Regrouping, Recouping

I haven't blogged anything in awhile, so I thought I'd slip on the headphones (Silver Mt. Zion: "Sisters! Brothers!...") and jot down a few recent thoughts and happenings. So let's see. Since my last post:

I went to Indianapolis for the weekend, to go with my wife as she dropped off her pics for the Indiana State Fair photography contest. Nothing much happening up there, yet (fair itself is a few weeks off). Saw some disgusted faces leaving the entrant submissions area. Apparently the rules for what is accepted and what is rejected are fairly strict, right down to the millimeter. But the wife's all passed the inspection, and we'll see how that goes. I'll try to update soon, with some pictures from our trip to the Indy Zoo, if she ever gets them to me to upload.

I'm still on some ambient post-rock kick lately. Been listening to a lot of Godspeed, SMZ (obviously), Explosions and Mogwai. Not sure what I'm trying to hear, but my ears are thirsty for something new.

Still playing Deathspank. Still loving it.

I did find time to sit down and watch the recent TNA episode, with the announcement of the remaining ex-ECW guys getting (yet again) ONE MORE NIGHT (again) to show the world how they threw themselves off of balconies, slammed each other into light bulbs and thumbtacks, set themselves on fire, and bled from the ears and asshole better than anyone else in pro wrestling ever did before them (LOL). I wasn't as moved and emotional than Tommy Dreamer was (eyeroll), but then again I don't usually cry at the drop of a hat. But I'm at least interested in what they're doing on TNA. Which is more than I can say for the same old same old, on WWE TV. Haven't even bothered with RAW in months.

I liked the Doctor Who season finale. Let this episode be a lesson to all television writers: See? It's not so hard to write a happy ending, every once in awhile. You should try it sometime. It's good for the soul. And maybe good for ratings, too.

Slowly getting through the rest of the DVR backlog. Back to work this week. Meh.

At least it's a short week, thanks to my Monday off.

Deathspank

Looks like fun. Might have to give this a download from the PSN store, later tonight. I need some lighthearted humor. And some relaxing hack-and-slash might be fun, for a change. I can't tell how many levels there are in Deathspank, or anything about story length from the website. But the video says there are "tons of side quests" for "piles of awesome loot", or somesuch. I don't see how that could be bad. Priced at $15, that sounds like a plan.

My mind is Fragged

For Helghan!

Had a long day today. Wanted to finish it off with some Killzone 2 fun. I still have a few propaganda and intel to find in the campaign mode. And I would have liked to have joined a friend online to team up against some bots in the newer map packs. But that was apparently not meant to be. Come on! Shooting some virtual enemies, in new playable maps? How could that not be therapeutic?

I definitely need to schedule time to get some online fragging in, to relieve some of this stress I've been having lately. I guess the game's not going anywhere except on my console shelf, and there's nothing else I really want to jump into at the moment (except maybe some HL2), so I suppose I'll get around to it soon enough.

Just wish a day could go like I planned, for a change.

Sleepless Again

I'm laying here awake on my iPhone, when I should be sleeping. I have an excruciating day of dry meetings ahead of me tomorrow. I need to be awake at 4AM, so I can meet the carpool group at 5, ready to do a 3+ hour road trip to get there in the first place. But all I can do is lie here wide awake. I knew this would happen. I felt it brewing all day. I hate early morning... anything, basically. Maybe some Silver Mt. Zion will lull me into a more relaxed frame of mind? I'll try anything at this point.

Sent from my iPhone

Blog Migration

Spent a fair amount of time last night migrating this blog over from Posterous (which I found cumbersome) back home to Blogger (which is awesome). Accessed and imported many of my ancient posts from days gone by, and I'll spend the rainy days over the next few weeks editing and publishing those back to this main repository of all things Marc/Tarmus.

These old posts won't appear as new posts. Because that would be confusing, to read about the Chris Benoit tragedy, my other true crime obsessions, playing Final Fantasy XI (LOL), or my days as a humble Mozilla tester/mod, here in 2010. But rather these posts will be integrated into the existing timeline, to make one seamless database of most of the crap I've written on various blogs, over the last decade (almost). Maybe I'll have them all up by the ten year anniversary of my 1st blog post. Who knows?

Anyway, might be a fun read, if you're sufficiently bored. Check back every once in awhile for a blast from the past, as seen by yours truly.

Double Down All The Way

I'm usually not a big fan of the inevitable millions of parody videos, trying to cash in on a particular meme-of-the-month. But I'll admit, I thought this one was funny. The mere fact you know what's coming, makes it even better.



Double Rainbow Autotune



Original Yosemitebear Double Rainbow

Bird's Eye Chili

Just made the mistake of trying one of our potted pepper plant fruits, with no nearby water or milk handy. Big mistake. As you can hopefully tell from the picture, it's not very big. But the Bird's-Eye Chili/Thai Pepper is deceptively hot. Hot as HELL actually.

The Scoville Scale shows the Thai pepper as being less hot than a Habanero. This, I can personally attest, is a blatant lie. I bit into this last night (before bed), eating about 1/2 the pepper raw. And it was like I had ingested battery acid, with a mild peppery aftertaste. So I'd recommend this as an ingredient in a recipe, but not for munch-and-go consumption. You've been warned.

$20 Carrot Cake

(not a lie)

Ever wonder what a $20 sheet cake looks like? Well, you can cross that one off your list. I just had a piece last night.

We don't normally eat such sophisticated baked goods, in this house. But this was for a good cause. It was from a food auction, for the local 4-H chapter. They raise needed funds, by auctioning off the winning youth projects to the general fair attendees. And if you have the winning bid, you get to enjoy a delicious piece of cake!

iOS 4: still no cure for Shuffle?

I don't really have a large point to make. So quickly, here's what I'm thinking before I head home.... I'm enjoying my iPhone with iOS 4 running on it, and I still cannot play a podcast, via voice command? WTF? 2010? And why can I "shuffle" my playlists, but not "unshuffle" them by voice? Or am I doing something wrong? Noshuffle? Unshuffle? STOP FUCKING SHUFFLING? What's the magic word? Help me out, people.

Sent from my iPhone

GY!BE reforming? WHAT? 2010?

via 1119732.net

How did I miss this?
I'm not that busy/drunk this summer.
Or maybe it's not legit?

I'm loving the stuff I've already heard. Can't wait for some new stuff to drop. Then again, there's a big leap between getting back together for some live performances, and recording new material. Still, it's encouraging.

Ghost Adventures

I pure hate this goof on Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures. Zak Baggins, or somesuch? Just a gigantic buffed-out douchelord of a guy, who wears these dark, 1 size too small t-shirts, all the time (so his arms look HUGE in the night-vision, yo). Constantly provoking ghosts and spirits who are no doubt minding their own business in the afterlife, and trying to get himself raped in these supposedly haunted locations. If you've never seen the show, here's a taste of just how tough a guy Zak is:

Zak: I bet you're saying to yourself, "Wow, what a tough guy this guy is. I scratched the hell out of him, and he's still coming for more." Well, damn right, I'm coming for more! I want to talk to the piece of shit who scratched me on my back, 25 different times! Come and do it again! Why did you do it on my back? Do it on my face!

As brave as he is, Zak's not without his moments of fear and weakness. Water may be the kryptonite to his Superman complex. Maybe because he's afraid his hair product may melt? :

Nick: Stop, stop, stop! You’re making me do that.
Aaron: [giggling] How would I make you do that?! How would I make you do that?!...How would I make you fall?
Zak: You’re splashing behind me.

He also doesn't read up very well on local cultures and customs, which is the first thing any good traveler does before heading to a new and unfamiliar location:

Aaron: Dude, one thing the guy said is you don’t taunt voodoo.
Zak: Am I taunting?
Aaron: Dude, you’re taunting the crap out of it!

These ghost situations can get pretty scary, And like any good leader, Zak knows it just makes sense to have a point man out in front that you can count on.

Zak: Okay, we hear you!...We hear you! And we don't think that you're a very nice spirit because you're-you're making not-noises—you're throwing shit!...But we have no fear of you!...Okay? We have absolutely no fear you!...Nick, you're going in there first, right?

 Just as long as it isn't him. LOL

Final Fantasy XIV PC: preorder now!

If you're a PC owner, you can now preorder FFXIV. And if you preorder now, here's what you can get:

 (PS3: go f*** yourself)

FINAL FANTASY XIV release date has been announced! The game will be available for PC on September 30. The limited PC Collector's Edition will offer eight- day early access to the realm of Eorzea.

Also included in the limited Collector's Edition:
BEHIND-THE-SCENES DVD - Get an insider look at the making of FINAL FANTASY XIV with exclusive video content, interviews and more in this special documentary DVD
SECURITY TOKEN - A FINAL FANTASY XIV branded Security Token used in addition to your regular password
TRAVEL JOURNAL - Record your travels in this beautifully bound journal filled with pages of never-before-seen concept art
RIGHT OF PASSAGE - Redeem a voucher to receive your fully personalized right of passage certificate, each stamped with a unique serial number
AMANO COVER - Special PC Collector's Edition illustration by renowned artist Yoshitaka Amano.
FREE GAMEPLAY - Free gameplay for 30 days
BUDDY PASS - Invite a friend to play free for a limited time

But if you are intending to play on the PS3, you must wait until WTF MARCH 2011???, to play. Which sucks. Maybe they'll move the console release date up to the 2010 holiday season?

View from a Deere

Look Ma, no hands!

Here's a pic of my backyard (sort of), to prove to Hitman that I don't in fact live in "Indiana meth country".

My grass is nice and green, and well-kept.
My neighbors could use some work, but I digress.

Carny Food, Explosions (in the Sky)

Nothing like some fried batter and powdered sugar to help usher in our American Independence Day. Followed up with some bombs bursting in air.

Umphrey's McGee: Mantis/Glory/Mantis

Beautiful day outside here today, so I'm breaking out a great outdoor performance by my boys in Umphrey's McGee. This one is from Bonnaroo, June 11th 2010. Great live version of Mantis, with some Glory in the middle for flavor. You MUST go see these guys live, if they are in your area.

Enjoy!

Video Game Debate. 2010.

Read some comments from a friend this morning, about how online arguments have degenerated over the last few years? Coincidentally, I just happened to be looking at this particular message board exchange:

(GamesRadar) Red Dead Redemption hailed as the best game of 2010.
(SomeGuy) Yeah well my mom died when I was two, and I don't give a shit any more.

Yikes. Uncomfortable.

I remember when people used to go to forums, and actually debate the finer points of a particular video game. You know, plot, graphics, glitches, difficulty level? Now all gaming arguments apparently hinge on whether or not you're a virgin, ghey, or maybe your taste in avatars. Which is funny and sad, all at once. Like Terms of Endearment.
Anyway the guy sounds like a douchebag. I guess that's my point.

I need coffee.