What have I been up to... ?
It's a solid question and honestly there isn't a very good answer. I've been applying to jobs in the Westfield, MA area which is a damn sight better than around here. The Bangor area is honestly completely dead. If you're a healthcare professional than you are in a good place but for everyone else this place is a job-hunting deadzone. Don't try to move into a new career in this area because it just isn't possible. Every available position is snapped at by hundreds of applicants. I got a Dear John letter from a staffing agency! The demand is so high for jobs in the Bangor area it is ridiculous. If you have one then hold on for your life because the search for a new one is going to be frustrating and end badly. In the Westfield area, which even goes as far as Hartford, there are hundreds of job postings a day. Many of these require experience I don't have but enough are entry-level that I'm finding it far easier to look for a job 6 hours away than 5 minutes out my door.
I wish I'd just have gone overseas...
I beat Raw Danger for the PS2. It's one of the few games I'm playing right now. I just don't have the motivation to get into video games, which is odd for an unemployed person you would think. Not in this case. Gaming is a positive outlet for me when I need to burn off the stress of the world or escape into fantasy, neither of which would do me any good right now. Raw Danger itself was a fun, quirky game. It was very Japanese at its heart and made a very odd transition overseas. For instance every character went from black-Asian hair to blond. Every single character in the game, aside from a few older people, is blond! It's like the city is Hitler's vision of the future. The game is a unique "disaster survival" that you would think could have a huge potential fanbase. Americans just love their disaster movies so I would expect more games along that line. Raw Danger is the only one I've seen, though their is a prequel. It's very limited and held back by a ridiculous side story but was quite fun for what it was trying to accomplish.
We need rain here! It's so dry outside that the grass is dying prematurely. The grass never goes before the trees but this year we have full yellow lawns already. Let's get some rain! At least it has cooled down because the heat only fueled my misery. Sitting around day after day soaking in my own sweat, unable to take a shower for the last month. A bath in such extreme (for Maine) heat is almost as unpleasant as getting pissed on by a giant elephant.
I've set up a new blog that will serve as my HQ for freelancing. Getting into the freelancing market is a confusing mess that I haven't been able to figure out fully at this point. So I've decided that creating a blog to show off my writing ability is the best idea. It's going to have writing samples from a broad range of categories, from sport to travel to technology to business. Hopefully I will be able to point potential clients at this blog and say "This is what I can do," in the future. I'm trying to make it look as professional as possible, obviously, and at the same time make it look like I'm tech savvy. Which I'm really not. I don't know how to get my goddamn foot in the door but at least if I'm trying to make some progress I can feel better about myself. Anything would be good at this point. I've heard that if you can get three paying clients that you aren't a fluke. I want to make it work and sitting on my worthless ass waiting for some sort of magic inspiration or muse is just being lazy. I need to make positive progress!
Today's link-o-the-post is... Livestrong's MyPlate application. As part of my positive progress determination the other day I've decided to start counting my calories. No more unhealthy overeating. Gotta be reasonable about this or I'm going to balloon out of control. Coffee and water. Daily calorie limits. This application helps me... well it doesn't help it does all the work towards keeping me in line. My sedentary lifestyle and certain depression have led to an unhealthy increase in my weight. Gotta fight that and not just talk about it like all those fat American wanks. Walking, running and biking... tried them all this Summer. Followed through with none of them. It's hard to stay motivated but I KNOW it's possible if I just force myself. It's a battle of willpower, you see. I can win that battle because I've done it before. MyPlate has you put in your height and weight and calculates a daily calorie limit. You put in what you eat each day and it totals it up for you, charting everything from grams of fat to sodium. It keeps you in line goddamnit!
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
ReFail
Retail. It's the dirtiest word I know. May as well lop off those first three letters and give them away to some other word. Retard... retire... they can have them. The important part of retail is those last three letters. Plop an F in front of them and you've got the real meaning of the word. If you end up in retail you are a failure.
It's unskilled work. In fact it's the peak of unskilled work. It's unskilled people being run by management lacking in the field of people management. Or in common terms, a clusterfuck.
The customers are doddering idiots with the most inane questions. They make the job an even greater hell than normal. If you have to deal directly with customers you know that it's only the dregs of society that ever make themselves heard. And, oh my fucking shitting god, do they ever make themselves heard.
Unheralded and put down for every task you complete. Promised promotions that never come are sort of a guarantee. Everybody hates everyone else since it's the job that most of those gossipy idiots you remember from high school ended up doing.
Do I ever wish that I was done with working in retail. Realistically I know I'll end up down that road at least one more time in my life. It's almost mentally easy how easy it is to get a job in that "field". Unless they think you're too good for the job, which most of the places I apply do.
If it's what I gotta do, then I'll do it. You're only a failure until you succeed.
I'm not really bitching here I'm just saying. I was thinking how much I hate refail. This aren't whiny exaggerations but observations from the job I did and will most likely do again.
It's unskilled work. In fact it's the peak of unskilled work. It's unskilled people being run by management lacking in the field of people management. Or in common terms, a clusterfuck.
The customers are doddering idiots with the most inane questions. They make the job an even greater hell than normal. If you have to deal directly with customers you know that it's only the dregs of society that ever make themselves heard. And, oh my fucking shitting god, do they ever make themselves heard.
Unheralded and put down for every task you complete. Promised promotions that never come are sort of a guarantee. Everybody hates everyone else since it's the job that most of those gossipy idiots you remember from high school ended up doing.
Do I ever wish that I was done with working in retail. Realistically I know I'll end up down that road at least one more time in my life. It's almost mentally easy how easy it is to get a job in that "field". Unless they think you're too good for the job, which most of the places I apply do.
If it's what I gotta do, then I'll do it. You're only a failure until you succeed.
I'm not really bitching here I'm just saying. I was thinking how much I hate refail. This aren't whiny exaggerations but observations from the job I did and will most likely do again.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Big Moving Blowout
I've been promising this post for days and I suppose it's about time for me to get around to actually writing it. It's been nearly three weeks since my last post, the first two weeks being mandated by my loss of internet and the last week... well.
The last two weeks living in the apartment drove me near insanity. I was trapped at the apartment all day since Ashes had sold her car and required mine in order to work, the internet and cable was out which meant I lost 2/3 of my entertainment. That right there would be enough to drive an electronics junkie like me to craziness or alcoholism. I avoided both, somehow, and managed to fill my time by reading and playing games. I watched a few movies
thanks to our subscription to Netflix which we have renewed at just the right time. I had Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility for the wii that kept me occupied for a straight week in July. It was a hot, miserable time but I got through it. Then we moved.
The first of the month was our official moving day. We had to empty our apartment and move on with our lives. More on that later. The moving itself wasn't stressful as we managed to move a lot of the bulk over the previous week. On the first it took us five car trips and two trips with Ashes' parents SUV in order to get everything out of the apartment. Fortunately we threw away some of the more nasty objects, such as the couch and the kitchen table. It was a long, long, hot, tiring day. At the end of it we just collapsed and went to sleep, not even bothering to sort out the mess or hook up any electronic entertainment. We had moved. Leaving the empty shell of the place I had called home for a year was weird but necessary. Money, y'know.
So here I am now, sitting in the front room of my parents house with an apartment load of shit encroaching from all sides. I've been left just staring at the walls several times, wondering what the hell is going to happen in the near future. I've always had a future goal to shoot towards. Now I don't. I don't have a near future, short term goal except find work. That's a complicated process on it's own right. So I sit here, still without a job, my mind gradually fading into madness and wonder what to do. The answer doesn't come and it's depressing. Very depressing. I'll soldier on because I know that after hardship comes success. I'll make that success happen. I think I've found some determination in the last few days. Or maybe I've found my downfall. I'm living in the same room as when I was pre-10. I'm a burden on my parents again at age 27 (next week) and I'm taking up more of their ever limited space. I want to move on soon, I really do, but it's hard to uproot your entire life with no prospects.
By September 1st we'll be resolved on a course of action. If Ashes doesn't get any of her teaching jobs in Southern Maine we'll head for western Massachusetts, because that's our easiest or best option right now. I'm not sure which. At least that's the plan for now. I think. Can't be certain right now.
I'm going to cut this short since I could keep going on forever about this, which would get increasingly depressing and probably bum all of my readers out. Whatever we do, wherever we end up it is going to take effort and time to get to our goals. So for now I'll sit in my parents house and work on getting my life back in order. Plus I've got Ashes, provided she doesn't get so fed up with me from being in such close proximity to me all the time that she runs away. I don't think that'll happen.
Shaun of the Dead t0-do list
1. Go round mum's (check)
2. Get Liz back (ummm, not check. not applicable)
3. Sort out life (work in process)
Tomorrow I'll leave all this behind and write something more interesting up. Like my thoughts on the G1 Climax which has just started in New Japan Pro wrestling. GO NAKAMURA. Or Tanahashi or Shiozaki or Naito... or Nagata or Nakanishi or Yujiro. They have a really likable roster, don't they?? Tomorrow, that's a topic for tomorrow.
Link of the post time now. It's Tokyo Times, yet another photoblog from Japan. Why do I like these types of sites and showcase them so much? They are a small window into another part of the world I love so much. It's escapism, really. A window into another life in another land. Stuff of dreams. This photographer often posts only a single picture in a post, but they're good ones.
The last two weeks living in the apartment drove me near insanity. I was trapped at the apartment all day since Ashes had sold her car and required mine in order to work, the internet and cable was out which meant I lost 2/3 of my entertainment. That right there would be enough to drive an electronics junkie like me to craziness or alcoholism. I avoided both, somehow, and managed to fill my time by reading and playing games. I watched a few movies
thanks to our subscription to Netflix which we have renewed at just the right time. I had Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility for the wii that kept me occupied for a straight week in July. It was a hot, miserable time but I got through it. Then we moved.
The first of the month was our official moving day. We had to empty our apartment and move on with our lives. More on that later. The moving itself wasn't stressful as we managed to move a lot of the bulk over the previous week. On the first it took us five car trips and two trips with Ashes' parents SUV in order to get everything out of the apartment. Fortunately we threw away some of the more nasty objects, such as the couch and the kitchen table. It was a long, long, hot, tiring day. At the end of it we just collapsed and went to sleep, not even bothering to sort out the mess or hook up any electronic entertainment. We had moved. Leaving the empty shell of the place I had called home for a year was weird but necessary. Money, y'know.
So here I am now, sitting in the front room of my parents house with an apartment load of shit encroaching from all sides. I've been left just staring at the walls several times, wondering what the hell is going to happen in the near future. I've always had a future goal to shoot towards. Now I don't. I don't have a near future, short term goal except find work. That's a complicated process on it's own right. So I sit here, still without a job, my mind gradually fading into madness and wonder what to do. The answer doesn't come and it's depressing. Very depressing. I'll soldier on because I know that after hardship comes success. I'll make that success happen. I think I've found some determination in the last few days. Or maybe I've found my downfall. I'm living in the same room as when I was pre-10. I'm a burden on my parents again at age 27 (next week) and I'm taking up more of their ever limited space. I want to move on soon, I really do, but it's hard to uproot your entire life with no prospects.
By September 1st we'll be resolved on a course of action. If Ashes doesn't get any of her teaching jobs in Southern Maine we'll head for western Massachusetts, because that's our easiest or best option right now. I'm not sure which. At least that's the plan for now. I think. Can't be certain right now.
I'm going to cut this short since I could keep going on forever about this, which would get increasingly depressing and probably bum all of my readers out. Whatever we do, wherever we end up it is going to take effort and time to get to our goals. So for now I'll sit in my parents house and work on getting my life back in order. Plus I've got Ashes, provided she doesn't get so fed up with me from being in such close proximity to me all the time that she runs away. I don't think that'll happen.
Shaun of the Dead t0-do list
1. Go round mum's (check)
2. Get Liz back (ummm, not check. not applicable)
3. Sort out life (work in process)
Tomorrow I'll leave all this behind and write something more interesting up. Like my thoughts on the G1 Climax which has just started in New Japan Pro wrestling. GO NAKAMURA. Or Tanahashi or Shiozaki or Naito... or Nagata or Nakanishi or Yujiro. They have a really likable roster, don't they?? Tomorrow, that's a topic for tomorrow.
Link of the post time now. It's Tokyo Times, yet another photoblog from Japan. Why do I like these types of sites and showcase them so much? They are a small window into another part of the world I love so much. It's escapism, really. A window into another life in another land. Stuff of dreams. This photographer often posts only a single picture in a post, but they're good ones.
Friday, June 25, 2010
First Round Complete
It's late at night now, well not really. 11:30 or so at night. I'm sitting here fucking around on the internet reading articles, stumbling and watching videos. What I really should be doing is writing my speech for my friend's wedding tomorrow. I'm the best man so it'll be expected that I'll have to give a speech. Kinda sucks. Like I said I should really be writing that but I'm a professional level procrastinator so I'll just whip something up tomorrow. Bring a notepad with me and jot down some notes. From there I'll wing it, which of course I'm terrible at as well as being a very poor public speaker. Who the fuck will honestly care though? I'll just say some utter bullshit at the start, I've flirted with the idea of just recounting the storyline of Back to the Future 3. Like I said I should be doing that. If we're counting the things I should be doing I'd have to devote an entire encyclopaedia size tome to the subject. I should definitely not be sitting here with the Japanese lunacy of Ninja Warrior blaring in my ears as I read articles about movies and think about fun ways to write an end of the world scenario.
Oh and I really do want to write the end of the world! It's the general panic that I always enjoy the most. I was watching War of the Worlds earlier, the 2005 one, and noticed it had some amazing panic scenes. The breakdown of society was far too quick, though, and everything was sort of thrown together odd. Plus the Tim Robin scenes were pretty awful. The creepiness of the flaming train going past the railroad crossing is a striking image that sticks with me. Those moments when the collapse of society occurs are always my favorites. In Shaun of the Dead, which is a straight comedy, the long shot of Simon Pegg's Shaun walking to the store the morning after is breathtaking. Walking along with Shaun through the destruction of London is an experience. What are your favorite scenes of panic in disaster or horror movies? That is if I have any readers.
See I got to talking about that craziness and wasted that time I could've been writing that speech. I think my brother wrote his speech on the way to my other brothers wedding. Nobody puts a lot of stock on the best man's speech, yeah? If I could do the damn thing as Nigel it would be easy as snapping a baby seal's soft skull open with a 6 foot hammer. However, that character isn't well known enough to really get a good reaction. I mean he fucking should be because I think it's one of the most well developed characters I've ever created and has genuine comic value. Of course I might just be a self important asshole. I'm not sure. And I don't care. I'm no comedian.
I promised to talk about E3 but there's no reason to do so. It wasn't a particularly interesting show this year. No big surprises were showcased and the coverage didn't focus on the indie companies off to the side. Instead the coverage all focused on the dozens of shooters that had nothing differentiating them, pointless motion controls focused on a different audience than me, and the 3DS. Okay that last one seems like it'll be pretty awesome. I'm reluctant to accept 3D gaming because I thought it would be too burdensome. Nintendo solved this problem by making a portable 3d gaming system that doesn't require those stupid glasses! That is reason enough to excite me. I've had a history of poo-pooing stuff that I turn out to like in the end. Touch screens seemed foolish to me, but now I get them. The iPad looked like a waste to me, but (aside from a few glaring issues) it has won me over. I scoffed at the idea of an antiquated 1950s gimmick coming back to movies with such force, but again I may be wrong.
World Cup! I haven't talked about it yet. Real short today. Brazil and Portugal drew, like dickheads, which killed Ivory Coast's chances. Granted they had to make up a nine goal differential, which they didn't do in their 3-0 win. So Ivory Coast and North Korea go home and the two Portuguese speaking sides make it into the next round.
The final group saw Spain and Chile move to the knockout round thanks to Switzerland being unable to defeat Honduras. Spain win the group due to their 2-1 win against Chile, which towards the end just became a long game of pass as they wound down the clock. Spain faces Portugal in the battle of the Iberian Peninsula and Chile contend with fellow South American powerhouse Brazil. Both should be great matches.
Today was the final day of the group stage which means the knockout round starts tomorrow! Unfortunately that also means that I have to miss the most important game of the next round because of the wedding! The early game is South Korea vs Uruguay. I'm praying the South Koreans can gain an upset. The later game is the United States vs Ghana and I'm going to miss it. That's fine I'm not to bitter about missing it, I think I give them bad luck with my eyes. So I'm going to try and stay updated during the nuptials and hope for the best. USA can get through Ghana and Uruguay/South Korea. We were handed a dream route to the semifinals and if they perform at their absolute best it is within reach to get far. Our route doesn't put us into confrontation with the big boys until at least the semis, but that doesn't mean the little guys won't stop us in our tracks. GO USA GO!
Tomorrow, huzzah!
Oh and I really do want to write the end of the world! It's the general panic that I always enjoy the most. I was watching War of the Worlds earlier, the 2005 one, and noticed it had some amazing panic scenes. The breakdown of society was far too quick, though, and everything was sort of thrown together odd. Plus the Tim Robin scenes were pretty awful. The creepiness of the flaming train going past the railroad crossing is a striking image that sticks with me. Those moments when the collapse of society occurs are always my favorites. In Shaun of the Dead, which is a straight comedy, the long shot of Simon Pegg's Shaun walking to the store the morning after is breathtaking. Walking along with Shaun through the destruction of London is an experience. What are your favorite scenes of panic in disaster or horror movies? That is if I have any readers.
See I got to talking about that craziness and wasted that time I could've been writing that speech. I think my brother wrote his speech on the way to my other brothers wedding. Nobody puts a lot of stock on the best man's speech, yeah? If I could do the damn thing as Nigel it would be easy as snapping a baby seal's soft skull open with a 6 foot hammer. However, that character isn't well known enough to really get a good reaction. I mean he fucking should be because I think it's one of the most well developed characters I've ever created and has genuine comic value. Of course I might just be a self important asshole. I'm not sure. And I don't care. I'm no comedian.
I promised to talk about E3 but there's no reason to do so. It wasn't a particularly interesting show this year. No big surprises were showcased and the coverage didn't focus on the indie companies off to the side. Instead the coverage all focused on the dozens of shooters that had nothing differentiating them, pointless motion controls focused on a different audience than me, and the 3DS. Okay that last one seems like it'll be pretty awesome. I'm reluctant to accept 3D gaming because I thought it would be too burdensome. Nintendo solved this problem by making a portable 3d gaming system that doesn't require those stupid glasses! That is reason enough to excite me. I've had a history of poo-pooing stuff that I turn out to like in the end. Touch screens seemed foolish to me, but now I get them. The iPad looked like a waste to me, but (aside from a few glaring issues) it has won me over. I scoffed at the idea of an antiquated 1950s gimmick coming back to movies with such force, but again I may be wrong.
World Cup! I haven't talked about it yet. Real short today. Brazil and Portugal drew, like dickheads, which killed Ivory Coast's chances. Granted they had to make up a nine goal differential, which they didn't do in their 3-0 win. So Ivory Coast and North Korea go home and the two Portuguese speaking sides make it into the next round.
The final group saw Spain and Chile move to the knockout round thanks to Switzerland being unable to defeat Honduras. Spain win the group due to their 2-1 win against Chile, which towards the end just became a long game of pass as they wound down the clock. Spain faces Portugal in the battle of the Iberian Peninsula and Chile contend with fellow South American powerhouse Brazil. Both should be great matches.
Today was the final day of the group stage which means the knockout round starts tomorrow! Unfortunately that also means that I have to miss the most important game of the next round because of the wedding! The early game is South Korea vs Uruguay. I'm praying the South Koreans can gain an upset. The later game is the United States vs Ghana and I'm going to miss it. That's fine I'm not to bitter about missing it, I think I give them bad luck with my eyes. So I'm going to try and stay updated during the nuptials and hope for the best. USA can get through Ghana and Uruguay/South Korea. We were handed a dream route to the semifinals and if they perform at their absolute best it is within reach to get far. Our route doesn't put us into confrontation with the big boys until at least the semis, but that doesn't mean the little guys won't stop us in our tracks. GO USA GO!
Tomorrow, huzzah!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Lazy Day!
So I didn't realize until far too late that I had neglected to post for the day. I'm disappointed with how hard it is for me to keep up with this daily posting thing. The really important stuff that's going on this month has yet to hit so I'm not in a very excited mood at the moment. Two days from now the World Cup starts and then that's all you'll hear about for a long, long time. Today is going to be a shorter post because I really don't have anything to talk about. I wasn't exactly inspired today, spending most of my time playing RDR and watching television.
I've been pushing these posts right up to the last minute and then past it. I'm at least keeping up with my record of doing a post a day, though. So I'm not fully disappointed in myself. I will say that I'm generally more creative at night so that's when I do a lot of my writing. I don't know if this developed as a habit in college when I used to pull all-nighters in order to finish an article for class or if it's just because I'm a night person. It's my peak of alertness and awareness. I can concentrate much better at night than in the day. While working 6 a.m. shifts, however, I quickly adapted to the life of a morning person. This meant such changes as introducing coffee into my life and going to bed before midnight. I wasn't so creative last summer when this was going on so it's led me to wildly conclude that I'm a night person. Or a procrastinator. Probably the second one.
I've found a couple of "jobs" doing volunteer writing via an online resource and I'm really going to try and push myself to apply. Which means I've got to spend the next couple of days writing up sample articles about video gaming. I refuse to sit on my gnards and let these opportunities pass, especially since I'm not doing jack with most of my time. I've only had a handful of humorously unsuccessful interviews. There's no money involved in these writing jobs but at least it's experience and exposure. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get those samples written up and sent out.
I'm going to recommend Coolvibe as my link of the day. I stumbled (literally) on this website a few weeks ago and it has found it's way into my frequent internet stops. It is a sci-fi and fantasy art blog which features a wide array of styles and topics in what they present. Futuristic cityscapes are mixed in with knights and dragons, but all of the art presented is very high quality. The scenes run the gamut from epic to hyper-epic... just go look at the front page to get a grasp on what this site is all about. Most of this stuff makes for really great backgrounds and can help you shuzch up your desktop. Here are links to some of the better art collections on the site: Pixel art, dark science fiction, and vector art (a personal favorite).
Two days until kickoff in Jo-burg. Hopefully the prawns won't mess up the game. Mexico v South Africa. June 11. 2010. Saturday. Check it.
I've been pushing these posts right up to the last minute and then past it. I'm at least keeping up with my record of doing a post a day, though. So I'm not fully disappointed in myself. I will say that I'm generally more creative at night so that's when I do a lot of my writing. I don't know if this developed as a habit in college when I used to pull all-nighters in order to finish an article for class or if it's just because I'm a night person. It's my peak of alertness and awareness. I can concentrate much better at night than in the day. While working 6 a.m. shifts, however, I quickly adapted to the life of a morning person. This meant such changes as introducing coffee into my life and going to bed before midnight. I wasn't so creative last summer when this was going on so it's led me to wildly conclude that I'm a night person. Or a procrastinator. Probably the second one.
I've found a couple of "jobs" doing volunteer writing via an online resource and I'm really going to try and push myself to apply. Which means I've got to spend the next couple of days writing up sample articles about video gaming. I refuse to sit on my gnards and let these opportunities pass, especially since I'm not doing jack with most of my time. I've only had a handful of humorously unsuccessful interviews. There's no money involved in these writing jobs but at least it's experience and exposure. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get those samples written up and sent out.
I'm going to recommend Coolvibe as my link of the day. I stumbled (literally) on this website a few weeks ago and it has found it's way into my frequent internet stops. It is a sci-fi and fantasy art blog which features a wide array of styles and topics in what they present. Futuristic cityscapes are mixed in with knights and dragons, but all of the art presented is very high quality. The scenes run the gamut from epic to hyper-epic... just go look at the front page to get a grasp on what this site is all about. Most of this stuff makes for really great backgrounds and can help you shuzch up your desktop. Here are links to some of the better art collections on the site: Pixel art, dark science fiction, and vector art (a personal favorite).
Two days until kickoff in Jo-burg. Hopefully the prawns won't mess up the game. Mexico v South Africa. June 11. 2010. Saturday. Check it.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Summer Navigation 2010 Ultra
It's June. It's been June for a few days. This month is the true gateway to Summer and while it has been warm for several months it is only now truly the sunshine season. The weather is getting blistering out and I'm getting lazy, which is partially why I have been neglecting my posts. To be fair, however, I've been neglecting doing much of anything. I purchased and have been hammering out the magnificent Red Dead Redemption for nearly two weeks (review to follow). My free attention has been dominated by that one game, but now that I'm getting to a breaking point it's time to re-enter the rest of the world and start focusing on being semi-productive again.
Clumsy introduction, I know, but bear with me because I'm getting to my point. This is June and there's a hell of a lot happening this month in terms of both events and activities. From the World Cup (very excite) to E3 and G4's coverage of said game show to simply getting outside and being active. And Gerald's 418th wedding featuring Arthur, Nigel and Horace in supporting roles. It's going to be one humdinger of a month. With all of this in mind I'm declaring the next month my 100% blogging of fun month... or something. From today, June 4th, to next month, July 4th, I'm going to post every single goddamn day. No exceptions and no excuses.
Day one complete!
Achievement unlocked!
Get off yo lazy ass
Plenty more to come. I promise to keep them somewhat interesting and relevant. Actually I don't promise that at all. It'll range from in depth to reviews to chatting about my day to opinion to ranting and everything in between.
Clumsy introduction, I know, but bear with me because I'm getting to my point. This is June and there's a hell of a lot happening this month in terms of both events and activities. From the World Cup (very excite) to E3 and G4's coverage of said game show to simply getting outside and being active. And Gerald's 418th wedding featuring Arthur, Nigel and Horace in supporting roles. It's going to be one humdinger of a month. With all of this in mind I'm declaring the next month my 100% blogging of fun month... or something. From today, June 4th, to next month, July 4th, I'm going to post every single goddamn day. No exceptions and no excuses.
Day one complete!
Achievement unlocked!
Get off yo lazy ass
Plenty more to come. I promise to keep them somewhat interesting and relevant. Actually I don't promise that at all. It'll range from in depth to reviews to chatting about my day to opinion to ranting and everything in between.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Yesterday's Time Killer
The other day Ashes and I went to a laboratory and was forced to participate in a taste test. This is that story.
What started as a lovely stroll through the campus to an old farmhouse to purchase some tomato plants quickly went south. After purchasing our plant from a young flower child holdover from the 1970s we started back to our car. A simple poster caught our eye advertising some free snacks and it being midday we were a bit peckish. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity. When we got to the building and made our way inside there was quick change in atmosphere. The entryway was a standard lobby setup but the signs started pointing us in an ominous direction. Pipes and exposed brick were surrounding us on all sides. Signs warning of radiation danger and hazardous materials. Out of the corner of my eye I sensed movement in the dimming light. Inside the rooms we were passing I could see eyes peering at us through the dark. Hastening our pace we continued deeper and deeper into this complex. Down several dank stairwells and into a hallway that could only be described as looking like a repurposed asylum we finally got to the site of the supposed free snacks.
I was bundled into a room by a shifty looking dwarf and put into a little box with a computer screen and a sliding food door. You know the food door, common in medieval prisons, in which the burly jailer would push scraps through the door and make a dozen malnourished inmates scramble for their daily nourishment. I sat there under dark eyes and brooding figures of what could only be called mad scientists wearing lab coats with dark red stains. The little food door slammed open with a loud bang and a dirty plate was shoved in front of me. On this cracked ceramic plate were several samples of some indistinguishable goo. The computer screen zapped to life displaying only green letters on a black background. "Eat sample TX01, now" it prompted me. I felt uncertain about it and hesitated. A new message flashed on the screen. "Eat sample TX01 or suffer a shock." Not wishing to find out which meaning of the word was implied I picked up TX01. It was a pasty white goo splattered on a shred of stale bred.
With a bit of apprehension I ate the first sample. The taste of it immediately exploded, overcoming my senses. The taste was horrible, like rotten fish dipped in napalm. My sinuses burned. The texture was oily and after chewing twice I swallowed. TX01 clung to my throat and slowly slimed it's way down. Feeling sick I almost vomited at this point but managed to just barely keep it down, though I suspect that it would cling to my insides and resist coming back up. I could sense a buzz from behind me as the lab coats talked in hushed tones amongst themselves. My head was spinning.
The computer screen flashed to life again with the words "Eat Sample TX02, now," written in front of me. I was feeling very uneasy but I didn't want to push my luck. TX02 was a thick whitish-blue substance with a consistency that looked like whipped cream. As I went to pick it up I noticed my hand was shaking much more than usual. Ignoring, like so much else at the time, the shaking I picked up TX02 and quickly put it into my mouth. There wasn't so much a flavor blast as the first sample but when I took the first bite it was like getting punched in the face. I spit it onto the desk in front of me and hoped tasting it would be enough. My jaw was stinging. More hushed talking behind me. The computer flashed a new message, "Please finish sample TX02." My spirits crushed I grabbed the sample and tried to eat it again. The same violent sensation flared inside my mouth. I swallowed it as quickly as possible. I was feeling sick to my stomach and extremely dizzy. I knew the third and final sample still had to be eaten.
"Eat Sample TX03, now." The room was spinning and I almost fell out of my chair, but a pair of clammy hands grabbed my arms to steady me. I weakly turned to look one of the lab coats in the face. His eyes... I'll never forget those eyes alive with madness, dancing and unable to look at me for more than a second. I turned back to the desk. The third sample was a pink paste spread thickly on the same crusty bread as the others. Not knowing what would happen if I didn't eat I did as the computer told me. As I bit down on it I had the sensation of breathing in smoke directly from a hookers mouth. I was wracked by a fit of coughing as I wasn't accustomed to the taste of smoke. Luckily, I suppose, I kept the sample in my mouth and swallowed it after only the second bite. My eyes started to water. I could feel my entire throat burning like I had been breathing volcanic ash for an hour. My vision was clouded with tears and I couldn't read the new message that came onto the computer screen. I started coughing much harder. My dizziness finally won over and nothing could stop me from falling out of my chair this time. Hushed voices and the feeling of being huddled over and colors running together and then nothing.
I woke up in a bright room sitting upright in a comfortable chair. The only thing I could taste was spit. Thankfully there wasn't an aftertaste. I realized somebody was saying something to me over and over. I shook my head and looked the woman in the eyes, "What?" There was something in her hand. A basket filled with candy and granola bars. "Which free snack would you like?" I reached in and pulled out a granola bar. She went back to the desk that was situated by the only door in the room. "Thank you for your participation and have a nice day." I slowly nodded in her direction and gave a small smile. I walked out that door faster than I'd ever done anything in my life. Outside the room I saw Ashes. She just smiled at me, happily grabbed my hand and started walking back to our car.
It was one of the most horrifying experiences of my life.
But, hey, I got a free fucking granola bar out of this!
What started as a lovely stroll through the campus to an old farmhouse to purchase some tomato plants quickly went south. After purchasing our plant from a young flower child holdover from the 1970s we started back to our car. A simple poster caught our eye advertising some free snacks and it being midday we were a bit peckish. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity. When we got to the building and made our way inside there was quick change in atmosphere. The entryway was a standard lobby setup but the signs started pointing us in an ominous direction. Pipes and exposed brick were surrounding us on all sides. Signs warning of radiation danger and hazardous materials. Out of the corner of my eye I sensed movement in the dimming light. Inside the rooms we were passing I could see eyes peering at us through the dark. Hastening our pace we continued deeper and deeper into this complex. Down several dank stairwells and into a hallway that could only be described as looking like a repurposed asylum we finally got to the site of the supposed free snacks.
I was bundled into a room by a shifty looking dwarf and put into a little box with a computer screen and a sliding food door. You know the food door, common in medieval prisons, in which the burly jailer would push scraps through the door and make a dozen malnourished inmates scramble for their daily nourishment. I sat there under dark eyes and brooding figures of what could only be called mad scientists wearing lab coats with dark red stains. The little food door slammed open with a loud bang and a dirty plate was shoved in front of me. On this cracked ceramic plate were several samples of some indistinguishable goo. The computer screen zapped to life displaying only green letters on a black background. "Eat sample TX01, now" it prompted me. I felt uncertain about it and hesitated. A new message flashed on the screen. "Eat sample TX01 or suffer a shock." Not wishing to find out which meaning of the word was implied I picked up TX01. It was a pasty white goo splattered on a shred of stale bred.
With a bit of apprehension I ate the first sample. The taste of it immediately exploded, overcoming my senses. The taste was horrible, like rotten fish dipped in napalm. My sinuses burned. The texture was oily and after chewing twice I swallowed. TX01 clung to my throat and slowly slimed it's way down. Feeling sick I almost vomited at this point but managed to just barely keep it down, though I suspect that it would cling to my insides and resist coming back up. I could sense a buzz from behind me as the lab coats talked in hushed tones amongst themselves. My head was spinning.
The computer screen flashed to life again with the words "Eat Sample TX02, now," written in front of me. I was feeling very uneasy but I didn't want to push my luck. TX02 was a thick whitish-blue substance with a consistency that looked like whipped cream. As I went to pick it up I noticed my hand was shaking much more than usual. Ignoring, like so much else at the time, the shaking I picked up TX02 and quickly put it into my mouth. There wasn't so much a flavor blast as the first sample but when I took the first bite it was like getting punched in the face. I spit it onto the desk in front of me and hoped tasting it would be enough. My jaw was stinging. More hushed talking behind me. The computer flashed a new message, "Please finish sample TX02." My spirits crushed I grabbed the sample and tried to eat it again. The same violent sensation flared inside my mouth. I swallowed it as quickly as possible. I was feeling sick to my stomach and extremely dizzy. I knew the third and final sample still had to be eaten.
"Eat Sample TX03, now." The room was spinning and I almost fell out of my chair, but a pair of clammy hands grabbed my arms to steady me. I weakly turned to look one of the lab coats in the face. His eyes... I'll never forget those eyes alive with madness, dancing and unable to look at me for more than a second. I turned back to the desk. The third sample was a pink paste spread thickly on the same crusty bread as the others. Not knowing what would happen if I didn't eat I did as the computer told me. As I bit down on it I had the sensation of breathing in smoke directly from a hookers mouth. I was wracked by a fit of coughing as I wasn't accustomed to the taste of smoke. Luckily, I suppose, I kept the sample in my mouth and swallowed it after only the second bite. My eyes started to water. I could feel my entire throat burning like I had been breathing volcanic ash for an hour. My vision was clouded with tears and I couldn't read the new message that came onto the computer screen. I started coughing much harder. My dizziness finally won over and nothing could stop me from falling out of my chair this time. Hushed voices and the feeling of being huddled over and colors running together and then nothing.
I woke up in a bright room sitting upright in a comfortable chair. The only thing I could taste was spit. Thankfully there wasn't an aftertaste. I realized somebody was saying something to me over and over. I shook my head and looked the woman in the eyes, "What?" There was something in her hand. A basket filled with candy and granola bars. "Which free snack would you like?" I reached in and pulled out a granola bar. She went back to the desk that was situated by the only door in the room. "Thank you for your participation and have a nice day." I slowly nodded in her direction and gave a small smile. I walked out that door faster than I'd ever done anything in my life. Outside the room I saw Ashes. She just smiled at me, happily grabbed my hand and started walking back to our car.
It was one of the most horrifying experiences of my life.
But, hey, I got a free fucking granola bar out of this!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
V Word
VLOGGING!
Ultra capped yelling out of the way, I really must comment on this topic. I purchased a Flip UltraHD digital camcorder a few weeks ago. It was one of two purchases I felt necessary for me to own if I were to go South Korea. Why? To vlog of course.
I first found out about vlogging way back in 2004 while perusing the web for blogs of expats in Japan. I came upon one website, AvoidingLife, that actually focused on video blogs which were actually a new idea at the time. Digital camcorders weren't as widely available as they are nowadays, though I'm sure they were still there filling YouTube with crap. I followed AvoidingLife up until the author left Japan for his home in Canada. His vlogs faded by the end of his stay there until eventually drying up completely.
Fast forward 6 years. I scoffed at the entire Youtube site for as long as I was aware of it's existence. As far as I knew it was full of stupid videos of dumb teenagers singing and dancing, fools injuring themselves in pointless ways, idiotic and unfunny animations and boring people talking about their boring lives (of which I am now one, see more in a bit). Then I found Rodger Swan's excellent vlogs about his life in Japan earlier this year. Slowly from this starting point I found more vloggers of quality. Sadly Rodger passed away a month after I started following his videos, but thanks to him I am now following some great vloggers on Youtube. Tokyo Cooney, BusanKevin, Qi Ranger, simonandmartina and Softypapa are some of the best. These are all expat vloggers living in an Asian country, which I use to live vicariously as I have done with blogs in the past. There is a feeling of community amongst these vloggers which is also really cool and makes it easy to constantly find new videos to watch.
So now I've decided to join the vlogging community. I can't promise that my videos will be interesting (in fact I can almost guarantee they won't be) but I'm going to try my damnedest to make them watchable. Some as Nigel maybe?
The first two are up on my Youtube channel and feature Ashes and I walking and talking BusanKevin style in Portland. Nothing is going on in my life at the moment so don't expect too many videos at the moment. Once we move, be it Korea or somewhere else in the country, we'll have a ton more to post about. Anyway go check out our attempts at vlogging.
ProfessorDMJ's Vlog
Ultra capped yelling out of the way, I really must comment on this topic. I purchased a Flip UltraHD digital camcorder a few weeks ago. It was one of two purchases I felt necessary for me to own if I were to go South Korea. Why? To vlog of course.
I first found out about vlogging way back in 2004 while perusing the web for blogs of expats in Japan. I came upon one website, AvoidingLife, that actually focused on video blogs which were actually a new idea at the time. Digital camcorders weren't as widely available as they are nowadays, though I'm sure they were still there filling YouTube with crap. I followed AvoidingLife up until the author left Japan for his home in Canada. His vlogs faded by the end of his stay there until eventually drying up completely.
Fast forward 6 years. I scoffed at the entire Youtube site for as long as I was aware of it's existence. As far as I knew it was full of stupid videos of dumb teenagers singing and dancing, fools injuring themselves in pointless ways, idiotic and unfunny animations and boring people talking about their boring lives (of which I am now one, see more in a bit). Then I found Rodger Swan's excellent vlogs about his life in Japan earlier this year. Slowly from this starting point I found more vloggers of quality. Sadly Rodger passed away a month after I started following his videos, but thanks to him I am now following some great vloggers on Youtube. Tokyo Cooney, BusanKevin, Qi Ranger, simonandmartina and Softypapa are some of the best. These are all expat vloggers living in an Asian country, which I use to live vicariously as I have done with blogs in the past. There is a feeling of community amongst these vloggers which is also really cool and makes it easy to constantly find new videos to watch.
So now I've decided to join the vlogging community. I can't promise that my videos will be interesting (in fact I can almost guarantee they won't be) but I'm going to try my damnedest to make them watchable. Some as Nigel maybe?
The first two are up on my Youtube channel and feature Ashes and I walking and talking BusanKevin style in Portland. Nothing is going on in my life at the moment so don't expect too many videos at the moment. Once we move, be it Korea or somewhere else in the country, we'll have a ton more to post about. Anyway go check out our attempts at vlogging.
ProfessorDMJ's Vlog
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Fifteen Things I Want to Do
Here's a list of 15 things I want to do. Not before I die... just do them whenever. These are completely unrelated to anything else I've got going on in my life. It's just long term "if I get to it" stuff. I saw another post that somebody did with the big stuff, I've decided to post this list to cover just the stuff that I want to do along the way. I've made lists like this in the past I think. I won't be reviewing them until after making this list and maybe comparing them at that point. This is purely spur of the moment.
Before I get to wordy, the list:
1. Live in/near a major city
2. Meet a world leader, past or present
3. Travel to all the continents
4. Play pachinko
5. Photograph my Life and the interesting stuff I see along the way
6. See the major Puroresu companies live (NOAH, NJPW, AJPW)
7. Get a dog
8. Learn to swim
9. Cook something from scratch and have it taste good
10. Drive a Delorean
11. Dress like Indiana Jones
12. Attend the World Cup
13. Cross country road trip
14. Trek through a jungle
15. Capture and convey what that insanity in my mind, the feelings and images, create, never let go of the spirit of imagination
Okay I let one big picture thing sneak in at the end. The rest of it is just stuff. That last thing is my partly my creed and partly my ultimate goal.
I can achieve most of this stuff for sure, they just aren't priorities. I'll slot them in when the time is right. If I don't accomplish these? No big loss. I can live without doing them but if I manage to do 2/3 of this list I'll be able to proudly hold up my head and say I've lived.
I had to work hard to ensure this just didn't become a list of places I'd like to go, so I lumped travel together in number three. Specific types of travel (road trip, jungle trek) were unique enough to warrant their own spots.
It's a decent list. I challenge y'all to come up with your own. Small stuff, not the big "bucket list" stuff.
Before I get to wordy, the list:
1. Live in/near a major city
2. Meet a world leader, past or present
3. Travel to all the continents
4. Play pachinko
5. Photograph my Life and the interesting stuff I see along the way
6. See the major Puroresu companies live (NOAH, NJPW, AJPW)
7. Get a dog
8. Learn to swim
9. Cook something from scratch and have it taste good
10. Drive a Delorean
11. Dress like Indiana Jones
12. Attend the World Cup
13. Cross country road trip
14. Trek through a jungle
15. Capture and convey what that insanity in my mind, the feelings and images, create, never let go of the spirit of imagination
Okay I let one big picture thing sneak in at the end. The rest of it is just stuff. That last thing is my partly my creed and partly my ultimate goal.
I can achieve most of this stuff for sure, they just aren't priorities. I'll slot them in when the time is right. If I don't accomplish these? No big loss. I can live without doing them but if I manage to do 2/3 of this list I'll be able to proudly hold up my head and say I've lived.
I had to work hard to ensure this just didn't become a list of places I'd like to go, so I lumped travel together in number three. Specific types of travel (road trip, jungle trek) were unique enough to warrant their own spots.
It's a decent list. I challenge y'all to come up with your own. Small stuff, not the big "bucket list" stuff.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Faraday
Halfway through the month and I only have four (well five now) posts. It's been my slowest month here by a longshot! I do apologize, since I really haven't been busy. The only thing I've been doing is injecting large doses of pop culture and internets. Pondering my future as well, I suppose. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to get where I want to go and how to achieve my dreams. The worst thing about me is that I'm not a very resourceful guy so it makes any task daunting.
I've decided I'm definitely getting a netbook when I get my return back. A relatively cheap Asus from Best Buy is what I'm currently considering. Since it was suggested that they'll perform browsing and word processing adequately I was sold. That's really all I need my portable platform to do. I need it to be more of a tool than entertainment, though I imagine it'll handle stuff like Hulu just fine. Thanks for the input guys.
The job search is the most frustrating thing in my life right now. I have an interview with Pepsi later today for a menial labor job. I think there's a decent chance that I can land this job. That is to say I hope there is a decent chance. I can barely describe the trouble looking for a legit job in this area has caused for me. Experience is the name of the game, and it's something I simply don't have enough of for a 'good' job. So I'm just going to hold out for a shitty job. They suck, they take your soul and your spirit, but they pay. College really doesn't prepare you for life and thanks to my lackadaisical upbringing I'm just not able to make my way in this world. Cross your fingers that I find my ambition... or motivation rather. I don't lack for ambition. I aspire to be any number of things and to get to all these amazing places. I just don't know how to get there. Sitting on my ass won't do the job. What will? I really wish I was more resourceful.
When I first lost my job I was actually a bit excited to be honest. I thought "Finally I'm out of that stagnant environment. Finally I can flex my creative muscle and find something more worthy of my talents!" I really thought I would be able to make the most of my time. For a while I think I did. Once the initial glumness of losing my job wore off, I really started to fire on all cylinders. I got motivated and discovered a hundred little things in the world to make my life more full. Even if it was something as simple as following a vlogger on Youtube there was so much to do and see. I had time for my projects, for my hobbies, for my life again. I was working on stuff every day. Over time I noticed that this gradually wore off, and now four months later I'm sort of desperate to get a job again since I wasn't able to turn anything I did into money. Or finish anything I started. I may have started 10 projects a week, but I didn't finish a single one. Depressing, no? I think if I had somebody to work with it might motivate me again. Collaborative efforts are the best way to go if you have trouble motivating yourself I've heard. I've lost that initial buoyant spirit I had back in January and February. I'm desperate for a job and now realize that I'll have to compromise for a long time to come.
Enough whining! That's my situation in life up there, my true dilemma. My continuing quarter-life crisis. I exited college into a world that didn't have any demand for my skills. And since I didn't have the knowledge of where to put my skills to use, I floundered and picked up a job that I coasted at for two years. Despite numerous chances for advancement I resisted since I had no desire to move upwards at that company. I was always holding out for Ashes' graduation and my chance to finally move over seas and live my dream in an Asian land. South Korea. Japan originally, but the demand for teachers there just isn't what it used to be in the early 2000s. My dream is seeming to pass me by now as I find myself horribly unqualified for the job, which I was always told was fine. Now I'm not so sure. I had a phone interview with a recruiter that seemed excited about Ashes (she's a teacher and all) but really made it seem like I was doomed. That damn near broke my heart and soul. I say damn near because we aren't out of the running for these jobs. Fingers crossed again for this one.
So now I realize that if you want a break in life you have to make it yourself. You have to make your own chances and your own luck. This is why I'm writing much more often (not necessarily all at this blog either). I will make my name in this world yet. I will prove my worth, make my name and get to a place where I'm content with what I do. I want to create. The motivation has to match the ambition. That point is coming.
Purple monkey dishwasher.
I've decided I'm definitely getting a netbook when I get my return back. A relatively cheap Asus from Best Buy is what I'm currently considering. Since it was suggested that they'll perform browsing and word processing adequately I was sold. That's really all I need my portable platform to do. I need it to be more of a tool than entertainment, though I imagine it'll handle stuff like Hulu just fine. Thanks for the input guys.
The job search is the most frustrating thing in my life right now. I have an interview with Pepsi later today for a menial labor job. I think there's a decent chance that I can land this job. That is to say I hope there is a decent chance. I can barely describe the trouble looking for a legit job in this area has caused for me. Experience is the name of the game, and it's something I simply don't have enough of for a 'good' job. So I'm just going to hold out for a shitty job. They suck, they take your soul and your spirit, but they pay. College really doesn't prepare you for life and thanks to my lackadaisical upbringing I'm just not able to make my way in this world. Cross your fingers that I find my ambition... or motivation rather. I don't lack for ambition. I aspire to be any number of things and to get to all these amazing places. I just don't know how to get there. Sitting on my ass won't do the job. What will? I really wish I was more resourceful.
When I first lost my job I was actually a bit excited to be honest. I thought "Finally I'm out of that stagnant environment. Finally I can flex my creative muscle and find something more worthy of my talents!" I really thought I would be able to make the most of my time. For a while I think I did. Once the initial glumness of losing my job wore off, I really started to fire on all cylinders. I got motivated and discovered a hundred little things in the world to make my life more full. Even if it was something as simple as following a vlogger on Youtube there was so much to do and see. I had time for my projects, for my hobbies, for my life again. I was working on stuff every day. Over time I noticed that this gradually wore off, and now four months later I'm sort of desperate to get a job again since I wasn't able to turn anything I did into money. Or finish anything I started. I may have started 10 projects a week, but I didn't finish a single one. Depressing, no? I think if I had somebody to work with it might motivate me again. Collaborative efforts are the best way to go if you have trouble motivating yourself I've heard. I've lost that initial buoyant spirit I had back in January and February. I'm desperate for a job and now realize that I'll have to compromise for a long time to come.
Enough whining! That's my situation in life up there, my true dilemma. My continuing quarter-life crisis. I exited college into a world that didn't have any demand for my skills. And since I didn't have the knowledge of where to put my skills to use, I floundered and picked up a job that I coasted at for two years. Despite numerous chances for advancement I resisted since I had no desire to move upwards at that company. I was always holding out for Ashes' graduation and my chance to finally move over seas and live my dream in an Asian land. South Korea. Japan originally, but the demand for teachers there just isn't what it used to be in the early 2000s. My dream is seeming to pass me by now as I find myself horribly unqualified for the job, which I was always told was fine. Now I'm not so sure. I had a phone interview with a recruiter that seemed excited about Ashes (she's a teacher and all) but really made it seem like I was doomed. That damn near broke my heart and soul. I say damn near because we aren't out of the running for these jobs. Fingers crossed again for this one.
So now I realize that if you want a break in life you have to make it yourself. You have to make your own chances and your own luck. This is why I'm writing much more often (not necessarily all at this blog either). I will make my name in this world yet. I will prove my worth, make my name and get to a place where I'm content with what I do. I want to create. The motivation has to match the ambition. That point is coming.
Purple monkey dishwasher.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Well...
I said I'd do five blog posts in January. It was one of my goals damnit! Well the month isn't over and I've got plenty of time left! Quite a bit more than plenty, in fact, I've got all the time in the world.
I've got a few ideas that I'm going ahead and turn into posts. Here they are.
- BioWare games changing the face of RPGS, and the death of JRPGs (at least for me).
- Ill fated attempts at doing something with my hair lately.
- My attempt to actually cook something (using a DS cooking helper).
I will write these I swear. I just spend most of my time looking for a job, trying to find out how to write a good resume, and watching Youtube videos about Japan and South Korea. I like vlogs. I like them so much that I plan on having one someday. For now my Youtube account is just subscriptions to other vlogs and a favorites list full of Lonely Island and puroresu.
Expect something tomorrow.
I've got a few ideas that I'm going ahead and turn into posts. Here they are.
- BioWare games changing the face of RPGS, and the death of JRPGs (at least for me).
- Ill fated attempts at doing something with my hair lately.
- My attempt to actually cook something (using a DS cooking helper).
I will write these I swear. I just spend most of my time looking for a job, trying to find out how to write a good resume, and watching Youtube videos about Japan and South Korea. I like vlogs. I like them so much that I plan on having one someday. For now my Youtube account is just subscriptions to other vlogs and a favorites list full of Lonely Island and puroresu.
Expect something tomorrow.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
FI-RED
I was going to write up a big post about what happened to me a week ago. I was. Now I don't want to write that post. There's really nothing to say.
I was fired from my job. Laid off, as they put it, due to a lack of hours. Some forty people lost their jobs.
Now I'm unemployed. I'm not good at being unemployed. I filed for unemployment... I became a burden on society. I don't think I've ever felt worse. I had bright eyes and hope back in 2007 when I was jobless for several months.
Now I just don't know.
It's only been a week and I'm not really doing well. I've applied to quite a few jobs and hope to pick one of those up to pass the time. I'm holding out for Korea!
That's what I'm holding out for in general. That's what my life needs to take off!
I've been approached by a friend at the BDN and given a contact that might help me get some freelance jobs. I'm also looking at some other writing stuff. Gotta get on that.
What do I spend my time doing? Mostly Youtube, 360, job search, television. Wasting time really. I don't know, I'm pretty unfocused at the moment.
I wish I had readers because I want people to talk to damnit.
Well cheers friends! Here's to Korea and the future.
I was fired from my job. Laid off, as they put it, due to a lack of hours. Some forty people lost their jobs.
Now I'm unemployed. I'm not good at being unemployed. I filed for unemployment... I became a burden on society. I don't think I've ever felt worse. I had bright eyes and hope back in 2007 when I was jobless for several months.
Now I just don't know.
It's only been a week and I'm not really doing well. I've applied to quite a few jobs and hope to pick one of those up to pass the time. I'm holding out for Korea!
That's what I'm holding out for in general. That's what my life needs to take off!
I've been approached by a friend at the BDN and given a contact that might help me get some freelance jobs. I'm also looking at some other writing stuff. Gotta get on that.
What do I spend my time doing? Mostly Youtube, 360, job search, television. Wasting time really. I don't know, I'm pretty unfocused at the moment.
I wish I had readers because I want people to talk to damnit.
Well cheers friends! Here's to Korea and the future.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
New Year 2010! 初詣!
It's 2010!
A new year! A World Cup year! A year of upheaval with any luck.
So we welcome the year of the tiger with a roar and a slap on the ass for good luck.
What can be said for 2009? Quite a lot. Some positive, some negative. Let's not think about that right now. Let's think about 2010.
I've got to make an effort to better myself this year. Make a tiger out of an elephant. I have a few ideas, like setting monthly goals and updating the blog more often. My priority is setting long term goals, with short term goals to achieve them. This is something that is going to be a positive influence on my state of mind and my state of well being. I'll start off slow, but as I get going I'm going to start pushing myself harder.
Collaborative efforts are hard to get started if everybody isn't motivated the same. If one person is hyper motivated but others are only a little bit into a project then it's doomed to failure. I'm going to try and find people that I can motivate into helping me with some of my ideas for collaborative projects. The Zombie Blog, podcasts, video comedy skits, a local blog of some sort, whatever comes to mind. I'll see what I can think up and who I could motivate to help. I also need to seriously look into doing more writing and publishing my content.
This year the World Cup is going to be won by England. They've got it all to prove. Their manager, Fabio Cappello, is the man with the ability to take hold of the trophy. Spain are favored due to their recent domination on the international scene and their Euro 2008 victory. They've got an amazing team, certainly, with Villa and Torres up front and a solid backfield. England aren't the strongest team, they aren't the most talented team so why do I think England will win the tournament? It lies in their bad luck streak. They've gone from weakness to weakness for years, and stumbled right at the crucial moment. It's on them to make their own luck. To fight for every inch of the field. To hammer home the goals and not succumb to the big match atmosphere. They will win. Cappello will inspire the squad to win. Whatever happens I'm going to be watching the beejesus out of this competition come the summer. 64 games on display, every single one of them televised. It'll be a month of soccer madness!
Most importantly this will be the year that, finally, my dream of living abroad comes true. It won't be an easy road to get started heading down. The goal is South Korea. It doesn't matter where. Anywhere is fine since I'll be living in an entirely foreign culture. The excitement of living in a foreign country that is culturally quite different from America is already feeding my dreams. It's not a guarantee that we'll get accepted and there are a lot of steps in the application process, but I'm confident in our ability. I know Ashes and I can make a good impression on the recruiters. I'm not going to have my dream shattered again like I did three years ago.
This post wasn't a traditional "here are my resolutions" statement. It wasn't "this is what I'm changing". It was more of a series of big picture goals and dreams. It was a short list of what I am going to demand of myself. Improvement. Self discipline. I resolve nothing. I demand it!
Here's to 2010!
The Year of the Tiger!
The Year of Self Dynamism!
2010, hurrah!
A new year! A World Cup year! A year of upheaval with any luck.
So we welcome the year of the tiger with a roar and a slap on the ass for good luck.
What can be said for 2009? Quite a lot. Some positive, some negative. Let's not think about that right now. Let's think about 2010.
I've got to make an effort to better myself this year. Make a tiger out of an elephant. I have a few ideas, like setting monthly goals and updating the blog more often. My priority is setting long term goals, with short term goals to achieve them. This is something that is going to be a positive influence on my state of mind and my state of well being. I'll start off slow, but as I get going I'm going to start pushing myself harder.
Collaborative efforts are hard to get started if everybody isn't motivated the same. If one person is hyper motivated but others are only a little bit into a project then it's doomed to failure. I'm going to try and find people that I can motivate into helping me with some of my ideas for collaborative projects. The Zombie Blog, podcasts, video comedy skits, a local blog of some sort, whatever comes to mind. I'll see what I can think up and who I could motivate to help. I also need to seriously look into doing more writing and publishing my content.
This year the World Cup is going to be won by England. They've got it all to prove. Their manager, Fabio Cappello, is the man with the ability to take hold of the trophy. Spain are favored due to their recent domination on the international scene and their Euro 2008 victory. They've got an amazing team, certainly, with Villa and Torres up front and a solid backfield. England aren't the strongest team, they aren't the most talented team so why do I think England will win the tournament? It lies in their bad luck streak. They've gone from weakness to weakness for years, and stumbled right at the crucial moment. It's on them to make their own luck. To fight for every inch of the field. To hammer home the goals and not succumb to the big match atmosphere. They will win. Cappello will inspire the squad to win. Whatever happens I'm going to be watching the beejesus out of this competition come the summer. 64 games on display, every single one of them televised. It'll be a month of soccer madness!
Most importantly this will be the year that, finally, my dream of living abroad comes true. It won't be an easy road to get started heading down. The goal is South Korea. It doesn't matter where. Anywhere is fine since I'll be living in an entirely foreign culture. The excitement of living in a foreign country that is culturally quite different from America is already feeding my dreams. It's not a guarantee that we'll get accepted and there are a lot of steps in the application process, but I'm confident in our ability. I know Ashes and I can make a good impression on the recruiters. I'm not going to have my dream shattered again like I did three years ago.
This post wasn't a traditional "here are my resolutions" statement. It wasn't "this is what I'm changing". It was more of a series of big picture goals and dreams. It was a short list of what I am going to demand of myself. Improvement. Self discipline. I resolve nothing. I demand it!
Here's to 2010!
The Year of the Tiger!
The Year of Self Dynamism!
2010, hurrah!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Xmas Loot
It's X-Mas because the X is cooler. It's not as powerful as a Z, but better than a CH combo. Or the letter I, which is universally recognized as the weakest letter in the alphabet.
Well anyway I got more than I deserved this Xmas. I asked for very little and received very much. A small list? I can provide you with that, sure.
- Assassin's Creed II
- FIFA 10
- A robe
- LEGO coffee table book (including a minifig coffee table book)
- The Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker
- Celtic FC soccer jersey
- Big Bang Theory season 2
- Border's gift card (for un-remembered amount)
- Back to the Future trilogy
- Calendar
- Coffee maker
- Toaster
Maybe other stuff. I don't remember. Really it would've just been better to get money and put it in the bank, or not get so much stuff so my parents can pay for heat this winter. I like stuff, however, and this stuff will help me waste my time instead of do anything productive. That's what the new year is for, changes to your life. We'll see, I plan on having monthly goals next year. I'll discuss that in my next poorly written, poorly thought out post.
Well anyway I got more than I deserved this Xmas. I asked for very little and received very much. A small list? I can provide you with that, sure.
- Assassin's Creed II
- FIFA 10
- A robe
- LEGO coffee table book (including a minifig coffee table book)
- The Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker
- Celtic FC soccer jersey
- Big Bang Theory season 2
- Border's gift card (for un-remembered amount)
- Back to the Future trilogy
- Calendar
- Coffee maker
- Toaster
Maybe other stuff. I don't remember. Really it would've just been better to get money and put it in the bank, or not get so much stuff so my parents can pay for heat this winter. I like stuff, however, and this stuff will help me waste my time instead of do anything productive. That's what the new year is for, changes to your life. We'll see, I plan on having monthly goals next year. I'll discuss that in my next poorly written, poorly thought out post.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Posting of Irrelevant
I don't like blogging about my life in particular. In general, oh yes. In particular, fuck no. I leave that sort of blogging to Ashes. She's so good at talking about herself. I'm better at the non-specific, random posts. And dressing cats up like gladiators to perform mock combat. And creating elaborate fantasy worlds while on insane drug freakouts. And surviving the apocalypse. And writing threatening letters to international organizations.
Yet here's some little bit about me. Just how does one "Lord Busaiku, King of the Rat-Weasels" spend a day off? Well... more like wastes a day off. Basically the whole thing was spent moving. Yet not a lick of writing. Nope... except for this. And this. And this...
A Day Off - Journey of the Enchanted Tusk
Tuesday 4:00 - Get out of work. Drive my brand spanking new (7 years old) car home.
4:30 - Hassle my nephew and tell him lies which he half believes.
4:50 - Power nap
5:20 - Clear out my entertainment center and bookshelf, pack away books, etc
5:30 - Carry said furniture down the stairs, fumble with it, load it on brother's truck
6ish - Arrive at Ashes apartment with brother and nephew in tow, unload furniture
6-7 - Arrange furniture, clean, and start setting up my stuff
8 - Bring two giant loads of change to CoinStar. Profit - $77
8:30 - Head to Olive Garden for apartment warming meal
9 - Rush home to unload meal from stomach into toilet
10:30 - Crash due to exhaustion, that's right I went to friggen bed at friggen 10:30 on my day off!
Wednesday 9:00 - Wake up, drink a red tea, pet cat on head, get swiped at, hit cat on head
9:30 - Watch 3:10 to Yuma which is quite a decent movie
11:30 - Install Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 on computer
12 - Ashes comes home from school with 'dope cash money yo' (her words I swear!)
12:20 - Head out
12:45 - Cash her Check
1:00 - Return home, she runs off to buy books, I sit on my ass doing nothing (I'm so useful!)
1:20 - She gets back, spent too much on book, runs back to book store
1:35 - Picks me up and we head back to the Bangor area for shopping, Mickey D's first
1:50 - Shopping at Shaw's
2:50 - Go to my (old) house to pick up my television and surround sound, taunt my nephew with sushi (he didn't know fish could be food!)
3:30 - Go to Walmart for some more shopping, Ashes buys shoes and pants and whatnot. I get LEGOs (yay mofo) and a disc with Fallout 3 expansions (Yay!).
4:10 - Stop at Dunkin' Donuts for an iced coffee (Emperor Myself) and coolatta (the chick I was with, not me).
uhhhhhh well the time is a bit messed up somewhere in there because I know for certain we got home in the 5 range... hmmm
5ish - Get home, set up television
5:30 til now - Sat on my ass being useless.
And from now until I go to sleep, far too early again, I shall do nothing. Hoo-ray...
Yet here's some little bit about me. Just how does one "Lord Busaiku, King of the Rat-Weasels" spend a day off? Well... more like wastes a day off. Basically the whole thing was spent moving. Yet not a lick of writing. Nope... except for this. And this. And this...
A Day Off - Journey of the Enchanted Tusk
Tuesday 4:00 - Get out of work. Drive my brand spanking new (7 years old) car home.
4:30 - Hassle my nephew and tell him lies which he half believes.
4:50 - Power nap
5:20 - Clear out my entertainment center and bookshelf, pack away books, etc
5:30 - Carry said furniture down the stairs, fumble with it, load it on brother's truck
6ish - Arrive at Ashes apartment with brother and nephew in tow, unload furniture
6-7 - Arrange furniture, clean, and start setting up my stuff
8 - Bring two giant loads of change to CoinStar. Profit - $77
8:30 - Head to Olive Garden for apartment warming meal
9 - Rush home to unload meal from stomach into toilet
10:30 - Crash due to exhaustion, that's right I went to friggen bed at friggen 10:30 on my day off!
Wednesday 9:00 - Wake up, drink a red tea, pet cat on head, get swiped at, hit cat on head
9:30 - Watch 3:10 to Yuma which is quite a decent movie
11:30 - Install Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 on computer
12 - Ashes comes home from school with 'dope cash money yo' (her words I swear!)
12:20 - Head out
12:45 - Cash her Check
1:00 - Return home, she runs off to buy books, I sit on my ass doing nothing (I'm so useful!)
1:20 - She gets back, spent too much on book, runs back to book store
1:35 - Picks me up and we head back to the Bangor area for shopping, Mickey D's first
1:50 - Shopping at Shaw's
2:50 - Go to my (old) house to pick up my television and surround sound, taunt my nephew with sushi (he didn't know fish could be food!)
3:30 - Go to Walmart for some more shopping, Ashes buys shoes and pants and whatnot. I get LEGOs (yay mofo) and a disc with Fallout 3 expansions (Yay!).
4:10 - Stop at Dunkin' Donuts for an iced coffee (Emperor Myself) and coolatta (the chick I was with, not me).
uhhhhhh well the time is a bit messed up somewhere in there because I know for certain we got home in the 5 range... hmmm
5ish - Get home, set up television
5:30 til now - Sat on my ass being useless.
And from now until I go to sleep, far too early again, I shall do nothing. Hoo-ray...
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
20¶ vs 23476¶
Achievement time!
From now on I'm rating all of my accomplishments as achievements and weighing them against my Gamerscore. Gamerscore vs Lifescore. Sadly right now I've got a higher gamerscore, mostly because I'm starting... or maybe it's just because I'm really sad. Anyone that know me got any suggestions for achievements (recent) that I can include?
It's based on a completely arbitrary scale that I'll decide personally upon completion of each achievement.
It's a project that I've been thinking about for a while. I'm sure somebody else came up with the idea before me. It's not one of my better ones nor is it one of my more original ones. A few years ago several friends and myself were involved in an achievement race on the 360. We were constantly trying to one-up each other. We became so obsessed with the whole idea that we started throwing "fifty points" or "three hundred points" at each other for well executed movie quotes or over the top insults. I got the idea then that a blog like this would be fun. I shelved it for a couple of years because... well because I shelved everything. I wasn't productive.
This year, however, promises to be different. I'm NOT shelving my ideas. I'm running with them. I can't let that happen.
I had a few other ways to implement this particular idea. Like a cross between 1001 days, by assigning each of the 101 things a point value adding up to 1000. Or a sort of scavenger hunt that would reboot monthly with 1000 points up for grabs. I don't know how to get ideas like that off the ground. I still might go with it, somehow.
So get prepared, my fine feathered reader or readers as the case may warrant. This is going to be a year of power. Dynamic Power! Super Mega Dynamic Ultra Power Volt!
So it's 20 points (represented by the paragraph symbol) for turning 26. Twenty!
From now on I'm rating all of my accomplishments as achievements and weighing them against my Gamerscore. Gamerscore vs Lifescore. Sadly right now I've got a higher gamerscore, mostly because I'm starting... or maybe it's just because I'm really sad. Anyone that know me got any suggestions for achievements (recent) that I can include?
It's based on a completely arbitrary scale that I'll decide personally upon completion of each achievement.
It's a project that I've been thinking about for a while. I'm sure somebody else came up with the idea before me. It's not one of my better ones nor is it one of my more original ones. A few years ago several friends and myself were involved in an achievement race on the 360. We were constantly trying to one-up each other. We became so obsessed with the whole idea that we started throwing "fifty points" or "three hundred points" at each other for well executed movie quotes or over the top insults. I got the idea then that a blog like this would be fun. I shelved it for a couple of years because... well because I shelved everything. I wasn't productive.
This year, however, promises to be different. I'm NOT shelving my ideas. I'm running with them. I can't let that happen.
I had a few other ways to implement this particular idea. Like a cross between 1001 days, by assigning each of the 101 things a point value adding up to 1000. Or a sort of scavenger hunt that would reboot monthly with 1000 points up for grabs. I don't know how to get ideas like that off the ground. I still might go with it, somehow.
So get prepared, my fine feathered reader or readers as the case may warrant. This is going to be a year of power. Dynamic Power! Super Mega Dynamic Ultra Power Volt!
So it's 20 points (represented by the paragraph symbol) for turning 26. Twenty!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Where to Go From Here
Today is my Twenty-Sixth birthday. Hold your applause please, hold your applause. It's not that big a deal since all I did was not die. Seriously, that's ALL I did. From where I was last year I've accomplished practically nothing.
It's hard to be satisfied with my place in life right now. I'm stuck in a rut of a job and I don't have the know-how to get out of it. Send my resume around? What good is that going to accomplish me if it's as unimpressive as... well as it is. Every paper I contact says they're not looking for any additional contributors at the moment. Believe it or not I've shot e-mails at quite a few local papers. Maybe I need to start thinking outside local? Maybe I need to start looking at the magazines in the area and just throwing myself at them? Or maybe I need to rethink my career path? I don't know. But I have to know by this time next year or I get the feeling I'm just fucked. Approaching thirty and with little to show makes me a sad panda.
As unsatisfied as I am with that area of my life, and with myself in regards to dealing with it, I am completely happy romantically! When you have as solid a relationship as I do with The Ashes it's the single thing that keeps you going. Or at least it makes me want to keep driving for success. If I manage to get someone as amazingly awesomely wonderful as her, shouldn't I be able to do the same in other aspects of my life? I don't care, because I've got her. She makes me into the best DannyBear in the world.
There are some things beyond that I'm satisfied. Like the fact that I've begun my travelling life. If you just say to yourself "fuck it, let's just DO this thing" you end up accomplishing a lot. Take for instance London. I decided that we're just going to stop talking about it and DO it. So we found cheap tickets and a hotel and booked it. It's the push that matters. Getting past the feeling that "it's not worth the hassle" is instrumental in accomplishing anything in life.
Perhaps I should start listening to my own advice, eh?
Well 25 was a mixed bag. Let's see what 26 will bring.
Other than a tiramisu gelato. Which was creamy goodness! It was melty and delicious! Better than a cake by a million miles!
So how about the material aspect of birthdays? Here's what I've got so far (and probably in total).
It's hard to be satisfied with my place in life right now. I'm stuck in a rut of a job and I don't have the know-how to get out of it. Send my resume around? What good is that going to accomplish me if it's as unimpressive as... well as it is. Every paper I contact says they're not looking for any additional contributors at the moment. Believe it or not I've shot e-mails at quite a few local papers. Maybe I need to start thinking outside local? Maybe I need to start looking at the magazines in the area and just throwing myself at them? Or maybe I need to rethink my career path? I don't know. But I have to know by this time next year or I get the feeling I'm just fucked. Approaching thirty and with little to show makes me a sad panda.
As unsatisfied as I am with that area of my life, and with myself in regards to dealing with it, I am completely happy romantically! When you have as solid a relationship as I do with The Ashes it's the single thing that keeps you going. Or at least it makes me want to keep driving for success. If I manage to get someone as amazingly awesomely wonderful as her, shouldn't I be able to do the same in other aspects of my life? I don't care, because I've got her. She makes me into the best DannyBear in the world.
There are some things beyond that I'm satisfied. Like the fact that I've begun my travelling life. If you just say to yourself "fuck it, let's just DO this thing" you end up accomplishing a lot. Take for instance London. I decided that we're just going to stop talking about it and DO it. So we found cheap tickets and a hotel and booked it. It's the push that matters. Getting past the feeling that "it's not worth the hassle" is instrumental in accomplishing anything in life.
Perhaps I should start listening to my own advice, eh?
Well 25 was a mixed bag. Let's see what 26 will bring.
Other than a tiramisu gelato. Which was creamy goodness! It was melty and delicious! Better than a cake by a million miles!
So how about the material aspect of birthdays? Here's what I've got so far (and probably in total).
- Tiramisu gelato
- Prototype (360)
- Fleur-de-lis red zip up hoody
- Legends of Wrestlemania (360)
- Back to the Future collection (not quite yet)
- $100 (at least that's what I told them to get)
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