June 2004

Game Diva

Is it too much to ask that a game have both a good storyline and have interesting game play? Is it?

Final Fantasy X had damn gorgeous graphics and a very interesting storyline, but actually playing the game was completely boring. I'd only go through a little bit of game play, with only the few options given to me, and then there'd be a cut scene that was longer than my game play. It's not like I even had choices of where to go. Everything had to be done in the exact order and method the game pre-described. I basically felt like I was watching a movie that took an extra amount of effort to get through. Very disappointing first experience into this lauded series of games.

Soul Reaver 2 also felt like it would be a great movie, but I not only got bored waiting to play, but playing.

I really wanted to like both of these games. I played for longer than I was interested because I hoped for improvement. They both failed me miserably. <sigh>

Messy Evil

"Baby doesn't care that she's got food all over her."

"That's because she doesn't know about good and evil yet."

Huh? Food on face=evil. Good to know.

Present Tense

After nearly 13 years of marriage, my wife and I are separating. I was the one to make the decision, yet I am still deeply mourning the loss. I will miss her sense of humor, her avid support of my artistic endeavors, her rationale to help me think through things... We've had some amazing memories that I will always cherish. I wish her the very best; she deserves it. I don't yet have a plan for my future, but the present is filled with much sadness, grief, stress, and guilt.

Chilling Therapy

You know what's reeeeally tasty? A homemade triple berry, banana, chocolate smoothie.

You know what's even better? Two of them.

Boom

"Cherry Bombs Distribution Company looking for 10 explosive fire crackers to blow up the Tri-Cities! No experience needed. Paid training. Call Whistling Pete."

This ad was in the classifieds today. No joke. Very amusing.

Finding Neverland

Finding Neverland looks like it could be an amazing movie. Johnny Depp is an amazing actor and I find the premise very interesting.

Come Again?

Cristian Stan has some rather amusing photography.

Oh My Freakin' Word

You remember how the computer idiots I went to couldn't get my 2nd hard drive working? Windows was able to recgonize it as connected hardware, but it wasn't showing as a drive letter in explorer. Their theory was that the two drives in my old machine had been set up as one physical drive with two partitions. I don't think that's even possible, but okay. They decided they needed to competely reformat the drive so it was set-up correctly. Several days later (because it takes that long to reformat a drive, even though I've done it before in 30 minutes) they say the drive still isn't recognized in windows. This the point where I demanded my machine back.

Enter Norton Systemworks. I was running some routine scans today and Norton Disk Doctor asks me if I'm having troubles reading my 2nd hard drive. It says that there isn't a dos partition on the drive and offers to fix the problem. After less than a minute and a restart... my 2nd hard drive is working beautifully!

Have I mentioned how incompetent these people were? I'm soooo tempted to call them up and tell them that it took me 5 minutes to fix the problem they spent days on.

Damn Disgusting

My brother-in-law and his wife are trying to have a second child. Fine. Information I can handle. Tonight sister-in-law states that she's fertile. Ooookay... She says that she needs to stay up late enough so that hubby could get home and do his thing. (damn, I didn't want to know that.) And it gets worse... Mother-in-law calls father-in-law and tells him to bring brother-in-law home so he can boff sister-in-law. (...so freakin' eeeew)

Damn, hideously digusting information. I cannot believe that it was openly discussed and plotted that the children would be doing the nasty not 15 feet from where the parents sleep. What creeps me out the most is that the mother was the one who made sure it happened...

I'm so disowning this family.

Woo-Woo

Phallic (male) symbols are everywhere. Towers, poles, swords, etc. I've heard complaints from women that there simply aren't enough female symbols. Well, it is admittedly more difficult to create something in the shape of a vagina, but I was sure there were those symbols around. Over the years I've found a few (that didn't vibrate or inflate) and tonight I found another. The big alien ship in The Abyss is covered with vaginal symbols. This photo shows one of the structures and similar shapes cover the surface of the ship. The vaginal reference was even more obvious when our main character glides into the long, curvacious tunnel (also covered with these shapes) to meet the aliens. The reference seemed blatant once I noticed and made me wonder what the designer was trying to communicate. Mother earth? Nurturing? Compassion? Gentleness?

That Can't Be Good

"I give this whole thing a sphincter factor of about 9.5.''
—from The Abyss

FYI

Warning signs of heat exhaustion include the following:

Heavy sweating
Paleness
Tiredness
Weakness
Dizziness
Headache
Nausea or vomiting

Heat exhaustion may occur when individuals from cool climates take long walks when it's 96°F.

Name Game

My name spelled backwards is nomad, making me a wanderer. My initials spell dam which also makes me a dike. All total, I'm the wandering dike. Anything interesting going on with your name?

The Road Ahead

Yes Martha

And just in case you were starting to think I was a good little boy, valette provides a chat quote from yours truly to prove you wrong:

"i would rather have martha stewart don a revealing latex dominatrix outfit and teach me the ins and outs of subservience with nipple clamps"

Ministering to the Future

I just ran across an article I wrote on the forms of worship a few years back. It was really refreshing to read and to remember the passion I put into that. It actually helped dampen a bit of my angst towards the organization of church.

Today

Zoinks!

This building sits in the middle of an otherwise populated road filled with lots of short, modern buildings and businesses. It totally doesn't fit it's surroundings. It seems like some haunted factory that belongs in a Scooby-Doo episode. It even has the mandatory ladder to the roof.

Wetness is the Essence of Beauty

the pool on the premises

Gay Plastic Surgeon

"...searching for an experienced Designer with practical application skills in the area of Packaging Design..."

Luxury for the Whole Family

Would this be called a stretch van or an extended cab suburban?

Use It Before You Lose It

?Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming,

?WOW! What a ride!?

// my personal research assistant: lynne - via dawn - via an unknown friend - via this thing that we call life //

Eeeeew in Biblical Proportion

Me: eeeew. Sarah was Abraham?s half sister:
"Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife." (Genesis 20:12)

Valette: gross
guess they leave that part out in sunday school

Me: I?m wishing it had been left out completely. Now I feel dirty.

Valette: lol
why? tons of old testament people married their sisters. who do you think cain married? or seth?

Me: Shut up. This is like finding out that my parents had sex. I?m sure it?s true, but I don?t want to know.

Valette: your grandparents had sex, too

Me: You are an evil, evil person.

Boys and Their Toys

Men should really stop naming their appendages.

Cable Bridge

The "Cable Bridge" which crosses the river into Pasco is one of two bridges in the area. The "Blue Bridge" is, well, blue and not really worth your attention.

The Gurgling Woody

Sitting in my in-law's living room we heard a wet, gurgling sound. Mother-in-law smiled, pointed to her hubby and said, "It's just his woody." As my jaw hits the floor father-in-law pats the little medical bag he has to wear and says, "Yep. Sounds like Woody Woodpecker." Neither of them had a clue what it sounded like they were saying.

Just for the record: I never want to hear another reference to my father-in-law's "woody."

Kness

Here are some great illustrations by Kness. I especially love gloomygloom and the image on june 14th in the blog. If only I could still understand French.

// my personal research assistant: clio //

Creamy Cheese Sale

"Hatred is the spark the ignites the mind."

Superhero Chef's

Valette, this one's you:

Piggy Back?

This semi tractor had not one, but two other tractors riding it's back down the highway. It was a threeway, piggy backing line-up. I didn't know they could do that... especially not in public.

A Bit of Comic Reading

Without my computer for the last week I've been doing a lot of reading. Here are a few worth mentioning:

Batman: The Killing Joke [DC]
Alan Moore is brilliant at making superheroes seem like regular people (well, people with major freaked out issues, but you know, normal). Even though it was written in 1988 I really enjoyed this prestige format book. Rating: 3.5/5

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1 [America's Best Comics]
This was excellent. Another book written by Alan Moore which means this felt much less like the gaggle of superheroes that was the movie even though most of the characters were the same. Rating: 4.5/5

JLA: Riddle of the Beast [DC]
This is an alternate take on the Justice League of America which puts them into a fantasy story. The ties to the JLA are minimal which means this story holds up very well even without any prior understanding of the characters. The story is interesting, if a little rushed, and the painted chapters – each by a different artist – was a treat. Rating: 3/5

Darwin's Radio

Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear is an amazing bit of hard science fiction.

...Molecular biologist Kaye Lang, a specialist in retroviruses, believes that ancient diseases encoded in the DNA of humans can again come to life. But her theory soon becomes chilling reality. For Christopher Dicken--a virus "hunter" at the Epidemic Intelligence Service--has pursued an elusive flu-like disease that strikes down expectant mothers and their offspring. The shocking link: something that has slept in our genes for millions of years is waking up... (Del Rey Books)

The complexity and depth of the science in this book is awe-inspiring. Because of this there is a lot of intellectual information to wade through. I'm not a scientist, but felt that Bear did a good job at making the jumble of information accessible. In addition the characters are extremely well developed and likeable. The story is primarily about the science yet the character's stories become so wrapped up in the events that in the end it's all about them. It's been years since I've read a book that was this completely captivating. I've already reserved a copy of the sequel, Darwin's Children, at the local library. Rating: 5/5

Try Dragging It

Click

// my personal research assistant: lynne //

Reaching New Heights

I finally have my computer back. It took demanding it back today regardless of it's condition and standing in the store 20 minutes past closing time. The 2nd hard drive is physically installed, but Windows won't recognize it as a drive letter. They did back up all the files to my primary drive; transferring them intially to a usb drive and then to my computer. The first transfer supposedly took an entire business day to complete, but the transfer to my primary drive took them less than an hour. Hm.

I basically paid them $250 to transfer a bunch of files, to hold my computer hostage for a week, and to practice new levels of ineptitude. I never got anything even close to "I'm sorry" or "I know this is taking longer than anticipated..." I'm so beyond pissed that I'm shaking. Stupid, incompetent people. I will never set foot in that store again.

Shake It Off

Our first night in desert country; shaking off the last bits of the frozen north.

Metaphysical

In the Tri-Cities yellow pages under the heading Churches - Metaphysical Christian:

"Sunday Morning Service - 10:00ish"

The Chronicles of Riddick

The Chronicles of Riddick is the follow-up movie to Pitch Black. It begins 5 years after the events of the first film. "Riddick, now a hunted man, finds himself in the middle of two opposing forces in a major crusade." (IMDB)

Chronicles was only a sequel in the sense that it contained a few of the same characters from the first film. Beyond that it was a very different film. This wasn't at all a horror film and much more of an epic sci-fi movie with an entire race of bad guys, multiple worlds, intense techno gadgetry, and gorgeous outer space effects. It didn't try to recreate what worked from the first film, but rather tell a brand new story utilizing the character Riddick, played again by Vin Diesel. Because of that I think this sequel really worked. It had the ruthless, hard edged, risk-all core that is Riddick, but once again he ends up the hero he tries very hard not to be.

The movie brought back the three surviving characters from the first film. For fans of the first film it was awesome to see "Jack" again though she goes by Kyra now. I was sad that she wasn't played by the same actress from Pitch Black, though Alexa Davalos was great in the part. Vin Diesel was much better in this film and very convincing with the added depth that this story brought to the character. For the first time I actually felt that he might have more to offer that looking hot and acting tough (not that he didn't accomplish both in this film).

The Chronicles of Riddick was an excellent film for sci-fi fans but a big disappointment for fans of horror. I, personally, loved it. I felt the story was solid and was amazed at the brilliance of writer/director David Twohy. Rating: 5/5

Animal Kingdom

Driving through Canada we saw lots of wildlife. We saw bear, caribou, fox, buffalo, and stone sheep. The stone sheep was reeeeeally close to the car when I took these pictures. I was told k to have her foot on the gas and floor it if the sheep started charging. It was an exciting little piece of our journey.

Sausage Orgy

I'm totally a meat eater, but I woke up to this one morning when staying at my in-laws and thought I was gonna barf.

Quiet Please

Back at the library again. My computer is still in the shop. They people working on it are complete idiots. They might have it ready today. What the freak ever.

Stairway to Heaven

Our two little Shi Tzu dogs are having quite the difficulty getting into our new bed. It's over a foot taller than our last bed and more than once I've seen the strained face of a dog appear at the end of the bed accompanied by desperate clawing sounds before hearing a thud as they disappear to the floor once again. Glory, our chunky dog, gave up even trying and would whine pathetically to be hoisted up. After searching for some sort of hope chest that could serve as a step onto the bed we realized that we weren't willing to spend $100 just so our dogs could get into bed. Screw that. We went to Home Depot, bought three cement blocks, and created a little stairway. Our dogs are thrilled beyond belief.

Nooooobody Knows...

So my computer has been in the shop since Monday. I'm having them install a 2nd hard drive, the 2nd drive from my old machine which has all my files. Because my old machine was running Win98 and because of how the drive was initially set up, it's becoming more complicated than simply dropping the drive in the machine. All the files will have to be transfered to another drive, this drive reformatted, then all the files transferred back over, but this time into a WinXP directory structure. I'm soooo glad I decided to let a professional do this, but I'm dying here without my computer. Fortunately I just got a library card (after several indentity checks) and can at least have a taste of the internet for a few moments this afternoon.

Hair Color Trends

It was called "medium ash blonde" on the box. No joke. I'm not sure how is shows on your screen, but it turned out to be a dull copper color then I put in faint white highlights. It's not what I was going for, but I like it.

Paul van Dyk: Crush

This is a very engaging little music video. It's as if the music, which is excellent, is simply the backdrop for a much more interesting story.

I'll Take One of Those...

I started church shopping today. The first church I visited... rocked. The atmosphere was the relaxed, non-churchy type of thing which I've been wanting. The music was good, people were friendly, worship was open... The service was a little over 2 hours long, but I didn't feel restless at all. Praise God giving me a great first visit. I'm already looking forward to going again next week.

Super Size Me

I want to see this. Too bad it's not playing at a theatre near me.

One Hot Tamale

In the Tri-Cities area we've seen several Mexican restaurants that advertise "mission style burritos." What? What is that? Here's what I think it means...

keep reading...

Canadian Majesty

I finally got my camera (and software) connected to my computer so... bring on the pictures.

Latest Endeavor

"I am a cult of one... I'd never have to deal with lackeys or meetings or anything. It's like the lazy man's cult..."

Chats with Valette produce the most interesting ideas.

Plaid Fest of '56

That's like two and a half weeks worth a plaid.

There are lots more old advertisements at emphemeranow.

I Can Make a Difference

Pixilated: adj 1: naughtily or annoyingly playful

Planned Coincidence

This morning I took a skills test for a clerical job which I don't really want, but applied to for the money and cause God told me to apply for everything. I go to the test out of obedience and an attempt at trusting that God knows what he's doing. In the midst of the test a call came through to voice mail inviting me to my first interview in this area. And it's for a graphic design job at a company that will likely have awesome benefits and good pay. I'm excited that I am being considered for the position. They want someone who has a degree in graphic design so I wasn't even sure if I should apply in the first place. It's also interesting that the call came through while I was obediently pursuing a job I didn't want. To add to the morning's coincidences Valette prayed just this morning that God would provide a job for me. Hm. Odd how these random events coincide...

Chanting Your Way to a Bleaker Existence

The cynic's mantra: "If you get your hopes up, you will only be disappointed." Repeat as necessary to maintain a realistic outlook on life.

Run Screaming

So now that we've talked about movie genres for which we are suckers, let's talk about things that will cause you to run from the theater. I'm not thinking so much about genres, because if it good enough I might even enjoy a war film (though the chances are slim to none), but there are a few things that will make me turn a movie off. I simply cannot watch people being emotionally or sexually abused. I will turn a movie off in a rage of anger and storm about the house for a good half hour before I'm able to think straight again. I also can't tolerate stiff, incompetent acting no matter how good the script or cinematography. Not only will I not give the movie a decent chance, but I'll bitch about it for weeks afterwards. What gets you on your feet and out the door when it comes to movies?

Aaaaarrrrrgh!!

Our stuff arrived today, apparently in the correct number of pieces. This should be exciting, but I'm currently swimming in a sea of boxes and I have no idea where anything is going to go. Overwhelmed much?

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Shrek 2

Shrek 2 takes off where the first movie ended: Shrek and Fiona are beginning a new life together. Naturally this means that Shrek has to meet his in-laws. In addition to the usual discomforts in such a situation there are people who desperately want to see Shrek and Fiona split up. This "happily ever after" couple, along with friends new and old, have to face their first test of love in the hilarious, irreverent way we've come to know and love.

This creators of this sequel were brilliant. They didn't try to recreate the first movie at all. Instead they took the story and characters to the next natural step. In doing so they were able to bring in a lot of characters, settings, and scenarios that simply wouldn't have fit in the first film. What is great is that even with a very different story the sequel still has the same humor, pacing, and fun that made Shrek such a success. The story kept me interested and laughing throughout. I left feeling extremely satisfied and thoroughly amused. Rating: 5/5