of all moviegoing experiences. Second genre would have to be action, gotta love a good car chase or stunt scene. Third would probably be comedy, sometimes I get in the mood for one of those, some of those guys really crack me up. Currently a distant fourth is romance, although if it falls into the drama or comedy category and isn't a total loviedoviefest as well it might be elevated in status. This is largely due to my current social situation, I'm sure if I had someone to cuddle with I wouldn't be quite so bitter. :)
