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| ... A Toast...to a new world of Candy and Monsters... | ||
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4.04.2007 | |
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More prattle... I've been reading through some of my old posts, and my GOD was I pretentious in my writing! Better to tell stories that other people can enjoy than to just go on and on endlessly with literary allusion after allusion. I'll just stick to my Guinness and Star Wars, I guess. What's the point of trying to communicate to others if they think you are a) pretentious and elitist, or b) a terrible writer?I used to think I was a good self-editor... uh, no. Posted by sarcophage @ 11:53:00 AM Add or check out a |
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6.19.2005 | |
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Random, poignant link Technically it's another blog, but there are hardly any true "posts" on it. The blog owner has sent to him hundreds of postcards per day, all shouting out in anonymity some secret no one has ever been told.Some of them include such dodgy topics as "I like to smell my own poop." But the world gets ever darker from there, and I went through the entire site, feeling pity and shame by the end. postsecret.blogspot.com/ -R Posted by sarcophage @ 11:58:00 PM Add or check out a |
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6.06.2005 | |
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Wow. It's been awhile.... Here I am, back after what - 3 months?Just a quick update: still working my consulting job - loving it for the most part (some days better than others :) So that's going well - I'm very VERY busy right now, which is why I have not updated in awhile... please visit www.gigmatrix.com for more of my cantankerous ravings. Monika's parents are coming in a week, as is our nephew Shan (and his mother) a few weeks after that. Like I said - quick update - hi to everybody we saw at Mike E's wedding - it was awesome to see you guys - PLEASE COME VISIT!! That means you Dave! :) Posted by sarcophage @ 12:56:00 PM Add or check out a |
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3.21.2005 | |
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From here the Gauntlet be thrown. Amber turned me on to this, and I like this type of stuff, so here goes:* What is the total amount of music files on your computer? Home: Over 40 Gigabytes of music. That is, 6,026 songs which are mine. And 1,196 which are Monika's. Work: I bring my monthly selections to work on a DVD+R. That way, I can pick a lot of different moods and not waste hard drive space. :) * What was the last song you listened to before reading this message? The song "Jillian (I'd Give My Heart)" by the band Within Temptation. They are a metal band fronted by a woman named Sharon den Adel. They used to have a death metal, growling vocalist, then moved for a time to a more goth-oriented sound, and are now experimenting with (shudder) Evanescence type songs. That is rather sad, but the album "Mother Earth" is a landmark. * Write down five songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you: I need to preface this with the statement that I do not normally listen to (or truthfully, care about) lyrics. I listen for the melodies and song arrangements, incredible musicianship, and most of all, for the way a song makes me feel. 1. Song: "Kuolema_Tekee Taiteilijan" by Nightwish, from their new album Once. This is a song sung entirely in finnish, and it is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. I almost don't want to find out what the lyrics are, in case they're dumb. :) 2. Song: "A Fool's Paradise" by Symphony X from their album "V". "Is the end of all we know? Innocence lost so long ago... woven in dreams, the darkest of schemes now takes hold of our destiny." This is hardcore, Dungeons & Dragons nerd metal, but it's REALLY catchy. The lyrics are an epic story about the creation of the earth, Atlantis, or dinosaurs. Something - I don't know... But the instrumentals and melodies are fantastic on this disc. And I truly believe their vocalist has one of the best voices in rock. Not metal, all of rock. 3. Song: "Only a Matter of Time" by Dream Theater, from their When Dream and Day Reunite live CD. This is a live re-recording of the first Dream Theater album with the newest members of the group. This particular song has a few melodies which are so triumphant and hopeful that they bring tears to my eyes. The lyrics are about the band's internal conflict about signing a record deal - giving over musical control to reach a wider audience... the text is a bit dodgy, but there are moments: "Likely or not it's a dream that we keep, and at odds with our senses we'll climb... But if faith is the answer, we've already reached it, and if spirit's a sign, then it's Only a Matter of Time..." 4. Song: "You Don't Know Me" by Ray Charles. It may seem flavor-of-the-month to be into Ray Charles, but I've loved his work ever since I heard a number of his songs in the NBC show "Quantum Leap" back in the late 80s. You Don't Know Me is one of the most heartfelt, honest things I've ever heard put to tape, and it breaks your heart to hear it every time. If you know the story behind the song, it breaks it twice. "No you don't know the one Who dreams of you at night; And longs to kiss your lips And longs to hold you tight Oh I'm just a friend. That's all I've ever been. Cause you don't know me." 5. Song: "My Funny Valentine" by Miles Davis. Just pick pretty much any pre-1965 Miles song and you will hear the tone of a master. Not a master trumpeter - Miles was never in total control of his instrument... and that's what made his music so honest and direct. People talk about music being "pure" and all that means is that the emotion the artist (should be) feeling when s/he plays a song is coming through without filter to the ears of their audience. It's an almost impossible feat. But listen to a tune like My Funny Valentine or a myriad of others and you will hear low-down, smoky jazz clubs and a sly love that was neither explained with lyrics nor needed to be. Who are you going to pass this on to (3 people) and why? * Michaella - because I have always had great respect for the reasons she listens to particular artists. * Dave Hall - because I am always greatly surprised by his selections (Hedwig?!) * Monika - because she has a great capacity for picking out good lyrics, and I do not. (see "A Fool's Paradise" above :) Posted by sarcophage @ 10:19:00 AM Add or check out a |
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2.25.2005 | |
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Yet another pointless post which deteriorates into TV once again. Let the monthly updates continue!I've been travelling a lot lately, and having very fulfilling, productive (in the sense that many things are getting done, even if they're not "practical" things) weekends. Weekdays have been relatively productive as well, though I am still eking by with my poor organization skills, and that is going to bite me in the butt sooner or later. Anyhow, spent a weekend in Colorado this past President's Day, and am travelling to Chicago this weekend. For basically no reason. Well, of course there's a reason - Monika will be there for a whole week, so I'll get to see her during the weekend, which is nice. But really, I'm just hitching a ride. No idea what we'll be doing, though I do know we'll be meeting Amber and likely Benjie and who knows who else? This brings me back to my original thought - I haven't had a weekend in DC for awhile and that's just weird! That's all. Anybody else watching Lost or Alias? I'll do Lost still, but I am done with Alias. I just decided I dont' care anymore. It's over. JJ Abrams sucked me in 3 1/2 long years ago, enthralled me in season one, left me a little cold with season two... dashed my hopes and dreams to the floor in season 3... but then came back lukewarm and just... yucky lately. I know this will happen to Lost as well, but I can stand it for a little while longer. While Alias is lame, Lost has become boring - sometimes. I still get a moment or two of interest out of it, which is enough to keep me coming back each week - though I know 39 of my 40 minutes with the show will be spent rolling my eyes and trying not to fall asleep. Is that one minute worth it? I'll hold out until this season ends. I've also just realized that I pretty much do not watch any tv shows regularly anymore. Well, except the Apprentice. I watch that show with a loathing and a guilt - knowing it's bad and stupid, but still wanting to watch it each week. I suppose that's a good thing - the wanting to watch it part. At least the show is somewhat interesting at times. Meh. Posted by sarcophage @ 10:14:00 AM Add or check out a |
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1.26.2005 | |
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Matrix Update Well, we watched the Entire Matrix Trilogy, plus Video Game Footage this past weekend. We didn't make it to the Animatrix (since over half of it is irrelevant, it seemed a bit like overkill), but that may not have been such a bad idea.After having some trouble with the first Matrix disc (and not being able to find my original 1999 DVD copy), we slogged our way through Matrix Reloaded. Separated from the hype, and given a bit of leeway as far as some of the CG goes (everyone knows, though some are lax to admit it, the CG in some of the fight scenes are a bit distractingly ill-rendered) - the Reloaded film is pretty darn good. the fights are exciting, the storyline and pace of the action is well conceived, and there is enough interest generated to make you want to watch the 3rd movie. Sadly, said 3rd film just doesn't hold up to its counterparts. Sure, the story is fascinating, and many of the sequences are fun to watch, but basically the film deteriorates into a CG-filled sci-fi mess with almost no story for forty-five minutes of its runtime, and basically no tension, suspense, or thrill. And very little audience interest. Too bad, too, because the end of the movie is really given short shrift because of an insanely poor editing job. You just don't care what's happening by that point - you've been deadened and desensitized by the boring Zion sequences. I almost wonder if someone knew it had to be taken out, but they just didn't because the whole sequence cost so damn much money. We'll probably never know. I think next time I try to watch Matrix Revolutions, I will substitute the incredibly boring Zion-under-attack sequences with parts of the Animatrix. At least then there will be some character development, and some people we give a crap about. Ok, I officially promise this is the last post I'll make about the Matrix movies. Thank you, and good night. Posted by sarcophage @ 2:24:00 PM Add or check out a |
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1.21.2005 | |
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I quit caffeine 15 days ago.
It all started with a trip to the dentist (who only kept me waiting 10 minutes... a fairly short time in the chronological lives of dentists... Actually, it was the dental hygienist/assistant that kept me waiting. I saw the actual dentist for about 9 seconds. "looks good," she said, after staring into my mouth for the length of time it took for me to blink). She had a stack of National Geographic magazines in the waiting room, and I took a gander (isn't that a male goose? I didn't take a male goose) at one of the issues. "CAFFEINE!! It rules the world! It controls your brain! It bites the heads off of small babies and animal crackers!" That was the headline. Or something like that, anyway. So I turned to page 42. The first picture that I saw (remember, this is NatGeo - there were a LOT of pictures) was a man holding up what looked like a disgusting, dripping-wet hornet's nest. It was grey, and had slime and hair sticking out of it... it also had a nasty wax build-up, like it had been using V05 too much. I read the caption: "A worker lifts up a ball of wax and caffeine, extracted from coffee beans to be sold in decaf containers. The extra caffeine will be SOLD TO SOFT DRINK COMPANIES WHERE THEY WILL BE USED TO ADD CAFFEINE TO SODA" !!! I was revolted! And not just in the Che Guevara way, either. I almost stood tall in the dentist's office, and screamed "Viva la revolucion!" - but I realized that a trip to jail would likely delay my dental appointment, so I kept quiet. I read on, and all the horrible caffeine symptoms were discussed at length - "Caffeine makes your head shrink!" "Caffeine turns your ears and teeth black and causes you to vomit motor oil!" "Caffeine will grow hair on your palms, your elbows and your EYES!" "Caffeine will lay eggs in your stomach and tear out of your chest!" So you get the idea. Anyway, I came across one area which discussed sleep - I've been considering sleep and my lack of mental acuity lately - some of which is attributed to a supreme blow to my self-confidence dating back to September, of which I am still recovering from... but another part is something I've been painfully aware of for awhile... I am finding it very difficult to concentrate and finish things when they take a long time. I guess I probably do have ADD, as those of you who have carried on conversations with me for the last oh, EVER, have probably already decided. So that's a little strange for me. I wonder if there's anything I can do about that? I have heard that caffeine can actually help alleviate this - somehow it boosts the concentration level, and obviously allows you to stay awake longer. I'm starting to wonder if I've used this as a crutch? I used to drink 3 or 4 or 5 cups of coffee a day, plus the occasional Mountain Dew or Coke - both of which have extreme caffeine levels. On the other hand, since I've been off the sauce for a few weeks now, I don't feel all that different. I'm getting better sleep, though - I think I am finally back to somewhat of a good schedule... I'm going to bed closer to 10:00 every night, and getting up closer to 7 (it's not perfect yet :) which is my goal. Hm. Well there you go, another babbling post from me - but I'm off the caffeine, and I feel like I'm doing pretty well with all ... THAT. Posted by sarcophage @ 10:47:00 AM Add or check out a |
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