12.24.2008
Christmas At Home
That's where Christmas should be celebrated. =)
Christmas pipes, Christmas pipes / Calling us home on Christmas night / Call us from far / Call us from near / Oh play me your Christmas pipes.
Christmas pipes, Christmas pipes / Calling us home on Christmas night / Call us from far / Call us from near / Oh play me your Christmas pipes.
12.22.2008
All That's Left...
I can't believe it never popped into my head until now:
Are most rebellious people left-handed?
Because in analyzing myself, I see a pattern that probably starts with the inherent fact that I am left-handed. A natural deviant, automatically different and in the minority.
And when I ask of "rebellious", I'm going for the broadest possible meaning, that can still have meaning, that is.
Not just statistics on people in alternate lifestyles or subcultures. Psychopaths? Homicidal maniacs?
Are most rebellious people left-handed?
Because in analyzing myself, I see a pattern that probably starts with the inherent fact that I am left-handed. A natural deviant, automatically different and in the minority.
And when I ask of "rebellious", I'm going for the broadest possible meaning, that can still have meaning, that is.
Not just statistics on people in alternate lifestyles or subcultures. Psychopaths? Homicidal maniacs?
Please could you stay awhile to share my grief / For it's such a lovely day to have to always feel this way / And the time / That I will suffer less / Is when / I never have to wake. [Portishead, Wandering Star]
12.20.2008
"You Know That I'm Standing / Right In The Middle And I Am..."
I was so in love last night.
And not with any one girl per se, but because of the culmination of little things, kindnesses & love, that came my way all evening:
Interested conversation, a flirty & playful friend, being given $20 just for being me (it wasn't a tip on a bill, it was handed directly to me), compliments, a love note, smiles, many good laughs, and on and on...
Spencer & I watched "In Bruges" last night. We thoroughly enjoyed it -- great movie. I'm sure it's too subtle for most people, but that's one reason why I liked it: it was a comedy, but with -0- slapstick schtick.
Before I went to bed at ~5:30am, I had a single homemade chocolate chip cookie. It was so powerfully delicious that I couldn't possibly have another. And it amplified that feeling of loviness, I swear I must've had hearts in place of my eyes [a comics reference, btw]. There was nothing that could top that, so sleep was necessary.
The feelings weren't there shortly after I woke up, and that's probably a good thing. ;P
While I agreed with Shannon last night that the anticipation of things is usually more fun than having/experiencing them, that cookie man... oh man. ^_^
In other news, a bread machine believed to be thousands of years old was found in an alley today, film at 11.
Oh wait, sorry about that... [Only Joe will understand the reference anyway, hehe.]
At Starbucks this past Wenzdae I spontaneously designed a new comic character. Liqwid Jelliman. He's so expressive -- I love him! [Don't worry, I will be drawing him a lot, so you'll see him here in the future.]
Sara kept thinking of ideas/situations for him and I'd draw 'em [not entirely unlike the premise behind Jellyfist (thanks Spencer!)], so I have a page full of zany mini-comics about a cute, hapless being made of a gel-like material in a semi-human form, with floating hands, feet, and head. =)
I just read [digitally] through both issues of "I Feel Sick" by J. Vasquez, and besides being really good (of course), it also fills in some background for JTHM. >:-]
Also, candy canes. I have lots of those.
But no Barista of Doom. Where did you go?! Your cuteness knows no bounds!
The Christmas, it fills me!
And with that, I will reveal the reality:
[continued from this post's title, clever no? You love my insane ingeniousness good, yes?]
And not with any one girl per se, but because of the culmination of little things, kindnesses & love, that came my way all evening:
Interested conversation, a flirty & playful friend, being given $20 just for being me (it wasn't a tip on a bill, it was handed directly to me), compliments, a love note, smiles, many good laughs, and on and on...
Spencer & I watched "In Bruges" last night. We thoroughly enjoyed it -- great movie. I'm sure it's too subtle for most people, but that's one reason why I liked it: it was a comedy, but with -0- slapstick schtick.
Before I went to bed at ~5:30am, I had a single homemade chocolate chip cookie. It was so powerfully delicious that I couldn't possibly have another. And it amplified that feeling of loviness, I swear I must've had hearts in place of my eyes [a comics reference, btw]. There was nothing that could top that, so sleep was necessary.
The feelings weren't there shortly after I woke up, and that's probably a good thing. ;P
While I agreed with Shannon last night that the anticipation of things is usually more fun than having/experiencing them, that cookie man... oh man. ^_^
In other news, a bread machine believed to be thousands of years old was found in an alley today, film at 11.
Oh wait, sorry about that... [Only Joe will understand the reference anyway, hehe.]
At Starbucks this past Wenzdae I spontaneously designed a new comic character. Liqwid Jelliman. He's so expressive -- I love him! [Don't worry, I will be drawing him a lot, so you'll see him here in the future.]
Sara kept thinking of ideas/situations for him and I'd draw 'em [not entirely unlike the premise behind Jellyfist (thanks Spencer!)], so I have a page full of zany mini-comics about a cute, hapless being made of a gel-like material in a semi-human form, with floating hands, feet, and head. =)
I just read [digitally] through both issues of "I Feel Sick" by J. Vasquez, and besides being really good (of course), it also fills in some background for JTHM. >:-]
Also, candy canes. I have lots of those.
But no Barista of Doom. Where did you go?! Your cuteness knows no bounds!
The Christmas, it fills me!
And with that, I will reveal the reality:
[continued from this post's title, clever no? You love my insane ingeniousness good, yes?]
...Looking to my left (looking to my left) / Looking to my right (looking to my right) / All I'm gonna see (all I'm gonna see) / Is people lovin' me! (these people, they love me) [Lou Bega, People Lovin' Me]
12.15.2008
Candy Canes
Candy Canes are the Cadbury eggs of Christmas.
Both candies are special, available during a certain season of the year, are tasty, and although there are several flavors, the original is the best.
(This revelation brought to you by a completely mellow Diavo at a Starbucks, last Wenzdae evening.)
Both candies are special, available during a certain season of the year, are tasty, and although there are several flavors, the original is the best.
(This revelation brought to you by a completely mellow Diavo at a Starbucks, last Wenzdae evening.)
He yelled "Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen / Comet, Cupid, Donner & Blitzin / Gin & Tonic / Rum & Coke" / Bloody Marys ain’t no joke. / Juke joints, late nights, bad food, bar fights: / Last night, I went out with Santa Claus! [Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Last Night (I Went Out With Santa Claus)]
12.02.2008
Lightly Tangled
My Christmassy wallpaper for 2008. It's been added to my Deviant Art & Photobucket galleries.
It was directly inspired by a comic I did in 2006.
Each bulb was added by hand, then lit with 2 layers of different Gaussian Blurs behind 'em. There are 2 bulbs out on purpose; don'tcha hate those? ;P
The words are a quote from a wacky anime version of The Nutcracker that my sister & I grew up watching each Christmas. >:-]
Updated version here -- I added red & green glows to the top & bottom of the screen.
Lightly Tangled
It was directly inspired by a comic I did in 2006.
Each bulb was added by hand, then lit with 2 layers of different Gaussian Blurs behind 'em. There are 2 bulbs out on purpose; don'tcha hate those? ;P
The words are a quote from a wacky anime version of The Nutcracker that my sister & I grew up watching each Christmas. >:-]
Updated version here -- I added red & green glows to the top & bottom of the screen.
Lightly Tangled
11.30.2008
I know where I am, where are Y0000000U?
P.S.> -They were phenomenal musicians & entertainers!
11.29.2008
Christmas in Full Swing!
o<):-)
I'm all decorated for Christmas -- Christmastime is here again! Of course, I never initiate Christmas-anything till the day after Thanksgiving. See this comic of mine from 2005 (just ignore my ancient amateur drawing style).
I've got all of my Christmas swing music playing continuously now; high-energy Brian Setzer & Big Bad Voodoo Daddy alongside classic Bing Crosby & Nat King Cole.
Christmastime is the best time of year. =)
Thanksgiving was great, as always. My sister & bro-in-law, and his parents came over. Good times, good food. =)
Because Frederic's parents lived in Belgium until ~8 years ago, they speak English with heavy French accents. Talking with them all day combined with the 6 years of French classes in middle & high school resulted in later that evening, alone, thinking in my head with a French accent! o_O
"Thanksgiving Wenezdae" was a blast.
Sara & I usually hang out on Wenezdaes; we grab dinner at Panera Bread, or hang out at Starbucks with laptops (cause we're often working on a fun project -- a Wall-E fan film music video is upcoming!). This evening we went drinking at the Power Plant in Baltimore, specifically at MEX. She knows a few people that tend bar there, including the lead singer of Eleven-54, who was making our drinks that night.
After a few hours of fun times, we get the check and it's easily HALF of what it should've been! It's good to have friends. =) And Sara swipes the check and pays it, and wants nothing from me (what a doll, what a dame!). So what can I do? I paid the cab fare back to Illusions (and tipped double because, hey, what goes around comes around).
And as we walked up to the door, Spencer & our friend Steve ("Steve-Jack&Coke" as I have him in my cell) were leaving to come meet up with us as a surprise. Doh!
Next up, posting the Christmas wallpaper I've been working on. It has a tree, pretty lights, snow, and aliens! o_O ;P ;P Until then, check out my Deviant Art gallery. There are a few new things there. I still have to post all of my Martini Art.
I'm all decorated for Christmas -- Christmastime is here again! Of course, I never initiate Christmas-anything till the day after Thanksgiving. See this comic of mine from 2005 (just ignore my ancient amateur drawing style).
I've got all of my Christmas swing music playing continuously now; high-energy Brian Setzer & Big Bad Voodoo Daddy alongside classic Bing Crosby & Nat King Cole.
Christmastime is the best time of year. =)
Thanksgiving was great, as always. My sister & bro-in-law, and his parents came over. Good times, good food. =)
Because Frederic's parents lived in Belgium until ~8 years ago, they speak English with heavy French accents. Talking with them all day combined with the 6 years of French classes in middle & high school resulted in later that evening, alone, thinking in my head with a French accent! o_O
"Thanksgiving Wenezdae" was a blast.
Sara & I usually hang out on Wenezdaes; we grab dinner at Panera Bread, or hang out at Starbucks with laptops (cause we're often working on a fun project -- a Wall-E fan film music video is upcoming!). This evening we went drinking at the Power Plant in Baltimore, specifically at MEX. She knows a few people that tend bar there, including the lead singer of Eleven-54, who was making our drinks that night.
After a few hours of fun times, we get the check and it's easily HALF of what it should've been! It's good to have friends. =) And Sara swipes the check and pays it, and wants nothing from me (what a doll, what a dame!). So what can I do? I paid the cab fare back to Illusions (and tipped double because, hey, what goes around comes around).
And as we walked up to the door, Spencer & our friend Steve ("Steve-Jack&Coke" as I have him in my cell) were leaving to come meet up with us as a surprise. Doh!
Next up, posting the Christmas wallpaper I've been working on. It has a tree, pretty lights, snow, and aliens! o_O ;P ;P Until then, check out my Deviant Art gallery. There are a few new things there. I still have to post all of my Martini Art.
Hey Santa! / Hey Santa, hey Santa, hey Santa! / Hey Santa, hey Santa, hey Santa! / Well are ya goin' to Atlanta? / Can I hitch a ride with you oh man? / Cause my gal lives in Dixieland! [Brian Setzer, Hey Santa!]
11.18.2008
My New Website, Celebrating Life, Driving to/from NC, and Good-vs-Pathetic Movies
Ta-da, my newly redesigned website is live. It's now a hub, a portal to take you to my various online presences, instead of being a "refrigerator door" of miscellany.
"Aiee aiee ya-hah / Aiee aiee ya-hah / Aiee aiee ya-hah
C'est dans la joie là qu'on va bouger oh-oh-ohhhhh!"
...the chorus to the song "C'est Dans la Joie" by Mokobe, in French. This translates to "It is with joy that we will move" [ie, DANCE!] and pretty much sums up why I dance (swing just being my preference) and my thoughts on living -- celebrate it!
Fun times in NC with my cousin Joe this weekend. As usual!
Even though it's a long 4.5-5 hour drive down there, I enjoy the alone time. It's just me & my music, cruising down the highway. I prefer it at night too, because there are even fewer cars around, especially on the 2 hour stretch on Route 85 in southern VA and into NC.
"Quantum of Solace" was a great movie. Story-wise I particularly liked that it was continuous from Casino Royale, and wasn't just a "oh, new adventure from outta the blue" sequel. I do like Daniel Craig as James Bond, and I like these 2 latest 007 films' style of feeling realistic -- he does have blood on him after he kills someone, he does get dirty.
The only thing I didn't like was that the action scenes were filmed in the very-modern "camera cuts every other second" style. I *really* like long, no-cut action sequences -- it lets you see what's actually happening.
Joe & I watched "In the Name of the King" -- the movie based on the computer game (we love) Dungeon Siege. Being a Uwe Boll production, we knew it would be bad. We expected it, and braced for it.
So lemme break it down as gently as I can... the game is a classic style fantasy RPG. Of the 4 paths you can develop your character, 2 are entirely magic-based. Two of four, that's half. Half is 50%. 50% is much higher than say, 5%. And you know of RPG magics: fireballs, lighting bolts, creature summoning, healing spells, misc curses & spells of destruction.
The ONLY lightning "bolts" or fireball (ball not balls, it was ONE) from hands occurs right at the end, and is barely on camera. Bad guy is killed, roll credits. NO denoument at all.
There were three good things about this movie:
1. The telekinetic sword fight between the two mages, while their hands were behind their backs and they taunted each other. Very cool.
2. All of the towns/places in the game were mentioned or visited in the movie. Yay.
3. The... ummm... wait, ok, there were only two good things about it. ...sigh...
Any resemblance to the game Dungeon Siege is simply with the names used; the towns, and the enemy as "Krug". Else it could've been a summary of "Lord of the Rings", or just "Eragon" v2.0.
We just wanted to see some hot fireball-on-fireball action! Was that too much to ask from a theme that's half -or more- magic?! o_O
"Aiee aiee ya-hah / Aiee aiee ya-hah / Aiee aiee ya-hah
C'est dans la joie là qu'on va bouger oh-oh-ohhhhh!"
...the chorus to the song "C'est Dans la Joie" by Mokobe, in French. This translates to "It is with joy that we will move" [ie, DANCE!] and pretty much sums up why I dance (swing just being my preference) and my thoughts on living -- celebrate it!
Fun times in NC with my cousin Joe this weekend. As usual!
Even though it's a long 4.5-5 hour drive down there, I enjoy the alone time. It's just me & my music, cruising down the highway. I prefer it at night too, because there are even fewer cars around, especially on the 2 hour stretch on Route 85 in southern VA and into NC.
"Quantum of Solace" was a great movie. Story-wise I particularly liked that it was continuous from Casino Royale, and wasn't just a "oh, new adventure from outta the blue" sequel. I do like Daniel Craig as James Bond, and I like these 2 latest 007 films' style of feeling realistic -- he does have blood on him after he kills someone, he does get dirty.
The only thing I didn't like was that the action scenes were filmed in the very-modern "camera cuts every other second" style. I *really* like long, no-cut action sequences -- it lets you see what's actually happening.
Joe & I watched "In the Name of the King" -- the movie based on the computer game (we love) Dungeon Siege. Being a Uwe Boll production, we knew it would be bad. We expected it, and braced for it.
So lemme break it down as gently as I can... the game is a classic style fantasy RPG. Of the 4 paths you can develop your character, 2 are entirely magic-based. Two of four, that's half. Half is 50%. 50% is much higher than say, 5%. And you know of RPG magics: fireballs, lighting bolts, creature summoning, healing spells, misc curses & spells of destruction.
The ONLY lightning "bolts" or fireball (ball not balls, it was ONE) from hands occurs right at the end, and is barely on camera. Bad guy is killed, roll credits. NO denoument at all.
There were three good things about this movie:
1. The telekinetic sword fight between the two mages, while their hands were behind their backs and they taunted each other. Very cool.
2. All of the towns/places in the game were mentioned or visited in the movie. Yay.
3. The... ummm... wait, ok, there were only two good things about it. ...sigh...
Any resemblance to the game Dungeon Siege is simply with the names used; the towns, and the enemy as "Krug". Else it could've been a summary of "Lord of the Rings", or just "Eragon" v2.0.
We just wanted to see some hot fireball-on-fireball action! Was that too much to ask from a theme that's half -or more- magic?! o_O
11.14.2008
On Being Goth...
According to an intelligently written article I recently read, I fit rather well into the label Goth.
Not the stereotypical idea of Goth -- wearing all black & being angsty & creepy -- but from the ideal behind it.
The article lists the following characteristics as part of Goth subculture, and I'm following each with a comment on my relation to each...
‡ You feel the need to spend a lot of time creating things (music, art, poetry, philosophies, stories and the like)
Yes, yes I do. Stories spring up in my head constantly; I could be the idea man behind many a movie or TV show or comic book. Usually I create art, or need to design characters for stories I'll never create. This goes back to being a kid and building things with Lego & drawing all the time. If I'm not Photoshopping something, I've been making a stop motion video or a webcomic or sketching out ideas in my head. Heck, lately I've been making a new website to replace my old one entirely.
‡ Your creative efforts are often described as dark, shocking, scary, morbid or strange
Dark, Strange. Yeah, pretty much. I aim for things with a twist: Twilight Zone style. It's really evident in my stop motion videos, The Adventures of Diavo & Joe, as Diavo has a bought with the dark side in Ep4, and Joe becomes a bad guy in the secret ending of Ep7...
‡ You like museums and cultural centers
Yes, I love museums, especially art ones.
‡ You understand and even enjoy Shakespeare, Shelley, Browning or some other similar work without having to read the Cliffe Notes
Ok, no, not so much. I pretty much detest Shakespeare...
‡ You know the difference between nihilism and existentialism, even if you don't really live by either
Yes actually. And my take on 'em was always "Life is pretty meaningless until you give it one." ;P
‡ You really, truly enjoy music of many kinds
I have an eclectic taste in music indeed. Swing always because it's very melodic and danceable, but other type of music are prevalent in my mp3 collection of some 4,300 songs: techno, trance, happy hardcore, Trip-Hop, Celtic, jazz, latin, cha-cha, rock, hip hop, a capella, punk, rockabilly/psychobilly/hell-billy, ska, swing, violin, even French reggae... There are just a few types of music I don't like, and that's usually because of certain qualities they have (ex: I like country music (yes actually) but I hate the twang in the singers' voices).
‡ You are a very sensual person (aware of color, texture, sound, taste and scent)
Yes. Oh yes. ;P
‡ You don't understand why the people around you spend so much time watching TV
Well, there are a few good shows on, but I do prefer doing things to passively watching.
‡ You don't feel comfortable looking just like everyone else you know
That is very true. Almost to the point of being a flaw in my character. I need to be individualistic.
‡ You do feel comfortable just being yourself, even if no one else around is anything like you
Yes, again almost to a flaw. Or, to the annoyance of people I'm around that might be more "conservative" at that moment. Sheesh.
‡ You wonder "why" a lot, and come up with some interesting answers
YES! I need to know why!
‡ You wonder "how" a lot, and often figure it out on your own
YES! I want to know how!
‡ You don't just reject something because you don't understand it
Right, I want to understand it, to increase my knowledge. But somethings don't even get the first chance to prove it. ;P ;P
‡ You base your opinions of people on who they are and what they do rather than what they look like
Yes & no. Unfortunately stereotypes exist because most people like that fit them. Like everyone else, I will form instant opinions based on how someone presents themself. It's up to them to overcome the stereotype they're lumped into. ;P A lot of people will surprise you. Even more won't. :-/
But my real, founded opinions on someone can't be, well, founded until I get to know them.
‡ You are not afraid of the unknown
Mostly just very cautious when treading into it.
‡ You are not afraid of the dark
I'm not, that's silly.
‡ You are afraid of mediocrity
I am, that's not silly.
So, interesting, yes? I think so. Not the end-all definition, but it's more than a silly multiple-choice survey.
The article also debunks a number of Goth stereotypes, which for most people is a smart read in itself.
Now I'll pair this with a fun website on Goth stereotypes! ;P (From there I'm mostly the Geek Goth & Gothabilly.)
Not the stereotypical idea of Goth -- wearing all black & being angsty & creepy -- but from the ideal behind it.
The article lists the following characteristics as part of Goth subculture, and I'm following each with a comment on my relation to each...
‡ You feel the need to spend a lot of time creating things (music, art, poetry, philosophies, stories and the like)
Yes, yes I do. Stories spring up in my head constantly; I could be the idea man behind many a movie or TV show or comic book. Usually I create art, or need to design characters for stories I'll never create. This goes back to being a kid and building things with Lego & drawing all the time. If I'm not Photoshopping something, I've been making a stop motion video or a webcomic or sketching out ideas in my head. Heck, lately I've been making a new website to replace my old one entirely.
‡ Your creative efforts are often described as dark, shocking, scary, morbid or strange
Dark, Strange. Yeah, pretty much. I aim for things with a twist: Twilight Zone style. It's really evident in my stop motion videos, The Adventures of Diavo & Joe, as Diavo has a bought with the dark side in Ep4, and Joe becomes a bad guy in the secret ending of Ep7...
‡ You like museums and cultural centers
Yes, I love museums, especially art ones.
‡ You understand and even enjoy Shakespeare, Shelley, Browning or some other similar work without having to read the Cliffe Notes
Ok, no, not so much. I pretty much detest Shakespeare...
‡ You know the difference between nihilism and existentialism, even if you don't really live by either
Yes actually. And my take on 'em was always "Life is pretty meaningless until you give it one." ;P
‡ You really, truly enjoy music of many kinds
I have an eclectic taste in music indeed. Swing always because it's very melodic and danceable, but other type of music are prevalent in my mp3 collection of some 4,300 songs: techno, trance, happy hardcore, Trip-Hop, Celtic, jazz, latin, cha-cha, rock, hip hop, a capella, punk, rockabilly/psychobilly/hell-billy, ska, swing, violin, even French reggae... There are just a few types of music I don't like, and that's usually because of certain qualities they have (ex: I like country music (yes actually) but I hate the twang in the singers' voices).
‡ You are a very sensual person (aware of color, texture, sound, taste and scent)
Yes. Oh yes. ;P
‡ You don't understand why the people around you spend so much time watching TV
Well, there are a few good shows on, but I do prefer doing things to passively watching.
‡ You don't feel comfortable looking just like everyone else you know
That is very true. Almost to the point of being a flaw in my character. I need to be individualistic.
‡ You do feel comfortable just being yourself, even if no one else around is anything like you
Yes, again almost to a flaw. Or, to the annoyance of people I'm around that might be more "conservative" at that moment. Sheesh.
‡ You wonder "why" a lot, and come up with some interesting answers
YES! I need to know why!
‡ You wonder "how" a lot, and often figure it out on your own
YES! I want to know how!
‡ You don't just reject something because you don't understand it
Right, I want to understand it, to increase my knowledge. But somethings don't even get the first chance to prove it. ;P ;P
‡ You base your opinions of people on who they are and what they do rather than what they look like
Yes & no. Unfortunately stereotypes exist because most people like that fit them. Like everyone else, I will form instant opinions based on how someone presents themself. It's up to them to overcome the stereotype they're lumped into. ;P A lot of people will surprise you. Even more won't. :-/
But my real, founded opinions on someone can't be, well, founded until I get to know them.
‡ You are not afraid of the unknown
Mostly just very cautious when treading into it.
‡ You are not afraid of the dark
I'm not, that's silly.
‡ You are afraid of mediocrity
I am, that's not silly.
So, interesting, yes? I think so. Not the end-all definition, but it's more than a silly multiple-choice survey.
The article also debunks a number of Goth stereotypes, which for most people is a smart read in itself.
Now I'll pair this with a fun website on Goth stereotypes! ;P (From there I'm mostly the Geek Goth & Gothabilly.)
11.05.2008
New Cloning: New Life from a Dead Mouse
I find this fascinating!
"They took brain cells from ordinary dead male mice stored in a freezer for up to 16 years and removed their nuclei - the blobs in the centre of cells that contain DNA.
Each cell's nucleus was injected into a hollowed-out egg cell from a female mouse.
When the egg was 'triggered' with electricity, it began to divide and grow just like a newly-conceived embryo.
After a few days, the embryo clone was implanted into the womb of a surrogate mouse and three weeks later, the clone was born. "
I love science.
I'm still waiting for teleporter technology to come around; airlines could easily switch from planes to teleporters, and thus airports would become teleportation hubs. Heck, they could even charge the same rates and get less complaints!
Then too, the US Post Office (and UPS & FedEX) could convert to package teleportation services, and truck drivers-->device operators.
Of course with conversion ideas, why can't oil companies convert into electric battery makers for cars, etc.? ;P
Wait, what do you mean entire companies can't be converted by clicking on the Upgrade button as in various video games?? Dang.
I'll check back in 50 years. (If civilization lasts that long.)
11.04.2008
My Favorite Week Still Is
It was indeed a good week.
Busy at the bar all weekend, and my Halloween show music changes played well. No one recognized me Fri night as Johnny -- which I expected -- and I figured with the fangs everyone would assume I was just a vampire.
On Sunday Spencer, Sara, Peter & I went down to DC for a day-trip. We've (I've) been wanting to go during Fall because of the nice weather, but it isn't easy getting a good Sunday to devote a whole day too (much less getting up ~early(-ish) to do so). Ironically, this time it was. I tossed out the idea Fri and that night I had my 3 Yes's with no problem. =)
I parked a block from Chinatown and we hit a few places around there to start. I finally got to show Spencer The Rocket Bar. The bartender allowed me to snap some photos, so I did. I used no flash, and set the ISO to 400 compensate. A tiny bit blurry because I can't hold my hand steady... at all. [400 might've been too high as it's not as bright in the bar as my photos depict; next time 200?] At that link are also 3 other photos from Sunday as well as a dozen that've been there since last summer, fyi.
Then we walked to The Mall. 'Popped into the Natural History Museum for a short while, then headed to the Hirshorn Art Museum (Spencer's & my choice), while noting the relative distances between the planets.
I like museums, especially art ones (and I'm not even a pretentious artsy hippie!). The Hirshorn has its share of expected-crappy modern art, but also has a lot of good modern art. We were there till closing time, and I have a few photos of exhibits (also photos there from a while ago).
We headed back to Chinatown after the sun set, and stopped into The Crime & Punishment Museum's gift shop -- neat stuff in there.
For dinner we ate at Wok and Roll for the best orange chicken in DC (possibly anywhere, 3vAR; it's that good). Sara surprised me by saying that it's also where she goes to eat whenever she comes to DC/Chinatown with friends! =)
I was filled with that familiar feeling of happiness from walking around all day, being a little tired from the exercise, while having a full belly of good food followed by Starbucks coffee. =)
Spencer & I have been playing LittleBigPlanet all weekend, co-op. Awesomeness. I'm making my character look progressively like Gir in his green puppy disguise. ^_^ ["I'm gonna sing the doom song now... 'Doom doom do-doom... the end.'"]
Dear diary,
I know better than to simply assume a complete justification for my actions,
but....
What a week.
What a great fuckin' week.
-JTHM
Busy at the bar all weekend, and my Halloween show music changes played well. No one recognized me Fri night as Johnny -- which I expected -- and I figured with the fangs everyone would assume I was just a vampire.
On Sunday Spencer, Sara, Peter & I went down to DC for a day-trip. We've (I've) been wanting to go during Fall because of the nice weather, but it isn't easy getting a good Sunday to devote a whole day too (much less getting up ~early(-ish) to do so). Ironically, this time it was. I tossed out the idea Fri and that night I had my 3 Yes's with no problem. =)
I parked a block from Chinatown and we hit a few places around there to start. I finally got to show Spencer The Rocket Bar. The bartender allowed me to snap some photos, so I did. I used no flash, and set the ISO to 400 compensate. A tiny bit blurry because I can't hold my hand steady... at all. [400 might've been too high as it's not as bright in the bar as my photos depict; next time 200?] At that link are also 3 other photos from Sunday as well as a dozen that've been there since last summer, fyi.
Then we walked to The Mall. 'Popped into the Natural History Museum for a short while, then headed to the Hirshorn Art Museum (Spencer's & my choice), while noting the relative distances between the planets.
I like museums, especially art ones (and I'm not even a pretentious artsy hippie!). The Hirshorn has its share of expected-crappy modern art, but also has a lot of good modern art. We were there till closing time, and I have a few photos of exhibits (also photos there from a while ago).
We headed back to Chinatown after the sun set, and stopped into The Crime & Punishment Museum's gift shop -- neat stuff in there.
For dinner we ate at Wok and Roll for the best orange chicken in DC (possibly anywhere, 3vAR; it's that good). Sara surprised me by saying that it's also where she goes to eat whenever she comes to DC/Chinatown with friends! =)
I was filled with that familiar feeling of happiness from walking around all day, being a little tired from the exercise, while having a full belly of good food followed by Starbucks coffee. =)
Spencer & I have been playing LittleBigPlanet all weekend, co-op. Awesomeness. I'm making my character look progressively like Gir in his green puppy disguise. ^_^ ["I'm gonna sing the doom song now... 'Doom doom do-doom... the end.'"]
Dear diary,
I know better than to simply assume a complete justification for my actions,
but....
What a week.
What a great fuckin' week.
-JTHM
10.31.2008
Heeere's Johnny!
UPDATE: Higher quality photos of us at Illusions can be found in my Halloween gallery! >:-]
Z?
Dear die-ary,
Today I became a monster.
Wenzdae night at Illusions we hosted a Halloween party for 80-90 people, and they were dressed up. So we did also. Spencer's got a great replica (not crappy) Sweeney Todd outfit, Aurora has a red dress with devil horns & a tail, and Sara emulated Hanna Montana really well (eek).
I did a straight-forward vampire -- gelled my hair wild & messy, shaved all but my old moustache & goatee for a sinister look, wore a black seude dress shirt (collar popped) over a black beater with black Dickies pants, and Sara put black eye make-uppy stuff under my eyes for that classic dead-goth look. And the coup de grace: fangs.
They are the Scarecrow-brand fangs and are very high quality, worth the $20! There are 2 fangs, which are caps the go over each tooth -- and they look real. You make a gooey paste with a powder & liquid that are supplied, and gob it into each fang, push the fang into place and let it set for 5-10 min. The goo hardens into a perfect mold customized to each tooth. They stay in place without worry, and can be removed easily. I understand so much now; I want to wear them all the time. But I won't. ;P
During the night on Wed I gave Sara one of my evil happy grins (with the fangs in) and she shouted that I look just like Johnny! That's Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, from the comic book I (we) love. That was it, in that instant I knew for tonight instead of vampire I am going to be JTHM. >:-]
Here's a fantastic slideshow of Johnny (& et al) set to "Animal I've Become" by Three Days Grace for your further understanding.
A quick shopping trip at Target netted me a black & grey horizontally striped T-shirt for $7, which I've put a "Z" & "?" on the front via masking tape. And on the back of the black seude dress shirt I made a white panel from sticky-backed printer paper and in Sharpie I wrote the quote "a long life is never a guarantee." >:-] I want to carry an assortment of knives and maybe a sword, but I'll be tending bar all night & doing the special Halloween version of the show (all new spoooooky music too!) so that jazz would be in my way.
Happy Halloween!
What are you dressing up as? ':-)
Today I became a monster.
Wenzdae night at Illusions we hosted a Halloween party for 80-90 people, and they were dressed up. So we did also. Spencer's got a great replica (not crappy) Sweeney Todd outfit, Aurora has a red dress with devil horns & a tail, and Sara emulated Hanna Montana really well (eek).
I did a straight-forward vampire -- gelled my hair wild & messy, shaved all but my old moustache & goatee for a sinister look, wore a black seude dress shirt (collar popped) over a black beater with black Dickies pants, and Sara put black eye make-uppy stuff under my eyes for that classic dead-goth look. And the coup de grace: fangs.
They are the Scarecrow-brand fangs and are very high quality, worth the $20! There are 2 fangs, which are caps the go over each tooth -- and they look real. You make a gooey paste with a powder & liquid that are supplied, and gob it into each fang, push the fang into place and let it set for 5-10 min. The goo hardens into a perfect mold customized to each tooth. They stay in place without worry, and can be removed easily. I understand so much now; I want to wear them all the time. But I won't. ;P
During the night on Wed I gave Sara one of my evil happy grins (with the fangs in) and she shouted that I look just like Johnny! That's Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, from the comic book I (we) love. That was it, in that instant I knew for tonight instead of vampire I am going to be JTHM. >:-]
Here's a fantastic slideshow of Johnny (& et al) set to "Animal I've Become" by Three Days Grace for your further understanding.
A quick shopping trip at Target netted me a black & grey horizontally striped T-shirt for $7, which I've put a "Z" & "?" on the front via masking tape. And on the back of the black seude dress shirt I made a white panel from sticky-backed printer paper and in Sharpie I wrote the quote "a long life is never a guarantee." >:-] I want to carry an assortment of knives and maybe a sword, but I'll be tending bar all night & doing the special Halloween version of the show (all new spoooooky music too!) so that jazz would be in my way.
Happy Halloween!
What are you dressing up as? ':-)
This is Halloween! / This is Halloween! / Halloween! / Halloween! / Halloween! / Halloween! [Nightmare Before Christmas, This Is Halloween]
10.29.2008
My Favorite Week of the Year
This week is my favorite week of the year: the week before Halloween.
Generally this week has the best day/night temperatures. The trees are changing (this year, a little late). The sky screams "Autumn!" with its cloud patterns, and sunsets. And everything is decorated for Halloween. =)
Christmas is my favorite holiday, for many reasons, but Halloween is only time of the year that comes as a close second. And this week is tops.
Generally this week has the best day/night temperatures. The trees are changing (this year, a little late). The sky screams "Autumn!" with its cloud patterns, and sunsets. And everything is decorated for Halloween. =)
Christmas is my favorite holiday, for many reasons, but Halloween is only time of the year that comes as a close second. And this week is tops.
10.23.2008
On Sunspots, Pointless Points-of-View (aka Politics), and Call of Duty 4 online
If you're interested in science, read the first section below.
If you hate (or even like) special interest groups, causes, and the election, do read the second section (you'll learn something!).
Like gaming? Read the third section, but read Section #2, too.
Sunspots? Yep, here's an article (fairly short & to-the-point, so do read it) on the lack of sunspots this year and it's potential effect on the climate. The neatest thing is the idea that there could be a slight climate change toward the cooler (yay!) and it would counteract any recent/near-future global warming effects.
I'm still not convinced by anything I've read that "global warming" is a man-made or recent event. Just like the stock market, the climate goes up and it comes down. And its trends are long-term. I don't need the hype from doomsayers. Oh! That's the perfect segue into my next topic... ;P
As the presidential election comes closer, all those annoying special interest groups are vying for attention, and religiously supporting whatever candidate promises them the attention they think they deserve because it ought to be a politically correct world. Of course, those promises mean nothing, and watch how fast your candidate-of-choice turns his back on you once he's elected [I of course have my candidate selected, but I'm writing without candidate-bias for everyone's benefit to my point]. So if you're involved in one of the 612 strillion special interest groups blindly following someone because they promise you cake [just a head's up, just like in Portal: thecakeisalie thecakeisalie thecakeisalie!], let me point out some smart lyrics from Billy Joel's "Angry Young Man" (note particularly the last 2 lines):
"I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage / I found that just surviving was a noble fight. / I once believed in causes too, / I had my pointless point of view, / And life went on no matter who was wrong or right."
Spencer got the Xohm broadband connection at home and promptly hooked up his PS3 & Xbox 360 to it (which are hooked up to a projector and display a 7' image). It's a good, cheap ($80 for the device, $25/mo subscription) solution for high-speed internet at home. If you're in Baltimore, that is...
So last night we played Call of Duty 4 online in the Team games... mostly deatchmatch and Domination (where there are 3 flags to guard). As usual the people playing were incredible good and us not so much. But we learned fast, and got to the point where we were racking up points and stood toe-to-toe on the endgame boards with the better players.
I say "better" in this sense as in "better fraggers", not necessarily gameplayers. CoD4 is not like Halo where everyone's stats are equal. CoD4 uses a class system, where you choose your 2 guns & assortment of grenades & jazz, add on attachments to your guns to increase their effectiveness in various ways, and also apply "Perks" to yourself/weapons (like increased HP, increased damage, invisible on radar, etc, etc). And you unlock these features, and unlock stronger guns, via an experience system.
This adds an RPG-like feel to what would otherwise be a standard, predicitable FPS! =)
You add EXP and level up by killing people, completing objectives in the objective-based game types, and by completing personal Challenges for each weapon (like getting 25 headshots with each sniper rifle).
So, while playing against opponents that deal more damage per shot than you, and who have more HP than you, getting points via fragging isn't going to be the easiest. Instead, we focused on completing objectives (like recapturing the flag) which award us as many or more points than a kill. Actually, that's the way I prefer to play online FPS anyway. =)
Call of Duty 4 online team play:
The pros: you get to customize your weapons and loadout to your liking. =)
The cons: it takes hours of online gameplay before you unlock every gun, and until then you're playing with & against people who are maxxed out (giving them a higher advantage & making your progress slower).
If you hate (or even like) special interest groups, causes, and the election, do read the second section (you'll learn something!).
Like gaming? Read the third section, but read Section #2, too.
Sunspots? Yep, here's an article (fairly short & to-the-point, so do read it) on the lack of sunspots this year and it's potential effect on the climate. The neatest thing is the idea that there could be a slight climate change toward the cooler (yay!) and it would counteract any recent/near-future global warming effects.
I'm still not convinced by anything I've read that "global warming" is a man-made or recent event. Just like the stock market, the climate goes up and it comes down. And its trends are long-term. I don't need the hype from doomsayers. Oh! That's the perfect segue into my next topic... ;P
As the presidential election comes closer, all those annoying special interest groups are vying for attention, and religiously supporting whatever candidate promises them the attention they think they deserve because it ought to be a politically correct world. Of course, those promises mean nothing, and watch how fast your candidate-of-choice turns his back on you once he's elected [I of course have my candidate selected, but I'm writing without candidate-bias for everyone's benefit to my point]. So if you're involved in one of the 612 strillion special interest groups blindly following someone because they promise you cake [just a head's up, just like in Portal: thecakeisalie thecakeisalie thecakeisalie!], let me point out some smart lyrics from Billy Joel's "Angry Young Man" (note particularly the last 2 lines):
"I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage / I found that just surviving was a noble fight. / I once believed in causes too, / I had my pointless point of view, / And life went on no matter who was wrong or right."
Spencer got the Xohm broadband connection at home and promptly hooked up his PS3 & Xbox 360 to it (which are hooked up to a projector and display a 7' image). It's a good, cheap ($80 for the device, $25/mo subscription) solution for high-speed internet at home. If you're in Baltimore, that is...
So last night we played Call of Duty 4 online in the Team games... mostly deatchmatch and Domination (where there are 3 flags to guard). As usual the people playing were incredible good and us not so much. But we learned fast, and got to the point where we were racking up points and stood toe-to-toe on the endgame boards with the better players.
I say "better" in this sense as in "better fraggers", not necessarily gameplayers. CoD4 is not like Halo where everyone's stats are equal. CoD4 uses a class system, where you choose your 2 guns & assortment of grenades & jazz, add on attachments to your guns to increase their effectiveness in various ways, and also apply "Perks" to yourself/weapons (like increased HP, increased damage, invisible on radar, etc, etc). And you unlock these features, and unlock stronger guns, via an experience system.
This adds an RPG-like feel to what would otherwise be a standard, predicitable FPS! =)
You add EXP and level up by killing people, completing objectives in the objective-based game types, and by completing personal Challenges for each weapon (like getting 25 headshots with each sniper rifle).
So, while playing against opponents that deal more damage per shot than you, and who have more HP than you, getting points via fragging isn't going to be the easiest. Instead, we focused on completing objectives (like recapturing the flag) which award us as many or more points than a kill. Actually, that's the way I prefer to play online FPS anyway. =)
Call of Duty 4 online team play:
The pros: you get to customize your weapons and loadout to your liking. =)
The cons: it takes hours of online gameplay before you unlock every gun, and until then you're playing with & against people who are maxxed out (giving them a higher advantage & making your progress slower).
10.15.2008
The Godfather, Apple Cider, and PORTALs
Last night Sara, Spencer, & I went to see The Godfather, digitally remastered, at The Senator Theatre in Baltimore. It's one of five theaters in the country that is showing it, and this week only. Excellent. I was quite impressed that Sara herself suggested it. =)
Sunday the 3 of us went on a quest to find the Apple Cider of Autumnness +1000. We found it at Weber's Farm and it was worthy (it always is; best I've ever had). We hung around after our purchases and looked at the pumpkins and ate apples dipped in warm caramel. Yum!
On our way back we hit the comic book shop in Towson (I bought Bear: Demons book 2), the halloween store, and Barnes & Noble. Then Chipotle to-go from Johns Hopkins area, and watched Constantine at Spencer's.
And Monday night, from ~midnight to 4am I played thru and beat a game called Portal. -It-is-awesome-. Here is a short vid to give you an idea of the game (and it's AI's dark humor). Amazing game, it's a puzzle game in first person and the only gun you have creates 2 portals that connect both ways. It is definitely an exercise of the mind to complete the game, as the puzzles are ingenious & increasingly challenging but not impossible. And the development of the overseeing instructional AI program's (GLaDOS) personality is perfectly twisted. >:-]
Honestly, get this game now.
Now.
Now!
Sunday the 3 of us went on a quest to find the Apple Cider of Autumnness +1000. We found it at Weber's Farm and it was worthy (it always is; best I've ever had). We hung around after our purchases and looked at the pumpkins and ate apples dipped in warm caramel. Yum!
On our way back we hit the comic book shop in Towson (I bought Bear: Demons book 2), the halloween store, and Barnes & Noble. Then Chipotle to-go from Johns Hopkins area, and watched Constantine at Spencer's.
And Monday night, from ~midnight to 4am I played thru and beat a game called Portal. -It-is-awesome-. Here is a short vid to give you an idea of the game (and it's AI's dark humor). Amazing game, it's a puzzle game in first person and the only gun you have creates 2 portals that connect both ways. It is definitely an exercise of the mind to complete the game, as the puzzles are ingenious & increasingly challenging but not impossible. And the development of the overseeing instructional AI program's (GLaDOS) personality is perfectly twisted. >:-]
Honestly, get this game now.
Now.
Now!
10.12.2008
Seasonal Color Changes
It's so easy to alter the font colors on this blog that each season/holiday I will change it up from my expected blues to whatever thematic color(s) are appropriate.
Enjoy dark orange for Halloween.
Spoooooooooooky!
;P
Enjoy dark orange for Halloween.
Spoooooooooooky!
;P
The Haunted Mill
Spring Grove, PA -- My sister, bro-in-law, and I went to The Haunted Mill tonight (Sat night; I took the night off from Illusions). It was spoooooooooky & fun: I love haunted house events. I haven't been there in a couple of years. We used to go with our cousins for a few years in a row, cause the 4 of us are/were big into Halloweenishness. B-)
On the drive up to my sister's place the already-set sun cast an orange glow on the horizon, and the trees in the distance were silhouetted black against the orange sky... spooooooky [again with the Vasquez references, sheesh].
Took about an hour from Reisterstown to get there via the dark winding roads of hills with open sky (bright moon in it). It was nice and cool, 50-some degrees out -- I love Fall. =)
The lines for each event were not bad at all. We did the Haunted Mill (of course) and the Dark Zone (in a barn, kind of a smaller Haunted Mill experience, and they go well back-to-back), and the Terror Trail.
Things I realized:
* The scariest position is as the leader of the group -- you're the one going into the darkness & unknown.
* The best spoooky [I resisted using too many O's that time] atmosphere is when there are few people around, so your group of friends is well spaced from any group ahead of you (so surprises & the mystery aren't spoiled). So go *early*.
* My brain is so design-oriented that I can't help but to look at how things are created & laid out [Sylar?! No...].
* I miss designing the haunted garaaaage at Steve & Christine's old place.
* I miss scaring people on Halloween. >:-]
* This was totally worth it! =)
No pix tonight, because of this equation which you should be able to fathom:
Darkness times (cell phone camera minus flash) equals black photos
On the drive up to my sister's place the already-set sun cast an orange glow on the horizon, and the trees in the distance were silhouetted black against the orange sky... spooooooky [again with the Vasquez references, sheesh].
Took about an hour from Reisterstown to get there via the dark winding roads of hills with open sky (bright moon in it). It was nice and cool, 50-some degrees out -- I love Fall. =)
The lines for each event were not bad at all. We did the Haunted Mill (of course) and the Dark Zone (in a barn, kind of a smaller Haunted Mill experience, and they go well back-to-back), and the Terror Trail.
Things I realized:
* The scariest position is as the leader of the group -- you're the one going into the darkness & unknown.
* The best spoooky [I resisted using too many O's that time] atmosphere is when there are few people around, so your group of friends is well spaced from any group ahead of you (so surprises & the mystery aren't spoiled). So go *early*.
* My brain is so design-oriented that I can't help but to look at how things are created & laid out [Sylar?! No...].
* I miss designing the haunted garaaaage at Steve & Christine's old place.
* I miss scaring people on Halloween. >:-]
* This was totally worth it! =)
No pix tonight, because of this equation which you should be able to fathom:
Darkness times (cell phone camera minus flash) equals black photos
10.10.2008
Photoshop Disasters blog
Photoshoppers (and fans of professional screw-ups & movie out-takes) will enjoy this blog I've been reading: Photoshop Disasters. It posts pics of bad professional Photochopping. It's good to know what makes something paramount, but learning from other people's mistakes is just as useful.
BTW, Comments to my posts are welcome as long as you sign 'em so I know who you are, and they aren't malicious.
BTW, Comments to my posts are welcome as long as you sign 'em so I know who you are, and they aren't malicious.
10.09.2008
Atomic Simplicity
I did this late last night (when you were asleep). It's the prototype for what will be the Hub image of my revamped website's front page. I didn't want to get too crazy with it, just create the tech sphere icon. [The pipes, grid, and light sourcing were last min additions to make it wallpaper worthy.] ;P
Click on it to see the full-size wallpaper @ 1280x800.
Atomic Simplicity
Click on it to see the full-size wallpaper @ 1280x800.
Atomic Simplicity
10.08.2008
Capt'n Morgan Promo Party
So yes, fun times at Angel Rock Bar for the Captain Morgan invitation-only promotion. Spencer, Sara, Peter & I went. We walked from Spencer's house because it was nice and cool out (gotta love Fall!).
All the Captain Morgan drinks were free & flowing.
The band did all covers of rocks songs, and quite well.
Captain Morgan himself came out all slicked to the long nines [get it? get it? pirate joke!] and said some words on a mike... him running for president or some such.
We grabbed seating up in the swank couch section and stayed there. I started doing card tricks for Peter, and that got the attention of some people near us... you know how that goes... ;P
Caught a cab back towards Spencer's house, popped in at a 7-11 for snacks.
Watched The Fifth Element on Blu-Ray.
Peter went home, Sara went to bed.
Spencer & I started watching the special features on disc 1 of Iron Man.
Kitty came over, and we played through all of Iron Man (tho mostly talked thru it).
She left, I left.
Late night, as usual.
Fun, as always. =)
Also, I made an animated userbar tonight which you can see up at the top of this page. Need a hero?
All the Captain Morgan drinks were free & flowing.
The band did all covers of rocks songs, and quite well.
Captain Morgan himself came out all slicked to the long nines [get it? get it? pirate joke!] and said some words on a mike... him running for president or some such.
We grabbed seating up in the swank couch section and stayed there. I started doing card tricks for Peter, and that got the attention of some people near us... you know how that goes... ;P
Caught a cab back towards Spencer's house, popped in at a 7-11 for snacks.
Watched The Fifth Element on Blu-Ray.
Peter went home, Sara went to bed.
Spencer & I started watching the special features on disc 1 of Iron Man.
Kitty came over, and we played through all of Iron Man (tho mostly talked thru it).
She left, I left.
Late night, as usual.
Fun, as always. =)
Also, I made an animated userbar tonight which you can see up at the top of this page. Need a hero?
Strollin' in at dawn / Wakin' up at noon / Is gonna catch up to me soon. / But you can sleep when you're dead / Is what I said / Cause I'm jumpin' off the moon! [BBVD, What's Next?]
10.07.2008
I know where I am where are y00000u?!
A few photos from my cellphone can be found HERE.
This As My New Thoughts Page
I'm dissolving my old manual html Thoughts page/journal from my website to be replaced with this blog.
I have all of the old posts on my hdd, so it's still archived for my own records.
Some thought I would never use an official blog, or thought when I did I'd use L.J.
However, Blogger lets me update from my cell phone via txt msgs without paying for any premium account jazz. Also, it uses my Gmail account. And it's straight forward.
I have all of the old posts on my hdd, so it's still archived for my own records.
Some thought I would never use an official blog, or thought when I did I'd use L.J.
However, Blogger lets me update from my cell phone via txt msgs without paying for any premium account jazz. Also, it uses my Gmail account. And it's straight forward.
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