joy and shadows

Oh fine, everyone else was.

10 Things I've Done That You Probably Haven't

1. Gone to a Formula 1 race.

2. Taken apart the guts of an HPLC pump to replace the check valves.

3. Been a part of a funeral parade involving a fire truck as a hearse

4. Met Jared Diamond and totally fangirled him

5. Taken Irish lessons. Bá mhaith liom Guinness, más é do thoil é!

6. Suffered through seven years of grad school

7. Eaten kidneys in a Paris restaurant (not on purpose)

8. Kept a Christmas poinsettia alive until next Christmas

9. Had three cats sit on me at once

10. Paddled a canoe to the best diving rock in Maine for a picnic and a swim

....Okay, that was weird. Next!

What exactly were the writers smoking again?

Husband is a happy happy boy tonight because Gran Turismo 4 just came out, and holy shit the graphics are mind-blowing. He's Mr. Car Nut, so this has game has been hotly anticipated in the Arafel Household. He's been gushing all night, calling out "Look! There's a *insert car name*! Oh wow, you can get *insert another car name*!" Which of course is about as productive as me calling out "Yay, I got a new Limit Break!"

Anyway.

The Onion's AV Club posted a review for the game I thought was particularly dumb. To quote:

The expansive car list is tops, but driving them is a serious challenge bordering on excessive realism. Beginners will have a hard time successfully navigating around the track; just one minor slipup, and the race could be over. Too often, you'll be relegated to sightseeing. There's also no story to speak of. The motivation to continue playing feeds solely on your desire to win races and unlock new cars. If you're getting killed time and again, that desire is rapidly doused.

HELLO! Story? STORY???? This is a game about going around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around until you are so bored with watching that you feel the need to trim your toenails. The reason to play GT4 is because you enjoy things like adjusting camber and setting downforce and all that rot, and my husband loves it. If there was some kind of RPG-type story associated with the game, it would be utterly pointless. What kind of "story" do you want?

"The Great Driving Ace stood outside his garage and gazed lovingly at his Silverstone grey Honda S2000. It had been waxed and polished, and he even changed the oil. The Great Driving Ace had just bought alloy wheels for his pet, but he did not purchase a wing, because wings are ricey. It was a fine day for a race.

He selected a track and started in sixth. Through a series of brilliant blocking maneuvers and passing on the inside, he moved all the way to first! He apexed all his corners just right. At the end of five laps, he won the race! The crowd went crazy, and he won some credits for new tires. The end."

So, Onion reviewer, yes the game is for car geeks, not GTA fanboys. Get over it, please.

Does anyone have the MP3s for the intro and/or ending theme to Bleach? I would be so, so grateful if someone could send them to me.

Plllllease? *begs*

DAMN IT SAMURAI CHAMPLOO

I'm getting all sniffledy over the end of ep 20, and then you go and FUCK WITH MY HEAD AGAIN.

( Mild spoilers )

Wow. Wow. Wow.

...wow.

And we get some plot, friends and neighbors.

More after JLU, possibly.

For jaina, who requested "Poorly socialized fanboys at cons."

( I wanted to capture the sights, the sounds, and the... smells of an American anime convention. )

HOW'S ABOUT STEM CELL RESEARCH, BIG BOY?

Also, special message from me to you: I already know Social Security is fucked. Making Social Security private is kind of like handing a bunch of slot machine-addicted seniors a bucket of quarters and saying "Here! Make your retirement out of this!" I already expect to carry your generation on my back. Don't add insult to injury.

Two from the The Flaming Lips.

Fight Test

ETA: "Do You Realize??" has been removed b/c I ripped the wrong song. Sigh.

I'm posting the lyrics to "Fight Test" because:

1. it's a great song and
2. It's just so Vash.

( cut for lyrics )

Looky! Kitty porn!

*continues to want a kitty*