So the Winter Olympics are finally over. That went by insanely quick didn't it? It seems like they weren't even on?! They were really only on for like 4 hours each night and only one ONE channel. That doesn't make sense in this modern world, damnit! You'd be lucky if you turned on coverage and actually saw an event. Most of the time it was Bob Costas interviewing somebody, or recapping some earlier event. Fuck, I even saw Jimmy Fallon doing comedy skits one night! The value of the Winter Olympics is limited, but there they are every four years. They exist only to kill time until the next Summer Olympics. And to let us catch snowboarders doing some pretty crazy shit. It seemed to fly right by, with nary a chance to really get into it.
I think it went by due to the lack of coverage, which is only because of a lack of events. While there are some events that really shine and get all the coverage, some slip right under the radar and are missed entirely. Sadly this even happens at the Summer Olympics which gets much, much more coverage. Anyway this time around I would've loved to have seen some skeleton or the snowboard race but it was just too damn hard to catch. You could've watched the entire nightly broadcast but only catch a minute or two of those events. NBC has a huge umbrella of networks where in depth coverage could have been shown. This was not to be the case. Instead we were treated to limited coverage of the actual sports, and increased coverage of the happenings around the sports. Death of the luger from Georgia, tragic. Death of some random figure skaters mother, sad. But let's gloss that over for the ACTION! It's the damn Olympics!
So here is where I get to the point. They wanted drama. They wanted to cover the superficial drama because that's what the fucking ratings demand. Let's show only the medal rounds for sports instead of the entire event. Let's talk about this one person who had some drama in their life like they're a goddamn hero, like they're the greatest thing in the world. Oh they only got bronze? Well let's keep on talking about it for six more days while not showing the events going on at the time. I'm very disappointed. This happens during the Summer Olympics as well. Last time, in Beijing, NBC did a much better job with coverage than at these Olympics. It was broadcast on a range of networks from NBC to MSNBC to
I realize that there are only a limited amount of sports that can truly be represented at the Winter Olympics, but I think IOC officials should be more open to adding as many as possible in the future. There just aren't enough events to draw my attention (though I know they don't play to me, I've heard this as a common criticism). Winter sports attract only a fraction of the world's population anyway, might as well try and broaden the appeal and reach out to new audiences with new events. Only 20 something countries won medals at the 2010 games, while 86 countries had medal winners in 2008. That's a HUGE disparity between the winter and summer games. I'm just saying that IOC officials should look at the X Games and draw some more inspiration from there (adding snowboard was a step in the right direction).
What are some events I think should be added? How about dogsled racing? The Iditarod is a classic winter tradition. I say fuck PETA and bring dogs to the Olympics! How about Ice Sculpture? If you can give a medal to a fucking "ICE DANCER" you should give one to a dude with a chainsaw. Competitive Snowball Fight? YES!
Maybe with the snowball fight I'd finally have a chance to medal after my dreams of winning the Pole Vault in 1996 were dashed when I tore my quad.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Want a Laugh
Go read this comic now!
LINK IT!!!
Hell, go read the rest of Subnormality as well. It's a thinking person's webcomic (ie lots of words).
LINK IT!!!
Hell, go read the rest of Subnormality as well. It's a thinking person's webcomic (ie lots of words).
In Lieu of Writing
Kirsten Dunst dressed up all crazy and singing Turning Japanese while prancing around Akihabara.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
US State Flags
Quick post today on one of my favorite subjects, flags. I was looking at alternatehistory.com's forums earlier and found a huge post about flags for people's created timelines. I found several alternates for US states that vastly improved the generally uninspired design of many of the real banners. While a majority of the state flags are boring, there are a few that stand out as being really quite good. That's why I've decided to whip up a list my favorite five here.
5. Colorado
An attractive combination of the familiar three horizontal colors and a stylized letter C. Reminds me of the Honduran flag, just with a wannabe Cubs logo plopped on top. Either way I like it.
4. Arizona
A very simple design that really catches the eye. Evokes the Japanese Imperial flag somewhat, which may be why I like this particular flag.
3. Texas
The classic Lone Star flag is a simplified version of the US national flag, but has its own storied history. This flag screams Texas, and everything associated with Texas whenever I see it being flown.
2. New Mexico
A very nice flag for the southeastern state. It manages to pay tribute to the natives without playing on stereotypes. The Hulk Hogan color scheme is really bright and eye catching.
1. Maryland
The coat of arms of Lord Baltimore were turned into the Maryland state flag. This design is so amazingly different from others that it stands out from the lackluster crowd. It's so visually appealing that if I lived in Maryland I'd fly it on my front lawn. Just an awesome flag.
A majority of US flags are so unbelievably boring, a state seal or something else plastered on a boring blue background. Not even an appealing blue, probably the most yawn inducing blue to be found on the color spectrum. Many of these flags were designed in the early 1900s and reflect it in their outdated visuals. States should be doing everything possible to redesign these flags.
If a state is dependent upon tourism, wouldn't it make sense to plaster pictures of the flag all over useless crap? Now imagine seeing the Maine flag, a blue monstrosity featuring the ugly state seal, on stuff while visiting the coastal tourist zone. It's sort of an "Eh, I'll pass," situation. Now you're visiting Texas. You want to buy as much junk as possible with the Lone Star flag. That's how it works, you buy stuff that looks good. If these states redesigned their flags, revenues in tourist areas would go up simply due to the more appealing souvenirs. Something to think about Oregon, that ugly beaver on a black background isn't bringing in the chump's change.
You want some beautiful state/prefecture flag designs? Check out a few of these Japanese provincial flags. They're brilliant, simple and aesthetically pleasing.
Hell, there are even some cities that have engaging styles while the state flag is atrocious.
Take for example Wichita, Kansas.
It's really cool. A cross between the radiation symbol and the Japanese Imperial flag, as well as the symbol of the Zia Pueblo natives in the center. All of these elements create a nice flag. Now look at the Kansas' flag.
OH MY GOD NO! Who would fly this flag above the Wichita flag? How could you?! The archaic font spelling the name, an ugly flower or yellow blur on the top, and a seal so busy it looks like somebody threw up on a manhole cover. This flag shouldn't even be allowed within 500 feet of the city flag.
Here's an example of probably my favorite municipal flag, the flag of Ottawa.
Adopted in 2000, this flag updates a tired banner and represents the rebirth of a city in a wonderful way. It's modern. It's evocative. The colors are compliment each other screamingly well. The only issue I could possibly have with this is the ratio. It's too long making it look narrow. Not very noticeable though since the swirl in the middle really catches the eye.
That's enough about flags. Laters.
5. Colorado
An attractive combination of the familiar three horizontal colors and a stylized letter C. Reminds me of the Honduran flag, just with a wannabe Cubs logo plopped on top. Either way I like it.
4. Arizona
A very simple design that really catches the eye. Evokes the Japanese Imperial flag somewhat, which may be why I like this particular flag.
3. Texas
The classic Lone Star flag is a simplified version of the US national flag, but has its own storied history. This flag screams Texas, and everything associated with Texas whenever I see it being flown.
2. New Mexico
A very nice flag for the southeastern state. It manages to pay tribute to the natives without playing on stereotypes. The Hulk Hogan color scheme is really bright and eye catching.
1. Maryland
The coat of arms of Lord Baltimore were turned into the Maryland state flag. This design is so amazingly different from others that it stands out from the lackluster crowd. It's so visually appealing that if I lived in Maryland I'd fly it on my front lawn. Just an awesome flag.
A majority of US flags are so unbelievably boring, a state seal or something else plastered on a boring blue background. Not even an appealing blue, probably the most yawn inducing blue to be found on the color spectrum. Many of these flags were designed in the early 1900s and reflect it in their outdated visuals. States should be doing everything possible to redesign these flags.
If a state is dependent upon tourism, wouldn't it make sense to plaster pictures of the flag all over useless crap? Now imagine seeing the Maine flag, a blue monstrosity featuring the ugly state seal, on stuff while visiting the coastal tourist zone. It's sort of an "Eh, I'll pass," situation. Now you're visiting Texas. You want to buy as much junk as possible with the Lone Star flag. That's how it works, you buy stuff that looks good. If these states redesigned their flags, revenues in tourist areas would go up simply due to the more appealing souvenirs. Something to think about Oregon, that ugly beaver on a black background isn't bringing in the chump's change.
You want some beautiful state/prefecture flag designs? Check out a few of these Japanese provincial flags. They're brilliant, simple and aesthetically pleasing.
Hell, there are even some cities that have engaging styles while the state flag is atrocious.
Take for example Wichita, Kansas.
It's really cool. A cross between the radiation symbol and the Japanese Imperial flag, as well as the symbol of the Zia Pueblo natives in the center. All of these elements create a nice flag. Now look at the Kansas' flag.
OH MY GOD NO! Who would fly this flag above the Wichita flag? How could you?! The archaic font spelling the name, an ugly flower or yellow blur on the top, and a seal so busy it looks like somebody threw up on a manhole cover. This flag shouldn't even be allowed within 500 feet of the city flag.
Here's an example of probably my favorite municipal flag, the flag of Ottawa.
Adopted in 2000, this flag updates a tired banner and represents the rebirth of a city in a wonderful way. It's modern. It's evocative. The colors are compliment each other screamingly well. The only issue I could possibly have with this is the ratio. It's too long making it look narrow. Not very noticeable though since the swirl in the middle really catches the eye.
That's enough about flags. Laters.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Ooh Help Me Dr. Zaius
I'm bored and I really want to spooge out a quick blog post just to do something. So here's a list of stuff I like.
Shit I'm working on: Nigel Witherspoon YouTube page (featuring Nigel's Game Reviews, Nigel's News, etc), The Zombie Blog (still in the layout process two years later because I'm planning too big), a billion 1/2 short stories, and... y'know, finding a paying job.
- Screwing around on Google Earth
- Reading websites on haikyo/abandoned buildings
- Japanese architecture
- Marathoning TV shows that I like (30 Rock, The Office, The Simpsons)
- Fleshing out ideas about stuff to write (that I never get around to). Great ideas though.
- YouTube. Holy hell have I become addicted to YouTube lately. It's a timewaster folks!
- The Angry Video Game Nerd
- The warm weather that we're getting. It's so fucking spring like outside, it makes me sad that summer isn't for another 39 months or so.
- Zombies, always
- Skylines of major cities (except Dubai, it's just awful)
- Shenmue, god I miss Shenmue. It's been ten years now!
- Europa Universalis III - I'll write a whole post about this game soon, it's been dominating me for several months now.
- SOCCER! Although Liverpool complete ASS form lately has me really disillusioned. J-League is almost ready to go though!
- Steampunk. It's aesthetically brilliant and the concepts behind the whole genre appeal to me.
- Retrofuturism. You can't tell me that the 1950s-1960s idea of the "Space Age" or "Rocket Age" futures isn't some of the coolest shit.
Shit I'm working on: Nigel Witherspoon YouTube page (featuring Nigel's Game Reviews, Nigel's News, etc), The Zombie Blog (still in the layout process two years later because I'm planning too big), a billion 1/2 short stories, and... y'know, finding a paying job.
Monday, February 15, 2010
How I've Spent My Time
So you want to know exactly what I've been up to, eh? Beyond the entire time line I've posted? Well you're a bunch of greedy, capitalist assholes! Wait... what? You didn't ask? Well I think I'm going to tell you anyway. Or give you a few links and call it good.
CRACKED.COM
Yup, this single website has eaten up hours of my time. On some days I've spent 4 hours just browsing the site and reading articles, long after Ashes has gone to bed. Reading these articles until the wee hours of the morning, when I look up from my computer screen and say to myself "Where the hell am I?" I'm sure you've had a similar moment, in the internet age it's a common theme. Let me give you a few samples of their enthralling articles.
Worst Life Ever: The Story of Kazuyuki Fujita's Skull
Insane Fan Theories That Make the Movies Better
6 Movie Plots Mad Possible by Baffingly Bad Decisions
And more. Check it out.
CRACKED.COM
Yup, this single website has eaten up hours of my time. On some days I've spent 4 hours just browsing the site and reading articles, long after Ashes has gone to bed. Reading these articles until the wee hours of the morning, when I look up from my computer screen and say to myself "Where the hell am I?" I'm sure you've had a similar moment, in the internet age it's a common theme. Let me give you a few samples of their enthralling articles.
Worst Life Ever: The Story of Kazuyuki Fujita's Skull
Insane Fan Theories That Make the Movies Better
6 Movie Plots Mad Possible by Baffingly Bad Decisions
And more. Check it out.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Grumble Grumble
Do you know what this is in this picture?
It's BUBBLE TEA! Wondrous bubble tea from a faraway land. It's a sort of creamy, milky drink with edible chunks at the bottom that you suck through the straw. It's a fun drink and something I first had... in Canada? Maybe. I know they have it in Portsmouth and I make it a point to stop in every time I'm driving past the town. Y'know, since it was the closest place that actually served bubble tea (aside from Portland, but I never found it there).
Until the sushi bar known as Yoshi's opened up in Brewer. A new sushi bar opened in Brewer over the summer and it took a while to get its legs and really get going. We had intended to go at some point but never really found a reason. Until we found out they served bubble tea. When we saw that they had that on their menu we made plans as soon as we could pick up our car keys (which turned out to be later that week... but for story purposes just go with it). We finally make our way to Yoshi's on the weekend and sit down. We ask for bubble tea and... SHAFTED. "I'm sorry we don't have that available yet," the host said to us. It's on your fucking website you assturd! "Oh, well we haven't got it set up yet," he mumbles back to us. Well, fuck. Mildly disappointed we ordered dinner.
Several months fly past and now it's February. We need to do something for Valentines Day so we figure that bubble tea and sushi would be a nice treat. We head down to Yoshi's again and get a table. We ask the waitress for bubble tea and... NOPE! "I'm sorry, the lady that does that is gone and won't be back for a long time," she says to us with her dopey vacant stare. WELL FUCK FUCK FUCK! Why offer something menu if you aren't ever going to have it readily available. It's on the website and it's not even tucked away, in some hard to find corner. IT'S ON THE MENU BAR ON THE WEBSITE! It prominently features and is strongly advertised on the website. Why does this dump only have ONE person that can run the bubble tea machine? How hard is it to train one of the many members of the wait staff to make it? All they're doing is running miso soup everywhere and looking at you vacantly when you ask for damn bubble tea!
So needless to say I'm extremely disappointed with Yoshi's. The sushi is actually really good, though. Regardless, if you have something on offer you should have it available to order. Don't just serve it at special times and make me have to guess when that person might be working. It's extremely poor service. Still pissed man, still pissed. I want my effing bubble tea. I'll be driving past Portsmouth this weekend, though, so I'll get some satisfaction then.
It's BUBBLE TEA! Wondrous bubble tea from a faraway land. It's a sort of creamy, milky drink with edible chunks at the bottom that you suck through the straw. It's a fun drink and something I first had... in Canada? Maybe. I know they have it in Portsmouth and I make it a point to stop in every time I'm driving past the town. Y'know, since it was the closest place that actually served bubble tea (aside from Portland, but I never found it there).
Until the sushi bar known as Yoshi's opened up in Brewer. A new sushi bar opened in Brewer over the summer and it took a while to get its legs and really get going. We had intended to go at some point but never really found a reason. Until we found out they served bubble tea. When we saw that they had that on their menu we made plans as soon as we could pick up our car keys (which turned out to be later that week... but for story purposes just go with it). We finally make our way to Yoshi's on the weekend and sit down. We ask for bubble tea and... SHAFTED. "I'm sorry we don't have that available yet," the host said to us. It's on your fucking website you assturd! "Oh, well we haven't got it set up yet," he mumbles back to us. Well, fuck. Mildly disappointed we ordered dinner.
Several months fly past and now it's February. We need to do something for Valentines Day so we figure that bubble tea and sushi would be a nice treat. We head down to Yoshi's again and get a table. We ask the waitress for bubble tea and... NOPE! "I'm sorry, the lady that does that is gone and won't be back for a long time," she says to us with her dopey vacant stare. WELL FUCK FUCK FUCK! Why offer something menu if you aren't ever going to have it readily available. It's on the website and it's not even tucked away, in some hard to find corner. IT'S ON THE MENU BAR ON THE WEBSITE! It prominently features and is strongly advertised on the website. Why does this dump only have ONE person that can run the bubble tea machine? How hard is it to train one of the many members of the wait staff to make it? All they're doing is running miso soup everywhere and looking at you vacantly when you ask for damn bubble tea!
So needless to say I'm extremely disappointed with Yoshi's. The sushi is actually really good, though. Regardless, if you have something on offer you should have it available to order. Don't just serve it at special times and make me have to guess when that person might be working. It's extremely poor service. Still pissed man, still pissed. I want my effing bubble tea. I'll be driving past Portsmouth this weekend, though, so I'll get some satisfaction then.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Why I Don't Like the Internet (or The Next Generation)
A) - Here's a new and cool movie/game/picture check it out. I like it, what do you think?
B) - This is stupid.
A) - You have awful fucking taste, go fucking kill yourself faggot.
B) - Fuck you loser. I bet you never get laid.
A) - I fucked your mom. Fuck you your a faggot.
B) - Why were you even born. Everyone hates you because your a fucking idiot.
A) - You don't even know what your talking about your so stupid get a brain moran.
B) - I could kick your ass and feed your balls to your asshole
A) - everything you like is stupid becuz ur DUM!!! lol
...Welcome to the internet. I have such great hope for the next generation.
This is just my observation from every single message board I've ever been on. Regardless of the topic. It could start off with a post about Serbian history, American politics, the newest video game, a picture of a damn cat even. It just degrades into pointless bickering between equally foolish pricks. There are no winners in internet arguments, everybody loses simply for having partaken. It's annoying more than anything, which is why I've long since left searching forums for information in the dust.
I weep for the future.
B) - This is stupid.
A) - You have awful fucking taste, go fucking kill yourself faggot.
B) - Fuck you loser. I bet you never get laid.
A) - I fucked your mom. Fuck you your a faggot.
B) - Why were you even born. Everyone hates you because your a fucking idiot.
A) - You don't even know what your talking about your so stupid get a brain moran.
B) - I could kick your ass and feed your balls to your asshole
A) - everything you like is stupid becuz ur DUM!!! lol
...Welcome to the internet. I have such great hope for the next generation.
This is just my observation from every single message board I've ever been on. Regardless of the topic. It could start off with a post about Serbian history, American politics, the newest video game, a picture of a damn cat even. It just degrades into pointless bickering between equally foolish pricks. There are no winners in internet arguments, everybody loses simply for having partaken. It's annoying more than anything, which is why I've long since left searching forums for information in the dust.
I weep for the future.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Banner!
Ashes made a banner for my website. How generous of her. She made it a little while ago, but I haven't exactly had the courtesy to post it up here. And thank her. It's simple, but elegant.
Delightfully disastrous is how I would describe it. It also links back to my website. How clever of her! This is why I'm leaving her in charge of our overseas blog.
Peace.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Average Day of the Unemployed Mook
I'm going to be completely honest here about my unemployment. I waste a lot of time. There's simply no other way to look at the situation. With the most free time I've had in years, and tons of built up frustration/ambition/creative energy I'm absolutely WASTING my opportunity at the moment. I resolve to change this in the coming days. I'm get my shit together and start on some projects that hopefully lead me towards something.
For the moment, however, let's take a look in the average day of an unemployed mook of a writer. It's sure to be an exciting peek at the life of a college grad struggling in the current economic environment, right? Some brilliant slice of life in a deeply job-empty area right? Not exactly... more like looking at the shavings of a donkey's testicles on top of white-mud ice cream. Or something like that.
A TYPICAL DAY
(Whoa man how cool is he?! He made it bold and changed the colour! Maximum web editing skills there!)
7:40 a.m. - Woken up by Ashes getting ready for school. Give her a smooch and send her on her way. Promptly fall back to sleep nine seconds later.
9:20 a.m. - Alarm goes off. Wake up. Kick the cat off the bed and or bury them by whipping the blankets off me. Go to the bathroom. Put some clothes on. Open up the blinds and get some light in the apartment.
9:40 a.m. - Start up computer. Yup, this is a necessity every single morning.
9:45 a.m. - TIME FOR THE MORNING ROUTINE.
- If coffee was made, get a cup ready and bring it over to the table.
- Start up Ashes' computer (she usually leaves it home).
- Get on Youtube and check for new videos. Spend the morning watching videos (TokyoCooney, AVGN, Ciaela, BusanKevin, EatYourKimchi, etc.)
10:30 a.m. - Load up the 360 to check for any interesting updates (demos, videos, DLC, etc)
10:35 a.m. - Get the mail.
10:40 a.m. - Usually I take a shower around this time. I tend to feel too grubby to keep going if I don't take a shower by this time.
10:55 a.m. - Get re-dressed.
11:00 a.m. - The next few hours are flex time usually. Different days are spent different ways depending on what I feel like doing. Cleaning the apt a little, playing a game on 360 (did this quite a bit up until I beat Mass Effect 2), read, think up new ideas for writing, browse the internets, watching a movie, etc.
Between 11:30 and 12:00 - Food. The stomach is rumbling and it's time for the first meal of the day, lunch. Noodles, waffles and soup are what I consume on most days.
1:00 p.m. - Realize I'm wasting my time (but I'm not, I'm having a blast), I start browsing job websites. Yup, every day. I don't usually find much, but what I find I try to get an application (online of course). At this point I have about 12 tabs open in my browser, between job stuff and writing stuff. Trying to find places to freelance is part of this process.
1:45 p.m. - Get annoyed/anxious by job search, start hitting the Stumble! button. Check out webcomics, blogs and watch more videos. Listen to podcasts in the background as I'm doing this.
3:30 p.m. - Ashes gets home around this time most days. Listen to talk about her day (how the bratty little second graders acted that day).
4:00 p.m. - Ashes is settled in and it's time for errands, if we have any, so we go out and run errands. If not we sit down and it's relaxation time. Television comes on, sometimes for the first time all day.
5:00-11:30 p.m. - Ashes and Danny time. Whatever we decide to do, be it sitting on our asses on our computers (browsing on mine, Facebook/blogs on hers), going someplace, nap, or what-have-you. Have dinner sometime in there.
11:50 p.m. - Ashes goes to bed. Some nights I do too, otherwise I stay up another hour or two (reading articles on Cracked.com or pretending like I'm being productive). Then sleep.
NOW remember that's just a basic outline. Most of that stuff get's worked in around the time I said, but everyday is different. There's a lot of room for flexibility in my schedule since most of the time I'm doing nothing, which kind of sucks. A lot of time on the computer, and not a lot of time being useful. Usually. Not always. Anyway I just thought I'd dump that here so that future generations can see how somebody in this economically destroyed country are living. Maybe I'll become a monk... hmmm...
.
For the moment, however, let's take a look in the average day of an unemployed mook of a writer. It's sure to be an exciting peek at the life of a college grad struggling in the current economic environment, right? Some brilliant slice of life in a deeply job-empty area right? Not exactly... more like looking at the shavings of a donkey's testicles on top of white-mud ice cream. Or something like that.
A TYPICAL DAY
(Whoa man how cool is he?! He made it bold and changed the colour! Maximum web editing skills there!)
7:40 a.m. - Woken up by Ashes getting ready for school. Give her a smooch and send her on her way. Promptly fall back to sleep nine seconds later.
9:20 a.m. - Alarm goes off. Wake up. Kick the cat off the bed and or bury them by whipping the blankets off me. Go to the bathroom. Put some clothes on. Open up the blinds and get some light in the apartment.
9:40 a.m. - Start up computer. Yup, this is a necessity every single morning.
9:45 a.m. - TIME FOR THE MORNING ROUTINE.
- If coffee was made, get a cup ready and bring it over to the table.
- Start up Ashes' computer (she usually leaves it home).
- Get on Youtube and check for new videos. Spend the morning watching videos (TokyoCooney, AVGN, Ciaela, BusanKevin, EatYourKimchi, etc.)
10:30 a.m. - Load up the 360 to check for any interesting updates (demos, videos, DLC, etc)
10:35 a.m. - Get the mail.
10:40 a.m. - Usually I take a shower around this time. I tend to feel too grubby to keep going if I don't take a shower by this time.
10:55 a.m. - Get re-dressed.
11:00 a.m. - The next few hours are flex time usually. Different days are spent different ways depending on what I feel like doing. Cleaning the apt a little, playing a game on 360 (did this quite a bit up until I beat Mass Effect 2), read, think up new ideas for writing, browse the internets, watching a movie, etc.
Between 11:30 and 12:00 - Food. The stomach is rumbling and it's time for the first meal of the day, lunch. Noodles, waffles and soup are what I consume on most days.
1:00 p.m. - Realize I'm wasting my time (but I'm not, I'm having a blast), I start browsing job websites. Yup, every day. I don't usually find much, but what I find I try to get an application (online of course). At this point I have about 12 tabs open in my browser, between job stuff and writing stuff. Trying to find places to freelance is part of this process.
1:45 p.m. - Get annoyed/anxious by job search, start hitting the Stumble! button. Check out webcomics, blogs and watch more videos. Listen to podcasts in the background as I'm doing this.
3:30 p.m. - Ashes gets home around this time most days. Listen to talk about her day (how the bratty little second graders acted that day).
4:00 p.m. - Ashes is settled in and it's time for errands, if we have any, so we go out and run errands. If not we sit down and it's relaxation time. Television comes on, sometimes for the first time all day.
5:00-11:30 p.m. - Ashes and Danny time. Whatever we decide to do, be it sitting on our asses on our computers (browsing on mine, Facebook/blogs on hers), going someplace, nap, or what-have-you. Have dinner sometime in there.
11:50 p.m. - Ashes goes to bed. Some nights I do too, otherwise I stay up another hour or two (reading articles on Cracked.com or pretending like I'm being productive). Then sleep.
NOW remember that's just a basic outline. Most of that stuff get's worked in around the time I said, but everyday is different. There's a lot of room for flexibility in my schedule since most of the time I'm doing nothing, which kind of sucks. A lot of time on the computer, and not a lot of time being useful. Usually. Not always. Anyway I just thought I'd dump that here so that future generations can see how somebody in this economically destroyed country are living. Maybe I'll become a monk... hmmm...
.
Monday, February 8, 2010
That's Why They Call it Schfoopal!
KENTA KOBASHI!
If you aren't afraid then you damn well better be. Run and hide from this 90 foot terror. A man so amazing that every time he chops one guy, it injures eight. The innovator of the true five star match and perhaps eight of the craziest moves in wrestling.
Burning Hammer. Heard of it? One of the greatest finishers ever.
Bow before the godliness of Kobashi! Kobashi! Kobashi!
I PRESENT PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE.
Trying to jack his car? He'll smile as he punches the shit out of you, destroying your face and your soul all at the same time. He doesn't even have to unbuckle to do this.
He's beloved by fans from children to elderly. Look at those thrilled children accepting his double hand shake. Seconds later he whipped them about and smashed them into the wall leaving their frail broken bodies on the floor. The parents of the children bowed and accepted this. Kobashi is unbalanced. Don't challenge him!
Kenta Kobashi shortly before transforming back into human from his demon form.
Do you think that Kobashi paid for or even ordered this meal? Naturally, he did not. That man in green was originally enjoying this meal until forcefully removed from his seat by Kobashi. He patiently waits in the background for the table scraps that will be left over. Oh, and Kobashi totally banged that dude's wife. He's just that cool.
Kobashi and one of his man romantic conquests. His smiling face is reminiscent of the joy experienced in youth, which of course he can return to at any minute. That woman was a virgin and a nun until seven minutes after meeting Kobashi.
Kobashi after a grueling match with a giant tentacle monster. Man-God vs Tentacle monster exhibition matches are common in Japan. This was during his GHC title reign and WAS for the title. He defeated the monster in 5 minutes, then ate it's heart to gain the unholy strength.
(Side Note: Did you know Misawa had a daughter? He was married and liked video games too. Still sad at his passing... into the Gates of Hell to defeat the Archdaemon. It's a secret mission he's been sent on that few know about. He'll return in 189 years to reclaim his throne).
If you aren't afraid then you damn well better be. Run and hide from this 90 foot terror. A man so amazing that every time he chops one guy, it injures eight. The innovator of the true five star match and perhaps eight of the craziest moves in wrestling.
Burning Hammer. Heard of it? One of the greatest finishers ever.
Bow before the godliness of Kobashi! Kobashi! Kobashi!
I PRESENT PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE.
Trying to jack his car? He'll smile as he punches the shit out of you, destroying your face and your soul all at the same time. He doesn't even have to unbuckle to do this.
He's beloved by fans from children to elderly. Look at those thrilled children accepting his double hand shake. Seconds later he whipped them about and smashed them into the wall leaving their frail broken bodies on the floor. The parents of the children bowed and accepted this. Kobashi is unbalanced. Don't challenge him!
Kenta Kobashi shortly before transforming back into human from his demon form.
Do you think that Kobashi paid for or even ordered this meal? Naturally, he did not. That man in green was originally enjoying this meal until forcefully removed from his seat by Kobashi. He patiently waits in the background for the table scraps that will be left over. Oh, and Kobashi totally banged that dude's wife. He's just that cool.
Kobashi and one of his man romantic conquests. His smiling face is reminiscent of the joy experienced in youth, which of course he can return to at any minute. That woman was a virgin and a nun until seven minutes after meeting Kobashi.
Kobashi after a grueling match with a giant tentacle monster. Man-God vs Tentacle monster exhibition matches are common in Japan. This was during his GHC title reign and WAS for the title. He defeated the monster in 5 minutes, then ate it's heart to gain the unholy strength.
(Side Note: Did you know Misawa had a daughter? He was married and liked video games too. Still sad at his passing... into the Gates of Hell to defeat the Archdaemon. It's a secret mission he's been sent on that few know about. He'll return in 189 years to reclaim his throne).
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Surviving the Apocalypses... Apocalyii?
At this point I think you should know that I'm a survivor of many different end of the world scenarios. Whether it is a comet threatening to wipe out all life on the planet, a dinosaur rampage, the classic zombies going crazy in the streets, or the copper monsters I've survived it all. What can I say, I'm a scrapper. That and I've been told that you won't remember the ends of the world in which you die. So I guess maybe that plays a part as well, only remembering your successes.
You may be saying to yourself "I don't remember the world ending", well there's a good reason for that. You're not a survivor! You never made it to the end. If you had you'd know exactly what I'm talking about. If you make it to the end, if you're there when the world resets itself then you'd be right on the trolley with me right now. I've seen governments fall, fascist states rise from the ashes of good intentions, and egomaniac scientists bring us all doom. Half-gorilla, half-demon monsters ring a bell? No? Then they killed you.
So how did I do it you might ask me. What are my secrets. Well it's really just instinct, but I'll try and clue you in on some key points. A few helpful hints so that next time around you might be one of the few. Maybe we'll get together and chat about the time Argentina sunk into the ocean, or when the floating city of New Constantinople rained ion bombs on humanity. Or perhaps we'll sit on the edge of the void sipping smoothies under the rows of cherry trees as the rest of the world disappears piece by piece. Yeah, that was a fun day.
Down to business. Tip one, don't let other people influence your emotions. This one is critical. People are prone to hysteria when dealing with world threatening situations like these. It's that fight or flight instinct that screams "Panic! Leave!" in their heads. You need to get beyond that and read the situation, which can't be done if you're letting others control you. Don't be dragged into thinking that the situation only has black and white choices. Think the situation out, but think on your feet. You might hear, "Fight or you're a pussy," but letting that juvenile shit get in your head is just wrong. Analyze the situation and push the influence of other individuals out of your head. Be the leader.
Second, use your resources. You won't always have what you need at hand, but most of what you have at hand can be put to use. Improvise. Be alert. Adapt to the situation. Take a quick note of your surroundings and try to put a quick plan together. Unfamiliar places may unbalance you, but go with your instinct on the tough decisions. Running from Werewolves, split hallway up ahead, what do you do? Go with your gut and use your surroundings. Get where you can utilize something to aid your fight. I can't emphasize enough the need to use whatever you can even if it seems to be junk. It's difficult to learn these sort of innate skills, but I encourage you to try. Brain teasers help critical thinking. Solve problems the "long way" around. Don't take the easy route. Small changes like that may help you down the road.
Educate yourself. At any time a seemingly useless piece of information could become the key to saving your life. While knowledge of the family of French Emperor Napoleon might seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, it came in handy when the world was invaded by an army of skeleton Frenchmen led by a robotic SuperNapoleon. I managed to convincingly pose as his father Carlo and escape his death squads into the resistance camps. Learning the moral weaknesses of Copper Robots allowed me to defeat them time and time again by leading carrying pictures of elderly Asian women (Copper Robots are noted rapists, with an emphasis on elderly Asians). So get in the know, people, it will only work to your advantage in the future. Expand your horizons. It might seem boring, lame, or wasteful but knowledge is very much power.
I've got to go now. I think I hear something outside my window. Good luck folks.
You may be saying to yourself "I don't remember the world ending", well there's a good reason for that. You're not a survivor! You never made it to the end. If you had you'd know exactly what I'm talking about. If you make it to the end, if you're there when the world resets itself then you'd be right on the trolley with me right now. I've seen governments fall, fascist states rise from the ashes of good intentions, and egomaniac scientists bring us all doom. Half-gorilla, half-demon monsters ring a bell? No? Then they killed you.
So how did I do it you might ask me. What are my secrets. Well it's really just instinct, but I'll try and clue you in on some key points. A few helpful hints so that next time around you might be one of the few. Maybe we'll get together and chat about the time Argentina sunk into the ocean, or when the floating city of New Constantinople rained ion bombs on humanity. Or perhaps we'll sit on the edge of the void sipping smoothies under the rows of cherry trees as the rest of the world disappears piece by piece. Yeah, that was a fun day.
Down to business. Tip one, don't let other people influence your emotions. This one is critical. People are prone to hysteria when dealing with world threatening situations like these. It's that fight or flight instinct that screams "Panic! Leave!" in their heads. You need to get beyond that and read the situation, which can't be done if you're letting others control you. Don't be dragged into thinking that the situation only has black and white choices. Think the situation out, but think on your feet. You might hear, "Fight or you're a pussy," but letting that juvenile shit get in your head is just wrong. Analyze the situation and push the influence of other individuals out of your head. Be the leader.
Second, use your resources. You won't always have what you need at hand, but most of what you have at hand can be put to use. Improvise. Be alert. Adapt to the situation. Take a quick note of your surroundings and try to put a quick plan together. Unfamiliar places may unbalance you, but go with your instinct on the tough decisions. Running from Werewolves, split hallway up ahead, what do you do? Go with your gut and use your surroundings. Get where you can utilize something to aid your fight. I can't emphasize enough the need to use whatever you can even if it seems to be junk. It's difficult to learn these sort of innate skills, but I encourage you to try. Brain teasers help critical thinking. Solve problems the "long way" around. Don't take the easy route. Small changes like that may help you down the road.
Educate yourself. At any time a seemingly useless piece of information could become the key to saving your life. While knowledge of the family of French Emperor Napoleon might seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, it came in handy when the world was invaded by an army of skeleton Frenchmen led by a robotic SuperNapoleon. I managed to convincingly pose as his father Carlo and escape his death squads into the resistance camps. Learning the moral weaknesses of Copper Robots allowed me to defeat them time and time again by leading carrying pictures of elderly Asian women (Copper Robots are noted rapists, with an emphasis on elderly Asians). So get in the know, people, it will only work to your advantage in the future. Expand your horizons. It might seem boring, lame, or wasteful but knowledge is very much power.
I've got to go now. I think I hear something outside my window. Good luck folks.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monthly Goals: February
It's time for a new set of monthly goals. This is a highly non-exciting event basically signaling the passing of January 2010. That month... SUCKED. There's no clever way to put that to make it more clear. Last month sucked. I lost my job, sat around being lazy (i.e. being me), and my favorite vlogger passed away. It was just a rotten month. How did I do on my monthly goals, however? Let's review.
January 2010 goals:
- Write an article -
Outcome - Epic fail. I had some ideas, but altogether I didn't do jack shit towards accomplishing this goal. Maybe if I just ran with it next month I can do it. Look forward to seeing this again in a bit.
- Write something else -
Outcome - Partial credit. I wrote some stuff. Nothing very long and nothing in it's entirety. I wrote stuff though. Not good enough.
- Post at least Five blogs -
Outcome - Pass. Just barely. I sort of sneaked a few in at the end of the month. Doing the bare minimum is not good. We want you to express yourself here. Some people feel the need to go beyond, and we encourage that here.
- Stop being a hermit -
Outcome - Pass. Hung out with some friends. Talked to a few people. This will not continue, as I've lost my job and any place to go.
- Finish reading The Witcher -
Outcome - Pass. I finished reading the book. Pretty good book.
FEBRUARY 2010 GOALS:
- Write an article
- Write at least 8 blog posts
- Get a job
- Organize the notes from my notebook
- Come up with 20 new ideas (or just write out the ideas I think up, rather than losing them)
- Read a book
See you in a month!
January 2010 goals:
- Write an article -
Outcome - Epic fail. I had some ideas, but altogether I didn't do jack shit towards accomplishing this goal. Maybe if I just ran with it next month I can do it. Look forward to seeing this again in a bit.
- Write something else -
Outcome - Partial credit. I wrote some stuff. Nothing very long and nothing in it's entirety. I wrote stuff though. Not good enough.
- Post at least Five blogs -
Outcome - Pass. Just barely. I sort of sneaked a few in at the end of the month. Doing the bare minimum is not good. We want you to express yourself here. Some people feel the need to go beyond, and we encourage that here.
- Stop being a hermit -
Outcome - Pass. Hung out with some friends. Talked to a few people. This will not continue, as I've lost my job and any place to go.
- Finish reading The Witcher -
Outcome - Pass. I finished reading the book. Pretty good book.
FEBRUARY 2010 GOALS:
- Write an article
- Write at least 8 blog posts
- Get a job
- Organize the notes from my notebook
- Come up with 20 new ideas (or just write out the ideas I think up, rather than losing them)
- Read a book
See you in a month!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Classic Gaming Reviews
NOSTALGIA!
It's a great word. There's so much of it as you start to get older. Now that I'm on the threshold to become a grizzled old bastard, I've noticed that I am having fond memories of the old days more often. Except everything is sepia-toned and blurry, and I'm talking memories from 1998.
Where is this going? Down the video game road again. I started doing classic video game reviews on my short lived video game blog. I'm thinking of bringing it back on this one. I covered PC, Dreamcast, PS1, and SNES games in my five classic reviews. That was likely my only decent idea on that entire blog. So I'm probably going to start doing them here as well. I really want to review some of the games that left a lasting impression on me. I could think of hundreds of games across all platforms that I could cook up some very meaningful ruminations. I've already covered some classic games from years gone. Shenmue, Civilization II, SaGa Frontier... but I've got a long way to go. With a few format tweaks I'll rerelease those reviews and start posting new ones. Something to look forward to in the coming weeks! Considering I've got more time, look forward to more frequent posts.
Here are some classic gaming pictures to tide you/me over!
It's a great word. There's so much of it as you start to get older. Now that I'm on the threshold to become a grizzled old bastard, I've noticed that I am having fond memories of the old days more often. Except everything is sepia-toned and blurry, and I'm talking memories from 1998.
Where is this going? Down the video game road again. I started doing classic video game reviews on my short lived video game blog. I'm thinking of bringing it back on this one. I covered PC, Dreamcast, PS1, and SNES games in my five classic reviews. That was likely my only decent idea on that entire blog. So I'm probably going to start doing them here as well. I really want to review some of the games that left a lasting impression on me. I could think of hundreds of games across all platforms that I could cook up some very meaningful ruminations. I've already covered some classic games from years gone. Shenmue, Civilization II, SaGa Frontier... but I've got a long way to go. With a few format tweaks I'll rerelease those reviews and start posting new ones. Something to look forward to in the coming weeks! Considering I've got more time, look forward to more frequent posts.
Here are some classic gaming pictures to tide you/me over!
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