Christmas Loot

Inspired by Mike I decided to do a loot post. I started a thread on the message board I frequent most, and it seems only fair to do it here. Be warned it is a video game Christmas.

The wife and I have been saving change, and putting aside money since March to get a next gen console and some games. So we got a next gen system, and I gave the wife a bunch of my budgeted fun money over a couple of months to get me games. So without further ado*:

Christmas Candy box. My new years resolution last year to give up candy. I had the leftover Halloween candy, a chocolate bar on Thanksgiving, and I'm giving myself 2 weeks of candy eating from Christmas to my Birthday (Jan 10th). This had a 330 pice red vines, chocolate of many types (notably chocolate oranges, and chocolate covered peanuts and raisins. Starting the day after my birthday, back to no candy.

A complete set of Bruce R McConkie's Messiah Series (The Promised Messiah, the Mortal Messiah Vol 1-4 and the Millennial Messiah. This was purchased with Christmas money - Our Gospel Doctrine (Sunday School) teacher has been using bits from these books and I wanted to read them. Hard to find online (at collector's prices). Found it at a local bookstore, their last copy. They said it was a tough one to get in. Reading now, and it is really really cool. :)

X-box 360 came with the unit, 2 controllers, a recharge pack and two games, listed below.
Games:
360:
Forza Motor Sports (came with the unit) - Driving game
Marvel Ultimate Alliance (with the unit) - Multi-player Gauntlet type
Ninety Nine Nights - A Dynasty Warriors beat up handfuls targets game.
Mass Affect - Space based Action RPG.
Bioshock - Really Atmopheric FPS. Very very well done.
Earth Defnse Force 2017 - Run around and blast thing game (car sized bugs so far)
Bullet Witch - 3rd Person action game.
Halo 3 - First Person Shooter
Live Arcade Unplugged - 6 smaller games that started life as Live Arcade Downloads. Pretty fun.

Xbox
Panzer Dragoon Orta - Shooter where you fly on the back of a dragon. Sequel to a Saturn series, which I loved.
007 Nightfire - Bond Adventure game.
Crimson Skies - Pulp style fighter - Biplanes with jet engine enhancemets.
Dead to Rights - Adventure game in Hong Kong mode - you can do slow mo jumps firing guns in both hands.
Conker - Platformer with the main character a drunk foul mouthed Squirrel
Halo
Ninja Gaiden - Action game.
Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction - Action adventure - you have to capability to destroy just about anything that shows up in the game
Call of Duty 2 - Military FPS
Red Dead Revovler - Western 3rd person shooter
Shadow Ops Red Mercury - Military FPS
Robottech Battlecry - Action Adventure in giant robots
Phantom Crash - Action Adventure
Phasntom Dust - Action Adventure
Sonic Heroes - 3-D Platfomer
Kingdom Under Fire: Crusaders - Action adventure. Medieval/Fantasy
Mechassault 2: Lone World - First person Mecha adventure
Samurai Warriors - Dynasty Warriors spin off with Japanese characters
Star Wars: Knight of the old Republic - action RPG
Quantumn Redshift - Hovercar racing game
Shenmue II - Adventure Drama.
Kabuki Warriors - Fighter with Kabuki people. Interesting
Dead or Alive Ultimate 1&2 - Fighter
Incredibles Rise of the Underminer - 2 player action adventure. Fun fun stuff

PS2
Nina Williams: Death by Degrees - action adventure
Justice League Heroes - Action Adventure
Spyro: The Legend Begins - 3d platformer
Vexx - 3d Platformer

And I don't think a single one of those was purchased at full price - there were discounted, on sale, used or any combination of the above. The Xbox (not 360) games ran about 5 bucks apiece. :)

* I got the wife a number of Video games too, but this is a post for my loot.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday and of course Merry Christmas.

Because, many of celebrate this season because of a birthday just over 2000 years ago. So I wanted to share my love of the seasonwith all of you this holiday, and hope your holiday (in whichever way you celebrate it, or what you call it) is happy, love filled and joyous.

I just wanted to share two thoughts with you - First from Ben Stein

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. ....It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year.

And second from Luke (a speech that many know from Linus on the Charlie Brown Christmas special.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them,

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Top 5

Okay getting a little more time, so here is another memeage from the Music Memoirs:

Top five albums of 2007 (in your opinion), so here are mine in no particular order:

Bloodangel's Cry - Kryperia
The best Eurometal album of the years, and an amazing female vocalist. Great great stuff.


Snakes and Arrows - Rush
It's Rush. Their first full studio album in many years. Fantastic album, and one of their better ones - which is saying a lot, given how many really good ones they have.

No More Kings - No More Kings
A funky rock CD (stylistically closer to Spin Doctors than anyone else I can think of) and with a great sense of fun and heart. With songs like "Sweep the Leg Johnny" A tribute to the movie Karate Kid and "Zombie Me" a fun lighthearted song about becoming a zombie this Cd is really good.

Influence - Shaw and Blades
The best cover album I have ever heard. These guys harmonize so well, and went with 60's harmony songs to cover. Very nice stuff. I just hope we don't have to wait so long for their next CD.

Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace - Big and Rich.
Not their best albums, but it is the one that came out in 2007. I just love these guys - the music mafia are one of my main country sources these days (along with people like Crosscanadian Ragweed, Mickey and the Motorcars and the like).

Tuesday tunage

Open your Itunes or Windows Media or Winamp or whatever music player you use and tell me.

Your top 5 songs:
Your most played artist:
These two I can't answer. I don't keep a "library" of music that tracks how often I play, nor do I rate songs.
How many songs you have on your computer
59,682
The first artist listed alphabetically and the last
Abba to ZZ top

On women

While reading an autobio for fun, I ran across this, and thought to share it.

Let me tell you that a man who sees a woman only as an object to quench his sexual thirst has missed out on one of the most inspiring experiences in life. Mind you- I am not arguing that pleasure in bed with somebody you love is not good. I am saying that there is also a pleasure in being with a woman whose company is fun because she is an interesting human being. The fact that she is also a member of the opposite sex gives her those grace notes that make her song even more pleasing to hear.

-Jack Benny

Dropping in for the Holiday

Just a quick note to say

Happy Thanksgiving

to everyone.

And it's off

Article sent. Was a fun one to do.
Been noodling around with the one after the next one I was going to write (the future one will be fairly long, so I am doing prepwork on it).

Will begin writing the second character article on Mon.
Gives me the weekend off from that, but I am writing stuff for my campaign, and I'll likely be doings stuff for the magic system article (the long one) too - both because I want to work on it, and because I have been having fun writing it. :)

Another quick note

Just finished the first draft of the article. 36 new talents. I go over it again tomorrow for mechanical problems in the builds of the abilites. The wife will do a grammer/spelling/style edit. I'll fix those, and run a second draft.

I'll likely have this off to the editor by Wednesday night.

WooHoo!!

I already have mentally created the characters for the next article, now all I have to do is get it on paper. I'll start that next week. I'll a
llow myself a short break.

Then I have a magic system article to do - which also is great stuff for my Fantasy Hero game. That one will be fun to build - I need to come up with 10 to 15 sample groups of spells (the things revolves around making a deal with a powerful entity, and getting abilities and spells for it). Each sample will be two pages typed, so this will be a huge article. I plan on having at least 4 or 5 "saints" or intersessors, one each of the 4 classic elements, a couple of demons and devils (for the bad guys), and a couple of natural forces (nature, the City and whatnot). Should be fun to write. :)

Then another character article, and one I'm noodling around about familiars. Then another character article.

And if I get one published an issue that is almost a year away. :)

Just a quick note

First article 1/3 done.
I go through a 3 step process for this kind of article. I rough out the mecahnics, then I build them in Hero designer, then I write the flavor text. I have the rough outlines done. Woohoo.

I also added links to my Pandora radio stations for anyone who is interested.

If you listen to pandora I suggest you do the same either in sidebar or a post, so we can share in each others music.

If you don't know about Pandora go here

The title of the blog is "infrequent" after all

This is just a note to say I won't be around much for the next little while - not doing memes or other stuff like it.

I work my normal job
I work my second job (and am getting more hours)
I write. Which I am behind on, and need to get more articles done, I had 2 published at once, and then one more in the next issue, it cleaned out my backlog. I need to fill it.
We just had someone give us an offer for the house - a very good one. So we will be spending time looking for a new home.
I have my church callings (plus filling in for the Sunday School teach occasionally, until they get a new one).

So, to put it succinctly, I have no time. When I blog, I try to give serious though to stuff, and I just don't seem to have the time to do this at the level I want.

I'll be doing stuff very occasionally, but not to often.

Friday' Feast
Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?

9 or 10. I use it as an excuse to take a week off from work. Fun fun fun. :)

Soup
What is one word you don’t like the sound, spelling, or meaning of?
The F bomb. I don't like the sound, or it's use in language.

Salad
Do you wear sunglasses when you’re outside? If so, what does your current pair look like?
I haven't worn sunglasses in over a decade. I don't remember what the last pair looked like.

Main Course
If you were to write a book, to whom would you dedicate it?
To the Wife for putting up with me for writing it. To the guys at Hero games who published my first professional article. To Stephen R Donaldson, who gave me a desire to write.

Dessert
Name a beverage that you enjoy.
Orange Gatorade. My favorite non-water beverage (Water is still my favorite)

Top 5 on Friday:


Top 5 cover songs that are better then the originals
1) All along the Watchtower - Hendrix.
Heck I could do an entire list of Dylan songs, because while he was a great songwriter he sucked as a performer.
2) Baby one more time - Ahmet and Dweezl Zappa.
I like the song, and it is't Britney performing it.
3) Sweet Emotion - Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades.
Granted it isn't hard to do better than Aerosmith, but these guys keep the hard rockin, and do a much better job on the vocals.
4) Sleeping on the sidewalk - Los Lobos
It is difficult to actually mention the Queen cover here, but these guys take the song, and really go with it. They keep the theme and message the same but really make it their own.
which brings us to
5) Elenor Rigby by Godhead.
Who would have thought an industrial cover of a Beatles song would be better than the original (which I love), but here you go. The instrumentation screams "alone" and "Distant" which is a perfect match for the themes of the song.

and/or

Top 5 Beatles or Beatles-related covers
(Knowing full well that these can never be better than the original)
1) Elenor Rigby - Godhead
See the above.
2) Across the Universe - Lana Lane.
I like, but don't love the original. I love Lana's approach and style on it.
3) Come Together - Micheal Jackson
Another one where I only sorta like the original,
but love the cover.
4) Taxman - Stevie Ray Vaughn
A very different take on the song, and I just love his guitar work on it.
5) Helter Skelter - Pat Benatar
Just really like this cover (And the Crue's one too)
And no list of Beatles covers can be complete without listing
extra) Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - William Shatner.
Just becauase.

Tuesday tunes in a time machine

Word association for music - courtesy of the Music Memiors

autumn: Ronnie Talk to Russia by Prince
I knew someone named Autumn in high school, and she loved Prince. Controversy was an album she introduced me to - that song in particular. Whenever I hear the word Autumn I think of her, and if I think of her, I think of this song. I never called the season Autumn, I called it fall.
rain: I spoke as a Child - Todd Snider
There is a line in there about rain and clouds, but mostly it is melancholy about childhood, and I grew up on the coast of Oregon and rain and childhood goes together for me.
Halloween: Crystal by Mannheim Steamroller
The piece has the sound of wind blowing around some tones in an interesting melody. In a creative writing class we had to write a tone poem/prose using a song as inspirateion - I chose this, and listening to it made me think of a night walk trhough a graveyard - very Halloween.
cat: Black Cat - Janet Jackson
Obvious in word content.
help: Help - The Beatles
As Above.
road trip: Roll on Down the Highway - BTO
It's a road trip song.

drink: Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
That "Do the Dew, do not dew the dew" ad from a number of superbowls ago.
fire: Burning Down the House - Talking Heads
Obvious.

Meme-age

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
How are you today?
Doing okay so far, but I've only been up about half an hour, so we will see how the day goes.

Soup
Name 3 television shows you watch on a regular basis.
Heroes. That is the only one I watch week to week. I get the Shield, 24 and Stargate Atlantis on DVD as soon as they come out.

Salad
What’s the scariest weather situation you’ve experienced?
I've never found weather scary - I love lightning storms wind and rain. And Snow.
How about the heat wave that hit this last summer - I don't know about scary but it was sure dang irritating, and impacted my health to a small degree.

Main Course
If you could wake up tomorrow morning in another country, where would you want to be?
Canada - it would be the easiest to get back home from.
I actually have no desire to travel to see other places.

Dessert
What do you usually wear to sleep?
Undies.

Music Memoirs

Top 5 CDs That You Bought Used
I buy 80% of my music used, so that is almost the same question as "Top 5 CDs" And I'm feeling to lazy to look up the pics at amazon. :)

Antsy McClain - Trailercana
Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
Barry Manilow - 2 AM Paradise Cafe
Big and Rich - Comin' to your City
Ring of Fire - Dreamtower

The Magic Is Back

Finally got around to watching Heroes season 2 episode 1.

It is as good as any of the good shows from season one. I liked seeing the old characters in new situations, seeing new characters, and just all around watching Heroes again. The episode left me drooling for more (which is what a good pilot show should do).

So I'll be hooked, watching it week by week again this year. I lent out my box set of season one, now I can't wait to get it back and relive the glory of season one, and listen to the commentaries and behind the scenes stuff.

And as a bonus we didn't see Sylar or Niki in the first episode. Yay!!
Maybe with the actor playing Sylar going off to play Spock in the new ST movie, they will kill off the character. I hope so, I'm tired of him. Maybe he will be punked by the new bad guy, just to show how tough the new guy is (dubbed Sauron by some of fandom).

Hiro is still as wonderful as ever, and the episode really re-inforces the idea of never meeting your heroes, you will be disappointed. Ando go screen time; watching Noah and Claire was great; Matt is actually having things go his way; Suresh is actually being proactive, and smart; Nathan is all so guilt ridden, and calling his mom Evil was wonderful; Peter's reveal at the end was cool. I like the new flyer, and I can't wait to see what kind of story develops around the twins.
Great great stuff.

Tuesday Favorites

What is your favorite movie soundtrack or score? (You can tell us why if you'd like)

I'm limiting myself to scores, and only those that were written for the show (which disallows Cosmos, one of my favorites, but it is just a collection). I never count rock collection as soundtracks - they are just themed rock collections, just like those K-tel put out decades ago, with better marketing.

That is a toughie. A toss up between the original Star Wars soundtrack (the original release, not the "full movie release") by John Williams and Henry V by Patrick Doyle. Star Wars is pretty much what introduced me to orchestral music, and started a love of soundtracks and classical. Henry the V is just amazingly good, notable the battle theme, and Non Nobis Domine.
Honorable mentions to Battle Beyond the Stars by James Horner, Somewhere in Time by John Barry, and The Black Hole also by John Barry. There are too many that one one or two really good pieces, but the rest of the soundtrack is average.

What is your favorite album by your favorite artist/band?
Oblivion Days by the Rocket Scientists.
Hah, you thought it would be Queen CD didn't you? :D

What is your favorite music video?

Not having watched music videos for over a decade... Take on me by A-ha. Song is good, but I just loved the whole real world / drawn world thing.

Cutems Kitties

The Mistress of the Dark has some great pictures of her cats on her blog, and I couldn't resist Lolizing one of them.

The "I" in team

Over at the Hero boards, the question was asked of what kind of team your characters would consist of. Because I have so many, I went with currently active character and this is what was the result. I loved the idea, and posted it here as well:

The team would be:
Terminal Velocity 400 pts. Teen speedster, male, always cheerful, no matter how badly things go. He would end up movement specialist, and secondary offense.
Sift 481 pts. Supermage with a small (10 pt) cosmic pool, female, Can be a minibrick, martial artist, but is primarily a spell based energy projector, very versatile. Would find Terminal Velocity cute. Support, and secondary offense.
Smokeater 448 pts. Classic Energy Projector, male, fire, and a "professional superhero", second in command. Primary offensive.
Meeb 489 Pts. Shape-shifting/stretching based mini-brick (high D, 50 STR), no gender. Like most other shape-shifters, the team comedian. Primary offense, and good at taking out massed agents.
Shadowolf 360 pts. Ch'i trained martial artist,male, back from the dead. Desolid, Invisibility, and Teleport. Secondary offense, infiltration, and recon. Is 50 years old, and a grandpa, although no one knows that, he wears a full body costume.
Blackcat 942 pts. Team Leader, female, and damage dealing powerhouse. Tactician, team trainer and all around impressive character. Has 4 or 5 pts of CV and Damage Classes on the rest of the team. Mid 30's. Is also just discovering mental abilities.

Most of them would get along, the more serious character (Smokeater, Black Cat and Shadowolf) might be a little annoyed by Meeb's flippancy. They would also take TV under their wing.

I find it interesting that my current characters actually make a solid team, with every niche filled except for mentalist, and Cat and Sift are both strong defensively there.

That friday thing

Appetizer
What is your favorite type of art?

Ehh... I don't have a favorite. I guess whatever it is that is Dali, Munch and Van Gogh. I enjoy realistic comic book art too. :)

Soup
When was the last time you got a free lunch (or breakfast or dinner)? Who paid for it?

I honestly can't remember. It's been more than 10 years.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how emotional are you?

7 or 8.

Main Course
Approximately how long do you spend each day responding to emails?

Emails- maybe 10 minutes. But add in message boards and it is likely an hour. :)

Dessert
To what temperature do you usually set your home’s thermostat?

68 degree in the winter. Don't have air conditioning so whatever it gets to in the summer- with fans.

Top 5 songs that could be your personal theme song.

Depends on mood - Somedays it could be Masters of the Universe by Queen, others it could be Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd. Throw in Manic Depression by Hendrix (I have Depression, hence the wide variety of mood swings), Alive by Pearl Jam* and Feeling way to Damn Good by Nickleback** pretty much sum it up.

* "I Hurt / I'm still Alive" - the idea that you know you are live because you are in pain, becaust that is what you know most being the approriate concept here.
"Something's gotta go wrong, because I'm feeling Way to Damn Good" - knowing that when things are great, something is going to screw it up, because it has every other time is the reason for that one.

Sidebar update 1

I've decided that when I update my music sidebar, I'll post about it, and comment on my choices.

Lifetime music awards gained two new Powermetal choices this week. Rhapsody - Symphony for enchanted lands. Now this is the first Rhapsody I ever heard, and was completely impressed. After I heard a few others, I realized that they all sound fairly samey, but this was the first. The opening two tracks, a short intro piece, and the full song* just blew me away. Opens with a classical feel, and a male chorus, and then the song proper kicks in with great thrash guitars, and the male chorus stayed. I love the mix of the hard rock and the orchestral.

Also added there is Krypteria. I've only had this one a few months, but it is an album I go back to often. Most of the female led powermetal bands have a goth type feel to them, but this one is pure strait ahead powermetal. I love it. :)

Music of the week:
Feeling in a powermetal mood, and looking for female vocalists I bought a number of new CDs. Two of which are listed here. Goth/Powermetal stuff with female vocalist. Each album has at least one "beauty and the beast"** song. Leaves' Eyes EP I got is my favorite, I will be getting more from them in the near future.

The other is Antsy McClain - Trailercana. Alt country with a sense of humor. The song that sold me on the CD was "I was just flipped off by a silver haired old lady with a honk if you love Jesus sticker on the bumper of her car". Great stuff, slices of trailer park America with a very nice mood to it.


* Having an extended intro piece, then the song is a staple of Powermetal. I usually make them one track when I make the MP3s of the stuff.

** Two vocalist - one a guy doing the growling nu-metal stuff (which I genreally don't like), and a second female vocalist doing soaring operatic vocals. The contrast just makes her voice sound that much better.

Lyrical impetus

~ How important are the lyrics to you when it comes to a song.

Extremely important. They are as much, or more, important that the music iteslf.

~ Tell us some lyrical wisdom.
One from Fridays' mems:
When I was a child I spoke as a child,
I wish I could remember what I said.

~ Who writes the best lyrics and why?
Neil Pert, Brian May, Eric Norlander, Arjen Lucassen and........ They write songs with meaning, and/or story (I love rock operas). None of this sex, drugs, rock and roll crud - songs about Science fiction, or mythology, or exploring human nature.

A Very Nice Article

From The Australian

Read the whole thing here highly recommended.

Excerpts:


You can argue about the surge. The evidence is encouraging that the increased US military effort, together with a change in tactics, has reduced the violence in Iraq. On the other hand there are legitimate questions about the long-term viability of the strategy. But if the US is to emerge from Iraq with a renewed sense of its global role, you shouldn't really debase the motives of those who lead US forces there. Because, in the end, what they are doing is deeply honourable -- fighting to destroy an enemy that delights in killing women and children; rebuilding a nation ruined by rapine and savagery; trying to bridge sectarian divides that have caused more misery in the world than the US could manage if it lasted a thousand years.

It is helpful to think about Iraq this way. Imagine if the US had never been there; and that this sectarian strife had broken out in any case -- as, one day it surely would. What would we in the West think about it? What would we think of as our responsibilities?

There would be some who would want to wash their hands of it. There would be others who would think that UN resolutions and diplomatic initiatives would be enough to salve our consciences, if not to stop the slaughter. But many of us surely would think we should do something about it -- as we did in the Balkans more than a decade ago -- and as, infamously, we failed to do in Africa at the same time.

And we would know that, for all our high ideals and our soaring rhetoric, there would be only one country with the historical commitment to make massive sacrifices in the defence of the lives and liberty of others, the leadership to mobilise efforts to relieve the suffering and, above all, the economic and military wherewithal to make it happen.

Seen in passing

“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things,” observed the British philosopher John Stuart Mill. “The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.”

I got to do it Friiiii-day

(with apologies to Frank Sinatra for the title).


Friday's Feast

Appetizer
When was the last time you visited a hospital?

I was in one a few months ago, because that was where my wife get's her allergy shots, but to actually visit the hospital part... about 4 or 5 years ago, when my mom was in there.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how ambitious are you?

Ambiton, what's that. I'd probably say a 3 or so.

Salad

Make a sentence using the letters of a body part. (Example: (mouth) My other ukelele tings healthily.)

Kill? No, Educate, Enlighten. (okay not really a sentence, but I liked it)

Main Course
If you were to start a club, what would the subject matter be, and what would you name it?

Society for the Associated Gamers Elite (SAGE). It would be a roleplaying club. :)

Dessert
What color is the carpet/flooring in your home?

Is Ugly a color? An old and dirty brown, that was likely a golden color in the 70s.

The Music Memiors

Top 5 depressing songs.

'39 by Queen - Night at the Opera.
A bright and shiny tune about a spaceship full of people who go looking for a planet to colonize because Earth is dieing. The ships hits relativistic speeds, and they come back a year later their time, but 100 years have passed on Earth. The end of the song is a man meeting his progeny, and missing his wife.

But my love this cannot be
Oh so many years have gone
Though I'm older than a year
Your mothers eyes from your eyes cry to me

Write your letters in the sand
For the day Ill take your hand
In the land that our grand-children knew

All your letters in the sand
Cannot heal me like your hand
For my life still ahead pity me

Kayleigh by Marillion - Misplaced Childhood (which with Floyd's the Wall is one of the most depressing alubms ever made).

Bad Breakup, but the poetry and music of Fish and the Guys just take it to higher levels of pain.

Please excuse me, I never meant to break your heart.
So sorry I never meant to break your heart.
But you broke mine.
Kayleigh is it too late to say I'm sorry.
Kayleigh could we get it together again.
I can't go on pretending that it came to a natural end.
Kayleigh I never thought I'd miss you,
and Kayleigh I'd hoped that we'd always be friends.
We said our love would last forever,
so how did it come to this bitter end.

Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd - The Wall.
There are so many to pick from, but I went with this one.

There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ships smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I cant hear what youre sayin.
When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse,
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone.
I cannot put my finger on it now.
The child is grown, the dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.

The last two are more songs of longing and loss that strait depression, but to me that fits:

I spoke as a Child - Todd Snider - Songs for the Daily Planet
Longing for peace and simplicity of youth.

When I was a child I spoke as a child,
I wish I could remember what I said.
I'd like to find that old time feelin',
Somewhere in between what I've become,
Somewhere down the line it must have seemed appealing,
So I suppose that it must work for some,
But I wanna go back to going crazy,
Believing every word that I was told,
You know sometimes growing up I think I'm getting wiser
And then other times I think I'm getting old.

When I was a child I spoke as a child,
But all I heard was how I should get ahead.
Now growing up it ain't anything but all this
Indecision with these debts and doubts and
Worries hangin' over my head.
When I was a child I spoke as a child,
I wish I could remember what I said.

Somewhere over the Rainbow - Judy Garland - Wizard of Oz.

This one really needs no explination, but... a song of longing for happy and simple things, things that the singer does not have.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

Back at the memes

Friday's Feast:

Appetizer
Using only one word, how does grocery shopping make you feel?

Tired

Soup
What is your favorite part about the season of Autumn?

The Temperature. It isn't so hot anymore. I detest the heat of summer. If I never had to live with temps over 80 degrees again I'd be happy.

Pretty smart that I live in a desert huh?

Salad
Have you ever had any bad experiences online?

Surprisingly no.

Main Course
Name three things that make you happy daily.

The wife, my music, and out kitties. :)

Dessert
What one household cleansing or organizing item would you not want to be without?

Washer/Dryer. I could sweep without a vacuum, or shake out the rugs. I could dishes by hand, but I never want to set foot in a laundromat again.

And Music Memoirs
Top 5 albums with unusual titles

with the "top 5 albums with" I'm going for the best albums with unusual titles, I know some other unusual album titles where the album isn't so good (You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish from REO Speedwagon for instance).

Days of Future Past - Moody Blues
Great album, but the fist time I heard the name I though "What the?"

Dream of the Blue Turtles - Sting
That one in just for odd imagery.

Zoot Allures - Frank Zappa
I could have picked 5 from Zappa by himself, but this is my favorite of his. Honorable mention to "Ship arriving too late to save a drowning witch"

Son of Schmilsson - Harry Nilson
It makes more sense if you know that his last album was called "Nilson Schmilson"

My favorite Headache - Geddy Lee
He has a favorite headache?

The bad guys

I watch a lot of science fiction, and there are some great bad guys - the Sith, Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, The Gu'ald, the Ori, Cylons, The Shadows and their offspring ect...

But I still have to admit the scariest bad guys in SF-dom (at least by concept) are from Andromeda.

A race whose entire culture is built a mix of the philosphies of Friedrich Nietzsche and Ayn Rand.

Now that is scary.

Some music musings

Now that I have come through my timecrunch, I am updating my sidebar with new stuff. It's overdue.

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Looking over the obsession post really made me notice that I do have a wide range of musical tastes. Now I often do things to further that, or to show that on purpose, but everything I put in that last post was instinct, just what I thought of, and there is a nice wide range there. As related to me by a friend, a comment from Bobby McFerrin when he performed with the local symphony... "I like to think of each type of music I listen to as a room in your house. If you spend you life listening to one kind of music, it's like spending all your time in the bathroom." A sentiment I agree with wholeheartedly.


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I wanted some comfort music today, and I put on the first album (and CD later) I ever purchased. A Night at the Opera by Queen, and really listened to it, which I haven't in a long time. Familiarity breeds contempt as they say, and I had forgotten just how good this album is.

Obsessiveness

From the Music Memiors


Are you a completeist when it comes to your favorite recording artists? (Meaning do you have to have everything they release even if its another best of compilation or something of that nature)
I am a completist - although I don't buy compilations if I own every song, and I generally avoid live albums (I generally detest recorded live music). On some bands, I go so far as to buy every solo album from every member of the band (Queen and Styx are like that for me). I spend 35 bucks for a japanese CD single of Brian May (Queen's Guitarist) for 3 songs.

Have you ever bought more than one copy of a certain album? If you did, tell us why.
In general, I am not counting replacing records with CDs (I don't count cassettes, I only ever had about 4 store bought cassettes - I jumped from vinyl to CD).
Night at the Opera by Queen - I bought it on vinyl and wore it out, bought another copy ( and a new needle). Then it was the first CD I bought, then I bought the anniversary version that had some bonus tracks. I've thought about buying the DVD audio version but with my sound system, I doubt I would notice any quality difference from the CD.
Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell - had it on 8-track (go ahead mock me), then on record then on CD.

Which bands make up the majority of your collection? How many CDs, Lps, cassettes etc?
No one makes up a majority of my collection - I have 1500 CDs and a like number of albums. I have complete collections of many many artists - I'll pick one a letter :)
Abba, Pat Benatar, Harry Connick Jr., Chris DeBurgh, Eurythmics, Flower Kings, Gandalf, Jeff Healey, Iron Maiden, Billy Joel, Diana Krall, Lana Lane, Metallica, Gary Numan, Ozric Tentacles, Pendragon, Queen, Rush (or the Rocket Scientists), Joe Satriani, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Wall of Voodoo, Yes (or the Young Dubliners). I have more.

The band I have the most by (if you include extras) is Queen - all 14 studio, 4 live, 3 rarities discs, 1 GH (it had a song on it I needed), the Flash Soundtrack, 3 from Freddie, 4 from Brian, 7 from Roger, and another movie album Brian did. - 37 from them. I think that is the single largest grouping.

What makes up the majority of my music by style is Euro Power Metal - I have over 100 bands (and about 150 CDs) of that kind of stuff. Bands like (and these are guys I have complete collections of too) - Helloween, Rhapsody, Stratovarius, Ayreon, Axenstar, and others.

Do you buy an album from a band just because you like them or do you wait until you've heard it before making the purchase?
If it is an artist whose music I like completely, I will buy unheard definatly - to be honest about 1/2 of my purchases are "Get the next CD from these guys, love em" - This summer I got (all at once) the new CDs from Cowboy Troy, Big and Rich, and Gretchen Wilson. I hadn't heard a single song off on any of the CDs.

Busy Weekend

Haven't posted much recently - days have been busy. The weekends are when I work my second job - doing 12 hour shifts every Friday, and full shifts on Saturday.

This week I filled in for the Gospel Doctrine (Sunday school) teacher at our Ward. First time in my life, taught a class of about 40 people. In attendance two previous Bishops, and members of the Stake High Council (who's day it was to visit our ward).. so no pressure. :) Then we had a no call no show at Blockbuster, and being the nice guy that I am worked an extra 5 hour shift after Church (don't like to work on Sundays, and will never be scheduled them, but I will fill in in emergencies.

So here it is the end of the weekend, and I've been able to just kick back and relax today - watching a bunch of movies.

Number 23 starring Jim Carrey is highly recommended. Joel Schumacher* directed in what I think as one of his best films - taut, gripping and intense. Great movie.

* When he is off his game he sucks (his two batman movies) but when he is on, he is great (Flatliners, Falling Down, Lost Boys).

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

I don't usually just quote scripture (or the messages of modern Prophets), but I have been pondering how important The Family: A Proclamation to the World. is, so I decided to post a section of it.

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

Circus of the out of work Science fiction stars

Been watching Stargate SG1 seasons 9 and 10. And this is what I find amusing - all the familiar faces. Between SG1 and Atlantis we have quite a few refugees from other SF shows.

SG1 & Atlantis has Robert Picardo as a semi regular. Doctor from Voyager
SG1 has Ben Browder as a regular cast member. Crighton from Farscape.
SG1 has Claudia Black as a semi regular moved to regular. Ayrn Sun from Farscape.
SG1 has Lexia Doig as a regular cast member. Andromeda from Andromeda.
Atlantis has Jewel Staite as a regular cast member. Kaylee from Firefly
SG1 has as a semi regular Morena Baccarin. Inara from Firefly

Tony Todd appeared in 3 or 4 episode as well. Kurn (Worf's Brother) in TNG and DS9.


Personally I think it's cool. :)

Some new books

I went to the library last week and went around grabbing 1st books in a series to try and find new stuff that is good. I've gone three for four.

First was Calderon's Fury by Jim Butcher. I love the Dresden files, so seeing what he did with classic fantasy wasn't much of a gamble. Great book. Am going to buy the series when I get some cash.

Second up was a book called A Rift in Time by Michael Phillips. Couldn't finish it. It was a reglious themed time travel story but the writing was fairly dry, and the premise just didn't sing to me (the time travelling means he found out that the current day Isreal was the Garden of Eden).

Third was great Primary Inversion by Katherine Asaro. Ex Physics professor writing very good SF. Mostly Hard SF (what would you expect form a Physics Professor) but has FTL (or in the lingo of the books superluminal) drives. Great characters, nice setting and a good story. It's the first book in a large future history.

Last (so far) is Newton's Cannon by J Gregory Keyes. I'm about a quarter of the way through, and it has been wonderful. First book of four. Setting is 1700s earth, but assuming things like the Aether, and Affinity are in force - Alchemy in addition to Science. A very young Ben Franklin is a main character. Has been fun, and an interesting world.

The Mix

Been feeling down the last few days. Likely reactions to the messed up time on taking my meds for Rush - I usually get a couple of bad days a week or two later.

So I've been listening to high energy music to help keep my mood up. Here is the last 20 that played in my energy mix:

The Power - Snap
Stop the Rock - Apollo 440
Du Hast - Rammstein
Strait Cold Player - Lenny Kravitz
Paranuj - Serapis Bey
Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard
Pump up the Jam - Techtronics
It's all about the Pentiums - Weird Al Yankovic
Mama Said Knock you Out - LL Cool J
Man in the Box - Alice in Chains
Crabbucket - K-Os
Tanz Mit Laibach - Laibach
Wild Wild West - Escape Club
Sail Away to Avalon - Ayreon
Texas - Cowboy Troy
Unskinny Bop - Poison
Right Place Wrong Time - Screemin' Cheetah Wheelies
Get it On (Bang a Gong) - Power Station
God of Thunder - Kiss
Rockstar - Nickleback

Next one in.

I followed up on my goals. I got my next article submitted.
Woohoo!!!

That means that right now, I have 3 in the pipe. Now as I understand it, I have one in the next issue (which comes out in a few weeks). Which would put me back at 2, so back to the grindstone to get the next one done (which shouldn't be all that tough - it's a talent collection, I churn those out easy).

This was my first character article, which is part of why it was hard. So I get this last talent article done, and then I have a few more of the character articles to do, and I might then try my hand at an adventure. That idea has me a little nervous... but in a good way.

Good DVD day today

I just got my first check from my new job (not much - only 3 1/2 hours on it, but enough for so extra DVD stuff. :)

I was going to get Branagh's Hamlet, but the places I checked for it were out. *sigh*

Over the last few months, I have been hitting online DVD rentals, and getting disc one of different TV shows, to see what I might want to buy - ones I'd heard about, ones I saw as a kid and wanted to see if they were okay as an adult, that sort of thing.

So I decided to get Rockford Files season 1 today. I stopped at the first place, and they didn't have it. But while looking for it I saw Series One of Rosemary and Thyme - a detective show about a divorce ex policewoman and a botany professor. Felicity Kendel stars. It's an expensive show, but I found it used for about $24 - a fairly good price.

Then I get to the second place, and find Rockford season 1, but at full retail. I have enough to get it, but just barely (with the loyalty card that knocks 10% off). So I got up to the register and they were having a sale on TV DVD Box sets, and 10 bucks was knocked off the top. So I got season one new, for about $27. :)

All in all a very good DVD day - two box sets of TV shows I wanted, and both at very good prices.

Friday memes, just a bit early. :)

Fridays Feast


Appetizer
Describe your laundry routine. Do you have a certain day when you do it all, or do you just wash whatever you need for the next day?
Two ways. When it reaches critical mass, I do everything. Otherwise I try and do a load a day or so.

Soup
In your opinion, what age will you be when you’ll consider yourself to truly be old?
Age... not sure. When I no longer can reach my dice to play RPGS. 80 or more.

Salad
What is one of your goals? Is it short-term, long-term, or both?
To constantly have 3 articles in the pipe for the gaming magazine I freelance for. So it is a short and long term - I have to get to 3 unpublished, and get a new one in every time I get one published.

Main Course
Name something unbelievable you’ve seen or read lately.
The level of political rhetoric, on both sides, has gotten to the point of unbelievability to me.

Dessert
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how happy are you today?
7 or 8.

Music Memoirs

Top 5 "earworms" that you actually like getting stuck in your head.

(Does that make sense? Earworms being those songs that crawl in your ear and stay in your head until madness sets in. In a good way, of course)

Merano from the Chess album. A friend mentioned it today, and now it will be in my head for days.
Tubthumping - from this week's Take me Back Tuesday.
All Star by Smash Mouth
Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard
Mambo Number 5 - Lou Bega (I have the version that was recorded for Radio Disney) :)

A 90's trip

The 90's

What bands from the 90's that have broken up do you miss?

Aztec Jade. They were a really good powermetal band, that broke up. Now the two main creative guys formed Ascension Theory, but it is much more Dream Theater-esque Prog Metal, and I don't like them near as much as the original band.

What was your favorite song from that decade?

Picking one is tough : Brian May - Too much love will kill you; Ayreon - Sail Away to Avalon; Rocket Scientists - Brutal Architecture are all in the running.

What was your favorite album?
That one is fairly easy - Rocket Scientists - Oblivion Days.

How did you feel about the whole "grunge" genre that popped up in the early 90's?
I loved it - I like hard rock, and it was a different kind of sound. I have complete discographies of Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Temple of the Dog (all one CD), and Soundgarden. It was such an overwhelming force that it changed the face of music - now a lot of bands I liked disappeared during the grunge years, but they came back. I think that is really shook up the music scene and that is a good thing every now and again. And later pop and rock bands that incorporate some elements really make for a nice touch of music.
Plus it lead to Todd Snider and "Talking Seattle Grunge Blues" :)

What was your favorite 1 hit wonder of that decade?
Tubthumping.

Friday stuff

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of pie?
I generally don't care for pie, can I have cake instead? If I had to choose a pie it would be apple.

Soup
Name something that made you smile this week.
Does grinning outrageously count? -- Monday, pretty much the whole day; the wife and I spent it hitting CD shops and thrift shops and finished it by watching the Rush Concert.
Salad
What do you do to cool off when the weather is hot and humid?
Well, I live in a desert, so humid is rarely a problem. We keep 8 to 12 1.5 liter bottles of water in the fridge - I tend to down 4 of those a day. Lots of fans. Soaking a shirt in cold water then putting it back one.

Main Course
You receive $1,000 in the mail with a letter that says you can only use the money to redecorate one room in your home. Which room do you pick, and what do you buy to spruce it up?
The upstairs room. Our house was originally two apartments, and we have what was the dining room/living room/ect upstairs, and it is huge. We have been working on cleaning it up, and then ripping out the carpet, clean the smell from the wood, and replace the flooring with tile or vinyl sheeting or something.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: My _________ says __________, but I __________.
horoscope / I will have a long trip today / don't believe in astrology.

Music Memiors


Top 5 artists you loved in college.
Talking Heads - This is when Stop Making Sense came out.
Petra - My first exposure to Christian Rock.
Gary Numan - now I listend to him before college, but there was this huge used/import record store near the University, so I got a lot of his stuff that I had not been able to find and listened to him a lot.
George Winston - Another discovery - love his stuff.
Twisted Sister - always a fan of Hair Metal, and they were the ones I really listened to at college.

Just a picture

Not much today, just a nifty pic I ran across while surfing the other day.

Take Me Back...

Rush is great. Rush is awesome. Rush. Rush. Rush.

Okay, now that that is out of my system.....

Take me back Tuesday:

Back in the day before the internet ruled the earth and people went to malls etc...
What was your favorite record store?

Toad Tape. They eventually had 3 stores, but when I went there all the time, they had one, and it was the best record store around. Back when I was about 15 or so, I got $100 for my birthday, and spend the entire thing there, and they gave me 10% off, which I then just used to buy more albums. That was when I first got Return to Forever: Romantic Warrior

Are there any non-chain stores that you still frequent for your music needs?
Not a national chain, but a local- they have 2 or 3 stores: Graywhale. I have discovered some great stuff there: Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Pelican, Songs:Ohia among others.
What was your favorite "find" at your favorite store?
I had fallen behind on getting my Todd Snyder CDs, and was browsing at Graywhale, and found the last 2 CDs used. Nice stuff.

Rushing Around

Just a short note - Today is the Rush concert. The wife and I are going to make a day of it, driving around hitting thrift shops and used CD shops between here and the concert, breakfast at Denny's dinner at Sizzler, then meeting some of our best friends at the concert. And have I mentioned that I have wanted to see Rush in concert for 20 years.

WOOHOO!


If you look at the music of the week this week, you will see that I have been preparing for the concert. :)

Halfway!!

Well in the chaos and distraction of the new job, preparing for Rush, and the general stuff of life, I had fallen behind on my personal deadline for my next article for Digital HERO. And it was going to be a little more for me - it was going to be a character article, something I've not done, and wasn't sure I'd be able to pull off. But I have got about halfway on it, finishing the intro and the first character. Two more characters to go... and building the character isn't that tough, it's the background and such that feels like pulling teeth.

I currently have 2 articles in the pipeline (one is supposed to be in next months issue). The magazine comes out every other month, and I plan to have an article to the editor every month and a half or so. I want him to have 2 or 3 to choose from for each issue from me. :)

And I still have a scan of my first check - my first payment as a freelance writer for the HERO games magazine. Talk about heaven. :)

Firday - I can has memes?

The Feast

Appetizer
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how polite are you?
8 or 9. I try to be courteous and nice to everyone. That includes while I am driving.

Soup
What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud?
Watching Eureka. Great show. Highly recomended.

Salad
Who is your favorite cartoon character?
If we include animate movies - Mulan.
If it is just shorts - Wiley E Coyote - I love to see him fail. :)

Main Course
Tell about the funniest teacher you ever had.
8th grade English teacher. He also taught drama. He was a very unusual teacher, both in how he taught (he was trying to teach us how to think) not just his subject. And he used humor as one of his tools to do that.

Dessert
Complete this sentence: I strongly believe that ______________________.

I am going to really enjoy myself Monday night at the Rush concert. :)


Top 5 on Fridays:
Top 5 musical acts you would travel more than a hundred miles to see.

Well... I don't really get into concerts, but if I had the time off, the money to burn to go, and they played in a venue that I could stand (one of them plays private clubs a lot, and I can't go for the cigarette smoke) these are the bands I would do so.

Brian May
Gary Numan
Rocket Scientists
Young Dubliners
Ring of Fire

Tuesday

Take me back Tuesday from the Music Memiors

Are there any bands that you like now that you didn't like when you first heard them?
R.E.M. is a big one. Yes - I sorta liked them, but really enjoy them now.
I'm still waiting for that to happen with Elvis Costello and U2. I only like 4 or 5 songs from either one, and keep trying to grok why people love those bands, maybe someday I'll understand (sorry bout that Music Mistress).

What bands that don't record anymore do you miss the most?
Queen, obviously.
Ebn-Ozn - I'd have loved to hear more from them.
Devo - Devo 2.0 is okay, but not like the original.
Damn Yankees - I love Shaw/Blades, but wouldn't mind hearing more stuff with Ted.
Brian May (it has been years since his last album).


Did you ever buy an album by an artist you didn't necessarily like but because everyone else had a copy, you had to as well. If so, what was it.
Thriller. Then I ended up really liking everything on it, and became something of a Mike Jackson fan.

TV shows I like

Inspired by a post on Average Joe Blogger (his about movies) I decided to write about the TV shows I watch (on DVD mostly) that are currently running.

The Shield
The most intense show I've ever seen. Watching Vic Mackie dig himself deeper into a huge hole, but doing so because he wants to protect innocents. Tragic hero, anti-hero or villain? The cases that everyone in the show have to deal with are very powerful (just watched one about a 12 year old who killed someone). And the cast is amazing, with season long runs from Glenn Close and Forrest Whitaker. Not for the faint of heart, but very very good.

Battlestar Galactica
Almost as intense as the Shield in first season, but second season dropped off a bit (haven't yet seen season three, but by buzz it is a small step down again). Not the original (which I love for it's own reasons) but a very tense and taut drama. I like most of the characters. Great Stories. Won a Peabody award.

Monk
I generally don't like episodic TV, preferring serial, but this show is just too good. I've always love the Sherlock Holmes kind of detective work, and this fills that need. And Tony Shalhoub is so funny with all the little problems. Both assistants have been great.

Heroes
The best treatment of Superpowers ever on TV, and better than most movies. Every character had their own story, and watching how all those individual stories came together as the season progressed was amazing. With little hints leading to deep conspiracies, the show just got better and better. And it hit a number of classic comic book bits, notably Days of Future Past, and The Watchmen. And the way Bennett was handled, moving from villain to sympathetic villain, to hero, as we better understood his motivations. It's first season is possible the single greatest season in television history.

24
What can be said about this that hasn't been said. Intense, and powerful, a 24 hour action movie on TV. It helps to watch it on DVD. :) Yeah the gimmick is sort of silly, but it works nonetheless. Jack is a true action hero, and a total badass. And a couple of Random Jack Bauer facts:
The city of Los Angeles once named a street after Jack Bauer in gratitude for his saving the city several times. They had to rename it after people kept dying when they tried to cross the street. No one crosses Jack Bauer and lives.
If Jack Bauer had been a Spartan the movie would have been called "1".
When a convicted terrorist was sentenced to face Jack Bauer, he appealed to have the sentence reduced to death.

Dead Zone
I've never seen precog/retrocog/object reading handled so well in any medium. Very well done, and amazing show. The Overplot with Stilson has been great (and I understand that it is resolved in season 6), I love the characters, and stories are very good.

Stargate Atlantis
A spin off from SG-1, and is better than it's progenitor. Great characters, great stories, and a grand mythos to work from. It's had some cast shake ups but by the end of season 3, I've enjoyed every character that has come on, and like many of the recurring characters - you know it will be an intense and good episode when the Genaii show up. I can't wait for the new season so that we get to see more of Carter, whose reproductive organs are on the inside, not the outside.

I've got a job.. well actually I have two

Recently the wife and I were looking at things, and decided that we want to do something special for our 20th anniversary in little under two years. We also decided I needed to get out more - I've been working in the home for 2 years, and it is sedentary, and has no real social aspect.

So in the last few weeks I have been looking for a second job - one that I could do 16 or 20 hours a week, and earn some extra money*. So I sent off a number of applications early last week. One of them was an online Ap that I filled out on a Thursday. On Saturday I was in the store I had applied to, and saw the manager, and talked to her. I have 12 years retail experience, half in management. I would seem overqualified for what I was applying for so I wanted to let her know, to be aware. We chatted for about 10 minutes, and she said she'd keep her eye out.

So I get a call Monday from another place for an interview on Fri (Today). So I go into that one, and I feel I really nailed it, that the job was mine. Then I call the manager I chatted with, and talked to her, and she had forwarded my app on to another manager who needed good help more than she did (and I wanted this job much more than the other one I interviewed). The second manager called me, and I drove on down and we chatted. The first manager had already run my background check, and considered our chat in the aisle a first interview.

I was hired today.

So in less than two weeks - three apps out, two places interview, one new job.

I have really strong credentials for the kind of jobs I was applying at, and I figured I would be hired right away. It is very heartening to see that I was right. Very nice for the ego.

Another thing that was pretty cool - because this is an extra job for extra fun money, I had no pressure. If they couldn't do what I wanted, I could turn them down.

So now I have a part time job at Blockbusters. :) Pretty cool for a movie geek like myself.

* Plus I have way to many DVDs I want to buy. :)

Friday strikes again

First the Feast:

Appetizer
Describe a toy you remember from your childhood.
The Monster Machine, or Monster creator or something like that. You had little molds you poured this plastic goop into, then fired up the machine and baked them. Then you pulled out the really hot molds, let them cool, and viola you have a little toy monster. The smell of a brand new shower curtain smells like they did.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how observant are you?
6 or 7. I tend to notice things.

Salad
Where would you rather be at this very moment?
Right where I am, but doing stuff besides work at my computer. :)

Main Course
When was the last time you learned something new?
Yesterday. I tend to hit Wikipedia, and look for new stuff on a daily basis.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I have ____________ but I haven’t ____________.
Lots of books/read them all.

Then the Music:

Top 5 Nighttime songs (songs about evening or things related to the evening)

I love the Night - Chris Deburgh - Loving the very nature of what night brings.
"I love the night / I Love the night/ I love the element of danger and the ecstasy of flight"


In the Air Tonight - Phil & Genesis. - Anticipating something bad at night.
"You can feel it coming in the air tonight, hold on"

I love a Rainy night - Eddie Rabbit - Joy of rain and night.
"I love a rainy night, I love to hear the thunder/ watch the lightning when it lights up the sky"

Just get me through this night - Styx - Having the night drag while waiting for something.
"This could be the longest night in recorded history / and as for sleep you can just cross it off the list of possibilities"

You shook me all night long - AC/DC - Well this one is pretty obvious, and pretty much related to night. :)
"She was a fast machine, she kept me warm and clean, she was the best damn woman I've ever seen"

Take Me Back

Da Music Memiors

Pick a person or a few people that you'd like to tell something in song.

Tell us who they are...and what song you've chosen for them, and why.

Whoo a toughie. Gotta get serious here.


Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce to the wife - because I would love to spend every day after eternity passes away just with her (and I plan to too).

Forgive Me - Evanescence to Dove. A relationship I had back in my college days that ended badly, and I've always wanted to apologize for it.

Some quiz results

Some quizs: Found them through Budding Blossoms

Your Famous Movie Kiss is from Romeo + Juliet

"Has my heart loved 'till now? Forswear it, sight! For I never saw a true beauty 'till this night."

What Famous Movie Kiss Are You?

People Envy Your Inner Peace

You understand your place in the world and accept life as it is. For you, "it's all good." People envy how grounded and level headed you are. But you're too at peace to even notice.

What Do People Envy About You?

You Were Nice This Year!

You're an uber-perfect person who is on the top of Santa's list. You probably didn't even *think* any naughty thoughts this year. Unless you're a Mormon, you've probably been a little too good. Is that extra candy cane worth being a sweetheart for 365 days straight?

Were You Naughty or Nice This Year?

You Are Rain

You can be warm and sexy. Or cold and unwelcoming. Either way, you slowly bring out the beauty around you. You are best known for: your touch Your dominant state: changing

What Type of Weather Are You?

On religion and belief

"Their faith is not mine, but they are not wicked for that".

A quote in a book I am reading* that made me think about some things. And that is an attitude that a true Christian should have, but that few do. Now, among the tenets of my faith is that there are certain steps that must be taken to be able to get into heaven, and that to be able to administer those steps, someone must have the authority granted by God to do so; that authority is only here on earth, at this particular time, through my church- it is the caretaker of God's authority here. So do I believe that the only way to achieve the absolute highest place in heaven you can is to be a member of my church? Yes I do.

However, does that mean I think that anyone of another faith is wicked/godless/damned.

No.**

Different faith's (or even in some cases no faith) produce fine upstanding people. Good, and even great people. I respect other's beliefs, even if in my own heart, I with they would see the truth as I see it (because then they might achieve everything that I know is possible for them), but I would never try and force my belief's on someone else. I might try a conversation or two discussing my point of view, but not as a reason to change someone's mind, just a for learning's sake.

And too many churches/faiths/whathaveyou do not. Too many Christian faiths do not. They proclaim loudly that anyone who is not of their particular approach is going to hell, and refuse to acknowledge anything good about others. Some go as far as to try and silence other points of view. And if anything is wicked, that is.


* Legion of Videssos by Harry Turtledove.

** My view on heaven is a little different than that of other Christian faiths. Heaven is a "Bell curve" of goodness, and people end up where they are most comfortable. But the highest degree is to be with God at the very top end. So someone can not be of my faith, and end up in heaven, they just can't get to the very top. And if it seems that I am just making the afterlife "heaven" and the lowest part is what is seen as hell... a prophet had said of even the lowest portion of this "bell curve", paraphrased :It is so great, compared to this world, people would suicide to get there.

Friday Madness

Appetizer
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how much do enjoy watching sports on television?
2 or so. I enjoy the Olympics, Tennis occasionally, and the occasional football game. But If I spend more than 6 hours a year watching sports it would be overload for me.

Soup
If you could completely memorize any one work of fiction, which one would you pick?
How about the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. My favorite fantasy books of all time.

Salad
What is your favorite breakfast food?
Cherry Pop tarts. :)

Main Course
Name something fun you can do for less than $10.00.
I can name something fun I can do for free: Roleplaying games. My wife and I both game, and once you have invested the money in the rulebook, you never have to spend money to game again. If buying the rulebook counts as the $10 it wouldn't qualify (but I was answering the question as if it were asked now, and we already have it) - then the Library - get books for free and enjoy the bookish atmosphere.

Dessert
How long does it usually take you to fall asleep?
That one is easy - I take medication for depression. This medicine puts me to sleep. I am asleep about half an hour after I take it. If I go strait to bed, I'll be asleep in 10 minutes.



Top 5 bands that make you wonder "where are they now"

With the internet it is pretty easy to find such things out, but bands lost from my youth that I am curios about (and not found easy answers to):

Rail - the guys that won the first basement tapes on MTV. Put out 3 albums and disappeared.
Axe - another early 80's band. Had one almost hit (Rock and Roll Party in the Streets).
Deanna Edwards - a female singer songwriter, never went national, and did albums of touchy feely music. She sang at the Convelescent Center/old folks home my mom worked at when I was a kid, and mom brought home 2 albums of hers. Great stuff.
Freddie Mercury - wouldn't knowing that one really give you clues to what is going on in the world that isn't ours. :)
Tony Carey/Planet P - I loved his stuff and the Planet P stuff, but never saw anything from him since the 80's.
Okay if the Freddie comment doesn't count here is a serious one.
Ebn-Ozn - new wave band in the early 80's had one hit, one album and disappeared.

Wednesday Morning musings

First off - go over to Rhetorical Imprints. Dilliwag is looking for predictions for the 7th Harry potter book - (and no spoilers if you have run into them on the web).

Cover album madness -

I recently got 6 different cover albums - one from Def Leppard, Poison, Tesla and Rod Stewart (not the American Songbooks which are on my list, but "Still the Same") and two from Barry Mainlow.
This is a growing trend in music, that established artists do an album of influences and favorites, with Styx, Toto, Rush and Shaw/Blades all having done so in the last few years.

Personally I love this stuff. I like hearing the take on such things by artists who I know and like, to see what they have to give to the song. The Shaw and Blades one has some of the best I've heard - and Barry's 50s disc is perfect - his voice just really matches the material.I was pleasantly surprised by the Rod Stewart. And the harder ones of the recent acquisitions, there are 2 Sweet covers. :)

Personally I hope this trend continues.

Teddy speaks

A couple of quick Teddy Roosevelt quotes:

A man who loves other countries as much as his own, stands on a level with a man who loves other women as much as his wife.

To educate a man in mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society.

Blog rating.

Got this from the Misplaced Midwesterner

It's that Friday time again.

Appetizer
What is your favorite fruit?
Oranges.

Soup
Who is someone you consider as a great role model?
My Wife's father. I grew up in a very bad home, and the year or so the wife and I lived with her family taught me how a functioning healthy family works.

Salad
If you were to spend one night anywhere within an hour of your home, where would you choose?
Anywhere with air conditioning. We don't have any, and the recent heat wave has been beating me up.

Main Course
Name something you do too often.
I spend way too much time on message boards. Been cutting back.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I really like ___________ because ____________.
HERO system / it is the most versatile game system out there.


Top 5 Musical Collaborations (songs, albums) it can be a mixture of both.

2:00 AM Paradise Cafe - Barry Manilow. Mel Torme, Sarah Vaughn, Gerry Mulligan, and others. Great great album.
Under Pressure - Queen and Bowie. Just a fun little song.
Bird and Diz - Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespe + Curly Russel, Max Roach and Thelonius Monk.
Traveling Wilburys - an amazing collection of rock legends - Jeff Lynne, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. Wow.
The Highwaymen - same thing only country. Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristopherson, Waylon Jennings. Wow again.

100 !!!!

Well, my 100th blogpost.

And I've done some ranting recently (notably the Star Wars rant (which was actually way over the top, I was just annoyed about Mara and vented)), that is fairly negative, so I decided to be a bit more positive. So this post is a listing of some of my favorites in different things, movies, Music, TV, etc.

Movies:

My favorite movie of all time is Chariots of Fire. I have loved the contrast between the characters, the story, and the selflessness of certain characters. You see sportsmanship unlike anything you would expect today. The stance on faith and devotion is also very nice.

Star Wars - the original. Forget the two sequels, forget the prequel trilogy, this movie was amazing in it's own right, and is still a breath of fresh air today. Basic, simple, and joyous, it is something I can watch again and again and again.

Rapid Fire is my favorite martial arts movie. I love the action, the subtext, and Brandon Lee's performance. His death was a loss.

Superman. The original Chris Reeve/Richard Donner. It is still the superhero movie that I measure all superhero movies against, and I have yet to see any reach it. Real emotion, great acting, and the mood perfectly captured the character.

The Quiet Man. Now I generally do not like John Wayne. This is the only movie of his I really like, but oh do I like it. My wife introduced me to it, and it is oft rewatched, and enjoyed. It is actually the movie I have on in the background as I write this.

Music:

Queen - My favorite band of all time. Virtuosos in their instruments, great showmen, and great songwriters all. Every member of the band wrote a number one song. Incredible versatility - they have on one album a barbershop quartet, and then another a heavy metal song. The first adult music album I ever purchased with my own money (as opposed to Disney stuff or novelty collections) was Queen's A Night at the Opera, and it still my favorite album of all time.


Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers are a band I found by accident. My mom took us to John Fogerty and they opened for him. I bought the two CDs they had for sale there based on one and half songs. Great southwest flavored strait ahead rock.

Rocket Scientists (and related solo stuff). This is a band I got based on their name. I had found a thriving progressive rock community online, so I went a progressive rock label and ordered two albums pretty much at random - I liked the names of the bands (The other was Illuvatar which introduced me to Neo-prog). I love their music, their songwriting and the lyrics.

Pat Benatar - My favorite rocker from the 80s, and I also love her more recent stuff. Highly underrated.


Mannheim Steamroller- the band that got me into “New Age” music, and as a side note, jazz and generally all form of instrumental music except soundtracks. They were my instrumental gateway drug.


Television

Babylon 5. Simply the greatest Science Fiction television show ever made. Beginning middle and end. Great characters, great story, great dialog. I just love everything about this show, and I love every character, including the bad guys - they were so much fun to hate. Especially Bester.

Night Court- my second favorite sitcom, and my favorite American one. It can get a little racy sometimes, but I have rarely laughed out loud as much as I did when I watched this show.


The Good Life (or Good Neighbors in the US). The best sitcom I have ever seen. Four primary characters, and the show made stars of them all. Self Sufficiency in Surbiton.

Yu Yu Hakusho - okay yeah I listed an anime here, but it was the show that got me into anime, based on my wife's recommendation. I still enjoy re-watching it. Kuwabara rocks!

Heroes. It's only done one season, but the season was the most amazing season of television I have ever seen. The show may go downhill later, but the first season may be the single greatest single season of television ever made.

Books

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. These books are where I got my internet handle (Mhoram/Lord Mhoram). I have never identified with any character in any books as much as I did with Covenant when I first read these in high school. My absolute favorite fantasy.

Videssos Cycle by Harry Turtledove. A Roman legion, and a Celt end up in a fantasy world. 4 books, and completely engrossing. Some of the funnest books I have ever read.

Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. These four books are to SF what Lord of the Rings were to Fantasy - deep, poetic, and intense. Some of the best SF I have ever read.

Doc Sidhe / Sidhe Devil - These books are light fun by Aaron Allston, but some of the best light fun I have ever read. Fantasy/Pulp/Martial Arts. Fun fun stuff.

The Drageara books by Steven Brust - The Vlad books, the Khaavren romances and Brokedown palace. I love the world, and I love the characters.

Star Wars is Dead to me.

Spolers follow, if you don't want them stop reading.

Edit: The following is an over the top rant, and is more in the nature of venting displeasure than in serious commentary.

In the current novel series, Jacen is going sith, and he (or he and his Sith master) kills Mara Jade. In the comic series set 100 years after Lukes only bloodline is a smuggler (tatooed no less -ick) and wants to have nothing to do with the force.

Star Wars is supposed to be about fun, where is the fun in that?

I gave up on the prequel comics and novels a while ago. For whatever problems the movies may have had, the comics and novels were much worse. Badly written, and badly executed. The whole Vong thing was ill concieved, especially killing off Chewebacca, but I forced myself through it. It sucked. And don't get me started on the Clone Wars animated - man the animation there looks like rejects from the old “Droid” stuff. Ick Ick Ick. That is one of the problems with modern animation (American more than japanese) -- it is so stylized - can't anyone animate people that actually look like people?

I mean, Star Wars is about fun, a rolliking good ride. The prequel movies were a formal tragedy that we already knew the ending to, but it was fun as well.

Chewbacca was killed because the people who were making it wanted the audience to feel like anyone could die at any moment. Well so what. Did you actually have that feeling for any of the main characters in any of the Star Wars movies- Heck No!

So I will take my 6 movies, and the Han Solo Trilogy by Brian Daley, and the Lando books by L Neil Smith, and the good stuff of the post RotJ pre-Vong books (Basically anything by Stackpole, Allston or Zahn) and I will enjoy them, and hope for the best in the upcoming TV series - it has Lucas behind it, and to be honest after the crap the books and comics are giving us, that is a good thing.

I mocked the prequel haters. If this is how they felt, I take it all back.