amazingadrian

So far so good. Just completed the first day working two jobs. Surprising thing is that I don't really feel tired. We'll see how that goes as the week wears on! Not much to talk about today, as we're still going through orientation. I switched to second shift at my cleaning job, and I'll be working part-time there now, since training at the distribution center is full-time. However, we are expecting to "graduate" into part-time work at the d.c., so I'll switch back to full time at my cleaning job then. My schedule is going to be all topsy-turvy this week, and I have no idea where it's all going to end up! lol

Wrote a review for the legendary classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I don't think you need my review to tell you to watch it, and chances are, if you're on my friends list, you've probably seen it already. However, if you haven't, and been curious as to what all the hub-bub surrounding the film has been about, you might want to check out my article.

So, I don't have much personal time any more. I'm just squeezin' this post in before I go to bed. However, tonight was an anomaly in that I had to stay an extra hour because Dad was already in town for a fishing club meeting, so he came to get me after that.

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Now playing: Doug and The Slugs - Making It Work
via FoxyTunes

Check out some of these hot new prototypes, such as a laptop that rolls up into a tube and a fully functional personal computer in your...steering wheel? Ok, maybe some of these ideas aren't so hot.

Lindon Labs recently cracked down on a bunch of users who were using after-market viewers, banning over 50 individuals. These viewers made it possible to exploit the drm system and copy intellectual property that others had made. This comes at a fortuitous time, since copybotting has been starting to get out of control lately.

The recently released MMO Crime Craft is not even a month old yet and the company that runs it just announced that they were going to remove it's $40 retail price and make it free. The move has been making some serious waves in the gaming community, although the general consensus among players is that the move was made out of desperation by a failing company. I suppose we shall see what happens to the game in the coming months.

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.

A few pictures I've had floating around.




Also, you may remember a while back that I had posted about getting into Mabinogi. Well, I had fallen out of playing it, but I came across an advertisement in the past few days saying that new stuff had been added to it. I decided to get back into it, but apparently whatever they did to the game caused it to break horribly. When I tried to update my version of the game, it consistently hung, and the game uninstalled itself from my computer when I tried to patch it manually. I got an XML Parsing Error when I tried to log into Nexon's site, so I'm sayin' "screw it" and writing off the game. If I wasn't sure if I had wanted to continue playing it or not, I sure as hell don't now. I think I'll stick with Perfect World for now, although a friend of mine suggested Rappelz, which looks good as well.

meh.

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Now playing: [unknown] - Camptown Races
via FoxyTunes   

You know how sometimes when you look up at the sky, you can see shapes in the clouds. Well, here are some pictures of cloud formations that are more than a little creepy in how exacting they are, including a mind boggling one of Jesus.

Meet Koda, the horse the size of a house cat. He is a miniature horse who was born a dwarf.

Why are people so against healthcare that they would stoop to things like this? Do people really believe the shit folks like Palin are ready to spoon feed them about government death panels, health care rationing, and whatever other lies the insurance industry is funding these days? Although, this does raise the amusing  notion that someone could be "pro life" and "anti healthcare". heehee

So I've been kind of touch-and-go posting media reviews to FireFox News as one of their writers. I was asked to do so by one of the people that run the site. I've enjoyed doing so for the most part, but lately I've been contemplating possibly leaving the site. I've got an interview put up that's been waiting approval for over a week now. I understand that Missy and Leva are busy with their own personal lives, but other authors have gotten their articles approved since I posted mine for initial review...And besides, the ad revenue really isn't all it's cracked up to be. For those articles I have written, my all-time earnings are only like $1.08. I make more than that scrimping lindon dollars on Second Life. :/

So yeah, mostly I'm posting here for feedback. Do any of you read my articles? What do you think I should do? I'm not angry or upset at the site or anyone on it, I'm just not sure if it's a time and effort investment worth making any more.

( Filler: More pictures from Second Life )</div>
Bees! A recent baseball game between the Astros and the Padres was delayed because of a sudden massive swarm of bees in the outfield.

A while back (quite a while back) I made a mention about some unusual cakes. Well, here are some divorce cakes.

Also, what is with the rash of celebrity deaths these days? It began with McMahon and seems to just keep going. I'll miss them all, especially comedian Jeff Goldblum, who confirmed his own death on the Colbert Report.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Jeff Goldblum Will Be Missed
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Jeff Goldblum

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.

( About some Second Life concerts I've seen... )
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.</div>

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!

Sudden unexpected opportunities have come up today. For one thing, today was supposed to have been my last day in the job workshop at Vocational Rehab, but they decided to let me stay on for another month since they weren't able to get me into a job anywhere. So that will help a lot. If I work hard and save diligently, I may have enough money for that con that I was considering going to...but I don't know if I will be able to do that; I really can't take days off from the workshop; it's not a real job, so we don't get any vacation time.

My weekend is looking like it'll be pretty busy. In Second Life, I was made aware of a furry festival that one of the clubs I work with will be participating in. It's at IYC all weekend. I will be DJing at the Furpaws booth from 6pm to 8pm SLT on Sunday. It's for a good cause: All donations go to the World Wildlife Fund.

On top of that, I'll also be helping Rez Fantasy release their new wolf avatars, and DJing for Club Attacama's opening day (presumably). So there is lots going on this weekend. My room is almost done too. This weekend we are supposed to be moving up furniture so that I can finally clear out the closet. It's been an absolute mess ever since it collapsed from the weight of all my clothes.

Things are still not where I want to be, but there has been some improvement, I guess.


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Now playing: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Mary Jane's Last Dance
via FoxyTunes    

Finally! It's a bout time. Honda has plans for a flying car.

Honestly, this is really the first time I've ever felt as though my childhood where being violated. Disney is going to remake Flight Of The Navigator. I'm not looking forward to it; it being in the 80's was part of its charm.

Here is an updated list of the most e-mailed photos currently in circulation.

( What's been going on with me... )
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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.

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.

( Song parodies under the cut )

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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.

One of the oldest and largest furry sites on the web, FurNation, has ended today. I was never a part of it, but I used to always remember hearing something about it back when I was first looking into the fandom. I was given the impression that it was good at organizing events, always had a presence at most cons, acted as a publisher for comics or magazines at one point, and simply became one of the points around which the furry fandom gathered around. The website logo became distinctive and familiar. They had a presence in Second Life too, and were responsible for helping to create what has pretty much become the largest group of sims owned by furries.

Today I hung out in Second Life, on what would be FurNation Prime's final day. At around noon, a tour group went through the sim, going over all the establishments on the land. Then Nexxus Ambassador appeared along with the site owners, who stood at all of the places they owned. I stood with one of them and watched as Nexxus flew around the sim along with a small entourage of followers, returning everything on the land until there was nothing left. It was surreal. First the went the freaking Luxor Pyramid at the heart of FurNation worlds, and then the other establishments where pulled up in order from largest to smallest. Trees and paving where taken away too. It all took around a minute and then there was simply a wasteland, and nothing more. Then Nexxus Ambassador himself left for good; one of his friends told me he was going to stop using the account because of all the debt attached to it. FurNation Prime would be returned to the Lindens, and the server sold.

Fortunately Prime is the only sim that is closing down for now, otherwise it'd be the Second Life equivalent of having the furry home planet destroyed. There are other furry sims that are not attatched to FurNation, but FN is the largest furry owned landmass on the grid. Nexxuss himself only owned Prime, so that is the only one that is going. Heroes, Hell, Fusion, Gryphon, ect. will all remain. And the website itself, which has been running since around 1996, will also be taken down. Beyond Second Life, I never really took part in it. In the early days, the few times I'd go to look at it, the interface would be confusing or the site map wouldn't work or perhaps it just wasn't compatible with my browser at all. I eventually gave up on it, but FurNation Prime was one of the first places that I visited when I signed onto Second Life, and I'm a little sad to see it go.

So the recession claims two more losses. Chrysler and FurNation. Is the end in sight?

On Mother's day I saw Star Trek. You can read what I think of it here.

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Still don't believe in Global Warming? The World's Highest Ski Run has completely melted away.

Also, a discussion with a friend of mine recently turned up with this. Doesn't it bring back the memories? The Nineties really was the decade of awesome. Someone aught to petition Pepsi to bring this stuff back. I miss it as much as I miss Ghostbusters cereal-terribly. ;_;



Despite the fact that no one can deny that Global Warming is happening, there are still many debates as to the hows and whys. In fact, there is so much conflicting information that no one knows anything about what we can possibly do about it.  One of the theories is that the Earth warms and cools over natural, million-year cycles, and that we are experiencing the first one in human history. However, even this is complicated by the fact that such cycles are usually triggered by changes in the Earth's tilt, which isn't happening now.

Lately there have been disturbing rumors floating around in Second Life. For a long while now, debate has raged over Linden Lab's desire to require age verification on the main grid, quite a baffling prospect, since the main grid is supposed to be 18+ by default, and can be quite risqué in places. Even though the majority of the adult population is against it, Linden Labs has decided to go through with implementation...and at almost the same time, Phil Linden described in an interview plans to merge the Teen Grid with the main (adult) one.

My initial thought was...what the fuck are they on?!

Second Life is built entirely on user created content. This is something that Lindon Labs has almost no control over, and since these are adults building an adult society, Second Life is no place for kids. While there are areas that are strictly PG, It doesn't take much to wander around and find a red light district. Compounding this are the swaths of subcultures that make their home here, some of which are very adult indeed. Merging the grids would be the real life equivalent of the United States taking age restrictions off of all bars and taverns and allowing them to be built next to schools again.

Lindon Labs has been pushing through changes lately that almost everyone is against: The mandatory age verification for adult grid residents, and the creation of a landmass named Ursula, to which the Lindens plan to move everything deemed "adult" material. Protest posters can be found at just about every vendor, and the "bug fix petition" has 3,000+ votes against these changes already. Still, the Labs are moving inexorably forward, and anyone with half a brain can tell the direction they are going in.

The problem is that simply defining "adult" material is going to be a huge problem, especially in a place like Second Life, which has run on unrestrained freedom of expression and creativity since practically its inception. While the Labs say they won't be banning anything outright, many vendors are worried that a forced move will negatively impact their business, and there are fears that the age verification system will be buggy, and lock out actual adults (a very real fear, given Second Life's track record). Many residents feel as though they are being kicked off their own grid to make room for the "kiddies". Complicating matters is the idea that while many teenagers are more mature than a lot of the adults on the main grid, their number is eclipsed by the youngsters who are immature; by merging the grids, Lindon Labs may be inadvertently letting in another griefer wave, and just when they had managed to tighten restrictions on the 4/channers and "Patriotic Nigras" that where already here. Even if this doesn't happen, perceptions will cause a lot of discrimination against younger players; they might very well become the next furries.

And all that is just the tip of the iceberg. They are also planning to censor words in Search, which could even farther limit the productivity of many vendors, even if they sell strictly innocent objects. There are many opportunities to step on toes when making these changes, and given Lindon Lab's history with rolling things out without properly thinking things through, the general consensus is that Second Life isn't going to survive these sudden, inexplicable changes in policy. It will be just like the decision to eliminate gambling, which completely trashed Second Life's economy for a while; only this time it won't be the economy that is in jeopardy, but Second Life's reputation as a free-thinking, creativity encouraging Internet society.

Further Reading: Blue Linden makes Lindon Lab's case for these policy changes. He says that there are already many teens on the main grid, in spite of the current policy that the main grid is 18+ only (they lie to get in), that teens on the Teen Grid are the "nice kids" who don't lie about their ages and are more mature than most residents on the main grid (a fact that several teens have disputed), and that the large majority of parcels on the grid will remain "mature" with only a small few deemed "adult" being required to move to Ursula. If these changes are all made, the final shape of Second Life will be one in which only the registered adults have full access to the world; with those who are not registered being confined to the main grid and only "PG" and "Mature" designated areas. This could be a workable solution, but there are still fears that what some people consider "Mature" others will see as "adult", which would raise liability for litigation from those who are particularly puritanical.

I've talked with Blue Linden myself via e-mail, and he confirmed that the idea was on the table, but that as yet it was only an idea. Despite the changes to the adult verification policy that they are rolling through amongst enormous unpopularity, there are currently no actual plans to merge the two grids, and it is uncertain when or even if they are going to actually implement it.

It is because of this and other factors that I have been considering withdrawing from Second Life lately. I'll give it some more time to see what happens and how I ultimately feel about it, but suffice it to say that some things have happened that have left me feeling disenfranchised about the whole thing, and this is one of them. While the subject is on Second Life, here are some random pictures I've taken of the places I've been recently:



Oh yeah, and I wrote another article.

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So what happens if you cut your spending and still come up short? Here's an article that lists 8 ways to boost your income.

An ex-NFL player turned fugitive was killed in a car crash in Greece recently, leaving behind an unsolved criminal mystery and a very weird sports legacy.

There are supposedly real cases of people being raised by animals, resulting in feral children.

I'm seriously frustrated by the Internet right now.

( The problem with Internet communities )
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Now playing: Journey - After All These Years
via FoxyTunes   

The Snake IS a plane! Scientists have discovered the fossile of a snake that was the size of an airplane, prompting discussion as to what it was exactly that caused prehistoric animals to get so huge.

A recent study shows that climate change is effecting global migration patterns in birds.

Who are hollywoods most valuable actors? Market analysts have composed a list. See where your favorites stand!

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

( Weddings, Concerts, Death, and My Jaw )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.</div>
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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.

I finally got fed up with OkCupid and switched to Soul Geek. Probably won't get any hits there either, but I don't care much at this point.

A few nights ago I had this weird dream. I dreamt that I was back in Chicago for a con, but the buildings were falling down one by one.

That's kind of how my life feels right now, with dreams/goals/expectations falling one by one.

I don't know where I'll be when the dust settles. I'm afraid I might get trapped.

At least I no longer feel as sick. And I finally got my Associates Degree in the mail. And I completed a personal project I promised a friend I'd do, even though I'm not sure if he's going to pay me or not. (He told me he would.)

Let's see, what else is going on...Oh yeah, I got paid a lot of lindon for being cast as an extra in a little film promo in Second Life.

At least my fantasy lives are moving forward.

It doesn't stop me from feeling like a deadbeat, but it's something.

( Watching movies on the computer...complaints about DJing )


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Now playing: Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F
via FoxyTunes    

Here's a website that proves that no matter how bad you've got it, someone's always got it worse than you.

For a brief period of time several days ago, Google's filters had a glitch that flagged every single website that came up in it's search as containing malware.

Here's a scary article. It says the US has already been using illegal cell phone jamming technology on the public. In fact, it's gotten to the point now that many other agencies want to get in on the technology, including local police agencies, prisons, and churches. As outlandish as this may sound, they used the technology in Washington during Obama's inaugeration, and have been utilizing it in volitile locations in the middle east to distrupt communications and signals that might be used to trigger bombs.  ETA: The article appears to have already been taken down...very suspicious...I wonder sometimes where this country is heading.

( A Second Life photo blog )

First we have a fellow who calls himself The Colorful Quiet. Now, I am not one for singer/songwriter soft rock (otherwise known as Folk or Roots Rock), but I was immediately taken by this guy's voice. All the songs he performed are ones he wrote, and they are sounding mighty fine. Apparently, he's even got a good number of albums out too, as well as some notriety on the iTunes charts. Overall, I'd have to say his was the best performance of the bunch.


Next up was Kristina Helene, an aspiring musician. She wasn't as far along as CQ was in her career; indeed, she's just starting out as a songwriter. But I think I actually liked her songs better; she's got more of a lounge blues feel behind her tunes, and even did a few rocking renditions of some covers (including an impromptu that she previously hadn't heard!). She did have some of her own material, which was GREAT! Just not a whole lot of it. If she puts out an album eventually, I may get it.


The third and final singer to take the stage was Jessy Sommer. Unlike the other two, she had neither a myspace page nor original material. I hate to say it, but I really didn't like her. She had a nice voice, but her choice of cover material really didn't flatter it, and without any backup music behind her, she didn't have anything to cover her mistakes. I don't think she would have made it past American Idol. To her credit though, she did have one original song, which she performed. So maybe she will improve over time?

All in all, I continue to be surprised by the number of legitimate musicians in Second Life. They currently outnumber the wannabes, so I try to get into a concert at any chance I get. After the venue, I was able to sell the photos I took to the event manager as well as to Jessy Sommer's manager, so I guess I can put down "proffessional photographer" to my Second Life resume. lol!

</div></div>
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Now playing: Cher - Don't Come Cryin' To Me
via FoxyTunes

20th Century Fox announced recently that there's going to be a sequel to Wall Street. The original film was intended to be a frank look at how the cutthroat business practices of the day affected honest people, but a great many people seemed to treat it as a sort of business bible instead, elevating it up as an example of how to be in the business world. The sequel will follow the main character as he gets out of jail and attempts to get back into a business world that is even more cutthroat than he left it. With the economy being like it is today, I wonder if anyone will listen this time?

Studies show that optimism really is good for your health. Here are the results of some comprehensive studies that detail the impact of a positive outlook on certain diseases.

The history of memes.

Let's talk about more important things.

Like Paris Hilton. I ran into her in Second Life.





I shit you not. In Second Life, you can't take actual last names unless you pay for them (especially celebrity names). Also, there is only ever one person with a single name on Second Life at once, so even if her player isn't Paris Hilton in the real world (and there really is no way of telling), she is still the only Paris Hilton in Second Life. She was AFK at the time I took these photos, modeling her look, which is in a freebie package right next to her.

Here's another photo I took just for fun. Another thing I like about Second Life is that there are no limits to what you can be. The huge dragon depicted in the photo is someone's actual avatar. Yes, you can really get that big, although I have seen bigger.


Try playing a character like that in an MMO! You won't find one. Only in Second Life :)

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Now playing: Hootie & the Blowfish - Michelle Post
via FoxyTunes   

So a jogger in Prescott, Arizona was attacked by a rabid fox.  Rather than letting it escape, she ran a mile back to her car with the fox gnawing on her arm, prying it off and throwing it into her truck before driving to the hospital. Both herself and an animal control worker are being treated for rabies.

Michael Crichton, author of classic 90's fare Jurrasic Park, The Andromeda Strain, and Twister, died of cancer last night.

Vending machines can be deadly. I remember the booby-trapped ones from Half-Life; those were hilarious. But I suppose real vending machines will also kill you if you act stupid around them.

So the party we were having was today, and it has been canceled. The other students failed to pay the prerequisite $5 for it, even if I would have (I didn't know it was today...I thought it was going to be this Friday).  So now I don't have any use for the costume I just bought except for attempting to win prizes at the Fall Fest...I think after the Fall Fest, I might just take it back to Party City and try to get my money back...

Today I watched Saw 2. The original psychological thriller was a one-of-a kind movie, and in my opinion, this sequel doesn't quite live up to the same standing, though it does come close. The twists in the plot weren't as surprising this time around, and there were a few plotholes that the movie sort of touched on, but didn't really tie together properly before the end. In the first movie, we are introduced to Jigsaw, the serial killer who locks victims inside twisted death traps with only one avenue of escape.  In this film, we see the man, behind the puppet, Jigsaw himself; an ailing cancer patient. A detective finally captures him, only to learn that Jigsaw allowed himself to be captured and that he is a part of Jigsaw's twisted game. The movie is about torture, and is not for the squemish. To Jigsaw, it is all just one big experiment to see what the human psyche will do to survive, and to make his victims come out with a new appreciation for life. The scenes between Jigsaw and the detective are well played, and we learn the truth behind his motives a lot better than in the first film. It's still worth a watch.

One thing I forgot to mention in my last post was that Sunday night featured our very first session of Jadeclaw. I am playing Coon there as a kuinoichi orphan, which was how I originally intended her. There are only three players including myself, but they are both really good, including one fellow who plays a well-spoken but squeamish and cowardly rat. His character is super awesome, and a lot of fun to be around, even if he tends to slow down the rest of the party. But that's all IC. x3

I lucked out in Second Life and found a whole bunch of freebies, including pumpkin hunt locations for several places. I'm debating sharing them with some of the second life communities I'm on. Definitely going to be adding the freebie blogs someone showed me to the sidebar.

Also, I went to get my hearing aids looked at today. Turns out they were malfunctioning. again. I hate this model.

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Now playing: Sir Nuts - Introduction to Heaven
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They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that you should always eat it. But are most of your breakfast choices truly healthy? Here is an article that looks at some of the worst breakfast choices that are commonly made, and what you should eat instead.

A recent look at the list of jobs with the highest fatality rates, and what kills the people working in them.

The director makes excuses for Oh Chihuahua, the recent film about a Beverly Hills pet. They say the movie trailor was rife with scenes that were not even included in the movie. You know a movie is lame when you have to resort to false marketing to sell it.

So today marked the end of my Blitz class, Public speaking. We took our exams yesterday (though it was only the second test we had ever taken in the class. I'm guessing each speech counted more towards a test grade than the actual tests themselves did), and today we took the oral exam on pronunciation. I passed both. It didn't turn out to be all that bad, either. So now I've got two extra free days in my weeks.

After school, the post-secondary students and I made our annual trip up to .
It was a bit different this time around, but good fun as well. This year, there were two parts to it; the walk-through, and the hay-rides, both of which went through two different parts of the woods. We did the walk-through first, and it was fun. They took out the elaborate mine system they had last year, and added a carnival horror towards the end. The hayrides were unique too. The Joker hijacked our ride! I swear, he was very in-character, and even looked a little like Heath Ledger (only not as creepy). He sat right next to me and brandished a knife. That had never happened before! Lots of chainsaw wielders coming at you this year. I was a bit sad to see they weren't selling souvenirs this time around. Oh well. I had a lot of fun, which is what counts, especially since this will likely be my last time going after attending for three years in a row now. Once I get out of school on December 1st, I plan on moving back home, since I can't find a job here. I think I am going to miss Spartanburg. (technically, Wompus Woods is in Cowpens, though it is very close by to Spartanburg)

Good stuff. Going back home this weekend so I can send in my DS, or make my folks do it if the send-off package hasn't arrived yet. I was going to attend homecoming here at the school, but since my DS broke, I want to get that taken care of as soon as possible.


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Now playing: Oleander - Joyride
via FoxyTunes

For those of you who play Second Life, have you seen the JIRA lately? There seems to be a "serious" bug that takes place only around this time of month...

I also learned of this great utility for roleplaying not too long ago. It is a modifiable character sheet generator! Create basic character sheets for any game you can think of, including custom character sheets for any game you might be making!

And here's a little something for those of you amongst the living impaired.

( ...has been pretty good. )
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Now playing: Genesis - Taking It All Too Hard
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Here's a comprehensive article about compulsive sexual behavior, and how to tell what is normal from what isn't. It would be a great thing to show someone who might have a problem, which is why I'm posting it here. If you or someone you know exhibit these signs, getting therapy can greatly improve your quality of life.

A Bhuddist Monk accidentally burned down his own temple while trying to get rid of a hornet's nest. Talk about bad Karma...

And...here is a video that's really kind of nasty. When we go to hotels, especially fancy ones, we tend not to think about these things, because we have a certain measure of trust that the hotel staff will actually work to keep things suitably clean for their guests. In a hidden camera report, a news team discovers that many hotel cleaning staffers are lazy.