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January 31, 2008

Major Minor's Majestic March

Japan-only Vib-Ribbon is one of my favorite final memories of the great PlayStation era (not that it marked the end thereof, as the PS2 at least wasn't the media player its successor remains, but there does seem to be a surplus of Sony hating in reaction to recent historical evaluations), so few-and-far-between news of new work from its creator always gives me hope for something new again, and not so much Guitar Hero/Rock Band, which I just don't understand. Alright, any reason to post the pig playing tuba.

Free Chipotle Burrito No. 3

Last week I got a call from the local Chipotle informing me that they'd fished out my business card (and the very first one I'd used, from a new batch) and I was entitled to yet another free burrito, but this time for me and my co-workers. She wasn't about to tell me how many of them I could bring, so I modestly limited the prize to my small five-man department, only to learn today that they just hand over my order, prepared to go, in a large bag when you show up. Lesson is: check the rules and ask for the full 25, even if you can't round up that many on such short notice, then take the rest home.

January 30, 2008

Once You Go Black

My original idea was to wait on T-Mobile to add the new Pearl to their incomparable BlackBerry rate plans (assuming the GPS would come with, not like Verizon), but here comes a contender from Garmin. Too bad it's got the same problem I have with the iPhone:no buttons. The future can't possibly be all flat-press. Holodecks used force fields, remember?

January 28, 2008

War

Jet Lee never did explain why his voice changed. And while the twist may still have worked, despite the unlikelihood of any plastic surgeon also battle-damaging his work with so much acne, the ending looked oddly spliced together with whatever was available after Jason Statham left.

While I'm on the subject of movies that don't make me feel I'm missing anything, Untraceable rips off a ten-year-old Millenium episode that was based on Fincher's own Zodiac killer and I'm glad someone noticed.

January 27, 2008

Seketest

I couldn't seem to close my eyes to sleep this weekend without reopening them inside and watching myself create words like this and "seketae" (as chat ID's, apparently), or try to survive in a world overrun by zombies; last night they chased me and a partner up an old building but we rigged platforms to drop us below. His worked and he escaped them, but when I pulled on my rope, nothing happened, and I was left feeling more embarrassed than anything. My audience and I stared at each other awkwardly until my prodding let out the air in my mattress and I fell through the floor, slowing my descent by grabbing onto each floor I passed. That somehow worked.

January 25, 2008

ati2vag.dll

I'd realized long before a few months ago when the graphics started acting up and I BSOD'd into VGA that the Alienware (which cost just about what I paid for my first Gateway, factoring in neither inflation or my income) was all the proof I'll ever need again that PC's aren't worth splurging on, but the pudding skin is surely this "hopeless" case, whose solutions range from installing the clunky old PCI bridge to, get this, removing the towel.

January 24, 2008

The Subtle Knife

Again, this isn't all that original to comic book readers—in fact, the whole thing smacks of Crisis, or Grant Morrison's background for his Zauriel character—except, of course, instead of the usual conquest-driven muscle-bound bad guys, you gotta admire Lord Asriel's ambition to take out God. He's like the superhero Christopher Hitchens would want to be.

January 23, 2008

Lois Nettleton

You can't left-click without loading a quotation from fellow actors about the lost potential of Heath Ledger (though I'm the first to admit—and not too strongly, of course—that I have yet to see Brokeback Mountain; and as Ang Lee just about turned me off his work forever with Lust | Caution, I'll have to wait on his Crow to convince me), but buried without fanfare was this actress I grew up with, on this hot episode of The Twilight Zone and as Kwai Chang's nephew's tragic MILF.

January 22, 2008

Joy

脫褲 says she dreamt I had a daughter last night. Not hers, though.

Red Light, Green Light

Friday afternoon I almost put my fist through the windshield coming back from Chick Fil-A because, I swear, I got held up at every single traffic light, at least a dozen in a row. And my route wasn't some bicyclist's, avoiding major thoroughfares by staying on back streets where you'd expect them to be against you. So this weekend I actually began counting how many times I got the green. (I know what you're thinking, that this is as weak a stunt as I've ever pulled just for the sake of a blog entry, but the way I figured, my pre-Alzheimer's brain ought to be good for a running tab of two numbers between intersections and processing whatever else it needs, driving instructions, any possible change in plans for the remainder of the trip, reminders that I'm neither dreaming nor playing Grand Theft Auto, until I reach my destination—and it'd keep me too preoccupied to get angry.) I stopped last night at 65/100. Should this mildly reassuring figure serve as closure, or should I continue my study by factoring in time of day and area?

January 21, 2008

Green Laver

Been eating this by the box since college, so no one knows the "green smile" (was The Green Slime the movie with the mystery alien woman whose name wasn't even revealed in the credits, because that always creeped me out) like I do, but last night I must've pushed a piece of 青海苔 under the gum above my front tooth brushing afterwards and took nearly half-an-hour of careful flossing to extract it.

January 20, 2008

The Northern Lights

The weekend was disappointingly 비-free, leaving me all sorts of time to finish Birdman (which begs an obligatory remark about its length), dig up my Alienware's Utility CD to try and get the ATI driver to stick, and finish Anne's copy of The Golden Compass. And I've got to say, as someone who found Harry Potter hackneyed, those nutty Christians are missing out. I pity them—parallel worlds aren't the most original idea, either, but I've always had a soft spot for 'em—living without the freedom to judge for themselves.

January 18, 2008

Harvey Birdman

I finally sat down in front of the Wii last night at 1:10am, and got back up and went to bed after finishing the first case at 1:20. In other words, this game is perfect for me. But it's not perfect. I'd read there are Capcom character cameos (Guile's on the back cover, after all), but the videogame world's no less a fertile breeding ground for Sebben & Sebben clientele than Hanna Barbera. And it's too bad they seem to have just reused the staff that worked on the DVD menus for this, because a few distracting mini-game genre parodies—the kind of surprising quality on Adult Swim's site, or even something along the lines of Wario, Incredible Crisis and たけしの挑戦状—might've made it more of a game, too. I would've worked on this for free.

Pillows

Saw these make the blogs and thought it'd be even neater if these pillows actually had some functional component, like picking up and squeezing the iTunes one activated your sound dock or media server. Maybe Windows people could decorate their walls with giant Desktop icons that do the same?

And on the subject of iPods, flipping between its FM station and my quadrennial interest in political news I recently imagined filling up my two other cigarette lighters with transmitters, too, and have three separate playlists available at once. There's something (more) special about music you like on the air, as if someone else shares your taste and the rest of us gets to listen in. Could be they'll have this feature in the future, who knows.

January 17, 2008

In Soviet Russia

—Something something you? I confess to many such infuriating instances throughout my online career, but never once did I think meeting one of my ten-year-younger arch-nemeses in person (should his school schedule or the bus route permit) would result in my death. Dunno if popular culture's quite ready to let this make for Law & Order material, because the MMO aspect would probably be sidelined like it was in that recent Office episode with Dwight in Second Life for some tawdry real-world accessory plot.

Update: Oh wait, they already have. 비 beat me to the current season.

January 16, 2008

Dockers

My startling discovery shopping last night: Americans are fat. So much so that clothing manufacturers don't bother with inseams longer than the waist. It's not as if I have Marfan syndrome, but searching through stacks of sizes like 38x32 helps me sympathize with victims of affirmative action.

Nicole Wallace

(People still do this?) It only took a couple of weeks for Yahoo's TV Listings to find me her last appearance on Criminal Intent, but the way things are shaping up for her Javert on the show, I doubt there's room for her to return. Maybe she can, and they'll end the series like Thomas Harris's Hannibal was supposed to, with the two of them running off together.

January 15, 2008

Pain in the Neck

It's not quite the crick that immobilized me years ago, but what has me writing about it is the mystery behind its cause: I did nap without a pillow Sunday afternoon, which might explain the slight strain, but then again, there's a distinct but unmarked area of swelling there in the back behind my left ear, sensitive to the touch, although the bump that may have been indicative of an insect bite (during wintertime, no less) seems to elude my searches a day-and-a half later. Should it turn out to be a tumor that results in my decapitation or indication of a surreptitious assault, psychosomatic or otherwise—I must say, however, the thought of leading some productive double life as a super-powered Goa'uld megalomaniac in my sleep isn't terribly off-putting—I'd like it on record. Yes, always with the super powers.

Things feel too tight or short. Took me months to realize these pants fit the childhood criteria for "high-waters" and while they cost less than I've spent on sales tax for other pairs, I'm a grown man with as much trauma for outgrowing my mother's income as income so am now planning to return them to JCPenney. I pull on my long sleeves one-handed day and night. My new vest looks right, but should I have gone with a larger size on it, too?

January 14, 2008

Saving the World

Been a while, but this morning I had one of those dreams about saving the world. The threat to it is almost always extra-terrestrial in origin—I guess I just haven't done the research to concoct a Tom Clancy-type thriller overnight, nor must I consider economic or environmental scenarios exciting enough for my super-powered alter ego with all his Freudian compulsions—and seems this time only I knew, because everyone else blinked when the solar eclipse revealed the sun to be a orbiting spherical alien device (opening its eyelids like the robot spider in Jonny Quest, but also resembling flaming Solaris in Grant Morrison's DC One Million) clouding their minds in anticipation of, what else, the inevitable invasion. I don't remember the rest, if there was any more than teaming up with another hero and scaling the side of a cliff together, then getting stuck in a jam at a toll gate on the 110, miles from downtown, wondering how I was supposed to reach there on foot. My Matrix-like abilities didn't include flying tonight.

January 11, 2008

KPFK

The recent primary elections prompted me to listen in on the pundits' take, so I tuned back to those crazies, and while Jerry Quickley's a funny guy, I'm surprised he's of the realistic—dare I say conservative—view that our bestbetter bet's with Hillary because Barack Hussein (emphasis on the Hussein) Obama simply isn't electable, given the GOP's inevitable campaign trail lynching (emphasis again on the Hussein) and of course, the racism endemic in American society. I've yet to voice an opinion on the matter, much less confront Mom on her support for Mrs. Clinton, but it seems to me that change hasn't and won't ever come by playing it safe. If every politician's the same corporate whore underneath, then why not go with the one with the colorcover we as a country are more likely to be judged on?

January 10, 2008

Dentist

A cancellation allowed me an overdue cleaning this morning, and while thirty minutes' notice wasn't nearly enough to practice opening wide or suppressing my gag reflex, I somehow managed to make it past biting down on those plastic frames for X-rays and really start my Happy New Year …or at least the good portion of it until my next appointment. I'm not sure just when I began reacting like this to the slightest intrusion into my mouth (could be that I hadn't cracked it for so long before that terrible ordeal with the abscess), but one thing is: I wouldn't be too popular in prison.

January 09, 2008

Angel

When I first saw Angel 6.1, I couldn't get past the art, which I had hoped would take from the Esurance style in the proposed Buffy cartoon. I still can't, but as I miss the show's untimely demise and it is plotted by Whedon himself, I thought I'd give it a try and dropped by my old haunt on my way home. You guessed it—anything before reactivating my MMO account. Groan, $3.99 per issue; I remember when comics were "Still 35¢" and offered just as much reading, which is why I gave up Grant Morrison's Superman, because I also remember when his felt denser and made up for it.

January 08, 2008

American Gladiators

(Interesting coincidence that the Simpsons at 11 was one of the last greats where Luann Van Houten divorces Kirk and rides off with "Pyro" in his Atlasphere.) Twenty years later and it's the same thing. Maybe in another two hundred we'll get to see contestants face off against these real-life Mortal Kombat characters to the death, in true homage to our Roman forefathers. Could be a way for everyone else in the world to vent and try and put the hurt on the Red, White & Blue without resorting to Islamofascism, trade embargoes or history. Mine also tells me the original Siren was hearing-impaired.

January 07, 2008

Ghetto Blaster

Seems they finally took my advice. (Although the iPod still looks like a mockup.) I'm especially amused by this excerpt from the spec sheet:
•Enjoy your iPod without earphones

January 06, 2008

Plastic Surgery

Speaking of logos, this guy bought cable airtime during tonight's CI 'thon on Bravo and left me also wondering if he can actually make my head smaller:

味千ラーメン

While we were there today, a stupid American couple came in and kept asking if they served phở; must be they were confused by the Cantonese murder of いらっしゃいませ (guys, the ませ is the least important part of it) and the "Japanese" mural that looked worse than US Street Fighter artwork. Doesn't the hidden question mark in their logo make you wonder, too?

January 05, 2008

Stargate Worlds

I'm afraid to admit it, but the preview last night does look like what I once imagined, but then again, this just may be the beginning of MMORPG's whipped up in no time, and no less mediocre than other licensed games.

January 04, 2008

Calendar

My regular dry cleaner, to whom I am very much indebted for giving me the Rain concert one-sheet that afforded me an early foothold with my 寶貝, handed me a bi-fold calendar with my shirts two weeks ago, the kind small businesses must select from a printer's collection and have customized with their name and phone number on the extended flap of the last page. (Contrast them to the now somewhat less fashionable rolled-up posters, which hark back to the ones Chinese restaurants used to get from their suppliers and Tommy Yamamoto's NSFW treats which I hung in the cabling crawlspace behind my desk.) 2007's I first put up after finding it in my trunk and mistaking it for the new one; it had vistas from around the world, but this year's is called "Just Kids." Is it just me, not having seen the inside of a girl's apartment in quite some time, or have these Kim Anderson-like innocents all but vanished from the mainstream, the result of too much SVU? So it's calligraphy from Cathay Bank for me. I miss 細川ふみえ!

January 03, 2008

2008

The "Service Engine Soon" light came on driving back home Tuesday evening, and while I'm due for a smog check soon, turns out someone swiped my fuel cap over the holiday and threw off the pressure inside. I wonder whether mine was stolen by a thief whose was, too, and if so, how far back the $20.04 criminal enterprise goes, or he was the sole idiot who left his dangling at the pump. Either way, can't let it bring me down after ringing in the new year on such an, um, upward note …All the more reason to keep it up, I say; my other resolutions for the remaining 362363 days:

• Make more progress in Mandarin, yoga and the Phoenix Wright games
• Visit at least one foreign country, and see what else the world has to offer—in fact, as I'm already a year older (according to Koreans, which explains the rush to marriage for them since their card and cake business must tank after the 1st), I think I'd better make this an annual thing
• Get my car running, despite its locked tank surely containing varnish
• Limit fast food burgers and the withdrawal-inducing carcinogenic soft drinks that accompanies them to once a week, unless I don't get married
• Try and finish some of the books I started and begin writing my own

January 02, 2008

山おんな壁おんな

I'm probably missing more meaningful (read: pay-cable channel wannabe) coverage of the topic on Nip/Tuck, maybe even from the Colombians, because I certainly didn't get any insight from this prime example of Japanese drama-lite. Because, as we all know very well, they're capable of oh-so much more.

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