Incidentally...

According to the NerdTests website I'm going to live for a long while yet...



And I'm something of a nerd...

New Post

Sorry, it's been two months since my last post.

I have no real reason for this, time just been getting away from me.
On the assumption that anyone is still reading this (if, indeed, anyone ever really was), I will try to bring you up to date.

I have a new job! I am a Radioshack Sales Associate. It sucks, but no more than any other retail job. And I get to watch TV when it gets slow. I just hate having to push the damn cellphones so much.

My friends and I haven't been doing any Role-playing games lately, you gotta budget time for those and we just can't seem to get together regularly. We have been substituting online sessions of HALO 3 late at night. (it's not the same.)

Sadly there is nothing else of note just now; I go to work, play video games, spend too much money on semi-frivolous things, eat, sleep... and wait for death.

(that sounds more morbid that I meant it to.)

----------------
Now playing: Akira Ifukube - Godzilla's Rampage [From Godzilla 1954]
via FoxyTunes

Theresa Duncan

I never met Theresa Duncan.

My entire personal contact with her was a single comment on her blog, to the effect that I liked her writing. And, of course, regularly reading that blog.

I still find myself emotionally impacted by news of her death. Especially learning that it was apparently a suicide, followed closely by the suicide of her longtime boyfriend.

I wish I had answers to all the regular questions suicide raises, but I am resigned to never learning them.

I do not know why I am personally affected by this, other authors I liked to read have died in the past. Artists of all sorts have committed suicide. But the fact remains that I have been on the verge of tears over this news, and I have no adequate explanation for it.

What's the deal with hot water?

Everybody loves a nice glass of ice water. But I have never encountered a person who likes hot (or even warm) water.

Why does hot water taste bad? Is the taste actually different? (supposedly water has no taste) We drink it hot if it's flavored... Coffee, Tea, Cocoa, whatever...

But even in the winter cold, I wouldn't think of drinking a mug of plain hot water.

Is there a reason for this? I don't know.

Even tepid water is no good, unless you are really really hot... Maybe the water just needs to be significantly cooler than your current core temperature?

Aren't we supposed to be warm blooded creatures? Regulating our own body temperature tells me that we should have a preference for things that are our same temperature (to save on energy from fluctuations caused by significantly cooler or hotter foodstuffs)


And furthermore, why do I care about this stuff?

----------------
Now playing: Origa - Rise
via FoxyTunes

Your English Skills:

Punctuation: 100% Vocabulary: 100% Grammar: 80% Spelling: 60%

Does Your English Cut the Mustard?

Thank God for Spellchek...

----------------
Now playing: Flogging Molly - The Ol' Beggars Bush
via FoxyTunes

You Are Death

You symbolize the end, which can be frightening. But you also symbolize the immortality of the soul. You represent transformation, rebirth of a new life. Sweeping away the past is part of this card, as painful as it may be. Your fortune: Don't worry, this card does not predict death itself. Instead it foreshadows the ending of an era of your life, one that is hard to let go of. But with the future great new things will come, and it's time to embrace them. Mourn for a while, but then face the future with humility and courage.

What Tarot Card Are You?

----------------
Now playing: Buffy Cast - Walk Through the Fire
via FoxyTunes

8th Grade Science Quiz

You know I did well, or I wouldn't have published the results!



----------------
Now playing: Isaac Hayes - That Loving Feeling
via FoxyTunes

Worst Reviewed Movies

Rotten Tomatoes has compiled a listing of the worst reviewed movies based upon their percentage rating system. Below are the movies from that list that I have seen, and some of my thoughts about them.

#100 9% Catwoman - You can't deny that Halle Berry looks good in skimpy tight leather! Well, maybe you can, but I liked it. The movie on the other hand wasn't really worth my time. And if you're gonna have a hot girl fight in your movie, you don't cast Sharon Stone. Not anymore you don't...

#88 8% Electra - This movie could have been better, but the villains were cool if a little underused. I didn't feel cheated for watching it, but I don't own it on DVD or anything.

#85 8% Gods and Generals - Ted Turner's sequel to 'Gettysburg' is waaaaaay too long, but has some good acting and Civil War battle scenes are always neat. I saw it for free so it didn't bother me, but there really should have been an intermission!

#81 8% Sound of Thunder - Gad, what a horror show! And I don't mean that in a good way. I generally like time travel stories, and alternate history stories. But the lack of coherence and logic in this piece of crap made the passable special effects worthless. A real slap in the face to Ray Bradbury.

#75 8% The Order - Okay concept as far as religious mythology goes, but just a silly story. It sooo much wants to be 'The Omen' but isn't. Cute girl though...

#61 7% Ultraviolet - I literally fell asleep several times durring this film. The action was too over the top, even for me, the special effects were amateurish, and they smeared vasaline over the lens every time Milla Jovovich had a close up! Dudes, she's an attractive woman! She doesn't deserve to be treated that way.

#53 6% Envy - Bad, bad, just bad. This was one of the least funny comedies I've ever seen. The only redeeming feature was Christopher Walken. He was brilliant! But not brilliant enough to overcome the weight of the rest of the film.

#41 5% The Fog - A pointless remake of a really cool film. The ghosts weren't scary and the acting was flat. The film was not one of the worst I've ever seen but the original was so superior that there was just no reason for this film.

#14 3% Battlefield Earth - I actually liked the book when I first read it. Then, after watching this gag fest of a movie, I went back and tried to re-read it. I couldn't even get past the first chapter, the heavy handed proto-Scientology crap was so thick. Ah, ignorance is bliss...

#8 2% Twisted - Obvious little mystery story. With only one real suspect and a telegraphed red herring. Who hadn't figured it out by the second reel? I like Sam Jackson, but he is wasted in this thing.

#1 0% Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever - That's right I've actually seen the worst rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes! This movie blows! The logic is absent. The pacing is dull. The action is listless. I went to see this movie because I like Lucy Liu. I like her a little less now.

----------------
Now playing: Alan Menken - Somewhere That's Green
via FoxyTunes

Super-Hero dating quiz

Happy Easter

More Piratey Goodness, Yarg!

My PQ score be 137

Could You Pirate the Caribbean?
Take The Pirate Quotient (PQ) test at Shiver My Timber-- A Pirate RPG.

Another post requiring little input from me ;)

This is a list of the 50 most significant science fiction/fantasy novels, 1953-2002, according to the Science Fiction Book Club. You’re supposed to Bold the ones you've read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put an asterisk beside the ones you loved.

You may notice that there is an asterisk by most of those I’ve read. I guess I’m very good at choosing to read things that I will like… (I think there should be more Heinlein and Asimov on this list!)

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
3. Dune, Frank Herbert
4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson
7. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick *
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov *
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish
16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
22. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card *
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson *
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling
27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams *
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice *
30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke *
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven *
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein *
47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

I am far from Stupid!

Shuttle Launch

Gone

Sad news people. This past Monday the stress just got to be too much for me. I resigned my position as a 911 operator. I just couldn't handle the stress of all my decisions being potentially life or death...

I really don't have a lot more to say about that, just a lesson: when stress is affecting your health it's time to get out.

Holiday Depression...

... No,no,no! Not mine. Yours. You must have been depressed (both of you) due to the great amount of time that has passed since my last entry.

Anyway, the Holidays were great to me! I graduated from the Academy at work and am now taking calls from real live people in distress (and others...)! I am still under supervision but I think I am doing well, and as soon as I quit over thinking everything and just do the job, I'll be released to take calls on my own.

Christmas itself wasn't too shabby either. I got 'World War Z' from Keith, and read it pretty much straight through. Great book, if you haven't read it go and do so... I'll wait...

Back? Wasn't that GOOD!? I loved it! I also got a $50 gift certificate backed by the Federal Government from my Dad! you know the kind with the picture of Grant on it? (i.e. CASH, it's everywhere you want to be...) Got quite a lot of mileage out of it too... went to the movies, bought some DVD's, CD's you know...

Speaking of movies: I saw 'Apocalypto', 'Blood Diamond', and 'The Good Shepherd' All highly recommended!! I used to not like Leonardo DiCaprio, but he is really turning into an actor...


Well that's all I have for you this time. Tune in soon for updates...



(no really, soon... trust me.) ;)