I've been underground all week, working on actual offline, book-ish writing, so that's why I haven't posted. I've been editing one large piece, and writing something all-new, which has been invigorating.
On Writing
I'd never written a masturbation scene before, let alone one that goes badly, but it was actually a lot of fun, even if it did try to make me a little self-conscious, which is the death of any writer. It's probably the filthiest thing I've ever written, but it's not gratuitous, and the extreme of the activity in the scene contrasts nicely with the outcome. I was pretty pleased with it, but I think, tonally, it's a little too oppressive and dark, so I may need to go back and pepper the first chapter with a little more humor.
Editing, though, is tough. There's one section left in the other book that I'm still trying to elevate to the quality of the rest of the book. What's funny is that it's my favorite section, and it is the one that is most lacking. I love the actual story in this section, but the writing is kinda juvenile and crap (most of it is from 10 years ago, so I gotta spank my 20-year old, immature self at times) in some parts, and the tone just doesn't fit with what's happening to a character, and the transformation she's going through.
Man, I can't wait to be able to be more specific about all this. Soon, I hope.
On Exercising
So, I had never been to a YMCA before our dance class last Friday (and, yes, I really enjoyed it, as it's a fascinating challenge to me), so I had no idea that it was a place that you work out. I had always assumed it was a place that homeless Catholics stay and teach weird shit like the rumba, which we're learning now. My assumption had been that it would be some derelict building, covered in rot and pro-hate Catholic messages.
I was wrong.
It's a beautiful facility, first. Second, its sole purpose seems to be fitness. I don't know if that's normal or not, but I've had a lifetime membership for a while, and had never used it before last Friday night, when we went to our first dance class.
Since then, we've been back every other day to work out, and it's been great. They have a bunch of cycles there that I really like, and I've been doing 4-6 miles each time while either rocking out on my iPod, playing my PSP, or chatting with my wife, who is always on the stair-thing next to me. Gonna try reading on it soon, too.
What's nice about the cycle is that it doesn't murder my knees, which I ruined while playing catcher in baseball in high school. Every other exercise machine I've tried just kills my knees. I think I can stick with this.
Oh, and the on-site child care is awesome.
My goal is to drop 100 pounds in a year, and to stop being the punchline to the great American joke.
On Reading
Inspired by Trevor's recent post over @ 1UP, I thought I'd take a moment to share what I've been reading.
I've been kinda slumming it lately with my books. I've been reading a lot of Star Wars/Warhammer 40k fiction, but most of it has been surprisingly good. In particular, I really enjoyed the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series and the Warhammer 40k: Horus Heresy series.
This is speaking as someone who tends to look down his nose at crappy novel cash-ins for established sci-fi franchises.
Legacy of the Force is a nine-book series set about 25 years after Return of the Jedi, and follows the rise of a Sith in the unlikeliest of places. I tend to despise these spin-off books, but this series is actually really good. The movie characters actually speak and act the way they should, which I find is the thing that bothers me the most about novel tie-ins to these kinds of series. It features a lot of the familiar characters from the classic Star Wars trilogy, as well as a lot of cool, new characters.
Horus Heresy is the origin story of the Warhammer 40k universe, and it's told through an interesting and fragmented structure throughout the books. It's cool, because the first 4-5 books tell a central story, and then the subsequent novels show the fallout of that event all over the galaxy. Warhammer 40k has always had a cool fiction behind it, even if it gets a bit derivative at moments. The presentation and execution has always been pretty solid.
To satisfy my obsession with all things war/political, I've been reading William Manchester's WWII memoir, Goodbye Darkness, and just finished it last night. It was FANTASTIC. His account of Okinawa is one of the most harrowing things I've ever read. The book is incredibly gripping, and Manchester, truly a wordsmith, held me rapt as he retraced his steps through the Pacific Theater of Operations in WWII. At times it was laugh-out-loud funny and other times I was so sickened by the conduct of the Japanese that I wanted to punch somebody. Ultimately, though, Manchester transports you there, and puts you right next to him as he gives a very frank account of his thoughts and experiences.
The book starts out very slow, and will have you wondering where it's going during the first couple of chapters, but if you stick with it, you will be swept away to another time and another place.
Otherwise
- played some Jade Empire: Special Edition and Company of Heroes; both games still rock my world
- watched Fanboys and LOVED it; great for anyone whose taste is good enough to allow them to love Star Wars
- I am SUPER-hyped for True Blood to return Sunday! Best new show of last year!
- I downloaded Final Fantasy VII, Medal of Honor, and Medal of Honor: Underground on my PSP this week; GREAT memories from my late-teens/early-twenties; should be perfect for the cycle at the Y
- gonna grab the new map pack for Call of Duty: World at War today; double XP weekend this weekend, too; I actually really like the multiplayer in this game
- gonna jump back into the Uncharted 2 beta this weekend, too; tried it when I was fucking hammered last weekend, but really liked it; wanna try it sober
How is life for everyone else? What do you have going on this weekend? Anything gaming or anything exciting in the meatspace?
See ya on Monday!
-Blaine
On sale now!
Showing posts with label true blood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label true blood. Show all posts
20090612
20090605
The Weekend Cometh (all over your face!)
Tonight marks the first night of our Ballroom Dancing class. We are definitely a married couple, but I'm actually looking forward to it. My wife's a fun gal, and any excuse to engage with her is one I'll take.
With any luck, this will lead to a fun night, in which we dance, have some dinner, and then totally have lots of sex. That would be ideal. Of course, it depends on what our 3-year old allows to happen, but I have a good feeling about all this.
Podcasting
The post-E3 Untitled Podcast is getting recorded either tomorrow evening or Sunday during the day. I'm still waiting to hear back from Tony on what works best for him, but we'll see. We both have some pretty strong opinions, and I'm really stoked to get behind the mic for this one. We're gonna do four categories: 'What Ya Loved,' 'What Could Go Either Way,' 'What Needs Work,' and 'What Wasn't There.' We'll be talking about games, services, and hardware, so anything is open game.
Saturday
My street is having its first annual block party, and I'm really looking forward to getting loaded with my neighbors, and finding out what the deal is with the people that own and live in 'the Lot that Time Forgot,' as it's astonishing to see such a terrible homeowner in my neck of the woods, but I'm thankful for them, since people are gawking at their dilapidated shit instead of mine.
I also like the concept of having a tight neighborhood that can band together and stand against things that are bad, like Wal-Mart and drunk drivers.
Sunday
'Get shit done Day,' as it's become for me, tends to start with an explosion of hard labor in the yard during the AM hours, followed by a shower and relaxation, and probably some gaming.
Next Week
Next week is my last week before classes resume, and while my time off hasn't been nearly as productive as I'd like, it's sure been relaxing and soul-mending. I let the world make me its bitch over the last 10 or so months, and I let people drag me down to their level, and I'm done with that shit. It's funny that lessons we learned so long ago need to be reinforced every so often. I really let myself slip, as a person, and let baby shit like school interfere become an issue for me, which I can promise you was endlessly humiliating.
So, I'm eager to get back in the saddle and make these classes my bitch. What's nice, too, is that I've worked out a good schedule for myself for this summer, and I'll have a nice balance between work, creative work, and play.
Also, next Sunday (6/14, in case you're a moron and don't understand what 'next Sunday' means) is the return of True Blood, the best show I've seen since Battlestar Galactica or Firefly. If you haven't watched it up to this point, a) you're a sad individual and b) it's out on Blu-Ray (and DVD for you cavemen.)
Either way, it's an amazing show, and I hope you're watching it, too.
On Writing
Been working on old shit so much lately that I'm now dying to break out and work on something new. Thinking about writing my first 'real world' book, with no fantastical elements. Yeah, I know, I think that shit tends to be pretty boring, too, but I wanna take a stab at making it interesting. I've always kicked around this idea about a guy who's beating it one night and finds his girlfriend in pictures on a hardcore site, and the subsequent journey he undertakes. We'll see. If it's not my main series, I tend to be pretty flighty with my projects.
Peace Out
That's probably enough for now.
Quick question, for the podcast: who won the Press Conference Battle? Microsoft, Nintendo, or Sony? Why do you think so?
Have a great weekend, and I'll post the podcast link this weekend!
-Blaine
With any luck, this will lead to a fun night, in which we dance, have some dinner, and then totally have lots of sex. That would be ideal. Of course, it depends on what our 3-year old allows to happen, but I have a good feeling about all this.
Podcasting
The post-E3 Untitled Podcast is getting recorded either tomorrow evening or Sunday during the day. I'm still waiting to hear back from Tony on what works best for him, but we'll see. We both have some pretty strong opinions, and I'm really stoked to get behind the mic for this one. We're gonna do four categories: 'What Ya Loved,' 'What Could Go Either Way,' 'What Needs Work,' and 'What Wasn't There.' We'll be talking about games, services, and hardware, so anything is open game.
Saturday
My street is having its first annual block party, and I'm really looking forward to getting loaded with my neighbors, and finding out what the deal is with the people that own and live in 'the Lot that Time Forgot,' as it's astonishing to see such a terrible homeowner in my neck of the woods, but I'm thankful for them, since people are gawking at their dilapidated shit instead of mine.
I also like the concept of having a tight neighborhood that can band together and stand against things that are bad, like Wal-Mart and drunk drivers.
Sunday
'Get shit done Day,' as it's become for me, tends to start with an explosion of hard labor in the yard during the AM hours, followed by a shower and relaxation, and probably some gaming.
Next Week
Next week is my last week before classes resume, and while my time off hasn't been nearly as productive as I'd like, it's sure been relaxing and soul-mending. I let the world make me its bitch over the last 10 or so months, and I let people drag me down to their level, and I'm done with that shit. It's funny that lessons we learned so long ago need to be reinforced every so often. I really let myself slip, as a person, and let baby shit like school interfere become an issue for me, which I can promise you was endlessly humiliating.
So, I'm eager to get back in the saddle and make these classes my bitch. What's nice, too, is that I've worked out a good schedule for myself for this summer, and I'll have a nice balance between work, creative work, and play.
Also, next Sunday (6/14, in case you're a moron and don't understand what 'next Sunday' means) is the return of True Blood, the best show I've seen since Battlestar Galactica or Firefly. If you haven't watched it up to this point, a) you're a sad individual and b) it's out on Blu-Ray (and DVD for you cavemen.)
Either way, it's an amazing show, and I hope you're watching it, too.
On Writing
Been working on old shit so much lately that I'm now dying to break out and work on something new. Thinking about writing my first 'real world' book, with no fantastical elements. Yeah, I know, I think that shit tends to be pretty boring, too, but I wanna take a stab at making it interesting. I've always kicked around this idea about a guy who's beating it one night and finds his girlfriend in pictures on a hardcore site, and the subsequent journey he undertakes. We'll see. If it's not my main series, I tend to be pretty flighty with my projects.
Peace Out
That's probably enough for now.
Quick question, for the podcast: who won the Press Conference Battle? Microsoft, Nintendo, or Sony? Why do you think so?
Have a great weekend, and I'll post the podcast link this weekend!
-Blaine
20090507
Manny Ramirez is a bad person and the sky is blue.
NEWSFLASH!
(FWOOSH!)
Adolf Hitler was mentally ill and a murderer!
(FWOOSH!)
Rush Limbaugh's mind is ruled by hate!
(FWOOSH!)
Water is wet!
(FWOOSH!)
The sky is blue!
(FWOOSH!)
Manny Ramirez is a really fucking terrible person!
Duh, guys. I know that this is heartbreaking to those that love their Dodgers, but come the fuck on, guys. You HAD to know that you were hiring a cold-blooded bat-toting merc who cares only about his numbers. He can't be bothered to play defense, he is incapable of being a team player, and fakes injuries to avoid honoring his contract. Oh, and we're adding "steroid-fueled cheater" to that list? No problem. It certainly fits with the rest of his career.
You handed this creature millions upon millions, none of the 29 other teams wanted anything to do with him, you knew all of the above, and now you're surprised?
That kinda idiocy reminds me of the fucking morons who voted for Bush in the 2004 election, then had the audacity to jump on the bandwagon of outrage at his administration in subsequent years.
In both cases, you had utterly reprehensible behavior expertly detailed for YEARS before throwing your support behind someone who was not, in even the slightest way, repentant for their nearly inhuman behavior. What the fuck were you thinking then, and why are you surprised now?
Dubya's an evil puppet, devoid of ethics, with a monster's hand shoved up his ass, almost like an American Hirohito, but Manny...it takes a special kinda asshole to quit on your team, as he did in Boston. I actually think that's worse than using steroids to cheat. At least with the steroids, you're gonna pay at some point, and it's gonna hurt, but quitting on your team is the clearest way to telegraph to everyone around you that you are a really bad person who just needs to go be alone and ignored for the rest of time. Fuck 'em.
Surviving
I'm almost through with that week before finals. Almost. I am so tired, I sometimes wanna weep.
It's cool, though. I've got an exam tomorrow, then the weekend to study and rest up, and then 3 days of intense academic combat. I'll be glad just to make it out alive, and then relax for a few weeks, getting to focus purely on work and personal projects.
I'm really pumped about being able to play some games, get caught up on some reading, hang out with some friends, and all the things that make summer the best season each year.
Consuming
I listened to the first episode of the Out of the Game podcast, and it is the best podcast on the entire intertron. It stars five dudes, including the four coolest and funniest people that ever worked at 1UP (Jeff Green, Shawn Elliot, Robert Ashley [all 3 from GFW Radio, the previous 'best podcast ever'], and Luke Smith, one of the original 1UP Yours dudes, one of the funniest people ever to appear on the 1UP Show.) Also on the podcast is N'Gai Croal, that super-respected games journalist dude that's no longer a games journalist.
It's not a games-focused podcast, though there is game talk in there. Really, it's the 5 of them picking a topic, talking about it, then ripping off my old podcast (just kidding, tee-hee) and talkin' 'whatcha been consuming?' It's a fantastic podcast, and if you don't listen to it, you are out of excuses, and I hereby pronounce you to be straight-up fucking retarded.
I'm also looking forward to wrapping the seasons on Dollhouse, Fringe, and Lost, as all three are building to kinda crazy points (in a good way). If ya don't watch these, Dollhouse and Fringe are only a season in thus far, so it'd be really easy to get caught up on 'em. Both have the typical 'shakedown cruise' syndrome of a first season, but get everything figured out pretty quickly, after 4-5 episodes. I don't watch bad shows, so you should watch what I watch.
After that, True Blood and Entourage both return in June, which I am SOOO hyped about.
So, with the TV season wrapping up, what shows do you wanna sell other people on? What were your favorites from this past TV season? Any shows you miss that aren't on anymore? Since it's a beautiful day outside, let's talk TV!
-Blaine
(FWOOSH!)
Adolf Hitler was mentally ill and a murderer!
(FWOOSH!)
Rush Limbaugh's mind is ruled by hate!
(FWOOSH!)
Water is wet!
(FWOOSH!)
The sky is blue!
(FWOOSH!)
Manny Ramirez is a really fucking terrible person!
Duh, guys. I know that this is heartbreaking to those that love their Dodgers, but come the fuck on, guys. You HAD to know that you were hiring a cold-blooded bat-toting merc who cares only about his numbers. He can't be bothered to play defense, he is incapable of being a team player, and fakes injuries to avoid honoring his contract. Oh, and we're adding "steroid-fueled cheater" to that list? No problem. It certainly fits with the rest of his career.
You handed this creature millions upon millions, none of the 29 other teams wanted anything to do with him, you knew all of the above, and now you're surprised?
That kinda idiocy reminds me of the fucking morons who voted for Bush in the 2004 election, then had the audacity to jump on the bandwagon of outrage at his administration in subsequent years.
In both cases, you had utterly reprehensible behavior expertly detailed for YEARS before throwing your support behind someone who was not, in even the slightest way, repentant for their nearly inhuman behavior. What the fuck were you thinking then, and why are you surprised now?
Dubya's an evil puppet, devoid of ethics, with a monster's hand shoved up his ass, almost like an American Hirohito, but Manny...it takes a special kinda asshole to quit on your team, as he did in Boston. I actually think that's worse than using steroids to cheat. At least with the steroids, you're gonna pay at some point, and it's gonna hurt, but quitting on your team is the clearest way to telegraph to everyone around you that you are a really bad person who just needs to go be alone and ignored for the rest of time. Fuck 'em.
Surviving
I'm almost through with that week before finals. Almost. I am so tired, I sometimes wanna weep.
It's cool, though. I've got an exam tomorrow, then the weekend to study and rest up, and then 3 days of intense academic combat. I'll be glad just to make it out alive, and then relax for a few weeks, getting to focus purely on work and personal projects.
I'm really pumped about being able to play some games, get caught up on some reading, hang out with some friends, and all the things that make summer the best season each year.
Consuming
I listened to the first episode of the Out of the Game podcast, and it is the best podcast on the entire intertron. It stars five dudes, including the four coolest and funniest people that ever worked at 1UP (Jeff Green, Shawn Elliot, Robert Ashley [all 3 from GFW Radio, the previous 'best podcast ever'], and Luke Smith, one of the original 1UP Yours dudes, one of the funniest people ever to appear on the 1UP Show.) Also on the podcast is N'Gai Croal, that super-respected games journalist dude that's no longer a games journalist.
It's not a games-focused podcast, though there is game talk in there. Really, it's the 5 of them picking a topic, talking about it, then ripping off my old podcast (just kidding, tee-hee) and talkin' 'whatcha been consuming?' It's a fantastic podcast, and if you don't listen to it, you are out of excuses, and I hereby pronounce you to be straight-up fucking retarded.
I'm also looking forward to wrapping the seasons on Dollhouse, Fringe, and Lost, as all three are building to kinda crazy points (in a good way). If ya don't watch these, Dollhouse and Fringe are only a season in thus far, so it'd be really easy to get caught up on 'em. Both have the typical 'shakedown cruise' syndrome of a first season, but get everything figured out pretty quickly, after 4-5 episodes. I don't watch bad shows, so you should watch what I watch.
After that, True Blood and Entourage both return in June, which I am SOOO hyped about.
So, with the TV season wrapping up, what shows do you wanna sell other people on? What were your favorites from this past TV season? Any shows you miss that aren't on anymore? Since it's a beautiful day outside, let's talk TV!
-Blaine
20090505
Bah.
Got some difficult things outta the way, as far as ending the semester goes, and it's only Tuesday, so I'm pretty pleased. I don't have a lotta time today, so here's some rapid fire stuff for ya:
- went to the Cardinals game last night, and Rick Ankiel had an incredibly scary moment. He was running for a flyball in left-center and then crashed head-first into the wall. At that moment, his entire body went "rag-doll" and he collapsed to the ground, motionless. As they were carrying him off in a stretcher, he did manage to give a thumbs-up. He's going to be fine, but it scared the shit outta me. He and I are about the same age, and watching him overcome the things he's overcome has always been inspirational to me. I really want to see him come out okay and kick some serious ass the rest of his career. Also, that last link is to Bryan Burwell's column about the incident, and I suggest reading it. He's been my favorite sportswriter for a while, and this is another great example of why.
- played some Quake Live at work today. I had been meaning to do this for a while, but I'm fairly conditioned to work while I'm at work, and play while I'm not. I rarely cross the two, but I really needed to blow off some steam, so I went ahead and fired that bad boy up. After I finished all my initial work, I played for about a half hour, and had a great time. My work machine is a piece of shit, and while it ran a little choppy, it still ran. The other browser-based shooter game that's in beta that I'm on (and cannot discuss) did not run, but I also haven't really looked at why yet. Anyway, Quake Live is great fun, it's in open beta, so hop in and have fun!
- it's my wife's birthday today! She's only 27, and I'm now hearing her bitch about her age for the first time. Kinda interesting. I've been doing it since I was 16 or so, and I'm 30 now, so I actually have an excuse to bitch. She was remarking to me that she's "not jailbait anymore, and that sucks." I'm sure I said something crude in reply, but I don't remember. Either way, it's her birthday, and we'll be celebrating it tonight, which I'm looking forward to. I got her the new Sookie book and True Blood on Blu-Ray.
- I have kind of a quiet day tomorrow, but we'll be going out with my folks tomorrow night for dinner (for the Lady's b-day.) I have a mega-giant Statistics exam on Thursday, followed by some mid-day beta testing, followed by a little day-job work, then I'm hanging out with my son while my wife works, then John and I are going out for his birthday, and seeing the new Star Trek @ 11PM on DLP. RAWK. Friday, I work a bit, then this weekend is devoted to studying for finals, and blowing off steam through either sex or gaming.
- After 5/13, I'm done with finals, and then it's time to focus on day-job work and personal project work. I think I'm going to first turn my attention to pushing the 10-year old first novel out the door, so that I can focus on something new this summer. There's also the question of what kind of relationship E3 and I are going to have at the beginning of June. We'll see. I'm doing some coursework over the summer, though that only lasts 8 weeks or so. I'd really like to do a mod for Quake Wars this summer, or maybe Neverwinter Nights, but we'll see. I keep saying I'm gonna teach myself Python, and this summer is a great chance to do exactly that. Again, we'll see.
So, I'm getting ready to head out for the day. How's everyone else's week going? Any crazy plans for the summer?
Also, thanks for the linkage, Laurance! Go check out his blog, everyone! Much more quality shit than you'll find here!
-Blaine
- went to the Cardinals game last night, and Rick Ankiel had an incredibly scary moment. He was running for a flyball in left-center and then crashed head-first into the wall. At that moment, his entire body went "rag-doll" and he collapsed to the ground, motionless. As they were carrying him off in a stretcher, he did manage to give a thumbs-up. He's going to be fine, but it scared the shit outta me. He and I are about the same age, and watching him overcome the things he's overcome has always been inspirational to me. I really want to see him come out okay and kick some serious ass the rest of his career. Also, that last link is to Bryan Burwell's column about the incident, and I suggest reading it. He's been my favorite sportswriter for a while, and this is another great example of why.
- played some Quake Live at work today. I had been meaning to do this for a while, but I'm fairly conditioned to work while I'm at work, and play while I'm not. I rarely cross the two, but I really needed to blow off some steam, so I went ahead and fired that bad boy up. After I finished all my initial work, I played for about a half hour, and had a great time. My work machine is a piece of shit, and while it ran a little choppy, it still ran. The other browser-based shooter game that's in beta that I'm on (and cannot discuss) did not run, but I also haven't really looked at why yet. Anyway, Quake Live is great fun, it's in open beta, so hop in and have fun!
- it's my wife's birthday today! She's only 27, and I'm now hearing her bitch about her age for the first time. Kinda interesting. I've been doing it since I was 16 or so, and I'm 30 now, so I actually have an excuse to bitch. She was remarking to me that she's "not jailbait anymore, and that sucks." I'm sure I said something crude in reply, but I don't remember. Either way, it's her birthday, and we'll be celebrating it tonight, which I'm looking forward to. I got her the new Sookie book and True Blood on Blu-Ray.
- I have kind of a quiet day tomorrow, but we'll be going out with my folks tomorrow night for dinner (for the Lady's b-day.) I have a mega-giant Statistics exam on Thursday, followed by some mid-day beta testing, followed by a little day-job work, then I'm hanging out with my son while my wife works, then John and I are going out for his birthday, and seeing the new Star Trek @ 11PM on DLP. RAWK. Friday, I work a bit, then this weekend is devoted to studying for finals, and blowing off steam through either sex or gaming.
- After 5/13, I'm done with finals, and then it's time to focus on day-job work and personal project work. I think I'm going to first turn my attention to pushing the 10-year old first novel out the door, so that I can focus on something new this summer. There's also the question of what kind of relationship E3 and I are going to have at the beginning of June. We'll see. I'm doing some coursework over the summer, though that only lasts 8 weeks or so. I'd really like to do a mod for Quake Wars this summer, or maybe Neverwinter Nights, but we'll see. I keep saying I'm gonna teach myself Python, and this summer is a great chance to do exactly that. Again, we'll see.
So, I'm getting ready to head out for the day. How's everyone else's week going? Any crazy plans for the summer?
Also, thanks for the linkage, Laurance! Go check out his blog, everyone! Much more quality shit than you'll find here!
-Blaine
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