Excused Absence?

It seems like half my posts are apologies for not posting.

Well, I apologize for that, but this post is an apology as well.

So, I apologize. Not that I'm alone in my misdeeds. (*cough*ericjohnchristineaaron*cough*)

If you were wondering what's kept me away from the oh-so-beloved blogging community, I'll take the time now to expound upon them. If you weren't, it doesn't matter because I'm gonna expound upon them anyway.


Excuse #1: Biohazardous Basement

No, this excuse is not a joke. Our basement apparently contains high levels of radioactive, cancer-causing radon gas (Ra on the periodic table--heh, haven't forgotten my Chemistry lessons yet). When we bought this house, the owners told us that when they did the radon test, the results came back fine, but then when other people did the same test, they got results that showed the presence of dangerous levels of said radon gas. Well, we were more concerned about getting the house than worrying about conflicting results, so we overlooked it. So we bought the house, put the computers in the basement, and didn't pay much thought to it (at least I didn't--I hear that my parents wanted to test it right away but never got around to it). Well, a week or two ago, my mom decides she wants to check up on the radon, considering we were never sure about it. And guess what. High levels of radon gas. More than a year after we buy the house, and play computer down in the basement, we find out it's unhealthy. Great. However, from what I understand, a year isn't enough to pose a serious health threat. It's not good, but it doesn't mean I'm getting cancer now. And yes, I'm in the basement right now typing this, although my mom doesn't like it now that we know. She's been stopping me from going down as much as she can. Thus, blogging has been non-existent.


Excuse #2--Illness

What would a list of excuses be without the classic, "I was sick."?

It's true. I started what I thought was just a bad cold two Wednesday's ago, which got worse before it almost disappeared on Saturday. Then it got worse again. In fact, it became strep throat. So until last Thursday, I was sicker than I've been in a while. Which stunk, considering it was a school vacation. My sickness led me to invest more time playing on my Nintendo Wii, which leads me to my next excuse.


Excuse #3--Conflict of Interest

I know, I know. What could possibly be more important than blogging?

Well, sorry, but I know one thing, at least, that is.

I recently got back into playing the latest installment of what I consider the greatest video game series of all time. For some, The Legend of Zelda may mean nothing to you, but those who have played it will agree that it is an awesome, awesome game. I mean, it's awesome. Listen, I've played plenty of video games, many of them considered great games by almost everyone. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, however, has got to be one of the best. I know, it has a kinda girlie name. But trust me, it's definitely worth playing. Heh, it's worth buying a Gamecube or Wii to play this game, seriously. Even if you don't play/like video games, you'll like this one. My mom and my sisters want me to tell them when I play, because they consider it to be like watching a movie, only this one has an uncertain outcome, and the main character is figuring it out as they go along.

Y'know, I think I might as well add some beefiness to this post, considering my long absence.

"What makes the game so good? And why would I like it if I don't like video games?", you may well ask.

What makes this game so good is hard to put simply. It's something that needs to be experienced for one to fully understand and appreciate why it's so good. But I think the fundamental aspect of its goodness is its ability to make the player feel as if they're Link, the main character of the series. Not only do you feel as if you are the main character, but the depth of the gameplay immerses you in the video-game world of Hyrule.

How does this game accomplish more than what many video games, books, and movies do?

Hard to say. Maybe it's the storyline? Maybe it's because of the satisfaction you get of actually being the hero? Being a hero who's always doing good, squashing evil, and doing it all in a noble fashion? Maybe it's just that I like that kind of storyline, like being the hero, like doing good and squashing evil in a noble fashion.

Not sure, to be honest with you. I have a feeling, though, it's the little details that do it. The fact that everyone in the game calls you by the name you put in as your own. The freedom you have to do little side-quests in between the challenging dungeons (large...um, I dunno how to put this...levels, I guess, filled with little puzzles and traps before you get to the "boss", a huge, hard-to-beat enemy at the end). The way that even the most insignificant character you meet in town has a personality that is evident despite the fact that none of the conversations have any voice, it's all written in a text box.

Lemme sidetrack a bit to explain that last point. Actually, I'll just give an example. You walk into Castle Town, the largest town in the game, and, after talking with a few random passer-by, hear about this tent on the eastern thoroughfare with something new. The people you talk to don't seem to know what it is, though some seem a litrle suspicious. You decide to check it out, and upon finding the tent, walk in. A brief cinematic plays, in which you walk into the dark tent to be greeted by a slick-looking guy in a robin-hood like costume with a gameshow-host smile under a spotlight. With dramatic gestures and enthusiastic expressions on his face, he explains that this is a game, which, although it costs money to play, promises amazing prizes for the winner. After you have the rules explained to you and you pay the fee, the man wishes you good luck, but you catch a little snicker after his well-wishing (This probably isn't making sense to you, considering I said that there isn't any talking. Let me give you an example of what you'd see in the text box.)
___________________________________________________________

Thank you, good sir! The game begins as soon as you enter the cage! Good luck!......Heh heh heh......

__________________________________________________________________


That little snicker gives you a little hint about what the guy is like. You realize that the suspicions entertained by the others you talked to are confirmed when you step into the cage and see the huge amount of glowing orbs you have to collect before the 30 second time limit runs out. You try, and fail. The man's condolences are also tinged with snickering. Now, this begins to get personal. You wanna teach this jerk a lesson! You're not gonna let him just take your money without a struggle! He thinks he's made an impossible game, but you know better. You have a special piece of equipment earned in one of the dungeons that'll help you in the game, but it still will take a significant amount of skill to beat. You try again, this time collecting all the orbs in the time limit. A bunch of ditsy little onlooking girls squeal. You exit the cage and talk with the man. The distraught look on his face is very satisfying. I'll go do another text box example for this one.

____________________________________________________

What??? How??? Impossible......
....Well, it seems we have a new star! Here's your prize, good sir!

___________________________________________

(He hands you a quiver with a greater capacity than the one you have, a very useful prize, actually. He continues...)

_____________________________________________________

Since you've done so well, I'm sure you won't mind if we construct a new setup especially for you! It'll take a little while to complete, but you must come and try it out when it's finished!

.....I will GET you for this...

___________________________________________________________


And thus, you walk away happily with your prize, which is all the more satisfying for having foiled the game owner's scheme.

Keep in mind, this is only a little side "quest"-like thing you can do optionally, it's not actually part of the storyline. Anyway, that should give you a taste of how the little details add to the appeal of the game.

I guess that maybe this game isn't the kind of game that a non-gamer would easily enjoy playing. I can almost guarantee, though, that if the person is patient, and likes to read books or watch movies, they would at least enjoy watching. In my opinion, this video game's story has an advantage over stories in movies, and even some books. Instead of just being an onlooker, you actually have to be the one solving the puzzles, fighting the bad guys, figuring out what to do next. It's a whole new level of immersion. And personally, I like being immersed in a story.

Final note: If you like The Lord of the Rings, chances are you'll like Twilight Princess.

Okay folks, that post took me a collective two hours to put together (lol, I've been working on it over two days so it isn't as bad as it sounds).

Hope that makes up for my silence, and covers me if I am silent for a little while longer.

Harvard?

You may remember my being absent from the blogosphere with the excuse of college applications.

If you don't remember, I applied to Tufts, Harvard, and UMass Lowell.

Now, in my opinion, 35,000 dollars a year is too much (Tufts tuition), and 40,000 a year is even worse (Harvard tuition--neither of these include room and board). Especially as opposed to 0 dollars a year, which seems to be almost guaranteed with UMass (scholarships for valedictorian). Naturally, UMass is looking very good right now, and since Tufts and Harvard are extremely selective schools, I was sorta hoping that they would pass me over and UMass Lowell would give me a certain scholarship that pays for everything including traveling expenses. To be honest with you, I was hoping that God would let me know where He wants me to go by letting two colleges reject me and one accept me, and not leave me faced with choices.

He still may do so, but an unforseen (on my part, of course) event has occurred.

Harvard had an alumni interview with me on Sunday.

Now, this really doesn't mean that they're going to accept me, or that they're even interested in me. They try to do this with all their applicants, from what I understand. But I was hoping that they'd ignore me completely, heh.

Anyway, I didn't write this post to discuss college admissions.

On our way to "Not Your Average Joe's", where the interview was to take place, my mom joked around with me saying, "Wouldn't it be funny if we got into a car accident, and it ended up being the guy who's going to interview you?"

I played along with the joke, adding to it and whatnot. We got to the restaurant, and before my mom dropped me off so she could go to Market Basket nearby, she said, "Wouldn't it be funny if I got into an accident with the guy here in the parking lot, so that the guy came late and tells you, 'Sorry, I got in an accident with a dumb old lady'" I told her, "I hope he doesn't really get in an accident, with anyone, because if he does and he tells me, I'm gonna crack up."

We laughed, and went our separate ways.

Anyway, the interview began with no incident. Half-way through, the guy got a call on his cell phone, and excusing himself, took the call. When he was finished he apologized,

"Sorry, I got in a car accident...yesterday..."

I managed to keep it down to a slight smirk.

Do Us All a Favor.

This post is written partly to appease the request of a certain illustrious Shodan (shodan=Japanese word for "black belt"; illustrious shodan=Mrs. B) and partly because I was gonna write this anyway when I got the time.

I will not even mention by name last Sunday's painful occurrence, it's still too fresh a wound to touch. Obviously. I won't go into reasons why--I don't even want to remember.

This last Monday I found the time to make it out to karate class (which the aforementioned certain illustrious shodan found herself absent for--a very, very rare event, I can assure you). The whole class was happily beginning the workout, when a certain purple-belt with an apparent lack of common sense decided he would talk about that occurrence-which-we-shall-not-mention.

Not only did he decide to talk about it, but he had to comment on how it was a good event-which-we-shall-not-mention.

What???? <-------(general response of a class that was filled with brown-belts and above)

Oh, he was just being "objective". Oh, he tries not to root only for one team, but appreciate the skill and good plays of everyone. Oh, we all have to admit that it was a good game, and that we don't have a right to complain, cuz it was a good game. Oh, we have admire along with him that Mann--*cough choke*--managed to--*urk*--squeeze out of a blitz.

Pffft.

I wasn't the only one annoyed. A certain illustrious Sensei was annoyed as well. In fact, he expressed his annoyance with an eloquence that I aspire to emulate. He grabbed a tanto (the short knife samurai would carry and commit suicide with--seppuku--rather than be dishonored by being captured in battle), unsheathed it, and placed it in front of the annoying purple belt.

"Do us all a favor."

(Unfortunately, Mrs. B., this was the most exciting part of the class. Combinations, stances, strikes, and self-defense are good, but not interesting.)

Anyhow, the annoying purple belt shut up.

Angel of Death

Some of you may remember my previous posts about AWANA, a Bible-club thingamajig my church holds every other Friday that I teach a class in.

Well, every so often, we hold a special AWANA night (e.g. Pizza Night, Ice Cream Night, Crazy Hair & Hat Night, etc.) Last Friday was "Bible Character Dress-Up Night".

Hopefully I don't have to explain it. :D

Anyway, even though I, as a teacher/helper at AWANA, am under no obligation to participate (technically not even the kids are, but there's prizes for best and most original, so that's encouragement enough), I decided I'd have a little fun and join in. And, since I was a teacher, I wanted to have a really cool, somewhat-original costume (Gotta be a good example for the kiddies, y'know :D). So, after mulling over what would fit the bill, I came up with what seemed to be the perfect idea.

I'd say it here but you can read the title of the post. (heh, I'm so lazy I'll say all this instead of just giving you the name)

My plans, at first, were quite extensive. After buying two, three-dollar, black bedsheets at Wal-Mart, I took pains in planning out how I was going to cut them, sew them, put them together, etc. (Yes, I know how to sew [a little]) Somehow, my mom talked me out of it and convinced me to just use a simple design and safety pins. I think she thought it a waste of perfectly good bedsheets. Anyway, I ended up cutting up one of them. I even had plans to make my staff into a scythe, but, alas, my procrastination got the best of me and I ended up with no time Friday night (after getting a lesson ready, eating dinner, blogging, and pinning my cloak together). So, I went with a staff. Not like the Angel of Death had either, but I wanted to get the message across. Bet he didn't even wear black for that matter, heh heh.

Anyway, all that to introduce these pictures to you.

Lol, perfect time for red eye in the first one. In all of them actually. Makes me look a little bit more evil than the Angel of Death though, I think. :D

"Yeah, We're Rolling."

WARNING: If you have not yet seen Alpha Squad Vs. Pickaxe Gang: Directors' Cut yet, DO NOT READ THIS POST UNTIL AFTER YOU SEE IT.

Maybe this sounds dumb, but I love watching the Alphas vs. Pickaxes movies.

No matter how many times I hear them, certain lines make me laugh. For example, the title of this post, which John said so perfectly in the interview with the director, never ceases to make me crack up. Some other favorites: "Hey, you can't do this, this is discrimination!"; "(in a perfect British accent) Scurvy scum?! Now I'm the Billy Bob Joe Pegleg around here!"; "I love treeeeeesss"; etc. (and for actions in the movie, I loved it when the "shovel demonstrator" got wiped off the scene by the cue ball the third time we tried it, and when the tree guy wobbles around before tumbling under the director's assault)

Now, while I was thinking about what my favorite parts were, I wondered, "What parts do the general audience, the hoi-poloi, the viewers of our masterpiece enjoy the most?" (Actually, it was more along the lines of: "Wonder what everyone's favorite parts were.")

Which brings me to my point.

What part(s) of our movie(s) is your favorite?

Maybe John and I could get some ideas from your comments, and who knows? A third installment of the blockbuster hit could be in the works! (I doubt we'd be able to use any ideas though, lol, those movies are done with hardly any ideas at all, just randomness)

Until then, let us know what you think, and vote in the poll I put up!

Flying Squirrel!!!

Picture this: You come home from youth group at church, are only home for about five minutes, during which time your sister goes to her room, when suddenly you hear a blood-curdling shriek emanating from her bedroom.

Your parents leap up and yell, "What's wrong?", as expected, and already begin their journey to either cure the cause of the scream, or give a cause to scream, when the hysterical reply is heard.

"There's a flying squirrel in my bedroom!"

Welcome to my last Wednesday night.

Now, I can probably guess what you're thinking, or at least part of it. Number 1: you're thinking, "WOW! A flying squirrel??? AWESOME! I want to see one!" Number 2: (this one varies depending on gender and personality) you're thinking, "Eek, that stinks to find a furry little animal running around in your bedroom. But, wow! A flying squirrel!" Number 3: "How did she know what a flying squirrel looks like? Did it fly? Wow, a flying squirrel!" And Number 4: "What happened? A flying squirrel!"

Well, I can answer those questions/thoughts.

Before I start, I should probably mention that I wanted to post about this earlier but did not get the time until today.

First of all, I will say that although for a very long time I wanted to see a flying squirrel, I have come to not particularly enjoy seeing them. This is due to the fact that we have had a flying squirrel infestation in our house, and the times I would see them would be when I would go down to the basement to use the computer, hear a little scratching noise and turn around to see a squirrel peeking out of a little hole in the ceiling. Or when I would open the basement door and see one standing on the second-to-top stair staring at me. Or when they were running sideways on the giant beam going across our basement. Or when they'd be running around the garage. Or when...

You get the picture.

Needless to say, I came not to enjoy seeing their cute little face or their cool gliding skills. (I would love to see one in the wild, but that's nearly impossible since they're nocturnal and very good at blending in with their surroundings) And so, when we finally fixed the problem and closed off the hole that it seemed they were coming in from, we thought we had gotten rid of them.

Well, we almost did.

This one little bugger managed to find his way in somehow, and make it to the girls' room. And so, when my sister walked in and turned on the lights, there was a little furry creature staring at her (which she knew to be a flying squirrel since she had seen her share of them). To quote her upon this discovery:

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!"

Anyway, when we learned of the problem, Andrew, my dad, and I were dispatched to remove the little guy. So, we shut the door, cutting off his only escape route, got a broom and a walking stick and a wastebasket, and started chasing the poor stinker around, trying to catch him. We thought we'd lost him, and I left my dad and my brother to try to figure out where he'd come from/escaped to, when I heard the shout, "We found 'im!" and hubbub from behind the closed door. Thus, I did not see Andrew actually rustle him out of the *ahem* big mess under my sister's bed with the walking stick and somehow catch him with the wastebasket in the other hand, but that's what I'm told, and since the squirrel was in the wastebasket, trapped under something they put on top to keep him from climbing out, I have to give Andrew credit for having lightning reflexes.

So, my mom drove Andrew, still holding the wastebasket with its rodent cargo, 7 miles out to be dumped off in some woods somewhere.

My sisters are still sleeping in the family room.

Alpha Squad vs. Pickaxe Gang: Directors' Cut

(Please note that the following was written yesterday night, at the intended time of publishing, but due to an error with Blogger, had to wait until today to be posted)

And now, yet another moment you've all been waiting for!!!

...Although, I guess you couldn't really be waiting for it since you didn't even know it was coming.

But, whether you were waiting or not, whether you're ready or not, whether you even care or not, it's here!!!

"What's here?", you ask?

What's here??? Hopefully you're not asking that question, because the title basically says it all. What you should be asking is, "What do you mean by 'Directors' Cut'?"

Glad you asked!

Directors' Cut means that John came over my house today. Directors' Cut means that John and I wanted to make a sequel to our well-beloved, timeless classic. Directors' Cut means that we did it by interviewing various characters from the aforementioned well-beloved, timeless classic. Directors' Cut means that it's ten times crazier and random than the original. Directors' Cut means that you should not watch this if you're a sane, reasonable person. And, last but not least, Directors' Cut means that I, and I'm sure John as well, have a sore throat.

Good stuff.

Just a few points to note before you watch this movie: Watch, if you haven't already, the edited version of the original first: it'll make us look a little bit less like maniacs with absolutely no logic at all. And you may want to see the original to remember what it was like. Also, please take note of the fact that the movie was recorded on a new camera with the setting accidentally put on widescreen mode, and that the beginning of the movie somehow got messed up. It's supposed to begin with the pickaxe gang member describing how he wanted to use a shovel instead of a pickaxe because he thought it would discriminate against shovels to use only pickaxes.

Oh yes, this one is somehow ten times wierder and crazier than the first.

And so, with that in mind, ladies and gents, boys and girlies, I hereby present unto you, the Directors' Cut of The Alpha Squad Vs. The Pickaxe Gang! (applause here)



Lol, good stuff. Yeah, we're crazy. But we had a blast. Did you? :D