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Archive - November 2004
Touch Me!
- Posted November 25, 2004 - 9:52PM

OK, time for me to get this out of my system, cause GOD DAMN it's been welling up in there for a long time. I've been holding off very well on blabbering on and on about the Nintendo DS, both on the site and in real conversation (though I did mention it every once in a while), and now I finally get to dedicate a whole post to the little guy. First off, let me say that it was worth every penny I paid for it. And the per-order paid off nicely too, as I picked up a slick t-shirt for doing so. I was surprised how nice a shirt it is compared to the last few Nintendo promotional shirts I've gotten. But anyway, I have some DS to rave about.

First, I'll give my impressions of the system itself. That seems like the logical thing to do. I have to admit, it's a lot lighter than what I thought, regardless of what any member of Penny-Arcade might have to say. Possibly just a tad heavier than the GBA SP. But not heavy at all. The screens look rather small, considering that the unit is actually rather large. But not too large. It's just an SP with flaps on the sides. Ooh! And on those flaps are stereo speakers! The DS put out really good sound, and does some impressive surround effects. The buttons are about the same size as the GBA SP's, except for the shoulder buttons, which have been increased to a size more reminiscent of those on the original GBA. The stylus is rather tiny, and it slots into a little niche on the back, right next to the game card slot. I think I'm doing a terrible job at this, so onto boot-up menus!

The boot-up stuff is really cool, and almost fun enough to play with by itself. On the initial power-up, you choose all sorts of options, ranging from date, time, your nickname, background colour preference, and language. Other things you can change include which screen GBA games play on, your birthday, an alarm, and even a little blurb for who knows what. You can also choose whether the system will start up any inserted game card immediately or go to the boot up menu first. The only thing I find weird about this is that when you're finished with anything wired into the hardware (options, PictoChat, etc.), the system will turn itself off. There is no way you can stop it for doing this, and it's slightly inconvenient that you have to manually turn it on again. Not too much of an issue though.

Oh, yes. And PictoChat seems like a pretty neat utility too, but I've had no-one to try it with, and nor have I come up with any practical uses for it other than for kids to screw around while in class. I mean, the wireless thing only goes so far, so you won't be chatting with anyone out of earshot until they set up those magic hubs everywhere. It is fun to draw stuff though.

As you may know, the DS comes with a demo of the upcoming game, Metroid Prime Hunters. It's no Metroid Prime, but it is really neat. If you've heard anything about it, it's probably that you control Samus with the stylus. This is true, and it works very well. You can change the control settings to use the d-pad and the face buttons to move, but it's much less convenient. You see, the stylus is not used to actually move Samus, but instead to aim. This proves quite useful for precision aiming, and since you have to tap buttons on the touch screen to change weapons and go into morph ball mode, it's nice to already have something ready to hit the buttons when you need a quick weapon change. The game itself is very impressive, with some sweet (though slightly blocky) FMVs. The graphics are decent enough, and multiplayer is always a plus, especially for a demo. Only I have nobody to play with... Missions include a training run, a survival mode, and a morph ball race. All are slightly challenging, and getting a high score on each will unlock a bonus FMV that previews the full game.

You know that Super Mario 64 is my favorite game ever, as I've mentioned it more than once, and I couldn't just get a new system without a game. So yeah, of course I bought Super Mario 64 DS. The only thing that would make it more perfect would be if the DS had an analog stick, but the d-pad works well enough. You could use the touch pad as a replacement for the stick, but I'm not comfortable at all that way. Like I said, the d-pad works fine. The game itself is exactly like the original, but with improvements everywhere. Four playable characters, 30 more power stars to collect, new missions, new levels, new bosses, and tons and tons of bunnies to catch. Plus improved graphics, multiplayer mode, and boatloads of mini-games. Apparently the DS doesn't do texture filtering as well as it should but I neither know what that means nor did I notice anything overly ugly in the game, so I don't care. Some nice additions include one mini-level that features music from Super Mario Sunshine and a new level that uses the surround sound effect as a part of a puzzle. Remember the lost woods in Ocarina of Time? Kinda like that, but you follow the speakers rather than which log had the loudest music. And a lot of the mini-games are really awesome too. Most of them are overly simple and get boring after a while, but some really stand out. My personal favorite involves dragging coloured bob-ombs to their appropriate mats. It's really simple, but once the room gets flooded with bob-ombs, it gets very hairy. And considering that one mistake ends your game, you've gotta be really good once you pass the first few rounds. Definitely an excellent upgrade to the best game ever, and as one Planet GameCube staffer writes; "This is a finer 3D platform action game than you will find on any of the current consoles, much less any handheld system."

And as much as I'd like to keep going on about all this touchy crap, I only really turned on the PC to figure out a really puzzling boss in Echoes (and I'm rather ashamed of myself for doing so), so I need to get back to that now. The only thing I'm disliking about the DS is that there is no way in hell for me to take screenshots from the damn thing. So I guess I'll never be able to do a real review on any of the games. So yes. Off now. Until, oh, let's say Saturday.


Of shitty crossovers
- Posted November 23, 2004 - 11:14PM

Just posting to let ya know that I added seven (six, really) new pics to the second art gallery. Most are of a single nature, while some are original, and is the horrifying result of my tendency to "improve" other people's ideas. Other than that, nothing doing.

I would like to bring up the point that, when using the Opera browser (which I currently use), the post titles show up all small and wrong coloured. They look fine in Internet Explorer, and I'm sure it's a simple matter of a misplaced < div >, but damned if I'm going to figure it out. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, expect my final impressions of the Nintendo DS. Later on in the week I'll be bringing up some other choice items, such as Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Viewtiful Joe 2 (the latter of which has gotten more attention than than both Metroid and the DS, amazingly). All great stuff, and I'm even gonna try my hand at some videos, so make sure you check back daily or so.


Coming up for air
- Posted November 17, 2004 - 9:06PM

OK, I've spent pretty much all the time I've been home today up until now immersed in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. It's a really, really, really awesome game. Fuck Halo. You can't turn into a ball in Halo. There aren't any zombies in Halo. Sure, you can hold two guns, but my gun is 5-in-one. Plus, Samus is a babe. (If you need proof, search up the ending pics for Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission in the VG Museum)

But no, I didn't come here solely to bash Halo, though I do take pleasure in the activity. No, I have much more important stuff to discuss. Like what I did with last night. You see, I got the most excellent opportunity to hit the opening night concert for the MTS Centre. Possibly the biggest thing that's ever happened in Manitoba ever, this was a pretty important event. Not only have we been craving this new arena for decades, but it was the first freaking anything that happened there.

I'd like to go into a lot of detail, but Aether calls, so I'll have to keep it short. Short-ish. Basically, the new arena is awesome. It's way fancied up, and it's got like statues and shit all over the place. One thing I noticed that was really cool is that the lights under the stairs cast a cool glow on people either ascending or descending them. Sadly, the trough is gone, and that means lines for the men's bathroom. If you'd never been to our quaint old arena, the men's bathrooms had pissing troughs. Seriously. It was awesome. But never again. Oh well, I guess they made up for it by having every seat made the same, and not giving the big spenders the comfy ones.

So what about the show? Well, it started with a gymnast doing some seriously wicked shit on a couple of like... big... drapes. I have no idea what they're called but it was impressive like nothing else. At first I couldn't tell if it was a chick or a guy, but then we got the ass shot. That was the definitive moment. Totally a chick. Now I was impressed and aroused. Not a bad opening act. Then the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra played some stuff and it was cool. Then another gymnast who was notably less impressive, but very, very flexible. Finally, we got some more WSO, and then the show really started.

Our first big name act: Randy Bachman. You know, from BTO and the Guess Who. There was some "Takin' Care of Business", a little "Let It Ride", and an ineffable performance of "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". Of course, he did some of his own stuff too, and even busted into Neil Young's "Keep on Rocking in the Free World". It would be quite the act to top. And the next guys didn't quite do it for me. Some young country group going by the name of Doc Walker. Never heard of 'em before, and I'm not gonna go and start hearing of 'em. They weren't bad, but you know. They were following up Randy freaking Bachman. While they did put on an enjoyable show, they were without a doubt the least entertaining of the 5 major acts.

Oh, did I mention that the thing was hosted by Fred Penner? Yeah. It was cool. Funny guy. He did little skits and stuff between acts to show off all the cool stuff in the new arena, like the Moose locker rooms (which, by the way, must be what Heaven is like) and the giant loading dock. Also highlighted were the dining hall and the suites. Oh, and the arena itself. But back to the show.

The third act, and what I thought would be the most disappointing, was Chantal Kreviazuk. You see, I didn't realize that she's smoking hot. Turns out she's a pretty talented pianist and singer too. And she kept heckling the lighting guys to do stuff for her, but they wouldn't. It was funny. The only thing I didn't like was the fat idiot sitting two seats over that kept yelling things to her, even though we were sitting way up at the top of the world. Yeah, we were in the very highest seats, but as the Penner man pointed out, there isn't a bad seat in the house.

After Chantal packed it up and Fred and co-host Adam Beach did their bit, on came my personal favorite act: Tom Cochrane. Booya. Kickass rock and boatloads of showmanship to boot. He was the only guy to actually get the people in the floor seats up and dancing. Somehow, he managed to sing all songs that I don't know, except for the token "Life is a Highway". I think if Tom Cochrane ever played a concert anywhere and didn't do "Life is a Highway", the world would implode or something. But I digress, this was the highlight of the show for me. But as a collective, we the audience had a huge surprise waiting for us.

Me, I had no idea who I was going to see, I just took up the offer and went. But apparently, nobody in the audience knew that Burton Cummings was gonna be there, based on the uproar that uprose when Fred announced that he would be the last act. Indeed, Burton did not disappoint. He did a few songs accompanied by the WSO, and then it got even better. Randy came back and then they did "No Sugar Tonight". And then a bunch of Guess Who stuff from back in the day. The crowd was certainly pleased, what with more applause, whistling, and hollering than I imagined could possibly be contained inside a single building. I was entertained as well, even if it was mostly stuff I'd never heard before. I can't say I've ever really listened to a lot of the Guess Who or, for that matter, anyone who performed last night, but I was able to pick out quite a few songs, and I knew everyone who played (with the exception of Doc Walker, of course), so I wasn't totally out of the loop.

And that was it. It wasn't straight up my alley (some parts were, but some weren't), but I can't deny that I enjoyed pretty much the whole thing. Only one or two songs total did I find annoying or disagreeable. A sweet-ass concert for sure, you're sorry you missed it. I don't care if you hate all the stars that showed up, it was a huge event that really defied musical preferences. I really don't have much else to say. I can't stop thinking about the Echoes.

On a totally different note, I got the new Rammstein CD today. Kinda goes without saying that it kicks ass. And that's the end of my show. DONK!


*DONG* 5 days remain.
- Posted November 15, 2004 - 5:37PM

Because for the next indeterminable period of time I'll be waaaay to busy with my new baby and a couple new games coming out this week, I've decided that I should leave you with a little something to look into while I'm gone, so here are a few websites that you might want to check out and start reading or whatnot. Go ahead. You might like them.

Rockman.EXE Online - I've linked to stuff on it numerous times, and I figured why the hell not do it again. Great site if you like the Rockman.EXE anime, and it's got a lot of cool features like episode summaries and fanart galleries (including stuff by me!).

Weebl's Stuff - There's a link to the Weebl and Bob site on my sidebar, but you'd be a fool to not take a look at all his other stuff. Internet legends like the Kenya video originated from this very place. Plus many other great Flash animations. Badgers badgers badgers badgers. Mushroom! Mushroom!

Sprites Inc. - Everyone loves sprites. Especially MegaMan sprites. OK, not a very interesting site unless you need MegaMan sprites, but since it's in my favorites and I've used said sprites many times, I'll give it a lil' shout.

Channel 51 - A cool conspiracy-type site. Go ahead, read through it, and watch the videos of aliens and stuff. There's a few neat stories and stuff, but not an overwhelming lot, so you could probably read through it all in an hour or less. I suggest doing so.

Orbis Labs - OK, not sure how to explain this one. Just check it out and stuff. Like the link above, it's kind of up in the air, but they've got a pretty neat idea. Seems a little farfetched though. People morphing into armored balls...

eBaum's World - An all-around entertaining site. It's got videos, games, soundboards, and all sorts of other junk that's good for whiling away the time. Like Newgrounds, but with a lot of the extremely bad stuff weeded out. And not based around Flash.

b3ta - I'm pretty sure I've linked to this one before too, but it's worth a second time around just for the constant flow of photoshop hilarity on the main page. Plus all the great videos and games. A real haven for those into cyber culture.

MilkandCookies - Ummm... Yet another humour-based site. Mostly with videos and other things of interest. I've really just the same as most of the other links I've given, so I can't think up anything original to say.


Band of the Month - November 2004
- Posted November 14, 2004 - 11:28PM

Oops, I've gone and done it again. Band of the Month is very late once again, and since this is only the fourth installment of the featurette, I'd say I'm off to a pretty bad start. I'm not sure if it'll keep up like this. You remember how the weekly article thing went down the shitter real fast. I've got a lot more slack with this being once a month, but I'm still managing to muck it up. But enough about how I'm a failure, you want to know about some sort of "band" thing.

I'll admit that I only started liking POD (Payable on Death) a couple years ago when their song "Alive" hit it big. And what can I say? I'd never heard of them before. But after that, my buddy Mike (who may have liked them before, I don't know) got really into them, this came to that, and boom (no pun intended) I had their latest CD. Which as far as I know, is the only one with a slew of hits on it. Their first major release, as I understand, wasn't big enough to warrant any radio songs, but the second had at least three. As for the third and most recent release, well, I haven't heard any of the songs on the radio yet. My brother had apparently heard one, and the song "Change the World" seems to be very hyped on the official site, so maybe it has been played on some radio or TV station, I don't know, I don't listen/watch the stations that would be playing it.

While their first major release, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, came in 1999, it wasn't their first. I'm not going to look up independent release info, but I've heard they've got 11 CDs in total, so I'll assume that the eight independent productions came before this one. Nuff said made up, onto the CD review. I never owned The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, but I have listened to it. It's a good CD all in all, but I just never got very into most of it. Some songs, particularly "Rock the Party" (which just screams HARDCOOOORE!!) and "Bullet the Blue Sky" (a very nice U2 cover) are quite enjoyable. Also noteworthy is the pseudo-title track, "Southtown". But the rest, I can't really remember the rest, and that doesn't say anything very good. I'm sure I liked most of the other songs (I did burn the CD after all. Illegal copying abound!), but I just can't put the titles to the beats. In any case, listen to at least the songs I mentioned and come to your own conclusions, because I clearly don't have one to give you.

The next one is the big one: Satellite. Great CD from start to finish, I think. OK, that's not entirely true. I find the song "Ridiculous" to be ridiculously annoying, but it comes after the soothing instrumental piece "Celestial", and the excellent title track "Satellite" so it works out somehow. And then afterwards is my personal favorite song on the album, "The Messenjah" and the second instrumental, "Guitarras De Amor". So the annoyingness of the single song I don't like is negated very well by the songs immediately surrounding it, making it that much easier to bear. Other songs you might want to check out are, as popularity would dictate, are "Alive", "Boom" and "Youth of the Nation". Hell, pretty much everything on the CD is worth listening to, and did I not already own it, I would pay up to an inflated $30 for it. But it's probably not that expensive yet, so let's not worry about it. You can probably still find it for between $15 and $20, and if you don't yet own it, I highly suggest changing that. You know, I've not really gotten into what kind of music POD plays yet. I think that's something I usually make mention of by now. Basically, what they are is this group of Christian rockers, and the lyrics heavily reflect that. Satellite here is a very metal CD, but most of the other stuff I know takes elements from metal, rap and reggae, somehow combining them in this original fashion that manages to make everything work out just perfectly and sound really awesome in the process.

And with the mention of genre-splicing comes the newest major release, Payable on Death. This self-titled disc is so different from the last that if it weren't for recurring themes and Sonny's instantly recognizable voice, you may be fooled into thinking it's a different band altogether. While I'm not sure, I think this is the point where long-time fans would say something like "POD gets back to their real style after that last sellout piece of garbage." I really just made that up, but I hear it a lot when doing research for these Band of the Month things (of which I did surprisingly little for this one), so I'm pretty sure that's how it would go down. Anyway, this album, or so I'd like to believe, introduces a new guitarist to the crew, after they apparently had some differences with the last one. Personally, I've never been able to point out a guitarist (or any musician) by his playing like some people can, so it don't make much difference to me. I think I'm gonna have to move to a new paragraph to continue this one...

As I was saying, Payable on Death is hella different from Satellite. And isn't that supposed to be how it is? Well, most bands stick to a very similar style of music, but as I said, Satellite was mostly metal, while this one gets really into the reggae groove. Of course, you still get a good amount of metal and hip-hop. Simply put, it's a mixed bag of genres. Oh, yes, and it's a good CD too. Strangely, it takes a while to truly appreciate. For example: at first, I didn't really like "Will You". But after a few listens, it quickly became one of my favorite songs on the disc. It's like that with a lot of the songs, but they grow quickly. The only other band I've seen display this phenomenon was My Chemical Romance. I guess you'll wanna know which songs to look out for on this one, eh? "Change the World" is rather good, and "Execute the Sounds" has a sound that is executed rather well. Also, "Revolution" is pretty hardcore with a slick rhyming verse, and I like that one a lot. But I think that the best track on the CD is probably the last one, "Eternal". It's a nice, mellow guitar duet that ends up as a great piece to go out on. If I should mention, the CD is a little extra expensive because it comes with a lot of bonus material. First is the ability to download the secret-esqe song, "Space", but my computer just starts shitting itself whenever I try to download it. Also, there are a bunch of videos about the band, and a bonus DVD disc with a demo of the PS2 game Amplitude that features only "Space". Yes, it's appropriate, but I like my rhythm game demos to have at least 2 songs. In any case, as far as Amplitude can tell me, "Space" isn't all that worth downloading anyway, so I'm not too disappointed about it.

OK people, that's a wrap. I've really got nothing else to say but to go listen to a couple of the songs I mentioned and see for yourself the awesomeness that is POD. In other news, I suck at reviewing bands, so here are some links.

A cute little turtle - Kind of. I really don't want to spoil what's at the other end of this link, but I guarantee it'll have you going something like "Holy shit!". I, personally, think it's really cool.

The Jones Soda Holiday Pack - Apparently, mashed potato & butter soda doesn't go over so well with most people. Another proof that people will flock to anything with a "limited edition" sticker on it. It's Matt's first real article since Halloween, and now I don't mind having waited so long. Ah, the joy of watching other people suffer mildly.

Resident Evil 4 controller - And in this corner, the king of bad ideas! Really. I want to hammer a nail into the head of the idiot who thought this up.

Super Mario 64 DS preview - If I don't post for a while (like a month or so) after the 21st, this, Metroid Prime 2 and Viewtiful Joe 2 will be the ones to blame, not me.


Stripped
- Posted November 11, 2004 - 8:49PM

Massive-type update today. And by that, I mean I finally got around to bringing the fabled Work Blog home. All is set up and ready to go. I even added the sidebar link for every page. So it's up there now, totally unedited, except for I rearranged it so that it reads from top to bottom, making it easier on you guys. And a few minor things like spelling corrections and picture links (again, for comprehension purposes). On top of that, I got around to picking my Band of the Month. Huzzah! It's POD! I knew I wanted them up there one of these months, and since I hadn't figured out anyone else for this month, there they are. Review should be up either tomorrow or Saturday morning. Probably not tomorrow, because I'm spending the day completely cleaning out my room. Cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, getting rid of old crap; the whole nine yards. I'm going to Hell and back, but it'll be worth it to have a more organized room.

Completely unrelated, my dad did a similar job on the living room today, so the couches and such were moved downstairs. For the first time in my own home, I had the joy of playing video games while sitting on the couch. It's so much better than the floor or my bed. So much. For the sake of something to look at, I've taken some pictures of the endeavor. The front of the empty room. The empty dining area. The new mess in the basement. Playing GameCube on the couch! Crap piled on the table. So you see, there is many a thing to move back into place. Fortunately, all I have to do is help move the couches back. It may be the hard part, but it's also the shortest.

And let's get back to what Ryan's really about: ten days until the DS launch! I've been really good about it up until now, and I think with ten days left, I have clearance to get excited. To make things better (and more expensive, too...) Metroid Prime 2: Echoes releases on the 15th, and Viewtiful Joe 2 is due out on the 19th. Luckily for me, those are the only games that I really want until January, when Resident Evil 4 and the GBA MegaMan Anniversary Collection come out. That gives me a few paycheques to save up for Christmas presents. and maybe for some stuff that isn't video games. Cause I need some of that. Though I did just spend $100 on a jacket, so I guess I've done enough non-game buying for a while. At least by my standards.

Finally, my respects to all those fallen soldiers who we dedicate this day to. If it weren't for you guys, I might not have so many freedoms, and I wouldn't have earned time and a half today.

ADDENDUM (9:30PM): I just added a banner for Penny Arcade's Child's Play charity near the top of the page. It's a great cause, and I even donated 5 bucks. I know that not many people will see it here, but I like the idea that I'm at least trying to help out. And you know, it's nice to do good rather than evil once in a while. Make sure you check it out and if you've got the means, donate a couple bucks.


West coast, it's my beautiful day!
- Posted November 8, 2004 - 9:28PM

Did you know jackets are expensive? Yeah, it turns out they are. You see, I've never had to shop for a jacket before today, so I had no idea. But I did make a purchase, and at $100, it seems as though I got one of the cheaper ones. Gah.

In other news, if you're reading this, you should go check the forums. And maybe post a bit too. Seems we've got a new member, and I've been posting in an attempt to get her posting as well. So there might be a short revival. You know we had some good times on there back in the day.

I thought up a pretty funny comic while I was sitting on the throne earlier today. You can check it out here. I could have spent some more time on it, but I think I've gotten my point across. And it's very in the vein of both Penny Arcade's and VG Cats' humor. I'm not very sure how accurate it is, but let's just accept that it's somewhat funny.

In much more awesome news, Babamania has released the full version of Doobee Doowop Communication, which despite the really odd name, is a kickass song. If you didn't check it out when I gave you the link, it's the ending theme of the Rockman.EXE Stream anime. It's got some really mellow parts, a rocking chorus, and is sung by at least three people, both male and female. Plus a lot of English lyrics that are sometimes humorous, and even the Japanese singing is funny in parts. It's a very original song, and I don't think I've ever reccomended anything more than I do this song. Download it, I can almost guarantee you'll like it. If you don't, it's simply to spite me. I don't see how anyone could not like the song. It's just so catchy and loveable.I just listened to it like 6 times in a row. Time for an intervention. Hooray Pikmin soundtrack!

Ah yes, that's the next thing I have to cover. Check this shit out, yo. PopJapan Torrents, you are my God. Or at least my hero. You see, if you scroll down a little and click the "Older Torrents" button, you'll find a bunch of torrents to complete game soundtracks and arrangements! Hooray! It's like a party in my ears and all my favorite games are invited! That sounded a lot less stupid in my head, trust me. Oh how I praise this site for it's brilliant torrent collection. Oh the Pikmin soundtrack, how I adore thee. Next on my list of to-gets the the Tales of Symphonia soundtrack. Battle themes, away! did I mention they've got the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack? I knew THAT would get your attention. Suckers. (Note: It seems the Pikmin soundtrack is gone now... So get 'em while you can! And I still have the torrent if you want it.)

Finally, I have a very short review to make of Ape Escape, which I played for at least 6 hours straight yesterday. The game is fun, there's no denying that. The premise is real stupid, and the voice acting could have been much better (And worse too. See RAD, MegaMan X4), but those weren't nearly enough to keep the game down. Swimming is hard and stupid, but once you get the flying-majig and the RC car, you're having boatloads of fun. The game is a litte too rip-off of both Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but I can forgive them, because Monkey Boxing is way too nonsensical not to love. The graphics blow, but that's what you get with original Playstation games. It's a huge game, with many, many monkeys to capture. I enjoyed my time with it, and did I care enough, would find a way to finish it 100%. But I really don't mind. For the first time in my life, I can just let it go uncompleted.

Wow did I have a lot to say today. And frighteningly enough, I know I forgot a lot of stuff. Oh, and I'm going to start moving the old work blog over. The October edition should appear sometime soon. Probably within the week. Whenever I remember to bring a diskette to work.


Return of the Dumbass
- Posted November 5, 2004 - 9:01PM

Hm. Something interesting has come up. Not really, but it's part of why I'm posting.

"...I was talking to a girl in my Math Skills course tonight. She seems to be the female version of Ryan. She likes video games quite a lot, and is artistic. Ryan draws, she composes music. Match made in heaven? Well, if Ryan isn't too shallow, yes. She's not ugly really, but plain. Very plain. We talked a little about Animal crossing, and I think I need to introduce the two. If only Ryan didn't work so much..."

Shallow? Me? ...And HOW! Heh heh. Yes, maybe a little. But aren't most people? In any case, this got the thinking train on its way, and I wound up digging up a few mini-comics I drew during a trip to the cottage during the summer. Something of a spin-off of the old "Spare!" comic that all my readers probably know about. I mean, I'm pretty sure that everyone and anyone that reads my site even monthly went to school with me. If you didn't, please E-mail me right away. I like to know these things.

But back on topic, I scanned 'em up and posted them onto the second art gallery. And I put them in order that I like them. Just remember that when you get to the second half and think to yourself "This isn't quite as good as the first ones". I also found another bunch of stuff that needs scanning and posting, so you can expect those up sometime next week if I'm feeling ambitious.

Oh, and good news about the work front! Remember that "Work Blog" I said I was writing at work? Well it turns out one of the girls found it and reads it, and she says she thinks it's hilarious. Verbatim. Since I hadn't intended it to be funny, I asked if she thought it was hilarious that I'm such a loser that I would write a work blog, and she responded with a solid "No, I think it's actually funny." My socks were officially knocked off. Now I can't wait until I'm done with Timmy's so that I can bring it home and put it on the web. It's time to go job hunting. But this time it's going to be different. This time, I have an employment history. And supervisors that regularly compliment me on what a hard worker I am.


I miss the orange already
- Posted November 3, 2004 - 5:11PM

Remember that article I had originally planned for Saturday? I finally got it done. I've literally been working on it until like five minutes before I started this post. It's real long. 4000 words, 2 pages. And just you wait until you see what it's about. When you see that, you'll be terrified just thinking about how long the article devoted to its bigger brother will be. Heh heh heh. And only now do I realize I owe you a review of either Paper Mario or MegaMan Zero 3. Oops. Maybe next week. I'm pretty booked until then.

Otherwise, I went to my yearbook signing last night. It was nice to see the old crew again, even if some of them were missing. And when I got home I realized that I do actually care that I'll probably never see some of them again. Maybe something does beat in this hollow tin chest of mine after all. But I was able to leave a lot of them with an original bit of art, so I've made enough of a mark to be content. I also got everyone that mattered (and then some) to sign my book. This also adds to the contentment.

I don't have any idea who I want to use for Band of the Month yet, so that won't be up for a couple days still. I don't have anything else on my immediate agenda either, so don't expect any non-bloggish posts for a while. So just read that there article, and then click on some of these links here.

The Big 5 Personality Test - I've always loved taking surveys and tests like this, and I'm pretty sure most everyone else does. So here's another one. And if you wanna see, here are my results.

DontMarry.com - "Why marriage has become a raw deal for men". If you read GorillaMask, you've seen this one. Otherwise, read it. I tend to agree.

RockMan.EXE Stream media - Ryouko has captured both MP3s and movie clips of the into and outro for the new RockMan.EXE anime series. I love the credits theme, and the videos are really well done. Someone should totally make a visualisation thing out of one part of the credits video. The part with the binary streams. You'll see.