Badass Knitting with Llamas

Double Review: Prototype and The Room Rifftrax

2009-06-21T21:15:00.003-04:00

Prototype

If this game were a man, I'd marry him and bear him at least 3 children. He's only mildly attractive but when you get into him you're like OH HOLY SHIT.

What I mean by that is, the graphics aren't that great, but the gameplay makes up for it and more. You play as Alex Mercer, who wakes up on a morgue slab just as he's about to get autopsied. He has no memory of who he is or what happened to him, so you're figuring this out as the game goes on. Also, Manhattan is being overrun with a virus that is turning people into zombies. FUCK YES ZOMBIES. Also you have a shitton of kickass powers. You can shoot a blade tipped tendril out of your arm (or shoot a whole bunch out and destroy everything within radius of you), run up fucking buildings, glide through the air like a sugarglider, consume people and become them whilst gaining their knowledge and energy, and TURN YOUR WHOLE FUCKING ARM INTO A GIANT DOUBLE-EDGED BLADE. HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS?!

I'm only about halfway through right now, because A) I like having a life, and B) shit is fucking hard at some parts. Seriously, there have been times when I just have to turn off the Ecks Bawks and meditate so I don't explode. Even though you have all these kickass powers, each enemy has a different weakness, so you're constantly changing which power/move to use depending on what you're fighting. Also, you're often fighting both the (virus) infected and the military, sometimes simultaneously. Because of this I normally use a hit and run tactic like the chickenshit I am. Jump from a high area, kill some dudes, then run away and let my health regen/consume bitches. It's how I roll.

Seriously, a kickass game. There are some people who bawl about it not looking great or being too similar to other games or not having a deep storyline, but they can go fuck themselves. I game to fuckin' destroy shit, not to get Schindler's List in high-quality game format.

The Room (2003) + the Rifftrax of it

Oh hi, Danny. I'd heard someone mention The Room about a year ago, but I never thought to look it up until about 2 months ago. Sweet Jesus. This movie may be worse than Manos: The Hands of Fate and Plan 9 From Outer Space. Seriously. The writing is atrocious, the acting is stroke-inducing, and you can FEEL the incompetence surging through your screen as you watch it. It garnered MST3K + Rocky Horror midnight viewings in which people throw spoons whenever the mindboggling framed picture of a spoon appears on screen, shout "FOCUS" when the film goes out of focus (and this happens quite frequently), reenact scenes at the front of the theater in costume, and fake walking out of the movie. I really need to attend one of these.

The plot...is nonsensical. The main plot appears to be a San Francisico-set love triangle between Johnny (Tommy Wiseau), a banker of indeterminate foreign origin (I think it's Latin Amerifrenchkoreansomalian), his future wife (NOT FIANCE) Lisa (Juliette Danielle), who is BEAUTIFUL (not), and Mark (Greg Sestero), who we know through at least 3000 lines of dialogue is Johnny's best friend. Then we have Lisa's mother, who comes in for 3 minute visits, introduces a whole slew of possible subplots that never get mentioned again (Lisa's mom: "I got the test results back today. I DEFINITELY have breast cancer." Lisa: "Don't worry about it. They're curing stuff like that every day.") There is also Johnny and Lisa's college-aged neighbor/surrogate son Danny, who seems like he's supposed to be slightly mentally challenged but no one ever says so, and who for five minutes is a drug dealer. Oh, and he has a crush on Lisa for the first half of the movie then just gets over it, I guess. There are also some other characters who do absolutely nothing and do not further the plot at all. Other than the main characters, I mean.

There are so many notable, shitastic things in this movie I don't even know where to begin. It's clearly not much more than Wiseau (who, as well as starring, directed and wrote this shit) masturbating over himself. The way he protrays his character as an innocent victim leads me and pretty much everyone else to believe that this is autobiographical. I'd love to know what this real life woman thinks now, if she does exist. The best part of it all is that he clearly made it to be a completely serious drama. When he found out that people were laughing at it, he did a 180 and claimed that it was intentional, and that the film was meant to be a black comedy. And thus thousands of Bullshit Detectors sounded.

From the games of football, which consist of tossing a football back and forth whilst standing 3 feet from each other, the laughable dialogue including "YOU AH TEARING ME APAAAAAHT, LISAAA" and "It feels like I'm sitting on an atom bomb that is going to explode," and the characters that come from fucking nowhere, this film is unintentionally a masterpiece. I'd heard that you should first watch this movie with others, but I watched it by myself when I was sick and STILL had a blast. I laughed so hard I vomitted.

The worst thing about this movie are the sex scenes. There are 3 in the first half hour. Now you may be thinking, "FUCK YES, SEX!" but I assure you, watching these scenes will make you wish your genitalia would cease to function. There is NOTHING remotely sexy about any of it. And the shitty softcore R&B music just makes it all even more vomit inducing. I don't want to think about it anymore.

So, the Rifftrax. I was super stoked when I saw on Bill Corbett's facebook that they were doing this movie. And in my very biased opinion, they did a fucking superb job. The movie makes me laugh just by itself, but there were moments when I was literally crying with laughter with the Rifftrax. They completely nail Johnny's ridiculous accent and the constant "Oh hi, *insert character's name*" greetings. When Bill compares Lisa to "the bloated corpse of Britney Spears" I was immediately sold. The one thing I wasn't very fond of was that they do little sketches during the sex scenes so that they didn't have to try to riff that shit. I completely understand that, but the sketches aren't that great. The rest of the riffing is so good that this becomes a mootpoint, however.

So if you want to buy The Room, guess what! It's only $8.99 on Amazon (or free if you're a pirate)! Then buy the accompanying Rifftrax for $3.99. If you're not convinced of the sheer greatest of this shit, here is some YouTubage.

Sims 3 Review

2009-06-06T16:46:00.002-04:00

So, being a Sims fan since it first came out, I was pretty damned stoked for the third installment of the series. Okay, I was fucking ecstatic. When I sat down to play for the first time, I was giddy with joy and the excitement of something new. However, over time that has mellowed out to "meh" and in some cases, outright disgust. There are great new aspects, but the cost of new things seems to be some of the old that were loved by the gamers and part of the reason why so it grew so huge. Without further ado, the super awesome review.

The Good

Seamless neighborhood. Seriously, anyone who doesn't like this is a fucking fool. Those goddamn loading screens everytime I wanted to go to the park...grr.
Traits. I enjoy my excitable, kleptomaniac, inappropriate, friendly vegetarian.
SOME customization. You can change the Sims' voices, and create a style for interior decorating has killed many hours for me. I'll explain why I say "some" later.
Some cool graphic effects. The light changes gradually throughout the day, instead of "Hey, it's 6 PM! BAM PITCH BLACK OUTSIDE." Also, plants move and sway, and according to some people you can see birds, but I'm not that observant and/or my comp sucks too bad for that.
Moodlets. Again, just adds a sense of realism. Watching a good movie does make you happier, for at least a while.
Jobs. I like the opportunities, or little projects that your sim can accomplish outside of work like reading a book, giving a speech, or delivering something to city hall. They boost job performance. While working, you can also choose how your sim spends their time. They can meet their coworkers, hang out and socialize, work hard, or slack off. Pretty nice.

The Bad

Hardly any base game items. The ones that they have either don't look good or are obvious rehashes of those in Sims 2. But the obvious reason for this will be discussed later.
No Body Shop. Yeah, you can't make your own clothes, hair, skintone, eyes, etc. without going in some roundabout way. Excuse me if I'm wrong, but I thought that was the reason why Sims 2 did so well--the vast options to customize our pixel people. But that just gets ripped away.
Round pudding faces. Everyone has the same damn facial structure and double chins, even if they're the thinnest sims you can make. I readily acknowledge, however, that this may just be because I'm so used to Sims "You can make the eyes bigger than your goddamn head" 2 and I'll get used to it.
Motive system seems off. While Sims sleep for fucking ever and are hungry all the goddamn time, I've only had to tell mine to pee twice. Um...if that happens to someone in real life they should probably see a doctor/drink way more water.
Ridiculous behavior at times. After Woo-hoo (sex) they just go back to their "relaxing position" (stretched out on the bed with their arms folded over their torsos calmly) and chat. At least in Sims 2 they cuddled, and in some instances congratulated their partner (I'm not kidding). When feeding babies or toddlers, the bottle is pulled out of thin air, and when finished, vaporizes again. Also, all it takes to change a diaper is to toss the child up in the air spinning like a fucking top and they are instantly clean. I WISH THIS SHIT WERE POSSIBLE IN REAL LIFE. But since it's not, and this game prides itself on realism, and the other two were more realistic in this aspect, I don't understand why it would be so hard to put it in this game. Again, I readily accept that this is just something I'm being picky about and may get used to.
Community lots. All of them, save for parks, are "rabbit holes" (meaning you can't actually see the interior. This makes since for workplaces and schools, but restaurants and stores? Honestly? Part of the fun of them was seeing your other Sims dining or shopping and having them interact together. I guess this means no hilarious shenanigans at nightclubs anymore, either.
It's a whole different game. Fuck all this "it's simply a more realistic Sims 2!" Most of the features from Sims 2 ( and by that I mean "all of the good ones") are gone. It plays nothing like it. Playing feels like playing a game that was meant to be on a console ported to PC.

The What the Fuck, EA?

Only one neighborhood and no option to make your own. In Sims 2 I never played the pre-made 'hoods except when I was learning how to play and trying out the new features. Why? Because I like creating ridiculous neighborhoods filled with mentally unstable pixel people and seeing the binary sparks fly. Shit is awesome. Plus I hate pre-existing storylines. I want my Sims to be the most ridiculous soap opera ever. Like Twilight but without all the suck and fail.
Storytelling mode. This is the thing that has made me rage the hardest. In previous Sims games, you played one family at a time and all the other families were stuck in time, or limbo you might say. You would go back to them later and they'd be doing the exact same things as when you left. Now, however, they all continue living. Meaning they'll grow up, die, get jobs, meet new people, fall in love, wed, AND EVEN FUCKING MOVE OUT when you're not paying attention. No, seriously. I started a nice, charming little family and moved them into a house. After getting them accustomed I switched to another house. The Sim there was reading a newspaper that popped up saying that the other family had moved away. I went to view the neighborhood, and sure enough, the family's house was now occupied by a random family that I did not create nor put there. Needless to say, I was pretty fucking livid. If I create a damn family it's because I want to play them, fuckers. Further, I've also left a sim in a nice, stable spot, and returned later to find her pregnant and nearly broke. She'd apparently gotten knocked up some random townie and went on a book shopping spree.
The Sims 3 Store. This is just fucking hateful, and what I think is clearly the reason why there's hardly any objects in this thing. They want you to pay more money for their crap! Yes, in this economy with a nearly 10% unemployment rate in this country, they expect you to pay $20 for a fucking binary code furniture set that still looks like shit, on top of a $50 base game. YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME, EA. How fucking greedy are you shitheads? Not to mention a high number of Sims players are teens and young adults, meaning we don't have that much money to spend. We got you to the point where you can boast that you have the highest selling video game. You should be paying us, because without us you'd still be making Sim Ant or whatever the fuck, you fucking twats.

Going off of that last statement, I think EA is just treating their customers like shit in general. When they started putting SecuRom on their disks, which is a copy-protection program that has been sued numerous times for being potentially harmful malware, they tried to silence anyone who lodged a complaint on their forum. They had also started the Sims store shit then, which was not popular, especially since regular players always had better looking stuff, and for free. So it seems like they're trying to force it by making customization much harder and not putting a lot of material in there. And I understand it's a business and they want a profit, but dammit, they've never had a problem before and they seemed to be doing as well as ever before they started this. After...I don't know.

I know I'm not the only person pretty disappointed. Just taking a cursory glance at some forums I see that many people have the same complaints. Many more people are just not buying it. EA clearly didn't understand the concept of "ain't broke, don't fix it." I think I'm going back to Sims 2.

OWWIE.

2009-03-25T01:14:00.003-04:00

Dance shit is going to kill me over the next few weeks. In addition to my modern jazz class, which leaves my body aching like I got hit by a truck and my knees looking like this:

swing dance is getting fucking dangerous. Seriously, there are about 30 ways for me to die in this next routine we're doing. First I'm flying through the air, then I'm fucking plummeting to the floor and hoping my partner catches me by the hands or--in one really scary instance--my fucking neck. OH GOD. I may be agnostic but I have prayed more times this week to not die just yet.

So, Ben Folds concert next monday, the 30th. Expect my full review/fantardgasm sometime soon after. I gave roomie a few songs of his so that she'd get a feel for what to expect, and like I thought she would, she didn't get half of his lyrics. When I explained them, she was like "HOLY SHIT THAT'S CLEVER." Pretty much. Ben Folds is a clever motherfucker.

In Greek we're translating Homer's Iliad from the original Greek and SHIT'S SO FUCKING COOL. I don't think I've ever gotten this excited to do work. What can I say, it's a classic fucking text and I get to do my own translation. Goddamn it's so awesome. Except that Achilles and Agammemnon just need to stop bitching at each other and get shit done. Like some goddamn middle schoolers. And the gods fucking suck. Besides the storyline, the Greek language is just so fucking cool. There's a lot of stuff that doesn't translate well into English, so reading the original text is sometimes just mindblowing.

Enough of my nerdism. It's 1:30 AM and I'm getting silly-minded. Or even more so than usual.

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Now playing: Motörhead - Damage Case

MY LIFE.

2009-03-23T19:39:00.002-04:00

My life is fuckwads of crazy at the moment. I'm surprised I have time to piss and eat, much less be on the Interwebs. I have about 10 minutes before I have to roll out for 2 hours of swing dancing.

It's Junior Ring Week at the Mdub, which basically means, "HAHA, YOU HAVE TO GO OUT THERE IN THAT JOB ECONOMY IN ONE YEAR, SUCKERS! Oh, and here's your class ring." So they're having all of these activities for us. Yesterday there was a concert, today there was an easter egg hunt in which SHIT GOT REAL, and lots of other bullshit. By "shitting getting real," I mean roomie and I were fucking hardcore about it. We ran like idiots all over campus, climbing trees for better scouting, etc. Egg hunts are serious business.

So to be uber-nerd and combine my two loves of video games and knitting, and because I'm moving into one of the university-owned apartments next year, I'm making some kickass video game themed placemats. Gears of War, Assassin's Creed, Fallout 3, etc. 'Course I have no time for this shit now, so it's a summer project. I did get the patterns worked out one weekend so I got the worst part over with.

Annnnnndd it's already time for me to go dance. I gotta get my shoes and get to swingin'.

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Now playing: SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS - Ha Hen

The Most TMI Post You'll Ever See From Me.

2009-02-17T14:10:00.003-05:00

No seriously.

If you're a guy, you probably don't want to read about this. Actually, some chicks may want to avoid this post too.

I'm writing to throw in my outstanding review of the Diva Cup. It's a menstrual cup.

*Waits for people to get grossed out and stop reading*

I heard about it a few weeks ago from my roomie, who saw someone gloating about their DC on Ye Ole Book of Faces. We were like, "WTF" and immediately did intensive Internet research. The more we read about it and the glowing reviews, the more we both wanted them. I mean, eco-friendly, reusable, money saving, and AWESOME? It's like win molded into a cup.

So last week roomie got her dot and traversed 45 minutes to the nearest Whole Foods store (nearer to her home in Northern Virginia) to get hers. We oohed and ahhed. Roomie ran to the bathroom to try it out. 20 minutes later she came back looking rather bleak. "I got it in, but then I freaked out while pulling it out and IT FEELS LIKE I JUST GAVE BIRTH," she told me, curling up onto her bed in anguish. This did not dampen either of our spirits, and I went ahead and ordered mine, along with the Diva Wash, from southcoastshopping.com. Later, roomie was successful and there was much rejoicing.

Today, my DC came. I nearly ran to the post office in excitement, cursing Tampax and Always on the way. Back in my room I read through the directions with glee, giggling like a fool. When I was ready, I went into the bathroom and tried the folding technique in the handy instruction sheet. Except that MOTHERFUCKER, it hurt like a bitch. After nearly destroying my vagina I went back onto the Internets to get some better folding techniques. Success! The 7-fold is definitely doable, and my vagina isn't as angry at me. Best of all, that fucker popped right open with little turning.

So I'm quite pleased. The only thing that confuses me is why the DC has measuring lines on it. I really don't need to know how many ounces of old uterine wall comes out of me.

And there it is. My new love, the awesome Diva Cup. Oh, and you get a kickass lapel pin too. Like wtf that shit's badass.

Music Quest!

2009-02-15T19:35:00.004-05:00

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Now playing: Animal Collective - Hey LightSo this summer I decided that I didn't like the fact that one band I listened to, The Receiving End of Sirens, had over 6,000 plays, far beyond the #2 Radiohead with about 3,000. (This was because TREOS' first album was the only thing that calmed me down in my 5-panic-attack-a-day era, and I listened to it anytime I had one and while I slept.) So I deleted all the play counts in my iTunage and my last.fm and just started the fuck over.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, my iTunes library file decided to suicide by corrupting its data. Thus I had to start it over AGAIN, but this time all my quirkily-named playlists were gone as well. I stared blankly at the lifeless library, with over 8,000 songs, and realized I had to listen to EVERY SINGLE TRACK. Well, I didn't have to, but I'm going to. Also because some shit just got lost and I didn't realize I still had it, so it was a nice surprise. I've deleted some stuff, so I'm down to 7773 tracks, but I've got folders of stuff I haven't added yet because I want to get through some of the older shit first.

How much older shit? 6567 tracks, 21.7 days, 45.58 GB.

Ah, fuck.

Right now I'm getting through all my Animal Collective because I'm in that mood. Then maybe I'll tackle the 181 Radiohead songs. Or 198 Bjork songs. I also just go through shit by shuffling. But goddamn, this sucks. Why did my file have to annhilate itself? I had everything laid out so perfectly! At least my last.fm didn't die too, but shit still sucks.

If this happened to my OCD friend Ben, I can't even imagine the hilarity. He absolutely will not let me change tags on his iTunes, even if it's something like adding the second 'r' to "Blurry." He has a playlist for fucking everything. It is the most intense thing I've experienced, second only to Mark Gormley. THAT'S FUCKING INTENSE.

As I sit here thinking (and procrastinating from reading) I probably should go ahead and add all of that music just sitting there waiting for me and deal with it. I need to stop fucking downloading everything that peaks my interest anyway. It's what I get for being an elitist musical bastard, I suppose.

Good fucking night.

EDIT: Only added about 300 songs. I was expecting much worse.
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Now playing: animal collective - banshee beat

Party central...not.

2009-02-14T00:58:00.003-05:00

College parties. HOW I LOATHE THEM. Awful music, drunk people that I already don't like to begin with, sketchy houses. So I was glad that I had the opportunity to back out of the party I'd promised my roomie I'd go to. It was a kegger to help orphans in Honduras. I mean, I'm all about helping kids, but a fucking kegger? I just gave my roomie money, she's the club treasurer anyway, I mean goddamn. And she sent me a text that said the party got busted 5 minutes after she got there. Seriously, Fredericksburg po-po don't fuck around. Especially when you advertise your damn kegger on Facebook, you fucktards. I stayed in my dorm and watched Shawshank Redemption with Ben, which was much more fun for me. Morgan Freeman >>>>>>keggers.

Classes are going well so far. The only class that's really giving me trouble is my dance class, amazingly, and that's just because I'm not used to that style of dance. Ballroom, latin, swing? I got that shit in the bag. Flailing around on the floor to Justin Timberlake? My body hates me, especially my knees. Poor things, which are already bad to begin with, had huge fucking bruises on them last night like I'd been repeatedly beat in the kneecaps with hockey sticks. I'm probably going to have to start wrapping them or something, just so I can fucking walk the next day.

Friend Who Acts Weird and Seemingly Hates Everyone For No Apparent Reason (FWAWSHEFNAR) asked Christine and I to go downtown with her last weekend. We agreed, it had been ages since the three of us, who used to be quite close in freshman and sophmore years, had gotten together. The day started out fine with brunch, but as we went downtown she got weird again. Christine and I wanted to look in the bridal shop just for shits and giggles and she adamantly refused like Satan was in the window ready to take our measurements. The rest of the day she just got quieter and quieter. Christine and I kept what little conversation we had going, and chose what stores we went into because FWAWSHEFNAR didn't seem to care. I was like, "WTF, you arranged this, have some input." Of course, I didn't say this out loud because this inevitably would have been misconstrued.

When we got back to campus, she just said, "See you guys later" and walked back into her dorm. Christine and I had no idea what had just happened. Neither of us said or did anything wrong, at least not intentionally. Even as I sit here thinking about it I can't remember anything that would have upset her. Hell, Christine and I enjoyed ourselves. It was just weird and awkward. Again, it's weird things that I just can't deal with at this point in my life. There's something wrong, but until she's willing to stop bottling it up inside her and deal with what's bothering her, I can't do anything.

I feel like she creates a lot of drama in her mind that doesn't actually exist. For instance, she told Christine that she thought I hated her because she saw me on campus and all I said was "hi." LIEK WTF M8, I was going to fucking class. If I stopped and talked to everyone I wanted to I'd never actually get to class. If I hadn't had said anything at all, then I could see how she'd think something was up. But I acknowledge her and THAT'S weird?

But what can you do?

Other than that, social life is good. Got asked out a second time by Awkward Kid. He asked me out last semester, but me being a complete idiot, didn't realize that it was a serious date until the day of. Then I flipped a shit. I went anyway, but it was by far the strangest experience I've ever gone through. It was like a job interview. "What are your hobbies?" "What do your parents do?" "I saw on your Facebook..." There was no actual conversation, just Q&A. So when he asked me out this time, I was careful to construct a vague "no." It's a fun date horror story to tell to friends over a cup of coffee, but not something I'd want to go through again. If I can't hold a convo with you, it's not going to work, because I'm a chatty fucker.

So Valentine's Day will come and go. And who fucking cares, it's a stupid fakey holiday constructed by money-hungry fucktards at Hallmark. Fuck that shit. My ex boyfriend exchanged MST3K and the video game F.E.A.R. for VD. THAT'S how you rock that shit. Blowin' bitches' heads off and making fun of godawful movies. So fuck you Valentine's/Aw Fuck I'm Still Single Awareness Day. I'm out.

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Now playing: Mute Math - Noticed

COFFEE OVERLOAD.

2009-01-31T15:03:00.002-05:00

I just consumed four cups of coffee. Holy shit I think I might explode. Especially since I'm not supposed to drink a lot of caffeine because of my anxiety disorder. I'm twitching uncontrollably. On the bright side, I've gotten almost all my homework for Monday done because I'm so fucking wired. And now I'm listening to SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS so there's no way I'm going to stop bouncing my head. FWEEE.

I'm currently knitting a nice t-shirt, which can be found HERE. I've run out of yarn though, so I need to get to Michael's at some point. I should probably actually start buying enough yarn at one time when I start a project, but that would make too much sense for me. I enjoy making things difficult for myself.

It also occurred to me that I need to post my altered pattern of Knitty's Roam, which I've been wearing for the past 3 months. The jacket looks sort of retarded in some areas, but since it was my first foray into something above the beginner level of knitting, I think I did pretty good for myself. My friends say "ZOMG IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING YOU COULD BUY IN A STORE!!1!!1!!" but I know they are exaggerating greatly. Love them, but I know it's not that great. So that will be a separate post sometime soon.

In other fuckawesome news, I now own every episode of MST3K, other than the Minneapolis public television episodes, on my computer or DVD. MST3K WIN. Took ages to rip shit from 10+ year old VHS tapes. BUT SO WORTH IT. Tomorrow before the Super Bowl we are having a Super Awesome MST3K Pajama Party at my friend's house. I expect copious amounts of win and good times.

My dance class is fucking awesome too. My core kills me, but I feel great. Plus it's a shitton of fun and my teacher's awesome. Definitely my favorite class this semester.

But in sadder news, I'm sad that Smartie's Idletard Flat Idol contest has to be "Idol" related. Flat Thom Yorke was so primed and ready to go. This is what I get for not paying attention to Idletard for about a month. I can't even remember half of the Idols because I simply don't care that much. Oh well.

Anyway. It is time for me to embark on my quest to watch all of the movies nominated for the best picture Oscar. Thoughts on that later.

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Now playing: SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS - AVALANCHE

Animal Collective. Or as I know them, Holy Shit, This Is Awesome.

2009-01-20T19:11:00.004-05:00

On this day of a new political era in the U.S., one needs the perfect new music to set the mood. My audio drug of choice? The new Animal Collective album, Merriweather Post Pavillion. Just stare at the artwork.

Have your eyes melted yet?

Regardless, I'm already calling this one of the best albums of 2009. Because I mean, who else is putting out an album that I care about? No one that I know of off the top of my head. And it's a proven fact* that the vast majority of the mainstream music is utter shit.

Anyway. "Brothersport," "My Girls," and "Summertime Clothes" are early favorites. This album also seems more accessible, and by that I mean it's not as far out there as some of the others. Sung Tongs is still my favorite album by Animal Collective, but I'd say MPP is a close second at the moment. Also, I will be playing nothing but these dudes all week. They just put a smile on my face everytime I hear them.

Work time. It's only the second week of school, I can't slack off this early in the semester.

*Fact proven by ME. Suck on it, fuckers.

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Now playing: Animal Collective - Slippi

End of 2008 Blog

2008-12-31T20:06:00.006-05:00

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Now playing: Jeff Buckley - Eternal Life (Road Version)With only 4 more hours EST to go in 2008, a year that can bite me, why not a fun meme?

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Stood out in the elements for 7 hours waiting for a famous person, who is now our President-Elect.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never make resolutions because I live on a week-by-week basis. Besides, I know I wouldn't keep them anyway.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.

5. What countries did you visit?
Didn't travel outside of the country.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 which you lacked in 2008?
Spontaneity, focus, less OCD, more control over my spending habits.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched in your memory, and why?
Obama rally, I suppose. But I already forget the exact date, LOL.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Doing well in classes.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Oh God, I could write a novel on my failures. LOL.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious this year, and let's hope it continues.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Fallout 3, MST3K 20th Anniversary Edition, a bunch of music

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Not mine, that's for damn sure. Actually, I don't think there are a lot of people that deserve too much, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Let's face it, we've all turned into self-absorbed fucktards, and I'm including myself in that group.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Mostly my own, but basically just look at the news and that pretty much sums it up.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Video games, unfortunately. Something which needs to change immediately.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I'm a very excitable person, and I can't name everything. Probably the MST3K 20th AE. I skipped class to watch it, LOL.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
"Gobbledigook" by Sigur Ros. Because I listened to it every day before going to class.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: Happier or sadder? Thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer?
Happier, the same weight, richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Spend more time with old friends than with the new.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Dick around on the Internet and on video games.

20. How will you be spending New Year’s?
With my family and a bottle of sparkling grape juice. Can't drink alcohol because of meds and it's fuckin' illegal.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Probably my mom, as loserish as that sounds, but my mom can really go on for AGES.

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
No.

23. How many one night stands in this last year?
None, because I'm not that easy.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
MST3K. Like that will ever change.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I'm not one for hating people. Hate takes up too much time.

26. What was the best book(s) you read?
The Kite Runner, Middlesex. They're not new, but holy fuck, both made me bawl like a baby.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
SOIL&"PIMP" Sessions. FUCK that's some good shit.

28. What did you want and get?
An XBox for Xmas.

29. What did you want and not get?
More time.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Wall-E.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old did you turn?
20, and I worked on my birthday.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More love and peace in the world. But like THAT'S ever going to happen.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
The same as it's always been. Whatever the fuck I feel like wearing that is flattering and yet cozy.

34. What kept you sane?
Music, friends.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Thom Yorke.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Environmental issues.

37. Whom did you miss?
Old friends.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
My roomie.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
People suck, but they can't help it, so accept them how they are. Oh, and to lighten the fuck up; life needs to be enjoyed and appreciated because there's more good than bad, surprisingly.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"If you try the best you can
The best you can is good enough"
~Radiohead - "Optimistic"

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Now playing: The Sound of Animals Fighting - The Heretic

A break from finals.

2008-12-08T13:56:00.002-05:00

Dear god, I need a break. It's only Monday and this week has already kicked my ass. After tomorrow things should be a lot better though. I will have had my final project for my Museums class done (I had to create a museum and all its inner workings, which is surprisingly fun), and my U.S. Labor History final out of the way. The Labor History one and my Greek one were the only ones that were actually exams, the rest are projects or papers. I guess it makes it rather nice, because I really hate studying.

I called my work this morning to ask them if I could come back to work when I get home. They sounded ecstatic to get me back, and relieved. I saw they had posted ads for hiring, so I figure they really need the help over the holidays. I could've worked over my Thanksgiving break, but I said to myself, "FUCK THAT." It was awful enough on Virginia's tax free day, I don't even want to know what that place looked like on Black Friday. So at least I know I'll be earning some cash over my break, which I desperately need.

After a few of my friends have had troubles with their ex boyfriends, I feel I need to thank my ex for being awesome about things. He's still one of my good, close friends, and he really showed maturity which he needs to teach a few other guys. I swear, sometimes guys create more drama than girls do.

I also think it's great that when I'm pissy, the only person I'm not angry at is my roommate and vice versa. It's like, "I HATE EVERYOOOONNNNEEEE. Except for you ! :D"

I actually physically hurt myself while playing Rock Band 2 last night. My friends and I created ourselves and our awesome band, BROWN THUNDER. We saw Disturbed's "Down With the Sickness" and just had to play that shit. If you haven't heard that song, go find it on last.fm or somewhere. At the beginning, the guy does all this really strange gutteral screaming, which as the lyrics say, "OOH AH AH AH AH....AWK AWK....AWK AWK." I did this quite accurately, but my throat still hurts. I need to work on my screamo yells.

Anyway. Break time is OVER. I've got to get this shit done and stop being a slacker kid.
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Now playing: Astronautalis - The Wondersmith and His Sons

Grammies.

2008-12-04T13:18:00.007-05:00

The Grammy categories this year are shit. Therefore, I'm doing it MY way, using my handy iTunes.

Category 1- Record Of The Year
House of Cards - Radiohead
Smoke and Mirrors - The Receiving End of Sirens
Lay Me Back Down - Portugal. The Man
I, The Swan - The Sound of Animals Fighting
Gobbledigook - Sigur Rós

Category 2 - Album Of The Year
In Rainbows - Radiohead
The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi - The Receiving End of Sirens
Censored Colors - Portugal. The Man
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - Sigur Rós
Third - Portishead

Category 3 - Song Of The Year
Gobbledigook - Sigur Rós
Mercy - Duffy
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Ilyena - The Mars Volta
House of Cards - Radiohead

Category 4 - Best New Artist
Duffy
Anthony Green
Black Tide
Danger Radio
Chris Sligh

Category 5 - Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Mercy - Duffy
And no one else.

Category 6 - Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Free Coffee - Ben Folds

Category 7 - Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
Party Foul - Danger Radio
Ready, Set, Go - Tokio Hotel

Category 8 - Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
You Don't Know Me - Ben Folds with Regina Spektor
And nothing else.

Category 11 - Best Pop Vocal Album
Rockferry - Duffy
We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things - Jason Mraz
Way to Normal - Ben Folds

Category 12 - Best Dance Recording
Harder Better Faster Stronger - Daft Punk (THIS WASN'T FROM THIS YEAR, IT'S FROM 2001, GRAMMY FUCKS, but Daft Punk is awesome so I'll leave it)
Black & Gold - Sam Sparro
Creator - Santogold

Category 15 - Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
The entirety of Way to Normal - Ben Folds
Babygirl - Anthony Green
Theysay - Josiah Lemming

Category 16 - Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
House Of Cards - Radiohead
Lay Me Back Down - Portugal. The Man
Smoke and Mirrors - The Receiving End of Sirens

Category 20 - Best Rock Song
House Of Cards - Radiohead
Shockwave - Black Tide

Category 21 - Best Rock Album
The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi - The Receiving End of Sirens
Censored Colors - Portugal. The Man
The Phantom on the Horizon - The Fall of Troy
The Bedlam in Goliath - The Mars Volta

Category 22 - Best Alternative Music Album
The Hawk is Howling - Mogwai
Attack & Release - The Black Keys
In Rainbows - Radiohead
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - Sigur Rós
The Ocean and the Sun - The Sound of Animals Fighting

Category 109 - Best Short Form Music Video
House Of Cards - Radiohead
Gobbledigook - Sigur Ros

Category 110 - Best Male Artist Tinnerz Would Totally Do
Thom Yorke (Radiohead)
Rufus Wainwright (if he were straight)
Anthony Green (Circa Survive, The Sound of Animals Fighting)
John Gourley (Portugal. The Man)
Jason Mraz

Category 111 - Worst Thing to Happen to Music
American Idol
Lil' Wayne
Camp Rock
The Jonas Fuckers--I mean, Brothers
Hannah Montana

Category 112 - Best Japanese Album
Zazen Boys 4 - Zazen Boys
Little Grace - Yasushi Yoshida
Uroboros - Dir en grey
Planet Pimp - SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS

Category 113 - Best Group Guaranteed to Confuse Anyone Within Earshot
SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS
Portugal. The Man
Flica
Yasushi Yoshida
The Sound of Animals Fighting

Category 114 - Best Album Cover
Way to Normal - Ben Folds
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - Sigur Rós
Zazen Boys 4 - Zazen Boys
Planet Pimp - SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS

Category 115 - Lifetime Holy Shit, You're Awesome Award
Radiohead
Bjork
Ben Folds
Dir en grey

In attempting to put this list together, I've realized I've listened to very few albums from this year. I fail, and I apologize.

My Brain Died.

2008-12-03T18:20:00.002-05:00

Although it can be argued that I've been braindead for some time, I actually now am starting to feel it. Probably because this is the last week of classes, next week are finals, and then the semester's over. HOH SHIT. Luckily I only have 2 actual exams, the other 3 are papers, and one of those papers I've already done. So it shouldn't be too bad.

However, this week just fucking kicked my ass. I had an Ancient Greek grammar handbook to write (SERIOUS amounts of fun, dead languages are), a 10 minute presentation and an 8 page paper for my History seminar (about the battle of Thermopylae pass - the reason why my "OMG I'M GOING TO BLOG ABOUT THE PERSIAN WARS LOL" kick died quickly), another presentation about the future of labor union healthcare under President-Elect Obama (a group project, so it wasn't too bad), and readings about museums that I didn't give a shit about. Basically, this week sucked. I came in from class today and just collapsed into bed with a humongous cup of coffee and a sugar cookie, turned on MST3K and died. AND I HAVEN'T THOUGHT SINCE.

*Five minutes later*

A mini Nerf gun war just occurred between roomie and I. We called it a draw. Clearly, nothing will be accomplished in this room tonight.

I feel like playing Fallout 3 and killing mutants. Also, it will be a good way to not be productive.

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Now playing: Radiohead - Pyramid Song

Fuck yes, we can!

2008-11-08T17:38:00.010-05:00

So there's this crazy rumor going around that Barack Obama got elected for President. It's almost like my friends threw an election party in their apartment during which we made delicious cakes,

then when the winner was announced we shrieked like fire ants were in our panties and jumped around like kangaroos on goofballs. Arriving back to campus at about 12:20, there was a mini parade going down campus walk.

I screamed "FUCK YEAH, OBAMA!" and received many a high five for my awesomeness. What a great time to be in college.

Roomie and I also kick ass at playing Damien Rice's "Coconut Skins" on guitar, and disturbed several neighbors who peeked out of their windows to see what herd of cattle were getting mutilated with out of tune guitars.

Sweater #2 is 1/4 done. And I realize now that I never posted pictures/pattern of the other one I made, but you shall have to wait.

Fallout 3 might be my new favorite game. Out of the way, Gears of War. Marcus Fenix, I know you and I have had some good times killing the Locusts. And I apologize for laughing when I allow you to take a missle to the chest and explode into chunks. But Fallout 3 lets me create my own badass character, Sunny, who looks sort of like me and is also severely badass. I've had good times consorting with ghouls, Wastelanders, and those kooky folk in Rivet City. My karma is so good my Pip Boy 3000 makes me look like Jesus. I've got to find my father, you understand. So until GoW 2 comes out on PC or I get an XBox, I think we need to take a break, Marcus.

I need to lay off the Mountain Dew. Anyway, it's 1940's Dance tonight, hosted by my Swing Dance club, so I'm stoked. I will party it down and probably get twirled around like a top, possibly thrown up in the air. Supposedly there will be people from the armed forces there. YAY! I love troops. The proceeds also go to Veterans of Foreign Wars, so it's a good thing we're doing.

So I'm gonna go get ready to get my groove on.

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Now playing: Dir en grey - 24ko Cylinder

Greatest waste of money ever.

2008-10-28T18:48:00.008-04:00

I had preordered the Mystery Science Theater 3000 20th Anniversary Edition a couple of weeks ago, but Amazon had told me, "LOL YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT UNTIL NOVEMBER 3RD, SUCKA!" So what a surprise when I checked the status of my lovely set and found that it arrived today! The day it was released! I love you, Amazon! You facilitate my MST3K infatuation so nicely.

I already had all of the episodes, but I wanted the high quality versions(in other words, not ripped off of VHS tapes that were recorded from the TV, and in some cases still had some hilariously awesome mid 1990s commercials) and to free up some hard drive space. The package was ripped open immediately and I took pictures to taunt my friends who thought there were better ways to spend $50 or some nonsense.

Awesome tin box that will be used for non-MST3K item storage.

CROOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. It bothers me that they made his eyes too small.

Dear God, my nails look awful. Oh, and the front cover.

Back cover, featuring Gypsy.

I put the lobby cards beside my other loves.

Closeup of the lobby cards. And there's something yellow and gross on my wall.

Now I have to go work on a speech. Fun time is over.
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Now playing: Björk - Unison

Gears of War: A Declaration of Love

2008-10-27T15:54:00.002-04:00

Dear God, I love Gears of War. I might even like it better than Crysis. Oh shit. Any game in which your standard gun comes equipped with a chainsaw is immediate win in my book. The first time I chopped up a bitch I nearly cried in gamer nerd joy.

But I digress.

In Gears of War, you play as Marcus Fenix, a hardcore, ex-con, brutish looking fellow who could totally wreck your shit if he wasn't, you know, a bunch of pixels and computer code. Anyway, Fenix has been in jail but is busted out by his former squadmates to help fight the Locusts, an underground civilization that's trying to kill humans. And as most video games, that's really the entire plot right there. Run off and shoot bitches to save the world. WOO!

I've had entirely too much fun shooting and squealing in terror as deformed creatures pop out of nowhere to kill me. One of my favorite parts is the vast amounts of gore in this game. There are guns that literally cut bitches into pieces. But it's not like this exploding-into-chunks is a one sided thing. Many times I was annihalated by getting hit in the chest with grenade launchers. I still giggled way more than I should have.

So do you like excessive violence and shooting things? Then Gears of War is right for you! And GoW2 comes out November 7! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

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Now playing: Lacuna Coil - Purify

Oh, Mary Wash...

2008-10-15T14:18:00.004-04:00

University of Mary Washington! My home! How I missed your leaf blowers at 8 in the morning! How I missed the maintenance trucks that creep along behind you when you're trying to go to class with your headphones on, and look behind you to suddenly realize HOLY SHIT THERE'S A TRUCK 2 FEET BEHIND YOUR ASS! How I missed the rabid squirrels that will sit on brick walls and make threatening noises at you, although a swift kick would kill them! How I missed the brick walkways that will trip you and totally wreck your shit if you're not careful!

Yeah, fuck that.

So my sweater is 99% done. I still have to weave in some yarn ends. But that's for a super special blog post, which will include my modified pattern. Fuck yes.

So I was on break. I had planned to do all this shit and get ahead in my classes, but I got home and said "FUCK THAT." I slept the entirety of the first day (I'm not even kidding), watched MST3K the entirety of the second day, and shopped the entirety of the third day. That third day was really productive though. I was probably the reason the economy did better that day.

Also, while I was home, I listened to entirely too much Jeff Buckley and The Who (200 and 169 plays, respectively). They teamed up and kicked Radiohead out of my number 1 on last.fm, when Radiohead was about 200 plays above both of them before break. Obsessive music listening. I am guilty.

I'm wearing a dress today and I realized why I never wear dresses. Because I can't sit in them. I mean, I can, but not in a ladylike manner. I usually sit with one leg tucked under me, and I can't do that in this dress. It's a good thing I'm wearing leggings because I'd be Lohaning everyone in my classes.

In preparation of the last debates tonight, Cracked.com had this article on what would make the debates more interesting. I, in my MST3K fantard biased opinion, think #2 should have totally won. But that's just me and my tardism. I want a Rifftrax and a Cinematic Titanic episode for the debates. Also, if I get back from swing dancing tonight in time, I may do a kooky live blogging thing for the debates. If I decide I care enough. And I don't forget its on. And I don't decide to go play Halo 3 instead.

Time for work that I totally neglected over break.

A Collection of Post-Literary Review Thoughts.

2008-10-09T23:59:00.004-04:00

It's always entertaining to see how the Internet turns perfectly acceptable people into complete fucktards.
Swing dancing performances at the end of this month. I get to be the lead female. We are dancing to "Ain't To Proud to Beg." It should be hilarious, and will undoubtedly be on Youtube at some point.
Literary reviews are fucking awful to write. Holy goddamn.
I get to go home tomorrow for fall break. I could've worked and earned some cash, but I didn't want to go from one hell hole to another. I need a serious mental health vacation.
I've have listened to more In Flames and Coheed & Cambria than I ever thought possible today.
My generation is seriously fucked for the future. Thanks guys. Oh, and fuck you. Hard. With something sandpapery and rather pointy. You cuntbags.
Netflix is the greatest creation since MST3K.
The weather can't decide whether to be hot or cold. It was 60 yesterday, 80 today. Fuck you too, Virginia weather.
Having Radiohead's "Idioteque" as my alarm clock on my cell phone is the greatest thing ever. I wake up and immediately bust a move. And my elbow.
Apparently roomie's friends think I'm the coolest person ever. I apologize for being so misleading.
Wall-E is such an adorably cute movie I almost exploded into candy and syrup. And it has good underlying messages as well.
The movie 300 actually really kind of sucks.

Random.

2008-10-02T11:48:00.007-04:00

Today I feel random. I'm still sick, and the health center did absolutely nothing for me when I went yesterday. They were like "GOLLY GEE WILLACKERS, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE SICK!" No shit! I've only been coughing, sneezing, losing my voice, and headachey, I was sure I was just imagining things. Then my roomie and some of our friends were telling me horror stories of the health center. For instance, they told one girl she needed her tonsils removed. SHE DIDN'T HAVE TONSILS. In another case, our friend had been throwing up for three days and was unable to keep anything down. They asked her if she wanted an antacid.

College healthcare. Not worth a damn thing.

In other news, RADIOHEAD. New video for my favorite song off of In Rainbows.

hello my mind is not functioning at the correct speed at the moment thanks to being in Tokyo but however and here is one of my favourite video things that has ever happened for Reckoner it is, the result of somebody entering a competition to make an animation to one of the tunes on IN RAINbows. on aniboom. you can scroll down dead air space and find all about it.. but anyway

so we asked them whether it was ok to make it the official one we use as it goes with the song so well. they said yes.

and if you're like me and find it hard to find videos on televsion any more, or even turn on the television you can watch right here.

ok now im going to fold some clothes.

Thom

Check out this video: Radiohead - Reckoner - by Clement Picon

That Thom Yorke is a silly bitch.

Also, I found some other hilarity on the Intarwebs yesterday while I was moping around feeling sorry for my fail self and eating Wheat Thins (those fuckers are addictive, and they may help reduce the risk of heart disease, FUCK YEAH EVEN THOUGH THAT'S PROBABLY NOT TRUE).

The last one made me laugh so hard sent myself into a coughing fit and nearly vomited. I loved Pinky and the Brain during elementary school, and they were one of the best parts of the Animaniacs, which remains one of my favorite shows. But that's for another post.

And my last exciting news: I'm almost finished with my sweater! YAAAAYY! Except that I'm totally about to run out of yarn. Booooo. It's retarded too, because I only have 11 more rows to do. And I'm going to have to buy an entire skein for (my estimate) 6 rows. Shitsux.

Oh, and our school is having Rocktoberfest again this year. Last year they had illScarlett (whom I love dearly, and I got their autographs and photos taken with them. I also haven't listened to them in months. LOL), The Hint (cliche pop-rock, but not too bad, got pictures with the lead singer who looks freakishly like a friend of mine), and Plain White T's (who I liked before anyone else had heard of them, and then when I forgot about them they suddenly became famous). This year they have The Spill Canvas and The Cab, neither of whom I've heard of but I'm going anyway. The Spill Canvas sounds like it may be some whiny emo shit. Anyone heard of either band?

I'm going to go dance to The Who. Because I have nothing better to do at the moment. I haven't been in the mood for Persian War research, and I apologize.

When Obama and Biden Came to Mary Washington.

2008-09-28T15:45:00.012-04:00

Roomie, roomie's friend, and I notice at about 1 PM that the line is getting really fucking long, so we scoot outside. The end of the line can't even be seen.

We find out later that there are 26,000 people lined up. This is how long the line was. It starts at the X, where the rally was held.

So we cut in line. Yes, we are severe assholes. But seriously, we stood beside people we knew, and there was no one there to tell us not to. Normally I would feel bad but in this case I didn't care. Again, asshole here. Anyway, we got in at about 3 PM (waiting for about 2 hrs in the sun), and got a good spot about 30 ft away from the stage. Awesome. Now all we had to do was wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Remember that it's hot in the middle of the field, and we had to give up our water at the gates. Then the fucktards didn't even bring enough water. So people were passing out, complaining about water, and the idiots running this thing only threw out about 6 bottles every 10 minutes. Because 6 bottles are really going to satiate 26,000 people. A friend finally just stole one from the press, who had cases upon cases of fucking water. We shared that bottle between six people, which didn't last at all, but dammit, it was the best 2 sips of water ever.

Then it started fucking raining. We had one poncho between the three of us, because in addition to being assholes, we are rock stupid. So we held the poncho over us, which did absolutely nothing, and I eventually just said "Fuck this shit" and stood out in the rain. Now of course I regret this decision, as now I am sick as hell. However, the poncho made a great water collection device, and we, being desperate, earned 2 more sips of water. Delicious acid rain water, but H2O nevertheless.

Then there was more waiting. We had also been standing in the best part of Ball Circle where it always floods and gets muddy whenever it rains, so this is what I had to stand in for about 3 hours:
My feet kept on getting stuck in the mud, and if I didn't keep moving my feet I'd have a hard time getting my shoes out. One cannot even convey to anyone who wasn't there how absolutely miserable everyone was. Whomever was running this thing had no fucking idea what they were doing.

It's now about 6 PM. The thing was supposed to start at 5:15. Needless to say, everyone is getting more pissed off by the minute. Although everyone had known that he would be late, it was obnoxious to continue hearing the same 10 songs over and over again, and without someone entertaining the crowd or at least giving us updates. Finally, some guy comes out.
It's a goddamned minister. Excuse my heathen mouth, but the last thing I wanted to hear was some bullshit prayer with clear political overtones. Thanks for combining the two things that annoy me the most. Also note the rain coming down.

There are a few other guys, but I put my iPod on because I didn't fucking care. Also, it was vastly entertaining to watch people try to energize a crowd whose energy was long gone while listening to Ben Folds. Ben Folds definitely boosted my spirits, though, so thanks Ben.

Then some people come out and start fiddling with the monitors and podium for 45 fucking minutes. At this point everyone's pissed, because these people are so concerned about getting the right angle for the monitor that they fool with that shit for nearly an hour. The audience finally starts booing. Can you blame us? It's about 7 PM, some people have been standing in line since 9 AM, and these fuckers are going to stand there and get frazzled over the damned monitor? Hell no! The only funny part was the state trooper, who I guess they got because he was the right height.
Finally. FINALLY. HOLY SWEET JESUS, SOMETHING IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. Then suddenly...
AND the crowd goes wild. Yaaaaaay. So there's Joe. He was pretty awesome. He mostly did a lot of praise of Obama, cracked a few jokes, and called Mary Wash a great school (KISS ASS).
I hated the fucktards who kept putting their children on their shoulders. Not only are you blocking the view of people behind you, but the kids are too young to even give a shit anyway. I definitely heard the kid in the above picture whine, "Mommy, I want to go home."

Then the showstopper came on. And again, the crowd went wild. Yaaaaay.
He was as good as you'd expect. He did a bit more McCain bashing than I hoped he would, but he did talk about his own policies and plans about 50-50. And while I don't agree with everything he says, Obama definitely would be the better President.
It started to rain again, but Obama kept right own going. He even took off his coat and handed it to Biden, who was giggling because we were all like "OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH" when Obama took it off. It was hilarity. Biden asked him if he wanted a hat, to which Obama replied, "I don't need a hat!" Again, everyone thought it was great. I was laughing my ass off.
Biden with his hat. You can't see it, but he's striking the most awesome Captain Morgan pose ever, with one leg up on a stool. He should totally win that pose-off contest, if it's still going.

That was pretty much it. It was an entertaining night, and worth the waiting and misery, but I'm not doing that again. As I mentioned before, I feel like shit right now. Not to mention I drank about half my weight in water when I got home. Ew.

Obama/Biden Rally: Serious Business

2008-09-25T17:45:00.004-04:00

So Obama and Biden are coming to my campus on Saturday. YAAAAAYYYY! However, check out all of the restrictions we will be under, and keep in mind our campus isn't big. It's going to be bananas.

The gates to the rally area - Ball Circle - will open at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Everyone entering the area will have to pass through metal detectors. No drink or food may be brought into Ball Circle. There will be water available, supplied by the Obama campaign, for those inside Ball Circle.

This is a rain or shine event and will NOT move inside in the case of rain. Umbrellas are not allowed through security so please plan to wear/bring rain gear if the weather forecasts call for inclement weather.

UMW will observe liberal parking on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. By 10:00 p.m., all security barriers will have been removed and campus restored to ‘normal.’

Special requests or needs must be addressed directly to the Obama campaign through their website: www.barackobama.com. UMW staff is not in the position to offer or arrange for special requests.

1. Lot 3 (Chandler) and Lot 16 (Monroe small lot) will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, 9/26 and remain closed until the event ends on Saturday evening at approximately 7:30 p.m.

2. At approximately 5:00 p.m. on Friday, 9/26, College Avenue between Brent and Rowe Streets will be closed for parking. No parking may take place and any vehicle violating the City’s no parking signs will be towed.

3. Chandler Hall will close at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, 9/27, and not be accessible until the event is over. This means no access to offices, classrooms, or labs. All meetings that were scheduled to take place in Chandler Hall on Saturday have been relocated. Kaplan’s GRE/GMAT practice tests will take place in Trinkle Hall.

4. College Avenue will be closed to vehicular and foot traffic, between Brent and Rowe Streets, on Saturday from 1:00 p.m. until the end of the event.

5. Access to Double Drive off College Avenue from William Street WILL be possible throughout the day. Exit from Double Drive will be straight, along Brent Street, and then left or right on Stafford Ave to access William Street or Route 1.

6. Campus walk proper, running from George Washington Hall to Goolrick will remain open to foot traffic throughout the entire day/evening with the following exception: the portions of campus sidewalks running along Ball Circle at Virginia Hall, along Chandler Hall from Ball Circle toward Seacobeck, and along Virginia Hall from Palmieri Plaza toward Ball Circle will be closed from 1:00 p.m. until the end of the event. Please see the following schematic.

7. From 1:00 p.m until the end of the event:
- Virginia Hall will be accessed/exited from the Palmieri end of the building
- Ball Hall will be accessed/exited from the ‘rear’ door toward the Westmoreland lawn area
- Madison Hall will be accessed/exited from the ‘end’ door emptying onto Campus Walk

8. All windows facing Ball Circle must be closed and blinds/shades drawn by 2:00 p.m.

9. From 5:00 p.m. until the end of the event on Saturday evening, there will be no access into or out of Custis Hall unless an emergency situation exists and then will be done so under Police escort.

Basically, the entire midsection of campus is blocked off. I'm glad I don't live in Virginia anymore. It also sucks for the people in Custis Hall, which is a dorm. That must be where the dudes are staying before the rally.

But I shall bring the tale and related pictures after it happens on Saturday. Unfortunately it's supposed to rain so it'll be gross, but I'm going regardless.

EDIT: I just realized none of this makes sense to people not at Mary Wash. So here's a map, with my edits.

A Peek Inside the Life of Tinnerz.

2008-09-23T15:49:00.011-04:00

Or, I got really bored last night and started taking pictures of my dorm room. They say you can judge someone based on their living quarters, so judge away.

My feet. And my ridiculously long and baggy, yet most comfortable pair of jeans. And they actually fit my delicious black girl hips! YAY!

Flamingo my roomie and I definitely stole from a luau thrown by one of the clubs on campus.

Monkey stolen from the same event, with a fucked up leg. We'll have to perform surgery on him one day.

The workspace, complete with attack llama to ward off crazies. Also, more MST3K then you can shake a stick at. And my beloved iPod Bartholemew.

My guitar <3. It is delicious. I've had it for about 5 years. I have 2 acoustics but given the space limitations at college I always choose to bring my electric axe. Its name is Pepper. Yeah, I name all of my gadgets for maximum confusion of others.

TV and window. Also notice what DVD is sitting on the dressers. If you can't read it, it's MST3K. I'm such a tard.

Remember the fail knitting I displayed earlier? Well look at that shit now! All I have left to do is finish the left sleeve, knit the hood, and sew in the zipper. Hot damn I'm good. Also notice how Herodotus sneaks his way into the picture.

TARD WALL!!! This picture was actually taken today because I just bought the Monty Python and Radiohead OK Computer posters this morning. So this is what it currently looks like. Last night it was bare and no one wants to see that sadness. Now it is pretty and filled with...holy shit that's a lot of testosterone on my wall. In my defense, I was actually looking for a poster of Janis Joplin this morning but ultimately failed. The search will continue.

The best thing about my dorm room is that the building is 101 years old, so it has these awesome high ceilings, walk in closets, and pipes that are perfect for hanging shit. Roomie and I keep coming up with new ideas on how to decorate, and especially given the fact that our room is one of the largest ones in the building (being in a corner) we have a lot to work with. I'm quite pleased with us.

Music that is severely underrated.

2008-09-22T17:54:00.003-04:00

I was thinking about this topic earlier today when I was supposed to be reading Herodotus, and now that I need something to procrastinate from US labor history reading, I'm going to provide all 4 of my loyal readers with...

TINNERZ' ULTRA-AWESOME AND SOMEWHAT BAFFLING MUSIC LIST!!!!!!1!!1!!11
Anyway.

Blues Creation

70's Japanese hard blues rock? FUCK YEAH. This shit makes me dance like my inner whore. Besides, look at how fucking gnarly these dudes look. They could kick your ass and you'd be like, "Holy shit, I got my ass handed to me by some somewhat effeminate 70's Japanese blues rockers." And I have no idea what I'm talking about, so let's move on.

SOIL&"PIMP" SESSIONS

Sticking with Japan, we have these dudes. They're a jazz band. And they wail. One of their last.fm tags is "death jazz." Fuck yes. My fucking face melted the first time I heard them. Besides, when they have albums entitled "Pimpin" and "Pimp Master," you know you're in for some fucking awesome shit. And check out the cat in the middle. He's like an Asian Don Corleone. He'd wreck your shit.

The Black Keys

And now back to the grand ol' US of A. To Ohio, to be exact, where these two dudes are making the blues hot and spicy, Texas...no wait, I mean, Ohio style. At first I was like, "Wow, this black guy from the south is really good!" Then I realized it was two white guys from Ohio, and was even more impressed. I have serenaded my room mate more songs by The Black Keys than should ever be allowed. But that's what she gets for her goddamn Coldplay.

Portugal. The Man

HOLY GODDAMN I love me some P.TM. Every single album they've put out sounds different, but they still manage to be amazing. They can be all ambient and light, then sound slightly Motown-ish, then go electronic, then go folky AND IT ALL ROCKS MY FACE. It's like sex for the ears.

Free The Robots

Now I normally don't listen to rap or hip-hop. But this shit is good. The samples are amazing and totally unexpected. I swing dance to "Jazzhole" with my friends. It's so damn addictive and definitely gets my blood going. And because it's instrumental, I can study or read without stopping to sing along. I do, however, have to bust a move. Again, I apologize to my room mate.

Part 2 coming soon, as well as more Persian Wars battle history. It's time for work.

Two album reviews.

2008-09-19T15:38:00.002-04:00

Portugal. The Man - Uncensored Colors
Best album of 2008.

The Sound of Animals Fighting - The Ocean and the Sun
Second best album of 2008.

Discuss.

I rawk at MS Paint.

2008-09-18T22:58:00.003-04:00

Okay, so it was actually Paint Shop Pro. Same damn thing though.

This is what reading nothing but shit about the Greco-Persian wars for about a month will do to you.

And I can't believe Smartie put them on Idletard. Though I do need to get ready for my exhibit at the Louvre.