AA's LJ

Hybrid Theory

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:03:06 GMT

Several years ago, I was tricked into purchasing a bootleg of Linkin Park's album, "Hybrid Theory". While some may have been satisfied with that (it was cheap and the sound quality was good), I was not. When I purchase an album, I typically like to get the real production package, complete with linear notes and the knowledge that the band at least gets some of the money.

Fast forward to about a week ago. I finally picked up a "real" copy of Linkin Park's first album. This leaves me with the unwanted bootleg copy. Rather than throw away a perfectly good cd, I thought I'd try to trade it instead. By trading it, I can give someone the chance to experience Linkin Park if they haven't already (unlikely considering how big they've been in the past decade; but we're talking a full album here, not just a few songs), and at the same time, I get a chance to experience something new to me.

So if any of you happen to have some albums in your collection that you don't want, and wouldn't mind exchanging for my "Hybrid Theory" bootleg, just list them here. After about a week, the offer that most strikes my fancy will get a private notification and we can exchange addresses. If nobody wants to do it though, that's fine too; I can just toss it. Still, I thought I'd put this out there, and see what kind of responses I get.

The basic idea is to trade album for album, no money involved. Anyone interested?

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Now playing: Air Supply - Here I Am
via FoxyTunes

What are the origins of curry? Read up and see how the tasty Indian dish came to be a staple of Britain.

Ah, the holiday season. Neighbors rushing to one-up each other with decorations is often part of the holiday ritual. Well, there's a little-known rule that will help cut down on the hastle: If you can't beat 'em, amusingly underperform.

Weird? It's not an insult.

Birthday/Thanksgiving

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 01:18:16 GMT

My birthday was just yesterday. I've turned 26. I got the original Star-Wars Trilogy on DVD, an X-Men Origins: Wolverine game for the PS2, and Transformers 2 on DVD. Nana and Aunt Lanette both came down for Thanksgiving, so it was nice having them around for my birthday. They were going to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Live tonight, though I wasn't included. Mom says that she thought I was going to be working when she bought the tickets, though frankly I'm kind of miffed that she just assumed that I wouldn't have been able to go. I'm also jealous since learning that Jeff Scott-Soto is touring with the Orchestra this year. He's apparently lent his vocals to some tracks on their new album "Night Castle". Grandma and Aunt Lanette got me a copy of the album for my birthday though, so that's cool.

Today I did a ton of Black Friday Shopping. My initial plan for a computer upgrade ballooned out of control, much like I was fearing it would. I settled on getting an NVIDIA GeForce 9xxx video card, which required a power supply of at least 350 watts, when my current supply is only 300. So then I purchased a 400 watt supply, and an anti-static wrist strap so that I can install the components without worry. After that, I went out and bought Fallout 3 for the PC in anticipation of my pending upgrades, and I also ordered "Crystal Empires" by Freedom Call and an 80's Metal Tribute to Journey. When I got back home, I found out that my DVD drive won't read Fallout 3 at all. If you will remember, I had been having problems with it reading video DVD's for a while now. RW DVD's and most games I usually don't have a problem with, though Fallout 3 clocks in at a whopping 5 GB, so the DVD is probably in a non-standard format. I ended up going back to Newegg and purchasing an uber cheap basic DVD optical drive, choosing the cheapest one that had the best user reviews. I'm hoping that it will fit in my HP Pavilion. If not, it's likely I might have to send it back in exchange for an external drive.

Things are quiet now with the folks gone to the concert. I had a nice Thanksgiving and Birthday holiday, and now that the Christmas season is here, my spending is essentially done with (except when it comes to gifts for others!). I already know what I'm going to get the family for Christmas this year. I'm just going to wait until December before I start making those orders though.

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Now playing: Foreigner - Waiting for a Girl like You
via FoxyTunes

Five sets of Star-Wars Facebook status updates. Hilarious!

According to the British diplomat to America, the United States was "hell bent" on starting a war in Iraq. Seems the rumors that even before 2003, the administration was steering in that direction might be true.

Four states have adopted a "no smiles" policy when it comes to making driver's licenses. They say that it helps deter fraud, but I think it is an example of frivolous policy.

On Selling Out

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:05:00 GMT

Indy band Of Montreal have been accused of selling out since they've made a good bit of money selling their music to commercials for use in pushing various products and services, including Outback Steakhouse and Verizon Wireless. A music blog by the name of Stereogum caught up with them for an interview, and the result was frontman Kevin Barnes writing an article for the blog addressing the issue himself. He raises some good points here:

"Are you a sell out? Yes. Don't let it bother you though, cause apparently I am also a sell out, and so are your parents and everyone you've ever known. The only way to avoid selling out is to live like a savage all alone in the wilderness. The moment you attempt to live within the confines of a social order, you become a sell out. Once you attempt to coexist you sell out. If that's true, then selling out is a good thing.

It is important to decide whether you are going to completely rail against the system or find a way to make it work for you. You cannot do both -- and if you attempt to do both you will only become even more bitter and confused.

It's impossible to be a sell out in a capitalist society. You're only a winner or a loser. Either you've found a way to crack the code or you are struggling to do so. To sell out in capitalism is basically to be too accommodating, to not get what you think you deserve. In capitalism, you don't get what you think you deserve though. You get what someone else thinks you deserve. So the trick is to make them think you are worth what you feel you deserve. You deserve a lot, but you'll only get it when you figure out how to manipulate the system.

Some artists are turned into cartoons and others do it themselves. I prefer to do it myself. at least then I can control how my cock is photographed. Why should it be considered such an onerous thing to view the production of art as a job? To me, the luckiest people are the ones who figure out a way to earn a living doing what they love and gain fulfillment from. Like all things in this life, you have to make certain sacrifices to get what you want.

People who wanna be artists have the hardest time of it 'cause we are held up to these impossible standards. We're expected to die penniless and insane so that the people we have moved and entertained over the years can keep us to themselves. So that they can feel a personal and untarnished connection with our art. The second we try to earn a living wage or, god forbid, promote our art in the mainstream, we are placed under the knives of the sanctimonious indie fascists. Unfortunately, there isn't some grand umbrella grant that supports indie rockers financially and enables us to exist outside of the trappings of capitalism.

Maybe the punk rock ethos made sense for the "no future" generation but it doesn't make sense for me. I like producing and purchasing things.

I spent seven years not even existing at all in the mainstream world. Now I am being supported and endorsed by it. I know this won't last forever. No one's going to want to use one of my songs in a commercial five years from now, so I've got to take the money while I can. It's the same with pro athletes. You only get it while you're hot and no one stays commercially viable for long.

Next time you see a commercial with one of your favorite bands songs in it, just tell yourself, "cool, a band I really like made some money and now I can probably look forward to a few more records from them." It's as simple as that."

The link above provides the full article for those interested.

Got in a book review for Bruce Campbell's "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions Of A B Movie Actor". It was given to me by j_wolfman , and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It is one of the better biographies I've had the pleasure of coming across. Not only that, but the copy I was given was autographed, and a personal account of the autograph experience was written on the inside of the back cover. Way cool. Thanks again, man!

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Now playing: Journey - I'll Be Alright Without You
via FoxyTunes

After rap and hip-hop killed rock and roll in the late 90's/early 00's, could it be possible that the roots behind this wave of urban black music have exhausted their creativity? This article claims so. After years of pimp-gangsta-ho, it's looking like black artists may be turning to rock music to find their inspiration.

The food industry will lie to you to get you to buy foods that you think are healthy. What are some of the worst myths perpetuated by misleading labels?

Nothing is made in America any more. Or is it? Even though most of our consumer goods seem to come from Japan, America still enjoys the title of number one manufacturer in the world. Read this article to find out more about the realities behind the myth.

Happy Halloween! (update)

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:02:36 GMT

It's been a while. Several factors have conspired to keep me busy, not the least of which are my two new jobs. I'm about two weeks in now, and about as adjusted as I will ever get with them. The factory clean-up job is not hard, although I find myself doing the same things over and over again throughout the workday. Since the machines used to manufacture these automobile parts are drenched with industrial transmission fluid, it dribbles on the floor quite frequently, and it is my job to clean all of it up. I also have to refuel the machines with more transmission fluid once they are getting low. This is done using a barrel with a pump system screwed onto the top, with your every-day gas hose attached. For major spills and catch trays that look like they might be about to overflow, there is another barrel with a pressure system screwed onto it that turns it into a handy vacuum with a liquid suction hose attached. The pace of the work is quite leisurely and I can usually get everything done twice in an eight hour day, typically working from 12pm to 8pm.

Then I go to my second job at Walgreens. I work at their distribution center here, doing something called AKL, which is basically placing sell items of various kinds into tubs that come by on a conveyor belt. The facilities at the DC are quite impressive, but the job itself is really demanding. Speed and accuracy are important, and the job will wear you out quickly. I'm currently on a three week evaluation trial. If I do well enough, I will be hired on after this. So far I think I have been doing all right...In any case, I'm currently only working part time there, from 9pm to 1 in the morning. Also, I am beginning to hate so called 'ergonomically designed' bottles. When you grip them at a leisurely pace, choosing one at a time, it works excellently, but when you have to move a whole bunch of them very quickly, they tend to fly right out of your hands. And I never realized how dangerous shampoo bottles can be-I gouged myself on one of them and frequently hurt my fingers trying to grab one just right.

Then I do it all again the next day.

In other news, I got the last official thing I needed to complete my Journey collection: The MTV Raised On Radio documentary. It's the band's second documentary after "Frontiers & Beyond", and offers a look into the band at a period in their careers where the music took a very interesting turn, growing from casual rock into something more sophisticated. Steve Perry was the principle factor behind that charge, and from what I remember It did put something of a strain on the band, especially when Perry convinced their management to let go of drummer Steve Smith and bassist Ross Valory, a longtime member and a founding member. He replaced them with Randy Jackson and Michael Baird. I think Perry said that the decision was made because of musical differences and wanting to get the new sound he was experimenting with just right. The year was 1986 and I cannot fathom whatever possessed Randy Jackson to wear such outlandish costumes. It's funny to watch them though; The styles they're all wearing appear to be a mixture of 80's and 90's styles.

Umm, let's see, what else? Well, if you want some free music, check out my review which finally went through. Act quickly though, I don't know how long it will last.

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Now playing: Journey - I'll Be Alright Without You
via FoxyTunes

They say that all myths and legends have some basis in reality. Well, some archaeologists believe that we've finally found the lost city of Atlantis.

Here's 25 health tips I found from a doctor online.

Oops! Looks like one of our naval ships accidentally fired on Poland while a gun was being serviced. Hope they're good sports about it.

Victory of a Lifetime

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:30:23 GMT

So yesterday I woke up to this in my inbox:

You used to have the worldwide best score for: into your arms by journey
Now the Audiosurf player 'berlinjeans' has beaten you. Launch Audiosurf and reclaim the top spot!
View scores for into your arms by journey

I couldn't take that sitting down! I went into Audiosurf yesterday and kicked some serious ass. What was probably my greatest victory to date however, was my unexpectedly making the global champion on my first run through "Love Of A Lifetime" by Firehouse under the 'pro' difficulty. So I went back to it today and made the global top scores for 'casual' and 'elite' as well. :)

It's a damn good power ballad. If you haven't heard it before, check it out!

In other news, I have a new review out. The House Of 1000 Corpses, Rob Zombie's first film. I got an opportunity to watch it recently and found it to be mostly disappointing. Considering that Rob Zombie is a hardcore horror fan himself, I was expecting him to avoid falling into some of those common horror film traps, but instead it seems like he flung himself headlong into them. The result is a movie that feels disconnected from itself; like a collection of scenes made for different films that were edited together to form a whole. Hopefully his other movies are better, although I've heard some mixed reviews for his Halloween films.

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Now playing: Firehouse - Love of a Lifetime
via FoxyTunes

A new religious painting was made recently, that's been stirring up a lot of controversy. The artist is a relative unknown who claims that the painting came to him in a dream. I really like it and the symbolism behind it, but I wonder if it couldn't be a sign of something more. When I first saw it, I thought it might be a portent. Perhaps it is God's way of warning us that America is going to end soon, or perhaps it is a hint at what will cause our nation's downfall? This assumes, of course, that the dream was a product of divine inspiration. No one can really tell now, but I get the feeling that this painting will become important sometime in the future.

Did you know that Magenta isn't really a color? It doesn't actually exist on the color spectrum.

An interesting list of 25 things that you didn't know about your body and health.

What's new

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:38:16 GMT

Well, there's some interesting stuff happening in the Journey world these days. There are only 10 shows left in the Revelation Tour, after which the boys plan to take a break and set aside some dedicated time to work on their next album. They have a DVD of the Manila concert coming out this month. Also, I heard a rumor that Gregg Rollie, their original lead singer and keyboardist, joined them at a Texas concert and enabled them to bust out some really old numbers from the set list. Good times! I don't think he will return to the band at this point, but it would be nice to see him doing some collaborative writing and possibly even some guest work on future releases and tours.

I bought Audiosurf, which is on discount during this weekend for around $4 through Steam! It's a great game, which takes any song on your computer and turns it into a racetrack. Voice oscillation, tempo, speed, bass, waveform....all the stuff that makes up those melodies become components in the track. As the song plays, you have to collect points which are strategically placed throughout the track. All in all, good fun, and I even have the global top score on a few of the songs in my collection! Here's my Audiosurf page, if anyone is interested.

I've been adjusting to my new job. Went in for overtime today, the first day I've worked unsupervised. Did a lot of cleaning around the warehouse, mopping up transmission fluid and sweeping up whatever crap accumulates on the shop floor. It's hard work, but it's good work. The kind of job anyone can do, but which one must be dedicated to do well. I'd say I'm pretty dedicated to it, as I've already received a lot of compliments about my work.

Just keep in mind that my working full time is going to mean I'm around less often during the weekdays. If certain events turn out in my favor, I might get even busier than that. Hopefully, I should still have time on the weekend to take care of rp obligations.

Oh, and before I forget, here's my most recent movie review, this time for Clerks, the 1994 black and white film about Murphy's Law and the working man.
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Now playing: Journey - The Pride Of The Family
via FoxyTunes

The Salton Sea, the most polluted state park in the United States. Formerly the largest inland body of water in California and an important fishery. Now there is only an 80 mile stretch of abandoned beach towns half buried in the toxic sand. I wonder if they'll ever manage to clean this place up?

So you are driving on the highway, minding your own business when suddenly you come across an overturned truck and 40,000 pounds of sausage in the road. Think that's funny? Check out some of these other bizarre road spills.

Rotten Tomato's list of the 100 worst movies of the last 10 years. I think they missed a few and put a few in there that didn't deserve it.

Staind/Creed Live in Concert!

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 05:40:27 GMT

That's right! The first venue of the Full Circle Tour is viewable for free until tomorrow! Aside from it being an awesome rock concert, it was also being filmed for Creed's upcoming DVD, and the band got an award for breaking the world record for most cameras used during an event!

I took some pictures...Well, more of screencaptures really, but still, it was a good concert.

Staind

Creed

Ugh

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:22:53 GMT

Argh, I must have gone mad. I joined up with half a dozen survey sites yesterday in my frustration. Made about $10 between them. Most of them want you to join other sites or sign up for "special offers" that end up costing you in the long run. Like, far more than you would make at these places. It's the same shit I dealt with back when I played Neopets (long story. Not even I'm sure how I got into that), only this time they give you a few cents each survey instead of worthless points. And the fact that I don't qualify for most of the surveys is rather ironic. If I could sum up my life with a single phrase, it would be this: "Does not qualify". It's a recurring theme.

Anyhow. I need to keep my head together. Not all of my problems are going to be magically fixed once I get a job anyways. Though it would help me start taking steps toward independence, which I should have taken years ago. Back to the drawing board.

I think that really, my biggest gripe is that it appears that I have wasted my time and money on a degree that isn't worth anything here. In another town, I could have gotten a job with it right away, but not in Anderson. It's something I probably should have researched before I went to college, the number of places in Anderson hiring people with Associates Degrees in Computer Tech. Oh well.

I think I'm pretty much certain now that what I really want is a career in the Entertainment Industry. Probably something behind the scenes regarding music, movies, or video games. I'm not a musician or much of a programmer, and I'm not sure if I could be a director, but there are still other jobs involved with the making of these things.

While we're on the subject of music, I made my 10th mix-tape disc today, a little later than I had intended after making #9 in July 2008. I had thought of maybe doing something special for it, but in the end, I couldn't think of anything. Many of the songs I put on it are uncharacteristic of what I am normally into, although just as many are quite awesome. Still, I think this one will be called my "unconventional" album. I had to get all of these off my hard drive one way or another, and I couldn't just throw these away.

The Amazing Adrian's Interdimensional Mix 10

1) Live For Loving You by Gloria Estefan
2) Duck Toy by Hampenberg
3) Fly Me To The Bridge (OC Remix) by Jean of mArc
4) Angel by Nine Inch Nails
5) Don't Speak by No Doubt
6) Rainbow Brite And Me by Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids
7) Hitori Janai by DEEN
8) They're Taking The Hobbits To Isengard by Erwin Beekveld
9) Pirates And Emperors by Eric Henry & Jim Coursey
10) Is It Me Or Is It You by Billyote
11) Perry Mason by Ozzy Osbourne
12) You Are A Pirate by Lazy Town
13) You're Pitiful by "Weird Al" Yankovic
14) One Man Army (VG Mix) by computermage
15) Four Vagaries Of Rapture And Release (OC Remix) by Michael Dover
16) Dear Mama by 2pac
17) Laputan Colony GBADub (OC Remix) by mutagene
18) Miss Murder by A.F.I.
19) Zero Gravity by Blank & Jones
20) In My Place by Coldplay

As usual, there is a story behind each of them. I've accumulated these over time and probably have enough for an 11th already, but I'm going to reorganize my mp3's so that I can do some memes first. And I probably won't be able to make it for a while anyways, as I appear to be out of blank discs.

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Now playing: Coldplay - In My Place
via FoxyTunes

Dokken hates chicken, and wants to destroy it.

Norton Antivirus is a piece of shit, but these commercials are awesome.

So it seems more and more colleges are starting to require courses taken abroad. Does this mean that as globalization occurs, poorer students will get left behind? I know I couldn't have done studies abroad, even with my student loans.

So, they say that hackers can spy on you by logging your keystrokes using programs called keyloggers, and potentially pick up anything you type over the internet. But did you know that they can see you by hacking your webcam? That's right, and they say it's shockingly easy. Disturbing.

Some free music and confirmed rumors!

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:04:36 GMT

Well well, looks like there's even more good stuff going on in the music business this year. On a whim, I went to check out Adema's website to see if they were coming back from hiatus anytime soon, and I was met with a pleasant surprise! Seems their original lead singer has decided to rejoin them, and they have gotten back together with their original lineup! They also have a new album coming out this spring, although it is going to be an album full of unreleased songs...still, I can hardly wait!

Now, onto the free music. What led me to check out Adema's myspace page was my being lead to another fellow's myspace by a friend of mine on Second Life. It seems a fellow by the name of Andy Gillion does video game covers in a neoclassical metal style, and has a bunch of free songs available for download, as linked through his myspace. But get this....Andy has recently joined the band Shadow Law, so he's no longer an unsigned artist! They supposedly have a debut album coming soon. It's good to see fresh talent like this being recruited into new bands...and if Shadow Law is any good, they could fill the UK/British slot in my goal to follow a band from every continent/country. Anyhow, this could be a rare opportunity to sample the works of an upcoming musician while he was an unknown.

Also, the popular computer game Dawn Of War 2 had its soundtrack released for free on Steam last month. I haven't listened to it yet, but since the game is a RTS (realtime strategy) like Dawn of War 1 was, I would assume the soundtrack consists of dark and ambient instrumentals.

Also...the band Mea Culpa was dissolved a while back and supposedly released a free album, but the link is dead and since the band was undersigned I can't find it anywhere. Can someone help me find this album? I'd ask the artist for it directly, but I don't have a myspace.

In other news, here's my second review, as promised. This time it is for StarFox Adventures.

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Now playing: Adema - Unstable
via FoxyTunes

An undergraduate student in the US killed a burglar with a samauri sword. Do not fuck with undergrads, people.

Could Harley Davidson be on its way out? Reports show that their customer base isn't getting any younger. Literally!

Want a grilled cheese sandwitch? With these recipes, there's so much more to them than just grilled cheese.

Journey played New Material in my sleep.

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:12:58 GMT

I swear, something must be wrong with me. They did it again! Last time I had a dream in which Journey played a brand new song it was when Steve Augeri had been brought on board, and close to when Arrival came out. That song was a combination ballad/rocker, ironically about accepting change. (It played like a rocker but sang like a ballad. It was really neat.)

But let me tell you about my dream, because it was very untypical. It started when a local school somewhere was hosting a concert series, probably as a fund raiser of some kind, and Journey was one of the bands scheduled to play. I can't remember who the other bands were, although I do remember an announcement saying that The Scorpions had been added to the lineup. Anyways...So we were all in the school's auditorium listening to the bands as they came out on the stage. Huge speakers had been suspended from the ceiling to help the school have that arena sound. Well, after the first band played, some of the systems began to have technical problems, which gave everyone in the audience a time to go out into the hall and buy some food from some of the vendors that had been allowed to set up there. When it became time for Journey to play, there were more delays, and I remember Ross Valory running out with Deen Castronovo to plug back in some of the speakers, Ross actually climbing up to the ceiling to do it! Then, after another brief delay, the opening to Separate Ways started playing, but get this, it was Ross Valory who sang it! lol. After the song, he explained that Arnel was running a little late, as he was in the process of "trying to work something out with Neal", and they might play something new and wanted to record it. He was very gracious and had a small question and answer session with the audience, and asked him if he was still working on his solo album, to which he responded, "I've laid down a few tracks, but I'm still working on it."

Then Neal gave a signal from backstage and the guys all took their places. The music started and Arnel emerged from backstage, waving to the crowd. He threw back a beer and a handful of peanuts before he started singing a song he had just recently written with the band that they were vetting at the concert! It was called "Walking The Thin Red Line" and had guitar-work similar to "Never Walk Away" only the song was a little slower and overall more elegant, like their work on Trial By Fire. Some nice piano in it too from JC. The song was about a young couple facing the challenge of raising children during difficult times. I got through the first verse and part of the chorus before I woke up. I can even remember some of the lyrics!

"Walking The Thin Red Line"

"They just had a daughter together
(something something something) forever
(something something) all of life's whims
and she's forever his...."

"Walking The Thin Red Line...
caught up in hardship and sacrifice (?)..."

That's...all that I can remember. But holy crap, why is it my brain can come up with new songs for other bands, when I can't think of new songs at all when I am awake? Trust me, if I could I would be a musician by now. Judging by what I know of Arnel's writing style from The Zoo, the song seemed very typical of him, which was amazing.

Whew...anyway...I have two more reviews up. Would have blogged about them earlier in the week but I didn't have much else to write about at the time. Now I do. The first review is for the animated movie Dead Space: Downfall, the prequel to the popular Dead Space video game. I'll post the second review tomorrow.

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Now playing: NUTS MAN
via FoxyTunes

Well, the Halo movie may have been a bust, but Microsoft sure isn't letting their contract with these filmmakers go to waste! We have another live action trailer, this time for the Halo spin-off game ODST.

Also, squirrels on crack and/or LSD:

Take heed, pet owners! Seven myths about pets debunked!

Vacationing anyways

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:18:20 GMT

So, rather abruptly, we decided to host some relatives that were in the area and it turned into a big family reunion and a trip to the lake.

Grandpa Ron and Aunt Lanette were touring the eastern seaboard. They traveled up to Maine to see the old lighthouse that they used to live in when Dad was a boy, and then they made their way down south. They brought with them some real Maine blueberries, and while I'm not much of a blueberry fan, I have never had tastier muffins or biscuits. Anyhow, the parents showed them their house despite its perpetual state of incompleteness. They seem impressed with it, particularly the fact that we had our own pool. Though it is quite clearly becoming Fall now, the weather is still warm enough that the pool should still see plenty of use for at least another month. We certainly made use of it while the relatives were down.

Then a day later, everyone went down to the Santee River System down between Columbia and Charleston, where we had rented several cabins for the weekend. The cabins were built right on the dock, so Dad had his boat moored outside. The Santee River System feeds two lakes made by the hydroelectric power plant (Santee-Cooper), and I believe the lake we resided on was Lake Marion. In any case, these lakes and rivers are famous for their robust populations of wildlife. There are supposedly state and world record fish living in the lake, but after venturing out several times over three days, none of the family caught a bite. We did, however, see several fishing cranes, some turtles, deer, and even a raccoon which was running around on the docks. There were also alligators lurking nearby, but we only ever saw them once. At the cabins, we were joined by more family; Aunt Lisa and her daughter Ashley, Uncle Chris and his wife and young children, Connor and Olivia...I can't believe how big those kids have gotten. It seems like only yesterday I heard about them being born. Now Connor is very rambunctious and energetic, and Olivia is old enough to talk to. On the second day of our stay, we had insect problems because the children kept going in and out while the lights of the cabin drew a screen of flying bugs to the door. By the time everyone had left our cabin to bed down ourselves, there were dozens of bugs crawling all over the walls of the cabin. Since I had to sleep in the living room, they kept me up all night by crawling all over my face and in my hair. Though it pained me to do so, I took the opportunity to go home early with Mom, since I did not want to run the risk of becoming increasingly irritable on the final day of the stay.

All said though, it was a rather pleasant vacation and family reunion. Short, but it was great seeing the family again, and wonderful to get out of the house for a change! I had lots of fun, and probably more alchohol than I usually drink in a year. :p

Though next time we rent a cabin at a place with bugs that out of control, I think I am going to invest in one of those plug-in sonic devices that is supposed to drive them off.

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Now playing: Journey - Still She Cries
via FoxyTunes

A moon rock supposedly brought back by United States Astronauts and given to the Dutch Prime Minister in 1969 was recently discovered to have been a chunk of petrified wood all along. The rock, now owned by a Dutch museum, had been insured for over half a million dollars, but an investigation into the stone determined it was actually worth no more than euro 50 (about $70). I wonder if this will damage US-Dutch relations any?

Want free music? Russian glam rockers Jack Riot released some downloadables from their upcoming debut album.

Speaking of music, Oasis broke up almost a week ago when the two brothers that form the core of the band got into a huge fight. With only a minute to stage time, vocalist Liam Gallagher smashed Noel's guitar, causing the guitarist to walk out of the festival and not come back. In spite of a statement his brother made recently that the band was not going to break up, it was publicly announced that the band's European tour was canceled and that the group no longer exists. Noel later released a statement claiming he would never work with his brother again.

Unexpected Bowie

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:17:32 GMT

So, I was doing this Grid Wide Hunt in Second Life, see, and at one of the places I saw David Bowie. Ok, not really. It was actually the band "Linc On The Lake" performing a tribute to the man and his backup band. They put on a rocking show, and I had a good time even though I didn't catch the whole thing. He said that next time he was going to imitate U2.

In other music news, I wrote an album review for "World Play" by the superband Soul SirkUS. Go check it out!

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Now playing: Journey - Every Generation
via FoxyTunes

British missionaries have discovered a new carnivorous plant, one they say is big enough to consume rats.

A 1,224 pound cupcake beat the world record to become the world's largest cupake.

Astronomers have discovered a massive tropical storm forming on Titan, which is believed to be the only planet in the solar system that has weather patterns similar to Earth, even though the weather on that world is driven by methane instead of water.

Memes

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:10:45 GMT

Here's a meme taken from dewhitton:

Created by Auto Insurance.org

Here's one from musiclovers :

Quizzes Girls Games

First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes

"This is the first day of my life, I'm glad I didn't die before I met you..."

Some slow dance songs have such sexy lyrics that nothing is left to the imagination. That's not your style. You don't want to rub up against a hot stranger on the dance floor; you want to share something much more special. Your slow dance song is a confession of feelings, even if you'd never feel comfortable saying this kind of thing out loud. This song has a shy honest beauty, bursting with potential love, but also teetering on the brink of heartbreak. It feels so innocent, it's almost awkward -- like blushing as you ask someone to dance, because the thought of even touching that person's hand is almost too much to bear.

Like this quiz? Send it to a friend!

4% of the people who took this quiz got the same evaluation.

And yet another meme from musiclovers , which is having something of a meme explosion. This one is from av_chick in particular:

Mark the bands you've HEARD OF. Not just the ones you like.

ALTERNATIVE:
[X] Breaking Benjamin
[] Paramore
[X] Panic! At The Disco
[x] Linkin Park
[] The Academy Is...
[x] Coldplay
[X] Three Days Grace
[X] Yellowcard
[] 30 Seconds to Mars
[X] Chevelle
T O T A L S O F A R = 7

COUNTRY:
[x] Rascal Flatts
[x] Carrie Underwood
[x] Leanne Rhymes
[x] Garth Brooks
[x] Dixie Chicks
[x] Kenny Chesney
[x] Tim McGraw
[x] Faith Hill
[x] Shania Twain
[x] Johnny Cash
T O T A L S O F A R = 17

EMO:
[X] Hawthorne Heights
[] Chiodos
[] Forgive Durden
[] Amber Pacific
[] The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
[] From First to Last
[] Senses Fail
[] Underoath
[]Something Corporate
[] Hit The Lights
[] Dear Whoever
T O T A L S O F A R = 18

INDIE:
[] The Hush Sound
[] Eisley
[X] Death Cab for Cutie
[X] Dashboard Confessional
[x] The Killers
[] Yeah Yeah Yeahs
[] Hot Hot Heat
[] Gym Class Heroes
[X] Franz Ferdinand
[x] Modest Mouse
T O T A L S O F A R = 23

METAL:
[x] Slipknot
[x] System of a Down
[X] Disturbed
[x] Metallica
[x] Guns n' Roses
[] Lamb of God
[] Slayer
[] Hatebreed
[X] Killswitch Engage
T O T A L S O F A R = 29

POP:
[] Teddy Geiger
[] Ashlee Simpson
[x] Kelly Clarkson
[x] Jesse McCartney
[x] Avril Lavigne
[x] P!NK
[] The Veronicas
[] Daniel Powter
[X] James Blunt
[x] Natasha Bedingfield
[] Ryan Cabrera
T O T A L S O F A R = 35

POWERPOP/PUNK:
[] Hellogoodbye
[] Cute is What We Aim for
[] Cartel
[] The Click Five
[x] Fall Out Boy
[] Rise Against
[x] Good Charlotte
[x] Bowling for Soup
[x] Relient K
[] Anti - Flag
[x] Simple Plan
T O T A L S O F A R = 40

RAP:
[x] Ying Yang Twins
[] T.I.
[] Paul Wall
[x] TuPac
[] Jamie Foxx
[x] Ludacris
[] Lil' Jon
[x] Outkast
[x] 50 Cent
[x] Kanye West
[x] Notorious B.I.G
[x] Young Jeezy
T O T A L S O F A R = 48

SKA:
[x] Reel Big Fish
[] The Specials
[] Caddies
[] Rancid
[x] The Aquabats
[] Sublime
[x] No Doubt
[] Madness
[] Operation Ivy
[x] Bob Marley
T O T A L S O F A R = 52

ROCK:
[x] Taking Back Sunday
[x] All-American Rejects
[] Motion City Soundtrack
[x] Avenged Sevenfold
[x] Angels and Airwaves
[x] Evanescence
[x] My Chemical Romance
[x] Drowning Pool
[x] Green Day
[x] Blink-182
[] Madina Lake
T O T A L S O F A R = 61

CLASSIC ROCK:
[x] The Beatles
[x] Led Zeppelin
[x] The Rolling Stones
[x] The Cure
[x] The Who
[x] Pink Floyd
[x] Jimi Hendrix
[x] Queen
[x] Poison
[x] AC/DC
T O T A L : 71

Multiply your TOTAL by 2,
Then Re-post this as:
"I am __% OBSESSED with Music."

So, according to this, I am 142% OBSESSED with music.

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Now playing: The Beatles - All You Need Is Love
via FoxyTunes

The host of a true crime TV show in Brazil is under suspicion for ordering murders of people to boost his show's ratings. Police suspect him of having a dual life as a member of a drug faction who made sure television crews were first on the scene when he had put out hits on rivals.

And amusing (and probably dreadfully true) guide for first time IT employees.

A special prosthetic limb was made that is strong enough to support the weight of an amputee elephant.

Moving On

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:15:01 GMT

Well, it took a while, but it has finally happened. I've run out of options. Today was the last day I had to work at the Vocational Rehab Workshop. They did everything they could to help me this time around, but they were unable to find me any work, so now I'm on my own. I applied to my last resort (temp agency) about a week ago, and haven't heard back from them yet. What next? Realistically, the only thing left to me now is to try writing a novel or something, and hope it does well enough to support me until I can find a real job. I'm going to try to file for disability payments and SSI again, as I'm really doubtful these loaner hearing aids will last for very much longer, and I'm going to try to work odd jobs for people whenever I can get them. While doing, I plan to go through my books from school and increase my skills in computer programming. If I can get some method of supplementary income, I can try for certification, although I wonder what good that will do if nobody is interested in hiring entry level computer guys around here. Then there's my ultimate, super, mega last resort of applying in the military, police, or fire department despite my hearing disability. I know the chance of getting hired to any of these institutions are slim, because they'll all be looking for cadets and because I'm hearing impaired and inexperienced, the most I'd be good for is a desk job. Then there's the possibility of finding an online job, but one needs to sort through the crap to find anything legitimate. Depending on how desperate I became, I may attempt to write story commissions on FA. I say this with extreme reluctance because I've never done anything of that sort before, and I know that I'll likely get all kinds of oddball requests.

Suffice it to say, if you or someone you know is considering outsourcing some computer work, please accept me for consideration. I can provide a resume and can even be interviewed over text or phone. Willing to work at foreign wage rates.

It's been far too long since I last made a mix-tape cd (last one was #8 in November 2007). I've recently made a 9th and will probably work on my 10th over the first few weeks of August, as I need to get some of these stray music files off my computer. I don't think I can stop at the 10th one like I had planned...I keep discovering artists that make good songs but poor albums. For now, I have rearranged my collection of cds so that my mix-tapes are stored separately, but I still have quite a few. Will need to get another cd rack in the future, and will need to make sure its' a modular one, as I still have a list of cds that I want that runs over a page in length (and there will be more too, as my musical stars have aligned this year and somehow every musician I'm following is working on something new).

Here's the track listing:

The Amazing Adrian's Interdimensional Mix 9

1) Synthesthesia by A.F.I.
2) What If God Was One Of Us by Joan Osbourne
3) Higher Love by Steve Winwood
4) Lazy Lover by Brazilian Girls
5) Sacrifice by Elton John
6) Star Wars Cantina by Richard Cheese
7) Mario's Tropical Paradise (OC Remix) by Dr. Fruitcake
8) Never Ending Story by Limahl
9) Surface 01 from Goldeneye 64
10) Soilbleed (Version 3) by Grendel
11) The Raven (OC Remix) by Goat
12) White Wedding by Murderdolls
13) Wanna Be A Cowboy by Kid Rock
14) Blue Vacation (OC Remix) by LousySpy
15) It's Not Your Fault by New Found Glory
16) Land Of Confusion by Disturbed
17) Volt Catfish (OC Remix) by Motel Mix
18) Bad Things by Karenis
19) Aerials by System Of A Down

This album represents music I've been sitting on for years and years, even since before I had made my last mix tape cd. So I'll go ahead and call this one my "old" album as the centric theme behind it. It's an ok mix, although my 10th one is looking to be better.

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Now playing: Nintendo 64 - Surface
via FoxyTunes

Sam Raimi is slated to be directing the World Of Warcraft live action movie. On top of this, they'll have one of the writers from The Dark Knight Returns on board, as well as the man who helped found the World of Warcraft series in 1994. Somehow, I still don't think the movie will amount up to much, though it'll probably be a cult hit for sure.

A young boy has surfaced that appears to be allergic to all food. They say the only things he can safely consume is water and a specific brand of lemonade.

Here's an article that lists how to seek aid in times of debt and joblessness. Sometimes it's a matter of survival.

At the weekend

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:35:13 GMT

Stuff keeps going on, as always, and I'm afraid I haven't been keeping the journal up to date. I keep waiting on a few things that just seem to drag on and on...

This weekend, an aunt and uncle are coming down to stay with us, as they are coming through the area while on the way to some place else. Since my room is the most finished room in the house (note that I said "most finished", not "done"), I am getting forced out of my room so that they will have a place to stay. I almost want to say "No", but that would probably make me look concieted, and I can't argue with my parents. The fact that things are the way they are is largely because of their utter failure to get past the "moving in" point of buying a new house. I wouldn't mind it so much if they hadn't set aside at least three days to get my room finished and then not done it. And then my mom gets all flustered and tells me to put things up that I have no place for, because I'm waiting on that last piece of furniture...I'm just so tired of how they do things around here. So back into the storage room I go. This means I probably won't be on for ceg_lylat sessions this weekend, or able to do much with the computer at all. It could also mean difficulties for me getting in to work, since they'll be staying some over the week too.

Saw some more live concerts on Second Life. Good stuff this time around. The first was during SL6B, and I've been holding onto it until I had more to write about in my journal. After catching The Invisible Band! in concert again, I did some walking around SL6B and came upon SharonLee Windlow and her stage. She was doing a late show, and I decided to risk my bed time to see her performance. She calls it "Pixel Music Productions", and she mentioned that she was working on a cd but doesn't actually have anything available yet. According to her profile, she's got a nice set of credentials, playing live venues at 14, studying music in high school, and spending 3 years at the Royal Conservatory of Music. What does she play? Chiptunes! lol, seriously. She composes her own chiptune electronica. And it's really not that bad. Some of her songs sounded better put together than most chiptunes that come to mind (IE, video game soundtracks from the 80's and early 90's). They're original songs, and well written, so I'm not complaining. Not so sure that she was actually playing live at the venue though, as she was able to talk to us while playing her songs; she claimed she could perform some of them with only one hand (they were all programmed into her keyboard synthesizer).

The second concert I actually just saw yesterday, ath the anniversary party for Prim & Pixel Paradise, a vendor that I like. They had this guy there named Niles Compton. He had the most amazing voice. While he bills himself as a country music singer, he's kind of like a countrified Arnel Pineda in that he can cover just about anything admirably well. He did songs by Coldplay and other rockers, for example, and sounded fantastic. Now, he claims that he once had his own band and played opening shows for Johnny Cash and Sammi Smith, but he played nothing but covers throughout the concert and kind of dodged the question when I asked him if he had any of his own material. Still, great singing voice. He could probably go places if he could develop his own tunes.

Not the best performers in SL, but going to their shows wasn't a bad experience. I've heard worse.

Speaking of music and cds, I picked up a copy of Soul SirkUS's album, since the Journey Store was having a sale last month. It's one of Neal Schon's side projects. He originally intended to do it with Sammy Hagar, but the man got re-involved with Van Halen before they could record any of the songs they had written. Not to be discouraged, Neal recruited Jeff Scott-Soto instead, based on his reputation. This was the collaboration that more or less directly led to Soto's being hired by Journey after Steve Augeri had to bow out during the latter half of the Generation tour. It's not bad stuff either. Neal and Soto wrote all of the songs on the album except for one which Neal wrote with Hagar. It's a harder hitting album than what Schon usually does. It also confirms my suspicion that Soto would have changed Journey's sound if they had kept him on. He does do melodic rock and can swing the Journey sound, but in his own writing I think he tends more toward the harder rock range. I'm sure he could have written some excelent songs with the J-boys, but it's likely that those songs wouldn't have sounded much like classic Journey. Of course, we still don't know how Arnel Pineda will write with them, but at least he has the range to sing all of Journey's songs...Soto did not.

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Now playing: Journey - Stone in Love
via FoxyTunes

He's the biggest criminal of our generation, and will go down in history with the likes of Al Capone and Jesse James. He's the swindler Bernard Madoff, who cheated investors out of millions in the biggest investor fraud ever committed by a single person. For his crimes, he was sentenced to 150 years in prison; consecutive terms without parole. What' s really scary is the fact that it took the onset of economic depression to unmask him and others like him. Although I think hands down, Madoff will historically be the worst.

Want to listen to some free music? Here's a list of 30+ awesome sites for streaming audio.

Also, It seems that someone landed the first ever double backlfip in a motorcross run recently. Legendary!

Losing hope

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:44:05 GMT

Things have been moving along, I guess. Starting to lose hope on the job front, so I'm just taking things one day at a time. My time at the workshop ends July 3rd, so I've got about a week left of any kind of employment before I'm on my own again.

And the future is pretty uncertain, but I'm starting to feel as though The Dream is dead. With everything lining up the way it is, I don't think we'll get back to good times, probably for the remainder of my generation's lives. With the latest threat from North Korea, I'm convinced that World War 3 and nuclear bombardment is the 2012 disaster Nostradamus predicted. Even if the war turns out to be relatively benign (in the way of US casualties), it would be an addition to the two wars we have already going in the Middle East, and there's just no way we could fight or pay for military operations on three different fronts. And that is on top of the looming fiscal crisis brought on by the number of senior citizens becoming disproportionate to the population of adults worldwide. Since the latest depression has evaporated baby boomer's retirement funds, as they age they are going to rely more heavily on the government, and the government is pretty broke as it is. They say that Medicaid will become insolvent as early as 2017. As if that wasn't enough, some economists are predicting that once the economy does recover (assuming the above events don't derail any recovery) hyperinflation is going to set in. And then there are the effects of Global Warming, which the government is too corrupt to address, and which will slowly but steadily affect the living quality of subsequent generations.

The 00's have been a decade defined by disasters on a global scale. While we aren't facing anything near the scale of the Black Death, I'll be damned if it doesn't get oppressive sometimes. If worse comes to worse, I'd at least like to have someone to hold when the shit hits the fan.

There, done venting.

I recently ordered a DVD of Journey's Frontiers And Beyond. It's the 1983 documentary filmed for the band by the NFL, probably in return for the band's sponsorship of the football season of those years. It was released on VHS in 1984 as a Journey Fan Club exclusive, and as far as I am aware, that was the end of it. I ordered this CD/DVD set knowing full well that it was probably going to be a bootleg, but when I got it the production value was so good that I'm no longer sure of where it came from. It might actually be a limited-release promo, or something that was released many years ago but is no longer in print. The DVD itself is just a straight rip of the VHS. No menus or anything. Decent quality though. There doesn't appear to be any obvious aging...

The documentary is very much old school. It does, however, do an excellent job of showing how the band functioned at the height of their career, following the road crew as they tour arenas throughout the United States. It is an absolute trip to watch, because it is a poignant glimpse back into a time when the culture of the 80's was hitting its stride. It makes me wonder where all the 80's chicks have gone, because ridiculous as it sounds, I really find them attractive. The band is in top form, too. It is actually strange to see them so young. Stranger still to see Jonathan Cain come out from behind his grand piano and just totally rock out with Neal on a double-necked guitar. The music video for Faithfully is composed entirely of clips from this documentary.

I'm going to try and get in touch with the seller and see if I can get him to tell me where these discs came from. I don't really care if they are bootlegs, as that's the only way you can find them these days, and the quality on these are very good. My only gripe is that the CD portion of the set desperately needs to be remastered and that the video isn't closed captioned.

So chalk it up to my collection being one step closer to completion!

My room is almost done. All that is left is to install new shelving in the closet and bring up a dresser unit. Then I should be free to move the remainder of my stuff in here (assuming I can get to it by myself) and go through everything to determine what I am keeping and what I am getting rid of. I might be making offers to trade here later, although I don't expect I'll get any offers.

As for real plans after I get out of the work program, I'm going to try to not be as fatalistic in my outlook as I am feeling today; I get in these funks sometimes though. I feel better about it having vented. Anyhow, since my room is about done and I've got my stuff mostly unpacked now or at least where I can get to it, I'm going to crack open my school books and start making a dedicated effort to improve my skills in the way of web development and programming. I'm also going to attempt to bone up for some of the basic certs I can get...basically just go as far as I can with an associates degree level education. There may not be jobs around here, but if I get good enough, maybe I can freelance on the cheap for small businesses looking to build a web presence or something. Anything, you know? I will need to improve my skills first. On top of this, I intend to check into the temp agency, even if I end up working a dangerous factory job like my brother is...Plus there is also a job offer as a typist, but I need to get my wpm up to 85, so I'll be practicing that. May not be able to do it though, because from what I hear it is typing up recordings, and with my hearing being the way it is...

Oh yeah, and I just heard about the death of Micheal Jackson. I'm not partcularly a fan of his music, but the sudden death of a man who was so important to popular culture still comes as a huge shock. I find it ironic though, that his death would happen at a time when he is the least relevant in the world that he's ever been. His comeback album was a failure, and his behavior over these past few years has been downright bizarre. He went from being the most influential pop icon in the world to being the media approximation of a clown. But there can be no doubt that he contributed heavily to the shape that the 70's and 80's took, musically and to a lesser extent, socially. Heck, if I'm not mistaken, he was only the second artist after Journey to get his own video game. I wonder though...now that the "King of Pop" is dead, who will inherit the throne?

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Now playing: Sonata Arctica - Fullmoon
via FoxyTunes

What a surprise! Young raccoons inside a soda machine.

Young Raccoons Saved from Pepsi Machine @ Yahoo! Video

Lucky or unlucky? A 93 year old man was discovered to have survived both atomic bombs dropped in Japan, making him the world's only documented doulbe-A bomb survivor. While the human toll is always going to be catastrophic when you drop a nuke in a densely populated area, this man proves that nuclear strikes are survivable if things roll in your favor.

A wife in Connecticut became so desperate to get her husband's attention that she handcuffed herself to him.

The verdict is in...

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 03:03:59 GMT

My suspicion seems to have been correct: My Associate's Degree is completely worthless in Anderson right now. The other day I was able to meet with a representative from the South Carolina Work Commission, and she was unable to find me anything that I was qualified for. This is the exact same situation that happened last time I tried going through a temp agency (years ago, when I was still new to the area), and what originally led me to go to college.

It's just a bad string of circumstances that has completely derailed my life. I feel like I have no purpose now, nor do I have much hope of finding a real job anytime soon. If I could enlist, I would do it in a heartbeat...but they'll never take me with my disability.

Speaking of which, my left ear is totally blocked. Mom says I'll have to go to a doctor; she's afraid it might be an infection. I really don't know how I'm going to pay for that though. I suppose it could be worse.

Things came to a head regarding my room today. We got one of the dressers up, and then the parents got all upset when I took the opportunity to clear out my closet since I now had a place to store my clothes. I've spent most of the afternoon fighting with them, but that's all right; my room is now mostly done. I don't know why it is they choose to procrastinate so much regarding things of such importance (hello? comfort at home?), but I've got most of my stuff situated so I can live comfortably now, so I'm washing my hands of it. They can take however many years to get themselves unpacked as they want.

So things have been rather crazy over here lately. Between commitments in Second Life and the real world, I've been hella busy; although I think I am going to cut back on the former some. I did grab some more free music though; My first Halloween on livejournal, I shared some free music by these artists, but they have since put out some new albums. Antipode has released Superscape as well as an EP, while Doug The Eagle has released his Three Little Pigs album. Haven't had much of an opportunity to listen to them yet though. I also had a freind introduce me to Doctor Steel, which seems really curious. (I'm sure scltspider would get a kick out of it, though!)

On top of all this, I'm trying to get back into forum rp, especially in the Gaming Guardians, and possibly in ceg_lylat too. We shall see.

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Now playing: Neal Schon - My Past Life
via FoxyTunes

A dog in Berlin found a batch of unused American hand grenades from World War 2. A fortituous find considering that the anniversary of D-Day was only recently. Authorities where able to defuse the grenades successfully.

In 1994, a confused woman was found wandering a New Jersey shopping mall. Now, 15 years later, they finally know who she is.

It turns out that going to the gym can be a threat to your health! The vast majority of personal trainers are untrained themselves, face no peer review in order to enter the profession, and are often shortchanged by gyms trying to save money.

Updates and The Orange Box

Thu, 28 May 2009 23:05:00 GMT

Memorial Day was uneventful, but I still feel as though my weekend was unexpectedly busy. I discovered that Steam was hosting a free weekend for Team Fortress 2, so I broke down and downloaded it, deciding that I could go ahead and get a start on earning rewards for my own account. I was surprised to discover that not only were they offering it for free that weekend, but they had also marked down the price severely. At only $9.99 or so, I felt it was such a good deal that I just had to splurge on it. So now I can wash my hands of that bit of unfinished business left over from Christmas. As for the Orange Box, which I had originally offered up for trade, nobody wanted it. I'll probably keep it to play the Half-Life expansions (which don't have achievements, so account doesn't matter). Once that's done with, I may decide whether or not I want to pawn it off.

Anyhow, I've really been digging Team Fortress 2. Wasn't sure about the new direction they where taking it in, but when I saw the first few of those advertisements for the game and realized that the new look was a part of giving the classes their own personalities, I was sold. I played that game for most of the weekend, so I'm still pretty new at it, however, I am quickly learning. My favorite by far is the Scout, although I seem to perform best with either the Pyro or the Heavy. Since I obtained most of the unlockables for the Pyro, I'm working on completing his achievements first. I absolutely suck with the Engineer, so that's one class I need more practice with. Here's some snapshots of my adventures:

For those of you who might be interested in tracking me down on Steam for some reason, my handle is [For]titude there. Also, while I am retracting my offer for the Orange Box (nobody was interested anyways), I did get a free three day pass for Team Fortress 2 if anyone is interested in it.

Aside from that, I helped xinxiao and j_wolfman get situated in Second Life. xinxiao also introduced me to a new band that I might be interested in. They're brand new, with their debut just out this year. They call themselves Halestorm. I also reaquainted myself with the Songfight archives and discovered another musician called Mailbox who is offering his entire discography for free. I downloaded his latest album, "Irrelevant", although I haven't had the chance to listen to it yet. I'll write a review later.

Speaking of music, I saw the most amazing show over the weekend too, called "Around The World For Free." In it, this guy is trying to travel around the world without any money of his own; he is relying solely on the kindness of strangers to get him from place to place. It's unlike any other travel show in that you get the real sense of adventure by going along with him. And you are shown the real people of the world, which the other travel shows tend to gloss over. It's really neat, and if it ever gets consolidated onto a collection of DVD's, I'll probably make it the first television show I add to my collection. Anyhow, in South Africa, the fellow was treated to a concert in this bar by a band called The Dirty Skirts. They sounded interesting, so I looked them up and I think I might like them. This would help my goal of following at least one band from every continent considerably, being the only African band that I'm currently aware of. The problem is that it doesn't look as though they are selling any of their albums to locations in the United States. A pity, because I won't buy their stuff if I can't get a hard copy.

Still haven't gotten any offers on the job front, although my brother claims the temp agency he works with is needing new people right now. I am going to give that a try and see if they hire me; with an Associate's Degree, my chances there should be increased dramatically. Progress on my room is proceeding at a somewhat faster clip now, although it is looking like it will drag on into yet another month. At the risk of unbalancing the harmony of this family, I think I'm just going to move in on the first, regardless as to whether the room is finished or not. A single room should not take them 5+ months to paint, and I've given them all winter and all spring to work on it. They are like the landlord that says they'll fix something but ultimately never do. Eventually, you have to take matters into your own hands when you get tired of living with the problem.

Still hoping I can get a job soon. DefCon is probably out at this point, since even if I do get hired, It'll most likely be too soon to request time off (and I'm pretty sure you don't request time off if you're only a temp). Of course, if I don't get hired at all I'll pretty much go back to being dependant on my parents, and I want to do everything in my power to keep that from happening. They say that the depression is ending, but at the age of 25, if I have to go back to being a dependant, I'll probably still be living with my parents well into my 30's trying to save up enough to live on. All things considered though, I think my lack of transportation is the root problem of all my issues. If my parents don't want to take me back and forth to a job once I get hired, I need to move in with someone who does, because there's no other way I'll be able to save up to get a car of my own.

Oh, and I wrote another book review. This one is for an old Y2K survival book that was written in 1997. It was an interesting and amusing read, especially with the hindsight nearly a decade offers. The book is called "Time Bomb 2000" by Edward and Jennifer Yourdon.
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Now playing: Alan Silvestri - Theme From "Flight of the Navigator"
via FoxyTunes

An economist claims that the recession is now over based on statistical data.

The economics of automobile colors. What is trendy today, and how does that compare with trends in the past?

Supposedly, there is a way to practice divination and develop your ESP skills based on your astrological sign.

A meme and some stuff

Thu, 21 May 2009 01:21:55 GMT

Here's a meme from skunktaur :

Your result for The Steampunk Style Test...

The Gadgeteer

36% Elegant, 52% Technological, 33% Historical, 24% Adventurous and 40% Playful!

You are the Gadgeteer, the embodiment of steampunk technology. Ironically, many of the things that most define your style are probably too large to easily carry about, but given the opportunity you would prefer to be seen surrounded by boiler engines, gear-driven calculators, and incredible automata. Of all the steampunk fashion styles, you place the greatest emphasis on technological accessories, and you are the most likely to create elaborate gadgets that are as much a part of your outfit as your clothes. You probably have goggles, but unlike most people you consider them to be for more than decoration. Whereas most people might look odd carrying a satchel of tools around, for you they may well be essential. Above all, you remind everyone that what sets the genre apart from Victoriana is simply the level of technology.

Take The Steampunk Style Test at HelloQuizzy

In other news, Journey has reached another milestone in their illustrius careers. The song "Don't Stop Beleiving" has just become the most downloaded song in the history of the Internet, reaching a grand total of 2 million in sales and counting! The ironic thing is that the song wasn't even a #1 hit for the band when it charted, although it certainly did chart high for the band at #8. And now, after being ITune's top seller for nearly a decade, it has essentially become a permanent #1 hit for the band. Congratulations to the guys on making rock history...again!

There's also a movement to get them into the Hall of Fame, and their "Escape" album has been chosen as #1 of the top 600 albums by Rock Report.

While the subject is on music, I wrote an official review to spread the word about Coldplay's free album. You can find it here.

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Now playing: Journey - When You Love a Woman
via FoxyTunes

Facebook has restructured recently, making a blatant greedy grab for all of their user's content. A new clause in their rules basically state that everything you post on Facebook essentially becomes their property for commercial use.

A 47 million year old primate fossil is being hailed as the long saught "missing link" in human evolution. Could this really be the final proof that humans evolved? Will it have as much of an impact on paleontology as people say it will? That much remains to be seen.

The same blog carries a blurb about a new book that someone wrote: "Idiot America: How Stupidity Became A Virtue In The Land Of A Free". This is deeply releiving for me, because for a while I was afraid that maybe I was the only one who noticed. I think maybe I'll try to track it down. It looks like an excellent and accurate discussion on the social state of America in today's world.

The Music of Second Life

Wed, 20 May 2009 01:43:57 GMT

I found some awesome song parodies to share with you. You'll get a bigger kick out of them if you know the culture behind Second Life, but these songs are pretty well done.

The artist is called Foolish Frost.
"Avatar", a parody of "Rockstar" by Nickelback

"Sweet Home On The Mainland" a parody of "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynard Skynard

"Lindens Lament" a parody of "Piano Man" by Billy Joel

"Prim In My Hand" a parody of "Stone In My Hand" by Everlast

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Now playing: Foolish Frost - Prim in my hand
via FoxyTunes

Meet The Spy

A small community doctor used a power drill to save a boy's life.

A boy in North Carolina held up a store with a banana and then ate it while he was captured.

News from Journey!

Sun, 17 May 2009 01:15:16 GMT

So the other day an announcement went out through the Journey website announcing the first news we've heard in the greater part of the year. Neal Schon himself came on to write what the band had in store on his blog. Not only are they in the process of writing a new album (this time with Arnel contributing), but they have two DVD's coming out; a doccumentary on Arnel's first year with the band, and the DVD of their Manila "homecoming" concert! All in all, they've been very busy this year.

Neal also left us with a little teaser of his own:

On top of this information, I also hear that Creed is getting back together and are working on a new album of their own! Surely, this is the year for my musical interests. It seems like almost all of the bands I'm following are putting out something new.

As for me, I went to a job fair yesterday. I was told that Walgreens wasn't going to hire me this time around, but my name was still on the waiting list and would remain there until they found an opening for me. In the meanwhile, I put in applications to every company that came to the fair, and did interviews with the ones who sent representatives. I feel as though I've hit it off rather well with them, in spite of having to compete with just about everybody else in the program. Put more effort into it than I usually do, so I might have more of a chance. Of course, there is always the transportation issue, and I was pretty upset when my mom implied that she wouldn't take me if I did get hired.

I need to get out of this town. Crime has gotten so bad here. First there was that drive by shooting on Applebees a few years ago, and now word is going around that a gunman came in and shot all the employees working at a Hardees in the area. A friend of mine made an offer to me to put me up in California if I can't find a job here. If I'm not able to work something out, I may have to seriously consider taking her up on that offer. My mom is getting so paranoid, I'm worried that she might actually try to keep me at home rather than let me go out and make a life for myself.

But I've still got a chance for now, so I'll see how things play out.

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Now playing: Backstreet Boys - As Long As You Love Me
via FoxyTunes

If you thought the Burger King Mask was creepy enough, just wait until you check out the latest ads. The King has gone Klingon.

A lizard with lineage dating back to the dinosaurs has been found in the wild for the first time in 200 years.

Coldplay is offering a free live album at their website, of which hard copies will be given away at their concerts.

New Playlist!

Thu, 07 May 2009 18:50:39 GMT

I got a new playlist for Spring! Putting it up in my profile too, but here it is, for those who care to listen:

A Furry Journey Cover

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:32:27 GMT

OMG

Check it out!

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:23:17 GMT

Here's a cool new widget I discovered! I'll be putting it in my profile and shuffling songs around on my playlist roughly once a month, so keep checking back!

What a weekend...

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:57:30 GMT

Even though I didn't actually go anywhere this weekend, enough happened online that I still feel emotionally exhausted.

In Second Life, two of my long time friends, Feenix and Purple, where wed (they had already tied the knot IRL; the digital wedding was held just to throw a party/give friends from around the world the chance to participate). I took lots of photos; I probably spent a lot more than I should have uploading them (every upload is 10$L), but I dun care. It was fun, and the bride and groom seemed impressed with a few of them. This isn't the first wedding I've been to in Second Life, and they all play out a bit differently.

This is Feenix and Purple, before the ceremony. The bat is one of the "sword bearers" (think bridesmaid).

Wedding Guests! I'm in there somewhere...

The Sword Bearers take their positions in support of their friends. Yes, the wolf has a lightsaber. Its buzzing was so loud, I couldn't hear the ceremony, but then again, I was helping the couple out by being a stand-in photographer, so I had to get right up to it. One of the hazards of photography, I guess.

The Ceremony. The presiding dragon is played by a very dear friend of mine, Almira. She is also Feenix's daughter in real life, from an earlier marriage. The two of us had grown distant as I completed my schooling, and that's one of the things I still regret. She ran the ceremonies very well.

A kiss and a hug, and things are golden!

Yay! Newlyweds!

Then we went to the much neglected Club Geek for the "reception". This club was one of my prominent hangouts 3 years ago when I first got involved in Second Life, and was where I first met Almira and Purple. It has since fallen into disuse, but remains standing; a tremenduous feat in the constantly shifting nature of Second Life. Here we where treated to some LIVE MUSIC! The Invisible Band is shown here, and even though the audio stream kept cutting in and out for me, let me tell you, these guys where fantastic. They've been around since the early 80's, have over 20 albums under their belt, and are composed entirely of furries! After they played there set, there was another live musician but I am embarrassed to say that I got a little distracted by joining a group of drunken dancers dancing naked on the club bar. Don't worry though; In Second Life, the newlyweds encourage you to do this. X3 It was a lot of fun, with just the right amount of mayhem and hijinks to pay homage to these two great personalities.

Let's see, what else happened. Oh yeah. I got a new job as a DJ at another club in Second Life, to replace the one I had just lost. Clubs really are having a hard time lasting in Second Life now. I don't know if it's the economy or what, but so far every place I've been hired at has gone down the tubes. Oftentimes before I can make a name for myself. That's ok though. I'm not trying to be a super-popular DJ like graveyardgreg . I guess I just want to get a small following of folks who appreciate my musical tastes. After all, I typically play songs that the radio won't ever touch: non-hits by popular bands, songs gleaned from the internet, independant artists...and it's all good. Mostly rock.

Outside of Second Life, things became a bit of a roller coaster ride. We've had what might amount to our first real player character death in ceg_lylat since I joined. It was a very well played scene and emotions where quite high. The character who died was one that everyone unquestionably had some kind of investment in. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say that he had come to embody the very game. It will be interesting to see how things play out, since my character is very hurt by it, and another character got on her bad side during the initial pandemoneum. However, it leaves some of us at a loss because of these heavy investments, not the least of which include the player of the deceased, who I feel a little bad for; this was her main, and it certainly wasn't planned. Still, in any rpg there's always that possibility there, and as long as fun is had, it can be worth it. It was still a fun session, and very interesting seeing how the characters reacted to it. There where a few surprises.
I've got a hunch it isn't the end for this character though. I think our GM has something in mind for him, though how long it will take to play out remains to be seen. The game was so emotionally charged though, that I didn't get any sleep at all last night, so I slept most of today. Curse you ~~Richards!~~ j_wolfman !

Also, there's no doubt about it now. My jaw is fucking shot. I can't even open my mouth wide enough to get a spoonful of cereal in without experiencing some pain, and solid foods like hamburgers and hot dogs are a real pain to eat. I'm not concerned about my health because the pain isn't bad enough that I can't eat through it, but it's damn annoying. I can't afford to see a doctor about it, so I'm going to just have to live with it for now, but I'm already tired of having to pry my mouth open every time I want to take a bite of some solid object. It feels like one of the muscles in there is in the wrong place, and I have to stretch it painfully every time I open my jaws beyond a certain point. It's probably easy to fix (if expensive), but I just hope it doesn't deteriorate before I can afford to have a professional look at it.

Oh, and I also heard about the death of </a></b></a>evil_dwagon, a prominent member of the furry fandom. I didn't know the guy personally, but he must have made one hell of an impact judging by the outpouring for him. He was one of the convention medical staff on hand for many years, and some people give him credit for saving their very lives. Quite a legacy. I wish I had the money to go to these conventions; then I could meet these people in person, before it's too late.

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Now playing: Journey - Remember Me
via FoxyTunes

We're all familiar with those loveable characters on The Muppets and Sesame Street by now, but did you know the origins behind some of the characters? I was surprised to discover that many of them had had gigs prior to their appearances in the aforementioned popular shows.

What do you do when you have a technical problem and don't have the skills or money to apply a technical fix? You find a way to work around it. Here are some surprising home remedies for dealing with fauly electronics.

A man in Boynton Beach was arrested after dialing 911 because the Burger King he was at had run out of lemonade.